I enjoy cross-stitching. The thread I use comes from France and a lot of the special fabric (Aida, linen evenweave, etc) comes from Europe. In light of the whole tariff thing, I decided to pick several projects I'd like to do next and stock up for them. I went to my local craft store and picked up most of the DMC thread I needed. The colors I couldn't find and the fabric I needed for those projects I ordered from a cross-stitch site that I haven't used before but have heard good things about. I have materials for 6 projects and, since I stitch at an absolutely glacial pace, that should keep me busy for quite a while.

I was fully intending on going out and protesting on the 5th - there were about 3000 who gathered in my town and that's very surprising since we're considered a safely red area. I think we're just not as red as we used to be and that fact hasn't caught up with everyone. Anyway, I woke up on the morning of the 5th not feeling well so ended up not going. There's going to be another protest on the 19th and I fully intend on going to that one. I even made a sign!

Listening

Some of the podcasts I've been listening to this week:

Reading

I'm still looking for my next good read and, in the meantime, catching up on issues of Clarkesworld. Currently I'm on issue 219 from December 2024.

I had placed a hold on Careless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams, the book about working at Facebook that they really did't want anyone to read. I was going to be on the waitlist for quite a while but just got notified that the library bought 20 more copies so my place is up now. That's the bad thing about placing holds on library books. I want it in that moment when I place the hold but then when it's ready I'm often not in the mood to read it. So, not sure if I'll pick it up or pass on it.

Watching

I finished watching season 14 of Call the Midwife this past week. And Recipes for Love and Murder is still going on but Acorn is only doling those out once a week.

I've found some new channels to watch on YouTube. Parkrose Permaculture speaks about local political issues in Oregon but also speaks on the larger scope of what's happening politically in this country. She has short, under-10-minute videos (I think she makes them for TikTok then posts them on YouTube, too) and not only do I appreciate hearing about what's going on in other parts of the country, she gives good general advice and also encourages people to take action.

Resistor Vic is in Colorado and, much like Parkrose Permaculture, speaks a lot about local politics but also on what's happening nationally. His videos are even shorter, under 5 minutes usually, but I love the information in them. He has one in particular that I really liked called Hey, Grandpa! that goes over how to talk to a relative that may be MAGA. That's usually a lost cause but sometimes you can get people to look at an issue from another angle if you can get them to realize that it's not just some nameless Other that is being affected but their own family who they love. I don't have that particular problem in my family but maybe this will be useful to someone who does. As a bonus, Vic also shows pictures of Mama Athena and her puppies and Mama Fluffy and her kittens at the end of his videos.

That's it for this week!