August 2026 Newsletter

From Dan, Your Friend and Busy Body

Dear Friends,

August saw the final days of summer, and the start of 4 schools (teaching at half of them) for me. Let's get into it.

I saw the Paw Patrol movie! With Dinos!!! My phone is on its last legs, but (Fig. 23.0) still paints a picture of someone very excited to see a movie. I saw an early premiere and got a poster and a novelty button. Worth it.

Alley Cat found a warm spot to huddle up in (Fig. 23.1). It was a hot month, but she didn't seem to mind. My room doesn't even have insulation, so it has its ups and downs (literally, regarding temperature). She couldn't stay away, despite it all. I don't mind the heat that much either.

I couldn't help but mention Tango again this newsletter. Yes, for those counting, that's three months in a row.

I was able to build her in lego using Disney 101 Dalmatians Puppy (43269), just with a few parts in a different color (Fig. 23.2). I love the two poses for this set, and also wanted to use the opportunity to show off my Tango plushies (Fig. 23.3).

I also tried to get organized before everything started (Fig. 23.4). I printed "clickfinity" which is a version of gridfinity that has a satisfying click. Basically, you place the buckets into the grid, and it locks it in place so nothing slides in the drawer. Before this organization system, everything became an unhelpful soup. I still did lose a few things in the grid, but I'm just getting used to being organized (first time ever). Patience and grace.

Blackjack also wanted in on this newsletter. I actually took care of him a few times, but this image became my favorite very quickly (Fig. 23.5).

Otherwise, I've been functioning off of slurpees (Fig. 23.6). I can't drink caffiene or have fake sugars, but this baby is full of all the real sugars (and plenty of food dye). The neat note that you might already know is that banana flavor is derived from an extinct version of bananas (the real history is a bit more nuanced), but it's still a quirky idea to be able to taste something that technically is out of this century, in practice.

Finally, it wouldn't be a newsletter without me encouraging deeper engagement into my website. There are big changes coming to the website next month (I'll keep those a secret for now) for our second annual celebration of newsletters, but until then, please pour yourself into the innerworkings (literally) of one of my characters in:

Taylor's Portal Biology

Click on the link above to be transported to a fine balance between fact and fiction, where I spend far too much time thinking about the tiny details of a fictional character.

That's a wrap on August.

Moderate your temperature, drink lots of water, and have a good day.

Dan out!