Updates Are Us
I can't believe how long it's been since I actually posted something, or responded to other folks. Here's my "n things makes a list" post.
1. Vincent is settling in, and Opie, while continuing to growl, seems to be getting used to him. I was saddened when I saw Vincent awaken to the fact that "this other little ginger guy actually doesn't like me! Why?" but I'm hoping that they'll eventually get comfortable with each other. We got a new cat litter pan, or more accurately, a "litter loo" that is essentially a mini-shed for holding the real litter pan. It's taller than our old Booda-box, which allows Vincent to get in, turn around, etc., without getting his fur into the litter or his own leavings (and that is still a big problem; I can hardly wait for his Feb. 2 grooming date, during which he'll have the fur around his butt trimmed. Cleaning a very big cat's behind is an exercise for two people, and it's tough to do well even with two.) The litter loo has the added benefit of being a small table, providing another horizontal surface in a kitchen that needs them.
2. Last Saturday, I attended a Pioneer Press reunion-cum-goodbye-for-the-buyouts-and-earlier-laid-offs party. It was one of the most surprisingly positive, and positively intense, gatherings I've recently been to. Somewhere between 30 and 50 people attended, nearly all of them Pioneer alumni of various types. I saw people I hadn't seen in decades; I saw three of my old editors, including one who I'd served under in the late 1980s; she told me that seeing me and my colleagues was the only reason she'd braved the weather that night (it was pretty bad.) I didn't even mind seeing my last editor; he might have been what tipped me over into taking the buyout, but I realized that I could interact with him pretty darned pleasantly when we weren't forced to interact on a professional basis. There were loads of hugs, freely and enthusiastically given and received. One of my buyout colleagues said, .as we headed home, that it was very much like a high school reunion; you realize that even the people you hated or feared as a high school student have turned into people you are happy to see.
3. A couple of nights ago, I was feeling kind of down - can't even remember why - and my beloved husband put on the first episode of "The War Games," the final adventure for the Second Doctor. We binged the entire adventure over two nights, and it was rollicking good fun. The pacing was remarkably decent, and I was surprised at how much action there was, since I think the received wisdom is that it was the Third Doctor who was action-oriented, and not the Second. The acting varied from "a bit better than decent" to "OMG this is horrible, and it's viewable only as scenery-chewing OTT fun!" The fellow playing the War Chief was marginally better than the guy playing the security chief, and the War Lord was actually pretty good. It was my first encounter with Jamie and Zoe; both actors did well, especially Frazier Hines. Of course, it doesn't do to inspect the plot too closely, lest one break out into snickers and, eventually, guffaws. But I'm so glad I saw it.
4. We in Chicago are bracing for the coldest week thus far this 2018-2019 winter season. By Wednesday, the high temp. for the day will be -10F, and the wind will put daytime wind-chills close to -25. The night time temps and windchills for Tuesday and Wednesday are even more dire. I therefore went out today and got all the necessary things we'll need; Japanese fish cake, bean sprouts, seitan, fried tofu, Japanese and Korean baked goods, mochi, curry and mapo tofu mix ... WHAT??!?
5. Also? Roger Stone was arrested and indicted. The world got a little brighter ....
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james_davis_nicoll for alerting me to it.
