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Dental Mishap

Woke up at 6:30 AM and took the dogs out. Went back to sleep for a half-hour. I'm nice and shiny clean.

Okay, I did something a little crazy. I had a favorite stoneware set at Macy's, which I ordered (not the really expensive one) and one at Costco that I liked. So I ordered both, and I'll keep the one that I like best and return the other one.

Well, crud. I had a front tooth crack while I was eating and come out. I have an appointment this afternoon at the dentist to look at it.

I’ve been going back and forth with my primary doctor and my psychiatrist about my fatigue. The primary doctor is out until the end of October. The psychiatrist asked me if I had sleep apnea, and I told her, “Yes, I had gotten a CPAP right around the time that my mom died but couldn’t cope at the time,” and she made a referral to a sleep clinic. Have I said lately that I love my psychiatrist? She also lectured me about how what I eat can have an effect, and I ordered BistroMD as the healthiest stuff that I can eat without cooking. I think that I want to make some Tomato Corn Basil Bake in the meantime. If I get my act together, I could go to the Champaign Farmers’ Market tomorrow night for tomatoes and zucchini (and I think that there’s onions?) (I think that I want to use frozen corn because it’s easier.) I have a basil plant in my backyard. I can work on the kitchen and bathroom while the thing is baking. It’s fairly easy to make.

The dentist recommended an implant. They did a scan of my teeth, and they will put in the implant in 2.5 to 3 weeks. They will put in a temporary tooth called a “flipper” at that time. They know about my trip in the middle of August. Meanwhile, I’m short a tooth. Sigh. Apparently my insurance company is fighting paying for my bridge that was previously put in because one of the teeth was extracted with different insurance. They’re arguing with them.

Now I know why the pets run out of water so quickly; Gracie plays in the water dish and spills it. Not sure how I can get her to stop doing it, but at least it isn’t someone drinking a ton of water. I need to put a separate water dish on the counter for the cats that won’t get spilled by Gracie.

Cool. I got my other lantern. And my MREs (“Meals Ready to Eat,” developed by the US Army. They can be stored at room temperature and have their own special heater.) I had to buy a set, so I don’t know what I got. Hmm, I need to stash some silverware to use. I’m thinking of replacing my silverware too because I’m low on forks (I have no idea where they went), so I can snag some of my current silverware.

Fed us all. Gracie kept on barking at a neighbor (and her barks are piercing), so I dropped the leash and let her and Bella run around the backyard. It worked; she quieted down. It’s in the front yard that I have to worry about her getting out.

Okay, I ordered silverware from Costco.

I read an article about retirees who are into video games. I’m not a gamer. My game time ended with text-adventure games, which shows how long ago THAT was. I asked ChatGPT for some recommendations for someone who likes text adventure games, and it recommended “80 Days,” which is a steampunk version of Around the World in 80 Days. That sounds like fun. It has a few other recommendations that sound interesting. But I’m reluctant to get into any of them because I don’t need a distraction right now.

Not sure what to do now. I should start bringing stuff down into the basement, but it’ll be easier after I get the garbage out tomorrow. I’m feeling tired. I could try on some clothes to figure out what dresses to bring to Sardinia. Oh, I need to package up the duvet cover to return tomorrow.

I was wondering if I should get a crate for Gracie, but she likes my bed and doesn’t usually have accidents in the bedroom. But I should have a crate in the basement for my power failure stash because Zara would not like interacting with the other critters. Maybe a collapsible crate? I wishlisted one on Amazon, but need to check if Gracie could fit in there if needs be.

I think that I will just go to bed and do some stuff in the morning.

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monday later

A few pictures of stuff you've seen before but this time with the helios lens:( Read more... )

I'm reading a very interesting book right now: How Art Heals: Exploring Your Deep Feelings Using Collage. It has a section about collage but it also has lots of other kinds of artwork.

Entry tags:

monday

The left one was done by Noah last evening. I love how Noah will pitch right in to try any art or game thing. Mine's on the right.

