Reading

Current Mood: busy
Current Location: House in the woods at the edge of town
Current Music: Rhaco_dactylus Twitch stream

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Working my way down the Macy's Parade bands 5

Current Mood: drained

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Reading Wednesday 12/17/25 | Has anyone listened to the Queen's Thief audiobooks?

What I Just Finished Reading: Legendborn (Tracy Deonn) and Season of Love (Helena Greer), both of which fall into the category of "I enjoyed this but I don't feel any urge to pick up the sequel".

And not that recent, but I did finish Anne Lamott's Almost Everything: Notes on Hope not terribly long ago.

What I am Currently Reading: Llinos Cathryn Thomas' Advent novella All is Bright, one chapter per day. And

scruloose and I are a few chapters into the audiobook of System Collapse.

What I Plan to Read Next: Very possibly The Dark is Rising, with solstice nipping at our heels.

Bonus TV note:

scruloose and I have finished season 2 of Silo!

When we finish System Collapse, that'll be the end of Murderbot listening until sometime after the new book comes out. Listening to the audiobooks together has cut way into our shared TV watching, but does have the advantage of being easier to drop in and out of if we don't have a lot of time in an evening, so I've been trying to see what our iteration of Hoopla has that

scruloose might be into. It does have Gideon the Ninth, which they might get a kick out of, but that's a significantly longer book, and we already had to check Network Effect out twice to get through it.

Last night it occurred to me that the Queen's Thief books are on the shorter side, and lo, Hoopla has them all! Have any of you listened to them? Any comments on how their reader is? It remains possible that finding out that I really like the Murderbot audiobooks isn't a sign of anything other than that I like that narrator in particular. ^^;

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Three-Part "Messiah" Podcast

Making Messiah on Freakonomics. There's a transcript as well.

The podcast does have some advertisements.

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Sometimes I finish things

I have a number of projects on the go - some I start just so that my idle hands have something to do, some where I have hit a snag and put aside until I can figure it out, some I get bored with. BUT! I finished the cowl I started knitting in March for a friend's birthday in September!

( cut for photo and blather )

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Daily Happiness

1. Carla needed the car for an appointment today so since we've still only got the one, I worked from home. I didn't have anything that required being in the office anyway, so it worked out.

2. Speaking of the car, they finally found the leak, yay! It should be fixed tomorrow or Thursday. The not so yay part is that apparently it was not a malfunction but was caused by a rock or something getting kicked up into the engine, so we will have to pay for it. We have the money, so it's not a problem in that regard. I'd just rather spend my money on nicer things than car repairs. :p

3. Molly's getting cozy.

Current Mood: loved
Current Music: Knicks vs Spurs pregame show

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but I really look at the bench of this team

So I packed up my jars of candied pecans and my bag of "prizes" and schlepped into the office today for our big huge holiday party - it was 5 departments' worth of people, so like 90 of us, so instead of everyone sitting in a room and eating together, we mostly stayed in our little departmental groups, but the beer-free beer pong was INCREDIBLY popular, Name That Tune also had a good turnout, and the food was excellent. Assistant J did a bang-up job organizing various game stations for people to play - there was also Jenga and Uno available, and a couple of gaming consoles he brought in so people could play Fortnite. *hands* I commended him and told him everybody loved it. And I did not have to lift a finger, except to bring the bag of prizes, aka, my stash of small gifts I've accumulated across the year but haven't given anyone yet, so there was a couple of packs of playing cards still in their wrapper, a couple of candles, 2 cute notebooks, some mini puzzles, and some holiday soaps. I also had a travel mug and a bigger candle to use as extra gifts for the secret gift exchange in case someone didn't show up, and it turned out my boss had given her secret exchange gift to someone else, so she ended up using the mug, and I gave the candle to a co-worker who tried to sign up for the exchange a week after I'd sent the assignments out. I felt bad about telling her no, but there was no way to make it work, except for me giving her the extra gift in the moment - she seemed really touched by it. And of course, several people asked me why I hadn't gotten a gift and I was like, I know who everyone is giving to, so it doesn't feel right to participate, but they didn't seem to buy that logic. *hands* I stand by it though.

I did get some lovely gifts though - a Calamityware mug from my boss, a couple of candles (one apple-and-cinnamon scented and one Frasier fir scented), a bottle of mango jalapeno hot sauce, and some Korean snacks from the co-worker who recently went to Seoul on vacation. And I got to leave at 3:30, so I was home by 4:45, which is truly a blessing. I also got to see and hug a lot of people I haven't seen in months, so that was also great. I truly do like most of the people that I work with, and I do miss seeing them, but ugh, it is so not worth going into the office more frequently to do so, imo, because so much less work gets done (even on days when there isn't a party). I probably won't go back until March if I can help it. *g*

Oh, and most importantly, my candied pecans were a hit! One of my attorneys basically ate the whole jar while he sat at his desk and the others all seemed genuinely excited about getting into them. So that worked out well.

Two more days and then I am on vacation for the rest of the year! I can't wait!

*

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12/16/2025 Inspiration Trail // Tilden RP Botanic Garden

I got up to the trail about 9, partly overcast but no fog! Winter quiet, as it has been for a while, with only Ruby-crowned Kinglets and a handful of Golden-crowned Sparrows for Winter visitors. The north end of the trail wasn't a complete waste this time; I saw California Quail on the lower trail, and a Red-tailed Hawk stooped on something on the opposite hillside. Dunno if they were successful. ( The list: )

No feeding flock anywhere. Disappointed, I went to sit on the bench in Tilden Botanic Garden. Not many birds there, either, but some different ones. Best bird was Fox Sparrow! I haven't seen or heard one in Tilden (the Trail is almost Tilden) in more than a month, but one was chipping and I found another scratching under a bush. ( Another little list: )

It was actually quite nice out, cold but I had many layers and there was sun. I don't expect to be up there for a while now as rain is forecast for about a week.

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weekly update

Me-and-media update

Previous poll review
In the Mind's eye poll, 22.4% of respondents said their mind's eye is as vivid as IMAX (wow!), 20.7% said pretty vivid, 25.9% said they can visualise if they work at it, and 22.4% said it's a bit patchy/vague. Nearly fourteen percent, including me, have no mind's eye. (I do occasionally see things in my dreams, eg, wake up with the memory of an orange cat, so I voted "other" as well.)

In ticky-boxes, spices (56.9%) came second to hugs (67.2%), followed by being able to name characters from Winnie-the-Pooh (39.7). Thank you for your votes!!

Reading
I was trying to write romance for Yuletide, and digressive murder mysteries were not helping my subconscious to deliver the romance beats/pacing, so I stepped away from Murder Must Advertise (Peter Wimsey) for a while and read a Jennifer Crusie instead. Not one of her better ones, but I've read the better ones so many times... I haven't returned to Murder Must Advertise yet, but I will (and I'll have forgotten everything, oh well).

In audio, I'm relistening to The Wedding People by Alison Espach, read by Helen Laser. It's so good! Phoebe's POV is specific and observational. As I said last time I read it, "Give me all the middle-aged women's midlife crises! Warning for suicidal protagonist, but the book is overall life-affirming."

Kdramas
Still loving Knight Flower. It's adorable and dramatic and silly, with many great women. Competent goofballs FTW! And Andrew and I started Jeongnyeon: A Star Is Born, set in the 1950s after the Korean war, about an all-female theatre troupe. It is fabulous, incredibly gay, and I love everything about it. See also "so many great women!" Moon Okgyeong is mesmerising, ahhhh, I totally understand why everyone's smitten with her (or is it him? or them?). We are racing through it (by our standards).

Other TV
We finished Down Cemetery Road, and I want more, especially of Emma Thompson as Zoe. Finished The Lowdown with Ethan Hawke. We're still going on Pluribus, which continues to be fascinating, and Prehistoric Planet. (My Apple+ subscription runs out on Sunday.) We finished the available episodes of Stranger Things, and I have Robin, Will and Max tied for first place as MVP.

I'm having a bit of trouble with season 3 of The Cleaner, but we might watch some more. And then there's Krapopolis, which is mixing things up this season. My sister and I are still watching Fringe and Bluey.

Audio entertainment
Writing Excuses, Letters from an American, Cross Party Lines, some Brandon Sanderson youtube lectures.

Online life
I am seriously not keeping up with Dreamwidth or my inbox. Sorry! I keep opening things in tabs to read/reply to later, but I'm going to have to give myself an amnesty and just close a bunch of them.

I'm enjoying the hockey show squee on my reading page, and though I don't know if the show will be for me, I plan to take a look at some point, just in case.

Writing/making things
I had a good writing run in November, but we got some bad news and now brain is refusing to brain, stories are refusing to story, sentences are refusing, etc. I ended up defaulting on Yuletide, though there is still a chance I'll finish the fic.

I am enjoying doodling, though -- it's freeing not having a clue what I'm doing. I posted one pic to Tumblr and it got notes and everything, and I just posted another to

fan_flashworks. (I bought an ancient second-hand flatbed scanner for $15, but I couldn't convince my computer to recognise it, so I guess I'll continue to photograph my sketches for now, even though it messes with the colour balance. I don't know how long this art phase will last, so investing in a newer scanner seems premature.)

Life/health/mental state things
I've been staying up too late lately (including to write an angry submission on a stupid roading project), and it's taking its toll. Offline things are a bit stressful and distracting (stuck in a waiting phase). Summer keeps coming and going. Christmas is imminent.

I need to get more active here on Dreamwidth again. *clings to you all*

Goals
Maybe I should make some of these for next year? Hm.

Good things
The boy! The cat! The house! Coloured pencils and a sketchbook and an ArtLine pen. TV that centres female characters. Also: Guardian! The slo-mo rewatch. ♥ ♥ ♥ Christmas mince pies. Early Christmas present bone-conduction earphones (after years of using this kind of earpiece, now I have stereo sound!).

Poll #33963 dance dance revolution

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 43

View Respondents

Have you danced this week?

View Answers

yes, with other people
2 (4.7%)

yes, with a pet or other animal
1 (2.3%)

yes, on my own
13 (30.2%)

kind of / only briefly
14 (32.6%)

no / not yet
20 (46.5%)

other
1 (2.3%)

ticky-box full of "Fighting!" (화이팅!)
9 (20.9%)

ticky-box full of books borrowed from an acquaintance quite some time ago, which really need to be returned but it's super awkward
8 (18.6%)

ticky-box full of enthusiastically and fervently loving what you love
27 (62.8%)

ticky-box full of giant prehistoric otters roaming the savannas
23 (53.5%)

ticky-box full of hugs, so many hugs
32 (74.4%)

good things

I spent yesterday evening re-reading Helen Dewitt's The English Understand Wool, one of the best books I've read in the past few years, and reading T. Kingfisher's Snake-Eater, which I loved.

A friend is stopping by to keep me company while I make snickerdoodles, and this has prompted me to sweep and run the vacuum cleaner; this evening I will go to needlecrafting and there will be a colleague there.

Current Mood: hungry
Current Location: House in the woods at the edge of town
Current Music: Tinderly Twitch stream

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Working my way down the Macy's Parade bands 4

Watch on YouTube

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Books and Media

1. ( Reread: Georgette Heyer mysteries )

2.( Reread: almost all my DWJ books )

3.( Reread: Agatha Christie Parker Pyne short stories )

4. ( Wake Up Dead Man, the new Benoit Blanc movie )

5. ( Heated Rivalry )

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not all griefs are the same

Maybe I am the odd man out, but I don't grieve for celebrities or public figures.

I am sorry they died, I remember and honor their work, I feel for their families and friends who will truly experience grief and loss from their deaths. I do feel many things when they die, but then I move on. Especially now that I am in the midst of my own personal grief journey, I can see and feel the difference between personal grief and parasocial grief.

There were a few major celebrity deaths this weekend, Rob Reiner and his wife Michelle, and Tony Geary from General Hospital. Both men created indelible stories and characters that live on in my head and millions of others' heads forever. All were gone way too soon. 78 (68 for Michelle) is too effing young to die.

Which is probably the thought that drove my subconscious to relive both of my parents' dying moments at 2am this morning. That's how old they were.

I am very tired of feeling the weight of this grief. I hate when it sneaks up on me like this, just as I think the hardest parts are over.

