Thursday Thoughts - the lovers, the dreamers, and me

1. Cease and desist, Birkenstock.

2. Question. How do people go about their business in the sun without sunglasses? Even thinking about it is a fate worse than death for me. My eyes are super sensitive to light, I wear sunglasses inside a lot and when it's overcast. Seeing people in the sun sans sunglasses makes me feel desperate inside, itchy to reach for my own and clutch them to my chest like a woobie. It perplexes me.

3. Every fiber of my being hopes that he's going to snap out of it and start eating normally again tonight, but in reality I think Geege is in his final decline. Please excuse my mental and emotional instability at this time, and I don't know if this time is a week or a month or six months or a year or what. Watching this and trying to monitor and gauge comfort is harder than I imagined, and I have imagined it a lot. I have cried more tears this week than I've ever cried in my life over anything, especially over something that is simply in the process of happening. They just leak out at work or on the train or wherever I am. I was crying so hard after the vet left Monday night when I called MFD in TX that I could barely breathe. It was hard to hear that there's nothing to do. Inaction is not my comfort zone. I know love is action but it feels like it's not and I hate that too. I think I've gotten a grip but spent much of the week totally off-balance. Edit: he ate more than he has in weeks last night and was trotting around this morning. Prove everyone wrong, buddy. 

4. My life is a country music song this week: I think my dog is slowly dying, I touched a slug with my bare foot and hand, salsa spilled in my backpack so my planner smells like a Mexican restaurant, and my train hit and killed a person Wednesday morning. Ole, motherfuckers.

5. Irma donations, focusing on the islands. I know Irma is the latest in the news cycle, but please remember TX still needs your help. Prayers and good thoughts are great, but the people affected actually need monetary assistance and physical supplies ONLY of things they have explicitly requested for physical donations, please - lists are provided for a reason. Something they will also need in the weeks and months to come - donations in the form of volunteers on the ground to help clear and rebuild and do physical labor. If you have the time and can get to one of these places, please consider using some of your days to do that. If you can get to Rockport, TX, I can get you a volunteer coordinator contact there - 70%+ of their structures were decimated. I will also pop back at some point with some places to donate to in the Keys since access is still very limited right now and immediate needs remain unclear and thus unmet. As always if you have organizations to add, please let me know.
-US Virgin Islands: Tim Duncan's YouCaring Fund . Virgin Islands Relief Fund is also taking shipments to St. John leaving from Philadelphia c/o Atlantic Aviation on Ashton Road if you would like to drop off until the end of this week, otherwise items will be shipped to Puerto Rico for disbursement to St. Thomas and St. John as there is no mail or air access to them at this point. There is an Amazon wish list and things change daily so please visit the Virgin Islands Relief page or Virgin Islands Relief Fund web page for the most up to date info and needs. If you need assistance navigating that to find the most up to date info, please let me know.
-St Thomas shipping container - You can't get to St. Thomas right now, but supplies are being shipped there if the cost of a container can be covered.
 -Antigua and Barbuda Red Cross - More than 95% of the structures on Barbuda were demolished. There is literally nothing.
- Here is an entire page of Irma gofundmes, many for the islands who are without access to most things at this time
-Donate blood - The Red Cross and OneBlood are calling for blood donations to aid in recovery efforts and make up for the suspension of blood donation efforts in FL. Blood donation activities are suspended in a hurricane but the need for blood does not stop. OneBlood sent supplies west to Texas as they had the same situation and now they are down themselves.
-National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster is an umbrella organization registering volunteers who will mobilize to assist on the ground once called upon. As with anything else, do NOT self-deploy to help unless you are working with an organization and have a plan or you will create an additional burden for communities that cannot take care of one more person, even someone looking to do good. This org will deploy across many affected areas.
-Volunteers needed on the ground in TX. MFD has been volunteering around Houston for the past week, these are legitimate and there is need if you have time and the ability to get there and get yourself housed: BakerRipley Harvey Shelter at NRG, Houston Food Bank, Second Baptist Church Houston Strong Volunteer Sign Up (opportunities to bring corporations or groups in to serve)

6. If you REALLY want to help please vote for candidates that believe in science. Call your government reps and tell them to leave flood insurance alone or improve it but not to roll anything back. Tell them not to let over-development of wetlands happen. Tell them climate change is real.

7. MFD comes back from TX today just as I am scheming on moving down the shore for two weeks. It'll add to my commute but I might not mind. And if I do mind I can always come home. I said I was going to do this last year and I didn't. It might be time. I think it would be good for me mentally.

8. Allow me to direct you to
-This ATTN video showing how it would be if we treated male athletes the same way we treat female athletes
-The link to register to vote in PA - October 10 is the last day to register before the 11/7/2017 election. Every election counts. The local ones more than anything. Please know when yours is and when your deadline is to register if you are not already registered or if you have a closed primary and need to affiliate with a party to vote.
-How trump lied to conceal his Moscow business partner
-As we approach the holiday season, maybe consider giving the gift of experiences and time over toys or things
-This opinion piece in Vogue entitled No, Hillary Clinton, the First Woman to Win a Major-Party Presidential Nomination, Does Not Need to Shut Up About It
-Rest in peace, Edie Windsor - a Philly-born warrior for LGBT rights and lead plaintiff in the SCOTUS case that overturned that wretched Defense of Marriage Act and was a huge victory for same sex marriage in the US
-When men are photoshopped from political photos (do not read the comments or you will stab someone)
-Anyone still supporting this shitstain of an administration: no one sees a problem with the White House suggesting a journalist be fired? This is literally what the First Amendment is about.

9. Reminder, thanks to cousin Susan for this one:

10. E-card of the week:

Happy happy birthday to my friend Lauren today!