Happy Birthday, Calli!
Laura, I hope everything goes well with your sister.
Ah, yes, of course. The gypsies, they gave you your soul. The gypsies are filthy people. Ptui! We shall speak of them no more.
Ilona Costa Bianchi ,'The Girl in Question'
Natter 78: I might need to watch some Buffy for inspiration
Off-topic discussion. Wanna talk about corsets, duct tape, butt kicking, or physics? This is the place. Detailed discussion of any current-season TV must be whitefonted.
Steph L. - Oct 19, 2026 12:00:46 pm PDT #14439 of 14504
It's actually been a really hard year, when you stop and do the math. Eliot would cry, too, if it didn't take him seventy minutes of therapy, two cocktails, and a Sondheim medley before he can experience a human emotion through the haze of his PTSD.
erikaj - Oct 19, 2026 2:25:36 pm PDT #14440 of 14504
"Somewhere in this building is our talent." Toby Ziegler, my spirit animal
Happy birthday, Calli! They say you learn something new every day, but mine are usually not as big as this. Edited because I should summarize a bit...I wrote about "Grace", which is a Midwestern art staple, and, indeed, State Photo of Minnesota, but not in the way you might expect. Or at least, I didn't, and I'm sure Grandma wouldn't. [link]
Matt the Bruins fan - Oct 19, 2026 3:23:41 pm PDT #14441 of 14504
You have to remember that being a 5-time Olympic medalist means Hilary Knight has been playing hockey at an elite level at least 16 years. It's impossible for her to be a teenage girl less than 16 years old, thus the President's complete lack of interest.
Happy Birthday Calli!
Today was my dad's birthday, so it's always a bit of a bittersweet occasion for me now.
I finally assembled the string trimmer I bought last Christmas yesterday. The battery was in a plastic bag that was oily inside, so I'm letting it dry out for a few days before hooking it up to the charger and live current. Assuming said battery doesn't melt, I should be able to tell if I can use trim a couple of overgrown shrubs or if need to make other arrangements.
Calli - Oct 19, 2026 4:06:30 pm PDT #14442 of 14504
I must obey the inscrutable exhortations of my soul—Calvin and Hobbs
Thanks for the birthday wishes, y’all! I celebrated yesterday with family. After dinner out, we went back to my nephew’s for ice cream cake and presents. My 5-year old great nephew was all, “This one’s from us. You like legos, right?” He hasn’t quite figured out that whole “secret” thing yet. But I was very happy to receive a Lego flowering cactus.
I’m also very happy to see Sophia’s pixels and that Steph is getting to the seaside.
-t - Oct 19, 2026 4:20:09 pm PDT #14443 of 14504
I am a woman of various inclinations and only some of the time are they to burn everything down in frustration
Lego flowering cactus! Nice! Many happy returns of the day, Calli!
meara - Oct 19, 2026 4:22:34 pm PDT #14444 of 14504
Hope all went well for Sophia’ and good luck to your sister Laura!
I continue to be thwarted by appointments—took the dog to the vet because they’d said he needed vaccines but when I got there they realized it had been 2 years not 3, so he’s actually NOT due. Sigh.
Fb reminded me it’s Burrells birthday. Sad.
NoiseDesign - Oct 19, 2026 4:53:01 pm PDT #14445 of 14504
Our wings are not tired
Today was my dad's birthday, so it's always a bit of a bittersweet occasion for me now.
Sending comfort to you today. May you feel the good memories more than you feel the sense of loss.
aurelia - Oct 19, 2026 5:19:29 pm PDT #14446 of 14504
All sorrows can be borne if you put them into a story. Tell me a story.
I don't have any tidy answers to "so what have you been doing for the last 40 years"
You could talk about riding the rails!
erikaj - Oct 19, 2026 5:40:25 pm PDT #14447 of 14504
"Somewhere in this building is our talent." Toby Ziegler, my spirit animal
definitely feeling the "No tidy answers" thing here. You could answer like Omar and say "A day at a time, I suppose."( I often do.)
DavidS - Oct 19, 2026 8:02:14 pm PDT #14448 of 14504
"Look, son, if it's good enough for Shirley Bassey, it's good enough for you."
Matilda and I went over to our old apartment on Frederick Street, so we could haul some stuff to Emmett's new house. But we also took one last set of pictures of Matilda at the top of the stairs and she wore Jacqueline's clothes. Very sweet moment.
Matilda's boyfriend came over because she wanted to show him the apartment she grew up in, since he's only seen her in the big house.