Pandemic Journal April 27 Hang in There

How is everyone doing?

I think we've been such good citizens. I am shocked at how obedient most of us have been. We will all deserve a reward after this.
Schools have been officially closed for the rest of the rest of the school year. Graduations have been cancelled after having been postponed.

Our state leaders are warming us up for a boring, cautious summer.

I'm thinking to start shopping now for a blowup pool and Splish n' Splash sprinkler before they are all sold out or on the black market like puzzles and sidewalk chalk.
Our school districts and universities are preparing us for school to look very different come August.

We are tired of this. Tired of being with the same few people 24/7, tired of letting our grocery and essential items list grow until we are forced to go out, tired of being separated from loved ones and tired of yoga pants and sweats (wait, did I say that?)    

We ask ourselves, how long? is this really helping?
I have to trust those in charge (well... discerningly) and those who know more than I do. If our states and countries around the world are insisting we sacrifice our economic well-being, then I have to assume it is for good reason.

We have to stay strong.

We still don't know all there is to know about this virus, we are learning new things all the time.
It's hard to make such drastic adjustments for an enemy you can't see. But watch the local news stories of the virus ripping through families or tearing through elderly care facilities.

The caveat to this post thus far is that I know this is easier for me:
My family is economically sound
I am an introvert
I don't get bored
I am a rule-follower
My worst fears are a zombie apocalypse and a pandemic
For people who are economically distressed, haven't seen The Walking Dead, are living alone, or just need interaction, I realize it's so much harder.

If you are bored and antsy and you want to get out there, I urge you to suit up and volunteer. 
There are so many ways to help: delivering groceries, working with food banks, virtual tutoring, etc. 
If you live in an affluent area, there might still be areas of need, but if not, go outside your area. 
Here are organizations that will match you up with opportunities in your area:
https://www.neighborhoodbridges.org/ (in select areas of the country only)
https://www.allforgood.org/
https://www.idealist.org/en/

The Thursday Three on FRIDAY: What's Cooking

3 things I’m cooking:

# 1

   Soups

Mexican Red Lentil Soup

Quinoa Minestrone

# 2

        Chinese Food:

Honey Ginger Tofu Stir Fry

ExtraVegetable Fried Rice

Other Asian Recipes:
Thai Coconut and Peanut Butter Curry
Kung-Pao Chickpeas

# 3
Buddha Bowls (like these):

Sweet Potato-Chickpea Buddha Bowl

Build-Your-Own

It's all in the dressing:
Green Tahini
Chipotle Tahini
Honey-Mustard Dressing

*there are so many variations of Buddha Bowl that's it hard to have a recipe. You go with what you've got. I always have a grain, roasted veggies and tofu. I often have fresh greens and some kind of bean.

*Bonus*

Treats:

Cashew/Bulletproof Cafe Mocha:
This is a recipe I made up. I make a batch, store it in a large jar and use it throughout the week. Play around with the amounts to your own taste.
3 cups of coffee
1/4-1/2 cup of cashews (raw, salted and/or roasted all work)*
5-8 dates (depending on how sweet you want it)
1-2 TBS of cocoa
1 TBS coconut oil or MCT oil or ghee
a crack of salt
optional: vanilla
Put it all in a blender (Vitamix works best to really smooth the cashews & dates). Blending it all together creates a creamy latte effect and works so much better than just adding nut milk in your coffee.
 *I soak my cashews in the coffee/water for a bit before blending.

Double Chocolate Greek Yogurt Bread: 
I use 1/2 AP and 1/2 wheat. 
I use the full amount of sweetener called for, it's necessary and still not too sweet.
https://www.runningwithspoons.com/double-chocolate-greek-yogurt-banana-bread/

       

Read a Memoir

Memoir is one of my favorite genres. 
I can't help but think of all the memoirs that will come out of this Covid-19 pandemic. It will be interesting to read about others' situations.
Memoirs often help us sort out our own feelings on a shared experience. 
Memoirs fulfill our need for story but they also:
Give a voice to those who are often overlooked
Provide inspiration and hope
Build empathy
Provide a first-hand perspective of an experience

My Favorite Memoirs:

Amazon Link

Amazon Link

Amazon Link

Amazon Link

Amazon Link

Amazon Link

Amazon Link

Amazon Link

On My To-Read List:

                

Amazon Link

Amazon link

Amazon Link

Amazon Link

Great Memoirs for Young Readers:

Many memoirs have young readers' editions. They can be hard to find because they are often under different titles or written with another author. From above, Born a Crime, A Hope More Powerful Than the Sea and Just Mercy all have young readers' editions.

Here are some others to look into:

               

             

I would be happy to describe or talk at length about any books on this page. If you need more recommendations for yourself or your young reader, please let me know!

