Ward Q. Normal (he/him)

@wardqnormal

Teacher, knitter, widower, Phish head, provincial park, strategy puzzle video game, type of volcanic crater, electronic device designed to trick or deceive radar, species of moth of the family Tortricidae, ...

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Bluesky

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Ward Q. Normal (he/him)@wardqnormal· 28d

Just did today’s Anthropeum quiz, and ….. that’s a bong, right?

Ceramic figurine of a seated person with a handle on the back that absolutely makes it look like a bong. According to the description in the quiz, it’s a bottle.

Ward Q. Normal (he/him)@wardqnormal· 29d

This entry from today’s Anthropeum quiz is delightful. Owning this would fix me.

A silver metal figurine of a man playing a pan flute. He has green gemstones for eyes and adorable hands and feet.

Ward Q. Normal (he/him)@wardqnormal· Jul 13

“There’s nothing wrong with being masculine.”

A middle-aged man with short blond/gray hair and a beard showing off his newly-painted fingernails, done in a very shiny dark blue with just a hint of teal and a bit of sparkle.

Ward Q. Normal (he/him)@wardqnormal· Jul 13

The view down the hall.

A photo looking down a hall towards a window with the blinds pulled halfway down, through which you can see the trunk of a pine tree. On the right side of the photo are several shelves of cds and books. Taken at dusk, so the light is soft and the exposure long. Has an antique, sepia look, even though I swear I didn't do anything other than straighten and crop.

Ward Q. Normal (he/him)@wardqnormal· Jul 8

When you care enough to block a scarf. 🧶

Multi-colored scarf knit in a herringbone pattern, pinned down to a blocking board, which is lying diagonally on a wooden dining room table.

Ward Q. Normal (he/him)@wardqnormal· Jul 4

My tattoo says yes.

Tattoo of a penny farthing bicycle with a canopy, a symbol of the Village in the TV show "The Prisoner." It doesn't have a number in it like the badges in the show because I am not a number. I am a free man.

Ward Q. Normal (he/him)@wardqnormal· Jun 29

Supreme Court offers new interpretation of the Constitution:

Etch-a-Sketch toy, which can be used to create temporary images then shaken upside down to erase it and make something completely different. A completely reversible, ephemeral piece of art.

Ward Q. Normal (he/him)@wardqnormal· Jun 29

Watch found!! Sometimes my love of little boxes and stashing things inside other things gets the better of me. It was in a cloth bag inside a box inside another box, hidden under a table. Phew. Estimated year of manufacture, based on serial no: 1916.

Pocket watch made by the Illinois Watch Co. Picture shows a time of 10:27.

Ward Q. Normal (he/him)@wardqnormal· Jun 29

My air plant is really starting to bloom. Beautiful purple flower emerging.

Photo of an air plant on a wooden table. It has curly leaves that look like tentacles, and a flower bract opening up to reveal a purple flower on the upper right.

Ward Q. Normal (he/him)@wardqnormal· Jun 26

I do not know how I am supposed to feel about this.

My results of this political issues quiz:

"Your closest match: Ed Zitron, podcaster and pundit."

Ward Q. Normal (he/him)@wardqnormal· Jun 24

Thank you for your attention to this matter:

A colorful yet slightly out-of-date Periodic Table of the Elements, courtesy of Wikipedia Commons.

Ward Q. Normal (he/him)@wardqnormal· Jun 20

Advertise your Bluesky account with a Simpsons image

Bart and Milhous holding flashlights and crawling into a tunnel or cave of some sort. Milhous explains, "this is where I come to cry."

Ward Q. Normal (he/him)@wardqnormal· Jun 19

Share a movie with a soundtrack you love

Cover of the soundtrack album for the film "Repo Man." Featuring Iggy Pop, Black Flag, Suicidal Tendencies, The Plugz, Juicy Bananas, Circle Jerks, Burning Sensations, and Fear.

Ward Q. Normal (he/him)@wardqnormal· Jun 5

This comic has been on our fridge for decades. I have no idea where it came from, but I still giggle whenever I see it.

A black and white illustration of a man and a woman. In the foreground, the man is looking at a piece of paper with a satisfied, smug smirk. In the background, the woman holds a phone with her hand over the mouthpiece. She is saying to the man, "STOP GLOATING OVER THAT POEM AND COME TO THE PHONE!"

Ward Q. Normal (he/him)@wardqnormal· Jun 1

Cover of the Black Grape album "It's Great When You're Straight Yeah" showing a picture of Carols the Jackal painted over with bright colors. The band name and album title are written in his blacked-out shades.

Ward Q. Normal (he/him)@wardqnormal· May 27

32 years ago tonight, Phish at the Warfield. Mike's Song segues into a strange new riff while the band sings about skyscrapers. A woman belts out an aria. The band starts handing out boxes of Mac & Cheese, which we shake like maracas for "Possum." Still a highlight all these years later.

Setlist from phish.net for the show on Friday, May 27, 1994. Warfield Theatre, San Francisco, CA

Set 1: Wilson > Runaway Jim, Foam, Bouncing Around the Room > David Bowie, If I Could, Punch You in the Eye > Harry Hood, Golgi Apparatus

Set 2: Suzy Greenberg > Peaches en Regalia > My Friend My Friend > Reba[1], The Lizards, Julius, Nellie Kane[2], My Mind's Got a Mind of Its Own, Mike's Song > Simple[3] > Mike's Song > Simple > O Mio Babbino Caro[4], Possum[5]

Encore: Fire

[1] No whistling.
[2] Morgan Fichter on fiddle. Acoustic and without microphones.
[3] Debut.
[4] Phish debut; Andrea Baker singing unmiced.
[5] Audience shaking boxes of macaroni and cheese.

