Just found out about the overturning of Roe v Wade about an hour ago. We all knew this was coming, but it’s still so upsetting. The vast majority of Americans support a woman’s right to choose, so are we really living in a democracy if our officials don’t align with our collective views? It’s something I’ve been thinking about… Now let’s get into the usual stuff:
Quote of the week:
“You think your pain and your heartbreak are unprecedented in the history of the world, but then you read. It was books that taught me that the things that tormented me most were the very things that connected me with all the people who were alive, who had ever been alive.” –James Baldwin
What I’m reading:
The Baby on the Fire Escape: Creativity, Motherhood, and the Mind-Baby Problem by Julie Phillips. This is a really interesting book, sort of a collection of mini biographies of mother-writers.
What I’m listening to:
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus. Still loving it!
What I’m watching:
Haven’t been watching much, but did watch Taylor Tomlinson’s comedy show, “Look at You,” and laughed out loud several times by myself.
Writing news:
No big news to report this week, other than I’m writing poetry and I don’t know who I am anymore. Oh, and my best friend and I are writing a children’s book together about my dog who just died, Frankie. It might just be for us or we might try to get it published. TBD.
What I’m talking about:
- The overturning of Roe v Wade. I want to fight the good fight, but I’m honestly so discouraged by this
- The Supreme Court ruling that Americans have a right to carry a gun outside the home for self-defense (read here). Great, that’s what we need—more people wandering around with guns
- The Vega v Tekoh ruling, which says that a person can’t sue the police if they don’t inform them of their rights. So, now we’re ending Miranda rights?
- Moving to another country (because…see first 3bullets). I’ve casually researched living in New Zealand and western Canada
- Summer solstice, the day the sun is at its highest point (over the Tropic of Cancer) and there are the most hours of daylight of any day of the year. It was Tuesday! Summer is officially here
- The Jan 6 hearings and all the evidence piling up against Trump
- COVID-19 vaccines for little people! I’ll be getting my daughter vaccinated next week!
Interesting things I learned this week:
- According to a study, female scientists are “significantly less likely” to be credited on scholarly articles or named on patents that they contribute to (read here)
- Here in the West, we once had a tradition called ars moriendi—the art of dying. These guides to death, often in the form of printed pamphlets, were so popular that one version written in Latin in 1415 was reprinted in more than 100 editions throughout Europe. But by the 1930s, the deathbed moved from the family home to hospitals, meaning death became a more hushed experience and “the art of dying” was no more
- Until very recently, it was against the law to eat lunch at your desk in France. The reasoning: eating in the workplace is hazardous to your health (In 1894, when this rule was made, the goal was to get people out of workplaces filled with toxins, but the idea stuck even in the post-industrial age). Wish this was a law everywhere
- New York City is further south than Rome, Italy
- It rains diamonds on Saturn and Jupiter (read here)
Weirdest thing I googled this week:
“Ceiling swing chair.” I really want one of these! My daughter would love it too.
What I’m grateful for:
- I get to see one of my very best friends this weekend and meet her baby for the first time!
- All the beautiful women in my life. You make me whole
- Living in California, which generally has laws that align better with my values than the federal laws
- Running. So good for my mental health. I have a 5K coming up and I just signed up for a late-August half marathon
A few snapshots from this week:
