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barbiejedi) wrote2025-07-03 03:43 pm
barbiejedi) wrote2025-07-03 03:43 pm
Entry tags:
in the eye of the bearimy
July has come, and I now have less (fewer?) than three full weeks of freedom before school stuff starts up again. Official Teacher Pre-Planning will start in three weeks, but my department is going in for two extra (paid!) days the week before, so I can now count my sleeping-in weekdays on two hands.
Insulin pump continues to be amazing. I have committed some Diabetic Sins, namely eating a donut that was FAR too sugary and staying high for at least 6 hours, and also eating a serving of Pop Corners out of the bag my sister left behind when she came to visit. Popcorn and Donuts-- not even once.
I checked out The Ministry of Time from the library on a whim (it was on a table of staff-recommended books) and binged it in two days. I clocked a couple of the reveals long before they were made explicit in the text, which I was proud of after going in spoiler-free. You could tell the author was a Tumblr girlie who got really into The Terror tv show, but not in a bad way. I wouldn't have minded if the novel had been about three times longer-- I'm tempted to see if I can find her username, just to see if she's posted any extra stuff, like how the Alexandra Rowland did for A Taste of Gold and Iron.
I bought Star Wars: Outlaws in the Steam sale. I wasn't planning to-- I've had the game on my wishlist ever since it came out, because I love a Star Wars single-player RPG, but was irrationally irritated that it, like the Jedi Survivor series, didn't let you customize the PC at all. Points in its favor that at least the PC was a girl, but I wasn't at all sure that I'd like the gameplay, so I didn't want to buy it until there was a good sale.
As I was looking at the Steam store page, though, I saw that it had a demo? So I downloaded that and within 15 minutes, was absolutely sold. I love her little ship and the costume design and the location and mission design of what was in the demo, and getting the Deluxe edition with all the DLC and everything was $5 cheaper than getting the base game at regular price, so I said fuck it and got the deluxe.
I've made it to the point where I can actually wander around and save, and I'm torn between wanting to explore everything and wanting to progress the main quest. It's open enough that you feel like you CAN explore, but not so open as to be overwhelming. I think I'm going to end up siding mostly with the Crimson Dawn, because they give the most bonuses to stealth and that's my favorite play style so far. (I love crawling in a vent and having Nix steal shit and hit switches for me.)
I was able to catch up on all the MCU movies of the past five or six years while working on my cell quilts-- as soon as Thunderbolts comes to streaming, I'll watch that one too.
Insulin pump continues to be amazing. I have committed some Diabetic Sins, namely eating a donut that was FAR too sugary and staying high for at least 6 hours, and also eating a serving of Pop Corners out of the bag my sister left behind when she came to visit. Popcorn and Donuts-- not even once.
I checked out The Ministry of Time from the library on a whim (it was on a table of staff-recommended books) and binged it in two days. I clocked a couple of the reveals long before they were made explicit in the text, which I was proud of after going in spoiler-free. You could tell the author was a Tumblr girlie who got really into The Terror tv show, but not in a bad way. I wouldn't have minded if the novel had been about three times longer-- I'm tempted to see if I can find her username, just to see if she's posted any extra stuff, like how the Alexandra Rowland did for A Taste of Gold and Iron.
I bought Star Wars: Outlaws in the Steam sale. I wasn't planning to-- I've had the game on my wishlist ever since it came out, because I love a Star Wars single-player RPG, but was irrationally irritated that it, like the Jedi Survivor series, didn't let you customize the PC at all. Points in its favor that at least the PC was a girl, but I wasn't at all sure that I'd like the gameplay, so I didn't want to buy it until there was a good sale.
As I was looking at the Steam store page, though, I saw that it had a demo? So I downloaded that and within 15 minutes, was absolutely sold. I love her little ship and the costume design and the location and mission design of what was in the demo, and getting the Deluxe edition with all the DLC and everything was $5 cheaper than getting the base game at regular price, so I said fuck it and got the deluxe.
I've made it to the point where I can actually wander around and save, and I'm torn between wanting to explore everything and wanting to progress the main quest. It's open enough that you feel like you CAN explore, but not so open as to be overwhelming. I think I'm going to end up siding mostly with the Crimson Dawn, because they give the most bonuses to stealth and that's my favorite play style so far. (I love crawling in a vent and having Nix steal shit and hit switches for me.)
