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shallowness) wrote2026-02-11 08:26 am
shallowness) wrote2026-02-11 08:26 am
Entry tags:
notfreyja (notfreyja) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
fandomcalendar2026-02-11 04:08 pm
notfreyja) wrote in fandomcalendar2026-02-11 04:08 pmAnnouncing: Retro Writing May!
A month long writing challenge focused on tropes, tags, and formats that have (for better or worse) fallen out of style.
From May 1st to 31st, creators will post their takes on each of the days' prompts, in any medium. Fan fiction, original stories, poetry, meta-analysis, and (even though writing is in our name!) yes, visual art as well! Currently all event documentation is on Tumblr, so the links below will redirect to the appropriate Tumblr posts.
Quick Links:
calimac (calimac) wrote2026-02-10 10:32 pm
calimac) wrote2026-02-10 10:32 pmin Portland
At last, on my way home in the third hotel of this trip, I've finally found one with a working guest-usable computer, so I can cross-post to all the versions of my blog at once, because copying and pasting is beyond anything I can do on a tablet.
But I'm going to leave the reason I was in Portland, Oregon - for the Le Guin exhibit at a local museum - aside until I get home, and write now about my thoughts about Portland:
1. Not a sign of the hellhole that some people claim the city is. I saw a busy and prosperous city.
2. And the people are cheerful despite the weather. The regular Saturday farmer's market downtown was happy and bustling despite the cold and rain.
3. Powell's Books has changed utterly. They've moved a lot of sections around since I was last there, but the big change is this. It used to be a used book store with some new books salted in. Now it's a new book store with some used books salted in. The only part I saw where the used books outnumbered the new ones was the small section for books on comic strips.
4. Millennium Music long ago abandoned its separate classical store, but now the classical section has been reduced to one long row. Still, there was a lot of interesting stuff in there.
5. Portland specializes in road signs that point in the wrong direction, e.g. left where it should be right.
6. And its slower drivers prefer to be in the left lane.
7. The commuter-time traffic is really grim. I stayed out near the airport (it's cheaper there). where a hidden back road (Columbia Blvd) gave me a straight shot to the museum, but to get anywhere else at those hours was a puzzle.
But I'm going to leave the reason I was in Portland, Oregon - for the Le Guin exhibit at a local museum - aside until I get home, and write now about my thoughts about Portland:
1. Not a sign of the hellhole that some people claim the city is. I saw a busy and prosperous city.
2. And the people are cheerful despite the weather. The regular Saturday farmer's market downtown was happy and bustling despite the cold and rain.
3. Powell's Books has changed utterly. They've moved a lot of sections around since I was last there, but the big change is this. It used to be a used book store with some new books salted in. Now it's a new book store with some used books salted in. The only part I saw where the used books outnumbered the new ones was the small section for books on comic strips.
4. Millennium Music long ago abandoned its separate classical store, but now the classical section has been reduced to one long row. Still, there was a lot of interesting stuff in there.
5. Portland specializes in road signs that point in the wrong direction, e.g. left where it should be right.
6. And its slower drivers prefer to be in the left lane.
7. The commuter-time traffic is really grim. I stayed out near the airport (it's cheaper there). where a hidden back road (Columbia Blvd) gave me a straight shot to the museum, but to get anywhere else at those hours was a puzzle.
snickfic (snickfic) wrote2026-02-10 07:59 pm
snickfic) wrote2026-02-10 07:59 pmEntry tags:
Oasis updates
(This and the writing post were all going to be one post, but then I had so many Oasis things to say...)
+ LOL Noel won Songwriter of the Year at the Brit Awards for 2025, the first year in probably twenty or so when he did not release a single song. The Brit Awards also happen to be in Manchester this year. Did they give Noel the award to get him to Manchester? Did they put the awards in Manchester because they already planned to give him the award (since it clearly didn't depend on any work he actually produced last year)?
And most importantly: Is Liam going? His answer has varied, but the most recent one seems to be yes. In any case he definitely approves.
+ And they're definitely still talking. :') Here's Noel calling into his favorite sports show.
(And he says he's in the studio!!!!!)
+ Speaking of Noel in the studio, here's what Liam had to say about that. Don't tease us Liam!!
+ One last Liam tweet to send you off. ;____;
+ LOL Noel won Songwriter of the Year at the Brit Awards for 2025, the first year in probably twenty or so when he did not release a single song. The Brit Awards also happen to be in Manchester this year. Did they give Noel the award to get him to Manchester? Did they put the awards in Manchester because they already planned to give him the award (since it clearly didn't depend on any work he actually produced last year)?
And most importantly: Is Liam going? His answer has varied, but the most recent one seems to be yes. In any case he definitely approves.
+ And they're definitely still talking. :') Here's Noel calling into his favorite sports show.
Noel: Our…our…our kid thinks we’re still.. Our kid thinks we’re gonna win the quad.
Andy: Honestly hand on heart, he does?
Noel: Well, that’s what he was telling me last night.
(And he says he's in the studio!!!!!)
+ Speaking of Noel in the studio, here's what Liam had to say about that. Don't tease us Liam!!
