I’ve spent the last part of this week in a fog because yet again, there has been another act of senseless violence in our schools. I am sickened and horrified and FED UP. I’m in awe of the student survivors of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. They are eloquent and powerful and ANGRY, and they have every right to be. They’ve been failed by the people who were supposed to protect them. I’m ashamed. I’m disgusted. And I’m deeply distressed for the parents and family of the seventeen people who lost their lives INSIDE A HIGH SCHOOL. No one should lose a child. No one should lose a loved one to preventable violence. And NO ONE should be satisfied with the status quo. These brave student survivors are leading the way, but they should never have had to. We can’t keep living like this, America! I shouldn’t be scared to send my children to school every day! No one should be afraid at a church, or a concert, or a movie theater. The town I live in now is so much like Parkland, Florida. It’s tight-knit and very safe, yet every day I pray, “Please don’t let the world learn the name of my town because of a shooting.” I have a feeling I’m not the only one who does that, and to quote Douglas HS senior Emma Gonzalez, “that’s BS.” We have to do better. NOW.
Around The ‘Net
~The lives lost in the Parkland school shooting
~Furious students who survived school shooting call for tougher gun laws
~These young survivors of the Parkland shooting give voice to a nation’s outrage
~A loud, new voice after the latest school shooting: Kids wanting to know why adults hadn’t done more
~Mental Health Fixes Won’t Stop Mass Shootings, Experts Warn
~‘Resist White Supremacy’: A sign. A farm. And the fury that followed.
~He Predicted The 2016 Fake News Crisis. Now He’s Worried About An Information Apocalypse.
~Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on ‘Black Panther’: All This Fuss Over a Superhero Movie?
~The Peculiar Position of India’s Third Gender
~Airline Employee Saves Young Girls from Alleged Sex Trafficking Plot
~Inside Facebook’s Hellish Two Years—and Mark Zuckerberg’s Struggle to Fix it All
~For These New Yorkers, Pigeons Aren’t a Hobby—They’re a Lifestyle
~Where Do You Go When You Die? The Increasing Signs That Human Consciousness Remains After Death
~What Is Up With Those Pentagon UFO Videos?
~Why Trying to Be Less Awkward Never Works
~Supertall Towers Are Driving an Elevator Revolution
~The Secret to Being a Productive Human: Take More Breaks (and Naps!)
~How Would We React to Finding Aliens?
~Absurdist Dialogues with Siri
Disney Dreams
It’s honestly been hard to focus on getting ready for our Disney trip with all the horrible news surrounding us, but I’ve been leaning into the kids’ excitement while I’ve put together the piles of stuff to pack. Thank you to everyone who emailed and left comments with awesome suggestions for what to bring to the parks and on the cruise. I picked up my prescription for the seasick patch, and basically bought everything you all suggested (Ponchos – check. Micky Mouse insect repellant bracelets – check.)! Next time any of you have a trip planned to Disneyland, hit me up and I’ll return the advice!
Ceiling Sports
My friend Mike has a really fun new product that he’s currently trying to fund on Kickstarter. It’s called the CeilingSport Original Swish, and as the name suggests, it’s a game you play on your ceiling. My kids will loooove this in their rooms. I’ve pledged and can’t wait to get ours. Mike has been working on this for three years, and it definitely deserves to be funded. Spread the word!
Happy Sunday, everyone. Be safe, you are precious to me.
Rebecca says:
Just a little tip for the seasickness patch. Make sure you wash your hands thoroughly after you put it on or touch it in any way. When I used it, I didn’t pay attention to this, and I must have accidentally touched my eye at some point, because the pupil on one of my eyes was craaaaazy dilated the day after I put the patch on. I looked insane and it was impossible to be outside because the sun hurt my eye. Freaky side effect!
Bren says:
Hello! Making a 10 AM one day to 5 PM the next day quick trip to Disneyland (but just my husband and I, planning to bring the kids next time). Any advice on where to eat supper our one night and anything we should know/bring? Thanks! Have a wonderful time in Florida! It’s magical!
Bev says:
Heather I have felt the same way over these school shootings and I agree that something needs to be done. I too lived in a very safe and tight-knit community up till last week when two of our police officers where killed while responding to a domestic violence call where the shooter was a convicted felon and had a gun that was purchased for him. I have lived in Westerville, Ohio for 45 years and these were the first police officers to be killed in the line of duty in our city. I can only hope and pray that the people in Parkland get the support and love that we have gotten and felt from around the world in the weeks, months and years that follow. Something needs to be done.
Amber says:
Great articles…. Thanks. I always look forward to your Sunday posts.
The ceiling game looks awesome. What a cool idea.
I hope your Disney trip is everything you hope it is! Your kids are at the perfect age to appreciate everything.
Stay safe!
Amber says:
By the way…. Have you ever heard of the Cokeville Wyoming hostage take over of
the elementary school back in the eighties?
I grew up near there and a ton of my friends were held hostage. It was one of the first elementary schools involved in such a horrific ordeal.
The creeps who did it almost decided on my elementary school, but decided it was too large.
I have been affected by what happened my entire life.
Lisa says:
I live 20 minutes from Parkland. My goal has been and still is to move to that school district so my daughter can attend Middle and High School there. I still cannot believe that this happened here, even though it can happen anywhere. It’s incredibly heart breaking and I am devastated. Stoneman is basically the best High school in the area for many reasons. And I still feel that it is. I cried the day after the shooting when I dropped my daughter off at school because I was scared she would die. What a HORRIBLE way to feel! We brought flowers to the school a couple of days ago and wow, what an eerie and surreal experience that was. It was like being at a funeral, very quiet even though there were tons of people there. The kids from the school are AMAZING and I am in awe of their actions each day. They will make a change and are not going to stop until they do. And I am anxious to see what progress they will make with their persistence and focus.