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For our cat...
Jun. 9th, 2026 04:26 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
halfshellvenusWhy must your love for The Boy come out your teeth?
Stop trying to bite his calves! Weirdo. :O
Stop trying to bite his calves! Weirdo. :O
halfshellvenus
(no subject)
Jun. 9th, 2026 03:31 pmturpsI went to see Masters of the Universe on Saturday, and it was everything I wanted and more, such a nostalgia hit with a OTT camp side that was both ridiculous and amazing. Because let's face it, He-Man is ridiculous, so I'm glad they leaned into that and not just the brash masculinity and also that they leaned into a surprising amount of innuendo and fisting comments. Plus, Cringer! I always loved that cat.
Thanks toshadowhive I knew there were two end credit scenes, and they were worth staying for. Especially as again, they were a nostalgia hit right to the feels.
My brother had the model Castle Greyskull and the action figures, too. And of course, I played with them as well, so more reminders of good memories there.
Other than that, I took Bodhi to school twice last week. Once on James' day off so we could drive there, the other solo which meant walking. Not that it's a long walk, but it did take a little longer than it should have taken as the route takes you through a cemetery and Bodhi kept pointing out all the graves that featured Jesus.
On another afternoon, I went with Lucy to see Bodhi in her school play. She goes to a Catholic faith school, so the play was about friendship and God, which was more religious content than I'd sat through for years. It was a short play, but every kid had a line, so I enjoyed watching them stand up and either belt out their line or mutter it -- Bodhi was a mutter'er. But was amused when the headmaster said that normally you wouldn't clap during religious plays, but in this case, he was sure that Jesus wouldn't mind some quiet applause. So thank you, Jesus for that permission, as it would have felt so wrong to have sat in silence.
One of the film channels has Christmas in June going on. Guess who has had Christmas films as their background viewing this last week :D
Thanks to
shadowhive I knew there were two end credit scenes, and they were worth staying for. Especially as again, they were a nostalgia hit right to the feels.My brother had the model Castle Greyskull and the action figures, too. And of course, I played with them as well, so more reminders of good memories there.
Other than that, I took Bodhi to school twice last week. Once on James' day off so we could drive there, the other solo which meant walking. Not that it's a long walk, but it did take a little longer than it should have taken as the route takes you through a cemetery and Bodhi kept pointing out all the graves that featured Jesus.
On another afternoon, I went with Lucy to see Bodhi in her school play. She goes to a Catholic faith school, so the play was about friendship and God, which was more religious content than I'd sat through for years. It was a short play, but every kid had a line, so I enjoyed watching them stand up and either belt out their line or mutter it -- Bodhi was a mutter'er. But was amused when the headmaster said that normally you wouldn't clap during religious plays, but in this case, he was sure that Jesus wouldn't mind some quiet applause. So thank you, Jesus for that permission, as it would have felt so wrong to have sat in silence.
One of the film channels has Christmas in June going on. Guess who has had Christmas films as their background viewing this last week :D
neocities updated, and more coming!
Jun. 7th, 2026 09:38 pmalthea_valaraI pushed an update to my Final Fantasy Recaps Neocities site a few days ago. The biggest update was changing things so that instead of "Jump to" links and one l-o-n-g scrolling page of text, I added accordions for sections. That breaks it down into more manageable pieces so it's less intimidating.
I also finished documenting the Bastok Missions from Final Fantasy XI! \o/ It's nice to have something completely done.
I wanted to work on Windurst missions last night, but the mission my low-level alt is on can't be soloed unless you are a MUCH higher level. I'm thinking I might try to be brave and yell for help with it - just need someone who has a portal charm! - but yelling, frankly, scares me these days.
I was not brave enough last night, so I logged off and dug out my notes from Final Fantasy Brave Exvius:
[Image Description: A large quantity of handwritten notes, documenting stories from Final Fantasy Brave Exvius. There's one two-inch binder, two one-inch binders, and enough loose leaf pages to make up a fourth binder, if not a fifth.]
Present me is REALLY IMPRESSED with past me for putting in all that work! I did the bulk of this when I didn't have a computer of my own, hence handwriting it out. I don't have everything written, because I started the documentation project after story events had already played and they weren't ever repeated, BUT I found a site that has a lot of the story events as YouTube videos. So I can transcribe the missing ones from others' videos, and type up the ones I have documented already. Gonna take FOREVER, but I am determined.
I started typing up Lasswell's short story last night, and gods did I miss these characters. They are delightful and fun, and it's been neat to revisit the story and smile again.
I checked out my site from my phone, and frowned at how small the text is. I need to see about fixing that eventually. I also want to do another section of Shadowbringers soon, and continue working on FFXI. LOTS TO DO.
Finally, I became a Neocities Supporter this morning. Mostly for the yummy stats, but also... well, I'm obviously having fun with the site, might as well give them some money. I do believe in supporting others' works monetarily, if you can afford it. At $5 a month? Yeah, I can afford that.
I also finished documenting the Bastok Missions from Final Fantasy XI! \o/ It's nice to have something completely done.
I wanted to work on Windurst missions last night, but the mission my low-level alt is on can't be soloed unless you are a MUCH higher level. I'm thinking I might try to be brave and yell for help with it - just need someone who has a portal charm! - but yelling, frankly, scares me these days.
I was not brave enough last night, so I logged off and dug out my notes from Final Fantasy Brave Exvius:
[Image Description: A large quantity of handwritten notes, documenting stories from Final Fantasy Brave Exvius. There's one two-inch binder, two one-inch binders, and enough loose leaf pages to make up a fourth binder, if not a fifth.]
Present me is REALLY IMPRESSED with past me for putting in all that work! I did the bulk of this when I didn't have a computer of my own, hence handwriting it out. I don't have everything written, because I started the documentation project after story events had already played and they weren't ever repeated, BUT I found a site that has a lot of the story events as YouTube videos. So I can transcribe the missing ones from others' videos, and type up the ones I have documented already. Gonna take FOREVER, but I am determined.
I started typing up Lasswell's short story last night, and gods did I miss these characters. They are delightful and fun, and it's been neat to revisit the story and smile again.