+++++

Trying out some new non-political podcasts lately, just to see what the fuss is. The self-help ones, yeah I dunno if they are for me. I have Mel Robbins on my playlist but I keep skipping them because they are really freaking long and there is something too polished and practiced about her. But this week was about "How to Make 2026 Your Best Year: 6 Questions to Ask Yourself." You guys know how much I love a good New Years Resolution list, so I thought this might be a good way to frame it this year.

The Questions:
1. What were the low points of your year?
2. What were the high points?
3. What did you learn this year?
4. What are you going to stop doing?
5. What are you going to continue doing?
6. What are you going to start doing?

I could fill a book with answers to number 1, but I can't think of a single answer to question 2. Every single "high" is tinged with bittersweetness. The Amtrak ride with my husband...after my parents' memorial service. Watching Molly bond with Abby and R...because she can't live with her original owners anymore.

I will have to think about if these are the right questions for me this year. She put a lot of focus on the necessity of looking back in order to plan for the future, and that is how I have often framed my NYE Resolutions, but something about that this year feels redundant, wallowing, and unhelpful. So we shall see.

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Ominous music sting for the right shoulder

My right shoulder has been making itself felt with a very small uncomfortable pain since I finished the first triplet sweater last Thursday. (Or before.)

You may remember that last spring I knitted way too much and did Something to it. When I consulted the health center advice, it said that barring certain more severe symptoms, you should rest it and take painkillers and just give it time and that it could take three months to feel better. So I did, and it didn't keep hurting after that. So I haven't talked to a doctor about it.

And that's why I was trying SO HARD to not knit too much when I started knitting again last month. I tried to knit only a few hours a day, though I did get into hyperfocus and knit for five hours a couple times. A couple of weeks ago I hit upon the idea of making myself read one complete paperback book per day to constrain how much time I could spend knitting. I thought it was going pretty well, but just the last few days I noticed this minor discomfort... I hoped it would go away with a few days of rest. But I've kept free of knitting, sewing, and even drawing and writing for five days now, and taken paracetamol even though it's not really that painful, more like mild discomfort.

But it's still like this! I'm afraid to start knitting in case it sproings again! And I'm even worried that targeted stretches might make it worse instead of better!

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Daily Happiness

1. Today I finished another big part of the project we're working on at work. It was a lot of double checking stuff and data cleanup, which was tedious but now we have workable data to upload, woohoo!

2. I had a couple things to mail today and managed to get to the post office a few minutes before they opened so there were only like four people in front of me and I was out of there in like twenty minutes. I was braced for worse since it's the holiday season.

3. Cutie Chloe.

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monday poems

monday poem #335: Carrie Green, "Eating Apples"

Eating Apples

Every time I eat an apple, I think
of my Uncle Buck eating apples,
or rather I think of my mom
telling me how he ate them,
my quiet uncle who loved horses
and who cracked open
the fresh wounds of our hearts
when the cancer claimed him
so soon after it claimed his brother,
my father. I might have seen it—
Uncle Buck eating lunch
in the shop office, air conditioner hissing,
the smell of oil and gas
laced with sweet apple
as he ate skin and flesh,
his eyes closed as he pushed on,
down and around and down,
biting through the green crunch of core
and the hard black seeds
until all that remained
was a slim brown crook of stem,
a comma that once linked fruit to tree.

— Carrie Green
originally published in Salvation South

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12/14/2025 Crab Cove, Elsie Roemer, and Garretson Pt

This is Christmas Count season, when everyone is out finding unexpected birds, so today rather than meeting in Tilden we went looking for two of them, a Yellow-billed Loon and a Green-tailed Towhee, with mixed success. The loon was amazing and easy to see, a walk-up in that as we walked out to the point at Crab Cove a birder called out, she's coming towards you, she'll be there in two minutes! And there she was, a huge loon, lighter than a Common Loon overall, with a big, ivory-colored bill, so close to shore I didn't need bins. She more than made up for some of the birds we've dipped on recently. There were other good birds there, in particular an Eurasian Wigeon, something I always look for in a flock of American Wigeon. And of course a Spotted Sandpiper. ( The first list: )

I'd seen one back in 1976 but I never made an historical ebird entry for it. I'm pretty sure I didn't see it so well as I saw this one, so that was very satisfying. Elsie Roemer Bird Sanctuary is on the way to Garretson Point so we stopped briefly. The tide was still high but there was a nice selection of shorebirds including a large flock of Dunlin flying around, and Forster's Terns lined up on a distant breakwater, each one exactly the same distance from the next. ( The second list: )

The second rare bird was the Green-tailed Towhee at Garretson Point, part of MLK Jr Regional Shoreline. U saw the bird, Chris got a glimpse, and I missed it entirely, not an unusual result.:) ( The third list: )

But I saw my first Ruddy Duck of the season, surprisingly late. And on the way back to the car we were treated to a small flock of Black Turnstones on an even smaller rock yelling at each other. They are very loud.:)

Current Mood: good

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Breaking a cycle

I've been stuck in my head lately and this Saturday I went to see the filmed version of Merrily We Roll Along and I lost myself for over two hours in wonderful music. If you enjoy musicals and especially Sondheim, then this is worth a watch, the music is glorious, and the story is good and painful. Its not the classic pro-shot filming, they've tried to make it more film like, which kind of works. Merrily is an odd musical that I'd love other people to watch to talk with them about it.

My first introduction to it was when my high school's ambitious vocal director put it on. I auditioned for it and was terrified since the vocal director had us audition like they do for Broadway, so you stand up on the stage and sing. I didn't get cast as my singing isn't that strong but I first heard that great music. Then a few years ago, I watched that great documentary about Merrily that was on Netflix: The Best Worst Thing That Could Have Ever Happened, worth a watch. Into the Woods is still my favorite Sondheim but Merrily is fascinating and makes me want to read the play its based off of and also watch Company, they feel connected. I ended up having a longer walk than I'd originally planned since the green line was being annoying but the weather was nice.

