damkianna | Network

I hit Price Chopper and the Pharmacy while I was downtown. I hit the bank drive-thru on my way to visit my aunt. I stopped at mom’s on the way home and spent about four hours with her; some of that time we talked, and some we just did our own thing.

I did a load of mom’s laundry, hand-washed dishes, and scooped kitty litter. We had spaghetti for supper.

I read two more Kindle cozies and started the new Rivers of London.

Temps started out at 74.8(F) and reached 92.4.

Mom Update:

Mom had a busy morning before I arrived. ( more back here )

oursin

Happy birthday,

sciarra!

sholio

Terrible Temperature Flash authors were revealed this evening, and I wrote two not at all predictable fics:

A Touch of Warmth (Biggles books, Biggles/EvS, 1000 words)
This was entirely for the mental image of Erich wrapping his coat around a chilled Biggles. ♥

Taking the Heat (Babylon 5, Vir & Londo gen, 2500 wds)
Londo gets heatstroke on Centauri Prime. This was a treat for the h/c of it all.

james

( You're about to view content that the journal owner has advised should be viewed with discretion. )

apod_feed

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250717.html

olivermoss

I should have taken a few pictures of Caitlin Starling, I got her at the worst moment. Also, my cell phone could not handle the deep colors and it didn't focus in that one shot?

Oh well. Maybe someday I'll proper book club aesthetics post.

The event was fun! I barely got the book done in time. She talked about her upcoming vampire novel and also what the sequels to a few books would be like if her publisher greenlights them. Part of why I grabbed pics is because when I say 'it's a bar that's a converted house' people often seem confused by that idea. We have a decent number of bars like that here. Book club gets the second floor when we are there. IDK if this is just a Portland thing, but yeah, houses make good bars.

...I could have made like an actually really nice mood board if I'd used my real camera, but bringing that would have been a bit much

mergatrude

Yesterday, the blokes finally installed our new reverse cycle air-conditioning system. They decommissioned the ducted gas heating (the increase in gas prices and carbon emissions being the reason for the change-over), but also the evaporative cooling system. I loved that damn thing. It was the first major improvement we did on our house back in 2001, and it made the house bearable during the summers. I'm sure I'll get used to the new system and it won't wake me every time the fan starts up, but I'm ridiculously grief-stricken right now. Definition of first world problems, I guess.

cornerofmadness

The tooth hole doesn't hurt nearly as much as I expected. I think that's down to gabapentin being one heck of a nerve pain drug. It does hurt of course but manageable with tylenol. I don't like not being able to see the wound and won't be able to tell how it's healing. Here's hoping it heals well. Definitely doing my salt washes.

Found out I can't really go out to the Squonkapoloosa fest, or at least I can't go the night before because I'm house sitting. Boo. But I also found a paranormal circus ...about the same distance away. I could do it if I drive up early that day but who knows where I could park at Squonk. I'm better off at the circus which has tickets and guarantees

in today's work annoyance (and I'm not even there) the online academic calendar has the wrong day for labor day and the wrong start date (I suspect it's last years) but I got the real one today. Boy we're starting late, late enough that I can consider going to my 40th h.s. reunion...there are about 2-3 people I wouldn't mind seeing. The rest can still go to hell.

It's community rec time

beautifulmechanical Do you love music? We do, too. (I just joined)

birdfeeding Birds, birdfeeding, and birdwatching.

common_nature Share the wonders of nature that are all around us!

Current Mood: sore
Current Music: Mysteries at the Castle

amedia

So what is this DC-Slash Con that Amedia keeps babbling about?

It's an online fan convention that welcomes all sorts of fandoms. (The "DC" in the name is for Washington, DC; this con is a continuation of the in-person ConneXions, whose last incarnation was held for several years in the DC area.) This is the same DC-Slash group that hosts the free online binges that I post about ... er, when I remember.

DC-Slash Con also welcomes people from different parts of the world and strives to provide programming for whatever time zones people are in.

It costs a whopping $15 to sign up and there are scholarships available if that's too much. This Saturday's "binge" will be a tech day for folks who would like help learning to navigate an online convention.

This is the con with pimping slides, so people can pimp their favorite fandoms - and also shows slides with the fandoms from the vid show so viewers could have a chance to recognize the new fandoms they haven't seen before.

If you have any questions, you are very welcome to ask them here!!!

isis

I really did intend to post yesterday, but I didn't get to it. Well, it's Thursday!

What I recently finished reading:

The Tomb of Dragons by Katherine Addison, the third book in the Cemeteries of Amalo sub-series of The Goblin Emperor books. I had gone into it with mixed feelings; not that I strongly cared about

spoiler

the Thara Celehar/Iäna Pel-Thenhior ship, but I had heard that the way it was sunk was awkward and issueficcy and felt like "I was going to write this relationship in but it felt pointless after all the fanfiction", and - yeah, it was

but I enjoyed it, overall. I liked the low-ish stakes plot, and the DRAGONS, and the fairly mild author's message of what makes a person a person, and the importance of basic rights and the rule of law, which, let's face it, is a relevant message these days.

Alien Clay by Adrian Tchaikovsky, stand-alone SF. Again, a lot of people whose reviews I follow didn't like it, but I did; Tchaikovsky is hit and miss for me, but this was a hit. A biologist who is also a political dissident on an extremely authoritarian Earth is exiled as prison labor on a planet with native life that is very weird and apparently hostile. This is basically another exploration of Tchaikovsky's Theme, which is at core, I think, "How can we see the Other as a Person? How do we overcome the instinct to be closed and tribal, and instead practice empathy, leading to discussion and exchange?" There are echos of the Children of Time series, in particular Children of Ruin (the second book), I think. There is also the strong contrast between a culture which gives lip service to the importance of individuality, but demands conformity, and a culture which emphasizes the communal and the good of the community. And of course, the importance of resistance, of holding to one's core beliefs even in the face of a terrible horrible authoritarian government.

I mostly enjoyed the style except for a few references which seemed a little too grounded in 21st century reality for this future in which humans are mining multiple far-flung planets. The structure and pacing worked well for me. Warning for a terrible horrible authoritarian government that doesn't give a shit about human lives other than their own, and body horror, and an ending which may strike some people as not entirely happy, but which satisfied me.

sovay, it's very different from Elder Race but if these themes appeal I think you'll like it.

"Rapport: Friendship, Solidarity, Communion, Empathy" by Martha Wells, a Murderbot short story, in which Murderbot doesn't explicitly appear, but ART | Perihelion has recently met it for the first time. It's from Iris's point of view, on a mission with the rest of the crew, and really the mission is just a framing device McGuffin for "Peri has changed because it met someone?!?", and I agree with

runpunkrun's take that there are way too many words devoted to them walking around on this mission which turns out to be not really relevant, compared to the actual point of the story. Still, it's nice to have a bit about Murderbot from not Murderbot's POV.

What I'm reading now:

Just started on the seventh and last Shardlake book by CJ Sansom, Tombland.

What I recently finished watching:

Murderbot! I enjoyed it! I (mostly) appreciate, or at least understand, the changes they made in adaptation. (Not sure why it's not enough for Pin-Lee to be Space Lawyer, but also must be Badass Fighter? And the Arada/Pin-Lee/Ratthi thing didn't seem to have any reason for being and just felt a bit cringe.) I really loved the ending, and Gurathin's whole general arc, and SANCTUARY MOOOOON, and Mensah is chef's kiss perfect.

Speaking of Sanctuary Moon, Murderbot vidded it! Okay, it was really

pollyrepeat, but: RADIOACTIVE by Murderbot [vid]!!!

What I'm watching now:

Arcane, because B watched the first episode during the winter, riding the stationary bike, and decided I might like to watch it with him, so moved on to something else so we could watch it together. Not very far into it yet.

What I recently listened to:

The third episode of S3 of The Strange Case of Starship Iris, which, I really liked this one!

soc_puppet posting in

queerly_beloved

What's this I spy? Why, it's Thursday Recs coming in over the horizon!

