And now it's going to melt, and we have turned million year-old ice into a puddle.
I suffer night terrors, not horribly frequently, but frequently enough that they are memorable experiences. I wake up screaming and I apparently scream very loudly.
Entertainingly they have a common theme across all the years I've been having them (they started in my teens, so over 40 years). The always feature men in black leather trenchcoats (think SS), dogs, concertina razor wire, an cliff's edges.
I always end up dead either from machine gun fire or going over the cliff.
I blame The Great Escape.
I would love to be able to wake up before the screaming starts.
Educate myself on what exactly? Are young women and girls being groomed an raped by gangs of men in the UK? Are those men being arrested and tried?
It doesn't feel very complicated to me.
Either it is happening, or it is not happening. I would be thrilled to learn that it is not happening, as just the thought of it turns my stomach.
He knows that people who rape women should be arrested and tried for their crimes regardless of their race. I think that's a pretty good understanding.
Backman is not my wheelhouse. Ludlum, or MacLean, or Weber are. We had a friend from Sweden visit us and he left us "Grandmother." I of course told him "thank you" and never expected to read it.
And then I did. And then I introduced it to my wife. And since then we've read it all.
I can honestly say more tears have been shed, and more feelings felt over Backman than any other writer. He has extraordinary insight into humans and how complicated we, and the relationships we form are.
Literally everything by Backman is worth your time. I started with My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry.
But I think his best work, which also feels like a bit of a departure for him, is the Beartown trilogy.
Now you have encouraged me to do the same!
My wife and I weren't sure what to expect. We took one run at it, failed, then a few months later took another run. We are now thinking we need to watch it again. Truly wholesome.
I'm on my fourth watch of Gilmore girls. Third with my wife. First with my daughter.
Absolutely brilliant TV.
I think there is a lot of wisdom here. I'm old, many of my meaningful relationships were formed before three was an internet. Now I use online tools to stay in touch with friends who are friends I have interacted with face-to-face, not people know solely online.
That's not to say meaningful relationships cannot be owned online. I have met a number of people IRL who I originally met playing Football Manager or on XBox Live.
But online relationships are not a substitute for real face-to-face interactions.
I tell people that making friends needs to be intentional. It takes work and commitment.
This was fascinating, thank you!
But there are no faces on that buffet!