At #MELODEM2025, Paul Crane (UW) channeled the spirits of Statler, Waldorf (& long-standing traditions in editing for relentlessly clear communication) in beseeching #dementia researchers to know "higher" from "increase," and "change" from "difference."

@melodem.bsky.social

In classic late bloomer fashion, I'm here, 3 days late, to sing praises of ventilating during indoor cooking bonanzas.

As for outdoor cooking, a sign of community cohesion in action is fire dept showing up to investigate the smoke billowing from the bird-on-the-grill amalgam.

#HolidaySourcedPM

Happy Treesday

(also, a belated Octoberpole, to those who celebrate Octoberfest(s))

For those who missed Caturday or wished it lasted until Monday.

Also: what is the latest in measuring a cat's blood pressure in a way that does not introduce error from "white coat syndrome" or the use of sedatives to avoid WCS?

According to Solly, the geriatric winter solstice cat, the keys to successful aging are:

(1) a monolithic diet of dry cat food
(2) rank manipulation of 2 human servants, using a devastating cocktail of cuteness and softness
(3) not caring abt selection bias in mythologizing abt successful aging.

The home we moved to a few yrs ago featured a pristinely personality-free backyard lawn. It hosted a few snails.

The yard is now a botanical circus (incl a 3-story elm that shelters a critter village) w barely enough lawn for a '70s era swing set. The garden equivalent of my untamed hair.

It's not a self-study course, but a tip for presenting graphs in a way that makes fewer demands on your audience's cognitive resources as they listen to you and process the visual info on your slide:

horizontal should be the sole orientation for key text.

Inspired by the autumnal, muppetnal, pumpkin spice-free repost from @malcolmbarrett.bsky.social, I give you the seasonal cat, bats and corn of Maggie Vandewalle ("Straight on Till Morning").

Here's to savoring the vestiges of color and daylight.

The Jacob Collier concert at the Hollywood Bowl (aka, music nerd extravaganza) ruined all other concerts for me. Under the stars, JC masterfully played *everything*, sang across all octaves, arranged lush orchestrations for the LA Phil, incl'd Take 6 on 2 pieces, & then Brandi Carlisle showed up ...

Me: If the Laurel Canyon vibe was good enough for Joni et al, it'll work for my grant-writing. Right?

Folx who know better (in the voice of my grandma): Oh, honey ....

Sure this pic of Lake Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg is gorgeous, but more than that, it's the site where I go annually w lonnnnng-time friends for outlook-resetting and cesspool-vanquishing. And there is a dog.

I'm so here for this. 1st up: Classic Andalusian Gazpacho. Mods to make even easier:
(1) use powdered garlic instead of fresh--can be pref for folx who have trouble digesting raw garlic
(2) don't bother with the sieve step
(3) there is flex w bread type; you want something that absorbs

See, @tejenson.bsky.social? I wasn't kidding! #OGCD