Hey AI — hands off my em-dash
Jun. 14th, 2025 02:03 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
firecatMy fave is the semicolon; however, I refuse to cede em-dashes or any other punctuation marks to ChatGPT.
These attacks on the em dash — a ChatGPT hyphen? How very dare you! — have in turn blazed across social media spaces populated by the kind of folks who will tell you, unprompted, that they have a favorite punctuation mark and what it is. (It is very likely the em dash.) — https://www.salon.com/2025/06/11/ai-cant-have-my-em-dash/
Last Friday: Aesthetic Perfection, genCAB, and Whorticulture
Jun. 13th, 2025 09:37 pmmistressofmusesLast Friday was the other concert that we went to go see:
Aesthetic Perfection, doing an old-school set, plus genCAB and Whorticulture opening.
This one was cutting it a little closer to get there, since I wasn't able to leave work at all early, but luckily the class we were closing at work didn't keep me longer than usual, either. I was able to wear most of what I was going to wear to work, and change what little I needed to on the drive there, haha.
We actually wound up being down there earlier than needed, and had to circle like vultures for about fifteen minutes until one of the driving lanes turned into a parking lane at 7:00. As usual we car-bar/pre-gamed for a bit, then headed to the venue.
We weren't late this time, so we got to see our first opener, Whorticulture.
Whorticulture is a local band, and they've hit at least a little bit of success! We last saw them opening for Solar Fake (last year? the year before?). They got to play Dark Force Fest last month, which was pretty cool.
I've been impressed every time I've seen them, and even having only ever seen them live as an opening band, their songs have been memorable enough that I recognize them every time.
I always figure "hey, I should buy a CD!" and then don't have merch money, so this time was going to be the time! ...They do not have CDs at their merch table. I poked around on Bandcamp and discovered that this is because they do not have any albums... just nine singles released over the course of the last six years, haha. So I did buy their various singles, haha.
Their set was great, as they have been every time I've seen them, and even only getting to play four songs.
"Okay, hold on a minute. Time for an on-purpose wardrobe malfunction!"
Here's their song from last year, "Faust," which I quite like. The video is them being dramatically gothy in the Molly Brown House Museum, which is fun, too.
After that was genCAB. They were supposed to open the last time Aesthetic Perfection came, but had to cancel because the singer had Covid.
Unfortunately I found them solidly... meh. They weren't terrible, but I found myself getting a little bored. I couldn't understand more than a handful of words out of each song (just kind of nondescriptly loud and yell-y.) The singer also seemed... shy? Like he didn't want to look at the audience, ha. He's the synth player for Aesthetic Perfection while they're touring, so I feel like he's had a good tutor in stage presence, but... I mean, I'd be petrified and hate being on stage, so. Glad to have gotten to see them, but not someone I'd seek out to see again/look for as a headliner.
Not really a "good" picture, but I liked the dramatic silhouettes.
And then, Aesthetic Perfection!
This is by far the best picture I got for the night, ha.
It was exciting to see him back, since he swore that the last tour would be the last one in the US ever. (He doesn't live in the US anymore, and he's always very open about the business side of being an artist. Basically it's just prohibitively expensive to tour, in a way that doesn't work out as a financial decision. He's said he'd be willing to tour as a supporting act, and I think he did so last year, but I wasn't interested in the artist he was supporting.)
I think the old-school thing was really meant to be just a single special show, and then expanded to a very small tour, and it was exciting for Denver to have a date added. It's very possible that this one is in fact the last tour, so I'm glad we got to go. (Or maybe there'll be another in a year or two!)
I'm actually less a fan of his older stuff than I am his like... middle stuff. I'm a 'Til Death fan, sorry. Even so, his older stuff has grown on me quite a bit.
He opened with "The Great Depression," which was a good starting song. Having the first words of a set be "Hey you motherfucking son of a bitch!" is pretty good, lol.
Got a lot of other faves from A Violent Emotion (and I'll be honest, while I knew most of the other songs, I don't have the albums they're on. I'll have to get them from Alex, as I'm sure he does, ha.) I was glad we got "Pale," which is one of my favorites from that album, as well as "The Siren" and "Living the Wasted Life."
The final encore song was "Spit It Out," which is a great energetic song to end on. I'm pretty sure that was the song he opened with at the first AP show we saw, way back at Castlemans (RIP a great venue.) The energy of the crowd screaming along with "Spit it out scream, spit it out scream!" does make it a great one to hear live.
Could have done without a small cohort of girls who came in about halfway through the set and pretty viciously shoved their way in front of me, but ah well.
Bought Alex an Aesthetic Perfection shirt (since the last one he tried to get, he wound up with the wrong one and didn't realize until later. The cut of the one he got didn't work for him, so I wound up with it.)
I bought a Whorticulture shirt, since there's not an album to buy, haha. (Forever sad to have missed out on their "Goth as Fuck" shirts, which were styled to look like the "Queer as Folk" logo.)
Aesthetic Perfection, doing an old-school set, plus genCAB and Whorticulture opening.
This one was cutting it a little closer to get there, since I wasn't able to leave work at all early, but luckily the class we were closing at work didn't keep me longer than usual, either. I was able to wear most of what I was going to wear to work, and change what little I needed to on the drive there, haha.
We actually wound up being down there earlier than needed, and had to circle like vultures for about fifteen minutes until one of the driving lanes turned into a parking lane at 7:00. As usual we car-bar/pre-gamed for a bit, then headed to the venue.
We weren't late this time, so we got to see our first opener, Whorticulture.
Whorticulture is a local band, and they've hit at least a little bit of success! We last saw them opening for Solar Fake (last year? the year before?). They got to play Dark Force Fest last month, which was pretty cool.
I've been impressed every time I've seen them, and even having only ever seen them live as an opening band, their songs have been memorable enough that I recognize them every time.
I always figure "hey, I should buy a CD!" and then don't have merch money, so this time was going to be the time! ...They do not have CDs at their merch table. I poked around on Bandcamp and discovered that this is because they do not have any albums... just nine singles released over the course of the last six years, haha. So I did buy their various singles, haha.
Their set was great, as they have been every time I've seen them, and even only getting to play four songs.
Three more Whorticulture pics + a music video embed
"Okay, hold on a minute. Time for an on-purpose wardrobe malfunction!"
Here's their song from last year, "Faust," which I quite like. The video is them being dramatically gothy in the Molly Brown House Museum, which is fun, too.
After that was genCAB. They were supposed to open the last time Aesthetic Perfection came, but had to cancel because the singer had Covid.
Unfortunately I found them solidly... meh. They weren't terrible, but I found myself getting a little bored. I couldn't understand more than a handful of words out of each song (just kind of nondescriptly loud and yell-y.) The singer also seemed... shy? Like he didn't want to look at the audience, ha. He's the synth player for Aesthetic Perfection while they're touring, so I feel like he's had a good tutor in stage presence, but... I mean, I'd be petrified and hate being on stage, so. Glad to have gotten to see them, but not someone I'd seek out to see again/look for as a headliner.
Three more of genCAB
Not really a "good" picture, but I liked the dramatic silhouettes.
And then, Aesthetic Perfection!
This is by far the best picture I got for the night, ha.
It was exciting to see him back, since he swore that the last tour would be the last one in the US ever. (He doesn't live in the US anymore, and he's always very open about the business side of being an artist. Basically it's just prohibitively expensive to tour, in a way that doesn't work out as a financial decision. He's said he'd be willing to tour as a supporting act, and I think he did so last year, but I wasn't interested in the artist he was supporting.)
I think the old-school thing was really meant to be just a single special show, and then expanded to a very small tour, and it was exciting for Denver to have a date added. It's very possible that this one is in fact the last tour, so I'm glad we got to go. (Or maybe there'll be another in a year or two!)
I'm actually less a fan of his older stuff than I am his like... middle stuff. I'm a 'Til Death fan, sorry. Even so, his older stuff has grown on me quite a bit.
He opened with "The Great Depression," which was a good starting song. Having the first words of a set be "Hey you motherfucking son of a bitch!" is pretty good, lol.
Got a lot of other faves from A Violent Emotion (and I'll be honest, while I knew most of the other songs, I don't have the albums they're on. I'll have to get them from Alex, as I'm sure he does, ha.) I was glad we got "Pale," which is one of my favorites from that album, as well as "The Siren" and "Living the Wasted Life."
The final encore song was "Spit It Out," which is a great energetic song to end on. I'm pretty sure that was the song he opened with at the first AP show we saw, way back at Castlemans (RIP a great venue.) The energy of the crowd screaming along with "Spit it out scream, spit it out scream!" does make it a great one to hear live.
Could have done without a small cohort of girls who came in about halfway through the set and pretty viciously shoved their way in front of me, but ah well.
Five more pictures
Bought Alex an Aesthetic Perfection shirt (since the last one he tried to get, he wound up with the wrong one and didn't realize until later. The cut of the one he got didn't work for him, so I wound up with it.)
I bought a Whorticulture shirt, since there's not an album to buy, haha. (Forever sad to have missed out on their "Goth as Fuck" shirts, which were styled to look like the "Queer as Folk" logo.)
Garlic
Jun. 13th, 2025 10:17 amranunculusI just harvested my elephant garlic which did really, really well. I'm chuffed.
Next: planting that bed with squash and a cucumber.
Next: planting that bed with squash and a cucumber.
I won the war but there will probably be PTSD
Jun. 13th, 2025 08:44 amsusandennisMy morning started with Ingrid screaming from her balcony. She was dressed in a lovely short see thru nightgown howling down at the workers below (who probably don't speak English) "It's 6:30 in the morning!!! Why are you working??? Who do you work for?? I'm going to tell the director right now. Be Quiet."
I am sure that the director got an email from Ingrid. I'm pretty sure she gets one every day from from her.
My finance guy's assistant sent me some extra docs. He, so rightly, assumed I wanted Transfer of Beneficiaries (TOD) and how I wanted it set up. Then he also assumed I wanted my brother to have full access to the new accounts so he had that all ready to sign. I'd actually forgotten about both these things so I was delighted. BUT, no DocuSign. ARUGH.
I printed out the page I needed and then the printer and internet severed their connection (no clue who said what to whom). I had to sign and then scan to send back to the assistant and on to my brother. But, when it came time to scan, all I got was sad faces everywhere. If you complete all 37 steps in the right order with your mouth set just so, hooking the printer to the internet is a breeze. Miss one step or move your gaze elsewhere and you are fucked and you have to start from the beginning. Oh, and one part of the process is restarting the router which, of course, takes for frickin' ever to come back.
After buckets of blood, sweat and tears, I finally got it going again. One was 9 pages. I figured the only thing he needed was the first page. Soooooo wrong. So I had to do it all over again. THEN I had to find someone to witness my signature.
I considered ringing Ingrid's doorbell "since you are up anyway..." but figured my dying before the documents were done would be silly. So I went down to the front desk where the receptionist was happy to do it. Then I scanned all the pages in and sent them off. Whew. Done.
When I went to my doctor last January, I bitched about my runny nose. She told me Flonase or irrigation. I tried Flonaise (I have no idea how to spell it and don't care) for a month - nothing. Irrigation is to clear up stuffed up noses, so I went with an allergy pill which worked fine for six months then a couple of weeks ago, it just said 'nope, i'm done' and my nose started running away again. Dr. Google and Amazon list remedies and solutions for 'stop runny nose' that are for clearing out stuffed noses. WTF? So first I did the irrigation. I hate doing it. The first 2 seconds are really uncomfortable. The rest isn't but it's so messy. But, damn, if it didn't work! So then I ordered up some spray that is supposed to help between irrigations. It comes today.
I'm going to be shocked to learn that my doctor, Dr. Google and Amazon are all right and I was wrong. But I checked the filter on my gizmo and ordered a new one. I don't fancy a brain worm. (I've been watching so much Clarkson's Farm, and listening to Peter Grainger novels, that I now have a British accent - at least in my fingertips.)
Today's agenda includes cat food. These two are eating me out of house and home. Amazon is bringing new wet and dry food on Tuesday but their current supply of dry food ain't going to make it. At least the sun isn't out.
Then it will be the usual knitting and farming and baseball later.
I am sure that the director got an email from Ingrid. I'm pretty sure she gets one every day from from her.
My finance guy's assistant sent me some extra docs. He, so rightly, assumed I wanted Transfer of Beneficiaries (TOD) and how I wanted it set up. Then he also assumed I wanted my brother to have full access to the new accounts so he had that all ready to sign. I'd actually forgotten about both these things so I was delighted. BUT, no DocuSign. ARUGH.
I printed out the page I needed and then the printer and internet severed their connection (no clue who said what to whom). I had to sign and then scan to send back to the assistant and on to my brother. But, when it came time to scan, all I got was sad faces everywhere. If you complete all 37 steps in the right order with your mouth set just so, hooking the printer to the internet is a breeze. Miss one step or move your gaze elsewhere and you are fucked and you have to start from the beginning. Oh, and one part of the process is restarting the router which, of course, takes for frickin' ever to come back.
After buckets of blood, sweat and tears, I finally got it going again. One was 9 pages. I figured the only thing he needed was the first page. Soooooo wrong. So I had to do it all over again. THEN I had to find someone to witness my signature.
I considered ringing Ingrid's doorbell "since you are up anyway..." but figured my dying before the documents were done would be silly. So I went down to the front desk where the receptionist was happy to do it. Then I scanned all the pages in and sent them off. Whew. Done.
