stormy night

Feeling MUCH better today; so far I’ve finished a letter to pOp; emptied the dishwasher and tidied the kitchen, brushed Buster, watched another “Debris” (I’m doing a rewatch for a particular reason), and finished the shrimps I ordered yesterday and had another piece of halibut AND a bowl of cereal and a cup of tea. NOM

After the dentist warned me that this top left back tooth would be sensitive, and that the filling is in “Jeez Dave how do you hold your head up” territory as regards size, I’m happy to say that my bite was better than when she started with it (she appears to have trued up my jaw, which may help with my grinding problem) and there is no more than the usual soreness you have after getting a dental dam jammed in your mouth. And this is less than a day later, so I’m pleased.

Reddit is packed with lightning pictures from last night, in east Van – I didn’t hear or see a thing, being restfully sleeping at the time.

I’m so irritated. I printed the letter to pOp out backward, but the printer just barfed on it, and I sighingly reverted to printing it right way about. So my evil plan to make pOp read one of my letters in a mirror did not come to pass!

#FreePalestine #Naqba73

Well, another Naqba – the anniversary of the day the newly hatched Israelis started booting the Palestinians off their land – has arrived. Keith and I went to the demo but we’re both pretty easy to overwhelm thanks to the pandemic so we didn’t hang around longer than it took to watch the parade go by, but there were at least 2500 people there and there were literally hundreds of flags and signs, it was super colourful and people put a lot of effort into the signs. Everyone was masked, it was kind of a condition of showing up.

We parked at Edmonds and Skytrained in, and then sprinted home again – we left when the cops started flashing lights at the end of the column, although everything I’ve read in the news indicates it stayed peaceful. You can understand how the local cops would be a bit sensitive at the moment with bodies dropping left and down the street from here.

Anyway, what the Israelis are doing is war crimes and Hamas is trying to mount a defence that is not really working. I don’t want Canada to be supporting Israel in committing genocidal acts over several generations as outlined in David Ben-Gurion’s fucking diary and I understand the nutgrinder Trudeau’s got himself in on the subject and candidly I don’t care. Not in my name.

delish

Keith made lunch yesterday, a Hello Fresh roasted veggie bowl over spring mix. Damn it was good! Before that Paul and I went to Oakalla. Still forgot to mail Dave’s letter.

I am hoping today to go to a demo with Keith, we’ll see what the Grand Joculator of Fortune brings us….

 

AND here’s where having ADD is so much fun. I sent cookies to Jim and Jan and THEY SHOWED UP ON JIM’S BIRTHDAY. I had no idea, because my ADD makes it hard to manage other people’s birthdays so I just followed the previous family practice of not making a big deal about birthdays (which is good, because they are often disappointing) and just giving people stuff as and when you can remember and afford it. Of course Jan knew it was a coincidence but life is good. Anyway mOm you should have your bikkies soon if you haven’t received them already.

It was so lovely to get Jan’s email. You want to think what you do has an effect on people and yip yip yip!! (dancing dog image goes in your brain *here*)

 

Oh, and just you think I’ve gone soft, fuck the police, the VPD in particks. (Article about the false arrest of Selwyn Romilly)

Biscotti x 2

So the biscotti for Paul and the kids and kMike and his parents and Tom and Peggy has been delivered. Came back into the house just now and IT STILL SMELLS OVERWHELMINGLY of biscotti HA HA I win.

Got assaulted by a hummingbird (or as close as made Paul and me go holy shit as she went by) in Deer Lake Park. Watched two bush tits go twittering by and then HOW RUDE they had sex right in front of me.

We heard but did not see a pterodactyl (pileated woodpecker) and were surrounded by bird song. Paul’s rain magic continued – we ate on a patio (it was my mother’s day late luncheon, which was founded by Paul and SO KIND of him) and the rain held off until after we got to his place. kMike and Keith were there.

