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ByGD

Pandemic Homeschool Diaries – Week 2 Wrap Up

Home school lunch

What a different two weeks makes. On a normal Thursday morning, I would go to yoga before work; the kids would both be in school; and their dad would be at a meeting downtown. Thursday March 12 was the first day my kids were home from school. Exactly two weeks later, Thursday morning found me doing yoga in the living room, following my teacher’s instructions on Zoom and choking on bunny fur. My oldest was at the kitchen table solving geometry proofs, and my youngest dragged her laptop to my office so she could listen to her math video without the distraction of overlapping audio. My husband took his meeting online from his office in the basement.

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ByGD

Pandemic Homeschool Diaries – Midweek 2

So far the second week has been marked by increased online activities from the kids’ teachers, and decreased direct involvement from myself. This has meant more independent work from the girls, with perhaps a bit of slacking thrown in. But I had four articles due this week (three down, one to go!) so the shift had to be made. Here’s how we did it.

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ByGD

1000 Pieces at Pacific Northwest Ballet

Jerome Tisserand in David Dawson’s Empire Noir, DIRECTOR’S CHOICE 2017. Photo © Angela Sterling c/o PNB

Little did I suspect when I watched the final performance of Yardbird at Seattle Opera that it would be the last performance anyone saw at McCaw Hall for the foreseeable future. Like many others, I had tickets to see Pacific Northwest Ballet’s new program 1000 Pieces the following weekend. But two days before the program was to premiere, the governor shut down all large gatherings. In the midst of pandemic, it was a minor tragedy, but it wasn’t a total loss. In fact, it turned into a special event, the memory of which I will both cherish and grieve.

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ByGD

Kicking Off Week 2 of Pandemic Homeschool

I thought I’d have a lot more to say today. This week we were to start receiving more learning materials from the schools, and we were going to try a tag-team approach to the home schooling so I could get more work done. But actually, there doesn’t seem to be much to report. I guess the new becomes normal pretty fast. Here’s our new normal, as of Monday, March 23.

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ByGD

Music I Like – Instru-Metal

It’s happened more times than I can count. I see a band that looks interesting on a streaming site. I hit play. The opening notes of noodly guitar or hooky riffage immediately capture my attention. Drums kick in, and my head starts to move. For a couple glorious, extended intro minutes I think I’ve found my new favorite band. Then the vocals start aaand I’m out. Nasal prog-rock vocals where I wanted a death growl; faux-demonic hisses where a scream belongs; emo screaming where literally anything would be better. Vocals are often an afterthought, especially in metal, and it often shows. Some people think they are required, but I prefer the honesty of a band that focuses on what they do well, and skips what they don’t care about. Especially when I’m working, I like instrumental music. But as long as the songwriting is there, I don’t care if the vocals aren’t.

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