Karen C @gamehawk@mastodon.social

(In fact, I guess this year we're *more* likely to actually get to see them open gifts; there's usually a holiday phone call but this year we're gonna try to do a Zoom thing at some point.)

Well, it happened: found a Christmas gift for a brother-in-law, heard in my mind the *exact* chuckle and "nice!" he makes when he gets that sort of thing, and the responding sounds other family members make and... oh yeah, we're not doing that this year.

(I mean, we only ever see them in person every other year if we're lucky, since they live on the opposite coast and our visits back to Kansas don't always coincide, but still. 😔)

Plant jewelry? Plant jewelry. https://www.flourishandcharm.com/gallery

I am torn between "that's absurd" and "that's pretty" but I am safe from being tempted to actually get any because my plants are all in hand-thrown and -painted pottery or in random salvaged trash, there is no in between.

(delivery rather than shipping, technically, since they are, again, just bringing it from the store that is RIGHT OVER THERE *points through trees*)

Lowe's website: We have the chest freezer in stock! And shipping is free!

Me: Cool. *puts freezer in cart*

Website: Shipping is a quarter the price of the freezer!

Me: Okay that's just because I haven't entered my address, right?

Website: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Me: *enters address*

Website: Shipping is still a quarter the price of the freezer!

Me: We're so close that if it wasn't crossing a highway and creek you could dolly it to our house!

Website: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Me: I hate computers so much.

Aldi did not have any frozen turkeys (whole or breasts) or ducks left today, and just three or four fresh turkeys.

I hope that's a lot of people planning to have leftovers, but I'm afraid it's a lot of people planning to have "just a few" people for dinner. 😔

Michigan certifies, which moots most of the lawsuits there. 🎉

One Republican voted against, despite the margin being 150K. (It's supposed to be a ministerial position, so a protest vote should not even be a thing.)

So the clock is ticking and THEY HAVEN'T EVEN FILED THE APPEAL TO THE THIRD CIRCUIT YET

Okay, here's what needs to happen for 🍊's campaign to prevail in Pennsylvania.

The state certifies *tomorrow*. They just got a big DENIED! from the court, so they have to appeal up to the 3rd Circuit where they will also get DENIED! and then to the Supreme Court where they need injunctive relief. Not just a stay, which is a lower bar but just preserves the status quo (i.e. certification proceeds normally). With a case that just got them laughed out of court.

The big Pennsylvania lawsuit has been dismissed with prejudice. Which normally is just lawyer-speak for "without leaving a 'fix this and you can try again' option" but in this case really means "all of law Twitter is swapping screenshots of the judge's order with 'oh wow did you read THIS part yet?'"

The interesting thing to me is that this wasn't something they were guided to. I mean, usually in these sorts of things the FBI plant is there going "I can get you bomb supplies" and whatnot, and tbh there's sometimes some question whether there would have been a plot at all. That's not the case in this situation, from what I've read.

https://abc7chicago.com/michigan-governor-gretchen-whitmer-kidnapping-plot-militia/8079861/

"New filings claim there was a Plan B the militiamen had drawn up, that involved a takeover of the Michigan capitol building by 200 combatants who would stage a week-long series of televised executions of public officials.

"And, according to government documents now on file in lower Michigan court, there was also a Plan C -- burning down the state house, leaving no survivors."

I feel like probably we should be freaking out more but we've been freaking out for four years now and it's awfully hard to summon the energy.

When I was a kid we went to visit relatives in the Wyoming Valley (in Pennsylvania; the state is named after it 🤷) every summer. I don't remember going places other than relatives' houses but apparently we did because I remember asking my folks why Uncle Edwin didn't come with us and them explaining that he never left the house. Being a little kid I just accepted this, and only later learned what agoraphobia was.

Just random things I think of as I'm putting off running errands...

Partway through reading this tweet aloud to Carl I realized I had committed to a capella-ing the Jolene part. 😬

(yeah, my Etsy shop is supposed to be about plush dragons but suddenly I'm a novelty motel keychain factory)

How it started, how it's going

@whami ... you know I can just make some more if you tell me how many you want. 😆