Spontaneous Musings

All achey breaky today - I took an aleve before leaving work, and a shower, and did a little yoga - and sigh, my legs are bugging me, and it's most likely digestive related. (It usually is.) At least the commute was okay for the most part. No one tried to dig into my backpack and I got a seat.
(Technically speaking - the attempt to open my backpack, only happened once, and by a wet between the years white, blond haired, and blue eyed teenage boy from a wealthy neighborhood, who should have known better.)

Found this oration on boycotting by John Scalzi, entitled The Billionaire Boycott Conudrum

He makes some valid points about the difficulty of boycotting Amazon. I realized today how impossible it is. For one thing? My health care aka NYU Langone is using Amazon One as their new check in tech starting this summer. Boycotting NYU Langone is out of the question. Also, as an independently published writer? My novel is on Amazon and was published via Amazon - if it weren't for Amazon, I couldn't have afforded to get it published. I'm techie enough to do it myself. And a lot of other indie publishers survive because of Amazon's Kindle Unlimited.

And as Scalzi validly points out - it's not like the other publishers are much better. The Trades are basically nazis. I've been boycotting Simon and Schuster and Random House for decades.

( Excerpt on the Publishing Trade )

Another example? "Even then you may find yourself contributing to the bottom line of a company you intended to boycott. If you ditch The Washington Post (not owned by Amazon, but owned by Jeff Bezos) and subscribe to The Guardian instead, you are still putting money in Bezos’ pocket, because The Guardian uses Amazon Web Services to stay online. Ditching Amazon’s streaming services for Netflix? Same problem. And so on. Note well that Amazon Web Services is actually the biggest division of the company and the largest contributor to its operating revenue… and is not public-facing in any meaningful sense. It’s merely the backbone of a third of the commercial internet."

[I did not know that. Did you know that?]

I was discussing this with mother, and we both agree that Bezos isn't the same as Musk.( Read more... )

***

Crazy Workplace

I solved the work problem that I was kind of whinging about yesterday - or rather Lawyer solved it. I putted it in her direction and Breaking Bad's, and Breaking Bad had no clue, so Lawyer stepped in.

Lawyer: Do you want to reach out to them for more information, or should I?
ME: Unfortunately, you probably should, since I attempted it and just went around in a circle.

Also today...

Me: (reviewing Modification 7) okay where's Mod 5?
Document: Mod 5 is currently in progress and this will be involved in Mod 5.
Me: Wait a minute? Did you frigging project managers jump over mod 5 and issue the mods out of order, after I told you not to??

Anyone else feel like they are just banging their head against a wall of jello? Or as my father used to put it - throwing jello at a wall.

**

Also bought a black sweatshirt with the subway map printed on it, and New York in big letters. I got it from the NYC Transit Museum Store. Also bought a card with New Yorker cover on it for niece. I'm going to start writing niece.

***

Books

I'm reading The New Yorker on the subway now instead of my Kindle. Mainly because I got lost in Station Eternity - too many characters, too many points of view, and I kept losing the plot. I just don't have the attention span for it? Also it's hard to read on the subway. While short magazine articles don't require quite as much work and it's nice not to be reading off a screen for a bit.

Finished Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Mass on Audible - it's not bad. ( Read more... )

Now, listening to Leigh Bardouch's Six of Crows - which is hard to follow, so we'll see. It has multiple points of view, and more than one narrator involved. However, I saw the television series - so it may work.
The best part of Shadow and Bone was "Six of Crows".

I found this title on DW which I like..."The Book on the Edge of Forever", it's apparently the title of a book about an anthology of stories by Harlan Ellison that were never published. They've been talking about it all over social media, regardless of the platform.

1.) Book Meme

* Still reading Experimental Film by Gemma Files
( Read more... )
* Audio Books

- Completed On the Edge by Illona Andrews as read by Rene Raudman

The narrator is excellent. Among the better narrators. I actually think it's a full cast? She can do up to thirty distinctive voices.

