OK.. so...point 9 hot sauce. 🔥. Its great when a stranger introduces you to something and you carry it with you. I love interactions like this. Whether it's words of wisdom or the best ever hot sauce by a kind human that goes that step beyond to fulfil a request. In my case it was instant coffee..also medical advice by a kind Irish couple in Norway and a few words on a youtube video by a Misha Collins.(won't bore you with details...) You never know what suggestion or advice given in a random conversation will stay with another and have a forever impact. 🫶❤️
How cool is that wall mounted connect 4. I didn't know it existed, and must get one.
About the origin of words, Tom Read Wilson posts a word of the day daily on most socials. Along with a Sunday Shakespeare sonnet. We'll worth a look-see.
Some recent documentaries I recommend (most of these premiered at Sundance this year and are currently doing the rounds of international documentary film festivals, but they should show up on PBS or get limited big screen or streaming releases soon. Check your local listings/subscription services?)
'Mary Oliver: Saved By the Beauty of the World' (2026, directed by Sasha Waters)
For August 2026 I recommend: The Sealey Challenge (thesealeychallenge.com), the new PWBL (Professional Women's Baseball League, womensprobaseballleague.com), this excellent person (and fellow Emily, hi @emilyfarallon!) who has set herself the mission of picking up one million pieces of litter and is documenting her epic clean-up adventure here: instagram.com/millionlittlepieces_/ and the Superhumans Center in Ukraine (https://superhumans.com/en/) which operates three centres (in Lviv, Odesa and Dnipro) that offer free reconstructive surgery, prosthetics, rehabilitation and support to adults and children who have lost limbs due to Russian attacks since 2022.
As a teen, I used to lie out in my yard with a bean bag chair and a blanket, watching entire lunar eclipses by myself. I've always been fascinated by astronomy and anything to do with space. I even took astronomy in college to satisfy one of my science requirements.
I also had the privilege of experiencing the total solar eclipse across North America in 2024. I took the day off work, grabbed my eclipse glasses, and drove by myself from my home in western Massachusetts to Plattsburgh, NY, so I could be in the path of totality. I booked a campsite and camped in my car the night before to make sure I'd be there in time.
For the eclipse itself, I joined hundreds of people at Plattsburgh City Beach. Sharing such an awe-inspiring moment with a crowd of my nearest complete strangers was unexpectedly emotional. It's one of the most incredible things I've ever experienced, and I highly recommend it if you ever have the opportunity.
Etymology is so cool!!! Did you know that historial linguists can use something kind of like etymology to trace language families back for a lot longer than we have written records! Google Proto-Indo European if you want to find out more, it’s a really good place to start the rabbit hole! (Not-so-fun fact: the Indo-European language family used to be called the Aryan language family, which is where the evil square mustache man got that from. It was originally a linguistic term and then the Nazis turned it into a race thing)
.. and deepest “Thanks” for removing the AnteSocial moratorium on swearing !
The “G-rating” rule from the community standards page was …bridling at best.
The intention of a safe harbor from the violence of the internet is important and appreciated but having one’s tongue forced wrapped into a burqa for ‘our own protection” was disturbing. By definition, “mothers” are living at the very least PG-rated lives.
It’s good to present oneself dapperly when greeting the return of the source. As you stand open and receptive, in your fine fanboy regalia of golden bow tie and suspenders… your feet cloaked as usual in the dust of the earth but now, also clad in sneaks the color of an impossibly blue, high desert sky.
Do you remember the 90’s film “Farinelli”, when the king commands him to sing the sun back to the world from an eclipse ?
I love the August recommendations list, especially the items about enthimology and swearing (thanks Ren, I fucking love your swearing girl!🫶).
Unfortunately I have to take a pause this month, as I'm dealing with a bit of a health issue. By some (un)fortunate happenstance they found a small tumor in my kidney and I need to have surgery to have it removed. So August is a bit of a bust but I hope to be back in the game in September.
Have a fun August and Misha enjoy your birthday! 💙
Thanks for the hug Kate, that's so sweet of you! 🥹 Yes, it's a scare but thankfully they caught it early. It's not mestasised (had another ct scan last week to confirm), a laparascopic surgery will be all that's needed. I have a doctor's appointment next week to assess how it'll be done and set the date for later this month. If all goes well I won't need any further treatment.