Told Peggy Katie’s news; she was thrilled. Her news is that she hurt her leg three weeks ago so that’s why the biscotti tin hadn’t come back yet, plus her Prius needed a new battery. Also, they are getting a heat pump and Dan T (who was there and said hi) is doing hordes of work on their garden. FUCK I wish her krankenhaus wasn’t in fucking White Rock. Imagine driving an hour to find out they ordered the wrong battery after a ninety minute wait, when your leg hurts so bad you could cry. She also got a simply spectacular haircut from Brooke’s sister.

So I have spoken to so many different people today I feel like I need to pull a blanket fort together.

BISCOTTI X 4

I have made biscotti. I am still making biscotti…. quadruple batch.  Absolute units of biscotti, they are absolutely perfect.

Some to Katie’s Mike, some to Paul, some to Tom and Peggy, some to mOm and pOp, and now I have to find shipping boxes…..

Tremendous training session with Buster this morning.

Buster has started speed running the morning training session, it’s hilarious. BUMPS LEG to start game. Paw clap x 3; run and chase x 10; jump up and catch treat single-pawed; up onto the chair paw clap x 3; PAUSE ‘I’m not chasing that’ FINALE: chases treat down the stairs THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP crunch crunch crunch

This is all designed to maximize treat consumption; he’s figured out it’s piecework and now he just goes like spit. I stopped recording him because he hates the red light, but I really wish I’d recorded this morning, it was stellar.

push on

push on

push on

push on you weary soul     thank you willie p bennett

 

Lovely walk in Deer Lake Park yesterday. It was exactly the perfect temperature. In response to my dream I said fuck it; I’ve been vaccinated, it’s outdoors, the wind is a steady 3 to 5 knots, I’m not wearing a mask today.  Paul put *his* on while we were on the walkway. Two of the biggest green frogs we ever did see were in the waterways by the raised walkway.

Many perching hummingbirds.

Many pterodactyls, seen but not heard.

Many songbirds in glorious voice.

When we arrived the parking lot was JAMMED and then… someone pulled out of the spaces in the shade, it was like a movie or something.

I didn’t drive, I wasn’t feeling up to it. I warned Paul about the repair work at Burris and Canada Way so we took Kingsway instead. Anyway, I don’t know whether Paul was making heroic efforts not to bug me with his driving or I was just in a good mood, but it was fine.

Then back here for lentil soup with melted cheese, tea and a bun. I sent Paul away with a container of lentil soup; this batch isn’t as spicy as usual but the flavours settled very nicely.

Cousin Alex is vaccinated. After her COVID woes recently (D. tested positive after they did everything right which is SO ANNOYING) I WAS THRILLED BEYOND WORDS when she showed her bandaid on twitter. Me, I’m doing okay although there is still an inch across welt on my arm from the 8th.

Anyway, I was feeling like death yesterday and I feel fine today, so yay, perhaps I’ll get some work done today!!

 

Family addition

Katie has announced that she is expecting her second child in November.

She has already had a prophetic dream about the sex of the child, but we will wait upon events. We were laughing to each other that if the child is trans at least they will be born into the right family.

So much love and hope, but also terror.

A good laugh

I’m laughing my ass off having learned that the number one song the week I was likely conceived was “Don’t” and the number one movie was “Old Yeller” (born during year of the dog).

Laughed even harder when I realized that Jeff’s are probably “Mack the Knife” and “Pillow Talk.”

I was singing the one line of the chorus to “When the Buzzards Return to Hinckley Ridge” that I know to myself this morning, and then one of my IRL friends put Ruth Buzzi into my twitter feed.  weeeerd.

 

the happiness I experience when people trust me is quite disproportionate

oh how am I to speak the truth with love to you

otherwise known as the story of my fucking life

I initiated contact with a loved one, I got what I deserved. I am a sadder and wiser person. I have cried more tears, but that’s okay. You have to be alive to cry.

I reached out to other loved ones. Both responded more or less instantly, helps that it’s midday Sunday, I guess. They got a hand under me apiece with their soft words and kindness and then I told, hopefully briefly enough, the source of my woes to Jeff. I tried to watch March Madness with him but I’m too fidgety.

Please be nice to the people you love by asking them what constitutes nice for them. And then… behaving that way. You can’t be nice to a person who interprets your every breath as hostile.

