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Quarantine Tuesday Reading Kaffeeklatsch 8/11/2020
OK Here We GO! You guys know me well, and yes Kamala and Joe were my number one and two in either position. I'm thrilled and I think it will be a great choice for America. And for those folks who might complain, I read her autobiography and reviewed it, and she has a stunning career as a prosecutor, but also deeply understands the situation about BLM and systemic racism, the need for prison reform, and the quandary about holding both perspectives. She gets the entire picture depthfully and thoughtfully. She spends a lot of the book talking about 'false choice', like do we have to choose between Covid and the Economy - no. Neither do we have to choose between law and order and systemic racism. Thats a false choice and she's our gal to best navigate it. Now.... I wanted to tell you. Those who have known me for a bit, know that its been in my dream and heart to teach, and I just got a job teaching a course in the area I have most wanted to teach and know I can shine and give that gift. Two summers ago, I taught a couples counseling course at Boston College and I just loved it, a ten week real life class. Well the Dean of the School recommended me for teaching a one Day class/course in Psychodynamic Psychotherapy for their Continuing Ed program for an Advanced Certificate Program for Social Workers. Its 6 hours, and I am truly honored and excited to teach it! I think I am a bit daunted by the fact that it is zoom, where you can't read the room in the same way. Where you get energy from the people, can tell if they are nodding off, or rapt, or on the edge of their seats, or smiling because they see where you are going with this. When they need to go to the bathroom, are shuffling and grimacing, and need to take a break. Where the conversation can be active and truly dynamic. I admit I am nervous about that piece of it - but its a foot in the door, for continuing my association at Boston College, and its a course that if it goes well, i could maybe teach yearly, and in person someday. I'd like to be able to tell the Social Work department and the Psychology department that i am already continuing to work for the school, and deepen my association with them. So that is exciting.
Meanwhile, had a nice family day on Sunday, and took everybody and the two dogs to Newburyport and Plum Island which was just great. Worried about the library being slow when I need to get books for book groups and challenges, but other than that, life is good. Working on College Essays, test prep, Goblet of Fire, and making sure to get the most out of this challenging summer. I miss my parents and I feel sad about the High Holidays upcoming. We also went to the Container Store, and i just about cried about how empty and lonely it was without the kids getting ready to go back to or move to college for the first time. They should be bustling with dorm stuff and 1st time away. They didn't have a trash barrel either, but in any case, it was an experience.
What else - Rosie is about 20 pounds. The girls seem to be working it out more. Its not friendship or love yet, but its also not terrible. Its sort of sweet how they both love us. I have all sorts of pictures of the two of them in the car, and the living room. There are signs of co-existence. Got to go clear out my email, if it were hundreds an hour before, the news about Kamala and all the buzz will take hours to get through. There goes We Ride Upon Sticks......
Great wonderful news, Amy! I know you will do well. And as you say, it is keeping your foot in the door.I too worry about educating using Zoom for all the reasons you give. Heck, those same issues plague Zoom meetings. But slowly I am learning to read a Zoom group, at least when all are 'live'. I automatically am suspicious when someone hides behind a still photo or just name.
Awesome news Amy! So happy for you. Is it so nice to hear good news and see someone walking on their life path.Although Kamala was not my pick, I believe Joe made the right choice for the country and healing. One thing I know for sure, is that we will actually have a V.P. who has a purpose and who is not in some hidey-hole all the time. I believe she can influence Joe, in a great way.
Things here in Clarkston are the same-My garden is over flowing with goodness and I have been cooking and freezing and drying and storing. Last year I discovered a marvelous use for all those tomato skins that would normally get tossed-Make Tomato Powder with them. Here's how-
Set over to 250-line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and distribute all the skins onto the sheet. Sprinkle a little sea salt and olive oil on them. The skins will begin to dry, turn them about 1/2 in and then continue to check on them. Pull them out when they are dry and crumbly. You may have to take them out bits at a time, as they they never dry at the same speed.
When all are dry and cooled but them in a food processor, or a blender, or coffee grinder evens works. You will get a powder that can be stored in a glass jar. Use the powder on pasta, or salads or to make rubs for poultry or beef. I promise it will make your food sing
Congrats to both Theresa and Amy! Theresa, although you can see me when I use my tablet for Zoom meetings, I only use my tablet for personal things.
