How High Can Rocks Fly? (Part 1): We don’t know what to do.

(From December 2017) 

I’m watching TV while grading exams.

Actually, I’m watching TV while sitting near exams that need to be graded.  It is a show about people fixing up houses and I just want to watch it all the way until the end and see if this mess becomes a home.

 It’s hard to tell if these particular people are especially stressed by logistics of demolition and construction or whether the TV cameras and production crew are making them nuts, but they are cracking under the pressure.   

They spent way too long on decorating projects and are especially stuck when trying to install a single wooden shelf in an otherwise empty room.

“Oh no! Noooooo! Wait ....no! This won’t work!” One says to the other as they almost install the shelf, measure something, then halt their efforts.  They mumble at each other, exasperated, then one turns to the camera and says, “We need a 2-foot board.  I bought one that is 30 inches. It just won’t work. We don’t have time to go buy a new one. We don’t know what to do.”   

The show cuts to commercial with a big truck landing in something and splashing water at camera and I turned the TV off.   I hope someone helped the poor people figure out how to use a saw. 

I’m ready to grade exams now.

But first I have to get the answer to a question that I don't know how to ask. 

(continued*)

Black Box / Auburn Prison Redactions

 

This semester I have - again - sent my students out to research the family history of a complete stranger using data points in digital archives.  

In order to accomplish this mission I provide them with several death certificates and send them off to learn not only about how this family connects to American history but also about the nature of research itself. 

I hope they don't have a fast path from start to finish. I hope they have trouble finding and analyzing information -- I specifically tell them I want them to get lost, frustrated, angry and then obsessed. 

I can't ask them to do all that research if I'm not researching too.

Last night I logged into ancestry.com and pullled up the card catalog view to see what databases have been updated.

Auburn Prisons in New York? Yes please.

I click into and around the databases.  I start reading page after page, acting much like the bear that went over the mountain to see what he could see.  Hmmmmm. The datapoints include names, places of birth, crimes committed, and when committed/pardoned/paroled.  

A black box posted digitally over the record catches my attention. 

I find another.

What is THIS? I've read tens of thousands of digitized 19th century criminal cases, prisoners' records, Coroner's Inquests (ask me anything about men who died in Alabama prisons 1866-1920) and I do not recall seeing a SINGLE conviction redacted.  

Challenge accepted.

I look for more and more black boxes -- one about every 300-400 male prisoners -- and study crimes that are not redacted. Polygamy, Bigamy. Rape. Intent to rape.  Murder.  None of those were unspeakable.  Hmmm.

The research feelings - lost, frustrated, angry, obsessed - well up strong and force me to keep searching for clues, confident I am more devoted to finding the answer than any hourly employee was being paid to find/cover this one data point.

Then I look to see if the crime was also committed by women. 

It was.

What could it be?

I turn on all the research jets in my brain and get creative.

There. I find an answer linked to an unredacted file.

  I try again with another convict, checking my theory like working a math problem backwards.

 Yup. Same crime.  It wasn't anything I'd thought of, and it makes me wonder why --  if women were less than 1% of all convicts - so many more women than men were imprisoned for this crime. I wonder how evidence was collected, and how trials were run, especially  before the invention of modern cops.

Want the answer?  You can find it. It is knowable, you just have to practice good research skills by not knowing what you're looking for when you start. 

Pandora's Safe

Chapter 1 https://www.melissalaughing.com/2017/11/where-is-fear.html

Chapter 2 https://www.melissalaughing.com/2018/01/bless-his-heart.html

Chapter 3 https://www.melissalaughing.com/2018/01/no-telegraph-no-call-nothing.html

Chapter 4 https://www.melissalaughing.com/2018/01/pandoras-safe.html

Chapter 5 https://www.melissalaughing.com/2018/01/pandoras-safe-part-5-show-me.html

Chapter 6 https://www.melissalaughing.com/2018/01/pandoras-safe-part-6-meet-me-in.html

Chapter 7 https://www.melissalaughing.com/2018/03/pandoras-safe-7-blackwell-island-this.html

Chapter 8 https://www.melissalaughing.com/2018/03/pandoras-safe-8-occupation-writer.html

Chapter 9 https://www.melissalaughing.com/2018/03/pandoras-safe-9-she-seems-to-be.html

Chapter 10 https://www.melissalaughing.com/2018/03/pandoras-safe-10-is-13-his-lucky-number.html

Chapter 11 https://www.melissalaughing.com/2018/03/pandoras-safe-11-retired-lady-inquest.html

Chapter 12 https://www.melissalaughing.com/2018/04/pandoras-safe-12-where-did-they-go.html

Chapter 13 https://www.melissalaughing.com/2018/09/pandoras-safe-13-csi-jury-duty.html

