Queen Mediocretia of Suburbia

Putting the TMI in absentminded

Month: January 2025

  • Julie and Laine!

    I have summoned forth a blog! I might have tried to comment months ago, but as I remembered when I tried again, I don’t have a WordPress login or the password for the web version of Facebook. So I made a WordPress account but I still can’t comment. Go to Trees and Tea for Plumbing…

  • TWIL: silk and where it comes from

    I knew silk came from silkworms, but I always imagined the thread came directly out of their butts. Wrong! Mouth > spit > cocoon > worm murder > uncocooning > thread.

  • Review: Pride and Prejudice: A New Musical

    Well, finding the movie was a little more exciting than seeing the movie. (Precise title: “Pride and Prejudice: a New Musical”). I had big expectations. At first I couldn’t get into it. It was like the Peter Dinklage Cyrano. If the plot hinges on sexual and emotional restraint, you just can’t buy it when a…

  • YouTube Premium: Worth it already

    So, I don’t know if this is related to my recent subscription to YouTube Premium, but the algorithm looked into my soul and now I see, in my feed … … the musical version of Pride and Prejudice.

  • Weekly Paint Progress: 1/16/2025

    This week Croquet Balls 2025 went from this … … to this. I know. It doesn’t look like much happened. And I do remember the drapery is gold. Hoping if I wash over this purple with gold that the opposite colors become shadows.

  • Back to the new microwave

    So, I was excited by two features of the new microwave: the “From Frozen” and “Soften Butter” buttons. From Frozen The promise: A fully frozen steak transforms into a seared, crusted medium-rare steak with minimal work. The machine starts in defrost microwave oven mode, then switches to the convection oven mode to cook the steak,…

  • Sickness Saga Continues

    I have been the healthiest member of my family for a long time. Mom of course started off post-polio. Dave’s asthma started early and his learning and mental difficulties hit at puberty. Dad started his three forays into cancer in his early forties. I am familiar with the caregiver role. Gary is not familiar with…

  • Microwave saga continues

    So I woke up Sunday to Gary complaining about the microwave and how it was GOING TO BURN THE HOUSE DOWN ELLEN. “No, it is not –“ “IT IS TWENTY YEARS OLD.” And that’s when I realized what Gary’s “problem” with the microwave is. It’s not what the microwave does or doesn’t do, it’s what…

  • TWIL: What Street Corn Cheetos taste like

    I brought Cheetos to trivia. It was going to be a Cheeto buffet: Puffs,Cheetos-flavored popcorn (sadly, unavailable), and this new thing: Mexican Street Corn Flavored Cheetos. I’ve had street corn. I remember it was tasty: corn dampened with a mild cheese sauce, a touch of spice, salt, and maybe a bit of lime. It tasted…

  • More nonsense regarding Gary and cooking

    “MICROWAVE IS BROKEN,” Gary said. “I JUST HEATED UP SOME SOUP AND IT IS COLD.’” “Did the microwave make noise?” I asked. “YES IT MADE NOISE AND TURNED BUT IT DIDN’T COOK. NOW I HAVE TO THROW THIS SOUP AWAY.” (I know that sounds like I’m making this up but I swear I am not.)…