permanence
Read an article about nuclear waste, which after explaining how we create it and storage solutions in theory and practice, and focused on a topic i haven't considered: how can we inform future generations to keep their mittens out of the nuclear waste pile. »Ray Cats« and flowers1 were one, establishing an atomic priesthood[^atomicpriest] another idea.
Atomic Priests would make a great doom metal band name.
Besides band names, the thought of a nuclear tomb was a reminder, that nothing is of permanence, things just exist on different scales of time.
Kirby experienced some growing pains this week. One day, he had his teacher call us to pick him up. When the Wife arrived, he was eating his second nougat dumpling. He told the staff of his rare genetic disease, which causes a pain whose only remedy is nougat dumplings. He got points for creativity from me. We believe that he also wanted to leave due to the constant high noise level at school. He said, his hearing protectors loose their dampening effect over time. I know the effect, that's why i mostly use headphones and put white noise on, when the situation allows it.
At occupational therapy, the therapist and Kirby found a brilliant goal we can work towards. He has three »behavioral levels«, blue, green, and red, and Kirby said, the green — ideal — level is too demanding; therefore we'll now try to reach the upper blue level.
On the way home, we had a »mirror universe« situation in the tram. Kirby and i shared a seat. We talked about causes for muteness, while he drew all the forms he had learned in geometry on my glasses — which weren't smeared as badly as i thought they would, i didn't care at the moment, because i carried my replacement pair with me —, Kirby rearranged my beanie, and in the time we didn't talk or do anything, we just sat there, leaning on each other. When we got off the tram, i realized, that the whole time, another father and his son where on the other side of the train, not sharing a seat, the father stood in the joint between the two wagons, while the kid looked out the window. I hope they had a similar good time when they got home, it wasn't easy for me to interact with Kirby in public, i try to be as unnoticeable as possible when i'm out. But who knows, perhaps the man was the kids uncle or temporary caregiver.
We went out to get some books. There is a series of Dungeons & Dragons2 books for younger readers called Dungeon Academy3 that looked like they would be just right for Kirby. I picked up a used copy of Twenty thousand leagues under the sea4 for whenever — and because i started to read it ages ago, and never finished it —, and a book about how democracy could work, wrapped into a story by Ferdinand von Schirach, Alexander. Alexander was reduced in price; i'm not the biggest fan of Schirach's work, the thought of him writing a book for kids tickled my interest. And it's good; takes the reader and the topic seriously while staying in the right lane to be read by kids.
In the evening, the Wife and i watched the first few episodes of a continuation of a tv show from our childhoods, *Pumuckl5. Kirby was upset, his screen time was over, and he'd rather played a videogame. After a few minutes, he was hooked on Pumuckl, and we ended up watching four episodes. And the Wife and i liked it too, they actually managed to make the show feel timeless while keeping some of the trademarks, Pumuckl drinks a beer from time to time, and the carpenter he lives with, rants like a coachman. What bother's me, is that they recreated the voice of the original Pumuckl using AI and put it on top of a new voice actor; and what irritates me more is, that there are points where they didn't give a damn about it, and left the passages where you hear the new voice actor's unaltered voice—which would have also worked…
Looking through all the Harry Potter merchandise at the bookstore i realized: the wands look like coprolites6.
I feel bad these days. Wonder how things might go, i seriously have no idea what to do. Therapy would be nice, if it didn't feel, like running into walls as soon as i leave that safe space.
Dungeons & Dragons // wikipedia.org↩
Dungeons & Dragons – Dungeon Academy: No humans allowed // goodreads.com↩
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea // birtannica.com↩
coprolites // wikipedia.org↩