The Quarantine Diaries: Chapter 1
Well, the shit has well and truly hit the fan over the past few weeks. The world has changed, so it seemed as a good at time as any to resurrect the old blog and get some words down on a page. Moreover (solid GCSE English word), I've had a glass of wine so wine not (sorry not sorry).
Let's all rewind to December 31st 2019. Weren't we all preaching and posting Instagram posts about how 2020 was going to be our year? The year we finally got our shit together and realised what we wanted to do, be, have, etc. This was the time.
Until a few weeks ago when Corona virus arrived. I miss the time when we carried on as usual, made plans, shook hands, hugged each other. But the virus is here, it's real and it is infectious as hell. So schools are closed (cue the interesting task of working from home as a teacher), everything is closed (except supermarkets but including Sports Direct, despite Mike Ashley being an utter knobhead as per), and we aren't allowed to leave our homes unless it's essential (or to go for a run, more on that later). It's an absolute shitfest, but here we are. We have to stay home, it is the only way that we are going to protect people. That doesn't make it less shit, but it does give you the extra oomph you need to stay at home.
So here, in a probably incoherent fashion, are a few thoughts I've had since the world literally went to shit.
Teaching (or the lack thereof)
It feels like only five minutes ago that this was going to be an extra couple of weeks tagged onto the Easter holidays, and if I'm perfectly honest, it sounded great. A long Easter break! Space to recover from the term and get some sleep.
But without any of us really noticing, it mutated into an unknown amount of time off work, cancelled exams and Remote Desktop working. I find my job exhausting, and at times very frustrating, and so I had absolutely no idea that I would feel so sad about not having it there. For the whole of our last day (last Friday), I was very teary, and cried most of the drive home. I felt sorry for the kids who deserved their chance at their exams, for the kids who would be facing exams next summer and would face an enormous gap in their learning. I felt sorry for the kids who would go home to homes where they felt unhappy, unable to be themselves, or even unsafe, for the kids who wouldn't get a hot meal or a decent conversation. But I also felt sorry for myself. I rely on my work so much for routine, and it being pulled from under my feet was terrifying. But I've (perhaps most surprisingly to me) come to really love my job. It is something that gives me purpose, something that I believe in and something that I think I'm half decent at. More than that, I love the people I work with - they're some of the loveliest and funniest humans I've ever come across. And now, without work and without them, life is a bit ... off. I'm getting there though.
I know lots of schools are doing online lessons etc, but we're exploring options that mean we can upload things for the kids to get on with at home, which I think makes more sense. Most teachers have either their own children or family to look after, and it wouldn't be possible to look after them whilst doing a Skype lesson five times a day. So I'm plodding through with Remote Desktop, which annoyingly doesn't really like you typing accents - great for a languages teacher hmmm. It seems to be alright at the minute (haven't done that much other than some planning and setting work for my Y10s), but stay tuned for updates.
Stop buying all the fucking toilet roll (and flour)
WHY IS EVERYONE STILL PANIC BUYING?!?!
We haven't had to buy toilet roll yet, thank goodness, but it is doing my absolute nut in going to the supermarket (on those rare occasions where I venture out) to find that there's loads of empty shelves. I absolutely refuse to believe that all of the people buying flour (because there's no pasta) are going to make their own pasta (because there's no pasta). I bet the large majority do not have a fancy pasta machine, and aren't going to spend the necessary hours rolling it thinner and thinner with a rolling pin. You're not making pasta with it hun, get over it, put the Be-Ro back on the shelf (so that I can make cakes) and grab yourself something else. See it as an opportunity to get creative with your cooking, that's what I'm trying to do. Or buy wholewheat pasta (seems to be loads of that bastard around) or go to Lidl at Swalwell and buy one of their many boxes of giant fusilli. It is giant but I'm sure it still tastes great in a pasta bake.
On a serious note, please please please PLEASE don't buy more than you need. We can still go to the supermarket to buy food, you do not need to hoard a stash to last you until 2050.
Strava Session
So yes, we're living the lockdown life now, along with millions of other people around the world. The government have highlighted that we may leave the house once a day for some form of exercise, and we shouldn't interact with people outside of our household in doing that exercise. So, naturally, everyone on the planet is now a runner. My Strava has gone absolutely apeshit crazy with how many new people have suddenly joined Strava. I am by no means a runner but I've grown to love my little parkrun Saturday mornings (miss you parkrun), and admittedly I'd be less bothered and more enthused by all these new runners if they weren't all faster than me. I'm a sore loser okay.
Sweatier than your average Joe (Wicks PE Lesson)
What I have been doing (other than rewatching Glee - don't judge me, you love it) is doing Joe Wicks PE lesson every day at 9am. I find it gives me some structure to my day and I quite enjoy it. That being said,
it
is
so
hard
I'm going to be so productive. I'm going to be the best version of me I can be.
I have so many projects that I've said I'm going to do, and I also haven't really started ... well, any of them.
I restrung (is that right? It sounds wrong) my guitar and told myself I would finally put some hours into working on it. So far I have played the VERY, VERY simplified version of Smoke on the Water (what else) approximately five times, and I haven't played a single chord.
I was going to crack on with work and to start working my way through the A Level German syllabus.
I've done a little bit of planning for my GCSE class, but I haven't even picked up the A Level textbook yet.
I was going to get into a really good fitness routine.
I do the Joe Wicks routine every morning, but I haven't used the spin bike yet (Dad's new favourite toy) and I bake SO much that I am going to be piling on the weight rather than taking it off. Plus, you know, wine...
I was going to write a novel.
Still probably not going to do this, I'll be honest.
I was going to read more, in English and in German.
I have read about half of Harry Potter in German. This is good progress.
Anyway, I'll keep plugging away at these projects. Work will pick up (inevitably), but I promise to have spent some time on the guitar by the next time I write.
Probably.
Peace out homies.
Stay safe.
Stay home.
Let's all rewind to December 31st 2019. Weren't we all preaching and posting Instagram posts about how 2020 was going to be our year? The year we finally got our shit together and realised what we wanted to do, be, have, etc. This was the time.
Until a few weeks ago when Corona virus arrived. I miss the time when we carried on as usual, made plans, shook hands, hugged each other. But the virus is here, it's real and it is infectious as hell. So schools are closed (cue the interesting task of working from home as a teacher), everything is closed (except supermarkets but including Sports Direct, despite Mike Ashley being an utter knobhead as per), and we aren't allowed to leave our homes unless it's essential (or to go for a run, more on that later). It's an absolute shitfest, but here we are. We have to stay home, it is the only way that we are going to protect people. That doesn't make it less shit, but it does give you the extra oomph you need to stay at home.
So here, in a probably incoherent fashion, are a few thoughts I've had since the world literally went to shit.
Teaching (or the lack thereof)
It feels like only five minutes ago that this was going to be an extra couple of weeks tagged onto the Easter holidays, and if I'm perfectly honest, it sounded great. A long Easter break! Space to recover from the term and get some sleep.
But without any of us really noticing, it mutated into an unknown amount of time off work, cancelled exams and Remote Desktop working. I find my job exhausting, and at times very frustrating, and so I had absolutely no idea that I would feel so sad about not having it there. For the whole of our last day (last Friday), I was very teary, and cried most of the drive home. I felt sorry for the kids who deserved their chance at their exams, for the kids who would be facing exams next summer and would face an enormous gap in their learning. I felt sorry for the kids who would go home to homes where they felt unhappy, unable to be themselves, or even unsafe, for the kids who wouldn't get a hot meal or a decent conversation. But I also felt sorry for myself. I rely on my work so much for routine, and it being pulled from under my feet was terrifying. But I've (perhaps most surprisingly to me) come to really love my job. It is something that gives me purpose, something that I believe in and something that I think I'm half decent at. More than that, I love the people I work with - they're some of the loveliest and funniest humans I've ever come across. And now, without work and without them, life is a bit ... off. I'm getting there though.
