Wishing for Wing Zings #AtoZChallenge #ShortStory Crossword Clue 7 Down

"Introverts deserve sanctuary," the character Bazeema says as today's animated movie plays. 

"That's the truth," Wren Noel chimes in. 

"Do you consider yourself an introvert?" I ask. It's not a word I'd use to describe my friend here.

"Not all the time. But there are days when I prefer to be alone. Or, at least, alone with a friend." They smile and wink at me. I smile back.

"The trouble with this movie is that not all wishes are good or fully articulated. Still. Maybe it's not so bad to wish to be accepted."

Wren Noel ponders this before replying. "What if wishing to be accepted meant that others had to surrender their beliefs, or at least bend them?"

"That is what it means. That's seriously the primary roadblock. Some people are unable to accept others because they harbor an intolerant belief that not everyone deserves acceptance, or deserves to be alive without conforming to make others comfortable." I cross my arms.

"Easy now. You're talking to a transgender individual who dresses in splatter punk style. Trust me, acceptance isn't something I feel often."

"I know," I lean against Wren Noel's shoulder. "I didn't ask for my psychic abilities. Acceptance for being born would have been nice."

"Wish for loved ones to be safe. That'd be my wish."

"It's a good one. I make that wish often."

We keep watching the movie. It isn't overly popular, possibly because the plot is a bit complex for a children's film. Star, the nonverbal main character, is cheeky and adorable, though. Reminds me of some of the mythical creatures I care for around here. 

"Do you ever wonder why they call celebrities stars?" I ask Wren Noel.

"Probably because they stand out. I mean, we look at the night sky, and you know there are planets and space rocks and stuff, but you mostly see the stars."

I nod as I look up the answer online. "Interesting," I say before reading the answer provided. 

"Celebrities are called ' stars' because they are seen as brilliant, shining, and distant, much like celestial bodies, representing figures who stand out from the crowd and offer inspiration or guidance. This metaphor originated in theater, referring to top performers whose popularity and charisma made them shine brighter than others, with usage dating back to at least 1779. 

They act as guides in culture, providing a focal point in a chaotic world, akin to how sailors navigated by stars."

Wren Noel nods. "Yeah, that makes sense too."

"Want to wish for food from Instacart? I have some restaurant credits."

We end up ordering from Anna's Brick Oven in Bethlehem. A Shrimp Crabmeat Pizza and a 10-piece bucket of Boom Boom Wing Zings. 🍕🍗

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11304740/

https://yarn.co/yarn-clip/0fdbcf7d-b581-43c1-8a2f-0345a4733e10

7 Down ___ upon a star ⭐

The crossword clue will contain the LETTER of the day, though it might not be the *first* letter in the word. 

My April 2026 Blogging from A to Z Challenge Theme is a slice-of-life short story with two characters binge-watching shows and movies while creating a crossword puzzle. Read and play along!

Please check out the April Blogging from A to Z Challenge
#AtoZChallenge
a-to-zchallenge.com

JDORNER1460A   🛒 💰✨ Get $10 off Instacart. Use my code JDORNER1460A at checkout or follow this link. Terms apply. https://inst.cr/t/493b819c5

Random Sunday Stuff

Random rant about AI and social media ^

Random humor about Virgin River horse scene 

19th Wedding anniversary meal

Steak w bella mushrooms, veggie mix, twice baked potato, and shrimp 

Attempt to hack my PayPal account.

I reported it.

Looked online, there are dozens of similar reports. The scam is they send a few cents, get authorization, then steal hundreds (or more). 

Not enough being done! 

Just trying to fight for LGBTQIA equality. Not that my current PA Congressional Representatives are going to be of any use or help. But I'll say it anyway. At least they'll know they fail to represent their consistency. They don't care, but still, they should at least know.

We got great food from our local food truck. 

Zippity #AtoZChallenge

My mom didn't want to be "grandma." She was several years younger than my dad, but often accused of "robbing the cradle," because he looks younger. (Especially when he died his hair.) 

So she played around with all the usual choices.

And settled on being called "Zippity" and my dad becoming "Doo-Dah." 

Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah https://g.co/kgs/9zM2nrn

It's an old Disney song. And yes, that should be "Zip-a-dee." But she didn't look it up.

It's irrelevant. My daughter died. My brother's son, assuming it was his, was taken by his baby momma and that's a whole huge heartbreaking mess of heartbreak 💔 and crazy (and expensive legal drama). Plus, she has since passed away, so it really wouldn't matter now. 

Mom's recipe for a quick and easy dinner. Salmon Soup

This is a regular 14.75 oz can of salmon (not the little "tuna" size). Dump in a pot. Fill the can twice with milk, added to the pot. 2 to 4 tablespoons of butter. A dash of black pepper. Heat to boil, then cook about 3 to 5 minutes on simmer.

Glad I had that conversation and took a screenshot. It's a rare comfort food. Eaten with Saltines or Oyster crackers. 

And now it's also saved here, on this blog. Hopefully for all time. 

Thanks for another great #AtoZChallenge 😊

Pickles #AtoZChallenge

🥒

Pickles 

I'm allergic to cucumbers. And vinegar usually makes me vomit. 

For some reason, my family REALLY cared about people eating pickles. I don't know why. We have no connections to any pickle companies, don't grow cucumbers, anything like that. But certain people got obsessed with my eating them.

So, one summer when was 12 or something, I'd eat the little gerkin ones at picnics. Then go inside and puke them up. It worked in the summer because everyone else was outside. But I couldn't hide the vomiting the rest of the year. So I eventually went back to not eating them. 

If you ask my Aunt, to this day, she'll tell you how much I liked pickles. Seriously, we had this conversation this month. "You did like pickles!" 

😮‍💨🙄

Yeah. 

Just not a good enough liar.

Recipe time

 

I love it as is, but you could 🌶 spice it up.

#TackleTBR Wrap up post and Life Health Update

Thanks to the time set aside for this challenge,  I've read 2 books by one of my top five favorite authors of all time,  and 2 books that were birthday gifts,  and by the end of today will have finished a "here, read this" book from my boss/friend/cousin-in-law.

2+ 2+ 1= 5 books

There was one other I had hoped to get through, but my health took me down during the challenge. (Thanks to the ♡'s who got me emergency medical care at 10pm and "force fed" me things I could eat when the meds and sickness made food icky.)

I know I didn't do Goodreads updates. Whoops. You'd think having the app on my phone would make it a given, but nooooo... lol.  My phone is being hindrance heavy. I'm 5 models behind!  Blargh.

But I manged to stay awake for 16 hours today! First time in 9 days for that. AND I left the house for the first time in 9 days. The sun! The sky! Air! Birds! Yup, all still out there. And and and-- I had real food today! Not just bland food.
Lobster
Baked potato (okay, that could be bland food diet, but it was yummy)
Chicken Salad hoagie
Rice pudding (okay, again, technically could fit the bland food diet)
Applesauce (yeah yeah, I know)

Actually, that's all I ate. BUT, none of it shot back out of my mouth (yet, knock on wood) so VICTORY!

Less Appetite than a Twilight Vampire

So, having been sick, I have no appetite. This is partly due to meds, and partly due to the strict bland diet I've been put on (twice in one week).

I look at food with all the enthusiasm of eating dirt and then throwing up mud. That was basically Edward's point in the book-- that he could eat people food, it just wasn't yummy anymore.

Applesauce, fruit cup, toast,  Wheaties, mashed potatoes, jell-o, yogurt, noodle soup, broth, a scrambled egg... This is basically all I've eaten since Friday. And I feel like having more of that like I feel like getting mauled by a werewolf. 

Blargh.

I have to eat something. I took my meds. I must eat or suffer the painful consequences.

I'm off to shove something down my gullet. Then more reading!

140 to go

I thought you'd like this Pin on Pinterest... http://pin.it/mw-ysGM

So what's really interesting about this...

A few years ago, in one of my foolish rage phases, I started exercising against medical advice (which was to sit as still as possible as long as possible... I still take issue with that). I lost a few pounds and was all,  "whooo hoo." Then I got sick. Emergency room level of sick. And lost another 20 pounds that weekend. (Yeaaahhh, I don't recommend it.) The next time I worked out, I had a respiratory attack almost as bad as my first one. Then I could barely move for days because it hurt so damn bad.

One of the theories from "the 12" (docs) was that my body fat had stored the chemical I was exposed to. As I lost weight,  I re exposed myself. And thus - BAD. 

This pin is the first time that really made sense to me. How true it is, I don't know. But it collaborates with the docs.

Still not happy about being more than twice myself. But it's better than dead. And better than stuck in a hospital on a vent. So there's that.

Better than bad, but not good,  but acceptable. Yeah, I guess.

Okay,  enough random for tonight.

I had super fun hanging with Katie at Trivet after dropping off Mouse. I tried Disco fries. And the wings Katie raved about (though the wings were not as good as they were Thursday, she said).

And there is tiramisu in my refrigerator, so Yay!

Did I just end a weight post with a foodie moment?

Is that an asparagus in your pants and is it happy to see me

Overheard:
Man to pre-school age boy:

"What you want and what's reality aren't the same thing. Now let me get the check so we don't get arrested."

1- #dreamkiller Reality isn't going to the moon, but we've done that. So maybe stop crushing dreams of the young.

2- Given the high percentage of children with a close relative in a legal battle, maybe arrested shouldn't be seen as the worst thing possible. Innocent until proven arrested? No.
Obviously teaching that paying the bill is important. But it seemed like poor phrasing.

Just random thoughts for today.

Now enjoy that asparagus picture.

#atozchallenge Youngsters at the #wedding

I've already mentioned children in previous posts.
Here's a quick list of tips!

• Child meals should cost less. Check with whoever is charging you for food.
• Children have allergies. Know about it beforehand.
• Children are the most likely to blow wedding bubbles (or whatever you're using).
• Children and alcohol do not mix. Carefully consider this if having an ice luge. 
• Put some items under $10 on the registry so kids can chip in for a gift.
• Children might have bedtimes, so parents might need to leave early. Plan accordingly.
• If you expect more than 5 children, set up a "kid play area" for them.
• Screaming babies are the #1 reason to ask about a closed-circuit feed of your wedding playing in another room. 
• Flower girls and Ring Bearers need extra practice. Training. Not just one night before rehearsal.

