the latest

Nov. 20th, 2022 11:30 am
ironymaiden: (hate-lust)
i never did test positive for covid, and today was C's second negative test after 48 hours. no one who was exposed to C has gotten sick. he had some bad days but is doing well now; we're continuing to avoid humans for the rest of the week but i feel pretty good about continuing with our Thanksgiving plans on Thursday. *whew*

***

Greg Bear passed away yesterday as has been reported widely in SF fandom. because Seattle is the world's biggest small town, i was fortunate enough to know Greg and his wife Astrid personally, and to have shared some fine meals and great conversations in their lovely home. Greg was unfailingly warm and kind and a remarkable raconteur, and a bottomless well of information on a variety of topics. he also gave the world a strong body of work* and helped to found SDCC. he is missed.

***

watched the first game of the 2022 World Cup today. i hate everything about it (the corrupt bid, the dead and imprisoned migrant workers, the life-threatening heat, the terrifying laws there, etc. etc. etc.) except for the part where we're going to get to watch USA vs England on Black Friday and i am definitely all CARS AND FREEDOM about it.

only one member of the US squad has previous World Cup experience, local kid DeAndre Yedlin. i'm still angry about the US flaming out in qualifiers last cycle, because they weren't in the final World Cup my father-in-law was able to see. there's no fucking justice. since the last time i saw D alive was during the last tournament i had some big feelings today and maybe i always will when the World Cup comes around.

***

i'm feeling pretty stressed lately between the above and work being bonkers, but two things are proving to be great distractions: Andor** and Cult of the Lamb. the latter so much so that i'm giving myself some RSI from all the Xbox controller time. someone on my reading list mentioned playing in passing; thanks to you and Honest Game Trailers for introducing me to this perverse delight. when i can't control anything else in my life, i can still kill demons and make someone eat poop.







*why did i never get him to sign my copy of Blood Music? it just felt weird to me although i'm sure it wouldn't have been

**needs its own post. not sure if Andy Serkis or Stellan Skarsgard deserves an Emmy more
ironymaiden: (hate-lust)
I had a lovely morning today: I met up with [personal profile] mimerki and [personal profile] just_cris for dim sum and it was exquisite. I'm sure part of it was not having any for over a year, but everything was fresh and a perfect expression of its dish. Normally I don't really like the hairy deep-fried balls of shrimp with mayo sauce but damn if they weren't perfectly crispy on the outside and the sauce was fatty and tangy and just so. I am a sucker for sweets and the cart with the bao and sesame balls and egg custard everything* came first ❤️❤️❤️
I am so used to going with a big group that I hadn't registered that most plates come with three pieces; just perfect.

I am worried about the restaurant. It was very empty, especially for a weekend. In the before times it was wall-to-wall families.

I broke my journey there downtown and had time to walk around before getting the train. The business district has really suffered in a way the neighborhoods have not. I remember our coffee shop (which is a tiny in-city chain) said ours was the last to close/first to open around lockdowns because they still had traffic when everyone was working from home. anyway, lots of boarded up storefronts and no people away from the orbit of Pike Place Market. I walked through Post Alley and saw some people had added masks to the gum wall.

After dim sum I killed time at Kinokuniya and the park with the daleks until it was time for the Sounders game. The game was okay (being there was fun, feels like it will end again any moment, not a good result). On the way out my phone went off with a message from Mom: my brother-in-law is dead, and the kids found the body. (they're young adults, my sister isn't in the picture.) Spent the bus ride home chatting with family and recovering from shock.

As I said to [personal profile] mimerki:
Anyway Pat's dead and the Sounders lost but I did get this cute transit card holder wallet that looks like a Shiba Inu

We got home in time to order the kids some grocery gift cards, then get online for continent-spanning D&D. We defeated the angry ghost and it was a good way to wind down.

I was originally supposed to be at a picnic at the time when the death notification came through. I felt bad about fucking my schedule and letting people down, but so glad I didn't have to be in the middle of freeform social interaction when this came down.




*okay, they didn't have the ones that seem to be the Chinese version of filled mochi. I'm not sure if I love the egg or taro ones of those more. Most of the staff don't speak a lot of English so I don't know the actual names of most things or what is in them. Not for anyone with food allergies
ironymaiden: crop of an engraving of a plague doctor in the long-beaked mask (covid-19)
my mom called today to ask about the state of emergency, C's mom called today and had no idea what was going on.

*shakes head*

so far our favorite events are still happening, just with more hand sanitizer. we got to enjoy the Sounders' home opener (as opposed to the Champions League game earlier this week) complete with huge tifo, unveiling of the new championship banner, and a station that would sew tags with two stars onto your scarf. my team won and my scarf has stars now :D

i have mixed up a big batch of the homemade hand sanitizer (2 parts isopropyl alcohol, 1 part aloe gel, some orange essential oil for scent) that now lives on the end of the counter near the door so hopefully we remember to use it or wash hands each time we come through. we have materials to make more. disaster food and drugs are in the mail. (we decided on that over fighting the reported crowds at costco, hopefully civilization will wait a few days to break down.)
ironymaiden: (Kasey Keller)
One of the joys of being a soccer fan in the US is that rivalries don't extend to the stands. I'm beside a CD Olimpia supporter who is with his buddy decked head to toe in Sounders gear, taking pictures of him with his Olimpia flag. Welcome Hondurans, let's have a good game.

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