Hey, if I were to message you, could I pay for one and have it sent to a friend in Toronto? I think he’d really enjoy it. :)

So hard, and it’s hit so fast. I’m slowly losing my mother to Alzheimer’s but it’s been very gradual, so at least I have a bit of time to adjust. And the person you’d talk to about all this is the person you’re losing. 💔

😭😭😭

I bought one like that last year, it cost a lot but worked great. Then I dropped it pulling it out of the basement this year and the lever mechanism handle broke and flew apart into 5+ pieces. I was still able to use it but it doesn’t lock properly or ratchet quite right :(

Especially if you watch the full four hour versions (as you definitely should). They really are worth it, in my view.

And if you’re still looking for more distraction you can watch the Hobbit movies, which are less worth it but will pass the time!

We talk about WOTYs past, present (and future yet to come), including 'rage bait', 'parasocial', 'AI slop', 'clanker', 'Kavanaugh stop', 'enshittification', 'podcast', 'selfie', 'fascism'... oh and '6-7'. Show notes are here: docs.google.com/document/d/1...

I was trained into it by years of living in Sudbury in a poorly insulated house with electric baseboard heating that cost the earth — it almost never got above 16° during the day, and we turned everything off overnight so it got down to 11 or 12! So now 20° seems tropical. 🤣

20° usually, down to 18° during the dinnertime “active” period between 5-8, or when I’m doing work around the house.

There’s a store-brand soda here that does sweetener-free (Bubly-like) versions of the standard flavours: ginger ale, cola, cream soda, root beer. They’re good, once you get over the surprise!

Ottawa in September. (I know I’m just a random replier, but I’ve lived through many Toronto early springs and Ottawa early falls, and the latter is *much* nicer. Toronto is muddy and slushy and grey in March, Ottawa is warm and/or crisp and colourful in September.

And finally, some cookies my students brought in to the last day of class, the first time I taught my Sex and the Body in the Ancient World. They captured the themes of the course perfectly! 🤣🍆 #SundayPixMemorableFood #nsfw

And some “Roman” foods—a pesto (moretum) and mushrooms with fish sauce and honey, which I made for my Roman Civ class and brought in to what turned out to be our last in-person class before COVID hit—almost the last I ever taught. And a re-creation of bread found at Pompeii. #SundayPixMemorableFood

Another is the big trout my dad caught at a lake near our cottage, and the amazing steaks he cut from it. That was a true feast! #SundayPixMemorableFood

🤣

And yes, that was the entire dinner, and yes it was just for two people, and no there was not a single vegetable to be seen. 😋🎉