As most of you know, it's been a rough couple of years for me personally, on top of the stuff we talk about here every day, and my health has not been great.
I have been dealing with — and trying to get to the bottom of — intermittent vertigo for several years now, and cluster headaches for the past year. I've been to countless doctors' appointments, ended up in the ER, haven't been able to drive for so long that we finally just sold my car, and have taken some pretty bad spills.
Many days, I am writing with excruciating pain from the cluster headaches, and I've not wanted to let any of it become debilitating, but it's reached the point where it just is, no matter what I want.
I was planning to take an extended break in August, because that tends to be the quietest news month of the year — not that there is any quiet time for news in the Trump Era. But I've hit a wall, so I'm going to have to move that date up.
Starting tonight, I'm going to take a long break with an eye toward returning September 3.
I am hoping that some extended time off will lead to improvements, or help with isolating the cause of one or both ailments, or I don't even know what, to be honest. I'm just hoping that something gives.
If things don't improve, I will let you know.
I apologize that I won't be around to cover the primary for awhile, including the Democratic debates later this month, or anything else that happens in the interim, for that matter, but I need to take care of myself.
While I'm away, I will schedule a weekly Open Thread each Monday, which the other mods have kindly offered to moderate, so you'll still have space to meet and talk.
See you as soon as I can.
Showing posts with label blog stuff. Show all posts
Showing posts with label blog stuff. Show all posts
Taking a Break
Blog Business
Hey, everyone! For a very long time, people have been asking me for additional donation options besides PayPal.
I recently added Venmo as an option, and you can make a donation via their mobile app. There's also a link in the sidebar. My transactions are set to private, so no one will ever be able to see any information about any donations you make.
I've also now launched a Patreon account, so you can become a subscriber there if you prefer.
I will occasionally post unique content there, but, like the content here, it will be public and accessible to everyone. There are no special giveaways for higher tiers, because I want every person who wants access to my work to have access to it, regardless of their ability to pay.
So I hope you will give what you can, not only because you value my work and want me to earn a liveable wage doing it, but because you value a community of progressives who provide for one another as we are able.
Now would be a great time to subscribe, if you can, because I'm working my tail off even harder than usual covering both the Trump Regime and the Democratic primary, and some wind in my sails would be deeply appreciated.
Thanks, y'all. ♥
Keep Shakesville Gallopin' Along
Now that I have your attention: This is, for those who have requested it, your bi-monthly reminder to donate to Shakesville and an important fundraiser to keep Shakesville gallopin' along.
(I know. Galloping along. I AM SORRY! But I wanted to post a picture of a mini horse BECAUSE THEY ARE FUCKING ADORABLE and "pony up!" felt a little aggressive, lol.)
Anyway! Y'all know all the reasons I have to request donations on the regular, all of which essentially come down to this: If you don't donate, I don't make money, and I can't do a full-time job for less than a liveable wage.
So, if you value the content and/or community in this space, please consider setting up a subscription or making a single end-of-year contribution.
Or use the below dropdown menu to choose set up a recurring monthly donation:
As I mentioned on Wednesday, I have also set up a Venmo account, and you can make a donation via their mobile app. There's also a link in the sidebar. My transactions are set to private, so no one will ever be able to see any information about any donations you make.
As always: Please note that I don't want anyone to feel obliged to contribute financially, especially if money is tight. There is a big enough readership that no one needs to donate if it would be a hardship.
One of the things I hate most about fundraising is knowing that it might make some people feel bad, if they want to donate but aren't able. I would never presume to tell you how to feel, but please know that I don't want you to feel bad.
Your kind words and gestures sustain me, too — and your encouragement makes doing this easier. Y'all support me in many ways, and I am immensely thankful for them all. ♥
Blog Business
Hey, everyone! Please take a moment to read these three quick administrative items:
1. I have refreshed and tweaked the Comment Policy. There aren't any significant changes, but it's always useful (even for me!) to re-read it once in awhile, so take a moment when you have some time for a refresher.
