Surprise!!
Mar. 13th, 2026 07:05 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
susandennisI woke up, got coffee, fed the cats, sat down at the table next to the window and WHOA!!
It was still snowing then, a little, but now it has stopped. I can see some traffic and several cars have come up the hill to the garage without issue. It is 7:05 and I have an appointment with my foot guy at 7:50. I'm going for it. Once I get off this hill, I suspect there will be nothing on the roads.
But, what a treat! Sorry I didn't get to see it falling. But, at least we got one - teeny tinsey - snow this winter.
After the doctor's, I need to stop at the Amazon Lockers and pick up a package and then at UPS to return one. Then I was going to get gas but it's probably too cold and I probably won't.
It was still snowing then, a little, but now it has stopped. I can see some traffic and several cars have come up the hill to the garage without issue. It is 7:05 and I have an appointment with my foot guy at 7:50. I'm going for it. Once I get off this hill, I suspect there will be nothing on the roads.
But, what a treat! Sorry I didn't get to see it falling. But, at least we got one - teeny tinsey - snow this winter.
After the doctor's, I need to stop at the Amazon Lockers and pick up a package and then at UPS to return one. Then I was going to get gas but it's probably too cold and I probably won't.
podcast friday
Mar. 13th, 2026 07:26 amsabotabby Let's take a little break from reality and talk about romantasy! Escapist tales of fucking fairies and immortal elves and nothing to do with politics whatsoever, right?
Okay you know whose blog you're reading here. Two new-to-me podcasts with great names, Ordinary Unhappiness and In Bed With the Right, did a crossover episode, "Romantasy, Fantasy, and Trauma." For someone who has never read a romantasy (but read a lot of the precursors) I'm kind of obsessed with it as a genre and even more obsessed with the discourse around it.
Disregarding the people whose opinions I don't care about, there are kind of two opposing takes on its appeal.
This is a fundamentally conservative genre that encourages women to become tradwives and relish in our own oppression.
This is actually a liberatory genre that allows women to explore their fantasies and traumas.
I don't think either side is fully right or wrong here, and that tension is worth exploring. This episode starts from two positions that many critics and admirers of the genre neglect: That women have agency, and that not everything women like is inherently feminist. From there it looks at where the romantasy boom came from, what its appeal is, and what it says about the psychology of its readers. I came away without a spicy take beyond that it turns out that a lot of the stories I wrote and never showed anyone when I was in my teens and twenties actually fit pretty neatly into the genre, which means that either BookTok girlies and I read a lot of the same books growing up, or there's something very deep in our culture that it speaks to, such that we reproduce the tropes unthinkingly.
I also find it interesting (not really discussed on this episode) that for all that the romance formula is reified into tropes and beats and commercial genre fiction is expected to at least somewhat engage with word counts and structure, romantasy really does appear to be an exception, and you can still write and sell stupidly long books in which nothing much happens, and no one complains about it. Dear Publishing Industry: Another world is possible.
Okay you know whose blog you're reading here. Two new-to-me podcasts with great names, Ordinary Unhappiness and In Bed With the Right, did a crossover episode, "Romantasy, Fantasy, and Trauma." For someone who has never read a romantasy (but read a lot of the precursors) I'm kind of obsessed with it as a genre and even more obsessed with the discourse around it.
Disregarding the people whose opinions I don't care about, there are kind of two opposing takes on its appeal.
This is a fundamentally conservative genre that encourages women to become tradwives and relish in our own oppression.
This is actually a liberatory genre that allows women to explore their fantasies and traumas.
I don't think either side is fully right or wrong here, and that tension is worth exploring. This episode starts from two positions that many critics and admirers of the genre neglect: That women have agency, and that not everything women like is inherently feminist. From there it looks at where the romantasy boom came from, what its appeal is, and what it says about the psychology of its readers. I came away without a spicy take beyond that it turns out that a lot of the stories I wrote and never showed anyone when I was in my teens and twenties actually fit pretty neatly into the genre, which means that either BookTok girlies and I read a lot of the same books growing up, or there's something very deep in our culture that it speaks to, such that we reproduce the tropes unthinkingly.
I also find it interesting (not really discussed on this episode) that for all that the romance formula is reified into tropes and beats and commercial genre fiction is expected to at least somewhat engage with word counts and structure, romantasy really does appear to be an exception, and you can still write and sell stupidly long books in which nothing much happens, and no one complains about it. Dear Publishing Industry: Another world is possible.
Isn't It Punny.....
Mar. 12th, 2026 08:17 pmdisneydream06March 12th.....
I Was Originally Going To
Get A Brain Transplant,
But Then I Changed My Mind.
I Was Originally Going To
Get A Brain Transplant,
But Then I Changed My Mind.
Amazing
Mar. 12th, 2026 02:06 pmsusandennisWay back decades ago when I first moved to Seattle, I discovered the first week that the main branch of the Seattle Public Library was 1 block from my office. My first Seattle BFF. I was a very frequent customer. I was a beta tester for their first - command line only - off site log in. I could search for and put a hold on books from my desk at work. In the early 90's!!
A long the way, they tore down that library and built a new, spectacular one that has many floors and a walkway that you can browse the stacks just by walking from the top floor to the bottom in a spiral walkway. For a while after I left that IBM office, I still worked downtown and still visited the library often.
Then I worked from home and discovered a the perfect branch library next to my swimming pool. Then I changed pools and found another perfect branch next to my favorite grocery store. Then I went pretty much all digital and just read audiobooks that I got from their app which is what I still do today. Do no tell them I no longer live in Seattle.
I mentioned the 5 book recommendation service they offer and today I got my recommendations and I am blown right out of the water.
Here is my request:
I love a mystery/thriller/police procedural set in the UK AND a legal thriller set in the US (early grisham) AND weird stuff like The Road to Tender Hearts and Bright Creatures.
I don't like sentimentalist, romantic stuff or stuff with children (Tender Hearts was a rare exception). I'd rather my protagonist be Reacher with less fighting. No Harlen Coben or Lee Child. And contemporary, please.
While I mostly read ONLY fiction, I will actually pre-order anything that Mary Roach writes and I enjoy AJ Jacobs as well.
Misc favorite authors - don't need recommendations from these:
Michael Connelly
Harry Bingham
Noah Hawley
Nick Louth
Lee Goldberg
Tim Sullivan
Michael Stagg
Peter Grainger
Andy Weir
I'm currently reading Thomas Perry's latest and so far it's really a disappointment.
I honestly expected to get a list of books I've already read or heard of and rejected.
I got exactly the opposite! Five books I've never heard of by five authors I've never heard of. I could not be more delighted. Here's what I got exactly:
I’m Andrea, a librarian with The Seattle Public Library. Thanks for using Your Next Five Books, our online service for readers, to find suggestions for contemporary UK mysteries and US legal thrillers. Your list of suggested books is here, in our catalog, to make it easier to place holds if you're interested: Your Next 5 Books: UK mystery, US legal thriller.
Death at the White Hart by Chris Chibnall - In a compromise to save her marriage, Detective Nicola Bridges has moved back to her sleepy coastal hometown. She arrives just in time to investigate a cryptic murder - the owner of the local pub, Jim Tiernan, has been found dead in the middle of the highway, wearing stag antlers. To investigate, she'll enlist the help of inexperienced Detective Harry Ward, and dig into the town's secrets. Author Chibnall is best known as the creator of the TV show Broadchurch.
The In Crowd by Charlotte Vassell - In London, Detective Inspector Caius Beauchamp and his team dig into two seemingly-unrelated cold cases, triggered by natural/accidental deaths: a heart attack at the theatre shines light on the decades-old disappearance of a girl from a boarding school; and a drowning connects to corporate embezzlement. Meanwhile, Caius navigates entitled members of the upper crust.
The Holdout by Graham Moore - Ten years after a high-profile trial where the jury acquitted a teacher accused of killing one of his students, the jurors have reunited to participate in a true crime documentary. Maya Seale, defense attorney and juror, was instrumental in getting the rest of the jury to acquit. Now, at the reunion, a fellow juror is found dead in her room, and Maya goes on the run to figure out who killed them, and the truth in the original case.
Proof by Jon Cowan - Lawyer Jake West's life - both personal and professional - is on the skids, but when his best friend and colleague is killed and Jake becomes a suspect he takes it upon himself to investigate. Digging into the last case his friend worked on, Jake finds himself embroiled in a complex and politically charged rat's nest.
When We Were Real by Daryl Gregory - This is the "something weird" on your list! Like The Road to Tender Hearts and Bright Creatures, there is a real grounding in characters. So - in this science fiction road trip novel, JP (who has terminal cancer) and his friend Dulin join a bus tour traveling cross country to see the Impossibles - strange sites that appeared 7 years prior when it was revealed that everyone was actually living in a simulation. As JP and Dulin get to know the others on the bus, their friend trip turns into a madcap adventure that interrogates the very nature of reality.
And the link in the first paragraph takes me to the list actually in the library - showing availability of the audiobooks with 1 click hold or 1 click checkout!!!!
