r o s e w r i t e s

TWITPIFFLE

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/17/books/review/not-my-type-e-jean-carroll.html

Yet even in a crowded field, this adrenalized agony aunt, currently on Substack, stands out, with her giddy feminism (her tuxedo cat is named Vagina T. Fireball); literary references (the Great Pyrenees dog: Miss Havisham); and runaway retro expressions like “egads!” and “twitpiffle.”

Saturday I got up early and did a little bit of housework while I waited to hear from Alena what time she wanted to meet up to go to Portsmouth. She was dropping off Percy at a Scouting thing in Dover. Then we met up outside the Barnes and Noble in Newington. She arrived maybe two minutes after I did, so that was perfect. I gave her her birthday present, and we got our various bits and bags organized, and then we were off.

It turns out that the way I usually approach Portsmouth, the bridge is out, under construction. But Alena talked me through an alternate route, and we found the (newish) parking garage that I hadn’t been to before. You could tell it was a busy day in Portsmouth because we had to drive up to the fifth floor before we found any open spaces. Besides the three different protests planned, it was also Market Square Day, so downtown was hopping.

It was a bit of a walk to Prescott Park. We checked out a block of two of Market Square Day before we ducked down a side street and beat feet. The gathering at Prescott Park was smallish. There were plenty of people milling around, reading each other’s signs and just chatting. There was a small band and dancers, which turned out to be some kind of church group. And closer to the waterfront there was a crowd of people listening to a speaker, but they didn’t have a bullhorn, just one of those cardboard megaphones, so it was impossible to hear what they were saying. Turns out, most of the people were not in the park, but were lined up on both sides of State Street. Cars would drive by and honk in support. I did spot one pickup flying a Trump flag driving by, it was roundly booed.

The small crowd eventually started breaking up, so we wandered up the hill and down State Street, looking for somewhere to eat. Everyone sitting in outdoor seating seemed to have protest signs with them. We were going to go to the Hearth Creamery, but there was a sign on the door that they were closing. So we crossed the street and went to Ceres Bakery instead. We made it just in time, after we got our food and found a table outside it was 2:00, which is when they close. I had quiche and a slice of bread and an Arizona Iced Tea, which really hit the spot.

After lunch we wandered around Market Square Day. I bought a rainbow fan to add to my collection, since I didn’t have one in “rainbow” yet. Plus, it’s Pride month, and I realized that other than the dress I was wearing (Black ¾ sleeve Svaha dress with rainbow stripes on the lower part of the skirt) and a couple of pairs of rainbow underwear, I don’t think I own anything that I could wear to a Pride event.

We sat on a bench while I finished my drink from lunch because I didn’t want to carry it around all day. Then we nipped into the main parking garage to use the public bathrooms. Then we hit Macro Polo, which Alena said was under new ownership. They still have a weird mix of oddball stuff, but the mix has changed and some of the stuff they had for sale felt more crass than quirky. I felt like there were a lot more pot jokes, maybe to appeal to the UNH crowd? Or maybe pot has just become more mainstream now that it’s legalized in some places.

We walked back to Market Square, where Alena pointed out that the shop right on the square that has been some form of bakery or coffee shop since I was in college is now a pizza place. Heavens to Murgatroyd, where do the caffeine addicts get their fix? And then I noticed Best of British and had to go check it out. They carry all sorts of British imports, clothes, tea, tea pots and mugs, candy, books, snacks, Yadeleys of London toiletries, etc. And after poking around, I found what I was looking for, Hobnobs! I’m so happy to have another source. Wegmans carries the McVitties digestives, but not Hobnobs. I usually get them at Thwaites Market, but they don’t always have them in stock. Now I have another source if I get a craving. *happy dance*

We stopped to listen to a nine or ten person, mostly brass band playing in the Vaughn Mall. When they took a break we finished walking to the end of Congress Street that was blocked off from car traffic. And found the rest of the protesters, lined up on both sides of Maplewood Ave., waving more signs and getting people to honk their horns.

Once we got back to the car, we dove back to Barnes and Noble. But because Stephen was taking Alena out for her birthday dinner back in Portsmouth, she was going to hang out for a bit. So we went book shopping and I had a soda in the cafe (because I was thirsty) and we both sat and read together. And I thought it was just like some of the internet introvert/book nerd memes that I’ve seen going around. Just the two of us, sitting and reading together. Because that’s what introverted friends do. <3

Sunday I was a slug. I spent the day reading and catching up on news and Facebook after I called Dad for Father's Day.

The best part about the weekend? Alt National Park Service says that by their count, there were 13.1 million people at the protests.

How was the count conducted? Over 140,000 coalition members attended events across the country, at least one at nearly every protest. Many traveled far and got to see some amazing small towns along the way. Local authorities provided crowd estimates, which were then reported back and compiled for the final count.

Which is well over the magic number of 3.5% of the population needed to change a regime. Not that I think that he’s going to give up power easily. But it’s comforting to know that we already have critical mass to get the job done once the time comes.

