Howdy, howdy! How’s everyone doing this wonderful Wednesday? I intended to write a random post, but allergies and some extra hurtyness (nothing out of the normal range, just a bit on the high side of normal for some unknown reason) has me feeling blah. So, I’ll ramble about something next week (feel free to send me ideas).
Howdy, howdy! How’s everyone doing this lovely Wednesday? Things here are okay, I guess. Trump’s America is hitting super close to home (like next door kind of close) and I hate it. But there’s nothing I can do, so I’m trying to think about better things. Dad and I were chatting (I don’t even remember about what) and he mentioned piercings, but I don’t want any piercings (on other people they’re great, just not a me thing), so we somehow got onto tattoos from there. Anyway, I always told myself I’d get a tattoo when I got published for the first time (anything, not just a novel), but I never did. Then it became “I’ll do it when I get my first full length book published.” We’ll see if that ever happens. Now, maybe it will just be an “if I survive the dumpster fire that is the current administration” reward. Despite never doing it, I still have ideas, so I thought I’d share them with you. We should all take some time to think of something happy.
1. The kanji for sakura (cherry blossom) with some cherry blossoms. Something relatively small. I don’t really have much in the way of an actual design. I’d just let the artist come up with something.
2. A Sailor Saturn inspired image designed by my little sis (Jenae). It would probably need tweaked by the tattoo artist, so I might be better off finding someone who specializes in anime tattoos (they do exist), but this is all just daydreaming, so it doesn’t matter right now.
3. A Sailor Uranus inspired image designed by my little sis (Jenae). There are also versions for Pluto and Neptune if I get crazy.
I also wouldn’t mind something Gambit/Rogue related. But no idea what. What kind of tattoos would you want to get? Are you a planner or someone who randomly picks something? Someone who needs their tattoos to be meaningful or someone who just likes pretty things? As usual, feel free to leave your thoughts and comments and questions here or on my social media pages!
Howdy, howdy! How’s everyone doing this wonderful Wednesday? Things here are about the same as usual. Took Mardi to get her yearly check up and shots. Other than being dramatic and whining about everything (if the van stopped at a light she cried, if the doctor’s parrot moved she barked, etc.), she was good. She’s a little chunkster (gained almost a pound). But she’s healthy and everyone thinks she’s so cute. Try to take a ball away from her and see how quickly she turns into a murderous demon dog, but I admit she’s still cute when she does. Anyway, this is just a quick post to say how awesome Dr. Thomas and everyone at Rodeo Drive Veterinary Hospital are!
Pretty sure most (if not all) of our animals have been to see Dr. Thomas throughout the years. She’s knowledgeable and kind and a fabulous doctor. All of her people are wonderful as well. Judy and Kandy are always cheerful and helpful. Michele is patient and always takes the time to answer any medication or procedure questions. Shauna is great and always answers my emails if we have random unurgent questions. And they all genuinely care about the animals they take care of. We never feel rushed or like they aren’t listening. It’s a great place with amazing people. So, if any of you are reading this, thank you from me and Dad and Mardi and Sophia and Bonnie!
Howdy, howdy! How’s everyone doing this lovely Wednesday? Things here are fine so far. As promised, I have pictures of Dad’s hydroponics garden! The bigger plants off to the right are herbs he started in a tiny countertop version he bought. The dill is being ridiculous and showing off, but we don’t really know what to make with it aside from pickles and fish. So if you have a dill recipe, feel free to share it! The smaller plants are various lettuces, Chinese cabbage, bok choy, and probably stuff I’m forgetting. He’s thinking about adding tomatoes and peppers in the future. They’d have to be grown in buckets and need another light, but the pump should be able to handle them. So, yeah. Our spare bedroom is a garden now. Also, bonus pupper pics. Mardi needs a bath and Bonnie runs from the camera. Sophia is absent because she’s in her kennel since we weren’t supervising everyone (yes, she still randomly pees in the house). Anyway, I’ll be back next week with the usual book review!
Hello, hello! How’s everyone doing this wonderful Wednesday? Things here are usual. I was going to show pictures of Dad’s hydroponics system and plants, but he’s busy and can’t take pictures right now, so I’ll do that next week. Today, since it’s women’s history month, I’ll share some books by women authors that I enjoy. I’ll try not to use repeats from recent posts. In no particular order, books by women!
1. The Library of Legends by Janie Chang. This is my current for fun book, but I’m about 75% of the way through and really liking it.
2. Agnes Sharp and the Trip of a Lifetime by Leonie Swann. It’s the second book in a cozy mystery series, but I think it’s better than the first book.
3. The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare. An old book, but a lovely read.
4. Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki. A strange combination of horror and sci-fi and life in general that I found lovely.
What are some books by women that you recommend? As always, feel free to share your thoughts or questions here or on my social media pages!
Hello, hello! How’s everyone doing this wonderful Wednesday? I’m tired. Allergies suck. Life is a dystopian hellscape. It seems like every time I wake up, something new and worse is happening. And there are still people who are too… I don’t know if they’re stupid, oblivious, stubborn, obsessed, or what… to acknowledge that this is all stuff that’s been done before and is a harbinger of all the bad things (unless you’re a rich, straight, probably white, cis-dude). And to top it all off, we’re on the wrong side of history this time. Anyway, I’m stressed. I’m tired. I panic check my benefits every day just to make sure the Doggies (DOGE) haven’t randomly cut them off. I have more trouble than usual sleeping. My tachycardia is back to acting up once or twice a week instead of once or twice a month. I expect our Social Security payments to stop and am delightfully surprised when they do show up. I’m waiting for them to officially get rid of Section 504 so they can go after the ADA next. I’m angry on behalf of the people who are already being affected (immigrants, trans, women, etc.). I constantly have to remind myself to unclench my jaw. And I’ve been this way since November. So yeah, I’m fucking tired.
Instead of ranting more, I want you to tell me something good. It doesn’t matter how big or small. Don’t try to tell me my fears are unfounded or that I’m overreacting. Don’t try to turn this into a political debate. Just tell me something good that has happened to you recently. I want to know there are still good things going on in this world, no matter how small.
Hello, hello! How’s everyone doing this lovely Wednesday? I’m sure it’s lovely somewhere. It’s cold here. Anyway, there’s nothing to ramble about that won’t send my blood pressure skyrocketing, so you get another list post. It’s still February, so I thought I’d share some of my favorite books by black women. They’re older books, but I love them, so I still recommend them to people. So, in no particular order, here are some books/authors you should check out.
1. The Sound of Stars by Alechia Dow. Standalone novel.
2. The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna. Book one of a series.
3. Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi. Book one of a series.
4. Skin of the Sea by Natasha Bowen. Book one of a series.
Feel free to leave your book recommendations here or on my social media pages!
Howdy, howdy! How’s everyone doing this wonderful Wednesday? Things here are still scary because, well… -gestures at the US in general- … you know our country is actively being destroyed and some people still don’t see it. But otherwise, life is quiet for now. Sophia hasn’t done any more splatter art with her anal blood, so she’s good. I don’t have anything to ramble about, but then I remembered what time of year it is! No, not VD day. It’s Girl Scout cookie time! I don’t know any Girl Scouts, so I don’t currently have a dealer and I’m not going to the stores in search of one, but I can still list my favorite cookies. And my most hated one.
1. Thin Mints. They’re minty chocolate. What more could I want? I like to nibble the edge until an adequate amount of cookie is exposed, then let it soak up milk. Delicious. I’ve heard that people like to pop a box in the freezer and eat them ice cold. I’d try it.
2. Do-si-dos/peanut butter sandwich cookies. I like peanut butter cookies in general. Plus, these are the best Girl Scout cookie for soaking up milk. Most are either resistant to liquids or they crumble as soon as they get wet. The do-si-dos hold enough milk that you get that squishy bit, but there’s also a little bite left to the cookie.
3. Tagalongs/peanut butter patties. I occasionally treat these like Thin Mints where I nibble and dunk them, but they’re better just eaten by themselves. They’re very resistant to milk. But they have a nice ratio of peanut butter and cookie and chocolate. Not my absolute favorites, but definitely not going to say no to them.
In fact, the only Girl Scout cookie that I’ll say no to are Samoas/Caramel deLites. I hate them because I hate shredded coconut. I just can’t get past it. I don’t like it in candy or cookies or on shrimp. It’s weird. I like food with coconut milk and stuff like that in it. It’s just the flesh of the coconut that I don’t like. It’s okay. It just means more Samoas for you!
What’s your favorite Girl Scout cookie? Any you hate? Feel free to share your thoughts and comments and questions here or on my social media pages!
Howdy, howdy! How’s everyone doing this lovely Wednesday? Things here are okay. Dad’s trying his hand at a hydroponics garden for herbs and lettuce and stuff. He got one for some herbs recently and when they sprouted it made him happy, so he decided to build a bigger one. There will probably be pictures in the future when it’s all set up and things start growing. He used to have an herb garden out back, but the trees blocked all the sun and they died out. It’ll be nice to have fresh stuff again! Plus it means he has to use the stuff, which means more cooking. Huzzah! Anyway, today, we’re here to relive the trauma of Sunday, January 26th. I would’ve written about it last week, but… book review. Here we go.
The culprit (pictured above from when we first got her): Sophia.
Background: The previous few nights, Sophia woke multiple times and needed to go out, which isn’t unheard of, but is unusual for her. Since she spends her nights in a crate, Dad had to keep getting up to let her out. By Saturday night, he was sleep deprived, so when she cried to be let out, he decided to just let her roam. If she peed in the house (which is why she gets crated), whatever. Then, he went back to bed.
The scene: Sunday morning. Dad walks into a bloodbath. The white leather couch is covered in blood, along with the throw pillows. It’s all over the floors; living room, hallway, kitchen. The back patio has splotches of red with raspberry jam looking clumps. Dad looks for whatever poor corpse our dogs have destroyed to no avail. But Sophia is laying in his chair obviously worn out. An inspection reveals blood on her nether regions. She moves around fine, not showing any signs that she’s in imminent danger of dying. She’s just bloody (though not actively bleeding) and lethargic. After a mini heart attack, Dad cleans up and gets me out of bed. We decide I’ll stay up all night and we’ll take her to the vet first thing on Monday because we can’t afford the emergency pet hospitals around here.
The verdict: Dad and I are sure she perforated something, but she’s still alive albeit lethargic on Monday morning. After an hour of trying to get through to vet (apparently their phone system was down), I emailed them on the off chance they’d see it (they don’t check their email often) and got lucky. They said to bring her in at 11:30, so we did. After a bunch of questions and a couple of blood tests, they came back in and nonchalantly told us she had Hemorrhagic Gastroenteritis which was probably precipitated by a bout of Pancreatitis, though we couldn’t figure out what she would’ve eaten to bring that on. They gave her subcutaneous fluid because she was dehydrated and sent home some antiemetics (not because she was vomiting, but because it would soothe her stomach), antibiotics in case a bacterial infection was contributing to it, and some probiotic to help with her gut life. And they said and did all this like it was the most common thing in the world. So, she had a severe tummy ache and decided to traumatize us with it.
By the end of that day, Sophia was mostly fine again. Now, other than still taking the antibiotics, she’s back to her usual piss-on-the-floor-if-left-unsupervised self. So yeah, that was fun and expensive. Let’s not do it again, please.
Hello, hello! How’s everyone doing this wonderful Wednesday? I don’t really have much to say today. Back on the 12th, my friend Astrid sent me this message:
Happy Birthday, you majestic shimmer of light in the watery darkness of the world! May this year be better than anticipated!
I took a couple of days to answer her (and everyone else that day). My reply ended up being:
I was going to say something along the lines of “this year can’t be as bad as I expect it to be,” but cue NG and all his bullshit. It’s going about as expected. XD Thank you, though! Let’s sink into the darkness together!
Gaiman, who could have been anything he wanted, turned out to be the same boring, invasive species of pond scum that we’ve all become so inured to that it isn’t even surprising. Hell, we’ve got one sitting in the White House right now making dumbass decisions that are going to ruin our economy (which was finally starting to heal after he wounded it last time) and destroy any progress this country has made toward being halfway inclusive and people are actually proud of it. It’s all just so fucking disappointing and yet it’s still what I expect of this year. Nazi Musk? Par for the course. But I don’t want to rant or rage or cry, so I’m just going to bottle it all up and sink into the darkness.
Anyway, yeah. It’s going about as expected.
Shawna's Blog of Doom 