Friday Randomness
Why am I suddenly craving eggs? Hmmm. Every once in a while I think about the Flex Hash egg dish I had at Hugo’s in Studio City last May, and wish we lived closer to Los Angeles. Those were some seriously good eggs, but 6 hours each way is a long drive for breakfast. Ready for some Friday Randomness? Here we go.
Life can be a lot sometimes. I’ve been thinking a lot about the wild horses being rounded up and sold to middlemen who then sell them to be slaughtered (which is illegal), and how we have the ability to administer birth control to wild horses via darts, and have done so with some small herds, but are instead spending tax money to sell young healthy horses to their deaths at a huge loss…and it’s too much. It’s too much on top of all of the other daily horrors that come at us at 5,000,000mph, along with the petty BS and absolute stupidity. It’s too much, and I want to cry and scream. Instead, I distract myself with pictures like this one that crack me up. This man loves to take pictures with his beloved cats and post them on Instagram. Sometimes it goes well, sometimes it does not. You can follow him on Instagram, catwolf0314.
Regarding the political frustration, I need to get involved again. I did really well for about a year and then I burned out. I’ve mentioned that I don’t like going to protests when it’s too hot, I am on a medication that gives me trouble with it. Well, I can write postcards to voters, and this is defintiely the time to up my game in that department. Maybe that will make me feel a little better.
Maya recently did a book purge, and her electric blanket was right next to her bookshelf (in its original packaging), which she said she doesn’t use and wanted to donate. I posted it on my local Facebook buy nothing group, and I was so happy to give it to a woman who said her dad is always cold. She had it on her list of things to get before winter, so the timing was perfect (though we are far from it being cold right now). Happily, it’s a queen size, which means it comes with dual controls, so her mom won’t have to have her side of the bed hot if she doesn’t want to. This made us so happy.
More social media fun. I enjoy following Karl the Fog on Facebook, where it ridicules people for wanting to be outside enjoying beautiful sunshine, while instead being stuck in the bitter cold summertime fog that is May Gray, June Gloom, No-Sky July, and Fogust. Truly, the best time to come to San Francisco (California coast really) is spring and fall.
Do you ever look at your spam comments? Usually they are a bunch of question marks for some reason, but this one was such a wonderful word salad that I had to snap a screenshot of it.
Ted and I went to see Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma which I liked and thought was well done for what it was, but wow, I could not figure out what it was. I mean, there were themes of identity and the sexuality in slasher films and maybe if I had seen Sleepaway Camp or the Friday the 13th movies and so on, maybe I would understand it more. Mostly I came out thinking that the main actors (Hannah Einbinder and Gillian Anderson) were amazing, and by the way, what did I just watch? No idea.
Meanwhile at home, we’re binging DTF St. Louis on HBO Max. Honestly, I will watch anything with Linda Cardellini, though Ted and I always call her Lindsay because we loved her in Freaks and Geeks. Maya told me about this one, and we were hooked right away. We’ve watched 5 episodes, which leaves us with just 2. SIGH.
For lighter fare, we are for some reason watching the old seasons of Mad About You, which I only vaguely remember since we didn’t watch it all that often, and I may or may not be rewatching Gilmore Girls for the upteenth stupid time. I love this show, it’s fun, but Lorelie’s self destructive love life gets on my nerves. We also watched the newer season of Mad About You, to see where they were all of these years later.
Speaking of lighter fare, we also recently watched Happy Go Lucky, a 2008 comedy that was just a sweet, slice of life, charming film. Poppy is a school teacher in London, one of those people that laugh at everything and see the best in the people and the world around them. When her bike is stolen (leading to her taking driving lessons with the thought of buying a car), she laments, “I didn’t even get to say goodbye”. I love Poppy. We watched via our library app, Kanopy, though it seems as though it is available on several streaming services to rent.
Of course, this week we lost Dolly Parton. I am not a country music fan, so never really connected with her music, but Dolly the PERSON, I am entirely on board with. Her humor, her kindness, her generosity, her grace, her undeniable talent, grit, and tenacity. She was a wonderful example of living a good, good life. I’m glad she was here for as long as she was, while I also wish it had been longer. She said she still had work to do. Fuck cancer.
