SIR MAUS

Great point, my dear!!!

First off, you’ll want to read our tax filing how-to:

How to File Your Taxes FOR FREE: Simple Instructions for the Stressed-Out Taxpayer 

Next, here’s a few things off the top of my head that you guys can write off your taxes in 2020:

If you’ve worked from home for any amount of time, you can write off a home office on your taxes. It’ll ask you to estimate the square footage. Just use the square footage of whichever room in your home you most often use to do work if you don’t have a dedicated home office.

If you’ve used your vehicle for work, you can write it off. This is especially important for anyone working for DoorDash, Lyft, etc. 

Office supplies: printer paper, pens, push-pins, corkboard, a desk, special equipment etc.

Subscription fees: Dropbox, a VPN, Vimeo pro, video conferencing software, a mailing list or Listserv... any software or service you’ve used to do your work, the cost can be written off.

nothing stays the same. without a moment's notice, everything can change and leave you wondering what the hell happened. living in the present and appreciating the small things is important because nothing else is guaranteed or permanent.

we humans are not as important as we believe ourselves to be. when the bee dies so do the flowers. when we die the flowers grow back. if we are to build a better future, we must give back to the planet by changing the ways we live on it.

time is not real. there is nothing in the laws of physics that can prove it is anything other than a human construct.

power of the people will always outweigh the people in power. the 1% are scared of us realising this and acting upon it.

home is more of a person than a place. the way i see my family has changed. all that other stuff i thought i wanted when the true treasure was here all along.

distance does not lessen the value or strength of true friendship.

self-care is by far the most important skill to learn in life. being aware of my needs, how things effect me, and eliminating harmful inputs has gone a long way in improving my physical and mental health.

social media does not offer an honest or healthy way in which to view the world. like a toxic friend, it uses our desires and insecurities in all sorts of manipulative ways. being able to take a step back and reconnect with the real physical world can be both invigorating and revelatory.

simple acts of kindness cost nothing but are as precious as gold dust.

eye contact has become a new form of communication. with masks hiding half of our faces we have no choice but to look at each other's souls. we see each other more now and we offer strangers in the street smiles from our eyes rather than our mouths.

being lonely doesn't mean we're alone. everyone is going through something. even if they don't show it.

laughter is the closest thing there is to magic. watery eyes, burning chests and aching ribs from laughing too much are the most wonderful feelings in the world.

Now I’m nearly three months retired (though my agency didn’t want me to go and because it was an awkward time for me to leave, I’m working two days a week for them as a part time temp) and I am able to volunteer for the food bank doing data work and for a local organization of towns that are trying to bring high speed internet into our terribly under-served area.

Do not underestimate the power of deferred comp. 

I’ve been getting a lot of questions about job hunting and saving money lately, and I wanted to write a blanket response. 

Here is my wisdom for you…

If you are currently employed…

If you have a job right now, try to stick with it. Even if it’s not the perfect job for you. Normally i would advocate for you going out there and trying to find the best job available that interests you, motivates you, and is financially rewarding. But this is an unprecedented global situation. If you are financially beholden to your job (paying a rent or a mortgage, need income for your education, income for bills, etc), I advise you to stay put.

Be realistic about your expectations. You hours may be cut, you may lose pay, and your job will likely be short staffed at times. Now is not the time to ask for a promotion or to take that paid vacation. That said, do not allow your boss or supervisor to use this pandemic as an excuse to throw your employee rights out the window. Read up on your rights as an employee, and talk to your coworkers if you think anything untoward is occurring.

If you are looking for a job…

Now is the time to consider unemployment VERY seriously! The stimulus package that was approved by the government is granting those on unemployment more money than it ever has in the history of forever. It’s also slashed wait times for unemployment so you don’t have to wait a month before applying, you can literally apply right now.

Back before all of this went down, people were entitled to half of what their normal salary was on unemployment. For clarity’s sake, let’s say you were earning $300/a week. Unemployment would have paid $150/week. Unemployment is now paying $600 on top of that. That means that you would be making $750/week! This is a temporary thing, so get on it while you can.

I am not even kidding it’s an extra $600 for everybody! Apply today.

If you don’t want to take unemployment

Know that your job choices will be severely limited during this time. You’re likely not going to land that dream job in your chosen field.

Places that are hiring are supermarkets, pharmacies, and chain stores like Target. 

Instead of casting a wide net, focus your search on the places that are taking new employees on. Update your resume to be more appealing to these sort of places.

If you’re trying to save money

Accept that you’re likely NOT going to save money right now. That is the unfortunate reality of the situation.