It's hard to describe. ( Read more... )

Main quibble? There's far too much ruminating over the romance. Or navel gazing over it. The writers hadn't quite mastered their banter yet.

- Still working my way through: Bayou Moon by Ilona Andrews as read by Renee Raudman - it's much better than On the Edge.
( Read more... )
* Digital Comic Books

Finished
( Read more... )
Still reading:
( Read more... )
So far?( Read more... )

Up next?
( Read more... )
***

2. Donated Blood at work today. The NY Blood Drive was taking blood donations at my workplace, so I went ahead and did it on my lunch break. Once again I wore a long sleeve button down blouse. So had to roll up the sleeve. I've been wearing short sleeve shirts all year long, and on the days I have to donate blood and get a flu shot - I wear long sleeve button down shirts?

It's a process donating blood. Reminded me of why I've not done it in a while. ( Read more... )
I donated because I wasn't that busy, and I learned it could save three people's lives. And I was annoyed with people today, so...I figured I'd help a bunch of strangers.

I think I may try to give blood once or twice a year now. Do what I can to help people even if they drive me crazy.

3. Mother: You sounded tired when you called earlier, now you sound better, more upbeat and more energetic.
Me: That's because I've been alone in my apartment and away from people for about an hour, maybe two?
Mother explodes with laughter.

People are exhausting.

Frigging city is constantly under construction. They are putting in a couple of traffic lights at the intersection that leads to the train station. ( a new obstacle on my commute )

4. Crazy Workplace

Well, the "pendant" attorney, who is also a frustrated copy-editor and grammatical pendant, is leaving the organization. I only know this - because the head honcho sent me an invite to his going away party. We got the "farewell party" notice via email today. They are throwing a farewell party for him next week at a local pub in Manhattan around 5pm.
( Read more... )
5. Television

I attempted Doctor Odyssey. It reminds me of 9-1-1 and 9-1-1 Lone Star, a kind of comforting medical/rescue procedural, with various relationship dynamics. With likable actors, and likable characters. In short, it's very plain vanilla. I expect a bit more from Ryan Murphy, sheesh.

( Read more... )
Right now, David E Kelly's Lincoln Lawyer is the winner of the procedurals. It's better written. Mainly because Kelly at least knows something about his subject matter, and has good source material.

( the cheese stands alone )
***

On the subway ride home, I look up from my book, earphones in place, and catch a young man with spectacles and a goatee drawing me.
( Read more... )
***

Drops of water hit my shoulders on the way home. Kids and their mothers huddle on a patch of grass near an apartment doorway, while a man rolls about in a wheelchair with no legs, and another strums a tune on the guitar behind him. Balding, yet young, the guitar player, not the man with no legs.

***

( Mother broke her nose. )
***

Loneliness slips beneath the cracks
While the world whirls and laughs
Until one feels almost gone
Swallowed whole
Not quite there
At all

I'm in a bad mood. Blame Crazy Workplace, honestly what's new? I had the same circle arguments today that I've been having for the last two to three months, and didn't get anywhere. I'm tired of arguing with people at work. I can't seem to go a day without it.

Work is exhausting. I should have gone to my Church's evening vespers today but alas, passed.

Meme that I swiped from slaymesoftly.

1. Do you have a button stash. My answer is, well, kind of? I put them somewhere, forget about them...and never sew them on. I can't sew. I occasionally manage to sew a button on, but it's not pretty.

The rest of the questions -
( Read more... )

**

Frustration is possibly the worst emotion next to anger and envy/jealousy, and often all three are interrelated.

My music choices today fit my mood, and were oddly reassuring:

*Don't You Need - Melissa Etheridge
*Tokyo A Go-Go - The Magnetic Fields
* Insecure - Joan Jett and the Blackhearts
* Giants - Dermot Kennedy
* Woman of Heart and Mind - Joni Mitchell
* Breaking Glass - David Bowie
* Corner of the Sky - the Jackson 5
* Stranded - Heart
* She Never Could Resist a Winding Road - Richard Thompson

I particularly appreciated Insecure. It helps to know everyone else is in the same boat.

***

Reading...

* Finished reading the Jean Grey comic arc written by Louise Simonson. It's four issues. And available via comixcology and Marvel.
It was oddly reassuring. The whole theme of it was - that we have limited control, and we do the best we can, and the direction our lives take us isn't necessarily all our fault. Jean is blaming herself for all these deaths and thinking she went wrong somewhere or made the wrong choices, and tries to undo it by making different choices in her head - but is gradually shown that wouldn't matter, the choices she made were the best ones that she could possibly have made at the time. She went with her gut, and that's all she could do, and really it's all any of us can do. We don't know everything, we don't have all the information, and there are other variables at play that we don't have any control over.

* Finished listening to Turn of the Screw as read by Emma Thompson, with some material read by Richard Armitage via audible. It's okay. I had difficulty following it. Thompson was excellent - no complaints there. I'm just not a fan of James. He takes a long time to get to the point. I feel like I'm listening to legalese. And he's very flowery, which is a writing style that irritates me - mainly because I was taught not to be flowery.
My father was a minimalist who preferred Hemingway.

The story is about the ghosts of a manservant and governess - go after two children, who are under the care of the current governess. The title refers to the horrific use of children by ghosts. "The turn of the screw is when a child is possessed or taken over by a ghost, it's worse when it is two turns of the screw." James was obsessed with sexuality or repressed sexual desire - I personally think it was the time period? (And it is why I hate that particular time period in literature - it irritates me). And wrote a great deal about sexual repression as did many of his contemporaries - Hawthorn, Wharton, etc. ( Spoilers )

Now, I'm listening to Barbara Streisand's Memoir - "My Name is Barbara" - which she wrote in order to tell her story, her way, and stomp on the lies told about her by various journalists and critics over time. She makes a point of stating that she likes facts and can't stand lies. (Unfortunately we all lie, whether we want to admit, acknowledge or realize it. People tend to twist things to make themselves look good, embellish a story, or fit whatever belief or worldview they have. And they lie to themselves. We see the past as we wish to - and tend to remember it the same. But alas, I'm not sure everyone has figured this out yet? Or is that self-aware?)

Streisand is apparently the same age as mother - 81. I wonder if her son is the same age that I am?

She's reading the book herself - which is excellent. If you plan on listening to a memoir - pick one read by the author, and preferably by an actor - since most people can't read their own work without going into a monotone.

Almost done with Starling House which has been categorized as dark fantasy by Good Reads. I guess that works.

A post I read on DW last night - haunted me today. Social media does that occasionally, as did letters back in the day.

It was about interpreting text. The reason it haunts me - is well it occurred to me that I've been interpreting and analyzing and arguing over interpretations of text for over forty years, and do it for a living.
I'm a contract specialist - I debate contractual language with contractors daily, and interpret it for them.

Today, for example, we had a meeting in which we basically argued over contractual language with a construction contractor. We've been doing this for weeks now, and going in a circle. It can be very frustrating explaining to someone that their interpretation of the text is a) radical, b) their own isolated interpretation, and c) not proven by anything actually in the text. Not helped by cultural and language barriers. This requires a great deal of patience and stamina.

So if I get a little impatient with folks in fandoms, DW, or other social media regarding interpretations of text - that's probably why - I've been doing it at work all day long. I've had enough. Not always, but often.

Example from meeting?
( Read more... )
Sigh. This is unfortunately typical. I had a fight with a contractor once over whether the contract stated that he could only charge 5% on materials, and that bonds and insurance were inclusive of overhead. I underlined the text in the contract and highlighted it. And he kept telling me that this wasn't how he interpreted it. To wit - I stated, "look, you can't interpret it however you wish - the language states it clearly, a judge will not rule in your favor on this - and if you want to rally it up the flag pole, and further delay your payment - we can send it to legal." He caved.

