pfeifferpack

1. The Delphinium or larkspur is a tall plant with pink, blue, purple or white flowers. Shakespeare called it ‘lark’s-heel’. Butterflies love it, but it’s very toxic if eaten by humans/animals. Do you have any poisonous plants you recognise in your garden or nearby?

Not that I'm aware of? I also don't forage, because I don't recognize plants well enough to do so? While there are gardens around me, and plants and trees? I don't plant or take care of them. The gardening gene skipped me and landed on my brother.

2. Do you still use your local library?

No. Haven't done so in years. (One of the side-effects of working for an evil library reference company - it kind of jaded me.)

I do have library card. But I have a library in the basement of the apartment complex, free books in the foyer, many books I've not read in the apartment and on the Kindle, plus little libraries everywhere (free book depositories in stores and outside apartment complexes and houses), plus two book stores in walking distance, and magazine subscriptions.

3. Have you ever worn a hairpiece, wig or clip-on hair extensions? Do you know anyone who does?

No. But, yes, I know many people who do. When I was kid the lady down the block did. And my mother owned a wig once - she didn't like, so she got rid of it. And I've known a lot of co-workers who do. I couldn't - it would drive me crazy.

4. Have you ever played Pickleball?

Nope. Know people who have. No interest in it. I don't like sports with balls. I can't figure out where the ball is, and usually feel like it is coming right at me.

5. Do you have a favourite gemstone?

Not really? Maybe an Emerald or a Sapphire?


***

July 4th

Yesterday was low-key. I watched television, read, talked to my mother on the phone, texted Wales, took a few walks around the neighborhood. Watched the Macy's 4th of July Fireworks on television - mainly because they are ten miles away from me - if that, or about a twenty minute subway ride. (I just don't do crowds, and didn't feel the need to see them in person.) But I could see the Macy's Fireworks Stand set up from the pier on Thursday walk at lunchtime - at work. And was curious to see what they did this year.

Also, I could hear them. I'm in close enough proximity that I can hear the fireworks.

It is illegal to buy, sell, and/or personally to set off fireworks in New York City for well obvious reasons. People do it anyway. But either they are successfully cracking down on it, or people grew tired of annoying their neighbors and all the pets in the area? Because they weren't that bad last night, or prior nights. They only went until maybe a 11 pm in the area. (It could have been professional fireworks outside of Macy's - there's Statue of Liberty and Governor's Island - and those are about ten miles west of me, if that - I'd hear them. And Macy's was over at 10 pm on the dot. Honestly, New Year's was far worse.

Macy's was kind of "cleverly" passive aggressive politically speaking? All the performers were Black people, and it was mainly R&B or Pop. The American Song-Book was all sung by POC. And the voice over was - while we're still struggling, we have to focus on what we've been through and where we've been, and how far we've come - we have a lot to celebrate and we can still dream for a better future for us all.

In direct contrast to The Capital Forth - which mother tried to watch and bailed early on - she said is was heavily "country" and not good country. Mother despises Country Music. I told her that country music tends to be heavily conservative and far right (basically it tends to be redneck music and if it isn't careful, it will be considered fascist, and not survive). I think a lot of country musicians (who aren't far right or fascist) are fighting that image, and/or threw up their hands, gave up, and just crossed over to pop or folk - Taylor Swift did, Jelly Roll is, as are others, like Dolly Parton.

1. Macs are not the best when it comes to saving files or organizing electronic files, or finding them later. PC's are better for that as is Windows Operating system. But Macs have less viruses and last longer.

I have both - Mac laptop at home, PC desktop at work. I flirt with getting another PC desktop for home, but I like the Mac virus protection better for home use and firewall. However, I need to get a new Mac and I don't want to. They are expensive.

2. Been fighting a sick headache all day long, no idea what is causing it. High blood pressure? (I took it - it's high, so took the diuretic which makes me woozy to bring it down). The weather? Blood sugar? Menopause? God knows. [ETA: It's better now - combination of headache (a generic excedrin), benedryl, and blood pressure diuretic, plus water, and a brownie. Seems to have done the trick.]

Also got off the computer and watched Poker Face on Peacock instead. Poker Face is basically Rian Johnson's take on Columbo, with Natasha Lyon playing the detective. ( Read more... )

I recommend for anyone who likes episodic detective stories, with a parlor room mystery style. Also Natasha Lyon. It's currently on Peacock in the US.

3. I think I figured out why I hate conflict and arguing with folks online or off - it's because it brings out the worst in me? I don't like hurting people. Or tit for tat. I don't like getting condescending. Or cursing. Or fighting. It makes me physically ill. It raises my blood pressure. It tightens my chest cavity. And it causes anxiety.

Some people get off on it, I think? But I never have. It's why I realized I couldn't be a litigator - I didn't like fighting with people. And negotiations often fell in that category as well. I don't like arguments.
I never have.

Every time it happens - my hands shake so badly, I can't type. I lose sleep. And I feel ill. I'm a writer not a debater. It's probably why I didn't become a practicing attorney. I know how to debate - but I hate doing it.

4. Meant to work on my novel this weekend - sent the info to myself and everything, but alas, I just couldn't. No bandwidth capacity - me, not the computer. Frustrating, that. At this rate - it will never be completed, or so it seems. I have all these ideas, but no physical bandwidth to get them out and in writing.

In other writing related news? I got a positive comment on a Buffy fanfic (No Regrets") that I wrote ages ago, and posted on Ao3, I didn't respond back. I learned my lesson with Ao3, don't respond to comments (positive or negative) or add any new posts - or they will find me and attack me with emails about freezing my account and taking down my stuff and how I'm not following some arcane and incredibly difficult to understand rule or other. Much better to stay quiet. But it was a nice comment.

"That was a very profound read, really interesting in depth look at what becoming human might mean for Spike into Will.
Also seeing Buffy's own thoughts on the changes in her life
I like the way that you ended it, no neat bow, but with perhaps a friendship to continue and a bit of a nostalgic laugh also."

I still get kudos from that page from time to time, which makes me think maybe I'm touching people with my writing in a good way? That I'm reaching folks that I've never met and somehow making their lives a little better, or giving them something to connect to, or making them think a little bit differently about something? I think that's all any of us want to do sometimes, is just find a way to connect with one another, and obtain a positive emotional response? To share the love? And to some degree the pain - at least to the point in which it makes us feel less alone, and connected to something bigger? To know there's someone else somewhere out there wherever they may be that feels the same way we do about this?

Life can feel very lonely at times. ( Read more... )

I think art and culture often connects us - in a good way. Television shows, music, concerts, live theater, movies, books, readings, dance, and sporting events. A way to come together and discuss things that bring us joy. But all of that can also divide. Humans are complicated organisms after all.

5. I watched some television shows.

Finished The Bear S4. The Bear does for restaurants what The Pitt does for the ER, except it has more family interaction and really delves into the individual characters deeply. Also has quite the cast - three to four members of it - have taken off since the series aired. And multiple members have gotten Emmys. Season 4, unlike the previous seasons, is really comforting and provides a sense of closure for multiple character arcs - each of the characters manages to resolve the main issue plaguing them since the beginning of the series. I may re-watch it from the beginning in July. It's not long. Just 10 episodes per season. First season had 8. And each episode is about 30 minutes. They aren't long episodes. But jam packed with information and character development.

Shows how much you can do in a short period of time.

( Read more... )

Andor - is unfortunately not as good. And I love science fiction and Star Wars (it was my first real fandom, well next to the Monkeys at any rate, and Batman and Robin, which I'm not completely sure counts). It is a different genre. But it is, alas, far too political for its own good - and a lot of time is wasted on plot mechanics, with the characters getting a bit lost in the shuffle. ( Read more... )

It's on Disney + in the US, and I don't recommend if you have brain fog, are depressed by the current political situation (and seriously who isn't?) and not really a devoted Star Wars fan?

I'll stick with it, but I may wait a bit.

More news on the Buffy Reboot, per Vanity Fair Interview with Gellar at a Film Festival in Italy (Seriously that actress is living the life of a multi-millionaire - I personally think they pay television actors far too much.)

"Gellar was convinced to step back into the vampire slayer’s shoes by Oscar-winning director Chloé Zhao, whose pitch forms the basis of the show. “For so many years, I said no to a possible return of the series,” she said. “I didn’t want to reintroduce something we had already seen. I waited for the right time to come. Then Chloé, a big Buffy fan, proposed the project to me, and I accepted. The gestation was long. It’s been three years, and we’re still working on it.” But soon filming will begin.

The star, who will be joined in the series by young actor Ryan Kiera Armstrong, revealed some details about the series as well: “It will be lighter than the last few seasons of the original. We will try to find a balance between new and old characters. My dream is to bring back everyone who has died, but space will have to be made for new stories as well.”

