More Canning
Sep. 25th, 2025 05:37 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ranunculusM and I put up 27 pints of pickles today, using up all 20# of the cucumbers I harvested yesterday. 15 of the pints were Bread and Butter pickles, the rest Dill with garlic. These are the first, and only Bread and Butter pickles I'm doing this year. Have no idea what I will do with the future cucumber production but I'm done canning for the year.
Recent Reading: Road to Ruin
Sep. 25th, 2025 04:18 pmrocky41_7 posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
booksI have a job again! \^o^/ This means I am back on the audiobook train and today I wrapped up Road to Ruin by Hana Lee, book 1 of the Magebike Courier duology. This is a low fantasy dystopian novel located in a place called the Mana Wastes, where protagonist Jin works as a courier transporting goods between protected cities. Jin runs a lot of odd jobs for various clients, but her most lucrative by far are Prince Kadrin and Princess Yi-Nereen. Jin has been ferrying love letters between them for three years--while hiding the fact that she's fallen in love with both of them. But everything changes when Yi-Nereen decides to run away and asks Jin to help her.
First, don't let the hokey title put you off. I started this one a bit warily, but it turned out to be quite a lot of fun! The worldbuilding is pretty light, but the novel seems aware of that and doesn't overpromise on that front. What is there serves its purpose well. It's not anything particularly novel, but not every book needs to be.
Jin, Yi-Nereen, and Kadrin are all wonderful protagonists; each of them has a distinct personality, perspective, and motivations, and I really enjoyed all of them. I was rooting for them the whole book and it was great to watch their various interpersonal dynamics unfold. If you're a fan of stories about mutual pining, this one is definitely worth checking out. However, if that's not really your speed, I didn't feel like the book spent too much time harping on about feelings we all suspect or know are requited. The romance element is definitely there, and it's a significant motivator for all three of them, but there's plenty else going on in the book too.
The book avoids falling prey either to the Charybdis of black-and-white morality where everyone who stands in the way of the protagonists is evil, or to the Scylla of "everyone is friends if we just talk things out," which is a relief after some recent reads. There's definitely a sliding scale of antagonism here, with some characters who are obstacles but not necessarily bad people, and others who run much darker.
I also enjoyed the presence of the "Road Builders." Jin and her peers inhabit the Mana Wastes, a treacherous desert wasteland where little survives and almost none of it without human intervention. They sustain themselves with "talent"--magical abilities common among humans, but becoming less common by the day--and travel along ravaged roads built by some culture who came before, about which Jin and her peers know very little. These are the "Road Builders" and are, I believe, strongly hinted at to be us. Lee keeps them a pleasant mystery humming in the background of everything else going on.
There were a couple contrivances near the end to aid a dramatic conclusion, but nothing so egregious I wasn't willing to continue to play ball with the book. Similarly, I'm on the fence about where this book leaves the relationship between the main trio, because it feels a little too much like Lee felt it was a necessary hook into book 2, but I'll reserve judgement until I've actually read book 2. And perhaps it's better that everything doesn't wrap up too neatly here.
On the whole, I had a lot of fun with this book and I will definitely read the next one.
First, don't let the hokey title put you off. I started this one a bit warily, but it turned out to be quite a lot of fun! The worldbuilding is pretty light, but the novel seems aware of that and doesn't overpromise on that front. What is there serves its purpose well. It's not anything particularly novel, but not every book needs to be.
Jin, Yi-Nereen, and Kadrin are all wonderful protagonists; each of them has a distinct personality, perspective, and motivations, and I really enjoyed all of them. I was rooting for them the whole book and it was great to watch their various interpersonal dynamics unfold. If you're a fan of stories about mutual pining, this one is definitely worth checking out. However, if that's not really your speed, I didn't feel like the book spent too much time harping on about feelings we all suspect or know are requited. The romance element is definitely there, and it's a significant motivator for all three of them, but there's plenty else going on in the book too.
The book avoids falling prey either to the Charybdis of black-and-white morality where everyone who stands in the way of the protagonists is evil, or to the Scylla of "everyone is friends if we just talk things out," which is a relief after some recent reads. There's definitely a sliding scale of antagonism here, with some characters who are obstacles but not necessarily bad people, and others who run much darker.
