Reflecting Pool jello for your Independence Day celebration!
Posted by @annenc@bsky.social; photographer unknown
#ReflectingPool #IndependenceDay
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Another Jen * 2547
@AnotherJen@mindly.social
mastodon 4.5.18Trying to find the right balance between cute animal pics and resisting demagoguery in its many forms. Living in the Anthropocene cataclysm (she/her)
142 Followers
56 Following
42 Posts
Joined November 13, 2022
#3GoodThings #ThreeGoodThings from Saturday
A long nap;
Time spent outside getting exercise and seeing the city with 2000+ of my closest friends;
Dinner later, at a really good restaurant with outdoor seating, with sweetie and an old friend who is also a new neighbour.
#3GoodThings #ThreeGoodThings for Tuesday
Was able to help a junior colleague at work;
Music at the park! Dancing to jazz, blues, whatever a pick-up band that seemed largely saxophones with a bass and a piano felt like playing!
The rosy-fingered sunset, shared with my sweetie.
#3GoodThings #ThreeGoodThings for Monday
A dear friend who lived two hours' travel from me got a new home in my neighbourhood!
We celebrated with facon, lettuce, and tomato sandwiches made with the first heirloom tomatoes of the season!
We finished the meal with strawberry shortcake from a new local bakery.
Boosted by @octothorpe@mastodon.online
I haven't seen much chatter about this, with under two weeks to go :
Indivisible and other groups are planning a one-day general strike on Friday, May 1st. Yep, that's May Day, long dedicated to workers' rights.
This hasn't been getting the attention that the three big No Kings demonstrations have. But if you've been wondering what to do next beyond standing in a crowd holding signs, maybe one day of economic action should be on your radar.
No work - no school - no shopping
#NoKings #NoBillionaires
Sour M*A*S*H
#HashTagGames #HillBillyTVShows
#3GoodThings #ThreeGoodThings from Monday
An after-dinner walk with my sweetie in gorgeous weather, holding hands;
An actually good day at the office;
A hibiscus plant that just keeps making more blossoms!
And since something I posted yesterday about trans people emigrating from the US to Canada has gotten many boosts, here's more of the rage-inducing #USPol that makes leaving the US so attractive for many folks: "NYU Langone Health has become the first known hospital to face a federal criminal subpoena connected to the provision of gender-affirming care for transgender youth."
https://www.thepinknews.com/2026/05/12/nyu-langone-health-transgender-gender-affirming-care/
Replying to
@robang74@ieji.de @hypha@cafe.mycelium.locahlo.st @ratsnakegames@mastodon.social
In many states (not all) the laws about drivers' licenses were changed so abruptly that it became illegal to drive to office to get new license issued. People face huge fines for using the bathroom that corresponds to their gender. So a trans man who has a beard and well-developed upper body musculature 💪 is mandated to use the women's restroom. That's not going to end well. (Or he could stay home out of sight, which is the goal of the legislation.)
Books with trans stories or by trans authors are being withdrawn from libraries.
Physicians are being blocked from providing gender-affirming care.
And federal law is reaching into the states that had been considered supportive.
These days, the US is not a safe place for trans people, and I am very glad to be able to draw attention to ways to get to safer places.
Replying to
@jamie@fedi.jametek.com @hypha@cafe.mycelium.locahlo.st @ratsnakegames@mastodon.social I didn't spot him for a while (work, sleep, etc on my end) but he's blocked now.
Cartoon by Nick Anderson.
#USPol
#3GoodThings #ThreeGoodThings from Friday:
Making progress getting ready for the year's Big Project at work;
My cat seems to be feeling a lot better now that he's getting treated for an ear infection;
Friday night dinner at home with my sweetie.
#3GoodThings #ThreeGoodThings from yesterday:
Made it to my bluegrass jam, even though I didn't have use of a car;
Supportive folks who let me recover after a fumble with my first-ever attempt to lead a song at a jam. ("'She'll be coming round the mountain' oh wait not supposed to sing and solo at the same time...")
Happy double-takes received when I started having fun with the lyrics in real- time the way I want to be able to with the tune. ("She'll be walking through the snow pack / Wishing she had brought a six-pack / She'll be walking through the snow pack when she comes! ")
And PSA: please keep your sidewalks shoveled, if you can. You never know when someone new to the neighborhood will be trudging from the train station with a mandolin case on her back.
#mandolin#WinterCommuting
A weekend visit from a dear friend;
The cats' first time back outdoors in about 2 months;
The humans' first time having a meal al fresco in about 3 1/2 months.
Opinion piece in the Philadelphia Inquirer, Saturday Feb 1, by Jane Esberg:
"I am a scholar of authoritarian politics at the University of Pennsylvania. I research and teach about repression and censorship. The Trump administration is engaged in state terror. And, in a page ripped from the autocrat’s playbook, they are trying to convince us that the victims deserve it."
https://share.inquirer.com/69h1dM
#USPol#PhiladelphiaInquirer
Get this! The Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania has recognized "reproductive autonomy" as a fundamental right guaranteed by the state constitution. That means that the law that kept Medicaid from paying for abortions has been thrown out!
In the "post the info you want to read" department:
Once upon a time, a bat sanctuary cared for a 33 year old flying fox, who couldn't fly on his own anymore. So the people there lifted him up and carried him around so he could flap his wings.
Replying to
@w_b@mastodon.world From what I've read Canada is really trying to attract folks from the US. If you're really interested, check their govt web pages regarding immigration.
Replying to
@rjblaskiewicz @mattblaze Top of the Capitol steps would work for me.
Or, after cremation, spread my ashes into the HVAC air intake.
A new (to me) #phishing #scam: you get an email that legitimately, actually, genuinely, really, is from PayPal. The scam is in the subject line, which says something like "Pending charge of 875.78 USD for international purchase. Questions? Call 866-555-1212."
It works because whoever initiates a transaction can write the subject line. And for scammers, it's worth it to send a rupee or forint your way to generate the email that just might unlock your PayPal account -- or your bank account, depending on what happens next.
Read the details at https://www.tedcromwell.com/blog/that-pending-paypal-charge-email-is-a-scam-even-though-it-really-came-from-paypa
And remember, NEVER call the phone number in an email.
The main event I've seen for No School / No Work / No Spending May Day in Philly is a 4pm rally at City Hall.
Originally from @AlZheimer@framapiaf.org, with alt-text added:
I have had a #GoBag packed and ready for at least 13 years.
I know this because today when I checked it I found a pouch of trail mix with a best-by date in 2013. 😳
When Marshawn (no last name given) testified against Tennessee's racial gerrymander, he pulled no punches. It's 2:40 of powerful speech.
And he manages to end on a hopeful note.
Well worth a listen.
https://youtube.com/shorts/P58otkVgZ2U?si=4710mrarNa16p2qE
(with thanks to Sherrilyn Ifill, @sifill on Bsky)
Replying to
@mekkaokereke@hachyderm.io @JosephLeedy@phpc.social I missed the point where she said she looked them up in the school files. 2x playback on youtube.
But my concern remains: you don't need access to confidential info to fink someone out. Saying that I didn't think it was illegal doesn't mean I think it's right.
And THAT'S what disturbs me: how easy it is to turn someone over to the US's face-masked, pepper-spraying, warrant-omitting band of public executioners.
I'm delighted to find out that this particular person may have broken the law in her enthusiastic persecution of someone with skin darker than neighborhood averages.
Replying to
@jagsworkshop@mastodon.social
This is yet another time Hawaii's bold approach to vital legal issues has left me gobsmacked. I remember back in the early 1990s hearing that the Hawai'i Supreme Court issued a ruling saying that same-sex marriage must be allowed. It was such wonderful news, and so completely unexpected (at least by the straight living in the northeastern US) that I needed to know that the story was true. The Internet wasn't a big thing yet -- newspapers were still how people found things out, and I knew my local paper wouldn't cover the story. So I looked up the area code for Honolulu in the phone book, then called Information to get the phone number for the court, and asked whoever it was who answered the phone.
The tone of his voice was filled with pride as he told me that yes, yes, I had heard right: the court had ruled for gay marriage.
(I know, the state constitution was soon changed to keep same-sex marriage from happening. Maybe this time the voters won't be afraid.)
9.
There is a future in which we don’t fight at all, and on our deathbeds, this is our greatest regret.
- from the Hugo-shortlisted "10 Visions of the Future; or, Self-Care for the End of Days" by Samantha Mills. Read it at https://www.uncannymagazine.com/article/10-visions-of-the-future-or-self-care-for-the-end-of-days/
Replying to
@noondlyt Thank you for marking your post as "Conjecture". I've read too many posts that claim to be factual that weren't backed up by data.
And yes, it would explain a lot.
NPR's piece today about screen time is framed as being about helping kids experience the real world, but it also applies for anyone trying to get away from doomscrolling.
https://www.npr.org/2026/03/06/nx-s1-5737901/dopamine-kids-parenting-screens
Replying to
@mekkaokereke@hachyderm.io @JosephLeedy@phpc.social I'm more concerned because I think she DIDN'T violate any laws.
1) child who doesn't look like neighbors exists;
2) child has parents who live at a given address (or, child lives at given address);
3) tell someone else items 1&2
I grew up in the days of phone books, when it was normal to go from a name to an address and phone number.
Sure, adding in the info on the parents' country of origin was icing (ahem) on the cake, but wasn't needed for the report to be just as deadly if this had been a real site and not a honeypot for racist a-holes.
#3GoodThings #ThreeGoodThings
Got my flu shot;
Got my covid shot;
Got tested for cervical cancer.
#3GoodThings #ThreeGoodThings from Monday
Bonus time with my sweetie in the morning: it was raining too hard for me to comfortably walk to/from the train station, so he gave me a ride to work!
Rain had cleared for the commute home, and even the city had the after-the-rain smell.
Sweetcorn for dinner.
#3GoodThings #ThreeGoodThings for yesterday
No one asked why I signed my paperwork with dates in dd-MON-yy format instead of the usual mm/dd ;
A trainee at work spotted a problem they could help me with, and really made things easier;
And a neighborhood gathering with live music and friends and joy.
#3GoodThings #ThreeGoodThings from Sunday:
Took part in a neighbourhood music jam. Lots of Beatles, some Grateful Dead, some songs that were new to me. MUCH more fun than when I tried last year, not knowing more than 4 chords. This time even managed to bring out an attempt at tremolo on the #mandolin when we played "Ripple".
Marked the August harvest with homemade corn muffins (with sweet corn mixed in) and the first beefsteak tomatoes from my deck garden. Yum!
And my sweetie, who inadvertently ate something that has given him fevers and shaking chills in the past, did not have the horrid reaction we were afraid of. Maybe anti-inflammatories and antihistamines helped. Don't want to try again to collect more data!
#3GoodThings #ThreeGoodThings
A small project at work went well;
A mistake at work revealed a bigger underlying problem that can now get fixed;
A neighbour brought over tasty dinner for me, just because.
#3GoodThings #ThreeGoodThings
Birthday dinner with my mom;
Birthday dinner with my niece;
4 generations at one table.
#3GoodThings #ThreeGoodThings
A tent that stayed up in 30 mph gusts and stayed dry in a downpour;
Made progress on a craft project;
Spent most of the day visiting with old friends who live out of state.