Dedication: This is dedicated to the workers out there who have to go out.  I am indebted to all of you working at the grocery stores, those doing double duty cleaning and trying your best to make people safe.  This is going out to all the healthcare workers and first responders.  You all have my respect and gratitude.  I hope these ill-informed morons going out in protest to “open up” do not end up putting more extra burden on you in the long run.

Song: “Tell It Like It Is” by Aaron Neville – oh my how this song hits the nerves and gives the goosebumps.  For the numerous layers of truth in this song we’ve lived, one of the greatest for me is that the phrase “telling it like it is” is what my grandfather says when he’s “laying the law down” or rather, simply describing reality as he sees it.  Unfortunately, folks who “tell it like it is” and see their reality as the way things SHOULD be or the way things are, ignoring other people’s right to exist and live without imposition, are creating havoc in the U.S. right now, going out there, being told “like it is” by extreme right-wing nuts with bad information, led by a bad president.  Now I’m telling it like it is, huh… ? I say, speak from your heart, be honest and truthful, but also, have some critical thinking skills y’all.  For Pete’s sake. Aaron Neville, “Tell It Like It Is”

Quote: “The status quo sucks.” – George Carlin  …it’s going to take some major shit for things to change in our world.  Perhaps we’re seeing the beginning.  I sincerely hope we end up better than where we were when this began… The nihilist in me doubts that.  The idealist in me knows that it is possible.

Dear Humans,  This week, there is so much to say, but I’m so exhausted I can’t really say it.  Work has been 3 times as much with my teaching going 100% online.  I am doing 3x the work in preparation, grading, keeping in touch (ha… touch, not really) with students, and honestly, feeling very despondent about it all.  It’s all the shitty things about teaching with none of the good stuff.  No more students’ faces lighting up in those lightbulb moments, the chatter and laughter after I play a Trevor Noah clip and talk about how critical thinking is an essential skill to exist in this world, and the knowledge that everyone saw the material if they were there that day.  When someone’s not in class, you know they didn’t hear or see the lecture.  Online, you have to somehow quantify it and find out who really did see the lecture, then you have to grade them on whatever quantification method you’ve used to ascertain whether they understood the material…. it’s a circular nightmare, one I will refrain from boring you with from this point forward.  Instead, I’ll read you some poetry about how I feel.  Enjoy.  Happy Tuesday.  Pray for me, I’m struggling with motivation and depression, anxiety and deprivation.  I’ll pray for you because I know you’re going through something too.  I love you all.

Poetry video:

This week in pictures: