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Yellface went into Mila's room, hid under a table, beefed with Mila in some fashion, and was hauled ignominiously out.
As for me, my rescheduled retina appointment went fine. Some of the issues have cleared up. Prognosis very good. I had to transfer between power chair and clinic chair three times. As I told them on the final occasion: I have a bad knee and a worse knee. Trying CBD ointment in addition to Voltaren, on the advice of my now-former primary care. (And I know who my new primary care is going to be, yay.)
It's possible that my retina appointments this year are cursed. On the last attempt, my car was so low on battery that it died at an intersection and there was a whole drama with a guy who scared the whole block and tried to open my car door. This time we got there okay, but Belovedest suffered a flat tire while out with
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alexseanchai later in the day. This wrapped up with Thorn having to come rescue that Toaster with a wrench that actually fit the nuts. (Cue penis measuring jokes.)( in which I get highly opinionated about baked goods, join me! 😁 )
Okay, I guess I should go figure out dinner that doesn't involve a stove because it got to 90F today, like 25-30F above normal. Rude. And yes, I started with ice cream. But I may need something a little more substantial.
muscle_wizard sharing this one in my last post:An older woman with a crush on someone in her circle approaches her younger co-worker for advice on how to ask out another woman for the first time. This really got me—charming and moving at the same time.
badfaun here, who lives over in Seattle, and who I have known for uh, 20 years now?, who's in the late stages of metastatic breast cancer, that spread to her brain, and is now in the cerebro spinal fluid, which is impressive in its inventiveness and staying power if nothing else.(This is ileah/Francisco/Heart, for any GarouMUSH people around.)
She's pretty stubborn and pretty great, but the spread to the CSF is Just Not A Good Thing, and she's now going to be going to hospice.
Love to her, and her husband
aerynvale, who's been a rock in all this.And I don't have a blood clot, but I do have sucky blood pressure. Which I knew. So I don't *think* it's an allergic reaction, but I do think it's vein related somehow, so, mystery.
For most of the morning it was gorgeous and sunny and in the 50s, and very springlike, which fits since it's the equinox and the first day of spring, so, happy spring!
Then we got lunch and coffee and started down Route 2 to Arlington to retrieve my wallet, WHICH the Arlington Police in fact found a day or so ago, after I had ordered new everything, (But I can at least get my driver's license for ID purposes. And the wallet, which I like.) *But then*, sitting at a traffic light, we got slammed into on what I thought was my rear end but was actually my passenger side. Passenger side airbag deployed, lots of broken glass also deployed, some of it onto Calluna and a little tiny bit on me. All told, about 6-7 cars were involved, plus Route 2 was closed for like an hour.
I'm very much lacking information about who hit whom and how, but it *seems* as if the person who set the chain reaction going is the one who ended up in front, and rolled over. No one would let me stick around or figure out other people's information, which makes sense because there was like, gas leaking and stuff. Not-very-informative news article.
This time I let them impound it because Calluna needed to get checked a the hospital (same one we just came from!), and I went along for the ride/also to get checked out. (I'm fine; she may have a slight concussion and her neck's hurting.) 'm pretty convinced it's totaled, but unlike when I got run into in Coventry, RI, Concord's only 45 mins or so from me, so I can go retrieve all my Stuff from it Sunday when I also go get my durn wallet.
Happily, my s-i-l loaned me their ancient and venerable Prius so I have wheelz currently.
Final Fantasy XI stream! (tonight)
Therefore, tonight's Final Fantasy XI will be a "Chill & Chat" stream! I plan to just grind levels on one of my non-main jobs tonight. What job? WELL, THAT'S UP TO YOU!
Feel free to vote on the poll even if you don't intend to watch the stream. Wanna watch? I'm at https://twitch.tv/altheavalara
What Job Should I Level in FFXI?
Warrior (Currently level 1)
0 (0.0%)
Red Mage (Currently level 55)
0 (0.0%)
Ninja (Currently level 37)
0 (0.0%)
Dancer (Currently level 40)
0 (0.0%)
Monk (Currently level 1)
0 (0.0%)
Black Mage (Currently level 50)
0 (0.0%)
Thief (Currently level 53)
0 (0.0%)
Scholar (Currently level 52)
0 (0.0%)
What other job(s) should I unlock tonight?
Paladin
0 (0.0%)
Dark Knight
0 (0.0%)
Beastmaster
0 (0.0%)
Bard
0 (0.0%)
Ranger
0 (0.0%)
Samurai
0 (0.0%)
Dragoon
0 (0.0%)
Blue Mage
0 (0.0%)
Corsair
0 (0.0%)
Puppetmaster
0 (0.0%)
You can read about the different jobs here: https://www.bg-wiki.com/ffxi/Category:Jobs
Final Fantasy XIV Stream! (tomorrow)
Tomorrow, I also plan to take it easy. We'll be doing the latest Hildibrand, then clearing out more open quests from my journal. I also might just keep an eye on the discords and hop around to FATEs or hunt trains. Whatever looks interesting and chill.
Start time is 7:30pm for both streams -- or later. Lately, we haven't even started dinner until 6:50pm (much to my displeasure, but can't be helped). I'm also not sure how long I'll stream, but I figure it will be at least 60-90 minutes?
- 1. Earth's first mass extinction may have been far worse than believed
- (tags:extinction prehistory paleontology )
- 2. People using AI to give law advice finally reaches Scotland.
- (tags:ai law scotland )
- 3. Denmark was preparing for full-scale war with the US over Greenland in January, with military support from France, Germany, and Nordic nations.
- (tags:war usa norway germany france denmark )
- 4. This perfectly encapsulates why I won't surf the web without an ad-blocker
- (tags:advertising web newspapers )
- 5. How *did* a multi-storey car park get built in the shadow of Edinburgh Castle?
- (tags:edinburgh cars history )
- 6. Waymo self driving cars are 13x safer than humans
- (tags:safety automation driving cars )
- 7. Police Scotland announce they don't want trans people to report any crimes
- (tags:transgender LGBT bigotry OhForFucksSake Scotland )
- 8. The change that made lighthouses work much better - and why it drove the keepers mad. (Lots and lots of mercury)
- (tags:mercury light history safety ships )
- 9. Gen Z is broke, stressed and exhausted - but boomers won't accept it
- (tags:stress society doom )
- advertising,
- ai,
- automation,
- bigotry,
- cars,
- denmark,
- doom,
- driving,
- edinburgh,
- extinction,
- france,
- germany,
- history,
- law,
- lgbt,
- light,
- links,
- mercury,
- newspapers,
- norway,
- ohforfuckssake,
- paleontology,
- prehistory,
- safety,
- scotland,
- ships,
- society,
- stress,
- transgender,
- usa,
- war,
- web
sparowe Mar. 20th, 2026 03:41 am)Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor’s headquarters, and they gathered the whole battalion before Him. And they stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on His head and put a reed in His right hand. And kneeling before Him, they mocked Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they spit on Him and took the reed and struck Him on the head. And when they had mocked Him, they stripped Him of the robe and put His own clothes on Him and led Him away to crucify Him. (Matthew 27:27-31)
It must have been terrifying. Imagine 600 men, set free to abuse Jesus as badly as they wish—as long as He stays alive for the cross. And that allows a lot. Mocking, stripping, and spitting. Jamming a crown of thorns down on His head. Hitting Him over the head with a stick. And the noise! The worst of humanity, set free to abuse this innocent Man, with no one to stop them.
Jesus could have stopped them. At any time, He had the power to call the whole thing off, and He knew it (see Matthew 26:53).
But He did not, and He would not, because His mind was on us. On everyone who has ever suffered abuse, who has been beaten or harmed or mocked or sent to death unjustly, by the same powers of evil that Jesus faced now—the powers He would destroy through His death and resurrection. And His mind was also on those who did such evil, for He came to die for them, too—to redeem, forgive, and remake them new in the image of the One who loves us.
WE PRAY: Thank You, Lord, for enduring for me. Amen.
Lenten Devotions were written by Dr. Kari Vo.
( 18. The Shots You Take - Rachel Reid ) Fairly forgettable, but still entertaining enough to keep me reading.
( 19. The Spy Who Loved Me - Ian Fleming ) I don't think Fleming is for me, but there was some enjoyment available.
( Greenwing and Dart - Victoria Goddard ) Fluffy, fun (despite a substantial amount of mortal peril) and a generally satisfying binge.
( 26. How to Win Friends and Influence People - Dale Carnegie ) Dated but I think still worth reading.
( 27. Holiday in Death, 28. Festive in Death, and 29. Framed in Death - JD Robb ) I always enjoy these - but particularly liked the opportunity to revisit the early part of the series in contrast to the newer state of things!
( 30. Derring-Do for Beginners - Victoria Goddard ) I was hoping for more actual, you know, Red Company, but this was so much fun I can't have too many regrets.
( 31. Jane Austen: A Life - Claire Tomalin ) I think this is probably as enlightening as it could reasonably have been, but I was a little disappointed, somehow, despite learning a fair amount. It's not badly-written at all, but it never really won me over somehow.
( 32. Chain-Gang All-Stars - Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah ) Ultra-violent, really thumpingly Message-y, and strangely compelling; I don't think I'll ever want to re-read it, but I am interested to see where Adjei-Brenyah goes from here.
( 33. Blood Sport, 35. The Edge, and 37. Risk - Dick Francis ) A trio of delightfully exciting nonsenses; I'm so sorry I didn't discover Francis years ago, but on the other hand at least they are a source of joy for me now.
( 34. Men Explain Things to Me - Rebecca Solnit ) A short but concentrated dose of feminist rage.
( 36. Outcrossing - Celia Lake ) On paper this absolutely should be my jam, but it entirely is not.
( 38. Batman: Wayne Family Adventures vol 2 - CRC Payne and Starbite ) Adorable. This series is just so fun.
( 39. Just One Damned Thing After Another - Jodi Taylor ) This is a fun concept, but the archaeology / history is worse than in Connie Willis' Oxford Time Travel books and that's saying something. I didn't hate it, but I had to disconnect my brain way too much to enjoy it.
( 40. Ambiguity Machines - Vandana Singh ) A really excellent collection, even though I couldn't muster quite the delight I wanted from it.
( 41. Get A Life, Chloe Brown - Talia Hibbert ) I enjoyed this, although I'm not sure if I'll read more Hibbert.
- 1. Tech hobbyist makes shoulder-mounted guided missile prototype with $96 in parts and a 3D printer
- (tags:weaponry technology 3dprinting )
- 2. Kagi Translate's AI answers the question "What would horny Margaret Thatcher say?"
- (tags:language translation margaretthatcher wtf )
- 3. Ever wanted to be able to translate from English to LinkedIn? Now you can!
- (tags:language funny translation viaswampers )
- 4. Grok, explain Butlerian Jihad [ai]
- (tags:funny scifi )
- 5. Austin build new housing - rents came down
- (tags:economics housing usa )
sparowe Mar. 19th, 2026 03:31 am)So when Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this Man’s blood; see to it yourselves.” And all the people answered, “His blood be on us and on our children!” Then he released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, delivered Him to be crucified. (Matthew 27:24-26)
Pilate is being theatrical when he literally washes his hands of Jesus’ blood; he is trying to dissociate himself from what’s about to happen as clearly as he can. It’s nonsense, of course; Pilate is the only one with legal authority to kill Jesus, and everyone knows that.
The crowd is also being theatrical with their over-the-top language, “His blood be on us and our children!” They don’t really mean it; they simply want Pilate to get on with the show. They accept responsibility for Jesus’ death because they are quite certain that there will be no reckoning; nobody will ever force them to pay for the evil they are doing.
But Jesus isn’t being theatrical at all. He’s being real—He’s doing reality, with every painful step He walks, and every drop of blood He sheds. He knows that what He is doing will save everyone who trusts in Him from the power of sin, death, and the devil. His suffering, death, and resurrection are the most real things that have ever happened to us—because they take people who are dead in guilt and shame and turn them into forgiven, blessed children of God.
WE PRAY: Thank You, Lord, for saving me in reality. Amen.