it didn't have to be this way
Gawd.
Last week was the Dumpster Fire of All Dumpster Fires.
(If you don’t like me “getting political” please feel free to unsubscribe because honestly I don’t got time for that. To do so, there is a button and no you don’t need to email me to yell at me first.)
Amidst the shards of hatred spewing wildly, there were a few sweet notes of light.
Jamie Raskin lost his son. Then he fled a mob. A must-read. The original, incredible, moving, heart-rending obituary is here.
And some wise analysis on social media’s role in all this. (Remember, I used to work at Twitter and omfg I once wrote a book called Twitter for Good: Change the World One Tweet at a Time which is, uh, weird?
Alongside Mitt Romney saying smart things, another smart man I can call an ex-boss and a current friend said things.
He’s live on-air with his beard here:
Now, let’s be real, after Trump got banned from Twitter many of us wondered about our own upcoming rapture.
Enough of that.
If you want to talk about other things, I’ve got them:
52 places to love in 2021. Siberia, swoon, and also I miss you. (Insert image from a massive global color-it-in-map for children that my ER doc best friend with the four kids stuck in a New Zealand government hotel for 14 days of quarantine put up to entertain her offspring before they can officially enter their new country. In this image, which she texted me, she has drawn us —“CAW” and “LIV” —in on the Trans-Siberian train. (True story: We took the Siberian railway from China to Russia in 2006 but had to get off twice. Once to sit and blog at the Mongolian border for one week because I had forgotten my passport in China, and another time when we voluntarily got off to fly the rest of the way because there was “too must dust.” Hearty global travelers, all around.)
I’m learning about my human design type. (I’m a generator.) I know nothing. Send me teachings!
The Year of Buyer’s Remorse: In 2020 we stocked up on a lot. Maybe some things we didn’t need.
“The biggest life lesson I learned during this experience is that toilet paper will come back in stock,” said Ms. Alaezi.
And you’re lucky if all you bought was 100 extra rolls of toilet paper.
“Then there was Muzzy, a program developed by the BBC to teach children a new language, which she bought for her 4-year-old daughter and 7-year-old son in March. “In my head I was like, ‘Wow, this is going to be the best passive language learning experience for my kids. They will be bilingual in no time.’”
Ms. Rashidifard’s own parents had seen Muzzy as a waste of money. Now that she was in charge she bought the “every language version,” justifying the cost by the fact that pricey extracurricular activities were canceled.
Nine months later no one in her household is speaking a new language. “Maybe my daughter will surprise me one day and converse with someone in Mandarin, but I highly doubt it,” she said.
Investors who ignore LatinX entrepreneurs may be ignoring the next big thing. I agreed, and not only because I was interviewed for this piece.
In more LatinX news, my bestie became the first Latina partner at the biggest law firm in San Diego… in a pandemic...while working from home...with twin toddlers…and a baby she was breastfeeding… Working moms rule!
Thanks to all you women in tech for the questions on at Elpha during my “office hours”. In summary, we discussed how I read 126 books in 2020 (i got no life), if founders need freelance graphic designers (YES!), trends in healthtech (see @sophiabendz, @cindygallop & @femtechinsider), what @magmapartners does (invest in underestimated founders in LatAm), how to expand a vacation-rental cleaning startup (idk), how I get work done w my 3 sub-humans (i don't), why people read my newsletter (no clue), and the role of legal counsel in fintech (it's complicated.)
Here’s to nine more days of nothing bad happening.
Claire
P.S. The Hilary Clinton memoir no one ever wanted. You’re welcome.