Settler words&music in S'ólh Téméxw, (leanpub.com/upsun) living where privilege meets precarity in MST country. she/her/they———– Novels: Midnite Moving Co., Upsun; Sweep Off Those Waves coming soon, Hair Sinister after that. —Restore All Indigenous Lands!
we mostly ended up sitting on the deck
We’ve been invited to a filk in August!
Tried Popeyes chicken and shrimp and ‘cajun poutine’. It’s all fucking terrible, don’t bother.
Watched half of A Map of Tiny Perfect Things and will finish it today.
Tried to watch that new Chris Pratt SFer but GOD THERE IS NO STORY THAT MAKES ANY SENSE
I’ll get my shit together later, or maybe tomorrow.
Lovely… and I mean absolutely life-affirming and beautiful …. walk in Fraser Foreshore yesterday. We took it easy and stopped at every bench to look at the trees and the water. SO MANY songbirds, the forest just rang with their voices.
Fed Paul homemade greek salad, the last of the garbanzo stew and homemade lemonade for lunch, also got a financial errand run.
Katie DROPPED BY AFTER WORK yesterday, I felt like a celebrity was stopping by. Love her so much. She’s just starting to show, she should be off work by Jeff’s birthday.
Live your life like this internet toddler:
Today is Juneteenth. Do not be fooled. As long as Black and racialized people are being shot, unjustly imprisoned and deported in such horrifying numbers in the US, it doesn’t matter what feel-good holidays are signed into law. It’s just more Martin Luther King Day: white people get the day off and Black people get to work two shifts, while the Republicans are doing everything possible to remove their voting rights.
Jeff and Mike and I – having all had our first vaccinations although Mike wasn’t quite to the two week point yet – sat out on the back deck day before yesterday in the glorious sunshine and I pointed out one of the crows I freed (Curvebeak, he’s the most obvious one). I’m feeding them to the end of June until they crop off their babies. I’ll feed crows through the breeding season next year too.
We drank beer and talked in a low key way about various unimportant things, and Mike pulled out his Cordoba half-size nylon string and played some Paul Simon, and some soundtrack from Skyrim, and that really beautiful theme song from that Cantonese language gangster show (I actually have him singing it in a digital file here someplace).
He’s given up on cheap 3d printers. I’m very glad of that. As he said you don’t calibrate a hammer.
He left some beef soup and I traded him for the pork and barley soup I made the other day. IT was aMAZing to hang with a friend.
There’s still plenty of mac n cheese, and roasted veggies too, we have good food choices at the moment.
Monday’s news: The trip to the endodontist was nominal. I was really worried about it but it was fine on the day. I’m not even sore in that tooth, although I did what the receptionist said and took painkillers before the freezing was out.
My second filling is now done – funny how I can remember the health care I’m getting CHARGED FOR – and I’m waiting on the endodontist for an appointment for that back tooth and to look at some other teeth as well. Got Indian food on the walk home. Desi Turka continues to make exceptional mango lassis. Wore my mask outside even. Got home and Jeff had picked up chicken from 7-11 but I think the naan was more of a hit lol. We do love our naan.
I’m not writing at all and I’m not practicing much so it is startling me how much I feel filled with music at the moment. The continuing loop of new songs and old ones is going hard.
Hope everyone is enjoying me going into the vaults for prose and poetry! Please note the tune is now up for “I am glad”.
wheeeee!
Now to get up and eat something that isn’t mostly sugar!
Roasted veggies and boiled corn yesterday for lunch. The veggies came out great (brussels sprouts, yams and zucchini with a spice combo I found at Save On, lemon zest, basil and thyme); the corn was a fermented disaster. Tasted like it had been held at about 35 degrees for a day or so and then put back in the refrigerated environment. No mold, but nasty af.
Actually called Keith for cooking advice about the veggies but he didn’t call me back until after I had it in the oven. The idea that I’d be asking Keith for cooking advice, LOL but that’s parenthood for you, a brace of exploding surprises.
I have now watched 5/6ths of Maximilian and Marie and it’s filmed very dark and foggy, and it just doesn’t seem right. I quite like the principals, and the costumes and fighting and horse-stuff all seems pretty good, but there’s no real understanding of how far Austria is from Burgundy and sometimes it seems to go by a little faster than the contemporary roads would allow. Also, there were a couple of points where I thought well THAT NEVER HAPPENED but it’s the usual Dorothy Dunnett fan grousing about various things. I think they once again did not represent the Spider King properly.
Philip de Commines comes across as a right asshole, too. I did learn that he wrote a huge memoir about his time with the Spider King and is considered a prime source for this period of history, so I bookmarked it in English to look at later.
The crows are yelling at me to put out some food.
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!
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.
Allergies are not great at the moment. Lovely weather, of course, but MAN ALIVE there’s a lot of pollen happening.
Another lovely letter in the mail yesterday, this one from Ontie Mary. I’m working on one to Dave D and then after that another letter to Jan M.
Third wave of COVID infections is engulfing this part of BC. DBH has pretty much blown through all her credibility after a solid start.
Injection site for AZ shot is FINALLY not swollen and itchy.
Spent an awful lot of the last two days sleeping, and not really being able to focus on anything at all when I was conscious, except a little food preparation. Three Cheese mac n cheese (MEDIUM CHEDDAR, HAVARTI AND FRESH PARMESAN) with fresh basil, capers and one teaspoon of chopped bacon. TOTALLY NOMS.
I have no urge to write, or practice any instruments, or move, and yet my mood is okay – I mean I don’t feel down or anything, just kinda immobile.
TODAY fart soup I mean lentil soup. Maybe. I feel a great pile of relaxation coming on.
I have figured out how the rest of this chapter is going to go, but I’m taking a break. Poor Slider, holding the balance in their hands!
Right foot arch hurts so much that standing, walking, are terrible. I wore non arch support shoes for one day of running around and look what it got me, I’m gimped up fierce mama.
Biscotti is in the oven for the second bake; first bake items are sitting around looming like in the kitchen. First batch will be off to the Lunders hopefully today.
Kaossilator notes: S.60 300 bpm ga10 RG1 c´ Describe triangles in the upper half of the playing board very deliberately. Result is called ” Approaching the Derelict Slowly from An Abundance of Caution “
14 songs? We BLASTED through. I got cold again though, so I stopped since it was literally slowing me down mentally to the point I couldn’t sing and play.
He really liked the breakfast cookies.
wore masks
the circle a of anarchism DONE IN BISCOTTI
I M DED NOW
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.
3 in one 24 hour period. Killed one of Jeff’s router power supplies. Resetting clocks over and over. Power failures feel weird now; like we’re prepping for the big one, like civil unrest is ‘about’.
Funny tale of waking up: I tossed my fluffy hoody into a laundry hamper but when I woke up this morning it looked like a sandworm head coming out of the floor and I almost squawked in terror.
Biscotti in oven for Tom. I cleaned the racks and wiped down the interior of the oven, it’s started to smell oily and smoky. Soon, Time Team (we’re in the last season unhappy sigh) and running the dishwasher and the rest of the day gets underway.
Total word count 9189 on Best Roommate. In this latest bit, Amorfo came to pick up the sproing and scared the living shit of Keegan.
Watched the movie Synchronic. I liked it – there are some visuals that were quite striking and the basic concept is interesting. It is a B movie – very earnest and low key. The final shot has an element of ambiguity, but it also contains friendship, which is kind of the point. Anthony Mackie is quite good.
I blew an incredible kazoo solo this morning. I can only ask an intemperate universe that Jeff had his gd headphones on.
I did absolutely as little as possible yesterday. I did not help with the move, I did about 500 words on the current UPSUN chapter, I put clean laundry back in my room, I made really runny rice pudding the way Jeff prefers it, I wrote a blistering email to a family member which I sent to a friend instead, I did not practice, I did not get dressed, I booked my next recording session on the 1st next month, ever supposing that Brutal Asshole currently pres of the US doesn’t nuke Vancouver for taking the sign off the Tr&mp tower in Downtown.
Today I’m going to make a list and review my habit schedule, I can feel my good habits slipping away from me in the doomscrolling carnage subsequent to the coup attempt. I’m also hoping to convince Jeff to go shopping.
Protests in front of various high tech office headquarters by MAGAts are expected all this week. The leadup to the inauguration is going to be fireworky, I’m sure.
This image is for mOm, relating to an amusing conversation we had earlier this week.
Clippy, the long despised Word assistant says ‘It looks like you’re trying to fuck around Would you like to find out YES NO
The weather is heinous, unconscionable, loathsome and ghastly, but it is Vancouver in January, so….
Finished the biscotti around 11:30, borrowed the car just before noon, and delivered biscotti to Cindy (also returned her Christmas themed cookie tin, you always hope they come back but they don’t necessarily) and then drove to Tom and Peggy’s- their car was gone so I left it with the Globe and Mail on their front porch – then went to Planet Bachelor and gave the biscotti to Paul and met Katie on her way out the door (no Alex, he’s at his pop’s) to clean the new place on 15th which will need a new sobriquet, I’m thinking Generations. It is big. I mean this is a big, big four bedroom apartment. Open plan, perfect for a family. I joined her and cleaned two things and loaded toilet paper into all the johns and toured the joint and tried not to make work for Katie.
Then Mike showed up (the one she’s sweet on, not the one I hang out with and who gave us an Oculus for Christmas) and you’re not supposed to jump up and down and howl like a mofo when people lose weight so I said what I always say when people lose a lot of weight I pretend I’m sad and say, “But there’s so much less of you to love,” and his eyes kinda bugged out for a second and he said is it that noticeable and I said, “Oh yeah.”
So there’s me being dashed far from appropriate, and then the next thing outta my mouth is the classic, “You’re timing’s perfect, I just put biffy paper in all the johns,” BECAUSE THERE ARE THREE FUCKING JOHNS four if you count the one next to the laundry room downstairs but that one’s shared – and I guess I realized it was time to go. Did I mention the Jacuzzi? The square dance hall sized covered rear deck? the CHANDE FUCKING LIER? I’m leaving shit out, mOm, so I can ambush you with it later.
He went to her place – Katie cracked up as she thought of him scaring the shit out of the boys using her key. But he was going to help her move some stuff into the house, so that’s the kind of lad he is, immediately helpful and undemanding. And I thought I do not want to be here when he gets back. I thought I’d pick up sushi but I just didn’t want to, so I went to buy stamps and went to choices and got salad and chocklit and chicken on skewers and made a late lunch and we watched the Saxon Hoard special on Time Team.
Now I’m thinking I’m going to nap and be happy in my sleep for a while, because I can’t tell you how happy I am for being wide awake at the moment. If I can sleep at all for the noise the wind is making, it’s quite unreal. Aw damn, I have to put the food away first….
