Dear Friends,

"Dark have been my dreams of late" is the line that comes to mind, but the dreams are waking life. There's something inevitably harsh about January for me–returning to unabated routine after a quiet month of deferred responsibilities and warm celebration. And then there's this January, eight days old and rich with misery. A ghastly war, murder in the streets by secret police, and the surprisingly affecting anniversary of the fires. I took the bus home yesterday, and walking from the stop I was stunned to find it was dry and windy again, palm fronds already scattered on the road and sidewalk. Not as harsh as last January, but close enough to stir some deeply uncomfortable sense memories of that night a year ago. So much has happened since then, it feels important now to call it what it was: the greatest natural disaster in the history of Los Angeles.

Last night we watched the final episode of Adolescence with the wind whistling above, and halfway through, the power flickered enough to reset the wifi, and it made me shiver because it was so similar to how we spent that night a year ago, uneasily watching TV while fronds rained down, and every single aluminum can blew out of the big recycling bin and scattered across the yard. The power kept going out that night too, and it wasn't until my colleague texted me that she was being evacuated that I even knew there was a fire in Altadena. Soon after that Ross and Amelia came with the kids to spend the night away from their house at the mouth of a hillside canyon, where it seemed plausible they might quickly get caught if a fire started. This was the view when we woke up:

Anyway, a bright spot this week was shivering in a parking lot under the 5 today while we did a shift watching for ICE. It felt good in part because more people showed up today than last time, in spite of what happened yesterday. Or maybe because of it. More neighbors showing up to help, to witness, to maybe spare someone from misery, abuse, or death. People willing to take small actions to stand up for someone they don't know. It's what gives me comfort in these times.

Recs

• I'm excited to see Black Eyes next Friday! I didn't even realize they had a new album, but I love the new material, it feels just right for the moment.
• I either never knew or forgot that the origin of Thanksgiving had to do with Lincoln and the civil war. It's actually one of my favorite holidays and framing it as celebration of immigration and emancipation has made me rethink my view of its place in the broader cultural narrative.
• I know I keep harping on this, but in spite of the awful fact we're starting another oil war, the seemingly unstoppable global clean energy transition is blowing away every expectation. The numbers are incredible (though still not enough!) and I didn't believe this was even plausible 4 or 5 years ago. It's something to feel hopeful about, full stop. Let yourself feel good about this.
• It's worth listening to Jamelle lay it down clearly: we must abolish ICE.

Pics