I was able to catch up on all the MCU movies of the past five or six years while working on my cell quilts-- as soon as Thunderbolts comes to streaming, I'll watch that one too.
valoise (valoise) wrote2025-07-03 01:50 pm
valoise) wrote2025-07-03 01:50 pmEntry tags:
Books read in June
Eight books in June - more than usual for me.
Concrete Island by J. G. Ballard
I'd only read The Drowned World by him and seen the movie adaptation of High Rise, so when I saw this novella on the library I decided to give it a try. Did not like it, but at least I finished it. None of the 3 characters were remotely likable in any way - each was a unique example of incompetence all the way through.
A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
Another vintage British book this time focusing on an unlikable main character with an unapologetic violent nature, this was brilliantly done. I'd seen the movie many years ago so I knew generally what to expect, an exploration of free will vs. state mind control. Burgess' writing was very good, his world building fantastic.
The Mystery of Three Quarters by Sophie Hannah
I had no idea anyone was writing new Hercule Poirot books and I enjoyed this a lot. Felt like David Suchet was talking to me through the pages.
The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett
This was the only book in his Tiffany Aching series I'd read, but looking for an audiobook I found this version narrated by Indira Varma and featuring Bill Nighy and other. A real delight. Varma has narrated the entire series and I know I'll be making my way through them.
American Indian Corn (Maize) . . by Charles J. Murphy
Published in 1917, this unexpectedly complex book with recipes from New England, the Deep South and other places in the US where this native grain has been tied to local food culture. Information on how native peoples processed and used maize and a few recipes (in a narrative format, not detailed instructions) from Mexico, unspecified New England tribes, Dakota, Hopi, Zuni, and Western Apache people.
I was curious about Murphy and found that he born in 1832, was an officer in US-Mexico conflict of the 1850s and the Civil War, around the 1880s he worked in the US Department of Agriculture specializing in corn (maize) and part of his job was to promote the use of corn in Europe.
The Incandescent by Emily Tesh
A book about a middle aged woman, the Director of Magic at a boarding school with both a magic and academic curriculum who is tasked with protecting the school against demonic incursion, I really liked this. It's gone on my preliminary list of books to nominate for next year's Hugos awards.
Esperance by Adam Oyebanji
I recently read a review of this sf murder mystery, it sounded interesting so I grabbed it at my local library. A Chicago police detective and an otherworldly women in Bristol, England are each racing to find the perpetrator of a series on inexplicable murders. Really good, this has also gone on my Hugo list for next year.
The Killings at Kingfisher Hill by Sophie Hannah
Ah, sadly not as good as the Poirot book by her that I read at the beginning of the month. Kind of formulaic
Concrete Island by J. G. Ballard
I'd only read The Drowned World by him and seen the movie adaptation of High Rise, so when I saw this novella on the library I decided to give it a try. Did not like it, but at least I finished it. None of the 3 characters were remotely likable in any way - each was a unique example of incompetence all the way through.
A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
Another vintage British book this time focusing on an unlikable main character with an unapologetic violent nature, this was brilliantly done. I'd seen the movie many years ago so I knew generally what to expect, an exploration of free will vs. state mind control. Burgess' writing was very good, his world building fantastic.
The Mystery of Three Quarters by Sophie Hannah
I had no idea anyone was writing new Hercule Poirot books and I enjoyed this a lot. Felt like David Suchet was talking to me through the pages.
The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett
This was the only book in his Tiffany Aching series I'd read, but looking for an audiobook I found this version narrated by Indira Varma and featuring Bill Nighy and other. A real delight. Varma has narrated the entire series and I know I'll be making my way through them.
American Indian Corn (Maize) . . by Charles J. Murphy
Published in 1917, this unexpectedly complex book with recipes from New England, the Deep South and other places in the US where this native grain has been tied to local food culture. Information on how native peoples processed and used maize and a few recipes (in a narrative format, not detailed instructions) from Mexico, unspecified New England tribes, Dakota, Hopi, Zuni, and Western Apache people.
