Does Not Work & Play Well With Others
May. 29th, 2026 03:10 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mallorys_cameraI was in a fretful mood all day yesterday for a totally banal and superficial reason: Big Fruit Company updated my phone IOS without my permission, leaving me with a whole bunch of weird-looking icons and alien camera settings.
FUCK THIS.
And yeah, I know—first world problems.
###
In the early evening, I had to do a New Paltz Community Garden volunteer stint (they're not really volunteer stints since you have to do them), which involved painting new plot number signs so the Border Patrol that does those awful monthly rounds can know who to send their ding messages to. (Dear Patrizia, Ding! we noticed you have a single black garbage bag on your premises Ding! As you know, we are a 100% organic garden with no tolerance for plastics of any sort Ding! PLUS you need General Tidying of odds & ends not actively being used in gardening Ding!)
It was a Montessori session for grownups. Cans of poster paints! Brushes! Cans of water! Twenty or so progressive gardeners, trending toward the female geezer range but with a few non-threatening males and a scattering of be-nose-ringed and be-eyebrow-piercing-ed Gen Z-ers thrown in for the sake of diversity. Herbal teas and non-gluten cupcakes.
I was filled with righteous hatred for these people!
I wanted to slap every last one of them!
Of course, I knew I was reacting outrageously, so immediately clamped down on all feedback loops 'cause just the sight of them brought out my inner MAGA, and I was afraid of lashing out.
Amazing how strong my reaction was, honestly. I mean, all they're trying to do is make the world a better place, right? True, they are utterly humorless and bland, but is humor really the hill I'm prepared to die on?
Maybe it was just the fretful mood and the I-fuckin'-hate-this-phone-IOS fallout.
###
Meanwhile, good things are happening—like yesterday, I wrote my way out of a major conundrum in the Work in Progress, and the light at the end of the Chapter 7 tunnel is so bright, I may actually finish the rough draft of that chapter today.
My knee feels better.
And also, this morning, the first of Ichabod's garden gnomes arrived. (One more is coming next week plus a couple of pink flamingos.) And a selfie stick! 'Cause I was whining pathetically on Tuesday about my inability to take good selfies.
If I practice enough, I may even learn to do selfies without my neck veins popping!
FUCK THIS.
And yeah, I know—first world problems.
###
In the early evening, I had to do a New Paltz Community Garden volunteer stint (they're not really volunteer stints since you have to do them), which involved painting new plot number signs so the Border Patrol that does those awful monthly rounds can know who to send their ding messages to. (Dear Patrizia, Ding! we noticed you have a single black garbage bag on your premises Ding! As you know, we are a 100% organic garden with no tolerance for plastics of any sort Ding! PLUS you need General Tidying of odds & ends not actively being used in gardening Ding!)
It was a Montessori session for grownups. Cans of poster paints! Brushes! Cans of water! Twenty or so progressive gardeners, trending toward the female geezer range but with a few non-threatening males and a scattering of be-nose-ringed and be-eyebrow-piercing-ed Gen Z-ers thrown in for the sake of diversity. Herbal teas and non-gluten cupcakes.
I was filled with righteous hatred for these people!
I wanted to slap every last one of them!
Of course, I knew I was reacting outrageously, so immediately clamped down on all feedback loops 'cause just the sight of them brought out my inner MAGA, and I was afraid of lashing out.
Amazing how strong my reaction was, honestly. I mean, all they're trying to do is make the world a better place, right? True, they are utterly humorless and bland, but is humor really the hill I'm prepared to die on?
Maybe it was just the fretful mood and the I-fuckin'-hate-this-phone-IOS fallout.
###
Meanwhile, good things are happening—like yesterday, I wrote my way out of a major conundrum in the Work in Progress, and the light at the end of the Chapter 7 tunnel is so bright, I may actually finish the rough draft of that chapter today.
My knee feels better.
And also, this morning, the first of Ichabod's garden gnomes arrived. (One more is coming next week plus a couple of pink flamingos.) And a selfie stick! 'Cause I was whining pathetically on Tuesday about my inability to take good selfies.
If I practice enough, I may even learn to do selfies without my neck veins popping!
no subject
Date: 2026-05-29 09:03 pm (UTC)My bff
Anyway. I guess next time bring hotdogs to the mandatory volunteer stint. (I'm reminded of how at the local grocery co-op they can't call it volunteer hours because of labor laws, they have to call it "time commitment").
Yay gnomes!
no subject
Date: 2026-05-29 11:15 pm (UTC)As for the other stuff - I'm glad your knee feels better and that the writing seems to be going well.
no subject
Date: 2026-05-30 06:00 am (UTC)Glad your knee is feeling better and HOORAY for those bright, shining writing lights that encourage you onward.
no subject
Date: 2026-05-30 11:00 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-05-30 11:00 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-05-30 11:05 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-05-30 12:10 pm (UTC)