Humid overcast day, with sunlight filtering through - and a bit on the hazy side. In the mid to upper seventies, although felt warmer due to the humidity. I put on the A/C and installed the new reverse and inverse air window fan in the bedroom - which I'm hoping will help when it gets colder and they start blasting the heat. Now, it's not an issue. Read more... )

Also cleaned out the chemistry experiments in the fridge - basically transferred them to the compost bin, and the plastic to the recycling bin.
Didn't do a deep clean - I hurt enough, and that would kill my back.
Had lunch, which consisted of gluten free cheddar and chive "American Southern" biscuits (think American scones but puffy?) by way of Capulla's (an Italian Gluten Free Baking company). The biscuits are excellent by the way. Can't tell they are gluten free at all. (Turns out I didn't like biscuits previously because they had gluten - and made me sick.) Added proscuitto, cheddar cheese, and some English mustard, and it was a decent lunch.

Worked it off by going to the health food stores on Courteylou. Flatbush Coop and Frontier Health Food Store. I had an unexpected and somewhat toxic interaction at Frontier with an old guy that shelves things and advises people where to find stuff (he's always in my way, and I get a really bad vibe off of him every time I see him). Read more... )

The whole interaction left a bad taste in my mouth and rage in my heart at old farts, Turkish restaurants, people who are desperate enough to carry guns and gun manufacturers.

**

Spoke to mother, earlier, who regaled me with the story of a snake. They have poisonous snakes in Hilton Head, SC. She's also concerned about a Tropical Storm that is barreling in her general direction, but so far they are just sheltering in place.

Apparently one of her neighbors was watering plants in her garden and got bitten by a copperhead.
the evils of gardening and snakes )

Apparently the neighbor tried to drive herself to the emergency room, got woozy, and ambulance came to her. It had bitten her foot. They couldn't give her the anti-venom because she was on blood thinners. But they monitored her, and it was okay - since it was a more mature snake (younger ones release it all at once apparently), and it was her foot. She also got fined by security - for pulling over, even though it was an emergency. At least they didn't tow her.

***

Dinner was mixed greens, feta, black pitted kalmata olives, falafal, tahini sauce, glazed pecans, apple cider vinegar/lemon juice. With iced unsweetened black tea (and lemon juice) for beverage. And gluten free vegan chocolate chip cookie for desert. Read more... )

The photo was obviously not taken today but several weeks ago, I just never got around to posting it until now.

but it was a set of two regular palmsized scrubbie brushes for dishes. Which was disappointing, but E made the amazing discovery that they are really fun to smash together, bristle to bristle, so that's all right.

****************


Read more... )
shadowkat: (Default)
([personal profile] shadowkat Sep. 26th, 2025 05:48 pm)
1. Vaccines

Got the COVID vaccine after work. The New York Governor made it possible for everyone between the ages of 6-110 to take it for an expandable 30 day period, under an emergency order.

I scheduled it while at work for around 4:40pm, and ended up getting there early - so go it around 4:30pm. I got it today, in case there are any major side-effects. That way I have the weekend to get past them, not that I've ever had any outside of a sore arm. Read more... )

No, I didn't get either the Flu shot or the Shingles at the same time. My primary care begged me not to. I'm immune-compromised, so it's not a good idea. I tried to tell her that everybody else that I know of - has, but she was adamant. I could, I suppose, ignore her and do it anyhow - but I was afraid to - best not to take an unnecessary risk.

2. Take a photo of any book with your phone and have it instantly read to you - I keep seeing this weird app advertised on Facebook, in which you can take a photo of literally any book in a library or book store and automatically have it read to you.

Speechify reads books to you

Of course it does it in a monotone - but you can pick any number of digitized voices to do it.

I don't have any issues with having books read to me - my issue is that someone can willy nilly go to a book store or library, scan the book, and have it read to them for free? I don't know, that kind of screams copyright infringement? It's one thing if the writer is getting paid a royalty from the service...but what if they aren't?

