she won't catch me or break my fall
Mar. 2nd, 2026 02:48 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
musesfoolI really enjoyed this season of Bridgerton despite being mostly indifferent to Benedict as a character. Yerin Ha as Sophie was everything - I really hope this launches her into a long, bright career. ( spoilers )
In other fannish news, I saw some folks on bsky discussing who the best lightsaber duelist is in Star Wars, and since I didn't really know the people being quoted, I took myself to tumblr to post about it. I also texted my eldest nephew, who is the biggest Anakin and Obi-Wan fan I know (which, given some of the fangirls I know, is saying something) and his knee-jerk response was Anakin*. Which is the wrong answer, so we argued back and forth a bit, and he came around to my way of thinking that it has to be Obi-Wan, even though we never see him go up against Palpatine or Mace Windu (who may have beaten Palpatine if not for Anakin).
I did see people saying Ahsoka, because she survives Maul, Vader, and very briefly, Palpatine, but as much as I love her, she survives and escapes. She doesn't win. The list of Obi-Wan's duels is extensive and no one ever even lays a blade on him that I recall (though he doesn't beat Dooku, which was an argument my nephew made, and Anakin eventually does) until he puts up his saber and lets Vader kill him. Like, is Obi-Wan destroyed emotionally and psychologically by dueling with Anakin? One hundred percent! But he still wins until not winning is the best way to win in the long-term.
*I think you can make a case for him when he's Vader, but even then, Obi-Wan beats him on Mustafar and he only wins on the Death Star because Obi-Wan lets him. In the OWK show, he maybe sets Obi-Wan on fire a little but Obi-Wan takes no real damage in any of their fights until the Death Star.
*
In other fannish news, I saw some folks on bsky discussing who the best lightsaber duelist is in Star Wars, and since I didn't really know the people being quoted, I took myself to tumblr to post about it. I also texted my eldest nephew, who is the biggest Anakin and Obi-Wan fan I know (which, given some of the fangirls I know, is saying something) and his knee-jerk response was Anakin*. Which is the wrong answer, so we argued back and forth a bit, and he came around to my way of thinking that it has to be Obi-Wan, even though we never see him go up against Palpatine or Mace Windu (who may have beaten Palpatine if not for Anakin).
I did see people saying Ahsoka, because she survives Maul, Vader, and very briefly, Palpatine, but as much as I love her, she survives and escapes. She doesn't win. The list of Obi-Wan's duels is extensive and no one ever even lays a blade on him that I recall (though he doesn't beat Dooku, which was an argument my nephew made, and Anakin eventually does) until he puts up his saber and lets Vader kill him. Like, is Obi-Wan destroyed emotionally and psychologically by dueling with Anakin? One hundred percent! But he still wins until not winning is the best way to win in the long-term.
*I think you can make a case for him when he's Vader, but even then, Obi-Wan beats him on Mustafar and he only wins on the Death Star because Obi-Wan lets him. In the OWK show, he maybe sets Obi-Wan on fire a little but Obi-Wan takes no real damage in any of their fights until the Death Star.
*
In perfect harmony (not what we planned) We'll change our destiny
Mar. 2nd, 2026 05:36 ambeansideAnd somehow, after what seemed like a very short weekend, we're back to Monday.
I don't have a ton planned today, just a visit to the psych doctor at 5pm to get my meds. It'll be a quick appointment, but I definitely need my meds. I'll pick them all up tomorrow after Yoda's appointment with the vet. Tuesday is definitely the busy day. I'll have work, Yoda's appointment, then pharmacy. It's a lot, but we'll get it done. Wednesday is a mostly quiet day, though we have our Brindlewood Bay game. Then, unless movement happens with the radiology job, I'll be off for my interview on Thursday, as well as Jess having their 6 month post op. Friday is wide open, Saturday, we have Arvandor. We're getting to the end of that game.
Yesterday was quiet, but nice. We were going to go to the pancake breakfast, but my knee was a little bit peeved--not terrible just twinges of discomfort. The grounds around the nature center it was being held at are a little hilly and a bit of a walk so we decided to just go get breakfast somewhere that we could park close. We decided on the Original Pancake House which was...okay. The Dutch Baby pancake was all wrong. Instead of a thin, somewhat crispy pancake, it was an inch thick and very eggy. It was tasty, but not a dutch baby. I will have to make one soon. Maybe Sunday.
Then, we came home and had our Arvandor game. It was awesome as usual, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Afterwards, I told my players to start thinking about what their epilogue will be. I'm figuring we have maybe 2 games left, and then we'll be done. I've got one more big reveal, and then I will be done except for the final battle and the epilogue.
It's funny, the game has been going for a while. We played Dragon Heist, then Mad Mage with these characters, so it's been going since at October of 2022, so heading on three and a half years, but I feel like the characters and game really came alive with this last arc. It was fun before, don't get me wrong. I loved everything we did before. But, with Arvandor, I asked for backstories, and I pulled them in, and let the characters get closure for their pasts, and homebrewed an entire world. I'm looking forward to doing that for the next campaign, Marchen.
It's set in a fairy tale land, where the briars around sleeping beauty's kingdom has begun to fail, and the sleeping sickness is poised to return and take over the land. A ragtag bunch of "heroes" (some recruited from the prison) will go to find the problem and solve it. Along the way, they're going to interact with some fairy tale narratives and help those people to finish or avert their stories. It should be a lot of fun, because most fairy tales are fucked up..
My players have started making awesome characters, and I'm looking forward to seeing how they play out. I'm nervous about it, because it's again all homebrew, which means if it doesn't work well, it's on me. On the other hand, if it does, it's a fucking amazing feeling.
