Spontaneous Musings

It was supposed to rain today. It did? But barely. Then cleared off - and we have no clouds. We were supposed to be cloudy - but it is clear, and the temperature is supposed to drop - so far just to 65.

Debating on what to make myself for dinner tonight. I don't really want the tuna or hamburger in the fridge, I want pasta or beans. Basically I want vegetarian.

Had salmon last night and in salad today.

***

Shirley Jackson's the Lottery was adapted into a comic book by her grandson. (It's notable because it's authorized (I thought she was dead? She is - I guess he got it before she died?) and the art is decent - scans daily scanned most of it.) I don't know - it's been adapted a lot? It has been a 1969 movie, 2007 movie, full cast audio in 2025, television movie in 1996...

It does not lack for adaptations. Not sure why everyone adapts this one over so many others, but they do. It's a good story, scary, and apropos for any time period. It was first published in 1948 in the New Yorker, just after WWII.

***

I fell asleep at work - long after all my meetings on MS Teams. I didn't sleep well last night, so that was part of it. Also had three back to back Teams meetings - where I was explaining complicated processes to folks.

Breaking Bad was happy with my performance at the Teams Meeting this morning.
( Read more... )
***

I'm allegedly getting Sketchers UNO Sneakers from FedEX tomorrow. (One never knows with FedEx - reliable - they aren't.) It requires an "indirect signature". ( Read more... )

***

Mememage

4. In 1957, Russia launched their Sputnik satellite. Do you receive your TV or broadband via a satellite, through cable, or via an aerial?

Cable. Also internet. I have a smart tv.

5. What’s the temperature today where you live? Is it warmer or cooler than average?

It's been in the 60s all day long, hovering between 69 and 65 degrees. It's been warmer than average, although 65 is an average high. But it was in the upper 70s and low 80s until today. It's supposed to be cooler tomorrow - and gasp drop down into the upper 40s and low 50s. (I hope they don't turn on the heat.)

6. Jenny Lind, the Swedish opera singer (the Swedish Nightingale), was born today in 1820. Operatic arias are often used in advertisements (e.g. the airline company British Airways used an adaptation of the "Flower Duet" from the opera Lakmé by Léo Delibes), do you recall any ads using opera arias?

Nope. Not an opera fan or into ads...

7. Do you often wear scarves? Draped around your neck or tied artistically?

Not really? I might wear it in the winter months, outside. I have a nice cozy muff. But I'm not a scarf person - I can't arrange, drap or tie them to save my life, and I don't really like things around my neck? I find it confining?

8. If you didn’t have access to a car, could you get around easily where you live?

I don't have access to a car, nor have had any access to one (unless you count cabs and car services) for a very long time, and get around easily with no issues. Actually it's easier to get around where I live - without a car than with one. No traffic. No need to find parking. It's crazy to own a car in NYC. And expensive.

I've not driven since I moved to NYC in 1996. I sold my car, and never looked back. There's a 24/7 subway and train system that basically covers the entire city, plus there's buses of all sorts, cabs, ubers, lyfts, car services....and ferries.

It was a pretty day today - in the low eighties and high seventies by mid-afternoon, with a nice breeze, and in the sixties this morning. Tomorrow promises to be the same. Then it is going to rain and dip into the fifties and sixties again - just in time for my vacation next week. Kaloo Kalay.

But hey, clear, no clouds, and lovely today - I took a fifteen minute walk at lunch time through the bike path garden at Battery Park, and up and around the historic section to grab - you guessed it - gluten free chocolate chip cookies.

Most of the day, I worried that someone had stolen the bag that Amazon had allegedly delivered on Saturday. Mainly because I didn't see the package over the weekend. (Considering how hard it is to read the labels on these packages, and how they hide behind other packages - there was an off chance that I just overlooked it.) So when I got home - and looked and gasp, found the package - I was relieved. The bag wasn't necessarily that expensive? But I wanted it. Hippie Cross Body Bag for $16.99. It's perfect for non-work traveling about the city. Big enough to fit grocery bags, light, and easy to cart about.

