tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75292121300927582722024-03-13T21:50:52.153-05:00the anti-somaSane rants on an insane world. Read at your own risk. Don't blame me if your head explodes.Heroditus Huxleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11049569750742829144noreply@blogger.comBlogger4062125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7529212130092758272.post-6654782410440563662024-02-27T11:47:00.003-06:002024-02-27T11:47:40.480-06:00Musings: On complications<p>So, last week in our discussion on charity and the direction the church should be taking, we discussed how <i>complicated</i> charity actually is. </p><p>Better, it was acknowledged that there were different <i>types</i>, different <i>levels</i> to charity work. And that it was <i>really</i> difficult to figure out in the moment which <i>type</i> of help was needed. </p><p>The lesson broke it down into three levels: relief, rehabilitation, and development. </p><p>In short, relief is what you do to get someone through the initial crisis, the rehabilititation gets them back on their feet, and development helps them move forward. To further clarify, we used a <i>huge</i> example that we were <i>all</i> familiar with: the F5 tornado that ate Joplin thirteen years ago in May. </p><p>Relief was the initial response: when one of the two hospitals was picked up off its foundation and set down three feet to one side, relief was the rednecks rushing in to help evacuate the building before it fell down. Relief was the sick and wounded transported en mass in the beds of pickups a few blocks to the other hospital, and room made <i>at</i> the other hospital. Relief was digging people out of the rubble, digging storm shelters out of the rubble to rescue people that managed to get into them. Relief was the initial rescue. </p><p>Once that was done, we moved on to rehabilitation: the day after the tornado, there were people walking through, and shifting rubble out of the streets so that vehicles could get through. Rehabilitation was getting the rubble cleared out enough to get insurance companies in. Rehabilitation was getting what was left of people's lives pulled away so that rebuilding could start. So that people could get back on their feet. Rehabilitation was Walmart cancelling the remodeling and upgrades on Supercenters statewide to rebuild the one that the tornado destroyed, so that people could get back to work, and pay for what their insurance wouldn't--or rather, <i>couldn't</i>, given the volume--cover. Rehabilitation was Home Depot putting up a tent in their parking lot, opening for business before Walmart had even gotten their lot cleared, and bringing in the bones of building materials for people to cover broken windows when their houses were otherwise livable. </p><p>After that comes development: some businesses didn't come back. We built new ones. Some streets had to be totally torn out and redone. The mall--left more than half-empty by a few anchor stores going bankrupt years earlier--took in the high school while the city built a new one (in partnership with a local community college and technical school...which turned out to be good for the city, the high school students, and the tech school). Yes, the city made some really stupid choices, but that's par for the course. A lot of good was done, too. </p><p>When we turned it from city level to individual...things got a lot more complex. How do you tell which step you need to be on? How do you get the person you're trying to help to buy in, to cooperate? The last two steps are <i>hard</i>, folks. And yeah, accepting "relief"--handouts--is easy. And a lot of people won't try to <i>get</i> back up on their feet. </p><p>How do we as a church figure out who wants help up and out of the hole, and who just wants food packages and comforts added to the hole? It's <i>hard</i>. </p><p>It takes getting to <i>know</i> people. It takes building a relationship. Once that step is in place, it's a lot easier to tell who actually needs help, and who wants to coast on no effort expended. </p><p>Relief is easy, because it's in the moment, and it's instant gratification. Boom--done. It's as easy and tempting for the helpers just as much as it is for the helped. Rehabilitation is a lot harder. It takes more time, it requires a lot of effort from <i>both</i> sides, and progression isn't always linear. Development is the hardest of all, because the helper has to <i>step away</i>. And yeah, the person being helped is going to stumble, and probably fall a couple of times. But it <i>has</i> to be done. </p><p>But first of all, the church has <i>got</i> to get the relationships <i>built. </i>And <i>that</i> isn't easy, either.<br /></p>Heroditus Huxleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11049569750742829144noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7529212130092758272.post-77601781101287146862024-02-20T09:16:00.001-06:002024-02-20T09:16:21.869-06:00Musings: on charity<p>Faith. Hope. Charity. All are key Christian traits. </p><p>Sure. </p><p>But what <i>is</i> charity? Is it a meal when someone's hungry, clothing when theirs is thread-bare? Money thrown at the problem? </p><p>If that was all, then we wouldn't need to worry--welfare throws money at the problem all the damn time. However, it's done nothing but make things worse. </p><p>What <i>is</i> charity, then, if not a handout? </p><p>Say you're walking along, and you find a deep, deep hole, with somebody at the bottom, yelling for help. How do you help them? Do you make them comfortable in their hole? Toss down food, water, blankets? Maybe a pillow or two? No. You pull them out. You get a rope or get a ladder and toss it down to them, help them climb. </p><p>Throwing money at the problem is proving to do nothing but make them content enough to not climb out. No, not totally content, but content enough that it seems better to stay put than to struggle. </p><p>So, how do we do that? How can we, as a group, help people? </p><p>The hard truth of the matter is that you <i>can't</i> help some of them. They don't want help, they want to lay in their hole. They just want a minimum of comfort while they do. </p><p>As for the rest...it's even harder. You have to get to know them. Without knowing who they are, you can't know what they need. You can't know what they're struggling with that put them <i>in</i> the hole to <i>start</i> with. You can't help someone who wants help if they're addicts by just pulling them out of the hole--they'll just fall back the second you let go. And you don't know if that's what put them in the hole if you don't <i>know</i> them. </p><p>Some people that want out of poverty need help with addiction, yes. Some need help with other things: learning to budget, learning to do some things for themselves to free up some of what income they have, learning to <i>feed</i> themselves--dear God, do you <i>know</i> how <i>expensive</i> it is when you <i>can't cook</i>??? </p><p>A lot of us have forgotten that we have to <i>know</i> people to be able to <i>help</i> them. </p><p>Before I was born--hell, before my mother was born--that <i>used</i> to be the <i>responsibility</i> of the church communities. They'd pitch in and help: they took care of widows, orphans, helped those injured in their work (because almost all the jobs were heavy, dirty, dangerous work)...they <i>knew</i> their people, and <i>knew</i> who needed the hand up, and who needed support through a rough spot with a few months of hand<i>outs</i>. They knew who <i>wanted</i> out, they knew how they fell in the hole to start with...</p><p>...and they knew who were just lazy bastards that weren't worth trying to help, because they wanted the minimum for comfort in their holes, not help out. They'd help their kids, but not them. </p><p>We need to do that again. We need to build community. We need to be open, we need to pull people in. We need to get to <i>know</i> each other. </p><p>Because without that, all we can do is offer handouts and hope for the best. </p><p>That way, though, leads to apples and sandwiches abandoned on street corners. I'm sure you all know what I'm talking about. <br /></p><p>And I'm <i>tired</i> of trying to help and getting my hand slapped for offering because I'm offering <i>help</i> instead of money. <br /></p>Heroditus Huxleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11049569750742829144noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7529212130092758272.post-55157647696036523682024-02-18T16:08:00.001-06:002024-02-18T16:08:06.771-06:00Musings: on poverty<p>Other Half and I attended a...well, a class, of sorts...at our church last night.* The class was the first of a six week series on poverty, charity, and how the church should participate. Honestly, I wasn't expecting a lot, but it triggered a couple of thought cascades with a couple of the questions. </p><p>First question: What is poverty? </p><p>The answer the group came to was...wrong. "A persistent, day-to-day lack of resources" isn't poverty. That's being broke in a big way. But it can turn <i>into</i> poverty in a twitch. </p><p>The pastor suggested it was a sense of shame, powerlessness, helplessness, of being invisible. Again, no. Those people aren't there yet. Those feelings of shame? Poverty isn't that. </p><p>So, what <i>is</i> poverty? </p><p>It's a series of habits and patterns of thought that keep people broke. People who are broke can slide into true poverty scarily easy: all they have to do is apply for government help. </p><p>Welfare/food stamps are a <i>nasty</i> fucking trap. Regan was <i>entirely correct</i> when he said the scariest words in the English language were "I'm from the government and I'm here to help." No. They aren't. They're there to remove your agency and your choices. They're there to take control of your life by miring you into poverty. </p><p>I said poverty was a series of habits and patterns of thought. And that government "charity" systems force people <i>into</i> those patterns, but I haven't defined what they are. </p><p>First, people get so mired in today that they don't think about tomorrow. This is something that starts to take shape when someone goes broke. It's like addiction: all the addict thinks about is where their next hit is going to come from, but the broke person's worried about paying the next bill. And then...then, they start making choices that look stupid from the outside (and, frankly, <i>are</i> stupid)--"There's money, so I'm going to get this small thing I want." Dumb, but human. Broke can't afford wants, but society's trained people to believe they should prioritize wants to be happy. But that money could have/should have gone on <i>needs</i> only. Because that couple dollars spent on a soda? That five dropped at Starbucks for a coffee? Might have been the difference between being able to pay the next bill, or...not. </p><p>This is one of the forks that separate the person that's broke from the person sliding into poverty. The broke person looks for ways out. Might start regretting getting that little stupid thing that is already gone. Will be focused on "up and out." The broke person probably <i>does</i> feel shame. The