Friday Randomness
In addition to many wonderful signs, I saw this wonderful FDT (Fuck Donald Trump) t-shirt at last week’s rally. So pretty, right?
I also liked the ‘Turd Reich’ sign. This is not my photo, I took it from our congress member’s FB page. He comes to the rallies when he is in town. He’s in the center front of this photo, with his back to the camera. The rally was much smaller than the previous Saturday’s Hands Off rally, but that was to be expected. Still about 1,000 people came out. Tomorrow is more rallies, 2 around here, and I have to decide if I want go to both or just one.
I’m always heartened and humbled when I see folks out protesting with walkers, wheelchairs, and crutches. I remember seeing this at Women’s March and Black Lives Matter demonstrations as well.
Sarah recently posted a photo of the darling unicorn picture Minnie has over her bed, which got me thinking about my own unicorn obsession when I was about 15. Clearly I was much older than Minnie, and I was VERY opinionated on pictures like the one above. THAT IS NOT A UNICORN, BECAUSE UNICORNS DO NOT HAVE WINGS. (Also, what the hell with that tail? That’s not a horse tail at all.) Pegasus was a specific horse god in Greek mythology, and he had wings. Period. I do not know when people decided that unicorns would be even better if they had wings, but they are WRONG. SO WRONG. Somehow it reminds me of a toy I saw back in 2008 of what some might call a ‘whorse’ because what the even hell. (The link has photos that are broken, this blog has been around a while, shit happens sometimes. This is one of my favorite Friday Randomness posts from the past, just ridiculous stuff. Most of the commenters are no longer blogging, but Nance is there, and Ben (who pops by from time to time but hasn’t posted on his blog since 2020)), and even Ted and Maya chime in. (Maya has commented on my blog maybe 3 times at the most.)
Approved unicorns include those depicted in fabulous tapestries from the Middle Ages (such as this one from Paris, which I was lucky enough to see in the Musee de Cluny in 2022).
Also, when I was in High School I was in the Dungeons and Dragons club, and we went to a DunDraCon (D&D Convention), where I purchased this drawing that hung on my wall for several years. D&D was, for me, a social thing. I had friends in the club and this was a way to hang with them after school. The game itself I didn’t really care much about, but it was fun to hang with smart quirky kids.
Look at the beautiful postcard I received from Anne! Thank you Anne, I love it! Find out more about Paula Scher, here.
Then I got a beautiful postcard from Meike, who hasn’t been busy on her blog, so it was fun to hear from her! Thank you Meike!
Also, how cool is it that I received 2 amazing and cool postcards from Rachel Ignotofsky’s Women in Art series in the same week??? It seems like a sign.
Last Friday, after we got home from a lovely dinner with my cousin and her daughter, Ted and I decided that we wanted another cocktail, so we walked over to the hotel bar nearby. There was a weirdish looking guy at the table next to us, and he had a whisky and a beer, but left without finishing his beer. I thought that was something only people on TV did, because I am far too cheap to order a glass of wine and not drink all of it. But then again, this was beer, and beer is gross. And he did drink most of it.
The next morning, Ted read this article in a local paper, which shows that while beer consumption in California is much higher than wine and spirits, consumption is down, which is maybe why the guy didn’t finish his? Because his consumption is down?
