Greetings, Internet! I hope everyone’s staying as safe and sane as can be. This week, I had my teaching judged by my professor (spoiler alert: did not go well), had all the feels while watching “WandaVision,” and continued to trudge through my dissertation. Daily summaries below!

Day Three Hundred and Fifty-One (2/26/21)

• Did the FES cycle. Am almost done with season one of “Star Wars: Rebels.”
• Cried while watching “WandaVision.”
• Recorded the video for what should have been this Thursday’s cover. I could wait until next Thursday to post it, I guess? I think I’ve been keeping up with roughly 3-4 videos a month, so that works.
• So half of the grading I did got erased from the course site and I have to redo it over the weekend. Lol, Canvas.
• Reorganized my instruments and recording equipment. It’s starting to get really crowded on one side of my room.
• Currently feeling: Yeah, it happened again where I thought, “Of course I’m going to go to bed early tonight!” Nope! Got caught up with musical things and was so sidetracked. But this weekend is going to be all about the dissertation (and re-grading this assignment), so it’s fine to take a whole day for musical things.
• Currently looping: Linkin Park’s live performance of “Papercut.” It’s a classic.

Day Three Hundred and Fifty-Two (2/27/21)

• Dissertation day! Oh gosh, why is writing so hard?
• Looking through some books. These are helpful! Typing at my kitchen table. <eats snack>
• In my standing frame and still typing.
• Hey, look, it’s evening, and I’m still typing (I took a break for dinner and “Star Wars: Rebels”). How many words is this? I don’t know. Definitely over 500, which was my goal for the day.
• Major props to the person blasting “My Heart Will Go On” from their car.
• Currently feeling: This is going way more slowly than I anticipated it would go. But this is what happens when you have to sift through a bunch of notes, grab books you hadn’t realized you needed, etc. Also I had an idea for something and ended up working until close to 1am (again). Oof. At least I have more things to include in my chapter!
• Currently looping: Hans Zimmer’s “Time” from “Inception.” Hans Zimmer + dissertation = I’m in the MFing zone.

Day Three Hundred and Fifty-Three (2/28/21)

• Did the FES cycle. Ordered groceries.
• FaceTimed my sister! We used to do wine and FaceTime when we were in the same time zone, but this time I just made hot cocoa (and then finished the hot cocoa before we chatted, because I drank it kind of quickly). My niece made an appearance ^_^
• Am halfway through season two of “Star Wars: Rebels.”
• Came up with some midterm questions for the course I’m TA-ing. And then watched some lectures. I have to finish the reading before tomorrow night so I can plan out precept.
• Currently feeling: I was taking it easy today until I realized I had a precept to plan, and that I had only skimmed the reading instead of taking detailed notes/coming up with questions. So, um, I had better get to that. So long to the goal of going to bed before 1am.
• Currently looping: Live performance of Coheed and Cambria’s “Welcome Home.” I have no intention of ever playing a guitar with two necks, but dang, does it sound good.

Day Three Hundred and Fifty-Four (3/1/21)

• Oh gosh, so many phone calls to make. This is what happens when you try to manage health things and your own finances.
• Music lesson! Learned how to use a virtual drum kit on Ableton.
• Tutored some Latin!
• Teaching meeting! Then emailed my precepts. And did another form of grading. And more lesson planning that I probably should’ve done yesterday.
• Currently feeling: So tired. So many things. Still going to bed at 1am. How does this keep happening?
• Currently looping: Amy Lee and Lindsey Stirling’s rendition of “Wasted On You.”

Day Three Hundred and Fifty-Five (3/2/21)

• Spring Training started today for the Mets! <joyous celebration>
• Did the FES cycle. Watched the final lecture for this week.
• Finalized lesson plan and printed it out. My professor stopped by to observe precept, and then jumped in to answer questions and fill in dead silence (the silence I use to make my students uncomfortable enough that they might talk). And then one student said outright that he tried to get into that professor’s precept (you know, instead of mine). Yeah, don’t worry, this person who is actually grading you isn’t taking that passive-aggressive comment personally. My goal is to live by the Jedi principle of putting purpose before feelings. At least with regard to grading people.
• Currently feeling: You know, I do take that comment a bit personally. I mean, I get it. You’d rather be with the person who specializes in this stuff. But it’s not like I don’t know how to teach.
• Currently looping: Unleash the Archers’ “Tonight We Ride.” Brittney Slayes’ vocal range is otherworldly.

Day Three Hundred and Fifty-Six (3/3/21)

• My mother’s here! She brought Irish soda bread!
• Office hours! Four students (four!) showed up. One of them said he was interested in reading more medieval history works, so of course I said I’d send along recommendations (and by recommendations, I mean a couple of pages of recommended books with brief one-sentence summaries to accompany them). #shane
• Precept went well! I don’t understand why my Tuesday precept is like a Zoom room full of awk, but my Wednesday precept is decidedly more chill. It’s the same material. I don’t know, I need to reassess how I teach.
• Currently feeling: This might be the first night this week I’m in bed before 1am. Like, just barely. But still.
• Currently looping: Ad Infinitum’s quarantine concert. I listened to it once a while back, but I revisited it today and kept repeating about five of the songs on the setlist.

Day Three Hundred and Fifty-Seven (3/4/21)

• Did the FES cycle.
• Posted my cover of Brandi Carlile’s “The Story.” We’re going electric now! Although, I say that, and there’s a very good chance that the next cover won’t have an electric element. But still. Today, we’re electric.
• “Binge Mode” has a whole 80-minute character study on Jar Jar Binks. And yes, I am listening to it and learning so much about this character I cannot stand.
• Therapy!
• Why yes, I am watching “Cinderella” for the hundred-and-seventeenth time (the 2015 one with Lily James and the most beautiful dress ever).
• More grading! This time, participation. That feeling when you have the grades, but aren’t 100% sure where to submit them. Whoops.
• Currently feeling: I had time to practice guitar today, and instead I had to deal with administrative stuff (applications, emails, etc.). I also really want to go to bed at a reasonable time. Being an adult is hard.
• Currently looping: The Bravery’s “Believe.”

Thanks so much for reading! Stay safe, wear a mask, and subscribe to my channel if you haven’t yet!