+ One last Liam tweet to send you off. ;____;
snickfic (snickfic) wrote2026-02-10 07:58 pm
snickfic) wrote2026-02-10 07:58 pmEntry tags:
fandom stuff
+ I thought I might not be able to finish anything for Candy Hearts, but I got a new idea at the last minute, and when I read it over again today, I'm pretty happy with it, actually. Yay.
+ In a fit of optimism, I signed up to finish one of my Oasis WIPs forcrackthewip.
+ I also managed to write a thing for Bulletproof. Granted I wrote most of it at the end of December, so it doesn't even count as this year's writing, but I'm glad to have maintained my Bulletproof streak.
+ Anyway, NO MORE EXCHANGE SIGNUPS. I mean it this time. >:(
+ In a fit of optimism, I signed up to finish one of my Oasis WIPs for
crackthewip.+ I also managed to write a thing for Bulletproof. Granted I wrote most of it at the end of December, so it doesn't even count as this year's writing, but I'm glad to have maintained my Bulletproof streak.
+ Anyway, NO MORE EXCHANGE SIGNUPS. I mean it this time. >:(
the_siobhan (the_siobhan) wrote2026-02-10 10:47 pm
the_siobhan) wrote2026-02-10 10:47 pmEntry tags:
force is machine
Dear Father, it has been a month since my last confession.
I am so tired, y'all. I've been working overtime for the past three weeks trying to stash some money away for the inevitable basement bullshit and it's been exhausting. (You wouldn't think a job that requires sitting at a desk would be tiring, but I feel like somebody threw sand in my eyes by the end of the day.)
Permit-wrangler is still trying to find an engineer. Apparently the problem is that I can't just dig a hole and have an engineer look at it and yes the foundations are good, they have to figure out how to reverse-engineer whatever was done to create new drawings - and that's going to be expensive regardless.
I sicc'd permit-wrangler on the engineer who got the original permits. "Tell him if he helps me out I might leave him out of the lawsuit."
***
I looked out my window this morning and there was a huge raptor in the trees behind my house. Couldn't get a clear enough view to make a guess at what it was but at least twice the size of the red-tail hawks I normally see back there.
I reiterated to the venerable Lord Brock that no, he is not going outside no matter how much he bonks his head on the window. (He is enormously offended by the squirrels.)
***
Last time I visited my dad I took my laptop over and started quizzing him about family. His memory is shot, but he does remember incidents from his childhood. What's hilarious is that he remembers the kids who pissed him off - I suggested one possible connection and he was all, "Oh yeah, Joey, he visited from the States. What a little prick."
He also remembered the aunt who baked cookies and the heavy-drinking aunt who was a huge bruiser and all the men were afraid of her. So if they left an impression he had me stories about them, even if he doesn't remember how they're related to him.
***
Somebody here was talking about how Skip The Dishes made up a new address for them, and it reminded me that I had the exact experience last time I ordered from them. The system sent the driver to an address a couple of blocks away and I only caught it because I got the ping that the order was five minutes away and when I looked at the map I didn't recognize the streets.
Calling their customer service did nothing because the driver was already showing as "arrived". But as soon as I hung up I got a call from the driver because the address they had given him was a park, so I was able to redirect him and get my food after all.
***
We have reached the part of the winter where I start to worry that I have run out of places to put snow. My yard is maybe five feet square and the snow is already piled up in a pyramid.
I keep wanting to go out with a hose and ice it up and build an igloo or something.
I am so tired, y'all. I've been working overtime for the past three weeks trying to stash some money away for the inevitable basement bullshit and it's been exhausting. (You wouldn't think a job that requires sitting at a desk would be tiring, but I feel like somebody threw sand in my eyes by the end of the day.)
Permit-wrangler is still trying to find an engineer. Apparently the problem is that I can't just dig a hole and have an engineer look at it and yes the foundations are good, they have to figure out how to reverse-engineer whatever was done to create new drawings - and that's going to be expensive regardless.
I sicc'd permit-wrangler on the engineer who got the original permits. "Tell him if he helps me out I might leave him out of the lawsuit."
***
I looked out my window this morning and there was a huge raptor in the trees behind my house. Couldn't get a clear enough view to make a guess at what it was but at least twice the size of the red-tail hawks I normally see back there.
I reiterated to the venerable Lord Brock that no, he is not going outside no matter how much he bonks his head on the window. (He is enormously offended by the squirrels.)
***
Last time I visited my dad I took my laptop over and started quizzing him about family. His memory is shot, but he does remember incidents from his childhood. What's hilarious is that he remembers the kids who pissed him off - I suggested one possible connection and he was all, "Oh yeah, Joey, he visited from the States. What a little prick."
He also remembered the aunt who baked cookies and the heavy-drinking aunt who was a huge bruiser and all the men were afraid of her. So if they left an impression he had me stories about them, even if he doesn't remember how they're related to him.
***
Somebody here was talking about how Skip The Dishes made up a new address for them, and it reminded me that I had the exact experience last time I ordered from them. The system sent the driver to an address a couple of blocks away and I only caught it because I got the ping that the order was five minutes away and when I looked at the map I didn't recognize the streets.
Calling their customer service did nothing because the driver was already showing as "arrived". But as soon as I hung up I got a call from the driver because the address they had given him was a park, so I was able to redirect him and get my food after all.
