PLEASE NOTE, THIS IS A REALLY LAZY/HACKY JOKE: Can Confirm I'm Getting Excellent WiFi After My Second Gates Chip Fauci Ouchie.
Lovelies! It’s been a busy week, what with work starting early on Tuesday and me taking a sick day after my second vaccine!
If you’re wondering: yes, I found the second vax recovery a bit tougher than the first. The shot itself was practically painless, but a few hours afterwards, my brain was foggy and I was kinda sluggish, and then the next day (yesterday) I had low-level flu-like symptoms: aches, pains (especially in my vaxxed arm), mild nausea, and, around noon yesterday, some chills. Nothing was bad enough to need to take anything for it, and I would definitely categorize it as more distracting than debilitating. But I had put a sick day on the calendar just in case, so I rested, bingewatched National Geographic archaeology specials, and puttered around my apartment trying to move my left shoulder as much as I could.
But you know what’s a helluva lot worse than the above? COVID-19, getting or giving it. And we’re at a precarious point right now: while vaccines are ramping up in the US, Vaccine Refusal May Put Herd Immunity At Risk, Researchers Warn (NPR), the more contagious B.1.1.7 strain is now the most dominant in the US (ABC), states like Michigan are enduring an “overwhelming surge” (CNN), and other countries like my home and native land don’t have enough vaccine reserves to jab fast enough to keep up with the variant spread (CBC).
So per usual, stay safe: stay in if you can, wear your masks (I plan on continuing to invest in my beautiful mask collection for the foreseeable future because I love pretty scarves on my face AND I love that I haven’t had a cold or flu in 14 months), and get vaccinated when you can!
To the internet!
Genuine, non-trolly questions: shouldn’t having a taser on a different side of the body seemingly make it harder to mix them up and kill another human at a traffic stop? Or are cops not trained to quick draw their less-lethal weapons? And if they’re trained to quickly draw from the right, shouldn’t we put the taser there? Officer charged with second-degree manslaughter in killing of Daunte Wright (Star Tribune)
LOVE how sooooooo many people are eager to roll on Matt Gaetz: We spoke with 21 of Matt Gaetz's high-school classmates. Some say they could have predicted the congressman's sex scandal. (Insider)
This is SUCH a good media response to Florida Governor DeSantis’s requirements for voting: line up a bunch of the Governor’s signatures and see if they look the same! DeSantis wants voters’ signatures to match. Would his pass the test? (Tampa Bay Times)
Oh dear: a Canadian Member of Parliament (MP) forgot to turn off his camera during a virtual question period, started changing out of his running clothes and, well, laid bare his Great White North: Liberal MP causes consternation in House of Commons after appearing naked on camera in front of colleagues (National Post)
And finally, I am here for this Nieman Lab headline: Maybe just shut up about national politics if you want to reduce polarization?
Be kind to yourself, be kind to each other, and don’t forget how cute you look in your mask!
xoxo Amy