BrightPractical

Instrument, I meant instrument. Or possibly saxophone. I am brilliant in all things and not deserving of your derisive laughter, teenagers!

I’ve been feeling guilty about the bottoms of my favorite thrifted jeans for a while so I took a 12 1/2¢ bandana (half price!) from the thrift shop that had blood stains in the middle, cut off the unstained border, added interfacing to make it a bit sturdier, and covered up the raggedy hem.

I know the kids wear their jeans short but I am an old lady and short jeans were cause for pointing and laughing in my youth, so my jeans must touch the ground and cover my socks when I’m seated. Therefore all my jeans get ragged. These were pristine when I thrifted them for $6 so now I have made them pristine again.

Don’t miss a Rise Up, Sing Out concert watch party this June 14th at 6:30 central time, Illinois!

La Grange Park (starts 5:30 with live music, free pizza, and cash bar)
Naperville (starts 6pm)
Evanston
Bloomington-Normal (starts 6pm)
Carol Stream (starts 6pm)
Danville (starts 6pm)

I find myself fascinated by the backstory of Persuasion. It’s easy to see why Charles Musgrove wants to marry Anne (although I do wonder how she met him), but why do you think he transfers his affections to Mary?

I know, I know, a lot of people around here find this kind of demonstration useless. But if you are looking for a group to stand with, one that focuses on building community and solidarity, who might be at your local protest, check out Singing Resistance (Instagram for best info, sorry about that.)

You don’t have to be a good singer, you just have to like singing and believe in keeping each other safe. DM me if you’re in Chicago and want to know more.

(PS Mods remove if this doesn’t fit the rules, I just know last year there were a lot of people at a loss about how to get involved in a local group and this one has the advantage of being decentralized and security conscious.)

I’m currently rewatching my way through seasons 2 & 3 on Blu-ray.

The writer or actor commentaries are fine, and sometimes enlightening. Mostly duller than you’d find in commentaries recorded much later after spoilers were impossible.

When Horowitz & Kitsis comment though, it is wildly apparent that the show’s inconsistencies are likely the result of the showrunners.

Fairy tales are a rich text, the writers frequently delivered nuance and used the dual modern day and fantasy setting to explore abusive relationships, adoption (poorly imho), redemption, family dynamics, small towns, classic literary characters, etc.

But the showrunners don’t actually see how well the show occasionally

I got a “seconds” large cutting mat from Quilters Rule, intending to cut it to size for my folding cutting table, which is 31”x50” while the mat is 40x60 (and the error is only some missing ink!)

Has anyone cut down a cutting mat before? I welcome all suggestions or tips.

I was thinking a jigsaw with a blade for plastic but it could be a good reason to set up my big saw.

https://abc7chicago.com/post/bulgarian-chicago-business-owner-nenko-gantchev-dies-ice-custody-family-congresswoman-call-immediate-investigation/18301520/

If the 7th circuit had not blocked the order for release of 600+ people wrongfully arrested without warrants, this man would likely be alive. The people they are abducting are our neighbors. They run businesses, they are married to US citizens, they pay taxes, they are part of our communities.

I know we all know this here but every death, every mistreatment, every moment we witness the inhumanity, is another grief. I’m fucking tired of grieving.

My family have been at a Who convention all weekend and I’ve been so impressed by how cool and kind all the fans and actors are. I was particularly tickled by Annette Badland and how open she is to talking about her fan interactions as well as about the craft of acting and how she approaches the work, but every person who spoke, from big names in the tv show to voice actors to more ancillary people are so kind and so dedicated to doing the work they do well. And the fans are polite and gentle with one another, which is important as Who fandom has its share of people with extreme fixation on the topic and an occasional unawareness of social cues.

Other conventions I’ve attended (for other

This year I’ve been attending the American Friends Service Committee third Tuesday meetings where speakers talk about how we can protect each other, resist oppression, and build community. Every time I feel better about the number of people standing up and helping others.

Today I found out where you can see all the webinars so far on YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsiZ_HNqGdBo8aCamh8Y5i1Ix4vIHujFw&si=EKef7drf8rAkK_mV If you want to feel good and do good, they’re an excellent place to start.