3. Traveling Water Color Kit Another thing advertised on FB and Instragram that I'm resisting the urge to purchase: Tobios Travel Watercolor Kit, whomever is marketing this is doing an excellent job. I keep reminding myself - that this is not how I like to paint. I like to do it alone. In my apartment. With a large canvas. And room. Not in miniature. I have shaking hands, and no fine motor coordination - so can't do the miniature work well. I'm not a miniaturist, I tend to work better large? Big woman. Big hands. Big canvas.

But it is lovely for someone who wants a small traveling kit to wander about doing small stuff with?

Don't get it from Amazon - which apparently is selling knock-offs.

4. Shopping Went online shopping - via Talbots and Amazon - and picked up a few things on sale, including pjs, and a shawl.

Read more... )

As an aside? For the most part, I hate or dread shopping. But I did find it weirdly comforting doing it online this week. I prefer online than in-store shopping. Sales clerks and other shoppers and the dressing rooms, plus hunting stuff makes me edgy.

I like it displayed. I have no patience for hunting through the racks. I'm not a good bargain shopper. My mother isn't a shopper. The appeal of hunting for things in stores is kind of lost on us? But hunting for things online shopping is fun - even if it's a bit like playing Russian roulette? Since I suck at returning things, and some places don't let you.

Debating buying a pair of Uno Black Sneakers from Amazon. I don't really need them. I have enough shoes. But does one ever really have enough shoes? Ponders.

5. Buffy Revival or Continuation (Because it's not a reboot! Got it?) I keep stumbling upon online fights over whether it's a reboot or a continuation or a revival...which is kind of amusing. Welcome to the Internet - where people fight over semantics incessantly.

Anyhow, the latest: Gellar Reveals more about Buffy's Comeback and Insists its not a Reboot (But it's a lot easier to call it a reboot.)

"In a new interview with Entertainment Tonight, Sarah Michelle Gellar was asked about the Buffy reboot which is under no circumstances to be called a reboot. “There’s so little I can say about what we just shot,” Sarah explains. “I will say that it’s not a reboot. It’s a continuation of a world - the world of Buffy, if that makes sense. It’s picking up 25 years later in a world of Buffy. It’s equal parts incredibly thrilling but also it’s very nerve-wracking. People have been asking for this for so many years but everyone also has an opinion on how it should be done."
Read more... )

[From what I've read - I don't think much of the original cast will return, outside of maybe one or two, and as either special guest stars or brief cameos...I think it's mainly a continuation of the world, with Gellar more in a Giles' role. The shift is the mentor/watcher will be Buffy herself. Which is also why - I don't think it will do that well or get picked up past one season? Because the fandom fell in love with the characters NOT the world? Joss sucked at world building. Star Trek, it's not. Also what was captivating was the dialogue and banter, the one liners, and the humor - also, sigh, the supporting characters. A good portion of the fandom did not watch for Buffy - they watched for everyone else. I know I did. Buffy did pull me in - but not Gellar, it was the writing, direction, and how Gellar played Buffy against and with the other characters. I've not liked her in anything else. And I didn't like books like Fray which were playing with the world - but didn't have the television characters in it. But hey, I could be VERY wrong about this? Just because it doesn't seem appealing to me...doesn't mean it isn't to other people?]
Environmental Good News from the US Resistance and Around the Globe

[Disclaimer: As always, good news is often in the eye of the beholder.]


