Category: News

God Bless Stacey Abrams

Jane Leave a comment

She did it, folks!

Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock have won their Georgia senatorial bids (hooray!), and let’s give credit where credit is due.

Stacey Abrams and her organization Fair Fight Action delivered this victory for the Democratic candidates.

The U.S. senators-elect are strong candidates in their own right, but Ms Abrams’ activism and push to get out the vote for historically marginalized populations was the driving force behind this victory.

Why Stacey Abrams Matters

Ms Abrams is a Black woman in America. Voices (and votes) like hers have been historically repressed in this country generally, in the South specifically.

She matters because she will not be silenced.

She lost her bid for governor of Georgia in 2018, but she has not been silenced.

She saw that voter suppression was likely what cost her the governorship, and decided she wouldn’t sit back and accept it as “the way things are.”

The Work Isn’t Done

Stacey Abrams has proved that even the “reddest” states aren’t all that red. How many other “red” states are more purple than we think?

The work isn’t done until people all across this country–people who have the legal right to vote–are able to do so.

Fair Fight and Ms Abrams focus primarily on Georgia, but the organization is active around the entire country. There are also plenty of similar organizations in other states.

Let’s look them up. Let’s donate our time and our money.

Let’s ensure that voters of color and young voters do not suffer disenfranchisement.

It seems incredible in this day and age, but it is happening. And we must fight it.

Who will be Stacey Abrams in Virginia? Texas? How quickly can we clone her?

God bless you and your work, Stacey Abrams. Thank you for not remaining silent.

Image credit: Clay Bennett, Chattanooga Times Free Press

Relief and Foreboding

Jane Leave a comment

WHEW!

What a RELIEF!

This past week was, I think, stressful for everyone in the United States who pays attention to politics. It was also, judging from input from friends abroad, stressful for just about everyone else.

(One friend put it in a very colorful way indeed: Putain, c’est long l’accouchement, là! I’ll let you put that into Google translate.)

And yet, despite the relief, the joy and the anticipation of having a GROWNUP HEADED TO THE WHITE HOUSE, I still have a sense of foreboding.

Not All Rosy

For one thing, while Biden and Harris won with the largest number of votes cast in US history, it must be said that Donald Trump is the biggest loser.

And by that I mean that he is the loser who lost despite having an absolutely HUGE number of votes cast for him.

If people turned out in record numbers for Biden, they also turned out in record numbers for Trump.

This article by Monica Hesse in the Washington Post sums up nicely how I feel about that.

No Blue Wave

Because of the frightening number of people who voted for division, isolationism, and white supremacy, there was no blue wave to speak of.

Democrats did not take a commanding majority in the senate, and even lost ground in the house (while still retaining the majority).

This may be because of the frighteningly large number of Americans who embrace Trumpism. Or because we’re so locked into a two-party system that we can’t bring ourselves to vote for the other party.

But it could also be because the Democratic party seems to have a fundamental inability to foster a sense of unity, of being a collective.

Biden said last night that decency won this election. Maybe. But I’m pretty sure Biden won this election for two reasons: 1. Kamala Harris and 2. because he’s not Donald Trump.

Being the party of “not Donald Trump” isn’t a sustainable party platform for the Democrats.

Hard Road Ahead

And so, despite having won the election, Biden and Harris will meet some obstacles before they are “officially” recognized as president- and vice-president-elect.

The president (for that is what he still is), his campaign and the GOP have launched a barrage of law suits and complaints about alleged election “irregularities.”

He and his cronies have also refused to concede defeat, insisting alternately on victory and fraud.

What is most discouraging is how even those Republicans who are lukewarm at best on Trump are largely remaining silent on the matter, not echoing the president’s false claims, but also not congratulating Biden on his victory. (Mitt Romney is a notable exception.)

We Are Not Out of the Woods

Many people may think that we’re done, the insanity is over, and we can go back to living our normal lives.

