It's the final week of #WeekendWatching. I can't say how fun and challenging the last four weeks have been. I've watched hundreds of #ShortFilms over the years and choosing among them was tough (if I could still find them). We're ending the series with a look at #PeopleMatters in the (not so distant?) future: "Arlo Alone." #vimeo #technology #future #isolation #humanity #ArloAlone
Happy Lunar New Year 2021! It's the year of the Ox! I'm not up on my Chinese astrology other than knowing I was born in the year of the Snake; but this Newsweek article might help. Chinese New Year: Will The Year Of The Ox Be Lucky For Your Sign - Find Out Here (newsweek.com)
It's Week Two of Weekend Watching. It's Valentine's Day weekend and we're dealing with romance (or the lack thereof). I couldn't make up my mind so there are two to choose from (I'd watch both, but that's just me 
).
In honor of St. Valentine, this month is dedicated to what I like to call "People Matters" - those unexpected, often overlooked human connections that remind us that people really do matter. Each week I will recommend one short film for your viewing pleasure. Each film will highlight a different relationship - some obvious, others less so - hence the moniker "People Matters." First up: "Feeling Through"
I've been hesitant to address the issue of New Year's Resolutions. There are optimists who make them every year. There are cynics who say there's no point in making resolutions that will ultimately fail within weeks. Still, there others who say, "Why limit resolutions to one day out of the year? Everyday is a day to make a resolution to change." I understand the merit in all these perspectives, but one thing they have in common is the idea that we must always strive to improve ourselves because we've internalized the belief that we must constantly prove our worth and value as individuals. For that reason, here is my book recommendation to start the new year:
The Gifts of Imperfection by Brené Brown (goodreads.com)
1st Day: "Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love. A gift to that person, a beautiful thing." - Mother Teresa
2nd Day: "Do not look where you fell, but where you slipped." -African Proverb
3rd Day: "All the darkness in the world cannot extinguish the LIGHT of a single candle." -St. Francis of Assisi
4th Day: "...if there's something that makes you laugh, then every day's going to be okay." -Tom Hanks
5th Day: "We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves strong. The amount of work is the same." -Carlos Castaneda
6th Day: "Speak the TRUTH even if your voice shakes." -Unknown
7th Day : "The most incredible thing about miracles is that they happen." -G.K. Chesterton
8th Day: "Recall it as often as you wish; a happy memory never wears out." -Libbie Fulim
9th Day: "Those who devote their lives to a cause greater than themselves always find a larger, fuller life than the one they remembered." -Wilbert E. Scheer
10th Day: "Among the things you can GIVE and still KEEP are your word, a smile, and a grateful heart." –Zig Ziglar
11th Day: "You must love and care for yourself because that's when the best comes out." –Tina Turner
12th Day: "We are not on earth to see how important we can become, but to see how much difference we can make in the lives of others." –Gordon B. Hinckley
There are always really useful websites on this list and others that are purely for fun. All work and no play...
Symptoms of Corona Virus https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/symptoms-testing/symptoms.html
The Road to Happiness https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/articles/199707/finding-flow
23 Tricks Retailers Use to Get You to Spend More https://www.payoff.com/life/money/23-tricks-retailers-use-to-get-you-to-spend-more/
Our Work-From-Anywhere Future (this is a long one, but you can listen to the audio version on the website https://hbr.org/2020/11/our-work-from-anywhere-future?utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter_perissue&utm_campaign=bestofissue_not_activesubs&deliveryName=DM102020
How to Guide: Hosting a Virtual Conference https://webcourseworks.com/virtual-conferences-for-associations/
15 Tips on Networking During a Virtual Event https://whova.com/blog/15-tips-networking-virtual-event/
The Most Important Piece of Career Advice That No One Tells You About
How to Find Out if a Company's Culture is Right for You
https://hbr.org/2020/11/how-to-find-out-if-a-companys-culture-is-right-for-you
It's Okay to Not Be Okay
If you know me personally, then you know that I don't wear a lot of makeup. I've never bothered to learn how to create the perfect smokey eye or any other look with eye shadow. My focus is always clear skin, maybe a little blush, keep it ultra simple on the eyes, and if I'm feeling sassy, I pull out the red lipstick (every girl should find her perfect shade and flaunt it).
However, face masks have put a damper on those that like simple looks and is downright torturous for makeup junkies who never met a makeup product they didn't like. One thing is clear: the eyes have it (pun intended). Whether you like simple looks or more elaborate ones, your focus has to be on the eyes.
