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Checking In - 8 August 2025
I suppose that's enough for today, right?
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it has been a week
We are still short-handed on the weekend shift, so I continued working Saturday and Sunday. I took vacation time for Monday-Wednesday, though. I intended to do some yard work, but I got almost none of it done. The day that I went outside and tried to clean up the front yard a bit, I came back inside afterward and slept for about 2 hours when I sat down in the living room chair for a few minutes to cool off. I'm just so tired all of the time, it seems. Even today, I laid down in bed around 5pm, thinking I'd take a quick nap. I woke up 3 hours later. Exhausted, after a busy day of doing not much of anything.
I accomplished a few things this week, at least. On Wednesday afternoon, I did the interview for the lead position on my team at work. That night, I got almost no sleep. I went to bed at 10am, and I saw every hour on the clock until 7am except the hours of 1am, 5am, and 6am. My brain just wouldn't shut off, replaying questions and answers from the interview. I dislike interviews so very much.
I also went to another emergency dental appointment on Thursday morning. To review quickly, I busted that tooth a few years ago, then I busted the repair work, and recently I've busted 2 temporary caps on it. Ugh. I get the permanent metal cap in 2 more weeks. Apparently these days, caps are custom fit to molds they took of what remains of this tooth. I hope I can go 2 more weeks without doing any more damage to it.
After the last dental appointment, I rode the bus past my house northward to the Colonial Market to get a burrito bowl to take home for lunch. I walked past 4 police cars at the store entrance, with officers searching the nearby ground for evidence of something. Apparently it wasn't store related, though, just the neighborhood being what it is.
And, finally, this morning I woke up to another dream.
I don't remember the early part of the dream, but I had a "splinter" in my hand that was annoying me. I went to the bathroom in front of the mirror and tried opening up the wound where it was. I saw a dark line of something that was bent in a semi-circular loop. I thought that was weird, a splinter curling around that way instead of just going straight in. I used a needle to pluck at the top of the loop and pull it out of me. It came out thicker than expected. I put aside the needle and used my other hand to pull it out. It became clear that it was not wood or metal but was a worm of some kind. I got about a finger's length out of me, then it started wriggling. My hand was too slippery from the blood/fluid, and I lost my hold as it started worming its way back into my wound. I felt emotions at this experience, and emotions are bad for thinking, so I woke up.
Clearly, that dream was related to the actual splinter that has been bothering me all week. It's in my left foot, though. On the first day, when I couldn't find what was in my foot, I put some medication on it and put an unusually large band-aid on it, thinking it would help stick to that spot as I walked on it. That night, I forgot about the bandage and removed my socks before getting into bed. The next day, I thought, "What is that sensation on my back?" I felt around and removed what turned out to be that band-aid from my foot. That was a rough night's sleep, apparently?
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Safety
In the United States, traffic incidents are a leading cause of death, with an average of 120 people dying every day due to motor vehicle collisions.
On a global scale, a person dies from a road-related accident every 24 seconds.
But Finland’s capital city of Helsinki has pulled off something astonishing — the last recorded traffic-related death was over a year ago, in July 2024.
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Journal: Buses, trains, and automobiles.
So it was fortuitous that upon arriving home and checking my messages, I found a text from the sales side of the Nissan dealership where I usually take my blue compact for servicing. The little Versa has served me well enough, but the service bills were starting to add up and I was beginning to wonder how cost-effective it would be to keep the vehicle. Happily, the dealer wants me to come in and test-drive a new vehicle in the SUV line - a little closer to what I'm looking for, and, if factory-new, hopefully with an attractive warranty and service plan.
So I'm on for a test drive this coming Sunday. Given that my situation is more stable now than when I bought the compact (my credit then was so-so, and my options were limited), I'm cautiously optimistic that the forces of the universe will align in my favor and I'll be driving a new SUV soon.
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Butterflies in Dundee in 2025
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it's B's birthday
I've done three things that could be counted as getting presents: I baked her a cake (sugar-free chocolate with chocolate frosting), which I do every year - did it yesterday afternoon while she was out, which meant we could have some after dinner; I took her out for breakfast at our favorite pancake house this morning (she: pecan pancakes; me: Western omelette with cheese), which I also do every year; and got tickets for a Gilbert & Sullivan gala on Sunday afternoon. After which we're going to a niece & nephew's house for a family celebratory dinner.
Tonight for dinner, despite heat which usually drives me to fix cold chicken salad, I'm insisting upon making her favorite meal in my repertoire: turkey meatloaf and steamed brussel sprouts/broccoli.
And that's how we quietly celebrate.
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yt-dlp
(If I don't use cookies at all, I always get "Sign in to confirm you're not a bot.")
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Moment of Silence: Jim Lovell
Under the wide and starry sky,
Dig the grave and let me lie.
Glad did I live and gladly die,
And laid me down with a will.
This be the verse you grave for me:
Here he lies where he longed to be;
Home is the sailor, home from the sea,
And the hunter home from the hill.
-- Robert Louis Stevenson
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Disbelief, suspension thereof / therein
Suspension in disbelief = a frozen state of constant WTF
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Sidewise Award Announcement
This is the first time in the 30 year history of the award that they've made an open call for awards judges.
Apply here.
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Long Rest
I love that every card game has to have a special word for turning a card on its side because the alternative is oblivion, especially since… well, we did a strip about it. If you want to know what I think you can go look at it!!!
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the tomato that conquered Pittsburgh
This year I got three (different) tomato seedlings, all container-friendly, along with some peppers and other things. Having failed to do proper research, I allocated the tomato cages pretty arbitrarily. I should not have done that.
The giant tomato plant in the center is a Sungold. It seems to be in the process of conquering my patio, the neighborhood, and perhaps the city. It makes sweet, tasty, orange cherry tomatoes. I've had quite a bounty so far and there's plenty more to come. It was originally on that ledge with the others, but a month or so ago I realized that if I kept it there, I would not be able to harvest without a ladder. (So much for using that trellis.) At least this way I can climb up on that ledge to reach the ones I can't reach from the ground (or at least I hope I'll be able to reach them all!). Wowza. Next year, bigger cage! (They're very tasty, so I do plan to get this type next year.)
The other two tomato types are Patio Choice, advertised as good for small containers, and Mountain Magic. They both produce red grape tomatoes (Patio Choice are sweeter). On the right, not as clear in the picture, are two Cornito peppers and a banana pepper, all still working toward a first harvest. I've moved these around a few times over the course of the summer to try to optimize sunlight.
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New Books and ARCs, 8/8/255

Here we are, well into August, and here is a stack of new books and ARCs to consider for the dog days ahead. What here looks good to you? Share in the comments?
— JS
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I'm in Montreal
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It is going to be hot over the weekend, so we went out for a relatively early brunch today, so we could sit almost-outdoors at Juliette et Chocolat and eat crepes. We then walked around Jean Talon market, where I bought plums, blackberries, and a cucumber.
I have np real plans for the next few days, which is fine.
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Birdfeeding
I fed the birds. I've seen a few sparrows and house finches.
I put out water for the birds.
EDIT 8/8/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.
EDIT 8/8/25 -- I did more work around the patio.
EDIT 8/8/25 -- I watered the patio plants and the new picnic table garden.
I picked a red cherry tomato.
EDIT 8/8/25 -- I watered the savanna seedlings.
EDIT 8/8/25 -- I watered the telephone pole garden and the septic garden.
I found a baby preying mantis on the burn barrel and moved it to the barrel garden.
Cicadas and crickets are singing. I've seen a few fireflies.
As it is now dark, I am done for the night.
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Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal - Fellow

Click here to go see the bonus panel!
Hovertext:
Maybe we can crowd out evil conspiracies with benignly stupid ones?
Today's News:
Get your copy of A City on Mars signed in person in Charlottesville, VA on August 23rd!
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Five User-Friendly Rulesets for Tabletop Roleplaying Games

Not every gamer finds joy in wildly complicated, esoteric, hard-to-learn rules...
Five User-Friendly Rulesets for Tabletop Roleplaying Games
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Aurora Award Livestream
Hosted by Mark Leslie Lefebvre and Liz May Anderson.
Sunday August 10 at 5 PM: Livestream broadcast of the 2025 Aurora Awards, Canada’s annual English-language Science Fiction and Fantasy Awards.