stonepicnicking_okapi

1. I got a gold star for Momm-ing because I took the boys to the petting farm AND the pool today.

2. Seokjin of BTS is going to be a torchbearer in the Olympcs! So proud of him.

3. Yesterday was a beautiful day, temperature wise but it is going to get warmer every day for a while.

4. I have worked out a deal with Minor where he makes some meals and I pay him secretly. It will free me up from a task I hate and give him a bit of pocket money (his dad put an end to allowances in January).

5. Politically speaking, I wish I didn't have to choose between a presidential candidate actively trying to kill him and a candidate passively trying to kill me.

Nothing terribly exciting going on, to be honest.

Questions

26 JUNE: Canoe Day: When’s the last time you were in a canoe?

I cannot remember. Probably about 20 years ago.

27 JUNE: Onion Day: Onions. Yay or nay?

Yay. I like the flavor. I like them fried--either diced in something (like eggs) or onion rings.

28 JUNE: International Lightning Safety Day: Have you ever seen something struck by lightning?

Yes, a friend of my grandparents. The buttons on his shirt left scars on his chest.

29 JUNE: World Camera Day: Do you own a camera (besides your phone)?

No. We got rid of it during the last Marie Kondo purge.

30 JUNE: Social Media Day: What are the best and worst parts of social media?

Funny posts are the best part. The worst part is that I think it encourages a bit more navel-gazing than is healthy.

1 JULY: Second Half of the Year Day: How has the first half of 2024 been for you?

Okay. Could've been worse, could've been better. Minor's grades went down, but he tried track and likes it. Minisculus finished two rounds of swimming lessons but I got a call from the principal saying his friends chased and threatened a girl who kicked him on the bus (that's my kid the Godfather of 3rd grade). The boys' father got a promotion. We bought 2 desks. I got into a fender bender but the leak in the car finally got fixed. I ran a 5k and signed up for a 10k. I've lost and gained the same 10 lbs over and over again. Minisculus fell off a scooter and bloodied his mouth but didn't lose any teeth.

2 JULY: World UFO Day: Do you believe in UFOs?

No, only in theory and in fiction.

3 JULY: International Plastic Bag Free Day: How often do you use cloth or non-plastic bags?

Our county instituted a fee per bag in shops so I try to use more but we use them as bin liners so I sometimes pay anyway.

1. I'm feeling singularly unmotivated to do anything but the minimal.

2. I bought 3 sports bras. I would rate one a 6/10 and unfortunately that it the one with the zipper. The other one is a 10/10 but I have to wiggle like a goat being digested by a boa constrictor to get my fat torso into it. And the third (in the clearance rack--HOT PINK!), I haven't tried out yet.

3. Minsiculus played a card game at school called Exploding Kittens and I got him a deck and we've been playing it as a family every night. It like a complicated UNO but we are enjoying it so far.

4. I ordered a desk for the computer my friend gave me and Minor and his father put it together. So now the boys have their own workstation.

5. Yesterday, we went to the library. I found a book (2 copies of it) to do a Mom's Summer Reading Club with Minisculus. It's called Montgomery and the Case of the Golden Key by Tracy Occomy Crowder. I have reserved 2 books that might do for a Summer Reading Club with Minor but it's more difficult as almost none of the fiction books on the Middle School List were things I thought I could withstand. I think I might go for something on the non fiction list. It's easier to find common ground. I REALLY don't like coming of age.

6. Yesterday I also got them McDonalds. V from BTS has a sweet way of saying 'Oreo McFlurry' and I always want to get one, but I don't because it might set a precedent with getting shakes for the kids. But I was very tempted. Oreo McFlurry.

7. Now, of course, I've got Intoabar. I am going to let Sherlock Holmes tackle why Miss Marple's nephew's wife/fiancee is sometimes called Joyce and sometimes called Joan. Could it be...murder? [Yes, it's always murder. Don't ask what I've done with Joyce of Midsommer Murders].

8. I found some regualr 5 hour energy at CVS for a crazy price, but I got some. I still think there's something fishy in the 5 hour energy department.

9. Two different neighbors are moving this weekend. It's sad. The rent is VERY HIGH and now we have to pay for water and sewer too and the amenities are none (the pool is under renovations). I get it. Two more years and Minisculus will be in middle school and I think we should look for a cheaper place. The boys' father wants to leave yesterday but the school is very good.

12 JUNE: Mechanics Day: Do you trust your auto mechanic?

No. I think they charge way too much. And sometimes they don't fix things. But I don't know of a better one so it's a case of the devil you know.

