Balloon Juice | WaterGirl, Author at Balloon Juice

Flour and Yeast and the Front Page

by WaterGirl| May 12, 202010:46 am| 88 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads, Site Maintenance

Good morning!

As of this morning, 3 lb. bags of unbleached flour can be purchased at King Arthur Flour. They also appear to have SAF Red Instant Yeast (1 lb. for 5.95).

3-lb King Arthur Unbleached All Purpose Flour

1-lb King Arthur Gold Instant Yeast

1-lb King Arthur SAF Red Instant Yeast (original)

They are limiting purchases to two of each kind of item.

Also, I have had 2 reports this morning of the front page spinning, freezing, hanging or not loading – one on a phone and one on a Kindle. Both said the problem started yesterday. I believe I have identified the errant post, and it has been quarantined.

If anyone else experienced that problem on the front page (yesterday or this morning) please let me know ASAP if the problem is still occurring.

Open Thread.

Flour and Yeast and the Front PagePost + Comments (88)

Medium Cool with BGinCHI – Discussion of “A Tree Grows in Longmont”, by Mustang Bobby

by WaterGirl| May 10, 20205:00 pm| 81 Comments

This post is in: Guest Posts, Medium Cool with BGinCHI, Culture as a Hedge Against This Soul-Sucking Political Miasma We're Living In

Tonight we kick off Episode 12 of the weekly Guest Post series: Medium Cool with BGinCHI.

In case you missed the introduction to the series: Culture as a Hedge Against this Soul-Sucking Political Miasma We’re Living In

You can find the whole series here: Medium Cool with BGinCHI

Tonight’s Topic: Discussion of “A Tree Grows in Longmont”, by our very own Mustang Bobby

I know that quite a few people were queued up to watch the play last Sunday. Of course, it wouldn’t be a performance if it hadn’t started late, right?

So we switched topics last week. We’re not sure ow many of you were able to watch it in the meantime. BG and I have both watched it – we’ll play Medium Cool by ear tonight once we see how many others were able to watch the play in these crazy times this week.

Take it away, BG!

I was really moved by this play, which on the surface offers us a series of memories about a relationship, but is then layered with meditations on love, family, responsibility, and desire.

What are your takeaways? Impressions? Thoughts?

Medium Cool with BGinCHI – Discussion of “A Tree Grows in Longmont”, by Mustang BobbyPost + Comments (81)

Playing to Win: Day 10 (Your Life or Your Vote, Alabama)

by WaterGirl| May 6, 20201:00 pm| 26 Comments

This post is in: Playing to Win, Political Action, Politics

It’s kind hard to believe that we started this series just 10 weeks ago, in the before times. This coronavirus pandemic has changed everything.

The original goal was a poll-free, spin-free, prognostication-free political thread, and the hope was that this would help provide inspiration, and encourage action as an alternative to anger, frustration and despair. Circumstances are now wildly different, and the anger, frustration and despair may be coming out of different circumstances, but we still need inspiration – and action still beats the hell out of impotent rage.

Going forward, I’d kind of like to highlight a different opportunity on each post. Maybe one donation opportunity and/or one action opportunity each time?

I need each of you to take the lead by providing me with a short blurb for the donation opportunity and/or the action opportunity that is most important to you. Please share in the comments, or send info to me by email – we can feature one in each post.

I’ll get us started today, with this from the Southern Poverty Law Center.

