And fired salutes with the captain's boots in the teeth of the booming gale

[sovay]

So, yes, we got home tonight and saw that John McCain waited to take life-saving advantage of the ACA before he voted, along with fifty other Republican senators whose careers I hope will be even shorter-lived than it seems they want their constituents to be, to proceed with killing it and quite a lot of other people. These are highlights of the day I had before that.

1. spatch met me after my doctor's appointment this afternoon; we walked up the Esplanade to Back Bay (willows, cormorants, a blue reflected hollow in the overcast rippling in the river's wind-waves; I climbed a tree and developed a hole in my sock) and had dinner at the Cornish Pasty Co., where the chicken tikka masala pasty was approximately half the size of a human head and the toffee pudding with crème anglais arrived in a crucible. These are both endorsements. We had not planned on a book-gathering trip, but first there were the book sale carts at the West End Branch of the BPL and then there was Rodney's. I now appear to own Jack Weatherford's The Secret History of the Mongol Queens: How the Daughters of Genghis Khan Rescued His Empire (2010), Jean Potts' Home Is the Prisoner (1960), Derek Jarman: A Portrait (1996) edited by Roger Wollen, and Cicely Mary Barker's The Lord of the Rushie River (1938), which I freely admit I bought because "Traveller's Joy" appears in the text as a folk song. The clouds had broken up by the time we were walking back over the Harvard Bridge and the Charles was full of white and pink sails, including a small flotilla circling one another and then crocodiling back to the MIT boathouse. Rob took a couple of pictures of me on the Esplanade. I am not all right with photographs of myself right now, so I am trying to make a point of them.



Backlit, in a tree. I am holding a rather nice reprint of Margery Allingham's The China Governess (1963), which is the sole book I left the house with. I came home with a large brown paper grocery bag.



Less backlit, on granite. Rob has determined I was sitting on part of the Gloucester Street Overlook, since the nearest monument was the enormous compass rose dedicated to the generosity of the Storrows in 1948; it is carved with the cardinal directions and a map of the Charles River in its course through Newton, Brookline, Watertown, Cambridge, and Boston and we didn't take a picture of it. I had just been adjusting my sock.

2. yhlee and telophase have developed a hexarchate Tarot. Specifically, a jeng-zai deck of the era of Machineries of Empire. You can ask it things. There are no illustrations as yet, but I ran two spreads from different factions and even allowing for the pattern-making capacity of the human brain it gave me scarily decent readings both times. Fair warning: it comes from a dystopia. I'm not sure it knows how to advise on light matters.

3. Courtesy of Michael Matheson: from the archives of Robot Hugs, Gender Rolls. I'm not sure why we don't seem to own any dice, but fortunately the internet provides. I got non-binary femme-type dandy. I . . . can really live with that, actually.

We bought food for the cats. We bought ice cream for ourselves. I guess tomorrow I make a lot more calls.

Comments

[kore]

I like those photos, especially the second one. I'm always jealous of your hair, mine loves to snarl and mat itself up at the slightest provocation.

If it helps any, the later vote on their most comprehensive attempt to replace Obamacare according to the NYT went down in flames: 43-57, they didn't even get the bare minimum 50 votes (they needed 60 after the parliamentarian decision).

The Tuesday night tally needed to reach 60 votes to overcome a parliamentary objection. Instead, it fell 43-57. The fact that the comprehensive replacement plan came up well short of even 50 votes was an ominous sign for Republican leaders still seeking a formula to pass final health care legislation this week.

I honestly think that's a lot more meaningful than the piece of theatre they enacted with John McCain showing up to give a speech and get a pity ovation and pre-emptively stave off any criticism. I mean, that was a hard fought 50-51 vote to start debate. Like Maddow said tonight, they don't have a particular bill, they don't have CBO figures, they don't have amendments, it's basically vaporware. I think it was a huge exercise of dick-swinging to try to convince people Republicans still have the power, but they don't. This repeal/replace crap is MASSIVELY unpopular and it's not going to get any more popular and the politicians are (rightly) getting terrified because the protests and calls keep going.

Senate Republicans still have no agreement on a repeal bill that they can ultimately pass to uproot the law that has provided health insurance to millions of Americans.

Anyway, don't mean to try to talk you out of feelings if you're feeling bad about it. Yeah it sucks. Yeah the fight is not over by a long shot. They could still fuck everyone over. But I am just personally enjoying the thought of Mitch McConnell sobbing into his pillow, because this was his baby that he worked on and revised and called in favours for.

[sovay]

I like those photos, especially the second one. I'm always jealous of your hair, mine loves to snarl and mat itself up at the slightest provocation.

Thank you. My hair has been known to eat combs, if it helps.

John McCain showing up to give a speech and get a pity ovation and pre-emptively stave off any criticism.

Going by the reactions of my various friendlists, I don't think it worked.

But I am just personally enjoying the thought of Mitch McConnell sobbing into his pillow, because this was his baby that he worked on and revised and called in favours for.

I appreciate the information. I know it was a vote to open the debate, not the repeal and replace itself. Even as a piece of political theater, however, I don't like it, I have no good thoughts for the people who voted for it, and I hope it blows up in their faces in ways that don't require a die-off in the American population first. It moves the window of what is acceptable to advocate and practice in government. Getting even this far as a serious effort was wrong.

[kore]

Do you use a wet-brush (can't think of the right name) or something like that? People have recommended them to me, and it worked okay once but never again.


I know it was a vote to open the debate, not the repeal and replace itself. Even as a piece of political theater, however, I don't like it, I have no good thoughts for the people who voted for it, and I hope it blows up in their faces in ways that don't require a die-off in the American population first. It moves the window of what is acceptable to advocate and practice in government. Getting even this far as a serious effort was wrong.

Yeah, absolutely. It was terrible.

[sovay]

Do you use a wet-brush (can't think of the right name) or something like that?

No! Is it what it sounds like? I wash my hair every other night—every night in really hot weather—sleep with it in a braid and comb it out in the morning. It's not exactly what I would call a regimen.

Yeah, absolutely. It was terrible.

At this point it's like: look, I know the people in this government are terrible, all right? I'm happy to take their word for it! They don't have to keep proving it! Any time now, they can stop!

[kore]

I think so -- it's like this? Really widely spaced bristles, and you brush your hair while it's wet. http://www.thewetbrush.com/ I don't have that one, but a knockoff.

And then of course today there was the probably illegal and certainly unenforceable policy change by Twitter that oh hey gotta throw all the trans troops out of the military! I can't even. I don't have words. No words. None.

[sovay]

I can't even. I don't have words. No words. None.

I made an icon.

[thawrecka]

You have most excellent hair, impressively long.

[sovay]

You have most excellent hair, impressively long.

Thank you. It was cut by four inches once when I was in first or second grade, following a traumatic incident with some bubble gum, and that was terrible.

[shewhomust]

I like the tree photo!

[sovay]

I like the tree photo!

Thank you!

[cmcmck]

Ooh! There you are!

Waves.

Always nice to put a face to a username! :o)

[sovay]

Always nice to put a face to a username!

Pleased to meet you face to face!

[lemon_badgeress]

It is good to see you.

Some of those books sound amazing. I wish for you so much sleep they take a while to read.

[sovay]

It is good to see you.

Thank you.

Some of those books sound amazing. I wish for you so much sleep they take a while to read.

That's a really nice well-wishing. I am not yet sleeping that much, but I am enjoying the books so far!

[hawkwing_lb]

It is good to see you. You have amazing hair.

[sovay]

It is good to see you. You have amazing hair.

Thank you.

[hawkwing_lb]

:D Nice icon!

[davidgillon]

I think climbing the tree for that shot was totally worth the hole in your sock :)

Also Grrr! at John McCain.

[sovay]

I think climbing the tree for that shot was totally worth the hole in your sock

Absolutely!

Also Grrr! at John McCain.

Seriously, it would have been so uncomplicated and so narratively fulfilling to do the right thing. This isn't just a dystopia, it's a dystopia whose author thinks they're being edgy when all they're doing is being predictably contrary.

[alexxkay]

0) McCain's actions were not surprising. He has a long history of talking the good talk, while voting for evil.

1) LoVe the tree picture. Makes me think of one of Robin Hood's Merry Men, just announcing their presence to someone.

[sovay]

0) McCain's actions were not surprising. He has a long history of talking the good talk, while voting for evil.

I'm not surprised at John McCain. I don't think I need to be surprised in order to find his actions exceptionally reprehensible.

1) LoVe the tree picture. Makes me think of one of Robin Hood's Merry Men, just announcing their presence to someone.

Thank you! Archery-era me would have been especially happy to hear that.

[kore]

T did make me laugh by saying "My God, are they trying to re-enact Weekend at Bernie's?"

[pameladean]

I can see why you wanted to climb that tree!

P.

[sovay]

I can see why you wanted to climb that tree!

It was a good climbing tree! It was my second day off the wrist brace, so I was a little wary of pushing my luck, but with both hands I could have gone quite some way further without running out of sturdy branches. I might have had to take off my shoes.

[pameladean]

It just looks so expansive and solid. A tree with a history and opinions.

I climbed trees until I started taking blood pressure meds that mess up my balance, but I wasn't systematic enough about it to consider removing my shoes as a useful strategy. I was mostly looking for a good place to read a book, and a good view.

P.

[lauradi7dw]

The Cornish pasties of my experience (from the chain of stalls in London) are a little bigger than a turnover, but way smaller than a half-head. We will investigate the place soon.

[sovay]

We will investigate the place soon.

I hope you enjoy it! I will probably try one of their more—traditional? Heritage? The beef, rutabaga, potato, and onion kind—of pasties when we return, but curry was exactly what I wanted last night and the restaurant did it well. Also their mint-lemon yogurt is sufficiently tasty that I sort of preyed on spatch's when he didn't eat it fast enough.

[gwynnega]

I like these photos a lot. Your dinner and book shopping sound excellent.

[sovay]

I like these photos a lot. Your dinner and book shopping sound excellent.

Thank you. That part of the day was a definite success.

[thisbluespirit]

You look very nice to me!

We had not planned on a book-gathering trip, but first there were the book sale carts at the West End Branch of the BPL and then there was Rodney's

It's so hard to avoid this kind of thing.

[sovay]

You look very nice to me!

Thank you!

It's so hard to avoid this kind of thing.

I passed by a used book store this afternoon that had carts out with different-colored stickers on the book—fifty cents, a dollar, two dollars, three tops. I have more books now.

[ashlyme]

*where the chicken tikka masala pasty was approximately half the size of a human head*

Oh God, I'd try the veggie version of that. There's also the veggie chicken Vindaloo, but I don't think my mouth will ever be ready to become the Bikini Atoll!

*Derek Jarman: A Portrait (1996)*

That is a fantastic book and I hope you enjoy it. Also, Treesovay is a good thing.

*I got non-binary femme-type dandy.*

Yeah... I got non-binary twinky gentleperson. Two out of three ain't bad, I guess!

[sovay]

Oh God, I'd try the veggie version of that. There's also the veggie chicken Vindaloo, but I don't think my mouth will ever be ready to become the Bikini Atoll!

If ever you come to Boston, as I hope someday you will (though I can't exactly recommend the current climate, either politically or ecologically), we'll go for pasties and I will not watch you implode in a ball of fire in front of me. Unless, you know, you want to. Just so long as you can still have conversations in that form.

That is a fantastic book and I hope you enjoy it.

I've looked through some of the art already. I think it is going to be wonderful.

Also, Treesovay is a good thing.

Thank you.

Yeah... I got non-binary twinky gentleperson. Two out of three ain't bad, I guess!

Indeed! (Today, apparently, should have been questioning queerdo dudebro. I think I definitely failed that last roll.)

[ladymondegreen]

Hooray for arboreal adventures! Also new reading material and oversized food. I am currently on an airplane bound for Denver environs. So I am likely to have high altitude adventures as well.

[sovay]

Hooray for arboreal adventures!

Thank you!

I am currently on an airplane bound for Denver environs. So I am likely to have high altitude adventures as well.

Have a splendid time in Denver. I have not seen the Rockies since I was thirteen, but they treated me very well at the time.

[jesse_the_k]

I see a thoughtful person with great hair and excellent balance in these photos. (Don't look now, there's a giant entish eye in the first one.)

where the chicken tikka masala pasty was approximately half the size of a human head and the toffee pudding with crème anglais arrived in a crucible. These are both endorsements.

Thank you for the clarification. Our pasties are more Cornishly authentic, unfortunately, which means chewy meat and overcooked vegetables. I

[sovay]

I see a thoughtful person with great hair and excellent balance in these photos. (Don't look now, there's a giant entish eye in the first one.)

Thank you. (You're right! It looks like some kind of tree squid. Now I kind of wish those existed.)

Our pasties are more Cornishly authentic, unfortunately, which means chewy meat and overcooked vegetables.

Heh. Well, if you ever come to Boston . . .

[asakiyume]

Good for you for fighting your reluctance to posting pictures. I love these ones; I'm really grateful to spatch for taking them and to you for posting them.

The hexarchate Tarot is awesome. I've only just started Ninefox Gambit, but I'm loving it, and already the tarot makes good sense!

[sovay]

I love these ones; I'm really grateful to spatch for taking them and to you for posting them.

Thank you.

I've only just started Ninefox Gambit, but I'm loving it, and already the tarot makes good sense!

It's such a good series. yhlee has been posting some of the fanart (and occasionally -fiction) it's been accruing and I am just delighted.

[nineweaving]

Magisterial book-haul; magnificent tree. And gorgeous hair.

The Cornish pasties I remember from the 70s in England were compounded of horse-gristle and mildewed swede. These sound nice! I must get over there——I want to check out Muji as well.

Nine

[sovay]

Magisterial book-haul; magnificent tree. And gorgeous hair.

Thank you.

I must get over there——I want to check out Muji as well.

I don't think I know Muji, but I suspect you will enjoy the pasties. If you try one of the more traditional ones (although at this point I feel curry is extremely, traditionally English), please let me know what you think.

[nineweaving]

Muji sells ingenious, well-designed household goods, right on the Mass. Ave. end of Newbury. rushthatspeaks pointed it out.

Curry is totally traditional! Crikey, £10 for a pasty? They do look awfully good though. How was the treacle pud?

Nine

[sovay]

Muji sells ingenious, well-designed household goods, right on the Mass. Ave. end of Newbury.

Cool.

Crikey, £10 for a pasty?

They're huge. spatch's made two meals. On those terms, they're worth the price.

I forgot to mention that Rob also ordered the mushy peas and approved of them.

They do look awfully good though. How was the treacle pud?

It had a very short life span. Just be warned that I was not joking about the crucible, so you'll need to wait a little for it to cool. Probably it would reach to a safely edible temperature faster if you put ice cream on it, but then you'd miss the crème anglais.

[dhampyresa]

Love the pictures! Would you mind terribly if, at some point in the future, I eventually used the backlit up a tree one for pose reference?

[sovay]

Would you mind terribly if, at some point in the future, I eventually used the backlit up a tree one for pose reference?

I'd be honored! Thank you for asking.