None of us know for sure what's out there. That's why we keep looking.

What have I been up to lately? Mostly staying put and avoiding the cold, the snow and the ice. All the sanders are not helping much with the sidewalks. Maybe sand gets tracked up on the sidewalk at intersections, but unless you are near a school (lots of foot traffic there) that's not terribly helpful.

So I have been watching some tv recently. The two things I've been following are Fallout and Severance. I kinda find Fallout hard to watch.Every time a zombie shows up I find my eyes sliding away from the tv. Why do they all have the same look - even the children playing zombies look the same as the two hundred year old ones. Were they also zombiefied at the same time only they some were actual children? I gather the show is based on a video game but its not like I've encountered (m)any video games. I probably should start again and see if I pick up more details.

But honestly that's mostly curiousity and what I'm really invested in is Severance. It's giving me strong Lost vibes. That's how long it has been since I fell this deeply into caring about the world building and characters of a show. And don't tell me how Lost fell down at the end, I don't agree.) Lost made me happy and sad and it made me feel. Severance is hitting all three points beauifully. I'm so eager to see what happens next.Anyone else getting Lost vibes from Severence?

I finally heard a piece of music, I've heard of way back, way, way back. I think it dates back to my childhood so maybe I overheard a friend's older sister talking about it. But yesterday was the first time I ever heard Gadda da Vida. Loved it, the wait was worth it. Here is a link to the full version, just in case:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIVe-rZBcm4&list=RDUIVe-rZBcm4&start_radio=1




ETA: I realize they are ghouls not zombies. Possibly stringing thoughts together at that time is not a good idea. :)

This could be old news already. But I just stumbled across the trailer for The Old Guard 2, this afternoon. I'm not optimistic that it will be as good as the first one, but I remain hopeful. Ok, only two days ago, so not ancient news, but me stumbling over it was a happy accident. I hope their promotion is going to be a little more enthused than that.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14961624/?ref_=vp_ov_i

The Old Guard 2 will be on Netflix July 2. (imagine a Snoopy happy dance here.)

Today I got outside minus boots, hat or gloves. There was a bitter cold wind so i stuck with my winter jacket, D had a pair of mini-gloves in my pocket. I was glad of both, while I was outside. Spring is not far off, and 90 % of the white stuff is gone. Hurrah! It was like a day in paradise, only colder than you'd hoped for.

i didn't mention, but I finally watched all of SPN, and the day I finished the platform I was watching it on, stopped running the show. So my plan to re-watch some episodes from the final season is postponed until it shows up again. I want to see the one with Christian Kane again because I honestly felt like I was hallucinating a fic I might have read. It was the oddest feeling to see what felt like fanfic show up on my TV. It was like the ultimate act of pandering to a section of fandom. Weird. Really weird.

I can watch movies! I've pretty much stopped watching them until recently. I feel like 40 min. is all I have to spend on viewing something. But at a buck each at my thrift store, it doesn't feel like money wasted if I can't. Some movies, I just didn't want to watch but I don't feel bad if i stop, and put it in the donate box. Donations go to any store that is taking donations the day we want to drop them off. But not the store I shop at. I don't want to buy stuff twice. :)

Speaking of thrifting, thrift stores are havens for new mugs that seem to have never been used. Today I got the cutest cat mug it says An Ordinary Cat can make Life Extraordinary. This is my favourite so far, including the Tom Thomson's I got the other day, and maybe even, the Dr Who disappearing Tardis Mug I got a while back. Well, not more than the Tardis mug, but what can compete with that?

You dont know what you're going to find in a thrift store. The other day while wandering at the back I spotted the world's largest coffee table or maybe it was a dining table for those who prefer not to need chairs while they eat. Honestly, it was big enough for that. Enormous. And up the next aisle were concrete side tables with glass tops set into them. i couldn't move them or even cause them to rock with a gentle push. Who bought things like that? Where did they put them?
Inquiring minds, and all that.

my place is almost entirely decorated with thrift store finds. Brand new unused towels, sheet sets and curtains all have been found, still with crisp labels. Couch cushions, that seem brand new and unused. Clothing still with the store labels attached (today's find was a NWT Torrid shirt). I'm not terribly fussy, things don't have to be perfect, but they have to pass a sniff test. Even books in used book stores. I'm the one who has a book open up near my face sniffing to see what there is to be smelled. Books that don't pass the basement smell stay, and anything fabric with a scent that transfers to things around it stays. I have learned to be cautious sniffing purses.Some smell like their owner used to spray the bag every time she used her perfume. And use it often she did! Less perfume is more, I say. Be kind to those around you.{personal opinion, not meant to offend)

Hey, not everyone wants to hear about buying stuff. I wont be offended if you say, enough with the thrift store finds. It's just something I'm enjoying right now.

I'm currently fostering a cat from the woman who allowed me to adopt Molly. This one is around twelve or thirteen. She and her brother were in a long-term foster situation for the last five years. The male cat recently died and the foster mom is elderly and having health issues. She is a tuxedo cat and her name is Jill. She's a super affectionate cat who is determined to groom the people in her life. Molly is not thrilled with sharing her space with another cat. They haven't resorted to fighting but there is frequent hissing and growling from them both. They each have their own eating area, beds, litter boxes and cat trees. (I have yet to see Jill anywhere near her tree, but she is a senior lady.)This morning they were each laying on the a step napping and there was no noise from either. That's as close as they have gotten yet, so I'm hopeful they will get used to each other in time and stop being so vocal. Fingers crossed!

I spent New Years Eve watching a bit of television and then catching up on Youtube. To my dismay, I saw that Hawk vs Wolf had a Last Episode! title on the thumbnail. I hope that was just to grab attention, I didn't hear anything about it during my viewing. But. I was so delighted I might have been neglecting/ignoring anything that didn't feed my joy. Because if it was the last episode,that was the also last remaining podcast on skateboarding I've followed. But. There is always a "but". The guests were Rodney Mullen and Andy Anderson. What a pleasure to get to see them interacting at last. Andy may well be the last freestyle skater and Rodney was among the few who slide from the 80s into present day as a representative of his style and his era.
Rodney clued us all in that he had been in London doing one of his talks at the Royal Institution. I had to google what the Royal Institution is because it seemed to be missing something in its name. Like the Royal Institution of what? It's a charity to connect people with the world of science.

I'm saving that one for later today. I love Rodney's talks.The audience is there for him completely. He doesn't have to win them over, though I'm sure he could if he had to.

Today I stumbled into an interview with Alan Parsons which slammed me right back to the eighties. Eye in the Sky was a much loved album at the time, as was Turn of a Friendly Card. "Time keeps flowing like a river to the sea", and here we are. 2025.Wow! I honestly thought I'd be dead by now. I followed the news then much more closely than i do now, I read a lot of post apocalytic novels and I wouldn't have been at all surprised.It's more of a surprise that the world is still rolling along as it is. Not a bad thing, it's a pleasant moment of startlement to realize human-kind remains.

Wishing everyone a healthy, happy and prosperous 2025!

Pet Update: I have a new cat. She was part of a resuce from a hoarding situation. She arrived at the rescue with a litter of kittens, so there was a bit of a wait for the kittens to mature enough to be okay without their mom. The vet said this was not her first litter aand she appeared to be under two years old. Poor girl. She was spayed and her shots were brought up to date. She is a tortie, tall and long legged and slender. Her name is Molly. I haven't had a cat like her before. The closest would have been Zane who had a similar build, but he was from a litter of barn kittens dropped at a vets. I took him home and introduced him to Max. Max promptly bowled him over and gave him a bath and raised him up like he'd been raising kittens for years. Both boys got along with all the cats at home. We had as many as five at one point, and Nook who was an akita/lab mix. I highly recomment this mix - super smart, goodnatured and independent. He was protective and this showed when strange men came in the house wearing ballcaps. he would growl until the hat came off and then he was fine.If someone he knew came in the house. he would wag his tail until we noticed and realized what was happening. When he passed of old age at 14, we got Reba who was a black lab mix and a real sweetheart.

Last week Gabby had a "neurological event". I don't know when but suddenly she was not walking well (circles mostly), the next day she seemed to be slowly improving(or at least learning to work around her difficulties) but the day after that she had lost any gains from the day before. After talking it over with my sister, and realizing the poor girl had no idea why she couldn't get from point a to point b I reluctantly concluded that what I wanted was selfish. So I gave her a kiss, told her she was a good girl and let her go.

I'm missing her so much. As I said, it's amazing how much presence a little 6 pound cat had, and how empty the apartment feels without her. My sister is "loaning" me her cat Buttercup for now. (She has two dogs.) That helps. She is the lowest energy cat I've ever met, If you've ever known a Persian you may have an idea of her activity level. But even at that she is another living presence and that makes a huge difference.



RIP "Gabby"

I just found out via The Vault, that Giancarlo Esposito has a series. He is the lead character. I'm actually excited to see this. I'm crossing my fingers that it isn't too gory. What am I saying? I have no doubt it will be violent and gory, and I'll still tune in. He's just that good and so worth the time. I may not always like the characters he plays, but I find his characters riveting. I relish every moment he is on screen. It feels like forever since I got excited about a new show. My fingers are crossed that this is going to be even half as good as I am hoping.

It's been a couple of months and I think I've unpacked everything and organized it fairly well. My bookshelves are still in a state. I really need to spend an afternoon organizing them, separating fiction and non-fiction and filing them in alphabetical order. Every time I look at them I have to look away because it is really annoying to see them in that disorder. The next time it rains, I'm gonna deal with it.

It's raining right now and i have no interest in organizing my books. The next next time it rains, then. :)

I went for a walk in between downpours and it rained, of course, but nothing an umbrella couldn't ward off. It was a bit gusty, and my spring jacket wasn't doing a great job so i came home sooner than i planned. Its supposed to stop raining and warm up by the weekend. I just need to find something i want to re watch maybe B5 or Hill Street. Suggestions for something new or old are welcome. I can only rewatch Lost or Good Omens or Sense8 so many times.

I have moved to a new city in a part of the province that I haven't even visited at any time in the past. Time for a fresh start. What a shame I brought me along. But as R. pointed out no one here knows me at all so they don't know I'm not great with new things or that I'm quiet. I can be someone else if I want!Anyway it's too cold to worry about that. I'll wait and see how I feel in the spring when it's warmer.

I've hung up my pictures and it feels like my space now. I have a lovely one bedroom that is huge and Gabrielle has lots of space to roam about. Did I mention I adopted a cat from the SPCA? She's about 12 years old and is an old pro at living inside. (Which i realized when she got up to the sink and didn't find a leaky tap so her next stop was the toilet.I showed her to her water bowl and she obligingly had a drink from it but that isn't her goto spot at all. She talks more than any cat I've met and bosses me around. She has quite the personality, and her name got shortened to Gabby because she has so much to say. This is "Gabby"

(Fixes link so Gabby pic is showing in the post (I can see it, hopefully others can too.)