No one should have to risk their life to vote. That was true in the days of the civil rights movement, when thousands of Black Americans put their lives on the line to claim the voting rights they had been unjustly denied. And it is equally true today in the midst of a deadly pandemic that makes in-person voting a serious and unnecessary risk, especially for medically susceptible people and communities.
State officials of both parties across the nation have taken decisive steps to ensure voting is safe for all during this public health crisis — measures like expanding absentee voting, waiving onerous absentee ballot rules and increasing early voting opportunities.
Yet Alabama, so far, has done very little.
Alabamians cannot wait. They have the right to vote without placing themselves, their families and their communities in danger. That’s why, on Friday, we sued Alabama Governor Kay Ivey and other top officials over the state’s lack of safe and accessible voting processes amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
“In the midst of a pandemic, Alabama can make our elections more secure, more efficient and more accessible to all eligible voters while still protecting public health and safety,” said Caren Short, senior staff attorney for the SPLC. “We are filing this lawsuit to ensure that Alabama voters are not forced to choose between their health and their vote.”
The federal lawsuit — filed in partnership with the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) and the Alabama Disabilities Advocacy Program (ADAP) — requests that a federal court instruct state officials to make absentee and in-person voting more accessible to protect the health and safety of Alabama voters.
The lawsuit also notes that these measures are particularly important for older voters, voters with disabilities and Black voters, who have been severely and disproportionately affected by COVID-19. Despite making up about one-fourth of the state’s population, Black people account for 45 percent of Alabama’s COVID-19-related deaths.
“No one should have to choose between their life or their vote,” said LDF Senior Counsel Deuel Ross. “[Alabama’s] burdensome voting requirements weigh heavily on Alabamians during all elections. But requiring voters to comply with these restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic needlessly endangers lives.”
For more, please read our press release about the filing or the full complaint.

If you are so inclined, there’s a donation button at the first link.

Playing to Win: Day 10 (Your Life or Your Vote, Alabama)Post + Comments (26)

Medium Cool with BGinCHI – Who Taught You to Appreciate Culture?

by WaterGirl| May 3, 20205:00 pm| 88 Comments

This post is in: Guest Posts, Medium Cool with BGinCHI, Culture as a Hedge Against This Soul-Sucking Political Miasma We're Living In

Tonight we kick off Episode 11 of the weekly Guest Post series: Medium Cool with BGinCHI.

In case you missed the introduction to the series: Culture as a Hedge Against this Soul-Sucking Political Miasma We’re Living In

You can find the whole series here: Medium Cool with BGinCHI

Tonight’s Topic: Who Taught You to Appreciate Culture?

With the school year truncated, lots of people are finding it easy to appreciate the work teachers do, day/week/year in and out. Since this is a weekly space devoted to culture and our appreciation of the meaningful artistic works in our lives, it’s time to acknowledge that we likely learned about these things (or how to think about, or locate them) from someone else. That person might have been an actual teacher, but he/she might also have been a teacher in another role (parent, friend, therapist). It could even be a pet.

Share with us an example of a teacher (or “teacher”) who changed your life, or made something possible, or just pointed you in the right direction.

*****

Update on 5/4: the upload took longer than expected, so the play was late starting, and we missed the window for discussing the on Medium Cool yesterday. The play will be the topic for Medium Cool, just a week later, on 5/10.

Click play below to watch the play!

Medium Cool with BGinCHI – Who Taught You to Appreciate Culture?Post + Comments (88)

Open Thread and Reminder about the Reading of Mustang Bobby’s Play

by WaterGirl| May 3, 20202:00 pm| 57 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads

First, a quick reminder that a LIVE reading/performance of Mustang Bobby’s play starts at 3pm today:

The performance of “A Tree Grows in Longmont” on Silver Tongued Stages starts at 3pm ET, and of course Medium Cool – ~~where the play will be the topic of tonight’s discussion~~ – will start at 5pm ET, as always.

Click play below to watch the play!

Here’s the thread from Thursday in case you missed it:

Mustang Bobby – and A Virtual Reading of His Play on Sunday at 3pm ET

Open thread!

Open Thread and Reminder about the Reading of Mustang Bobby’s PlayPost + Comments (57)

Mustang Bobby – and A Virtual Reading of His Play on Sunday at 3pm ET

by WaterGirl| April 30, 20207:00 pm| 80 Comments

This post is in: Authors In Our Midst, Guest Posts, Open Threads, Popular Culture

We all love Mustang Bobby. We’ve seen his cars and his flowers; we know that he’s a playwright, what a good guy he is, and that he has one of the greatest nyms of all time. But now we get to see one of his plays being performed, from the comfort of our own homes!

