Ghanaian footballer killed after armed attackers open fire at team bus
Apr. 13th, 2026 12:23 pm![[syndicated profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/feed.png){kind=small}
bbcnewsworld_feedThe team was returning from a match when they were attacked by "masked men wielding guns", officials say.
bbcnewsworld_feedCrowds gather ahead of Bollywood legend Asha Bhosle's funeral
Apr. 13th, 2026 09:34 ambbcnewsworld_feedThe singer, who died at the age of 92, will be cremated with full state honours on Monday.
Trump's threat raises risks and leaves predicaments unchanged
Apr. 12th, 2026 10:57 pmbbcnewsworld_feedThe conflict is now a test of wills - Iran’s capacity to absorb strikes versus Trump’s tolerance for the war's costs.
Ghanaian footballer killed after armed attackers open fire at team bus
Apr. 13th, 2026 11:30 ambbcnewsworld_feedThe team was returning from a fixture when they were attacked by "masked men wielding guns and assault rifles", officials say.
Celebrities and fans pay tributes to Asha Bhosle
Apr. 13th, 2026 10:23 ambbcnewsworld_feedAsha Bhosle died in Mumbai on Sunday after being admitted to the hospital following a heart attack.
Books as Luxury Items
Apr. 13th, 2026 09:00 amsmartbitches_feedI love the podcast Mess World, which is a collaboration between Emily Kirkpatrick, who writes I Heart Mess, a newsletter about the worst of celebrity fashion, and Jessica DeFino, who writes Flesh World, which is about the beauty industry. Both take very close and critical looks at fashion and beauty, two subjects that are typically dismissed as unimportant – similar to romance fiction, so you can see why their work is my jam, my coulis, etc.
In recent months, they’ve discussed how anxieties and fraught topics in culture appear in fashion and beauty spaces, often in hyperbolic fashion. One example: luxury brands creating accessories that looked like food, just as food prices began to climb.
Fashionphile wrote about “The Delicious Convergence of Food & Fashion” highlighting food-inspired couture from Fendi, Louis Vuitton, Balenciaga, and Bottega Veneta.
Sydney Gore at Coveteur wrote about “The Great Foodification of Fashion & Decor,” highlighting how food trends during the pandemic led to food trends in high end fashion and home design.
Anna Haines covered this trend for Forbes in 2024’s “Behind the Latest Accessory Trend: Food Handbags,” examining the handbags that looked like hot dogs, pizzas, bags of chips.
Among her examples: Nik Bentel Studio had a purse that looks like a box of De Cecco or Barilla pasta, though it is listed on their website as “Ceased and Desisted.” The featued purse image from Forbes is on the right.
My suspicion is that the first design looked like Barilla, who sent them a C&D, and then a new design came out – as announced on the Bentel Instagram, though I may have my timeline incorrect.
I also want to share this $950+ Strawberry Cake Bag from Tal Maslavi, which is the entire “Is it Cake?” trend rendered in luxury leather:
And of course, where luxury couture brands go, trends and other retailers follow. Pasta jewelry anyone?
While the coverage highlighted the kitsch and the scarcity of some of the luxury bags, they didn’t really delve into the “why.” Why are food products – inexpensive ones at that – becoming luxury items?
Emily Kirkpatrick and Jess DeFino have explored this on and off in their show, but their theory, as I said, is that scarcity of necessities makes them into luxuries, and luxury brands are capitalizing on that scarcity through their designs.
Grace Snelling touched on this luxury motif for FastCompany in March 2025: “How Produce Became the Hot New Celebrity Status Symbol.” The article highlights the work of @KFesteryga whose tagline on TikTok is “Just a girl talking about food being positioned as a status symbol.”
High inflation, rising gas prices, and stagnant employment have only worsened a situation where food staples like produce, pasta, and cake are now indicators of wealth, and are being transformed into luxury accessories.
I think something similar is happening with books, and I don’t just mean special editions.
I think in order to get where I’m trying to go with this rumination (hop on board my train of thought! There are snacks in the cubbies and it’s a smooth-ish ride) I need to explain briefly something else I’ve been thinking about nonstop for probably two years now: the difference between reading as a hobby/activity, and reading as an aesthetic.
Reading as a hobby is pretty straightforward. You’re familiar with the concept here, I am sure! Acquire books, read them, maybe talk about them, maybe review them, but some time in the day or week is for reading. It’s a dedicated activity for many of us.
Reading as an aesthetic is slightly different: it’s the process of making visible the idea of “being a reader.” This aesthetic is most visible on Instagram and TikTok because it’s part of book influencing: artistically arranged shelves in the background, sometimes organized by color. Special editions, spredges, accessories that accentuate or support reading, showcases of print books with annotations and post its sticking out all over: these are all visual markers of Being a Reader.
This phenomenon is most visible on image-based social media because that’s kind of what image-based social media is for, I think: the performance of aesthetic as identity. It is the set dressing of performing Being a Reader.
None of this is bad, or shameful, to be clear. I don’t engage much with the aesthetic element because I’m not great at it, and also I’m at an age where I want less stuff, not more. That said, I look at countless versions of the reader aesthetic daily when I look at social media. It’s pervasive and it’s popular. It’s aspirational content that feels within reach of the average consumer.
Sort of.
One element that I can’t understate: the visual aesthetic of Being a Reader involves resources. Wealth. It’s as much about performing an identity for visual consumption as it is a display of books as commodities. Whether they’re expensive, rare, or just en masse a visual representation of a very healthy book budget, there is often an element of wealth in this aesthetic.
Which brings me to my entire point (only 800 words in! Go me!):
Books are becoming luxury items, which I believe reveals a cultural anxiety about reading.
(Justifiably so.)
Let’s take a look at some of the visuals I found that support this theory.
Dior has an entire Book Cover line, featuring images of Ulysses, In Cold Blood, Dracula, and others. There are $3600 bags, $1000 tshirts, and $2000 sweatshirts.
A Dior Dracula blanket: $10,500.
Embroidered Hooded Sweatshirt? That’ll be $2000.00.
The Dior book bag is a rather popular luxury item if reproduction communities online are any indication, and the 2026 Fall collection includes:
Medium Dior Book Tote, Les Liaisons Dangereuses, $3600.00
The newest Dior Book Totes include book themed editions such as A Clockwork Orange ($3900) or Madame Bovary ($3300), amid the other embroidered floral patterns. The Book Cover collection includes jackets, tshirts, scarves, totes, cropped tees, and short sleeved sweaters ranging in price from $250-$11,000.
Children’s books are also part of this collection: Macaulay Culkin was recently photographed wearing the Dior The Very Hungry Caterpillar sweatshirt, all part of the Fall 2026 collection designed by Jonathan Anderson. (I’m pretty sure the image is licensed so I don’t think I can use it, but that’s a Reddit link with multiple shots – his nail polish is terrific.)
Anderson also posted a picture of the Caterpillar bag on his Instagram, which quickly made its way to r/handbags:
This is not the first children’s nostalgia collab for a fashion brand and will definitely not be the last. Nostalgia sells.
Gucci has collaborated with Disney; Fendi has a Pokemon collection, with some items priced at $2800 on Poshmark. A collaboration between Nostalgia and Luxury is like printing money at this point.
But the book aspect is what I’m thinking about nonstop.
In 2025, Prada partnered with author Ottessa Moshvegh to create unique characters for a luxury fashion campaign starring Carey Mulligan, and a bound limited edition of new stories by Moshvegh were sold in stores.
MiuMiu staged a Summer Reads popup in cities such as London, Paris, and Seoul in 2025, where shoppers could receive a free copy of one of three books, including Persuasion by Jane Austen, A Woman by Sibilla Aleramo, and Forbidden Notebook by Alba de Céspedes.