I was curious about Murphy and found that he born in 1832, was an officer in US-Mexico conflict of the 1850s and the Civil War, around the 1880s he worked in the US Department of Agriculture specializing in corn (maize) and part of his job was to promote the use of corn in Europe.
The Incandescent by Emily Tesh
A book about a middle aged woman, the Director of Magic at a boarding school with both a magic and academic curriculum who is tasked with protecting the school against demonic incursion, I really liked this. It's gone on my preliminary list of books to nominate for next year's Hugos awards.
Esperance by Adam Oyebanji
I recently read a review of this sf murder mystery, it sounded interesting so I grabbed it at my local library. A Chicago police detective and an otherworldly women in Bristol, England are each racing to find the perpetrator of a series on inexplicable murders. Really good, this has also gone on my Hugo list for next year.
The Killings at Kingfisher Hill by Sophie Hannah
Ah, sadly not as good as the Poirot book by her that I read at the beginning of the month. Kind of formulaic
AurumCalendula (aurumcalendula) wrote2025-07-03 01:05 pm
aurumcalendula) wrote2025-07-03 01:05 pm(no subject)
Any idea if the Arrow Video 4K bluray of The Long Kiss Goodnight has color grading closer to the original DVD release or the older blu-ray? I'm thinking about getting (once I check my blu-ray player's specs, but if it doesn't look like the DVD release I'll pass on it (imho the earlier blu-ray omitted color grading from scenes and gave everything a kinda washed out look like the Bourne films).
throbbing light machine (lotesse) wrote2025-07-03 11:21 am
lotesse) wrote2025-07-03 11:21 am(no subject)
Alas that stress also means need for dentist. I think the filling repair my dentist did last month already broke; it might not be the only bit of my dentistry crumbling under the current tension levels. And going to the dentist is so painful and scary :(
Cara Marie (caramarie) wrote2025-07-03 09:06 pm
caramarie) wrote2025-07-03 09:06 pmFilms watched Matariki weekend
The Count of Monte Cristo (2024)
Part 1 of my weekend of revenge!! Although the film spent quite a long time pre-revenge, which was a little bit frustrating to me. I’m not watching a Count of Monte Cristo adaptation for Dantès’ pre-Count life.( Read more... )
Ballerina (2025)
Revenge part 2, the John Wick spinoff. I’ve only seen the first and last John Wick movies, so some of the world building stuff may have gone over my head.( Read more... )
beatrice_otter (beatrice_otter) wrote2025-07-02 08:22 pm
beatrice_otter) wrote2025-07-02 08:22 pmEntry tags:
Wimsey Quote Database
The hardest thing about writing Peter Wimsey fanfic is the quotes. Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane have an encyclopedic knowledge of the literature of their era (and the literature that was considered classic/important in that era), and quote it often.
Today I posted on the Gaud Squad Discord that it would be awesome if we had a searchable database of the literature and poetry that they knew or could reasonably be expected to know, searchable by keyword and theme, so that one could look things up easily. And that I would be willing to do the data entry, but had not the technical skills to set it up.
supertailz responded by setting up a Notion instance and is noodling around with the technical aspects of it, so it looks like this is happening!
The easy part is getting the literature that Peter and Harriet quote added--all I have to do is read through the books (no hardship there!) and source the quotations. Although I know there are some annotated versions floating around, and if anyone has a copy of the annotations, that would be lovely.
The hard part is getting the right mix of things that Peter and Harriet would have known. Because what is considered "classic literature" changes over time. Some things rise in acclaim, some things fall out of favor. What would be really handy is a curriculum for Eton ca. 1900 and for Oxford ca. 1910, but so far I haven't found anything. Does anybody know how to search "what literary works were considered classics in 1920"? Or have a good list of where to start?
Today I posted on the Gaud Squad Discord that it would be awesome if we had a searchable database of the literature and poetry that they knew or could reasonably be expected to know, searchable by keyword and theme, so that one could look things up easily. And that I would be willing to do the data entry, but had not the technical skills to set it up.
supertailz responded by setting up a Notion instance and is noodling around with the technical aspects of it, so it looks like this is happening!
The easy part is getting the literature that Peter and Harriet quote added--all I have to do is read through the books (no hardship there!) and source the quotations. Although I know there are some annotated versions floating around, and if anyone has a copy of the annotations, that would be lovely.