person about to slide into poverty...sits down in a flood of self pity. And stops feeling shame, and starts feeling <i>entitled</i> to more. <br /></p><p>And...they complain. They complain about not being able to afford things (news flash: most people <i>can't</i> afford everything they want). They complain about always being broke. And they start looking around for how to get money. Not how to <i>make</i> money, how to get their <i>hands</i> on money. </p><p>Broke isn't lazy; poor is. Broke isn't characterized by an over-developed sense of entitlement; poor is. </p><p>Broke isn't scared of bettering themselves. Poor is. </p><p>Because those who become mired in poverty? The ones complaining about never having enough, never getting what they want? The ones saying they deserve more? </p><p>They apply for welfare. And often get it. </p><p>Welfare, as I've said before, is a trap. A nasty, pernicious trap. Sure, they hand out money...but only a little bit. And there are strings and rules attached. First string: you have to <i>stay</i> poor. You can't get an income stream going--or they remove the money they give you, and tax the income stream. And new income streams are <i>rarely</i> sufficient to needs. And then when taxes are added in...they were getting more via their welfare checks. Second string: your kids are not allowed to have jobs without getting the household check cut off by the gross amount. And yes, they track. I can't swear to it, but I am convinced that this is to make it a generational thing--if the kids don't develop a habit of work, they'll end up on welfare, too. </p><p>Welfare is a root cause of generational poverty. It alleviates nothing. It does nothing but teach those mired in it that they're helpless to improve themselves and their lot. </p><p>Broke is often frustrated with their lot, and look for ways out. Poor believe there <i>is</i> no way out, and refuse to do more than look for ways to be comfortable. Broke is angry; poor is <i>depressed.</i></p><p>In a couple of days<i>, </i>I'll talk about the other question<i>.</i></p><p><i> </i></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>*Last summer, the church broke away from the Methodist hierarchy, and hired the guy currently preaching as an interim pastor, partially because he'd been a pastor there before and they knew him, and partially because he's </i>retired<i>.</i> </span><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">The interim pastor has taught a six-week course last fall, over Nehemiah. We'd get dinner, and a sort of a college level lecture, every Thursday for the six weeks. He's doing another over poverty and charity, and what we as a church should be doing that we're not, and maybe what we are doing that we shouldn't. </span> </i><br /></p>Heroditus Huxleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11049569750742829144noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7529212130092758272.post-21178834117949420812024-01-23T22:12:00.001-06:002024-01-23T22:12:03.965-06:00Life goes on.<p>Mom made bread. Mom made bread <i>often</i>. Not as often as Grandma used to, but she made a <i>lot</i> of bread. </p><p>I...made a mistake. The Tuesday after Mom passed, I was going through the motions and I threw ingredients into the bread machine Odysseus got me for my birthday, last year. No, not gluten free bread. Regular bread. </p><p>As soon as the house started smelling like bread baking, I started leaking tears and <i>could not </i>stop. </p><p>I didn't make bread last week. We took that last half loaf from the previous week and turned it into garlic toast to go with the pasta bake I'd made. And, since that was the day after Mom's service? If I hadn't <i>had</i> bread on hand, I'd have asked Odysseus to just pick up a loaf. </p><p>Today was pasta day again. The "start bread" alarm on my laptop went off...</p><p>...and this week, I didn't leak tears. </p><p>Not while I was smelling the bread baking, at least. I still randomly leak tears (I'm sure y'all understand), but that smell of fresh bread didn't trigger it for me, today.</p><p>Life <i>does</i> go on. It took my mom a little while after Grandma passed before she could make bread without bawling. Guess it was my turn. <br /></p>Heroditus Huxleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11049569750742829144noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7529212130092758272.post-90185785367604801922024-01-07T11:41:00.004-06:002024-01-07T11:41:45.656-06:00Yesterday<p>Yesterday was Epiphany. Liturgically when the Magi found their way to the Christ child. </p><p>Yesterday was when my mother found her way home. </p><p>Friday night, my sister told me that Mom had lost consiousness, and she couldn't wake her, so called the ambulance. She was taken to their local hospital, and they discovered she'd had a massive brain bleed. She passed at 3:30 a.m. Saturday morning, never having woke up. </p><p>It was fast, and hopefully painless. Which was more than I'd hoped for. </p><p>I'm going to miss her so much.</p>Heroditus Huxleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11049569750742829144noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7529212130092758272.post-84958125393817978842023-12-20T09:13:00.002-06:002023-12-20T09:13:12.521-06:00Delusional<p>I have a cousin who is an avowed atheist. She swears that she's a good person without needing external rules and guidelines imposed by an "imaginary friend/sky daddy." </p><p>Given the things I've seen her post to FB, I would...not agree with her. At all. </p><p>I mean...</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiagb-ehF-VnkUAdISONK0LjjtLYvVPTF3eosEkTbq1QE89vv6DHB_Yg47-2m3yI7iRLM6-TXa4TW5l34CrBW90gFvNvI1Y_QSyxjPwccMROU_mqbDCyw95KRyEZ5rkQ6UbMxJ4xDd6hB_pIMNju73KzBp0rA6tknT6CvlOPyws9i4xqOiq7SDvYjLTxpiI/s720/410037479_10159643847062056_5942954083021721055_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiagb-ehF-VnkUAdISONK0LjjtLYvVPTF3eosEkTbq1QE89vv6DHB_Yg47-2m3yI7iRLM6-TXa4TW5l34CrBW90gFvNvI1Y_QSyxjPwccMROU_mqbDCyw95KRyEZ5rkQ6UbMxJ4xDd6hB_pIMNju73KzBp0rA6tknT6CvlOPyws9i4xqOiq7SDvYjLTxpiI/s320/410037479_10159643847062056_5942954083021721055_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Yeah, let's look at this. </p><p>I didn't particularly want to teach the kids that Santa brings gifts for kids on Christmas. It's dumb. And I'm really kind of sick and tired of the ruse--this is going to be the last year, since I have <i>teenagers</i>. But it was useful while they were smaller to use the ruse to get them once-a-year expensive toys, and not have them begging us to get them expensive shit year-round. </p><p>That said...there's no <i>fucking</i> way I think this picture is <i>remotely</i> funny. What the <i>actual fuck</i>. </p><p><i>This</i> isn't schadenfreude. This is deliberately <i>causing pain to a child. Hurting</i> a child for the <i>fun</i> of it. </p><p>I know she'd probably protest that it's "art," and "it's a joke," and "it's AI generated." </p><p>Thing is...I've messed with AI art. Bing Image Creator is actually a lot of fun to play with, and you can make some really <i>gorgeous</i> pieces with it. </p><p>AI art is made by <i>inputting descriptions. This art was designed by someone who thought it was funny--was fun--to make a little kid cry on Christmas morning.</i> </p><p>This is the <i>least</i> of what I've seen her post. </p><p>She mocks Christians by cherry-picking things from the Bible--that slavery's okay,* and polygamy,** and that horrific punishments, like "an eye for an eye" were allowed and encouraged.*** </p><p>And yet...</p><p>...and yet. </p><p>Christians are not the ones posting things that show joy in deliberately causing pain, much less deliberately causing pain to the innocent among us. Christians are not the ones suggesting that dissenters should be raped and tortured to death (yes, I've seen her post things like that). </p><p>Full disclosure: yes, I laugh my <i>ass</i> off at people hurting themselves. I think the shocked dismay that people who are suddenly thwapped with the consequences of their own freely-chosen actions and decisions is <i>hilarious. </i></p><p><i>I do not think causing pain to children is funny</i>. Nor do I think it's funny when a <i>child </i>actively hurts him or herself because the adult in charge of their well-being either dropped the ball, or set them up. </p><p><i>Nor</i> do I think it's funny for <i>adults</i> to get hurt because someone lied to them, or set them up for the sake of a video prank.****</p><p>Love thy neighbor as thyself. Love your neighbor as you would yourself. TREAT PEOPLE LIKE YOU WOULD TREAT YOURSELF. </p><p>It's not a difficult concept. It's the <i>base command</i> in Christianity. Love God, and love your neighbor. </p><p>That is what makes a good person. And atheists are far too prone to allowing the monkey-side--the fallen side--full control over their actions toward their fellow human beings. Atheists are far too prone to dehumanizing those that don't march in philosophical lock-step with them. </p><p>Atheists don't just go tribal--they go full monkey-band primal. Because they lack the guidance--the reason--to be better than their own worst impulses. To <i>do</i> better than their own worst impulses. </p><p>You know, my cousin swears she loves children. That she'd never hurt them. </p><p>Yeah. I don't believe her. And I won't let her be anywhere around my kids unsupervised. <br /></p><p><br /></p><p><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">*Slavery isn't okay. And the rules around slavery in the OT? Those put limits on how people were allowed to treat their slaves, and turned slavery into indenture. The Israelites were required by God to offer freedom and adoption to their slaves every few years. This, in contrast, to how horrific slavery was literally everywhere else, was a MASSIVE social change for the better. </span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">**Polygamy was everywhere. Men died early and suddenly, and a woman alone was at enormous risk of victimization and violent death...or death of exposure and starvation. </span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">***An eye for an eye was a hard, upper limit, not a "this is the least of what you can expect." If someone puts out your eye, you're not allowed to do more and worse to him, much less his entire family, blood-line, city, and/or tribe. Remember Jacob's sons, and what they did when their sister was taken in marriage without family permission (aka, "raped" which had different legal definitions in OT times). <br /></span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">****It's not funny when teens self-harm because of the trans trend. It's not funny when teens hurt their futures because they're told they must go to college, whatever the cost and however much debt they have to take on to get there. It's not funny when people choose one focus over another because their advisors lied to them about income potential ("you'll keep a higher percentage!" but not "you can't charge as much, so your actual net will be far lower."). It's not funny to sneak up on people and sucker punch them on video (although it's funny as hell when the jump-scare pranksters get shot).