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To do this week: How to be heard

Be heard. First up: make a plan to vote. We have advice on how to do it safely. And we also have tips on what to do when you’re being interrupted.

How to be heard.
How to be heard.Read moreCynthia Greer
    by Staff Reports
    Published 

On your to-do list this week: Be heard. First, make a plan to vote. We have advice on how to do it safely. And we also have tips on what to do when you’re being interrupted. And, to cap it off, we have a recipe for an indulgent drink.

We’ve collected our best articles with our best Philly tips. They’re in one place here.

Stay healthy, stay safe, and, as much as possible, it’s still a good idea to stay home.

— thingstodo@inquirer.com

Know this

  1. 🧼 What’s the best way to clean my face mask? by Nick Vadala

  2. 😷 If I quarantine for two weeks, can I see my family for Thanksgiving? by Grace Dickinson

  3. 🌡️ How can I lower my energy bills? by Nick Vadala

  4. 🎃 Is trick or treating allowed this year? by Erin McCarthy

  5. 🗳️ If I register to vote by mail, can I still vote in person? by Jonathan Lai

  6. 🤒 If my friend has recovered from COVID-19, do we have to wear masks? by Grace Dickinson

» Ask us a question through Curious Philly: inquirer.com/askus

Do this

It’s time to make a plan to vote. If you want to vote in person, but you’re apprehensive, that’s understandable. After all, we’re still in a pandemic, people. Grace Dickinson has found 10 simple ways to make voting in person safer. Here are a few solid tips:

  1. Review a sample ballot at home. Come prepared with your candidate choices and ballot question answers to minimize time spent inside. For ballot samples, here are links for Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, New Jersey, and our own ballot guide.

  2. If someone shows up behind you without a mask, step out of line if time allows. All voters are asked to wear face coverings, and many polling stations will provide masks to voters who don’t have one. But the right to vote supersedes Pennsylvania mask mandates. If you show up at the same time as someone who’s not wearing a mask, do your best to distance yourself, which may require stepping out of line.

  3. Leave non-voters at home. Bringing your kids with you lets you introduce them to the process and importance of voting. But this year, minimizing crowds takes precedent, so leave all little ones, or anyone who’s not participating, at home when possible.

More excellent safe voting advice in Grace’s full piece.

» READ MORE: 8 places to pick your own apples near Philly, and grab doughnuts and cider, too

Stay safe, do stuff

Here is one highlight from our weekly events calendar:

  1. 🍴 Black Restaurant Week (Food / in-person / multi-day) Celebrate Philly’s Black-owned restaurants with delicious food and desserts from food trucks, restaurants, and dessert shops. Enjoy great deals on breakfast, brunch, lunch, and dinner during the food-centric 10-day fest. (Pay as you go, Oct. 16-26, blackrestaurantweeks.com, add to calendar)

🔎 Find more of this week’s safe kid-friendly, outdoor and arts events.

Try this

Being interrupted while speaking is a lot of things: rude, annoying, disrespectful. And the presidential and vice presidential debates have brought some fresh side eye to the problem. If you’re the interrupted or the interrupter, there are ways to shut it down. Elizabeth Wellington has some useful prompts so everyone has a chance to be heard:

  1. “I notice you are anxious to interject. My request is that you let me finish my thought so that I don’t lose it and then you will have a chance to speak.” If you can, flag someone in the moment if they continue to interject.

  2. “I wanted to talk about earlier. I noticed that you interrupted me several times and I wanted to make you aware of it, but I also wanted to give you an additional chance to be heard.” Sometimes you have to circle back later to make someone aware that they are bowling over you or other speakers. This can give them the chance to be more aware of their behavior next time, especially if you think it’s unintentional.

  3. “Excuse me, I notice you keep interrupting the speakers. Please stop and wait your turn. We want to give everyone — including you — a chance to contribute and be heard.” You may have to interrupt to help give others room to speak.

More cool ideas in Elizabeth’s full story.

» READ MORE: When you’re interrupted, how to be heard

Drink this

Need a little indulgence as the weather gets chilly? Yeah, so do we. Adam Erace recently walked us through some fall-friendly fancy imbibables. Here’s a non-alcoholic sipper (though if you want to add rum, we aren’t going to stop you) that’s somewhere between a PSL and egg nog.

Pumpkin spice flip

  1. ½ ounces brewed cinnamon-flavored black tea, cooled

  2. 1½ ounces canned pumpkin puree

  3. ¾ ounce unsweetened full-fat coconut milk

  4. ½ ounce maple syrup

  5. 1 egg

  6. Pinch kosher salt

  7. Garnish: grated nutmeg, cinnamon stick

Fill a clear mug or rocks glass with crushed ice. Combine the ingredients in a shaker and dry-shake (without ice) for 1 minute. Add ice and shake for 10 seconds. Strain the cocktail into the glass. Liberally grate nutmeg over the surface of the cocktail, garnish with a cinnamon stick, and serve.

More yummy fall drinks in Adam’s full story.

» READ MORE: Need a drink? Apple, pumpkin, and tahini give these cocktail recipes a fall remix.