I checked out my site from my phone, and frowned at how small the text is. I need to see about fixing that eventually. I also want to do another section of Shadowbringers soon, and continue working on FFXI. LOTS TO DO.
Finally, I became a Neocities Supporter this morning. Mostly for the yummy stats, but also... well, I'm obviously having fun with the site, might as well give them some money. I do believe in supporting others' works monetarily, if you can afford it. At $5 a month? Yeah, I can afford that.
"you spit on me!" "it is my secret weapon!"
Jun. 7th, 2026 10:26 pmtsuki_no_barahands up anyone who read poison elves.
*looks around, puts hand down*
don't mind me, i'm having nostalgia feels. i found a kickstarter for book 4 of the collected pe - evidently there are going to be five in total - pe went 100 issues so breaking it up into five collections makes sense. i got there through a kickstarter for an aria onmibus which is a comic book i haven't even thought about for, i dunno, twenty-odd years. pe was my first fandom, my first online fandom, for a long time the fandom by which all others were judged, and the reason my favorite fannish story is about sacrificing a virgin to the dark lord.
i've told that story many times and depending on how long you've been here and how else you know me you may have heard it many times. i said it was my favorite, didn't i. :D it was a weird and wild fandom and i don't think i'm ever going to fully let it go. i mean, how can i when i can happen upon a random kickstarter that's 783% funded and still has eight days left? i guess pe (and drew hayes, the creator) (aka the dark lord) had a long reach. the kickstarter pointed me to an interview with robb horan in the comics journal about drew. some of it i knew and some of it i didn't. (robb ran sirius entertainment which published eighty of pe's hundred issues. drew self-published the first twenty.)
i should see if i can dig up a picture of me with the ridiculous papier-mache ears so you can laugh at me. :D one of the guys on the mailing list - because that's where the fandom was, a mailing list - made a soundtrack kind of cd which i seem to have lost when i moved and i am UPSET about it. it went where all my mix cd's went, probably.
it really was a time and i've been wallowing in my feels about it. also resisting the urge to try and organize my comics so i can find shit when it resurfaces like this. (like, i remember the art for aria being absolutely unreal and now that someone's trying to put together an omnibus of it i kind of want to reread it.) but that would probably take a bigger chunk of free time than i currently have.
anyway. that's what i've been thinking about. last night i went out for dinner with my sister, her friend e, and friend e's hubs, to celebrate their birthdays (not the husband's tho). fun and delicious and no nostalgia at all. and today i bought some shirts and now i need hangers to put them on. >.< and it's been extremely hot the past couple days and i do not love that. last weekend i watched the entirety of the boroughs (sad, kind of sweet, creepy) and last month i watched legends (tense, violent, and i convinced one of the admins m to check it out) and now i'm watching shogun which i'm enjoying altho the politics are convoluted and i don't fully understand what's going on.
*looks around, puts hand down*
don't mind me, i'm having nostalgia feels. i found a kickstarter for book 4 of the collected pe - evidently there are going to be five in total - pe went 100 issues so breaking it up into five collections makes sense. i got there through a kickstarter for an aria onmibus which is a comic book i haven't even thought about for, i dunno, twenty-odd years. pe was my first fandom, my first online fandom, for a long time the fandom by which all others were judged, and the reason my favorite fannish story is about sacrificing a virgin to the dark lord.
i've told that story many times and depending on how long you've been here and how else you know me you may have heard it many times. i said it was my favorite, didn't i. :D it was a weird and wild fandom and i don't think i'm ever going to fully let it go. i mean, how can i when i can happen upon a random kickstarter that's 783% funded and still has eight days left? i guess pe (and drew hayes, the creator) (aka the dark lord) had a long reach. the kickstarter pointed me to an interview with robb horan in the comics journal about drew. some of it i knew and some of it i didn't. (robb ran sirius entertainment which published eighty of pe's hundred issues. drew self-published the first twenty.)
i should see if i can dig up a picture of me with the ridiculous papier-mache ears so you can laugh at me. :D one of the guys on the mailing list - because that's where the fandom was, a mailing list - made a soundtrack kind of cd which i seem to have lost when i moved and i am UPSET about it. it went where all my mix cd's went, probably.
it really was a time and i've been wallowing in my feels about it. also resisting the urge to try and organize my comics so i can find shit when it resurfaces like this. (like, i remember the art for aria being absolutely unreal and now that someone's trying to put together an omnibus of it i kind of want to reread it.) but that would probably take a bigger chunk of free time than i currently have.
anyway. that's what i've been thinking about. last night i went out for dinner with my sister, her friend e, and friend e's hubs, to celebrate their birthdays (not the husband's tho). fun and delicious and no nostalgia at all. and today i bought some shirts and now i need hangers to put them on. >.< and it's been extremely hot the past couple days and i do not love that. last weekend i watched the entirety of the boroughs (sad, kind of sweet, creepy) and last month i watched legends (tense, violent, and i convinced one of the admins m to check it out) and now i'm watching shogun which i'm enjoying altho the politics are convoluted and i don't fully understand what's going on.
Outside again
Jun. 7th, 2026 12:48 pmhalfshellvenusAfter a week of hot temperatures, I was able to bike out in the world again. My downstream trip a week ago revealed horrifying areas of stripped-out pavement about 1.5 miles from my first turnaround point. That part of the bike path needed repaving, but the prep-work left scarred, ancient blacktop behind and 4" high bumps going between pavement shifts. Ow, my wrists!
Fortunately, they repaved in the intervening week! Usually, the prep happens and then months go by without follow-up. :O It was nice to have it fixed, since I need the maximum distance there. It limits how much looping I have to do to 1) avoid tons of other people on weekends and 2) keep to the shade as much as possible on hot days. As a bonus, I rode past what looked like a helmet resting on a log on the way back. That was a turtle, and it's been years since I saw one in that area! My only other key sighting down there (decades ago) was a giant, wide pink mouth that I thought must be the world's largest squirrel. Nope— a river otter! I haven't seen one since.
I also went past (and not over) a King snake a couple of weeks ago. It was a handsome specimen that looked exactly like this. It's the first one I've ever seen, and it had the same distinct diamond patterning. There are tons of other pictures online that show versions with more black than cream or with banding instead of the diamond shape. Not honestly sure how those are all the same creature. \o?
