Weekend Reading: The Still Processing Edition

I'm still processing my sudden transition back to being an independent contractor... now with no contracts! I have managed to be somewhat productive today, but slept poorly and will be glad when this day is over, to be honest.

The worst part of yesterday for me was telling my kids, and having Petunia ask if this means we won't go to Disneyland. I had to tell her I didn't know. A Disneyland trip is really expensive, so it can only still go forward if I have a solid source of income by February.

I do have some leads already, and have started working on those. But I don't really have a direction for my search yet, because I need to do some thinking to come up with that. So I'm very much in a reactive mode, not a pro-active one.

Anyhow, enough about that. Let's have some links.

In self-promo news of the week: Both Sides of My Skin, by Elizabeth Trach, came out.

In other links:

Before I was laid off, I was planning to buy some gifts from the lists people submit to The Bloggess. Maybe we still will. We're still very fortunate and maybe it will help with my flagging Christmas spirit.

Jeet Heer on the weaponization of outrage is quite good.

Michael Tomasky on how out of touch Republicans are with "Blue America" rang true to me. I am tired of being made to feel like I'm not a "real American" whatever that is.

I have a lot more interesting looking articles "liked" on Twitter, but I never got a chance to catch up on reading them and I think I'm just going to let that go.

In podcasts:

I'm still listening to The History of English podcast, nerding out about history and linguistics. This episode on the origin of glossaries is particularly fascinating.

I've also started listening to Jason Kander's Majority 54 podcast, and his episode on Islamophobia, in which he interviews the man who was his translator in Afghanistan, is particularly good.

I'll probably have fewer podcast recommendations for a little while, since I won't be driving anywhere now. Maybe I'll start listening while folding laundry or something.

In Twitter:

Click through and read this whole thread. It is amazing, in a not good way.

I'm going to show you how a woman is erased from her job. First, it begins with her existence. In January 2004 @aparisreview managing editor Brigid Hughes was named editor to succeed George Plimpton and the @nytimes profiled her. https://t.co/d2CbYTw2dM

— A. N. Devers (@andevers) December 7, 2017

I do find the phenomenon of extremely partisan Republicans arguing against Franken's resignation... interesting.

Some Republicans are utterly terrified and panicked by this Democratic resignation, for reasons one can only guess. https://t.co/Ay1KajX1fw

— southpaw (@nycsouthpaw) December 7, 2017

This is so pretty:

Australian Aboriginal artist Anna Petyarre began painting in 1981 and is from a family of female artists #womensart pic.twitter.com/me9Wy6tnQU

— #WOMENSART (@womensart1) December 8, 2017

Bunny! BIG bunny! (And a dog)

I see your Chocolate Lab and raise you a Flemish Giant! #rabbit #rabbits #rabbitlove #rabbitlife #bunny #bunnylove #bunnylovers #bunnyrabbit #bunnylife #pet #pets #cute pic.twitter.com/3hQvDRit7E

— The Daily Bunnies (@thedailybunnies) December 7, 2017

And that's it for me this week. Here's hoping next week is better.