squidgestatus

Methinks I've contracted a chest cold, or a head cold, feels like a chest cold. Lovely, I need to get blood work done on Thursday, and have a virtual appointment on Friday. I'll just wear a mask on Thursday. Also, apparently for most of this week.

I blame Breaking Bad, whose been under the weather of late. Or the subway.
God knows.

I did not go protest in the No Kings Protests yesterday, outside of the fact that I was feeling poorly and not sleeping well, so exhausted, plus digestive issues (one does not march with digestive issues in a huge city with no easily accessible bathrooms - it's just not done), and bum knees, with a sciatic nerve. The people doing it in their walkers, just protested outside of their homes on the sidewalk, not quite the same thing.

Not that I feel guilty or anything. (well maybe a little).

The official count is 12.1 million. Palantir is collecting data for the evil Empire (aka Trump Administration and his Republican cronies), so various sources have put up protections and aren't re-posting videos, photos, or addresses any longer. Things are starting to get heated in the US, and I'm not quite sure where its headed. I most likely have the same news resources that you all have, so we're kind of in it together?

Between the chest congestion, digestive issues, lack of sleep, sciatic nerve, and the news...I've fallen into a malaise of sorts and am finding it difficult to concentrate. As a result, I didn't get any of the things I intended to do - done this weekend. Oh well, I did at least do some exercises, took out the trash, and got a lot of water. (The water went out in my building on Friday night, so I went and picked up some.)

Did finish watching a few things of note:

1. Dept. Q on Netflix. Will it get a second season? Forbes thinks so, since Netflix submitted it for the Emmy's and doesn't tend to do that otherwise - also it got a good reception. But honestly, it's Netflix, so who knows?
It's a mixed bag, and I agree with the critics. Excellent performances, Mathew Good is rather brilliant in it, as is the rest of the cast. But, like most of these mystery series - it spends far too much time on the convoluted sadistic Case of the Arc or Lost Case, and not enough on the other mysteries. ( Read more... )

That said? Compelling characters, and I want to see more of them, and I liked them. Also I want more of the series. So...I was like all of the other critics willing to handwave the Lost Case.

2. Season 2 of My Buffy Re-watch

Take aways? Becoming Part II is a lot better than Becoming Part I, mainly for the Spike, Buffy, and Joyce scenes. Also the Drusilla, Jenny, Angel and Giles scenes. It's a lot more fun, and a little less on the campy/cheesy side.
( See more )

3. Murderbot I'm about five episodes in? Saw the latest at any rate, and kept falling asleep during it. It's a slow series. The books were too.
It's funny, but there's too much time spent on the space opera parody that the Murderbot is a fan of. Yes, yes, I get what the writers are doing there, but a little parody goes a long ways. I kept going to sleep.

4. Andor - it's almost too political for its own good. And convoluted. Reminds me a little of the second of the Star Wars prequels, which was also very political. I'm enjoying it, but my attention kept drifting today during it, which again may be due to an overall lack of focus on my part.

***

In the 60sF/10sC, wet and rainy. I've stayed in, since I'm a bit under the weather and tired. I'm supposed to go on a tour of Grand Central tomorrow with the big headhoncho, but I may cancel and just hide in my cubicle.
This chest cold is threatening to be annoying. Maybe it's just allergies?

Good news, is it is a short work week. I have Thursday and Friday off. So just have to somehow get through Monday through Wed.

On the day that a wannabe king held a military parade (allegedly) in favor of his seventy-ninth birthday [in reality it was for the Army's 250th Birthday and the army was in very poor spirits, shuffling down the road - they also protested in their own way by marching to Creedence Clearwater's Fortunate Son] - across the United States, in all fifty states and territories, and in and around Europe inclusive of London, Paris, Frankfurt, Berlin, etc, people marched and protested against the wannabe king, and all dictatorships, fascism and kings, peacefully, side by side, carrying signs and singing songs in protest. Shouting so all could be heard: This is what Democracy Looks Like!

Over 11 million [ETA: actual headcount is now 12.1 Million] or 3.5% of the overall population showed up in the US alone [as reported by Alt National Parks and those who counted on the ground and provided reports as they happened - they use drones, and handcounters apparently, and multiple by size of crowd and square footage of the area], more than any other protest on record in the United States. They marched in solidarity and peacefully. Waving signs. They marched in the rain. It was pouring in New York City and in the sixities. They marched in scorching heat, across the Southwest and in California and in Florida, and Mississippi, and Texas. Veterans marched up the Capital Steps, and elderly women from nursing homes came out in their wheelchairs and canes and walkers, to march in their small communities. They stood on sidewalks in Metropolitan DC waving signs, and along highways, in towns. They formed signs with their bodies along the beaches of California. And in Mountain Towns they shouted down the slopes. They came out in droves. Filling city blocks for as far the eye could see.

All chanting. No Kings. Impeach. Remove. This is What Democracy Looks Like.

From sea to shining sea. Every single State across the country showed up and protested the wannabe king. Every one.

While very few attended the military parade, which had prepared for 200,000 and got maybe 10,000 [ETA:8,900 was the official count, don't trust the broadcast news media - they are lying. It was 8,900.] if that. And many were people protesting it, discreetly.

NYC outdid itself, with about 25,000 by 9 am, after noon, it had risen to well over 50,000, among the largest protests in its history astonishing those who've gone to them. San Francisco got creative and made Human Banner that can be seen from the sky ...



The police stood silently by. Some helped and marched with them.



They protested in small towns across America. They protested on Long Island. They protested in Alaska. They protested in Boise, and they protested in Grand Rapids. They protested in Arizona and in Texas. They protested in Nashville, Tennessee, and Talahassee, Florida. They protested in Red States and in Blue States. They came out rain or shine.

The people came and stood shoulder to shoulder, shouting and waving signs.
No Kings! No Kings! No ICE! Everyone is legal here! This is what true Democracy Looks Like!

And those of us who watched, cheered them on, and were there in spirit if not in body.

Links:

NBC NEWS - No Kings Day Protests

ABC NEWS - No Kings

https://www.lohud.com/story/news/2025/06/14/livestream-video-of-no-kings-protests-from-across-the-us-how-to-watch/84200645007/

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/no-kings-day-demonstration-protest-rally-trump-military-parade/

ETA:Mid-year estimates: U.S. pop is 345,275,807. Which puts 12 million at 3.5 percent. (If 3.5% of the population protests continuously, studies state they win. )

ETA:*Note a No Kings Rally wasn't held in Washington DC - and held instead in Philly, which had over 100K show up. Also people did protest in DC, they stood on the sidewalks holding signs in the Metropolitan Area, and some went to the parade to protest discreetly, but bravely, making their voices heard.

ETA: per the headcounters in their towns - posting on FB, it's reliable. They were on the ground and counting and got it from their local outlets.
( the headcount in various cities, towns and villages across the US for the protests - pretty much all the towns and cities came out to protest on Saturday, regardless of weather. Do not trust the broadcast networks - they are run by corporations. )

Hamilton is playing in the background.

The lyrics feel ironic now. More so then they did in 2015, which is saying something I guess.

Particularly the Mad King's refrains.

I've considered getting tickets to see it live. But I'm not sure I can sit for three hours in those seats?

Slept fitfully at best. Sciatica down both legs was bothering me due to IBS issues. Doctor referred me to physical therapy - but there's little a physical therapist can do about a sciatica resulting from IBS and knee issues resulting from arthritis. (I should know - I've seen physical therapists five to six times, about every five years it seems, sometimes every two. Not even sure my insurance will cover it now.) I know which exercises to do. I have six different analgesic creams. No, my problem is IBS, which has pretty much always been my problem.

I feel this need, after being on various social media platforms this morning and yesterday, to remind folks to be mindful, to be kind, and just because they can walk about and march and protest, doesn't mean everyone can or feels capable of it. There's something about posting on the internet that brings the self-righteous bully out in folks? I get that we may to persuade everyone to join us? But be mindful that not everyone can do the same things.

Found this excellent piece of advice on Face Book:



Yesterday, while taking my walk at lunch - largely to walk out the sciatic nerve and cricks in my knees and legs - I stumbled upon a large crowd hollering and clapping and cheering in front of the Staten Island Ferry Terminal. This area attracts a lot of New York Street Performers - due to the fact that it is a large and for the most part unencumbered plaza.

So I found a portion of the crowd that was rather thin, and less rambunctious, and peer through the people to see what was happening. At the center of the crowd was a little girl, pale freckled skin, pink palsy shirt, and jeans, bent over and very still. Brownish blond hair sweeping down on either side of her face. She moved every once and a while, to lift her head. People were clapping near her, and there was a line of white men of varying sizes and ages lined up in her realm of vision - they may have been family members, most had beards, and were relatively young and sturdy and looked for the most part like tourists. Next to them was a man with dreadlocks, dark skin, and bright colored red and orange and black t-shirt and shorts, clapping and getting them to clap as well. As the crowd complied and clapped as well, cheering, music roared to life, and then another man in dreadlocks and a similar outfit, ran and did an acrobatic flip over the little girl's head.

I cringed, and walked away. Unsettled. I'm certain they wouldn't hit her - or come close. She's probably perfectly safe. But I found the whole thing oddly unsettling all the same.

Off to do stuff. Here's a picture: