The Third Week (March 30-April 5): Food Bank, MIIS Sessions, Rainy Weekend
Monday, March 30-Tuesday, March 31
The week started off rather slowly. I started to get more into a groove with my home Pilates workouts so that I could replicate my usual twice weekly 45-minute class at the CAC. I'm so glad I have a home reformer that I inherited from a previous neighbors years ago! I know I could do mat Pilates as a substitute, but it's really lovely to have the reformer to move and stretch after a more standing stationary work day on the computer. Takeout from Orchid Thai on Monday.
Throughout the week, the Middlebury Institute of International Studies (MIIS) at Monterey was offering a series of sessions for "Virtual Preview Days." Typically, this would be just a one-day in-person event on the Monterey Campus, but of course plans had to change. I definitely benefited from having the remote sessions available rather than needing to devote time and travel and resources to attend in-person, and I participated in three sessions including a Master Class on Monday. This is all part of my new 5-year plan to develop an "encore career" in translation once I'm able to transition away from regular full-time work.
Tuesday was a state holiday for Cesar Chavez Day, so I had the day off. This is the first time I've worked for an organization that includes this particular state-only holiday! I took advantage of the time off to do a three-hour shift from 9am-12pm at the Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services distribution warehouse in north Sac. I was paired up with another volunteer to parcel out and bag up sets of four... [wait for it...] ONIONS!!! HA!
For anyone who knows me, this is so very ironic given my intense intolerance for onion an garlic (allium family). Luckily, the red onions were covered with thick skins, so there was no aroma, and my partner took on the task of pulling them out of the larger satchels to place four into smaller net bags, which she then slid across a 6-foot table (physical distancing!) to me so that I could tie the bags, tally them on a sheet, and toss them into a huge sturdy cardboard container for future transport to other agencies. We also of course had to wear gloves, so I was fully protected from any onion contamination. Phew!
It felt great to be out of the house, interact with new people, and do something tangibly meaningful to help out the community. I also got to hear the Executive Director of SFBFS as he filmed a video with a representative from Raley's supermarket to talk about their partnership and the increased demand for services given the COVID-19 crisis.
The rest of the day was at home with the kitties to read and do some computer stuff, since Mr. E had to work. Our takeout targets today were Mendocino Farms for me and Vito's pizza for Mr. E.
Wednesday, April 1
Could this all just be one ginormous April Fool's Day joke? Please?! *sigh* No such luck... The day started off with a foggy run along my West Sac route over towards The Barn and the new urban housing options near Raley Field. I could barely see the Sacramento River for most of the run, and the opposite side bank was also smothered in the ethereal fog. I ordered takeout lunch in the morning from Specialty's Bakery on Capitol Mall, and the weather was sunny by the time I headed there for my 12:30pm pick-up time. Later in the afternoon, I went to get my new orthotics from Pacific Medical. I definitely think it's going to take some time to get used to them, and I'm guessing already that I'll need to get them adjusted.
This was the night that I was supposed to go hear Michelle Obama at the Golden 1 Center along with C, A, and L. We still don't have any information yet about a new date, but the web site claims that the event has just been postponed rather than cancelled, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we'll eventually be able to attend sometime in the future. Mr. E got takeout from Broderick in Midtown for his dinner. Unfortunately, the pulled pork meal wasn't quite what he had ordered, as he'd wanted the Banh Mi but ended up with a regular sandwich instead. Maybe next time...
Thursday, April 2-Friday, April 3
I tried a new workout on Thursday morning and had fun with a Zumba session that was dubbed in Spanish. What a great way to review and learn some new vocabulary!!! During a mid-day walk to the garden, I spotted a beautiful yellow swallowtail butterfly flitting among the plantings. Today was supposed to be the departure day for our belated birthday trip to Austin for C, including this year's Cheetah Fest fundraiser at his school. Instead, Mr. E and I set aside some time in the evening to shut off all of the various screens and just enjoy being together.
