Well, I jinxed myself (again) last week by declaring it all quiet on the winter virus front. A plague has descended. I have been spared (so far), but my daughter has been sicker than I’ve ever seen her with this brutal stomach virus. It should pass soon. Here’s hoping for a healthy and happy weekend—for us and for YOU.
Quote of the week:
“Still, what I want in my life
is to be willing
to be dazzled—
to cast aside the weight of facts
and maybe even
to float a little
above this difficult world.”
–Mary Oliver, “The Ponds”
What I’m reading:
I’ve been reading a lot of ARCs lately (advance reader copies) for books coming out later this year. Currently, I’m reading The Possibilities by Yael Goldstein-Love and it’s so good.
What I’m listening to:
Still making my way through Imposter by Bradeigh Godfrey. I think I know what the “twist” might be now… A couple hours left of the story, so we will see!
What I’m watching:
I have a couple episodes left of Fleishman Is In Trouble on Hulu. I’ve sort of lost interest, but feel stubbornly attached to finishing it. I have problems.
Writing news:
Nothing to report this week. Still waiting on feedback on my latest manuscript. Still dabbling in some poetry.
What I’m talking about:
- The country hitting its debt limit. I took AP Economics in high school (and I continue to have nightmares about missing the final test… #anxiety), but I have completely forgotten everything I learned (yay!) and need an economist to explain to me wtf is happening with this debt stuff. Whenever I hear about these things, I think, “Wait, it seems like the whole financial system is a house of cards. Am I missing something?”
- Crazy anti-vax people. I saw a post on Faceboook from a woman in my area looking for a nanny, with the specification that this person be unvaccinated. This is a new one. Why on earth would it matter if the nanny is vaccinated or not? Does she think vaccinations are contagious? I investigated via the comments section and she clarified that she believes vaccinated people will go into cardiac arrest and she does not want this happening in her home
- Neurodiversity. I’ve mentioned before that I am definitely an HSP (highly sensitive person—you can read about it here). It’s estimated that about 20% of the population fits this category (and it also applies to the animal kingdom, believe it or not). Recently, the trait of high sensitivity has been classified as a form of neurodiversity, which is so interesting. I have no problem with this classification, personally. I’ve always felt “neurodivergent”
- Jacinda Arden’s resignation. She was the prime minister of New Zealand for those who don’t know. I respected her so much (and still have daydreams of moving to NZ). She alluded to burnout and not having enough in the tank to do the job well. I respect her honesty, while at the same time lamenting female burnout as a whole. Deloitte’s Women at Work 2022 report, which includes a survey of 5,000 women across 10 countries, found that 53% of women said their stress levels are higher than they were a year ago, and almost half feel burned out. Additionally, almost half of all participants rated their mental health as poor or very poor. Sigh. There are lots of things at work here… Women are asked to carry A LOT (and the pandemic really made that worse). I also think it’s interesting that male leaders seem to only resign due to pressure in the wake of a big scandal. Is that ego, or do men not burn out like women do? Both?
Interesting things I learned this week:
- Lucile Randon DC, also known as Sister André, died this week. She was the world’s oldest known person at age 118
- 11% of the U.S. population has diabetes
- The State Department has banned the use of Times New Roman font, in favor of a more friendly Calibri
- France’s courts ruled that companies can’t force people to participate in office parties and other “fun” activities
- Parts of Greenland are now hotter than at any time in the past 1,000 years
- A group of ladybugs is called a “loveliness”
Weirdest thing I googled this week:
“Crocs for dogs.” I saw someone post a photo of a dog in Crocs on Instagram so I had to investigate. It’s true! There are Crocs for dogs.
What I’m grateful for:
- Working from home. I am a freelance writer, which gives me the flexibility I need to also be a mom and deal with things like stomach viruses. I am so fortunate to make a living this way
- A break in the rainstorms. We had a little downpour last night, but it has been mostly calm the past few days. California has been hit hard with rain so we need a little break for things to dry out
- My daughter’s dad. Divorce is no fun, but I’m so proud of how we’ve navigated things and continue to support each other (and our daughter)
Snapshots:
