Iceland Iceland and IcelandAir bad Photographer Contest

The daily trees photo

Iceland Iceland

Land of volcanoes that can eat small villages and occasionally disrupt global air travel. Sobering to think of that in this the year of our Lord 2026 when all global energy prices are through the roof. 

Thanks to RantWoman's volcano video habit, YouTube has previously sent RantWoman assorted tourism themed videos. Based on these videos, RantWoman has formed the impression that Iceland is very interesting geologically and if one wants to chase the aurora borealis. Also, nature is gorgeous but experiencing it can be challenging.  The weather is to put it diplomatically unpredictable. And travel is EXPENSIVE. 

Part of RantWoman's fun has been elaborating and adjusting that impression as well, repeatedly, as asking Google / Gemini questions and coming back with answers that keep RantWoman coming back for more and even thinking about how travel to Iceland can be affordable for many categories of travelers. More in a moment, in a few cases just RantWoman's queries replicated for readers to do their own next steps.

Land of many summits of world leaders. RantWoman is the kind of nerd tourist who might go to and even enthusiastically participate in a half day or even a full day opportunity to replay one of the summits held in Rekjavik. RantWoman has not gone looking to see for sure whether such a tourist attraction might exist but would seriously consider participating in it if it existed.

Land of many churches interesting to photograph, not just the famous tall one in Rekjavik.

what churches can one visit in iceland - Google Search

 Land of lots of hot springs and geothermal energy. Lots of the videos talk about people renting cars to travel independently. If RantWoman is travelling alone, renting a car or even a camper is not really an option. Global fuel prices are forecast to stay high for quite a while so RantWoman has wondered about but not researched, what is the electric vehicle scene like in Iceland. Is there geothermal electricity generation? Is that ubiquitous enough that people could simply plug cars in at every stop and charge without needing special charging stations? Is this whole paragraph just a dream that might need to be more fully realized

Land where one can't name their child Harriet? The short answer: a concept near to RantWoman's language nerd hear, to wit noun declension.

why can t you name your child harriet in iceland - Google Search

Icelandic girls can't be called Harriet, government tells family | Iceland | The Guardian

Iceland parents told children cannot be called Harriet or Duncan because they are not government approved names | The Independent | The Independent

Icelandic Naming Committee - Wikipedia

RantWoman did it. RantWoman submitted a VERY barebones video entry saying basically, RantWoman has a lot to say and cramming it all into a one-minute video is not happening so please check out this blog. RantWoman is having fun thinking about this contest. That is the main thing.

PS. There is a question in the application form about how comfortable one is being on camera. RantWoman can manage. RantWoman has other thoughts about whether one is supposed to be good or bad at social media in general, but the application does not ask that.

Stay tuned for some of RantWoman's favorite YouTube channels.

Some Useful Iceland-themed YouTube channels

Iceland Iceland

Whether one is abstractly planning a trip to Iceland or just massaging the idea for the IcelandAir Bad Photographer contest, here are some YouTube channel suggestions, sometimes based on one example from the channel.

RantWoman is amused by a few points:

--All the videos with the word "Mistakes" in the title.

--Advice from everyone not to buy expensive bottled water and shopping at the regular grocery chains, not the big tourist-oriented store in Reykjavik. Also comments about using the city bus from the airport and saving money over lagoon prices by going to the many public pools.

--Very adamant safety culture: no speeding. No drunk driving. No stopping except in designated lookout points to take photos. Park only where authorized. No walkiing on hot lava. Avoid sneaker waves. Do not get too near all kinds of edges of things. TAKE WEATHER WARNINGS SERIOUSLY.  Only 4x4 vehicles are allowed on the F roads, roads not on the ring road.

--Equally consistent culture about cleanliness: NO pooping out of doors. Shower completely nude before entering the various pools. Take shoes off when asked

--Contradictory advice about the Blue Lagoon, staying in Reykjavik...

Rick Steves Iceland

Learn Icelandic in 10 minutes 🇮🇸 Essential Phrases for Tourists Visiting Iceland

or at least an introduction before checking out the next video

Stop Using Google Maps in Iceland. Use This Instead

Info about weather and alerts specific to Iceland.

Note: other videos say use Google Maps to check location of Air BnB

How to Explore Iceland Like a Local (Avoid These 5 Mistakes!)

Skip the Blue lagoon because there are other cool hot springs near by

Visiting Iceland Summer 2026: Travel Guide & Best Local Tips! 🇮🇸

Base in Reykjavik and do day trips

What NOT to Do When Traveling To Iceland | 15 Mistakes To Avoid!

Don't base in Reykjavik.

Waterproof gear

5 Proven Ways to Avoid Crowds in Iceland (Like a Local)

travel in winter

Hidden Gems of Iceland: Avoid the Crowds & See the REAL Iceland!

