this is a charming post, Wordshore, but I have strong feelings about these things. I will speak as an American, only regarding the American practice in such matters:

it should be a matter of LAW that no Christmas decor, goods etc., will be displayed or sold until AFTER THANKSGIVING.

it should be a matter of LAW that no Thanksgiving decor, goods etc., will be displayed or sold until AFTER HALLOWEEN.

it should be a matter of LAW that HALLOWEEN decor and goods be displayed and sold ALL YEAR ROUND!

I'm willing to make exceptions for food items that are particular tasty treats, I suppose ;)
posted by supermedusa at 9:43 AM on August 11 [24 favorites]

I bought all of my nonperishable crap plasticky toys and stickers for trick or treat back in early January assuming tariff fuckery. I'll be cleaning up on name brand crayolas during the back to school sales. I invested in my forever Halloween sweatshirt two years ago. That part is ? on track ?.

However, I have made zero plans and have zero ideas about how to dress my velociraptor this year. Previously she has been a ghost, a clown, and the iconic Chicago target rats rat. I need ideas. This is my official request to solicit ideas.
posted by phunniemee at 9:46 AM on August 11 [9 favorites]

I cannot wait to wear something other than shorts and a t-shirt.
posted by sagc at 9:54 AM on August 11 [2 favorites]

IKEA just got in their halloween stuff and ... i just bought a discount mug from the last post halloween sale!!! ok "just" maybe it was six months ago. shut up.
posted by seanmpuckett at 9:55 AM on August 11 [1 favorite]

Fall? That means #CXisComing!
posted by MrGuilt at 9:57 AM on August 11

Yes it's the opposite for us, days getting longer and warmer!
This year I decided not to yeet caterpillars over the fence to the unoccupied plot next door. Now my plants look like unorthodox Christmas trees decorated with tiny, short, dark brown tinsel. Seriously. Also, I discriminate so the Cape Honeysuckle (huge, tough, and fast growing) is probably saying "what the hell" as I did remove some caterpillars from the Arum Lilies as from past experience those suckers get eaten all the way down to the ground if I don't protect them.
posted by Zumbador at 9:58 AM on August 11 [3 favorites]

I'm moving (it feels like a never-ending process but I should be done by this weekend) and I have a patio! It ... overlooks a parking lot, but it's a patio! So I look forward to some pleasant fall nights enjoying it out there.
posted by edencosmic at 9:59 AM on August 11 [3 favorites]

@phunnniemee How about a construction velociraptor?
posted by olopua at 10:00 AM on August 11 [4 favorites]

However, I have made zero plans and have zero ideas about how to dress my velociraptor

Liberace? You¡¯d need a sequined cape and a little piano. Maybe some hair.
posted by GenjiandProust at 10:00 AM on August 11 [6 favorites]

Maybe some hair.

Too bad it's not a parasaurolophus with its built-in pompadour!
posted by mittens at 10:05 AM on August 11 [5 favorites]

Can we please just enjoy the rest of summer without constantly being reminded how soon it's going to be over?
posted by crazy_yeti at 10:06 AM on August 11 [15 favorites]

velociraptor costume: is a chicken too obvious? How about cosplaying a fog because doggies are often dressed up as dinosaurs.
posted by mightshould at 10:07 AM on August 11 [2 favorites]

All I have planned for the next couple of months are some road trips. Going to the most amazing place I've ever been to, Yellowstone, in a couple of weeks. And then am planning to go to Arches in October.
posted by Windopaene at 10:08 AM on August 11 [3 favorites]

olopua: "How about a construction velociraptor?"

omg with a little styrofoam I Beam in her claws!

mightshould: "is a chicken too obvious?"

I have definitely considered a chicken, but I never went through with my turkey



GenjiandProust: "Liberace? You¡¯d need a sequined cape"

Maybe an Elvis someday, unless I can cheaply source a tiny piano...
posted by phunniemee at 10:11 AM on August 11 [3 favorites]

phunniemee I think your Utahraptor should dress as a vampire this year. it's a classic and also can be seen as an allegory for things we do not discuss in Free Threads.
posted by supermedusa at 10:12 AM on August 11 [3 favorites]

This is my official request to solicit ideas.

On a whim I did a search on sexy or kinky velociraptor and, um, well, now I have to throw my laptop into the river and buy a new one and start over.

The Internet is weird.
posted by Wordshore at 10:16 AM on August 11 [18 favorites]

We're looking forwards to it cooling off some. Long days are nice, but the heat and humidity aren't.
Meanwhile, the kid's packing to move out, so we're negotiating what media goes and what stays. It's less who owns what, and more who's read what. I'm keeping Mexican Gothic and P5 Royal, and she's taking Silver Nitrate and FFVII Advent's Children.
posted by Spike Glee at 10:17 AM on August 11 [2 favorites]

I'm readjusting to having a subway commute after a few years without; fortunately my route is quirky enough and uses unpopular enough trains that I always get a seat. I started bringing a book for on-subway entertainment; a couple weeks ago I added a small shawl knitting project. I have a stupidly huge number of balls of fancy-ass sock yarns and I hate knitting socks; fortunately there are a ton of "quick and easy shawls you can make with just one ball of sock yarn" patterns and I'm going to just crank them out. Fall is when I drag out all of the shawls and scarves for the bulk of my accessories anyway, may as well convert the balls of yarn into yet more scarves for the pile and go full-on Stevie Nicks.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 10:25 AM on August 11 [9 favorites]

Oh - and just this past weekend I was in a candy store on Coney Island and spotted some pumpkin pie M&M's on their shelves already.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 10:27 AM on August 11 [2 favorites]

Phunnimee I like topical costumes, so the raptor should be wearing a Papal mitre and carrying a Vito and Nick's pizza box (or bag? I forget which they use)
posted by JoeZydeco at 10:28 AM on August 11 [13 favorites]

OH MY GOD HOW COULD I HAVE FORGOTTEN THE POPE
posted by phunniemee at 10:38 AM on August 11 [15 favorites]

However, I have made zero plans and have zero ideas about how to dress my velociraptor this year.

I think Velocipope is too good to pass up but:

Ghostbuster

Jedi (lightsaber + robe) or Han Solo (vest + blaster) or Leia (tape [dylanhollis]SIMMANUM!![/dylanhollis] rolls to her head; her blaster is probably hard to find)
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 10:43 AM on August 11 [1 favorite]

Wordshore: "This is my official request to solicit ideas.

On a whim I did a search on sexy or kinky velociraptor and, um, well, now I have to throw my laptop into the river and buy a new one and start over.

The Internet is weird."

This sounds like the Best of the Web to me, looking forward to your post :)
posted by Vatnesine at 10:43 AM on August 11 [4 favorites]

This year I decided not to yeet caterpillars

Zumbador, in the callowness of youth I was not above stuffing tent caterpillars (e.g.) down the barrel of my air rifle and shooting them at my friend. And being shot by said friend. It was as dumb and gross as you can imagine.

I was yesterday-years-old when my partner and I started cooking up a plan to see a Blue Jays game in late September. I can't believe it. She's a baseball person with fond memories of watching Expos games with her father. If we time it right we'll catch them playing the Red Sox, this is the type of thing I hum-and-haw to death but I think we better take our chance while it's there.

I missed the celebration of life for a person I knew in high school, he was an avid comic book guy but a little more into costumed heroes than me, it persisted through his life well into his 30s. He was the kind of guy who owned a Spiderman costume and he'd wear it scaling office towers for charity events. I'm not sure what took him, it's distressing how easily we lose threads of our lives even as we stitch new ones. Friends got married after being together for 25 years and a whole bunch of us celebrated that, as I looked over at one point to a guest, the man who presided over their ceremony, to say "Yes, I'm talking to your two boys over here, but it's okay we're just talking about G---" I realized I can't not talk or think about G--- anymore. I had to type it that way because the word is too political for Free Thread, but a person feels what they feel
posted by Didymus at 10:44 AM on August 11 [6 favorites]

OH MY GOD HOW COULD I HAVE FORGOTTEN THE POPE

{mysterious robed figure enters, stage left} "Vulnerable to Protestant mind tricks, good MeFite, you are..." {exits, stage right}
posted by Wordshore at 10:47 AM on August 11 [5 favorites]

It's been like a decade since Da Pope was elected, right?

Huh? It's not? Sure feels like it.
posted by JoeZydeco at 10:50 AM on August 11 [3 favorites]

Ooh, how about a mummy raptor? All you need is a few rolls of TP.
CVS has a bunch of Bluey dolls and figurines in Halloween costumes. Do Aussies go trick-or-treating?
I should be looking forward to my birthday in a few weeks but am at a loss as to how to celebrate. I've been rather impecunious lately w/r/t fancy niche perfumes so I don't think I want to go on a shopping spree or splurge on anything else...
posted by The Ardship of Cambry at 10:53 AM on August 11 [2 favorites]

I was tempted to describe how things are going, instead, I will tell you that I managed (with a little help) to solve a vignetting problem on my 4x5 film photographs.
posted by tommasz at 10:58 AM on August 11 [6 favorites]

dare I suggest dressing the 'raptor as a...LABUBU??!???!!!!!!?
posted by supermedusa at 11:01 AM on August 11 [2 favorites]

I bought candlesticks from a potter friend and have put battery-operated tapers in them (I have asthma and avoid any kind of smoke). I have made two terrariums with moss in them so I can have some green in the winter. I bought a wool blanket for my bed. The favorite YouTube video of a fireplace is the only thing left on my account and is queued up for just after Halloween. The artificial tree and the decorations are ready to pull out right after Thanksgiving. And I took the NJ Transit bus across state lines to the beach today.

I hate winter, and I realized I don¡¯t have enough energy to prep for it when the days get shorter, so I¡¯m starting now.
posted by Peach at 11:05 AM on August 11 [10 favorites]

I saw my first Halloween display at the grocery store yesterday...we're not even HALFWAY through AUGUST and it was NINETY-FIVE fucking DEGREES. I went straight past livid to sad and resigned.

Once my son grew up and moved out the fun went out of celebrating holidays for me, beyond using them as an excuse to hang out with friends in one or another's totally undecorated home and eat good food. So I mostly dismiss frenzied commercialized holiday foofaraw with a non-participatory shrug. But I mean jeez, couldn't they at least wait until the weather cools off next month to start up with the tacky Halloween junk? *sigh*

Anyway...last week I talked about making my first-ever loaf of bread; for my second load I tried improvising something different and it was less successful, though still edible...just. Lesson learned, I can't wing it with baking like I can with other kinds of cooking. But on the positive side, I set up a batch of sourdough starter this weekend and it's bubbling merrily away - in fact I may need to feed it twice a day to keep up with it!
posted by Greg_Ace at 11:13 AM on August 11 [8 favorites]

As I've gotten older, I've looked forward to the holiday season less and less. The Grandmas used to organize and get everyone together, but they're all gone and the family drama and distances between people make it harder to have the holidays we used to have. I suppose if our children, all grown adults, had grandkids it would probably be more fun, since pretty much the holiday season seem made more for kids than anyone else.

We've gotten in the habit of getting tickets for a fancy-shmancy catered buffet at a nearby nice hotel for ourselves and whatever family (or close friends) would like to join us on Thanksgiving and other holidays, which is a nice way to spend an hour or two gorging until we're sick and enjoying the company of those assembled. I think I prefer this to being crammed into Grandma's house with extended family of varying friendliness, obligated to go through the specific motions of holiday reverie because that's the way it's always been done.

Halloween candy, though, there's always something to look forward to there.

Film Student Update: Of course, summer's almost over, so classes begin a week from this coming Monday; both of my classes are Music Production classes, since there aren't any film classes being offered this semester that I need. One's a studio recording class -- being on the mixer side of the booth -- and the other is a 20th century pop/rock music theory/history class; both are advanced versions of classes that I've already taken, the next step in order, and as a non-musician both pose difficulties, but I'm looking forward to it.

Referencing the free thread on bonding: I've mentioned a couple times that my professor/director/friend has been sort of distant all summer, and I've been worried about him and also since our relationship has weird multifaceted levels maybe we were more "work friends" than friend-friends.

So, I worked up the courage to admit that when people are friends, it's perfectly OK to just invite someone out to lunch to catch up, which I did and he accepted. He greeted me with a hug, which pretty much cemented that we're capital-F Friends, rather than purely transactional through school or filmmaking roles, and we had a nice lunch catching up on what we've both been up to for the past three months (of course, he's just had a busy summer is all).

My five-days-of-filming-in-six-days all went well; had some random reshoots over a lunch for the music video, and I edited one of the acting workshop 'skits' which turned out better than I expected -- and the indie film from last spring released its first trailer and announced its premiere date ^{(I was DOP for the film and edited this trailer)}.
posted by AzraelBrown at 11:13 AM on August 11 [10 favorites]

I have an opposite and complimentary complaint from supermedusa. Candy and treats used to be available in the priced-to-sell section of supermarkets basically right after the holiday. Now it takes months to show up. Or I get them from Grocery Outlet on a ~6-month delay. Got some good summer Pfeffernusse and bad pumpkin spice popcorn in May/June. Let me be cheap and at least vaguely in season please.
posted by Garm at 11:18 AM on August 11 [4 favorites]

Can we please just enjoy the rest of summer without constantly being reminded how soon it's going to be over?

Towards this end: the reason I was out on Coney Island this weekend was to go to a free screening of The Warriors, with the screen set up right there on the beach itself, about 100 yards from the Wonder Wheel. Two friends met up with me an hour before the film for some skeeball and Nathan's, and I went out even earlier for a spin on the Cyclone and the Wonder Wheel. It's been about five years since I was on the Cyclone and I had the biggest dumb grin on my face when I got off. I bought about $65 worth of food over the course of the afternoon and one of my friends won the shoot-the-clown's-mouth game and won a blue toy frog which she said is now named "Warrior".

All I have planned for the next couple of months are some road trips.

Hey, I have a couple October trips too! Best of all, they're going to be weekend trips - I am on a contract now so I don't get PTO just yet, so anything that minimizes having to take time off work is good for the moment. But -

1. The second week of October some dear friends who moved to Colorado are going to be in Ithaca for the weekend, and I'm heading up to hang with them.

2. And then the following weekend, my BFF from Ireland will be over here as one of the spare chaperones for a school group; they are starting in Philadelphia for a weekend before going on to Amish Country and Washington, and I'm heading down for her first couple days before she has to do most of the teenager wrangling and also witness her first cheesesteak. Then Sunday night she packs for the rest of the trip and I head back to NYC.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 11:19 AM on August 11 [7 favorites]

Apropos of nothing, "Cruel Summer" started playing as I started reading this thread. This time of year is never fun for my mental health, as it's full of memories of The Late Mr. Nerd. I made it through is birthday yesterday, with a pedicure, lunch made by a friend, some Pokemon Go, and a punk museum exhibit and show. Too much sun, not enough water, but I got a near perfect Palkia and got to see Manic Hispanic and Agent Orange live.

3 weeks and I'll be in Chicago for a week. Yay KnobCon! Synthesizers!

Work: A Toddler-Minded co-worker (TMC) is the reason I'm looking for another job. Can't afford to rage-quit, and a big part of me is hesitant to leave a job that has a very short commute and good flexibility. However, TMC won't change, and even though she's cost the (small, minority owned) company money through her various foibles, the boss refuses to fire her. It's his prerogative, as it's mine to make sure I have a job that isn't going to mess with my mental health.
posted by luckynerd at 11:21 AM on August 11 [14 favorites]

I was thinking about the Pope too, but didn¡¯t say anything because he¡¯s a Leo and therefore a lion.

But a velociraptor dressing up like the Pope would choose to be a lion, so you could use a lion mask and ruff and the Papal Mitre suggested by JoeZydeco and see if anybody got the joke.

Edit: And the Pope has a specialstaff too.
posted by jamjam at 11:23 AM on August 11 [3 favorites]

I'm am really looking forward to fall and to a hopeful reduction in migraines as the past two months have been horrible. I have french class tonight, but didn't do my homework which I'm feeling guilty over. I know I just need to go, but I don't wanna.
posted by Art_Pot at 11:30 AM on August 11 [4 favorites]

veliciraptor has been added to the post tags
posted by Wordshore at 11:32 AM on August 11 [13 favorites]

I am in the process of moving without even leaving my house, which is just as much fun as you can imagine. The timeline is more or less as follows:

Nov. 2022 - daughter, granddaughter and baby daddy move in to my 1300 square foot 2 bedroom 1.5 bath house, necessitating conversion of garage into spare bedroom, planned for them. Their accumulation of stuff from their NC house plus everything that was in the garage necessitated rental of a storage unit.
Dec 2022 - I move into spare bedroom / garage while they take over main bedroom and most of the living room.
April 2024 - after various twists and turns of fate and changes in the cast of characters, daughter and I decide to sell this house and buy a triplex together. To this end on the advice of the (obnoxious) realtors, we basically empty our house and put everything into a second, larger storage unit.
July 2024 - house has not sold and contingency based contract for triplex lapses. We take house off market. Meanwhile ailing brother has been moved from NC to OR and I have started caregiving responsibilities with him. There is a glimmer of hope that we can fund triplex with his help but it falls through (I will kick myself for letting this happen until the end of days.)
May 2025 - we start househunting again as it becomes increasingly apparent that brother can no longer live alone. There is nothing on the market that will work.
July 2025 - we buy a house in the same neighborhood that is basically a slightly nicer clone of my house. The two storage units are emptied into two houses. It turns out that we essentially had replaced everything necessary in storage so now we have two or three everything plus wow, how did I have all these books? Where did I put all this stuff? What even IS that? Daughter and granddaughter move into other house. Brother will move into mine as more handicapped accessible.
August 2025 - brother moves in with me formally next weekend but is now so afraid of being at apartment that is sleeping at my house in son¡¯s room where I have cleared a small path through the boxes that were staged there since son is gone for the summer. Add in discovery of mold at my house necessitating removal of carpet, cursed linoleum, etc., etc., and total brokeness due to acquisition of second much more substantial mortgage not to mention all the everything else and here I am. So yes I have been painting and pulling up carpet and moving stuff everywhere, my house is full of boxes, I can¡¯t find anything, the animals are unsettled and I can¡¯t even with all of this.

And I still have to go to work. I think I saw the Halloween boxes in passing; they are, I believe, in my daughter¡¯s rickety ¡°garage¡± which hopefully will not collapse into the ravine before the holiday. Four counts up holidays: we had the 4th of July and next school will start and then it will be Halloween and then Thanksgiving then Christmas then Valentines Day, with a shout - I had no idea she felt so strongly about Valentines Day - but a very long time until her next birthday in July.

In other news Four and I marched in the Regatta Parade which is a strange old local holiday (it¡¯s odd, because I have spent a large portion of my life in various places on various coastlines and this place has less recreational sailing than anywhere I have ever lived yet it is the one with the huge regatta celebration) on Saturday and had a great time. This is her second time in the parade; last year she was on the mermaid float and had a better costume; this year she was a small raccoon with ears that kept falling off and a tail, ditto. She threw candy at the children watching and I made sure nobody got run over, plus I found an atomic fireball in the gutter, score!
posted by mygothlaundry at 11:42 AM on August 11 [15 favorites]

This time of the year I most look forward to lawn-mowing and yardwork season winding down, though realistically I could be cutting grass into November. The shorter days means a pivot to the inside hobbies, which is also nice.
posted by jquinby at 11:44 AM on August 11 [1 favorite]

"The nights are fair drawing in" was one of my grandmother's stock expressions. Looking back on her generosity and kindness, her legendary dourness was most likely a bit that none of us caught on to.

this summer has null skies and smells of smoke, so I'd be happy when it abates. It's too hot (and foul air quality) to cycle, so I hate it. Since when did we just accept this burning shit?

In more fun news, I got to hang out with a beaver (photo; video) last week! This one usually charges into the pond with a huge splash if I get near it, but last week I was about three metres away and it didn't budge for over a minute. They're surprisingly big and remarkably unhurried.

I built another daft wee video console thing. This time it's a pico-56, a 65C02/TMS9918A/AY-3-8910 retro computer fully emulated on a Raspberry Pi Pico. It works, but I'm still waiting for the NES controller hardware to arrive from AliExpress. My AliExpress stuff might overtake the Adafruit Fruit Jam I bought on July 30th. USPS is utterly shit to Canada now.
posted by scruss at 11:44 AM on August 11 [5 favorites]

Forgot a freethread comment!

So over a year or so ago, Ms. Windo wanted to save the backyard.

Got a handyman friend, along with my son to build a fence, (mostly plastic fencing), to keep our two Standard Poodles out of 2/3 of the yard, to try to regrow the grass...

Sadly, one of them is an escape artist, and can always find a way to get through the fence. And I fought this fight for a year and a half. Patching holes, putting lawn furniture to block holes, etc.

And have finally given up, and am trying to tear it all down. My son is heading back to college tomorrow, and I don't have the strength to pull out the stakes and rebar. Hope he wakes up soon.

Yard will likely go back to being a torn up nightmare. But if you are selling the house, don't you want to stage it by actually laying brand new sod? I think so.
posted by Windopaene at 11:57 AM on August 11 [3 favorites]

My garden project for this fall is to get some spring ephemerals planted: virginia bluebells, midland shooting star, spring beauty, common blue violet. They should ship sometime around October. I've been trying to get the invasives in the backyard (especially creeping bellflower) under control, then I'm hoping to mix some compost into the clay to make it a more hospitable growing environment.

Then I'll be ordering seeds for winter sowing, and planting them in December or January depending on how the weather goes and how busy my holidays are. (Lots of prairie plants require cold stratification; you have to plant them, then keep them cold and moist for a couple of months before they sprout. Or you could try to stratify them in the fridge, but that's too much faff for me.)

I never liked late summer before, but this year, with the coreopsis and the agastache and the spiderwort in bloom, and the bumblebees, it's kind of great.

Lots of flooding in Milwaukee this weekend, but I managed to come through unscathed. My cat, who's scared of the rain, is recovering.
posted by Jeanne at 11:57 AM on August 11 [8 favorites]

With Halloween less than 12 weeks away

It's about 2 weeks until Austin horror maven David Hood (aka Cinemonster) releases a brand new set of rules for the 12th annual Hooptober horror movie challenge on Letterboxd. It's named in honor of Texas Chainsaw Massacre director Tobe Hooper, and is a tribute to the entire history of horror cinema that encourages folks to expand their knowledge and appreciation of the genre.

For the past 11 years, Cinemonster has challenged Letterboxd users to build a list of 31 horror movies that fit that year's themes/criteria and then WATCH THEM ALL (and rate/review them!) between Sept 15 and October 31. It's six weeks of lightly game-ified fun and frights, and my favorite way to celebrate the spooky season.

The rules for Hooptober 12 officially drop sometime Sept 26th, the eighth anniversary of Hooper's passing at the age of 74; Keep an eye on the comments for last year's list for when the new list link is posted.
posted by Strange Interlude at 11:57 AM on August 11 [4 favorites]

I've heard they put the stuff out earlier for holidays at the bequest of makers- who need time to design their holiday displays, so if they start selling everything for Halloween on Oct 1, then that's only 30 days to fully source and design a display. Same for Christmas.

Anyways I was watching tv the other day, and there was a commercial with an anthropomorphic Cinnamon Toast Crunch who had cut up body parts of other anthropomorphic Cinnamon Toast Crunch people in his refrigerator, with a deadpan creepy Jeffrey Dahmer-esque voiceover. Their previous commercials had shown them eating one another but I guess they really leaned into the serial killer aspect. Serial killing cereal. Man 2025 is weird.
posted by The_Vegetables at 12:31 PM on August 11 [5 favorites]

Jeanne, maybe a coldframe designed to be cold? Sides, screen lid to keep out the diggers, seeds wintering in flats? I get a better idea of what¡¯s germinating than with broadcasting the seed into a yard.
posted by clew at 12:36 PM on August 11

it should be a matter of LAW that no Thanksgiving decor, goods etc., will be displayed or sold until AFTER HALLOWEEN.

This confused me way longer than it should have until I remembered that US Thanksgiving is after Halloween and my (Canadian) Thanksgiving is mid-October. Haha.

Fall is my favourite season. I like spring because all of the stuff starts growing and the snow is gone, and the seasonal animals come back. Summer is too hot for me and I hate the rush that comes with living in a tourist area. Fall is a welcome rest and wind down.

Since our Thanksgiving is earlier in October I start some fall decor then (the usual gourds, leaves, etc.) and then the ghosty stuff starts to come out and adds to it. Without getting into a lot of only-interesting-to-me detail, it¡¯s a time of year for me to reflect on the past, present, and future. How and why am I here, what is the meaning of it all, etc. I spend a lot of time outside with some incense lit kind of staring out into the fading light until the woods start to look weird in the dark. It¡¯s kind of like therapeutic rumination, I guess.

As much as summer isn¡¯t my favourite this has been a decent one. Saw two robin nests succeed, lots of bird activity around my place, and more monarch caterpillars visited my garden than I¡¯ve seen in awhile. A few nights ago when it was cool we had the windows all open and heard two barred owls duetting in the woods. So I guess summer isn¡¯t so bad. I really like fall though.
posted by eekernohan at 12:44 PM on August 11 [6 favorites]

So if they start selling everything for Halloween on Oct 1, then that's only 30 days to fully source and design a display. Same for Christmas.

Not buying it. There's nothing stopping them from doing all the source/design/planning/etc. ahead of time, then just wait until the appropriate time to actually put it up in stores. I think the reason is that retail companies are in a frenzy to get the lucrative holiday shopping spree started earlier and earlier.

Eventually, I'm sure, it will overlap until every fall we're buying stuff for the following year's Christmas.
posted by Greg_Ace at 12:44 PM on August 11

However, I have made zero plans and have zero ideas about how to dress my velociraptor this year. Previously she has been a ghost, a clown, and the iconic Chicago target rats rat. I need ideas. This is my official request to solicit ideas.

Agreed that Da Pope is probably your way forward this year but if you wanted to go more in the vintage Chicago direction you could probably do a pretty solid Eagle Man. [despondent] Look at those low rates.
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 12:49 PM on August 11 [2 favorites]

My state pulled a fast one in the last budget creating a drivers ed. requirement for anyone under 21 and my kid was 19 and just about ready for the test when they passed it. Of course, they didn't provide funding to teach it in schools, yea capitalism. They're pretending it's for safety but it kinda seems like a backdoor way to suppress voting. Either way, my kid was totally bummed about it and now I have to sign an affidavit saying they have practiced 200 hours during the day, and 8 hours at night before they can qualify for a driving school.

Holy shit. I totally forgot about night driving. I had never taken them at night and it does make sense, so over the last few weeks we've been doing night driving together and it's been very enjoyable. The first problem we had to deal with was it doesn't get dark around here until 9 and this family goes to bed and gets up early, so I didn't want us driving when we're the drowsiest, but we're both typically up by 5:30 so we decided to do early morning drives. It's been so much fun. I find a 24 hour donut place about half an hour away, and we bring home donuts every time we practice. And the moon has been full and orange and huge in the morning. We even saw two bright stars in the sky which was a surprise because we live in a city, and when I got home and started reading the news I saw that was Jupiter and Venus we saw, twinkling together in a rare planetary duet in the sky. We tell jokes, talk about our jobs, their brother, our dog. I know it's a chore artificially created by a corrupt politician, but I'm kinda loving these dusk driving lessons.
posted by Stanczyk at 12:52 PM on August 11 [15 favorites]

With Halloween less than 12 weeks away

So I might have something like five or six costume ideas* this year. I am a middle-aged woman with no big plans, mind you but I really like an excuse to dress up. A little whimsy really brightens my mood. Often we get invited to one party, but it isn't a given. So even if that doesn't happen, there is a street nearby where there is trick or treating so I can dress up and walk around there. Some people on that street have cocktails for adults, which is fun.

*amanita mushroom, Pierrot/Pierrette clown, magician, at least two or three Eras Tour-ish outfits depending on how warm or cold it is.
posted by 41swans at 1:06 PM on August 11 [1 favorite]

I cannot wait to wear something other than shorts and a t-shirt

Bite your tongue. There aren't enough shorts+tee days in my year. The shorter days are bringing me down a bit. But I will focus on enjoying the rest of summer. September can be quite summery too.

This week's project, sadly enough, is some updates to our hydronic heating system.
posted by Artful Codger at 1:46 PM on August 11 [4 favorites]

I cannot wait to wear something other than shorts and a t-shirt

As a grown-up, I've graduated from shorts and t-shirt to shorts and a nice lightweight button-up short sleeve shirt. Extra bonus: on hot days you can unbutton a few buttons on the shirt and it's cooler than a t-shirt.
posted by crazy_yeti at 1:49 PM on August 11

crazy_yeti: "As a grown-up"

Meanwhile I've cropped six (6) shirts this summer.
posted by phunniemee at 1:50 PM on August 11 [4 favorites]

Costco had costumes available since mid July I can¡¯t even

Also I live in the area of Canada where 18c in the shade needs a cardigan, 19-22c is perfect and 23c+ in the sun is way too hot
posted by St. Peepsburg at 1:51 PM on August 11 [1 favorite]

September can be quite summery too.

In fact the equinox is on Sep 22! Don't let anybody tell you summer is over before that date!!

(And, the way things have been going, now early October is quite summery too.)
posted by crazy_yeti at 1:51 PM on August 11 [6 favorites]

Meanwhile I've cropped six (6) shirts this summer.

I'm about 20 years older than you. I didn't start identifying as a "grown-up" until I hit 50. Enjoy those crop-tops!
posted by crazy_yeti at 1:53 PM on August 11 [2 favorites]

in summary: some Marys say summery and some marry
posted by Didymus at 1:53 PM on August 11 [2 favorites]

Wordshore: On a whim I did a search on sexy or kinky velociraptor and, um, well, now I have to throw my laptop into the river and buy a new one and start over.

The Internet is weird.

I thought you were far more online and able to predict this, but also we're into different things so I'm glad you followed your whim. (Ask Metafilter recommends used ThinkPads.)

I can't work out if it's really hot or warm but humid, and August sunlight occasionally bursts through the clouds to mess with me. I guess the early starts to get to work will just gloam and then get dark again.
posted by k3ninho at 1:55 PM on August 11

*northern hemisphere edition; please reverse for MeFites in the southern hemisphere.

Fun fact: in the southern hemisphere, it's already after Christmas and Thanksgiving, because of the Coriolis effect and all that.
posted by signal at 1:59 PM on August 11 [4 favorites]

I'm getting buried under the avalanche of cucumbers here; I have started a garden notebook mostly as a way of telling myself next year, HELL NO to 4 or more cucumber plants, even if you are pleased they germinated and sprouted. Same with tomatoes, which are pushing their way over the 6' high trellis so they can engulf the back wall.
Today is supposed to be the last of our hellish hot days, hoping the Canada smoke doesn't come back. Mr Winesong, who is also on MeFi under an assumed name, had a birthday this weekend so we took various busses and trains to a street fair with lots of food choices and great music. There was gardening to be done, as always, but the great canning push happens this week and next.
My Halloween dream is taking shape, as is the itch, the urge to disappear upstairs and start on the cards. Since I saw the post about the Edward Gorey envelope contest, I'm feeling strongly that Evil Garden is just about the most on-point card design prompt I could ever hope for. Sign up for MeFi Card club y'all, I've got stickers and crap to share!

phunniemee if you need supplies send me a msg, I've got wire and stuff, glue guns and paint, and I'm in awe of your beautiful yard dinosaur. Or if you just want a lot of cucumbers (anyone in Chicago as well, my neighbors cross the street to avoid my offers at this point).
posted by winesong at 2:05 PM on August 11 [5 favorites]

we are currently up to our eyeballs in tomatoes!! best harvest ever. we are canning and dehydrating and eating lots of caprese salad (and this one is very tasty too).

not so many zooks this year, having only 1 plant means not always having male & female flowers at the same time = unfertilized zooks :(

lots of beans, and a decent crop of jalapenos, which will be used for making chipotles and also for fig jam once the fig tree is ready. woot!
posted by supermedusa at 2:13 PM on August 11 [4 favorites]

I forgot the issue that is actually driving me nuts right now: in the chaotic lead up to the parade on Saturday - you try heading to a parade on a Saturday morning with a four year old and see if you don¡¯t have to make multiple trips back into the house - I left my phone on the roof of the car. Well. Two blocks away I made a sharp left hand turn.

It took me about 15 - 20 minutes to figure this whole sequence out which was enough time for my poor phone to be run over multiple times. Major props to the cheap ass glittery case; it¡¯s still in one piece but the screen is literally smithereens of glittery dust. So now I am deep in the sludge of replacing a phone - Newegg sells phones now, go figure - and navigating the burner phone we keep on hand for just such emergencies. It¡¯s terrible how attached I am to my phone. It¡¯s not just the texting and the camera and the, I don¡¯t know, access to Bluesky and mastodon. I just unthinkingly use it a million times a day. Calendar. How many steps have I walked? How many calories is that? Did I show you this picture of the cursed linoleum? Not having it - and this is so not my first broken / lost / destroyed phone rodeo - is just a peculiarly post modern state of woebegone limbo.
posted by mygothlaundry at 2:36 PM on August 11 [7 favorites]

I ordered 15 mini pies on a whim today. They are chicken balti, steak and ale and chicken, gammon and leek. I feel this was a good decision.

Also, it rained here today, which was needed.
posted by paduasoy at 3:08 PM on August 11 [5 favorites]

This has been a very fun and mild summer (heat wise, but unfortunately in the Bay Area the heat arrives after Labor Day). Lots of beach days, lots of good hikes (I'm declaring myself a jock now) and even a (new to me) patio table that I got for free!
posted by honey badger at 3:26 PM on August 11 [1 favorite]

R.I.P. mygothlaundry's cell phone. May we all remember to backup our digital doppelganger.

I am Team Velocipope. I was going to suggest a Tim Curry-inspired costume -- Legend, It, The Rocky Horror Picture Show -- but nothing says the haunted holidays like a global spiritual leader with a Chicago accent. Pizza boxes? A tiny Popemobile?

Right now storms are breaking the humid and searing weather. This summer has not been bad. Only a few days of triple-digit temps, plus some sultry heat indexes scattered about.
We may be able to get into the fall without major drought alerts.
Spring and early summer were very wet, so the humidity was extra steamy.
Autumn will be welcome.

More thunder....
posted by TrishaU at 3:46 PM on August 11 [3 favorites]

On Friday I apparently injured my knee sleeping. This has put my plan for a nice bike ride on Wednesday, which I have definitely been looking forward to, into question; although I actually made it through today with no pain, so maybe. In any case it will not be a long ride this year.

This morning I would have said I was looking forward to an upcoming office move, but the team were efficient and got it done today! New digs are more suitable for 1:1 meetings, which is nice.

Last year we used Christmas vacation for adventure travel instead of family visits or staying home and ¡­ I loved it. We are thinking about Arizona. Little eirias is very pissy at the idea of going somewhere nominally warm, so we might have to put Flagstaff on the itinerary.
posted by eirias at 3:46 PM on August 11 [2 favorites]

I didn't plant cucumbers this year. Have had a couple of bad crops with mostly bent, weird, cukes.

Last year was better, but just didn't feel up to another bad crop.
I am missing my spicy refrigerator pickles though. They were so ggod.

Wish I could find the fermenting apparatus we had a few years ago. Has gone missing. Wanted to ferment some peppers.
posted by Windopaene at 3:49 PM on August 11

Today I had to go to jury duty and I got *so* much sunlight blown up my ass about how the jury pool is THE MOST IMPORTANT PEOPLE IN THE WHOLE PROCESS that if I go into a closet and shut the door it¡¯s like daylight.

I am pretty sure the person giving the initial orientation did not appreciate me asking ¡°then why don¡¯t we get paid like we¡¯re important¡± but goddamn I sure do not appreciate losing a few days of freelance work to sitting in a crowded room all day inhaling other people¡¯s sneezes and MAYBE getting paid a whole TEN DOLLARS a day IF I got chosen for a jury after sitting there listening for a couple of attorneys asking weird-ass leading questions for four hours.

I wonder if asking ¡°does it qualify as contempt of court if I ask how much you get paid for today vs my very important self¡± will get me in trouble tomorrow morning.
posted by egypturnash at 4:02 PM on August 11 [7 favorites]

I long for the end of summer. I¡¯ve learned, over the past eight years, to endure the short hot days of this small European country. I¡¯ve learned how to avoid the heat, how to dress, what to eat (and what not to - man cannot live on ice cream alone). But I do not enjoy this time, unlike my dear partner, who longs for the sun. And so, for them, I end up doing sunny summer things, like sitting in a park, and I try not to ask questions like ¡°how long do you think it will be until it¡¯s cold?¡± or ¡°when is this heatwave going to end?¡±
posted by The River Ivel at 4:11 PM on August 11 [5 favorites]

Just mention that you don't believe the police, more than the defendant(s).

That will get you kicked out in a hurry.

Only been on a jury once, and it was a terrible case. African gentleman worked in a hotel downtown. Big dude. Got off work and met a woman who was willing to blow him in the alley. Took his money, and took off. He eventually followed. She headed back to Pioneer Square, where her mates were. And a little dude, tried to stick up for her. They started fighting. Little guy realized he was going to get a beat down, got a small knife from someone else. They start fighting. Little guy stabs the big guy during the fight. He walks across the street, drops, and dies. So sad all around.

And then, one member of the jury was unhappy with the charge, as he decided the attacker knew exactly what he was doing, and this little homeless crackhead, should have been charged with first-degree murder, as if he had been trained by the military... Just insane.
posted by Windopaene at 4:16 PM on August 11 [1 favorite]

After being called a few times and never selected, a few months ago I actually had to sit on a jury. I had many of the same thoughts as egypturnash, though I don't do freelance work and my company gave me my regular pay for those two days. All the other jurors said it was a fascinating experience, but I found it depressing and unsettling. If I ever get called again I'm going to try to weasel out of it...maybe by saying I think ACAB during the selection process as Windopaene mentioned.
posted by Greg_Ace at 4:22 PM on August 11 [1 favorite]

It was so funny after I had said that, as all the other juror candidates totally copied my line. Judge would have none of that. And that was a terrible case that I'm glad I got out of
posted by Windopaene at 4:27 PM on August 11

First time I had jury duty, I was bounced for expressing firm disbelief in the efficacy of acupuncture.

Second time, just last year, I was bounced because when you tell the judge you had a $10k recumbent bike stolen from your garage the year before, and your next door neighbor's house had been burgled a week before, and so you aren¡¯t sure that you can be truly impartial in a garage burglary trial, turns out the judge will believe you.
posted by notoriety public at 5:21 PM on August 11 [3 favorites]

As terrible as it was to be on the jury in that murder trial, I did the right thing, and made the right choices. Manslaughter instead of 2nd degree murder, think it was his third strike, but that was then, not sure if that's still a thing.

And it was all so obvious what had happened. It was pretty much a bummer all around. (All but one of the witnesses were currently in jail. Many of them still incoherent. Mister M, who was homeless down there, but don't think was on drugs, was the only witness we trusted. And he seemed to have told the truth).

But do your civic duty. It's what we all agreed to do as citizens.
(Also #Resist however you can).

But here we are in 2025. Almost want to be on a jury in something important, TBH
posted by Windopaene at 7:08 PM on August 11 [2 favorites]

I¡¯ve only been called once and it was in Baltimore in the early 90s. I went even more fully art student than usual - all black clothing, ginormous sketchbook, rusty coffee can of oil pastels in my hand painted peace sign backpack. Oddly enough I did not get selected.

They sent me in to try out for four trials though. The fourth one was a manslaughter or murder case so that was vastly more interesting than the other three, which were all car accident insurance things. Why they would even get to a jury, who knows? But the defendant in the murder case was so good looking, he was amazing. They brought him in and then took him out again and asked all us potential jurors if there was any reason we couldn¡¯t be in the trial, explaining that it was going to be a grand jury and take a while. One young woman stood up and asked to be excused and when they asked her why she said, ¡°I used to date him.¡± Then she started crying and everyone was just agog. I tell you what, I felt i should probably have been paying them the $10 instead of the other way around. That trial did not pick me either.
posted by mygothlaundry at 7:18 PM on August 11 [7 favorites]

I just noticed a second teeny tomato on the plant that my neighbor gave me!*

*that I only agreed to take because I figured it would die quickly and be out of (what's left of) my hair, but here I am still burdened with it out of guilt; I've already bought a bigger pot for it once, and I'm beginning to wonder if I'll need to buy a bigger one, but dammit for all that guilt and expense and effort I'm probably only going to get those two tomatoes out of it before the season's over, dammit. That's what I get for trying to be a nice neighbor.
posted by Greg_Ace at 8:27 PM on August 11 [4 favorites]

I actually would like to be on a jury; but each of the three times I've been called for jury duty, I've never been picked and have been dismissed in only one day. A former colleague guessed that that's because I give off a vibe that I'd be like Henry Fonda in Twelve Angry Men and lawyers don't want me anywhere near their cases as a result.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:32 PM on August 11 [4 favorites]

My brother is a lawyer. When he worked as a public defender, he'd have clients demand their right to a jury of their peers, which is not a thing in Chile, because they'd seen it on TV or in a movie.
posted by signal at 8:36 PM on August 11 [4 favorites]

There was a local DWI lawyer who advertised on a sports radio station I used to listen to who mentioned in one of his ads that he was in court with a client when a defendant who was ahead of them and representing himself told the judge he was innocent because he was invoking his 'statute of liberty'.
posted by jamjam at 10:01 PM on August 11 [1 favorite]

I'd love to serve on a jury but I will not sit in stifling rooms with unmasked people for hours/days because I don't want to die of blood clot sequelae from the COVID I'd inevitably get, even while masked, in such a situation.

I'd never be picked anyway, because I look like someone who cares about facts and justice and doesn't really care so much about laws-qua-laws, or have any respect at all for cops.
posted by seanmpuckett at 5:10 AM on August 12 [2 favorites]

My big news is that I sold a novel. O_o I am amazed and excited and a tiny bit frightened.

It's called Aether and Ego, and is a steampunk/space fantasy retelling of Pride and Prejudice with clockwork, dogs, and accidental death, all things Jane Austen novels don't have enough of. Inanna Publications, a small feminist press in Toronto, is putting it out in Fall 2026.

So I think I need to get some Regency-era clothing to wear with aviator goggles and like Doc Martens or whatever, for readings. I am not a clothing person, I basically buy whatever is the least trouble, so I am particularly inept here and would love some advice from you all: where does one go to buy decent-but-not-terribly-expensive Regency or Georgian-era dresses? I am in Canada.
posted by joannemerriam at 7:22 AM on August 12 [25 favorites]

Congratulations, joannemerriam! I will definitely read your book when it comes out, and petition TPL to get copies of it as soon as they can.
posted by seanmpuckett at 7:32 AM on August 12 [3 favorites]

Thanks, friend!!
posted by joannemerriam at 7:44 AM on August 12

I've also never been picked for a jury (always get rejected) , but one of my co-workers is currently on a Federal Grand Jury - so she has to go to the Federal Court location two days a month (75 mile drive each way) to hear evidence to help the Feds to decide to pursue Federal Charges against defendants in various cases -mostly financial fraud type things, but occasionally other stuff - it's a two-year term (!) with the option to pick you up again for another term. She finds out if she's going to be picked again in a few months.
posted by The_Vegetables at 7:48 AM on August 12 [2 favorites]

Meanwhile I've cropped six (6) shirts this summer.

SAME. I got through about half my band shirts before the permanence of a cropping started to give me the shpilkes. So I have now invested in one of those adjustable crop-top belts. I feel like it might go weirdly. But if it doesn't. My god. The (hot, sticky, smelly) world is my oyster.
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 8:13 AM on August 12

"Liberace? You¡¯d need a sequined cape"
Maybe an Elvis someday, unless I can cheaply source a tiny piano...
You missed an opportunity to use the term "Tiny Pianist."
posted by theora55 at 8:24 AM on August 12 [3 favorites]

Metafilter: OH MY GOD HOW COULD I HAVE FORGOTTEN THE POPE
posted by theora55 at 8:33 AM on August 12 [5 favorites]

August is when it really feels like summer, with lots of sun and warm days. I live across the road from a lake and the water's a bit warm for swimming, so I go over to the river, which was so lovely yesterday. Perseid meteor shower and my son's birthday today.

Chronic fatigue continues to kick my butt, but today I will take a friend gallery-hopping, to avoid heat and give the caregiver a break and maybe see some good art. Might take another dip in the river; it's supposed to get to90 and will be humid. Will def. do some skywatching later.
posted by theora55 at 8:42 AM on August 12 [3 favorites]

It has been kind of a sad week. My mother is aging, and lives with my sister, who is doing an amazing job taking care of her. Sunday was my mother's 99th birthday, so my brother and I went to my sister's house for a birthday lunch. It was great to see them all, but it is distressing to see my mother becoming so infirm. We are slowly addressing the issues of her eventual death and estate, but, still, it is sad to see how she is doing.

Also, the Dystopian Novel Book Club that I attend held its final meeting last week. The Toronto Public Library librarian who has been doing such a great job running it has decided to move on. The book club has been meeting in person, online, or both for just over eight years, now. My goodness, some very bright people have shown up for the meetings. We had a card and a cake, but, you know, it's the end of an era. (Just to add... I am now wondering whether to start up my own book club, so I would have to figure out whether to run it in person or online, whether to discuss specific books or leave it open, as well as a few other logistics.)

As always, I wish for strength, wisdom, and comfort for everyone who is suffering, searching, or struggling.
posted by Multicellular Exothermic at 9:45 AM on August 12 [8 favorites]

AI slop has gobbled up yet another potential job from my partner, who has been struggling mightily to find work since the LAST job AI slop gobbled up. (Meanwhile I'm having to dive in full throttle on AI in my own job, which makes me want to vomit basically nonstop.)

The nights are drawing in, indeed, and I am not un-worried that they may be drawing in on the two of us, specifically, forever.
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 9:48 AM on August 12 [4 favorites]

Also, the Dystopian Novel Book Club that I attend held its final meeting last week. The Toronto Public Library librarian who has been doing such a great job running it has decided to move on. The book club has been meeting in person, online, or both for just over eight years, now.

If any of you are looking for a new dystopian home - my own similar book club is now meeting exclusively online, and is open to accepting new members. We started out going online during Covid because obviously, and stayed online for a while longer because our leader is with NYC's health department; but by now a couple of our regulars moved out of the city and a couple other random out-of-NYC folk found their way to us, so we may just be online in perpetuity. (I want to say that one of our newest regulars is also from Toronto.)

If anyone does want to join, please feel free - but also Memail me with your names so I can give the host a heads-up. (We've had a couple of zoom-booming incidents so our host is a bit skittish about sudden influxes of new folk coming all at once.)
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 9:50 AM on August 12 [4 favorites]

Welp, I have to job hunt again. I am a failure at my job, I "just don't get it" and "this job is not for you" and "I am a failure at my job" were said in those exact words and it's time to report me up the chain as being a failure and time to get rid of me because I can't handle it. I'm Just Not Smart Enough for this. Or for office work in general. I feel like I found a good thing after so many years of pain and I fucked it up AGAIN because I'm STUPID STUPID STUPID. I clearly can't handle office work and am too stupid, bad, inadequate and wrong to work. And I have 20 years to go of this shit until retirement. I'm tired of people telling me I'm smart, because literally I AM NOT SMART ENOUGH TO BE ABLE TO WORK.

I feel like I had a miracle happen to get this job and then I ruined it by being myself again.
posted by jenfullmoon at 9:53 AM on August 12 [1 favorite]

I'm sorry, jenfullmoon, that's so discouraging. I was an office worker for 25 years, and I didn't fit some places either - sometimes it's just a bad fit and it's nobody's fault. I hope you can find something you like that works for you.
posted by joannemerriam at 11:44 AM on August 12 [4 favorites]

Selling festive stuff... it used to amuse me no end, when working in Mumbai, to see how this went in the local supermarket. First there was the Ganesh festival at the end of August when the shops were full of trinkets and cards featuring Ganesh himself. This would slide through a Hindu festival (probably Navaratri) and into Diwali, where elephants would change to lamps, and then after that the run up to Christmas with Santas and trees.

It was the same set of shelves for about five months, with only slight changes to the content. Halloween was never going to get a look in.
posted by 43rdAnd9th at 12:55 PM on August 12 [1 favorite]

Multicellular Exothermic, sorry things are difficult for you with your mother. You might like to read or post over in the post cotton dress sock put up on MetaTalk: I¡¯m seeing a lot of posts on Ask about caring for elderly parents. Just wondering how everyone¡¯s holding up.
posted by paduasoy at 1:02 PM on August 12 [2 favorites]

Oh, sh_t, sorry jenfullmoon. Office work or being a "daytime person" is a play-along role where very few people really know what they're doing while a lot of passengers make-believe that they're needed. We all need a champion to help us stay pretending that office-work is okay.
posted by k3ninho at 1:32 PM on August 12 [4 favorites]

jenfullmoon, it's clear to me that you are not stupid, that you are reasonable, engaging, energetic, articulate, competent, knowledgeable,and I'm so sorry you are jobless and that someone was so unkind to you.

If you are humble, not pushy, etc., you may be perceived as low status and easily bullied. This happens to me, and it's devastating.
posted by theora55 at 4:55 PM on August 12 [6 favorites]

We got a fuckton of rain over the last couple days, so I was hoping to see no more leaking at the back door like we were getting before. The new exterior renovation was expecting to fix it by removing the siding leaks that were the root cause.

And indeed, there¡¯s no leak there. But I¡¯m seeing seepage up from the floor, not a gigantic amount but it means water is coming in somewhere. The highest point I see water seeping through the tile, in one particular corner of the basement, is presumably where it¡¯s getting in.
posted by notoriety public at 6:30 PM on August 12 [3 favorites]

Oh, The music video/preview is available!
posted by AzraelBrown at 8:32 AM on August 13

Oh no, jenfullmoon! Best wishes for a soft landing.
posted by eirias at 8:53 AM on August 13

theora55: "jenfullmoon, it's clear to me that you are not stupid, that you are reasonable, engaging, energetic, articulate, competent, knowledgeable,and I'm so sorry you are jobless and that someone was so unkind to you.

If you are humble, not pushy, etc., you may be perceived as low status and easily bullied. This happens to me, and it's devastating."

I am low status and easily bullied. I don't look forward to going to another job where I get bullied again, but it's inevitable. And I'm always just ...Not Smart Enough for people. Something is missing in my brain.

The meeting about getting rid of me is today, surprise. I'm having to pack up as much shit as I can without a whole lot of boxes at the ready to do it.
posted by jenfullmoon at 9:29 AM on August 13 [3 favorites]

jenfullmoon, wanted to add my sympathy. Work is brutal sometimes. You don't deserve to be treated like this.
posted by paduasoy at 2:27 PM on August 13 [1 favorite]

So I had a surprise meeting with my grandboss today. My boss was unaware of it (and unconcerned when I told her about it, since I thought she'd be going). My boss had not immediately run to grandboss to tell her I need to be fired yet! So I told grandboss what was going on, she was quite sympathetic, and interested in trying to make my situation better. At least this wasn't the "You're getting fired" conversation I was expecting, it was just a general "check in with everyone to ask how things are going" meeting. So I said. So she's aware.

I feel a lot better now.
posted by jenfullmoon at 4:16 PM on August 13 [12 favorites]

That's great!
posted by Mr. Yuck at 5:42 PM on August 13 [1 favorite]

And then I got kicked out of the meeting I was supposed to go to tonight because somebody threw a snit fit. I got asked to come back, but I declined. If they don't want me, FINE. I don't care about joining any more anyway. There are good people there, but the jerks always win.
posted by jenfullmoon at 8:55 PM on August 13 [1 favorite]

I am now home, enjoying the quiet and alcohol.
posted by jenfullmoon at 8:55 PM on August 13 [3 favorites]

And...I got on the board anyway :P And the president did apologize to me (she wasn't there at the time for the incident), so there's that.
posted by jenfullmoon at 8:35 AM on August 14 [4 favorites]

Weird start to my day... My friend of almost 30 years (who currently lives on the other side of the country) left me a text this morning saying she was ending our friendship because she feels I'm "not supportive enough". Apparently the many many times I've supported her through countless ups and downs in her life doesn't count for enough? I dunno. I just...I don't understand how this happened. I'm shocked and sad.
posted by Greg_Ace at 9:07 AM on August 14 [2 favorites]

*hugs* I'm sorry to hear that, Greg_Ace. Sometimes people just blow up out of nowhere and can't see reason.
posted by jenfullmoon at 9:35 AM on August 14 [3 favorites]

I¡¯m so sorry Greg_Ace. It is shocking and sad when it happens. I hope you are able to find some peace in time.

I had to get two fillings replaced this morning. Half my face is numb and I know, from past experience, that it will be sore from the needle once the numbness wears off. I¡¯m supposed to make dinner tonight and I have no clue what to put together any longer. I¡¯m also really hungry, but I can barely drink, much less chew.
posted by theBigRedKittyPurrs at 9:55 AM on August 14 [4 favorites]

jenfullmoon, it sounds as if your problem isn¡¯t so much that you¡¯re incompetent as that you have enemies.

Your love of theater and your years of involvement as a dramatis persona as well as behind the scenes suggests you have a naturally vivid and expressive personality, and a highly refined ability to express and project your emotions.

But a lot of people don¡¯t like strong emotions of any kind, and you might be rubbing such people the wrong way just by being yourself. In any passable world that would be their problem, and you wouldn¡¯t need to concern yourself with that, but in our world you do.
posted by jamjam at 10:24 AM on August 14 [3 favorites]

That's what a friend of mine said last night. I seem to get enemies just by existing :/ I swear, if I could pass as normal, I WOULD, but boy, I cannot.
posted by jenfullmoon at 1:18 PM on August 14 [5 favorites]

There has been a victory of sorts this week.

For several months the horn (as part of the alarm) in one of our vehicles has been going off during circumstances such as a butterfly sneezing in the vicinity or a spider rappelling down the side of the vehicle. I have scoured the internet for a cause and found several suggestions on how to temporary disable the damn thing. None of them worked.*

The car was in the shop (independent, not dealer) for 2 weeks for other work and I begged the mechanics to try and fix it or just disable the damn alarm and they refused. Their refusal was particularly infuriating as the fix required removing the grill of the vehicle and I was already happily paying the labor for another fix that required them to remove 1/2 of the front of vehicle anyway. I HAVE MONEY TO BURN ON THIS. TAKE MY MONEY.

Mechanics even suggested that the random honking was a great irritant to my awful neighbor. (Dudes work in the neighborhood and have worked on our cars for a long time. They know the stories). Except that the awful neighbor would never hear the thing, I like my other neighbors and I was the one that was most frequently being awoken by an angry car horn. To the point that I was sleeping with the fob on my nightstand, as I could point it out a window to silence the car.

Spouse finally stepped in (after I pointed out that clearly the lack of testosterone in my voice was making it difficult for people like mechanics and frankly him to take me seriously), looked at the top suggestion from the research that I provided and went through the process of removing the grill to temporarily disable the thing.

It worked. The replacement part is on its way.

*looking at you, alarm horn fuse that does absolutely nothing.
posted by theBigRedKittyPurrs at 3:08 AM on August 15 [2 favorites]

Is this the worst Slate advice columns reply in years or what?

TL;DR: a woman's in-laws dog sit for her and her husband while they are on vacation. The in-laws give away her $8500 leather couch set and replace it with a cheap sofa because "it was uncomfortable." The reply begins with "I kind of see where they are coming from."
posted by DirtyOldTown at 6:02 AM on August 15 [5 favorites]

As a person whose in-laws gave away, sold or destroyed her stuff in the past, that is insanely bad, don¡¯t-rock-the-boat advice.
posted by theBigRedKittyPurrs at 10:37 AM on August 15 [2 favorites]

Late to the thread.

I have been in hospital since 30 June. Towards the end of May, after having pain in my hip for a few months which my GP thought was arthritis, bursitis or IT band issues, and following a MRI, I was diagnosed with an incredibly rare and fast-spreading cancer - clear cell sarcoma. The plan was for me to have the tumour removed, as well as a hip replacement and radiotherapy. But before that I needed to have a full body MRI, a PET scan and a CT scan, all of which I had on 11 June.

The outcome of those scans showed that between the end of May and 11 June the cancer had progressed so rapidly that it was in my pelvis. From the pelvis, the sarcoma can spread rapidly to the lungs, and then it's game over. So the only option was removal of my leg, hip and half the pelvis - a hemipelvectomy, or hindquarter amputation.

My surgeon is the leading sarcoma orthopaedic surgeon in Europe, and he said that if they'd gone ahead with the hip replacement etc. at the beginning of June, because the cancer was already in my pelvis, it would have metastasised to my lungs, with a terminal outcome as there is no cure for this other than cutting it all away from where it began.

I had the hemipelvectomy on 1 July. Fortunately the pathology showed that in removing my leg, hip and half the pelvis they took away sufficient margin to remove all the cancer, so I won't need chemo or radiotherapy, although I will, of course, need regular oncology monitoring and scans.

I've done all the things I can do to avoid 'lifestyle' illnesses - never smoked, haven't drunk alcohol for 26 years, I exercise, maintain a healthy weight, eat a whole-food plant-based diet. But this sarcoma is caused by a mutating chromosome, and what causes it to do that is unknown, as this is such a rare cancer that there's little research into it.

The incision was massive, with hundreds of internal stitches and external staples. But part of the wound hasn't healed properly, and it's right where I'd sit. It is about 6cm x 3cm on the surface, but it is 13cm (about 5in) deep, and I've had a vacuum drain on it for about 3 weeks now, which is intended to drain the serosanguinal fluid that forms to protect a wound, with the vacuum also intended to help the wound to close up inside. But it doesn't seem to be closing up, although I'm told this can sometimes happen quite quickly after a period where it doesn't seem to be healing at all.

I have to stay propped on pillows on my right side, so I don't put any pressure on the wound, and to say I am sick of this would be an understatement. But it has to be done, to get this damn wound healed. I can't sit, so I can't learn to use the wheelchair. And because of the drain and all the dressings on it, I can't have a shower - only a sponge bath at the basin in the bathroom. We're in the middle of a heatwave, and I am lying on a plastic mattress, propped up on plastic pillows, albeit with sheets and pillowcases on them. Every day I wake up with the entire bed - and me - drenched in sweat.

I'm doing the physio I'm able to do - using a frame, learning to use crutches (very difficult), balancing and strength exercises. The physios are pleased with my progress. But we are limited, due to (a) the weight of the drain, which I have to wear around my neck in a canvas bag when I'm out of the bed and (b) being unable to do any exercises that involve sitting, or being on the floor (including the very important things I need to learn about how to get up safely when I fall).

I'll probably be in the hospital for another month at least. I am so grateful for the NHS, all of this is free, the medical staff are amazing. Most of the nurses and health care assistants are from abroad, and many of them have made huge sacrifices to be here, leaving children in the care of grandparents, or with spouses or partners in their home countries. Such kind, caring people, doing a job I could never do.

So, life-changing events for me. Luckily I live on the ground floor, so when I eventually go homw I should be able to stay in my flat, with adaptations - a ramp, grab bars, etc. I work from home, so my job won't be impacted, and my employers have been great. I get six months on full pay while I'm off sick.

I am looking at this not as "I've lost my leg" but "they've removed the cancer and saved my life". But it will be a whole new way of living, although I do intend to do as much as I can to live a normal life, with my visits to the theatre, cinema, opera, ballet, restaurants. It'll just need a bit more planning than before.

So, yeah, life has thrown me a curveball. FUCK CANCER!
posted by essexjan at 1:57 PM on August 15 [28 favorites]

Sending you positive mind atoms, essexjan.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 4:07 PM on August 15 [4 favorites]

essexjan - goodness. What an awful few months you've had. I'm glad the cancer outcome is good but my goodness, what a shock for you - mental and physical. And the heatwave too as you say, just to add to it all. Really hope the healing starts soon.
posted by paduasoy at 4:29 PM on August 15 [2 favorites]

Holy STIR-FRIED POPTARTS, essexjan!
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 5:04 PM on August 15 [3 favorites]

That's awful essexjam. I'm not sure how I'd cope with my current insurance being what it is on the other side of the pond.

As it is I had a stent on Thursday then a sleep study and then a pacemaker on Friday. Apparently the reason I wake up every REM cycle is my heart stops. Then I wake up and take deep breaths and feel anxious- no wonder. This all going to put me over the out of pocket limit so I'm going for my gall and kidney stones next.

Jenfullmoon, I hope you find a niche. Otherwise I'd abandon office jobs altogether.
posted by Mr. Yuck at 6:31 PM on August 15 [4 favorites]

I've been back at my old center for 6 weeks and I'm looking for a new job. I can't take the passive agressive jabs from my boss about my stuff not getting done. Well, no shit, I've been stuck in a classroom the vast majority of the time because you can't keep staff. She technically needs me as she wants to open another classroom and needs another degreed teacher to do that. Yes, even though she didn't hire me as a teacher she wants my name so she can do fuckery. The one other degreed teacher she has is ready to quit too. Without us, she doesn't have anything. Dawn is chewing up and spitting out people one after the other. I had reservations about taking the "curriculum person" position. But it did give me a bit of money and buy me some time. Oh well.

Dance is going good, I have showcase auditions in a couple weeks. There are only three dances I'm interested in. I'll probably list the Irish step as my first choice because I know I can get into that one. It helps to be 1 of 4 in the class. Almost all of the numbers are at the intermediate/advanced level. There are only 2 tap numbers and one is a tap/hip hop combo. I don't care for hip hop music, so I've ruled that one out. The other is the same time as my choir rehearsal. I could swing it for the limited amount of time. There's also a musical theater/jazz piece I might be able to do. I dunno. I paid for the audition spot, but the closer it gets, the less I want to do it. I think it's the nerves/self doubt/perfectionist in me talking.
posted by kathrynm at 9:23 AM on August 16 [2 favorites]

essexjam, I just want to say oh my god, I am so sorry you are going through this. I hope you are able to find small joys and wins to keep your spirits in as good of a place as they can be, and I know I am a stranger to you, but I am sending you all of my love and well wishes. ??????
posted by hilaryjade at 9:36 AM on August 16 [4 favorites]

Holy moly. Sending you encouragement and patience, essexjan. So glad they got the tumor. Fuck cancer all the way indeed.
posted by eirias at 10:28 AM on August 16 [3 favorites]

Oh essexjan, I yelped out loud when I read that. Best wishes to you.
posted by TheophileEscargot at 11:28 PM on August 17 [2 favorites]

A new free thread is open, the optional topic being "How do you answer the phone?".
posted by Wordshore at 5:53 AM on August 18

Holy shit, Jan. I saw your updates on the dreaded book of face but I had no idea it was so bad and so extensive. You are, as always, amazing in your strength and resilience; sending you the best healing vibes I can muster from far away, they get stronger as they fly.
posted by mygothlaundry at 7:36 AM on August 18 [3 favorites]

As a follow up to my post above, we went on our final donut run this morning. Went to a local diner where I got to see my future. We got there at 5:45, 15 minutes before they opened, and were the first in the parking lot. But it was only for a few minutes as soon there were three other cars in the lot, and all old retirees. Of course one of them went up five minutes before they opened to check the door. By 6:00 all three were lined up at the door. When they unlocked it, they immediately got a self serve coffee and picked separate booths. We didn't stay long enough but I'm pretty sure they all ordered "the usual." The donuts were warm and sticky and delicious. Highly recommend the twice fried donut stick. Built to dunk in coffee. We might have to do this again, just for the donuts from now on. Jupiter and Venus are still out.
posted by Stanczyk at 6:38 AM on August 19 [3 favorites]