susandennis | Reading

As the weather gets warmer it grows more difficult for me to sleep comfortably. The nights are still cool enough that I can chill the apartment for a while, but that's going to get more difficult. Sunday's high will be in the nineties, as will six of the next ten days. Next Wednesday will reach only 77, but three other days will be in the eighties. Most of the nights will drop into the sixties, but three will be in the fifties. So it's not horrendous yet, but it's trending that way.

Last night's dinner did not turn our as well as I'd hoped, and I have the makings for two more of the same, though I can vary the spicing and the cooking style, which I hope will improve them. I did buy some stuff for sandwiches once the days stat getting even hotter, and I look forward both to the minimal cooking and the minimal effort. Not to mention the ease of cleanup. I'll be missing my baked potatoes and yams, but summer foods have their virtues. I can live with that. I sort of have to, I guess.

( Sunday Verse )

arlie

I'm sitting here glaring at Anti-Piketty: Capital for the 21st century. I spotted it in the library when looking for something else, and borrowed it because I'd been very impressed when I read Thomas Piketty's Capital in the Twenty-First Century, and make a practice of reading counter-arguments whenever I can find them, particularly for arguments that impressed me.

Anti-Piketty is a book of essays critiquing various aspects of Piketty's book. I'm still in the front matter, and already wondering whether to simply return the book to the library with extreme prejudice.

The book was published by the Cato Institute, well-known for sending their particular flavor of US right wing political proselytizing to (presumably) every household in the US, and probably Canada as well, if not every household in any English-speaking country. Or maybe just every household in zip codes prosperous enough to be likely to buy into their argument; all I know is that I've been receiving them for decades, almost certainly starting before I moved to the US.

CATO et al. are libertarians of a sort, and their economic theories seem to me to owe a lot to the Chicago School of Economics. Their spammed literature tends towards the simplistic, perhaps with a side order of preaching to the choir. I suspect them of being bought-and-paid-for shills for people like the Koch brothers.

Needless to say, nothing they advocate or believe is consistent with Piketty's thesis, and nothing in Piketty's thesis is consistent with the positions advocated by the Cato Institute. The closest to overlap might be that both sometimes use the terminology of economics.

Being this opposed, they might have written a useful collection of serious critiques. Or they might instead have written a collection of truth-optional insults and mockery. They would certainly be motivated to convert people away from Piketty's positions. But different strategies convert different types of people.

( Read more... )

days_unfolding

Gracie got me up at 7 AM. Because I had problems falling asleep, that wasn’t nearly enough sleep. I let the dogs out. I called the dog boarding and made arrangements.

I have two cats in here to nap with me. Oliver is under the blanket and Lily is pouncing on him.

Had a nice nap. Fed the cats. Checked on the dogs, and they’re happy outside. Showered. Made an appointment for a pedicure next Saturday.

Hmm. The mower died way too fast. Does it need new batteries? Now I’m wondering what to do. I could try to put my low raised bed together, but I kind of like to mow there first. Oh, and I should put the sticker on the car (done). The low raised bed requires a mallet and a screwdriver, so I need to go look for them. Not found, so I ordered some.

Fed us all. Emailed my dad about the trip. I’m so tired right now.

matthew_feed

Posted by Matthew McQuilkin

https://www.fruitcakeenterprises.com/blog/2026/5/9/my-bluesky-posts

Fri, 05:37:
“Okay everyone, call and response!”
…
“Harlan Oates!”
—from the dream I just woke up from https://t.co/34AX2ugk5q

Fri, 08:36: If you know this director's filmography, it's about as weird and impenetrable as you'd expect. https://t.co/34AX2ugk5q
Fri, 12:01: What fresh bullshit is this? https://t.co/Rse29IxQef

https://www.fruitcakeenterprises.com/blog/2026/5/9/my-bluesky-posts

christopher575

Full list of May questions here.

11. When was the last time you took a photo?

Today! We went to the piercing shop and Ben added a chain connecting two of the piercings in my right ear, the image below is flipped. I usually share flipped photos of myself because I consider selfies to be like one's reflection.

That pair of piercings is called a faux snug, which I got because the anatomy of my ear doesn't support a real snug piercing. But that's fine! a faux snug is easier to heal than a real one. I suppose with the chain you don't really notice that it's a faux snug as much. Not that most people who see it would even realize it's a fake version of a single piercing.

Ben also did an incredible project connecting three piercings in Garrett's ear. I'll get a picture of it after it's settled in a bit.

12. It’s the International Day of Plant Health! Healthy plants mean a healthy planet! Have you ever planted something and watched it grow? Do you look after your houseplants or your garden plants diligently

I don't like gardening. Or really anything that requires being out in the sun for extended periods. I love houseplants, though! And our dining room is chock full of them. I especially love our wall-mounted planter but we also have some very tall plants on the buffet.

We also have a countertop hydroponic herb garden. Currently it's got two pods of basil and one of mint and they're growing so slow. Not sure if it's because I used regular seeds in empty pods this time as opposed to premade pods from the manufacturer. That herb garden has a flashing light that indicates when to add food, so it's pretty easy to be consistent. Everything else gets watered every Wednesday.

13. It’s Top Gun Day! Ever seen it (and/or the sequel)?

Yeah. Definitely not my kind of movie. And I ended up seeing the sequel twice because we watched it and then played it for Garrett's mom the last time we took a trip together.

14. Have you ever seen a ‘mockumentary’ film or TV show? The term was coined when the 1984 “This is Spinal Tap” film was released, and notable examples on TV include “The Office”.

I love a good mockumentary. One of my favorites that it seems like nobody has ever heard of is Lisa Picard is Famous, written and directed by Griffin Dunne. And I'm so glad to hear St. Denis Medical is moving to Netflix rather than being canceled.

15. Bees are responsible for pollinating many of the plants we eat (a current estimate is that they are responsible for every three bites of food we eat). Have you seen any bees this year?

Is that one of every three bites? Impressive! I saw a very big bumblebee because Tilly was chasing it around the yard. I really hope she doesn't catch one.

summersgate

Planting Seeds.

pigshitpoet

Spring plant sale
The beginning of spring
Varieties of leaves wave on
O, me, what will happen to me?
Sea of leafy green from wall to wall,
Garden growers call, and lost mariners stall,
Looking for land on which to refuge from it all
I quickly find the magazines, to help make sense,
Of this, “Look it up on your phone, if you don’t know
What plant it be,” comes the green thumb advice to me,
I don’t use cellphones, I defiantly said; It may have fallen
On deaf ears, Oh, well. I prefer natural communication
“Everything 50 % off!” shout the market shipmates,
And garden hoes marching about this makeshift
Vessel. “Early comers pay full prices, but
Latecomers pay half!” for the dregs
(That’s good, I guess…)
I find a pile of magazines to cling to
Digging through the colorful pics,
For my art, of tangled gardens
I consider them works of art
And the hands that made them, impressionist art
Androgynous green swims through my head
Once there was a Garden in a Cosmic Sea,
Now they sell flowers to plant in the trees
“One dollar each, but they’re now 50 cents”
Do you take credit? – “Sorry, cash only.”
Comes the answer – Well then,
It looks like it’s not my lucky day!
A space in time where two worlds meet.
I leave empty handed but filled with
Inspiration and remorse
A mental picture
Of what lies ahead
Have a wonderful summer
May your gardens all flourish! ~psp

dr. π (pi)
.

somedayseattle

This song is pure joy.

Watch on YouTube

somedayseattle

The last three years have been quite a trial. The first 18 months were devastating because in my heart I believed I would walk again but at the same time had no tangible proof. One day the big toe on my left foot twitched and I knew I was on the way. It took a while for everything from the waist down to start moving again. Then it finally did and on June 9 of 2025, I stood up out of my wheelchair for the first time. I spent a few months in rehab with the wonderful Brittany. She pushed me to constantly do better. My insurance ran out the last week of 2025. Brittany applied for me and I was granted 30 more visits. I told her I wanted to take a couple weeks off before starting a new round of rehab. It was near the end of that hiatus that I got the bacterial infection. January 30, 2026. I have been off my feet ever since.

The left foot healed up pretty quickly, but the right foot has been torturously slow. Slow to the point that I’m going to get a skin graft. That will be Thursday of next week. I visited with nurse Allison the other day. She cut off my bandages and inspected my wound. She was satisfied with the healing and thought the skin graft was a great idea. I explained how I had a goal to be using a walker by June 9 of this year. One year since I stood up. I explained that I lost four months because of this infection. She then gave me a small boot and said I could start walking again. I can use the walker to go short distances and maybe build up a little bit of strength before the skin graft.

I was ecstatic. My eyes welled up, and I almost shed a tear of joy . I feel like the past few months have been a complete waste of my time. The only time I’m on my feet is transferring from the wheelchair to the bed. After dinner tonight, I’m going to attempt to walk halfway down the hall with the walker. It doesn’t matter how successful I am right now because after the graft I’ll be off my feet again for 2 to 3 weeks. If I can just get the mechanics down between now and Thursday, I will be ahead of the game.

Right now that’s about as good news as I could get, next to maybe winning the lottery. I am able to stand, haphazardly walk, and surrounded by a good support system. Sounds like maybe I already won the lottery.

Public Service Announcement--As always, free foot photos are available at The SomedaySeattle Gift Shop in lovely BeltBuckle, NC. (Open Tuesday and Friday 11-2, closed for lunch 12-1) If you cannot make it by, rip of an email to us or leave a comment.

maju

My trip to the puzzle swap at the library was very quick. I wanted to walk because I was only carrying four puzzles and it's under 20 minutes, but there was rain in the forecast so I drove, and it was just as well because it was raining quite heavily by the time I left. Anyway, there was a huge number of puzzles laid out according to number of pieces on large tables around the edges of the community room at the library, and only a small number of people, maybe ten or twelve at most, browsing. There were far more 1000 piece puzzles than any other number, and although I donated three 500 piece puzzles, I brought home only 1000 piece puzzles because you didn't have to only choose puzzles of the same number of pieces as you donated. (300+, 500+, and 2000+ were the other categories.) I was sorry I could only choose four, but it was strictly on the basis of bring one, take one. Next time I'll have more, because I still had three left here at home that I haven't done yet. I really hope this will be a regular event.

I had a short "attack" of ear pain this morning which started soon after I got up. It was quite mild and bearable for two or three hours until I put in my earbuds to do a Duolingo lesson, and the earbuds instantly made it worse. (Lesson learnt.) I lay down with the painful ear positioned as comfortably as possible on a pillow, and the pain was gone within about half an hour.

soricel

Random Community of the day:

writethisfanfic

This is a big community that looks very cool and helpful. Its purpose seems to be offering support and encouragement for fanfic writers via, among other things it seems, daily check-ins in which members can post about any progress they've made on their WIPs. As I'm currently plugging away at a long (for me) fic project, I feel like this is something I'd probably benefit from. It also looks like community members volunteer to host these check-in posts, which is cool.

fflo

mtbc

Our weekend trips away from home displace activities like my writing here. Last weekend, we stayed near Sunderland, renting a garden flat looking out toward Roker Beach. The weather on our full day there was unremittingly dreich. We had some luck getting a good parking spot on our last morning there: before we departed, we walked out on to Roker Pier from where we could stand at the lighthouse and watch dolphins in the North Sea.

Our route took us near the Solway Aviation Museum which made an excellent pausing point, R.'s sons got a tour of an Vulcan. In subsequent reading I now learn that the Tornado can carry nuclear weapons and that the UK's buying F-35A's for carrying them too. I had not realized that there was interest in delivery other than from submarines.

legalmoose

Puttering around the house this morning, doing all sorts of little maintenance things. Watering the new grass-and-clover mix in the back yard, brushing a cat, refilling the dish soap dispenser. The foaming hand soap dispenser in the kitchen is starting to run low so I looked online to remind myself what the ratio of soap-to-water is (1 part soap to 5 parts water). In doing so I discovered that the designers made it easy for you - fill the clear part at the bottom with soap, then fill the rest to the 'max fill' line under the metal portion with water and voila - just the right ratio without needing an external measure. I love little details like that, where designers work with the product to make it easier to use and aesthetically pleasing.

summersgate

I haven't had much time to connect with internet journaling in the last few days. On Wednesday we headed over to West Reading and had a wonderful time holding and feeding Baby Rowan. On Thursday when I woke up I felt queasy and ended up throwing up. When I was lying down resting afterwards I noticed that my heart was beating funny and discovered that it was doing aFib. I kept waiting for it to get better - what a stupid and inconvenient time to have to go to the hospital (we were supposed to babysit Rowan that morning so that Johnny and Alison could both get some much needed rest). But finally I thought - just go to the ER and get the cardioversion over with. But they didn't want to do a cardioversion that day. Since I threw up my morning pills with the blood thinner pill they feared I might not be protected from clots. It's a long story that I don't even want to bother writing it all out but basically they wanted to wait till the next day to do a transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE) first to make sure there were no clots in my heart before they did the cardioversion. My heart rate had slowed down somewhat because of some kind of med they were giving me even though I was still in aFib. Fortunately around 6 pm I went out of aFib on my own which was great but they still wanted to keep me there for overnight observation. I had 2 IVs in my right arm (one was in my elbow) plus the BP cuff and finger oxygen thingy was on that arm. Very uncomfortable, my whole arm ached, and I basically could barely use or bend my right arm. Luckily I had lots of practice doing things with my left arm from the broken wrist a few years ago. The arm discomfort was the worst thing in the hospital stay. Well, the food I got was terrible too because I wasn't on a meal plan - dried up leftover things with meat in them that I couldn't eat. Anyway, I got out of the hospital on Friday around noon and we all took Rowan for a walk in his stroller in the neighborhood park. It's a beautiful place with interesting sculptures and the weather was perfect but I took no pictures. I did take pics of people holding Rowan back at the house and I also have a couple pics from Two Mile Run on Tuesday when Candy and I hiked there that I haven't put on here yet. Pics HERE:( Read more... )

I feel a rush of energy now that I am home again and taking care of my own little world. I feel like I've been gone so long - first to Florida and then to West Reading for 3 days. I want to make changes in my life. I hate that I am getting aFib so often - the last time before this was just in February. I plan to lose weight and look into a sleep apnea test. I do snore, a lot, and I probably do have sleep apnea. I never wanted to be tested for it before because if I found out I had it I didn't want to wear that thing on my nose but I'm willing now to do whatever I need to avoid aFib, if I can.