When I went to my doctor last January, I bitched about my runny nose. She told me Flonase or irrigation. I tried Flonaise (I have no idea how to spell it and don't care) for a month - nothing. Irrigation is to clear up stuffed up noses, so I went with an allergy pill which worked fine for six months then a couple of weeks ago, it just said 'nope, i'm done' and my nose started running away again. Dr. Google and Amazon list remedies and solutions for 'stop runny nose' that are for clearing out stuffed noses. WTF? So first I did the irrigation. I hate doing it. The first 2 seconds are really uncomfortable. The rest isn't but it's so messy. But, damn, if it didn't work! So then I ordered up some spray that is supposed to help between irrigations. It comes today.
I'm going to be shocked to learn that my doctor, Dr. Google and Amazon are all right and I was wrong. But I checked the filter on my gizmo and ordered a new one. I don't fancy a brain worm. (I've been watching so much Clarkson's Farm, and listening to Peter Grainger novels, that I now have a British accent - at least in my fingertips.)
Today's agenda includes cat food. These two are eating me out of house and home. Amazon is bringing new wet and dry food on Tuesday but their current supply of dry food ain't going to make it. At least the sun isn't out.
Then it will be the usual knitting and farming and baseball later.
Achievement Unlocked: Mini Pin Banners
Jun. 14th, 2025 02:22 amtygerYeah, I made a mini pin banner today! 'Mini' in that it's like 2cm wide, it's almost as long as my wardrobe is high. I ended up using some... IDK what it's called, it's a cotton fabric tape thing, pretty heavy duty. Can only fit one row of pins, but that's all there's really room for on the side of the wardrobe, so exactly as planned! (Well, I could maybe do two, but it'd be pretty squishy.)
It was super simple to make, too - I just hemmed then folded over the ends to make a tube, and plaited some embroidery thread together to make the hanger bits! Hanging from a hook at the top, and I've found a use for one of the keychains I haven't been able to resist buying as a weight on the bottom - they're really too big to be practical as an actual keychain, but the art is really cute!!
Think I'll make one for the other side, as well, there's enough of the cotton tape left, so I can continue to do my best with only using things I already have! XD;;
Also went for a walk with Mama, and put up some of the bookmarks, etc. But the mini pin banner is definitely the most interesting thing! (You could definitely make'm so they're actually small, as well! I don't have a space I've identified for a small one yet, though.)
Silver Linings
Jun. 13th, 2025 12:00 pmmallorys_cameraDamn.
Well, yesterday started out well enough.
I pulled out the last six wheelbarrels of thistles, brambles, bee balm, & other assorted weeds from my New Paltz community garden plot.
Before:
After:
I deserved a treat!
So, I trotted over to Hudson Valley Chocolates, and found Stephanie hard at work:
Stephanie is the French-born choclatier who supplies bonbons for the Mohonk Mountain House and various other upscale venues around the Hudson Valley. She has a small shop here in town that keeps whimsical hours: It's open when she feels like being open.
Wallkill is a place where the men walk around in teeshirts that say, Unvacinated, Unmasked, Republican, Straight. In the spring, summer, & fall, Wallkill is an intensely beautiful place, but it is filled with the most horrible people, so there's no reason to go anywhere near it.
But if there was a reason to go near Wallkill, that reason would be to visit Stephanie's shop, Hudson Valley Chocolates:
Got home. Nibbled chocolate. Began Remunerating. Ya gotta do what ya gotta do.
Remunerating is dry stuff. I have to keep wiping my brain clean of excess jargon in between those weighty bouts of regression analysis. To do that, I surf the web—journal entries (and y'all do not write enough!), blogs, celebrity scandals, and when I'm really hard up, news.
Yesterday, the news was unrelentingly horrible.
From Ice Barbie's press conference at which a United States Senator—a Senator!—was handcuffed and brutalized to Israel's massive bombing of Iran.
This is all so fuckin' NUTS.
###
I can't remember the name of the podcast I sometimes listen to that once did a show about superpowers. Specifically: What superpower do people most wish they had?
I do remember that time travel was the most popular superpower—though not by a huge margin.
And if you drilled down into the sample of people who wanted to be able to time travel, they all wanted to be able to time travel for the same reason—so they could kill Hitler!
Well, now we all have the chance to kill Hitler.
That must be the silver lining in the current cloud, right?
Well, yesterday started out well enough.
I pulled out the last six wheelbarrels of thistles, brambles, bee balm, & other assorted weeds from my New Paltz community garden plot.
Before:
After:
I deserved a treat!
So, I trotted over to Hudson Valley Chocolates, and found Stephanie hard at work:
Stephanie is the French-born choclatier who supplies bonbons for the Mohonk Mountain House and various other upscale venues around the Hudson Valley. She has a small shop here in town that keeps whimsical hours: It's open when she feels like being open.
Wallkill is a place where the men walk around in teeshirts that say, Unvacinated, Unmasked, Republican, Straight. In the spring, summer, & fall, Wallkill is an intensely beautiful place, but it is filled with the most horrible people, so there's no reason to go anywhere near it.
But if there was a reason to go near Wallkill, that reason would be to visit Stephanie's shop, Hudson Valley Chocolates:
Got home. Nibbled chocolate. Began Remunerating. Ya gotta do what ya gotta do.
Remunerating is dry stuff. I have to keep wiping my brain clean of excess jargon in between those weighty bouts of regression analysis. To do that, I surf the web—journal entries (and y'all do not write enough!), blogs, celebrity scandals, and when I'm really hard up, news.
Yesterday, the news was unrelentingly horrible.
From Ice Barbie's press conference at which a United States Senator—a Senator!—was handcuffed and brutalized to Israel's massive bombing of Iran.
This is all so fuckin' NUTS.
###
I can't remember the name of the podcast I sometimes listen to that once did a show about superpowers. Specifically: What superpower do people most wish they had?
I do remember that time travel was the most popular superpower—though not by a huge margin.
And if you drilled down into the sample of people who wanted to be able to time travel, they all wanted to be able to time travel for the same reason—so they could kill Hitler!
Well, now we all have the chance to kill Hitler.
That must be the silver lining in the current cloud, right?
ergh
Jun. 13th, 2025 08:21 amunicorndukeStrawberry season is a sprint. It comes early in the season, it's intense, it's constant.
I have a cold.
My mom got sick early this week and spent the first part of the week sanitizing every surface but also just continuing to sit downstairs and breathe in the same room as the rest of us. Probably she got me sick even before that but who knows. I know she doesn't mask at the stores. Her cold manifested as incredible coughing and she went to the doctor about it yesterday. My cold so far is sore throat and vague tiredness.
