2025.07.10

Jul. 10th, 2025 08:14 am
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[personal profile] lsanderson
Redrawing Texas: the Republican plan to stack the decks for the midterms
Tyler Hicks
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/10/texas-republican-redistricting-maps

The CEO who never was: how Linda Yaccarino was set up to fail at Elon Musk’s X
Ex-NBC executive was tasked with building an ‘everything app’, but billionaire owner was biggest obstacle in her path
Johana Bhuiyan and Nick Robins-Early
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/jul/10/linda-yaccarino-resigns-x-elon-musk

Trump announces 50% tariff on Brazil, citing a ‘witch-hunt’ against Bolsonaro
Latest threats heighten fears that the president’s erratic trade strategy risks exacerbating inflation across the US
Callum Jones in New York
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/09/trump-tariffs-brunei-libya-moldova Read more... )

Not Much of Anything, Alas

Jul. 9th, 2025 02:32 pm
lydamorehouse: (Default)
[personal profile] lydamorehouse
 The library finally coughed up KD Edward's Tarot Sequence triology (Last Sun, The Hanged Man, and the Hourglass Throne.) I picked these up because Edwards is going to be one of our GoH's at Gaylaxicon. Have I read much of Last Sun yet? No, not really. I'm finding it a little difficult to get into. I'm hoping that will change? I'm giving this book a bit longer than I would normally because I want to give a GoH more than a fair shake, you know? Someone on ConCom loves his work! So, I guess we'll see if I ever warm to it.

Obviously, it's okay if I don't. But, I'm generally bummed that it's not dragged me in because I'm having some reading ennui. Do you ever get this? I have a ton of options of things to read, but nothing is looking appealing and nothing that I'm currently reading is grabbing me. I've also got Waubgeshig Rice's Moon of the Crusted Snow on audiobook and I can't seem to get past 10%.   And I've heard good things about this book!

So, here's the other stuff I have in my Libby folder right now. Help me pick something?

When the English Fall by David Williams
The Future is Yours by Dan Frey
Meet Me in Another Life by Catriona Silvey
How High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu
Arch-Conspirator by Veronica Roth
The Archive Undying by Emma Mieko Candon
Feed Them Silence by Lee Mandelo

Anything look good to you? I noticed that Martha Wells recommended  the worldbuilding in The Archive Undying to the New York Times in their "Let Us Help You Pick Your Next Book: Science Fiction" article. So maybe that's worth a go?

What are you reading?

2025.07.09

Jul. 9th, 2025 08:25 am
lsanderson: (Default)
[personal profile] lsanderson
Local News
Cafe & Bar Lurcat in Minneapolis to close after more than 2 decades near Loring Park
By Eric Henderson
https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/cafe-bar-lurcat-closing-minneapolis-loring-park/

Undocumented builders face unchecked exploitation amid Trump raids: ‘It’s more work, less pay’
In a new series on undocumented workers, construction laborers tell the Guardian fear is fueling wage theft and workplace abuse
Michael Sainato
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/09/construction-workers-builders-immigration-trump

Far-right conspiracy theories spread online in aftermath of the Texas floods
Some social media users falsely claimed that the extreme weather was being controlled by the US government
Ben Makuch
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/09/texas-floods-conspiracy-theories Read more... )
lydamorehouse: (Default)
[personal profile] lydamorehouse
 I'm already having one of those weeks. 

The only good news is that my family and I are getting a lot done around the house. Mason, at 21, has been aggitating for a new bed. To be fair to him, he was still sleeping on the bed we bought him as a toddler. His feet literally hung off the edges as he's grown. Shawn, my incredibly thrifty and clever wife, saw that someone on our local Buy Nothing group was offering up a mattress and box spring. My parents have been trying to get me to come down to LaCrosse for over a month now to pick up an old bed frame. So, clearly the stars had begun aligning. 

Step one, was getting Keven to help us get the mattress and box spring to our house. We don't have a truck or a minivan or anything with any real cargo space, so we have to rely on what my brother-in-law likes to call Big Brother's Roadside Assistance. Mason and Keven went to the Buy Nothing address with the truck on Sunday and hauled it back to ours. Shawn, Mason and I struggled it into the living room because Keven needed to tap out. He says he feels fine since his diagnosis, but it's clear that his strength isn't what it used to be. I mean, he's also 70? So, there's a little bit of all of that going on.

At any rate, we sent Keven home as we always do these days with food. Shawn had made him a nice lasagna from their mother's recipe, but also froze it knowing that Keven's chemotherapy is coming up this week (tomorrow, I think.) And he might want something easy the day of or, even more likely, the day after.

After Keven left, my family and I started to negotiate what came next. Should we try to take apart Mason's bed the same day? Should we wait? What did we need to accomplish the next step? It was determined that Mason--who was up early to do the hauling--nap on the mattress on the living room floor while Shawn and I went to Target and JC Penny's in order to get fitted sheets, etc., for a full size bed. We actually had a full-size bed at some point, so we had SOME of these items, but we didn't have a mattress topper.  So, Mason face planted and we shopped. 

When we came back we still didn't really want to tackle the job of dismantling and hauling everything up our stairs, but Mason wisely pointed out that there was no good reason to wait. Shawn and Mason took apart the bed. I helped haul things to the garage--where we decided to store the old bed in the meantime, with the hopes of also passing it off on Buy Nothing (Shawn had already taken a picture of the stripped bed to show it off.)  I also started dinner while all this was happening because my family gets notoriously cranky when we are hangry. Then, it came time to haul the box spring and mattress up the stairs and I do not know how we managed it, but the three of us did it. Mason is currently sleeping on the box spring and mattress on the floor, but we have an appointment to pick up a U-Haul truck on Friday for a trip to LaCrosse to collect the last item in this scavenger hunt!

Last night, Shawn got a ping on Buy Nothing. A young family was ready to move their toddler into a "big boy bed," and ours looked perfect. We made arrangements (I hauled everything back OUT of the garage and set it up near the alley so it would be easy for them to throw things into their truck.)  We got a reply after delivery from the mom that read, "Thanks again! He just kept saying 'my bed is so huge!' Over and over as he was getting ready for bed tonight." Which makes everything worth it.

As part of all this, of course, we discovered a bunch of boxes we had stored under Mason's bed which we now have to figure out what to do with--but honestly, they'll probably end up in the attic with all the other things we'll need to sort "someday." 

All and all a very productive set of days.

Today I recorded the next podcast with Ka1lban today, in which we talk about American Flagg. As often happens, I wonder what of substance we'll have to say and then suddenly we're having a deep discussion about corporate greed or whatever. Good times!

But, man, all I want to do is nap now!

How was your weekend?

2025.07.08

Jul. 8th, 2025 08:35 am
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[personal profile] lsanderson
Texas pediatrician ‘no longer employed’ after post about pro-Trump flood victims
Physician made a post wishing that Maga supporters in Kerr county ‘get what they voted for’ amid flash flooding
Ramon Antonio Vargas
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/08/texas-floods-pediatrician-maga

‘Deep rooted’ camp tradition continues in Texas despite flood devastation
Mothers say it is important to return to normalcy after deadly floods in which 27 campers and counselors were among those killed
Edward Helmore in Kerrville, Texas
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/08/texas-floods-campers-children-continue-camp

Floods are swallowing their village. Trump’s EPA cut a major lifeline for them and others
The administration has wiped over $2.7bn in climate grants, hitting underserved communities across the US the hardest
Ames Alexander for Floodlight
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/jul/07/trump-administration-epa-grants-floods Read more... )

2025.07.07

Jul. 7th, 2025 08:44 am
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[personal profile] lsanderson
Mosquitos with West Nile found in Twin Cities. From Bring Me The News: “The findings suggest West Nile activity is starting to pick up in the area. Officials say the timing of the positive tests aligns with when mosquitoes have historically first shown signs of the virus.” Via MinnPost
https://bringmethenews.com/minnesota-news/first-west-nile-positive-mosquitoes-of-the-year-found-in-twin-cities-counties

Michael Douglas says he has ‘no real intentions’ of acting again: ‘I had to stop’
The 80-year-old, two-time Oscar winner said he had been ‘working pretty hard for almost 60 years’ – and is ‘quite happy’ watching his wife Catherine Zeta-Jones work
Sian Cain
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/jul/07/michael-douglas-says-he-has-no-real-intentions-of-acting-again-i-had-to-stop

‘Chipping away at democracy’: authors fear outcome of US supreme court’s LGBTQ+ book ruling
Some parents can now opt students out of LGBTQ+ book readings. The writers warn of increased book bans and bias
Melissa Hellmann
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/07/authors-lgbtq-book-ruling-supreme-court

