shadowkat | Entries tagged with weather

It's a cool rain soaked day and I'm fending off my monthly vestibular headache, with a combination of meds, and anti-nausea bracelets. The bracelets are doing a stellar job of keeping both the nausea and the vertigo that accompanies these migraines at bay. Despite what the medical establishment believes - they are clearly sinus related, since they abate once my sinuses start to clear - also weather related. I have one now, it's thudding along in the background despite everything I've done to counter-act it, accompanied by an occasional hot flash, and a hollow fullness in the ears. But with the bracelets on - no vertigo or nausea. I do get sore wrists after a bit, but that's a minor side-effect.

The rain is also pitter-pattering away on the a/c. And I can see it now outside my winder. Vertical streaks against the leaves.

Yesterday, I took advantage of the lovely day, and receding headache, to take a walk around my neighborhood. I walked up to the small pocket garden near Fort Hamilton Parkway, and just behind Hamilton's Restaurant. They were having a Bluegrass Jam Session between 1-3pm, and it was approximately 2:15 pm when I reached the sign. No, I didn't know aobut it before hand. So this was a pleasant surprise - or something I accidentally stumbled upon.
NYC is kind of like that? You accidentally stumble upon cool cultural things daily and often without warning.

It was a small little gathering of folks who played various string instruments from banjos to a cello. Along with a harmonica. And the songs were folk blue grass country songs, passed down over time. The music native to the US, and as comforting as the smell of BBQ on the grill and corn bread in the oven, with an apple pie cooling nearby. (None of which were literally in evidence.)

( more photos of the musicians )

I had to take three photos to get them all. It was a small grassy space, yet spacious enough to fit at least twenty to thirty people. Plus a large vegetable and flower garden behind, and a little sitting space next to a small pound and fountain. It's quiet, and shaded, and peaceful. I sat for a bit, and after a bit a woman around my age joined me on the other side of my bench. Then, a blind man and his two friends strolled by, and I got up to ensure they got a seat.

It was the first time in well over a week that I was sitting near and around folks that were my age and older. And no one was scrolling on their cell phones, or talking on them. They were just listening to the music. And only two of us used our cells to take photos. Me, and an older woman with her main of white hair dyed purple.

After a bit I toured the garden. And took a picture of a flower.

( flower )

Then meandered towards Fort Hamilton Parkway, pausing to take a photo of the much larger than life Jack Skeleton...

( Jack Skeleton Halloween Decoration )

Then continued onwards towards Fort Hamilton Parkway Pedestrian Bride. A bridge, I'd not walked over before, pausing briefly to take a photo of a bunch of carrier pigeons doing an impression of the crows from The Birds...prior to walking over it.

( Carrier Pigeons )

I think they are carrier pigeons, they may not be? [I'm certain somebody out there will pop up to correct me if they aren't? There's a lot of fact checkers on Dreamwidth? And Google isn't as reliable in finding info on this sort of thing as it used to be? Well unless you think citing Reddit and Quora posts is reliable?]

I wandered and crossed yet another bridge over yet another highway. I'd prefer rivers, but sigh, cars. The US invested more in its highway infrastructure than in its waterways and trains over the years - which it is paying for in spades now. That said, NYC as you can see is very pedestrian friendly. This area of Brooklyn has multiple pedestrian bridges over highways. Altogether, I ended up crossing three, with no steps, just ramps, before getting back to my side of the highway or my neighborhood.

On the way home, I passed a Little Free Library (and pantry).

They are all over the place in Kensington and Ditmas, Brooklyn.

This one is in Ditmas, about a thirty minute walk in the opposite direction.

( another prettier little library )

I don't know why I continue to buy books? It's not as if I can't get them for free at multiple locations? I've two libraries within walking distance. Twenty free little libraries. And a basement full of free books. I don't feel guilty for buying them. I never have. Clothing, yes. Food, yes. Books and music, no.

Halloween directions were also out. Earlier than expected. Not everyone. Just a few houses here and there - had decided to get ahead of everyone else. I live in a culturally diverse area? And it goes overboard on Halloween decorations - possibly because the holiday isn't as linked to a specific religion as Christmas is. Although there are sections that go overboard with Christmas as well. It also starts early - or as quickly as it can get away with. During the pandemic - Halloween decorations went up in September. Christmas, the week of Thanksgiving. They've scaled back a bit now.

I thought this one was rather innovative...

( day of the dead Halloween yard decorations )

All in all it was a nice walk. Not necessarily fruitful nor what I planned for the weekend. But it got the job done. I felt relaxed afterwards.

Ran into Monica - the Super - and she informed me that the rude neighbor across the hall from me (about five steps from my doorway, yet thankfully not directly next door) had finally been evicted. ( Read more... )

I told Monica about toilet issues. I'll take a photo to remind her. And thanked her for only putting up only pleasant and pretty Halloween decorations. She told me she didn't like scary decorations and leans towards seasonal Fall Decorations only. And she's afraid of spiders. So only pumpkins no spiders. Thankful for that. Last apartment I lived in the downstairs neighbors put up huge spiders as Halloween decorations. I had to talk them out of the one they put up in the entrance way - because I was having PTSD anxiety attacks every time I entered the building. ( why my spider phobia is PTSD related )

Also, she confirmed that Optimum fixed our cable and internet, so I don't have to cancel them and switch back to Verizon (who I hate with the force of a thousand suns).

So all in all a pair of restful days. I read portions of a really good and satisfying book that I've been savoring. Watched television, and found a new show to get invested in. Only down-side? Pesky digestive issues. Although I think I've cornered the culprit? The GF rice flour bagel from Merediths. I'm better today. Had broth, carrot and flax muffin, and bean salad for lunch. No horrible heart burn or angina attack. Just the pesky migraine, which is receding as I complete this lengthy post. I even slept better last night and got to bed at a reasonable hour. So maybe, I'm on the mend, health wise, and maybe getting the rain out of the way is helping?

I need to make dinner - probably bean salad and the rest of the cucumber soup. The doctor got back to me on my blood work - the only issue is the folate - and she told me to start taking 400 mg of folate daily. (I already started doing that - moment I discovered it - I bought folate. And had white corn grits this morning which is high in folate and iron.). The rest is fine - the high B12 either means I'm eating very healthy, or to reduce B12 intake. (I wasn't taking that much of it to begin with - I kept forgetting to take it, and have three full bottles of it.) B12 is supposed to become deficient with Menopause? But I've not experienced this? Maybe I just eat healthier than most women with menopause? IDK. (Shrugs) And she said the hemoglobin was normal - so obviously she wasn't concerned about that one blood count being slightly off (and she's the expert not me).

One of the things I've learned in life is to be skeptical of whatever I see on the internet.

Rainy Day, so I just stayed in and loafed. Slept in until 9, since I had issues getting to sleep last night. Ended up taking a shower around midnight to calm my nervous energy. I'm sensitive to shifts in weather. And it went from being over 80 on Friday to the low 60s and 50s today. Thankfully, I got to be outside most of the day on Saturday and on Wednesday, which were both beautiful days. And took long walks both days.
Made me feel less guilty for loafing today.

Watched three things:

1. Lanterns Episode 7 - yup, DC has a character and tone problem. While I'm enjoying Lanterns, it's a dark and gritty sci-fi noir mystery series, with horror components, not exactly superhero fare? Also, the most likable and engaging character remains Hal Jordan. John Stewart is not portrayed well in this series. ( Read more... )

I'm curious to see what survives post WB/Paramount merger - even though I'll unfortunately have to cancel my subscription come January (for reasons below the cut - mainly political). It is unfortunately a good fit? Both studios have gotten in the habit of producing increasingly dark and gritty adult fare, some of which verges on the violently sadistic. Star Trek is among the few light properties produced by either, and that's about to change in a big way. I fear the Ellison's and Skydance don't have the sensibility to continue with Star Trek as Gene Roddenberry envisioned it? ( Read more... )

2. Toy Story 5 - on Disney was enjoyable. And not quite as preachy as feared. ( Read more... )

After it - I watched the Taylor Swift music video associated with it (which is okay?) and "Lamp Story" - a twenty minute, if that, short on Little Bo Peep's journey from Baby Lamp to toy in the play ground. In some respects I liked it better than Toy Story 5 and Swift's romantic music video? Although both were enjoyable.

The world definitely is built well enough for multiple movies, and the later films are much lighter and in some respects more enjoyable than the first film - which was rather dark and had elements of horror in the narrative. Women write the later films, while the first was written by Joss Whedon et company.

3. Hoppers - a bit too much on the preachy side. And I kind of lost track of what it was trying to say somewhere in the middle of the film - partly because it does ask a bit of the audience? ( Read more... )
In short? Toy Story was much better on multiple levels. Although animation was fairly good for the most part. It does have an all star cast - which I find annoying, because I know there's a lot of under-employed talented voice actors out there, and really no need to cast employed actors such as Jon Hamm and Meryl Streep in roles. I didn't notice. So why bother?