Mustang Bobby has a performance coming up this Sunday afternoon – a virtual reading of his one of his plays – so I asked if he would be willing to share a little more about himself, and about the play.

Before I forget: This Sunday’s Medium Cool with BGinCHI will be devoted to a discussion of the play!

The performance on Silver Tongued Stages starts at 3pm ET, and of course Medium Cool will start at 5pm ET, as always.

Click below to watch the play!

Take it away, Mustang Bobby!

Hi, I’m Philip Middleton Williams, and I’m a playwright.

It’s a bit ironic, but most playwrights don’t really like to talk about themselves at great depth. It’s not that we’re painfully shy; it’s because we would rather our works speak for what we want to say. If you want to get to know me, read my plays. Most of me is in them in some form or another, but here’s the short version. I was born in 1952. I grew up in an upper middle-class suburb of Toledo, and I went to college to get a degree in theatre. I came out as gay when I was twenty-three, I went on to grad school for more degrees, and spent most of my career as a mid-level administrator in a variety of businesses, including public schools. I had a partner named Allen for fifteen years. I’m also a recovering alcoholic, so naturally I became a playwright. It’s cheaper than therapy and doesn’t damage my liver.

I started writing stories in grade school, but I didn’t write my first full-length play until I was in grad school and getting an MFA in playwriting. My master’s thesis was a play a called “The Hunter,” which I hope will never be produced again. That’s when I learned that writing a play is different from a novel or a short story. Like a musical score, it’s a collaborative effort and requires other peoples’ participation – directors, designers, and actors – before it can be seen by an audience. But there’s also more instant gratification with a play. It usually doesn’t take as long to write one – I’ve batted out a ten-minute play in less than an hour – and if you want to hear it, you can gather some friends in your living room – or on Zoom – and get feedback. You can read a play, but it’s truly not done until you hear the words and see the characters come alive.

I’ve written over thirty plays ranging in length from one minute to two hours. I’ve taken them to theatre festivals and conferences all over the country, including the breathtaking shores of Prince William Sound in Alaska, and made friends and learned so much from them by listening to them and hanging out before and after readings that we often joke about hosting a theatre conference without reading a single play. I’ve also had plays produced around the country including one off-off-Broadway production, and even in Australia. I try to see them when I can – I did make the trip to New York – but more often than not I send them out on their own. I trust them to do right by themselves.

“A Tree Grows in Longmont” started out as a monologue which is now at the end of the play. It’s a remembrance of the life I had with Allen, my partner, my lover, and my husband in every way, from our first meeting in 1984 through our life together, our separation in 1999, and his death on June 8, 2018. It didn’t take very long to write it – it’s 33 pages – but it was both a joy and an agony as I wrote it. He gave me immeasurable love and deep pain, as any relationship will. He’s the main character in this play, and he also shows up in a number of my other works. He told me to move on, and I did, but I’m taking him with me. I even took a small urn of his ashes with me to Alaska last summer, knowing he’d want to go, and death being just a minor inconvenience.

The last time I saw Allen (left) when he was passing through Miami, in January 2013.

Me, Allen and Sam when we lived in Petoskey, Michigan in August 1995.

Thank you, WaterGirl for giving me this space, and I hope you all enjoy “A Tree Grows in Longmont”.

We’ll both be there with you.

*****

Note from WaterGirl:

This is Allen’s 1982 high school graduation photo, which Philip still carries with him.

Some love lasts forever. I can’t wait to watch the story unfold at the virtual reading.

This Sunday, May 3, at 3 pm ET, “A Tree Grows in Longmont” will be presented by Silver Tongues Stages of Miami.

This Sunday’s Medium Cool will be devoted to a discussion of the play.

