Category: Friends

that’s bigoted speech

LOL someone said something enbyphobic and (essentially) transphobic at lunch yesterday. I said, as loudly as polite, “That’s bigoted speech,” but no one heard me. At least I didn’t say nothing.  I won’t repeat what she said but it’s the standard VARIANT on ‘please make up your mind about your pronouns’ and when I think how hard I’ve mentally fought to have a genuinely gender fluid character in my stories without all my icky cis assumptions on them maybe I should have been more gritty… but what good would it do? I mean when do you get a white woman to change her mind.

The meal was delightful (jerkwad comments aside) and I admired Ingrid’s amazing wine coloured hand knitted alpaca dress (she let me fondle the hem, thank goodness, because it was like an enormous red cloud of patterned softness) and listened to Jan burble (she is a burbler, and a damned good one) and do you know what, she took my sf recommendations AND SHE’S READ ALL OF MARTHA WELLS’ MURDERBOT STORIES and we all talked about how much we love the  Expanse (book and show)

and instead of going to bookstores afterwards like a realio trulio Dunnetteer I headed to the weed store to buy CBD gummies, because pain management is real, you know.

I did consume one glass of Glenfiddich in Dunnett’s honour. AND I have pain behind my right eye today in consequence, it’s my standard response to alcohol consumption.

I love how the background TV was formula 1 so I got to watch Lewis Hamilton get interviewed with the sound off.

Everyone in the restaurant was an old, like me. Like, without exception. Made me wonder about the local demographics.

Took a taxi there, came home via transit, curled up, watched TV, remembered to completely dry my laundry, put the split pea soup away.

Saw one of my all time fave “Vancouver interactions” –

Lest we forget

 

Sue Gillespie

You just can’t tell how much you’re going to love someone the first time you meet them. She was a remarkable person; funny, hospitable and a true lover of bassett hounds. When I want a laugh, I think of how, had she been spared, we would have argued for hours about what Peter Jackson got right and wrong with his LOTR movies. How I would love to sit across from her at Tak Sun – which is still open in London – one more time in the dim light, slurping back dim sum.

a few odds n sods

Yay! went for a walk in the Byrne creek parks yesterday with Mike.

Boo! nearly passed out from the effort of staggering up the hill back to his place.

Nets out as: No benches or places to sit, no walkies; do not leave house without cane. (I can’t FIND the one Mike bought me and I bought a new folding one.) I told Mike that if I had known I was going to be so out of gas I would not have suggested the walk, but we GOT OUT OF HIS APARTMENT.

Yay! got to watch the weird weather from the Aerie!

Boo! the fucking elevator was crapped out when I left yesterday!

Yay! I was well enough to walk down 13 flights of stairs!

BOOO my legs shook for half a fucking hour after I got home.

YAY! JEFF filled in the edges of the jigsaw puzzle I got last week while I was away (He needed things to do while BC Hydro turned the power off.) The rest of the puzzle will be even harder now but at least I have the edge.

YAY! I have ART for struggling Great Grandparents who have insufficiency of AMONG US FAN ART DRAWN BY A SEVEN YEAR OLD in their lives and on their fridge.

 

I have been looking for a substitute for Red Deer Lodge in my life and I thought I might have located one. It’s about 3 hours with the ferry to get there. Then I realized they only book through Airbnb and I said fuck it, I want to stay somewhere that isn’t ruining rental housing and messing up the economy.

I have learned that early in the new year there will be a proper bus from the Carvolth Station to Chilliwack, which means I don’t need to drive to the ‘wack to see Jarmo and Susana!

Image

I think I’ve posted this meme about reincarnation before…. in a previous life perhaps??

Some good news at least

What seemed like the slow, miserable and inevitable termination of Mike’s employment as he worked like hell to render himself terminatable (I can’t go into any more details about that but let’s just say he’s got 3.5 additional weeks of vacation to use before the end of the year) has now vanished in the face of two salient facts; the person who was supposed to replace him quit within days of starting (how I howled with laughter when Mike told me that) and the new capi di tutti capi is American, not European. Anyway, the unemployment that was hanging over his head is gone, and now he can just worry about overwork.

Rewatched Dune.

Lunch yesterday was sous vide ginger chicken over arugula. I GOT FED yall.

Managed to completely avoid the scheduled power outage today from BC Hydro by staying at Mike’s go me.

the Aerie in a windstorm

the wind was just HOWLING yesterday and we’re apparently going to get 110 kph gusts today… the wind came so hard again Mike’s SW facing windows I thought it was hail

there was a fucking WATERSPOUT recorded offa YVR yesterday and translink says it will be days before all the fallen trees at UBC are removed so there was really localized meteorological mayhem yesterday

welcome to your new age weather

salmon, shiitake mushrooms, gai lan and spaghetti squash with lemon and garlic for supper DAMN IT WUZ GOOD prior to that yummy veggie snacks with hummus and salsa and the best damn corn chips I ever ate. (Fresh is Best brand)

Peggy said the other day that she doesn’t have a dress suitable for her husband’s funeral and she and I may go off to Village de Valeur to acquire one after she consults with her fashion guru. She didn’t know about the big store on Annacis Island.