For indoor "sightings", I just finished A Taste For Murder (featuring gorgeous Italian scenery and food, and Warren Brown looking like a gone-to-seed Robert Downey Junior). That was fluffy fun. Then I binged No Offence, which I loved. The cast was great (boy, did Viv grow on me) and it has a fun, ceilidh-worthy theme. Now I'm watching I, Jack Wright. Nikki Amurka-Bird is everywhere, somehow.
For those wondering about In The Grey (our last date night, a couple of weeks ago), that was typical Guy Ritchie. Flashy, trashy fun, though Ritchie's habit of previewing his "cleverness" gets old. Too much Eiza Gonzalez and not enough Henry Cavill. Gonzalez was basically the MacGuffin, pretty but forgettable and not a great actress. I see she was also in I Care A Lot, which we just finished, and I didn't even recognize her, so yeah. \o?
All right, back to the weekend chores!
Fortunately, they repaved in the intervening week! Usually, the prep happens and then months go by without follow-up. :O It was nice to have it fixed, since I need the maximum distance there. It limits how much looping I have to do to 1) avoid tons of other people on weekends and 2) keep to the shade as much as possible on hot days. As a bonus, I rode past what looked like a helmet resting on a log on the way back. That was a turtle, and it's been years since I saw one in that area! My only other key sighting down there (decades ago) was a giant, wide pink mouth that I thought must be the world's largest squirrel. Nope— a river otter! I haven't seen one since.
I also went past (and not over) a King snake a couple of weeks ago. It was a handsome specimen that looked exactly like this. It's the first one I've ever seen, and it had the same distinct diamond patterning. There are tons of other pictures online that show versions with more black than cream or with banding instead of the diamond shape. Not honestly sure how those are all the same creature. \o?
For indoor "sightings", I just finished A Taste For Murder (featuring gorgeous Italian scenery and food, and Warren Brown looking like a gone-to-seed Robert Downey Junior). That was fluffy fun. Then I binged No Offence, which I loved. The cast was great (boy, did Viv grow on me) and it has a fun, ceilidh-worthy theme. Now I'm watching I, Jack Wright. Nikki Amurka-Bird is everywhere, somehow.
For those wondering about In The Grey (our last date night, a couple of weeks ago), that was typical Guy Ritchie. Flashy, trashy fun, though Ritchie's habit of previewing his "cleverness" gets old. Too much Eiza Gonzalez and not enough Henry Cavill. Gonzalez was basically the MacGuffin, pretty but forgettable and not a great actress. I see she was also in I Care A Lot, which we just finished, and I didn't even recognize her, so yeah. \o?
All right, back to the weekend chores!
The thing is...
Jun. 5th, 2026 03:20 pmcalystaroseI'm still alive. Somehow, despite everything, I'm alive.
I did not, could not, conceive of having a future. At most there were only weeks or months ahead that I could conceptualize as being real. So I just sort of sleepwalked through my life, waiting for the end.
Eventually, when my material circumstances improved and when I was finally freed from the hormonal roller coaster of menstruation, I woke up.
I had never done anything because there was no point, because I was going to die. Any day now. But I'm still alive. And the time passed anyway.
So I'm gonna give it a shot, living intentionally. Making long-term goals. Trying to exist in more than just this moment and the next. We'll see how it goes.
I did not, could not, conceive of having a future. At most there were only weeks or months ahead that I could conceptualize as being real. So I just sort of sleepwalked through my life, waiting for the end.
Eventually, when my material circumstances improved and when I was finally freed from the hormonal roller coaster of menstruation, I woke up.
I had never done anything because there was no point, because I was going to die. Any day now. But I'm still alive. And the time passed anyway.
So I'm gonna give it a shot, living intentionally. Making long-term goals. Trying to exist in more than just this moment and the next. We'll see how it goes.
wednesday reads on friday
Jun. 5th, 2026 12:06 pmisisFirst I will say that The Unicorn Hunters by Katherine Arden is out now, for those of you intrigued by slightly-supernatural-alternate-history Anne of Brittany. (I reviewed it here from a NetGalley ARC)
Second, hply sjot has it really been a month and a half since I've posted here? Well, I've been traveling a lot. But being on a lot of airplanes means I've also read a lot. (And I probably should have taken notes, because I'm squinting at these book titles and trying to remember what they're about...) I swear I started this post on Wednesday, but...it's taken a while to finish!
The Raven Scholar by Antonia Hodgson ( Sort of an AU Triwizard Tournament in a Hogwarts with many more Houses )
Timeline by Michael Crichton ( Time traveling archaeologists, right up my alley )
A Voice Like Mine by Deb Haaland ( Political memoir of former Secretary of the Interior, current candidate for governor of New Mexico )
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig ( Sliding Doors trope, entertaining but predictable )
The Beheading Game by Rebecca Lehmann ( Basically 16th Century RPF fanfiction in which Anne Boleyn wakes up the day after her execution )
Infinity Gate by M. R. Carey ( Space opera except with multiple AU Earths instead of multiple planets )
A Marriage at Sea by Sophie Elmhirst ( An odd sort of biography about two unpleasant people getting shipwrecked, I guess )
The Poppy War by R. F. Kuang ( Entertaining YA-ish slum kid goes to military school that turns to grimdark Sino-Japanese War Fantasy AU )
The Girl With All The Gifts by M. R. Carey ( I was not expecting zombie apocalypse )
Platform Decay by Martha Wells ( Yay more Murderbot! )
Second, hply sjot has it really been a month and a half since I've posted here? Well, I've been traveling a lot. But being on a lot of airplanes means I've also read a lot. (And I probably should have taken notes, because I'm squinting at these book titles and trying to remember what they're about...) I swear I started this post on Wednesday, but...it's taken a while to finish!
The Raven Scholar by Antonia Hodgson ( Sort of an AU Triwizard Tournament in a Hogwarts with many more Houses )
Timeline by Michael Crichton ( Time traveling archaeologists, right up my alley )
A Voice Like Mine by Deb Haaland ( Political memoir of former Secretary of the Interior, current candidate for governor of New Mexico )
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig ( Sliding Doors trope, entertaining but predictable )
The Beheading Game by Rebecca Lehmann ( Basically 16th Century RPF fanfiction in which Anne Boleyn wakes up the day after her execution )
Infinity Gate by M. R. Carey ( Space opera except with multiple AU Earths instead of multiple planets )
A Marriage at Sea by Sophie Elmhirst ( An odd sort of biography about two unpleasant people getting shipwrecked, I guess )
The Poppy War by R. F. Kuang ( Entertaining YA-ish slum kid goes to military school that turns to grimdark Sino-Japanese War Fantasy AU )
The Girl With All The Gifts by M. R. Carey ( I was not expecting zombie apocalypse )
Platform Decay by Martha Wells ( Yay more Murderbot! )
bring me sunshine
Jun. 4th, 2026 09:42 ampensnestI discovered Overnight Oats last Saturday morning (Waterstones café, Blueberry, delicious), and have since started making my own. This morning's is based on my home-developed keffir (semi-skimmed dairy) with blueberries and raspberries, plus a few broken walnuts, and it is excellent!
*
Have today and yesterday been baking again, although perhaps a Tiffin, which never goes near the oven, does not count. I found a recipe for two-ingredient peanut butter cookies (the other is icing sugar) and made a half quantity. Not unexpectedly they taste of sweet peanut butter, but they seem to cohere reasonably and if you like peanut butter, they're quite good. And very easy. But getting them to rehearsal intact may be quite the challenge.
*
A Muntjac has been getting into the garden. I darkly suspect it of being able to teleport, because it—or they—will run, when challenged, to the ivy hedge at the far end of the garden and then... disappear. I have many new plants in the garden, most of them food, and I do not wish them to be eaten by rogue deer. But we cannot find the hole in the fence!
*
It has been raining! Every day for several, in fits and starts. Right now the sky is bright, but an hour from now it may be pouring again. At rehearsal last night we were singing Til I Hear You Sing and as the voices crescendoed, suddenly the rain came down *hard*. Very dramatic.
*
I see I am showing off my punctuation today.
*
Have today and yesterday been baking again, although perhaps a Tiffin, which never goes near the oven, does not count. I found a recipe for two-ingredient peanut butter cookies (the other is icing sugar) and made a half quantity. Not unexpectedly they taste of sweet peanut butter, but they seem to cohere reasonably and if you like peanut butter, they're quite good. And very easy. But getting them to rehearsal intact may be quite the challenge.
*
A Muntjac has been getting into the garden. I darkly suspect it of being able to teleport, because it—or they—will run, when challenged, to the ivy hedge at the far end of the garden and then... disappear. I have many new plants in the garden, most of them food, and I do not wish them to be eaten by rogue deer. But we cannot find the hole in the fence!
*
It has been raining! Every day for several, in fits and starts. Right now the sky is bright, but an hour from now it may be pouring again. At rehearsal last night we were singing Til I Hear You Sing and as the voices crescendoed, suddenly the rain came down *hard*. Very dramatic.
*
I see I am showing off my punctuation today.
Things
Jun. 5th, 2026 12:54 amvassBooks
Since last I posted one of these, of course I read Ann Leckie's Radiant Star. I loved it. Leckie's doing something different with narrative voice this time around,so mark that off your bingo card, and if you enjoy Victorian novels then this narrator might be particularly enjoyable for you. It goes very hard.
Having read that (and then a friend's annotations, which I then sent on with the ARC to the next person in the chain) I decided I wanted to take some space to recover with T Kingfisher's fourth paladin book, Paladin's Faith. Which, as it turns out, is also going much harder than I expected.
I am also making my way slowly through Nick Walker's Neuroqueer Heresies, and finding it unsatisfying. I'd be less critical of it as polemic (although still annoyed at the prescriptivism and the exhorting readers to police other people's language too if they don't use "neurodivergent" and "neurodiversity" according to Dr Walker's preferred definitions), but when she's stating outright in the book that she intends to use it as a textbook to teach in university, I want more rigour and citations.
Fandom
Enjoying a resurgence of Radch discussion on Discord.
More ephemeral fic in the Nine Worlds fandom. May was good for that.
Crafts
Finished the table.
Tech
Wayland and gnashing of teeth.
That said, I learned how to use xargs in Bash, which made Android backups easier for me.
Garden
Harvested what is, amazingly, not the last of the tomatoes. Semi-dried all the ripe tomatoes I had in the oven, and froze the results. Did a little weeding, and sowed pak choy and calendula seeds.
Cats
They don't like the cold weather, but Mighty Hunting continues.
Since last I posted one of these, of course I read Ann Leckie's Radiant Star. I loved it. Leckie's doing something different with narrative voice this time around,
Having read that (and then a friend's annotations, which I then sent on with the ARC to the next person in the chain) I decided I wanted to take some space to recover with T Kingfisher's fourth paladin book, Paladin's Faith. Which, as it turns out, is also going much harder than I expected.
I am also making my way slowly through Nick Walker's Neuroqueer Heresies, and finding it unsatisfying. I'd be less critical of it as polemic (although still annoyed at the prescriptivism and the exhorting readers to police other people's language too if they don't use "neurodivergent" and "neurodiversity" according to Dr Walker's preferred definitions), but when she's stating outright in the book that she intends to use it as a textbook to teach in university, I want more rigour and citations.
Fandom
Enjoying a resurgence of Radch discussion on Discord.
More ephemeral fic in the Nine Worlds fandom. May was good for that.
Crafts
Finished the table.
Tech
Wayland and gnashing of teeth.
That said, I learned how to use xargs in Bash, which made Android backups easier for me.
Garden
Harvested what is, amazingly, not the last of the tomatoes. Semi-dried all the ripe tomatoes I had in the oven, and froze the results. Did a little weeding, and sowed pak choy and calendula seeds.
Cats
They don't like the cold weather, but Mighty Hunting continues.
i don't want my feet to get frostbite
Jun. 3rd, 2026 11:42 pmtsuki_no_baraoh my flist it is so cold in the ugly building where i work that i brought slipper socks into work today to keep my feet from freezing off. i complained about it during lunch - yesterday i even had to put on a jacket at my desk - and admin p offered me his space heater. bliss. ^_^ i went from feeling like a bag of frozen peas to feeling like a rotisserie chicken.
i still had to take a walk in the afternoon in order to defrost. i mean, seriously.
last week clover (my favorite local chain and makers of the best pita bread) announced they were closing - like all of their restaurants - and apparently the outpouring of love and distraught wailing was enough to... i have no idea what but they're not closing after all. someone wrote a tribute song and someone else drew memorial art and another local place posted something really nice. i'm super curious what happened but also very excited that there are still delicious pita sandwiches in my future.
it's officially old news but since i mentioned it i have to share actual news about saturday's meteor.
there's a province in china where pet owners race with their pets. and yes, that is a guy carrying his saint bernard.
and two things that really only matter to new yorkers:
the baklava guy and his baklavan going around selling baklava in brooklyn parks. (no, seriously, he calls his van the baklavan and i think that is adorable.)
as a way to help support the knicks in their quest for the nba championship, mayor mamdani has temporarily repealed bedtimes for the knicks' smallest fans. the executive order is printed in comic sans, in case you were wondering how official it is. how cute is that? so cute.
i still had to take a walk in the afternoon in order to defrost. i mean, seriously.
last week clover (my favorite local chain and makers of the best pita bread) announced they were closing - like all of their restaurants - and apparently the outpouring of love and distraught wailing was enough to... i have no idea what but they're not closing after all. someone wrote a tribute song and someone else drew memorial art and another local place posted something really nice. i'm super curious what happened but also very excited that there are still delicious pita sandwiches in my future.
it's officially old news but since i mentioned it i have to share actual news about saturday's meteor.
there's a province in china where pet owners race with their pets. and yes, that is a guy carrying his saint bernard.
and two things that really only matter to new yorkers:
the baklava guy and his baklavan going around selling baklava in brooklyn parks. (no, seriously, he calls his van the baklavan and i think that is adorable.)
as a way to help support the knicks in their quest for the nba championship, mayor mamdani has temporarily repealed bedtimes for the knicks' smallest fans. the executive order is printed in comic sans, in case you were wondering how official it is. how cute is that? so cute.
(no subject)
Jun. 2nd, 2026 01:34 pmturpsIt was our wedding anniversary yesterday. I posted three photos on Instagram, the first photo taken of me and James as a couple when he was 17 and I was 18. Our actual wedding day, and us at the theatre a few weeks ago here. A lot has happened between the first and last, both bad and good but we're still solid, love each other lots and are plugging along.
James had taken the day off as annual leave, but we didn't do much. First it was exercise only class in the morning and I didn't want to miss that. I did suggest James could join me but he wasn't that keen. He did pick me up though and we drove to Sunderland to drop off one of his commissions, and the plan was to go to the beach and have lunch at Preggo, the Italian restaurant we like. Got there, and the place was closed until July to be refurbished. In the end we ended up at The Italian Kitchen, and the food there was very tasty, and I got to bring home my leftover pizza meaning tea was covered, too.
After eating it was home to pick up Kevin as he had an appointment at the vets. He's been coughing a bit lately and I was worried his usual congestion was changing into an actual infection; but he's fine. Because he's such a loud purr'ey cat it's really hard to hear his chest and heart, but the vet said if it was an infection she would have been able to hear the crackles over his purr so thinks it's just the humid weather and allergies making his congestion worse so it's draining into his throat. So, more powders for Kev's food and told to keep an eye on him.
At which point we went home as I was hot and sweaty and a bath was calling my name.
Well, that happened after I'd sorted out the rose bush that had toppled again. In the end I had to do a drastic prune of one of the side branches, which was much needed but I was hoping I could wait until the roses had finished flowering. But, I guess, on the plus side, I now have a vase full of beautiful yellow roses plus a standing upright rose bush.
James had taken the day off as annual leave, but we didn't do much. First it was exercise only class in the morning and I didn't want to miss that. I did suggest James could join me but he wasn't that keen. He did pick me up though and we drove to Sunderland to drop off one of his commissions, and the plan was to go to the beach and have lunch at Preggo, the Italian restaurant we like. Got there, and the place was closed until July to be refurbished. In the end we ended up at The Italian Kitchen, and the food there was very tasty, and I got to bring home my leftover pizza meaning tea was covered, too.
After eating it was home to pick up Kevin as he had an appointment at the vets. He's been coughing a bit lately and I was worried his usual congestion was changing into an actual infection; but he's fine. Because he's such a loud purr'ey cat it's really hard to hear his chest and heart, but the vet said if it was an infection she would have been able to hear the crackles over his purr so thinks it's just the humid weather and allergies making his congestion worse so it's draining into his throat. So, more powders for Kev's food and told to keep an eye on him.
At which point we went home as I was hot and sweaty and a bath was calling my name.
Well, that happened after I'd sorted out the rose bush that had toppled again. In the end I had to do a drastic prune of one of the side branches, which was much needed but I was hoping I could wait until the roses had finished flowering. But, I guess, on the plus side, I now have a vase full of beautiful yellow roses plus a standing upright rose bush.
Hugo Novels Nominees (Three or Four of Six) and Non-Hugo Reading
Jun. 1st, 2026 10:19 pmaseLet's start in March and go from there.
The Faith of Beasts (James S. A. Corey) (2026): In audiobook, narrated by Jefferson Mays,
Insta-reaction: YAY THE BOYS ARE BACK AT IT.
Premise: Dafyd & (most some of the) company have survived and completed the challenges demanded by their alien abductors, the Carryx, during The Mercy of Gods. Dafyd has figured out enough about the Carryx he thinks he can figure out more, and maybe plot their downfall, without getting himself and all surviving humans slaughtered for insubordination. Dafyd & (surviving) company's reward? More work!
( Spoiler for The Mercy of Gods and The Faith of Beasts. )
For what are likely obvious reasons, I reread Project Hail Mary (2021). For anyone who has not been paying attention, the movie adaptation is very fun, and Sandra Hüller does a great Eva Stratt.
In late May: Hugo novels!
Life is too short to read Shroud (Adrian Tchaikovsky) (2026) without vetting.
The Incandescent (Emily Tesh) (2026): previously read, in audiobook.
A Drop of Corruption (Robert Jackson Benett) (2026) in audiobook, narrated by Andrew Fallaize.
The Kingdom of Yarrow is scheduled to be absorbed into the Empire, semi Hong Kong style, but one of the diplomats negotiating terms has been murdered in a bedroom with all doors and windows locked from the inside. Why does this need special handling? Because the only reason the Empire cares about Yarrow is the Shroud, directly offshore the Kingdom: the place leviathan carcasses are towed for research and processing into the materials the Empire relies on for its biological technology. And so Ana and Din are off to a locked room mystery!
My split-second reaction after finishing the audiobook: if your author's note / afterword is "I didn't lean hard enough into skewering high fantasy tropes", perhaps you should have done another pass to spackle in additional skewering of high fantasy tropes.
With that said, I think Bennett is doing something fun with the series. I am inappropriately fond of Ana calling the children to listen (the children are 20something officers of the Empire who respect her intelligence and doubt her sanity). Fallaize's querulous intonation of Ana dispensing brilliant deductions, invective, and questionably appropriate personal advice is hilarious to me. The general thread of the novels - the empire is made up of its people and its labors - is worth further exploration. Fun novel, will read sequel(s).
Death of the Author (Nnedi Okorafor) (2026) in audiobook, primarily narrated by Liz Femi, with sections by Anthony Oseyemi, Jason Culp, and Chris Djuma. Protagonist Zelunjo Onyenezi-Onyedele is at her sister's wedding when she is fired. Disabled, queer, Black, and unemployed, Zelu resolves to write what she wants to. The novel becomes a breakaway hit and the pathway to stardom for Zelu.
The first chapters feel very heavy on the MFA "this is My Literary Novel" tradition, especially when chapters or excerpts of Zelu's novel, Rusted Robots, are interspersed with Zelu's story, and with interviews from friends and family, but the story accrues SF elements during the narrative. Joining Rusted Robots are "wait, isn't this here" self-driving cars, high end engineering, biotech, and civilian space travel.
( Novel-destroying spoilers though the very last chapter. )
The Everlasting (Alix Harrow) (2026): in audiobook, narrated by Moira Quirk and Sid Sagar. Story of Owen Mallory, historian, scholar, coward, ex-solider, and Una Everlasting, the Queen's Champion, the Red Knight, the Virgin Saint, the Drawn Blade of Dominion. Born a thousand years apart, their lives become entwined thanks to a book with Una's sigil on the cover, and the woman who would see that book written to her command, and translated to her specific orders.
( Different novel-destroying spoilers )
edited to add: It's worth noting that The Everlasting has substantial blocks of second person past tense, and it worked for me. Points to the author and the audiobook readers.
I'll hold off Hugo ranking thoughts until I've knocked out The Raven Scholar. It's 24 hours in audiobook. Oof.
The Faith of Beasts (James S. A. Corey) (2026): In audiobook, narrated by Jefferson Mays,
Insta-reaction: YAY THE BOYS ARE BACK AT IT.
Premise: Dafyd & (
( Spoiler for The Mercy of Gods and The Faith of Beasts. )
For what are likely obvious reasons, I reread Project Hail Mary (2021). For anyone who has not been paying attention, the movie adaptation is very fun, and Sandra Hüller does a great Eva Stratt.
In late May: Hugo novels!
Life is too short to read Shroud (Adrian Tchaikovsky) (2026) without vetting.
The Incandescent (Emily Tesh) (2026): previously read, in audiobook.
A Drop of Corruption (Robert Jackson Benett) (2026) in audiobook, narrated by Andrew Fallaize.
The Kingdom of Yarrow is scheduled to be absorbed into the Empire, semi Hong Kong style, but one of the diplomats negotiating terms has been murdered in a bedroom with all doors and windows locked from the inside. Why does this need special handling? Because the only reason the Empire cares about Yarrow is the Shroud, directly offshore the Kingdom: the place leviathan carcasses are towed for research and processing into the materials the Empire relies on for its biological technology. And so Ana and Din are off to a locked room mystery!
My split-second reaction after finishing the audiobook: if your author's note / afterword is "I didn't lean hard enough into skewering high fantasy tropes", perhaps you should have done another pass to spackle in additional skewering of high fantasy tropes.
With that said, I think Bennett is doing something fun with the series. I am inappropriately fond of Ana calling the children to listen (the children are 20something officers of the Empire who respect her intelligence and doubt her sanity). Fallaize's querulous intonation of Ana dispensing brilliant deductions, invective, and questionably appropriate personal advice is hilarious to me. The general thread of the novels - the empire is made up of its people and its labors - is worth further exploration. Fun novel, will read sequel(s).
Death of the Author (Nnedi Okorafor) (2026) in audiobook, primarily narrated by Liz Femi, with sections by Anthony Oseyemi, Jason Culp, and Chris Djuma. Protagonist Zelunjo Onyenezi-Onyedele is at her sister's wedding when she is fired. Disabled, queer, Black, and unemployed, Zelu resolves to write what she wants to. The novel becomes a breakaway hit and the pathway to stardom for Zelu.
The first chapters feel very heavy on the MFA "this is My Literary Novel" tradition, especially when chapters or excerpts of Zelu's novel, Rusted Robots, are interspersed with Zelu's story, and with interviews from friends and family, but the story accrues SF elements during the narrative. Joining Rusted Robots are "wait, isn't this here" self-driving cars, high end engineering, biotech, and civilian space travel.
( Novel-destroying spoilers though the very last chapter. )
The Everlasting (Alix Harrow) (2026): in audiobook, narrated by Moira Quirk and Sid Sagar. Story of Owen Mallory, historian, scholar, coward, ex-solider, and Una Everlasting, the Queen's Champion, the Red Knight, the Virgin Saint, the Drawn Blade of Dominion. Born a thousand years apart, their lives become entwined thanks to a book with Una's sigil on the cover, and the woman who would see that book written to her command, and translated to her specific orders.
( Different novel-destroying spoilers )
edited to add: It's worth noting that The Everlasting has substantial blocks of second person past tense, and it worked for me. Points to the author and the audiobook readers.
I'll hold off Hugo ranking thoughts until I've knocked out The Raven Scholar. It's 24 hours in audiobook. Oof.
Creative Update, April & May 2026
Jun. 1st, 2026 08:59 amalthea_valaraWhoops, I forgot to post this last month, so you get it now.
Fam, I just don't know. Last month was definitely a fallow month for me - only about 8 hours of time spent, and some of that was on digital work for Neocities. The only craft thing I finished was the Turkish Tiles coaster. Everything else was either dropped or wasn't working for whatever reason.
I do have to wonder if the lack of creativity is why I am feeling so discontent right now. But it's rough, when you are not happy with anything you are producing.
I also did not do a single day of creative writing in May, meaning my reporting figure for GYWO stands at a lowly 12 days. Embarrassing! But I'm dutifully checking in, and live in hope that GYWO will entice me to write more the second half of the year.
Part of the reason I was "off" last month was because Nerdopolis was, too. A new tournament started today, and already I have Ideas. Yarn has been ordered for some of those ideas, though I don't know how quickly I'll get it... certainly, I will not have time to complete one full Idea with yarn arriving late, but I can do a piece of it, maybe? Wish me luck that my ideas come to fruition nicely...
Speaking of Nerdopolis, I'm worried about the state of it. One of my jobs as Rogue Leader is to update the list of teams playing each tournament, because the Rogues (individual players) need to know what teams are out there for Nerd Cred tie-ins. Well, two more teams did not return this tournament, including a long-established team. Makes me sad. Back when we started, we had a TON of activity, but it's definitely been slowing down the past few years. Less teams, less players on the teams, less submissions being made. I hope it continues for a while, because I do love it. Even if I don't create something myself, I enjoy the challenge of THINKING about it, and love to cheer my teammates on. It's such a large part of my life, and I would be lost without it.
Fam, I just don't know. Last month was definitely a fallow month for me - only about 8 hours of time spent, and some of that was on digital work for Neocities. The only craft thing I finished was the Turkish Tiles coaster. Everything else was either dropped or wasn't working for whatever reason.
I do have to wonder if the lack of creativity is why I am feeling so discontent right now. But it's rough, when you are not happy with anything you are producing.
I also did not do a single day of creative writing in May, meaning my reporting figure for GYWO stands at a lowly 12 days. Embarrassing! But I'm dutifully checking in, and live in hope that GYWO will entice me to write more the second half of the year.
Part of the reason I was "off" last month was because Nerdopolis was, too. A new tournament started today, and already I have Ideas. Yarn has been ordered for some of those ideas, though I don't know how quickly I'll get it... certainly, I will not have time to complete one full Idea with yarn arriving late, but I can do a piece of it, maybe? Wish me luck that my ideas come to fruition nicely...
Speaking of Nerdopolis, I'm worried about the state of it. One of my jobs as Rogue Leader is to update the list of teams playing each tournament, because the Rogues (individual players) need to know what teams are out there for Nerd Cred tie-ins. Well, two more teams did not return this tournament, including a long-established team. Makes me sad. Back when we started, we had a TON of activity, but it's definitely been slowing down the past few years. Less teams, less players on the teams, less submissions being made. I hope it continues for a while, because I do love it. Even if I don't create something myself, I enjoy the challenge of THINKING about it, and love to cheer my teammates on. It's such a large part of my life, and I would be lost without it.
rec books to me?
May. 31st, 2026 08:02 pmalthea_valaraWhoops, forgot this in my earlier post: my library's Summer Reading Program starts tomorrow, and I am a sucker for free stuff, so I am going to take part.
Goal is to read a total of 20 hours or four books during the program. For reaching the halfway point, you get a clothing item. For finishing the full challenge, you get entries into a drawing for cool prize packages.
Last few years, I did the 20 hours instead of four books. I'm thinking of trying four books again this year. I do want to read more, but it will definitely be a challenge to read that many!
One of the books WILL be Murderbot audiobook (audiobooks count), but I'm open to suggestions for other titles!
I mostly read romance these days, or lighter science fiction/fantasy. Favorite authors include Courtney Milan and John Scalzi. I do like manga, but it would feel like cheating to read four manga issues, so... opting out of manga for right now.
Goal is to read a total of 20 hours or four books during the program. For reaching the halfway point, you get a clothing item. For finishing the full challenge, you get entries into a drawing for cool prize packages.
Last few years, I did the 20 hours instead of four books. I'm thinking of trying four books again this year. I do want to read more, but it will definitely be a challenge to read that many!
One of the books WILL be Murderbot audiobook (audiobooks count), but I'm open to suggestions for other titles!
I mostly read romance these days, or lighter science fiction/fantasy. Favorite authors include Courtney Milan and John Scalzi. I do like manga, but it would feel like cheating to read four manga issues, so... opting out of manga for right now.
well that was exciting
May. 30th, 2026 10:32 pmtsuki_no_barai'm sitting on my couch this afternoon watching the boroughs (creepy! and a little sad) (i like it so far) when i hear a loud noise like something extremely heavy falling over in the lobby of my building. a bit like a localized boom. ten minutes later, cop and ambulance sirens everywhere. the group text explodes - did you hear that? what was it? did your building shake? what's going on? people heard it up in danvers which is probably forty minutes from my house and also down in providence which is in a whole other state.
it was a meteor. and it was loud.
so that was my afternoon! how was yours? :D
my sister and i finally saw the devil wears prada 2 and i think i liked the first one better. #2 sticks with the idea that big fashion magazines are still relevant in print and that just seems dated. stanley tucci was fabulous as always and i love emily blunt in general (her character isn't that likable but i don't think she's supposed to be) and it had surprise lucy liu! and i liked anne hathaway and meryl streep is, you know, the goat. i was probably 50/50 on the clothes - some outfits i really liked and some i just thought "what the hell are you wearing and why?" - and i recognized approximately one of the fashion-world cameos (law roach and i cannot believe i know not only who he is but what he looks like) (oh wait i recognized donatella versace too). overall i got the impression it was kind of holding its nose about having to bring the first movie further into the 21st century and just fell back on "print magazines and print journalism are totally relevant and important, guys!" which, ok. journalism is important! and it's a real issue that newspapers are going under! especially local papers! but that bit didn't mesh fabulously with this movie. i liked how it ended, don't get me wrong, but in some ways it seemed even more of a fantasy than the first one.
