Outside the Baby Bubble

Fact check this

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As we approach the 2020 presidential election, now more than ever, fact-checking is important. The most commonly used fact-checking website is Snopes, which for years was 50% owned by an ad agency and up until last year was in partnership with Facebook. Since husband-and-wife duo Barbara and David Mikkelson launched the mom & pop website in 1994, they have partaken in a nasty divorce after Barbara accused David of embezzling their fortune on lavish vacations and prostitutes. David has since hired a staff of 15 “fact-checkers” using no known formal screening or evaluation process. In addition, judging from the below photo, Barbara is a crazy cat lady, which always detracts credibility.

Luckily, the people at Snopes have carefully examined and debunked this myth, verifying only that Barbara loves cats. Thankfully, all allegations behind our most respected authoritative source of information have been classified as no more than urban legend.

*All information from this post triple-fact-checked and fully authenticated by Google

Pandemic etiquette

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A few days ago, my friend Holly came over to drop her daughter off for a play date. (No worries. Each child was handed a yardstick and cautioned to whack the other with it should she enter a three-foot radius. Promise.)

I noticed when I opened the door that Holly lingered in the doorway. She had a mask dangling from one ear.

“Come on in,” I beckoned.

She hesitated, then took a step forward. After a few brief exchanges, I couldn’t hide my curiosity any longer. “Why are you wearing a mask over one ear?” I inquired.

“I don’t know,” she said, a bit dazed. “I don’t know what I’m supposed to do anymore.”

“It’s OK,” I reassured. “This is a mask-free zone.”

She removed the mask from her ear, began to put it down, thought the better of it, and hung on to it.

“So what do you think about this school situation?” I asked. “Will you be sending Ivie back?”

“Who? Where?” she asked.

“The schools,” I repeated. “What do you think about the superintendent’s last email?”

“Oh. I don’t know,” was her monotone response. “I don’t know what to think about anything anymore.”

As she left, I waved as I watched her walk back to her car. I think I saw her put the mask back on one ear before pulling out of the driveway.

When I think about the way I feel as August approaches, I think about Holly that day, standing in my doorway with a mask draped across one ear. I think she speaks for all of us.

Shop till you drop?

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It makes me feel safer knowing clothing stores have closed down their dressing rooms. It’s well known that viruses tend to contain themselves in dressing areas rather than spreading throughout the store. It seems logical to board up the dressing rooms and allow customers to try the clothing on at home instead, especially since they’re given a mere 36 hours to marinate the merchandise in their coronas before bringing it back. Not to mention, I enjoy the challenge of guesstimating how an outfit will fit based on the way it appears on a hanger. When in doubt, spandex and lycra with a dash of corona are always safe choices.

Suddenly, “shop till you drop” takes on a whole new meaning.