Russulas and blaarts

I could learn to dislike Russulas. They're pretty and varied and some are deadly poisonous and some are nice eating and some smell fruity, or like geraniums or like shrimps/crabs or like burning oil. Today we found a clump growing happily in quite the wrong place. They resembled a form of Russula dependent on beech trees, something of an enigma as there are no beech trees nearby. It can also do well under spruce, but this didn't help much in the face of a notable absence of spruce. In the end, faced with an overwhelming number of contradictory indicators arising from dissecting it, peeling it, rubbing it with iron salts, and tasting a bit of it (not a method I recommend) I found myself dubbing the wretched thing a Charcoal Burner, russula cyanoxantha, because it has a greasy cap and doesn't burn the tongue.

Sherlock would spin in his deerstalker.

I'm annoyed that I was too tired to party on down to a friend's 40th last night. She gives me tatt envy; her neck and shoulders are covered with bright flowers, and her right arm has been dedicated to a beautifully inked Alice in Wonderland montage. From what I gather it was a good night, but I was just too tired. I'm too tired tonight as well. Probably too tired for the Notting Hill Carnival. But I must have rum punch some time this weekend.

There is a minor social niggle: I hate it when one person says to another 'Stop embarrassing yourself," when what they mean is 'I want you to feel embarrassment,' or 'Your behaviour is embarrassing me, I wish it was/it should be embarrassing you.' Whingey, passive aggressive claptrap. And yet now I find myself close to thinking that phrase when facing a friend whose lack of self awareness is making them cringeworthy to their friends and a laughing stock to their foes.

Nothing to do with me, most of us have been dicks in our time, hell, I probably deserve a medal for my past attempts. No-one is cool every day and a chum is still a chum, but my impatience with this person is becoming an issue. Their last bloaty-headed disconnect was so silly I found it almost impossible not to show derision, and the moment I do that, they will create a new straw man to fume over.

Don't know what to do about this one. Keep shtum and avoid it, I guess. Not a perfect decision, but then, it hasn't been a perfect day...

Edited to add: Actually, it may have been the perfect approach. Seemingly with no bidding, chum has removed the blaart. Just as well. Threatening to top yourself and return as Herne the Hunter to bring vengeance down on the government for refusing your benefit, is a tenuous solution at best.