I’ve had a long, luxurious, lazy vacation, and yes, it was peppered with all of Los Angeles burning. Heartbreaking to see all of the Palisades and Malibu as we know it, absolutely gone. The landscape is completely different. You need GPS just to see where those buildings were because nothing is left. Just ashes. What a horrible start to 2025. The acts of kindness and support is what stands out to me though.
Malibu Before.
Malibu After.
My heart and prayers go out to those people. Yes, many celebrities lost homes but so did a lot of working folks, who had their homes for decades. Even being so close to the ocean didn’t help. They couldn’t do air drops because of the 90 mph winds.
Right Now:
Student ministry starts up again today so I am on my way to that after a quick bite and a ton of coffee.
This Week:
This Monday I am back at work. Remotely, but back to the routine. Routines can be good. I have been incredibly lazy with my wake-up times these past four weeks. In the past, I was never able to sleep in. Sleeping in meant until 6am or so. But after brain surgery, I pushed it to 8am. Unheard of! Now I am dragging my behind back to work.
Reading:
My first book of the year is The Brothers Karamazov. It’s very good and I am doing well with it. At 928 pages though it will be awhile before I review that one. I finished Bright Young Women and reviewed it.
I added the following to read alongside Brothers:
Lucy by the Sea by Elizabeth Strout
Three Days in June by Anne Tyler (comes out 2/11)
Trust by Hernan Diaz (Feb club pick)
Watching:
We finished Squid Game season 2. It’s really such a good show. Very hard to stop watching so we blew through it and now have to wait for Season 3 in June. The creators went with a much younger cast of characters which made it extra playful. Really dug those new characters.
We started another Korean show on Netflix called Happiness but the Hub is not getting into it. We will watching one more episode and then decide. We’ve only watched one episode and it’s supposed to be kind of like a zombie movie but this one is different.
Grateful for:
- Coffee creamers that taste good without all the fake stuff and chemicals. My fave at the moment, Chobani. Lots of flavors.
- Opportunities to try new things. Sometimes, they stick.
- Fire crews that jump into fire battles even without water. There were so many fires that water pressure was an issue and hydrants were tapped out but they were still there, grabbing what they could like dogs and personal effects.
- That I work for a campus that puts everyone’s safety first. I was off this past week anyway but after the fires, the campus asked everyone to work remotely for the rest of the week. A good decision. Happy that my colleagues could do that.
Other than that, we are dealing with some in-law health stuff. Doctor’s visits and the like. Would appreciate your prayers.
Book Chatter 
I’m glad you had a nice, long vacation. I tend to sleep until 7:30, but as the sun starts to rise earlier, so will I.
The fires are just awful and my heart breaks for all those people who have lost everything. I can’t imagine that grief. I read an article about how belongings aren’t just things, but that they’re embedded with so many memories and to lose everything is like a death. And now the SA winds are returning midweek. Ugh.
I need to order a copy of Lucy by the Sea for my year of reading E. Strout.
Hope your in-laws are ok. Big hugs to you and your husband as you deal with those health issues.
Thank you. In-law health issues are especially rough when they refuse to acknowledge they have health issues. Sigh.
The fire stories. Absolutely devastating. Everyone here knows someone who lost their home. I know a few myself. I saw an article about what to do immediately and one thing is to cancel your utilities. I would not have even though of that!
It really is heartbreaking to see the damage and hear the stories of those impacted by the fires. It’s all so devastating. The support from the communities, both from within and from afar has been comforting to see.
I hope you have a good week, including being back to work. I have to be in the office this week and am not looking forward to it. Being able to work remotely part of the time has spoiled me. LOL I feel like I get less done and am more exhausted after my days in office. We’re expecting a big announcement any day now about our work schedules. I’m hoping they won’t ask us to come back into the office full-time, but I am mentally preparing for it just in case.
I hope you have a good week and enjoy your reading, Ti! Stay safe.
The stories. There was a disabled dad and son who died in the fire because they called 911 for help and couldn’t get through. This is why it’s important to know your neighbors. Even just knowing that they were there, maybe someone could have helped. With 90 mph winds you don’t have much time.
