Iran: Win/Win Option!!!!
Apr. 2nd, 2026 07:42 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mallorys_cameraAt this point, the only win/win option available to Trump is converting to Islam. đ
mallorys_camera
What's Making Me Happy Today: Dimension 20 on a Bus
Apr. 1st, 2026 08:45 pmdelphiLast year, as an interstitial segment on Game Changer, the folks over at Dropout.tv filmed an improv skit called Dimension 20: On a Bus, where the concept was four professional GMs sitting down to play D&D with a GM who had a limited understanding of how the game was played.
It was a funny bit, but I don't think anyone expected the calls for more to actually result in anything. Until now, when for April Fool's Day, Dropout released a full one-hour episode of it. It's only up on their streaming service, but here's the teaser trailer that dropped without warning:
And man, the actual episode did not disappoint. It was a hilarious mess that hit just the right balance of winding up a bunch of professional storytellers, but also letting them do what they best as they tried to salvage things. I laughed to the point of tears, but I also legitimately picked up pointers about character-building and how to move a plot along (to get to LAX to fly out to an M&M wedding in Lisbon when everything keeps blowing up).
It was a funny bit, but I don't think anyone expected the calls for more to actually result in anything. Until now, when for April Fool's Day, Dropout released a full one-hour episode of it. It's only up on their streaming service, but here's the teaser trailer that dropped without warning:
And man, the actual episode did not disappoint. It was a hilarious mess that hit just the right balance of winding up a bunch of professional storytellers, but also letting them do what they best as they tried to salvage things. I laughed to the point of tears, but I also legitimately picked up pointers about character-building and how to move a plot along (to get to LAX to fly out to an M&M wedding in Lisbon when everything keeps blowing up).
March 2026 Layoff Week 3 part 1: More Dust Battle + A Nice Little Surprise
Mar. 31st, 2026 09:29 pmtaz_39MONDAY
Up earlier than I wanted to be. Jameson was up early too for Mental Health Walk. Coffee and breakfast. I had wanted to Uber to the grocery for dinner ingredients and pick up my dry cleaning, but remembered that the air fryer needed to be washed out...and while I was pulling it down from above the cupboards a bunch of The Dust poofed up, and that triggered me right into Hazardous Materials Containment Mode. There was a gross layer of Dust and large pieces of tile up there ranging in size from rice grains up to quarters. This is above the oven and microwave vents so everything was sticky with microparticles of grease from the vents. It took significant time to wipe everything down with wet microfiber, pick up the tile chunks, scrub harder to get the greasy dust-paste lifted up, and then wipe down the stovetop and counters that are below the cupboards since I'd undoubtedly knocked dust/debris onto these.
Then I washed the air fryer, which didn't seem bad at first but silica dust really does seem to react in some way with grease. It seemed to have created a sticky, waxy paste that acted much like candle wax. It did not come off even with scrubbing and dish soap, just kept moving around as I scrubbed and resolidifying, if that makes sense. There wasn't much of it but what was there was very difficult to remove. I did the best I could and have to hope it's enough that we'll not be eating it with our pork chops tonight.
Finally after all of that, I could Uber to get my dry cleaning and to the grocery.
And as soon as I got home, realized I'd forgotten the damn carrots!!! FUUUUUUUUU
I KNEW I'd forget something at some point, I always do. But it's still frustrating. Had to place an Instacart order which is a minimum of $10. Carrots being only a few dollars, I added Drano and some feminine products.
Practiced trombone while Jameson worked, then we both broke for lunch. My guts were having a dairy tantrum due to the cheesecake + cheesecake leftovers the night before so I did not eat much. When Jameson went back to work I wiped down all of the kitchen countertops, dusted the living room using microfiber, and dusted the tops of picture frames and door frames. The blinds above the sliding door were hiding more tile pieces.
After dusting I decided to dry-Swiffer and was glad I did because it came back grey again.
Maybe you won't think this is so bad but I just Swiffered and mopped less than a week ago, we have no pets, and there's just the two of us. This seems like more dust that we normally generate. That said, it is worth noting that I'm used to vacuuming this floorspace and for all I know this could be normal.
Jameson had a meeting at 1pm so I did quiet things like type up this post, order some flavored decaf coffee pods to be sent to the hotel in Hartford, and booked housing for my brother's wedding in October. He had a few more meetings throughout the afternoon and I was embarrassingly lazy, reading a book for a solid 40 minutes and prepping ingredients for our dinner. I made air fryer panko pork chops with buttered noodles and candied carrots, a very basic Americana meal. The chops were slightly overcooked but otherwise it was a good dinner (and of course I forgot to take a pic.) We watched Traitors UK, Jameson gamed for a bit, then watched the Cubs game while I tried to get through the finale of Owl House. For a kids show it got REALLY dark near the end, I can see why Disney decided to back away from it...but I still wish they hadn't.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TUESDAY
We both got up at 7:30, Jameson for Disney work and me to have breakfast, work on Boston Foodie Finds some more, and engage in Dust Battle with the bookshelf in the bedroom.
I dust this bookshelf several times a year. Removing each and every little item, dusting each one, dusting the shelves they're on, and putting them all back. This time I used wet microfiber instead of paper towels because silica dust. The bedroom was not a part of renovations so it wasn't so bad, just time consuming. It took about 45 minutes. Afterward I dusted the rest of the bedroom furniture, removed the bedsheets and washed them, vacuumed, and put new sheets on the bed.
Lunch, then practicing trombone sort-of. I was feeling mopey so practiced on and off, reading my book in between. On days like this where there's not a lot going on and motivation is low, I get anxious and impatient for Things To Come. For example the upcoming Easter gig, or resuming tour, or spending time with Jameson in Boston. I also feel like I'm not "doing enough," whatever that means. Because Jameson is working and I'm lolling about I suppose. Yes I'm aware that cleaning is "something," but it generally doesn't take all day, and free time leaves me feeling guilty if I don't use it in a productive way.
That's all to say it was a slow afternoon and I was glad when Jameson got home with sushi for us :)
We shared about our day, then went for an evening walk again. Right now temperatures are still dropping in the evenings (doesn't really happen in full summer) and the breeze is cool (another thing that won't be happening in summer) so sunset is a lovely time to be outdoors. We talked about all sorts of things as usual and observed various changes that have taken place throughout the neighborhood. Back home Jameson put on the Cubs game and I showered and had dessert.
I was then surprised to get an email from Disney about our in-ear monitors (IEMs.) You may recall that we were fitted for custom molds in Louisville about a month ago. Additionally we were sent a sheet offering several color and monogramming options. All of this was excellent, especially as the IEMs are being provided by the company AND we get to keep them! But then I found out that the IEM company offers some really cool premium designs on their site. I decided to email the person handling the in-ears for us and ask politely if we might be able to pay an additional fee out-of-pocket to receive some of the customizations.
I hadn't heard anything and had assumed the request would be denied (and was totally ok with that.)
But tonight's email was to say that yes, we COULD pay extra for premium designs! Eeeeeee!!!
I spent a little time wibbling between all the great options but finally settled on some and sent my request.
It is incredibly cool of Disney to allow this level of customization. They did not have to be so accommodating for something like this. VERY grateful!!
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Wednesday: Cleaning the bathrooms and dry/wet-Swiffering the floors again. Instacart ingredients for dinner and cooking dinner. Practice.
Thursday: Any residual cleaning that I haven't done yet. Finishing Boston Foodie Finds. Probably laundry. Practicing.
Up earlier than I wanted to be. Jameson was up early too for Mental Health Walk. Coffee and breakfast. I had wanted to Uber to the grocery for dinner ingredients and pick up my dry cleaning, but remembered that the air fryer needed to be washed out...and while I was pulling it down from above the cupboards a bunch of The Dust poofed up, and that triggered me right into Hazardous Materials Containment Mode. There was a gross layer of Dust and large pieces of tile up there ranging in size from rice grains up to quarters. This is above the oven and microwave vents so everything was sticky with microparticles of grease from the vents. It took significant time to wipe everything down with wet microfiber, pick up the tile chunks, scrub harder to get the greasy dust-paste lifted up, and then wipe down the stovetop and counters that are below the cupboards since I'd undoubtedly knocked dust/debris onto these.
Then I washed the air fryer, which didn't seem bad at first but silica dust really does seem to react in some way with grease. It seemed to have created a sticky, waxy paste that acted much like candle wax. It did not come off even with scrubbing and dish soap, just kept moving around as I scrubbed and resolidifying, if that makes sense. There wasn't much of it but what was there was very difficult to remove. I did the best I could and have to hope it's enough that we'll not be eating it with our pork chops tonight.
Finally after all of that, I could Uber to get my dry cleaning and to the grocery.
And as soon as I got home, realized I'd forgotten the damn carrots!!! FUUUUUUUUU
I KNEW I'd forget something at some point, I always do. But it's still frustrating. Had to place an Instacart order which is a minimum of $10. Carrots being only a few dollars, I added Drano and some feminine products.
Practiced trombone while Jameson worked, then we both broke for lunch. My guts were having a dairy tantrum due to the cheesecake + cheesecake leftovers the night before so I did not eat much. When Jameson went back to work I wiped down all of the kitchen countertops, dusted the living room using microfiber, and dusted the tops of picture frames and door frames. The blinds above the sliding door were hiding more tile pieces.
After dusting I decided to dry-Swiffer and was glad I did because it came back grey again.
Maybe you won't think this is so bad but I just Swiffered and mopped less than a week ago, we have no pets, and there's just the two of us. This seems like more dust that we normally generate. That said, it is worth noting that I'm used to vacuuming this floorspace and for all I know this could be normal.
Jameson had a meeting at 1pm so I did quiet things like type up this post, order some flavored decaf coffee pods to be sent to the hotel in Hartford, and booked housing for my brother's wedding in October. He had a few more meetings throughout the afternoon and I was embarrassingly lazy, reading a book for a solid 40 minutes and prepping ingredients for our dinner. I made air fryer panko pork chops with buttered noodles and candied carrots, a very basic Americana meal. The chops were slightly overcooked but otherwise it was a good dinner (and of course I forgot to take a pic.) We watched Traitors UK, Jameson gamed for a bit, then watched the Cubs game while I tried to get through the finale of Owl House. For a kids show it got REALLY dark near the end, I can see why Disney decided to back away from it...but I still wish they hadn't.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TUESDAY
We both got up at 7:30, Jameson for Disney work and me to have breakfast, work on Boston Foodie Finds some more, and engage in Dust Battle with the bookshelf in the bedroom.
I dust this bookshelf several times a year. Removing each and every little item, dusting each one, dusting the shelves they're on, and putting them all back. This time I used wet microfiber instead of paper towels because silica dust. The bedroom was not a part of renovations so it wasn't so bad, just time consuming. It took about 45 minutes. Afterward I dusted the rest of the bedroom furniture, removed the bedsheets and washed them, vacuumed, and put new sheets on the bed.
Lunch, then practicing trombone sort-of. I was feeling mopey so practiced on and off, reading my book in between. On days like this where there's not a lot going on and motivation is low, I get anxious and impatient for Things To Come. For example the upcoming Easter gig, or resuming tour, or spending time with Jameson in Boston. I also feel like I'm not "doing enough," whatever that means. Because Jameson is working and I'm lolling about I suppose. Yes I'm aware that cleaning is "something," but it generally doesn't take all day, and free time leaves me feeling guilty if I don't use it in a productive way.
That's all to say it was a slow afternoon and I was glad when Jameson got home with sushi for us :)
We shared about our day, then went for an evening walk again. Right now temperatures are still dropping in the evenings (doesn't really happen in full summer) and the breeze is cool (another thing that won't be happening in summer) so sunset is a lovely time to be outdoors. We talked about all sorts of things as usual and observed various changes that have taken place throughout the neighborhood. Back home Jameson put on the Cubs game and I showered and had dessert.
I was then surprised to get an email from Disney about our in-ear monitors (IEMs.) You may recall that we were fitted for custom molds in Louisville about a month ago. Additionally we were sent a sheet offering several color and monogramming options. All of this was excellent, especially as the IEMs are being provided by the company AND we get to keep them! But then I found out that the IEM company offers some really cool premium designs on their site. I decided to email the person handling the in-ears for us and ask politely if we might be able to pay an additional fee out-of-pocket to receive some of the customizations.
I hadn't heard anything and had assumed the request would be denied (and was totally ok with that.)
But tonight's email was to say that yes, we COULD pay extra for premium designs! Eeeeeee!!!
I spent a little time wibbling between all the great options but finally settled on some and sent my request.
It is incredibly cool of Disney to allow this level of customization. They did not have to be so accommodating for something like this. VERY grateful!!
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Wednesday: Cleaning the bathrooms and dry/wet-Swiffering the floors again. Instacart ingredients for dinner and cooking dinner. Practice.
Thursday: Any residual cleaning that I haven't done yet. Finishing Boston Foodie Finds. Probably laundry. Practicing.
March 2026 Layoff Week 2 part 3: Treats n' Eats
Mar. 29th, 2026 07:03 pmtaz_39Here are my Asian snack reviews for the stuff we got from H-Mart!
--- --- --- --- --- ---
FRIDAY
Jameson and I were both up early. I placed an Instacart order, had breakfast, and wrote the review above while Jameson went for a mental health walk. He wants to get outside more to see if it will help with both depression and losing a little extra weight, and I wholeheartedly support this. I love that he will often (not always, but often) step up and take initiative himself on things like this, even when depression tries to stop him from helping himself out. Not everyone can do that.
The Instacart arrived a little after Jameson got back, everything was accurate so we'll have a nice dinner tonight. Put it all away and practiced trombone for a bit, then had the BATB safety meeting via video chat.
The topic was "Unannounced Law Enforcement Visits," which of course refers to ICE without outright referring to ICE. A lot of reassurances were given, which imo were needed since ICE is now being sent to airports and we have quite a few international cast members, some of whom happen to be POC, many of whom may travel independent of company-booked travel, and who may fly overseas for visits home. And imo considering how we've seen ICE behaving, any and all concerns or fears related to ICE are completely valid and should be discussed. I did find the meeting to be reassuring for the most part, though all of this nonsense of being illegally detained will continue to be a real concern for EVERY American until someone else is in the WH. But anyway.
Lunch with Jameson, then he went back to work for a bit. I requested tickets for our show for my sister and her family in Hartford, since she'd had to cancel in Philly due to a winter storm. The show is still very sold out in Hartford, but no one has said they're revoking or limiting our house seats like they did in Philly so hopefully my request will be approved.
Also, most (definitely not all) of the 2026/2027 tour dates and cities are now live on the company site.
LaughingPlace wrote a brief article about the extended route. Is your city on the list?
There was another company meeting at 2pm about social media. While waiting for that I mixed up an elote sauce for dinner tonight, which is street corn chicken rice bowls. The social media meeting was informative, nothing else really to report about it. After that a little rest, then I made our dinner.
Chicken breast cubed and rolled in Mexican spices (cumin, smoked paprika, cayenne, garlic powder) topped with roasted corn, red onion, mayo, Greek yogurt, cotija cheese, and lime dressing, served with brown rice and avocado. A drizzle of hot sauce added after this pic.
It was very good and very easy to make. I will see if Jameson eats any of the leftovers and that'll tell me if it's worth making again :p
After dinner we listened to Jameson's Queen II Collector's Edition vinyl, which he'd just gotten in the mail. It comes with not only the vinyl but also several CDs and a 112-page book, high-quality photos of the band, etc. Jameson is a huge Queen fan and was thrilled to hear this album (and I was happy to listen along; I may not be a superfan but I can appreciate musical genius.)
---------------------------------------------------------------
SATURDAY
I was up early, Jameson slept in. I enjoy having quiet coffee time in the mornings :)
Boston Foodie Finds work, a vague shuffling around of my tour items because a week from now I really will be packing to go back. We had a slow and rather lazy morning, then hopped in the car for Disney Springs. We somehow managed to catch almost every red light, so it took nearly an hour to get there! Crazy!
Our destination was The Boathouse, which is supposed to be upscale but this is Disney Springs so it was packed with sweaty tourists and huge family groups, kids crying and screaming. The restaurant is huge, however, and we were taken to a quieter section (there were still loads of poorly-behaved children around but we were away from the dueling pianos at least and could hear each other talk.) Placed our drink orders and received some honeyed dinner rolls.
Jameson's ridiculous hard blueberry lemonade. I angled my phone intentionally to make it look bigger, but it was pretty big!
Despite the lovely aged steaks, lobster tails, raw oyster bar, and other delicacies on the menu, we observed that nearly everyone around us was ordering the Wagyu sliders and the side of fries. I'm guessing that's an affordable option that can still feel like a special lunch. Especially if you have little kids...sliders are perfectly sized.
Jameson had the shrimp and andouille mac and cheese in a spicy beer sauce. I was surprised because he doesn't usually go for sausage, but he said it was excellent and not too salty.
I had the seared coriander-crusted yellowfin tuna, with blistered shishito peppers, sitting in a soy lime vinaigrette, with wasabi mayo and sriracha on the side.
The tuna was fresh, clean-tasting, meaty, and cut like butter. The peppers and vinaigrette added perfect seasoning and pops of flavor. This was a strategic choice because it had no carbs or heavy sides, thus leaving room for THIS MONSTROSITY:
Key Lime Pie for Two! I felt that it was more of a cheesecake situation than the traditional custard pie, but it was still damn good. We each lopped off a big chunk of it, but there was still a large 1/3rd left when we reached our limit. Phew! But it was worth it!
After that we walked around the Springs a bit. Near The Boathouse is Chapel Hats, and some of you may recall that I worked there in 2024 while between tours. Therefore it was mildly traumatizing to go back in, haha. Anyone who's worked a retail or service industry job knows what I'm talking about. But it also felt good, because seeing it reminded me how hard I worked here (and for very little pay.) Doing my best without knowing what would come next. Now I get to look back on that period...a past life that helped get me to where I am today. It wasn't that long ago, but it feels like a lifetime has passed since then. So much has changed.
We tried to visit the LEGO store but there was a huge line, so instead we scoped out the Christmas store for potential gifts for Jameson's mom, then decided to head home. On the way we stopped at a LEGO reseller that we'd noticed in a strip mall. It was pretty cool, but considering that most of their sets were used they were selling at near-new prices, and that was a bummer. Still, it was fun to look. Back home we watched the end of the Cubs game and rested and digested. Jameson ate a light dinner, then because a cold front was blowing through we went for a walk. It was windy and cloudy but much cooler than you'd expect from Florida, and I'm glad we'd done a walk because it felt nice :) We talked about this and that...I think we were both feeling kind of pensive today. Talking about past jobs, and Jameson dreading regular colonoscopies soon while I wondered out loud what menopause will feel like when it's fully upon me (I think some peri has started already.) As mentioned in other posts, Jameson is feeling his age lately and struggling with it, and I of course am thinking about it more as well by proximity.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SUNDAY
I was up early, working on Boston Foodie Finds again and starting a load of laundry. I'd finished breakfast by the time Jameson was up. He went for a walk and I practiced bass while he was gone. Folded my laundry, he started a load, yada yada, domestic stuff. We watched an episode of The Traitors UK while I tried to figure out what to make for dinner tomorrow (air fryer panko pork chops, butter noodles, and candied carrots I believe.) We watched the Cubs game and ordered subs for dinner. It was a very "nothing" day...and I'm ok with that.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Monday: Picking up dry cleaning and ingredients for dinner, practice, and beginning one more round of cleaning.
Tuesday: Cleaning the bookshelf using Dust Battle tactics, probably changing our sheets, practice, any other chores I'm up for. No other plans.
- Chocolate Churro Turtle Chips: 20/10 I can see why these are viral. DANG! The texture is amazing and the flavor is chocolate with a little spice and crispy sugar. Really really good, grab these if you see them.
- Fruit/Veggie Electrolyte Drink: 8/10 No artificial sweeteners, just a lightly sugared/salted drink with a mild fruity flavor. Rehydration without dyes or weird ingredients. Very good!
- Wasabi Shiitake Chips: 10/10 These were way better than expected, crunchy and light with a mild wasabi flavor (I do wish they were spicier.) Lovely texture and not overly mushroom-y or earthy. I will keep an eye out for these and get em again.
- Pumpkin Yakgwa: 5/10 These are fried honey-soaked cakes/cookies with pumpkin powder added. They are good, but very oily and the flavor of the oil kind of overpowers both pumpkin and honey for me. Ok but I wouldn’t buy them again.
- Pine Bud Drink: -5/10 Eugh. I’m a person who LIKES other pine-flavored things, but this was too sweet and it was like sugary PineSol. Nope.
- Grape Jelly: ??? Haven’t tried yet but I’ll bet it’s good :P
- Hawaiian Pineapple Citrus Soda: 9/10 Just like Olipop sodas, even the ingredients are mostly the same. Delicious and refreshing!
- Tokyo Banana: 7/10 Lovely packaging, soft sponge cake with a smooth creamy banana filling. Flavor-wise it’s nothing special…just a basic prepackaged dessert. But grateful I got to try it since they’re hard to find!
- White Peach Ice Cream: 20/10 Another viral hit, the flavor and ultra-smooth texture were đ€Żđ Like oh my GOODNESS. The white chocolate coating was soft, not crunchy, so it felt like biting an actual juicy peach, with loads of sweet cream. If you want to treat yourself to something really special and unique this is IT. They’re expensive but absolutely worth trying at least once in your life.
--- --- --- --- --- ---
FRIDAY
Jameson and I were both up early. I placed an Instacart order, had breakfast, and wrote the review above while Jameson went for a mental health walk. He wants to get outside more to see if it will help with both depression and losing a little extra weight, and I wholeheartedly support this. I love that he will often (not always, but often) step up and take initiative himself on things like this, even when depression tries to stop him from helping himself out. Not everyone can do that.
The Instacart arrived a little after Jameson got back, everything was accurate so we'll have a nice dinner tonight. Put it all away and practiced trombone for a bit, then had the BATB safety meeting via video chat.
The topic was "Unannounced Law Enforcement Visits," which of course refers to ICE without outright referring to ICE. A lot of reassurances were given, which imo were needed since ICE is now being sent to airports and we have quite a few international cast members, some of whom happen to be POC, many of whom may travel independent of company-booked travel, and who may fly overseas for visits home. And imo considering how we've seen ICE behaving, any and all concerns or fears related to ICE are completely valid and should be discussed. I did find the meeting to be reassuring for the most part, though all of this nonsense of being illegally detained will continue to be a real concern for EVERY American until someone else is in the WH. But anyway.
Lunch with Jameson, then he went back to work for a bit. I requested tickets for our show for my sister and her family in Hartford, since she'd had to cancel in Philly due to a winter storm. The show is still very sold out in Hartford, but no one has said they're revoking or limiting our house seats like they did in Philly so hopefully my request will be approved.
Also, most (definitely not all) of the 2026/2027 tour dates and cities are now live on the company site.
LaughingPlace wrote a brief article about the extended route. Is your city on the list?
There was another company meeting at 2pm about social media. While waiting for that I mixed up an elote sauce for dinner tonight, which is street corn chicken rice bowls. The social media meeting was informative, nothing else really to report about it. After that a little rest, then I made our dinner.
Chicken breast cubed and rolled in Mexican spices (cumin, smoked paprika, cayenne, garlic powder) topped with roasted corn, red onion, mayo, Greek yogurt, cotija cheese, and lime dressing, served with brown rice and avocado. A drizzle of hot sauce added after this pic.
It was very good and very easy to make. I will see if Jameson eats any of the leftovers and that'll tell me if it's worth making again :p
After dinner we listened to Jameson's Queen II Collector's Edition vinyl, which he'd just gotten in the mail. It comes with not only the vinyl but also several CDs and a 112-page book, high-quality photos of the band, etc. Jameson is a huge Queen fan and was thrilled to hear this album (and I was happy to listen along; I may not be a superfan but I can appreciate musical genius.)
---------------------------------------------------------------
SATURDAY
I was up early, Jameson slept in. I enjoy having quiet coffee time in the mornings :)
Boston Foodie Finds work, a vague shuffling around of my tour items because a week from now I really will be packing to go back. We had a slow and rather lazy morning, then hopped in the car for Disney Springs. We somehow managed to catch almost every red light, so it took nearly an hour to get there! Crazy!
Our destination was The Boathouse, which is supposed to be upscale but this is Disney Springs so it was packed with sweaty tourists and huge family groups, kids crying and screaming. The restaurant is huge, however, and we were taken to a quieter section (there were still loads of poorly-behaved children around but we were away from the dueling pianos at least and could hear each other talk.) Placed our drink orders and received some honeyed dinner rolls.
Jameson's ridiculous hard blueberry lemonade. I angled my phone intentionally to make it look bigger, but it was pretty big!
Despite the lovely aged steaks, lobster tails, raw oyster bar, and other delicacies on the menu, we observed that nearly everyone around us was ordering the Wagyu sliders and the side of fries. I'm guessing that's an affordable option that can still feel like a special lunch. Especially if you have little kids...sliders are perfectly sized.
Jameson had the shrimp and andouille mac and cheese in a spicy beer sauce. I was surprised because he doesn't usually go for sausage, but he said it was excellent and not too salty.
I had the seared coriander-crusted yellowfin tuna, with blistered shishito peppers, sitting in a soy lime vinaigrette, with wasabi mayo and sriracha on the side.
The tuna was fresh, clean-tasting, meaty, and cut like butter. The peppers and vinaigrette added perfect seasoning and pops of flavor. This was a strategic choice because it had no carbs or heavy sides, thus leaving room for THIS MONSTROSITY:
Key Lime Pie for Two! I felt that it was more of a cheesecake situation than the traditional custard pie, but it was still damn good. We each lopped off a big chunk of it, but there was still a large 1/3rd left when we reached our limit. Phew! But it was worth it!
After that we walked around the Springs a bit. Near The Boathouse is Chapel Hats, and some of you may recall that I worked there in 2024 while between tours. Therefore it was mildly traumatizing to go back in, haha. Anyone who's worked a retail or service industry job knows what I'm talking about. But it also felt good, because seeing it reminded me how hard I worked here (and for very little pay.) Doing my best without knowing what would come next. Now I get to look back on that period...a past life that helped get me to where I am today. It wasn't that long ago, but it feels like a lifetime has passed since then. So much has changed.
We tried to visit the LEGO store but there was a huge line, so instead we scoped out the Christmas store for potential gifts for Jameson's mom, then decided to head home. On the way we stopped at a LEGO reseller that we'd noticed in a strip mall. It was pretty cool, but considering that most of their sets were used they were selling at near-new prices, and that was a bummer. Still, it was fun to look. Back home we watched the end of the Cubs game and rested and digested. Jameson ate a light dinner, then because a cold front was blowing through we went for a walk. It was windy and cloudy but much cooler than you'd expect from Florida, and I'm glad we'd done a walk because it felt nice :) We talked about this and that...I think we were both feeling kind of pensive today. Talking about past jobs, and Jameson dreading regular colonoscopies soon while I wondered out loud what menopause will feel like when it's fully upon me (I think some peri has started already.) As mentioned in other posts, Jameson is feeling his age lately and struggling with it, and I of course am thinking about it more as well by proximity.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SUNDAY
I was up early, working on Boston Foodie Finds again and starting a load of laundry. I'd finished breakfast by the time Jameson was up. He went for a walk and I practiced bass while he was gone. Folded my laundry, he started a load, yada yada, domestic stuff. We watched an episode of The Traitors UK while I tried to figure out what to make for dinner tomorrow (air fryer panko pork chops, butter noodles, and candied carrots I believe.) We watched the Cubs game and ordered subs for dinner. It was a very "nothing" day...and I'm ok with that.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Monday: Picking up dry cleaning and ingredients for dinner, practice, and beginning one more round of cleaning.
