2519 / Andor, S1/2; Small Things Like These
Jul. 1st, 2025 07:58 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
siriaIt's only one more sleep until the release of The Old Guard 2, and I'm both excited about that and in the space of "Please just don't hurt me." I don't even need it to be good—though that would be nice!—I just need it not to hurt me. Especially since Marwan Kenzari is doing interviews where he's either very jet lagged or maybe just deliberately going goblin mode in the absence of his work husband. Argh.
( Andor, S1/2 )
( Small Things Like These )
( Andor, S1/2 )
( Small Things Like These )
Purrcy, Rivers of London, my back
Jun. 30th, 2025 10:52 pmmecurtinPurrcy was lying on top of the sofas and then Suddenly a Wild Hand Appeared! With Pets! it was pretty choice for everyone involved tbh
One of the things I've been doing to deal with stress is occasional binge-reading of book series. Most recently Rivers of London, which I'd never read all of before.
I do like them, and they're cute and all, but I'm forcefully reminded of why I don't read police procedurals any more, or watch TV shows with law enforcement heroes. Because this is really a fantasy of copaganda, as well as a fantasy with copaganda. I mean, the very idea that murders are treated so *seriously*, with huge commitments of personnel & resources ... This has *got* to be a fantasy for the UK, right? It's certainly a fantasy for the US, where almost half of all murders are unsolved.
So I can't really like them unreservedly, I can't *wallow* in them, my disbelief won't suspend that far.
But! Good news today!
I went to the doctor about my sciatica, and he started me on a course of prednisone, and ... it already seems to be working? maybe? Could this be what not being in pain is like?
Honestly it feels very strange. Stay tuned for more exciting updates!
One of the things I've been doing to deal with stress is occasional binge-reading of book series. Most recently Rivers of London, which I'd never read all of before.
I do like them, and they're cute and all, but I'm forcefully reminded of why I don't read police procedurals any more, or watch TV shows with law enforcement heroes. Because this is really a fantasy of copaganda, as well as a fantasy with copaganda. I mean, the very idea that murders are treated so *seriously*, with huge commitments of personnel & resources ... This has *got* to be a fantasy for the UK, right? It's certainly a fantasy for the US, where almost half of all murders are unsolved.
So I can't really like them unreservedly, I can't *wallow* in them, my disbelief won't suspend that far.
But! Good news today!
I went to the doctor about my sciatica, and he started me on a course of prednisone, and ... it already seems to be working? maybe? Could this be what not being in pain is like?
Honestly it feels very strange. Stay tuned for more exciting updates!
Rebuilding journal search again
Jun. 30th, 2025 03:18 pmalierak posting in ![[site community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/comm_staff.png){kind=small}
dw_maintenanceWe're having to rebuild the search server again (previously, previously). It will take a few days to reindex all the content.
Meanwhile search services should be running, but probably returning no results or incomplete results for most queries.
Meanwhile search services should be running, but probably returning no results or incomplete results for most queries.
Allbingo and Crowdfunding
Jun. 29th, 2025 04:16 amysabetwordsmith posting in dw_community_promo![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
allbingo provides a space for creative people to share their work, using bingo cards for inspiration. crowdfunding is a community for creators, patrons, and fans of cyberfunded creativity.Further details below ...
( Read more... )
Purrcy in the morning
Jun. 28th, 2025 11:21 pmmecurtinDuring the heat wave this past week there was no Purrcy on the bed, but I woke up to him at my feet again yesterday and this morning. Lookit that face! Lookit how I touch that paw with a single finger!
I haven't been Purrcy-posting regularly for a while, because I've been tired and distracted and didn't have time -- because of the fascism, but also because of sitting outside in the spring and listening to birds. I'm trying to get back into it now, as you can see, but it's hard to keep in focus.
Also, my sciatica has been acting up, which means a lot of time just lying in bed, dozing or reading. I'm going to the doctor on Monday, hopefully I'll get a steroid injection or something similar & things will be better for a while. I'll try to write more tomorrow.
