Hello, friend! What have you been up to this week? How are you doing? Over the last week: enjoyed plenty of rain (and nickle-sized hail), I saved a 3-week old white-winged dove with my partner (shutout to Liberty Wildlife Rescue!), sewed up the cutest little romper for my niece, almost perfected my pho recipe (Vietnamese noodle soup), received confirmation that our home is loaded with pathogenic mold and bacteria due to past water damage (via HERSTMI-2 testing), and used up some PTO to babysit my niece (the little mama-loving rebel was kicked out of daycare the week before a cross-town move).
My aunt’s funeral will be taking place next week, but my doctor has advised I not attend due to rising covid-19 caseload, virulence of the Delta variant, and my dysfunctional immune response. I feel terrible at the prospect of missing the opportunity to celebrating my aunt, support her family, and see relatives I haven’t seen in 15 years. But, it’s not worth the risk to my health; I can’t afford to return to where my body was at the peak of my its perils.
What are your plans for the week ahead? There are buckets of rain in the forecast, so I’ll be watching the lightning storms as much as possible.
I hope that your the week ahead is good to you. Here are a few links from around the web. Feel free to share anything interesting you’ve stumbled upon in the comments.
- Food for thought: “We think we understand the rules when we become adults, but what we really experience is a narrowing of the imagination.” – David Lynch
- From the archives: Three years ago this month, a fire sprinkler leak flooded 30% of our home. It breaks my heart reflecting back on just how sick I was. 5 Lessons Learned From Illness, Moving & Family.
- Fun fact: Why is Switzerland is so famous for watch-making? During World War 2, nearly all production was diverted to the military, and watch-makers were diverted to making timing devices for military ordnance. Switzerland, being neutral and a non-participant, did not do any of this, so they had basically a complete monopoly on the civilian watch market for seven years, which set them up to dominate it for decades and decades afterwards.
- Personal observation: Any book that garners wide acclaimed or becomes a bestseller probably isn’t my cup of tea. I’ve been disappointed so many times (looking at you Midnight Library, The Night Circus, etc.). I think I’ll stick to the classics.
- Best campgrounds by state: Outside magazine found the best places to pitch your tent in all 50 states. The AZ recommendation is solid; my personal favorite camping spot is also in the Mogollon Rim Mountains, though 200 miles further southeast. If you’re into hiking and camping, would you agree with this article?
- Speaking of AZ: Arizona was just rated the worst place to live in 2021. “Strength: Arizona scored poorly in all metrics.” Haha!!! I certainly do not disagree. We have terrible pollution, excessive heat, walls of dust and ensuing highway pileups, every state’s cliched bad driver on one freeway, thorns and venom everywhere, miles and miles of hideous beige stucco, paltry benefits for the underprivileged, and don’t even ask about the summer A/C bills.
- Sewing skills: With my latest project, I’m teaching myself how to sew inseam pockets and gather more effectively using dental floss. I have a projects where I gave up when I got to the gathers, so I’m excited to put this new knowledge to use. I also had my first experience with princess seams and plackets on a baby romper. Sewing is such an expensive hobby, but so fun and rewarding!
- WHF thriving: “While extroverts are celebrated for being outgoing, action-oriented and enthusiastic, introverts bring analytical thought and empathy… During the pandemic, those skills immediately became incredibly sought after. Introverts are reliable; people who take one project at a time and do it thoroughly. They’re good at deep thought and forming personal connection. That was really important during the period when companies were trying to hold onto clients.” I’m happy and thriving working from home, and I suspect this is a big part of that.
- Getting out of your head: “To the degree you’re able to see thoughts as the hallucinations they are, you won’t be perturbed by them. As soon as you can see a thought as a thought even a little bit, the grip of rumination loosens.” Wise words from David at Raptitude.
- Dancing with systems: “If something is ugly, say so. If it is tacky, inappropriate, out of proportion, unsustainable, morally degrading, ecologically impoverishing, or humanly demeaning, don’t let it pass. Don’t be stopped by the “if you can’t define it and measure it, I don’t have to pay attention to it” ploy. No one can precisely define or measure justice, democracy, security, freedom, truth, or love. No one can precisely define or measure any value. But if no one speaks up for them, if systems aren’t designed to produce them, if we don’t speak about them and point toward their presence or absence, they will cease to exist.” Interesting article from environmental scientist Donella Meadows.
existential ergonomics 
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