#MicroblogMondays: More odds & ends & updates

• In case you didn't see my update in the comments section of my most recent post about dh's jury service, dh texted me at 7:45 that night (Wednesday) that he was on his way home. He arrived at about 8:30. Verdict delivered, no overnight stay necessary, no more potential jury duty obligations for another three years. We were both very happy!  :)  
• I finally received the upgraded N95 equivalent masks that I ordered a while back, as recommended by Turia in her comments on this post. (They were somewhat delayed in shipping.)  I tried them on and they are much more comfortable and breathable than the N-95s my BIL got for us that they wear on his construction sites. We are planning to wear then on the plane when we travel this coming weekend, particularly with Omicron and covid case numbers on the upswing (AGAIN).  :(   Canadians, check out the site!  
• A lovely article from the BBC about the growing recognition of the important role that childless women can play in the lives of their nieces, nephews, godchildren and friends' offspring. :)  Sample passage: 

...recognition of these societal changes lags behind; policies, media and traditions still centre around the nuclear family. Sociologists Vanessa May at the University of Manchester, and Kinneret Lahad at the University of Tel Aviv, say this also means the role aunts – and indeed uncles – play in society and families has generally been overlooked in academic research. Socially, the role has been left largely undefined. Unlike the “strict roles and strict expectations” imposed on mothers, there are “no scripts and no baselines” for aunts to follow, says Lahad. So, while the role may vary hugely across cultures, aunts are largely free to define their own familial relationships and responsibilities. 

• You'll see some familiar names & faces (not mine!) featured in this wonderful article on MSNBC (posted on the same day as the BBC article!):  "How I learned to embrace my child-free life after wanting to be a mom for years."  
• (Caveat/vent: why on earth would they run a photo of a pregnant woman with a story about childless-not-by-choice women??  Jess politely pointed this out to them -- and they changed it!  But why would they think it's appropriate in the first place??) 

You can find more of this week's #MicroblogMondays posts here. 

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This is post #1,996 since I began blogging in October 2007!  -- Four more to reach 2,000 posts -- hopefully by the end of December/2021!