Dispatches from Stinkbug Manor

What’s going on? Things are falling apart. Things are building. I’ll try to to explain.

Some Not so Great Things

OK, I’ll admit that the Lstrs have had a bad run as of late.

1. First (and worst) my Uncle Jim died last week. Uncle Jim’s obituary, prepared by the funeral home, was rote and factually incorrect. He deserves better.

I reserve the right, in a future project, to take a more in-depth look at Uncle Jim’s history. There is nothing scandalous there, I am sure (or hope), but I realize that my family doesn’t do a very good job with preserving our history. Take a look at the thread for a few dashed off thoughts and impressions.

2. Aly jacked up her knee while skiing. We tried to get a last day of slushy skiing at mountain so close it isn’t even in the Poconos. She caught a bad patch of terrain and her right ski slowed while the rest of her flew onward. The cheap rental bindings refused to give way, so she…jacked up her knee. She won’t need surgery, but she’ll be on the DL for the foreseeable future. She’s the one with a job, so we’ll need to find safer activities for her.

3. The Daughter broke her nose. She had a bad run of stitches and accidents a few years back, but we’ve been doing well all through her teens. A rambunctious ten year-old headbutted her schnozz while she was volunteering the weekend before last. We have an appointment for schnozzal realignment this morning.

4. I’m still gainfully funemployed. Fortunately, I have a client I consult for regularly, and I still have some unemployment left over for the weeks I don’t work. Some stability would be good right now, but I am grateful for what I have.

Some Good Things

1. Scouts seems to be going well. I’m Scoutmaster for The Daughter’s Troop. She’s made First Class despite officially having “No Interest” in ranks and stuff. The Son is doing well, having stalled out somewhere between Star and Life. Having summer camp to look forward to is a positive.
2. I’ve picked up exercise again. Went for a brief run moments ago, in fact. Admittedly, trying to put on a suit for Uncle Jim’s funeral was a wake up call. Also, I shaved. If I want to write for a living, I can’t be both bearded and fat–that’s not exactly standing out in the crowd.
3. I have a client, so every so often I can forgo an unemployment check, which is good for the soul.
4. I Think Like Midnight has released an album. It is different in a good way. A little more electronic. A little dreamier. Good music for bad times. I promise I’ll review it later this week.
5. Speaking of music, I re-discovered Ultima Thule, an ambient music show out of Australia, on Mixcloud. It was my go-to for plane music when I traveled for work (Wu-Tang in the airport, Ultima Thule in the air). I now get most of my music out of Bandcamp and Mixcloud it would seem. I’m looking to divorce myself from the Apple ecosystem, so this seems like the natural direction.