Ha Ha, and Here's a Gnome

Somehow I never did get around to putting up some of the funny things I took pictures of in my Key West trip, back in July, even though I was taking pictures with the blog in mind. Here we go!

This one is specifically for Nicole:

The same store had a lot of funny napkins, coasters, that kind of thing.

I was in two meetings last week, and I wanted them to be this kind of meeting:

So, so true:

Kind of funny, kind of not, but it did make me laugh:

This is my mother, not me:

This t-shirt was a good one for my trip:

I can imagine!

Did I post the two bar signs already? I think I did, but they fit here, too:

Speaking as someone who barely drinks, this is so, so true! And it isn't just trying to be heard in a loud bar, either.

Seen anything funny around lately?

On Reading: What I Want, What I Don't

I've written recently about how all I want to do these days is read, very Escapism 101, and that holds true still. And I had an amen-sister moment when I read this in author Rachael Herron's email newsletter, part of a conversation with her sister:

I was recently looking at some book recommendations, and couldn't nope-out fast enough when one said, "I found this book exceptionally difficult to read—it's depressing and dark and triggers abound—yet I was eager to find out what would happen next to these doomed families..." No thank you, not me!

I did read a book recently, a fantasy, that was pretty good, an interesting premise and well written, but it ended on an absolute fucking cliffhanger, like "captured by the enemy, pause here and pick up the sequel, whoops it doesn't come out until next March," and I was pissed.  

I hadn't actually realized it was the first in a series, which is my bad, but that in itself isn't the problem. Look, I don't need every thread of the story to be completely resolved in that situation. But I need something!

Let's compare. I've been enjoying a lighter fantasy series, The Lost Arts, by Ellie Ash, which currently stands at two books (of a planned four), plus a prequel novella and a side-characters novella. 

Not everything has been resolved so far, and there are a bunch of questions I am waiting for answers on! I am very curious why one character reacted the way he did in that situation, why that other character is so mad at the main character, what exactly happened to cause the attack six years ago, how is it possible that someone who died in that attack is maybe not so dead after all...I have questions! So many questions.

But these stories are more happy than harrowing, and each story has stopped at a good place. At least something has resolved in each one. 

I don't want to name-and-shame the cliffhanger one*, because it was not a bad book. It just wasn't what I want these days. What about you?
*If you really want to know, I can email you.

Listening to: California Girl

(No, not California Girls, no David Lee Roth here.) 

A couple of weeks ago, I randomly heard a song I really liked, and it happened again this week. Who am I, buying music this year?

This is another song that isn't new (it's from 2020), but is new to me: California Girl, by Cayucas (another group I had never heard of).

I heard it Monday night; listened to it on YouTube a few times on Tuesday, then bought the single; and then last night, reading on the couch, I realized this was humming through the back of my mind:

California girl (California girl)
Summer in her eyes (Summer in her eyes)
From the Golden Coast (From the Golden Coast)
I saw her passing by (There she goes)

It is just STUCK in my head, but in a good way. I wonder why this keeps happening recently?

Things I Have Learned: Ow Edition; And, a Good Laugh

On Sunday, while going through a door to do a condo check that I've done a hundred times, I managed to somehow slip or something, I don't even know what, and absolutely slammed my knee into the door frame. This has taught me a few small things:

1. My automatic, no-thought-required curse in that situation is "motherfucker"
2. I can be quite loud when I'm surprised by pain (good thing there aren't a lot of people around at this time of year)
3. I lean on my left knee when getting into bed. Who knew? (Do that a couple of times and you do start changing your motions.)

