Woke to light snow. We walked Finn on the smaller loop, sidewalks being slick. I made scones.
What to do is a question — you know, to fight the shitshow. Decided to write Postcards to Voters again (I guess?), this time for a Wisconsin Supreme Court election. These are important contests. Just look how hard the North Carolina GOP is fighting to keep a Democrat from taking her seat on their Supreme Court (by disenfranchising 60,000 overseas voters).
Went to the PO for a nightmare of waiting. I mean for stamps. I was gonna order on Amazon (shame on me, I know) but the delivery date was ten days out. What?
Am I paranoid? MSNBC didn’t record properly all week. Maddow stuttering or dark for the first forty minutes. And then, stamps that are usually delivered overnight requiring ten days?
Anyway, today I’ll finish reading The Frozen River and we’ll watch that movie about two guys going to Poland, A Real Pain.
What are you reading and watching?
UPDATE: I’m really hating this Benji character (Kieran Culkin).
USPS.gov for stamps. They deliver for free, which is funny. Yes! These previously seemingly inconsequential elections fly under the radar and matter more than ever! Excellent time to be postcarding. I am as well.
Thanks for the tip. Another sub for Amazon!!
Oh! Reading an excellent book, Night Bitch, even though bitch is a word I do not use. The book is excellent, and to a large degree refers to bitch in the form of female breeding dog, but humanized. I can relate to the anger. And starting On All Fours as a listen, in about 10 mins when I head out for a walk.
I’ve recently discovered Kanopy, for videos, from the library. There’s a series on there I want to start. We’ll see if it happens.
Just looked up the novel. The premise is a bit weird?
Did watch A Real Pain .. we thought it was Ok. We’re half way into Landman … Billy Bob is so good I’ve always liked him. Just finished reading Changing The Way We Die before that Growing Old. Why my sudden interest in end of life books other than my sister lost her husband of 58 years a year ago … she’s doing OK but it has been a really rough year grieving. Will start something new this evening … something lighter. 🤪😘
I love Billy Bon too so we’ll start Landman this week. Sorry about your sister’s loss. A year is not that long in the realm of grief.
I am not watching much, don’t have any cable channels but now and then, dig into PBS offerings, re-runs of Call the Midwife, Father Brown, Death in Paradise and of course the current All Creatures Great and Small. My reading totally changed this week as I felt the need to connect to one of my beloved authors this week. I actually wrote a fan letter to him when we moved to New Mexico and he wrote back to me. His letter is one of my treasures. I am speaking of the father of Chicano literature, Rudolfo Anaya. He wrote a series of novels, creating a detective, Sonny Baca, who delves into murder and mayhem and local politics and water and native rights plus spirit beings and curanderas… When Anaya writes on these themes, he has me from the first word, and he liberally uses Spanish words which delight me. When he describes the landscape of New Mexico, I know many of the places first hand. I needed grounding this week and believe it or not, spirit beings and curanderas are grounding for me.
NOW, What to do about what has befallen our country: (Marti I’m substituting the link because otherwise it really is too long. Readers, if the link doesn’t works just search “Robert Reich ten things” and it’ll come right up. He is wise. He is reassuring. He covers a lot of bases. Thank you for mentioning it Marti.)
https://robertreich.substack.com/p/what-you-can-do
I don’t know this author but sounds really good. Reminds me of Tony Hillerman, who I have read (he draws on the Native community though).
Thanks for cleaning up my comment Dee. I realized it was way too long so apologies but I was in a “fever” to share the info.
Re Rudolfo Anaya: His most famous writing is the novel Bless Me Ultima, made not only into a film but an opera as well.
I do understand wanting to share the good advice that’s out there. It’s really really bad, what’s going on. Thank you for not being offended that I cropped it.
Bless Me Ultima is going on my TBR list! (To be read)
Marti~ Your love of Bless Me Ultima always makes me want to read it again 🙂
Nancy
I am reading Full Speed to a Crash Landing by Beth Revis. A NYT best selling author. It’s a futuristic space “edge of your seat” page turner…..not my regular and I am enjoying it……. Joanne in Maine– where I have snow on the ground, ice on the roof.
Dee~ Indeed, what to do? I swing back and forth between low-pressure self-care (within my nature/comfort/skill set) and being more proactive and “now is the time”. Mmm?
This seems to be my theme for now, as I am also in between productive reading/viewing…I’m in the swing of mindless escape right now, which feels good/not good (if that makes sense).
At least I walked yesterday and drew and pinned Christmas stockings.
sigh
Nancy
Those hand projects make a difference to our well being I think. I often find myself in that dip between reading and viewing. It never feels good.
EXCELLENT book!
I couldn’t put it down
It was really really good. Hard to make a colonial story a page turner, but she did!
I’m currently reading about how to read the Bible without gagging on the violence and patriarchy … books written by men, come to think of it … hmmm
our television stays dark most of the time … occasional PBS News and professional women’s volleyball on the Womensports Network … and I’m sure the Superb Owl will be on next Sunday
and waaaay too much Instagram scrolling (but no Facebook for two weeks, so it can be done)
Don’t laugh. I actually googled Superb Owl. I thought, hmm that sounds fun.
We finished All Creatures Great and Small last night. Thank god a pair of British ships were sunk in the final episode because the feel-good Christmas smarm was getting to me.