On Friday afternoon, I attended two more MIIS sessions that discussed the application and admissions process and the Translation, Interpretation, and Localization Management program. Mr. E and I managed to fit in some post-work tennis at Southside Park to take advantage of the sunny weather, knowing that the weekend was looking pretty gloomy and rainy. Then we met up with E and C for a virtual Happy Hour that lasted for two hours. We had picked up some snacks at Market 515 earlier in the day when we went out for mid-morning coffee. So fun to connect and get caught up, even if just through our technology tools! And I think we now have a very workable plan for a future patio party, which will hopefully be sometime this week as lon as the weather cooperates. We may not have tons of space on the patio, but I'm pretty sure we can maintain the required 6 foot distance if we rearrange the chairs and plants!
Saturday, April 4-Sunday, April 5
After my morning workout, Mr. E and I stopped by Fox & Goose to place an order for takeout brunch and then walked to Safeway to procure some Starbucks coffee to accompany our food. We got a bit sprinkled on during the journey, but the majority of the rain held off until later in the day, which was very helpful when doing errands at CVS and Safeway. Mr. E needed to get some work hours in this weekend, so I focused on doing bunches of laundry, including our quilt and the curtains from the bedroom and living room; providing remote tech support to Mom; and re-arranging all of the new equipment (and cables!) in the home office to provide a better set-up for my remote work. I also spent some time reading with the kitties and was able to finish my birthday book from Mom, The Splendid and the Vile, by Erik Larson. I'm glad I grabbed several books from the CAC book exchange before the club closed, as I'm now starting on those paperbacks and will be needing additional reading material soon. I miss the library...
Sunday was rainy and chilly again, but I still went for my morning run as I'm getting fed up with all of the things we can't do anymore so I wasn't going to let the rain keep me from doing my planned workout! I got quite wet... After my post-run yoga, I was able to join the family Zoom call to celebrate the completion and self-publication of my uncle J's book. It was great to see folks from that side of the family. Mr. E and I had brunch at home, and then he had to return to his work tasks for a few hours. We did fit in several walks during short breaks in the rain, including some garden time later in the afternoon. I updated my blog entries for most of the week and started a new book while snuggling with the kitties. For dinner, we cooked up some veggies and the scallops that we had added on to our lobster dinner order for my birthday. Mr. E is a master of making seared scallops, and these were incredibly tasty and fresh. We may need to order more!!!
The week started off rather slowly. I started to get more into a groove with my home Pilates workouts so that I could replicate my usual twice weekly 45-minute class at the CAC. I'm so glad I have a home reformer that I inherited from a previous neighbors years ago! I know I could do mat Pilates as a substitute, but it's really lovely to have the reformer to move and stretch after a more standing stationary work day on the computer. Takeout from Orchid Thai on Monday.
Throughout the week, the Middlebury Institute of International Studies (MIIS) at Monterey was offering a series of sessions for "Virtual Preview Days." Typically, this would be just a one-day in-person event on the Monterey Campus, but of course plans had to change. I definitely benefited from having the remote sessions available rather than needing to devote time and travel and resources to attend in-person, and I participated in three sessions including a Master Class on Monday. This is all part of my new 5-year plan to develop an "encore career" in translation once I'm able to transition away from regular full-time work.
Tuesday was a state holiday for Cesar Chavez Day, so I had the day off. This is the first time I've worked for an organization that includes this particular state-only holiday! I took advantage of the time off to do a three-hour shift from 9am-12pm at the Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services distribution warehouse in north Sac. I was paired up with another volunteer to parcel out and bag up sets of four... [wait for it...] ONIONS!!! HA!
For anyone who knows me, this is so very ironic given my intense intolerance for onion an garlic (allium family). Luckily, the red onions were covered with thick skins, so there was no aroma, and my partner took on the task of pulling them out of the larger satchels to place four into smaller net bags, which she then slid across a 6-foot table (physical distancing!) to me so that I could tie the bags, tally them on a sheet, and toss them into a huge sturdy cardboard container for future transport to other agencies. We also of course had to wear gloves, so I was fully protected from any onion contamination. Phew!
It felt great to be out of the house, interact with new people, and do something tangibly meaningful to help out the community. I also got to hear the Executive Director of SFBFS as he filmed a video with a representative from Raley's supermarket to talk about their partnership and the increased demand for services given the COVID-19 crisis.
