Month: August 2021

where the fuck is the mailbox

The mailbox that used to be one block from here is GONE. One day it had a sad yellow paper sign -handwritten- saying it was out of order, and the next day it had been completely removed.

I have no idea where the next closest one is AND THERE IS NO PLACE ON THE CANADAPOST.CA website where you can search for the closest mailbox. I suspect it will be a while before I find it.

All I want to do is stay in touch with my friends and be prosocial, and now I’ll be waiting a week to run errands before I post letters. Heavy sigh.

Time to get up, hydrate, and start supper (I had a nice long nap… and why not.)

Jeff and I watched the Green Knight with Dev Patel. While it labours under an awkward script and a set decoration philosophy which screams theft from a thousand millennia of design choices (all over the map is kind), Dev Patel is pretty and as vacant as a hero from a 50’s costume epic; Alicia Vikander is wasted in a role that a cardboard cutout of Elizabeth Taylor could have performed; and they use a fuckin’ years’ supply of fake ground fog. ZERO UNDERSTANDING of the up down and sideways hype this film received; it’s not quick on its feet enough to be camp and it isn’t good enough to be this fucking slow. In the end the jerk runs away and it was all a dream; profoundly underwhelmed. I ripped myself off; I should have turned to Jeff and bailed at 10 minutes but a powerful desire to just finish it to say that I had overwhelmed me.

This is a test post

At the moment I am thinking about plotting. I am now thinking I want to compress the new trilogy about a white scientist playing Johnny Appleseed in Canada’s north into one longish book called oops redacted, and then I can introduce a whole bunch of ideas at once.

LOL THE BORDER’S CLOSED UNTIL SEPTEMBER congrats we did it again, we’re having to defend the world’s longest undefended border.

Yesterday and today

First, have a bear from the Capilano neighbourhood of North Van, as of about last week.

AND we don’t deserve dogs. Nor cats. (Buster when he see WOMBAT he CRAZY). NOR ORANGS.

Yesterday Paul and I walked in Fraser Foreshore. I had a dizzy spell coming out of the house so I didn’t drive, and thus nagged Paul freely the entire way back and forth.

Virtually no birds singing, none of our usual animal companions, not very well attended, nobody but us and an Asian couple bothering to wear masks. I told Paul the Delta variant is like cigarette smoke and even outdoors on pathways where we have to pass close by to people you can can get a whiff…. also I’m getting REALLY MIXED PRESS on how good Astra Zeneca is on suppressing Delta. Apparently, the word is now that it’ll keep me out of hospital if I get a breakthrough infection but I’ll be more likely to be contagious to other people if I’m asymptomatic. Not exactly the shit ya wanna hear when you’re going to visit your parents, who while not frail are elderly (sorry guys but you are over 80 after all.)

We bailed on pho as soon as I mentioned Schnitzel, by gar, and I got three takeout schnitzel dinners from Balkan House so Jeff could enjoy our celebratory meal too. Paul took exactly the same amount of time to get beer from the Oliver Twist, which faces Balkan House (I suspect he actually used the crosswalk, since jaywalking across Edmonds is something only silly young people do) as it took for the food to arrive. It was fantastic… much better than the last time, although the food portions on the rice and potatoes were smaller than I’m used to. The breading though… always a classic.

That plus beer (Red Racer Vanilla Stout, a total rip off of Granville Island Winter Ale) and a blueberry turnover for dessert, and we had a lovely meal.

Finished Swan Song and loved it. I think it’s a one-watch but it was a lovely, heartfelt movie with lots of great bit performances, the young gay bartender being a standout. Wish I had his name but imdb is oooooosssssssslessssss.

We’re really feeling the Lack of ‘Wanted’. They made three seasons and stopped, like sensible people, but we are not sensible people and want more. As always, we are salved by Elementary and the inhuman perfection that is Lucy Liu in that show.

Danny DeVito’s been locked out of his Twitter account for supporting the Nabisco strike. LOL

about to leave the house whooooppeeeee

Paul’s arriving shortly for masked walkies and pho.