Tuesday: Cleaning the bookshelf using Dust Battle tactics, probably changing our sheets, practice, any other chores I'm up for. No other plans.
Post and Jam: Your Daddy Don't Know by Toronto (1982)
Mar. 28th, 2026 03:28 pmdelphiFandom 50 #6
Continuing my list of fifty Canadian songs I love from the past fifty years, 1982 is just a good old-fashioned banger.
Your Daddy Don't Know by Toronto
Continuing my list of fifty Canadian songs I love from the past fifty years, 1982 is just a good old-fashioned banger.
Your Daddy Don't Know by Toronto
Fatimatou and Folasade
Mar. 28th, 2026 09:45 ammallorys_camera
Day off.
At some point, I am going to trek across the bridge to grab my tomato cages from the Hyde Park Community Garden & deliver them to the New Paltz Community Garden.
###
I'd had some vague thought of joining one of the numerous No Kings Marches today, but I'm not feeling it.
Besides! I gave at the office yesterday with my last two clients of the day, Fatimatou and Folasade (not their real names), who turned out to be from Guinea, which fact I extracted when I realized the impenetrable language they were trading with one another was actually a strangely accented French.
"Tu parle français?" I asked in my own execrable French.
"Ah, toi aussi, tu parles français?" asked Fatimatou, the more fluent of the two young women in English.
"Un peu," I said. "Un petit peu. TrÚs mal. Tu viens du Sénégal?"
"On vient de Guinée," Fatimatou said.
Guinea!
I had no idea where Guinea actually was, except that most of France's former African colonies are on the west coast.
###
Fatimatou had come to this country as a child with her parents. Product of the Brooklyn public school system, she was bright and enterprising, and had earned a bachelor's degree in the rapidly obsolescing field of data management. This degree qualified her for a string of jobs at places like Sephora and Tori Burch. I had no idea why Fatimatou decided to move to Middletown, where there are far fewer Sephoras and Tori Burches.
When she'd worked at the Sephora in Brooklyn, Fatimatou had been vested in the company's 401(k), so when she left the company, they'd presented her with a check for several thousand dollars. Unfortunately, they'd neglected to instruct her about rollovers, so she'd spent the money and was now facing a tax penalty. Fortunately, she'd been conscientious filling out those W4s, so the tax penalty wasn't hugeâ
"Three hundred and seventy-three dollars," I said, switching back to English.
Fatimatou said something to Folasade in that weird French, and they both squealed with joy.
"I did it myself, and it showed I owed $10,000," she explained.
This, in fact, is why most first-time users come to Schlock: They fuck up their Turbotax return somehow.
###
Folasade was a more recent immigrant.
She had a green card, but I could feel the tension in the two women around that.
She was also in the unenviable position of understanding a lot more English than she could actually speak. But not quite enough English to understand what I was saying without Fatimatou's interpretation.
She'd had exactly one job in 2025âas a holiday worker at Tori Burch, where she'd made exactly $266. And they'd taken out nothing in federal taxes.
I grimaced when I saw that.
"I don't know what to tell you about this," I said. "We're going to charge you $164 for this return. It hardly seems worth it. On the other hand, with the situation here being what it is right now, it seems wise to make some sort of paper trail, establishing you as a law-abiding wannabe citizen."
The situation got even more complicated when it turned out that even the minute amount of money Folasade earned qualified her for a minute amount ($28!) of earned income credit. EIC kicks up the Schlock pricing structure by a hundred bucks.
I sat there for a couple of seconds and then shot an email to the district head of Schlock's mid-Hudson Valley operations: If I can get her a deal this year, we'll have a customer for life, blah, blah, blahâbecause that's the kind of logic that works on corporate asswipes.
And lo and behold! They called me back and gave me a coupon to take $100 off her fee.
I still feel like she was exploited, but you can only do what you can do.
###
I'm halfway through The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny. It should be a page turnerâthe story is very interesting, India is very interestingâand yet it is not a page-turner because each and every sentence has exactly the same metric beat, so the prose, even with the razzledazzle of unusual metaphors and similes, is actually pretty boring.
One of the novel's focuses is the plight of upper-caste Indian women, sent abroad to be overeducated in foreign schools but unable to catch a husband, and so, who end up living lives of genteel poverty.
That is not so very different from my own plight, no? I'm nothing if not overeducated! And I married twice, but neither marriage stuck.
In the end, there is no such thing as exceptionalismânational or not.
###
"Comment tu vas, uh, passer reste de la journée?" I asked Folasade in my terrible French.
"We are going to look for jobs," Fatimatou said in English. "But it is hard because she cannot speak..." Fatimatou shrugged.
"You might try looking for housecleaning jobs," I said. "Because then English wouldn't matter. I know it's a bit demeaning, rabaissant, but it pays okayâ"
The ghost of Barbara Ehrenreich groaned at me from Heaven.
March 2026 Layoff Week 2 part 2: New Emojis, Chores, Yada Yada
Mar. 26th, 2026 09:27 pmtaz_39Things that I Forgot to Write About Before Bed on Tuesday Night:
đžJameson asked if I'd like to go see Into the Woods in July at Dr. Phillips. It's being produced by our friend-in-common manager at Universal AND Dr. Phillips itself, AND it features Jodi Benson (The Little Mermaid.) It's a big deal to us for all of these reasons, but mainly the fact that Dr. Phillips is now producing it's own shows instead of just being a venue...that's really exciting and we want to support that (AND our friend who is managing the show!) The tickets are rather expensive but I splurged on them for us :)
đžA while ago on TikTok I saw that The Boathouse, an upscale restaurant at Disney Springs, has a gigantic Key Lime Pie slice on their dessert menu. Key lime pie is Jameson's favorite. I sent the video to him and asked if he'd like to make a reservation. That was maybe a month ago, and last night we remembered it. I've been trying to get dinner reservations with no luck, but for some reason there are plenty of lunch spots, so we are going to get that key lime pie on Saturday afternoon!
đžI've mentioned before that Broadway Cares is currently doing fundraising. This organization was founded mainly to fight AIDS, but they also support lots of other initiatives like women's health, health care for actors, etc. To make the process more interesting and fun, this is a fundraising competition between all the Broadway touring and stationary shows to see which show can leverage it's fan base and raise the most money. There is currently a Spring Fling marathon where you can sponsor different running teams with your donation. Beauty and the Beast's team, "The Beasts," is winning!!!
đžMy phone was acting funny on Tuesday night, and I realized the new iOS update must be available....and that means.....
THE TROMBONE EMOJI IS HERE!!!!!!!
I know how silly this may sound, but the trombone community has been advocating for an emoji for SEVEN YEARS so it's a really big deal to see this dream become a reality! The design and proposal were submitted in 2019 by a group of high school students (you can read about the journey from proposal to approved emoji HERE.) Finally, today, we got it!!! Immediately after the update I posted an obnoxious slew of emojis all over the socials. I am going to be insufferable about this for 48 hours :p
--- --- --- --- --- ---
WEDNESDAY
Despite all of the lovely happenings above, I woke up in kind of a sour mood. Not really sure why but there's always hormones to blame...and really, I think it's Jameson's diagnosis of bone spurs and nerve compression in his neck. I'm worried for him. Not about the medical stuff, because that is just par for the course as we age and when you have a preexisting condition like he does. I'm worried about his mental health. He was very down on himself yesterday...not just because he has to face the possibility of ANOTHER surgery AGAIN, but also because he hasn't been able to go to the gym due to both his work schedule and the pain. He's gained some weight (not a lot) and is depressed about that, and he has some gigs coming up that he'll have to play while in pain. The gigs are a reminder of how he cannot pursue his dream of being a musician any more, but he doesn't want to give up performing when he can. It's kind of a double-edged sword...he WANTS to play so he keeps taking gigs, but taking the gigs is a painful reminder of why he can't pursue his dream. He's trying really hard to go the corporate route with Disney, and don't get me wrong, he enjoys the corporate work too and can envision himself doing it long-term. But it's not his dream. And his body continues to betray him.
We all know how it is...this kind of thing is coming for us all. But he's 45, there are lots of things that he still wanted to be able to do at this age, and the health issues are coming for him sooner than anticipated :(
Anyway, me and my mood were up late and had breakfast late and generally had a late start to the day. I did a little Boston Foodie Finds. Jameson was hoping for shrimp po' boys for dinner, so I decided to have an "Uber Day" and knock out a bunch of errands. I knew that a day like this would happen during the layoff, where I'd have to take multiple $$ Uber rides. Sometimes it'll be avoidable and sometimes not.
Before lunch was Foodie Finds, meal planning and ingredients list, cleaning up my trombones and practicing. After lunch Jameson went to Disney to do some work, and that's when I did my Ubering: to the dry cleaner to drop off my pea coat, and to Publix for ingredients for dinner. I'd wanted to do Walgreens too for Easter candy for Jameson, but didn't want to drag all of my groceries around for that. I have a dentist appointment tomorrow and there's a CVS next door.
One fun thing that I found at Publix today was strawberry English muffins from Stone & Skillet. Excited to check em out :)
(stock image from Publix)
Back home, mixing up the tartar sauce, emptying the dishwasher, and I started to grab the stepladder to dust the ceiling fans but noticed the push lawn sweeper and decided to do that instead. All of our neighbors have raked their yards, and we have an HOA, so...ya know. That took longer than expected and I feel like it still needs a once-over with a real rake. I felt tired and headachy after that so did a quick dry-Swiffer of the new floors (the Swiffer is still coming up completely grey, oh joy) and then had a snack and relaxed for an hour.
Dinner prep, Jameson texted when he was on his way home so I was assembling our po' boys right as he walked in the door. I do a grilled shrimp recipe to make it healthier, but we still slather the hoagie rolls with homemade tartar sauce, and crunchy fresh iceberg lettuce and juicy tomatoes. That with the spicy zesty shrimp, so yummy! It's a favorite of ours.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
THURSDAY
I'd gone to bed with a headache, and Jameson woke up with one :/ Did not know that headaches were contagious! (jk of course)
We ate breakfast together, then he went off to work at Disney. I worked on Boston Foodie Finds, and upon looking back at my Hartford list just to clean it up, found that the Whole Paycheck there is right next to a Japanese grocery store!!! Eeeeeeee!!!! Something to look forward to!
Around 9:30am I Ubered to my dentist appointment. It took longer than expected but there's nothing new in my mouth so, great. Walked across the street to CVS and got an Easter basket and grass for Jameson, and some candies. I know he's 45 but, come on, who doesn't like a little reminder of childhood on the holidays?
Back home I wiped the fan blades, had lunch, then got to work scrubbing the shower.
I hate, hate, HATE cleaning the shower. Because I'm only home once every few months, I clean with a very intense bleach scrub that keeps mold and mildew away for like 60 days or so, but it smells horrific and makes one's eyes burn. I spray the entire shower, turn the ventilation on, and let it sit for 30 minutes, then scrub it away. Sometimes I'll scrub it twice if needed. It's awful and gives me a headache, but at least I only have to do it once every 4 months or so.
After that I practiced a bit, then decided to wet-Swiffer the floors since dry Swiffering had collected so much dust the other day. And finally I raked the front yard using the actual rake this time, and got three trash bags' worth of leaves out of that. It was hard and sweaty work, but I am a tough cookie :p
Jameson got home at his usual time, and we just ate leftovers. He was in a depressed mood, and I listened while he ranted about work. Lord knows he's listened to me complain about my myriad, low-paying, frustrating jobs over the years. I can see why he was down today: both jobs are just being unsatisfactory in their own ways. Things will get better, but today they were hard, that's all.
I also must admit that in the context of the health issues he's experiencing, I am feeling much more aware of my own health, how fortunate I am to have it, and that I need to appreciate it and protect it. For example, to dispose of the raked leaves in the wooded area behind our house I had to pull our trash bin (it looks like THIS) back there, and lift the full bin over my head to dump the leaves over the side of the chain link fence. Multiple times. Without pain, and with the strength to be able to do that. There will quickly come a day when my body won't be able to do that any more. Even a small accident could take that ability away from me. Seemingly little things like raking leaves or doing house chores, that I do without thinking twice, require a level of physical health that also equates to self-reliance and independence. There are a lot of things that Jameson doesn't do right now because he's in constant pain. I need to appreciate what I have, and do what I can to support him.
Just thoughts, today.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Friday: We have a BATB "safety meeting" via video chat to discuss...."Unannounced Law Enforcement Visits." What does THAT sound like to you? I know what it sounds like to ME (-_-) Other than that, I have no plans except continuing to wage Dust Battle, practicing, and making us dinner.
Saturday: Lunch at The Boathouse with Jameson, no plans otherwise.
Sunday: Nada. This'll be about the time I'll find myself wishing for a part time job that I can pick up when not touring.