For work, I use my PC. It's old and I don't have a webcam! So, it's possible that is the case for some people. I know there doesn't seem to be very many people without a webcam, but it's possible.
I think in one of my work meetings, it also turned out that too many people with video slowed things down and the person leading the meeting was freezing. It worked better when fewer people had their cameras on.
Amy I'm so happy for you!!I lead trainings on Zoom all the time and while it's not as ideal as in person, you still can "read the room". I highly, highly recommend getting a 2nd monitor if you don't already have one. What I do is I share the screen of one monitor and then I set up the gallery view of the participants on the other monitor. That way you can keep an eye on the people as you are presenting and see the impact. Also, a lot of people stay on mute and shake their head when you ask them things, so it allows you to see that too. You can also open up the chat window and keep an eye on that too.
I had something devastating happen but I'm going to wait a day or two before I mention it because I want today to be about Amy and her freaking awesome news!!
Congrats Amy and Theresa! Hugs to Charlotte for whatever bad thing happened.My dog had to have a lump removed from her neck yesterday. I'm hoping the biopsy doesn't show cancer. She has a wrap around her neck to keep her from scratching the stitches out. I can tell it's already going to be 2 long weeks of pulling up the wrap and telling her to stop scratching. Fortunately since I'm working from home she can just relax next to me all day.
My work uses webex which also has the problem of slowing down the video feed if too many people have their cameras on. For work meetings I've only been turning my camera on if I'm speaking to help with this problem.
LibraryCin wrote: "Congrats to both Theresa and Amy! Theresa, although you can see me when I use my tablet for Zoom meetings, I only use my tablet for personal things.
For work, I use my PC. It's old and I don't ..."
Oh I know Cindy! In fact my office desktop has no webcam or microphone so I have to use tablet, laptop or phone when Zooming or any video conference. I usually use laptop.
I just automatically am suspicious in work situations ... I am sure some comes from the need to maintain privilege and confidentiality when interacting with clients and others on all work matters. I have actually had a rogue board member pull shit using alleged non-working video during a Zoom consultation on a legal matter affecting HOA.
Obviously a workshop has no confidentiality or privilege concerns!
Congratulations, Theresa and Amy! I'm sure you will both do a great job. I'm happy about the VP pick too - I voted for her when she ran for AG.
Sending good thoughts and hugs Charlotte
Congratulations Amy and Theresa! Great to hear some good news. My Toastmasters group has been using Zoom since March and it mostly works, but it's really hard to use your whole body in the speech unless you have a large space and flexibility about where to set everything up. My biggest challenge is remembering to look at where the camera is rather than at the different people.
Charlotte wrote: "Amy I'm so happy for you!!I lead trainings on Zoom all the time and while it's not as ideal as in person, you still can "read the room". I highly, highly recommend getting a 2nd monitor if you do..."
Charlotte...if you need to share, do. This is a no judgment zone. Plus I think we can all handle tough news while still enjoying sparkles from good news.
Theresa wrote: "I have actually had a rogue board member pull shit using alleged non-working video during a Zoom consultation on a legal matter affecting HOA. ..."Oh, yikes! :-( That's not good.
I would use a laptop for work meetings if I had one. It is nice to "see" the others, so it's unfortunate they can't also see me. But I just don't want to set my tablet up for work things.
Charlotte, I'm so sorry. I hope things will be ok.
Rachel. Oh no...! :-( Poor baby and poor you. Looking after a sick pet can be a lot of work. Hopefully everything will work out ok for your dog. <3
Rachel N. wrote: "Congrats Amy and Theresa! Hugs to Charlotte for whatever bad thing happened.My dog had to have a lump removed from her neck yesterday. I'm hoping the biopsy doesn't show cancer. She has a wrap ar..."
Theresa and Amy, I'm so pleased for you both to have these new opportunities and recognition.Charlotte, I wish you strength in coping with what's happened. Like Cindy, I hope things will be okay.
Rachel, I hope your dog heals quickly and is fine.
