Project progress
Oct. 26th, 2025 07:34 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
fred_mouseIn the interest of accountability: yes, I have worked on Eldest's quilt. Previously I was at the point of needing some more blanks drawn (done), and then 20 blocks needed sewing and then assembling. The goal was to do 2 per weekend and then assemble over a few weeks.
However! After two weekends, I have 5 blocks sewn, and one nearly done, being thus a block (and a half) ahead). I have also assembled the first four into a two by two block thus having got ahead on the assembling. Thus, I am feeling tentatively confident about minimum goal: finish top by the end of the year.
I've also attempted to progress Youngest's. Sadly, while I know I had an image that they wanted to have converted, I have not found where I filed it. That is not a this week problem though. I have only progressed Middlest's by dint of sending them another reminder that they need to actually decide on a pattern.
Other than that my craft has near stalled. I have started back on the playing the Hanon's, but only a few pieces every few days, and only the first set of 20, on loop. It does help my hands when I do, but also, I'm struggling to find the motivation.
Reading wise, I have simplified my life down to seven currently reading, mostly because Storygraph added the 'pause' option, which adequately reflects how I feel about a lot of books. One of my thoughts about the last week of the year is to set myself a goal of finishing or abandoning one book per day. Which won't be that hard, as there are several I had put somewhere sensible I found today which are all past half read. In terms of reading goals, the number of works is past the goal, because I started tracking online short fiction (if it were already there) which I kind of wish I could separate out. I'm not anywhere near the number of pages goal, but I also haven't been tracking where I'm up to, so it might be that when I sit down and capture where I'm up to I'll be much further. Whether I get there or not isn't an issue -- I've been doing a lot of academic reading and really haven't had the time/energy for fun reading.
I had another thought when I started the last paragraph, that was more than just the 'where are the two reading goals' but eh, I've forgotten (possibly: tidy the library. or do the next pass through of the library check, given that Librarything has a better way of doing it than I've previously found).
Meeting and dinner out
Oct. 26th, 2025 12:12 amsilver_chipmunkGot a good nights sleep last night so I feel much better. I did get to sleep somewhat later than I would have hoped because the new Lois McMaster Bujold Penric and Desdemona novella dropped on Barnes and Noble so I was able to download it to my Nook. So I did that before I slept. But I did resist the temptation to start reading it.
Anyway, I got up at 9"00 feeling much better and had breakfast and coffee. I showered and dressed and took the 16 bus to Bowne Park, because the church we meet in now is being used for early voting, so we had to meet in the park where we used to before we got the church. I got there quite early, but G was already there so we sat on a bench together.
The meeting was unusually heavy and deep. But it was good. Afterward I got a ride fro S to the diner.
I took the bus home, and dropped into the Starsky and Hutch chat. I didn't stay long though because I textedmashfanficchick to ask about having dinner with Elyssa, and ze said if I wanted to join them I should come right over. So I said goodbye in the chat and took the 44 bus to Flushing where I discovered what I should have remembered, that the 7 train isn't running between Main St and Mets/Willets Point. Instead there's a shuttle bus. So that took extra time.
But I got tomashfanficchick's before Elyssa got there, and hung out until she did. Then we went and picked up Liz G who was coming too.
By weird coincidence they settled on having dinner at the same diner we go to after my meetings. I had a regular dinner though, the brandy rigatoni. We had a good time talking and then Elissa drove us all home.
I Teamed the FWiB for a short time, a little over half an hour, and then I got a text frommashfanficchick to give zer a call, so I did and we made some plans for Monday.
Then I started here, and soon I'm going to bed to read my Penric and Desdemona.
Gratitude List:
1. The FWiB.
2. My meetings and the people there.
3. Nice weather so it was comfortable in the park.
4. Got a little time in the Starsky and Hutch chat.
5. Dinner out with friends.
6. New Penric and Desdemona novella.
Anyway, I got up at 9"00 feeling much better and had breakfast and coffee. I showered and dressed and took the 16 bus to Bowne Park, because the church we meet in now is being used for early voting, so we had to meet in the park where we used to before we got the church. I got there quite early, but G was already there so we sat on a bench together.
The meeting was unusually heavy and deep. But it was good. Afterward I got a ride fro S to the diner.
I took the bus home, and dropped into the Starsky and Hutch chat. I didn't stay long though because I texted
mashfanficchick to ask about having dinner with Elyssa, and ze said if I wanted to join them I should come right over. So I said goodbye in the chat and took the 44 bus to Flushing where I discovered what I should have remembered, that the 7 train isn't running between Main St and Mets/Willets Point. Instead there's a shuttle bus. So that took extra time.But I got to
mashfanficchick's before Elyssa got there, and hung out until she did. Then we went and picked up Liz G who was coming too.By weird coincidence they settled on having dinner at the same diner we go to after my meetings. I had a regular dinner though, the brandy rigatoni. We had a good time talking and then Elissa drove us all home.
I Teamed the FWiB for a short time, a little over half an hour, and then I got a text from
mashfanficchick to give zer a call, so I did and we made some plans for Monday.Then I started here, and soon I'm going to bed to read my Penric and Desdemona.
Gratitude List:
1. The FWiB.
2. My meetings and the people there.
3. Nice weather so it was comfortable in the park.
4. Got a little time in the Starsky and Hutch chat.
5. Dinner out with friends.
6. New Penric and Desdemona novella.
swallow poison, swallow sugar
Oct. 24th, 2025 09:42 pmthe_siobhanThe Good:
I went to a wedding last weekend. It was tiny, less than 10 people at City Hall and it was genuinely the only time in my life I've ever teared up at a wedding. The couple are just so amazing together. They could barely let go of each others' hands long enough to put on their rings.
The Bad:
I dropped my Kobo somewhere on the subway. So far the lost-and-found hasn't turned it up yet. That is so annoying and I only have myself to blame.
(I seem to have lost a lot of stuff lately in inexplicable ways. An adapter cable I took with me to Montreal that NEVER LEFT MY KNAPSACK apparently no longer exists. I dropped the tennis ball I roll under my foot today and there is no POSSIBLE way it ended up anywhere except on the floor - but it's not on the floor. How? Is there a portal in this room leading to another dimension? And if yes, is it big enough for me to climb into it?)
The Ugly:
So house stuff, hoo boy. I texted the contractor every single day since my last post. Crickets. Messenger indicates that texts have been read, but no response. I reached out to the city and they tell me I have to hire my own engineer to create a new report. This may involve tearing up the floor to get at the foundations. I say fuck. A lot.
I have hired a guy who has experience sorting out difficult permits because apparently this kind of shit is common enough that you can make a living fixing it for people. So far I am tentatively hopeful - he's been working in this part of town long enough that he knows all the inspectors and can talk to them directly about what needs to happen - this project has been going on for so long that the original inspector assigned to the permit has retired, but dude has his cell number. Fingers crossed he can figure this out. He ALSO called the contractor and didn't get a response - so at this point I'm pretty sure no inspections were done at all and the engineer is just hoping that if he doesn't admit it they won't get in trouble. I have already reached out to the provincial licensing board.
So that nonsense sucked up a lot of the time I had planned to use for finishing up in the house, but I think I still managed to get a lot done. Four big bags of unwanted clothes got walked to a drop-in centre today. A bunch of little fiddly things got repaired, more boxes of stuff have been unearthed and I think I may have actually finally managed to unpack everything that was stored in the house and shed. Two boxes of unwanted stuff was offered to neighbours and taken away. I found more of ex-housemate's LARP gear, they want it so that has been packed up in a box with their name on it. Most everything I pulled out this week was covered in inches of dust so I have been working an assembly line through the shower room to clean everything before it gets put away or boxed up for donation. I have filled the recycling bin twice and the stack of re-usable cardboard on the front porch continues to grow.
***
A friend recommended their physiotherapist, who just happens to be around the corner from me, so I made an appointment to have her look at my foot. She gave me some exercises. She also did some massage that had me going, OK WOW I did not know that specific spot was made out of pain and weeping, but apparently it is. I was sore in whole new places that night, but today I walked to the drop-in centre without my cane because I had too much to carry, and I did not regret that choice when I got home - so maybe that's a good sign? Anyway, going back tomorrow.
***
Tomorrow I go back to work. I want to put one last coat of paint on the doors so I'll try and squeeze that in. Sunday I'm taking my dad for his boosters. Then it's three more weeks of picking at things and hopefully good news about the permits. I have another week off booked in November and if all goes well I'll get to use it for emptying the storage locker. Then that's a $250/month expense that goes away.
Fingers crossed
I went to a wedding last weekend. It was tiny, less than 10 people at City Hall and it was genuinely the only time in my life I've ever teared up at a wedding. The couple are just so amazing together. They could barely let go of each others' hands long enough to put on their rings.
The Bad:
I dropped my Kobo somewhere on the subway. So far the lost-and-found hasn't turned it up yet. That is so annoying and I only have myself to blame.
(I seem to have lost a lot of stuff lately in inexplicable ways. An adapter cable I took with me to Montreal that NEVER LEFT MY KNAPSACK apparently no longer exists. I dropped the tennis ball I roll under my foot today and there is no POSSIBLE way it ended up anywhere except on the floor - but it's not on the floor. How? Is there a portal in this room leading to another dimension? And if yes, is it big enough for me to climb into it?)
The Ugly:
So house stuff, hoo boy. I texted the contractor every single day since my last post. Crickets. Messenger indicates that texts have been read, but no response. I reached out to the city and they tell me I have to hire my own engineer to create a new report. This may involve tearing up the floor to get at the foundations. I say fuck. A lot.
I have hired a guy who has experience sorting out difficult permits because apparently this kind of shit is common enough that you can make a living fixing it for people. So far I am tentatively hopeful - he's been working in this part of town long enough that he knows all the inspectors and can talk to them directly about what needs to happen - this project has been going on for so long that the original inspector assigned to the permit has retired, but dude has his cell number. Fingers crossed he can figure this out. He ALSO called the contractor and didn't get a response - so at this point I'm pretty sure no inspections were done at all and the engineer is just hoping that if he doesn't admit it they won't get in trouble. I have already reached out to the provincial licensing board.
So that nonsense sucked up a lot of the time I had planned to use for finishing up in the house, but I think I still managed to get a lot done. Four big bags of unwanted clothes got walked to a drop-in centre today. A bunch of little fiddly things got repaired, more boxes of stuff have been unearthed and I think I may have actually finally managed to unpack everything that was stored in the house and shed. Two boxes of unwanted stuff was offered to neighbours and taken away. I found more of ex-housemate's LARP gear, they want it so that has been packed up in a box with their name on it. Most everything I pulled out this week was covered in inches of dust so I have been working an assembly line through the shower room to clean everything before it gets put away or boxed up for donation. I have filled the recycling bin twice and the stack of re-usable cardboard on the front porch continues to grow.
***
A friend recommended their physiotherapist, who just happens to be around the corner from me, so I made an appointment to have her look at my foot. She gave me some exercises. She also did some massage that had me going, OK WOW I did not know that specific spot was made out of pain and weeping, but apparently it is. I was sore in whole new places that night, but today I walked to the drop-in centre without my cane because I had too much to carry, and I did not regret that choice when I got home - so maybe that's a good sign? Anyway, going back tomorrow.
***
Tomorrow I go back to work. I want to put one last coat of paint on the doors so I'll try and squeeze that in. Sunday I'm taking my dad for his boosters. Then it's three more weeks of picking at things and hopefully good news about the permits. I have another week off booked in November and if all goes well I'll get to use it for emptying the storage locker. Then that's a $250/month expense that goes away.
