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Saturday, July 26, 2025

Living History 

So I was going through my Amazon order history just now trying to remember what brand of fly trap I had purchased (not Venus, which seems like a missed opportunity) when it occurred to me that Amazon order histories in isolation are kind of random and hilarious. Or maybe it's just me. But I had honestly forgotten some of these buys and they brought back a lot of (mixed) memories:

2 Pack Faraday Car Keycase Protective Bag -- This was for my mother. She doesn't have Prime, so sometimes she asks me to order things. I don't know why she needs to protect her car keys, and I don't intent to ask.

Open Book by Jessica Simpson -- This was a gift. We went to our friends' lake house, and I thought it would be rude to show up without a gift. And this one was surely delightful to children of all ages.

Black Like Me -- This was for my office book club. I actually read the whole thing, unlike probably half of the people in the book club. I thought it was kind of weird but chalked that up to "it was a different time."

American Flag Bald Eagle Patriotic Eagle Shirt -- Obviously, I needed something that screamed America for the Fourth. I mean, something besides me personally.

Exfoliating Back Scrubber with Handles -- Just a straight up impulse purchase. Slaps fairly hard, though.

We by Yevgeny Zamyatin -- 1920s Russian science fiction. I enjoyed it. I thought it probably lost something in the translation though, kind of like when Jessie J tried to make it in the U.S.

Stepace Shoe Laces 1/4" Width -- This was an incident. The shoelaces in my high tops broke in the middle of the day while I was downtown. Lots of limping involved.

Yard Odor Eliminator -- We have a lot of dogs.

While Idaho Slept: The Hunt for Answers in the Murders of Four College Students -- Ian loves true crime and had a birthday.

Over the Sink Colander -- Is it weird that I've always wanted one?

Burlesque Original Motion Picture Soundtrack: Vinyl -- I mean, you can't NOT have the Burlesque soundtrack on vinyl.

Manhattan Transfer by John Dos Passos -- I was super excited to discover there was a Dos Passos novel out there that I hadn't already read, and I was not disappointed. I mean, not by the book. Life remains intermittently disappointing.

And on that note... 

Sunday, July 20, 2025

Men at Work 

We've been living in a construction zone for the past few weeks, since we are having my home office built out to fulfill my childhood dream of having a library like the one from Beauty & the Beast. (Seriously, I'm even getting a wholly unnecessary ladder on the bookshelves.) It has been a lot. I swear they led us to believe it was only going to take a few days to install, since they actually built all of the cabinetry offsite over the last couple of months. But no, it's still going on. Friday was kind of a low point when the painters showed up at 8 in the morning just to tell us they were working on a different job that day instead of ours and wanted to take all of their equipment. Also, the wallpaper guy is apparently very much in demand? I mean, he's no Pedro Pascal, but still.

Ian has been handling all communication with the crew, which is good, since I am somewhat scared of craftsmen. By and large this has gone well. There was an incident where they asked to use the microwave and Dolly flew into a rage at this gross indignity, but she was clearly just itching to bark about something. Ian also sent a rather sassy email to the project manager at one point in which he used the phrase "I am trying to manage a household," as though someone was trying to commandeer Tara to use as a field headquarters, but surprisingly that just resulted in them sending him flowers. Always pays to channel your inner Karen, assuming you are white and middle class.

Allegedly everything will be wrapped by the end of this week. We'll see. I do tire of working at the kitchen table, but on the other hand the proximity to Chex Mix is appreciated. 


Sunday, July 06, 2025

Actually Fairly Weird 

So the last leg of the bachelor party last weekend was a trip to the Weird Al concert at Ravinia. Like many of us, my friend who is getting married grew up with Weird Al's musical output and even performed it for a talent show, which the other kids were absolutely wrong for not realizing was very cool. So he had a yen to experience "Eat It" and "Amish Paradise" live and in person, which I was absolutely not going to prevent. Mother nature, that bitch, had other ideas, though.

You see, there was essentially a hurricane in Highland Park last Sunday night, even though Ian gleefully reported to me from Chicago that there was not so much as a cloud in the sky. It was so intense that even though we were sitting in the pavilion, it felt like it was raining in there because the wind blew it in at essentially a 90 degree angle. Not that I am complaining, given that the people on the lawn and all of their many and varied belongings got completely drenched. And, of course, no rain had been in the forecast, so most of the crowd showed up with candles, card games, snack tables, and arrays of cheeses but no umbrellas or ponchos. My mom, my sister, and my nephew were among the unfortunate lawngoers who had to make a mad dash for the parking lot through six inches of accumulated rain. And that was my nephew's first concert; I'll wait until he's older to tell him just to lie and tell people it was Sabrina Carpenter or something.

The show itself was pretty solid. He did all the hits, as well as the themesongs he wrote for not one but two animated shows I did not know existed. There were costumes galore, including Star Wars outfits for "Yoda" and the fat suit for "Fat," which does in fact hit different now. And although I can't claim to be an expert, I thought the accordion playing was pretty strong. More than worth the hypothermia. 


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