Not One of Us issue 84

Sep. 18th, 2025 07:18 pm
asakiyume: (yaksa)
[personal profile] asakiyume
I have a flash story in the current issue of Not One of Us, and what a great issue to be in! I'm sharing the table of contents with Patricia Russo, Sonya Taaffe, and Jeannelle Ferreira--all writers I've loved for a long time--along with Devan Barlow, whose work I've only gotten to know recently, but I enjoy, and others whose work is totally new to me but whose literary acquaintance I'm pleased to make, like Zary Fekete.

Let me share a little (and then a lot!) about my own story first, and then some about the other contributions. Mine is called "The Moon in His Eyes," about a young woman who marries a water buffalo, only to fall in love with the moon on her wedding night. Curious about what happens? Well, you can buy a copy of Not One of Us here.

... or, if you don't mind being read to... I read it aloud here. It's literally just me sitting in my study reading into my desktop computer's camera and microphone all in a single take because I know nothing of video editing and am much too lazy, at present, to learn.

And now let me say a few words about the rest of the zine.

I really enjoyed this issue! )


So yeah! Get your hands on a copy of the zine here, and listen to me read "The Moon in His Eyes" here. ;-)

Today's Cooking

Sep. 18th, 2025 07:46 pm
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
Today I made Three Sisters Succotash.  I want to write up my version because it's a bit different than the Iroquois-inspired one that I started with.

Then it occurred to me that I had half a dozen fresh corncobs, so I am making corncob broth to see if that's any good. 

(no subject)

Sep. 18th, 2025 07:54 pm
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[personal profile] flemmings
Summer returns for hopefully a brief interlude: high of 27, humidex of who knows what. Still cool enough at night that I'm not tempted to turn on the AC, though with the mug stink out there I may forego the window fan tonight.

Still trying to make Persian lima bean and dill rice. My preferred brand of frozen limas turns out to be American so I bought tinned instead. Large lima beans, it said, which was fine, whatever, until I got it open. Larger than fava, larger than broad beans: those suckers are huge. Am also seeing why the webpages say to use dried dill. I mean my dill is dried but it started fresh, and though nowhere near as gritty as some I've had, there was still something small and hard that started the Agh a tooth/ filling/ crown has crumbled!!!! panic reaction. But true dried dill doesn't taste like dill, is the problem. And yes I know I shouldn't be having rice at all, even resistant starch cooled rice, but my innards do badly with low-carb abd I can't afford to irritate them when they already want to take exception to my magnesium.

Beaver on through The Red Palace, my Tang dynasty mystery cum romance (alas). Am still waiting to find out who the female protagonist is supposed to be They Fight Crime!-ing with. Alas again, is probably not the dour constable of the court whom I favour, but the playboy (but is he *really?!*) dorky love interest. Dommage.

Artificial Intelligence

Sep. 18th, 2025 02:52 pm
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
An argument that large language models should be called goLLuMs

There is so much potential for satire and mockery here.  :D

Birdfeeding

Sep. 18th, 2025 02:20 pm
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
Today is mostly sunny and hot.

I fed the birds.  I've seen a few sparrows and house finches.

EDIT 9/18/25 -- I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 9/18/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 9/18/25 -- I did more work around the patio.

EDIT 9/18/25 -- I watered the patio plants.








.
 

Breakage by Mary Oliver

Sep. 17th, 2025 01:11 pm
conuly: (Default)
[personal profile] conuly
I go down to the edge of the sea.
How everything shines in the morning light!
The cusp of the whelk,
the broken cupboard of the clam,
the opened, blue mussels,
moon snails, pale pink and barnacle scarred—
and nothing at all whole or shut, but tattered, split,
dropped by the gulls onto the gray rocks and all the moisture gone.
It's like a schoolhouse
of little words,
thousands of words.
First you figure out what each one means by itself,
the jingle, the periwinkle, the scallop
      full of moonlight.

Then you begin, slowly, to read the whole story.

************


Link

thursday

Sep. 18th, 2025 12:44 pm
summersgate: (Default)
[personal profile] summersgate
1000003681.jpg
Kathy is soldering stained glass butterflies for her gallery's Xmas show. I love all the beautiful glass.

Feeling very discouraged with the new onslaughts to our freedom of speech. It's like maga is a huge boulder set into motion that will eventually crush us into submission. I wish I didn't feel so helpless and hopeless. Kathy is as appalled as I am so at least we have each other. It was hard this morning to get going, to move. My body feels weak. Though I thought I had so much pent up anxiety that maybe it'd be good to walk outside, and so I did. About a mile in the neighborhood, in the sun, was all I could do.

One bright thing. Johnny is arriving today. He'll be here till Tuesday. We'll probably go out to Anna Marie Island and explore the docks and beach. Lots of places that we'd like to visit.

We now have a washer again

Sep. 16th, 2025 06:22 pm
conuly: (Default)
[personal profile] conuly
I am just brimming over with excitement.

*************************************


Read more... )

Yes, Virginia, There IS a "They"

Sep. 18th, 2025 10:14 am
mallorys_camera: (Default)
[personal profile] mallorys_camera
Not that I'm a Jimmy Kimmel fan, you understand. I don't own a television. I've never watched late night talk shows. My only association with late night talk shows comes from an ancient Harold Robbins novel in which an aging movie star, propped up on vodka & dolls, masturbates to a late night show applause track.

But firing Jimmy Kimmel over saying this? The MAGA Gang (is) desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it. In between the finger-pointing, there was grieving.

That's BAD.

The FCC chair threatening ABC with nonsense investigations for Kimmel's opinions on Charlie Kirk's murderer is even worst.

###

My immediate conclusion was that they—and yes, Virginia, there is a they—wouldn't be acting this way if they weren't absolutely certain they were gonna keep their hold on power (which they're not going to be able to do with votes.)

Thank Gawd that turns out to be wrong.

No, it turns out just to be about money: The dying television industry is trying to consolidate. In Olden Times, this would trigger monopoly fears. But nobody cares about monopolies anymore, & anyway, if they did, in 10 years, television will be deader than rotary phones.

###

I keep thinking that I've been here before, and that there's something I didn't do then that I can do now. It's the same feeling you get when you're working your way through a particularly absorbing video game scenario.

The one universe-changing act is there.

But where?

Is there some gold ring I'm supposed to toss in a volcano cauldron?

Really, I'm not much good at anything except bearing witness.

I'm superb at bearing witness.

But what good does that do?

###

Meanwhile, a very low-key yesterday in which I did no work of my own but labored for filthy lucre.

The sky was overcast. When the sky is overcast, I get despondent. It's some brain chemistry quirk, & I know it's just errant brain chemicals, but knowing doesn't stop the feelings, it just makes it so I have to ignore the feelings.

Hobbies: Embroidery

Sep. 18th, 2025 12:32 am
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
Folks have mentioned an interest in questions and conversations that make them think. So I've decided to offer more of those. This batch features hobbies.

Embroidery is a fibercraft hobby of making things from colored thread on fabric. If you feel frustrated by planned obsolescence, artificial intelligence, and other current issues then consider embroidery as a form of protest. Make something beautiful that will last.

On Dreamwidth, consider communities like [community profile] crafty, [community profile] cross_stitch, [community profile] everykindofcraft, [community profile] get_knitted, [community profile] justcreate, [community profile] sewing, and [community profile] sewing101.

Read more... )

Hopescrolling

Sep. 17th, 2025 11:34 pm
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
Consider Hope-Scrolling

Today’s goal is to boost your mood, inspire positivity, and restore some bits of faith in humanity. Now is the time to acknowledge the importance of regularly searching for hope and applying the benefits. The hip new slogan for this process is known as hope-scrolling.