I have a headache from crying and I need to stop looking at a screen but between that word and this I’ve put in 812 words on my novel. Watching history repeat itself is so hard, but being history is worse.

Wrote a letter to Lois.

I’m going to have the last of Mike’s congee, watch an Elementary with Jeff and CRASH.

my comment today on racism

a racist says I haven’t got a racist bone in my body and then drags tf out of Meghan Markle and I’m like “Remarkable how racists center racism as occurring in bones when it occurs in brains and behaviour. I wish they’d leave bones out of it, skeletons aren’t racist.”

In other news, my right knee is GIBBLED. I went for a walk with Paul yesterday. Picked up BBQ at Re-Up in the Quay, but it was a long wait for the food and they got the order wrong so I probably won’t do that again. Paul seems to be in pretty good shape, he was joking a lot.

Spoke briefly to Katie. I bought some silicone chewies for Alex, they should come the middle of March. They are in the shape of Creepers in Minecraft. Kids with anxiety can chew on them, instead of themselves; Alex is already chewing on bits of himself so externalizing it without hurting his teeth is kind of the background for this purchase.

Spoke briefly to Keith, he was in the middle of a gaming session with Katie’s Bf Mike.

Spoke briefly to my Mike, gave him soup after he said my last soup delivery saved his soul alive.

Walked at the Quay – saw a seal. Didn’t walk the whole distance because my knee crapped out and when I woke up this morning I flexed it and PAIN PAIN PAIN wowzers.

didn’t do a damned thing on my projects. Maybe today will be better.

Lungs and schnozz congested. I am so fracking tired of how every little tickle is IS IT THE LURGY am i GONNA DIE am i gonna KETCH IT two MINUTES BEFORE the freaking JAB IS AVAILABLE

 

 

where no good deed is punished HEY mOm

Jan says through Instagram OMG allegra.sloman This is the best package of fabric off cuts EVER! Holy crap, my brain is spinning with all the things I can do with these… thank you, my darling, for a much needed surprise and the excellent mood elation! So gorgeous and rich. I will do your mum proud.

And now I must ponder how to best utilize the space babes…

here’s the pic, photo credit J Maxwell, from instagram

From my mOm to my fRiend

Hey mOm isn’t that a little shot in the arm!? I decided I wasn’t going to do anything with and actually gave it to someone who could and the world is now officially a better place.

aw shucks there’s more

she says she’s rich with opulent schmatta, these fell behind a chair LOLOL how can you tell she’s my fRiend

Yet more fabric, isn’t it wonderful

The list is long

That’s a quote from Eric Frank Russell’s “WASP”.

Anyway, today:

11149 words so far on Best Roommate

Jeff cleaned 25 gigs of crap off my hard disk, so I can reinstall Finale FINALLY.
Isn’t English hilarious?

I will also try to update my OS PRAY FOR ME NOW SINNERS

I drank coffee. I POOOOOOOOOOPED and pooped again. I feel so light and free although I should probably put up a biohazard sign.

And I trained Buster, who was not having any. He has his little ways to let me know he’d prefer to run and chase treats than beg for them.

I wrote a letter to my pOp and one to Alex. There’s a little card with artwork on it in pOp’s letter, and Alex’s letter is covered in garish watercolour pencil art. Tomorrow I’ll write a letter to Mary and send some fabric from mOm’s stash along to Jan Maxwell, who already has a ton of fabric BUT DOES NOT HAVE the last little bit of sexy raygun SF fabric and will likely turn it into comfy masks in the fullness of time, whereas I won’t, likely. Although I do have a fabric project for the spring – I’m going to put a floor length door drape on my bedroom door, with black lace fabric at the bottom to let the cold air in from the air con.

Last night:

Composed three instrumentals (soundtrack style stuff) on the Kaossilator. With luck I will record them on the 1st with Anthony. One of the instrumentals is entitled: Unicorn Farts. It’s plausible….

Slept 8 hours solid. Haven’t done that in an age. No recollection of waking up until I had to pee at 4:30. Amazing how a little exercise gives me better rest, surprise surprise.

Yesterday:

Jeff dropped me off at Planet Bachelor that was (Keith is teasing me to come up with a new name, which will be some variant on “The Bachelor System” or “Bachelor Villa” or “Villa Planet” or “Larval Harpi” which is an anagram of what it says out front… yup, the house has a name. “Planet Bachelor II – The Rehoming” is also in play. We shall find out soon enough.) I helped Keith and Katie clean for a couple of hours (polishing chrome in the bathroom, taking a duster to all the cobwebs, a little bit with counters in the kitchen, throwing stuff in the trash), then mailed some letters and walked to the butcher shop and got meat and a couple of blueberry handpies for Jeff. Walking home nearly killed me. I had to stop to catch my breath three times, although I didn’t get into that heart pounding thing. (later…. Caspell Junction it is, according to K&K)

Much pedicurage, following a nice warming bath. I have to keep an eye on my left great toe, I trimmed the nail too much and I’m looking at much pain if I don’t manage how it grows out.

Recently:

Preposted 15 songs. Most are in January and February but I’ve posted well into the year when the song is associated with a particular date. I’m now up to the middle of February and so I have a little breathing room before I have to really start shaking out the oeuvre to keep up the numbers. Still have more MP3s sitting on the media drive, but now the real pressure is to record more. And more yet. I’m one tenth done. This is a bastarding huge project.

Watched Ammonite. Loved it. If you don’t like the idea of watching Saoirse Ronan and Kate Winslet make out at night in a miniscule bed while collecting and cleaning fossils during the day in Victorian costume including a magnificent rendition of full mourning, stay the hell away from this movie.

Rewatched King Arthur (Owen/Knightley version) again, after watching the King Arthur Time Team Special. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed that movie. It’s not the best historical movie ever made, but it’s so good hearted and solid and there are so many wonderful actors in it that it’s just a treat. It’s going on the ‘watch anytime’ list.

Most recent episode of the Expanse has one of the best human vs space sequences I’ve ever seen. Dominique Tipper is absolutely amazing as she battles time, vacuum, gravity, CO2, betrayal, her own physical weakness after a trauma, and the complete sabotage of her ship, in order to prevent the death of her loved ones. The sequence went on for so long I started crying along with her frustration.

Continue to feed crows in the morning if they sit in the dogwood and caw at me. 1 to 4 birds usually show up. Watched them chase off a raven yesterday. The rest of the day it’s canoodly crow couples pitching woo in the tree, it’s quite funny…

It was supposed to start snowing last night. Nada. It’s bucketing snow down now; the world’s gone quiet because it’s Sunday morning and snowing. Now, if I really loved my brother I’d get off my ass, clear the kitchen counters and make him some whole wheat flower rolls. And I’m thinking of making little pork meatballs in spaghetti sauce for hot sammiches using those rolls.

The Happily Married Song

They say that it’s a sin to boast/well God can strike me dead/’Cause even when my day is toast/I got you in my bed/For skin and conversation/and comfort most serene/for dirty jokes and body work and everything between.

The years how they are passing/passing by the score/But I could never love you less and long to love you more/Champion, companion, conspirator and friend/As we were in the beginning, so we’ll be at the end.

Audio Player

This is a song of celebration to sing at weddings or as part of a Valentines or anniversary celebration.

well… what to say about this. Well, I wrote it for Tom and Peggy for a wedding anniversary of theirs back in the oughts and I’ve sung it at every wedding I’ve attended since I wrote it (three, I’ve been to three) with varying results. The response I got at the last two made it all worthwhile, because even though I wrote it for a cishet couple, it was very definitely and specifically written so that it will work for gay and non-binary couples, including couples who get dragon wings for wedding presents, although I don’t imagine asexuals will want to do anything but rewrite the lyrics at the first opportunity, although I do not specifically call out sex, just everything g-rated that happens with couples in bed. Good things this sucker’s not copyrighted honh? Mess with the lyrics all you like.

Also, I really can’t imagine mOm and pOp not understanding that this is pretty much always for them too. SNERRRRKKK must go off in corner and gently squonkface. Missed Maudlin Monday by that much.