Okay, loves. I'm getting the sillies out of my system for the next hour, before final, late-night revisions.

What is one spectacularly spooky thing you'd like to do this month?

I will accept all answers except "get my life in order": there's spooky, and then there's just plain freaky. 🙃 Save that weirdo nonsense for the new year!

*Finally* reaching the finish line on that arbitration piece for paid subscribers, + anti-memoir for Patreon, after which I'll get cracking on "cheery" stuff from the world of migration & mobility rights.

But in between I'd like to post a palate cleanser. Something from the world of cinema/TV? Colombia? Literature? Anything resembling hopeful news? 🤔

My OnlySky pieces this week will be on the climate crisis and SCOTUS, so... really, something lighter in the mix can't hurt! 🙃

Any preferences?

I grumble often enough about The Guardian's international coverage that it's only fair to highlight when they get it right.

This is a pared down but generally clear account of Argentina's 120% inflation crisis, & why the country is at high risk for a blow to democracy thanks to many internal choices made by other politicians.

I only disagree with the idea that IMF austerity conditions have any sound backing for improved nat'l health. Research usually finds the opposite.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/oct/01/the-guardian-view-on-argentinas-presidential-election-the-danger-to-democracy-is-real

Also, @JakeA will definitely get a chuckle out of this one, but I think many of us can relate. Happy spooky season, fellow nerds! #Comics (Oglaf)

Today's wee chat about ethical living within oppressive systems reminded me of a recent Oglaf comic - one of the rare PG ones! 😉 #Comics #Politics

Rain gentles all things
in its passing.

How much must
even the smallest blooms recall?

#Nature

Now this is super lovely. On my way to the park, I found a new art installation: an ode to the street cleaner in our neck of the woods. Her name is María, a lovely little Afrocolombiana lady who teases the local vendors for the trash their clients leave, and loves her Sunday rest with her granddaughter. We always hug when we see each other in the morning. I bet she hasn't seen this yet, but she'll be chuffed!

It's nice to know when one makes a difference. 💛 We all do, in our own way.

New month, new lightly rainy morning, new New Yorker Fiction Podcast (Lucinda Rosenfeld reading Annie Ernaux!).

Perfect conditions for a run. 💪🏻

Morning, CoSo. 💫
Here's hoping October will be kind.

Last one before bed:

I know fellows get fewer random compliments (for better & for worse: trust me, street harassment is stressful), so feel free to take one of these to the bank tonight:

1) You have a kind smile.
2) Your laugh lights up the room.
3) I love your arms; they look perfect for giving great hugs.
4) I could listen to you talk about Warhammer for hours.
5) Yes, you would totally be able to take on 100 preschoolers &/or one black bear.
6) Your beard is super nice.

Night, princes! 🤴

@BosmangBeratna

This is also a pre-Nov 19 shout-out to all the masc-presenting folks here (i.e., everyone experiencing that slice of societal gender toxicity):

I see so many posts here by fellows who are honouring their mental health needs, or trying to. Sometimes it comes out in complex ways - vet trauma, for example, can have odd tells - & sometimes it's clear there isn't much support closer to home.

But your presence with the hard work of well-being *is* seen, & *does* matter.

As do you.

Sometimes @BosmangBeratna is out there dropping pearls of wisdom with his YouTube shorts.

Other times he's just being adorkable, and reminding you to be adorkable, too.

How are you being goofy-true to the full and silly wonder that is you tonight?

Our #CoSonauts Rock
#MentalHealth #Wellness
https://youtube.com/shorts/ogE6DP6f5IE?si=2RVPAPMEzQuIqf8q

Man, life in an apartment complex can be pretty fun. So many nifty stories playing out with one's neighbours.

Today, I watched a new kid urged by their still-moving-in parents into the general play area, where other kids were enjoying a goofy Saturday night. The new kid said hi and introduced themself as new to the building, and in a heartbeat they were brought into some sort of chase game around the giant ceiba tree.

For insta-friendship like that as an adult... you kinda need a CoSo, eh? 😉

*Also, probably the only movie where getting "catfished" isn't a bad thing. 😂

I'm returning to a lovely film inspired by Thai Buddhist beliefs today. It's a cherished piece among film scholars, because it blends the idea of visiting spirits with the memory-work of cinema itself. A dying man is visited by the dead who hold meaning in his life, and everyone reflects on the memories together. (Even bringing out albums to share with the ghosts!)

Every possibility is accepted as just part of the journey. Including this line, which always makes me chuckle.
#CoSoFilms #Buddhism

I know that's cryptic, but...

While I'm handling the latest run of emotions that this person is struggling with right now, I just want to share the broader cautionary note:

Pedestals suck for everyone.

They reduce our ability to be the messy, ever-striving, ever-learning critters we always are.

As much as you can, try not to elevate anyone in your life to the point where they lose the ability to be human, too. 💙 Cults of celebrity are never healthy things.