*****

Click below to watch the play on YouTube!

Mustang Bobby – and A Virtual Reading of His Play on Sunday at 3pm ETPost + Comments (80)

Kannon Recreates a Famous Painting

by WaterGirl| April 29, 202012:35 pm| 111 Comments

This post is in: Artists In Our Midst, Open Threads, Something Good Open Thread

satby, aka Grandma Sharon, sent these this morning.
Too awesome not to share.

BARTOLOMEO PASSAROTTI, PORTRAIT OF A MAN WITH A DOG, 1585, MUSEI CAPITOLINI

KANNON (LAST NAME WITHHELD), PORTRAIT OF A YOUNG MAN WITH A DOG, 2020, BALLOON JUICE

*****

Kannon had one of those art projects for school where they recreate a famous painting. This was his. Great job, Kannon! Another Artist in Our Midst?

If we’re lucky, Kannon and Pat and Holly might join us and tell us how they made the costume and how they got the pup to sit still long enough to take the pictures.

Open Thread.

Kannon Recreates a Famous PaintingPost + Comments (111)

Medium Cool with BGinCHI – A Character Who Has Stuck With You

by WaterGirl| April 26, 20205:00 pm| 257 Comments

This post is in: Guest Posts, Medium Cool with BGinCHI, Culture as a Hedge Against This Soul-Sucking Political Miasma We're Living In

Tonight we kick off Episode 10 of the weekly Guest Post series: Medium Cool with BGinCHI.

In case you missed the introduction to the series: Culture as a Hedge Against this Soul-Sucking Political Miasma We’re Living In

You can find the whole series here: Medium Cool with BGinCHI

Tonight’s Topic: A Character Who Has Stuck With You

Take it away, BG!

For this week’s Medium Cool, I’m thinking of the phenomenon of the character actor, but more broadly. The smaller roles in films can sometimes steal the show, but this is also true in novels, TV series (hello, Omar Little from “The Wire”), plays, etc.

So, give us a character from a novel or film (or any other relevant work) who isn’t the main character, but who has stuck with you for a long time. Give us the context and tell us WHY. Was it the performance, or the writing, or something harder to describe?

But before we begin…

*****

A Note from WaterGirl:

I hit publish in error yesterday as I was creating this post for a future Medium Cool. By the time I realized what I had done, people had already posted a few comments. So I removed the original topic information, copied it elsewhere so I could make a new post for a future Sunday, and turned that one into an Open Thread. But there were some really great comments on the topic, and people were still discussing the subject, 3 hours later! Now what do we do?

I began to feel as though I were trapped in a favorite book from childhood.

So, to make a long story short, the first 67 comments on this post were from yesterday, the next two were from overnight (!) and we are publishing this one again now, as if it were a new post, so we won’t lose all the great on-topic comments from yesterday.

So here’s your Medium Cool post, with a badass character and image, and a Dr. Seuss chaser. Only at Balloon Juice!

What can I say besides “Oh, well.” ~WaterGirl

Medium Cool with BGinCHI – A Character Who Has Stuck With YouPost + Comments (257)

Life Is Short – Things We Take for Granted (Henry is Fine!)

by WaterGirl| April 24, 20206:47 pm| 170 Comments

This post is in: Balloon Juice, Open Threads, Something Good Open Thread

The last few weeks have been a reminder for me not to take anything for granted, and I have been thinking about just how much our BJ authors bring to Balloon Juice.

They give us their time. Their energy. Their thoughts. Their knowledge. Their expertise.

For free.

To a one, the writers here are dedicated and professional, so it’s easy to forget that this is an all-volunteer gig.

There are a hundred other things they could all be doing – that they are doing when they are not here – but still, they find time to post at Balloon Juice. And to interact with us in the comments.

In order of their arrival at Balloon Juice, we have: John Cole, Tim F, DougJ, Anne Laurie, mistermix, Tom Levenson, Betty Cracker, David Anderson, Adam Silverman, TaMara, Cheryl Rofer, Jewish Steel, Major Major, ruemara.

Imagine, for a moment… if Alain had known just how much he meant to so many people.

I don’t want to leave that kind of thing to anyone’s imagination, or leave anything unsaid, so I am going to take the time right now to say how grateful I am for for each of our BJ authors, for John, and for Balloon Juice. (Still hoping that Tim F, John’s first front-pager, will come back to us!)

Thanks for everything you guys do!

…

Open Thread.

Life Is Short – Things We Take for Granted (Henry is Fine!)Post + Comments (170)

Throwback Tuesday: So You Said You Wanted to Talk Politics Like We Did in the Old Days?

by WaterGirl| April 21, 202010:00 pm| 122 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads, Politics

A few someones were lamenting earlier that they miss talking about politics. Well, here you go. I’m not even gonna try to get you started, but I will put in a picture of my bluebells that miraculously survived the 22 degree freeze.

I dare you to go 10 comments without talking about COVID. I might even double-dog dare you.

Just in case you thought you wanted to talk politics but you really didn’t, or the people who said that have all gone to bed already, you can consider this an open thread.

Throwback Tuesday: So You Said You Wanted to Talk Politics Like We Did in the Old Days?Post + Comments (122)

Medium Cool with BGinCHI – What Helped Shape the Person You Became?

by WaterGirl| April 19, 20205:00 pm| 203 Comments

This post is in: Books, Guest Posts, Medium Cool with BGinCHI, TV & Movies, Culture as a Hedge Against This Soul-Sucking Political Miasma We're Living In

Tonight we kick off Episode 9 of the weekly Guest Post series: Medium Cool with BGinCHI.

In case you missed the introduction to the series: Culture as a Hedge Against this Soul-Sucking Political Miasma We’re Living In

You can find the whole series here: Medium Cool with BGinCHI

Tonight’s Topic: What Helped Shape The Person You Became?

Take it away, BG!

We’re going to keep this week’s Medium Cool simple, as it’s been a trying, emotional week. I’d like this to be a space where we not only stretch ourselves and do some thinking, but also where we can just come together as a community and talk about the things we love and are passionate about.

So, for today’s Medium Cool, tell us about a book, or a movie, or a TV show that shaped how you see the world, how you treat people, or some other life lesson you learned that has always stuck with you.

*****

Note: BG has a “thing” with kids in his neighborhood today – the dad of his son’s friend is a musician who is playing a neighborhood porch concert. Complete with social distancing and masks, of course! So we will be on our own much more than usual as BG will have to bail early and then come back to the thread later. ~WG

Medium Cool with BGinCHI – What Helped Shape the Person You Became?Post + Comments (203)

On the Road: Special Post for Alain on Monday (and more information)

by WaterGirl| April 18, 20202:00 pm| 31 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads

There will be a special On the Road post on Monday morning as a tribute to Alain.

On the Road – For Alain – Fly Away Home

You are invited to share a photo and a short note, to be included in the post itself, if you wish.

So if there is a picture you would like included in the memorial On the Road, can you send it to me?

We will include a photo and note from anyone who wants to participate. If you’re interested, please send me a little note along with the picture, and your nym, so they can be included with photo. Choose a photo that you love, or that you think Alain would have loved, or that makes you think of him. If you like, say a few words about why you chose that particular picture, what Alain meant to you, or what On the Road has meant to you, whatever you want.

🌃

In addition to the photos and short notes that will be part of the tribute post itself, you will of course be able to add anything you like in the comments. So please don’t feel like you need to send something in advance in order to be able to participate.

🌃

We checked in with a number of people, and everyone said, “no, next week is not too soon, please start On the Road again next week.” So the tribute to Alain will be on Monday, and the series will pick back up the day after that.

Monday through Friday at 5 am, just like always.

🌃

All future On the Road posts will continue to have Alain’s byline, out of respect. The display name for Alain’s posts will most likely be changed from “Alain” to “Alain Chamot (1971-2020)”.

🌃

The introductory blurb that shows up with each On the Road post has been edited to add one new line.
You can see it here.

🌃

There are 15 On the Road submissions that have not yet been published.

On the off-chance that you submitted something not yet published, that is not on the list below, we hope you will take the time to submit it again.

If you have been thinking about submitting some photos, we hope you will go ahead and send them. There is a link to the submission form in every On the Road post, in the sidebar under Calling All Jackals and under On the Road in the category bar (and in the hamburger on mobile).

Existing Submissions that Have Not Yet Been Published

Week 1
.

4/20

Monday

Alain Memorial
.
4/21

Tuesday

cckids
.

4/22

Wednesday

BillinGlendale
.

4/23

Thursday

sharks
.

4/24

Friday

dmbeaster
.

🌃

Week 2
.

4/27

Monday

Albatrossity
.

4/28

Tuesday

Auntie Anne
.

4/29

Wednesday

BillinGlendale
.

4/30

Thursday

Catherine D.
.

5/1

Friday

Mike in Oly
.

🌃

Week 3
.

5/4

Monday

Albatrossity
.

5/5

Tuesday

R-Jud
.

5/6

Wednesday

BillinGlendale
.

5/7

Thursday

ema
.

5/8

Friday

BretH Aviation
.

🌃
.

Unrelated, but not totally unrelated

There is another post called Alain’s Sourdough Starter Exchange where you can pop in to say that you would love to have some of the starter or that you have starter and are willing to share once it’s established. That post is pinned in the Calling All Jackals section in the sidebar.

On the Road: Special Post for Alain on Monday (and more information)Post + Comments (31)

Alain’s Sourdough Starter Exchange

by WaterGirl| April 18, 20201:59 pm| 66 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads

So many people have said that they would love to have some of Alain’s sourdough starter, and many other people have said that they will happily share some of their’s from Alain once it gets established.

If you would like some, or you are willing to share some, I hope you will consider making that known in this thread so all the information can be in one place.

~~I’ll pin this somewhere in the sidebar for easy reference.~~

This post is now pinned in the Calling All Jackals section in the sidebar for easy reference.

Update 4/24: The following people have requested sourdough starter from Auntie Beak. No self-addressed, stamped envelopes received by Auntie Beak yet. ~~A single stamp should do it!~~

Update on 4/30: Oops! TWO STAMPS are needed. Apparently the Post Office can’t run envelopes that are of “uneven thickness” through their machines. I got JeanneT’s starter returned to me with 15¢ postage due.

Can you please update my original offer post (comment #51) to add this information? And maybe edit the pinned comment on the top? The non-machinable first class rate is 70¢, so TWO forever stamps will do the trick.

Auntie Beak thanks you!

WG: Thanks to Auntie Beak for doing this!

MY BAD! PLEASE PUT AN EXTRA STAMP ON YOUR RETURN ENVELOPE DUE TO THE INABILITY OF THE STARTER TO GO THROUGH THE POST OFFICE MACHINES. THANKS SO MUCH! AUNTIE BEAK

Argiope
Bumper
cckids
Hilary
Josie
Mousebumples
The Ghost of Joe Liebling’s Dog
banditqueen
The Other Violet
JeanneT

Alain’s Sourdough Starter ExchangePost + Comments (66)

Military Life: It’s a Wrap, with Leto & Avalune

by WaterGirl| April 18, 202012:00 pm| 67 Comments

This post is in: Guest Posts, Military, Military Life: Two Perspectives with Leto & Avalune, Open Threads

Today we kick off the Final Episode of the 8-part Guest Post series: Military Life: Two Perspectives

In case you missed the introduction to the series: Military Life: Two Perspectives with Leto and Avalune, An Introduction

You can find the whole series here: Military Life: Two Perspectives with Leto & Avalune

The topic today is It’s a Wrap, with Leto & Avalune. We get to hear from both of them, just as we did in the introductory post.