 

Alex is coming tonight!

So I will be very exhausted tomorrow.  I have obtained additional children’s art supplies, cleaned myself and I’m thinking of baking cookies. Or maybe cheese scones. I think cheese scones.

and in late breaking news, I’m off to visit Mike tomorrow.

currently writing a fanfic in which a rejected potential mate moves in with the person who rejected him (for silly and complicated reasons that do not bear close examination). There is no such thing as consent in this part of the universe. An all male spa day features heavily.

Peggy and her sister have come and gone

They look so much alike, it’s just delightful. More of someone I love!!! Her name’s Sally, I thought it was Sandy, I just gapped it I was so overwhelmed.

Anyway, we exchanged food and a very brief hug. She brought lemming pie, and I gave her salad. In a nice container. I am going to read the poem I wrote for Tom when he was in hospital at his memorial service and I am going to do my best. Now to look up the song “You’d better get it while you can,” by Steve Goodman, because apparently I get to play that for the recessional if I can learn it fast enough and no one else bothers.

10 minutes later… It’s fucking long, y’all. I’m escairt to talk to Paul about it. I mean Katie’s about to have a baby but it’s better to practice at his place because it’s a concrete building but anyway…. I should probably check with Katie before I even broach the subject with Paul. No strategy but more tactics than Satan, that’s me.

weird non coincidence

I called Peggy to ask if now was convenient to deliver some food.

Peggy said, “It’s remarkable that you called.” Peggy had a dream that I made her some fruit bread and I had to apologize because what I actually made her as soon as I got home this morning from the shop was shirazi salad (one container for her, one container for me and Jeff and probably Paul because he loves the stuff). I offered to deliver it and she counter-offered to pick it up because she has a lengthy car appointment and will be by later this afternoon. Technically tomatoes are a fruit. Isn’t the message on the wind the strangest thing?

My recipe:

five on the vine tomatoes

one English cuke

half a white onion

all the above chopped fairly small

juice of half a lemon

two sprigs of fresh mint chopped fine

two sprigs of fresh parsley chopped fine

The thing I love about this salad is that it is entirely devoid of salt and pepper, and maybe someday I’ll get some sumac (the spice, not the poisonous shit) and make it more authentically. This salad comes from Iran/Persia, after the introduction of tomatoes as a crop.

Bang bang rrrr

So there were SO MANY EXPLOSIONS in my neighbourhood last night. Buster basically ASKED to be locked in the house (ask Jeff if you don’t believe me) and he was hiding in various places yesterday, since the bear scares started around 11 am and are STILL GOING off in the distance.

This was interspersed by ratrunners zooming at godless speeds and ludicrous RPMs up and down Kingsway. I thank my heritage that I can sleep through damned near anything once I’m asleep but I kept waking up and thinking you bastards.

Cockney Kings Fish and Chips yesterday. They fucked up the order, but not the delivery and more or less said gee that’s too bad when I complained via phone, so no cole slaw with the order.

First world problems, right?

Started transferring musical instruments around in a bid to get all the instruments I actually play or want to play in the same place so it’s more fun for Alex when he has sleepovers. I’ll bring the two instruments I’m not playing upstairs and take the keyboard downstairs.

Jeff and I have an errand to run today, I’m hoping it’s nice enough to walk over there since it’s very close by.

I haven’t been talking much about writing. I’ve been working on fanfic (the current ones about a bad restaurant review (lots of social justicey side comments regarding restaurant workers and COVID) and a do it yourself spa day for two men, (which is very funny IMO) (pretty skinny structural supports for stories but ah well), but I may actually try to do something for November Novel Writing Month, also called NanoWrimo, in which case I’ll talk about it next month when I’m finished.

Left a message for Mike. I’m hoping he’s okay, but I’m not really in shape to be socializing, so.

Time for some more tea.

Buster has never been so clear about wanting me to keep the cat door locked. He peed in the cat litter tray right in front of me; normally if the weather’s decent he likes to commune with nature while he’s draining the main. So I locked the door again. He can’t stand the noise outside, and he feels protected from it if the door is locked. He’s been hiding all over the house; in the towels in the bathroom, under the stairs, under my chair downstairs, on the top deck of the bunkbeds. Poor lamb. He’s also compulsively licking himself so he may be working on an anxiety disorder.

Phở and the Disney Princess

Paul and I were walking in the Foreshore Park and out by the place we normally turn and come back I noted that we were surrounded by very noisy and active chickadees. They divebombed Paul and I laughed at him and said, “Time for your Disney Princess moment.”