Petra Viekkola wrote about this phenomenon in July 2025 in “Books Are the New Luxury – And Everyone Wants a Taste.”
The latest: Coach book charms, produced in partnership with Penguin Random House.
The book charm titles I’ve seen mentioned online include:
- Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
- I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
- Friday I’m in Love by Camryn Garrett
- I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson
- Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
- Untamed by Glennon Doyle
- The Book of Answers by Carol Bolt
- Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
- Kokoro by Natsume Soseki (in Japanese)
- The Forest of Wool and Steel by Natsu Miyashita (in Japanese)
- Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-Reum (Korean)
- Honmono by Sung Haena
- Honeybees and Distant Thunder by Riku Onda
- The Try Everything Life By Yan Xiaoyu
They’re small, too: they measure 4.25″ by 3″ (10.8cm x 7.5cm) and weigh about 4 ounces (113g).
And, yes, they’re readable. They’re full copies of books, meant to dangle from a purse.
Aside: the book charms are also an example of a luxury brand following an Etsy/small business success: miniaturizing books into accessories has been a product line for a long time. Earrings, tree ornaments, miniature bookshelves – you’ve probably seen them.
The difference now is the branding and price point. The Coach book charms retail for about $100, but they’re sold out*, available on secondhand retailers like Mercari and Poshmark for $200-400.
*Small correction: they were sold out, then I went to look at all the titles to be sure I had them listed correctly and some were available. When I refreshed the page, they were sold out again.
The Coach book charms got quite a bit of coverage. NBC News framed it as “Reading is so trendy now that Coach is making book charms.” (And in a related article, NBC News covered the ‘performative reading’ trend.)
This is another commodification of books into accessories while also rendering them mostly unfit for either purpose. Yes, they’re actual books, but they’re rather small. And yes, they’re accessories for a purse, but they’re also delicate – because they’re paper. God forbid it rains on a book charm. Books as designer trinkets are not necessarily made for reading: though they’re books, they’re awfully impractical for an analog reading experience.
While Coach isn’t a luxury brand on par with Dior or Fendi, it’s typically described as “accessible” or “affordable luxury.” So I think the book charms are also a signal of wealth as much as five shelves of special edition books: I can spend money to hang a miniature Coach book off my bag. It proclaims “Being a Reader” with a single object.
Deploying books as wealth indicators is not a new practice, to be clear. Buying matched sets of leather bound books which will never be read solely to decorate a room was and is a common practice. In previous eras, it was a signal of wealth just to have books, and part of the set dressing of affluence that of course you could read them. If you wanted.
I’m reading (har har) this situation very differently: the act of reading itself is becoming a luxury.
It is a vast privilege to say “I can read.”
I have time to read and not focus on anything else.
I have the time and the money to read for pleasure.
I don’t have to wait for limited access to a copy from a library whose budget is stretched to the breaking point. I own this book.
All of that is akin to luxury right now.
As Viekkola wrote on her Substank post,
Reading now signals sophistication, introspection, and cultural capital. It represents attention in an age of distraction. Focus, taste, time: these qualities have become aspirational. And brands have noticed. For them, books aren’t just content. They’re a positioning tool, a way to express values without a noisy and worn-out slogan.
So in that context, Luxury Book Products like $2000 sweatshirts and $100 limited edition book trinkets make perfect sense. Terrible, perfect sense. But I maintain: it’s more than just branding and content. There’s a narrative within the item itself.
Book Luxury signals exclusivity, wealth, and leisure, and, more importantly in my perspective, highlights the tension and anxiety about literacy and book access.
Who can read?
Who has access to books?
Who has time and money – and who does not? (Who can focus on a book through the current era?!)
If reading is a powerful aesthetic (which it is) it follows that books become trinkets, pieces of clothing, and personal emblems of that aesthetic, and in doing so, highlights the tension over reading itself.
Reading was and is a powerful equalizer: one obvious example was that it was illegal to teach enslaved people to read. Now, we have multiple legislative and marketplace attacks that are reducing equal access to books.
We have declining literacy rates per the National Literacy Institute (TW for Dr. Phil on their website, ew), and we have less media literacy while I’m on the subject.
We have book banning bills in Congress. We have nonstop challenges to books in libraries, and political and physical threats made against librarians. Tennessee Library Director Luanne James was fired for refusing to comply with an order demanding LGBTQIA+ books be moved from the children’s section to the adult stacks. Libraries are closing, or reducing their hours – my local libraries are now closed on Sundays, which SUCKS.
And, of course, the mass market paperback, one of the most successful technologies to boost literacy, is mostly dead in part because it’s too expensive to produce, ship, and sell them. Without the lower price point of mass market, books are collectively more expensive. Publishers are laying off people; lines for middle grade and children such as Dial Books for Young Readers are being shuttered. We have more AI slop and AI-written books masquerading as human art.
It ain’t great in book land.
The act of reading is under attack and books as expensive accessories are an emblem of that. Just as the rising prices of basic staple foods led to expensive food couture, the union of luxury brands and books are a representation of social anxiety about reading. The use of children’s book titles like The Very Hungry Caterpillar underscore that access to books for young people is in danger.
Which is why all the luxury book accessories unsettle me: books being co-opted into luxury accessories not only point to scarcity and wealth (hoarding) but, to me, reveal the dangers facing literacy and book access in the US.
If food couture is a wealth signal that reveals anxiety about access to food, I read these new book accessories similarly: they’re a wealth signal that reveals the increasing fragility of literacy and book access for children and adults.
So while they’re cute, and colorful, and extremely adorable, the reveal of the Coach book charms and the Dior book line had me sitting back in my chair, thinking, “That’s not good.”
And listen, if you wanted one, or you bought one, I don’t blame you. They’re beautiful!
Alas, I can’t stop my brain from thinking, “Ok, but why?” And the answer I’ve come up with feels ominous and chilling.
What do you think? Have you noticed books or reading positioned as a luxury or luxury aesthetic?
Katya Adler: Jubilation in Budapest will be felt in Europe but leaves Moscow cold
Apr. 13th, 2026 08:28 ambbcnewsworld_feedEuropean leaders share Hungarians' joy over the ousting of Vladimir Putin's EU ally, writes the BBC's Europe editor.
Leading candidate quits California governor race amid sexual misconduct claims
Apr. 13th, 2026 02:35 ambbcnewsworld_feedTop Democratic allies intensified pressure on him to exit the gubernatorial race.
Cover Snark: Burger King and Bobbleheads
Apr. 13th, 2026 08:00 amsmartbitches_feedWelcome back to Cover Snark!
From M: Another cut and paste disaster. This guy’s head is not only too small for the rest of him, but someone removed his neck. And what the heck are those red circles? Leftover Christmas ornaments?
Sarah: I need the Harley community to weigh in on giant red jingleballs on your handlebars. Seems…unwise.
And I cannot stop laughing at this poor man’s pasted on head. My God the indignity. His unveiled desire is to have his own neck.
Amanda: His head looks like it’s going to bobble right off.
From Elizabeth S: I don’t even know what all crazy is going on here.
Sarah: Setting aside the completely distracting Y shaped torso, did Wonder Woman get him? Is that the lasso of truth? What do you think this guy is confessing to, dedicated steroid regiment? Stealing conditioner?
Claudia: Wow. Gym-rat Jesus!
Sarah: The lat bar is his shepherd? He shall not skip leg day?
Amanda: This man feels very familiar to me. We may have snarked his image before.
Sarah: This is giving me Perez Hilton vibes and never in a good way.
Elyse: I was going with the little crown kids get at Burger King
Amanda: I feel like this has a new illustrated cover. I recently featured it on the After Dark sales.