The radical 1960s schools experiment that created a whole new alphabet – and left thousands of children unable to spell
Decades ago, a generation of UK schoolchildren unwittingly took part in an initiative aimed at boosting reading skills – with lasting consequences
Emma Loffhagen
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2025/jul/06/1960s-schools-experiment-created-new-alphabet-thousands-children-unable-to-spell

At least 81 dead and dozens missing in Texas floods as more rain looms
Gary O'Donoghue Chief North America correspondent
Ana Faguy BBC News
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cddzrj323zzo

2025.07.06

Jul. 6th, 2025 08:48 am
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[personal profile] lsanderson
Weedkiller ingredient widely used in US can damage organs and gut bacteria, research shows
Diquat is banned in the UK, EU, China and other countries. The US has resisted calls to regulate it
Tom Perkins
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/jul/06/weedkiller-diquat-organ-damage-study

‘I want my vote back’: Trump-voting family stunned after Canadian mother detained over immigration status
Family of Cynthia Olivera reconsiders support for president after Ice detained her at green card interview
Ramon Antonio Vargas
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/06/trump-voting-family-canadian-mother-detained-immigration-status

Reboots and remakes: why is Hollywood stuck on repeat?
Catherine Shoard
https://www.theguardian.com/news/ng-interactive/2025/jul/06/reboots-and-remakes-why-is-hollywood-stuck-on-repeat

Archaeologists unveil 3,500-year-old city in Peru
Jessica Rawnsley
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c07dmx38kyeo

2025.07.05

Jul. 5th, 2025 07:06 am
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[personal profile] lsanderson
Owning dog or cat could preserve some brain functions as we age, study says
Fish or bird ownership showed no significant link to slower cognitive decline in study with implications for ageing societies
Amelia Hill
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/jul/05/dog-cat-ownership-could-preserve-specific-brain-functions-as-we-age-cognitive-decline

Trump is waging war against the media – and winning
Edward Helmore
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2025/jul/05/trump-attack-us-media

‘The vehicle suddenly accelerated with our baby in it’: the terrifying truth about why Tesla’s cars keep crashing
Elon Musk is obsessive about the design of his supercars, right down to the disappearing door handles. But a series of shocking incidents – from drivers trapped in burning vehicles to dramatic stops on the highway – have led to questions about the safety of the brand. Why won’t Tesla give any answers?
Sönke Iwersen and Michael Verfürden
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/jul/05/the-vehicle-suddenly-accelerated-with-our-baby-in-it-the-terrifying-truth-about-why-teslas-cars-keep-crashing

US debt is now $37trn – should we be worried?
Simon Jack
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1lj8rmyn5eo

2025 52 Card Project: Week 26: Cold

Jul. 4th, 2025 10:11 am
pegkerr: (Deep roots are not reached by the frost)
[personal profile] pegkerr
Everything this week got cancelled.

I had a miserable cold.

That was my week.

Image description: A hand pours tea from a teapot into a cup. Lower left corner: a pot of honey. A couple of cough drops lie to the side of the teacup. Behind the teacup: a Dayquil/Nightquil pack of medicine. Left: a woman blows her nose into a Kleenex.

Cold

26 Cold

Click on the links to see the 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022 and 2021 52 Card Project galleries.

2025.07.04

Jul. 4th, 2025 08:30 am
lsanderson: (Default)
[personal profile] lsanderson
Palmer's Bar to close after serving beers for 120 years on West Bank
The bar didn't give a reason for its closure, but said it will have a "jam-packed" calendar and "plenty of time to party and say farewell" before shutting the doors.
Author: Samantha Fischer
https://www.kare11.com/article/entertainment/palmers-bar-to-close-after-serving-beers-for-120-years-on-west-bank/89-0c845523-e6cc-4fed-8be2-82e7540144cc

Trump’s Medicaid cuts are coming for rural Americans: ‘It’s going to have to hit them first’
Experts worry the tax-and-spending bill will gut healthcare and hospitals, especially in states like North Carolina
Jessica Glenza and George Chidi
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/04/rural-americans-medicaid-cuts-trump-bill

Trump’s big bill achieved what conservatives have been trying to do for decades
Chris Stein
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/03/trump-spending-bill-conservatives-law Read more... )

2025.07.03

Jul. 3rd, 2025 07:03 am
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[personal profile] lsanderson
A Wisconsin brewery owner wants to shut down Fourth of July parades, both in Minocqua, where the brewery is located, and across the nation. Kirk Bangstad “says he ‘will not allow this town to comfortably celebrate its most important event of the year’ because he believes he’s been targeted by city officials,” according to Bring Me The News. Via MinnPost
https://bringmethenews.com/wisconsin-news/wisconsin-brewery-owner-plans-to-disrupt-parade-over-feud-with-officials

Scientists warn US will lose a generation of talent because of Trump cuts
Political interference and chaotic cuts to staff, programs and grants at the National Science Foundation are producing ‘devastating consequences’
Nina Lakhani
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/03/national-science-foundation-trump-cuts

New Orleans teacher fired by Catholic school for being gay says ‘it’s just time’ for discrimination to stop
Mark Richards was fired from St Francis Xavier school after an obituary identified him as his late husband’s widower
Ramon Antonio Vargas in New Orleans
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/03/new-orleans-teacher-mark-richards Read more... )

What? Wednesday?

Jul. 2nd, 2025 08:59 am
lydamorehouse: (Default)
[personal profile] lydamorehouse
 Once again, I have not been keeping up.

Sadly, I am still slogging my way through Cultish. As a dyslexic reader, I get into these weirdly stubborn things. I am SO freaking close to being done with this book that, even though I'm no longer enjoying it, I refuse to give up. Admittedly, this is incredibly stupid. Life it too short for books you aren't enjoying!  But, here I am, anyway. To be fair to me, I did take a break to read the first several issues of a 1980s American comic book called American Flagg. I talked my co-host into reading this for our podcast and, I'm going to be honest. I kind of regret that. I had a VERY DIFFERENT memory of these comic books than what is apparently the reality. Oof, they do not stand the test of time! I have literally never seen the n-word (spelled out!) so many times in a mere 12 issues, holy shit. 

It should be an interesting podcast, though!

Also, when I was volunteering out at Pride, Jason Tucker who is a comic book affectionado turned to me when I told him what I'd been reading, "Huh. Is American Flagg cyberpunk, though?" Not to spoil the upcoming episode because this is a question we regularly ask of whatever we're reviewing or discussing, but I do think I now know why I thought so having re-read them, at least. I mean, this is hardly a spoiler to the episode or the comics since it is revealed in the literal first panel, but Rueben Flagg did lose his acting job to AI, actually, so I mean, that's kind of prescient, in a way, cyberpunkly-speaking. 

But, wow, also a hard read, albeit in a completely different way than Cultish.

Part of my absence here is due, in part, to the fact that we've gotten some really bad news from my brother-in-law, Keven. Keven's test results have come back and the cancer has spread to his bones. The doctors informed him that its incurable and have given him about a year, year and a half to live. I don't even know how to cope with this? I was telling Shawn that you always hear people asking the hypothetical, "What would you do if you found out you only had a year left to live?" But, like that's supposed to be a fun thought-experiment, not Real Life. And, as I have reported previously, Keven is the sibling of Shawn's that my family interacts with the most. He lives within striking distance of our house--just on the other side of the Mississippi in Minneapolis. So, we see him often. Mason has been Keven's odd job man for hire now and most of his in-between college summers. And, like, our relationship with Keven is, like with a lot of family, somewhat fraught? We've had some terrible fights in the past. However, for better or for worse, Keven has been a constant in our lives.

Yesterday, when we found out, Shawn was already at work. She decided that she was just not functional after talking to Keven and so I picked her up and brought her home. We spent much of the day yesterday just trying to wrap our heads arounds this--alternating between crying/staring into the middle distance and doing distracting things like, for her working on her quilt and watching mindless British detective shows, and me randomly coming up with panel ideas for Gaylaxicon (I wrote about ten yesterday! It was kind of soothing in a weird way?)  

So, yeah, that's kind of been us.

I hope things are better wherever you are!

2025.07.02

Jul. 2nd, 2025 07:44 am
lsanderson: (Default)
[personal profile] lsanderson
Dinner du Nord invites diners to a 7-block-long table on Nicollet Mall
Dinner du Nord organizers share a toast at a model table in Minneapolis on July 1, featuring dishes from several local restaurants.
Estelle Timar-Wilcox
https://www.mprnews.org/story/2025/07/01/dinner-du-nord-invites-diners-to-a-7blocklong-table-on-nicollet-mall

Concerns about Uptown’s changing face are familiar and overwrought
Yes, the critical Minneapolis retail and entertainment hub is suffering. But the key to its future isn’t recreating the past.
by Bill Lindeke
https://www.minnpost.com/cityscape/2025/07/concerns-about-uptowns-changing-face-are-familiar-and-overwrought/

