lydamorehouse: (ticked off Ichigo)
 I spend so much damn time driving around that I'm actually starting to be annoyed by all of it.

Normally, I don't mind driving, but I do kind of hate dozens of small trips--like this morning, which is becoming typical, thanks to all of Shawn's various hospital/clinic visits. So, first I drive Mason and Shawn to Shawn's physical therapy office and drop her off; I drive Mason and I to get coffee (okay, this part is totally on me, did not HAVE to do it); take Mason to school; and then drive back to pick up Shawn and take her to work. After ALL OF THAT, I finally drive myself back home. 

This evening isn't going to be any better. In about an hour, I will pick up Mason from school, drive him to his PSEO class at Saint Paul College, pick up Shawn at MHS (right across the streeet, at least), bring her home for a very short time, then the two of us will get back in the car to pick up Mason after his class is over, drive back to Washington (his high school) for parent/teacher conferences, and then I will drop them back home and drive to Wyrdsmiths, where I will probably end up driving Eleanor home afterwards, because WHY THE HECK NOT. 

Obviously, some of the driving is self-imposed. We could make Mason figure out if he could get from high school to his college class by bus. I suspect he could, but I'm not sure he would make it on time, as his class starts at 4 pm and I suspect there's at least one transfer. I could also make him bus home after his 6 pm class. 

Honestly, though, I've gotten used to the PSEO extra driving. It's whenever we have to add anything to that that I start to get a little nutty.

In far more interesting news, who here wants to see what radium dials and uranium glass look like under black light???

I see a lot of raised hands! (That's why you guys are my friends.)

a bunch of green glass plates and such and clock under regular light
First, for comparison, here is what the uranium glass (green glass) looks like under normal lighting conditions. The radium clock is also there.

And, yes, because we are like this we ordered a BLACK LIGHT FLASHLIGHT off Amazon just to test this. (I know you are all also suddenly quite jealous of my cool black light flashlight which, yes, I do intend to take to any hotel room I go to henceforth.)


everything glows
Now everything glows with that warm, warm radiation!!

Seriously, the first time we did this, Shawn and I were like, "Oh, I wonder if we'll really be able to tell--OH HOLY BOMBARDED ATOMS, BATMAN!!!"

This discovery, however, ignited a rather tense discussion in the family about whether or not we would all die insta-death from being exposed to all of this radioactivity. Internet says we're fine so long as no one grinds up a plate, inhales the radioactive dust, and/or EATS the plates. (No, not just eat off the plates, but actually consume and digest the plates wholesale.) Internet also advises us NOT to disassemble the radium clock and lick its various luminescent parts.

...should be able to restrain myself...

However, paranoid is paranoid and Shawn has since moved everything on to the porch.

Green (uranium) glass is highly collectable, though. She is seriously considering whether or not to try to sell some of it on eBay. (Frankly, this confuses me. We bought it because WE like it. The only thing that's changed is that we've discovered that it has a half life. I mean... I am being bombarded by radiation every time I walk outside, so...?) We'll see, I did notice some of it already migrating back to its normal spots around the house. 


lydamorehouse: (shield)
 I drove home today in "wintery mix" --basically snow, but mostly the sort that melts the instant that it hits the ground. It has since decided to stick. I took a picture of the big maple tree. It's a bit blurry because, I didn't actually want to step outside now that the temperature has dropped enough for our first official few inches.

snow on the tree branches

As I was driving around in this awful mess, I got a craving for the kinds of songs that I LIVED on during the 1970s and 1980s (and, let's be honest, well into the 1990s when I was marching in the "Take Back the Night" marches in Loring Park). You know, hard core folk music where Utah Philips sings about dumping the bosses off your back and lyrics like, "if blood be the cost of your awful wealth, Good God, we have bought it fair."  I cleaned out our hall closet where we stashed our (STILL WORKING!) turntable and all the vinyl and found all sorts of gems including old Holly Near and so much Pete Seeger.  

Plus, this:

Two Sides of Leonard Nimoy album

The Two Sides of Leonard Nimoy--that's the album that has "The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins" as sung by the late, great Leonard Nimoy.  And, an album on which Nimoy reads "The Cool Green Hills of Earth" by Robert Heinlein, as well as "Gentleman, Please Be Seated."  Such good stuff.  I intend to send this snowy day listening to uplifting music.

Right now, Pete Seeger, recorded in Carnegie Hall in 1963 is singing "Oh, Freedom!"

JUST. What. I. NEED.

June 2025

S M T W T F S
123 4 567
891011121314
15161718192021
22232425262728
2930     

Syndicate

RSS Atom

Most Popular Tags

Style Credit

Expand Cut Tags

No cut tags
Page generated Jun. 6th, 2025 10:40 am
Powered by Dreamwidth Studios