I remember one time, I let the project team and the contractor yell at each other for two hours over lunch, while I ate my lunch (this was during the pandemic and we were working remotely and doing negotiations virtually on our computers via teams). They finally stopped. And I told them they could either go with what we had decided, or we could continue negotiating. They asked if they could have another meeting tomorrow. I said, no, I could go all night. They said - they were hungry, wasn't I hungry. No, I'd eaten my lunch while they were yelling at each other. Settle it at the negotiated amount. They caved. (They were really hungry.)

What haunted me from last night post (which shall remain nameless) is an English Lit Professor informed a student (the poster) that the following interpretation of Pride and Prejudice was a plausible interpretation of the text: "Elizabeth hated Darcy and only married him to save her family." Stating this was plausible, even if we may not like it.

Okay, it has been admittedly twenty years since I've read the book or fifteen years since I watched the film for that matter - but that is not a plausible interpretation of Pride and Prejudice. I'm beginning to wonder about some of these teachers. The former English Lit Major in me had a hissy fit. Pride and Prejudice is several things - a romance, a comedy of manners, and light satire - what is not is a tragedy or Thomas Hardy, Emily Bronte, or for that matter, Richardson, Thackery, etc.

I mentioned this to mother, who has read it far more recently. And has recently rewatched the film. She was appalled.
( Read more... )

* The Maine Shooting is horrible, and most likely the result of people twisting facts and information to promote their own perceptions of reality.

I've been pondering the following two items today...

1. What do I consider extraordinary, and is this subjective?

2. Can someone be truly bad or good? Or there any bad guys or good guys?

Both arose from conversations with other people. The first was online, the second was with a co-worker. (Who I inspired to start watercoloring botanicals. She shared two of her art books with me. She's very good. Very detailed artist. She has an Associates Degree in Art, a BA in Education and Psychology, along with Botany. People can be very interesting. You never know who you will learn something new from.)

The first? I think we defined extraordinary differently? ( Read more... )

The second conversation? Which kind of bounces off of the first - which arose out of a debate on whether Walter White (and two monsters from X-Files) had extraordinary talents.

The second one...came up with the interesting idea of doing a children's book where one side tells the story from one perspective, the guy who thinks he's the hero, then the reverse side of the book tells it from the alleged antagonist's perspective and how he is the hero. Basically the concept is - we're all the hero of our story in our heads. The villain doesn't see themselves as the villain, they see themselves as the hero. And there really aren't any good guys or bad guys in life.
( Read more... )

The book idea is interesting. However? I think I've seen it done before. Almost positive that I saw it done in either Marvel or DC comics. They like to do those sorts of experimental things. Actually, it's what I like about pulp. Daytime Soaps, Superhero comics, all of that? It experiments. Buffy did too. Why? Because they lie below the critical radar screen - the writers and artists aren't being that closely monitored, because there's so much content they are churning out day by day - that they can play and be a bit more creative about it.

But, I do wonder, are there instances where people truly are one or the other? My co-worker was stating no one was one or the other - and she was trying to teach her son not to see himself as a bad person for making bad mistakes. I agree with her there - too often we demonize the person not the action. People aren't bad, it's the act that is. People are more than one thing. Going back to Walter White - he loved his family, he loved Jesse, he was loyal to both, he gave money to help his obnoxious emasculating brother in law. But he was also a conniving, sniveling, nasty, good for nothing drug dealing, meth making, murderer. Both sides existed in him. He was both. And that is possible. People are capable of horrendous and wonderful things often at the same time, we can often be both the villain and the hero in our own stories - Walter White was.

I just don't this is true of Donald Trump or Adolph Hitler...

