Wish being father to the thought, I keep thinking today is Tuesday. Not that tomorrow will be any cooler than today, but Wednesday will be, and I'd like it to be Wednesday. But much of the temporal displacement probably has to with being indoors three days running, which messes with my time sense.
I do very well with the window AC, run overnight and at intervals during the day, set to a conservative 21C for the latter and 18 for the former. Ran it Saturday night IIRC and thus kept the indoors from warming up. Otherwise fans work pretty well and I lounge about in my sleep shirt of thin breathable cotton. Unfortunately the brain does not want to work even in the cool house, so I doom scroll and play endless hours of solitaire and do not look at the news.
Feet first. No pain last night. Whew. I discovered that my Merrells, the clogs, are ok to walk in if I wear socks so that's what I did yesterday. We didn't walk a lot but some and it was fine. I didn't get the sharp pains in my feet. I have now bought what feels like a million pairs of shoes online. I will, likely, return most of them, but, hopefully, I'll find one or two that don't hurt and aren't butt ugly. I did find a couple of possibles that looked very promising but their return policy either sucked or looked suspicious, so, no. Oddly, Zappos had nothing.
Today we'll be going to at least two shoe stores, so that might yield something.
Scott and Julie arrived yesterday in fine form. The Timber Ridge guest suite situation worked fine. There are two guest rooms on this side of the complex. My brother stayed in one that was nice and roomy. The other one, turns out, is not and that's the one Scott and Julie are in. It's a small room that is perfectly adequate and, since they haven't seen the other one, they are quite happy there. But, note to self, get 1301 and not 1300 next time.
We went to downtown Issaquah last night and ate at Jak's Steak House. Reddit says that it is not nearly as good as it used to be and, to be fair, a lot of people never thought it was good but I sure did. And, judging by the crowds and our experience, it has not deteriorated one bit. We got a lovely table by the big windows so they could watch the goings on in town. Our food was really good and there was lots of it and there was not even the tiniest bit to take home as leftovers.
Then we walked two blocks over and took Julie to her first ever Dollar Tree visit. She was entranced. It was fun.
Today, they want to go to North Bend. I love how they now get on the internet and scope out their choices. Scott wants pants from Columbia, they both want shoes from Skechers and the ride to North Bend is so pretty. We'll be back here in time for dinner, if not earlier.
They are the easiest people in the world to be around. I love having them here. They brought me THREE jigsaw puzzles! And wonderful high end hand cream - 3 different kinds.
Now I need to pop into the shower. We're meeting for breakfast before our adventures.
Real Life (not mine, personally, mine is just very busy) in terms of global politics being a continued horrorshow, I find myself dealing with it in vastly different ways in terms of fandom - either reading/watching/listening to things (almost) entirely unconnected - for example, this YouTube channel by a guy named Elliot Roberts whose reviews of all things Beatles as well as of musical biopics of other folk I can hearitly recommend for their enthusiasm (or scorn, cough, Bohemian Raphsody, cough), wit and charm - , or consuming media that is very much connected to Current Events. For example: about two weeks ago there was a fascinating event here in Munich where an Israeli author, Yishai Sarid, who is currently teaching Hebrew Literature at Munich University was introduced via both readings from several of his novels, many, though not all of which are translated into German, and via conversations. While the excerpts of already published novels (and the conversations around them) certainly were captivating, and led me to reading one of them, Limassol, which is a well written Le Carréan thriller in the Israel of 2009 (when it was published) context), the novel he talked about which I was most curious about hasn't been translated into German yet, though it has been translated into English: The Third Temple.
This was was originally published in 2015 and evidently has been translated into English in 2024, with an afterword by Yishai Saraid in which he basically says "people thought I was kidding or writing sci fi in 2015. I wish. I could see where this is going then, and now you can, too". If I tell you that a reviewer back in the day according to google described the novel as "if the staff of Haaretz and Margaret Atwood had a child", you may guess what it's about. I will say that if the staff of Haaretz and Margaret Atwood had a child, I wouild expect it to be a female rather than a male narrator, but yeah, other than this. ( A spoilery review ensues. )
I wrote an extremely silly fic for Highlander: The Raven. And it's short, at only 2,078 words.
