Christmas Break

Some cheering seasonal stuff.
I rewatched "Philomena Cunk on Christmas, 2016", last night––she makes me laugh out loud.

Yesterday was my work's pot luck lunch. It was scattered and disjointed, but nice--just like us.

This morning, bink and I are taking a little Xmas tree I got at the store to her mom, who lives in a nearby nursing home. Her mom's dementia is pretty well progressed. I haven't seen her since before Covid--I wonder if she'll recognize me.

The tree is a bit squashed but we can straighten its wire branches.

After that, we're going shopping for Christmas supplies. I'm making pot roast as usual for Xmas Eve, and, this weekend, ginger cake. (Oh--I'll post that separately, as Kirsten requested.)

And then I'm taking the day to finish putting my apartment back in order--still half-pulled apart from when I moved my bookshelf a couple weeks ago. This afternoon I'll take a break and go to Dreamhaven books to treat myself to System Collapse, the new Murderbot!

I think I'll also buy a replacement copy for the first in the series, All Systems Red, to replace the one I lent to mattdamon, who has vamoosed. I could get both books far cheaper online, but I love Dreamhaven and want to support my local sci-fi bookstore.

_________________________

The Comfort of Confirmation

Also last night, weirdly cheering/calming to me, I read most of a donated book, published this fall, 2023--it's rare to get such a new book:
  “Trauma Sponges: Dispatches from the Scarred Heart of Emergency Response,”
by Minneapolis fire captain Jeremy Norton [MPR interview].

I bike past the author' firehouse on my way to work!
In his work as fire captain, Norton tends to the same people I see at the store. For me, having someone creative, smart, angry, and in the know say, Yes, this is happening, I see it every day too, is so, so helpful, its a balm to my scarred heart.

The book is not only about this event, but Norton's unit was called to the scene of George Floyd's murder––too late.

The book centered/calmed me because the way Norton talks about what happened on 38th & Chicago is exactly how I see it too, but closer up, plus he fills in gaps in my knowledge.  Sadly he confirms my suspicions about what's happened since to improve the city's policing:
pretty much nothing.

"Hope is not an action plan" he says. Yes! It's not!
I think I'll write him a thank-you note.

But now I need to write a shopping list.
Have a lovely day, everyone!