Video meanderings for Holy Thursday.

 Does RantWoman have other things she is SUPPOSED to be doing, up to and including some formal way of observing Holy Thursday / Maundy Thursday / the version of Passover sometimes observed by Christians contemplating events leading up to Easter.

RantWoman went looking for info about Easter witches, a custom in Finland and Sweden.

Please enjoy the fruits of RantWoman's internet peregrinations.

RantWoman apologizes: she has not been keeping up with the ins and outs of sharing content across different platforms. Blogger may ask readers to click on a link and go directly to YouTube. The link works great.

Easter traditions in Finland and how you can take part of them - Nallikari

How to Celebrate SWEDISH EASTER | Traditions and Folklore

Swedish Easter tradition - Weird things Swedish people do - Learn Swedish in a Fun way!

10 Well-Known Passover Rituals That Are Surprisingly Profound

Potatoes, onions, bananas and delivery FEEDBACK for Amazon

RantWoman now has potatoes. RantWoman now has onions, in particular a bag with the kind of small onions RantWoman really prefers. RantWoman is about to run out of fresh bananas but the point of a recent Amazon order was bananas.

(RantWoman acquired the potatoes and onions at a street level grocery right next to a bus stop near an in-person meeting. So Amazon is out of the picture about that, at least this time.)

Here a confession: RantWoman quit shopping at in person at her neighborhood Amazon Fresh in connection with the last #No KingsDay protests. There are both food preference and political reasons: Before No Kings Day 2.0 RantWoman found herself looking on Amazon for faraday bags to protect her electronic lifelines while out protesting billionaires for doing billionairish things. At that point, RantWoman reality checked, decided that she prefers shopping in other places anyway, and also decided she did not have time to evaluate other delivery options. So RantWoman made a small in-person shopping gesture but still relies a lot on Amazon delivery. 

Stay tuned for a bananas reflection in connection with #NoKingsDay 3.0

RantWoman realizes that the vexations of an Amazon order are definitely "first world problems" when the news media is melting down full of lots of scary scenarios involving oil, fertilizer, ground troops and all like that. RantWoman also has TWO pleas from Amazon to interact with the Amazon data collection about satisfaction with the delivery. The pleas had links that took RantWoman to more ads, not straight to the comment options, unsatisfactory as they are. So here goes world.

When RantWoman is out of fresh bananas, RantWoman has this odd tendency to forget about all the other food in the house, including multiple packages of dried bananas. A few nights ago, RantWoman was out of fresh bananas. RantWoman fully intended to go replenish the supply of bananas and also potatoes and onions. RantWoman figured there is a short bus option, prices are affordable, and RantWoman could buy in a quantity she can carry home.

Nice thought. RantWoman got sucked into one of her YouTube rabbit holes and realized it was really too dark out even for the easy bus option she had in mind. RantWoman REALLY needed bananas. There the yellow Amazon icon was on her phone. RantWoman was even in a space to do the free delivery with a $100 order deal that comes with Prime. RantWoman simply REFUSES to pay $9.99 / month for free perishable grocery deliveries on orders over $25. RantWoman, though is quite happy making orders over $25 for non-perishables. But RantWoman needed bananas.

RantWoman has NO idea what she did, but she wound up in Amazon NOW, unable to get out and with no acknowledgement of one order. RantWoman did in fact include potatoes and onions in her selections but those selections apparently went into a different shopping cart. RantWoman also forgot the all-important bananas. RantWoman would REALLY have liked just to add bananas to the first order but wound up making a second order, partly because there was some kind of hiccup about the usual  order confirmation. 

Here is a summary of those two orders from a few days ago:

RantWoman has bananas. That is the important thing.

RantWoman does not have the russet and yellow potatoes and avocado she would also have liked to have.

RantWoman also has

4 packets of cheese slices when 1 or 2 would have been fine

5 c6 ox containers of raspberries or blackberries

2 packages of hummus

one package of two small frozen pizzas

1 box of donuts

1 6-pack of good tapioca pudding.

2 pints of Cherry Garcia ice cream at a price lower than usual.

RantWoman also has two emails asking wihether RantWoman was pleased with her deliveries

No.

The two delivery drivers were wonderful, courteous, helpful. The problem is definitely not the driver(s).

RantWoman's intent had been to start her grocery list, on Amazon. RantWoman got taken straight to Amazon NOW.

RantWoman previously rebooted her phone to get out of Amazon now. This time RantWoman went ahead.

RantWoman placed her order then realized she had forgotten the bananas, the whole point of her offer.

RantWoman also lost patience before getting acknowledgment of the order in the app.

So RantWoman did a duplicate order with several of the items. RantWoman added the bananas but could not see the potatoes.  They showed up in RantWoman;s shopping cart after the second order was placed and RantWoman was finally able to get out of AmAzon Now.

WTF

The bananas arrived in great shape but too ripe to last very long.

RantWoman definitely was not distressed to get several of the items she ordered at discounts over prices she has seen and / or paid in the past.

RantWoman's shopping cart leaned a little more toward treats than sometimes. RantWoman can definitely COPE.

Dissatisfaction with the Satisfaction survey

In other words, RantWoman is mostly fine except for the part about whatever UI issues are going on about getting out of AmazonNow.

