iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

I'm aware that there is a tradition of posting pictures of one's meals. I had a breakfast custom made for me, by a Cordon Bleu trained chef. Mexican rice, refried beans, chorizo, stewed plum tomatoes, feta cheese and two sunnyside eggs. Absolutely astounding, and it cost me $5.99.

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Chris Williams @gaffa.bsky.social · 23h

I armed my immune system with these two weapons:

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Chris Williams @gaffa.bsky.social · 16/10/2026

Always loved this one he did riding the Clark Street bus, and how many of the businesses still existed when my late wife and I lived there:

Drawing of Chicago buildings along Clark Street by artist Robert Crumb.

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Chris Williams @gaffa.bsky.social · 16/10/2026

I upgraded to this bad boy a couple of years ago, and half of his drive bays are still empty. 43.6 TB.

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Chris Williams @gaffa.bsky.social · 16/10/2026

I got my covid and flu vaccines on the same day, at the same time, and I was absolutely fine that evening and the next day. Of course, I was wearing a high quality respirator at the time, and every time I go into a store and ride public transportation.

Two vials of vaccine, one for covid, one for flu.

Weird looking old bald-headed guy wearing a high quality n99 respirator on a bus.

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Chris Williams @gaffa.bsky.social · 15/10/2026

Why does the facial expression of both characters on that box remind me of this?

Close up of the head of an inflatable love doll.

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Chris Williams @gaffa.bsky.social · 15/10/2026

How was it? I eat a lot of frozen meals since I lost my wife of 41 years to cancer, and I'm always looking for good ones. These have been a recent discovery. The noodles/rice are in one compartment, and the sauce and protein are in a different one.

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Chris Williams @gaffa.bsky.social · 15/10/2026

This is my favorite BLIS K12 lozenge. It's the last thing that goes into my mouth at night. My last dental exam, my periodontal pocket depths were no higher than 2, which is apparently excellent, so that's another thing to recommend it.

Mars Wellness oral probiotic, contains BLIS K12.

Bottle of 60 lozenges.

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Chris Williams @gaffa.bsky.social · 15/10/2026

I just picked this one up last week from one of those.

Cover of Eric Larson's "The Splendid and the Vile"

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Chris Williams @gaffa.bsky.social · 15/10/2026

I got my flu and covid shots the day before yesterday. Novavax/Nuvaxovid and mFLUSIVA. Couple of years ago I got Prevnar-20 for pneumonia, Shingrex & RSV shots. Between that, my @flomask.bsky.social, BLIS K12 lozenges and Azelastine nasal spray I haven't been sick a day since 2020.

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Chris Williams @gaffa.bsky.social · 15/10/2026

I'm reminded of how Robert Crumb hired someone back in the '80s to shoot a whole bunch of photographs of mundane details of urban life so he had reference materials.

Single drawing from Robert Crumb of a male/female couple walking down the street.

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Chris Williams @gaffa.bsky.social · 13/10/2026

My late wife Vickie was lucky enough to meet your sister at Chicago's Music Box Theater when she was there presenting some episodes of Sense8. She got to talking to a woman about her own age, who turned out to be your mom, who then took this picture.

Director Lana Wachowski and my late wife Vickie Mapes Williams.

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Chris Williams @gaffa.bsky.social · 13/10/2026

Remember, if levels are low in your area, it might just be that they are no longer measuring.

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Chris Williams @gaffa.bsky.social · 13/10/2026

That's a good idea! I wore mine while I got my new vaccines. I got Novavax (Nuvaxovid) and mFLUSIVA. The pharmacist was curious, seeing most who sought Novavax were trying to avoid mRNA vaccines. I told him I was curious if the Matrix M adjuvant would increase the efficacy of the mFLUSIVA.

Two vaccine vials, one Nuvaxovid, one mFLUSIVA.

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Chris Williams @gaffa.bsky.social · 12/10/2026

Got both of my shots just now:

Pharmacist holding two vials of vaccine, one of which is nuvaxovid, the other is and the other is mflusiva.

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Chris Williams @gaffa.bsky.social · 12/10/2026

She put together a band of world class players, and drilled them for months. My late wife and I were so lucky to see that show.

