Pandemic diary 59: 'Universe vs Me' (guest post)

My lovely sister Chris has submitted a guest 'Pants-Demic' diary post – she has been doing maths battle with the cosmic accountant again while using the music of Rodgers and Hammerstein as a teaching weapon. So happy the 'Mary Poppins of Maths' has logged one of her typical lockdown days. Here's how she is coping in the crisis…

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10am
Woke up. Still not dead so got up. (Universe 0-Me 1)

10:10am
Played with 3yo grandson, M. Choo Choo!

10:30am
Had breakfast. DIY muesli (1st bowl of new batch. Not bad).

10:35pm
Played with M. Brum Brum!

11am
Drove home. (Childmind at daughter’s home, she is a key worker; teach at my own home, alternating days).
Get a parking space. (Normally impossible since lockdown).
(Universe 0-Me 2)

11:25am
Set up laptop for Zoom teaching.
Change top half into teacher’s uniform. Bottom half stays as cutoffs and flip flops. Lippie. Comb hair. No perfume, no point.
Connect with 1 minute to spare.
(Universe 0 – Me 3)

11:30am
Taught 14yo online. Maths equations.He is sleepy. I sing Raindrops on Roses at him until he wakes up.
(Universe 0 – Me 4)

1pm
Ate.

2pm
Taught 16yo online. Maths proofs. She wouldn’t engage in direct eye contact, so audio only, no video. Still a good session but concerned at increasing reticence as lockdown proceeds. (Mum reports growing tension between siblings under lockdown. Not good).
(Universe 1 – Me 5)

3:15am
Tea and banana sandwich without the bread.
(Universe 1 – Me 6)

3:30pm
Taught 16yo. Prep for A-Level Biology, Maths and Chemistry. (I was preparing the student for GCSE, but exams were obviously cancelled due to Co-bloody-Vid-frogging-19.)
Sleepy student. So, sang Climb Every Mountain until he joined in. (With set task, not singing).
Overall, a good lesson. I enjoyed it anyway.
(Universe 1 – Me 7)

Downsides: student’s get-up time has moved from 1pm (last week) to 3pm (this week). (Universe 2 -Me 5)
And I didn’t get to give him a 16th birthday card and present.
(Universe 3 – Me 7)

5pm
Sat very still. (teaching is quite intense, even online, so slightly word-saturated.)
Watched videos of 2 grandsons. Amazing.
(Universe 3 – Me 8).

6pm
Speak to a close and beautiful friend to wish her happy birthday. Feeling much happier 😃
(Universe 3 – Me 9)

7pm
M FaceTimed me to say goodnight. I think he was kissing the camera, but all I saw was one giant eyeball.
(Universe 3 – Me 10)

7:30pm
Gave up sitting still, ate something, and went to bed. Read government comments on opening schools being in children’s best interests, despite current rates. Got quite angry.
(Universe 4 – Me 10)

Did yoga. Went back to bed. Did not read any more news or FB comments. Slept.
(Universe 4 – Me 11)

11pm
Where is Fi’s Pandemic Diary on Facebook? I can’t go to sleep without Fi’s pandemic diary. (Well, I can, but not happy about it).
Fi informs me it is in production.
(Universe 4 – Me 12)

So, 12 magic moments today. All around people I love or care about. Not bad. Even better if I could see more of my family, but not bad at all.

Thanks

Today I am grateful for having such a supercalifragilistic, ridiculous sister, who puts the Chris AND the sis into crisis. Chris, you're my favourite sis! (Paul, you're my favourite bro.)

A toast! To ridiculous siblings everywhere!

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