#MicroblogMondays: Yikes!

A story in the news this week gave me chills: two men, born on the same day in 1955 in the same small-town Manitoba hospital, recently learned they were switched at birth -- sent home with the wrong families. It's the THIRD such mix-up in Manitoba hospitals that's been discovered in recent years, and the fifth in Canada, including two more in Newfoundland.  Many of these cases, sadly, involved babies from Indigenous/Metis families/communities. In this case, the two men are requesting compensation and correction of their birth certificates from the province, and the provincial opposition critic for Indigenous Affairs is calling for an inquiry.

For me, it's also chilling from a personal perspective. When I was born (in 1961 -- also in a small hospital in rural Manitoba), it was common practice for babies to be kept in the nursery and brought to their mothers for feedings, etc. My mom had had ecclampsia, and was there for two weeks after I was born. I remembered that years ago, she told me that one day she took one look at the dark (likely Indigenous) face in the bundle they handed her and told the nurse this was NOT her baby. They eventually found me and brought me in to her.  

I've never done a DNA test (yet) -- and I'm not worried -- anyone who looks at me, and then looks at my parents, and/or my sister, knows whose child I am!  (My sister and I were known as "the Bobbsey Twins" at school when we were growing up...!)  But it did give me pause when I heard this latest story. It's scary to think that such mix-ups could (and did) happen, and that I could very easily have wound up with the wrong family, and led a very different life -- and then when I read that this particular case is the THIRD such case discovered in Manitoba from that era...!  Yikes!! 

You can find more of this week's #MicroblogMondays posts here.  

Same song, 25th (!!) verse...

Here we go again...  

Another 10-month cycle of remembrance and regret, (Groundhog Day, pregnancy loss style?), starting now, running through August and ending in mid-November. 

With an added twist this time around. 

Feb. 8th, 1998, was the first day of my last period before I got pregnant -- the "LMP" date I was constantly asked for at all my medical appointments.  

1998.  25 years ago.  TWENTY-FIVE YEARS. 

• Feb. 8th: LMP date. 
• March 22nd: two lines on the home pregnancy test.  
• Aug. 5th: six-month checkup, where no heartbeat was detected (confirmed by ultrasound). 
• Aug. 7th: delivery of our stillborn baby daughter, 125 grams. 
• Aug. 19th: funeral. 
• Nov. 14th: due date. 

We recently took BIL & SIL to the cemetery where Katie's ashes are interred in a niche, and on the way there, BIL was asking us how many years it had been. He was shocked to realize just how old she'd be now. (I don't know why;  his own kids are in their 30s now...!  Although, I'll admit, I find that shocking sometimes too...!)

(By the time I was 25, I'd already been married for six months.) 

Feb. 8th (and the other dates) doesn't hurt anything like it did those first few years. But still -- it's Feb. 8th. Again. And not just another year -- a milestone year -- and this is a biggie. 

Twenty-five years. Wow. 

Ouch.   

Odds & ends

• Since writing my review of Prince Harry's memoir, this appeared in the Washington Post:  "Carolyn Hax’s advice for Prince Harry and the royal family." (It's transcribed highlights from a podcast conversation on the subject -- I haven't listened, but there's a link to that too!) 
• New York Times columnist Margaret Renkl -- who is about the same age I am -- writes so beautifully. Check out her latest, about grief & loss: "More and More I Talk to the Dead." 
• Also grief-related:  I was following links in a Substack and found this one, and then this specific post, about how we show up (or don't) for people in crisis. Sample passage: 

Whether it’s reading about it in a book, or just responding to the truth in live time, there are certain kinds of pain that a lot of us seem very resistant to fully acknowledging, as if that pain is contagious, as if the flame of it is too hot, as if it forces us to look at something we are unwilling to look at in our own lives, our own hearts, our own bodies.

and 

My hunch is that there are certain illnesses, like dementia, and certain ages/stages, like kids with cancer, or the sudden death of a younger parent or partner, that we struggle to face in friends’ lives because we are subconsciously unwilling to admit they are an ongoing possibility in our own. We essentially clench our eyes shut tight, put our fingers in our ears, and hum in hopes that it will go away. It’s like our silence and awkwardness are ways of praying to a god we may or may not even believe in, “Please not me not us not me not us not me not us.” 

