Category: Domestic Life

So long and thanks for all the small salty fish!

So this is me checking out of writing a daily blog. The blog will be coming down as soon as it is safely backed up, and I can stop paying for it. I will be letting the domain name go because honestly I’m never going to be a famous writer and nobody gives a shit about the stuff I write except a small number of cool people but that aside I’m tired and the original purpose of the blog has expired. I have zero ‘engagement’ with an audience and after twenty years of busting ass with no payoff I’m good with it dying. I wanted control, I got control, but who cares? I know I no longer do. And eventually this household will break up and I won’t have tech support to the standard I’m used to, which is banging on Jeff’s door at 4 am to ask wherefore I cannot log in, while he drops what he’s doing to help! LOL I’ll never get THAT again. Plus bots keep attacking the site and slowing everything down.

I will be sending out a weekly digest of events, thoughts, video and photo links, and new writing/songs every week via email. So far my mOm, my pOp and Leo and Dave and possibly Alex? I dunno … have indicated that they want to see it; email me at allegra      ‘fraught’ sloman atty gmail if you want to subscribe. But the offer’s only good for as long as the blog is up, so that should keep out the punters.

I don’t want to train AI, unpaid, when I have one of the most distinctive writing styles of anyone on the planet, in English, anyway.

I’m TheCorrection on bsky, not that any of you would get accounts, and I’m under my maiden name on facebook, and I’m under my own name on tumblr.

Happy birthday to me! Now I’m going to take my sick ass to the bathroom and have a nice, long hot bath, and relax. It won’t be long now!

 

Coughing has slowed to a crawl

Thank goodness. I’m very dehydrated so I should go have something yummy to drink.

LOVERLY chat with the fOlks last night, pOp got in on the act by saying he didn’t know what to say, which also is typical. We were happy about a dentist appointment being cancelled and rescheduled until when pOp can lie in the arms of Morpheus during the appointment. Yeah, painless dentistry is much preferred.

Other than that the fOlks sound fine which is cheering. They admitted that it’s weird having a 65 year old daughter. But as I pointed out, a 65 yo daughter WITH DAMNED GOOD HAIR. From the video Sunnie Larsen took. I look BLONDE under the lights. You can see Cindy’s back and Miles Vorkosigan in the reflection.

 

Coughing A LOT

Alex is here, I’ll run him to school in half an hour. I’m staying in my room and only leaving with a mask on my face. I suppose I should dress, heavy sigh.

Managed the school run with no issue, and Alex liked the fidgets I bought for him at Orycon. One’s chain mail, one’s a three by three bubble popper. He pronounced himself pleased with both of them.

I keep trying to call my mOm and the phone’s always busy. Anyway mOm I tried. I can’t help it if you’re popular!!

 

later

 

coughing has died down, COVID test is negative. I really don’t believe it. I was out walking to get the COVID tests and I got out of breath INSTANTLY. Picked Alex up some treats at the same time.

 

found the atm

So I stuffed twenty bucks US in the hospitality room tip jar (uphold the right of broke queer kids to get brekky!!), grabbed a Death Wish Blueberry and Vanilla coffee -high test bREW AND TASTY TOO – tipped the maid J. $20 and now I’m off to the dealer room for something to hud my pants up with and to see if tshirts are here yet instead of just really spendy kimonos.

Lest we forget mofos

 

LATER – I HAVE AN ANTIQUE SILK JAPANESE OBI-TIE HUDDIN UP MY PANTS. I got Alex a chain mail fidget stim, some lovely patches (a skull with the advice BE NICE OR GO AWAY), a CD with Advent instrumental music for Peggy. Peggy is being nice to the other con goers and not sharing her respiratory tickles with them so she’s about to jump on a bus and go explore downtown Portland some more.

May be an image of 3 people

Thank you Ian Bristow for this FABULOUS pic of our two fave Dunnett heroes.

safely arrived

I had some issues with wifi (reddit is permablocked in this hotel, isn’t that hilarious? and I had to call tech support, although not about that, because I have an elderly Mac laptop) and I still don’t know if my credit card works but I am safely ensconced in the Hotel for Orycon. I have slept hours past my usual getting up time and am now listening to the furtive stirring of my roommates. Cindy and Peggy, because They Are Prepared, brought tons of breakfast stuff and so now all I need to do is get some food in me and then I can skate off to the reg table, which opens in about 25 minutes. That would be ten minutes. I am dressed, finally remembered to take me pills, we are awake, our day of delights has commenced.

Bought edibles across the street. Two ten milligrams at bed time and I was able to shut up (Peggy says *they* kept me up but believe me I gabbled like a lonely chicken) and sleep long about ten pm. Oregon is a reasonably sensible place.