Do you have a rec for this week? Just reply to this post with something queer or queer-adjacent (such as, soap made by a queer person that isn't necessarily queer themed) that you'd, well, recommend. Self-recs are welcome, as are recs for fandom-related content!

Or have you tried something that's been recced here? Do you have your own report to share about it? I'd love to hear about it!

sanguinity

Intro/FAQ
Days 1-15

My check-in: More researching of minor details that past!me left for some future!me to solve. Now that I'm future!me, it is ABUNDANTLY clear why past!me made them someone else's problem; each one is taking a stupid amount of time to resolve.

Day 17:

glinda,

sanguinity

Day 16:

badlyknitted,

brithistorian,

callmesandyk,

china_shop,

cornerofmadness,

glinda,

goddess47,

luzula,

nafs,

sanguinity,

sylvanwitch,

the_siobhan,

trobadora,

yasaman,

ysilme

When you check in, please use the most recent post and say what day(s) you’re checking in for. Remember you can drop in or out at any time, and let me know if I missed anyone!

swan_tower

(Whoops, forgot to cross-post this! Seems a good time to remind y'all that you can subscribe to my Wordpress site to always get notified when there's a new post -- including all the weekly Patreon announcements that I keep not cross-posting ever since my plugin broke.

(Now, the actual post:)

There will be a more formal, industry-oriented announcement of this later, but since I announced this at BayCon the other day, I am delighted to say: I have sold a new series to Angry Robot!

Part of the reason the formal announcement will come later is that we need to figure out what the actual title of the series and/or first book will be. Right now my working title is something in the vein of The Worst Monk in the World Goes on Pilgrimage -- and if that sounds semi-cozy to you, you're not wrong. The elevator pitch is that a Buddhist-style monk with incredibly bad karma embarks on a famous pilgrimage in an attempt to make things better, and (of course) runs into complications along the way.

I'm currently over halfway through the draft of the first book, but due to Angry Robot's promotional plans for this series, it's likely that it won't launch until 2027. Don't worry, though; you'll have The Sea Beyond to entertain you until then!

conuly posting in

agonyaunt

My 4-year-old transitioned to a big-kid bed more than six months ago. Since the switch, every time he wakes up (at night, super early in the morning, etc.), he comes into our room needing us (and waking us up). Sometimes he is crying because he is scared, but often it just feels like an automatic thing he’s doing. We always march him back to his room and don’t let him get in bed with us. We have tried what feels like everything: a reward chart for a bigger reward he gets to pick, a small reward each day he stays in his room, a light that changes color when he can come out of his room, talks at times other than when we’re dealing with it in the moment about staying in his room, some books about being afraid of the dark, a special box of toys to play with when he wakes up, a fun galaxy light, a Yoto he can listen to … nothing has worked.

I don’t want to lock him in for a variety of reasons. I feel like we’re almost back in the baby stages of being woken up at night! I was hoping it was just a phase we’d get through, but it’s really dragging on at this point. He’s also been tired during the day so he’s not getting enough sleep. Any ideas?

—Mom in the Land of 10,000 Yawns

( Read more... )

kaberett

Beginning of last week: experimented with dropping my amitriptyline dose from 75 mg to 50 mg, after a week of having been really fairly good at actually taking it at or around 9 p.m. rather than... later... as an experiment in "does this reduce daytime sleepiness?"

(Prompted by the all-nighter I pulled filling out the EHRC consultation and trying to get the house to cool down overnight during the 35 °C weather: in service of same I did not take my amitriptyline and... felt weirdly good all the following day? With no naps? Like, not even sleep-dep euphoria, just... relatively cheerful and with it and so on and so forth?)

And, see, I'd been aware that last time I tried dropping the ami dose my insomnia got much worse again, so I was alert for that, but after the first night of Fretting I've actually been doing remarkably well! It is possible that I have more or less learned how to go to sleep! I'm super proud of myself!

... and then at the beginning of this week I started going "huh, I'm getting a bunch of endometriosis-y abdominal twinges. that's... interesting. like, it's about six months post-op, and that's when pain commonly recurs, but this doesn't feel like my pre-op pain at all, so what's... going on?"

WHAT IS GOING ON IS THAT I HAVE REDUCED THE DOSE OF MY ONE AND ONLY PAINKILLER.

But the really unfair bit, right, the bit I am actually aggrieved about?

... is that apparently last time I tried this my pain also kicked up a gear and I was also surprised then and I had completely forgotten about this. I remembered the insomnia!!! I did not remember the increased pain. How dare I produce evidence that Sometimes Painkillers Work. :|

pauraque

sunshine_revival's next challenge is:

Carnival Barker
Journaling prompt: Be a carnival barker for your favorite movie, book, or show! Write a post that showcases the best your chosen title has to offer and entices passersby to check it out.
Creative prompt: Write a fic or original story about a character reluctantly doing something they are hesitant about.

My favorite show is, as it has been since 1987, Star Trek: The Next Generation. It's my go-to comfort watch. I'm not big on blanket recommendations since, hey, I don't know what you like! But here are five of the things I love about it:

Competence porn. These people are the best at what they do and excel under pressure. I never get tired of watching them work together like a well-oiled machine.

A crew that loves each other. The chemistry among the crew just gets better as the show goes on and they grow into their relationships and comfort with each other. Interesting friendships, earned respect and trust, and a lot of different kinds of love.

An optimistic future. The core premise of Star Trek is that in the future humans will stop fighting each other, learn to value diversity, and travel into space on missions of peaceful exploration. I need this kind of hope in my life.

Ethical dilemmas. How do you write stories with conflict when everyone likes each other and is on the same side? Ethical quandaries! Some of my favorite scenes involve people who respect each other seriously discussing and/or passionately arguing about what the right thing to do is, and the answer isn't obvious. This is catnip for me.

Nostalgia. The show was a fixture of my childhood (and adolescence, since reruns are forever) so that's obviously going to be a factor! As decades have passed and we've entered the era of streaming prestige dramas—which are great in their own way, don't get me wrong—I find that revisiting an earlier era of lower budgets and leisurely season lengths has an increasingly appealing old-school charm.

executrix posting in

thisfinecrew

oin us for the next Digital Defenders this Tuesday, July 22 at 8PM ET!

We’re diving into the wild side of the web where feminism meets fan culture, from stan wars to shitposts, fanfic to fandom memes. Let’s talk about how fan spaces and meme culture are part of feminist movement building!

📅 Tuesday, July 22
⏰ 8PM ET/5PM PT
🔗 RSVP at https://ow.ly/N9m850WqUjp

olivermoss

( Fitness and weight loss )

kitarella_imagines posting in

little_details

I write RPF and due to sheer stupidity thought a guy (L) was Australian but he's from New Zealand 🤦‍♀️ Is there anyone who could translate these Australianisms (which I really love and got from Home & Away and Neighbours) into New Zealandisms? I don't watch any NZ soaps.

Also, do New Zealanders play keepy uppy? When you bounce a football on your knee and see how many times you can do that without dropping it. A well known British game but maybe it's called something different in New Zealand?

~~~

“G’day mate,” said the Australian. “Sorry, we're playing keepy uppy and the ball got away from us.” He was smirking as he picked up the football.

“Don't be such a flaming galah.” L threw the ball at N.

“Strewth mate, that’s 50 already.”

“Here we are,” said L. “Enjoy, you pair of hoons.”

Current Mood: embarrassed

shallowness

I don’t think it was the plan for me to wait something like a month and a half between episodes, but there we go. ( Read more... )

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'tis not so deep as a well

October 2022

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nor so wide as a church door

Network

The Day in Spikedluv (Thursday, July 17)

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Temperature Flash fic reveals

Clint/Bucky

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Really crappy book club aesthetics posting

We grieve the weirdest things

I'm doing okay

DC-Slash Con - Coming Up Soon!

thursday reads and things

Thursday Recs

Write Every Day: Day 17

New series!

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[embodiment] ... well that's just rude

Sunshine Revival Challenge #5

Womens March program on feminism and fan culture July 22

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New Zealand slang needed please 🙏

Code of Silence – episode 3

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October 2022

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