Parallax Views

Wednesday, February 25, 2026

Tempus fugit

Okay—one more blizzard-related photo, this slightly bedraggled snowman:

He probably has maybe another 18 hours to live.

Tuesday, February 24, 2026

Aftermath

We here in the District They Call Columbia had just got to the point where you could see more ground than snowcrete by the end of last week. Then, on Sunday we got another dump of snow.

Fortunately, where I am it’s maybe an inch or two, and it’s going to melt pretty quickly, if the Lord blesses us with above-freezing temperatures.

Meanwhile—it has its pretty points.

Monday, February 23, 2026

Gratitude Monday: Saved by the bowl

I decided yesterday to make tarts for a snow day project. So I hauled out my Cuisinart to handle the pastry. (You used to be able to use “Cuisinart” to mean “any food processor”, because—back in the last century—pretty much any food processor was a Cuisinart.)

I discovered that a piece had broken off the bowl, and it turned out that that piece was what fastened the top to the bowl. A food processor won’t work if the lid isn’t locked.

I was able to get the blade to turn by manually pushing down on the top, so I was able to kludge the pastry, but I started grumbling because now I’d have to buy a new bowl, and since this particular machine dates from probably the 80s, there probably aren’t any loose bowls out in the wild so I’m going to have to buy a whole new food processor even though the motor for this one works just fine and I do not need that kind of aggravation…

But as I walked over to the computer to start that process, I looked at the shelf above my washer and dryer, where I keep a couple of excess things, and—looky what I found:

(At one time, probably in the 90s, I bought a spare bowl and lid. The lid since broke. But I kept the bowl.)

Yeah, it’s petty, but that’s my gratitude for today.

Friday, February 20, 2026

Constabulary duty

Well, alrighty then—big interesting news out of Blighty: the Andrew formerly known as prince has been arrested “on suspicion of misconduct in office”. Thames Valley Police (TVP) yesterday announced the arrest of “a man in his sixties from Norfolk on suspicion of misconduct in public office and are carrying out searches at addresses in Berkshire and Norfolk”.

TVP holds jurisdiction for Windsor, the former residence of the former prince (who lost all his titles and his rent-free house last month and is now known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor), in Berkshire. Norfolk includes Sandringham, the estate owned by Charles III, the ex-Duke of York’s brother. So everyone in Briton understood who was being nicked.

The charge is believed to be related to information in the latest tranche of Epstein Files, which included emails that looked a whole lot like Mountbatten-Windsor was sending disgraced (and currently dead) financier and trafficker of minors for sex Jeffrey Epstein confidential information related to M-W’s work when he was a trade envoy for Britain.

A few years ago M-W settled a lawsuit by Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who reported that he had sexually abused her when she was 17 years old, under the auspices of Epstein and his procuress, Ghislaine Maxwell. (Maxwell is currently serving a federal sentence for some of her work with Epstein, although the Kleptocrat last year had her moved from a high security prison—in line with the crimes for which she was convicted—to a low security one, where she enjoys yoga lessons and puppy visits. Her condition for testifying before Congress is a presidential pardon. Gawd, this timeline.) The settlement was in the millions, although M-W has denied all accusations. It is believed that his mother, the late Queen, provided some to all of the money to settle, because Andrew has never had that kind of dosh.

(You will note that M-W has not been charged with anything related to sex trafficking; it's about financial malfeasance in connection with official duties. However, there's still time to add charges. Please God.)

Well—I mean, it’s exhausting just to write that much.

Charles issued a statement supporting the arrest and “the full, fair and proper process by which this issue is investigated in the appropriate manner and by the appropriate authorities.” Which is putting the best face possible on the matter, as—Lord knows, the royal family has tried to paper Andrew’s peccadillos over for decades. Pretty sure they knew he was taking backhanders from countries he was trade envoying to, and he and Fergie have not exactly been the best face of the monarchy with their feckless lifestyle in general. But email evidence, man—too much at a time when the royals are trying to justify their existence.

Anyway—I’m thinking about the police officers who passed through security at Sandringham, knocked on the ex-prince’s door, showed their warrant cards and politely intoned the British equivalent of the Miranda warning: “You do not have to say anything. But it may harm your defense if you do not mention when questioned something which you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence.”

I mean—when word came down there must have been a mad scramble to be on the deputation. And on the search parties at Sandringham and Windsor. Jeez—these people will be dining out (discreetly) on this event for decades.

So here’s “The Policeman’s Song” from Gilbert & Sullivan’s The Pirates of Penzance. Every once in a while, something arises to make the daily grind worthwhile. Slapping metaphorical cuffs on someone who was for a long time third in line to the throne would qualify.

Thursday, February 19, 2026

Turf war

The nearby golf course has been closed by snow since we got the big dump on 25 January. I mean—you can’t really plough the greenways, can you?

So a gang of Canadian marauders has pretty much taken over the 3^rd Hole. They’ve been there for several days and I reckon that club management are going to have a difficult time dislodging them when the snow finally completely melts.

Wednesday, February 18, 2026

Doggone

Normally when I post about vanity plates, it’s a collection of them. But this vehicle was so much more than a license plate—although that’s what caught my eye at first in the library parking lot.

I mean—there was a whole theme going.

Then the driver came out while I was taking this shot:

Turns out there was a whole other bunch of dogs on the other side:

All of them have been in her life; Bodhi, Diesel and Vincent are still with her.

She also noted that the veterinarian sticker carries a universe of truth.

Tuesday, February 17, 2026

New to the 'hood

Okay, it’s possible that I may have a new neighbor.

She appeared to be gathering leaves and then went through the fence to where my neighbor has a wooden deck about half a foot above the ground. I’m thinking she may be building a nest?

Now I have to figure out what opossums eat—aside from Costco tuxedo cakes.

Monday, February 16, 2026

Gratitude Monday: going places

My current passport expires in August, which—in this fakakhta world—means it’s functionally useless, because many countries won’t accept your entry if your passport has less than half a year to go before expiry. So last month I dredged around to see what’s necessary to renew online.

It was interesting to me to discover that—as long as it essentially fits the frame—you can submit a selfie for your photo. JPG, TIF, PNG—US State Department is happy to take them all. And since all the usual suspects charge between $10-$15 for hard copies and extra for digital (??), I thought, well—I can do that for free.

I would have submitted the photo that professional photographers shot for my company badge seven years ago, but I was wearing glasses in it, and they are strenglich verboten.

I hesitated on the declaration of hair color—I mean, it’s currently pink, but it will change throughout the year to blue, green and whatever else strikes my fancy. These days, you don’t know what’s going to get you disqualified from citizenship.

Even though you put in the number of the expiring passport at the beginning of the process, they don’t auto-fill for you, so you have to go through the whole megillah, just like you’re a first-timer. That was annoying. But I got it all together, uploaded the photo, handed over $130 in Amex and hit submit.

That was 2 February and I was given a prospective turnaround date of 21 March, because processing.

Imagine my surprise, then, to open a USPS Priority Mail envelope yesterday and find this: