Assorted Miscellaneous et cetera.

Several things make a post, I am told.

plures and kaberett both gave introductions for me that I think are highly flattering.

plures: You often have insightful and helpful things to say when people are going through difficult times, and you seem to find some of the most comprehensive and inclusive news around!

kaberett: silveradept posts astonishing, beautifully curated, linkspams - there never fails to be Something I Didn't Know, Something I Wanted To Know, Something I Ought To Know, Something Cool, and so on; and they flow logically and kindly and the descriptions are very well done. They set an excellent example of how to grow the commenting culture you want to have; also excellent rants and signalboosts. Generous with energy and attention and affection; their comments over here always, always make me smile, and always, always make me feel valued.

I'm very flattered by both of them, they are simultaneously exactly what I want and they feel like someone is giving me compliments that are unearned. Why yes, I do work in a field that encourages Impostor Syndrome.

I also haven't yet articulated why I feel increasingly distant from the television show Glee. It started out as an interesting premise - a small high school in the Midwest, its show choir, and the very real consequences of being someone different in a conformity-enforcing environment. Then, as time went on, the villain became more cartoonish, and things started to unravel. But it's Rachel Barrie that has undone it for me. In the beginning, Rachel was the spoiled, privileged girl who played foil to everyone else's problems, the clueless singer with big dreams who would be routinely made fun of because she was a spoiled privileged girl in a Midwestern high school. And as time went on, Rachel succeeded, even where others had setbacks. Once part of the cast moved to New York, I expected to have the big real world stomp all over Rachel Barrie, and for her to have real trouble. But Rachel continued to succeed, even with other characters dealing with issues. She landed a leading role while still in the school, then landed a development deal, apparently, even though doing so should have gotten her fired for not showing up to her performance. She quit the school before that, feeling that she was done with what the teachers had to teach, and yet, she still succeeds while everyone else has issues. At this point, I'm beginning to think this story is actually being told to us by Rachel, because she seems to be immune to the plot and any problems it presents.

Related to work-ish things - new rule: children used as couriers must be compensated by their parents before the message is delivered. Because it annoys me to hear "my [adult] needs help with the computers" from all the adults who have only one child with them in the library. They're on par with the people who gesture, whistle, or otherwise try to catch our attention from their seats. It appears they are afraid that if they leave their computers, some imp, devil, gremlin, or other unsavory demon will see their session unlocked and immediately commandeer it for a nefarious, Screwtape-esque purpose. "Look! Seventeen left! Quick! Porn! Warez! Illegal file-sharing of terrible music, hahahahaha! Oop, they're returning! And, awaaaaaaaaaay!"

So, yes, children must now be compensated.

And we desperately need a "Social Media for Beginners" course.

What's on your minds? Happy, sad, needing guidance from a baseball-themed oracle?