(no subject)
Feb. 25th, 2026 06:39 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
greghousesgfThis morning my sneakers literally fell apart while I was trying to put them on so I had to go out and get new ones. I had to go to three different stores and I still don't have a new credit card and the shoe store doesn't take checks (do stores still take checks?), luckily the Wells Fargo was right across the street from the shoe store so I had to go in there and get cash. I hope that new credit card shows up soon. One source told me three days, another one told me six.
(no subject)
Feb. 24th, 2026 11:06 amgreghousesgfI just got an e mail from my bank saying my new credit card will be showing up in the mail in a week. They originally told me four days. I have no idea what I'm supposed to do till then. I also have a bunch of wet laundry sitting around in my bathroom.
Turning Away
Feb. 24th, 2026 10:14 amlydamorehouse Ramadan has just started and my Signal group is having trouble finding enough protectors to fill evening slots. My Food Communists are talking about a $40,000 shortfall that may end their ability to feed people in hiding. March 1 is looming for people who haven't been able to pay rent and are facing evictions. Yet, local politicians are declaring victory and telling people it's time to "go shopping."
Meanwhile, ICE is still being tracked throughout Saint Paul (and presumably Minneapolis, but I don't have access to those Rapid Response groups). Reports that I've seen seem to indicate that the majority of the activity has moved out to the less well organized smaller towns and suburbs. Though the "sexy" part of the resistance--the gas in the streets, the violent confrontations--has dried up, the danger to our immigrant communities is far from over. There is zero sense that ICE is actually leaving. They have switched to quieter, more subtle tactics. They've gone further afield. But make no mistake, they are very much still here.
Last night I went to a Singing Resistance meeting for an action that took place this morning. I managed to miss this morning's action because my GPS decided that it wanted to autocorrect Street to Avenue! VERY DIFFERENT, GPS! In fact, a very important distinction!!! So, I ended up getting lost in downtown Minneapolis long enough to miss the gathering time. But, what was interesting to me is that these Singing Actions have, in the past, brought thousands of people into the streets. Famously, they sang songs encouraging ICE agents to defect outside of some of the hotels hosting them. The action today was for rent relief and trying to get the city officials to consider a temporary rent moritorium, something they were very willing to do during COVID, but which they seem less willing to do for Black and brown folks (shocking, I know!) At any rate, I went to the pre-planning/song rehersal last night withrachelmanija who is visiting right now and... it wasn't an empty church, but it also wasn't standing room only. The organizers kept saying, "I think more people will join us tomorrow." Well, I wasn't able to. I sure hope other people did. Otherwise, it's going to be pretty sparse. They will not fill City Hall, like they hoped.
But, this seems to be part of a trend. I'd noticed the day after it was announced that ICE was pulling out, my Food Communists was almost ghostly. Plenty of bags of groceries still needed filling, but the number of volunteers that showed up to do the work was less than half of the normal amount. More people have showed up since, but we are nowhere near our previous number. It seems to be the regulars and the die-hards again--although thankfully the Veterans for Peace are still guarding the doors for us.
I ran into some neighbors yesterday when I was walking home from the Communists and they were returning from a daily protest. They also noticed a significant lack of bodies. People were still there, but the crowd was thinner. It's worrying because we are all still very much holding our breaths.
I guess people are buying into the idea that we won and that it's all over. I mean, I would very much like that to be true? I'm just not sure it is and it's disheartening to see that the energy could not, in fact, be maintained. Maybe people are just taking a breather. I hope that's the case.
Meanwhile, ICE is still being tracked throughout Saint Paul (and presumably Minneapolis, but I don't have access to those Rapid Response groups). Reports that I've seen seem to indicate that the majority of the activity has moved out to the less well organized smaller towns and suburbs. Though the "sexy" part of the resistance--the gas in the streets, the violent confrontations--has dried up, the danger to our immigrant communities is far from over. There is zero sense that ICE is actually leaving. They have switched to quieter, more subtle tactics. They've gone further afield. But make no mistake, they are very much still here.
Last night I went to a Singing Resistance meeting for an action that took place this morning. I managed to miss this morning's action because my GPS decided that it wanted to autocorrect Street to Avenue! VERY DIFFERENT, GPS! In fact, a very important distinction!!! So, I ended up getting lost in downtown Minneapolis long enough to miss the gathering time. But, what was interesting to me is that these Singing Actions have, in the past, brought thousands of people into the streets. Famously, they sang songs encouraging ICE agents to defect outside of some of the hotels hosting them. The action today was for rent relief and trying to get the city officials to consider a temporary rent moritorium, something they were very willing to do during COVID, but which they seem less willing to do for Black and brown folks (shocking, I know!) At any rate, I went to the pre-planning/song rehersal last night with
rachelmanija who is visiting right now and... it wasn't an empty church, but it also wasn't standing room only. The organizers kept saying, "I think more people will join us tomorrow." Well, I wasn't able to. I sure hope other people did. Otherwise, it's going to be pretty sparse. They will not fill City Hall, like they hoped.But, this seems to be part of a trend. I'd noticed the day after it was announced that ICE was pulling out, my Food Communists was almost ghostly. Plenty of bags of groceries still needed filling, but the number of volunteers that showed up to do the work was less than half of the normal amount. More people have showed up since, but we are nowhere near our previous number. It seems to be the regulars and the die-hards again--although thankfully the Veterans for Peace are still guarding the doors for us.
I ran into some neighbors yesterday when I was walking home from the Communists and they were returning from a daily protest. They also noticed a significant lack of bodies. People were still there, but the crowd was thinner. It's worrying because we are all still very much holding our breaths.
I guess people are buying into the idea that we won and that it's all over. I mean, I would very much like that to be true? I'm just not sure it is and it's disheartening to see that the energy could not, in fact, be maintained. Maybe people are just taking a breather. I hope that's the case.
Hello, hello
Feb. 23rd, 2026 06:16 pmbrandyn posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
addme_fandomWhat's up party people?
If you've made it this far you've probably gathered that my name is Brandyn, and yeah I'm testing the waters here. I'm used to social media but never did anything live journal related and definitely don't entirely fit in with capital F Fandom spaces (Though all respect to the queer men, gals, and non-binary pals that spend their time in the trenches and help elevate certain fandoms, I like Star Trek and Gundam, I respect my history).
Mostly want to use this space to post a bit...vulnerably? Not necessarily in terms of my personal life or a place to vent necessarily (Though that's not off the table), but a space removed from the more performative persona I've put on for some other sites (Namely LeagueOfComicGeeks, cause big comic fan. Can find me under fatboyftw there). Not that I'm bitching, I love being known as a snarky but insightful asshole but it can take work to maintain. Alongside the inherent cynicism that having a space only dedicated to one niche hobby inherently brings since once you reach a certain threshold of something and learn how the sausage gets made you tend to get more bitter and critical. I love shouting into the ether about stuff but traditional social media has a way of getting me a bit heated sometimes, lmao.
So I'm going to use this space to be chill and just mainly talk about things I enjoy, comics and otherwise. A place I can go when I wanna post something that on another site I might have to defend or explain a bit more than I have the mental energy to do. As for what I would be posting about well, as we've established comics. Comics of all kinds, love the entire medium, not just superhero stuff. But also the occasional manga/anime, Kaiju Films, video games, and chats about fiction writing since it's not something I do nearly enough but something I love to do.
If any of that seems interesting then feel free to follow...subscribe...whatever it's called here.
(Yes if you check my profile this is just my first post copy and pasted, I realized I didn't have another introduction in me, I'm sowwy)
If you've made it this far you've probably gathered that my name is Brandyn, and yeah I'm testing the waters here. I'm used to social media but never did anything live journal related and definitely don't entirely fit in with capital F Fandom spaces (Though all respect to the queer men, gals, and non-binary pals that spend their time in the trenches and help elevate certain fandoms, I like Star Trek and Gundam, I respect my history).
Mostly want to use this space to post a bit...vulnerably? Not necessarily in terms of my personal life or a place to vent necessarily (Though that's not off the table), but a space removed from the more performative persona I've put on for some other sites (Namely LeagueOfComicGeeks, cause big comic fan. Can find me under fatboyftw there). Not that I'm bitching, I love being known as a snarky but insightful asshole but it can take work to maintain. Alongside the inherent cynicism that having a space only dedicated to one niche hobby inherently brings since once you reach a certain threshold of something and learn how the sausage gets made you tend to get more bitter and critical. I love shouting into the ether about stuff but traditional social media has a way of getting me a bit heated sometimes, lmao.
So I'm going to use this space to be chill and just mainly talk about things I enjoy, comics and otherwise. A place I can go when I wanna post something that on another site I might have to defend or explain a bit more than I have the mental energy to do. As for what I would be posting about well, as we've established comics. Comics of all kinds, love the entire medium, not just superhero stuff. But also the occasional manga/anime, Kaiju Films, video games, and chats about fiction writing since it's not something I do nearly enough but something I love to do.
If any of that seems interesting then feel free to follow...subscribe...whatever it's called here.
(Yes if you check my profile this is just my first post copy and pasted, I realized I didn't have another introduction in me, I'm sowwy)
(no subject)
Feb. 23rd, 2026 10:43 amgreghousesgfWell, I got the phone bill taken care of, the lady who worked for the phone company was very nice and helpful. I still have to get ahold of the phone company and give them the new numbers when I get my new credit card, and DSL too but my DSL bill isn't due for about a week and a half so I'm not worried about that.
I AM worried about this asshole who works in my apt bldg. I reported a theft (not my credit card) to him and he said he reported it and he didn't. I'm getting real tired of this fucker.
Also I had to do laundry and I only had enough on my card to wash it and not dry it because I have to use my credit card to put more $$ on it. If I could run into one of my neighbors I'm on friendly terms with they might be able to help me out but they seem to be out.
I AM worried about this asshole who works in my apt bldg. I reported a theft (not my credit card) to him and he said he reported it and he didn't. I'm getting real tired of this fucker.
Also I had to do laundry and I only had enough on my card to wash it and not dry it because I have to use my credit card to put more $$ on it. If I could run into one of my neighbors I'm on friendly terms with they might be able to help me out but they seem to be out.
(no subject)
Feb. 22nd, 2026 06:43 pmgreghousesgfI miss when I didn't have to worry about this shit. I have autopay on my phone and they usually take the $$$ out on the 23rd. I tried to call their office to warn them about my card having to be shut down and that I will give them the necessary info about the new card when I get it but that office is closed on the weekends. I hope to fuck they won't cut me off, I will try to call them tomorrow.
Hi hi, I'm new to DW. Am I doing this right?
Feb. 22nd, 2026 05:30 pmlunafleurette posting in addme_fandomName: Luna
Age Group: 25+
Country: Philippines
Subscription/Access Policy: 18+ at minimum, 25+ preferred. My journal is public, but I can and will post about explicit topics and have them appropriately labeled and with warnings. Will not interact with Harry Potter fans.
Main Fandoms: Alien Stage, Honkai: Star Rail, The House in Fata Morgana
Other Fandoms: Genshin Impact, The Haunting of Hill House (Book), Love and Deepspace, This Monster Wants to Eat Me (Watatabe), Kino no Tabi, Haibane Renmei, Hetalia, Our Life: Beginnings & Always, Blooming Panic, Bustafellows, Psychedelica of the Ashen Hawk (and Black Butterfly), Hakuouki, Funamusea (The Gray Garden and Wadanohara), Scum Villain's Self-Saving System, Mo Dao Zu Shi, Frieren
Fannish Interests: writing and reading fic, creating original characters, worldbuilding and lore discussions and analysis, yumeshipping/oc x canon
OTPs and Ships: MiziSua, HyuLuka, IvanLuka, MyPhaiDei, NeuviFuri, MikoShioHina, RakkaReki, Eleanor Vance/Theodora, Baxter x OLBA MC, Caleb (Xia Yizhou) x LADS MC, BingLiuShen, BingQiu, QiJiu, BingLiu, LiuShen, MoShang
Before adding me, you should know: I can and will shut any interaction down if it ventures into ship discourse. If you have trouble discerning between real human beings and fictional characters, we will not get along. If you are uncomfortable with such content as incest, pseudo-incest, toxic relationships, yanderes, omegaverse, teratophilia, noncon/dubcon, then it might be best for you not to subscribe/interact for your own peace. I don't care what people do or don't ship, just don't make it my problem.
Age Group: 25+
Country: Philippines
Subscription/Access Policy: 18+ at minimum, 25+ preferred. My journal is public, but I can and will post about explicit topics and have them appropriately labeled and with warnings. Will not interact with Harry Potter fans.
Main Fandoms: Alien Stage, Honkai: Star Rail, The House in Fata Morgana
Other Fandoms: Genshin Impact, The Haunting of Hill House (Book), Love and Deepspace, This Monster Wants to Eat Me (Watatabe), Kino no Tabi, Haibane Renmei, Hetalia, Our Life: Beginnings & Always, Blooming Panic, Bustafellows, Psychedelica of the Ashen Hawk (and Black Butterfly), Hakuouki, Funamusea (The Gray Garden and Wadanohara), Scum Villain's Self-Saving System, Mo Dao Zu Shi, Frieren
Fannish Interests: writing and reading fic, creating original characters, worldbuilding and lore discussions and analysis, yumeshipping/oc x canon
OTPs and Ships: MiziSua, HyuLuka, IvanLuka, MyPhaiDei, NeuviFuri, MikoShioHina, RakkaReki, Eleanor Vance/Theodora, Baxter x OLBA MC, Caleb (Xia Yizhou) x LADS MC, BingLiuShen, BingQiu, QiJiu, BingLiu, LiuShen, MoShang
Before adding me, you should know: I can and will shut any interaction down if it ventures into ship discourse. If you have trouble discerning between real human beings and fictional characters, we will not get along. If you are uncomfortable with such content as incest, pseudo-incest, toxic relationships, yanderes, omegaverse, teratophilia, noncon/dubcon, then it might be best for you not to subscribe/interact for your own peace. I don't care what people do or don't ship, just don't make it my problem.
(no subject)
Feb. 21st, 2026 12:42 pmgreghousesgfI can't go out today. Earlier this morning my bank called me, apparently some asshole tried to buy $200 worth of stuff with MY credit card info at best Buy so I had to tell this lady who works at my bank that I haven't bought anything from those guys in over a year. So I had to get my credit card cancelled and wait a week for a new one to show up in the damn mail. Thank fuck the charge did not go through. I don't have the slightest idea how anybody could even get my credit card info in the first place. AND It's going to be a major hassle trying to get ahold of AT&T and DSL to give them the new credit card info. I remember what a pain it was last time I had to do that when my old credit card expired. Only Netflix was easy.
(no subject)
Feb. 20th, 2026 02:49 pmgreghousesgfI spent yesterday morning trying to get things straightened out with PG&E because the stupid fucking post office lost my electric bill payment which I mailed out over a week ago. I paid it over the phone and I decided I'm just going to keep doing that. (Last time I did this was shortly before I went into the hospital for my leg surgery because I didn't know how long I'd be in there for and I didn't want the bill hanging over my head).
Then I got some groceries because this Mexican restaurant I really liked took camarones diablo off their menu so I decided to look up the recipe to see if I could make it myself and it turns out it's not a complicated recipe at all and I already had shrimps so I just needed tomatoes, onions and a jalapeno to make the sauce. (I use onions a lot in my cooking so I run low on them regularly.)
Then after I dropped off the groceries at home I went to the Chinese restaurant near the Rockridge bart station for lunch and then I went bookstore hopping and picked up this cool book about Oscar Wilde, he's one of my favorite writers and I already have all his books so I might as well get books about him.
I can't believe how cold it was yesterday. I know some people will look up the temperature for that day and say it was nothing but it was COLD by bay area standards. I wore a coat and a heavy sweater under it and I was still cold, I was glad to hang out at Schmidt's pub because they have a fireplace.
Then I got some groceries because this Mexican restaurant I really liked took camarones diablo off their menu so I decided to look up the recipe to see if I could make it myself and it turns out it's not a complicated recipe at all and I already had shrimps so I just needed tomatoes, onions and a jalapeno to make the sauce. (I use onions a lot in my cooking so I run low on them regularly.)
Then after I dropped off the groceries at home I went to the Chinese restaurant near the Rockridge bart station for lunch and then I went bookstore hopping and picked up this cool book about Oscar Wilde, he's one of my favorite writers and I already have all his books so I might as well get books about him.
I can't believe how cold it was yesterday. I know some people will look up the temperature for that day and say it was nothing but it was COLD by bay area standards. I wore a coat and a heavy sweater under it and I was still cold, I was glad to hang out at Schmidt's pub because they have a fireplace.
(no subject)
Feb. 18th, 2026 04:00 pmgreghousesgfDecided to stay home today because yesterday wore me out so damn much. Also too much damn rain.
What I'm Reading: The Whole Truth (2011) + And Nothing But the Truth (2012) by Kit Pearson
Feb. 17th, 2026 11:41 pmdelphi✓ kingstoken's 2026 Book Bingo: Figures Without Facial Features on the Cover
✓kingstoken's 2026 Book Bingo: Set at a School/University
The Whole Truth by Kit Pearson and its sequel And Nothing but the Truth are a pair of middle grade historical novels set in British Columbia in the 1930s.
The main character is Polly Brown, who begins the story age ten, relocating from Winnipeg to the Gulf Islands to live with her grandmother following the death of her father—an event that's the subject of secrecy between her and her older sister Maud. Shortly after arriving at their grandmother's, Maud leaves for boarding school, leaving Polly to adjust alone to her new life on a small island and deal with the carrying the secret by herself. The second book picks up a couple of years later, when Polly also needs to leave the island for secondary schooling and struggles to adjust to being away while more big changes come to her family.
I read a few of Kit Pearson's books as a kid, and when she came up in conversation recently with a friend, I decided to check out some of her more recent novels. I don't know how her older books would hold up to a re-read for me, but I ended up having a mixed reaction to these two.
They were largely pleasant reads. They're well-written, and if spending time in upper middle-class circles in 1930s western Canada appeals, there are a lot of detailed descriptions of clothes, food, and rural seaside life to enjoy. As someone with an interest in that part of the world but who doesn't have family history there, I appreciated this look into the period.
These books feel like they're in the tradition of Anne of Green Gables, Pollyanna, A Little Princess, Heidi, etc.—stories I associate with girls changing the world around them, whether through action or because of their positivity. But that's not really the deal with Polly, who's a very passive character and doesn't seem to bring anything unexpected to her new community. It's also not a Secret Garden or Goodnight, Mr. Tom situation where it felt like Polly herself was changed by her new home, aside from benefiting from more money and opportunities. Things just kind of work out for her while the least dramatic version of eventful situations unfold around her.
I think what particularly didn't land for me was this sense of complacency with regard to the arc of the moral universe. Polly is shown recognizing injustice and then just...never does anything about it. Her grandmother racially discriminates against a neighbour, and Polly disagrees but then lets it lie. We don't see her ever interacting with the neighbour, or even with the neighbour's son, who's a schoolmate. She has the instinct to give money to a homeless man, but then stops when her teacher scolds her and doesn't help anyone again. She never takes a stand or makes any sacrifice, aside from the one time when it's strongly self-serving, but other characters praise her for seeing the world clearly with her artist's eye, in a way that implies that just seeing is enough and that things will work themselves out over time (at least for those who happen to be the loved one of someone with money and property).
While I was reading, I often found myself thinking how glad I was that the author was avoiding the most predictable conflicts I kept thinking were coming, but by the end of the second book, I looked back and felt like something critical was missing. I don't need big culminating moments in historical coming-of-age novels—I absolutely love A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and could write a whole essay on how it shares a sliver of the same flaw but how all of its positives outweigh that for me—but I needed just a little something more to care about these characters and their fortunes.
( An Excerpt )
ETA: Spoilers in the comments
kingstoken's 2026 Book Bingo: Figures Without Facial Features on the Cover✓
kingstoken's 2026 Book Bingo: Set at a School/UniversityThe Whole Truth by Kit Pearson and its sequel And Nothing but the Truth are a pair of middle grade historical novels set in British Columbia in the 1930s.
The main character is Polly Brown, who begins the story age ten, relocating from Winnipeg to the Gulf Islands to live with her grandmother following the death of her father—an event that's the subject of secrecy between her and her older sister Maud. Shortly after arriving at their grandmother's, Maud leaves for boarding school, leaving Polly to adjust alone to her new life on a small island and deal with the carrying the secret by herself. The second book picks up a couple of years later, when Polly also needs to leave the island for secondary schooling and struggles to adjust to being away while more big changes come to her family.
I read a few of Kit Pearson's books as a kid, and when she came up in conversation recently with a friend, I decided to check out some of her more recent novels. I don't know how her older books would hold up to a re-read for me, but I ended up having a mixed reaction to these two.
They were largely pleasant reads. They're well-written, and if spending time in upper middle-class circles in 1930s western Canada appeals, there are a lot of detailed descriptions of clothes, food, and rural seaside life to enjoy. As someone with an interest in that part of the world but who doesn't have family history there, I appreciated this look into the period.
These books feel like they're in the tradition of Anne of Green Gables, Pollyanna, A Little Princess, Heidi, etc.—stories I associate with girls changing the world around them, whether through action or because of their positivity. But that's not really the deal with Polly, who's a very passive character and doesn't seem to bring anything unexpected to her new community. It's also not a Secret Garden or Goodnight, Mr. Tom situation where it felt like Polly herself was changed by her new home, aside from benefiting from more money and opportunities. Things just kind of work out for her while the least dramatic version of eventful situations unfold around her.
I think what particularly didn't land for me was this sense of complacency with regard to the arc of the moral universe. Polly is shown recognizing injustice and then just...never does anything about it. Her grandmother racially discriminates against a neighbour, and Polly disagrees but then lets it lie. We don't see her ever interacting with the neighbour, or even with the neighbour's son, who's a schoolmate. She has the instinct to give money to a homeless man, but then stops when her teacher scolds her and doesn't help anyone again. She never takes a stand or makes any sacrifice, aside from the one time when it's strongly self-serving, but other characters praise her for seeing the world clearly with her artist's eye, in a way that implies that just seeing is enough and that things will work themselves out over time (at least for those who happen to be the loved one of someone with money and property).
While I was reading, I often found myself thinking how glad I was that the author was avoiding the most predictable conflicts I kept thinking were coming, but by the end of the second book, I looked back and felt like something critical was missing. I don't need big culminating moments in historical coming-of-age novels—I absolutely love A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and could write a whole essay on how it shares a sliver of the same flaw but how all of its positives outweigh that for me—but I needed just a little something more to care about these characters and their fortunes.
( An Excerpt )
ETA: Spoilers in the comments
(no subject)
Feb. 17th, 2026 04:52 pmgreghousesgfI am so tired. I had to go to the drugstore and physical therapy and the grocery store in the damn rain. Because I was in so much pain I was kind of snappy with this nice girl coming into my apt bldg and now I feel kind of guilty about it. I wish I had a car.
A Group of Loons is an Asylum
Feb. 17th, 2026 10:20 amlydamorehouse
Image: A kaiju loon looming over the skyline of Minneapolis. The words say "CthuLoon says, ICE get out!" by Jeremy Brandon. Not sure why this artist did not include LASER EYES, but hey, ChtuLOON is pretty hilarious in general.
Still sick, so not much to report today.
While I've been recovering I've been watching the Heartstopper series, which is based on webtoon of the same name. Apparently, there is a Heartstopper Forever finale movie, which I'll try to watch tonight. I stumbled across this a few days ago because I was looking for something that was kind of mindless and sweet. This very much fits that bill! The show came out in 22, but the finale movie is only a year old, so I don't feel like a complete looser only finding it now. It's basically a love story between two boys at an all-boys school in England, where one of the pair is the rugby captain who has a fairly profound coming out as bisexual. What I really like about it is the whole friend group. I'm particularly fond of Belle, the trans girl, and Issac, the ace/aro book nerd. But, I kind of love everyone in the show, which is rare for me!
Not sure I am recommending it to anyone, however, because it is just sort of sappy, sweet, and fairly low-stakes (though trigger warnings: eating disorder and some body disphoria in seasons 2-3). There aren't even any dragons. But it was sold to me by a reviewer who called it "a hug in TV series form." And I kind of just needed hugs while recovering from this head cold.
Otherwise, I'm thinking I will spend my afternoon finding maps and art and such for my various RPGs.
Three Sentence Ficathon Roundup, the Finale (Our Flag Means Death + Mother Panic)
Feb. 16th, 2026 04:22 pmSick Days aka Forced Rest and Recovery During the Revolution
Feb. 16th, 2026 02:45 pmlydamorehouse
Image: a gorgeous lino cut of a much larger than is accurate loon attempting to drown a bald eagle in what I must assume is a Minnesota lake. She is pushing the eagle down with one webbed foot. The art is entitled "el pueblo unido" (the people united)
jiawen pointed out that "jamas sera vencide" is actually the rest of the phrase "will never be defeated." I feel dumb. I have literally shouted this in the street, so I should have known. The artist did sign this at least, though I can not read their signature. But, if you repost this, just be sure to include the signature.I've been knocked out of the revolution by a head cold.
I tested, it is not COVID, but even so I don't want to infect the good people at the Food Communists so I have stayed home from the resistance. In fact, I have been face down since Friday. So much phlem; so disgusting. I can not wait to get over this. Sadly, too, this cold is the WORST Valentine's Day gift I have given my wife in our 40+ years together. Do. Not. Like.
Instead, I spent part of today catching up on some correspondence.
I am still struggling how to explain everything that's going to my Japanese pen pal because things here are sort of mundanely exceptional. Her last letter ended with the line, "I heard an ICE agent shot and killed a woman, I heard she was one of the members of the movement to get ICE out of town."
True, but we all are, Eiko. We all are. Like, in a way that is almost unimaginable.
I can't even answer the question "what did you do today, Lyda?" normally any more. What did I do? I spent a couple of minutes sewing some hearts onto my high-vis vest. I got the idea from the other mom/protector at my school bus stop patrol. The buses we are guarding are full of largely elementary age kids and, you know, their lives are scary enough right now. Also, the corner that I've been assigned is next to a business where workers regularly wear reflective vests, so it makes us stand apart. I had already sketched "Legal Observer" onto the back of mine, but I decided the hearts are actually a lovely addition. Makes it clearer why we are there.
I answered a Discord video call from the mutual aid folks who are doing laundry for people too afraid to use public laundry spaces or go to the laundromat. I signed up to be a driver and they have been going through the painstaking task of following up on the OVER SIX HUNDRED volunteers and vetting them all to make sure that they are real humans and are actually sincere in their desire to help. This is doublely important right now because ICE is weaponizing our kindness against us. After all, a bunch of plain-clothed shithead ICE agents pretended to have car trouble in order to lure a literal Good Samaritan out of their house in order to abducted them. These fucking fuckers. Also, their "worst of the worst" narrative kind of collapses when you are luring out helpers. Like, yeah, I'm sure there are some hardened criminals who would help you jump your car, but it's not a good look. It's right up there with kidnapping children to use for bait.
Then, fueled by my rage after having read about that, I spent some time trying to decide if I was well enough to go to the AFL/CIO MN protest at Stewart Park today. I decided not and then lay around coughing and miserable, regretting my choice in Signal code-name. Like this was my chance, y'all! Did I pick some deep Marvel cut? Or an obscure anime reference like the otaku I am? No. No, my code-name is really kind of dorky, even if I did choose it for a reason that makes sense for the people who met me in Real Life (tm). Ah well. We can't all be Mouse or Spider-Man.
And this all sounds so crazy without context.
It's going to be a weird letter, y'all.
(no subject)
Feb. 16th, 2026 12:36 pmgreghousesgfLast night a couple of my friends came over and brought me an awesome late birthday present. I now have a giant cardboard stand up Hugh Laurie in my living room, then we went out to this cool art nouveau wine bar in my neighborhood and I bought them a bottle of Rioja that we split.
(no subject)
Feb. 15th, 2026 11:00 amgreghousesgfI have to be honest here. The main reason I wanted to go to the deYoung so much yesterday was because I love art and I wanted to cheer myself up for reasons other than hurting my shoulder in that accident. Valentine's day gets on my nerves because I've had no boyfriend for DECADES. I pretend not to let it bother me but it stinks. I want anybody reading this to know I don't hate men. I like men. I have lots of men friends. Also, I'm a feminist but I'm not whatever the female equivalent of an incel is. I do NOT think men owe me sex. NOBODY OWES ANYBODY SEX. That being said, men are not sexually or romantically attracted to me at all. There are two reasons for this and I can't change either one of them:
1. I look really bad. It is not all in my head. People who don't even know me say horrible things to me. If you look at my old passport I have a really sour expression because the photographer said something very insulting to me right before he took the picture. Also, I've seen people who look even worse than I do who are absolutely convinced they're gorgeous and I can tell you right now gaslighting yourself like that doesn't fool anyone but yourself. It just makes you seem like an egotistical idiot.
2. I'm nuts. Not in a dangerous way, I'm just on the stupid fucking autism spectrum, I wouldn't hurt anybody but I can't hold down any sort of a job and men are not attracted to women who are crazier than they are (unless they look like a model or something, and even then they often don't stick around for very long)
1. I look really bad. It is not all in my head. People who don't even know me say horrible things to me. If you look at my old passport I have a really sour expression because the photographer said something very insulting to me right before he took the picture. Also, I've seen people who look even worse than I do who are absolutely convinced they're gorgeous and I can tell you right now gaslighting yourself like that doesn't fool anyone but yourself. It just makes you seem like an egotistical idiot.
2. I'm nuts. Not in a dangerous way, I'm just on the stupid fucking autism spectrum, I wouldn't hurt anybody but I can't hold down any sort of a job and men are not attracted to women who are crazier than they are (unless they look like a model or something, and even then they often don't stick around for very long)
