Just for funsies I checked the apartment I used to rent in college. In 2001 I rented it with my BFF for $475/month. It went up to $650 before we moved out in 2004.

The exact same apartment (with new laminate flooring) is $1475/month. Welcome to inflation (and why my college kids live with me).

The local teen program for English-speaking youth is offering an "early morning departure!" for a trip in a few weeks. The departure time is 8:30am. Most the teens going go to the local international schools that start at either 7:30 or 8am.

Early Morning means different things to them.

I just went to the dodgiest secondhand shop. It looked like a set for a crime drama. If it's not a front for something shady it's a missed opportunity.

But I got two suitcases, a blanket, and a cool purse for $30.

My writer lovelies:

If you are bored writing a story, drop it.

You need to love the story enough to read it hundreds of times, because that's what editing is. If you are bored writing it: go write something else.

Give yourself permission to quit.

#AmWriting #LianaEdits

I saw someone hyped about the news that crosses existed before Christianity and I just...

Do we start with a history lecture about what crosses were used for or do we start with mathematics and a discussion of intersections with city planning and map making?

"It looks like a hurricane hit the living room."

"Mmm, no. Only a tornado. There's no water on the floor."

"Yet."

#ThingsSaidInMyHouse #ItsCleaningWeek

Who here is watching #TheDouble because I need to TALK to someone about this. #Cdrama

It's okay not to have a favorite holiday as an adult. Or to not love your birthday party.

Find other things you love. Pick other days as your favorite.

Let yourself move on to a better future.

You can't shake off the trauma of childhood. You can address it. You can get counseling. You can recover. But you can't erase it. It's always part of your life and it will color your adulthood.

My memories from adulthood are shaped by those early memories. I'm sure there must have been some good holidays, but the majority of them were dominated by tragedy, abuse, or other trauma. I've had better experiences as an adult, but the shadow remains.

Someone asked me what my favorite holiday was and all my brain had was a flashing 404 - Data Not Found code.

I don't have happy holiday memories from my childhood. The happiest one was when I was six and got a microscope and a sled at the same holiday, but it still a traumatic memory.

Brazil's Christ The Redeemer statue is wearing a hanbok this week to celebrate an art exhibition taking place in Rio de Janeiro.

https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/2024-06-09/culture/koreanHeritage/Brazils-Christ-the-Redeemer-statue-dons-hanbok-for-Korean-culture-event/2064398

I still blame Byron for the idea that happiness is limiting and Real Men™ have Tragedy™ not joy. The idea that suffering is greater than happiness so much nonsense. But we live in world where people still think happily ever after is harder to achieve than a cold death and a shallow grave.

"Do you find it difficult to keep your personal space organized?"

No, but anyone walking into the room would think differently because the room is organized to my needs, not theirs.

#ADHD

I need #ADHD tests for adults to have options like "Do you have a system in place to deal with procrastination and delays?" or "Do you easily understand this kind of concept that others might consider complex?"

Questions like "Are you often late to things?" don't work on people who have a system.

It's Monday... let's do this.

It has been a very long day with a million moving pieces and the kind of news that usually derails someone but I can't be derailed by it because I have too many other moving parts.

With luck, this will be resolved by the end of the month and everyone will survive.

In the meantime... bed time.

I'm going to need #TheDouble to start dropping more episodes, please and thank you. #Cdrama

Q4U:
If there's an event in June and registration closes 31-March, how late would you try to register for the event?

If your answer is something like MARCH instead of 8-June, you're doing better than the person in my inbox.

Husband: I'm so glad the AC is fixed!

Me *in a sweater in front of the space heater contemplating getting a blanket*: Mmmhmmm. So nice.