Anti-Natalism!

Yep, in the extreme efilism section, and man, you can go down a rabbit hole with that and some of the weird antnat splinters from EA, which sort of include the Zizians. Some people are deeply broken.

I saw about the explosion. So sad people were injured, what a shitshow. I totally know where that is. I saw it on TikTok first, oddly. But man, it would super suck for a lot of folks if he’d managed to blow up a bunch of embryos and stuff.

David, good luck. No idea what works for that.

David, good luck. No idea what works for that.

Well, she got out of bed and emptied the dishwasher and put the sinkfull of dirty dishes in, and I fed her breakfast and now we're going to clean the Guinea Pig cage. And she told me her friend Alison's job was hiring and she'd try to get a job there.

So, sometimes terse is the way to go.

Not that it fixes her. But she's not inert.

So frustrated with her.

I completely understand and know you have to hold her accountable for her own good. On the other hand, I remember well that at her age that socializing with my friends and hanging with my boyfriend were the only things on my list.

I have started listening to Mike Duncan's "The Martian Revolution", which is the current season of The Revolutions Podcast. And while most of it was written last year, it's so incredibly relevant to our current circumstances. Worth a listen if you like that kind of podcast.

I'm enjoying The Martian Revolution quite a bit, and since my fantasy WIP also involves fictional revolutions based in my knowledge of the real thing, it's fascinating storytelling. (My setting is very different, so no worries about accidental plagiarism. Though I do wonder how a hypothetical agent or editor would react to an elevator pitch of "It's like The Ministry of Time meets the Martian Revolution podcast, but on a secondary world with necromancy and other life-force derived magic.")

I heard him interviewed on someone else's podcast recently where he was pressed on one character's deep resemblance to Elon Musk, to which he responded, "Come on--I specifically said he was an excellent and devoted husband and father!"

Hopefully starting college will be a bit of a reset for Matilda, even with staying in town--new people, new academic challenges, etc.

Sheryl, I'm glad your mom is out of ICU!

David, good job on prodding Matilda out of inertness.

I am doing food prep for this week's breakfasts: I've cut up and rinsed the fruit, and I'm making mini scones and copycat Starbuck's egg bites. Weekday Steph will be so happy, though probably not as happy as Weekday Tim, who never met a baked good he didn't like.

I have to report my successful efforts to circumvent the man, or thwart the condo board, as the case may be.

A few months ago, the board decided that residents could no longer post non-official events on the condo website. I couldn't post the book of the month and date for the Book Club, Deb couldn't post the 3rd Wednesday Happy Hour, and so forth. It could only be official announcements, and apparently, people selling things.

I went back and forth with them for months, then the last board meeting they proposed this convoluted system of residents presenting potential gatherings to the Social Committee, prior to the 8th of the month, and they would get board approval, then it would be included in an official calendar, but announcements wouldn't be going out. Additionally, a lengthy section of legalese included a waiver that explicitly excluded the board and association from liability and personal responsibility, which they expected everyone to sign. Basically, making something simple absurdly complicated. They suggested I head the Social Committee since I was so adamant about wanting a method of social engagement within the community.

So I said thank you but no thanks to the Social Committee position and started a Facebook group which states clearly that it is unofficial and not associated with the board or association. Just a place to communicate with the neighbors and announce event plans. 20 members already, when it was just created this weekend, and people are stopping me in the hallways and messaging me about how wonderful this is, including the previous social committee members and some board members.

I already put up the Book Club announcement, and another person said they were going to put up an invite to join in the Sports Lounge for the hockey playoffs. We have this great Sports room with a card table and games, a pool table, and a big screen. It is almost always empty.

It is a massive weight off my back to stop the tug of war with the board and do it myself. The response has been fantastic. It has driven me crazy that we didn't have a simple way to communicate with the neighbors and socialize. I am a social butterfly and a bit of a troublemaker.

Way to thwart the condo board, you troublemaking social butterfly!

You go Laura. Stick it to The Man!

Nice end-around on needless condo board complications!

Guinea Pig cage is cleaned (always the most onerous task) and I also washed the pots and pans that don't go in the dishwasher.

Matilda just announced that she's making the call right now to her friend's employer to apply for a job, and she's doing just that.

Later she's cleaning up the Garden Apartment (and doing laundry) because (a) she's been using it and (b) it will be occupied by our Guinea Pig sitter, Cousin Nikki (aka, Cousin Nicole) whilst we're in NYC for the wedding.

I have a phone call with a friend at 5 that I'm looking forward to, and it feels like a good mix of productivity and fun stuff for a Sunday.