đžJameson asked if I'd like to go see Into the Woods in July at Dr. Phillips. It's being produced by our friend-in-common manager at Universal AND Dr. Phillips itself, AND it features Jodi Benson (The Little Mermaid.) It's a big deal to us for all of these reasons, but mainly the fact that Dr. Phillips is now producing it's own shows instead of just being a venue...that's really exciting and we want to support that (AND our friend who is managing the show!) The tickets are rather expensive but I splurged on them for us :)
đžA while ago on TikTok I saw that The Boathouse, an upscale restaurant at Disney Springs, has a gigantic Key Lime Pie slice on their dessert menu. Key lime pie is Jameson's favorite. I sent the video to him and asked if he'd like to make a reservation. That was maybe a month ago, and last night we remembered it. I've been trying to get dinner reservations with no luck, but for some reason there are plenty of lunch spots, so we are going to get that key lime pie on Saturday afternoon!
đžI've mentioned before that Broadway Cares is currently doing fundraising. This organization was founded mainly to fight AIDS, but they also support lots of other initiatives like women's health, health care for actors, etc. To make the process more interesting and fun, this is a fundraising competition between all the Broadway touring and stationary shows to see which show can leverage it's fan base and raise the most money. There is currently a Spring Fling marathon where you can sponsor different running teams with your donation. Beauty and the Beast's team, "The Beasts," is winning!!!
đžMy phone was acting funny on Tuesday night, and I realized the new iOS update must be available....and that means.....
THE TROMBONE EMOJI IS HERE!!!!!!!
I know how silly this may sound, but the trombone community has been advocating for an emoji for SEVEN YEARS so it's a really big deal to see this dream become a reality! The design and proposal were submitted in 2019 by a group of high school students (you can read about the journey from proposal to approved emoji HERE.) Finally, today, we got it!!! Immediately after the update I posted an obnoxious slew of emojis all over the socials. I am going to be insufferable about this for 48 hours :p
--- --- --- --- --- ---
WEDNESDAY
Despite all of the lovely happenings above, I woke up in kind of a sour mood. Not really sure why but there's always hormones to blame...and really, I think it's Jameson's diagnosis of bone spurs and nerve compression in his neck. I'm worried for him. Not about the medical stuff, because that is just par for the course as we age and when you have a preexisting condition like he does. I'm worried about his mental health. He was very down on himself yesterday...not just because he has to face the possibility of ANOTHER surgery AGAIN, but also because he hasn't been able to go to the gym due to both his work schedule and the pain. He's gained some weight (not a lot) and is depressed about that, and he has some gigs coming up that he'll have to play while in pain. The gigs are a reminder of how he cannot pursue his dream of being a musician any more, but he doesn't want to give up performing when he can. It's kind of a double-edged sword...he WANTS to play so he keeps taking gigs, but taking the gigs is a painful reminder of why he can't pursue his dream. He's trying really hard to go the corporate route with Disney, and don't get me wrong, he enjoys the corporate work too and can envision himself doing it long-term. But it's not his dream. And his body continues to betray him.
We all know how it is...this kind of thing is coming for us all. But he's 45, there are lots of things that he still wanted to be able to do at this age, and the health issues are coming for him sooner than anticipated :(
Anyway, me and my mood were up late and had breakfast late and generally had a late start to the day. I did a little Boston Foodie Finds. Jameson was hoping for shrimp po' boys for dinner, so I decided to have an "Uber Day" and knock out a bunch of errands. I knew that a day like this would happen during the layoff, where I'd have to take multiple $$ Uber rides. Sometimes it'll be avoidable and sometimes not.
Before lunch was Foodie Finds, meal planning and ingredients list, cleaning up my trombones and practicing. After lunch Jameson went to Disney to do some work, and that's when I did my Ubering: to the dry cleaner to drop off my pea coat, and to Publix for ingredients for dinner. I'd wanted to do Walgreens too for Easter candy for Jameson, but didn't want to drag all of my groceries around for that. I have a dentist appointment tomorrow and there's a CVS next door.
One fun thing that I found at Publix today was strawberry English muffins from Stone & Skillet. Excited to check em out :)
(stock image from Publix)
Back home, mixing up the tartar sauce, emptying the dishwasher, and I started to grab the stepladder to dust the ceiling fans but noticed the push lawn sweeper and decided to do that instead. All of our neighbors have raked their yards, and we have an HOA, so...ya know. That took longer than expected and I feel like it still needs a once-over with a real rake. I felt tired and headachy after that so did a quick dry-Swiffer of the new floors (the Swiffer is still coming up completely grey, oh joy) and then had a snack and relaxed for an hour.
Dinner prep, Jameson texted when he was on his way home so I was assembling our po' boys right as he walked in the door. I do a grilled shrimp recipe to make it healthier, but we still slather the hoagie rolls with homemade tartar sauce, and crunchy fresh iceberg lettuce and juicy tomatoes. That with the spicy zesty shrimp, so yummy! It's a favorite of ours.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
THURSDAY
I'd gone to bed with a headache, and Jameson woke up with one :/ Did not know that headaches were contagious! (jk of course)
We ate breakfast together, then he went off to work at Disney. I worked on Boston Foodie Finds, and upon looking back at my Hartford list just to clean it up, found that the Whole Paycheck there is right next to a Japanese grocery store!!! Eeeeeeee!!!! Something to look forward to!
Around 9:30am I Ubered to my dentist appointment. It took longer than expected but there's nothing new in my mouth so, great. Walked across the street to CVS and got an Easter basket and grass for Jameson, and some candies. I know he's 45 but, come on, who doesn't like a little reminder of childhood on the holidays?
Back home I wiped the fan blades, had lunch, then got to work scrubbing the shower.
I hate, hate, HATE cleaning the shower. Because I'm only home once every few months, I clean with a very intense bleach scrub that keeps mold and mildew away for like 60 days or so, but it smells horrific and makes one's eyes burn. I spray the entire shower, turn the ventilation on, and let it sit for 30 minutes, then scrub it away. Sometimes I'll scrub it twice if needed. It's awful and gives me a headache, but at least I only have to do it once every 4 months or so.
After that I practiced a bit, then decided to wet-Swiffer the floors since dry Swiffering had collected so much dust the other day. And finally I raked the front yard using the actual rake this time, and got three trash bags' worth of leaves out of that. It was hard and sweaty work, but I am a tough cookie :p
Jameson got home at his usual time, and we just ate leftovers. He was in a depressed mood, and I listened while he ranted about work. Lord knows he's listened to me complain about my myriad, low-paying, frustrating jobs over the years. I can see why he was down today: both jobs are just being unsatisfactory in their own ways. Things will get better, but today they were hard, that's all.
I also must admit that in the context of the health issues he's experiencing, I am feeling much more aware of my own health, how fortunate I am to have it, and that I need to appreciate it and protect it. For example, to dispose of the raked leaves in the wooded area behind our house I had to pull our trash bin (it looks like THIS) back there, and lift the full bin over my head to dump the leaves over the side of the chain link fence. Multiple times. Without pain, and with the strength to be able to do that. There will quickly come a day when my body won't be able to do that any more. Even a small accident could take that ability away from me. Seemingly little things like raking leaves or doing house chores, that I do without thinking twice, require a level of physical health that also equates to self-reliance and independence. There are a lot of things that Jameson doesn't do right now because he's in constant pain. I need to appreciate what I have, and do what I can to support him.
Just thoughts, today.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Friday: We have a BATB "safety meeting" via video chat to discuss...."Unannounced Law Enforcement Visits." What does THAT sound like to you? I know what it sounds like to ME (-_-) Other than that, I have no plans except continuing to wage Dust Battle, practicing, and making us dinner.
Saturday: Lunch at The Boathouse with Jameson, no plans otherwise.
Sunday: Nada. This'll be about the time I'll find myself wishing for a part time job that I can pick up when not touring.
The World Is Nuts
Mar. 26th, 2026 08:17 pmmallorys_cameraThe world is a fuckin' mess.
I just broke up a fight in the Stewartâs parking lot. Guy parked in a handicapped space, another guy called him on it. They were actually exchanging blows. I got between them, screaming, "Stop it, stop it, stop it," (which was a really stupid thing to do), and when they saw that Iâm an old lady, they backed down.
Iâm still shaking.
###
This came on top of a brutal day.
Phillip Osario (not his real name) forgot one of his W2s yesterday.
He brought it in today.
Phillip Osario is working four jobs just to stay afloat, but the paltry amount he made at that fourth job shaved $2,000 off his refund.
He stared at me with blank, uncomprehending eyes: "So, don't put the fourth job in."
I sighed and shook my head. "Doesn't work that way. I have to."
"But I don't want you to!"
"I know," I said. "But if I know about the job, I have to put it in."
Phillip Osario glared at me through slitted eyes.
If I had to guess, I'd guess he was a reformed gangbanger. Beautiful face, Orpheus in the asphalt underworld, with a tattoo of a woman's name in ornate copperplate script veering alongside his left eye. I made up a bio for him: Somethingâthe birth of a child?âhad made him want to make an abrupt about-face in his life, but now he was struggling in a world that had no use for him, had no place for him. I felt every hour of the meaningless drudgery he put in to get byâa few hours in Walmart, a few hours at the Home Depot. An underling. The lowest of the low whose real job was to let other people order him around. I wanted to tell him, Take the $3,000 and enroll in a HVAC course at a community college! You'll make $100,000 a year. But I didn't. Because we didn't have a telepathic bond, much as I wanted to pretend we did.
So, instead, I lectured him on all the dire things that befall people who lie to the IRS about their revenue streams. "They impose interest and high penalties. They garnish your wages. And in this day of AI, nobody gets away with lying to the IRS anymore. It's impossible, they will find you out. It's just a matter of time."
Eventually, I talked him into filing.
But I felt like crying.
###
He left, and Angel Meduro (not his real name) came in.
Angel Meduro looked a lot like Angel Batista in Dexter, right down to the porkpie hat. And he made a shitload of money doing something for the U.S. Treasury.
Angel Meduro wanted to do Married Filing Separately.
"How long have you been separated?" I asked.
"Oh, we live together," he said. "But I got debts & things I want to protect her from."
"That's fine," I said. "We'll still need her social security number though."
"They didn't need it last year," said Angel Meduro.
"Really?" I said. "Then whoever did your taxes last year did them wrong. That's a hard and fast requirement for Married Filing Separately."
We went back and forth a little, and eventually, he started trying to call his wife to get her permission to use her social security number.
She answered the sixth time he called.
He had her on speaker phone.
"What the fuck are you calling me for?" she asked furiously. "I told you I was going to the acupuncture guy!"
"Sorry, mami. But I'm with the tax lady, and she says I need your social security numberâ"
"What are you, some kind of fucking moron? I am not giving my social security numberâ"
She said a bunch of other things, too, that I can't remember except that they were all pretty humiliating, and after she finally hung up the phone, he looked at me with haunted eyes: "Sorry. Sorry. Sorry. I can't do this."
The light bulb had already gone off over my head by this time: She was falsifying her filing status! Probably filing as Head of Household so she could rake in the earned income and child tax credits, and didn't want him imperiling her scam!
Poor Angel Meduro.
I hope she gives good blow jobs.
I just broke up a fight in the Stewartâs parking lot. Guy parked in a handicapped space, another guy called him on it. They were actually exchanging blows. I got between them, screaming, "Stop it, stop it, stop it," (which was a really stupid thing to do), and when they saw that Iâm an old lady, they backed down.
Iâm still shaking.
###
This came on top of a brutal day.
Phillip Osario (not his real name) forgot one of his W2s yesterday.
He brought it in today.
Phillip Osario is working four jobs just to stay afloat, but the paltry amount he made at that fourth job shaved $2,000 off his refund.
He stared at me with blank, uncomprehending eyes: "So, don't put the fourth job in."
I sighed and shook my head. "Doesn't work that way. I have to."
"But I don't want you to!"
"I know," I said. "But if I know about the job, I have to put it in."
Phillip Osario glared at me through slitted eyes.
If I had to guess, I'd guess he was a reformed gangbanger. Beautiful face, Orpheus in the asphalt underworld, with a tattoo of a woman's name in ornate copperplate script veering alongside his left eye. I made up a bio for him: Somethingâthe birth of a child?âhad made him want to make an abrupt about-face in his life, but now he was struggling in a world that had no use for him, had no place for him. I felt every hour of the meaningless drudgery he put in to get byâa few hours in Walmart, a few hours at the Home Depot. An underling. The lowest of the low whose real job was to let other people order him around. I wanted to tell him, Take the $3,000 and enroll in a HVAC course at a community college! You'll make $100,000 a year. But I didn't. Because we didn't have a telepathic bond, much as I wanted to pretend we did.
So, instead, I lectured him on all the dire things that befall people who lie to the IRS about their revenue streams. "They impose interest and high penalties. They garnish your wages. And in this day of AI, nobody gets away with lying to the IRS anymore. It's impossible, they will find you out. It's just a matter of time."
Eventually, I talked him into filing.
But I felt like crying.
###
He left, and Angel Meduro (not his real name) came in.
Angel Meduro looked a lot like Angel Batista in Dexter, right down to the porkpie hat. And he made a shitload of money doing something for the U.S. Treasury.
Angel Meduro wanted to do Married Filing Separately.
"How long have you been separated?" I asked.
"Oh, we live together," he said. "But I got debts & things I want to protect her from."
"That's fine," I said. "We'll still need her social security number though."
"They didn't need it last year," said Angel Meduro.
"Really?" I said. "Then whoever did your taxes last year did them wrong. That's a hard and fast requirement for Married Filing Separately."
We went back and forth a little, and eventually, he started trying to call his wife to get her permission to use her social security number.
She answered the sixth time he called.
He had her on speaker phone.
"What the fuck are you calling me for?" she asked furiously. "I told you I was going to the acupuncture guy!"