****

Making my way through book 5 of Dungeon Crawler Carl series. At least I think it is book 5? I'm doing it on audible, so not quite as easy to keep track of which book is which. At any rate this one is "The Butchers Masquerade". A couple of notable points about this series? ( Read more... )

Doing laundry at the moment. Although it will most likely be done by the time I complete this post - if past history is any indication? I had to navigate around folks who are now about twenty years younger than I am. When I first moved in - I was navigating around folks who were older or my age. Now? They are younger. It's jarring at times. When did I get old?
Bye the bye? Old is 55+. If you are under 55, you are not old. You are middle aged. Although, sometimes I think old should be 65+, considering retirement age is 67.

Maybe it's just - you are as old as you feel? Considering some people die at 36 or 50?

We're about to have a serious thunderstorm. It's been raining off and on all day - I've managed to avoid it. The apartment is cast with dark shadows, with the laptop screen glowing in the dim light - with dark clouds hovering outside, with diluted light. If it is raining, I cannot tell. But it may well be.

The pressure in my head, and the soreness in my knees and feet - states if it isn't raining, it will soon. Alas, I have become a human weather vane.

It's raining now.

At lunchtime today - I went to Insomina Cookies again - and I got into a conversation that I should have halted faster than I did. I have a tendency to say more than I should about things? It turns people off? And worse - I can feel when it does - because I have the oddest ability to pick up on their body language and energy. I can't explain it. I just feel the rage or negative energy emanating from the other person.

The poor young woman is working two jobs (Insomina Cookies and CVS Manager), and wants desperately to become a writer. ( Read more... )

***

Finished laundry, finished dinner (chickpea/yellow pea flour mac and cheese) and cucumber salad (cucumbers and green onions). Listening to Carl's Doomsday Scenario audio book - and I think I prefer reading the books to listening to them? I lose track of things. It's actually easier to listen to the audio book after I've read it.

Work is frustrating me. So is the commute - although it has been better the last three days, at least. The thing about commutes - is you never know?
( Read more... )

It's raining. They had tornado warnings out on Long Island. NYC and NY is now considered a sub-tropical climate. No need to move to the tropics. I can just stay here. Now if only they'd reduce the taxes. Then again, if they did that - we wouldn't have all the benefits we have. So maybe not.
(People don't realize that taxes = infrastructure, schools, universities, streets, sanitation services, public transportation (trains, buses, ferries), police, firefighters...

Speaking of firefighters, a young fit woman entered the building before me, and held the door open for me, with her bike. She was wearing a "Ladder '9" T-Shirt, that was clearly a fire fighter's t-shirt. My area has a lot of civil servants.

**

I've a question for the folks who live in Britain? An acquaintance from the APTOBTVS board who moved to the UK (London) with his husband in 2016, has started a gofundme to acquire the funds necessary to pay the permanent residency fee - due to an Immigration Act being passed in Britain. (He posted this on Instagram. He has 4,700 pounds so far. And that's 87% of the way to what he needs?) He offers proof-reading and editing skills discounts to the donors.

What is this Immigration Act charge about? Does anyone know? It sounds bizarre. We do not have that in the US. (Shhh...don't give the US any ideas, we have enough problems with ICE as it is.)

Google AI has a lot to say about it - but I'm not sure any of it is accurate.

As a side note? AI reminds me of Boolean Searches on Yahoo and Internet Explorer browsers back in the day. If you don't word it right - you will get bizarre results. Because it will grab everything and then try to summarize it. Kind of similar to searching Google without being specific.

Such as searching "Help Rob stay in the UK" got all sorts of weird results, "Help Rob stay in the UK with his husband" was slightly better. But not by much.

This is what AI stated: "To help Rob stay in England with his husband, he can apply for a UK Spouse or Partner Visa through the UK Government Official Visa Portal. This route requires proving a genuine relationship, meeting specific financial and English language thresholds, and can lead to permanent settlement after five years."

[ETA 1 : Correction? Out of curiosity - I looked up what the costs were for permanent residency in the US. Turns out I'm wrong - there is a fee, it's just a whole lot cheaper than the UK (although to be fair? The US doesn't have NHS or Universal Healthcare (dammit).)

Cost of Applying for U.S. Residency (2026)
( Read more... )

ETA 2: Thanks for the responses - very helpful!

Another day of Canadian wildfire smoke. A brownish orange haze has descended over the city and yes, the air smells like a campfire. Not bad enough to entail a shower - also I wasn't out in it that long - about ten minutes tops at one time.

According to ABC news this morning, there are more than 839 wild fires in Canada at the moment. And the smoke has flooded into the northern US, specifically the states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Delaware, Rhode Island...and parts of Massachusetts.

Here's an interactive map of the wildfire air flow from Canada
( Read more... )

From NYC Center for Emergency Management

*****

Told my brother about how my workplace's "Ethics course" had an odd ethics question.

ME: So, Crazy Org had the following question on it's ethics course: "An employee who loves the arts, has begun selling individually framed AI generated art via TikTock. And has decided to use the agency's shipping labels to ship it. Can she do that?"
Brother: So AI is generating the ethics questions for an ethics course? That tracks. LOL!

That hadn't occurred to me - but it actually explains a lot of the questions and the audio. The irony...

***
My workplace is driving me crazy again with it's ineptitude and stupidity. I'd vent about what it is? But it would be an ethics violation.

***

Twitter aka X had a tweet today that made me pause...when I stumbled upon it:

"There's a literacy crisis! And I don't mean that people can't read words, but they have no ability to see nuance, to comprehend deeper meaning, or remember what actually happened or the details, or understand analogies or metaphors."

Me (after reading one too many idiotic tweets from soap fans, and after a couple of pointless meetings at work with idiots): It's a lot more than a literacy crisis. And it's not just books. It's a critical thinking crisis. And a lack of common sense. They can't think critically, they can't analyze, they can't see themes, or understand consequences.

The Earth, in the words of the all might Rupert Giles, is Doomed.

***

In movie news?

Horror movies are doing really well. ( Read more... )

That said, I think the Odyssey may do very well. ( Read more... )

MCU keeps teasing an X-men film. ( Read more... )

There are a few on streaming..."How to Make a Killing" featuring Glenn Powell (the new hot leading man of the moment - he looks a lot like Bill Pullman) - which is actually a remake of Kind Hearts and Coronets - starring Alec Guiness (where Guiness played all the parts). (I've seen the Guiness film, just can't remember it except vaguely). Also two series, "Ride or Die" starring the female lead from Ted Lasso and Octavia Butler as best friends, the Ted Lasso female lead is an assassin. And "Lucky" starring Ana Taylor-Joy, Annette Being, Timothy Olyphant, among others.

I need to get myself out and to a movie in a movie theater. It's admittedly cheaper than live theater, although pricier than it used to be (also modern audiences are annoying?). Although I need to do that too. Time was I saw at least two-three theater productions a year. But the rising cost of Broadway shows is preventing that (along with annoying audiences). How to Fix the Broadway Financial Crisis. Part of the problem is it is too geared to the tourist crowd and not enough to residents. You can get cheaper tickets, but it requires patience, speed and being resourceful.

****

Books

I picked up a book on Kindle Unlimited and may buy at a later point, depending on whether I like it on KU. The author's published just dropped her after green-lighting a two book deal because she wasn't selling well.
It's a romancefantasy (so I'm on the fence? I prefer fantasy/mystery or sci-fantasy, with a little romance but not as the central focus.)

The author is: Shalini Abeysekara ( Read more... )

Here it is This Monster of Mine.

My difficulty is it is yet another romance fantasy featuring an 18 year old.

It is a hybrid though? A romance/fantasy/mystery about lawyers in ancient Rome.

Anyhow, I'm enjoying The Queen's Thief - mainly because the lead character is crafty and smart, and has a dry wit. The story is told in the perspective of the thief, who is a clever strategist.
It's also an intricate mystery - emphasis on mystery/fantasy not romance.

Also have completed Street of the Five Moons on audio, and moved on to Silhouette in Scarlet - which in some respects is better, but also quite similar. ( Read more... )

***
Question a Day Memage: July

15. Today is Saint Swithin’s Day, which is celebrated for its connection to weather lore. People believe that the weather on this day sets the pattern for the next 40 days. What kind of weather will you be having for the next 40 days, based on today’s weather?

Hmm, yesterday, it was overcast, some sun, some rain, and in the upper eighties, felt like the 90s, with haze from the wild fires.

So I really hope that this is a myth?

16. It’s World Snake Day – do you ever see snakes where you live? Have you ever held one?

No. I live in a residential area within a city, and the only snakes are in museums or pet stores. I did see a yellow python once. Let's see if I can find a picture of it. (And no, I didn't touch or hold it, nor have I nor do I particularly want to? I'm not afraid of them? I just have a healthy respect for not being in close proximity to one of them?)

Found the yellow python - which is the last snake that I've seen up close and personal. Clearly that man's pet and performance art piece.

Took the day off - since practically everyone in my building and in the Financial District has today off. Breaking Bad did too - for the same reason, he didn't want to come into an empty building. We both get Monday off for the holiday - because my agency or union is crazy? And thinks it works better to have a standard rule that if a holiday falls on a relief day, everyone gets the following business day off, except if you work on the relief day, then you get the relief day off. Actually, that makes sense - so never mind. But literally everyone else in the organization gets today off, including transit and headquarters, it's just the railroad employees that don't.