I know lots of schools are doing online lessons etc, but we're exploring options that mean we can upload things for the kids to get on with at home, which I think makes more sense. Most teachers have either their own children or family to look after, and it wouldn't be possible to look after them whilst doing a Skype lesson five times a day. So I'm plodding through with Remote Desktop, which annoyingly doesn't really like you typing accents - great for a languages teacher hmmm. It seems to be alright at the minute (haven't done that much other than some planning and setting work for my Y10s), but stay tuned for updates.
Stop buying all the fucking toilet roll (and flour)
WHY IS EVERYONE STILL PANIC BUYING?!?!
We haven't had to buy toilet roll yet, thank goodness, but it is doing my absolute nut in going to the supermarket (on those rare occasions where I venture out) to find that there's loads of empty shelves. I absolutely refuse to believe that all of the people buying flour (because there's no pasta) are going to make their own pasta (because there's no pasta). I bet the large majority do not have a fancy pasta machine, and aren't going to spend the necessary hours rolling it thinner and thinner with a rolling pin. You're not making pasta with it hun, get over it, put the Be-Ro back on the shelf (so that I can make cakes) and grab yourself something else. See it as an opportunity to get creative with your cooking, that's what I'm trying to do. Or buy wholewheat pasta (seems to be loads of that bastard around) or go to Lidl at Swalwell and buy one of their many boxes of giant fusilli. It is giant but I'm sure it still tastes great in a pasta bake.
On a serious note, please please please PLEASE don't buy more than you need. We can still go to the supermarket to buy food, you do not need to hoard a stash to last you until 2050.
Strava Session
So yes, we're living the lockdown life now, along with millions of other people around the world. The government have highlighted that we may leave the house once a day for some form of exercise, and we shouldn't interact with people outside of our household in doing that exercise. So, naturally, everyone on the planet is now a runner. My Strava has gone absolutely apeshit crazy with how many new people have suddenly joined Strava. I am by no means a runner but I've grown to love my little parkrun Saturday mornings (miss you parkrun), and admittedly I'd be less bothered and more enthused by all these new runners if they weren't all faster than me. I'm a sore loser okay.
Sweatier than your average Joe (Wicks PE Lesson)
What I have been doing (other than rewatching Glee - don't judge me, you love it) is doing Joe Wicks PE lesson every day at 9am. I find it gives me some structure to my day and I quite enjoy it. That being said,
it
is
so
hard
I have been struggling to sit on the toilet for two days, man. The DOMS (delayed onset of muscle soreness, yas GCSE PE) is so real. So, so, so real.
I'm going to be so productive. I'm going to be the best version of me I can be.
I have so many projects that I've said I'm going to do, and I also haven't really started ... well, any of them.
I restrung (is that right? It sounds wrong) my guitar and told myself I would finally put some hours into working on it. So far I have played the VERY, VERY simplified version of Smoke on the Water (what else) approximately five times, and I haven't played a single chord.
I was going to crack on with work and to start working my way through the A Level German syllabus.
I've done a little bit of planning for my GCSE class, but I haven't even picked up the A Level textbook yet.
I was going to get into a really good fitness routine.
I do the Joe Wicks routine every morning, but I haven't used the spin bike yet (Dad's new favourite toy) and I bake SO much that I am going to be piling on the weight rather than taking it off. Plus, you know, wine...
I was going to write a novel.
Still probably not going to do this, I'll be honest.
I was going to read more, in English and in German.
I have read about half of Harry Potter in German. This is good progress.
Anyway, I'll keep plugging away at these projects. Work will pick up (inevitably), but I promise to have spent some time on the guitar by the next time I write.
Probably.
Peace out homies.
Stay safe.
Stay home.
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