Before we jump into the final post…

I want to offer my profound thanks to Leto & Avalune for the time and effort they put into this, and for the thoughtfulness that has been apparent throughout. I have loved this series, a window into a world that is not my own, touching me in unexpected ways. Now with exceptional storytelling! It’s my hope that others who participated have appreciated it, too. ~WaterGirl

Avalune

I’m sitting here staring out the window while a cursor flickers in front of me. I’m like the dog when she pretends something is very interesting in the distance and it’s definitely not your food but if you happen to want to give her some food… All the other subjects have been easy; deployment, moving, and work. Easy to write about, easy to be reasonably clever. But we’re supposed to wrap it up and I still haven’t talked about it.

It. What is it exactly? It’s an idea. It’s a feeling. I don’t have the smooth words. I don’t have the fully functioning sentences. It’s all red colors and the smell of spent fireworks. It’s not patriotism exactly but I don’t know what else to call it. I put off writing this post. We had more things to say but didn’t know how to say them and work became busy because the people in charge suddenly realized that if everyone is trapped in proximity to their work computer, they can be at work at anytime and if everyone is just glad they still have a job, they can be at work all the time, and it was so much easier to not say them at all.

But we’re here, you and I. You and us. So how do we put this?

I want to be proud of our service. Of his service. It is a sacrifice. I won’t lay out why or how it is a sacrifice again, you all know that. I’m not here to trigger your liberal guilt. I don’t want a parade. I don’t want a medal. I don’t want to be held up on a pedestal. I want to believe that we accomplished something bigger than us and for the good of the people. We dedicated ourselves to this country, like so many others, and we just want it to meansomething. It was a huge part of our lives and continues to be.

The military was built to be a weapon but now it is also a weapon of a different kind. We are an idea. We are a purebred dog, trotted around the ring when someone wants to make a statement, or confuse the topic and get away with something. We are a cultish icon. The Troops. We are deflection. Think of the troops! We are a shield for cowards to hide behind. We are stuck in middle. Our patriotism and pride turned against us, twisted.

We’re in the middle.

I was taking around a laboriously hand drawn poster for signatures. It was almost Veterans Day and the poster was to thank the troops. As an adjunct signed the board he proceeded to tell me that military members are nothing. They are just men, they are no better than anyone else and they need to remember that. He told me he spent a lot of time in his class telling veterans that they didn’t go up on a pedestal. It was a job, lots of people had jobs and were away for their jobs, so that sacrifice was no better than any other sacrifice. The part of me that hates the pedestal agreed with not putting military on pedestals but another part of me was screaming, but do you have to worry about missiles being fired over your workplace while you stand up there on your own pedestal of privilege shitting on the veterans in your classroom? Yes, totally, the Kuerig being out of K cups being the biggest problem of your day is totally just like watching a helicopter full of people from a bombed wedding.

So how do you reconcile that?

🌅

Leto

I both love and loathe the Veterans discount at stores. I like saving money, who doesn’t, but at the same time it’s a no brainer, throw away item. It doesn’t cost the store anything. There’s no real sacrifice to it. It’s a marketing ploy designed to make it look like a certain store/brand cares. When we were living overseas, one of the standard force protection measures was to minimize your presence. Don’t talk about being in the military, don’t talk about your job, try not to stick out. What that means is that you don’t ask to see if a store has a discount for you. After 6 1/2 years, the thought of asking for that became a foreign concept. When we did return, that attitude was still there.

It was extremely hard for me to volunteer that information up to a cashier, and it still is. I get that they want to recognize my service, same as the police/firemen/emergency responders, but at this point, almost 19 years after 9/11, it feels like another simple transaction. Like I’m entering my reward points number at the local grocer. There’s a hollowness to it.