It's noon and already hot - at 97 degrees F/ 36 C, with a heat index of 100 F/ 38 C. I looked it up this go around. It's supposed to get up to 99 F/37 C today, with a heat index of around 110 F/ 43 C.

We got Europe's heat wave - and then some. We also got the Midwest and West Coast's heat wave. And it is hot around the US today. A lot of July 4th celebrations and activities have been cancelled. NyC still gets its Sail4th and Macy's Fireworks - but both on the water, so not an issue. DC is still doing, and this boggles my mind (and apparently I'm not alone)? The Great American State Fair?? Apparently the alt-right hasn't gotten out of the 1890s yet. While the rest of us have moved on to the 21st Century, they are still mentally and emotionally caught up in the 19th. Of course it's hellishly hot during it. The temperatures are supposed to get in the 100s F/ upper 30s/low 40s C over today and over the weekend.There's no air conditioning, it's all outdoors, and they provided hand mist machines and water bottles.

NYC's celebrations are better - they have a lit up Statue of Liberty, a huge fireworks display over the water, and a parade of Tall Ships. Also the NYPL will be lit up with the Declaration of Independence written across it, and the Empire State Building. It also has bigger crowds attending. And is slightly cooler - due to being near the water.

I'm not attending any of the above. I don't care? I just want to stay cool and comfortable, and not overtax my knee. I may watch on TV, but that's it.

***

I've finished watching VOX Machina and am moving on to The Mighty Nein, which is getting a 2nd Season. They are very different?
Vox is a bit lighter in tone. Considering it has character deaths and strong themes, that's saying a lot. Both are epic fantasy adventures. Which are hard to find? Most are either romances (with central focus - the romance), war (with the central focus on the battles, as opposed to the battles and potential war being secondary focus see Game of Thrones, House of Dragon - I get bored watching large battles?), for kids (see Dragon Prince, Avatar, Sailor Moon, etc) or supernatural/sci-fi horror (see Castlevania and League of Legends).

So kudos to Critical Role for bringing back some epic fantasy to the mix.
It's popular - so we'll get more of it. YAY! Good adult animation is having a moment - and trending, finally. We have X-Men 97 on Disney Plus, Vox Machina and Mighty Nein on Amazon, Castlevania and League of Legends on Netflix...

Meanwhile in other news? John Oliver (yes that one) has offered (more like begged) the remaining daytime soap operas (there are five at the moment, not counting web soaps, and two are long-running) to give him a juicy part on their show. He found out that ESPN sports caster and friend Stephen A Smith had gotten a juicy action role on GH - where he takes down a bad guy with a gun and everything. Oliver got jealous - and wanted to do it too. ( his terms and what happened )

Off to get lunch. So far, I've made the bed (I always do that), made breakfast (which didn't spike blood sugar at all, yay! Especially considering it was coconut yogurt, gf granola (mainly almonds, oats, and seeds), pumpkin seeds, and a blueberries. Also a bit later a vegan gf blueberry muffin with tea), did exercises, and well wrote in this.

1. Saw Sheep Detectives on Sunday. It was a cute cozy mystery? Reminded me a little of the film "Babe" except as cozy mystery (Babe was much better). It did have a few laugh out loud moments, and I didn't figure out the twist - they fooled me. I was admittedly distracted while watching it though.
( Read more... )

2. The Vestibular Migraine appears to be gone for the time being. How long it will stay gone depends on whether the heat wave triggers my allergies and another migraine. Right now, I'm managing to fend it off with medication (aleve, tynenol, phrenphrinline, and antihistimines). Also staying out of the heat.

3. The heat wave that plagued Europe and the Midwestern US is about to descend on the Eastern US (ie. South Carolina, up through and including Maine, and possibly into Canada) - they are calling a heat dome on the news and weather channels.

In NYC, temperatures are expected to reach the triple digits by Wednesday and Thursday. Or the heat index is expected to. Thursday is slated to be 106 degrees in NYC. If you are headed here on holiday? Try to find indoor venues Thursday through Monday? There are quite a few indoor museums in the city and they aren't that expensive. The MET is always worth a look, since that's suggested donation, as is the American Museum of Natural History (that's fun to go to - just to stare at Dinosaur bones). They are a bit of subway ride, and a walk for the Met, so there is that.

Although it may not be quite as bad near the water. Thunderstorms are slated for the 4th, which may or may not cool things down a bit.
( Read more... )

4. I finished the audiobook version of This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me - it was good. I highly recommend the audiobook version. The narrator was quite accomplished. Listening to audiobooks and Critical Role campaigns, and watch Vox Machina, has given me a whole new appreciation for professional voice actors. Vox Machina is a play on words - it means voice machine, which is basically all the voice actors involved. One of them does about fifty different voices. The same deal with This Kingdom - the narrator does about twenty different voices and five different accents. I know how hard that is - have I mentioned that I've tremendous respect for things I can't do? I cannot do accents or multiple voices. (Actually people who can sing - usually can - it's all about tonal flucuations, just as folks who can sing - probably will do very well with Mandarin or Asian languages, which are very tonal. I'm tone death - so not happening. I accept my limitations.)

Currently listening to Elizabeth Peter's Street of the Five Moons - it's a Vicky Bliss mystery. These are kind of - gothic cozy mystery comedies featuring an intelligent/savvy but somewhat inept twenty-something Assistant Art Museum Curator in Germany, who travels about on the Museum's dime solving mysteries. The romance is with an Art Thief, who she keeps bumping into, and in each of the cases, originally suspects and ends up trusting in spite of herself (it's a slow burn romance running across a series of four-five books). So there's the gothic. It's more adventurous than a cozy in some respects, but has an underlying tongue firmly in cheek dry wit - the book does not take itself seriously and appears to be poking fun at the genre. This one is read by "Barbara Rosenblat" - who is remarkably good. As Vicky - she manages a breathy impression of Kathleen Turner, and as the art thief, a rather decent take on Peter O'Toole meets Lord Peter Whimsy. Also manages a German and an Italian accent. I wasn't expecting much - it's a rather old school audio book, so I'm rather impressed.

Slogging my way through Withered Hill which I'm determined to finish this year. It's British Folk Horror with an allegedly unreliable narrator. So I'm curious. The thing takes place in a village in Cornwall, and in South London. And has a jagged narrative style. We jump between the period of time Sophie is outside Withered Hill and moving towards it, and the period of time she is stuck inside Withered Hill and attempting to escape (initially at least, she eventually gives up). But the pacing is slow, and there is way too much navel gazing and "woe, poor me" (regarding Sophie) for my taste. I don't really care about anybody in the book - the writing style is such - that I find it difficult to invest emotionally in the characters at all? I'm only sticking with it - out of curiosity, but it is a slog.

And moving slowly through the reading of the hard back version of "This Kingdom will Not Kill Me" - which seems to be more detailed than the audio version? Either that or I just pick up more details reading it. I'm enjoying it enough to do both. I wouldn't do this with other books, such as Withered Hill.

5. Finished S4 of Vox Machina, and promptly began to rewatch it from the beginning, also joined one of the fandoms for it on FB. I want to read people's takes on it and get news about it. Plus it pushes the political threads off the page. I've been filling FB and Instagram with movie, television series, and book sites in an attempt to get rid of all of the political posts (it is working) and the health posts (also working).

I was explaining RPG or Dungeons and Dragons to my mother (who vaguely remember my brother attempting to play it and failing miserably). ( Read more... )

I'm fascinated by it. Watching professional theater and improvisational voice actors do this? Is wild. They come up with amazing things. The creativity and character and world building is just - wonderful and twisted in all the right ways. And they are genuinely kind people.

I'm also impressed by how they handled a problematic collaborator who didn't handle the transfer from private home plays and home streaming to public zoom streaming well. Or the shift of platforms. ( Read more... )

In short, I've become enamored by Critical Role and The Legend of Vox Machina, and want more.

5. Question a Day Mememage

27. Do you have a favourite pasta dish?

I feel like I answered this? Maybe not? And no, not really? As a kid it was Lasagna. Now? I'd say gluten free spinach and cheese ravioli with pesto and broccoli. Or pea flour pasta with pesto and parmensene cheese and broccoli.

I can't eat mushrooms any longer, beef meatballs are out, as are turkey meatballs. So I do it with veggies.

28. Do you have a favourite morning beverage when you wake up?

Water. I might do tea.

29. If you could restart your life aged 16, would you do anything differently?

Probably not? ( Read more... )

30. Do you shout at bad drivers when you are in the car?

I did when I was driving - way back in my 20s. Although I wouldn't call it shouting? ( Read more... )

1. I received the final knee injection today. Hopefully it will work. Although, I am not going wild - and doing the insane stairs at 4th Avenue and 9th Streets. That's how I did the knee in to begin with. And no, knee braces don't prevent it or help any. Learn from my mistakes - if you have bad knees and they hurt, do knee exercises - do not climb eight flights of steep concrete steps five days a week, twice daily. I do not foresee any marathons in my future. But I might be able to manage a five mile hike down the road.

2. It's humid at the moment and sticky outside. In the low 80sF/26-28C, with high humidity. Overcast. No threat of rain until tomorrow - unfortunately. We need the rain. I can tell it's been drier than usual by looking at the drooping flowers and brown patches of grass here and there in my neighborhood. The trees and bushes seem to be fine. Lots of wilting lilies. I think planting lilies may have been a mistake? The Irises did well enough, but the lilies are wilting. Roses do best in NYC climate for some reason, that and sunflowers, daisies, and hydrangeas. Nice thing about living in a city residential area is ..you do not have to garden, there are more than enough gardeners around you that can do it for you.

3. Some good news? Besides the knee injection, and the lack of a migraine. (The vestibular migraine appears to be gone at the moment. Fingers crossed, it stays gone. It keeps threatening to come back, so we'll see.)

NYC Rent Guidelines Board Approved Rent Freeze or 0% increases for 1 and 2 year rents for the next two years
( Wow, didn't think that would happen )

4. I really wish the World Cup matches weren't being held in NY and NJ. (Technically New Jersey, but they might as well be being held here.) The city is incredibly crowded with tourists this summer. ( Read more... )

The City is really into huge group gatherings this summer? And by huge group gatherings, I do not mean anywhere from 100-10,000 people. No. I mean anywhere from 10,000 - 4 Million people. They had about 100,000 people in Prospect Park for a picnic at long tables. Why? Just Why?

As much as I'd like to meet new people? I can't do that folks. It's not in me.

What is it with these huge group gatherings? ( Read more... )

Oh, Mother had stayed up late watching the US vs. Turkey match on the World Cup.

Mother: They lost.
Me: Who?
Mother: The US. Although Turkey will still go home, and the US will move on, so it doesn't matter.
Me: Okay, why?
( Read more... )

5. Finished the four seasons available of Vox Machina - now watching Critical Role, and going back to re-watch from the beginning. Although I probably should? could? watch something else? I've a lengthy queue? I want to watch "Sheep Detectives" on Prime, "The Drama" on HBO, "The Bear" final season, X-men '97 rewatch for S2, From's latest episodes, Widow's Bay latest episodes...
( Read more... )
I do adore the creators of this - who have created their own animation company, and are exploring science fiction as well as fantasy series. ( Read more... )

6.June - Question a Day Meme

25. In the British Isles, there have been campaigns over the years to save the ancient regional languages such as Cornish (Kernewek), Welsh (Cymraeg), Irish (Gaeilge), Manx (Gaelg), Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig) and regional languages such as Jersey French (Jèrriais) and others. Are there any regional languages in the area you live in that are still surviving?

Yes. The Native Americans in the area - do still speak in their native language. Also most of the train stations in Long Island are Native American Tribe Words: Ronkonkoma, Massapequa, Patchoque, Montauk, etc.

https://www.native-languages.org/york.htm

https://www.gothamcenter.org/babel-in-reverse-indigenous-metropolis

Per Google: Several Native American languages indigenous to New York State are still spoken, though most are critically endangered and undergoing active revitalization.
( nitty gritty )

And yes, we have over a million different immigrant languages, English dialects and regional accents - in NYC alone.

26. What’s the temperature today where you live? Is it around the average for this time of year?

Currently? 75 degrees F, which is approximately 24 C?

Yes, for the most part. Although it feels more like July or August? The plant life looks like July and August - it's been drier than usual.

Bought myself flowers. Reddish purple carnations with baby's breath - a small bouquet that fits perfectly in a small green ceramic vase in the my living window. The Saturn night light is lighting it up nicely. ( explanation of the night light )

I'm also on a total news blockage. Yes, I'm ignoring what is happening outside of my section of the world at the moment.

And, I bought myself birthday cake. Because birthdays must have cake. (I think I have birthday candles somewhere? Although they aren't necessary. I'm kind of beyond the point of candles.) It's the only time I eat cake all year long - mainly because I'm diabetic and gluten intolerant, so finding a gluten free cake that's not going to put me into a diabetic coma is ...not easy. I ended up buying three small slices of cake by "By the Way Bakery" - which sells its products (made in NYC) via Whole Foods. I bought a slice of cloud coconut cake, raspberry cake, and chocolate cake. Also, was deliciously surpised by a Gluten-Free Desert Special at Met Fresh - which is about four blocks or five minute walk from my home. This was for a Dark and White Chocolate Cake, Gluten Free with White Chocolate Mouse and dark chocolate ganache layers and icing. It's a layer cake. It's delicious by the way - I cut myself a small slice tonight - garnished with whipped cream and raspberries. It will probably last a week.

The birthday itself lands on Monday, which I'm taking off for two reasons, a) it's my birthday, b) it's now the day after Daylight Savings Time begins in the US. (Whomever came up with that idea is paying for it somehow. Maybe they'll get hit by a cranky sleep deprived bus driver?)

Mother kindly bought me gifts via Amazon (which is relying too heavily on tech and making life more difficult for its customers as a result).
( the ordeal of getting gifts from people via Amazon, when you have an Amazon Locker in your building for security purposes )
I go down and get the package, which entails point the phone at the locker in my mail room, pushing a button for blue tooth, then pushing pick up and the locker with the package opens.

I open the package, which Mother told me had two wrapped presents inside. ( sigh, Amazon has gone downhill in the wrapping presents department - and considering they are using a gift bag - this is saying a lot )

It's been gloomy all week long. That lyric from an old Sarah McLachlan song comes to mindThe winter here is cold and bitter, It’s chilled us to the bone
I havent seen the sun for weeks...

Which is a bit melodramatic, I know. It's been more like days. Although the winter has been cold and bitter here - no 80s or 70s like elsewhere. We still have the heat on. It's been in the 30s/40s F this week. Which granted is much better than the single digits, teens, or 20s like most of the winter, or 20s/low 30s like the previous week.

Tomorrow it's supposed to be warmer, which dare we hope, sunshine. And Monday sunny and in the 50s, and possibly get up into the upper 60s next week. If it does that - I may walk up the pier to the cherry blossom exhibit during lunch time sometime next week. (Nice thing about Breaking Bad and new work location is they don't seem to notice if I'm gone for about an hour and half at lunch.)

**

On the reading front? I'm still in a reading slump. But I've almost made my way through the 285 page paperback book - The Botanist's Assistant by Peggy Townsend, which I got for Christmas. It's only been three months since I started reading it.( Read more... )

Having more success listening to Jim Butcher's Dresden Files via audible.
I finished Twelve Months - narrated by James Marsters. It was good.
Better than Battleground, mainly because more character development and less fighting. ( Read more... )

I'd say more...and have more to ramble on about - but I've got to go to bed. Or I'll screw up my sleep schedule more than daylight savings time is going to do. At least the clocks will automatically change themselves, except for the oven and microwave oven clocks.

[ETA: Fixed the year, because I can't quite get used to the fact that it is 2026 yet...]

Did Virtual Urgent Care - who proscribed antibiotics for the sinus infection that I appear to have - congestion that won't go away, made worse by the storm - resulting in the sick sinus headache from hell (which has a sort of vertigo as a symptom). I got a doctor's note for returning to work by Thursday, 2/26/26.

Ventured out around 4pm to pick up antibiotics from the pharmacy - wasn't bad considering the pharmacy is about six short blocks from my apartment.
They've plowed the roads, and cleared for the most part the sidewalks. There's puddles in places, and some areas are narrower than others - depends on whether it was a professional building maintenance person, or a home owner. Home owners suck at shoveling city sidewalks for the most part.
Although they did a better job with this storm than the last one - most likely because the city threatened them with sizable fines if they didn't do it.

I wanted to go back to work today - but I only slept three hours last night, even though I went to bed early. Was up all night with the nauseous headache, which made the room spin and came in waves. I went to lie down - it started. I couldn't even sleep sitting up. Standing I was fine. Or sitting on the edge of the bed. Finally, after a sneezing fit, lots of nose blowing, two more mezcline, and decogestants - it cleared a bit for sleep. But I felt horrible the next morning and gave up. Was going to use vacation time - decided sick time made more sense - I'm sick. And I've got more sick time than vacation time.

***

I finished watching All Creatures Great and Small S6 on PBS Passport, and might start up on Miss Scarlet or Maigret again. It didn't require much focus. I couldn't concentrate on anything until now - due to the headache. Last night, if I thought about anything at all - I got nauseous. It was frustrating and weird. It's a cozy series - All Creatures Great and Small - reminds me a little of Call the Midwife. I think the original might have been slightly better and more realistic, but I don't really remember the original that well? I read the books in the third and fourth grades.

Also working my way through Angel S5 - the Spike and Wes episodes so far are the better ones. ( Read more... )

Damage and Soul Purpose are the better episodes in this grouping. ( Read more... )

Off to get something to eat.

Good news? The storm has more or less ended and with it - my vertigo or so it appears. (I'm not tried to lie down flat as of yet, so hopefully it won't flare up when I go to bed.) So I will probably manage to navigate the mounds of snow to make it into work tomorrow. I don't really have an excuse - since I've got snow boots, and I take the subway, and it's located in the Financial District. Now, if I still worked in Jamaica and had to take the Long Island Rail Road into work that would be a different story - at last report, it was still suspended.