"Sorry, mami. But I'm with the tax lady, and she says I need your social security numberâ"
"What are you, some kind of fucking moron? I am not giving my social security numberâ"
She said a bunch of other things, too, that I can't remember except that they were all pretty humiliating, and after she finally hung up the phone, he looked at me with haunted eyes: "Sorry. Sorry. Sorry. I can't do this."
The light bulb had already gone off over my head by this time: She was falsifying her filing status! Probably filing as Head of Household so she could rake in the earned income and child tax credits, and didn't want him imperiling her scam!
Poor Angel Meduro.
I hope she gives good blow jobs.
Sleepless Night
Mar. 25th, 2026 07:57 ammallorys_camera
Night before last, I couldn't sleep. I lay all night in that strange hypnagogic state where you're completely aware of the external world beyond your closed eyelids, but the passage of time is very distorted.
I hadn't had any caffeine since 8 am the previous morning.
I hadn't had any alcohol.
I was anxious, but anxiety is the matrix in which all of us humans live nowadays. Being alive right now is anxiety-provoking! Nothing is going unusually wrong in my little life, & there was no Horrible Thing awaiting me the very next day that I wanted to avoid.
So, my sleeplessness was a great mystery.
When the first light broke around 6 am, I got up from my bed.
You will simply call them at 9 & tell them you can't come in today, I told myself.
I was amazed by how guilty this made me feel! I mean, it's not like I owe Schlock anything but my labor while my ass is in their chair.
But I did feel guilty! What a horrible failure you are, said the little voice in my head. What a perpetual disappointment to all & sundry.
###
This sleeplessness has happened before. Not oftenâbut often enough so that I'm familiar with its manifestation. Usually it happens on nights when I'm anxious about performing the next day.
Thus, it happened during a trip to Baltimore a few years back with a person I didn't know very well at the time (but subsequently became a good friend). Thus, it happened in Ithaca last Thanksgiving when I was about to be trotted out on a round of holiday parties.
It's one of the banes of old age.
Old people just don't sleep very well.
###
Anyway, I managed to have a fairly productive day with my ass not in the chair.
In the morning, I polished off Remuneration for one client & got a modest assignment from another. If I'm diligent about husbanding resources, I may actually be in better financial shape this year than I was last.
In the afternoon, I scampered off to the New Paltz Community Garden & puttered. My plot is in surprisingly good shape. Whoever had it before me stayed on top of the weeds, and the soil in those raised boxes looks surprisingly good.
In the late afternoon, I dropped by the Gardiner Bakehouse and spent an hour or so nibbling chocolate chip cookies and reading The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny, which is the Big New Novel of the season.
I want to like Sonia and Sunny more than I actually like it. It has some surprisingly good insights:
An arranged marriage story, even one that ended six months later in divorce, felt true and false. True because it happened. False because it was feeding the West what it wanted to consume about the East. The audience made it false. Lifting this one story out of all the others made it false.
But I'm finding Kiran Desai's much-praised writing style a bit banal. Her metaphors are pretty word strings but they don't make much sense. And her non-Indian characters make no sense at all.
Claude sent me an email: Are keeping your garden this year . Hope you fine , spring is rite there . Lmk
Claude's spoken English is very good (though it preserves Gallic word order), but he never saw the slightest utility in learning how to write English.
It made me very sad to write back that no, I would not be coming back. I really love the Hyde Park Community Garden, it's just such a beautiful, serene place, and I really like all my fellow gardeners there:
But it's utterly insane to plan on driving across the bridge multiple times each week. The time sink, sure, but also, I don't like driving.
I still haven't decided where I want to move. Ithaca is attractive, but the problem with Ithaca is that just five miles outside the city limits, you're in Alabama except with snow. The Southern Tier is a Trumpy place & getting to anywhere else I might want to hang out (for which read New York City) is a real ordeal from there. Yes, RTT is there, and RTT loves meâbut it's not as though RTT would want to hang out with me.
So, I'm also contemplating maybe moving back to Dutchess County. Where I know people. Where I'll be close to Metro-North train stations that can deposit me in Grand Central Station in just under two hours. My old friend Carl A has told me I can stay overnight in the guest room of his apartment on the upper West Side anytime. I should probably take him up on the offer.
Claude wrote me back: Itâs sad that u leavin us but we ll keep u in mind for next year u decide to come back . I donât ve a Ă person to replace u right now . Stay in touch
(morning writing, rest, garden)
Mar. 25th, 2026 07:47 amelainegreyIn glad-i'm-not-a-farmer news, we hit freezing around 4 am this morning. While we aren't going low enough to harm the blueberries (no fruit set yet) the king blossoms on the apple tree will be harmed. Fortunately apples have a small defense in that they don't open all the blossoms at once.
This year i do have multiple pawpaw blooms on multiple trees so i could go do some hand pollination. Apparently, very few blossoms get pollinated and with the asymmetric flower count on trees and the need for cross pollination, i think a little help would be wise.
--== Rest ==--
Yesterday i think a few things triggered me at work: i'm using a new to me database tool and i was getting odd SQL failures. I suspect that's just the sort of thing on a project i have procrastinated on to trigger more procrastination. I don't think i had quite gotten to self blame, but i definitely hit the "this is what happens when work goes stale" thought - one step from self blame. I don't know why the error indicating i don't have permission occurs but using a different pane in the app works. I don't know that i need to sort out the difference.
The other was a discussion with legal, where i apparently surprised them with the existence of an application and -- while this may make my design work trivial --Â who wants to surprise lawyers (except, of course, opposing counsel).
Then the dermatologist appointment needed me to reveal my skin again in places i wasn't excited to disrobe, and the trainee doctor kept repeating my "twice a week" dosing schedule as "twice a day on weekends" which, wtf. I haven't checked what was recorded. Also, freaking impossible to pronounce meds.
Yay me, i got to the end of the workday without too much avoidance, but i had no energy for anything else. So after work i didn't feel like setting an intention and i acknowledged i needed rest.
I finished reading a fantasy novella which, yes annie_r, bon-bon. Then opened instagram and next thing i knew it was dinner time with no time to make the planned meal.
Did i feel rested? Pffff. Maybe? But the spikes of ... regret ... about dinner, and then when i looked at my list and email (oh no, forgot about X and what is this email about Y? Do i need to respond right now?) offset any rest. And while my instagram account is furniture refinishing and potters and woodworkers and now sewing tips -- it soothes but i certainly should have set a timer.
--== â ==--
I can't begrudge authors but the trend of shorter books sold as a serial instead of a big fat fantasy tome does have budget implications.
March 2026 Layoff Week 2 part 1: Posthumous Gardening, Magic Kingdom Magic
Mar. 24th, 2026 08:44 pmtaz_39My Whole Paycheck (Amazon) grocery order magically disappeared last night. I was refunded. Luckily this was just foods I wanted for the coming week, nothing I needed badly. I wonder what Amazon does when this happens? I guess it depends on the circumstances (did the driver's car break down? Did they forget my order in the back of their trunk? Who knows.)
After a bit of wibbling I decided to place the same order again for tomorrow. Give them another chance. If it falls through again I'll stick with Publix/Instacart for the rest of the layoff and call it a lesson learned.
--- --- --- --- --- ---
MONDAY
A normal morning. Breakfast and I whipped up some Oreo truffles to bring to the Main Street Phil guys tomorrow. If you've never made Oreo truffles they're super easy: smash a whole package of Oreos (normal-sized, not family-sized), mix it with a softened block of cream cheese until uniform color, roll into 28-ish balls, and dip in melted white or dark or milk chocolate. Let harden in the fridge for 10-15 minutes, and box 'em up. Easy-peasy and they taste great.
After that and cleanup, my Publix/Instacart groceries showed up. This was mostly replacing cleaning supplies around the house, not much in the way of food. The Whole Paycheck order was still en route because that store is much farther away.
I used the time waiting to get rid of any potted plants that are around. The sad truth is that there is no point keeping plants at all if I'm not here. Jameson is not a gardener, and nearly everything has died since I've been gone. The ONE plant that is doing well is a small misc houseplant pot that I bought because it's in sphagnum moss, which only needs watering like once a month, and Jameson seems able to remember to do that much.
This one is the survivor:
The succulent pot that I bought in October(?) did not work out. They're all dead or dying.
Around the outside of the house were two potted pineapples (dead) and my lemon tree that has done poorly. I dumped the pineapples and sort-of planted the lemon tree, we'll see if it survives.
My vanilla orchid is dead. I'm sad but not surprised. Florida had some brutal frosts this year with lows in the 20s, and this plant can't survive that. I tore down as much of it as I can reach. I am left with memories of when it was thick and green, and that one special Easter when it bloomed for us :)
And finally, my banana trees "died" in the frost as well. The two biggest, anyway.
"Died" in quotes because bananas are clones. They are not a true tree but a rhizome that reproduces by sending out little copies of itself at the base of the trunk. Sure enough, there are three "pups" still living. I don't know how they'll do but they at least have a shot. I cut down the dead trees and cleaned up the little ones.
As I was finishing up with the bananas my Whole Paycheck grocery order arrived. There was a packet of raw chicken, which is going straight in the freezer and when I thaw it in a week or so that will tell the tale of whether it was kept cold during this delivery. Cleaned myself up and had lunch with Jameson, packed a lunch and snacks for Main Street Phil tomorrow, typed up this post, and practiced trombone. Checked the mail, wiped the silica dust off the front door (the door is black/dark so the dust shows up strongly there.) A light snack and Jameson had to give a Zoom class so I quietly researched hotels and flights for my brother's wedding, which isn't until October but I should look at bookings now.
Jameson was in a mood for BBQ and neither of us wanted to cook, so we went to Sonny's which is a chain. It wan't anything mind-blowing but was very good and service was awesome. We talked about lots of things, but mostly the upcoming sit in Boston. Jameson will see our show for the first time, and he went to Berklee too. He hasn't been to Boston in a long time and is looking forward to showing me his old haunts...where he lived and worked, some of his favorite restaurants, stuff like that. I'm THRILLED that we can spend time together while I'm on tour! Although most family visits tend to stress me out, a lot of that is because my family is not musicians and they don't understand a lot of what I do or why I have to do it. Jameson is a musician too. He GETS it...he gets this world and my work. I can relax with him here and not worry so much. And we can do fun things together!!
We also worried about the current TSA situation. There are reports across the socials of people being trapped in TSA lines for 2+ hours and missing their flights. Footage of huge long lines extending out into airport parking lots, and reports of PreCheck lanes being closed. In Jameson's case he can just get a refund and use the money for a flight some other time. But in my case, I have to get to WORK. The alternative would be to drive 20+ hours to Hartford after the layoff. I'll keep watching the MCO airport live tracking, and hope it doesn't come to that.
After dinner we chilled with gaming in his case and reading/playing solitaire in mine. We went to bed early as we both have to get up early tomorrow.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TUESDAY
I was up early for breakfast ahead of a full day at the Magic Kingdom! Jameson was working at Disney as well and we left at about the same time, he by driving and me by Uber. It is decidedly odd to Uber onto Disney property instead of driving myself, but I will get used to it.
Going back down into the Utilidors (employee-only area under Cinderella's Castle) was absolutely nostalgic. Yes it's kinda smelly and old under there...but it's historic and beautiful too. In the same way that a dusty 1920s Fox or Orpheum theater is worth preserving and appreciating, so is Disney, so is the Magic Kingdom and the Utilidors. It's truly a privilege to walk in these amazing places freely, as though at home.
(stock image)
I wasn't totally sure what to expect today...it started out as me asking if I could swing by for a social visit, to bring treats and say hello because I miss the guys :) But Mike (the boss) said ihe could make it a paid rehearsal day. It's been a full year since I've played ANY Main Street Philharmonic music, and I was concerned they might ask me to play a set. But no, Mike understood completely when I said I'd rather audit, shadow, and practice. It's been a year, after all.
We started the day with a rehearsal (Tuesdays are always rehearsal days for the full timers.) I made sure to leave the Oreo truffles and turtle chips out, and they were very appreciated.
Next, the first set. It was special! Because MAIN STREET MICKEY showed up to conduct the band!!!
As soon as "Mickey is here!" rippled through the crowd, people RUSHED to see, hoping to get a photo op with Mickey. They are still working out the logistics of having Mickey as part of this set due to the mad rush of people, but from what I saw it was handled very well and people were VERY happy to see Mickey up close. Self included! I still don't have a picture of myself with Boss Mouse, and this was the closest I've ever been to him!
During this set I noticed that there were cherry pickers all around the Castle.
This is very unusual during operating hours, but the guys said the park is working around the clock to get the Castle repainted (it was previously pink and now it'll be more white/blue.)
There was another set during which I got to see the band do an updated version of our Encanto Medley and made a recording of that for myself. During the breaks between sets I practiced the changes to the music, ate lunch, and tried on my costume(s) to make sure they still fit (they do.) I walked with the band to the parade start point and watched their entrance because they'd made a change to that, and to some of the music along the route.
Took a little video. It was wonderful to walk through the people and hear excitement as the band approached, and see cheering and clapping and smiling.
I know that there's a lot to see at Disney, but to know that people will stop to enjoy the band's performance, to wave and cheer, and then go on with their vacations hopefully with a little more positivity and joy because of it...well, it's really lovely to think about. And it makes me proud, that I can sometimes be a part of bringing that joy to others.
After that was a longer break. Tony (bass trombone) used that time to check out my Yamaha bass which I'd specifically brought so he could give it a whirl :) He spent a solid 20 minutes with it and enjoyed it very much! And then he asked if there was anything I'm struggling with on bass, and when I told him he gave me basically a free lesson! He also showed me how to properly lubricate the rotors, something that I've never been taught. Embarrassed to admit that but also very grateful that Tony kindly showed me how without judgement. Hhe is such a kind, cool dude! I gave him a BIG hug and thanked him profusely.
