Mlle. Zabzie

You know, that’s kind of why I want to go back and read book 1 now having finished book 3, because I expect there is stuff in book 1 that, in retrospect, will be important to book 4.

I had totally forgotten that explanation. Of course our man John is a totally unreliable narrator, but this felt real-ish? I think I need to reread all three back to back. And if the end of this is a psych ward in a private hospital somewhere out of Wellington I'm going to be super super ticked.

Ulysses. That’s where. And, well, um, see prior.

A few more things from me: On the lyctors, in stream of consciousness Also:

Hah! That’s amazing. Thanks for sharing. Linkage to conspiracy theories? I love a fictional conspiracy.

More rabbit hole stuff (I love a puzzle):

I have gone down the rabbit hole on the biblical parts of this one (just like I did with Greek drama in previous…)

I have lots of thoughts, but completely non-spoiler, you can pull out your friendly [Gideon] Bible and note that the John verses are thematically correct. I’ll note that the first John verse (20:8) for instance is “Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in; he saw and believed.” The second (5:20) is “For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. He will show him even greater things to do than this, and you will all be amazed.” The third (15:23) is “Whoever hates me hates my father also”…..

Please tell me you have a high-top. Please.

Wasn’t Evelyn Waugh’s wife’s name also Evelyn?

Did she show when wet? Because at least my hair bounces when dry…. But I hear you.

Exactly. I wash/blow dry/straighten once a week. I’ll touch up here and there (hair has a mind of its own), but I’m not subjecting it to the full heat barrage every day.

So my hair is basically the texture in the second picture and is very thick. I am a big fan of the flat iron. You do need to invest in a good one and in good heat shielding products for your hair. I use a narrow flat iron because I’m not trying to get stick straight. I do use a lot of product - bumble has several good ones, but I would ask your hair dresser. Another trick of mine in the summer is to use a salt spray mousse - really helps to hold body and wave without frizz.

condolences and sadness. that was a beautiful tribute.

Bebe will be your recruiting secret weapon. Everyone loves a kitten.

No. No it will not. I end up having a lot of things that I direct sow (e.g., peas, Okra, beans, cucumbers, carrots, squash, melons, zinnias, cosmos (who am I kidding, the latter are just volunteers from the year before)) and I just buy the rest as seedlings from nurseries. I sometimes think I should do my own seedlings, but the times I have tried it, I've either killed them with love (over watering, or kitten), or neglect.

At the end of March or early April I can get pansies and ranunculus. I am so excited. We are getting there. I need to start to plan my annuals....

I finally read these. I loved them. 1. Book 1 is And Then There Were None (or maybe The Westing Game?) with skeletons and many, many, allusions. Old Testament and Apocrypha are pretty evident. “Sword of Gideon” is a bit on the nose. But also Judith (always think of the many paintings with her serving a head on a platter), Canaan house (also important in the book of Judges), Abigail (married to King David, but also a prophet). The Greek/Roman mythology hits hard (Ianthe with the violets/handmaiden of Persephone, Cytherea, Priam(hark), etc. etc.), and it is no coincidence that Lictors were the executioners (that bore the fasces) in the Roman Republic (so on the nose). I thought the voice was unique, the world building was better than average, and the characterization was excellent. 2. Book 2 is, I think Narnia meets Wuthering Heights … with skeletons. The Revelation of St. John (… … …) is woven throughout. I spent more than the average amount of time figuring out the pattern of each chapter’s title card skull. Lots more bible. Loads more mythology. Lots of 80s and 90s pop culture. So that was fun. 3. Book 3, I’m assuming, will draw from similar sources. And will be fun.

I have successfully repotted one orchid. I have four others that desperately need to be repotted (like real bad), but all four decided to send out bloom stalks before I could get my act in gear. So, I guess I will do them serially as soon as each stops blooming? It is a little annoying because I was hoping to do them all at once because I sanitize the pots and everything and only wanted to handle the bleach mixture one time. Oh well.

coming back to report the results of finally getting microblading. I HAVE EYEBROWS. This is game changing, as mine had totally fallen out, and were never going to really come all the way back without constant cortisone injections, and even then, given the scarring, there were going to be major gaps. I'm still in the healing phase. They are a little dark right now, and I am a little itchy, but this too shall pass. I'm really glad that someone here gave me such a great recommendation - it was really hard to find a place that I trusted. But they did a fantastic job. So thank you! (You know who you are!)

can i interest you in a lamp-post collective?

I adored Piranesi. It is maybe my favorite thing that I have read this year. She writes so beautifully, the characters were wonderful and there are SO MANY layers to the book. It has really stayed with me. I’m getting Raybearer….(And btw, the sequel to Deadly Education is out. It’s marvelous.).

So my hair is extremely porous (and I have the hair coloring debacles to prove it) and also dry (I only wash my hair once every 4-5 days at the most). (I also use a very light serum from bumble and bumble on my hair to control the frizz and manage the heat). I have never had that kind of issue. It's sort of like any product - you have to use the right amount. If you put in more than the recommended amount that might be an issue? I'd talk to your stylist regarding what they recommend for your hair type.

There are some conditioners that you put on your hair and do not wash out (you leave them in). I use this for my very thick, somewhat curly hair (which I routinely heat-damage).

I made an appointment for a micro-blading consult on Thursday. I’m excited. Will report back.