Jeff and I are halfway through “Swan Song” an Udo Kier film. I’ve already cried six times I’m sure I’ve got some left in me but GAh I’d better take water in a bottle.

Gene Roddenberry would have been one hundred years old today. He was a massively imperfect human being and sexist af and Star Trek is an important cultural inflection point. We can think these things at the same time, because imperfect beings are always thinking about imperfect beings, and think they can still get it right.

Corpse flower

Uncle Fester, Bloedel Conservatory’s titan arum or “corpse flower,” bloomed on Wednesday, Aug. 18, 2021. (YouTube/Vancouver Park Board)

CHICKN

I have chicken thawed in the fridge and must Do Something with it.

Trip to Victoria for next week confirmed.

Tom is feeling poorly; he’s been in hospital again. I wrote him a letter, I should mail it.

House filk has been postponed until we have better health and a certain venue. (Edit later) nope it still may happen on Saturday. I think Peggy is possibly contemplating more food than she can reasonably get into her mouth but I ain’t argying wit’ a grown woman. I mean, she’s having rellies for house guests AND wants a house filk? I WANT EVERYTHING AT ONCE she is my relative, there’s no getting around it, I don’t care what the family tree says.

Alcohol abuse

Well, that’s what I call it.

Jeez, it’s almost like you can’t expect the feds to actually investigate. I have no idea where we’d be without Citizen Journalists.

OH MY DUCKING SOD. Free DNA test with application  Please note this link will disappear in 60 days. But essentially it’s just another brick in the EMPLOYERS ARE DUCKED IN THE BREAD wall.

 

YUCK

So that irredeemably greasy and vicious vibe I always got off Jimmy Fallon turns out to be in agreement with a lawsuit filed against Horatio Sanz, a very very long time buddy of his. If you were sexually assaulted as a youngster in NY State apparently the usual rules about the statute of limitations don’t apply in civil suits against people who abused you. The reason this is important is because Jimmy Fallon, while not accused of some of the vile and despicable and in some cases public violations of the child/young woman involved, is alleged to have known all about it and in fact introduced some of the people named in the suit, and it sure looks damning.

Next time I get a vibe about a guy being a secret misogynist I’m just going to go with it. Don’t hang with rapists and don’t give them air support, ‘kay?

Small shop & collapse

Well my brief burst of energy has imploded. I’m feeling small and tangled-up and misanthropic, but many things, including Buster’s training schedule, are exactly as they should be. But…. blueberry turnovers, for the first time, so that was tasty.

Slept from 9:30 pm to 6 am this morning! I am well rested but not energetic, what gives, body.

Heading to Victoria next week with some descendants, unless something hinders. Fingers crossed for a good visit.

This is for me mam.

Still LOVING “Wanted”, coming up on the end of the show, 3rd season.

And from the JOSUS FUKING CHRIS IT’S A PANDEMIC PEOPLE department…

OTTAWA — The Public Service Alliance of Canada president says he “will not stand for the termination” of federal public servants who refuse to get vaccinated, after Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau warned of “consequences” for those civil servants.

In an interview with CTV News, Chris Aylward said “it’s very concerning to us when national party leaders are making statements around discipline around terminations when it comes to these vaccinations. That is totally unacceptable to us.”

Aylward, who represents more than 160,000 federal public servants, stated that he supports the government’s stance that all federal public servants should be vaccinated. But he said unvaccinated employees will require accommodations to keep their jobs.

  • CTV News, from website 10;08 am PST 18 Aug 2021

An Alabama doctor is tired of helping people who refuse to protect themselves and others – so he’s no longer taking appointments with anti-vaxxers.

Mobile, Ala., physician Dr. Jason Valentine posted a photo on Facebook in which he’s seen standing in front of a sign that reads “Effective Oct. 1, 2021, Dr. Valentine will no longer see patients that are not vaccinated against COVID-19.”

from

By 
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
AUG 17, 2021  5:23 PM
Today is the 40th anniversary of the day Paul and I went to housekeeping. I emailed him asking him if he wants to get takeout for lunch. His response was that he has appointments so we’ll do it tomorrow.
copyright Masato Mattori

I am not going to spend a lot of time yoinking your chain about Afghanistan. The politics of exploitation and colonization stretch into pre-history and I’m not a pro. Therefore I will stick with the present.

