Hello Friends. How are you? Have you settled into quarantine life yet? Found a schedule or some consistency that’s working for you?
I’m sure worried about you. I know some of you live in tiny spaces and are feeling trapped. I know some of you have very young kids and nowhere for them to get out their excess energy (and no break for you from childcare!). I know some of you are lonely. I know some of you are worried about paying for food and bills and not sure where to get help. I know some of you have essential jobs and are still heading into work everyday so that the rest of us can remain safely home. I know pretty much everyone is living with an unusual level of stress. I know this is hard.
One of the hardest parts is not being able to see the end. We don’t know how long it will be until our kids can go to school, until we can return to our work places, until we can resume errands and meetings. It makes it really difficult to manage expectations. We got an email yesterday from our school saying that the earliest we would go back is May 4th (but that’s not guaranteed at all).
How about you? How are you holding up? Have you been able to find any silver-linings? Are you remembering to take your meds? Finding new ways to cope? This week I started randomly facetiming long-time friends that I don’t get a chance to talk to very often. Not everyone picks up (and I know not everyone recognizes my +33 French number), but when they do it’s delightful. : )
Ready for some weekend links? Here are a few things I’ve been wanting to share:
-15 times the normal price for medical equipment? In the middle of a pandemic? How is that not illegal?
-Are your kids facing a cancelled graduation? Maybe consider this guide to creating a virtual graduation ceremony.
– Wait. What? The 1,000-Bed Comfort Was Supposed to Aid New York. It Has 20 Patients. “It’s a joke,” said a top hospital executive, whose facilities are packed with coronavirus patients.
-Hah! For all the teachers and parents who are worn out of online school.
-Another article wondering why more men are dying of coronavirus. This quote stands out. “The medical establishment has largely overlooked the profound chromosomal, hormonal and anatomical uniqueness of genetic females. The current practice of medicine was built using research that was done primarily on male[s]”
-An extensive archive of old Mexican packaging. So good.
-They don’t have to be on the front lines, but they choose to do so: Meet the volunteers of France’s Civil Protection Service.
-Two months before the novel coronavirus began spreading in Wuhan, the Trump administration ended a $ 200-million program aimed at detecting — well, novel coronaviruses. The staff had been working with the lab in — you guessed it: Wuhan.
-Dutch museum says Vincent van Gogh painting stolen in overnight raid. What a time to be alive!
-“We are all science communicators now.”
-What’s it like to have a famous name?
-This Is Not the Apocalypse You Were Looking For.
-I’m most hopeful anytime I hear news about focusing on testing. Experts say Germany’s remarkably low fatality rate for the coronavirus is because they’re testing early and often.
-“Trump supporters voted for a chaos presidency. That’s what we have. And it’s going to kill some of us. It already has.”
-Researchers are calling it a miracle. An agricultural project that cost $ 54 million and involved 65k local bureaucrats has saved Chinese farmers more than $ 12.2 billion over 10 years.
-Something for your kiddos. Bond’s mission is teaching children healthy habits for happy brains. They are offering free videos, 8-10 mins each, with athletic exercises, musical movement and mindfulness skills.
–Oscar’s latest podcast episode.
-Anyone have a favorite pair of sweats to recommend? I’m thinking about these. I like that they have pockets and a wide waistband.
Here are some tweets I save for you:
–Good excuses to celebrate while you’re home this month.
-For anyone curious about what the rest of the world is saying about the U.S. response to the pandemic. She asked, and there are lots of responses.
-A tweet relating to one of the articles above.
–Reading time with Dolly Parton? Yes please.
-The reality of this chart is hard to comprehend (press play).
-I learned a bunch of stuff I didn’t know in this thread about how Fox News makes money. (Even people who don’t watch Fox News are often contributing to their profits.)
–Hahahaha.
-I’m not looking forward to this either.
-Something gorgeous to look at.
I hope you have a good-normal-as-possible weekend. I’ll meet you back here on Monday. I miss you already.
kisses,
Gabrielle
P.S. — The palm tree photo at top was shot in Palm Springs a month ago. It feels like years have passed since then.