13 JUNE: Roller Coaster Day: Do you (or did you ever) enjoy riding roller coasters?

Not really. I don't mind if you're strapped in very tightly but I do like swings (and variation on swings) but the older I get the more scaredy cat I get.

14 JUNE: International Bath Day: Do you like baths?

I used to. But baths remind me of how fat I am. And I'd have to clean the boys' tub (our bathroom just has a shower stall) to use it and that's too much work. When I was last in a hotel I tried it (because I used to love it) and really I couldn't block out the shame of the fatness enough to relax and enjoy it. So, no. In theory, it sounds nice.

15 JUNE: Prune Day: Prunes. Yay or nay?

Yay. I got some recently and I feel better eat a few daily. I guess that means I'm old.

16 JUNE: World Sea Turtle Day: What’s your favorite ocean creature?

They are all nice but crabs are funny and jellyfish are pretty and manta rays are so elegant.

17 JUNE: World Crocodile Day: Have you ever seen a dangerous animal in the wild?

In Rwanda, a baboon jumped on my breakfast table and stole the jam.

18 JUNE: Wanna Get Away Day: Do you wanna get away?

PLEASE!

edited to add: this is the oreo mcflurry gif:

1. Nice things I've seen at the lake: turtles sunning themselves, baby geese, a purple butterfly. I am starting my 10k training. It's getting hotter so I have to go as early as I can.

2. I am trying to find a plot for my unconventional courtship fic. Please, plot bunny muse, don't abandon your supplicant in her time of need. I need a case which involves adultery, embezzlement and possibly murder! I am listening to Raymond Chandler's Farewell, My Lovely and The Big Sleep on audiobook and watching a host of old movies (really most of what my library had in the 'noir' category). Kiss Me Deadly a Mike Hammer with Cloris Leachman (!) didn't impress me. Nor did Dark Passage with Bogey and Bacall. But I am liking Out of the Past with Robert Mitchum. He's got some nice lines in it. I tried a Kurosawa called Dark Angel but it definitely wasn't what I wanted.

3. I feel like I am trying not to be so hard on myself about not hitting my goals (or maybe revising my goals so that they are more achievable). So I set a 'fine' 'good' and 'great' category for things so that if I do something even 3 times a week, (like yoga or not eating sweets or running) then I get a 'fine' and 4 is good (which is what I want--More Often Than Not) and 5 is great.

1 JUNE: Go Barefoot Day: Do you like going barefoot?

Yes. It isn't really safe but I like it. I like it at the beach.

2 JUNE: Rotisserie Chicken Day: When’s the last time you ate anything cooked on a spit or a grill?

We have a little George Foreman grill (which has seen better days) and I grilled hamburgers on it for Memorial Day.

3 JUNE: Egg Day: What’s the best way to prepare eggs?

Deviled (mu-hu-ha-ha!)

4 JUNE: Trails Day: Do you have a favorite hiking trail?

No. I've only gone to 2 recently. That impulse died but it might be revived in the autumn when things are cooler.

Of course, back in the day, When I Was Cool, I used to hike and hitchhike all over Chile and Argentina and Ecuador. Once I followed an old Jesuit trail by myself and got lost and had to sleep next to a horse. Once I got stuck in the mud and had to scream for help until a farm lad pulled me out. It's amazing I lived this long given all the potentially dangerous things that I did in my 20's. And I did almost all of them ALONE. I miss the person I was.

1. In their infinite fuckery, the building decided to shut off the electricity in the apartment for 9 hours (giving us much less than 24 hours' notice) so I was a vagabond today, going from the YMCA to Barnes & Noble to the public library. But now I am back at home. And the power's on! Yay! And none of our food seems to have spoiled. Double yay!

2. I am contemplating signing up for a 10k in November. This would go across the Bay Bridge (across the Chesapeake Bay) and it's the only of its kind (they close the bridge). Can I do it? It's twice the length I've done before. I am debating whether to sign Minor up with me. I think running across the bridge would be cool but I have to do it in 2 hours or they scoop me up in a wagon (shame, shame!).

3. I have had more than a few impulse buys lately. Mostly collage stuff. Hallowe'en washi tape I actually like! Those seashell stickers I wanted but they were out of them last time. When I start getting stuff, it leads to wanting MOAR! Capitalism is a disease, m'dudes.

4. Got a great book at the library: It came from the closet: queer reflections on horror [ed. Joe Vallese]. Each essay is on a specific horror film so I think that will be good to give me some ideas of things to watch for Hallowe'en.