***
We have reached the part of the winter where I start to worry that I have run out of places to put snow. My yard is maybe five feet square and the snow is already piled up in a pyramid.
I keep wanting to go out with a hose and ice it up and build an igloo or something.
silver_chipmunk (silver_chipmunk) wrote2026-02-10 10:22 pm
silver_chipmunk) wrote2026-02-10 10:22 pm
Finished a story!
I slept again to almost 12:00, then got up and had breakfast and coffee.
Then after that I worked on the Starsky and hutch valentine's Day story. I worked on it basically all day, and by some time after 6:oo I had finished it. Except for a title, and I'd like to come up with a snappier last line than it has. But aside from that it is done. I will look at it again tomorrow and edit it as needed, and be ready to post it on Valentine's Day.
At 7:00 I Teamed the FWiB. We had some odd technical difficulty this time, but we worked it out.
Got off in time to have my Al-anon meeting by Zoom at 8:00. It was quite good. S was there but not M, so as always when she's not there I worry about her.
After the meeting I had dinner, and then went to the bedroom to lay down and play solitaire.
My Stephen Colbert Pop has still not arrived. I am annoyed.
The Kid texted me with good news about Carmina (her cat), so I'm happy about that.
And that's about all today.
Gratitude List:
1. The FWiB.
2. Finished the story.
3. Carmina will not need daily medication.
4. My meetings and the people there.
5. The snow outside is melting.
6. The Kid.
Then after that I worked on the Starsky and hutch valentine's Day story. I worked on it basically all day, and by some time after 6:oo I had finished it. Except for a title, and I'd like to come up with a snappier last line than it has. But aside from that it is done. I will look at it again tomorrow and edit it as needed, and be ready to post it on Valentine's Day.
At 7:00 I Teamed the FWiB. We had some odd technical difficulty this time, but we worked it out.
Got off in time to have my Al-anon meeting by Zoom at 8:00. It was quite good. S was there but not M, so as always when she's not there I worry about her.
After the meeting I had dinner, and then went to the bedroom to lay down and play solitaire.
My Stephen Colbert Pop has still not arrived. I am annoyed.
The Kid texted me with good news about Carmina (her cat), so I'm happy about that.
And that's about all today.
Gratitude List:
1. The FWiB.
2. Finished the story.
3. Carmina will not need daily medication.
4. My meetings and the people there.
5. The snow outside is melting.
6. The Kid.
stonepicnicking_okapi (stonepicnicking_okapi) wrote2026-02-10 09:28 pm
stonepicnicking_okapi) wrote2026-02-10 09:28 pmEntry tags:
February LOVE-fest
1. first love
2. friendship
3. love of nature
4. passion
5. soulmates
6. unrequited love
7. lust
8. love of the game
9. devotion
10. love of food
11. polyamory
12. long distance love
13. lovesickness
14. romantic love
15. love of place
16. marriage
17. love of order and method
18. divine love
19. platonic love
20. infatuation
21. maternal love
22. obsession
23. agape
24. love of animals
25. unconditional love
26. forbidden love
27. ecstasy
28. the beloved
---
Have a Bertie Wooster triple drabble.
Fandom: Jeeves & Wooster
Rating: Gen
Summary: Bad news comes in threes.
( Read more... )
2. friendship
3. love of nature
4. passion
5. soulmates
6. unrequited love
7. lust
8. love of the game
9. devotion
10. love of food
11. polyamory
12. long distance love
13. lovesickness
14. romantic love
15. love of place
16. marriage
17. love of order and method
18. divine love
19. platonic love
20. infatuation
21. maternal love
22. obsession
23. agape
24. love of animals
25. unconditional love
26. forbidden love
27. ecstasy
28. the beloved
---
Have a Bertie Wooster triple drabble.
Fandom: Jeeves & Wooster
Rating: Gen
Summary: Bad news comes in threes.
( Read more... )
Katarina Whimsy (sorcyress) wrote2026-02-10 09:13 pm
sorcyress) wrote2026-02-10 09:13 pm(no subject)
Today was a busybusy day, but I did manage to get my prep and stuff done before leaving the building, huzzah. The very last work thing I did was have a brief check-in with my favourite admin, which turned into a longer check-in as we transitioned from talking about a specific student to just like...propping each other up in this hellish current events. It is nice to have at least one admin who I can trust to say "yeah, the 2026 political climate is fucking bullshit" and have her already fully radicalized and on board because it sure fuckin' is.
After work, I managed to do an actually useful "I'm gonna spend thirty minutes playing dumb phone games and getting my brain to sort itself out" and then I did all my prep in time to leave for therapy. I was a couple minutes late getting home, but not badly so at all. And therapy felt as good as it can! Like, I don't think I'm doing great right now, but I think it was a good space to process some of the things that are going on in my brain and it's good to have a therapist who tells me not to borrow trouble.
Almost straight from therapy to friend Ruthie's house to celebrate her birthday! I really enjoyed getting the email invite from one of her partners the other week saying "hey, it's 2026 and logistics brain is hard so my birthday present is that I'm organizing this party for her, please RSVP and tell me your food needs" and man, I'm very pleased to have gotten a party invite that slotted exactly between my Tuesday plans. I ate too much good Thai food and subsequently not enough good cake and my stomach still feels very pleasantly full, several hours later.
Left the party just on the early end (it's an early end to the party because it's a worknight and also Ruthie has a toddler with a bedtime) so I could make it home in time for the TMC zoom meeting. yayyyy organizing Scottish dance stuff, I suppose. It was pretty painless as these meetings go.
Now I have a few hours to spend to myself and then I'm gonna try to go to bed more on time than I have been. We'll see.
I love you.
~Sor
MOOP!
After work, I managed to do an actually useful "I'm gonna spend thirty minutes playing dumb phone games and getting my brain to sort itself out" and then I did all my prep in time to leave for therapy. I was a couple minutes late getting home, but not badly so at all. And therapy felt as good as it can! Like, I don't think I'm doing great right now, but I think it was a good space to process some of the things that are going on in my brain and it's good to have a therapist who tells me not to borrow trouble.
Almost straight from therapy to friend Ruthie's house to celebrate her birthday! I really enjoyed getting the email invite from one of her partners the other week saying "hey, it's 2026 and logistics brain is hard so my birthday present is that I'm organizing this party for her, please RSVP and tell me your food needs" and man, I'm very pleased to have gotten a party invite that slotted exactly between my Tuesday plans. I ate too much good Thai food and subsequently not enough good cake and my stomach still feels very pleasantly full, several hours later.
Left the party just on the early end (it's an early end to the party because it's a worknight and also Ruthie has a toddler with a bedtime) so I could make it home in time for the TMC zoom meeting. yayyyy organizing Scottish dance stuff, I suppose. It was pretty painless as these meetings go.
Now I have a few hours to spend to myself and then I'm gonna try to go to bed more on time than I have been. We'll see.
I love you.
~Sor
MOOP!
chazzbanner (chazzbanner) wrote2026-02-10 07:39 pm
chazzbanner) wrote2026-02-10 07:39 pmthis album
I've stalled a bit listening to new-to-me music ('73-'77), but this is from an album I discovered, Le Chat Bleu, by Mink DeVille.
-
-
brickhousewench (brickhousewench) wrote2026-02-10 07:47 pm
brickhousewench) wrote2026-02-10 07:47 pmEntry tags:
Five Random Things Makes a Post
I dreamt about my first serious boyfriend last night. Which is odd, it’s been a really long time since he popped up in my dreams. I think it was because the hero in the book I was reading was described as being tall and broad of shoulder, and this particular boyfriend was a big guy, think football player (although he was a shotputter and discus thrower, but same general sturdy build). That’s about the only reason I can think of why my subconscious dragged him out for a spin last night.
***
The book I was reading (I finished it last night) was Murder at The Mena House. I bought it two years ago when I ordered a bunch of books set in Egypt to get excited about the (then canceled) RenAdventures tour of Egypt. I finally got around to reading it this weekend. And I don’t quite know what to think when the blurb on the back cover (from a starred review in Library Journal) describes it as,”Nebauuer’s debut dazzles, with a smart plot, remarkable scenery, and skilled execution.” and I thought it was rather a run of the mill mystery.
I have to admit, the author managed to hit most of my least favorite bad mystery tropes. An amateur female detective who isn’t very bright, asks stupid questions of suspects (that should get her killed, if this were not a cosy mystery), has poor judgement about who is honest and trustworthy, and has to be saved by the male love interest (who has a mysterious job which isn’t explained, but is just shady enough to make him suspicious and someone she should NOT trust!). Not to mention multiple inconsistent characters whose behavior makes very little sense, and clunky dialog.
I really don’t like dizzy female amateur detectives who solve the mystery via dumb luck. Despite the fact that there are already seven other books in the series, I don’t think that I will be buying any more of this author’s work.
***
Today’s forecast for 1.5 inches of snow overnight has gone up to two inches. Guess I’ll be brushing off the cars in the morning.
***
No sign of my little friend the mousy the last day or two. I’ve been checking my traps every morning and evening, and it occurred to me that he might be too wee to manage to push open the one-way swinging doors to get inside the Mice Cubes and get at the bait. I’ll have to get the new traps set up ASAP, they have an open door that only snaps shut once the mouse is inside the little plastic tube.
***
I’ve been puttering away at an AI assignment at work for the past week or so. We three database writers are working on a project to show how our databases work together (if properly configured). Because none of us are overly familiar with each other’s products, it’s sort of default that we have to use AI to help us write this up. And while I’d been picking at it, I hadn't made much progress. And then I accidentally erased my work and had to do it over again. D’oh!
Last week I published two sets of Release Notes for patch releases, and another Helm charts release. I released another update to the Helm charts today (I would have done it yesterday, but GitHub was down for hours. F*cking Microsoft, they ruin everything they touch. GitHub has been shyte ever since they bought it.)
And then yesterday I finally got the first half of my AI assignment submitted as a pull request, so that it can be reviewed. So that felt good, to finally get that unblocked. I started on part two, and almost got finished today, but then my brain decided to go for a wander, and I couldn’t get my concentration back. So first thing tomorrow, while I’m fresh, I should be able to get that finished. I also generated some stub topics for a project that I don’t even need to have done until mid-April. So feeling pretty productive, even if I didn’t finish what I’d hoped to finish today.