Met a one armed bearded fan named Bandit last night. Within seconds he was telling fabulous con anecdotes and bickering with his partner and I asked him long they’d been married and he said about a year and I was howling because they sounded SO MUCH LIKE BRAD AND OMAR when they were bickering. Anyway Cindy paid fer mah steak. Twas good.

14 seconds of blue sky just now. That’ll be it for the day.

I still haven’t gone to reg. Peggy made me morning tea. Twice.

 

email exchange

for the dignity and privacy of everyone involved I will not cut and paste the email exchange between Cindy, Peggy and Allegra, because we all sound like amiable lunatics. Let us just pencil in that we are all quite anxious about the trip but we’ve all found our passports so really the rest of it is gravy.

This is Brooke’s fundraiser for a powered wheelchair.

 

lovely evening

We had two men out of six at the able, highest Dunnett ratio yet, lol. The Faux Bourgeois is a lovely restaurant, but quite loud. I had the soup oignon (divine) and escargots (not so, but still nice). I will have the beefsteak next time, Ingrid was almost overcome with happiness with hers; there were a lot of duck confits on the table too, and Simon had never had sweetbreads before. Jan had TWO desserts LOL. No alcohol for me but we killed three big bottles of San Pelligrino. Remembered to lard my tights with hand cream and so managed to kill the static.

I didn’t nap all day so I was tired. So tired I started getting migraine signs so I taxied hoping it would clear, it did. First guy drove like an idiot and cheated me, second guy was a total sweetheart with a delicate understanding of the needs of other motorists and how to increase and decrease speed without popping me through the fucking headrest….. Life’s like that. Seating was for 7:30, I got home at 10:30, absolutely shaking with tiredness… at which point I could not sleep. LOL

And I’ve miscalculated leaving dates, I’m actually leaving tomorrow morning. So I’m making dispositions for coverage thank you Jeff.

Love the world, hate its governments, be well everyone.

FOOD 2NITE

SO looking forward. However, I woke up before 2 am and that means I’ll have to have a nap today. I’m not looking after Alex so… that should be easy, right? Anyway I hope to have a compleat report for the drooling multitudes.

Coffee made, tea made, peppermint tea made; contemplating panancakes again.

yesterday, today, tomorrow second of its name

So yesterday I made coconut chicken soup, today I used the last of the mushrooms for scrambled eggs and mushrooms, and tomorrow I either dine at the gates of heaven or just have a regular meal at a French restaurant with the Dunnetteers, including the Grand Poobah Simon.

Today I will once again attempt to make a packing list. DAMMMMN these mushrooms are good, I have ceased my inhalation of food now.

Jeff got the kitchen fan running again so hopefully I’ll stop setting off the alarm if I’m bothering to cook.

Still playing with my Chromebook. I’m not sure I want to take it to the US, though, I haven’t set up all my daily tasks on it yet.

Alex will be here in about an hour. I missed him. He is such a loving child.

 

stew

After Jeff trundled back downstairs with his third bowl of stew, I quit worrying about whether he liked it or not. LOL

We were watching the season opener for S8 Shetland and I said, “Can I ask you to put away the stew,” and he said, “Way ahead of you.”

So I said, “Can I thank you for putting away the stew?” and he said, “No.”

Reader, it took me about 30 seconds to stop laughing, which is good, because he was trying to be funny.

Today is the anniversary of the ‘love declaration’ on Supernatural, and Guy Fawkes’ Day. I am thinking of a new destiel story or two, but no writing. I’m going to be pretty focussed on the trip to Portland for the next few days.

feeling pretty sad and bent

For reasons I can’t get into.

Jeff is aware and has actually been super supportive so I’m not on the ground, I’m just very demotivated. When I get my mo back I’ll make beef stew with thyme, which I hope Jeff will enjoy. Was very heartened by his defence of my overcooked pancakes – next time I think I’ll a) make the batter thinner and b) have the heat down JUST a smidge.

Towels and cleaning rags washed and put away.

Working on writing down songs this week so they’ll be ready for the con.

How’s this for a deal – I don’t have to take care of Alex on Friday, because his mother will. So we can be on the road first thing!!!

SO EXCITED. less than a week now. MUST FACE THIS NEW THING AND MAKE ALL THE LISTS.

the enshinening has happend

Katie had a bad day at work and knocked off early, she and Suzanne had a chinwag. Alex got to go home early too. Nearly cried when Suzanne folded all my laundry.

Doing relatively okay. Have a powerful urge to go out for breakfast but I think I’m going to make pancakes instead.

 

l8r very sub par pancakes accomplished but at least I used up the strawbs before they went bad.