Category: Crankypantsing

Crankypantsing, News & Politics, Photography

Stumpside

Shelly

100_4047
Stump, Owen County, Indiana

Clean up, as I said, was kind of a bitch. More like friggin’ unbelievable, actually. The place was flea infested (and so is my apartment, now, thankyouverymuch) and filthy. More of a toxic waste site than a home. Dirty clothes, used dishes, and toys lay in an ankle-deep, wall-to-wall carpet on the floor. The beds reeked of urine and were covered with cigarette butts and ashes. The sinks and toilets were encrusted with a thick layer of grime that, in at least one case, had sprouted a colony of maggots. The electricity was shut off in early June, which meant there was no pump for water. The family–including three small children–was bathing in pond water. Thankfully, CPS stepped in when the kids got staph infections and told them they had to move out immediately.

It was like something out of a horror film. I think my skin is going to be crawling for the next few days.

As I was was bagging up trash, I came across a cache of used Pampers that had been tossed into a corner of the bathroom. I caught myself thinking, for the umpteenth time, that these people were disgusting pigs. And then I immediately felt horrible. No one–and I mean no one–deserves to live like that. These people desperately needed help. They were in over their heads and didn’t have the resources or skills to get out. Every time I hear someone complain about lazy welfare mothers getting pregnant just so they can scam the system, I’m going to think of this family, and about the stingy, judgmental assholes who insist that being poor is a moral failing.

Crankypantsing

Excuse Me, Can I Park My Giant, Wooden Horse Here?

Shelly

Have you ever been totally and completely boggled at the holes in others’ education? Yesterday, a coworker was searching for an AWOL book that a patron had requested be rush cataloged. The book? The Iliad. My coworker, armed with a printout of the catalog record, began to describe the book to me.

Coworker: It’s 600 pages.
Me: Yes, I know. I’ve read it about umpty times.
Coworker: Oh. Um.
Me: It’s good.
Coworker: It says it’s poetry. [Inconceivable that someone would read 600 pages of poetry!]
Me: It’s an epic poem. [Hmmm. Does she know what “epic” means?]
Coworker: [Looking at the bib record.] What’s the Trojan War?
Me: [Gobsmacked] I don’t think I can help you.

How?! How does that happen?! How can someone never have heard of the Trojan war, Homer, or The Iliad?

Marginalia
Kalypso, from The Odyssey of Homer, translated by Richard Lattimore, 1991.

My copy of The Iliad is even more marked up than The Odyssey.

And, speaking of the Trojan war and people who appear to be completely ignorant of even the most famous parts of the story (via Got Medieval):

Crankypantsing

Happy Damned Tuesday!

Shelly

I got to see most of the eclipse this morning, but not all of it. It was just starting when I took Harriet out for her morning walk. The moon had a thin little slice off the top left edge. By the time I got to work, it was almost completely eclipsed. A huge group of construction workers were standing out in the parking lot, watching it, which I thought was pretty cool.

In other news, I swear there will be some sort of art tonight, even if it kills me. I have been even more useless than usual since I got back from Minnesota, and that has to stop.

In other other news, the film for my Holga arrived yesterday. Wheee! I loaded the camera and will try to get at least a roll shot before the weekend.

In ridiculous news, I somehow managed to sprain my ankle. I think I must have sat down with my foot under me, like ya’ do, and popped something out of place. Then, when I stood up, the out-of-place bit got stressed. Ow! It hurt like hell the first night, was poppy and stiff yesterday (didn’t want to flex or twist, so going down stairs or around corners was fun), and is only a little bit sore today.

In so-amazing-it’s-almost-unbelievable news, Mr. Upstairs has finally figured out how to be (mostly) quiet. His television has not blared in weeks, and I have not noticed him indulging in any 2am cleaning binges. If he has, he’s constrained himself to quietly hand-washing his dishes and sweeping his floor, instead of using the dishwasher and hoovering. He does still hit the treadmill at about my bedtime, but honestly, it’s such a huge overall improvement that I’m not even bothered by that. Well done, Mr. Upstairs!

Crankypantsing, Pets

Flakey

Shelly

The students are back. Woe is me. Fighting the waves of barbarian hordes at Target on the Friday before classes start is a Very Bad Idea. On the plus side, I found a mixed nuts variety I actually like (pistachio, almond, walnut, hazelnut, pecan, and peanut, but no disgusting Brazil nuts!). On the minus side, I forgot fish food, so I had to go back and do it all over again on Saturday. On that trip, I remembered to pick up butter, but guess what I forgot? So I get to go to Target yet again. Hopefully, I’ll remember fish food this time! It’s a good thing the aquarium kit I bought had a trial package of TetraMin flakes.

Crankypantsing, Photography

Holga

Shelly

Holga Alley
Holga Alley by Jason Armstrong, published under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic license

Kill me now! They’ve been drilling and sawing on the outside of the building all summer, but this week, they finally got around to doing our section. Why couldn’t they have done it while I was out of town? The constant grinding and jack-hammering noise is about to drive me over the crazy event horizon. And then there’s the fine limestone dust that is seeping in through the cracks along the windows. I began sneezing about an hour after they started work this morning, and my eyes have been stinging and watering. This cannot be a good thing! If I die of limestone lung, do you think my family could sue the university?

And with that, I shall attempt to refrain from further crankypantsing. Otherwise, I’ll go on and on and on and on, and no one needs to be subjected to that.

In fun news (for me): I ordered five rolls of 120 Fujifilm Neopan 100 Acros black and white film yesterday, so I can finally play with my Holga. I’ve been cruising Flickr for Holga photos, and I just couldn’t stand it any longer. My film should be here next week. Wheee! In the meantime, if I get inspired, I might try loading it with 35mm film. I need a couple of pieces of foam, though, to cushion the film canister. I wonder if memory foam would work? I also need to get up off my butt and play with my pinhole camera. That would be the simplest and cheapest toy right this minute, because it needs no modification and it can take 35mm film (of which I have a metric butt-load).