By thedihedral Posted on

Haters will say it’s fake!

It’s been about two years since I was sent home and told to wait for further instruction. About two years since I was told to convert my classes to an on-line modality for the foreseeable future. It was a lot of work to learn a new system and figure out a new way of teaching on the fly, but like nearly everyone else in the world we did our best and figured it out. We acquired new skills, and for better or worse we fell into new habits. And after about two years I am finally back in front of the classroom, and it feels good to be “home”.

That first year of this pandemic was brutal. Long hours of trial by fire where I was often burned (and burned out), but eventually I started to get the hang of. It didn’t take too long to realize that being on-line meant that I can teach from anywhere. So, I decided to take this new found freedom to explore my surroundings with a sense of adventure. I was granted an opportunity to take up some new hobbies, and tack on some experience to the things I was already interested in.

I’m not the type of person who likes to shoot photos, or pause an organic moment in order to capture it on film (Of course most photos are no longer captured on film, but I have trouble writing ‘the cloud’ or ‘mini SD card’. They just don’t have the same ring as ‘film’). But, with all the wonderful experiences I’ve had the opportunity to enjoy over the last year, I forced myself to pause for a few pics, as I didn’t have the heart to be a moment grubber.

Moment Grubber [moh-muhnt-gruhb-er]: A person who is aggressively engaged in or preoccupied with making or saving moments only for their self.

Haters will say they’re fake, but from climbing to SCUBA, to skydiving, to kayaking, back to climbing, mostly climbing, to mountain biking, to relaxing, to snowboarding, to climbing, these are my experiences from the last fifteen months (please feel free to scroll through).

Okay, maybe these aren’t my experiences, maybe they are, who’s to say?

I am. They are not mine.

Maybe I didn’t get out much over the last two years, but who cares, at least I became an expert at other things. Like, did you know my mail person usually delivers the mail between 4:00 and 4:20? Did you know that the garbage truck comes at around 10 on Wednesday, and the recycle truck doesn’t show up until around 3:25? I also learned important skills like how to seamlessly edit photos, and how to crack my knee by twisting my leg. Really important and useful stuff. I also lost my favorite green lens sunglasses (if anyone from Smith Optics is reading, have your people get a hold of my people).

I caught Gary (the weird guy from across the street) using his leaf blower on other neighbors houses while they were at work to take glances into their windows (I’m not sure the price for a clean yard is worth the cost of a peeping Gary). And I found out that you don’t want to pick up the mail at 5:00 because the cranky old guy who lives next to Gary gets his mail at that time. That interaction is a horribly awkward exchange at best. Really the best time to grab the mail is on Sunday, or if you are expecting something, I find it best to go after dark. Just be careful for Donna, I am not able to put my finger on it, but there is something about Donna.

Maybe I didn’t SCUBA, or snowboard, or sculpt my physique, or climb as much as I’d like, but I did learn a LOT about what times to pick up the mail, and there is something to be said for that!

Carrot

35 Replies to “Haters will say it’s fake!”

  1. Spiritgal says: Reply

    Fun reading as I wake up with a Carolina Wren singing in my ear on the hanging lights BEFORE sunrise every darn morning. Looks like your somebody’s baby. Hope you figure out Donna….got me curious now. 😉🙂

    Liked by 1 person

  2. Pamela Baker says: Reply

    Oh, the things you learn when you take a moment in time to look around. Life didn’t stop in the past 2 years – we learned to take on new experiences.

    Liked by 1 person

  4. jbrianw says: Reply

    I have come to believe that living in the moment is all we can do. And within extremes what the moment is is not all that important.

    Liked by 1 person

  6. boblorentson says: Reply

    I’m at the age where going to get the mail is an adventure, so I live vicariously through people like you. (That’s not entirely true, I also do crossword puzzles. In ink.)

    Liked by 2 people

  7. Strangely Irid says: Reply

    Your selfie skills look top tier! It’s like you manage to keep the same face, trim, glasses and hat no matter what happens or where you go. You’ve totally managed to turn selfie-taking into an art.

    Liked by 2 people

  8. Martha Kennedy says: Reply

    This is hilarious and must have been fun to get all these escapades on film like you did! I perfected my SIM city skills which is saying a lot since I’ve played it off and on since the, uh, 80s. I’d take a selfie of that but it would make everyone jealous and I’d have to look over my shoulder constantly.

    Liked by 1 person

      2. thedihedral says:

        I like to imagine SIM cities where Lauren Boebert doesn’t hold a political office… I know it’s wild to imagine that world, but if we can’t escape reality in SIM city then when can we?

        Liked by 2 people

      3. Martha Kennedy says:

        Seriously. In my cities students are educated, not “brainwashed.” All solar power or wave driven energy and they share with other cities. I got really into it when DJT was elected. The mayor in my cities lives on the edge of town with some land around him and that land is forested. Ideally there are hills and mountains just beyond the city borders where she can go hiking.

        Liked by 2 people

  10. Starfire "Star" Silverstar says: Reply

    Glad to see you learned photoshop too! That’s still on my bucket list. Plus you look great in a bikini! Rock it Dude!
    As for the mail, fortunately here we have an app that tells us if we received mail or not. Most days I don’t, so no need for me to make the 100m trek down the driveway to “check” if there’s mail. Isn’t technology grand!? I think we all learned some new tech skills the past couple of years. (I’ll be back in the classroom teaching in September if things go according to plan.)

    Liked by 1 person

    1. thedihedral says: Reply

      It has taken some getting used to, but I really enjoy be back in class! I really need my neighborhood to catch up with the times, I had no idea that an app like that existed. What a relief that would be!

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Starfire "Star" Silverstar says:

        I’m not sure if USPS has one or not. It would probably say so on their website. Trust me, it’s a lifesaver! Quite literally, especially in the colder months and/or rainy days. We seem to get a lot of rain here. Interesting for a country that’s already living below sea level! 😂

        Liked by 1 person

  12. melaniereynolds says: Reply

    These are fun! I think what gets me the most are people who take pictures of their food. I want to eat it while it’s hot! What did I learn during the pandemic? I learned that the next time I am hired to write a Disaster Preparedness manual I’ll have more than a page to say about Pandemics! It is the Disaster Preparedness Geeks least favorite topic because it sidelines us in ways that make us feel like angry, useless cats in a bag.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. thedihedral says: Reply

      That is such a tough gig, angry useless cats in a bag is something one should aspire never to be compared to. I like what you said about food pics, the flavor of hot food trumps the beauty of the photo.

      Liked by 1 person

  15. explorerron says: Reply

    You had me there for a moment! I also found the pandemic to be a positive for a few of us who live on the same street. We got to know each other a little better. Many years ago, mail was deliver within a 15 minute window. In more recent times, we can count on it arriving – when? Who knows! And finally, someone else who can make their knees pop with a twist of their leg. For me it’s been 20 years. Feels so good!

    Liked by 1 person

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