I haven't been Purrcy-posting regularly for a while, because I've been tired and distracted and didn't have time -- because of the fascism, but also because of sitting outside in the spring and listening to birds. I'm trying to get back into it now, as you can see, but it's hard to keep in focus.
Also, my sciatica has been acting up, which means a lot of time just lying in bed, dozing or reading. I'm going to the doctor on Monday, hopefully I'll get a steroid injection or something similar & things will be better for a while. I'll try to write more tomorrow.
Purrcy and the snake
Jun. 28th, 2025 01:34 pmmecurtinThe other day I heard Purrcy scrabbling in the corner between our bedroom & the laundry room, and then hissing. When I went over to see what was up his tail was all puffed up, as he confronted a new experience:
a milk snake!
( cut for snake pic )
Purrcy was very excited, but wary--he clearly has a "snake instinct" that says this isn't normal prey, but something possibly dangerous. We weren't able to catch the snake, but we're pretty sure it went out the way it came in, it was pretty scared of us (& Purrcy).
Purrcy spent the next half week sniffing & searching for it everywhere, & also being v suspicious of all the cords & any long or snakelike toys. It's like his "snake instinct" was dormant & had to be activated.
The bad part about Our Inside Snek Adventure is that I mentioned it to the housecleaner ... who turns out to be *horribly* snake-phobic. So much that just knowing there'd been a snake in the house, she was too scared to come this week. We're blocking up the Snake Holes, hoping that helps, & she'll try to come back next week.
I'm not going to tell her that this is the 3rd *species* of snake we've seen close to the house, which is made of stone, 100 yrs old, on a stony NJ hillside (others are garter & black racer). Mr Dr Science & I love it! He in the Atlanta suburbs, I in Champaign, IL, we were the kids who caught snakes & brought them in for show & tell in elementary school.
Gloria, our housecleaner, grew up in Jamaica, but she's a city girl through and through. She's prob. too old for snake therapy, I hope this works.
a milk snake!
( cut for snake pic )
Purrcy was very excited, but wary--he clearly has a "snake instinct" that says this isn't normal prey, but something possibly dangerous. We weren't able to catch the snake, but we're pretty sure it went out the way it came in, it was pretty scared of us (& Purrcy).
Purrcy spent the next half week sniffing & searching for it everywhere, & also being v suspicious of all the cords & any long or snakelike toys. It's like his "snake instinct" was dormant & had to be activated.
The bad part about Our Inside Snek Adventure is that I mentioned it to the housecleaner ... who turns out to be *horribly* snake-phobic. So much that just knowing there'd been a snake in the house, she was too scared to come this week. We're blocking up the Snake Holes, hoping that helps, & she'll try to come back next week.
I'm not going to tell her that this is the 3rd *species* of snake we've seen close to the house, which is made of stone, 100 yrs old, on a stony NJ hillside (others are garter & black racer). Mr Dr Science & I love it! He in the Atlanta suburbs, I in Champaign, IL, we were the kids who caught snakes & brought them in for show & tell in elementary school.
Gloria, our housecleaner, grew up in Jamaica, but she's a city girl through and through. She's prob. too old for snake therapy, I hope this works.
2518 / The Bear, S4
Jun. 27th, 2025 06:10 pmsiriaThere's nothing like gently dissociating while having a root canal to a playlist consisting of the greatest hits of Kenny Goggins and Engelbert Humperdinck. Neither the dentist nor the assistant are old, so I'm not sure what was going on there. I really hope they didn't think that was my vibe.
( The Bear, Season 4 )
( The Bear, Season 4 )
celebrity20in20 Round 15
Jun. 27th, 2025 03:14 pmreeby10 posting in dw_community_promo
Link: Round 15 Sign Ups | Round 15 Themes
Description:
celebrity20in20 is a 20in20 community dedicated to making icons of actors and actresses. You have 20 days to make 20 icons about a celebrity of your choice, based on a set of themes for the round.
Schedule: Round 15 sign ups are open NOW. Icons are due July 17, 2025.
Ebook sale, today only, Friday 27th
Jun. 27th, 2025 10:40 amstarwatcherThis one has multiple genres.
Books for sale, mostly $1 to $3
Hit the "Genres" button at the top of the page to narrow your search.
Happy reading!
ETA: Jesse_the_k notes that "This is a meta-search engine, compiling deals from Amazon, Apple, Barnes & Noble, Google and Kobo." I didn't realize that was note-worthy, but yeah. Whatever platform you use to read, you're covered.
Interview with DeWanda Wise
Jun. 27th, 2025 09:13 ammarthawellsFor Murderbot Day, a great interview with DeWanda Wise, about playing NavigationBot in The Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon:
https://www.nexuspointnews.com/post/interview-dewanda-wise
I had worked with Paul on Fatherhood. He literally texted me and was like, "do you want to play a murderous robot?"
https://www.nexuspointnews.com/post/interview-dewanda-wise
I had worked with Paul on Fatherhood. He literally texted me and was like, "do you want to play a murderous robot?"
2517 / Fic - The Old Guard/Doctor Who
Jun. 26th, 2025 06:15 pmsiriaLessons in a Minor Key
The Old Guard/Doctor Who | ~9300 words | Thanks tosheafrotherdon for betaing.
(Also on AO3)
( The noise got louder, a gasping wail that sounded like no bird Joe had ever heard on Malta, and then a box materialised on the other side of the terrace. A large blue box that said POLICE on the top, appearing out of thin air. Joe cast a worried glance at the sangria—maybe he'd been a bit too liberal with the wine? Or maybe he'd lain out here too long and he'd got a case of sunstroke? )
The Old Guard/Doctor Who | ~9300 words | Thanks to
sheafrotherdon for betaing.(Also on AO3)
( The noise got louder, a gasping wail that sounded like no bird Joe had ever heard on Malta, and then a box materialised on the other side of the terrace. A large blue box that said POLICE on the top, appearing out of thin air. Joe cast a worried glance at the sangria—maybe he'd been a bit too liberal with the wine? Or maybe he'd lain out here too long and he'd got a case of sunstroke? )
What I'm Doing Wednesday
Jun. 25th, 2025 05:57 pmsage( books (Abulafia, Greer, Tesh, Edington, Arroyo) )
astrology
I'm refreshing my knowledge. I used to be GOOD at it, and it's a thing I don't have to be healthy to do. I don't have to keep normal office hours. The trouble is most of my books are paper and reading paper is a migraine trigger. So it's slow going.
dirt
The thrips are srsly going after the rattlesnake beans, and it's making me crazy. Interestingly, they're less fond of the ornamentals. The bougainvillea sent up a new shoot that is thick enough to propagate, so I'm planning to do that in a week or two. The struggling spider plant is recovering. The teeny tiny leaf of the string of turtles has grown a nearly microscopic leaflet and a root inside its rooting bag of sphag & perlite. Maybe one day it'll be a real plant!
healthcrap
Skin clinic tomorrow. Cancelled botox for migraines on Monday, due to bureaucratic shenanigans I'm partly responsible for. Continuing to be in bed for 12 hours and sleep on and off for 7-9 of them. Little REM, little deep sleep, little rest, all thanks to the fibro. I've had PTSD triggers happening for the past week or more, I realized, which is getting me down. Good that I identified it, though, so at least I can point to some reasons for being a ball of anxiety and avoidance
yarning
I went to yarn group Sunday, go me, and had a nice time. I still feel little impetus to crochet or do anything else creative. I wish I did.
food
Started taking a big kid dose of a children's multivitamin in hopes of feeling better, and I do! I bought a ton of groceries after only doing one trip last month. The prices have gone up significantly, grrr. But now I have healthy options that aren't too hard to cook and will hopefully not find myself living on trail mix again...even though I bought fixings for that, too. Made mujadara again and upped the lentil to rice ratio. Again used 2 giant sweet onions bc anything less isn't near enough.
#resist
June 27: Stonewall Anniversary Protest
June 24 to 30: McDonald’s Boycott
July 4: Independence Day Boycott/Free America Protest/Weekend of Community Events
July 17: Good Trouble Lives On Day of Action (in honor of John Lewis, who died 7/17/2000)
astrology
I'm refreshing my knowledge. I used to be GOOD at it, and it's a thing I don't have to be healthy to do. I don't have to keep normal office hours. The trouble is most of my books are paper and reading paper is a migraine trigger. So it's slow going.
dirt
The thrips are srsly going after the rattlesnake beans, and it's making me crazy. Interestingly, they're less fond of the ornamentals. The bougainvillea sent up a new shoot that is thick enough to propagate, so I'm planning to do that in a week or two. The struggling spider plant is recovering. The teeny tiny leaf of the string of turtles has grown a nearly microscopic leaflet and a root inside its rooting bag of sphag & perlite. Maybe one day it'll be a real plant!
healthcrap
Skin clinic tomorrow. Cancelled botox for migraines on Monday, due to bureaucratic shenanigans I'm partly responsible for. Continuing to be in bed for 12 hours and sleep on and off for 7-9 of them. Little REM, little deep sleep, little rest, all thanks to the fibro. I've had PTSD triggers happening for the past week or more, I realized, which is getting me down. Good that I identified it, though, so at least I can point to some reasons for being a ball of anxiety and avoidance
yarning
I went to yarn group Sunday, go me, and had a nice time. I still feel little impetus to crochet or do anything else creative. I wish I did.
food
Started taking a big kid dose of a children's multivitamin in hopes of feeling better, and I do! I bought a ton of groceries after only doing one trip last month. The prices have gone up significantly, grrr. But now I have healthy options that aren't too hard to cook and will hopefully not find myself living on trail mix again...even though I bought fixings for that, too. Made mujadara again and upped the lentil to rice ratio. Again used 2 giant sweet onions bc anything less isn't near enough.
#resist
June 27: Stonewall Anniversary Protest
June 24 to 30: McDonald’s Boycott
July 4: Independence Day Boycott/Free America Protest/Weekend of Community Events
July 17: Good Trouble Lives On Day of Action (in honor of John Lewis, who died 7/17/2000)
Service Model, by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Jun. 25th, 2025 08:52 amrunpunkrunI will read anything Adrian Tchaikovsky writes, and I read this, where a robot valet makes a decision his programming can't account for and is then thrust out of the safety and predictability of his manor home and into the chaos of the unknown, but it's a book that can't seem to commit to a perspective or tone. I mean:
This is not a page turner. At one point, I swear to god, Libby predicted it would take me 23 years to finish reading it. But it's Tchaikovsky, and so finish it I did. Even when dealing almost entirely with robots, his science fiction is humanist, concerned with individual choices, with no one person or group being the big bad. Instead the friction comes where systems overlap without comprehension.
There's also a short story set before this book that you can read at Reactor: Human Resources by Adrian Tchaikovsky.
Contains: the collapse of human civilization, robot harm and death.
Inside his decision-making software there were two subroutines in the shape of wolves, and one insisted that he stay, and the other insisted that he could not stay.Is this robot valet on Tumblr? Nothing in the text justifies such a distracting choice.
This is not a page turner. At one point, I swear to god, Libby predicted it would take me 23 years to finish reading it. But it's Tchaikovsky, and so finish it I did. Even when dealing almost entirely with robots, his science fiction is humanist, concerned with individual choices, with no one person or group being the big bad. Instead the friction comes where systems overlap without comprehension.
Charles, House said at last. We are only following instructions.This book is a world-building slow burn that examines the overlap of automation and humanity, and comes to a dire—but logical—conclusion.
There's also a short story set before this book that you can read at Reactor: Human Resources by Adrian Tchaikovsky.
Contains: the collapse of human civilization, robot harm and death.