Spontaneous Musings

Found an odd article about how to... Deal with Expired Milk - and that it may have more life in it than you may have thought? Not sure it helps me all that much, I'm trying to stay off sugar, and back off cheese a bit. Also I have a low dairy diet to begin with - so use mostly milk substitutes like almond/coconut milk. But it may assist someone else?

Another interesting tidbit - ( Bill (Keanu Reeves) & Ted (Alex Winter) Do Waiting for Godot on Broadway )

It's sunny now. Blue sky. Trace amount of clouds. After six days of cloudy skies. It's rather lovely. Makes me appreciate Daylight Savings Time, because I get to enjoy it.

I bought some flowers at the grocery store - mainly lots of leaves, and some purple roses, and white and yellow baby's breath feathered in between. I split it into two vases, and put one in the bathroom window (for lack of another place to put it) and one in the living room window near my art studio. I have those old style deep windows that are almost floor to ceiling in my living room and bedroom, with deep window sills. Not deep enough to sit on, just deep enough to put a flower vase on.

Anyhow, went for a walk around Battery Park yesterday. It's partially open now - after about a year's worth of repairs, excavation, and remediation. It had gotten federal funds as a result of Hurricane Sandy, and finally got around to spending them.

Urban farm at the bottom of Manhattan. (Please note that the pictures don't last long because of some linkage issue between DW and FB. And I don't how else to upload photos - DW sucks in regards to uploading photos - it's the only thing I dislike about the platform.)




The Statue of Liberty stands beyond the park in the middle of New York Harbor, battle worn...but hanging in there.
( Statue of Liberty )
Skyscraper on the opposite side of the park:
( skyscraper> <img src= )

And the Freedom Tower, ironically just beyond...
( freedom tower )

Ah Spring is finally sprung in NYC.
( flowers against a skyscraper )

And I leave you all with flowers, have a lovely evening...it is lovely here. The sun fading in the sky, against the budding trees in greens and reds. I love this time of day - early evening, twilight.

I went and hunted it down..;-) So below is the first six days of April.

Weekend wasn't a complete bust. I finished a watercolor of an man who was returning home from the hospital via subway, or homeless (I couldn't figure out which).

( watercolor of homeless man on the subway )

I added the girl with the flower - she wasn't actually there. I've decided to start being a little more creative with my paintings.

Also had a nice long chat with my brother today. ( Read more... )

And asked Super to replace the bulb in my bedroom light. I told her that they can do it after they return from vacation. They are leaving for a week and a half on Wed, for Florida. I will survive. And I received my compost bin, and bought compostable bags for it. This way, I can collect weekly and dispose weekly as opposed to daily.

Finished Somebody Somewhere, it's a lovely show - basically my comfort show, and on Max, also almost done with The Pitt (on Max), and Daredevil Born Again Disney. Spent way too much time on the laptop and phone tracking protests and news on the protests and other things, also writing in my dreamwidth journal. You're probably all sick of me? Took walks. Etc.

***

APRIL QUESTION A DAY MEME

1. Have you ever been the victim of an April Fool’s Day joke? Do you remember any good stories that fooled the public back in the day (in the UK, they once fooled the public that spaghetti grew on trees!)?

Yes, although I managed to forget them. Yes, the best April Fool's Day Hoax was actually around Halloween, when Orson Wells scared the entire nation into believing that they were being invaded by Aliens, per a national radio broadcast of the War of the Worlds.

I keep wishing the fact that the Doofus is President was an April Fools Joke.

2. Do shops/stores have loyalty cards where you live which give you a better price on some items in their store? Have you got any loyalty cards you use regularly?

Yes, we call them "Rewards Cards", Foodtown and Wallgreens both do, and yes, I use the Rewards Card number. Credit cards also use them. As does the Amazon Kindle.

3. If you live in the Northern Hemisphere, have you seen any Spring flowers yet? If you are in the Southern Hemisphere, what is nature doing where you live?

I live in the Northern Hemisphere, and yes, the Narcissus are in full bloom as are the Daffodiles, and Crocuses, and the trees are flowering finally. I foresee a hike through Greenwood Cemetery in my future - hopefully next weekend. I guess I could go after work - but it may be closed.

4. What was the last book you bought? Have you read it yet?

I bought a lot of books all at once? So no. I have a tendency to collect books. Possibly hoard them? I'll just picke one of them at random?

"A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine" - it's a space opera and won the Hugo Award in 2020.

5. Does your phone have the facility to store your payment cards? Do you take advantage of that instead of using your physical card?

Yes. Definitely not. I'm wary.

6. How confident are you about doing your own home renovations? What’s the biggest project you’ve tackled?

Not at all. Hence the reason I rent an apartment, where someone else can do them for me. I am not handy. If I was handy - I'd have bought a house or a condo, but alas, I am not.

So, I decided to subscribe to The Atlantic - to support a free press, and the Atlantic had the guts to post Full Signal Chat Messages Showing Military Plans About US Strikes in Yemen.

[In case you don't know this already? The editor-in-chief to the Atlantic was included/invited to a top security Signal Chat by accident. The idiots who included him, then declared no top secret information was released, and they caught it quickly, and The Atlantic was lying about it. So the Atlantic decided to publish what they found out and let readers make up their own minds.]

( excerpt from the article )

For the rest of the article? Go Here.

I'm currently subscribing to New York Magazine, The New Yorker, and The Atlantic. I may cancel New York at some point and jump to Vanity Fair.

Still sleeping poorly, last night is was due to a muscle spasm in my lower back and hip. I figured it out, when I finally caved and put a heating pad on it. It relaxed the muscle. I'm on an anti-inflammatory diet for the most part (have been on one for a long time) - I rarely eat red meat any longer (no appetite for it) - have lamb chops in the fridge, but they disagreed with me on Sunday, and I've not had the appetite for them since. Not crazy about poultry either. I don't know if this is a side effect of the medication that I'm taking, or just a change in appetite? It's problematic - because I need protein, and there's a lot of protein substitutes I can't eat. I may start using the protein powder in the fridge. It's also more than possible that I got glutened this week. "Glutened" is celiac short hand for accidentally digesting gluten without realizing it. And it's possible - that the strawberry-rubarb pie had trace amounts in it. I felt off IBS wise since I ate it. (Sigh). Oh well, it will work it's way out of my system.

Aching now, took an aleve, took a hot shower, have a heating pad on my lower back, and drew the poor man that I saw on the subway today. He was wearing a hospital bracelet. Ever since I was in the hospital getting tests done and got my own - I've been noticing them on other people on the subway, usually folks that look homeless, but may not be. This poor man was trying to put himself together. Putting on his shoes and socks over swollen feet, and had scratches on his face. He looked out of it. Everyone was giving him a wide berth, some folks couldn't bear to sit in the seats opposite him, like I was doing. I kept repeating in my head, but there for the grace of god, go I. My heart bled for the poor man. The world is not fair, equal or kind. And I'm reminded of this daily.

Feeling kind today - I let an older Bengali or Pakistani man with just two tomatoes skip in front of me in line. He also seemed a little lost. Poor man. Later, when I was entering my apartment complex, a nice man held the door open for me. And the elevator was right there. So there may be some truth to the adage, what goes around comes around.

Work is work - I've decided I'm too efficient for my own good. Everyone is behind me, and needs to catch up. So I'm creating spreadsheets to track information, financial and otherwise. Also doing a lot of negotiation meetings. So far without the contractor, so they just go in a circle and go nowhere.

Ah, I hear a Mister Softee Truck in the distance. It is officially spring.

Taking today off from work. It is allegedly National Strike Day, but I think they all forgot about it? But Both Breaking Bad and I decided to take it off and not work today. (although I am getting X-rays).

Also, have to get knee x-rays, and a chest x-ray, so there's that.
And I'm seriously considering dumping Optimum for Verizon - the spotty internet and cable service is beginning to get on my nerves. It's every few days now.

***

Anyhow, without further ado - some good news, although this was harder than usual - I had to remove the bad news and wander about hunting for the good, and not let the bad (and it is insanely awful - some of it satirically so, I feel like this is a hostile takeover written by a SNL writer and I want to change the channel).

1. TENS OF THOUSANDS OF FEDERAL WORKERS GET THEIR JOBS BACK.
Trump team lost big in court. Judge William Alsup ordered the Trump admin to immediately rehire tens of thousands of federal employees from the Defense, Treasury, Energy, Interior, Agriculture and Veterans Affairs departments who were terminated by Elon Musk’s DOGE cuts.
The Judge continued with his scathing ruling: “I tend to doubt that you’re telling me the truth. I’m tired of seeing you stonewall on trying to get at the truth. It is sad, sad day when our government would fire some good employees and say it was based on performance when they know good and well that’s a lie.” and “You will not bring the people in here to be cross-examined. You’re afraid to do so because you know cross examination would reveal the truth.”