***

For this week's Artist Date - (The Artist Date is where I am assigned to take my artist self out on a date. It can be anything really - except that I have to do it alone (no problem there), and it has to be something for my inner child or fun or something I want to do - not work related, not a chore, not something I have to do such as groceries or laundry.)

I decided to do it on Friday (today) instead of Saturday, because it is supposed to be rainy and cold all day tomorrow. It was lovely after work - the sky was blue, the sun blazing, and it was unseasonably warm at 56 degrees, almost 60 in the sun. This was at 4:30pm. (I get off work at 4 - I work from 8 to 4 each day, with an hour and ten minute commute to and from work or thereabouts. Used to be an hour and a half, but they kindly shaved off twenty minutes by making the trains more frequent.)

I got off the commuter train at Atlantic Avenue Terminal, and instead of going directly to the subway, walked a block or two south on Layfaette, (the subway is on Layfaette and Fulton) to the Center for Fiction. It used to be located in Manhattan, but several years back it moved to Brooklyn. (I know it was in Manhattan - because I visited it when I worked, briefly, at Grand Central. Convenient of it to move closer to me, wasn't it? )

I'd been meaning to check it out for some time now. But kept talking myself out of it. Today, I did it. Finally. And it was lovely. I spent more money than I should - buying things I did not need.

What did I get?

1. I discovered this weird little short story kiosk - where you hover your finger over a 1 minute, 3 minute or 5 minute button, and a little short story prints out for you on a long narrow piece of paper. It's free.

( short story that came out of the kiosk )

2. I found a ceramic coaster with the literary cover of Zora Neal Hurston's "Their Eyes Were Watching God".

( blurry photo of coaster - because my hand shook )

3. This month's The Paris Review (because I liked the cover)
( The Paris Review )

4. The others were two boxes of matches - one big box "Make a Wish" and one small box "with the Hobbit on the front", a Jasmine scented candle, and a handpainted notebook (because I really need another notebook...(I don't but I like them). )

( Read more... )
***

All of these little purchases (which did add up) made me happy. I may go back there for events. It's a cool little place. They have a cafe with books, and a little stage where people speak. And a large book store - focused mainly on fiction, but also non-fictional works, and staff suggestions.

Big windows. Very swank. That's the word that comes to mind. Swank.

Overall, a productive little Artist Date. Also I bought toys for my Artist, as the book recommends. (Although my artist is hardly deprived. Based solely on self-help books, I am beginning to think there are a lot of miserable people on this planet who don't know how to treat themselves?)

Having finished the Cranston book, I'm currently listening to Brene Brown's book on Shame, she's a shame researcher, and she wrote a book on that research and how to be resilient against shame - which is prevalent in our society. She's right, it is. Not a day goes by in which someone somewhere isn't trying to shame me or someone around me. I need a people free day - which is tomorrow.

***
( work more or less... )

1. Stop Making Employees Turn on their Cameras at Work.
( excerpt )

2.) On Linked In - I saw this...which I can't find, but it said - "Be kind. It's more important to be kind to others than to be right. To see their needs, and help them."

It also had a post on how leaders - delegate, listen, encourage, and mentor. Bosses - micromanage, criticize, talk, and direct.

3). Andor is excellent. Four episodes in and I'm impressed. They have Stellan Skarsgard, Diego Luna, and Fiona Shaw.

The production scale is on line with the better films within the series.
It reminds me a little of Rogue One - which is the film that it is a prequel/spin-off from. Personally, I rank the Star Wars films, Empire, Star Wars, Rogue One, Return, Force, Last Jedi, Rise, Solo, the prequels.

It's about a man who is hunting for his sister, but he runs into trouble doing so - and ends up with the Empire pursuing him. Somewhere along the way he gets drafted by Stellan Skarsgard to help with a big heist...and we go from there.

The cast is excellent, the writing is excellent, and so is the production.

It is by far the best thing I've seen done in the Star Wars franchise since maybe Rogue One? Or Force Awakens?

