Merry Xmas to all!

       I decided to post at least once this month before the year's end. Anyway, here I am with warm wishes for the few that follow. I don't want to skip a month like I've done in the past. Don't even get me started about 2012, for that matter.

       I am scheduled for my booster in mid-January. Now I just need to wear a N95 mask, keep distancing, and sterilizing my hands every chance I get. Omicron is out there and it's looking to infect anyone and everyone. I'm off for a bit and wondering how the second half of the school year will progress. The numbers have gone into the stratosphere of late, so we might be locking down and going virtual again. This year has been close to normal and it's incredibly frustrating to think that we might be leaving near normal again.

      This year, I actually made the effort to buy more than gift cards for my nearest and dearest. I won't be going anywhere for Boxing Day and it looks like I am not alone in keeping my distance this year. Two of my cousins have little babies and they, above all, do not want to get a visit from Omicron. Sounds like an evil wizard, doesn't it? So I have yet to open up my aging computer because I'm that lazy. More TS4 pics until further notice.

 

     Will 2022 be a better year? I am trying to be optimistic. To the happy few, I wish you all better times and great hope that the future is not nearly as interesting as the present has been.

BYE.

My apologies

     While I have yet to dust my compy and see if it works still, I still want to rule over sims so I humbly apologize for the atrocities I am going to post on this blog from time to time. All pics of sim activity will have to be, for the time being, from TS4. My shame is enduring but my laziness is worse.

      On the literary front, I've started reading a Maya Banks novel. Call her a guilty pleasure if you will. I plugged in my car last night, as it was very cold out. Besides that, I do not have very much to share. Take care and stay warm, guys.

 

BYE.

Avoidance

       So we got our first big snowfall of the year and my car got stuck in a rut (aren't we all so stuck in ruts?). Yeah, so I'm home today and not very happy about that. It was Remembrance Day yesterday so I was off from work. You might think I'm thrilled about having a four-day weekend but I'm just frustrated. I hope someone can clear some of the parking lot so I can at least get my car back in its stall because I couldn't make the turn and got stuck. A very nice dude who was shoveling out behind his vehicle helped me to at least park out of the way of oncoming cars. Not that anyone's going to make that turn right now.

       A lot of outraged shrieking in the car, let me tell you. Nothing to do but wait. At least I'm safe and warm. Also, I'm not the only staff member who could not make it into work today. Meanwhile, I'm avoiding my compy. I need to open it up and give it a good blast of air because I want the ghost in the BIOS to go away. It's been at least a week since I turned it on. I'm not going to say what I've been playing, Sims-wise, because I uninstalled that piece of dreck from the compy a long time ago. Why I installed it on my lappy, I cannot explain. I'm sad and pathetic; that's all there is to it.

       Now for something very important - after the fact, but still...

 

Shout-out to John https://www.flickr.com/photos/shebalso/44385637204  for the image.

       That is all for now. If you would like to see some Sims stuff, I only have the dreck for you currently. 

BYE.

Ghost in the BIOS

      I have an elderly computer, and from time to time, the ghost of the old BIOS rises up and yells at me about my CPU fan not working. I have two fans - one for the CPU and one for the GPU - and this morning, even as the old BIOS beeped at me, both fans were pouring out lovely cool air. Sooner or later, I know I will have to say goodbye to this distinguished elder. The only things I will feel bad about losing are the documents I have saved on there - if there's still time, I'll see what I can do about sending those files to my shiny laptop - and TS3. I am just not sure I will be able to install TS3 to this laptop. I have all the original disks and I think I know how to avoid that bastard patch 1.69, but I don't know how well TS3 will play with Windows 10.

      Meanwhile, I'm typing this post on my laptop. My cat would like to gnaw the cord, but I'm doing my best to keep her away. I have nearly updated everything on the laptop and soon I'll play some Saints Row the Third just because I want to give somebody a solid thumping. I hope the ghost goes away again for a while. I think there's a way to get around the ghost but I cannot recall what that trick is. If any of you have dealt with the curse of American Megatrends and know about this damn ghost, please let me know so I can commiserate.

      No pics today as all of my pics are on the ancient compy. 😢

BYE.

Nationalist Whining

      I got so caught up in seeing some of my relatives that I completely forgot the real reason for posting yesterday. Forgive the whining that is to follow, but nobody reads my blog anyway; and it's my stomping ground, so why shouldn't I say what I will?

     I get that White People are Jerks and that the Indigenous community has been kicked around for centuries. Indigenous people deserve far, far better lives than what they keep getting. If the likes of Sitting Bull, Big Bear, and their fellow leaders had known of the messes still to come, they would have done well to tear through the white settlements and set us all to flame, tomahawk, and bullet. I get all this. No amount of money will make up for this enduring tragedy, but that seems to be all White people want to do.

     What is bumming me right out is seeing the Canadian flag at an eternal half-mast. Yes, I know Canada does not have a great deal to be proud about, but damn it, THE FLAG DESERVES BETTER! This is one boomer (brought into being in 1965) that deserves some freaking respect. Can we just bring it back to its traditional place on the damn flagpole, PM Aimless? Maybe for a fortnight and then we can go back to the perpetual funeral? Mourning the deaths of all Indigenous children and people is important, but it's going to be 2035 and the flag will probably still be at half-mast.

     That was all I really had to say. Here a couple of pictures to cheer myself up.

 

BYE.

Angry Friday, Great Saturday

       So my fuse is short. Four-day week because of Thanksgiving (Canadians first, ye Yanks) but that was three days too longer for my lack of good temper. I was not the only one who felt this way. Burnout and it's just October. That was yesterday, anyway. Today I went to my cousin's baby shower - we were all double vaxxed - and I got to see (and hug) some of the best extended family members I know. My memère is going to get a fourth great-grandchild next month. Girls outnumber boys in my family, and have for three generations. My memère had four daughters and one son; at my level, there are three grandsons vs. six granddaughters. At the next level down, there are two girls and one boy, and a third girl on the way.

     It was a lovely baby shower. My cousin got everything but the kitchen sink in the gifting, and she had insisted we not play any games. My esteem for her was already high, but it went through the roof today. Anyway, it's been a while since I posted anything so here you go. It rained a bit this past week but is clear and cool today. I also got to meet my other cousin's son - the last time I saw him, he was in his mom's belly. So many hugs. The little guy has a perfectly frowny face and fusses a little. Moves like a snake across the floor if you put him on his stomach.

    That's all I have for you. No pics today.

BYE.

Tomorrow

       It is the Day of Truth and Reconciliation, and Manitoba has declared it to be a stat holiday. Two facts to remember where tomorrow is concerned.

      "I wish to acknowledge that we are gathered on Treaty 1 territory, traditional territory of the Anishinaabeg, Cree, Oji-Cree, Dakota, and Dene Peoples, and on the homeland of the Métis Nation." (https://www.csps-efpc.gc.ca/tools/jobaids/terr-acknowledgement-eng.aspx)

       This is the first thing usually said at school assemblies. Treaty 1 land encompasses all of Winnipeg and much of Southern Manitoba. The second thing to remember is that White People are Jerks. I'm as white as snow, so I can say that. Anyway, I will remember these two facts all throughout the day. Especially the second fact, as I am redolent with self-loathing.

        Anyway, Friday I'll be back to work. Also, here are some images.

        Also...

BYE.

Happy anniversary?

           By now, the milestone has been achieved and much virtual ink has been spilled. 9/11 has become a classic event in our history. Yes, anything eventful that took place at least 20 years ago is automatically a classic. Not something to be pleased about, mind you. However, enough virtual ink and soundwaves have gone into discussing 9/11 for another year. In 2026, I expect even more chatter and articles. A quarter-century since the skyline was rewritten, a quarter-century since the War on Terror was declared, and a quarter-century full of chatter and chyrons.

           In the meantime, simming continues. My aged compy gave me a flurry of worry, but it's still churning and working fine. A beast in the BIOS lurks and every once in a while, it pops up and beeps at me. However, it went back below the waves and all is well for the moment. Once my elder PC dies for real, that probably means the end of TS3. TS4 is a load of garbage (imho) and I will not be insulting my laptop by installing it there. I finished reading 'Villette' yesterday and have started reading 'Heathcliff redux'. Meh for the time being. Is Lily Tuck all that and more?

          Speaking of Sims, my departed fairy Donna was married twice. Her second husband noted that her first husband was buried in the garden, and with said hubby's ghost wandering around, became suspicious. Here is what happened when I finally let him accuse her of cheating.

         

 

 

 

         

And here are two townies making their own sweet music.

         I well remember the month of September. Will I be in clover the month of October?

BYE.

The stuff and the other stuff

    All the walking I've been doing has lead to me getting dry and cracking heels. I can lotion them until the cows come home and it does not seem to help. I've had suggestions on better lotions - more foot-specific but far more expensive lotions. Perhaps I will one day crack - puns, yeah - and purchase that incredible foot-specific stuff for my withered heels. Oh, and my cat just met the neighbour's dog a moment ago. My furry little turd hissed at that decent little doggy - bit of a jerk, eh?

    So here we are in September. The kids make their triumphant return this Friday. Gotta love the school system. Well, at least Goertzen took over from that insufferable piece of garbage Pallister. Yeah, another miserable Tory, but he proved he's at least human by trashing the loathsome Bill 64. We don't need such a miserable amalgamation gumming up the works. So, the last time I posted, I mentioned three books that had caught my eye. I also said something about mentioning three books I'd read in August. So here we go, ye awesome few!

 

 I don’t read LGBTQ+ titles very often; nor do I read coming-of-age stories very often. I chose to fill both gaps with Chris Gill’s “The Nowhere”. Seb and his crusty, grumpy father live out on the Outback – an isolated existence until Jake moves next door with his family. The story starts in medias res with Seb in his thirties and feeling a little lost. It jumps back to his teens and forward again as Seb strives to reconcile his feelings about the secrets he keeps.  (5 out of 5 stars)

 

Grace Lin’s “When the sea turned to silver” is a phenomenal read, and I  wanted to read more of her works. “Where the mountain meets the moon” is stellar as well. Young Minli goes on her story-telling quest to find the Man in the Moon and ask for his help. Warm, wise, and exciting, readers will be enthralled by the cast of immortal characters from Chinese legend.  It’s aimed at middle-school but would be great for nearly anyone. (5 out of 5 stars)

 

 

 

 

Chellamuthu’s journey from India to the U.S. and then back to India is heartbreaking and powerful. I’d never heard of him, but I was entranced by his story with Camron Wright’s “The orphan keeper”. Chellamuthu’s life as a child was hard, but losing his parents and his world crushed him. His reinvention as Taj Khyber Rowland when he reaches his new family in the U.S. is just something he has to do to keep himself together. It’s a potent, tragic story and one I am glad I got to read. (4½ out of 5 stars)

 

 

      

 

        So that is the book update. No, I don't plan to post my three favourite books for September. This was just something I said I would do. I need to post more entries here, don't I?

BYE.

Books on the brain

        I used to gush at length about the books I've crossed paths with. This took a back seat to TS3 but I think it's time to go over some of the books I've enjoyed recently. The summer is a great time to get in a bunch of reading, so here we go with three of the best titles from the month of July.

 

 In the days of the Civil War, it was the Southern Democrats who were the racist scum while the Republicans were the good guys. I have no idea when the role reversal took place and why but I suspect it was gradual. It’s been on my mind of late thanks to Brenda Wineapple’s ‘The impeachers: the trial of Andrew Johnson and the dream of a just nation’. I couldn’t help but feel a ‘plus ça change’ vibe while I read this book. Racism to spare and Andrew Johnson ends up acquitted. Sound familiar? I wonder if Wineapple has written anything else? (4 out of 5)

 

 

 

 

 Susan Spann is my go-to for shenanigans in the time of the Shogunate with her Shinobi Mystery series.  Father Mateo and his samurai protector Hiro face potential death after vowing to bring the guilty to justice in ‘Claws of the cat’. This is just the beginning of this fantastic series starring our heroes. Currently, my library does not have the fourth book available, so I have the fifth one warming up in the bullpen. Still, this first book is fantastic and I recommend it highly. (4 out of 5)

 

 

 

 

 

In the days of Early New England, people still remembered Matthew Hopkins. Rev. Cotton Mather was New England’s take on the Witchfinder General, I believe, and he crops up a fair bit in John Demos’ ‘Entertaining Satan’. The father of lies and torment must have been greatly entertained by the goings-on to be found in this book. The scolds, the elders, the eccentrics, and the poor were the ones to come under scrutiny, but I did not find as much burning at the stake here. Just lawsuits. Gods, the lawsuits! This book was a bit dry but Demos did what he could. A meticulous study on the small-town mentality of Early New England. (5 out of 5)

 

    

 

      I hope to have the three best titles from August for you soon. Take care of each other and have a great day.

 

BYE.