This morning: the one and only flower on my peony tree this year and it's been flattened by last night's rain. I still liked how it looked with the water droplets on it.

which_chick

I took the plow truck (1999 F250 V10) in to have it inspected. There was rather a lot of play in the steering, more than I generally like to have for driving at highway speeds, so I mentioned that to the shop when I dropped the truck off.

( Read more? )

mtbc

The election happened. Feeling rushed, I took less care than usual in researching my options but there were readily available links online to manifestos and suchlike. As a sufficient discriminator, I focused on parties' positions on the subset of issues where I care more and where I expected more divergence.

Britain is good at offering abundantly many polling stations open for long hours, I have never seen much of a queue. It was R.'s and their eldest first time voting here so I tried to be informative but not overly so. I was surprised how long our regional ballot paper was in person, my not having thought through how it had to fit well over a dozen parties plus a couple of independents. It all seemed to go easily and smoothly even though our polling station serves three … districts? each of which needs two ballot boxes for each of that district's kinds of ballot. It is nice to be in a country that can count elections in hours rather than days.

In every election, my tendency is to weigh my options; over the years, I have voted for a good range of parties. The main exception might be that I don't believe I've ever voted Republican in the US. Twenty years ago I might have at least given them thought but, especially in this modern era, Republicans will have to find some principles, honesty and compassion before I can ever even consider them again. In recent years, the Conservatives in Britain have also moved enough rightward to be beyond the pale for me. I don't think I've moved much leftward in my old age, I think the parties moved under me: Labour remains much more Blair's than Kinnock's, and Badenoch's running scared of Reform. (Some Reform members think the National Socialists made some good points.) I'm slightly awkward because I'm more progressive socially than along other policy axes so it's always a tradeoff: in this case, drawing a few almost-red lines on issues narrowed the options nicely.

The results leave me quite comfortable with remaining in Scotland: Reform did the worst up here. Locally, and in general, the SNP did well. I am not their biggest fan but there are certainly worse and, not winning a majority in Parliament, perhaps they can focus more on governing than referenda. The SNP has this habit of campaigning on many issues then deeming every vote to be a mandate for Scottish independence.

rejectomorph

Once again Joe Albertson's evil empire has stabbed me in the back, not having my favorite donuts in stock even though Safeway's web site said they did. Not only that, but they didn't have my preferred backup donuts in stock either, so I'm stuck with my third choice. As I was given the misinformation that the donuts were available, I didn't order any substitute foods for my breakfasts for the next two weeks. I'll have to make do with what is on hand, which isn't much.

They were also out of four other times I'd ordered, so they effectively screwed themselves out of about twenty extra dollars of sales which they were screwing me out of my menu. And they'd already crewed themselves out of another twelve when they didn't have my beer in stock, and I chose not to order any backup since there was nothing else I wanted either. I wish I could still get out to buy stuff myself, so I could fill in the gaps with stuff from other stores, but I just don't have the energy anymore.

I've been up since first light Friday morning, and I didn't get a nap, so I'm exhausted, but I haven't had dinner yet and I'm actually hungry, so I guess I'll have to fix something before I go to bed. I could do something fairly easy, but I really want to get started on the more elaborate meals I bought. It's going to be getting way hotter over the next several days, and cooking will become more and more unpleasant.

And damn, I forgot the BOGO deal they had on small watermelons. I'm starting to crave summer fruits, and have none. Just one mango, and the mangos have been disappointing lately. I hate to pester the niece and nephew to fetch more stuff for me, but I'll probably think about it, and then probably not do it. That's my usual way. I wonder if I've got some canned fruit? Awful stuff for the most part, but maybe better than nothing or being a pest.

pigshitpoet

" 'Man and Woman are connected by an invisible red thread.'

This legend is rooted in Japanese culture and beliefs and symbolizes fate and the power of bonding. The red thread represents the idea that you are fatefully connected to the person you are meant to meet. It is also a soothing lullaby that allows you to accept whatever reality you are faced with as a fate you cannot go against."

Katsu Nakajima - "Red String" via

Attraction is the motivation.

Augustine’s conception of love as “a kind of craving” — the Latin appetitus, from which the word appetite is derived — and his assertion that “to love is indeed nothing else than to crave something for its own sake,” Arendt is propelling love. amor mundi — “love of the world”. The ancient Greeks, in their pioneering effort to order the chaos of the cosmos, neatly taxonomized them into filial love (the kind we feel for siblings, children, parents, and friends), eros (the love of lovers), and agape (the deepest, purest, most impersonal and spiritual love). Inseparable from the deepest wellspring of love: the personal, self-love, the mirror from love of other.

Illustration from An ABZ of Love, Kurt Vonnegut’s favorite vintage Danish guide to sexuality

So long as we desire temporal things, we are constantly under this threat, and our fear of losing always corresponds to our desire to have. via

enjoy!

dr. π (pi)
.

days_unfolding

I said Good night to the cats “And don’t knock anything down “. Oliver: “That sounds like a challenge.” The dogs are so tired.

Woke up 7:20ish. It’s been a busy morning. Overslept my nap. Contacted the vet for Gracie’s shot. Signed the forms for my CPAP (and did a “facial scan”). Checked on the dogs because it’s raining, but they don’t want to come in. Okay. Bella left muddy paw prints on my shirt 🙂 Oliver is being a little shit and is picking on Lily. Sigh.

Got a place to board the cats at the end of the month. I’ll call the dog place tomorrow morning.

It’s after work, and the cats want to be fed Right Meow! Lily is fussing over me. I didn’t have time to eat dinner before my singing lesson. Threw myself together.

The singing lesson went well. I told her that choir was over for the summer, and she said, “Oh good. We can practice solo pieces.” She asked me if I had a song to work on, and I said that the Joni Mitchell song “River” had popped into my mind. She liked the range of notes on it. I wound up inwardly cursing Joni Mitchell for her range. We got through it, but I need to practice it.

Everyone is inside and fed, but I need to give them their evening snack.

I’m adding to my reading of somewhat depressing books by reading Roger Rosenblatt’s book about caring for his grandkids after the death of his daughter, Making Toast. I’m a Roger Rosenblatt fan. I loved his essays for Time magazine. I had my favorite of his essays, ”Thanksgiving Inventory” on my door at IBM. (You can search Time's archive for it if you want, but I can't link to it. Well worth it though.) But the chapters in his book are long, so I decided to put it aside and post. I want to get up at a decent hour to do yard work.

So I need to give the pets their crunchies and head towards bed.

tedwords

I went over Jeanie's (Dad in tow) to mow her lawn. It was the final finishing touch on her house--and it looks pretty good, if I must say.

I spoke with Jeanie, who was dressed in a Superwoman shirt. Jeanie told me that Frank is pretty upset about all that happened. She says he needs support. She also said she had a few choice words for Coleen (although to be fair, Coleen had a few choice words for her, too)

Later on, Jeanie and I drove down to help Frank with the set. I stayed for a while after, playing my Mel Brooks tapes. Coleen came in to work on her song. I left in very good spirits.

That night at rehearsal I made an attempt to make up with everyone. Except Steve, who I don't feel needs to be made up with. If he doesn't want to call me, that's his business.

[2025 reflection: wow, look at what one RIC orientation can do!]

My attempts worked. I first apologized to Jackie, who was mad because I snubbed her.

Then I went to Mike. He said he was just in a bad mood yesterday. I asked if sandy and Rick were related, and he laughed and said, no, they were going out. They had been kidding around, I suppose, about having a brother/sister routine.

Mike and I walked outside and he explained that Rick and Sandy have been very heavy for a while and at the start of this play they agreed to cool it off just a bit. Well, to Jackie, just breaking up with Doug, Rick seemed to be very available. So, she went after him, and Rick decided to go for it. So now he says he likes both of them, and it's driving Mike crazy. He says Mike knows he is good looking and flaunts it.

Mike also said this cast is pretty hostile, but he's been through that before. Well, hopefully the two of us won't be thoroughly hostile.

Last but not least, I went up to Kevin and told him I really didn't want to fight. And we made up, although we're still probably not terribly fond of each other.

That night, Pauline, MB and I went to HoJos. We had a lot of fun. I saw Nancy for a while with her friend Ed. It was quite a blast. And I also gave in, by the end of the night, and was nice to Steven.

A good night, all in all. Coleen was proud of me.

tedwords

Dad picked me up and told me Steve had tried calling, but I was gone.

I had practice that night, but he wasn't going to it. I felt a bit, well, odd, because of everything that had happened. I seemed okay at first, but things turned out pretty bad. And I wasn't the only one.

Let me explain. I complained (nicely, I thought) to Frank that Mike was accidently singing my lines in "I Hear Music." Mike got wicked insulted and started to get in a huff that grew worse through the night.

I myself was getting pretty bad--ignoring people and such. Kevin sided with Michael and the two started whispering to each other about me. And as I left the stage, Kevin tripped me. So the next time I left, I slapped him on the foot really hard.

I left to call Pauline for a pep talk. By the time I returned, I was fine, but Coleen was in tears at the door. Before I could ask why, Kevin came out asking, "Who the fuck do you think you are stepping on my foot?" And I said "Who the fuck do you think you are tripping me?"

He swung and I swung and we were quickly broken up, with Kevin in tears and me asking Pat about Tom Lehrer.

Frank called Coleen, Kevin and I aside to talk to the three of us separately. He spoke with Coleen first. Jeannie asked us to leave and Coleen said, "Why don't you, too, Jeannie?" Jeanie replied, "I don't deserve that--not from you, Coleen." I tried to leave at that point, but Coleen said to wait for her outside so we could talk.

Frank came to me. I told him my side of the story. The he went to Kevin, so I left.

I came out like Mr. T saying "I pity the fool!" and Mike tactfully left.

Coleen and I went into her car. Jason and Jackie had ransacked the beer she had in her car. Coleen told me she dislike Jason because he was immature and besides, she spent two hours trying to talk Tracey out of suicide with the help of Dick.

Dick, she tells me, had been through a similar experience with the guy who played Sir Harry in Mattress. Dick, it turns out, is bisexual. Dan Kirby was Sir Harry and it ruined their friendship.

She then told me her problem with Frank. Frank kept badgering her into doing a part she wasn't ready for and finally, after messing up again, she burst into tears and ran off. In her own words, "I'm not going to listen to a seventeen year old asshole."

I told her my problem with Kevin and a lot of what had happened in the past and that I really don't care much about Kevin any more. We talked about a lot of things--like her affair with a 31 year old at the age of 17 and that Deb F thought she would shock Coleen with news of her sex with Curt.

Coleen said something interesting: "Why is everyone in this cast so messed up? Why are they all ruining their youth with the problems they create?"

Why do we ruin our youth with problems? Is happiness that trite a possession? Are we more content with being unhappy?

[2026 reflection: I had forgotten the details of this fight, and now that I have read this 40 years later, I think Kevin really started this, and kind of happy that I showed some backbone.]

bill_schubert

I had to make a separate post.

When we were young we used to drive out to Oklahoma waiting until it was really hot so we could all enjoy the station wagon with no air conditioning all the way out and back. One of the places I always wanted to stop at was Stuckey's. My parents were smart enough not to stop there. Actually I don't think we stopped much of anywhere.

Today I made up a bit of that. We passed a Buc-ees and stopped. If you don't know, Buc-ees is a huge gas station with the best bathrooms anywhere and some of the nicest staff and stay that way 24 hours a day. You can walk into the 2 acre Buc-ees store at 3AM and be greeted by someone who will 'welcome to Buc-ees' all cheerie and stuff. That time of morning is special. We were there this morning but it was 11ish and not insane. But the people watching was a treat as always and the shelves were perfectly stocked, the food was hot and ready, and the bathrooms were immaculate. It is a finely tuned machine. I'm sorry I can't send you some Watermelon Cotton Candy but I can send you pictures:

The kitchiest wooden wavy placks I've ever seen just outside the bathroom. This one dimensional photo does not do them justice.

FOOD FOOD AND FOOD:

This is a picture standing in the center of the store looking one direction:

Same amount of room going the other way.

This is an entire wall of every kind of food you can think of. Across from this wall are rows on rows of shelves filled with chips and such. This wall has candy and jerky, and such.

And, of course they have T-shirts commerating the Buc-ees Nascar entry:

And who could go on their camping trip without a double burner, three basket, oil fryer. Turkey and fries!!!!

There is so much more. So much.

And the people who buy it all.

I used to drive up from San Diego to Venice Beach so I could sit on the sea wall, drink a beer, and watch the circus go by. Buc-ees reminds me of that. More clothes but similar people.

tedwords

I was scared when I woke up. Scared I would spend breakfast alone and that kid Richard would suddenly dislike me in the light of day.

