Months Gone By

 I stopped blogging because an end was nowhere near.  For the past 7 months, life has changed drastically for some, none for others.  Me?  In the middle.

We stayed out of school for the rest of the year. My seniors didn't get a prom, they didn't get special exemptions from their last finals (because no one took finals), but we did have a graduation.  All the while we heard numbers were going up, but only a few of the people I know had it. But we stayed indoors. We stayed away from restaurants, concerts cancelled, Broadway closed. Those tickets to Hamilton on my birthday?  Poof. 

The virus continued. It killed people - we're up to 250,000 deaths in the US alone. Those early numbers... I laugh at them now. They seemed so small. We're back in school, and the numbers we've had in schools dwarf those initial numbers, those initial numbers that scared us.

On the plus side, a vaccine seems to be coming. Doctors are understanding this difficult virus more (although there are so many questions). I appear to be a high-risk, as I'm obese, asthmatic, and I have chronic inflammation already (gastritis). But I'm taking precautions. I wear my mask and avoid non-mask wearing (because there are people who are actually politicizing this virus, which is just mind-boggling), I don't go out in large numbers, and I test my pulse ox daily (since now doctors are saying that the pulse ox can drop without anyone knowing, a "happy hypoxia" issue).  If I can just hold out until the vaccine becomes available, I'll consider myself a lucky one. 

In the meantime, not only have I been at my house a LOT, but...

(1) My anxiety is through the roof at times

(2) We somehow got freakin' BED BUGS - discovered at the end of May because those suckers are good at hiding (note: they're gone. We paid a small fortune to bake our house to 150 degrees to kill them, and we've been bed bug free for 6 months now).

(3) I got pretty sick.  I thought it was COVID, but nope. After 5 months of changing my eating habits due to necessity (and losing 20 lbs!) doctors, labs, and various procedures (I got my first colonoscopy and endoscopy - and wow, was THAT an experience), I have been determined to have biliary dyskinesia (which means my gall bladder doesn't work well - it's only performing at 25%), gastritis, and possible kidney issues (I have to go back to my primary care doc to figure this one out).  The pros are that I've lost 20 lbs, I have majorly changed my eating habits (no more fried foods for me!), and I've hit my deductible within the first 3 months of my insurance year.  The cons? I've spent enough money to hit my deductible within 3 months, and my gall bladder may have to come out. I'm hoping I can last until Spring Break or the summer so that I don't have to take any time off.

(4) In going back to work, I realized how much of a kinesthetic teacher I am. I am not walking around as much these days in order to social distance. My desks are in rows - which completely bothers me because I can't get around much - and teaching with a mask is incredibly difficult. I have to project more, which dries out my throat, and the kids can't see my facial expressions. And I can't see them.  Sometimes I feel like an utter failure, but I realize we're all - my students included - doing the best we can. I hope my 9th graders will later be in my senior class. Maybe then I'll get to know what they look like without the masks.

The pandemic is not without its silver lining.  I am extremely grateful that I haven't gotten sick, and I wish our death count wasn't so high. That said, the silver lining is that I'm staying home more - which means saving money. I've paid off 2 of my student loans early and I'm on track to pay off another 3 by May (1-2 years early). I've also cooked and baked more.

 So... that's it in a nutshell.

I've written goals with my students - reading and writing. One of my writing goals is to blog once a week.  I've clearly been failing on that one, but finding the concentration to write is challenging. However, if I expect my students to write and reach their goals, then I'd be a hypocrite if I don't do the same.

So... 

Once a week it is.