21 August 2020

Five Things for Friday / Book Beginnings on Friday / #Friday56

Lookout - my rage is getting too big to want to contain. 

If you don't want to deal with my fury, skip to #5 (where I try to shed some of my bitter), or go ahead and scroll down to the book memes, eh?

I started reading Invisible Women last month, but gave up before I finished. 75% of the unpaid labor in the world is done by women. 3/4. But so much of it is not acknowledged because it's 'just' childcare, 'just' housework, 'just' eldercare, 'just' running errands...

But it isn't 'just' feminism that is gathering my rage. It's politics too. Aw, heck. Let's just pour it into five things, shall we?

  1. Wear. A. Mask. I'm in Michigan, so that's the recommendation. I think our governor is great, and has done a lot to help stop the spread of COVID-19. I don't care if you agree with me on that or not, you just need to wear your mask anyway. If everyone had worn a mask back when it was first recommended, we'd be done by now. We'd be heading back to school because the virus would have been snuffed out to a manageable degree. Wear. A. Mask. And if your own health makes a mask impossible, you're probably safer at home anyway. Need me to drop something off for you? Let me know. But stay home, or wear your mask.
  2. Those with opinions on the schools being virtual vs remote vs in-person: Deal with it. Or don't. I was going to head this one off by trying to get the attention of parents first, but a lot of the people bellyaching don't even have school-age kids. So you're just complaining because 'the schools are wasting your tax dollars.' Shut. Up. First of all, teachers have been training literally all summer long so IF we ended up online again, they'd be more prepared. Yeah, everyone saying teachers have 'three months off..' NOT THIS YEAR! By the way, if you're worried about your children falling behind - I get it! But if you're worried, your kids will be fine. True story. Random aside: They do pick up on your moods - tell them that it is going to be okay. Because it is.
  3. Vote. Because I'm looking forward to having a president without pending rape charges. Please help make that happen. And as long as I'm spouting off, don't waste your vote on a third party candidate for president. Really, we need to make lying wrong again, and splitting the opposing votes because you don't like either primary option doesn't help anyone. It hurts.
  4. Here's a nice fringe idea that doesn't apply yet, but definitely comes to mind with the schooling thing. If your kids are sick, keep them home. Not kidding. Being in the school, volunteering or working, I regularly heard from kids who were sick - like, had thrown-up that morning, or looking awful because they had an obvious fever. This is why I'm so grateful we don't have in-person schooling yet. Because some parents will send their kids to school no matter what. Is it because their job is more important than everyone else's health? Is it just because they are so adamant to not stay home with the child they brought into the world? Who knows. But it's got to stop. Sick kids and adults need to stay home. 
  5. So. I feel like a big-ole whiner right now. Let me leave you with some great news (well, for me, anyway). I won our local library's summer reading program GRAND PRIZE!! My grand prize was $100 Amazon gift card! I got another pair of PJ pants (dark blue with dinosaurs), a book of RBG quotes, an RBG Funko-Pop, a 2021 Witches' Calendar, a swim suit for my lil dude, and a couple bottles of my favorite kind of nail polish (a bright yellow, and another top coat). Then I had 34-cents left, so I put it toward our 99-cent rental of the RBG documentary. So, yay me! Finding out just one week before my official lay-off letter is giving me some delivery bright spots when there won't be any more fun-shopping in the immediate future ;)

Check it out, I just started To Have and to Hoax by Martha Waters yesterday, so I'll be highlighting stuff from that for Book Beginnings on Friday and #Friday56. Follow the links to join in and check out other great blogs.

May 1812 - Lady Violet Grey, eighteen years old, fair of face and figure, with a respectable fortune and unimpeachable bloodline, had every advantage a young lady of good society could possibly desire -- except, according to her mother, one tragically absent trait: a suitably ladylike sense of meekness.
and from 56% through 
Violet realized in an instant why West had been so taken with Sophie Wexham. On the surface, she was all that was prim and proper -- her hair pulled neatly back, her trim figure clothed in an entirely appropriate gown -- but there was clearly more to her that lurked just beneath the surface, and Violet found herself rather intrigued by what, precisely, that more might be.