Back when the #DollyPartonChallenege was a thing, Maya put this one together for Mulder. It’s perfect, but then again, so was he. Fuck cancer.
I was also sorry to hear of the loss of Yayoi Kusama, the amazing artist whose work Ted and I discovered a couple of years ago at the SF MOMA. She was 97, and still creating art well into her 90s. She lived a good life, and wow, so inspiring.
Do you remember last year when I commissioned this masterpiece of Mulder for a local fundraiser? Well, they’re at it again. If you’d like a ‘bad art’ rendering of your beloved pet, you can donate here. $30 for a digital portrait (which is what I did) or $125 for both digital + a physical portrait shipped to you.
Today I have my appointment with my OB to discuss HRT. I read an article on the NYT the other day from a doctor who said for folks who do not have hot flashes, who are 60+, it is not really a big help, and she doesn’t prescribe it as much as for younger patients. (I would link it for you, but now I can’t find it.) We’ll see what my doctor has to say.
Tomorrow I’m getting together with my friends Cherry and Elizabeth! We all worked together many years ago, from 1998-2000. Cherry has moved to western Pennsylvania, where for the price of a small townhouse here, she has a big house with a yard and a basement and everything. I miss her face. Cherry, Elisabeth, and our other friend Dorothy, were the ones that talked me into blogging way back in 2005. Now none of them do it anymore, and I miss that daily interaction that we used to have. Anyway, I’m looking forward to seeing them for a few hours.
38 Comments
Jenny
Ugh, just the thought of that electric blanket makes me cringe. I need something similar, but opposite- an electric cooling blanket. Having said that… I don’t actually have hot flashes (I just get hot) and I am 60… so I’m thinking I’m not a candidate for HRT? At least according to that article. I’ll be interested to hear what your doctor says.
Ha, Karl the Fog. We could use some gloomy fog around here!
Enjoy the time with your friends- it sounds like it’ll be a fun reunion!
J
I think they have those! My daughter has a cooling blanket, which is cool on one side, and warm on the other. She loves it, but I doubt it’s enough to handle Florida. I haven’t tried it, but she got it from a company called Mellow.
StephLove
I have kind of fallen of the wagon with political activism, too. I did a batch of postcards last week and it was the first time I’d done anything political since spring, unless you count going to a fundraiser for an LGBT group in West Virginia in July. I am hoping once we get back home, I will get back into the swing of it.
Beth, North, and I have been watching Gilmore Girls since they were in 8th grade and now they are a college junior and we still haven’t finished. Getting close, though! We might finish over fall break if we make a big push.
It was a lot to lose Dolly Parton and Tim Curry on the same day.
J
It WAS a lot to lose them both in one day. SIGH.
AC
I have an electric throw for my chair. I will probably get it out of storage in October. It will almost surely be used in November. Even now, the nights are cool enough to cover with a normal balnket.
J
I look forward to that time of year, when we can sleep with the windows closed and a cozy comforter over us! I don’t think it’s ever cold enough for me to want a heated throw downstairs.
nance
I have THREE heating pads. One of them is large enough cover my entire back and then some. I am often very chilly; even now, I still use a little quilt at night whilst reading or watching TV. IN AUGUST. But we’ve already discussed how we get cold with the AC on.
Eggs! Last weekend, we decided to stay one more night at the lake, and I was struggling to get an easy dinner together. I made a big veg frittata, and I’m so happy to say that I not only enjoyed it, but I had no ill aftereffects. Yay! Rick and I both love a frittata, and I’m glad to put it back on the menu.
You are heard loud and clear about reactivating your political activism. Ohio’s Senate seat is up for grabs, and dear, dear Sherrod Brown (my hero!) is in the race. I’ve donated to his campaign, but I feel guilty about not doing More. Our governor’s race has gotten beyond nasty, thanks to the republican candidate, Vivek Ramaswamy (aka Ramaslimy) denigrating Dr. Amy Acton’s character (she was the chief med officer for our republican governor, Mike DeWine) and falsely accusing her of a raft of character-based errors. I am desperately hoping for a repeat of 2006’s Democratic Takeover of Congress, as well as a return to some Democrats in Ohio.