I'll probably make it in and not have a lot to do - because half my work place will be snowbound out on Long Island, including my boss. Although per Outlook - I think they all worked remotely. I couldn't. Vertigo was too bad. It's better now. I'm hoping it continues to improve. God, I hate vertigo.

Below is a "privileged education meme" that vaguely reminds me of a game I once played at church. If you were given certain opportunities - you advanced, if not you took two steps backwards. Myself and my friend at the time MD (who is a Black woman) were both ahead, as were a few young Black women and young men, while the old white British guy, his white Jewish wife, and the old white guys born in the 1940s were at the back. It seemed to divide itself more along class and generational lines then race?

( Privileged Education Meme )

Off to find something for dinner.

So the snowstorm was/is Bomb Cyclone - which I learned ages ago from an allergist -will play havoc on anyone with sinus issues.

A bomb cyclone according to the National Weather Service is : "or the meteorological term "bombogenesis," refers to the central pressure of a low-pressure system dropping at least 24 millibars within 24 hours.

Most bomb cyclones happen off the East Coast, which typically sees about one of these intense storms each year. In the Northeast, they form when there’s a sharp temperature contrast usually between a cold continental air mass meeting the warmer waters of the Atlantic Ocean.

This temperature difference, combined with a strong jet-stream disturbance that forces air upward, sets the stage for bombogenesis. Many nor’easters actually fall into this category, as cold air from Canada collides with the warm Gulf Stream, creating a perfect recipe for explosive storm growth."

The reason it plays havoc on sinus issues - is the barometric pressure drops. The fluid in the head shifts - placing pressure on the inner ear, resulting in vertigo.

It gave me non-stop vertigo, which I've been battling with prescription Dramamine to combat dizziness and nausea. It's kind of like seasickness, if you've never experienced it? But on land.

I went to bed, lay down, the room began to spin, frak that, I slept sitting up. As long as I was upright, not moving my head too much, I was fine. I'm hoping it is gone by tonight. It should be - since I think it is storm related.

Oh well, it could be worse - I could be homeless with vertigo, or stuck in an airport or bus depot with it, and no pills to take for it. (They work just not as well as I'd like? Work better when it is mild and well, we aren't in the middle of a bomb cyclone, and I didn't have a cold the previous week. But they did keep the nausea and vomiting at bay.)

The storm is still going by the way. It's been going since roughly 10 pm last night. Although it's no longer a blizzard.

Currently or as of 10 a.m. Monday (it's about 11:42 AM now and yes still snowing):https://www.nbcnewyork.com/weather/weather-stories/how-much-snow-totals-inches-nyc-long-island-nj-accumulation-blizzard/6467598/

It's shut NYC down almost completely. The Mayor was smart though - he cancelled all schools, declared a travel ban, and the Governor informed government agencies to keep all non-essential employees home, for remote work, if possible. They have a Full Snow Day for the first time in years (no remote), public transportation has shut down in places, and the travel ban was extended to about 6pm. It's 31 F, and feels like 6 F.

( Transit Adjustments )

https://ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/news/2026/02/23/what-s-open-closed-nyc-snow-storm-feb-2026

[ETA: The travel ban in NYC has been lifted, but with the caveat that people should drive slowly and with caution.]

"As of 10 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 22, more than 11,200 flights in and out of the U.S. were canceled or delayed.

In the New York City area, disruptions were widespread. At John F. Kennedy International Airport, 42% of departing flights were canceled, along with 7% delayed. Incoming flights were hit even harder, with 63% canceled and 2% delayed."

- https://www.lohud.com/story/weather/2026/02/22/nyc-airports-hit-by-massive-cancellations-ahead-of-blizzard-see-live-flight-status/88762935007/

Vertigo hasn't gone, unfortunately, but the medication has helped a bit.

So how's your day going so far?

Crazy Org is prepping for the snow armageddon or snow-hurricane that is set to hit us around midnight tonight. My sinuses and head can feel it coming - I've been struggling with a sick sinus headache all day long, along with vertigo - the only thing keeping it at bay are medications. (antihistimine for vertigo, decongestant (that you can take if you have high blood pressure), and migraine meds.). So far it's kind of working. I did fall asleep while watching All Creatures Great and Small on PBS Passport around 2pm. ( I decided to donate to PBS - and got access to the app again, at least for the year. If you donate more than $60, you can use the PBS Passport app.)

The Mayor issued a "travel ban" effective at 9pm today (Sunday) and the Long Island Rail Road suspended service, and Crazy Org (major public transportation agency) has advised its non-essential office workers - that you can tele-work from home if you are set up for it or in the program. (I'm not in the program (union) nor am I certain I have the set up any longer - since they've changed the security protocols again - but I've already chosen to take a personal day or vacation day - since the vertigo is hovering in the background and will be an issue. I have enough left that it won't be an issue.)
( Read more... )

I've been binge-watching All Creatures Great and Small - S6, napping, and fending off a vertigo headache for most of the day. I did go to the grocery store around 1 pm (before the storm really hit - and it was just drizzling) to pick up olive oil, coconut oil, honey, Mrs Dash seasoning, toilet paper, chocolate, and recycling bags and trash bags.
Also spoke to mother. Apparently it's raining in Ohau, Hawaii, and almost spring in Montana (according to my niece) , which has received hardly any snow, the plants are springing to life, and the temperatures are in the fifties and sixties. It's also in the 60s in Hilton Head, SC. Sounds lovely. I want to be there. It's 31 F here and rapidly dropping, and snowing.

Now, have decided to try cubicle mate rec'd "Start-Up". [ETA: tried, gave up (I found the guy tied to the chair with barbed wire a bit much) and the woman wanting to do a crypto start up annoying - plus I am not an Adam Brody fan). Went back to watch Angel S5.]

Well, I've accomplished a few things at least. Got up early enough to do my knee exercises, eat breakfast, and get distilled water for the humidifier/Nosh Steam Oven, and veggies/fruit, paper towels, and other mildly essential groceries. When I was putting said groceries away, the kitchen light decided to burn out. I notified the super - that it needs to be replaced (I have light bulbs). And transferred the small lamp that I have in the living room to the kitchen. It fits. So it will work for the interim. (Oh to have a ladder and a handy person to fix it - because I can't do it without killing myself. Tempting. But no. Mother would miss me. And knowing me - I wouldn't die, I'd just critically injure myself.)

Finished my taxes (although it cost me more to do them this year than my actual refund, also I have to pay NY State, damn it). ( tax hell )

It was nice weather today - in the upper thirties and forties, high about 45 degrees F (which is practically balmy considering the temps we've been having in NYC this winter). And the grocery store - was surprisingly sparse, not as many customers as expected, considering a big storm is moving in. (People are procrastinators - so they all probably came late in the day or tomorrow.)

I'm trying not to fret too much about the upcoming hellish winter storm. Breaking Bad warned me, but it didn't register and I didn't get it - I was overwhelmed with work this week - being blind sighted by C leaving. (C tracks everything for us and is my liaison with the project team, also one of the few people I can talk to.) Her last day was Friday. So, I was kind of discombobulated, and recovering from a head cold, so didn't pick up on the fact that a huge winter storm was coming on Sunday night. Figured it out when I got home - and saw the weather report. We're supposed to have blizzard conditions between 1 am and 10 am on Monday. I don't know if I can get to work in that? I walk and take the subways, which are above and below ground?
( Read more... )

I really wish the storm hit Friday night into Saturday instead, like last time. When I actually did take Monday off.

Dinner was "shrimp, brussel sprouts, and aspergus in the air fryer" - seasoned with red pepper, teriaki, fauk garlic salt (this is amazing on shrimp and veggies), and Mrs. Dash. (Which I need to get more of at some point.)

Also watched both Destiny and Harm's Way of Angel S5 rewatch. Picked up on the following:

( Read more... )

***

Question a Day - February Meme:

18. What is your favourite shellfish dish (if you have one)?

Lobster, preferably with melted butter, and lemon.

19. Have you ever worn false eyelashes or had eyelash extensions?

No. Or not that I recall? I might have - I have a vague memory of trying to do that - and it not working, and being a mess. Makeup and me are kind of unmixy things - particularly eye-makeup. I can do foundation but that's it.

20. Are you a fan of mayonnaise in a sandwich (either egg-based or vegan)?

No.

( Read more... )

21. When was the last time you heard music played live (at a concert, in a musical)?

The Broadway musical SMASH this past summer.

I'm not really a live concert person, I'm a live theater person. I like sitting in a seat and watching folks dance, sing, act, and tell a story on stage.

Current Mood: accomplished

Finding myself redefining patience of late. I've managed to sink into a routine of not thinking, and just ambling through to the tune of Pink Floyd's Comfortably Numb.