So, I pretended to oversleep so I wouldn't have to eat breakfast.

Richard saw me after breakfast and we talked but didn't say much during the lecture period. (Prejudice and sexuality, of all things). During lunch, I hung out with the kid from lunch yesterday. This massively depressed me. I felt that I had failed--and tried so little.

So, I chose my classes and decided to forget everything. And, as I was leaving, Richard ran up and gave me his number. He asked for mine, too. I said I would call.

All in all, it wasn't really all that bad. Classes are great--Tuesday and Thursdays I only have one class each day. All right!

bill_schubert

So all is OK with the world. We could have come back same day but six hours in the car is a bit much. We're going to go back to the doc once a year like any cardiologist visit, just to check in and be sure nothing has changed. Now we know what we're doing it will be much easier and less stressful.

Dana has a condition that is not common but neither is it rare. It essentially makes her veins and arteries flexible which one might think is good but actually can result in weakness and potential issues if the pressure gets too high. So she needs to keep her blood pressure low, which she was already doing, and nothing that results in raising it locally. Her neck vessels, for instance, are prone to buldging so no downward dog kind of thing. Or neck massages, or cross body bags that might get caught on someone walking by and quickly pull at her neck. The vessel might tear.
Other than that nothing really changes. It is just that we know what is happening now and can monitor it. Nothing dramatic.

All in all a good outcome. The doc was very ADHD as am I so we clashed a bit but worked it out. She's a cardiologist who specializes in FMD and vascular medicine so seeing her once a year makes sense and having her as a resource if some other crazy doc starts saying we HAVE to do this or that is nice. We ran into one already who decided that Dana should be on some strong blood thinners. I killed that quickly and this doc agreed that Dana does NOT need to be on blood thinners. It would have caused a lot of problems. So now I've got someone to point to and say 'ask her'.

Our VRBO apartment was kind of crap and we ate at the world's worst seafood restaurant but now we know where we need to be I can find a better set up next year.

matthew_feed

Posted by Matthew McQuilkin

https://www.fruitcakeenterprises.com/blog/2026/5/8/its-for-me

— छह हज़ार चौबीस —

My evening last night was pretty much used up by taking myself to see Mother Mary at AMC Pacific Place. The showtime was not until 7:05, though, so I rode my bike home first.

Shobhit and I had the last of the leftover enchiladas and rice Gabby and Nick sent us home with after having dinner at their place in Edmonds on Tuesday, for dinner. It was fucking delicious. The rice in particular—it's a recipe from Nick's family, and it was always delicious, but it seems to get even more delicious by the day as leftovers. I could hardly get over how delicious it was.

Shobhit watched old episodes of Malcolm in the Middle on Disney+ while we ate. In the meantime, I looked for a SIFF movie for us to watch. Through his connection to SAG-AFTRA, he got two voucher numbers for a free movie at the festival. I found one movie for us to use both vouchers and see together, on Sunday the 17th: Body Blow, an Austalian queer noir that looks like it could be fun.

Honestly, it was somewhat of a challenge to find any SIFF movies this year that both had a workable showtime and I had all that much interest in. After doing some searches through the program this year, it seems just as well that I did not buy the "Cinematic Six Pack" of tickets that I used to buy every year. Honestly the movie selection in recent years just isn't as robust as it used to be, which is kind of disappointing. I still keep my membership current, though; I still think they're a vital local organization and I want to support them.

— छह हज़ार चौबीस —

— छह हज़ार चौबीस —

It was too near 10:00 when I got home—I walked back downtown for the movie because I did not want to bike back home again in the dark, and I walked home again after—so there was not time last night to write the movie review. I wrote it after getting to work this morning. Don't tell anyone!

— छह हज़ार चौबीस —

I just had my biweekly virtual lunch with Karen—which we haven't done in four weeks because she had a conflict two weeks ago and could not reschedule. (This was also why I was happy to be able to drop by her house to pick up the cake dish she gave us on Wednesday last week, and thus get an in-person Birth Week photo with her.)

She also had a sort-of conflict today, as she needed to visit a friend in the hospital. But, being unable to connect via Zoom, we just connected over FaceTime on our phones instead. She was sitting in the lobby of the hospital, waiting to speak to a neurologist because apparently her friend had some level of stroke and they don't know yet exactly how severe, and she apologized for being distracted because the people who passes through were so interesting.

We talked a little about my Birth Week, and about how aging is affecting us both, though mostly the conversation revolved around the cake Shobhit baked for my party. I shared the modifications to Valerie's recipe that Shobhit made, and Shobhit should feel validated to hear Karen say that chocolate and cardamom actually complement each other really well. And especially once I mentioned the three layers and the strawberry jam spread between each, not only did she think it sounded amazing, she said she thinks Shobhit should make it again and share. Ha!

She had to sign off about 15 minutes earlier than usual because she wanted to go find the aforementioned neurologist, but begore we ended I asked her what she was working on, as she had some kind of cross stitch thing in her hands the whole time. She called it a "bag charm," and it was a cute rocking horse type thing that she intends to hang from her own bag. I assumed it was going to be a gift for someone and she was like, "It's for me!"

I've still got shit to do myself, though, so I guess I better get this posted and get back to it.

— छह हज़ार चौबीस —

[posted 1:02pm]

https://www.fruitcakeenterprises.com/blog/2026/5/8/its-for-me

soc_puppet posting in

dw_community_promo

( You're about to view content that the poster has marked as potentially inappropriate for anyone under the age of 18. )

tedwords

Exhausting day. We woke up early so I could get ready for my interview. Corb and I had gone over some mock questions in preparation the night before.

We arrived at Shiplap at 8:45 and the film crew was there at around 9:15. There were a much-anticipated round of layoffs at Fidelity today so I knew everyone was a bit on edge. Well, except for me. But I am definitely a sympathetic ear.

Here is how I described the shoot: This morning I was interviewed by my friend Ally Donnelly for an episode of Money Unscripted. The segment centers around retiring from the corporate world to help Corb grow our business, TC Thursby Lighting Restorations. Oh, and the nervousness one feels, taking this chance during volatile times. It was filmed at Shiplap and Chandeliers in Norwood, where Corb's first location was opened, four years ago. Look for the episode, out around the start of June!

They scouted the location, set up the equipment, and by 11 Ally was set up to interview me. We conducted the interview for about 90 minutes and then they wanted to do some teaser segments around the space. Then shot some b-roll and did some Ops of various items in the location. They were done by around 3:30.

It was lovely spending the whole day with Ally and Jess, however. Even if they were a bit stressed. They had to stop production at one point to take a Flash call to learn who on their team had been impacted.

Corb and I grabbed some food and went home. He was exhausted, and we napped for about an hour. I woke up to pull together social copy for a Flea Market for Eldridge on Saturday.

That night, nowhere to go. Thank God. I cooked us dinner and we watched The Traitors.

tedwords

Busy day, mostly in preparation for tomorrow's interview with my friend Ally Donnelly. As a result, most of the day was spent in Shiplap. We first started by cleaning out the gallery completely. After that, we focused on moving a number of the bigger items (the mirror, many of the lighting fixtures) into the main area. Brit had a great suggestion as to where to place the mirror, but it sparked Corb to have a few additional ideas on how to move things around, which took us a lot of time, but looked great, in the end.

At night, there was an Eldredge Players fundraiser and we agreed to meet Bea at BJ's at six. Corb's mother wanted to come as a way to "audition" Bea to see if she would enjoy going to Brimfield with her next week. This was a bit of a pain, as it meant driving to pick up his mom (45 minutes from Shiplap) then heading to BJs (35 minutes). As a result, we arrived at 6:45. Bea had been kept in the loop, however.

Dinner was nice. It was great seeing Heather and Charlie again, as well as Ted and Rachel. Although my feelings toward Rachel have changed substantially this year, I did give her a hug, twice, because I would prefer to communicate out of love rather than anger. Still, I will never trust her again and would prefer to minimize my interactions with her. She was right when she said, drunkenly, a few years ago, that joining the board might impact our relationship. It did. I hope she someday gets the help I think she needs.

Bea was fantastic and gave us some greats tips on where to go in both Paris and Barcelona. She did stress that the French have mellowed out a bit in the past few years, but it is still really important to start each interaction out with Bonjour and end with Au Revoir. She did say that Spain is a lot easier and most folks like to use the English they know. She also suggested pretending to be Canadian and if you start talking with people it is perfectly fine to let them know we didn't vote for Trump.

After that, dropped off Corb's mom and drove back to Shiplap. Stayed there until midnight, cleaning. It was all done by the time we left.

tedwords

Woke up early in the morning and drove to RIC for orientation. The first thing we did was get our rooms for overnight. Our leader was named Rick, and he was very nice. Then we went for a greeting by the faculty. The dean was on videotape, and it was really dumb. We had lunch shortly after.

Since I didn't know anyone, I just sat down anywhere and went for my lunch. When I returned, three girls were sitting where I had been. One looked surprisingly like Kim. I sat with them and we chatted and went to classes (short things) together. One is in music.

After that we had a break. I watched "Duck Soup" with a few (very few) others, and didn't like that very much. For dinner I thought I could sit with the Kim look alike, but I ended up not and sat with someone else. It depressed me a bit.

That night we were supposed to go to a cabaret, but the lights went out in Gage Hall, so we instead had an all night dance. It was boring at first, I ignored the Kim look alike but then met this really nice kid from Bishop Hendriken. His name was Richard Paquette, and he was obsessed with starting a drum corps. A bit spacey, but a nice kid nonetheless. We hung around for the rest of the night. He asked why I wasn't trying to score--and I lied and told him I was going out with a girl named Mary-Beth. So, I lied a little.

He was also into Army things. We called a friend of his and spent the night playing hand made chess. All in all, I felt pretty good as I went to sleep that night. Perhaps I've made a good friend at RIC. Who knows?

tedwords

I was massively depressed today. I called Pauline up to say goodbye, as I am leaving for a two-day orientation tomorrow.

To say I was down is an understatement. I am because Steve hasn't called since I saw him Thursday and also my fight with Joyce, who I haven't seen since Friday.

Pauline and I spoke for about five minutes, but then she put down the phone to see what MB wanted and forgot about me! Put second again.

I hung up, feeling even more deflated.

MB called back, explaining that Pauline's mother had gotten stuck in Pauline's bedroom closet and couldn't get out. They then attempted to cheer me up, and of course they succeeded. It's only temporary, but I feel a bit better about things.

[2026 note: No doubt I had some anxiety over the orientation. Also, the thought of Pauline's mom stuck in the closet makes me chuckle.]

tedwords

I finished up my work at Jeanie's today.

Joyce was quite the cold to me during lunch. She was not in a good mood at all and she got me pissed when she said the new play was "just okay."

I was mad as hell and sick of her bullshit. I dropped her off at LS Peterson's and called out, "Don't call us, we'll call you!"

Insult my play, indeed.

[2026 Note: Hmmm. I am glad that I grew in my ability to take criticism through the years.]

tedwords

Worked more at Jeanie's today. Tomorrow should be the last day, hopefully.

Picked Joyce up and went to lunch again. I arrived home at two and also got my hair cut.

At 6:30 I left for rehearsal. It went fairly well--and afterwards, everyone got together and went to Ka Lua. MB and I went parking (just kidding!) We planned to go to HoJos to play a game there, but never dd. It was a lot of fun, until my sister showed up and I thought she'd yell at me because I was wearing her shirt! But Laurie didn't.

Steve took me aside for a while and we made up. I told him I just wanted to spend more time with him and he replied, "We're not married." Well, no, but we are friends. But at least, I suppose, we made up. He even showed me his fortune cookie, which said "You will reestablish acquaintances with old friends."

Jackie got bombed and Steve was going to go home with me, but Pauline and MB said, "Does he have to come?"

[2026 Note: I wrote: "Just kidding" after this. I suspect in hindsight they WERE NOT KIDDING.]

Steve believed them and went home with Drunk Jackie.

Of course, I was angry at hell with them, but forgave them.

Other highlights of Kai Lua: Colleen and Jason's hilarious erotic egg role competition, Rick and Jason's striptease act, Bill telling Deb he felt heterosexual and wanted to fuck her with his girlfriend sitting right next to him.

Frank acted like an asshole and kept threatening to quit if everyone would not stop fooling around. Instead, we just applauded. Poor Frank. He was wicked pissed at that.

Other highlights: Deb tried to teach me to smoke. Rick and his push-ups. Tracey's comments on Jason and the egg roll.

tedwords

I started working at Jeanie's today. I have hedge cutting, hoeing and all sorts of other fun, back breaking work to do. I worked until noon, and then we went for a lunch break with Joyce. Returned at 12:30 and worked until one, at which point I drove to the high school to help Frank and Dick move platforms.

Dick's a really nice guy. This is his first play. We talked fo a while. He went to RIC for two years, and planned on being a doctor, but he just quite college and moved to California. He's taking voice lessons with Louise Pettitt. He offered to drive me to rehearsal, but I managed to get the car, so I didn't need to take him up on that. I was supposed to bring Mrs. Bunten, but she never called.

At rehearsal, I didn't speak with Steve, so I suppose he is miffed over last night. We didn't say a word to each other, until at the end, he said, oh so sweetly, "Bye, Ted." I wanted to kill him.

I spoke with Jackie and Deb for a long while today. Jackie said that all she and Doug do nowadays is go to Burger Chef, argue, and then leave. It's really very sad. And she added that "now little Pauline is all over Doug." He is started to bring MB and Pauline to rehearsal, she said. I stuck up for Pauline, though, and told Jackie what really happened in Virginia. Jackie was surprised.

I was surprised with Deb's attitude--she is supposed to be closer to Pauline than I am but she didn't stick up for her at all. In fact, in some cases, she agreed with Jackie!

Tonight, I drove home Diane Henry, Cheryl Hughes, Pauline and MB. All Diane did was talk about Curt. It makes me sick. Plus she is so obnoxiously pink nowadays. It's rather aggravating.

wine_skin

I’m feeling antsy this morning, I don’t work until 3 and the waiting is weird. I have plenty to do, the laundry-to-fold pile is so big it’s starting to creep down the stairs, but i’m immobilized by the impending work doom. I’ll get there and have to STAY there until close and won’t be able to say -actually, I’m done with this and leave -napping in my car during the shift is frowned upon, and so is drinking wine. It is beautiful and still outside, the high will be 69 today.
Maybe I’ve just had too much coffee and work will be fine. Maybe the kids will be on point today, and the shift will be a dream of coordinated movement, perfect food, gracious service -looking like a choreographed dance with servers dipping under other’s trays gracefully, the glasses being tossed from one bartender to the other, laughter flowing and even cooks breaking out in song.
I’m going to go for a walk and find some carbs to dampen the caffeine jitters.

Current Music: <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gO17hN-YvBc?

soricel

I kinda struck out a few times before landing on today's Random Community (got a couple HP-related communities, which I don't really want to highlight, something in Russian, a closed RP community, and a few archives of individuals' fic, which, while cool, aren't really what I've been trying to promote here), but after a few more tries I found...

frillsofjustice

This is a community dedicated to all things magical girl-related. Interestingly, according to the Intro/FAQ post, there used to be another community of the same name, but "the original was deleted and purged by its moderator, for reasons unknown, and all content was lost." Whoa! Anyway, not really my thing, but on a quick skim through I saw some fic, news, discussion posts, links to meta articles, etc. I like stumbling on communities with that kind of range of content.

fbhjr

( Maybe I need older heroes… )

rejectomorph

At the moment I'm planning tomorrow's grocery purchase. There are actually a few things on sale that I want this week, so if I survive long enough to get it done it should be pretty good. I haven't checked to see if they have my donuts in stock, but if they don't I'm thinking I might splurge on some more luxurious option. I'll need to get something, and I'm getting tired of the cheap crap I usually end up with when they don't have my donuts. Maybe some cream puffs or eclairs, or a nice cake. We shall see. Right now I need to get some sleep. Shopping is exhausting, even online, and I want to be well rested.

lycomingst

I have one of those machines that cut grass with plastic string. I call it the "weed wacker" for convenience sake, though it's not that really. So, anyway, the string seemed to be stuck and was very short and wouldn't put out anymore. I thought, well, I'll have to fix it.

It was a struggle. I looked on several YT videos and I made the job much harder than it had to be as I learned what to do. The manufacturers do try to make these things idiot proof but we find a way to complicate things. After about an hour and half of struggling with it and drenched in flop sweat, I got the string wound back on the machine and I think it's fixed.

In other news, I voted.

I've ordered the new Murderbot book.

days_unfolding

Woke up at 7:20 AM? Oliver isn’t eating his breakfast. Has he decided that he doesn’t like chicken? He eats the rest of his meals. I’m not too worried because he’s young and relentlessly healthy. Well, relentlessly rambunctious, anyway.

So freaking tired. I closed my eyes leaning on the filing cabinet in Zara’s room. I showered in the morning, so I can have a lunchtime nap. Still silence from the CPAP people, so I need to call.

Overslept my nap. I’m not feeling up to phone calls. I just want to work quietly. I’m doing a tedious task for work, but I volunteered to do it. The government issued an edict that all public-facing Web sites, applications, and the like at colleges and universities will become accessible. The original deadline was last month, but the government extended it for one year because no one was making the deadline. We have a Web page that contains an archive of webinars that we gave for years now. We posted the slides for each webinar in PDF format, which is the devil as far as accessibility is concerned. So I’m replacing the 60-odd PDF files with the original PowerPoint files. Someone will have to caption all the recordings of the webinars, who probably will be me. Oh well, job security. But the upload feature for the files keeps flaking out.

Checked on the dogs, and Gracie was sitting on top of the dirt for the raised beds.

Bella is always so happy when I go outside and see them.

It keeps threatening rain. Probably no lawn mowing tonight. Maybe I’ll take a nap. It started raining, and I went to let the dogs in, but it isn’t raining hard enough for them to want to come in. Okay.

Oliver attended my nap after work, but he was good and let me sleep. Had a good nap. Fed us all.

I finished We Burned So Bright. It was hard because a lot of it was depressing, especially after the fizzy gay hockey player books. But it’s good. And hard.

Another iris is blooming.

I think that the dogs have gone to bed already. They were outside for over 12 hours!

fflo

legalmoose

So far the new office is ... fine. They managed to wire the window offices for internet (but not the internal ones), so my connection has been steady. It's roughly the same time in the commute that it was to the old office, but with a longer walk at the end (a couple blocks versus just across the street). Have to cross a major street, but there's a pedestrian tunnel that allows one to pass under the street.

On the plus side, we have solid doors with locks on them (the old building had glass internal walls and doors), so if you need some quiet it's there.

I will admit to getting home Monday, backing into the garage, and as the garage door was coming down saying to myself, "Well, that was fun; let's never do it again." Heh.

ladythmpr

( Yatta! )

fredhechinger

it's been a few days hasn't it?

well, my time has basically consisted of watching TV, cleaning and making video edits/AMVs. i have made over twenty at this point, and i'm not stopping anytime soon. i have accounts on instagram and tiktok where i post them, and i've gotten a lot of traction. i'm very proud of what i've been accomplishing.

we've been catching up on stranger things, but honestly? it's hard for me to get through season three with the way that they treat billy. with will, they were so careful and sweet with him. with billy? KILL HIM, BURN IT OUT OF HIM, WHO GIVES A FUCK? yeah, he's a jerk. no, he doesn't deserve to be burned ALIVE. these kids are absolutely psychotic. i know i want to get to eddie, but it's difficult for me to even watch.

i'm still obviously unemployed, and nothing is hiring. my resume is also a bit patchy, and nobody wants to hire me because of it. i left jobs after a few months because of my severe mental health, and i know that doesn't look good to potential employers. i just need a job so badly. i don't know what to do.

we're getting mcdonald's tonight, and i'm excited about it. apparently, i'm craving those little cheeseburgers, LOL. that and maybe a big orange soda. i know it's terrible for me, but it's so good.

Current Mood: pleasant
Current Music: "numb" - linkin park (in my head)

matthew_feed

Posted by Matthew McQuilkin

https://www.fruitcakeenterprises.com/blog/2026/5/7/fashion-media-planning

— छह हज़ार तेईस —

Yesterday I met with Alexia at Pacific Place to see The Devil Wears Prada 2 at the AMC at 4:30. She predictably really enjoyed it; I thought it was fine. You can read my review for my detailed thoughts on the movie; I can't think of anything further I need to add here.

Since I was meeting her there, I didn't bother riding my bike. I did ride today, even though I'm seeing another movie tonight—but, the only showtime for tonight's movie (which also stars Anne Hathaway, incidentally) was at 7:05, so I'll be riding home first to have dinner and then come back downtown again.

I guess I could mention that I am seeing both of these movies this week on a delay that I would not have had if not for both my Birth Week and the "Cinco de Matthew" dinner at Gabby and Nick's in Edmonds on Tuesday. Strictly speaking, I could have seen one of these movies on Monday, but after all I had planned every day between Friday April 24 and Sunday May 3, I really wanted to keep my evening open on Monday, May 4. I didn't know if I'd need the time to finish up my Birth Week travelogue (though I wrote it through Sunday's activity on Sunday itself; and then waited to add a bit about "Cinco de Matthew" late Tuesday night). Even with that aside, I kind of wanted a break from all the activity.

The original plan had been to see The Devil Wears Prada 2 with Alexia on Tuesday, for all the above reasons; that movie actually opened on Friday, May 1. But then Gabby invited us over for "Cinco de Matthew," so I rescheduled with Alexia for Wednesday. And the movie I'm seeing tonight is called Mother Mary, which opened on Friday, April 24. I wasn't even sure if that one would still be playing tonight, and I am grateful it is; I checked listings for tomorrow and there are none. It looks like tonight is my last chace to see that one in theaters, which I really want to do, so that's why I'm making the unusual choice of seeing a movie on a weeknight at 7 p.m.

— छह हज़ार तेईस —

— छह हज़ार तेईस —

I have some things planned this weekend—both of them on Saturday, actually. There's nothing tomorrow and nothing on my calendar for Sunday, at least not yet; Shobhit got a couple of SIFF passes so I need to see what movies I want to see at this year's festival and when. He also got passes to a SIFF Industry Party Saturday evening, at the Arrivé Apartments, a residential high-rise on the same block as SIFF Cinema Downtown (formerly Cinerama), and also the same block as the first apartment I lived in in Seattle. I jumped at the chance to get a look inside that building, though it probably won't be really high up. I guess we'll see.

In any case, aside from Saturday, my weekend is set to be pretty light on activities, which I am good with after all the events of my Birth Week. Next weekend, on Saturday the 16th I'm planning to take the puzzle Tracy bought me for my birthday to Alexia's in Issaquah so we can put it together. The weekend after that is already my next trip: Lummi Island with Gabriel, our third year in a row with a weekend trip to an island in the Salish Sea. (That said, the first year we were five; last year we were three with one more coming for a day visit; this year we're two. If the pattern continues then I guess next year I'll have to go somewhere by myself!)

Three weeks after that is Shobhit's and my anniversary trip to Whistler, B.C. Two weeks after that is Pride Weekend. The 4th of July is a week after that. Three weeks after that we leave for Amsterdam, a two-and-a-half-week trip. Two weeks after we get back from that is our Family Vacation in Tokeland, Washington. There's a bit of a break after that; five weeks later is our trip to Albuquerque with Jennifer and Matthew. No more trips planned for the rest of the year, at least for now, but by then I'll be getting into the throes of planning for the holiday season.

It's a lot, right? What I need to do now is still take each day at a time, and appreciate what's right in front of me in the moment.

— छह हज़ार तेईस —

[posted 12:33pm]

https://www.fruitcakeenterprises.com/blog/2026/5/7/fashion-media-planning

bill_schubert

We got up this morning, put the children in the pet hotel, and drove down to Houston to the Texas Heart Institute where there is a center for FMD and something Dana has. It is a vascular condition that mostly women develop (byproduct of hormonal changes, they think). Normally it is discovered by accident which happened to her while they were looking for something else. The only benefit to running down the diagnosis is that we can now shorthand any discussions and move past further testing. It is one of those watch and wait kind of things. Blood thinners and monitor. Keep the blood pressure down and that's about it.

Meanwhile we're taking advantage of having a narrow specialty center close by. I don't think we will have to come back here which is great since it is a three hour drive. We're staying in a VRBO place right next door and leaving in the morning.

So many ways this could have gone wrong. Lots of moving parts to get here but it worked out and will be off the calendar and out of my mind now.

I scheduled cataract number 2 for 26 May so I should be able to see the baseball games in Seattle mid June. Another thing off my schedule.

I'm kind of ready for some boredom.

maju

Spring has fully sprung here; this morning I went out on a long walk (about 8 km/5 miles) and revelled in the rich greens everywhere interspersed with the burgundy of Japanese maple trees and still some colour from bulbs and other flowering plants. It was cooler than I expected with quite a strong breeze, especially when I was on a hill, but the sun was pleasantly warm in more sheltered parts of my walk. I made one unexpected discovery which made me smile: a small street named Eleven O'Clock Lane not too far from home but in an out-of-the way cul de sac I haven't explored before.

soricel

Random Community of the day:

moodthemeinayear

So yesterday I wrote about icons, and today I've stumbled on a community dedicated to another aspect of DW I rarely pay much attention to: mood themes. As the title suggests, this is a community dedicated to the project of creating custom mood themes. Some of the moods seem really challenging, like "Indescribable," and it was cool skimming through and seeing how different people chose images to represent them.

Oh, and also, I guess you need a paid account to use a custom mood theme...but apparently, "any member of this community who completes a set of 18 images for a custom mood theme will get one month's worth of paid time or equivalent in Dreamwidth points." More details here if you're interested!

wine_skin

Yesterday as I was leaving for work my husband threw his slipper at me and it got stuck in the black walnut tree in the front yard. It was the second time he threw it, the first time it landed on the steps in front of me and I (unwisely) threw it back.
It’s a game we play sometimes, like I’ll throw an empty soda bottle through his open window as he drives away and he’s stuck with it because he already drove away. If the object lands in front of you while walking you have to pick it up, but if it’s behind you the thrower picks it up. No extra points for being beaned by said object, unless after it hits you it still lands in front of you.
So before I left for work, doubled over with laughter, I asked him how he was going to get it out of the tree. He said maybe a broom, or throwing something at it. It rained a lot last night and the slipper is still up there. I asked him why he didn’t throw the broom at it, and he said well, there are cars on the street. Now, I think he has an over inflated sense of his own strength, like he’s Thor with the hammer; did he think the broom was going to travel 70 feet?
In any case, the slipper is still out there.
On the topic of hammers, I’m watching Ragnarok on Netflix and I totally recommend it.