2. For a very long time, people have been asking me for a donation option in addition to PayPal. I now have Venmo, and you can make a donation via their mobile app. There's also a link in the sidebar. My transactions are set to private, so no one will ever be able to see any information about any donations you make. Please remember: I only get paid if you donate, so donate if you are able!
3. I am thinking about having a Philly area meet-up sometime this summer, if there's enough interest. So let me know in comments if that's something you'd be interested in attending!
The Virtual Pub Is Open + Programming Note
Belly up to the bar and
have a piece of magical cake!
Tomorrow is my 45th (!) birthday, and my gift to myself is a week off to rest and recharge my batteries. So we'll be off next week and return Monday, May 20th. See you then!
Keep Shakesville Truckin'
This is, for those who have requested it, your bi-monthly reminder to donate to Shakesville and an important fundraiser to keep Shakesville going.To keep doing this job, and to keep Shakesville a safe ad-free space, I need to be making enough through donations to support myself. Although Iain and I combine resources, like many couples, I don't want to find myself in a place where I couldn't support myself on my own if I needed and/or wanted to.
So this full-time gig has to pay me a livable wage for my time, and enough to pay contributing writers for their work, or I need to find another way to make a living. I'm not looking to get rich off this work. I simply want to make enough money that I am able to support myself modestly, in exchange for my full-time labor.
If you value the content and/or community in this space, please consider setting up a subscription or making a single end-of-year contribution.
Or use the below dropdown menu to choose set up a recurring monthly donation:
I cannot afford to do this full-time for free, but, even if I could, fundraising is also one of the most feminist acts I do here. I ask to be paid for my work because progressive feminist advocacy has value; because women's work has value.
So! If you value my work here and/or on Twitter — if you appreciate being able to tune in for coverage of politics and culture, for curated news about the Trump administration and/or the resistance, for Democratic primary round-ups, for media analysis, for a safe and image-free space to discuss difficult subjects, for the Fat Fashion or Makeup or Shaker Gourmet threads, or for whatever else you appreciate at Shakesville, whether it's the moderation, community in the Open Threads, video transcripts, or anything else — please remember that Shakesville is run exclusively on donations.
I would certainly be grateful for your support, if you are able to chip in.
Thank you to each of you who donates or has donated, whether monthly or as a one-off. I am deeply appreciative. This community couldn't exist without that support, truly. Thank you.
My thanks as well to everyone who contributes to the space in other ways, whether as a contributor, a moderator, a guest writer, a transcriber, and/or as someone who takes the time to send me a note of support and encouragement, some cool art, or anything else you think might give me a smile or fill my lungs with air. (You're usually right!) This community couldn't exist without you, either.
Finally and essentially: Please note that I don't want anyone to feel obliged to contribute financially, especially if money is tight. There is a big enough readership that no one needs to donate if it would be a hardship, and no one should ever feel bad about that.
I mean that. We're all in this thing together.
One of the things I hate most about fundraising is knowing that it might make some people feel bad, if they want to donate but aren't able. I would never presume to tell you how to feel, but please know that I don't want you to feel bad.
What I want is for you to know that, some days, your kind words are the only thing that keeps me going. I need money to survive. It is your encouragement that keeps me doing this work. You support me in many ways, and I am immensely thankful for them all. ♥
Blog Note
As I mentioned in today's We Resist thread, I've had something personal come up, so I will be otherwise occupied for the rest of the day.
Keep Shakesville Truckin'
This is, for those who have requested it, your bi-monthly reminder to donate to Shakesville and an important fundraiser to keep Shakesville going.To keep doing this job, and to keep Shakesville a safe ad-free space, I need to be making enough through donations to support myself. Although Iain and I combine resources, like many couples, I don't want to find myself in a place where I couldn't support myself on my own if I needed and/or wanted to.
So this full-time gig has to pay me a livable wage for my time, and enough to pay contributing writers for their work, or I need to find another way to make a living. I'm not looking to get rich off this work. I simply want to make enough money that I am able to support myself modestly, in exchange for my full-time labor.
If you value the content and/or community in this space, please consider setting up a subscription or making a single end-of-year contribution.