Joanne, I enjoy hearing about your garden.
So many times, I wish we could just pick up the phone and talk more fully with one another. (I don't do too well on Zoom myself.)
Rachel N. wrote: "Congrats Amy and Theresa! Hugs to Charlotte for whatever bad thing happened.My dog had to have a lump removed from her neck yesterday. I'm hoping the biopsy doesn't show cancer. She has a wrap ar..."
Poor puppy! Here's hoping it is harmless.
I know Joanne is still dealing with her doggy' recovery. Rumor has it Miss Lola was back in the Cone of Shame because she was licking where she shouldn't.
It is quite an endurance test humans and their pets go through after these procedures.
Amy wrote: "OK Here We GO! You guys know me well, and yes Kamala and Joe were my number one and two in either position. I'm thrilled and I think it will be a great choice for America. And for those folks who m..."Awesome news Amy! Teaching is so rewarding (personally if not financially). Charlotte's tips are great. The double screen idea is really good. I would want a really large screen to teach using zoom. I'm visually impaired to some extent, so I would find it challenging to read questions on a screen, or even to read faces if they're too small.
Professional development offices often have a staffer available to help with tech set up, videotaping or other issues. Because it's an all day class, AND your first one, AND the technology is essential, you might be better off using their facilities with someone handy to quickly handle issues such as a lost connection.
I agree about the body language. Faces can tell you a lot, but I would miss the classic chair wiggle that lets you know when people need a break or a change. You need feedback from a group. An old technique for large fast moving classes is to give participants different colored paddles (or colored paper) that they can raise to answer quick yes/no questions, to signal that they have a question, to quietly request that you slow down or speed up, or to request that you take a break soon.
Maybe a yellow paper could substitute for the chair wiggle?
Some distance learning programs have other ways to get feedback from people, but I don't know if zoom has those.
Theresa wrote: "Rachel N. wrote: "I know Joanne is still dealing with her doggy' recovery. Rumor has it Miss Lola was back in the Cone of Shame because she was licking where she shouldn't. ."No rumor-truth. Miss Lola returned to Vet yesterday for check-up-We came home with 2 antibiotics, *sigh* and, here's the kicker-anti-anxiety pills (asked the Vet if I could share 😂). The new cone of shame is due to the fact that she has taken to pounding her head against the wall to try to get it off-thus the anti anxiety pill came with it. The good news is: her new bionic parts are working well and she actually used that leg to scratch behind her ear yesterday. I made the mistake of praising her for it.....she then continued to following me around all day, nudge me and do it again and then stare longingly at the treat cupboard.
@ Rachel-I hope your fur-ball is given the all clear. My Lola sends her sympathy and love
Joanne wrote: "...her new bionic parts are working well and she actually used that leg to scratch behind her ear yesterday..."You and your dog are a family of cyborgs?
Sending my love to all people and pets!
Everything has been looking peachy here in Denmark covid-wise, but then this week the numbers starting crawling up again. So some more restrictions in place again in the affected regions. Some awful politicians thought it great to use the opportunity as an excuse to racist rants, because there was an outbreak among Somalian-Danish residents - to put the blame on them and "their culture". It makes me so mad. At least it's not the politicians in power. A professor was quick to point out the fact that many among this group have frontline jobs like cleaning personnel, bus drivers, caretakers, nurses etc. and not employment where it is possible to work from home... So we should be thankful instead.
On Mon evening we had to say goodbye to my Vizsla Kevin. :(She was my sweet baby girl. I was fortunate enough to live near her breeder and went to the vet with her momma and saw all the puppies on the X-Ray. I met her and her siblings at 4 days old and went by weekly or every other week depending on my or the breeder's schedule.
Vizsla's are super clingy and the breed has been nicknamed Velcro Vizslas because of it. If I was in the house, she was in the same room and touching me if at all possible. On the couple of Zoom meet ups, I think she was in the background on the couch.