I also enjoyed the presence of the "Road Builders." Jin and her peers inhabit the Mana Wastes, a treacherous desert wasteland where little survives and almost none of it without human intervention. They sustain themselves with "talent"--magical abilities common among humans, but becoming less common by the day--and travel along ravaged roads built by some culture who came before, about which Jin and her peers know very little. These are the "Road Builders" and are, I believe, strongly hinted at to be us. Lee keeps them a pleasant mystery humming in the background of everything else going on.
There were a couple contrivances near the end to aid a dramatic conclusion, but nothing so egregious I wasn't willing to continue to play ball with the book. Similarly, I'm on the fence about where this book leaves the relationship between the main trio, because it feels a little too much like Lee felt it was a necessary hook into book 2, but I'll reserve judgement until I've actually read book 2. And perhaps it's better that everything doesn't wrap up too neatly here.
On the whole, I had a lot of fun with this book and I will definitely read the next one.
Rogue Corn by Nikki Wallschlaeger
Sep. 25th, 2025 06:23 pmconulyMy fav event as harvest season approaches
is the rough seed that escaped the plots.
If there’s a cornfield adjacent to another bed
of vegetables, you can count on imperfection,
you can see stalks standing where they’re
not supposed to be, the winds have ideas,
seeds who choose wildness, here they are,
with red potatoes, alfalfa, peas, sunflowers,
they look pleased w/ themselves, outfoxing
clever farmers, making it to the unplanned
ground where nobody is around, recovering
where the amiable dirt will welcome them.
Seeds are so fun and determined,
there’s no concept of liberty, no need for it,
guaranteed if I were a seedling I’d abstain,
you know I would, I’d find a way to renounce
what’s expected of my common name,
gliding over the roads until a dream takes root
**************
Link
is the rough seed that escaped the plots.
If there’s a cornfield adjacent to another bed
of vegetables, you can count on imperfection,
you can see stalks standing where they’re
not supposed to be, the winds have ideas,
seeds who choose wildness, here they are,
with red potatoes, alfalfa, peas, sunflowers,
they look pleased w/ themselves, outfoxing
clever farmers, making it to the unplanned
ground where nobody is around, recovering
where the amiable dirt will welcome them.
Seeds are so fun and determined,
there’s no concept of liberty, no need for it,
guaranteed if I were a seedling I’d abstain,
you know I would, I’d find a way to renounce
what’s expected of my common name,
gliding over the roads until a dream takes root
Link
Jeeves and the Tie That Binds
Sep. 25th, 2025 03:36 pmmarycatelli posting in booksJeeves and the Tie That Binds by P.G. Wodehouse
The continuing adventures. Spoilers for the earlier works ahead.
( Read more... )
The continuing adventures. Spoilers for the earlier works ahead.
( Read more... )
Search
Sep. 25th, 2025 11:33 amranunculusI've been searching for my pickle recipes. I knew I wrote them down last year. Could not find anything, no paper, nothing in the computer. Eventually it was DW to the rescue. Found the recipes posted in August of last year. They are now also on my computer.
Lovely things but still too busy [rowing, cats]
Sep. 25th, 2025 01:47 pmrebeccmeisterLast night after going to bed, I felt something change about my saliva, which is an oddly specific thing to experience. It now has a mildly uncomfortable edge to it. By now it seems that was a very early sign of fighting off some form of infection. I will COVID test the second I get home. Honestly, I'm not too optimistic. I've been in a series of higher-risk environments over the last week or so.
I finally found a few minutes to go through and upload a handful of photos from the regatta and surrounding activities. I'm just going to share two photos, altogether.
Here is our sunrise view from Tuesday morning's practice:
And here is George, perched smugly on top of my pile of rowing kit:
George has figured out how to escape from the Catio. We don't know where he's escaping from, yet. The very good news is that when I called to him on Tuesday evening, he came running over to me, then flopped down right at my feet so I could carry him back indoors. He seems to understand that we are his source of dinner, if nothing else.
It's starting to feel like the middle of the semester.
I finally found a few minutes to go through and upload a handful of photos from the regatta and surrounding activities. I'm just going to share two photos, altogether.
Here is our sunrise view from Tuesday morning's practice:
And here is George, perched smugly on top of my pile of rowing kit:
George has figured out how to escape from the Catio. We don't know where he's escaping from, yet. The very good news is that when I called to him on Tuesday evening, he came running over to me, then flopped down right at my feet so I could carry him back indoors. He seems to understand that we are his source of dinner, if nothing else.
It's starting to feel like the middle of the semester.
No more electronic screaming.
