Author: David

Over-educated Curmudgeon, Bit-Bucket Tuner and Budding Brewmeister.
Posted on

Book Blurb Sadness

It’s a bit. . . weird, or weirdly sad (or sadly weird?) I suppose is the word, when a book blub has to include “Note: This book does not contain any coarse language, harem elements or sexual situations.” *smh*

Of the three, at least two serve no useful purpose, unless, I suppose, prurience is the end sought. OTOH, “coarse language” does have legitimate, though limited, uses, but it’s almost never _necessary_ to further a plot or “enrich” a characterization – more effective, IMO, to “coarsen” a character via action. But. . . yeh, verbiage is easier. *shrugs*

Of course, the definition of “coarse language” varies from the merely (usefully and appropriately!) vulgar, which is primarily objectionable to subliterate Neo-Victorian Bowlderiizing “Karens,” to the obscene and even actually profane. So, “coarse language” is a particularly squishy term, and not really useful at all, at all. It’s just a way of saying, “I avoid words that offend some people,” and that road leads to blank pages.

Posted on

Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose, and all that.

Oh, happy-happy-joy-joy. I get to set the live trap for my Wonder Woman’s cat. . . again.

*sigh*

*Update*

Live trap + water and her fav food worked perfectly. THIS time, she didn’t have to contend with an opossum for her food and she’s back, now. Walked around crying for attention for a while, and is finally cuddled up next to my Wonder Woman (‘cos she’s too fat for a lap *heh*).

Posted on

Unreasonable Standards

Disclaimer: I am no genius, and nor am I someone with an encyclopedic knowledge of darned near everything, but. . . I am an Odd, and my education is even Odd-er.

That may not explain to my readers why, when I read something written by a typical 20-something or older “grup” writer, I often just shake my head and compare their vocabulary, spelling, grammar, and knowledge base to an eleven or twelve-year-old. . . me.

Yeh, when I read a writer who has groped blindly for a suitable word and instead grasped an execrably UNsuitable word to use, I compare that writer’s vocabulary to my sixth grade self, partly because, while recovering from a second surgery, I discovered a set of vocabulary quizzes in a two-volume dictionary set (each volume at least four inches thick in large, oversized formats). Yes, I went through the college-level vocabulary test, NOT because I was “smarter” than the average sixth grader, just because I had read more, even before becoming temporarily restricted physically, but VORACIOUSLY more so during that restricted period.

And that, combined with my fundamentally Odd way of looking at reality, probably defined as much of the next sixty years of my life, as much as simply being an Odd has in general. And so, people with a Stupid Level Vocabulary™ (and often even stupider level grasp of syntax, orthography, and basic arithmetic, physical mechanics, and life in general) probably tend to irk me more than is useful.

Posted on

Memory’s a Funny Thing

In addition to my tinnitus chorusing along with earworms, sometimes those earworms just seem to pop up out of nowhere, or some “Fibber McGee’s Closet” of memories. . .

One occasional source of memories insinuating themselves as earworms is children’s songs learned in early-mid childhood. I recall 4th Grade music class (what, maybe once or twice a week?) which was held in the school library for some reason. The music book was a faded red cloth-covered book, and when one of the songs from that class crops up, I see the page the song was on, the music, and the lyrics, even, from time to time, illustrations accompanying the song. *shrugs* Visual memory always seems to work better for me when it’s associated with music, especially sheet music, etc.

Just one of those things.

Posted on

Comparatively Speaking. . .

Glitter is often so horribly misused that, at times, it seems to have been spawned from hell, but any reasonable person would prefer a “whoop” of preschoolers tweaked on a sugar high and given unlimited bags of glitter at a funeral to a drag queen show in kindergarten.

That’s all I’m sayin’ about that.

Posted on

Words Do Matter

Just saw a lil pseudo- (fake, phony) “meme” that did contain a wee bit of truth, but the first word — “hay” used in place of “hey” — vitiated (weakened, darned near KILLED) the rest if it. OTOH, maybe it was trying to say that even pinheaded, Dunning-Krugerand illiterates can stumble across a bit of truth now and then. Blind pigs and all that, you know?

Posted on

No oven, no stove, just. . .

Reason # 4,967 why I love cooking meals in my pressure air fryer: 1. Sauteed a seasoned roast. 2. Pressure cooked it. 3. Added veggies and slow-cooked it all for a MUCH shorter time than I’d ordinarily need to to have the meat just fall apart the way I wanted (this time — other times? *shrugs* depends on my whimsy).

Posted on

October Chores

Today’s “most fun chore” was repotting nearly all our houseplants (almost all brought inside last week from their summer vacation), including a pot full of “outdoor plants” (marigolds and onions – yeh, they like each other). They all enjoyed their summer vacation so much, that the 8 inch pots graduated to 12-inchers, and the lone 4-inch pot graduated to an 8-incher. They’ve been sitting near the French doors and under a couple of grow lights for the past week, and seem to already be happy with their larger “rooms.”

We’ll just see if we can keep from “brown-thumbing” ’em over winter. . . *heh*

Posted on

Still Waiting. . .

. . .for the swelling in my fingers to go down enough that I can wear my wedding ring. Wearing a silver substitute that’s larger. . . on the little finger of that hand.

Combo: unstable knee + walking a 10-month-old German Shepherd puppy + avoiding traffic + unseen dip off side of road + avoiding falling ON the puppy = bad fall and hyper-extended fingers on left hand. Bruising and swelling in hand almost entirely gone, but fingers still swollen. Can almost make a fist n ow, though, so progress!

I’ll give it another month before I’m concerned enough to seek more help. Checkup a couple of weeks ago, doctor thought it was doing about as well as could be expected. Chores activity limited by lack of grip in that hand, but am still partially able to work task list.