However, we are not out of the woods.

Unless Democrats can pull off victories in the upcoming run-off election in Georgia in January 2021 (click here to send money to Stacey Abrams’ Fair Fight organization!), the Senate will remain in Republican control.

That will make it very hard for Biden and Harris to do all the things they’re talking about doing.

Do Not Get Complacent

We need to remain engaged. Keep participating. Keep informed. Keep watching the president like a hawk and demanding accountability.

Just because our man (and our WOMAN!!! KAMALA!!) is in the White House, does not mean that we can hit cruise control.

We have GOT. TO. KEEP. PAYING. ATTENTION.

Polarization is at an all-time high, political division is rife. We need to do what we can to come out of our respective corners.

We have got to figure out how we can work TOGETHER to reject xenophobia, racism and childish bullying, while listening to and trying to understand our fellow Americans.

Because in the end, that’s what we all are.

Today, I Will Knit

Jane Leave a comment

It’s been a quiet morning. The Bug is off school, so the boys spent a good part of the morning in their pajamas.

We FaceTimed with Jack (their grandfather), and with family in Minnesota. We chatted with some of the people we love best in the world.

I played the piano, tidied the kitchen, had a cup of tea… It’s been a quiet morning.

And Yet…

Every time I remember what day it is, I feel a stab of anxiety.

Today is Tuesday, November 3rd, 2020. It is Election Day in the United States.

Butterflies flare up in my tummy whenever I think of it. I feel anxious about the results, about when we’ll know the results, about the future… All things I cannot control.

Gearing Up to Election Day

I sent off my absentee ballot in September. I followed up on the Loudoun County board of elections website to make sure my ballot was received (it was!), and since then I have felt somewhat powerless to do much more.

I’ve done a little volunteering at polling sites with the local MRC, but because of coronavirus concerns and having our kids at home, I haven’t been able to volunteer today. I’m disappointed.

I put up a campaign poster in front of the house. My very talented brother designed a wonderful Biden/Harris poster, which I put in our front window. (Click here to download and print them for yourself!)

Find @paperscenery on Instagram.

Mainly, I’ve tried to be a good neighbor. I figure that by fostering a good spirit of community with our neighbors, they might be influenced by that and remember it when they go to the polls.

But who knows if that has any effect? It feels like I could and should have done so much more. This is what I think about as I worry about today’s election results.

And So I Knit

To reduce anxiety and calm my fluttering nerves, I knit.

A girlfriend asked me if I wouldn’t mind making little Oats Cowls for her girls. Since she even provided the yarn, I couldn’t say no! I can’t resist a lovely, quick and satisfying knit like this.

But now I’ve been not-knitting for too long. I can feel the butterflies getting stronger. Time to soothe them (and myself) with some meditative needle clicking.

Go Vote. Please.

Let’s break records. Let’s make this a landslide.

Taking a Small Step

Jane Leave a comment

I signed up for a thing!

Being near my alma mater has its advantages, as I have been able to reconnect with many W&M folks. Since the pandemic, a lot of the alumni programs have moved online, including a career development program option.

An email popped into my inbox a couple months ago about this online collaborative career development program. I thought, “Why not?”

Nothing to Lose!

Since I currently have no career to speak of, I figured I had nothing to lose and everything to gain by joining in on the program.

It has the added benefit of being online, and fitting fairly easily into my “schedule” (meaning, I can do most of it after the kids are in bed).

The Format

For the next four weeks, I’ll be dedicating about five hours a week first to reflection, then definition, testing, and creating an action plan for moving forward in my career.

Each week, you have individual assignments to complete (this week’s include a worksheet to help me identify my strengths, likes and dislikes, and preparing an introduction of myself).

You’re also paired with an accountability partner, and a team. You’re supposed to meet with your partner and your team once a week. Before each meeting, you have some materials to prepare so that you’ll actually have something to talk about.

