On All My Motions

Another one gone (damn it)

2026-06-07T02:10:24Z

I really wish stars of Buffy the Vampire Slayer would stop dying. Three now in less than a year and a half, and every one of them younger than me (Anthony Stewart Head was born four months after I was).

When I think of Buffy, my mind automatically goes to the Core Four: Buffy, Giles, Xander, Willow. However, Michelle Trachtenberg was the first to go — the first blow to our memories — which means I have to expand my view of those I consider foundational. If Dawn was one of those, we have to count Cordelia, and then Joyce, and I’d probably have people calling in artillery strikes on me if I tried to leave out Tara.

(And there’s Angel, of course; once he got his own series, I keep forgetting to count him as a Buffy character.)

Even with that expanded list, nearly half of those pivotal actors have died, and Head was the only one who could be considered to have had a normal lifespan. Moreover, though Buffy was the first place I paid him much attention — I remembered the classic Taster’s Choice commercials once reminded of them — he kept appearing in other things, and it was always a treat to see him.

I’ll follow some of the tribute posts I’ve seen listed on Su_Herald here and here, linking to Giles stories of mine in memory of the man who played him.

Starting in 2013, I participated in Summer of Giles every year except 2015, so I’ll go from there.

“Under the Gun” was my first such story. To cross-post with another event I was involved in at the time, I wrote it as a remix. I did my best to showcase Giles’s forceful rationality and underlying ruthlessness, both of which were essentially created by Tony Head’s portrayal.

“Into the Abyss” was almost certainly my best Giles story. I don’t have any problem dedicating it to the man who made the role his own.

“Listen to the Mockingbird”, while not my most recent Summer of Giles fic (that was last year, while this one is from 2023) is, I think, better representative of the character who came to mean so much to us.

Finally, moving outside my own work, “the Mirror Broke (But All My Friends Were Laughing)”, by 23Murasaki, is just plain good enough that I’d hate to leave it out.

We’ll miss you, man. We’ll miss being in a world that contains you.

“Where Credit is Due” [Buffyverse drabble]

2026-06-05T14:32:46Z

Where Credit is Due
Copyright June 2026

Setting: Buffy, Season 3
Spoiler(s): “Anne” (Buffy S3-01)

Not everyone got out.

When the blonde warrior fought the foundry guards, then spearheaded the breakout … some prisoner-workers weren’t near enough; followed, but found the gateway sealed against their own escape.

Under new management, the tyranny continued. Those who remained, however, remembered. Circulated whispers of courage. Defiance. Rebellion.

Victory.

The eventual revolution took time, but was ultimately inevitable.

Centuries afterward, the histories still tell of how it all began. Of the warrior … and of her leader, who personally killed the tyrant.

Both are revered, but the greater fame is reserved for the Deliverer.

“Lily! Eternal honor unto her name!”

– end –

And there you are. Don’t hesitate to offer commentary.

Back in motion, and other stuff

2026-05-30T03:16:45Z

Susan and I are finally away from ‘home base’ again: spent a weekend back in Branson, and now we’re in Iola, KS for maybe a month. Susan has family here, and doubtless she’ll find museums or other stuff for us to visit.

She’s currently at 58 pounds lost following her gastric bypass surgery; in fact, she’s barely a pound heavier now than I am, which hasn’t been the case for several years. Unsurprisingly, some of her clothes are too big for her now, but she’s in no rush to buy new ones because she doesn’t know how long she’ll keep losing weight. She thinks she’ll take a try at getting by with stuff from Goodwill till she stabilizes.

Finally, the wife of one of my nephews is due to give birth sometime in the next 2 to 4 weeks. Currently, my brothers and I are tied in number of descendants; I have two children and two grandchildren (4), my younger brother has one daughter and three grandchildren (4), and my youngest brother has three children and one grandchild (4) … but the impending birth will break the tie, and not with me the winner. I like winning … but then, my grandchildren are the most adorable BY FAR, so that counts.

Earlier this week, I was guessed at fifteen years younger than my actual age. (So was Susan.) Even if the guesser was deliberately underestimating, I figure he was trying to stay within the bounds of plausibility, meaning he probably did think I was 7 to 10 years below what the calendar tells me. I’ll mark that as another win.

Hey, we take what we can.

Covering more of the map

2026-05-13T02:07:25Z

So, our ‘international family’ continues to live up to the designation. Kevin (our son) passed through Turkey the other day on his way to his current location at a conference in Germany; meanwhile, his wife Mei-li — who got laid off from her job after her most recent pregnancy, and promptly landed another one — is in Singapore for something she didn’t specify.

It’s funny; I was nearly 50 years old before I ever set foot outside the U.S. — not even dips across the border into Mexico or Canada, both of which I’ve done since — while my children were both world travelers in their 20s. (My wife had done a mission trip to the Netherlands before we met, and made day-trips into Canada when she lived in Detroit with her mother; aside from that, her most extensive foreign visits came after we were married, most of them both of us together.)

She and I will probably wind up living outside the U.S. (China being the basic default, because that’s where out granddaughters are). We’ll be expats, living among expats and spending most of our time with our expat son and his Chinese family.

Maybe as soon as the end of the year.

Not yet, though. Not quite yet.

Didn’t see that coming

2026-05-12T00:38:24Z

While I spend most of my days on internet browsing (political blogs, fanfiction, sometimes online movies), my wife is more inclined to read Kindle and follow various interests on her smartphone.

Last week she was listening to something like “The Top 5 Most Important Changes You Can Make for Your Overall Health”. I think it was the second one that pointed to alcohol consumption, and the speaker focused on cirrhosis of the liver. I checked online to see at what level alcohol intake could start causing cirrhosis, and …

… Well, let’s say my habitual consumption put me in that zone. I was never drunk — don’t actually enjoy full-on intoxication — but I’d casually have something to drink several times a day, and the aggregate mounted up to a possible health threat according to statistics. Given that it’s the kind of thing that can become serious before symptoms begin to show, I immediately set limits for myself. I’ll still have a margarita cooler every now and then, but I’m staying below the level marked as potentially harmful.

And … I want more.

That was unexpected; as I said, I don’t drink to intoxication. Apparently, though, the buzz of a single drink is welcome enough that I desire it more often than I’m getting it.

Not alcoholism. Perhaps not even edging in the direction of alcoholism. All the same, it’s probably a good thing I discovered it before it could become further set into habit.

(Yes, today’s userpic is chosen for irony.)

“Two Ships … Passing?” [Buffyverse drabble]

2026-05-01T14:49:30Z

Two Ships … Passing?
Copyright May 2026

Setting: Buffy, Season 4
Spoiler(s): “Who Are You?” (Buffy S4-16)

Willow worries.

She’s never been with another woman, never wanted it, never suspected it might be possible. She was infatuated with Xander, though, and genuinely loved Oz … what if Tara decides she isn’t serious about this? not “really” gay?

Not good enough?

***

Tara worries.

She isn’t attracted to women. Or to men, either, she’s never felt about anybody else the way she feels about Willow. What if Willow realizes this about her? that her orientation isn’t girl/girl OR girl/boy, but something narrow, limited … weird. Strictly Tara/Willow.

***

The whole thing is impossible. Can’t happen.

Doomed from the start.

– end –

And there you are. Don’t hesitate to offer commentary.

Of minor note

2026-04-28T02:09:11Z

Though Susan’s gastric bypass surgery has been successful overall, a follow-up has been necessary.

Because the surgery left her body with (for now, at least) limited ability to process dietary fat, she’s had to limit her intake to exclude that as much as possible. As it happens, though, the absence of fat confused her gall bladder; this is known to be a likely side-effect, to the extent that as soon as she reported nausea over the past week, they said, “Let’s check your gall bladder,” and confirmed that action was necessary to prevent her developing gallstones. She got it removed this afternoon; extremely simple procedure, in that she was sent home after a few hours’ recovery, whereas the original operation required her to stay in the hospital overnight. Napped for a few more hours once we got back to our RV, and now she’s — cautiously — resumed her normal routine.

Ironically, her weight loss stalled while the nausea made her almost unable to eat; it’s a careful balance of diet and activity, and she was sidelined for both of those. Now we can get back to what was working so well for the first few months.

Meanwhile, I dropped another five pounds myself. We’ll see how well that continues, as well.

School days meme

2026-04-25T19:01:27Z

Got these from spikesgirl58, who cites nondenomifan as the source.

What decade did you attend/are you attending high school or college?
Graduated high school in 1972 (meaning attended 60s/70s), took 14 years to complete my undergraduate degree (70s to late 80s), then back for a Master’s mid-90s.

What clothing fashion from that time are you glad/do you wish went out of style?
(Sticking to high school for this one): Bellbottoms. I hated bellbottoms while they were happening, never changed my mind. Also not a fan of tie-dye, but some of that can be tolerated in tasteful moderation.

Do you still listen to the music from your high school/college years on a regular basis?
Some, yeah. I rejected the zeitgeist of the Sixties while I was in them, meaning ALL of the ideological music, but there was still more than enough left for pleasant nostalgia.

What hairstyle/hair color did/do you wear during high school/college?
My hairstyle was — and remains — minimalist: cut it short whenever it grew out enough to be annoying. In my sixties I grew out a ponytail simply because I never had before, but cut it off once I’d made my point and have never been tempted to go back.

What was/is “the cool thing to do” while in high school/college?
I was never cool, so I didn’t have much of a clue on that. Smoking pot was, obviously, a big thing, and I aggressively rejected THAT social imperative.

So there, for what that’s worth.

Just in passing

2026-04-16T14:11:20Z

We had another tornado warning last night, spent an hour in the shelter while monitoring weather reports (with all the other people likewise following the same alert, too many of whom brought their damn dogs in with them). The warned tornado, if reports were accurate, passed over — or nearby — without ever touching down anywhere close.

It was 1:00 in the morning before I made it to bed. I didn’t have any trouble getting to sleep, though (I almost never do), but Susan basically didn’t sleep until after a morning medical appointment.

Yeah, yeah, done and gone. But that’s our life these days.

Unintended consequences

2026-04-14T22:59:42Z

Something I never anticipated, when Susan decided to go ahead with gastric bypass surgery, was how much effect it would have on my health.

She can only eat small amounts at a time, and is restricted on what she CAN eat (though both of those will be less limited as she gets further into the process). Together, those mean there’s no point in her going out to eat; the closest she can manage is if I order something and give her part of it (chicken, or shrimp, or pork, mainly). We’ve done that a few times, but mostly it’s eating at home.

Any time I drive her somewhere, though … well, it’s like anywhere I go is close to some place I’d like to stop for a meal-treat, which makes me aware just how much of that I was doing.

I miss it. But I’m definitely doing better without it.

Welcome news

2026-04-14T02:45:12Z

Our granddaughter Ruby turned 9 months old recently, which occasioned another follow-up medical check.

When she was first born, she was diagnosed with a small hole in the heart (more specifics here). It wasn’t causing her problems at the time, apparently occurs once in every 2,000 births, and often as not closes on its own as a baby matures. Ruby continued to grow and develop normally, all periodic checkups showed no issues …

… and this most recent one found that the matter had in fact resolved itself. Our son Kevin called us last night, and I took the opportunity to make sure I had understood properly, whereupon he confirmed that, yes, our youngest granddaughter now has a normal — and normally-functioning — heart.

I wasn’t really worried, but Susan and I had made that one of the points in our daily Rosary prayers, and now we can transition into thanks instead.

Susan would really like to be back in China for Ruby’s first birthday. Personally, I think we need to spend more time recovering financially from the last such trip (plus, while Kevin was visiting us in January, we gave him $5,000 to help cover the cost of a live-in nanny, which had done a lot to help Mei‑li avoid the postpartum depression she’d had to deal with following Amber’s birth). Susan usually goes along with my recommendations when it comes to finances, but then I’m putting more effort lately into doing things to support her happiness, so we’ll just have to see how it turns out.

Meanwhile, satisfied with how things now stand.

Another bump in the road

2026-04-09T01:52:28Z

Today I picked up a flask of Malibu coconut rum, one of Bailey’s Irish Cream liqueur, and one of Kahlúa coffee liqueur. It cost me $84. The agglomerate price is why I so seldom indulge my occasional background craving for White Russians (it’s been year since my last foray).

Then I went to make one, and found (via Google) that the basic White Russian is made with vodka instead of coconut rum.

Can anybody truly identify with the bedrock tragedy of my life?

So I had a couple of White Russians anyway. One with vodka, one with coconut rum.

Because that’s how hardcore I am.

Taking a load off

2026-04-07T21:27:49Z

So, the current state of things:

From her most recent high weight, Susan has lost 40 pounds. From my most recent high, I’m down 24 pounds. More than that, neither one of us has been particularly hungry.

For her, it’s the result of gastric bypass surgery. (Which I argued against, wishing there was a way to achieve her goals that didn’t involve permanent body modification. It’s working for her, though, and working great.) For me, it’s the result of 1) never eating out, and 2) limiting myself almost totally to proteins and fats: hamburger, chicken, shrimp, eggs, ham, cheese, as close as I can get to zero carbohydrates. Oddly, because Susan has been fighting off a long cold and because we’ve had some fairly low temperatures recently, neither of us has been doing that much exercise. Which, to my mind, means we can push things even better when we are able to exercise.

Susan is lighter than she’s been in more years than I can remember. She weighs less than I did two months ago. I’m looking forward to seeing just how well she can do.

And me, too, but mostly her.

“Tilted Mirror” [Buffyverse drabble]

2026-04-01T15:28:33Z

Tilted Mirror
Copyright April 2026

Setting: Buffy, Season 5
Spoiler(s): “the Replacement” (Buffy S5-03)

“Science is too rigid,” Willow insists. “No artistry, you can’t feel it.”

“Speak for yourself,” Willow shoots back. “And making magic … all that emotion, all those variables, there’s no way to reliably control something like that.”

“ ‘Speak for yourself’,” Willow mimics snidely. “It just takes the right touch.”

Giles, Buffy, Xander look from one Willow to the other, equal expressions of lost. Faintly Giles says, “We must locate Toth, reverse the effects of the ferrula gemina.”

“Tracking spell!” magic!Willow says instantly.

“Neural disruptor!” tech!Willow says, not quite simultaneously.

Buffy’s expression goes even more blank, and Xander quietly begins to moan.

– end –

And there you are. Don’t hesitate to offer commentary.

Two days later

2026-03-22T18:45:34Z

The news of Nicholas Brendon’s death … well, I won’t say it hit me hard, but I felt it.

There are several tributes listed here at su_herald. I’m not eloquent enough to make a serious contribution, but what came to mind was a Xander drabble set (here), and a meta about Xander’s character (here).

I liked the guy, and kept wishing career success for him. My wife added him to our Rosary prayers last night. So this is where we are.

However well we may say it, or fail to say it, he’s remembered.

Just because

2026-03-17T22:04:16Z

On a post from pattrose (here at Dreamwidth), I made the following reply, which tickled me enough that I’m duplicating it here.

I loved the Dexter Riley movies (“the Computer Wore Tennis Shoes”, “Now You See Him, Now You Don’t”, and “the Strongest Man in the World”), not least because they were the as-far-as-I-know final installment in a Disney film tradition. Dexter Riley kept operating in, and sometimes saving, Medfield College … which had previously benefitted from the contributions of Merlin Jones (played by Tommy Kirk, in whose movies — “the Misadventures of Merlin Jones” and “the Monkey’s Uncle” the place was called ‘Midvale College’, but come on, WE know), and before that was sponsored by Professor Ned Brainard (Fred McMurray, “The Absent-Minded Professor” and “Son of Flubber”). Let’s face it: without the weird science contributions of three generations of teachers/students, Medfield College would have gone under long ago!

Yes, we find our pleasures where we can.

Now in Branson

2026-03-16T00:25:14Z

We caught a few good breaks today.

Because morning Mass started at 9:45 this morning, I figured it would be 11:00 before we got back to the RV park, and normally 11:00 is the checkout time. Because of this, I’d already arranged for a later checkout …

As it happened, though, Mass went quickly and ended before I had expected, so we were ‘home’ early and good order. I’d already done some travel prep before we left for Mass, and the rest only took a few minutes, so we were on our way before 11:30.

Then there was another break. The park in Branson where I’d made reservations had a specified check-in no earlier than 3PM. Harsh weather was expected, which meant that Susan and I might be driving in snow and freezing rain (it’s absolutely possible to have both at once), but would definitely have to wait till these unwelcome conditions had arrived before we’d be allowed to enter and hook up. However, they sent us a message that, since storms were expected, we’d be allowed to come in early, with check-in to be completed tomorrow.

Finally — and this was the capstone — the predicted precipitation didn’t begin till we had arrived. It literally started raining just as I was getting Susan inside, and didn’t kick off hard till I’d finished connecting power and got inside myself.

(One bad break: very shortly before we reached our destination, the GPS in my phone glitched. Without direction, it spontaneously switched to a different screen … one I hadn’t requested, didn’t want, directing us to a place I didn’t want to go, and couldn’t change while I was driving. I pulled off the highway to correct that, and it only wound up making about ten minutes’ difference.)

So, we’re here. Waiting out the weather to determine what we’ll do next.

Little things

2026-03-15T00:27:28Z

On the day before we’re to leave for our next travel installment:

I went to Confession at the local Catholic church. It was supposed to last from 3PM to 3:45. There were only three of us waiting, which was good … because it was nearly 3:10 before the priest actually arrived and got himself set.
We’re supposed to turn in our wifi hotspot to the RV park office before we leave tomorrow, but I don’t know if anybody will be in the office tomorrow and nobody’s there right now to ask.
I went ahead and drained our black and gray tanks in anticipation of departure (after Mass) tomorrow. One fewer thing on the list. Some travel preparations I can’t make till time to go, but I do what I can.
Susan has been drinking zero-sugar Gatorade to keep up her fluid requirements. With multiple small bottles a day, our trash bag fills up much more quickly than usual. That means that trips to the dumpster are at least twice as frequent now.

Yes, this is the pell-mell excitement of the RV lifestyle.

As we get into the weekend

2026-03-13T23:28:43Z

Today was nice, and Susan went out to do some walking, which conditions haven’t favored lately. (I’m also seeing her, now and then, get up to do things she’s been asking me to do, so she clearly continues to improve.) My own weight loss also continues, but she’s currently less than 20 pounds heavier than me for the first time in a long time, and her progress is at least twice as fast as mine. I’ll outweigh HER before very long.

The weather, warmer today, is supposed to be even better tomorrow … followed by a plunge in temps Sunday, so we’ll be looking at two days at or below freezing, just in time for our arrival at Branson. Then another reversal, and three days later the temps are supposed to hit the eighties. It’ll be nice when March stops throwing its tantrums and settles down.

As far as Branson goes, I’ve gone on and made a reservation. The base price was very nice, but apparently that area mandates a lot of extra taxes, because county, district, and etc. added something like 12% to the bill. The total is still doable — thus my doing it — but I don’t like surprises of that type. To my mind, the price is supposed to be the price; I’m accustomed to taxes, but don’t welcome double the usual rate.

Yeah, I know, life is tough. What am I supposed to do, not complain? Sure, that’s gonna happen.

Should have given that more thought

2026-03-13T02:00:21Z

On balance, I think the timing of our latest RV expedition was a mistake.

We’ll use this to our benefit, but due to the various appointments we still have back in our ‘home base’ state, it probably would have been better for us to stay another month. And we most likely will, once we go back at the beginning of April. Before then, we’ll be visiting my stepsister in the Branson area in a few days, and might stop by to see my younger brother — in a different area of Missouri — before we start back.

(Of course, before that I’ll almost certainly have to make a quick there-and-back trip to renew our vehicle licenses. Somehow I missed that before we started off.)

Meanwhile, Susan has enjoyed having plenty of time to spend with one of her oldest friends (seriously, they met about the time our daughter started first grade, which daughter turns 40 in barely over a week). And the place we’re staying is quiet and pleasant and decently restful. Last time we were here, we were frustrated by seriously deficient wifi … but now they offer cellular hotspots for a small extra charge, and that’s worked out perfectly for us.

Tomorrow I’ll start making calls to work out where we’ll stay when we go to Branson. All the RV advice sites stress doing that kind of thing well in advance, but for three and a half years we’ve been able to get away with winging it. I don’t doubt that we’ll manage something, this being not exactly rush season for Branson.

We’ll see.

Things are brighter (sort of)

2026-03-04T22:38:10Z

In all honesty, the place my wife and I are staying in Missouri isn’t as nice as the one we occupied for so long before getting back out on the road. At the same time, I just plain feel better from getting away and resuming travel, and this is even more so for Susan. Counterbalancing that, two of the last three days have been rainy and with lower temperatures, which kept us mostly indoors and in a more reserved mood. Back and forth, back and forth.

Susan has dropped close to 30 pounds from her weigh-in before her surgery (me, I’ve lost 10 since the beginning of the year). On the other side of that, reduced activity while she recovered from the surgery has cost her some of the increased mobility from other treatments, so she has about as much trouble as before in getting around. She doesn’t complain as much about pain, however, so I’d say she’s doing better on balance.

On to Branson after we’ve been here a bit. Still working out what exactly we’ll do after that. Maybe Kansas, maybe Oklahoma, maybe something else. What matters is that we’re no longer stationary.

“Music Hath Charms” [Buffyverse drabble]

2026-03-02T19:12:11Z

Setting: Buffy, before Season 4
Spoiler(s): none in particular

Oz is fighting his guitar. Gently: no animosity, it just won’t do what he wants.

Stubborn. He relates.

He coaxes the chords, amp turned low. It’s not about volume, it’s getting the sound.

Doesn’t expect the low growl from … close.

Stops. Quirks an eyebrow. Tries another chord.

Different growl. Grudging? Changes fingers on the frets, stretches it out, modulates.

The … other sound … gradually matches his. Together, they move back and forth: reaching, handshaking, blending.

Final passage is a harmony that threads, merges, somehow ends perfectly.

Silence.

It’s good.

He waits … then begins testing chords again.

Still gotta get it right.

– end –

And there you are. Don’t hesitate to offer commentary.

Back in motion

2026-03-02T01:02:59Z

Susan and I started off at noon today, after a LONG time in the same spot.

Well, not exactly.

By ‘same spot’ I actually mean the same RV park, but in the form of two different stays in two different slots. We did take off a couple of months last year to visit our kids in Ireland and China. So we didn’t actually stay put that whole time, we just didn’t do any RV travel between the middle of March 2025 and the beginning of March 2026. (We needed to hang around because different surgeries — two for me, one for Susan — required subsequent checkups.)

With that (mostly) behind us, we’re in Missouri now. We’ll visit with a friend of Susan’s, make a day-trip by car back ‘home’ for another medical follow-up, then plan to drop in on one of my stepsisters in a different part of the state. Probably Kansas after that.

On the other hand, our usual RV travel is during the winter months, meaning we head for warmer areas; starting off just as winter is ending, we may make another trip to Minnesota to call on my oldest ‘sister’, and Susan talks about seeing Michigan’s upper peninsula again; plus, she’s mentioned things in North and South Carolina she’d like to check out.

We’ll see. We have the time.

Endnotes posted

2026-02-24T00:50:24Z

Endnotes have now been posted for “Digital Divide”, if anyone is even remotely interested.

Finishing the list

2026-02-03T01:17:53Z

One of the last things I delayed posting about because I was busy with it at the time: our son Kevin visited from China last month.

His company had him scheduled for another convention in Las Vegas; this time, he put in for some time off when it was over, and we arranged a flight for him to our current state. (Last year, we met with him in Vegas itself, but his job kept him so busy we had very little time together.)

We stayed busy this time, too, but most of it was together. On different days, we got together with each of my brothers, their kids and the kids’ spouses, Susan’s brother and sister-in-law, and our daughter’s godmother (who’d gotten to know Kevin well while she and Susan were working together). He also went to Mass with us at the hilltop church we’ve been attending, and we got his name put onto a joint checking account at our bank, so we now have means for transferring money to him internationally without jumping through numerous hoops.

While all that was going on, I had him in a small cabin at our RV park, which kept him closer and was cheaper than renting a room for him in town. Then, toward the end of the visit, we drove to center-state so he could meet with old college friends, also married now; this did require hotel rooms, for him and for us, but considering how infrequently we’ve been able to see him (not counting the two months in China last summer for our newest granddaughter’s birth), that wasn’t any real problem.

Susan very much wants to live in China — Shenzhen — so we can be closer to those granddaughters as they grow up. It can’t happen any time soon, because she has to have any number of follow-up visits as she recovers from the gastric bypass surgery; plus, we’ve done much less actual traveling in our three years of RV life than I had intended, just from one cause or another, and I’d like to do a little bit more before leaving it behind. That’s the goal now, though, to get her where she can be happiest. We’ll see how that goes.