I'm still working the register because I can't not. No one else can do the setup right now. Or that's not technically true, but my mom is involuntarily coughing and my dad is frantically planting pumpkins. I don't have any masks either. I've been running low and forgot to order more. I desperately wish I had some of the light medical masks but I haven't left the farm since Monday - before I felt sick. I've got all the windows and doors open on the RST and I'm sanitizing my hands...maybe my mom has some somewhere...
Thankfully, I have a new employee for the register. She's fantastic. She's a neighbor's teenage kid and she picked up the register work very quickly and is reliable. I'm so happy about it. We've got her working five hours a day, 4-5 days a week which frees me up to do farmwork. Or this week, probably go sleep.
*adds this to the irritation pile* mostly I'm too tired to be irritated to be honest. ha, my mom texted back, she does have light medical masks and will bring my some. just need to figure out if I'll be open tomorrow with the rain we've got coming
ETA: I feel way better about working now that I've got a mask, my N95s would be way to hard to talk through, my throat is not standing up well to all this talking
I have a cold.
My mom got sick early this week and spent the first part of the week sanitizing every surface but also just continuing to sit downstairs and breathe in the same room as the rest of us. Probably she got me sick even before that but who knows. I know she doesn't mask at the stores. Her cold manifested as incredible coughing and she went to the doctor about it yesterday. My cold so far is sore throat and vague tiredness.
I'm still working the register because I can't not. No one else can do the setup right now. Or that's not technically true, but my mom is involuntarily coughing and my dad is frantically planting pumpkins. I don't have any masks either. I've been running low and forgot to order more. I desperately wish I had some of the light medical masks but I haven't left the farm since Monday - before I felt sick. I've got all the windows and doors open on the RST and I'm sanitizing my hands...maybe my mom has some somewhere...
Thankfully, I have a new employee for the register. She's fantastic. She's a neighbor's teenage kid and she picked up the register work very quickly and is reliable. I'm so happy about it. We've got her working five hours a day, 4-5 days a week which frees me up to do farmwork. Or this week, probably go sleep.
*adds this to the irritation pile* mostly I'm too tired to be irritated to be honest. ha, my mom texted back, she does have light medical masks and will bring my some. just need to figure out if I'll be open tomorrow with the rain we've got coming
ETA: I feel way better about working now that I've got a mask, my N95s would be way to hard to talk through, my throat is not standing up well to all this talking
"This is the REAL ADHD tax!"
Jun. 13th, 2025 02:25 pmcimoreneThe other day I saw a post about American politics on Tumblr that was just a screenshot of someone's tweet that said something like, "Fascism won't make America great. Universal healthcare, universal preschool, housing the homeless, and free higher education would make America great." By this standard, I'm living in utopia! (Or, well, living in Greatness-ia.) Finland has all that.
AND YET...
My efforts to get a driver's licence continue. Basically,
And even worse, the list of conditions that now require EVERY SINGLE PERSON who has ever been diagnosed with them to get a certificate from a private doctor - which means in most cases also a NEW doctor, not their own GP who has treated them before - is not just ADHD. Everybody with any of these conditions (this is not the entire list either) is now taxed, at minimum, an extra hundred bucks for the privilege of getting a driver's licence in Finland, as of two months ago:
Insane. It's not just the financial burden for all these people, either; a brand-new doctor, a stranger, is at a disadvantage for determining if most of the conditions meant here are a danger or not.
So I'm waiting for a call back and Sipuli really doesn't understand why I won't take her outside in the sunshine.
AND YET...
My efforts to get a driver's licence continue. Basically,
- Signed up for driving school for lessons in how to drive stick. My US license expired more than ten years ago and I've never driven in Finland.
- Online information indicates I should have to apply in person, but the customer service rep told me that I can disregard that and just apply for a first licence the normal way.
- The normal way: a brief online form that will instantly issue a printable and downloadable permit that allows you to take the theory test and to drive with an instructor in a car.
- But you can't do that if you have any of a list of health conditions which require a doctor's certificate. And the list includes ADHD.
- There's a new law which seems to say you can't get these certificates from the health center anymore, but I called to check. The booking nurse at the health center thought they didn't do them anymore, but she also agreed that it seemed unfair. But she checked with two people and no, the public health service really aren't issuing certificates for driving for ANYBODY anymore.
- I called the one private doctor center in town. According to their website, the minimum cost of one of these certificates is over 100€, just like waxjism predicted. Their receptionist didn't even know who to book me with (does ADHD require a specialist)? She'll call me back.
- If it does, it will be like at least 150€ instead, because that's the base price for specialists.
And even worse, the list of conditions that now require EVERY SINGLE PERSON who has ever been diagnosed with them to get a certificate from a private doctor - which means in most cases also a NEW doctor, not their own GP who has treated them before - is not just ADHD. Everybody with any of these conditions (this is not the entire list either) is now taxed, at minimum, an extra hundred bucks for the privilege of getting a driver's licence in Finland, as of two months ago:
- diabetes
- any cardio issues including hypertension or a heart murmur
- sleep apnea or insomnia or any other sleep disorders
- any past severe depressions or recurrent panic disorders, or personality disorders
- dyslexia
- autism spectrum
- any neurological conditions or injuries including migraines or any past brain or spinal injury
Insane. It's not just the financial burden for all these people, either; a brand-new doctor, a stranger, is at a disadvantage for determining if most of the conditions meant here are a danger or not.
So I'm waiting for a call back and Sipuli really doesn't understand why I won't take her outside in the sunshine.
Last Tuesday: Denver Botanic Gardens (Part 3)
Jun. 12th, 2025 08:22 pmmistressofmuses(Trying to keep going with the things I planned to.)
Part three of the pictures from the Botanic Gardens last Tuesday. Last Tuesday was better than this week's.
Tiny ducklings are so damn cute.
These were very striking, with the contrast between the upper and lower petals, plus the bright orange pollen!
I remembered these irises from last year. They're so vibrant!
We took a break and headed to the Garden's restaurant, "The Hive." Their food is quite good, so it's always nice to get to go there. Mildly spendy, but well worth it for what you get. Their sweet potato fries are the best.
On the path up to the restaurant: mother duck in the middle of her little island, ducklings scattered around the edges. (Though she was not a fan of other ducklings; there was a second cohort of ducklings that were unattended by their parent, and she was pretty vicious about chasing them away.)
A towhee hanging out at one of the tables.
The ducklings came through on a scavenging sweep. They had no qualms about running under our feet.
It started raining a bit, but while it looked like it might last a while, it actually broke up quite quickly.
After lunch, it was on to the iris garden:
Happy Pride from these Persian jewels. :)
Ruffly! These ones smelled very sweet, if I remember.
This was one of my favorites. I love the stripes!
Another that was just a very different color from the rest.
Over by the cuttings garden:
A very striking two-toned lupine!
Ma'am! Attend to your children!! (I'm fairly sure this was the deadbeat neglecting her duckling children, who were frantically swimming around and peeping. Alex was distressed that they were distressed, but she seemed to be heading back in their direction.)
And in the Victorian garden:
I liked the caged succulents!
I love ferns, plus bonus columbines.
Then over to the Shofu-En Japanese garden.
(The informative sign reads: "A Lantern For Peace: This 250-year-old stone lantern was donated in 1964 by Denver's sister city, Takayama, Japan. The Sister Cities program and "friendship gardens" across the United States are symbols of cooperation and cultural exchange.")
And of course, my much-loved koi.
More koi!
Just one more gardens picture post to go.
Part three of the pictures from the Botanic Gardens last Tuesday. Last Tuesday was better than this week's.
Tiny ducklings are so damn cute.
These were very striking, with the contrast between the upper and lower petals, plus the bright orange pollen!
I remembered these irises from last year. They're so vibrant!
Fourteen more pictures:
We took a break and headed to the Garden's restaurant, "The Hive." Their food is quite good, so it's always nice to get to go there. Mildly spendy, but well worth it for what you get. Their sweet potato fries are the best.
On the path up to the restaurant: mother duck in the middle of her little island, ducklings scattered around the edges. (Though she was not a fan of other ducklings; there was a second cohort of ducklings that were unattended by their parent, and she was pretty vicious about chasing them away.)
A towhee hanging out at one of the tables.
The ducklings came through on a scavenging sweep. They had no qualms about running under our feet.
It started raining a bit, but while it looked like it might last a while, it actually broke up quite quickly.
After lunch, it was on to the iris garden:
Happy Pride from these Persian jewels. :)
Ruffly! These ones smelled very sweet, if I remember.
This was one of my favorites. I love the stripes!
Another that was just a very different color from the rest.
Over by the cuttings garden:
A very striking two-toned lupine!
Ma'am! Attend to your children!! (I'm fairly sure this was the deadbeat neglecting her duckling children, who were frantically swimming around and peeping. Alex was distressed that they were distressed, but she seemed to be heading back in their direction.)
And in the Victorian garden:
I liked the caged succulents!
I love ferns, plus bonus columbines.
Then over to the Shofu-En Japanese garden.
(The informative sign reads: "A Lantern For Peace: This 250-year-old stone lantern was donated in 1964 by Denver's sister city, Takayama, Japan. The Sister Cities program and "friendship gardens" across the United States are symbols of cooperation and cultural exchange.")
And of course, my much-loved koi.
More koi!
Just one more gardens picture post to go.
Update
Jun. 12th, 2025 01:24 pmranunculusNot a lot happened. Baby steps are being made in clearing garden beds and getting them replanted. Beetles are still being picked off flowers and dumped into soapy water. This morning there were only a couple of dozen beetles, not 100's. Progress! I'm finding that especially the cucumber beetles are hatching in the late afternoon and evening. If I do a round of bug removal at sunset I get most or all of them.
The cows have finally moved into the pasture around the house. Apparently there is still lots of water in the stream along with piles of feed, so no cows have hiked all the way up to the house for water. When they have eaten all the yummy (possibly still faintly green) grass near the creek, and perhaps when it gets a little warmer and they want the breeze on our knoll; I'm sure they will come up here.
To prepare for the cows the fish needed to be moved. Cows regularly drink the stock tanks, even the 500 gallon one, dry. This is not good for fish health. Yesterday early morning I bailed out and dumped the 170 gallon tank. There should have been two fish in it. There were none. I was pretty sure that one fish disappeared several weeks ago, but the other was seen three days prior. Down at the 500 gallon tank I couldn't see any of the 3 fish that should have been there even though I'd siphoned a lot of water out. The water was pretty murky. This morning there was a glimpse of one fish. Other chores came first, but along about noon I bailed the water level down to about 6 inches and eventually captured two fish. They are now getting used to cleaner water in their bucket. In a few minutes I'll go set them loose in the 170 gallon tank. It is sparkling clean having been scraped and scrubbed and refilled. As a predator preventive, and to give them a bit of shade, I'm going to put a shade cloth tent over the tank. It would probably be best to adopt out the two remaining fish, they are at about 3 1/2 to 4 inches and have become extremely enticing as lunch for a variety of critters.
I had wanted to weed whack the fence between the horse pastures and the cows, but having been sick last week I hired two guys to do it. They did a good job. I did find a downed tree that had to be cut off the fence and got that taken care of. SOP is to walk all fences before turning on the power, and then walk them again once the power is on listening for the snap of a loose connection. Yesterday, while checking the fence, I found a second tree on the fence. This morning Kim came to be my safety monitor while I ran the chainsaw. It only took a few minutes to get the tree out of the way. Kim mentioned it would be nice to have a branch that was hanging into the arena pruned up so I went off to get the pole saw. The pole saw (chainsaw) dumped 1/4 cup of gas on the driveway gravel, which it REALLY should not have done. Off to the repair shop with it! An hour later one of the two weed whackers, which was running perfectly day before yesterday, refused to start. It's selector switch: off, start, run; just flopped around. With two broken items I suspect I should drive to Cloverdale and get them into the shop.
Yesterday morning was consumed by a trip to Fort Bragg to have my back worked on. Both back and my neck feel better; along with my thumb which entirely quit hurting. While at Dr Richard's I asked if there was a pet shop that sold fish. I stopped by a really clean and neat feed store and picked up 6 tiny feeder goldfish. They are happily swimming around in Firefly's water tank. They are way too small to be tempting as a meal. Once the cows are gone for the summer some of them can go to the overflow tank. That will be a month or more from now. Along with goldfish there are mosquito fish available, but goldfish are much tougher fish. Goldfish will survive long, long after mosquito fish die and they do just as good a job at eating up mosquito larva.
The most recent Dahlia to open is lopsided but really lovely. Definitely one I'll keep.
The cows have finally moved into the pasture around the house. Apparently there is still lots of water in the stream along with piles of feed, so no cows have hiked all the way up to the house for water. When they have eaten all the yummy (possibly still faintly green) grass near the creek, and perhaps when it gets a little warmer and they want the breeze on our knoll; I'm sure they will come up here.
To prepare for the cows the fish needed to be moved. Cows regularly drink the stock tanks, even the 500 gallon one, dry. This is not good for fish health. Yesterday early morning I bailed out and dumped the 170 gallon tank. There should have been two fish in it. There were none. I was pretty sure that one fish disappeared several weeks ago, but the other was seen three days prior. Down at the 500 gallon tank I couldn't see any of the 3 fish that should have been there even though I'd siphoned a lot of water out. The water was pretty murky. This morning there was a glimpse of one fish. Other chores came first, but along about noon I bailed the water level down to about 6 inches and eventually captured two fish. They are now getting used to cleaner water in their bucket. In a few minutes I'll go set them loose in the 170 gallon tank. It is sparkling clean having been scraped and scrubbed and refilled. As a predator preventive, and to give them a bit of shade, I'm going to put a shade cloth tent over the tank. It would probably be best to adopt out the two remaining fish, they are at about 3 1/2 to 4 inches and have become extremely enticing as lunch for a variety of critters.