I noticed that she wasn't feeling well on Sat night and by Sun she was extremely lethargic. Long story short, I rushed her to an emergency specialty vet on Mon morn and they found fluid in the sac surround her heart. The vet removed it and stabilized her and started diagnosing what caused it. It was found that she had a large reticulated hemangiosarcoma (inoperable cancerous tumor). Her prognosis wasn't good... anything that procedure that would prolong her life would only do so for a short time and would cause her to suffer.
My husband and I made the hardest decision you make in dog ownership. We loaded up our other two dogs and headed up to the vet. They set us up in the grass outside and brought Kevin out to us to say goodbye. It was as perfect as something like that could be. Kevin's favorite thing was laying in the sun and that is how we said goodbye, while held and surrounded by her family.
She is the youngest of our three and this was so sudden that I feel the word devastated is an understatement. The sadness in my house right now is oppressive but we have been trying to look for the positives.
I 100% believe that the Universe gave me the space to spend the last few months with her. I have never been so thankful for the lockdown, quarantine and struggles to find a job. This week I've already been in touch with two recruiters with interviews lined up!
Despite the pain that we are feeling, my husband and I wouldn't trade it for the world. We had an amazing 9 years with her. We've already started talking about puppies and what we want to do when we are ready.
Johanne wrote: "Joanne wrote: "...her new bionic parts are working well and she actually used that leg to scratch behind her ear yesterday..."You and your dog are a family of cyborgs?"
yes, we are-thank goodness for the "spare-parts" industry.
Sadly, I feel that this pockets of re-occurrence will continue everywhere until there is a viable vaccination. In the early summer months, the Upper Peninsula of Michigan had very few cases. So guess what Lower Peninsula fools did? Decided to go there and vacation. The UP now has an outbreak, this from a report issued :
In the first 11 days of August, the Upper Peninsula has confirmed 209 cases of coronavirus, which is 30% of all the confirmed cases in the U.P.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, the U.P. has had 697 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 18 deaths. Almost 60% of those cases -- 414 -- have been reported since mid-July."
Condolences to you and your husband on this loss of a family member. Thank you for sharing about it. I sometimes think we are kinder to animals than people in not putting them through unnecessary surgeries and extreme procedures. Is there a story behind why a female dog was named Kevin?
@ Charlotte, I sit here crying for and with you. I have been in that place and know how heart wrenching a decision it is to make.How wonderful though that your Vet gave you the time and the means to be with her at the end
Hugs to all of you
Charlotte I'm so sorry. Hugs to you and your husband.My fuzz ball is a clingy one too and she follows me everywhere. She's getting older so I'm glad to have had all this extra time with her. I appreciate all the well wishes for her. I'll let you all know once we get the biopsy results.
Joanne sorry to hear about Lola needing the cone of shame again. My dog would need the anti anxiety medicine if she had to have one. The one time we tried it, after she somehow ripped off a nail, she went nuts and we quickly had to take the cone off. With the site being on her neck no cone and she's tolerating the wrap fairly well.
Thank you... yes I feel so lucky we got to say goodbye.Robin P wrote: "Condolences to you and your husband on this loss of a family member. Thank you for sharing about it. I sometimes think we are kinder to animals than people in not putting them through unnecessary s..."
Yes... remember the Disney movie Up!... in the movie remember the big bird? The kid named the bird Kevin and part way through the movie they found out that Kevin had babies. The kid then yells out... Kevin's a girl?!?! Kevin's formal name was SoCo's Paradise Falls, also from the same movie and her real life sister is named Ellie and SoCo's Spirit of Adventure, also from the same movie.
In the movie the name of the main dog character was Dug... we actually named one of other dogs after him except with with the Doug spelling.
Charlotte wrote: "Thank you... yes I feel so lucky we got to say goodbye.Robin P wrote: "Condolences to you and your husband on this loss of a family member. Thank you for sharing about it. I sometimes think we ar..."
So funny how we come up with our dogs name. Our previous dog was named Luna, after Luna the cat in Sailor Moon (my daughter was/still is a Sailor Moon child)-Miss Lola was named after "Lola The Showgirl" from Barry Manilow's song Copacabana
Our old man is Bender... when I first met him and my husband, Ben, I thought that my husband was super egotistical to have a dog named after himself. Later I found out that he named him after a character on his favorite cartoon at the time, Futurama. If the breeder had placed a boy pup with me instead of Kevin, she would have been Minion and SoCo's Despicable Me.
