I know it's Tuesday, but...

I have to admit that I've been remiss and not only did I not blog on Tuesday, but it's been a week since I've even blogged at all! It's been beyond crazy, mad around here and while I've started a post almost every day, nothing has jelled or even been coherent. So, I like to think that I've spared all y'all that unfortunate experience. 

OK, so right now, this is my story and I'm sticking to it, so I'll see y'all tomorrow with, hopefully, something interesting or at least, entertaining.

It's Tuesday!

It's Tuesday and I'm not really here.

Or online.

BUT, I am still around. I haven't forgotten I was going to post every day! I've just been a bit busier than usual.

Regular blogging to resume tomorrow.

Today is Malcolm X Day

Malcolm X

May 19, 1925 - February 21, 1965

I know it's Thursday evening, but it's been a busy day!

Busy?

Crazy mad?

Or both?

Phone died, as in absolute will not hold a charge and t-mobile said, 'You can get an upgrade! Just come in and we'll give you a new phone." Not exactly giving it to me, I have to buy it, but I do need an upgrade. Anyway, that took a few hours.

And then there was the  rain, the VERY HEAVY STEADY RAIN!

There was other stuff going on, but just thinking about it makes me tired all over again! so, trust me on this one key thing: This day is almost over and that's a good thing!

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Fun news from the krewe came in and here are the photos!

Big Boy Chaos Long Hair

Big Boy Chaos Short Hair

Yesterday BBC got his first haircut! BBC had told The Captain that he was ready to cut his hair "because he was tired of having to brush it and also, tired of it falling in his food!" He told the Captain that he wanted it short like his, so that's what happened!

Mr Matrix sent me this video because Big Girl Matrix was "so proud" that she could cross the Monkey Bars to the end!

I know I said I wasn't going to be "that Grandma"....

I lied.

Did you notice?

Yep, I almost did it!

I sort of stayed away from social media on Tuesday.

That other social media site did capture my attention for a bit, but after reading the papers and sharing from there I was done. I did read some blogs and I may have commented on a couple, but hey, this "Take Tuesday Off" thing is a work in progress! 

Instead of lounging around, I'm back using the treadmill! Living in The Land Where Pollen Began, having the ability to get a workout in without leaving the house is marvelous! A friend who's a runner tries to get in a thousand miles a year, either outside or on a treadmill. This is my goal even though he started in January! I figure any mileage I can get in between now and December 31st is hot damn fine by me!

What are y'all doing as a workout for exercise?

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Some cuteness for this week:

Stretch, BBC, and the Cap't on Mother's Day

The Pirate Kid

BGM and Saffy and Miss Pink!

There's a photo of The Kid and BBC, but I forgot to ask if I could post it! (She's 16 and we do not post any pic without prior approval.)

apple or android

Sometimes I feel as if we're the perfect MAC v PC commercial when it comes to our phones. Yes, I have an Apple smartphone and he has a Samsung Galaxy, but most of the time we use our landline for calls when we're at home because we have lousy reception out here. Short of moving back to the Historic District, we have to wait until we're off the Plantation to use our mobiles without worrying about a lost signal.

I know, what a first world problem.

At home I do receive text messages on my mobile and since I'm MAC based, they also show up on the Messages icon on my computer, so I don't need my iPhone nearby or even on when I'm home. But, even I will admit having one when I'm not at home is hot damn handy!

Seems as if smartphones here are getting larger with every new edition and seriously far smarter than anyone needs! I miss my old slender flip phone.

What do y'all use? 

Second Sunday in May!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

How to sleep in on the weekend

Who knew it was as simple as going to bed later?

I'm joking, sort of.

Yesterday evening began with a really delicious soup made by the MITM. (I know, you're probably thinking who makes soup when it's hot outside? He does because as I was told, "We have air conditioning inside and it's on right now, Dear.") It was a new chicken soup recipe* he found and had to make immediately. Also, we had some chicken quarters that were frozen in February of this year and as he put it, needed to be cooked immediately or they'd be past their prime. It has become apparent to me that we have very different ideas with regard to prime or best by dates for frozen foods. The soup really was delicious, but sadly, left a ton of turmeric stains on the counters, the floor and somehow, my white tee shirt! All taken care of now, by the by.


*https://www.ambitiouskitchen.com/the-best-chicken-soup-recipe


The link above has a picture and the recipe for the soup. It called for boneless skinless chicken breasts which we didn't have so use whatever parts of the bird you have handy. Trust me on this one key thing, it will be grand!

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All rules are off on the weekend regarding electronics at the table, so as I was having my coffee and eating an English muffin, I heard

Who knew, right? Seems the MITM read an article in the New York Times (The article is entitled, "For a Black Girl in London, It's the Summer of Meghan Markle") that mentioned the "Road Dialect" in London, so of course, inquisitive news junkie that he is he turned to youtube for enlightenment! 

I'm having a bit of a problem with hyper-links again, so if you're interested in the article you'll have to check the NYT yourself for the article. As an outsider looking in at the Royal Wedding and all things related, I thought the article spoke to the climate, conditions, and the perceptions of otherness within the immigrant and also the larger community in London.

The little girl in the article, Tshego (who wants her Mother to call her "Tiffany"), at the end of it is quoted, "I know how it feels to leave countries, and leave all your friends behind," she said. "I would give her (Meghan Markle) my friendship. So that she's not alone." 

All of this today reminds me of how important it is for all of us to see ourselves represented in the media and in our daily lives. We are all different and yet, so much the same. Images we see change our subconscious and how we react to one another. Girls seeing women in different careers allows them to see themselves as engineers, doctors, and professions not normally associated with women. Boys learn kindness and not violence, equality not misogyny,  are acceptable behaviors from seeing those represented on the screen. We have a long way to go, but we will get there.

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It's Saturday, I'm rambling, and I probably should go do something productive. Or not, but there you go. (Total aside, but the MITM just told me that Tiger Woods is -8 as he finished his round at The Players Championship today.) 

Anyway, just remember:

I love you like chicken and we ain't dead yet. 

A few good things on tv

We've been dealing with our current hurry up and wait mode by doing a lot of big batch cooking aka if I-fix-this-dish-and-freeze-it-in-serving sizes-I-won't-have-to-cook-for-days and watching some great programming! 

We started with the HBO documentary Being Serena.
 The link will take you to the HBO site about the documentary and some fascinating stories about Serena Williams.


The National Geographic channel is hosting Katie Couric's series,
America Inside Out every Wednesday at 10PM. My hyper link skills aren't working on the nationalgeographic.com website, so you're on your own if you're interested.  

Netflix DVDs and streaming have also been entertaining and certainly an escape from network tv. Acorn tv rounds out our tv watching with great British shows that aren't easily available on PBS (Public Broadcasting Service) stations here. It might sound/read as if we're watching a ton of tv, but that isn't the case. We've just become really selective about what is on and what we watch.

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The MITM, when he isn't cooking, has been working on some of his literary or genealogy projects and I have been doing as little as possible. BUT, in my own defense, I have been reading and blogging and following my one day-one room personal challenge. So far, everything has been working out well for both of us.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it! I think he might have a different take on all of this, but I'm blogging, he isn't so, we'll just go with my truth right now.

Remember, I love you like chicken and we ain't dead yet.

From 1988

This was the first thing that came to mind. A long time ago, I know, but it still makes me smile. Lord knows we could all use a reason to smile!

Speaking of smiling, this clip was on this past weekend and is a sweet reminder that there is hope for our future. Love is all you need...

President Austin

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Thursday is Friday Eve 

and all about getting ready for the weekend, 

so  


I think I'm going to just see what happens!



xoxo

Where the streets have no name

I remember when the Joshua Tree came out and how much I loved this song. (In the olden days when music came out on a CD and a song wasn't dropped on the internet.) Today this song popped into my brain after reading the news and all of the reaction to actions taken yesterday. The conversations over breakfast were all "what if scenarios" and all I could think of was this song. We're in a dark place right now and I'm not sure where and how this will end. 

Or in the words of the ever right on, Trae Crowder:



Please...

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I'm working on something cheery for tomorrow, I promise...

Because I love you like chicken and we ain't dead yet.

It's Tuesday!

I forgot I'm supposed to have a screen free day today, so see you tomorrow.

On the other side of the hills out in Lalaland and a few other thoughts

While the Captain and BBC were exploring DTLA's art scene, BGM and Mr Matrix were enjoying sushi! Miso soup, crawfish tempura, cucumber rolls and sushi were on the menu and it seems very, very much enjoyed!

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Here on the Plantation, it's been quiet (which is a good thing) and the weather has been rather decent! It's starting to warm up with more sunny days than not, especially given how long winter seemed to last around here. We did have to turn on the air conditioning for a couple of days. Using ceiling fans make a big difference and lessens the dependence on AC usage which is a considerable savings! (total aside, but it never ceases to amaze me when interior decorators working in the South remove ceiling fans because they're unsightly.) 

Moving right along...

The MITM is watching Blazing Saddles and wondering where our collective sense of humor has gone. Even Mel Brooks has said he couldn't make this hilarious movie now. I'm not even sure if it were possible if anyone would understand it or appreciate it. 

Jump forward to the latest video by Childish Gambino aka Donald Glover, Jr. It's a multi-layer piece that speaks, in it's own way, to what our society has become. The symbolism is profound, the comments on twitter have been numerous, as have the interpretations. I'll just leave this here...

Sunday

I've got nothing today.

Maybe later, but who knows.

Here's some cuteness from the downtown l.a. art scene with BBC and the Captain!

UPDATE: from the Captain: 

"The painting BBC is sitting under is titled “Birdshit” and he asked for a photo"

Mini movie from the wrong side of the yard

He was back again today, thus disproving the MITM's theory that Woody Woodpecker didn't work on weekends! Here's a quick movie of our local friend, the Pileated Woodpecker!

There might be more today, but who knows...

Let the games begin!

I'm kidding. 

It's Friday and it's a no news is no news day for the MITM, so instead of pacing or staring at his MAC screen willing a proper email to show up he's watching The  Handmaid's Tale. I read Margaret Atwood's book when it first came out and I can't seem to get into this adaptation. My outlook just might be a tad too bleak right now, so I'll just leave that alone.

*****

On a happier and/or funnier note, the other day BGM (Big Girl Matrix) told her mother (super nana) that she "wanted to take a plane to Peaboo's (me aka her grandma) house and eat radishes with Du (MITM aka her grandpa) and not have her (super nana) around to tell her what to do!" Of course, WE were laughing! When I asked super nana how she didn't burst out laughing she said she did! I mean, how could you not when the intent expressed was so INTENSE and specific!  This is the stuff that makes me smile.

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It's Friday, so...

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Captain Chaos shot this yesterday, sent it to me and I'm sharing it with all y'all! 

This is going really well!

The MITM is writing for at least two hours during the day, so I've settled into using that quiet time to blog or read blogs, but staying away from that other social media site. 

This morning, like every other morning since November 9th, 2016, we both checked the headlines to see what was going on and who was still alive. After a good laugh over the latest lawyerly gaff, we were done with the news. Part of the issue around here is that we have cut the cable and are very selective about what we now watch on tv. CNN is no longer on as a background (muted) image on the big screen. We have AppleTV, so access is there to 24 hour news coverage when we want it, otherwise it's online as needed. I'm the first to admit that my yelling at the tv screen has dropped considerably!

In this information age we have access to so much, but so much of what's out there is really disinformation and sadly, we've become too sound bite reliant and far too many of us have forgotten how to fact check a source before we believe what we see or hear. Seeing and believing is no longer true because images and sounds can be manufactured to support any ideology. 

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It's Thursday, so we're just that much closer to the weekend! Are you making plans yet? I am...

The post after the day I took off or it's not as easy as I thought

Soooooo, the idea was to have a screen free day or at least, that was the intention. It ended up being an intermittent online presence because of reading the papers, a couple of magazine articles, checking out that other social media site because 

oh, the truth hurts

I couldn't stay away all day! I was compelled to see what was being shared, posted, and generally talked about! I had to check twitter a couple of times, too. And then there was Instagram. And all y'all's blogs. I mean, seriously, I was home and after I did my chores,  what else could I do? My MAC was just sitting there, yes, it was closed, but it was still on and oh, so lonely for my touch! I could tell. I mean, its poor little light was just blinking. Ok, maybe not, that could have been my phone. So, I have to re-think this day away and have a real plan of action!

Or maybe, I just need to set a time to disconnect and stick to it.

That was yesterday.

Today is another dayuh. 

Speaking of days, check out Eros Den!  Check out his post about living each day to the fullest. (Updated to reflect the fact that hyperlinks are working NOW because I copied the url correctly.) UPDATED again because even I'm getting a 404 Error on eros' blog! He's on the blogroll, check him out from there! Please.

xoxo

Before I forget, here's a cute pic:

A Day Off

Today and from now on (unless something major happens) I'm taking Tuesday off. I'm thinking that one day spent screen free is important for my mental health. I mean, yelling at talking to my MAC screen is getting  more than a bit scary, if you know what I mean. 

Enjoy your day and I'll see you tomorrow!

xoxo