I have a confession. I usually write these intros the Friday before the post goes up. I like having a cushion in case something happens. This week, that is more important than ever. Our kiddo has been doing test to stay for daycare all week. One of her classmate's tested positive for COVID on Tuesday. So far, our kid's tests have been negative. Friday morning, we found out two more classmates' tested positive. We are hoping that her first shot (and our vaccines and boosters ) provide enough protection that we all continue to test negative. Despite the fact that we feel fine, have no symptoms, and where masks all the time, it seems like there is a specter haunting us. We've been supremely lucky and have avoided infection. This time, it feels like we're due. Not only has kiddo been exposed several times, but it's my birthday week. I always take time off to pamper myself. Plus, kiddo is due for vaccine shot #2 on Wednesday. She can't get it if she tests positive. It feels like our luck as run out. *crosses all the fingers*
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Our kiddo has been doing test to stay for daycare all week. So far, her tests have all come back negative. (Woohoo!) We thought we might be in the clear, but two more of her classmates tested positive this morning. So we're not out of the woods yet. She has been great at wearing her mask, so there is hope. We've got our fingers crossed that we can all make it through the weekend. Here's what else was good in my week:
Our daycare changed it's COVID close contact policy and not a moment too soon! We learned a kid in her class tested positive last night. Instead of a mandatory 10-day quarantine, we get to test to stay. Having to basically tackle and hold down our kiddo for her "nose tickle" is not one of our favorite activities, but we will do it for the next five days if it means she gets to stay in school. Here's where my attention is going. WORK
PERSONAL
I've been reading a lot of non-fiction lately. I think I might need to start looking to read some of the many fiction titles on my TBR list.
Our kiddo finally decided to name our robot vacuum. She went with Hermit Crab. Hermie for short. It makes sense. The little guy scuttles across the floor using it's two front "claws" to eat things. Then it scurries back under the bookcase to recharge. It's not the name we would have chosen (our working name, courtesy of the Husband, was Watney) but it works. Now, it's a lot easier to anthropomorphize this robot. It's definitely a "he" to me. I talk to him as he works. I beg forgiveness when I get the way. I scold him when he gets stuck in the same one spot every time he works. I may or may not drop a few crumbs in his path. Little Hermie is now a pet. It's not the only inanimate object I've named. Mostly, I name plants. We've got Phil and Collins floating about in the living room. Scarlet is the massive tree in our bedroom. Our cable box is Pete - for reasons only my post-college roommates will understand. I find that naming things leads me to value them more. These objects are not "real" to me, but their use is more important. In naming something, I've given it status above other items that are just objects. Do you name inanimate things?
I did a quick lap outside at lunchtime. It was very hot and steamy. But, I am grateful that I live in a neighborhood with abundant sidewalks. Here's what else was good in my week:
The Family Firm: A Data-Driven Guide to Better Decision Making in the Early School Years Emily Oster The general non-fiction shelf on our bookcase is mighty crowded. I want to read it down. The only title that called out to me when I went to pick my next book was this one. I, like many millennial parents, find Oster to be a great sherpa in parenting. She provides data, gives you methods for assessment in your own life, and then empower you to act. I read her first two books and loved them. I’m not thrilled with the whole “turn your family into a business” framing of this book, but the actual advice is sound. I'm glad I got the bulk of my focus work done this morning. Behind me, our archival collection is currently being unloaded into its temporary space. The work is rather clangy. It's hard to focus on deep things when there is a bang every three seconds. Here's what I've been working on. WORK
PERSONAL
One of my favorite search skills is eliminating things from the results list. There are so many words and phrases that overlap or are interdisciplinary, it can be hard to weed through all the results. Enter the Boolean operator NOT. You can use NOT to exclude particular words or phrases from your research results. For example, if you are interested in finding resources about the effects of climate change other than sea-level rise, you can type ["climate change" NOT "sea-level"] into the search box. In some tools you use a minus sign (-) instead of NOT, but the function is the same. Some databases also offer filters where you can use checkboxes to exclude certain terms, subjects, or resource formats. All of these function to help you reduce the number of results to find more targeted and relevant resources. I share information for a living. As a librarian, it's one of the core tenets of what I do. I share information in this weekly post. I share information on Twitter and my blog. I share information with my friends and family (probably to the point of annoyance). Sharing information is something I am passionate about. I strongly believe that, in sharing information, we all become our better selves and, therefore, a stronger community. Right now, there are attempts to keep people from sharing information. This is nothing new. People have always been afraid of information empowering others. It's why slaves were prohibited from learning to read. It's why totalitarian regimes only permit state sanctioned news. It's why there is a resurgence in banning books in schools [gift link] and even private businesses. Now, anti-abortion legislatures are attempting to pass laws that prohibit others from telling pregnant people they can get abortion in other states. A particularly nasty piece of legislation making the rounds in South Carolina would prohibit websites from providing information about abortion. (Reading that law it could be interpreted that even a company like Comcast could be held liable for providing information about abortion.) Aside from this disgusting me to the core, how do you even enforce these proposed laws? This is going to get unbelievably worse than it already is. It's designed to be complicated so that people will be too afraid to do anything. That's the point. They want to scare people into silence. I am against this. I am against all of this. When people have complete access to information they can make fully informed decisions. When people have access to information, they can compare their options and pick the best choice for their needs. When people have access to information, they can learn that their fundamental human rights are being violated. When people have complete access to information, they can learn just who is trying to oppress them. If people are trying to stop you from learning, ask yourself why. What are they hiding? What are they trying to prevent? Why? Then ask yourself why again. Never be ashamed of asking questions. Never be ashamed of wanting to know more. Information is a fundamental need. Information is a right. Information is education. Information is power.
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