In no way is this meant to be dismissive of very real fear/concerns -- they're huge, and this is something that's REALLY hard to deal with, but but but but but but -- folks, no matter what you do or what choices you make, you're doing the best you can with what you have AND THAT IS ENOUGH.
Even if our children run wild like total little monsters and accomplish absolutely zero -- ZERO!!!!!! -- this year, they will be okay academically. Children are HUGELY resilient, and this upcoming environment doesn't suit anybody at all. They're all going to struggle, they're all going to fall behind, and they will catch up. They have you, mama and dada (and teachers!!!). You're doing the best you can for your family (and students!). THAT is the important part. They'll be OK.
You are enough. You are enough. You are enough.
@Sunny said in Health and Wealth and GrownUp Stuff:
You are enough. You are enough. You are enough.
I swear I need to break my religious taboo about tatoos on my body and get that printed somewhere, because all of us are honestly so freaking deflated.
The only thing I've got going for me is that my baby who has <insert things that are private here> has decided that he loves school and loves me, and has decided that everything is okay as long as he's right by my side. I can DO THAT. Teach him to READ? .... yeah, we'll see. But he knows I love him.
It took more into my adult years and then I got my first tattoo. It's a semi-colon with butterfly wings. The semi-colon meaning that it's a pause not the end for suicide awareness.
WARNING: I never believed people that said once you get one you get hooked.... I now have two. The other is an monogram of every letter of the alphabet so that I have every word ever created and every book ever written.
Edit: MONOGRAM -- apparently I just don't know words. It's a symbol thing.
@silverfox I have 8. The most recent was a tribute to my father, in a way. It's a lyric from a Rush song, that was on when my sister told me he was gone. "We're only immortal, for a limited time."
That wasn't supposed to be what I got. I was going to get 'Just Breathe' - because of my anxiety and panic attacks. So I am RIGHT there with you on the 'I should get that tatooed on me.'
(Yes, I know technically Just Breathe is also a song lyric. :P)
For over a week now I've been sleeping until 3-5pm. I go to bed by 3am, but my sleep is shit because of my knee.
I've had this lump the size of my fist above my right knee for about five months. For a while I thought it was just fat. I'd gained quarantine weight etc etc. But I've lost ten pounds. My left knee doesn't look like that at all. There's just this big lump making my thigh right above my knee kinda misshapen.
And in turn I get sharp pains down my leg. A pretty much constant ache. Tylenol takes the edge off but it doesn't help me sleep....until I'm just so exhausted I sleep. Usually from about 9am to 3pm the following day.
This has become my number one reason to get a job. So I can see a doctor and find out wtf is wrong.
@Auspice said in Health and Wealth and GrownUp Stuff:
This has become my number one reason to get a job. So I can see a doctor and find out wtf is wrong.
Find a free clinic in your town. Most moderate to large cities have one.
I am very much feeling the same anxiety and stress of everyone on the last page or so, it honestly does make it easier to know none of us are alone.
Initially I planned on doing remote schooling with the Kiddo this year, but he has been so depressed and restless and anxious without his friends at school that I finally decided to send him back physically instead. He starts tomorrow and I have not been able to sleep yet. 
Also, on the subject of tattoos: my first and only one I have I got two years ago, a really stylized Deathly Hallows, over my heart. I've really liked it, but after Rowling outed herself as ridiculously transphobic I am feeling very shitty about it. I'm really torn over whether I want to get it covered up or removed; considering the former, but not yet sure with what.
I mean, if you love it and it has meaning to you. Keep it. Not all people sporting Bible verses are Christian or even believe in God. Just saying. They just like the verse/the meaning to them/etc.
I'm not sure that I do love it anymore. The books have had sentimental value to me because I grew up with them, but how I feel about them as an adult has changed a lot, and especially in the light of the author's views that I personally find hateful a lot of that fondness for them has dried up.
Also, I dunno, I wouldn't exactly compare a former fandom to a former religion. But if I'd gotten a bible verse or a cross, just speaking for myself I'd probably feel pretty strongly about altering or removing them too when I became an atheist.
^_______^
(@_____@)
---|---
/\
@Wizz said in Health and Wealth and GrownUp Stuff:
I'm not sure that I do love it anymore. The books have had sentimental value to me because I grew up with them, but how I feel about them as an adult has changed a lot, and especially in the light of the author's views that I personally find hateful a lot of that fondness for them has dried up.
Also, I dunno, I wouldn't exactly compare a former fandom to a former religion. But if I'd gotten a bible verse or a cross, just speaking for myself I'd probably feel pretty strongly about altering or removing them too when I became an atheist.
I mean, you do you, but personally I don't think you can judge the value of a work by the character of its author, no matter how popular that seems to be in the cancel culture movement. If that were the case nobody would ever read anything at all. Most works considered to be masterpieces were written by authors with some serious problems by contemporary standards. Distinguishing one from the other is perfectly acceptable.
Racism isn't Tinkerbell. It doesn't need you to believe in it for it to exist.
@Derp said in Health and Wealth and GrownUp Stuff:
@Wizz said in Health and Wealth and GrownUp Stuff:
I'm not sure that I do love it anymore. The books have had sentimental value to me because I grew up with them, but how I feel about them as an adult has changed a lot, and especially in the light of the author's views that I personally find hateful a lot of that fondness for them has dried up.
Also, I dunno, I wouldn't exactly compare a former fandom to a former religion. But if I'd gotten a bible verse or a cross, just speaking for myself I'd probably feel pretty strongly about altering or removing them too when I became an atheist.
I mean, you do you, but personally I don't think you can judge the value of a work by the character of its author, no matter how popular that seems to be in the cancel culture movement. If that were the case nobody would ever read anything at all. Most works considered to be masterpieces were written by authors with some serious problems by contemporary standards. Distinguishing one from the other is perfectly acceptable.
That's a very personal decision for each person, and it can be really dependent on your relationship with the text and the issues with the author. The idea that an author's character is somehow completely independent from the art they create is a very simplified view of how art is created in the first place. I don't tell people to abandon art when they come to realize that the creator holds beliefs they find deeply offensive, but on the flipside, I get really irritated when people argue at others deciding they have to put away something beloved because they can't stomach it anymore due to the author's words or actions. Art and artist are intrinsically interwoven, and you don't have to cry "cancel culture" because one person is navigating their personal relationship with a piece of art. @Wizz isn't telling anybody else they need to toss their copies of Harry Potter. He's talking about rethinking a permanent mark on his own body.
I've always been more in line with the same school of thought as @Roz outlined; a large part of my appreciation for art only comes when I feel like I understand the artist.
But what's great about art is how subjective all of that is. You can assign some independent value to Harry Potter or whatever work if you want, I am absolutely not here to convince you otherwise. I just wanted to talk about how I feel when I see that tattoo in the mirror lately.
^_______^
(@_____@)
---|---
/\
@Wizz said in Health and Wealth and GrownUp Stuff:
I'm not sure that I do love it anymore. The books have had sentimental value to me because I grew up with them, but how I feel about them as an adult has changed a lot, and especially in the light of the author's views that I personally find hateful a lot of that fondness for them has dried up.
Also, I dunno, I wouldn't exactly compare a former fandom to a former religion. But if I'd gotten a bible verse or a cross, just speaking for myself I'd probably feel pretty strongly about altering or removing them too when I became an atheist.
Tattoo person here (I have 5+, friends with 30+, friends with tattoo artists).
The likelihood that any given tattoo won't ever be associated with something else is definitely not 0%. A comedian I saw had a joke about a guy who got his favorite band's logo tattooed on his arm...
Here's the hard reality...
@Wizz I started to feel differently about Harry Potter when all the shit with JK started. Then I realized something: this is a fandom that is almost entirely taken over by the fans. And Harry Potter fans have pretty much taken over everything and rejected JK Rowling's bullshit. It's genuinely heartwarming to watch.
I do understand where you're coming from, but Harry Potter as a story took on its own life, independent of its creator, and as a community, the challenge has been and is being met.
I hope that helps, but if it doesn't, I understand that, too.
If anyone is in the hurricane path I am east of Tyler, TX and my home is open. (My wife and I are Covid recovered and she is back to teaching).
I may be taking my boat if needed for water rescue but my wife will be home to welcome and put anyone in need of evacuations up.
@buttercup said in Health and Wealth and GrownUp Stuff:
If anyone is in the hurricane path I am east of Tyler, TX and my home is open. (My wife and I are Covid recovered and she is back to teaching).
I may be taking my boat if needed for water rescue but my wife will be home to welcome and put anyone in need of evacuations up.
Along similar lines, I have space here in Austin. It's a 1 bedroom apartment, but I have an air mattress and cats who will cuddle with any/everyone.
Though I do not have air conditioning at the moment because it ded. Waiting on the replacement.
I want to throw out there that if anyone's been affected by the Iowa or Texas weather problems, I'd be happy to toss out a few bucks to help you get through.
Also, I live in SW Ohio, and am still willing to do grocery runs and shit for people or family members.
@reimesu said in Health and Wealth and GrownUp Stuff:
@Wizz I started to feel differently about Harry Potter when all the shit with JK started. Then I realized something: this is a fandom that is almost entirely taken over by the fans. And Harry Potter fans have pretty much taken over everything and rejected JK Rowling's bullshit. It's genuinely heartwarming to watch.
I do understand where you're coming from, but Harry Potter as a story took on its own life, independent of its creator, and as a community, the challenge has been and is being met.
I hope that helps, but if it doesn't, I understand that, too.
I'm not actually sure what this means. Harry Potter is not public domain, it's not like Rowling surrendered the IP, and if she wanted to I'm sure she could make things very difficult legally for any fan community who had somehow convinced themselves otherwise and tried to produce their own take on the setting or whatever else this implies.
It's sweet that many of her fans agree that her opinions are trash, but that doesn't actually change anything for me.
I'm sure this could be its own topic at this point, but I personally don't really feel like arguing the point. If you want to enjoy Harry Potter, enjoy Harry Potter.
George Lucas showed how effectively the IP holder can mess with a devout fanbase.
She just needs to add the Harry Potter version of Jar Jar Binks and make Voldemort a whiney 10 year old in a prequel series.
Ceterum autem censeo Carthaginem esse delendam
@Ominous I admit it, I'm cackling.
