July sucks. Everything sucks. Maybe not always, but why is this month so hard?
Since July 4th, Independence Day, I’ve lost a lot of motivation.
Juggling two internships, revising my novel, looking for freelance opportunities, and applying to jobs. And oh yeah, that’s right, keeping up with the Black Lives Matter protests. Add a thick layer of COVID-19 cases spiking across the nation, and in Utah, we are now ranking in the Top 30 places with COVID cases per day, lack of testing, and lose restrictions.
Bring it on.
I’ve focused on cutting back on social media and scheduling a lot of my Twitter, Facebook Page, and LinkedIn posts instead. Re-sharing, sharing again and sharing petitions, links to donations, and news supporting the BLM movement plus everything else I’m doing.
Now I’m stuck.
Stuck feeling like every day is a new struggle. A brand new day to see if I can keep it all together, keep hope, and truck along.
Now more than ever, I feel like change is possible. It can happen, but the tension, the debates, and the absolute absurdity in politicizing every issue this country is facing right now are hindering progress.
Why is wearing a masked political when there are data and facts, scientists and doctors, that give us real reasons to wear a mask?
Why is it increasingly us versus them?
Why is a fight for equality, BLM, perceived by some as anti-American?
That seems to me to go against what it means to be an American. Isn’t the whole point of America justice, liberty, and freedom for ALL? I’m sorry, am I wrong? I guess maybe not “ALL” just a select few, such as those who are NOT POC, who are NOT POOR, who are NOT RICH WHITE MALES.
I guess if we reduce people to numbers, “1% will die? Ok, that’s fine with me,” suddenly we don’t care?
1% of people dying in the U.S. from COVID is A LOT OF PEOPLE. Approximately a little over 3 Million.
We thought 9/11 was bad, what about COVID?
But maybe 3 Million people dead is not enough for some to care?
Oh, well, I guess if most of that 1% are minorities and poor, it doesn’t matter at all?
This is what I’m seeing; this is what I’m hearing.
We are in a war, a war against COVID, poverty, inequality, and corruption. A fight to the death, for our lives.
I don’t understand the tension, the divide.
We are falling apart when we should be united, fighting to protect our neighbors, our families, our friends, everyone.
-Alina
On a lighter note, if you’re still with me, here’s a link to a few of my latest Medium stories:
This year has sucker-punched me so often on so many different levels; I’m not celebrating Independence Day.
A bad taste in the mouth.
Black Lives Matter protests and the fight against police brutality distorted into criminal acts by those that oppose it (I do not deny there are riots, I’m emphasizing how those against the protests are discussing the peaceful demonstrations). I live in a country where the government and its leaders have continually failed to fight the spread of COVID-19. Now other countries are banning travelers from the U.S. What does that say about how the rest of the world regards America? And The POTUS continues to try to cause even more division in this country with dismal speeches.
Yeah, I’m not feeling it.
Give me hope, give me peace of mind.
We need leaders that unite and fight to protect the health, safety, and well-being of the citizens.
Prove me wrong, please. Stand up and take action. Care for one another, wear a damn mask, and fight against injustice.
Is it so hard to care about people?
Since this post is just a bundle of joy, here are some positives that have made my week a bit better.
The sun is out, the sky is blue, and the flowers are blooming. With everything going on, I keep forgetting that Spring is coming. I woke up, turned the electric kettle on and took our Boston Terrier, Nora, out for her morning walk. I can’t help thinking that maybe this quarantine thing might be a good time to acknowledge all the natural beauty around us. I’m sounding cheesy and yes, I am still riding the wave of gratitude I’ve been feeling since after the Utah Earthquake on Wednesday. But still, it’s really beautiful out there.
Over the past few days, I have felt extremely lucky and dearly loved by friends who have sent me some $ for POETRY. Every little bit counts and I am realizing that as an artist I can give back to my friends and family, my community and the world, in a very special way. I can create and reflect on this unusual time probably in ways some people can’t. If they find solace or can connect with what I create whether that’s art, poetry, fiction, or music, it brings me happiness to hope that I may be helping someone on a personal level.
