Activities
Jun. 26th, 2025 12:12 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lexinaunty_marion an I have been having a holiday of sorts, travelling hither and yon around North Wales to see various sights. Yesterday we went up the Great Orme on a tramway and had hot chocolate and a hot dog at the top. Lovely views.On another day we went to a National Trust property called Plas Newydd in which is probably Rex Whistler’s finest work, a mural of a fantasy city on the dining room wall. It is so intricate that you could look at it for hours and still be finding new bits. It is fantastic, if you ever get a chance, do go and see it.
Anxiety
Jun. 23rd, 2025 07:21 pmyourlibrarian1) I've been seeing a lot more posting on ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
common_nature, very encouraging! Have added the first of my waterfall photos there, of Latourelle Falls.
2) Looks like there is a spammer at work on Squidgeworld. I got 3 comments to different posts within a few hours today, two with outright solicitations for commissions.
3) Saw Dune 2, and thought it was ok. It's almost as if the movie was made to be the direct opposite of David Lynch's version in casting and tone as well as visuals. ( Read more... )
4) Finally saw the Barbie movie as well. I can see why it did well. Given its remit and likely limitations, I thought it did a good job. It had a clear direction, and it did it well and with both humor and heart. I also quite enjoyed its ending. That said, I think the film itself opened the door to a more incisive critique which it didn't follow. ( Read more... )
5) This past month is turning out to be an expensive one. My partner's sister had a roof leak in her spare bedroom, which went on long enough that it damaged the bed underneath it before she noticed. Since this was where my partner stays when he visits his family, a replacement was needed. So we decided to move his current bed there and get a new one. ( Read more... )
common_nature, very encouraging! Have added the first of my waterfall photos there, of Latourelle Falls.2) Looks like there is a spammer at work on Squidgeworld. I got 3 comments to different posts within a few hours today, two with outright solicitations for commissions.
3) Saw Dune 2, and thought it was ok. It's almost as if the movie was made to be the direct opposite of David Lynch's version in casting and tone as well as visuals. ( Read more... )
4) Finally saw the Barbie movie as well. I can see why it did well. Given its remit and likely limitations, I thought it did a good job. It had a clear direction, and it did it well and with both humor and heart. I also quite enjoyed its ending. That said, I think the film itself opened the door to a more incisive critique which it didn't follow. ( Read more... )
5) This past month is turning out to be an expensive one. My partner's sister had a roof leak in her spare bedroom, which went on long enough that it damaged the bed underneath it before she noticed. Since this was where my partner stays when he visits his family, a replacement was needed. So we decided to move his current bed there and get a new one. ( Read more... )
Poll #33282 Kudos Footer-528
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Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 7
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 7
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(no subject)
Jun. 22nd, 2025 11:19 pmyuuagoStuff I did this weekend:
- Went to the physiotherapist. As I suspected, the injury that put me out of judo since the beginning of June was a sprained tendon in the elbow area. Current plan is to rest and recover during summer, and pick up judo again in September when the new season starts. In the meantime, no pushups, planks, or breakfalls for me. (Or carrying heavy groceries with that particular arm for that matter)
- Went to a pride event. Drag brunch put on by the local drag group, the Oil Royals! Some of my acquaintances are involved in that, so it was cool to see them perform. They'll also be performing at the pride festival next Saturday, I think. Anyway, it was nice. I think I'll see if I can coordinate with somebody next time - it was fun by myself, but stuff like this is more fun with somebody else, too.
- Worked on a fic. Felt good. This particular draft is kind of meh, but it has one line that's absolutely amazing. I'm kind of hoping I'll be able to massage the overall result into something that I'll be more satisfied with on the whole. Ain't that always the way.
- I'm going to feel kind of relieved when pride month is over. I've been going to a lot of events, and it's been super fun, but I think I've been over extending myself a bit (and that's after cutting back on some of the things I'd wanted to go to).
- Went to the physiotherapist. As I suspected, the injury that put me out of judo since the beginning of June was a sprained tendon in the elbow area. Current plan is to rest and recover during summer, and pick up judo again in September when the new season starts. In the meantime, no pushups, planks, or breakfalls for me. (Or carrying heavy groceries with that particular arm for that matter)
- Went to a pride event. Drag brunch put on by the local drag group, the Oil Royals! Some of my acquaintances are involved in that, so it was cool to see them perform. They'll also be performing at the pride festival next Saturday, I think. Anyway, it was nice. I think I'll see if I can coordinate with somebody next time - it was fun by myself, but stuff like this is more fun with somebody else, too.
- Worked on a fic. Felt good. This particular draft is kind of meh, but it has one line that's absolutely amazing. I'm kind of hoping I'll be able to massage the overall result into something that I'll be more satisfied with on the whole. Ain't that always the way.