Is it bad that I already have a list of possibly puppy names picked out for the future with a couple of favorites?? Like Agatha, which could be a nod to the author or the Minion movies.
Charlotte I'm so sorry you lost your pup. We lost our girl at the beginning of the shutdown. We were all able to be with her at the end. The next day we wouldn't have been able to do that. I'm glad you had this time with her, with lots of sunny days.------
OMG My husband *Kevin* loves UP! When I told him your dog's name and that she's a girl. He knew exactly where the name came. He's cracking up.
Joanne wrote: "Theresa wrote: "Rachel N. wrote: "I know Joanne is still dealing with her doggy' recovery. Rumor has it Miss Lola was back in the Cone of Shame because she was licking where she shouldn't. ."No r..."
Oh, poor thing. Dogs hate those cones. Our neighbor puppy had an innertube instead of a cone, and she seemed to handle it better. I had to give my dog a sedative to help her deal with Fireworks and thunder. Car rides also calmed her down, even is a rainstorm which was weird.
Charlotte wrote: "Our old man is Bender... when I first met him and my husband, Ben, I thought that my husband was super egotistical to have a dog named after himself. Later I found out that he named him after a character on his favorite cartoon at the time, Futurama."This quote literally made me laugh out loud.
But in all seriousness- I'm so sorry to hear about Kevin, Charlotte. There is nothing like the heartbreak of a beloved pet passing on.
Please name your future puppy Gru, and send is video of you yelling GRUU with the Gru accent. Or- is isn't the pet dog in those movies named Kyle? Hubby and I do not have any pets- but would like them in the future- and have discussed at length future pet names. The "test" is going out to a park and yelling the name- do you sound insane? Maybe not the best name for your pet then. Or is that the fun part? Lol.
@Charlotte - so sad to hear about Kevin! I kbow there is a big hole in your family now. Hugs to all.
Charlotte I don't think it's bad at all that you have future puppy names. Our hearts are so wonderful in their capacity to love. I love my current dog and cat so much while still loving and missing the dogs and cats I've had before. I also love the origin of Kevin's name. Dug is one of my favorite cartoon dogs. It has been awhile since I saw the movie Up since the beginning always makes me bawl.
So sorry about your loss, Charlotte - sending hugs.
Charlotte - I know we sign a contract with heartbreak when we love a pet. Kevin won the pet lottery when she found a home with your family."It came to me that every time I lose a dog, they take a piece of my heart with them, and every new dog that comes into my life gifts me with a piece of their heart. If I live long enough, all of the components of my heart will be dog, and I will become as generous and as loving as they are." — Anonymous
Charlotte, Our love for our animals is like no other. I have experienced what you are going through now, so much pain. Through the years, I've had 3 dogs, all very different and all very loved. Our 4 legged friends are the best!
Olivermagnus wrote: "Charlotte - I know we sign a contract with heartbreak when we love a pet. Kevin won the pet lottery when she found a home with your family."It came to me that every time I lose a dog, they take a..."
Ok Oliver, you made me cry again....
@ Charlotte-thinking up names for a new loved one is not wrong-
Joi wrote: "Charlotte wrote: "Our old man is Bender... when I first met him and my husband, Ben, I thought that my husband was super egotistical to have a dog named after himself. Later I found out that he nam..."Joi, When you wrote about saying an animal's name aloud before naming them, I thought about my friend Laura's cat. Her kids named the cat "Meow Meow". All fine and good except at the vet's office. When it was time for the cat be examined by the vet, a booming voice would call out to the waiting room: "Meow Meow Meadows!" Laura always thought this was a bit embarrassing, but funny!
Charlotte wrote: "On Mon evening we had to say goodbye to my Vizsla Kevin. :(..."Oh, Charlotte I'm so so sorry. :'( It is the hardest decision, for sure. And it is wonderful that you recently had so much time at home with her. <3 [[[[HUGS]]]]
Rachel N. wrote: "My fuzz ball is a clingy one too and she follows me everywhere. She's getting older so I'm glad to have had all this extra time with her. I appreciate all the well wishes for her. I'll let you all know once we get the biopsy results...."My oldest cat (and friendliest and cuddliest) has been in kidney failure (kidney disease) for over a year now. I am so happy to have this time at home with him (and he's loving having me at home). I expect I'll be back at work before he's gone, even (and I'll feel guilty for it!).