• Unrelated to loss, infertility and/or childlessness, but I love this Facebook post from Rona Maynard (former editor of Chatelaine magazine, one of Canada's oldest and best-known women's magazines, and sister of American writer Joyce Maynard), about aging and writing.  
• This line especially:  "Age is knowing there are no boring days, only bored people."  Yes!!  
• Lyz Lenz's first Friday Substack of the month (she writes at "Men Yell at Me") is worth a read, if only for the first four paragraphs in which she deftly describes/destroys February (my least-favourite month). :)  
• In another Substack "In Pursuit of Clean Countertops," Sara Petersen recently chatted with author Jenni Quilter on "on IVF, nuclear family ideals, and motherhood as an 'automatic-meaning machine'." There's a lot here to chew on -- some really interesting points (and some horrifying bits of women's health history I was not aware of!) -- although, as usual, I found myself wishing they had pushed the envelope of their conversation just a *wee* bit further, and at least given a perfunctory nod to the fact that IVF does not work roughly 70% of the time -- and what happens to those of us who *don't* ultimately get to achieve "motherhood as an automatic-meaning machine"?  
• Still, Petersen admits that "Weeks after reading it, I’m still thinking about all the questions Jenni evokes, questions I had never thought to ask, and questions I’ll now, thanks to her book, never stop considering." So I guess that's something...??  
• Quilter's book, "Hatching," has been added to my "want to read" wishlist. (It's available in hardcover from Amazon & Chapters/Indigo, and on Kindle via Amazon, but strangely, it's only available in audiobook format from Kobo Canada??)  
• Worth a read: this article in the National Post about the "resurgence of pronatalism" in the face of falling birth rates -- and why this might not be a good idea (or at least not something to worry about).  
• Featured in the article: Nandita Bajaj, Executive Director of Population Balance, who recently took part in a panel discussion about  "Why is Policy Engagement Essential for People Without Children?" on the New Legacy Radio podcast. 
• I got a chuckle reading this New York Times article about the 50th anniversary (!) of Schoolhouse Rock. I was 12 in 1973, when the segments began running in between the cartoons on Saturday mornings. By then, I was starting to grow out of Saturday morning cartoons (albeit I still loved to watch American Bandstand at noon) -- and for the first few years it was on, I only ever got to watch it during summer vacations and other holidays at my grandparents' house in Minnesota. 
• (I know I've written about this before, but until I was about 13 years old, we lived far enough north that we were only able to get ONE -- count 'em!! -- TV channel! -- the CBC.  Then we moved closer to the border and were able to pull in TV signals from the States ourselves with a rotary TV antenna, as well as the other Canadian networks -- CTV, and a new one just starting up, Global. Cable TV came along a few years later, when I was in high school.) 
• But even though I was rapidly aging out of Schoolhouse Rock -- and even though I'm Canadian! -- like others mentioned in the article and in the comments, I too can still sing the preamble to the U.S. Constitution  ;)  (the opening lines, at least!) -- as well as some of the other Schoolhouse Rock jingles. (I'm especially partial to "My Hero Zero.")  
• These two lines from the article (below) gave me pause... and I'm not sure I could watch the video without tearing up -- even all these years later, post-loss. I had a flashback to a meeting of our pregnancy loss support group, talking about just why our losses hurt so badly. One of the bereaved dads there shrugged and sheepishly grinned as he said, "Hey -- three -- it's a magic number."  Indeed... 

The blissful “Three Is a Magic Number” isn’t just a primer on multiples; it’s a rumination on the triad foundations of the universe, from geometry to love. (If your voice does not break singing, “A man and a woman had a little baby,” you’re doing something wrong.)         

#MicroblogMondays: A "monstrosity" of a dilemma

Author Roxane Gay offers advice on the office, money, careers and work-life balance in the New York Times "Work Friend" column -- and this week's column included a doozy. 