Or use the below dropdown menu to choose set up a recurring monthly donation:
I cannot afford to do this full-time for free, but, even if I could, fundraising is also one of the most feminist acts I do here. I ask to be paid for my work because progressive feminist advocacy has value; because women's work has value.
So! If you value my work here and/or on Twitter — if you appreciate being able to tune in for coverage of politics and culture, for curated news about the Trump administration and/or the resistance, for Democratic primary round-ups, for media analysis, for a safe and image-free space to discuss difficult subjects, for the Fat Fashion or Makeup or Shaker Gourmet threads, or for whatever else you appreciate at Shakesville, whether it's the moderation, community in the Open Threads, video transcripts, or anything else — please remember that Shakesville is run exclusively on donations.
I would certainly be grateful for your support, if you are able to chip in.
Thank you to each of you who donates or has donated, whether monthly or as a one-off. I am deeply appreciative. This community couldn't exist without that support, truly. Thank you.
My thanks as well to everyone who contributes to the space in other ways, whether as a contributor, a moderator, a guest writer, a transcriber, and/or as someone who takes the time to send me a note of support and encouragement, some cool art, or anything else you think might give me a smile or fill my lungs with air. (You're usually right!) This community couldn't exist without you, either.
Finally and essentially: Please note that I don't want anyone to feel obliged to contribute financially, especially if money is tight. There is a big enough readership that no one needs to donate if it would be a hardship, and no one should ever feel bad about that.
I mean that. We're all in this thing together.
One of the things I hate most about fundraising is knowing that it might make some people feel bad, if they want to donate but aren't able. I would never presume to tell you how to feel, but please know that I don't want you to feel bad.
What I want is for you to know that, some days, your kind words are the only thing that keeps me going. I need money to survive. It is your encouragement that keeps me doing this work. You support me in many ways, and I am immensely thankful for them all. ♥
It's Not Just You
Disqus is being glitchy and it's logging out some users and giving error messages to some folks when they try to comment. If you get a message saying you've already left the comment you're trying to leave, it's been registered and will eventually post, even if it doesn't yet appear on the page. If you try again, with a slight variation, it will just leave a duplicate comment.
Right now, their status page says "All Systems Operational," so I've tweeted at them but have not yet received a reply.
I'm sorry for the inconvenience, and I hope the issues will be resolved swiftly.
Fun Community Threads
As you've surely noticed, I like to post at least a couple of light-hearted and/or personal threads each day, because the news is so rough, and it's so important to be able to hold onto who we are, to hang on to goodness and light, and to stay connected to community, in grim times.
It's also because I just enjoy these threads and like giving the members of this community an opportunity to let themselves be known, and to get to know each other.
Back in May of last year, I solicited suggestions for new topics for community discussion threads and noted:
More than ever I want to center our collective humanity in this space. I want us to be visible to each other. I want to talk about happiness, and pain, and every piece of life that we are living, even as the world is changing very dramatically.After that thread, I added some new threads into the rotation: What I'm Reading Now, What I'm Watching, and World of Shakescraft.
...Please know that I don't post anything here frivolously. ...Visibility of our individual humanity means something. Evidence of joy in a time of resistance means something. Acknowledging hurt in a time of turmoil means something. You mean something, and so do I.
So now I'm posing the question again: Are there any fun features that you would like to see added into the rotation? A thread on general hobbies? A dedicated thread to hair stuff, instead of treating that as makeup-adjacent? A dating/relationships thread? Any one of a million other things I wouldn't think of on my own, lol?
Let me know in comments. I can't promise that I will institute every suggestion, but I will definitely work some new stuff into the mix!
The Jon Swift Memorial Roundup 2018
Jon Swift (aka Al Weisel), a brilliant blogger and satirist, and sometime contributor to Shakesville, used to wrap up each year by asking as many bloggers as he could contact to submit their best posts of the year for a massive roundup of awesome writing.
Weisel died in 2010, and, in his honor, Batocchio of Vagabond Scholar has continued to compile an annual Jon Swift Memorial Roundup.
Here is 2018's, and, as always, there's lots of good stuff there.