Put off unnecessary purchases (such as cars), avoiding taking on any new loans, and consider reworking your weekly and monthly budgets!

Don’t bash yourself if you’re not reaching your saving goals. None of us are. Seriously. 

Similarly- don’t bash yourself if you have to go into your savings or emergency fund to pay fixed expenses such as utility bills. That’s what they’re there for.

If you can’t make bills

Contact companies that you owe money to ASAP. Many companies are offering payment plans and discounts due to COVID. If they don’t know that you’re struggling, they can’t help you. 

This includes loan companies! There are all sorts of rules and regulations that have been brought on due to covid-19. If you have a mortgage or have a student loan that you’re having trouble paying, contact the loan provider and talk to them about what their company can do to help. 

Know that many utility companies have placed moratoriums on turning off people’s electric. I know my local company, Central Hudson, is not terminating anyone’s electricity as of now.

In terms of health insurance- health insurance providers are not terminating anyone for nonpayment due to covid.

Stay strong! I know it’s hard babe.

Tiny Crochet Cat Couches With Matching Granny Square Blankets

So, many of us (possibly not all, because other vaccines in the pipeline) are going to be getting either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine.

What vaccine you end up getting is likely to depend on your age, health, and where you live. Pfizer’s vaccine is harder to store and transport, so if you live in a big city you’re more likely to get that one.

For what I’m going to say, though, it doesn’t make a difference.

You’re going to be getting two shots, a few weeks apart. For Moderna, it’s 28 days (4 weeks). For Pfizer, it’s 21 days (3 weeks). Yes, this sucks. No, this is not ideal for mass vaccination. You’ll get a card that will remind you to come back for the second dose. The person administering the shot, most likely a pharmacist, will also ask for your cell phone number so they can text you. Because if you don’t come back that first shot is a waste of time.

We don’t know for sure if the single shot gives any protection at all, but the reasonable assumption is that it doesn’t.

This means you need to get your ass back in there for that second shot. And while you are waiting for that shot, you are not protected.

This means you should continue to wear a mask, etc. In fact, if possible, you should be even more careful, because if you get sick and can’t come in for that second shot? They’ll most likely have to start over. The trial included longer periods between the two, so you might be fine, but there is a risk here.

And once you have had that second shot?

It’s going to take two to four weeks to build antibodies, during which time you will have lower, but increasing, protection. They’ll tell you what it is…that data hasn’t been released yet, but will be.

So you should still continue to be careful for those weeks.

Finally!

We don’t know if these vaccines provide what is called sterilizing immunity, meaning you can’t be infected and can’t pass it on.

They may only provide functional immunity, meaning you get infected but don’t get sick. You could still transmit COVID-19 to others, although the risk is lower.

Which means?

Yeah, the masks have to stay on until the case numbers and other metrics are looking good.

DRAWING

20+ YouTube Channels to Learn How to Draw for Free

Learn to Draw Anything with These Handy Online Resources and Books

Learn How to Draw a Horse Head From 3 Different Angles

Learn How to Draw a Magical Unicorn in 6 Simple Steps

How to Draw a Dragon With These Easy Step by Step Instructions

Learn How to Draw Any Type of Human Nose With a Few Simple Steps

Perfect Your Portraiture by Learning How to Draw a Face Step by Step

Learn How to Draw Human Hands With This “Handy” Step by Step Guide

Step-by-Step Doodle Tutorials Make Complex Subjects Easy to Draw

Learn How to Draw a Dog with This Simple Step-by-Step Sketching Guide

Follow These 4 Easy Steps to Sketch Any Landscape You See

PAINTING

50+ Painting Ideas That Will Inspire You to Pick Up a Brush Right Now

30+ Watercolor Painting Ideas for Beginning Artists and Seasoned Professionals

Learn to Paint with 403 Free Episodes of Bob Ross’ “The Joy of Painting” on YouTube

This Step-by-Step Tutorial Shows You How to “Grow” Watercolor Flowers on Paper

13 YouTube Channels to Teach You How to Paint for Free

Learn How to Paint a Colorful Sunset in Easy to Follow Steps

How to Make Your Own Stencils + Thousands of Free Ready-to-Use Downloads

PHOTOGRAPHY

18 Best Online Photography Classes Guaranteed to Improve Your Creativity

Learn Photography With 99 Hours of Free Online Lessons From School of Visual Arts

Annie Leibovitz Is Teaching Her First Ever Photography Class, and Anyone Can Attend

EMBROIDERY

10+ Most Popular Embroidery Stitches You Can Learn for Free on YouTube

15+ Hand Embroidery Patterns Ready to Download and Start Sewing

How to Make Your Own Free Embroidery Pattern (and Download Others for Free)