</span></i><br /></p>Heroditus Huxleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11049569750742829144noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7529212130092758272.post-64916430287097524632023-12-05T12:18:00.001-06:002023-12-05T12:18:08.287-06:00Bread<div><p>Growing up, and even in adulthood, I always took bread for granted. It was just...always <i>there</i>. For sandwiches, or for if I had heartburn, or when I was a little queasy. Not something I made myself, really (except when I got a bread machine when I was a young adult), but always available. Either as homemade bread (my mom, my aunts, and my grandma all made it), or as sliced commercial bread. Bread was just...always there. </p><p>And then, when my youngest was in pre-school and my oldest in kindergarten, they brought home a stomach bug. Laid them out for a couple of days, and my husband out for about the same. </p><p>It knocked <i>me</i> on my ass for a <i>week</i>. There were five days where my entire digestive system just...shut down. No movement, no noises, nothing. And then, when I finally started recovering (first noted because things started grumbling loudly), I reached for a slice of bread. </p><p>Holy <i>crap</i> did that hurt. </p><p>I thought it might be because it was high fiber bread--you know, a little bit rough on the guts--and tried a tortilla, then saltines. </p><p>Nope. That virus had left me with a lasting issue with wheat. I <i>still</i> can't eat it without a lot of pain. My younger sister's got pre-celiac's,* so I guess my issue is probably permanent. </p><p>Great Value bread costs $1.32 for a 20 oz loaf of plain white bread. A loaf of Great Value gluten free bread is $6.74 for an 18 oz loaf. And it's not an apples-to-apples comparison, despite the weight being almost the same: the gf loaf is <i>smaller</i>. Visibly smaller, with slices less than half the size of the other one. </p><p>I...really don't like spending <i>that much more</i> for something that's...quite frankly not that good, and I'm the only one that needs it anyway. </p><p>So I started looking into making my own. It started with getting the bread machine. </p><p>Which...well. It <i>sort</i> of works, but not on the gluten free setting. See, it still punches down the raised dough. And gluten free bread dough <i>will</i> not rise again. So, I tried it on the rapid setting. And it worked. But the recipe was...not great. So I went hunting. </p><p>I found a <i>lot</i> of recipes for gluten free bread, in varying levels of difficulty. I snagged an easy one to try. And it worked. Tasted fairly decent, considering I grew up eating homemade regular bread. </p><p>It's actually just as easy to make in my stand mixer and oven as it is to make in the bread machine. Which is one thing I cannot say for wheat bread. Gluten free bread does not have to be kneaded, and <strike>doesn't need</strike> shouldn't be punched down. So, once the dough comes together, you just...put it in the pan, smooth it down, and give it time to rise. </p><p>I did find one trick that I added that is stupidly simple, and makes an enormous, positive difference: beat the liquid ingredients until the eggs get sort of frothy. It makes for a much better texture than only mixing the liquid ingredients until the eggs are only just mixed in. <br /></p><p><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</p><h1 align="center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Gluten Free Bread</span></h1>
<p class="MsoNormal"> 3 Ā¼ cups gluten
free flour blend (Iāve used Bobās Red Mill with great success, as well as whole
grain optionsāif the one you pick doesnāt have a āgumā as part of the
ingredients, add about a tbsp of xanthan gum)</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">1 tbsp instant yeast</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">1 Ā½ tsp salt</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">1 1/3 c warm water</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in; text-indent: -.25in;">2 large eggs,
room temperature (they MUST be room temperatureāgluten free flours will NOT
absorb cold liquids at all)</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">2 tbsp + 2 tsp oil </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">1 tbsp honey</p><p class="MsoNormal">Preheat oven to 200 degrees, then turn it off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This works best for helping the bread rise. Crack the door so that it has some time to cool a little before you put your bread in to rise. <br /></p></div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>
Add all liquid ingredients to a mixing bowl (I
use a Kitchenaid knockoff, and will probably get a Kitchenaid when I have to
replace it), <u>beat until frothy</u>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></li><li>
Mix flour and salt together in a separate mixing
bowl; add slowly to wet ingredients with mixer on low.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Add yeast to the dough at this point.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></li><li>
Run the mixer until you have a soft, sticky
dough that looks kinda like cake batter, scraping the sides of the bowl
often.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></li><li>
Scrape the dough out of the mixing bowl into a
glass or non-stick bread pan, oil your fingers, and smooth the top out
(optional stepāyou can opt to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">not</i> do
that, but the bread will end up looking like the moonās surface).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></li><li>Loosely cover the panāyou can use oiled plastic
wrap or waxed paper, or you can use a muslin dish towelāand set it in the oven
to rise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Youāll want it to be half again
larger when itās done.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Should take half
an hour in your warm oven.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> If you want to let it rise on the counter, that works, too, but takes twice as long.<br /></span></li><li> Uncover your bread loafāit should be peeking up
over the top of your panāand bake at 375 degrees for about 55 minutes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since gluten free loaves donāt really brown,
youāll want to check the internal temperature with a thermometer: it should be
about 205-210 degrees.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></li></ol>
<p>There are variations you can do with this loaf--one of my favorites is that I leave out a quarter cup of flour blend, and add in a quarter cup of ground flax seed. It makes it taste better, and adds a bit of texture and fiber. <br /></p><p><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">*She has the issue with gluten, but not the damage from having eaten it after the issue popped up. </span></i><br /></p>Heroditus Huxleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11049569750742829144noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7529212130092758272.post-61886109217205054632023-12-03T20:16:00.001-06:002023-12-03T20:16:30.068-06:00Advent<p> I grew up in a religious tradition that didn't teach about or acknowledge Advent. The only religious seasons we observed weren't seasons at all, but just...just two holidays: Christmas and Easter. </p><p>I did not remain in the tradition I grew up in--in point of fact, I see it as only very little better than Islam, in a lot of ways, mostly because of how that church treated abuse inside of a marriage, and abuse of children. My dad was a minister, and led the church we went to...and committed adultery with a lot of his flock that went to him for marriage counseling...bullied and threatened my mother...and beat (not spanked--closed hands, kicks, shakes, and physically throwing at walls) both me and my little sister...and worse. And the church castigated my mother for leaving, and attempted to pressure my sister and me into silence. So, yes, I abandoned that church with a quickness, as soon as I could. <br /></p><p>I never abandoned my faith in <i>God</i>, just...had (and still have) very little faith in His churches. And none at all in my fellow Christians. </p><p>So I mostly quit going to church. Between bad early experiences, and ongoing issues with panic attacks <i>triggered</i> by some churches (back-brain knowing there was something wrong, even if front-brain didn't really know the place well enough to recognize it, I think...or a gut feeling and whiff of sulphur telling me that something wasn't on the up-and-up), I didn't want to go, nor did I see a reason to. </p><p>Until I decided it was time to have kids, and realized I had some <i>real </i>hang-ups where <i>talking</i> religion and faith are concerned. And I realized that the best way to get around that was to find a church. I had help, there. I'm pretty sure God led me to the Episcopal church back in '07 or so...and, at that point in time, it hadn't gone full woke. The pastor was all-in Catholic Lite (same religion, half the guilt), and had been raised Catholic before he felt two callings: one, to be a husband and father; and two, toward the pulpit. </p><p>And, yeah, it was different. <i>Really</i> different. There was ritual. There were <i>kneelers</i> in the pews, and there were points in the service where we were called on to kneel for prayer. And then stand for hymns. The order of the service didn't vary, and included a recitation of the Apostle's Creed, Communion with every service, a psalm sung, a responsive reading, the Lord's Prayer, scripture reading, and the sermon based on the scripture reading. And then...then I was introduced to liturgical seasons.</p><p>That was...that was really different. Advent, then Christmas season, then Epiphany...wow. It <i>felt</i> huge, big enough that I couldn't wrap my head around it. (By contrast, the burning of the greens and the BYOB party with it was...something that was culture shock, but not so much that I couldn't react to it). </p><p>I didn't understand Advent. I mean...really. It's just part of Christmas, right? </p><p>Actually, no. But it took me a while to really <i>get</i> that. </p><p>It took becoming a mother. <br /></p><p>It <i>isn't</i> celebrating the birth of Christ; it's celebrating the last month of <i>pregnancy</i>. It's that breathless pause (because there's <i>no room to breathe</i>)<i>, </i>the quiet (or not so quiet) anticipation of the birth of the baby<i>. </i>It's the last bit of grueling discomfort and hard work of getting the baby ready for the world, right before the blood and pain of pushing the baby <i>into</i> the world. </p><p>It's a time to think of His mother, in her last few weeks as she traveled with Joseph her husband to his family's ancestral lands, from Nazareth where he lived and worked to Bethlehem, where his ancestors were from. On donkey-back. </p><p>I didn't have that last month for either of my kids. They were both early--unexpected in their timing. But I have deep sympathy for Mary, and Advent <i>means</i> something to me now that it didn't when I started attending the Episcopal church, and started learning about the liturgical seasons. Because that last month I was pregnant with each of my kids? I was bent backwards because I couldn't sit up straight--not and breathe. Not and eat. There was more baby in my torso than there was anything else. How in the <i>world</i> did Mary carry Christ that last month, while <i>traveling</i> as she had to? How did she put her sandals on? How did she deal with it? </p><p>And I wonder, did she think about the baby she was carrying like I thought of my two? Did she want to hold Him, stare at Him, count His fingers and toes, pet His hair? Did she worry about being the mother He deserved, like I did with my children? Did she wish the idiots in charge had just let her stay home and prepare for His birth in peace? Was she just <i>ready</i> to be <i>done</i> with the pregnancy, like I was (even early like my two were) because of the discomfort? <br /></p><p> So many people think about Christ, and anticipate His coming, His birth during this time of year. I get that; however, after I had my own babies, I found myself wondering about Mary's last month of pregnancy, and feeling that anticipation with her. <br /><br />In a lot of ways, I hate Christmas. I hate the mess, I hate the stress, the fighting, the break in routines that mean behavioral difficulties follow. </p><p>But Advent? Advent has brought an introspection into it that I didn't realize I needed. And, in some ways, it's brought back some of the joy in Him, if not in the celebration of Christmas. <br /></p>Heroditus Huxleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11049569750742829144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7529212130092758272.post-26384467436954977042023-10-19T10:51:00.001-05:002023-10-19T10:51:21.163-05:00Contentment <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsSv6Ca-nRGPC_dB9c8NzfCob_D7TPsvVXHE4_LAIVf0OPzDSRRy4Re3AoqOwg38AWFU8C7nZyXiPlNPzmvbhDoa-_s-HMg6W4NMHjKDJAp5kvD_7LadCjrybOGPNCqxYjipXQNgzkPb1KkJqXnnwMsEqk3x8Nwuzpo696QpG6WqcB2cMVZRRL3mje15pe/s472/why%20not%20depressed.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="472" data-original-width="468" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsSv6Ca-nRGPC_dB9c8NzfCob_D7TPsvVXHE4_LAIVf0OPzDSRRy4Re3AoqOwg38AWFU8C7nZyXiPlNPzmvbhDoa-_s-HMg6W4NMHjKDJAp5kvD_7LadCjrybOGPNCqxYjipXQNgzkPb1KkJqXnnwMsEqk3x8Nwuzpo696QpG6WqcB2cMVZRRL3mje15pe/s320/why%20not%20depressed.png" width="317" /></a></div><br />A lot of people today aren't happy. And it's their own damn stupid fault--they throw it away with <i>both hands</i>. Reject their happiness with all their strength. <p></p><p>And the reason why is <i>really</i> fucking stupid:</p><p>It's because they've allowed profoundly dissatisfied and unhappy people to define happiness. Especially women. Women are really, really bad about letting other people define them, and define what they should want, what should make them happy. </p><p>And it usually backfires. </p><p>Beyond that, a lot of people have allowed others to define happiness as ecstatic joy at every moment of every hour of every day. </p><p>It isn't. The human body and human brain does not maintain that type of emotional intensity, not if it's healthy. Emotional intensity like that will burn you out, and burn you out fast. They found that out with the drug ecstasy--it was initially developed for an entirely different purpose, but then used briefly in marriage counseling before it made its way to the party scene. And then they found that long-term use wrings the parts of the brain that produce feel-good hormones dry. </p><p>Happiness--real, sustainable happiness--is better described as contentment and satisfaction. And that...that's actually sneaky. You don't notice contentment while you're actually, y'know, <i>content. </i></p><p><i>You don't notice it until you've lost it.</i> </p><p>I'm absolutely sure that this is the case because most people aren't looking for contentment when they're pursuing happiness. They're looking for the wild, ecstatic joy that they've been told <i>is</i> happiness. </p><p>(They really need to listen to Dennis Leary about that.) <br /></p><p>So, how do you find contentment? That...that's a lot harder. </p><p>It <i>varies</i>. What makes <i>me</i> content won't make <i>you</i> content. The most I can offer you is advice: </p><p>Find what you're good at. What makes <i>meaning</i> in your life. I promise it won't be something necessarily <i>fun</i>. It won't be travel, it won't be "gathering experiences." It won't be something where you're focused on yourself. </p><p>It will be something else. Something you do for someone else--maybe something you build. Something you volunteer for in your spare time. </p><p>I'm a housewife. I build and maintain <i>home </i>for my other half and my kids. That, right there, is not something I necessarily <i>enjoy</i>. Who <i>does</i>? Housework is tedious beyond belief. But having it done? Looking around and <i>knowing</i> that I've done something for my husband and kids? Something to make their lives more comfortable? That brings me a lot of satisfaction, and a lot of contentment. </p><p>It gives shape and meaning to my days. More than anything else. More than anything else ever <i>has</i>. More than reading, more than writing, more than teaching. <br /></p><p>Yes, I'm looking forward to empty nesting. Because <i>that</i> means I've been <i>successful</i> in my work. </p><p>Funny thing is, I've been told <i>all my life</i> that I was meant for more than this. That, in staying home and managing the house, the budget, and the kids, I'm wasting my potential. </p><p>If that were truly the case...don't you think I'd be frustrated? Angry? Anxious? </p><p>I'm not. Not about being a housewife. No, I was a lot more frustrated and anxious when I had responsibilities outside taking care of my family--because my energy is limited, and I couldn't fulfill <i>all</i> of my responsibilities. Not having a job outside my home means I don't have to neglect my family anymore.<br /></p><p>Honestly, I've noted a lot of moms who work outside the home have to drop something. Normally, it's their family responsibilities. And most of them feel guilty about it--and also feel guilty about feeling so torn.</p><p>(If there's anything to be grateful for the covidiocy for, it's giving women permission to <i>drop out</i> of the workforce. It's really hard to justify working outside the home when your family's better off by almost every available metric if you <i>don't. </i>And a lot of women discovered their "second income" was more than devoured by child care costs, dinner-out and fast-food costs, and other incidentals their families wouldn't incur if they were working in the home for their families instead of working for someone else outside the home, often doing the same things.)</p><p>I don't know how to help others be happy. I can't share the secret of being happy. Every time I do? I get "What? That's <i>it</i>? No, there must be more to it than that." </p><p>And there really isn't, but a lot of people have bought into the redefinition of happiness so hard that they can't admit that yes, that <i>is</i> all there is to it. </p><p>Anyone telling the general public that you must be joyfully ecstatic all the time to be <i>happy</i> is trying to sell you something, or trying to push something actively harmful, one of the two. <br /></p>Heroditus Huxleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11049569750742829144noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7529212130092758272.post-44620284579041212192023-09-19T10:33:00.001-05:002023-09-19T10:33:17.457-05:00Unkind and unfair<p>I was thinking about the resurgence of the '70's policies and their inevitable consequences, and I realized something. </p><p>We, as a nation, have become <i>profoundly</i> unkind and unfair. </p><p>History repeats; or if it doesn't straight up repeat, it rhymes. Or at least, that <i>used</i> to be the case, when it was actually <i>taught</i> as a series of choice/consequence pairs. Now, it just repeats. Over and over. About every twenty or thirty years. </p><p>We <i>used</i> to learn from history, until people who were kind and gentle and didn't want to traumatize the kids changed the way it was taught (at the behest of people who thought that they'd find it easier to seize power if it <i>wasn't</i> taught...and they were right). We no longer learn from the mistakes others have made; instead, we make our own. </p><p>When I was in school, I read history. I read a <i>lot</i> of history. Mostly because of the self-esteem movement blocking me from reading-level-appropriate fiction because "we don't want to make your classmate that <i>can't</i> read <i>feel</i> bad." I read a lot dissecting how <i>this</i> act led to <i>that </i>reprisal. </p><p>And then, I saw similar playing out on the playground: one of my classmates would be an asshole, and another classmate would bop them, or kick them, and their behavior straightened up. Action/choice led to obvious (and <i>fair</i>) consequences. </p><p>And so, children <i>used</i> to learn not to be dicks to each other. </p><p>I also saw when the "anti-bullying" turned from "Hey, y'all, stop being a dick to the weird kid" to "Oh, you poor, disenfranchised baby, you can be mean to anyone, and we'll punish <i>them </i>for applying consequences." </p><p>That was <i>profoundly</i> unkind, and unfair: kids <i>are</i> dicks. And they've got to learn that there are <i>consequences</i>. By preventing the consequences of their actions from being applied, the "kind" grownups removed an opportunity and an incentive to learn socially appropriate behavior. </p><p>It's spreading, even now: we've seen it with people living <i>way</i> above their means; we've seen it with businesses going under because they've made long-term stupid their missions statement. And it's because kids aren't taught consequences of their choices at young enough ages, because kids are protected from the fallout of their own stupid choices. </p><p>It's a profound disservice, and we're really starting to see the economic fallout: in slapping layers of regulations on businesses, the government are jacking up the costs of doing business. The businesses start jacking up prices, and people stop buying from them. The government slaps <i>more</i> regulations on the businesses, limiting how much they're allowed to charge, so the business cuts prices...but also cuts <i>quality</i>. Which drives more people away from them...and then the business starts failing. <br /><br />We've seen what happens when they're allowed to fail. Yes, it's horrible for the people employed by the business; however it's <i>worse</i> when the business is <i>bailed out</i> by the government. Especially when part of the bail out is <i>new</i> regulations that prevent <i>new </i>businesses from rising up and doing what the failing one was doing, but better and cheaper and higher quality, because there are better choices--smarter choices--being made. </p><p>Case in point: car makers with plants in the United States. The ones owned by American companies are infested with unions and slammed with regulations; the ones owned by foreign car manufacturers have <i>some</i> of the same regulations, but they're <i>not</i> infested with parasites on top of it. American car makers are failing; they're failing, and their <i>flailing</i> for government bailouts. </p><p>Unfortunately, those come with more shackles strings attached. </p><p>I say let them fail. Let the unions murder the jobs that they claim they're trying to protect. Let the <i>government</i> murder the <i>industries</i>. Let them <i>fail. </i></p><p><i>Maybe</i>, just <i>maybe</i>, we can figure out where the fail point was<i>, and fix the problem</i>. </p><p><i>But</i> it takes <i>failure</i>, it takes <i>natural consequences</i> to punish <i>bad choices</i> before we can even begin to recover. </p><p>The fail point is government. The fail point is regulations, regulatory costs, and the push by the stupid and uneducated toward the impossible. </p><p>It's not fair to the rest of us. It's not <i>kind</i> to us, or to our children. </p><p>We're not allowed to hit the bully back. We're not allowed to side-step the increasing regulations laid on vital infrastructure. </p><p>Sarah Hoyt says "Build over, build under, build around." And we're going to have to. Because the Gods of the Copybook Headings will not be gainsaid. </p><p>Not teaching that has been the harshest, most unfair, most <i>unkind</i> thing that weaponized "nice" has done.<br /></p>Heroditus Huxleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11049569750742829144noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7529212130092758272.post-63642626994934714402023-09-16T16:10:00.005-05:002023-09-16T16:10:37.197-05:00Of interest: <p>Yesterday, I grocery shopped in person. I forgot to set up a pick up earlier in the week, and my phone was dead anyway, so...yeah. </p><p>Anyhow, I have been needing new bathroom rugs for post-shower/post bath for a while. Walmart's options were...not good. All I wanted was basic, rubber-backed pile. In darkish brown or gray because those can go longer without needing washed because they look grody--or at least, look worse than they are. <br /><br />There were options at Walmart, but I didn't want memory foam--takes forever to dry--and all of the rubber-backed sorta carpet? Light colors or bright colors. All matchy-matchy with towels and wash cloths and all sorts of stuff. </p><p>And not a single option was less than about $9. None. </p><p>There were designers, designs, and color palettes that Walmart used to not carry, not bother with. Those were JC Penney or Target (both of which are having actual problems with falling market share, because in a lot of people's minds, Walmart meant cheaper...even if it's not anymore). What there <i>wasn't</i> was <i>basic level bath mats</i> in the <i>color families</i> I wanted. Almost everything <i>but</i> that, but not...<i>that.</i><br /><br />I'm not <i>settling</i> for something that isn't what I want, and paying <i>that much</i> to do so. Not for something <i>that basic</i>. If they'd had the general color families I wanted, in the material I wanted (rubber backed rugs were more like $16--the $9 option were the memory foam pads), I would have been less unwilling to pay that much for something that wasn't exactly what I was looking for. </p><p>Fifteen years or so ago, I joked about JC Penney having gone to the dogs: Penney's prices, but with Walmart quality levels. Walmart has now officially joined Penney's in having Penny's prices with Walmart quality. <br /><br />Dollar General has taken over the niche Walmart used to fill. Their prices are about what Walmart's used to be, on the types of things they used to carry. You know: dry goods, some semi-durable goods, paper goods, and cleaning supplies. Things like that. <br /><br />Dollar Tree has taken over what Dollar General has dropped: cheap shit that is about the most basic of the basic. THAT is where we found the bath mats I was willing to settle for, and I almost didn't have to settle: I got a slate-gray one, and a dusty purple one. </p><p>As we were waiting to check out and leave, there was a young couple in front of us with a cart full of kitchen supplies: some pots and pans, basic mixing bowls, and some tableware. Plastic drinking glasses. Paper towels, oven mitts. The most basic of the basic of setting up a kitchen. Total price was $42. <br /><br />My bathmats were $5 each. Yeah, the pile was sparser than I'd like, and the colors weren't exactly what I wanted. However. I will <i>settle </i>for<i> </i>almost right for $5 each. Not for double that, much less triple.<br /><br />I may go back there when I need to get new kitchen towels. Or dish rags. The basics of the basic. Because you don't need to pay Penney's prices at Walmart on basics when your budget is tight, and there are alternatives. <br /></p>Heroditus Huxleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11049569750742829144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7529212130092758272.post-5453476092626534292023-08-26T08:00:00.001-05:002023-08-26T08:00:00.140-05:00ADHD Hack: checklists<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBJN1t-p8kaX4u9c4kZTGCIzCXtT0H4U3JigZTfhJhI2eq9BKBVeHsK2vlafA7O8QP139sR01UMPU0xwGr3YcJGZuScSKF0MnjutdzLnDwVyVPkxlij0ErHdGwphpC7iocuYnbixsGlerkLruajUsQslxTCiz01853lWT0oojlOByi_Tv5Ka8phVZCy2dH/s1268/6efa89ab7f46ac852855950db9566d5158d8ef52eab1f4b932dab232601eb15a_1.webp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1268" data-original-width="893" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBJN1t-p8kaX4u9c4kZTGCIzCXtT0H4U3JigZTfhJhI2eq9BKBVeHsK2vlafA7O8QP139sR01UMPU0xwGr3YcJGZuScSKF0MnjutdzLnDwVyVPkxlij0ErHdGwphpC7iocuYnbixsGlerkLruajUsQslxTCiz01853lWT0oojlOByi_Tv5Ka8phVZCy2dH/w450-h640/6efa89ab7f46ac852855950db9566d5158d8ef52eab1f4b932dab232601eb15a_1.webp" width="450" /></a></div>I forget things. Badly. All the things. All the time. It's worse when I'm trying to clean the house because the tasks are so tedious that it's actively painful, if I don't let my mind wander. And sometimes, I get distracted mid-task by another task that needs to be done before I can finish what I had been doing. And then, I forget what I was doing, distracted by another idea, and wander off to write.<br /><p></p><p>(I get some <i>great</i> ideas while I'm doing housework, and carry a little notebook to pause and write them down...and that's one of the ways and reasons I get lost.) </p><p>So, how do I combat the whole "wait, what the fuck was I doing?" </p><p>Checklists. I have checklists. <i>So many checklists. </i>I have <i>every day</i> checklists (it's on the fridge, because it's mainly the "before I can even get started on my coffee" tasks). I have <i>day of the week</i> checklists. There's a whiteboard calendar on my fridge where I keep the weekly tasks noted, and the approaching appointments written. <br /><br />My checklists are exactly that: a list of tasks typed up with a space to check them off, printed, and slid into a page protector. I use a dry erase marker to check off finished tasks. <br /></p><p>What's on my checklists? I'm <i>glad you asked! </i>Because the things on my lists? Are the things that I'm <i>trying</i> to build into a routine. Into habit. Into something I do automatically enough that I don't have to think about it. <br /><br />"Things like what?" you may ask. </p><p><i>Everything. </i>I have <i>everything</i> on a checklist. From "make sure the kids have their breakfasts" to "make sure the kids have their lunches" to "make sure your <i>other half</i> has <i>his</i> lunch" to "make the kids follow <i>their</i> checklists.*" And all of that goes <i>before coffee. </i></p><p><i>Some of it </i>has made its way into habit (specifically, the making breakfast for the imp, who still won't make his own). But there's a lot that <i>hasn't. </i>Not even in doing the same thing every morning for decades. </p><p>My morning checklist ends with "get the kids to school." </p><p>Day of the week checklists involve straightening up a single room: the bathrooms; the entry hall, hallways, and the walk way into the kitchen; the kitchen, pantry, and utility rooms; the living room; the dining room and craft areas; the TV area; the bedrooms. Then, there's a week-of-the-month deep cleaning for each of those areas (thank you FlyLady!). </p><p>One thing I've managed to turn into a habit? Checking my checklist. It actually was one of the hardest things to turn into a habit (it feels overwhelming, sometimes). But it has kept me going, without forgetting too much. </p><p>Wait, where was I going again? Oh yeah, building routines. </p><p>How do checklists build routines? Easy: they help you not to get lost in your attempts to create habits of your day-to-day, every day chores. Eventually (maybe?), you won't even have to <i>look</i> at your checklist while you're moving through the chores--just remember to skim through it before you move on to make sure there's nothing you missed before you celebrate. Or you'll end up with the cat so disgusted by the litterbox (that you've forgotten for <i>weeks</i>)<i> </i>that she's peeing on anything fabric left on the floor...and sometimes, fabric that she's pulled onto the floor to cover up a puddle. </p><p>Seriously. Make yourself a checklist (or more than one). And use it. <br /></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;">*<i>The kids' checklists start with get dressed. Goes through assemble and eat breakfast. Take your morning meds--focus pills for one, allergy pills and vitamins for the other. Feed your pets. Wash hair, brush teeth, wash face, PUT ON DEODORANT!!! Get your stuff ready to get out the door. Are you wearing shoes? </i></span><br /></p>Heroditus Huxleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11049569750742829144noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7529212130092758272.post-74831624241254355842023-08-23T11:49:00.000-05:002023-08-23T11:49:15.411-05:00MUCH better<p>The school the kids go to fixed the absolute cluster-fuck they'd turned the drop-off into. It's not perfect, but it's a lot better, and now moving quicker. All the kids are still being dropped off at the same door, but they fixed the worst of the traffic flow issues (with pressure by and input from the local PD and FD). Instead of having traffic moving both ways (in and out) in the same driveway, they've got everyone coming in the side street at the back driveway, and going around the building in the other direction from what initial drop off was. There are two lanes for leaving the school's campus, depending on which way you'll be turning onto the MAJOR EAST-WEST ARTERY INTO TOWN the school sits on. <br /></p><p>There's currently only one drop-off lane, but I can see how they can reconfigure that to streamline things further.* <i>And</i> I think I could re-configure things <i>without</i> FUBARing dropping the imp off next to his first class.**</p><p>They reconfigured the drop off over the weekend. It still takes forever, compared to last year, but at least it's not a total cluster-fuck anymore. And as people get used to it, if it streamlines further, it might start taking no longer to drop the kids off than it did last year. Monday's drop off took double the time that it did from last year (but was so much better and less confusing--and less dangerous to both drivers and pedestrians), but Tuesday's was better, and today's was faster. </p><p>Better yet, I seem to be done with school shopping (until one of the kids hits a growth spurt and suddenly need new shoes/new jeans). I haven't had to go to Walmart this week at <i>all</i>, yet. And I don't plan to until grocery pickup. </p><p> Because I <i>need</i> to stop hemorrhaging money. August has really sucked for that, and for me <i>replacing</i> that. </p><p>And, speaking of, I need to go do some writing, so I have new things to sell <i>next</i> year. <br /></p><p><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">*Once drivers get to the end of the school building and turn back south, they <u>could</u> be funneled into a two lane drop-off, which would funnel naturally into the lanes for turning right or left onto the street. </span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">**There is a separate trailer--a modular classroom--that had to be added for the increased student body. It's a solid thirty or forty feet from the closest exterior door...and is a point of vulnerability that makes an absolute mockery of their "must use only <u>one door for entry for safety</u>!!!" policy. Imp's first class is in that building, so I pause to let him out so he doesn't have to fight the crowds to get to his locker then out to class on time.</span></i><br /></p>Heroditus Huxleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11049569750742829144noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7529212130092758272.post-53252082960723655442023-08-21T10:54:00.000-05:002023-08-21T10:54:49.968-05:00Dark brown sugar<p>I ran out of dark brown sugar, recently, and grocery day was still several days away. So, I improvised--and improved. </p><p>See, I've always gotten dark brown sugar, and I've noticed it getting...lighter. Much lighter. Honestly, that last bag of dark brown sugar was about as pale as the light brown sugar used to be (and the light brown sugar's...well, damn near plain <i>sugar</i>). I've always known brown sugar's nothing more than white sugar with molasses mixed in, so...I went hunting proportions. So that I had a starting point. </p><p>For every cup of white sugar, you add a tablespoon of molasses for light brown sugar; for dark brown, you add two tablespoons. </p><p>I made dark brown sugar. And I discovered, in so doing, that I've never actually <i>had</i> dark brown sugar. <br /><br />I will never buy brown sugar again. The dark brown sugar I <i>made</i> has <i>far</i> more--and better--flavor than anything I have ever picked up in the store. <br /></p>Heroditus Huxleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11049569750742829144noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7529212130092758272.post-27494462739675974372023-08-18T12:12:00.003-05:002023-08-18T12:12:51.156-05:00Hey, sorry.<p>It's been a while since I was able to sit down and blog, last. I've been chasing my own tail, trying to do ALL THE THINGS, all at once. I'm pretty sure I dropped a couple of balls, but I'm trying to pick them up. </p><p>The kids are back at school, as of day before yesterday. Last Monday was their back to school night, when we take them in, have them collect their schedules, and load their lockers.* And go around and meet teachers and pick up syllabi. <br /><br />...at which point, we find out that some of the things they need for some classes weren't noted on the school supply lists (which haven't been updated since they started there ten years ago). So I went to Walmart, and picked up the supplies. Except for the composition books. Walmart was out of their store brand of those. I'd assembled a collection of all the colors they were offering this year...and now, I don't have two of the colors. Because Walmart was <i>out.</i> </p><p>Wednesday was an utter cluster-fuck. Because they had a "potential intruder" scare last year, they've utterly fucked over the drop off. They've got ALL THE KIDS coming in the same door--the main one by the high school office. Instead of elementary being dropped off on the other side of the building. They've set up <i>traffic lanes</i>. Right lane for elementary, left for secondary. Right lane pulls around the building to turn out of <i>the worst exit onto Newman</i>. Left lane pulls around the ends of the parking lots to turn out of the <i>second</i> worst exit...if the driver's <i>smart</i> enough to pull through the <i>lower</i> parking lot, instead of just going around the outside of the <i>main</i> one, and through the incoming traffic and pedestrians. This absolute <i>brilliance</i> caused traffic to back up in front of the school on all four sides of the traffic light a quarter mile away from the school's driveways. <br /><br />And then Wednesday, the kids get home,** and the pixie tells me she needs <i>more</i>. Thankfully, Walmart still had a few spiral-bound notebooks still in stock. Not many, but some. And I found that what I'd wanted to get for Mom for her birthday (yesterday, in fact--she turned 78), was on the sales racks. </p><p>And then, Wednesday evening. Wednesday evening decided that I was going to have to go <i>back </i>to Walmart on <i>Thursday</i>. Because my Other Half's wireless mouse shat the bed. No worries, I thought, I'll grab that and...completely forgot to grab a gift bag for my mom's birthday present. </p><p>By that point, I was getting <i>supremely</i> frustrated. In <i>four days</i>, I'd been to Walmart <i>four times</i>. I just grabbed groceries for the week, and said to <i>hell</i> with making a curbside pickup order, since I <i>didn't want to go back</i>. </p><p>And then I got home, unloaded the groceries and got Mom's gift bagged up. <br /><br />And realized that I'd <i>utterly forgotten</i> to grab a couple of two-liter bottles of soda for the kids to use to get into their school-sponsored back-to-school bash...which is tonight. </p><p>I had my beloved other half pick them up. I am <i>not kidding</i> about "don't wanna go back to Walmart again this week." </p><p>He did. And without having to go out <i>again</i>, I've actually accomplished a few things today. Which makes me feel a little less like I've been spinning my wheels and making no progress on anything.</p><p>And maybe, just maybe, I can <i>finish that freakin' stuck turd</i> of a story that's blocking <i>everything else </i>before I go get the kids in two and a half hours. </p><p><br /></p><p><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">*I'm certain the imp's is already a mess, and the pixie's is...heading that way, but never as badly as his.<br /><br />**Pick-up was, thankfully, <u>not</u> the absolute cluster-fuck that drop-off was...and drop-off has not been the absolute shit-show that it was on Wednesday.</span></i></p>Heroditus Huxleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11049569750742829144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7529212130092758272.post-31383104258645973482023-07-01T11:03:00.006-05:002023-07-01T11:03:56.160-05:00It's alive!!!<p> I'm refusing to fight this post into being on Firefox--took way too much of my time and energy last time. This time I'm just...using Edge. Which actually works. Go figure. </p><p>Anyway...part 3 of <i>The Schrodinger Paradox</i> went live as of this morning. </p><p><br /></p><iframe type="text/html" sandbox="allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups" width="336" height="550" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen style="max-width:100%" src="https://read.amazon.com/kp/card?asin=B0C4BJBDLN&preview=newtab&linkCode=kpe&ref_=cm_sw_r_kb_dp_N8V5KS1R1RQNF6D9GZ9X" ></iframe>Heroditus Huxleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11049569750742829144noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7529212130092758272.post-28576750763618467702023-06-04T21:05:00.000-05:002023-06-04T21:05:11.924-05:00Bloody buggering hell!<p> Okay. I have been TRYING to get this stupid thing done and posted for days, now. I don't know if there's something going on with Blogger (likely not, since Wordpress is being a similar pain in my ass), or my browser (more likely, considering this seems to be working at the moment...). </p><p>Anyway. <i>The Schrodinger Paradox: Heisenberg's Point of Observation</i> is live, and has been since the first. </p><p><br /></p><iframe type="text/html" sandbox="allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups" width="336" height="550" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen style="max-width:100%" src="https://read.amazon.com/kp/card?asin=B0C43L447C&preview=newtab&linkCode=kpe&ref_=cm_sw_r_kb_dp_1H7SF7815VYK5072A173" ></iframe>Heroditus Huxleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11049569750742829144noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7529212130092758272.post-38420548287024240762023-05-08T14:20:00.000-05:002023-05-08T14:20:01.937-05:00Adulting<p>Did you know that some schools are offering classes in how to adult for their students? It involves things their parents ought to have been teaching them all along, but haven't. </p><p>Part of the problem there is that the parents may not have been taught by <i>their</i> parents. There are a lot of different possible reasons for <i>that</i>. It could fuel a whole <i>series</i> of blog posts, finding fault. It won't fix the problem, though. </p><p>Point of fact: adulting is hard. It's hard if you have a good idea of what you need to be doing going in. It's even harder if you don't, and fuels all sorts of psychological issues (imposter syndrome, anyone?). </p><p>It's almost impossible if there's executive function disorder involved. Mostly because people with executive function disorders <i>do not</i> just "pick things up." They've got to have explicit instruction.</p><p>Who has executive function disorders, and what are they? </p><p>Executive function disorders are the <i>cornerstone</i> of ADHD. It's a difference in the brain that makes it damn near impossible to figure out what's important, what priority the item should have, or how to even <i>begin a fucking task</i>. </p><p>I have not been diagnosed with ADHD. I'm almost certain I have it. Too much has added up to "probably" as I've researched what's going on in my son's brain, and how to help him learn to adult. And I have learned a lot about how <i>my</i> brain works...and how to trick it into adulting when it's screaming and flailing "no...don't wanna" in the corner. </p><p>Routines. Routines are <i>vital</i>. Turning things into auto-pilot makes adulting a lot easier, especially for those of us with executive function issues. </p><p>Routines are <i>hacks</i>. Except instead of "this one weird hack" being a get-rich-quick thing, it's a make-adulting-possible thing. It's a set of leg braces so that you can walk. </p><p>FlyLady says that there are two types of people in the world: those that are born organized* and those that aren't. </p><p>Developing routines is a way of imposing organization on disorganized brains so that you can actually function at life. </p><p>For a lot of us, adulting is impossible without that hack, without those braces. </p><p>I'll do a series of posts discussing how to create the routines around things. How to create your prosthesis system so that you can be a semi-functioning adult. </p><p>This post? This is just an answer to "but why do I gotta? It's so boring it's <i>painful</i>." </p><p>I <i>know</i> that. Setting the auto-pilot lets your brain do the interesting stuff while your body's doing the boring stuff. </p><p>Let me show you how I hacked my own brain. Let me help.<br /></p>Heroditus Huxleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11049569750742829144noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7529212130092758272.post-73181492099234303302023-05-02T08:30:00.000-05:002023-05-02T08:30:05.823-05:00It's Live!!!<p> </p><iframe type="text/html" sandbox="allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups" width="336" height="550" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen style="max-width:100%" src="https://read.amazon.com/kp/card?asin=B0C43M5KM6&preview=newtab&linkCode=kpe&ref_=cm_sw_r_kb_dp_4MDXXWJKY7PG3GR4S14Z" ></iframe>Heroditus Huxleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11049569750742829144noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7529212130092758272.post-11432705300704230552023-04-28T12:51:00.002-05:002023-04-28T12:51:18.030-05:00Stand by...<p>We have had two weeks of unseasonably cool weather for this part of the country, and this time of year. I know a lot of people complain about the hot, but I really am looking forward to it. </p><p>I know: it's on the way. My irises bloomed for the first time this year (yeah, only one stalk of blooms, but still). My roses are COVERED with buds, and will likely all burst into bloom within the next week. My <i>wild</i> roses are about the same, and so are my blackberries. My baby pecan trees are starting to put out leaf buds. Things are <i>indicating</i> that better weather's on the way...</p><p>But we're still having early-mid March weather at the end of April. And I'm <i>freezing</i>, today. </p><p>I'm really looking forward to the hot. </p><p>In other news, I put the first part of <i>The Schrodinger Paradox</i> up on Amazon. I put it up on Monday. Since then, it's been "in review." Which "could take up to 72 hours." </p><p>It's...still "in review." I contacted Amazon, and they said they're "running behind" on the process, and that if it's still marked "in review" on the first (when I set it to go live), to contact them again. </p><p>I have to wonder if they're stupid, or if they think <i>I</i> am. There are no live people in the process--it's an automated computer thing that has clearly glitched. They need to fix it. </p><p>So, I'm also waiting on <i>that</i>. And, given the utter shit handed me as an excuse, my book may not make my projected publication. Stand by. <br /></p><p>In the meantime...here's the cover art, and the back cover text.<br /><br /> <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizLyC48nF40QSvz4_78ff1BHKWZaoj31IJ9uhN1Qt1Tu4yE_fyDJ4F3dX-_M3i9UkeUPGvOo1cJdMR0_wvho-T0g-3tKMqfz3dGvfzWRQZ3Pu0Un-xGA6-oQg3wbB0sDqFOlZ0jn5zb9hVlakrMv536SUrJe5m8KshW8cwuz66298jwdULBm8_P1n1ow/s2700/Holly%20cataclysm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2700" data-original-width="1800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizLyC48nF40QSvz4_78ff1BHKWZaoj31IJ9uhN1Qt1Tu4yE_fyDJ4F3dX-_M3i9UkeUPGvOo1cJdMR0_wvho-T0g-3tKMqfz3dGvfzWRQZ3Pu0Un-xGA6-oQg3wbB0sDqFOlZ0jn5zb9hVlakrMv536SUrJe5m8KshW8cwuz66298jwdULBm8_P1n1ow/s320/Holly%20cataclysm.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The end is coming<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">.</i></b> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Unlucky jerk Tom Beadle was on watch at NASA when the
collision alert sounded: a new asteroid, bigger than the dino-killer, headed
for Earth. Big problem, but that's why we have NASA, right? Except, after
decades of budget cuts, NASA has no way to shove it off course. That job has to
be contracted out. Will the private sector company his best friend from college
works at succeed where the government option failed? Might be best to have a
backup plan, just in caseā¦</p>
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<![endif]-->Heroditus Huxleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11049569750742829144noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7529212130092758272.post-33623609590741032922023-04-10T11:13:00.019-05:002023-04-10T11:20:58.556-05:00Oh, you idiots.<p>So. The receptionists at the doctor's office in the local hospital systems I use? Yeah...</p><p>They're probably going to get shit-canned, sometime soon. No more paycheck, no more awesome health insurance for working in the hospital system, no more retirement program. Nothing. </p><p>And they deserve <i>every bit</i> of it. </p><p>As does every individual who's a "living wage minimum wage" proponent. </p><p>Why am I saying this? Glad y'all asked! </p><p>The bunch screeching that the minimum wage doesn't allow enough to live on are...either union shills* or require a tiny voice beneath their ear, reminding them to breathe in, breathe out. And close your mouth, you drooling nitwit. </p><p>Minimum wage is not, and never was, intended for people to live on. Minimum wage was intended, from the get-go, as a racist method of preventing minorities from under-cutting what the white workers were charging for the same amount of work. And when that passed, the white workers started demanding more, for doing the same work, and...the minorities accepted the minimum to HAVE a job. So, in reality, the initial intent DIDN'T EVEN WORK. </p><p>As it functions now, minimum wage jobs are...trainer-jobs. They're the ones that are part time, dumb work geared toward the lowest skill level. </p><p>The jobs paying minimum wage? Most of those are, and have always been, taken by teenagers. Teens who still live at home, where they don't HAVE to worry about their living expenses. And they get a raise if they stick with the job for 90 days. <br /></p><p>These workers don't need health insurance--they're still on their parents' plans**--and they're not even starting to consider retirement. I suppose they <i>could</i> be offered a <i>college savings account</i>. That would actually be a semi-useful benefit for part-time minimum wage jobs; however, that's the <i>only</i> thing I can think of that minimum wage starting pay jobs should consider offering. </p><p>Adults that take the minimum wage, no-skill jobs? The vast majority of them <i>deserve</i> that. Or less. They're...useless. And they're often a drain on the employers' bottom line. Should probably qualify as a tax break, considering the value they DON'T add, if they're minimum wage and STAY there. </p><p>Case in point: I have had friends start minimum wage, fast food jobs as adults. Because their physical health precluded them from taking some of the heavier factory work type jobs that (frankly) pay better. They got a raise in <i>two weeks. </i>Within <i>six</i> weeks, they were promoted to team lead. The store was
making noises about promoting them to SHIFT manager, then STORE manager
within six months. Every promotion came fast, and with a fairly hefty pay bump. They kept <i>getting</i> those because they showed up, on time, ready to work, for every shift they were scheduled. Or <i>called</i> if there was something that was going to <i>prevent</i> that. Like when they got <i>food poisoning</i>. <br /></p><p>That is a very low bar to clear. Show up. Sober. On time. Do the job. </p><p>Why does it seem so impossible for so many? </p><p>I've noted a lot of places like that are...no longer hiring. Instead of paying financial drains on the company by hiring no-skilled workers that won't, they're putting in kiosks. They're putting in robots that do the kitchen work. The only workers they're actually <i>hiring</i> are IT people to maintain and troubleshoot the automation. Maybe one or two people per shift. </p><p>So. As we are seeing with this, the <i>real</i> minimum wage is...no wage at all. </p><p>Back to the doctor's office.</p><p>What does the receptionist do? She answers the phone. She sets appointments. She inputs patient information, if it's not already in the patient file. </p><p>Except...now, she <i>doesn't</i>. She doesn't <i>answer</i> the phone: there's an idiot push-button phone tree that reads off a two minute automated shpiel that urges patients to be <i>absolutely sure</i> they want their <i>primary care doctor</i>, rather than the urgent care (number provided) or the emergency department (no, I will NOT abbreviate that, TYVM. I already have issues with the giggles calling it the "emergency department"). And when you FINALLY wait through all <i>that</i> crap, you get "press one to make or reschedule an appointment" or "press two to talk to the nurse" and instructions to have the <i>PHARMACY</i> contact them if you need refills, rather than doing it yourself. Then you'd make your appointment, go check in...</p><p>...but now, you're not <i>checking</i> in. You've already done that with the electronic stuff that was the receptionist's job. </p><p>I'm not sure if the receptionists whined about the tedium or what's going on, but they're <i>not</i> answering phones anymore. They're <i>not</i> helping you figure out who you need to talk to. They're <i>not</i> doing your check-in work. They're...setting your appointments. And...</p><p>...doesn't that sound like what fast food is doing? Adding automation and dumping the useless money drains? </p><p>Really, the receptionists should have been <i>balking</i> this automation at every turn, rather than cheering the lightening of their work load. Because like fast food, the office managers are going to look at what they're doing, and ask "Why are we paying you and paying for your health insurance, again?"</p><p>Effectively, minimum wage is none at all. And apparently, that "minimum" is climbing the ranks of jobs that get it. <br /><br /><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">*Union pay scale is tied to minimum wage: it's set a certain dollar amount higher automatically by position. <br /><br />**Kids are on their parents' insurance well into early adulthood, now...so why offer insurance to minimum wage workers? Who are <u>teenagers</u>?</span></i><br /></p>Heroditus Huxleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11049569750742829144noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7529212130092758272.post-71941299420620567142023-04-09T09:15:00.002-05:002023-04-09T09:15:25.062-05:00He is Risen!<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6CHbNdtSDd1mEjPiHduScMTiFOeBsMTok_zHviy5KArCd-wPnZfg-UMWPDR2csM7NApyXn0ubiENCSkfCtUOigzvRDnPZlt-_gx2MCPIm1v_z3-C3lk_M92kwuS6_OuM0cvrd0UAvBo8-qTmXszJjDivlsXhBXc8lqYWZcSkC3KiqOxdLgHAebLyYDQ/s583/happy%20easter.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="426" data-original-width="583" height="469" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6CHbNdtSDd1mEjPiHduScMTiFOeBsMTok_zHviy5KArCd-wPnZfg-UMWPDR2csM7NApyXn0ubiENCSkfCtUOigzvRDnPZlt-_gx2MCPIm1v_z3-C3lk_M92kwuS6_OuM0cvrd0UAvBo8-qTmXszJjDivlsXhBXc8lqYWZcSkC3KiqOxdLgHAebLyYDQ/w640-h469/happy%20easter.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /> <p></p>Heroditus Huxleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11049569750742829144noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7529212130092758272.post-73648821400552611382023-03-30T13:12:00.003-05:002023-03-30T13:12:48.285-05:00Adventures in breadmaking<p>My most beloved other half recently got me a bread machine.* I <i>used</i> to have one, but gave it away to an aunt because I barely used it, and because I developed an allergy to wheat. </p><p>Gluten free bread is...expensive. And most of it really isn't good enough to justify the price charged for a Walmart brand loaf of standard white sandwich bread...on <i>sale</i>. Gluten free <i>flour</i> is expensive, but not <i>that</i> much more than regular flour, really. Not enough to justify the difference in <i>bread</i> cost. </p><p>I went looking for bread machines for making gluten free bread. Because I really don't have the energy budget to just do it by hand, not really. </p><p>I found them. Several, at several different price points. I put the one I thought would do in my Amazon wish list. </p><p>It's...a bread maker. Fairly easy to use. Has recipes in the back for a few different basic types of bread. Including gluten free bread. So, I gathered up my courage and got a new jar of breadmaker yeast, and gave it a try. </p><p>It was easy enough: measure the ingredients, and put the liquid ones in the bottom. Mix the dry (except the yeast, and dump them on top of the liquid. Then add the yeast on top. Set the cycle, and set it going. </p><p>It smelled...<i>almost</i> right. The recipe lacked eggs, and wheat flour smells different from other types of flour. The baking cycle finished while I was getting the kids. I fished the bucket out and dumped the loaf out onto the cooling rack. <br /></p><p>It smelled okay, but it didn't <i>look</i> quite right. Granted, gluten free bread lacks what browns on normal bread, so I was expecting the very pale look of the loaf, but it was...squat. I sliced into it, and found out <i>why</i>. It...failed to rise. I made the 1.5 lb loaf, and it didn't rise. My yeast was <i>new</i>. I followed instructions. I went looking for answers about what happened online. </p><p>As it turns out, what happened was the breadmaker. It was programmed to do two knead cycles. Which is one knead cycle more than gluten free bread needs. </p><p>Normal bread, for example, has gluten in it, which provides a protein structure for the yeast to inflate. You <i>have</i> to punch it down part of the way through the knead cycle, or you end up with everything overflowing. </p><p>Gluten free flour...yeah, it'll rise, but not as well as wheat flour, and it WON'T rise again if it's knocked down. It's wimpy like that.</p><p>Still, in spite of making a loaf with the consistency of a small rock, the bread machine's recipe was fairly good on flavor. I will be trying the recipe again, but on the quick bread setting, rather than the gluten free setting. We'll see how that turns out. </p><p><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">*Bread machine is Amazon's house brand, and was a birthday gift. </span></i><br /></p>Heroditus Huxleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11049569750742829144noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7529212130092758272.post-55957731841043194282023-03-13T08:41:00.001-05:002023-03-13T08:41:46.806-05:00Dear Amazon:<p>As a long time customer and book buyer, I'm <i>incredibly grateful</i> for your existence. I became even <i>more</i> grateful when you opened the world of publishing to people who don't want to sell their souls for the chance to see their name in print on their very own book. I love the Kindle Unlimited subscription, and generally don't mind your marketing, because you've recommended some very cool new stuff for me to read, based on what I've read in the past.*</p><p>However. </p><p>I have noted recently that your recommendations have been...off.</p><p>I haven't read very many traditionally published books in years. And almost all of your recommendations are trad pub. They're...tired. Trite. Boring as fuck. And preachier than they are boring. Some of them are okay, but never more than that. </p><p>I haven't <i>ever</i> read women's lit, romance, romance-themed urban fantasy, <i>book club fiction</i>, or the whining naval-gazing of any women's memoirs. None of that is entertaining, and the women's memoirs make me want to fling the book, scream, and slap the shit out of the writer. </p><p>And let me share a few key words in your book descriptions that make me <i>run the fuck away</i> from <i>ever</i> looking at any particular book: <br /></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>"Critically acclaimed"</li><li>"groundbreaking"</li><li>"Best Seller" </li><li><i>"New York Times </i>best seller"</li><li>"award winning"</li><li>"Hugo Award winning"</li></ul><p>If your ad blurb mentions <i>any</i> of the above, I nope the fuck out. If your ad blurb is <i>nothing but </i>reviews, awards, "everyone's reading this book," I nope the fuck out. </p><p>Wanna know what I want to see in the ad blurb? I want to see <i>what the book is about</i>. I want a basic, one sentence plot summary. I do <i>not</i> give a <i>flying fuck</i> that other people are reading this book. In fact, the popularity might make me <i>nope</i> the fuck out, too, because the standard, average person is, at best, a vapid twatwaffle that needs a crowd of twatwaffles around them, all exclaiming how cool the latest thing they're reading is...and most of them won't enjoy it, or possibly even understand it. </p><p>Want to know what I <i>do</i> read? What you can improve your bottom line by pushing? </p><p>That's easy.<i> You're doing it already</i>. You're already tracking my husband's and my reading habits.</p><p>I'd ask why you're pushing dreck that <i>I wouldn't read on a fucking bribe</i>, but I already know. I've heard about the internal memos chirping happily about pushing trad pub (in spite of what it's going to do to the bottom line), and the latest "sensitive" or "nuanced fiction." </p><p>I know <i>why</i>, too. </p><p>Marxist-trained business majors are <i>not</i> who you want running a company. They don't understand that <i>making money</i> is more important to a company than "moral business choices." If, in fact, they understand what "moral business choices" actually <i>are</i>. </p><p>And given what I've heard about warehouse working conditions and worker safety? I strongly doubt they actually <i>do</i>. </p><p>There's a good reason I haven't even considered using your advertising services. I don't think I'd get a good return for my money, and with the way you've screwed the pooch on choosing trad pub dreck over much better stories published independent <i>through your services</i>, where you get a cut of any sales I make, I don't think you'd get good value, either. </p><p>I probably won't stop shopping for books on Amazon. But I'm certainly going to just be deleting the "Recommended for you" emails as soon as they hit my inbox from now on. </p><p>Or maybe I'll open those so I can see who you're pushing hardest so I don't trip over more crap in my escapist reading. <br /></p><p><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">*Tracking spending for advertising purposes is creepy and intrusive as fuck, but USELESS if you're not paying attention and using it for making recommendations.</span></i><br /></p>Heroditus Huxleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11049569750742829144noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7529212130092758272.post-14838995450915189582023-03-07T14:01:00.000-06:002023-03-07T14:01:14.809-06:00Cool.<p>Last weekend, both my mother and my mother in law sort of jumped the gun on my birthday. Mom & Sis got me Guns 'N' Roses <i>Appetite for Destruction</i>, and my mother-in-law gave me a framed print (which I LOVE), and a Walmart gift card. </p><p>I had <i>asked</i> for <i>Appetite</i>. I used to have copies--one on cassette tape (which got eaten by a past tape player, so I no longer have...even if I had a tape player to listen to it with), and one on (burned) CD. Which wouldn't play any longer.* I really hadn't expected to get the album. Quite honestly, I expected them to balk, hard, at it. It's...something. And it's not something I'll play around the kids (with the exception of about three or four of the songs). <br /></p><p>Sunday evening, I dragged my other half with me to Walmart, because I knew <i>precisely</i> what I wanted to do with part of that card: a quiet USB keyboard. I can't <i>stand</i> rattly keyboards when I'm writing fast. HATE them. It's like sitting next to somebody chewing loudly with their mouth hanging open. </p><p>I got this one: <a href="https://www.walmart.com/ip/onn-Wireless-Silent-Fullsize-Keyboard/705979228?fulfillmentIntent=Shipping" target="_blank">Onn Wireless Silent Keyboard</a>. It's not quite <i>silent</i>, mind you, but it's very, very close. Yeah, it's almost certainly made in China, is probably a cheap POS, and will likely quit working within the year; however, at the price point, <i>it's replaceable</i>. </p><p>The good points: it's a full-sized keyboard, and all of the keys are standard size/placement, and there's a raised ridge at the bottom of the F and the J keys. I touch type, so those are<i> really important</i>. Especially the standard size: I had a laptop that had a half-sized shift key, with...something else between the question mark and the shift key. I routinely <i>missed the shift </i>with my right pinkie, and had to go back and fix whatever got FUBARed instead of capitalized. </p><p>It's <i>quiet</i>. It's probably the quietest keyboard I've ever used. </p><p>It's lightweight. And it uses standard, AAA batteries, so easy to replace. And it's got an on/off switch on the bottom, to not waste your battery life when you're not using it. </p><p>It was seriously inexpensive. I'm not kidding: I went looking for a silent keyboard, and the next price point is $20 higher than this one. <br /></p><p>The bad points: It's a standard, straight keyboard. There's no bend to it for even slightly improved ergonomics. There's no flip-down legs to adjust it, if I were to set it on a desk and try to use it (not really an issue for me--even at a desk, I tend to type in my lap). It's Made In China, so it will probably crap out within the year. </p><p>Really, though, the good points heavily outweigh the bad points, and the bad ones aren't...really an issue for me. <br /></p><p>Yesterday, I dropped the kids off at school, came home, got the rest of my coffee, and turned on my speaker. Queued up <i>Appetite for Destruction</i> on repeat. Set up to write. </p><p>And got around 4K words added to <i>Certified Public Assassin</i> in the seven hours they were gone. </p><p>The book <i>really likes</i> G&R. That album in specific. And the keyboard is comfortable to work with, and doesn't drive me nuts. <br /></p><p><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">*Did you know that burned CDs will quit working after a while? I didn't. In any case, I've got the CD loaded on my laptop, so that point is moot. </span></i><br /></p>Heroditus Huxleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11049569750742829144noreply@blogger.com2