The hard part is getting the right mix of things that Peter and Harriet would have known. Because what is considered "classic literature" changes over time. Some things rise in acclaim, some things fall out of favor. What would be really handy is a curriculum for Eton ca. 1900 and for Oxford ca. 1910, but so far I haven't found anything. Does anybody know how to search "what literary works were considered classics in 1920"? Or have a good list of where to start?
blueshiftofdeath (blueshiftofdeath) wrote2025-07-02 09:24 pm
blueshiftofdeath) wrote2025-07-02 09:24 pm
Entry tags:
2025 Fiction Roundup (Part 1)
(Part 2 coming: end of the year probably! These are all the fiction books I've read so far this year.)
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
( great (surprise) )
Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade
Because Venus Crossed an Alpine Violet on the Day That I Was Born by Mona Høvring
( extremely short, weird, IMO good )
The Red Handler by Johan Harstad
( parody crime fiction. another weird but good one )
Peasprout Chen: Future Legend of Skate and Sword by Henry Lien
( juvenile fiction about martial arts on ice skates )
Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
( good obviously but kind of hard to read at points )
'Tis Pity She's a Whore by John Ford
Women! In! Peril! by Jessie Ren Marshall
( women-focused collection of short stories )
Siren Queen by Nghi Vo
( urban fantasy pre-code hollywood.... could've been a lot better )
Patience & Sarah by Isabel Miller (pseudonym for Alma Routsong)
sakana17 (sakana17) wrote2025-07-02 02:35 pm
sakana17) wrote2025-07-02 02:35 pmEntry tags:
ZhuBai picspam (sort of)
I'd mentioned to mumblemumble making desktop wallpaper calendars from Zhu Yilong & Bai Yu photos, and to commemorate my 6th Guardianniversary here's a little picspam of what they have looked like.
( Years 2020-2025 )
mumblemumble making desktop wallpaper calendars from Zhu Yilong & Bai Yu photos, and to commemorate my 6th Guardianniversary here's a little picspam of what they have looked like. ( Years 2020-2025 )
yourlibrarian (yourlibrarian) wrote2025-07-02 01:23 pm
yourlibrarian) wrote2025-07-02 01:23 pmEntry tags:
Sunshine Revival Post
1) As part of ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
sunshine_revival's first challenge: "Creative Prompt: Shine a light on your own creativity. Create anything you want (an image, an icon, a story, a poem, or a craft) and share it with your community."
I just shared some necklaces I made a few months back over ateverykindofcraft. I did a lot of beading in the first 13 years after I took it up, but things have been rather start and stop in the last 10. A craft store closeout + a challenge from a relative got me making some new things in the last few months. That probably also contributed to my starting everykindofcraft here, because I saw various people posting wonderful stuff that not many people were seeing, whereas on Pillowfort some general craft communities there are always getting posts.
Hopefully we can get more crafters sharing here!
2) Have been watching a slew of Apple+ shows as our subscription cutoff nears. The miniseries Disclaimer was framed in an interesting way, one which I suspect had a lot more clarity in multimedia than in the book, but perhaps not. It uses multiple narrative voices and POV for the narration, including second person, first person, and some omniscient narrative. This was pretty relevant because of who was being framed (literally) and who actually got to have their voice(s) heard. ( Read more... )
3) Surface is a story told in a much more straightforward manner even though it also involves an unreliable narrator of sorts in that our central character had memory loss and is trying to piece together her past which also involves a parental mystery. ( Read more... )
4) Also saw the movie Wolfs, which is fine but largely a vehicle for us to watch Pitt and Clooney do fun stuff. ( Read more... )
5) Finished The Big Conn and Cowboy Cartel, two documentaries about big crime. I found the former much more interesting, even though I'd heard about the case before. What was probably the most striking about both was the role of the media in precipitating change. ( Read more... )
6) Careme was marketed as the story of the first celebrity chef, who served Napoleon, Tallyrand and others. It was certainly about far more than cooking. ( Read more... )
sunshine_revival's first challenge: "Creative Prompt: Shine a light on your own creativity. Create anything you want (an image, an icon, a story, a poem, or a craft) and share it with your community."I just shared some necklaces I made a few months back over at
everykindofcraft. I did a lot of beading in the first 13 years after I took it up, but things have been rather start and stop in the last 10. A craft store closeout + a challenge from a relative got me making some new things in the last few months. That probably also contributed to my starting everykindofcraft here, because I saw various people posting wonderful stuff that not many people were seeing, whereas on Pillowfort some general craft communities there are always getting posts. Hopefully we can get more crafters sharing here!