previews included the live action moana (why), focker-in-law (looks both funny and stupid), and the dog stars (so many actors i like!). the theater was pretty full, which is always nice.
for those of you who've seen labyrinth i share a critical analysis of david bowie's bulge.
congrats to the knicks (and their fans :D ) for getting to the nba finals for the first time since 1999 and also to the coach's wife who was too shy to approach ben stiller for a picture at one of the games. he's a huge knicks fan. he said yes to her request.
florida cop pulls a woman over for texting while driving. woman demonstrates why she wasn't doing that. by which we mean she only has one hand. cop doubles down anyway. florida's finest, everyone.
and finally, rip marcia lucas - film editor, former mrs george, and probably the biggest reason the original star wars trilogy was any good.
it was a meteor. and it was loud.
so that was my afternoon! how was yours? :D
my sister and i finally saw the devil wears prada 2 and i think i liked the first one better. #2 sticks with the idea that big fashion magazines are still relevant in print and that just seems dated. stanley tucci was fabulous as always and i love emily blunt in general (her character isn't that likable but i don't think she's supposed to be) and it had surprise lucy liu! and i liked anne hathaway and meryl streep is, you know, the goat. i was probably 50/50 on the clothes - some outfits i really liked and some i just thought "what the hell are you wearing and why?" - and i recognized approximately one of the fashion-world cameos (law roach and i cannot believe i know not only who he is but what he looks like) (oh wait i recognized donatella versace too). overall i got the impression it was kind of holding its nose about having to bring the first movie further into the 21st century and just fell back on "print magazines and print journalism are totally relevant and important, guys!" which, ok. journalism is important! and it's a real issue that newspapers are going under! especially local papers! but that bit didn't mesh fabulously with this movie. i liked how it ended, don't get me wrong, but in some ways it seemed even more of a fantasy than the first one.
previews included the live action moana (why), focker-in-law (looks both funny and stupid), and the dog stars (so many actors i like!). the theater was pretty full, which is always nice.
for those of you who've seen labyrinth i share a critical analysis of david bowie's bulge.
congrats to the knicks (and their fans :D ) for getting to the nba finals for the first time since 1999 and also to the coach's wife who was too shy to approach ben stiller for a picture at one of the games. he's a huge knicks fan. he said yes to her request.
florida cop pulls a woman over for texting while driving. woman demonstrates why she wasn't doing that. by which we mean she only has one hand. cop doubles down anyway. florida's finest, everyone.
and finally, rip marcia lucas - film editor, former mrs george, and probably the biggest reason the original star wars trilogy was any good.
News from outdoors
May. 30th, 2026 04:06 pmhalfshellvenusMy son and I went for a walk/hike along the parkway on Memorial Day. 6 miles, which I previously would have considered a short hike when I was walking or running at least once a week. Now? My feet were sore by the end of it. But my plantar fasciitis is definitely better, because after a day of rest, my feet were fine.
We saw a coyote, which might have only been our son's second sighting of one? It would have been the first, but there was a coyote on our front lawn a couple of weeks ago. Not good. :(
Tuesday, I was out there biking again, and at my last turnaround point (a nice shady spot), I saw what looked the the biggest, fattest caterpillar ever shuffling across the pavement! When I got closer, I saw that it was a tiny mole. :O I haven't seen a mole since I was a kid, when we were out digging in the yard for one of my dad's interminable child labor projects. Possibly the summer we made a French drain? Anyway, my brother put the shovel in the ground, and it came out with a large mole on top of the dirt. Ewwwww, but those things are ugly. We put it in an empty Folgers coffee can, and my brother later walked it several blocks up the road to release it into the forest patch that abutted our property.
My husband's wildlife sighting beats mine, though. He was out riding his recumbent trike yesterday, and had to slow because a skunk and her babies were crossing the path. He gave them a wide berth, which I think could have ended badly. I would have waited until they were all the way across and out of sight!
Speaking of skunks, I've decided the odor at the downriver spot where I turn around is skunk and not weed. That's because the mystery construction project beyond the clump of tall bushes there has moved much closer, and you can't smoke weed while working construction. Fortunately, the smell has cleared away from the surrounding areas. Nearby, I biked past one of my favorite smells: the sweet, peppery aroma given off by the buds of wild grapes. No idea why they smell like that this time of year, but it's very consistent!
Do you all have plans for the weekend? We're going out for a belated anniversary dinner tonight, and then tomorrow I need to get my new laptop running. Always a chore...
We saw a coyote, which might have only been our son's second sighting of one? It would have been the first, but there was a coyote on our front lawn a couple of weeks ago. Not good. :(
Tuesday, I was out there biking again, and at my last turnaround point (a nice shady spot), I saw what looked the the biggest, fattest caterpillar ever shuffling across the pavement! When I got closer, I saw that it was a tiny mole. :O I haven't seen a mole since I was a kid, when we were out digging in the yard for one of my dad's interminable child labor projects. Possibly the summer we made a French drain? Anyway, my brother put the shovel in the ground, and it came out with a large mole on top of the dirt. Ewwwww, but those things are ugly. We put it in an empty Folgers coffee can, and my brother later walked it several blocks up the road to release it into the forest patch that abutted our property.
My husband's wildlife sighting beats mine, though. He was out riding his recumbent trike yesterday, and had to slow because a skunk and her babies were crossing the path. He gave them a wide berth, which I think could have ended badly. I would have waited until they were all the way across and out of sight!
Speaking of skunks, I've decided the odor at the downriver spot where I turn around is skunk and not weed. That's because the mystery construction project beyond the clump of tall bushes there has moved much closer, and you can't smoke weed while working construction. Fortunately, the smell has cleared away from the surrounding areas. Nearby, I biked past one of my favorite smells: the sweet, peppery aroma given off by the buds of wild grapes. No idea why they smell like that this time of year, but it's very consistent!
Do you all have plans for the weekend? We're going out for a belated anniversary dinner tonight, and then tomorrow I need to get my new laptop running. Always a chore...