I realize this isn't an airline I don't need to announce my departure, but come on you guys, this place is not innocent. <\/p>\n
I got an email that we were all getting three extra months of paid account status, that's why I came back to see what was going on here. I was very disappointed with the main page today. <\/p>"},{"id":"urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:spacefem:1101977","link":[{"@attributes":{"rel":"alternate","type":"text\/html","href":"https:\/\/spacefem.livejournal.com\/1101977.html"}},{"@attributes":{"rel":"self","type":"text\/xml","href":"https:\/\/spacefem.livejournal.com\/data\/atom\/?itemid=1101977"}}],"title":"I changed my mind","published":"2022-03-13T13:28:46Z","updated":"2022-03-13T13:28:46Z","content":"
I bailed. I went to dreamwidth<\/a>. there are just too many other trusty friend people who went, I followed the crowd. there's a renewed spirit over there of frienzies and community building and welcoming arms. <\/p>\n While I appreciate livejournal's interface, post scheduling, phone app... it just doesn't feel right. it's a gut feeling that I shouldn't be here. <\/p>\n see you on the other side. <\/p>"},{"id":"urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:spacefem:1101752","link":[{"@attributes":{"rel":"alternate","type":"text\/html","href":"https:\/\/spacefem.livejournal.com\/1101752.html"}},{"@attributes":{"rel":"self","type":"text\/xml","href":"https:\/\/spacefem.livejournal.com\/data\/atom\/?itemid=1101752"}}],"title":"kid activities","published":"2022-03-06T23:13:27Z","updated":"2022-03-06T23:13:27Z","content":" last year I was concerned about my 9yo being lost to the real world. all she wanted to do was play videogames. when school started up post-covid, her teacher said she wasn't even playing with other kids on the playground, just walked around thinking about minecraft. she didn't want to go outside with us or go on walks or go play. there was the tough parent world, telling me to limit the hell out of videogames, but I did not do that. I tried to do the example thing instead. Just invite her on every walk, propose going to the playground, make opportunities to get off the games, find balance. and stress that the games will always be there but nice playground days might not. then I didn't really think about it. I didn't make her do anything. It's probably been a whole year, but she was asking me what we were doing this weekend and I noticed that hey, she wants to do things<\/em> again. It's magic. maybe the gaming addiction really was just a pandemic condition? school is better. she got the student of the week award. she was one of the two kids who represented her class at the school-wide spelling bee, and made it quite a few rounds in there too! last week she wanted to go to the science museum, so we renewed our pass and got out there. this week she asked why we never took judy to dog parks she'd heard about, so we took judy to the dog park. side note: judy does not care about dog parks. it's weird. out on walks she wants to meet every dog, but at the dog park she just sits by us, occasionally sniffing a dog who comes up to her... very little interest in running, playing, face chewing, whatever dogs do. so our visit was typical, but olive was thrilled that judy seemed to make a few friends because she is worried that judy doesn't have friends. back to olive. she still logs a TON of gaming hours, but her room is messy with toys again and that's a positive sign. she's going to be okay. we're making a \"spring break list\" of fun things to do so we're not in the house too much. it happened slowly, but I think she's learning to break out of the pandemic and I'm optimistic.<\/p>\n<\/a>"},{"id":"urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:spacefem:1101268","link":[{"@attributes":{"rel":"alternate","type":"text\/html","href":"https:\/\/spacefem.livejournal.com\/1101268.html"}},{"@attributes":{"rel":"self","type":"text\/xml","href":"https:\/\/spacefem.livejournal.com\/data\/atom\/?itemid=1101268"}}],"title":"Scroogenomics","published":"2022-02-26T15:11:08Z","updated":"2022-02-26T15:11:08Z","category":{"@attributes":{"term":"books"}},"content":" I found this audiobook on spotify: \"Scroogenomics: Why You Shouldn't Buy Presents for the Holidays\". The author argues that gift giving is a pretty glaring waste of money and resources, and I have to admit he makes some good points. <\/p>\n It's like this... pretend your loved one spends $100 on a sweater for you for christmas. Maybe you love it, maybe you don't... but on the average, when people are surveyed and our gifts are reviewed, they do not feel like they're getting $100 worth of enjoyment out of the sweater. If they had $100 they'd spend it on something else. The odds of you picking out a fantastic gift for someone else are low.<\/p>\n It's kind of like everybody in America gets into a room and each person throws $1000 into a pile of money in the middle. Some people even go into debt to throw in their cash. Then everyone takes out $600. Then we set the rest on fire. <\/p>\n There are exceptions. Let's say your uncle has been looking for this ONE comic book for 30 years and you find it in a comic store for $5, then you're a hero! You have a chance at gift giving that is worth MORE than what you pay. But these events are rare. <\/p>\n I realize this book is cynical as heck, but I kind of like it because my family has really limited what we buy each other these days. Christmas has turned to a few toys that the kids love, and consumables for the adults... a basket of fancy salsa and locally roasted coffee and chocolate covered almonds. <\/p>\n\n At the end, the author's favorite idea is that we give charity gifts in each other's honor. Give some place that will maximize your gift... if your $100 funds a micro loan for some family to start up a farm or something, it becomes more<\/em>. I don't know if we'll all go that way forever, but it's not a bad idea. <\/p>\n<\/a>"},{"id":"urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:spacefem:1100824","link":[{"@attributes":{"rel":"alternate","type":"text\/html","href":"https:\/\/spacefem.livejournal.com\/1100824.html"}},{"@attributes":{"rel":"self","type":"text\/xml","href":"https:\/\/spacefem.livejournal.com\/data\/atom\/?itemid=1100824"}}],"title":"Well friends\u2026","published":"2022-02-25T15:29:26Z","updated":"2022-02-25T15:29:29Z","content":" I always joked that I didn\u2019t trust the American tech companies so why throw rocks at livejournal for being a Russian one?<\/p>\n There is a moving episode of the Armchair Expert podcast called Day 7<\/a>, where the host Dax Shepard opens up about a relapse after nearly 16 years of sobriety. His co-host and best friend Monica said something I think about a lot. She talks about texting a friend and saying \"there are pills missing\", and her friend tells her to delete the text before Dax sees it. But Monica decides not to delete anything. It is what she has seen, it is truth. He'd been hiding something from his friends and family. I'd been listening to Armchair Expert because it's fun interviews with a little information about recovery and addiction and mental health sprinkled in. I'd heard that the Day 7 episode was kind of the big one, but I didn't dive into it until one random day on a walk. I had to keep walking, and crying, and walking. It meant so much, and sadly felt so familiar.<\/p>\n I work in technical support. That is also a place where we speak our truth. We try not to accuse users of doing something wrong, because we our relationship to them is important. So we make it black and white. If you do this, the system does this. If you press enter a bunch of times in your word doc, the new page will always move when you add text above it. If you insert > page break, the new page will always start in the same place. There. Done. You're not a bad person. I am not here to say what's right and wrong. I am just here to tell you the truth.<\/p>\n\n I did this in my job for years without realizing that it is the best way to help people with all other things. Not just technology. You step back to a place of serenity, set your boundaries, separate the person from their actions, share your experience. I didn't realize it until I saw the sign on the al anon wall that this group is for us, we are not here to talk about what's in the heads of addicts, we are here to talk about ourselves. Find that truth. Sometimes it takes some work and looking for it, because when life is chaotic and unmanageable, truth gets lost. <\/p>\n<\/a>"},{"id":"urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:spacefem:1099872","link":[{"@attributes":{"rel":"alternate","type":"text\/html","href":"https:\/\/spacefem.livejournal.com\/1099872.html"}},{"@attributes":{"rel":"self","type":"text\/xml","href":"https:\/\/spacefem.livejournal.com\/data\/atom\/?itemid=1099872"}}],"title":"friday five: allergies","published":"2022-02-19T13:23:36Z","updated":"2022-02-19T13:23:36Z","content":" 1. Do you have Spring or Fall allergies?<\/p>\n I can't tell. I guess both? 2. Do you have something in particular that you are allergic to or is it just general?<\/p>\n Probably. But it's not bad enough for me to want to nail it down. I've also known too many people who went in for allergy testing, only to be told \"you're allergic to everything\", so why bother? 3. What do you take, if anything, to help?<\/p>\n Kirkland Signature Aller-Tec, compare to Zyrtec. If it's spring or fall and I feel bad for a few days in a row I'll start taking one a day. I honestly can't tell if it helps or not. 4. Do you seem to be saying, \u201cIt\u2019s just allergies\u201d a lot more than usual these days (i.e. because of Covid)?<\/p>\n My COVID came with a really sore throat that wasn't allergy-like, more cold like, but I could definitely see how it could be confused. It was all in our sinuses. 5. What do you hope to get out and do this spring, allergies and pandemic willing?<\/p>\n Gardening! I have plans to move that rock bed in my back yard and plant real plants... but where did my plans go? Curse February, I can't ever even remember what I meant to grow. I can't even remember that anything <\/em>grows. Well I definitely don't have any symptoms of allergies today. <\/p>"},{"id":"urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:spacefem:1098980","link":[{"@attributes":{"rel":"alternate","type":"text\/html","href":"https:\/\/spacefem.livejournal.com\/1098980.html"}},{"@attributes":{"rel":"self","type":"text\/xml","href":"https:\/\/spacefem.livejournal.com\/data\/atom\/?itemid=1098980"}}],"title":"the friday 5","published":"2022-02-11T13:53:40Z","updated":"2022-02-11T13:53:40Z","content":" from 1. What's your favorite candle scent?<\/p>\n I only have one scented candle in my house. last year spoonflower sent its top sellers a Durham candle from the bright black candle company<\/a>. I'd get another one, because it's just a really nice candle.<\/p>\n 2. Do you have an artistic or crafty hobby? What is it?<\/p>\n rock painting. I still like to sew, but as craft hobbies go it's really nice to have a hobby that you can pack up in a single shoebox. <\/p>\n 3. What's one weird way you save money on food?<\/p>\n I am really glad I got the kids hooked on ramen. now josie's got her friends on it too, they come over to our house and there's noodles they can make themselves in three minutes? our sleepover parties are a ramen-fest. those girls are crazy, they can go through like $3 worth of ramen. <\/p>\n 4. Do you collect anything weird or unusual?<\/p>\n I'll say no, but in my house I joke that we should collect hair brushes. you really cannot have too many. marc is growing his hair out again, mine is long-ish now, the girls have long hair, brushing needs to happen all the time but we must not risk sharing brushes ever because they got head lice like ten years ago and I'm still scarred by it.<\/p>\n 5. Do you fear the deep ocean, or does its unknown depths excite you?<\/p>\n I fear the wide ocean. I'm from Kansas. I don't like being over water where I can't see any land. <\/p>"},{"id":"urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:spacefem:1098743","link":[{"@attributes":{"rel":"alternate","type":"text\/html","href":"https:\/\/spacefem.livejournal.com\/1098743.html"}},{"@attributes":{"rel":"self","type":"text\/xml","href":"https:\/\/spacefem.livejournal.com\/data\/atom\/?itemid=1098743"}}],"title":"Configuration Management","published":"2022-02-11T12:25:32Z","updated":"2022-02-11T12:25:32Z","content":" I am sorry for the boring title on this entry, but I have this life goal to write publicly about what engineers DO, so that kids and people outside of STEM won't find it as intimidating and they can see themselves solving problems with us. And realize that it's not all differential equations and bring a brilliant instant inventor. <\/p>\n So much of my engineering career was just organizing stuff. SO MUCH. <\/p>\n Pretend you work in a shoe factory. <\/p>\n Marketing comes to you and says people are loving green shoelaces this year, can we start cranking out shoes with green laces? Sure that's easy. <\/p>\n You just have to edit the drawing and parts list that the factory workers use when they're building shoes. You title it \"green laces\" and get it all approved, it has the exact part number for green laces instead of the boring white ones, and your factory stops buying white laces. They've got about 100 white laces left so they'll use those up and switch to green by late next week. <\/p>\n Then you get ANOTHER call from the factory that Bob's Rubber, who sells you rubber for the soles, is going out of business. They need to start using Jen's Rubber next month. It's a different part number but it's okay. You make a new drawing for a shoe with Green Laces and Jen's Rubber.<\/p>\n Next week you come to work and bad news. The green laces didn't come in. The supplier is a month behind schedule. Well that's okay, buy more white laces.<\/p>\n\n But there is no drawing for white laces and Jen's rubber so what are we building? ahhh! Drawing number 4! <\/p>\n OR you finally give up and say you know what, my shoe drawing is just going to list \"put a sole on there!