You can read the Judge's decision HERE

2. Robert Morris, the Dallas-area Gateway megachurch pastor who was Trump’s spiritual advisor, was indicted in Oklahoma for 5 counts of lewd and indecent acts with a child. In 2020, Morris hosted Trump for a “Roundtable on Transition to Greatness” that was also attended by several other Republican officials including then-AG Bill Barr. At the conference, Trump said this about Morris: “I want to thank Pastor Robert Morris. He’s great people with a great reputation.” Morris was also involved in mobilizing grass roots evangelicals for Trump in 2024.

[The good news, in case you missed it - is Morris was indicted.]

3. A new Reuters/Ipsos poll shows that 57% of Americans think Trump’s handling of the economy has been “too erratic.” 70% said they think Trump’s tariffs will cause prices to rise, while only 31% believe that American workers will benefit from them. [Now if we can only convince the 31% that they need to get their heads out of their toilets and stop flushing them, this is not the fun trick they think it is, and get off the meth.]

4. Tesla’s largest market outside the US is China, and their sales have been getting crushed by domestic competitors - but unlike boycotts in Europe and the US it has more to do with his cars than his politics. NYT reports that Tesla dominated sales of EVs in China for years, but “now that market is a bloodbath of competition from Chinese rivals. Chinese drivers that once flocked to Tesla are turning more and more to local brands that offer more efficient cars with better technology, sometimes at half the price.”

Tesla’s biggest competitor in China is BYD. So far this year, BYD’s sales are up 75% over this time last year, while’s Tesla’s are down 14%. Buyers in China said that BYD makes basically the same car at half the price.

5.Trump's economic troubles put Republicans on defense. His policies have forced his allies to fight from a defensive posture — explaining his plans after they have been executed — and has raised alarms in his Republican Party that it could all end in a wreck. The concerns are particularly acute when it comes to the economy, with the stock market slumping and many economists projecting either slower growth or a coming recession. Those fears haven’t deterred Trump from continuing to impose tariffs on foes and friends — which figure to raise prices on U.S. consumers — and slash federal government jobs, grants and contracts.

Stock market latest: The S&P 500 fell 1.4% Thursday, making its decline since its February all-time high greater than 10%. It has now fully erased all its post-November election gains and is back to levels last seen in September.

6.The White House withdrew the nomination of former Rep. Dave Weldon, R-Fla., to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention just before this confirmation hearing this morning. The anti-vaxxer did not have the votes.

7.Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is neurodevelopmental and impacts 5.4 million Americans. There is no approved treatment but many seek help for the intense symptoms. Many autistic adults report consuming cannabis for relief from sensory overload and other symptoms of the disorder.
A startup in the United Kingdom is funding a clinical trial to figure out how the active compounds in cannabis may help children with ASD. The current data is inconsistent, but recently published research added a layer to support the hypothesis that cannabinoids could help autistic children.

8. There was a major anti-Musk protest at SpaceX

9.Massive crowds in NYC are growing and not letting up, demanding the immediate release of Columbia student being kidnapped for protesting for Palestine. "We want justice. We say how. Free Mahmoud right now!"

The Judge has extended the stay on deporting Khalil.

Huge crowds of protesters from Jewish Voice For Peace occupy Trump Tower to protest the detainment of Mahmoud Khalil.

A multigenerational group of Jews pushed back against the U.S. detention of Mahmoud Khalil, a green-card holder who protested the Israel-Gaza war. Over 90 protesters were arrested. Lawyers say the arrest and attempted deportation of Khalil is a First Amendment violation designed to intimidate others. Khalil’s immigration hearing is in two weeks.

10.Courts in three states have issued nationwide injunctions blocking the implementation of the order purporting to end birthright citizenship for children born in the United States to undocumented parents or parents who have lawful but temporary residency status.
( the rest of the 25...only could find twenty-five today, tough week. )

And for once I actually feel it. I feel all fifty-eight years of wear and tear on my body. And had been feeling it long before the day arrived. When it did, I took a breath of relief, and thought finally, on the exhale.

I survived another year on this twisty and constantly turning planet, and I'm grateful for that. My co-worker lost her Aunt this year, who was fifty-seven, and so many have died at that age, if not before, this year alone - so making it to fifty-eight? Is a minor accomplishment.

Day 9 of the March Meme: Do you sleep well? How many hours would you say are ideal for you?

