Snow Day

Schools in Providence are off for today and tomorrow.  Snow is coming down and visibility is about half a block.  We are anticipating high winds and cold temps once the snow winds down this evening.  Luckily we had good notice of the storm.  I've been trying not to overbuy food in order to waste less, but that meant the only vegetables I had in the house yesterday morning were frozen peas and okra, and the only fruit was frozen blueberries, and no milk.

I beat the crowd on my morning shop, but then had to go to three more places after I picked up LB from school, because the first place was out of milk, and then I realized I had no flour for pizza dough.  A friend posted a pic from my closest Whole Foods, at which the greens section was COMPLETELY emptied. I guess that's what happens when New Years resolutions meet blizzard. Three additional stores later, here we are ready for the storm:

(I don't know why I didn't post this when we actually had the big storm, but here you go, belatedly).

Less than a year

It's actually been less than a year since I last posted, so that's not so bad.  I miss blogging being a thing like I miss having a tv channel that shows music videos.  2017 for me was a year of organizing (the political kind) and I went hard for about 9 months and then crashed.  I was part of a successful campaign to pass a new ordinance on police accountability and transparency that goes into effect today, and a successful city council campaign to elect Nirva Lafortune.  Two good things in a year of loss.

A friend suggested reflecting on 2017 by listing one good thing from each month, and here are mine:

Jan-was an adult observer when 1000 local high school students walked out of class to the statehouse to protest the inauguration (absolute highlight of my year).  If you watch the video in the link, there is a moment when a couple hundred students standing around by the statehouse see hundred more students marching up the street in front of the mall, realize how big the protest is going to be, and start running to meet them-all the adults were crying.
http://www.rifuture.org/student-walk-out-trump/

Feb-went to a blur of emergency meetings, met a lot of people

March-walked into a dive bar with my daughter, walked out with a date

April-hung out with a new mom friend like I remember my mom doing (taking the kids to IHOP on Saturday night)

May-went with LB to a very raucous city council meeting where we got a first yes vote on a new police accountability ordinance 
http://www.rifuture.org/csa-turnout-city-hall/

June-went to Chicago for my diss advisors retirement

July-a week in Maine where junie ran wild with the island children

Aug-door knocked for our city council race, and Nirva Lafortune won by a lot!
http://www.electnirva.com/

And 1st grade (terrible pic but look at those shoes!)

Sept-family camping, on of my favorite things LB and I do all year

Oct-klezmer and marching brass band Halloween parade

Nov-my girl turned 7 and had a party she loved, and I went to the Day of Mourning in Plymouth for the first time

Dec-a whole month with our beautiful Christmas tree

New Years Deep Freeze in Maine

A friend was just blogging about intentions vs resolutions for New Years, and I like the improvisation involved in having a theme for the year that I then have to figure out how to live.  I think my theme for this year needs to be health.  Sitting at work/sitting in all those meetings/eating random potluck offerings/busing and ubering from one location to the next/on the computer all the time, all those things have been unkind to my body and sometimes my spirt.  I'm lying in bed typing and my head hurts and my shoulders hurt and my back hurts.  I've noticed that my balance has gotten so much worse this year, and I get up from the floor like an old person.  I'm very lucky to be in good physical health, but I need to invest in what I've got instead of squandering it.