May 21, 2020
If you’d like to join me in helping Lakota families and/or rural libraries this year, please read this post. Over 6 weeks in 2019, we raised $2669.94 for the Lakota families, touching 27 lives. What can we do in 2020?
Current total: Lakota, $1551.58; Rural libraries, $321.62.
A Bitches Get Riches primer on applying for unemployment
Julian and Embracing Conflict
Captain Awkward: “How do I set goals if I don’t want anything?” I’m a HUGE goal setter and yet in this present time, even I can’t handle more than the most basic goals beyond “get through this relatively sane however that must happen, help those who need help, teach JB to send mail”.
I grew up on Will Smith in The Fresh Prince, and have long admired his musical and acting talents so I loved this fresh bit of music from him.
NDN Collective: “In South Dakota, checkpoints have been established at the borders of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, home to the Oglala Sioux Tribe, and on the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation, home to the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, ensuring that all who enter are vetted, screened, and practicing safe measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19.” These are the folks we are helping in the Giving project this year. I’m really steamed at Governor Noem who is trying to steamroller the tribes’ ability to protect their vulnerable residents.
Ann Mitchell, one of the last WWII codebreakers, has passed.
Diana: “I don’t mean it hasn’t been difficult to switch to this slower pace during an anxiety-prone time with no relief from the tedium that parenting nonstop can be, because that is true; however, we also delighted in the closeness and love we feel for each other with less intrusion from the outside world.”
I wonder what happened to Muschi….
May 14, 2020
If you’d like to join me in helping Lakota families and/or rural libraries this year, please read this post. Over 6 weeks in 2019, we raised $2669.94 for the Lakota families, touching 27 lives. What can we do in 2020?
Current total: Lakota, $659.86; Rural libraries, $321.62.
Because JB hasn’t even started school yet and we’re both enormously lucky enough to be home but working full time, we have taken a similar approach to the notion of homeschooling. I know my friends in other states are worn OUT with homeschooling similar aged children and I just don’t see the value in spending your interminable days with your five year old trying to force them to do schoolwork when we’re all stressed out of our minds. We do have a little schooling happening with a professional, and the rest of the time is JB requesting worksheets, doing art, using their imagination, solving puzzles, learning fractions with food, learning to ride a bike, to be independent, and being creative. The fights are far fewer than when they were in school. Go figure. (Though we are not fight and tantrum free at all.)
Asians and Asian Americans: how to practice allyship with the Black community in our racist society
The real Lord of the Flies: what happened when six boys were shipwrecked for 15 months
I doff my hat to Tami and her handiness. She built a bed for her dogs that’s pretty cool.
Stockdale Paradox
This REALLY resonates with me (whole thread here). I won’t even engage in “what’s the first thing you’re going to do when you get out” thinking because that’s (for me) too close to the “we’re getting out by….” speculation. I cannot do that and still get through this day to day to day stuff.
May 7, 2020
If you’d like to join me in helping Lakota families and/or rural libraries this year, please read this post. Over 6 weeks in 2019, we raised $2669.94 for the Lakota families, touching 27 lives. What can we do in 2020?
Current total: Lakota, $659.86; Rural libraries, $321.62.
How Baby comic hits the Mom thing precisely: “mothers are under inescapable pressure to perform to impossible standards.”
It’s nice that there are still good people out there.
Speaking of good, I couldn’t read the WaPo article that Abby linked to (over my limit?) but I did find another recent article confirming the Burnell Colton and his Lower 9th Ward Market is still helping their community even though he’s not being paid, so I also sent him a check to help out. If you also want to help a helper: Burnell’s Lower 9th Ward Market, 2036 Caffin Ave, New Orleans, LA 70117
Ana’s All The Hats resonated so strongly with me.
Does everyone have a favorite period of art? I just do not.
Why we’re staying home.
Since this all started I firmly believed we need to test test test. It’s not just for statistics, it informs actions. The folks in Groningen felt the same way and it looks like this is working out well. Most crucially, I think, they actually care about saving lives which is far more than I can say for the US government: “Herd immunity can never be a public health strategy. It can never be controlled, and it means people will die, and if you are not very careful a lot of people will die,” Friedrich said.
“It’s not a law that we’re all going to get infected. It’s just the consequences of our insufficient action to protect people.”
Young Barley and Ethel
April 30, 2020
If you’d like to join me in helping Lakota families and/or rural libraries this year, please read this post. Over 6 weeks in 2019, we raised $2669.94 for the Lakota families, touching 27 lives. What can we do in 2020? Current total: Lakota, $659.86; Rural libraries, $321.62.
I was very peeved to hear that, among other large companies, Shake Shack and Ruth’s Chris nabbed money from the PPP when I know tons of small business owners hadn’t even had their applications considered. I’m glad to see they may be returning the funds.
Also good to see that Caltrans and BART are able to use this time to do maintenance that’s difficult to schedule or manage during normal commuting times.
Paula Pant describes her experience with COVID-19 as a healthy young person with no preexisting conditions.
Homemade banh mi recipe. I wanted to share this after making it but I looked at the ingredients and noped on out of there.
Too muchness indeed, Emily.