Well and frustration about options for sharing feedback about where Amazon is doing great and / or falling short in contributing to RantWoman's happiness and nutritional needs.

The Opening Day /#NoKingsDay 3.0 angle

Digression: RantWoman spent her Saturday immersed in the hordes of transit riders celebrating the opening of the #2Line #CrossLakeConnection. By now RantWoman should know better about opening day hordes. RantWoman also had to adjust her initial travel thoughts based on howls of pain from her own body. That meant doing other errands and only then trying out the full opening day experience. The trains were packed. At one point RantWoman flashed back to the only other time she has felt that smushed on public transit, a long time ago on a subway from Brooklyn to Manhattan for another GIANT protest. Protest and Survive, indeed.

The opening day moment: RantWoman again needed bananas. By the time RantWoman did her day's train travel she was exhausted, and there were hiccups about bus connections. But RantWoman finally figured out minimal walking bus connections that yielded her preferred banana purchase: one banana ripe enough to eat the next day and a bunch green enough to feed RantWoman for a whole week.

By the way, a plea to Amazon Logistics

While RantWoman has people's attention, and if her rambling narrative has not driven Amazon readers crazy, a BIG request:

RantWoman lives in a building with over 100 apartments. Everyone has the same street address. Many people order from Amazon. Some of them have tougher mobility and budget considerations than RantWoman. Quite a while ago, RantWoman got a phone call from Amazon Logistics in connection with a delivery. 

There are two entrances to RantWoman's building. People making deliveries to the better entrance can phone residents to be buzzed in. However, driving directions to the exact street address in some GPS point people to the back door. Deliveries to the back entrance are difficult for everyone because someone has to know to come meet the driver. This means deliveries get dropped outside the door, stolen... RantWoman gave the Amazon Logistics person precise reliable driving directions. 

RantWoman's account repeats the driving directions and also makes clear her preference to have deliveries brought all the way to her apartment. At this point, RantWoman simply reports that the delivery was great when these directions are followed. We will not discuss the poor unfortunate drivers who deserve scorn from multiple customers when several packages all get dumped in a heap in the mail room.

Recently a number of neighbors have complained that they are having issues with drivers coming to the back door rather than to the front where there is a keypad and options to let the drivers in. Is there some way that Amazon can standardize the driving directions for all drivers? Or is the expectation that drivers will do whatever the GPS says and individual customers will just have to complain every time a new driver goofs up?  RantWoman would SO appreciate being able to help her neighbors out.

Ice Cream Putinism Trumpism, Fascism, Monarchism

True Confession: RantWoman was seduced into these essays by mention of ice cream. Long ago when RantWoman was a graduate student studying in Leningrad / St Petersburg, ice cream bought from street vendors on Nevsky Prospekt in downtown Leningrad / St. Petersburg was basically a major food group. And in some kind of dietary magic, RantWoman lost about 30 pounds on her study abroad trip.

Ice cream nostalgia should not be mistaken for strategy in the modern era of billionaires and onrushing AI.

The Lesson I Learnt in the USSR That Still Fools Millions

Trump Isn’t a Russian Agent. It’s Worse.

Boxes

a celebratory Christmas Cactus

 Happy Birthday RantDad.

If RantDad were still alive he would turn 90 today, one of those time horizons one hardly imagines, whether the celebrant is alive or not.

30 years ago, RantWoman flew back to MT to surprise RantDad on his birthday. That year his birthday fell on Thanksgiving. RantWoman missed out on Thanksgiving dinner but collected a nice incentive to take a later flight than the one she originally booked. The whole trip was the best birthday surprise ever.

35 years ago was a terrible tragedy RantWoman still smarts from.

But let us talk RantDad memories:

Bassoon music

Postcard collecting

Stacking boxes in boxes.

RantDad was frugal in a style that definitely did not permit throwing away all the boxes that crossed his path.  In fact, even though some kinds of math definitely were not RantDad's favorite, he made sort of a hobby of stacking boxes in boxes and then figuring out how to rearrange things to stack even more boxes in the boxes. 

When RantMom was getting ready for downsizing 1.0, we discovered that the garage of the family home still held boxes stacked from the 1960's, before the RantFamily moved from CO to MT.: All of these spatial reasoning masterpieces started going out the door during Downsizing 1.0 for RantMom. RantMom sold the home where she lived for 30 years, loaded her life behind a bulkhead in one of those we will move your stuff in our semi on our timeline deals and moved to Seattle.

And two downsizings later, RantMom's apartment still has a FEW boxes stacked in boxes remaining.

RantWoman smiles ironically every time she flattens an Amazon delivery box. The flattened boxes go to the recycle. RantWoman would be thrilled if the charming drivers who bring boxes of things to her door could, on subsequent trips. In the meantime, RantWoman strives to move the boxes along in the universe more elegantly than RantDad did.

And speaking of boxes, one of RantMom's recent excursions into boxes turned up this memorable phot of RantDad, probably from early college because RantWoman thinks RantDad played the baritone horn until he went off to college and fell in with the woodwinds.

RantDad with his bassoon in performance clothes

What if RFK Jr double dog dares the President Elect to EAT A SALAD?