When it seems like everything is going to hell in a hand-basket, it's the little things that make me happy.

Brand new socks and somewhat newish sneakers that make my feet feel all supported and happy.

Kitten videos/reels on Facebook. Especially the Bengal kittens.

A slow Friday at work during a week when I've felt caught up and productive all week.

My sister posting photos of the indoor cat tree that she's been building for Theo and finally finished. She put in a heat pump, and they left a hole that she decided to fill with a cat tree that can be converted to a bookshelf if she ever sells the house. Also now Theo has a perch to hang out under the heater in the winter.


Finally getting the load of laundry from last week out of the dryer, folded, and put away.

Giggling over my best buddy at work taking a long lunch with "a friend" because I know what that actually means. *wiggles eyebrows suggestively*

My massage therapist Jenny telling me last week that she was going to a fundraiser "meat shoot" at the local shooting club, and that she was thinking of ordering an inflatable chicken suit to wear. And then this week telling me that she'd actually done it, and showing me a video of her trying on the suit. She's hilarious!

https://getpocket.com/explore/item/how-bicycles-changed-women-s-lives or https://www.bicycling.com/culture/a43412735/how-bicycles-changed-womens-lives/

More than 100 years later, women are now the majority of voters, with about 9.7 million more women than men voting in 2020 U.S. elections.

So the landscapers were here again today. With the noisy leaf blowers. I tried blocking them out with my Loop earplugs, but that wasn’t enough, so I put on my big honking hearing protectors on over them. And I could still hear the damned leaf blowers.

The bane of my working-at-home existence is noise, especially the leaf blowers.

And then it occurred to me. Does Lowell have a noise ordinance? A quick Google found that yes, yes we do.

For a multi-family house (i.e. a condo) the allowable sound level is 60 decibels. If you’re more than 5 decibels over that limit between 7:00 am and 6:00 pm, you’re violating the ordinance. Now, the average decibel level of a gas powered leaf blower is (according to the internet) 60 - 110 db. I’d be willing to bet that our landscapers come in on the higher end of that scale. And to prove it, I’ve downloaded a decibel meter to my phone.

At my desk, currently it’s registering 45 - 55 decibels, and I can tell they’re a couple of buildings away. When they were right in front of my window before lunch it was MUCH louder.

The next time those assholes park next to my bedroom window and fire up a dozen freaking leaf blowers at 6:30 am, I am going to fire up my app, take a screenshot, and then go mail it to our condo management company with a copy of the noise ordinance and let her know our landscapers are too freaking loud.

The past couple of days my Facebook feed has been flooded with posts about the protests against ICE out in Los Angeles. And how the First Felon has sent 2,000 National Guard troops to LA, without the local authorities requesting assistance. And how now they've also sent 700 US Marines to LA, despite the fact that it is AGAINST THE LAW to deploy US troops against civilians. (For details, see Jay Kuo's post from Monday.)

So it's been pretty clear to me that the White House is blowing things out of proportion. How do I know? My sister, who lives in East LA, less than four miles from the ICE office in downtown LA, says the protests are small. "It feels like a peaceful Sunday. If you are in LA today and looking for community, you are more likely to be at the Pride parade in WeHo. The protesters yesterday were a combination of spontaneous resistance, and local organizations. The former is what we have seen before in other communities when they start dragging beloved neighbors, co-workers, and family out of the area. People jump up and start yelling and trying to stop it. They didn't plan to intervene, but were compelled."

And she can literally see most of the area that is in the news from her house. "I have a clear view of the LAPD helipad and there's no more activity than usual. There are no Marine choppers flying low over my house on their way up from Camp Pendleton." Today she posted an image taken from MSNBC, where there was a helicopter view of the protests. She noted that once the camera pulled back from their close up, it was clear that there weren't very many protesters on the ground. "Every photo and live video broadcast I've seen has shown no more than maybe a dozen or so "protesters" in the shot, and many of those might be press. Other than a few organized rallies and marches, in which people arrive and then leave, I've seen no proof whatsoever that there are any ongoing protests of any significant scale. Even when the freeway shut down, there were maybe 50-75 people on it, tops.

FOR SOME CONTEXT:
I marched on Nov 12, 2016, when about 8000 people took to the streets of Los Angeles on a Saturday to protest the election.
I marched in solidarity with people around the nation and the world on January 21, 2017 in the first Women's March, which drew an estimated 500,000 to 750,000 participants in LA.
I marched again in the 2nd Women's March on January 20, 2018. Size estimates vary wildly on that one, somewhere between 200K and 750K. The mayor said 600K.
The biggest march prior to those was the 2006 immigration march which drew half a million participants.
I can not emphasize this enough: compared to the scale of LA's history of protest, almost NOTHING is going on here. "

So if you're hearing on the news that LA on is fire, that there are mass riots and huge protests, take it from me, it's all bunk.