- I'm going to feel kind of relieved when pride month is over. I've been going to a lot of events, and it's been super fun, but I think I've been over extending myself a bit (and that's after cutting back on some of the things I'd wanted to go to).
and we always have a story
Jun. 22nd, 2025 09:18 pmpensnestI was given A Presumption of Death for my birthday. It's the Jill Paton Walsh Lord Peter Wimsey book set in the early years of WWII. It's all right. Mostly it catches the right sort of tone, but there are moments when the vocabulary doesn't seem quite right—would DL Sayers have called a dress 'sexy-looking'? Could do better, I reckon. And the Wimseys seem to be unusually perspicacious about the likely course of the War. I realise that it must be hard to restrict a fictional character's knowledge of what is to come when you are writing in the 21st century, not while the war is actually in progress, but for me, too many hints at the future were irritating.
However. Not bad, for fanfic.
However. Not bad, for fanfic.
[Music] Midnight Shine - Heart of Gold
Jun. 21st, 2025 10:53 pmyuuagoMidnight Shine - "Heart of Gold" (Youtube link)
Heard this cover of Neil Young's song on the radio today; loved it and had to share. The final verse is translated into Cree and it sounds really good!
I haven't heard of this band before. Will have to look them up more later, 'cause I really like what I hear.
Heard this cover of Neil Young's song on the radio today; loved it and had to share. The final verse is translated into Cree and it sounds really good!
I haven't heard of this band before. Will have to look them up more later, 'cause I really like what I hear.
I saw below me the golden valley... I think is part of it?
Jun. 14th, 2025 02:18 pmmarginalianaVarious:
--I keep not posting because I feel like I'd have to post about reality, which is full of plumbing-house-ceiling-reconstruction disaster, dragged out over months, but it's still happening and I'm still full of despair and I'm tired of thinking about it, so I have decided instead to post about literally anything else.
--My mother's friend's teen grandchild is maybe coming out as trans but maybe not sure yet. The grandmother is determined to support her grandchild (yay) but both she and my mother are squarely in the zone of 'you mean well but you are boomers who live in central Texas and are therefore clueless AF.' (My mother apparently listened to her friend tell her about the situation and then, trying to come up with something positive, said, "Well, you just tell him he always does a great job with the weeding, so he's a good kid.")
If anyone has links to personal recommendations or personally-endorsed resources for 'how do I support my trans grandchild in a red state when I know nothing?' I would love to be able to pass something on.
--Work is full of meetings about AI products, which is almost as annoying as home contractors but marginally less so. Because I am paid to be at work listening to people say ignorant things about em dashes — which you can pry from my cold, dead hands — as opposed to at home where no one is commenting on my punctuation but the money is flowing the other way.
--Last night we went to the Harvard Science Museums' Midsummer celebration, during which I made myself a flower crown and lived my best hippie child/forest nymph life. I have always secretly loved the forest nymph aesthetic but I'm too lazy and awkward to pull it off for more than an hour-ish in reality, so it was very pleasing to have A tell me how charming I looked. (I mean, she tells me this all the time, but still.)
While there listening to the family-friendly music, with mild sadness I realized that I've forgotten all the verses of "This Land is Your Land." I may need to go memorize those again, as I once knew them all by heart.
--Twice this week we have been able to sit outside in the shade reading for long periods of time and it's been so incredibly nice. Today after a while I spread out the picnic blanket and actually napped on the grass. I have no idea how long this time of year will last so I'm determined to make the most of it.
--There's gonna be a new Spaceballs movie and this news is a shaft of delight in a dark world.
--I keep not posting because I feel like I'd have to post about reality, which is full of plumbing-house-ceiling-reconstruction disaster, dragged out over months, but it's still happening and I'm still full of despair and I'm tired of thinking about it, so I have decided instead to post about literally anything else.
--My mother's friend's teen grandchild is maybe coming out as trans but maybe not sure yet. The grandmother is determined to support her grandchild (yay) but both she and my mother are squarely in the zone of 'you mean well but you are boomers who live in central Texas and are therefore clueless AF.' (My mother apparently listened to her friend tell her about the situation and then, trying to come up with something positive, said, "Well, you just tell him he always does a great job with the weeding, so he's a good kid.")
If anyone has links to personal recommendations or personally-endorsed resources for 'how do I support my trans grandchild in a red state when I know nothing?' I would love to be able to pass something on.
--Work is full of meetings about AI products, which is almost as annoying as home contractors but marginally less so. Because I am paid to be at work listening to people say ignorant things about em dashes — which you can pry from my cold, dead hands — as opposed to at home where no one is commenting on my punctuation but the money is flowing the other way.
--Last night we went to the Harvard Science Museums' Midsummer celebration, during which I made myself a flower crown and lived my best hippie child/forest nymph life. I have always secretly loved the forest nymph aesthetic but I'm too lazy and awkward to pull it off for more than an hour-ish in reality, so it was very pleasing to have A tell me how charming I looked. (I mean, she tells me this all the time, but still.)
While there listening to the family-friendly music, with mild sadness I realized that I've forgotten all the verses of "This Land is Your Land." I may need to go memorize those again, as I once knew them all by heart.
--Twice this week we have been able to sit outside in the shade reading for long periods of time and it's been so incredibly nice. Today after a while I spread out the picnic blanket and actually napped on the grass. I have no idea how long this time of year will last so I'm determined to make the most of it.
--There's gonna be a new Spaceballs movie and this news is a shaft of delight in a dark world.
(no subject)
Jun. 19th, 2025 10:53 pmyuuagoWhen I was finishing my walk today, I passed by the big public ashtray outside my apartment building. There was a lot of smoke coming out of it. Not a small amount, but like, a lot. And it smelled really bad.
I went up to my apartment, thought about it for a moment, and then decided to put it out. It really was a lot of smoke and it smelled horrible. And like, the ashtray wasn't close to the building, but it was sitting on a bed of wood chips... next to a tree... just seemed like a fire hazard.
So I filled a bucket with water. And there were some people down by the entranceway, and they said that they'd passed that thing an hour ago and it had been very smoky then too. Surprising that it went so long like that without someone putting it out.
When I went out to take care of it, I was having a bit of trouble figuring out how to get the water in there. Some guy yelled down from a balcony with instructions of how to take it apart. So, that helped, and I was able to take it apart and pour water into the smoking, foul-smelling bucket of cigarettes.
And then he yelled down at me, "You're a good person!"
And like, I guess? Maybe? But honestly, mostly it's just... It was a fire hazard, and also, I live here. I'm not on the ground floor, but this is my apartment complex. I don't want the place that I live to be smoky and gross and maybe even catch fire.
And now my jogging clothes smell like cigarette smoke. Ew.
I went up to my apartment, thought about it for a moment, and then decided to put it out. It really was a lot of smoke and it smelled horrible. And like, the ashtray wasn't close to the building, but it was sitting on a bed of wood chips... next to a tree... just seemed like a fire hazard.
So I filled a bucket with water. And there were some people down by the entranceway, and they said that they'd passed that thing an hour ago and it had been very smoky then too. Surprising that it went so long like that without someone putting it out.
When I went out to take care of it, I was having a bit of trouble figuring out how to get the water in there. Some guy yelled down from a balcony with instructions of how to take it apart. So, that helped, and I was able to take it apart and pour water into the smoking, foul-smelling bucket of cigarettes.
And then he yelled down at me, "You're a good person!"
And like, I guess? Maybe? But honestly, mostly it's just... It was a fire hazard, and also, I live here. I'm not on the ground floor, but this is my apartment complex. I don't want the place that I live to be smoky and gross and maybe even catch fire.
And now my jogging clothes smell like cigarette smoke. Ew.
Join everykindofcraft!
Jun. 16th, 2025 01:31 pmyourlibrarian1) Even though I know it's difficult to get any traction with communities, I decided to give a new one a go. Unfortunately Dreamwidth does not give over defunct communities to new mods, which is a shame since quite a few communities don't make it a year and the admin has disappeared.
I know there are many crafters on Dreamwidth but it seems nothing devoted to it has been updated in eons or has no admin or both. So I decided to openeverykindofcraft for what it says in the name. A community where people can share their projects, either in process or completed, as well as ask for assistance with craft-related things. ( Read more... )
If anyone would be interested in co-modding, let me know!
2) Thought it was amusing when I read in this article about Andor filming locations that a building of Calatrava's was a central choice. I've liked his work and had a book on his portfolio (most of which has involved bridges and transportation centers rather than, say, office buildings). But I didn't recognize it, which is probably in part because I was so riveted by what was happening on screen and partly because I hadn't realized they'd done as much location shooting as they had.
3) Posted another set of travel pics overcommon_nature, this from the International Rose Test Garden in Portland.
4) Read the latest two books by Ellie Griffiths, and had mixed feelings about them. They are Bleeding Heart Yard and The Last Word which I read in order. I had issues with the mystery in the first and felt like the resolution to the second one was rather pro forma. ( spoilers )
5) Also tried out the first of Helen Fields' DI Callanach series, Perfect Remains ( Read more... )
I know there are many crafters on Dreamwidth but it seems nothing devoted to it has been updated in eons or has no admin or both. So I decided to open
everykindofcraft for what it says in the name. A community where people can share their projects, either in process or completed, as well as ask for assistance with craft-related things. ( Read more... )If anyone would be interested in co-modding, let me know!
2) Thought it was amusing when I read in this article about Andor filming locations that a building of Calatrava's was a central choice. I've liked his work and had a book on his portfolio (most of which has involved bridges and transportation centers rather than, say, office buildings). But I didn't recognize it, which is probably in part because I was so riveted by what was happening on screen and partly because I hadn't realized they'd done as much location shooting as they had.
3) Posted another set of travel pics over
common_nature, this from the International Rose Test Garden in Portland.4) Read the latest two books by Ellie Griffiths, and had mixed feelings about them. They are Bleeding Heart Yard and The Last Word which I read in order. I had issues with the mystery in the first and felt like the resolution to the second one was rather pro forma. ( spoilers )
5) Also tried out the first of Helen Fields' DI Callanach series, Perfect Remains ( Read more... )
Poll #33260 Kudos Footer-527
This poll is anonymous.
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 8
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 8
Want to leave a Kudos?