The piece I submitted this year is "On Mike Pence's Destructive Ambition," which I submitted as part of my ongoing campaign urging people to keep their eyes on Mike Pence, who, despite being the proverbial one heartbeat away from the presidency, and despite the fact that Donald Trump's presidency is increasingly imperiled, continues to thrive in the inattention of a political press which inexplicably resists the close scrutiny of his corrupt past that it so urgently deserves.
It's a Lang Lane That Hasna a Turnin'
[The title of the post is a Scottish saying — "it's a long road that never changes direction" — which means don't lose hope; things can't go in the same direction forever.]
Thank you for the solidarity and the good company as we navigated 2018, y'all. Under the circumstances, that is truly no small thing.
♥ x one million.
We're taking next week off, and will be back on Wednesday, January 2, at which time we will resume our regularly scheduled abundance of political news, pop culture, cute things, threads of support, and resistance.
See you then!
Unless, of course, some major political clusterfucktastrophe happens, in which case you may see me sooner. But I sure hope not! For all our sakes!
[My thanks to JupiterPluvius for the phrase used in the image.]
Fundraising Reminder
In case you missed it, last Wednesday I posted Shakesville's End-of-Year Fundraiser. There is more information at the link, but the basic gist is this: If you value my work here and/or on Twitter, please remember that Shakesville is run exclusively on donations. I need your support, if you are able to chip in.
Thank you so much to everyone who has already donated and/or set up (or increased) a subscription. I am so appreciative. ♥
This will be one of a couple reminders I run this week for the end-of-year fundraiser, which has become a critical fundraiser for me, and then we'll go back to every other month reminders.
Fundraising Reminder
In case you missed it, last Wednesday I posted Shakesville's End-of-Year Fundraiser. There is more information at the link, but the basic gist is this: If you value my work here and/or on Twitter, please remember that Shakesville is run exclusively on donations. I need your support, if you are able to chip in.
Thank you so much to everyone who has already donated and/or set up (or increased) a subscription. I am so appreciative.
I think I have sent a thank-you note to everyone, although it's possible I inadvertently missed someone because my inbox is the Upside Down. If you haven't received a personal thank-you, and you would like one, please let me know, and I will make sure to send one!
This will be one of a couple reminders I run this week for the end-of-year fundraiser, which has become a critical fundraiser for me, and then we'll go back to every other month reminders.
Important End-of-Year Fundraiser
This is a critical fundraiser to keep Shakesville going.
As I have been before, I want to be very blunt with y'all: To keep doing this job, and to keep Shakesville a safe ad-free space, I need to be making enough through donations to support myself, independently. Although Iain and I combine resources, like many couples, I don't want to find myself in a place where I couldn't support myself on my own if I needed and/or wanted to.
The past couple of years, it has been the year-end fundraiser that gets me — barely — past that threshold and gives me some resources to get through lean months the rest of the year.
So, once again, this is a critical fundraiser for me, in order to keep Shakesville going.
I don't mean for that to sound like an ultimatum: I'm just trying to be as straightforward as possible. Writing content, managing the community, moderating comments alongside the other mods, and engaging with readers via email and social media is a full-time job. I can't do this and hold down another job. I tried it, most of 2016, and it nearly ended me.
So this gig has to pay me a livable wage for my time, and enough to pay contributors for their work, or I need to find another way to make a living.
And just to be abundantly clear: I'm not looking to get rich off this work. I simply want to make enough money that I am able to support myself modestly, in exchange for my full-time labor.
So, if you value the content and/or community in this space, please consider setting up a subscription or making a single end-of-year contribution.
Or use the below dropdown menu to choose set up a recurring monthly donation:
I cannot afford to do this full-time for free, but, even if I could, fundraising is also one of the most feminist acts I do here. I ask to be paid for my work because progressive feminist advocacy has value; because women's work has value.
So! If you value my work here and/or on Twitter, please remember that Shakesville is run exclusively on donations. I would certainly be grateful for your support, if you are able to chip in.
Thank you to each of you who donates or has donated, whether monthly or as a one-off. I am deeply appreciative. This community couldn't exist without that support, truly. Thank you.
My thanks as well to everyone who contributes to the space in other ways, whether as a contributor, a moderator, a guest writer, a transcriber, and/or as someone who takes the time to send me a note of support and encouragement, some cool art, or anything else you think might give me a smile or fill my lungs with air. (You're usually right!) This community couldn't exist without you, either.
Finally and essentially: Please note that I don't want anyone to feel obliged to contribute financially, especially if money is tight. There is a big enough readership that no one needs to donate if it would be a hardship, and no one should ever feel bad about that.
I mean that. We're all in this thing together.
One of the things I hate most about fundraising is knowing that it might make some people feel bad, if they want to donate but aren't able. I would never presume to tell you how to feel, but please know that I don't want you to feel bad.
What I want is for you to know that, some days, your kind words are the only thing that keeps me going. I need money to survive. It is your encouragement that keeps me doing this work. You support me in many ways, and I am immensely thankful for them all. ♥
It's Not Just You
If you're having problems reading and/or leaving comments, you're not alone. Disqus is being glitchy at the moment. We're not the only site having trouble, so fingers crossed that Disqus will resolve whatever is causing the problem quickly.
The Virtual Pub Is Open + Programming Note
Belly up to the bar,
and be in this space together.
Next Thursday is Thanksgiving in the United States, which usually makes for a quiet week around here, since many folks are traveling or spending time with family, so we'll be taking next week off for a much-needed break and will return on Monday the 26th.
When I think about for what I am thankful as I sit down to our Thanksgiving meal, I will, as always, be thinking of this community. I am thankful for you, Shakers.
♥ ♥ ♥
Keep Shakesville Truckin'
This is, for those who have requested it, your bi-monthly reminder to donate to Shakesville and an important fundraiser to keep Shakesville going.To keep doing this job, and to keep Shakesville a safe ad-free space, I need to be making enough through donations to support myself. Although Iain and I combine resources, like many couples, I don't want to find myself in a place where I couldn't support myself on my own if I needed and/or wanted to.
So this full-time gig has to pay me a livable wage for my time, and enough to pay contributing writers for their work, or I need to find another way to make a living. I'm not looking to get rich off this work. I simply want to make enough money that I am able to support myself modestly, in exchange for my full-time labor.
If you value the content and/or community in this space, please consider setting up a subscription or making a single end-of-year contribution.
Or use the below dropdown menu to choose set up a recurring monthly donation:
I cannot afford to do this full-time for free, but, even if I could, fundraising is also one of the most feminist acts I do here. I ask to be paid for my work because progressive feminist advocacy has value; because women's work has value.
So! If you value my work here and/or on Twitter — if you appreciate being able to tune in for coverage of politics and culture, for curated news about the Trump administration and/or the resistance, for media analysis, for a safe and image-free space to discuss difficult subjects, for the Fat Fashion or Makeup or Shaker Gourmet threads, or for whatever else you appreciate at Shakesville, whether it's the moderation, community in the Open Threads, video transcripts, or anything else — please remember that Shakesville is run exclusively on donations. I would certainly be grateful for your support, if you are able to chip in.
Thank you to each of you who donates or has donated, whether monthly or as a one-off. I am deeply appreciative. This community couldn't exist without that support, truly. Thank you.
My thanks as well to everyone who contributes to the space in other ways, whether as a contributor, a moderator, a guest writer, a transcriber, and/or as someone who takes the time to send me a note of support and encouragement, some cool art, or anything else you think might give me a smile or fill my lungs with air. (You're usually right!) This community couldn't exist without you, either.
Finally and essentially: Please note that I don't want anyone to feel obliged to contribute financially, especially if money is tight. There is a big enough readership that no one needs to donate if it would be a hardship, and no one should ever feel bad about that.
I mean that. We're all in this thing together.
One of the things I hate most about fundraising is knowing that it might make some people feel bad, if they want to donate but aren't able. I would never presume to tell you how to feel, but please know that I don't want you to feel bad.
What I want is for you to know that, some days, your kind words are the only thing that keeps me going. I need money to survive. It is your encouragement that keeps me doing this work. You support me in many ways, and I am immensely thankful for them all. ♥
Fourteen Years
Fourteen years ago today, I launched this blog as Shakespeare's Sister.