2) Have been watching a slew of Apple+ shows as our subscription cutoff nears. The miniseries Disclaimer was framed in an interesting way, one which I suspect had a lot more clarity in multimedia than in the book, but perhaps not. It uses multiple narrative voices and POV for the narration, including second person, first person, and some omniscient narrative. This was pretty relevant because of who was being framed (literally) and who actually got to have their voice(s) heard. ( Read more... )
3) Surface is a story told in a much more straightforward manner even though it also involves an unreliable narrator of sorts in that our central character had memory loss and is trying to piece together her past which also involves a parental mystery. ( Read more... )
4) Also saw the movie Wolfs, which is fine but largely a vehicle for us to watch Pitt and Clooney do fun stuff. ( Read more... )
5) Finished The Big Conn and Cowboy Cartel, two documentaries about big crime. I found the former much more interesting, even though I'd heard about the case before. What was probably the most striking about both was the role of the media in precipitating change. ( Read more... )
6) Careme was marketed as the story of the first celebrity chef, who served Napoleon, Tallyrand and others. It was certainly about far more than cooking. ( Read more... )
Poll #33317 Kudos Footer-529
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Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 4
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 4
Want to leave a Kudos?
Sholio (sholio) wrote2025-07-01 11:10 pm
sholio) wrote2025-07-01 11:10 pmStart July as you mean to go on
Technically this was yesterday, but I climbed a hill and had an eagle fly past me. (The hill is the Bodenburg Butte in Palmer, AK.)
I realize the eagle is more like a dot, but if you've tried to take a quick photo of a bird, this is without zoom (I was just trying to snap a fast shot without completely losing the experience of having an eagle flying in front of me) so it is actually very close! After it flew past, I turned around and two teenage guys were standing above me, having just descended from the top and watched it too. "Sick," one of them said in obvious delight, and we nodded at each other.
I'm down in Southcentral doing Mom Things. Mom has been moved out of the rental where she was living since last August, and she was supposed to go home via helicopter today, but the weather was a problem. But that's why I reserved two extra days at the Airbnb beforehand, just in case. Tomorrow we try again! She was very respectful of my space today - I think she recognized that I was planning on having the evening to myself tonight and it didn't happen - and I wrote both fanfic and original fiction, and took a long walk to sort some plot things out in my head. Thursday I go home, and perhaps drive the Denali Highway on my way, if the wildfire smoke isn't too bad.
I realize the eagle is more like a dot, but if you've tried to take a quick photo of a bird, this is without zoom (I was just trying to snap a fast shot without completely losing the experience of having an eagle flying in front of me) so it is actually very close! After it flew past, I turned around and two teenage guys were standing above me, having just descended from the top and watched it too. "Sick," one of them said in obvious delight, and we nodded at each other.
I'm down in Southcentral doing Mom Things. Mom has been moved out of the rental where she was living since last August, and she was supposed to go home via helicopter today, but the weather was a problem. But that's why I reserved two extra days at the Airbnb beforehand, just in case. Tomorrow we try again! She was very respectful of my space today - I think she recognized that I was planning on having the evening to myself tonight and it didn't happen - and I wrote both fanfic and original fiction, and took a long walk to sort some plot things out in my head. Thursday I go home, and perhaps drive the Denali Highway on my way, if the wildfire smoke isn't too bad.
sakana17 (sakana17) wrote2025-07-01 09:17 pm
sakana17) wrote2025-07-01 09:17 pmEntry tags:
6 years
My 6th year Guardianniversary was a couple of days ago. ♥ I have a Guardian-adjacent post in mind but it requires some digging through folders and I haven't finished that yet.
Instead, today's post isn't about Guardian... ( but about a sus AO3 encounter )
Instead, today's post isn't about Guardian... ( but about a sus AO3 encounter )