  1. If you have the money or donations in kind, please give generously to Afghan refugee and aid organizations in Canada or your jurisdiction. They are more clued in to what is going on and what is needed than I am and I’d rather give money to an Afghani woman in Canada, who will most intelligently disburse what she can to current refugees, than try to give a dime to international aid organizations, given the difficulties with freight at the moment. If your hope is lively donate directly to Afghan Red Crescent
  2. Please, if you have the stomach for it, read this: Stonekettle’s comments about Afghanistan.
  3. Please consider sponsoring or assisting in sponsoring a refugee, or asking your house of worship to sponsor someone. The one time I signed sponsorship papers for an individual it was the brother in law of a co-worker. I signed up for being financially responsible for him (as did another co-worker, who awesome as they are will remain nameless here) but never had to expend cash because he was working and self supporting two months after landing here (despite his considerable health problems, a consequence of the privations he endured as a refugee).

of all the things

I’ve been locked out of my twitter account. I could rant at length about how unfair it is, but it’s like everything that’s free, every once in a while what was free becomes scarce, as when your murderer stands on your windpipe and the air that for so long was free becomes unavoidably rare.

It’ll probably be the best thing that ever happened to me. I know I’m not going back on Fehbook, so I guess this is the end of my foray into social media, except for AO3 and this site. Except of course, that there’s nothing social about this site; I provide content and you peruse it, and you don’t have to read ads or fend off bots while you’re here. I would love it if the people who read this blog would engage with it, but that’s not the audience I draw, and whining about it won’t change it.

Anyway, I said I wanted to slap the girl on reddit who didn’t want a 98 year old woman (this would be the only grandchild wedding reception she likely would ever attend) at her wedding reception because she didn’t want her at ‘her party’.

Since this woman posted anonymously on reddit I can’t have engaged in ‘targeted harassment’, but fine. If Jack don’t want me making free content for him anymore cool cool cool. If the only playing field I have a hope of levelling is the one I have to pay for, ainsi soit-il.

Dylan has been sued civilly for grooming a 12 year old girl about when I was that old.  What men get up to, when they get a chance.

I made fried chicken breast on a bun with onions lettuce tomatoes and cheese. It was nom.

Monday raining

SO HAPPY about the legitimate steady, not warm, not windy rain, but Mike is growling way back in his throat because he drives a convertible and the lower seam on the back window is verkockt. He drove me home anyway because he’s funny like that and we are walking distance apart, haw haw.

Yesterday I stepped out onto the balcony at the Aerie and Mt. Baker (Nooksak Kweq’ Smánit white mountain) was looming on the horizon, bigger (against odds) than I remembered it. It was such a blessing to see it after all the smoke.

Supper consisted of sous vide beef tenderloin, garlic shrimps and blackened peppers, rather more beer than I should, mango ice cream for dessert, evening show Suicide Squad #2; breakfast was coffee, smoked salmon with capers, buttered toasted bun and scrambled eggs with garlic and scallions, lychee fizzy to drink. Got toasted on shatter, ayoille. My back feels better than it has in ages and I pounded on those sad hip attachment points that cause Mike so many an ache, had a dizzy spell, sat down, drank some fluids, got up and finished (his shins always need work as well). I admired his new gaming set up (he three d printed much of the attachment grips in a lurid dark cherry red) and hand-wrote a letter to Tom (I didn’t bring any devices so I was looking for non electrified means of entertainment) and cleaned out my purse and wiped his stovetop and dusted a couple of his swords hand washed all the fussy glassware and updated my to do list, which thanks to my mental mobility issues, as in, I ain’t got none, looks virtually identical to the one I made the last week of July…. at least I have friends, Katie’s pregnancy is okay, and I have a safe and comfy place to live with a most congenial housemate.