***
The book I was reading (I finished it last night) was Murder at The Mena House. I bought it two years ago when I ordered a bunch of books set in Egypt to get excited about the (then canceled) RenAdventures tour of Egypt. I finally got around to reading it this weekend. And I don’t quite know what to think when the blurb on the back cover (from a starred review in Library Journal) describes it as,”Nebauuer’s debut dazzles, with a smart plot, remarkable scenery, and skilled execution.” and I thought it was rather a run of the mill mystery.
I have to admit, the author managed to hit most of my least favorite bad mystery tropes. An amateur female detective who isn’t very bright, asks stupid questions of suspects (that should get her killed, if this were not a cosy mystery), has poor judgement about who is honest and trustworthy, and has to be saved by the male love interest (who has a mysterious job which isn’t explained, but is just shady enough to make him suspicious and someone she should NOT trust!). Not to mention multiple inconsistent characters whose behavior makes very little sense, and clunky dialog.
I really don’t like dizzy female amateur detectives who solve the mystery via dumb luck. Despite the fact that there are already seven other books in the series, I don’t think that I will be buying any more of this author’s work.
***
Today’s forecast for 1.5 inches of snow overnight has gone up to two inches. Guess I’ll be brushing off the cars in the morning.
***
No sign of my little friend the mousy the last day or two. I’ve been checking my traps every morning and evening, and it occurred to me that he might be too wee to manage to push open the one-way swinging doors to get inside the Mice Cubes and get at the bait. I’ll have to get the new traps set up ASAP, they have an open door that only snaps shut once the mouse is inside the little plastic tube.
***
I’ve been puttering away at an AI assignment at work for the past week or so. We three database writers are working on a project to show how our databases work together (if properly configured). Because none of us are overly familiar with each other’s products, it’s sort of default that we have to use AI to help us write this up. And while I’d been picking at it, I hadn't made much progress. And then I accidentally erased my work and had to do it over again. D’oh!
Last week I published two sets of Release Notes for patch releases, and another Helm charts release. I released another update to the Helm charts today (I would have done it yesterday, but GitHub was down for hours. F*cking Microsoft, they ruin everything they touch. GitHub has been shyte ever since they bought it.)
And then yesterday I finally got the first half of my AI assignment submitted as a pull request, so that it can be reviewed. So that felt good, to finally get that unblocked. I started on part two, and almost got finished today, but then my brain decided to go for a wander, and I couldn’t get my concentration back. So first thing tomorrow, while I’m fresh, I should be able to get that finished. I also generated some stub topics for a project that I don’t even need to have done until mid-April. So feeling pretty productive, even if I didn’t finish what I’d hoped to finish today.
pauraque (pauraque) wrote2026-02-10 06:28 pm
pauraque) wrote2026-02-10 06:28 pmEntry tags:
- book club,
- books,
- books: author: alaya dawn johnson,
- books: author: an owomoyela,
- books: author: nalo hopkinson,
- books: author: thaddeus howze,
- books: editor: andré m. carrington,
- books: genre: horror,
- books: genre: science fiction,
- books: genre: speculative fiction,
- books: theme: aliens,
- books: theme: vampires,
- books: type: short stories,
- books: year: 2002,
- books: year: 2011,
- books: year: 2013,
- books: year: 2014,
- books: year: 2025
The Black Fantastic: 20 Afrofuturist Stories, ed. andré m. carrington (2025) [part 1]
This is the first part of my book club notes on The Black Fantastic: 20 Afrofuturist Stories. I appreciated the editor's introduction, which highlights connections between the oppressive realities of the past and present to the spark of Black speculative imagination—how can things be different, and whose ideas will shape the future? He's written a nonfiction book on this topic, Speculative Blackness, which I would be interested to check out.
Interesting to note that this collection places the stories in chronological order of first publication. We've had a number of conversations about how editors arrange stories in anthologies (similar themes together? most significant stories first and last?) and this is the first time I've seen this approach. It was mentioned that some books the group read before I joined did this as well, but those were more historical overviews that spanned a longer period of time, while these stories are all from the last 25 years. Perhaps the intention is to suggest a new history still being written.
There was also some discussion of the physical book itself having a good design and high quality paper and feeling nice to hold in the hand, to which I could add nothing because I have the ebook.
"Herbal" by Nalo Hopkinson (2002)
( An elephant suddenly appears in a woman's apartment. )
"All That Touches the Air" by An Owomoyela (2011)
( A human colony exists in uneasy equilibrium with aliens who can parasitize and control people's bodies. )
"Bludgeon" by Thaddeus Howze (2013)
( Conquering aliens are persuaded to wager the fate of Earth on a game of baseball. )
"A Guide to the Fruits of Hawai'i" by Alaya Dawn Johnson (2014)
( In a world dominated by vampires, a human woman collaborates with them to save herself. )
Interesting to note that this collection places the stories in chronological order of first publication. We've had a number of conversations about how editors arrange stories in anthologies (similar themes together? most significant stories first and last?) and this is the first time I've seen this approach. It was mentioned that some books the group read before I joined did this as well, but those were more historical overviews that spanned a longer period of time, while these stories are all from the last 25 years. Perhaps the intention is to suggest a new history still being written.
There was also some discussion of the physical book itself having a good design and high quality paper and feeling nice to hold in the hand, to which I could add nothing because I have the ebook.
"Herbal" by Nalo Hopkinson (2002)
( An elephant suddenly appears in a woman's apartment. )
"All That Touches the Air" by An Owomoyela (2011)
( A human colony exists in uneasy equilibrium with aliens who can parasitize and control people's bodies. )
"Bludgeon" by Thaddeus Howze (2013)
( Conquering aliens are persuaded to wager the fate of Earth on a game of baseball. )
"A Guide to the Fruits of Hawai'i" by Alaya Dawn Johnson (2014)
( In a world dominated by vampires, a human woman collaborates with them to save herself. )
Susan Dennis (susandennis) wrote2026-02-10 03:02 pm
susandennis) wrote2026-02-10 03:02 pmEyes checked and house clean
Usually, the tech who does all the eye tests is a young female who speaks to you with the animation of a toy on repeat. She could care less and I'm just another annoying breathing customer.
Today, however, I got Neal who was fresh and alert and interesting and even explained why the yellow drops are yellow and their dual purpose. They numb the eye so the blue light can touch the eyeball comfortably and when he sees green (blue and yellow, get it?) he knows he's scored. I never knew all that.
But, then I got the doctor who was one of those women who wants to know what I'm going to do with the rest of my day and other chit chat that just drives me up the wall. She spit out a word salad of shit about my eyes but I was able to pick out the meat - they are fine. No change from last time. BUT she wants one of those annoying clicker texts in 6 months.
And my eyes are dilated. But, it's done and August is down the road.
And MLB.TV woke up so I ordered a year of Mariners. Not Phillies. Mariners plus Phillies and everyone else would have been twice as much and I just wasn't feelin' it.
So, Dr. Eye, that's the rest of my day.
Today, however, I got Neal who was fresh and alert and interesting and even explained why the yellow drops are yellow and their dual purpose. They numb the eye so the blue light can touch the eyeball comfortably and when he sees green (blue and yellow, get it?) he knows he's scored. I never knew all that.
But, then I got the doctor who was one of those women who wants to know what I'm going to do with the rest of my day and other chit chat that just drives me up the wall. She spit out a word salad of shit about my eyes but I was able to pick out the meat - they are fine. No change from last time. BUT she wants one of those annoying clicker texts in 6 months.
And my eyes are dilated. But, it's done and August is down the road.
And MLB.TV woke up so I ordered a year of Mariners. Not Phillies. Mariners plus Phillies and everyone else would have been twice as much and I just wasn't feelin' it.
So, Dr. Eye, that's the rest of my day.
catherineldf (catherineldf) wrote2026-02-10 04:32 pm
catherineldf) wrote2026-02-10 04:32 pmEntry tags:
Life During Wartime
How are things in Minneapolis/the Twin Cities/Minnesota and environs? Honestly: really bad.There have been some wins but people are burning themselves out to the core to foil kidnappings, help people who can't leave their homes, help children who've been kidnapped, help children who are left behind when their parents are kidnapped, help pets whose humans have been kidnapped, help small businesses survive, help people who can't pay rent pay rent, deal with legal challenges, etc.,etc. We're going on three months now and we have bus and train stop monitors, school bus monitors, people doing deliveries, people chasing these fuckers around despite harassment and retaliation, people doing donation drives, people doing fundraisers, people protesting at the Whipple Building (where they're holding folks who've been kidnapped), people waiting at Whipple to help folks who've been released with no winter coats (in MN winter) or phones, people protesting at the hotels hosting ICE (hello, Hilton chain!) and on and on. There are so many heroes.
But in three months, we have collectively been:
That said, here are a few places where small donations help a lot. Please donate if you can, book if you can't. "Everything little bit helps," as the bus stop monitor I spoke to the other day on my way to drop off toiletry donations at the Pride Cultural Center Pantry said.
But in three months, we have collectively been:
- Shot and killed.
- Regularly teargassed.
- Threatened with guns.
- Beaten (also by the Hennepin County Sheriff's Department, so not just ICE)
- Had ICE kidnap legal observers, harass legal observers by showing up at their homes, harass businesses, etc.
- Had a huge portion of our population go into hiding, which means they need food, toiletries, rent paid, pet food, diapers, and so forth.
- Families have been broken up and traumatized.
- There are horror stories about pets and livestock left to starve.
- Small businesses are closing or on the brink because they've lost workers or their workers are stuck at home.
That said, here are a few places where small donations help a lot. Please donate if you can, book if you can't. "Everything little bit helps," as the bus stop monitor I spoke to the other day on my way to drop off toiletry donations at the Pride Cultural Center Pantry said.
- Twin Cities Pride has rainbow Resistance Loon t-shirts that they're selling as a fundraiser for the food pantry.
- Music for Good - local musicians teamed up to produce protest songs for a mutual aid fundraiser.
- DreamHaven Book GoFundMe - Greg Ketter is donating all new donations to local foodshelves and school book drives.
- ICE Hurts Animals Too - animal rescue for abandoned pets/help for folks stuck at home.