There was one more set which I went out and watched, then I left before the Flag Retreat because nothing has changed with that and I figured it'd be better to call an Uber as early as I could. Overall it was a fun day at the park hanging out with my coworkers and friends. Whether I get paid for it or not, it was absolutely worth doing!
Back home I got caught up with Jameson. He has the results of his MRI: bone spurs and nerve compression in his neck, ranging in severity in several locations. His next step will be to speak with a specialist about treatment options. We expect that his insurance will make him do physical therapy first, but he is prepared to endure that if it means he might finally be in less pain.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Wednesday: More Dust Battle, and I may make us something for dinner. Jameson will have half a day working from home and the other half at Disney.
Thursday: I have a dentist appointment and will probably also drop my coat off at the dry cleaner's. Scrubbing the shower (ugh.)
After a bit of wibbling I decided to place the same order again for tomorrow. Give them another chance. If it falls through again I'll stick with Publix/Instacart for the rest of the layoff and call it a lesson learned.
--- --- --- --- --- ---
MONDAY
A normal morning. Breakfast and I whipped up some Oreo truffles to bring to the Main Street Phil guys tomorrow. If you've never made Oreo truffles they're super easy: smash a whole package of Oreos (normal-sized, not family-sized), mix it with a softened block of cream cheese until uniform color, roll into 28-ish balls, and dip in melted white or dark or milk chocolate. Let harden in the fridge for 10-15 minutes, and box 'em up. Easy-peasy and they taste great.
After that and cleanup, my Publix/Instacart groceries showed up. This was mostly replacing cleaning supplies around the house, not much in the way of food. The Whole Paycheck order was still en route because that store is much farther away.
I used the time waiting to get rid of any potted plants that are around. The sad truth is that there is no point keeping plants at all if I'm not here. Jameson is not a gardener, and nearly everything has died since I've been gone. The ONE plant that is doing well is a small misc houseplant pot that I bought because it's in sphagnum moss, which only needs watering like once a month, and Jameson seems able to remember to do that much.
This one is the survivor:
The succulent pot that I bought in October(?) did not work out. They're all dead or dying.
Around the outside of the house were two potted pineapples (dead) and my lemon tree that has done poorly. I dumped the pineapples and sort-of planted the lemon tree, we'll see if it survives.
My vanilla orchid is dead. I'm sad but not surprised. Florida had some brutal frosts this year with lows in the 20s, and this plant can't survive that. I tore down as much of it as I can reach. I am left with memories of when it was thick and green, and that one special Easter when it bloomed for us :)
And finally, my banana trees "died" in the frost as well. The two biggest, anyway.
"Died" in quotes because bananas are clones. They are not a true tree but a rhizome that reproduces by sending out little copies of itself at the base of the trunk. Sure enough, there are three "pups" still living. I don't know how they'll do but they at least have a shot. I cut down the dead trees and cleaned up the little ones.
As I was finishing up with the bananas my Whole Paycheck grocery order arrived. There was a packet of raw chicken, which is going straight in the freezer and when I thaw it in a week or so that will tell the tale of whether it was kept cold during this delivery. Cleaned myself up and had lunch with Jameson, packed a lunch and snacks for Main Street Phil tomorrow, typed up this post, and practiced trombone. Checked the mail, wiped the silica dust off the front door (the door is black/dark so the dust shows up strongly there.) A light snack and Jameson had to give a Zoom class so I quietly researched hotels and flights for my brother's wedding, which isn't until October but I should look at bookings now.
Jameson was in a mood for BBQ and neither of us wanted to cook, so we went to Sonny's which is a chain. It wan't anything mind-blowing but was very good and service was awesome. We talked about lots of things, but mostly the upcoming sit in Boston. Jameson will see our show for the first time, and he went to Berklee too. He hasn't been to Boston in a long time and is looking forward to showing me his old haunts...where he lived and worked, some of his favorite restaurants, stuff like that. I'm THRILLED that we can spend time together while I'm on tour! Although most family visits tend to stress me out, a lot of that is because my family is not musicians and they don't understand a lot of what I do or why I have to do it. Jameson is a musician too. He GETS it...he gets this world and my work. I can relax with him here and not worry so much. And we can do fun things together!!
We also worried about the current TSA situation. There are reports across the socials of people being trapped in TSA lines for 2+ hours and missing their flights. Footage of huge long lines extending out into airport parking lots, and reports of PreCheck lanes being closed. In Jameson's case he can just get a refund and use the money for a flight some other time. But in my case, I have to get to WORK. The alternative would be to drive 20+ hours to Hartford after the layoff. I'll keep watching the MCO airport live tracking, and hope it doesn't come to that.
After dinner we chilled with gaming in his case and reading/playing solitaire in mine. We went to bed early as we both have to get up early tomorrow.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TUESDAY
I was up early for breakfast ahead of a full day at the Magic Kingdom! Jameson was working at Disney as well and we left at about the same time, he by driving and me by Uber. It is decidedly odd to Uber onto Disney property instead of driving myself, but I will get used to it.
Going back down into the Utilidors (employee-only area under Cinderella's Castle) was absolutely nostalgic. Yes it's kinda smelly and old under there...but it's historic and beautiful too. In the same way that a dusty 1920s Fox or Orpheum theater is worth preserving and appreciating, so is Disney, so is the Magic Kingdom and the Utilidors. It's truly a privilege to walk in these amazing places freely, as though at home.
(stock image)
I wasn't totally sure what to expect today...it started out as me asking if I could swing by for a social visit, to bring treats and say hello because I miss the guys :) But Mike (the boss) said ihe could make it a paid rehearsal day. It's been a full year since I've played ANY Main Street Philharmonic music, and I was concerned they might ask me to play a set. But no, Mike understood completely when I said I'd rather audit, shadow, and practice. It's been a year, after all.
We started the day with a rehearsal (Tuesdays are always rehearsal days for the full timers.) I made sure to leave the Oreo truffles and turtle chips out, and they were very appreciated.
Next, the first set. It was special! Because MAIN STREET MICKEY showed up to conduct the band!!!
As soon as "Mickey is here!" rippled through the crowd, people RUSHED to see, hoping to get a photo op with Mickey. They are still working out the logistics of having Mickey as part of this set due to the mad rush of people, but from what I saw it was handled very well and people were VERY happy to see Mickey up close. Self included! I still don't have a picture of myself with Boss Mouse, and this was the closest I've ever been to him!
During this set I noticed that there were cherry pickers all around the Castle.
This is very unusual during operating hours, but the guys said the park is working around the clock to get the Castle repainted (it was previously pink and now it'll be more white/blue.)
There was another set during which I got to see the band do an updated version of our Encanto Medley and made a recording of that for myself. During the breaks between sets I practiced the changes to the music, ate lunch, and tried on my costume(s) to make sure they still fit (they do.) I walked with the band to the parade start point and watched their entrance because they'd made a change to that, and to some of the music along the route.
Took a little video. It was wonderful to walk through the people and hear excitement as the band approached, and see cheering and clapping and smiling.
I know that there's a lot to see at Disney, but to know that people will stop to enjoy the band's performance, to wave and cheer, and then go on with their vacations hopefully with a little more positivity and joy because of it...well, it's really lovely to think about. And it makes me proud, that I can sometimes be a part of bringing that joy to others.
After that was a longer break. Tony (bass trombone) used that time to check out my Yamaha bass which I'd specifically brought so he could give it a whirl :) He spent a solid 20 minutes with it and enjoyed it very much! And then he asked if there was anything I'm struggling with on bass, and when I told him he gave me basically a free lesson! He also showed me how to properly lubricate the rotors, something that I've never been taught. Embarrassed to admit that but also very grateful that Tony kindly showed me how without judgement. Hhe is such a kind, cool dude! I gave him a BIG hug and thanked him profusely.
There was one more set which I went out and watched, then I left before the Flag Retreat because nothing has changed with that and I figured it'd be better to call an Uber as early as I could. Overall it was a fun day at the park hanging out with my coworkers and friends. Whether I get paid for it or not, it was absolutely worth doing!
Back home I got caught up with Jameson. He has the results of his MRI: bone spurs and nerve compression in his neck, ranging in severity in several locations. His next step will be to speak with a specialist about treatment options. We expect that his insurance will make him do physical therapy first, but he is prepared to endure that if it means he might finally be in less pain.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Wednesday: More Dust Battle, and I may make us something for dinner. Jameson will have half a day working from home and the other half at Disney.
Thursday: I have a dentist appointment and will probably also drop my coat off at the dry cleaner's. Scrubbing the shower (ugh.)
Fic Prompt but really, it's a Poem Prompt!
Mar. 24th, 2026 05:25 ambleodsweanThe Problem of Fiction ~ Marie Ponsot
She always writes poems. This summer
she’s starting a novel. It’s in trouble already.
The characters are easy—a girl
and her friend who is a girl
and the boy down the block with his first car,
an older boy, sixteen, who sometimes
these warm evenings leaves his house to go dancing
in dressy clothes though it’s still light out.
The girl has a brother who has lots of friends,
is good in math, and just plain good which
doesn’t help the story. The story
should have rescues & escapes in it
which means who’s the bad guy; he couldn’t be
the brother or the grandpa or the father either,
or even the boy down the block with his first car.
People in novels have to need something,
she thinks, that it takes about
two hundred pages to get.
She can’t imagine that. Nothing
she needs can be got; if it could
she’d go get it: the answer to nightmares;
a mother who’d be proud of her; doing things
a mother could be proud of; having hips
& knowing how to squeal at the beach laughing
when the boy down the block picked her up & carried her
& threw her in the water. If she’d laughed
squealing he might still take her swimming
& his mother wouldn’t say she’s crazy, she would
not have got her teeth into his shoulder till
well yes she bit him, and the marks
lasted & lasted, his mother said so,
but that couldn’t be in a novel.
She’ll never squeal laughing, she’d never
not bite him, she hates cute girls, she hates
boys who like them. Biting is embarrassing
and wrong & she has no intention of doing it again
but she would if he did if he dared,
and there’s no story if there’s no hope of change.
*************
Now there's a poem after my own grizzled heart. I've played - off and on - over the years with this Idea. That one could pen a poem to preface or inspire a prose piece.
Anyone care to try this as a prompt? Take a plot bunny/character you've been holding near and dear but have not been able to translate into fic just yet - it could be original it could be fandom, but I think we should focus on original writing if we can - and write a poem. THEN we can try to write the exploded fic.
(morning writing, garden, executive function)
Mar. 24th, 2026 07:43 amelainegreyAs the temperatures swing here, from uncomfortably warm (i had to stop the HVAC from cooling last night, despite it being welcome) to chill (no frost warning yet), i wonder if our average is... average? Probably not. The warm is far too warm.
The "king bloom" of the apple blossoms opened yesterday. The other apples seem quite behind: the shade of the pines makes a difference. Somehow the tree has pollinated in previous years: i hope the bees can make it work this year. Blue berry blossoms are opening and inviting bees as well. I should probably give hand pollination of the paw paw a try.
Yesterday's executive functioning went well, remarkable after a month of flailing a bit. I might be on the edge of figuring out something. I did realize my image of what rest looks like is remarkably dim and fuzzy. For Other People it is the lounge chair by the pool or the ocean. There wasn't much rest in my growing up: the morning coffee my parents shared with each other on the weekend inevitably exploded into an argument as they tried to plan what they were going to do that day, a weird lesson in intimacy, communication and, i realize, rest and doing. For me, i think of when i was really sick as a child and spent the time in bed with scissors and construction paper.
I'm suspicious i rested on Sunday, and it didn't look like rest at some angles. There were lists and check boxes and time boxes. On the other hand, there weren't any intentions that lasted longer than ten minutes or maybe twenty. There was laundry. (The air while filled with pollen is dry. The Bruno bed pads and rags dried so quickly!) There was acceptance i was tired from the physical labor on Saturday.
(garden, adhd, executive function, f&f, cats)
Mar. 22nd, 2026 06:50 pmelainegreyBruno was no where to be found on Saturday morning, worrying me, and acting as a small delay on my plan to be out before it got too warm. When Christine got up, we closed Carrie off and Marlowe out, and hunted. On the fourth or fifth check under the bed he was there. He is such a shadow. He seemed much more normal this morning. We've let Marlowe have more access to him, but maybe he needs the next few nights to be closed off.
I made a great deal of progress on the raised beds on Saturday. The French drain is under the 3x6 bed, the gravel screened off with hardware cloth and then either pea gravel (where visible) or reused tiny gravel (found when digging out the area) over the screen. The 3x6 bed is in place, mostly level, mostly back filled on the outside and filling begun on the inside. (This morning i assembled the two halves of the 4x8 bed. I want just halves to help in managing as i continue to clear out the foundation and dig the French drain that will also act as a reservoir. Today was too bleeping warm for digging.)
I found a Dekay's brown snake and a marbled salamander: they eat earthworms and slugs so, yay, healthy ecosystem? Also found some earthworms but left them to the work they were at. I do need to relocate some to the worm bins.
Also on Saturday, we had lunch with my sister's family and Dad. Christine said she wasn't coming and i was both understanding of some reasons: my dad can be awkward and indeed didn't wear his hearing aid and misgendered C at a moment when he was distracted and speaking to me. I think i was the only one to hear. I was also frustrated -- because i think she needs connections and we don't have many. She ended up coming, and i don't think it was too hard on her. She hates the family photos, and this time i had the sense to suggest SHE take the photo. I hope i can remember that in the future.