I'm currently flirting with Wildgrains Gluten Free Products (it's also dairy free). But I have no real freezer space, let alone much refigerator space. I can't freeze that much - my freezer space is very limited (think small box at top of refrigerator). And they give you a ton of stuff. Also, it's high in carbs which in turn equals high blood sugar.
And big family size portions. So no, probably not a good idea? But if the link helps anyone else? Go for it.

And, does anyone want to explain - when it became necessary to buy non-cotton materials for hiking? Apparently after years of wearing cotton on long hikes, I can't do it anymore. At least I remember wearing cotton in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. Did I? Sigh. It was too long ago - I can't remember.

At any rate - I have next week off as a staycation. I'm not going anywhere.
And I don't really want to plan ahead or buy tickets ahead? I want to be spontaneous. Go shopping one day. Maybe take a train to the Bronx Zoo or Botanical Gardens? Or tour the Met? Or just check out the Highline park.
Wander about the city, exploring. Check out some parks. Maybe take a ferry ride. Or just clean out my closets and switch clothes around, write, and paint.

***

The Juliet Landau podcasts that she's doing with her husband, Dev Weeks, (original titled "Slaying It" and now, "Revamped") are rather charming, comforting and reassuring. By far my favorite podcasts. I've become quite charmed and enamored of Landau. She's a hard working character actress, who has a ballet background. ( Landau's informative podcasts on the acting and entertainment profession )

I get a kind of schendfreud thrill from listening to it? Or it comforts me? Because I struggle to get my art down and out there too, but as a side hustle. And often just do it for myself. Juliette charmed me - when she states that no one should stop you from expressing yourself through art, whether it is singing, music, painting, acting, performance, what have you - you should be allowed to do it. And some will love it, and some won't. But be free to get it out there.

Also, listening to them - while working on a spreadsheet at work - helps make the time go by faster. It gives me something to look forward to.

1. Guillermo Del Torro's Trailer for Frankenstein has finally been released. In watching it - I was reminded of the British National Theater presentation (which was also filmed) of Johnny Lee Miller and Benedict Cumberbatch switching back and forth - on who played Frankenstein and who played Victor. One night Miller played Frankenstein, and Cumberbatch played Victor, then the next night the opposite. National Theater filmed both performances and showed them in theaters, and on National Theater website.
I got National Theater so I could watch them.

So, yes, I'm looking forward to seeing Del Torro's Frankenstein - and may make a point of seeing it in theaters. But it looks very similar to the plot of the National Theater presentation - which was excellent.

What the British National Theater presentation got across by having the actors flip roles each night - is that the line between who was the monster and who wasn't - was very thin, and in many ways Victor was far more of a monster than his creation.

2. After listening to a lot of Revamped podcasts, I decided to rent Landau's A Place Among the Dead - which is an independent film that was written by Landau and her husband, directed by Landau, and starring Landau, along with various people they found to do it with them. Including Anne Rice, Charlain Harris, Lance Henrikson, Joss Whedon (who appears for less than a minute - so if that's a problem for you, I wouldn't worry about it), Ron Perlman, Gary Oldman, and Robert Patrick among others. It's filmed like a documentary, and Landau and her husband more or less play themselves, as do most of the name stars. And they interview most of them about vampires and evil, and what it is and means.

Through the use of the vampire metaphor explores the psychological trauma and consequences of being raised by narcissists, and the on-going psychological abuse. Landau has pictures of her parents, and hires actors to play them, and voice them. Harry Groenig plays Dad, and another woman plays Mom. (Landau is the daughter of Barbara Bain and Martin Landau, who met on Mission Impossible. Barbara Bain was the first female actress to win consecutive emmys for a drama role from the same series. And both starred on Space 1999. Whose theme song inspired Nerf Herder's Buffy theme.)

Basically, Landau made the film with her husband to work through her traumatic upbringing.

It's an interesting film, but flawed and definitely low budget. There's a few creepy shots, but for the most part - it drags, and my attention wandered. As a result, I kind of lost the metaphor here and there. I did like how Landau pokes fun at the somewhat cliche/horror trope advice: "you must stand up to evil, and face it head on, to stop it and you can only stop it with love" - because she basically decides to do that - and ends up opening the door to evil instead. She's too vulnerable, and instead of locking it out, it gets in.

The setup? ( Read more... )

3. Finished watching Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret adapted from the novel by Judy Blume, of the same name. The novel was published in 1970. And the film takes place in 1970. I read it around 1976 or 77. I can't remember exactly. I started binge reading Judy Blume somewhere around the third or fourth grade. I've found it interesting that most of my favorite books as a child have been adapted into films, some more than once:

The Hobbit
The Chronicles of Narnia
Escape to Witch Mountain
Are You There God, It's Me, Margaret.
Bridge to Terribetha
A Wrinkle in Time
Dune - I was a bit older - somewhere in high school (it's not a kid's book)
Stuart Little
Charlotte's Web
The Westing Game
The Wizard of Earthsea (and not well)
The Incredible Journey
Watership Down
All Things Great and Small
The Lord of the Rings

There are a quite few that haven't been, and I'm not sure I want them too? The Witches of Worm, Dark is Rising, Perilous Guard, The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, Lisa Bright and Dark, Where the Red Fern Grows, I Am the Cheese, The Girl Who Owned a City, Misty of Chitanoogue, Dragon Riders of Pern, The Ship Who Sang, The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant: the Unbeliever by Stephen R Donaldson (I had to look it up because I couldn't remember the name of it.)

Anyhow, back to my review, such as it is. Are You There God? It's Me Margaret to the best of my memory (which is hazy at best - I can't remember when I read it? Just that it was before the fifth grade?) - is a faithful adaptation of the Judy Blume novel. It's about a 12 year old girl who moves from one state to another with her parents, and at the same time has to deal with change in schools, menstruation, new friends, puberty, etc. I did the same thing - but in the fifth grade - which is when I think I read the book, and that was in 1977-78. So about seven years after it was written - it fit my time period better than it may fit folks now? I don't know? I don't think my niece ever read it.

I found the film charming and nostalgic. I also remembered the book better as I watched it. And it moved me. ( vague spoilers )

Overall? A good movie. I don't remember the book well enough to take any issues with differences or discrepancies, although I sincerely doubt there are any?

But alas, no, a heating pad will have to do.

It's a lovely day, clear blue sky, and in the low seventies, upper sixties. Brisk breeze. Apartment is cool as well - in the low seventies. So no A/C nor fans are required. I do have air purifiers running. But whatever was in the air last weekend beating my sinuses up - is gone now. Thank heavens.

For a moment or two today - I got confused and thought it was Thursday, but no, it is thankfully Friday. Been listening to Juliette Landau's Revamped podcasts on youtube via my smartphone, all day long, along with music here and there. Made it through her re-watch of part 1 of Prophecy Girl, and When She was Bad, also interviews with Nerf Herder (apparently Alyson Hannigan recommended the band to Whedon), and Charles Martin Smith (who directed Welcolme to the Hellmouth and was in American Graffitti, his father was also a Parisian animator, who did the Peanuts animation). I highly recommend Landaus for film and television geeks and nerds. She goes into detail on theater, film, and music bits. At one point she informs the listener that the prop/set designer for Buffy's husband, created the Pirate ship for Pirates of the Caribbean. He was told by the studio/director to go to town on it - spend whatever he wanted - he had an unlimited budget to design the Pirate Ship. The twelve year old child in him was hopping up and down yelling - best job ever! Landau is charming, lovely, and easy to listen to. She is also quite knowledgable about film and theater techniques and how to convey them to the listener. Plus a considerate interviewer. She's won an award for her podcast - and I can see why.

Question a Day Meme - September and October

29. When was the last time you had to take part in a fire evacuation?

Eh, about ten years ago - I think - in Jamaica. We used to have them a lot in the old workplace in Jamaica. Mainly because folks were always setting off the alarm by leaving bagels in toaster ovens. At one point - the fire department took the toaster oven and the microwave away from us. While we understood the toaster oven, the microwave didn't make much sense, and they got a new one.

30. Have you ever owned an electric blanket?

Yes, but it was a very long time ago - in the 20th Century, and possibly the 1980s. So I don't remember it clearly.