Here's my humble guidance for simple eye-makeup with maximum impact. Keep in mind that my makeup skills are minimal. If you want guidance from someone far more experienced and knowledgeable than I, skip ahead to the video below.
- If you use makeup primer, apply it to your lids and around the whole eye area up to the brow line.
- Apply a light layer of foundation.
- Use a peachy-toned concealer or eye brightener to conceal dark circles or blemishes, and to brighten the area around the eyes in general (you could also use this product to highlight under your eyebrows).
- Make sure that everything is well blended and disappears into the rest of the skin.
- Apply setting powder for longer wear (I rarely do this).
- Apply an eye brightening pencil only on the inner corner of each eye.
- Line top and bottom lids with the eyeliner of your choice. It doesn't have to be black; use any color you think complements your eyes.
- Curl your eyelashes (if you need to).
- Apply two coats of mascara - For the first coat, use a mascara designed to lengthen lashes. Use a mascara designed to thicken lashes for the second coat.
- TAME THOSE BROWS!!!! I think eyebrows are the most important feature because they act as a frame for the rest of your face. Assuming you already have arched brows, fill in the portions of the brows that are sparse or to create the eyebrow shape and look you want.
- VOILA!!! You're done. (Here's a secret. Many women who have to wear masks at all times while in the workplace, don't bother applying makeup to the lower half of their faces. Doing so can increase the likelihood of acne because of bacteria buildup; and unless someone's got an event after work, no one is going to see it).
I’m going to tell you a secret. There are companies hiring for a variety of jobs across the country during this pandemic (see below); but there’s one little catch. They may not be the jobs that you want or the jobs that you imagined for yourself; but they still pay; they still offer benefits; and they can still help you to provide for yourself and your family. I’ll admit accepting these jobs can be quite humbling for some, but there’s nothing shameful about a hard day’s work and having the grit and determination to keep moving forward when life punches you in the gut.
In the early 1980s, my father was out of work for several years. He was a college-educated Black man at a time when only 22.5% of the total U.S. population had bachelors degrees and only 11.6% of Black Americans had bachelors degrees. Still, he was unable to find work (or so he thought). When my mother (also college educated) was laid off from her job, he made a fateful decision. He applied for a job at the United States Postal Service as a Mail Handler, a position paid by the hour doing manual labor (no college degree required), and he spent almost 40 years working in that job because he knew his primary responsibility as a husband and father was to provide for his wife and his children. He’ll tell you that it wasn’t easy going to work everyday, that his ego was bruised by some of his supervisors and managers, and that a lot of mornings he came home tired and angry (he worked nights in order to earn a higher wage).
But this “wrong turn” in his career laid the groundwork for him to start a successful small business (while still working full-time), and to put two daughters through college – 6 degrees between them – without a single penny of student loan debt. My father is a determined man and a principled man, but I’m sure when he received his degree in economics the last thing he expected was to be wearing an apron and jogging pants to work, driving a forklift, moving mail back and forth sometimes 70 hours a week (he never said “no” to working overtime). Yet he did it. Though his pride may have been wounded, he found new pride in knowing that he may have been knocked down, but he had not been knocked out.
My father didn’t have to keep working at the post office for 40 years, but that was where he found his opportunity. You don’t have to spend the next 40 years working in a job that you don’t like; you don’t necessarily have to spend a single year working in a job that doesn’t suit you. But do it so that when your opportunity finds you, you will have learned about sacrifice, humility, work ethic, responsibility, adaptability, and resilience. I ask you. What are you willing to do?
In-Demand Occupations During the 2020 COVID-19 Pandemic (in no particular order)
- Grocery Manager
- Order Selector
- Warehouse Manager
- Customer Service Sales
- Public Health Advisor
- Forklift Operator
- IT Specialist
- Retail Merchandiser
- Material Handler
- Virtual Assistant
- Crisis Counselor
- Loan Specialist
- Online Tutor
- Mechanic
- Janitorial Services
- Home Health Aides
- Nurses – Vocational, Registered, Licensed Practical
- Light Truck Drivers
- Delivery Service Drivers
- Carpenters
- Plumbers
- Graphic Designers
- Web Developers
- Surveyors
- HVAC Maintenance and Repair
- United States Postal Service Mail Carriers
- Local/State Government (engineers, urban planners, budget analysts, HR coordinators, and more)
I would encourage you all to visit the websites of your local unemployment agencies in order to find out the in-demand jobs specific to your city/state. The Texas Workforce Commission even provides (i.e. pays for) training for certain in-demand jobs.
Sources
https://www.chron.com/local/article/The-in-demand-jobs-on-the-rise-amid-the-COVID-19-15423757.php