Category Archives: Pandemic

December 4 Day 636: The Wisdom of Presidents

Today in the White House Visitor’s Center, I spied these words from Chester A. Arthur. Little did he know that these words would be relevant to every person living through the 2020-2021 Corona Virus Lockdown. I was grateful for the chance to explore my country’s capital on a beautiful fall Saturday before flying home toContinue reading “December 4 Day 636: The Wisdom of Presidents”

September 28 Day 569: Irksome Day

I spent the entire day on campus in preparation for tomorrow’s return to in-person teaching. I am definitely out of practice and nothing worked quite the way it did before. The best part of the day was seeing colleagues and friends, picking up classroom supplies (like extra masks for my students), and cleaning my officeContinue reading “September 28 Day 569: Irksome Day”

September 16 Day 557: On Contract

Welcome to the first day of the new academic year—at least for those of in the University of Washington system. Time to get serious about preparing for new students in new situations with new university guidelines. I am teaching in person (at least that is the intention at this moment in time. One can neverContinue reading “September 16 Day 557: On Contract”

August 19 Day 529: It’s the Uncertainty

Tis the season of ‘Back-to-School’ and in many ways this year feels WORSE than last. Back then, there was hope. People were planning in advance for their teaching and professional events. There was a shared sense of resilience, growth, and service in continued isolation. And vaccine trials were entering Phase III with a short horizonContinue reading “August 19 Day 529: It’s the Uncertainty”

May 22 Day 440: Something Different

I noticed a real change today. It was not the same thing, day after day, living my life in the same space in the same repetitive way. I went to a live concert. My husband and I had to wear masks and show proof of vaccination to gain entry. But we got to experience ourContinue reading “May 22 Day 440: Something Different”

April 7 Day 395: Second Hope

I’m waiting my 15 minutes, followed by 2 more weeks. I’m surprised how emotional I feel. There is a lump in my throat and tears pool in my eyes as I thank everyone involved from the volunteers on crowd control to the RNs dispensing the coveted elixir. I can finally imagine visiting my family inContinue reading “April 7 Day 395: Second Hope”

March 19 Day 376: The End of Winter

I know it’s a few days until the equinox and the official start to the Spring, but I feel like tonight I am putting Winter (or at the very least winter quarter) to bed. Yesterday I administered the final oral interviews for Abstract Algebra. After struggling through teaching for three remote quarters (Spring 2020, AutumnContinue reading “March 19 Day 376: The End of Winter”

March 12 Day 369: One To Go

I received an urgent e-mail from my husband yesterday afternoon. My healthcare provider’s vaccine clinic was liberally interpreting “educator” to include higher education faculty and they had appointments available. I immediately got online, signed up for the next available appointment, drove to the clinic, and received my first Moderna shot. It took maybe 60 minutesContinue reading “March 12 Day 369: One To Go”

March 10 Day 367: An Afternoon in the Sun

Mostly I leave the house for three reasons: To go for walks or make Math Around Town recordings; To pick up take-out food; or To shop for house and food supplies. There are some days when I barely leave the second floor, let alone actually go outside. Today was different as I attended to longContinue reading “March 10 Day 367: An Afternoon in the Sun”