RantWoman thinks God has a weird sense of humor. RantWoman will at some point wander down that rabbit hole in search of ways to address the outcome of #Election2024, people who think differently from RantWoman or worse, don't appear to think at all.

In the meantime, RantWoman copium:

--cat videos

--recipes with no plans to cook.

--material that makes RantWoman laugh between other howling.

There is a lot besides RFK jr. to bite into. That is for another time.

RantWoman thinks that RFK Jr. will make a terrible Secretary of Health and Human Services. And he gets to get in line with a bunch of other terrible nominees.

RantWoman spent part of her weekend talking to elders now suffering post-polio syndrome, remembering the mass dosing at her elementary school and collecting a Twitter / X thread about RFK Junior going to American Samoa, arguing against polio vaccines, and leaving in his wake the germs of a huge deadly outbreak a few months later.

That, of course, is by far not the only reason one might have a very negative opinion of the current nominee to head the Department of Health and Human Services.

RantWoman, however is touched by the cabinet secretary nominee's concern for the President Elect's diet. In fact, RantWoman wonders how long the nominee will last if he dares to insist that the President Elect maybe say EAT A SALAD.

Not turning into an icicle outdoors and the virtues of Boiling water?

Today's view off the balcony:
the 'hood below freezing

#DeepFreeze day2+  #wawx 

True confession: RantWoman STILL has not turned on the heat in her apartment.

RantWoman has, though, boiled water a couple times for tea. After reading the Cliff Nass post above, RantWoman figures a good tea kettle full of boiling water probably helps up the indoor humidity at least a little.

Digression: RantWoman lives in multi-family housing. At one point during the pandemic RantWoman's sink clogged and a friend suggested pouring boiling water down the drain a few times a week. RantWoman home science project theory: besides loosening any potential clogs, probably regular gushes of boilind water also deter the sort of insect guests one definitely prefers not to invite in.

Back to surviving what is a deep freeze for Seattle but positively tropical compared to, for instance, multiple cities in MT.

RantWoman slept REALLY well!

RantWoman's morning info streams: much freezing of water for chickens, sugar solutions for hummingbird, clouds of boiling water and lattes. 

RantWoman's household temp indicator: the Nutella in the cupboard is MUCH harder than average.

RantWoman also evaluated her schedule and needed travel and decided to go ahead and wash hair.  

Task 1: comb out and braid hair without getting whatever one is going to wear out of the house wet enough to turn entire body into an icicle. RantWoman has a half worn-out sweater that is perfect for this.

Next, long pants and two layers of t-shirts. 

Then sweater long enough to cover thighs or hoodie.?

Hoodie and also hat partly to minimize heat loss related to damp braid.

Was the fleece vest overkill? The good glovers were in its pockets but RantWoman needs to remember to carry her phone on top of any layers she wants to zip or button.

Top off with the yellow allergic to getting run over raincoat and windbreaker.

Off to the bus stop.

Gloves definitely needed travelling with Ambassador Thwack, the badly behaved white cane. #CaneTravel

Cold air is SO energizing.

Live for once without obsessive need to check expected bus arrival time. RantWoman has seen cool gloves with velcro flaps on the index finger but decided to be perfectly happy keeping her hands in the bright pink gloves she has.

Coming home, RantWoman opted for a couple blocks walk over the closest bus stop. By this time, RantWoman was not super eager to flirt further with icicle status. 

The bus came, delivered RantWoman to her stop. RantWoman ALWAYS thanks the bus driver. RantWoman will always do this reflexively although RantWoman thinks that level of interaction would likely be missing from a robot bus experience. Sigh.

For reference about relative humidity indoors and out.

Cliff Mass weather blog about "dry storm."

And after watching a demo of a new product called BeMyAI, one of these days RantWoman is going to see what the AI makes of all of Cliff Mass' maps.

Holiday prep: gifts, FOOD, and MAYBE a piece of gear for RantWoman

RantWoman is trying fitfully to get into the holiday spirit. Warning, fgrinchiness available in other posts.

First it's gifts for the fam.

RantWoman so far is falling down about tradition as far as socks for brother in law

RantWoman is a slow learner about the guys and T-shirts. RantWoman is trying a different neckline than last year BUT is trying again about the same sizes. Hint to irrepressible Nephew from Preacher Auntie: they make tall size clothing. It looks GOOD on you.

Little sister, after years of appreciating dish towels this year says "Please no more dish towels."

She and RantMom may be in for mail order sleepwear and mixed format Braille art calendars from American Printing House for the Blind, that is if RantWoman can successfully place an order.

RantWoman almost forgot the new pup! Gah! Good thing there is another week until Christmas.

and snacks or whatnot for the stockings??? Nephew is doing Keto. Brother in Law likes sardines. Not sure what Little Sister is eating. As for the whatnot...stay tuned.

Holiday FOOD

RantWoman MAY make some chocolate chips and condensed milk fudge but will have to find other people besides the fam to share it with.

RantWoman MAY also make some quickbreads: banana poppyseed; pumpkin; cranberry. That will happen after the Christmas day feast.

Ditto for the fam's favorite cut out cookie recipe.

RantWoman is agreeable about a feast featuring salmon and butternut squash.

RantWomanWILL bring cranberry relish. No it's not keto. No RantWoman also is not spiking it. RantMom does not go for that kind of thing.

Most interestingly, since nephew is doing keto RantWoman grabbed a search engine and boldly stepped out into the jungle of recipes for Keto-friendly side dishes, and preferably ones that won't give the non-keto eaters heart attacks just thinking about saturated fat.

So far:

--Onion rings dipped in egg and coated with a mix of almont flour and crumbled pork rinds that at LEAST can be baked in a hot oven instead of fried.

--Broccoli bacon cheese bake.

--zucchini gratin with no bacon

--garlic butter green beans sprinkled with toasted almonds.

--keto garlic mushrooms

--Keto roasted asparagus with parmesan cheese.

Okay, okay, RantWoman can probably figure this out.

And finally, an item for RantWoman's wish list.

RantWoman is intrigued by this white mobility cane.

RantWoman sometimes would really like a white cane that can travel even more compactly than the 5 section collapsible ones she has.

RantWoman would definitely prefer solid white to aluminum and white rings.

RantWoman is not charmed by complaints here about how badly the tip wears.

RantWoman does not live in a place where it gets cold enough very often to need to wear gloves but can cope if necessary.

However, RantWoman looked this cane up on Amazon and put one in her preferred length in her wish list to think about after Christmas and software renewals and ...

Titanium telescoping cane

Brussels Sprouts, a baked potato--and dessert.

 A restaurant where one can order crispy brussels sprouts with choice of vinegarette  or spicy aioli mayo, baked potato or cheese bread and then go straight to dessert is RantWoman's kind of place. RantWoman actually opted for brussels sprouts and a fish sandwich and then was too full for dessert--THIS TIME.  Lots of things on the menu look tasty. Some of the mixed drink options look intriguing though RantWoman tends not to drink if mass transit is the way home. In any case thanks partly to food, partly to really friendly staff, RantWoman definitely plans to try to find a reason to go back to Sanford's at Northgate. 

Honestly, a fabulous pedestrian experience will not be something RantWoman can look forward to. Meaning no disrespect specifically to the restaurant, it is typical of many restaurants located in the middle of big shopping mall parking lots not designed for any form of walking except travel back and forth from a car, and even that only if one is okay with trying to move around among cars that might or might not be moving.

RantWoman did fine on Link to the Northgate station. Google maps turned out to be reasonable about location of the restaurant; it just was not reasonable about the walking route. There is a stoplight at the street crossing just north of the Light Rail, but it is very wide and registers with RantWoman as weird. The street crossing has a stoplight and painted markings but no tactile cues. RantWoman did not test whether the signal is audible. RantWoman just looked at the apparent traffic patterns and lack of tactile cues and opted to grab one of the buses around to the east side of the mall complex figuring that she always needs a walk anyway and that walking through acres of parking lot, most of it with little traffic seemed more pleasant than the one scary street crossing.

RantWoman was mostly safe in the parking lot experience but she did find herself griping near the Kraken complex about whether or not professional athletes who make a living at vigorous exercise might also like the opportunity to walk safely around, maybe even with more vegetation instead of a parking lot that seems to have several forms of construction going on. 

RantWoman does not use fancy wayfinding apps but was glad for one "ask a human" moment. 

Once RantWoman arrived at the restaurant, the holiday party was great. The staff was great. The food was great. And RantWoman was well fortified for the walk out to a bus stop to go home. Finding a way out of the parking lot to Northgate way was non-trivial, but once RantWoman caught a bus back to the Light Rail all was fine, well except for conversations that get a separate blog post about paratransit, why RantWoman does not use ride hailing, and why RantWoman is still crazy enough to try stuff that people with less residual vision don't even consider.

What is wrong with these pictures????

 RantWoman has a long list of things she would rather be doing than inventorying everything that is wrong with these two vending machine signs. However RantWoman is undercaffeinated. RantWoman is in too much of a hurry to go get caffeine options available at home. RantWoman is also willing to make generous gestures on behalf of neighbors and most important is willing to consider spending money even when she has alternatives. 

A sign on the drinks machine

And to the vending machine company referenced in the 800 number, a non-functioning QR code and an email address, please accept this public inventory of how NOT to do it as free consulting.

You're welcome.

RantWoman arrived at this machine after deciding to complain about an issue affecting both this machine and the one tagged in the photo below.

To wit: these machines are card-only machines in a housing community with LOTS of people who use wheelchairs or other mobility devices as well as tall people like RantWoman. 

The card-only part is probably a necessity due to past problems about cash and and thievery and vandalism. Please join RantWoman in a moment of sardonic laughter, though, about small print RantWoman did not even see until the smartphone photo was enlarged. People who pay cash can get a 15% discount. Very funny.

RantWoman has a bank card. Many residents in RantWoman's building do not. RantWoman has not made an effort to see whether a gift card would work. The reason RantWoman has not tried to use her debit card today: the machine has something flashing in the window showing how much money is credited. It also has several incompletely descended beverages. So there is no point in even trying for more caffeine and a repair call is in order.

Having the card reader located on the machines well above RantWoman's eye level is NOT necessary. Not only is it not necessary, it is an ADA violation because people in wheelchairs cannot independently reach the card reader. RantWoman has been told of multiple phone calls and what may be passing the buck among building staff and the vendor. The problem remains unresolved after multiple months. RantWoman WILL make use of abundant internet connectivity to send a link for this blog entry to the vendor now that the image is big enough on RantWoman's screen to identify an email contact.

But wait! An email address at itsinreach.com.

Really?

The snacks machine:

The sign on the snacks machine

Yep. The snacks machine card reader is also well above RantWoman's eye level.

The snacks machine has a cute keypad with Braille on the numbers. One still has the problem of figuring out which number to key in for which snack. RantWoman succeeded in buying the snack of choice without incident but still needs to complain about some recent malfunction that left about $5.00 worth of charges on her bank card that she did not receive product for. 

And probably more people would buy snacks if the card reader were more accessible.

Word.

Now Happy #DisabilityPrideMonth ;-(

Recipe for an 85th birthday party

Happy Birthday RantMom 

The venue: Zoom, for two hours on RantMom's actual 85th birthday.

Party attenders located in Seattle, Denver area, Portland area, Salt Lake City area, Milwaukee, Oklahoma

The creators: Little Sister handling much patient people interacting; RantWoman running tech, as in setting up a Zoom meeting including breakout rooms in case some of the fam needed breaks from each other. They didn't

Tech adventures: 

RantWoman declined the invitation to Zoom together with others: RantWoman hates headphones and does not want to share screen reader chatter with the uninitiated especially if also hard of hearing.

Despite the fact that RantMom now successfully streams two church services and a Bible study, Irrepressible nephew probably helped her connect before exiting to a separate room to avoid feedback. We will not discuss the fact that Grandma, aka big sister to her siblings, was perfectly fine with Nephew coming over even though he was sniffly and a little feverish. Chalk it up to farm girl constitution?

One cousin and her mother Facetiming while on Zoom to try to figure out connectivity to the Zoom meeting.

Aunt and Uncle Schoolteacher who didn't want to join the Zoom meeting on their iPhones, not even just with 1-tap mobile, no way no how. They wound up calling Little Sister who put them on speaker phone near her laptop. Aunt Schoolteacher phoned RantMom up the day after the party to see what they had missed. 

Uncle Beer Boiler's new friend who has come into his life after Aunt Travel Agent passed away set up his Zoom. RantWoman says Aunt Travel Agent worked from home but the couple never figured out shared use of one computer.

Youngest Cousin got help from her mother's extended family to connect her mom.

Modes of transportation mentioned:

foot

Horseback

school bus

long haul semi 

autonomous vehicles with "not ready for primetime" comments

airport luggage conveyor system 

airplane 

Topics:

Elder care

Memorable moments

Uncle Schoolteacher always needs to enlighten the crowd with some bit of research. He reported on average salary, home price, food prices IN CITIES of milk, eggs, bread and a couple other items the year RantMom was born. RantWoman bypassed the opportunity to groan "Hello! They lived on a ranch. They produced a lot of that right on the farm!" 

No, it was not recorded for posterity. Are you kidding? Not for this crowd.

No, the birthday cake did not get shared over Zoom. The party was wonderful regardless.

Crusade of the day: accessible vending machines

RantWoman has not entirely succeeded at a daily barrage of #NDEAM posts.

RantWoman has also been posting in Twitter.

Rantwoman has further been at work in email

RantWoman will now discuss why representation in ALL phases of product and process design matters.

Why am I posting this photo
of spectacular design inaccessibility?
Wrong answers only

See this vending machine, in the not too distant past installed at RantWoman's building. For a time during the #Pandemic, RantWoman's building was infested (Nope, NOT a nice word) with people whose every action betrayed both why they needed supportive housing and why they should have trouble maintaining it.

RantWoman is speaking of, presumably, druggies who broke into vending machines and laundry facilities, stole coins, stole the contents of the snack food machine and were generally a disgrace.

The inhabitants who so clearly were deficient in neighbor skills have, CROSS FINGERS, all successfully been ejected. The vending machine has returned, in card reader only mode to a building full of people of many different heights, people who use wheelchairs, and of course blind people expected always to ask their neighbors for help anyway.

So, what is wrong with this picture. Hint: the blue dot on the upper right corner of the machine indicates the card reader.

Double hint: RantWoman is pretty tall. The card reader is located above RantWoman's head.

To be fair, there is a contact number somewhere on the machine for the vending machine company. Multiple neighbors have called about the accessibility issue. 

Congratulations, dear vendor, you have now also earned a place on RantWoman's blog and free advice: PLEASE bring us something that people in wheelchairs who want to buy junk, er, snack food can use independently.

Just to beat on the point:

The phone number, etc

      

One more round of
Accepts Credit Cards Only

Further belated data point: the soda machine: RantWoman can buy beverages at nose level, which is still way too high for a lot of RantWoman's neighbors.

Nope. not accessible either

No Vegans here :The Wood Shop Restaurant

Usually restaurant reviewers do all sorts of things to disguise there identities. RantWoman is a large person with thick glasses, a broadbrimmed hat to keep glare out and brain cells in, and Ambassador Thwack the badly behaved white cane and anger management consultant. Disguises are not feasible. Plus, if RantWoman writes a mixed review of something in her neighborhood, RantWoman wants to celebrate the parts that work AND try to engage about things to do better about.

Wood shop restaurant menu

The short version of this review: readers who like smoked meats, beef brisket, pulled pork, ribs, chicken well presented are likely to love the Wood Shop either in its Jackson St. location or from its food truck. Readers who navigate partly by smell should have no problem following their noses on the S side of Jackson St. just east of Two Big Blondes plus sized used clothing store. Come to think of it: RantWoman has only visited The Wood Shop at times Two Big Blondes is not open. RantWoman has no opinion about in which order readers might want to visit the two businesses when both are open.

Readers who are vegans or who dine a lot with vegans will want to find other options. RantWoman does not recall a single identifiable vegan item on the menu.  Readers who want tasty smoked meats but don't want to brave crumbly sidewalks and an increasingly car riddled S. Jackson St. get to do their own research about tracking the shop's food truck.

Now to RantWoman's impression. RantWoman's first visit was during the Sunday after church hour for people who still go to church. RantWoman's thought was to grab some lunch ahead of grocery shopping at the new Amazon Fresh store. A pizza restaurant nearby was not open. RantWoman also realized from a sign on the door about vaccine cards that she should just finally dig out her two cards and carry a photo around on her phone.

Walking west, the next zone of enticing smells was the Wood Shop. RantWoman did her typical squint and decide to enter. The place is not overly well lit. There is a lovely wooden counter and RantWoman quickly found a very nice white laminated menu in decent sized print. All good, but the menu was the alcohol list. There are people who think 1 pm on Sunday is an awesome time to drink. And there are stick in the muds like RantWoman who do not but who would love to find a food menu in similar format.

Fortunately the woman at the cash register asked whether she could help. RantWoman kind of whimpered when the cashier pointed to a menu with not great contrast on the wall above her head. Conversation occurred. RantWoman was hungry and wound up ordering a cup of pit beans with pulled pork, a cup of coleslaw AND a pulled pork sandwich. The beans were nicely cooked but not mushy. The meat was fabulous though getting the bread right for a pulled pork sandwich is not straightforward. In the future RantWoman will probably just skip the sandwich or go for some meat by the pound to take home. 

The sandwich comes with great pickle and a bit of coleslaw that did well in the brine from the pickle. The cup of coleslaw did not wow RantWoman: it was a cheerful mix of red and green cabbage and grated carrots. The menu advertised buttermilk dressing, but it hardly seemed like vegetables had encountered any dressing. Even worse they had the slightly moldy taste that  pre-chopped veggies sometimes get. RantWoman generally likes coleslaw and resolved to try it again at another visit. 

RantWoman's next visit was one of RantWoman's habits: go eat supper out instead of looking at housekeeping chores, go get modest exercise, tear one's face away from screens and go interact with real humans. Luckily at least for now RantWoman has easy bus options that involve short walks on either end of the trip, and options for safe street crossing. For now. 

This time RantWoman approached from the west at dusk, with only mediocre street lighting. RantWoman noticed the giant driveway for the new apartments' parking garage and some pretty crumbly sidewalk on the way to the restaurant. Has rantWoman mentioned that she is a bit of a sidewalk imperialist? RantWoman just thinks sidewalks should be of consistent quality over her entire path of travel. In any case, RantWoman got to the restaurant just as it was closing. They were out of brisket chili so RantWoman will have to go back. A cup of pit beans and more coleslaw were plenty of supper. RantWoman could live without globs of fat in the beans even though it's PORK and what does one expect. This time the coleslaw had not funny taste, but at the end of the day having coleslaw that is even a little soggy from contact with dressing is more what RantWoman would expect.

The restaurant has some kind of seated dining area in the back. RantWoman did not go visit. Instead for both visits RantWoman adapted parts of the plaza for sitting and dining. Trash can? What trash can? One time RantWoman left garbage in protest. The second time, RantWoman dutifully toted her garbage home.

Welcome to the neighborhood.

A very COVID Christmas

RantWoman can find plenty to mope about! 

Packages almost too pretty
to unwrap

Three friends close to RantWoman's age or younger battling COVID. They are all on the mend! 

2 friends are grieving dog companions, one a guide dog, and the other the victim of unfavorable physics involving a hit and run SUV driver.

A lovely broadcast about an elementary school band teacher made RantWoman feel more lonely.

A generous delivery of medium grade chocolate made RantWoman cringe--until she realized she can pass it along to neighbors.

The universe seems to be telling RantWoman to CHILL OUT and relax.

Package delivery was definitely de-Joyed. One package meant for brother in law got stolen after delivery to box. Another item is in transit supposedly until early January.

Family zoom is, well Family Zoom. But Irrepressible Nephew took RantMom out for a drive while presents were distributed. Even better. Auntie and Nephew in our masks and many layers of clothing...gave each other a hug....!

After the party

One gift: a floor length purple bathrobe with a hood

The second packages: Lavender relaxation pillow, body wash and epsom salts A    ND peppermint hand soap. Presents RantWoman would not think to buy herself but that she intends thoroughly to enjoy.

Okay, the blogosphere is not required to deliver, but...

To really relax RantWoman needs

--a new queen sized bed

--A pullout futon couch, high enough for RantWoman to get up and down comfortably.

--A recliner chair.

--A cleaning gnome to come over a couple times / month.

--to figure out Kindle unlimited.

Stay tuned

Virtual Christmas Pool Spa and Live Music Party

RantWoman's social calendar has included several parties convened on Zoom. If this were a "normal" work week, RantWoman might be dragging into work after a weekend of partying. Zoom is more complicated.

As much Christmas tree
as there is likely to be
at RantWoman's house this year

A couple events have been able to pull off carols led by people with real voices, or shared stories of holiday experiences. But the event featured here turned out to be a little more surprising. Between trivia games offered by a Youtube personality named Mr. Quizster and drawings for door prizes, guests at one party were invited to describe their fantasy location, what they were wearing, who they were with if desired and what they were eating.

There were LOTS of votes for Hawaii, Cancun, probably understandable for people wanting to warm up in winter. But the what are you wearing question a little too often involved bikinis, a look that has never been good for RantWoman. RantWoman was among a minority of party goers who wanted to be somewhere cold and / or recalled something from childhood. In particular, RantWoman is the sort of hardy lunatic who likes to swim in a hot springs pool as snow is falling.

RantWoman's fantasy was inspired by a real place she visited more than once as a child, Wuanita Hot springs Ranch not very far from Gunnision CO. Google insisted that RantWoman needs to spell the place name the way it sounds to Anglos, not like the hispanic woman's name. Okay. Okay. Lexicography digression: Anglo is the word RantMom uses to draw a distinction between hispanics, some groups of whom have lived in CO for hundreds of years before Anglos arrived.

Wuanita Hot Springs Ranch foranyone who might want to visit themselves.

Winter wheel at
Wuanita Hot Springs Ranch CO

RantWoman imagines a gathering of several days. People who really like outdoor winter sports would be free to indulge: RantWoman would more be into the swimming--in a nice tank suit, not a bikini--and massage options. 

When not in the pool, RantWoman would probably use the occasion to dress up a little bit, maybe a velvet dress, either a festive red Stetson, or white beads woven into her braid. Footwear would not be silly strappy things good for frozen feet. Instead RantWoman would aim to strike a balance: formal but with enough tread to get around on icy streets if necessary.

Over the weekend there would be music groups performing sets of various genres from classical to jazz at least and maybe  world beat or thoughtful rock and roll. There would be a buffet both vegan and decadent carnivorous options, some steaming pots of soup and also cider or eggnog.

It's a fantasy so of course RantWoman is not going to worry about travel logistics, COVID travel restrictions or costs.

In the event RantWoman were to try to carry out this fantasy, RantWoman had great fun looking at the Website. The layout was clean. The print was easy to read. The site behaved well with the screen reader. Only one small quibble. All the pictures had some kind of minimal alt text but RantWoman would never mind a little more literary effort describing the pictures. Just a little.

Happy Christmas to all and blessings for all the other things readers might be celebrating.

How to observe Black Friday: the Yucky Topics Festival Version

Happy Black Friday, the ordinary Yucky Topics Distract ourselves from Pandemic and Politics Edition 

RantWoman as an adult has never been one to stream out and shop Black Friday specials. Most years, RantWoman observes either observes Buy Nothing Day or maybe devotes a little time to funky Christmas gifts: sewing reflective tape onto a reusable canvas shopping bag for each family member, ordering matching shirts from the Lands End sale page for Brother-in-Law and Irrepressible Nephew, that sort of thing. But on years when the late RantDad's birthday falls on Black Friday, RantWoman has to give herself permission to mope. RantWoman is going to mope anyway so she might as well give herself permission.

RantWoman gets to remember RantDad, a talented musician, a devoted if not always adept father, and the sort of personality who made good copy for the local arts reporter every couple years when she needed a good story. RantDad's 60th birthday fell on Thanksgiving the year before he died. RantWoman surprised everyone by flying to MT to help celebrate. 

RantWoman gets to remember two fatal bus accidents a continent and almost a decade apart.

In one Blind College Roommate died for being 5 feet tall and blind and crossing the street in front of a bus at dusk. RantWoman first learned of the accident from one of those "who died and why are you calling me" phone calls, someone who has NEVER called RantWoman for any other reason than that news. RantWoman does not hold that circumstance against him. There are many layers of story. Maybe the most important point: the accident is one reason RantWoman finally decided years later just to admit  that she is perfectly fine with having become a bit of a pedestrian safety and transit geek.

The bus that went off the Aurora Bridge after a passenger who apparently had been suffering mental health issues shot a Metro bus driver

CW: further Graphic details

HistoryLink article: Bus plunges off Aurora Bridge

Seattle Times article

KIRO 7 Report from Youtube

RantWoman first heard the news while eating a burrito in Greenwood and listening to the news on a tiny walkman with cheap earbuds. RantWoman really did not engage with many details of the trauma until just now, looking for the above press items. RantWoman remembers at the time just being really glad she could avoid the Aurora Bridge and take the Route 48 to her house in the CD. Now of course, besides general prayers for all bus drivers, RantWoman also offers anniversary prayers for the bus driver's brother and other survivors: sometimes the driver's brother has offered memorial comments on the anniversary.