I didn't say they were big things, but they are things I learned! The good news is that other than the bruise, it doesn't hurt. Believe me, in that first minute, I thought I might be crippled for life, so ... this is better.

~~~~~

Meanwhile, speaking of no-thought-required reactions, I've probably mentioned how I can't see one of those ridiculous cyber-silly "trucks" (you know what I mean!) without bursting out laughing. Any and all of them. What's funnier, the basic ones that look like a dumpster, the ones in other colors (I saw baby blue!), or the ones with a business "wrap" on it...

Well, the other day I saw one in the grocery store parking lot, and when I got out of my car, the driver was there, so I had to stifle the usual laughter. But I glimpsed him putting his groceries in the smallest wee trunk ever, like one row of grocery bags was barely fitting, and really had to bite my lip.

I looked it up when I got home, and it turns out that was actually the front of the vehicle--that's how hard I was trying not to laugh, I didn't even realize. But according to the internet, it has a "front trunk" space that can be used for storage. It looks like this:

And don't worry, according to Forbes, it has been updated so it no longer cuts off things that are on the edge when the thing is closed...

Anyway! Possibly the best part is that it's called a "frunk"---for front trunk.

And! I mentioned this on Facebook and a friend in England pointed out that over there, they would have to call it a "froot"---front boot.

I'm just over here giggling.

Pretty Simple, Really

I saw this thought online today:

I mean, that's apples to apples, right? What's the argument against?

MAKA

You know how sometimes you remember something and think, how could I have forgotten about that? I had that moment yesterday, when something reminded me of the existence of the browser extension Make America Kittens Again. 

This was a thing from before his first term, which those of us who were sick of seeing you-know-who's face could install so that random cat photos replaced the pictures of him. (FAQs here.) 

It isn't 100% successful at catching them, but when it does, you get delightful things like this photo, which doesn't match the headline in the best possible way.

You can get it through links on that page, or you can search on Make America Kittens Again and the name of your browser of choice. 

It's a bandage on the problem...but it's better than nothing.

The Yarn Is Resettled

Many years ago, I was talking to a knitter I didn't know well. She had been laid off and was really struggling to find a new job, she said, but the good part was that thanks to her extensive yarn stash, she could still knit with fabulous yarn, even when she couldn't afford to buy it.

This struck me hard, and changed my thinking abut yarn buying. No, I would tell friends in the yarn store, I don't need more yarn. But this is retirement planning. Someday I will not be able to afford good yarn, and my stash will be there for me.

This may help to explain why I have alllllll this yarn, so much that I needed more storage for the fingering-weight yarn (yes, the yarn I'm talking about is the majority of my yarn, but not all of it, oh no).

So, this is before I re-sorted to use the new cabinet. We have the cabinet full of rainbow, blues and greens, and blue/greens:

Part of this Ikea cube (multis, groupings):

Smaller white case (black/white/grey, brown into yellow into orange into red into pink into purple):

And this wee shelf with some random recent* purchases:

*As in, within the last year, maybe

And as a reminder, here's what had to fit in:

So! Challenge accepted! Here's how it looks now, with the Ikea cube space being as it was before.

The cabinet now has blues and greens, with room to breathe:

The wee shelf has blue/greens, as well as some sets and recents (I'm considering keeping assigned pooling yarns in one place, so I don't lose track of which ones are meant for that).

The new cabinet has the black/white/grey and the brown/yellow/orange/red/pink/purple:

The little white one has rainbows, and a few other things, with room to grow:

Ahhhh. That's better!

Getting Ready to Move Some Yarn (Around)

I have a lot of yarn.

A lot.

More than some people, less than others, but I'm not going to argue that it's a lot. I may even have crossed the line into SABLE (stash acquisition beyond life expectancy).

I have a lot, but it makes me happy, I haven't gone into debt for it, and I'm perfectly happy with the situation. However, storing it is a bit of a thing.

I am fortunate that my mother shares my feeling that yarn is decorative as well as useful, and doesn't mind it being in our shared spaces, because if I had to fit it all into my office and bedroom, there wouldn't be room for much else. Even with the storage options I have, though, this year I have come to need more.

In large part, this is because someone I know was getting rid of most of her yarn, and offered it to me. I brought home one car-load in December, and another in March.

And I do mean car-loads:

Both times, this resulted in a ton of sorting, deciding what I wanted to keep, pulling out what I was sending to knitting friends up north, and then having local friends come to "shop the stash" before giving what was left to a local woman who has a knit-for-charity group.

Considering how much yarn there was, I didn't keep a large percentage for myself. But even a small percentage of a large amount is not small, and I have this bin:

It's big, and deep.

So I have this much yarn to fit into my already full yarn stash.

Which means I have been pondering storage ideas, and popping onto Facebook Marketplace now and again to see what might be around. And the other day, I found someone giving away an old TV cabinet.

I picked it up on Saturday and brought it home.

Here it is next to my fabulous find from last year; it's not as pretty, but also, did I mention, this one was free?

The top is a little worn, so I put some pretty tea towels a friend gave me over it. Why not?

I didn't start moving yarn yesterday, much as I wanted to: after picking this up, I went to give blood, and while I didn't feel bad, I was kind of low-energy the rest of the day, so just getting the cabinet in was as much as I managed. Today, though, looks hopeful! 

I will get before-and after shots, but in the meantime, here is an interesting sign they had up in the bloodmobile:

I'm B+, and I didn't realize that was so uncommon!

Meanwhile, instead of the little gift card or coupon they usually give, this time, the thank-you gift was a beach towel:

Subtle!

Photos around dinner (time)

Mom and I had dinner out last night, at a restaurant with tables outside, and while it was a hot night for sitting outside (temps are still in the 90s down here, with the feels-like temps over 100), there was a lot to watch.

For instance, after dozens of mostly small black birds flew around in a giant swirl, a bunch of them settled on one wire, but they gave a lot of space to the larger bird in the middle:

Shortly thereafter, I spotted a rainbow!

The radar claimed the storm was right over us, but it wasn't even drizzling.

Next, a little lizard came around:

Lookit the little splayed back legs!

Super cute. Maaayyyybe two inches long.

We went to the grocery store after, and two miles away, suddenly it was pouring rain, so it really was a very localized storm.

And hey, as long as I'm here, how about sunset sky from the night before:

Pretty!

Listening to: These Are My Friends

Since I wrote, back in March and April, about listening to the new Imagine Dragons album, that's been probably 80% of the music I've listened to. At first, I was just listening to three of the songs (Take Me to the Beach, Nice to Meet You, and Eyes Closed), but I added another three and then the last three, and they've been on repeat all summer.

Then on Monday, I heard a song that isn't new (it's from 2018), but is new to me, and it has really stuck in my head ever since. I don't remember hearing of lovelytheband before, but These Are My Friends is on repeat in my head. In a good way! 

If, like me, you thought oh, sweet, it's about being friends...well, look at the lyrics, it seems to be about the voices in his head. But hey, I love the beat!

Thought for the Day

"Stop measuring your joy with someone else's ruler."
~Gaye Glasspie, aka ggmadeit

A Simple But Satisfying Solution

I mentioned recently that my allergies have really been bothering me, and one thing that means is that I go through tissues at an alarming rate. I have boxes of them everywhere, and for the one by the couch, when the box is new, it can be a two-handed operation to get the first few out without ripping. Then at the end, the last few also fight, and with the box being lighter then, it pops up and is annoying.

I decided to try a box cover, in the hopes that it would hold the box in place more, and of course I wanted it to be fun, as long as I'm doing it, so I went to etsy. And what did I find? This:

Fun, right? The shop is called the Gilded Cottage, and they have a lot of lovely covers, as well as funny ones like this (there's a dog version, too). 

I'm happy to report that the weight of the box does exactly what I wanted it to, and the cover makes me laugh every time it catches my eye. Win-win!

More Drugstore Thoughts

After hearing from others who don't have CVS stores, it got me thinking about that: one tends to assume similarity of experiences, don't you think? For instance, as someone whose parents traveled a great deal, I was stunned to get to college and meet someone who had never been on a plane. Never? In your whole life? I grant you, we were all in our late teens or early 20s, but you know, if you've live in Guyana and Brazil as a small child, you assume that everyone has traveled. Or at least I assumed.

To this day, even though I know this is true, I have to remind myself of this, that my experiences, even generalized, are not everyone's. There are CVS stores in south Florida, and they're all over Massachusetts, and there were plenty in Charlotte NC when I lived there (1994-2001), but they aren't in plenty of places. 

Though in Charlotte, it was Eckerd's* that were everywhere: a friend and I used to joke that you could never give directions that included "turn right at the Eckerd on the corner" because that didn't narrow things down much.
*Ironically, I just learned that CVS bought out Eckerd in 2004, so Charlotte must look much more CVS-heavy than it used to.

Incidentally, the Wikipedia article on CVS mentions receipt length as a thing.

Even More So: Read

I raise my head from a book and look at the world.

The world looks back at me, and I say "nope" and move on to the next book.

A Little CVS Tale

I stopped in at CVS today, and it was funny enough to make it onto the blog.

CVS, for those who may not know, is a ubiquitous drugstore chain in the US--they're pretty much everywhere, so they're convenient, though their prices can be on the high side. The other thing they're known for is their ridiculously long receipts, which print and print and print with various coupons and offers. My joke is that someone's brother-in-law is their paper supplier, because seriously, so much paper.

I belong to their rewards program, and so CVS sends frequent emails with general offers and specific ones. Periodically, they send one for $4 off a purchase, and it can be $4 or even less, it isn't like $4 off a purchase of $20 or more, nothing like that. I know that from a marketing perspective, they're trying to get me into the store in hopes that I will buy more, but honestly sometimes I'll just stop by if I'm passing a store and get a cold drink or some gum. Hey, free, why not?

They sent that offer this week, and I had just realized I was low on Kleenex packs, which is not something I want to run out of (my allergies have been super annoying lately, if by 'lately' you understand I mean that I don't remember when they weren't super annoying). Might as well stop in and get some of those for free, right?

It turned out that they were on sale this week, two for $4, which was just made for this offer, don't you think? So I got these for free:

And in case you think I'm exaggerating about the receipt, it measured 29 and 5/8 inches (about 76 centimeters):

And the very first coupon on it?

I may have to go buy more tissues. Why not, for free? It's not like the store is out of my way.

Marketing fail, but thrifty win, I think! 

Update: Sunday morning, I got this in an email:

Another one!