By the time the game was done, my sister had left for her NY trip, so the evening was very quiet. We relaxed in the living room. I watched YouTube Videos about eating like the locals in Waikiki. I want to find the good local places, so that I'm not giving chains or non-Hawaiian businesses my money while we're there. I found a pair of locals who have a food channel and watched that for a while. Later, when we're closer to the trip, I'll go in and compile the restaurants/food trucks that looked good into a list, which we can use while we're there.
The Alaska trip is only 67 days away, but I've got that planned. I know pretty much everything there is to do on the ship and in port. Our excursions are booked, we're checked in with all our passport info, our transportation is booked and paid for, so we're ready to go.
I'm only 38 days out from college starting, which should be interesting. I'm going to start with one class, especially since we're going on the cruise during the first term. It'll probably be mostly an onboarding class, which is good. I need refreshers on AP style and all that.
Today is sure to be an annoyingly busy day, probably mostly on the phone. I will be tired when I'm done. I seem to have a bit of a cough the last few days, so hopefully that has settled down so I can talk.
Time for me to get myself together. Maybe grab a shower to get ready to start the day, or I may wait til tomorrow. During the winter, I have to be careful how frequently I shower, because my skin gets super dry, even with moisturizer. I definitely can't do it every day, so I aim for every 3rd day. Today would be two, but I'm feeling a little grungy. Both restaurants we went to were kind of warm, so I guess there was some minor sweating. Anyhow, everyone have a wonderful Monday!
I don't have a ton planned today, just a visit to the psych doctor at 5pm to get my meds. It'll be a quick appointment, but I definitely need my meds. I'll pick them all up tomorrow after Yoda's appointment with the vet. Tuesday is definitely the busy day. I'll have work, Yoda's appointment, then pharmacy. It's a lot, but we'll get it done. Wednesday is a mostly quiet day, though we have our Brindlewood Bay game. Then, unless movement happens with the radiology job, I'll be off for my interview on Thursday, as well as Jess having their 6 month post op. Friday is wide open, Saturday, we have Arvandor. We're getting to the end of that game.
Yesterday was quiet, but nice. We were going to go to the pancake breakfast, but my knee was a little bit peeved--not terrible just twinges of discomfort. The grounds around the nature center it was being held at are a little hilly and a bit of a walk so we decided to just go get breakfast somewhere that we could park close. We decided on the Original Pancake House which was...okay. The Dutch Baby pancake was all wrong. Instead of a thin, somewhat crispy pancake, it was an inch thick and very eggy. It was tasty, but not a dutch baby. I will have to make one soon. Maybe Sunday.
Then, we came home and had our Arvandor game. It was awesome as usual, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Afterwards, I told my players to start thinking about what their epilogue will be. I'm figuring we have maybe 2 games left, and then we'll be done. I've got one more big reveal, and then I will be done except for the final battle and the epilogue.
It's funny, the game has been going for a while. We played Dragon Heist, then Mad Mage with these characters, so it's been going since at October of 2022, so heading on three and a half years, but I feel like the characters and game really came alive with this last arc. It was fun before, don't get me wrong. I loved everything we did before. But, with Arvandor, I asked for backstories, and I pulled them in, and let the characters get closure for their pasts, and homebrewed an entire world. I'm looking forward to doing that for the next campaign, Marchen.
It's set in a fairy tale land, where the briars around sleeping beauty's kingdom has begun to fail, and the sleeping sickness is poised to return and take over the land. A ragtag bunch of "heroes" (some recruited from the prison) will go to find the problem and solve it. Along the way, they're going to interact with some fairy tale narratives and help those people to finish or avert their stories. It should be a lot of fun, because most fairy tales are fucked up..
My players have started making awesome characters, and I'm looking forward to seeing how they play out. I'm nervous about it, because it's again all homebrew, which means if it doesn't work well, it's on me. On the other hand, if it does, it's a fucking amazing feeling.
By the time the game was done, my sister had left for her NY trip, so the evening was very quiet. We relaxed in the living room. I watched YouTube Videos about eating like the locals in Waikiki. I want to find the good local places, so that I'm not giving chains or non-Hawaiian businesses my money while we're there. I found a pair of locals who have a food channel and watched that for a while. Later, when we're closer to the trip, I'll go in and compile the restaurants/food trucks that looked good into a list, which we can use while we're there.
The Alaska trip is only 67 days away, but I've got that planned. I know pretty much everything there is to do on the ship and in port. Our excursions are booked, we're checked in with all our passport info, our transportation is booked and paid for, so we're ready to go.
I'm only 38 days out from college starting, which should be interesting. I'm going to start with one class, especially since we're going on the cruise during the first term. It'll probably be mostly an onboarding class, which is good. I need refreshers on AP style and all that.
Today is sure to be an annoyingly busy day, probably mostly on the phone. I will be tired when I'm done. I seem to have a bit of a cough the last few days, so hopefully that has settled down so I can talk.
Time for me to get myself together. Maybe grab a shower to get ready to start the day, or I may wait til tomorrow. During the winter, I have to be careful how frequently I shower, because my skin gets super dry, even with moisturizer. I definitely can't do it every day, so I aim for every 3rd day. Today would be two, but I'm feeling a little grungy. Both restaurants we went to were kind of warm, so I guess there was some minor sweating. Anyhow, everyone have a wonderful Monday!
Sherlock Holmes: the grand intermission by Blistering_Typhoons
Mar. 1st, 2026 12:48 pmkingstoken posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
fancakeFandom: Sherlock Holmes (Granada)
Pairings/Characters: Mycroft & Sherlock
Rating: G
Length: 523 words
Creator Links: Blistering_Typhoons
Theme: Siblings
Summary: The Sherlock Holmes that sits in front of him may as well be dead.
Reccer's Notes: A little story of Mycroft meeting with Sherlock during the years he was on the run post-Reichenbach. Poor Sherlock is not doing well, and Mycroft tries to care for him in his own way.
