Can’t Decide Which Color I Like Best…
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The #DeclutterChallenge Day 1
I’m a fan of quilter and YouTuber Karen Brown of #JustGetItDoneQuilts.
After months of remodeling chaos, my sewing room is a mess. Time to take out the garbage according to her Day 1 declutter challenge.
Today was the day we had friends and family over to the house to celebrate my husband David’s big birthday. Preparations started early; my in-laws offered to come over at noon to help clear the decks and set up for a pizza party for about 25 adults and a few children. My brother-in-law Mitch came from Phoenix yesterday, and we had a wonderful dinner at Seasons52 as a pre-event warmup. Could we do this socializing thing after months of being holed up in the Pillow Fort of Solitude during the remodeling phase?
Yep. It was fun! But the best part of the party is still when everybody leaves.
The guest room is being converted to a sewing room/computer room; all the sewing stuff was wheeled in there yesterday, and the existing furniture has been repositioned, but my sewing machines are buried, my long-delayed table runner project is under a pile of stuff, and my gaming computer is yet to be set up. Meanwhile, extra furniture comes out tomorrow before work.
But after Mitch gave me an opening with a joke about procrastination, I handed off the Christmas present/housewarming gift that I made last fall, then lost my confidence in actually mailing the box. Their neighbor is a quilter, and my nerve failed at the thought of her seeing my modest efforts.
But Mitch said “Oooh, she’ll love the blues,” so I’m much more certain of the thing, and it’s out of my hands. So now I need to continue with the editing down/culling of my household stuff that this crazy remodel project forced me to face.
Today, I placed some broken, beloved glass things in the recycling bin that my Aunt Veda gave my mom, that I inherited and promptly broke soon after receiving it (actually the cleaning service ladies broke it, but it was in a dangerous spot).
I’ve got more stuff like that of Mom’s that need to be properly placed and used, or let go. That’s in the weeks to come.
For tomorrow, just taking out garbage in the sewing room will be a start.
Back to the future: how Mastodon is restoring the lost art of online conversation | John Naughton | The Guardian
The Guardian takes notice of Mastodon. 
The new social network with its interconnected ‘fediverse’ is a welcome alternative to blustering rival Twitter and Elon Musk
Elon Musk Will Step Down As Twitter CEO (and burn it down by proxy)
Oh boy, here we go.
Mr. Musk, who asked his Twitter followers on Sunday if he should step down as head of the service, will remain the company’s owner.
— Read on New York Times Gift Link
My guess is he’ll pick someone guaranteed to offend everyone and to totally ruin the company.
Think Jared Kushner, or Steve Bannon, or Alex Jones, or Kellyanne Conway (which would be awkward for George).
Harvey Weinstein…Wait, What?
There’s a bizarre detail about Weinstein’s anatomy at the end of this story. It’s a gift link, so you’ll be able to read it. Don’t read it at work or people on Zoom or in the next cube will look up and wonder why you’re gagging at your desk.
A Los Angeles jury on Monday found Harvey Weinstein guilty of rape, forced oral copulation and a third sexual misconduct charge after a weekslong trial.
— Read on https://wapo.st/3G7Hz81
In Review: Macally Backlit Portable Bluetooth Keyboard for iPad Mini/Pro, iPhone
This is a review of a review plugin for WordPress.. It’s not a book… but it’s also a review of the wireless keyboard I’m trying to type it on.
A year or more ago, I thought I’d be reading more books, so I enthusiastically read about 3 books and looked for a way to add stars and so on like I’ve seen on other blogs.
The review plugin is called Recensio Book Reviews, and it’s a little too powerful for someone that doesn’t read as many books as she should. But I’ve read a few lately and so I’ll keep it.
The keyboard is a Macally Wireless Backlit Keyboard and it’s not very good. I should have gotten a higher quality one from the same maker or any well-known maker – the space bar is really hard to press and I have to pound it, sometimes multiple times. It’s really light and feels a bit flimsy, actually. Would not buy again if it breaks. It came with an extended warranty, but not really worth it. I went for price and the backlit feature.
The full name is a mouthful:
“Macally Backlit Portable Bluetooth Keyboard for iPad Mini/Pro, iPhone, Phone, Kindle Fire, Android – Universal 7 Backlit Colors Tablet Keyboard Mini – Small Bluetooth Wireless Keyboard”
Don’t bother, get a better quality one.
I’ll keep the review plugin, I could see using it more in the new year.
Tom Lehrer Songs And Lyrics Released to the Public Domain
Anyone for a little New Math, or Dead Puppies?
LINK: Tom Lehrer Songs
In short, I no longer retain any rights to any of my songs. So help yourselves, and don’t send me any money. THIS WEBSITE WILL BE SHUT DOWN AT SOME DATE IN THE NOT TOO DISTANT FUTURE, SO IF YOU WANT TO DOWNLOAD ANYTHING, DON’T WAIT TOO LONG. TOM LEHRER
Choosing Between Lifeboats: Why Not Both?
Seth Abramson over on Post.news thinks everyone needs to run, not walk, to the lifeboats. I also added that link to the mini posts column to the right, since it’s easier to grab the link via WordPress’ “publish or draft post via share sheet” option.
Another story that’s been making the rounds on Post.news is the one about the steps you need to take to lock down your Twitter account and get your data. I had already downloaded my data but missed the window for grabbing it. I’m considering requesting it again before the end of the year and sunsetting my Twitter accounts, but Seth’s warning has added a note of urgency.
I’m using both Post.news and Mastodon and liking both for different reasons. Post is still in beta, while Mastodon has been around long enough to have useful WordPress logins and an actual APP that formats well on both the iPhone and iPad – it’s especially nice on the tablet screen in landscape mode. I’m waiting for Post to catch up on the features side before coming to any kind of decision about committing to one or the other.
So currently I have a foot in each lifeboat, so to speak, and although it’s a bit precarious, it all seems to be working. It’s a bit awkward having to manually repost everything to Post.news, but I could see hanging out there to do the blabbity news commenting and hanging out on Mastodon for more entertainment and community-building social interaction, since this blog now autoposts there.
Both of them have their strengths and weaknesses as social media platforms – and both thus far are clear of trollish minions. Twitter, though, soon will be flooded with enthusiastic wannabe shitlords acting like huge flocks of soiled budgies flying out of people’s lavatories, infringing on people’s personal freedoms.
Probably best to start paddling the lifeboats somehow, or doing that thing from Mythbusters with the awkward aquatic shoes.
The Lord Of The Rings Has Never Been Sexier Than Galadriel’s Temptation Scene In The Rings Of Power
Spoiler alert: ROP is sexy.
Someday, maybe, we can all forget about Space Karen and his tantwums, or Biden’s Biggest Loser and his ridiculous copyright-infringing cringe cards.
And then we can all get back to the important business of minutely dissecting our favorite fantasy/science fiction shows, scene by scene.
There’s a busted-up raftload of people on YouTube who created tons of videos on Rings of Power, some of which are very well produced and informative. I mostly watched without commenting. But recently on Twitter a “Galadriel is actually pretty hot, and so is Halbrand” discussion made it to my feed, a welcome change from my navel-gazing, political snark, and “should I get in the lifeboat, or sing the alto part of ‘Nearer My God To Thee?’”
The best discussion I saw recently was on the rather fierce woo-pitching scene. You know the one if you’ve seen the entire season.
Did you notice the dark silhouettes reflected in the water? The crowns, Galadriel’s pose, and her arm cradling her belly? That was a moment of truly visceral horror for me, especially in 2022. There’s a very in-depth discussion (with full spoilers) on Screen Rant.
Imagine the temptation to remake the worst person in the world as the best person in the world, if offered to someone whose PTSD has raged since the First Age and well into the Second? Imagine the “oh he’s a good person deep down, just misunderstood” in council with the High King and Elrond, with Celebrimbor adding support?
This story doesn’t mention that aspect, but for some reason that Twitter discussion popped into my head today. And I wonder how the show runners will handle the on-screen interactions between the characters in the next season. She can expose him, but he can mess with her mind because she doesn’t yet possess her own Ring.
All that aside, I did have questions about how they met and how he managed to show up at that specific crisis moment. Was he already subtly messing with her mind from afar, literally trying to turn her into a powerful ally? Or was it just a big meet-cute friggin plot hole?
I also have questions about what Celeborn, her husband, is doing, since she thinks he’s dead?
Held captive and tortured and in need of rescue, or…something far more terrible? Season 2 may tell.
What A To Do
On my to-do list tomorrow:
- Pack up the gift for Gloria and Mitch and get it in the mail
- Ditto Jen
- Work on other gifts
- Walk outside if not too wet
- Add decorations to tree (Christmas is very low key
- Sort some laundry
On my not-to-do list:
- Lie around all day playing the damn game
UPDATE:
It’s still not in the mail, because of course I started a second, longer one. Also didn’t get Jen’s in the mai. Did sort some laundry. Did not work on other gifts. Damn game.