Iceland Travel Tips: 10 Things You Need to Know (From a Local) 🇮🇸 

5 Mistakes You Make When You Arrive in Iceland    

Car rental, the "Flybus, and PUBLIC TRANSIT. RantWoman loves public transit and does not care that it will take longer. Maybe the Flybus for the first day, but public transit at some point.

The Blue lagoon is on the way from Keplavik airport to downtown Reykjavik but ...

20 Things Tourists in Iceland Learn Too Late

Weather can be even more fearsome than RantWoman previously imagined.

20 Things Tourists in Iceland Learn Too Late

VERY limited public transportation outside Reykjavik. No trains. Only intercity buses. RantWoman is a bus / slow travel nerd and might really enjoy some travel by bus

3 Iceland Itinerary Mistakes That Will Cost You Days

Don't spend too much of your trip at Reykjavik at the beginning.

Don't rush the South Coast islands

The Westman(?) Islands and The PUFFINS.

What will make Ideland unique to Me?

Iceland Itinerary Mistakes 90% of People Don’t Know About

10 Things You Should Never Do in Iceland (Locals Hate It!)

15 Ways to Insult Icelanders (A Guide for Travelers)

Pickled Greenland shark for breakfast?

Window trees building clouds

Contest Reminder:  

Really bad photographer | Icelandair US

When RantWoman travels, RantWoman likes to immerse herself in local cuisine, culture, and history as well as geography. Consider the question, delivered to Gemini "what do people in Iceland eat for breakfast?" 

At home RantWoman cycles among homemade porridge of the week, cold pizza, and sometimes other leftovers, often with a banana or hard-boiled egg.

Thank you Gemini, sort of. Submitting the question in natural language is cool. Here are a couple snippets from the first screen of results.

Why you should be eating an Icelandic breakfast

(summary: the basic low-fat, high-fiber, high protein regimen recommended in many places.

I tried a traditional Icelandic breakfast, and it was nothing short of intense — especially when the fermented shark hit the table. From creamy skyr, fresh rye bread, and liver pâté, to the infamous hákarl (a national dish made from fermented Greenland shark), this meal is unlike any breakfast I’ve had before. It’s all part of the unique and bold food culture of Iceland. #IcelandFood #IcelandBreakfast #TraditionalIcelandicFood #Hákarl #Skyr | Strictly Dumpling | Facebook

Thank you Gemini? 

Porridge or muesli? Checks out.

Good yogurt? checks out.

Rye bread or rye crisp: RantWoman likes both fine.

Pickled Greenland shark? RantWoman likes pickled herring on flatbread but does not eat it very often. As for Greenland shark...? 

How I Learned to Eat Fermented Shark with Iceland ProCruises - Food, Wine & Travel

So definitely a bit more of a big deal than mere pickled herring. RantWoman is fascinated to learn more about Greenland sharks. RantWoman also hopes that pickled Greenland shark is not an every day menu item.

As for Gemini

1. RantWoman is still not sold on Gemini offering to "help" abut email.

2. RantWoman appreciates getting info from multiple platforms but is lazy about wanting to sign in or even to read user agreements for these same platforms, especially since one BIG driver of whether RantWoman is going to come back to a site or portal is how easy it is for RantWoman to use. This is probably a trial and error iterative process. Most of the time RantWoman can live with that except RantWoman tends to want info NOW and in easily digestible form.

But speaking of easily digestible, RantWoman will check out other meal customs another time.

Mind wandering again to the Metro fare enforcement report.

 RantWoman, as has already been established, is a bit of a nerd who spends a lot of time on the bus.

During today's bus travels RantWoman's mind wandered again to the recent King County fare enforcement officer report and to RantWoman's own experience riding around for more than a month with a demagnetized ORCA card, a card that only very occasionally produced the beep indicating that the card read properly when tapped. 

Adventures of RantWoman: Reporting on the Metro Fare Enforcement misses a number of points.

(Please do not tell RantWoman about paying her fare on her phone. Between a white cane, a purse, and whatever baggage RantWoman is carrying, taking out a phone and waking it up to pay a fare is more than RantWoman even wants to attempt.)

RantWoman currently has a small couch on a cord around her neck but the whole time her card was not beeping, RantWoman was pulling the card out of somewhere and trying to tap it. RantWoman is white and bathes regularly so maybe drivers just believed her when she said she had a pass. Or sometimes, the imperatives to stay on schedule outweigh more detailed inquiry.

That entire time, RantWoman had in fact paid for avalid pass, online through the MyORCA app. At some point, possibly after RantWoman encounterd a fare enforcement officer, RantWoman followed directions on the back of the card and called an 800 number. RantWoman was referred to her local transit agency. The person RantWoman spoke to looked up the number of transactions which had registered for the previous month. It was substantially lower than RantWoman's estimate of the number of her trips. Then it registered with RantWoman that she just needed to get her disabled pass replaced.

RantWoman imagines that her situation is probably a small minority of situations that look to drivers like someone has not paid a fare. RantWoman has no idea whether these comments are helpful in deciding what the report actually means, but here the info is anyway.

Get this lady some taxi scrip?

RantWoman is playing crash test dummy checking out the process to apply for taxi scrip as administered by Metro. RantWoman recently learned that, although her income has been looking tup, she probably qualifies for Taxi scrip for those transportation moments when the bus won't do and travel is needed within King County.

Understand, RantWoman REALLY likes the bus for being easy to get on and off, for leg room, and for some level of adventure if, for instance, RantWoman is venturing to a part of the county she does not know well, and of course for modest physical exercise. RantWoman does like the idea of taxi scrip not expiring so RantWoman can have some on hand if needed and not have to worry about it expiring.

1. a search string for the Google or copilot, RantWoman does not remember which

King County Metro taxi scrip

RantWoman has in mind a nice path to an application even though RantWoman did not specify that in her search string. Instead RantWoman got a whole paragraph full of information she already knows. RantWoman lives in King County. RantWoman is definitely over 18. RantWoman qualifies according to the household income table she found a couple steps down.

2. Because of a recent software update on the computer RantWoman is using, some stupid message asking me which ads RantWoman finds most annoying--besides the stupid question when RantWoman is on a mission. 

3. Redo the search adding "application form" to the search string

Noodle around with a bunch of "people also asked" suggestions and god knows what, especially since RantWoman tends to try bad eyes first and then remember to tab around and / or do a links list.

4. Behold: a bare minimum form to apply. Form requests RantWoman's name and contact info. Form does not ask whether RantWoman already has a Regional Reduced fare permit though RantWoman does. The form just asks for contact info and promises a response. 

5. RantWoman notices a list of cab companies that will accept taxi scrip. RantWoman will come back to the list depending on a couple aspects of experience. RantWoman does not expect to use taxi scrip very often. RantWoman also notes that taxi scrip comes as paper that works like money except that cab drivers have to submit the paper for payment. RantWoman has heard that cab drivers are sometimes reluctant to deal with taxi scrip because of the processing time. 

Here RantWoman is going to acknowledge that paying cash for paper probably is really important for some riders. HOWEVER, RantWoman also fantasizes about either an app, maybe like the app that allows RantWoman to pay for laundry or a refillable debit card, perhaps like RantWoman's ORCA card. The card would need to work for drivers who accept credit / Debit cards and Rant Woman would like to know her taxi scrip balance. Okay, it;s a fantasy...

Elapsed time to step through the hoops and write a blog post, plus or minus a couple distractions 45 minutes but the task would get easier if done regularly.

Homemade Marzipan and linguistic artifact

RantWoman is intrigued both by this recipe and by linguistic aspects of the presentation.

RantWoman LOVES marzipan and it passes nutritional muster as holiday treat full of protein and other nutrients far better than other holiday treats YouTube serves up.

What intrigues RantWoman most about this video: there is a note about autodubbing. The audio is very idiomatic english. RantWoman is guessing the captioning is in Turkish. And it's a German YouTube channel. There is some linguistic mastery somewhere in the production. RantWoman will express good intentions about looking up more detail.

In the meantime, RantWoman will either look for some rosewater or make do with vanilla if she decides actually to make the recipe.

Homemade marzipan in 10 minutes 🌟 Natural, aromatic & without additives ...

CO mountain towns: A dream destination for people needing permanent supportive housing?

Full Disclosure: RantWoman has visited, has family connection to, and might consider living in Durango, Crested Butte / Gunnison, Telluride, and Vail. Further reactions on the other side of the video.

Top 10 Colorado Mountain Towns in Total FREEFALL (The Real Estate Disaster)

RantWoman has clearly not been keeping up with the latest in real estate issues in CO. 

It has been more than 50 years since RantWoman and the Rant Fam lived in CO though RantMom still has a couple dozen living cousins, a lot of whom live in CO. 

Irrepressible Nephew, now residing securely in auto company influencer life and off-roading culture, including many destinations in CO, is not likely to land permanently there. 

RantWoman actually still finds the mountains stunningly beautiful. RantWoman even indulges in magical visions involving transportation for non-drivers and solar-powered eco friendly, water minimizing lifestyles. None of that seems remotely feasible in a market banking on short-term visitations by the uber wealthy, but RantWoman is entertaining the idea, if only because snow and sunshine might be more psychically appealing than grey skies and drizzle

Even more visionary, RantWoman is entertained by the thought of all the people living unhoused on the streets of Seattle finding permanent supportive housing in all the underused mansions in CO.

Sorry, city planners. RantWoman knows that idea is probably terrifying. It's also unlikely to come to pass, but please indulge RantWoman in reflections about gigantic wealth gaps and the well-housed of Seattle also being annoyed by the considerably less well-housed.

Admittedly, no matter the destination, it would be a tough sell to persuade people living homeless in many cities to pack up and move to places known for harsh winters, some risk of altitude sickness for people moving from sea level. But could some kind of 21st century neo homesteading movement save at least some of these communities??? Could it work? Are there people on the streets who might, just MIGHT be game to try it...?

Sunny Day Journey Map

 Friday afternoon RantWoman had APPOINTMENTS, two medical appointments across town from each other. The day was sunny and beautiful, as long as one does not count tree pollen. Scratch that: sun was almost too much and RantWoman needed to wash down itchy eyes multiple times with artificial tears RantWoman was fretting a little about timing, but it all worked out.

First leg of trip:  cross a street where the accessible ped signal now talks, a big improvement over the rat-a-tat that was supposed to be a woodpecker but that sounded to RantWoman too much like gunfire. Routing: 8 + 70 . Not surprisingly, the first 8 was just going by as RantWoman was getting to the stop light, but at that time of day the #8 bus has 10-minute headway. Short wait at Fairview for the 70. Rotten truth: RantWoman needed to go three stops. The distance would be easily walkable--except for the GIANT chasm in any plausible pedestrian routing otherwise known as Mercer St and freeway ramps. 

Nice day for uphill walk for a medical test. Cross the street at the marked crosswalk. Luckily traffic out of the parking garage was minimal. RantWoman is not crazy about driveways or parking garage exits and sometimes goes up the other side of the street to avoid cars. RantWoman has enough vision to pull this off but it's tricky because of no marked crosswalk.

Medical test was almost uneventful. Uneventful as in a form that made RantWoman want to grumble "can't you just put an electronic version in MyChart. Even more "fun," one always gets a plastic bracelet at check-in. Frequently there is this funny moment where the person checking RantWoman in somehow misses Ambassador Thwack the badly behaved white cane and asks RantWoman to verify that the info in tiny print on the bracelet is correct. Uhhhh.....

Test flew by and soon RantWoman headed back down the hill to catch the 70 on further north. Destination, the U District Light rail station and two stops on the train to Northgate. RantWoman long ago used sometimes to walk that distance but between timing and pollen and almost too much sunlight, RantWoman was really happy with the bus. 

Some of the time RantWoman feels a pang about an aging body. Some of the time RantWoman also reminds herself that a number of people in RantWoman's family tree did not even live to the age RantWoman is now.

Distance from Northgate Light Rail station to eye doctor's also is walkable but insane from a pedestrian perspective. Easy bus ride from the light rail station and a short walk with car minimizing street crossing options left RantWoman almost an hour early for her appointment so RantWoman...stopped at TARGET to see about a snack. RantWoman has two rants: the very minimalist snack options and Starbucks used to have an automated checkout. Friday automated checkout was gone and there was just one person at Starbucks and there was a bit of a line.

The wait made it almost too easy to Not Buy anything in honor of Blackout Friday. Almost. Besides the fact that RantWoman needed something for lunch, RantWoman's other rant is that the current anti-#DEI fashion is bonkers. RantWoman is not fully versed about the Black creators able to distribute their product through Target. RantWoman, though, is PEEVED on accessibility grounds: a few years ago, the National Federation of the Blind sued Target about inaccessibility of their stores. Target to their credit looked at the issues raised by the suit and at their elderly customer base and then took a number of steps to make Target someone friendlier to people who are blind and / or visually impaired. Target does not seem to have undone some of that though price tags are still....

RantWoman has no idea whether Target is just talked about rolling back #DEI commitments to appease the mobs horrified by some previous gestures, RantWoman emphatically wishes some of the companies falling into line with the current fashion would grow a spine and say "we are doing ..X;;; because it serves our customers. Plus, nutball pronouncements from the current administration aside, anti-discrimination laws STILL EXIST!

So Dear Target, thank you that I was able to pay for my snack and please consider this rant a free tip!

Eye Doctor appointment was decidedly low torture: just the blue light special to measure eye pressure. No dilated eyes or chasing weak lights around a circular background. Vision definitely not better but not dramatically worse than previous visits. Steady is good.

One easy street crossing to a bus back to the light rail and 3 stops to Capitol hill. RantWoman generally loves buskers but the Friday band at the station as a smidge too loud even for a sunny celebratory Friday. Anyway,  easy just to pop out lf the station, get on a bus and be done with street crossings for the day going home.

Malaysia: not what this creator expected

RantWoman is posting this item for the following reasons:

There is a whole genre of young exiled Russian social media creators out experiencing the world while they work very hard not to get fed into the Russian meat grinder in Ukraine. Leave the meat grinder to North Korea?

