slightly left of center

It'd been a couple weeks since sorchar and thessaliad had been over, so we tentatively planned for a visit this afternoon - however, neither were really up for it (and I was dragging too) so we cancelled. Hopefully over the long weekend we'll all have time & energy!

To Mark America’s 250th Birthday, See the Country’s ‘Most Endangered Historic Places’ You’ve Probably Never Heard Of
From a Revolutionary War battlefield to a civil rights-era safe haven, these historic sites are at risk, according to the latest list from the National Trust for Historic Preservation
Famous sites like Ellis Island and the Alamo attract millions of visitors a year. But most historic places in the United States are much less popular, facing the risk of falling into permanent disrepair.

Each year, the National Trust for Historic Preservation releases its list of most endangered historic places in an effort to bring attention to some of these hidden gems. The round-up for 2026 includes landmarks spanning the Revolutionary War to the civil rights movement, some of which are likely unfamiliar to all but the most serious history buffs.

I had to snicker at the mental image this created: "pinned him to the baseboards" - maybe if they were mouse-sized players?

The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo presents the cutest stripes in the world:
Meet the Skunklings!

I loved this so much - "Notes: This chapter contains one of the most unhinged lines of dialogue I have ever written in a fanfic. But Ilya."

A couple of these cat dads are so reminiscent of my own - we got a kitten when I was around seven, who grew into a dignified blue tuxedo named Sir. For years dad would say he didn't want/didn't like cats, belied by the number of times we caught them napping together. There was a great photo of dad stretched out on the couch with Sir sleeping against him.

Question of the Day
If you could restart your life aged 16, would you do anything differently?
just about everything. I'd save money instead of blowing every cent that came my way, I'd treat my education more seriously and graduate college, and would do better by my body. I think I'd try harder to make some of my dreams happen, and take more chances (caution isn't always the right choice)

A Man Spotted Strange-Looking Rocks Near a Pond in Thailand. They Turned Out to Be the Bones of a Massive New Dinosaur Species
Paleontologists have dubbed the long-necked, plant-eating creature “Nagatitan chaiyaphumensis.” It’s the 14th named dinosaur from Thailand, and it might be the biggest one ever found in Southeast Asia
Named Nagatitan chaiyaphumensis, the long-necked, plant-eating behemoth likely stretched more than 88 feet long and weighed nearly 30 U.S. tons as it lumbered around 100 million to 120 million years ago, according to a study published May 14 in the journal Scientific Reports.

"I graduated from the university of grey's anatomy." Since I'm ancient, I graduated from the university of E.R. I suppose young'uns today are graduating from the U of The Pitt.

Do you think maybe if I'm supergood, Santa will bring me these? ‘Heated Rivalry’ gets Popped! See Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams in Funko form - The figures will available individually or, as Funko appropriately puts it, in "a special two-pack." Fans can pre-order now on Funko.com.

This is intriguing - I had no clue that Luther Burbank was behind the prevalence of blackberry brambles all over the damn place. I remember dilapidated outbuildings at my cousins' place covered in them, as well as fencerows along the country roads. Not always easy picking, but my, the pies and jam were delicious! How the Himalayan Blackberry Took Over the Pacific Northwest
The tangled history of an invasive plant and a scientist’s troubling quest to engineer a more efficient natural world.
There is no summer in the Pacific Northwest without the blackberry. Across Washington and Oregon, jagged walls of blackberry brambles choke out nearly every hiking trail, highway shoulder, and vacant lot in the region. Come August, dense thickets beckon berry-pickers to stain their fingers with the juice of the sweet purple fruits, promising the potential of a fresh-baked blackberry pie after a long day’s harvest. But despite the strong association between the region and the fruit, the species of blackberry that most locals have come to enjoy is anything but native.

I remember dancing my ass off to (the original of) this song at Embers way back in the day!
Music Monday

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