Diminutive Disruption Rating: G Gen No Archive Warnings Apply Characters: Amanda, Lucy, Cassandra, Nick (although Nick has no speaking lines, he is very vocal)
I got knocked out by some illness going around, which was absolutely awful in a whole bunch of ways. So one of the ways I forced time to pass was by writing the most ludicrous thing I could think of, which involved Nick turning into his spirit animal, and then I roped Cassandra of the inexplicable wolfishness into my rationale, and Nick the small, angry terrier was born. It made sense at the time.
I also realized it was the best opportunity for me to utilize the silly "no beta" tag that often makes me smile. I almost never have a beta, but I find that tag unusable because it contradicts the tone I'm going for. Not so much here. Then I almost skipped it anyway because all I could think of was "we die like Claudia," which wasn't a fitting joke, but then I remembered Amanda's hair and it turned into a pun so bad I had to use it. Which sums up this entire creative process.
[Hopefully to drag me out of my apathy, if not the brain fog.]
The Good News Report....and as always, good news is often in the eye of the beholder.
1.Appeals Court blocks Louisiana law forcing Ten Commandments displays in classrooms. Separation of church and state is the law of the land. Shoving Christianity in kids' faces through their public schools is still, for now, illegal.
Honestly, it's not as if the idiotic Republicans are following the commandments anyhow, why are they insisting on wasting money fighting for them to be taught in public schools?
2. A fundraiser organized to protest Colorado’s 568-day backlog for processing sexual assault forensic exams resulted in a $6,000 award to the state this week to urge faster action.
4.Barrington, Rhode Island : Members of the Town Council vote unanimously to adopt a resolution declaring it a sanctuary town for transgender people and all members of the LGBTQIA2S+ community.
6.Communities in Los Angeles, New York, Pittsburgh, Chicago, Charlotte, San Diego, Boston, Houston, San Antonio, Minneapolis, Worcester, MA, and other cities show up publicly in support of their neighbors facing unjust ICE raids, detainment, and deportation.
7.Four top lawyers leave the Paul Weiss law firm to start their own firm in protest of its leader’s deals to dodge an executive order that would have limited its business.
8.Dementia prevalence among older adults was significantly lower among individuals born more recently (1944-1948) compared to those born earlier (1919-1923), with a more pronounced decline in women, a new study conducted in the US, Europe, and England showed. - SOURCE: This study was led by Xiaoxue Dou, Centre for the Business and Economics of Health, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
Dr. Google says I have metatarsalgia. And that it's not fatal so, whew! But, ouch.
I've been fighting foot pain, cramps and toe issues for years and years and years. Periodically, I throw out all my shoes and try new ones. It never works but I have learned not to throw out shoes. I have one of those pop up mesh bins that lives in my storage unit and is full of shoes. Among them are the two pair of shoes I bought a couple of years ago at the orthopedic shoe store. I quit wearing them because they were clunky. One, a clog was hard to walk in for long distances and the other, a New Balance sneaker, was just like wearing a huge ugly boat. BUT I did not throw out either of those pair.
Yesterday, I dug out these two pair of not-at-all-acceptable shoes and put one on and OMG, my feet felt like 80% better instantly - just having them on my feet, not even walking! Fuck you, ugly shoes. I took all the shoes in my closet and put them into the old shoe bin in the storage unit. I was able to walk downstairs and get my dinner without pain so victory. Ugly but victorious.
Last night I only woke up once with foot pain. Big improvement.
I'll wear these two pair of horrible shoes until the new ones come in.
Also now I know for sure what good (for me) shoes feel like and if they don't feel like these two ugly pair, then they do not make the cut.
Scott and Julie arrive today. They are going out to the airport to pick up a rental car. When they leave here, they are driving to Oregon and Idaho and Salt Lake City in this rental car. They expect to be here about 2.
I went back to making dolls yesterday. It was like coming home to an old friend. I have a nice little inventory so my missing 4 days of making won't decimate the giving shelf's supply.
Ooops! I forgot her heart!! I need to fix that immediately.
Yesterday's Mariner game was an afternoon game in Chicago. I did not have video, of course, but even listening to it was hot. First they lost the home plate umpire. Then a Mariner pitcher was helped off the field. It was just too fucking hot. Today is more of the same. Ugh.
I saw a weather map yesterday of the United States. Not too many spots were habitable. Ours was one of them. Thank you, weather. It is cool and rainy this morning. Lovely.
