Hi friends! Something hilarious happened this week that is too good not to share with you.

Nicole & I have been married 4.5 years, together for almost 10. We share the same long, unique surname and we both wear wedding rings. We have lived in our current 1-bedroom apartment across from the property manager for 3 years.

Today the property manager referred to my wife as my "roommate."

Friends. This is our doormat:

Image of course, rectangular doormat with horizontal rainbow stripes including a black stripe and a brown stripe. It looks like an LGBTQIA pride flag.

Now, I am simultaneously very intelligent and a colossal dipshit so when the property manager asked me to have my “roommate move her car,” my first thought was, “We have a roommate?” Moments later I realized that no, he thinks that my wife is my roommate.

This happened on Wednesday and I am still laughing. Yes, I know that this should maybe be something that I get upset about, queer-erasure, etc. but for me, I find it incredibly amusing.

This week is a resource week so let’s get to it!

Resource #1: Calling something “spooky” can be kinda racist sometimes

Since this weekend is Halloween, my favorite holiday, I wanted to share this article from NPR’s Code Switch: “This Halloween: What Does it Mean to Call Something ‘Spooky’?” Is using the word “spooky” always racist? No. But I think it is important to know where some common words we use come from so we can use them with awareness or sometimes not at all, with ableist words such as “stupid” and “dumb.” Language matters and the words we use shape how we see the world so being conscious of it is the bare minimum we can do to be good members of society.

I also wanted to share this article, “Why Ghosts Wear White Sheets (And Other Spectral Silliness)” because I thought it was fun and ‘tis the season and all.

Resource #2: Strike Information

There are a lot of workers’ strikes going on right now. Washington Post has a bit of an overview, “Strikes are sweeping the labor market as workers wield new leverage.” The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) has a handy strike map available to everyone.

I recently came across these resources via Roxane Gay’s newsletter, The Audacity.

Saffron Ann @GeekEnby

When you’ve had a rough year but you’re trying hard to enjoy Halloween.

That’s it for this week! You can shop any books I’ve mentioned in this newsletter at my affiliate shop, The Infophile’s Bookshop, and support independent bookstores. If you want to send me some snail mail, you can find me at P.O. Box 21481, Oakland, CA 94620-1481. If you want me to send you some happy mail, feel free to give me your address.

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Volume 2, Resources 22: Origins of "Spooky…

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