Having a Cold Today

Since yesterday morning, I’ve been feeling a bit under the weather. I must be having a cold - my muscles are mildly aching, and my head feels a bit fuzzy. I took it easy at the office and performed my tasks a little more slowly than usual, so that I wouldn’t make a mistake. Given my physical condition, I obtained permission from my boss to work from home in the afternoon. Thankfully, my work-from-home setup functioned properly, so there wasn’t much impact on my work quality.

Typically, on Friday, I do three major housework tasks - to vacuum my apartment, to do the dishes, and to wash the laundry. Fortunately, I rely on machines to complete all these things, so all I need to do is wake up a bit earlier than usual and make the necessary arrangements in the morning for the machines to work successfully.

Take vacuuming, for example. To make it easier for my Roomba, the robotic vacuum cleaner, to move around in the apartment, I put away several pieces of furniture. While I am at the office, I operate the Roomba remotely and vacuum the apartment twice in a row. When I go home during lunch break, I put my pieces of furniture back into their original positions. It’s a rather tiring process, but it’s still a lot less work than if I had to do the vacuuming myself.

Yesterday, despite me feeling a bit unwell, I completed all these housework tasks, so there are no additional things to do around the house over the weekend. I will focus on recuperating and refrain from doing anything strenuous, including working out at the gym. I’m thinking of reading The New Yorker magazine that I bought a few days ago. The issue I bought features articles on Jim Jordan and Xi Jinping, both of whom I find fascinating.

Other than that, I’m thinking of studying some French using the textbook I bought in Japan. This textbook focuses primarily on grammar, without much emphasis on vocabulary. Since it comes with complimentary MP3 sound files of recordings by a native speaker, it’s an excellent material with which to practice French pronunciation. I’m roughly halfway through this textbook now; when I finish it, I’m thinking of learning vocabulary in earnest.

My goal is to become able to read novels and enjoy movies in French without feeling the urge to look up words in the dictionary. While I’m fully aware that my French knowledge does nothing to boost my professional career, understanding French does enrich my life immensely, so I’m determined to keep on learning.