Emancipation

It is HOT 🥵 and like the Wicked Witch of the West, I’m melting!  I saw 2 memes that apply today — the first is a woman saying “I need to ensure that I become a better person because I definitely can’t survive hell!” And the other, “Just because I grew up in 40C tropical heat doesn’t mean I can cope with 30C Canadian summer!” (It’s actually about 42C today, but that’s not the point!  I can’t deal!)  And yes, I will gripe about the snow and ice in about 4 months, just deal with it!  Poor little Jerry is moping around, drinking all his water and not moving from in front of the fan if possible.  He’s not touching anyone, which — if you know his habits — is very unusual for my little guy.  Don is groaning in pain and having tremendous difficulty walking and I have no idea what to do for him.  At least he doesn’t have to go anywhere tomorrow, so that is a bit of a relief for him.  But the heat is hard on him as well.

I had my chemo today, and I got put in a “private” room as the ward was full.  That had the advantage of being quiet, with my own bathroom and could control the lights to my comfort level.  The nurse was in and out several times and I joked that she could come in and sit to hide if she needed a break (she didn’t) and I got my treatment.  I remembered my meds, so although I had a small wave of nausea when I got home, it didn’t turn into anything other that a short feeling of queasiness.  Except that I feel a bit drained, I am fine.  

Today is Emancipation Day, commemorating the freeing of slaves in the British Empire 190 years ago (1834)  It was made a national holiday in Trinidad and Tobago in 1985, replacing “Columbus Discovery Day.”  Once again, I think that my high school history teacher did a poor job of conveying the importance of this day… I was at university doing the mandatory Caribbean history course before I learnt about many of the details behind this day.  Like that the government of Britain set aside £2M to compensate former slave owners for “loss of their labour force” and that the slaves were required to work as “unpaid apprentices” for several years.  I’m a bit taken aback at the idea that having decreed that people could not be property, the government then decides to force labour from the people (that could not be owned), denied them the right to own property, denied them wages, but compensated the owners for their losses?  Shouldn’t the slaves have been compensated for the loss of their homes, freedom, names, dignity, etc?  Power has some strange manifestations, doesn’t it?

The other, and in my mind, more important factor of today is that it’s my dad’s birthday.  He would have been 90 today, and it’s his first birthday since he left us last October.  Since the day became a holiday, daddy would say that it’s to celebrate him (modesty was never his strong suit) and he revelled in having a day off for his birthday plus the occasional long weekend as the day shifted.  It feels a little strange to not call to wish him a happy day!  The last time that I celebrated with him in person was when we threw him a surprise party for his 85th, pre-pandemic.  I wish that I’d been able to celebrate more with him… 

Just had a bowl of ice cream, which was disappointing.  I think I’ll have to change brands; this one (which I used to like) doesn’t seem to have much flavour, so I’ll begin the search for a new brand.  There was one that was small batch, allegedly handmade with real fruit — I’m terrified of what the price will be like, but I’ll see what I can find.  Good night!