On an individual level, I think there’s an appreciation. I think most of their “thank you for your service” responses are genuine, even though I’m like so many of my peers/generation that absolutely hate that phrase. I try to remember that they’re trying the best they can, although I’m hoping it’s that and not some automated response (“Thank you for your service, beep boop!). I feel like a lot of the patriotism around the military has become an automated response. Another consequence of the post-Vietnam guilt response from our country.

I’m proud of my service, proud that I served my country, proud that my family was as strong and resilient as they were/are, but I also don’t want to wallow in that forever. It’s but one facet of me. I’m taking my cue from previous generations: they came home, put down their weapons, and picked up building instruments. There’s a reason so many vets go into professions like teaching, building, and the crafts. They want to continue to serve, they have a need to serve. It’s that service, the one to help build a better community/nation/world, that I want to thank.

🌅

Leto & Avalune

As we close this out we’d like to take this opportunity to thank WaterGirl and John for giving us a chance to talk to everyone about this.

And we want to thank you. All of you who read this series, or even parts of this series. The other military vets and families who chimed in with stories about their lives in the service or service adjacent. Thank you for your compliments and encouragement. Thank you for seeing us, because when it’s all said and done, that’s what we want. Not the parade in our honor. Not “Thank you for your service.” Not the liberal guilt. We just want to be seen and understood.

Avalune and Leto Were Here

🌃

Military Life: It’s a Wrap, with Leto & AvalunePost + Comments (67)

Hodgepodge, Mishmash or Smorgasbord?

by WaterGirl| April 17, 20207:25 pm| 208 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads

Three words I have never typed before, but that’s what this post is.
A boatload of unrelated things.

But first, here’s Henry. Here’s his usual cut.

This is his new look.

Artists/Artisans/Crafting List

If you supplied your info in Sunday’s post: Calling All Artists & Artisans – Submissions Please … then your info has been aded to the Our Artists list that lives in the footer. If so, check it out and let me know if any changes are needed. If you missed that thread but would like to be on the list, please add your information in the requested format in the thread linked above, and you will be added to the list!

Artists, artisans, crafters welcome. (Is crafters the right word?) Someone asked if you have to sell something to be on the list. I don’t think so… if you have a talent or a skill, show it off.

Save Lives / Vote by Mail

There was a suggestion in the Playing to Win thread earlier this week – Save Lives / Vote by Mail stickers that could be worn on masks or lapels. One of our enterprising Jackals (Wolvesvalley) is working on 7 designs for Avery labels that you can print yourselves or can be printed by Avery and mailed to you. If anyone else comes up with more designs, we can make those available, too.

Is anybody else at all interested in these?

BJ Zoom Meetups

There seemed to be quite a bit of interest in some Zoom Meetups, so we’ll definitely do it. Imm and others have offered to help, but we will probably wait another week or so before we start organizing those.

Saturday Morning Pet Thread

Wondering if there is any interest in a weekly Saturday morning pet thread where you can send in pictures of your pets and introduce them to the rest of us? One jackal’s pet or pet family would be featured per week. Think Sunday Morning Garden Chat, only different.

Independent Bookstores

Someone asked today about the independent bookstores that were mentioned in a previous thread. Miraculously, I was able to recall that they were listed in the Book Recommendations thread that’s in the No Cabin Fever section in the sidebar. If you are buying books and want to support one of the little guys, you can find three suggestions there. If you have other suggestions, add them to the comments here and I’ll update the list.

Sharing Alain’s Sourdough Starter

Such a sad week. I have seen lots of “I would love to have some of Alain’s starter” and “I would be happy to share mine” comments in various threads. Is anyone coordinating this? If not, maybe you can sound off in this thread if you would like some OR if you are willing to share once you get yours up and going.

Once there’s a sense of how much interest there is, the next step may be more obvious and someone or several someones may step forward to work out the details.

Open Thread.

Hodgepodge, Mishmash or Smorgasbord?Post + Comments (208)