J
YAY to a frittata with no ill aftereffects! I know you enjoy eggs, I hope this means smooth sailing in that department. Scrambled eggs are such an easy dinner once in a while, as is a frittata.
UGH on air conditioning. I hate sitting in the house sweating, so of course we use it, but yes, having that air blow on you is miserable too. THERE MUST BE A BETTER WAY.
I am going to write some postcards this week, that will make me feel better, and hopefully make a difference.
Michelle G.
I love all the random things! The egg meme is so true for me! Honestly, I am a person who’d be very happy if it were 55 degrees and cloudy most of the time! I am really sad about Dolly Parton and Yayoi Kusama. I love the picture you you & Ted at the SF MOMA. It seems like a bunch of great people are passing away lately.
I love the drawing and meme of Mulder! How fun!
J
55 and overcast is perfect weather for me too. WIth the fog in SF, it is sometimes calm and lovely when it’s foggy, and sometimes it is really windy, which makes it feel much colder than it is. I like the calm and lovely fog days, and loved them when I lived in the city. I love it when the fog makes it over the Oakland hills and out to where we are, it’s lovely.
Nicole MacPherson
Dolly Parton was an angel on this earth. She did SO much for charity and for children’s literacy. She had a voice of an angel and I loved how she embraced her look. She is just an idol for me, plus I love so many of her songs. I have been listening to I Will Always Love You, Here I Come Again, and 9 To 5 on repeat. Plus Islands in the Stream!
Good luck with your appointment. I am so happy being on HRT, it has made a world of difference. I am a bit younger than you and I still get my period with startling regularity, so it’s kind of perfect timing for me. But maybe it will be helpful for you!
J
I am cautiously optomistic about the HRT. I need to educate myself a bit more, but gosh I would love it if it helped with this stupid tendon pain.
Suzanne
The only way I can stomach an egg is via a baked good. Okay, and once in a great while I will eat a scrambled egg, but it must have cheese in it, lots of pepper, and needs to be overcooked.
Love the Dolly and Mulder memes. Perfection. Fuck cancer indeed. <3
How fun that you were able to find the PERFECT recipient for the heating blanket! That is so satisfying.
Spam comments amuse and baffle me. What is the POINT????
J
Oh, you’re one of THOSE egg people. My family is full of them. I blame it on my grandmother, who hated eggs, and could only choke them down if they were either deviled or scrambled hard and dry. I’m glad my mom rebelled and enjoyed eggs in many ways, which gave me an appreciation for a runny or jammy yolk, but not my brother, he still likes them dried out. We figured out that my cousin was taking advantage of grandma when we found out that my grandma was eating scrambled eggs for dinner. She couldn’t afford anything else because she was giving money to the cousin for car repairs, water heater repairs, other things like that. We told her no, tell cousin to get a credit card like the rest of us and be an adult, but that was a battle that we lost, over and over again, for well over a decade, and only stopped when my grandma and great aunt died. UGH. That’s a lot of information about egg talk, right? Ted likes ketchup on his scrambled eggs, which I find disgusting, but hey, live and let live, as long as he doesn’t put it on MY eggs (which he never does, he’s not a monster), it’s fine.
DB Stewart
Sorry it’s all so currently overwhelming…I hope your writing this uplifted you the way it did me. (I laughed out loud at Fogust, ha!) Thank you.
J
Thanks DB!
jeanie
This post makes me very happy for whatever reason! I love that you found a home for the blanket. That’s perfect. And seeing the art is always my thing. Like you, I wasn’t much into Dolly’s music, especially the earlier stuff. But wow — what a fabulous human being. She was dearly loved by all and who can say that these days? I’ve been doing postcards too and contributing and will probably go on the autumn protest rallies. Something has to change. I’m in the midst of art camp up at my cottage with a friend and soon looking forward to down-at-home friend gatherings. I miss them!
J
The timing for that blanket was so wonderful, right? It made me very happy.