The other point that muddled across RantWoman's mind: this bus crash is one of several tragedies RantWoman can think of where MAYBE having adequate community mental health, SOCIAL WORKERS, in the picture upstream might have helped prevent a tragedy, social workers and making it more difficult for people struggling with mental illness to get guns.

Readers who have already had their fill of memorials at this point are invited to stop here. Readers who have room in their heads or hearts or both for more, RantWoman has been muddling the comments above around in her head with dueling email streams: Defund the Police. DON'T Defund the Police and here's why. And if you haven't decided here are some sarcastic Twitter comments about sending in social workers after the fact for a bunch of different tragedies which show up on the police blotter. 

Forget Santa Claus making a list of who's naughty and nice though. RantWoman started making a mental list of police-involved shootings  and other tragedies where having social workers in the picture upstream might have gone a long way toward preventing some of the tragedies. RantWoman means to massage this topic more thoroughly  and probably will also come up with "What if taxing the rich needs to be in the picture too?"

Stay tuned, and in the meantime, let's all troll for signs of better as the holidays progress!

Happy Birthday RantMom

 HAPPY 83rd BIRTHDAY RantMom!

RantMom says her brother called her yesterday. Also, there is a choir that serenaded her at her retirement community. RantWoman is not sure what RantMom said about masks but definitely remembers RantMom saying everyone was social distanced. Retirement community is back on quarantine while contact tracing happens first among staff and according to the most recent email possibly among a small number of residents. It sounds like RantMom is not the only person feeling restive about the situation. RantMom said some of her neighbors also called her to wish her Happy Birthday so RantMom feels generally well feted.

Forget the time stamp. The RantFamily gathered by Zoom around suppertime. We celebrated great strides forward in RantMom's confidence with Zoom, though cheerleading by the only grandchild should never be underestimated.

Food is a crucial part of all RantFamily gatherings, even the virtual ones. Little Sister said she had visions of delivering pizza to everyone. In the end. Little Sister dispatched Irrepressible Nephew to deliver a Safeway cake and candles to RantMom's retirement community. The cake had lovely-looking fruit but the daunting technology of the day was a lighter for candles.: the cake will be enthusiastically consumed regardless. RantWoman did not even think to ask others what real food they dined on. 

RantWoman braved the sound environment and universal masking at her neighborhood Starbucks: time for the first eggnog latte of the season and a "southwest veggie wrap." The veggie wrap, scrambled eggs, black beans and potatoes in a whole wheat tortilla would have benefited from even mild salsa or a few compatible veggies. Wraps reheated in the microwave are difficult to get just right, piping hot and heated uniformly enough not to scorch diners' palates. Anyway the wrap definitely passed muster in the more or less nutritionally responsible category. A slice of pumpkin bread saved for another was RantWoman's choice in the cake department.

Conversation topics: we barely touched on the election results. Irrepressible Nephew reported that recent plans for a road trip to see a school buddy in MT had to be aborted: school buddy is now doing okay but he tested positive for COVID the day before Nephew and buddies were to arrive. So instead the road trip went as far as a different friend in Spokane. Good Nephew. Sensible Nephew. Then last night there was a trip up to snow and a trail off Snoqualmie Pass.

Then conversation turned to RantMom and growing up, heating and baking with wood and coal, wading in ditches in the summertime. The best moment of family lore: bathing the rest of the year. RantMom had two brothers and two sisters. Saturday night was bath night. Some kind of tub was put behind the stove. First RantMom's youngest sister sister, then younger brother, then next younger sister with more water added after each kid. Typical of girl growth patterns, RantMom spent most of high school taller than her (now deceased) older brother. Now RantWoman is wondering who had to bathe last. It made RantWoman smile to learn that RantMom did not start getting to take showers until gym class in high school! RantWoman assumes there was plenty of physical exercise on the farm; RantWoman can also definitely see how the nome bathing situation can make gym class showers more of an attraction that RantWoman would ever assume.

Ignacio CO Homepage Ignacio is where RantMom went to high school and became a passionate football fan.

There are equivalent co.gov pages for

Durango, where RantMom was born in the hospital

Allison, even tinier than Ignacio but near where RantMom's paternal grandparents homesteaded

Gunnison, where the RantFamily, the RantParents and all 3 RantSiblings lived for 10 years

Also check out the Ute Agency where RantMom's maternal grandfather worked.

Happy Birthday RantMom and THANKS for incentive finally for RantWoman to upgrade her Zoom account!

MOD Pizza observes NDEAM

Sure. RantWoman will sometimes shamelessly reprint advertisements to observe #NDEAM in others' words. RantWoman totally enjoys the concoct your own recipe aspect of MOD Pizza. RantWoman has not quite brought herself to try "free" delivery. For one thing, the price of a pie is already so low that Free delivery just feels a little too exploitative. This means that RantWoman eats MOD pizza when she is out, which is much less frequent than "the before times." (Shhh RantWoman favors other brands for delivery.) 

That said, MOD Pizza in their own words.

MOD provides employment opportunities to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD)

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