***Chapter 14 https://www.melissalaughing.com/2018/09/pandoras-safe-14-wrestles-with-wolves.html

Chapter 15 https://www.melissalaughing.com/2019/03/pandoras-safe-15.html

Chapter 16 https://www.melissalaughing.com/2019/03/pandoras-safe-16-history-of-state-of.html

Chapter 17 https://www.melissalaughing.com/2019/03/pandoras-safe-17-chasing-jean.html

Chapter 18 https://www.melissalaughing.com/2019/03/pandoras-safe-18-nirvana.html

Hose Day

 

 

This is the longest I’ve ever been home with my children. Seriously. I had Zoe in December the weekend after final exams and was teaching in January. I had Zack on a Thursday and was teaching a week later. There have been no long summers together off somewhere. 

This Covid situation has created our first long period at home together and it hasn’t gone that badly.  

 

I get through my days by stretching small things into big things, working slowly, and sitting as quietly as possible.

 

 I learned this decades ago reading  the Tao Te Ching, verse 37:

 

The Tao does nothing, but leaves nothing undone.
If powerful men could center themselves in it
the whole world would be transformed by itself,
in its natural rhythms.

When life is simple,
pretenses fall away;
our essential natures shine through.

By not wanting, there is calm,
and the world will straighten itself.
When there is silence,
one finds the anchor of the universe within oneself.

One of the big small things that I’ve been doing during this Covid-19 quiet is cleaning out closets and drawers and the garage. I’ve had time to dump boxes out and look at all the big small things I’ve put away here and there for reasons I rarely remember. Archives to nowhere.

 

Zoe and I were sorting through a big box that was clearly things I’d sent to my Abuelo and Abuela while the kids were little which included a bunch of Zack’s early elementary schoolwork and Zoe’s art.   

 

My mom gave me this box to take home when she was cleaning Abuelo’s stuff and I put it away a few years ago, unable to face the grief. 

 

There is a bittersweet edge to have these treasures sent back, to have them now and to not have Abuelo and Abuela, but we don’t discuss it.

 

None of that sadness is with us today as Zoe and I go through our treasure trove. We giggle over Zack’s cynical book reviews from first grade and coo at school pictures we had forgotten about.

 

Then we come across a picture that was clearly drawn by Zoe which had the bold title of HOSE DAY.  The setting is our old house, the one from 10 years ago,  and the characters are myself (clearly in some waist training torture device and having an odd hair day), Zoe and Zack.

 

Hose Day -- 2007?

We are all visibly upset about something that has gone wrong involving a hose and perhaps a window.  

 

Zoe and I cannot remember this day.

 

 She says that the picture definitely captures a sense of loss and disappointment and is worth keeping.

 

I put the picture on the fridge and ask Zack about it.

 

He has no idea what happened.

 

Life is like this; we remember the stories we repeat, and other ones slip away to make room for new ones. Whatever happened on Hose Day was worthy of a picture but not a mention since.  Maybe the hose broke?

 Maybe the kids got worried about bees (they used to do that, there was no calming them)?

Maybe the hose just didn’t work and whatever games they’d planned never happened?

 

We will never remember what was done or left undone hose day, but here we are, giggling at the dramatic picture on the fridge and the gift of being together here and now in this calm, leaving nothing undone.  

 

COVID Student Journal: To be frank between the jobs and the lack of computer and wifi I gave up on the rest of my school year, especially since the virus took away my ability to attend in-class learning

(Student submission Spring 2020)

            Covid-19, a virus also known as the “Corona Virus” has taken over the world and changed the way that people of my generation have been living our entire lives. My journey through this drought has not been as bad as others. When covid first took its toll on our economy nobody was worried about it because it was only in China… or so we thought. Mid February was the start of covid-19 for me. On the 2/19/2020 I began starting with a dream/goal I have been talking about for a couple years, investing. This was probably the BEST time for me to get into it and with the research that I was doing as well as some advice from others I was able to start my steps process. I keep track of my investments and now have over 8,000 dollars in investments. I believe it's time for me to wait on it and let the economy do it's thing while we fight to purge the virus and get back to a normal life.

            When Covid-19 started to come to light I was working two jobs. I was working at papa johns and at a tax preparation office. For two weeks I continued to work at papa johns before I ultimately decided that it wasn’t worth the work and putting myself at risk being a driver and being in the vicinity of many people who I didn’t know, wouldn’t know if they had anything, and being around my co-workers who were doing the same thing. It would’ve resulted in many people coming in contact with other people then coming back together in one store. After talking to the manager I told him I couldn’t do it for the remainder of the spring semester and I won’t be on the schedule until I inform him I'm ready to come back. Working at the tax office being there from 10AM-8PM everyday we would still encounter way less people which means even less people I had to worry about coming in contact with. We also maintained a clean work environment and was constantly cleaning our hands and work areas. This continued from the beginning of March until we ended for the year april 15th.

            I struggled while in Tallahassee when this virus was going on. I had no computer and my wifi was really slow. To be frank between the jobs and the lack of computer and wifi I gave up on the rest of my school year, especially since the virus took away my ability to attend in-class learning. Due to the fact that I struggle with doing online classes and keeping up with online work. My grades in classes began to falter and I lost much of my motivation. It’s always been like this for me when it comes to online class/instruction. I started to focus solely on a way to make money, grow money, and save money when I get out of work and for when the virus pandemic ends. I kept my head up though because at the end of every tunnel there’s a light, and at the end of every rainy day, the sun will shine through and reveal a rainbow.

            Today is April 25th 2020, 5 days ago I came back home down south. Currently in broward county and this change is much different from what I was doing in Tallahassee. The rules and regulations are more strict on keeping everyone out of breathing distance from one another. A mask is required everywhere, being on the road past 10:30 they can give you a hefty fine from what I was told by my father. The brighter side is I don’t have to pay bills right now. My parents have been covering me with food but still I buy food for everyone and watch my siblings to help them out. My connection with my parents has grown and we are getting closer than we were ever before. Even though these aren’t the circumstances that I would rather have it in, I'm happy I have built this bond in general. Being in Broward other than being with my family I’ve just been chilling with friends and I believe it's time for me to start trying to catch up on all the work I've missed.

            Covid-19 did a number on me educationally for the spring semester . I don't have an amazing story to tell  you all, but I can tell you my story about it. Most of my days were just doing the same thing. Covid-19 saved me from spending money unnecessarily. I went from going out with friends almost every weekend to just staying home saving up my money and stacking to make myself financially stable. I can tell you, my children, and grandchildren that their grand pops came from a generation that overcame 2 major pandemics, and 3 historical events. The Ebola, Covid 19-, and the first black president. Even though COVID definitely ruined a part of my year I believe it worked out in the best of my interests and I do feel sorry for all the non-survivors of this virus and for the families that are involved in it as well.

COVID Student Journal: They say college is the best four years of your life and I was truly starting to feel that way with how things were going.

(Student submission Spring 2020)

Dear journal,

My second semester of college in Tallahassee was in full swing as I was fully comfortable staying away from home and truly formed friendships that will last a lifetime.  My grades were up and I for sure found my rhythm and balance of friends and school and on top of that being on my own helped me grow up and perfect the art of time management.  

They say college is the best four years of your life and I was truly starting to feel that way with how things were going.  Although spring break was approaching and talks of this new virus that made it to the United States began to grow and so did the rumors.  As I started to talk to friends around my dorm they would say “we are not going to come back after spring break’ and “school is going to be online”.  Of course, I thought this was just teenagers spreading rumors as I did not pay too much attention to it as I just looked forward to my spring break vacation on a cruise ship in the Bahamas.  

The week before spring break approached and gained speed as so did the rumors, although I still took them lightly as I didn’t really think anything was wrong.  The night before me and my roommate were leaving for spring break, we began packing some bags together to get ready to go our separate ways in the morning.  As we packed we began to talk crazy things we never thought would be true such as “what if this is our last night in the dorm together” or “do we pack all our clothes just in case” and the time we thought that was nonsense and did not believe it at all.  We finished packing hit the hay and both got on the road in the morning to head back to our separate cities for spring break with out families.  

As I was on my way home and exited to go on my first cruise my mom called and explained that our cruise has been cancelled due to Covid-19.  This moment is when I first thought ok maybe this virus is serious as I had an emotional ride home thinking that possibly could have been my last night in my dorm for my freshman year.  

As I get home, I get an alert from TCC that classes are now mowed to online for two weeks after spring break due to Covid-19 which I thought basically was just to give it some time to blow over.  My cruise became cancelled due to the rising number of cases of Covid-19.  Then we got even bigger news the United States government put us basically in a quarantine where you can only leave your house for necessities.  Once this came out and we still had no spring break plans and soon realized spring break was probably not a possibility.  That was until my aunt and mom found a nice big beautiful house in Islamorada, Florida down in the Florida Keys.  My family thought it was a great way to quarantine ourselves but still have a spring that we have had planned with them for about a year.  We packed our stuff and all sorts of food so we would not have to leave the house and headed down south for the week with hopes of this soon being over once we got back.  

Once we got to the huge beautiful house we stayed at and unpacked everything the news just continued to talk about how bad this virus is and how fast it is spreading.  They even put a new rule in place called “Social Distancing” which meant you could not be in groups of people bigger than 10 and in public you must stay 6 feet away from everyone.  This is when we knew ok this stuff is real.  As we enjoyed our spring break isolated from everyone like we were supposed to be, we then got some news that I did not want to hear at all and that was that most Florida colleges were doing the rest of the semester online.  

And once one college did it, they all did shortly after as one by one colleges were moving there semesters online and then boom there went my freshman year.  This was pretty devastating to me honestly; I was looking forward to moving back up there after spring break having a great time and cracking down on the books to ensure I would be at Florida State in the fall.  I then called my roommate that I grew so close to and we basically talked about how it is actually over and all the crazy good times and memories we had in our room is done.  

Although I had the thought of not being able to go back up there in the back of my head, I still tried to have a good time on our vacation which I did indeed.  The next couple of days went by and the virus just continued to spread and get worse as the number of Florida cases rose.  That day just like they did with my school they did with my little brothers’ middle school but for him he thought it was awesome that he did not have to go to school but he will soon realize how much he misses it.  

There was one good thing that happened during our quarantine in the Keys that shed a little bit of light and gave me and my family that there is light at the end of the tunnel and that was my beloved Tampa Bay Buccaneers signing legend quarter back Tom Brady.  My whole family is huge Buccaneers fans since we all live in Tampa and honestly this gave us a reason to forget about what was going on and gave us something to be happy and celebrate about.  While our mini celebration was going on down in our own little paradise things were just getting worse out in the real world and restaurants were still closed as well as anything not deemed a necessity was also closed.

As our little vacation came to an end my mother went to the Publix one last time to stock up so we would not have to leave the house when we are back home.  She loaded up the groceries we packed the car and headed back to reality to self-quarantine ourselves in our house.  Once we got back and unpacked myself quarantine did not last long as I begged my parents the whole ride home trying to convince them to allow me to go to St. Augustine to visit my girlfriend and her family.  

After 100 times of them telling me no they finally realized I would be doing the same thing I would be doing there than what I would do at home.  So, the next day I hit the road to St. Augustine to stay for a couple days there.  So, my quarantine started there instead of my house as we hung out there by just staying in the house.  I stayed there for four days and my family wanted me home so that’s when I headed home to start my real quarantine.  

Once I got home, I quickly got bored just like every other kid in America because not only am I stuck in my house, but I am stuck in my house with no televised sports or anything really.  There was honestly nothing to do at all and it has been rough, the highlights of my days for most of this quarantine so far has been me riding my bike around the block which is something I have not done since I was like 15 years old.  

The days have been just flying by and it feels I just do the same thing every day, just wake up do homework watch Netflix and go back to sleep.  That routine I just described I don’t even think that I could count he amount of times a day like that happened it has literally been my life every single day.  The school part of this I have some mixed emotions about because obviously it has been pretty cool not having to go to an actual class but at the same time by not actually being in the class I feel that I am not gaining an actual understanding for the material as I would be in a lecture or lesson.  In this case I feel that a lot of kids are just doing the bare minimum of what they have to do just to get by in these crazy times which I completely understand.  

During this time of misfortune and craziness I have been blessed and lucky that no one I know or in my family has contracted Covid-19 but I know if one of my close friends or family members did the last thing on my mind would be focusing on my school work so many kids could be in a pretty sticky situation with this going on but luckily I have not had t deal with it yet.  

And speaking of close friends being affected by the disease that has for sure taken a toll on me.  Due to the social distancing and self-quarantine rule I have not gotten to see any of my friends once.  The most friend activity I have gotten has been our weekly zoom calls that we put together once a week to see what everyone’s been doing even though we know no one has been doing anything at all.  Not only have I not seen my college friends that live in different cities around Florida I still haven’t even seen my life long best friends that less than 5 minutes from me.  It had been pretty rough not being able to see anyone except through the phone screen I can’t wait till the day I get out and am able to hang out and see everyone again but who knows when that will be honestly.

More days drag on of me doing the same thing with my days consisting of sleeping, eating, homework, and Netflix.  My life has still been the same no friends no leaving the house nothing at all really.  I soon get the exposure to friends as my girlfriend came and surprised me at my house one day,  she drove all the way down from St. Augustine to surprise me and stay for a couple days and it has been so long since I have seen someone in real life that wasn’t my family I almost forgot how to socialize with someone.  That was for sure the highlight of my Covid-19 experience.

  During this whole experience even some drive throughs near me have been closed which means yes I have not had Chick-Fil-A in over a couple weeks, this for sure has been a struggle due to my serious obsession with Chick-Fil.  That was until I heard some fabulous news, three days ago the Chick-Fil-A by my house announced they will now be open but drive thru only and boy was that music to my ears and yes I have been three days in a row,  I am actually eating nuggets currently as I am writing this.  The Chick-Fil-A opening gave me a little bit of hope that this will be done soon.  But my brother on the other hand is not too hopeful.  

My little brother is in 8^th grade and at his school they treat them like seniors, so they have a graduation and 8^th grade trips and all of that I got to go through when I was an 8^th grader there.  But I his case everything has been cancelled and most of it he has been talking about for quite a long time so I feel pretty bad they he doesn’t get to experience anything like that but I guess it’s better than him being a senior right now.  Another way Covid-19 has been affecting my family is both of my parents are now having to work from home.  Both of their jobs are pretty hands on and cause them to be social they are both having a pretty difficult time trying to adjust and be productive through the phone and technology.  The day I am currently writing this is April 24, 2020 and the world is supposed to open back up around May 1, 2020 so we are almost there just got to keep praying and keep the faith and this will be over in no time. 

Cross Corinti 4/24/20

 

 

COVID Student Journal: Hours and Days

(Student submission Spring 2020)

Monday, March 30^th, 2020

            9:00am    Wake up, brush teeth and throw my hair in a bun

     9:15am    Search YouTube for a morning yoga stretch and set my intentions for the day making  sure I pay attention to each breath 

         9:45am    Enter the family living room to check the current COVID-19 cases and deaths

         9:55am    For the last 2 weeks I have been following the keto diet, I checked Pinterest for a yummy   breakfast idea and began cooking while listening to music

      10:30am  Poor my morning coffee and begin eating field greens topped with poached eggs

10:45am  Sit outside out on the patio and listen to music while my brother plays with my dogs

11:00am  Pull out my school planner and write in the assignments due that week for all my courses and begin math homework

1:30pm    Finish math homework and begin working on computer literacy PowerPoint homework

2:45pm    Have a celery and peanut butter snack break 

3:00pm    Finish CGS homework and start watching the show All American on Netflix

5:00pm    Pick up friends and drive to the beach to watch the sunset and eat pizza

7:15pm    Find a hot tub to sneak into

8:00pm    Drop off friends and head home for family dinner

8:15pm    Help mom prepare ribs, corn, and sweet potato’s 

9:00pm    Yes I know its late but in my family this is has become quite normal. Finish diner

9:15pm    Watch the news for updates information on COVID-19 locally, nationally, and globally

9:30pm    Eat smores with my mother father and brother

10:00pm  Take a shower, get into comfy clothes, and hop into bed and resume watching All                                                   American on Netflix

12:00pm  Fall asleep and recharge for the next day

 

 

Tuesday, March 31^st, 2020

12:30pm   Wake up and immediately put on a swimsuit, brush teeth, wash face, and apply sunscreen

1:00pm    Make breakfast consisting of a English muffin and turkey bacon

2:00pm    Review Earth Space Science notes for exam

3:30pm    Set up a beach chair in my front lawn and tan as I watch motivational speeches my favorite being

           Matthew McConaughey’s “5 Minutes for the next 50 years”

4:45pm    Watched VICE news segment about a COVID-19 regarding pets during this pandemic

5:30pm    Go to Publix and stock up groceries for the week, trust me I wore a mask and was cautious of               touching things

6:45pm    Watch the Netflix show Ozark

7:00pm    Eat celery and blue-cheese dressing for a snack before dinner

8:00pm    Finish watching the show Ozark and browse Pinterest for dinner ideas

8:30pm    Cook and make turkey lettuce wraps and panko crusted zucchini chips for me and my family

9:00pm    Play Heads Up; a charades app,

10:15pm  Have a late night desert and take a shower

11:30pm  Get into bed and continue watching Ozark

12:00pm  Make this daily journal

1:00am    Go to bed

 

Wednesday, April 1^st, 2020

         1:00pm    Wake up sit in bed and watch 2 hours of Criminal Minds on Netflix

         3:30pm    Make Breakfast tacos and enjoy the sun on my back patio

         4:15pm    Go to the dog park

         5:45pm    Do a at-home HIIT workout

         7:00pm    Drinks tons of water and eat celery, peppers, and hummus

         7:30pm    Take a salt bath and relax

         8:00pm    Tie-dye and bleach a pair of sweatpants

         9:00pm    Buy and get sushi tuna from the local fish market

         9:15pm    Make at-home poké bowls

         10:00pm  Clean up and take and shower and get ready for bed

         11:15pm  Watch more Criminal Minds (I’m addicted)

         1:30pm    Fall asleep

 

Thursday, April 2^nd, 2020

         9:30am    Wake up and immediately listen to Walking On A Dream by Empire Of The Sun and have a                               dance party in my room because it’s that kinda day