I was initially worried I might have to make "the decision" while the vet's weren't allowing anyone inside. I can't let him go at the door. I feel that I need to be there for him at the end (*tears coming now). My regular vet (the emergency 24 hour vet) for him is still doing that (they are always SO busy), but the smaller vet that my other two go to is now allowing one person in. So, if it comes to it, I'll likely take him there instead.
Joi wrote: "The "test" is going out to a park and yelling the name- do you sound insane? Maybe not the best name for your pet then. Or is that the fun part? Lol...."LOL! I'm not very good at coming up with names, so two of my three kept the names they had at the shelter (if I really didn't like the names, I would have come up with something else). Kells and Malaina (I call her Lainey for short).
My oldest in kidney failure didn't have a name at the shelter, though. At the time I was "into" astronomy. I wanted a "different" name and something astronomy based. I ended up with Io (that's io). Only found out later that Io, one of Jupiter's moons, was named after a female godess!!! My Io is a boy. Oh, well.
So, Kells and Lainey also continued with different names, even though I didn't name them. (As a librarian, though, Kells fits quite nicely. The Book of Kells.)
My previous two dogs were Attila and Remo. Remo was a greyhound and came from the track with the name Remo... she was four so there was no way I was renaming Red Hot Remo. lol.Attila was because at the time I had a hungarian fiance who had to have a hungarian dog breed with a hungarian name... sigh... at least I got to keep the dog out of that relationship.
Otherwise, I either go super literal, seldom used people names or funny cartoon characters. I had an African Grey Parrot that I named Grey-grey; a blue fronted Amazon parrot whose blue front had a lot of white in it is Misty; my white cat was Cotton; my tabby cat was Ditto (her eyebrows were like ditto marks); a turtle that I named Herman. We had two cats at one point that were named after cats in the poems that the play Cats is based on.
In the future I may definitely go with a literary theme.... Marvin, Hermione, Feyre...
Oh Charlotte, our hearts are with you! So sorry. We have all been there. Take good care of one another. Meanwhile, Dandy who was given a scarily short timeline looks amazing! We think we will have her for far longer than they predicted. Her worst problem is that we brought this adorable creature into her castle. They are beginning to co-exist as sisters!
Charlotte, so sorry about your loss. It is so hard to lose someone in your family, animal or human.
You know, I like the idea of having potential pet names before you have the pet. I always have trouble coming up with names like that. Similar problem with costumes for parties.
Theresa wrote: "You know, I like the idea of having potential pet names before you have the pet. I always have trouble coming up with names like that. Similar problem with costumes for parties."Agreed!
Charlotte, so sorry about your fur baby. They bring so much joy into our lives and it's so hard to lose them.
Just catching up here, so sorry Charlotte. I know you will cherish the memories of Kevin forever! And what a gift of time spent with him these last few months. Even the pandemic has a silver lining. Husband and I are beginning our last full week in NY. We are moving to Asheville NC on Tue Aug 25. The movers come on Aug 24. We are saying goodbye to many dear friends and packing. The packing seems like it will never end!
Shelly wrote: "Husband and I are beginning our last full week in NY. We are moving to Asheville NC on Tue Aug 25. The movers come on Aug 24. We are saying goodbye to many dear friends and packing. The packing seems like it will never end! .."Good luck with the move!
Speaking of sparks being needed....
Amy has been teasing a sparkling bit of news..... Amy! You should have kicked us off!
Although she's probably as obsessively following the Kamala news as I as Kamala was her candidate in the early days.
One more bit of upbeat personal news: I and a workshop I gave last fall have been chosen as one of the few being included in the virtual version of an important industry conference set for November 15th. It's about crisis management and preparedness for coop corporations and condos...guess I was prescient last fall, right? But this is important industry exposure and I am thrilled.
Now, Amy, no more teases....