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cornerofmadness ([personal profile] cornerofmadness) wrote2025-12-12 08:43 pm

Too much to do

I had such high expectations of getting the cards out, the gifts, grading all the things etc. etc. I should have realized it was no attainable.

I need to keep better records over the year as I tend to buy gifts at cons and festivals and now there is way too much and I got so flustered I left my house to reset at the coffee shop. The post office was fucking nuts because they have ONE person worker (and he's explaining how he is the only one because of the stupid) There is another woman but all she did was ask are you picking up or dropping off. No idea why she couldn't work the other register.

Also a monster storm is coming so like everyone else I go to the store. I get a rotissiere chicken because if I DO lose power I have a whole chicken to pick at in the cold. (bread and peanut butter too) CVS and the dollar store was just as bad and then the bank tells me they no longer have a coin counter. What am I going to do with all these coins? Sigh.

It took until 7 pm to get all the grades done except my two research students (tomorrow's worry) I am fielding are you going to round that up? Yes I am but your 70.2 isn't rounding to a fucking 73%. Sorry, you didn't do nearly well enough to pass.

I also managed to aspirate my lunch and have been coughing up crap off and on for hours since my lungs are pissed at me.

I did however managed to avoid spoilers for The Amazing Digital Circus's episode 7 drop and got to see the episode. More about that maybe on Tuesday.

And I did some writing.


Title: Forget Our Memories, Forget Our Possibilities

Summary: Angel knows he had no choice but to return to Valentino. It was the only way to keep his friends safe from him. He wants them to forget him but he can’t forget them. He writes letters as often as he can. Will he one day be brave enough to send them?

Rating: teen

Notes: written for the allbingo prompt of love letters and the lyrical titles bingo prompt of Lyric with "remember" or "forget". I chose Don’t Stay by Linkin Park.

story at the above link and under here )

Have the fannish 50 friday recs


Drawn To The Sea Torchwood

Branded FAKE

It Broke His Heart to Hurt Her So, and Yet He Had to Do Hazbin Hotel

Wilful Blindness Torchwood

Out Of Their World The Fantastic Journey

Friends The Murderbot Diaries

Let the Sorrow Go, Its Half the Battle Hazbin Hotel

Outrageous! Torchwood

Young Chainsaw Man

The Dreamcaster Is In Stargate Atlantis

Learning About Magic Teen Wolf

Fool's Rosegold The Owl House
sabotabby: (doom doom doom)
sabotabby ([personal profile] sabotabby) wrote2025-12-12 07:03 am
Entry tags:

podcast friday

 Here's a series from a week or two ago that you really should check out: It Could Happen Here's "Darién Gap: One Year Later." It's four parts and I recommend listening to the whole thing, as it's some truly brilliant reporting, but if you are like me, the one that will stand out the most is the second episode, "To Be Called By No Name." It begins with a song written in 1948, Woody Guthrie's "Deportees (Plane Crash At Los Gatos)" that has horrifying resonance now, nearly 80 years later. From that jumping off point, James discusses the media coverage of the manufactured migrant crisis.

The four part series focuses on two migrants in particular, Primrose and her daughter Kim, from Zimbabwe. Primrose's family opposed the regime there and her father was disappeared; she and her daughter fled a deadly situation to try to claim refugee status in the US. The plight of migrants from African countries is even less discussed than those from Latin America or the Middle East; in detailing Primrose's story, James makes her visible, a heroic protagonist facing impossible odds, someone who lodges in your heart and stays there. It's great storytelling as well as great journalism. He refuses the objectivity of the mainstream reporters, who just don't bother to talk to migrants, let alone give voice to their names and stories.

Even posting about this tears me up. I know a lot of you reading this are doing your best to fight ICE but I want to beat every one of those bastards to death with my bare hands and by the end of this series, you will too.
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cornerofmadness ([personal profile] cornerofmadness) wrote2025-12-11 11:31 pm
Entry tags:

How I almost died on my day off

I had to go to Chillicothe to get my oil changed and on the way back, in the dark and in a construction zone an 18 wheeler realized he was going off the wrong ramp (it's an easy mistake to make in this area, if you're in the right lane you're on your way to Portsmouth like it or not) and he rolls right down the embankment back onto 35 right in front of me without slowing down. I can't move because there's a wall of construction traffic to my left. Thankfully my brakes are fine but Jesus dude... (of course you can't exactly stop an 18 wheeler on a dime.

Speaking of which on the way up there was a massive accident as well on the other side, took out much of the guard rail, was probably down in the creek. I couldn't see it through the lines of traffic and half dozen cop cars but it was no doubt a bad one.

Got another [community profile] fandomtrees story done at the garage waiting on the oil change and then went to my coffee shop to work on another one but...my coffee shop is gone WTF? I don't go to Chillicothe for 2 months and this happens? It's a new store with a big menu (lots to look at. Sweetie, I want fucking coffee not overpriced sandwiches) They only had two lattes. I went with the candy lane...and it was tasteless. If you can't make chocolate peppermint right, I won't trust you again (I'm looking at you too Tim Horton's. Yours tasted like burnt coffee and cleaning chemicals). Sigh. Now the new place wants you to do conferences there and murder mystery dinners....You can't make coffee. I'm not trusting you with food.

TJ Maxx was so packed there weren't even carts 0_0 (did find some Pistachio cream)

The shoe store about damn near made me cry. I can't find shoes. why is everything WIDE? And then I put on a pair of new balances that should have worked but were wide and they were...NOT wide. How the fuck cheap are we making them these days? I usually take a narrow and this so called wide wasn't too wide (the arch was wrong for me though)

I finally got to sit down to write cards. If you want a holiday card from me and you haven't asked for one yet head here.

And since I forgot the books yesterday here we go
What I Just Finished Reading:

Wytches - a graphic novel horror I got from the library


Ripped Tide - short mystery I got at the WV book festival. It is...bad.

What I am Currently Reading:


Death at the Door - a meh paranormal mystery

To Die Once - a Maisie Dobbs mystery which I haven't read one of these in a while and this is...slow



What I Plan to Read Next: Poorly Made and Other Things


I forgot my tea advent again

Day 9 - Blueberry limeade green tea - Green tea, organic lemon peel, butterfly pea flowers, and natural blueberry limeade flavor. It was good

Day 10 Winter Wonderland Rooibos Herbal Tisane - Organic green rooibos, organic cacao nibs, organic cinnamon pieces, winter wonderland flavoring, and blue cornflower petals. not as good as the peppermint one...what is wonderland flavoring anyhow

Day 11 Organic Turmeric Ginger Citrus Herbal Tisane - Organic turmeric, organic ginger, organic hibiscus, organic lemon peel, organic orange peel and organic lemon myrtle. this balance the dirt flavor of turmeric well so not bad but why the hell are so many of these freaking herbals?!?
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low_delta ([personal profile] low_delta) wrote2025-12-11 10:38 pm

sunrise

I wanted to get a photo of the lake at sunrise. This is not too tough considering how late the sun comes up. The forecast showed the sky would be mostly clear this morning, so I moved my alarm up half an hour, to 6:50. Of course I woke at 6:30, apparently all intent on getting up early. I tried to stay as unawake as possible, but got up after my alarm. I got dressed, grabbed my camera and left. I was surprised to learn my first photo was taken at 7:16, three minutes after sunrise. I got some good shots, though, and the exact minute doesn't matter.

downbound laker

It was 13°F, but my face still hurt a bit by the time I got back to the car. The rest of me was warm, though - this new coat rocks.

I got back home and ate breakfast and showered. Still got to the office a few minutes early. I kinda wish I'd looked up what ship that was.
Georgiana Brummell ([personal profile] dandylover1) wrote2025-10-16 11:19 pm

Ravel and Haydn

Hello, Dear Readers. Today, we have two musical pieces from two very different composers.

Thoughts on Ravel: String Quartet in F major, and Haydn: String Quartet Op 64, no 2 )
Georgiana Brummell ([personal profile] dandylover1) wrote2025-12-11 10:18 pm

Unwanted Water, a Misbehaving Phone, and Delicious Food

Hello, Dear Readers. Today, we have something new. It's a piece that DB will be performing with the orchestra, but he's dividing it into movements. As you will see if you continue reading, I have quoted one of you and also linked to an entire entry, as I thought he might find it interesting, which he did.