We’ve been rewatching The Last of Us, and the other night we saw the season 1 backstory episode where Ellie and her friend Riley spend some time in a local shopping mall that has electricity. The Bloater that ends up ruining their fun (understatement) is camped out in the American Girl Store, which brought up the American Girl dolls and how Maya wished there were a store around here, and how the hot AG doll for that time would have been Julie. This resulted in Maya and Ted deciding that Julie’s backstory was probably written by one of my High School friends, someone who remembers me, but gets some details wrong. For your consideration:
Julie – blonde hair and dark eyes
Me – blonde hair and dark eyes
Julie – born in 1966 in San Francisco
Me – born the last day of 1965 in Berkeley
Julie – has an older sister and a mom named Joyce
Me – has an older brother* and a mom named Joyce
Julie – child of divorce
Me – child of unmarried parents
Julie – loves horses and Little House on the Prairie
Me – loves horses and Little House on the Prairie
Julie – first name is Julie
Me – first name is Julie
* (I also have two younger sisters (twins), but did not know them or my father when I was in High School, so this hypothetical writer friend would not know this)
I could see the wheels turning in Maya’s head, see her thinking of how great it would be to buy me a Julie doll. I had to nip that shit in the bud. I said, “Please do not buy me a $100 joke gift that will end up in the closet and you will have to throw away when I die.” Then I said, “No, wait. If that shows up on my 60th birthday, the NEXT DAY it will be on the porch, given away on Buy Nothing.” Ted asked me if I wanted to go to a mud bath in Napa for my birthday (um, no – I mean, Napa = lovely, mud bath = gross), and I said if we did, I would drown the Julie doll in the mud. I know I was subtle, but do you think they got that I don’t want this doll, even with her story being similar to mine?
Sarah recently mentioned these Chipotle Black Bean burgers, and how tasty they are, so I decided to give them a try. We had them for dinner on Tuesday, and we all liked them, which is a good thing because it’s Costco and we have a lot left. I like them better than Beyond or Impossible burgers, which taste mostly of chemicals to me. These taste more like falafel, and that is the texture, which is a good thing. Tasty! I had to laugh because the brand is Don Lee, which is a homophone for Donlea, the author of yesterday’s book. Also, we used to know an asshole IRL named Don Lee, and that is all I have to say about that. Glad to report that he has nothing to do with these tasty burgers.
What else…oh, I did the thing you’re supposed to do at my age, and had my annual mammogram this week. Got my results, all clear. Next stop – dermatologist, though I don’t see anything fishy, just playing it safe.
Last random thing, we have a small local election right now, for a parcel tax to fund our local high school district. This measure really pissed me off, because I don’t understand incurring the expense of an election for only one measure. Why not wait for our next election and do it then? Frustrating. The tax is a 50% increase above the parcel taxes that we already pay. Mainly though, I hate how our education system is funded. I hate that wealthy districts (this is a very wealthy district, which consists of 4 high schools) will fund themselves, fund AP classes, arts, sports, math and science, school counselors, etc., while less wealthy districts lack funding. Of course I want our high schools to be well funded, I want well paid teachers, I want great programs. I just want these things for ALL of our schools. Every time one of these measures comes up for a vote, I get bent out of shape and bitch about it, about the unfairness of it all. And then I vote for it, because I don’t know how to fix it. Which is, of course, what I did. Blah.
28 Comments
Birchie
Turd Reich! Best call out ever.
I have to confess that I was today years old when I first thought about the difference between Pegasus and unicorns. All I know is that I had a stuffed Pegasus toy when I was a kiddo and I adored it.
I love beer, which is good because if anyone tries to give you some while I am in CA I will drink it for you. Don’t worry I am also fond of red wine so we have a lot to talk about. But anyway, I’m usually pretty good at picking ones that I like but if I get a dud I have no problems with leaving it behind. Life is too short to drink crappy beer.
J
Yay! Someone to drink my beer! Thank you Birchie!
I love that you had a stuffed Pegasus.
Jenny
Hahahaha…. that quote about “I can’t tell if I’ve sustained an injury or if that’s just how I am now.” That is ME. As a matter of fact that just might show up on my blog soon.
Those burgers look delicious! I agree- I can’t stand Impossible and Beyond. I don’t want my burgers to taste like fake meat (ew!) I want them to taste like beans and vegetables. Now I’m craving a veggie burger.
That t shirt is awesome! And… that photo of the “pegasus” looks like the type of “unicorn” my daughter used to love. She wasn’t concerned about accuracy.
J
Jenny, I don’t know WHAT that picture is supposed to be, but it’s just wrong. I forgive all children for not understanding the difference, but it still bugs me.
LOL on the meme. Especially since I’ve started lifting light weights almost daily, I’m often a little sore. Like almost always.
nance
Thank you for attending protests. Once again, I’m floored at the lack of youth protestors, yet many of them will blame boomers for everything and say that we all voted for the dicktator and are happy he won. Sigh.
I love your story about Julie The Doll and how you forestalled her becoming your birthday present. The parallels are indeed noteworthy and remarkable, but you’re absolutely right; why commemorate it by owning a literally useless plastic object? Bravo to you (a boomer who cares about the environment–who knew?).
We are having a local election, too, and a school levy is on it. Ohio has been in contempt of its own Supreme Court ruling since 1997 when it was ruled that our method of funding schools in unconstitutional (the DeRolph Decision). Since then, nothing has been done to fix school funding, and we continue to use property tax levies to fund education in our state. Rick and I early-voted last week and of course voted yes to renew the levy. Ohio is so broken in so many ways.
J
I will gently but firmly remind you, Nance, that I am early Gen X, not a Boomer. However, I know many Boomers that care about the environment, so that is a good thing. I have noticed more people in the under 50 set showing up to protests lately, which does make me feel better, but still…it’s probably 2/3 people older than me.
nance
I’m sorry to age you, my friend. I was speaking more of the set much younger than both of us, actually. But I do promise to remember that you are not nearly as old as I am in future.
J
LOL, I’m right behind you Nance! My year is the first of Gen X.
PocoBrat
I’m cribbing terms and words from this post: “Whorse!” “Turd Reich!” Julie! I’m inspired!
I’m ashamed to say I would have gone for the Julie doll… perhaps a poster? A card with an illustration pulled from the Internet?
The postcards you received from Anne and Meike are terrific, and I must go look up the artist now.
I liked those burgers too, but the rest of the fam claimed they tasted too “earthy.” They do like Impossoible burgers, so boo.
And…
A very *gentle* suggestion
that unicorns are imaginary creatures
so…
maybe it’s ok if over the centuries they’ve morphed into
“alicorns”?
*running away*
J
Maya, yes, if they want to give me a picture of Julie, I will be fine with that. ?
The burgers taste nothing like meat, which is fine by me, but they’re tasty. I’m sorry your family didn’t like them. Too bad you can’t get them in a smaller bag, right?
I am very disappointed in your alicorns suggestion. Not angry, just disappointed.
NGS
The day before my sister’s wedding, we went to a Rennasaince Fair. Don’t ask any questions about why. My sister dared me to get one of those painted tattoos on my arm and so I went over the painter guy and asked for a unicorn. He painted a pegasus. I was horrified. “What is this? This isn’t a unicorn.” He flatly said, “everyone always asks for a unicorn, but they really want a pegasus.” I was additionally horrified – I was a grown ass woman in my 30s – I knew the difference!!
Anyway. Cut to me greeting my aunt later that night, pegasus not unicorn “tattoo” proudly visible. “What have you done?!” she shrieked at decibels loud enough to risk permanent hearing damage, pointing at it on my arm. Imagine her shock when I washed it off that night.
That’s my pegasus story.
J
Oh, I would have loved either of these tattoos! And like you, I would have known the difference. I guess I prefer a unicorn. I love your story, though!
Ally Bean
The fabulous Middle Age tapestry was on the cover of a datebook I had in college. I remember staring at the image while I should have been doing my homeowork. Talk about a flashback for me. Happy Weekend!
J
Oh, that’s amazing, I would have loved that, and I also would been totally distracted by its beauty.
Suzanne
I am perhaps more disturbed than I should be by that flying unicorn’s tail. What even???? (There is another unicorn you posted that has a similar-ish tail. Why???)
My daughter used to be a unicorn afficianado and she would refer to a flying unicorn as an alicorn.
The You Julie/AG Julie similarities are uncanny! But I’m glad you spoke out against the doll as a gift, and giggled at how you did it.
J
Yeah, I never noticed the weird tail on my unicorn picture until now, and I don’t like it. WTH.
Maya suggested alicorn too…I guess that’s a thing? I never knew. I suppose I will accept that it is a THING now that two people have brought it up, and Carla being an aficionado. But I still don’t want people to call it a Unicorn.
Thank you regarding the Doll. One has to stand up for things. I get attached to belongings, I am sentimental, so probably I would cherish the damn thing, even though I DO NOT WANT IT. That is why I must convey my feelings strongly.
Tobia | craftaliciousme
I dont think I have really seen a unicorn with wings… ever. Of course its without. Duh.
The postcards are lovely. And indeed how random to get two form different people. Great minds think alike, right?
Fingers crossed you are not getting that doll even the the story is funny.
J
YES, Fingers crossed. I think I made it pretty clear, and my birthday is not until December so hopefully she will have forgotten all about it. She could make me a birthday card with a picture of Julie on it, and that would clearly be enough.
ernie
I laughed at so many things in this post. That t-shirt is really cute. I died laughing at the similarities between the real Julie and the Julie doll, but I laughed harder at you threatening to drown a Julie doll in the mud at Napa. Even from my study in Chicago, I could see Maya’s wheels turning and I believed that she would get you that Julie doll. We were somewhere recently and a man got up and left his table and there was a beer that was barely touched. Coach and I were blown away. We are way too frugal to walk awak from a mostly filled drink that we’ve paid for.
J
LOL, yes, Maya’s wheels were definitely turning!
A barely touched beer? I thought that shit only happened on TV and in movies.
Margaret
Turd Reich is quite appropriate. I hadn’t thought much about unicorns but they definitely don’t have wings. You shared some beautiful paintings of them. The Julie doll, OMG, she is…YOU! I love black bean burgers. They don’t try to be hamburger which is something I appreciate.
J
There is a place nearby that has an excellent veggie burger…SO GOOD. And not at all meat like. My husband loves a good burger, and he loves these even more.
AC
When I watch British mysteries, it seems absolutely necessary to ave one scene where the cops leave their food or drink behind to rush of after a new client. Relax guys, you can take two minutes.
Yeah that unicorn is too much.
I hope you keep on showing up to protests.
We voted in the advance poll for our election today. I have never seen polling stations so busy. I think Trump has got Canadians out to vote like never before.
J
I’d like to see someone struggle with leaving their food behind…like bring it with them in the car or something. When I was in labor, I asked for an epidural, but the anesthesiologist was having lunch so I didn’t get one. They didn’t leave their food behind (which I think is fair, actually.)
I will keep showing up. Feels more important now than it did a month ago. I’m glad to hear that your polling places are busy! Maybe ours will be too, when we have our midterms. If elections are still happening at that point.
Lisa’s Yarns
I am glad you nipped the AG doll idea in the bud. They are so dang expensive! But the similarities between you and the Julie doll are crazy!
I love how many protests you attend. It’s so inspiring!
That is frustrating about the stand alone election, though. Seems like a poor approach. We live in Minneapolis and our taxes are higher here than in the neighboring bougie suburb and that’s because we kind of subsidize the less affluent areas of Minneapolis. Which we are fine with. But because nearly every area of the suburb by us is affluent, their overall level of taxes is lower. But we just accept that we will pay more in taxes because living in Minneapolis proper is so important to me. You should hear some of the comments I get when talking to advisors in other states. They act as if I live in a 3rd world country because I live in Minneapolis… because if their insane news sources. Sigh. Well now I have really gone off on a tangent!!
J
Interesting about your taxes, and yes, I guess that makes sense. We used to live in Philadelphia, a LONG time ago, and our taxes were higher than the wealthy suburbs.
Stephany
So much of this post made me laugh, specifically about the Julie doll. I hope your family knows now that you do NOT want that doll! But I kind of want to see what kind of torture you would put the doll through if they DO get it for you, haha.
My mom will sometimes leave some of her beer behind, but that’s usually when it’s HH and she’s getting a 2-for-1 deal so she doesn’t feel like she “needs” to drink it all. (Or if my stepdad is with us, he’ll drink the rest of hers, haha.)
J
Oh goodness, it could be a THING to torture the Julie doll. That feels too much like self hatred though, so I won’t do it.
Yeah, I can see if you got 2 for 1, you might not want the entire second beer.