July 2021 Coming in Hot with those July 2020 Vibes

 Well, way to go USA. We find ourselves in a totally predictable 4th (or maybe 5th, I've lost count) wave of the virus.  Can you believe we have three functioning, free, and safe vaccines and we find ourselves in this mess again? 

JO and I headed out to California last week for our first vacation since February 2020.  It was a great trip.  It was so nice to be away from our housing stress and to be out of our living room that we spent all but two days in since March 12th, 2020.  But there was this lingering dread bubbling under the surface.  Most of our trip was outside, but we did have to, and in some instances, chose to take some risks.  

There were a few times when we had to eat inside.  We ate in a super crowded Italian restaurant in San Francisco because it's actually hard to find a place to eat in San Fran after 7:00pm.  While we sitting at the table, feeling a bit freaked out, we checked vaccination rates in the city and were happy to see that the city has 80%+ vaccinated.  We also had drinks at a bar both nights we were in the city because we wanted to "vacation" and because drinks outside isn't really a thing in San Francisco. We chose a local spot, hoping it was fully of vaccinated locals and not unvaccinated tourists.  

The day we left, the Bay Area's health department recommended masking indoors again because the Delta variant was spreading fast in the area.  The vacation guilt set in which soon morphed into a "Sad About America" mood.  

I should be able to vacation free of guilt.  I did my job.  For 15 months I social distanced, I avoided crowds, I didn't see friends in real life, I ate outside at restaurants in 15 degree weather, and when I was eligible, I got my shot.  I didn't become magnetic, I'm not controlled by Bill Gates, and my cell reception hasn't improved.  I didn't put the health and safety of our country on the line to own the libs or make the former guy look good.  I did my job but because a whole bunch of people messed around we are back in a big mess.  It's not a "pandemic of the unvaccinated."  I take offense to that.  What happens to the unvaccinated directly impacts me.  If we let the virus keep burning, more variants are going to pop up (check out the lambda one, it's worse than delta) and the vaccines could weaken or no longer work.  

We tried the honor system thing. It didn't work. It was never going to work.  Going backward sucks.  It really does.  As an elementary teacher I get it.  It's really hard to get stricter once you loosen the reigns.  We don't have a choice now.  It's time for mandates and passports or apps or whatever you want to call it.  Let's be France.  

Back to the Stadium

 Something wonderful happened yesterday.  We made a triumphant return to watching sports in real life!  The US Women's National Soccer team was playing two games at UConn's football stadium and of course we had to go!  

Traffic was a nightmare and I think we parked a mile from the stadium but that didn't matter.  JO got us amazing seats, centerfield row 11.  We grabbed a few Mew-S-A's and soaked in every moment.  I had an absolute blast watching my former student play for the USWNT.  

That being said, I am not ready to be around that many maskless people, even if it's outdoors.  I really hope in our zeal to return to normal we don't mess things up.  

A New Normal

 The weather was awful this past week. When it wasn't sweltering, it was freezing and down pouring.  How very New England of Mother Nature.  

The weather, and another setback with our new place, had me feeling really out of sorts.  In an effort to turn things around, JO suggested we head out to NuBar on Saturday night.  It was raining and freezing.  I actually had to wear my winter dress boots, which I hadn't worn once all winter 🤣 As a result of the weather, we had to eat inside, which we really haven't done since March 12th, 2020.  NuBar was super empty so it was a good way to ease back into indoor dining.  We grabbed a lounge table by the fireplace and enjoyed tasty food and delicious drinks.  

The next day was July 4th and the sun started peeking out from behind the clouds.  It was still cool but it was so nice to see the sun again.  We decided to try Shy Bird over in Kendall Square.  We've been wanting to try this place for a while and we knew it would be crowded, so we opted to eat on their patio.  I really enjoyed the atmosphere, great people watching and friendly, prompt service.  (I think this may the training ground for ensemble waitering required at Teatro 🤣.)  We tried the chicken bites, cheesy bread, and marinated tomatoes.  All were delicious, especially the cheesy bread.  Two areas for improvement- larger servings of the dipping sauces and a stronger honey mustard.

After dinner we wanted to continue the evening.  (Can we talk about how nice it is to be able to continue an evening again?  Crowds are settling down so you can actually be spontaneous again and you no longer need to order food with drinks so you can just get a drink and relax again.)  We decided to grab some beers at Cambridge Brewing Company.  We sat inside.  The amount of people inside was at a reasonable level and we were a safe distance from other groups of people.  It was nice to be inside, doing something so simple as grabbing some drinks (even if mine was too lemony.)

I never thought I would say this, but a lot is riding on these two pallets of red bricks...and I absolutely hate red brick!