1. The United Nations confirmed that the ozone layer is on track to make a full recovery by mid-century, crediting swift action and international agreements for sharply reducing the use of ozone-depleting chemicals and slowing the annual growth of the Antarctic ozone hole.

https://www.france24.com/en/environment/20250916-un-says-ozone-layer-is-healing-hole-could-disappear-within-decades?sh_kit=7a2950363f4b90b1881ae76c68d24551846eea9063b67a6a14e9fa39bc419e40

2.California officials and industry insiders say the state is sticking with its goal of developing 25 gigawatts of floating offshore wind energy by 2045 despite expiring federal tax credits and Trump administration hostility.

https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2025-09-18/despite-federal-setbacks-california-is-staying-the-course-on-offshore-wind?_hsmi=381366794#:~:text=The%20Trump%20administration%20canceled%20nearly,efforts%20to%20support%20wind%20development

3.The Iowa Utilities Commission approved a settlement that authorizes the largest utility-scale solar project in the state’s history.

https://insideclimatenews.org/news/18092025/inside-clean-energy-iowa-solar-potential/?_hsmi=381366794

4.In August, global electric vehicle sales increased 5% month-over-month and 15% year-over-year.

https://rhomotion.com/news/global-ev-sales-grow-by-5-m-o-m-and-by-15-y-o-y-in-august-2025/?sh_kit=7a2950363f4b90b1881ae76c68d24551846eea9063b67a6a14e9fa39bc419e40

5.A landmark legal settlement will require a plastics facility in Pennsylvania to clean up the tiny plastic pellets — known as “nurdles” — that were found to be spewing out of its stormwater and wastewater pipes.

https://grist.org/solutions/plastics-settlement-pennsylvania-raccoon-creek-nurdles-styropek/

6.In the first six months of this year, the world built 64% more new solar energy capacity than it did in the first half of 2024.

https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/solar/global-solar-power-energy-installations-booming?amp%3Butm_medium=email&%3Butm_campaign=canary&_hsmi=381366794

7.After Trump administration cuts forced the popular climate.gov website to shut down, experts re-launched it independently to help boost climate literacy.

https://www.dw.com/en/fired-climate-scientists-crucial-extreme-weather-data-cut-us-president-donald-trump-v3/a-73977766

[It's a lot harder to regulate and censor the internet than it is radio or broadcast television channels. I'm grateful for that at least.]

8.A new nature preserve in Ohio will protect 3,000 acres of Appalachian foothills.

https://www.statenews.org/section/the-ohio-newsroom/2025-09-11/a-new-ohio-nature-preserve-protects-3-000-acres-of-appalachian-foothills?sh_kit=7a2950363f4b90b1881ae76c68d24551846eea9063b67a6a14e9fa39bc419e40

9.EU lawmakers have given a final green light to a law that aims to slash the mountains of food wasted in Europe each year, and curb the environmental impact of fast fashion.

https://www.dw.com/en/eu-to-slash-food-and-fast-fashion-waste/a-73933529?ck_subscriber_id=2496857656

10. EV Realty, a San Francisco-based charging site developer, broke ground on what will be one of California’s biggest fully grid-powered, fast-charging depots for electric trucks so far.

https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/ev-charging/ev-realty-funding-build-truck-depot-california?amp%3Butm_medium=email&%3Butm_campaign=canary&_hsmi=381203897
for the rest of the 37 items )



conuly: (Default)
([personal profile] conuly Sep. 25th, 2025 06:23 pm)
My fav event as harvest season approaches
is the rough seed that escaped the plots.

If  there’s a cornfield adjacent to another bed
of   vegetables, you can count on imperfection,

you can see stalks standing where they’re
not supposed to be, the winds have ideas,

seeds who choose wildness, here they are,
with red potatoes, alfalfa, peas, sunflowers,

they look pleased w/  themselves, outfoxing
clever farmers, making it to the unplanned

ground where nobody is around, recovering
where the amiable dirt will welcome them.

Seeds are so fun and determined,
there’s no concept of  liberty, no need for it,

guaranteed if   I were a seedling I’d abstain,
you know I would, I’d find a way to renounce

what’s expected of  my common name,
gliding over the roads until a dream takes root


**************


Link
shadowkat: (Default)
([personal profile] shadowkat Sep. 23rd, 2025 09:18 pm)
1. Jay and Miles X-Plain the X-men has reached Episode 500
It's 11 years. How did they get there? Because the X-men are really confusing? (Which may be why I'm a fan of the X-men, because apparently the more convoluted a plot and soap operaish, the more I'm going to like it?)