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Here's two pictures from a walk at Erie Wildlife Refuge this morning. Overcast. The mosquitos were bad enough that I actually used a bug repentant. I usually won't.

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A view from one of the little bridges there.

Everything is green and growing. Dave's garden is going crazy with green beans. I made green bean/potato soup the other day and we finally finished that. Now I have to think of something else to make to use them up. I'm not willing to run the canner if we can keep up with eating them fresh.

(no subject)

I'm so over this weather. It's not that the daily temperatures are particularly high (by the standards of what I've lived through in Perth in the past), but combined with very high humidity day after day and particularly night after night, it's very oppressive. This morning I just couldn't muster up the motivation to go out for any exercise so I gave myself a rest day. I did do some cleaning around the house (dusting mainly) and will vacuum later in the week, and I also took some more stuff to Goodwill. I meant to pick up the mail on the way home because I know there's a parcel waiting for me at the post office, but I completely forgot and by the time I remembered I didn't feel like going out again. I know it's a package of mailing boxes for the electronics I plan to send off to the recycling place, and although I do want to get that done it's not really urgent at this point. I might collect it tomorrow.

Yesterday my daughter suggested I go up to Connecticut to spend some time with them in about a month, while the girls are still off school, but I told her, very regretfully, that I don't want to be there while the weather is still hot because I was so uncomfortable in the basement (and in fact in their whole house) last summer. I've decided to go at the end of August, hoping the weather will be starting to cool down a bit by then, or at least that the nights will be cooler. I'll stay into September, but I'm not sure how long I'll stay yet.

365 Questions 2025

10. Excluding romantic relationships, who do you love? My children and grandchildren.

11. What is your earliest childhood memory? I have a memory of being in a strange room, standing at one end of a cot (crib) to get away from something unpleasant at the other end. When I told my mother about this memory a few years ago, she said it was when I was about 18 months old. We were staying with relatives and I'd thrown up in my cot.

12. What book has had the greatest influence on your life? None in particular.

13. What three questions do you wish you knew the answers to? 1. I'm curious about this, but I'm not sure that I really want to know the answer: "What does it feel like to die?" 2. How would my life have turned out if I'd made different choices at a couple of points? 3. I don't think there is a 3.

14. What is the greatest peer pressure you’ve ever felt? Back when I was in my late teens and early twenties I felt very strongly that I had to do what other people expected of me in order to be accepted.

Monday

I always feel like baseball's All Star Break starts 6 weeks of unrelenting Summer. Compared to the rest of the country, we get off easy - not as hot, not as long but still. I hate it. The sun hurts my eyes and I hate the heat. BUT six (probably more like 8 with global warming) will be gone, soon. I'm counting on it.

And I have shades and air conditioning. So really it's just 8 weeks of not pleasant that really does not get in my way much.

Yesterday was the last of baseball until Friday. I'm thinking of buying a month of Mariners streaming to try it out. Maybe. The radio broadcasters have gotten as bad as the TV but at least I'd have something to watch when I hit mute. It's $25 a month and I can do only one month easily.

But, meanwhile this week I'll be watching other stuff.

This afternoon is aqua yoga. I might go out and do some puzzling this morning. But really it looks like it's going to be a nice, quiet day.

I have not had or used a windows computer in a long long time. I held on to the last one because I needed it to print out sewing patterns (PDF patterns use layers and web acrobat would not print layers). So when I quit making clothes, I gave up the computer.

But, now, after all these years, I need a windows computer again. I want to remove the Digital Rights Management from a couple of Audible books so that I can play them without Audible. Just in case. I don't really intend to give up my Audible account but if something happened to it... There really is no easy way to do it without Windows. Oh well.

Entry tags:

Another Tired Day

Hmm. If I went to the Missouri State Fair to see the giant rubber duck, I'd have to stay overnight because it's a 5.5 hour drive. I found a hotel that I like.

Zara ate her food!! I gave her more. And she really fought my squirting stuff in her ears, so I’ll need to use a sedative.

I bought a couple more pairs of summer pajamas so I don’t have to wait for them to wash. I do have another pair, but the shorts are missing.

