Day 23

 Okay, point taken about the Elton John thing. I still don't like it - if it was a general song about mourning a woman that would be one thing, but actually replacing someone's name will never sit right with me - but I understand that he was both mourning and likely under pressure from the royal family, and that would be a hard thing to push back against. 

At work I strayed nearer one of the reading groups than I usually do and a couple of kids started asking me about a Three Billy Goats Gruff book and I was talking to them while the teacher was getting organized and then realized that she was waiting for the kids to start their reading work and I was hijacking six-year-olds because I'm so desperate for human contact in the library. She was kind about it.

I picked up Eve from school and we stopped and got the mail and she suddenly burst into tears because she realized she wouldn't be getting her yearly Christmas card from Nana Barb addressed to 'Miss Eve Adams'. "Wow, that came out of nowhere. What the hell?" she said, and we had a brief discussion about grief and scared the hell out of Matt when we both walked in sobbing. That's okay. I think we're processing things in a healthy manner. 

Our first Christmas card was from a university friend that we haven't seen since Angus and their first son were babies, so twenty-ish years. It was a great example of what I plan for my own cards this year - hopeful and loving, but realistic about how hard this year has been. It's kind of surreal to think of last Christmas when my sister and her family were here and we were just beginning to hear about the coronavirus in Asia - Matt's knowledge was a little more advanced because he travels there so much and has close business relationships. We kind of knew it was probably coming here, but didn't really believe it. I fully acknowledge that compared to many people we have been very lucky, but whoa. What a year.

I've done a substantial amount of online Christmas shopping. It's like a devil's bargain every time I see "enter your email to get 10% off your first order!" Can I unsubscribe later? Sure, but will it really take? Should I just pay the extra ten percent and not tell them where they can spam me for the next four hundred years? Won't I probably just have to enter my address while checking out anyway? Should I just suck it up and GO to the actual mall, which gives me the vapours even in NON-Covid times? It's a conundrum.

Speaking of online shopping, I have been much better at filing all my email receipts in my 'receipts' folder so I can keep track of them, but I should really sit down and figure out exactly how many rolls of washi tape and pairs of funny socks I have coming in before I order any more. 

What's on your Christmas list? What are you buying your - I almost said teenaged boys but then I realized I don't have one of those anymore I have a twenty-year-old GROWN-ASS MAN. Hold me.