Sarah: At least on this one, I can read the Wine Mom Font correctly.
Elyse: “Smell my finger.”
Sarah: Nooooooo
Amanda: Welp, now that’s all I can think about.
Britney Spears goes into rehab after driving under the influence arrest
Apr. 13th, 2026 08:14 ambbcnewsworld_feedThe singer voluntarily checks herself into a treatment facility, three weeks before her court date.
Carney on verge of Liberal majority government as votes cast in three by-elections
Apr. 13th, 2026 08:10 ambbcnewsworld_feedOne more seat could solidify the Canadian PM's hold on power after several Conservatives defected.
Trump attacks Pope over criticism of Iran war
Apr. 13th, 2026 07:40 ambbcnewsworld_feedThe US president accuses Leo of being "weak on crime and terrible for foreign policy".
Mourners sing Asha Bhosle hit as iconic Indian singer cremated
Apr. 13th, 2026 12:02 pmbbcnewsworld_feedThe singer, who died at the age of 92, will be cremated with full state honours on Monday.
Monday 13/04/2026
Apr. 13th, 2026 10:08 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dark_kana posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
3_good_things_a_day1) Yesterday's birthday party for our daughter was a great succes :D We had a super good time with family ^^
2) Lunch time with hubby and daughter
3) Lazy evening. Either reading, crocheting or working on photo albums. It's all fun :-)
Pope says he has 'no fear' of Trump after scathing criticism
Apr. 13th, 2026 10:20 ambbcnewsworld_feedThe US president accuses Leo of being "weak on crime and terrible for foreign policy".
What is a naval blockade and how would it work in Strait of Hormuz?
Apr. 13th, 2026 09:40 ambbcnewsworld_feedDonald Trump says that the US is going to start blockading the Strait of Hormuz. What does this mean in practice?
Eight to be awarded for bravery in Bondi Junction stabbing
Apr. 13th, 2026 01:35 ambbcnewsworld_feedSix people were killed and ten injured after a man went on a stabbing rampage in an Australian mall.
Asha Bhosle: The sound of Bollywood dies aged 92
Apr. 12th, 2026 04:56 pmbbcnewsworld_feedHer infectious voice got fans dancing and singing, becoming the soundtrack for generations of Indians.
Why this disillusioned Trump voter spends hours searching Epstein files
Apr. 12th, 2026 12:30 ambbcnewsworld_feedMany who support the president have expressed frustration with how Trump's former attorney general Pam Bondi handled the Epstein files.
So there was Easter
Apr. 13th, 2026 09:27 amopenidwouldwork... with family urgh.
I'm really not fond of my male cousins any more... *sigh*
But spring has sprung so that's kinda nice
I'm really not fond of my male cousins any more... *sigh*
But spring has sprung so that's kinda nice
Monday At The Movies.....
Apr. 13th, 2026 02:31 amdisneydream06This Week's Movie Quote... "
H.: An occasional libation enables me to stiffen my resolve.
M. H.: Your resolve should be pickled by now!
Last Week's Movie Quote...
Aunt Louise: I think it's trying to tell us something!
Captain Blythe: It's a car, woman, not Lassie!
It comes from the 1980 Disney movie, "Herbie Goes Bananas".
It was the last of the original run of Herbie movies.
IMHO, it was a case of one too many sequels.
Those Who Knew or Guessed Correctly...
garote
gwendraith
meathiel
sidhe_uaine42
mrdreamjeans
man_of_snows
adminbear
davesmusictank
H.: An occasional libation enables me to stiffen my resolve.
M. H.: Your resolve should be pickled by now!
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 4
Which Movie Does This Quote Come From?
Last Week's Movie Quote...
Aunt Louise: I think it's trying to tell us something!
Captain Blythe: It's a car, woman, not Lassie!
It comes from the 1980 Disney movie, "Herbie Goes Bananas".
It was the last of the original run of Herbie movies.
IMHO, it was a case of one too many sequels.
Those Who Knew or Guessed Correctly...
garotegwendraith meathiel sidhe_uaine42 mrdreamjeans man_of_snows adminbear davesmusictankIsn't It Punny.....
Apr. 13th, 2026 02:08 amdisneydream06April 13th.....
A Recent Study Has Found
Women Who Carry A Little
Extra Weight Live Longer
Than Men Who Mention It.
A Recent Study Has Found
Women Who Carry A Little
Extra Weight Live Longer
Than Men Who Mention It.
Mars Conjunct Neptune
Apr. 13th, 2026 07:58 ampoliphilo Mars conjunct Neptune. The warrior meets the Mystic in the house of getting things done.
And this at the beginning of a week which will see planet after planet move into the same sign- Aries, the Ram- until, by the 21st there'll be seven of them there. Expect a shift.
And maybe not any old shift but (definite article and capital letters) THE SHIFT. The Big One.
I'm not an astrologer, so none of this is mine, exactly- I'm just passing it on.....
And this at the beginning of a week which will see planet after planet move into the same sign- Aries, the Ram- until, by the 21st there'll be seven of them there. Expect a shift.
And maybe not any old shift but (definite article and capital letters) THE SHIFT. The Big One.
I'm not an astrologer, so none of this is mine, exactly- I'm just passing it on.....
Leo becomes first Pope to visit Algeria at start of major Africa tour
Apr. 13th, 2026 11:56 ambbcnewsworld_feedLeo XIV wants the world's attention on a continent vital to the Church's future, an aide says.
Viktor Orbán's Hungarian experiment runs out of steam
Apr. 13th, 2026 01:58 ambbcnewsworld_feedPéter Magyar's historic win offers peace for a country exhausted by the tensions of Viktor Orbán's rule, Nick Thorpe reports from Budapest.
Monday Update 4-13-26
Apr. 13th, 2026 12:13 amysabetwordsmithThese are some posts from the later part of last week in case you missed them:
Vocabulary: Quiddity
Economics
Nature
Birdfeeding
Today's Adventures
Philosophical Questions: City
Food
Birdfeeding
Space Exploration
Gaming
Birdfeeding
Follow Friday 4-10-26: Meditation
Nature
Poem: "The Grabber"
Poem: "So DONE with It All"
Poem: Their Hidden Source
Poem: "Beautiful, Tough, Shiny, Resilient"
Food
Birdfeeding
Community Thursdays
Draw a Bird Day
Birdfeeding
Cuddle Party
Early Humans has 22 comments. Philosophical Questions: Pregnancy has 65 comments. Safety has 77 comments.
Last week's Poetry Fishbowl went well. I am still writing.
The weather has been variable here. Seen at the birdfeeders this week: a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches, two turkey vultures, two blue jays, a brown-headed cowbird, a male cardinal, a male goldfinch,and a fox squirrel. Red-winged blackbirds have been singing overhead. Leafing out: maple, hackberry, mulberry, mayapple, Dutchman's breeches, trillium, yellow trout lily, Asiatic lilies. Currently blooming: daffodils, violets, grape hyacinths, tulips, anemone, leucojum, yellow violet, bluebells, Solomon's seal, pansies, violas, sweet alyssum. Flower buds: peonies, alliums.
Vocabulary: Quiddity
Economics
Nature
Birdfeeding
Today's Adventures
Philosophical Questions: City
Food
Birdfeeding
Space Exploration
Gaming
Birdfeeding
Follow Friday 4-10-26: Meditation
Nature
Poem: "The Grabber"
Poem: "So DONE with It All"
Poem: Their Hidden Source
Poem: "Beautiful, Tough, Shiny, Resilient"
Food
Birdfeeding
Community Thursdays
Draw a Bird Day
Birdfeeding
Cuddle Party
Early Humans has 22 comments. Philosophical Questions: Pregnancy has 65 comments. Safety has 77 comments.