         10:00am  Do yoga with my mom

         11:00am  Make whipped coffee and oatmeal

         12:00pm  Paint on a canvas and watch Tiger King on Netflix

         2:00pm   Make cookies with my little brother

         3:00pm   Devour cookies

         3:30pm   Go for a 5 mile walk with my great Dane hank

         5:00pm   Do a HIIT workout in the garage

         6:00pm   Help my mom finish making tacos for dinner

         7:00pm   Complete computer homework while listening to music

         8:45pm   Eat a giant bowl of lemon blueberry ice-cream

         9:15pm   Play on my phone for way too long

         11:30pm Put on a face mask 

         12:00am Make this journal entry and watch Tiger King

         2:00am Fall asleep

 

Friday, April 3^rd, 2020

         6:00am    Wake up and go for a run off of no sleep

         7:30am    Get home, take a shower and immediately fall back asleep

         12:00pm  Wake up and make a chicken salad for “breakfast”

         1:00pm    Go to the local nursery and by succulents for my front porch

         3:00pm    Plot succulents

         4:00pm    Go on a 10 mile walk/run

         6:30pm    Make a protein smoothie

         7:00pm    Do homework and watch recorded Zoom lectures

         8:30pm   Eat a steak dinner

         9:30pm   Chill and watch Criminal Minds on Netflix

         11:30pm Finish homework

         1:15am   Take a shower and go to bed

 

Saturday, April 4^th, 2020

         11:00am    My dogs come in my room and wake me up

         12:00pm    Finally get outta bed and make coffee

         12:30pm    Go on a 2 mile run/walk with my dogs

         1:45pm     Go fishing with my dad

         3:00pm     Eat the fish that we caught and sit our on the patio

         4:30pm     Study for final exams

         6:45pm     Eat celery and blue cheese snack and watch news on updated corona cases and deaths

         7:15pm     Follow a Bob Ross painting tutorial my brother

         8:45pm     Play Pictionary with my family

         10:30pm   Watch Criminal Minds

         1:00am     Fall asleep

 

Monday, April 5^th, 2020

         11:00am    Wake and think about what I’m going to make for breakfast

         11:30am   Get out of bed, do some yoga outside

         12:15pm   Throw on a mask and latex gloves and go to Publix to buy strawberry shortcake supplies

         1:00pm    Make strawberry shortcake with my brother and miserably fail at it

         2:00pm    End up having oatmeal and strawberries for breakfast/lunch

         2:30pm    Watch and take notes on the film “Before the Flood” (its about climate change) for my Earth and                              Space class and realize how cute our United Nations Peace Leader is (Leonardo DiCaprio). Under                              the video in the comments section someone said that since the corona outbreak carbon emissions                       have decreased because of lockdowns around the world

         4:45pm    Eat pop tart snack

         5:00pm    Take a math quiz

         6:00pm    Eat a salmon dinner while news plays in on TV

         7:30pm    Paint over Jenga blocks and write dares on each block with my brother

         9:00pm    Eat a big bowl of icecream

Tuesday, April 6^th, 2020

         10:30am    Wake up and tell my dogs how much I love them

         11:00am    Make iced whipped coffee (a trend I saw on the app TikTok)

  12:00pm   Have eggs and bacon for breakfast

         1:00pm     Go for a 2 mile run

         2:00pm     Go on a 12 mile bike ride with my dad & find a craft store that was giving away painting supplies

         4:00pm     Find out from my aunt that my Great Aunt Connie fell and broke her neck and then when                              admitted into the hospital found out she had coronavirus

         5:00pm     Watch the movie “Molly’s Game” on Netflix

         7:30pm     Watch a Vice video on YouTube about a old couple fighting corona virus

         8:00pm     Play the Heads Up app game with my brother

         9:00pm     Eat turkey burgers and sweet potato fries for dinner

         9:45pm     Make box brownies for my family

         10:45pm   Eat brownies topped with whip cream and caramel

         11:00pm   Take a Epson salt bath and watch YouTube videos till I fall asleep

 

Wednesday, April 7^th, 2020

         11:00am    Wake up and eat breakfast

         12:00pm    Pack up and drive to Tallahassee

         2:30pm     Arrive in Tallahassee and pull into my college townhome

         3:00pm     Power wash my driveway and clean up my landscaping

         6:00pm     Finish cleaning the outside of my house

         6:30pm     Pick up dinner at California Chicken Grill

         7:00pm     Lay on the couch and watch the Explained series about coronavirus on Netflix

         8:00pm     Take a shower and then go visit my boyfriend that has been quarantine in Tallahassee

         10:00pm   Sleepover at my boyfriends house and make smores

         11:00pm   Fall asleep

 

