Deviant Dispatches

I'm about to reveal that I'm even weirder than you always suspected. Sometimes, I've just known something. As certainly as you know an apple thrown in the air will hit the ground, I've (impossibly) understood a future truth.  When I was 19, I barely knew a thing about this boy in my band class. Despite that, I felt a connection and knew that if he gave us a chance, we could last a long time together. I'd never even had a boyfriend before.  Ten months later, we started dating. We've been together 15 years. When we lived in New Mexico, I knew about our future daughter. I saw her dark hair, her dimples. At that point, I didn't even know if I wanted kids, but the image of her was so clear.  Ten years later, she is five and as vibrant and full of personality as I saw then. I share these as a precursor so that you can fully understand. When I say I had a Feeling, I want you to know what I mean. When Trump came down the escalator four years ago to announce his can...

I need to start keeping track of what's going on for my own sanity. I want to be able to look back and say that things really were going that fast - to say, I hope, that we seem to have worried for nothing. To remember the good in all of this. I also need way more therapy than I can afford (though I'm still getting therapy, trust me), and so I write. I'm labeling the days in accordance with my workplace shutdown. Day 1 (Monday) was my first day working from home to prevent the spread of COVID-19. I'm happy to overreact so that others will survive, so they don't have to worry about whether a ventilator will be free if needed. I'm also still recovering, three and a half weeks later, from influenza A and am not eager to be that sick again. Less than two weeks after my trip to Korea (by the way, I went to Korea!), I got sick. After a little prompting, I requested COVID-19 testing and was told that CDC guidelines wouldn't allow my doctor's office to do ...

Been a while. I'm posting this exclusively for the purpose of remembering what I made last night so I can make it again. But not on a weeknight - this was way too involved for that, what with two small and hungry children clawing at my ankles. At least the results were fantastic - Child Unit 1 spontaneously said thank you and that it was delicious! They're empanada -like, but I'm pretty damn white so it's likely I missed something vital. Apologies on that front. I was going to take a picture, but it didn't end up very photogenic. I didn't bother with the egg wash, so the pastry looked pretty blah, and the cream sauce looked exactly like the "grey stuff" from Beauty and the Beast. Shocking that Child Unit 2 didn't want a bite of it to tide him over. Mmm, grey stuff. Walnut and Roasted Beet Empanadas * 2 extra large beets (like seriously, huge), cubed 1/2 c. walnuts, chopped 2 T. olive oil 1/4 c. onion, chopped Greens from the beets, ...

Source I loved  Madison Mahdia Lynn's  suggestions, so I'm writing them out here. If you're feeling like a bit of flotsam in a sea of tears, give this a try for yourself - feel free to start from my list. Also, it's often the case that others can see you more clearly than you see yourself. Do you have insights for me? Let me know. STEP ZERO: Give yourself a moment to breathe. This was the first two weeks. Now I need to multitask. STEP ONE: Make a list of what you’re good at. Writing (incl. coming up with effective slogans and bringing humor) Knitting/crochet Empathy Patience Baking Listening Attention to detail Discount shopping Using the phone Passion for ALL THE THINGS STEP TWO: Make a list of your limitations. Public speaking (I can do it, and I might be good at it, but it's emotionally taxing) Inability to directly confront problems ... which is going to be fun for me Constraints due to having a toddler (time available, time of day issues) Li...

Source The World Turned Upside Down was written in protest of Parliament. Legend says that the song, referenced in the musical Hamilton, was played by the British Army upon their surrender to the United States. Listen to me and you shall hear of government gaslighting, opulence, fear: Since  Galileo in days of yore, you never heard the like before. The truth is despised, “alt facts” are devised, And science is kicked out of town. Yet let's be content, and the times lament, you see the world turned upside down. Astrophysicists did rejoice to see gravity waves; others sang with one voice That climate change is humanity’s thing, that now genes may receive editing. ( Let all honest folk take example and note That truth is not false, being bound.) Yet let's be content, and the times lament, you see the world turned upside down.   Our  Commander thinks himself a king, reddens to hear we’re organizing; Upon the border he’ll set a wall; Muslims already are part ...

Source The next four years will be hard for this country. Our rights will be hacked at with ice picks, machetes, toothpicks that introduce cracks in the foundation. It is Day 1 and the White House's climate change webpage has already disappeared , along with the LGBT , civil rights , and ACA pages. Trouble is not brewing; trouble is here. So what can we do about it? Groundwork has some great starting points on their site, and I listed a few details more below. Artist Haley Gilmore Educate yourself . What issues matter to you? Learn about them. What issues matter to others? Learn, and then fight for those too. " A healthy society is one in which those at the center scream in agony when those furthest away are cut." Make calls . Phone calls are the most effective method of contacting elected officials. Set an alarm on your phone to remind you to call on a regular basis. Keep your senators' contact info  bookmarked (or on speed dial) so you don...

If you're looking for causes to donate time or goods to or volunteer for, here are a few. You can find another list here . If you want to check these out more carefully, view them on  charitynavigator.org ; I haven't done so for all of these yet. Please share this with others.  Children Boys & Girls Club Big Brothers, Big Sisters Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault Prevention National Coalition Against Domestic Violence rainn.org Freedom of Speech/Press propublica.org rcfp.org Global Warming nrdc.org earthjustice.org sierraclub.org Legal Defense aclu.org LGBT Rights thetrevorproject.org lambdalegal.org Political Activism www.emilyslist.org runningstartonline.org Racial Equality naacpldf.org The Anti-Defamation League maldef.org splcenter.org showingupforracialjustice.org Refugee/Immigrant Assistance refugeerights.org nilc.org theyoungcenter.org Reproductive/Women's Rights plannedparenthood.org reproductiverights.org now.org nwlc.org  - a 4-star charity for ...