Last week's Poetry Fishbowl went well. I am still writing.
The weather has been variable here. Seen at the birdfeeders this week: a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches, two turkey vultures, two blue jays, a brown-headed cowbird, a male cardinal, a male goldfinch,and a fox squirrel. Red-winged blackbirds have been singing overhead. Leafing out: maple, hackberry, mulberry, mayapple, Dutchman's breeches, trillium, yellow trout lily, Asiatic lilies. Currently blooming: daffodils, violets, grape hyacinths, tulips, anemone, leucojum, yellow violet, bluebells, Solomon's seal, pansies, violas, sweet alyssum. Flower buds: peonies, alliums.
my manager and coworker are fighting, a recommendation I didn’t want, and more
Apr. 13th, 2026 04:03 amaskamanager_feedIt’s five answers to five questions. Here we go…
1. My manager and coworker are fighting and I’m stuck in the middle
My manager, Rose, is not good at her job. She routinely forgets things, does a terrible job advocating for the department, plays favorites, and isn’t proactive at solving problems. My coworker, Donna, is also not good at her job, but in a personal sense. She’s horrifically burnt out but isn’t taking steps to address it, holds grudges over slights that happened 5+ years ago, and goes from 0 to 100 in her moods. Adding fuel to the fire, Rose is conflict-averse, Donna is conflict-prone. As I’m the newest person in the office without the 10 years of beef these two have, both Rose and Donna have complained about the other to me before.
There have been multiple occasions where Rose and Donna got into a verbal fight. Recently, Rose gave Donna a poor performance review and all hell has broken loose. I only know about this secondhand, from Donna, so I have no idea what the review actually said — Donna feels that Rose is out to get her, though in my opinion parts of the poor review were probably justified. Donna’s been complaining about Rose at every opportunity, while Rose is actively avoiding Donna.
I’m sick and tired of this. Ideally, I’d like to tell both of them to stop bitching, nut up, and just do their damn jobs, but I can’t do that to Rose as she’s my manager and if I do that to Donna, she’ll view it as a personal slight. Donna and I work closely together and I won’t be able to do my job if she’s fighting with me the same way she’s fighting with Rose. How do I navigate this minefield of personal drama that I don’t want to be a part of?
To Donna when she complains about Rose: “I’m sorry you’re having a tough time. Please know I care but it’s affecting my focus so much that I just can’t be your sounding board for it anymore — I’m sorry.” If she views that as a personal slight … well, it sounds like she views a lot of things as a personal slight and that’s probably going to happen between the two of you at some point anyway (if not with this, then with something else). When someone is that volatile, you can never tiptoe around them so perfectly that you never set them off, so do yourself the favor of setting a reasonable boundary. If her reaction prevents you from doing your job, you’d need to take that to Rose — who, yes, sucks at solving problems, but it would still be hers to deal with. If she doesn’t and Donna is truly obstructing you from doing your job, you could escalate it. But if Donna is just visibly upset with you, let that be okay, as long as she’s not openly hostile.
It doesn’t sound like Rose is complaining to you about Donna, but if she ever does: “I should stay out of this, since I have to work closely with her.”
Ultimately, Rose is the bigger problem because she should be managing this entire situation and isn’t — but the day-to-day quality of life stuff is coming from Donna and you have more control over that piece, so focus there.
Related:
my coworker complains all day long
2. I thought I was taking a leadership job — it turned out to be entry-level
I recently left a leadership position at a statewide nonprofit to join the national staff of a much larger nonprofit. I interviewed for this position believing it would be part of one of the major departments’ leadership teams. Titles are pretty standardized across our field, and the title and job description gave the impression that this would be a major internal consultant position, working with multiple chapters nationwide to help them develop metrics, assist with long- and short-term planning, and provide overall guidance. The pay was also commensurate with a leadership position and was far, far more than I was making in my then-position.
During the interview process, which was quite long, I was never interviewed by the same people twice, and in many instances, I was interviewed by people who were quite unfamiliar with the position. When I would inquire about job specifics, I was given the impression that the vagueness was due to the fluidity of the position; the main priority is what the chapters need, and it’s different for each state. I need to emphasize that throughout the process, they mentioned assisting “chapters,” always plural. I talked about broad national programs for the organization and how “strategies I used in X state might work in states Y and Z,” and no one corrected me.
When I started, however, it became clear that I was actually one of multiple “consultants” being hired, and I would be assigned to a single state. It also became clear that much of the “consulting” was grunt work, and that overall this position was an entry-level job for individual chapters embedded in the national organization. All doubts were cleared up when I was given access to some planning documents created last year, in which the original title of the position reflected its entry-level nature. I’m pretty sure they changed the title to attract more qualified candidates.
On the one hand, I am humiliated. I thought I was getting a huge promotion into an exciting and challenging new role on the national level that would launch my career to new heights and provide me with invaluable experience! On the other hand, the money and benefits are fantastic; I have almost doubled my past salary. And while the work is entry-level, the title on my resume would not give that impression. I also am not burdened by managerial responsibilities. When I talked to my wife about this, she was totally surprised that I was upset, because “you are getting paid way more to do far less,” and she does have a point.
What should I do, and how should I be feeling about all this? I feel like I’ve been lied to, and I am not getting the job I thought I was. On the other hand, this is a job I can do with my eyes closed, so should I just ride this out for a while?
Here’s what I’d think about and what I think your wife’s response overlooks: are you bored or likely to become bored in the near- to medium-term future? Are your skills going to stagnate? When you decide you do want to leave this job, will you have accomplishments for your resume that will help you get the job you’ll want after this one? Are you happy to have this break in responsibility or frustrated by the limitations of the role? What’s going on in the organization that caused them to so misrepresent the nature of the job, and is that symptomatic of other frustrations that will be heading your way?
I can’t answer those for you, but those are the questions I’d reflect on in your shoes. And regardless of your answers to them, it’s possible that given the state of the job market and the world right now, you might decide you’re happy to hunker down here for a while and make this work. Or you might decide that while it’s not so bad for right now, the longer you stay, the harder it will be to move on to the sort of job you do want once you’re looking again. There’s no easy answer — but “be happy you’re being paid more to do less” is an oversimplification.
Related:
should I stay in my well-paid job even though I have nothing to do?
3. How should I have handled a recommendation I didn’t want?
Something that happened to me some time ago that I didn’t know how to handle. I’d gone in for an interview for an internship that perfectly aligned with what I wanted to do with my degree. During the interview stage, I ran into a classmate, their current intern. About a week later, she told me she had recommended me for the internship and that she loved my work and how good of a job I’d do at this company.
This would have been great, if I didn’t know that the quality of her work was bad, and that she’d gotten drunk at that company’s Christmas party! (I knew that her work quality was bad due to having a TA-esque role in a class she took, where she did extraordinarily badly.)
I don’t know if that’s the reason I never heard back, but should I have followed up with the manager after finding out she’d recommended me saying that I’m not affiliated with her? Should I have handled the interaction during the interview differently?
Nope, there was nothing you needed to do. First, doing badly in one class doesn’t mean that someone will do badly in an internship. (If what you observed was something like that she had no grasp of foundational concepts, then it’s more likely — but even then, she could have gotten better later. And for all we know, she had other stuff going on that semester that got in her way, but that doesn’t mean she could never do well.)
But even if you knew for sure that her work quality was still bad, there wasn’t anything you needed to do here. Low performers don’t really impact someone else’s chances by recommending them; the employer might not give any weight to her opinion, but they’d be unlikely to hold it against you if you’d made your own good impression. (And really, there’s a good chance they wouldn’t have given much weight to a good intern’s opinion either.)