KNITTING AND CROCHETING

20 Free Crochet Patterns You Can Start Stitching Today

How to Crochet: Learn the Basics of This Time-Honored Handicraft

10+ Popular Knitting Stitches You Can Learn for Free on YouTube

Learn Amigurumi: The Adorable Art of Knitting and Crocheting Small Creatures

SEWING

Here’s Where to Find Thousands of Sewing Patterns for Fashion-Forward DIY

Shibori Dyeing: How a Centuries-Old Japanese Art Is Still Used to Customize Cloth

Take Your Mind Off the Coronavirus by Coloring

Stock Photos from Jne Valokuvaus/Shutterstock

Coloring is a meditative and soothing activity. Once you’ve had your fill of coloring, try zentangles—another practice that has you drawing calming patterns, too.

100+ Museums Turn Their Collections Into Free Downloadable Coloring Books

Top 5 Places to Download Thousands of Free Adult Coloring Sheets

Adults Are Filling Drawings with Calming Patterns Instead of Just Coloring Them In

Expand Your Library

Like online classes, we regularly chronicle creative books that’ll inspire you. Peruse our reading list and you’ll find a variety of books (many of them available on Amazon Prime). If you’ve got an e-reader, you’re in luck. Through Kindle Unlimited, you can get thousands of titles for one monthly price.

Creative Books of the Month

10 Creative Audiobooks to Artistically Inspire Your Mind Through Your Ears

Never Stop Streaming

Are you blazing through your Netflix queue? Supplement your viewing with your library card through Kanopy, the free streaming service that lets you watch thousands of movies for free.

If you cant get the frozen mixed veggies you can still just chop up carrots and corn and use them the same way

I know that this is something on a lot of students’ minds right now - a lot of you are probably in online classes at the moment, and most of you probably didn’t get much advice for how to make the transition from in-person to online on short notice. Luckily, there are some things you can do to make this easier for yourself, and keep yourself focused even in these strange circumstances:

Make yourself a “classroom”. Have a space in your bedroom, apartment or house that is dedicated to schoolwork, and nothing except schoolwork, and log into your classes from there every day. This doesn’t have to by anything fancy - a desk in your bedroom, a corner of the kitchen table, part of the dining room table, etc, will do. Try to find a spot where you have good lighting, a comfortable chair and enough space to put your laptop or tablet and spread out whatever books and materials you need for class. Also try to choose a place where you won’t be disturbed; if you have family members that spend a lot of time in the kitchen, a desk in your bedroom might be a better choice. Set up a permanent station where you have everything you need, and do all of your studying there - physically compartmentalizing a “study space” in your home can help you get into “school mode” more easily. 

Don’t study in your bed. If it’s at all possible, don’t work on schoolwork or watch video lectures in bed. Not only are you more likely to fall asleep while you’re working, but doing this teaches your brain that “bed” is a place for studying and academic work, which can make it harder for you to “turn your brain off” and fall asleep at night. Keeping school and sleep/recreation/TV watching physically separate activities is important for maintaining your focus. 

Minimize your distractions. If you are watching a lecture on a video call, the only things that should be open on your device are the video call and whatever note-taking app you use. Everything else - social media, web browsing, videos - needs to be closed. Put your phone on “do not disturb” mode and put it in a drawer or out of your reach so you are not tempted to look at it. Shut your pets out of your room if you can, let others in your household know that you are not to be disturbed, and put on headphones to minimize any outside noise. With online classes, you don’t have the pressure of “my professor will be annoyed with me if I’m on my phone in class instead of paying attention” to keep you on-task, and so you need to be extra vigilant about blocking out distractions. 

Treat your online classes like you would a real class. “Attend” every scheduled lecture. Be on time and ready to learn. Do the readings on time and participate in class discussions. Don’t schedule other activities or calls during your class time, and do your best not to oversleep. It can be easy to stop taking your classes seriously once they’ve changed from in-person lectures to video calls, so it’s important that you stay conscientious of that and make a serious effort to treat your classes just like you would if you were still on campus. 

Communicate with your professor, and let them know if you are struggling or in need of extra help. The online classes most of you are taking right now are not typical online classes - they were thrown together at the last minute by professors who never expected to have to teach in this format. Frankly, everyone is just winging it right now. It’s possible that you will find your online classes disorganized, confusing or hard to follow, and if that’s the case, it’s vital that you speak up. If you aren’t sure whether old deadlines and guidelines from your syllabus still apply, don’t make assumptions - ask. If isolation is getting to you mentally, or if you have been forced to quarantine in an unsafe environment that it making it hard for you to focus, let your professor know. Your professors are human, and they understand that you might need extra accommodations or assistance to make it through your courses. We are living in extraordinary times, and sometimes extraordinary accommodations can be made for people who need them. Most professors are eager to do whatever they can to help their students, but they won’t know you need that extra assistance unless you tell them. 

