Aleksei I. Valentín (he/they) ✡️♿🏳️‍🌈
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aivalentin.bsky.social
Aleksei I. Valentín (he/they) ✡️♿🏳️‍🌈
@aivalentin.bsky.social
1.9K followers 770 following 5.7K posts
🇺🇦 Writer, artist, PhD candidate | C19 US, New Orleans, immigration, religion, death | Disabled Jewish queer trans | Husband and cavalier of @thelionmachine.bsky.social 🪬
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aivalentin.bsky.social
Near death by mint julep!
I may here relate a case which occurred in my practice in 1837, and which presents some singular features. The patient, a robust young man, about twenty-five years of age, had gone through a severe attack of fever, and on the sixth day was pronounced safe. Thinking himself so, he desired his nurse to bring him a mint-julep from the bar of the hotel in which he lay. On her refusing, he insisted that the physician had ordered it. It was brought and drunk. The next day I found him perfectly insane, but without fever or any physical symptom of disease. His insanity manifested itself by loud talking — wild, but somewhat coherent fancies, hysterical laughter and tears; paroxysms of rage, succeeded by whining complaints of ill treatment ; insomnolency, and odd remarks, that provoked to laughter the most saturnine of his attendants. Under the use of opiates and the shower bath, he recovered, and is still living in good health ; but it was more than two months before he was completely relieved.
October 29, 2025 at 10:54 PM
aivalentin.bsky.social
"It's not, we've spent enough money here to plead a bathroom emergency."
An image of a corner of a room with a small television set, a lamp and ivory walls absolutely drenched in what appears to be blood splatter. A white text box says, "Caption thus with the 2nd to last text you sent."
October 26, 2025 at 8:17 PM
aivalentin.bsky.social
"Friends" is a beloved American sitcom that aired from 1994 to 2004, following six young adults—Rachel, Ross, Monica, Chandler, Joey, and Phoebe—living in New York City. The show explores their friendships, romances, careers, and personal growth over ten seasons.
A very early 00s photo of the cast of Queer As Folk, who are 5 very white and slim gay guys with 2 white lesbians, all posed in front of and standing on top of a large, wrinkly American flag.
October 23, 2025 at 7:52 AM
aivalentin.bsky.social
A baby spotting in the park, @premeemohamed.com ! How did she get here?
A stretch of grass in a corner of Jackson Square. A squirrel (or a Franca) is in the grass, head down, tail curled in a question mark.
October 12, 2025 at 11:21 PM
aivalentin.bsky.social
Weency looks like she's sitting at the local dive bar, nursing a whiskey, and ready to tell you some sea dog tales.
A Weency, aka a brown and black tabby cat with a white chin, sitting on a cat three, her elbow resting on the edge of the platform and dipping casually below it, gazing impassively at the camera.
October 1, 2025 at 7:33 PM
aivalentin.bsky.social
I mean, this is the face of Pure Gremlin™, also known as Perfect Angel Baby.
A Weency, that is to say a black and brown tabby with a white chin and pink nose, gazing lovingly at the camera whilst laying on a white duvet with blue curtains in the background.
October 1, 2025 at 2:02 AM
aivalentin.bsky.social
Green onion Chee-Wees.
A mysterious hand holding up a green bag of Elmer's New Orleans Chee-Wees in front of an out of focus line of shotgun houses decorated for Mardi Gras.
September 21, 2025 at 8:48 AM
aivalentin.bsky.social
I love this river, I can't explain it. I love just sitting on the levee and watching the ships and listening to everything. It's a consistent source of joy for me, even when things are shit.
Late afternoon over the bend of the Mississippi River, fluffy clouds kissed with gold overhead. A cluster of various types of ducks at the stairs leading to the river from the top of the levee. A low angle photo across the Mississippi, looking towards Algiers, the water rippled and steely blue. A cluster of 9 ducks on top of the levee, looking towards the grey water as if they're a gaggle of tourists.
September 11, 2025 at 2:40 AM
aivalentin.bsky.social
I have no corn, how about a glorious pistachio raspberry mousse dome I had recently? It was far more glittery than my camera could capture. And here are some ships on the river, too.
A steam-powered 19th century paddleboat sails down the Mississippi on the left, a modern cargo vessel sails upriver on the right, all against a pale blue sky kissed with sunset pink. A dome of pistachio shell on a golden fluted base with a bit of gilded white chocolate on top sprinkled with a few bits of pistachio, all set on a white plate, a spoon to the right. A steam-powered 19th century paddleboat sails down the Mississippi on the left, a smaller paddleboat coming upriver on the right, against a pale blue sky kissed with sunset pink.
September 10, 2025 at 11:16 PM
aivalentin.bsky.social
I've been reading about the dance director at the Kennedy Center, Stephen Nakagawa, who describes himself as a "MAGA former dancer," and this quote of his is sending me.

Ballet is not woke, unless you mean having some Black dancers onstage.

www.sltrib.com/artsliving/a...
The New York Times reported that Nakagawa had written a letter to Grenelle, voicing his support for the Trump administration and complaining about "radical leftist ideologies in ballet." The Times reported that it obtained a copy of the letter from a former Kennedy Center employee who declined to be identified, fearing harassment or retribution.
September 9, 2025 at 7:24 PM
aivalentin.bsky.social
Post a random picture or else everything will go bad in September.
A Supernatural meme. Sam sits behind Dean on the hood of the Impala. Sam looks sceptically at Dean, holding a brown bottle of beer. Dean looks off to the side. Overtop, a tweet: "I better think twice? buddy I dont even think once"
September 1, 2025 at 6:24 AM
aivalentin.bsky.social
My carrot arrived this way. I pulled them out, looked at Lev, and in my best Hobbit voice, I announced, "I think I broke something."
A light-skinned hand with a watchband holds a bunch of carrots with greens attached. One thick carrot is broken and the top hangs to the side, all over a stainless steel sink.
August 30, 2025 at 12:36 AM
aivalentin.bsky.social
I'm reminded of one of my favourite subreddits.
From ididnthavemilk on Reddit: Joyla July 24, 2023 at 4:10pm This came out like cream of chicken soup. too much liquid. I rushed Reames [sic] noodles too. I had to add another can of cream of chicken soup but it was still too much liquid. so I added some corn starch. The noodles were mushy. I checked the noodles at 30 minute intervals like recipe said. First time the noodles didn't even look cooked at all. Anyway, after I added the thickeners, it didn't have much flavor etger [sic] so I added onion powder, garlic powder and more salt. It finally tasted good enough. Then I decided to have it on biscuits which was ok. But with all these ingredients I won't be making this again. I wish it had been called Cream of Chicken Noodle Soup. One star.
August 26, 2025 at 8:14 PM
aivalentin.bsky.social
No new pictures, where are you mentally?
Text: "are you excited for Hallowe- me:" Below, an image of a tiny brown tabby kitten in an equally tiny witch hat, leaning against a tiny jack-o'-lantern. The kitten stares off like she's seen Horrors, but retains this bit of whimsy.
August 26, 2025 at 5:01 PM
aivalentin.bsky.social
Despite the ongoing horrors, I had really great tacos at lunch with Lev today. Peach BBQ chicken with creamy slaw and pickles. Absolutely killer. #GoodLunch
A closeup of 3 tacos topped with slaw and dill pickles, a bowl of pinto beans in the background.
August 21, 2025 at 3:33 AM
aivalentin.bsky.social
She has grown up so much! I have a photo of her momma, and you can see where she gets it.
A large brown tabby Pixie-bob cat on top of a blue cat carrier, with curled ears and polydactyly toes. A fluffy grey kitten peeks out from around the corner inquisitively.
August 2, 2025 at 4:24 AM
aivalentin.bsky.social
It is Weencycat's 3rd birthday! 3 whole years of babyness!

Behold, when we got her versus now.