OCTOBER

1. It’s National Cookbook Month – do you own many cookbooks, or do you rely on the internet for recipe ideas?

I own a lot of cookbooks. I rarely use them. I rarely follow recipes. I read the recipe - then go off and do my own thing. Mainly because I rarely have the right ingredients or appliances, so have to redefine the recipe to fit my needs. That - and I'm single - and most recipes are designed for a family of five. I don't know why it's five - but it is. Sometimes it's two, but rarely just one person. We live in a society that actively discriminates against single people - it's as if everyone assumes that the vast majority of people are married and have kids.

Uh no.

2. Have you ever made chilli (with meat or vegetarian)? Even if you haven’t, what do you like to have alongside chilli as part of the meal?

Yes. I've made both. I prefer vegetarian. I make it with dark chocolate like my mother does. And usually have it either with a small side salad, and cheese and crackers.

3. Do you have well-organised kitchen storage?

LOL! No.

***

Bonus questions:

Name a television show that you will be a fan of until you die - and know everything about, and seen more than twenty times...and never get tired of re-watching?

Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Sigh. (not sure why exactly - combination of dialogue, snarky self-deprecating sense of humor, and characters - also it features strong women and is among the few series that is female centric and allows women to be strong physically, and take on a traditional male role...subverting expectations).

Film series?

Star Wars. (Not sure why - it may be a combination of the world building, dialogue, characters, and the sense of hope...)

Book series?

Kate Daniels Magic Series by Illona Andrews ( I have no idea why - I think it's the dialogue and sardonic sense of humor? Also features a badass female lead who can take on the male leads, excellent sword-fighter, and is equal to the male romantic lead. And I'm partial to the idea of lions - a shapeshifter who is a lion as opposed to a werewolf is appealing to me.)

I'm not allowed to buy more books. So I stared at the books at Lofty Pigeons, briefly picked up one on the art of making gluten free bread (hint, sourdough) and hobbled out again. I was dripping in sweat, since it was a hot and humid day and I'd walked three miles. So sweaty, that I could feel the booksellers giving me the side-eye (do not drip sweat on our books or touch them with sweaty fingers). That was yesterday not today.

Today - I went to work, got there way too early, and was so horribly bored, I found myself debating copyright law on Dreamwidth. (Thank you by the way for that. I may go back to it tomorrow. Note debate/discuss not argue. I'm conflict adverse not debate adverse. There is a difference. One is emotional, one is logical and analytical.) And then, unsuccessfully tried to revise my contemporary romance novel - which I'm becoming increasingly convinced doesn't quite work and requires a wee bit too much suspension of disbelief from the reader? ( Read more... )

Art History Major was back and felt the need to brag whine regale me with how busy she is. I wish people wouldn't do that. Yes, yes, we all know you are swamped and very very busy...bored now. (Actually all she does is chat in Teams meetings, or go to meetings in person, or go to training, or go chat in her boss's office - according to Breaking Bad - all AHM and her boss do is chat all day long. New agency that old agency was forcibly merged into is really into video chat and meetings. They have meetings about everything. ) So, I rarely talk to or see her. She might as well be out. We share a cubical wall, but I rarely see her outside of briefly in the morning or occasionally during the day.

Mother: does she accomplish much from these meetings?
Me: No, they never appear to.

I hate meetings - I find them to be generally speaking a colossal waste of time. Unless they are negotiations - in which case - those can be somewhat productive?

**

Allergies are beating me up this week a bit. Itchy eyes, sniffles, and a bit of chest congestion. It's fall - or end of summer - so allergy season.
COVID vaccine - didn't have any side-effects outside of the sore shoulder, unless we count the allergies, which showed up two days later, so probably not? Sore shoulder is over finally - thank god. I had to take aleve for that finally. It hurt more than it had the last time - this version of the vaccine really packs a wallop. Although I'm grateful it was just a sore shoulder.

**

Meditations - last night's and this morning's were helpful. As was the Sunday UU sermon. Or comforting at least.