That reference, from Virginia Woolf's essay "A Room of One's Own," was also my pseudonym, and, for a long time even after I disclosed my real name, I was still known as Shakespeare's Sister, or Shakes. So when more and more people arrived, and this became a community, we became Shakesville.
Woolf's essay concludes thus:
[Shakespeare's sister] lives in you and in me, and in many other women who are not here tonight, for they are washing up the dishes and putting the children to bed. But she lives; for great poets do not die; they are continuing presences; they need only the opportunity to walk among us in the flesh. This opportunity, as I think, is now coming within your power to give her. For my belief is that if we live another century or so—I am talking of the common life which is the real life and not of the little separate lives which we live as individuals—and have five hundred a year each of us and rooms of our own; if we have the habit of freedom and the courage to write exactly what we think; if we escape a little from the common sitting room and see human beings not always in their relation to each other but in relation to reality; and the sky, too, and the trees or whatever it may be in themselves; if we look past Milton's bogey, for no human being should shut out the view; if we face the fact, for it is a fact, that there is no arm to cling to, but that we go alone and that our relation is to the world of reality and not only to the world of men and women, then the opportunity will come and the dead poet who was Shakespeare's sister will put on the body which she has laid down. Drawing her life from the lives of the unknown who were her forerunners, as her brother did before her, she will be born. As for her coming without that preparation, without that effort on our part, without that determination that when she is born again she shall find it possible to live and write her poetry, that we cannot expect, for that would be impossible. But I maintain that she would come if we worked for her, and that so to work, even in poverty and obscurity, is worth while.I haven't been called Shakes in a very long while, but I have been Shakespeare's Sister for 14 years, and I am still.
I am also the heir of Shakespeare's Sisters before me, who carved out rooms of their own, tiny pieces of space and time, in which they formed the habit of freedom and mustered the courage to write exactly what they thought. I heard their whispers, their haunting encouragements, telling me to put on their bodies laid down and become born. And on October 5, 2004, I was.
It is because they worked for me, all of Shakespeare's Sisters who went before, because they worked for me in poverty and obscurity, that I could be born. I took up their legacy with breathless gratitude and compelling need, and I created a room of my own, built of 1s and 0s. Here I began to honor them, as best I could, drawing my life from their unknown lives, being born and born again every day, as Shakespeare's Sister, beneficiary of a legacy I only deserve if I endeavor to enrich it with my own contributions, no matter whether infinitesimal or grand, as long as they are honest and true.
It is here that I work for the Shakespeare's Sisters who will come after, so that they can put on my body and be born. It is here I write exactly what I think, with whatever gumption I can muster. It is here that I fight, for myself and others, working my teaspoon.
I fight because I have to. My obligation. My muse.
I fight and I expect more. Because I don't know how to expect anything else.
That is the context of this room. It was built by a woman. A feminist woman who fights and who dreams long and lustfully of a better world; who wants it like the cracked earth of the desert wants rain. Shakespeare's Sister, carrying the weight of all of Shakespeare's Sisters with her, as she clumsily stumbles toward making long, greedy use of the opportunity they provided her, sucking up every last drop of the chance she's been given to do what others could not and pay forward with interest the chance to another sister of Shakespeare who may just now be warily peering into this room and thinking there's something I like in there…
I want her to be born, too. More than I want just about anything else. I want her to know the feeling of putting on their bodies, our bodies, laid down, putting them on and finding home.
Especially now. In this time of refusing to listen to women. In this time of telling us that we don't matter, that our lives are worth less, that our bodies are not our own, that our voices won't be heard. In this time of trying to silence us.
I am Shakespeare's Sister, and I am born, and I scream so that you can be born, too.
Programming Note
As I mentioned, I've got a friend coming to visit for a few days. Actually, he arrived last night — yay! So I'm going to be taking tomorrow and Friday off, as well as Monday and Tuesday of next week, and then I'll see you back here next Wednesday.
I'll be putting up fresh Open Threads every couple of days, so you'll still have a place to hang out and chat about stuff, if you need it!
