Day One Hundred Sixty-Seven

Day One Hundred Sixty-Six

We're still going to Phipps way more often that would seem reasonable. As I have mentioned, we have a membership, so it's no big thing at all to jump in the car and wander over. While advance reservations are required, I have yet to need to make them more than a half day in advance. On top of all of that, they are doing a fantastic job of enforcing social distancing and masks and all of that, so basically we're the only people we see while we're there.

But going to Phipps a lot has led us down a slippery slope.

Since Waffalonia closed, we had to find a new Oakland favorite spot. It just so happens that Fuku is doing a solid job of filling that void. We are all in on bubble tea is what I'm saying. And Fuku makes you order in advance via an app and then they leave your order on a table at the door. Basically, it's no contact, just as the lord of 2020 and its giant ball of suck demanded.

So. The routine is now Phipps and then walking along back streets to Fuku to pick up bubble tea. Notice I said "back streets." Oakland is full of students at this point and while the vast majority appear to be wearing masks everywhere they go, it's less stressful if you just avoid them. The wild thing about Oakland is that if you go just one block over from Forbes, there's not really any people. You might pass on or two runners, but mostly it's wide open.

There's an advantage above and beyond avoiding people in going that way - you also avoid allllll of the things that Mila finds distracting. She doesn't get to see Dippy, which means I don't have to stand by Dippy for 45 minutes. Mila also doesn't see the flowers and wide open grass across from the Carnegie Library, which absolutely saves me another 15+ minutes.

And then there's the carousel. Mila loves carousels and the one across from the Cathedral of Learning is at the top of her favorites list. She has ridden every single animal on that thing and suuuuuuper wants to repeat that feat.

While I live to make Mila happy, I could do without stopping 15 times in one block when I'm just trying to get bubble tea. So, back road.

Hey, y'all. Did you know that you can see the carousel even from a block away if you happen to peak through the buildings at exactly the right moment? I DO NOW.

::sigh::

Day one Hundred Sixty-Five

It occurred to me that I should probably start torturing myself by putting a kindergarten back-to-school photo next to a current year back-to-school photo, so here comes the torture.

Obviously, that one isn't TOO bad since it's only been a year, but hasn't 2020 been about 17 years long? Shouldn't Mila be driving by now? It's definitely been long enough for her to be able to vote. Let's make that happen.

We should let this one vote as well.

Annnnnnnd ... there's the torture. Time in 2020 is simultaneously moving in hyper drive and slower than molasses. Somehow it has been forever since little kindergarten Alexis stood on the front step with the chalkboard, and yet it just happened yesterday.

it's wild.

This year back-to-school looks ... different. Both girls are attending cyber classes because 2020 is dumb and stuff. That's going better than I would have expected, frankly, in part because they both discovered they had access to their classes last week and got started. If we're not careful, Alexis will be half a year ahead before the school year ends.

That would create a conundrum. She's not attending school in our normal school district. She can always transfer back, but if she gets too far ahead, that will ... suck. We shall see how it plays out.

Mila is also a day or two ahead, but I'm betting that she will catch on to the fact that there is no trophy for being done early and she will promptly stop being done early. There has to be something in it for her.

There are other things that are different about this year. There was no back-to-school shopping, for example. No supply lists, either, because everything was sent to us. There are no after-school programs and activities are limited (for now), which basically means the girls are stuck with me. A lot.

Fortunately, I like them. Mostly.

I say "mostly because" I'll be damned if I can get either one of them to wear shoes. At this point, I'm wondering if Mila will ever in her life be willing to wear shoes. COVID certainly is giving her permission to rock the bare feet far more often than normal.