Monday wishes it stayed curled up in bed w/ the covers over its head

[shadowkat]

But alas, I got up at 6 am, and headed out around 7 into the rain and weather, arriving at work around 7:35 am. Exceedingly grateful for a 30-35 minute commute to the Financial District of Manhattan, as opposed to a hour and fifteen minute commute to the Air Train Building in Jamaica, Queens.

Been feeling a bit overwhelmed and down and out of late. It's Spring, and I'm feeling beaten and much like old Sisphyhus constantly pushing that boulder up that damn hill, while folks throw rocks at me from above.

Yet, work situation is admittedly much improved over last year in multiple ways. So I'm grateful about that at least. I've decided menopause may be the cause of my sleep deprivation, that and the ever present digestive issues. Possibly the two combined? Still experiencing sudden hot flashes, often without warning. Don't know what to do about it - but suffer through.
Read somewhere on social media - that:

"This isn't being lazy, that for some of us this is using all the energy we have to survive."

Some nice news from various and sundry sources:

1. Cat Owners Were Asked To Share Pets Quirks for a Genetics Study

"The goal is to enroll 100,000 cats from all walks of life and investigate the genetic influences behind cat traits, behaviors, and health issues, so humans can get a better understanding of our beloved companions and help them lead healthier and more enriched lives.
​
“This is an important project that has the potential to improve our understanding of companion animals, the diseases that cause their morbidities, and the very nature of feline domestication,” Jeffrey Schoenebeck, a biologist with the Roslin Institute at the University of Edinburgh, told the outlet."
​
2. March Migration Madness, courtesy of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. The agency posted a mesmerizing “goose ASMR” video of the birds flying over the DeSoto and Boyer Chute National Wildlife Refuges in Iowa. “It’s the kind of migration moment that makes you forget whatever you were worrying about and just stare in awe,” the Instagram caption reads. Click here to stare in awe.​ [Note you need to enlarge it, the birds are small and look like dots in the sky.]

3.This Dad Built a Smartwatch From Scratch to Monitor His Son’s Type 1 Diabetes

4. New Zealand Heads for 100% renewable energyIn an exciting new announcement, the New Zealand Electricity Authority predicts that their electricity grid will be 100% renewable by 2040.

5. John Green creates a new store where all profits go to charity, including a new tea line for turbculois to celebrate World Tuberculosis Day [I didn't know there was one?]

6. One of the ministers at my church just announced that she 've been invited to join a Friends of Sabeel North America (FOSNA) delegation to Palestine, April 1-8, and will be in the Middle East from March 28 - April 10. The delegation she has been invited to join is made up of leaders from advocacy organizations that focus on issues adjacent to Palestinian liberation, such as immigration, LGBTQIA+, housing, peacemaking, antiracism, environmentalism, and reproductive justice. They will be based in the Armenian Quarter in Jerusalem's Old City. From there, they will visit organizations in nearby villages and towns in the West Bank.
They will meet with organizational leaders so that we may learn from, listen to, and relay the stories of the Palestinian people to our own communities when we return home.

The goals of the delegation are:

Being with and encouraging the people who are under attack

Exposing human rights violations

Strengthening and encouraging U.S. advocacy for a just peace


******

I can't with the national news right now.

It's just getting worse.

Comments

[trepkos]

Shame the cat thing is US only - we actually have some of Jackie's fur.

[shadowkat]

Is it? It's a UK Guardian article, and a Scottish University is quoted.

[trepkos]

"However, at present, DNA kits – for owners to submit fur samples – can be sent only to US residents, and a donation of $150 (£120) for one cat is requested to cover the cost of sequencing and help fund the research."

A Scottish chap just welcomed the scheme. It's an MIT and Harvard gig.

[shadowkat]

Ah, very odd - that the blurb led me to believe it was a UK thing. Wonder how long that will last under the current political environment though.

[trepkos]

I suppose it's fairly non-partisan on the surface, so they probably won't notice it.

[ann1962]

Not joking, but if you are near a refrigerator, stick your head in as soon as the hot flash starts. It totally works. Sounds ridiculous, but it works.

[shadowkat]

Thanks. I've also used cold packs on my chest.

[yourlibrarian]

Go New Zealand!