I walk my neighborhood every day and never mask. I also rarely see anyone within 50 yards, let alone 6 feet. The idea of masking in this case as an expression of public spirit (as in someone might look out their window at me or drive by me and I want them to think “I’m glad she’s masked because we’re all in this together”) is not on my radar at all.

Yeah, the idea of medical freedom is so stupid. 🙄

I wouldn’t put drug testing and physicals in the same category as vaccinations. There’s zero risk in urinating in a cup. Can we say with absolute certainty the same for the COVID vaccination?

I'm with Ellie. There's too much we don't yet know about the virus let alone the vaccines. I'll wait, thankyouverymuch. As for employers or colleges requiring it, yeah, it'll be a thing. It shouldn't be, but it will be.

I used to keep them in a file cabinet in the garage. I’d Sharpie the date of purchase or installation on the front. It was a decent system, but this summer I had a particularly intense bout of cleaning/decluttering and I tossed them all. As others have said, everything is online now anyway. And the number of times I actually opened that file over the years was....I think maybe zero.

Decades ago, I bought Amy Grant’s first Christmas album on cassette. I played Love Has Come over and over and over. As a favorite, it still holds up. (The song, not the cassette.) Hallelujah by Darlene Zschech Some versions of O Holy Night Baby, It’s Cold Outside makes me smile every time. (I know, I know . . . )

Congratulations, Quill! I think your attitude toward this job is perfect. Do your best, gain some experience, and keep an eye out for the next opportunity. Go you!

Quill, congratulations on the interview! And it sounds like it went well. You emphasized your strengths and addressed his concerns. Keep us posted.

I love everything about this story.

Agreed.

Absolutely agree! Mandates can be tyrannical. Incentives are merely squicky. (Apologies if this response shows up twice.)

And it’s squicky every time.

Oh yes! My husband Is the King of the Land of Underestimation. I’ve learned to live harmoniously here. If he tells me a project will take two hours, I count on four. If he tells me it will cost $100, I budget $200. If he tells me a hike is “easy,” I prepare for strenuous. He is sharing what he WANTS to be true. When I challenge him to think it through in more detail (“What exactly do you need to purchase from Home Depot? Have you priced those items yet?”), he is surprised Every Time to find his estimates are way off.

Yes! In my list I mentioned reading commentary from “the other side.” I actually went back and added the word “thoughtful” because too much of what constitutes “the other side” is really inflammatory and not representative of real people. There’s no nuance. Someone a while ago started a thread about a podcast with David French. A poster here listened and commented with surprise that David French, a self-described conservative Christian, could be so reasonable and thoughtful. I think that happens all the time! Someone hears venty soundbites—often out of context—and ascribes all kinds of nefarious intent and negative qualities to that person AND everyone who then references that person. Wasn’t there a thread recently that asked people for suggestions of writers/commenters in today’s political and social world?

My current (albeit imperfect) attempts: Listen to people. Really listen. Not to better argue my own point but simply to understand. Avoid (and recognize and call out) dehumanizing and demonizing characterizations of others (CovIdiots, morons, libtards, Nazis, etc.). Turn off the social media. Just let it go. Don’t feed it with my views and clicks and likes and comments. (I do still scroll at least once or twice a day, but I’d love to cut it out entirely. It offers some value, but I’m continually weighing the cost.) Find common ground. I had a conversation with a relative about her state’s current rules around Covid. Our opinions differed greatly. Regardless, I made sure the conversation didn’t end there. I asked about her sick dog. We talked about holiday plans. We wished each other well. (This goes back to the humanizing thing.) Get out of the bubble. Read a different (thoughtful) columnist. Watch a different news channel. And do it with a posture of “what can I learn here?” not “let’s see how screwed up they are.” There’s more, but I’ll end my early morning ramblings here. Looking forward to others‘ thoughts. Thanks for asking the question, Quill.

Lord, hear our prayer.

I was up at 1:30am because of perimenopausal night sweats and then insomnia. Fortunately, the Hive always provides interesting discussions. 😁 I often use a similar approach to “fortunately,” but mine is to use “and.” I like this a little better in some situations because it doesn’t minimize the real sadness or grief or discomfort or whatever. It holds the thoughts in tension without competition. I like the idea of a gratitude challenge. Or maybe an “evaluate how much and about what I complain” challenge.

No.

I have nothing to add, but these are my favorite kinds of threads around here. ❤️

Thanks for taking the time to type this out.

I want to buy my 19-yo niece a book for Christmas. I know she likes listening to true crime podcasts and she recently told me she’s been reading more for pleasure. Any great ideas for a title she’d likely enjoy? Thanks!

As the self-appointed curmudgeon of the hive, I concur. It’s a crude term. But then we live in a world where such crudeness is, sadly, commonplace.

Do the staffing firms in your area have active posts for paralegals? If so, contact them! It’s the easiest route in your situation. They WANT to place you (it’s how they get paid) and it’s an opportunity for you to get some experience, even if it’s temporary. They’ll be honest about what their clients want/need and whether you’re a good candidate. I write resumes for a living. If you want to shoot me yours, I’ll be happy to take a look and offer suggestions if needed.

NM

The Supreme Court’s purpose is not to hear everyone, represent everyone, satisfy everyone. It’s not an elected office. I think what some of you are arguing for is a more active legislative branch. If they did their job, instead of pandering and campaigning all the livelong day, the Supreme Court wouldn’t be so freaking powerful and we wouldn’t be so divided as a country when the seats need to be filled.