Horses are good company -- The Witcher

I visited family for a week and the weather was about as nice as can be imagined. Vivid blue skies, trees just starting to turn, bright sun, cool air. We went to an orchard a couple of times, got apples, squash, late-season watermelon.

I pick up DVDs from the thrift store and my dad and I watch them in the evening.

Roxanne - a Cyrano re-telling starring Steve Martin and Darryl Hannah. A nice cast, some funny moments, but mostly just boring. And honestly there are some dodgy consent issues and relationship dynamics going on in the Cyrano story that do not make me want to root for this couple.

Across the Universe - a musical revue of Beatles tunes propping up a thin plot and thin characters. This probably works well on stage but it was not great as a movie. I did appreciate that Prudence ("Dear Prudence") is a lesbian in this version.

Apollo 13 - I really enjoy this film though it no longer feels tense to me the way it did the first couple of times. There are some unfortunate positive references to Christopher Columbus as a great explorer. Otherwise I think it holds up.

Ray - biopic of Ray Charles, starring Jamie Foxx. I enjoyed this and learned things. I imagine it's hugely challenging to come up from poverty and having your only close family die young, and then being successful in your career and being transported into vast wealth and fame.
The story emphasized drama and angst in a way that felt false at times, for example, what average viewer cares about the drama of switching recording labels? What do I care if his mistress is this woman or that woman? I wish it had focused more on the music. Elton John's biopic, Rocket Man, had some similar themes but had better musical elements and was more fun to watch.

The weather here feels like late May or early June, except there's no leaves on the trees, and no bugs. We've had a couple of days in the 70s F and it's also fairly warm at night. I moved a couple of my plants outside today; they'll probably have to come back in but I love putting them out on the stoop to enjoy the sun and the air.

Yesterday I had a lovely lunch in Jesse's back yard with a couple of friends. (We are all either fully or half-vaccinated. I'm pretty amazed that the vaccine was developed and available so quickly.)

I broke my glasses in the morning, so yesterday was a bit of an adventure, trying to find things to do that did not involve being able to see well. I slept a lot and listened to some podfic.

Today I woke up early and took a cab into the clinic to get my glasses fixed. This only took about 5 minutes, but I asked about getting an eye exam, and they had an opening in an hour. The receptionist suggested hanging out at McDonald's across the street, which is not my jam, but it gave me the idea of walking down to Indie Coffee, where I ordered a waffle and sat out back on their patio.

Got my eye exam with an extremely young doctor, then cabbed it home. Got a bit of a headache.

Tonight was the first night I sat outside on the stoop for supper. Hopefully there will be many more such days.

Watched: Canine Intervention, eps 1 and 2, on Netflix. This was fine but I don't know that I will continue with it.

I had a nice week at the farm and I'm back home at the apartment with my roommate. I listened to Hamilton in the car, which I haven't listened to in a while, and I forgot that I usually skip the 2nd part due to how sad it is.

It seems like it finally might warm up here, knock on wood.

TV shows:

I really hit my limit with regard to torture and graphic violence in SF/F tv shows and movies. Everything I've watched lately has featured torture in some way: Birds of Prey, Star Trek Picard, Wynonna Earp, Killjoys, Dark Matter, 12 Monkeys tv show, and probably some I'm forgetting. In Wynonna Earp and Dark Matter in particular, the protagonists are shown to be torturing people. So, I'm taking a break from these kinds of shows.

Part of my enjoyment of 911 Lone Star (wow I almost typed Reno 911 which is a different show entirely), was that it's about rescue and medicine. Even when unrealistically portrayed, this kind of plot has a more hopeful feel than violent media does. The plots are still dramatic and adventurous, but they are trying to save and heal people. So perhaps I'll try some medical dramas.

When at the farm, we watch a lot more live tv, and I enjoyed the singing shows such as "the Voice".

I am congested and breathing badly, which is tough, but on the other hand, my ear isn't hurting any more. My hands and feet have felt better than they have in a while, and I'm tying faster and more accurately. Cross fingers, I haven't had a migraine in a while.

Big snowstorm here today, and it finally feels like winter. Snow absorbs sound and makes the whole world seem hushed and peaceful. It sparkles and reflects the street lights diffusely, so the night is brighter, and that matters, because it's usually night, in January in the North. Abbie seems to find the snow fascinating.

To help make myself rest during this spell of bad breathing, I've been trying out some shows. I want to use my Amazon free trial but there honestly isn't a lot on there that is very interesting.

I watched "Going Postal," based on Terry Pratchett. This was a cute idea: a con man gets his life spared in return for starting up the defunct, possibly cursed, post office. The villain of the piece runs the "Clacks", which is like a telegraph service that uses lights; the boss of the clacks wants it to be the only message service available. At about 3 hours, this was too long for what amounted to a fairly simple story. It was mostly about white men. I did enjoy the sets, costumes, and humor. I was not particularly interested in the romance.