Thursday, April 8^th, 2020

         9:00am    Get up and go to Publix to fill my fridge

         10:30am  Make french toast and bacon for my boyfriend and I

         11:00am  Go back to my townhome and deep clean my kitchen

         1:00pm   Now clean my entire living room and do endless loads of laundry

         3:00pm   Eat a late lunch and go swim and tan in my complexes pool

         5:00pm   Go on a walk/run around the stadium

         7:00pm   Return back to my house and go to my boyfriends house

         8:00pm    Watch movies

         10:30pm   Go to Chick-fil-a

         11:00pm   Fall asleep

 

Friday, April 9^th, 2020

12:00pm   Wake up and force my boyfriend to do yoga with me

1:00pm    Make a smoothie for breakfast

1:30pm    Do sidewalk chalk art

2:45pm    Go to Lafayette Heritage Trail and bring my boyfriends dog

4:00pm    Get Krispy Kreme donuts because the hot light is on

4:30pm    Get home and sit out on the porch and absorb the last bit of sunlight of the day

5:00pm    Say goodbye and drive back to Destin, Florida

8:00pm    Arrive back home to my family and have a yummy porkchop dinner

9:00pm    Do some laundry and watch TV with my brother

11:00pm  Fall asleep

 

Saturday, April 10^th, 2020

         11:00am   Wake up and eat eggs benedict

         11:45pm   Sit out on my porch and drink my morning coffee

         1:00pm    Make a fruit and protein smoothie

         1:30pm    Take a shower

         2:00pm    Go to my friend Cenedy’s pool to swim and tan

         4:00pm    Get home and eat turkey and cheese rool-ups

         5:00pm    Watch Botched on TV with my mom

         6:00pm    Do homework and study for upcoming exams

         7:00pm    Have tacos for dinner and make homemade guacamole

         8:30pm    Workout in my garage

         10:00pm  Make Oreo cookies

         11:00pm  Fall asleep

 

Sunday, April 11^th, 2020

         12:30pm   Wake up and have cereal for breakfast

         1:00pm    Write in my planner my homework for the rest of the week

         1:30pm    Tan in my driveway and eat some fruit

         4:00pm    Go on a bike ride with my dad

         4:30pm    Stop at the local farmers market and get honey

         5:00pm    Finish our bike ride and eat shrimp and crawfish

         6:00pm   Watch the news and play Pictionary with my family

         7:30pm   Eat a bowl of lemon blueberry ice-cream

         8:00pm   Watch Live PD on TV

         9:00pm   Watch and take notes on a math zoom lecture because I missed it last week

         11:00pm  Take a shower and go to bed

        

 

Monday, April 12^th, 2020

         8:00am    Wake up and study for my last math exam

         11:15pm  Make an iced coffee and oatmeal

         12:30pm  Take my math exam and score a 98 on it YAY!

         2:30pm    Go tan

         3:30pm    Make veggie spring rolls with peanut sauce

         4:00pm    Catch up on homework assignments while I watch Netflix documentaries

         6:00pm    Make another coffee because I’m addicted

         6:15pm    Do some painting with my brother

         7:30pm    Go for a night walk and collect flowers for my mom

         8:45pm    Paint my nails pink

         9:00pm    Have a ceasar salad for dinner

         9:30pm    Take a Epson salt bath

         10:00pm  Get into bed and journal my day

         11:00pm  Watch news YouTube videos about coronavirus

         1:00am    Fall asleep

 

Tuesday, April 13^th, 2020

         10:00am    Wake up and make breakfast tacos with my dad

         11:00am    Do my makeup and curl my hair

         12:00pm    Take pictures outside my house to post on Instagram with a super clever quarantine caption

         1:00pm     Help my mom with dishes and cleaning the floors

         3:00pm     Workout in my garage

         4:30pm     Throw a football around with my little brother

         5:30pm     Go inside and begin making tacos with my mom

         6:15pm     Have a sit down dinner with my family

         7:00pm     Watch a movie with my family

         9:00pm     Began online shopping for bathroom stuff in my college apartment

         10:30pm   Sign up for classes for the summer term and stress about my future and the impact that the                            coronavirus will have my learning for the summer

         11:30pm   Stress out and eat a crap ton on ice-cream to cope

         12:00am   Fall asleep

 

 

