This is Getting Old

Things remain weird. Is that how to describe it? I don't even know anymore.

Same

Getting used to seeing myself in a mask though

Remaining Healthy

So far everyone I know has remained healthy. Granted, both of my siblings and both of my parents have already had COVID and the SO and I think we were exposed already too. But there keep being these rumors about reinfection (currently people are saying no, other people saying yes but it's less bad the second time around, other people saying yes and it's way worse the second time around). 

But, as of today, I'm not currently freaking out about my family. I'm also lucky that they're still socially distancing and treating it as if they had never had COVID in the first place. 

Still Teaching

Man. So this is the first year where I'm not actively trying to get more students. The SO and I talked about it for a long time and agreed that me putting pressure on myself to teach as much as physically possible only to put more money into savings isn't a good thing for my mental health. 

Turns out that this is the ideal way to get more students, to act like I don't need any (not even like I posted about it). My clinic more than filled up last time, I taught 12 lessons in one day, plus 4 hours of driving. It was exhausting but SO MUCH FUN! I love clinics and I'm already being asked how many more I can fit in, so I might need to add additional days and split the clinic locations. 

I've also gotten a few new local (in person) AND remote clients in the last six or so weeks. I love teaching the remote lessons, they're so fun. And my in person clients (one started last week and two start this week) are super sweet. I just love sharing what I've learned about rider biomechanics and helping people with their tricky horses too. 

I also have a student I teach nearly every day and I've been wanting to write a nice long post about what it's been like to be present (nearly) for my client's every ride. I want to respect their privacy though, so I'm still working out how to do it. I love how far they've come though. It's fun to just relax and have each day build on each other rather than try to cram everything in during weekly or less often lessons. They've learned SO much though, the rider, horse, and lesson content are fully not recognizable from when we started. 

This made me laugh a lot

Hiking

I got the SO super into hiking, so we've been going every week. My friend who I was going with had something change in her personal life (for the good! she bought a horse!), so we put that on hold. I'm looking forward to seeing her soon and meeting the new horse soon! 

But the SO being my hiking buddy is wonderful. He and I are doing the pix in parks challenge that Santa Clara County has offered everyone. Seven hikes that are fairly short and fun with a location we have to find and take a picture at. Then we get a free tee-shirt or something! It's given us a really fun goal for this summer when there's nothing else to really do. 

Also Jesus wasn't white

IT IS NOT A HOAX

How stupid are people? Did the entire world conspire to shut itself down just to... what is the current theory? I can't even keep track. Something about wireless routers coming to live and hunting down everyone with vaccines because Bill Gates hates America?

It's amazing the spectrum people are on. Some people are off the rails believing conspiracy theories. Some people just pretend that it isn't happening. I know someone who literally flew to Florida for vacation and then came home and got tested (negative) and was like LOL I can tell my grandchildren that I survived Flordia in COVID times. Then was immediately going to parties and traveling all over again.

It really does sometimes feel like a fever dream. But luckily I'm in a very liberal area and people are doing a good job with masks, so I only feel like I'm going crazy when I go on the internet.

Yeah seriously, although I do have a free ride to Canada or
the UK if I want it lol

Right?

Not Going Back To Work

We're officially working remotely indefinitely at my office job. The SO's company has said they're not going back until January, but we're thinking that'll get pushed out. They also canceled their parties this fall, which were so fun to go to last year, a bummer but obviously that shouldn't happen. 

With more time to myself without my commute, I'm actually in some ways doing really well. I mean, you can tell by my TC posts that I'm channeling all of my neurotic tendencies into him right now. But I'm driving less than I ever have, I'm spending more time at home with the SO, still getting to spend some time with friends and family, and am in some ways, less stressed. 

It's weird to say that though, because I am really stressed. My anxiety hasn't been the best the last few weeks, I really miss being able to plan things in the future without thinking about the possibility that they'll be cancelled, and the SO and I are house shopping (or house rental shopping, we don't know what we're going to do yet). All that adds up to extra stress, so while I'm enjoying seeing TC more and having even more control over my schedule and all the good things, the net stress:relaxation ratio is still a bit shit. 

LOL I've only had one Zoom emergency when I accidentally
unmuted myself and my coworkers had to listen to me ignore
the meeting and tell the SO that the garbage needed to go out

The L Program

It was officially rescheduled for late October of this year through April of next year, all of it in Arizona. I'm... not sure what to do about that. I imagine it will be postponed again, although horse shows *are* running and uh, certain people in charge seem to not be as concerned as other people (who like, have medical degrees). 

My questions are: do I feel safe going at all? If so, do I feel okay asking someone to come scribe for me? If so, would we stay together and just assume that we'll get it from each other even if we do stay apart? What about getting there? It's a 15 hour drive, and I probably feel safer driving than flying, but do I want to do that shit? Especially in the winter in the rain (and going over the grape vine??) and when it gets dark earlier. I have to go three times. I don't know what I'm going to do if they run it. 

If I decide not to go, what is going to happen? I need to find a part 2 within a certain time or I have to do part 1 again. I wonder if they'll extend that time for our cohort though. I don't know, it's very confusing. I don't know when to buy flights if at all and I don't know which one of my friends I'd feel okay exposing to such an unnecessary trip during a global pandemic. Ugh.

Seriously 

Vacations

The SO and I aren't going anywhere in August after going to little cabins in both June and July. Unfortunately we just couldn't find any on the weekends I was available and now for the next three weekends, I have clinics and/or horse shows. BUT horse shows end on August 30th for me this year (we might go back out this fall if I think we can break into the mid 70s at Third or if for some reason he's ready for Fourth) so then we're free to go on "vacation" again.

Our next trips are planned for mid September and early October. We have reservations for long weekends at more little cabins. I'm very excited because we get to go back to Little Basin and then we head out to Lassen National Park! I was there two years ago and loved it, this time it'll be in the fall, so much colder. Also apparently there are terrifying river otters there that have chased everyone out of the lake so... uh, I guess it'll be a little different this year. Can we take the river otters and put them in the bathtubs of people who won't wear masks?

This is accurate 

Schools Staying Closed

I remember when my boss said in March or April that he thought we may not return to classes (I work at a college) until at least Spring semester. I thought, wow, what a bleak outlook. I figured we'd hold some in person classes in Summer and be back for this Fall. Now we're legit talking about not coming back until the following Fall semester.

It's a good thing to keep these cesspools of disease (schools) closed. I can't believe there are people out there risking their kids' lives or even just risking having to explain death to your child when their favorite teacher catches COVID and dies.

Just because, what, parents don't like having their kids around so much? Don't have kids then if you don't like them? I don't know, maybe this just makes me seem like the most child-freest child free person ever but doesn't every pro-lifer say that a woman has to "deal with the consequences of her behavior" when she asks for an abortion. Cool, let's take that phrase and put it on the parents who think that their kid's teacher's life is not as important as them getting their kids out of their house or *socializing* them. Deal with the consequences. Also maybe stop defunding public education.

Fabulous

Generally, things are okay here. It definitely feels like the ultimate group-project-where-we're-the-only-people-doing-the-work situation with this country.

I find myself looking forward to the weirdest stuff when the pandemic is finally over. I look forward to unsubscribing to the r/coronavirus subreddit. I look forward to not writing these posts anymore. And I look forward to being able to invite people over to my house again. Like, no one but the SO and I have seen the inside of our house in months. It's just weird.