ringsandcoffee | Reading

I'm not a people person. There are a lot of people I don't like. But there are some people who seem to spend a lot of energy making sure their position on that list is signed in stone.

The volleyball meeting went pretty well. Linda (the one who started this whole thing because she wants to sleep in), laid out what she wanted and asked if anyone objected. She looked right at me so I said that I did not object but that I would not be playing at later hours. I said that I had been ready for a break anyway so this was fine and I wanted to swim early so this plan - of playing later - worked out fine for me.

There was discussion. Wally asked how long I wanted a break for and if I would ever consider coming back. I said I'd absolutely consider it and I didn't know how long. There was discussion and one of the other players said he was dropping out but mainly for skin reasons. There was talk about new players and they all seem to think that they would get new players if they started after 8. BUT they need to stop no later than 9:30 because of other stuff scheduled. So there was more discussion.

About the time I was getting ready to excuse myself because I had no more to contribute, Wally suggested that we just put the whole thing on a break until Steve's foot healed and then revisit. Everyone agreed that that was the best course of action. I said I'd send out a note to everyone. We ended the meeting.

I got home, I sent an email to everyone. I got a response from one so I know it went out fine. 5 minutes later, I get an email from Linda saying "would you send out an email to everyone about the volleyball decision". Check your fucking inbox, jerk.

But, mainly, whew. I am off the hook for now and really for as long as I want. Nice.

On the down side - we're in the 5th inning and the Mariners are losing 5-0.

susandennis

Biggie is very good about at least trying to take his pills. He does not run from me, but in trying to get them down his throat, his teeth have caught my finger twice and my thumb once in the last 3 days. Plus by the time we try 43 times, a lot of the pill has dissolved. He's not allowed to have anything to eat except prescription wet cat food. But, I'm putting his pills in pill pockets. He LOVES them. I swaddle them into the pill pockets and put the result down on his plate and every bit of the pills are inside his tummy in an instant.

So if he dies by pill pocket, that's just the way it was meant to be.

I've really enjoyed this volleyball holiday. It has not been as much fun as it was once. There is really only one person I enjoy seeing and playing with every time and he's out with a broken foot. The rest of the people who come often just annoy me. Two of those people have now decided we should change the game schedule from Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 6:30/7 to 8 (Those same two already killed a half hour of play last year). Those two, by the way, do none of the set up and take down required for every game. Anyway. Now they have decided we should play MWF at 8 or 8:30. The reason they are saying is they think more people will play. The real reason is that they want to sleep in. Everyone else seems fine with that so now I have a graceful out. That is too late in the day for me. By the time I get home and dressed it would be 10 or 11 and nearly lunchtime. That's half the day 3 days a week. Nope.

We are meeting today at 1 pm - same time as the Mariner game starts :(. To discuss. My plan is to keep my mouth shut unless asked directly, in which case, I'll allow as how I'm willing to join the first few games to get them started but not long term.

I'd be happy to get down there and swim my laps and be done before they start. So it could be a win win for all of us!

Today is elbow coffee but that's still an hour out. Then I was going to settle in for the ballgame. Oh well.

Fitbit says I have 2,875 steps so far today. I say WTF? I walked to the pool (about 700 steps) and I walked back. Did I slip into a walking coma??? How very weird. The Fitbit app is being gobbled up and rebranded as Google any minute now. So no more Fitbit anything.

susandennis

I finally came to the conclusion that my non-thong flip flops were causing the nerve issues in my foot. I stopped wearing them about a week ago and have not had a single nerve twinge. BUT, they are wonderful for to and from the pool each morning and not bad for around the house. And mostly they offer perfect foamy arch support which make even my legs feel better. I have not had a thong between my toes for a hundred years so my toes are not trained or callused. But, they can learn. I know they can. So I got them a pair of thonged flip flops with amazing arch support.

I wore them a little yesterday and to the pool and back today. My toes are not thrilled but also are not ready to revolt. The current plan is to give them some gradual flip flop time. They do feel fabulous on my feet other than the toes.

I have an increasing list of errands to run in town but none are critical and I probably won't go today. The Mariners game is at 4. I ordered beef stroganoff for dinner to be picked up at 3. The menus for next week came out today and they are very meh. Their strog is usually decent and one serving is about 4 dinners. It also freezes, thaws and reheats well. And they are also having a big Memorial Day buffet on Monday. For some reason, their Memorial Day meals are the best of all their holiday meals. So that's my meal plan for next week. Doesn't take much these days.

My Mom spent her entire life trying to lose weight. She was never obese. She was short but probably topped out at 175 when she was pregnant. She was always trying to lose 20 to 30 pounds. Always. And she tried everything - everything legal and somethings not so legal. She never ate a single calorie that she didn't count and log. A GLP-1 would have changed her life. I think about that a lot. And am even more grateful.

taz_39

**Disclaimer** The views and opinions expressed in this post are my own, and do not reflect the views or opinions of my employer. DO NOT RESHARE ANY PART OF THIS POST WITHOUT PERMISSION. Thank you.

This post covers Wednesday and Thursday.

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WEDNESDAY

Had a better sleep and remembered to turn the thermostat down a degree before going to bed, which helped. I wore the new Apple Watch to bed because it needs to collect data for 7 nights or so to get baselines for the new health information (respiration, temperature, O2 levels, etc.) I don't plan to wear it at night all the time, but maybe two weeks a month for a while and then one week a month or so after. That way when I'm sick it will be able to notice changes in vitals.

Anyway, breakfast and normal morning things. I did some Atlanta Foodie Finds, filled out my sister's birthday card, put the gift inside and mailed it. Not sure if it'll show up on time since it's a holiday weekend but if I get it close that's pretty good.

Walked to the theater for setup and sound check. It's a tiiiiiny little theater with a cramped backstage, and I'm kinda impressed that they managed to fit our big whomping show in here! Since backstage is so tight I didn't take pics, some things can't be shared on the socials after all, but here is what the house ceiling looks like. Ornate and pretty.

(stock image. My view from the pit is nil.)

Sound check and the evening show were both fine. I got into my trunk and dug out the Instant Pot because I'm selling it. It's been a year and I haven't used it once. Thought I would, but the smaller, lighter Itaki is just too convenient and it's so much easier to just use that.

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THURSDAY

I was up early to do laundry because if I do it now, I can sleep in on Friday and then do something FUN instead of CHORES :p

Found a nice laundromat a short Uber away, read my book and chatted with Jameson while I waited. He's going on a friend's birthday celebration cruise to Turks (I had no clue where that was and had to look it up) and is excited! He took the Brightline down, nice and relaxing for him. I hope he has an awesome time and doesn't think about work AT ALL!!

Back at the hotel I got in the elevator with a guy wearing a Savannah Bananas shirt, and asked if he was going to the game tonight. Turns out, he works for them! Their staff are staying at our same hotel! In fact he'd met Kyra Belle (our Belle) in the lobby last night! Savannah Bananas now have a contract with Disney so we technically have the same employer :) It was really cool to meet someone involved in the Bananas. Hope they have fun here in Knoxville and attract big crowds.

When I got out at my floor, this cleaning robot was vacuuming the halls!

Watch on YouTube

It looks like it might be able to mop tile/hard floors as well. It's cute. I'm sure they make these little guys, and food delivery robots, cute so that people will be less likely to kick them or vandalize them. And when a cute thing gets stuck in a pothole and is crying for help, people DO come running.

I finally finished Atlanta Foodie Finds...I am way behind on these and need to catch up, sigh. Lunch and putzing around until the matinee. Arrived to find out that David (clarinet) was out sick unexpectedly so we had a local clarinetist sightreading the book. Oooooh my heavens. For you non-musicians...it takes a LOT of bravery to sightread a Broadway show. And he was doubling on THREE instruments too. Imagine having to give someone else's speech for them on the spot with no notice....for two hours...and not only that, switching between cue cards, a prompter, and a powerpoint throughout the presentation. Having never seen the speech materials before. It would be horrifying, right? That's what it's like!

He did his best and we did our best as well...to cover, to help, to play our own parts as well as we could. According to Sarah (French horn) David will likely be better by tomorrow. We are just glad he's ok and appreciative that this gentleman (I think his name is Bob) had the guts to step in and cover the part.

After the show, back to the hotel for dinner (brown rice, tofu, zucchini, hazelnuts) and some excited reposting of an audition notice for a Disney Events Group house band!!! You guys, having a house band instead of hiring musicians 3rd party is JAMESON'S idea, he pushed it and proposed it...and they've accepted it!! This is his first real mark on the workings of Disney as one of their producers. He is excited and nervous, and I am SO excited and proud for him! Gah!!

Anyway, back to the theater for the second show. It was one of those crazy ones where a lot of stuff goes wonky...you know, like one of those days at work where an unusual number of things go wrong. We had a show hold during the Mob Song which is very unusual, I don't think we've ever held there before. And I forgot to mention that Ryu (violin) broke a string during the first show too. But we got through it, the audience loved it, and good golly I hope that David feels better tomorrow and that we can get through the weekend without too much weirdness!

After the show I was chatting with Gary (drums) and completely forgot to grab my umbrella, and it's supposed to rain all day tomorrow. Damn! I'll either ask if they've got extras at the front desk, or hope someone is at the stage door in the afternoon to let me in to get it.

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Friday: Doing a Foodie Find for lunch, visiting Mast General Store, and probably resting because my chest is still rattling. One evening show.

Saturday and Sunday: Two shows each day, nothing planned except getting through 'em.

susandennis

The mail came and I got the dets. But, the big one is: "This infraction will not be a part of your driving record and will be processed as a parking violation."

I can live with that. It's not my first parking violation so no record broken.

It also does say that I was speeding in a school zone. Doing 27 in a 20 mile an hour zone BUT the photograph shows I had literally just passed the Entering School Zone sign. If I had been driving an SUV, my car would not even fully be in that zone yet. Nits. But, whatever.

I have to pay the fine by 6/17. It will probably take me that long to find my checkbook, envelope and a stamp.

susandennis

I have apparently gotten my first ever traffic ticket. The email I get from USPS every morning shows there's a love letter from Issaquah traffic court that says VIOLATION! I can look up online and see that I owe them $124. (And pay by credit card will cost me $5.) I can't see anything else but I'm guessing it's a traffic camera and it's a school zone. There are a million school zones around here and I knew it was just a matter of time. Apparently now is the time. I can get the details from the Washington State Court System online but they pissed me off. You have to go through this labyrinth and hit 'I agree' about 4 thousand times and then wait for the world's longest download and only THEN do they tell you that it will cost $1. NOPE. Had you told me ahead of time, and/or your system didn't smell of the 90's, maybe. But, as you can see by the violation, I treasure speed.

I am more than a little pissed off about the blemish on my spotless record of 71 years but whatever. (yeah,yeah, I shudda thot of that when I went 21 in a 20 mile an hour zone!)

I have to wait for the mail to get here to get any more details.

No baseball today. I have one more episode of Ripple (Netflix). I really want to know what happens to the characters but then I don't want it to be the last I see of them. It's like getting to the end of a very good book.

Julio has taken to sleeping with me even without Biggie. He snuggles up really close to my butt or knees. When I get up to pee, he sometimes wakes up, sits up and waits for me to get back into sleeping position and then snuggles back in. Sometimes he doesn't even wake up. It's really adorable. But when we are both awake, he still runs from me. I think in another few years, he may snuggle when we are awake. He turns 3 in a couple of weeks.

Today was Wegovy shot number 16.

tielan

Look, sometimes fic is great. Like, absolutely SPECTACULAR.

Great plot, amazing characterisation, good description, immersive prose.

And then sometimes it's...okayish. Very 'ish'.

--

Did I ever talk about amazing Harry Potter (yes, I know) fic where Harry, angry and frustrated by the Wizarding World's intractability on certain bigoted points, goes Dark Lord? I can't remember.

He hunts down the Death Eaters (including Lucius Malfoy), swears an Unbreakable Vow to Hermione (basically to keep him in check from going full Voldie, etc.), and basically Neville and the rest of DA get involved.

It's long, but so good. So so good.

--

I found this one Zutara fic which is basically Katara, Aang, Zuko, and Toph all (collectively, together) form The Avatar spirit and it is stupendous. So much character, so much plot...quite a lot of angst, actually. And perhaps the best (and worst) thing about it is that everyone makes bad choices in it. So frustrating! But so good, too!

--

Anyway, I aspire to write anything like that, but the closest I got was 'And Baby Makes Eight' for the MCU, which has over 1000 kudos.

These fics have, like 1o000 kudos. One - the one I mentioned above? 17000. SEVENTEEN THOUSAND. I cannot even.

Anyway, I'm...kind-of? enjoying reading fic again. But, yeah, there are ones where you just slip through the story like a fish through water, and ones where it's a pretty solid freestyle, and then ones where you get by with a doggy paddle.

Metaphorically speaking.

susandennis

Bonny and I got to the grocery store and home just fine and dandy yesterday. She did it with a cane instead of a walker which was easier all around. She likes the QFC so that's where we went. It's a tiny little QFC with very limited offerings and they are often completely out of stuff. Which is why I rarely go there. They used to have a very good poke bowl but now Safeway has added one that is way better so... sorry, QFC. But, that's where she wanted to go so that's where we went.

Before we left, we ran into Noelle whose husband, David, is on a rare overnight stay with his daughter. So Bonny asked Noelle if she wanted to go to dinner tonight - the three of us. Noelle was delighted to be invited. I was not thrilled but Noelle was so happy, I figured it wouldn't kill me. Plus Bonny has just found out that Noelle was raised in a girls school in India* and now she has TONS of questions. So. Ok. *And she has two sisters who were raised in different girls schools in India so she really doesn't know them very well. There are a lot of questions.

But, then last night, I got a text from Bonny that the dinner was off because David was coming home early. Oh well. India will have to wait.

Today has an agenda! First there's laundry. Then there is a Mariner game. Then, in the middle of the Mariner game, is the Food and Beverage meeting. Then I have to come back and write up the notes from that meeting and then I can take the rest of the day off.

There is a new baseball thing where people of the male persuasion take over massive sections of the upper levels of the stadium and take their shirts off and wave them yelling 'tarp off'. There's a lot of stupid shit that goes on at baseball games but this could be the stupidest yet. They kept showing them last night and every time I saw it, all I could think of is they should be yelling "I have a penis!"

Old woman rant over... for now.

We got new carpet and the 4th floor got new carpet and then we got an email saying that the carpet installation had been hauled for the time being. Got to be an interesting story there.

But, it's like all other home owner shit that I no longer have to worry about. The junk mail also reminds me as I get amazing offers for gutter cleaning, window replacement, A/C installation and roof repair... every day.

I retired a swimsuit this morning and just went on Amazon to find a replacement. This is the wrong time of year for swimsuit deals. Maybe during the upcoming sale. I have backup so no biggie.

Ok, time to get dressed and get that laundry going!

dimity_blue

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c2e2zvlyy38o

"If they would rather die," said Scrooge, "they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population."

I really think that's the attitude some NHS officials have towards those with complex needs. Like me.

taz_39

**Disclaimer** The views and opinions expressed in this post are my own, and do not reflect the views or opinions of my employer.
DO NOT RESHARE ANY PART OF THIS POST WITHOUT PERMISSION. Thank you.

This post covers Monday and Tuesday.

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Previous Visit to Knoxville:

The circus never came to Knoxville, so my first experience with this city was with Tootsie at the very start of 2023.

Tootsie Travel Day: The touring company had booked me a flight out of Orlando essentially ON New Year's Day, PLUS it was a late flight, PLUS they'd scheduled an 11:30am brush-up rehearsal for the following day. Listening to the little voice in my head, I took the buyout and booked my own flight a day early, and paid for an extra night in the company hotel out of pocket. It turned out that nearly all flights were delayed or cancelled that day, probably due to winter storms. Our bass player was also from Orlando and was booked on the exact same travel schedule as me. Through him I got to see how my travel day WOULD have gone: he was stuck in Atlanta all day as our flight got delayed several times and then cancelled, and ended up having to rent a car and drive through the night to try and make it to rehearsal on Tuesday. He did not make it in time for rehearsal. That could have been me too. And this is why I ALWAYS try to listen to the little voice inside my head instead of blindly going with whatever is handed to me. I don't care if people think I'm stupid or weird. Easier is not a synonym for better.

Tootsie (part 1 and part 2):
Ate at Good Golly Tamale, Olibea (sadly no longer exists), Cruze Farms (ice cream), and Potchke (mod-Jewish deli)
Visited Mast General Store, Three Rivers Market, the Sunsphere, historic Old Gray Cemetery, and the Knoxville Art Museum (free!)

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MONDAY

A 4am wake-up for a 5am Uber to the airport. When the Uber pulled up it was glowing from the inside and I shortly discovered why.

Dude had decked out the inside of his car with disco lights, LED phone charging cables that glowed and pulsed in time to the KARAOKE, yes that’s right he had a karaoke rig complete with microphone. When I laughingly declined to sing (I’m not a good singer even when it’s NOT 5am!!) he shrugged and took the mic himself, and sang me a song! He did King of the Road by Roger Miller, if you’re curious.

It was so funny and surreal. I wondered if I was still asleep and dreaming!

Airport was normal, flight 1 was normal and on time. I had a long layover in Detroit and spent the time reading, coughing goop out of my lungs, and wandering looking at everything.

I came across one of these short story dispensers and needed to try it!

Watch on YouTube

I’ve seen these before but haven't had time to try one. I got two nice stories, one a YA short about a kid who goes on a field trip back in time and learns something about her own bravery, the other an adult story about a woman trying to find herself on a hiking trip. They’re just 10-minute reads, but nice little thought-provokers. They’re printed on really nice paper so I was loathe to throw them out; I’ll keep one as a souvenir and leave the other somewhere public where someone else can hopefully read it.

I ran into Michael (Key 3) and Malashia (Assist Stage Mgmt) who were also taking this flight. We had all taken the buyout and booked this flight because none of us trusted the company booking, which was much later and had a very short layover. Our flight was on time AND I was given two packets of Biscoff :) :)

Turns out our mistrust in the company booking was well-placed. Their layover was so tight that they missed their connection, and their rebooked flight did not arrive in Knoxville until 10pm!! Majority of the cast spent the entire day at the airport today. Meanwhile those of us who took the buyout got to check into the hotel, get groceries, and settle in. How oddly similar to my last visit to Knoxville (see top of this post.) Once again it all proves that easier doesn't mean better.

I got to the hotel around 3pm, had a snack and threw a thermometer into the fridge, and Ubered to an AT&T store to upgrade to a new iPhone. It took a lot longer than expected because Apple now has a convoluted security feature where if you can't remember your actual, typed-out password (as opposed to face recognition or pin) you must activate an anti-theft protocol that prevents you from making changes to your phone for one hour. Like most people I rely on face recognition or a pin for all of my Apple devices, so of course I didn't remember my written password and had to wait the hour. But luckily the new phone needed a large update plus I had to eat lunch, and both of those killed the hour nicely. About 90 minutes later I had my new phone and a new case for it. Yay!

Next, an Uber to Whole Paycheck for groceries. My favorite protein bar, Mezcla, is testing new flavors in this market and I was lucky to find them here!! Salted Caramel, Mint Chocolate, and Chocolate Pretzel.

Back to the hotel to unpack, during which I remembered that I had packages at the front desk. My KN95 masks were there but the special card I'd ordered for my sister's 40th birthday was mysteriously missing :( The hotel said it may have been misdelivered and suggested that I ask at surrounding businesses...which I did for a solid hour, wandering around and awkwardly asking if they'd gotten it by accident. No one had it. There is a USPS just a few blocks away so I will see if they can help me find where it was delivered.

Having been up since 4am, I was finally exhausted and went to bed around 11pm.

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TUESDAY (Golden Day)

I woke up VERY late for me, at 9am (which is 8am in the time zone we just came from so actually I guess that's pretty reasonable.)
Would have liked to do fun stuff on this full day off but instead ended up doing many small errands:

Typing up this post
Activating the warranty for the new phone case (it has lifetime replacements!)
Starting the return process for my scratched in-ear faceplates
Picking up bagels from a local shop called K Brew (French Toast, Blueberry, and Hot Honey!)

Visiting USPS to see if they could help find my sister's card. They promised to call tomorrow morning.
Ubering to the mall for a new Apple Watch!
Trying to find black dress pants at the mall (failed)
1-mile walk to Target for coffee and cheap underwear

I got back to the hotel around 3pm and as I walked past the front desk, they flagged me down to say they'd found my sister's card! They didn't say where and I didn't push it :p Took everything upstairs, had a snack, and started the pairing process for my new phone and watch. It feels rather bougie to be buying all these new electronics, but as a musician with a VERY volatile income I've learned to do things like this when you can afford it and then make that good stuff last through harder times.

I want to note that the appeal of getting a newer Apple Watch is the health features. They are astounding. The newest model can take your temperature, track blood oxygen levels, identify hypertension or sleep apnea, and believe it or not even do an EKG. As someone without health insurance, anything that I can afford that can stand between me and a $$$,$$$ hospital bill, or help doctors to figure out what's going on if I DO end up in a hospital, is worth it. Hence, new watch. And trading in the old one paid for the new watch band, too.

The updating of the watch and subsequent pairing took a very long time so I typed up this post and ate dinner while I waited. When it was done I set up all the neat-o health features. And then I got into bed with a cup of tea and binged anime for the rest of the night.

Have I ever mentioned how glad I am to have never had children!

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Wednesday: Opening day in Knoxville. Might try to send off Kayle's gift and card in the morning.

Thursday: Two-show weekday so no plans.

tielan

The two slices I made yesterday. Plan is to cut them into slices and freeze them for later eating.

Pecan Squares

2 cups flour
½ cup sugar
1/8 tsp salt
200g butter, cut up

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup golden syrup)
125g butter
4 large eggs lightly beaten
2½ cups finely chopped pecans (note: 1 cup finely chopped, 1½ cups whole - I like the pecan chunks)
1 t vanilla extract

Combine flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl; cut 200g butter thoroughly with pastry blender until mixture resembles fine crumbs. (or blend in food processor until lightly clumpy) Press mixture evenly into a greased 9x13 inch pan, using a piece of plastic wrap to press crumb mixture firmly into pan. Bake at 175C for 30 minutes or until lightly browned.

Combine brown sugar, golden syrup, and 125g butter in a saucepan; bring to boil over medium heat, stirring gently. Remove from heat. Stir 1/4 of hot mixture into beaten eggs [to temper the eggs]; add to remaining hot mixture. Stir in pecans and vanilla. Pour filling over crust. Bake at 175C for 35 minutes or until set. Cool completely in pan or until set. Cut into bars.