Zip back tomorrow for a final photography tip.

N is for Nutrition #atozchallenge #wedding

Yesterday I talked about a food horror story. Today I’ll discuss other foods at your wedding.

THE CAKE

First off, look at the image I used for my logo for this series. It’s cookies and milk. You do not have to serve cake. There is a small percentage of the population that doesn’t even like cake. (What? Yes, really. Not, me. My friend JR @JRVincente of the ADULT blog https://jrvincente.wordpress.com doesn’t like cake. That wedding had Strawberry Shortcake, which isn’t really cake, and white chocolate dipped strawberries for feeding each other. The bride is allergic to chocolate.)

All that being said, the cake (or dessert of choice) will be heavily photographed by the guests. If you really like these guests, consider acquiring little take home boxes. “My husband Stan had to work at the hospital and couldn’t make it. Could I possibly take him a slice of cake?” Someone is going to ask you a question along those lines.

Who cuts the cake? Other than that first slice by the newlyweds, someone has to cut the rest of it. Work out beforehand if your caterer or baker will do this. There are also cases where the cake is fake! That’s right. It’s falling out of style now, but for awhile those big, beautiful cakes were Styrofoam with frosting and decorations. There’d be a sheet cake “in the back” which was served to your people. In some cases, this saved money. In other cases, this service costs extra. Check around.

Important note— there are MANY flavors of cake and icing available. Some have berries and nuts. If you are going to serve any of these, LET YOUR GUESTS KNOW before the cake cutting. Especially with nuts. So many people today have allergies. You don’t want pictures of Uncle Jim being carted away in an ambulance because there was almond extract in the cake.

Just the cake? Of course not. You might consider adding a food allergy line to your wedding RSVP cards. Might it cost a little extra to get cousin Timmy a gluten free, nut free, shellfish free plate? Maybe. Is it better than having Timmy in anaphylactic shock at your reception? Absolutely.

Appetizers should be considered if your guests will be sitting around waiting for the bridal party to get back from pictures. These don’t have to be expensive. Nor should they be overly filling. It could be bar snacks.

Speaking of which, you don’t have to have an open bar. Some people hear “open bar” and decide that it’s a good time to drink more than a college frat house does in a month. Then they drive. So here are some alternative ideas to start:

• A partially open bar where only certain drinks are free, or the first two are free
• A fountain with one kind of drink and a keg, but no other alcohol
• A juice and smoothie bar (can get expensive)
• A cider bar (excellent for autumn weddings)
• A coffee and tea bar
• A flavored water bar

For those of you who want to spend extra on drinks, check out ice luge drinking. A bartender (or whoever) pours the drink at the top, and it slides down the ice into a glass (or open mouth). Beware that children will want to try this, and pouring juice down the same slide that had alcohol is probably not a great idea. Plan accordingly.

Speaking of children… you aren’t paying the same rate for a plate of chicken nuggets as you are for the adult’s chicken cordon bleu, are you? Don’t get ripped off. And don’t pay for babies to get a meal. Parents bring their own food for babies. (Unless, perhaps, you are a baby food maker with a known artisan shop or something.) This is yet another question to add to your RVSP, if you plan to invite children to the wedding.

Tune in tomorrow for a discussion about Offerings, Gifts, and Registries

M is for Meat Undercooked Main Course #atozchallenge #wedding

Today’s post begins with a horror story.

Bride Janice served beef at her wedding reception. The reception was at a fire hall (common in Pennsylvania), but it was a new one, and most of the accompanying station wasn’t built yet. The beef was undercooked. Actually, it wasn’t cooked. It was rare. The plastic knives couldn’t cut it. The blood ran into the vegetables and mashed potatoes. My brother tried to cook his over a tea light candle. There were cows outside mooing, or maybe they were inside… But there was no real heat source at the location, so the meat couldn’t be cooked. 

Only a handful of guests bothered to eat this $75 a plate (she showed me the bill) meal. Since everyone was hungry, the reception didn’t last long. Well, that’s one way to get everyone to leave early. 

Bride Q served a 20 foot hoagie (submarine, hero) as a main course in her backyard reception. There was lemonade, some veggies and dip, and a tray of fruit. Everyone had their fill of food. People complimented her on how nice it was. 

Only in wedding planning do people consider paying hundreds or thousands of dollars for food they’ve never tasted and generally can’t send back. Be wary of any chef who will charge you for something but won’t let you taste test a sample first. Get three references from other brides who have used the chef’s service within the last six months. 

How is this a money saving tip? Food poisoning leads to hospital bills… so avoid one, avoid the other, and viola— you’ve saved yourself money.

You’re welcome.

Tomorrow will be a different discussion on food.

Invention Idea for Cat Caretakers

There's a common issue that cat caretakers know- a cat will only eat from the center of the bowl. Here's today's million dollar invention idea:
A bowl that shakes/tilt&rotates every hour or so. (Comes with a customizable timer.)
Keep kitty happy all day.