4. Can you ask to have a vacation day become a sick day if you get sick on your trip?
My family is having a disagreement about work norms, and I’m wondering if I was an overly permissive manager or if my sister-in-law works in a strict environment. (Or somewhere in between. It’s usually somewhere in between!)
My sister-in-law came to visit for a week, and got a really nasty cold the day after she arrived. I’m not talking just feeling icky, she had a fever of 102F, didn’t eat for two days because food didn’t stay down, and basically couldn’t leave her room from sheer exhaustion.
I asked if she was going to reclassify her vacation (or even just the worst couple days) as sick time, because if she had been at home she absolutely would have not been going in. Both she and my spouse looked at me like I was crazy, and I said it didn’t happen often, but I was happy to make the change for my reports if people got really unlucky. Sometimes it happens!
But their response (and she asked a coworker too) make me reconsider how obvious I find the situation. So what’s normal?
It’s a completely acceptable thing to ask about! Some companies will do it and some companies won’t, but there’s nothing outrageous about inquiring to find out. Among companies that do, the idea is that you need real downtime to fully recharge, with all the benefits that brings your employer, and if you’re sick you’re not really recharging.
5. Does my boss not think I can do work I did in a previous job?
I work for government with a boss who is typically very relaxed and flexible with the entire team. I previously worked in higher education doing very difficult stakeholder meeting facilitation for multiple groups every week. My boss knows this and has acknowledged that I have previous years of experience before he hired me.
We were all at a meeting to discuss if we wanted to hire a contractor to do stakeholder meeting facilitation or if we could do it ourselves (it’s way more difficult than just reading off a PowerPoint!). I said that I had done this in a previous job but that it was very hard. This startled everyone on the team (physical reactions) but most people quickly agreed. Then my boss said he’s sure some of us could handle it, while gesturing to my male coworker and looking at him, not me, then said he thinks the stakeholders would want a contractor.
Should I have kept my mouth shut and not said that I did this before? The gesturing at my coworker and looking at him instead of me after what I immediately just said seems like my boss doesn’t believe I could handle it, right?
It sounds more likely that your boss took what you said to indicate that you weren’t enthusiastic about doing it (unless you were explicit that that’s not what you meant). If you want to clear it up, you could follow up with your boss now to clarify (“If we do decide to facilitate the meetings ourselves, it’s something I have experience in and would be interested in doing”), which might be worth doing even if he’s leaning toward a contractor anyway.
The post my manager and coworker are fighting, a recommendation I didn’t want, and more appeared first on Ask a Manager.
Fire!
Apr. 12th, 2026 08:50 pmranunculusThis morning around 8, M walked out of the door, looked over at firefly who was happily chewing on her morning pasture. Just beyond her he saw a column of smoke. It was chucking down rain, clouds and mist were hanging low, and it was way too early to be a permitted burn pile. I called 911 and asked for the fire dispatch. A little later a pickup from the fire department showed up here. The very nice man said "where did you see smoke?" We walked about 25 feet and I pointed down the hill. Told him that there were two houses down there. He said that they couldn't see the smoke at all from the county road, it apparently just blended into the mist. I said that the neighbor's place had just changed hands and I had no idea who the new owners were.
This evening, Jen, another neighbor called and asked what burned. I walked down to the property line, a bit less than 1/4 mile down the hill. There are three residences on a narrow, 11 acre strip. The strip leads west from my property line to the county road. Near the road is an old double wide trailer that I lived in in the early 1980's. Near my property line is a tiny, simple house, just to the west of the little house is a slightly bigger and much nicer house. Our wonderful old neighbor Rudy used to live in the tiny house. That house is now completely gone, burned to the foundation.
After some communication with the surrounding neighbors, none of whom knew who the new owners are, I called Rudy. Rudy called the new people, one of whom, Juan, called me. Whew. They seem nice and now we can all communicate. I've already sent off Cody's info to them. If there is an issue with the cows they can call Cody directly.
Nothing like an emergency to get the whole neighborhood talking to each other.
This evening, Jen, another neighbor called and asked what burned. I walked down to the property line, a bit less than 1/4 mile down the hill. There are three residences on a narrow, 11 acre strip. The strip leads west from my property line to the county road. Near the road is an old double wide trailer that I lived in in the early 1980's. Near my property line is a tiny, simple house, just to the west of the little house is a slightly bigger and much nicer house. Our wonderful old neighbor Rudy used to live in the tiny house. That house is now completely gone, burned to the foundation.
After some communication with the surrounding neighbors, none of whom knew who the new owners are, I called Rudy. Rudy called the new people, one of whom, Juan, called me. Whew. They seem nice and now we can all communicate. I've already sent off Cody's info to them. If there is an issue with the cows they can call Cody directly.
Nothing like an emergency to get the whole neighborhood talking to each other.
Just one thing: 13 April 2026
Apr. 12th, 2026 09:58 pmjazzyjj posting in awesomeersIt's challenge time!
Comment with Just One Thing you've accomplished in the last 24 hours or so. It doesn't have to be a hard thing, or even a thing that you think is particularly awesome. Just a thing that you did.
Feel free to share more than one thing if you're feeling particularly accomplished!
Extra credit: find someone in the comments and give them props for what they achieved!
Nothing is too big, too small, too strange or too cryptic. And in case you'd rather do this in private, anonymous comments are screened. I will only unscreen if you ask me to.
Go!
Comment with Just One Thing you've accomplished in the last 24 hours or so. It doesn't have to be a hard thing, or even a thing that you think is particularly awesome. Just a thing that you did.
Feel free to share more than one thing if you're feeling particularly accomplished!
Extra credit: find someone in the comments and give them props for what they achieved!
Nothing is too big, too small, too strange or too cryptic. And in case you'd rather do this in private, anonymous comments are screened. I will only unscreen if you ask me to.
Go!
Viktor Orbán's Hungarian experiment runs out of steam
Apr. 13th, 2026 01:58 ambbcnewsworld_feedPéter Magyar's historic win offers peace for a country exhausted by the tensions of Viktor Orbán's rule, Nick Thorpe reports from Budapest.
The Dutch village at risk of being demolished
Apr. 12th, 2026 11:20 pmbbcnewsworld_feedMoerdijk has been earmarked for removal, to make way for a vast electricity substation.
Hartford, CT 2026 part 3: Nostalgia, Family, Gratitude
Apr. 12th, 2026 10:16 pmtaz_39 *Disclaimer** The views and opinions expressed in this post are my own, and do not reflect the views or opinions of my employer. DO NOT RESHARE ANY PART OF THIS POST WITHOUT PERMISSION. Thank you.
This post covers the weekend.
--- --- --- --- --- ---
Thursday Night Recap
I posted earlier than usual due to having an annoying day so here's the missing chunk of Thursday :p
Koz (our music supervisor) was at the theater when we arrived and was hanging out backstage with DAR. I caught up with them near the management office and the candy bowl. Koz looked over as I picked through the candy and said, "Too late, I ate all the good ones :p " and I replied "Figures :p " and that was our interaction for the evening.
The show went well (I thought) and we all played well. Connor (Key 1) conducted us. On our schedule there was a "full company" rehearsal on Friday afternoon, and we'd all been wondering whether we'd be included in that. DAR said it would depend on what Koz wanted to do. After the show Koz came down to the pit just as Connor was telling us we'd get an email or text about the rehearsal. Koz overheard and said, "What rehearsal?" Apparently we weren't even on the radar to be included! Awesome :D
As we were packing up some people came down to the pit edge, stood right next to Koz, and RAVED about how wonderful the music had been. That's right, shower us with flattery in front of our boss!
--- --- --- --- --- ---
FRIDAY
Up early to do laundry. This hotel has three washers and six dryers so getting up early probably isn't necessary, but I do it out of habit. And with my luck a 30-person boys soccer team will have checked in the night before and all of them will need to do laundry or something. I'd rather get up early and get it done before it gets busy in there.
Breakfast and then packing my trunk items early because my sister and fam will be here tomorrow. I don't want to have to worry about dragging all of my stuff to the theater in the middle of visiting with her.
It was so nice out that after lunch I decided to go for a walk. Specifically, I wanted to visit the arena where the circus used to play, and from there walk to the entrance to the train yard where we used to stay.
It was hard.
It has been nine years since I was last here with the circus. Hartford was one of our last cities, too. I remember that everyone was very emotional, self included. Though I don't get emotional easily or often, I was absolutely heartbroken over the closure of the circus. I spent much of the week capturing as much footage as I could, writing extensively about everything that was happening, and spending time with our animals. I wrote about it HERE if you're interested...nine years later I still can't read this post, it hurts too much.
It seems like a long time ago, but whoever said "Time heals all wounds" was absolutely wrong.
I have said it before and know that most people will not understand, but I'll say it again anyway: the circus was more than a job.
We lived together, traveled together, worked together, ate together, slept together, laughed and cried together.
We saw babies born here. We saw people die here.
It was not just a job, it was a whole life. A living breathing thing. And watching it end was like watching a loved one die.
It hurt just as much as that, and I mourn it just as much as that.
First I went to the arena's garage and loading dock entrance. I have many memories here; it's where we'd enter to go to work.
2017: A circus BMX biker doing a trick off the arena ramp wall. Notice the circus wagons to the back left.
Today:
Across the street is Agave, a restaurant where Jameson and I and many circus folks would hang out or go to eat after our shows were done. The band especially used to come here for apps and drinks on Sunday nights because we didn't have to load out. We'd watch the crew load the wagons and tow them back to the train.
2017:
Today:
The train yard entrance didn't have an address, of course, so I "navigated on vibes" to get there.
I followed my little heart across two highway overpasses, down a hill, and a sharp left turn to an underpass that I remembered well.
2017: This was how we'd get home to the train at night after shows were done. It looks foreboding, doesn't it?
Today. Not so scary in the middle of the afternoon.
After walking through this tunnel/underpass, you pop out the other side and cross the street on the right, and there is the entrance to the train yard which is just a dusty hill leading to the tracks.
I sent all of these pictures to Jameson along the way. If he were here he would have walked with me.
It's a comfort to know that there are still many circus people besides Jameson and I out there who remember these places, and care.
A life that no longer exists. Places that look mundane, but are kept as treasures in our hearts.
I walked back to the hotel slowly, thinking about the past and what that life was like. Lots of really great memories, and experiences that have helped me get to where I am today. Back at the hotel, cooling off and a little snack and some anime. I walked to the theater a little early to access my trunk and put stuff in there, get my horns ready, etc. Koz was still there and gave us some notes on tweaking the music, but I didn't get any individual notes. Victory! The evening show went well and we had a very excited and enthusiastic crowd. I was thankfully not too-badly nervous about Koz being there and did a good job.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
SATURDAY
I had stress dreams, not really surprising. We're back on tour, I'm tense about Koz being here and doing a good job in general, and about my sister and her family driving four hours just to see our show today. Breakfast, nervously putzing around on the computer and getting dressed for work until she texted to say she was close. I walked to the park intending to scope out a picnic spot for us but she beat me to it; I found them at a table setting up huge boxes of pizza! We hugged and got reacquainted over big NY-style slices of margherita and bruschetta. So good! And it was great to see everyone! Her son, Declan, is getting so big!! Everyone looks happy and healthy.
There was a playground nearby so when we'd finished eating we wandered over there so Declan could enjoy it. I admit I went down the kids slide once too :P We got caught up as much as we could in the short time that we had before the show started. There honestly wasn't much to report except that we're all doing our best at life? Plugging along I suppose, and that's great, it shows we're blessed.
Eventually we walked over to the theater. My sister's husband took a picture of us in front of a pretty blossoming tree out front.
I followed my sister to the box office to make sure her tickets were there, then we parted ways so I could go backstage and get ready. I forgot to mention, Kate gave me some lovely gifts! A little knit Encouragement Potato much like the one Jameson has gotten me, except this one has a sprout on top of his adorable head:
...and a little black obsidian cat, curled up in a sleeping pose. Our mom used to have a cat statue like this, only made of wood and much larger. Kate's idea was that this one would be small enough to travel with me. And symbolic in other ways, with obsidian being a stone of protection and grounding and travel safety. As always my sister is so thoughtful and sweet.
(In the background there is a note that she wrote to go with the cat, on beautiful natural paper)
Before the show started my sis was able to come down to the pit to say hi, and snap a pic of me in my "cage" haha
The show went well though I was nervous because family was there! I just want them to have a good experience (and they did!) Afterward we walked to Agave for dinner. It was nostalgic for me as this is a restaurant I frequented with my circus family, and it was fun and novel to bring my bio-family here to experience it too!
It's just a normal Mexican restaurant, but the food is always fresh :) They brought us loads of corn chips to start and there were some colorful green and red ones mixed in, Declan enjoyed picking those out :D We talked and talked about our work, Declan's homeschooling, a tiny bit of politics, plans for the summer, all kinds of stuff. The food was great, I had chicken tacos and ate them both! When finished we walked back to my sister's car where we hugged and parted ways. It was such a shame to have such a short visit but I had another show to do, and they had gotten a hotel because it was quite a long drive for them. Still, I'm glad they got to see the show and they enjoyed it very much, and I'm very grateful for our time together.
The evening show was good too, though I felt very tired. I don't WANT socializing to be a drain on me, but it IS no matter how much I enjoy it. I was glad to wrap up that show and head to bed!
----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUNDAY
Awake earlier than I needed to be out of habit. Quiet and slow morning, which I love. I lit my Chai Tea candle, which I still get to enjoy on a Sunday because we're busing to Boston so my luggage weight doesn't matter (normally it would be stored in my trunk by now.) My eyes were watery and nose itchy, probably allergies from being in the park for hours with my family yesterday (it had BETTER be allergies, I have done my time with illnesses this year!! Sheesh.) Did some light packing but we are leaving luxuriously late on Monday so I can pack a lot in the morning too.
Oh, right! I promised to share what this gigantic suite of a hotel room looks like!
It is an older hotel so it's not "fancy," but it turns out ALL of the rooms were like this so each of us had essentially a small apartment here. A very nice treat. I do not expect Boston to be like this, being an older New England city where space is at a premium.
Walked to the theater when it was time. It was very nice out today.
The first show went well. I had packed my dinner and stayed at the theater during the break to eat, reading my book and researching things to do in Boston. Before I knew it it was time for the evening show. It went "ok" but as is typical for my first week back on tour, I felt more tired than usual. Never mind, next week I'm sure I'll have gotten back into the swing of things!
And we'll be in BOSTON!!! I have been looking forward to this city for a while!!
We are there for three weeks which is just wonderful. There is so much to see and do! And Jameson will be visiting me and seeing the show!!
I have been here with the circus but never a touring show before. And it's been 10+ years since I've been to Boston AT ALL so it will definitely seem new and exciting to me.
Can't wait!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Monday: A nice late morning and a bus ride to Boston. Groceries, unpacking, and something nice for dinner :)
Tuesday: Opening day in Boston!
This post covers the weekend.
--- --- --- --- --- ---
Thursday Night Recap
I posted earlier than usual due to having an annoying day so here's the missing chunk of Thursday :p
Koz (our music supervisor) was at the theater when we arrived and was hanging out backstage with DAR. I caught up with them near the management office and the candy bowl. Koz looked over as I picked through the candy and said, "Too late, I ate all the good ones :p " and I replied "Figures :p " and that was our interaction for the evening.