Fanwork Links: AO3
Pairings/Characters: Mycroft & Sherlock
Rating: G
Length: 523 words
Creator Links: Blistering_Typhoons
Theme: Siblings
Summary: The Sherlock Holmes that sits in front of him may as well be dead.
Reccer's Notes: A little story of Mycroft meeting with Sherlock during the years he was on the run post-Reichenbach. Poor Sherlock is not doing well, and Mycroft tries to care for him in his own way.
Fanwork Links: AO3
Round 184: Siblings
Mar. 1st, 2026 08:59 amrunpunkrun posting in fancake
Our theme for March is siblings—whether assigned or chosen.
The tag for this round is: theme: siblings
If you're just joining us, be sure to check out our policy on content notes. Content notes aren't required, but they're nice to include in your recs, especially if a fanwork has untagged content that readers may wish to know about in advance.
( Rules! )
( Posting Template! )
( Promote this round! )
Weekly proof of life, seasonal-crunch edition
Mar. 1st, 2026 12:50 pmumadoshiWork/life overall: Usually before a seasonal crunch starts at Dayjob I think to post something to the effect of "I'm about to be swamped, so while I'll probably/hopefully manage to keep up with reading posts, commenting will probably be mostly nonexistent, etc. etc.", and sometimes I feel a bit silly about it because I'm not as active a commenter as I'd like anyway and sometimes the crunch isn't that bad, and probably most people reading this already know that anyway...but I have some newer mutuals here now and I didn't think to post it, and friends, this crunch is CRUNCHY. Ohboy.
Media intake: LOL. (Okay, I did actually read a couple volumes of manga last night, and I did show ep. 1 of Heated Rivalry toscruloose last weekend. But I think that's it.)
Weather: We did get lots of snow early in the week, but somehow yet again didn't lose power. No complaints!
Cats: Last week both of the blues had birthdays! Yona turned four on Tuesday and Sinha turned five yesterday. (It would be very convenient to have a pic of the two of them together that'd make a good icon, but the odds of that ever happening are not remotely good. Have an icon of baby!Yona.)
Media intake: LOL. (Okay, I did actually read a couple volumes of manga last night, and I did show ep. 1 of Heated Rivalry to
scruloose last weekend. But I think that's it.)Weather: We did get lots of snow early in the week, but somehow yet again didn't lose power. No complaints!
Cats: Last week both of the blues had birthdays! Yona turned four on Tuesday and Sinha turned five yesterday. (It would be very convenient to have a pic of the two of them together that'd make a good icon, but the odds of that ever happening are not remotely good. Have an icon of baby!Yona.)
February 2026
Mar. 1st, 2026 11:24 amcolls posting in swbookclubThis month's book was Star Wars: Aftermath (Aftermath #1) by Chuck Wendig
1. The book introduced a large number of characters and plot threads. How well do you think the author pulled them together by the end of this book?
2. Compared with other Star Wars novels we've read, how do you think the action scenes came across?
3. How did you like this book?
and how soon should we continue the trilogy - ;)
COMING UP NEXT
March: THEME: Star Wars comic mini-series
April: Brotherhood by Mike Chen
1. The book introduced a large number of characters and plot threads. How well do you think the author pulled them together by the end of this book?
2. Compared with other Star Wars novels we've read, how do you think the action scenes came across?
3. How did you like this book?
and how soon should we continue the trilogy - ;)
COMING UP NEXT
March: THEME: Star Wars comic mini-series
April: Brotherhood by Mike Chen
Just banging tunes and DJ sets
Mar. 1st, 2026 04:17 pmdolorosa_12The weekend kicked off in delightful style with the silent disco on Friday night. It was the usual joyful chaos of crowds dancing and singing their hearts out to the cheesiest music imaginable. Usually the three DJs are split thematically, with one channel playing pop, one alternative music, and one hip hop and rnb, but this time they split up across the decades. I think if I counted every song up, the '90s channel probably slightly won out for me, but I was too busy happily jumping around to count. My face literally hurt from smiling so much and so widely. Amusingly, there was a bit of confusion at the beginning when one of the DJs announced that somehow his channel was being transmitted at Ely train station. I have no idea how this would even be possible, but if true, the commuters heading north or south at 8pm would have had a rather disorienting experience.
Although — in deference to the cathedral location and the fact that most attendees are over forty — the event finished at 11pm and I was home about five minutes later, three hours straight of dancing followed by not enough sleep did take its toll, and my two hours at classes in the gym on Saturday morning were even more exhausting than usual. I made it through, hauled myself into town to meet Matthias at the market, and whipped around doing the grocery shopping at top speed in order to escape the impending rain. We made it into our favourite cafe/bar, amazing food truck cheese, sauerkraut and pickle toasties in hand, just as the first drops began to fall.
Spring is finally starting to show its face — dark pink flowers on the quince tree, crocuses blossoming purple in the raised beds, and other bulbs emerging from the ground. I bought a bird feeder, filled it with mixed seeds, and hung it up in the back garden, although I haven't noticed any birds making particular use of it so far. This year, I'm starting my fermentation plans early, and made a test batch of this sauerkraut yesterday. It needs a few days left alone in a dark cupboard, and then I'll test the results.
This morning was swimming, crepes, river and market wander, with coffee from the rig in the market square. I've just returned downstairs after a very lazy yoga class, and I plan to spend the rest of the afternoon slowly winding down, with my crysanthamum flower tea in hand, catching up on Dreamwidth.
I read two books this week, both in their way dealing with trauma recovery, one with staggeringly better results than the other. The difference in quality is so dramatic that it almost feels unfair to compare them, and yet I can't help doing so due to their thematic overlap.
