I am at my local library fairly regularly. It's a spot frequented by our local homeless people, a population which draws a lot of ire from locals on my neighborhood Nextdoor page. A friend of mine shared this article about how the Dallas Public Library has changed their approach to the same issue, and shifted from not just tolerating homeless people who use the facility, but welcoming them and making it a safe haven.

Oh, how we can we all benefit from seeing each other's humanity.

"The downtown library has taken down all the "no" signs: No eating, no drinking, no sleeping have been replaced with signs that say things like "respect others.""

"“They are concert pianists or they graduated with an engineering degree," Lowe says. "It’s really impressed upon me and staff here across the library that the only thing standing between any of us and homelessness is a social safety net and a bad circumstance, some sort of catastrophe.""

Go forth and get to know one another. Our humanity depends on it.

1. My Favorite Murder podcast. True crime is something that's always interested me but which I was always afraid to admit. If I say that I'm interested in true crime and serial killers, aren't I more likely to end up in jail, wrongfully committed? If you listen to the podcast, you know that talking about it is a super scientific way to keep it from happening ("it" being either wrongfully committed or being murdered yourself). Plus, it's nice to finally know I'm not alone: The podcast's Facebook group has more than 90,000 members. And it makes sense, doesn't it? If you're a normal, well-adjusted human being then it's sort of fascinating to see when someone isn't. And I suppose this human fascination is why murder mysteries, Law & Order SVU (Benson and Stabler 4eva), Bones, Criminal Minds, NCIS, and the like are so popular.

The podcast also reminded me of Michelle McNamara's website, True Crime Diary, which I've been hearing about for a long time. Unfortunately, Ms. McNamara passed away recently, but her work in researching and reporting on true crime cases and working toward solving them.

Photo from epicurious.com. Don't skimp on the cheese.

2. Roasted butternut squash and kale salad. I made this a week or two ago and I can't stop thinking about it. Roasted garlic dressing! Cheese! Add a protein and you've got a main course. The leftovers will be great the next few days as the kale tenderizes in the dressing. I never eat leftover dressed salad unless it's kale. Use Trader Joe's tuscan kale and butternut squash zigzags to save on the prep time.

3. Litsy. If Goodreads and Instagram had a baby, this would be it. It makes interacting over books fun, easy, and visually appealing. Post quotes, reviews, and blurbs, with or without your own edits. Add a book to your stacks directly from a friend's post, and collect points for your posts and interactions. I'm @TheCopyCait over there: feel free to add me.

Standing ovation with a sprinkling of copywriter envy for whomever wrote their tagline: "Litsy: Where books make friends."

4. Shameless. Not a new show, but new to me. Best described as a dramedy, this show has made me laugh and cry in seemingly equal measure. My husband and I started watching it a couple of months ago and pretty quickly got obsessed. I love getting into a show when it's far enough in that there are several seasons to binge on, while still a good season or two left in the tank. That's the sweet spot for me. You get the benefit of not having to wait for new episodes while still being able to participate in the fandom while it's going on.

5. Trader Joe's Mint Melange Tea. I usually take advantage of January to recover from the holiday chaos by slowing things down and coming back to center, so to speak. One way I do this is by sipping (decaf) tea at night. Mint, in various forms, has long been my go-to. I recently picked up this Mint Melange at Trader Joe's. If there isn't one near you, I understand it may be similar to Mighty Leaf Mint Melange. (It may well even be the same exact tea, given that TJ's contracts companies to make their products.) And of course, there's always good old Sleepytime.

What are you liking lately?

Friday Find: Reframing. Welcoming. Human.

Liking Lately: January Finds

Friday Find: Snow Day!

Caitlin's currently-reading book montage

2022 Reading Challenge