5. My respect for Margery Allingham is growing (author of the Campion detective novels). She really does far-fetched plots very realistically. I'm listening to The Mind-Readers right now.

6. I was looking at tarot card decks at Barnes and Noble and there were FOUR entire shelves of them (!!!). I was overwhelmed. I didn't have the focus to look at even half of them. Fannishly, I noted: Good Omens, Jane Austen, Marvel, Edgar Allan Poe, The Nightmare Before Xmas. There were at least 4 color-your-own designs. Really, I had to walk away and I'll come back with a plan for deciding.

Let's finish May strong, okapi, go, go, go!

15 MAY: Chocolate Chip Day: What’s the best recipe you know of with chocolate chips?

I like chocolate chips on almost anything (ice cream!). But the original tollhouse recipe is good.

16 MAY: BBQ Day: What’s the best kind of barbeque?

Where I am from (South Carolina, USA) this is a Thing. Like first of all 'barbeque' means 'pulled pork' and the kind of sauce we make it with is mustard-based but in North Carolina they have tomato/ketchup-based sauce and so the baby Jesus does not love them as much.

17 MAY: World Hypertension Day: What gets your blood pressure up? Of late, the boys have been pushing my buttons pretty regularly. Like last night Minor remembering an assignment but realizing he lost the instructions--at 9 pm.

18 MAY: International Museum Day: What’s your favorite museum? National Gallery of Art (DC) I absolutely would love to go to the British Museum and the V&A and of course the Sherlock Holmes museum if I ever make it Across the Pond. Any museum with Bellas Artes in the name is cool, too.

19 MAY: Take your Parents to the Playground Day: When’s the last time you and your parents (or you and your children or both) were at a playground?

It's been a while. Even Minisculus is too old.

20 MAY: World Bee Day: Have you ever been stung by a bee?

Not that I remember. We have a lot of stinging creatures (yellow jackets, wasps) A hornet got me once.

21 MAY: International Tea Day: What’s your favorite kind of tea and your favorite thing to eat with tea? Twinnings Ceylon Orange Pekoe. I like to have some kind of pastry with it. A scone or similar beast is best.

1. Snakes alive! I have been training for my race next month and on Monday it was warm enough for me to see 2 snakes at the little park where I run so I think spring has sprung.

2. I went with the boys and their father to a professional soccer game (DC United) in DC on Saturday night and Minisculus and his teammates got to go out on the pitch. The boys LOVED it. They loved the whole experience. It was anxiety-provoking for me: driving to DC, managing the parking garage, finding the seats, sitting through it all, buying $100 worth of food!! Someone got disgusted and threw his beer so it rained down on us. There was a lot of swearing. The boys had a blast. I realize I have some vertigo. Climbing up to our seats was okay, but climbing down was harrowing. I used the rail like I was drunk. It was very steep, and the steps were small.

3. Minor turns 13 on Sunday! I'm taking him and a friend (and Minisculus) to an arcade. He wants a bike, which are not cheap, eh? He did better at his track meet this past weekend.

4. I've been re-listening to the Gervase Fen books by Edmund Crispin in order. And listening to Dead Man's Folly. And reading How to be a Poet by Jo Bell.

10 APR: Siblings Day: How is/was your relationship with your sibling(s)?

Much better as adults than as children. I don't really remember my sister much growing up. No animosity, but I just don't think she played a significant part in my early life. She's five years older. And I've cut myself off from the rest of our extended family because of Trump but I still talk to her. We talk every week, which is a big deal. And she may even come to visit next year.

12 APR: Licorice Day: Are the black jellybeans the only ones you don’t eat?

Yes!

14 APR: Gardening Day: If you garden, what’s your favorite part of gardening? If you don’t, what would your ideal garden look like?

Gardening would be nice in theory. I've never had one. I'd want it all--vegetables and flowers, paths, a koi pond, swings, everything.

16 APR: Orchid Day: What kind of flower(s) have a special significance to you? My sister grows orchids. When we were very small, our grandfather had rose bushes for each of the grandchildren and mine was a pale purple. My sister's was an orange one which was very fragrant.

We had a lot of rain this morning. I'm on my third pair of dry socks!

Questions from This List

27 Mar: World Theatre Day: When’s the last time you saw a play?

I can't remember. I don't even think the kids have been in plays. I took them to a puppet show of Peter and the Wolf when they were tiny.

28 Mar: Barnum & Bailey Day: Ever been to the circus?

I saw O by Cirque de Soleil in Las Vegas once. It was amazing.

29 Mar: Mom & Pop Business Owners’ Day: Do you frequent a family-owned business?

No. Not on principle, but just there aren't any. I buy food at Giant and household goods at Target and pizza at a pizza chain (Vocelli's). There's a 7-11 and a Jersey Mike's (sub sandwiches) in walking distance. I go to Barnes & Noble and Michael's crafts and (occasionally) Safeway. And Kohl's. The only local business I used to support was a Chinese restaurant but it shut down.

30 Mar: International Laundry Folding Day: What’s the most tedious household chore you do on a regular basis?

Cleaning pee off a toilet I don't use! Keeping my car clean!

31 Mar: Easter: Have you ever hunted for (or hid) Easter eggs?

I have continuous plastic egg hunts for the boys during the week (or sometimes month) before Easter with prizes. This is in lieu of an Easter basket on Easter.

APRIL

1 APR: April Fool’s jokes. Yay or nay?

Nay! There are very few pranks that are funny but don't cause excess mess to clean up.

2 APR: Ferret Day: What’s your favorite mustelid?

smallhobbit's OC The Ferret, of course!

I don't have much to say since I unloaded at the end of last week. I polished off the Bailey's cake. We are still working on the Saint Patrick's Day coffee (which is still good). Edited to add: I finally watched "The Secret of the Kells" (animated Irish movie). It was good!

I am starting my training for the 5k again. I am doing better with the intermittent fasting this week.

It's very sunny but still cold here. Like a ran around the lake with a scarf on and wasn't uncomfortable until the last tiny bit. The wind is really strong. I am back to wearing my winter coat to wave at Minisculus at the bus stop.

I organized all my collage materials today. It was good. At one point, the bed was covered in piles whose logic is known only to me!

Minor had his first track practice. Seemed to go ok. Except cold and windy. Minisculus' team made it to the finals of the soccer tournament this weekend, then lost. He played goalie in one part of one of the games and made 5 saves!

Also, we stopped to eat dinner at a restaurant and I realized I've not been inside a restaurant in 10 months (since my birthday dinner). It was weird!

14 Mar: Save a Spider Day: Spiders. Save them or squash them?

Save them! Unless they are very small in which case I vacuum them up.

15 Mar: Ides of March: Ever been stabbed in the back?

Two times where I perceived it as a betrayal, but it was actually a health care professional doing their job. I understand why they did what they did, but the scar is still there.

16 Mar: Quilting Day: Do you quilt? Or own a quilt someone made you?

debriswoman made me a very lovely quilt coaster which I use every day and a quilt bag.

17 Mar: St. Patrick’s Day: What’s Ireland’s most famous gift to the world?

Bailey's and Jameson

18 Mar: Global Recycling Day: How much recycling do you do?

Not as much as I should.

19 Mar: Vernal Equinox: How do you celebrate the arrival of spring?

Allergy medicine! Ha!

1. On Sunday morning, I drove an hour and took the boys on a hike. And they liked it! Go Mom!



2. The boys' father has returned.

3. This morning, I finished a book I've been reading for 9 weeks so that felt good. I finished listening to A Pocketful of Rye by Agatha Christie yesterday.

4. Still working on my Year of the Dragon fic.

Questions for 21-27 February

21 Feb: World Kombucha Day: Have you ever tried kombucha? Favorite flavors?

I just tried it for the first time a few minutes ago [because of this question]. It took me a long time to sort through the shelf and find a flavor that sounded appealing. I settled on GT's Synergy Lemonberry and Health Ade Mango Lemonade. Neither taste very good to me. I put this in because Jungkook of BTS once scolded ARMYs for buying out his favourite brand and flavor [which he drank on his live broadcasts] so he couldn't find it.

22 Feb: Supermarket Employee Day: Do you have a favorite worker at the place where you buy food? After my husband and kids, the adults I see most are Kelli and Jeff, the cashiers at my supermarket. They are both amazing people and I consider them part of my support system even thought I only see them for a few minutes on Wednesdays.

23 Feb: Dog Biscuit Day: Ever eat a dog biscuit by mistake? Or on purpose?! No. No pets, no dogs ever. I do see sometimes frozen treats for dogs in the freezer aisle and don't wonder that sometimes they get mixed up.

24 Feb: Tortilla Chip Day: What’s the best thing to eat tortilla chips with: salsa, guacamole, bean dip, tequila? I love chips any way. Salsa is best but guacamole or dips are good too.

25 Feb: Telecommuter Appreciation Week (Feb 25-Mar 2]: What are the pros and cons of working from home? As I stay at home mom, I never have the option of going into the office :(

26 Feb: Levi Strauss: Do you have a favorite pair of jeans? Yes, but I rarely wear jeans because I am usually exercising at some point in my day so I just wear yoga pants or sweat pants or cargo pants.

27 Feb: International Polar Bear Day: If you saw a polar bear in the wild, what would you do? Ha. My sons have a saying: if black, fight back, if brown, lay down, if white, say 'good night.'

1. We had steady flurries for a couple of hours today so school was delayed by 2 hours.

2. I watched two versions of the film My Bloody Valentine (1981 & 2014). I like the older one better. I may or may not be able to crank a Venom ficlet out by Thursday inspired by it.

3. Has anyone ever tried a holiday coffee blend that was not Xmas? I was looking around and I see St. Patrick's Irish coffee and some Easter ones but they all sound kind of Fruity! [meaning strange and artificially flavored and probably not a good value for experimenting]. There is Bones Coffee Company and a couple of others.

Questions of the Week

7 Feb: Girl & Women in Sports Day: Do you follow any women’s sports? If you were a girl, did you play sports as a child?

No. I know South Korea has a good archer because the BTS boys watched her win a competition In the Soop (their vacation program) a couple of years ago. BUT I am happy to say that my boys and their father watched the Women's World Cup with just as much enthusiasm as the men's.

8 Feb: Wear Orange Day: Is orange the new pink? [from the film Legally Blonde]

I like orange. I like pink. I have to say the greatest benefit of bright orange is picking out My Kid in a crowd so I sometimes insist on it when we go to fairs and things like that.


9 Feb: Read in the Tub Day: Do you read in the bathtub? Ever dropped a book in the tub?

No. I don't take baths. I am too lazy to clean the tub first and it would be snug fit these days and I have issues with looking at my own body but once in a while when I'm in a hotel with a bigger tub, I will take a bath and read (to avoid looking at myself). I try not to drop the book in the tub (especially if it's a library book) but it happens enough.

10 Feb: Lunar New Year: Do you celebrate lunar new year? What do you hope the year of the Dragon will bring to your life?

I don't celebrate it but Target had some cute decorations, so I got some and hung them up and we had Chinese on Saturday night. I am hoping to do spread with them and with a little envelope Minisculus brought home from school.

story_works has a Year of the Dragon challenge going on, fyi. I welcome anyone with links to resources that might help me find inspiration!

11 Feb: Superbowl Sunday: Do you know anything about American football? Do you have a favorite team?

Everyone likes the Ravens here, but I don't follow American football. Growing up in the South it was college (meaning university) football. And it was a Big Deal in my family that my sister went to undergraduate studies at Clemson University rather than the University of South Carolina (where my parents and aunts and uncles went). Looking back, it seems like a ludicrous controversy.

12 Feb: Darwin Day: Do you believe in survival of the fittest?

No. I believe in compassion. But firecat has recced a book called The Panda's Thumb that I might check out.

13 Feb: Fat Tuesday: Have you ever celebrated Mardi Gras/Carnival?

I have! I lived in New Orleans for a couple of years and in Bolivia for a couple of years so I have had different carnival/Mardi Gras experiences.

1. We got 4 inches last night! School was cancelled for the boys today and tomorrow! They had a lot of fun.
I've nowhere to go and nothing to do so I enjoyed it (and cracked open a jigsaw puzzle because snow is definitely puzzling weather). I REALLY hate ice and it won't get above freezing all week so I will probably be inside. I did a 17 year old aerobics video with Denise Austin for cardio today. She actually said 'jazz hands' unironically.



2. I watched Cape Fear with Robert de Niro for the first time. It was too violent and sexually violent and protracted for me, but my sister lives in that area and belongs to the Cape Fear Orchid Society and I thought it might be a good prompt for a fic. Maybe even a Nero Wolf one?

3. It's been an up and down couple of weeks. I have done Yoga with Adriene every other day so far this month. Yay. I just did a really unnecessary impulse buy of collage materials. Boo. I accidentally shredded my checkbook and didn't realize it until rent was due. Boo. I went into the bank (I haven't been inside a bank in YEARS and got a cashier's check and saved the day before I got penalized). I've already finished one book for the Bingo. Yay. Working on a cross stitch too.

4. My sister cleaned out her shoe closet and sent me a giant box of shoes and I'd say 80% of them fit. I don't have or need a lot of shoes but it will be interesting to see if I use them. She also sent about half a dozen used pairs of very woolly socks (which she bought when she lived in Colorado) and the entire family was wearing them last night.