Hey! First of all- so proud of you for getting on SNAP! That is a long and arduous process, good for you.

I’m going to do the meat post separately!

I focused on the following characteristics when choosing vegetables.

- That they’re cheap- Either they cook fast or can be thrown in an oven and roasted while you go about your routine- That they’re healthy- Are versatile for both cold and hot dishes- Last a long time sitting uncooked in your fridge- That they’re fresh! I did list one frozen vegetable on my list, but tried to keep the rest fresh.

CHEAP FRESH VEGGIES

1. Carrots! Carrots are almost always sold in bulk, last for months, and don’t take super long to cook. Carrots taste delicious is salads, pasta sauces, soups, and roasted with cinnamon. Delish.

2. Potatoes. I don’t recommend eating an entire potato and leaving it at that, but potatoes plus other veggies = golden. Potatoes last for about a month, sometimes more. If they start to get moldy, squishy or black, toss ‘em. Potatoes are filling and require very little active cooking. Stab their sides and throw them in the oven while you do you. Use them in a hash, soup, or top with your favs for a baked potato meal. Sweet potato is slightly more pricey, but also delicious.

3. Corn. Frozen corn is super easy to work with, defrosts fast. and adds crunch to any meal. Lots of frozen corn products include a “sweet sauce”, so avoid that like the plague. You can always rinse this sauce off if you have to. Warm salads, soup, pasta, delish.

4. Butternut squash. Much like potatoes but healthier, butternut squash will sit uncooked in your fridge for a while, and requires little effort to cook. I recommend roasting it with some salt and olive oil. I like to buy pre-peeled (I bought two medium sized containers for $4) and roast them for my smoothies. But I also use them with eggs and warm salads. Really a quintessential winter vegetable.

5. Cucumbers. They’re mostly water. But they’re zero calories and last FOREVER in your fridge. I use them in salads primarily, because heating them dries them out and I don’t think they taste as good warmed.

6. Zucchini. Another excellent squash! This is probably the longest lasting squash in my mind, it can sit for several weeks before starting to get squishy. I like to make zucchini bread, but these taste delicious in pastas, hashes, and roasted and cooled for salads. Top with cumin, salt and pepper.

Historisk home in Stockholm | styling by Rydman & photos by Östling | more here

welcome!!!!!! this is long overdue. i’ve been promising myself i’d made this forever. so here it is - the ultimate masterpost of wlw (women loving women) books. not all characters are lesbians, some are bi or pan, though all books feature f/f relationships and/or themes. there are 150+ recommendations, so enjoy!

YOUNG ADULT CONTEMPORARY:

the miseducation of cameron post by emily m. danforth

keeping you a secret by julie anne peters

grl2grl by julie anne peters

lies my girlfriend told me by julie anne peters

far from xanadu by julie anne peters

rubyfruit jungle by rita mae brown

annie on my mind by nancy garden

kissing kate by lauren myracle

everything leads to you by nina lacour

dare truth or promise by paula boock

gravel queen by tea benduhn

her name in the sky by kelly quindlen

tell me again how a crush should feel by sara farizan

no one needs to know by amanda grace

my best friend, maybe by caela carter

dirty london by kelley york

ask the passengers by a.s. king

empress of the world by sara ryan

pages for you by sylvia brownrigg

waiting in the wings by melissa brayden

breathing underwater by lu vickers

hood by emma donoghue

between you & me by marisa calin

starting from here by lisa jenn bigelow

about a girl by sarah mccarry

the flywheel by erin gough

the necessary hunger by nina revoyr

the house you pass on the way by jacqueline woodson

about a girl by joanne horniman

gravity by leanne lieberman

another life altogether by elaine beale

great by sara benincasa

the gravity between us by kristen zimmer

taking flight by siera maley

the road to her by k.e. payne

the summer i wasn’t me by jessica verdi

unspeakabe by abbie rushton

beauty of the broken by tawni waters

read me like a book by liz kessler

starring kitty by keris stainton

holding back by mila kerr

cam girl by leah raeder

not otherwise specified by hannah moskowitz

an unstill life by kate larkindale

look both ways by alison cherry

a story of now by emily o’beirne

my summer of love by helen cross

marionette by t.b. markinson

the difference between you and me by madeleine george

the bermudez triangle by maureen johnson

girl walking backwards by bett williams

FANTASY/PARANORMAL/SCIENCE FICTION:

the dark wife by sarah diemer

twixt by sarah diemer

the witch sea by sarah diemer

sugar moon by sarah diemer

far by sarah diemer

carmilla by joseph sheridan le fanu

ash by malinda lo

huntress by malinda lo

adaption by malinda lo

the traitor baru cormorant by seth dickinson

karen memory by elizabeth bear

bleeding earth by kaitlin ward

lady knight by l.j. baker

the second sister by rae d. magdon

wild by meghan o’brien

santa olivia by jacqueline carey

everafter by nell stark

iron & velvet by alexis hall

silver kiss by naomi clark

with her body by nicola griffith

ammonite by nicole griffith

the windup girl by paolo bacigalupi

a harvest of ripe figs by shira glassman

seven by jennifer diemer

braided by elora bishop

crumbs by elora bishop

labyrinth by pearl north

the drowning girl by caitlin r. kiernan

the red tree by caitlin r. kiernan

the big lie by julie mayhew

the first twenty by jennifer lavoie

the girl in the road by monica byrne

every dark desire by fiona zedde

CRIME/MYSTERY/THRILLER:

black iris by leah raeder

dangerous girls by abigail haas

far from you by tess sharpe

slow river by nicola griffith

the blue place by nicola griffith

stay by nicola griffith

vanished by e.e. cooper

keepers of the cave by gerri hill

hunter’s way by gerri hill

child of doors by j.s. little

scars by cheryl rainfield

trust me, i’m trouble by mary elizabeth summer

out of order by casey lawrence

reconstructing amelia by kimberly mccreight

vicious little darlings by katherine easer

HISTORICAL:

the paying guests by sarah waters

tipping the velvet by sarah waters

affinity by sarah waters

the night watch by sarah waters

fingersmith by sarah waters

the price of salt by patricia highsmith (also known as carol)

wildthorn by jane eagland

silhouette of a sparrow by molly beth griffin

lies we tell ourselves by robin talley

patience & sarah by isabel miller

the hours by michael cunningham

the well of loneliness by radclyffe hall

mrs dalloway by virginia woolf

the world unseen by shamam sarif

map of ireland by stephanie grant

hild by nicole griffith

honey girl by lisa freeman

letters never sent by sandra moran

fall on your knees by ann-marie macdonald

the last nude by ellis avery

the teahouse fire by ellis avery

olivia by dorothy strachey

the friendly young ladies by mary renault

moon at nine by deborah ellis

the marriage recital by katharine grant

the crimson ribbon by katherine clements

the other typist by suzanne rindell

days of grace by catherine hall

desert of the heart by jane rule

ADULT FICTION:

sing you home by jodi picoult

and playing the role of herself by k.e. lane

i can’t think straight by shamim sarif

stone butch blues by leslie feinberg

curious wine by katherine v. forrest

the color purple by alice walker

jericho by ann mcman

oranges are not the only fruit by jeanette winterson

gut symmetries by jeanette winterson

why be happy when you could be normal? by jeanette winterson

written on the body by jeanette winterson

where we belong by catherine ryan hyde

at the water’s edge by harper bliss

behind the green curtain by riley lashea

96 hours by georgia beers

all that matters by susan x. meagher

give me a reason by lyn gardner

ice by lyn gardner

my last season with you by s.v.c. ricketts

taking the long way by lily r. mason

nightwood by djuna barnes

living at night by mariana romo-carmona

choices by nancy toder

cassandra at the wedding by dorothy baker

landing by emma donoghue

stir-fry by emma donoghue

pitifully ugly by robin alexander

COMICS BOOKS/GRAPHIC NOVELS:

blue is the warmest colour by julie maroh

fun home by alison bechdel

dykes to watch out for by alison bechdel

honor girl by maggie trash

skim by mariko tamaki

potential by ariel shrag

strangers in paradise by terry moore

NON-FICTION:

odd girls and twilight lovers by lillian faderman

surpassing the love of men by lillian faderman

chloe plus olivia by lillian faderman

to believe in women by lillian faderman

sapphistries by leila j. rupp

inseparable by emma donoghue

passions between women by emma donoghue

dear john, i love jane by candace walsh

a woman like that by joan larkin

aimee & jaguar by erica fischer

the femme mystique by leslea newman

boots of leather, slippers of gold by elizabeth lapovsky kennedy

different daughters by marcia m. gallo

between women by sharon marcus

charity and sylvia by rachel hope cleves

lesbian culture: an anthology by julia penelope

alice + freda forever by alexis coe

Small industrial loft