The show went well (I thought) and we all played well. Connor (Key 1) conducted us. On our schedule there was a "full company" rehearsal on Friday afternoon, and we'd all been wondering whether we'd be included in that. DAR said it would depend on what Koz wanted to do. After the show Koz came down to the pit just as Connor was telling us we'd get an email or text about the rehearsal. Koz overheard and said, "What rehearsal?" Apparently we weren't even on the radar to be included! Awesome :D
As we were packing up some people came down to the pit edge, stood right next to Koz, and RAVED about how wonderful the music had been. That's right, shower us with flattery in front of our boss!
--- --- --- --- --- ---
FRIDAY
Up early to do laundry. This hotel has three washers and six dryers so getting up early probably isn't necessary, but I do it out of habit. And with my luck a 30-person boys soccer team will have checked in the night before and all of them will need to do laundry or something. I'd rather get up early and get it done before it gets busy in there.
Breakfast and then packing my trunk items early because my sister and fam will be here tomorrow. I don't want to have to worry about dragging all of my stuff to the theater in the middle of visiting with her.
It was so nice out that after lunch I decided to go for a walk. Specifically, I wanted to visit the arena where the circus used to play, and from there walk to the entrance to the train yard where we used to stay.
It was hard.
It has been nine years since I was last here with the circus. Hartford was one of our last cities, too. I remember that everyone was very emotional, self included. Though I don't get emotional easily or often, I was absolutely heartbroken over the closure of the circus. I spent much of the week capturing as much footage as I could, writing extensively about everything that was happening, and spending time with our animals. I wrote about it HERE if you're interested...nine years later I still can't read this post, it hurts too much.
It seems like a long time ago, but whoever said "Time heals all wounds" was absolutely wrong.
I have said it before and know that most people will not understand, but I'll say it again anyway: the circus was more than a job.
We lived together, traveled together, worked together, ate together, slept together, laughed and cried together.
We saw babies born here. We saw people die here.
It was not just a job, it was a whole life. A living breathing thing. And watching it end was like watching a loved one die.
It hurt just as much as that, and I mourn it just as much as that.
First I went to the arena's garage and loading dock entrance. I have many memories here; it's where we'd enter to go to work.
2017: A circus BMX biker doing a trick off the arena ramp wall. Notice the circus wagons to the back left.
Today:
Across the street is Agave, a restaurant where Jameson and I and many circus folks would hang out or go to eat after our shows were done. The band especially used to come here for apps and drinks on Sunday nights because we didn't have to load out. We'd watch the crew load the wagons and tow them back to the train.
2017:
Today:
The train yard entrance didn't have an address, of course, so I "navigated on vibes" to get there.
I followed my little heart across two highway overpasses, down a hill, and a sharp left turn to an underpass that I remembered well.
2017: This was how we'd get home to the train at night after shows were done. It looks foreboding, doesn't it?
Today. Not so scary in the middle of the afternoon.
After walking through this tunnel/underpass, you pop out the other side and cross the street on the right, and there is the entrance to the train yard which is just a dusty hill leading to the tracks.
I sent all of these pictures to Jameson along the way. If he were here he would have walked with me.
It's a comfort to know that there are still many circus people besides Jameson and I out there who remember these places, and care.
A life that no longer exists. Places that look mundane, but are kept as treasures in our hearts.
I walked back to the hotel slowly, thinking about the past and what that life was like. Lots of really great memories, and experiences that have helped me get to where I am today. Back at the hotel, cooling off and a little snack and some anime. I walked to the theater a little early to access my trunk and put stuff in there, get my horns ready, etc. Koz was still there and gave us some notes on tweaking the music, but I didn't get any individual notes. Victory! The evening show went well and we had a very excited and enthusiastic crowd. I was thankfully not too-badly nervous about Koz being there and did a good job.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
SATURDAY
I had stress dreams, not really surprising. We're back on tour, I'm tense about Koz being here and doing a good job in general, and about my sister and her family driving four hours just to see our show today. Breakfast, nervously putzing around on the computer and getting dressed for work until she texted to say she was close. I walked to the park intending to scope out a picnic spot for us but she beat me to it; I found them at a table setting up huge boxes of pizza! We hugged and got reacquainted over big NY-style slices of margherita and bruschetta. So good! And it was great to see everyone! Her son, Declan, is getting so big!! Everyone looks happy and healthy.
There was a playground nearby so when we'd finished eating we wandered over there so Declan could enjoy it. I admit I went down the kids slide once too :P We got caught up as much as we could in the short time that we had before the show started. There honestly wasn't much to report except that we're all doing our best at life? Plugging along I suppose, and that's great, it shows we're blessed.
Eventually we walked over to the theater. My sister's husband took a picture of us in front of a pretty blossoming tree out front.
I followed my sister to the box office to make sure her tickets were there, then we parted ways so I could go backstage and get ready. I forgot to mention, Kate gave me some lovely gifts! A little knit Encouragement Potato much like the one Jameson has gotten me, except this one has a sprout on top of his adorable head:
...and a little black obsidian cat, curled up in a sleeping pose. Our mom used to have a cat statue like this, only made of wood and much larger. Kate's idea was that this one would be small enough to travel with me. And symbolic in other ways, with obsidian being a stone of protection and grounding and travel safety. As always my sister is so thoughtful and sweet.
(In the background there is a note that she wrote to go with the cat, on beautiful natural paper)
Before the show started my sis was able to come down to the pit to say hi, and snap a pic of me in my "cage" haha
The show went well though I was nervous because family was there! I just want them to have a good experience (and they did!) Afterward we walked to Agave for dinner. It was nostalgic for me as this is a restaurant I frequented with my circus family, and it was fun and novel to bring my bio-family here to experience it too!
It's just a normal Mexican restaurant, but the food is always fresh :) They brought us loads of corn chips to start and there were some colorful green and red ones mixed in, Declan enjoyed picking those out :D We talked and talked about our work, Declan's homeschooling, a tiny bit of politics, plans for the summer, all kinds of stuff. The food was great, I had chicken tacos and ate them both! When finished we walked back to my sister's car where we hugged and parted ways. It was such a shame to have such a short visit but I had another show to do, and they had gotten a hotel because it was quite a long drive for them. Still, I'm glad they got to see the show and they enjoyed it very much, and I'm very grateful for our time together.
The evening show was good too, though I felt very tired. I don't WANT socializing to be a drain on me, but it IS no matter how much I enjoy it. I was glad to wrap up that show and head to bed!
----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUNDAY
Awake earlier than I needed to be out of habit. Quiet and slow morning, which I love. I lit my Chai Tea candle, which I still get to enjoy on a Sunday because we're busing to Boston so my luggage weight doesn't matter (normally it would be stored in my trunk by now.) My eyes were watery and nose itchy, probably allergies from being in the park for hours with my family yesterday (it had BETTER be allergies, I have done my time with illnesses this year!! Sheesh.) Did some light packing but we are leaving luxuriously late on Monday so I can pack a lot in the morning too.
Oh, right! I promised to share what this gigantic suite of a hotel room looks like!
It is an older hotel so it's not "fancy," but it turns out ALL of the rooms were like this so each of us had essentially a small apartment here. A very nice treat. I do not expect Boston to be like this, being an older New England city where space is at a premium.
Walked to the theater when it was time. It was very nice out today.
The first show went well. I had packed my dinner and stayed at the theater during the break to eat, reading my book and researching things to do in Boston. Before I knew it it was time for the evening show. It went "ok" but as is typical for my first week back on tour, I felt more tired than usual. Never mind, next week I'm sure I'll have gotten back into the swing of things!
