The problem with hoping that mass demonstrations will overthrow the US dictatorship is that the country is just too damn big, geographically. That’s my contribution for today.

He’s sitting right over me like this, raging because he knows I’m going to work. Babes, I don’t want to leave you but I need to go earn money to pay for your snacks and toys! #CatSky #CatsOfBlueSky

I’m lowkey scared to go into work tomorrow.

“The last-minute christmas rush at the bookshop.” - my latest cartoon for @theguardian.com books

Day two of learning Catalan and any language that calls jeans texans has got my undying respect. (Also, Cataluyans have apparently historically been open to anyone who learns the language and moves to the region as becoming Catalan, so I guess I’m doing that).

If you choose the right book, you can knock out idiots like this by whacking them with it. Not that I condone violence, but I bet AI can’t do that.

My early Christmas present from the boss is not working today. Last Saturday before Xmas is a tough one in retail. If you’re out shopping today, please be kind to all the workers, and each other. If you start feeling cranky, grab a caffeine and a snack, have a small break.

I confusingly speak 3 languages with an accent that passes for native, but in all 3 my grammar is poor to awful. I rarely get spoken back to in English, but once anyone finds out I’m an EFL teacher then I’m asked to help them practice. Oddly my Spanish is awful and I never get English back!

I need someone to make me some latkes. Deep ennui has killed all my festive energy, have put up zero decorations, not engaging at all with any of the traditions of the wide offerings of my varied ancestry. Mince pies have failed, all hopes now rest on spuds, but cba with making them. Big sigh.

They aren’t really phones anymore, are they. We need to come up with a better name for them. The phone function is one I use maybe twice a week? And I’m sure I’m not weird for that, I rarely see anyone making phone calls.

This is one of my favourite books of all time. I fell in love with NYC, with Harriet herself, and with the knowledge that there were other people out there who struggled to fit in. A beautiful book. #BookSky

Available to buy from @bookhaus.bsky.social because the art buyer is a terminally online nerd (it’s me, I am that nerd)

When you see this, post your Christmas season energy level.

Actual bluesky challenge: post your favourite work of art from 50 years before you were born (strictly accurate edition)

Housework is self care, I chant while cleaning, trying to motivate myself. Clearing admin is self care, I mutter, while filing all the papers. Budgeting is self care etc etc I’m hoping the therapist is right and some day I will truly believe.

FEWER!!! Moving on to some Hangry lore: back in my powerlifting days, I could and did eat more than most men. That was still nothing compared to how much I needed to eat while breastfeeding a newborn and a toddler (yes I was one of those women). Also, fuck this misogynistic shite.

One of my divorce money treats is a new more powerful hand held vacuum cleaner. I got the Shark because it’s called a Shark. And it is incredible. Two fluffy cats, one old woman going bald, a hairy teenager - it laughs in the face of such trivial enemies.

Mario and the Magician is sublime!

One of those tiring yet rewarding days as a bookseller - lots of customers asking for recommendations, lots of moving things around and watching them fly off the shelves, lots of lovely conversations. Everyone should have a job they love as much as I love mine 📚 ❤️ #BooksellersOfBluesky

Raccoons. Multiple raccoons. A raccoon army.

I would do this, but my track record with returning library books shows I’m not good at relinquishment. Also, fostered two mama cats and four kittens and ended up keeping 3/6 cats.

Nothing has motivated me to go and get the meds to deal with my ADHD more than Wes Streeting. Loathsome plastic faced twerp.

I kept Spotify just to see my unwrapped. My top artist? Bach. Still punk AF

A bit of Hangry lore: in the mid 80s, I was blessed by living in Manhattan. I fell in love with this building, and figured out I could walk home from school past it every day - so I did just that. Gave me a thrill that was very wholesome for a 12/13 yo.

I've had enough of your cockamamie schemes. it's high time for cuntamamie schemes #feminism

I really want a dog. But I don’t think I can go through the death of another dog. Still not over losing my beloved cloudboi four years on. I do miss that special relationship though, which is odd as I’m very much a cat person.

I’ve achieved so much domestically today, including cooking a cottage pie. I obviously need to go on a ‘splat on the sun lounger’ holiday more often.

Had an amazing dream where I time travelled and set up a publishing house just so I could be the one to publish To Kill a Mockingbird.

“Still punk AF," I whisper as I put my many medications into my weekly pill sorter.

I had a week of very limited processed food, mainly soft drinks. Within 24 hours of returning to eating sugary crap, I unsurprisingly feel like crap myself.

I’m heading back to my kitties, and cannot wait to squeeze them. And then be sulked at for 48 solid hours.

I’m absolutely crying with big tears about these bastards on Highland Cops taking Derek the Pine marten away from the guy who rescued him as a baby and reared him. Assholes! Poor guy gets knicked and has his heart broken. Derek taken away from the only father he knows. ACAB indeed. Wankers.

Tainted Love was the first music I ever bought. I still adore it. My kids know all the words, and I love that they will always think of me when they hear it.

I’ve spent hours today (whilst on holiday, baking in the sun) checking out how insects see flowers and cursing myself for not bringing any paints with me.

Really bizarre meeting people in the wild who are completely unaware of history. How could you know nothing about Europeans screwing up Egypt for centuries? Even bloody Asterix has a book about it!!

I love being on holiday. Mainly because I have the time to read all day, and there’s no housework.

Gender is a spectrum from just wanting have fun to being back in town, and to varying degrees, each of us contains attributes of both, which is a beautiful thing

You’re only allowed to rage about Krampus if you have unaddressed trauma from him sticking your baby brother in a sack and then running off with him. IYKYK

This remains a veritable banger

I’ve found religion

Badly?

I try not to get too depressed about the current state of everything. It’s so damn hard. This excellent piece vocalises how I feel; I could not write this well ever, sadly. But yes, things are shit, and I just can’t anymore.

I love it for me that my favourite drugs (Day Nurse, Night Nurse, nicotine, propranolol) are legal. In other news, having a bad head cold/raging anxiety day today.

Me at 3am: why am I not sleeping Me at 6am: oh. I took my daytime meds last night not my nighttime ones Today I have to travel, and that will be fun as I’m now exhausted and missing all the chemicals that allow me to be around people without hissing constantly.

As a knitter, I loved watching this. I’ve become better at ‘reading’ yarn over the years, and learning how different ways of treating the wool will affect the work.

Going to attempt to do legal stuff while in a post steak frites coma. Best one I’ve had in decades, the steak that is. But shortly I will be closer to owning my little corner of France. Still can’t believe it’s happening.

My journey today was fraught. As we were about to land the plane pulled up sharply. I’m a frequent flyer and I’ve never experienced anything like it. Turns out the runway still had a plane on it! Then there was a bomb scare at the train station. The delayed train was a boring relief.

One of the things I never properly noticed was just how poor the quality of streaming on Spotify is. At the start of using it, I was just amazed at the choice; now I’m using Qobuz I can hear just how seduced I was by quantity over quality. Everything sounds so good now.

This #caturday, Ms Nancy graces you with her perfect profile. May the rest of your day be just as wonderful. #CatsOfBlueSky #CatSky #RagdollCats