This is the coolest thing evaaaaaaaar!
A long the way, they tore down that library and built a new, spectacular one that has many floors and a walkway that you can browse the stacks just by walking from the top floor to the bottom in a spiral walkway. For a while after I left that IBM office, I still worked downtown and still visited the library often.
Then I worked from home and discovered a the perfect branch library next to my swimming pool. Then I changed pools and found another perfect branch next to my favorite grocery store. Then I went pretty much all digital and just read audiobooks that I got from their app which is what I still do today. Do no tell them I no longer live in Seattle.
I mentioned the 5 book recommendation service they offer and today I got my recommendations and I am blown right out of the water.
Here is my request:
I love a mystery/thriller/police procedural set in the UK AND a legal thriller set in the US (early grisham) AND weird stuff like The Road to Tender Hearts and Bright Creatures.
I don't like sentimentalist, romantic stuff or stuff with children (Tender Hearts was a rare exception). I'd rather my protagonist be Reacher with less fighting. No Harlen Coben or Lee Child. And contemporary, please.
While I mostly read ONLY fiction, I will actually pre-order anything that Mary Roach writes and I enjoy AJ Jacobs as well.
Misc favorite authors - don't need recommendations from these:
Michael Connelly
Harry Bingham
Noah Hawley
Nick Louth
Lee Goldberg
Tim Sullivan
Michael Stagg
Peter Grainger
Andy Weir
I'm currently reading Thomas Perry's latest and so far it's really a disappointment.
I honestly expected to get a list of books I've already read or heard of and rejected.
I got exactly the opposite! Five books I've never heard of by five authors I've never heard of. I could not be more delighted. Here's what I got exactly:
I’m Andrea, a librarian with The Seattle Public Library. Thanks for using Your Next Five Books, our online service for readers, to find suggestions for contemporary UK mysteries and US legal thrillers. Your list of suggested books is here, in our catalog, to make it easier to place holds if you're interested: Your Next 5 Books: UK mystery, US legal thriller.
Death at the White Hart by Chris Chibnall - In a compromise to save her marriage, Detective Nicola Bridges has moved back to her sleepy coastal hometown. She arrives just in time to investigate a cryptic murder - the owner of the local pub, Jim Tiernan, has been found dead in the middle of the highway, wearing stag antlers. To investigate, she'll enlist the help of inexperienced Detective Harry Ward, and dig into the town's secrets. Author Chibnall is best known as the creator of the TV show Broadchurch.
The In Crowd by Charlotte Vassell - In London, Detective Inspector Caius Beauchamp and his team dig into two seemingly-unrelated cold cases, triggered by natural/accidental deaths: a heart attack at the theatre shines light on the decades-old disappearance of a girl from a boarding school; and a drowning connects to corporate embezzlement. Meanwhile, Caius navigates entitled members of the upper crust.
The Holdout by Graham Moore - Ten years after a high-profile trial where the jury acquitted a teacher accused of killing one of his students, the jurors have reunited to participate in a true crime documentary. Maya Seale, defense attorney and juror, was instrumental in getting the rest of the jury to acquit. Now, at the reunion, a fellow juror is found dead in her room, and Maya goes on the run to figure out who killed them, and the truth in the original case.
Proof by Jon Cowan - Lawyer Jake West's life - both personal and professional - is on the skids, but when his best friend and colleague is killed and Jake becomes a suspect he takes it upon himself to investigate. Digging into the last case his friend worked on, Jake finds himself embroiled in a complex and politically charged rat's nest.
When We Were Real by Daryl Gregory - This is the "something weird" on your list! Like The Road to Tender Hearts and Bright Creatures, there is a real grounding in characters. So - in this science fiction road trip novel, JP (who has terminal cancer) and his friend Dulin join a bus tour traveling cross country to see the Impossibles - strange sites that appeared 7 years prior when it was revealed that everyone was actually living in a simulation. As JP and Dulin get to know the others on the bus, their friend trip turns into a madcap adventure that interrogates the very nature of reality.
And the link in the first paragraph takes me to the list actually in the library - showing availability of the audiobooks with 1 click hold or 1 click checkout!!!!
This is the coolest thing evaaaaaaaar!
A fine blow job
Mar. 12th, 2026 10:02 amsusandennisTimber Ridge is nestled into a hillside in a range of hills at the base of mountains (hence the name). So we don't get much in the way of windstorms directly. BUT our utilities are apparently located in a trailer park. The first gust and down they go! Last night, though, they mostly hung on. We had flickering electricity around 8 and 9. I don't know about cable TV cause I wasn't watching it. At 1:30, I was awake to pee and so were the gusts. Bam. Nothing. Sooooooo quiet. For really no more than a minute.
