A Few Things

Hello, Friend. How are you? I’m here with a Monday edition of my usual Friday post. How was your weekend? Ours was good. We were busy doing some exploring, squeezing the last few moments out of Winter Break, and we celebrated Ben Blair’s birthday. And now, the kids are back in school today, and we’re back to a regular working schedule.

We’ve been having freezing temperatures at night, but this week, the weather may rise to the 50s(!), and we’re definitely seeing signs of Spring. How about you?

I’ve got an especially good link list for you today. Here are a few things I’ve wanted to share:

-As I write this post, I’m streaming the Oprah + Meghan + Harry interview. Did you get a chance to watch it? I don’t really follow news about the Royal Family much, but I find that I feel so protective of Meghan. (Related, the comments on this tweet were entertaining.)

-Tell Your Boss the Four-Day Week Is Coming Soon. (Here’s a related tweet with interesting commentary.)

-A new study has found that three species of deep-sea shark, including the six-foot-long kitefin shark, are bioluminescent.

-Far-Right Misinformation Is [STILL] Thriving On Facebook.

-I’m not sure if it was the escalation or what, but this piece made me laugh so hard.

-The evolution of Oval Office decor.

-My Great-Grandfather, the Nigerian Slave-Trader.

-As Trump’s Transportation Secretary, Elaine Chao used her position and agency staff to help with personal errands, marketing her dad’s book, and to help family members who run a shipping business with ties to China.

-125 people in Stockton, California got $500 per month for two years without rules on how to spend it, in a major experiment of universal basic income. They paid off debt, got full-time jobs and reported lower rates of anxiety.

Keeping cut flowers fresh.

We steal our daughter’s time and give it to our sons, and teach them to become wives who give up their time to their husbands.

-A sand-filled Namibian ghost town.

-Rumor has it rents are plunging in New York City. Would you ever be tempted to move there?

-I splurged on an eyeshadow palette. It’s my first.

Here are some tweets I saved for you:

-I keep thinking this is going to change and it keeps not changing.

-I’m not sure if everyone understands this.

This is delightful.

-We punish poor people whenever possible in a million ways.

-It sure seems like the Republicans only goal is to “hurt the libs”.

-Click through to read them all.

More progressive than FDR? Do you agree?

This is very true.

-So pretty and enjoyable to look at.

I hope you had a great weekend and I hope you have a lovely Monday. I missed you like crazy.

kisses,
Gabrielle

6 thoughts on “A Few Things”

  1. I’ve been teaching GED classes at a local jail for almost 10 years, and it has changed me profoundly. I haven’t been able to go since March 2020, but some of my students have written to me, and I’ve been following their cases. My heart goes out to all of them, especially parents who are missing huge chunks of their kids’ lives due to an unjust, oppressive system.

  2. I watched the H&M interview last night and I’m still thinking about it… on another blog I follow there is so much disdain for Megan that I just don’t understand. Especially when you can see the evidence of racism in the tabloids. But, wait! They harassed Fergie, Diana etc., so what Megan went through is fine! What?! Why anyone defending the Crown or the tabloids is beyond me. Again, you can see the evidence of their treatment of her in black and white.

    Perhaps after years of watching The Crown, people are doing protective of the institution?

    Also, I need more Oprah in my life.

  3. I also watched the interview. I sat down to watch it because I thought it was going to be juicy and interesting. But it left me upset and disturbed. I honestly feel shame about having followed the royal family for so long (like….*duh*, of course they’re a racist, colonist organization. This interview was it for me. I’m done engaging with them, etc.

  4. I’d read about the Stockton $500 experiment from a source I can’t remember now. What touched me the most as a parent was some of them describing they could now afford to do a few family activities together, like simply getting an ice cream cone, and not having to say “no” all the time. Others were able to afford a car payment to get to a better paying job. The US does not have adequate public transportation, which further traps people.

  5. I think 100% of girls and boys 14 and up should be spending more time cooking for their families as a result of the pandemic. It is such an exhausting season for parents, and it is not working for me to wait on my kids hand and foot. They are bored and restless when I get home from work. I wish they could productively channel more of their time and energy into cooking and cleaning so that the house isn’t even messier and more chaotic when I get home than when I left.

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