I aim to do this as a counterbalance to the often dark things I post regarding climate change, activism, etc. It's challenging because there aren't as many positive news sites as mixed or gloomy ones, and they don't update as often. Sometimes I can find good science news. I used to pull fun educational things or amusing animal videos from YouTube, but I don't really want to support a site that's mistreating its users. :/ Still, I'm always keeping my eye out for sources of upbeat news.

Genocide

Sep. 17th, 2025 11:13 pm
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
U.N. Commission Finds That Israel Is Committing Genocide in Gaza: What Does It Mean?

On Sept. 16, the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory (COI) published a report finding that Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. The Commission concluded that Israel has committed four of the five underlying acts of genocide listed in the 1948 Genocide Convention (killing, causing serious bodily or mental harm, deliberately inflicting conditions of life calculated to bring about physical destruction, and imposing measures intended to prevent births), and that it has done so with the specific intent to destroy Palestinians as a group. The commission’s findings build on its earlier reports that considered crimes against humanity and war crimes.


Took them long enough.  While this does not really change anything, it is a useful stick to beat people with when they claim that Israel's actions are okay and protesting them is wrong.

Space Exploration

Sep. 17th, 2025 10:25 pm
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
The violent collisions that made Earth habitable

The violent final 1% of planetary formation may decide which worlds could host life.

Late-stage planetary collisions reshaped Earth and its neighboring planets, delivering water, altering their atmospheres, and influencing their tectonics. New findings suggest these violent impacts were central to both planetary diversity and the origins of habitability
.

Today's Adventures

Sep. 17th, 2025 08:15 pm
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
Today we went into Mattoon.

Read more... )

(no subject)

Sep. 17th, 2025 04:19 pm
flemmings: (Default)
[personal profile] flemmings
Braved the cellar stairs and got a wash put through. Whether it will dry on the line is another matter given how the promised sun disappeared after an hour. Cloudy and humid does not conduce to Dry.

Have been cooking a russet potato for three days now. This because I do the 'bring to boil, put on lid, turn off heat' thing, which prevents the potato from going all soggy. But evidently it also prevents the potato from cooking. Finally got it soft enough to mash, though my potato masher has vanished who knows where.  Very nice, but that was my allotment of butter and cream for the week.

Should put on a pair of long-legged trousers tucked into socks and sweep up the linden's sheddings out front, because doing so in my 'humidex of 27' summer pants will get me mosquito bites all over my legs. Doubt very much that I will, though.

Finished Point of Hearts, a very satisfying Astreiant novel, and nothing else. Have a Tang-set historical novel on the e-reader, which must read because it's one of those 'ten people are waiting' library books. Have also a dead tree Charles Lenox that I forgot I had a hold on. Beaver on through Terra Nostra which is better than The Tale of Genji only in that it has paragraphs that go on for pages, not Murasaki's sentences that do the same. Except that Genji translators break up the sentences and the TN translator did not. Have also The Portable Machiavelli off the shelf upstairs and would actually rather be reading that. Would help if I'd buckle down and read any of these instead of watching Tiktok videos.

wednesday

Sep. 17th, 2025 04:31 pm
summersgate: (Default)
[personal profile] summersgate
1000003660.jpg
Swimming. I didn't get to swim in Kathy's pool yet today. I don't know if I will. It's been raining. A thunderstorm rumbled through this afternoon and we enjoyed just sitting on the back porch watching.

1000003643.jpg
Kathy had gathered up palm flower stalks earlier and we opened one. This was what was inside, crinkly strands that had super tiny flowers all along them in groups of 5, 6 or 7.

1000003655.jpg
Here it is all opened up.

1000003666.jpg
Closeup of the little flower buds. They look like caterpillars to me.

It's been a stay at home day today. Lazy.

Birdfeeding

Sep. 17th, 2025 02:34 pm
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
Today is mostly sunny and hot.

I fed the birds. I've seen a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 9/17/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 9/17/25 -- I did more work around the patio.

EDIT 9/17/25 -- I did a bit of work around the yard.

EDIT 9/17/25 -- I did more work around the yard.

I watered the new picnic table, old picnic table, telephone pole garden, and a few savanna plants.

Cicadas and crickets are singing.

As it is now dark, I am done for the night.

Of ChickenGurlZ & Bluestone Quarries

Sep. 17th, 2025 10:01 am
mallorys_camera: (Default)
[personal profile] mallorys_camera


I went out early this morning to let the Chicken GurlZ out of their coop only to discover that I'd forgotten to go out & lock their coop up last night.

The coop was empty...

And I was seized with panic because if something happened to the Chicken GurlZ on my watch, I would never, ever forgive myself.

I stood in front of the copse of woods where the Chicken GurlZ like to hang out—the new GurlZ are still pretty shy—making desperate clucking noises and instantly, Black Chicken appeared, asking (in Chicken), All right, Human. Where are my tortillas?

And right behind her were the other two GurlZ.

So whew!

But I am still beating myself up over my carelessness.

The two new chickens are growing very fast, and Black Chicken is just over the moon with joy that she is once again the leader of her very own fowl posse.

###

I've gotten into the habit of doing Remuneration and Work In Progress every other day because try as I may, the two types of writing use such different parts of the brain that I cannot easily go back & forth between them.

Yesterday was a WiP Day. I skipped around in Chapter 2: a couple of dense paragraphs about why it is so difficult for people to leave New York City, the all-important opening banter between Neal & Grazia.

I left off just as Neal & Grazia are taking off on an invigorating tromp through Kingston's Rondeout District. There's a lot of (no doubt) bor-rr-rrr-ing history of the D&H canal—well! Boring to most people, but interesting to me and therefore, interesting to Grazia. They tramp 19th century bluestone pavers past 19th century row houses with weird cast-iron lintels, and dilapidated hotels, and, of course, the old churches—since churches are the things that most often survive attempts at urban renewal.

Neal has to say, If we really hit it off, I'll take you to the bluestone quarry!

Grazia has to tell Neal about her online diary, which also has to be foreshadowed in Chapter 1—though I have taken the Vow not to do any rewriting at all until the First Draft is completely finished.

I am still trying to come up with Grazia's existential crisis in Chapter 3.

I am thinking it has to do with being an ER nurse in the time of COVID, using Public Policy Eleanor's anecdote about scoring N95 respirator masks on a street corner at 4 o'clock in the morning because Kaiser was too cheap to provide their medical staff with adequate personal protection.

Grazia can have a breakdown when a fifth person dies—amidst much gagging and horrific Cheynes-Stoking—in the ER waiting room because there's no place to segregate COVID positives.

I'm still not sure how Neal helps her resolve this existential crisis, but hopefully that will come to me—

And then it will be time to start Part 2, which will be first-person Daria!

The very first part of Chapter 4, Daria’s first point-of-view chapter, will be memories of Mexico City and the contrast-compare to San Francisco when she moves there at age 11.

About the only thing I know about Daria at this point is that Daria’s defining characteristic is that she thinks in several different languages simultaneously: The narrative voice in her mind is not English but is not Spanish and not French either. In other words, she speaks & understands a language nobody else does.

This will be difficult since I only speak English, but oh, well...

###

And now it's time to Remunerate!

Good News

Sep. 17th, 2025 05:10 am
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
Good news includes all the things which make us happy or otherwise feel good. It can be personal or public. We never know when something wonderful will happen, and when it does, most people want to share it with someone. It's disappointing when nobody is there to appreciate it. Happily, blogging allows us to share our joys and pat each other on the back.

What good news have you had recently? Are you anticipating any more? Have you found a cute picture or a video that makes you smile? Is there anything your online friends could do to make your life a little happier?

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