AnnieF

Bol, I'm glad you get some more time with Super Kitty. I was worried that my senior rescue kitty, Ember, was going into a decline over the holiday, but she improved once our holiday guests left, so for now she's still with me. And apparently she doesn't do well with a bunch of new people in the house. Note to self. As for positive things...well, we had a good visit with my sister, bil, and nephew over the holiday. Oh, and my father-in-law cancelled Christmas with my husband's side of the family; evidently a smidge of self-awareness has crept into his brain, since he had a convo with my husband about how he feels like he doesn't have a relationship with his sons (duh) and grandsons (super duh) and he'd like to try to fix it. Amazing that he'd say that, but we're not exactly holding onto a lot of hope. I mean, it's just too late for him to try to have a real relationship with my kids -- they are teenagers, and he's essentially a stranger (we've seen them once a year for over a decade, even though he lives five minutes away. We tried, when we first moved back here, but we gave up after trying and trying and getting nothing back). My hubs told his dad that we are certainly open to trying to improve things, but the ball is completely in his court. I'm not optimistic; my FIL is 74 years old. And has been like this (undemonstrative, reserved, unreachable) for the entire time I've known him, nearly 30 years. It's unlikely that he's really going to change. But hey, we'll see. So that's kinda positive, I s'pose. And my husband's grandma reached the 100-year-old milestone this year.

Does anyone else feel traumatized? The deaths just keep on coming, we have no idea what the new administration, such as it is, might do, and it's...a lot. I feel overwhelmed, and scared. Carrie Fisher's death punched me in the gut. How's everyone doing?

I strongly recommend that everyone take some basic web security measures: https://medium.freecodecamp.com/tor-signal-and-beyond-a-law-abiding-citizens-guide-to-privacy-1a593f2104c3#.f63s4tijp Even if all you do is introduce two-step authentication for your email, that's better than doing nothing.

Well, I've moved past my paralyzed-by-grief stage and now I am just incandescently angry. I know I'm very much not alone when I say that I will not stand by and watch our democracy burn to the ground. That won't happen on our watch.

I am so scared, my friends. Scared for everyone in this country who isn't a white man. And scared because the fascism wave hasn't just hit the US; there's been a notable increase in far-right extremism in Europe too. I fear for our entire world. Peace, everyone. I'd apologize for being overly grim, but in this case I don't think that I am. :(

I'm in for Secret Santa. The time change caused both me and the F-let to fall asleep at 8 o'clock (it was dark, so very dark) and now we're both wide awake at 4:30 am. Whee!!

I find Nobel prizes hard to take seriously. I assume the sciencey prizes have more, I dunno, rigorous standards or something, but the peace prize and the literature prize are, for me, not so prestigious. Giving the lit prize to Dylan just makes me laugh. Okey dokey, Nobel committee. Y'all are hilarious. ;) I mean, Henry fucking Kissinger has a Nobel peace prize. 'Nuff said.

I feel pretty comfortable in saying that, without a doubt, Donna Summer was sometimes snowed upon. She grew up in Boston! :-)

Yay for no jury duty! I keep wondering if I am ever going to get called; we've been back in NV for 15 years, not been called once. I did enjoy (for a given value of "enjoy") the one time I was on a jury when I lived in CA, but that was a murder case, so, kind of inherently interesting. And depressing; seeing the sausage of justice being made is not terribly pretty. :/ It snowed over Donner Summit last night and it's all frosty and icy here this morning. Brrr!

Huh?

Well, of course it's all about women! They're clearly the ones causing this demographic problem, with their "education" and "careers." Sheesh, ladies, get it together. You say that it's economically difficult? La la la, we can't hear yoooouuuuuu!! Now go get knocked up. Yeah. I can see why people are pissed. :)

Yes, you can certainly substitute baby spinach. It doesn't have the same peppery quality as watercress, but it's a fine substitute. Amount-wise, I would eyeball it. Does a handful tossed with the other ingredients look proportional? Start conservatively and add more if you think it needs it. I hope it's tasty. :)

Was that specific to Italy? From what I've read, Italy has the same demographic issues as Japan -- too many aging people, not enough children being born to support the aging population. Maybe that was it?

I don't even like Good Omens, which Gaiman co-wrote with Terry Pratchett, whom I adore. I just don't think all that highly of Gaiman, tbh. I think his personal history (he was raised a Scientologist and his sister is still in deep) is more interesting than anything of his that I've read.

Chyna I didn't think American Gods was very good either. And yes, everyone seems to shower the book with praise, but I found it boring, and not terribly insightful. So, solidarity! ;) Thanks for the kind words, everyone. The fatigue is really something. Blergh.