No, I do not sleep well. I blame Anora and Daylight Savings Time. ( Read more... )

***

That said? I've quite a bit to be grateful for. ( Read more... )

I'm taking tomorrow off - and am thinking of taking a long walk and relaxing. This is my new year's and hopefully this year will be better than the last one. There are a few things I'm looking forward to in the next two weeks:

1. The first Broadway Show that I've been too since roughly 2019.

2. Crazy Org's Talent Show

3. Brunch with Wales

And I'm scheduling a mini-vacation to visit mother down in South Carolina.

Oh, here's my painting of the woman with the fire pants that was sitting next to my subway, three weeks ago:

( it's not great, but I like how the pants turned out )

Oh, but yesterday on International Women's Day? A young woman came into the fruit and vegetable store that I was leaving and handed me a flower and wished me a Happy International Women's Day.

Here's a photo of it reflected in my window:

Sunday came in and left, cold, grey and dreary. Although in my apartment - it seems rather warm, and I have a fan, an A/C, and two windows open, and it is still 76 degrees. I did the peddler. I filed my taxes (finally! Basically I panicked for *cough*reasons*cough* and stopped procrastinating and did it. Wales and I debated not doing it - just to see what happened, but I want the refund.) Paid medical co-payments. And watched church via Zoom.

Watching SNL Concert at Radio City Music Hall which aired Friday night on Peacock. I decided to purchase a year of streaming for Peacock at $29, which was a huge markdown from $79.99. I want to check out Poker Face, along with seeing a lot of films that are exclusively streaming on Peacock, such as Wicked towards the end of the month.

Did not know the B-52s were still alive. ( Read more... )

***
American Political Situation aka the Stinky Elephant in the Room which we can't seem to dislodge - it just won't leave

Regarding US (or American) politics? This is what I told someone else today and I think it's worth posting here as well? The national news and the media on American Politics is basically endlessly reporting on the stinking elephant in the room. And I get it - if your profession is to study that or analyze that and you can't do a total news blockage? But for those of us who happen to be living inside the stinking elephant and don't need to watch the news to know what is happening? We have to step out of it for a bit to maintain what's left of our sanity. ( Read more... )

****

Found out the Minister who helped me a great deal in 2010-2015 or thereabouts, and I joined the church partly because of their sermons, passed away this week. So sad.

***

Read more on the Buffy Reboot? ( Read more... )

The Storied Life of AJ Fickery was rec'd to me recently by kerk, whose dreamwidth I forget and am too lazy to look up. It's both a book and a movie - the movie adaptation is currently streaming on Hulu, and is comforting. I adored it. I also cried through a good portion of it - so cathartic - I needed a good cry - it cleared out my sinuses. I was suffering from a sinus headache from hell.

It's a lovely little film about the owner of a book store on Alice Island, off of Rhode Island. The book store is in a purple and white building, with purple trim. And filled with books. He lives upstairs. The owner is grieving, and someone drops a child in the center of his store. And his life changes completely. It's not what you think. The cliches are subverted here and there, and commented on. And it is a tale about writing and reading and connecting with others, while seemingly isolated, and never certain when your life might take a right hand turn or a left hand turn.

Also, listened to a sermon on Youtube from Community Church of New York - it's an UUA Church - which is liberal progressive, with the view of being a church for all people, and respectful of all prophets. ( Read more... )

Very comforting sermon about interdependence, and struggling with isolation in difficult times. The Rev stated at one point..."I have to find a way to survive without ice cream, and this seems impossible." I can relate. He also said that as important as it was to be seen - by others or feel seen and be able to be your whole self and to make mistakes. It's equally important to admit when your wrong, and to be allowed to be wrong. And say I'll do better tomorrow. Lately I've realized that I do not leave arguments when I should. And as a result cause unnecessary emotional pain in myself and others. This is mainly in regards to online disputes. Offline - are easier to leave - because I can read the body language and energy of the person that I'm in disagreement with. Not that I always do - when I should - but I'm more aware of when I should leave them.

The difficulty with talking with others and being seen? Is we all have different types of trauma? Different things trigger folks? Even different words? I remember being in a group therapy session once - and a group member informing me that the word "trigger" bothered him, he didn't like it. Could we use something else? While being told what words to use or being corrected in word use - bothers me, and upsets me - because I have trauma over it. I've had to learn to get past that. But I also have to remember just because I've had to get past my trauma, doesn't mean that I should expect others to do the same. And that's hard to understand sometimes. It's also hard not to minimize another person's trauma. We feel things differently. What may seem minimal or trivial to me, isn't to another person.

My own church's sermon was also comforting - in that it was a lay person's sermon that included music about the songs of Sufjan. Specifically a song based loosely on the Books of Revelation. The lecturer or worship leader taught me something that I didn't know. Apparently the Books of Revelation were in reality a satiric commentary on what was happening with Roman Civilization at the time - or rather the writer was commenting on the downfall and decline of the Roman Empire - which had gone insane in its later years. That's kind of an epiphany? It also explains a lot. If you look at the New Testament within the context of the Roman Empire, and what it must have been like to be poor and not Roman at that time, and writing against it - it kind of explains a lot of it? It also is weirdly comforting - because honestly? What we're going through now? We've been through before, but far worse. It's survivable. We just need to learn from it, or hopefully take the "right" lessons from it? But of course no one is going to agree on that, I'm not even sure we can agree on the interpretation.

***

Today has been a sleepy day. I ventured out around 10 Am to get Magnesium Citrate from the Pharmacy - it's not my favorite brand. And since I don't feel like walking down to the Health Food Store on Courtelyou in the heat, I may order it via Amazon. My favorite brand is BlueBonnet, which doesn't have anything but Magenisum Citrate in it. Everything else has additives.
But it will tide me over until I can get Bluebonnet's brand.

Also, veggies. And paper towels.

Temperatures are at 90-96 F or 30-36 C, with a humidity level of 50-70%.
It's cooler now, the temperature is 87, feels like 93, as opposed to 90 and feels like 96 or 97.

This is why I have A/C - it lowers the humidity. A fan isn't enough.

Struggling a little with my blood sugar still.( Read more... )

But it did drop down to 181-190, after spiking to 250 briefly. And it's not crashing. For the most part it's hovering at 150 and the sensor tends to scan high anyhow.

I need to exercise more and sleep more.

My writing has hit a wall. I've decided the romance novel that I was working on - doesn't really work. Or I don't like it. Or I'm bored with it at the moment. I may have to jump to something else.

***

Everyone writes differently in their DW posts. I write mainly about my thoughts and feelings on things, which jump hither and thither. Some most likely shouldn't be written. But it helps to throw them up onto a screen. Even if I may change my mind about them later.

I want to be seen. As I am. Warts and Moles and Beauty Marks and All. In the hopes that somehow - I'll find others who like what they see and can relate to it.

A few will reject it. I screw up. I step on toes. I question things I shouldn't. I condescend when I get annoyed. Snark. And have a dry sense of humor. I see my father in myself. Although, no gone, he seems all the more elusive. In both dreams and reality.

1. I may or may not live to regret this - but I decided to train to become a small group facilitator for my church - to facilitate difficult conversations about Gaza. They've hired an expert in this, a transman, to train facilitators and host the discussions. I listened to the transman's sermons? He's good.
( ruminating over it )

2. I was also right about the new X-men editor, Brevort entering into a fight he can't win.
( Read more... )
Also loved this, and kind of wish the Buffy writers and various soap writers had the guts to say the same thing:

Han

Tom, fans don't want the marriage of Scott and Jean. The vast majority of fans want her away of Scott. I hate the way that Scott was out of character in krakoa sharin his wife with his rival. And the way that she was with Scot and Logan and the same time. this writing is embarrassing for any woman.

Tom

I tell you, Han, I’m always skeptical when anybody tells me that the “vast majority of fans” wants. Because I don’t know that anybody is in a better vantage point to be able to determine that than we are. I will absolutely concede that some fans feel as you say, and they may be all of the fans in your immediate circle, certainly. But that isn’t all fans, not even close. So I appreciate your point of view, but I’m still going to have my guys tell the stories that they want to tell."

I love that quote. So true. I really wish television writers could say this.

I really like the new editor in chief of the X-men.

And I continue to be entertained by the editor dealing with fans...after declaring there was no romantic relationship between Wolverine and Jean on the page. (There was, however, he is correct that it was kind of a blink and you missed it moment. Various writers flirted with it, as did various artists, but it never quite took - because it did not work.

( Read more... )

1. Something your favorite character would like

Male fav:



And another favorite character?

Female fav:




2. Something that makes you laugh




Watch on YouTube


3. A fandom place you would like to visit

This is hard, because most of the shows, books, etc that I'm fannish about - have worlds that I do not want to be in.

But I'd like to visit, Star Trek's Earth.

4. A fandom creator (pro or not) you'd like to meet

Neil Gaiman, who I have seen from a distance.

