Schools are going to be a big issue in the mid-term election. Families that felt the most pain during the pandemic are still mad.
The local running club aimed at old people like me has unexpectedly become a haven for young people in their 20s who have no other social outlets and are very lightly on the autistic spectrum. This oddball group of seniors (some are 70-year old marathoners) are beyond kind.
I have grown almost numb to the statistics showing how badly we treated children during the pandemic. The latest report from UNICEF.
I’m a huge fan of high school programs that help non-college bound students find careers. I think we’re going to start to see more high schools begin to diversify their offerings, which is awesome.
Watching: The Boys, She-Hulk, The Dragon Show (can’t remember its real name)
Shopping: I need a long 80’s style blazer and something green.
Cooking: A friend of mine served some amazing Duck Sauce Chicken at a BBQ recently. She covered chicken thighs with Chinese Duck Sauce, which she bought by the gallon in the Jewish section of the supermarket. Bake thighs at 350 on a sheet pan covered with the sauce and covered by aluminum foil. 1 hour in the oven. Finished over the BBQ to get nice grill marks.
Pictures: I’ve been playing around with Instagram Stories and posting lots of images of everyday life that disappear after 24 hours.
Apt. 11d 
“The local running club aimed at old people like me has unexpectedly become a haven for young people in their 20s who have no other social outlets and are very lightly on the autistic spectrum.”
There are so many fictional stories (the kind I love) that start this way; A Man Called Ove, Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, and lighter ones, that have people finding community against their plan or will.
Hope your real life example works that way. Though that might be as unrealistic as the plot of a Hallmark christmas movie: https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/guidelines-for-female-protagonists-in-hallmark-christmas-movies
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I would like something green, but do not want to wear an 80s style blazer again. I did try some on this summer, though and the ones I tried on had been slimmed down at the shoulders , with less padding.. Even that thick wool one seems slimmer at the shoulders.
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I have a student who wants to write her Honors thesis on The Boys. I watched the first episode or 2 but … dark. I love She-Hulk but my crazy Marvel-loving sister hate-watches it. ” I loathe the dating and the lack of superheroing,” she said.
We watched the 3 available episodes of Reboot (on Hulu) and loved it. My husband actually laughed, which he hasn’t done since 30 Rock was still on (wait, he does also laugh at Girls 5Eva). I am finding Paul Reiser and Rachel Bloom to be that perfect mix of comedy gold and drama gold. Basically, what Keegan Michael Key’s character wishes he could be (KMK is likeable but not the greatest actor) (but now I want to rewatch S1 of Fargo, which he and Jordan Peele were on).
I just can’t bring myself to watch House of the Dragon. If I wanted to see evil Matt Smith, I’d rewatch the first 2 seasons of The Crown.
Btw, I read the latest Mia Vincy historical novel last night. She is really good, and I loved this one, but then I’ve loved all of her books (4 total).
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I watched the first season of Wheel of Time. I liked it, but at least partly because it was within my “dark” limit. I absolutely detest torture scenes, for example. But this one didn’t scatter them in at every opportunity (at least in this season). I consider the lazy writing. I like my people to be generally good and except those who are actually evil, these characters were. The weirdness about women (treating them like they were entirely un-understandable) was mitigated in the show compared to the book.
I like Brandon Sanderson’s writing and I think he has been a good influence.
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Our high school senior made cinnamon rolls with apple bits. It took much of the day, but they’re really good.
Our car is in the shop (still).
I got another letter from Sasha Skochilenko yesterday. She’s the Russian artist who has been rotting in jail in St. Petersburg since the spring because she switched store price tags to anti-war messages. I was working on a reply to her today and managed to send it out. I’ve had concerns that the new Russian mobilization would cause problems with mail delivery, but so far so good. (I submit letters via an electronic portal and get scanned answers back via email-volunteers in Russia facilitate this.)
The fabulously funded and extremely numerous Russian riot police are scooping up just about everybody that ventures to protest. The one woman I saw this week that wasn’t arrested (I think) was in a wheel chair, had prosthetic legs, and had a sign that said, “Do you want to be like me?” in Russian. A number of people have gotten draft notices upon arrest for protesting. My understanding is that participation in any group protest is potentially a criminal offense. (That’s why there were so many one-woman protests earlier this year–a one-person protest carries lighter legal penalties.)
On the one hand, the Russian authorities are managing to clean up protests really efficiently, on the other hand, there’s some persistent chatter that they are actually planning on mobilizing 1 million people, not just the 300,000 that they’ve announced. I have no idea how they hare going to feed, clothe and arm even just the 300,000. The mobilization has been a shambles.
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I’m watching Blown Away on Netflix, and we’re watching She-Hulk as a family. We’ll probably watch Andor next. I am getting deep into rewriting draft one of book one of my own fantasy epic so can’t decide if I should or should not watch any of the current stuff. Also my brain still gets tired out from Covid – if anyone wants anecdotes I’ve got a bunch now. Sigh.
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My college student finds Galadriel from Rings of Power really, really annoying.
We love the visual style, though.
(I’m not watching, I just wander through every so often while other people are watching.)
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Russia is starting to block the exit of draft age men and people expect a full ban to go into effect in the next couple of days. There’s been a lot of trouble getting out of the country, as there are so few air routes, plane tickets sold out, land routes into Europe have been closing, and there are huge lines to drive to Georgia and other accessible countries. The distances involved are also enormous. My friends’ friends in the Russian Far East are trying to leave for Uzbekistan and Mongolia, but it may be too late already. The Russian Federation is already introducing internal travel restrictions for draft-age men.
https://kyivindependent.com/news-feed/meduza-russia-to-ban-men-of-conscription-age-to-leave-country-on-sept-28
If I had the opportunity, there are many choice words I have for the authorities in certain European countries that are banning Russian “tourism” and don’t want to reverse course, even in the face of mass mobilization. A lot of innocent people are going to die unnecessarily because of their choices. And the mobilization was totally foreseeable–people have been discussing the possibility of mobilization for half a year now.
The Russian authorities claim that they are mobilizing 300,000 men, but a lot of observers believe that there are going to be several waves of 300,000 each. Early data suggests that the first mobilized Russians may be showing up in Ukraine already with virtually nonexistent training and equipment.
Also, nobody seems to want to talk about this, but a lot of Ukrainians deported to Russia after the invasion may no longer have Ukrainian papers and may be travelling on Russian documents.
At least online, you see a lot of punitive comments about what have Russians been doing for the past 20 years…which is pretty weird if we’re talking about punishing an 18-year-old Russian who hasn’t ever been eligible to vote in a presidential election. And that’s to say nothing about the question of when the last free and fair Russian presidential election was…
Sorry, I have a lot of feelings about this stuff.
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