Day in the Life of an Idiot

Yesterday, after Mason took his physics test (school is still in session, technically,) he and I grabbed brooms, work gloves, a dustbin, and our masks and headed to the Lutheran church where we normally go to vote. We'd heard people were organizing a relief station there and there were calls for people to help clean-up. The church folks were gathering medical supplies to deliver them to street medics for the continued fight. I stayed and helped organize the food donations to distribute to folks whose only local source for groceries burned (and they have cut off our buses and light rail, so some neighbors are literally trapped without a public transit option to get food and water.) Mason stayed for five hours and kept the medical supplies in order and to put together kits for street medics who are tending people who may be injured in the coming protests.

I could only work for about and hour, myself. Between my asthma and lack of sleep, I couldn't cut it for very long.

Today, Mason is returning to the trenches. He left this afternoon for the church and will be doing, I suspect, more of the same all day.

I just got back from Dreamhaven Books. Dreamhaven was looted last night and was nearly burned, but a quick acting neighbor interceded and saved the store. Lisa showed me a book that started to catch fire, but simply refused to burn.


Image: a partly burned book or, as Lisa called it: The Book That Wouldn't Burn 

If you are local to me, you may want to stop by, as well. They had plenty of help when I was there, but if you are local to me and able to help they would appreciate people stopping by, even just to show support. I brought homemade blueberry muffins, because that's what I do in times of crisis: bake. It seemed to be appreciated. I would have stayed but they were wall-to-wall with able bodies at the moment, and my skills are the sort that I would likely get in the way more than help.

We lost Uncle Hugo's and Uncle Edgar's last night. The building was burned to the ground. My heart is broken for the loss. As I said on Facebook: These were both acts perpetrated by people who are not honoring the life of George Floyd, murdered by police. There will be no peace without justice, but these Nazis need to leave our streets.*

For context, I am not talking about protesters. We are hearing from our governor that of the arrests made last night 80% of the vandals were from out of state. Not just from other cities, but from other STATES. We are being infiltrated by unsavory, right-wing elements who want a race war. The FBI has been called in to stop these white nationalist terrorists. 

We have our own fight to fight, we do not need to be inflamed by outsiders. 

Pray for peace, y'all, but fight for justice.

I just got 4 Stars from Romantic Times Bookreviews!!

Here's what Jill M. Smith has to say about DEAD IF I DO:



"Nothing in the life of Hallaway's heroine every goes exactly as planned, which generally leads to madcap mayhem. This chapter in the first-person series is packed with humor, wackiness and a touch of pathos. It's a genuinely heartwarming treat for fans!

Yay for Tate!

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Now back to your regularly scheduled programming... So yesterday was a success in the birthday department. Shawn kept telling me what a wonderful day she had, particularly thanks to all the Facebook and LJ well-wishes (how times have changed, eh?) I think I may have also scored in the "thoughtful gift" department this year because, while out driving yesterday in search of "little boxes" (Shawn usually requests jewlery for her birthday,) I had a thought hit me.

Shawn's "to-be read" shelves are actually empty. As I said on my Tate blog, I've actually considered taking a picture of it because I can't remember a time when we've lived together that those shelves haven't been overflowing. It's a real testimony to the tough economic times that she actually finished everything, and has been hunting through the house for books she read several decades ago (which she hoped would read "as new" since she may have forgotten them)... just to have something to read.

It occurred to me what a real treat it would be for her to be able to fill up that shelf again. So I went to Uncles and put down fifty bucks on a gift certificate. While I was there Don said they were low on Apocalypse Array and Fallen Host, and asked if I could bring some in for trade credit. I love that man. He knows me so well. I mean, other people probably prefer cash, but I'd much rather take books. (And he ALWAYS *makes* money on us, because it's a rare trip that we don't walk out without paying for at least ONE MORE book.) There's a reason Uncle Hugo's is still in business after all these years.

Shawn is going to take off work early today and we're going to head over to Minneapolis to spend wildly on books. It should be a blast... made slightly more fun without Mason in tow. He's actually pretty well behaved in bookstores since he likes to read as well, but he gets bored a lot faster than mama and ima.

Anyway, I also did buy Shawn a little bling. At the International Market across from Uncle's I picked up a nice pair of silver and some green stone earrings suppposedly handcrafted by First Americans. Regardless, they're nice looking. Shawn was well pleased.

And, just to top off the birthday goodness I bought her a "hot rock couples massage" at Sanctuary Salon Spa, and baked her a purple cake (okay, acutally it was chocolate with purple frosting, but it looked fairly awesomely purple.) We had fun at Pepito's in Minneapolis, too. Shawn drank many margaritas and... had no hang over this morning. It doesn't get much better than that.

For myself, I've been starting to think about the YA books Tate is scheduled to write next. I'm thinking I may want to have one of the heroine's best friends be Somali. Given that she's supposed to be going to school here in Saint Paul, that seems reasonable. Does anyone out there in internets land know any good resources for me regarding Somali teens (particularly girls)? (I got your message, Naomi! Thanks.)