\" and you make a separate drawing for soles that switches from Bob's to Jen's, which means the inspectors have to look at two drawings to understand what all is supposed to be on the shoe at the end of the line, but maybe you can write a macro that pulls it together for them.<\/p>\n This is \"configuration management\" \u2014 or, telling people wtf to build in a changing weird world of approvals, substitutions, obsolescence, evolutions, new editions and picky humans. <\/p>\n None of this is really hard. None of this requires anything special. It's not really \"designing\" and it definitely doesn't use math. But they need an engineer just in case<\/em> you notice that the green laces don't meet the same strength standards as the white laces so they need testing and approval and submitted to the Federal Shoe Administration and then you've got a whole other timeline of tests and cases and approvals and excitement. <\/p>\n It's enough to keep us busy, that's for sure. <\/p>\n<\/a>"},{"id":"urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:spacefem:1098337","link":[{"@attributes":{"rel":"alternate","type":"text\/html","href":"https:\/\/spacefem.livejournal.com\/1098337.html"}},{"@attributes":{"rel":"self","type":"text\/xml","href":"https:\/\/spacefem.livejournal.com\/data\/atom\/?itemid=1098337"}}],"title":"limit setting 101","published":"2022-02-10T15:41:11Z","updated":"2022-02-10T15:41:11Z","content":" I know some times I post here about my life in management and I'm very... manager-y. I think people should work hard. Seek feedback to improve. Work extra hours when a project demands it. Be there for your company in a crisis. Answer your phone if I call you. Help the team.<\/p>\n But other times, life goes the other way and I find myself coaching newer engineers on the basics of setting limits and looking out for themselves. It surprises me because there are so many discussions online about looking out for #1, how does anyone miss this stuff? But they do. Here's my list...<\/p>\n\n I had times in my career where I worked waaaay too much and it made me hate working. I don't want anybody to get to that. I think there are ways to work hard, but stay healthy. It's better for everyone in the long run. <\/p>"},{"id":"urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:spacefem:1098150","link":[{"@attributes":{"rel":"alternate","type":"text\/html","href":"https:\/\/spacefem.livejournal.com\/1098150.html"}},{"@attributes":{"rel":"self","type":"text\/xml","href":"https:\/\/spacefem.livejournal.com\/data\/atom\/?itemid=1098150"}}],"title":"What kept me from al anon ","published":"2022-02-08T13:34:07Z","updated":"2022-02-08T13:34:07Z","category":{"@attributes":{"term":"sobriety"}},"content":" My husband celebrated two months of sobriety. I'm proud of him! <\/p>\n This also means that I've been in al anon for two months. You readers should all be happy about that because it gives me things to talk about, rather than trying to speak for marc, I can write about what's in MY head, which I'm much better qualified to write about! I really did not know how to do this before al anon. I showed up there wanting to bitch about my husband. I saw the sign on the wall that the group is for me, that I have to be in the center of my own story, and I couldn't even deal. But I'm slowly realizing the value of their philosophy.<\/p>\n Here is step 2, of the 12 steps:<\/p>\n 2) Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity<\/em><\/p>\n A lot of people recommended al anon to me last year, and I ignored them all until I was really at a breaking point. I wish I could write myself a letter back in time.<\/p>\n\n First, I didn't like the idea of the 12 steps because they seemed so damn religious and I am not religious. I do not think it's a good idea to believe that God gives you magical gut feelings so you have to do what the Bible says even if it doesn't make any damn sense. I've seen too many examples of bad religion - people beating their kids, disowning their LGBTQIA+ relatives, exploiting or even enslaving their neighbors, because they think it's in the Bible and they're Christians so God makes them RIGHT. They use God as an excuse not to think. Oh or my favorite 2022 example... refusing a COVID vaccine because God gave us an immune system!<\/p>\n But there are atheists in AA and al anon all over the place. They will quickly remind you that the higher power doesn't have to be an old testament, \"smiting the wicked\" GOD. Can we just try believing that there is a better idea out there? That you do NOT have all the answers? That it's NOT you on your own who can restore yourself to sanity? If you're so wrapped up in your own head that you can't think straight, maybe the thing to do is to step back and step outside of it and think for a minute, listen to other voices?<\/p>\n Can your thinking just move up<\/em>? A little? <\/p>\n The second reason I didn't go to al anon is because I thought it'd be a group of people with all these huge terrible problems and I wouldn't have anything to say to them, and they wouldn't think my situation was a big deal, I didn't even know if I was living with an alcoholic, I wouldn't pass the al anon entrance exam or whatever. I wouldn't have a good story. This is funny to me because again, I read that second step, which I could have read before, and it's in bright flashing lights that \"THIS PROGRAM ISN'T ABOUT YOU.\" It was pretty damn self-centered of me to think that these people needed anything from me, or could gain anything from me. Why do I have to make everything into a performance? A job interview? A Rolling Action Item List? <\/p>\n My al anon group reads. We go around the circle, everybody reads a little 1-2 paragraph bit out of a book, tiny stories from the lives of other people affected by addiction. And if you want, you can just say \"that's great\" and pass. Or you can say \"this reminds me of how I sometimes do this thing that's not helpful...\" You don't prepare in advance and you don't worry about saying the right thing. You just sit with an idea of the day. At the end, you take it or leave it. You get a bunch of ideas about how to change your story, or accept what you can't change, and why you might be okay. It doesn't have all the answers because nobody has all the answers. But it lets you know that answers might be out there someplace. So keep looking around. <\/p>\n<\/a>"},{"id":"urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:spacefem:1097792","link":[{"@attributes":{"rel":"alternate","type":"text\/html","href":"https:\/\/spacefem.livejournal.com\/1097792.html"}},{"@attributes":{"rel":"self","type":"text\/xml","href":"https:\/\/spacefem.livejournal.com\/data\/atom\/?itemid=1097792"}}],"title":"Charities 2022","published":"2022-02-07T13:58:13Z","updated":"2022-02-07T13:58:13Z","content":" My monthly automatic donation list is up to six charities now. Auto-donate is the way to go. I love the Bible's 10% goal, but the idea of giving intentionally and thoughtfully as soon as you're paid just doesn't work for me. set it and forget it. <\/p>\n That said, I am not AT the 10% goal, nor will I be this year, but that's okay I can increase a little bit. When I get a raise they get a raise. So I thought I'd let my lj friends vote on WHICH charity I should bump up this year.<\/p>\n Here's what's on my list, in order of most-to-least...<\/p>\n United Methodist Committee on Relief \u2014 the humanitarian program of the Methodist church, focused on getting water out to hurricane survivors not Bibles. I like them because they have extremely low administrative and fundraising costs, the donations come in through churches so they can focus on driving programs.<\/p>\n Amnesty International \u2014 freeing political prisoners, fighting for human rights and equality. I like them because it hits all the causes, Black Lives Matter, abortion rights, asylum seeking, LBGTQIA+<\/p>\n International Rescue Committee \u2014 helping immigrants and refugees find safety<\/p>\n My local food bank<\/p>\n The public university I attended that set me up for life without a ton of student loan baggage that everybody else is burdened with<\/p>\n My local public radio station<\/p>\n You can vote on who gets the raise!<\/p>\n New Years resolution #1 is down - I tried the climbing wall at the YMCA! As expected, I was terrible at it! The first attempt I had they didn\u2019t understand that I need the REALLY EASY WALL, like the kids one dude seriously. I guess you could look at me and see a skinny girl in the gym wearing workout clothes and think that I am in shape. But I am not strong. So I barely made it above my own head. It\u2019s Kansas so it\u2019s 60 degrees one day, 10 the next. Luckily we had the 60 degree days on the weekend, which meant Olive finished painting our window trim. At least, the bottom edges. <\/p>\n The reason it looks weird is because I hired a guy to replace the trim and he... was interesting. Flaked out, took months, and made very strange decisions about what to replace and what to not replace. I guess I'm glad we tried a new person on the side windows, not the front. The caulking and painting got left to us. Whatever. I still have his ladder, if he ever feels like coming back. I just got sick of bugging him and took what I got. Of the thumbtack app hires I've done this is not the best.<\/p>\n We got out of COVID jail! Marc tested negative, the rest of us made it through our assigned days. I'm still really upset that I missed my cousin's wedding, the family doesn't get together often enough. But there will be another one, someday? Maybe? <\/p>\n The 2nd weekend of COVID was like a cold that just will not go away. My sinuses felt terrible. I had a few more sore throat days. But we were fine, and now we're in the clear for a while. <\/p>\n Post-COVID \"stuff I couldn't do\" resolutions: get my hair cut, seriously. get my oil changed.<\/p>"},{"id":"urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:spacefem:1097191","link":[{"@attributes":{"rel":"alternate","type":"text\/html","href":"https:\/\/spacefem.livejournal.com\/1097191.html"}},{"@attributes":{"rel":"self","type":"text\/xml","href":"https:\/\/spacefem.livejournal.com\/data\/atom\/?itemid=1097191"}}],"title":"2\/2\/22 questions for 3\/3\/33","published":"2022-02-02T12:44:17Z","updated":"2022-02-02T12:44:17Z","content":" Today is a date that's a fun number, so I saw this idea going around to make yourself a time capsule for the next time this happens. I think my whole lj is a time capsule, but I do think it'd be fun to write a few notes to myself with questions and some optimistic projections about 2033. <\/p>\n Dear future Spacefem, here are things that are important to me now, I'd like updates. If there is some kind of time warp way to send me these answers BEFORE 2033 I would really appreciate it, if not, do your best. <\/p>\n Thanks in advance for the answers, I'm sure you are very busy. Hang in there rockstar!<\/p>\n<\/a>"},{"id":"urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:spacefem:1096917","link":[{"@attributes":{"rel":"alternate","type":"text\/html","href":"https:\/\/spacefem.livejournal.com\/1096917.html"}},{"@attributes":{"rel":"self","type":"text\/xml","href":"https:\/\/spacefem.livejournal.com\/data\/atom\/?itemid=1096917"}}],"title":"women, STEM, and stereotypes","published":"2022-02-01T13:18:25Z","updated":"2022-02-01T13:18:25Z","content":" Great question, but are there stereotypes about scientist women? It seems like there are stereotypes about women, and stereotypes about scientists, and the biggest stereotype is that there's no overlap between the two groups.<\/p>\n Stereotypes about women: emotional, not technical, can't fix things, bad at numbers and mechanical things, unwilling to get dirty or greasy.<\/p>\n Stereotypes about scientists: can't talk to people, like to be alone all the time, interested ONLY in numbers, fixing everything magically from the time they're three.<\/p>\n both boxes are way too narrow, and do a disservice to both groups. I really hate the stereotype that technical people are anti-social. it scares people away. the most successful engineers are the ones who can tell a story, get people working together, build a team, make friends and deliver fantastic presentations. I went into engineering very unaware of this fact. I think my writing and story telling actually set me apart and made me successful. This means that MORE people who are good at writing and speaking need to pursue technical fields... but they worry that they're \"not technical people\". <\/p>\n\n it took me years to realize this. I really think I got an entire masters' degree in electrical engineering just to prove I was a Scientist, Dammit. Another mentor told me to get an MBA, but I told him to stick it. I didn't want anyone thinking I wasn't hardcore.<\/p>\n but the real world doesn't want \"hardcore\" as much as we think. we need a lot more receivers than quarterbacks - people who run all over the field and do lots of things. stay agile, think on your feet, dive in. and you learn a lot when you learn on the fly, so you become technically smart enough even if you're not a genius, you become valuable. <\/p>\n there are definitely men at work who think I'm a diversity pick. it was told to me my first year in the office, and my 18th year in the office, and several times in between. it's amazing that they're gutsy enough to say that to me... you'll do well because you're a woman. the company is always looking for women to promote. it's easier to get ahead if you're a woman. it's amazing that they say this straight to my face! I realize that they feel safe... as my dad once said, if they say it to your face it's only because they HAD been saying it behind your back. I used to defend myself and say \"that's not true!\" or feel like I had to really prove myself. now I'm better at calling the guys out on their bullshit. look around dude, how many of our leaders are women? where's this militia you say is taking over? where's your conspiracy theory proof? and if I am being promoted because I'm a woman, what do you want me to do about it? I'm not a train that can switch to the Man Track all the sudden to prove that my life would be the same either way. we don't know, so how about you let me do my job? <\/p>\n it's hard to counter stereotypes by proving them wrong. so I try to counter them with Better Ideas.<\/p>\n 1) engineering deserves a lot of different people. so if women are different, we're good.<\/p>\n 2) what the hell is wrong with a diversity pick? as the book \"Yes And...\" states, we're building ensembles. if you went to a potluck dinner and 30 people brought coleslaw, would you get a plate of all coleslaw? or would you survey the table for the one dish of baked beans?<\/p>\n 3) technical skills aren't genetic, they're learned. you troubleshoot, you learn a system, you learn to print out a schematic and highlight it, you try things. we can do this. even us nice ladies. nobody is born knowing everything.<\/p>\n Before Christmas I was in the market to buy a carpet for the kid room. I browsed around and bookmarked some things and found one I liked on rugs dot com. It was the weekend of thanksgiving and they had their Black Friday sale and I was worried\u2026 buy the Black Friday deal or miss out? I hate the idea of Black Friday! I hate buying new things, hate consumerism, all of it\u2026 but the SALE. It's a $379 rug on sale for 50% off \u2014 $179. The ticker above the item was clicking down the minutes I had. I needed to decide NOW or risk paying more. Then forgot about it. I\u2019m going to save this post forever for the next time I get that panic feeling that I\u2019m going to miss out on the good price if I don\u2019t buy RIGHT NOW. I got myself a rapid COVID test yesterday. It was positive. Marc and the kids tested positive Sunday so we'd been quarantined up at home, but I thought maybe we were on the end of it, so if I got a negative test then it'd be a good sign? No good sign. Oh well. <\/p>\n We're still feeling healthy.<\/p>\n I had some mom guilt realizing we should have contacted the kids schools and asked for take-home packets or notes or something? Asked all Josie's middle school teachers for homework? I realized this with two days left in the school week... I feel like it's a lost cause now. Why didn't I think about it Monday? But it would have sucked, and it's work for the teachers to prepare that stuff, and half the kids are already out or have missed their weeks already, so what are we even doing?<\/p>\n You'll all be happy to hear that we did try out grocery delivery for the first time. It was okay. They forget things. They refund the money when there's stuff missing, but then you have your money, your sandwich stuff, and no bread.<\/p>\n I am more motivated to run this week than I have been lately. Just trying to burn new air into my lungs, even though it's very cold, it's not quite freezing. I don't run on bike paths or sidewalks because there might be people and I don't want to run past anybody. So I run on the roads. Yesterday I breathed in, I felt like my lung capacity isn't quite what it usually is, so I ran. It's like I have more of a reason.<\/p>\n My cousin got married last year. We attended her wedding on zoom. So then she scheduled a 1-year vow renewal real party for this weekend that we were all set to attend, at a hotel with a pool that the kids would love. I had this idea that if we all got negative tests, why shouldn't we go? I was a little back and forth on even that, but really, why? Anyway the question didn't matter because I got the positive so there goes that, no visiting my big family. this poor couple just cannot win on timing... two attempts at wedding celebrations, both landing right on a covid spike.<\/p>\n this is the bitchiest entry so I am sorry about that. I should feel very grateful that we survived a pandemic, didn't get coronavirus until we were vaccinated so the symptoms are barely noticeable, didn't lose any loved ones, don't have any compromising health issues, we have the house and food and are comfortable. yes of course I am thankful for all that!<\/p>\n (but I also can't help but wish for damn glass of wine and that's gone, too.)<\/p>"},{"id":"urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:spacefem:1096190","link":[{"@attributes":{"rel":"alternate","type":"text\/html","href":"https:\/\/spacefem.livejournal.com\/1096190.html"}},{"@attributes":{"rel":"self","type":"text\/xml","href":"https:\/\/spacefem.livejournal.com\/data\/atom\/?itemid=1096190"}}],"title":"lottery","published":"2022-01-26T13:54:29Z","updated":"2022-01-26T13:54:29Z","content":" I like the frugalwoods definition of financial independence... \"if we won the lottery, our life really won't change.\" it's a nice balance. half that battle is finding that life that does not require UNLIMITED money, realizing that a mega lottery dream house will just fill up with crap and unhappiness. the other half is, of course, getting all the money together to have the medium house with a comfy chair and books, because it does take some money. $1-4M depending on who you are. But it doesn't require $100M. Nobody needs $1B. Hell I don't think anybody needs $10M, but let me move on...<\/p>\n I dislike the lottery and don't play it, I think it's bad for us. I drive by a huge billboard on the way to work every morning that tells us all the mega millions jackpot. People play the lottery and they will not win it. the odds are BEYOND TERRIBLE. it is, as they say, \"a tax on people who are bad at math\". my parents always played the lottery and I grew up with their \"if only...\" winning dreams. <\/p>\n I like to think that if I somehow had $10M I would give...<\/p>\n Leaving me with $3M to live, which is way more than what I need. Rule of 24 says I could scrape off $124K a year with that. I'd maintain my usual cheap ways but we could go on a nice vacation or two every year. I'd get to see Hawaii, Japan, Brazil, and Tahiti. Domestic trips would all be on chartered planes, international would all be first class. <\/p>\n I would pay people to fix my house so it stops breaking and stressing me out. I'd get the plumbing and electrical up to code, fix damaged wood, refinish the basement, build a new garage. I'd be a good custodian so it can stay up for another 100 years. <\/p>\n I would probably spend LESS on clothes and shoes because I wouldn't need an office wardrobe.<\/p>\n I'd go to every fundraising party and silent auction that local organizations hold. I'd see every theater show that comes through town. <\/p>\n Some of this I can do now. I can afford some theater tickets, the clothes I want, some events, I live in the house that's right for me even if it's old and weird. we are okay. <\/p>"},{"id":"urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:spacefem:1095817","link":[{"@attributes":{"rel":"alternate","type":"text\/html","href":"https:\/\/spacefem.livejournal.com\/1095817.html"}},{"@attributes":{"rel":"self","type":"text\/xml","href":"https:\/\/spacefem.livejournal.com\/data\/atom\/?itemid=1095817"}}],"title":"still omicron, and thoughts on testing","published":"2022-01-25T13:39:09Z","updated":"2022-01-25T13:39:09Z","content":" On Sunday, after Marc took our one COVID home test and got a positive, he found a place testing on Sundays to get the kids tested. not a rapid test but at least a test. We thought maybe the kids gave this to us, since Josie was coughing last week for one day? So if that was true, they might be OVER it and could go back to school... just prove that they're negative.<\/p>\n But 24 hours later we heard that the kids were positive too. <\/p>\n damn! they seem healthy as horses. marc sounds messy and my throat is definitely scratchy but the kids? just hanging out complaining about being bored. And now they can't go to school all week.<\/p>\n yesterday's entry had a ton of comments to get me thinking about pandemic life, especially the comments about how people in other countries can get tons of home tests all the time. it is not that way here.<\/p>\n\n around Christmas, there were home tests for sale, 2 for $25. That is expensive enough that only the very cautious people would stock up. If you wanted a free test, like I got before my trip to Rome, you signed up for an appointment at the wal-greens drive through and got it. Easy enough.<\/p>\n Flash forward to now... wal-greens is infuriating, they make you type in all your information even if you have a sign in and already typed it in. name, address, dates of all vaccinations, questionnaire. and then you have to pick a location and they tell you there's no tests. so you pick another location and they tell you there's no tests. and then you pick a 3rd and realize there really are no tests so you give up.<\/p>\n the drug store phone lines all say \"do not call us to ask if we have tests in stock\". that's nice.<\/p>\n my city has a website with a huge lists of pharmacies you can call if you want to be blown off and told there are no tests.<\/p>\n facebook communities are the only place where you might see a breakthrough \"we found tests!\" comment if you need one, so that kinda works.<\/p>\n So oh my gosh. what would my world look like?<\/p>\n Well, we would have tested Josie over a week ago when she coughed.<\/p>\n We would have tested Olive two weeks ago when 2\/4 kids at her table at school tested positive.<\/p>\n We would have tested ourselves in the middle of last week, just for fun, because everyone around us has covid so who knows if we have it?<\/p>\n We wouldn't have debated when to take our one precious home test... who should take it? when? it's like trying to predict the peaks and valleys of the stock market... that home test could be MORE precious next week! what if we take it and it's negative and we wasted our only test? what if we take it and its positive but somebody else who was more iffy could have used it? ahhhh!<\/p>\n it is just so frustrating.<\/p>\n in the meantime, you will all be happy to know that we feel fine and are still quarantined. we're bored and angry, but quarantined. <\/p>\n<\/a>"},{"id":"urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:spacefem:1095664","link":[{"@attributes":{"rel":"alternate","type":"text\/html","href":"https:\/\/spacefem.livejournal.com\/1095664.html"}},{"@attributes":{"rel":"self","type":"text\/xml","href":"https:\/\/spacefem.livejournal.com\/data\/atom\/?itemid=1095664"}}],"title":"omicron II","published":"2022-01-24T10:49:10Z","updated":"2022-01-24T10:49:10Z","content":" Well we've got COVID-19. DARN! I was hoping we'd dodge it forever but that was very wishful thinking.<\/p>\n Marc has been stuffy all week and his temp was 100 one day, but then back to normal. This \"cold or COVID?\" thing is annoying. Then Saturday I also had a sore throat and started coughing a little in the evening. So on Sunday, we decided that Marc should take our one precious home test. He's the sickest, so I figure if he's negative we must have something else. <\/p>\n But his test was positive AF!<\/p>\n We did find a testing place but it takes 24 hours and was only two per family so we got the kids tested and we'll wait and see. I might try to get a test later in the week, see if I can get the family's first negative. I do wish we had more home tests. But whatever \u2014 I see no value in me running around like crazy trying to get tested, because I know what I have. <\/p>\n We feel fine. I've definitely had worse colds. Sunday I felt a little short of breath, so I went outside and ran three miles. I figured fresh air and sunshine can kill a lot of things, maybe I just need to cycle out whatever bad is in my lungs?<\/p>\n I'll work from home all week and life will be boring but we're fine. Young and strong and vaccinated. We can reduce grocery trips, but can't really stop going to buy food, so we'll make it quick only send one person and wear our many masks. <\/p>"},{"id":"urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:spacefem:1095285","link":[{"@attributes":{"rel":"alternate","type":"text\/html","href":"https:\/\/spacefem.livejournal.com\/1095285.html"}},{"@attributes":{"rel":"self","type":"text\/xml","href":"https:\/\/spacefem.livejournal.com\/data\/atom\/?itemid=1095285"}}],"title":"solutions vs. support","published":"2022-01-23T12:56:17Z","updated":"2022-01-23T12:56:17Z","content":" \"just be supportive\" \u2014 it's something that's come up in my mix of public vs. friends only posts lately. in my relationship, in friendships... I am an advice giver. A problem solver. If you tell me your problem, I will try to give you advice. My job every day is to fix airplanes. I weed through the emotions of customer service to do the thing we should do: fix the airplanes. remove a bad part, replace it with a good part, and then you have a good airplane. when I'm not fixing airplanes, I'm fixing people who fix airplanes, because I am a leader whose job it is to give everyone feedback on how they can work more effectively so that we have a cohesive, agile team, where the best ideas rise to the top and the best projects get the support needed to keep going on.<\/p>\n so of course it's super weird to me to think that some people just need support. can you imagine if a customer called me to say his wingtip light bulb burnt out and I said \"I am so sorry that happened to you\" and left it at that? <\/p>\n\n One suggestion is that in my personal life, I should occasionally ask people if they want my advice or just my support. This is popular, but again... doesn't make sense for me. If someone asked me \"Do you want my advice?\" I wouldn't feel like I COULD say no. Turning down advice means I'm signing myself up for the problem. I'm like the stuck driver praying to God for answers while the EMTs are knocking outside his car window asking if they can break him out. oh no, this mud will let my car go soon I just know it. pray for me.<\/p>\n I have learned that if I want to sound less mean to coworkers, I ask, \"Can I give you some brutally honest feedback?\" and they always say yes. and then they're ready and it's not out of the blue. I can say anything, and it's like they asked for it. It's great. <\/p>\n my husband knows that if he turns down advice, it will run around in my brain like a hamster, destroying everything. I start buzzing. I can't hold it back. sometimes he even mentions a common problem and says \"I know what you're going to say\" and that makes me feel a little <\/em>better... but I still want to say it. <\/p>\n There are mom groups on facebook that only let you give advice if the poster asks for it first. otherwise, you're only allowed to be supportive. it's so weird to me. why post online? why not just write yourself a supportive robot app that you can text all day, and it just says \"that must be hard.\"<\/p>\n I do give support sometimes, but it's only for the worst days, when I really don't know what to say. it's a fall back. \"do you want to talk about it?\" because sometimes there isn't advice. so I guess that's what my friends know they get from me; I am genuine. if I say something sounds difficult, then it definitely is. but even those things I say are the formula that I had to learn. I used to say nothing. then I read about supportive things you can say, and thought oh good, there is a fix. <\/p>\n<\/a>"},{"id":"urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:spacefem:1094956","link":[{"@attributes":{"rel":"alternate","type":"text\/html","href":"https:\/\/spacefem.livejournal.com\/1094956.html"}},{"@attributes":{"rel":"self","type":"text\/xml","href":"https:\/\/spacefem.livejournal.com\/data\/atom\/?itemid=1094956"}}],"title":"omicron","published":"2022-01-22T15:07:58Z","updated":"2022-01-22T15:07:58Z","content":" Marc filled out the thing to get covid tests in the mail from the federal government. who knows if that will really work? we'll get them after this wave is over, I'm sure of it.<\/p>\n I currently have one covid test in my drawer. it is like gold. there are no tests anywhere. it's from the two pack I got from mom after I was exposed at work over christmas. it was early in the omicron wave so we were very nervous, I'd been working at a desk maybe seven feet from a guy who tested positive for it? it was all day, we'd talked, so I got that test even though I wasn't sick, and it was negative. <\/p>\n fast forward to this week... Olive is the last kid in her 4-person table at school with perfect attendance since christmas. The other kids all got omicron. Josie said half her band class it out. She missed one day of school, we kept her home because she was very stuffy and coughing a little? but no fever. and the next day she was fine, so we sent her back. <\/p>\n marc had a small fever wednesday, like 100, and his sinuses have been a mess, he's sneezing and his nose is running. so we both stayed home thursday. but then I went back to work on friday because his fever never came back after wednesday night. and marc gets sinus crap ALL THE TIME. I've been married to him for 14 years, and if he steps off a curb wrong he gets a sinus infection. if I worked from home to quarantine our house every time he had a stuffy day, we would have been hermits all year.<\/p>\n\n friday after work I had a really sore throat. that's strange for me. I went to bed early. today it's a little off and I'm extra hungry but I feel fine. or do I? do I have a tiny headache?<\/p>\n I wish they'd just close the schools or remote school but no. the school district took two big steps this month. first, they lowered the requirement to apply to be a substitute teacher, you used to need some college but not anymore just have to be 18 with a high school diploma, and not on the offender list. second, they said that telling us about the cases at school and close contacts was just too much work so they won't do that anymore. fine with me. it was daily robo-calls anyway, and not changing anything.<\/p>\n new cases were actually lower this week then last week. that's good. one year ago COVID was really peaking and we were seeing 500 new cases a day, we all quarantined like crazy, that's when the schools went all remote. Now we are at 800-1000 cases a day and nobody cares. The hospital numbers are about the same as last year's peak. I guess it's because the concerned people are vaccinated and not really sick? My kids are fully vaccinated. Marc and I got booster shots in december. They say it doesn't make a big difference, you can still get omicron and spread it.<\/p>\n Olive was sick to her stomach last night and threw up. Her voice has been scratchy. but today she's fine. <\/p>\n So what do you do?<\/p>\n we aren't doing anything this weekend. our mixed doubles pickleball tournament was cancelled. so we'll just hang out. I think Sunday night, one of us might take the test, whoever feels the weirdest. that's all I can say. we don't feel SICK, just weird \u2014 it could easily be the hypochondria that sets in when you're surrounded by sick news. is that worth changing anything at all? <\/p>\n<\/a>"},{"id":"urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:spacefem:1094897","link":[{"@attributes":{"rel":"alternate","type":"text\/html","href":"https:\/\/spacefem.livejournal.com\/1094897.html"}},{"@attributes":{"rel":"self","type":"text\/xml","href":"https:\/\/spacefem.livejournal.com\/data\/atom\/?itemid=1094897"}}],"title":"good morning","published":"2022-01-21T19:12:27Z","updated":"2022-01-21T19:12:27Z","content":" from 1) What sort of alarm wakes you up in the morning?<\/p>\n \"This Island\" by Le Tigre, every morning since, like, ten years or something. \"splash some water on your little face 'cause you're a mess, you're a mess, you're a mess!\"<\/p>\n 2) If you can sleep in, how late to you sleep?<\/p>\n I frequently cannot sleep in. If I sleep all night without interruption, I sleep until 5 or 6. Most mornings I don't need my alarm. If I wake up randomly at 2 or 3 am and take a while trying to get back to sleep, I'll sleep until 9 or so. <\/p>\n 3) What's for breakfast?<\/p>\n This morning it was sourdough bread, cream cheese, half an avocado, coffee. 4) What makes you late to your next big thing?<\/p>\n the internet. 5) What's your favorite caffeinated beverage?<\/p>\n COFFEE. <\/p>"},{"id":"urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:spacefem:1094348","link":[{"@attributes":{"rel":"alternate","type":"text\/html","href":"https:\/\/spacefem.livejournal.com\/1094348.html"}},{"@attributes":{"rel":"self","type":"text\/xml","href":"https:\/\/spacefem.livejournal.com\/data\/atom\/?itemid=1094348"}}],"title":"My favorite fleece","published":"2022-01-19T13:31:01Z","updated":"2022-01-19T13:31:01Z","content":" I realize that I might have bought too many clothes off eBay last year\u2026 here\u2019s my weakness. When a listing comes up in my size in TALL, it\u2019s like a sign, it needs a home! The universe has brought it to me, right? That\u2019s how I am with this quarter zip fleece pullover: It was $20 shipped, barely worn, it\u2019s Old Navy. And I wear it all. the. time. I layer it and it gets me through the cold months, it has sleeves long enough for thumb holes so the tops of my hands are covered. If my hands are warm I am warm. When I\u2019m wearing my fleece I don\u2019t get after anything. This is my lounging and reading outfit. I only wear crappy clothes to run, and fleece is too hot for running anyway.
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But at least American tech companies aren\u2019t trying to openly start WWIII. As a paid user, I have to think a little about who I'm supporting.
Is this the end for us, livejournal friends? Are you leaving?
I have a dreamwidth account. I guess the option is there for us \u2014 I'm just curious what everybody is doing? I am not making a decision right now, just going back and forth. Obviously this poll will be biased because my target audience here is people who are on livejournal! But I know a lot of folks are already on DW so maybe we can sync up over there? <\/p>\n
<\/p>"},{"id":"urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:spacefem:1100674","link":[{"@attributes":{"rel":"alternate","type":"text\/html","href":"https:\/\/spacefem.livejournal.com\/1100674.html"}},{"@attributes":{"rel":"self","type":"text\/xml","href":"https:\/\/spacefem.livejournal.com\/data\/atom\/?itemid=1100674"}}],"title":"speaking your truth","published":"2022-02-23T13:18:22Z","updated":"2022-02-23T13:18:22Z","content":"
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<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/l-stat.livejournal.net\/img\/community.png?v=556&v=916.1\")
<\/a>thefridayfive<\/b><\/a><\/span> <\/p>\n\n
<\/p>"},{"id":"urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:spacefem:1097601","link":[{"@attributes":{"rel":"alternate","type":"text\/html","href":"https:\/\/spacefem.livejournal.com\/1097601.html"}},{"@attributes":{"rel":"self","type":"text\/xml","href":"https:\/\/spacefem.livejournal.com\/data\/atom\/?itemid=1097601"}}],"title":"Climbing","published":"2022-02-05T13:58:03Z","updated":"2022-02-05T13:58:03Z","content":"
<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/ic.pics.livejournal.com\/spacefem\/353035\/41488\/41488_original.jpg\")
\n \n
Next attempt, as illustrated, I made it higher but it was scary and I wanted to come back down. This was on a part of the wall that I\u2019d just watched like a six year old girl get to the top. But she had a fearlessness that I do not have.
There\u2019s another YMCA in town with a 60 foot wall, this one is 30 feet, but that\u2019s more than I need!
Marc said he\u2019d go with us but would not try it. Then he tried it and had a blast. He\u2019s dying to go back! He climbed higher than me and wants to learn how to anchor people and be all into it.
Olive and Josie also had fun and got higher than me, but this hobby takes serious grip strength that we don\u2019t have.
Also my triceps hurt all the next day, and you guys I did like\u2026 four climbs? The longest lasting TWO MINUTES? But every time I tried to push myself up out of a chair or something I felt all the muscles in the back of my arm near my armpits all yelling at me.
We\u2019ll try again. They have open climb every week where anybody can get in there. If marc somehow really does learn to belay, we could go any time we want.<\/p>"},{"id":"urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:spacefem:1097361","link":[{"@attributes":{"rel":"alternate","type":"text\/html","href":"https:\/\/spacefem.livejournal.com\/1097361.html"}},{"@attributes":{"rel":"self","type":"text\/xml","href":"https:\/\/spacefem.livejournal.com\/data\/atom\/?itemid=1097361"}}],"title":"Sunny days","published":"2022-02-03T14:23:26Z","updated":"2022-02-03T14:23:26Z","content":"![](\"https:\/\/ic.pics.livejournal.com\/spacefem\/353035\/42249\/42249_800.jpg\")
\n \n \n
![](\"https:\/\/l-stat.livejournal.net\/img\/userinfo_v8.png?v=17080&v=916.1\")
<\/a>lookfar<\/b><\/a><\/span> asked: \"You are a woman in STEM. How do the stereotypes of scientist women affect your work life and your self-concept? Do you feel a need to fight them, internally or externally?\"<\/p>\n
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I did not buy it.
<\/p>\n![\"Cyber](\"https:\/\/ic.pics.livejournal.com\/spacefem\/353035\/41091\/41091_original.jpg\" "\\"Cyber")
\n \n
Instead I checked two days later and phew, same price, except now it was a cyber Monday sale. By this time I had really convinced myself I didn\u2019t need the rug but I was so curious whether the sale was really a sale, do prices go up?
So I screen grabbed it with plans to check it later.<\/p>\n
Then remembered it! Last week, heck now we are way into January, no more holiday specials, what is the price now?
Well guess what\u2026 it\u2019s on sale! The January new arrivals sale, lucky us! The rug is at the amazing limited time price of... $179! Yes. The exact same price it was on black friday, cyber monday, and every other time I've randomly checked on it and found it advertised at a one time limited buy it now price. <\/p>\n\n![](\"https:\/\/ic.pics.livejournal.com\/spacefem\/353035\/41401\/41401_original.jpg\")
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Impulse purchases are the worst. I really think one of the first good things I did for my spending habits was promised myself that I wouldn\u2019t impulse buy. Everything has to be in my cart for at least 24 hours. It has saved me. Right now I can go to my Amazon account and it says I haven\u2019t bought anything in three months from them! I It\u2019s a great feeling. I haven\u2019t boycotted the whole world, but I also haven\u2019t had credit card debt in like 2-3 years.
There are a lot more messages telling you to buy right now than there are telling you you can be calm and wait. It takes some work to slow down.<\/p>\n<\/a>"},{"id":"urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:spacefem:1096428","link":[{"@attributes":{"rel":"alternate","type":"text\/html","href":"https:\/\/spacefem.livejournal.com\/1096428.html"}},{"@attributes":{"rel":"self","type":"text\/xml","href":"https:\/\/spacefem.livejournal.com\/data\/atom\/?itemid=1096428"}}],"title":"Still home ","published":"2022-01-27T10:45:17Z","updated":"2022-01-27T10:45:17Z","content":"![\"The](\"https:\/\/ic.pics.livejournal.com\/spacefem\/353035\/42121\/42121_800.jpg\" "\\"The")
\n \n <\/a>ironphoenix<\/b><\/a><\/span> asked this birthday question: \"what would you be most tempted to do if you won a large lottery prize (say, $10M), but probably wouldn't actually do?\"<\/p>\n\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/ic.pics.livejournal.com\/spacefem\/353035\/41772\/41772_560.jpg\" "\\"The")
\n \n <\/a>lepid0ptera<\/b><\/a><\/span> commented: \"We get unlimited get free home tests in the UK, you're supposed to test at home daily for 7 consecutive days after close contact with a positive person.\"<\/p>\n<\/a>thefridayfive<\/b><\/a><\/span> ...<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/ic.pics.livejournal.com\/spacefem\/353035\/39770\/39770_540.jpg\")
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The funny thing I noticed this week is the label, since it\u2019s from their \u201cactive\u201d line\u2026<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/ic.pics.livejournal.com\/spacefem\/353035\/40081\/40081_540.jpg\")
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So now when I put it on I think of the label and say to myself \u201chell yeah, I\u2019m getting after it. I\u2019m getting after the couch, and a cup of tea. HARDCORE.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/a>"}]}