The microwave clock got it and Alexa did - my two Alexa bulbs flew on brightly as did my three emergency lights. I told Alexa to kill the lights and she did one. I just put on my eye mask and went back to sleep. This morning I had to go around to the emergency lights and turn them off. They plug into outlets and, turns out, they work REALLY well!
So volleyball was all 'did your microwave clock die?' And as each person joined we had to have the same conversation over and over again and several times since it's hard to hear in the pool and they can't hear that well anyway.
This morning the landscapers are back with all manner of bushes and shrubbery.
The food and beverage meeting yesterday was exceedingly tedious. But I managed to get through it without insulting anyone, I hope. They all think I'm great because I volunteered to be the secretary and take the notes on my magic tablet.
Today was Shot #8. End of box #2. I have box #3 ready and waiting in the fridge. I have my video apt with my Dr. in 3 weeks. And then I'll get box #4.
Tomorrow I have an appointment with the foot guy to get another cortisone shot. For some reason that escapes me now, I made the appointment for 7:50 in the morning. Which is fine, just a weird time and a bit early even for me.
Today I might do some puzzling but mostly I think I'll just hang here and avoid people as much as I can. I might order dinner - reports are that the lasagna is excellent and the portion give great leftovers so I'll order up some of that.
The microwave clock got it and Alexa did - my two Alexa bulbs flew on brightly as did my three emergency lights. I told Alexa to kill the lights and she did one. I just put on my eye mask and went back to sleep. This morning I had to go around to the emergency lights and turn them off. They plug into outlets and, turns out, they work REALLY well!
So volleyball was all 'did your microwave clock die?' And as each person joined we had to have the same conversation over and over again and several times since it's hard to hear in the pool and they can't hear that well anyway.
This morning the landscapers are back with all manner of bushes and shrubbery.
The food and beverage meeting yesterday was exceedingly tedious. But I managed to get through it without insulting anyone, I hope. They all think I'm great because I volunteered to be the secretary and take the notes on my magic tablet.
Today was Shot #8. End of box #2. I have box #3 ready and waiting in the fridge. I have my video apt with my Dr. in 3 weeks. And then I'll get box #4.
Tomorrow I have an appointment with the foot guy to get another cortisone shot. For some reason that escapes me now, I made the appointment for 7:50 in the morning. Which is fine, just a weird time and a bit early even for me.
Today I might do some puzzling but mostly I think I'll just hang here and avoid people as much as I can. I might order dinner - reports are that the lasagna is excellent and the portion give great leftovers so I'll order up some of that.
My Planner Stack for 2026
Mar. 11th, 2026 07:17 pmseleneheartI talk about my excessive use of planners and/or journals over here at ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
journalsandplanners
journalsandplanners
The Rest of the Car story
Mar. 11th, 2026 12:09 pmsusandennisThe $16 obdii reader came. It took a little over a minute to install it and that includes time out for an OH FUCK when I broke a fingernail at the quick getting the little door cover down. Anyway, another 30 seconds was killed trying to read it and learning it wanted the ignition on. Fine. Turned on the ignition and learned that it's two P2440 codes dealing with the air system.
I came upstairs and internetted and quickly learned this is a known issue with smart cars. The first 3 different reportings - two on Reddit and one on the Smart Car USA forum - noted they drove around with the error code for a year or more before they solved it finally.
My new gadget offers me the option to Clear Codes which I will do next time I turn the car on.
For now, I'm done. I'll report it next time I get the oil changed which will be about August. By that time I should be over being pissed at the car people.
I came upstairs and internetted and quickly learned this is a known issue with smart cars. The first 3 different reportings - two on Reddit and one on the Smart Car USA forum - noted they drove around with the error code for a year or more before they solved it finally.
My new gadget offers me the option to Clear Codes which I will do next time I turn the car on.
For now, I'm done. I'll report it next time I get the oil changed which will be about August. By that time I should be over being pissed at the car people.
Wednesday
Mar. 11th, 2026 08:04 amsusandennisThe car. To recap. Saturday, engine light came on. I went to the fix it place's website and started making an appointment to get the error read. Abandoned and figured I'd just pop in this week. Monday I got a text saying they saw I had abandoned and could they help. I texted back my plan to pop in. The response was 'fine'. Turns out that was a lie. I popped in and the not-at-all-helpful dude allowed as how they were way too busy and would need an appointment and the first one was next week. I went home and texted 'nice of you to mislead me.' The response was 'if you want an appointment Monday, I can hook you up.' I did not respond because I couldn't decide between fuck you and fuck you very much.
