One thing I did this past week was to set up a recurring monthly donation for United Food Bank. Because our government is currently broken, people who depend on food benefits (food stamps, SNAP, EBT - they've gone under many names over the years) will not be getting them. This is a horrible unnecessary situation and also one that I can really sympathize with. When I was a single mother, I depended on food stamps. I was even working a full-time job at the time but made little enough that I qualified for partial benefits. It wasn't a lot but it helped keep Best Son and I fed. I chose to donate money because with their connections United Food Bank can make a $20 donation go farther than any actual food I could purchase with $20. If you have the means and the inclination to donate, maybe look for food banks/food pantries in your area. They could all use your help. Even if you can't afford monetary help, a lot of them are going to need actual labor help with things like distribution and packing food boxes.

I think a lot of focus is going to be on FOOD (which, yes, it's important to be fed!) but food benefits only pay for FOOD. If you're so broke that buying food is a problem, then what about things like soap, toilet paper, toothpaste, diapers? Back when I was getting benefits, they came in the form of tear-off coupons. If you had change due, you would get it in actual money. A common thing to do was to "break" the coupon so you could use the change for other things that weren't covered. Like toilet paper. Ask me how I know. Anyway, benefits these days are on a card so there is no change to be had but these items are still necessary. If you have the means and the inclination, you might want to look for mutual aid groups that help provide necessary non-food items. And this is also something you can help with, either by donating money, items or your time.

I did 2 social things this week - went out for coffee with Best Son and played bingo with a friend. On Friday, Best Son and I went out to a coffee place that was new to me, not to him, and I got a delicious Café de Olla iced latte. And on Saturday a friend and I went to a dog friendly beer/wine/coffee place that was hosting a bingo fundraiser for a big dog rescue group. It's been forever since I played bingo and, while I didn't win, I did have fun. This is a fairly new rescue group in the area and they specialize in big dogs like mastiffs, Great Danes, St. Bernards, any kind of super-sized dog. I'm a cat person and was always on the cat rescue side of things but I do know that placing larger dogs is so much harder than the small breeds. I wish them a lot of luck!

Listening

Podcasts I listened to this week:

Reading

I finished Testimony of Mute Things which I had started last week and also Reaper Man, the second book in Terry Pratchett's Death series. I thought I might be ready to dive back into Cherryh's Union-Alliance Company Wars and started on Tripoint but I just wasn't feeling it so I've set that aside for now and have started reading The Apothecary Rose by Candace Robb, a medieval mystery set in 14th century England. This is the first book in a 16 (soon to be 17) book series. I had read several of the books a couple of decades ago and somehow just forgot to keep up with the series. I didn't want to try to figure out where I had left off so I decided to just do a reread. It's been long enough that I remember very little at all about the plot and it's almost like reading it for the first time!

Watching

I've got a whole list of movies (and a few TV shows) that I want to watch "some day" but I have not made a whole lot of progress on this list since I started it a few years ago. A lot of times when I sit myself in front of the TV, I'll think I want to watch something, but not 2 hours of something (like one of the movies) and then I will end up watching a cumulative 2 hours or more of other stuff. So, I've decided to make an effort to work on this list!

As far as knocking titles off the list, I'm not going in any kind of order, just vibes. I watched 2 movies this week: In the Mouth of Madness and The Dark Crystal.

So, I will tell you that I do not like horror movies but, having said that, I really like some movies that are considered horror. This drives Best Son bananas. "You said you don't like horror but you like (insert what is clearly a horror movie)!" Don't pigeonhole me, bro. I can't help what I like. Or, apparently, being contrary.

The Thing is on my list of favorite movies - it's just so good! I don't know what about it appeals to me so much. There's a lot of suspense, which I like, and I love practical effects. They are such an art form! Seeing as how much I like that totally-a-horror movie, Best Son suggested I should watch Prince of Darkness and In the Mouth of Madness because those, along with The Thing, make up John Carpenter's Apocalypse Trilogy. I watched In the Mouth of Madness. Not a huge fan of Lovecraft (or horror!) but there was some darn good special effects. It was not my cup of tea but OK. I will not be watching it again but I have marked it off the list. Assignment completed.

I don't know how I've gone all these years without watching The Dark Crystal! I have seen Labyrinth and The Neverending Story and this very much fits in with those movies. I loved this movie and I definitely would watch it again. I've read that the Netflix Dark Crystal series that was cancelled after 1 season was also really good so I might try tracking that down and watching it.

I've been watching a new-to-me YouTuber, Farm to Taber. She's been a farm worker, is a crop scientist and small farm owner and works with farms and food handling facilities. What I'm pointing out here is that she really knows her stuff. I think it's safe to say that America in general has a very romanticized view of farmers which doesn't hold up to the reality and watching her videos has been a very interesting (and often disheartening) experience. If food production, farming as big business, farm workers or politics related to farming interest you in any way, you might want to check her out. The latest video she was in that I watched was actually an interview on another channel but it was quite eye-opening as far as explaining who the average farmer actually is and why they seemingly vote against their own interests.

OK, I think that's about it for this week! Last week I was debating between trying 2 beers Best Son had given me and I ended up going with the spiced pumpkin aged in bourbon barrel ale. It was so smooth and delicious! I still have the chocolate-coconut porter and that will be consumed this evening!

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