I had wanted to weed whack the fence between the horse pastures and the cows, but having been sick last week I hired two guys to do it. They did a good job. I did find a downed tree that had to be cut off the fence and got that taken care of. SOP is to walk all fences before turning on the power, and then walk them again once the power is on listening for the snap of a loose connection. Yesterday, while checking the fence, I found a second tree on the fence. This morning Kim came to be my safety monitor while I ran the chainsaw. It only took a few minutes to get the tree out of the way. Kim mentioned it would be nice to have a branch that was hanging into the arena pruned up so I went off to get the pole saw. The pole saw (chainsaw) dumped 1/4 cup of gas on the driveway gravel, which it REALLY should not have done. Off to the repair shop with it! An hour later one of the two weed whackers, which was running perfectly day before yesterday, refused to start. It's selector switch: off, start, run; just flopped around. With two broken items I suspect I should drive to Cloverdale and get them into the shop.
Yesterday morning was consumed by a trip to Fort Bragg to have my back worked on. Both back and my neck feel better; along with my thumb which entirely quit hurting. While at Dr Richard's I asked if there was a pet shop that sold fish. I stopped by a really clean and neat feed store and picked up 6 tiny feeder goldfish. They are happily swimming around in Firefly's water tank. They are way too small to be tempting as a meal. Once the cows are gone for the summer some of them can go to the overflow tank. That will be a month or more from now. Along with goldfish there are mosquito fish available, but goldfish are much tougher fish. Goldfish will survive long, long after mosquito fish die and they do just as good a job at eating up mosquito larva.
The most recent Dahlia to open is lopsided but really lovely. Definitely one I'll keep.
Thursday
Jun. 12th, 2025 09:15 amsusandennisJust got word that Aqua Yoga resumes on July 7! Turns out, I really miss it so I'm delighted. Volleyball was good this morning so the pool hiatus is now well and truly over. Whew.
I've now made 26 Pride Monsters. There are two out on the shelf but they won't be there long. I have yarn for probably 20 more and then I'll go back to curly headed dolls. I do want to come up with a Halloween offering and I have two potentials in mind. I need to make them up and then run them by the final arbitrator: Martha.
I learned to knit when I was 6 so I've been fiddling with yarn for 70 years and last week, I came across the most genius tip ever. I've always rolled balls of yarn and tucked the ends into the last few windings. This kind of works except sometimes it does not and always, finding the ends is a bitch.
Then, last week, I saw this on Bluesky. I cannot even find the post now. I'd dearly love to thank the author. These clips are perfect. They do not snag the yarn, they mold to the curve of the ball exactly. They do not let go of the yarn and you always know where the end is. I'm a little bit pissed that I didn't know about it years ago but I'm delighted with it now.
Today the sun is behind clouds and oh the relief of having it hidden! I'm going to celebrate by going out and doing my Amazon returns and maybe stopping at Trader Joes. Or Safeway.
I've now made 26 Pride Monsters. There are two out on the shelf but they won't be there long. I have yarn for probably 20 more and then I'll go back to curly headed dolls. I do want to come up with a Halloween offering and I have two potentials in mind. I need to make them up and then run them by the final arbitrator: Martha.
I learned to knit when I was 6 so I've been fiddling with yarn for 70 years and last week, I came across the most genius tip ever. I've always rolled balls of yarn and tucked the ends into the last few windings. This kind of works except sometimes it does not and always, finding the ends is a bitch.
Then, last week, I saw this on Bluesky. I cannot even find the post now. I'd dearly love to thank the author. These clips are perfect. They do not snag the yarn, they mold to the curve of the ball exactly. They do not let go of the yarn and you always know where the end is. I'm a little bit pissed that I didn't know about it years ago but I'm delighted with it now.
Today the sun is behind clouds and oh the relief of having it hidden! I'm going to celebrate by going out and doing my Amazon returns and maybe stopping at Trader Joes. Or Safeway.
I done a social!
Jun. 13th, 2025 02:19 amtygerGot lunch with A, which was pretty great! :D
Also finally found sticky dots (it took... way longer than it should have...), and I've started putting up my new prints! All the new A5 ones are up yaaaaaay~ Still don't know where to put the A4 ones, bleh. Gonna put some bookmarks up, too, and maybe some sticker sheets. Also considering some super thin pin banners - out of thick fabric ribbon or something like that - for the sides of my wardrobe doors (the prints are in the middle, so there's not a lot of room). Will have to have a look at what we've got laying around; as usual I don't want to buy stuff unless I really have to.
Anyway, bed now. I had a nap when I got home, but I'm tired again because of course I am, hahaha.
Open Book Tests
Jun. 12th, 2025 07:53 ammallorys_cameraDid my four wheelbarrows of thistles, brambles, bee balm, & loose ground cover at the New Paltz garden early-ish yesterday morning.
Then one of the garden elders came down the path, pushing a rototiller that does everything but make coffee. Nodded at the approximately one-third of the garden that still needs to be cleared. Asked, Would you like me to use this to...?
And I said, No, because beneath the thistles, brambles, & bee balm, I keep uncovering delicate plants that were once part of some previous occupant's ornamental garden, and I wanted to give those delicate plants a chance to thrive once more.
And the garden elder nodded as if I had passed some sort of test!
"You're doing it the right way!" he proclaimed. "Give a holler when you've finished clearing the big stuff & I'll come back with this & help you with the low weeds."
Which would indeed be a God send. I really hate digging with a shovel.
Shortly, I will be scampering out to log today's wheelbarrow quota before it gets hot.
###
Other than that, I have been feeling super-anxious about the political situation.
It has occurred to me—and to 50 million other armchair analysts—that Trump's vanity birthday parade this Saturday with all those tanks is really just a pretext to turn the White House into some kind of armored fortress for when Trump declares martial law. Which will also be on Saturday. I mean, Saturday is fuckin' Flag Day! Could the symbolism be any more flagrant?
And I am anxious, and I am scared, but I am also disgusted: All of this was outlined in exhaustive detail in Project 2025. It's like American voters failed an open book test.
Hoping I'm wrong.
But the dots seem to connect, and the picture is one we've seen before.
Humans are ridiculous and territorial, and they never, ever fuckin' learn.
Then one of the garden elders came down the path, pushing a rototiller that does everything but make coffee. Nodded at the approximately one-third of the garden that still needs to be cleared. Asked, Would you like me to use this to...?
And I said, No, because beneath the thistles, brambles, & bee balm, I keep uncovering delicate plants that were once part of some previous occupant's ornamental garden, and I wanted to give those delicate plants a chance to thrive once more.