Also Jay is transgender, and figured it out during the podcasts, and is a HUGE cyke fan.

Although in this episode, they x-plain the mysteries of magnetism, via explaining how magnets work.

2. Meanwhile Deliah H. Dawson promotes her book on Thor and Loki: Epic Tales from Marvel Mythology on Scalzi's the Big Idea. (Author's get to promote their book ideas on John Scalzi's blog).

"Because the thing about writing books is that just because you know how to write one book does not mean you know how to write another. Books are like fingerprints in that each one is wholly individual, unique in all the world. Books are unlike fingerprints in that they cannot be easily compared to koala bears.

Except—

Well, koala bears are notoriously single-minded and stubborn, and writers can be like that, too. "

That statement charmed me. It's true. I find myself writing books differently. Right now, I'm blocked. Mainly due to external issues, being tired, and mentally exhausted. And issues with health. Also the abusive friendship that I recently ended - had managed to creatively block me, one of the many many reasons it was ended. I'm happiest when I'm writing creatively.

3. Been sleeping better - changing my meds (I'd figured out various meds were interacting with each other and not in a good way - also that one was problematic, and stopped taking it for the time being. Note if you want to figure out your drug interactions too? Go to Drug Interaction Checker - Know More. Be Sure It can do up to three drugs together, maybe 4, without charging you.

Also digestive system has settled a bit. And I've figured out how to eat beans without my digestive system having a hissy fit. Which is good - considering beans help regulate blood sugar and are a good source of fiber and protein. (I no longer digest meat that well and am trying to get away from it - I'm slowly becoming a vegetarian. Considering 90% of gluten-free items are either vegan or vegetarian anyhow - half way there to begin with.

Had the kidney bean or red bean salad in blue corn cheese tacos with salad tonight.

4. This old song by Kris Kristofferson oddly comforted me tonight...or said just what I needed to hear, because I've been feeling lonely of late and thinking, does it matter writing, posting photos or drawing what people don't want to see or hear...am I just whispering to an empty space or ear?

The song popped up randomly on my phone headphones, as I walked home, through no prompting of mine. Amazing how music can get to the root of a feeling - an inexpressible one at that - and find a way of soothing it with a feather like touch.
the lyrics to the Song - To Beat the Devil by Kris Kristofferson, which he was inspired to write by Johnny Cash )
conuly: (Default)
([personal profile] conuly Sep. 22nd, 2025 06:09 pm)
What difference, if any, is there between telling somebody “stop” and “time-out”?
shadowkat: (Default)
([personal profile] shadowkat Sep. 22nd, 2025 08:03 pm)
Feeling much better today - so apparently I was right, and this may have been caused by medication. I've learned the hard way to police my own medication and not count on doctors and pharmacies to do it for me.
health care crap - cut for TMI )

I actually could focus. And Breaking Bad thanked me for my clear and concise analysis of the work we'd done on our end.

So, I made myself useful. Took a few short walks.

Went home - and hunted for Gluten Free Cookie Dough - but none was to be had at the local Met Fresh. Damn them. Probably for the best. My blood sugar is happier without it. If I still want it by the weekend - I'll get some from the health food stores on Courteylou.

***

The news irritates me. And it's becoming harder to avoid.

Jimmy Kimmel is back on, and Disney has basically told Sinclair Media to go frak themselves, since Disney cares more about their liberal image and their subscribers than their affiliates who pay them next to nothing in revenues. [I honestly think it was the Disneys and Eisner who persuaded them to change their minds.] In reality - Sinclair Media is the problem (my mother's cousin pointed out that they were a major problem way back in 2014) and sigh, the FCC (who has been a problem since their inception - people thought they needed to regulate what was on television and the radio, kind of similar to what they wanted to do with the internet and keep trying to do, but fail miserably at - because it is the internet and global and the US didn't put restrictions in place quickly enough and it doesn't serve Google et al's best interests if they do). Both are both much harder to fight - because they are more hidden and insidious in some respects, and the FCC really doesn't care what you or I think. Sinclair - you could possibly go after the advertisers? But you'd have to find them first.