Forgot to mention that I got a couple of merino wool t-shirts. They’re supposed to stay fresher longer than other shirts. I’ll bring them to Sardinia. They’re a pretty berry color and a twilight blue color.

Bella likes play-fighting with Gracie. She jumped on the bed, and I thought that she had enough (Gracie chews her ears) but she jumped back down on the dog bed to wrestle with her some more.

Got up a little after 8 AM. I need soda and garbage bags, so I submitted a grocery order. Ordered checks because all the workmen want checks, and I wanted some with my current address on it. Gave Zara some food mixed with Gabapentin. I hope that stones her out.

Fed us all, although Gracie ate her food and then Bella’s food. And Bella let her! Nap time.

Hmm. The weather forecasters say storms after 12 PM.

Got two lanterns and batteries. One will go in the basement and one upstairs. I think that I want one more for my bedroom.

I looked at Costco for cereal, and they have a nice set of cereal bowls. Mine are missing in a box somewhere. I saved it to consider later. (They also had some cereal that I liked.)

Aww. Lily is curled up sleeping on the cat tree in the bedroom. Woke up but the dogs and the cat are still flaked out.

Some nasty thunderstorms heading our way. It’s raining now.

Gathered some recycling and cleaned a little. Set up the two lanterns. Gave Zara her ear meds. She was so stoned that I thought that she was dead at first. Sent some emails. But I think that I’m going to take another nap because I can.

Played around with Motion, but I'm not sure what I think of it.

Gracie keeps trying to play with Oliver or at least, she’s saying “let’s play” in dog language.

Went down a bit of a rabbit hole finding out that my travel clothes presser is dual voltage.

I’ve decided that instead of buying cereal bowls, I’m going to replace my stoneware. Me being me, I fell in love with a very expensive set. Need to think about it. A lot of the stoneware is on sale though, so I need to think fast. I think that I convinced myself to get a cheaper set. Go me.

Brought some of my groceries in. I want to bring in a couple of Amazon boxes and go to sleep.

Entry tags:

art a day,
collage

sunday later

"Bring Rhythm to Care". Don't ask me what it means. Just some words that came to me after I saw the pictures together.

Now I know

Reading Brit mysteries all the time means I don't always get the references. I'd never had a Jaffa Cake before but had been offered them in a few drawing rooms while investigating my murders.

Now I know. Courtesy of HEB where I buy my digestives.

(no subject)

For the last few weeks I've been watching an old British show, Waterloo Road, which has something like 250 episodes, so I was hoping it would keep me occupied for many more weeks. However, Amazon has now decided to remove it, so for the last few days every time I start to watch an episode I get the warning that this season will only be on Prime for x more number of days. I'm only up to season 3 so I'm very disappointed to miss out on many more seasons, and I've been binge-watching to get season 3 finishes before it disappears. Only one episode to go now, which I should be able to watch tomorrow. (This morning when I started watching, the time remaining was in hours, not days.)

Today started out fine but humid, then in the late morning it got really dark and there was thunder and very heavy rain in the early afternoon. Now it's clear and sunny again.

Entry tags:

sunday

Fragments.

I got up very early this morning, took care of the animals and then went back to bed. Had a long involved dream about the woods down by the creek and how it had been turned into a playground with lots of things to climb on and play on. The people I was with (not sure who they were) were going to climb up on a super giant slide that had multiple parts to it. To get up to the top it had many disconnected ladders that were dangling from chains. Each higher ladder was harder and harder to reach, till the last one in the dream I just could not reach. I was thinking to myself, why did I even want to DO this? I couldn't do it. I couldn't go forward and I couldn't go back. So I woke up. I'm pretty sure the dream has to do with my worry about how the behavioral health volunteer job is going.

Having Sunday dinner here as usual. Salmon and vegan burgers. I still need to make macaroni salad.

Wimbledon and some returns

I'm watching Alcaraz and Sinner walk out to the courts ready to play. Last time they played, in Paris, it was a five set battle more like a boxing match than tennis. I would expect today to be no different. It is so nice to watch, from the comfort of my home, a match of tennis on a par with any I've ever watched. As always, I've got Mom on my shoulder saying 'I wish John [Mcenroe] would shut up'. He still hasn't and won't. The reason I'd love to have a button to push that would silence the commentary but not the crowd and pop of the rackets.

I expect Alcaraz to win but both are so deserving that it would not matter.

In the family tradition I'm collecting Amazon returnables. I've got two. One is a monitor connection adapter I no longer need since I broke the damn monitor and the other is a backup set of what was supposed to be bone conduction earphones but is actually over the ear speakers, not what I want and not what was on the site. I'll also be returning the Chromebox I have once I've gotten the new one with more oomph. I've done my bit to keep them profitable, though. Shoes, another headset, a monitor, a Chromebox and all kinds of 'stuff' critical to my existence. I'll probably take the returnables with me tomorrow to Georgetown. There's a UPS there that has an independent set up where you grab a bag, Scan your code, print off the label to seal the bag with and drop it in the hole. It is a great set up that is as efficient as it can be. Rather than separate packages it all goes into large boxes for the return.

Today is a rain-ish day. We now get flood watches all over Alexa and Google if the humidity is even high. It does not apply to us. I'd rather have a heat gage warning that I could set for my specific age and such. If only we had Artifician Intelligence to help with that kind of thing.

I get annoyed frequently that AI is not incorporated into daily existence. I'm sitting at a red light with traffic backing up behind and traffic backing up on the other side and no one crossing with the green light and it is such an obvious opportunity to use AI. There are cameras that can see what it happening and even a low level computer system would be able to change the light based on reality. Can't figure out what that doesn't happen.

First world.

forcing a break

https://amw.livejournal.com/470522.html

So i told my boss a few weeks ago that i need a break or i am going to burn out completely, and she said sure, and i said, but i can't because i have to get all this shit done for Q2. Although it is true that the Taiwan work culture is a lot more intense than Europe and it is true that in pre-IPO tech companies there is an unspoken expectation that you do unpaid overtime because "act like an owner" (never mind the vast majority of us only "own" options on an infinitesimal share), it's also important to admit that the main reason why i kill myself at work is because i set very high standards and hate to leave a job half-done. I could've taken a break two weeks ago. I kept going because i felt like i needed to get this shit done.

The shit is done.

I am taking a break.

I booked a week off, with no plans.

Well, i had one plan - to buy that rice cooker i've been saying i was going to buy since i moved to Taiwan but still haven't because i hate buying stuff. I still have $3000 of department store coupons i got for some work thing 2+ years ago that i haven't spent so i sucked it up and went to the department store.

Of course the kitchenware thing was on like the 9th floor or something, so i had to go up escalator after escalator getting progressively more stressed out until, finally, i pop out on the floor with all the kitchen shit and NOT A SINGLE DEVICE WAS MADE IN TAIWAN. Like, seriously. I know Taiwan has moved on from being factory of the world (or - more to the point - pretty much all the manufacturing apart from high-end computer chips moved to China) but Tatung is still an iconic symbol of Taiwanese engineering and national pride. You think they sell Tatung at Shin Kong Mitsukoshi? No. No they fucking don't. Because it's a high-end department store, you see, so that means everything has to be imported. And apparently even Chinese imports rate higher than made in fucking Taiwan.

So i was infuriated i had spent all that time going up to the top floor, and having to walk around in such a shit place anyway, and then i couldn't even find what i wanted, AND I STILL HAVE THAT STUPID FUCKING $3000 I CAN'T GET RID OF BECAUSE I DON'T WANT TO BUY ANYTHING AT THIS FUCKING STORE.

I hate consumerism so much. And consumerism is fucking turned to 11 in Taiwan. People buy so much useless shit. They buy useless shit for themselves, they buy useless shit as gifts for other people, they buy even more useless shit to put the other useless shit inside, then they buy massive apartments that could fit an entire village just to house all the useless fucking shit they're stuck with. Yes, i know it's the same in America. But, no, actually it really is worse here because it's institutional.

The thing is, as a foreigner, i can kind of just sidestep the whole bullshit. Because i never go visit anyone, i am not expected to buy useless shit to gift them. Because nobody has to gift me back useless shit in reciprocity for the useless shit i never gave them, i don't keep amassing more shit. Because i don't have a partner or family who expects me to buy a house to qualify as a person of value, i can live in a shoebox apartment designed for students or migrant workers without feeling any shame.

Friends, this weekend i bought a single teaspoon, so that i would have a grand total of two teaspoons in my house, which is literally all the cutlery i own besides some chopsticks and a knife. And i bought it because a few weekends ago i was on a bike ride and bought half a watermelon from a fruit vendor and didn't have any way to eat it, so now i am thinking i will have a bike spoon and a house spoon. THIS IS MY LIFE.

So, if i am going to spend big money on a fucking rice cooker, you better believe i want that money to go to a local company, to support local factory workers, to support people who aren't selling out the country to the country next door WHOSE LEADERS LITERALLY WANT TO INVADE US. Like, fucking hell.

Of course, when i lived in China, i bought China-made. Because how hard is it to just support your local peeps? Like, that's solidarity, right? Even if you live in a country whose leaders are fascist shitbags, it still feels good to support local farmers and manufacturers. Don't we all want to live in a society where our neighbors can earn a living? The less levels of indirection your money goes through, the less of it will be skimmed by the corrupt bourgeoisie who enable said fascist shitbags.

It's like people just don't think about this stuff. Even worse, they think exactly the opposite. Only by buying imported things can i prove my worth! Only by having more or better stuff than my neighbors can i live a meaningful existence! Everyone around me should envy me, otherwise i'm a failure!

Fuck that noise. I don't know if my latest depression is radicalizing me or if i am just on the very end of my fucking tether right now with work and everything but fuuuck.

Anyway, the point is, i can actually ignore all of this stuff by being a foreigner in Taiwan because i have no friends, no family, no cultural pressure to live a certain way, so i can just be a weird green left trannie hobo and remain unbothered. People already expect me to be inscrutable because i'm a foreigner, so that's that. I do wonder lately if that's what has drawn me to "the expat life", as it were. I like being invisible. Or, to be clear, very visible, but a visible minority that local people in this part of the world tend to pointedly ignore out of politeness, or awkwardness, and thus i can just kinda be me without having to justify anything.

So, fuck department stores, fuck shopping malls, fuck chain restaurants, fuck everything that isn't a wet market, greasy spoon or mom'n'pop. Fuck cars, fuck motorcycles, fuck fashion, fuck having the latest phone, fuck Michelin stars, fuck the police, fuck social media, fuck fucking everything.

Basically, the past few paragraphs was my brain after i got out of that department store feeling like i had just escaped the zombie apocalypse. I was probably having an anxiety attack, but these days i know how to deal with those things, and how to deal with those things is buy sweet tea and a baguette and go home and watch TV till i fall asleep. And then the next morning watch an epic wrestling show.

And then book a ticket out of the city because i don't just need a break from work. I need a break break. And if i don't have a ticket in my hand, i won't take it. So tomorrow i need to get up at the crack of sparrow's and get on the train to Taitung. I haven't been there since i first visited Taiwan in 2017, but i checked the weather report and the ass-end of that typhoon last week is still hanging over the western plains so it seems like east coast might be my best shot for some sun. I will soak in the rays and hopefully find somewhere to paddle my feet in the Pacific Ocean and look out at Okinawa and Hawaii and Baja California and wonder why i moved to a tropical island only to spend my entire life in a concrete jungle where it rains all the time. I am sure it will be grand.

Of course i will bring my computer and if it rains there too i will just sit in a hotel watching the same shit i would in Taipei, but it'll be different because it'll be like... in a hotel doing the same shit. I spend so little money thanks to my weird anxiety around buying stuff, i think i can afford a few nights on the road. I'll bring my folding bike too because there is no public bicycles on the east coast, and i suspect that will unlock some bigger adventures than i had last time when i had to do everything on foot. (Because God forbid i set foot in an internal combustion vehicle.)