Last night, I was listening to part four of a six part sleep story about a hike on the Pacific Crest Trail. ( Read more... )

The other one, this morning, was about not needing to please people all the time, or at all. And it told a fable - about a old man, a boy and a donkey.
( fable ) (Both are in the Calm meditation app.)

And in Sunday's service - I was reminded of the Leonard Cohen song, Anthem"

"Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack, a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in"

It's similar to the Native American view that all art needs to have a flaw in it, so as not to attempt to improve on nature, and remain balanced. My grandmother actually taught me the Native American view - she'd learned to bead and create beaded art, and dream catchers from watching the Hopi and Navajo in Arizona and Nevada. And deliberately put flaws in all her work - to ensure that the light got in. You know a work is genuine and not mass produced - when it has the deliberate flaw.

***

The clothing I ordered from Talbots came - or three of the four items. And they all fit and looked good, or I was pleased with them. Whew! Since they were mostly final sales items.

**

The day was sunny but hazy, and not good for allergies. But I took a long walk - first briefly through the trees and garden, then along the pier with the water brushing its sides, looping back through the tall buildings, old and new to get two chocolate chip cookies from Insomiac cookies. (Every time I go, I'm both annoyed and relieved that they only have one type of cookie that is gluten-free and it is chocolate chip.)

The picture is of a mural that is around the corner from where I work. I found it striking, so took a photo of it. NYC is a city that just vibrates with an artistic vibe. It's as if all the artists in the world decided to perch here for just a bit, to drink coffee, tea, and play, before popping off again somewhere else.

Good News From the American Resistance and Its Global Allies

Disclaimer: As always, Good News like beauty and humor is often in the eyes of the beholder, hopefully something makes you smile, even if its just a picture at the end.

1. Amazon will pay $2.5 billion to settle claims that it tricked customers into signing up for Prime, then made it hard to cancel.

How to determine you are eligible and how to get your refund

It's really just for folks who signed up in 2019, and it's no more than $51.

2. "Prototype device controlled by silent speech
( Read more... )

Alterego - https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-03084-7

3.The health and economic benefits generated by vaccines against COVID-19 in the first year alone — a return of $60 to $475 on the dollar.

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2496200-covid-19-vaccine-benefits-worth-up-to-38-trillion-in-first-year-alone/

4. "Podcast: an AI health oracle
( Read more... )

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-03026-3

5. Colorado pastor and wife ordered to repay $3.4M to victims of their crypto scam

( Read more... )

https://www.friendlyatheist.com/p/colorado-pastor-and-wife-ordered?publication_id=95153&post_id=173867959&isFreemail=true&r=335kz&triedRedirect=true

6. New research on nature’s effect on focus is so compelling.
( Read more... )

https://www.cbc.ca/radio/quirks/nature-walk-focus-attention-1.7109264

7. "With dementia rates expected to double by 2060, it’s normal to think about ways to stay sharp. Unfortunately, many popular brain-training apps and games don't produce lasting memory benefits, but there’s a simpler approach that doesn’t even require a screen.

( Read more... )

https://www.mdpi.com/2079-3200/12/11/114

8.New research reveals a connection between grip strength and mental health.

https://www.askmen.com/fitness/mental-health/the-surprising-connection-between-grip-strength-and-mental-health.html

9.Remember the race to cure HIV? We're closer than you think. Remember the race to cure HIV? We're closer than you think.
A new clinical trial in South Africa delivered a rare but extraordinary outcome: One young woman may be cured of the virus.

https://www.npr.org/sections/goats-and-soda/2025/08/25/g-s1-84393/whatever-happened-to-the-race-to-cure-hiv-theres-promising-news

10. The Dutch are quietly shifting towards a four-day work week
Opponents say they make us less productive. Fans say they give us freedom. What do the results really say?

https://www.ft.com/content/7b61e52c-93fc-4634-b9ad-fdacac5d6538
( mostly situations of resistance and medical health improvements like above - 46 in all )

1. Vaccines

Got the COVID vaccine after work. The New York Governor made it possible for everyone between the ages of 6-110 to take it for an expandable 30 day period, under an emergency order.