The FCC has always been a problem. People have been fighting censorship wars with the FCC since its inception.

George Carlin on the FCC in 1973

The difficulty with human rights and freedoms - is if you want yours, you kind of have to put up with people you despise getting theirs. It can't just go one way, that's not how it works. People don't seem to understand this? I keep trying to explain it to folks but they ignore me. I swear SSEAS is kind of viral.

More Carlin on Time and well everything - this may be the longest uninterrupted rambling routine I've seen.

He's among my favorite stand-up comedians. Controversial at times, and not always...ahem politically correct, but he makes me laugh for the most part for his word-play.

**

I got a comment from Ao3 on a Meta that I wrote over ten years ago, and can't remember that well. The comment:

"I find it interesting that you mentioned Clarissa's Lovelace, but not Pamela or Lord B. If we're going all the way back to Richardson, I think some discussion of Pamela and Lord B. is in order. Why do you think Lovelace and Lord B have such different arcs?"

I didn't respond - because as a general rule, I no longer respond to any comments on Ao3, regardless of the content. Read more... )
conuly: (Default)
([personal profile] conuly Sep. 21st, 2025 07:24 pm)
Black and white and so friendly and tiny, too. Definitely not a feral!

******************


Read more... )
shadowkat: (Default)
([personal profile] shadowkat Sep. 20th, 2025 08:37 pm)
Called in sick on Friday - and for the most part stayed off the computer, and just watched television and dozed. wrestling with vertigo and loss of balance - most likely due to allergies and sinus issues, also caffeine withdrawl )
***

Question a Day Memage - September continued:

[As an aside - there's an interesting spelling difference between British English and American English. In British English they use "u" in words ending with or. Examples include favourite vs. favorite, colour vs. color, or colouring vs. coloring, flavour vs. flavor. I pick up on it partly because spellcheck on my computer is US, and the meme is British spelling.
I remember when I sent the book I published to an editor - he told that I was using a lot of British spellings for things, which I didn't catch because I was busy interacting online with a people who lived in the UK and were utilizing those spellings. I wonder about that difference. And others. And what is the origin of the difference - when did the American version split off? And why? I'm not a linguist so I wouldn't know.]

18. Did you have colouring books as a child? Have you tried any adult colouring books?

Yes. I didn't like them and drew, doodled, and colored outside the lines.

19. Are you adventurous with your menus, or do you stick to tried and tested ideas for meals?

I play around. I also get into routines. I am not good with a lot of left-overs. I can't prepare food for a week and eat it. My stomach is picky and I have scant storage space. (Small one bedroom apartment, with a refrigerator and small freezer). But I'd say I'm adventurous and I like to experiment - to the degree in which my body can handle it? Which unfortunately is insanely limited. Celiac tends to branch into other food sensitivities, if caught later in life.


20. Do you have a favourite quiz show that you regularly watch on TV?

I'll watch Jeopardy every once and a while.

21. How is Autumn treating you? What’s the weather like?

The weather is beautiful and mild. Feels like early spring, actually. 60s and 70s, occasional 80 degree day, sometimes 59 degrees.

Sunny. Not a lot of rain. Still see flowers, and all the trees are green and fully leaved.

I've been having issues with allergies, sleeplessness, back/leg pain, depression, and digestive issues - so I have been ill. And trying to figure it out.

Feeling a little better right now. Hence this post. Best I've felt in the last four days at least. Not stellar but better.
conuly: (Default)
([personal profile] conuly Sep. 20th, 2025 08:58 pm)


The camera angles work really hard to make the dogs look vicious and dangerous, but they can't fool me! Those are some happy, friendly puppers!
White shirt, pink text "The Cake Boys". It just ended up in their laundry, so it's hers now.