Jesus Christ, i am a disaster. But i am a disaster going on holiday. Let's fucking go.

https://amw.livejournal.com/470522.html

Sunday

I started a new book last night. An random shot from the library. I had read other stuff by the author years ago but don't remember a thing. This book, however - at least the first 40 minutes - is captivating because of the narrator. I mean she just got right into my brain like she was sitting next to me telling me about the most amazing thing that had ever happened to her. It was wild. Even if the rest of the book sucks, I'm so delighted for that first part. I hated to go to sleep. How It Happened by Michael Koryta. Read by Christine Lakin.

Oh the other big news from yesterday was brought to you by Ingrid. My neighbor who is just whacked and not in a good way. As we began elbow coffee, Bonny reminded Ingrid that she still needed the $15 for the 3rd floor gathering next week. It was due 2 weeks ago and everyone has paid but her. She then proceeded to have a melt down/tantrum that would have honestly made a 3 year old proud. She ended up literally pounding on the table. It was pretty funny. Then everyone pretended it had not happened for about 30 minutes and this pissed her off so when we started passing around the snacks, she got up and marched through the gathering and left, muttering very loudly and venomously "I've lost my appetite due to Bonny."

I was delighted because the last time she had a tablet pounded tantrum it was due to me. (I had not checked in on her when an alarm went off.)

She is such a piece of work.

I pulled out another sweater from my stash and unraveled the sleeves for more hair. It was a sweater for about a 3 year old. Here is one sleeve and the hair already gotten from the other one. I'm guessing the one sleeve is hair for probably 7 or 8 dolls. And I still have the whole rest of the sweater. And one other one (pink). That should be enough to get me to the end of August when they start putting out the sweaters again in the charity shops.

And Dick and I worked on the puzzle. We've gotten a lot done but 1. Not all of it is correct. It's one of those where the same piece will feel like it fits and look like it fits but turns out to belong elsewhere. and 2. We still have grass and sky to do and I'm not sure how in the heck those will get done give #1.

My Costco membership expired in February. Two of the items I normally buy when they go on sale are now on sale (coffee and AREDs2) but, actually, I don't really need either one right now or soon ish so I was going to go reup this week and buy them but I think I'll let it slide some more. If I were going to go this week, it would be this morning. Sunday's first thing is THE only time according to me, but, not today, Costco.

Today will be some knitting. Some baseball. Some TV. Some puzzling. And whatever else happens.

Entry tags:

Tired Day

Cool. Now the forecasters are saying no rain this weekend. Ack! Now it’s rain after 8 AM. Well, if it’s dry, I’ll go out and weed and plant; if it’s wet, I’ll work on the house.

I had to explain to Gracie that Lily doesn’t want to play with dogs, especially one that is barking at her.

I bought a solar charger for my phone. Now I’m kind of hoping that we will have a power failure with all this prep.

I wound up staying up late. The dogs got me up at 9 AM.

I wonder if Gracie has some corgi in her. She does the sploot thing with her back legs.

I mixed Zara’s appetite enhancer with a Churu. That got her attention. Good. Lily was highly interested in the Churu, so I should give her one later.

I bought some quote magnets, although some of the ones that I wanted were sold out. It’s funny because a while back, I wanted to create t-shirts with quotes, but magnets are better.

Fed us all and took my meds. Now it’s nap time. Everyone is in the bedroom except for Zara.

Shit. Zara didn’t finish the Churu, but she ate part of it. I’ll try her on some food.

Ate lunch. Hmm, I really want to take another nap, but then I won’t get outside to work on the yard. Maybe I’ll shower and see how I feel. No, I am going to take a nap. Saturday is napping day. Overslept my nap by an hour.

Showered. Started laundry (I need clean pajamas before I go to sleep!) I’m still feeling tired, so I think that I’ll go to sleep after I eat dinner. The laundry might not be done, but I could sleep in my clothes.

I had a dog food can out for when their dishes are done soaking. Bella grabbed it. I had to chase her into the bedroom and get it out from under the bed, where she “hid” it.

