Hey! Hi
In the last couple weeks we moved Eve out of her student house and home, went to Charlotte and Atlanta, and had my sister and brother-in-law here for the long weekend. Somewhere in there I got a cold, probably from Eve, which she said was pretty mild, and I guess it has been, but it has also hung on for-freaking-ever, and Sunday I had such an apocalyptic headache I almost woke Matt up to take me to the hospital because I thought something was surely about to burst.
Anyway. A lot of good stuff has happened and also I am exhausted (as I would be from traveling and peopling anyway) and possibly now have a sinus infection and haven't blogged for (counts on fingers) FIFTEEN DAYS. Which at least allowed Swistle to find the Spinach Cheese Square recipe, so, silver linings.
The going to the U.S. thing is pinging around in my head a lot. I posted one picture of Angus and Eve together without saying where it was, which feels dishonest, and now I think I should probably/maybe confess on Facebook so people can unfriend me if they feel they must. Some people are resolutely not going at all for the next three and a half years, and they go often so I know it's a sacrifice, which I respect. Some people have very self-righteously declared that they won't be going 'even though they have close family and friends there', when I know for a fact they have rarely, if ever, crossed the border, so that feels a little more performative, but still fair.
It would be a sacrifice to only see Angus once a year when he can come home at Christmas. A sacrifice, as it turns out, that I am not willing to make. He's my kid. Who knows how much time we have left? (I made this argument to a friend on messenger and she pointed out that she had not said anything remotely critical, and I said "I know, I'm having a fight with myself") Did I leverage a massive amount of white privilege? Yes I did. I am not proud, and yet I can't quite regret it either. Goddammit, having principles is difficult.
Monday was a holiday, so I have no new Aurora news to report. I will post a few pictures of Downton Abbey text exchanges I have had with people who watched years ago and still good-humouredly put up with me live-texting my watch. Also I often text the wrong person because ADHD brain, so that's always fun for them.
Also, the scene that was made for our family:
Comments
I love Downton Abbey! It's one of my all-time favourite shows.
2) To be fair to the mediocre white man, he was in Germany to get a divorce so that he could marry Edith, wasn't he? Isn't that romantic? He wanted to divorce his mentallly ill wife who was in an institution so that... never mind.
3) I will not travel to the US during this regime, but all I'm giving up is taking kid2 to see VanGogh's Starry Night IRL and I'm pretty sure it will be there when all of this is behind us. Although saying that right after a point about Nazi Germany makes me think twice about that. But whatever - I would never judge anyone for going (although I might worry about them more while they're there). I also can't say that I see a willingness to "sacrifice" family for your principles is a particular virtue. Am I judging now? Is there a "judgement paradox" the same way that there's a "paradox of tolerance". I'll leave that as an exercise to the reader.
4) Tom will forever be linked with Reggie in my mind now. And yes, I've seen interviews with that actor and the one that plays ... FML what's Sybils' husband's name? Isn't he also Tom? Is it Thomas and Tom? How did I never notice this??? Now I really need to go back and watch it all again. But whatever, they're like, best buds IRL. I think.
I do worry, though, when my friends from outside the U.S. come here (even white middle class Canadians-- similar people have been detained). And I also worry when my U.S. friends leave the country and try to re-enter. I worry for ANYONE traveling across the U.S. border in either direction. Things are so awful now. But my mom traveled to France in April and came back and my sister and her family went to China in March and came back. I understand choosing to keep living your life.
Thomas and Tom (never noticed that either) were both really great characters.
I think with "voting with our dollars" issues, it works best when we all do it in the ways that make sense for our own personal situations. Obviously it doesn't work for someone not to see their own child for years, in order to vote with their dollars: it's not WORTH it, and hurts YOU so much more than it hurts the entity that needs to be affected by the dollar-voting. If one person isn't doing a certain type of dollars-voting, it's not going to make a substantial difference in the effects of that dollars-voting, whereas "not seeing your child" is going to make AN ENORMOUS SUBSTANTIAL DIFFERENCE.
Anyway. I super enjoyed reading all the Downton Abbey texts!!
Regarding coming to the US to see your son, I agree with everyone else, of COURSE you’re not going to not see your child. DON’T LET THESE MOTHERFUCKERS STEAL YOUR JOY. (Sorry if you don’t swear, that was rude, but important.) Giving up a vacation is one thing and shitty enough, but there’s no way I would not go see my child. I’d go see her if she were in North Korea. I mean, I’d try to get her OUT if she were in North Korea.