Happy anniversary!

I'm pretty sure you've nailed that assignment already.

Oh, yay! Anxiety about possible depression so you can get depressed about all the anxiety! The best carnival ride of all! Brains are the funnest toy!

I hope the meds help quickly.

Done!

I wondered about that--it's a baking soda/acid (sour cream & coffee)-leavened recipe--but the soda worked fine for cornbread a few days ago, so...

I was having a not-great brain day, though, so I may have mixed my tsp & my half-tsp measuring spoons. I'll just have to make it again to be sure!

Thanks!

It may not have risen as much (or as evenly) as I would have liked, but damn, that was the chocolatiest chocolate cake I've ever made or possibly ever had. Once again, Miz Edna Lewis did not steer me wrong.

I'd still love to know what went wrong with the rise, though.

I broke the first rule of baking: Never try a new recipe when the cake is important.

Luckily @bitteroldpunk.bsky.social doesn't care if it's perfect, as long as it's chocolate.

Happy birthday to a fabulous guy who is pretty easy to please, & would prefer good cake now to perfect cake at midnight.

...and able to solve your problem without requiring another trek off-island.

Good luck! May the gods of bureaucracy smile upon you, and may every servant you encounter be civil.

That is an excellent point. We've kind of touched on that, but not gone into it very deeply yet.

Oh, lord, I feel all of this so much. I'm glad you're working with a good therapist because yeah, it's a hell of a lot.

I will look into who does that near me. (It looks like my guy does not.) Thank you!

It's also a bitch to learn that some old friends may not like the healthier me as much as they liked the (admittedly entertaining and occasionally charming) trainwreck, and I don't really know what to do with that.

Oh, absolutely. Cramming that down and smiling has...not served me well, and I absolutely don't suggest that as a coping strategy. I don't have any answers, really, but FWIW, counselling and just letting myself be sad about the loss has helped me a lot.

Therapy/counselling helps: I'm still figuring out who I am and unlearning a lot of things I spent a whole life believing about myself (as it looks like you are, too), and it's immensely helpful to have a good guide through that process.

I don't really have any advice, but yep, it's a trip. It's been less than a year, and I still have moments when I feel angry/sad/frustrated at how different things could have been, but they're less frequent & at least I don't hamster-wheel about it (thanks, medication!). We're here now, you know?

Have you ever dyed yarn? Join us in our Montreal studio to give it a try!

We have an Intro to Yarn Dyeing workshop on Saturday April 11 which is perfect for beginners. All materials are provided and you'll go home with 2 skeins of your own hand-dyed yarn! www.sweetpaprikadesigns.com/products/int...

Establishment enmity could be a good omen for the NDP’s Lewis - The Hill Times The mocking responses of the Establishment to Avi Lewis’ win belie their divorce from the realities of Canadians not in their socioeconomic class.

“The collective crash-out of the Canadian political and news media establishment over Avi Lewis’ March 29 win in the NDP leadership race is giving me life.”

www.hilltimes.com/2026/04/01/e...

His comms team should never pay for a drink again. (And this is a brilliant initiative.)

Also, you'll get a one-of-a-kind bookmark with purchase of Math for Knitters!

Swimsuit Restocking Mid April, & adding a two-piece. Our Wool Swimsuit! Perfect for your cold plunge, or for your summer swims. Doubles as a body suit in the colder months.   Features include Adjustable st...

Canadian femmes: need a new swimsuit? Want one that's made in Canada? From mostly natural fibres? I bought one of these two years ago, have worn it to swim in lakes, rivers, & seas, and it still looks & fits like new. And no, they're not paying me to say that. 😂

www.simplymerino.ca/products/swi...

Gah! Yeah, and we can see our actual post office from the front door of our building: it's easy walking/wheeling distance from a whole bunch of homes. But let's send packages to the contracted post office in the strip mall far from where anyone lives because London Drugs needs the business, I guess?

Yup. A friend of mine is a CUPW shop steward in Vancouver, and oh, the conversations we have on this very subject.

(Well, I say "can't be arsed" but it's also possible that they're not given enough time to do their routes properly.)

I actually got Sternly Worded Letter-levels of angry, for all the good it did. Sigh.

It's extra frustrating b/c undelivered parcels go to an outlet that's too far to walk to, in a strip mall away from anyone's home. Someone there told me CP had contracted out parcel delivery, and the new folks can't be arsed to deliver to apartments. Why are we paying them to drop off pick up slips?

Mine would be the move from Birmingham to Vancouver Island: 4 days, car loaded with stuff (the trunk still creaks when it opens), early COVID times, hurricanes south of us for the first part, fire tornadoes in the mountains for the last part, 2 very unhappy cats in the back. Do not recommend.

Well, maybe a bit, but now that we have new! exciting! weather every year, we've been getting more sun than usual lately.

Aha! I can do that. Thank you.