Fingers crossed
And, huh. It looks like I lost my bank card
Oct. 26th, 2025 11:48 pmconulySince I belong to a little bitty credit union, my branch is closed tomorrow and I have to go into the city to get a replacement and, while I'm there, have them fix my name - if they remove my middle initial from my card, my last name will fit properly, easy-peasy. Or I can wait until Monday, since I'm certain I lost it in the house, but it turns out there's another protest tomorrow so I may as well go in.
Anyway, speaking of protests and politics and food banks,petra is offering up fanworks:
If you donate at least $25 in cash or in-kind to a food bank at any point between now and the end of the Trump Administration, and you either share a fandom of mine and want a drabble or fannish poetry, or you want original poetry, drop me a comment, and I will write for you.
So, there you go, that's a win-win for everybody.
Edit: Well! As you might expect, as soon as I posted I happened to roll my chair over my card! It's fine, chair and card are both fine. I still need to make them fix my name, but it can wait.
Anyway, speaking of protests and politics and food banks,
petra is offering up fanworks:If you donate at least $25 in cash or in-kind to a food bank at any point between now and the end of the Trump Administration, and you either share a fandom of mine and want a drabble or fannish poetry, or you want original poetry, drop me a comment, and I will write for you.
So, there you go, that's a win-win for everybody.
Edit: Well! As you might expect, as soon as I posted I happened to roll my chair over my card! It's fine, chair and card are both fine. I still need to make them fix my name, but it can wait.
Welp, my glasses have reached the point of no return with superglue
Oct. 25th, 2025 08:40 pmconulyThis is the last mending they'll take, and I'm not sure how long it'll hold. I've ordered a new pair, and on the one hand I know $100 is cheap - especially for my prescription! - but on the other hand, I didn't want to spend it. And I didn't exactly love my choice of frames, either, but they were inexpensive and fit my pupil distance, so I'll live with them.
(Though, looking on the website, it seems glow in the dark frames are an option!? I would never, sounds like a real visual annoyance, but man, so much respect for anybody who goes in that direction!)
*********************
( Read more... )
(Though, looking on the website, it seems glow in the dark frames are an option!? I would never, sounds like a real visual annoyance, but man, so much respect for anybody who goes in that direction!)
( Read more... )
Horrible insomnia
Oct. 24th, 2025 11:13 pmsilver_chipmunkI turned off the light last night at 1:45 am. I assumed since it was so late I'd fall asleep quickly. I did not. I did not fall asleep at all.
Finally at 7:30, after literally being awake all night, I got up, had breakfast, and went back to bed and slept til 12:30. That was not enough sleep. But I got through the day.
I had coffee, and put in a Shipt order. Then I took a shower and dressed. The Shipt order actually came early, which was a nice surprise.
I put it away and puttered online. At 4:00 I went to the bedroom and lay down and played on my phone til 5:00 when I got up and went to my Al-anon meeting in the Bronx. As usual I had pizza first.
The meeting was rather small but quite good. M drove me to the bus stop afterward.
Then my battles with the MTA began. The 50 bus was about 15 minutes late. It finally arrived, and I got to 31st and Linden to wait for the 25, and found there wasn't on for almost half an hour. So I did what I did last week and walked home from there. Grrr,
Got home finally and Teamed the FWiB. We couldn't talk as long as I would have liked cause it was so late but we it was good.
Then I fed the pets and started here. I need to get to bed soon, my head is bussing I'm so tired.
Gratitude List:
1. The FWiB.
2. My meetings and the people there.
3. Pizza.
4. Held myself to only two donuts this week.
5. Shipt.
6. Bed soon!
Finally at 7:30, after literally being awake all night, I got up, had breakfast, and went back to bed and slept til 12:30. That was not enough sleep. But I got through the day.
I had coffee, and put in a Shipt order. Then I took a shower and dressed. The Shipt order actually came early, which was a nice surprise.
I put it away and puttered online. At 4:00 I went to the bedroom and lay down and played on my phone til 5:00 when I got up and went to my Al-anon meeting in the Bronx. As usual I had pizza first.
The meeting was rather small but quite good. M drove me to the bus stop afterward.
Then my battles with the MTA began. The 50 bus was about 15 minutes late. It finally arrived, and I got to 31st and Linden to wait for the 25, and found there wasn't on for almost half an hour. So I did what I did last week and walked home from there. Grrr,
Got home finally and Teamed the FWiB. We couldn't talk as long as I would have liked cause it was so late but we it was good.
Then I fed the pets and started here. I need to get to bed soon, my head is bussing I'm so tired.
Gratitude List:
1. The FWiB.
2. My meetings and the people there.
3. Pizza.
4. Held myself to only two donuts this week.
5. Shipt.
6. Bed soon!
A Sailor Found and Then Lost Again
Oct. 24th, 2025 05:57 pmhmmm_teaFor quite a while I hit a brick wall with my 2x Great Grandfather Samuel Barritt as he wasn't with his wife and children in Cardiff on any of the censuses. His marriage and children's birth certificates indicated he was a merchant seaman, which at least explained his absence, but didn't give much to go on for finding any more about him.
Crew lists for the 19th century are mostly not transcribed, so short of finding all the remaining ones and checking them it's not easy to find merchant sailors unless they happen to appear on one of the ones that has been...
( An ancestor found )
Crew lists for the 19th century are mostly not transcribed, so short of finding all the remaining ones and checking them it's not easy to find merchant sailors unless they happen to appear on one of the ones that has been...
( An ancestor found )
TV night once more
Oct. 24th, 2025 12:18 amsilver_chipmunkSo I actually managed to get up at 10:00, amazing because I forgot to turn on the alarm so there was nothing to wake me up.
I had breakfast and coffee, then calledmashfanficchick who said I should come over around 3:00. So I puttered online awhile, then showered and dressed.
Then I did something that I'd been meaning to do for a few days. One of the two lightbulbs in the ceiling lamp of the kitchen blew out so I had to change it. This is more involved than it sounds as I have high ceilings, a bit higher than eight feet, and I am short, 5' 3" if I haven't shrunk. So I have to stand on the very top of the step ladder, the step that isn't supposed to be stood on (but everyone does) and stretch to reach the lamp. It is always scary and nerve-wracking.
But I did it in a shorter time than usual so I am proud. After that I puttered online until 2:15 when I started getting ready to go.
I took the 44 bus, and then the 46, and got tomashfanficchick's by 3:15, so it took a bit longer than usual. There was another fare check by the transit police along the way They didn't even bother to scan my card this time, I guess I look responsible, or else they just don't care.
Anyway I got there and we hung out talking til 6:00 when ze had to do something private on the phone, so I went down to Starbucks and had a pumpkin spice latte and attempted to Team the FWiB. Unfortunately the music in the Starbucks was so loud that it didn't work out, so we got off and I started reading the book I had brought with me, Somewhere Beyond the Sea, the sequel to The House on the Cerulean Sea. (I finished Wooing the Witch Queen last night. Very nice and satisfying ending to a cozy romantic book)
mashfanficchick called me and said ze would meet me there and we'd get food for dinner. So that's what we did. We decided on Indian. I got chicken korma and a mango lassi.
We took the food back to zer place and ate, and at 8:00 we watched 911. It was a very good episode. At 8:30 during the commercials I called Middle Brother. He is fine, took a walk in a park yesterday but was disappointed there was no water in the pond. He's looking forward to Halloween though.
At 9:00 we watched 911: Nashville, which was better than the preceeding episodes were. Still awfully soapy though.
We hung out for awhile afterward, and then I Ubered home. Got here and fed the pets, and started here.
Gratitude List:
1 The FWiB.
2. Good TV.
3. Got the lightbulb changed with no problems.
4. The new Lois McMaster Bujold Penrick and Desdemona novella is out (though not for Nook yet, darn it)
5. Indian food.
6. Middle Brother is well.
I had breakfast and coffee, then called
mashfanficchick who said I should come over around 3:00. So I puttered online awhile, then showered and dressed. Then I did something that I'd been meaning to do for a few days. One of the two lightbulbs in the ceiling lamp of the kitchen blew out so I had to change it. This is more involved than it sounds as I have high ceilings, a bit higher than eight feet, and I am short, 5' 3" if I haven't shrunk. So I have to stand on the very top of the step ladder, the step that isn't supposed to be stood on (but everyone does) and stretch to reach the lamp. It is always scary and nerve-wracking.
But I did it in a shorter time than usual so I am proud. After that I puttered online until 2:15 when I started getting ready to go.
I took the 44 bus, and then the 46, and got to
mashfanficchick's by 3:15, so it took a bit longer than usual. There was another fare check by the transit police along the way They didn't even bother to scan my card this time, I guess I look responsible, or else they just don't care.Anyway I got there and we hung out talking til 6:00 when ze had to do something private on the phone, so I went down to Starbucks and had a pumpkin spice latte and attempted to Team the FWiB. Unfortunately the music in the Starbucks was so loud that it didn't work out, so we got off and I started reading the book I had brought with me, Somewhere Beyond the Sea, the sequel to The House on the Cerulean Sea. (I finished Wooing the Witch Queen last night. Very nice and satisfying ending to a cozy romantic book)
mashfanficchick called me and said ze would meet me there and we'd get food for dinner. So that's what we did. We decided on Indian. I got chicken korma and a mango lassi.We took the food back to zer place and ate, and at 8:00 we watched 911. It was a very good episode. At 8:30 during the commercials I called Middle Brother. He is fine, took a walk in a park yesterday but was disappointed there was no water in the pond. He's looking forward to Halloween though.
At 9:00 we watched 911: Nashville, which was better than the preceeding episodes were. Still awfully soapy though.
We hung out for awhile afterward, and then I Ubered home. Got here and fed the pets, and started here.
Gratitude List:
1 The FWiB.
2. Good TV.
3. Got the lightbulb changed with no problems.
4. The new Lois McMaster Bujold Penrick and Desdemona novella is out (though not for Nook yet, darn it)
5. Indian food.
6. Middle Brother is well.
Dear Yuletide Writer
Oct. 24th, 2025 12:38 pmluthienDear author,
Somehow it's Yuletide time once again!
I'm Luthien in most places, including AO3.
I'm really easy to write for. I like most types of stories and most ratings - and I'm sure I'll love whatever you write. Thank you for writing for me!
( Likes, DNWs and requests under here )
Somehow it's Yuletide time once again!
I'm Luthien in most places, including AO3.
I'm really easy to write for. I like most types of stories and most ratings - and I'm sure I'll love whatever you write. Thank you for writing for me!
( Likes, DNWs and requests under here )
About My Interests Here
Oct. 23rd, 2025 09:55 amdewlineYesterday, if memory serves, I added Public Health to my profile's list of interests. I consider that choice on my part long overdue.
Quality Experiences
Oct. 23rd, 2025 09:11 pmtcpipI have argued for a while that Epicureanism is a refinement of Hedonism and Stoicism is an advanced development from Epicureanism; "To live, to live well, to live better" (Whitehead, "The Function of Reason"). Each of these represents a qualitative change and, as one learns in the business of Quality Assurance, that is defined as improved precision and is differentiated as a continuum of accuracy, ultimately from "high quality" to "low quality". I find that this applies to people as well as processes; inconsistent people, who fluctuate between emotive extremes, can occasionally be enjoyable and exciting, but ultimately are hurtful and exhausting and are thus best avoided, no matter who is enticing the good times are. Such people invariably are unsuccessful in life; quality requires both a degree of consistency and reflective, tested, improvement.
Over the past few days, I have been fortunate enough in life to experience a few examples of high-quality experiences. The first was an evening of music, which I attended with Kate. This was headlined by the Paul Kidney Japanese Experience, and supported by The Black Heart Death Cult and Cat Crawl. All performed with great competence in accordance with their particular style. "Cat Crawl" (who describe themselves as "a three-piece tantrum in the form of a band") provided early 1980s-style feminist punk with humour, whilst in comparison "The Black Heart Death Cult" were a gloomy-shoegaze fusion, reminiscent of the French "blackgaze" from the 2000s. Finally, the Paul Kidney Japanese Experience gave something akin to a Japanese version an extended Hawkwind space rock concert. All in all, a great night with a great variety of styles. As a radical contrast, the following day Nitul invited me to the end-of-semester Baroque Ensemble Concert from the students at Unimelb's Faculty of Fine Arts and Music. It was an admirable selection from Lully, Bach, Vivaldi, Schein and more, and in total included over fifty performers of music and song. I found myself, as I often do in such music, drifting off to another world.
As more culinary experiences, Kate and I attended the Melbourne Italian Festival the following day at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre. The building is beautiful, but despite my heritage, I find a great deal of contemporary Italian culture pretty gaudy at best, especially in the field of fashion, homewares, and music. Of course, in food and film, it retains a very high level, the latter with a decidedly leftist influence. Apropos, last night I had the delight of being cooked for by the Minister for Climate Change Action and Energy Resources, etc, Lily D'Ambrosio, who provided an astounding Calabrian feast for some twenty individuals whilst showing off the capabilities of induction cookers. Lily deserves high praise for the quiet revolution she has led in Victoria, changing the production of electricity towards renewables and, more recently, with the phaseout of fossil fuels in domestic appliances, all with significant success. Quiet revolutions too, can be an example of quality.
Over the past few days, I have been fortunate enough in life to experience a few examples of high-quality experiences. The first was an evening of music, which I attended with Kate. This was headlined by the Paul Kidney Japanese Experience, and supported by The Black Heart Death Cult and Cat Crawl. All performed with great competence in accordance with their particular style. "Cat Crawl" (who describe themselves as "a three-piece tantrum in the form of a band") provided early 1980s-style feminist punk with humour, whilst in comparison "The Black Heart Death Cult" were a gloomy-shoegaze fusion, reminiscent of the French "blackgaze" from the 2000s. Finally, the Paul Kidney Japanese Experience gave something akin to a Japanese version an extended Hawkwind space rock concert. All in all, a great night with a great variety of styles. As a radical contrast, the following day Nitul invited me to the end-of-semester Baroque Ensemble Concert from the students at Unimelb's Faculty of Fine Arts and Music. It was an admirable selection from Lully, Bach, Vivaldi, Schein and more, and in total included over fifty performers of music and song. I found myself, as I often do in such music, drifting off to another world.
As more culinary experiences, Kate and I attended the Melbourne Italian Festival the following day at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre. The building is beautiful, but despite my heritage, I find a great deal of contemporary Italian culture pretty gaudy at best, especially in the field of fashion, homewares, and music. Of course, in food and film, it retains a very high level, the latter with a decidedly leftist influence. Apropos, last night I had the delight of being cooked for by the Minister for Climate Change Action and Energy Resources, etc, Lily D'Ambrosio, who provided an astounding Calabrian feast for some twenty individuals whilst showing off the capabilities of induction cookers. Lily deserves high praise for the quiet revolution she has led in Victoria, changing the production of electricity towards renewables and, more recently, with the phaseout of fossil fuels in domestic appliances, all with significant success. Quiet revolutions too, can be an example of quality.
Watching The Diplomat
Oct. 22nd, 2025 10:22 pmsilver_chipmunkI slept even later than I have been this morning, almost 2:00, though in my defense I had trouble sleeping last night and was awake late. But even so, this must stop. I WILL get up at 10:00 tomorrow!
But anyway, I got up and had breakfast and coffee, and puttered online for awhile. I called the plumber back up and ascertained that they were going to winterize the cottage on the 3rd. And send me the bill. Laurie emailed during the day about the winterizing and I was able to tell everyone it was set.
I then watched three episodes of The Diplomat. It's as tasty as the other seasons. I am loving it. Sad that it's only an eight episode season. Which means I'm halfway done already!
I stopped watching at 6:00, and Teamed the FWiB early tonight. My gaming session was cancelled because the GM wasn't feeling well, bummer but it meant I could talk longer to the FWiB. So we went for a little over an hour and a half.
Then I had dinner, and went to the bedroom and played solitaire. Then I calledmashfanficchick to discuss tomorrow.
And then it was pet feeding time. I am almost out of turtle food. Petco for some reason discontinued the large cans of specifically adult turtle food I was getting delivered, and substituted smaller cans of regular turtle food. I went into my settings a few days ago and changed the size of the cans I'm getting, but the next delivery isn't until November 20th. So I'll have to get more before then.
Gratitude List:
1. The FWiB.
2. Good shows.
3. Able to take a day to just watch.
4. Popsicles.
5. Winterizing is set.
6. My cousins.
But anyway, I got up and had breakfast and coffee, and puttered online for awhile. I called the plumber back up and ascertained that they were going to winterize the cottage on the 3rd. And send me the bill. Laurie emailed during the day about the winterizing and I was able to tell everyone it was set.
I then watched three episodes of The Diplomat. It's as tasty as the other seasons. I am loving it. Sad that it's only an eight episode season. Which means I'm halfway done already!
I stopped watching at 6:00, and Teamed the FWiB early tonight. My gaming session was cancelled because the GM wasn't feeling well, bummer but it meant I could talk longer to the FWiB. So we went for a little over an hour and a half.
Then I had dinner, and went to the bedroom and played solitaire. Then I called
mashfanficchick to discuss tomorrow. And then it was pet feeding time. I am almost out of turtle food. Petco for some reason discontinued the large cans of specifically adult turtle food I was getting delivered, and substituted smaller cans of regular turtle food. I went into my settings a few days ago and changed the size of the cans I'm getting, but the next delivery isn't until November 20th. So I'll have to get more before then.
Gratitude List:
1. The FWiB.
2. Good shows.
3. Able to take a day to just watch.
4. Popsicles.
5. Winterizing is set.
6. My cousins.
Weird things in grocery stores
Oct. 22nd, 2025 10:33 pmdewlineI am seeing boxes of Kellogg's product in my suburban Ottawa grocery store. Branded Wednesday and Stranger Things Demogorgon Crunch.
My brain, of course, takes in the packaging on the latter, and flashes back to a first-season episode of Space: 1999 called "Dragon's Domain". Scared the hell out of grade-school-me when I first saw it on CBC Regina TV. I cannot help suspecting that if the the modern marketing mavens at Kellogg's saw that episode of that series, the title critter would be cartoonified on the front of boxes of something called Space: 1999 - Dragon's Delight.
My brain, of course, takes in the packaging on the latter, and flashes back to a first-season episode of Space: 1999 called "Dragon's Domain". Scared the hell out of grade-school-me when I first saw it on CBC Regina TV. I cannot help suspecting that if the the modern marketing mavens at Kellogg's saw that episode of that series, the title critter would be cartoonified on the front of boxes of something called Space: 1999 - Dragon's Delight.
I got tired of trying to clean my mouse
Oct. 24th, 2025 09:36 pmconulyand since we have a ton of computer mice (mouses?) already I just swapped it out. But I still was bugged by the ton of crud that I know was embedded in my old mouse, so before I tossed it I took it apart to clean the scrollwheel.
So much cat hair, much of it felted, and I'm honestly surprised the scrollwheel was functioning at all. But it was so cheaply made that putting it back together would've been a hassle and a half, so I'm glad I had the sense to just replace it rather than depending on my own repair skills!
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So much cat hair, much of it felted, and I'm honestly surprised the scrollwheel was functioning at all. But it was so cheaply made that putting it back together would've been a hassle and a half, so I'm glad I had the sense to just replace it rather than depending on my own repair skills!
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