I was just looking at the match ups for the first round of the NHL playoffs and I really don’t care about any of them. I actually hate seven of the eight teams in the East. Really. Ottawa is the only Eastern Conference team that I don’t loathe, and I really don’t like them very much either. It will be nice to see them beat Toronto (and the will because losing in the playoffs in humiliating fashion is what Toronto is best at) but beyond that? I could not care less.
Last night my wife asked me if I wanted to watch all of the Harry Potter movies in order with her. I said yes. Secretly I am hoping that I can learn how to cast the patronus charm to keep the maga cult the hell away from me. That would be cool.
I have a headache. Again. Every day for over a week has seen at least one headache. It is usually the worst right after lunch and that is the case right now. I think it’s a combination of my glasses doing something wrong while reading on my computer and the general level of stress I’m going through as a result of the maga cult putting an end to my country. Those two things are messing up my head. I’m tired of it.
Time jump. I wrote the three paragraphs above about an hour and a half ago. I took some Tylenol and feel about 10% better. Oh well. I’m super tired. Not sure what’s going on here in the office today, but it seems super loud. Lots of people working on issues together and lots of other people on conference calls at their desks. That is not contributing to the headache though. I can guarantee that.
I thought maybe I’d have more to say but I don’t so let’s click publish on this one.
I backed out of the driveway at 7:29am. At that time the GPS app (Waze) was already telling me I was going to be late to work. My ETA was 9:03. The app detoured me off of my normal route less than half a mile from my house…
…and it was all downhill from there.
At about 8:50 I still had 10 miles to go and Waze started recalculating. My ETA started going up… fast. There was an accident on route 128 South (that’s route 95 for all of you non-locals) right at the junction with the Mass Pike (route 90, for all of you non-locals). I pulled into a parking spot at work at 9:30.
Nine. Fucking. Thirty.
So tell me, how’s your fucking Thursday morning treating you? Nothing like a two hour drive as your democracy is collapsing to make you feel good about the state of the world, know what I mean?
In my previous post I speculated on which of the two packages I have shipped over the last few days would arrive at its destination first, thus winning the race. Would it be the USPS package full of 35mm film that shipped out on Saturday or would it be the FedEx envelope with my passport renewal application that shipped out last night?
I have the answer.
The film has arrived at The Darkroom. I can expect my scans to be uploaded to my account in 3-7 business days. In other words, an eternity. Disney and New York on film… coming soon.
It’s weird but I actually have two packages that have been shipped out by me over the last couple of days. One is a passport renewal form that went out via Fed Ex last night and the other is seven rolls of 35mm film* that I sent out via USPS on Saturday. Which will arrive at its destination first? The race is on! In this post-pandemic era of online shopping it’s common to be following packages that are on their way to you, but less common to have to follow packages that are on their way from you. Maybe not. I don’t know. I have to write about something.
Apparently you can spend six months in Scotland without a visa. Who knew? Ireland only lets you stay for three months. England and Wales are also six months, so is that a UK thing in general? What about Australia? I’ve recently watched two television shows that took place in Australia so I feel like I practically live there already. Duck Duck Go (fuck you, Google) says you need to obtain an Australian visa before you arrive. Well that’s no fun. Kevin Garvey, Jr and Nora Durst must have already had a visa when they left Miracle, TX on The Leftovers. Kevin Garvey, Sr… well who knows what that whack job was doing. He sure as hell didn’t.
The Bruins season ended last night on another painful loss. Some teams still have a game left to play, but my team is done. Mercifully. The best they can finish is tied with Philly for last place in the Eastern Conference. The worst they can do is finish in last all by their lonesome. Unfortunately for the draft lottery, there are 4-5 teams out west that will finish with worse records. Not that we have a General Manager who knows how to draft for shit though. In other Boston sports news, the Red Sox actually won a game last night after getting humiliated on Monday night. Fun.
I’m in the office today and tomorrow so the pickin’s for photo a day will be slim. Not that it matters. They are all just pictures of cats anyway. This one for today made use of the iPhone’s low light feature. It works well.
*35mm film refers to the size of the negative… I think. 120 film does not refer to the size of the negative. I read somewhere that it refers to an old Kodak catalog product code. Mentioning 35mm and 120 film in the same sentence makes my ass itch. It’s like doing your physics homework and mixing up your units of measure. It’s like referring to velocity (measured in meters/seconds) and acceleration (measured in meters/seconds squared) as if they were the same thing. I believe the product code for 35mm is actually 135 (not too confusing there, Kodak) but I don’t know what the negative size for 120 film is. I can’t bring myself to call 35mm 135 so I guess I will continue to mix units and have an itchy ass. I could say medium format instead of 120 but that just feels like taking it all a step too far. I don’t know.
Today is my father’s birthday. The first since he passed away last summer. I’m going to be sad today. I think that’s a given. When I was really little we used to watch reruns of Star Trek together (even though it often gave me nightmares). I’m watching Star Trek right now. Just because.
It’s also tax day in the united states. Your income tax return forms are due today. My father had a tax prep business. Tax day falling on his birthday was a sign somehow. These days my brother is a CPA so tax day is a big deal for him too. In that spirit, allow me to wish all accountants and bookkeepers a Happy Tax Day in honor of my father and my brother and also my mother who used to help with Dad’s tax business. Get through today and then you’re free until January. Sort of. I know you’re never truly finished with tax season. There’s always something more to work on.
How do we make this happen? Do the Governors need to start the conversation at the state level? Do the senators and representatives need to start the conversation at the federal level? What do we need to do?
New England, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, Washington, Oregon, and California. The United Atlantic and Pacific States. Negotiate permission to travel across the continent through Canada and then secede. With each new day secession becomes more and more inevitable.
In addition to deporting alleged Venezuelan gang members, Trump and several officials have floated sending U.S. citizens convicted of violent crimes to the infamous El Salvador prison or other foreign prisons — something legal experts have said would violate the Constitution.