These days, I feel like I’m straddling two separate worlds. One is the world I’ve been living in for the past 10 years: the hustler lifestyle. It’s a fluid schedule, always-on-call mom, freelancer, grad student, part-timer, small business owner, non-profit worker, HUSTLER.
The other world is the one that I’ve never inhabited before. It’s the calmer, more stable, more traditional world of a daily 9-5. And right now I’m walking the line between those two worlds, between the previous me, and the potential me, with one foot firmly planted on each side.
And who knows how it’s all going to end up?
But anyway, here’s what it looks like these days. A typical Tuesday in this post-graduate, but still-scrambling kinda life.
I feel like I might be getting sick. I feel like I might be getting sick, so in the morning while I’m rushing around getting myself ready for work, getting Waits ready for school, getting both of our lunches packed up and our clothing on and our hair and teeth brushed, I take a second to down a dropperful of my godfather’s homemade elderberry extract. Immune booster!
On the way to school to drop off Waits. I eat coffee for breakfast.
I drop Waits off, say hi to his teacher, kiss him goodbye, and then head out to UCSB. Today it’s the last week before dead week, so parking is a bitch. I have to park out at campus point which is far away, but pretty. It overlooks the lagoon and beyond that, the ocean.
And this is my building. Life Sciences. Back at my old stomping grounds, but no loner a grad student (thank god). These days I’m temporarily filling a position as Academic Coordinator. You can see my office in that pic: top floor, second from the left. Overlooking the ocean . . . not so bad!
I didn’t take any pictures throughout my morning because, well, brand new job has me busy busy busy like a bee. It’s a lot of work to Program Manage an 1,100-student class (the very biggest single course on campus). I scramble around like a madwoman until lunch time.
I retire to my car to eat lunch. Super introvert power! Some days I eat with my coworkers, who are all really awesome people. But today is one of those days that I just need my quiet bubble. I listen to a podcast and gaze out over the freshwater lagoon, where I did some of my research as an undergraduate. Beyond that, the gorgeous Pacific ocean, all clear and sparkling blue. The spring flowers are blooming. I really, really love the UCSB campus.
PIZZA! Jeremy had made pizza the night before, so lunch is leftovers. Gluten-free crust with barbecue sauce, tofu, spinach, basil, sun-dried tomatoes, green onions, and vegan cheese. MMMMMmmm.
On my way back to the office, I swing by the coffee kiosk for an afternoon caffeine refill.
Back at the desk, coffee and computers.
But the view ain’t bad!
At 2:30 I leave — only on Tuesdays mind you — to pick Waits and his best friend up from school. We have a standing afternoon date and nowadays, this is the only school afternoon that I get with Waits. So it means a lot to me.
First things first, we hit Whole Foods for after school snacks.
Besties. They each get a vegan blueberry muffin and a “green” juice. Apple cucumber kale parsley for Waits, and OJ carrot kale for Weston.
And dandelion beet cucumber apple ginger turmeric for me.
From there we head over to one of my garden schools. The boys play on the playground while I tend to the garden and plan the following morning’s lesson. I teach at 9 am Wednesday mornings, starting with K/1 and going all the way up through 6th grade. It’s a lot to plan!
After the garden, we swing by the pickup location to grab our weekly CSA. It’s good this week, with parsnips and beets and apples and avocados (and much more), but no strawberries yet. The boys are eagerly awaiting the return of those. For now, they’ll have to be satisfied with fresh-from-the-earth carrots.
We all eat three carrots apiece by the time we’ve gotten home.
Back at the house, the boys entertain themselves with Waits’s vast Lego collection (no screen time when friends are over), and I busy myself preparing dinner. We’re heading over to a friend’s house for “Taco Tuesday” . . . or “Wine and Whining,” as we like to call it, because although it’s usually on Tuesday, Waits has declared that he no longer likes tacos (blasphemy!!!), so we rarely eat those nowadays.
This week I’m preparing a vegan lasagna, and she’s on salad duty.
Carrots aren’t enough to hold me over:
And the cats are thrilled that I’ve given them the empty CSA box to play with:
Weston’s dad picks him up around 5:30, and Waits and I head out to my girlfriend’s house.
When we arrive, her daughter is having a playdate and her husband isn’t home from work yet. Waits joins the girls to play, and my friend and I . . . well, wine and whining!
(Yes, that’s an ultrasound in the background. Okay, the wine was just for me — she’s abstaining!)
Whine whine whine. Gab gab gab. *discussion of the delicacy of human nature, the minutia of daily existence, hopelessness, happiness, witchcraft and why it matters, and also the best way to keep your damn dyed hair from drying out*
Snacks for our kids. Hummus and cucumbers. (and vintage Voltron lions, a whole complete set belonging to our friends, Waits is officially obsessed)
Around 7, my friend’s husband arrives home, and dinner is served. We all pile our plates high with vegan lasagna and kale salad, and smoosh together around the table for a big ‘ol friends/family dinner.
A legitimately terrible picture of my food. I apologize. But also, I was living very much in this wonderful moment, and I’m sure you understand.
After dinner it was getting late, and I had to get the kiddo home for bath time and bed time. We bid our friends adieu, and made our way back home, where Jeremy was awaiting us after his own very long day at work.
Waits was very happy to see him, and dang if that doesn’t just absolutely melt my heart. *sigh*
But it was time to get that kid cleaned up, since my friend had sent him home with a bowl of frozen blueberries. See??
Oi! What a mess. From there it was bath and teeth and hair and bed, stories and songs and sleepy time for the little mister.
Followed not too long by my own bedtime, because OI. What a day!
♥ ♥ ♥
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Rebecca Carnes
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Sarah C.
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Bianca Phillips