It Wasn't Pink Eye (I Think?)
An eye goo-free newsletter for your Sunday.
In a pretty perfect metaphor for this winter, I got a call from the nurse’s office at 8:45am on Friday morning: “We’ve got pink eye!!!” Please note that my child leaves for school at 8:15am and their eye was decidedly NOT PINK when last I saw them. But I did the dutiful mom thing and raced down there… only to find that my kid’s eye had absolutely returned to normal by 9:07. The nurse was apologetic but agreed there was no reason to spend the rest of our Friday in urgent care. We laughed and I went back about my day — except now, of course, I’m anxiously monitoring all of our eyeballs to see if infection is indeed, onsetting. (So far, so good? I think??)
That kind of ever-present, looming threat is also just what it feels like to be a working parent and/or a person alive in 2025. So I super appreciated our nuanced conversation about Friday’s Economic Blackout—if you’re feeling helpless, that thread is full of good ideas for taking concrete, meaningful action right now.
To that end, I’d love to start thinking about our next community action. Should we set a new fundraising goal? Start organizing mutual aid? Drop your ideas and strategies in the comments, please!
And in the meantime, may your Sunday be relaxing and 100 percent eye goo-free. Scroll on for some good reads and treats!
-Virginia xo
February ICYMI
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Two Things I Love Right Now
1. My air fryer.
After school (really anytime) air fryer cookies are still going strong over here! I also used it to crisp up some samosas when my Indian food takeout arrived lukewarm this week, and still love it for all the other things. Mine is BIG (think microwave-sized) but that also means it’s pretty versatile. And yes, it replaced my toaster too.
2. Calling my reps!
(Obvs no affiliate link on this one!) Full props to
for making me a 5Calls devotee. It is SO easy to use this app to call your congressperson and senators. I’m aiming for every weekday, and yes, as a Millennial with Phone Fear, I do often call outside of business hours so I can leave a voicemail—as long as you include your address, these still get counted—or call with my kids, as a way to show them that it’s bad, but we’re doing something.Yes it’s still worth calling if you’re in a blue area — the Dems need us supporting them, and holding them accountable. Yes, it’s still worth calling if you’re in a red area — this video from AOC explains why.
5Calls gives scripts so you don’t have to stammer through an awkward speech; I also love the ones from
. But I’m finding the more I call, the better I’m getting at the improv rant. Hope that’s as fun for the aides in Mike Lawler’s office as it is for me!
OMG my heart goes out to all pink-eye and near pink-eye victims! That stuff is awful. The absolute worst boss I ever had came to work with it, said it wasn’t pink-eye, gave it to the entire team, and then we went home and gave it to our entire families. Over Christmas. Every day without pink-eye is a gift. Happy Sunday!
I love these bonus emails on Sundays! And re organising, I like the idea of something active and non-financial like mutual aid. Someone made a really good point in the comments on Friday about wanting to build from economic action like boycotts to something more practical. Hopefully there's a way to make it work remotely for those of us outside the US too, as I'd love to contribute!