I scheduled it while at work for around 4:40pm, and ended up getting there early - so go it around 4:30pm. I got it today, in case there are any major side-effects. That way I have the weekend to get past them, not that I've ever had any outside of a sore arm. ( Read more... )

No, I didn't get either the Flu shot or the Shingles at the same time. My primary care begged me not to. I'm immune-compromised, so it's not a good idea. I tried to tell her that everybody else that I know of - has, but she was adamant. I could, I suppose, ignore her and do it anyhow - but I was afraid to - best not to take an unnecessary risk.

2. Take a photo of any book with your phone and have it instantly read to you - I keep seeing this weird app advertised on Facebook, in which you can take a photo of literally any book in a library or book store and automatically have it read to you.

Speechify reads books to you

Of course it does it in a monotone - but you can pick any number of digitized voices to do it.

I don't have any issues with having books read to me - my issue is that someone can willy nilly go to a book store or library, scan the book, and have it read to them for free? I don't know, that kind of screams copyright infringement? It's one thing if the writer is getting paid a royalty from the service...but what if they aren't?

3. Traveling Water Color Kit Another thing advertised on FB and Instragram that I'm resisting the urge to purchase: Tobios Travel Watercolor Kit, whomever is marketing this is doing an excellent job. I keep reminding myself - that this is not how I like to paint. I like to do it alone. In my apartment. With a large canvas. And room. Not in miniature. I have shaking hands, and no fine motor coordination - so can't do the miniature work well. I'm not a miniaturist, I tend to work better large? Big woman. Big hands. Big canvas.

But it is lovely for someone who wants a small traveling kit to wander about doing small stuff with?

Don't get it from Amazon - which apparently is selling knock-offs.

4. Shopping Went online shopping - via Talbots and Amazon - and picked up a few things on sale, including pjs, and a shawl.

( Read more... )

As an aside? For the most part, I hate or dread shopping. But I did find it weirdly comforting doing it online this week. I prefer online than in-store shopping. Sales clerks and other shoppers and the dressing rooms, plus hunting stuff makes me edgy.

I like it displayed. I have no patience for hunting through the racks. I'm not a good bargain shopper. My mother isn't a shopper. The appeal of hunting for things in stores is kind of lost on us? But hunting for things online shopping is fun - even if it's a bit like playing Russian roulette? Since I suck at returning things, and some places don't let you.

Debating buying a pair of Uno Black Sneakers from Amazon. I don't really need them. I have enough shoes. But does one ever really have enough shoes? Ponders.

5. Buffy Revival or Continuation (Because it's not a reboot! Got it?) I keep stumbling upon online fights over whether it's a reboot or a continuation or a revival...which is kind of amusing. Welcome to the Internet - where people fight over semantics incessantly.

Anyhow, the latest: Gellar Reveals more about Buffy's Comeback and Insists its not a Reboot (But it's a lot easier to call it a reboot.)

"In a new interview with Entertainment Tonight, Sarah Michelle Gellar was asked about the Buffy reboot which is under no circumstances to be called a reboot. “There’s so little I can say about what we just shot,” Sarah explains. “I will say that it’s not a reboot. It’s a continuation of a world - the world of Buffy, if that makes sense. It’s picking up 25 years later in a world of Buffy. It’s equal parts incredibly thrilling but also it’s very nerve-wracking. People have been asking for this for so many years but everyone also has an opinion on how it should be done."
( Read more... )

[From what I've read - I don't think much of the original cast will return, outside of maybe one or two, and as either special guest stars or brief cameos...I think it's mainly a continuation of the world, with Gellar more in a Giles' role. The shift is the mentor/watcher will be Buffy herself. Which is also why - I don't think it will do that well or get picked up past one season? Because the fandom fell in love with the characters NOT the world? Joss sucked at world building. Star Trek, it's not. Also what was captivating was the dialogue and banter, the one liners, and the humor - also, sigh, the supporting characters. A good portion of the fandom did not watch for Buffy - they watched for everyone else. I know I did. Buffy did pull me in - but not Gellar, it was the writing, direction, and how Gellar played Buffy against and with the other characters. I've not liked her in anything else. And I didn't like books like Fray which were playing with the world - but didn't have the television characters in it. But hey, I could be VERY wrong about this? Just because it doesn't seem appealing to me...doesn't mean it isn't to other people?]

