“Remoted – Hybrid” – Day 713 (Thursday) – brain education

The day had an early start, with a webinar through Mirthy. I never heard of Mirthy, a UK-based site, until it magically appeared in my realm of awareness a week or two ago. The webinar was taught by Chris Green, “The History Chap,” a British historian, and was titled “1066: England’s Real Game of Thrones.” It was about the relationships and intrigue leading up to the infamous Battle of Hastings and was interesting, but unfortunately, my attention was scattered. The webinar was at 6:30. In the morning. I have Greenwich Mean time to thank for the ungodly hour, but it was a nice side to the usual stream of morning coffee. 

1066! Hastings!

When I willingly signed up for a webinar at 6:30 on a Thursday morning, it was because Thursday is usually a remote work day for me. Remote days mean throwing on cords and a pullover and sitting around for an hour drinking coffee until it’s time to log in to the computer for work. There is plenty of time for a one-hour lecture. This particular topic was covered my freshman year of college in a Medieval European History class. 

Once, as an adult in a new town getting a new landline phone number, the phone company rep reeled off a couple available numbers and I shrieked,"1066 - Battle of Hastings! I want that one." She seemed confused by my enthusiasm. It wasn't that I love the Battle of Hastings, it was because I knew I'd remember the new number. It's one of those random things that stuck in my head. It is also possibly the only battle that took place anywhere, ever, for which I actually know the year.

Unfortunately, there was a change to the day’s work venue when a head shot photo session was scheduled in my office area for today (by me). The scheduling was based on the availability of a couple bankers for whom photos are urgently needed, and it shifted things to an in-office day for me. That, in turn, required dressing for the office, applying makeup, and all the predeparture activities of packing lunch and preparing the dog, and full attention was not paid to the lecture I signed up for. Thank goodness it was recorded and I can access it for another week. Or not. It’s not like I’ll be tested on the material.

At the office, the morning was occupied by the photo shoot and the stream of short-term guests arriving every fifteen minutes over the span of a couple hours. The afternoon saw only two of us in the cavernous space that is the marketing side of the fourth floor, in a quiet that hung somewhere between peaceful and unnerving, but also allowed for maximum productivity. Or maybe it was knowing I have Friday off and Monday is a holiday, and I was trying to get a million things finished that afforded the productivity. Whichever. Things got done.

After three voluntary, recreational webinars in one week, I'm on a roll. It kicked off with zills, rolled in to 1066, and there was also one on "A History of Women in Men's Clothes" which was a lot less about fashion, like I had assumed, and was instead about LGBT issues throughout history.

I’ll probably be signing up for a thousand more free webinars in this self-directed, educational adventure. The price is right (free!) and the topics are fun (to me, anyway). With the holiday on Monday, I have a glorious stretch of four days available to educate my brains out.