mikalee.byerman_243's blog

I get it: Quarantine fatigue is a thing, and it’s REAL. 

If I'm being honest, I'm tired of it all, too. But considering I'm an editor for Just the Positive (emphasis on “Positive,”), I thought I'd dig deep and offer some much-needed happy talk about my favorite new fashion accessory: face masks!  

I know, I know: They’re uncomfortable. They’re hot. They make your glasses fog up. They ALWAYS need washing. They’re hard to find when you need them.

Editor's Note: Beginning the day after the riot in downtown Reno that destroyed property and rocked our community, Diaz Dixon, CEO of the Eddy House and community advocate, took to Facebook Live. 

And every morning since then, he has posted a Facebook Live video with powerful words about racism, the struggles faced daily by people of color and the power of positivity. 

When someone shares their talents with the world in order to put a smile on people’s faces, we think that’s an action worth celebrating. That’s why we decided to reach out to photographer and UNR student Isaac Hoops, who has been documenting the Silver Legacy’s messages of community support. He shared his work with the world — and even allowed us to use his image as our cover photo on Facebook. Here’s our conversation with Isaac about his art, his background and how he stays positive in the face of a global pandemic. 

My mom has created the world’s most magical backyard. 

I honestly have no idea how she does it. Even during quarantine, she manages to have fairy lights twinkling, hanging baskets overflowing with cascading flowers and an emerald green lawn. My 7-year-old daughter is 100 percent convinced fairies make their home there, and her 46-year-old mom (yes, I’m talking about myself in the third person) just about believes it, too. 

Many Northern Nevadans are developing newfound skills in the art of sewing face masks as a result of the current pandemic. And while healthcare workers, grocery store employees and neighbors are often the recipients, one population is particularly vulnerable when it comes to falling through the cracks for receiving these potentially live-saving tools: families in need. 

To address this important population, iCelerate - High Sierra Industries (HSI) went to work.

Did you know: The 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution granted American women the right to vote, a right known as suffrage, on Aug. 18, 1920. 

This means 2020 is the 100^th anniversary of this milestone; in part dedicated to a celebration of suffrage, the 4^th annual Reno Women’s March happened Saturday, Jan. 18. 

Want to know something totally sexy and awesome you can do every single night in order to be your most amazing self? 

SLEEP. 

Sure, it doesn’t sound sexy and awesome — but it is. In fact, it’s so sexy and awesome, there’s even a set of hygiene rules around it. Yes, hygiene. 

Yes, this is an article on a website called “Just the Positive”; so why are we talking about organ/tissue donation, which is presumably something that happens once a person has died? 

Because donation has everything to do with life. 

In fact, every person who registers as a donor has the ability to save or heal eight lives through organ donation and 75 lives through tissue donation. We think those are extraordinarily positive, even heroic numbers. 

A few years ago, I was t-boned by a car running a red light at an intersection. I was later told by police that the man who ran the light was named Darwin — which I only mention because he walked away from the accident he caused without a single scratch (survival of the fittest much?).