Up and down a few times. Had some words w/ overnight caregiver, a relatively new one on the rotation, who had fallen asleep in the living room while she was supposed to be watching my mom (my dad can’t sleep if he doesn’t feel she’s in good hands). I was justified, but I feel bad about losing my cool. Up for good around 5, read maybe 3 ch. GHA: the Institute is back in Germany, Habermas is completely disillusioned with Heidegger, etc. Went to the Spot about 8:30, cleaned up/shortened yesterday’s work for a bit, started attaching some “exceptions” to the earlier working def. of the bridge.

Home at noon, found out that Liz, our most reliable caregiver who was going to help was Xmas dinner, called out w/ a migraine. Got the prime rib in the over around 2, put together a dish of scalloped potatoes, cleaned green beans, put a leaf in the dining room table. The sub, named Beverly, came at 3; a quiet but competent woman from New Orleans, apparently a retired/ing teacher’s asst. who does this on the weekends. Read to 300 in Levine – he says some annoying things about [white] pop songs. Not that bad, but S.I. Hayakawa is an authority? Rest of evening devoted to Xmas dinner/visit with Mom, Dad, their siblings, and Bree – arrived around 5, left around 8:30. Exhausted from the work/stress/cold. In bed by 10, read through the rest of that issue of Poetry – intrigued by Farnoosh Fathi, annoyed by Jameson Fitzpatrick (a poem too literally about “wokeness”), enjoyed some of Matthew Sweeney’s petit poeme en prose, esp. “The Bottle Gatherer.” Lights out.