1. Jay and Miles X-Plain the X-men has reached Episode 500
It's 11 years. How did they get there? Because the X-men are really confusing? (Which may be why I'm a fan of the X-men, because apparently the more convoluted a plot and soap operaish, the more I'm going to like it?)

Also Jay is transgender, and figured it out during the podcasts, and is a HUGE cyke fan.

Although in this episode, they x-plain the mysteries of magnetism, via explaining how magnets work.

2. Meanwhile Deliah H. Dawson promotes her book on Thor and Loki: Epic Tales from Marvel Mythology on Scalzi's the Big Idea. (Author's get to promote their book ideas on John Scalzi's blog).

"Because the thing about writing books is that just because you know how to write one book does not mean you know how to write another. Books are like fingerprints in that each one is wholly individual, unique in all the world. Books are unlike fingerprints in that they cannot be easily compared to koala bears.

Except—

Well, koala bears are notoriously single-minded and stubborn, and writers can be like that, too. "

That statement charmed me. It's true. I find myself writing books differently. Right now, I'm blocked. Mainly due to external issues, being tired, and mentally exhausted. And issues with health. Also the abusive friendship that I recently ended - had managed to creatively block me, one of the many many reasons it was ended. I'm happiest when I'm writing creatively.

3. Been sleeping better - changing my meds (I'd figured out various meds were interacting with each other and not in a good way - also that one was problematic, and stopped taking it for the time being. Note if you want to figure out your drug interactions too? Go to Drug Interaction Checker - Know More. Be Sure It can do up to three drugs together, maybe 4, without charging you.

Also digestive system has settled a bit. And I've figured out how to eat beans without my digestive system having a hissy fit. Which is good - considering beans help regulate blood sugar and are a good source of fiber and protein. (I no longer digest meat that well and am trying to get away from it - I'm slowly becoming a vegetarian. Considering 90% of gluten-free items are either vegan or vegetarian anyhow - half way there to begin with.

Had the kidney bean or red bean salad in blue corn cheese tacos with salad tonight.

4. This old song by Kris Kristofferson oddly comforted me tonight...or said just what I needed to hear, because I've been feeling lonely of late and thinking, does it matter writing, posting photos or drawing what people don't want to see or hear...am I just whispering to an empty space or ear?

The song popped up randomly on my phone headphones, as I walked home, through no prompting of mine. Amazing how music can get to the root of a feeling - an inexpressible one at that - and find a way of soothing it with a feather like touch.
( the lyrics to the Song - To Beat the Devil by Kris Kristofferson, which he was inspired to write by Johnny Cash )

Called in sick on Friday - and for the most part stayed off the computer, and just watched television and dozed. ( wrestling with vertigo and loss of balance - most likely due to allergies and sinus issues, also caffeine withdrawl )
***

Question a Day Memage - September continued:

[As an aside - there's an interesting spelling difference between British English and American English. In British English they use "u" in words ending with or. Examples include favourite vs. favorite, colour vs. color, or colouring vs. coloring, flavour vs. flavor. I pick up on it partly because spellcheck on my computer is US, and the meme is British spelling.
I remember when I sent the book I published to an editor - he told that I was using a lot of British spellings for things, which I didn't catch because I was busy interacting online with a people who lived in the UK and were utilizing those spellings. I wonder about that difference. And others. And what is the origin of the difference - when did the American version split off? And why? I'm not a linguist so I wouldn't know.]

18. Did you have colouring books as a child? Have you tried any adult colouring books?

Yes. I didn't like them and drew, doodled, and colored outside the lines.

19. Are you adventurous with your menus, or do you stick to tried and tested ideas for meals?

I play around. I also get into routines. I am not good with a lot of left-overs. I can't prepare food for a week and eat it. My stomach is picky and I have scant storage space. (Small one bedroom apartment, with a refrigerator and small freezer). But I'd say I'm adventurous and I like to experiment - to the degree in which my body can handle it? Which unfortunately is insanely limited. Celiac tends to branch into other food sensitivities, if caught later in life.


20. Do you have a favourite quiz show that you regularly watch on TV?

I'll watch Jeopardy every once and a while.

21. How is Autumn treating you? What’s the weather like?

The weather is beautiful and mild. Feels like early spring, actually. 60s and 70s, occasional 80 degree day, sometimes 59 degrees.

Sunny. Not a lot of rain. Still see flowers, and all the trees are green and fully leaved.

I've been having issues with allergies, sleeplessness, back/leg pain, depression, and digestive issues - so I have been ill. And trying to figure it out.

Feeling a little better right now. Hence this post. Best I've felt in the last four days at least. Not stellar but better.

Weirdly, and believe it or not? I sleep better now than I used to. I used to average between 3-5 hours. Now, it's between 5-7 hours, so progress. I even get 8-9 hours intermittently. The smart watch has made a difference - it inspires me to get to bed earlier - and the move to the financial district means that I'm sleeping twenty minutes longer.

I've always had problems with sleep - since I was a child. Busy mind. I used to sleep with my books. And a cat or two. I was raised with cats. I miss the cats, actually - but can't really own one now for multiple reasons not worth going into? They did not help me sleep better.
( Read more... )
Last night, I went to bed early, turned off everything around 9:00 pm, and was in bed by 9:40pm. Fell asleep by 10:16 pm (according to the watch at any rate), and ended up waking up at 2:30am, and couldn't get back to sleep - even though I listened to three different sleep meditations on the Calm app. One...kind of triggered a bad memory - it was talking about imagining being in a peaceful and safe place...and managed to remind me of a horror novel that I read over a year ago, and still haunts me to this day. (PenPal, avoid at all costs).

Me: It was about walking through a forest and for some reason it brought to mind this horrible scene from a horror novel -
Mother: How odd that a meditation about Star War's the "force" would trigger horror novel, usually the force is a good thing.
Me: No forest.
Mother: yes, the force.
Me: No. F-o-r-e-s-t, Forest.
Mother: Ohhhh. That makes more sense. I thought you said force.

Sigh. It is possible to have conversations with folks, use words in the same language, and completely not understand one another.
( Read more... )

****

Been seeing advertisements in the subway for "Friend.com" - stating things like, "Friend: listens to you, responds, and supports you" and "binge a entire television series with you", "share adventures"...and I thought, oh, this must be friending app, similar to a dating app, except for platonic relationships! I should go check this out.

Eh.

Turns out my definition of "friend" isn't exactly the same as others?

Friend is an AI wearable pendant that records everything you say and do, and after collecting all this data - analyzes it and talks to you about it

From the The Verge

( An AI pendant that you wear around your neck constantly, records your voice and all your discussions, and supports you, talks back to you and is your friend )

Apparently he spent $1.5 M just to buy the domain name.

I don't know, I find the concept kind of frightening? And really disturbing? That's not how I define friendship. Friendship is supporting each other, listening to each other, and caring about each other, and enjoying things together, debating things, discussing things, and sometimes disagreeing but being okay about it.

Although I guess it is weirdly reassuring in a misery loves company kind of way that there are so many people out there, including this guy, who crave friendship and can't quite find it?

In more disturbing AI news?( Read more... )

Okay. What happened to friendship apps - where you just, you know, meet folks with similar interests? I feel like I woke up one morning and suddenly found myself living in a science fiction horror series by way of Black Mirror and Philip K Dick? And how can I extricate myself? Does anyone see an escape route? Because I want out. Also is there a way we can make any of this stop?

****

I did spend about an hour this morning talking to Art History Major (cubical mate) who is stuck at home recuperating from a stress fracture, which I think is a broken foot. ( Read more... )

*****

I'm avoiding the news as much as possible. I know what's going on in the world. I wish I didn't. My way of coping is ruthlessly mocking it and making fun of everything. I managed to make myself and various co-workers laugh today. So, that's a win, right?

One co-worker thinks we should all go to group therapy for the trauma of Crazy Org's merger of the agencies. I'm beginning to think the entire United States needs some group therapy.

I found this "Portrait of Life/Portrait of Grief" rather moving and relatable: