Stuff that was clearly saved from their wedding. The one that kind of got to me was a little bottle of Seagram's gin in a display cabinet in the living room along with a bunch of statuettes and things. It has a little pink ribbon around it and a tag with their names on it and little hearts and the date. I wonder if they maybe they had them on the tables at the reception and kept one to remember. Whatever, there's definitely a story behind it, and they had to leave it behind when they got the boot. But that's more of a story for the Not Happy thread. Maybe we need a maudlin sentimentality thread for it, actually.
Not sure whether this should go in the Happiness Thread or the Not Happy thread, but as a 'umanist I decided that "funerals" are a celebration of a life and shouldn't be sad occasions, so it's here! Anyway; I had been going to take part in an illuminated flotilla through central London on Saturday week to celebrate HMQ's 70th Jubilee - I have just heard that the event is still going ahead "with due reverence on the passing of HM Queen as a fitting expression of the river communities' sadness at the passing of Her Majesty the Queen" I think there are seventy vessels taking part (for obvious reasons...), parading "down through central London from Chelsea to Tower Bridge. All craft will be decorated in white lights which will reflect on the water’s surface, creating a river of light. With this being the River Thames’ first night-time flotilla, the event will merge light and dark, working in harmony and unison with the superb Illuminated River display, as well as with the lit buildings and structures bordering the banks of the Thames." I will be crewing on a neighbour's boat so don't have to do any of the serious navigating stuff, and should be able to enjoy the evening to the full. I am hugely excited to be taking part in something which, even though I am saddened that she didn't live to see it, will celebrate and commemorate the life of a truly great and remarkable monarch; may she rest in well-deserved peace.
Since I bitched about beta readers in the Not Happy thread, it's only right I acknowledge the opposite experience. Not only did one beta reader get back to me with feedback for the first nine chapters of my novel, he provided audio reviews for each one. It was valuable in its critcisms and suggestions and not only that, he seems to enjoy what I have so far
Football is back! Not just NFL and college, but all the local high schools. There's one a few blocks from my house, and I can hear the PA announcer and the cheerleaders from my balcony. Can't think of a better narration for Fall, though the local team seems to go three and out a lot.
Don't know if this rightly belongs in the Happiness thread or the Unhappiness thread -- or maybe the "What the hell was I thinking?" thread. The assistant pastor of my church is Latino, and he's there to minister to the growing Latino component of the congregation. His English is, well ... limited. A couple of years ago he mentioned that he wanted to write a book but he wanted to publish it in English, and your humble servant foolishly volunteered to translate and edit it. He sent me the final draft a couple of weeks ago, and I met him for lunch on Sunday to discuss it. He's overjoyed at my translation (which falls into the "Damned by faint praise" category, since the good Padre has no idea if my translation is accurate or grammatically correct), which is about 45% finished. I also had taken a few minutes to mock up a cover design, and he loved that, too. And then he hit me with it: "When 'we' finish this book, I have ideas for several more projects that 'we' can work on." I should have remembered the U.S. Army mantra: "NEVER VOLUNTEER."
"I've enjoyed working with you, and regret that due to other pressing obligations, I won't have time to collaborate in the future. I do wish you the best of luck with your future projects." Good deeds rarely go unpunished. Please accept a heartfelt round of applause for your noble undertaking. I doubt your pastor has a clue how large a gift he has been given.
The autumnal air hit this morning and finally killed my car battery, which might be cause for unhappiness but the joy I feel at the weather change is boundless. I love it so much.
Fall is here, and it's a beautiful day for an outdoor music festival with a friend. And if it gets a little cool as the sun goes down, we'll just have to dance some more to stay warm
Holy shit, Snacktime is amazing! Local Philly funk/r&b/rap band that's taking the scene by storm, and now that I've seen them live, I know why. If you love to dance, check them out! I am sweating so hard right now...
Six years ago (mid-2016, I just looked up the original computer file date) my friend, the assistant pastor of my church, approached me with an idea for a book he wanted to write. He's Latino, and doesn't speak or write English at a level of fluency nearly good enough for a book, so I volunteered to help him translate the Spanish manuscript into English, and to touch it up with a light edit. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. It is now more than six years into the project. The book has gone though multiple rewrites -- which, of course, meant multiple translations -- but what he told me is the final draft has now been translated, the English version has been edited, and both the English and Spanish versions have been formatted for upload to Amazon KDP. Oh, and I also designed the cover. Yay! Maybe now I can get back to work on my own projects.
It has been a good day today. So much so that I treated myself to a salmon bento box but this note i discovered in my staff mailbox was the icing on the cake:
Awww! Where do you buy your moondust? My happiness for today: last night, I thought my dear old dog girl might not be here when I awoke. This morning, she is sitting at my feet and looking much better than she did last night. Every day with her has been and continues to be a gift.
I am also experiencing some pet-related happiness at the moment. I wish our animals could stay with us just a little longer than they typically do. Best wishes to you and your pup. My cat was very sick the Thursday before last and it looked like it might be the end. I thought it might have been a one-time poisoning, or maybe an allergy, so I stopped feeding her the last thing she had before becoming very ill. She was fine for a couple days, but then started vomiting again and became listless and unresponsive once more. I booked an at-home vet appointment, but the first availability was this coming Friday, so I needed to figure something out in the interim. Based on the symptoms, I feel fairly certain that it has to be diabetes. Thank goodness for Google. I removed all dry food and have only been giving her canned, which is very low in carbs, maybe 3%. It's only a very slight inconvenience putting out food a couple times per day, as before I could just leave out unlimited dry food, and she instinctively knew the proper amount to eat. She has always maintained an ideal cat weight on her own. The results in just three days have been incredible. I haven't seen her with such energy for a long time. She has initiated playfighting and even chased string for a few minutes. She sleeps a lot less now. She must have been sick for weeks, months, and I just assumed it was a normal part of her aging. I feel bad for not even considering that she might be ill until she was nearly at death's door. Has always been healthy, can jump pretty high, never had to go to the vet. Definitely still going to keep the appointment as I want a diagnosis, and it's possible treatment is still needed. I thought the end was finally coming, but I might have a couple more years left with my old kitty.
What good news about your kitty, Set2Stun! Cats can experience acute diabetes. One of my black cats, now meowing on the other side of the Rainbow Bridge, had diabetes for almost a year, then recovered as unexpectedly as she became ill. My farm collie also developed diabetes, became blind, but despite it all lived to be fifteen or sixteen years old. I am an expert in giving dogs and cats diabetes shots. Another of our dogs (we have three) got sick last night but seems better today, as does the elderly dog. The latter has lost weight over the last few months and between that and her illness a couple of nights ago, I'm going to make an appointment with the vet for a checkover.
It's alive! I nudged the agent who requested a full manuscript from me in early summer. Figured it had been rejected and forgotten by now, but I got an email back from her in less than 12 hours saying it was the mext manuscript in her reading queue. Hope springs eternal.