The scenario: the writer (gender unspecified, but many commenters assumed it was a woman), was irritated by a proud dad co-worker's baby photos displayed in their shared workspace. (The term used was "giant photos of a baby-acne-mottled monstrosity sitting on my desk.")(!!) Whenever it was their turn to be in the office, they would put the photos in a drawer, and then leave them there. The dad would put them up again when he was in the office... lather, rinse, repeat... 

When confronted by the dad (in a good-natured way) -- at an office party, no less! -- the writer lied -- and claimed they found it difficult to look at the baby photos because they were infertile (!).  Now they find themselves the object of office sympathy (!), with other infertile coworkers wanting to comiserate.    

Gay was clearly flummoxed:  "I don’t know how you get yourself out of the hole you’ve dug for yourself. This is mighty awkward," she says.  No kidding!  

The reader comments are just as interesting and thought-provoking as the letter itself.  (Beware if you click over to read them, though!) I did not read them all (there were more than 1,000 as I write this -- although there were other letters being addressed as well as this one) -- but I read a lot!  Here are some of the things people were saying (paraphrased, not direct quotes):  

On the one hand:   

• This is petty and unnecessary drama. 
• This is an insane overreaction on the writer's part. 
• Why not just put the photos back up at the end of the day? 
• Why didn't she just tell the truth, instead of making up a story? 
• Why are we becoming so selfish?
• Anyone who makes those kinds of comments about an innocent baby is odd.  
• I didn't know so many people hated babies. I despair for humanity. 
• Most people take pleasure in other people's babies -- this person has issues.
• She needs professional help.  
• She should be fired for harassment/inappropriate behaviour. 
• Maybe the new dad isn't getting enough sleep to be rational?  [lol]
• I'm just glad I'm retired. [lol] 

On the other hand: 

• This is hilarious. 
• This is like something out of a "Seinfeld" episode. 
• Why did the dad confront her in front of their coworkers (even in a joking way)? 
• The writer escalated the situation unnecessarily -- but so did the dad for refusing to take a hint and then calling them out in front of all their colleagues at a work function.  
• Parents should realize that not everyone likes babies. 
• Not liking children is one of the world's last remaining taboos. It's not a crime. 
• The writer's attitude toward babies is not relevant/not what's at issue here. 
• It's a shared workspace: personal items should be kept to a minimum (if they're allowed at all), and removed/stored at the end of the day.  
• The writer is under no obligation to discuss her fertility further with others in the office. 
• As long as her coworkers don't start a GoFundMe for fertility treatments for her, she should just tell them she doesn't want to talk about it, if they bring it up.  
• The writer may have lied, but they inadvertently did a huge favor for all those of us who are actually infertile and have to deal with baby pictures at work, etc., by reminding their coworkers how hurtful something like this can be.  

My thoughts:  "Baby-acne-mottled monstrosity" does seem a bit harsh...! (I was startled when, 20+ years ago, I first started looking for resources on living with children, and stumbled onto some childfree-by-choice message boards with disdainful discussions of "breeders," "sprogs," "crotchfruit" and the like...!)  But I agree that it's not a crime not to like children. The writer obviously knew that their aversion to babies was not socially acceptable, though --  hence, the spur-of-the-moment lie about infertility, which they knew would probably elicit more sympathy and put an end to the debate over removing photos. 

As someone who IS infertile, I have mixed feelings about that. Why anyone who is NOT truly infertile would want to claim that label is beyond me (hence my personal dislike of the term "social infertility," which describes people who don't have kids simply because they haven't met the right partner yet, or didn't meet them in time). And I wonder if people pretending to be infertile might make it less likely that others will believe or take seriously or sympathize with those of us who truly do have issues. 

Ultimately, I agree with the many commenters who felt that, in a shared workspace, photos and other personal items should be removed/stored at the end of the workday. And that the writer's in/fertility and feelings about children are nobody's business, and she should just tell her coworkers, however well-meaning, that she does not want to discuss the issue further. 

