Writing headlines is hard. You have to compress an article into a phrase or two. And you have to fit an exact and usually inconvenient line space. Two images below: What the NYT is running on line. (h/t @jaywillis.net for calling this one out.) And what would fit exactly the same space, by me.

From has some strongly soapy aspects that I don’t love, but the humor is good and Scott McCord, who plays Victor, is really great. Even more so when you see the alt version of his character in his Dad’s delusions.

Only 5 loans at once on Libby is bullshit. Just had to put a title back on hold after waiting like 2 months and put another title that I’d requested last year & just came in on hold also. Hmph.

Just saw a pack of thirteen year olds daring each other to eat an unwashed tomato

Sigh. Gonna have to step up my “filling pill pockets with capsule powder” game. Have an idea tho. I have some very tiny funnels. That might work. Hm.

Padma: the fuck is “stoppage time”? Feed me!

French fan just shaking his head in resignation is relatable and realistic at this point.

I’ve been off salads lately so mostly it’s worries about fresh strawberries that have got my attn right now. And I only really like kale roasted anyway.

Lazy minimal heat generating cooked broccoli: a bunch of chopped broccoli in a microwave container with a couple tbsp water & 2-3 min on high. Drain, put in serving bowl; add toppings. (What we’re having tonight)

And now I know that I need to pay full attention when I’m trying to put the lid back on the little bowls I have spread around for the grazer cats. Trying to do it while watching soccer ended messily. Sigh.

I hope that E. Jean Carroll is blasting this (or her preferred equivalent) at top volume today: youtu.be/ukW82Ico4U0?...

Cutest seal point and gray mix cat currently in my seat. I am heartless enough to move her, but I’ll wait until I finish posting.

Least favorite chore (over)due today. And, I miss brushing the pool for one day bc the allergy shots gave me a mini-flu reaction yesterday and the 🤬 algae made a break for it. Hmph.

No preview this week because, what with Sen. Graham’s death this weekend and unclear status of the House Floor, any preview is unlikely to accurately predict any of what actually happens.

Anyway, taking into account past attempts & today’s success, we’re probably down to 995 antihistamine pills.

I admit I may be overly excited about the antihistamines for the cats, but I bought that container on vet’s rec for Clara in 2023 or maybe 2022. Today is the first time I got a cat to take any. It was cheap (~$4), but only came in a bottle of 1,000 so extra annoying no one would deign to take any.

Peter sent me this. Hope he's OK.

Decided to try some of the other Red Bull flavors they’ve got currently and wooooo are they sweet. And these are the sugar free ones. Unlikely to get the lime or wild berries again. Both needed a bit of tart in there somewhere. Or whatever it is in the original that screams “MADE IN A LAB”.

!!! I got a dose of antihistamine into Sweetie! Now I just have to cut up a bunch of the pills and have them ready for the future. Well, assuming it makes her feel better. 🤞

Armed with nothing but a curly half ‘stach, a wayward whisker, and rakishly good looks, Dishonest John commences plans to take over the world.

At this year's pageant, our grizzly bear will be played by Jane the squirrel. #SquirrelHaiku Fox Squirrels in Ann Arbor at the University of Michigan on June 19th, 2026 #flickr #Squirrels #SquirrelWisdom #SquirrelOfTheDay #SquirrelWisdom #Michigan #SquirrelDude #sqrlpix flic.kr/p/2soPMoT

Yeesh. Hope that second very strange not-a-nap has taken care of my fatigue today. I don’t exactly feel rested. I had an audiobook going and I only missed a bit of it, but I also didn’t feel conscious enough to move for close to an hour. Blerg.

Just barely into Ithaca by Claire North and now I am wondering why I haven’t read every single thing she’s ever written bc it’s always so, so, so good. May not be able to wait for the library to acquire the other two in the series. (Read several; Gameshouse is my favorite I think)

2nd time having what, if they are reactions to allergy shots, would be classed as systemic & therefore in the Report To Doctor category. But when I reported on shots before last that made me dizzy, the shot staff just said “huh”. Aside from mild nausea, dizziness & fatigue, I feel fine. +

Why? Does she have any political background? Did she pay him the most? Has anyone actually asked him why her and not anyone else?

When I see someone driving a Prelude I always wonder about their next car

Ooh new and more comfortable chairs at the allergists. (Shot day)

It’s easy to get free shipping if you buy your cats in bulk.

Little Curly has a bud! Probably would have happened anyway, but I choose to believe it’s happy in its new pot. Not sure how the Oxalis will do in drier conditions, but they’re so intertwined I didn’t think I could separate them without def killing the oxalis, so

Sweetie is so quiet and light in her feet that I was astonished to turn my head and see here looking smug.

Between that episode of Widow’s Bay & the one of From we’re watching rn, I am reminded that I am 100% happy with my decision long ago to never ever take hallucinogens. I can barely handle reality. Adding acid or mushrooms to the mix could only end poorly for me.

Literal (rather than the usually figurative) morbid curiosity had me looking up Arteriosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease. Risk factors incl high blood pressure (but no indication of whether that’s treated or untreated), high cholesterol, genetics, age (70+) and sex assigned at birth (m more than f)

Alt text: a calico kitten licks canned food off the face of an orange kitten in the top photo. In the bottom, the orange kitten has shoved a paw into the face of the calico. Both are 4 weeks old.

Reading a book which is funny, but all of the characters are idiots. It’s not as fun as, say, Shaun of the Dead which is also chock full of them. In part I think bc Shaun et al weren’t constantly swan diving from assertion to assumption to so far evidence free conclusion.

Tbh, my goal here is something approaching Rincewind’s cardio health.

45 minutes on the elliptical y’all. Stercus stercus stercus moriturus sum.

This week's comic: Blow-Up Toys foxtrot.com/2026/07/12/b...

Well shit. I was hoping I could wait out this thunderstorm & swim, but I think I’m just going to have to suck it up & get on the elliptical. Ugggggghhhhh.

Dr said in appt about Zepbound that I needed to make sure I got a walk every day bc the drugs could cause muscle loss. I said either same or did the elliptical already and she said “oh that’s fine”. But, just to be safe I did a few countertop pushups & tricep dips today & will keep on. Except ow.

Graham never did get his publicly funded payday over the (within the context of regular law enforcement procedures) completely normal seizing of his phone after January 6. So that’s nice. www.govtrack.us/posts/572/20...

What a great idea - had never thought about doing that w/a hesitant cat.

I was a bit annoyed at the copaganda in From, but now the very-proud-of-herself cop just said outright that she’s a good person and better than everyone else so at least they’re not valorizing her as much. Also she refused to stop & pick up a little kid making some poor choices. So.

Sweetie would be saying “about time sheesh” but she’s too busy.

The low-sugar ice cream wanter has logged on. But I haven’t actually had any yet so sadly there’s no empty bowl to lick. She’s got good taste. That stuff is shockingly good.

I’m still super in the mood for strawberries, but the cyclospora outbreak is obviously in mind. And it’s kind of hard to “vigorously scrub” strawberries, at least once they get p ripe. Going to try the ostensibly for fingernails brush. 🤞

Do I have a stomachache or did I actually manage to give my abdominals a workout yesterday and today?: a memoir.

But maybe between Grant & this book, I’ll do some knitting.

Ok. Definitely pro-English women narrators for audiobooks, fiction and non. However, much as I’m enjoying The Ending Writes Itself, I need music now when I’m doing laps to stay at moderate effort.

For today’s swim, I’m going to see how I like the audio of The Ending Writes Itself / Evelyn Clarke. It’s the only version the library offers so 🤞.

That was a suspiciously fast & easy feline weigh-in. Everyone is more or less holding.