For those who like the Greek classics, I'm gratified to announce my little one-act play on the death of Orpheus, "Orpheus Changed" is up at Eternal Haunted Summer. Summary: middle-aged Orpheus meets an old woman on a hill and they have a chat that preserves the three unities of ancient Greek drama.
“Orpheus” attributed to Jean Francois Duqueylard (c. 1800)
1. Finished watching Nonnas on Netflix. It's the true story of a man who decides to open a restaurant in Staten Island featuring the cooking of grandmothers, after his mother dies. Stars Vince Vaughn, Lorraine Braco, Talia Shire, Susan Sarandon, and Brenda Vaccaro, along with Linda Cappelina (who was in ER and Freaks & Geeks).
I looked it up? It's actually in Staten Island. Open on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, and features Nonnas of the World - basically grandmothers from around the world come and cook there. It's located on Hyatt Street in the historic district, not far from the Staten Island Ferry - which is free now.
Oh, this is tempting. You need to get reservations in advance, and have a two hour seating. Also, cash only or Vemo. (They don't appear to want to pay the credit card fees.)
Also, they have gluten-free items (clearly a real Italian establishment, you can always tell by the gluten free items on the menu).
3. Apparently Pope Leo has been sending folks to help stop ICE raids.
Bishop Michael Pham - the first U.S. appointment by Pope Leo - showed up at immigration court along with other religious leaders, in solidarity with immigrants going through the legal process, but where ICE has been arresting people. No ICE arrests were made. San Diego, California.
The real heat arrives tomorrow so today was prime 'sit in front of fan and read' weather. Only of course I vacuumed, upstairs and down, because clean floors help with the depression that heat engenders. Also it kept looking like rain so I didn't go out. I kept wanting to order in but all my electronics needed charging simultaneously, and my phone- the semi-exception- wouldn't give me any restaurants on Skip the Dishes except a single Indian one. What I wanted was Vietnamese and enough to last me the three days of the heat dome. But I also have the makings of either mushroom or hamburger stroganoff and should make *that* before the heat arrives. Weather pages can't decide if it will be 30 or 35, which is a considerable difference. So yeah, in hunker down and survive mode here.
Noodle around on YouTube with Murderbot clips. Will never watch the whole thing but excerpts are nice. Only as someone else said, the theme song of Sanctuary Moon is both annoying and unforgettable, so I combat it with Holst's Thaxted.
On ringthebells's wise advice, I had them show me how to lube the chain and pump up the tires. (not that I own chain oil or a pump, but in principle I am prepared!) They installed a locking kickstand (fancy!) and threw in a rear-view mirror, which they mounted on the left handlebar and which I didn't think I'd have the spare attention to look into for days, as I concentrated on figuring out how to ride a bike again after fifty years, but I was certainly glad to have it. I wobble-rode around the local parking lot a bit to get the hang of it and then headed home! I felt secure enough to ride it on some of the deserted residential streets, but got off and walked it whenever there was traffic or I just felt insecure. (Every now and then I have to swerve a bit to keep my balance, which is not a thing to do if there are cars around.)
And today I rode and walked it into downtown again, to a community festival going on this weekend that provides a secure bike valet service. And I already feel more secure and stable (which is not to say that I'm not still occasionally wobbling, or jumping off in a hurry, and definitely am still walking it whenever anyone or anything else might be moving anywhere near me) -- and checking the mirror is already almost second nature! I think forty years of driving a car helps with that. I have the theory of how to shift pretty well down, too; this bike has three gears in front and five in back, which feels like massive overkill for my needs, and all the riding I've done so far has been on the level, but I've tried changing gears a few times just to get used to how to do it.
I traded my bike for a claim check and wandered around the community festival; and then I wandered through the big main-street commercial festival that's also going on; and then a friend texted me to find out if I was nearby and I connected with them and we wandered back through the community festival so they could check their bike as well, and then through the weekly farmers&crafters market, and then through the National Indigenous Peoples Day festival -- there was a lot going on in my city today! And then we went back and reclaimed our bikes and said goodbye and I biked-and-walked home, and now I'm exhausted from four hours in the midday sun but I still have a bunch of stuff to do before I leave tomorrow morning for eight days, oof. (Vacation with my in-laws. I do like my in-laws, but still -- oof.)
But it feels slightly scary and also good to be back on a bike after all this time! And my goodness but that is faster than walking. A very different kind of muscular effort, as well.
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flemmings