My Handwritten Poem “Dance with You” written/created for an Anonymous Supporter 3/22/2020
PLANS FOR TODAY
I am going to try to figure out what is going on with my unemployment. I am having difficulties figuring out when my first check will arrive or if it even will. The DWS website looks simple but I am finding it to be complicated and somewhat lackluster.
Apply to writing jobs, or jobs that require a Bachelors of English. I made a promise to my family I would stay inside until this all blows over, they are worried about my health and don’t want me working in-person jobs right now. I am respecting their wishes and applying solely to online-only jobs in case this COVID-19/Quarantine thing lasts longer than we think.
As of March 20th, 2020, I was officially LAID OFF from my full-time job at Squatters Pub Brewery. No income and no health/dental insurance.
So many of my co-workers are in the same situation. Our only source of income was our one restaurant job and now we are all scrambling to file for unemployment and look for new jobs. Yesterday I posted LAID OFF: SUPPORT MY RESTAURANT FAMILY, this post includes venmo links to my co-workers that wanted to be listed and need money asap to pay rent/bills and buy food/supplies.
Some of my friends and fellow employees
As for me, I will continue to offer POETRY FOR $ and when I get a job that is dependable, permanent and hopefully full-time with benefits (would be a plus). I will be donating any money for POETRY that I make DIRECTLY to my co-workers that need it the most.
After I’m done with the essentials on my to-do list today, I will be working on homework for my Poetry Workshop, making art, and writing.
If you want to stay up to date with my going-ons, I am posting regularly to my Instagram story.
On April 19th, I equally divided the Tip Your Server Donation fund plus a $100 contribution from a friend, a total of $600 among me and four other co-workers. I contacted all of the co-workers listed in this post below as well as fellow co-workers from Wasatch that I used to work with. Four co-workers came forward and said they were in need of some help $. On Sunday, I disbursed the funds equally among us, $120 each. I am glad that I could help my co-workers and I am so grateful to the Tip Your Server Donation and my friend that contributed $100, Thank you.
UPDATE:
On 4/7/2020 I was notified by Squatters that our company was picked out of the Tip Your Server Lotto. I was one of the five tipped employees randomly chosen to receive $500 from this donation.
I have decided that after I receive this money, I will be dividing it up equally among me and my co-workers that need it the most. I want to say thank you to the Tip Your Server Donation, the Downtown Alliance Salt Lake City, Thank you to Ty Burrell and the Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall. Thank you for your help, I deeply appreciate it, we deeply appreciate it!
The goal of this post is to provide VENMO links to my fellow employees of Squatters and Wasatch Pubs in Salt Lake City, Utah. We have been LAID OFF INDEFINITELY with no financial compensation during the COVID-19 Pandemic. For most of us, our only job(s) were as restaurant employees. Any amount you can spare to help us get through this hard time would be deeply appreciated as we file for unemployment and look for new jobs.
I am a full-time employee at Squatters Pub Brewery in Downtown Salt Lake. This job was the only source of income for me and countless fellow employees. After the restaurant ‘closure’ for dine-in service our corporate office communicated with us that we could come in and clean the restaurant for hourly pay. They were never clear as to how much that hourly was going to be and I have yet to hear what that hourly was for those that went in and worked when they could.
In the state of Utah, employers are not required to pay servers more than $2.15/hour. We do not get paid/sick leave and for many of us (before COVID-19) we couldn’t even request time off for vacations/emergencies.
On Friday, March 20th 2020, all employees (including management) for Squatters Pub Brewery and our sister company Wasatch Brew Pub wereLAID OFF INDEFINITELY, approximately 98% of all labor until the COVID-19 pandemic blows over and restaurants can open again. They decided to do this so we could file for unemployment. I was just notified by a fellow employee of Squatters (Server Chelsea: her info below) that her first unemployment check is not due to arrive for another 3 weeks.
HELP
We have rent/mortgages & bills to pay, we need groceries and supplies. More importantly, we need help and jobs asap.
Below are VENMO links to my fellow employees of Squatters and Wasatch. Any amount you can spare to help us get through this hard time would be deeply appreciated as we file for unemployment and look for new jobs.
LINKS, NAMES, and VENMO’s have been deleted as of 7/25/2020 for the safety of persons involved.