First up was Deerskin, Robin McKinley's retelling of the 'Donkeyskin' fairytale, which was the remaining recommendation from my post requesting fairytale/mythology retellings. This dark and unsettling fairytale has incestuous rape at its heart, and so for obvious reasons doesn't get included very often in anthology collections. McKinley handles this difficult subject matter with perception and sensitivity, telling a story in which physical and mental flight, and space and time (in a sense outside of space and time) experiencing the cyclical and linear growth of the natural world allow her heroine to return back to herself, in healing, bravery, justice and human connection. One thing I always feel McKinley does very well is convey the full richness of all the senses, and this is on full display in Deerskin: the bite of the winter cold, the softness of a new puppy's first fur, the welcome intense taste of food after a long period of hunger, the way fear and trauma are felt in the body, and so on. The whole thing is just staggeringly well done — McKinley at her absolute best.
The second book was A Theory of Dreaming, Ava Reid's follow-up to her dark academia A Study in Drowning. The former was originally intended as a standalone, and certainly drew its characters' stories to a satisfying close, but given it ended up being a breakaway success almost solely due to TikTok word-of-mouth and reviving its author's career, I assume a sequel was more or less inevitable. Dreaming sees its central couple Effie and Preston return to university, uncovering more shocking secrets about the great canonical works of literature that underpin their two warring nations' origin myths, contend with more institutional sexism, classism and xenophobia, and try to shore up their relationship in the face of Effie's ongoing mental illness and trauma. The problem, as always with Reid, is the complete absence of any subtlety; everything is overexplained and beaten into the reader's head with the clunkiness of a hammer blow. Reid is one of the worst culprits for a kind of fearful authorial overexplanation, as if writing in anticipation of a social media mob ready to descend at the slightest hint that depiction might equal endorsement, spelling out her books' central messages over and over again like a streaming-era TV show putting clunky plot and thematic exposition into its dialogue in case its audience gets distracted by mobile phones and misses something crucial. The rarefied ivory tower privilege of her fictionalised university, the unsophisticated exploration of war, the resolution to all the various injustices piled up on Effie — everything is anxiously spelt out, and then spelt out again, and then concluded in the most 'and then everyone applauded' Tumblr post manner imaginable. As with A Study in Drowning, the inspiration from AS Byatt's Possession is clear (and acknowledged), but honestly, that just made me want to reread Possession again.
I have another Ava Reid book making its way to me at some point via library holds, and I know it's likely to irritate me in similar ways. Her first couple of books had promise, but I feel everything since has been a serious step down in quality, and yet I keep trying.
Although — in deference to the cathedral location and the fact that most attendees are over forty — the event finished at 11pm and I was home about five minutes later, three hours straight of dancing followed by not enough sleep did take its toll, and my two hours at classes in the gym on Saturday morning were even more exhausting than usual. I made it through, hauled myself into town to meet Matthias at the market, and whipped around doing the grocery shopping at top speed in order to escape the impending rain. We made it into our favourite cafe/bar, amazing food truck cheese, sauerkraut and pickle toasties in hand, just as the first drops began to fall.
Spring is finally starting to show its face — dark pink flowers on the quince tree, crocuses blossoming purple in the raised beds, and other bulbs emerging from the ground. I bought a bird feeder, filled it with mixed seeds, and hung it up in the back garden, although I haven't noticed any birds making particular use of it so far. This year, I'm starting my fermentation plans early, and made a test batch of this sauerkraut yesterday. It needs a few days left alone in a dark cupboard, and then I'll test the results.
This morning was swimming, crepes, river and market wander, with coffee from the rig in the market square. I've just returned downstairs after a very lazy yoga class, and I plan to spend the rest of the afternoon slowly winding down, with my crysanthamum flower tea in hand, catching up on Dreamwidth.
I read two books this week, both in their way dealing with trauma recovery, one with staggeringly better results than the other. The difference in quality is so dramatic that it almost feels unfair to compare them, and yet I can't help doing so due to their thematic overlap.
First up was Deerskin, Robin McKinley's retelling of the 'Donkeyskin' fairytale, which was the remaining recommendation from my post requesting fairytale/mythology retellings. This dark and unsettling fairytale has incestuous rape at its heart, and so for obvious reasons doesn't get included very often in anthology collections. McKinley handles this difficult subject matter with perception and sensitivity, telling a story in which physical and mental flight, and space and time (in a sense outside of space and time) experiencing the cyclical and linear growth of the natural world allow her heroine to return back to herself, in healing, bravery, justice and human connection. One thing I always feel McKinley does very well is convey the full richness of all the senses, and this is on full display in Deerskin: the bite of the winter cold, the softness of a new puppy's first fur, the welcome intense taste of food after a long period of hunger, the way fear and trauma are felt in the body, and so on. The whole thing is just staggeringly well done — McKinley at her absolute best.
The second book was A Theory of Dreaming, Ava Reid's follow-up to her dark academia A Study in Drowning. The former was originally intended as a standalone, and certainly drew its characters' stories to a satisfying close, but given it ended up being a breakaway success almost solely due to TikTok word-of-mouth and reviving its author's career, I assume a sequel was more or less inevitable. Dreaming sees its central couple Effie and Preston return to university, uncovering more shocking secrets about the great canonical works of literature that underpin their two warring nations' origin myths, contend with more institutional sexism, classism and xenophobia, and try to shore up their relationship in the face of Effie's ongoing mental illness and trauma. The problem, as always with Reid, is the complete absence of any subtlety; everything is overexplained and beaten into the reader's head with the clunkiness of a hammer blow. Reid is one of the worst culprits for a kind of fearful authorial overexplanation, as if writing in anticipation of a social media mob ready to descend at the slightest hint that depiction might equal endorsement, spelling out her books' central messages over and over again like a streaming-era TV show putting clunky plot and thematic exposition into its dialogue in case its audience gets distracted by mobile phones and misses something crucial. The rarefied ivory tower privilege of her fictionalised university, the unsophisticated exploration of war, the resolution to all the various injustices piled up on Effie — everything is anxiously spelt out, and then spelt out again, and then concluded in the most 'and then everyone applauded' Tumblr post manner imaginable. As with A Study in Drowning, the inspiration from AS Byatt's Possession is clear (and acknowledged), but honestly, that just made me want to reread Possession again.
I have another Ava Reid book making its way to me at some point via library holds, and I know it's likely to irritate me in similar ways. Her first couple of books had promise, but I feel everything since has been a serious step down in quality, and yet I keep trying.
bring your good times and your laughter too
Mar. 1st, 2026 02:41 pmpensnestDear me, somehow my Reddit feed is full of posts by young women who apparently have no personal taste. Asking which wedding dress they should choose, or which engagement ring, or which wedding ring goes with their engagement ring. Sigh. Girls! It's your body, your hand. It should be dressed according to your taste, not mine! (Especially when your taste involves something that looks like fancy underwear with draperies, or has those sad, drooping sleeves.)
I mean. I suppose it's most likely "I wanna make a post and be given lots of attention" more than "I dunno what I want", but it's irritating.
*
Went to a rather sweet birthday party yesterday evening. Quite a lot of potential guests have been stricken with the current lurgi and had to cancel, but there were enough of us to have a good time. There were members of all three of the choruses, just about enough to put on somewhat unbalanced mini-choruses. And my quartet managed a couple of songs, and I sang "I Won't Mind" which everybody thought was a lovely song, because it is. And I think the Birthday Celebrant had a good time. Very friendly and family-oriented. Although it was in the Middle Of Nowhere, Norfolk, and involved a long and entirely dark stretch of single-track road. Bleah.
*
We had our coaching evening with Deke Sharon on Tuesday, an experience generally enjoyed by all. It's not that the message of Emotion Is Thing To Communicate has not been put across before, it has, but somehow he managed to make that connection for most of the chorus, and it worked! They (I, still struggling with a cold, observed and wrote stuff down) sang A Million Dreams, and the first time through, the tension was *huge*! By the fourth repetition, though, it brought tears to my eyes and my Beast's. (Beast, and a handful of others from the men's chorus, took advantage of the invitation to come and watch.)
Deke is quite a showman, and was very entertaining. It was not an intense, information-rich session, but the message that got through really did make a difference to the singing. Most interestingly, the chorus sang better without the MD.... obviously it takes a lot of work to be able to get to that point, but once we can sing with our MD joining the singers, we should. Anyway. A very worthwhile experience. And Deke was awarded a pot of Colman's Mustard, of course.
Also, he started off by saying, "Judging Art is fundamentally stupid." Go Deke!
I mean. I suppose it's most likely "I wanna make a post and be given lots of attention" more than "I dunno what I want", but it's irritating.
*
Went to a rather sweet birthday party yesterday evening. Quite a lot of potential guests have been stricken with the current lurgi and had to cancel, but there were enough of us to have a good time. There were members of all three of the choruses, just about enough to put on somewhat unbalanced mini-choruses. And my quartet managed a couple of songs, and I sang "I Won't Mind" which everybody thought was a lovely song, because it is. And I think the Birthday Celebrant had a good time. Very friendly and family-oriented. Although it was in the Middle Of Nowhere, Norfolk, and involved a long and entirely dark stretch of single-track road. Bleah.
*
We had our coaching evening with Deke Sharon on Tuesday, an experience generally enjoyed by all. It's not that the message of Emotion Is Thing To Communicate has not been put across before, it has, but somehow he managed to make that connection for most of the chorus, and it worked! They (I, still struggling with a cold, observed and wrote stuff down) sang A Million Dreams, and the first time through, the tension was *huge*! By the fourth repetition, though, it brought tears to my eyes and my Beast's. (Beast, and a handful of others from the men's chorus, took advantage of the invitation to come and watch.)
Deke is quite a showman, and was very entertaining. It was not an intense, information-rich session, but the message that got through really did make a difference to the singing. Most interestingly, the chorus sang better without the MD.... obviously it takes a lot of work to be able to get to that point, but once we can sing with our MD joining the singers, we should. Anyway. A very worthwhile experience. And Deke was awarded a pot of Colman's Mustard, of course.
Also, he started off by saying, "Judging Art is fundamentally stupid." Go Deke!
beansideUgh. I love my cat, but she nearly died this morning. 4am, she started bugging me. I got up and fed her, and went back to sleep, and at 4:30, she was back. I shooed her off and tried to sleep, but I couldn't, because I was annoyed and knew she'd be back. Sure enough at 5 she returned and I finally gave up. I was so annoyed. It's my last night in my bed for 5 fucking days, and I didn't even get to sleep in. I love her so much, but goddamn.
So, I'm up. I'm going to check my prep for todays game session, and wait for Jess to get up and see if they want to do the pancake breakfast at Oregon Ridge Nature center, so I can get some maple candy. I'm a sucker for all things maple, I've gotta admit.
Aside from possible pancakes and game, I don't think we're doing a whole lot else. By the time we finish game, my sister will be on her way to NYC, so we'll probably just enjoy the quiet, maybe watch TV or something that we don't normally do when my sister is home. It's very difficult to enjoy a show that she's not into, because she talks so much during it. With the Pitt, I need to pay attention to the rapid fire dialogue, so I need her not in the vicinity. I suppose I could have watched Heated Rivalry, but I didn't think of it.
Yesterday was nice. Jess had some tummy cramps, so we cancelled their fitting for their suit and moved it to next weekend.
I worked in the morning and had a lot of calls, though my favorite was an older couple. They needed to move an appt that they had made through the portal. In the "special needs and accommodations" section, they had written something incredibly unflattering about our doofus in chief, which I found hilarious. I got them a good appointment.
