Ana(bel)

Several freshly bottled jars of Seville orange marmalade arranged on a rustic wooden farm table. The set is bright and clear, some made with Doorly’s rum, others with Glenfiddich Scotch. The jars are still new from the pot, light catching the peel, ready for toast.

End of Seville season. Last batch set last week.
Doorly’s rum in some, Glenfiddich Scotch in others.
Bitterness first, sweetness after. As it should be. 🍊🥃

After many unsettling dreams-nearly-nightmares last week, I slept on my bed last night and dreamed about baking pastries.

I feel it in my fingers
I feel it in my toes
Shit is all around me
And so the feeling grows
It's written on the wind
It's everywhere I go
So if y'all are in shit like me
Come on and let it show

Thanks folks, nothing’s wrong with me, I'm just outraged and despairing like pretty much all of us, and having to deal with unsavory drama around me on top of it.

Just got home. Made myself a bowl of dan dan noodles with charred cabbage and shiitake, which always hold up admirably when I'm away for a few days. No photo, you've seen it so often. Perfect for #MeatlessMonday or any day indeed.

Livid. Terrified. Choking. Paralyzed. That's what's up, BlueSky.

fry from futurama is eating a bunch of money . ALT: fry from futurama is eating a bunch of money .

Shin Chan chips?

Onryōtan (Tales of Vengeful Spirits) is a collaboration between Belgian sound artist Empusae (Nicolas Van Meirhaeghe) and Japanese composer Maris Anguis (Ryo Utasato). The album draws on Japanese folk horror and ritual traditions: seven pieces shaped by authentic legends of yōkai, onryō, and ancestral rites. Each track embodies a story — from the demon crone Kurozuka, to the curse-hour of Ushi no Koku, the ghost-fires of Mukaebi, the abyss of Eien no Yami, the eyeless Tenome, the blood rite of Chimatsuri, and the relentless haunting of Teke Teke. Through layers of dark ambient textures, ritual voices, and rhythm-driven passages, Onryōtan becomes less an album than a procession: a cycle of encounters with spirits who never rest, where every sound bears the weight of fear, grief, and eternal night. released February 24, 2026

Heavy snow and horror dark ambient Sunday morning.

cryochamber.bandcamp.com/album/onry-tan

I sat next to two techbros trying to chat up two girls who were very clearly not interested by boasting about their investments and how much they could make in a single transaction. The girls took off. They stayed at the bar, continued talking about $ loudly, then left a 5 cent tip 🤡🔪

This cracks me up every time 🤣

My friends, I can't tell you just how much Men Do. Not. Like. That.

Now, this is perhaps conceited of me, but a guy whose main goal is to impress me into wows and fluttering lashes has it extremely difficult, because I have lived, read, traveled, observed, and listened, way more than they have, and this was already true in my 30s. I am a Replier. I have opinions.

I realize now that I was not so unpalatable as my personal life made me believe that I was all through my 20s & 30s. Sometimes, not often, but sometimes, guys would try to strike up "conversation" in bars. They always made it about Their Admirable Feats. They never wanted responses, only to impress.

(This always results in several followers responding "Oh But I Do". If this is you: good for you. I'm sure your partner is amazingly smart and interesting. Not all men, but YES, the vast majority of men, and this truth is so uncomfortable to guys.

Now that this is out of the way, let's go on.)

So, I was with my ex for many years & the nature of our relationship or my being so often alone, unfathomable from the outside, is another story that won't be told another time, but I'm chatty this morning, so I'll ramble again about the much paraded normie lie that "they like intelligent women".

All attempts at conversation are futile, the guy wants a monologue punctuated by smiles and wows and adoring eyes. Never any input from her. Sigh.

Perdón, 160.

Es mi existencia en este universo. Yo cocino 120 g de lentejas, 99% de las veces viudas, y además sin patata ni arroz, y saco cuatro platos para mediodía. Nada más.

I've witnessed a few like that. It's excruciating to see for the lady, the guy can never tell he's fucking things up badly.

I'm observant and almost always alone. 20 years of sitting by myself through dinner & drinks makes for a lot of people watching and listening to folks in established couples, dates, girls’ nights out, divorced dad happy hour, divorced mom happy hour, and everything in between.

The Obnoxious Guy is always in high demand early on. It's not until after children are all grown that their partners finally can't suffer them anymore (but it's still more likely that they, the obnoxious men, will leave their wives for someone younger & impressionable). #LifeRamblings

They're always married or in relationships! That's the most fucked up part to me. I sat through an excruciating dinner at Kumiko next to a young couple; she barely said a word all service, he boasted of his knowledge of Japanese cuisine (while googling every dish under the bar, next to my leg).

He says "we". It's a wife or a girlfriend he's trying to impress and arrogantly talking over all night when they go to dinner.

I hope the guy's wife steps in and does the job.

*Cries in "Lentil serving size: 40g"*

Don't you love to see this when you pass through four major NYC transit hubs all the time 💀

I actually thought it was absolutely final.

😍 now THIS is a great weekend!

I just finished The Night Manager. It was (oh, the exquisite pain of this today) absolute perfection.

You fasten all the triggers
For the others to fire
Then you sit back and watch
When the death count gets higher
You hide in your mansion
While the young people's blood
Flows out of their bodies
And is buried in the mud