- The best overall fundraiser list - Stand With Minnesota
- The multi-faceted approach, not just donations - Naomi Kritzer's "How to Help if You are Outside MInnesota"
wychwood (wychwood) wrote2026-02-10 10:22 pm
wychwood) wrote2026-02-10 10:22 pmdug a hole in the garden and buried a scream
Candle update: my candle parcel sat in the depot for ten days and then they emailed me to say that I was being refunded. At no point did anyone say anything about trying to deliver it. Also, they don't re-send undelivered parcels and the sale is over so I can't re-order without paying a bunch more money. I did burn the candle my dad gave me, but it was horribly sooty (black snot!! it was like being in London before the congestion charge, only worse!). On the other hand, it also burned super fast (maybe eight hours total time for a candle that looked like it ought to do more like thirty), so it was over fast. Now I'm back to the IKEA tea lights.
Sunday night I went to see Florence + the Machine, and that was fabulous. I wasn't, like, super hyped up by it, but it was deeply engrossing somehow; the gig went by really fast, and her music is just so good. She didn't do either of the songs I was really hoping for ("You Can Have It All" and "Kraken") but everything she did do was great. The stage show was great. And the mixing wasn't terrible - like, pop gigs always seem to be mixed so that you can feel the bass in every individual bone in your body but also can't hear the lyrics, and that was absolutely a problem for the opening act (Paris Paloma) who seemed cool and might be good except I couldn't actually hear her. But Florence was mostly audible. Of course, with a voice like that she has an advantage...
I had Monday off to recover after the late night (concert finish: about 22:45; reached car park around 23:00; left car park around 23:45... always so great) but was back at work today. On Friday I finally finished a horrible task I'd been putting off, so now I'm trying to catch up with the eight million other things I'd been ignoring; I managed to empty my inbox, but only by moving everything into a new set of folders so that I only have to confront one set of them at a time. Also deleted a lot of duplicates (emails from earlier in a chain, etc), things relating to the Horrible Task, and so on, so the many folders only have about 80 emails left instead of the 150 I started the morning with. Then I realised that there's a whole new Horrible Task with a tight timeline, so that's going to be fun for tomorrow.
But I did achieve some small household tasks, cleared out a few personal emails, and only ignored reality to lie in bed with a book a little bit this evening. Maybe I'll even manage the washing up before I go to sleep, it could happen.
Sunday night I went to see Florence + the Machine, and that was fabulous. I wasn't, like, super hyped up by it, but it was deeply engrossing somehow; the gig went by really fast, and her music is just so good. She didn't do either of the songs I was really hoping for ("You Can Have It All" and "Kraken") but everything she did do was great. The stage show was great. And the mixing wasn't terrible - like, pop gigs always seem to be mixed so that you can feel the bass in every individual bone in your body but also can't hear the lyrics, and that was absolutely a problem for the opening act (Paris Paloma) who seemed cool and might be good except I couldn't actually hear her. But Florence was mostly audible. Of course, with a voice like that she has an advantage...
I had Monday off to recover after the late night (concert finish: about 22:45; reached car park around 23:00; left car park around 23:45... always so great) but was back at work today. On Friday I finally finished a horrible task I'd been putting off, so now I'm trying to catch up with the eight million other things I'd been ignoring; I managed to empty my inbox, but only by moving everything into a new set of folders so that I only have to confront one set of them at a time. Also deleted a lot of duplicates (emails from earlier in a chain, etc), things relating to the Horrible Task, and so on, so the many folders only have about 80 emails left instead of the 150 I started the morning with. Then I realised that there's a whole new Horrible Task with a tight timeline, so that's going to be fun for tomorrow.
But I did achieve some small household tasks, cleared out a few personal emails, and only ignored reality to lie in bed with a book a little bit this evening. Maybe I'll even manage the washing up before I go to sleep, it could happen.
halfshellvenus (halfshellvenus) wrote2026-02-10 02:21 pm
halfshellvenus) wrote2026-02-10 02:21 pmEntry tags:
Chunks of Hunks
I watched Another Country again last night, for the first time in about 40 years. Rupert Everett was as gorgeous as ever! Though Colin Firth didn't look like much at that age (despite already having that voice), and Cary Elwes was... really blond. \o? I didn't feel the pangs I used to get when the movie first come out, but it was enjoyable. I also spent far too much time scouring the various crowd scenes trying to spot other actors who later made it big, but found nothing other than the three above.
We've been watching S2 of Night Manager, which improved as soon as Tom Hiddleston shed the fake glasses and began his Con Of Charm. Speaking of voices—his is so silky! I also loved the sexy-dancing with Camilla Morrone and Diego Calva. And the appearance of ( Spoilers ) One more episode to go.
And on another hunky note, Brilliant Minds is currently all about the transformation of Dr. Josh for me. I actually checked IMDB.com early this season to see if the part had been recast, but no. Teddy Sears was an okay-looking guy before, but letting his hair go gray and changing the style turned him into a hottie! I've seen photos of other roles, and this is really the best he's ever looked. I'm not rooting for him to get back together with Wolf, though—I'd like to think Dr. Josh has more sense. Wolf is... work. A lot of work. And I'm not loving the flamboyant nurse they introduced this season. The show has a main character who is gay—was there a complaint about it lacking gay stereotypes? And the new asshole resident is similarly unwelcome...
