Black Friday Shopping
Nov. 28th, 2025 09:58 pmWe were looking for a chair that was correctly sized and built for Gretchen to be able to sit comfortably and get in and out of without difficulty. One of the two models turned out to be the correct one, so it is now on order and will show up eventually in a fabric that should suit our needs.
Once we got home, I ran out to Sam's Club to pick up hamburger for meat loaf tomorrow. Then Gretchen and I went to Home Depot where I picked out a suitable Christmas tree. It is reasonably tall, but narrow, which seems to be how they are coming lately. This may be advantageous. We'll see. :)
And that was quite *enough* shopping for Black Friday.
Tomorrow, Snowmageddon is supposed to occur. We'll see how it goes. If nothing else, I have two teenagers here to help shovel...
Post-Turkey (well, there are leftovers...)
Nov. 28th, 2025 07:20 pmHave I mentioned that especially after Colonoscopy Week I've had more trouble than usual walking? I've been using my cane inside the house for the first time in quite a while, and I'm limited in how much I can carry without (more) pain. It sucks. Belovedest has set up the short ramp against the shortest outside stairs, and while going up it is Bad, going up the stairs without it is Worse. (Both outside doors have stairs.)
I wasn't available to assist with any of the Thanksgiving cooking. Belovedest did it themselves! Including: turkey, the epic tray of dressing, biscuits from the mix, and instant potatoes made the way that erases the taste of Box. (There was also salad available, but there's quite a bit of vegetable in the sausage-cornbread dressing.)
Today we had some roof inspectors. The inspection's free; the quote for fixing things up is *sigh* very much not free.
Alzheimer's Clinical Trial Results, Sadly Running True to Form
Nov. 25th, 2025 01:52 pmThere have been some interesting failures recently in Alzheimer’s trials. As long-time readers will know, I consider basically all Alzheimer’s drug trials to have failed to one degree or another, and particularly when it comes to clearing the “will improve patient’s lives in the real world without putting them at too much risk” hurdle. But these two are notable because they’re aimed outside the usual amyloid zone.
First off, Novo Nordisk reported that semaglutide (the company’s GLP-1 agonist drug, of course) failed in two Alzheimer’s trials. This was going to be a long shot, but long shots are worth taking in this area if you can afford to try them. Studies of thousands of patients with early cognitive impairment who took an oral form of semaglutide (Rybelsus, currently approved as a diabetes therapy) did not show improvements in mental function as compared to placebo. The company says that the treatment group showed “improvement of Alzheimer’s disease-related biomarkers” in both trials, although it does not (as far as I can see) say what those biomarkers were. And I would wonder how good they are as indicators given that you can show improvements in them and still not beat placebo, personally.
The company’s stock took a hit on the news, which is kind of strange. Surely people weren’t betting on this succeeding? But Novo investors have been a jumpy bunch for a while now as Eli Lilly’s star continues to ascend in this area, so the sight of another possible life preserver disappearing might have been enough by itself. At any rate, it does appear as if there’s a disease where GLP-1 drugs are not actually beneficial. Novo had some better news today, though, with a once-weekly shot/once-daily pill combination for amycretin, a dual GLP-1/amylin agonist. I see that people are not quite giving up on the GLP-1/Alzheimer’s idea, but it has to be considered an even longer shot than before.
There’s also news in the anti-tau protein area. That’s long been considered a possible Alzheimer’s target, and by “long” I mean decades. But it’s been hard to put that idea to the test in the clinic. Unfortunately, in the last couple of years it has been possible, and the results have not been good so far. Early last year a Lilly candidate (LY3372689, ceperognastat) failed its own trial. Earlier this year Asceneuron halted work on its own oral anti-tau drug candidate (ASN51), and Biogen stopped BIIB113, another similar effort.
Now all of these are (were) O-GlcNAcase inhibitors, so you could easily make the case that the problem is that might not be a good mechanism to target tau, even if tau itself is a valid idea. But last year Roche bailed on a collaboration for an anti-tau antibody, which went on to fail its trials shortly afterwards. And the latest news is that J&J’s shot at an anti-tau antibody (posdinemab) has also failed its pivotal trial, with no efficacy seen in slowing the disease at the two-year mark. There are other tau programs that are now in the clinic, but they’re clearly going to have to bring something unusual to make you think that they will show interesting levels of efficacy at this point. Good luck, folks. . .
The Red Queen’s Race
Nov. 28th, 2025 09:20 pmI also finished an Office Action on my oldest Regular New application, and posted that to my supervisor (according to the new rules, I have to do that with first actions, even though I’m a primary examiner, and have been for over twenty years). I also held an interview with a patent attorney, and I did a Notice of Abandonment on one of my rejected cases.
Books read in 2025
Nov. 29th, 2025 02:05 am58 The Thursday Murder Club, Richard Osman (e) (bkclb)
57 The Bookshop of Dust and Dreams, Mindy Thompson (e)
56 Remarkably Bright Creatures, Shelby Van Pelt (e) (bkclb)
55 Hunting Ground, Patricia Briggs (Alpha&Omega 2)(re-read) (e)
54 Cry Wolf, Patricia Briggs (Alpha & Omega 1) (re-read) (e)
53 Alpha and Omega, Patricia Briggs (Alpha&Omega.5(re-read) (e)
52 Blind Date with a Werewolf, Patricia Briggs (e)
51 The Women, Kristin Hannah (e) (bkclb)
50 Emilie and the Hollow World, (Emilie Adventures #1) Martha Wells (e)
49 Black Tie & Tails (Black Wolves of Boston #2), Wen Spencer (e)
48 Shards of Earth, Adrian Tchaikovsky(The Final Architecture #1)e)
47 Hemlock and Silver, T. Kingfisher (e)
46 Outcrossing, Celia Lake (Mysterious Charm #1) (e)
45 Outfoxing Fate, Zoe Chant/Murphy Lawless (Virtue Shifters)(e)
44 Atonement Sky, Nalini Singh (Psy-Changeling Trinity #9) (e)
43 Stone and Sky, Ben Aaronovitch (Rivers of London #10) (e)
42 Regency Buck, Georgette Heyer (re-re-re-&c-read)
41 I Dare, Sharon Lee and Steve Miller (Liaden Universe #7) (page proofs)
40 To Hive and to Hold, Amy Crook (The Future of Magic #1) (e)
39 These Old Shades, Georgette Heyer, narrated by Sarah Nichols (re-re-re-&c-read, 1st time audio)
38 Faking it (Dempsey Family #2), Jennifer Crusie, narrated by Aasne Vigesaa (re-re-re-&c-read, 1st time audio)
37 Copper Script, K.J. Charles (e)
36 The Masqueraders, Georgette Heyer, narrated by Eleanor Yates (re-re-re-&c-read; 1st time audio)
35 Everyone Here Spoke Sign Language: Hereditary Deafness on Martha’s Vineyard, Nora Ellen Groce (e)
34 Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, Winifred Watson, narrated by Frances McDormand (re-re-re-&c-read; 1st time audio)
33 The Wings upon Her Back, Samantha Mills (e)
32 Death on the Green (Dublin Driver #2), Catie Murphy (e)
31 The Elusive Earl (Bad Heir Days #3), Grace Burrowes (e)
30 The Mysterious Marquess (Bad Heir Days #2), Grace Burrowes (e)
29 Who Will Remember (Sebastian St. Cyr #20), C.S. Harris (e)
28 The Teller of Small Fortunes, Julie Leong (e)
27 Check and Mate, Ali Hazelwood (e)
26 The Dangerous Duke (Bad Heir Days #1), Grace Burrowes (e)
25 Night’s Master (Flat Earth #1) (re-read), Tanith Lee (e)
24 The Honey Pot Plot (Rocky Start #3), Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer (e)
23 Very Nice Funerals (Rocky Start #2), Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer (e)
22 The Orb of Cairado, Katherine Addison (e)
21 The Tomb of Dragons, (The Cemeteries of Amalo Trilogy, Book 3), Katherine Addison (e)
20 A Gentleman of Sinister Schemes (Lord Julian #8), Grace Burrowes (e)
19 The Thirteen Clocks (re-re-re-&c read), James Thurber (e)
18 A Gentleman Under the Mistletoe (Lord Julian #7), Grace Burrowes (e)
17 All Conditions Red (Murderbot Diaries #1) (re-re-re-&c read) (audio 1st time)
16 Destiny’s Way (Doomed Earth #2), Jack Campbell (e)
15 The Sign of the Dragon, Mary Soon Lee
14 A Gentleman of Unreliable Honor (Lord Julian #6), Grace Burrowes (e)
13 Market Forces in Gretna Green (#7 Midlife Recorder), Linzi Day (e)
12 Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent, Judi Dench with Brendan O’Hea (e)
11 Code Yellow in Gretna Green (#6 Midlife Recorder), Linzi Day (e)
10 Seeing Red in Gretna Green (#5 Midlife Recorder), Linzi Day (e)
9 House Party in Gretna Green (#4 Midlife Recorder), Linzi Day (e)*
8 Ties that Bond in Gretna Green (#3 Midlife Recorder), Linzi Day (e)
7 Painting the Blues in Gretna Green (#2 Midlife Recorder), Linzi Day (e)
6 Midlife in Gretna Green (#1 Midlife Recorder), Linzi Day (e)
5 The Goblin Emperor, Katherine Addison (Author), Kyle McCarley (Narrator) re-re-re&c-read (audio)
4 The House in the Cerulean Sea, TJ Klune (e)
3 A Gentleman in Search of a Wife (Lord Julian #5) Grace Burrowes (e)
2 A Gentleman in Pursuit of the Truth (Lord Julian #4) Grace Burrowes (e)
1 A Gentleman in Challenging Circumstances (Lord Julian #3) Grace Burrowes (e)
_____
*Note: The list has been corrected. I did not realize that the Gretna Green novella was part of the main path, rather than a pleasant discursion, and my numbering was off. All fixed now.
Books read in 2025
Nov. 28th, 2025 09:06 pm58 The Thursday Murder Club, Richard Osman (e) (bkclb)
57 The Bookshop of Dust and Dreams, Mindy Thompson (e)
56 Remarkably Bright Creatures, Shelby Van Pelt (e) (bkclb)
55 Hunting Ground, Patricia Briggs (Alpha&Omega 2)(re-read) (e)
54 Cry Wolf, Patricia Briggs (Alpha & Omega 1) (re-read) (e)
53 Alpha and Omega, Patricia Briggs (Alpha&Omega.5(re-read) (e)
52 Blind Date with a Werewolf, Patricia Briggs (e)
51 The Women, Kristin Hannah (e) (bkclb)
50 Emilie and the Hollow World, (Emilie Adventures #1) Martha Wells (e)
49 Black Tie & Tails (Black Wolves of Boston #2), Wen Spencer (e)
48 Shards of Earth, Adrian Tchaikovsky(The Final Architecture #1)e)
47 Hemlock and Silver, T. Kingfisher (e)
46 Outcrossing, Celia Lake (Mysterious Charm #1) (e)
45 Outfoxing Fate, Zoe Chant/Murphy Lawless (Virtue Shifters)(e)
44 Atonement Sky, Nalini Singh (Psy-Changeling Trinity #9) (e)
43 Stone and Sky, Ben Aaronovitch (Rivers of London #10) (e)
42 Regency Buck, Georgette Heyer (re-re-re-&c-read)
41 I Dare, Sharon Lee and Steve Miller (Liaden Universe #7) (page proofs)
40 To Hive and to Hold, Amy Crook (The Future of Magic #1) (e)
39 These Old Shades, Georgette Heyer, narrated by Sarah Nichols (re-re-re-&c-read, 1st time audio)
38 Faking it (Dempsey Family #2), Jennifer Crusie, narrated by Aasne Vigesaa (re-re-re-&c-read, 1st time audio)
37 Copper Script, K.J. Charles (e)
36 The Masqueraders, Georgette Heyer, narrated by Eleanor Yates (re-re-re-&c-read; 1st time audio)
35 Everyone Here Spoke Sign Language: Hereditary Deafness on Martha's Vineyard, Nora Ellen Groce (e)
34 Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, Winifred Watson, narrated by Frances McDormand (re-re-re-&c-read; 1st time audio)
33 The Wings upon Her Back, Samantha Mills (e)
32 Death on the Green (Dublin Driver #2), Catie Murphy (e)
31 The Elusive Earl (Bad Heir Days #3), Grace Burrowes (e)
30 The Mysterious Marquess (Bad Heir Days #2), Grace Burrowes (e)
29 Who Will Remember (Sebastian St. Cyr #20), C.S. Harris (e)
28 The Teller of Small Fortunes, Julie Leong (e)
27 Check and Mate, Ali Hazelwood (e)
26 The Dangerous Duke (Bad Heir Days #1), Grace Burrowes (e)
25 Night's Master (Flat Earth #1) (re-read), Tanith Lee (e)
24 The Honey Pot Plot (Rocky Start #3), Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer (e)
23 Very Nice Funerals (Rocky Start #2), Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer (e)
22 The Orb of Cairado, Katherine Addison (e)
21 The Tomb of Dragons, (The Cemeteries of Amalo Trilogy, Book 3), Katherine Addison (e)
20 A Gentleman of Sinister Schemes (Lord Julian #8), Grace Burrowes (e)
19 The Thirteen Clocks (re-re-re-&c read), James Thurber (e)
18 A Gentleman Under the Mistletoe (Lord Julian #7), Grace Burrowes (e)
17 All Conditions Red (Murderbot Diaries #1) (re-re-re-&c read) (audio 1st time)
16 Destiny's Way (Doomed Earth #2), Jack Campbell (e)
15 The Sign of the Dragon, Mary Soon Lee
14 A Gentleman of Unreliable Honor (Lord Julian #6), Grace Burrowes (e)
13 Market Forces in Gretna Green (#7 Midlife Recorder), Linzi Day (e)
12 Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent, Judi Dench with Brendan O'Hea (e)
11 Code Yellow in Gretna Green (#6 Midlife Recorder), Linzi Day (e)
10 Seeing Red in Gretna Green (#5 Midlife Recorder), Linzi Day (e)
9 House Party in Gretna Green (#4 Midlife Recorder), Linzi Day (e)*
8 Ties that Bond in Gretna Green (#3 Midlife Recorder), Linzi Day (e)
7 Painting the Blues in Gretna Green (#2 Midlife Recorder), Linzi Day (e)
6 Midlife in Gretna Green (#1 Midlife Recorder), Linzi Day (e)
5 The Goblin Emperor, Katherine Addison (Author), Kyle McCarley (Narrator) re-re-re&c-read (audio)
4 The House in the Cerulean Sea, TJ Klune (e)
3 A Gentleman in Search of a Wife (Lord Julian #5) Grace Burrowes (e)
2 A Gentleman in Pursuit of the Truth (Lord Julian #4) Grace Burrowes (e)
1 A Gentleman in Challenging Circumstances (Lord Julian #3) Grace Burrowes (e)
_____
*Note: The list has been corrected. I did not realize that the Gretna Green novella was part of the main path, rather than a pleasant discursion, and my numbering was off. All fixed now.
The Calm Before The Store-m
Nov. 29th, 2025 01:00 amRead The Calm Before The Store-m
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It's Black Friday in our big box retail store, before opening. You can already hear the muffled mumbling of customers outside.
Manager: "Alright, team, we’ve got fifteen minutes till we open. Everyone stretched? Hydrated? Emotionally prepared to question humanity?"
New Hire: "They sound really… excited out there."
PSA
Nov. 28th, 2025 11:55 pmDon’t expect to see me around tomorrow, Saturday, November 29. I’m taking an Electron Free/Mental Health Day.
Everybody stay safe.
The Boss Fails To Register Their Mistake
Nov. 28th, 2025 11:00 pmRead The Boss Fails To Register Their Mistake
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Customer: "This is ridiculous! You have six registers, but only two of you are working here! Why aren't you fully staffed!"
Me: "I'm sorry, sir, my coworker and I are the only ones serving at the moment. We're going as quickly as we can."
Customer: "I know that, idiot! I have eyes! I'm asking why! Why?!"
2025 52 Card Project: Week 47: Nerstrand
Nov. 28th, 2025 04:16 pmThe weather was splendid, with a brilliantly blue, cloudless sky. We took things slowly, as both
After a couple of hours on the paths, we went into Northfield and had lunch at a tea shop I've dined at before. The food was good, and I bought a pair of earrings shaped like a teacup and saucer. After eating some delicious quiche, we spent a little time poking around Northfield, exploring a couple of antique shops and
It was a day well-spent.
Image description: Lower third: two women (Peg and

Click on the links to see the 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022 and 2021 52 Card Project galleries.
Buy Now, Parent Later
Nov. 28th, 2025 09:00 pm![]()
It's Black Friday, and I've been lucky enough to work the afternoon shift, therefore missing the midnight opening rush. As I'm clocking in, I spot something a little off in the break room.
Me: "Hey, Boss?"
Boss: "Sup?"
Me: "The breakroom…"
Be Happy You’re In Here… Not Out There
Nov. 28th, 2025 06:55 pmRead Be Happy You’re In Here… Not Out There
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New Coworker: "I wish I wasn't stuck here on Black Friday. I wanted to see what Black Friday was like in person. I could be out getting a new TV right now."
Coworker #1: "You could also be getting trampled for a new TV right now."
Coworker #2: "My sister’s already texted. She got elbowed in the ribs at Target trying to grab a blender."
We Want Flat Screens, Not Flattened Employees
Nov. 28th, 2025 05:00 pmRead We Want Flat Screens, Not Flattened Employees
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Me: "I'm just wondering, and I'm sure there are reasons, but why does [Coworker] always get Black Friday off? I've been here three years now, and she's always off that day."
Manager: "I guess you would have missed Black Friday of four years ago then."
Me: "What happened?"
2025.11.28
Nov. 28th, 2025 07:57 amExclusive: It follows calls from US senator Elizabeth Warren to investigate bank executives including ex-Barclays boss Jes Staley
Kalyeena Makortoff Banking correspondent
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/nov/28/us-regulators-taking-seriously-allegations-of-bankers-support-for-epstein
Alabama priest leaves clergy after woman alleges ‘private companionship’ beginning when she was 17
Robert Sullivan’s self-imposed removal comes after accusations he provided financial support in exchange for arrangement which included sex
Ramon Antonio Vargas
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/28/robert-sullivan-alabama-catholic-priest
Amid ‘instability and fear’ in Trump’s economy, Americans are cutting holiday spending
In addition to rising prices and tariffs, readers cite growing unemployment as a reason not to exchange gifts this year
Lauren Aratani
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/nov/28/trump-economy-holiday-spending
Florida professor may have solved mystery of Peru’s Band of Holes
Charles Stanish surmised indentations were rudimentary market place and later adapted as accounting and storage system
Richard Luscombe in Miami
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/27/peru-band-of-holes-mystery
Avatar: Fire and Ash to Marty Supreme: 12 of the best films to watch this December
Nicholas Barber
https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20251126-12-of-the-best-films-to-watch-this-december
The mysterious black fungus from Chernobyl that may eat radiation
Alex Riley
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20251125-the-mysterious-black-fungus-from-chernobyl-that-appears-to-eat-radiation
Facing burnout, she chased her dream of making pie - and built an empire: ‘Pie brings us together’
She left Silicon Valley to master pie, became Hollywood’s baker and now films its healing power
Victoria Clayton
https://www.theguardian.com/food/2025/nov/27/pie-movie-pieowa-beth-howard
Call Of Duty: Black Friday
Nov. 28th, 2025 02:30 pmRead Call Of Duty: Black Friday
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It's 4 AM on the morning of Black Friday. My friend has somehow managed to convince me to stand in line with him, freezing, outside a big-box electronics store.
Me: "What's that piece of paper you keep looking at?"
Friend: "It's a map of the store. I came here last week to draw it out."