The program is run by a company called Mission Collaborative. They’re a pretty new start-up, so it will be interesting to see how this pans out.

There’s a lot of fluffy language on their website, which is worrisome, but that seems to be pretty typical here in the States. Let me tell ya, it wouldn’t fly in Deutschland! “Vat does ‘authentic expression‘ mean? Am I not expressing myself clearly??”

What I hope to get out of it

If I can get even one or two good ideas for different possible career paths, then I’ll be pleased with the result.

I’ll be curious to see if any specific and actionable points come out of a program like this, or if it turns out to be a glorified personality test.

I’ve done one of those in-depth, all-day workshop personality tests, and I found that while it was fun (who doesn’t like hearing about themselves??), it didn’t really tell me anything I didn’t already know.

That’s what I’m hoping for, really.

To learn something I don’t already know.

A Double Negative!

Jane 2 Comments

We got two pieces of good news today, and both involved negative results.

Do two negatives make a positive? Or is it that a double negative cancels out and makes a positive?

Whatever. All I know is that we had good news.

First Negative: No Breast Cancer Gene!

Now this is good news, in that I am relieved that I do not feel like I need to fear my own body.

However, it’s true that this is no guarantee that I will not get breast cancer. In fact, my mother was also negative for the gene indicators, and she did get breast cancer.

So while it is not a get-out-of-jail-free card, it’s still a relief.

I wrote earlier about there being an expiration date stamped on my butt. Well now, it feels like instead of an expiration date, perhaps it’s more of a sell by date.

Everyone knows you can keep stuff waaaaay after that sell by date, right?

Second Negative: No Covid!

This evening, Chico and I both got our results for the nasal swab test we had yesterday.

We are both negative for Covid! Hooray!

We are, however, still required to quarantine as the Bear was in contact with a positive case only last Friday. We’ve got about 9 more days of quarantine to go.

We’re watching him like a hawk for symptoms and we’re taking our temperatures daily.

Going Forward

Winter is coming. Cold and flu season is upon us. We’ve had our flu shots, (GET YOUR FLU SHOTS!) but I feel like in this, The Time of Covid, any symptom, no matter how mild, is going to make us think, “COVID!”

With that in mind, we have some hard thinking to do, and some decisions to make.

We may withdraw ourselves into our own family lockdown again. Or at least, stay all four of us at home so that we feel more comfortable expanding our bubble to our close family members.

You know: the people we’ll want to see inside when the weather really gets cold.

Meanwhile…

We’re having days like this:

One had a soft landing. The other did not.

Vote by Mail!

Jane Leave a comment

Ladies & gentlemen, it’s time!

Time for what?

TIME TO REGISTER TO VOTE BY MAIL!!

Today, I received a form that I had requested online. The form is an application to vote by mail in the upcoming November 3rd presidential election.

It’s been filled in and mailed back. My ballot will arrive about 45 days before the November election.

Why This Matters

This year especially, this matters SO. MUCH.

And it’s easy to think that November is a long time from now, that we all have time to do this stuff later.

But November will be here before we know it, and now is the time to request an absentee ballot.

Rules Differ by State

All states differ, so a quick Google search of your state’s voter registration site should help you find all the information you need.

Where I live, we are being encouraged to register to vote by mail.

Your state may be different, but please be sure to find out.

Get Others Registered

Tell your friends. Tell your family.

Also, there is a frightening push against voting by mail by the Republican party, and especially the president (who voted himself by mail in the Florida March primary…).

There are many organizations fighting to defend peoples’ right to vote. The NAACP’s Legal Defense Fund (LDF) is one of them.

There’s also Fair Fight, run by Stacey Abrams. These organizations can use our support.

Consider Volunteering

Typical poll workers are retired folks, people who are right smack in the most at-risk age group for infection from covid-19.

If you are young, healthy, have no underlying health conditions and feel safe doing so, consider volunteering as a poll worker in November.