Right now, half watching the pilot episode of The Rockford Files - Backlash of the Hunter (it's available on Amazon Prime, Roku and Friendly TV), which aired on March 24, 1974, and co-starred a very young Lindsey Wagner - before Bionic Woman. James Garner has an effortless charm, chiseled good looks, and is the best thing in it. It was created by Stephen J Cannel, who did a lot of these sort of action/mystery series. It's kind of a Sam Spade/Raymond Chandler light PI series. My father loved it.( Read more... ) This was one of the better 1970s television series, but it has bland dialogue, which Garner does his best with - better than the supporting actors. (The series gets better ones as it goes). But alas, I've been watching Angel which has better dialogue and is a lot more compelling - this is kind of boring and I don't really care? It reminds me a lot of the writing/direction and acting in Poker Face actually. I remember watching a lot of these shows in the 20th Century and early 21st. It doesn't date well in regards to sexual orientation - uses words like queer in a derogatory manner. (Welcome to 1970s network television!) Also not very diverse in its casting, although more so than other shows on at the time.

Cold is getting better, I think? But I cancelled the second PT appointment - Friday's. Mainly because I don't want to hurt anyone who may be sensitive to germs - and they frown on you coming to their offices with a cough or runny nose. Work isn't an issue - I'm not near anybody at the moment, and only have to mask in public areas (break room, halls, lobby, restroom, and the trains/platforms). And I'm not coughing enough for it to be an actual problem. Although I think this is probably just allergies or a cold. Since switching off the bedroom radiator helped tremendously. I'm taking plenty of Mucinex, cough drops, antihistamines, etc. Runny nose, eyes, and a persistent cough. Also, a sense of being out of breath, tired, and lack of appetite. But other than that, fine. Doesn't prevent me from eating chocolate, unfortunately.

Bee aka cubical mate was discussing a new television show that she'd binged over the weekend and couldn't stop watching - with someone. I kept trying to figure out what it was? She mentioned people starting a company, the FBI hunting them down, insane things happening, and it being kind of twisted in places, and fast paced. Also way off her radar.

I sat there for fifteen minutes trying to figure it out. Gave up. Tried to convince myself not to ask. Gave up. Curiosity killed the cat and all that?

Me: What's the television show that you are discussing?
Bee: I'm about to go on another call, but, it's Start-up.

Start Up??? I look it up. Or rather google "Start Up Television Show". (Weirdly Bing or my work browser has it only on Apple TV and Prime, while Google and Firefox show it is on Netflix. Work browser is not accurate and often brings up different things than home browser. I work on a PC, and at home on a Mac. I'm computer versatile.)

When she gets off the phone - I ask her if it's the one with Martin Freeman playing the FBI agent Rask, and about crypto. She pauses to think and says yes. And she's watching it on Netflix.

I tell her - that I'll try it - but does it require a lot of focus? She says yup. So, I may have to wait - I'm watching old television shows for a reason? Also, my ability to focus on a television series right now is about at the level of Bridgerton. I need characters I love, good dialogue, and plots that aren't too convoluted.

Has anyone else seen "Start Up"? Is it any good? It's an older series - 2016-2018.

I am having the same issues with reading at the moment. I'll read a page and have to re-read it more than once sometimes. So, I'm listening to "Twelve Months" the latest in the Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher, narrated by James Marsters. And still reading The Botanist's Assistant on the train, and various digital comic books.

All I want to do is stare into space and think about nothing. I think it's a combination of the cold, NYC in February, the weather, work, and my knees. And not having much to look forward to at the moment? The knees are slowly getting better or stronger. The exercises appear to be working - and I am doing them every day. At least once a day. So there's that.

Off to do something else.

Current Mood: blank

Spent thirty dollars, and over two hours in City MD urgent care - only to discover what I pretty much already knew? It's a head/chest cold, not the flu nor COVID. (Whew) Means I can work the rest of the week - without having to take sick time. YAY!

Side-effect? I find myself paralyzed with not caring all that much about anything. Apathy has kind of sunk in to stay. Head colds can do that. Well head colds, gray days, fluctuating weather/temperatures, and bad knees.

Ah, the February Uglies, appear to be here to stay.

Question a Day Memage

17. Chinese New Year begins today, and festivities continue until March 3rd – the year of the Fire Horse. What animal are you born under in Chinese astrology?

Happy Lunar New Year or Chinese New Year? It's the Year of the Horse, which I guess is slightly better than the year of the snake? Oh, and apparently not just any old Horse, but the Year of the Fire Horse for the first time in 60 years.

( Article Links )

I'm the year of the Fire Goat - Here's an article explaning it: the Year of the Fire Goat.

***

Got to work, and found out a key member of our team is leaving for another job, her last day is Friday. It's not good news for any of us. She was a consultant - so it is Crazy Org's fault she is leaving. Stupid Crazy Org.
Although honestly, I'm finding it hard to care at the moment?

Got home, discovered the apartment was 80-81 degrees F, it's 41 degrees F outside. I decided the radiator heat was making me ill - that and having to open the windows. Had to turn on the A/C and a window fan to get the apartment to cool down. But the super did close the valve on the radiator in the bedroom again (finally). So this should help tremendously. Since I could find an air purifying fan - this was my best bet. PT - I had to cancel, because of the head and chest cold. I may call them tomorrow to see if they allow people to show up with a cold? I doubt it. But it doesn't hurt to ask.

Wore a mask on the subway and at work - in the common or public areas. The doctor said I could go to work - just to mask up. I envy folks who can work remotely. I only could during the pandemic. Although I probably need the human interaction.

***

On Angel Rewatch S5 Lineage (Wes centric episode) - Greenwalt stated at the Angel Reunion in 2018 - that they didn't know what to do with Wes's character - and as a result he had one of the best arcs. This is a pattern with both series? The characters that weren't planned or they had no idea what to do with initially - have the best arcs. Spike, Fred, Wes, Anya, Lilah, Lindsey, Darla. While the characters they'd planned out - not as great an arc. I think the writers were more intuitive and not great planners. Which actually? Explains a lot?

Also, apparently Charisma had a crush on Denisof who played Wes. But as she puts it - "Aly wanted him." Actually even if Aly hadn't, Charisma didn't have a chance in hell - Denisof didn't date cast mates. He turned down Aly until he left Buffy and they were on separate shows. (As Marsters put it in a podcast - never ever date a member of the cast.)

Amber states that she accidentally gave Aly some tongue in one of their kissing scenes - and Aly was shocked, and per Amber, probably sweated the most in her life. (Amber does not say it in a complimentary manner.) Per Emma (Anya) - James (Spike) was the most adept at kissing, Tony was okay, and Brendan...well, he had a habit of eating disgusting onion and fish sandwiches prior. (There were practical jokers on the set - Brendan, Charisma, Sarah, and David.)

After watching the 2018 reunion, and various Q&A's including the one I watched on Monday? I am beginning to believe the rumor that Amber and Hannigan didn't get along nor liked each other. ( Read more... )

No matter what I do? Every ten years - I get sucked back into the Buffy fandom. I don't know why. I blame the internet. Bad internet.

Mother told me all about what my niece is up to. Apparently she has a new boyfriend - a California Forest Ranger, who she met last year. (She's also living with a guy, but he's not her boyfriend, and he's apparently writing a book for his thesis - it's not clear if it is fiction or non-fiction. I'm guessing non-fiction?) And she's come up with an idea for an investigative journalism piece on the political corruption surround fire retardation use and how forest fires are put out or not as the case may be. Her advisor is excited about it - he wants her to pursue journalism and writing. (She's an excellent writer). Statistics is causing her difficulty though - apparently no one in our immediate family has the math gene? She finds calculus and statistics boring, and it doesn't make a lot of sense. (I can relate.)

Feeling rather bored and apathetic with my own life at the moment, not helped by the bad knee, which refuses to get better and makes it difficult to do much of anything but get to and from work, and the occasional errand (including physical therapy). It still hurts. Although my physical therapist, Vishanti, appears to think it is getting stronger and better, so there's that at least. Also, it's warming up - a little outside?
It reached a rather balmy 41 degrees F today, and a low of 29 F.

After some negotiation - I finally managed to convince the Super to turn off the sparkling brand new radiator that they installed in my kitchen. It's black. It takes up more space than I'd like? But I think I can fit a small cabinet in front of it. And since it's turned off - I cancelled my purchase of the window fan. Also it's not quite as warm in the apartment at the moment as it was last night, which made it difficult to sleep. Although the radiators are blasting now - so that could always change?

Every day on my commute, I run across old homeless folks. Today, it was an old white woman, who looked a bit like a gnome. ( Read more... )

Sometimes I think - if I can just help one person in this world. Then maybe the rest won't matter? See? George Bailey moment. [If you don't get it? Look it up. We have the internet - it's easy. Hint: it's a cultural reference from a 1940s Christmas Movie starring Jimmy Stewart. ;-)].

***

Question a Day Meme

8. How often do you read fiction?

95% of the time. I also write it. And tell it in my head. And listen to it on audio-book, and read graphic novels or comics that are fictional.

I read non-fiction for work. Fiction for pleasure.

9. This year is the 40th anniversary of the release of the film Ferris Bueller’s Day Off – have you ever seen it? Bueller…. Bueller…. Bueller…..

