Thursday evening things

* Got some things for the first day taken care of, got to talk a little bit with my department chair and my newest colleague (hired over the summer). It helps to be able to talk a little bit with other people. Also, my chair said she wasn't any more prepared than I was - she hasn't pre-recorded anything (apparently some faculty have).

* It is going to be a challenge. I will have to have a "go bag" I remember to take to and from work with me every day (though I suppose I could leave it in my car overnight if I don't need the stuff ) so the textbooks I don't have duplicates of and also my nice webcam (I have a webcam and a microphone on my laptop which will do in a pinch, but the clarity and resolution are worse than the newer plug-in one). Just in case I get the word late in the day "oh you might have got exposed, quarantine for two weeks" because unless I'm at death's door apparently I need to keep teaching.

* I hope it will be okay. I really really really hope it will be okay. I hope people aren't foolish about things. Yes, I will wear a mask and I will make a big fat hairy deal about students needing to wear masks but still it's not perfect protection.

though who knows? Maybe it will be okay after all and either we will have to go to all online because there's an outbreak in another department and not mine, or maybe we won't have any outbreaks at all and everything will be cool.

* Some happier things though:

- Decided to break down and get carry out for dinner, so I went to the good local bbq place and got ribs and corn on the cob and sweet potato fries. And I can eat corn on the cob again! I had not been eating it because I was worried about my teeth (I had big pain with one front tooth a while back, from a sinus infection, and biting was bad).

- I've been invited to a "Microsoft Teams" virtual knitting circle on Saturday and it will nice to be able to sit and talk with some people and either knit or crochet for a while. Not sure whether to work on the simple socks (no counting) or the Wooloo, or what.

That might actually be one positive thing to come out of this? People doing that more, so if you are far away from people with a shared interest, you can get together with them.

- Bought a smallish chuck roast, going to try making carne machaca (well, a modified form of it) in the slow cooker this weekend - it's supposed to be super hot out and not running the oven is a good idea in the heat.

- Confession - I did break down and order a Mochi the Cat plush (from Big Hero 6). No, I don't need more stuffed animals, except I kind of do. Supposedly he (Mochi is a calico, but they call him a "he" in the cartoon, so they are either not being biologically accurate or Mochi is the rare XXY calico male cat) will get here tomorrow. I hope, this is another Amazon purchase where the shipping details seem....odd (like my still missing measuring cup, which may never have been sent at all).

I am also continuing to work on the crocheted Wooloo Pokemon. The body is huge (comparatively) and takes a lot of crocheting, the other bits are a lot smaller so hopefully once I finish the body it will get done fast. After that, maybe I make the long-planned Ranibow Sprimkle pony....