Back in the war zone (because I’m in a DTF mood)

I just wanted to check* my USDA Zone 😩🙄 (*recheck since I can never remember)

TIL damask (as in the fabric) was named after Damascus, Syria (I wondered if this was the case, and indeed it is)

Oh huh TIL Surveymonkey can do backend API stuff.

I clicked on a penny loafer ad the other day and literally all I see now are loafers 😩

My parents and I aren’t super close/chatty so when she called today (which she hardly ever does) I thought someone died. Nope. She just wanted me to help her plan a trip to Italy. 😅

also, re the "we're going up up up" line from Golden -- i'm convinced (and you cannot tell me otherwise) that is an homage to Loreen's Euphoria.

was wondering how credit card companies know when a new card is out for delivery (someone tried to use my card for an uber; had to get a new one, rude) even if it's sent via regular mail without a tracking number. learned the Intelligent Mail barcode contains a serial number -- assume that's how.

i am an unapologetic Old now so i only learned of "Golden" (from kpop demon hunters) last night and phew, what a banger.

putting on some christmas music. [i could turn off replies but i will trust that any replies will be 100% supportive. RIGHT? RIGHT.]

It’s cold and rainy outside and, as far as that goes, I couldn’t be happier. 😍 #🍂

Idk why I find this so cute lol: Me: “oh look it’s a cute lamb chop doll!” Him: “😑 what is lamb chop!”

Lazyweb question: we didn’t have this HD Radio data feature in our old car, so it’s all new to me —- who maintains this data and is it a public service?

We were going to stop by Bread Fest but the line goes around 3 sides of the block.

At a resy restaurant and the next table over is talking about oura rings and I’m so curious how much of an uptick in business this place got in the last week 😂

Thanks West Coast Health Alliance! (I mean, I had originally planned for us to cross the river to Washington when the guidance was unclear but now just had to go down the street.)

actual companies aside (i.e., product alone), would you rather fly Cathay Pacific 77W Premium Economy (the old style seats) or United 787 Premium Economy?

i put on a nice shirt because i thought my two afternoon calls were camera-on but neither were :\ i need outlook/teams to have a little setting so in addition to subject and time and what not, there's also a "camera plz" checkbox.

huh not bad! sent (by snail mail) a non-rush passport renewal that got received 9/17 and got this email today: The U.S. Department of State approved your application for your passport book. We're now printing your passport book ... You should receive your passport book on or around 09/30/2025.

To the guy asking around at airport stores if they sell men’s underwear, I wish you luck. Also, how can we get a Japanese convenience store to open up inside the airport?! It would do SO WELL (imho, or maybe I’m just biased)

twenty years ago today i took a plane ride that was the start of some of the best two years of my life -- and laid the foundation for the two decades since. there is a direct throughline from wanting to live in europe -> studying there -> my years of solo travel -> meeting alexander -> now.

today's mood (is this cultural reference too esoteric? [i hope not])

i do not need to get a podcast mic for teams calls i do not need to get a podcast mic for teams calls i do not need to get a podcast mic for teams calls

Climbed up and over this (stopped) train to get to our car and I felt like such a rebel. I watch YouTube videos of folks hitching rides on cargo trains and for 5 seconds that was me! Ugh those damn tracks in SE where the train just stops and traffic backs up forever. (iykyk)

I don’t normally overthink things but now I’m wondering if, during dinner, I should have corrected the pronunciation of “Willamette” by a friend of a friend who was visiting. (I didn’t, partially because I didn’t know this person before today and because they’re only here for like 2 days heh)

This has me cackling

The Algorithm has been serving me emotionally charged (many patently sappy) videos and I need to take a break 😫 I can’t be almost on the verge of tears every 15 seconds! (Reunions, grief, friendship, loss, discovery, love, growth, etc etc)

Alexander thinks my new lapsang souchong smells like a smoked sausage. 😑 (Idk what this picture says and I don’t want to ask him but idk my first exposure to smoked tea decades ago was Russian caravan so you’d think he’d be more onboard lol)

Canada places 200% tariff on little Canadian flags Americans wear while travelling

Good luck to us in FIS (intl arrivals) tonight — usually* we get like at least 15-20 min in between. Oh well. We’ll see if anything changes in a couple hours. 🤞 * I only work there once a month so I don’t have lots of data points

friend who moved to korea told me about this pumpkin+red bean tea and i'm so curious! (like, it sounds either gross or great?) i guess it's available at hmart so i'll have to remember for next time we go (or, make it a reason to go)

it's coming up on 6 months and nothing has changed and i'm wondering if i need to figure out whose house this is and leave a 9V battery on their doorstep

We were so trying not to bust up laughing eavesdropping on the folks next to us at the pastry shop. 😂 Anyways long live our runglish queen (again I hope she’s not problematic lol)

"American Express has introduced Ethereum-based ‘travel stamps’ to create a commemorative record of travel experiences, as part of the firm’s revamped travel app." --________________-- (from www.coindesk.com/tech/2025/09...)

i don't know anything about porkbun (the name regisrar) but they have a cute name and mascot and they're local and i hope they're not problematic (socially, etc.) because i just transferred my domain to them.

Was very excited to get this album of what I assumed was traditional Kazakh music but I probably should have looked at the track listing first 😂😂😂 (see last picture) I suspected something was fishy with all the Chinese on it 😂

I don’t know how it all works but my shipment of records from Japan arrived today (after months at sea) and no additional charges. 👍

don't get me wrong -- i feel like this is becoming more and more necessary, but the name has "conscious uncoupling" vibes lol

After attempting on and off for years (since he moved here), Alexander is finally close to perfecting making syrniki at home — I guess it all comes down to this cheese we found at the international supermarket (the giant Hong Phat for locals) which comes from Pennsylvania lol.

sent off my passport for a renewal. some great memories in this one*, but it was definitely time to let it go, mostly because uhh, it went through the wash 6 years ago and uhh, the chip stopped working and the pages were all warped and gross 😅 (*incl the only time i've had a stamp canceled heh)

huh i got a text message saying i got money from a class action in my paypal but didn't expect this much ($107.30) so thought it was a scam. nope, it's for real! that money will go directly towards my passport renewal lol.

Do I exude gay? (Or, at least someone a woman would say, “I love your look! Very cute!” to? [while doing the Karen Walker what’s this what’s happening hand motion]) Maybe no need to answer that 😂

Stress eating + street pricing + airport employee discount = finally tried the pizza place I’ve been working across from for a year 👍 (Giant slice of pizza and a can of soda for $7 and change, can’t beat that)

I use an apple wallet car key and let me tell you the stress I had today because it didn’t work right 😩 (All’s fine now but I was sweating!)

At the vegan burger place and this kind of gruff older guy comes in and asks what “face plant” (the name of the place) is all about and learns it’s all non-meat (but it’s like lab meat so very meatish). So he only orders a milkshake. I hope he knows there ain’t no milk in that shake! 😅

Back at home and very pleased to discover that the tree people and the ranger last night are in agreement: Based on the cone (as learned during last night’s lecture), it’s clear that our tree is a Douglas fir (as stated on our tree trimming proposal) — Douglas firs have these “mouse feet”

The Phantom Ship at 4 different zoom levels

Hauled our asses out of bed for sunrise

What a cute space (the Community Room) for a nighttime ranger lecture!

The hail going on now outside! 😵‍💫😄😵‍💫 (And super loud thunder and lightning, enough to make folks in the lodge dining room squeal!) Speaking of the lodge dining room, their dinner rolls are 💯 💯 💯 but the food comes out lukewarm.