Week in review: 4 – 10 May 2020

This week was so-so. The great thing was that I started my daily walks through Manhattan. It is so much better to be outside for at least two hours every day. It gives me time to explore, to take photos, to clear my mind. My body also seems to like my walks. Gone are the days where my back started hurting after sitting for too long. This weekend I even went for two bycicle rides because they allow me to venture a little further away from Midtown. For a second I even stepped on Brooklyn soil – like the furthest I have been from home since mid-March.

The other side was that I feel work is overwhelming me. My colleagues agree with me that we work more hours than before. Teaching online means to prepare more, coming up with fun ideas, talk to the kids via video calls, guide them through the lesson, revise, grade, give feedback, answer e-mails … I mean it is absolutely great that we continue to have jobs and get paid. But I find it hard to come to a close every day. Wouldn’t it be much easier to just spend a few more hours in front of my laptop until I am done with all tasks? But I need my walk and fresh air. And I get tired. And if my screen time is too much, I get headaches. Besides, I need to do (half) the housework.

I think the workload has me withdraw even more than usual. I am quite content with the interactions I have: all my students from Monday to Friday, a few calls with my colleagues, another few calls with my parents and friends. Of course I have Rich and Canavar. And, at least right now, we are enough. That again is a wonderful realization.

|Watched| Outer Banks, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
|Read| Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking*, Cocktails and Cowardice*, The New York Times, Time Magazine*, 
|Listened to| A Drink with James, Bad on Paper Podcast, some good mood playlists
|Done| taught from home, had my daily walks through the City plus a bike ride
|Eaten| pizza, pasta, bagels, eggs Benedict
|Drunk| water, coffee, wine
|Thought| Snow in mid-May? What a crappy year!
|Been happy| my daily walks make me very happy, esp. since I discover corners of Manhattan I would never have otherwise
|Laughed| I love scrolling through Pinterest and seeing cat cartoons
|Desired| nothing really – I realize that after all I am pretty content and have everything I need
|Bought| a membership for Citi Bikes, a new battery for our vacuum robot
|Clicked| interesting article about how Coronavirus has changed our makeup/beauty product purchases: Makeup and the Coronavirus: An Uneasy Mix; loved this blog post that compared high-end with drugstore beauty products: I Tried Drugstore Dupes for My Favorite High-End Beauty Products—Here’s How They Worked

© janavar

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