( The rest )

1. Apparently Next in Fashion S1 was so polarizing, it got cancelled and they changed the format and cast a new co-host for S2. Honestly, I've been watching television for so long now, that I don't notice the offensive bits or hand-wave it. I mean, I watched Project Runway and Trading Spaces, plus the early days of Survivor and American Idol. Also stuff in the 20th.
( Read more... )
I am kind of disappointed in S2, S1 was structured better in some respects.
But, it is nice to be free of the unnecessary drama. I hate unnecessary drama and stress - so getting rid of that was a good idea. Not sure why they changed the hosts, or why they only picked Americans for the contestants. [They did, to an offensive degree, fetish the Asian designers. I'd agree with that. And they did seem to elevate them over the Black designers in a way that was just odd. S2 seems to go in the opposite direction and has a lot more diversity and a lot more Black Designers, when there were really only three in S1.]

2. Great British Baking Show (aka Bake Off) also changed things. Apparently they can't hold onto hosts to save their loves. People must not like Nigel? He stays, but his co-hosts keep leaving. Although I admittedly didn't like the last guy - who irritated me. Now, we have another woman, Alison.

Also, the bakers are even more amateurish than previously.

3. Foundation

Making my way through S2, which is better than S1. I've gotten through five episodes, there are ten per season. I checked out the Foundation Book series on Wiki - and it appears the television adaptation by David Goyer, with various writers including Jane Espenson and Liz Phange, directors include Alex Graves and Goyer - is focusing on the books Foundation and Empire and Second Foundation.
( minor spoilers )

4. Felt horrible today, yet still managed to go grocery shopping, talked to mother (twice), Wales, and wrote a bit. Combination of digestive issues (I had chili last night - and beans do not agree with me, nor does corn apparently - it was in the chili, also did a corn cake this morning) and sinus congestion, along with a drastic shift in barometric pressure. The sinus/barometric shift result in inner ear imbalance, so felt off-balance and woozy. The depth perception can make it worse. Only things that work are : Tynenol Sinus Headach and Chocolate for some reason. Also ice.

The shingles appear to be getting better, but I accidentally burst a couple of blisters that I thought were dried up and flattened. They leaked fluid, I rapidly cleaned it, cleaned my hands and put Shingles lotion on it. Still taking the Anti-Viral. I think it is fine - it doesn't hurt or itch. And I've read that it is a sign of healing once the blisters burst and scab over.

5. Justice...finally... Last Living Suspect Indicted in the Tupac Shakur murder

LAS VEGAS (AP) — A man who prosecutors say ordered the 1996 killing of rapper Tupac Shakur was arrested and charged with murder Friday in a long-awaited breakthrough in one of hip-hop’s most enduring mysteries.

Duane “Keffe D” Davis has long been known to investigators as one of four suspects identified early in the investigation. He isn’t the accused gunman but was described as the group’s ringleader by authorities Friday at a news conference and in court. In Nevada you can be charged with a crime, including murder, if you help someone commit the crime.

“Duane Davis was the shot caller for this group of individuals that committed this crime,” said Las Vegas police homicide Lt. Jason Johansson, “and he orchestrated the plan that was carried out.”

My brother is a huge Tupac Shakur fan. Mother said he told her about it, and she had no idea who he was talking about. I had to explain it.

6. A spot of good news... Government Shut Down was Averted at the last minute (per usual)

If you follow US politics at all? This shouldn't have come as a surprise. They always do this - threaten a shutdown, then at the last minute negotiate a deal to avoid it.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The threat of a federal government shutdown suddenly lifted late Saturday as President Joe Biden signed a temporary funding bill to keep agencies open with little time to spare after Congress rushed to approve the bipartisan deal.

The package drops aid to Ukraine, a White House priority opposed by a growing number of GOP lawmakers, but increases federal disaster assistance by $16 billion, meeting Biden’s full request. The bill funds government until Nov. 17.

After chaotic days of turmoil in the House, Speaker Kevin McCarthy abruptly abandoned demands for steep spending cuts from his right flank and instead relied on Democrats to pass the bill, at risk to his own job. The Senate followed with final passage closing a whirlwind day at the Capitol.

“This is good news for the American people,” Biden said in a statement.

From AP.

AOC tweeted on Xitter Friday night that they managed to push it through, and undo all of the GOP's attempts to cut Social Security, add anti-immigration clauses, etc. And MTG had a hissy fit but went along with them.