(Tangentially related side note: Towards the end of my working life, we had an administration manager who instituted a strict "clean desk" policy. Personal items weren't mentioned, but because we dealt with a lot of confidential material, the (logical) decree came down that all files and work materials had to be locked up at the end of the day, and all computers logged off. Many people already did this, of course -- but it was not unusual to see stacks of files sitting out and papers spread out on someone's desk. I didn't think my staff magazine story about the company's United Way campaign was particularly confidential, but I started dutifully clearing my desk at night, locking the drawers and hiding the key. I came into the office early one morning and saw this manager, walking around and testing people's file drawers to see whether they were locked. If they weren't, she deliberately left the drawer wide open. I'm not sure what, if anything, happened to the unlucky employees who forgot to lock up the night before...!)  

Thoughts?? 

You can find more of this week's #MicroblogMondays posts here.  

"Wintering" by Katherine May

"Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times" by Katherine May has been on my bookshelf for a while now. I finally cracked it open a few days ago, at the beginning of February, my least favourite month, and the beginning of a particularly brutal cold snap, following endless weeks of dark, gloomy grey skies.  

It's not a long book (my hardcover copy is 242 pages), but there's a lot to absorb and think about here. Its publication in February 2020 coincided with the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, and it's not hard to see why it became a bestseller at this particular time in history:  May's personal story of living through a difficult period in her life is intertwined with her gentle observations and meditations on winter (the season) and "wintering" -- which she describes as: 

...a season in the cold. It is a fallow period in life when you’re cut off from the world, feeling rejected, sidelined, blocked from progress, or cast into the role of an outsider. Perhaps it results from an illness or a life event such as a bereavement or the birth of a child; perhaps it comes from a humiliation or failure. Perhaps you’re in a period of transition and have temporarily fallen between two worlds. Some wintering creep upon us more slowly, accompanying the protracted death of a relationship, the gradual ratcheting up of caring responsibilities as our parents age, the drip-drip-drip of lost confidence. Some are appallingly sudden, like discovering one day that your skills are considered obsolete, the company you worked for has gone bankrupt, or your partner is in love with someone new. However, it arrives, wintering is usually involuntary, lonely, and deeply painful.

Among other things, May writes about basking in mineral pools and saunas in Iceland, attending a St. Lucia service at a Swedish church, spending the winter solstice at Stonehenge, watching the aurora borealis (northern lights) in Norway, taking a New Year's Day plunge in the sea, and sending her son outside to play in the snow after a rare snowfall (she says she's never experienced a white Christmas -- !!! -- come to Manitoba, Katherine!! -- I can only recall two Christmases there where there WASN'T any snow cover, or at least not much!). 

This is a wise and beautifully written book, and reading it, during one of the coldest and gloomiest times of the year -- both weather-wise and heart-wise (and this year especially) -- was a balm for the soul (MY soul, anyway!). I don't often re-read books these days, but I can see myself reading this one again in the future. It's divided into sections, one for each month from September through March, and it would be interesting and easy to read one section per month, at the proper times.  :)  

I'm also looking forward to reading May's next book, which is coming out at the end of this month: "Enchantment: Awakening Wonder in an Anxious Age." 

ALI note/content warning: The section on January begins with the story of May's infertility diagnosis, followed by a surprise pregnancy -- just before she was to start IVF treatment (of course!).  She also mentions her son at different points in the book. 

5 stars on Goodreads. 

This was Book #7 read to date in 2023 (and Book #1 finished in February), bringing me to 16% (!) of my 2023 Goodreads Reading Challenge goal of 45 books. I am (for the moment, anyway...!) 3 books ahead of schedule. :)  You can find reviews of all my books read to date in 2023 tagged as "2023 books."  

What's saving my life right now

 An annual question from Modern Mrs. Darcy. My past posts on this this theme here. I wrote this year's version without consulting those older posts, albeit I suspect many of the answers will be the same or similar...! 