How Can We Stop Feeling Useless Right Now?
Ally Kirkpatrick of Old Town Books has been really active in finding creative ways to keep her bookstore afloat. We ordered from them a month ago when things started shutting down. I’m sad to see that our one local independent bookstore hasn’t done a whit of communication about how we can support them. I’d hate for them to go away but they don’t seem to have any updated social media presence in lieu of showing up at the (closed) store.
Nannies working during the coronavirus. This article leads me to conclude that most rich people are monsters. Good grief.
A good thing about sharing your giving: stats!
Sadly, true
Quarantined Stuntpeople having fun
April 23, 2020
If you’d like to join me in helping Lakota families and/or rural libraries this year, please read this post. Over 6 weeks in 2019, we raised $2669.94 for the Lakota families, touching 27 lives. What can we do in 2020?
Current total: Lakota, $640.74; Rural libraries, $321.62.
I’ve been wary of this happening: SO A TOXIC PERSON TRIED TO CONTACT YOU DURING A GLOBAL PANDEMIC
I’m not an HSP but I too am slowly cracking under the pressure of so much noise and disruption.
I have been telling PiC that I want to shave my head for months, I’m tired of long hair, short hair, shedding hair, hair clogging the drains, all the hair! This is extremely tempting.
Equine names
Man forced to quarantine in ghost town with gruesome past. I’m tickled by this article but also by the fact that the category in the upper left corner is “living.”
Nicole and Maggie help you out with the yeast shortage problem. With science.
The Bitches break down the 1.5 TRILLION dollar injection to the banks. Now I realize I also didn’t understand what happened there at all.
Thank your mouser!
April 16, 2020
If you’d like to join me in helping Lakota families and/or rural libraries this year, please read this post. Over 6 weeks in 2019, we raised $2669.94 for the Lakota families, touching 27 lives. What can we do in 2020?
Current total: Lakota, $640.74; Rural libraries, $321.62.
Ali and Alison are making plans within plans within plans as they face the ever-shifting circumstances of COVID-19 as nomads. I appreciate this level of planning.
Hmong conference radio, a fascinating look into how Hmong preserve connections.
It looks like the lack of people at the zoo is making some animals sad!
I find it rather monstrous when people insist that our values should be primarily about the money and getting businesses “back to normal” because “some people are going to die anyway”. And it definitely seems like this contrarian is cherry-picking data to suit his goals.
How To Enjoy Working From Home During A Pandemic (A Parody): Don’t think I haven’t been tempted by #1.
As a parent and a manager, I’ve had this question on my mind: how can we make sure flexibility for parents isn’t unfair to everyone else? My solution boils down to: no matter what kind of flexibility you need, you get it. If it’s kid related, you’re fine. If it’s family related, you’re fine. If you need time to hunt and gather, you’re fine. I don’t care why specifically my team may need the flexibility because it doesn’t matter. PANDEMIC. They’re all doing their work to the best of their abilities, and when they need something, they get it. Some will need more, some will need less. It shouldn’t matter if it’s not exactly the same as long as everyone gets what they need, when they need it, the way they need it. No one is asked to cover for anyone else unless it’s truly necessary and if it is, we share out the work as much as possible so no one person is impacted. Because that’s the point of fairness. Right?
I hope none of my readers experience job loss during this terrible time, but if you do, or if you don’t feel prepared for a recession, One Frugal Girl’s post is a good primer for what to do.
Pizza groundhog
April 9, 2020
If you’d like to join me in helping Lakota families and/or rural libraries this year, please read this post. Over 6 weeks in 2019, we raised $2669.94 for the Lakota families, touching 27 lives. What can we do in 2020?
Current total: Lakota, $640.74; Rural libraries, $321.62.
Middle Class Revolution remembering being caught up in the liar loan euphoria
Mush! Dog Team Delivers Supplies To Elderly Residents Shut In By Virus
I loved this (thanks Cloud!): Tips From Someone With Nearly 50 Years Of Social Distancing Experience
PiC and I are having a small difference of interpretation. Our parks permit us to go walking through them, per the city’s ordinance on their website, and people are going there an staying 20+ feet away from each other or more. So he thinks it’s safe to take JB for a bit of an outing and I want him to. But, I also don’t trust the police to act right. What would you do?
I feel down a YouTube rabbithole and found this clip of Emily Blunt briefly singing with the Backstreet Boys. That really took me back to senior year and the busload of boys who sang the entire Backstreet Boys repertoire on the way home from a field trip.
I spent way too much time thinking about the logistics of this awesomeness:
Are supermarket cash registers now so advanced they can ring through transactions without payment entered? My experience many years ago was that you had to either complete the transaction with a chosen payment type or back it out completely if you had to move on to another customer. I’m imagining Tyler Perry walking in with a dozen personal credit cards and handing one to each cashier to ring up all the customers. I love that image.
My current theory is they’re ringing it all through as cash payments without taking payment, and handing over the receipts for reimbursement later. Like I said, way too much time on the logistics. I’m happy that people are helping people.
I’d be happier if the CDC wasn’t issuing guidance that will lead to more sick people.
Three dogs and a cat