She was worried about what the motto might mean - I mean, it's *probably* a bakery, but what if it's some neonazi slogan she's unaware of? - but a little googling reveals that "The Cake Boys are a NYC based network highlighting local drag kings, trans and non-binary performers, and queer artists through live and digital media." Well, alrighty then!

*********************


Read more... )
conuly: (Default)
([personal profile] conuly Sep. 17th, 2025 01:11 pm)
I go down to the edge of the sea.
How everything shines in the morning light!
The cusp of the whelk,
the broken cupboard of the clam,
the opened, blue mussels,
moon snails, pale pink and barnacle scarred—
and nothing at all whole or shut, but tattered, split,
dropped by the gulls onto the gray rocks and all the moisture gone.
It's like a schoolhouse
of little words,
thousands of words.
First you figure out what each one means by itself,
the jingle, the periwinkle, the scallop
      full of moonlight.

Then you begin, slowly, to read the whole story.


************


Link
conuly: (Default)
([personal profile] conuly Sep. 16th, 2025 06:22 pm)
I am just brimming over with excitement.

*************************************


Read more... )
Fair warning? Still sleep deprived, so irritable, tired and slightly depressed due to well lack of sleep. (I'm waking up in the middle of the night in pain and can't get back to sleep.) (I'm only revealing it - because I'm snappish at the moment, and not necessarily my best self.)

1. Having completed Buffy S3 in my rewatch. Am now finally in Buffy S4 and watched the Freshman, which has a couple of interesting guest stars, Pedro Pascal is in it. (Noticed something I hadn't previously? Spike is the front credits in various sections - previewing he's returning.) He's not going by Pascal, this is before he changed his name, also he's about twenty-five years younger. He plays the first victim and Buffy's friend in the episode.

I'm reminded of why I preferred the later seasons? I like the characters better? All of them. Willow's wardrobe is better and Willow becomes less of a damsel and more interesting. Also Xander is no longer a jerk, he's actually interesting and better developed. I actually like Xander. (Although he was more or less likable post the Zeppo. Xander's main problem was Angel - once Angel leaves, Xander kind of calms down.) Also his jokes are more self-deprecating and less nasty. (After the Zeppo, Xander becomes a touch more likable and gets over his skanky self - I finally figured out where I got the phrase "get over your skanky self" from? Buffy.) Giles and Joyce on the other hand - I wanted to smack - which feels like a continuation of S3, I wanted to smack them in S3 at various points, too. OZ remains as comforting and cool as ever.

Also the writing is a touch better - mainly because the writers are no longer attempting to write about their high school experiences which were about fifteen to twenty years ago? Read more... )

2. I finished reading The Perfect Rake - which didn't work for me? The writer was clearly trying to go for a Georgette Heyer style, and I found it tiresome. Also her prose was touch more purple than required. So you have bad Georgette Heyer with Purple Prose. I skimmed most of it. Otherwise I wouldn't have finished it? It's very skimmable - a lot of repetition. I don't know why I keep trying romance novels - I've clearly burned out on the genre? It's annoying at the moment.

Anyhow - I moved on to Spinning Silver by Naomi Novick rec'd by selenak. And so far? It's rather good. It's a retelling of the Miller's Daughter tale or Rumplestilskin. The second retelling that I've tackled.
The first was "The Croning" - a "cosmic" horror novel along the lines of HP Lovecraft that really disturbed me and I can't quite shake from my head. Read more... )

Also, stand a lone, like Uprooted was. I rather loved Uprooted and it stuck with me. So this is working for me for the same reasons it did.

I don't like "series" - I prefer stand-a-lone in novels. Read more... )

I do love fairy tales - or novels/stories that do twists on fairy tales, which is why I read The Croning. I find them interesting.

3. Greatest Comic Book Superhero of All Time - Prove ME Wrong via Screenrant
excerpt )
While I do agree with the selection, I don't like using the word "greatest" - and wish I could remove it from the current lexicon? After reading the comments - I also think this depends on how you view superheros? And what you are looking for in a character and that's subjective and personal? Read more... )

********

Question a Day - Memage

11. Do you like the taste of fresh basil? What other fresh herbs do you like or dislike?

I love basil, rosemary, dill, chives, sage, thyme. I hate fennel or anise, licorice and I don't get along.