• Sunshine and blue skies (when they happen...!):  There were only about 4 days in January where I glimpsed at least some patches of blue sky peeking through the grey clouds, and/or some sunshine -- so it's very much appreciated and mood-boosting when it does pop up!  
• Our Dyson PH03 purifier/humidifier/fan unit:  Yes, it cost a ridiculous amount of money, and it's given us some grief in the short time we've owned it (as I've shared here!)... but I'm sure glad we have it! Even though we keep it running all day, every day, it's been very cold outside lately, and extreme cold generally = dry.  The humidity in our unit has barely cracked 40%, and more often hovers in the low 30s -- WITH the humidifier running. I'd hate to think what it would be like without it!   
• Clinique Moisture Surge moisturizer: I'm a Clinique girl from waaaayyyyy back (albeit I have also used Estee Lauder skin care & cosmetics from time to time too).  Normally, I've followed up their basic 3-step regime with Even Better moisturizer because of its SPF20 protection. (They've just introduced a new version of Even Better -- but no SPF rating is given. Hmmm....) But we've barely been outside lately, and the sun hasn't been out much either, and with the current cold weather and lack of humidity, my skin has been feeling very dry and in need of an extra moisture boost. So I've been using up some of my supply of Moisture Surge miniatures from previous gift with purchase promotions, and it does feel nice! 
• Little Great-Nephew:  Even though he's not with his grandmother every day right now, we've still managed to see almost as much of him this past month as we normally would have. Always a day-brightener. :)  No doubt, he's been the best thing about these past three years, BY FAR.  
• This blog: It's been such a great outlet. :) 
• Books & book club discussions: So many books, so little time...!  lol  Lots of distractions, but I do love those times when I'm able to completely lose myself in a good book for a few hours! (Or even just squeeze in another chapter before bedtime!)  My real-life book club last met before the pandemic began, but I am grateful for my online book groups for keeping me reading and for some great and sometimes thought-provoking discussions! 
• Tea:  There's nothing like a nice cup of tea to make me feel relaxed and cozy, especially on a cold winter day. Plain old black tea is my favourite, with sugar and milk. 
• Zoom sessions with friends. :)  

What's saving your life right now? 

Right now

Right now...* 

*(an occasional (mostly monthly) meme, alternating from time to time with "The Current"). (Explanation of how this started & my inspirations in my first "Right now" post, here. Also my first "The Current" post, here.)

Pandemic diary/update: January was Month #34 (going on #35) of living with the COVID-19 pandemic, with dark reports of the emergence of a new, even-more-contagious/transmissible Omicron variant, XBB.1.5 -- which has been dubbed with the ominous-sounding nickname of "the Kraken" (!). Although the province's Chief Medical Officer recently reported that the numbers of covid and other respiratory illness cases are stabilizing/improving, hospitals are still swamped, shelves remain bare of many basic medications, particularly for children (Tylenol, etc.), and antibiotics are also rumoured to be in short supply. 

This is NOT over. :(  

(It's not just me...!  Even the World Health Organization declined to declare the global health emergency is over, albeit the director-general said “there is no doubt that we’re in a far better situation now” than a year ago.) (Notwithstanding the U.S. government's intention to let the emergency designation expire in May...)   

On the personal pandemic front: This was a(nother!) busy month for us! We remain covid-free -- and hope to stay that way! -- although dh has had a nasty, lingering cold for the past several weeks (rapid tests to date have been negative) -- but we're trying to get out a little more, while still taking precautions. We still mask in public places (albeit we usually don't in smaller/family settings). 

On top of dh's solo trips to the supermarket for groceries (about once a week), and for occasional takeout lunches & dinners: 

