Author: Allegra

Born when atmospheric carbon was 316 PPM. Settled on MST country since 1997. Parent, grandparent.

Pierre-Joseph Proudhon quote

To be GOVERNED is to be watched, inspected, spied upon, directed, law-driven, numbered, regulated, enrolled, indoctrinated, preached at, controlled, checked, estimated, valued, censured, commanded, by creatures who have neither the right nor the wisdom nor the virtue to do so. To be GOVERNED is to be at every operation, at every transaction noted, registered, counted, taxed, stamped, measured, numbered, assessed, licensed, authorized, admonished, prevented, forbidden, reformed, corrected, punished. It is, under pretext of public utility, and in the name of the general interest, to be place[d] under contribution, drilled, fleeced, exploited, monopolized, extorted from, squeezed, hoaxed, robbed; then, at the slightest resistance, the first word of complaint, to be repressed, fined, vilified, harassed, hunted down, abused, clubbed, disarmed, bound, choked, imprisoned, judged, condemned, shot, deported, sacrificed, sold, betrayed; and to crown all, mocked, ridiculed, derided, outraged, dishonored. That is government; that is its justice; that is its morality.

Various

Work continues on the instrument case.  I cleaned watch parts yesterday and handcrafted 5 steampunkins from modelling clay.  Who knows when it will be cool enough to actually bake them. We did a shop and I found out that the MacStation wants 200 DOLLARS to replace the battery in the MacBook.  I just about seized having checked prices on line for a third of that.  Jeff was quietly unsparing in his mockery, but dang.

Housefilk at Tom and Peggy’s yesterday – to my amazement nobody had heard Lady Miss B’s “It’s Just so Nice When Someone Knows Your Name,” which in my opinion is a filk follower for “Slimfast and Methadone” which is my meditation on the vagaries of fame – although I would have to say that “Nice” is funnier by a wide margin.  So I sang it and Tom snagged a copy of the lead sheet.  Denise and Nikki as always WANTED TO SING ROUNDS.  So gosh darn it, we did.   They also had a tune about a cow and a dragon, and an Eric Bogle song about the ruination of the English language which convulsed all present with laughter and admiration (Silly Slang Song, PDF from Ericbogle.net), and a perfectly vile little number entitled “If I had a Penis” which was also hilarious.  And we all brought something to the table, Keith even sang Willie Boy and K., Shad’s daughter, sang one tune and played Zelda music on the ocarina, which is only going to make sense to a gamer.  Paul had to skate off early to work but it was good to see him as it was the first time since the funeral. Keith and K. had both gone to FanExpo so they traded pics on their respective camera phones (it’s always good when the kids get along). Shad as always cued up lots of Echo’s Children tunes (K singing along, as it was ‘the soundtrack of her childhood’) and Tom tried to stay awake and noodled (Tom is working six days at his new / old/ recycled business).  We did a little bluegrass too.  And of course, EVERYTHING goes better with bass.  Tom and Peggy whomped up awesome food and I am a better person for it.

With friends like these, one lives in pleasant anticipation of what further delights beckon!!!

Blah to rah!

I’ve had a blah couple of days  but that’s all going to change because HOUSEFILK.  You know, the thinks wot make like worth living.

I am learning three new songs, one by the Dandy Warhols, one by Tears for Fears, and one by Lady Miss Banjola.

The hell I do all day?

I completed two steampunk craft projects today (Distressed Cogs handbag and Steam-Bling Parasol (finally used the peel-and-stick copper foil)), got my repaired shoe back from Fluevog, practiced mandolin, hit Dressew for some sequins and some reflective piping, & had many people on E Hastings try to sell me smokes.  It was 18 months ago today I quit smoking, I fervently hope for the last time. Oh, and I saw the Brian Jonestown Massacre/Dandy Warhol doc(ew-drama), Dig.  Courtenay Taylor makes my widdy heart sing.

Happy 4th of July to my American readers

All three of you!

Kaitlin’s memorial service was yesterday, 300 attended.  Keith said it was all very appropriate.  I am very glad he was there; he made a lot of personal and financial sacrifices to be there and to do the right thing, and was loving and supportive to the folks who needed it.

Today I go collect my repaired kicks, go to Dressew, and wander around downtown in the sunshine getting some exercise which I desperately need.

I can hear Jeff working out downstairs; he’s a lot happier since he started exercising again.

Keith is going to come over before work today, but I’ll probably be gone.

I am going nuts trying to notate the theme for my imaginary TV show (not that one, the other one).  It’s very annoying. I think my problem is that I don’t understand what key to notate it in as my usual cheat for determining it doesn’t seem to be working.

Off I go now…

roundup

Mohenjo Daro one of the (in my view) current wonders of the world, is dying, disappearing, thanks in part to the poverty and incompetence of the government in charge of it.

A great collection of reaction gifs, some not safe for work.

If you want to find out what an ultra-thin and flexible BRDF [bidirectional reflectance distribution function] is, follow this link.   safe for work

This is no way to greet the dawning future, except that it is true.  safe for work.

I spoke to Lois, Kaitlin’s mother, last night (thank you Keith for arranging that).  She is doing about as well as can be expected. I don’t have much more to say.  I mostly listened.  I am very thankful that she has the support of so many family members and friends right now.

 

Roundup

Anderson Cooper has finally come out as gay.  We can now go back to our normally scheduled, completely unwarranted and entirely jejune speculations about the sexuality of other people we don’t know.

South Vancouver Island has something called a (link removed for security) Permablitz.

Slap me on my ass and send me to Mars.

And there was a silence in the internet …. darned leap second.

Wow, a guide for moving back home.

Apes with Apps.

 

The Maid of Tarth Lyrics rev 1.

Oh the Maid of Tarth she went a riding x 2
For her honor and king, for the minstrels to sing
Branded traitor and fled into hiding

Swearing fealty to Lady Catelyn x 2
Put her sword at her feet, promised vengeance so sweet
Little reckoning what she’d be battling.

Lady Catelyn was missing her daughters x 2
To trade Lannister’s life, on the edge of a knife
Never minding their lies and their slaughters

“Take the Kingslayer back to King’s Landing X2
With your guile and your might, staying well out of sight
It’s his miserable life you’re defending.”

He fought but he still could not best her x 2
He’d have drowned like a rat were it not for the trap
Brave Companions had now set to test her

The Companions took Lannister’s sword hand x 2
Put the hand on a string, between them to swing
As in fetters they rode through the wasteland.

Said the Maid, “My lord, live for your vengeance X2
Serve the future instead, you’re no use to us dead
And so plan your revenge with all patience.”

Said the Kingslayer “you are no beautyX2
But your heart knows the right, and you know how to fight
with all justice and fierceness and duty”

Knowing this he defended her virtue X2
Spoke of jewels and wealth, kept her whole and in health
as the Kingslayer worked for her rescue

In King’s Landing he gave her Oathkeeper x2
“Save Starks with Stark steel! it is fitting, I feel;
As their captors sowed death, be the reaper!”

So the Maid rode away from King’s Landing x2
and of her no word comes, not with ravens or drums
But she lives still to my understanding.

A few remarks about migraines

I didn’t have my first migraine until I was expecting Keith; normally migraines start earlier than that.  In that, however, I have been very very consistent; the neurologist says I get atypical migraines.  Like a bucket of memes, I just never know what I’m gonna get!

When I get a flash, or a weird sensation, or a heavy lowering feeling, I never know what to think.  Is it “Ermagerd, I’m having a small stroke?” (link removed for safety)  Is it, “Bloody weather!”.  Is it, “Oh great, now I can’t trust my emotions, since a migraine made me think I needed to end it all when I er, actually had no basis for such a belief!!?”  (Actually, on sober second consideration, when CAN one trust one’s emotions? Apart from the Gift of Fear?)

Then there’s the bizarre range of physical sensations, previously catalogued, and visual disturbances (which in the last five years have occasionally been mesmerizingly beautiful, like the time my entire visual field briefly filled (transparently, I hasten to add, so if I had been driving I still would have been able to see) with coruscating rainbow fishscales about two inches wide at arms length.  SO PRETTY HOW I GET SOME.  EAT UM!

About five years ago my relationship with migraines changed.  I realized that since migraines are brain chemistry foulups, pure and simple, I had the power to change my brain chemistry.  If I think happy thoughts, I can make scintillating scotomas go away.  At first I did not want to believe that I could do that, but I have enough evidence to satisfy myself that, yup, I can do that.  If I sit, breathe, think about the days I gave birth to my children, and saw Hole at Thunderbird Stadium, and went to Hot Springs Cove, and watched mOm and pOp put up the geodesic greenhouse in the back yard in Ottawa, and saw mammatus clouds IRL, and saw a UFO shaped lenticular cloud, and flew to Vancouver in an Otter about 15 meters off the deck the whole way…. I can make that brain chemistry break up like morning fog.

So I dunno, Ms. Migraine, whether you think you’re going to land on me today, but I don’t want you around, so I gotta cheer up.