I add my thoughts to Wendy’s and Les’s above. So, so sorry about the fires and keeping everyone in thoughts and prayers. Some of the people we’ve heard about and their acts of kindness and bravery are really amazing. Hope your work week goes well and I’ll definitely keep your in-laws in my prayers that all will go well for their health issues. Take care, Ti!
Thank you. Got myself to work and I am in good spirits.
Many of my high school classmates lost their homes in the Eaton fire. I’ve had to evacuate in previous fires and you just don’t have time when the winds are like that. It comes up on you so fast.
One thing many don’t put in their “go” bags, personal remains (urns). I watched a news story where the husband realized he left his wife’s remains but the urn melted and fused with the ashes and became a rock. He buried it in the rubble. Said she would want to stay with the house. Heartbreaking!
Companies/universities that pay attention to what is best for their employees are few and far between. I am so glad that Northridge did the right thing. The fire news has been just devastating.
Because the fires covered such a wide swath of LA County, we still have folks out who opted to work remotely. I came in. I am not directly affected but I am glad I came in because my work plants are hanging by a thread.
Prayers for you and your family.
The fires! OMG! What is happening?! My heart breaks. It is just beyond horrible. What a way to start 2025 – yikes! But seeing everyone come together to help one another that is just amazing.
Hope your first day back at work is a good one. Bros. K is such a great read 🙂 And anything by Strout is a must-read. I’ve been wanting a new coffee creamer – will have to try Chobani – thanks!
Wishing you a great week!
Regarding Chobani, I switched because I was a huge Coffeemate user and my neuro told me to stop using it. 😬
We ended the year with a tornado destroying a school in my town. School was out for the holidays so no one was hurt, and the relief efforts have been incredible.
I take the positive where I can find it.
I was looking at Facebook—-aiming at once a day at most—-and I was startled to see a friend sharing a review of 1984…and more startled to realize that she was sharing my review, encouraging others to read or reread the book. Thank you, Ti.
Very cool, re: the review sharing. That book just hit different with this clown show of an administration that is coming in.
I really feel for the kids at Pali High. The school is pretty much gone. The student body president is trying to find a location to have school so they can at least be together. Not his responsibility but impressive.
Didn’t know chobani had a coffee flavor. Must try it, especially if it’s more healthy than Coffeemate!
The pictures of Malibu are heartbreaking. People I know who lived in LA are now in Texas, having had foresight to move some time ago. Glad you are not in the fire zones.
Harvee https://harvee44.blogspot.com/ (my brand new blog for 2025)
We were in the evac zone for the Hurst fire but that one was dealt with pretty quickly.
I’m glad you were able to sleep in later. That’s probably a blessing you needed. The fires had me worried for so many friends. All are well, thankfully. That’s the best gift.
Have a great week.
I have some high school classmate friends who lost their homes in the Eaton fire. Everything. It’s rough to understand the lack of water and the lack of fire personnel but the winds were 90 mph. You can’t fight them without an air attack and planes can’t fly in that. The amount of pets left behind. Breaks my heart.
the fires are just unbelievable from afar. So glad that you’re safe! Trust should give your club a lot to talk about!
The fire aftermath is devastating. The entire footprint has changed for the Pacific Coast Hwy. Good to know about Trust. That is MY pick 🙂
So sorry Ti. The LA County fires are so sad to see. How far are you from them? Are you getting lots of smoke? Ugh I wish you could get some moisture there. It’s so dry. We left Orange Country and drove through the Cajon Pass to Vegas and now are back home. But my thoughts are still there.
I think you’ll like Lucy by the Sea — that might be my favorite of the Strout books. Good luck with being back at work.
The fire that was the closest to me was the Hurst fire. I got can evac message for that one at 1am but the wind was blowing it away from our hill so we stayed but kept an eye on it. The smoke was not bad at all since it was blowing the other direction but I know so many who lost their homes in the Altadena fire.