Ten.One Thousand, One Hundred & Forty-Six

1. Monday.

2. Getting ready in the dark. Fall is coming.

3. I think about the night before and how much I miss that kind of conversation and community. Looking forward to it becoming a more normal part of my life again.

4. Can’t remember the last time I used a regular kettle.

5. Everyone is mad this morning, except for me. They’re killing the high carrying over from last night.

6. He says I woke them up too early. I say that if I have a work call at 9:00 am and everyone is supposed to be on their zoom calls for school sometime between 8:30 and 9:30, then I’m waking everyone up at 7:30 am so that I know they are all set to go and won’t interrupt me. So yes, everyone has to bend to my schedule. This is going to be a long year.

7. In one week at this new school I’ve had more engagement from administration than I did the entire year and a half in our last school district. This was the better choice.

8. “I don’t know how you do it.” “There’s no choice but to do it. What else is there to do?”

9. I ordered from the wrong one.

10. I apologize. She tells me that it’s okay, and that at least I apologized and that it’s more than most people do but I still feel guilty.

11. I was excited about the possibility but each one is booked. Well, we weren’t the only ones looking for a home.

12. Hotel hallway smells like smoke.

13. They tell me I need to take the rest of the week off.

14. Everyone’s school day ends at a different time.

15. Barely got anything done for today.

16. I tell him that I misgendered someone today and I still felt awful about it but that I was proud of myself for not making it about me, and for not being too embarrassed to apologize and correct my mistake right in that moment — and that’s a moment of growth.

17. Familiar face.

18. I tell her that she’s the one from out of town so she should get the seat with the view.

19. I think about all the work that would still need to be done in order for me to take off for the week.

20. 29% contained, but mostly on the Contra Costa side. That means I’m still not going home.

21. Wednesday.