Other Resources to help Service Industry Employees in Utah right now:
All local SLC restaurants and bars must register their businesses with this donation then employees can be verified and money distributed after March 25th. So far this donation has raised approximately $141,000 for the estimated 15,000 restaurant employees in Salt Lake City.
Our company has registered with this donation.
If you want to help us and donate to other restaurant employees in SLC please donate to tipyourserver .
More resources to help Service Industry Employees in the U.S.
My name is Alina and I am a writer, artist, poet, and musician. I have been blogging and posting original content on alinahappyhansenwriter.com since March 2017. I am a graduate from The University of Utah with a Bachelor’s of Arts in English with a Minor in Writing and Rhetoric Studies. I have had half a dozen poems published in the last five years and have actively been reading my Poetry locally in Salt Lake City since my Utah Arts Festival Reading in June 2018.
I have been working in the Service Industry/Restaurants since 2016. From 2016 to 2018, I worked at Wasatch Brew Pub sister company to Squatters Pub Brewery. At Wasatch, I worked full-time as a Hostess, in charge of training new hires to host, restaurant policies and procedures, and most importantly providing the best customer service possible. In June 2018, I moved to Downtown Salt Lake City and started working as a full-time Hostess at Squatters Pub Brewery. I worked full-time at Squatters until March 20th, 2020 when I was LAID OFF INDEFINITELY with NO PAY due to the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Pandemic. As an employee of Squatters, I excelled at my job as a Hostess and later trained and worked other job duties including Expediter and Busser.
I miss my job and my friends at work and I just want to help in any way I can during these uncertain times.
If you would like to support me, I am handwriting Poems for $. For more info on this please go to SUPPORT ALINA: POEMS FOR $. So far I have already completed FOUR POETRY ORDERS FOR $ as of 3/22. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all your support both financially and emotionally during this time.
When I get a job I will continue to write POEMS FOR $ and I will be sending all the money I earn directly to my fellow employees of Squatters and Wasatch who need it the most.
Thank you for your time, your consideration, and your love.
Best of luck to you all, stay safe and stay well out there!
Want to become one of my Patrons? Go to my page here and join a tier. All patrons regardless of Tier have access to all of my patron-only content right now! Tiers start at $3/month! I will also send you via snailmail a handwritten personalized Poem + Thank you card for becoming a patron.
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Wow, here we go. It’s Monday and the start of a new week. The world is going on lockdown thanks to Coronavirus and I am trying to stay as up to date as possible on what is happening; the sick and death counts, and travel restrictions. These are now days of quarantine, working from home, and online schooling.
My Poetry Workshop has transitioned to online-only until further notice. I recently registered for online classes at my local community college for this summer (I am pursuing an Associates of Applied Science in Music Recording Technology). As for work, my primary source of income is my job at a Brew Pub in downtown Salt Lake. Yesterday, the Pub closed after lunch shift (Saturday we closed an hour early, Friday we closed three hours early). After hearing about the bars and restaurants closing in L.A. and New York, it is not a matter of ‘if’ it happens in Salt Lake City but when.
I have already started looking for online jobs and I’ve been applying to part-time work at nearby grocery stores since I am thinking they may be the best option for in-person work in the future.
These are interesting times and I don’t think this is all going to ‘blow over’ anytime soon. I am expecting a couple months of this at least but this is just my personal opinion.
What I think is important right now for everyone is staying calm and being kind. Even though everyone should be practicing social distancing and ideally staying at home to self-quarantine, I think being kind is key.
I’ve been seeing a lot of people taking walks, couples, and families walking their dogs around our neighborhood. Everyone appears restless and worried but I believe it is crucial we are kind and calm and we communicate with each other, we must stay connected. We are all trying to deal with what is happening and the worst thing we can do is turn on one another and completely isolate ourselves from what’s happening.
I know that all I’ve been posting lately are my poems and I haven’t done any updates about my Novel or anything else but it is because I’ve been so busy with personal and work life. Now that everything’s going to be put on hold, I feel like I’m going to have plenty of time to write posts including my day to day updates, poems, album reviews, and updates on the progress of my Novel.
Also, to keep myself entertained I have started a Coronavirus-inspired playlist on Spotify. Got to keep the mood light and have a laugh, have fun, and enjoy ourselves. Laughter and joy keep us together and keep us sane.
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