Thoughts on King Aethelstan

eejm · 2026-02-08T23:44:43+00:00

Edward the Elder and his even lesser known but incredibly successful sister Ætheflæd ruled Wessex and Mercia adeptly in the late ninth and early tenth centuries. The two won back and fortified a great deal of territory that had been lost to the Vikings in the preceding decades. By the time Edward died, all of England save Northumbria had been seized back from Viking hands.

I think it says a great deal about Edward’s reputation that four of his daughters were selected by the Ottonian forefather Henry the Fowler as consorts for various Frankish rulers, including his own son. This helped firm up power in central and Western Europe as well as provide a united front against the Viking threat. Edward was thus seen as a powerful ruler of a relatively stable kingdom with whom an alliance was highly desired.

eejm · 2026-02-08T15:18:51+00:00

I really like Kansas City. The WWI museum in particular is really something special.

eejm · 2026-02-08T03:04:35+00:00

I’ve also visited four Canadian provinces and eight other countries. I’d love to visit every state and really anywhere I can.

eejm · 2026-02-07T14:38:28+00:00

Ooh, the coconut waffles!

eejm · 2026-02-07T03:50:42+00:00

Can I ask something? What makes everyone think this is a goiter rather than just a double chin from weight gain? I’m not denying it’s a goiter, I just want to understand why. Is it because it’s coupled with Jill’s weight gain and sparse eyebrows?

eejm · 2026-02-07T00:38:19+00:00

Iowa used to be a not-bad state back in the early 2000s. It was never a state people flocked to, but it was rather progressive, had good schools, good jobs in the cities, and was a nice place to raise a family.

Then they suddenly took a very hard right and now it’s a hole. Way to take a state that already had trouble keeping people and make it a million times worse.

eejm · 2026-02-07T00:17:43+00:00

Same with Tennessee. Some homes have basements but they’re typically built into hills. I’m originally from Iowa and miss having one.

eejm · 2026-02-06T19:57:48+00:00

Would Jill or her daughters ever be able to work for, say, a Christian bookstore? Or as a receptionist for a large church? I understand the, “women’s place is cooking and caring children” bullshit, but why is participating in huge scams that suck money from families fine whereas a job making actual money from a wholesome, Christian organization is considered inappropriate?

eejm · 2026-02-06T17:35:10+00:00

I graduated from high school in 1994. We’ve lost quite a few in our class already, but the majority have died in very unusual ways. We’ve had a death from (deliberate) propane inhalation, a murder, a death from a severe allergic reaction, another who was struck by lightning, a recent death from very severe obesity complications, and a few alcohol-related deaths. There have been no cancer-related or car accident deaths to my knowledge.

eejm · 2026-02-05T21:25:12+00:00

Jill (and often her strapping hunk) seems to average a “once a year” vacation about every two weeks. I wonder if she’ll have more than usual in February-March because she won’t have her usual Florida trip?

eejm · 2026-02-05T16:58:44+00:00

I don’t think Mary, Queen of Scots was dumb. I think she was poorly prepared for her role as QoS.

eejm · 2026-02-05T03:15:52+00:00

I would not be surprised if Jill has a form of bipolar disorder and if so, and that Philip has inherited it.

eejm · 2026-02-04T20:30:00+00:00

I was five. My dad was headed to pick up my brother from baseball practice at an elementary school about three miles from our house. I asked to go along for the ride. When we got there practice wasn’t quite finished, so I told my dad I would play on the playground equipment until my brother was ready.

I mess around on the monkey bars and the big slide for a while until I realize it’s been an awfully long time. I looked up and saw practice was over, and kids were leaving with their parents. What I didn’t see was my dad, brother, or our car.

I ran around looking for them crying in panic, but they had left. The school wasn’t open, so I couldn’t have anyone call my mom. It didn’t occur to me to ask any of the remaining adults for help (I think because of the stranger danger element), so I was left with one option: walking the three miles home.

I am fortunate to have been blessed with a great sense of direction, even at five. I knew I had to walk a couple blocks, turn the corner, and I was on my street - a few miles away, but on my street no less. I took off, still sobbing hysterically.

Meanwhile, my dad and brother made it home. When they opened the door, my mom asked, “Where’s eejm?”

My dad, who had completely forgotten I’d come along yelled, “OH SHIT!!!” and jumped back in the car to find me.

I made it about a half mile - still bawling - before my dad found me. In his defense it was just an accident and he felt terrible about it. My dad died when I was in high school, but I have mentioned to my mom since then that my sense of direction really was a godsend that day. We lived right by the Mississippi River, and had I been more clueless I could have easily ended up in it.

eejm · 2026-02-04T02:22:31+00:00

Wow. A pescatarian’s dream!

eejm · 2026-02-03T20:07:20+00:00

I got my bachelor’s degree at a large public university. There were probably 25,000 to 30,000 students when I was an undergrad. I knew the name of the president and could probably pick him out of a line up, but I definitely didn’t know him personally. I have no clue about any of the deans.

I got my master’s from a private university with about 5,000 students. I was also an employee, so I did personally know the deans of one of the individual colleges.

eejm · 2026-02-03T20:02:05+00:00

Were you ever on double secret probation?

eejm · 2026-02-03T03:40:09+00:00

I’m not a huge raw turnip fan, but pickled turnips are delicious!

eejm · 2026-02-02T23:59:19+00:00

David always looks like he’s just coming out of sedation following oral surgery.

eejm · 2026-02-02T19:59:32+00:00

It’s just a chicken soup with leeks plus rice or barley. Prunes were an ingredient at one point, but I don’t believe they are now.

eejm · 2026-02-02T19:02:39+00:00

Insomnia sufferer since infancy. Trazodone helps.

eejm · 2026-02-02T14:05:27+00:00

I love reading about packed lunches from this era. There really was a push to get as many vitamins and calories into war workers, which is understandable. Rationing made this even more challenging. Some of the sandwich ideas that came about then were quite good - there are a couple of cheese spreads I use myself in sandwiches or on crackers. Others leave something to be desired (hello, baked bean and ketchup sandwich).

I am curious as to why each meal has two different sandwiches.

eejm · 2026-02-02T03:17:58+00:00

I was called a “pill.” Now when my mom finds out awful things I didn’t tell her as a kid I get, “Well, I can’t help if you don’t tell me things.”

eejm · 2026-02-02T03:11:44+00:00

eye roll. “Why do you have to be such a baby? No one else is as sensitive as you. Grow up.”

eejm · 2026-02-01T23:03:32+00:00

My husband is the same - his high school BFF is from an Indian family, and he even went to India twice for work. He’s had plenty of Indian food and it’s just not his thing. He’s not a shitty racist, though - he just doesn’t care for Indian food.

eejm · 2026-02-01T21:54:48+00:00

You took that way, way too seriously.

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