As a minor Anglophile who is nonetheless indifferent toward the monarchy, the queen has just been… around.

And that’s the remarkable thing about her, as a human: there’s never been a moment of my life when she wasn’t there, occasionally waving and/or frowning at something. Having now lived over half-a-century, I can’t scoff at her ability to persist, even though she’s had every comfort and medical assist. Just fucking living for 96 years is an accomplishment, and doing it with the world staring at her only made it tougher.

Fare thee well, old girl. Hopefully it’s a relief.

The Edited Marathon (2022-08-13)

After snipping out all of MAFS and the music I played, a 7 hour mega-stream is reduced to 3 hours. But it’s a solid three hours, along with a stretch where a whole roomful of girls got Deep Into Their Feelings at one point.

Also, I introduced the use of a green screen to project my silhouette on to the stream, and watching me move around made a few people squeal with delight.

Olivia Newton-John (1948-2022)

She was one of my first crushes… I loved Grease as much as everyone else, and the Xanadu soundtrack was the first 8-track I bought. Growing up, my house was always filled with the sound of “…please mister please, don’t play B-17, it was our song, it was his song, but it’s over…”

Goodbye, Olivia. You were beautiful and sang like an angel and ten year old me loved you very much.

Exeunt

“She can never leave.”

Sounds like a good idea.

First, I allowed you to fall in love. Then I began taking away your privacy. Then I excavated your sexuality, bringing buried things to life. I’m getting more invasive every day. There seems no end to what I will confiscate and corral.

So now you’re serenely slip-sliding toward the crevasse. Because like me, gravity will have you.

I’m making a new life for you that’s uninhabitable without me. With me, you’re blessed. Without me, you’re trash. I don’t need to threaten you to make you stay… that would be like the air threatening to make you breathe.

Are you going to remember the day you felt it all slip away?

I hope you do.

(The unedited version of the stream is available on Telegram.)

We finally watched the pilot of The Shield, and followed it up by going in the opposite direction with Dr. Horrible.

(“The hammer is my penis.”)

We didn’t have the chance to do story time, unfortunately, so I told the chat-chicks to gather some suggestions, and we’ll do a whole bunch of reading on Saturday’s stream.