Author Archives: mathdreads
80th Strange Family Reunion
Two days after quitting both of my nonlucrative, remote, part-time jobs, I virtually attended the 80th Strange Family Reunion. Yet another silver lining from the coronavirus. The plague sank me financially, hence the two jobs, which kept me underemployed. Yet this global event allowed me to attend our family reunion two years in a row … Continue reading
Juneteenth At Last
Is there such a thing as an optimistic cynic? If so, then that’s who I am. As soon as I heard the swiftness with which congress made Juneteenth a holiday, I cheered, then said, “I know you motherfuckers just want to distract us from your voter suppression efforts.” I’m familiar with that old trick. Throw … Continue reading
In-Person Film Fest
My first in-person film fest event took place about 30 minutes outside of Austin proper. Before heading out to the event, I coached myself not to automatically hug people I knew. After all, this was my third in-person event. I had to show some maturity and restraint. I asked first if someone accepted hugs or … Continue reading
Lyfting My Spirits
Memorial Day weekend found me fretting over impending full time employment. I’d been offered a job, which was contingent on passing a drug test and background check. The only snag? A glitch in the digital platform, followed by a holiday weekend, which meant I had to wait until Tuesday to give my prospective employer a … Continue reading
No More Kisses
Aging is a physical adventure. Simply waking up in pain without having done anything too strenuous or different the day before reminds me I’m middle aged. My newest pain indicator started occurring about 30 minutes after lunch. My usual routine was an hourlong noontime yoga class followed by lunch with a glass of red wine … Continue reading
The Happiest Hour
Double vaxxed and ready to chillax…with a couple of friends who also believe in science, drinking and lively conversation. Double vaxxed and ready to chillax…with a couple of friends who also believe in science, drinking and lively conversation. Although we were all board members of a nonprofit organization, no business (OK, not a lot of … Continue reading
Navigating through the Employment Jungle
Years ago, I declared being over updating my resume and all other such hoop jumping, which is why last week saw me doing that and so much more in search of gainful employment. With the new reality of near post-COVID-19, applying for a job means not only looking at online job listings, but maneuvering through … Continue reading
Second Time Around
I canceled the appointment for my second COVID-19 vaccination with Austin Public Health (APH). Not because of any hesitancy. I just didn’t want to lose any math tutoring money. After all, I only had 12 days of that gig. Besides, APH had scheduled the appointment for the middle of the week. I’d heard many reports … Continue reading
Progressive Dream Come True
Before Biden even entered the room, this was the moment I most wanted to see. For the first time in the history of the US, we have two women seated behind POTUS during his unofficial State of the Union address. Harris and Pelosi, the respective VP and Speaker of the House, masked because they both … Continue reading
Breathe Again
An emotional weight I didn’t realize existed, lifted on April 20th. Despite the date being infamous for marijuana, that had nothing to do with it. On this day, a Black man who was murdered on Memorial Day 2020, had finally received a just verdict. For once, a White man, a former cop at that, was … Continue reading