And the garden elder nodded as if I had passed some sort of test!
"You're doing it the right way!" he proclaimed. "Give a holler when you've finished clearing the big stuff & I'll come back with this & help you with the low weeds."
Which would indeed be a God send. I really hate digging with a shovel.
Shortly, I will be scampering out to log today's wheelbarrow quota before it gets hot.
###
Other than that, I have been feeling super-anxious about the political situation.
It has occurred to me—and to 50 million other armchair analysts—that Trump's vanity birthday parade this Saturday with all those tanks is really just a pretext to turn the White House into some kind of armored fortress for when Trump declares martial law. Which will also be on Saturday. I mean, Saturday is fuckin' Flag Day! Could the symbolism be any more flagrant?
And I am anxious, and I am scared, but I am also disgusted: All of this was outlined in exhaustive detail in Project 2025. It's like American voters failed an open book test.
Hoping I'm wrong.
But the dots seem to connect, and the picture is one we've seen before.
Humans are ridiculous and territorial, and they never, ever fuckin' learn.
Habit Tracking: Week 22 (June 01 - June 07)
Jun. 11th, 2025 09:18 pmmistressofmuses
For the start of Pride month, a sticker from NerdyKeppie's "Proud to the Bone 2" pin collection.
And my tiny printout of the show flyer, since we don't get hard copy tickets anymore.
(It's a bit hard to write this from the perspective of it being the week Before, but I'm trying.)
This was a fairly busy week! It was a good week, and I made it through the first big rush of busy, but still feel like I have a lot to catch up on. FastCAT, the gardens, and the concert were all really good. Work was average to fine. I do hope to do more reading and writing next week, since it feels like that's where progress is most stagnant.
Goals for the week:
- I did post my book reviews for May
- I started, but didn't finish, catching up on DW
- I watered my plants
- I read more of Maeve Fly
- I did my
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
getyourwordsout check-in: 1666 words written in May, bringing the ytd total to 58483 - We went to the Botanic Gardens with my mom and Taylor
- We did Bella's FastCAT
- I talked to mom and saw her briefly on her birthday
- We went to the Aesthetic Perfection show
- I wrote up and posted my June writing goals
- I printed off some short stories for my mom
- I put my laundry away
- I still haven't cancelled the dentist appointment
- I still didn't make it to the bank
- I still didn't finish part 3 of the snowflake outline
- Alex did get rent paid
Tracked habits:
- Work - 5/7
- Household Maintenance - 3/7
- Physical Activity - 3/7
- Wrote 500/1000+ Words - 2/7 - one day of over 1000, one day of over 500
- Wrote on 2nd+ Draft - 0/7
- Meta Work - 5/7
- Personal Writing - 5/7
- Other Creative Things - 3/7
- Reading - 6/7 - mostly I started reading Maeve Fly, and read some Duma Key with Alex
- Attention to Media - 7/7 - Sunday I had some youtube in the background at work; Monday half-watched some exploration videos; Tuesday had storm chasing and abandoned place videos in the background; Wednesday was more storm chasing in the background; Thursday we watched some storm chasing (they found an impressive tornado!) and I listened to music (mostly Aesthetic Perfection in preparation for the show on Friday); Friday we went to the concert; Saturday listened to music (mostly Whorticulture, Solar Fake, and Aesthetic Perfection.)
- Video Games - 0/7
- Social Interaction - 5/7
Total words written: 4712 on my book reviews and writing plans
-
I am still very sad, and I'm trying to strike the balance between "being gentle with myself" and "wallowing."
The inescapable notebook...
Jun. 11th, 2025 11:26 ammistressofmusesTiny, silly thing that made me smile at least a bit today:
I have a notebook I bought for myself about 13 or 14 months ago. It's my current "writing notebook" that I take with me in my bag so I can jot things down at any time, with no excuse not to write an idea down. I mostly use it at work. (In actual usage it's more of a journal/to-do list/planning notebook, but at least with a bit of a writing bent.) It's got flowers and mushrooms and bugs on it. It's very cute, colorful, and kind of 'cottagecore', I guess. I bought it because I liked it!
At Christmas, Alex bought me the exact same notebook, because "it looked like something you would like!" ...The same one I'd been carrying around for seven months or so at that point, haha. (To be clear, I was happy with it, because it absolutely *is* something I would like! And now I have a spare!)
Today I got to work, and my manager had bought me... The exact same notebook. I had needed a new one for my work stuff, but figured I'd just get a plain one. She bought it because she knew I liked that size, and it was a cute cover that looked like I'd like it. (She has seen that notebook on my desk at work for over a year.)
Help, I'm predictable. But also it's very funny that I can carry something with me daily, and the people most likely to see it don't remember that... But see it and apparently think of me.
I have a notebook I bought for myself about 13 or 14 months ago. It's my current "writing notebook" that I take with me in my bag so I can jot things down at any time, with no excuse not to write an idea down. I mostly use it at work. (In actual usage it's more of a journal/to-do list/planning notebook, but at least with a bit of a writing bent.) It's got flowers and mushrooms and bugs on it. It's very cute, colorful, and kind of 'cottagecore', I guess. I bought it because I liked it!
At Christmas, Alex bought me the exact same notebook, because "it looked like something you would like!" ...The same one I'd been carrying around for seven months or so at that point, haha. (To be clear, I was happy with it, because it absolutely *is* something I would like! And now I have a spare!)
Today I got to work, and my manager had bought me... The exact same notebook. I had needed a new one for my work stuff, but figured I'd just get a plain one. She bought it because she knew I liked that size, and it was a cute cover that looked like I'd like it. (She has seen that notebook on my desk at work for over a year.)
Help, I'm predictable. But also it's very funny that I can carry something with me daily, and the people most likely to see it don't remember that... But see it and apparently think of me.
I maybe need to have slightly lower expectations of myself
Jun. 12th, 2025 02:44 amtygerYeah didn't get a whole lot done today. But I DID go shopping with Mama and bought pj tops! I did that! I just kinda came home and crashed for the afternoon, sigh. Leaving the house: still kinda a problem, bleh.
Anyway, it is what it is! I probably won't get much done tomorrow, too, since I'm going out with A for lunch! But I'll at least get sticky dots, since they eluded me today (we checked out SEVERAL shops, but alas)
I'm also up stupid late given when we're supposed to be meeting, but at least I can rely on the cat alarm clock... Still. It's been less than a fortnight how am I already this far into nocturnal mode...
I hear trouble brewing
Jun. 11th, 2025 07:20 amsusandennisJust below my window, for the past two mornings, guys have been working on some project. They are starting about 7 am. There is noise and conversation. Fine by me BUT... they are also just below Ingrid's window. And Ingrid does not believe anyone should make any noise that she can hear before oh, I don't know, 10 or 11 am. Plus, Ingrid lives to bitch to management. I'm guessing the emails are flying already.