Enjoy the rest of your week, and stay well 💖💖


 

13 comments:

Liz Parker said...

Yay, congrats on the Amazon gift card! That's a lot of books :P.

This made me laugh but unfortunately is true:
Vote. Because I'm looking forward to having a president without pending rape charges.

fredamans said...

I hope you enjoy your read! Happy weekend!

Rachel said...

You are on a roll! I have to agree with everything you said especially about keeping sick kids home. When I was teaching this was my biggest pet peeve!!! Also I agree with all you said about voting. Its a crazy scary world when we would consider a rapist for president.

Anne@HeadFullofBooks said...

Perfect book for your mood, since Trump calls everything he doesn't like a HOAX. Ha. I too am sick of him and of the way people behave in this country. Did you watch any of the DNC? Last night a young thirteen year old boy who stutters was on and he told the story of how Biden is helping him overcome it. It was really tear-jerker stuff. Of course today the a**holes couldn't just leave it alone and some guy said the boy was faking it. Can't wait for Nov. 3rd but we must get out the vote!!!!
My book is called WEATHER

Anne@HeadFullofBooks said...

Not sure if you have ever visited my Sunday Salon post, but I invite you to take a look. On this post I try to highlight positive things (in my mind) that are happening in politics and elsewhere and make fun of other things. I welcome you to join me every Sunday. Here is last weeks post: https://headfullofbooks.blogspot.com/2020/08/sunday-salonaugust-16-2020.html

Lauren Stoolfire said...

Agreed!

Congrats on the win! :)

Lauren @ Always Me

Ashley Sapp said...

Congrats on winning the gift card! That's awesome! Hope you have a great weekend! :)

Yvonne said...

Excellent post! You did a great job with it. Also, congrats on the gift card!

Yvonne @ Fiction Books Reviews said...

I'm so pleased it's not just we Brits who moan about the state of our country politically, and for some of us, the appalling way some people are behaving during the current crisis!

I can echo just about every one of your own thoughts in relation to the UK right now, although I probably have more radical thoughts about the idiots out there who think they are indestructible, will never catch the virus and make life hell for those of us who venture out when they have to and then can't get a couple of inches of space to ourselves!

It is great news about your win! No matter what the prize, or its value, there is always that small frisson of satisfaction at it having been won, isn't there?

I'm not sure that the book you featured is one for me, it's just a bit too 'over the top', although your extracts did make me smile. Violet and James sound as reprehensible as one another!

I hope that you are enjoying the read though and have a good week :)

Yvonne xx

Elza Reads said...

You go girl!! If you can't rant and rave freely on the blogosphere, you'll get it done nowhere.

I'm from South Africa and a teacher/librarian. Teacher have really been working harder than ever this past 5 months. Most of my classes are currently a combination of online and physical. It's draining...! But I'm grateful to still have a job and for being healthy. AND YES, We do wear our masks all the time.

Hope your week will be good, calm and peaceful.

Elza Reads

Emma at Words And Peace / France Book Tours said...

I'm not in Michigan,but I so agree with you. I'm actually grateful people in my community (a suburb of Chicago) behave, wear a mask, and are very careful not to walk to close on the sidewalk, including crossing to get tot the other sidewalk!
I wish it were the same all over the US, we wouldn't be where we are at now.
Congrats for winning the library summer contest! I hope it will be my turn one year, so far, 12 years without winning, but anyway I have fun reading

thecuecard said...

Congrats on the prize! How fun to win it.

Sammie @ The Bookwyrm's Den said...

Congrats on winning the grand prize for summer reading! Sounds like you got lots of great things. :) To Have and to Hoax is a cute title, and it sounds like a fun read. Enjoy!