Looked at some stuff at Target’s sale, but they wanted me to go pick them up. No. Not worth the drive to me.

The clothes are in the dryer now, so I just need to stay up for a half-hour to grab my clean pajamas. I should check on Zara and treat her ears.

sunlight through the clouds

For

gracegiver as well as her millions of fans across the universe, here are a couple freshly taken photographs of Maxwell Juniper, Your Favorite Mustached Black Cat.

Tech neck is back plus

It might be sleep neck or sleep+tech neck but ouch! I was not as careful yesterday and today it's a problem. Plus we cut volleyball short since we didn't have enough people and then two of those had to leave early. So, today, I have to really watch it or I'll cripple myself.

I also have a zit just inside my nose and a sore spot on my thumb - right in a critical knitting spot. Oh woe is me.

Many members of the cleaning and maintenance staff here are Spanish speaking. Some have some English but most all use phone translators when the going gets rough. Timber Ridge is, after, apparently a large number of requests, is offering a short course in conversational Spanish. They've lined up a local Spanish teacher (like, very local - lives in the neighborhood) and they have put out a flyer to see how many are actually interested. I'm waffling. My main reason for not doing it is that I'm lazy but also the classes will be at 4 in the afternoon twice a week. My brain quits working after 3. Sometimes 2. Plus, I am horrible at languages. I had years of French in school and I can barely tell you where the pen of my aunt is. I know if I sign up, I'll hate it on the day I have to go.

But I do love that Timber Ridge is offering it.

Time to get dressed for Elbow Coffee.

(no subject)

I almost didn't go to parkrun this morning because there was a slight chance of rain, plus the humidity was very high, plus I had a slight headache. However, I got myself into gear and went along, planning to walk the whole thing, but I ended up doing 1 minute walk/30 second run intervals and not being much slower than when I run more. Sweat was dripping off me by the end, but my headache disappeared at some point.

My sister, less than two weeks after her operation, is now up to walking 5 km/3 miles in slightly more than an hour (about half her usual pace). So much for the doctor who told her she should aim to be walking for about half an hour within 2 to 6 weeks. She is finding it hard to keep to such a slow pace.

I'm reading the book "Careless People" by Sarah Wynn Williams, and now I feel dirty if I look at Facebook. In case you haven't heard of it, the author worked at Facebook for about seven years and it's basically an expose of all the horrible behind the scenes practices, and how little any of the senior people including Zuckerberg care about the damage it does in the world. I would close my FB account except that some of my family members still post there, but it's changed so much in the last few years that I already spend a lot less time there than I used to.

LJ is still not working properly. Today it is refusing to load my friends' feed.

Entry tags:

Neversink

Went sour cherry picking with the fabulous

rebeccmeister.

rebeccmeister is (as my beloved Marybeth used to say) a real find. Sparkling, intelligent, humorous, plus she is the change she hopes to see in a completely nonperformative way. In a perfect world, she would live two blocks away from me so that on rainy days, I could race over to her house & watch her retool chair splines. Learn from her example how to use tools!

She wore the coolest dress, too. Its pattern was leaf ants!

The morning had gotten off to an inauspicious start on account of the propane running out before it could fuel the flames necessary to heat the water that makes my coffee.

I'd had to drive up to the Farmcart Coffee pop-up in town, where I splurged on a cappuccino & eavesdropped on a conversation between the ridiculously beautiful barista and two ridiculously beautiful young women, all of whom had recently (and most ridiculously of all) emigrated from the Deep South to fuckin' Wallkill, New York.

Why would anyone emigrate for any reason to Wallkill, New York?

"We're Jehovah's Witnesses," the beautiful barista explained with a radiant smile.

Oh, of course.

Wallkill is actually the center of the American Jehovah's Witnesses branch. They publish The Watchtower here! And also 17 million Bibles every year! Old Testament only. The JWs are not big on the New Testament.