Sep. 25th, 2025 06:21 amsistawendyTL;DR: I have replaced my upstairs smoke detector.
Epic saga: the old unit was made by Kidde. I took a bus ride to my favorite hardware store, only to learn that they didn't carry anything by Kidde, but switching manufacturers is just a simple matter of installing new mounting hardware and wiring. I noped out of that.
Yes, it's quesionable to go with the same manufacturer again given that the first unit died way before its time, but this has dragged on long enough. Besides, turning the power off to mess with wiring upstairs means I lose internet, which means my son might perish from lack of internet.
Who sells Kidde? Home Depot, which is Trumpy. Amazon, which is... less Trumpy? I went with Amazon.
Oh by the way, Kidde has switched power connectors between the old unit and the new one. At least the adapters are cheap.
Anyhoo, in my loft I finally have one (1) smoke & carbon monoxide detector securely placed in the old mounting bracket (whose color doesn't quite match) with a happy little green light powered by the mains of the Devil Girl House. It feels like a bigger deal than it is, which is why I'm writing so much.
Epic saga: the old unit was made by Kidde. I took a bus ride to my favorite hardware store, only to learn that they didn't carry anything by Kidde, but switching manufacturers is just a simple matter of installing new mounting hardware and wiring. I noped out of that.
Yes, it's quesionable to go with the same manufacturer again given that the first unit died way before its time, but this has dragged on long enough. Besides, turning the power off to mess with wiring upstairs means I lose internet, which means my son might perish from lack of internet.
Who sells Kidde? Home Depot, which is Trumpy. Amazon, which is... less Trumpy? I went with Amazon.
Oh by the way, Kidde has switched power connectors between the old unit and the new one. At least the adapters are cheap.
Anyhoo, in my loft I finally have one (1) smoke & carbon monoxide detector securely placed in the old mounting bracket (whose color doesn't quite match) with a happy little green light powered by the mains of the Devil Girl House. It feels like a bigger deal than it is, which is why I'm writing so much.
Saint Death's Daughter
Sep. 25th, 2025 08:43 amasakiyumeWhat a breathtaking book Saint Death’s Daughter is. Truly magnificent in all respects: its exciting, imaginative story, its absorbing, immersive worldbuilding, its soaring writing, and its sharp, compassionate observations about human nature. I loved it completely.
It’s been a long time since I walked into a book and lost myself so entirely in it, so much so that I wanted to bring pieces of it back with me into this world. Can we have sothaín meditations, please? Can we have these twelve gods? … But just certain select pieces! Because the other thing about the world of Saint Death’s Daughter is that it’s cheerfully vicious and merciless—not always and everywhere by any means—but plenty enough. Take the fact that our protagonist, Miscellaneous (Lanie) Stones, comes from a family of assassins and torturers. And there are similar people in high places throughout the story. But the folks Lanie’s drawn to are nothing like that at all. We’re more than our family history, and we can make different choices—that’s the grounding hum that vibrates through the story. Lanie sets herself to make amends for the harm her family’s done: tries, fails, and tries again, all while growing into a powerful necromancer with a deep devotion to Doédenna, Saint Death.
( There's so much! This is just scratching the surface )
So those are some of my reasons for loving Saint Death’s Daughter. It’s doing so much that it’s impossible to cover it all in a review. Lanie eventually learns to speak with more than one voice at once, with a surface voice and a deeper one (kind of like throat singing, where you sing more than one note at the same time, only Lanie’s deeper voice isn’t audible in the usual way of things). The novel is like this too: it’s speaking in a surface voice and in many other voices as well. It’s broadcasting on many frequencies; you can hear many, many things.
It’s been a long time since I walked into a book and lost myself so entirely in it, so much so that I wanted to bring pieces of it back with me into this world. Can we have sothaín meditations, please? Can we have these twelve gods? … But just certain select pieces! Because the other thing about the world of Saint Death’s Daughter is that it’s cheerfully vicious and merciless—not always and everywhere by any means—but plenty enough. Take the fact that our protagonist, Miscellaneous (Lanie) Stones, comes from a family of assassins and torturers. And there are similar people in high places throughout the story. But the folks Lanie’s drawn to are nothing like that at all. We’re more than our family history, and we can make different choices—that’s the grounding hum that vibrates through the story. Lanie sets herself to make amends for the harm her family’s done: tries, fails, and tries again, all while growing into a powerful necromancer with a deep devotion to Doédenna, Saint Death.
( There's so much! This is just scratching the surface )
So those are some of my reasons for loving Saint Death’s Daughter. It’s doing so much that it’s impossible to cover it all in a review. Lanie eventually learns to speak with more than one voice at once, with a surface voice and a deeper one (kind of like throat singing, where you sing more than one note at the same time, only Lanie’s deeper voice isn’t audible in the usual way of things). The novel is like this too: it’s speaking in a surface voice and in many other voices as well. It’s broadcasting on many frequencies; you can hear many, many things.
Interesting Links for 25-09-2025
Sep. 25th, 2025 12:00 pmandrewducker- 1. ChatGPT Is Blowing Up Marriages by Taking People's Side (I'm a little sceptical about how good these relationships were)
- (tags:ai relationships doom )
- 2. Italy and Spain deploy ships to help Gaza aid flotilla targeted in drone attack
- (tags:Italy Spain Israel aid Palestine )
- 3. AI 'Workslop' Is Killing Productivity and Making Workers Miserable
- (tags:ai work doom )
- 4. Huntington's disease successfully treated for first time
- (tags:disease GoodNews )
Sanders' Rhetorical, or Union Sixth Reader
Sep. 24th, 2025 09:22 pmmarycatelli posting in booksSanders' Rhetorical, or Union Sixth Reader by Charles Walton Sanders
An advanced work of elocution.
Perhaps chiefly useful now for its selections and the light they cast on the era. It has several on the importance of the Union. It boasts of a wide variety, to fit young readers, and it does feature both prose and poetry on many different topics, fiction and non-fiction. I think it has more biographical essays than the earlier books in the series.
(Though it was amusing to read the side note that people used to eat a dish of fried dough known as a doughnut.)
An advanced work of elocution.
Perhaps chiefly useful now for its selections and the light they cast on the era. It has several on the importance of the Union. It boasts of a wide variety, to fit young readers, and it does feature both prose and poetry on many different topics, fiction and non-fiction. I think it has more biographical essays than the earlier books in the series.
(Though it was amusing to read the side note that people used to eat a dish of fried dough known as a doughnut.)
Childhood story mix-up
Sep. 24th, 2025 07:58 pmrebeccmeisterToday I figured out that in my head, I mixed up the book Shoemaker Martin with the fairy tale "The Elves and the Shoemaker."
To be fair, both stories have shoemakers in them!
This subject was inspired by the following observations:
Our boathouse is a place of many different kinds of mystical creatures:
Towel fairies: Take towels away, wash them, fold them, bring them back fresh and clean to help us keep our equipment clean.
Boathouse gnomes: Emerge when no one is looking, rearrange and hide things, leave random piles of stuff in random places, cackling madly while they do it.
Boathouse elves: Fix and organize things. ( Like "The Elves and the Shoemaker").
Boathouse ducks: ______ ??????
To be fair, both stories have shoemakers in them!
This subject was inspired by the following observations:
Our boathouse is a place of many different kinds of mystical creatures:
Towel fairies: Take towels away, wash them, fold them, bring them back fresh and clean to help us keep our equipment clean.
Boathouse gnomes: Emerge when no one is looking, rearrange and hide things, leave random piles of stuff in random places, cackling madly while they do it.
Boathouse elves: Fix and organize things. ( Like "The Elves and the Shoemaker").
Boathouse ducks: ______ ??????
comparative nosebleed seats
Sep. 24th, 2025 05:17 pmtwoeleventhis is the view from the nosebleed seats in the kimmel center's small theater:
we're in the last row center. the view is great, as are the acoustics. there's two balconies, and they're relatively small.
and this is the main theater:
it's cavernous, but still manages great acoustics. the three balconies are large, and we're all the way at the back of the uppermost one. it's a substantial climb from the main floor to where we were since the balconies are so tall.
yes, there's a pipe organ above the chorus.
we're in the last row center. the view is great, as are the acoustics. there's two balconies, and they're relatively small.
and this is the main theater:
it's cavernous, but still manages great acoustics. the three balconies are large, and we're all the way at the back of the uppermost one. it's a substantial climb from the main floor to where we were since the balconies are so tall.
yes, there's a pipe organ above the chorus.
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Teaching
Sep. 24th, 2025 01:00 pmranunculusI love to teach.
My current horseback riding student is lovely and I know I'm making a big difference in her horse handling/riding ability. One of her major complaints is that her horse Dollar walks at a snail's pace. When she mounted up we talked about her position in the saddle. She was slouched back with much of her weight in the back of the saddle "riding on her pockets", as she was taught. Her position was telling Dollar to stop, then she would kick him to ask him to go. The instant she moved her weight forward, onto her thighs instead of her butt, the horse moved forward at twice the speed. Not only that, he moved off at an even faster walk when she asked him to. Sitting up (in balance) is also way safer.
Lisa has homework though. Dollar is a very laid back gelding who has been allowed to ignore human commands. Obviously he thinks he is higher in the pecking order than humans. I was very aggressive with him, and got some nice brisk responses. As I said to Lisa "the lead mare would never allow him to drag his feet, she would lay into him and remove hair from his hide for such a slow response." I am not suggesting such a drastic move, but Lisa needs to be far more aggressive and less tolerant than she has been. The more I demanded, the quicker he moved. The faster he moved, the more focused he became. Horses move focus to the lead animal, human or horse. They feel safe with the lead animal. Dollar kept trying to follow me around in the arena because being next to the dominant animal is the safe place to be. He is going to be a great horse for Lisa once they get this sorted. Their next challenge is for him to learn that he will -always- get a release for the right answer. Dollar will be so, so happy when communications are better. For the past number of years he's just been hauled around, pulled on and given contradictory signals. I'm always in awe of the tolerance of horses like Dollar who just keep trying to please their humans even when the humans put them in impossible, often painful situations.
My current horseback riding student is lovely and I know I'm making a big difference in her horse handling/riding ability. One of her major complaints is that her horse Dollar walks at a snail's pace. When she mounted up we talked about her position in the saddle. She was slouched back with much of her weight in the back of the saddle "riding on her pockets", as she was taught. Her position was telling Dollar to stop, then she would kick him to ask him to go. The instant she moved her weight forward, onto her thighs instead of her butt, the horse moved forward at twice the speed. Not only that, he moved off at an even faster walk when she asked him to. Sitting up (in balance) is also way safer.
Lisa has homework though. Dollar is a very laid back gelding who has been allowed to ignore human commands. Obviously he thinks he is higher in the pecking order than humans. I was very aggressive with him, and got some nice brisk responses. As I said to Lisa "the lead mare would never allow him to drag his feet, she would lay into him and remove hair from his hide for such a slow response." I am not suggesting such a drastic move, but Lisa needs to be far more aggressive and less tolerant than she has been. The more I demanded, the quicker he moved. The faster he moved, the more focused he became. Horses move focus to the lead animal, human or horse. They feel safe with the lead animal. Dollar kept trying to follow me around in the arena because being next to the dominant animal is the safe place to be. He is going to be a great horse for Lisa once they get this sorted. Their next challenge is for him to learn that he will -always- get a release for the right answer. Dollar will be so, so happy when communications are better. For the past number of years he's just been hauled around, pulled on and given contradictory signals. I'm always in awe of the tolerance of horses like Dollar who just keep trying to please their humans even when the humans put them in impossible, often painful situations.
This rainy weather feels tropical [status]
Sep. 24th, 2025 02:16 pmrebeccmeisterIt's warm and humid. I appreciate it for that feeling, because I know that all too soon it will be cold and dark and rainy instead. We really need this rain. Yesterday, even after some locally heavy showers, the ground was still dry around the base of trees.
I probably spent more time than I should have this morning, at the boathouse, cleaning up and organizing things from the regatta aftermath. On the other hand, now things at the boathouse are cleaned up and organized, so I can move on to other projects! As one example of what got done: I had loaned a bunch of sets of binoculars to the club for the regatta last year, but never got them back. The bin of binoculars did reappear again just in time for the regatta, so I put the bin in a corner of the boathouse so I could collect it up after the flurry ended. So now they are all back in my lab again, where they belong.
And now, time to grade some (more) papers and exams.
I probably spent more time than I should have this morning, at the boathouse, cleaning up and organizing things from the regatta aftermath. On the other hand, now things at the boathouse are cleaned up and organized, so I can move on to other projects! As one example of what got done: I had loaned a bunch of sets of binoculars to the club for the regatta last year, but never got them back. The bin of binoculars did reappear again just in time for the regatta, so I put the bin in a corner of the boathouse so I could collect it up after the flurry ended. So now they are all back in my lab again, where they belong.
And now, time to grade some (more) papers and exams.
Update
Sep. 24th, 2025 08:55 amranunculusGot my Covid shot day before yesterday and spent most of yesterday asleep. Arm is still a little sore. Next week is the flu shot. Hopefully that won't be as big a reaction.
M is back from Alaska, which is nice.
The electrical for the shop is finally done.
Still no one signed up for my event in 2.5 weeks. Sigh. Maybe cancel?
The garden has a very fall like look. It is still producing, but has slowed way down. Cucumbers and tomatoes are still doing fine, but the okra is about done.
I'm off to teach a lesson in a few minutes. Looking forward to it.
M is back from Alaska, which is nice.
The electrical for the shop is finally done.
Still no one signed up for my event in 2.5 weeks. Sigh. Maybe cancel?
The garden has a very fall like look. It is still producing, but has slowed way down. Cucumbers and tomatoes are still doing fine, but the okra is about done.
I'm off to teach a lesson in a few minutes. Looking forward to it.
Welcome home, Miss Bitch.
Sep. 24th, 2025 06:38 amsistawendyAfter I unpacked, I got a wild hair and went to the open decks night at the Blue Moon. Some great tunes, some less great tunes. Dawgs. Stickers. Ravers. Happiness.
But then I got tired from my cross-country trip and headed for the bus. When I got to the stop, there was an older White woman talking at a younger Black man. He was irritated enough to leave the bus shelter and walk past me a few steps. But the old lady followed him. At some point she said blah blah "you people" blah blah, and that's when I spun around to look. I thought that it might be a come-get-your-girl moment.
The young man looked me in the eye and gestured for me to stay out of it. I gestured to him that I couldn't even hear her over the four lanes of traffic right behind me.
Shallow fashion details, because they're germane: I was wearing a 1950s-inspired dress with a rose-and-spider-web print, and the steel necklace that my mother gave me that looks like pearls, and MAC Ruby Woo lipstick. I was dolled up a little because that's how I roll.
The old lady turned to me and said something like, "Her people don't even give a shit. Do you even know what the NAACP is?"
"Yes," I said. I didn't interrogate her about who "her people" are.
The old lady went back to the bus shelter.
"Are you OK?" the young man asked.
"I'm fine. What about you?"
The bus arrived mercifully soon after that. I got on first and the old lady said, "Get on the bus first, Miss Bitch!" I hadn't noticed that she was shuffling a bit, and the doors had opened right in front of me.
Fun fact: the old lady got off in the middle of Wallingford. That's at least the second time I've seen an elderly transit pest get off there. Coincidence? I hope so for the sake of Wallingford residents.
Y'know, I just spent a week riding transit all over the New York city area and I didn't encounter anyone like this on transit, even after midnight. I come home and it happens within two hours of walking out my front door. Christ on a pogo stick. Having been until recently the daughter of someone like that, I'm still not sure what to do about them: the really irritating, possibly partially functioning ones.
But then I got tired from my cross-country trip and headed for the bus. When I got to the stop, there was an older White woman talking at a younger Black man. He was irritated enough to leave the bus shelter and walk past me a few steps. But the old lady followed him. At some point she said blah blah "you people" blah blah, and that's when I spun around to look. I thought that it might be a come-get-your-girl moment.
The young man looked me in the eye and gestured for me to stay out of it. I gestured to him that I couldn't even hear her over the four lanes of traffic right behind me.
Shallow fashion details, because they're germane: I was wearing a 1950s-inspired dress with a rose-and-spider-web print, and the steel necklace that my mother gave me that looks like pearls, and MAC Ruby Woo lipstick. I was dolled up a little because that's how I roll.
The old lady turned to me and said something like, "Her people don't even give a shit. Do you even know what the NAACP is?"
"Yes," I said. I didn't interrogate her about who "her people" are.
The old lady went back to the bus shelter.
"Are you OK?" the young man asked.
"I'm fine. What about you?"
The bus arrived mercifully soon after that. I got on first and the old lady said, "Get on the bus first, Miss Bitch!" I hadn't noticed that she was shuffling a bit, and the doors had opened right in front of me.
Fun fact: the old lady got off in the middle of Wallingford. That's at least the second time I've seen an elderly transit pest get off there. Coincidence? I hope so for the sake of Wallingford residents.
Y'know, I just spent a week riding transit all over the New York city area and I didn't encounter anyone like this on transit, even after midnight. I come home and it happens within two hours of walking out my front door. Christ on a pogo stick. Having been until recently the daughter of someone like that, I'm still not sure what to do about them: the really irritating, possibly partially functioning ones.