Today i was tired and achy. I've tried setting up some tools to help me with my intentions. One is a ten minute focus tool that reminds me every ten minutes to stay on focus, with a half way, a 2 minutes remaining, and a 1 minute remaining marks. I really don't have a good sense of ten minutes, i found as i used those. I also had another for less focus for another ten minute time block with just the half way, a 2 minutes remaining, and a 1 minute remaining marks. I decided i wanted to buy a new tea infuser because mine, well over ten years old, has become encrusted with tea residue, reducing the flow through the nylon mesh. I used the last 5 minutes of the ten minute focus there, and it definitely helped me refrain from getting distracted.
Continued thinking about the time that passes that isn't intentional has added a few more classifiers for a list of avoidance, escape, distraction, urgent-unplanned (not quite an emergency). I still need to find how to refuel myself, rest. I've tried resting today, too.
March 2026 Layoff Week 1 part 3: H-Mart Adventures, Dust Slog Continues
Mar. 22nd, 2026 05:09 pmtaz_39FRIDAY
Breakfast and coffee, working on Hartford Foodie Finds. It should be done by now but my heart is not in it, and I know that Boston Foodie Finds is immediately after and I'm daunted by THAT task.
As I was preparing overnight oats for myself for tomorrow, I reached into the spice cabinet to grab the cinnamon and saw The Dust coating every single jar of spices (I have already wiped down the spice RACK, but this is the spice CABINET, you see.) Cue a big heavy sigh and taking every single jar of spices out....wiping them down....wiping the cabinet, wet and dry....putting everything back....
...and there were three shelves, only the BOTTOM one was spices and the next one up is MEDICINES....and the one above that is bandages and first aid stuff.....
It took, I don't know, 20-30 minutes. And this is going to continue happening.
But whatever. Aside from that sneak attack, I would like a break from Dust Battle today. I've pushed really hard to do a lot in this first week, and feel that means it's OK to take a break from it for a day?
While Jameson worked on Disney stuff in his studio, I cooked some chicken breast because I'm making enchiladas for us tonight. We ate lunch together while the chicken cooled. I shredded the chicken and stored it for later, and practiced trombone for just 30 minutes or so. Took the small trombone (my Williams 6) out to give it a whirl and it feels so tiny. I have definitely adjusted "down" since starting Beauty and the Beast, such that the small horn I used to be very comfortable with now feels like a stranger. Starting tomorrow I'll be playing through some Main Street Phil stuff and the Easter gig stuff on the Williams, to get ready for those upcoming gigs.
Next, Jameson had a massage at 2pm and I had a tax appointment. UGH.
Thankfully I use a company that is familiar with musician-taxes. I thought for sure that the untaxed 1099 income from Epic Universe work would be financially devastating this year...but it turns out the withholdings from the tour pretty much covered that. Phew!! I ended up owing about the same amount that I do every year. That was a huge relief.
I cooked the enchiladas for dinner and they tasted delicious but turned out strangely mushy. Jameson thinks it's because I lined the bottom of the pan with foil, and that prevented crisping. I think he may be right.
To my surprise, Jameson suggested going to the new H-Mart tomorrow!!
It's the biggest H-Mart in the US, and just opened in Orlando last year. I've been DYING to go but it's been a madhouse. I expect it to be pretty crazy on a Saturday afternoon too, but we both really want to check it out just once. I have a short list of snacks that I want (Tokyo Banana, chocolate churro turtle chips, Chuhai if they sell it, white peach ice cream) and we're gonna have lunch in the food court. Yeeeek, can't wait!
A video because I plan to be in the moment tomorrow with Jameson, not looking at everything through my phone.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SATURDAY
I was up early due to H-Mart excitement :)
Breakfast and finishing Hartford Foodie Finds (finally), digging a styrofoam cooler out of the garage in case we find cold things to bring home, and doing a little tour planning...the company has booked us some rather late or tight-connection flights coming up, so I've taken more buyouts than usual and need to notate those so I don't forget them.
When Jameson was up and around he did some grading and I got dressed, and off we went. I was relieved to see there was no line to get IN...that has been the case since it opened during peak hours. We were there on a Saturday at lunch time so we were risking it.
( CLICK HERE for H-Mart Adventures )
Back home, our haul (or part of it):
Pictured:
Anyway I'm so glad that we got to experience H-Mart together! We were in there for two hours, but if you consider that part of that was sitting to eat lunch and a lot of it was having to move slowly due to crowding, we still got to see the entire store and it was still a lot of fun. I'd love to go back on some random Tuesday between like 2-3pm and see if it's not so crowded.
We chilled out for the rest of the afternoon and ate a late dinner, being full from lunch. I ate random things to fit my macros (an apple, canned pumpkin, tuna) and Jameson had his sushi.
Later on we enjoyed the white peach ice cream. WOW is it good. Often if a food is "pretty," it looks better than it tastes. That is not the case here. I know these are expensive, but I think that if you're able to try them, go for it just once! The peach flavor was exceptional, the ice cream was incredibly smooth and rich, the white chocolate shell painted to look like a peach was a perfect accent and texture. We want to go back for the lemon-flavored version.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
SUNDAY
I was awake at 8am and could have slept for another two hours easily, but I almost never let myself. There is always too much to do, and I feel guilty about lazing in bed (though I probably do need the sleep.)
Breakfast and starting on Boston Foodie Finds. When Jameson got up I went outside to tackle the pool deck. Sweeping the deck is something I do every few months anyway, but it's part of Dust Battle now because the contractors thought it would be smart to shove tile out the bathroom entrance door.
Before sweeping. It's hard to tell but there's a layer of grey-white dust, some small tile particles and pieces, and in the right corner there are chunks of broken tile that I guess they just shoved out the door while they were renovating the bathroom.
After sweeping.
And yes, we have a door from our bathroom to the pool deck. A lot of FL homes have this so you can go straight from the pool to the shower/toilet without tracking water all through the house.
The rest of the deck was pretty normal although there was a lot of debris because it's been too long since I did it last.
A big red millipede. These are very common, if you live here and have a pool or water nearby you will see them pretty much daily.
I had to move all of the deck furniture around and shake out the rug and wipe down the chairs and such. By the time I was done I'd burned 200 calories. Which is good because I want to eat my Asian snacks :p
Speaking of, I tried the "Pine bud drink." Doesn't it LOOK like Pine Sol? And so, it tastes EXACTLY as you are imagining right now, LOLOL
I left it out for Jameson to try (he choked and was very dramatic which made me laugh) then poured it down the drain. Kind of knew that might be the outcome but as a person who enjoys pine cone jam, you never know what might surprise you and it's good to try new things. We had lunch together, I placed a grocery delivery order for Whole Paycheck and also ordered some small replacement items from Amazon. Hate to say it but without a car, services like Amazon and Instacart are going to be necessities for me regardless of which of their business practices or politics we're boo-hooing this week.
While I waited for the groceries I practiced trombone and Jameson worked on a birthday composition for a friend. I did a little more Dust Battle by climbing up above the kitchen counters to wipe the top of the fridge and cabinets...and was shocked to find not only the expected grey dust, but also HUGE chunks of tile!!! They HAD to have used a circular saw or a REAL jackhammer, to fling huge tile pieces up this close to the ceiling!! I guess I should be grateful that they cleaned up as much as they did. Christ. I wiped the fridge and edges of cabinets but left the area with tile chunks alone and will photograph it another time. Not sure how I will approach that. Then I did the mug cabinet, removing everything, rinsing all cups, wiping the inside of the cabinets, and putting everything back.
The groceries should have been here by 3pm at the latest, but by 2:45pm the driver looked to be sitting still and far away from my address. It took a while but I was able to get a refund. I guess tomorrow I'll either try again, or Uber somewhere.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Monday: Making Oreo truffles for the Main Street guys. More Dust Battle; probably wiping the front door, wiping the ceiling fan blades in every room, the tops of more doors and picture frames. Practicing trombone and packing for Main Street Philharmonic day.
Tuesday: All day with the Main Street Philharmonic! Hopefully they truly are OK with me just having a rehearsal day/not performing in the park, because it's been nearly a year since I've done any playing with them!!!
Breakfast and coffee, working on Hartford Foodie Finds. It should be done by now but my heart is not in it, and I know that Boston Foodie Finds is immediately after and I'm daunted by THAT task.
As I was preparing overnight oats for myself for tomorrow, I reached into the spice cabinet to grab the cinnamon and saw The Dust coating every single jar of spices (I have already wiped down the spice RACK, but this is the spice CABINET, you see.) Cue a big heavy sigh and taking every single jar of spices out....wiping them down....wiping the cabinet, wet and dry....putting everything back....
...and there were three shelves, only the BOTTOM one was spices and the next one up is MEDICINES....and the one above that is bandages and first aid stuff.....
It took, I don't know, 20-30 minutes. And this is going to continue happening.
But whatever. Aside from that sneak attack, I would like a break from Dust Battle today. I've pushed really hard to do a lot in this first week, and feel that means it's OK to take a break from it for a day?
While Jameson worked on Disney stuff in his studio, I cooked some chicken breast because I'm making enchiladas for us tonight. We ate lunch together while the chicken cooled. I shredded the chicken and stored it for later, and practiced trombone for just 30 minutes or so. Took the small trombone (my Williams 6) out to give it a whirl and it feels so tiny. I have definitely adjusted "down" since starting Beauty and the Beast, such that the small horn I used to be very comfortable with now feels like a stranger. Starting tomorrow I'll be playing through some Main Street Phil stuff and the Easter gig stuff on the Williams, to get ready for those upcoming gigs.
Next, Jameson had a massage at 2pm and I had a tax appointment. UGH.
Thankfully I use a company that is familiar with musician-taxes. I thought for sure that the untaxed 1099 income from Epic Universe work would be financially devastating this year...but it turns out the withholdings from the tour pretty much covered that. Phew!! I ended up owing about the same amount that I do every year. That was a huge relief.
I cooked the enchiladas for dinner and they tasted delicious but turned out strangely mushy. Jameson thinks it's because I lined the bottom of the pan with foil, and that prevented crisping. I think he may be right.
To my surprise, Jameson suggested going to the new H-Mart tomorrow!!
It's the biggest H-Mart in the US, and just opened in Orlando last year. I've been DYING to go but it's been a madhouse. I expect it to be pretty crazy on a Saturday afternoon too, but we both really want to check it out just once. I have a short list of snacks that I want (Tokyo Banana, chocolate churro turtle chips, Chuhai if they sell it, white peach ice cream) and we're gonna have lunch in the food court. Yeeeek, can't wait!
A video because I plan to be in the moment tomorrow with Jameson, not looking at everything through my phone.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SATURDAY
I was up early due to H-Mart excitement :)
Breakfast and finishing Hartford Foodie Finds (finally), digging a styrofoam cooler out of the garage in case we find cold things to bring home, and doing a little tour planning...the company has booked us some rather late or tight-connection flights coming up, so I've taken more buyouts than usual and need to notate those so I don't forget them.
When Jameson was up and around he did some grading and I got dressed, and off we went. I was relieved to see there was no line to get IN...that has been the case since it opened during peak hours. We were there on a Saturday at lunch time so we were risking it.
( CLICK HERE for H-Mart Adventures )
Back home, our haul (or part of it):
Pictured:
- Chocolate Churro Turtle Chips (viral)
- Mystery fruit AND veggie electrolyte drink(?)
- Wasabi Shiitake Chips
- Pumpkin flavored yakgwa (we didn't know what this was but it looked nice, I looked it up later)
- "Pine bud" soda
- Muscat Grape Dessert Jelly (this is Jameson's but imma try it)
- Pineapple Citrus Soda
- Tokyo Banana
- White Peach Ice Cream
- Cheeseburger flavored popcorn
- Misc grape or peach-flavored sodas and beverages
- Watermelon seltzer
- Sushi assortment
Anyway I'm so glad that we got to experience H-Mart together! We were in there for two hours, but if you consider that part of that was sitting to eat lunch and a lot of it was having to move slowly due to crowding, we still got to see the entire store and it was still a lot of fun. I'd love to go back on some random Tuesday between like 2-3pm and see if it's not so crowded.
We chilled out for the rest of the afternoon and ate a late dinner, being full from lunch. I ate random things to fit my macros (an apple, canned pumpkin, tuna) and Jameson had his sushi.
Later on we enjoyed the white peach ice cream. WOW is it good. Often if a food is "pretty," it looks better than it tastes. That is not the case here. I know these are expensive, but I think that if you're able to try them, go for it just once! The peach flavor was exceptional, the ice cream was incredibly smooth and rich, the white chocolate shell painted to look like a peach was a perfect accent and texture. We want to go back for the lemon-flavored version.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
SUNDAY
I was awake at 8am and could have slept for another two hours easily, but I almost never let myself. There is always too much to do, and I feel guilty about lazing in bed (though I probably do need the sleep.)
Breakfast and starting on Boston Foodie Finds. When Jameson got up I went outside to tackle the pool deck. Sweeping the deck is something I do every few months anyway, but it's part of Dust Battle now because the contractors thought it would be smart to shove tile out the bathroom entrance door.
Before sweeping. It's hard to tell but there's a layer of grey-white dust, some small tile particles and pieces, and in the right corner there are chunks of broken tile that I guess they just shoved out the door while they were renovating the bathroom.
After sweeping.
And yes, we have a door from our bathroom to the pool deck. A lot of FL homes have this so you can go straight from the pool to the shower/toilet without tracking water all through the house.
The rest of the deck was pretty normal although there was a lot of debris because it's been too long since I did it last.
A big red millipede. These are very common, if you live here and have a pool or water nearby you will see them pretty much daily.