On my way home from that place, I pulled into the auto parts place to pick up an OBDII reader. In my mind I kind of had the parts place guy coming out to my car with his reader but they looked very busy so I sat in their parking lot and ordered one for $16 from Amazon. It will be here today. And at least I will know if my car is falling apart.
I spent some time yesterday knitting up a teddy bear but by the time I got to his neck, I was done. He's too big. So now I have some other ideas in my head to try out.
Today we have the food and beverage pre-meeting which will be short, I'm guessing and painless, I'm hoping.
I need to change my bed linen and wash it. Today.
TV. Prime has a new Scarpetta series. It starts Nicole Kidman who has always annoyed the fuck out of me. Plus it's based on books written by a woman I actually knew way back before she became a celebrity author. She was a PIA in those days and I have always assumed she is just a bigger, higher paid one now. So, I have to admit, I'm not crushed that the reviews say the series sucks. Will I watch the first episode anyway? Of course I will!
But I watched the first episode of ABC's RJ Decker and it was quite engaging.
Christian and I had a great visit and then he took me up to the unit he's working on. It's a very large unit - 1800 square feet. The woman who recently moved out was the first tenant when it was built 17 years ago. They tore it back really to the studs and it's a hot mess now. It's like a jungle of half walls and studs. It's just way too big and also claustrophobic. Also my view is way better. I was so glad to walk back into my little apartment after seeing that one. He has his work cut out for him.
He's also doing the unit of another guy here moving in next week. This guy is in his 80's driving up from Florida having all his shit shipped. He's paying Christian to get it all in and arranged in the unit. The guy has never laid eyes on Timber Ridge! He has a son living on Orcus Island which is about a 2 hour drive and then 40 minute ferry ride up the road. Closer than Florida.
One thing Christian said yesterday made me look again at parking for our baseball games in June. (He actually said that there was no fucking way we should bring a car near the stadium but that's neither here nor there.) I had looked at parking apps before, including Spot Hero, and the closest spaces available were not close at all. BUT last night, Spot Hero had spots in the football stadium garage - across the street from the baseball stadium - and I was able to secure a spot for all three games. Only $25 per game which, honestly, I think is a steal. It's going to be a bitch getting into the garage and getting out but, hey, I won't be driving - that's what I have my brother and his son for.
It is the same weekend as the World Cup so it's going to be a mad house and, honestly, I'm not even sure I believe Spot Hero. But the money is paid and we are set. I hope. The local news/internets are whipping up a gynormous frenzy about these games and the people coming to down in 2 and a half months.
Biggie's driving me nuts. He's not happy with my typing on the computer so it must be time for me to get up and do something else.
On my way home from that place, I pulled into the auto parts place to pick up an OBDII reader. In my mind I kind of had the parts place guy coming out to my car with his reader but they looked very busy so I sat in their parking lot and ordered one for $16 from Amazon. It will be here today. And at least I will know if my car is falling apart.
I spent some time yesterday knitting up a teddy bear but by the time I got to his neck, I was done. He's too big. So now I have some other ideas in my head to try out.
Today we have the food and beverage pre-meeting which will be short, I'm guessing and painless, I'm hoping.
I need to change my bed linen and wash it. Today.
TV. Prime has a new Scarpetta series. It starts Nicole Kidman who has always annoyed the fuck out of me. Plus it's based on books written by a woman I actually knew way back before she became a celebrity author. She was a PIA in those days and I have always assumed she is just a bigger, higher paid one now. So, I have to admit, I'm not crushed that the reviews say the series sucks. Will I watch the first episode anyway? Of course I will!
But I watched the first episode of ABC's RJ Decker and it was quite engaging.
Christian and I had a great visit and then he took me up to the unit he's working on. It's a very large unit - 1800 square feet. The woman who recently moved out was the first tenant when it was built 17 years ago. They tore it back really to the studs and it's a hot mess now. It's like a jungle of half walls and studs. It's just way too big and also claustrophobic. Also my view is way better. I was so glad to walk back into my little apartment after seeing that one. He has his work cut out for him.
He's also doing the unit of another guy here moving in next week. This guy is in his 80's driving up from Florida having all his shit shipped. He's paying Christian to get it all in and arranged in the unit. The guy has never laid eyes on Timber Ridge! He has a son living on Orcus Island which is about a 2 hour drive and then 40 minute ferry ride up the road. Closer than Florida.
One thing Christian said yesterday made me look again at parking for our baseball games in June. (He actually said that there was no fucking way we should bring a car near the stadium but that's neither here nor there.) I had looked at parking apps before, including Spot Hero, and the closest spaces available were not close at all. BUT last night, Spot Hero had spots in the football stadium garage - across the street from the baseball stadium - and I was able to secure a spot for all three games. Only $25 per game which, honestly, I think is a steal. It's going to be a bitch getting into the garage and getting out but, hey, I won't be driving - that's what I have my brother and his son for.
It is the same weekend as the World Cup so it's going to be a mad house and, honestly, I'm not even sure I believe Spot Hero. But the money is paid and we are set. I hope. The local news/internets are whipping up a gynormous frenzy about these games and the people coming to down in 2 and a half months.
Biggie's driving me nuts. He's not happy with my typing on the computer so it must be time for me to get up and do something else.
O.M.F.g.!!!!!
Mar. 11th, 2026 09:13 amdisneydream06News From Last Night.....
I had put my name down to get the night off tonight, like I have done several nights over time.
I am top of the seniority list on the night shift so if one is available, it should be mine.
The last time I got a night off because staffing was good was July 4th, 2019.
So imagine my SURPRISE when I got to work tonight and it said I got my EA, Excused Absence.
Okay, so of course there is a hitch.
They are no long allowed to give nursing assistants the whole 8 hours off at one time any more. So I only have the first 4 hours off.
And will probably get a call before 3 am telling me that I have to come back into work and finish the shift.
And of course it's suppose to snow tonight. Yippy........
I had put my name down to get the night off tonight, like I have done several nights over time.
I am top of the seniority list on the night shift so if one is available, it should be mine.
The last time I got a night off because staffing was good was July 4th, 2019.
So imagine my SURPRISE when I got to work tonight and it said I got my EA, Excused Absence.
Okay, so of course there is a hitch.
They are no long allowed to give nursing assistants the whole 8 hours off at one time any more. So I only have the first 4 hours off.
And will probably get a call before 3 am telling me that I have to come back into work and finish the shift.
And of course it's suppose to snow tonight. Yippy........
Isn't It Punny.....
Mar. 11th, 2026 09:12 amdisneydream06March 11th.....
A Big Hole Was Discovered
At The Top Of Main Street.
Police Are Looking Into It.
A Big Hole Was Discovered
At The Top Of Main Street.
Police Are Looking Into It.
Reading Wednesday
Mar. 11th, 2026 07:41 amsabotabby Just finished: Lullabies For Little Criminals by Heather O'Neill. Naturally, this was great, and surprisingly uplifting at the end. I don't have a lot to add after last week—if you haven't read it, I highly recommend it.
Currently reading: Indigenous Ingenuity: A Celebration of Traditional North American Knowledge by Deidre Havrelock and Edward Kay. This is a kids' book about technologies and traditional knowledge systems used by pre-contact Indigenous peoples. I'm reading it for work but it's been on my radar for awhile. It's quite good and informative, if you can get past three things that I find cringe: 1) the kind of writing for children that includes lines like "Do you think you would enjoy being creative?", 2) a certain exuberant reiteration of "gosh, weren't Indigenous people SMART and RESOURCEFUL" as if they're not that now, and if we need to be constantly reassured, and 3) it's pretty American-centric, though it does mention Nations on the land currently known as Canada as well. But very useful overall, and the problems I find with it are largely centred around my own dislike of how books for children are written and fairly significant but subtle framing between the US and Canada as to how we talk about Indigenous civilizations and sovereignty.
Currently reading: Indigenous Ingenuity: A Celebration of Traditional North American Knowledge by Deidre Havrelock and Edward Kay. This is a kids' book about technologies and traditional knowledge systems used by pre-contact Indigenous peoples. I'm reading it for work but it's been on my radar for awhile. It's quite good and informative, if you can get past three things that I find cringe: 1) the kind of writing for children that includes lines like "Do you think you would enjoy being creative?", 2) a certain exuberant reiteration of "gosh, weren't Indigenous people SMART and RESOURCEFUL" as if they're not that now, and if we need to be constantly reassured, and 3) it's pretty American-centric, though it does mention Nations on the land currently known as Canada as well. But very useful overall, and the problems I find with it are largely centred around my own dislike of how books for children are written and fairly significant but subtle framing between the US and Canada as to how we talk about Indigenous civilizations and sovereignty.
Weather: Yikes, Again II
Mar. 11th, 2026 07:23 amdewlineYeah. Freezing rain day from Ottawa-Gatineau to Montréal.
I am SO grateful for remote work in my case right now. Unless we have a power outage like we did in 1998.
I am SO grateful for remote work in my case right now. Unless we have a power outage like we did in 1998.
In The News.....
Mar. 10th, 2026 09:12 pmdisneydream06WOW, Somebody must need a career boost...
8 years after the fact.....
Mo'Nique calls out Whoopi Goldberg in open letter addressing their 2018 clash on The View: 'Willing to do what's right?'
"I had to take responsibility for refusing to sign up for an act of slavery against my will," Mo'Nique said of her ongoing dispute over "Precious" promotion.
By Joey Nolfi
https://ew.com/monique-calls-out-whoopi-goldberg-open-letter-the-view-11922683?hid=7f1109a25d2362f31854399df255b82ba78f015e&did=22417327-20260310&utm_campaign=ewk_relationship-builder&utm_source=ewk&utm_medium=email&utm_content=031026&lctg=7f1109a25d2362f31854399df255b82ba78f015e&lr_input=758ad690760192cf49795c3f52223721cac5324e3e862e41c5d4db73a4d43f32&utm_term=news-alert
8 years after the fact.....
Mo'Nique calls out Whoopi Goldberg in open letter addressing their 2018 clash on The View: 'Willing to do what's right?'
"I had to take responsibility for refusing to sign up for an act of slavery against my will," Mo'Nique said of her ongoing dispute over "Precious" promotion.
By Joey Nolfi
https://ew.com/monique-calls-out-whoopi-goldberg-open-letter-the-view-11922683?hid=7f1109a25d2362f31854399df255b82ba78f015e&did=22417327-20260310&utm_campaign=ewk_relationship-builder&utm_source=ewk&utm_medium=email&utm_content=031026&lctg=7f1109a25d2362f31854399df255b82ba78f015e&lr_input=758ad690760192cf49795c3f52223721cac5324e3e862e41c5d4db73a4d43f32&utm_term=news-alert
Tuesday
Mar. 10th, 2026 08:34 amsusandennisThe landscapers never did plant those trees but I see where they have positioned one of them. No clue what happened to the other one but they also dub up all the bushes in all the raised beds. Wild. This morning, they have the replacements lined up and ready to go in. Busy!!
Volleyball was fine. It's house cleaner day. Oh, I just got a text from Christian, the designer, asking if I wanted to meet him for coffee - here - in an hour. He's bringing his car in for service. He uses the same place I do.
Saturday, when my check engine light went on, I went to their website to get an appointment but their appointment bot was not doing what I wanted it to so I abandoned and figured I'd just pop in this week. It's a very easy trip from here. Yesterday, I got a text from them saying 'I see you started to sign up for an appointment and didn't. Anything I can help you with?' So I texted back the sitch and received 'sounds like a good plan'. Christian can tell me if they are busy today :)
Years and years ago, I used to knit teddy bears. I'd make a batch and then take them to a charity. The charity changed hands and no longer wanted them so I quit making them. I had started with a pattern that was really the combination of about 3 different ones and then I refined it. They were cute bears.
At the time,legalmoose asked me if I'd document the pattern I was using and so I did. And put it on Ravelry. I have a bit of a backlog of monsters and decided to knit something else and then I remembered the teddy bears and that I had that pattern! Good thing, too, because I don't even have one of the bears to go by and it would have been a bitch to recreate from memory. One of the trickiest bits, I remember, was the initial cast on so that I could easily work 2 legs at one time in the round. But, last night I nailed it in one tray. Now I can't remember why it was so tricky. I didn't get that far - half the legs. More today.
Jim Across The Hall just came in for help. I went over and his TV was dead again. But, this time, it was just a matter of turning it on. All fixed and he's happy.
Time to get dressed. Christian said he'd text me when he was leaving the car place.
Volleyball was fine. It's house cleaner day. Oh, I just got a text from Christian, the designer, asking if I wanted to meet him for coffee - here - in an hour. He's bringing his car in for service. He uses the same place I do.
Saturday, when my check engine light went on, I went to their website to get an appointment but their appointment bot was not doing what I wanted it to so I abandoned and figured I'd just pop in this week. It's a very easy trip from here. Yesterday, I got a text from them saying 'I see you started to sign up for an appointment and didn't. Anything I can help you with?' So I texted back the sitch and received 'sounds like a good plan'. Christian can tell me if they are busy today :)
Years and years ago, I used to knit teddy bears. I'd make a batch and then take them to a charity. The charity changed hands and no longer wanted them so I quit making them. I had started with a pattern that was really the combination of about 3 different ones and then I refined it. They were cute bears.
