It was an emotional weekend. Tears ran down my face at the opening of our local No Kings event. I did get indignant at the white male Democratic state rep from Raleigh who went on about fascist supporters being afraid, quoted MLK Jr about light and darkness, and said we needed to pull them from the dark. Wrote him a note saying i didn't need a leader to talk about that, i needed a leader to talk about the fear that is valid of transpeople, people of color, anyone who wants to speak their truth and keep their job, etc. I'm very happy he's not my least objectionable choice for some ballot.

Can't remember the afternoon -- think i poked at the internet -- and then we went outside. I haven't done yard stuff in ages, so that was really good.

Sunday found me crying over Bruno and how spooked the sound of Marlowe's bell makes him and just crying because i think i am depressed. And then i had a sneezy, sinusy, allergic flare and realized i had not taken my antihistamine the night before.  The hangover from emotions and allergic flare lasted through much of the day.

Christine and i made a plan for Bruno and Marlowe for the week. I think i have convinced her to isolate Marlowe from Bruno for some time, to give reintroduction a chance. We now have some schedule for making sure Bruno could roam if he wants. Fortunately Marlowe likes outside.

I'm outside this morning (which reminds me, GELID is not a Wordle word). I've been spending early mornings coaxing Bruno which doesn't do my mornings any good. Part of plan discussing is that i don't need to do that. So i've watched Juniper and Gemini above me slowly fade in the dawn. I probably ought to bring in the Coleus collection tonight. But it probably won't be too cold. This week looks like lows won't be enough to kill off the lemon grass and basil, which still needs harvesting. But my fingers have gotten cold....

Let see, this week had me succeeding some days at some of my routine. I have been up and down.

 Tuesday morning i was having some executive function frustration around making vaccine decisions, but within hours i just went ahead and scheduled vaxes for noon that day. And got them and was a little meh and had headaches.

Over that night to Wednesday my CPAP failed to run, so i was very groggy and forgetful. Thursday i was also really tired at the end of the workday. And the thermostat failed for good, so i researched and ran to Lowes to get one. While there was not an appropriate WiFi-free one, the one i bought does not need the WiFi.

On Friday, i sent Christine to get wire nuts to secure the ends of the sensor wires that are not supported by the new thermostat. Since our  dehumidifer had started leaking -- after making mysterious and not really healthy sounds all summer, she came home with a new one. I hate that we can't find repair   She also brought in the new cat tree we had delivered - -it's made of wood (well, not particleboard), not covered with beige carpet that shreds and gets everywhere.

After work i installed the thermostat, and built the cat tree. We removed the one Bruno is used to to the living room where we hope he can see it as soon as he comes around the corner. The new one replaces the one in he's been using in the front room. We've had some good visits with him, all of us in the front room for a bit. Carrie is basically doing great with him. Marlowe.... sigh. Christine reported having the epiphany that Marlowe is the one who has bad behavior and Bruno is doing great.  I think i managed all my reactions so as not to reveal just how obvious i thought that was. But now we are in agreement about time outs for Marlowe and that she;s the one that needs training.

Unfortunately, one morning i was letting Bruno roam and didn't close a door and Marlowe chased him back to his hidey cave. And he's not really left the front room since. Sigh.

He's a lovely sweet cat. Christine says he looks like Richard Gere and i can sort of see it? Around the nose and maybe some sort of tilting of the head?

Anyhow, i need to bestir myself if i am going to the protest today.

Ha, i figured out the book. I read it through "The 2025 Pride Bundle - Curated by Catherine Lundoff and Melissa Scott" via StoryBundle. It was The Map and the Territory by A.M. Tuomala. Really, quite a good book.

I am OK. Some depression. Some avoiding of communications. Today i Did All The Things until 17:00 at which point i couldn't beat it and ate peanuts, candy corn and read a novel. I am STOPPING, putting the book down, and gonna Do The Last Things.  More or less.

Bruno is staying very careful, either in the little felt cave, in the tube of the cat tree, or on top of the cat tree. We have bought a second one hoping to create some additional territory for him. I have also bought a pee revealing UV flashlight. Christine is finding it a little hard, i think, to not feel like we are locking him out of the rest of the house when we give him a quiet space away from Marlowe. Keep going slow with him.

Given some insecurities i am feeling about work and the need to communicate with people fairly new to me, i have bought new tech so that i can have a white board experience. An iPad, the Apple Pencil Pro, and the "Rock Paper Scissors" --  textured writing experience that makes it easier to control writing for this person raised on paper. I think it will be very helpful to be able to explain with pictures on demand and to do so without having to remember various the various nouns that describe components of UML diagrams while talking to someone about something else. Big splurge. I hope i get to use it for a few more years.

The reductions in force that began in July have finally unfolded in Germany where worker's rights are ... well, they have many more. So another colleague gone. And a very respected colleague who was impacted in a different way by the June layoffs is leaving. And i meet with my manager to talk about goals this year and... sigh.

Happy Halloween: 2022 stats on US attitudes towards Horror Films: https://today.yougov.com/entertainment/articles/44107-no-film-genre-divides-americans-like-horror-does

This English language e-book didn't seem to be a YA fantasy, although I know nothing about young adults. I believe i read it this year, but  it could have been any time since 2023. I read it either via Overdrive or Amazon.   I think it was fairly recent, having some qualities in common with hope punk and solar punk.

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