What good are you? Sincere, non-sarcastic question.

Why has there been no new data collected on racial and socioeconomic disparities in the occurrence of cerebral palsy since 2011? Get on that, someone. At first I thought it was just because: The Census, but unless we just assume things are wack because of COVID (not a bad assumption), that implies there would be data for 2021. Unless that doesn't release until a certain number of years? Like public records? The only reason I know that is because my mom is super-into genealogy and has been since my childhood. I swear!

...and a belated: thank goodness, Canada. Thank. Goodness. There's still potential for the new PM to be a super-villain but he seems less super-villainous (villainy?) than the alternative. Heh. Sort of related is that fewer and fewer people seem to be saying the Pledge to Allegiance at the start of school lately. Hmmmmm. Sometimes concerns are founded, aren't they?

My favorite (internal) swear has been and continues to be "Christ alive!" I like that it's an injunction, an exclamation, and sort of blasphemous all at once. "Zounds!" would be another good one, if I ever remembered to use it. Etymology, although I kind of think you already know. Also, "Strewth!" which is giving not only Shakespeare, but also Oz. I watched part of the short documentary on the time during COVID in which quarantined Shakespearean actors coordinated a full-length production of Hamlet in Grand Theft Auto. It was amazing how...calming Shakespeare is? So does creep this petty pace from day to day, fuck yeah. Plus there's this slight connection between Hamlet specifically and Star Trek: TOS which I like to think about sometimes, which makes it double-soothing. The only leadership training i ever want to take again is one where you have to simulate being an officer on the starship Enterprise, because that's where the rubber really meets the road, homie.

I do often feel kind of...burnt out on Anchorage? But I do truly love coming home. And there are little glimmers that remind me of why I fell in love with Alaska in the first place. And it's not just the mountain vistas, heart-stopping beauty, and lack of 90+ degree Fahrenheit weather. I was minding my own business in the locker room when someone complimented my Totoro shirt. This turned into a brief conversation about the virtues of different Studio Ghibli films and how our parents didn't understand why we'd ever let our children watching Something Like That. Also that The Boy and the Heron soundtrack is lit. That's My Alaska! ...it's the little things.

More Alaska is a Small Town:

• A parent at Optional School spotting the name on L's jacket and identifying it as belonging to the person we got it from as a hand-me-down. Then contacting the person, realizing it belonged to L, and both of us getting excited that we know the same awesome person.
• Identifying a potential site for my capstone next Spring and only knowing about it because I'm Facebook friends with someone who underwent a radical life change, but who I know from teaching them adult dance classes, and going to a murder mystery party 🤷
• Running into someone else in the locker room (twice!) who used to be one of my (adult, early childhood program) students when I worked at the preschool. She's an interesting person, and remembered me but not my name. She said she had some pictures from that time and attempted to email them but didn't attach them to the email, which is kind of in-line with how it was having her as a student. And is kind of in line with what it's like having me as a student! It just be like that sometimes.

I took my parents to see Dial M for Murder (the stage play) at Cyrano's for Mother's Day. I kind of thought it would just be me and my mom but my dad invited himself along, so it was the three of us. The program said it was "updated for modern audiences" and whenever I see that I automatically assume that means lesbians. Guess what? It did! Which is great and it was cast well and I loved it, and it was a little awkward seeing it with my parents. But probably also good for them. But yes. The production was great. The acting was very good, accents were curated with an accent coach and it showed, and the set and wardrobe was amazing. Highly recommend if you're suddenly into live theater - which, apparently, I am.

Volunteering at the Parkinson's boxing class has been interesting if not probably exactly the right fit. The classes themselves are fun (I've never tried boxing before and I'm crap at it!), the people are nice, and it's interesting to see the application of exercise and cognition together. This involves things like conversation-starters and Space-Invader mechanism games on recumbent bikes (did you know how fucking hard those games are? Very.). Some snippets so far:

• Do you play any video games at home? "No, those are for kids." Okay, what games do your kids play. "It's the grandkids. They play, like, War of the Worlds." World of Warcraft? "Yes. No." Do you play any board games? "No." What do you like to do at home. "I watch movies." Oh! What movies do you watch? "...." Which I'm afraid I assume to mean that he means Fox News, not movies. Please prove me wrong, guy. Plus, life's a game. And a show. And, occasionally, a gameshow. Get into it!
•  One conversation starter was "What's the best food in the world?" which most of the other participants interpreted as types of cuisine and I interpreted as A Food. So I said, "Malasadas." because I have those on the brain lately. One of the ladies in the group got excited and asked me, "Are you Portuguese? I am!" Unfortunately, no. But I also didn't realize that malasadas are historically Portuguese. Learning!
• There was also the little old lady who angrily stomped around the workout session with her cane, and when I spoke with her said she was 82 and hated working out. She gestured at her husband and said, "He's 94. He drives me around all day and makes me do things! I hate it!" But she did seem a little perkier after her workout, and I would be a little salty too if I were 82 with several painful surgeries under my belt. Scar tissue ain't no joke, yo.

I've been thinking about this song lately. I listened to this entire album a lot in 2012-2013. All the songs are kind of downers but...in a legitimate way. Relatable to me, anyway. My favorite line is:
    "There's big ceremonies, things that go fast

      You're cheer is such a treasure

      Your tears are like the weather

      They're never meant to last."

I love that L, at age 6 nearly 7 still loves worms. I was digging in the garden yesterday and found a bunch which she scooped up and ran to re-home in her Barbie dream house. Which is outside because she painted it black last year and I am That Mom in the sense that, what is it harming? It's not going to be mint condition forever that's not my vibe. Don't worry, I had her put the worms back in dirt before she checked out for the evening. They're fine!

Okay. That clears out my parking lot document for now. I feel like I must do a few more things before schlepping back to downtown to volunteer at Field Day, so - abrupt goodbye!