Karma

 

Today I heard that Nick Fuentes, the guy who said right after the election, "Your body, my choice," got doxxed. If you don't know what doxxing is, it's a despicable practice of putting a person's personal information online so they will be harassed, and it usually happens to women, often Jewish women who are doing investigative reporting. As you can imagine, these women often have to flee their homes. I don't condone doxxing, or sinking to the level of the other side, but I did feel a little shiver of schadenfreude when reading that Mr. Fuentes was whining about how he now has to live in fear. In addition, men online are challenging him to a boxing match. How can it not feel like karma that a man who has spent all his time instilling fear in women and minorities now feels it himself? I guess our side has finally gotten sick of playing by the rules when the other side said, "Rules are for suckers!" This isn't going to make for peace, ultimately, but right now it doesn't even feel like peace is possible. After all, this isn't throwing the first punch but simply responding with a harder hit. As someone said of Fuentes, "Play stupid games and win stupid prizes." 

Can you believe these flowers were blooming today?

And my DuoLingo level is now 125!

What does this mean? It means I'm at a high A2 level in French. Which has something to do with a test, like our grad students have to take the B1 level test in German. It measures your fluency. I barely feel fluent in English anymore - I'm always like, "What's the word for this again?" - so it feels unlikely that I would be fluent in French, but maybe I should take the test and find out. And what would I gain with this knowledge? Bragging rights?

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Why Do the Chinese Love Fake American Stories?

 

It's that time of year when I can see sunsets out the dirty office windows again.

When I walked at lunch with my colleague, I was telling her about strange stories that are in the rightwing media but legitimate sources say are completely false, and she told me one of them is going all around Chinese media too. I find this fascinating - why is Chinese media interested in fake, sensationalistic stories meant to get the low-information crowd here all riled up? Why do they even care what happens here? Are they trying to prove to their own people that our country is so crazy that we do these things that all normal people would agree are crazy... IF they were happening? Considering that schools can't give kids a Tylenol without parental permission, it really stretches the imagination that you could send Tommy to school and get back Tammy that afternoon without anyone consulting you. It always amuses me how the other side says liberals are terrible at governing and can't get anything done, yet they are so deadly efficient that they are secretly giving sex-change operations to thousands of minors behind their parents' back. We are all just waiting to see how the Right is going to blame Democrats for all Trump's future failings (and they will be myriad) when the Democrats currently have absolutely no power. The mental gymnastics with these people are astounding, but I guess you learn to be that way when you are such an obvious hypocrite but have to convince yourself that you are the Party of Law and Order despite electing a criminal as president.

In the evening Travalon and I went swimming for the first time in weeks. Not much to say about that, but it felt great. I said both the warm pool and the hot tub seemed less warm than usual, so he said that was something to blog about. I guess it is, at that.

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Cathartic Band Practice

 

Today was maybe not the most exciting Sunday. We had a relaxed morning, went to the late Mass north of us, and then went to Black Earth to buy new shoes (me) or boots (Travalon). We took a walk around Salmo Pond, but it was pretty rainy out today. We got some coffee in Cross Plains, then I was pleasantly surprised at how well I did in Irish class, and then we took a walk around the neighborhood before I had to leave for band practice.

Band practice was so cathartic. I'd been intimidated by the idea of starting over again, whether that meant finding a new tribe, a new religion, or a new country to live in, but after talking to my bandmates, I feel so much better. After all, not every Catholic voted for this evil, evil man, and some of them surely live around here - I just have to find them. This is my first lifetime as a human, and it is shocking to feel so betrayed by people I thought cared about morality, but of course nobody is perfect. Almost half of us voted for the greater good instead of our own selves, and as our bass player pointed out, one silver lining with the Orange Thing winning is that his followers didn't get violent (yet). Our side doesn't go on the attack when we lose, we just get sad and introspective, but from talking to others, I'm one of the rare ones who had a lot of relationships to unwind because they are on the other side. I have been friends with some of these people for three decades, but I am remembering how they were three decades ago, when they weren't so far to the right. And if people say how can I throw away friendships after thirty years, I say how can they throw away a democracy after two hundred and fifty years? 

After our talk, we played Christmas carols, and that elevated my spirits further. I had arrived very angry, telling them that I just want to tell these people to f--k all the way off and keep on f--king off until they have f--ked all the way off to the F--kistan they voted for, but after singing and playing the mandolin, I don't feel angry anymore. I feel hopeful again. I also may feel a bit of schadenfreude when the Orange Thing's bizarre policies come back to haunt the people who voted for him (probably more than they will affect us, as one bandmate pointed out), but I'm not perfect either. Still, I'd rather be a b--ch than a hypocrite like the so-called "Christians" who voted for him.

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Super Soccer Saturday

 

This morning Travalon watched his Wolves, and they actually won!! They beat Southampton 2-0! Here are Wolfie and Wendy rejoicing.

And here they are with Rodrigo:

After that we went on a hike that is very close to our house. We had gone a short way on it once before, but this time we followed it for quite a way until it suddenly seemed to vanish. It was supposed to lead to a conservation area, but the trail petered out in a very wealthy subdivision. Here are some photos of the hike.

In the late afternoon Travalon went to the Up North Bar while I got my hair cut, then we went to the Essen Haus, which is still open with no closing date in sight. They were planning to close in August, but there is a holdup with the company who wants to purchase the land to build apartments, so they are open until at least New Year's Eve. We got some pretzels, and I thought it was three to an order, but they gave us like twice that much. By the time we got to the Forward game, I could barely eat a cheeseburger. 

The Forward were playing the Spokane Velocity, and because it was a playoff game, there couldn't be a tie. The game was exciting, but it was pretty cold out, and I stupidly forgot my Forward scarf. I did see a woman wearing a hat that I want, a knit cap (or, in Canadian, toque, which somehow rhymes with nuke) that was bright fuchsia with an eye on the front. We were right near the Flock, so I stayed a bit warm by bouncing around to their constant Brazilian-sounding rhythms. The game ended without anyone scoring, so someone behind us said they would play fifteen minutes of overtime, and if that didn't work, fifteen more minutes of overtime, and if THAT didn't work, they would have penalty kicks. I was so cold that all that sounded like rare torture, and my phone suddenly announced that it would start raining in twelve minutes, so we hurried back to the car and then watched the rest of the game from the warmth and comfort of our house. By the time we got home, they were just at the end of the second overtime period with still no score, so they went to penalty kicks, and the Velocity goalie was able to stop one, so they are going to the championship game. Heartbreaking for the Forward, but at least they put up a real fight.

After the game, Travalon and I got sucked into watching travel videos, so now I am blogging way too late at night, as usual.

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Dancing at the Alternative Brewery

 

I have not been in the mood to blog, or to talk to a lot of people, ever since the election. You are allowed to vote for whomever you wish - that's called democracy. And I'm allowed to have no respect for anyone who voted for a criminal who tried to violently overthrow our government - that's called free will. I am very tired of all these news stories about understanding Trump voters, but none about understanding Harris voters, or the stories suggesting Democrats need to reach across the aisle when they win, but never anything about Republicans reaching out. And all their rhetoric points to the opposite. They are even worse victors than they are losers. If the Republican Party were a child, I would not play a board game with it. Since the Republican Party is a bunch of alleged adults, I will just refuse to engage, so if you are reading this, and you voted for Trump, just remember that you are dead to me and I don't plan to hold a seance.

Tonight Travalon and I did something really fun - we went out with a friend who did not vote for the Evil Orange Thing to a brewery specializing in gluten-free beer. We ran into some people I know from Irish circles, because there was an Irish band playing there. A couple of college girls did some traditional Irish dancing, and then they talked some of us ladies into doing a ceili, so we danced the Siege of Ennis. It's not hard, but my side had always been going through the arch every time we practiced it, so when we actually danced it and then switched sides and danced it again, I totally forgot that I was supposed to BE the arch and tried to go under an arch that the other dancers had not made. Oops! Meanwhile, Travalon and our other friend (who had finally joined the 21st century and gotten a cell phone) were texting each other. It was a wonderful evening full of music and camaraderie with other people who also love our country as a democracy instead of voting for it to be a monarchy. (One Catholic acquaintance of mine is so f--ked in the head that they actually said a monarchy with a Godly king is the best form of government.) I have no interest in living in a Christian country; I only want to live in a country where I'm allowed to be a Christian. Being compelled to be one would take all the beauty out of it.

There are some silver linings to all these so-called Christians being in the Cult of Trump, like there is no longer any reason to go to Confession. If priests support this rapist con artist who says he has nothing to be forgiven for, then I hardly need confess my tiny sins (or are they even sins?) to them. There is no more right and wrong for these people, at least as far as objective morality - it's all based on what side you are on. Their side can do no wrong, and our side can do no right. Another advantage is that I don't feel compelled to go to any particular church for Mass, because I passionately hate my coreligionists, and the clergy even more so, and therefore I plan to avoid any encounters with them. If Travalon and I pop from church to church, then nobody knows us, and we can evade all connection. I still consider myself a Catholic (for now...), but definitely not an American Catholic, which is a heresy totally polluted by Evangelical Christianity. It's nothing like the Catholicism of my childhood, when I was raised by Franciscans to believe we had obligations to those around us. I remember as a child thinking that women were just as important in the church as men, because we could be nuns, and I thought the nuns were so cool, much cooler than the priests. Now we have recent Catholic convert JD Vance saying women without children (a category that certainly includes nuns) should have no say in anything. Huh... if there is no place in the Catholic church for childless women, then maybe I don't even need to bother going to Mass. I still consider myself part of the Mystical Body of Christ, but oh boy, all the organs around me are chock-full of cancer! Yuck!!

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Where Are You, White-Headed Goose?

 

Travalon had the day off of work today, so I took it off too, and we went to Horicon Marsh. People had recently been posting photos of the white-headed goose, so we hoped that we would see it, but we didn't see much. We did see this tree with interesting holes in it.

We saw sandhill cranes flying.

We saw muskrat lodges (and convention centers).

And we saw what I think are gadwalls.

We had lunch at the Mexican restaurant in Mayville, and we went to the antiques shop there too. The flowers that danced to "In the Mood" have been sold, but I did find a rosary, an Infant of Prague chaplet, and a Christmas bracelet. Here is a photo.

Sorry, I didn't take a picture of the bracelet. The rosary in the middle is the one I got at Garver Mill on Sunday. It was a rainy day, so we had to take walks between showers. The sun finally came out just as it was setting, and we saw a rainbow.

And here is the beautiful sunset.

Good old "Mount Wank," which is actually called Big Hill. What a boring name!

Looking over the Christmas tree farm is like looking over the taiga in Alaska.

I don't think I'm going to stay up to watch the election results. They seem pretty disappointing anyway.

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Galactic Burritos and the Physics Museum

 

This morning I was working away on something when suddenly I realized we were supposed to order our Greek pastries by yesterday. Argh! I'd only had two months' warning! I frantically emailed the Greek Orthodox church, and to my surprise they responded right away and said they could probably help me, what did I want? All I really wanted were "Galactic Burritos," but I'm not sure how to spell the actual word, so I took a stab at it, and they said no problem, one order is $14 and includes four pieces. So hopefully when I go to pick it up on the 23rd, it's the right thing... but in a sense, is there any wrong thing when it comes to Greek bakery items?

It was a warm but rainy day today, so I asked my colleague if she wanted to walk outside or go to the Physics Museum. In all these years I hadn't even realized we had a Physics Museum on campus, but now that the shuttle drops me off in front of the Physics building, I have had to run inside and use the bathroom, and I saw a sign saying it was on the second floor. As my colleague and I walked toward the Physics building, she suddenly remembered she had been to it with her kids when they were younger. (One just got married.) So we entered the building and found this model of the Ice Cube Project:

What is the Ice Cube Project? It's a neutrino detector at the South Pole. If you want more details, maybe Google it. Apparently it works well, too, because I've seen maps of space they have created from the data they got from it.

The museum itself was full of fun, interactive displays with magnets and circuits and all sorts of fun stuff. This is a Tesla something or other. I loved how it glowed.

There were a few displays we couldn't seem to get to work, despite following the instructions. As we were almost at the end, an actual faculty member came in to see what we were up to. (We had been the only ones in there.) He quickly ascertained that we were two harmless, middle-aged staff members, and he even helped us to get the ones we didn't understand to work. Anyway, that was my big adventure for the day, because Travalon and I thought about going swimming after work, but it's so nice on our porch - and this might be our last chance to sit out on it - that we just hung out on it all evening.

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Rainy Sunday at Olbrich and Garver Mill

 

This morning Travalon and I went to Mass in a tiny town just west of us. It's further away than where we usually go, but it's also straight down Highway K, so it takes the same amount of time as going to Mass in the gym. Someone told me last night at the party about what a pretty church it is, and they also use some Latin and sing hymns that I know, not this newer stuff I'm not as familiar with. Here's a photo:

It rained all day today, so Travalon and I went to Olbrich Gardens to walk inside. We saw lots of interesting plants and cute birds... and a dead butterfly. Here are some photos (not the butterfly). The first few photos were taken by me.

This is an orchid - I forget the variety, but it starts with a V.

More orchids.

This is actually a plant that is related to pineapple, a bromeliad, with strange flowers.

These were all taken by Travalon using his phone. First, a plumeria.

I think this next one is called a chenille plant.

This is another bromeliad in bloom.

Some little birds.

More birds - finches in the feeder, and quail on the ground.

I think this is a type of ginger...?

Pitcher plants! They're carnivorous.

This is a fake waterfall.

More bromeliads in bloom.

I forget what they call these flowers, but it's clearly an arum.

Despite the wet weather, we decided to go outside too. Not too many people were out there. Here are some photos. Travalon took these first few. The Thai Pavilion was recently renovated.

These are hollow stems for bees to hibernate in,

I took the next batch. Some fall colors to start.

Interesting fungi on a stump.

Look, a pomegranate bush!

I think this is eucalyptus. I love the silvery color.

There was a collection of wooden sculptures from a show earlier this year.

We walked over to Garver Mill, where they were having a vintage flea market, but the tam-o-shanter I fell in love with was too small for even my head (must be for a child), and the guy selling rosaries wanted way too much. There was a cheap plastic one with a cool centerpiece, a cheap metal one from the Vatican he really wanted a lot for, a crystal one that was almost a reasonable price, and the most expensive one had a very basic crucifix and centerpiece but beautiful black glass beads. I thought it was overpriced, but as my regular readers know, I work more on intuition than logic, so after handling all the rosaries, that was the one that really called to me, so I got it. At Garver Mill they had another wooden sculpture that looked like it was part of the same exhibition. 

We hurried home so I could go to Irish class, which unfortunately started at the same time as the Packer game, but I've missed several lately so I felt bad not to attend. It was very interesting - we talked about travel, and one person had been in Chile during some sort of uprising, and another one had gone to Cape Breton to either play or listen to music (my Irish isn't quite perfect), and he used his knowledge of Irish Gaelic to try to speak Scottish Gaelic with them. 

The other thing is that I didn't have a good feeling about the Packer game, although if this is the Lions' year, that is fine with me because they've never had a year. The Bears had their year, back in 1985. I did turn the game on as soon as class was done, and it had been a close game, but right then Jordan Love threw the ball right to a Lions defender like twelve yards from the goal line, so no kidding it was a pick six. The defense seemed pretty lousy too, and they quickly gave up another touchdown. Travalon had been watching at a nearby bar called The Willows, but he came back at halftime, and we decided to watch the rest of the game at Bierock. The Packers really looked bad - I guess they hated playing in all that rain, but they always play outdoors, and the Lions play in a dome and weren't fazed by the rain, so what the heck.

I was too tired to go to band practice, so we sat at home and watched the movie Coco, which is the only Day of the Dead movie I know of. And wouldn't you know, as soon as we finished it, we saw they were showing it on TV, so maybe it is a thing, like all the Christmas movies at Christmastime. I just hope I have the energy to get through a whole day of work on campus tomorrow.

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