• We flew home on Jan. 2nd. after 17 (!) days with my family over Christmas and New Year's (in retrospect, maybe a LITTLE too long...!). 
• PND came over to play cards with us on New Year's Day, before we left.   
• We both went to the supermarket for groceries and takeout soup for lunch the next day (Jan. 3rd), and then headed over to BIL's so dh could help him out with some paperwork. 
• Even though Little Great-Nephew is not at his grandparents' house every day now (since his mom went on disability with carpal tunnel syndrome), we still got to see him several times this month:  
• I stayed with SIL & LGN on Jan. 4th while dh & BIL went out to run some errands.  (Described in this post.) 
• Sunday, Jan. 15th, we drove with BIL & SIL to a smalltown arena north of us to watch Little Great-Nephew skate!!  <3  
• Older Nephew's Wife had an appointment and dropped off LGN at BIL & SIL's for a few hours on Jan. 20th.  :)  (Described here.) 
• We headed up to Older Nephew's on Thursday afternoon (Jan. 26th) with BIL & SIL, where we had a nice visit with everyone -- including the dog, lol.  :)  (Related post here.) 
• BIL & SIL came over for coffee after dinner on Jan. 6th. 
• For my birthday on Jan. 12th, we went to the art gallery, bookstore and supermarket. BIL & SIL dropped by later too (as I wrote here). 
• The next day (Friday the 13th!) saw us back in our old community for haircuts, with side trips to the cemetery to visit Katie and to the frozen foods store to stock up on a few convenience items for the freezer compartment. 
• Monday, Jan. 16th, we headed into the city to our optometrist's midtown office to check on the eye I had surgery on this past summer.  
• We stopped at the supermarket on our way back home for groceries & takeout lunch. 
• Wednesday, Jan. 18th, we took our Dyson humidifier/purifier/fan unit to the company's warehouse about a half-hour's drive away for repair.  (The story here and here.) 
• We returned to collect our repaired unit on Friday (Jan. 20th)(as mentioned here). 
• We went to the bank on the morning of Tuesday, Jan. 24th, to meet with our financial advisor there, then to the bookstore for a browse, and finally the supermarket for takeout pizza slices for lunch. 
• Last Saturday afternoon (the 28th), we went with BIL & SIL to visit stepMIL & family and deliver some (slightly??) belated Christmas presents. It was the first time we'd been there since stepMIL's 80th birthday party last summer.
• Before heading home, we paid a quick visit to Katie at the cemetery -- BIL & SIL had not been there in a long time and expressed an interest in going -- always nice. :)
• And we picked up some takeout teriyaki rice/noodle bowls from the supermarket and took them back to BIL & SIL's for supper before heading home. 

*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** 

Also right now:  

Reading: I got the 2023 reading year off to a great start by finishing 6 books in January (all reviewed on this blog, as well as Goodreads, & tagged "2023 books").  

• "The Empty World" by D.E. Stevenson (before my D.E. Stevenson group's chapter-by-chapter read & discussion -- see below). (My review.)   
• "Living the Life Unexpected" by Jody Day of Gateway Women.  This was a year-plus-long, chapter-by-chapter group read within the private online Gateway Women (now called Lighthouse Women) community, which started in January 2022 and just wrapped up -- and since I've read the book before (several times!), I'm counting this one as a re-read. (We're starting a new group read of the book again soon, back at chapter 1!) (My review.) 
• "Anne of Avonlea" by L.M. Montgomery. (My review.) 
• "Anne of the Island" by L.M. Montgomery (#3 in the series, first published in 1915). I read this as my LMM Readathon Facebook group's chapter-by-chapter group read and discussion was beginning, on Jan. 9th. I will count it as a re-read when we're finished, at the end of May. (My review.) 
• "The Metal Heart" by Caroline Lea (the January/February selection for my Gateway/Lighthouse Women NoMo Book Club. Our Zoom discussion is scheduled for Feb. 26th).  (My review.) 
• "Spare" by Prince Harry. (My review.) 

This brings me to 6 books read to date in 2023,  13% of my 2023 Goodreads Reading Challenge goal of 45 books. :)  I am currently (for the moment, anyway...!) 3 books ahead of schedule to meet my goal. 

Current read(s): 

• "The Empty World" by D.E. Stevenson, together with my D.E. Stevenson group. We just started our discussion on Jan. 29th. I will count this as a re-read once we're finished, in late April.    
• "Anne of the Island" by L.M. Montgomery, with my LMM Readathon Facebook group.  (See above!)  I will count this as a re-read when we're finished at the end of May.  
• "The Menopause Manifesto" by Dr. Jen Gunter. (I will re-start this one... someday...!) 

Coming up: Most of my book groups have their next reads plotted out for a few months in advance -- and listing them here helps me keep track of what I should be reading next. ;)  

• For my Gateway/Lighthouse Women NoMo Book Club: 
• March book: "Three Eleven" by Margaret Grant (a GW/LW group member! who will take part in our Zoom discussion on this book, March 25th.) 

A few recently purchased titles (mostly in digital format, mostly discounted ($5.99 or less) or purchased with points -- some good pre- and post-Christmas deals!):   

• "Spare" by Prince Harry (hardcover -- see above). 
• "The McCartney Legacy, Volume 1, 1969-73" by by Allan Kozinn & Adrian Sinclair  (hardcover) 
• "Watergate: A New History" by Garrett Graff (hardcover) 
• "Preventable" by Andy Slavitt 
• "The January 6th Report" by The Select Committee 
• "We Don't Know Ourselves" by Fintan O'Toole 
• "This Chair Rocks" by Ashton Applewhite 
• "Ejaculate Responsibly" by Gabrielle Stanley Blair 
• "John Turner" by Steve Paikin 
• "Happy Ever After" by Paul Dolan 
• "The Queen" by Andrew Morton 
• "Nice White Ladies" by Jessie Daniels 
• "Frientimacy" by Shasta Nelson 

*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** 

Watching: 

• The four-day-plus spectacle that unfolded in the U.S. Congress's House of Representatives in early January, as Republican Kevin McCarthy tried (and tried... and tried... and tried...) to achieve his longtime dream of becoming Speaker -- finally winning enough votes after 15 (!) ballots -- the first time in 100 years it's taken more than one round of voting.  I always thought that nobody on TV news looked like they were having more fun than Peter Mansbridge, the longtime anchor of CBC News (now retired), on Canadian federal election nights -- he was always as gleeful as a kid in a candy store -- until I watched Jake Tapper on CNN covering this story, lol.  
• (I'm not sure about how the role of Speaker of the British House of Commons would compare, but here's an article comparing the roles in the U.S. Congress's House of Representatives and the Canadian Parliament's House of Commons. The TL:DR:  the Canadian Speaker's role is more like that of a referee, while the American version is more like a quarterback.) 
• The new season of "Finding Your Roots" with Henry Louis Gates on PBS.  
• Figure skating: the Canadian and U.S. national championships. (I had to PVR some of the U.S. skating, this past weekend, because dh desperately wanted to watch some of the NFL playoff games.)  
• I've seen it before, but saw a lot of it while watching figure skating: anyone see/notice the Geico insurance commercial: "We have a(u)nts!" (lol)  As a proud auntie/great-auntie, I'll admit it tickled my funnybone.  :)  (I promise, I'm not THAT overbearing!  lol)  
• Not watching:  NFL and/or U.S. college football playoffs!  (lol)   
• Still not watching: "Magpie Murders" (PVRd from PBS after reading the book), or anything after the first two seasons of "The Crown"...! 
• Speaking of "The Crown,"  Netflix actually sent me an email saying that unless I specifically affirmed I wanted to continue to subscribe, they were ending my "membership" and would stop billing me. I mean, it's nice of them to offer to not to just keep taking my money (lol), but kind of surprising! (I guess I haven't watched anything on there for quite a while...!).  

Listening:  Last month in this category, I mentioned the Shazam app that our nephew introduced me to before Christmas. When I downloaded it, I was thinking of a specific song that's been driving me CRAZY for a while now. They play it fairly often on the Stingray Classic Rock channel -- it sounded familiar, but despite Googling the lyrics, I'd never been able to find out the name of the song or who was singing it! I FINALLY got my answer, thanks to Shazam!:  it was "You Remind Me" by Sheriff! -- a Canadian band from the early 1980s, who also sang the monster hit "When I'm With You" (which was one of the songs on my shortlist for the first-dance song at our 1985 wedding -- along with "Your Song" by Elton John and "Maybe I'm Amazed" by Paul McCartney -- alas, the inspid "You & I" by Crystal Gayle and Eddie Rabbitt won out, lol).  Here's a link to a live version of "You Remind Me," and  "When I'm With You." (live performance footage, but it has the recorded version of the song dubbed overtop). 