I slowly extended my left index finger and a chickadee landed on it. Then another chickadee booted the first one off in a flurry of wings and chitters. Then I apologized for not having food. They followed us for about half a k, the lil devils.

I asked Paul to take me to Phở afterward and he did (I offered to pay but he declined.)

He and Janice have broken up. He’s very unhappy but quite understandably not willing to talk about it except in very general terms. He’s dating someone in Gibson’s now and I said if he’s going up there to let me know, I wouldn’t mind meeting up with Laurel.

Sad news

Tom died today – yesterday now. I wept briefly but now I just feel numb and my heart quails thinking of the weight the kids and Peggy are bearing.

I am so glad I went to see him that last time, he was close then and I made sure there was a little laughter in the room, and I played my uke for him. And I’m glad I didn’t go after that. Minutes are precious.

I have so many thoughts and they are all very good thoughts I’m sure but they never get very far, and even if they did they wouldn’t belong here.

He was a good, kind, funny, hardworking man and we may see him echoed in his children but his vices and his virtues will never be assembled in that way again, and it’s so fucking unfair I can’t tell you and I’m up way past my bedtime and I need to try to sleep again.

 

 

truncated day

After spending about three hours girding myself up mentally I got myself out the door to see Tom this am. He is thin as a rail and not greatly responsive. I have had my last exchange of words with him unless I am unduly fortunate.

The last thing he did for me was leave food on my porch.

Jeffrey C from Seattle came up to see him. There were already three rellies in Tom’s room when I arrived so I departed after giving him a very hearty and very sincere hug.

I was going to go to Brown’s after but I saw that there were taxis at the stand and said fck it I’m for home. We watched some TV and I ordered fish&chips from Cockney Kings.

Leaving the house is not psychologically easy.

Someone answered my ad for a cultural competence read and while they are a super awesome creative human being with great taste they are alas not what I’m looking for but he gave me some leads which was awesome.

Visit

Jeffrey and Jeri Lynn are visiting from Seattle to see Tom.

I am glad they’re here in town but the circumstances are hard.

Let us love each other while we can.

Spoke to Mike yesterday. Strangely he and I both had a horrible night’s sleep, night before last. Last night was much better. Even so my mood is somewhere between spiky and sad. Perhaps coffee? We actually purchased ground coffee so maybe that’s what I can do to lift the mood.

 

restless anal syndrome is now a thing

THANKS COVID.

I ordered mask braces today, including a size that will fit Alex.

I am a happy girl, somebody vacuumed the games room. Someone named Suzanne.

I hope to a) do a shop and b) visit Tom today. We shall see.

I try not to comment on shit Trudeau does because mine is not an informed opinion but I literally and honestly believe that him holidaying in Tofino for Truth and Reconciliation day was specifically and vindictively aimed at JWR (Jody) for having the nerve to not be his house NDN.

I wore an Anishnaabe design on my chest for yesterday. I want to uphold Indigenous joy as well as sorrow. It was solemn for me, seeing how many people of different racial backgrounds were wearing Every Child Matters gear at Lougheed yesterday when I went walking there with Paul.

Paul is … more like Paul than ever. He spent ten minutes trying to get his vaxx card up on his phone and I asked him to print it out. Watching him deal with his phone at all is extra crispy difficult.

 

 

BUGATTI WITH THE BUGATTI ROYALE IN 1932

JABBERWOCKY IN WELSH

USEFUL IF YOU’RE MAKING NEW PASSWORDS

Siaberwoci

Selyf Roberts

Mae’n brydgell ac mae’r brochgim stwd
Yn gimblo a gyrian yn y mhello:
Pob cólomrws yn féddabwd,
A’r hoch oma’n chwibruo.

‘Gwylia’r hen Siaberwoc, fy mab!
Y brathiad llym a’r crafanc tynn!
A rhed pan weli’r Gwbigab
A’r ofnynllyd Barllyn!’

Cym’rodd ei gleddyf yn ei law
I geisio ei fanawaidd brae–
A gorffwys ger y goeden Taw,
I feddwl–fel pe tae.

A thra pendronai ymhlith y coed
Y Siaberwoc a’i lygaid fflam
A ddaeth, mor wallgof ag erioed
Gan ffrwtian gam a cham!

Un, dau! Un, dau! drwy’r awyr oer
Aeth min y cledd ysgiw, ysgôl!
Fe’i lladdodd, a chan gludo’i ben
Hwblamodd yn ei ôl.

‘A lleddaist ti y Siaberwoc?
Tyrd yma, hapllon fachgen!
O jiwblus ddydd! Hwrê! Hwroc!’
Gan wenu arno’n llawen.

Mae’n brydgell ac mae’r brochgim stwd
Yn gimblo a gyrian yn y mhello:
Pob cólomrws yn féddabwd,
A’r hoch oma’n chwibruo.