Until this past year, I never even considered zooming anywhere for maybe the past ten years. I used to work three jobs, and it took plenty of energy to zoom to work and then to teaching in the evening and home to writing all night long. This year I learned to Zoom. Really Zoom. Our…
Author: Carol Ann Heath, Ed.D.
COVID Vocabulary continued: Virtual Hug, Fist Bump, and Social Distancing
In the interest of documenting the changes in our everyday vocabulary, I periodically have been examining the common use of previously loosely associated phrases. I mean, for goodness sake, who went around saying to close friends, “let’s have a virtual hug?” Having a good squeeze was one of the loveliest expressions of caring between friends,…
I Got Vaccinated, WAHOO!
I did it! I was not sure that my resolve would translate into access to an appointment for the COVID vaccine. We showed up for the appointment at the FORUM in Ingleside, CA. Obviously, this is a mass vaccination site. It was amazingly well managed. It was easy to find the entrance and there were…
Yes, It Could be Worse!
With a saddened yet not time distant response, I feel this period of turmoil IS WORSE than the 60s. Rioting is not uncommon in American history. Storming the US Capitol and attempting to destroy the seat of government has not happened since the War of 1812 when the British burned the Capitol. The country’s emotional…
The Turmoil of the 60s Revisited
During the late sixties, Boomers were coming of age and emerged as a powerful motivator for reexamining the principles and strength of our Democracy. Disruption in the streets, combined with government corruption, shook the country’s faith in our ability to manage deep disagreements between parties and generations. The 60s opened with the Cuban Missle Crisis…
Christmas with Grandson
A memorable moment…first Christmas with four year old grandson. The plans were all set and we were happy to join. The bi-coastal sets of kids were able to agree to the 2020 plan, the first Christmas on the west coast with the whole family together. East would go west so the cousins could gather and…
More COVID “new” Vocabulary
“The New Normal”“Semi-normal Times”“During These Difficult Times”“Getting Through These Tough Times”“We’ll Get Through These Tough Times Together” It would seem that in the 21st Century, it would be nearly impossible to create a new turn of phrase. Undeniably this time of our lives is not intended to become “the new normal” nor is it a…
Women and the Impact of COVID-19 on the Workforce
The current economy results from many factors, the most significant of which is the impact of the closures in March due to COVID-19. While the economic recovery sputters along, Americans are differentially impacted, with working mothers and Black Americans falling significantly behind. Of the over one million Americans who stopped working or even looking in…
COVID-19 Vocabulary #5: Herd Immunity
The continual use of the term “herd immunity” in the media has been troublesome. Not being a farm girl, I have been unfamiliar throughout my life with the discussion of herds and what happens to the group as a whole. According to http://www.mayoclinic.org, herd immunity occurs when a large portion of a community, in this…
Friendship While Quarantined
These months have passed quite slowly. For the longest time, I kept thinking I had stepped into another plane of the universe, as in the movie Contact. Perhaps if I looked closely enough I could find the wormhole to return to pre-March 14, 2020. What didn’t happened was actually a life-changing happening. The quarantine extended…
Life Gets Better 