And it's Friday

* News of the world: All I have to say is my prayer upon waking this morning is, "We've screwed things up here really badly; You're the only one who can fix them. Please show me what I can do to make things better...."

I don't know that there is much I CAN do, but whatever.

(And I expect we will face further "Active Shooter" training now.)

* As a result, I think I'm going to go over to the side of posting silly stuff and thinking about silly stuff for a while.

So, it's Friday, Friday!



(Yeah, I think I posted that once before. Bonus points if you make it all the way through to the end. I can't.)

* I made mock-barbecued (rubbed with spice and cooked slowly: not exactly like smoked meat, but similar enough) chicken thighs in the slow cooker yesterday. The slow cooker is my favorite small kitchen appliance and I think this kind of thing is what it does best.

And it's so easy - I got bone-in, skin-on thighs: bone-in because I think the bones add to the flavor, and skin-on because they get a little dry otherwise. I just used Penzey's Northwoods seasoning, rubbed some on each one, and then put them in the slow cooker. I then set it on low and let it go. They cooked for about 10 hours but I think they would have been done in less than that.

They were very good. I ate them with a little barbecue sauce but you could also use different spice combinations - poultry seasoning for chicken that you could then use in chicken salad, Mexican spices for chicken for enchiladas or tostadas...


* I'm just glad it's Friday. Even though I got a surprise day off during the week. I had a meeting last night that was held OUTSIDE (Normally, that would be a safe bet in early October, but not in the late evening). It got dark fast enough I was having a hard time keeping minutes. And it was chilly and my neck on the same side where I got the flu shot started cramping up. I admit I was a little cranky (and refused the food offered because I felt like I just wanted to get on with the meeting) but really, late evening meetings are not fun. And I don't like sitting outside in the dark and having to try to write.

*My father broke a tooth this week and was hoping they could use a bonding agent to fix it. Nope, he's gonna have to have the tooth out. (It's a molar, so at least it won't show). But I admit, hearing stuff like that makes me want to live on soup and applesauce the rest of my life. (I broke a tooth once. The dentist was able to save enough to do a crown. But I don't recommend emergency crown-preps as a way to spend your time).

*Also, I'm thinking. I re-read "A Wrinkle in Time" this week. It's funny how different parts of the book stick with you. One of the biggest things I remember from my childhood readings (other than the horror of IT) was when "Mrs. Whatsit" showed something closer to her true form (the Mrs. Ws are described as stars that gave up their lives to fight evil though it could also, I think, be assumed they are angels) and Calvin (who is apparently fairly devout) drops to his knees, and she says, "Not to me, Calvin. Never to me." (Implying: there is only One worthy of that, and I am not that one.).

I also remember Aunt Beast and the idea that even though they lack one of the senses we value highly, apparently they have other senses that we cannot even fathom.

And this go-round, the whole "Meg, I give you your faults" thing - the implication being that these are what would allow her to fight IT and rescue her father. Her main faults are that she is stubborn and perhaps somewhat rebellious, maybe somewhat rude. (Though ultimately, what saves Charles Wallace, after he has gone over to IT, is her fierce love for him - the one thing IT cannot do, and therefore, cannot break through, is love).

And I think about that. My faults are, perhaps, in some ways a bit the opposite of Meg's: I'm too diligent. And too afraid of failing or looking stupid. And perhaps too concerned that others not fail at some task* And too self-critical. And I admit, I look at those, and go "How could I use THOSE faults to fight against ANYTHING?"

(I admit, I am a *little* uncomfortable with the implied idea that "rebellious, free-thinker who refuses to do schoolwork is better and wiser than the little grind who obeys the teachers" - the whole "Einstein was a C student" thing all over again. Surely it's not just in Equestria that the Twilight Sparkles manage to save the world sometimes?)

(*I'm dealing with this from a student right now. Oh, the learned helplessness! And I get that some of our students are first-gen college students and not used to navigating a university bureaucracy, but it seems this person has done the opposite of some of the advice I have given them thus far)

I don't know. I still love the book, but.... maybe deep down I suspect that the reason I have not done anything "big" or "groundbreaking" in the way of research is that I AM too much of a rule-follower.

* That feeling when you think, "I could go home early this afternoon and watch Pony re-runs" and you find out that they are re-running an Equestria Girls movie instead :(


* There's some talk of this new - I guess it's a website? Called Peeple? Which sounds to me like it's essentially an online slam-book. (if you were ever a 13 year old girl, you know what that is). Yeah, that's gonna end well. And apparently the developers don't want to give people a way to opt out. Eh, meh. As I said on Twitter: If I like you, I will interact with you and talk to you. If I dislike you, I will ignore you. And honestly, there are pretty few people I honestly would say I disliked: most people I know, they have a few traits that rub me the wrong way, but on balance, I'm okay with them And I'm sure I have traits that rub people the wrong way.

But this whole Peeple thing - if it's not a giant troll, which is also entirely possible, I could see the founders come out and claim they pranked everybody - well, it's an example of "just because you can doesn't mean you should." Do we really want - especially in light of what happened yesterday - MORE ways for people to be hateful on the Internet?