I'm still enjoying the daily Heardle challenge(s), including the decades versions -- although (as you'll see from the stats, I do MUCH better on the 60s & 70s versions than the others...!). Current stats as of Jan. 31st:  

• Heardle (original/all decades): 28.7% correct (52/181, including 13 on the first guess), a slight improvement over last month. 
• Heardle 60s:  80.1% (113/141, including 57 on first guess), down slightly from last month. 
• Heardle 70s:  68.5% (100/146, including 60 on the first guess), up from last month. 
• Heardle 80s:  44.3% (58/131, including 22 on the first guess), down slightly this month. 
• Heardle 90s: 36% (50/139, including 16 on the first guess), down slightly this month.  

Eating/Drinking:  Takeout dinners this month included a chicken & pasta dish from a favourite restaurant on my birthday;  chicken souvlaki on a pita with Greek-style lemon potatos; rice bowls with chicken and teriyaki sauce (from the supermarket takeout counter), fish & chips, and... McDonalds, lol.  It's probably the closest restaurant to us, geographically speaking (we could walk there in five minutes), we hadn't had it in ages, and dh had a craving for a quarter-pounder with bacon. I had my usual Chicken McNuggets with honey dipping sauce, and we split an order of french fries. :)  

Buying (besides books, lol):  I ordered a whole bunch of my favourite Pilot Precise V5 pens in different colours from Amazon. I always used to buy them at Staples, but they don't seem to carry them anymore?  and my supply of several colours was dwindling.  I've tried other pens, but they just don't cut it, in my books. ;) (I use different colours for different things, particularly in my datebook/calendar/planner:  red for birthdays & anniversaries;  black for bills coming due, important deadlines, etc.;  green to tick off bills paid or cheques/deposits received, and the amounts;  turquoise for mail sent & received;  purple for notes on the weather; brown for phone calls;  and blue for just about everything else, lol. When I was working, I used to use pink to write down what outfit I'd worn that day!)   

This bottle of Bumble & Bumble Sunday Clarifying Shampoo from Sephora (online). I am getting down to the bottom of my last precious bottle of Neutrogena shampoo (sob!) -- it's been discontinued, as I moaned in this post from earlier this summer -- and the B&B shampoo was one of the similar products I've found recommended via Google. The price is exorbitant ($35 for one small bottle of shampoo?!! -- granted, you're only supposed to use it once a week, and a little goes a long way -- but still...!!)  -- but I had an email offer for 20% off (plus a birthday bonus), so I decided to give it a try. Anyone else ever use this product?  Do you have recommendations for another (cheaper??) clarifying shampoo I could try? 

Wearing:  Still wearing some of my (less Christmas-y/more winter-y) Old Navy holiday themed waffle-knit PJ tops with yoga pants. Adding a cardigan on particularly cold days!    

Noticing:  How much my mood improved on those few, rare days this past month when blue sky became visible -- even in small patches through clouds! -- and (sometimes) the sun even shone!! (even if the temperature, inevitably, plunged at the same time...!). It really does make a difference! 

Appreciating:  The sunshine (when we can actually see it!). 

Enjoying:  Spending whatever time we can with Little Great-Nephew.  :)  

Wondering:  Whether he will remember any of this when he gets older? (I do remember some things from when I was 2-3, but I've been told I have an exceptional memory...!) 

Wanting: More sunshine!  A little more variety to our days... 

Prioritizing:  LGN time.  :)  Anytime we know he's going to be around now, we happily reshuffle our agendas in order to spend some precious time with him. :)  No matter when/whether his mom returns to work, we know that he'll be off to school in September (!)(junior kindergarten/nursery school) and we won't be seeing anywhere near as much of him after that...  :(  

Hoping:  That the next deep clean cycle for our Dyson humidifier/purifier/fan unit works better than the first one did...!  (Links to the full story above...!)   

Trying:  To take advantage of all the birthday offers I got from various retailers, before they expire.  ;)  

Loving:  All the good books I've been reading lately!  :)  

Feeling: Still a bit holi-dazed (what day is it? -- and how is it February, ALREADY??!). In a bit of a post-Christmas/birthday funk -- and the almost continuous dark, gloomy, grey weather is NOT helping! Dreading February -- my least-favourite month, this year with an added "anniversary" of significance to deal with...  But still, thankful for dh, our families, and our cozy condo during this grey & chilly winter...!