Shel Graves' Sensorium

Taste: the full English, Irish, Scottish: I tasted the vegan versions of all of these breakfasts. None good. Smell: burning cat fur and burnt coffee Sight: blood on concrete Touch: shaking shovel  Sound: Definitely the WORST of the year prehistoric bellowing, supernatural and ground shaking "Help me!" "Code STEMI ETA 10 minutes." "It's not looking good." "unrecoverable" Extra: I dreamt that I dyed my hair rainbow-colored by accident. Lost in London at night walking in circles, walking in squares. Fear infects my dreams and they become nightmares.

2019 Quotes of the Year: "You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves." — "Wild Geese," Mary Oliver  "If that old book was true/the first verse would say Embrace/the world. Be friendly. The forests are glad you breathe./I see now/the Earth itself does have a face." — "First Verse" Tim Seibles in Here: Poems for the Planet    "ever want to know what would happen if your life could be fertilized by a love thought from a loved one who loves you" — "Walking Down Park," Nikki Giovanni in  Here: Poems for the Planet   " The body ...,” Foucault writes, “is the heart of the world ... from which all possible places, real or utopian, emerge and radiate.”  "Consolation in words and deeds. We human beings need both of these." — José Saramago, The Notebook

Poetry:  Here: Poems for the Planet  —  I these a poem at a time from May 1 to September 8, 2019 and then often read that days poem aloud to my spouse in the car. I loved them and missed reading from this book when I reached the end. Nonfiction:  Flash Count Diary  and  Endangered Orcas  — menopause and whales! I learned so much. Depression Hates a Moving Target  — Recommended for: runners, writers, and anyone interested in mental health awareness. Wish I'd had this before running my first half-marathon. Fiction: The Fated Sky by Mary Robinette Kowal  — I got to see the author win a Hugo for The Calculating Stars in Dublin — and I loved the second book in the series, too. Space Opera  by Catherynne M. Valente —  Life is beautiful and life is stupid. A fantastic ride! The Testaments by Margaret Atwood — How do you write the sequel to a book that's become a classic 30 years later? Brilliantly! My 2019 Year in Books.

Some lovelies: a convocation of eagles beside me: books and sugar  dog magicians time balls  fairy gates  Greyfriars Bobby Sir Walter Scott, treasure-hunter writer with a gothic monument learning about ethology Favorites from Fringe:  Thrones! The Musical Parody Tilda Swinton Answers an Ad on Craigslist Simply Bowie Viva Las Vegans

Rain: rainwalking and rainstanding spongy soaked

My top three: mother's handwriting Arthur's Seat Valentine 1966 by Evelyne Axell

My top three: Isle of Dogs Everyday Violet and Sea Mist shampoo  Wholesome Cinnamon Organic Bears   puppies

I listened to these songs on repeat this year: " Don't Cry for Me Argentina ," Madonna  " You Need to Calm Down " and "Shake It Off" by Taylor Swift  " Queens Everywhere " by RuPaul  "Coffee & Wine" and "Friends" by Jinkx Monsoon  " A Little Peace " by MILCK And while writing "Set the Ice Free" for Solarpunk Winters : " Sun " (Floe Shot Remix) by Under the Noise off the album Regeneration " When is the Future? " by VNV Nation off of Noire My favorite concert: Dublin's Worldcon Orchestra! I loved hearing the nests of great blue herons babble at Magnuson Off Leash park, listening to Frank, Stella, and Penelope turkeys, and raising my spoon with Hup to say "Podling justica!" while watching Dark Crystal Age of Resistance. But nothing tops the sound of the year: mother's voice.

This year, at home, I loved:  oat milk -- seriously, when we have macadamia, hazelnut, almond, and coconut milks who knew, oat milk was going to be tops?! peanut butter GoMacro bars  pancakes: blueberry and buckwheat banana with chocolate  dry cider and elderflower liqueur  Wholesome Cinnamon Organic Bears  And then, traveling, I loved: Floret , Seattle - everything!  Purezza , London - everything!  Young Vegans , Camden Market - hand pies!  Naked Bakery , Edinburgh - pink waffles  Lucky Pig , Edinburgh - Matcha in Paradise-- whiskey, matcha, pineapple, lime, coconut -- it was weird and wonderful

Taste: mint and hibiscus tea Sound: space age whirring/beeping; "It's not looking good."; "unrecoverable"; science fiction monitors, "Help me."; the whirring Purell dispenser Smell:  Purell Sight: holiday painted toenails red and sparkly; long toes and thin feet; the human body as cartoon; flushed cheeks; waxy skin' a cloud drawn as a spaceship Touch: warm hand; a trusting cat--her neck, her chin Extra: tightness; fear; shakiness; trembling; uncontrollable sobs; harrowing Grateful for: mom, mom's voice