I'm not normally a violent or vindictive person. When I'm frustrated or angry, I tend to take out my heated emotions in a long venting session. (Usually on my husband. Sorry, hon!) But that's it. I get it all out in a verbal tirade and then try to move on.

But, for people who don't shovel their sidewalks...*loud angry dinosaur screeching*

Listen. I don't like winter. I'm already cold which starts the crankiness. Then, no matter how well fitting the boots, they're awkward to walk in. Next, I'm usually carrying a bag of stuff. Then, these days, I'm often carrying my daughter's backpack or other random items. When I am then forced to encounter an icy, slushy, slippery, unshoveled bit of walkway it adds insult to injury.

I won't actually DO anything, but my brain starts plotting how it would take revenge. I've been known to toss glares at doors and windows hoping to stare the owners of these establishments down. I grumble, sometimes loudly, about the unneighborliness of their inaction. I contemplate dumping the sidewalk grossness all over their cars because there is a direct correlation of people who DON'T shovel their sidewalks but DO shovel their driveways so they can get their cars out.

Yes, I do give dispensation for those who are not physically able to clear their sidewalks but our city also offers a FREE program to help this exact group of people.

The last thing I want to be doing when I'm just trying to get on with my life is slip-sliding around or trudging through densely packed snow. And my daughter shouldn't have to risk breaking something when she's simply trying to get to school.

Harrumph.

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As an extra note, if you're looking for ways to help those impacted by the wildfires in California, this is a good list.

A few nights ago I started Essential Labor: Mothering as Social Change. I meant this to be a short read that I could put down when Onyx Storm came out, but it’s really hitting me in the feels. Author Angela Graber is building a case that we need to reframe caregiving AND be more supportive on the social change level.

*Books shared here are affiliate links for Bookshop.org

• Snow storms show where we can slim down roads. [The Week]

• "What if reading resolutions weren’t about should and more but about making a holistic assessment of how we spend our time?" [Book Riot]

• A lovely way to visualize your year. [Colossal]

• The education and wonder behind curiosities. [JSTOR Daily]

• The problem of dinner. [The Atlantic - gift link]

• The difficulty of navigating social media with cognitive decline. [The Atlantic - gift link]

• Jimmy Carter's quest to eradicate guinea worm. [Short Wave]

• An interesting chat about thrifting. [Culture Study]

• The ZIP code is not so humble. [Planet Money]

• Buddy up for productivity. [Life Kit]

• Chicken noodle soup really is good for you when you're sick. [The Academic Minute]

• We watched Carry-On and it was better than I expected. There's quite a bit of voiceover work in this film. Luckily, Jason Bateman, one of the leads, has the right voice for it. This is a pretty straightforward action flick. It's about a TSA agent trying to stop a terrorist event. All of the security work and threat assessments feel real even if they are probably far from reality. For the most part, this was enjoyable but the movie loved itself a bit too much in one action scene. It was so "look at we can do" that it felt like it belonged in a different film. [Netflix]

• This week, we finally got around to finishing the current season of Only Murders in the Building. I loved the details the writers inserted that circled back to previous storylines. They played the long game on this one. Also, I love that this series knows what it is. It even called out how they had way to many celebrity cameos. [Hulu]

• I am so happy that I got to see Notre Dame win against Penn State. It was an incredible (and stressful) game to watch. But, man, were there some big plays and amazing feats of sportsmanship. [ESPN Highights]

• Knowing a winter storm was inbound, the husband requested either lasagna or chili. He settled on one of our favorites: chorizo sweet potato chili. This doesn't take much to throw together. Just some chopping and opening of cans. We use cured Spanish chorizo to give it a more savory than spicy flavor. I love letting it simmer on the stove for a few hours. I made a side of boxed cornbread to go with this. [Budget Bytes]

• I wanted to try a new slow cooker recipe. Crock pot pineapple chicken ended up being just fine. I used canned pineapple instead of fresh so there was not a lot of acidic punch there. I did double the veggies which is always a win in my mind. Also, the meat case at our store was running on empty so I had to sub breasts for thighs. Dark meat would have been a bit better here. We opted to top our bowls with sriracha and that helped a lot. This did, however, make for some decent lunch leftovers. [Eating Well]

I don’t need this but I want it. It’s super classy looking but, if you look closely, there are dinosaurs. [Calamity Ware]

Build yourself an ocean soundscape with Virtual Ocean. This is quite calming.

Classes start at my University this week. It’s always fun to see what sorts of questions we’ll get asked at the reference desk.