— putting the pal in palestinian (@jennineak) April 8, 2020
And now that everyone’s fully in the swing of videoconferencing, let’s have some fun with that, yes?
And do you remember the funny video about conference calls? I’ve shared it with bunches of people over the years, and now they’ve made a new one about video conference calls:
And we can forgive them for being Zoom sponsors, yes? Paid art is a good thing.
Number of times I’ve had to click back on my last post to have any idea what number post I’m on: 16, probably
Yesterday I made homemade french fries (the real thing, none of that baked nonsense) and they were absolutely delicious and ridiculously time-consuming and I didn’t take a picture because I don’t take pictures of food and I just want to say, “there, that was my pandemic project”. Now I don’t have to feel “guilty” for being “unproductive”.
Did you know skunks make noise? I mean, I guess it should be obvious, but it’s kind of why that silly “What does the fox say” song exists because we simply don’t think about some animals and their noises. Anyway, I certainly didn’t know what skunks would sound like and I’ve also never seen a cute little family of them, but this guy did! Take a watch/listen:
I cannot express to you how much you need to hear these tiny skunks sounding like gargling muppets pic.twitter.com/rEJw0vwI4s
I might have enjoyed the description “gargling muppets” as much as the actual muppet gargling itself.
I honestly don’t know, yet, what it’s like to be bored at home because work has still been kicking my ass, but I know some are feeling this (h/t Marcia Wilson and @madmommies):
Better than a volley ball?
To quote my friend Tammy Johnson, who found this one, “Poor Waldo”.
And inevitably, someone had to make a murder meme (h/t Anne Pisacano):
There’s ALWAYS a murder meme for something. Always.
Number of cars I saw on the highway today: more than I expected!
I did a home visit today for a family that needed some extra help with getting their kids’s devices online and I don’t know what I was expecting, but while traffic was by no means heavy, it still felt kind of strange to see so many cars on the road. I wonder how many were just people who wanted to get out of the house and went for a drive to nowhere in particular. I’ve been thinking about including the same thing in my routine, and was about to ask now, “yay or nay”? And my first thought in the “nay” column is how I would have to go to a gas station more often and maybe that’s not a good idea? IDK. Weigh in, folks.
When I see something funny or entertaining or uplifting, I save it… but I don’t always remember where. Haha! Yesterday I came across things in my saved FB posts, Instagram snapshots in my Google Photos, and notes on other photos and screenshots in my downloads folder. It was an unexpected treasure hunt!
For today I’ll share 2 uplifting treasures and 1 funny. 🙂
Joy #1: this video of a scene in Spain where medical staff are applauding the discharge of a 94-year old woman who recovered from COVID-19. Amazing and hopeful when one of our most vulnerable makes it through.
Joy #2: I’m 99% sure that 98% of you have already seen this because it got shared like crazy, but John Krasinski aired his second “Some Good News” YouTube episode and I’ve cut to the good part: a surprise Zoom appearance from the original cast of Hamilton for a 9-year old who had to miss the show this week. Cue all the tears, and also, SO FUN:
(If, for some reason, it doesn’t start at the “good part”, watch the whole thing, or jump to 6:28)
And now the funny. IDK why, but this one made me giggle out loud. Might be because I’m tired. Or maybe it’s simply silly:
Do you know what I really miss right now? Swimming. I’m grateful for spring weather and being able to go on walks again outside, but I really grew to appreciate how it feels to get a good workout while really being able to stretch out all parts of my body. That first push away from the wall as I move into the breast stroke feels so great. I love how when I’m done with my laps, I can still relax into the water and feel almost weightless.
Walking on a beautiful sunny day is great, but there’s no “bobbing gently in the air” you know?
Look at those beautiful calm waters waiting for us to glide around in. Photo courtesy of YMCA Twin Cities (St. Paul-Midway)
Swimming was something that started my day right. I didn’t have to wait for the sun to rise (thank you, YMCA membership) and it ensured I got my exercise because for me, I lose all motivation at the end of the day to get myself going again once I leave work.
And now, of course, technically I don’t LEAVE work. And the sun doesn’t yet rise at 5:30 yet. Or even 6:00.
I’m not resistant to the change. Once upon a time, I spent eight years working from home and I loved it and I had it all figured out. So I don’t really want to be one more person talking on and on about how hard this all is, because A) I don’t find working from home fundamentally hard to do and B) even if I did, it’s not like my experience is unique or special in any way.
h/t Sam Morain
We’ve all got “hard” going on in different ways. Instead, I’m focussing on what I know to be true, but also know we ALL forget:
We will get past the transition stage.
Maybe not everyone, obviously, because some situations really are dire. No income, not enough food, many more days of uncertainty.
For people like me and many of you, though? Yes, things seem super stressful right now, but that’s because transition is super challenging. I recently explained to someone about how I love change, but I don’t love transition. Change represents new experiences, new processes, and often growth. In order for change to be complete, however, we need a transition process to get there. Transition often means disruption to routine, and humans love routine. Changing our rhythm and being out of sync feels uncomfortable and unfamiliar. Eventually, though, we find our new groove.
I’m jealous of all the “I’m bored” posts coming through my feed or “look at all these cool projects I’m getting done” or, more specifically to me, “I WROTE TODAY!” And even though I’ll probably not ever get to the “look at these cool new projects” stage, I know the transition will end and I’ll get back my time for writing, reading, doing my normal day-to-day stuff.
One step at a time!
I think I’ve used this song before, but it definitely seems apt for today’s post:
RT @StevejLamar: People keep asking me how I went from 143 followers to 150 in just 6 months.
Let me tell you it has been a journey.
A t… 3 days ago
Listened to this while working this morning. Encouraging and great reminders about how to do right by how we repres… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…3 days ago
RT @ZackBornstein: I still don’t understand how COVID is worse than ever after we’ve tried everything from pretending it’s over to pretendi… 1 week ago