Hopefully most people will be able to vote by mail, but after June’s fiasco in Georgia, who knows how things will turn out.

Vote, Vote, Vote!

Share on social media! Tell your friends! Send links! Help people navigate the site to get themselves registered.

Please let’s not be complacent about this.

Happy Swiss Day!

Jane Leave a comment

Today is August 1st, which means it is the Swiss national holiday!

This is the day we celebrate cheese, chocolate, alp horns, yodelling and all things Swiss.

Okay, there’s more to Switzerland than that. So in honor of August 1st, here’s a list of fun facts you might not know about Switzerland!

1. Switzerland has four official languages

German, French, Italian and Romanche. The majority speak German, followed by French, then Italian and finally Romanche.

2. Romanche is pretty cool

Romanche is a Romance language spoken by about 60,000 people, mostly in the canton of Grisons.

It kind of sounds like a blend of Italian, French with a touch of German.

3. Switzerland is made up of Cantons

What are Cantons? Well, they’re kind of like states, just much tinier.

There are twenty-six in total, but I’m not going to list them here. It’d made this article too long. You can find the list here.

4. The original three Cantons formed in 1291

According to legend, in 1291, the leaders in Uri, Schwyz and Unterwalden got together and said, “We hate the Habsburgs!”

They agreed to work together to form an autonomous region inside the Holy Roman Empire, and gradually other Cantons joined the party!

5. The Swiss flag is square!

Apparently, the only other country to have a square flag is the Vatican City. Go figure!

There’s More!

There’s a lot more to Switzerland than chocolate, cheese and cows (though those are admittedly very important elements in our culture.

Take a look at Mission 1st August, a website put together for this year’s rather unusual Swiss day celebrations. It’s full of fun activities, recipes, videos and more.

Happy August 1st to all my Swiss friends out there!

Fear, or Worse

Jane Leave a comment

26. Fear: What scares you a little? What do you feel when scared? How do you react?

https://thinkwritten.com/365-creative-writing-prompts/

I fear being paralyzed by fear. I also fear my own cluelessness.

For example. The other day, I was expecting a package. It was after dark, but I saw movement through the window next to our front door. I naturally assumed it was the delivery.

I opened the door to find myself looking at a black man. He was holding up his phone, getting ready to take a photo. At my feet on the doorstep was my package. As soon as I opened the door, I knew what was happening. The deliveryman had placed the package and was taking the photo that would show up in my delivery notification.

I understood that. I knew that that was the situation. I smiled, and I said, “What have you got for me?”

For an instant as I looked into his face, I saw fear in the man’s eyes. It took him just a split second longer to grasp that I had understood the situation correctly, and was smiling in a friendly way at him.

He apologized for delivering so late, said he was running behind. I said, “It’s no problem, it’s nothing urgent. I’m just excited it’s here. Good night, and take care!”

He said, “You, too,” gave me a smile and a wave as he walked off. I saw relief in his eyes.

What does this have to do my fear?

In the wake of the brutal killing of George Floyd last week, what has struck me most (other than the barbarous killing of a man over an alleged counterfeit $20 bill), was that the other police officers either participated, or stood aside.

They stood aside as their colleagues choked the life out of a man. Over a twenty dollar bill. Was the man’s life not worth more than twenty dollars?

Apparently not.

Fear at Play

I don’t know what kept them silent. Why they stood aside and watched (and by watching, condoned) what was happening.

I can only assume it was fear. Fear of the bully who was the lead perpetrator of the violence. Fear of the man they were crushing. Fear of losing their jobs. Fear of losing control over a population of black Americans they’ve been accustomed to subjugating.

My Fear

I fear finding myself in their situation, and doing as they did.

Either not speaking out to stop the violence out of fear, or tacitly condoning the crime by remaining silent.

We all like to think we’d be courageous enough to speak out in a situation like that. But I honestly don’t know that I would be. My own fear might paralyze me.