This show marked the debut of Simple and the Phish debut of O Mio Babbino Caro. Suzy and Possum contained Flintstones theme teases. Reba did not have the whistling ending. Nellie Kane and My Mind’s Got a Mind of its Own were performed acoustic with guest fiddler Morgan Fichter. O Mio Babbino Caro, a Puccini aria, featured opera singer Andrea Baker singing unmiced. Before Possum, the band handed out boxes of Flintstones macaroni and cheese for the audience to shake along with Possum and Fire.

Ward Q. Normal (he/him)@wardqnormal· May 24

Close-up photo of a "TDK head demagnetizer," used in cassette tape players. Shaped like a cassette, but inside the clear case is a circuit board with capacitors and other electronic components. I honestly don't know anything about how this device works. I kept it all these years because it looks cool.

Ward Q. Normal (he/him)@wardqnormal· May 24

I can't put it any better than Steve did, about a year before his death. (I'm trying, Punkin. I'm trying.)

Screenshot of a tweet from Steve Silberman, dated Aug 13, 2023

When I die, please don't say that I've crossed over into the spirit realm, gone to the Other Side, moved on to a better place, rejoined my ancestors, or any other of those comforting fables. Just selfishly or selflessly use my own impermanence to WAKE UP to your own.

Below, a stylized Buddhist Enso, where the inside and outside of the circular paint stroke shows the silhouettes of plants, trees, and flying birds.

Ward Q. Normal (he/him)@wardqnormal· May 5

Ward Q. Normal (he/him)@wardqnormal· Apr 25

The 70s turned into the 80s very, very quickly in my family.

The same family less than 10 years later. Dad is still in a suit, but his tie is now a solid color. The kids are all now in short sleeve shirts of solid colors with either Polo or Izod logos. The hair is noticeably shorter on all of the sons, although the youngest is still committed to the bowl cut. His teeth have grown in since the last picture, at least.

Ward Q. Normal (he/him)@wardqnormal· Apr 25

Drop something from the 70s

A family photo. Two parents and their five children. Everyone is wearing polyester. Three boys in chaotically printed shirts, and the youngest is in a leisure suit. The boys have either long feathered hair or bowl cuts. Keep all clothing in this picture away from open flames.

Ward Q. Normal (he/him)@wardqnormal· Apr 25

Middle-aged man with blond/gray hair and beard in a navy blue hoody holding up a gray plastic ocarina shaped like Totoro.

The same middle-aged man with blond/gray hair and beard in a navy blue hoody holding up the same gray plastic ocarina shaped like Totoro, but this time showing the back with the finger holes that are ostensibly designed to create the correct pitches when you put your fingers over them. It's actually a bit disturbing and looks like Totoro has been shot in the back five times.

Ward Q. Normal (he/him)@wardqnormal· Apr 9

My air plant is starting to bloom and has split off two "pups." Sent a pic to my bio teacher buddy and she said, "that's means it's so happy!" She also said that it will die when it's done, once the "pups" can survive on their own. New ones comin' as the old ones go, and all that.

An air plant sitting on a gray couch cushion. It is a mass of squiggly green leaves that look like tentacles and purple & green bulb that has another, smaller bulb growing off of it. On the left is a flower bract.

Ward Q. Normal (he/him)@wardqnormal· Apr 5

There will also be cookies and home made ice cream for Easter dessert. Buddy is making ham and an actual salad.

A batch of chocolate chip cookies fresh out of the oven and cooling on their baking sheet.

Cauliflower casserole with toasted breadcrumb topping.

Ward Q. Normal (he/him)@wardqnormal· Apr 5

Happy Easter! And happy anniversary to my annual Easter joke. And so to bed.

A picture of a package of Marshmallow Peeps, but Photoshopped to say "Pepys." The peeps visible through the packaging are wearing curly old-style wigs. The package explains that it contains "10 diarists."

Here's the deal: I only know three things about Samuel Pepys:
1. His name is pronounced like "peeps"
2. He was a famous diarist.
3. His diary entries often ended with the phrase "and so to bed."

That's the only motivation I needed to make this stupid thing as an Easter joke, and I will post it every year on Easter until long after the joke has worn off. See you next year!

Ward Q. Normal (he/him)@wardqnormal· Mar 29

Where is my Hollywood Handshake? (Thanks, yeast!)

A sliced loaf of fresh-baked whole-wheat bread, showing a delicate crumb.

Ward Q. Normal (he/him)@wardqnormal· Mar 29

Killin' more yeast today. Godspeed, ye wee beasties.

Two metal pans, each holding a loaf of raw bread dough, sitting on a wooden table. Rising in anticipation of going into the oven.

Ward Q. Normal (he/him)@wardqnormal· Mar 21

Whole-wheat oat bread. The extra oats and wheat bran didn't fully stick to the top crust, but I'm pretty happy with it.

A brown loaf of bread with a light coating of rolled oats on the crust, cooling on a wire rack.

Ward Q. Normal (he/him)@wardqnormal· Mar 19

A student recently announced to the school that she'll be using a new name and new pronouns. Today she presented me with this little trans rights flag for my chemistry room. And there was much rejoicing.

A trans pride flag made by coloring an index card using pink and blue highlighters. In the center are two flasks (one Erlenmeyer, the other a round-bottom flask) containing pink solutions.

Ward Q. Normal (he/him)@wardqnormal· Mar 14

Post a great photo of a musician.