Yes. I saw it in the movie theater when it first came out - admittedly with the wrong person (my mother - which ahem, not a movie to see with one's mother). And numerous times on television.

40 years? Damn. I feel old. It was, I think, a 1980s John Hughes film. John Hughes was the King of teen flicks in the 1980s, he, Francis Ford Coppola and a few others - kind of redefined teen cinema.

It grated though - because I identified a bit too much with Ferris' sister.
That said? Required back to back viewing is Ferris Bueller's Day Off and Election - where Broderick is the stumbling adult, to Reese Witherspoon's ambitious and annoying teen.

10. Have you ever owned a Tamagotchi?

I had to look it up - because I had no clue what it was. So clearly no.

Tamagotchi can be found here. Hint? It kind of reminds me of the electronic version of what they were trying to give out in the Buffy Episode Bad Eggs. If it had been electronic - Bad Eggs would have gone VERY differently.

11. Would you consider yourself superstitious?

Not really. I might flirt with it - but I am a born skeptic. I question everything. So no, not superstitious.

1. Another bitterly cold day, actually worse than yesterday. Woke up to no hot water in the shower - per the Super, the pipe had froze. Apparently the folks in the apartments on the 6th and 4th floors barely use the hot water (they must be very stinky?) and the 5th is now vacant.

Me: What happened to the new tenant in the 5th Floor apartment, did they leave already.
Super: They passed away.

So they took heaters up to the 5th floor and 6th and got the hot water working. Apparently the 4th is fine. (I'm annoyed I was dripping the hot water - and had even taken a hot shower at 11 pm). Their solution is to put another radiator in the bathroom (I already have one in there) and close the door - apparently this worked on the 5th and 6th floor. And open the hot water valve.

They also decided to turn on the radiator in my bedroom. Because 64 degrees in the bedroom, with the windows covered and the cracks patched up, is too cold. The building code is 70 degrees.

After all that work to get the radiator turned off in the bedroom - it's back on again, because the temperatures decided to go below 0 this weekend.

So, how's your Sunday going so far?

Some church services were cancelled. Mine wasn't - I'm watching it on Youtube on time delay (I kept pausing it to deal with the Super). And no it wasn't done virtually - they are actually there having service and live-streaming it. People came from Chinatown - for the first time. Now, that's dedication.

2. Speaking of dedication? Found this via brithistorian yesterday....

"The rule: In order to prevent ski jumpers from going full flying squirrel with their suits, they undergo a 3D body scan, which determines the dimensions (and hence the surface area) of their suit.

The allegation: It has been alleged that some ski jumpers are having their penises injected with hyaluronic acid to make them bigger and thus net them extra cloth in the crotch of their suits. It's not a lot, but given the tight margins of victory in some Olympic competitions, it could make a difference.

The ruling: WADA (the World Anti-Doping Agency) has said they have no definitive evidence that this has ever been done, and in fact they aren't even sure that this would fall under the definition of doping, but they do say they'll be looking into it."

Now, assuming folks are actually doing this? That's dedication. It didn't say what the women ski jumpers do - but yes my mind went there.

[Personally? You couldn't pay me enough to do ski jumping. I don't ski. Tried that, won't do it again. It's a real good way to permanently injure yourself for no good reason - which is why my father refused to ski - he considered it an expensive, cold, dangerous sport with no point.]

***

3. Watching Angel S4 and Buffy S7 back to back or together kind of hammers home how impossible it is for Angel to be redeemed. ( Read more... )

Now, I'm kind of watching Katee Sackoff and her husband watching herself play Starbuck in BSG, they've never seen it. (This is a thing, now? Actors watching themselves in iconic/popular 25 year old television series in podcasts. And you get to watch the actor freaking out over the show, and their own acting, and realizing, wow, this was a great show.) Sackoff is kind of similar to Juliet Landau, because both know filmmaking, and they are doing it with another person.

This is just making me want to rewatch Battle Star Galatica and I have enough shows in my to watch queues without adding re-watches. Stopped.

Hibernating in my apartment (because it is -16 degrees F outside with windchill, that translates to - 26 C (correction - it's now dropped to 6 degrees and is between -12 and -14, so I guess the wind is leveling off at least?), it's 68 degrees inside with radiators). I'm wearing a turtle neck, sweats, and fluffy socks. So I'm warm. Had hot coco earlier.

( Read more... )

I did finish "Buffy S7: Storyteller" - and the ending isn't bad? ( Read more... )

Then watched two episodes of The Pitt S2 - which were excellent. I love this series. (It's a hyper-realistic medical procedural that focuses on one 16 hour shift in an American inner city ER. It's less personal than This is Gonna Hurt or ER, in that we don't see the home lives of any of the characters. The only set is the ER and the immediate area into and out of it. We see Dr. Robi riding his motorcycle to the ER to start his last night shift before leaving on sabbatical, but after that? It's indoors. Medical health care workers - have stated that when people ask them to describe what they do? They point to the Pitt.)

I can relate - I have troubles explaining my profession too - although it's not that, and no one in their right mind would do a television show off of it. The viewers would go to sleep, god knows, I do.

Mother called after the figure skating (partly to apologize for the American's short program being a disappointment - it isn't usually) and to tell me about a comedy sketch she's working on for her retirement center's variety program. The center's self-appointed theater director has grown weary of writing sketches and has asked people to write or develop their own acts to be edited together into one program. They just have to write it about the center and issues involving it. Mother's decided to do a "Who's on First, What's on Second" sketch - except using maintenance workers.
( Mother's skit - well so far )
I wished her luck with it. She's presenting it to her friend (the self-appointed theater director) tomorrow. (Mother is 83 turning 84 this year, and her friend is about four-five years older, I think.)

**

The self-appointed Buddhist expert on FB posted a list of things to do to change your life and become...I don't know? Calmer? More empathetic? A better person? One never knows with self-appointed internet Buddhist experts.

Their list?
( 6 month plan to become unrecognizable.. )

Anywho - the first three aren't bad: Get sun regularly, practice gratitude, practice detachment (unless of course it means becoming a sociopath - in which case? Bad Buddhist, and I do not think that's what Buddhism is about). But the fourth one kind of lost me and I fluttered away after that, arguing with the person who posted in my head (assuming of course it is an actual person? It could be Generative AI or a Digitial auto pilot account, one never knows these days. (And also not very Buddhist. Techie, yes, Buddhist, no.)
( Read more... )
**

Against my better judgement, I caved and made brownies. ( Read more... )

**

I've managed to do my knee exercises or most of them - the important ones at any rate. Not necessarily three times today, but the knee was hurting still from yesterday. I'd stood on it too long - so it wanted to rest. It finally stopped hurting sometime around noon.

***

Memage

4. How old is the oldest book you own?

God knows. It appears to be On the Road with Jack Keroack - 1955. I was going to say my copy of the Hobbit or the Last Hurrah, but On the Road wins. (I don't tend to keep old books - since I'm allergic to the dust and book mold - and I don't have the space, and I can barely read the small print any longer.)

5. It’s the 60th anniversary of the game ‘Twister’ – have you ever played it?

Yes. Although not since the 1980s. I vaguely remember enjoying it a lot in the 1970s as a kid.

6. In 1869, Harper's Weekly published the first picture of Uncle Sam with chin whiskers. Do you know anyone with a beard or a moustache?

Most of my neighbors and male co-workers. My boss has a beard and moustache, his boss does. Most of the young men in the neighborhood do. Most of my male neighbors - next door, across the hall, downstairs, the guy in the basement. It's incredibly trendy at the moment?

7. Is there a subject at school which you disliked, but you would consider learning now?

No. The ones I disliked, I ended up learning in spite of myself, and unfortunately doing for a living and figuring out on my own. So I don't think it matters? There's no avoiding math. It's a fact of life. As is business law, contracts, and property law. Whether you go to law school or not. Same with computers. Can't avoid it.

Science? No. I hated biology then, I hate it now. Dissection really wasn't my thing. And chemistry - too many annoying formulas and you kind of need to know calculus.

My subject heading sucks - I blame it on the brain fog.

1. Buffy S7 Re-Watch - this season is a whole lot better than I remembered it?

( vengeance is a bad bad thing )
When I first watched S7, my enjoyment was tainted by reading the responses of those watching it along with me on various posting boards. Many of which I knew fleetingly or saw once or twice in person, if at all. Looking back, I find myself pondering why I cared what they thought? Or why they cared what I thought? I suppose we wanted to connect somehow, as impossible as that may seem, and to an extent we did. Also, it is interesting to see variant views. So perhaps tainted is not the right word? So much as colored my enjoyment or enhanced and undermined?

It also helps that I know what happens next - some of the nervous anxiety and anticipation is gone.

There's some interesting takeaways.

( Spike )

( Giles and Wood )

( how different Spike is with a soul )

There's a few interesting questions posed by the episode, some answered, some not.

* Why does Anya tell Spike that Giles is the First, when she knows he isn't? (Does she want to play a joke on Spike and Giles?)