4) It's crazy that it's the size of your pinky nail! Another 1 that's that small is the Irukandji & you wanna avoid it like the plague. Its sting is deadly. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irukandji_jellyfish
5) Sounds like a cool book. I added it to the recommends for Book Club. I love historical fiction. I'm reading 1 called North and South by John Jakes. It takes place during the American Civil War. I loved the mini-series w/ Patrick Swayze when I was a kid & had always wanted to read the books (it's a trilogy the other 2 are Love and War & Heaven and Hell). Cause of the time it takes place, there is a lot of racial language, but it's still a good story.
6) Funny story. The 1st time I cursed was when I was 3. I don't remember this, but my mom always told me this story. 1 day my parents & I were in a grocery store & some woman kept following us around & kept staring at me. I guess I finally got fed up w/ it cause I looked up at her & asked "What the fuck are you looking at?" According to my mom this lady's eyes got real big. I guess she'd never heard a 3 yr old curse at her before! 🤣
7) Yeah brains are weird. In 2001 I blacked out, I have no idea why. At that time I had just gotten a flu shot (which I suspect was the cause, but could've been other things). Fortunately my mom was w/ me. The last thing I remember was standing at the front desk waiting for my mom to pay the bill when everything just went black. And apparently I fell (& not like when you faint, but when you trip over something; from what I was told I went hurtling through a closed door), but I never felt myself hit the floor. I also had a horrible ringing in my ears. The next thing I know when I came to I was sitting on my bed with an ice pack on my elbow. Apparently I'd banged it pretty good when I fell. I had no idea how I got home...other than my mom brought me. And according to her (& my brother who was also w/ us) I acted normally. Like they didn't even notice anything was off w/ me. I walked to the car normally. I talked normally. The only thing out of character is I didn't turn on the radio which is something I always did...so that should've been a major red flag that something was wrong. It's like I left my body & it went on autopilot. I hate to imagine what would've happened had I been alone that day. I might've walked out into traffic & might not be here today.
8) We're getting a Lunar Eclipse on the 27th too.
9) That's pretty amazing that your waiter literally ran home to find that hot sauce for you. I don't mind a little spice, but if I eat something too spicy I get blisters on my tongue.
10) Yrs ago I was watching an anime (Detective Conan aka Case Closed...I think) & the characters were eating rice. The Japanese kanji for rice is similar to that of the 1 for the number 88 in that it uses the same symbols for both. 88 is 八十八 & rice is 米. According to Japanese folklore it takes 88 distinct steps or bundles of hard work to grow and harvest rice, linking the number 88 closely to the grain. So whenever I have anything w/ rice, I make sure to eat every single grain of it.
I didn’t realize Free Rice was still around! I used to play it all the time and then got out of the habit and forgot about it. I was very good at the vocabulary test
I still play FreeRice when I can't sleep. I've been aiming for ten million grains for a few years now. (I'm currently at just over 8.7million. The US state capitals category on FreeRice dot com is how I learned all the US state capitals despite not being American. If "what is the state capital of Idaho" ever comes up as a crossword clue I am ON IT.)
OK.. so...point 9 hot sauce. 🔥. Its great when a stranger introduces you to something and you carry it with you. I love interactions like this. Whether it's words of wisdom or the best ever hot sauce by a kind human that goes that step beyond to fulfil a request. In my case it was instant coffee..also medical advice by a kind Irish couple in Norway and a few words on a youtube video by a Misha Collins.(won't bore you with details...) You never know what suggestion or advice given in a random conversation will stay with another and have a forever impact. 🫶❤️
About the curse word I heard one the other day from a little child. "Sugar Honey Ice Tea". Idk. found it a bit funny, not sure it counts or is useable
How cool is that wall mounted connect 4. I didn't know it existed, and must get one.
About the origin of words, Tom Read Wilson posts a word of the day daily on most socials. Along with a Sunday Shakespeare sonnet. We'll worth a look-see.
Some recent documentaries I recommend (most of these premiered at Sundance this year and are currently doing the rounds of international documentary film festivals, but they should show up on PBS or get limited big screen or streaming releases soon. Check your local listings/subscription services?)
'Mary Oliver: Saved By the Beauty of the World' (2026, directed by Sasha Waters)
https://letterboxd.com/film/mary-oliver-saved-by-the-beauty-of-the-world/
'Jane Elliott Against the World' (2026, directed by Judd Ehrlich)
https://letterboxd.com/film/jane-elliott-against-the-world/
'Give Me the Ball!' (2026, directed by Liz Garbus and Elizabeth Wolff)
https://letterboxd.com/film/give-me-the-ball/
'Queen of Chess' (2026, directed by Rory Kennedy)
https://letterboxd.com/film/queen-of-chess/
'The Brittney Griner Story' (2026, directed by Alex Stapleton)
https://letterboxd.com/film/the-brittney-griner-story/
'Barbara Forever' (2026, directed by Brydie O'Connor)
https://letterboxd.com/film/barbara-forever/
'Paralyzed by Hope: The Maria Bamford Story' (2026, directed by Judd Apatow and Neil Berkeley)
https://letterboxd.com/film/paralyzed-by-hope-the-maria-bamford-story/
🎥
For August 2026 I recommend: The Sealey Challenge (thesealeychallenge.com), the new PWBL (Professional Women's Baseball League, womensprobaseballleague.com), this excellent person (and fellow Emily, hi @emilyfarallon!) who has set herself the mission of picking up one million pieces of litter and is documenting her epic clean-up adventure here: instagram.com/millionlittlepieces_/ and the Superhumans Center in Ukraine (https://superhumans.com/en/) which operates three centres (in Lviv, Odesa and Dnipro) that offer free reconstructive surgery, prosthetics, rehabilitation and support to adults and children who have lost limbs due to Russian attacks since 2022.
As a teen, I used to lie out in my yard with a bean bag chair and a blanket, watching entire lunar eclipses by myself. I've always been fascinated by astronomy and anything to do with space. I even took astronomy in college to satisfy one of my science requirements.
I also had the privilege of experiencing the total solar eclipse across North America in 2024. I took the day off work, grabbed my eclipse glasses, and drove by myself from my home in western Massachusetts to Plattsburgh, NY, so I could be in the path of totality. I booked a campsite and camped in my car the night before to make sure I'd be there in time.
For the eclipse itself, I joined hundreds of people at Plattsburgh City Beach. Sharing such an awe-inspiring moment with a crowd of my nearest complete strangers was unexpectedly emotional. It's one of the most incredible things I've ever experienced, and I highly recommend it if you ever have the opportunity.
Happy Birthday fellow Leos!
Etymology is so cool!!! Did you know that historial linguists can use something kind of like etymology to trace language families back for a lot longer than we have written records! Google Proto-Indo European if you want to find out more, it’s a really good place to start the rabbit hole! (Not-so-fun fact: the Indo-European language family used to be called the Aryan language family, which is where the evil square mustache man got that from. It was originally a linguistic term and then the Nazis turned it into a race thing)
Now do ‘etymology’ again, but recursively.
.. and deepest “Thanks” for removing the AnteSocial moratorium on swearing !
The “G-rating” rule from the community standards page was …bridling at best.
The intention of a safe harbor from the violence of the internet is important and appreciated but having one’s tongue forced wrapped into a burqa for ‘our own protection” was disturbing. By definition, “mothers” are living at the very least PG-rated lives.
KUDOS to you, Sir!
It’s good to present oneself dapperly when greeting the return of the source. As you stand open and receptive, in your fine fanboy regalia of golden bow tie and suspenders… your feet cloaked as usual in the dust of the earth but now, also clad in sneaks the color of an impossibly blue, high desert sky.
Do you remember the 90’s film “Farinelli”, when the king commands him to sing the sun back to the world from an eclipse ?
Belated happy birthday to your mom!
I love the August recommendations list, especially the items about enthimology and swearing (thanks Ren, I fucking love your swearing girl!🫶).
Unfortunately I have to take a pause this month, as I'm dealing with a bit of a health issue. By some (un)fortunate happenstance they found a small tumor in my kidney and I need to have surgery to have it removed. So August is a bit of a bust but I hope to be back in the game in September.
Have a fun August and Misha enjoy your birthday! 💙
Oh Loes! Come here, I’ll give you a vurtual hug!
Thanks for the hug Kate, that's so sweet of you! 🥹 Yes, it's a scare but thankfully they caught it early. It's not mestasised (had another ct scan last week to confirm), a laparascopic surgery will be all that's needed. I have a doctor's appointment next week to assess how it'll be done and set the date for later this month. If all goes well I won't need any further treatment.
Oh, It's good to hear that it was found at an early stage and without metastases. Fingers crossed for you🤞🫶
1) You 2 are adorable! 🥰💙 BTW I'm like Misha when I win at games. And I love Connect 4! I found a really fun game on Google Play. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.dunjegame.andrecastany.fourinarow
Another game I love is Dots & Boxes. IDK if either of you played that as a kid, but it's the 1 where you draw a grid of 7x7 dots & then make boxes from them. Most boxes wins. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.outofthebit.dots
2) That's really cool!
3) I found a book called Significant Etymology: Or, Roots, Stems, and Branches of the English Language by James Mitchell that might interest you Misha. https://play.google.com/store/books/details/James_Mitchell_Significant_Etymology?id=0OYOAAAAQAAJ
4) It's crazy that it's the size of your pinky nail! Another 1 that's that small is the Irukandji & you wanna avoid it like the plague. Its sting is deadly. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irukandji_jellyfish
5) Sounds like a cool book. I added it to the recommends for Book Club. I love historical fiction. I'm reading 1 called North and South by John Jakes. It takes place during the American Civil War. I loved the mini-series w/ Patrick Swayze when I was a kid & had always wanted to read the books (it's a trilogy the other 2 are Love and War & Heaven and Hell). Cause of the time it takes place, there is a lot of racial language, but it's still a good story.
6) Funny story. The 1st time I cursed was when I was 3. I don't remember this, but my mom always told me this story. 1 day my parents & I were in a grocery store & some woman kept following us around & kept staring at me. I guess I finally got fed up w/ it cause I looked up at her & asked "What the fuck are you looking at?" According to my mom this lady's eyes got real big. I guess she'd never heard a 3 yr old curse at her before! 🤣
7) Yeah brains are weird. In 2001 I blacked out, I have no idea why. At that time I had just gotten a flu shot (which I suspect was the cause, but could've been other things). Fortunately my mom was w/ me. The last thing I remember was standing at the front desk waiting for my mom to pay the bill when everything just went black. And apparently I fell (& not like when you faint, but when you trip over something; from what I was told I went hurtling through a closed door), but I never felt myself hit the floor. I also had a horrible ringing in my ears. The next thing I know when I came to I was sitting on my bed with an ice pack on my elbow. Apparently I'd banged it pretty good when I fell. I had no idea how I got home...other than my mom brought me. And according to her (& my brother who was also w/ us) I acted normally. Like they didn't even notice anything was off w/ me. I walked to the car normally. I talked normally. The only thing out of character is I didn't turn on the radio which is something I always did...so that should've been a major red flag that something was wrong. It's like I left my body & it went on autopilot. I hate to imagine what would've happened had I been alone that day. I might've walked out into traffic & might not be here today.
8) We're getting a Lunar Eclipse on the 27th too.
9) That's pretty amazing that your waiter literally ran home to find that hot sauce for you. I don't mind a little spice, but if I eat something too spicy I get blisters on my tongue.
10) Yrs ago I was watching an anime (Detective Conan aka Case Closed...I think) & the characters were eating rice. The Japanese kanji for rice is similar to that of the 1 for the number 88 in that it uses the same symbols for both. 88 is 八十八 & rice is 米. According to Japanese folklore it takes 88 distinct steps or bundles of hard work to grow and harvest rice, linking the number 88 closely to the grain. So whenever I have anything w/ rice, I make sure to eat every single grain of it.
11) I don't have access to a beach so I can't do this. I have seen some really cool sand sculptures. https://www.cnn.com/travel/gallery/sand-sculptures
I didn’t realize Free Rice was still around! I used to play it all the time and then got out of the habit and forgot about it. I was very good at the vocabulary test
I still play FreeRice when I can't sleep. I've been aiming for ten million grains for a few years now. (I'm currently at just over 8.7million. The US state capitals category on FreeRice dot com is how I learned all the US state capitals despite not being American. If "what is the state capital of Idaho" ever comes up as a crossword clue I am ON IT.)
Oh my Chuck, I love the game free rice! Seems I'm pretty good in English Vocabulary as a dutchie. 😍
Wishing your Mum a very Happy 80th birthday, with lots of celebrations 🥳🎂
Great challenge this month. 🫶
Thanks.
fun fact about me, i will always lose at connect four!