The rest of the day was at home with the kitties to read and do some computer stuff, since Mr. E had to work. Our takeout targets today were Mendocino Farms for me and Vito's pizza for Mr. E.
Wednesday, April 1
Could this all just be one ginormous April Fool's Day joke? Please?! *sigh* No such luck... The day started off with a foggy run along my West Sac route over towards The Barn and the new urban housing options near Raley Field. I could barely see the Sacramento River for most of the run, and the opposite side bank was also smothered in the ethereal fog. I ordered takeout lunch in the morning from Specialty's Bakery on Capitol Mall, and the weather was sunny by the time I headed there for my 12:30pm pick-up time. Later in the afternoon, I went to get my new orthotics from Pacific Medical. I definitely think it's going to take some time to get used to them, and I'm guessing already that I'll need to get them adjusted.
This was the night that I was supposed to go hear Michelle Obama at the Golden 1 Center along with C, A, and L. We still don't have any information yet about a new date, but the web site claims that the event has just been postponed rather than cancelled, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we'll eventually be able to attend sometime in the future. Mr. E got takeout from Broderick in Midtown for his dinner. Unfortunately, the pulled pork meal wasn't quite what he had ordered, as he'd wanted the Banh Mi but ended up with a regular sandwich instead. Maybe next time...
Thursday, April 2-Friday, April 3
I tried a new workout on Thursday morning and had fun with a Zumba session that was dubbed in Spanish. What a great way to review and learn some new vocabulary!!! During a mid-day walk to the garden, I spotted a beautiful yellow swallowtail butterfly flitting among the plantings. Today was supposed to be the departure day for our belated birthday trip to Austin for C, including this year's Cheetah Fest fundraiser at his school. Instead, Mr. E and I set aside some time in the evening to shut off all of the various screens and just enjoy being together.
On Friday afternoon, I attended two more MIIS sessions that discussed the application and admissions process and the Translation, Interpretation, and Localization Management program. Mr. E and I managed to fit in some post-work tennis at Southside Park to take advantage of the sunny weather, knowing that the weekend was looking pretty gloomy and rainy. Then we met up with E and C for a virtual Happy Hour that lasted for two hours. We had picked up some snacks at Market 515 earlier in the day when we went out for mid-morning coffee. So fun to connect and get caught up, even if just through our technology tools! And I think we now have a very workable plan for a future patio party, which will hopefully be sometime this week as lon as the weather cooperates. We may not have tons of space on the patio, but I'm pretty sure we can maintain the required 6 foot distance if we rearrange the chairs and plants!
Saturday, April 4-Sunday, April 5
After my morning workout, Mr. E and I stopped by Fox & Goose to place an order for takeout brunch and then walked to Safeway to procure some Starbucks coffee to accompany our food. We got a bit sprinkled on during the journey, but the majority of the rain held off until later in the day, which was very helpful when doing errands at CVS and Safeway. Mr. E needed to get some work hours in this weekend, so I focused on doing bunches of laundry, including our quilt and the curtains from the bedroom and living room; providing remote tech support to Mom; and re-arranging all of the new equipment (and cables!) in the home office to provide a better set-up for my remote work. I also spent some time reading with the kitties and was able to finish my birthday book from Mom, The Splendid and the Vile, by Erik Larson. I'm glad I grabbed several books from the CAC book exchange before the club closed, as I'm now starting on those paperbacks and will be needing additional reading material soon. I miss the library...
Sunday was rainy and chilly again, but I still went for my morning run as I'm getting fed up with all of the things we can't do anymore so I wasn't going to let the rain keep me from doing my planned workout! I got quite wet... After my post-run yoga, I was able to join the family Zoom call to celebrate the completion and self-publication of my uncle J's book. It was great to see folks from that side of the family. Mr. E and I had brunch at home, and then he had to return to his work tasks for a few hours. We did fit in several walks during short breaks in the rain, including some garden time later in the afternoon. I updated my blog entries for most of the week and started a new book while snuggling with the kitties. For dinner, we cooked up some veggies and the scallops that we had added on to our lobster dinner order for my birthday. Mr. E is a master of making seared scallops, and these were incredibly tasty and fresh. We may need to order more!!!
posted by jms | 10:33 AM
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