Curious City: Historians and feminists in Chicago debate whether Jane Addams should be called a lesbian | WBEZ 91.5 Chicago – Pretty interesting piece about whether Jane Addams could be considered a lesbian in the modern parlance, but also about what that means and how historians and laypeople try to interpret the past. I was immediately reminded of Christabel LaMotte and Blanche Glover from A. S. Byatt’s Possession. (Definitely high-time for a re-read.) I learned the term “Boston marriages,” which I’d never heard of before, and I was amused by this comment from the highly fascinating MeFi discussion:

“It’s fascinating to consider that the very prudishness of Victorian society allowed women to buck heteronormative gender roles, simply because everyone was too “polite” to even acknowledge what their unconventional choices might actually mean.”

I remember being highly offended when I was an undergrad at ND that dorms were single-gender and men were not allowed to stay overnight with women, but the lesbians in the room next door to mine were basically free to get it on whenever they wanted. I guess the lesson is that Catholic priests can be quite Victorian in their prudishness and assumptions…

Mardi Gras’ tribute to Freddie is a viral hit – THIS IS FANTASTIC. The Snook and I loved it. Full points to all the Freddies for committing. (“I Want to Break Free” Freddie is always my personal fave though.)

Are You Suffering From Decision Fatigue? (Plus What to Do About It) | Mark’s Daily Apple – Wow. This post really resonated with me. I was going to cherry-pick the best bits, but really, it’s all good. I’ve been flat out at work for the past month – dealing with personal dramas, trying to recruit new employees, and playing multi-dimensional chess trying to work out if my team can achieve our deadlines. Even on my best days, I’m just shattered by the time I get home. I’ve got emails sitting in my Inbox that I could deal with but, you know, I just can’t. My brain is all used up. I’ve always known I work better with rules and routine, so I guess the obvious path here is to get back to that. Remove choice from the easy stuff so I preserve my mental capacity for the times I really need it.

Part of me also wonders if this isn’t the reason the Snook tends to defer so many small day-to-day household decisions to me. He’s shifting that cognitive load onto me! Sneaky.

I just crossed a longstanding item off my To Do list: Set up an automated monthly donation to Motor Neurone Disease Australia. Great organisation supporting families dealing with MND, which has touched our loved ones in recent years.