Three things for Sunday

1. Reading a really good book so far. My big gripe: author uses xe and xir. I absolutely fucking loathe those pronouns. I barely notice they/them pronouns beyond the first time they're used, they give me some info about the character, but then the pronouns disappear into the rest of who the character is, and what part they play in the story. Xe and xir? I notice them every single time and it draws attention the character in a way that feels shining a spotlight on the trans/NB character rather than just a character who happens to be something other than cis. To be clear, irl, I'll use whichEVER pronouns people want me to use (including xe, xir, duh!) but in reading, they/them is totally what I'd prefer to read. And also, this is fantasy in a made-up world, not, say, non-fiction, or even contemporary fiction, where I could see xe/xir having a place. It was annoying but the book was freaking AWESOME, I highly recommend. Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse. 6 Sept 21 end ETA.

2. I'm really grumpy over the fact that the Canadian border isn't normalized yet. I was hoping, since supposedly US citizens can go to Canada, to get a ferry to Victoria for a short trip (to placate Linnea) but everything is still closed. It's especially galling since Canada should be preventing US from going there, not the opposite.

3. Brother is doing ok. They've lost power, and are dealing with sustained winds. Scary shit. My SIL is at the hospital (she's an L&D nurse) for at least the next 24-48 hours so it's just my bro and the two kids. Definitely the better choice not to send Linnea, though if she'd flown on on the 25th as her original ticket specified, it would have been fine to have her there.