Done Counting

 Since it seems like, at least for now, we are getting back to some sort of new normal, I've decided to stop counting the days since lockdown.  I'm so thankful that I chronicled this time in my life and this time in the world.  Not only did it give me something to do, but I felt like I owed it to myself to capture all the feels as they were happening.

This week was the first week of summer vacation for me.  Since we're stuck in limbo with our new house, it didn't really feel like summer vacation.  Our temporary housing isn't exactly a jumping off place for city adventures and it's hard to plan anything because we feel so stuck.  

Thankfully, JO suggested we go out on Monday and enjoy the beautiful patio weather.  We had dinner at Desfina's, a Greek restaurant in Kendall Square.  We love this place and were really happy to see it recently rank in the top 10 for Greek spots in the city.  I love that they made a patio during the pandemic.  As usual, the food did not disappoint!

After dinner, the weather was so great, that we decided to walk down by the river.  We were thinking we could grab a drink at ArtBar but they weren't open.  Instead, we walked over to Hotel Marlowe to enjoy the patio at Bambara.  They did a great job with their courtyard patio.  They have a cute drink bar cart for the weekends, nice iron bistro tables, and some couch seating as well.  On the weekends, they even have live music.  The patio is in the rotunda space so it's definitely away from the street noise.  I really enjoyed our time here.  It was relaxing and I always love a hotel bar.  It was fun to see the guests arrive, and Hotel Marlowe is a very dog friendly hotel so it was also fun to see the furry guests.  I definitely felt more like I was on summer vacation after that.

The rest of the week was a mishmash of picnic lunches in the park, catching up on some much needed self care, and trying my hand at blueberry mojitos.

On Thursday, it was beautiful weather again so we booked a spot at Colette's patio.  Unfortunately, by the time we got there the wind had picked up and we spent most of the meal trying not to get blown away.  The macaroons more than made up for the challenges.

Things seem to be recalibrating around here.  Just a month ago, everything was packed and trying to find a spot to eat was challenging.  Between indoor seating and people vacationing again, things are sorting themselves out.  

Yesterday, we actually socialized with four other people 🤣We enjoyed a lovely day at a friend of a friend's lake house.  I definitely felt like I was on vacation, sitting by the fire pit!

Day 457- 464 We Made History

 This was the last week of school.  My kids and I made history!  That was a running theme of our class this year and one that my kids really embraced.  I tried really hard to focus on the positives of remote learning (like you could wear your pajamas, your pets could be with you, you didn't have to wear shoes) and on this amazing accomplishment my kids could forever be proud of.  I kept telling them, "When you're old and gray you will tell people about this time" and they really bought into it.  

My kids loved processing movies in the chat.  One of my kids wrote this on the last day of school while we watched the animated Little Engine that Could movie and it made me cry.

This June was so different than my typical Junes.  I'm usually exhausted, exasperated, and hanging on by a thread.  I'm usually so excited to not have to set my alarm any more that I welcome that last bell on the last day of school.  This year, I had a pit in my stomach as the end of the year approached.  I'm not a June crier yet that's all I did this June.   A few days ago the remote teachers had an end of year meeting and I was relieved to find out it wasn't just me this was happening to.  We realized that remote teaching allowed us to connect with our class in a way that was deep and special.  The bonds I made with this class, through a computer screen, are unlike anything I've ever experienced.  

On Thursday we got to meet in person at a playground in the city I work in.  The kids thought I was really tall which is quite funny since I'm pretty short.  I guess when you only see your teacher from the neck up, you have no frame of reference.  It was amazing to get to meet them in person and also to meet their families.  We all went on this incredible journey together and a big reason I made it was because of the support from the families.  This year was an experiment in extreme positive reinforcement, and you know what, it worked.  The comments and support from my families, from day 1, kept me going and wanting to do the best I could for my group, even when I felt like giving up.

In the week leading up to logging on for the first time last September, I set a few goals for the year:

*Every student is doing their best just by being online every day- I will honor that achievement.

*I wanted every student to feel loved and connected each day.

I somehow achieved these two goals.  My kids learned a lot about reading, writing, and math but everything that happened in my class was grounded in those two goals and the results were amazing.  I had a student observer join my class for a few months and when she left she said to me, "I cannot believe how positive you were. Even when kids were not responding, when they weren't completing work, you just kept honoring them."  That is something I will take with me as I return to in person teaching in the fall. 

