The Fog Dog Blog

With things I’ve seen on BookTok over the past month, I decided to write this.

Books and writing will always be political. Even when we don’t mean to, our views on the world we live in will shine through. Our perspectives on class, justice, and human nature will be placed into our writing. With the world we live in, where the list of books being banned in schools and libraries is becoming longer by the day, we can no longer pretend books aren't inherently political. 

A graphic titled, ‘How to Stop Procrastinating by Managing your Emotions.’ It was created by Nawal Mustafa, Neuropsychology PhD Student, @ TheBrainCoach on Instagram. The logo in the corner has a circular icon showing art of a brain with Nawal’s name under it. Each emotion has an arrow pointing to a small paragraph. These are:

Overwhelmed: Break the task down into smaller, more manageable steps and focus on one step at a time. Baby steps.

Bored/Disinterested: Push myself to get started and do 10 minutes of the task. If I absolutely hate it, I will stop and try again. Chances are I will keep going because initiation is the hardest part.

Anxious: I will practice deep breathing and dedicate a time this week to work on the task. This will help reassure me that the task will get done, just not right now.

Self-doubt: I will remind myself that action builds confidence. I will enjoy the process of learning, embrace making mistakes, and be strong in my belief that I will improve as I keep working on this task.

It was strange to touch each other without one of them dying, but maybe touch was also something for the living.

Like magnets they moved together, pressing into each other's warmth.

There always needed to be a reason, an excuse for their bodies to touch.

Being touch-starved and needy was really starting to mess with their reputation as a tough guy.

It was like their skin was calling out for the other's gentle touch.

They didn't like to be touched by just anyone. But that didn't mean they didn't also crave it sometimes.

A coldness took over their body that only the warmth of another person could erase.

They wanted to be touched, to be missed, to be loved. Was that too much to ask for?

Leaning onto each other, just being close, was enough.

I have a family friend who worked at our local Salvation Army headquarters as a a secretary. This particular office took all the Christmas donations for children in need, put them in a warehouse, and on a designated day the staff and their friends picked through them all, taking whatever they wanted. She saw people hauling away bikes donated for specific families. Some local children had hundreds of dollars of gifts donated in their name, and on Christmas they received three cheap things, items likely not even from the person who sponsored them.

My friend quit, and I’ve not given them a dime of my money since then.

I’m a wildfire and disaster logistics specialist.

I deal with a lot of agencies who provide disaster relief.

I used to say the Salvation Army’s disaster services were the one (literally the ONE) good thing they did.

They would come in, set up a canteen trailer, make and pass out hot coffee and donated food in a disaster, usually being one of the first agencies to get there and the last to leave.

Then I found out.

Every time they did this, regardless of if they were actually invited or deployed by the agency in charge (usually FEMA, sometimes others) they would SELF-DEPLOY. Meanjng they would just show up. Ok. That’s not TOO bad, sometimes agencies have to take initiative and get there before the red tape is sorted out. BUT. They, after they left at the end of the incident, they would send FEMA or the host agency a BILL. They used one or two paid employees (usually the driver of the truck and a supervisor); and many VOLUNTEERS, but they would bill for EVERYONE’s Labor at standard federal rates. They would bill for the food they distributed even though it was all donated by another agency or private parties. They would bill for the coffee they made and the supplies. Except they would use electricity from the shelter location, water from donations or from the shelter, and in many cases, they would get the coffee and industrial filters DONATED, but bill for them at retail prices.

Salvation Army reached out to Milknmuffins and asked what shelter she’s at with the promise to address the abuse in it. She…ended up saying where she was. She was thrown out onto the street. It’s also all on Twitter.

They invited her to a personal talk so she could explain the situation in person.

And then they threatened her with a screenshot of a rape-threat made supposedly by her:

And then threw her out into the street while claiming she broke house rules that