I don't like the best, I like the gooiest

 * On best vs. favorite. I have read a lot of books I have been impressed by and a lot that I've found profoundly affecting which I wouldn't call FAVORITES even if from a technical standpoint they are better constructed, more clever, more moving, etc. than my favorites. Favorites for me are usually favorites because I happened to read them at the right time and they appeal to my specific taste. And they are rarely challenging, even though I also benefit from reading books I do find challenging. (Do people who think "best" and "favorite" are the same have a terribly high opinion of their own taste, or are they unable to evaluate "best" outside of their preferences, or are they such lovers of literature that they ignore their personal taste in identifying favorites?)

* Speaking of which, I just listened to an audiobook of the first of Robin Hobb's Realm of the Elderlings series, and am grateful that it holds up and remains a favorite, even though I started reading these books 25 years ago while they were still being written. I'm looking forward to revisiting the rest.

book

Feeding Ghosts (Tessa Hulls), a graphic (in the drawing sense, not the bloody or nude sense) memoir about complicated family relationships, communist China, and mental illness, was incredible. And that's despite the fact that I think the author misinterprets a lot of things- maybe that even adds to its depth. I often speed through graphic novels because they have relatively few words, but this one I took my time with, and needed a break between each section.

easier than identifying actors

 Gridspotting: identifying the crossword puzzles seen in movies or series.

also Election Day often has bake sales

Lots of people go stand in line for early voting. I understand it if you can't vote on Election Day, but Election Day is better staffed at more locations and I've never had to wait in line, so I find it weird that so many people find early voting more convenient.

no, MY bacon

I found "MyBacon" at the fod co-op, a mycelium-based bacon substitute I wanted to try on my BLTs. It's fine, but not $9/ 6 ounces good, especially since I don't care as much about texture as a lot of people do. I'll stick with my usual tofu marinated in liquid smoke.

More specifically:

⅓ cup soy sauce

3 tablespoons nutritional yeast

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons maple syrup

1 tablespoon vegan Worcestershire sauce

2 teaspoons smoked paprika

1 teaspoon liquid smoke

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

Mix all. Marinate 16oz thinly sliced tofu in it. Bake, air fry, or saute until the tofu is the desired consistency.

PMJ

Partner A and I went to see Postmodern Jukebox, and it was a fun show. I've discovered that box seats are the key for me to enjoy concerts; more space to move around, more breathing room, and in the case of this Gilded Age theater, much more comfortable seats. 

leaves

Since breaking my feet, I have mostly stopped raking leaves in the fall. I rake part of the front yard but the rest waits until spring, when I haul away the piles blown against the fences, mow over the rest, and hope for the best. 

When I was a kid though I made raking a game (though not a super effective one so far as leaf removal goes). I cleared the leaves to make floorplans- generally a not terribly well designed house with long hallways and lots of bedrooms. I coerced the neighbor kids into doing this with me and we would visit each other's houses, giving tours and describing the rooms. Perhaps I should have been an architect after all!