Favorite?

While eating my second or third bite of my favorite pizza, I wondered to myself, Why does this taste fishy?

I took another bite. Still fishy.

An errant anchovy? Huh. Tastes like a mild sardine. Sardines are supposed to be good for you.

I took another bite. Yup, nope, this is awful. Blah.

To be clear, not "blah" like tasteless blaw but rather with a short "a" where you end sticking your tongue out a little bit. Come to think it's probably an instinctual get-this-taste-off-my-tongue expression.

You can't say I didn't give it an honest try, but the flavors were not at all complementary. Despite a reputation for being super salty, these anchovies weren't. They were just quite fishy.

Inspecting the takeout order ticket, they put anchovies instead of artichokes. Very much not the same.

I did my best to scrape the rest of the anchovies off.

The Tentacle

The hallway was brightly lit as I approached the bathroom which was dim with its light off. As I turned in, I freaked for a split second because it looked like a tentacle was coming out of the sink.

Then I remembered, I did that. Earlier, I had placed a piece of aloe overhanging the edge of the sink so that if it dripped, it would fall into the basin instead of onto the counter. Phew!

To be fair though, it does look like a green tentacle even in daylight.

No Kings

#NoKings

Best of TTaT

2005:

The Dive at Machu Picchu

Phoenix Rising

What Not to Tell Me

One Year Ago

A Prelude to Bewitched

Question Mark, Jerk

Hamlet was my undoing: Part I

The Prom: Take Two (part 1)

Restraint

Goblets of Beer

Three Breaks

Tidbit

Beauty Parlor Nostalgia

Higher Altitude

2006:

The Doctor is In

Either I've still got it, or I should be insulted

Night aerobics

The unconscious lie

Why wasn't it me?

Life at 16: The License Test

Little Creatures

Tacos and the bear

Good Friday Meets the Twilight Zone

PRSD

Blue gloves

I know that ass

The Screws of The Man

Heights, old and new

People are strange, myself included

I'm dreaming of a...

2007:

Formalwear Claire

Pollocks in Nature

In the ground

Clash of the Foreign Tongues

Flashback: An Evening's Soiree Cycle

A follow-up of sorts

Talking 'bout the car wash

Trees fight back

Leaf density II

Let The Pictures Do The Talking: A Road Trip

When a canvas presents itself...

Behind the Harry Potter lines: redux

Not always the best skill

Defining References

Inadvisable, certainly

Clear sky at last

Ruins where I can get them

Only so much patience

retrovlog one: A Taste of the Jam

Remainders, 1 and 2

Once upon a time in San Francisco

Snowprints

2008:

Thirty Year Old Jock-Thug

Claire's Bears

Fuzzy plant life

Additional tulips

Random Scan Sunday 1

Juicy Fruit: the survivalist's gum

Comic Book Guy's back room

Rhubarb!

To Be King Again

Humid!

Hibiscus

Cruise Night, round 1

Cruise Night, round 2

In motion

Art + Nature

Nap time

Autumn

Horizontal or vertical?

Milkweed

Fleeting

All but one

2009:

Winter waters

Interrupted sky

Splitting headache

Almost time...

Near bust

Also this time of year

Out of Sheer Rage: Wrestling with D.H. Lawrence

Unintentional odds

I'll take a bear in my Easter basket any day.

The moment I've been waiting for

20 self portraits from 1996, day 2

20 self portraits from 1996, day 3

20 self portraits from 1996, day 13

Making it official: coming out to my family

Haiku: Irony

It's short for Rococo. Obviously.

The unbuttoned twin, for Vahid

Before dinner...

After dinner...

Claire's Sublime Smoothies

Gettin' My Groove On... (vol. iv)

Gettin' My Groove On... (vol. xii)

2010:

Winter water drops

Sketchbook, page 11

BearWatch '10

Sketchbook, page 13

Final winter exhibits

Pick me up flowers

Light It Up, vol. 1

5 years of TTaT!

Sketchbook, page 17 + bonus sketch

G BIV flora

Gettin' My Groove On... (vol. xv)

Interrupted Golf: j'accuse le printemps!

Sketchbook, page 25

Airstrip

Sketchbook, page 29

It's OK to Zag.

4-H

Lakeside Splash

Trillium and self-portrait

Favorite Semi Blurs

Sketchbook, page 47: birthday edition

Translucent Trillium

Vinyl meets pollen

Observations in my parents' kitchen

Say "ah"

Sketchbook, page 58: Self-portrait

If you celebrate...

2011:

Icicle Branches

Biggest Bear Yet

Flame whoosh

I am a relaxation ninja.

Poppy profile

Bona fide tower

Would you like cheese on that?

The Power of Water, part 2

And then there was Wind...

Splotchy autumn colors

Wait!

2012:

Life of Art 2011: the year in review

Like a Ninja

Where Everybody Knows Your Name...

Temporal Transportation

The Pursuit of Moonrise

Are you ready to Jummmbbbllleee?

Note to self: vol. XVIII

Inner Badass

Super Moon

Unexpected

2013:

Life of Art 2012: the year in review

Blue Skies

Fleeting Diner Love

Fractional Storytelling #1

Fractional Storytelling #9

Fractional Storytelling #12

Fractional Storytelling #14

Longest haircut ever, part 1

Longest haircut ever, part 2

A Decade of Movies and Outings

Out, damned spot!

X-Ray Vision

A Glimpse of Summer

Flash, Crash, Rumble, Flash

Window A/C Tips

Left to my own devices...

Autumn

The Apex of Sociability

2014:

Life of Art 2013: the year in review

On Dinner and Dying

Favorite Fortune Ever

Happy Pride!

Rosco, I think his name's Rosco

Evening Stride

Evening Snack

Random Act

Japanese Painted Ferns

Nature's Javelin

Keep Your Head In The Game

Canopy Roads

Christmas Eve

2015:

Life of Art 2014: the year in review

Best Part of Winter

Things That Go Thump In The Night

Winter's Work

My First Haircut

I'm like a little chipmunk

Spring sighting?

10 Years of TTaT!

Triumphant Anxiety

Tiny Sheep!

Dusk Sighting

Perseids

Great Dane

You're Never Weird on the Internet (Almost)

Enthusiastic

Home-grown Carrot Round-up

Eye-catching Mid-autumn Sighting

Unintentionally Perfect

Thanksgiving Haiku VII

2016:

Klutzy Coordination

Inverted Linguistics

BearWatch is Go!

19 Polar Bears

Trigger Happy Startle Reflex

Eleven

Interrupted Art

The Next Twilight Bear

Sheep in Disguise

How am I not myself?

Tree Cutters' Haiku

Why you should watch Wynonna Earp plus bits of real life

A Recent Lottery Exchange

Inspired by Wynonna Earp to Try Something New

The Seen, The Heard, and The Unseen: a tale of Perseids

A Recent Basement Discovery

Rosco, officially

Sights from a day

Draw What's In Your Bag

Blind Contour Self Portrait

One of my happiest days this year

Bacon Mysteries

Today's Winter Sightings

2017:

Snow Oddity

Snow Falling

Winter Roof Ice

Introvert Meets Extrovert

Extrovert continued

Climbing

Note to Self, vol. XXVI

Things In Common

A Low Growl

Dinner conversation snippet

Making Mölkky History

Red Lion Amaryllis

On Voicelessness

Subconscious Earping

Finding Cimmerian Darkness and Stygian Gloom, or How I Spent a Beautiful Summer Day

Tales of the Black Badge

Adventures in Shaving

Winter Walk

2018:

You'll Never Guess

An Olympic Conversation

To be fair...

Spring Sightings

A photograph for its own sake

Happy Halloween!

In the Category of Odd

2019:

Furries

Time Warp

7:38

Walkabout

Fortunes

Today's Sighting

Barbecue Themes

Alternative Covers

Today's Sightings

Summer Sounds

Note to Self, vol. XXIX

2020:

Bundt v. Tube

Old Paperwork

Daffodil Buds

Spring Snow

Something big and black

Today's Many Sightings

Signs

The Sound of Music

Today's Sightings (and Hearing)

Featured What A Year Holiday Card on Sale!

Moondrop Grapes

Insomnia Adventures

2021:

Hope

Light

Dinner at the Lake

Speculation

Neighborly

Utility Pole

How to Recognize You Have Shingles (Anecdotal)

A Critical Thing to Know About Shingles

Snap

New (to me) Word

2022:

Caller ID

Tarts

Captain America

Handwritten Wordle Notes From Games Past

2023:

Note to Self, vol. XXXII

2024:

A Theme for 2024

Today's Sighting

He Exists

2025:

The Tentacle

2026: (through Apr. 24)

Favorite?




One year ago at TTaT: Wool

Freedom

I value the freedom to make my own choices for my life, so I'm voting for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz because they will protect, restore, & expand my rights instead of stripping more away. 

Let's do all we can to get them elected!

https://kamalaharris.com/

 

Make sure you, your friends, and family are registered to vote and have a plan to vote early, by mail, or in person on November 5, 2024:

https://iwillvote.com/

Signal Boost

This is an excellent article by Elie Mystal and I highly recommend you give it a read! Beware the People Who Claim “America Isn’t Ready for a Black Woman President”

XIX, diciannove, 19, dix-neuf, nineteen!

Happy 19th blogiversary, TTaT!

Looking back through 19 years of writing, drawing, and photography, I've chosen one post (or occasionally two) from each year from my Best of TTaT list (you can also find it in the header under Highlights).

So... of 2862 published posts (including this one), these are currently my favorites:

Nineteen years of Taller Than Average Tales, ultra-condensed
2005: 
One Year Ago

2006: 
Tacos and the bear

2007: 
Formalwear Claire

2008: 
To Be King Again

2009: 
20 self portraits from 1996, day 2 and Haiku: Irony

2010:
Gettin' My Groove On... (vol. xv) and Light It Up, vol. 1

2011:
Biggest Bear Yet

2012:
Temporal Transportation

2013:
Fleeting Diner Love

2014:
Evening Stride

2015:
Best Part of Winter

2016:
Sheep in Disguise

2017: 
Snow Falling and On Voicelessness

2018:
Spring Sightings and In the Category of Odd

2019:
Furries

2020:
Something big and black

2021:
Light

2022:
Captain America

2023:
Note to Self, vol. XXXII

2024 (so far):
He Exists

Thanks to everyone who has read and commented over the years!

10 years ago on TTaT: Nove!

He Exists

 While waiting for an appointment, I heard a man check in.

He said his name and then spelled it.

Moriarty.

Today's Sighting

The curtains were closed across from me at dinner to help keep the heat in. Towards the end of dinner, I looked through to the living room where the curtains to the sliding glass doors were still open. 

"Wow, that's a lot," I said upon seeing everything covered with snow outside. There had been none when I started eating. 

Just an inch plus so far really but enough to fully coat the ground and line the tree branches with more still falling.

A Theme for 2024

It's been several years since I chose a word or theme to guide me during the year, but over a week ago a word just came to me.

It was very early Christmas Eve technically, between 4 and 5 AM, still a whole day away from Santa making his run. Waking up after a few hours sleep is alas typical for me and often without cause. I'll get up a for a while, pee, do some low key stretches, and then try to go back to sleep.

In bed a second time, my mind wandered and settled on a word, a theme for 2024. I hadn't even been considering choosing one so I'm not sure what triggered it. Nonetheless I liked it and have already been keeping it in mind.

VARIETY.

Mainly I was thinking of changing up my workouts some if only in small ways for now. Add this, delete that. Do things a little differently.

We'll see where it takes me.

Do you have a theme or motto for 2024? If so, feel free to share it in the comments.

 

10 years ago on TTaT: Life of Art 2013: the year in review

A Redeeming Win In The Little Drummer Boy Challenge

Merry Christmas if you celebrate! 

I'm pleased to report that I won this year despite a long haul from Thanksgiving to Christmas Eve this year.

I've been playing The Little Drummer Boy Challenge since 2011. 

The rules from the site:

It’s very easy: So long as you don’t hear “The Little Drummer Boy,” you’re a contender. As soon as you hear it on the radio, on TV, in a store, wherever, you’re out. 

The game begins the day after Thanksgiving (Black Friday) at 12:01 am and continues until midnight, Dec. 23. If you haven’t been puh-rum-pum-pum-pummed, you win. For this year, anyway.

Last year I was out almost instantly on Black Friday as I watched a West Wing marathon, so it was rewarding to redeem myself this year with a win.

In 13 years of playing, I've now won 9 times.

Happy holidays, y'all!

 

10 years ago on TTaT: Power Questions: Build Relationships, Win New Business, and Influence Others (Wow, I don't recall this book at all.)

Note to Self, vol. XXXII

Almond Milk + Carob Powder ≠ Chocolate Milk

It was okay, but I probably won't be trying that experiment again.

Previously on TTaT: Note to Self, vol. XXXI

TFW (aka 18 years of TTaT)

That feeling when you realize you missed your blog's anniversary by nearly a month, and you check your archives and see that you also missed it entirely last year. 

Pandemic time has really gotten into my head it seems. 

Here we are at 18 years, woo!

Some highlights from the celebration 2 years ago. 

(My leopard still has her ears on this year though it's well past Easter because they please me to see. My mom made the ears when I was a kid, so I've had them and the leopard a long time.)

Note to Self, vol. XXXI

Just because a medical bill says they have billed your insurance doesn't mean they have. If there are no adjustments to the price they charge, that is a huge RED FLAG. Do not let the "Due on receipt" propel you into paying it until you've checked it out.

I made that mistake in June and have been trying to get it sorted for months. Guess what? It's much harder to get your money back after you've paid it.

I emailed my insurance in August because I still didn't see the claim listed on my account. Heard back that no, they didn't have it, but the customer service rep kindly called the billing company and spoke with someone who said they'd submit it right away.

In September, still no sign of the claim. I email the billing company directly with login info included on the bill to see what's going on. I get an auto-reply which shows they have my correct email and says they will forward it to the billing department.

No reply.

In October, I email them again including everything so far from my end. Nothing but the auto-response.

In November, I check my insurance again, no claim, and log in to the billing site which looks like they have finally submitted it a few days before.

I call the billing site's damn number. First time it doesn't even work. Next time the auto system hangs up on me. Third time I get through and a woman with a thick accent waits for me to take a breath (she's lucky I was done) to say, "Sorry to interrupt. It's a known issue." She doesn't elaborate on what it was. She says, "It's not a workman's comp claim." I think to myself, "No shit," but maybe that was part of the "known issue"?

Anyway, all I'm able to discern is that there's nothing left for me to do but wait. 30-45 days for my insurance to consider the claim. Then 6-8 weeks to get a refund, if one is due.

Current status: my insurance denied the claim because the billing company waited too long but says that's on billing company unless they can prove otherwise, so I don't currently owe anything.

Which is nice except I paid the bill months ago.

Next up: fighting with the billing company's phone system again. I'd email since that's what I prefer and I like having written responses, but they've never answered any of mine. Hopefully I will get someone more helpful this time. Or psych myself up to ask for a supervisor and demand a refund. ARGH!

 

10 years ago on TTaT: 60. Color Index

Your Vote Matters

If your vote didn't matter, Republicans wouldn't spend so much time suppressing voter access and rigging the system in their favor.

Fight Back.

Vote for Democrats all the way down your ballot Tuesday Nov. 8 or Vote Early!

https://iwillvote.com/

 

Some things at stake in this midterm election:

Voting rights.  

Do you want free and fair elections? Vote for Democrats.

There are election-denying Republicans running for Secretary of State in several states in which that office controls how elections are run. (Clearly they believe in elections enough to want to run for office so they can control election outcomes.) 

Do you want free and fair elections? Vote for Democrats.

Social Security. 

Do you want to get the money *you* paid into Social Security back when you're older? Vote for Democrats.

Abortion access.

Do you believe women have the right the make decisions regarding their own bodies without interference from government? Do you believe rape victims and women with life threatening pregnancies deserve access to abortion health care? Vote for Democrats.

Birth control access.

If you don't approve of abortion, making birth control widely accessible should be a no-brainer. Also birth control is used to treat a variety of ailments for women and girls. If you believe birth control should be accessible without government or employer oversight, Vote for Democrats.

Marriage rights.

If you don't want to go back to banned interracial marriages and banned gay marriages, Vote for Democrats.

Privacy rights.

Republicans don't believe the right to privacy is included in The Constitution. That's how they overturned Roe v. Wade and have their sites set on birth control and marriage rights next. They will keep eroding our rights. To protect your right to privacy, Vote for Democrats.

 

Your Vote Matters and How You Vote Matters. This midterm election will greatly impact whether we have free and fair elections in 2024 and going forward.