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recipe: dulce du leche blondies

Never tried this one before - the dulce du leche layer wasn't as distinct as I hoped it would be, but I hadn't really done it quite right. However, there was some good encrustation along the edges where the dulce du leche had gone to medium crack.

susandennis

I cut the hood off my hoodie and replaced it with a fancy collar!! It took me a bit to figure out how to get it on so that it sat like that. Plus I wasn't sure I loved it so I needed to be able to relatively easily take it off and replace it. I'm not unhappy with the end product.

Yesterday, Biggie's tooth punctured the skin on my right hand's pointer finger. Today that finger is red and sore. Not terribly but enough so that it's annoying. I need that finger. I use to a lot. A whole lot! I soaked it in some warm salt water for a bit just now and it feels better but I can't be soaking it all day. I've got shit to do that involves that finger.

I snapped up as soon as Biggie made his first 'breakfast' call this morning because I wanted to get to the pool in time to get in a good swim before the aqua aerobics class. I was totally successful. My cleaner comes today and if Bonny wants, I'll take her to the grocery store while the cleaner is cleaning. I am running low on cottage cheese and I'm totally out of peanuts.

Last night's Mariners game was fun. On Sunday they brought up this kid from the minors. An infielder. He's from Ohio and his family had just been up to Tacoma to see him play in Triple A. They got home on Saturday and turned right around and came pack to see him play with the Mariners. About 15 of them. Last night, towards the end of the game, we were winning but not by much and he made his first hit in the major leagues. A 3 run home run. It was pretty cool and his entourage when nuts. It must have been so thrilling for them.

The giraffe scratcher arrived. He fits perfectly in that corner and I'm so glad to be rid of that shredded one. Julio is using it as a scratching post and Biggie go up inside it but didn't stay. Still. Good purchase.

Now I have fiddlefarted around the internet too long and I haven't even made the bed yet! Time to get crackin'

tielan

Made some throw-together pasta - fettucine, tomatoes and garlic (fried together), a couple of shredded basil leaves, a small tin of tunafish (chilli and mango), and a tablespoon of feta cheese to salt it and give it that cheesy richness.

Not bad.

I made bean soup for dinner. The soup is pretty basic, in fact, but the addition of a picada - a Catalan nut-herb mix not unlike pesto - apparently makes the soup.

And then I'm thinking of making some blondies - dulce du leche blondies - since I have the ingredients and baking is usually pretty easy. And I think blondies freeze well, so I could bake a whole tray and freeze some and defrost them later. Maybe even make some pecan pie squares.

Hockey training got cancelled due to rain: also, I wasn't going to go because I pushed my back/butt muscles a bit too much (we drew 2-2 against a more skilled team, even if they weren't as young) and I need to rest them. Maybe even take a nice long bath with salts...

So many things to do, only one night to do them in!

susandennis

According to Chewey and FedEx, Julio's giraffe got here yesterday but no one brought it up. Sometimes the security guys will deliver stuff on weekends - particularly big stuff - but not this weekend. There is no system for my going down to get it so I wait. It will be delivered this afternoon.

I got a great idea this morning while I was swimming. It's a new crochet project (because I don't have enough projects started already). Short term but it's going to be outstanding. I got the idea and then thought of various ways to do it and settled on a good one which I will do today.

I started watching the most compelling series - it's a one shot 8 episode deal - Ripple. I'm two episodes in and will try to stretch it out but I'm not hopeful. It's too gulpable.

My foot no longer hurts at all. So weird how it comes and goes.

Well, fuck. Fitbit has no record of my swim today. It tracked it but now is in denier mode. Not fair.

The Mariners are on a losing streak.

My big plans today are the new project. I think I'll just get that started right now.

tielan

You know how sometimes you enter a fandom by the fanfic doorway?

That's me these days.

I mean, it was me back 20 years ago reading my way through Mulder/Scully fic in the X-Files fandom, which I hadn't watched since around S2. (The alien 'oil' freaked me out at the end of S2 and I never ended up going back. Horror and suspense are not my oeuvre.)

But I have very fond memories of reading my way through...golly, I can't even remember the fic archive anymore. But there were a number of "Virtual Seasons" and some fics that were very good - full episode types. Some better than others, obviously, but I still carry the gist of them here and there.

Anyway, more recently, I've read a Heated Rivalry fic or two, but my latest 'go through all the fic' obsession is Avatar: the last Airbender but specifically Zutara fic. And since I haven't seen the series all the way through (I watched Book 1 and maybe got a little way into Book 2, but never got to Book 3), then the AU doesn't bother me. Not that AU has ever bothered me when I'm talking about a pairing I like.

For this, I'm mostly blaming Pinterest, which has turned out to be more addictive for me than Tumblr. I go to FB because I want to know what's going on in my 'real life' friends lives; I go to Threads because it keeps me up to date with world events...and educated about the milieu of life beyond my experience. I scroll through Insta for pictures and sometimes 'turntables' of information and crafts and art and oddities.

But Pinterest has turned into my fandom exploration space. Mostly because all the Tumblr theories end up there, but algorithm'd, not just off a friends feed.

And, after a decade of Maria/Steve and maybe 700 fics, about 1/6th of which I either wrote myself or inspired, it's so nice just to wander into a fandom, plonk myself down, and get to read the best of some 8000 fics without having to create anything myself!

It's true that I've belonged to other fandoms with pairings with a decent amount of fic about my favourites (BBC Merlin: Arthur/Gwen had a reasonable amount, and Bridgerton: Kate/Anthony still has its proponents), but this is ~8000 worth of fics where people have extrapolated four seasons (and a lot of tie-in material) of a non-canon relationship and come out with some beautiful results!

I don't read much in the fandoms I write anymore - as I had to say in the

3weeks4dreamwidth friending meme - "specifically [insert female character here]" because so few of thoe fandoms had a focus on the (usually secondary) female character.

It's true that I'm not getting much sleep, cos I'm too busy reading 100,000 word fics. But this? This is fun.

I feel like I haven't had fun in fandom for a while...

taz_39

**Disclaimer**
The views and opinions expressed in this post are my own, and do not reflect the views or opinions of my employer.
DO NOT RESHARE ANY PART OF THIS POST WITHOUT PERMISSION.
Thank you.

This post covers the weekend.

--- --- --- --- --- ---

Backtracking

I just realized that I never reviewed the foods I got at Maruichi in Boston!

Pear Jasmine Tea: 6/10 It smelled like fresh pears upon opening, but the taste was all floral/jasmine. It was good but personally I thought the floral taste was too strong. Cute bottle tho!

Rice Cracker Assortment: 8/10 These were really good, 7 flavors and each one was distinct, texture was lovely.

Mt. Fuji Water: 7/10 It really did have a different “mouthfeel” and that was pretty unique. In the end most people may not care about that though, water is water 😅

“Mixed Bean Crackers”: 4/10 This was on the discount shelf for a reason lol. Pretty bland, bag contained 90% Japanese-style peanuts, 8% tiny rice crackers, and 2% dried sardines most of which had been pulverized by the heavier peanuts. Oh and there was one wasabi pea 😂

OldNew Candy: 8/10 Traditional Japanese “konpeito” sugar candy coated in cocoa powder. Delicate and delicious.

Petit Croissants: 9/10 Very good and fun to eat! They are not the same texture as a real baked croissant, they’re crunchier and chewier, but the flavor was delicious caramelized vanilla and they were addictive!

Chocolate Nori Snacks: 5/10 These were fine, a low-calorie sweet-and-savory snack…but you could just buy dried nori sheets and eat them with a handful of chocolate chips for the same effect at half the price tbh. Not bad, just something you can easily make yourself at home.

White Peach Nectar: 10/10 VERY good. So delicious. This was real pure peach juice with just a little lemon added for preservation. I love peaches and this was a total hit for me.

Banana Hi-Chew and Grape Candy were for Jameson so they weren’t reviewed 😛

--- --- --- --- --- ---

FRIDAY

I woke up slightly before my alarm at 7am. I did not sleep well because this is not allergies, it is a sinus infection and probably an actual cold. I got up and around and texted Jameson's dad to officially cancel on him for coming over and/or hanging out today. I don't want to put either of them in proximity of something that could affect Jameson's mom, and I also would rather rest and try to ride this out in the hopes of feeling better faster.

Canceling plans due to personal illness always makes me feel horribly guilty, like I'm being selfish or doing something wrong. This is probably because I had one parent who absolutely HATED it when I was sick, and would act accordingly...I suppose I shouldn't go into detail, but it's not hard to guess where the guilt comes from. There's your TMI for the morning :/

Anyway, breakfast and blowing my nose a lot. I did some research into sliding deck doors for Jameson and I; ours are original to the house and are very messed up from the vacationers who used to rent the home. Looks like all estimates are in-home so that's a to-do for me for July.

A quick walk to Target because I'd heard the new Koia flavor was out. They're jumping on the Dubai chocolate bandwagon.

I also got some tissues, Flonase, Q-tips, and Clorox wipes. On the way back I stopped at the Asian grocery that Ryu (violin) had told me about, and it WAS nice, but I just don't NEED anything right now. The weather was gorgeous again and how annoying is it to be sick on a beautiful day so you can't fully enjoy it!!

Back at the hotel, lunch and I tried the Dubai chocolate Koia. It's "ok" but the thing about Dubai chocolate is, it's largely a TEXTURE thing. Creamy chocolate paired with rich pistachio and tahini chocolate and crispy, crunchy filo dough. You can't really replicate that in a smooth shake. So it was just "kinda nutty chocolate" flavor. But hey, it's better than that watery strawberry flavor that they recently released.

I had unfortunately a very boring afternoon of just trying to rest and going through a trees' worth of tissues. I ended up going to the theater early and packing my trunk a day early, why not. The evening show was pretty good despite my being full of snot.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

SATURDAY

Had a rough sleep due to a thunderstorm and also the thermostat in my room decided to lose it's mind and blast cold air for no reason, so I had to get up and restart it (and I still don't think it's working properly but whatever we're leaving soon.) That said I did sleep in later than usual and had weird dreams in which Jameson looked like a Backstreet Boy, LMAO

Breakfast and some light packing. I should have worked on Atlanta Foodie Finds but didn't feel like it, instead bought a box of KN95 masks from Amazon and chatted with Jameson, who is going to Fringe today! I hope he has lots of fun :) Meal planning, getting dressed for work, and all of my other boring morning stuff. I've started watching Invincible on Amazon too...anybody here watching that? WOW is it messed up. I'm only 4 episodes in and the level of intrigue is off the charts.

After lunch I walked to the theater early because there's a farmers market in the capitol square and I wanted to see it. My cold-thing is still about the same, so I wore a mask and was mindful. There were lots of nice stalls and it was a lovely day, I enjoyed looking but once again didn't actually need anything. At the theater I got myself and my horns situated and chatted with my bandmates, half of us coughing or blowing our noses. Good times. The afternoon show went well, I thought. My low E's have been coming out!

During the break, a simple dinner of random leftovers in my room, watching anime and typing this post, then back to the theater for the evening show. It was good and we had a great audience...wish that I had interesting experiences or anecdotes to share, but unfortunately for you all, a lot of performing the same show over and over IS the repetition and nothing more. If nothing crazy happens, that's a "good day" at work!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SUNDAY

I *think* I slept all right, but the cold-thing has moved into my chest (of course it has!) so now when I breathe out there's a rattle at the end, and it feels like my lungs are fuzzy. I hate this feeling, it makes me think I'm not getting enough air (I totally must be if I can play two big trombones.) Also, it always blows me away (pun intended) that you could chop a leg off, or even a hand, and I'd still have no problem playing the trombone...but a widdle head cold or a wee cracked lip will absolutely DO ME IN and make it insanely difficult to play. Fine Motor Skills And The Little Things That Disrupt Them are wild.

