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Play Ball and Fight Fascists

@cafechatnoir.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy

65 followers 10 following 3.8K posts

Cats, Coffee, Whiskey & Writing. And Padres baseball. And the O's, too. GMU alum. I cuss a lot. She/her Anti Fascist. Mid-Atlantic, USA. Also, it's not that I […] 🌉 bridged from ⁂ mastodon.social/@cafechatnoir, follow @ap.brid.gy to interact

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Play Ball and Fight Fascists @cafechatnoir.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 5h

OK, I knew there would be a UI update for Mastodon. BUT EVERYTHING IS IN THE WRONG PLACE NOW! 🤣

Play Ball and Fight Fascists @cafechatnoir.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 18h

Also spent an hour or so helping a coworker with an app she struggles with (it's one of those if you don't use it often, you forget everything you knew about it.) Didn't mind giving up that time because a) hey, I do know things! and b) it means she didn't ask some AI chat about it.

Play Ball and Fight Fascists @cafechatnoir.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 18h

I got to be the calm voice of reason today, go me! Higher ups are having lots of meetings this week, which makes some folks nervous. Me: Y'all. The quarterly all hands is Thursday. They always have a slew of other meetings the few days before it. Nervous people: Oh shit, that's right.

Reposted by Play Ball and Fight Fascists

Johanna, CanCon variety @johannab.ca · 18/10/2026

If you are someone who keeps a quiet alternate account as a bolt-hole, be aware that a number of long-established instances are taking actions such as the one described below. A very broad and ongoing malware operation has unattended Fediverse accounts being compromised and repurposed by […]

Original post on cosocial.ca

Reposted by Play Ball and Fight Fascists

Mastodon @mastodon.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 19/10/2026

We didn’t want to require you to have a GitHub profile to report issues or suggest ideas, so starting now you can do it on our new community forum. You can also vote for other people’s ideas to keep things manageable. It’s the main place we’ll be looking for feedback! […]

mastodon.social

Original post on mastodon.social

Play Ball and Fight Fascists @cafechatnoir.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 19/10/2026

@sundogplanets Awesome to have a known quantity!

Play Ball and Fight Fascists @cafechatnoir.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 18/10/2026

Next week is show & tell at class, and it's fun but also painful for a bunch of introverts, LOL. But I will have things to show off! Votives! Sauce plates! Wreaths! The only downside is it takes about an hour, and I will need every second of the remaining 2 hours to finish cutting & assembling […]

mastodon.social

Original post on mastodon.social

Play Ball and Fight Fascists @cafechatnoir.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 18/10/2026

I don't think I posted the "before" on the green plaid votive, but here it is after the tack fuse - there is a lot more sparkle to it than the photo shows. #FusedGlass

5.5 x 5.5 inch sheet of fired glass ribbons. The ribbons are about 1 mm thick and 4 mm wide. They are clear and aventurine (sparkly) green, arranged vertically and horizontally with green, clear, green, etc. It is a lovely plaid and feels festive t ome.

This piece was tack fused. (Lower temp firing.)

It will go into a slump fuse to turn it into a votive candle holder.

Play Ball and Fight Fascists @cafechatnoir.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 18/10/2026

Two more wreaths - these have more frit in the same area as the first one, and I like the density a little more. I don't hate the translucent white, but I don't think I'll use it here again. Next batch I tried to increase the ratio of the clear to green so […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

Two more fused glass wreaths.

It is layers of coarse frit (ground glass.) There is clear frit, then aventurine (sparkly) green, and then a few bits of red and translucent white glass.

The tack fuse (low temp) got everything well stuck together and smoothed out the sharp bits, but it still has a delightfully bumpy texture.

Play Ball and Fight Fascists @cafechatnoir.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 18/10/2026

Sauce dish #1 is ready for chicken nuggets. #FusedGlass

One of the dishes from the last post after the slump fuse in the sauce dish mold.

This is the one on the top left in the last photo - blue and green aventurine (sparkly) corners and in the center is a clear square.

Play Ball and Fight Fascists @cafechatnoir.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 18/10/2026

Good class today as always. First sauce dish came out of the slump and it's great! Wreaths came out as well, put some translucent white for accents and I don't love it, but I don't hate it either - did a few more with dichro accents instead. Plaid votive tacked up nicely and is for it's slump […]

mastodon.social

Original post on mastodon.social

Play Ball and Fight Fascists @cafechatnoir.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 18/10/2026

[animal husbandry, animal death] @sundogplanets I know that loss comes with farming, but it still sucks and is sad. Good luck with the buck - are there any other goatherders anywhere around that might have quarantine advice?

Play Ball and Fight Fascists @cafechatnoir.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 18/10/2026

@hacks4pancakes I legit don't understand why folks just think, "I am a remote worker, I can just move anywhere whenever I want" - even in the US if you change *states* you have to report it to HR & payroll. Then you have these idiots (I swear, always Americans) - broadcasting it on Instagram […]

mastodon.social

Original post on mastodon.social

Play Ball and Fight Fascists @cafechatnoir.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 18/10/2026

Good morning pocket pals! We went from highs in the 80s (26C) on Friday to 48 (9C) this morning when I went out for coffee. Love DMV fall weather, it is all over the place. But it did make Jorge *very* snuggly this morning, and he did choose cuddles over biting me for food.

Play Ball and Fight Fascists @cafechatnoir.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 18/10/2026

I'm so glad I figured out how to make decent porkchops. My Mom was a great cook, but I was raised in the era of "You must cook pork til it's basically inedible, or you'll get trichinosis." Very glad we got past that as a society.

Play Ball and Fight Fascists @cafechatnoir.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 17/10/2026

My favorite feature on the meat thermometer is the "it's 10 degrees to the target temperature, get to the kitchen please" early warning beep. Very helpful. And the porkchops were very good. 🥰

Play Ball and Fight Fascists @cafechatnoir.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 17/10/2026

Went to start the brine for the porkchops, realized I'd not checked the raw sugar situation. Yay, there is a box! Wait, it has been there for a while... Good until July 2028!!!!!

Play Ball and Fight Fascists @cafechatnoir.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 17/10/2026

Jorge is having quite a day. First he saw a fox in the backyard. No bad reaction, just "Whoa, look at THAT!" Then he found a catnip toy Sean had been playing with earlier and I forgot to pick up. His catnip time is limited because he gets a little too excited. Now he can't figure out how it […]

mastodon.social

Original post on mastodon.social

Play Ball and Fight Fascists @cafechatnoir.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 17/10/2026

For a very long time I was not keen on Shake & Bake because I associated it with terrible, dry, tough porkchops. Then I found out how to make it good. 1. If there is time, brine them. Only needs 30 minutes, tops. 2. Slather them in stone ground dijon mustard before coating them. 3. Ignore the […]

mastodon.social

Original post on mastodon.social

Play Ball and Fight Fascists @cafechatnoir.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 17/10/2026

Went to get Shake & Bake for porkchops* and discovered Giant doesn’t carry it anymore. Calmly thought “Safeway will have” but also panic bought three alternatives just in case. Safeway did have it, bought 2 boxes, since they’re good til 2028. Got home and discovered there was a box in the […]

mastodon.social

Original post on mastodon.social

Play Ball and Fight Fascists @cafechatnoir.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 17/10/2026

Today was a "we REALLY need a 4 day workweek for everyone" day. I was able to run errands and have a nice lunch and do some fun shopping without competing with the rest of the Monday to Friday crowd. It was nice and relaxing and I still have two more days where I don't have to give a fuck […]

mastodon.social

Original post on mastodon.social

Play Ball and Fight Fascists @cafechatnoir.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 17/10/2026

Oh, the books! We have Of Monsters and Mainframes by Barbara Truelove - this was a staff pick. binderybooks.com/book/eJEo5sEdO272Q… And next to it was A Field Guide to Murder, by Michelle Cullen, and honestly, I got it on the title alone […]

mastodon.social

Original post on mastodon.social

Play Ball and Fight Fascists @cafechatnoir.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 17/10/2026

Had today off and got down to Occoquan and now I have a new favorite local-ish bookshop!! They opened in April and true to it's name, it is very cozy and I have two new books. 🥰 www.cozycalicobooks.com

cozycalicobooks.com

Cozy Calico Books

Play Ball and Fight Fascists @cafechatnoir.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 16/10/2026

I hope Elon has an up close and personal introduction to a Ukrainian drone.

mastodon.online

Play Ball and Fight Fascists @cafechatnoir.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 16/10/2026

I think we need every mother of a corporate executive to get on a call with them and say, "If all the other CEO's jumped off a cliff, would you??!?"

Play Ball and Fight Fascists @cafechatnoir.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 16/10/2026

Oh, and part of this is cause "we're soooo behind on AI." But we're not. Our clients haven't been clamoring for it. It's usefulness is nebulous at best. Not sure you can be behind on something that isn't actually in demand. The kicker is that the time we spend on this is time we're *not* […]

mastodon.social

Original post on mastodon.social

Play Ball and Fight Fascists @cafechatnoir.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 16/10/2026

Oh, and with this revelation came "and that's why there is such a push to do AI features and make sure they're useful." Then management should be having this conversation with product, not engineering. Product figures out what to make, we make it. If it's not useful, that's not on us.

Play Ball and Fight Fascists @cafechatnoir.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 16/10/2026

Upper management has decided that at some point we will be monetizing (how I have come to hate that word) the AI/machine learning features. While some of these things are vaguely useful, I’m not so sure anyone is going to be willing to pay extra for them. Though I certainly have underestimated […]

mastodon.social

Original post on mastodon.social

Reposted by Play Ball and Fight Fascists

Prof. Sam Lawler @sundogplanets.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 16/10/2026

Anybody have dark sky connections around the Lone Pine, CA area? Can the town slap them with some nuisance lighting fines? That would be funny.

Play Ball and Fight Fascists @cafechatnoir.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 15/10/2026

Not sure if Sean didn't understand or he just didn't care when I told him "Lunch will be in a couple minutes, because girl poked herself with some tinfoil and needs to wash her hands and get a band-aid." The way he chased me around the kitchen while I was trying to just get a band-aid and not […]

mastodon.social

Original post on mastodon.social

Play Ball and Fight Fascists @cafechatnoir.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 15/10/2026

Because I a) suck at estimating - it will take the time that it takes, and b) I know this is gonna take up the whole ass test cycle one way or another - I tallied up my available hours, knocked some off for "shit happens" and the remainder...that is my estimate.

Play Ball and Fight Fascists @cafechatnoir.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 15/10/2026

All told, I'll be working on 3 features for the Q2 release. "Lead" on two of them, but one is small, one is...medium-ish, but I'm also the only tester, so I only have to wrangle myself and my devs. The third is the disaster that got shelved at the last minute a couple releases back... Of […]

mastodon.social

Original post on mastodon.social

Play Ball and Fight Fascists @cafechatnoir.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 15/10/2026

We're in the throes of the Q1 release and today my boss sends me the Q2 list and with that, I am at capacity through April. While it does indicate some level of job security, I also just cannot think that far ahead, LOL>

Play Ball and Fight Fascists @cafechatnoir.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 14/10/2026

@sundogplanets Look at you go!!

Play Ball and Fight Fascists @cafechatnoir.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 14/10/2026

I could hear Sean on the cat counter in the kitchen (it's a separate counter in there) and he was up to mischief. I called out, "Sean Seamus McGillcuddy, what are you up to over there?" The way that cat did a 180 back to the edge of the counter in my eyeline to give me a LOOK for using his […]

mastodon.social

Original post on mastodon.social

Play Ball and Fight Fascists @cafechatnoir.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 14/10/2026

I'm not even mad about the concept of the stupid tool. Let's make a somewhat tedious task faster & easier. Except that it is neither, nor does it add the extra layer of detail needed by the automation team because they have not been properly trained. (Which it's own issue I have also brought […]

mastodon.social

Original post on mastodon.social

Play Ball and Fight Fascists @cafechatnoir.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 14/10/2026

@steggy Looks great!

Play Ball and Fight Fascists @cafechatnoir.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 14/10/2026

Save me from ”process improvements”. Today’s meeting was “We’ve added more clicks to the stupid tool to make it better!!” (It is not better.) Hell, even our US manager that was there said, “IDK, the test cases they’re doing already seem to be detailed and complete” and the overseas manager […]

mastodon.social

Original post on mastodon.social

Play Ball and Fight Fascists @cafechatnoir.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 13/10/2026

Saw some folks from high school that I've not seen in person for a minute - all folks I actually like and we keep up-ish via social media, but it was good to see them. One gal has decided to go the shaved hair route - she was quick to clarify that it was by choice, she was not dying - and y'all […]

mastodon.social

Original post on mastodon.social

Play Ball and Fight Fascists @cafechatnoir.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 13/10/2026

It was really nice and Gretchen was so very, very loved. 5 stars to whoever decided to have it at a beautiful winery near the Blue Ridge mountains. And to the bird in the trees behind us that decided to be VERY loud during the "open mic" portion where folks just came up and talked a bit - […]

mastodon.social

Original post on mastodon.social

Play Ball and Fight Fascists @cafechatnoir.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 12/10/2026

I have to go to a "celebration of life" today, which sucks for all the various reasons that these things do. However, there is a dress code and it is basically: 90s Lesbian Casual. Gretchen, thank you for being SO YOU for your whole life that everyone involved in this knew you'd be SO pissed […]

mastodon.social

Original post on mastodon.social

Play Ball and Fight Fascists @cafechatnoir.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 11/10/2026

And I really love the tiny bubbles in the clear bits, I think it gives more visual interest and less "mass produced" looking. (Not that anything I've done looks mass produced, LOL.)

Play Ball and Fight Fascists @cafechatnoir.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 11/10/2026

I also got the green plaid votive candle holder assembled and forgot to get a picture of it. So, we'll see it next week.

Play Ball and Fight Fascists @cafechatnoir.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 11/10/2026

The sauce dishes after the full fuse - slumping them started today. Really like them!!

The dishes from the last post after the full fuse. There are 4 of them.

They are all 3x3 inches. From left to right, top to bottom:

1. There are blue and green aventurine (sparkly) corners and in the center is a clear square.

2. There are a 1 inch wide blue and green aventurine (sparkly) strips and in the center is a clear strip.

3. There are blue and green aventurine (sparkly) borders and in the center of the borders is clear square.

4. There are blue and green aventurine (sparkly) corners - one big and one small of each color, and in the center is a clear rectangle.

Play Ball and Fight Fascists @cafechatnoir.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 11/10/2026

The answer to "will it wreath?" is YES! I am so tickled with the fact that it worked - I put two more in today. More green in them and a little denser. The transparent red also worked really well! #FusedGlass

The fired fused glass wreath from the last post. It is layers of coarse frit (ground glass.) There is clear frit, then aventurine (sparkly) green, and then a few bits of red and iridescent clear glass. The tack fuse (low temp) got everything well stuck together and smoothed out the sharp bits, but it still has a delightfully bumpy texture.

Play Ball and Fight Fascists @cafechatnoir.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 11/10/2026

Excellent class today, the wreath experiment worked, love how the sauce dishes are looking good, and we had a nice little snack break cause the instructors birthday was yesterday and someone brought cake!

Play Ball and Fight Fascists @cafechatnoir.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 11/10/2026

Also, I don't think I'll be smashing the red puddle this week, as the smashy bit is an outside activity and there aren't really any covered spots in the side yard spot where we usually do that... I am much like a cat in that I do not particularly like getting wet, LOL.

Play Ball and Fight Fascists @cafechatnoir.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 11/10/2026

The last time there was significant rain on a glass class Sunday, I timed my exit from my car so disastrously that by the time I got to the building, I was soaked to the bone. Like, I literally had to *wring out* my pants. There was a puddle under the coat rack where I put my rain jacket. The […]

mastodon.social

Original post on mastodon.social

Play Ball and Fight Fascists @cafechatnoir.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 11/10/2026

Slightly belated birthday dinner for my brother, with friends. (Wednesday birthdays kinda suck, LOL.) Now we're all making amends with the pets that were left home for a whopping 3 1/2 hours. 😹 Seems pupper Lizzie had the same reaction as Sean... "Why are you putting on shoes? And nice shirts? […]

mastodon.social

Original post on mastodon.social

Play Ball and Fight Fascists @cafechatnoir.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 11/10/2026

@Nonilex Oh, NOW they care about anti-trust laws.