Democracy is not bully people into changing results when you lose. Democracy is not throw out the votes of people who vote against you or disenfranchise them before they can even cast their ballots.

Democrats are pro-democracy. Republicans are pro-authoritarianism and pro-fascism.

Choose wisely: Vote for Democats.

https://iwillvote.com/ 

#VoteBlue #VoteBlueToProtectYourRights

Get Ready to Vote Blue

Make sure you:

1. Register to vote/check your registration.
2. Plan to vote by mail, vote early, or vote in person November 8.
3. Vote for Democrats all the way down your ballot.

 All our rights depend on it: voting, reproductive, marriage, social security, privacy…

 

 #VoteBlue!

https://iwillvote.com/

Handwritten Wordle Notes From Games Past

My parents and I compare notes on our Wordle play. When I've taken more guesses than I can easily remember or I'm distracted, I write down the words I used. Yesterday I filled in the last of the roughly 2" by 2.5" piece of paper I'd been using.

Vertical running words and other sections which do not fit Wordle parameters are stray solutions to Letter Boxed.

It's messy because I just wrote it for myself and because the scan pulled through words from the flip side.

All the games can be found at The New York Times Games Page and played for free. Enjoy!

 

17 years ago on TTaT: tip of the week

Recharge and Fight Back

Tonight's dance break: "Daft Punk" by Pentatonix.

Even though things are dire, when the GOP is outlawing our rights, find ways to recharge so you can fight back.

Because we must.

 

Register and vote for pro-choice Democrats who will end the filibuster.

 

Contact your senators, representative, and local officials and tell them you are pissed about the Supreme Court overruling Roe v. Wade, undermining gun control, and advancing an extremist right-wing agenda. Tell them to take action to protect your rights.

#VoteBlue #AbortionIsHealthcare

Captain America

Today's sighting: Captain America. He was working for a subcontractor of the cable company and installing a new cable line for the new utility poles.

He was wearing the classic Captain America t-shirt with the shield on the front, a matte black hard hat that gave WW2 vibes, and skinny jeans.

I saw him pulling a line from the spool on the back of the truck past the driveway into the yard and then down the creek bank. From there he hurled it across to the other side. Then he walked downstream on the bank a bit and quickly hopped across the big junky rocks the construction crew left jutting out of the creek to the other side.

He was so agile. I'm only sorry I wasn't shooting video because I had no idea that was coming. Later it occurred to me that I couldn't think of a reason he couldn't have just walked across the bridge with the line, but, you know, Captain America.

A while later he was up in the bucket arm of the truck working on the line at the new pole in my yard. This time I was shooting photographs and video. I had the top half of the window down with my camera resting on it. He was maybe 50 feet away but he was clearly aware of me since we were about at eye level and he kept glancing over in my direction. I think I was making him nervous.

If I were an extrovert or maybe if I hadn't felt like I'd lose my voice, I would've yelled, "Hey, Captain America! Thank you!" I suppose I could've waved, but ultimately I didn't want to interrupt his work.

I was just waiting for this cool machine they attach to the line to spin down to the next pole. I think it wraps the cable line around the metal wire line he'd already installed. Once I had that shot, I closed the window and went back to my workout.

He and his partner, Bucky?, who mainly did work on the ground and drove the truck left around lunchtime.

I thought they'd come back after to finish switching over to the new line and removing the temp line but they didn't return. My guess is the actual cable company will come back for that part of the job. We'll see.

In any case, Thank you for your work, Captain America!

10 years ago on TTaT: Temporal Transportation

Remember in November and Take Action Now

When the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting happened nearly 10 years ago, I thought it would be the catalyst for gun reform. I was wrong. With hundreds of mass shootings in the US since including one at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas this week, it's clear there will be no change until politicians in the pockets of gun lobbyists are voted out of office. 

Remember in November and for every local election or primary before then and vote accordingly.

Make sure you are registered to vote now. Call and/or email your senators and representative and tell them you want sensible gun control laws. 

Learn more: 16 Facts About Gun Violence And School Shootings 

Take action: Sandy Hook Promise Action Fund works to pass legislation that advances school safety and mental health and prevents gun violence.

 

17 years ago on TTaT: Geek? Well, maybe according to some...