The Thursday 3

Anyone who does research for anything knows how easy it is to fall down that rabbit hole of fascinating information-most of which you won't end up using.
Here are 3 interesting things I've come across in my current research that didn't make it in:

#  1

          Vesta Tilley

Matilda Alice Powles took the stage name Vesta Tilley when she was 11 years old(!) She was a music hall performer and became one of the most famous male impersonators of her era and enjoyed her fame for over thirty years. She was married and had the title of Lady and was quite revered in her time.


# 2

         Pullman Porters

George Pullman came up with the idea to cater to high-end train travelers by designing hotel-like accommodations.                              

He staffed the luxury cars with a team of porters. Pullman recruited only black men and their job was to handle baggage, shine shoes, set up and clean the sleeping berths and serve passengers. 

George Pullman was open about his reasons for hiring only black porters but despite the undeniable racism behind those employment practices, he ended up giving advantages to people who desperately needed them. Pullman porters were known for their superior service and many went on to become almost famous in other service jobs such as in the White House.

#  3

       Coco Chanel
I knew nearly nothing about Coco Chanel. I didn't even realize she was designing in the early 1900s.   She was a true entrepreneur as well as a creative. She learned to sew in an orphanage and attempted cabaret singing before designing clothes that would help free women from corsets and bustles. There's a lot to her story but what's most interesting to me, so far, is that she was able to accomplish much of what she did because of the relationships (as mistress, usually) she had with men who had money. But, this does not diminish her legacy in anyway, for her success,influence and style were all her own. 
                

Theda Bara is the Story

I'm in the middle of revisions for a short story. This story has reminded me why I love writing. I don't always love writing. I always love having written. But putting together the puzzle of the plot and creating a believable and interesting character arc can be frustrating and, at least for me, it takes a lot of mental, and storytelling stamina.
During this quarantine, I don't have any more free time to write than I did before, but what I do have is less stress, less logistical planning and rushing around to do and more help with the cooking and cleaning. This has freed my mind to be more creative, to work out the story in my head and to let ideas percolate with less distraction.
One of the reasons I love this story is that I love the characters (most I have made up, one I have not) and I love the research.
Also, I've gone back to my roots with this story. I always loved historical fiction; it was the first genre of chapter books I remember reading as a kid. I always loved silent and black and white films and the old actors and actresses. And of course, my major in college was history.
My main character is a teenage girl named Miriam. She is the youngest of three sisters and finds herself somewhat outside the circle of closeness the other two sisters and their mother have.
The secondary character is Theda Bara, a silent film actress who played femme fatale roles but was quite the opposite of this persona in real life.

The story revolves around a "vamp beauty pageant" being held in a small town in Kansas that Theda herself is judging.
The story explores themes of familial love, belonging and promises made.

You might recognize her as the face on the Lumineers album from 2016

                 

Pandemic Journal April 11-Starting to Crack

When I was a little girl I was so scared of monsters hiding under my bed. I would turn the lights out and sail into bed, putting my whole self under the covers in one movement. I waited and waited, the air turning stale and suffocating, but I wasn't sure when it would be safe to come out from under the covers. How long would it be before the monster under the bed forgot about me or went back to where it came from?                                                           
In the first weeks of the quarantine, the situation was surreal because I felt I had been expecting this. I was snug as a bug in a rug in my isolation (well, a bug on constant alert for a footfall coming down upon it).
Now though, it's surreal in the sense that the world has gone quiet, hollow. It seems to have stopped for a monster many of us cannot see.
I wonder what day it is, they go by in a blur.
Do I even exist?
Long text chats and funny quarantine memes used to be sent all throughout the day. Now, it's sometimes days between hearing from my groups.
No one can say yet when the quarantine will end. "Numbers are still coming in," they say. We have to flatten the curve, see how the countries ahead of us in this situation are doing.
We want to wait until the most optimal time, but I can't help thinking that that decision will still be an unpredictable one.

How long do we have to wait until we feel safe enough to come out from under the covers?

Thursday 3- What I've Been Watching

3 things I've been watching:

        #1.

This has been my favorite! I'm so bummed that I have only one episode left. It's a post-apocalyptic, character-driven journey that fulfills my every need for a good story.

         
        #2.
         
                                                     
                 
I'm watching this with my husband and he would prefer to binge watch, but I can't take so much anxiety at a time. Marty and Ruth are my favorite characters and I worry for them so much...


        #3.

                                           

We are watching this as a family and it generates some good conversations. It was somewhat of a slow start for the kids but they seem to be into now.



        Bonus:

                     
Beware of watching this with young kids. There is bad language and candid conversations but the benefits of watching groundbreaking women discuss their lives, accomplishments and inspirational journeys, far outweighs what you might have to explain.