Reasons to be Cheerful Part 3

I haven’t done of these posts in a few weeks because I’ve been busy at work. I’m cheerful that work has been busy these last several weeks. As a lot of customers deal with the pandemic, there are novel situations arising which means novel solutions for me to design and I’m cheerful to not only have a job, but to have steady work, and to work at a company who’s at the forefront and is a thought-leader in how we return to work. More on that in a coming blog post.

Easy Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

But let’s talk about the food I’m cheerful for as that’s how all of these posts start. My mom made a gluten free pineapple upside cake, and it was amazing. Pillsbury makes a great and dependable gluten free yellow cake mix, and the pineapple and cherries are incredible. Smother it in whipped cream and eat in mass quantities.

Speaking of food, one source of a lot of cheer for me has been Dunkin’ Donuts. I’ve been going to this Dunkin’ location for decades and it is by far the most consistent and dependable Dunkin’ in all of DuPage County. I’m thankful that they’re open and still serving that sweet, caffeinated nectar that I love.

A lot of these blog posts are about the material and commercial things I’m enjoying during this quarantine. I think of myself as not being materialistic, but I must confess that I am stress-buying things. However, with items not shipping immediately, I am second guessing many purchases. This has caused me to pause and abandon many carts. If I can’t get it in two days, and it’ll be here in two weeks, do I really need it? This is something I should ask myself more often.

I’ve written before about my grey hair. As the only days are today, yesterday, and tomorrow, I find that identifying more grey hairs during this quarantine is really helping me identify the passage of time.

I recently spent a night exploring the history of The Carpenters, a group I know very little about. I discovered Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story and it is surreal. Highly recommend watching it. Full video here.

Another thing that brings me immense joy is this GIF I made a few weeks ago.

And lastly, music is helping me through this. So let’s rock.

Delay and Table: Opt-Out Naperville’s Empty Rhetoric Strikes Again

Even after being defeated in the March primary, the crusade against the sale of recreational marijuana in Naperville continues to be a nimby zombie.

An upcoming city council meeting is slated to take place, albeit virtually, to “provide direction regarding the roadmap that will be used to facilitate the creation of zoning regulations for adult-use cannabis facilities.”

Opt-Out Naperville believes that because the meeting is virtual, “many residents and businesses require transparency and this item is no exception, as the city looks to propose a citywide map identifying locations for marijuana stores. [We] request that this item be tabled indefinitely until a safer time, with a workshop so people can learn and understand the proposal.  Transparency.”

As someone who files a lot of Freedom of Information Act requests, I agree that transparency is more important now than ever, as elected officials may not be subjected to the scrutiny of their constituents, and there are unprecedented measures being taken by governments that should have a light shone on. But to Opt-Out Naperville, there is never going to be a good time to discuss this.

Their email goes on to say that we should call the city council and argue that “This matter can reasonably be postponed as it is not a core service of the City. Tabling is appropriate to safer times, as is a workshop.”

The core business of the city is to keep running and be fully operational, even in a remote setting. Tabling this topic or any topic will be detrimental to the city’s well being and governance.

Their talking points are full of filler about democracy and transparency. Again, a majority of people in Naperville voted in favor of this, and as a Naperville citizen I believe the process has been fairly transparent. Even if we weren’t in a pandemic, these conversations would still be happening. To opponents, there will never be a safer time and arguing to table and delay this conversation means indefinitely, and that is the antithesis of a democratic process.