I’m happy to protest and send letters but have a mental block about donating money. They harass me enough via email and text already, I cannot imagine how much worse it would be if I donated! My husband does though, and sometimes our daughter, so I feel like I’m covered.
Lisa’s Yarns
My book club is meeting this week and we are going to write post cards to encourage people to vote. It feels good to do something small like that.
That photo of the guy with his cats is awesome!
I hope the appt to discuss HRT gives you some answers and a path forward.
J
Thanks Lisa! Thank you also for sending me the link to the substack, that was helpful as well. I love that your bookclub will be writing postcards!
Tobia | craftaliciousme
So great someine was just looking for such a blanket. I am happy when this happens. Foten enough it is just about the right time to match up stuff your want to get rid off.
J
Thanks Tobia, I was wondering if we should wait until it gets cold to give it away, but my daughter wanted it GONE (that’s how it is with decluttering, right? You want things gone NOW, that have been sitting there not bothering you (or maybe low key bothering you) for months or maybe years. Suddenly they need to go. We were so happy that we found such a good home for it.
Diane
I love your Friday grab bag of thoughts.
I would eat five hard boiled eggs in one sitting if I could. By hard boiled, I mean a jammy yolk… Though I’m not a scrambled egg person.
We went to the Kusama exhibit when it was here at the Hirschorn. It was so fun and whimsical. This was a big week for monumental death. I wonder if it’s because it’s the last week of August and September is a time for new beginnigns? I read somewhere that a lot of people die during the last week of the year.
I remember seeing Happy Go Lucky in the theatres when it came out – my brother was into obscure independent films and it was getting very good reviews – I think it’s the movie that made people notice Sally Hawkins and she was so nuanced in the movie.
J
Oh, I’m glad you saw Happy Go Lucky, it was such a charming film. I may watch it again, we’ll see.
If I’m going to eat a hard boiled egg, I also really enjoy a jammy yolk. And I love scrambled eggs, but I want them pretty soft and wet, with salt, pepper, and sometimes chives. Yum.
Interesting thoughts regarding the people dying at the end of the year, even if it’s not the calendar year.
Melissa
My mum put an electric blanket on our bed at their house; I’m not sure why. We are never cold down there. G and I are much more likely to overheat rather than be too cold. Our apartment especially is really warm, we just have the sheet and a cotton blanket all through winter.
We’ve had some lovely blue sky days in SF, I guess we were just lucky.
J
SF has glorious weather, most especially in the spring and fall. But you can definitely get lucky any time of year, and I am glad that you have on your trips here!
K @ TS
How did your appointment go? I love that you put the blanket on Buy Nothing and that it went to a good home. I feel like when I was getting rid of stuff, that always felt so much better than just donating it to Goodwill for whatever reason! Are you still doing your purging project? Or I guess that kind of project is always an ongoing one! I hope you had fun with your friends; I always like meeting up with old friends, and for many of them, it is like no time has passed!
J
I agree, Buy Nothing feels better than Goodwill, and I’m not sure why. The main purging project has ended, though I still have a couple of projects that I want to do, like put my old photos into albums. It will be a project, because they are just willy nilly in boxes right now, not in any sort of order or anything.
The appointment – I don’t know. She is willing to discuss it, but I need to get some tests done, and I need to take an online class. It may be too late for me, I’m not sure. But because of my tendon issues, they may say the benefits could outweigh the risks. Time will tell!
Lee Anna Paylor
gilmore girls, still watch over and over, recently watched mad about you again. Now to find Men in trees set in small town alaska
I love your post, love it. Thank you for leaving a comment on my blog, pulling me over and giving me a moment of fitting in.
my husband found out he was autistic this year, went crazy with it, left our marriage of 33 years blaming me for all his troubles. I am shocked which he also uses as reason to blame me because he read that in some book.
life is fun, ain’t it?
I hope I can follow you somehow to get notice of posts, and thank you for writing
LeeAnna at not afraid of color blog
J
OMG, Lee Anna, you are in the middle of it right now, aren’t you? I’m shocked and horrified, and I hope that in the long run you are better off! But…WOW.
There’s a button under the comment box that says ‘Notify me of new posts by email’. I think it works?
NGS
Years ago I begged for a weighted blanket for my birthday. It arrived and…I never use it. That’s all. I don’t want to talk about the current political world, the loss of Dolly Parton, or menopause. I want to talk about how we think we want things and then we can’t fit them in our actual lives and they just live in a space in your world taking up mental space. Maybe I’m in a MOOD today. The dog was violently ill last night and as we were cleaning it up, the cat puked (right next to us! how convenient for cleaning up!) and what is up with stirring the pot with Canada which is, as far as I can tell, the nicest people on the literal planet. Whatever. Just ignore this comment. I have nothing shiny and bright to say and I’m upsetting myself.
J
I THINK that we similarly got rid of my daughters weighted blanket, but I’m not positive. Yes, so many things that we think we need (or really want, or will solve a specific problem) and then they don’t really live up to it and we’re stuck with them. That’s why a good purchase feels SO GOOD, right?
I’m sorry that you had so much clean up duty this morning. I really want a dog to keep me company when I’m home alone all day and go for walks with me, but at the same time, it’s been a few years since I’ve had to clean up barf or poop or anything like that. I hope Hannah and Zelda feel better NOW. (As opposed to soon…)
Tiffany Cline
Those eggs have my mouth watering. This looks soooo good.
J
LOL, the eggs in the meme DO look good.
Allison McCaskill
I’m with Jenny, the thought of a heating blanket is so unpleasant to me, but I LOVE when something I need to get rid of finds the perfect home like that.
Eve was complaining the other day that Hamilton gets grey days but it seldom actually rains. Actual fog might be better.
Dollly Parton dying just feels like a massive light went out in the world, in a spot where we really, really needed that light.
You were going really hard on activism and I think it’s so understandable that you burned out. The postcards thing sounds like a really good alternative to giving yourself heatstroke.
I haven’t been watching tv really at all this summer, except when my friend visited I introduced her to The Four Seasons on Netflix and we watched all of season one in one night. Eve also asked me to watch some of season two when I was with her – I think I’m tired of watching tv by myself, I need someone to watch with or I might as well be reading outside.
J
I used to love a heating blanket when I was single and in my 20s, but sharing a bed with someone makes everything hot enough.
I remember my friend who used to live in Seattle, she said it wasn’t the rain that got to her, it was the gray skies.
We liked The Four Seasons a lot. 🙂
ernie
Your former coworker meetup sounds so fun. I hope you enjoyed it. I have friends who live in other parts of the country and I do miss seeing them. I sometimes wonder where former coworkers might be. Since social media wasn’t a thing back in the day, keeping in touch wasn’t the easiest and I don’t always remember my coworkers’ last names.
The Happy Go Lucky movie sounds great. Hooray for the heating blanket give away. What a great gift/excellent timing. Love it. I’ve not heard of the Miamsa movie – and I’m laughing at ‘what did I just watch?’ Dolly – she was so great. I’m not a country music fan either, but I always enjoyed her interviews, etc. She was a gem.
I attended a funeral of a woman whose kids attended the same grade school as mine. She was the greatest, kindest, and all around selfless and sweetest person ever. I bumped into her in the grocery store from time to time and she was a patient of Coach’s off and on, as were her kids. Anyway, she had battled cancer four times and lost her fight last week. She was 66 and had tiny grandchildren. There were hardly any open seats to sit in the church. A testament to how wonderful and truly loved she was. Fuck cancer.
San
Ugh. Politics. My eyes hurt from all the eye rollling and all the nonsense (and yet, it affects all of us every single day and we can’t seem to find a way to stop him… well, until the midterms I hope. I am also thinking of getting on the postcard game again, I’ve done it before).
I feel the same way as you do about Dolly Parton. I wasn’t a fan of her music, but what I’ve learned about her as a person makes me think we need more people like Dolly! Why do they keep taking the “wrong 80 year olds”???
I hope your doctor’s appointment went well and HRT is still an option for you. Which symptoms are you trying to get under control?