Notices by Kat O’Brien (obrien_kat@mastodon.world), page 2

Invisible disabilities are incredibly common, from diabetes to lupus to autism. When I had post-concussion syndrome, even friends didn’t understand my reality.
This piece by @SamBorden & others at @espn on sports fans w/invisible disabilities is excellent.
https://www.espn.com/espn/feature/story/_/id/40276381/how-stadiums-help-fans-invisible-disabilities?consent_mode=gdpr
#sports #disabilities #disability #HiddenDisabilities

Infuriating and sad that people leave their trash on the beach like this.
What kind of jerks do this? (Clearly, way too many).
I took four armfuls of cans and bottles to the recycling bins and tried to wait out the very very drunk Dutch guys who had a few dozen cans next to them to tell them Barcelona beaches aren’t their trash can, but the sun set and they were still there.
#pollution #litter #trash #barcelona

Pictures from Friday night with my parents at a minor league baseball game, at the best minor league park in the USA, John O’Donnell Stadium (renamed, I still call it that).
My mom, retired from full-time teaching, is an usher for Quad-Cities River Bandits. Many people said hi & asked why she was at a game on a day off 😅 … Her first year, she was the only woman, but now there are several.
Caught an absolutely fire sunset and I went on Ferris wheel for first time.
#baseball #iowa #QuadCities

@joeo10 that’s great! Hope you enjoy the break to the max and feel refreshed.
I have a lot of flexibility for working remotely so from Saturday until the 27th, I am either on vacation (8 workdays) or working remotely (plus 2 holidays). I am going to the Olympics, a life dream for me, and back to the U.S. to visit family and friends ☺️
It also helped a lot that I am swapping my apt with a friend in NYC and had a flight voucher that covered all but $64 of the flight to the U.S.

@joeo10 yay! Same here! 🙌🏼

This is very good news. The Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services have officially recognized Brain Injury as a chronic condition. When I had a Traumatic Brain Injury, it ended up causing a stroke after 18 months of mediocre care & failure to recognize how badly I was doing. Nearly 2M people in U.S. suffer a TBI annually.

https://www.biausa.org/public-affairs/public-awareness/news/centers-for-medicare-and-medicaid-services-officially-recognizes-brain-injury-as-a-chronic-condition
#medicine

I do get the scientific causes, but it feels weird to have a fever and uncontrollable chills while sweating through my sheets.
Don’t think I’ve had this high a fever ever as an adult (don’t know as a kid): 102F/38.9C … I normally run low 97s F
#sick #health #fever

I know I am an annoying broken record, but it makes me so happy to live and work right by the sea. I dreamed my whole life of that!
And now that Barcelona is not in a severe drought and some showers at beach are back on, it’s much easier to go for a quick dip outside the office!
Concert setup behind me is for the next 2 nights, one of which features Gustavo Dudamel directing!
#beach #barcelona #sea

@joeo10 terrifying

@joeo10 that’s a bummer, I hate seeing archives disappear.

@joeo10 @todayonscreen oh so nice the Criterion Collection.
I have seen both so many times ☺️

@todayonscreen I adore Before Sunrise, though Before Sunset is my favorite movie ever.

Things that surprised me the last couple days in Germany:
*a lot of people thought I was German, approaching me to ask directions/other (I don’t know what since I don’t speak German!)
*the trains in Germany do not run on time. It was a running joke/comment among people about trains being late and I had several delays, including 1 that caused me to miss a connection & nearly my flight.
*Many people don’t speak English that well (I’m sure this depends on region/city).
#travel #language #germany

Really interesting book.
“The Wannabe Fascists: A Guide to Understanding the Greatest Threat to Democracy” by Federico Finchelstein… I appreciated the analysis of differences and similarities among fascism of 80-100 years ago and “wannabe fascism” today and populism over time. Let’s not let the world fall farther into violent authoritarianism.
#democracy #fascism #government #bookstodon

This ransomware attack on London hospitals is not getting enough attention IMO.
It’s disrupting blood transfusions and operations, and they are asking medical students to urgently donate blood.

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/13/world/europe/nhs-london-hospital-cyberattack.html?unlocked_article_code=1.zU0.Mv9G.6YSfqKMsUETh&smid=url-share

Bella 😍
Back in Barcelona. 🫶🏼
#barcelona #photography

Sardegna (Sardinia) is stunningly beautiful!
Long weekend with my cousin and his family and friends of theirs.
#italy #sardegna #sardinia #boats #running

Really happy for Vini Jr.
The racists can go back to their cave now.
#vini #RealMadrid #ChampionsLeague

Perhaps the one person most responsible for the decline in democracy around the globe, Rupert Murdoch, marries for a 5th time, this time to a retired Russian biologist (retired but 30 years younger than him.

https://amp.theguardian.com/media/article/2024/jun/02/rupert-murdoch-marries-elena-zhukova
#democracy #fascism #fox

As fertility rates drop in the U.S., Catherine Rampell explores some reasons people have fewer kids than they say they want in the U.S. Among the reasons: the U.S. is 1 of 3 countries with no mandatory paid maternity leave, expensive healthcare and childcare, poor reproductive care access (some lowlights below).
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/05/01/fertility-rates-record-low-reproductive-care/
#policy #kids #pregnancy