* Why doesn't the First use Spike to kill the Girls - what is the First holding Spike back for? ( Read more... )

Interesting episode, better written than I originally gave it credit for. Even the Xander bits are kind of fun. Poor Xander - he keeps going for the demons. He and Buffy seem to have that in common. Actually I think everyone Xander has dated was or became a demon at some point, with the exception of Willow? Cordelia does in Angel S3. Buffy similarly has gone for mainly men who have well issues? Riley was on super-serum, when she fell for him. Spike - vampire. Angel - vampire. Only Willow doesn't appear to do that, and well Giles.

My favorite exchange (it's a hilarious episode in places, the lines in these series are wonderful):

Xander and Buffy at the same time: I have a date!
Xander: Wait, I have a date - way to upstage me, Buff.
Buffy: Sorry. Would it help if I said, it's not really a date - it's with the Principal? My boss? Who is either evil or promoting me? It could be a promotion? Or -
Xander: Isn't he at least 10 years older.
Willow: Yet a 100 years younger than the last two.
Buffy: And fingers crossed, less with the wicked energy. We're hoping I don't have a type. And he's not evil, even if his office is directly above the hellmouth.

Buffy's dating choices would put anyone's to shame.

2. My knee is doing better. I've been doing the exercises - there's about ten of them? And I have an app now - that I can go into, see how to do it, how many sets, reps, and holds, and once I finish, click complete, and it takes me to the next one. So I do them in order. There's one that the PT wants me to do five times a day (but it's lying flat on the bed pushing a towl into the bed or floor) and that's impossible to do five times a day. (I commute into the city daily to work at a desk in front of a computer in a cubicle.) But the exercises are making the knee feel better. So I'll make sure I do them as often as possible this weekend. I've done them diligently yesterday and today. It helped getting the app. My difficulty is I can barely see the wording on the PDF print outs, and can't keep track.

3. Discovered a few nifty IBS aides.

* Kiwi and Magnesium Citrate really help with constipation. So does Miralax.

* Baking Soda and lemon juice helps with digestion, heart burn, and gastric reflux.

* Peppermint tea settles stomachs.

4. Discovered there might have been a General Strike today via social media - my sister-in-law posted about it on Instagram. I saw it after I got home from work today.

(It's easy for her to go on strike - she owns her own fashion business, doesn't have to travel anywhere, nor does my brother, neither work for anyone, and they are flying to Hawaii for free on Sunday due to credit card points).

At least I think it was today? It's hard to know for certain. Maybe it's tomorrow? Although why would anyone go on strike on Saturday? I don't think it happened - because, ahem, not everyone got the memo? None of my co-workers knew about it. And people were traveling on the trains. Granted not quite as many - but it was also 10 degrees - so....

You know you can't exactly have a General Strike if you don't tell everyone about it. If people don't know the specifics - such as date, time, and what they are expected to do - they aren't going to be able to comply and go on strike. It's not personal - they just don't know.
( Read more... )

Current Mood: aggravated

Brrr...umph. It's cold. And getting colder. Today it was 8 degrees. Tomorrow it is supposed to be 10 below zero. NYC wasn't designed for anything below 20 degrees. It's a pedestrian city - we all walk places, wait outside for buses, and in some cases - on outside platforms for trains. But you can't wait outside for 20-30 minutes in temperatures below 20 degrees - you can get frost bite. Most you can safely do is 15 minutes tops. (People blow my mind - a lot of people are walking around in sneakers without socks.)

It was okay for a little bit (the cold temperatures - not the people wandering about sockless), but I'm tired of it now and want it to warm up already. (You know that it has been cold, when 18 degrees with no wind feels okay.) Also tired of navigating around snow, ice and slush. My area was a mixed bag when it came to shoveling. Some folks did it well, some tried and gave up, while others barely bothered at all. (Note Super's at apartment complex's are experts at shoveling. Everyone else sucks at it.)

Told Breaking Bad that my brother is off to Hawaii for the entire month of February, he leaves Sunday.

Breaking Bad: ask him - if he can take me with him? If there's enough space in one of his suitcases? I can curl up in it.
ME: Yeah, I'd like to go too. But alas, can't. (also Bro won't take me. He hates traveling with me. Can't think why...actually I don't like traveling with him either. So even if crazy workplace let me go - I couldn't. We'd kill each other in the space of four hours, maybe three - and that's a long flight.)
Breaking Bad: Hope he makes it out okay, god bless him.
Me: yeah me too...(well I do...for the most part...)

I also hope this weekend's winter storm skips over NY and Long Island and heads out to sea. We do not need more snow.

They are already wandering about with snow melting machines. (Basically hot tubs on the backs of trucks, which they use to melt the snow.) I'm blaming my incessant brain fog on the cold weather. I'm forgetting things and having troubles focusing. Also I keep dozing off at work. It's either the cold, anxiety (gee, wonder why?) or senility is settling in at the ripe old age of 58.

Oh, a bit of good news? The Senate rejected the Bill (that will fund ICE among other things) 55-45. It required 60 to pass. 8 Republicans voted with the Democrats specifically against the ICE measure. So if anyone called to stop it? Kudos. People keep calling for a General Strike - but I'm not sure they understand what that means? I mean if you shut down public transportation, hospitals, fire departments, doctors, nurses, EMT, sanitation, taxis, etc - what happens if someone needs an operation, a heart transplant, injures themselves, or has a heart attack? Also you have a lot of paycheck to paycheck folks? If they go on strike - there goes this month's rent. I endorse protests that do not injure innocent people unnecessarily or animals for that matter.

Although, I am vaguely amused by the statement: No one thought the Revolution would start in Minneapolis except for Prince. (Which is actually true - he even called his band "The Revolution" and kept writing songs about how the world ends.)

27. Up-Helly-Aa is a vibrant fire festival celebrated in the UK Shetland Islands tonight. Thousands gather to witness the breathtaking sight of a longship ablaze, illuminating the night sky. Do you have any similar local winter or summer celebrations?

The US is weird? We have so many blended cultures - that it depends on which state and community you live in? But yes, there are Winter Festivals.
I think NY's is the Chinese New Year - we have a huge celebration for it in Chinatown and various areas in NY.

28. Have you ever played a kazoo?

In case you don't know - This is a Kazoo

And not that I recall?

29. It's Tom Sellek's birthday - have you ever seen him in anything you've enjoyed?

Ponders. I guess a handful of Magnum PI episodes? He's not a favorite of mine. I'm kind of ambivalent. Also I was more into "Fame" which was opposite it at the time. Yeah, Sellek never did anything for me. He was kind of boring? A little bit like James Garner and Harrison Ford (or what would happen if they got together and had a kid), but both are much better and more charismatic actors than Sellek. Also Magnum PI couldn't hold a candle to the Rockford Files.

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shadowkat

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Page Summary

Saturday was lovely, today is rainy...and not worth mentioning
Reviews and other stuff...
Thursday Showers...and the British Imigration Act?
Wildfires, Movies, Bookes, Mememage..and Ethics courses written by AI, Oh My.
Friday pretends to be Saturday (I took it off), it's hot, and I'm watching telly
Sunday's Post on a Monday....& Memage
This that and the other thingamagig
March 7, 2026 - Three Day B-Day Weekend
Sinus headaches, Angel Rewatch...
(no subject)
Snow bound - and struggling with vertigo...
Snow-cane or Snow Armageddon 2026
Saturday....is accomplished but trying not to fret and dread what lies ahead...
Wednesday is...just there staring into space...humming along to Comfortably Numb
Tuesday is sick but shambling along...and spent way too much time in urgent care
This that and catching up on the Question a Day Meme for February
Sigh...how is your Sunday going? Mine's starting out cold...and frustrating, I'd rather be in Hawaii
Brrr-umph. Hibernating on a Saturday...so a long-winded post
TGIF? Still cold, so hibernating, and Buffy 7 Rewatch
More memage and whinging about the cold...

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Style: Sea and Salt for Nouveau Oleanders by branchandroot
Resources: OpenClipart and Oceanside Twilight

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Page generated Oct. 25th, 2026 03:35 am

Spontaneous Musings

from a curious soul

Entries tagged with weather

Saturday was lovely, today is rainy...and not worth mentioning

Reviews and other stuff...

Thursday Showers...and the British Imigration Act?

Wildfires, Movies, Bookes, Mememage..and Ethics courses written by AI, Oh My.

Friday pretends to be Saturday (I took it off), it's hot, and I'm watching telly

Sunday's Post on a Monday....& Memage

This that and the other thingamagig

March 7, 2026 - Three Day B-Day Weekend

Sinus headaches, Angel Rewatch...

(no subject)

Snow bound - and struggling with vertigo...

Snow-cane or Snow Armageddon 2026

Saturday....is accomplished but trying not to fret and dread what lies ahead...

Wednesday is...just there staring into space...humming along to Comfortably Numb

Tuesday is sick but shambling along...and spent way too much time in urgent care

This that and catching up on the Question a Day Meme for February

Sigh...how is your Sunday going? Mine's starting out cold...and frustrating, I'd rather be in Hawaii

Brrr-umph. Hibernating on a Saturday...so a long-winded post

TGIF? Still cold, so hibernating, and Buffy 7 Rewatch

More memage and whinging about the cold...

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