But remembering the past is also a way of believing that this moment will someday be the past. Which is to say, nostalgia for the past is also a way of believing in the future. Daydreaming about the After Times — the Before Times’s mythic counterpart — is in part an exercise in imagining what it will […]
Hard to believe that March 11 is the one year anniversary of the WHO declaring Covid-19 a worldwide pandemic. I thought it was perfect that it fell on a Throwback Thursday as I was sure I’d likely have a lot of appropriate photos from that momentous day a year ago that I could post. But […]
I mean, a year ago to the day, I was making jokes about “Corona” virus using Mexican beers as a prop so Covid was definitely on my radar. But no, I did not expect a full shutdown of most parts of society, working from home for months, wearing mask for the bulk of the year, […]
We’re into the same month as when Covid became real and the world shut-down mid-month so I’ll likely be posting a few different retrospective posts, whether it’s “Throwback Thursday” or not over the next few weeks. For example, here’s all my tweets from March 2020. I loved this tweet (but not that I managed a […]
With vaccines rolling out, certain states (probably prematurely) removing *all* Covid restrictions, and other leaders speculating about the light at the end of the tunnel (or maybe not?), it’s time for a list… I won’t have to wear a mask at work or going into stores I’ll go to a concert in person instead of […]
Another aspect of Freedom of Expression in the age of Covid is whether workers feel empowered to speak out about safety concerns they see in their workplaces without fear of reprisal. Most legislation has provisions to protect workers for speaking out on safety issues of any kind but many workplaces also take the position that […]
I’m a huge Freedom of Expression guy and think Freedom to Read Week should be a highlight of every librarian’s calendar. I don’t think I managed to do it every year but ever since I was in library school in 2006 (also the year I started this blog), I’ve tried to do an annual series […]
I know it’s not 2020 anymore but the most “2020” thing of 2021 (so far) is that it’s a pre-Super Bowl performance by Miley Cyrus and Billy Idol that feels like the first real, tangible proof I’ve seen in nearly a year that we might get back to “normal” once vaccinations are widespread. Someone who […]
I saw this in the context of someone dealing with cancer but I can think of lots of other situations – workplaces, volunteer organizations, schools, families, life during Covid in general – where everyone is encouraged to act as if everything is good and positive and happy instead of acknowledging that things might be less […]
…I find myself downloading apps to test my hearing at midnight, suddenly worried that a lifetime of listening to loud music and going to concerts that left my ears ringing is catching up to me. (Luckily, at least according to a free iPhone app, I have nothing to worry about…yet.)