I had to move all of the deck furniture around and shake out the rug and wipe down the chairs and such. By the time I was done I'd burned 200 calories. Which is good because I want to eat my Asian snacks :p
Speaking of, I tried the "Pine bud drink." Doesn't it LOOK like Pine Sol? And so, it tastes EXACTLY as you are imagining right now, LOLOL
I left it out for Jameson to try (he choked and was very dramatic which made me laugh) then poured it down the drain. Kind of knew that might be the outcome but as a person who enjoys pine cone jam, you never know what might surprise you and it's good to try new things. We had lunch together, I placed a grocery delivery order for Whole Paycheck and also ordered some small replacement items from Amazon. Hate to say it but without a car, services like Amazon and Instacart are going to be necessities for me regardless of which of their business practices or politics we're boo-hooing this week.
While I waited for the groceries I practiced trombone and Jameson worked on a birthday composition for a friend. I did a little more Dust Battle by climbing up above the kitchen counters to wipe the top of the fridge and cabinets...and was shocked to find not only the expected grey dust, but also HUGE chunks of tile!!! They HAD to have used a circular saw or a REAL jackhammer, to fling huge tile pieces up this close to the ceiling!! I guess I should be grateful that they cleaned up as much as they did. Christ. I wiped the fridge and edges of cabinets but left the area with tile chunks alone and will photograph it another time. Not sure how I will approach that. Then I did the mug cabinet, removing everything, rinsing all cups, wiping the inside of the cabinets, and putting everything back.
The groceries should have been here by 3pm at the latest, but by 2:45pm the driver looked to be sitting still and far away from my address. It took a while but I was able to get a refund. I guess tomorrow I'll either try again, or Uber somewhere.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Monday: Making Oreo truffles for the Main Street guys. More Dust Battle; probably wiping the front door, wiping the ceiling fan blades in every room, the tops of more doors and picture frames. Practicing trombone and packing for Main Street Philharmonic day.
Tuesday: All day with the Main Street Philharmonic! Hopefully they truly are OK with me just having a rehearsal day/not performing in the park, because it's been nearly a year since I've done any playing with them!!!
Fahrenheit 451 Was Actually a Survival Guide
Mar. 22nd, 2026 08:10 ammallorys_cameraRemarkable how quickly one loses muscle tone & wind at my age.
The Schlock job requires a lot of sitting on my ass. And I haven't really had the time to exercise formally. I noticed that yesterday, when a stroll up New Paltz's hilly Main Street left me breathless.
Yes, I should make exercise a priority.
But honestly?
It's all I can do to force myself not to quit the Schlock job.
Adding more "must"s to the list would be ill-advised at this time because I won't, and then I'll feel very guilty, worthless, & inadequate.
###
Meanwhile, by the time I made it to the New Paltz Community Garden, clouds were coming in, and the temperature had dropped. Weeding was not going to be fun. So I contented myself by circling back to the casa and weeding the Patrizia-torium instead, which is now a veritable dell of enchantment and clean! So clean.
I had quite a good time doing errands in New Paltz, tromping dyspnea notwithstanding:
Banner off somebody's porch:
Front window at the Cat Café mit bonus reflected Portrait of the Artist:
Solar power-operated Frida. Tough battle, but somehow I convinced myself I could live without it:
I splurged on books instead. Hard covers! When I closed up the house in Monterey, I swore I would never buy hardcover books again, since I had a library of something like 3,000 of them; I loved them all, but transporting them to the East Coast was completely out of the question, and nobody else wanted them, nobody! I did try. On the West Coast, libraries don't do periodic book sales to raise cash the way they do on the East Coast.
I do read digitally, but truth be told, I prefer physical books. I like the heft of them, I love the faint smell of bookbinding glue and the texture of paper pages.
My extravagant expenditure sparked a momentary tizzy. Books! Great! You can burn these for heat & light when an Iranian drone takes out all the power plants. Fahrenheit 451 was actually a survival guide!
###
On the way to New Paltz, I took a wrong turn & ended up on an unfamiliar road. But, of course, there are no such things as wrong turns; you are always exactly where the Universe wants you to be, and the Universe clearly wanted me to enjoy spectacular views of the Shawangunk ridge:
Plus bonus view of dead-seeming orchard, longing to become a symbol of spring & rebirth when it jumpstarts those pink blossoms in the next month or soâalways assuming the brutal winter that now finally seems to be ending didn't murder it:
The Schlock job requires a lot of sitting on my ass. And I haven't really had the time to exercise formally. I noticed that yesterday, when a stroll up New Paltz's hilly Main Street left me breathless.
Yes, I should make exercise a priority.
But honestly?
It's all I can do to force myself not to quit the Schlock job.
Adding more "must"s to the list would be ill-advised at this time because I won't, and then I'll feel very guilty, worthless, & inadequate.
###
Meanwhile, by the time I made it to the New Paltz Community Garden, clouds were coming in, and the temperature had dropped. Weeding was not going to be fun. So I contented myself by circling back to the casa and weeding the Patrizia-torium instead, which is now a veritable dell of enchantment and clean! So clean.
I had quite a good time doing errands in New Paltz, tromping dyspnea notwithstanding:
Banner off somebody's porch:
Front window at the Cat Café mit bonus reflected Portrait of the Artist:
Solar power-operated Frida. Tough battle, but somehow I convinced myself I could live without it:
I splurged on books instead. Hard covers! When I closed up the house in Monterey, I swore I would never buy hardcover books again, since I had a library of something like 3,000 of them; I loved them all, but transporting them to the East Coast was completely out of the question, and nobody else wanted them, nobody! I did try. On the West Coast, libraries don't do periodic book sales to raise cash the way they do on the East Coast.
I do read digitally, but truth be told, I prefer physical books. I like the heft of them, I love the faint smell of bookbinding glue and the texture of paper pages.
My extravagant expenditure sparked a momentary tizzy. Books! Great! You can burn these for heat & light when an Iranian drone takes out all the power plants. Fahrenheit 451 was actually a survival guide!
###
On the way to New Paltz, I took a wrong turn & ended up on an unfamiliar road. But, of course, there are no such things as wrong turns; you are always exactly where the Universe wants you to be, and the Universe clearly wanted me to enjoy spectacular views of the Shawangunk ridge:
Plus bonus view of dead-seeming orchard, longing to become a symbol of spring & rebirth when it jumpstarts those pink blossoms in the next month or soâalways assuming the brutal winter that now finally seems to be ending didn't murder it:
When It Happens, It Happens Very Fast
Mar. 21st, 2026 01:08 pmmallorys_cameraScary, scary, scary world.
Even before the Iran war, the U.S. was falling apart. In February, wholesale prices jumped 0.7%, twice the predicted inflation rate. When retailers pay more for goods, they pass those costs on to consumers through higher prices at the checkout counter.
And so far in 2026, there have been literally only slightly more than 18,000 new jobs created (in a nation of 365 million people).
The war adds a whole new level of economic misery, of course, since higher energy prices ripple through everything.
The cost of gasoline obviously hits consumers at the pump, but it also increases utility bills and transportation costs of goods, since so little of what we consume is produced close to where we live. The housing market is insane, and the world of imaginary moneyâthe stock market with its more-or-less arbitrary valuationsâis showing signs of unraveling: The Dow and Nasdaq are now in correction territory, meaning theyâve fallen more than 10 percent from their recent highs.
Nor will American exceptionalism be the only victim of Trump & Netanyahu's megalomania: The basis for almost all nonorganic fertilizers is ammonia, primarily manufactured from fossil fuels. Much of it is manufactured in places like Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and, yes, Iran, and shipped through the Strait of Hormuz to places like India, Bangladesh, Brazil, and Pakistan. Without access to these fertilizers, agricultural production is going to plummet, so we can anticipate famineâwhich is going to increase the whole unwanted migration phenomenon.
It's a fuckin' mess, in other words.
How's a defenceless little mammal like me supposed to survive in this world of thundering dinosaur stupidity?
By scampering out of the way of their colossal footfalls, I suppose.
But just how exactly am I supposed to do that?
###
Anyway, this is the reason why though I loathe working for Schlock, I am determined to last out the season. Grimly determined, though I can see the toll that work is taking on both my physical & mental health. It is wise right now to position oneself as far ahead of that plunging economic curve as one can possibly getâthough on my stumpy little mammal legs, that is not very far. The whole thing is gearing up to come crashing down very fast if Trump doesn't get bored enough with the Iran War to end it very fast.
###
When it happens, it happens very fast...
I remember thinking that after Sarajevo fell in 1996 because in 1970, when there was still Yugoslavia, I spent a couple of days in Sarajevo on my way to Greece, and unsophisticated little naif as I was back then, I remember marveling that Sarajevo was so much like Oakland, California. The same fading post-industrial architecture, and the sky wasn't orange or anything, it was blue!
How could a place that reminded me so much of another place I knew intimately be the site of a bloody civil war? My mind truly boggled.
And it was kind of like the Universe was whispering in my ear: When it happens, it happens very fast.
###
Schlock is truly awful. I like doing taxes, but I don't do a whole lot of those.
Mostly, I sit in a cubicle doing absolutely nothing beyond surreptitiously Googling Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell analyses. (Definitely the one book I would smuggle on to that desert island.) Doing nothing doesn't sound all that bad, but it's absolutely lethal. Boredom is not the worst thing in the world; the worst thing would be torture. But having the sort of mind that relishes facts & figures most other people find excessively dry, I am hardly ever bored, so boredom is a relatively unusual & unpleasant experience for me. It makes me feel invisible. It makes me feel... extinguished.
I did finally cop to the insanity of working every single day for 90 days straight, and thus carved out two days off in a row for myself.
I had all sorts of plans for yesterday, but found myself so exhausted that I did very little beyond vacuuming and refurbishing my purple hair. (...only God, my dear, Could love you for yourself alone And not your purple hair)
Today, I have Big Plans to toddle off to the New Paltz Community Garden and begin weeding. Though if I don't, I will be gentle with myself.
Honestly, the most pressing dilemma I face at the moment is that the company that makes the hair dye I've been using for the past seven years has discontinued its production.
I'm pretty sure Schwarzkopf does not ship through the Strait of Hormuz, so what the hell is their problem, huh?
Even before the Iran war, the U.S. was falling apart. In February, wholesale prices jumped 0.7%, twice the predicted inflation rate. When retailers pay more for goods, they pass those costs on to consumers through higher prices at the checkout counter.
And so far in 2026, there have been literally only slightly more than 18,000 new jobs created (in a nation of 365 million people).
The war adds a whole new level of economic misery, of course, since higher energy prices ripple through everything.
The cost of gasoline obviously hits consumers at the pump, but it also increases utility bills and transportation costs of goods, since so little of what we consume is produced close to where we live. The housing market is insane, and the world of imaginary moneyâthe stock market with its more-or-less arbitrary valuationsâis showing signs of unraveling: The Dow and Nasdaq are now in correction territory, meaning theyâve fallen more than 10 percent from their recent highs.
Nor will American exceptionalism be the only victim of Trump & Netanyahu's megalomania: The basis for almost all nonorganic fertilizers is ammonia, primarily manufactured from fossil fuels. Much of it is manufactured in places like Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and, yes, Iran, and shipped through the Strait of Hormuz to places like India, Bangladesh, Brazil, and Pakistan. Without access to these fertilizers, agricultural production is going to plummet, so we can anticipate famineâwhich is going to increase the whole unwanted migration phenomenon.
It's a fuckin' mess, in other words.
How's a defenceless little mammal like me supposed to survive in this world of thundering dinosaur stupidity?
By scampering out of the way of their colossal footfalls, I suppose.
But just how exactly am I supposed to do that?
###
Anyway, this is the reason why though I loathe working for Schlock, I am determined to last out the season. Grimly determined, though I can see the toll that work is taking on both my physical & mental health. It is wise right now to position oneself as far ahead of that plunging economic curve as one can possibly getâthough on my stumpy little mammal legs, that is not very far. The whole thing is gearing up to come crashing down very fast if Trump doesn't get bored enough with the Iran War to end it very fast.
###
When it happens, it happens very fast...
I remember thinking that after Sarajevo fell in 1996 because in 1970, when there was still Yugoslavia, I spent a couple of days in Sarajevo on my way to Greece, and unsophisticated little naif as I was back then, I remember marveling that Sarajevo was so much like Oakland, California. The same fading post-industrial architecture, and the sky wasn't orange or anything, it was blue!
How could a place that reminded me so much of another place I knew intimately be the site of a bloody civil war? My mind truly boggled.
And it was kind of like the Universe was whispering in my ear: When it happens, it happens very fast.
###
Schlock is truly awful. I like doing taxes, but I don't do a whole lot of those.
Mostly, I sit in a cubicle doing absolutely nothing beyond surreptitiously Googling Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell analyses. (Definitely the one book I would smuggle on to that desert island.) Doing nothing doesn't sound all that bad, but it's absolutely lethal. Boredom is not the worst thing in the world; the worst thing would be torture. But having the sort of mind that relishes facts & figures most other people find excessively dry, I am hardly ever bored, so boredom is a relatively unusual & unpleasant experience for me. It makes me feel invisible. It makes me feel... extinguished.
I did finally cop to the insanity of working every single day for 90 days straight, and thus carved out two days off in a row for myself.
I had all sorts of plans for yesterday, but found myself so exhausted that I did very little beyond vacuuming and refurbishing my purple hair. (...only God, my dear, Could love you for yourself alone And not your purple hair)
Today, I have Big Plans to toddle off to the New Paltz Community Garden and begin weeding. Though if I don't, I will be gentle with myself.
Honestly, the most pressing dilemma I face at the moment is that the company that makes the hair dye I've been using for the past seven years has discontinued its production.
I'm pretty sure Schwarzkopf does not ship through the Strait of Hormuz, so what the hell is their problem, huh?