Give me sunlight, a comfortable chair and a wall of books! This makes me declare myself a most satisfied soul. For the library is a territory of wonder. It is home to a thousand wise voices who know words that open gates to the imagination. – #CLNolan, BBC National Programme, 1934 #Libraries

Wonderful rainy morning up in my mountains.

I was lucky enough to get .y first new mattress in 25-ish years this year...and to paraphrase the Librarian of the Unseen University: I will take it back from _your_ cold, dead hands.

dark & dirty as in: a haunted house . laurenjanek.com/organicreach

It's my favorite day! It's the 38th anniversary of the Max Headroom signal broadcast intrusion! 1st incident lasted 25s during the 9PM news on WGN-TV in Chicago; The 2nd, 2hrs later, lasted ~90s on PBS affiliate WTTW during Dr. Who. You can watch it here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqge...

I’m howling.

40 years ago today the world was introduced to a small boy and his best friend. Happy birthday Calvin & Hobbes.

While I understand completely, especially in the former case...the news out of Hookland and from one of my favorite jewelry/shirt makers this morning (also in Old Blighty) has me worried about my folks in the UK... This fucking world, I'm pretty sure we made it wrong.

Tonight's viewing.

"And, for an instant, she stared directly into those soft blue eyes and knew, with an instinctive mammalian certainty, that the exceedingly rich were no longer even remotely human." -William Gibson, Count Zero

New Movies with Mikey on Nebula! I take a long look at Superman (2025) and of who is Superman to you? nebula.tv/videos/filmj...

Again, my thoughts on the American political process(es)/system(s) are fairly well known...* But once again, we see the damn Dems refuse to even fucking _try._ I can far more easily respect the person that goes down swinging than the punk that refuses to even come out of their corner.

Seconded.

New book/mail day is always an excellent day. Plus when @cultauthor.bsky.social says someone's worth a read, you should probably pay attention.

I feel like we have the opportunity to turn David Lynch's quote into this moment's "Keep Calm and Carry On" and it's a far better rallying cry too.

Now this is a super dope idea. Also, I now have a craving for tamales.

Christ but I miss Dilaudid. Also kiddos, avoid kidney stones if you can.

My thoughts on the American political process/system(s) are well known...but as the Wise Man said: "Use every tool in the toolbox."

Was trying to think of something clever...but @stonekettle.bsky.social already said it better than I could.

Kind of want to see if I can get them to do the full five at this point, become more port than human.

Repost this please.

@laurenjane.bsky.social , we got a new Aes Rock album today, in case you hadn't heard: aesoprock.bandcamp.com/album/i-hear...

YES this is an important distinction

Fuck kidney stones. I would rather get stabbed all three times again, retake that round in my front plate, and have every shot to the fork I took in 20 years of bouncing than deal with this shit.

“It’s always worth thinking about who your enemy is,” said Vimes, tugging at the barricade. “How about the man who’s trying to stick a sword into you?” said Sam. “That’s a good start,” said Vimes. “But there are times when it pays to be a little less tightly focused.” -Terry Pratchett, Night Watch

Have accepted the fact that in addition to multi-focals, I'm also getting a cane this year. Got it narrowed down to these. Though I'll be leaving both with their natural oak, rather than a stain as shown here.

Tonight viewing. Quite possible the most beautiful film ever shot, and the one that blew my young mind back in the mid 90's when I saw it the first time.

I am once again reminded that my reading speed is the shittiest "superpower." I've now read the new one from @richardkadrey.bsky.social twice*, which means I just have to wait longer for the third in the new series. Homie has again proved why he's one my "you see his name on it, you buy it" list.

New book days are amongst the best days. Especially when you've been waiting for the sequel since the day after the previous volume got released. Also, if you're not familiar with @richardkadrey.bsky.social 's work...go fix that ricky fucking tick.

Movie night here at Crooked House...vittles/beverages courtesy of my homies at Ghost Runner Pizza. Films are John Woo's The Killer and Hard Boiled, and Ringo Lam's City on Fire.

Really thinking that since in 4 plus years neither the gastroenterologist nor the hematologist/oncologist can figure out what is killing me by inches...* I'm gonna start playing the lotto, so I can hire a forensic pathologist to put me under and go digging around to see what they can find.

'Rescue' is not coming. We're going to have to save ourselves. Which is going to require some harsh lessons getting learned...in a variety of ways, by a variety of people. But as many of my instructors were fond of telling us: "Survival is its own reward."

"Only the man who has successfully rid himself of the chains of oppression and seen all the horrors being perpetrated against the human race can be persuaded that his freedom and that of his neighbor are inviolable, as are their lives, and that his neighbor is his brother." -Nestor Makhno

Refuse to manufacture faux grief. Refuse all performative emotion. Refuse to feel shame for lacking any prayers.

Appointment with one of the docs today...still losing weight (which the doc said they'd never seen someone on Prednisone do, so I'm still a medical miracle), but got taken out for some lunch and a library run after.

I spent a little more than 1/2 to my life making most of my money doing things that could be politely described as "violence, or the threat thereof, for hire." It's at best a temporary solution, if it's one at all. But the fact remains, it's an incredibly effective tool against oppression.

This afternoon's listening. aindulmedir.bandcamp.com/album/the-wi...

"Nothing’s more important than stopping fascism, because fascism will stop us all." -Fred Hampton, August 30, 1948-December 4, 1969

Jeebus wept but some days the decision to quit smoking comes down a little hard. The vape doesn't do what a proper Dunhill or Silk Cut does.

Taking advantage of the last day of meds, and thus having an appetite, with a bowl of Hu Tieu Tom Thit at one of my favorite local spots.

Just a reminder: The corporations and government have never given a shit about you, me or any of us. Everything we have, and what they're trying to take back, was paid for in blood. Don't forget Blair Mountain, Paint & Cabin Creek, the Haymarket & every other time folks had to stand up and fight.

Might still be wasted/wasting away, but I can wear my favorite T-shirt again:

Worth remembering that Terence Stamp was the son of a ship's stoker. Stamp desperately wanted to act, after falling in love with movies as a kid, and it was a scholarship to Drama School that allowed him to walk that path. Every time arts cuts are made, they rob us of more Terence Stamps.

I get the fantasy but have never understood wanting flying cars in our reality. I've seen how people glitch at four-way stops and have no desire to add a Y-axis

"We've spent a lot of money on the military and now they have nothing to do so we might as well let the president use it domestically to satisfy his own petty grudges" is precisely why the Founders feared a standing army. I mean, it's pretty much fucking verbatim.

Tapering off the Devil's Tictacs fucking sucks.

The problem for our overlords is that there are generations who have grown up queer, weird as fuck and empathic. Generations that have only ever needed blatant shared enemies in the centre of vision to forget about the bullshit of identity atomisation.

Bourdain biopic should be a revisionist history inglorious bastards style where he kills Kissinger