Silly Site o' the Day

Home from Manhattan and not commuting in for another week (because I'll be in every day the following week), so let's do this thing we haven't done in at least a few days. If you feel AI can suck it and Disney can follow suit, these new Disney/Pixar AI-generated cartoons are right up your alley.

Spiralling Downward

It does feel like it, at least to me. Personally I'm handling January as best I can, the roof of my mouth is today's weird pain but this too shall pass. I'm more concerned for my fellow citizens, not only in the Los Angeles area but in the entire country, because I'm a human being who understands and tries to praactice empathy. And my heart goes out to the latest slew of fans who found out another idol of theirs is cavalier with feet of clay (the Chabon reference is deliberate as that's one circle in which the accused author travels). Stop idolizing famous folks just because they write well, or make good music, or pass compassion legislation. Power tends to corrupt, and if the seeds are there in the first place it enables them to bloom unrestrained by propriety or common sense or (there's that word again) empathy. Enjoy the work if it's done well and realize the person who made it is a flawed human being like all of us, only more so because power and money tend to do that. I think part of the disappointment is rooted in the stubborn belief so many have that riches imply moral righteousness, and we know from the evidence of our own eyes now turned towards our nation's capital that this just isn't so. I give as big a virtual platonic hug as I can manage to all those who feel betrayed in one way or another, and remind you that there is still, always, work to be done.

Muscle Better, Bones Cold

Have I mentioned how January is so not my favorite month? While the weird pain in my ribcage has now disappeared, the cold still seeps in, and I had to commute back and forth and wait for each bus in frigid weather, as well as having a lunch date a full block away. Seriously, I complain about stupid things. I made it through just fine. And I'm sick of the cold but at least it's not wildfires and not ice storms. And I did have a good time seeing everyone in the office. Once I'm either at my source or my destination I'm fine, it's the in-between that gets me...

A Stitch in Time

Or in my side. I have no idea why my rib muscles hurt on my right side. I'm hoping it's just another weird gastrointestinal glitch, or maybe I've been holding my iPad too close to that area and leaning into it the past few days. The pain has eased a bit, although I could only manage 10 minutes on the exercise bike. I'm just hoping to be okay to go into Manhattan tomorrow. At least the finances are finally done and sorted. Now to finish reading my comics...

Of Quaker Lower Sugar 44-Packet Boxes

Maple and Brown Sugar flavor, to be exact. Not only a serious go-to during colder weather, but the ideal sized box (once the packets are decanted) to hold our 2024 financial records. And so they sit in the corner, waiting for my W2 and whatever 1099s Robin gets, so we can do our taxes later in the winter. Still haven't caught up with my checkbook but I've done the "five things I need to do before the thing I need to do" so it's a start. Haven't felt like anything much today. Finished a pile of comics (DCs are in storage waiting for the giveaway once the weather warms a bit), watched way too much football, both English and American, because I couldn't really concentrate on anything, and tried and failed to nap a couple of times. Just a blah day. That I have to allow for this makes it no less frustrating.

Normalization

The human body and spirit, they are resilient things. I think my body is actually getting used to the cold now, after being hammered with it on and off these past few weeks. Well, give or take my insomnia, about which there's little I can do except catch up on sleep during the day. My outerwear for grocery shopping today was a jacket over a sweatshirt, no thermals under my jeans, and only one pair of socks, and I was fine. We even had to crack open the car windows on the way home because my glasses kept fogging up. Everything was put away in fairly short order, allowing for lots of nap time and reading time. Looks to be another good weekend!

Silly Site o' the Day

Another work week ended, another weekend of binging and reading to look forward to. It's the little things! Speaking of binging, I'm sorry Star Trek: Lower Decks has ended, but we'll always have this behind-the-scenes look:

Via Laughing Squid.

Daddy's Girl

Today is the anniversary of my father's actual birth (as I understand it, the Romanian birth certificate wasn't issued until three days later, so we commemorated both January 9 and 12 as his birthday), and I called Mom this morning to make sure she was okay. There are aspects of my father that I miss dearly, and lots of others that I see whenever I look in the mirror. He was, as everyone would attest, a character, and I think I'm a bit of a character too. I try to concentrate on the things about him that make me smile, rather than the things I'm still having to work out of my system. His line may die out with our generation, but his legacy will remain as long as we remember him, and pretty much as long as I'm around for people to remember me.

A Song of Fire and Ice

Thank goodness my brother and sister-in-law in the Los Angeles area aren't directly affected by the area wildfires, aside from breathing in all the thick smoke. Here in NY I stayed in and worked from home during the time my brain was operational, and thanked my lucky stars our freeze-out situation wasn't worse, like my poor friends in California or the middle of the country with all those icy roads. There doesn't seem to be an end in sight, so it'll be heads-down in as much work as I can manage during the next couple of days. That and lots of hot liquids.

It Could Always Be Worse

New York isn't the only place where the wind's whipping about. Wildfires are devastating the Los Angeles area because the Santa Ana winds are out of control. The middle of the country is in a deep freeze, extending even into the deep South. Meanwhile, I layered up, wore my cleats as far as the end of the driveway where Robin and I realized nothing was iced over so he went back home with the cleats while I continued to the bus, then when I got to the office I realized I was a bit too warmly dressed for indoors. So Thursday I'll wear a long-sleeved warm blouse instead of a sweater, but of course I have to get through tomorrow first. Glad I went in, there was lots to do in-office today and I met with six of the ten folks I support. But I really could do without the commuting time, especially that spent waiting for the bus to arrive. Very brutal. But all in all I still consider myself lucky compared to so many others.