the corrupt frisco wallet inspector is still funny as hell https://missionlocal.org/2023/08/rodrigo-santos-sentenced-to-prison/

the corrupt frisco wallet inspector is still funny as hell https://missionlocal.org/2023/08/rodrigo-santos-sentenced-to-prison/

alright, “4321” has my attention, this is lovely
18th book of the year: “SPQR”, by Mary Beard
Wanted to read some history after the last few things. Kept seeing Beard press over the years, saw she has a new book out and grabbed a used copy of her old stuff instead.
lotta “assassinated for tyranny after proposing social and/or land use reforms” Kermit-confused-face.bmp
lotta good stuff on how normal people lived
next up, the most recent Paul Auster, “4321”, cya in like a month or two probably

oh, one thing you’ve learned was against your will? must be nice!
asleep by 9:15, wake up at 4, mentally review damage taken (doh) and given (oops) yesterday, pad down to the kitchen at 5, turn the lights on as dim as they go, make coffee, start to read scrollback and accruing damage for the day
get annoyed by the ambient noise the fridge is making, use a smart-switch to power off the fridge, replace it with ambient noise somebody else made, cozy up by the speaker https://schwebung.bandcamp.com/album/radiance
kid up at 5:40, we’re watching spiderman and doing the moves :||
lol lmao that ‘judgement’ is correctly spelled ‘judgment’ in some uses and visa versa
c’mon
17th book of the year: “The Palm-Wine Drinkard” and “My Life in the Bush of Ghosts” by Amos Tutuola ( https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/303496.The_Palm_Wine_Drinkard_My_Life_in_the_Bush_of_Ghosts)
The story I enjoyed in Black Water 2 was an excerpt from “The Palm-Wine Drinkard” (which is subtitled “and his dead Palm-Wine Tapster in the Deads’ Town)
I preferred the drinkard because more of the stories in it seem like little self-contained myths. And of course I’m glad to now have a connection back to the Byrne/Eno album that I love.

fake-warning “a man recommending a podcast"
I had intended to stop consuming “the left stays losing" stuff for a bit because it is so g d depressing but https://the-santiago-boys.com is really, really good
hashtags Allende EvgenyMorozov StaffordBeer ThePurposeOfASystemIsWhatItDoes Nixon CIA blah blah
very belatedly getting into Unknown Mortal Orchestra https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-36lCKovBg
also, re-reading Bartleby (the original anti-makin’ copies guy) reminded me that 1) he has office mates named Turkey, Nippers, and Ginger Nut (tag yourself) and 2) “I would prefer not to” is only his first catch phrase, once he wore that out he pivoted to "I am not particular.” which is also delicious.

had mini-split air conditioning installed in our place last month, where i work from home, at great expense and wall-destruction, and now that it’s summer in the west bay I’m sitting in the cat bird seat
I think merchant associations should have a seat at the table sike!
first day of public school for junior (t. k. at Flynn) and well, well, well, if it isn’t my old nemesis, the prison-wall face with ever-changing hands which slow down the more you glance at them. slower and slower, slower and slower. but to look away is impossible

the real best part though? I bought both 1 and 2 used as paperbacks and they are both about 1000 pages and about 70-90 stories but Black Water 2 was printed on much lighter paper than Black Water, which made holding the damned thing open to read much less uncomfortable.
16: “Black Water 2, More Tales of the Fantastic” loved it, full of surprises and delights from authors I’ve never heard of and authors most have — Arthur Conan Doyle, F Scott Fitzgerald, E B White, Joseph Conrad, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Margret Atwood, George Bernard Shaw , Arthur C Lark) — and stories too , like Melville’s Bartleby.
"The Complete Gentleman” turned me onto Amos Tutuola, who I’m now reading in full.
And a story from Isabell Allende?! Nice.
previously: https://mastodon.social/@gravely/110403938932091902



the only challenge coin i’ve ever kept

finally signing up for tsa [spits on the ground] pre and mad about this form question

[TMBG voice] there’s only two parties in me, and I’m heading to the third
Least favorite usually-reactionary move is when they say they are against something for the preposterous reason of, not-getting-it.
“I don’t get it.”
If you don’t get it, why not be FOR it until you do, or at least get the heck out of the way, knuckleheads.
it is so weird how having hobbies is coped with by randos at parties who I assume are just thinking out loud
“oh, you’re a ___ guy?"
alright, hold your horses, no, don’t have that kind of attention span. I’m also mildly interested in and but don’t try to identify as into eight or nine other things, alright?