The barista was just so lovely! We chattered about the differences between Italian and Spanish, how the two languages had practically identical grammars but differed in the way they were voiced, Spanish using various accent marks to signify pronunciation, while Italian relies on doubling up consonants—

I remembered then that my very favorite TaxBwana client of 2024 had been a Jehovah's Witness preacher. His house had burned down with all his tax documents. I'd used forensic accounting to rectify them. He was very elegant and intelligent, and we'd had a free-ranging conversation about all number of fascinating things, and it wasn't until the very end of our third meeting that he handed me a card with his JW ID.

Why don't I become a Jehovah's Witness? I wondered for 10 minutes or so.

They're not big on Jesus! They recognize that "infinity" is an impossible mathematical concept, not an architectural template for the afterlife: There is only room for 144,000 in the Jehovah's Witness Heaven. Best of all, they seem to take care of each other! Like if I was a Jehovah's Witness, even now 10 Jehovah's Witnesses would be showing up at the casa to swap out that propane tank! And I wouldn't be late for my meetup with Rebecca.

###

I picked six pounds of sour cherries. This is enough for three pies.

Originally, I had planned to pick enough for BB and me. BB was a talented cook & baker, and each year, he baked three special pies for Flavia, his long-term honey. Sour cherry pie was always the first.

This year, I guess, I will bake a sour cherry pie for Flavia. Though I am an indifferent baker; my pie crust in particular has the texture of shoe leather.

But it's the thought that counts, right?

I'll freeze it until I see her again.

###

It was 91° at Samascott by the time Rebecca & I bid adieu and 95° by the time I got back to Wallkill.

I swapped out the propane tank! Pretty easily! So, I no longer have to become a Jehovah's Witness.

I pitted the cherries.

I will bake my pies today.

###

Afterwards, I sat out on the backporch and read The Oxford Book of Twentieth Century Ghost Stories. It grew dark. The fireflies came out.

There is a ghost story I'd like to write for BB though I don't think he'd like it very much.

He never even read Elliot Roosevelt's Motor Car, which I actually dedicated to him.

Back in 2018, I did a lot of canvassing and campaigning for a Congressional candidate called Jeff Beals.

Beals lost—but in the tradition of such things, his "victory" party went on, and I somehow managed to talk BB into accompanying me to it. BB absolutely hated parties! I wouldn't say I love them—love or hate depends on my mood—but I am generally pretty good at them since it doesn't trouble me in the least to walk up to perfect strangers & begin chattering away at them.

The party was in Woodstock.

And BB lived ostensibly in Kerhonksen but really in a remote settlement deep within the Catskills Park that was once called Riggsville—presumably after a 19th century tannery owner.

To get from Woodstock to Riggsville, you have to drive across the Ashokan Reservoir, which supplies New York City with its drinking water.

Twelve towns were drowned to create the Ashokan Reservoir!

Cottages, stores, church steeples, everything!

I suppose they relocated the cemeteries—or at least the ones they knew about.

We drove under a full moon. The reservoir tried to drown that, too! But the weirdest thing was the deer that had lined up along practically every section of the road! I kid you not! Like every single deer in the Catskill Mountains. It was like they had all come out to watch us, and, of course, we had to drive very, v-e-r-y slowly in case one came charging across the road.

Anyway, it gave me an idea for a story...

Suppose the deer were the metamorphosed inhabitants of the drowned villages?

And every four years they turn out to exercise their rights as American citizens to vote?

That would be the story backdrop. Not sure what the actual plot would be.

Except that the story would be called Neversink. There is also a Neversink Reservoir that supplies water to NYC, though we didn't drive along it that night, and what could be a better title about the enchanted inhabitants of a drowned village than Neversink?

Entry tags:

dessert,
ice cream

Disney’s Dole Whip

Disney’s Dole Whip
Prep/Total Time: 10 min. Makes 2 servings

Ingredients

2 cups frozen pineapple chunks
1 cup vanilla ice cream
1/2 cup unsweetened pineapple juice

Directions

Place all ingredients in a blender; cover and process until thick, stopping and scraping sides as needed. Pipe into 2 bowls or glasses, topping each with a swirl.