At the time,
legalmoose asked me if I'd document the pattern I was using and so I did. And put it on Ravelry. I have a bit of a backlog of monsters and decided to knit something else and then I remembered the teddy bears and that I had that pattern! Good thing, too, because I don't even have one of the bears to go by and it would have been a bitch to recreate from memory. One of the trickiest bits, I remember, was the initial cast on so that I could easily work 2 legs at one time in the round. But, last night I nailed it in one tray. Now I can't remember why it was so tricky. I didn't get that far - half the legs. More today.Jim Across The Hall just came in for help. I went over and his TV was dead again. But, this time, it was just a matter of turning it on. All fixed and he's happy.
Time to get dressed. Christian said he'd text me when he was leaving the car place.
Monday
Mar. 9th, 2026 08:31 amsusandennisI rolled over and went back to sleep and woke up at 6:30 and it was still dark and had coffee and internetted and it was still dark. I slapped on my swim suit and went to the pool and it was still dark. My perfect kind of morning. We have only a handful left. I plan to enjoy each. There is something about getting so much done before daylight that makes me feel delightfully productive.
The laundry is laundrying and I'm pretty much caught up on everything.
I'd really like to find out what's up with the car and get it fixed but since I really am in no rush and I'm sure their Mondays are stressful enough, I'll probably wait and take it in tomorrow.
Bonny texted yesterday and wanted to go to happy hour at a nice local restaurant. I wasn't interested but said yes anyway. I wasn't doing anything and the place is nice and Bonny really needed a distraction. She's having a battle with her daughter and it needs to be over before May 4 when Bonny gets her new hip. I don't know the details but I do know she's stressing over it. We had a drink and happy hour food. I ate more than I wanted to but it was good. And nice to get home before dark.
In my quest to find thin sliced bread, I picked up a loaf of Keto bread. Turns out Keto is another word for tasteless. Yuck. That stuff is not worth the calories. I tried it toasted, air fried and straight out of the bag. Nothing made it better. No more Keto bread for me! I've kind of lost my taste for sandwiches anyway. And I found other thin bread for toast.
Oh! They are planting 3 new trees just outside my window. Right now!
I need to find a book to read. My last three have been losers including one of my favorite authors with a new book in a series I used to like. The Seattle Library has this very cool feature - Your Next 5 Books. You fill out a form and a librarian does your research. I'm waiting for results. Please please please don't tell them I no longer live in Seattle. Also there is Book DNA. I need to refresh my toberead list.
EDIT: Also Meet New Books
I just got an email from a woman in admin who is not the sharpest tool in the drawer, actually I think she's not even actually in the drawer but anyway. Her email says my email attachment (sent last week) did not come through AND she cannot read it. And she included 3 heart emojis. I so want to sent a heart with a bullet hole in it. Instead, I'll just think good thoughts about Timber Ridge the 'challenged' an opportunity.
Ooops laundry is done. I need to get the stuff hung before it wrinkles.
The laundry is laundrying and I'm pretty much caught up on everything.
I'd really like to find out what's up with the car and get it fixed but since I really am in no rush and I'm sure their Mondays are stressful enough, I'll probably wait and take it in tomorrow.
Bonny texted yesterday and wanted to go to happy hour at a nice local restaurant. I wasn't interested but said yes anyway. I wasn't doing anything and the place is nice and Bonny really needed a distraction. She's having a battle with her daughter and it needs to be over before May 4 when Bonny gets her new hip. I don't know the details but I do know she's stressing over it. We had a drink and happy hour food. I ate more than I wanted to but it was good. And nice to get home before dark.
In my quest to find thin sliced bread, I picked up a loaf of Keto bread. Turns out Keto is another word for tasteless. Yuck. That stuff is not worth the calories. I tried it toasted, air fried and straight out of the bag. Nothing made it better. No more Keto bread for me! I've kind of lost my taste for sandwiches anyway. And I found other thin bread for toast.
Oh! They are planting 3 new trees just outside my window. Right now!
I need to find a book to read. My last three have been losers including one of my favorite authors with a new book in a series I used to like. The Seattle Library has this very cool feature - Your Next 5 Books. You fill out a form and a librarian does your research. I'm waiting for results. Please please please don't tell them I no longer live in Seattle. Also there is Book DNA. I need to refresh my toberead list.
EDIT: Also Meet New Books
I just got an email from a woman in admin who is not the sharpest tool in the drawer, actually I think she's not even actually in the drawer but anyway. Her email says my email attachment (sent last week) did not come through AND she cannot read it. And she included 3 heart emojis. I so want to sent a heart with a bullet hole in it. Instead, I'll just think good thoughts about Timber Ridge the 'challenged' an opportunity.
Ooops laundry is done. I need to get the stuff hung before it wrinkles.