Sunset Strip

Just this yolky mess of gorgeous sunset on my way home,  and I am so, SO happy that the days are getting longer. 

Also, I negotiated for Big A to be in charge of dinner TTR, so I went home to an amazing Brazilian seafood-veggie soup and and a really exquisite pan of pao de quiejo that Nu, Scout, and I were polishing off even before the soup bowls got to the table.

Now I'm going to scrub the news from my head and just enjoy this moment of fullness, blankets, and milk Chocolove. which is really the best chocolate I've ever had. (overwrite what I said before.)

"Empty Hearts"

 

That's it, that's the update.

I made it out in this, so I'm calling today a success.

(A book club meeting for Juli Zeh's Empty Hearts--

I liked it, but I have SO MANY questions!!)

Regina Vater "For a Time of War"

SS and I went to the The Edge of Things: Dissident Art Under Repressive Regimes exhibit at the Broad while she was here to drop off L. Nu and I had seen it before--with KM and L... but that was months ago, and everything was new to me again.

I really needed At to see it before it vanishes on Sunday, and we managed to sneak in for a bit yesterday, marveling at how long we've have been fighting this fight.

Happy New Year / Hello from the Future!

Really. Doesn't "2020" sound like a completely random and flagrantly fake date in some sci-fi piece?

A planetary reminder

First!

I got to bookclub first, with my signed copy of Rainbow Rowell's sweet debut Eleanor and Park for the book exchange. (Reusing book, bag, and tissue paper here. Hola!)

Half-an hour later, the place was all raucous exuberance, with discussions hilariously veering off course. The book was Tayari Jones's An American Marriage and the loudest, longest discussion SOMEHOW became: which famous prisoner would you write to?

A Slob Story

At took off to protest the President's rally in Battle Creek today, despite my protest that it might get too violent especially since impeachment was expected to drop.

But he went (in his "Abolish I.C.E." tee!) and came back with some great stories--the young man who told MAGAs they were bigots (turned out his dad had been deported two months ago); volunteers from the National Lawyers Guild making sure the police were neutral; that everyone had a fit of the giggles when they started playing the Cats soundtrack.

But before he came back with these stories, I was waiting up for him, monitoring the news and Twitter for signs that things weren't going well... and when I heard that the president had called a protester "a slob" I was sure he was talking about my boy, who'd left in an oversized jacket with pockets full of YDSA buttons.

Grateful

Grateful for this thoughtful present from my lovely students, who even accessorized Frida with a "Sisterhood is Powerful" button.

When I brought her home last week, she was sitting next to me on the drive home and when I was stopped at the light, the homeless person I was chatting to asked me if he could have "dolly" for his niece. So not only did I have no money to give him, it must have seemed that I wouldn't give away what must have seemed like a highly age-inappropriate and superfluous knick-knack. He also asked me for pants ("30-inch waist. But not jeans! Dress pants!"), so I'll be trying to get that to him.

(Also, that intersection will always remind me of Adrian--I hope the fact he hasn't been here for months means he got his truck working again and is off on some travels. And also, I still don't have an answer to the question At and Nu have both asked me in toddlerhood--how are people homeless?)

Toot! Toot!

You can see the very, tiny TIP of my Nu's nose four seats in, first full row from the right, in the bass clarinet section. Some errant toots came from that section too 😊












It's a good thing I got a full view of the little tooter before they headed off to their winter concert.

Figuring out our feminists...

KB gave Nu this puzzle ages ago, but feminism takes time sometimes!

hah hah high

Walked around by myself this morning, which meant I had 90s music on, and I have so much Prince, I was mostly listening to Prince.

People don't seem to have returned from break yet, so it was mostly me in all the emptiness, feeling a little... electrified.

Then I came home and started the book Big A gave me. OMG, Prince: Nothing Compares 2 U.

A clear signal

I know NPR is supposed to be neutral and all...But this stayed on throughout school drop off trip, and after we dropped off Nu, Scout and Huck agreed with me that it seemed to say, "impeach him." 

Meanwhile in India...

The littlest cousin married her longtime love, and this photo is also full of people I love. 

RSC (Reduced not Royal)

I took Big A to see the show yesterday. It was so windy on the way there, I almost got Mary Poppins-ed with my umbrella, and we couldn't hear each other even when we yelled (and we yelled), and Big A's scarf tried to fly away. But we got to the Wharton Center mostly ok.

About the show itself, the less said the better. I'm not sure my marriage will recover from Big A's deep disappointment that I picked this show.

Our seats were right by L and T, so we walked back home with them; it was much calmer on the way back, and honestly the nicest part of the evening.

Who wore it better?

At came into town for a follow up appointment with his hand doc. It's a teaching day, so I was all the way in Alma... grrr. But I told him where his San Fran presents were, and he seems to like his Mao hat a lot. Partly because:
"This is so funny because I’ve been thinking about doing my Honors Day presentation on Thomas Müntzer and Chairman Mao. Last year I presented on Captain America and wore the hat with HIS star but it looks like I’ve 
transitioned to a different star altogether lmao"

(FTR: At. At wears it better.)

So Bae

I'd taken the BART in to the city when I arrived, but I was running a bit late and took a taxi back to the airport. I'm so glad I did! I got to see the sunrise over the bay, have a great conversation with my Eritrean cabbie, and got an upgrade at the gate from a kind, young woman who called me "milady." OK.
Late yesterday I was elected caucus chair for the year, and I'm not sure if that deserves congratulations or commiserations yet. Not bad for a day which started with me and my roomie EH poring over the weather app and trying to figure out what the wavy gray lines were. (Fog, duh.)

I do declare

 

Nu (whose finger is in the picture) and I found this Vivek Velanki exhibit by accident. His grandmother, whose passport is the first exhibit is from Madras (like me!). 

I recommended it to the poco students at MSU.

Tiny Dragons

With L and Nu at the MSU Global Festival, where Nu could have gotten their passport stamped at all the booths, but decided they were too grown up 🙄. We  had a good time, nevertheless. I found lots and lots of stocking stuffers--all the proceeds go to funding international studentships, so I didn't even feel any guilt.

The dragons are also a tiny way of celebrating the new D.A. of San Fran, the lovely and kind Chesa Boudin, whom I knew way back when in Oxford. I'd been paying attention to Chesa's campaign since he aired it on his personal FB page months and months ago. I tried to tell At, but he didn't pay attention until Bernie Sanders endorsed him. I hope it teaches At a nice lesson about paying attention to his mama 😛.

Cave (2019)

Fake fire, fake furs, small happinesses...

Earlier in the day, Nu and I went to see Harriet with C. I know there have been some (small) controversies about casting and veracity, but we all liked it. Some parts were especially difficult to watch, and as always slavery seems unintelligible--how do you come up with something so fucked up?!

Nu was quite generous to me :). Usually, my almost teen is annoyed if I make involuntary startled sounds at the movies. But when I whispered my apologies at this one, they shot back: You're not the one who should be apologizing.

I wanted to caption each frame with the work of Angela Davis, Ijeoma Uluo, Brittany Cooper, and Robin DiAngelo. My words were much less sophisticated though. At one point, I was all "Cry me a river, jerk." My best work came when I led a round of applause at the end of the movie. Nu and I think we'd see it again with the boys (next week) and the puppies (on demand).

_

TBTN

I'm a proud mama/advisor 😍 

• End the silence, stop the violence! 
• My dress does not mean yes! 
• Feminists unite, reclaim the night! 
• However we dress, wherever we go, yes means yes and no means no! 
• We have the right, to not be scared at night! 
• Say it once, say it again, no excuses for violent men! 

#MacCurdy #Alma