Notices by Shaula Evans (shaulaevans@zirk.us), page 2

*Finally: Men, don't fight me on this advice; I use to work in US election campaigns (in my dark and mysterious past), I actually know what I'm talking about. If you have thoughts or big feelings on this as an amateur, good for you: share them on your own TL not in my mentions. My block button is standing by. Thank you for your reading comprehension.

You can also make a difference without volunteering. Do you own personal GOTV.

1. Talk to people in your life.
2. Share why you are voting the way you are, from a personal and emotional place.
3. ID if they are voting "right".
4. Encourage good people to vote.
5. Make sure they have accurate information about their applicable voting options.
6. Verify they've voted.

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7. Remove obstacles to voting for them, like offering rides to the polls, switching shifts, babysiting kids, etc..

Make your GOTV as targeted and selective as the pros do. Don't drag any old voter to the polls, help out good voters. (Yeah, naive democracy purists, the grown-ups are talking here--don' fight me on this in my mentions either).

Do what you can, within your resources and what is safe for you. You know best.

If you have a food-related business (food store, restaurant, catering, etc.), call your local campaigns and party offices and offer to donate and deliver food (snacks, meals, drinks, espec. water, whatever). GOTV takes an army which means campaigns need to feed an army. Good food makes an INCREDIBLE difference. In-kind donations of food in the final week boost morale and feel like a miracle.

> "Make sure they have accurate information about their applicable voting options."

I want to unpack that. Meaning: early voting options and deadlines, polling place hours and locations, etc.

Bad guys throw out a lot of disinformation in the last week about polling place details, etc., as a way to suppress voting. (As ever, don't fight me on this: it's well documented.) Take care of good info for your people.

If you are in a position to donate N95 masks to campaign offices for their canvassing volunteers, you're making a public health statement and possibly saving lives.

Don't dump them on campaigns that don't want them (they are buried under "stuff" right now), do call ahead and ask. If you offer, follow through.

The G7 is a type of polycule. In this essay I will...

Canva launched a bunch of new features today. But A) they are pushing AI hard, and B) they do not clearly label what does and doesn't use AI.

So I just have a sense of doom and anxiety now in navigating a tool I use every day.

I have questions for indoor garden system experts.

*I do not want derailing or plantsplaining. No "you don't need a garden system, you should install PLANT LINUX™️" or whatever. Please.

I love my Click And Grow but my plants don't thrive.

1. Would Aeorgarden plant food help my Click and Grow plants?

2. Is it possible to adapt Aerogarden seed pods to Click and Grow (while they are on clearance)? 1/3

#ClickAndGrow #Aerogarden #IndoorGarden #IndoorGardenSystems

I've now passed four years and seven months in isolation without human touch, for those of you following along at home.

I feel huge and growing pressure from people in my life to pretend that I am fine living in isolation, everything is normal & this situation is okay.

I am not a danger to myself or others. I am mentally competent. I am hanging on. This is better than getting covid.

However my situation is cruel & unusual. Absolutely nothing about it is "fine" or "okay".

The gaslighting, the pressure & the centering of their emotional comfort over my reality is far more painful than the actual isolation.

The Venn diagram of "bullying" and "gaslighting", and the intersection is labeled "people who are not covid-serious giving me unsolicited life advice".

#CovidIsNotOver #Pandemic

I keep thinking about why communication & connection are so hard in year 5 of the pandemic, and I think I've finally cracked part of the answer:

It is roughy impossible to connect with someone who A) does not share your understanding of reality, B) fundamentally does not respect you or your choices to an extent that makes them feel superior to you, and C) demonstrates no interest in meeting you even partway.

[I am not asking for advice. Cf disparaging reference to unsolicited advice in OP. ]

I'm not worried about a/s/l. I just want to know time zones. lol

UTC > ASL

I was the designated long distance support friend for a friend navigating a major medical crisis today.

Step one: Get through the crisis itself.

Step two: Process the incredible stress and abuse entailed.

I wish there was more "health" and more "care" in healthcare.

I also wish I could do more for friends from far away.

@ErikUden I hope it is the best, fastest, easiest, least painful, best-performed lumbar puncture in the history of medicine.

I'm not sharing my second language scores. I'm just going to say... that was very humbling. 😂

This vocabulary game gave me a score in the top 0.01%.

Which is all well and good for a first language [English]. Let's see how I do in some second languages...

https://www.arealme.com/vocabulary-size-test/en/15126649

#EnglishVocabularySizeTest

I should probably define my terms, hmm?

Assistive devices are pieces of equipment or technology that help people with disabilities perform daily tasks and activities, such as mobility aids, hearing aids, cognitive aids, and more.

(Sorry for that oversight.) 3/3

I feel like people in general do not yet grasp the difference between extreme heat events and "a hot day".

It's not a matter of being "a little warm" or "uncomfortable".

There are upper limits to the temperatures (and related conditions) that the human body can survive. Beyond those limits, you die.

In this way, public discourse around climate change is a microcosm of how we frame so many other elements of polycrisis. A "good attitude" and "trying harder" isn't going to save you.