And we'll be in BOSTON!!! I have been looking forward to this city for a while!!
We are there for three weeks which is just wonderful. There is so much to see and do! And Jameson will be visiting me and seeing the show!!
I have been here with the circus but never a touring show before. And it's been 10+ years since I've been to Boston AT ALL so it will definitely seem new and exciting to me.
Can't wait!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Monday: A nice late morning and a bus ride to Boston. Groceries, unpacking, and something nice for dinner :)
Tuesday: Opening day in Boston!
on target and we're flying blind
Apr. 12th, 2026 09:32 pmthe_siobhanCurrently listening to the Goths Against Fascism raid train. They're raising money for the ACLU and appear to be just short of their goal.
Current DJ is playing fantastic music but will not fucking shut up talking over it.
[EDIT] Very Talky DJ just raided to a new channel and it's somebody I knew back in the day. Heh.
[2nd EDIT] And now new DJ is playing a bunch of Spanish-language punk and goth and ska and it's fucking amazing.
***
Very productive weekend was had where I managed to cross a bunch of things off my to-do list. Lord Brock got his blood taken but I completely failed to get a urine sample because I have to collect it and then get it to the vet within a fairly narrow time frame and he refused to cooperate while they were actually open. I'll try again in the morning.
Which means having a conversation with my boss, "Hey if my cat pees I have to run out the door right away."
I've been thinking anyway, I need to sit down and have a talk with her about medical accommodations. My vertigo has been hell with all the rain storms sweeping through and that's going to be an issue every spring so it would be good if they're prepared for me to be around less when that happens. Unless they want to send me a driver or something.
***
Did another long walk on Friday. Stretching and being good in between. So far foot is still holding up well.
And I was thinking about this as I was out looking around at the various storefronts, Toronto has SO MANY cannabis shops. SO MANY. Some sections of particularly popular shopping streets has a half-dozen per block.
The vast majority of them are not licensed. Ironically our former drug-dealer premier could not figure out how to get legal weed shops sorted when they first became legal so people just went ahead and opened their own. Occasionally cops will go around and close a bunch but they're really the only ones who give a shit.
So anyway one of the things you see frequently here - no idea if this is true in other locations - is weed shops that say in big letters on the front that the owners are from a specific indigenous tribe operating on unceded land as per their treaty rights. I've always wondered if that actually got the cops to stop bothering them.
And then recently a friend pointed out there are also weed shops that say Sovereign people without the tribal mention, and those are run by Freeman and now that I know I see them everywhere.
(For those who don't want to click on the link, Freeman are a group in Canada who have decided that they if they don't "consent" to be citizens they can't be forced to do things like pay taxes or follow laws. I knew somebody who fell for their nonsense and I am absolutely fascinated to know how that's the kind of self-deception that outlasts the first speeding ticket.)
***
Current media consumption: I am binging Slow Horses with the gf and I am loving it. I'm not really one for spy stories, but I am really digging the personalities and the plot twists and the internal conflicts. Also the character Gary Oldman plays is amazing.
Mostly what I'm reading is terribly-written romantasy series which are entirely cookie-cutter and disposable so I can just tear them off the role and then forget about them. Kinda where I'm at for the moment. I will challenge my brain via reading material when it has less going on in the rest of life.
Current DJ is playing fantastic music but will not fucking shut up talking over it.
[EDIT] Very Talky DJ just raided to a new channel and it's somebody I knew back in the day. Heh.
[2nd EDIT] And now new DJ is playing a bunch of Spanish-language punk and goth and ska and it's fucking amazing.
***
Very productive weekend was had where I managed to cross a bunch of things off my to-do list. Lord Brock got his blood taken but I completely failed to get a urine sample because I have to collect it and then get it to the vet within a fairly narrow time frame and he refused to cooperate while they were actually open. I'll try again in the morning.
Which means having a conversation with my boss, "Hey if my cat pees I have to run out the door right away."
I've been thinking anyway, I need to sit down and have a talk with her about medical accommodations. My vertigo has been hell with all the rain storms sweeping through and that's going to be an issue every spring so it would be good if they're prepared for me to be around less when that happens. Unless they want to send me a driver or something.
***
Did another long walk on Friday. Stretching and being good in between. So far foot is still holding up well.
And I was thinking about this as I was out looking around at the various storefronts, Toronto has SO MANY cannabis shops. SO MANY. Some sections of particularly popular shopping streets has a half-dozen per block.
The vast majority of them are not licensed. Ironically our former drug-dealer premier could not figure out how to get legal weed shops sorted when they first became legal so people just went ahead and opened their own. Occasionally cops will go around and close a bunch but they're really the only ones who give a shit.
So anyway one of the things you see frequently here - no idea if this is true in other locations - is weed shops that say in big letters on the front that the owners are from a specific indigenous tribe operating on unceded land as per their treaty rights. I've always wondered if that actually got the cops to stop bothering them.
And then recently a friend pointed out there are also weed shops that say Sovereign people without the tribal mention, and those are run by Freeman and now that I know I see them everywhere.
(For those who don't want to click on the link, Freeman are a group in Canada who have decided that they if they don't "consent" to be citizens they can't be forced to do things like pay taxes or follow laws. I knew somebody who fell for their nonsense and I am absolutely fascinated to know how that's the kind of self-deception that outlasts the first speeding ticket.)
***
Current media consumption: I am binging Slow Horses with the gf and I am loving it. I'm not really one for spy stories, but I am really digging the personalities and the plot twists and the internal conflicts. Also the character Gary Oldman plays is amazing.
Mostly what I'm reading is terribly-written romantasy series which are entirely cookie-cutter and disposable so I can just tear them off the role and then forget about them. Kinda where I'm at for the moment. I will challenge my brain via reading material when it has less going on in the rest of life.
Anime Tracker Spring 2026
Apr. 12th, 2026 07:28 pmlovelyangel Botan Kamiina Fully Blossoms When Drunk, Episode 1 |
I’m still working on streamlining my anime reporting, trying to get down to just two posts a season – an early tracker and a final count. (And so far, I’ve failed with a wrapup of Winter. I’m super busy at the moment.) Here’s the initial summary of the shows I sampled – and which ones are getting attention. (Shows are on Crunchyroll unless otherwise specified.) There are a lot of sequels I’ll be following, too. There could be some stragglers showing up next week.
( All the Shows, Below This Cut )
Vocabulary: Quiddity
Apr. 12th, 2026 08:21 pmysabetwordsmithIn scholastic philosophy, "quiddity" was another term for the essence of an object, literally its "whatness" or "what it is." It's the quality that makes something what it is.
My partner Doug mentioned it tonight, and I had only seen it in Scrabble dictionaries. Try to lay that one over a triple word score. It's 8 letters but you can build it onto quid, id, dit, or it.
My partner Doug mentioned it tonight, and I had only seen it in Scrabble dictionaries. Try to lay that one over a triple word score. It's 8 letters but you can build it onto quid, id, dit, or it.
Nigeria Air Force orders investigation after dozens killed in airstrike
Apr. 13th, 2026 10:52 ambbcnewsworld_feedThere are reports that more than 100 people were killed, although the authorities have not commented.
Leading candidate quits California governor race amid sexual misconduct claims
Apr. 13th, 2026 02:35 ambbcnewsworld_feedTop Democratic allies intensified pressure on him to exit the gubernatorial race.
Orbán era swept away by Péter Magyar's Hungary election landslide
Apr. 13th, 2026 11:03 ambbcnewsworld_feedViktor Orbán's 16-year rule is over, defeated by a 45-year-old ex-party insider who convinced a majority of Hungarians to oust him.