Another Mystery Model

Tuesday, February 18, 2025

Our Companion Blog

The Helen Blog—there's a link to it on the Web version of this—has many recent posts I have put up.  I tend to post things there if they directly bear in the Helen story, but also if they have more 'adult' material that casual readers might not like. 

This is the older blog; I started this one a while before starting the Helen blog, because I had decided that the Helen story contained more adult elements.  (It doesn't; I cleaned it up.)  As a result, this blog contains more general- interest material, like politics, and grammar and spelling. 

Friday, February 14, 2025

Unnecessary Vilification?

I just re-read a blog post from a few months back, in which I write that the constant vilification of Donald Trump was excessive and unnecessary. 

Well, I think he's grown into it.  Or is it a case of 'give a dog a bad name'?  Difficult to say. 

I think one thing that could be happening is that Trump has set Musk to do a lot of high-profile damage, and once the consequences start to hurt his electorate, Trump could step in and rein in his hound.  That could earn him a lot of gratitude, for curbing the disasters that Trump himself created in the first place.  Meanwhile, Musk is destroying a lot of the evidence the Biden administration had against Musk: workplace danger, environmental problems, etc, etc.

The damage done to the Washington bureaucracy is really considerable.  The records are like gold for the officials who need to enforce laws.  They've destroyed evidence against banks for their wrongdoings against credit-card customers.  How are charges to be brought against credit-card issuers (banks)?  Elizabeth Warren had worked hard to get this watch dog agency in place.  Banks hate her like the very devil; now credit card companies will worship Musk.  Sad.

A little unnecessary vilification would be quite all right, as I see it now. 

K

Wednesday, February 5, 2025

Trump Gets Going

I haven't talked very much about politics, mainly because I don't know what to say. 

Some of the things Trump has been ordering (the so-called executive orders) have been countered by the courts.  Trying to take away birthright citizenship was particularly silly.  But these are calculated risks; he figures, well, the rural poor whites are not likely to know anyone who became a citizen because of being born here; taking that away was sort of a no-brainer.  But no, that's a right granted in the constitution.  Trump seems not to know the constitution at all. 

Elon M and a team of his employees have been working on looking at the computer databases of social security and the Treasury, and apparently they know all about the bank accounts of citizens.  I'm concerned, not because I have a huge bank account, but because I'm not employed, and I live on my savings. 

There was an attempt to deport illegal aliens who had been charged with crimes.  Even being charged was enough; they were not brought before a judge.   But these immigrants are the most vulnerable among us, and Trump has a reputation of being a bully.  They were deported, though their home governments protested.  And now Musk is doing it, too. 

You would probably have heard about the tariffs, being charged against Canada, Mexico, and China.  Those countries retaliated with their own tariffs against the US.  It'll take a little time to see how that works out; probably badly for us, in which case it will be stopped, I'm guessing. 

Nothing that really helps ordinary people has been done yet; only the satisfaction of damaging the government is being shown the ordinary Trumpees. 

Monday, February 3, 2025

What's Going On in Indiana?

Well, first off all, they retired Caitlin's number 22 jersey in the University of Iowa.  (They do this sort of thing if the person who wore it really did it proud, I guess.)  A whole lot of sports celebs turned up for the celebrations, and the jersey was ceremoniously hoisted up to the rafters.

Then, the Indiana Fever re-hired Kelsey Mitchell.  I'm not sure why they didn't just keep her on.  Being almost a total outsider to team sports, which appears to be an unfortunate blend of basketball skill and big business ambition, I don't know what to expect from these people, and still less, what reaction to expect from Caitlin herself.  As time goes on, Caitlin will get better at expressing her feelings about all this shuffling around; right now she's just a (what's the word?)  a first- season player, and—if I know Caitlin—she'll diplomatically keep her mouth shut.  Won't be easy with all these microphones thrust in her face. 

Many other new players have been hired; only five of them will be on the court at the beginning of each game, though, the so- called starters.  This means that a whole lot of players will be on the bench (how do you like that for sexy basketball jargon?)  As far as I know, there's Lexie Hull, Aliyah Boston, and a couple more well- known players who've been traded for. 

I'm really uncomfortable about this trading business; it's better to look the other way while all that is going on, and then pay attention once the season starts. 

K.

[Added later]




Wednesday, January 29, 2025

I'm a Cat Mom!

My friend is going to be away for a while, so I'm getting to look after my little feline friend until she comes back!

Right now, I'm furiously kitty-proofing my house; it seems fairly kitty-proof as it is, but I'm not taking any chances.  My friend will check it out before she lets the cat out of the sort of crate thing.  If I don't write for a while, please excuse me. 

K

[Added Later]  Well, I was watching a YouTube video of a wren—a tiny bird—with the sound on, and it was singing away, carrying on about various things that were on its little wren mind.   Then, the cat appeared!  She was super interested; where is that bird?  She jumped up on my lap, inspected my phone, and even looked behind it!!  I had thought, well, cats would do this sort of thing.  But it was startling to see it actually happen!  Wish I had a photo to show you!

Kay

Friday, Jan 30: She came over to talk to me, and there was a teeny drop of moisture on the end of her nose!  She has a cold!  I got a tissue and wiped it off (after a small struggle).  Now she's sitting on my lap ('sat on my lap,' as our Brit friends would say), purring. 

Tuesday, January 28, 2025

Cats

I have noticed that, at least on video clips, guys do a lot of teasing of cats, to make the cats do something interesting!  Well, they certainly succeed; and there seems to be no resentment on the part of the cats concerned.  They happily dive into whatever mischief these guys lead them into!  I've seen cats on skateboards, swinging from chandeliers, doing all sorts of crazy things.  I don't doubt that the cats do most of these antics willingly. 


[Added later]

Have you seen those sickeningly cute videos of kittens 'singing' the Bruno Mars / Rosé song A.P.T. ?  The first time I saw one of those, I was totally captivated, but it's getting to be a little same old, same old!  But the first time it appeared on my Fb feed ...

Monday, January 27, 2025

Lexie Hull / A Homeless Family

Lexie Hull, the player in last year's Indiana Fever basketball team with Caitlin Clark, is a really pretty woman!  (Many players on that team are really cute, but I like Caitlin and Leslie, and Aliyah Boston the best.)


Lexie appears to be an very 'What you see is what you get' sort of girl—a married woman, really.  Most of these full-face photos show her with makeup on (the same goes for Caitlin Clark, and all these basketball women, and even on the court, most of the time), but most girls do that automatically.  I look fine with practically no makeup, so it looks weird to me, though I grew up surrounded by girls wearing a dash of makeup from about sixth grade on.  (These days
they wear a lot less than in the past, but it varies from place to place.)

Well, that's all I really have to say.  The little cat spent the night in her carrier, and she's just emerged, to check the place out.  It's cool in my house, so I'm pretty sure she'll soon be settling down for a nap. 

Kay.

[Added Later:]

I was reading a Fb post about Caitlin Clark, that said that she noticed a woman and her baby, who seemed to be living in a car, and she found out what was going on.  (Apparently medical expenses had resulted in their losing their home, so they were driven to homelessness.)  Caitlin helped them get a room in a hotel, connected them up with non-profits that helped people in their positions, bought the mother a pre-paid cell phone, and generally extended a helping hand. 

A comment from someone said that it was all lies, that Caitlin was a completely self- centered ... you get the drift. 

Well, I can see where this comment is coming from, especially if CC was rude to this person's favorite basketball player, or something like that.  There's hate everywhere, and people without discretionary funds find it impossible to believe that people could go out of their way to help strangers. 

Honestly, if I was in that situation (in Caitlin Clark's financial position,) I would help in exactly the same ways that Caitlin helped.  I know people who are involved in public assistance, and I'm impressed that CC managed to hook this woman up with the best agencies that were designed to help those sorts of people.  I couldn't have afforded to put her up in a hotel room, so I couldn't have done that part, but the rest of it made perfect sense. 

I guess some people are embarrassed by the lengths to which people go to help others.  They lash out with insults for some reason; I guess you need to be a psychologist to know why. 

The point is that CC can afford it.  She made a lot of money last year; the interesting thing is that she chose to spend it this way.  If you don't have the money, or the energy, to do this kind of Good Samaritan thing, you don't have to do it, but why spew venom on someone who does?

K. 

P.S. If anyone among my readers happen to not be too keen on some celebrity, who's trying to be generous to some person in dire straits, I would ask you not to discourage them.  I know our society is designed for the government to look after people without money or other resources.  (I should say it used to be that way, but now because of people whining about taxes, and conservatives cutting down on welfare services, there's a lot less of that available.)  When some celebrity helps someone out, he or she is doing that on behalf of all of us.

K.

Friday, January 24, 2025

LindyFest

I saw a really cute photo from Lindyfest on Facebook:


I can't believe what dazzling smiles these girls have; I could barely smile at all, throughout my childhood, and only started practicing my smile once I started teaching. 

I can't dance, either, except for the Waltz.  I can just barely do it, until I can escape the ballroom!  You people who can dance are so, so lucky.  At least, for the Lindy Hop, the girls seem to wear just reasonable medium heels.  For Latin dances, they wear 8 inch heels, which look elegant, I grant you, but are so ridiculous. 

Kay

Wednesday, January 22, 2025

What To Do?

I have to concede that, at one time, Hate came easy to me.  I didn't have a lot to hate about—though the little I had, I pulled out of the freezer several times a day, when I was just about 20—until I broke up with the person I was going with back then.  (Quite honestly, my frustration with my life might have had something to do with it; but I never actually hated that person.  That's something to look out for.  An unhappy relationship could get one spewing hate at completely unrelated things.  That's so pathetic; I only realized what was going on once we broke up, and I stopped being hateful!  I was incredibly embarrassed.)

Right now, honestly, I could hate the new administration if I tried.  I could hate the frigid weather we're having in Pennsylvania if I tried, and the scorching weather over in California.  I could hate the ignorant things some of the most immature members of the Trump administration simply toss out, just for no good reason at all; perhaps to enhance their coolness.  But it gives me more satisfaction to hold back, grit my teeth, and give Trump and his team a chance to Make America Great, if not 'again', perhaps for the first time. 

Well, I want to pause what I was saying!  Imagine my surprise to read on the Internet, that the president attended a prayer meeting at the Washington Cathedral, and Bishop Marion Edgar Budde said these words:

“Let me make one final plea, Mr. President. Millions have put their trust in you, and as you told the nation yesterday, you have felt the providential hand of a loving God. In the name of our God, I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now. 

"There are gay, lesbian, and transgender children in Democratic, Republican, and independent families, some who fear for their lives. The people who pick our crops and clean our office buildings, who labor in poultry farms and meatpacking plants, who wash the dishes after we eat in restaurants and work the night shifts in hospitals; they may not be citizens or have the proper documentation, but the vast majority of immigrants are not criminals. They pay taxes and are good neighbors. They are faithful members of our churches and mosques, synagogues, gurdwara, and temples.

"I ask you to have mercy, Mr. President, on those in our communities whose children fear that their parents will be taken away; and that you help those who are fleeing war zones and persecution in their own lands to find compassion and welcome here. Our God teaches us that we are to be merciful to the stranger, for we were all once strangers in this land. May God grant us the strength and courage to honor the dignity of every human being, to speak the truth to one another in love, and walk humbly with each other and our God, for the good of all people, in this nation, and the world. Amen.” 

When asked about her words in an interview following the sermon, Bishop Budde said that she was moved to address the president directly because she was concerned about “the level of license to be really quite cruel” that some people feel [able to use] now, and due to "the fear that I have seen and experienced among our people -- people that I know and love, both within the immigrant community and within the LGBTQ community, and how terrified so many are.” She reflected that, "I was trying to say, ‘The country has been entrusted to you.' And one of the qualities of a leader is mercy, right? Mercy. And to be mindful of the people who are scared.”

This Bishop has expressed so well what I should have tried to say!

Kay

P.S.  [Added later]:

Tea Party and maga citizens seem unable to draw lessons from the current president's actions.  He has withdrawn the security details from several of his former secretaries of state (?) like Mike Pompeo, who are still in danger of threats from Iraq.  Trump supporters are probably under the impression that Trump would never be harsh with them, though he's harsh with so many others.  Sad.

Tuesday, January 14, 2025

Politics Again

All sorts of sad things are happening in politics.  These are considered amusing by guys; just playground horsing around by political leaders such as Trump, and business leaders, such as Elon Musk (and perhaps Vivek Ramaswamy), and Podcasters, such as Steve Bannon, and the undisciplined hooligans who are Republican Congressmen.  But I'm not amused; there is work to be done; terrible fires are burning in Los Angeles.  Russia is bullying the Ukraine, the Middle East is struggling to have some sort of peace, but lots of leaders there are trying to arrange to be in positions of power when things settle down, and everywhere—while everything is unsettled—men are manipulating circumstances to control women, and wealthy businessmen are trying to control politics so that they get wealthier. 

This was all let loose by Trump (who really seems to be a puppet of some of these businessmen, but they keep Trump happy by flattering him), who is either too unconcerned to worry about these things, or is happy to have everyone fight among themselves, as long as they leave Trump alone to watch TV by himself. 

Leaders of Congress and the Senate probably have an inkling that all this is happening, but I don't think they trust each other enough to get together and talk about it.  At the moment they're kept busy confirming Trump's proposed cabinet, which consists of very controversial nominees.  That keeps the Senate distracted, but getting a cabinet set up is important. 

Congress is a sort of compound Nero, the Roman leader, who is said to have been fiddling while Rome burned.  Here, California is burning—at least LA is—but California is a Blue state, and perhaps the Republicans don't care too much. 

Some parts of the US are getting tons of snow (and some parts of Canada too), while other parts are dealing with strong wind that keeps blowing the flames closer to the center of LA, which is going to be a financial catastrophe. 

Meanwhile, the Democrats are organizing protest marches, and diverse peaceful expressions of disapproval, and I don't know where that will go; as always, Trump will pretend that he had the most fantastic inauguration in the history of the universe.  At least Carrie Underwood is singing!  Could be worse, I guess. 

All I can do is just stay home and read, I guess.  I have no consoling thoughts for any of you!  Is the wind trying to blow down your door too?  At least it's not trying to blow fire on our homes.  I'm not depressed; just exhausted with this foolishness.  This is the worst possible time for young people to give up on politics. 

Kay.

Friday, January 10, 2025

New Owners of Smashwords: Draft 2 Digital

Smashwords, the company that managed my self-publication business, decided a couple of years ago, to sell the business to snitch company,  Draft2Digiral.  I had never heard of this company, and I was suspicious of this plan, wondering what downsides there would be. 

My Stories on Smashwords were, many of them, free to download on Smashwords.  But now, I am informed that I no longer have control over the prices of the stories; D2D sets the price.  This is a serious disadvantage, and I don't know what to do about it. 

There are two obvious things I can do:

  1. Delete my books from D2D, and try to put them up on some server, for anyone to download. 
  2. Try to sell them on the Amazon, or some other agency. 
I don't have the energy to look up how to do either of these things, and I don't know what to do. 

Kay

Singers in My Stories

I just realized that there are few—or no—singers in my stories!  This is so strange; almost the only thing I can do is sing.  Not well, mind you, but better than I can do anything else, except play the guitar, I suppose. 

All the more strange that there are very few instances of singing in my stories: Alexandra sings (in Alexandra), Maia sings in Prisoner;  now I come to think of it, Helen does sing on lots of occasions; Jana sings in Jana, but I didn't publish the Jana story—except on this blog, in installments!-—so of course you wouldn't know about her.  And two of my favorite characters: Christine and Kelly, sing in my seasonal story, Christine's ... Amazing Christmas.

But I'm surprised that singing was never a plot element in any of the stories. 

Kay.

Less Volume on Hate, Pls

I'm not calling on haters on media to tone it down (though toning down on hate by everyone, everywhere would be a good thing); I'm calling on (so-called) liberals—including myself—to recognize some of our humor as hate in disguise, and tone it down.

The Trump family has been the target of focused hate for close to a decade.  Their patriarch is so oblivious to negative feedback (that is, people on all sorts of media expressing unhappiness about various things he says), that it makes these people escalate their disapproval to the level of hate, even if it didn't start out that way.  At this point, the members of the Trump family, apparently even more insensitive to criticism than the, er, patriarch, amplify the rhetoric they must hear around Trump Central, and say things bluntly that the Don has said more delicately.  (I never thought I'd be using that word in connection with these people, but there, now, this is creeping toward hate.)

As a result, the camp opposed to Trump—that includes myself, and many sane people—hate this rhetoric, and Trump and his, well,  followers, for lack of a better word, love it.  They know that we hate it, and that knowledge makes them love it even more!  So MAGA rallies almost completely feature this sort of material. 

We're going to get—or already are—labeled as 'Haters,' which will surprise many of us, again including me, because I have never considered myself a hater of any sort, except recently, because the incendiary Trump combination of lies, misconceptions, twisted humor, and rhetoric does make me respond with a knee- jerk reaction that is, on examination, nothing but hate.

The sad thing about hate speech is that it is easy to discount.  'Oh, that's just spewing,' I say to myself, and those who I intend should read it, my target audience, could be doing the same. 

It's all very sad.  But may improve, especially if the MAGA people want us to cooperate in various programs.  Immigration, for instance, is one area where we can cooperate. 

Kay, surprised to be a hater

Friday, January 3, 2025

Meditation, from Thaïs, by Massenet

This is one of my favorite violin pieces.  My parents used to play it at night; oh, so romantic!

https://youtu.be/ImEUiNAL9go?si=fgAq1er-Qf1EaP6l