Thoughts on "Automatic Noodle", by Annalee Newitz

It’s 2064, and the world has changed a bit. The countries of Yankee Land and California are in a state of shaky peace. In the independent country of California, robots are citizenz (with some restricted rights, until humans feel the time is right to grant them the right to own businesses, marry, vote etc.) In a San Francizco ghost kitchen, whose owners have fled town for both nefarious business dealings and bad food, a group of deactivated robotic workers left behind in the seedy crumbling space, re-awaken. They decide to try and create food, good food, scrumptious food, not the crap they’d had to prepare before. What follows is their path to opening the Authentic Noodle shop. The delicious journey through their beginning steps to opening the doors of Authentic Noodle is peppered with memories of the war and their past, their struggles being second class citizens (even in this brave, new world), and growing awareness of the gifts their new lives bring. Then, an online troll, bigoted against robots, begins to harass them, driving down ratings and morale. The robots fight back, their weapons are their wits, their resources in the cyber worlds, their individual talents, and most important, their community.
I read the journey of these robots and their noodle shop with a smile on my face, and a craving for hand pulled noodles. The journey from their Authentic Noodle kitchen to Automatic Noodle is a satisfying one.

It's the little things that help

When you have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (or any chronic condition) you play the cards you’re dealt, but you try to find the best way to do so. I have been grateful for all the assistive devices that have helped my body when bits of it aren’t working right, but while most braces, splints, tapes, and other assistives work, they call attention to the fact that something is wrong. My new finger splints made by @splintsbyevabelle are truly works of art that WORK! My hands are a mess, but these splints do the job they’re supposed to, and make me happy to wear them. Instead of being asked “what’s wrong worth your hands” when wearing the products usually pointed to for EDS, Arthritis,and other conditions, people are saying “your rings are so elegant. Where’d you find them?” True artistry can’t be hidden. I’m so grateful, and so happy to have found these beautiful splints that definitely are helping my hands.🫶🏻
My dream is to be able to hold a kistka again and write pysanky.
Pictures 1-2 a thumb splint for the MCP joint, and a small swan splint on my whacky pinky. Both arrived today and made me so joyful! Pictures 3-4 the original swan splints I’ve been wearing, which I adore.
I know there are people with EDS, OA, and other conditions who follow me, and just had to share this. I found these beautiful splints splints on Etsy and their site. Though there are less expensive types, I chose EvaBelleJewelry on the recommendation of my OT, and the awareness that tariffs will be applied to ones made outside the US so true costs are unknown.

Hello... Anyone out there?

Yes, I think I'm back. At least for a bit, if not longer. It's been a minute, but a very full and fulfilling one. For starters, we've left Charleston SC and now live in center city Philadelphia. An amazing journey in distance and our exterior world, but a wonderful one. Philly suits us both very well. Everything in my last post of 2020 is still true. But life is not the same in many ways.

My mother, who had Multiple Sclerosis, used to say that she was very healthy; she just happened to have MS. We always applauded her positivity. Since I last was here, I still applaud the sentiment, but also embrace it. Just before the pandemic, I was diagnosed with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, a genetic disorder that embraces many conditions, but usually includes hypermobility, and connective tissue disorders. I have a couple of other associated medical issues sprinkled on my EDS sundae, but I also have an amazing team of medical professionals helping me travel on this new journey. And in this journey, I have been able to trace back through my family tree to see where that gene probably came from. I am the third generation in my family, that I can tell, who has had a hypermobility disorder. The other two generations are suspected, but went undiagnosed because EDS was not on medical radar at the time.

[ Side note :Oddly enough, I remember in Nursing School, the lecture about EDS. The instructor said we'd probably never see an EDS patient, and then went on to list the circus tricks they could do-- all of which I could do, too. But since it was genetic, and no one in my family had it, I just figured I was a klutzy freak.]

Anyhow all this to say that the summer of 2025 has been the summer I learned how to take care of myself in ways that medicine can't. It means giving myself time to rest (Chronic Fatigue is a part of EDS). To go on the walks we love, but in the summer heat always carry water, even if just walking in the city, wear a hat and sunscreen, and rest between every mile you walk, whether you feel tired or not. It's easier to avoid exhaustion than to recover from it. Take my word for it. Learn to be honest with yourself about how you feel: body, mind, movement, emotions. Talk with the people who support you. Find means of physical support, even if it's as simple as changing your phone case if it's too heavy or large to hold, or adding collagen into your daily diet. It's a journey; take it slow and be kind to yourself.

Anyhow, one of the things I have missed is writing, both on paper and on computer. Now the hand support and strength is improving, the mind is clearing (did I mention Brain Fog is a real thing). I want to try to reach deep and awaken my writing skills. It's time. I may not write much or regularly, but the wish to try hass reawakened. I have no idea of what the content will include -- probably some more on EDS, some book reviews beoynd "I liked it; nice cover" (Sorry LibraryThing and GoodReads. I'll do better now.) Also some life stuff. Philly is a whole new world.

Even if nobody reads this, I am glad to be doing it again. Journalling has always been a big part of my life and my blogs have always been more of a journal than anything else.

It's good to be back. Ive missed you.

bookczuk/Amy