Queen Mediocretia of Suburbia

Putting the TMI in absentminded

Author: Ellen S______

  • Pre-opera: The Pirates of Penzance

    Where we ate: We ate again at Madrina, where we were just a year ago. The waitress spoke of their “new” chef, whom they hired in January 2025. Perhaps he wasn’t in the groove last spring, because the food was even better this time. The arancini were perfect — in particular the temperatures were perfect:…

  • TWIL: How to identify the debris on your driveway

    I woke up Wednesday to this nonsense on my driveway. A little pattern of pellets bisecting the driveway. I’ve been trying to expand the way I use AI when possible, so I uploaded that photo to ChatGPT and said “What is this nonsense?” In summary, it said, “deer poop.” You’ll get a deer who poops…

  • Royal news puts a spin on an inappropriate conversation

    People Magazine has a tale of a recent exchange between Prince William and a “cheeky” elderly resident of a care home, Dot. This makes me sad because obviously I’m going to grow up to be the “cheeky” elderly resident flirting with the random prince. Prince William: “I’ve been to your room, Dot.” Dot: “Would you like…

  • Pretty good second act from SpaceX

    The redesigned SpaceX Starship heavy rocket got off the ground and seems to have done everything right (including blowing up in a deliberate ball of fire at the end). In space entertainment news, a new show similar to For All Mankind called Star City starts next week, but it’s the space race from the alternative…

  • Weekly Paint Progress: 5/21/2026

    Previous floating buffalo: This is the progress: He was originally: .

  • Once in a lifetime work ensemble

    It was 65 degrees outside today, which means it was 55 degrees inside of the TeddyJ building. Cold. It was also a week before Memorial Day and white pants one size smaller just came in the mail. Hot. So for the only time ever in history I was the first person to pair a heavy…

  • ER adventure

    Gary woke me up at midnight last night and insisted I get out of bed and sit down in the chair because he had concerning health news. “I have pulmonary edema.” he intoned. [SPOILER. It was not. (SPIwn for short.)] He clarified that he just lay down for bed and water gushed out of his…

  • Gary is pithy and wise

    When I have blind spots, Gary’s take always surprises me. Like he said, “Ellen, sometimes bad people lie to make themselves look good. And sometimes good people lie to make themselves look better. And those aren’t the same thing.” I mean right there, that bought him another six months of marriage.

  • TWIL: Women are exhausting but wonderful

    For a variety of reasons I have met more women this month than any other month of my life. I mean hundreds of women. And somehow they’re all like me. It is also exhausting. I felt like I was in a hall of mirrors with infinite copies of my flattering, over-sharing self stretching into the…

  • Bad day at the doctor

    So I went to the neurologist’s office to work out exactly why I seem to be spinning up these false memories. I saw the physician’s assistant, who said one concerning thing. At one point well into it he said, “But you’re smiling and happy. You don’t look like you’re depressed.” My response, when I collected…