A Few Things | Feb 13

A weekend in Rome, saving USAID, fighting the SAVE act, and how to reuse your old markers.

A Weekend In Rome!

Flora June has a two-week school break happening right now. We weren’t planning to go anywhere, because both Ben Blair and I have big projects looming, but we found some cheap tix to Rome and decided to book a quick, last-minute weekend trip! And Betty is joining us too! We’ll be there Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

We have been to Rome before — I think it was 2012, when Flora June was just a baby — so of course, Betty and Flora June have no memory of that visit. Here are two images from that trip:

We are very excited! We have been downloading Rick Steve’s walking tours and booking tickets to visit the landmarks. The forecast says to expect rain, but we don’t mind. Have you ever been? Any essential advice?

Philosophy Degree Report

Can I give you a little report on getting my Philosophy Degree? I put out a call for women to join me in getting a degree, and mentioned that we could work on it together. And so far, 49 women have asked to join the Study Group!!! So there are 50 of us (if you add me in too) working on our degrees!!! Today is the second meeting and we’ll be going over the first two lessons of our first class: Introduction to Philosophy.

It’s not too late to join us! And we record our study group sessions, so you can watch later if you missed out. Most of us are studying philosophy, but there are also people studying Liberal Arts and Psychology, or working on their Associate degree. So whatever degree you choose, you’ll be able to find people to study with.

The age range so far is 30-75, across seven different time zones. Some have no degree, some have a Masters degree. I promise you’ll fit right in.

If you’ve been thinking about finishing your degree, or getting a new degree, this is your sign to JOIN US. Go get registered at Newlane, then email me (designmom@designmom.com) and let me know you want to join the Study Group.

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A Few Things

Here are a few things I’ve wanted to share with you:

- From The Cut — Meet the Redditors Who Spend Hours Snarking on Influencers Five people explain what they get out of trash-talking the creators they love to hate. The comment section is fascinating. Do you have opinions on this?

- On my Instagram page — I shared some facts about USAID and received some really compelling responses. I made the facts and responses into a reel and a highlight.

- On Medium — Calling your political reps today?Make sure to talk about the SAVE act. The Republican’s SAVE Act, which already passed the House, would require a birth certificate that matches the name of the person registering to vote. Sounds simple, but for many people, trying to track down a their birth certificate is almost impossible. And beyond that, 69 million married women have changed their legal name, so it will not match their birth certificate. That tracks with Republican goal of stripping women of the right to vote.

- In Slate — I found this article for opting out of the Google Gemini features. I use Google products daily and I swear the AI feels like it’s harassing me. I haven’t tried the opt-out instructions yet myself, but maybe they’ll help someone who is reading.

- From the Noösphere Newsletter — Why Even a Few Women At The Top Feels Like ‘Too Many'. To claim that women have even a comparable say in this world as men, when 87% of billionaires, 93% of heads of governments, 73% of parliamentary members, 85.3% of movie directors, 95% of CEO positions and 80% of corporate board members are all men isn’t just absurd  —  it’s a gross misrepresentation of our reality.

- Are you coming to Alt Summit? — Be sure to book your hotel room at the Renaissance right away! The discounted hotel block for Alt Summit closes next week and I don’t want you to miss out.

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Lately On Design Mom

Ice Luminaries
Make these gorgeous ice luminaries to light up the last dark days of winter.

Flavored Citrus Sugars
These come with a free download to turn them into Valentine gifts if you need a last-minute idea.

Turn Old Markers into Snow Paint
Don’t throw away those old markers — give them a second life and use them to make snow paint.

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That’s all for now. Sending you love tomorrow for Saint Valentine’s Day — I’ll make a wish at Trevi Fountain on behalf of all of us. Feel free to comment on anything I mentioned above, or whatever’s on your mind.

kisses,
Gabrielle