I bounced off of "Fleabag," a show that gotten a lot of awards. The title character is a young woman who has recently lost her best friend and business partner. She's making bad decisions in her grief, including sleeping with a bunch of different men. The first two episodes are a lot about these men she's sleeping with, which, yawn. The humor relies on awkardness. I was not in the right mood for this show.

Another award-winner, the Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, is more enjoyable to me. Midge Maisel is a 1950s house wife and mother in New York. She's fairly well-off and seems to have a pretty good life, but then her husband leaves her. On a whim she tries stand-up comedy (something her husband wanted to do), and has a natural talent for it. I enjoy Midge herself, but I especially like her manager, a butch woman named Susie. We also get to see Midge's relationship with her parents, and a variety of friends. She wears fabulous clothes, and the music is fun, and their fancy apartment is fun to look at. My main criticism is that there is too much narrative time spent showing us Joel, the no-good husband. I love how stand-up comedy is, for Midge, a chance to tell the honest truth, and to be her full self.

Friends that abbie and i saw at the dog park today:

Jazz (old english sheep doge) and her guy Steve;
Other Jazz, aka Jasper, a GSP (german shorthaired pointer), and his person who I think is Bob;
Monster, a big mutt, and her person Scott;
Simon, a Small White Dog (SWD), and his person whose name I have forgotten.

Abbie had a great time.

It's cold here, quite wintry, but no snow to speak of.

Today is pleasantly cool, a bit of chill in the air which feels really nice, especially when I'm out walking. I saw and heard several Sandhill cranes today. They are so magical. Abbie is sleeping on the couch and my roommate and i are both on our laptops, being quietly companionable.

I took in all my houseplants as there is a frost advisory tonight. I went through and counted 20 pots. We have a small place so I'm going to try and give some of the spider plants away.

I'm feeling very congested, but otherwise pretty good. Fall is a nice time of year.

Doing my therapy homework which is: dog park, writing in my journal, and eating regular meals.

1. What are your feelings about snow?

I love the way it diffuses the light, so it's so soft and mellow inside the house when it's snowing outside. I love the way dogs run and play in snow at the park. I love how it sparkles in bright sunlight. I love how peaceful the world feels when there's a gentle snow.

2. What is the one thing you really dislike that is associated with snow

Ice that increases all our chances of falling down.

3 What is the one thing you really like that is associated with snow

Warm winter coats.

4. Do you anticipate or dread bad weather reports?

Usually I don't have to travel anywhere these days, and I have a snuggly warm house, so I can simply enjoy the drama of storms. I dislike ice storms though.

5. Are you dreaming of a White Christmas?

Christmas is not so important to me as it used to be, but that would be nice.

I read an article about mosquito research a month or so ago. The author used a phrase that really stuck with me: "Like many people, I feel uniquely persectued by mosquitoes," was how I remembered it.

I looked up the article and it's acutally:
"I don’t have a phobia, exactly, but like a lot of people I feel uniquely hunted by mosquitoes. "

http://www.thedailybeast.com/mosquitoes-love-some-people-more-and-science-wants-to-know-why

I thought, that's it. That's it exactly! It feels personal. Rather than just being creatures that exist in the world, they are out to get me. And me especially, somehow-- an illogical and demonstrably false belief.

This summer and last summer I've been chased inside by these beasts. I haven't gardened nearly as much, nor sat outside reading. They get into the house and my car. We kill them and a surprising amount of blood results, leaving small gory streaks on the apartment walls.

I fancy myself a nature lover. But lately I've been more about spending time indoors. Autumn will be welcome.

Possibly overdid it today.

Started my new shift at Humane society, which will be Tuesday 1-3, sorting donations. Really liked the woman doing orientation, and enjoyed the shift. She explained things well and was friendly. She told me a little about her former job (before she retired) which was doing labor audits, investigating things like overtime and child labor violations.

I went to the vet to pick up more Apoquel for Abbie (this helps her allergies).
Next I stopped at the post office and waited in line about 20 minutes to mail a couple of things.

I forgot about swimming until I got home, and decided I would lay down for a few minutes before hand. Well, I fell right asleep and slept right through swim class. I'd set an alarm but turned it off. Abbie woke me up to go out a while later, at which point I watched a little TV and changed into my PJs.

Even after being sick for years, it's very difficult to gauge my energy. I'm hoping by writing down my activities I'll get a better idea.

It is very cold today; I'm grateful for central heating and indoor plumbing and warm wool clothes. I think about our ancestors surviving this weather (and worse) and I think about homeless people.

currently blooming:

Pink campanula (volunteer perennial)
Peace Lilly (house plant)
African violet (house plant)
Orange day lillies

Lettuce is growing in the vegetable garden

:)