A tiny, tiny baby kitten Weency, still blue-eyed, with big ears. The baby Weency upon her first day in our house. She's laying on a white coverlet, looking at the camera, her paws delicately crossed. Tiny, perfect, baby kitten. All grown up lady Weency, laying on the grey sheets, majestic and attentive. The most perfect brown tabby. Superlative baby.
August 2, 2025 at 12:55 AM
aivalentin.bsky.social
The Knights were major sponsors of the "under God" clause in the Pledge, and they're enthusiastic supporters of the March for Life every year in DC.

They also do those big "Keep Christ in Christmas" billboards that pop up yearly.
A red billboard with a Victorian stained glass image of the infant Jesus in the manger, with big text that says, "Keep CHRIST in Christmas," and smaller text that reads, "Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, Knights of Columbus Council # 3535 -- Ludlow, MA"
July 21, 2025 at 4:25 AM
aivalentin.bsky.social
I had so many thoughts about this on Tumblr, so I'm sharing here.
A Tumblr post from scholarlyhobbit on 4 Oct 24: Celebrimbor talking about the kingfishers on the river is a big callback to Tolkien's Catholic milieu. Kingfishers crop up in the work of Gerard Manley Hopkins, a Victorian poet and Jesuit priest. They act as symbols of "transformation, calm, multiplicity, unity, felicity, disturbance, revelation," as noted in Lynn E. Cohen's 2009 lecture on kingfishers and symbolism in Hopkins' poetry here. Considering Celebrimbor's death in a state of grace, pierced like St Sebastian in triumph over death, much like late medieval altarpieces of the saint, riddled with arrows yet surviving still, placed above the altar for the faithful to look up in worship, much like Celebrimbor being hoisted on the spear of Sauron. The memory of the kingfisher represents the calm and revelation Celebrimbor embodies in his death, on the boundary between life and death, calling warning to Sauron before departing for the Halls of Mandos, a transformative apotheosis of a death. The kingfisher reminds Celebrimbor, and the audience, that to be true to his ethics and morals is to die a greater death. He redeems himself and offers Sauron the chance for redemption, but Sauron cannot accept. So the kingfisher flies away. The second part of the post. Full alt text on the first image.
July 15, 2025 at 6:03 PM
aivalentin.bsky.social
Post a book you love from the 1970s!
The cover of Moosewood Cookbook by Mollie Katzen -- a brown paper bag colour background with simplified art of a beet green, an arugula leaf, a radish, and an orange wedge.
July 13, 2025 at 6:15 PM
aivalentin.bsky.social
Weency is flopped on the bed in our darkened bedroom, demanding we sit with her whilst it storms. She didn't approve of the WetLoud, she demands comfort.
A Weencycat on her side, showing off her fluffy belly and velvety black footpads. She's staring off distantly in a darkened room, the bit of creamy fur around her eyes and on her chin popping from the greys, blacks, and browns of her coat.
July 12, 2025 at 9:42 PM
aivalentin.bsky.social
I also used this at one of my early jobs.
An 1860s McClellan saddle with saddle bags and holsters, and a dark oilcloth saddle pad on a felled log, an army spade in the ground next to it, leaning against the log.
July 11, 2025 at 8:57 PM
aivalentin.bsky.social
Age verification? I used this at my first job.
A sturdy mid century ditto/mimeograph/spirit duplication machine with an old purple ditto on the roll.
July 11, 2025 at 6:48 PM
aivalentin.bsky.social
I think my inability to eat shellfish and my aversion to pork is doing for me.
A food choice test result, with middle class and lower class duking it out, and middle class edging out. Upper middle class makes a reasonable showing, followed distantly by lower middle class and upper class dead last.
June 30, 2025 at 12:42 AM
aivalentin.bsky.social
Post a pic of you that's not actually you.
A skeleton buckled into the front seat of a car, a witch hat on its head, autumn scenery passing by the windo. Purple sparkly text says, "IT'S SPOOKY TIME!"
June 27, 2025 at 11:12 PM