Then, we relaxed for a few minutes while my sister got her hair cut. Then, it was off to the restaurant.
OMG, the robot server was cute as hell. The head and screen are shaped like a kitty, and it has this very young, very cute voice. It trundles up going "Hello, I'm here!" and then tells you what tray your food is on. Just so adorable! The food was also good, though next time, I swear, I'm getting all appetizers. The entrees were good, but the appetizers were phenomenal.
We got cheese wontons, which were my favorite. They were little purses of a white gooey cheese, in an amazing sauce that I could have put on anything. When we finished the meal, I put in another order for them, and overstuffed myself. No regrets. The other appetizer was gyoza, which came in a circle with a thin crispy covering over them, like they put a bit of lacy batter in the pan and then added the steamed gyoza. It was just the right amount of crunch.
I had the skewers, which were very tasty. I dipped them in the sauce from the wontons. Jess had Pork katsu curry, which had a very nice flavor. But they weren't as good as the appetizers.
Next time, I will also get the pork Shumai, and some other appetizers. It'll be great. Then, we waddled out to the car and came home and laid on the couch, just stuffed.
After lunch, we were discussing the possible Hawaiian hotels, and Jess admitted that they didn't like the one I was looking at, because they had a captive dolphin pool and a swim with them package, and that bothered them. So, back to looking for hotels. I did some more reasearch, looking specifically into LGBT+ friendly hotels. We settled on the Outrigger Reef Waikiki Beach Resort.
It seems very nice, with plenty to do, but a little bit away from the main area. It's down near the reef that borders Waikiki Beach. It has a small beach, as the water comes up very close to the hotel, but it's enough for us. I got a club Oceanview room, so we'll have a great view of the Pacific, and we get access to the club lounge for breakfast and also dinner snacks, and drinks, which you could totally make a meal of if you so desired. There are some local restaurants nearby, and the rest are a quick cab ride away. Best of all, we're close to a trolley loop, so we can use that to get around during the day. Tours will also pick up there for the most part.
We'll have to see if we want to do any big tours. I've been looking on Viator, and there's plenty of fun things to do, but a lot of really long tours with multiple stops. I'm not sure I need a chocolate, wine and rum tasting. That seems like it might be excessive. I definitely want to go to the Dole Plantation and maybe a macademia nut farm. I'm very food motivated, don't you know.
I can't book most of it, but I'm looking. I did book the hotel, but the rest's calendars don't go that far out. I'm definitely getting a hotel transport that gives you a lei on arrival. That just seems fun, and a good memory to have.
The next week is kind of busy. I've got an appt Monday after work with my psych doctor, on Tuesday I have a virtual with a gyn. The FDA approved an at home pap smear, and since I had a really bad and painful experience with my last one, I figured I'd try it. You meet with the GYN, and then they send your the kit. It looks simple enough. You take the sample, send it off, and get results. And then, no pap smear for the next few years. It costs about $99 with insurance, which is totally fair, and was FSA approved.
After that on Tuesday, Yoda has an appt for his Cytopoint shot and to see if he needs antibiotics, because he's been licking his skin, and chewing on his leg a lot. Wednesday is quiet except for game, and then Thursday, I have the interview. Friday is again quiet, except that the sister will return, and that will be a bit of chaos.
I'm not worried about the interview, it'll be what it'll be. I'll do my best, and after that, whatever will be will be.
Oh, and on Tuesday, my new Macbook Air will show up! So I'll spend some time transferring files, and downloading all my apps. I've got about 7 that I need to download and remember my password to. Not my favorite thing, but it'll be worth it when I have it all set up, and I've got a faster computer with a bigger screen that presumably will hold it's charge way better. I'll have this one for travel, which is good.
And now, I'm just going to do some prep for Arvandor today, and drink my coffee and wake up. Everyone have a restful Sunday!
So, I'm up. I'm going to check my prep for todays game session, and wait for Jess to get up and see if they want to do the pancake breakfast at Oregon Ridge Nature center, so I can get some maple candy. I'm a sucker for all things maple, I've gotta admit.
Aside from possible pancakes and game, I don't think we're doing a whole lot else. By the time we finish game, my sister will be on her way to NYC, so we'll probably just enjoy the quiet, maybe watch TV or something that we don't normally do when my sister is home. It's very difficult to enjoy a show that she's not into, because she talks so much during it. With the Pitt, I need to pay attention to the rapid fire dialogue, so I need her not in the vicinity. I suppose I could have watched Heated Rivalry, but I didn't think of it.
Yesterday was nice. Jess had some tummy cramps, so we cancelled their fitting for their suit and moved it to next weekend.
I worked in the morning and had a lot of calls, though my favorite was an older couple. They needed to move an appt that they had made through the portal. In the "special needs and accommodations" section, they had written something incredibly unflattering about our doofus in chief, which I found hilarious. I got them a good appointment.
Then, we relaxed for a few minutes while my sister got her hair cut. Then, it was off to the restaurant.
OMG, the robot server was cute as hell. The head and screen are shaped like a kitty, and it has this very young, very cute voice. It trundles up going "Hello, I'm here!" and then tells you what tray your food is on. Just so adorable! The food was also good, though next time, I swear, I'm getting all appetizers. The entrees were good, but the appetizers were phenomenal.
We got cheese wontons, which were my favorite. They were little purses of a white gooey cheese, in an amazing sauce that I could have put on anything. When we finished the meal, I put in another order for them, and overstuffed myself. No regrets. The other appetizer was gyoza, which came in a circle with a thin crispy covering over them, like they put a bit of lacy batter in the pan and then added the steamed gyoza. It was just the right amount of crunch.
I had the skewers, which were very tasty. I dipped them in the sauce from the wontons. Jess had Pork katsu curry, which had a very nice flavor. But they weren't as good as the appetizers.
Next time, I will also get the pork Shumai, and some other appetizers. It'll be great. Then, we waddled out to the car and came home and laid on the couch, just stuffed.
After lunch, we were discussing the possible Hawaiian hotels, and Jess admitted that they didn't like the one I was looking at, because they had a captive dolphin pool and a swim with them package, and that bothered them. So, back to looking for hotels. I did some more reasearch, looking specifically into LGBT+ friendly hotels. We settled on the Outrigger Reef Waikiki Beach Resort.
It seems very nice, with plenty to do, but a little bit away from the main area. It's down near the reef that borders Waikiki Beach. It has a small beach, as the water comes up very close to the hotel, but it's enough for us. I got a club Oceanview room, so we'll have a great view of the Pacific, and we get access to the club lounge for breakfast and also dinner snacks, and drinks, which you could totally make a meal of if you so desired. There are some local restaurants nearby, and the rest are a quick cab ride away. Best of all, we're close to a trolley loop, so we can use that to get around during the day. Tours will also pick up there for the most part.
We'll have to see if we want to do any big tours. I've been looking on Viator, and there's plenty of fun things to do, but a lot of really long tours with multiple stops. I'm not sure I need a chocolate, wine and rum tasting. That seems like it might be excessive. I definitely want to go to the Dole Plantation and maybe a macademia nut farm. I'm very food motivated, don't you know.
I can't book most of it, but I'm looking. I did book the hotel, but the rest's calendars don't go that far out. I'm definitely getting a hotel transport that gives you a lei on arrival. That just seems fun, and a good memory to have.
The next week is kind of busy. I've got an appt Monday after work with my psych doctor, on Tuesday I have a virtual with a gyn. The FDA approved an at home pap smear, and since I had a really bad and painful experience with my last one, I figured I'd try it. You meet with the GYN, and then they send your the kit. It looks simple enough. You take the sample, send it off, and get results. And then, no pap smear for the next few years. It costs about $99 with insurance, which is totally fair, and was FSA approved.
After that on Tuesday, Yoda has an appt for his Cytopoint shot and to see if he needs antibiotics, because he's been licking his skin, and chewing on his leg a lot. Wednesday is quiet except for game, and then Thursday, I have the interview. Friday is again quiet, except that the sister will return, and that will be a bit of chaos.
I'm not worried about the interview, it'll be what it'll be. I'll do my best, and after that, whatever will be will be.
Oh, and on Tuesday, my new Macbook Air will show up! So I'll spend some time transferring files, and downloading all my apps. I've got about 7 that I need to download and remember my password to. Not my favorite thing, but it'll be worth it when I have it all set up, and I've got a faster computer with a bigger screen that presumably will hold it's charge way better. I'll have this one for travel, which is good.
And now, I'm just going to do some prep for Arvandor today, and drink my coffee and wake up. Everyone have a restful Sunday!
i look to you and i see nothing
Feb. 28th, 2026 10:05 pmmusesfoolLast night, I logged off work and got into bed for a proper nap, none of this half-assed falling asleep on the couch business, and I thought I'd set an alarm so it didn't go more than an hour or so, but it turns out that all I did was open up the clock/alarm app on my phone without setting it, so I woke up at 8:30 pm all befuddled. I decided at that point that fuck it, we ball sleep, so I brushed my teeth, changed into my jammies, and went back to bed. And slept pretty well! I woke up once or twice but had no real trouble getting back to sleep, and then I woke up for good around 7:45 am, so it was like a FIFTEEN HOUR night. Which is bonkers, but I guess I needed it?
Anyway, I did a very small recs update today for February:
unfitforsociety has been updated for February 2026 with 7 recs in 3 fandoms:
* 5 Heated Rivalry and 1 Heated Rivalry/Sesame Street crossover
* 1 The Pitt
Maybe once I finish my DCC reread, I will get back to reading more fic, idk. It's just very hard to pay attention to anything these days, thanks to *gestures* everything.
*
Anyway, I did a very small recs update today for February:
unfitforsociety has been updated for February 2026 with 7 recs in 3 fandoms:* 5 Heated Rivalry and 1 Heated Rivalry/Sesame Street crossover
* 1 The Pitt
Maybe once I finish my DCC reread, I will get back to reading more fic, idk. It's just very hard to pay attention to anything these days, thanks to *gestures* everything.
*
I know I won't be leaving here with you
Feb. 28th, 2026 05:26 pmgwynEscapade was much fun this year, though as with last year, stupid cancer fatigue put a damper on a lot of things. The best panels were the one for The Pitt and Murderbot, though I would have enjoyed the Murderbot panel more if a) it hadn't been at nine a.m. on Saturday morning and b) hadn't been dominated by one really obnoxious person. The moderator did a yeoman's job trying to rein her in (seriously, I really admired her skills at hardassery), but I had really hoped to talk about Gurathin in the show and the final episode, how SecUnit's memories might have changed him, etc., but that didn't really happen. And when I started talking about him, in typical fannish fashion, someone immediately countered and diminished my comment with how he wasn't what they thought he should be from the books and yadda yadda, so I never really got to make my point. Maybe next year?
But it was good to see people, even if I didn't get all the time I wanted to glom on some folks (par_avion, I'm lookin' at you). Still, there were a few wonderful surprises where some folks I adore and haven't seen in years came to the con, because their fannish brains had been kickstarted by Heated Rivalry. I am so not into that show but the fact that it brought them back out into fandom makes me feel more warmly towards it.
I woke up Sunday morning to news that LAX was in chaos because the Nazis in the government (and I use that term loosely) had decided to shut down TSA precheck and global entry, but after a while that got walked back and by the time I got to the airport, things had settled down a bit and it was fairly quiet. Then the flights started getting canceled by the East Coast blizzard (poor par, she was stuck at the hotel till Wednesday night), and the Mexico flights were stopping because it seemed like half of Mexico was on fire, and it made for a really surreal experience. And now today I woke up to the news about Iran and I just...I really often wish that this fucking cancer would just take me out. This world is just so fucking horrible, and I feel so utterly helpless to do even the tiniest thing about it.
I mean, I have signed up for Fandom Trumps Hate (fth2026offerings) (god i hate that fucker so much that i can't even stand to use a perfectly good verb because it's saying his name), but if I get even a bid over my $10 minimum, I'll be shocked. I've done auctions before, but I don't feel like I make much of a contribution, and I know throwing money at some of these horrors are at least some small way of helping, but I'm just not someone who'll generate that kind of money and I can't make many donations of my own.
Still, I'll hope that maybe a friend will feel sorry for me and buy me ;-D . But I have to admit, the basics of this auction confuse me--listings are on DW here, but a lot takes place on Tumblr, and I'm confused about how to publicize my listing. I was able to reblog the auction roundup listing for The Pitt today, but I don't know how one goes about promoting their own listing. Has anyone done FTH before and would be willing to give me some advice? There's only a couple days for browsing, so I would love to see if I could at least generate some attention if someone wants a fic for Marvel, The Pitt, or Fast Color (hah). I feel like in the past, I've seen people's contributor listings on tumblr, but I just don't know how that goes. Ugh, I'm so out of touch.
I broke my toe on my left foot *again* this morning. My third and fourth toes are so fucked up now. I know there's not much to do about it but tape them and take pain relievers, but jesus your toes really make a difference in walking. And I'm seeing a new sports medicine doc about my fucked-up knee, so now we'll have to see how it might affect my walking even more (I have an MRI this week). So much excitement, but as I said to a friend, at least it's not about the cancer, lol. I'm such a fucking klutz. I think I should probably get some of that bubble wrap with the really big bubbles, and put it around the legs of my bed--it won't solve everything, but those legs have definitely contributed to a few of the breaks. This time, I heard a little snap sound!
But it was good to see people, even if I didn't get all the time I wanted to glom on some folks (
par_avion, I'm lookin' at you). Still, there were a few wonderful surprises where some folks I adore and haven't seen in years came to the con, because their fannish brains had been kickstarted by Heated Rivalry. I am so not into that show but the fact that it brought them back out into fandom makes me feel more warmly towards it.I woke up Sunday morning to news that LAX was in chaos because the Nazis in the government (and I use that term loosely) had decided to shut down TSA precheck and global entry, but after a while that got walked back and by the time I got to the airport, things had settled down a bit and it was fairly quiet. Then the flights started getting canceled by the East Coast blizzard (poor par, she was stuck at the hotel till Wednesday night), and the Mexico flights were stopping because it seemed like half of Mexico was on fire, and it made for a really surreal experience. And now today I woke up to the news about Iran and I just...I really often wish that this fucking cancer would just take me out. This world is just so fucking horrible, and I feel so utterly helpless to do even the tiniest thing about it.
I mean, I have signed up for Fandom Trumps Hate (
fth2026offerings) (god i hate that fucker so much that i can't even stand to use a perfectly good verb because it's saying his name), but if I get even a bid over my $10 minimum, I'll be shocked. I've done auctions before, but I don't feel like I make much of a contribution, and I know throwing money at some of these horrors are at least some small way of helping, but I'm just not someone who'll generate that kind of money and I can't make many donations of my own. Still, I'll hope that maybe a friend will feel sorry for me and buy me ;-D . But I have to admit, the basics of this auction confuse me--listings are on DW here, but a lot takes place on Tumblr, and I'm confused about how to publicize my listing. I was able to reblog the auction roundup listing for The Pitt today, but I don't know how one goes about promoting their own listing. Has anyone done FTH before and would be willing to give me some advice? There's only a couple days for browsing, so I would love to see if I could at least generate some attention if someone wants a fic for Marvel, The Pitt, or Fast Color (hah). I feel like in the past, I've seen people's contributor listings on tumblr, but I just don't know how that goes. Ugh, I'm so out of touch.
I broke my toe on my left foot *again* this morning. My third and fourth toes are so fucked up now. I know there's not much to do about it but tape them and take pain relievers, but jesus your toes really make a difference in walking. And I'm seeing a new sports medicine doc about my fucked-up knee, so now we'll have to see how it might affect my walking even more (I have an MRI this week). So much excitement, but as I said to a friend, at least it's not about the cancer, lol. I'm such a fucking klutz. I think I should probably get some of that bubble wrap with the really big bubbles, and put it around the legs of my bed--it won't solve everything, but those legs have definitely contributed to a few of the breaks. This time, I heard a little snap sound!
February recs: 6 belated Yuletide recs
Feb. 28th, 2026 07:43 pmschneefinkThis is the first weekend in a long time for which I had no outside plans, and it was sunny and I was so looking forward to going for a walk, but instead I was sick in bed. Uuuuugh.
But it is the last day of February so have some last-minute recs for some of my favorite Yuletide 2025 fics with no canon knowledge required.
( 6 fics with no canon knowledge required: Chalion Saga, Dangerous Crow Boy Whose Job It Is To Destroy Plastic, The Lottery/The New Yorker, Sieben Jahre/18th century Prussia RPF, FAQ: The Snake Fight portion of your thesis defense, Knives Out movies )
But it is the last day of February so have some last-minute recs for some of my favorite Yuletide 2025 fics with no canon knowledge required.
( 6 fics with no canon knowledge required: Chalion Saga, Dangerous Crow Boy Whose Job It Is To Destroy Plastic, The Lottery/The New Yorker, Sieben Jahre/18th century Prussia RPF, FAQ: The Snake Fight portion of your thesis defense, Knives Out movies )