My Yuletide is pretty much done, I need to give it a good hard edit then post it. I'm still waiting on my car, but the insurance is covering my rental. Today I talked to the repair place and the damage was worse than they thought, so they're hoping by the end of the week. I stressed that at the beginning of next week, I hope to be driving off to see my family for the holidays. Other than one thing from the mail, my shopping is pretty much done. I will have to work next Monday and this Saturday before my long drive but then I'll have a nice chunk of time off.

The snow that fell yesterday has actually stayed, mainly because its far too cold, but getting warmer.

12/6/25 - 12/15/25

* Prepped a ton of news, but as you will see below this week had too many things in it. I will do my best to catch up. Please don't take large topics not being touched as a lack of caring.

* "Four countries announce Eurovision 2026 boycott after Israel allowed to compete:" https://www.nme.com/news/music/four-countries-announce-eurovision-2026-boycott-after-israel-allowed-compete-3916030

How to Help:
Revive Gaza's farmland: https://apnature.org/en/gaza
PCRF: https://www.pcrf.net/
HEAL Palestine: https://www.healpalestine.org/
The Sameer Project: https://linktr.ee/thesameerproject
Gaza Soup Kitchen: https://gazasoupkitchen.org/

******

* "What we know about Bondi Beach Hanukkah shooting:" https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cqjg22rey0lo

* Re: the 2025 National Security Strategy (NSS) of the United States of America: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/december-5-2025

* "Trump's speech on combating inflation turns to grievances about immigrants:" https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-economy-campaign-speech-pennsylvania-rcna248291

* "11 times Donald Trump has randomly brought up his ‘transgender for everybody’ obsession:" https://www.advocate.com/politics/transgender-for-everyone-donald-trump

I'm including this here as he's using trans people as well as immigrants as scapegoats to distract from his disastrous economic policies during his Affordability/Scapegoating tour.

* "Lack of Republican answers puts Trump on the hook for health care crisis, housing crisis:" https://www.ms.now/the-briefing-with-jen-psaki/watch/lack-of-republican-answers-puts-trump-on-the-hook-for-health-care-crisis-housing-crisis-2475005507796

* "Trump’s old tricks fall flat from overuse in the face of hard realities:" https://www.ms.now/the-briefing-with-jen-psaki/watch/trump-s-old-tricks-fall-flat-from-overuse-in-the-face-of-hard-realities-2474341955640

* "Bernie Sanders blasts ‘pathological liar’ Trump for calling affordability a ‘hoax’ :" https://www.ms.now/all-in/watch/bernie-sanders-blasts-pathological-liar-trump-for-calling-affordability-a-hoax-2474618947979

*** Immigration/I.C.E/Autocracy/Slow Motion Civil War/Violent Illegal Occupation of Blue Cities News ***

* "College student deported during Thanksgiving trip could’ve fought removal as a kid, US says:" https://apnews.com/article/college-student-deported-thanksgiving-lopez-belloza-79bb528c96102cd72a50e707610d34b8

* I support the Boycott. "Starbucks workers' union expand month-long strike to more cities:" https://archive.ph/YjAmY

* "Why Walmart Wants to See the Starbucks Barista Strike Fail:" https://truthout.org/articles/why-walmart-wants-to-see-the-starbucks-barista-strike-fail/

* Reminder: Republicans want this to happen. It was in the budget they pushed through because they wanted to steal from worker's to give a massive tax cuts to billionaires.

* "Obamacare Users Face Higher Deductibles, Higher Premiums:" https://archive.ph/32bVl

* "ACA shoppers face sticker shock as Congress dithers on health care:" https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2025/12/15/nx-s1-5644978/aca-costs-congress-health-care

* "The Senate voted down dueling health proposals. Here’s what’s at stake for Americans:" https://apnews.com/article/health-care-affordable-care-act-senate-vote-e143b36cc01b4d7f27a1c07e17d1583c

If you plan to complain, best to do it now.

* "Capitol agenda: GOP struggles on affordability message:" https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2025/12/08/congress/republicans-affordability-2026-midterms-health-care-vote-00680489

* "House passes defense bill, forcing Pentagon's hand on boat strike videos:" https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/10/house-passes-ndaa-boat-strike-videos-00685641

* "‘Safety whitewash’: Defense bill spawns uproar over military helicopters in DC:" https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/12/safety-whitewash-defense-bill-spawns-uproar-over-military-helicopters-in-dc-00689408

* "Congress quietly strips right-to-repair provisions from US military spending bill:" https://www.theregister.com/2025/12/09/us_military_right_to_repair_stripped/

* "House overhauls KOSA in a new kids online safety package:" https://www.theverge.com/news/829492/house-energy-commerce-kids-online-safety-package

* "Don’t STEAL Act:" https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/5048?s=1&r=1

* "H.R.5106 - Restore Trust in Congress Act:" https://thisfinecrew.dreamwidth.org/315708.html

* "End arms sales to UAE:" https://thisfinecrew.dreamwidth.org/318426.html

* Our job for the next year and a half is to survive, to build grassroots resistance, to do all in our power to slow the republican Christo-fascist agenda, and to prepare for 2026 in case there is still Democracy.

We are trying to build a good list of resistance resources.

Please add more below if you have them.

* "Take action with Indivisible:" https://www.mobilize.us/indivisible/

* Trump 2.0 Indivisible Guide. https://indivisible.org/resource/guide

* "Democracy 2025:" https://www.democracy2025.org/?utm_source=df-ad&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=21912407002&utm_content=721373734297&source=df-ad-gs&gad_source=1

* If you can't safely contact them in person, here are some other options for contacting your Congress Critters:

Five Calls to your critters: https://5calls.org/

Here is one that will send your reps a fax: https://resist.bot/

And another: https://faxzero.com/fax_senate.php

Snail Mail Campaigns: https://conuly.dreamwidth.org/3622760.html

"Congress. gov:" https://www.congress.gov/

White house (Possibly Dangerous): https://www.whitehouse.gov/

ACLU advice for writing to your Critters: https://www.aclu.org/writing-your-elected-representatives

This tracks legislation: https://www.govtrack.us/

"The Public Comment Process (+ how to write effective public comments):" https://www.tumblr.com/gwydionmisha/781844516804149248?source=share