Fear, or Worse

Worse, my blindness to injustice might keep me silent.

I like to think that if I were witnessing a man being choked to death, I would say something. But what if the aggression isn’t so blatant? What if it’s a non-violent micro aggression against a person of color? Would I be brave enough to point it out?

Would I even realize it was happening?

I don’t know.

I must inform myself. I must pray for empathy. Pray that in whatever situation, I am able to put myself in the other person’s shoes and feel what it is like to be them. And then act accordingly.

Because what everyone needs to remember (or learn for God’s sake) is that

Black
Lives
Matter.

Lockdown Mode

Jane Leave a comment

It’s official! Our governor has joined many in imposing a stay-at-home order.

Other than grocery shopping, medical care, going to essential jobs or getting exercise, we have to stay inside!

UNTIL JUNE THE TENTH.

June 10th. JUNE TENTH.

That is… Let me see… MORE THAN TEN WEEKS FROM NOW.

That is just mind-boggling. We’ve already been home for two weeks, and just the thought of not being able to leave the house for any extended purpose for that long is enough to set me nervously twitching.

What can I say that you don’t already know?

This is HARD. This is BORING. It’s CONFINING. It’s ANXIETY-PROVOKING.

It’s so many things in ALL CAPS.

Learning to live with it

This situation has brought forward so many insecurities I had about myself as a mother, a spouse, a housekeeper, a knitter… Even as a reader.

(Yes, you can be insecure about your reading skills, choices, tastes…)

I’ve had a lot of time to look long and hard at my insecurities. And as I look at them, they gradually lose some of their frightening power. It’s like I’m getting to know them all, one by one.

I’m becoming more aware of insecurities I didn’t know I had, and little by little coming to understand them.

That’s not to say I’ll come out of social distancing cured of all my ills and ready to take on the world like She-Ra.

Though I can still dream…

But perhaps this time in social isolation will help me to better accept my insecurities and understand how they play on me.

And who knows? Maybe I’ll figure out how to face one or two of them.

An Uptick in Readership

Jane Leave a comment

I got an email from Google Analytics the other day. It told me that suddenly I’d had quite an uptick in readership of my blog. Hooray!

Progress?

This was exciting news!

Don’t get me wrong, my numbers are DISMAL. Absolutely abysmal. It could be because I’ve shamefully neglected this blog over the years. It could also be that I’ve never really written this blog with a mind to SEO or driving clicks.

But suddenly in February my numbers weren’t quite so dismal. (They were still bad, but not rock bottom bad, you know?)

What had happened??

I assumed that this was because I had returned to writing on a fairly regular basis.

I write an article and then automatically publish it to a number of social media platforms, including the (rather neglected) Facebook page I have for this blog.

But as anyone who works in the blogosphere knows, the more you write, the more people read.

So, hooray!

But that’s not all…

Granted, writing more frequently and publishing more on the blog is bound to attract a few more readers. However, what seems to be the catalyst in my readership increase is…

Drumroll please…

RAVELRY!!

Yup! That wonderful website, that glorious database of all things yarn is the reason for my (slight) increase in traffic on my blog.

Let me explain.

I checked out a local Stitch n’ Bitch group back in the fall, and as they haven’t kicked me out (and even seem glad to see me!), I’ve started to attend regularly.

The lovely ladies of this group have generously added me to their Facebook page, and also to their list of Ravelry friends. And since I have links to my blog sprinkled around my Facebook page and my Ravelry profile, BAM! Some of these curious souls clicked! And voilà!

I would never have known the reason for my blog’s sudden surge (HA!) in popularity (GUFFAW!) had one of my fellow stitchers (n’ bitchers) not mentioned to me last night that she had been reading my blog.

So to all you wonderful ladies of the Stitch n’ Bitch…

THANK YOU FOR READING!

It really does mean a lot to me.

And here’s where you can find my Facebook page, and my Ravelry profile.