EnglishElective (Ret.)

Youngest Brother is here from SC, marveling at the cool old houses, historic neighborhoods, beautiful parks, playing fields & open spaces they don't have in SC because no taxes mean no services & no zoning means developers can build right up to the road.

@holodeckfour.bsky.social

I thought this was a good idea a month ago when all my siblings were coming back - do a a 93rd birthday dinner with mom. Now shes on hospice & it's become apparent this will be the last time we're all together as a family-with a living parent.

EnglishElective (Ret.) reposted

Holodeck Four

EnglishElective (Ret.) reposted

OSHA Inspector at the Cheesecake Factory

@milesklee.bsky.social

i miss when Biden had that dog that would bite everyone

hyperallergic.com/the-mit-prof...

One of the things leading to my Instagram hiatus was a former parent- super evangelical- posting that yoga is devil worship. They just see everything as sinners in the hands of an angry god. Like the Great Awakening or the New Testament never happened.

Peter@notalawyer.bsky.social

the idea that empathy is dangerous has been permeating right-wing spaces for a while, but it's not an actual element of their ideology as much as it's a defense mechanism against confronting the reality of their cruelty

EnglishElective (Ret.) reposted

Chaucer Doth Tweet

@levostregc.bsky.social

hyperallergic.comThe MIT Professors Bedazzling Security Cameras to Highlight Campus SurveillanceThe intervention is responding to the university’s recent $3 million investment in more than 500 new AI-integrated campus surveillance cameras.

Excuse me sir do you denounce the Jonas Brotherhood?

Ben Collins@bencollins.bsky.social

Excuse me sir do you denounce the Doobie Brotherhood?

EnglishElective (Ret.) reposted

derek guy

@dieworkwear.bsky.social

just asked my tailor if he disavows the muslin brotherhood

Today I went to the funeral of a 4-year old little girl. They shouldn't have to make caskets that small. And how do you go back to your life after that?

EnglishElective (Ret.) reposted

darren32359.bsky.social

@darren32359.bsky.social

EnglishElective (Ret.) reposted

Chaucer Doth Tweet

@levostregc.bsky.social

And thou mayest aske thyself, 'How do Ich werke thys?' And thou mayest aske thyself, 'Wher ys that large destrier?' And thou mayest telle thyself, 'Thys nys not my beautiful castle!' And thou mayest telle thyself, 'Thys nys not my swift goshawk!'

Sportscaster: This is the worst you will see the Bills play all season. Bills Fans: Dont you watch the games?! You just jinxed us! #BuffaloBills

I mean Buffalo could have called them the US Steel colors, just cut a hole in the jersey right above the heart...

@pleasebegneiss.bsky.social

In small town news, the wife of the assistant Building Inspector posted some smack about the Town Supervisor & now they want to fire him & lord knows I sure do miss life before Facebook.

EnglishElective (Ret.) reposted

slate

iced coffee is junior level. the real power move is bringing a corn on the cob to your interview

It looks like that picture from The Shining

Del Potter PhD@drdelpotter.bsky.social

Next time you’re struggling to pay for gas or groceries, remember this image.

Good advice right here.

Tom Scocca@tomscocca.bsky.social

Do not carry a cold beverage in their presence. Politely decline any drinks or sweetmeats they may offer. Keep a plain iron nail in your left trouser pocket and a sachet or paper twist of coarse salt in your right shoe. Enter and leave your chair moving clockwise. Follow up with a thank-you note.

Please wish this goodest of dogs a safe trip across the rainbow bridge this morning.. My brother's dog, Mr Man- I am never sorry I let him on the sofa even though we bent the rules a little. 💔

Here we go....

Me 11 mos out of the year: Oh why do they have to live so far away? I wish they'd visit Me after they have all been here for 10 days: Who are these men in my house & why are they always hungry?

Today- hopefully- the 70 y/o contractor that has been parked here since July 13 to side 3 short sides of a sunroom addition that was pre-cut & pre-painted. They say if you can wallpaper a room with someone you can stay married to them forever. I would add home renovations to that criteria.

15 Sept

Well it's been a week

9 Sept

Up at 4:30 am with the old dog. By 10 am I had cleaned the kitchen, boiled potatoes ( a MUST when Irish) mowed the lawn, showered, was en route to run errands for Mother. Stopped at a farm market & got an apple cinnamon scone. Good afternoon from the porch.

3 Sept

TIL I learned my mom & aunt- both of whom have cancer- went to their parish & planned their funerals. Music. Hymns. Readings. "They're on file" she said. I hope they went for a drink after. This is the most Irish thing they have done together. I don't know whether to be envious or sad. ☘️💚🇮🇪

2 Sept

Well this is fun

19 Aug

Happy interaction #1: Market checker sees the Josh Allen bag & we talk about hope. 💙❤️🦬

19 Aug

Summer 2026 My mom has cancer My brother has cancer My aunt has cancer My BIL has cancer Yesterday we found out our dog has cancer. F*ck cancer.

19 Aug

Dog tax:

EnglishElective (Ret.) reposted

Adam Becker

@adambecker.bsky.social

nytimes.comFEMA Official Who Claimed He Once Teleported to a Waffle House Is Leaving

ok but HOW is he leaving

27 June

In 1972, the Strasenburg Planetarium, then 4 years old, had Rochester Community Players to narrate an Isaac Asimov story "The Last Question" for a presentation. Tonight, SP had a retro night & brought this out of the vault in all its hand-drawn glory. And I heard my dad's 39 year old voice.

When I first moved to the village, I knew that it was a little Brigadoony. There was no quick way to get there from the expressway. You knew you were going to have to drive 15 to 20 minutes to get some goods & services. That there would be farm equipment on the roads in the spring & fall. It was OK.

View full thread

Well in the 30 years I've lived here, there hasn't been anything that required the presence of an additional 300 people. Why, that's almost 10% of our existing population. And all I can do is go to meetings and voice my concerns and think about selling out & getting a van, going full Nomadland.

My kids said if they were going to have families they would move back here to raise them. But just as my children have flown to the four winds, so it seems is the way of our village.I have never watched a village die before;for that is what this is.It is the death of a village, the birth of a suburb

View full thread

The village had farms, wide open green spaces, a wide creek for fishing and catching frogs. Two waterfalls. At night, from across the street, I could hear the falls from my bedroom. It was pretty idyllic. It felt safe & it felt like home. Them Then the developers came. Over 100 new houses last year

Now another developer want to put an urgent care on Main Street,steps away from the busiest traffic light in the Village (there are two.) And another wants to add 200 houses in a farmers field. Of course the young families who live here won't be able to afford them. But "Revenue!" they scream.

Because when you came home, it was small. It was quiet. You navigated by houses:the Queen Anne,the Eastlake, the old Gaffin place. The village kids all walked to school; the older kids worked summers in the ice cream shop, the hardware store, the pizza place, the grocery store, the restaurant.

Every June, there was a village festival. Pie, eating contest, frog, jumping contest, a dunk tank with the teachers ready to get dunked.There were movies in the park,concerts in the park &Father's Day pancake breakfast on picnic tables outside the Presbyterian Church,with scents of maple and sausage

Last night I sat in a high school auditorium with a couple hundred of my neighbors and friends and listen to a presentation by developers who want to build an almost 10,000sf urgent care building. Everyone agreed an urgent care in this village (pop<5k) would be welcome. But not at that site.

This isn't a NIMBY situation – every single speaker was pro urgent care. But a 10,000 square-foot development on a 19th century Main Street goes against everything people move to the village for. "We should not tolerate unnecessary tradeoffs" "Don't just accept what developers say-do your job"

The developers gave a PowerPoint using words like "access to services" "no negative impacts" & "highest and best use". However, citizens voiced concerns about traffic, density,water runoff, pedestrian safety, size & scale of the development. Not one person said don't build-they said: just not there

Adjacent to this property, is the town public library, which is a mainstay for many families in the village. The new development would basically take a green strip from in front of the library, cut down an old sugar maple tree. Library patrons would then view a 37-spot parking lot and dumpster.

The property is owned by the village, originally intended to be used to expand the adjacent firehouse.The village bought the property before the funding was secured,the funds did not materialize,&the village now owned a parcel of land smack in the middle of the historic village business district

17 June

Back from a 3-day getaway with 92y/o mom & my sister. Almost all the local sibs & grandkids made it for dinner too. She's got about 6-7 months left (cancer). It was such a great getaway, I'm torn between happiness & despair knowing next year she won't be here. She says she's not afraid. But I am.

17 June

Mom has been doing really well-she's still sharp, still active, still striving.I know this is something you don't recover from-and I've recovered from deep loss before- but will this be an open wound the rest of my life? Will it always hurt? This week was amazing& happy & I don't want her to go.

17 June

I mean- we started with loss early in my family, a sister who died at age 16. Then aunts, uncles. Grandparents. Cousins. You mourn, you grieve, you get on with life. But it takes time. I have spent three years caring for my parents. And they die. Your work- caring- dies with them. And then what?