Run for Something: https://runforsomething.net/

"Vote Smart:" https://justfacts.votesmart.org/

Useful organizing links and resources: https://www.tumblr.com/gwydionmisha/771859083592613888/hater-of-terfs-ive-already-reblogged-a-link-to?source=share

Protests: "50501 Events:" https://www.fiftyfifty.one/events

"ICE Raids Toolkit: Defend Against ICE Raids and Community Arrests:" https://www.immigrantdefenseproject.org/raids-toolkit/

Contains a raid tip hotline amoung other things. "Know Your Rights
LEARN HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF AND YOUR FAMILY:" https://wearecasa.org/know-your-rights/

* "Indiana Republicans Just Defied Trump’s Pressure Campaign to Rig Their Congressional Maps:" https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2025/12/indiana-republican-redistricting-trump-bill-fails/

* "At least 11 Indiana Republicans were targeted with threats or swatting attacks amid redistricting pressure from Trump:" https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/indiana-republicans-swatting-attacks-redistricting-rcna246689

* "‘Absolutely extraordinary:’ Buttigieg on Trump’s Indiana redistricting flop:" https://www.ms.now/all-in/watch/absolutely-extraordinary-buttigieg-on-trump-s-indiana-redistricting-flop-2474965571911

* Voting is so important. I keep saying it's essential to come out for off year and special elections and here is the proof. I would like to thank everyone who came out to vote.

* "In 2025, Democrats Flipped 21 Percent of GOP-Held Legislative Seats:" https://boltsmag.org/legislative-elections-results-2025/

* "‘Proud’ pro-LGBTQ+ Democrat flips Republican state House seat in Georgia electoral upset:" https://www.advocate.com/politics/eric-gisler-lgbtq-georgia-ally

* "Democrat Eileen Higgins wins Miami mayor’s race, beats Trump’s pick :" https://archive.ph/PPoos

* "How I Learned to Transcribe Braille in Prison :" https://prisonjournalismproject.org/2025/12/02/in-prison-ive-learned-to-transcribe-braille-and-found-joy/

* "Three lesbian attorneys general beating back Trumpism in court warn of marriage equality’s peril:" https://www.advocate.com/politics/lesbian-ag-marriage-equality-warning

* "Anti-LGBTQ+ hate crimes reached record-highs last year in this gay haven:" https://www.advocate.com/crime/anti-lgbtq-hate-crimes-california

* "Denver LGBTQ+ youth center closed indefinitely after burglar steals nearly $10K:" https://www.advocate.com/crime/denver-lgbtq-youth-center-burglary

* "Lesbian educator wins $700K after she was allegedly called a ‘witch’ in an ‘LGBTQ coven’:" https://www.advocate.com/news/lesbian-california-lawsuit-witch-coven

* "Tucker Carlson and Milo Yiannopoulos spend two hours spewing homophobia and pseudo-science :" https://www.advocate.com/news/carlson-yiannopoulos-homophobia

* "Women gamers boycott global esports tournament over trans ban:" https://www.advocate.com/news/dead-by-daylight-womens-world-cup-trans-ban

* "Man unexpectedly cured of HIV after stem cell transplant:" https://www.newscientist.com/article/2506595-man-unexpectedly-cured-of-hiv-after-stem-cell-transplant/

* "South Carolina officials report ‘accelerating’ measles outbreak" https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/11/south-carolina-measles-outbreak

* "Sick in a Hospital Town: Why were the people in Albany, Georgia, so sick, when the town’s most powerful institution was a hospital?:" https://projects.propublica.org/albany-georgia-hospital/

* "Influencers made millions pushing ‘wild’ births – now the Free Birth Society is linked to baby deaths around the world:" https://www.theguardian.com/world/ng-interactive/2025/nov/22/free-birth-society-linked-to-babies-deaths-investigation

* "Elizabeth Kolbert - The Climate Crisis & “Life on a Little-Known Planet" | The Daily Show:"

( Embed: )

* "A hidden Antarctic shift unleashed the carbon that warmed the world:" https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/12/251202052209.htm

* "Satellites spot rapid “Doomsday Glacier” collapse:" https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/11/251130205511.htm

* "They Worked Underground in the Uranium Mines. They've Been Surrounded by Death Ever Since.:" https://inthesetimes.com/article/they-worked-underground-in-the-uranium-mines-theyve-been-surrounded-by-death-ever-since-navajo-nation-war-trump-labor-abandoned-vanadium-cancer-lung-transplant-industry-homeland-southwest-atomic-energy-environment-justice?

* "Rhode Island's $85 Million Expansion Masquerading as Maintenance:" https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2025-12-04-rhode-islands-85-million-expansion-masquerading-as-maintenance

* "Massachusetts is turning retired cranberry bogs into natural wetlands. They’re on track to rewild 1,000 acres:" https://www.goodgoodgood.co/articles/massachusetts-cranberry-bogs-rewild

* "How Solar Flares Could Have Corrupted An Airbus Plane :" https://gizmodo.com/how-solar-flares-could-have-corrupted-an-airbus-plane-2000693690

* "A Founder Got Fed Up With Potential Hires Using AI to ‘Fake It.’ What She Did Next Was Brilliant:" https://web.archive.org/web/20251206003801/https://www.inc.com/justin-bariso/a-founder-got-fed-up-with-potential-hires-using-ai-to-fake-it-what-she-did-next-was-brilliant/91271819

* "Why Science’s press team won’t be using AI to write releases anytime soon:" https://lastwordonnothing.com/2025/11/12/why-science-press-team-wont-be-using-ai-to-write-press-releases-anytime-soon/

* "Massive Leak Shows Erotic Chatbot Users Turned Women’s Yearbook Pictures Into AI Porn:" https://www.404media.co/ai-porn-secret-desires-chatbot-face-swap/

* "The AI Invasion of Knitting and Crochet :" https://www.plagiarismtoday.com/2025/11/24/the-ai-invasion-of-knitting-and-crochet/

* "AI-Powered Stuffed Animal Pulled From Market After Disturbing Interactions With Children:" https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/ai-stuffed-animal-pulled-after-disturbing-interactions

* "The Right to Say "No":" https://2ndbreakfast.audreywatters.com/the-right-to-say-no/

* "I don't care how well your "AI" works:" https://fokus.cool/2025/11/25/i-dont-care-how-well-your-ai-works.html

* "India tells smartphone makers to put state-run cyber safety app on new devices:" https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cedxyvx74p4o

* "Arduino’s new terms of service worries hobbyists ahead of Qualcomm acquisition:" https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/11/arduinos-new-terms-of-service-worries-hobbyists-ahead-of-qualcomm-acquisition/

* "Meta wins monopoly trial, convinces judge that social networking is dead:" https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/11/meta-wins-monopoly-trial-convinces-judge-that-social-networking-is-dead/

* "Equal Rights Center v. Meta is the most important tech case flying under the radar:" https://www.brookings.edu/articles/equal-rights-center-v-meta-is-the-most-important-tech-case-flying-under-the-radar/

* "Earth’s early oceans hid the secret rise of complex life:" https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/12/251206030755.htm

* "Scientists found the key to accurate Maya eclipse tables :" https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/11/study-how-the-maya-created-such-accurate-eclipse-tables/

* "The fading of Japan’s Shōwa era – in pictures:" https://www.theguardian.com/world/gallery/2025/dec/02/fading-japan-showa-era-in-pictures

* "American “Heritage” vs. American History | The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart:"

( Embed: )

* "Amazing Photographs of People Posing With Giant Sponges in the Early 20th Century:" https://www.vintag.es/2025/12/giant-sponges.html?

* "Thousands of rare American recordings — some 100 years old — go online for all to enjoy :" https://laist.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/thousands-of-rare-american-recordings-go-online-for-all-to-enjoy

* "Forgotten photos reveal women who powered India's freedom struggle:" https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cr435zp7wy5o

* "The Buried Treasure of Baltimore :" https://strangeco.blogspot.com/2025/11/the-buried-treasure-of-baltimore.html

* "Rachel Maddow Presents: Burn Order: Episode 3: One Drop:" https://podcasts.apple.com/me/podcast/episode-3-one-drop/id1854194292?i=1000739710526

* "Rachel Maddow Presents: Burn Order: Episode 4: Like an Ordinary American:" https://podcasts.apple.com/me/podcast/episode-4-like-an-ordinary-american/id1854194292?i=1000739710607

* "Rachel Maddow Presents: Burn Order: Episode 5: Sheep and Goats:" https://podcasts.apple.com/me/podcast/episode-5-sheep-and-goats/id1854194292?i=1000741079876

* "Rachel Maddow Presents: Burn Order: Episode 6: A Reckoning:" https://podcasts.apple.com/me/podcast/episode-6-a-reckoning/id1854194292?i=1000741082322

* "Years before Stonewall, a cafeteria riot became a breakthrough for trans rights:" https://www.advocate.com/news/comptons-cafeteria-riot-explained-transgender

* "‘We’ve been eating it for more than 100 years’: how one community turns stink bug infestations into lunch:" https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/nov/21/turning-stink-bug-infestations-into-lunch-india-the-alternatives?

* "Rob Reiner, Legendary Comedic Actor and ‘Princess Bride’ Director, Found Dead in His Home:" https://variety.com/2025/film/news/rob-reiner-dead-princess-bride-spinal-tap-1236608541/

* "Rob Reiner, filmmaker and marriage equality advocate, and wife Michele dead in apparent homicide:" https://www.advocate.com/crime/rob-reiner-michele-reiner-homicide

* "As he turns 100, Dick Van Dyke is an unsung gay idol from an era of Judy, Liza, and Cher :" https://www.advocate.com/voices/dick-van-dyke-gay-idol

* It's been a really hard week for me physically. As is often the case in December, but AS and fibro are ramped up to 11 so I am exhausted and in the kind of pain that makes sleep difficult and unrestful. Add on I keep needing to be up during the day. Add on I'm still behind on bills from Tavy's final expenses. Add on the attempt to steal my car which makes starting it painful and physically demanding and also means it's been pissing down rain inside my car since the theft attempt left the window unguarded. Add on that New Millennial has been too ill to do standing up work for a couple of weeks so I ran out of things to feed Livia. (Livia needs to eat out of small plastic plates. Small and plate because anything else freaks her out so she doesn't eat and she's still off her feed and mostly hiding in my room. Plastic, because ceramic, Squirrel will step on and break when they go into visit her).

I keep trying to do things and failing. I keep trying to do things and injuring myself because my body won't work right. I keep trying to do things and because everything is awful and hurts, I keep forgetting a thing.

I thought I had 3-4 Millennials coming for gift exchange Wednesday night, so I made two types of cookies for them Tuesday Night. (I can't have egg yolks. I can have a little bit of egg whites. When I make meringues for guests, I use the yolks for a butter cookie variant right after. I was careful to leave out stuff the guests are allergic to). It ended up just being 2 coming buy for a brief exchange of things in the morning. I managed to find two things to box half of them up in, thinking I could give the other half to New Millennial to take home, but New Millennial didn't come.

I can eat the meringues. I just need to space them out over the course of several days. Meringues keep it you treat them right. The butter rum cookies do not, and If I'd known, I'd have dug out a third container and passed them to New Friend. Instead I gave them a bag of candies I was given that I couldn't eat. Sigh. So I'm trying to get Squirrel to eat them, but they are meant to be eaten with a dollop of I'm or preserves, and that's a lot of things for someone with their level of ADHD without getting distracted. (Step 1: Remember there are butter rum cookies. # 2 go get cookies. #3 Put cookies on plate. #4 get out jam. #5 get spoon. #6 Bring cookies back to eat with whatever food they were also making at the same time.

They do not like meringues. This is not me being mean.

The butter rum cookies came out absolutely perfect, which is a miracle as I hadn't made them in a couple of years and the recipe was entirely in my head. I was guestimating proportions and cooking time. I knew the temp was 350 and the ingredients, but proportions matter as does cooking time).

So I had been counting on New Millennial to wash Livia' dishes which meant me going out in the pouring rain to buy emergency ones at the dollar store. At night. And I needed to put oil in the car to take it anywhere. Which was hard because pain, exhaustion and my body not working right because this weather makes my AS worse. I am putting the oil in when I realize I can't see where the dipstick goes because it's hidden in shadow. Luckily a neighbor pulled up and they were willing to use their phone to help.

I also needed to tape up the window because the inept car thieves pulled off a bunch of weather tape. Which does not really work in the rain, but it couldn't wait any longer and partial protection is better than none. I now have literal fungus growing in my car because of asshole car thief who likely lives in my building.

I managed to chip two teeth, stab myself twice, and break the fragile toe last night and Still didn't find any Little Livia plates. I went to the aisle where they normally sell them, but they'd rearranged the store. Went and found the Employee. He sent me to a corner. Everything that used to be in the aisle with the little plates was there except plastic plates. Found the employee. He sent me to the opposite corner diagonally from the first corner. Yet more paper plates. I did find one packet of the Wrong Plastic Plates jammed in at random. These were too big and divided into three sections.

I bought them anyway, which was lucky as the next store didn't have them and the other two places I might have checked were closed as I set out really late, having waited for New Millenial in case they were coming. Livia refused to eat out of it. She was hungry enough Thursday night to eat about half her wet food. I went out searching a different store, as I had to take library books back anyway and buy a thing I forgot to buy Monday and Tuesday. No plastic plates.

On the upside, I did find the missing library book and take it back Thursday. If it had been in the car as I feared it would have been stolen or soaked, but it was literally where it was supposed to be, a place I'd searched 4-5 times in the two weeks it was overdue. It was thin and the much larger book next to it had it in shadow. When I moved that book to take it back there the missing one was. Sigh.

I am still chipping away at things that are still out of place from all the renovation stuff. I am mostly down to 1. living room table. 2. Some lighting stuff requiring a ladder, a good arm day, and me to not be exhausted and in pain. 3. the table behind my desk. 4. The tall desk.

The tall desk is a massive problem as a bunch of things are in boxes that need sorting, a bunch of things fell and got put back at random, I need a ladder and a day I'm not in pain and exhausted to clean and put the high shelf things back, and a bunch of things are piled that I'd need to put somewhere else while I'm sorting and cleaning. It's monumental and I just can't when my body is this bad, and the broken bone makes everything So Much Harder.

In the last week I did manage to put the Under desk stuff back and it's legitimately better arranged now than it was. I boxed the Behind the Monitor paperwork I generally need once or twice a year for Poverty Bureaucracy, so I keep it where I can get at it easily. I put three smaller boxes I need access to there, and I figure once I sort the paperwork, it can go back. (Usually somethings can get moved into longer term storage this far out from the last produce paperwork emergency, as some things expire. I have a second easy to grab spot for things that replace those things and I do a Grand sort whenever I need to do the bureaucracy.

Thursday, my arm was able to take the weight o I took a long term storage box upstairs to storage. I knew I had at one time two hard shell cat carriers and a soft kitten carrier. I know the soft carrier is upstairs in storage. I had one hard carrier downstairs for emergencies, but it broke the day Tavy died. I couldn't remember if we still had the purple hard shell, as I had last used it literally 15 years ago. It was up there and I was able to pull it which meant I could remove by a replacement carrier off the things I need but can't afford list.

I am scared I'm going to have to take Livia to the vet. Really, it's mourning most likely. she's very cat centric and she keeps having panics over not having a cat to hang out with for cat group nap time. The weight she is losing is her winter weight, but as of tonight, she's down to her spring weight and the having to deal with strange plates is not helping.

And there's always the chance it's not just mourning and she's sick again. Stress can trigger it.

I can't afford the vet. I spent everything I had and everything I could raise failing to save Tavy.

If she is sick, we're fucked.

UPDATE 3:38AM: It was absolutely Too Much for my artificial Shoulder in it's current state.

* I was already way behind on things, when Waterfox insisted I update, and one again fucked me over buy throwing out my damned tabs. I don't understand why Water and Firefox no longer save tabs when they update. I do not need six to 48 hours extra work. I'm hoping this one's six to eight, but we'll see. I really, really didn't need this.

UPDATE: It was not nearly as bad as last time. I estimate recovery is more the 2-3 hour range. It likely helps that I was caught up recently. It is possible some things will end up duplicate posted by accident. It is one thing to remember reading an article, another to remember if I posted the link.

Similarly, I will inevitably have lost articles. I am so sorry.

* So I used to love to do kits and things, but my hands really can't any more with the arthritis. I just don't have that kind of control. Periodically my Sister sends me kits and I save them along with other sitting down jobs for people to do on days when they aren't up to standing tasks.

This one my Sister sent for my birthday, and new Millennial has been working on it at times when they had taken a break, then realized they weren't up to doing more standing up work.

They finished it last time they were here. I downloaded the photos, promptly got swamped, but here they are now. This is a temporary spot for the photo shoot. A few nights ago I put it in my room where I can see it from my bed. Inevitable this meant moving books, but it fills me with delight, even with things not quite squared away.

https://www.tumblr.com/gwydionmisha/802872822284288000/so-i-used-to-love-to-do-kits-and-things-but-my?source=share

* Companion Cookies

Someone asked me for the recipe, so I'm posting the current iteration in case anyone wants it.

Ingredients:
8 med or six large egg yolks.
Vanilla Extract.
Butter Scotch, Rum and Butter, or Butter Rum Extract.
1 Cup Sugar.
2 cups flour (max).
butterscotch chips, toffee bits, and/or pecan bits.

Preheat 350 Degrees and butter your cookie pans.
8 med yolks or 6 large. Mix with vanilla and either butter scotch or rum and butter or butter rum extract to taste. (They used to be butter scotches, but I had a hard time finding the right extract so they became butter rum. Brandy extract will do in a pinch).

1 Cup sugar. Cream with:
1 Stick butter (1/2 cup) Mix with eggs. Add on low:
2 cups flour (max) +plus your choice of butterscotch chips, toffee bits, and or pecan bits.

It will get very stiff. Do them like drop cookies or roll them into balls on two greased baking sheets. Use a spoon to press an indentation on top.

Bake at 350 for 27 mins (Your oven may vary so look in on them at 20 to make sure another seven makes sense. It may be less if your oven runs hitter. Mine runs a little cold.

Serve with a selection of jams and/or preserves.

* Sunday: New Millennial is understandably still shaken up from an Incident* last week, but they came and removed a micro splinter that had started to encyst on my ankle, towards the back. There was no chance of me getting it out as while I could reach it with tweezers just barely I couldn't see it well enough to work on it in the position I'd need to be in to do that. It took ages and had time to get infected, but we disinfected it and it already feels better.

I did make some progress with sorting papers and doing paperwork, but am not remotely close to finishing. Sigh. Plus I'm behind on some things and just getting further and further behind. Poor Livia was ill Saturday night pretty much everywhere, poor thing, but it also meant I had to change the bed alone, borrowing a bunch of next week's spoons.

* The Incident did not happen here, but would have been bad enough on it's own without Everything Else, and is why they did not come Wednesday.

* I was about twenty minutes away from switching over to work on the aggregate when the lemon lenovo disconnected itself from the internet irrevocably. I tried the usual things, but it sure looked like the drivers which meant yet another trip to the Best Buy when it opened. Another hour lost, I thought, but I was wrong, it was two and a half. The tech guy wasn't scheduled for another hour. I settled in at the tech area anyway as they had chairs and I suspected my 5-10 minute fixed get done first thing if I was spread out at the counter. One of the computer department guys had nothing to do and took pity on me at 9:45, so I was fixed and gone before the actual tech help guy checked in.

I'd already blown the gas to get there and I needed TP and buns which are best bought at ethical grocery which is right there, but that took longer than expected, as inevitably there were people in the way and I thought of a couple other things best bought there. And then there was traffic. And the putting things away. And the cat reassurance.

So I am once again posting a truncated version of the aggregate because So Many things This Week. Apologies.

* The horror movie Tournament poll is close to the end: https://www.tumblr.com/gwydpolls/tagged/Horror%20Movies

* "Exploring Horror with Andrew Joseph White:" https://open.spotify.com/episode/7avEzaynjAyIUVX9TO0qkg?go=1&sp_cid=ff630af34f0cd6b4ddc6cd829351b957&nd=1&dlsi=48ed7a46a3f24530

* "A Rare Look Inside DC’s Famous FBI Spy House:" https://washingtonian.com/2025/12/11/a-rare-look-inside-dcs-famous-fbi-spy-house/

* "Armand lived in Venice during the absolute sluttiest period for mens’ clothes and I gotta talk about it.:" https://www.tumblr.com/apoptoses/703925802479321088?source=share

* "Hysterical Hades:" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjD5xWrFBOM

* "Antithetical Ares:" https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ZOJ2dngj-E8

* "Hellenic Himbos:" https://www.youtube.com/shorts/O4_RcjQuNFQ

* "Triregnum Trading Relics:" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47wlilfCU4o

* "Peace Prices 2:" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqbGCO1QLgI

* "Egregious English Kings 2:" https://www.youtube.com/shorts/cwxav-AMSRo

* "Philanthropic Phillipe:" https://www.youtube.com/shorts/nZ0RodpLPjU

* "Playing Plantagenet Politics:" https://www.youtube.com/shorts/8az1-Z7QLgc

* "Sleeping Beauty/Social Etiquette:" https://www.youtube.com/shorts/XxIkUsQJk_w

* "Sleeping Beauty/Slumber Secrecy:" https://www.youtube.com/shorts/o6ikZaWbXmE

* "Pentagon Press Conference Cold Open - SNL:"

( Embed: )

* "A Helping Hand - SNL:"

( Embed: )

* "'Forks Out': A Benoit Blanc Sesame Street Mystery | Wake Up Dead Man | Netflix:"

( Embed: )

* "These 15 Gorgeous Photographs Capture the Beautiful Art of Blown and Stained Glass:" https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/15-gorgeous-photographs-capture-beautiful-art-blown-stained-glass-180987623/

* "50 Tiny Cats In Big Rooms Looking Way Too Precious For This World:" https://www.boredpanda.com/tiny-cats-big-spaces-pics/

* "Timey-Wimey Sweets:" https://www.cakewrecks.com/home/timey-wimey-sweets-2025

* "Sunday Sweets: Polar Opposites:" https://www.cakewrecks.com/home/sunday-sweets-polar-opposites-2025

*****
* Full list of Resistance and charity links has been migrated to my profile as it was getting out of hand.

The help links are at the bottom under the cut.

* CW: Suicide "These hotlines are still available for LGBTQ+ youth after Trump kills 988 services:" https://www.advocate.com/news/lgbtq-youth-hotlines-still-available

* "Hospital Crisis Watch:" https://www.protectourcare.org/hospital-crisis-watch/

( More )

Current Mood: busy
Current Location: House in the woods at the edge of town
Current Music: Tinderly Twitch stream

Entry tags:

Postponed video for Hanukkah

I decided to save this video for next year.

Watch on YouTube

Entry tags:

(no subject)

The first weekend of the 12 Days of Christmas Sale was stunningly good. In 3 days I made over $2100 gross, which is often what I make all month. My best year for November/December was 2023, when I opened up my big double-booth. I am less than $200 from that peak, and there are two more weeks to the month. It's going to be my biggest payout yet. So excited!

My boss told me that I came in as the 5th highest seller in the store last month. I bet I do the same or better this month. So very validating.

+++++

Christmas shopping proceeds apace. I never get it done early, I am usually too focused on Thanksgiving, and Black Friday weekend at the store, and then getting the tree up and house decorated. By the time I start thinking about gifts, I only have 2 weeks to go, and I need to figure out shipping too. At least now it's only worrying about shipping to Connecticut for my sister, and Detroit for the nieces.

Speaking of painful reminders, USPS informs me there are a bunch of Christmas cards coming from my parents' neighbors and friends in Florida. I got weepy just seeing the email message.

I don't do cards, haven't done it for years. But I will send replies to them.

+++++

One of the nicest things about being able to set my own schedule is that I can change it when the mood strikes. I was looking at my running list of to-do in my Notes app, and realized I really want to get out of the house this morning. So the at-home chores move down the list, and the outside errands move up. I think I will be adding a few thrift store stops too; Mama needs to source more to sell more!

Today is still bitterly cold, but it looks like it's the last brutal one for a while. Will be in the 20s and 30s this week. Yes, you warm-weather people, that's pretty balmy for us right now.