There are some great comments about public transit in Kampala Lumpor

Finally, RantWoman is a bit of a foodie, as in RantWoman currently uses videos involving food to help relax even when the intentions either to make the food presented or to journey to places where the food is common are on RantWoman's long "mean to do maybe someday." 

Enjoy.

Menu: SQUASH LASAGNA Easy recipe of pumpkin with cheese

Balanced media diet moment: when the news fever swamps get too fevery, go for some intriguing recipes!

Gathering for healing and gardens

Sometimes, just showing up matters.

It was a beautiful day for a National Gun Violence Awareness Day event at Martin Luther King Memorial park

It was also another needed Remembrance for Amarr Taylor Paine, who was shot outside Garfield High School on Thursday.

RantWoman did not really track all the speeches beyond many longstanding neighborhood connections and fierce urgency about ending gun violence. RantWoman did enjoy dancing by an all ages group from the Central Area Senior Center.

Enjoy the video.

The video does not say much about RantWoman's favorite takeaway: information about the Clean Green Farm and Market.

The Clean Green Farm and Market

Read about the Clean Green Youth Program

Join the Clean Green CSA

RantWoman has been a little afraid of CSA's because she knows people who get more food than they can use. The Clean Green CSA provides boxes in 3 sizes at 3 prices. The $15 / week single person price sounds like a bargain and doable for RantWoman's budget. Plus, although some of RantWoman's neighbors admit to not liking vegetables, RantWoman thinks that any surplus from her house can feed some neighbors.

Who knows? Maybe RantWoman will also decide she needs some dirt therapy and sign up to volunteer!

And for more connections check out Seattle Parks and Recreation

PS. One person asked RantWoman whether anyone close to her is a victim of gun violence.

RantWoman gulped and realized it has been 20 years since a very suicidal friend who should not have been able to buy a gun shot himself.

Plus an atmosphere with a lot of gun violence is bad for everyone.

Happy Pride from a Log Cabin Republican running for Congress in the safest Dem district in CO

#Pride #GOP #LogCabinRepublicans

Full interview: Valdamar Archuleta on Colorado GOP's call to burn pride flags ...

Lest anyone think RantWoman only brings Democratic voices

Affordable Connectivity: PLEASE Don't tell me to check the internet when the problem is the internet doesn't work.

Dear Congress,

PLEASE renew the Affordable Connectivity program if only because some customers have barely had devices and connectivity at their fingertips long enough reliably to do simple tasks, never mind the vast and necessary horizons of the internet.

Look, RantWoman imagines that one goal of the ACP is to get enough user experience out there to hit a better sweet spot about meeting customer needs as far as device access, human support, and targeted subsidies addressing specific populations. The world is a long ways from there and the way to get better data is not to halt the program but to renew it and commit to continuous improvement. Perhaps rantWoman will have more to say soon.

In the meantime, for one example of corporate hiccups: choosing an internet provider AND the right device, in the highly competitive world of wireless service providers we have:

Provider #1

--Seems to have subcontracted the store closest to RantWoman. Visit experiences include:

   --multiple customers and not enough staff

   --loose papers and half-drunk beverages all over the counter

   --a perky clerk having a conversation with an elderly customer where the amount he was going to need to pay bounced all over the place and then the clerk had the nerve to ask whether there was anyone he wanted to add to his account.

--Closed the branch across town where RantWoman was treated VERY kindly by an attentive but possibly lonely staff person

--numerous other fiascoes written about elsewhere.

The following is NOT an April Fools Day joke.

Enter Provider #2, the service provider for a specialized phone aimed at blind people. A customer recently called RantWoman and described what RantWoman interprets as either a general network problem or probably some kind of data cap when the customer tries to access the internet. In short, it is probably going to be really hard to send email even if the customer has figured out how to do email, something RantWoman thought the customer would be able to figure out. Anyway put a pin in the no email no internet issue.

Enter Mr. Google and a quest for the accessibility support line. The website is for RantWoman at least, reasonably well-behaved. RantWoman does not find a phone number but does find a form inviting RantWoman to write in and describe the problem.

Silly RantWoman, RantWoman described the problem, REQUESTED A PHONE NUMBER for the end customer to call, and sent the form off.

And what did RantWoman get in return:

Basically "please check out our website and consider switching to our services. We are sure we have a plan that can meet your needs."

Meet what now?????

RantWoman ASKED FOR A PHONE NUMBER to give to the end customer because "please try the internet" is not working. Currently, RantWoman's reflex whenever possible is to refer people directly to people getting paid to address the particular combination of technologies involved. 

RantWoman will try again in daylight and will ask the end customer's permission to submit the form on his behalf. HOWEVER, RantWoman is likely to get other requests for the same phone number in the same context. So, um, provider #2, DO BETTER.

And by the way, think POSITIVE influencers instead of grouchy frustrated ones.

One more thing: RantWoman reached out to end customer. No, he does not yet have email. But the internet data flow sneezes he was experiencing miraculously disappeared over the weekend. So #HappyEaster or some such thing.

Data hiccups disappeared. But end customer who struggles to pay the bare minimum price per month he now pays just got word, PRovider #2 wants to charge customers $5 / month for personal help.

Seriously?

End Customer vows to go in person for help. End Customer does not drive and also regales RantWoman with transportation realities involving THE BUS into downtown Seattle from one of the official burbs.

What's Going on Shipping window on global conflicts

Yemen Escalates Attacks against Commercial Shipping | Missile Strikes also

RantWoman's basic point: if one wants a way to nerd out about global flashpoints, looking at international shipping is a fascinating option, as well as a useful trove of maritime vocabulary.

Dinner and moderate exercise!

Today in Turning Ingredients into food, RantWoman presents both moderate exercise and two "I made it up all by myself recipes. Will RantWoman soon be starting her own cooking Youtube channel? Probably not, but getting a couple hours of moderate exercise and using what one has on hand is a better--and cheaper--idea than going out into the cold and dark to walk around at a grocery store.

So let's cook, with an eye to easy reheat prep for several meals.

Impromptu chickpea curry, featuring, not in order of proportions:

a splash of olive oil in a skillet to start the saute on medium heat.

(RantWoman has an electric stove. The burners retain heat even when turned off so be sure to stir enough to avoid scorching anything.)

half an onion minced

as many cloves of garlic as one feels like, minced.

one yam chopped

two medium potatoes scrubbed and chopped

one 6 oz can of pineapple juice and a splash of water if needed

turmeric and cumin

a couple pieces of candied ginger because that was what was on hand.

1 15 oz can of chickpeas drained and washed

a package of frozen riced cauliflower. RantWoman is not sure whether it was about a pount or a little less.

Note: NO SALT ADDED.

Add the ingredients in succession to the skillet. Let everything get hot and bubbly. Simmer until the yam and potatoes are chewable.

RantWoman thought of adding some curry paste but opted not to this time.

The recipe yielded what will probably be 3 generous servings. RantWoman was pleased with the results and may or may not make this exact recipe again.

background: RantWoman has fallen in love with some different curry and legume packets available on Amazon. RantWoman does a certain amount of shopping for non-perishables on regular Amazon delivered on Prime rules rather than minimum purchase required to get free deliver from Amazon Fresh. RantWoman loves free delivery and most of the time can shop ahead and schedule the deliveries on her Prime day.

RantWoman also shops in person and lately, since the minimum purchase required for free delivery has been lowered to $100 RantWoman still does a delivery order about once month.

RantWoman generally likes the flavors of these premade dishes but reads the label. RantWoman prefers not to eat things that have more than 20% of the RDA of sodium per serving. To dilute the sodium level, RantWoman tends to stretch with some kind of sauteed vegetables to increase the number of portions and then to eat the dishes over rice. RantWoman thought she had a chickpea curry packet but could not find it. Hence the improvisation with what's on hand. 

Turkey vegetable stew with cassava rotini.

splash of olive oil to start the saute

the other half of the minced onion from above.

as much garlic as one likes minced.

chopped green pepper and celery.

1 or 2 ground turkey patties

clean out the very end of a jar that had ground white pepper

two gorgeous heirloom tomatoes offered by a neighbor who does not eat tomatoes, put into the stew so they do not rot in RantWoman's refrigerator.

part of a packet of frozen broccoli.

a handful of broken walnuts.

While all of these are simmering together, cook an 8 oz. box of rotini separately. Cassava pasta can get mushy really fast so leave it al dente figuring it will finish cooking when reheated to serve.

Background: RantWoman has a friend who seems to buy foods in quantity and then decide she does not want to eat what she has bought. RantWoman is glad to receive the rejects but frets a little about whether there is anything to be worried about psychologically. 

The riced cauliflower, turkey patties, and rotini all came from RantWoman's friend. RantWoman may or may not buy more of any of them.

The chopped celery and green pepper were frozen from RantWoman's most recent Amazon Fresh order. They work fine for cooking like this and also work better in RantWoman's small freezer than when RantWoman was experimenting buying frozen entrees to fill out Amazon fresh orders.

The dish turned out spicy from the white pepper and maybe a little undersalted. RantWoman will probably sprinkle with some kind of grated cheese when eating.

The arbitrary quantities here will yield 4 or 5 servings over the week.

And finally, a curry recipe by someone who clearly knows what she is doing.

(Weird asterisk: RantWoman has enough trouble keeping her own hair which usually lives in a French braid, out of food. RantWoman has NO IDEA why all the lovely curls here don't wind up either in the food or on fire. RantWoman is not going to worry further but just noticing!) 

Verizon edX extensive catalog of FREE online academic and career related courses.

RantWoman is procrastinating about whether to get a new phone and which parts of her cellphone and internet options to reconfigure.

In the meantime, links for entirely FREE online courses from Verizon and EdX showed up in RantWoman's inbox.

LOTS of things seem worthwhile to check out!

Build new Skills Advance your career 

Course catalog View all online courses

Accessibility note: These two websites behave well enough for RantWoman and her tools, for screen readers. The catalog includes links to many academic institutions so mileage may vary.

Shoutout about online coursework especially for everyone for whom #WeekWithoutDriving lasts all year.

#NDEAM

Are they NUTS? Wait a minute! The 2023 Burning Man Mudpocalypse | Heavy Rain Turns Event into Disaster...

RantWoman has been hearing about Burning Man for years.

For most of that time, RantWoman has just thought "Are they NUTS?" Blazing sun. Very alkaline soil. No water. An instant city probably full of everything, every form of untrustworthiness and over the top intensity found in cities. It JUST SOUNDS NUTS

RantWoman has also been feeling alienated, definitely not within the circles of wealthy travelers able to pack  RV's many people can't even drive for a week of self-sufficiency and leave no trace fun out in the NV desert. 

2023 "burners" have come through days of mud after torrential rains, traffic jams, people walking out on foot. Some of those, when interviewed sound positively giddy about having tried and pushed themselves. Somewhere in all the weather wrought intensity though, RantWoman has a little bit been bitten by a bug.

Take a look, definitely heavy on the spin but still....

...a day or two after all the Burning Man commentary started hitting RantWoman's info streams RantWoman woke up wide awake thinking what if #CripCamp went to Burning Man?

Put together a caravan of people with a whole bunch of disabilities. 

Put extendable solar arrays on top the vehicles because people are going to need things like CPAP machines, satellite connections and a ground level mesh net. Blind people might need electronic wayfinding. People might have special diets and ways to refrigerate medications. .... Some people are going to need to define self-sufficiency in teams with caregivers and physical therapists....

Figure out some tech so that part of the art could be people not coming in person but live and blazing on a giant screen from their kidney dialysis unit or home bubble.

Get some blind people willing to crash test and hold smart app bakeoffs with all the different spiffy wayfinding tools out there.

See what other products need to separate hype from performance? (Autonomous vehicles anyone?)

So now, will RantWoman do it? Will RantWoman read up on the rules and expectations and try to put together an expedition of creative, imaginative, problem-solving improvisational people with disabilities, some tech bros into solar powered vehicles, some creative sleeping approaches, ways to fend off rain, lightning, sand storms, ways to either pack out or disappear waste of several kinds. 

Could RantWoman interest some venture capitalists in funding the trip???

Here's the deal: RantWoman probably does not go out drinking with the kind of people who could do key parts of this. However, should anyone else be bitten by similar bugs, RantWoman could be easily bribed with coffee, chocolate or other treats to at least bat around some ideas.

And one after action report

Ben Gleib reports to TYT about Burning Man

FREE September JAWS Screen reader Training Events from Freedom Scientific

 RantWoman offers the following invitation. RantWoman herself, after many years of JAWS use and not enough time listening even to Freedon Scientific podcasts.

Freedom Scientific Blog - Thursday, August 31, 2023 at 5:01 PM

Join Us for Our September 2023 Training Events

The Freedom Scientific training team offers ongoing opportunities for you to join us in live training sessions and advance your skills. We’re excited to announce our jam-packed September training schedule, where you’re sure to find something that will help you at work, school, or play.

If you have questions or need assistance with registration, email training@vispero.com. We also welcome your suggestions for future training events.

