Day 185, September 17, 2020
Dancing in the Kitchen
Tonight's soundtrack: James Brown at the North Sea Jazz Festival, 1981
I have succumbed to the popular ailment of our time, the famous pandemic cracked tooth, which according to the New York Times is one of the new surprising facets of our current existence. While I never had braces, I struggled with cavities as a kid (pre-flouride treatments), and then experienced the need for various root canals, crowns, replacement crowns, and one implant. Apparently, I am rough on my teeth. I blame my love for crunchy things like nuts.
My dentist does not have a light touch. Everything he does, he does with gusto, so when he is testing for sensitivity, it is the kind of thing that makes you unintentionally kick a leg and feel like you might be in an opening scene from a Mission Impossible movie.
I started my appointment with my dental assistant making pleasant banter as she looked up my records and took down my symptoms. She then sounded surprised and said, "Is this right, you are 49? Holy cow, you need to tell me your secret. You look good ...for 49. I bet you're going to tell me to drink water."
That was a pleasing interaction... one of the few interactions I've had with another human being besides my close family... but then I also realized she also means, "Wow, you are old. I didn't realize you are so old. I thought you might not be old, but you are old!" Haha. Well, I guess that is starting to be the case, and with my vanity mostly intact, I realize my interaction was mostly a compliment. I walked out of the dentist office under the new COVID protocols without a goody bag and feeling a little bit older than when I went in.
I go to the same dentist I went to when the kids were little and we lived just a mile down the street. I haven't moved for the same reason that one doesn't change cellphone carriers, banks, or insurance providers. It takes a tremendous amount of will power to change who provides home or car insurance; to open a new account at a different bank and switch all the direct debit billing information; or gather all the people on one's phone plan, which in my case includes my three kids and parents, collect all their phones, issue new phones with the same phone number, and manage all of that when we are spread over three different states in a time of quarantines and social distancing. So, like all those prospects, changing a dentist feels similarly fraught with complexities. At this point, it is like arriving on the set of Cheers and the receptionists all call out my name... only in the COVID era, I call from the parking lot and let them know I have arrived and wait for my cue to enter a waiting room devoid of chairs, magazines, and refreshments. There is only hand sanitizer that smells like aftershave and a few masks for people who forgot to bring their own.
The simplest things are different in this era.
Now that the semester has started, I'm able to partake in all the self-care regimens that I've postponed until now, so I have several doctor appointments coming up, the furnace is getting tuned up, I've engaged a chimney sweep, and the other day a fella came and pumped out the septic. All ordinary things made suddenly extraordinary by our precautions, the plexiglass shields, the wary moments of greeting wearing a mask, or having forgotten a mask, that moment of recognition that we are unprotected.
James Brown is too funky. How the hell am I supposed to write while he's holding down the stage with the JBs? They are so smooth. It is an incredible performance. And right at the end, you learn that they need to leave so they can prepare for a 2nd performance! Ah to sing and dance like that and share all of that energy with so many people. To give so much. I aspire to live so fully. Imagine what we could all do once the pandemic is lifted.
Bite things carefully, try not to clench your teeth, stay safe, and once in a while, dance by yourself in your kitchen while you cook dinner,
Leo
From Our Friends:
From the Poetry Center at Smith College:
Poetry Masterclass with Jericho Brown
Saturday, September 19 at 1 PM
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From the It Gets Better Project:
Music Therapist Jerwin Monje Says It Gets Better
Jerwin Monje took up music therapy because it combined their love of music with psychology. As a queer person, they channel their authenticity and vulnerability into their work.
Resources for the Black LGBTQ+ Community
Connect with national and local organizations actively working to provide information, resources, and/or services to the Black LGBTQ+ community. You are loved.
From Higher Ed Jobs:
by Dr. Gina Ann Garcia
The murder of George Floyd on May 25, 2020 wasn't the first public execution of a Black person at the hands of a white police officer and certainly not the last. However, it brought protesters to the street demanding justice for George Floyd and others like him and sparked an awakening. In the days that followed, scholars reminded us that it is not enough to be non-racist -- that we must be anti-racist. Dr. Gina Garcia says colleges and universities must figure out how to achieve this as well and hiring practices is the perfect place to start.
From the Massachusetts History Alliance:
Standing Up For What Matters: Tips, Tricks and Tools from Veteran Advocates
September 25, 2020, 1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.
A Conversation with Peter Feinman and Alison Frazee
Activists vs. Advocates: What’s the difference? Both involve trying to effect change, but activists are action-oriented, often working outside the system, while advocates are people-oriented and work within the system to represent the concerns of others. Join us as we meet two experienced advocates. Learn how they have helped others to challenge unfair institutional systems and what inspires them to keep going.
Peer panelists will be Peter Feinman, President of the Institute of History, Archaeology, and Education, and Alison Frazee, Assistant Director of the Boston Preservation Alliance. The conversation will be moderated by Erik Peterson, Executive Director of the Metropolitan Waterworks Museum.
REGISTER HERE or visit the Mass History Commons to learn more.
From the Rural Assembly:
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From Academic Impressions:
- Addressing Food Insecurity During the COVID-19 Outbreak | Free Webcast Recording: March 2020
- Supporting First Generation Students Amid COVID-19 | Free Webcast Recording: April 2020
- Addressing Food Insecurity in Higher Education: Creating an Integrated & Sustainable Food Pantry | Webcast Recording
Underrepresented Students Face Greater Hardships in Pandemic
Article | Inside Higher Ed
A large survey and a series of reports from a group of research institutions have documented the extent to which students of color and low-income students are in a worse state than white and higher-income peers during the pandemic. Read more.
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