May. 16th, 2025

lauradi7dw: fountain pen in hand with paper (writing)
Heather Cox Richardson's post about the Magna Carta and our current administration trying to do away with Habeas Corpus
https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/may-15-2025-thursday?utm_source=substack&publication_id=20533&post_id=163691073&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&utm_campaign=email-share&triggerShare=true&isFreemail=true&r=3sd3c&triedRedirect=true

Waltham is adjacent to the town in which I live. My car is currently at a body shop in Waltham, getting its rust removed. (I was told by phone that the rust has been dealt with, but they can't paint until it stops raining, so the finish time will be delayed. Do they paint it outside? Is the problem humidity? I've been OK using the bus this week, and I can ride my bike on Sunday if I have to, although I need to check the tires).
In the past week, there have been two incidents in Waltham of people claiming to be ICE agents grabbing people, including breaking a car window and reaching in. I say claiming to be ICE because they have refused to show ID. I am not the only one who suspects that they are not in fact ICE officers, but I can't prove it. My experiences with ICE people have been in controlled indoor settings (the federal courthouse, the ICE facility in Burlington) and they wore badges, IIRC. The more relevant question is what will I do if I see such an incident while I'm in Waltham to pick up my car? When I dropped it off, I took the commuter train to Porter and then got on the Red line, so I presume I'll do the reverse to get it back. I'm not much into using a Lyft when I can spend hours on the T instead...So I'll have a short walk through the center of Waltham from the commuter rail to the body shop.
Would I be the person filming with my phone? Would I run screaming at the alleged officer and risk harm to myself? It is really about time to make plans. Or what would I have done if someone barged onto the 62/76 bus yesterday? There are two locations on that route housing migrants (refugees? I'm not sure of their statuses). People I suspect are in that category were on the bus with me yesterday.

(also, unrelated, a couple who during the ride ate some hard candies, then frosted cupcakes, then jelly beans. I am a fan of sugar, but I was wincing on behalf of their teeth).
lauradi7dw: (Koya on backpack)
Does having a fandom in common with a stranger mean that you should be friends? I was walking down a street about half a mile from home this afternoon and saw someone getting out of a car with BTS-related plates and a homemade sign in the back that said "Yoongi Marry Me." (it's a thing. It's a long-running joke, but I have to assume that large quantities of people do not in fact want to marry Min Yoongi)1
I followed her down her driveway and complimented her on the license plate. She said "Oh, are you ARMY?" 2
In response, I just turned around so she could see my backpack (in the icon). The little blue koala is named Koya and is one of a set of cute fuzzy creatures meant to represent the BTS members.
She laughed and held up her keychain, which had a somewhat larger Koya on it.
She asked if I had watched Jin's livestream this morning. I said no (I have since seen a couple of recorded clips from it) but that I had watched his most recent music video. She happily mentioned that they only have about another month before they are all done with their military service. We waved and I walked on. Then I wondered if I should have exchanged contact info in case we ever need to get in touch. I know where she lives (that isn't meant to sound ominous) but sending her a card or something would seem like stalking. A missed chance.

1 Here he was with Mary Brian's hair style two years ago.
https://lauradi7dw.dreamwidth.org/739618.html

2 https://stylecaster.com/entertainment/music/1218189/bts-army-meaning/
Page generated Jul. 13th, 2025 11:05 pm
Powered by Dreamwidth Studios