Judge blocks Kristi Noem from ending temporary protected status for Haitians
Homeland security secretary attempting to end legal status for approximately 521,000 Haitian immigrants
Reuters
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/01/kristi-noem-haitian-immigrants-tps

Kristi Noem failed to disclose $80,000 received while South Dakota governor – report
Homeland security secretary was paid by group listed as American Resolve Police Fund, according to Politico
Edward Helmore
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/01/kristi-noem-payment-south-dakota-governor Read more... )

2025.07.01

Jul. 1st, 2025 01:42 pm
lsanderson: (Default)
[personal profile] lsanderson
Severe weather hits the US hard as key forecast offices reel from Trump cuts
This year marks the first time that local NWS offices have stopped round-the-clock operations in the agency’s history
Eric Holthaus
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/01/severe-weather-nws-trump-cuts

And everybody sez irony is dead?
Trump threatens to set Doge on Musk as pair feud again over budget plan
Aleks Phillips
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/czdvv2qqlrqo

Rebuilding journal search again

Jun. 30th, 2025 03:18 pm
alierak: (Default)
[personal profile] alierak posting in [site community profile] dw_maintenance
We're having to rebuild the search server again (previously, previously). It will take a few days to reindex all the content.

Meanwhile search services should be running, but probably returning no results or incomplete results for most queries.

2025.06.30

Jun. 30th, 2025 09:32 am
lsanderson: (Default)
[personal profile] lsanderson
Trump’s justice department issues directive to strip naturalized Americans of citizenship for civil offenses
Memo says those subjected to civil proceedings are not entitled to an attorney like they are in criminal cases
Edward Helmore
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/30/trump-birthright-citizenship-naturalized-citizens

15 Hmong Minnesotans face deportation over convictions, some decades old
More Hmong Americans are facing deportation over past convictions, after the Trump administration increased pressure on Laos to approve travel visas.
by Katelyn Vue
https://sahanjournal.com/immigration/hmong-deportation-ice-minnesota-laos/

Throwing their bodies on the gears: the Democratic lawmakers showing up to resist Trump
Republicans may literally own social media platforms, but some Democrats are buying back legitimacy with protests
George Chidi
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/30/democrats-trump-resistance

Zohran Mamdani won by being himself – and his victory has revealed the Islamophobic ugliness of others
Nesrine Malik
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jun/30/zohran-mamdani-new-york-islamophobia-us-politics

Boeing's 787 Dreamliner was deemed the 'safest' of planes. The whistleblowers were always less sure
Theo Leggett
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwyq7vgq2e5o

'Every word has come back to haunt me': China cracks down on women who write gay erotica
Yi Ma BBC News Reporting from London
Eunice Yang BBC Chinese
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c056nle2drno

2025.06.29

Jun. 29th, 2025 07:49 am
lsanderson: (Default)
[personal profile] lsanderson
‘Explosive increase’ of ticks that cause meat allergy in US due to climate crisis
Unusually aggressive lone star ticks, common in the south-east, are spreading to areas previously too cold for them
Oliver Milman
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/29/lone-star-ticks-increase-climate-crisis

‘Lidar is lame’: why Elon Musk’s vision for a self-driving Tesla taxi faltered
The company’s rollout of its new driverless cars has gotten off to a wobbly start – and rival Waymo remains well ahead
Nick Robins-Early, Dara Kerr and Johana Bhuiyan
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/jun/29/elon-musk-tesla-robotaxi

Tens of thousands defy Hungary’s ban on Pride in protest against Orbán
Crackdown on Pride is part of effort to curb democratic freedoms ahead of a hotly-contested election next year
Lili Rutai in Budapest, and Ashifa Kassam
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jun/28/tens-of-thousands-defy-hungarys-ban-on-pride-in-protest-against-orban

Meera Sodha’s vegan recipe for Thai-style tossed walnut and tempeh noodles
Rice noodles topped with a rubble of tempeh and walnuts and tossed in garlic oil and a sweet, salty and tangy hot sauce
Meera Sodha
https://www.theguardian.com/food/2025/jun/28/vegan-thai-walnut-and-tempeh-noodles-recipe-meera-sodha

America's dive bars are disappearing. Montana didn’t get the memo
The state boasts cozy venues featuring buffalo mounts, barbecue and bras on the wall – but the mark of a great bar is always the people
Janie Osborne
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2025/jun/28/montana-dive-bars

'Proud to be gay': K-pop star on coming out to the world
Yvette Tan BBC News Reporting fromSingapore
Juna Moon BBC Korean
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn5kx7wn1nzo

2025.06.28

Jun. 28th, 2025 07:44 am
lsanderson: (Default)
[personal profile] lsanderson
From soul food to Little Mekong Market to Pride, a jam-packed Twin Cities weekend
Twin Cities events will celebrate Pride, Indigenous fashion, and food from the African and Southeast Asian diasporas this weekend.by Myah Goff
https://sahanjournal.com/arts-culture/things-to-do-twin-cities-pride-soul-food-little-mekong-night-market/

Bringing back the ‘gayborhood’ in Loring Park: New Pride Cultural Arts Center debuts
Sam Stroozas
https://www.mprnews.org/story/2025/06/27/twin-cities-pride-cultural-arts-center-opens-in-minneapolis

Sven Sundgaard: Heat dome loosens its grip; several rounds of severe storms possible
Cooler air arrives in the East and Midwest, but repeated rounds of storms will continue on the northern edge of the retreating heat dome.
Meteorologist Sven Sundgaard
https://bringmethenews.com/minnesota-weather/sven-sundgaard-heat-dome-loosens-its-grip-several-rounds-of-severe-storms-possible Read more... )
pegkerr: (Default)
[personal profile] pegkerr
For the last week I have slept on the futon in my office because my bedroom had been emptied so that it could be replastered and painted. I hired a contractor to do the plastering, and they did a great job (badly needed, as the wall was full of a bunch of long, meandering cracks). I opted to do the painting myself to save money.

The painting got delayed because it was so hot last weekend. I managed most of it over two or three days but then (total klutz that I am) I stumbled over a painting extension pole and managed to break a toe, making it increasingly painful to get up and down off the floor, just when it was time to paint the baseboards. To make things worse, I suddenly started experiencing arthritis, this time in my right hand. Suddenly, the painting job was getting to be a bit too much.

Rather desperately, I sent out a call for help to my family text thread, and one of my nephews gracefully came through. He showed up and put in several hours putting the second coat on the baseboards and window frames and finishing up the closet.

I love my bedroom's new look. I have to get new linens and curtains and put up artwork. But I'm really pleased with how it looks so far.

I found a light switch cover with a tree of life on it, which is a much-appreciated touch.

Image description: Two views of a freshly painted bedroom. Lower half: view of a bedroom with blue/green walls. Upper left corner: a small chair and side table in a corner, where dark green and light blue/green colors meet. Upper right corner: a light switch plate with an ornate botanical tree of life.

Painting

25 Painting

Click on the links to see the 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022 and 2021 52 Card Project galleries.

My Life, et. al

Jun. 27th, 2025 09:23 am
lydamorehouse: (crazy eyed Renji)
[personal profile] lydamorehouse
 I'm currently reading a book called CULTISH: The Language of Fanaticism by Amanda Montell.  It's a book that Mason brought home from college and had in his discard (as in to go out to the Little Free Library) pile. I picked it up because a friend of mine just shared a story about a friend of hers from college who was in a cult in the 1990s.  I'm not normally a person who is super into all this sort of thing, but I mean, I did watch all of  the 2015 movie, Going Clear about Scientology.  The book is a little frustrating because it was written in 2021 and the author skirts around taking seriously Trump's language as fantaticism (even while mentioning it) and that doesn't play well post Insurrection and current administration. Like, girl. You could have punched up HARDER. You were, in fact, on to something.

Ironically, I've been spending my free time doing something that feels cult adjactent.

I'm on the programming committee for this year's Gaylaxicon which I have mentioned a dozen times in other contexts. But, my current work has involved trying to recruit local professionals to attend. I feel a little bit like I'm standing on a soap box evangalizing, hoping to get some curious people to sign up! (Seriously, have you thought about attending?? It's a fun con! You don't have to be queer to go!  Membership is currently the low, low price of $80!!) 

 It's also been kind of time (and energy) consuming.  

Very cultish. 

Anyway, I am currently waiting for my brother-in-law to text or call to let me know that he's done with his MRIs. This whole week has been a series of tests for him (and, as it happens, the rest of my family.) So, I've been the Rounds Lyft driver, only without the pay. Ah well. That's what family is for. 

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