Wednesday, April 14^th, 2020

         1:00pm    Wake up and take a cold shower

         1:45pm    Wash all my shoes

         2:30pm    Have a late first meal of the day

         2:45pm    Watch the movie The Florida Project on Netflix and make popcorn

         4:00pm    Make banana bread with chocolate chips

         4:45pm    Make a face mask with leftover scrap fabric I had in my craft closet

         5:30pm    Have a celery and blue cheese snack while I play with my dogs

         6:00pm    Watch the news with my mom

         6:30pm    Buy jewelry online

         7:00pm    Do loads of laundry

         8:30pm    Tie-dye my pillowcases and sheets

         9:15pm    My mom and I braid each others hair

         10:00pm  Eat leftover tacos from last night

         10:30pm  Water my succulents

         10:45pm  Watch Criminal Minds on Netflix

         12:00am  Go to Whataburger for a midnight cinnamon roll

         12:30am  Watch more Criminal Minds

         2:00am    Fall asleep

 

Thursday, April 15^th, 2020

         10:00am   Wake up and make a egg casserole for breakfast

         11:00am   Make a bird house for my dad

         1:00pm   Finish the bird house and tan in my back yard

         3:30pm   Go to the local hotel pool

         4:30pm   Get semi-permanent pink hair dye and dinner supplies at Walmart…. Super necessary

         5:30pm   Dye my hair and wait for my dad and brother to brutally make fun of me

         6:30pm   Make a giant salad with tuna for dinner

         7:00pm   Watch the news for updated cases on coronavirus

         7:45pm   Make homemade dog treats

         8:30pm   Watch YouTube videos

           10:00pm   Eat banana bread with vanilla ice-cream

           10:15pm   Watch a video on climate change

           10:45pm   Go to bed

 

 

Friday, April 16^th, 2020

         12:00pm   Wake up and deep clean my room

         2:00pm     Paint canvas to decorate my room

         3:30pm    Do my own eyelash extensions

         4:30pm    Do homework

         5:30pm    Go for a walk with my Great Dane Hank

         6:00pm    Come across a pond that my dog couldn’t resist to jump into

         6:45pm    Get back home and wash my dog

         7:00pm    Make a protein smoothie

         7:15pm    Watch my favorite chefs from Bon Appetit test kitchen cook from home their favorite pantry pasta                                dish

         8:30pm    Take a shower and paint my toes

         9:00pm    Go over to my friends house and play Jenga 6 feet part

         12:00am   Start a bonfire and make smores

         2:00am    Fall asleep at my friends house

 

Saturday, April 17^th, 2020

         6:30am    Wake up to my friends dog licking my face

         7:00am    Fall back asleep after watching infomercials that happened to be left on the TV from lastnight

         11:00am  Wake up and make a giant brunch with my friends… trust me we didn’t forget the mimosas

         1:00pm   Go to the local creek in our neighborhood and float down the creek

         4:00pm   Go to Walmart and get aloe because I forgot to wear sunscreen

         4:15pm   Take a cold shower

         4:45pm   Eat celery and blue cheese for a pre-dinner snack

         5:00pm   Continue painting canvases for room

         6:30pm   Make celery juice

         7:00pm   Make air-fryer barbeque chicken wings      

         7:30pm   Make homemade sweet potato fries

         8:00pm   Eat dinner with my family while we watch the news

         8:15pm   Clean up the house and finish homework that’s due Monday

         10:00pm  Eat banana bread and do yoga

         11:00pm  Fall asleep

Sunday, April 18^th, 2020

         11:00am    Wake up and go to the famers market with my dad

         11:30am    Play with the baby chickens for sale

         12:45pm   Get back home and make breakfast with the some of the fruit we got from the farmers market

         1:30pm     Pack my suitcase to go to Troy University in Troy, Alabama

         2:15pm     Say goodbye to family and leave with my friends to go to Troy

         3:30pm     Arrive in Troy and immediately go to Cookout and my friends apartment

         5:00pm     Go to downtown Troy and take pictures… every business was closed! We had the place to                                  ourselves

         7:00pm    Get back to my friends apartment and go to Publix to get food for a barbeque

         7:30pm    Make burgers, hotdogs, grilled corn, and homemade macaroni

         8:45pm    Clean up after dinner and sit on the couch and watch movies

         11:00pm  Play Jenga and get ready for bed

         1:00am    Fall asleep

 

Monday, April 19^th, 2020

         11:00am   Wake up on deflated air mattress

         12:00pm   Take a cold shower after 4 other girls take a shower

         12:30pm   Sit on the front porch and drink my morning coffee

         2:00pm    Go get pick-up breakfast from Cracker Barrell

         2:45pm    Eat pancakes and bacon in the trucks of our cars in the parking lot

         4:00pm    Load up our luggage and drive back to Destin, Florida

         5:30pm    Get back and take a nap

         7:30pm    Wake up and catch up on homework that I didn’t do over the weekend

         8:45pm    Eat pizza for dinner

         9:15pm    Paint flowers and leaves on my bedroom door

         11:00pm  Pause painting my door and take a shower

         11:30pm  Eat my nightly banana bread and go to bed