Elderly couple in front of the marquee of the Hammersmith Apollo, which has the words "before the dawn" on it. They are both wearing black tops, he has His arm around her shoulder, and is leaning his head on hers. They're both also wearing glasses.

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Chris Williams @gaffa.bsky.social · 12/10/2026

All of Vickie's care was at this hospital, and they gave her 16 months after a stage 4 small cell lung cancer diagnosis, getting state-of-the-art care (Platinum chemotherapy and immunotherapy). I had physician friends whom I could consult with. The only piece of equipment they lacked was PET scan.

Elderly couple in a hospital room. She is wearing a blue gown, and a black jacket. He is wearing a brown t-shirt and blue suspenders. She is resting her head on his chest, and has placed her hand on his heart. He is leaning down, resting his chin on her forehead.

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Chris Williams @gaffa.bsky.social · 11/10/2026

I'm 66, and one of the superpowers that I've acquired as a senior citizen is that I no longer give a shit what anyone else thinks (not that I ever really did.)

Weird looking old bald-headed guy wearing a high quality respirator.

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Chris Williams @gaffa.bsky.social · 11/10/2026

Yep, I left the old bar when it started attracting a bad crowd.

I was at a shitty crustpunk bar once getting an after-work beer. One of those shitholes where the bartenders clearly hate you. So the bartender and I were ignoring one another when someone sits next to me and he immediately says, "no. get out."

And the dude next to me says, "hey i'm not doing anything, i'm a paying customer." and the bartender reaches under the counter for a bat or something and says, "out. now." and the dude leaves, kind of yelling. And he was dressed in a punk uniform, I noticed

Anyway, I asked what that was about and the bartender was like, "you didn't see his vest but it was all nazi shit. Iron crosses and stuff. You get to recognize them."

And i was like, ohok and he continues.

"you have to nip it in the bud immediately. These guys come in and it's always a nice, polite one. And you serve them because you don't want to cause a scene. And then they become a regular and after awhile they bring a friend. And that dude is cool too.

And then THEY bring friends and the friends bring friends and they stop being cool and then you realize, oh shit, this is a Nazi bar now. And it's too late because they're entrenched and if you try to kick them out, they cause a PROBLEM. So you have to shut them down.

And i was like, 'oh damn.' and he said "yeah, you have to ignore their reasonable arguments because their end goal is to be terrible, awful people."

And then he went back to ignoring me. But I haven't forgotten that at all.

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Chris Williams @gaffa.bsky.social · 11/10/2026

The Kansas license bureau really needs to hire a smutty-minded 14-year-old to catch these sorts of things:

Kansas License plate on a Honda with the text EATA55.

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Chris Williams @gaffa.bsky.social · 11/10/2026

My late beloved wife of 41 years often described me to strangers as "scary looking" so I'm banking on that whole "good sense of humor" thing.

Elder couple in a hospital room. She is wearing a hospital gown, and a black jacket. He is wearing a brown t-shirt and blue suspenders. She is resting her head on his chest, and has placed her hand on his heart.

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Chris Williams @gaffa.bsky.social · 10/10/2026

I'm reminded of this wonderful cartoon by Charles Barsotti:

Evil looking waiter unveiling a burnt thing from a covered tray. The text is "It's a fried telephone book! We gave it a fancy French name and you ordered it!"

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Chris Williams @gaffa.bsky.social · 10/10/2026

There's this classic from Stephen Jay Gould

"I am, somehow, less interested in the weight and convolutions of Einstein's brain than in the near certainty that people of equal talent have lived and died in cotton fields and sweatshops."

Stephen Jay Gould, The Panda's Thumb: More Reflections in Natural History

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Chris Williams @gaffa.bsky.social · 10/10/2026

My brother saw Sugar with his girlfriend about a month ago, and said it was brutally loud. Fortunately, I insisted that he and she both had Etymotics ER-20 ear plugs on their keychains, which brought it down to a reasonable level.

Pair of ear plugs, and a metal case for them on a keychain.

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Chris Williams @gaffa.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

I wore mine throughout my entire workout routine at the YMCA. Three sets of 10 on every machine.

Weird looking old bald-headed wearing a high quality respirator in front of a workout machine.

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Chris Williams @gaffa.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

Don't know if you've tried it yet, but the @flomask.bsky.social is 3X easier to breathe through than any other N95. My late wife and I wore them through her 16-month fight against stage 4 small cell lung cancer.

Elderly couple in the lobby of the Richard and Annette Bloch Cancer Center in Kansas City Missouri. They are both wearing high quality respirators. She is in a blue t-shirt, he in a gray, both are wearing glasses.

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Chris Williams @gaffa.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

Excellent @flomask.bsky.social! Wearing one at the moment as I get ready to get on the streetcar here in Kansas City.

Weird looking old balding guy wearing glasses, a high quality respirator, gray t-shirt and a black jacket.

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Chris Williams @gaffa.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

I've had a couple of colonoscopies, and the one thing that made it all bearable was a Toto Washlet bidet toilet seat. When it felt like I was doing nothing but pooping out stomach acid, and the thought of touching anywhere down there with paper made me scream, this thing was a blessing.

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Chris Williams @gaffa.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

If your state is showing low levels, it might be that they are not actually testing.

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Chris Williams @gaffa.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Don't ride the bus without an N99 respirator. @flomask.bsky.social

Elderly balding guy wearing a respirator, a lined black jacket and a gray Doctor Who t-shirt.

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Chris Williams @gaffa.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

I have no idea why this wasn't vastly more popular. Except that maybe horror fans are like toddlers and want the same thing, again. All I know is that when M3GAN started singing "This Woman's Work" I was both laughing and crying, wishing that my late wife and fellow Kate Bush fan was there.

Older couple in front of the marquee of the Hammersmith Apollo, for Kate Bush's before the dawn series of concerts.

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Chris Williams @gaffa.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

I'm out seeing movies, and this is the air quality in the theater. Theaters, especially ones that have been converted to recliners, have the best air conditioning and air quality. #covid #covidsafe

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Chris Williams @gaffa.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Here's my late wife Vickie with one of her favorite directors, Lana Wachowski. She went to see a film in one of the other auditoriums, came out, and saw a bunch of people. She talked to a woman about her own age, who turned out to be Lana's mom, who introduced them and took the picture.

Director Lana Wachowski in a black sequin dress, figure 8 silver pendant and pink purple and blue dreads with her hand over the shoulder of my late wife Vickie Mapes Williams, with a black top, cyan scarf, glasses and gray hair.

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Chris Williams @gaffa.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

I was lucky enough to be with my late wife for every doctor's appointment, emergency room visit and every day at the hospital while she fought cancer. I would advocate for her, and when they would ask about pain I would say "Her 10 is being on fire. She only rated giving birth to her son an 8."

Elderly couple in a hospital room. She is wearing a hospital gown, and a black jacket. He is wearing a brown t-shirt and blue suspenders. She is resting her head on his chest, and her hand on his heart.

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Chris Williams @gaffa.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

I saw Kate Bush on her only US TV appearance on Saturday Night Live. It pretty much was responsible for every good thing in my life, like meeting my late wife of 41 years. We were lucky enough to see her live in 2014.

Older couple in front of the Hammersmith Apollo.

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Chris Williams @gaffa.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

I love the story about Kris and Toby Keith at Willie's birthday party and a great quote from Waylon Jennings:

"Up from the basement came one of country music's brightest stars (who shall remain nameless). At that moment in time, the Star had a monster radio hit about bombing America's enemies back into the Stone Age.

"Happy birthday," the Star said to Willie, breezing by us. As he passed Kristofferson in one long, confident stride, out of the corner of his mouth came "None of that lefty shit out there tonight, Kris."

"What the fuck did you just say to me?" Kris growled, stepping forward.

"You heard me," the Star said, walking away in the darkness.

"Don't turn your back to me, boy," Kristofferson shouted, not giving a shit that basically the entire music industry seemed to be flanking him.

"You ever worn your country's uniform?" Kris asked rhetorically.

"What?"

"Don't 'What?' me, boy! You heard the question. You just don't like the answer." He paused just long enough to get a full chest of air. "I asked, 'Have you ever served your country?' The answer is, no, you have not. Have you ever killed another man? Huh? Have you ever taken another man's life and then cashed the check your country gave you for doing it? No, you have not. So shut the fuck up!" I could feel his body pulsing with anger next to me. "You don't know what the hell you are talking about!"

"Whatever," the young Star muttered.

Kristofferson took a deep inhale and leaned against the wall, still vibrating with adrenaline. He looked over at Willie as if to say, "Don't say a word." Then his eyes found me. "You know what Waylon Jennings said about guys like him?" he whispered.

I shook my head.

"They're doin' to country music what pantyhose did to finger-fuckin'."

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Chris Williams @gaffa.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

When I would visit my late wife at the rehab hospital, I would get her a large coffee from McDonald's, and carry it past a Starbucks and a Panera Bread. Not because it was cheaper, but because it was genuinely better. (I would have gotten her anything she wanted.)

Elderly couple in a hospital room. She is wearing a hospital gown, with a black jacket over it. He is wearing a brown t-shirt and blue suspenders. She is resting her head on his chest, and has placed her right hand on his heart.

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Chris Williams @gaffa.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

I don't see a problem. I see four films in the theater every week. I'm a member of AMC's A*List program, which allows me to see four films in the theater a week for $20 a month. Here was last week:

Four films that I saw in the theater last week.
The Weight September
Dora and the lost city of gold September 20th
The Lego Batman movie September 20th
Runner September 20th

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Chris Williams @gaffa.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

I started as a sound engineer when I was 15, and I've managed to make it to 66 with only 10 decibels of loss. For the last 20 years, I've had a pair of Etymotics ER-20 ear plugs in a little case on my keychain.

Pair of triple flanged ear plugs, a keychain, and the two parts of an aluminum pill case to hold them.

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Chris Williams @gaffa.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

I wear my @flomask.bsky.social every day, when I visit stores, take public transit, go to the movies. I managed to keep my late wife safe through 16 months of fighting stage 4 small cell lung cancer. Have you tried it?

Elderly couple in a doctor's office, wearing high quality respirators.

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Chris Williams @gaffa.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

If your state is not showing high levels, it might be because they're no longer testing. None of the three plants near me in Kansas City Missouri are testing, but the one 40 miles away in liberal Lawrence Kansas is showing high levels.

Screenshot of wastewaterscan.org showing none of the three plants in Kansas City Missouri are currently testing for SARS-CoV-2 but the wastewater plant in Lawrence Kansas, 40 miles away, is showing high levels.

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Chris Williams @gaffa.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

I remember, if your state is showing "low" levels, it might just be because they're no longer measuring. None of the three plants near me are testing anymore, but the one 40 miles away in a liberal city is showing high levels.

Screenshot from wastewaterscan.org showing that none of the three waste treatment plants in the Kansas City Missouri area are testing, where the one 40 miles away in Lawrence Kansas which is testing shows high levels of covid.

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Chris Williams @gaffa.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Glad to. Guido is a great guy, and gets these really intimate portraits of people. Here he is with my late wife, and his fellow Italian music photographer Armando Gallo before the Kate Bush concert in 2014.

Italian music photographer Armando Gallo on the left, my late wife Vickie Mapes Williams In the center and Italian music photographer Guido Harari on the right.

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Chris Williams @gaffa.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Our friend Guido Harari took this wonderful photo of the couple.

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Chris Williams @gaffa.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

I'd just like to point out, the places showing low levels of covid don't necessarily have low levels. They might just have stopped testing. For instance, none of the three plants around Kansas City Missouri are testing. But the one 40 miles away is showing high levels.

Screenshot of the wastewater scan dashboard, for the area of Kansas City Missouri and Lawrence Kansas. It shows "not calculated" for the three plants in the Kansas City area, and high for the one plant in liberal Lawrence Kansas.

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Chris Williams @gaffa.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

I modified my @flomask.bsky.social with a @sipmask.bsky.social port so I can drink without removing my mask. I had to cut one of the spars, but it has not affected the efficacy at all. This is me last year seeing Thomas Dolby.

Weird looking old bald-headed guy wearing a high quality respirator, sipping from a transparent cup of hard cider.

Detail of the frame of a Flomask, showing how one of the lower spars has been cut with a pair of nippers.

The same mask, with a filter and frame, and the sipmask port installed.

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