“One of the surprising aspects of Buffy is that it’s always been a crossover series,” Gellar added. “We’re trying to figure out how to modernize the themes of the series, especially what it means to feel like an outsider in a world dominated by social media. What we want to explore are the space-time boundaries that affect society today.”

[It was a short interview.]

From what I've been seeing from Instagram (I follow various Buffy actors), and who has reached out to Gellar, and is still friends and in contact with her - not to mention the actors seen going to fan conventions recently [no, I've never been to a fan convention - I don't do conventions - rather have a colonoscopy to be honest], together, my guess is that we will most likely see the return of the following:

Spike (Marsters is more than open to it and close with Gellar), Cordelia (Chase has a Cordelia podcast, where she watches shows as Cordelia more or less), Oz (Green has been going to Buffy conventions again), Darla, Drusilla (Landau has a rewatch Buffy podcast), Tara, Joyce, Wesley Wyndam-Price (Denisof is available and I'm certain Hannigan pitched it to Gellar), and possibly Angel (Boreanze did state on social media he would not be opposed to revisiting the character and has been attending conventions again) and Willow (Hannigan has been doing a charity thing with Gellar). It's unlikely Giles will return, but possible. I know Chase, Benze, and Landau reached out. And Gellar is suddenly openly friends with Hannigan again. Also Marsters has been losing weight, looks great, and keeps alluding to it.

Who I do not think will reappear is Xander (Brendan is persona non gratis at fan conventions (he was barred), and no one is in connection with him or wants to be, also the character did not age well, new viewers don't like him at all - basically he was cancelled just like Joss Whedon was, but for different and more severe reasons (which you, trust me, really don't want to know about - I wish I didn't - it makes it hard to watch Xander now) ), Warren (he'll stay dead), Dawn (they won't recast - if Trachenberg had lived - she'd be in it, definitely but not now, which is tragic), not sure about Jenny Calendar. Doubt we'll see anyone but Angel, Spike, Wes, and Cordy from the Angel show. Also she wants to make room for new characters.

While that's great? I've mixed feelings. Lighter tone - not sure about, Buffy worked well with a combination of light and dark, and slanting towards humorous horror.

But, she's probably right to swing away from some of the darker content in the series.

I have a feeling it may be more episodic in nature and less serial, which the series kind of became in later seasons.

The temperature dropped outside. It's now in the 70s. As Breaking Bad put it - night and day outside today.

At work, I ran into a neighbor in the lobby of my building (it's all Crazy Org).

He saw me, first. Told me this was his last day - he was retiring. (I honestly thought he was retired. He is definitely older than me.) We pass all the time in the laundry room and elevator - he lives across the hall from me with his family. He has a dog, and a neurodivergent son, who I think has either Touretts or Ausbergers?

Apparently he was a legal investigator for one of the agencies in Crazy Org since roughly 1993. I was somewhat envious - it sounded more interesting than editing legal documents and financial analysis and negotiations. I'm admittedly bored and frustrated at the moment. It's making me cranky? Well that and struggling with sleep, lingering chest congestion, and brain fog.

Below is a photo of Crazy Org today, standing tall against a gray sky.



It was bound to happen - that I'd run into a neighbor as they are retiring, considering Crazy Org employs over 75,000 New Yorkers.

I took a walk at lunch - it was mild, pleasant even, and overcast - also the last day of school in New York, apparently, so not that many tourists wandering about mucking up the works. Or many bikes for that matter.

And I saw a wild turkey in Battery City Park. Breaking Bad and I decided that the turkey probably escaped from Staten Island via the Ferry. [ETA: Where the turkey came from was/is a joke. We've no clue. We were just joking that it escaped a farm in Staten Island and came by ferry. (Which didn't happen). And since the photo is horrible - no I did not approach the wild turkey.]

( bad photo of a turkey )

Other than that the day was slow. So slow, I worked on my novel, played with spreadsheets, and played on my phone. Art History Major is off to see her family in Ohio.

***

Some good news?

The Senate Parliamentarian managed to take a hatchet to the Big Shitty Bill. Apparently you can't just add everything you like to a reconciliation bill which is meant to balance the government's budget. It's basically an accounting bill - that gets quickly passed because it's needed to balance a budget. They tried to add a bunch of stuff that had zip to do with that to the bill, which is in violation of the Senate's rules.

Parliamentarian removes medicaid cuts from Reconciliation Big Beautiful Bill

Violations Continue to Mount on Big Beautiful Bill

As one commentator aptly put it - adding the things the Republicans did to the Bill would be akin to balancing your household budget and adding a fancy new car for yourself.

For those who have raised valid concern following the Parliamentarian rulings knocking out some of the worst aspects of the GOP’s budget bill, Thune has reiterated no overruling.

***

R.I.P Bill Moyers

"Legendary journalist Bill Moyers has died at age 91. Moyers was the former White House press secretary under President Lyndon B. Johnson, and leaves behind a distinguished legacy in American journalism. Over five decades, he became known for his in-depth interviews and thoughtful documentaries on programs such as Bill Moyers Journal and Now with Bill Moyers. A champion of public broadcasting, Moyers received more than 30 Emmy Awards, nine Peabody Awards, and the National Humanities Medal for his contributions to civic discourse. Rest in peace, Bill."

The heat (it was 101 degrees today, and tonight has not dipped past 95 degrees with a high barometric pressure, and moderate air quality) - resulted in a sick nauseous headache by the time I got home, which is still lurking in the background. I felt dizzy, wiped out and off. Most likely the hangers on from my bout with COVID last week.

So instead of walking the fifteen to twenty blocks to the voting place, which is about a twenty minute walk in the heat, not helped by my sciatic nerve, I copped out. I feel really bad about it. But it is what it is. It's not like I have anyone I really want to vote for anyhow. I really did not like any of the people running. I'd landed on one, but I wasn't happy with the choice. I'll vote in the actual election - possibly by mail. This has taught me to try mail in voting from now on.

Heat and menopausal bodies are not mixy things. I also think my blood pressure was a bit off. I took the additional meds, it's seems to have leveled off a little now.

21. What is your favourite salad dressing?

Right now, it's usually lemon juice. I rarely use it. But if I do use it - I live olive oil and vingear, or Cesar Salad Dressing (with anchovies flavoring it).

22. Have you owned an aquarium or had a pond in your garden/backyard?

Don't have a backyard. So no on the pond. Parents had a lagoon for a bit.
And brother has a pond in his backyard, but not sure that counts? I owned an aquarium when I was a child - but not since then, too high maintenance.

23. Where is your favourite holiday destination – have you been more than once?


Don't really have one? I grew up with the view that you go somewhere different every year. I go to Hilton Head Island, South Carolina (it's a nice island off the coast of South Carolina and Georgia, that has sandy beaches, and is large enough to have a town, etc. It's not a small island.) But I only go to visit my mother, previously my parents, whom I'm exceedingly close to.

24. In 1911 French couturier Paul Poiret held his infamous 'The 1002nd Night' costume ball to launch his “Parfums de Rosine", the first signature scent linked to a design house. Have you a favourite scent?

I am allergic to most perfumes, unfortunately. They give me headaches. But I do like Lavender - doesn't bother me. (Note - most people with scent allergies or who are sensitive to perfume, have no problems with lavender for some reason or other). I also like lemon or citrus, euclyaptus, and pine.

Cinnamon now makes me sneeze. And Vanilla can make me queasy at times, weirdly.

I adore the scent of coffee.

***

More on what comforts me?

Songs or musicians that I find comforting?

* Joni Mitchell, Sarah McLachlan, The Magnetic Stripes, Sand Sheff, Bruce Springsteen, The Beatles, Sondheim's Into the Woods, The Stones, David Bowie, Janis Ian, Suzanne Vega, Joan Jett and the Runaways/ also that other band - basically anything with Joan Jett, Brenda Carlyle, the Indigo Girls,
and Pink Floyd

Mostly Folk and Classic Rock, also classical music - anything by Yo Yo Ma, or John Williams movie themes. I have a fondness for Gershwin and Jazz. Jazz reminds me of my Dad, who adored it, that and Frank Sinatra.

**

Smartbitches tempted me to buy another couple of books on Kindle, both were a $1.99. Went to get the first one, Hench, only to discover I'd already purchased it a year ago and forgotten about it. At least Amazon will inform me, other places aren't as considerate.

***

A picture of the fountain outside my workplace. It's finally working. No, no one was climbing into it. They can't without hurting the flowers. It's not a swimming fountain.




People were threatening to open up fire hydrants today - which is illegal. The city parks and the city has fountains folks can play in.