Saturday, Feb 15
We put in an order for more with an ETA of '?' but, with things returning to 'normal' out there, it may arrive this month.
Today we are doing six full hours of online teaching for Xiaolin's private students, making Saturday my biggest workday of the week. The first class is ten to noon, and they're a sweet bunch. The technology is iffy at times, but we make it work with a few breaks and a tasty ukulele session at the end.

Rocking the online lessons.

I make some guacamole on toast with boiled eggs for brunch. I'm going to have to make my own bread (a first) tomorrow. Exciting and strange.
There's something odd about being the only ones in an empty building, forgotten and alone, but at a time when contact is dangerous, there is safety in solitude. I'm trying hard not to panic, so I'll limit my doom and gloom to one stream of consciousness. In good news, Chinese hospitals are using blood plasma from recovered patients to try to create an antibody response and boost immunity or resistance to COVID-19. Vaccine tests are proceeding well with antiviral drugs such as chloroquine and remdesivir, seeming to indicate a quick recovery from the virus. Monkeys that were re-exposed to the virus can create a cytokine storm, which is an overproduction of immune cells and their activating compounds (cytokines), meaning the body's activated immune cells start attacking their own organs. Some experts fear the secondary infection could be more destructive than the first (ala Spanish Flu). I must sound so paranoid and hope a vaccine comes along before summer. I'm getting tired of feeling like I'm trapped in a sci-fi/horror video game. I hold my dog Benben, and we both breathe for a while until everything feels like it's going to be ok. On the plus side, the virus epidemic has reduced my anxiety about climate catastrophe.

Online English classes on WeChat

The second class today is another new one. It goes pretty smoothly. William Gibson's new book, Agency, entertains me on a two-hour break. Our third class is good too. Today is exhausting, but I guess that's why they call it work.
Xiaolin gets a bit tired and headachy after too much screen time and my booming teacher voice, but I am smart enough to give her space to relax. We had a nice V-Day yesterday, so some quiet time is in order. By ten PM, we're ready to chill out and let the day drift away.