I pretty much cried off and on the entire last day of school, and so did my kids.  We made sure to laugh a lot, thanks to my kids "Lego Rick Rolling" us (which was an ongoing joke all year.) We said our goodbyes and then no one hung up.  We just kept waving and singing and shouting and smiling and crying.  Eventually, 15 minutes after the close of school the three of us that were left counted down to three, and hung up.  And then I cried more 🤣

When I think back to that first day of school in the fall, I realize I really had no idea what I was doing and yet, somehow, I found my way.  Each day got better than the last and I'm leaving this experience a better teacher, with a whole new set of skills, and I found my love of teaching again.  In a sense, the pandemic helped me remember what is at the core of my teacher heart and reaffirmed that I was right all along.  Time for connections and conversations is vital in a classroom.  

JO surprised me with some awesome end of the year gifts and a night out at Bow Market and Fab Brewing.  The city seems to be recalibrating.  The crowds were much better than a few weeks ago and I loved getting out and exploring.  I think I've been carrying a lot of emotions these last few weeks and it wasn't until I talked to my other remote teachers that it all made sense.  

This summer is going to be a crazy one.  We're going on two trips, I'm switching schools and grades, and we're hoping a new door opens up some new things for us.  (For right now, I hate these doors.)

Days 450-456 Some Highlights and Some Lowlights

 This past week was filled with a variety of emotions.  We're getting closer to the end of school and for the first time in forever, I'm not heading into summer completely exhausted.  There's a saying, "There is no tired like June tired" and it's so true.  Typically, you're just trying to survive each day and this June is very different for me.  There are no epic battles with the copy machine, no crying, no frayed nerves, no exhaustion.  I'm really sad to see this year end because I feel like I accomplished a lot and I feel like we created something really special.    (Oh my god, I have not missed the copier)

I had fun putting together some end of the year gifts for the kids!  I really want them to look back at this time and remember it as something fun.

I'm also having some trouble getting back into the swing of city living, which is kind of surprising to me.  I think a lot of this has to do with the fact that we are in between houses right now.  We sold our apartment back in January with the anticipation of moving into a new place a few weeks later.  Well, it's been many weeks since then and we're in temporary housing that doesn't feel like a home.  It's also located in Fresh Pond and it's not easy to walk anywhere and walking around the city is a pretty big part of city living.  (Once I have more time, I'm coming back to this story because it's one deserving of it's own post.)

We tried to get out and enjoy the weather with visits to Ole and to Bow Market.  We actually really needed the fire pit on Friday night.  I do love sitting by the fire and I'm grateful these came out of the pandemic.

On Sunday, we were supposed to go hiking but that got derailed when we realized our hiking boots weren't in the car.  We turned around and headed home with a whole afternoon ahead of us.  We decided to drive over to Lawn on D to enjoy the sunshine and some live music.  We finally got the elusive picture in the swings.  We walked around the Seaport and it's crazy how much the area has changed.  It's fully of shops and stores and they even have a grocery store now.  While that is exciting, I've always liked the Seaport because it's spread out and less built up.

When we got home we both agreed we needed to extend the day so we headed over to Union Square.  We had dinner at The Independent.  This place never disappoints and now that they can have their indoors back open, we were actually able to get a spot on the patio without needing a reservation.  After dinner we walked up to the tower and then enjoyed a fluff cone from the most progressive ice cream shop in the area!

Days 443- 449 Come on Mother Nature

 Come on Mother Nature.  Last weekend we had a cold snap and this week a heat wave!  I do not do well with hot weather.  I get annoyed to be missing out on fun outside things and I really hate being hot.

Despite the mixed weather, we were able to enjoy the perfect weather on Tuesday night to enjoy the patio at Moona.  It has been way too long since our last visit and it felt great to be back.  We enjoyed catching up with the waitstaff.  This place got us through the summer because of their delicious foods and safe patio setup.  I'm so thankful they made it to this point.

We had to run some errands yesterday and those errands took us to Woburn.  We spotted a cool looking patio and decided to brave the heat (thank goodness for the umbrella) to check it out.  I didn't realize until after we had sat down that we were at the Baldwin Bar.  This place always shows up in Boston Magazine and I get why!  I had a chance to peak inside and the interior is super cute.  The building used to be a "mansion" and they've kept all the rooms and added some funky design elements.  

I'm cruising towards the end of the year.  Typically my eyes are firmly set on summer vacation.  (June is the hardest month.  It's like December but without Santa to blame.) This year I don't have the "June tired" and I also haven't had to deal with any of the typical behavior issues that crop up at this time of year.  I'm actually really sad to see this year end and to let this group of kids and parents go.  It's been a really unique year and most of what I experienced were once in a lifetime kinds of things (like not commuting) so it feels like the end of something instead of the way the end of the year normally feels.  Sometime, when I have more time I'll blog all about the positives and negatives from this year but I have to do too much work today.

One thing I will really miss, is working from home with my cats, even when Denali is hiding behind my computer trying to sneak my chicken parm sub!

And finally, democracy is on the line!  This is not ok.  We can't let our guard down!