The day after my birthday, I took a break from Facebook. I thought it would last through the end of the month, but the reality is that I so enjoy NOT being on it that I haven't really gone back. I only keep my account for (1) Messenger - which is useful, and (2) making sure my daughter in Minnesota is holding together okay. (Hi Rachel! I realize Facebook is only marginally useful for this!)
I still post on Instagram, mostly pictures of the sky and/or dogs. Since the plague started, the biggest change in my life is that I finally started and stuck to a walking practice. I have walked outside for *checks app* 136 days in a row, and I can't recommend it enough. Sunshine, fresh air, and making safely-distanced human contact is a great way to counteract so many hours sitting indoors, a thousand miles away from most of my co-workers.
Anyway, sometimes I just want to share stuff in a longer format than a photo and hashtag, so here I am. If it takes off as a regular pastime, I'll likely talk about some random observation(s), show you a few pictures, and paste a link or two. Let's go!
I still post on Instagram, mostly pictures of the sky and/or dogs. Since the plague started, the biggest change in my life is that I finally started and stuck to a walking practice. I have walked outside for *checks app* 136 days in a row, and I can't recommend it enough. Sunshine, fresh air, and making safely-distanced human contact is a great way to counteract so many hours sitting indoors, a thousand miles away from most of my co-workers.
Anyway, sometimes I just want to share stuff in a longer format than a photo and hashtag, so here I am. If it takes off as a regular pastime, I'll likely talk about some random observation(s), show you a few pictures, and paste a link or two. Let's go!
Pandemic purchases
This is where I talk about something I've bought since we all learned what a "coronavirus" was. I'll start with my best and favorite acquisition since it ties into the walking thing. Kavik, our 11-year-old rescue, has nerve damage that seems to be degenerative, and can only move in short spurts. He often loses his footing and has trouble getting up from the floor. I kept seeing an ad for a dog stroller on Instagram (thanks, ad trackers!), and it occurred to me it could make his world a whole lot bigger.
Trax likes it too! Worth every penny.
Trax likes it too! Worth every penny.
Some things that I liked on the internet
Google 3D animals. If you have ever wondered what it would be like if an emperor penguin was standing in your kitchen, this is definitely for you.
Anne Helen Peterson interviewed an indigenous writer named Chris La Tray, and it's worth reading the whole thing. If you're not into longer reads, then here's a paragraph that struck me:
Anne Helen Peterson interviewed an indigenous writer named Chris La Tray, and it's worth reading the whole thing. If you're not into longer reads, then here's a paragraph that struck me:
We are at a point in history where it seems, for all of us but the super wealthy, that there is literally nothing to lose. Maybe we aren’t all at the precipice yet looking over the edge, or clinging by a greasy vine while dangling completely over the lip, but we’re close. One stiff wind and we’ll be high-fiving each other while we plummet to oblivion. There is a freedom to that and an opportunity for real risk taking. And by risks I mean things like going hard for abolishing student loan debt. Going hard for universal healthcare. Going hard for universal guaranteed income. Going hard for the Green New Deal. And more! All of these bold changes that we talk about and argue about and then when the time comes we get timid. No more getting timid! We have real leadership in D.C. right now in the form of a group of BIPOC folks, almost all women, who are advocating this stuff and rattling a lot of cages. I love that. These are cages that need rattling. All these entrenched establishment politicians who have been there for a lifetime, they’ve had their shot. Let’s get rid of them. The time is now!
Let's rattle a few cages, shall we?
Also a streaming recommendation
We Are the Champions (Netflix). I almost didn't watch this, but it ended up being one of the more fun and uplifting things I've seen lately. At the end of each episode, there's a bit where the voiceover talks about the qualities of the episode's particular brand of competitors as the camera shows the people we've just gotten to know. It makes me tear up. You'll probably recognize the voice, but I'll let you figure it out on your own.
OK, that was fun!
- Áine
Don't look now, but there's a raccoon on the dining table