4) Chidi saw Wakanda Forever a week or so ago. I asked him about it a week or so ago, I think. It was before he took off for the holiday at any rate.

Chidi: Eh, it was okay.
Me: Didn't you see it in 4D?
Chidi: Yup.
Me: What is 4D?
Chidi: you get sprinkled with water, smell things, and your chair moves around...you basically feel everything in the movie.
Me: So, an amusement park ride?
Chidi: Yeah..but frankly, if I'd not seen it 4D, I'd have gone to sleep. It kept me amused. These superhero films are all alike.
Me: And yet you loved Top Gun.

[Sorry couldn't resist. From my perspective, all Tom Cruise films are alike.]

Chidi is a film snob. And why is it all film snobs love gory horror flicks?
Wales is the same way.

I've yet to meet a film snob who isn't into horror flicks. Specifically gory slasher and torture flicks.

I wonder about humanity some times.

I plan on seeing Wakanda Forever with movie buddy tomorrow. (Note not Wales - that would be horrific. Wales can't handle loud noises. She was jumpy during TAR. She would drive me nuts during Wakanda Forever - I wouldn't be able to watch the movie.) When seeing a movie - it is very important to pick the right person to see it with. Unfortunately, we don't have our pick of movie theaters. UA Court Street closed down without warning a week ago.
I remember when it went up - there were petitions from the entitled white folks living in Brooklyn Heights against it - they were afraid it would bring in the wrong element. Wales and I argued and scoffed at them. Movie buddy, Wales, and I all loved the theater. Was it perfect? No. But it was fun to watch action flicks in - people shouted at the screen, applauded, and you had a nice diverse group. It was mainly a Black Theater, in that Black Americans came by the busload to see films there, and often went there after shopping downtown Brooklyn. The gentrification of Brooklyn is slowly pushing them further East and North.

The pandemic is probably the reason it closed. Shame. Of the two, I'd have rather kept Court over Cobble Hill, but Cobble Hill is a small art house theater, and not as pricey to maintain, so survived.

Anyhow, suffice it to say - we will not be seeing the film in either 3D or 4D. I want to see a movie, not go on an amusement park ride. If I wanted an amusement park ride - I'd go to an amusement park. Also I don't particularly want to be beaten up by my chair during a superhero film. The friend who saw Rise of Skywalker in 4D (among the first to made for that - which by the way explains my issues with Rise of Skywalker), said she didn't particularly like being beaten up by her chair during the movie. Some people do. People are weird. I'm convinced Chidi has some form of ADHD, he cannot focus on things - he has to constantly jump about.

5. Mathew Perry's Memoir...I think it's called Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing. Not positive. Been listening to it on audible - which I heartily recommend. It's like having a one-sided conversation or listening to someone tell you their story - with all the rambling and nonconsecutive jumping around that happens when people do that. I'm not sure it works reading it - though. He's a good writer, he just needs a good editor. I'm not sure they exist in publishing houses any longer. You kind of have to hunt them down in the wild, hog tie them, and convince them to work for you at a hefty fee.

Anyhow, what hits me about it - is how the man drank or did opioids pretty much all the time. ( Read more... )

1. My allergies are driving me crazy. ( Read more... )

2. In other news? Crazy Org now offers the Biavelent Booster via Pfizer/Biomed. ( Read more... )

3. Bro was sick for a few days and self-isolated. He had some sort of stomach bug. But I think his bottled up emotions caught up with him.
( grief is a tricky thing )

4. In other news, Chidi asked for the title of the book that I published, so he can share it with a friend of his, look it up, and possibly buy it himself. It's free on Kindle Unlimited, and about $2.99 regular Kindle, and $12.99 in paperback (printing costs and all that). I refuse to charge more than $2.99 for a Kindle book. It costs me nothing. And I want folks to be able to read it. I'm not going to make that much off of it.

Chidi also told me that we need to be there for each other during this trying time - and be an ear. I hope I'm doing that for others. Not certain.

5. I'm still reading "Unravel the Dusk by Elizabeth Lim" - it is book two of her "Blood of the Stars" series. Book one was "Spin the Dawn". There's only two books in the series. She's Japanese-American and her stories feature Japanese and Asian mythology.
( Amazon description of novel )
Unfortunately it's poorly paced, and slow going. Either that - or it's just me, and I am having troubles focusing on it? Hard to know. I like the mythology and the world-building more than the characters - which is a problem. Also the fairy-tale nature of the story. But it's told in first person and the voice is kind of weak? Or whiny? I can't quite decide which, which makes it slow going at times. I'm 60% of the way through and wondering if it will ever end. But want to know what happens.

I'm in a horrible reading slump. Someone needs to recommend a page turner to me, right quick. I did get Andy Weir's Project Hail Mary for about $2.99 on Amazon, along with the audiobook for $4.99. It's not like I don't have a lot of books to read.

Just not a lot of attention span.

6. Twitter had an article about how Marvel Studios Reboot of the X-Men is rumored to be based on Joss Whedon and John Cassadays Astonishing X-men

Which might actually work. ( excuse me while I get geeky or nerdy about my favorite comic book series transitioning to film or television )

My cousin J asked if I'd seen all the Marvel films and what I made out of the controversy over the female Captain America. I had to think about it for a minute - because I got confused and thought he was talking about Captain Marvel. But no, he was talking about AU version - Angela Carter becoming Captain America in another universe (she's in the Doctor Strange film as Captain America).

Then his wife asked why I loved superhero films and comics so much, what drew me to them. ( Read more... )

Re-connecting with family last week - particularly my extended family helped me reorient myself a bit in the world and realize that my parents had given me many gifts, and I'm not as alone as I might think.
***

Okay enough of that. Off to bed. I'm tired. And have to do a site tour tomorrow near Fire Island of all places - it's about two-three hours from where I live, by train. So I travel one hour and fifteen minutes to the office. Get everything together, leave for another train, take it an hour and fifteen minutes to the station, facilitate site tour (basically take attendance and babysit), then hop on another train and go home. It's supposed to rain tomorrow - I'm praying it holds off until the afternoon. Because I really don't want to wait in the rain for a train. I also don't want to do a site tour in the rain. I may beg the project manager for a ride to a closer station if it is raining. (With the threat that I can't work on her addendum if I'm stuck in Sayville.)

Actually it wasn't as hot as I thought it would be today. Yesterday was worse with all of the thunderstorms and sticky humidity. Also, my body is a human weather vane and doesn't deal with thunderstorms well - or electricity in the air - it makes me irritable.

Mother told me that the crematorium wrapped my father's body in the flag prior to cremating him (they use old flags to wrap the body's in for cremation) and ...this is the best part. They planted a tree in his name, they wouldn't tell her where, but still - a tree has been planted for my Dad. This makes me so happy. My brother wasn't as impressed - his response was - "I have plenty of trees", my response was "yay, more trees!" I honestly think I was a wood nymph or a tree in a past life.

It's my one caveat regarding a view - sky and trees. I really don't care about seeing anything else.

***

Update on Mother and the pshing scam. ( Read more... )

***

While watching DVR'd GH episode. I usually ff during the commercials, but the DVR isn't making it easy lately.

News update: Next on the news at 4pm.. A man was shot and kill while saving parking spots for Law & Order Television Shoot.
Me: Wait. WTF? [ I looked up from the computer, stared at the screen (because I'm writing/typing this post as I'm watching the soap.) and thought, did I hear that right? I couldn't have. )

Update: I did. Here's the Man shot and killed while holding parking spots for Law & Order Organized Crime Television Shoot

Can we get rid of guns now?

***

I've just about given up on Helen Huang's The Bride Test, at the 84% mark. I may skim the rest - which is doable, it's mostly the two characters navel gazing. ( rant about The Bride Test, skip if you loved it, mileage it varies and all that )

Sorry needed to rant about it. I may move back to the historical which is about a nutty female physician who had taken over her father's practice and been corresponding in his name with various people - trying to convince a former Colonel and heir to a Dukedom, to let her help his foster mother, third cousin twice removed.
( Read more... )

***

Work is still crazy. For the first time in a while, I'm behind on my work.
Coordinated and facilitated two Teams meetings today on project, have one tomorrow, plus sent out agendas, created an addendum, uploaded it, got it approved.

Also Gabe gave me flowers, or did I say that already?

Covid

Between COVID and the merger, my poor little work place has been decimated.
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Safety Meeting From Doom

Breaking Bad is a bit of a hoot. Considering he looks like a deranged screech owl this kind of makes sense. Imagine Walter White mixed with a Screech Owl, and a scraggily beard by way of Dumbledore, and you've got Breaking Bad.

Breaking Bad lead it. Of course. It's gotten more entertaining since he took over from Boss (who avoided it like the plague) and Jay (who took it too seriously).

BB: Stress..well they have all of this stuff about dealing with and suffering from stress. But stress is kind of relative. I mean we're not primitive cultures hiding from wild boar that are hunting us down. Now that's stress.
BYT (Bright Young Thing Manager): Yes, but we do suffer stress. This is a stressful environment.
BB: Well that is true - we have an insane management and a crazy agency that feels the need to stress us all out ...but I choose to take the philosophical approach to all of this. It's temporary. It won't last for long. Sooner or later the sun will explode or die, and the earth will go out with it, killing all of us.
BYT: In short we're dead, and won't care?
BB: Pretty much. It helps to keep things in perspective.
BYT: Well, on that incredibly depressing note..

[I shared this with mother, who cackled.)

***

Face Book

Mother's Cousin: Which pill would you choose? The Red Pill - you get to relive your entire life from the age of 6 onwards, knowing everything you know now OR the blue pill - you get 10 Million Dollars.

Most of the people responded, including cousin with the Red Pill.

Me: The Blue Pill. I've watched one too many time traveling science fiction stories that explored this very concept. (Including the X-men comics.) None of them ended well. And they explored it from every angle imaginable. Plus, call me crazy, but I really don't want to relive my life, it wasn't that entertaining the first go-around. I can do stuff with $10 Million, like buy a condo in NY (near the park, with a balcony, and a washer/dryer, and elevator and doorman, and pool and exercise room, and mail room, and dishwasher), and retire in comfort. Heck, I'd be happy with $2 Million. Seriously you have to be a trust fund baby or have a million to buy a home in this town.

Cousin who is retired and rich, probably doesn't care about the money. This is one of those memes that depends on a) whether you are rich, b) how old you are - cousin is in his late 70s, c) whether you've watched or read any time traveling sci-fi in your lifetime that explored this topic every which way imaginable.

**

I told mother, I'm languishing. I'm not exactly depressed, I'm just...

**

Former Minister decided as a former economics major (how he an economics major ended up becoming a Unitarian Minister...I've no clue), that this isn't inflation this is greed and the result of capitalism.

Eh, no, it's a little bit of both. But I decided not to try to explain that to a Unitarian Minister, socialist, former economist - on FB (aka social media).

The reason prices are escalating across the board is the pandemic. The Pandemic shut down various supply lines - resulting in various items being either delayed or no longer shipped at all. So, you are building a house, you need certain materials to complete the foundation - those materials have been delayed and there's a limited supply as a result - this delays your house being built, which in turn means you are renting longer...

Or say you need to paint your walls, and require a specific color - but they are back ordered months - because the paint comes from China, and China is under quarantine...

Inflation happens when demand exceeds supply. I grew up in the 70s, I remember this well.

Sometimes I wonder about folks on social media. Does posting on it too often screw with the brain? (Checks brain - doesn't appear to.)