One good thing about having a small console table for a desk is that it's easy to move. This week, because I've been teaching these Zoom classes, I decided to shift things around a little, so that when I'm teaching, I have my poetry bookshelf as a background. I don't think I'll leave my desk here permanently, but for a week, it's a nice little arrangement.
Not so easy to get the vacuum cleaner out of the closet at the moment, which is one reason why this won't be a permanent thing. It is good for Zoom, though: not only do I have this nice bookcase backdrop, but my sound is made better by having a surface right behind me, rather than an empty room.
ONE MORE CLASS SESSION TO GO. I don't know why I've found this week so draining, but I really have. Talking talking talking to the camera: it just sucks energy from your soul, and there's no room full of live listeners to radiate any energy back at you. As grateful as I am for Zoom technology --- and I really am --- this isn't my favorite way to teach, and it would not at all be my favorite way for my children to learn (until Covid, when their dual-enrollment classes went online, we did not do online classes at all, and the online Covid classes were the worst learning experience those particular children ever had). But . . . well . . . it's a little income, so here I am, doing it.
Today before class I've got to do my usual round of Substack promo, then bang together an actual syllabus for this class I've almost finished teaching, because until now I have forgotten to do that. Fortunately it's pretty easy to construct an accurate syllabus after the fact, out of things you have already done.
Wearing today:
*Secondhand Flax linen skirt, bought February 2024
*Secondhand WoolX men's blue merino tee, bought December 2021 and cut to customize by me (I cut the neckline and sleeves, and also raised the waistline to make the shape more flattering for my body)
*V. old, v. familiar Eddie Bauer cotton cardigan, thrifted so long ago I can't remember when, but it cost me all of 25 cents
*Xero Colorado sandals, bought winter 2021-22 (again, can't remember precisely when, but they were on clearance)
It's raining hard out there right now, though it's still pretty warm (high of about 75F today), which is why I opted for my most waterproof shoes and a relatively lightweight, quick-drying outfit. I'm becoming thoroughly sick of Lenten purple, but I do like the tonal layering of the cardigan and skirt, and I always love grapey purple with shades of blue. I particularly love these soft, heathery shades next to each other.
The texture of the cardigan against the skirt is nice, too.
This is a really basic, low-effort kind of look --- I'm aware that it won't knock anybody's socks off. But I like it nonetheless. I like the play of colors and the unfussy silhouette. I like the fact that I can do everything I want to do today in this outfit, without changing clothes (because if I have to change clothes, I won't do it).
I also happen to look really good in this blue, which is a consideration for Zoom. The raw edges of the neckline, cut out by me, are not too ragged to be presentable, and the neckline itself is a lot more flattering now that it's not a high crew neck with a thick band, like the neck of a men's undershirt (which this in fact originally was).
Dora is still curled up in her crate in the dark hall, lulled by the dim light and the falling rain. So while she's asleep, I'll go ahead and knock out this syllabus and load it, so that when I finish my class session today, I'm really DONE for good and aye.
ALSO: Speaking of Zoom, and reasons I'm grateful for Zoom, I'll be reading my poem "Chaos Theory" with other winners of the Fare Forward poetry competition next Thursday at 8 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time:
EVENING UPDATE:
Here's the face of someone happy (eta: to the point of looking demented) that the rain has stopped and her last class is in the bag:
Also a person happy to have acquired some more hair gel, since at last both the LUS Irish Sea-Moss gel and Treluxe Reflex Serum have run out. I said I was just going to buy one this time (and mind you, each of these has lasted me almost a year).
The winner?
Why?
- It's a medium-hold gel, whereas the Treluxe is a lighter hold. I don't want a really hard hold (at this stage, anyway), but I really prefer the definition and "grit" this gel gives me. It doesn't make my hair go too limp and straight, as the Treluxe often did --- on the contrary, it seems to keep it wavy, even if it does lose some definition overnight.
- The smell is a lot lighter. My least-favorite thing about the Treluxe product was the strong smell. This gel definitely has a smell, but it's soft and pleasant, at least to me (your mileage may vary, of course).
- It's a pretty big tube for $24. The price varies, but that's what I paid this time. It lasts me at least 10 months with regular, though not always daily, use. A little goes a pretty long way. I don't tend to use great handfuls of gel, though possibly I could use more than I do.
- A shampoo. For me this is Head and Shoulders "Bare" minimal-ingredients shampoo, the "Pure Clean" formula. Their hydrating formula was way too hydrating, but this works perfectly for me. My dermatologist commented the other day on how my scalp dermatitis had cleared up: this is why. Problems that have plagued me in the past: gone. And this is sulfate and silicone-free, almost as gentle as washing in conditioner. In fact, I often don't condition my hair after I use it, because it leaves my hair clean but still hydrated.
- A bond-repair product. Instead of conditioner, once a week I generally use Glaze bond-repair cream. You squish it into your wet hair like conditioner, leave it on for 4 minutes, and your hair is shiny like nobody's business. I love this stuff. I still have at least half a tube and will definitely buy it again when it's gone.
- This LUS gel for styling when my hair is damp after a wash, and refreshing on days when I don't wash.