12. Have you ever kept a paper journal? What about a bullet journal?

Yes. I don't know what a bullet journal is? Looks it up. Bullet Journal - and uh, that would be a no.

13. Did you have a baby doll when you were growing up? How about a Barbie (or equivalent fashion doll)?

Not a baby doll. A Barbie doll - yes, and Madame Alexander Dolls. My mother loved dolls and bought them for me. (I wasn't really that into them outside of using them to tell stories.)

14. When was the last time you had to dress up for a special occasion? What did you wear?

My father's funeral. Black skirt, red silk top.

15. Do you enjoy driving a car, or is it just a way to get from one place to another?

Just a means of getting from one place to another. Also I can't drive. And rarely use a car to get anywhere. I use subways and trains. The only time I'm in a car is if I'm going to the airport, or visiting and someone else is driving. And no, I don't enjoy driving, or riding in cars.

16. Do you have pierced ears? If not, do you still wear earrings?

Yes. I have pierced ears. I rarely wear earrings - because I wear head-phones to work and at work all day long.

17. Do you own a smart speaker (Amazon Echo, Google Nest, Apple HomePod). If so, what do you use it for?

No. I do have a speaker, that you can use Alexa with - but I can't get it to work properly. I'm not techie. Nor really into gadgets. Also the whole idea of a smart speaker creeps me out.
Weirdly, and believe it or not? I sleep better now than I used to. I used to average between 3-5 hours. Now, it's between 5-7 hours, so progress. I even get 8-9 hours intermittently. The smart watch has made a difference - it inspires me to get to bed earlier - and the move to the financial district means that I'm sleeping twenty minutes longer.

I've always had problems with sleep - since I was a child. Busy mind. I used to sleep with my books. And a cat or two. I was raised with cats. I miss the cats, actually - but can't really own one now for multiple reasons not worth going into? They did not help me sleep better.
Read more... )
Last night, I went to bed early, turned off everything around 9:00 pm, and was in bed by 9:40pm. Fell asleep by 10:16 pm (according to the watch at any rate), and ended up waking up at 2:30am, and couldn't get back to sleep - even though I listened to three different sleep meditations on the Calm app. One...kind of triggered a bad memory - it was talking about imagining being in a peaceful and safe place...and managed to remind me of a horror novel that I read over a year ago, and still haunts me to this day. (PenPal, avoid at all costs).

Me: It was about walking through a forest and for some reason it brought to mind this horrible scene from a horror novel -
Mother: How odd that a meditation about Star War's the "force" would trigger horror novel, usually the force is a good thing.
Me: No forest.
Mother: yes, the force.
Me: No. F-o-r-e-s-t, Forest.
Mother: Ohhhh. That makes more sense. I thought you said force.

Sigh. It is possible to have conversations with folks, use words in the same language, and completely not understand one another.
Read more... )

****

Been seeing advertisements in the subway for "Friend.com" - stating things like, "Friend: listens to you, responds, and supports you" and "binge a entire television series with you", "share adventures"...and I thought, oh, this must be friending app, similar to a dating app, except for platonic relationships! I should go check this out.

Eh.

Turns out my definition of "friend" isn't exactly the same as others?

Friend is an AI wearable pendant that records everything you say and do, and after collecting all this data - analyzes it and talks to you about it

From the The Verge

An AI pendant that you wear around your neck constantly, records your voice and all your discussions, and supports you, talks back to you and is your friend )

Apparently he spent $1.5 M just to buy the domain name.

I don't know, I find the concept kind of frightening? And really disturbing? That's not how I define friendship. Friendship is supporting each other, listening to each other, and caring about each other, and enjoying things together, debating things, discussing things, and sometimes disagreeing but being okay about it.

Although I guess it is weirdly reassuring in a misery loves company kind of way that there are so many people out there, including this guy, who crave friendship and can't quite find it?

In more disturbing AI news?Read more... )

Okay. What happened to friendship apps - where you just, you know, meet folks with similar interests? I feel like I woke up one morning and suddenly found myself living in a science fiction horror series by way of Black Mirror and Philip K Dick? And how can I extricate myself? Does anyone see an escape route? Because I want out. Also is there a way we can make any of this stop?

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I did spend about an hour this morning talking to Art History Major (cubical mate) who is stuck at home recuperating from a stress fracture, which I think is a broken foot. Read more... )

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I'm avoiding the news as much as possible. I know what's going on in the world. I wish I didn't. My way of coping is ruthlessly mocking it and making fun of everything. I managed to make myself and various co-workers laugh today. So, that's a win, right?

One co-worker thinks we should all go to group therapy for the trauma of Crazy Org's merger of the agencies. I'm beginning to think the entire United States needs some group therapy.

I found this "Portrait of Life/Portrait of Grief" rather moving and relatable:

My son's team won, 9-1.

Back to the reviews:

Thursday: took the train to Union Square in Manhattan for the 11:10am showing of "Highest 2 Lowest." (H2L is a remake of Akira Kurosawa's "High and Low": but the Kurosawa film was an adaptation of an Ed McBain novel, so Spike Lee is technically "repatriating" the material.)

I'm not going to focus on the plot here, because you get the impression Spike isn't that interested in the plot either. Other than one sharply directed sequence, a botched ransom drop set during the Puerto Rican Day Parade (guest starring salsa king Eddie Palmieri), Lee mostly uses the movie to work on his usual obsessions:

Loving, panoramic shots of New York City. Idolization of 1960s soul icons and New York athletes. Hating on Boston (especially the Celtics). NYC cops messing up shit. (Although Dean Winters is hilarious as a detective driven insane trying to keep track of the ransom money.) Fortunately, that also means he lets his actors cook, and we can luxuriate in Denzel Washington and Jeffrey Wright (as music mogul David King and his right hand man).

King is supposed to have been the greatest music producer of the early 00s, "the best ears in the business", and his Stackin' Hits label is a world wide brand. So why is the music in this movie such a needle scratch? For one thing, the basic score is terrible, a standard Hollywood orchestral score that melodramatically punctuates every emotional beat. This movie screams for a rap/hip hop pulse--but I don't think Spike Lee likes rap very much.

[Which brings up the point: what kind of music did Stackin' Hits produce anyway? The early 00s were the time of Snoop and Dr. Dre, Usher and Nelly. But Spike is too busy worshipping Aretha, Stevie Wonder and James Brown to make the music fit the character. It's about as realistic as 70 year-old Denzel chasing down 36 year-old A$AP Rocky in the climax.]

This could have been much better. (Lee's previous movie with Denzel, Inside Man, was a LOT better.) But it's still Denzel and Jeffrey Wright (together!) and there are worse ways to spend two hours.

After the flick, I popped down to Forbidden Planet to check out comic books and The Strand to ogle the rare book collection. I cut through Washington Square Park and stopped off at Generation Records on Thompson Street. (Yeah, I know, I don't own a turntable anymore. But I get a nostalgic thrill thumbing through the old vinyl.)

I went next door to Brown Bag Sandwich Co. for lunch--roast beef au jus and cheddar on Italian bread, and I got a Thin Cookies chocolate chip cookie in Soho. (Pretty good--not too sweet with just a touch of vanilla.)

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Back to work tomorrow. Sigh. Well, it couldn't last forever....
I'm even not bad at decluttering, so long as it's okay to literally throw everything out. (They'll sooner or later send another copy of that late bill, don't worry! And you can always order another birth certificate, probably.)

But I'm not so good at routine maintenance. Does anybody have any already set up daily/weekly/monthly/periodically checklists for various areas of the house that they can recommend?
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