As I'm typing this, I just got back from walking to Gotham bagels for a Travel Bagel (egg.) It was drizzly but normal out. As soon as I got back to the room my phone screamed a tornado warning and sirens started sounding outside! It's not even windy. But people are saying that one touched down about 11 miles south of us. And I just heard a very loud and nasty peal of thunder. My goodness.

--- --- --- --- --- ---

Aaaand we're back. I just spent about 20 minutes eating lunch in a hotel stairwell. I only went down to the 2nd floor figuring I could bound the other two flights to the basement quickly if needed. There was a small window. I munched my cold tofu and bagel and watched the sky briefly darken, a hard rain come down, and it blew past and was over. For us, anyway. I shrugged and took myself back upstairs.

--- --- --- --- --- ---

The cast members who'd been at the theater when the tornado warning sounded had sheltered in place in the basement. The shelter-in-place was lifted right at noon. I walked over and it wasn't even raining any more. Jameson's parents came to this show, and while I didn't see them beforehand Jameson's dad came down to the pit to say hi at intermission. He had a few questions about our tech, and I asked how things were going with the new puppy. He's got some relatives in Knoxville and asked if I'd hook them up with tickets, and I said yes. Tickets are not cheap, but for all the times Jameson's dad has paid for our meals or taken us out, the least I can do is this small favor! I wish we'd had more time to talk, catch up, and most of all hang out, but I can't help getting sick :/

Their seats were only four rows back!

The rest of the show was just fine and it sounded like Jameson's parents had a great time (they called Jameson to tell him about it :) )

Between shows, back to the hotel for a leftovers dinner, requesting tickets for Jameson's dad's relatives, and looking into the possibility of a rental car because we apparently have a golden day on Tuesday!! I didn't know!! I have lots of errands to run but am not totally convinced that the rental car would save money, so ended up passing on that.

The evening show was just fine, although I was frustrated with my own playing. Between my ears popping due to blowing my nose and the mucus in my chest, everything I played felt like an uphill battle. But also by the end of the show I was feeling better than I had, so maybe this is on it's way out. After the show we packed up as usual, and as usual I was the first out of the pit. Wished everyone safe travels and walked back to the hotel, finished packing...and that's it for Madison, Wisconsin.

Usually I have done LOTS in this town, but this time due to being sick I just...didn't.
Sometimes that happens. Example: the last time I was in Vegas I woke up with covid on the 2nd day and didn't see a lick more of the city for the entire stay. In that way I'm grateful to have a lot of "repeat" cities on this tour route. Even if I get sick or something, odds are that I've been here and done things at least once before :) Which is an amazing thing to be able to say.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Monday: Travel day to Knoxville. If everything's on time and I'm up for it, I'd like to visit a store to see about upgrading my phone. Then groceries and settling in.

Tuesday: Golden Day!! Hoping to hit a Foodie Find and the Natural Science Museum, not sure what else will happen! Also note to self I really wanna call my Aunt just to check in. <3

susandennis

I have angry nerves in my right foot. This is the foot that gets the periodic steroid shot. Mostly, because of the steroids, it's ok. Actually, mostly, it's absolutely fine. But, then now and again, it hurts. The hurt does not seem to be dependent on a particular activity or shoe. Sometimes it just hurts a little. But, last night, in the middle of the night, it felt like someone was shooting it with a nail gun. It would get shot and then rest a minute and then get shot again. I got up and took some Tylenol which appeared to do nothing. I got up and got a freezer wrap which also did little. Finally the nail gun went back into the holster but yikes. It was not a fun time. This morning, it's nearly fine. It feels like there's a pain memory but no pain.

Dr. Google agrees with my foot guy - nerves. Dr. Google recommends a metatarsal pad. Amazon is bringing me one tomorrow.

I did go swimming this morning and it was lovely.

They finished the carpet situation and put most of the baseboards back. There is one section that they did not finish but I suspect that's on the agenda for tonight. No painting. Yet.

I did finally watch Remarkably Bright Creatures and I was not disappointed. I feel like it did justice to the book but the book was still different and both were very enjoyable. Now I'm ready for Project Hail Mary which I figure will be available sometime in June/July.

I have a box on my side table that houses my remote controls, my chap stick and a few small cat toys. I left the lid up last night and just now Julio spent a long time mining the contents. Finally he pulled out a silver stick and gave it to Biggie and got a little mouse for himself. Biggie is now happily chewing/chasing the silver stick and Julio is throwing the mouse everywhere. Cat theater.

Today I have no plans. I have plenty to eat. I have plenty of yarn projects and lots of good TV and a pretty decent book going. Not sure I could ask for more!

I have a couple of monthly subscriptions to yarn boxes and got this lovely blue and white in one of them recently. My rule is that I need to use up the yarn in the yarn box before the next one comes OR cancel the box. So yesterday I made this coaster set with part of the yarn this month. The rest is going into another project which I'll finish today.

susandennis

I think I might not swim today. I'm still not dressed so it's still a possible but not a probable. I need to get my attitude ready for elbow coffee. I need to rest my skin. And... I'm lazy. But it is a nice, cloudy morning - perfect for swimming. So, it could still go either way.

The carpet installers made quite the racket last night. It did not keep me up but it made the cats crazy. The living room is a mess from all their running around last night.

The old carpet is on the left. They said installation would take 2 nights. I wonder if they are going to paint the walls before they put the baseboards back. I'm guessing not. So there will be a color collision there for a while. They did the 4th floor just before us so I could go up there and find out about the paint but why spoil the surprise?

At elbow coffee today, Joan will bitch about the installation noise and the smell and 42 other things. She got a head start yesterday when I saw her briefly. Briefly, but long enough for her to bitch about the noise from the carpet installation on 4. Sigh.

Julio uses a scratching post religiously. So religiously that he has shredded the one I've had for years. It is a nice one and was very expensive but really, I have had it for a good 10-15 years so I've gotten my money's worth. It's in the bedroom so no one sees it but me. But, finally I got tired of looking at it. So I ordered a replacement.

I'm a little concerned that 1. he won't use it as a scratcher and so will use something else, like furniture 2. he will use the wicker and destroy it. But, I finally decided to give it a shot. So we will see. It should be here late Monday.

The Mariners game is at 4 today and tomorrow. Tomorrow it is on Peacock which I not longer have a subscription to. I'd buy a month and use it to watch the game and catch up on a couple of shows, but the last time the Mariners were on Peacock, it was just unwatchable so I'll just listen to the game tomorrow and save my sheckels.

Ok, no swim. I'm going to get dressed and clean up the house and spend some quiet me time before I go hear about the maladies of the week. (You know, really, I don't have to go to elbow coffee. And I bitch about it every week, it seems like, but I do appreciate the painless check in with my neighbors and it's an hour I can easily afford.)

tielan

1. How often do you hear live music?

Not very often. I never have been much of one to go see bands or even concerts. A few musicals. The occasional concert by an artist I enjoy. And sometimes bands on a Saturday night down at the pub back in university days.

These days? Very rarely.

2. What was your favorite live musical performance ever?

I don't know if I remember this one with fondness so much as just it's the strongest memory I have. One night after university computer lab, a couple of the people I'm working and doing uni with say they're going to a bar in town to celebrate the 18th birthdays of a couple of the guys we work with. The two of them room together, and their birthdays are back-to-back. It's not my usual scene, but I figure I should really do more socialising with this group, so I agree to go along.

It's a dive bar. On a Wednesday night. In a university town. Kinda quiet, but there's a band on stage that's doing rock covers from the 80s. The floor is an old nylon carpet and we're not going to think about how it's slightly sticky underfoot. The lighting is dim, there's about a half-dozen of us, and after a drink or two, we're singing along with the band who takes it pretty well.

They invite the birthday boys up to sing the Eagle Rock, but somehow end up singing Hotel California. I am served a triple-rum-and-coke having admitted to the others that I don't really drink, and they think that it's hilarious to get me an excessively alcoholic drink for my 'first drink'. The 2xrum&coke is foul, and someone else ends up drinking it. I go for a wine cooler, which is sweeter and easier on my palate. We bawl songs until it's midnight and it's the birthday of the second guy, and then we keep going for another hour.

TBH, the performers weren't standout. But I remember the night the best, simply for the hanging out and the friendships.

3. Do you play an instrument, or sing?

I play piano, I learned flute and tuba, and I sing - happy birthday, at church, in the car, on the karaoke machine.

4. Have you ever performed music onstage?

Does karaoke count? But even without that, yes, I've performed at concerts and eisteddfods when I was younger. Not for three decades now, but then it might even be years since I've touched a piano.

5. Who is your favorite musician?

That's a tricky one. Modern or classical? Artist or musician? Live, recorded, without autotune?

I can't choose. I love them all - Beethoven and his Ninth, Elgar and the Engima variations, Chopin's Impromptus and the haunting notes of Tchaikovsky's opening to Swan Lake. There's Queen's Rhapsody and P!nk singing about falling into trust, there's Billy Joel crooning smooth and sweet and Deborah Harry declaring she wants that man, there's Rihanna singing about being unfaithful and Anna of Cleves rmeinding us that she's the Queen of the Castle... I remember going to see Roxette and Offspring, singing with U2 in the car - raised by wolves | stronger than fear | when I close my eyes | you disappear...

You can't make me choose. I carry it all in my heart.

susandennis

Last night, I opened up one of the larger Dollar Tree animuguri kits and WTF???

The smaller ones are so good and so cute. The crochet hook included sucks but the rest of the kit is spot on adorable made possible by great instructions.

There are larger kits also available at Dollar Tree and I'd gotten several of those. Also $1.25. But the larger ones have a fatal flaw. Their instructions SUCK. Big time. Written in the tiniest for possible, the words make little sense AND the engineering is just wrong. Plus they want you to glue on the eyes. Major No Bueno.

Sad cause I love the frog and the turtle. I'll find other patterns but, what a shame.

There are a fair number of retired elementary school teachers that live here. Several of them, including the chairman of the Food and Beverage Committee, do not know how to talk to or deal with grown up people. I am no longer six, you idiot.

Tonight is new carpet night - the first of two. Very exciting.

Bonny wants to go to the grocery store. She's actually been pretty good about not asking me to do every single thing. And being very cognizant, when she does ask, that it is a big favor and should be treated as such. She did get her new fridge. But now needs food for it. She wants to go herself instead of give somebody a list. But, she's not sure she can handle it. I told her I'd take her but I am not driving her car. We can put her walker into my car, if she wants but NFW am I going to attempt to drive and park that gynormous boat she has. She said maybe today. I said whatever.

Nothing else big planned for today. The Mariners game is tonight and I need to finish the little whale I started last night.

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I'm random, thanks for asking.

New, witty title coming...eventually.

Reading

You are the reason

I may be killing Biggie

Toe Training

Knoxville, TN 2026 Part 2: Sometimes Boring Is Good

No jail time

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gosh i'm a fic snob

Dateline: Cult

BBC article - Disabled man 'rotting' on a hospital ward...

Knoxville, TN 2026 Part 1: Travel Day Karaoke, Bougie Errands. Bagels.

cooking: pecan squares

Wanna see yesterday's project?

cooking day?

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"everything I learned about [fandom] I learned from fandom..."

Madison, WI 2026 Part 3: A Cold Dictates My Whole Week

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