Schedule

When	What	About	Where
Thurs, Sept 7 3:00 PM ET	ACB Community Event: Manage Downloads in Chrome and Edge with JAWS	We’ll show you how to manage downloads in the Chrome and Edge web browsers with JAWS. Learn how to specify a default download folder, access your download history, and remove files from the downloads list.	American Council of the Blind  To request an invitation, email community@acb.org.
Tues, Sept 12 Noon ET	Ask Sharky: Get the Most Out of Message Center	Learn the ins and outs of the new Message Center in JAWS, ZoomText, and Fusion, including how to access and navigate messages, as well as specify message settings.	Zoom conferencing platform and Clubhouse Join via Zoom or download the Clubhouse app from the iOS App Store or Google Play to participate on your mobile device.
Thurs, Sept 14 3:00 PM ET	ACB Community Event: Access Quick Settings in Windows 11 with JAWS	We’ll show you how to access Quick Settings and Notifications in Windows 11 with JAWS. Learn how to quickly change Wi-Fi settings, access Bluetooth devices, manage notifications, and use the Focus feature to minimize distractions.	American Council of the Blind  To request an invitation, email community@acb.org.
Thurs, Sept 21 Noon ET	Software Webinar: An Introduction to Google Slides with JAWS	We’ll provide an overview of navigating Google Slides with JAWS, plus show you how to turn on accessibility settings, navigate an existing presentation, create a new presentation, and access valuable keyboard commands.	Freedom Scientific Register for this webinar on Zoom, which offers ACVREP credits to those who attend the live webinar.
Thurs, Sept 21 3:00 PM ET	ACB Community Event: Manage Multiple Email Accounts in Outlook with JAWS	We’ll provide five tips for adding, managing, and navigating multiple accounts in Outlook 365 with JAWS.	American Council of the Blind  To request an invitation, email community@acb.org.
Tues, Sept 26 Noon ET	Ask Sharky: Five JAWS Power Tips for Online Shopping	We’ll discuss common challenges of shopping online, plus offer five power tips for overcoming them.	Zoom conferencing platform and Clubhouse Join via Zoom or download the Clubhouse app from iOS App Store or Google Play to participate on your mobile device.
Thurs, Sept 28 3:00 PM ET	ACB Community Event: Use the Microsoft Editor to Check Spelling and Grammar in Word with JAWS	We’ll provide an overview of the Microsoft Editor in Office 365, plus show you how to access document statistics and check for spelling and grammatical errors.	American Council of the Blind  To request an invitation, email community@acb.org.

https://blog.freedomscientific.com/join-us-for-our-september-2023-training-events/

Book Your Tickets Now for live theater production of Flying Blind

 Oh Look! GLORIOUS opportunities for Blindness Tourism with someone besides RantWoman.

Full disclosure. RantWoman does not know which of her blind groupies are performing but guarantees the case will be great.

Mark your calendars. Please join Anything is Possible theater productions for

*Flying Blind* - a musical by, for, and about the Blind/Low Vision community. 

We were set to perform the show live when Covid hit, and so like so many other creative groups, found a way to pivot and turned it into an audio play instead. Now thanks to some generous Covid relief money from the City of Seattle, we are happily pivoting back to mounting a live production. Come join us June 2-4 at the Lakewood Seward Park Community Club for an intimate, hilarious and moving evening (or afternoon) of live musical theater. 

Admission is free but reservations are required, follow the link below. 

We’ll be gratefully accepting donations at the door to help offset the costs of production.

Hope to see (ha ha) you there! And thank you for supporting the creatives in your midst. We’ll all keep on doing what we do no matter what, but it’s way more fun when you come along for the ride.

click here to make your reservations now
<https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/6006769>.

Friday, June 2    7:00 pm
Saturday, June 3  2:00 pm
Saturday, June 3   7:00 pm
Sunday, June 4 2:00 pm (Will be ASL interpreted)

Lakewood Seward Park Community Club
4916 S Angeline St, Seattle, WA 98118

If you need assistance making a reservation, please email Sheri Richardson
<r.sheri@icloud.com> r.sheri@icloud.com.    If you cannot respond by
e-mail, you may call Sheri at 425-681-5215

If you need additional accommodation at the performance, please email Ellen
Cooper <cooperanythingispossible@gmail.com>
cooperanythingispossible@gmail.com

Produced by Anything is Possible Theatre Company
<http://anythingispossibletheatre.org/>

*Flying Blind is made possible by *
*ReVision Arts and the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture*

 

Think about all the BAD policies NOT getting implemented Don’t worry about Republicans failing to elect a speaker… yet

1. RantWoman is not inclined to use the word catastrophe about Kevin McCarthy's relentless runs at Speaker of the US House. RantWoman finds several silver linings in the exercise, about which more below

2. RantWoman means to offer separate commentary on the 2-year anniversary of the #January6thInsurrection. Here RantWoman simply notes that perhaps we are supposed to be glad that this week's festivities are occurring more or less under the guidance of parliamentary procedure and thankfully, so far at least, without "help" from a marauding murderous mob.

3. Watch this video. Count all the silver linings

For further consideration.

Map of the GOP No on Kevin Votes

Beau: trust power hungry politicians to be who they are
    

Anna Paulina Luna: Dems will NEVER hold the Speaker's gavel in a GOP majority House

The House has now elected a Speaker and everyone has taken their oaths of office. .

The final vote in Round 15:

McCarthy 216 / 428, in other words BY A WHISPER in keeping with the Red Dribble, which was all the GOP could achieve even with several districts newly redistricted to heavily favor the #GOP.

Jeffries 212 / 428

Present 6 / 428

RantWoman is awed by Hakeem Jeffries' speech. 

RantWoman hopes people concerned about debate will conduct well-informed fact-based conversations and not just fling around inflammatory rhetoric.

Frankly to everyone who just took their oath of office and sware to uphold the Constitution.... if you don't think government can and needs to work, FIND ANOTHER LINE OF WORK.