Passion fruit beer and spicy porridge. I know how to treat myself!
Passion fruit beer and spicy porridge. I know how to treat myself!
When your job involves working with young children (I teach Year 1(kindergarten)) and you have small children of your own at home. So your life involves the associated testing of patience before, during and after work. It’s a little emotionally taxing.
In other news grass is green and water is wet.
This is also me thinking I should be a little kinder on myself.
I’m still thinking about Kenneth Koch’s poem this weekend, “You Want a Social Life, with Friends” where he says of a social life, a work life and a love life you can only have two but not three. His
There isn’t time enough, my friends–
Though dawn begins, yet midnight ends–
To find the time to have love, work, and friends.
And how my 2 have been chosen for me. Love(family) and work if you couldn’t guess. And I’m ok with that for the most part. And that the issues always arise when I try to fit the third in. A night out on Friday has had repercusions that have carried on over the weekend that a part of me is regretful of going out now.
There isn’t time enough, my friends.
Spending an hour in McDonald’s at 1am talking about work with a colleague. I’m loving it!
Am out for dinner with my phone and a face mask. I must have forgotten something.
We call it shaokao because we’re not sure how to translate it to English so just use the Chinese. You take your food out of fridges and then they cook it over large grills. It’s all on sticks in the fridges but it’s chopped up and mixed together when served. I’ve stopped having chilli as, while it’s delicious, I have work tomorrow. It’s silly cheap too. One of those things that us foreigners like as it’s not something you get back home.
Just waiting for my friend to turn up so we can dinner. It’s an odd feeling not being in a rush, not worrying what my darling children are doing, to have some time to do nothing but wait. It doesn’t happen often.
Grandparents are watching the kids. Lyra is out. So have the time to go to the school gym and do some rowing. Good times!
Today’s afterwork exercise…
Ok, I didn’t make it to the gym this evening but I did do some KB swings, squats and press (push) ups on the balcony - which is better than nothing. Only in 31c heat, so not too hot…
Feeling all the better for it too.
In theory it made sense.
I want to exercise more regularly but I’m also aware that when I exercised straight after work it impacted on the kids and my wife. Since I was getting home late. I didn’t like it and always felt guilty for working out so it never felt like ‘quality time’ and, honestly, it wasn’t enjoyable as a result.
Over the summer, we joined a gym and while the equipment selection was dire it was better than nothing.
So the idea was that I could go to the gym after the kids went to bed in the evening. I could come home straight from work and spend more time with them and help with cooking dinner etc.
In theory it made sense.
Except, unsuprisingly, after being at work all day and then coming home and dealing with that stuff, picking myself up to go to the gym and work out is proving tricky/difficult/impossible.
I did it once last week.
And today is the same.
I like the time I get with the kids but I also would like to exercise - for my emotional and physical health. I don’t know, I don’t have answers honestly. Just lots of questions. Should I put myself first more often? What about my wife? Or is always that my children come first?
Do. Not. Know.
6:00 - Snooze 6:09 - Get up 6:30 Coffee and some scrolling 7:00 Didi (Uber) to work 7:30 First day back at school!
This story of a British lawyer being refused a visa he didn’t apply for always gets me as I imagine us in that situation, trying to navigate the UK Home Office to get Lyra a visa. It’s not a simple process.
Rereading and enjoying Ted Chiang’s - Stories of your life and others, a collection of short stories that includeds the story that the film Arrival was based on. Now, want to watch the fim again.
My top parenting tip for today is: if you choose to hide under the covers on a bed, cover your soft areas.
This tip is brought to you by experience.
Reading The Very Hungry Caterpillar with Elise asked, “Yes, but why do caterpillars become butterflies?” Apparently, “because they just do,” wasn’t a satisfactory answer but I’ve promised to look up the answer.
Have been trying to use the instant camera we have more. Partly because we’ve got lots of instants we need to use but mostly because it’s nice to hold actual photos. I have such fond memories of going through actual prints when I was younger.
Youngest has been awake since 5. Sent Lyra to the spare room at 6ish. Elise woke at 6:30. It’s now 8 and we’ve played with Playdoh, dinosaurs and read books. The kids are now on toast and I’m on my 2nd coffee. Happy weekend! 😬
A strange truth about communicating is that we don’t get to choose whether we do it or not. In the presence of others, we are always sending messages, as helplessly as a star emits light.
via > Drawing Links
A friend came around this evening so Elise could give her her birthday present.
Elise and Yumo were very excited to see her and help her unwrap her present. Elise didn’t stop talking.
I felt like I saw Elise through different eyes today. It’s the wood from the trees isn’t it?
I agree with the sentiment I read on Kottke.org about Your School District’s Reopening Survey about it being a little too close to the truth to be funny.
The classroom is nearly as set up as it’s going to be. We have new students coming in tomorrow for a short while to meet us. Then we start in earnest on Monday. Most of our students will be in school, with a few not because they’re unable to get into the country.
It feels like this will be the last pause before everything becomes chaotic next week. Trying to take a moment to breathe before that all starts.
How China Controlled the Coronavirus - The New Yorker
A teacher in China recounting his experience. I haven’t had the time to read it properly yet.
He has a lot more exposure to people’s views then I do, or at least his students are just a lot older than mine. Mine are only 5.
All I can think about when reading this article about paying by the hour is… When I’m getting my hair cut, I don’t want it to be too quick - I want to get my money’s worth - but also I don’t want it to last too long - I’ll pay more for it not too! seths.blog
I’ve been making an effort recently with things…
It’s just really hard.