I'm in the last episode of Orphan Black, and they seem to have wound up the series nicely. I'll miss it and all the sestras, though. I've enjoyed the journey with them all. Five seasons was really helpful for all of the garage-biking I've done since November, too. Now what? I have some potential action/thriller shows in my Netflix list, but most are just 1 or 2 seasons. And I'll be in there most of this week—yesterday was too windy to bike outdoors, and today starts three days of rain. :(
If it weren't for the ads, I would probably watch some of the Winter Olympics in the garage. I caught a little of it late last night. I missed Men's Figure Skating already (as I always seem to), and it looks like Ice Dancing has become Rhythm Skating, which... *sigh*. It seems to mostly now be loud music and gangsta-style dancing. What a change from the romance of Torvill and Dean! Last night also featured a couple of new-to-me sports: free-style skiing (which contains elements of snowboarding) and ski-sprinting. That last one... wow. I've never seen someone try to ski uphill before, and there was a lot of that. Overall, those women were strong. It was quite a workout.
All right, back to work. Carry on! :D
We've been watching S2 of Night Manager, which improved as soon as Tom Hiddleston shed the fake glasses and began his Con Of Charm. Speaking of voices—his is so silky! I also loved the sexy-dancing with Camilla Morrone and Diego Calva. And the appearance of ( Spoilers ) One more episode to go.
And on another hunky note, Brilliant Minds is currently all about the transformation of Dr. Josh for me. I actually checked IMDB.com early this season to see if the part had been recast, but no. Teddy Sears was an okay-looking guy before, but letting his hair go gray and changing the style turned him into a hottie! I've seen photos of other roles, and this is really the best he's ever looked. I'm not rooting for him to get back together with Wolf, though—I'd like to think Dr. Josh has more sense. Wolf is... work. A lot of work. And I'm not loving the flamboyant nurse they introduced this season. The show has a main character who is gay—was there a complaint about it lacking gay stereotypes? And the new asshole resident is similarly unwelcome...
I'm in the last episode of Orphan Black, and they seem to have wound up the series nicely. I'll miss it and all the sestras, though. I've enjoyed the journey with them all. Five seasons was really helpful for all of the garage-biking I've done since November, too. Now what? I have some potential action/thriller shows in my Netflix list, but most are just 1 or 2 seasons. And I'll be in there most of this week—yesterday was too windy to bike outdoors, and today starts three days of rain. :(
If it weren't for the ads, I would probably watch some of the Winter Olympics in the garage. I caught a little of it late last night. I missed Men's Figure Skating already (as I always seem to), and it looks like Ice Dancing has become Rhythm Skating, which... *sigh*. It seems to mostly now be loud music and gangsta-style dancing. What a change from the romance of Torvill and Dean! Last night also featured a couple of new-to-me sports: free-style skiing (which contains elements of snowboarding) and ski-sprinting. That last one... wow. I've never seen someone try to ski uphill before, and there was a lot of that. Overall, those women were strong. It was quite a workout.
All right, back to work. Carry on! :D
dialecticdreamer (dialecticdreamer) wrote2026-02-10 04:53 pm
dialecticdreamer) wrote2026-02-10 04:53 pm
Entry tags:
Wolfe Security (part 1 of 1, complete)
Wolfe Security
By Dialecticdreamer/Sarah Williams
Part 1 of 1, complete
Word count (story only): 1487
:: A typical day for Ioana Wolfe, head of her small digital security firm. This story was written for the February 2026 Magpie Monday, with extra gratitude tomama_kestrel. (She knows why!) Thank you to all of my wonderful readers!
The land of Fairytale wasn’t like it had been when she was a pup, Ioana Wolfe reflected. Now, she had to worry more about threats that crept in through the phone lines and the computers, the cell phones and their internet searches. She was many things, including determined and traditional, but she had never been a fool. Fools did not survive in Communist Romania, when not even the youth of a pup’s first coat would protect them from the bounty laid by a ruthless, relentless government that none of their kind were part of.
George Orwell missed the mark completely; fascism and communism were reserved for, and recognized only human intelligence. Everything, everyone else was a resource to exploit or an obstacle to be removed.
( Read more... )
By Dialecticdreamer/Sarah Williams
Part 1 of 1, complete
Word count (story only): 1487
:: A typical day for Ioana Wolfe, head of her small digital security firm. This story was written for the February 2026 Magpie Monday, with extra gratitude to
mama_kestrel. (She knows why!) Thank you to all of my wonderful readers! The land of Fairytale wasn’t like it had been when she was a pup, Ioana Wolfe reflected. Now, she had to worry more about threats that crept in through the phone lines and the computers, the cell phones and their internet searches. She was many things, including determined and traditional, but she had never been a fool. Fools did not survive in Communist Romania, when not even the youth of a pup’s first coat would protect them from the bounty laid by a ruthless, relentless government that none of their kind were part of.
George Orwell missed the mark completely; fascism and communism were reserved for, and recognized only human intelligence. Everything, everyone else was a resource to exploit or an obstacle to be removed.
( Read more... )