Friday Bitch & Brag

July 19, 2024 - The Charlie ❤️ Me Edition

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After over a week of intense heat, it’s finally cooled down to reasonable summer temps here. Whew! Let’s circle up, folks!

Bitch: On Tuesday night we had a 2-hour power outage, which was surprisingly long for this area. When I still lived in Baltimore we had a power outage that lasted nearly five hours, and this was in the summer, too. The grid can’t take this heat.

Brag: I have repeatedly tested negative for COVID after being exposed earlier this month while helping Pops & Mari. Doing my best to mask and socially distance whenever I can, because this surge is no joke.

Bonus Item: This morning I went to the vet to pick up a new medication for Rooney and their resident cockatiel Charlie came over to me and requested head skritches. Once I started gently rubbing his little head, he wanted more, and gave me a peck when I briefly stopped. One of the resident cats, Bruno, also came by for some pets and head skritches. Does this preternatural ability to befriend animals and birds mean that I have achieved Disney princess status? Don’t answer that.

Charlie the cockatiel; giving Charlie head and neck skritches; Bruno the grey cat.

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Rooney Update

As the vet predicted, Rooney started puking again this week. I picked up a new medication this morning, which was $64 for a 30-day supply. 🤯 The good news is I found the same medication on Chewy for much less, so if this works well I’ll buy through Chewy instead of directly from the vet.

Otherwise, Rooney is doing well: he’s my bedtime snuggle buddy, eating and drinking normally, and being chatty when he wants something.

I’ve paused promoting the GoFundMe and PayPal campaigns to raise funds for Rooney’s care for the time being. If and when we reach the point where we need help to cover additional care, such as a dental cleaning, I’ll share the links again.

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Bitch: On Sunday I went to the Greenbelt Farmers Market and got some blackberries that were big and gorgeous, but didn’t have that much flavor…

Brag: …so I paired them with blueberries and baked my first blackberry-blueberry pie, complete with homemade pie crust and my first-ever lattice crust. I shared the pie with HM and we both agreed it was delicious.

Blackberry-blueberry pie, ready to bake; pie fresh from oven; served with homemade whipped cream topping.

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Bitch: I’m still very nervous about this upcoming election and even more so after the events of this past week. All the content I’m seeing online is hard to parse in terms of objectivity or validity, and that adds to my stress…

Brag: …but earlier this week I got an e-newsletter from Tim of The Coffee Mess that reminded me of some very important things about community. Tim is a super cool guy who roasts coffee & makes music, and he gave me permission to share what he wrote here (I included the parts he bolded/emphasized). If you’re a fan of great coffee, I encourage you to check out The Coffee Mess’s online shop (or visit them in Ohio), as well as their Instagram.

Chaos is seeping in. Don't be surprised if it gets worse.

I don’t like to make predictions. At the same time I try not to be surprised when weird things happen.

These are the things I’m on the lookout for through the end of the year, hope to God none of it happens:

• More and increasingly desperate attempts on DJT’s life

• Replacement of Biden on the Dem ticket one way or another, including death by natural or unnatural causes

• Large scale, high casualty attacks on soft targets or the RNC/DNC

• Disorder/riots like we saw in 2020, possibly on a larger scale.

• Escalation of the Ukraine/Russia war embroiling NATO and causing WWIII

• plenty more bad stuff

All these things are possible. I do not know how likely they are.

Don’t pretend you know what’s going to happen, just try not to be surprised by anything.

Don’t be a sucker.

Please pull away when you see hateful rhetoric from anyone, right or left.

You’ve already survived a Trump administration.

You’ve survived most of a Biden administration.

Another 4 years of either one is not the inevitable end of our country. Quit it.

Anybody who tells you differently is attempting to manipulate you.

Don’t be a sucker.

We are poorly served by our leaders. Your duty is to your neighbors.

You do not owe any politician your loyalty. They serve their donors first, voters maybe later (if they think of it.)

If things get crazy in your neighborhood, your Senators won’t be showing up or even sending help.

You are going to have to look out for your neighbors, and they are going to have to look out for you. Even if they have the other guy’s sign in their yard. Get used to that idea now, before things get bad. If things stay calm what have you lost?

If you haven’t already, understand you need to take an interest in your neighbors’ well-being. If you haven’t made this explicitly true about yourself, do it now. Say it:

I have an active interest in my neighbors’ well-being.

Now go and make it true.

I’ll stop telling you what to do now. Thanks for putting up with me.

I love you.

tim

This week on The Corinne Channel: essay collections, thrillers, following up on a teenager’s music recommendation, and more!