This morning, my finance guy is going to call to discuss options for investing my money. It's a dance we do. He recommends and I say fine but first he has to defend his recommendation. I do not need the defense. But, apparently he does. I'm used to it by now - all finance guys are the same this way. As long as he does not try to explain dollar cost averaging, I'm fine. "that sounds fine. I totally agree. that sounds like an excellent plan, thank you. yes, that's perfect. ok. sure." Then we're good for at least a year probably. He and his assistant are VERY good about emails but some things, apparently, need voice consent. It might have to do with crossing state lines. Missouri. He keeps meaningless chit chat to a bare minimum and responds immediately to anything I ask. I inherited him from my cousin and I'm very grateful.
That's really my only agenda item today. It's baseball getaway day. The Phillies play at 10 and the Mariners at noon. Both teams were leading their divisions for a good while but now can't seem to quit losing. At least last night's game featured lots of the Phanatic which was fun.
Julio turns 3 tomorrow.
Ok, so the finance call happened early! He had said 9 or 10 but turns out he meant that in his time, not mine. which is fine and dandy. I'm happy to have it over with. All decisions are made. Docusigns are coming in now. Yeah for electronic signing!
And while I'm waiting for the last doc to sign, I even went into my Google IMPORTANT stuff folder and updated my doc of details. My father kept this for years. Typed out on his typewriter. A list of where his money was, his and mom's and all his children's and grandchildren's addresses, dates of birth and social security numbers and a few other important bits of info. When he died, it was my Bible. My original copy was in shattered bits by the time his estate was settled. I tried to keep my Daddy's List plain and simple and up to date. And, now it is.
And my last doc is signed. Woot! I think I'll go down to the mail room and clean out my mailbox of all the letters from Neptune and the brochures from cruise lines. Also, so oddly, postcards from gutter replacement outfits.
Then it will be time for the first pitch.
This morning, my finance guy is going to call to discuss options for investing my money. It's a dance we do. He recommends and I say fine but first he has to defend his recommendation. I do not need the defense. But, apparently he does. I'm used to it by now - all finance guys are the same this way. As long as he does not try to explain dollar cost averaging, I'm fine. "that sounds fine. I totally agree. that sounds like an excellent plan, thank you. yes, that's perfect. ok. sure." Then we're good for at least a year probably. He and his assistant are VERY good about emails but some things, apparently, need voice consent. It might have to do with crossing state lines. Missouri. He keeps meaningless chit chat to a bare minimum and responds immediately to anything I ask. I inherited him from my cousin and I'm very grateful.
That's really my only agenda item today. It's baseball getaway day. The Phillies play at 10 and the Mariners at noon. Both teams were leading their divisions for a good while but now can't seem to quit losing. At least last night's game featured lots of the Phanatic which was fun.
Julio turns 3 tomorrow.
Ok, so the finance call happened early! He had said 9 or 10 but turns out he meant that in his time, not mine. which is fine and dandy. I'm happy to have it over with. All decisions are made. Docusigns are coming in now. Yeah for electronic signing!
And while I'm waiting for the last doc to sign, I even went into my Google IMPORTANT stuff folder and updated my doc of details. My father kept this for years. Typed out on his typewriter. A list of where his money was, his and mom's and all his children's and grandchildren's addresses, dates of birth and social security numbers and a few other important bits of info. When he died, it was my Bible. My original copy was in shattered bits by the time his estate was settled. I tried to keep my Daddy's List plain and simple and up to date. And, now it is.
And my last doc is signed. Woot! I think I'll go down to the mail room and clean out my mailbox of all the letters from Neptune and the brochures from cruise lines. Also, so oddly, postcards from gutter replacement outfits.
Then it will be time for the first pitch.
Smackdown!!!! Larry McMurtry v Joan Didion!!!!!
Jun. 11th, 2025 08:43 ammallorys_cameraCool car I saw in the parking lot at the gym:
Shortly, I must toddle off to the New Paltz garden for more weeding as it's supposed to get hot this afternoon.
Yesterday, I did very little of anything except tromp (Winding Hills, steep) and start rereading Tracy Daugherty's biography of Joan Didion—which is not as good as Tracy Daugherty's bio of Larry McMurtry.
I suspect Didion simply did not engage Daugherty as much: She is an excellent prose writer, but comes across as an unsympathetic human being, unspontaneous, unlikeable, studied to an extreme. One gets the impression that Didion hovered over her words like a vulture hovering over a skull, wondering, Did I miss anything the first time I picked this clean? It probably took her half an hour to write a single sentence.
McMurtry, in contrast, was a kind of mad, slapdash writer. Every morning of his life, he was up and at that typewriter by 7:30 a.m., typing away like a maniac. By 9 a.m., he'd have produced 10 pages. And then he'd stop.
Ten pages in an hour and a half! That's crazy fast!
And probably accounts for his uneven output: Easily half of what McMurtry wrote is really baaaaad.
But McMurtry draws the reader in in a way that Didion is simply not capable of doing. One must parse Didion's sentences. And that is exhausting when one is reading for pleasure. Hence, one never reads Didion for pleasure.
Interestingly, both Didion and McMurtry are ultimately what you might call regional writers. Didion's region was California; McMurtry's region was Texas. And each writer's finest output amounts to kind of a harvest of regional tropes: Didion's basket is "the pioneer," while McMurtry's is "the American West."
Shortly, I must toddle off to the New Paltz garden for more weeding as it's supposed to get hot this afternoon.
Yesterday, I did very little of anything except tromp (Winding Hills, steep) and start rereading Tracy Daugherty's biography of Joan Didion—which is not as good as Tracy Daugherty's bio of Larry McMurtry.
I suspect Didion simply did not engage Daugherty as much: She is an excellent prose writer, but comes across as an unsympathetic human being, unspontaneous, unlikeable, studied to an extreme. One gets the impression that Didion hovered over her words like a vulture hovering over a skull, wondering, Did I miss anything the first time I picked this clean? It probably took her half an hour to write a single sentence.
McMurtry, in contrast, was a kind of mad, slapdash writer. Every morning of his life, he was up and at that typewriter by 7:30 a.m., typing away like a maniac. By 9 a.m., he'd have produced 10 pages. And then he'd stop.
Ten pages in an hour and a half! That's crazy fast!
And probably accounts for his uneven output: Easily half of what McMurtry wrote is really baaaaad.
But McMurtry draws the reader in in a way that Didion is simply not capable of doing. One must parse Didion's sentences. And that is exhausting when one is reading for pleasure. Hence, one never reads Didion for pleasure.
Interestingly, both Didion and McMurtry are ultimately what you might call regional writers. Didion's region was California; McMurtry's region was Texas. And each writer's finest output amounts to kind of a harvest of regional tropes: Didion's basket is "the pioneer," while McMurtry's is "the American West."