Thank you to everyone who commented on my last post. You all made excellent points on why blogging is important and why it should live on in our social media oriented landscape. In addition to embracing the anti-capitalist and creative side of blogging, I realized that this is the only medium in which we can see how people are spending their days. I don't even know what my friends do on a daily basis for the most part! Day in the life posts are so varied and fascinating. I've never written one of these posts before, but on this particular Tuesday I snapped photos along the way so I could show you all what I'm up to.
On Mondays and Tuesdays I typically go into the office (I'm supposed to go three days a week, so I also alternate Wednesdays and Thursdays). My husband takes care of getting the kids off to school on these two days since he is off from work, and I get them ready Wednesday through Friday.
7:00: Wake up. I know many of you are super early risers, so this probably seems late. But after many years of waking up before 6am pre-pandemic, I realized how much better I feel when I adhere to my natural wake time. The sun has already caught back up to the time change and it's light when I look outside. I take a shower every morning because it wakes me up and tames my short hair which is inevitably sticking straight up. It takes me about 35 minutes to shower, get dressed, dry my hair, and put on various face creams. I don't wear makeup or style my hair other than blow drying it. Then I pack my lunch and work bags and head out the door.
7:53-8:42: Drive to work. I listen to The Rose Code by Kate Quinn on audio. It takes me about 50 minutes to get to work in the morning. I hate commuting. I know some people don't like working from home, but I love it and would every day if I could. I would get back several hours per week and not waste money on gas that just gets burned up and adds to pollution. I park in the underground garage and feel empathy for all the federal workers who have shown up again this week down the street. I also feel empathy for myself because traffic is worse now.
8:45: I get (free!) coffee and eat breakfast at my desk. I check my email for a few minutes and then I have meetings all morning. I'm a director in the publications department at a science non-profit. Mostly what I do is go to meetings, planning and logistics, and answer random questions all day.
11:45: There's a gym in the basement of my building so I head down to work out. I lift weights four days a week, and sometimes do cardio if I have time. I didn't have time today, so I just did leg day and then headed back upstairs, using the elevator. I could no longer walk up the stairs. I forgot to bring socks in my gym bag so I had to wear the wool socks I already had on, which were pretty toasty by the time I was finished.
12:30: I eat lunch (last night's leftover burrito bowl) at my desk and do more computer work. Then at 1:00 it's back to meetings.
2:00: I sit in the library for a few minutes to rest my eyes, because this is the only place in the building where you can get away from florescent lights.
All the employees use the library for this purpose as well, and completely ignore this sign.
2:10: There is a retirement party for a coworker going on in the break room. I hang out here for a bit and eat two delicious macarons.
2:45: I leave the office early today to run errands on my way home. My first stop is to pick up some medical records near the hospital and I'm like 85% sure I saw a body being wheeled out the rear entrance.
Next I stop at the local arts center to register the kids for summer camps and give away all my money. Processing fees have become insane and I would have had to pay $75 to register for camp online! Saving that was worth the extra effort to sign up in person.
4:30-5:30: I'm back home. I set up my computer again and work for another hour. My home office is so much better than the actual office. Natural light! Plants!
5:30: I go down to the basement to water my seedlings and set the trays outside to start hardening off. I'm going to leave them outside all night since it won't be below freezing, and they should be ready to plant out this weekend.
I also check on my tulips because I need to send my CSA subscribers an email by the end of the week with their pickup dates for the season. Predicting tulips is difficult because they are entirely dependent on the weather. Last year I had some on April first but I think we'll be a little behind due to the colder winter. I pick some daffodils to bring into the house.
6:00: My husband made dinner, as he does every night. I really hit the jackpot with that one, didn't I? We have turkey meatballs, roasted carrots and potatoes, and salad. After dinner we both clean up the kitchen and I feed the cat.
7:00-10:15: I read Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator by Roald Dahl to the 7 year old, which is a weird and tiresome book. I get why it was never made into a movie, because it would be weird and tiresome. After she goes to bed I read some of The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt. Then I finish watching The Causeway, a movie that was fine, I guess? I also watch some random YouTube videos.
10:15-10:55: Bedtime - I change my clothes and get ready for bed, then I read for another 20 minutes or so laying in bed. I have read before falling asleep my whole life and it's so ingrained that I have to do it. I'm almost done with Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood. (Yep, I have read three different books today! That's typical for me.)
And that's a typical Monday or Tuesday. These two days are the easiest of the week for me because my husband is home and I can just leave when I need to in the morning and I don't have to worry about getting back in time to meet the school bus. The rest of the week requires more juggling, because if I do go into the office I need to be back home by a certain time. My husband works on Saturdays so I am on solo kid duty, and most of the chores are crammed into Sunday. Summer is just a train wreck to be honest so maybe I'll treat you to one of those days in the future.