Thoughts on Tchaikovsky: Symphony n.1 Winter Daydreams )

I honestly thought I wouldn't have much to say today, and was going to fill today's entry with some interesting things I found on Mastodon. Unfortunately, life had other plans. I was in my room writing on my computer when I suddenly heard water dripping near the furnace. It was almost eight o'clock at night, which would mean nothing to me, but my parents go to bed early, and Mom was especially tired. I felt horrible doing it, but I had to go up to her floor and wake her. As I did so, I noticed that the ceiling on that floor was leaking, too. Mom came down with Joanie, which was odd, as Joanie almost never comes down here, and she helped Mom clean up the mess. Fortunately, it wasn't that bad. Mom then went upstairs and spoke with D and A. Apparently, there is something wrong with their toilet. We knew something was going on, because there was water on the ceiling on Mom's floor, but we figured we could call in a plumber next week or so to figure out what was going on. For now, she shut off the water to their toilet and I'm sure she'll be calling tomorrow to have him come and fix the problem. What I don't understand is that they literally just put in a new toilet up there last week! Anyway, at least things are dry now. There is never a dull moment around here. And Mom and I were finally going to work together on making some food and doing the laundry (it's not set up, so I can't do it on my own). Sometimes, I honestly feel as if the composers of the great operatic tragedies are writing our lives. I hope they give the reins to those with much lighter tastes in the future. Where is Haydn when we need him? Actually, I've never heard his operas, only his classical works. That should be quite an adventure, and my first time listening to a full work in German!

Yesterday, I had my own problems with technology and wrote the following on both Mastodon and Reddit.

"I just updated my iPhone SE 2020 to IOS 26. For the record, I am a totally blind Voiceover user. At any rate, it forced me to create a passcode and wouldn't let me select an option not to do so. Then, when I was able to log into the phone and go to the section that would allow me to turn the passcode off, it asked for my passcode. I entered it. Then, it asked for the password for my account. I plugged in my keyboard via the adapter and although it seemed to let me enter the text box, no matter what I did, it wouldn't accept my keystrokes for the password. It just made a sound when I tried to type, as if I weren't in the field. I have done this before with this same setup. All other functions worked. I then tried it with my bluetooth keyboard with the same result. I do not use a touchscreen to type. I always keep my phone free of passcodes and touch id, because I wouldn't be in a situation where I would need either. Finally, I was able to do it using the touchscreen, by going over every single letter, until I found the one I wanted, pressing it, then repeating the cycle for all of the characters of my password, plus having to switch to numbers. Has external keyboard accessibility been lost in this version of IOS? I must assume that I won't be able to enter my iCloud (not that I use it) or anything else that requires my Apple password normally either. If I am wrong, please tell me how I can fix this horrible problem!

As a side note, I am thinking of getting an SE 2022 (I don't want anything newer since I don't want a large phone). Perhaps, I should ensure that it's running IOS 18. If so, what was the last itteration of it? Was it 18.5?"

Luckily, I eventually received answers to two of my questions. The last version of IOS 18 is 18.7.3. More importantly, the reason I was having this problem in the first place is that there is now something called single letter navigation. I love it in Windows (especially when viewing files and programs), but I have never seen it in IOS. Apparently, it is turned on by defult, and I have to press VO-Q to turn it off. Then, my keyboard should work properly in these situations. For other VoiceOver users, this is not the same as left+right arrow. That is more of a general Quick Nav (their term, not mine).

In much happier news, I spent several hours writing filler entries for November and one or two for October as well. All are about music. But the one from 17 NNovember is quite different from the typical sort and some of you may enjoy it, particularly if you have pets. I also added some music to entries that I already published, since I realised that I forgot to do so.

The food adventures continue. For lunch, Mom made me a game hen, which I always love, so that put me in a marvellous mood for the rest of the day. Tonight, she ordered pizza, but since she chose a place that I don't like, I decided to try something new. I love Nisan ramen soups, Cup o Noodles, and noodle dishes, but I am not against trying other brands, either. I love Lipton, for example, but they are entirely different from the above. I found something called Nongshim Savory Bowl Noodle, Beef Flavor. One of the reasons I was hesitant to try it is that, many brands say things such as "fill with water to the line", but then, the line isn't made tactile, so I have no idea how much water to add! This was one of them. But at least one site specified at least one and one half cups, so I was able to follow that, thank goodness! As for the taste, it wasn't bad. There was a very slight spicey note to it, but while I usually run from anything hot, this was so mild that even I could eat it without difficulty. I think I'll buy it again, or at least see what else they make.
Georgiana Brummell ([personal profile] dandylover1) wrote2025-11-03 08:33 pm

Haydn and Handel

(Catchup - 11 December 2025)

Hello, Dear Readers. Today, I have some wonderful music for you that was sent to me on MSN Messenger via Escargot by DB, of course. My response to him was via e-mail.

Thoughts on Haydn: String Quartet Op 64, no 4, and Handel: Arrival of the Queen of Sheba )
Georgiana Brummell ([personal profile] dandylover1) wrote2025-11-11 07:19 pm

A Very Scotish Entry

(Catchup - 11 December 2025)

Hello, Dear Readers. Today's entry may seem a bit confusing with all of the dates. DB sent the first to me via our usual e-mail, and the others on two separate days via Escargot messages. I am combining them because of their Scotish theme. The last two I replied to as a single e-mail in any case.

Thoughts on An Orkney Wedding, Farewell To Stromness, and Tam O'Shanter )
Georgiana Brummell ([personal profile] dandylover1) wrote2025-11-17 04:52 pm

Turning the Tables

(Catchup - 11 December 2025)

Hello, Dear Readers. Today, I have something rather unusual for you. Normally, DB gives me music. But this time, I gave him some!! It all started when I was browsing Mastodon and read about something called Pet Classics. This is a programme in the UK that is designed to help keep pets calm during the fireworks for Bonfire Night. I had quite an adventure and also listed my favourites from the show, as well as a few interesting things I learned while listening to it.

Pet Classics, Composers Anecdotes, and an Interesting Discovery )
Georgiana Brummell ([personal profile] dandylover1) wrote2025-11-21 11:20 am
Entry tags:

A Little Classical and a Little Opera

(Catchup - 11 December 2025)
Hello, Dear Readers. Today, I have something interesting for you. It is a review of a classical piece, but my fellow opera lovers will immediately be drawn by the title and with good reason. The two are related. Here, DB and I discuss this, plus which classical pieces were written by composers primarily known for their operas.

Thoughts on Bizet: L'Arlésienne Suite No. 1 & Suite No. 2 )
Georgiana Brummell ([personal profile] dandylover1) wrote2025-11-29 11:50 am

A Bit of Music from Khachaturian

(Catchup - 11 December 2025)

Hello, Dear Readers. I don't usually combine pieces from different days, but since these were by the same composer, and since a tiny bit of the previous conversation continued into the second one, I will.

Thoughts on Aram Khachaturian: Adagio of Spartacus and Phrygia, Sabre Dance, and Masquerade suite )

I think that made for an interesting entry and something a little different.
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cornerofmadness ([personal profile] cornerofmadness) wrote2025-12-10 11:36 pm
Entry tags:

It's all over but the crying

And there's a bunch of that. Some happy tears by those eeking past, some because they realized they can't pass. Actually the afternoon allied health/nursing crew did much better than their morning counterparts. Only 3-4 aren't going to make it. I still have to add in some of the online homework, drop two low labs/homework and add in extra credit (that's a problem for friday)

I wrote a ton during the test PLUS the writers' zoom today. I got 4530 words. WHOO HOO. One [community profile] fandomtrees is done, one is nearly done and a third is started. Look at me go. Now if only original fiction was this easy.

Now I have given up on my fridge. I realized I have like 3 days left before I go home so even if I get the kitchen pristine when could the landlord come? The freezer is fine and I always empty the fridge when I leave. I'll clean it all up and then call them when I'm back in January. Please call them. This has gone on too long.


But it's not one of my days without some kind of annoyance. So I've been waiting on the drop for the Hazbin Hotel S2 trading cards. There was a preorder option that I couldn't do for some reason. I tried to get a ticket, didn't see it (probably sold out) so they had 2 days of preordering. It opened today for the rest of us at noon. I had the cart loaded. 1200 pm I hit buy. Gone. Sold Out. In the hour after that I needed to dress and get to the test, they put out the second run and it was sold out too by the time I sat back down at 120. OMFG. I know that there'll be other runs. I don't actually care that it's not first run. I love trading cards. I just wanted them to look at them. Hell I'm so old by the time they're really worth anything I'll be dead. Of course knowing this fandom as I now do, the preorders were bought out by scalpers and those cards will be sold in the thousands of dollars (oh hell no). End of the world, no? Annoying, yes.
falena: [Generation Kill] Close up of the Iceman (iceman)
språkspion ([personal profile] falena) wrote2025-12-10 11:33 pm

Rec-cember Day 10: Murderbot

Wikipedia has a pretty goog summary, for those who are not familiar with the books:

The Murderbot Diaries is a science fiction series by Martha. The series is told from the perspective of the titular cyborg guard, a "SecUnit" owned by a futuristic megacorporation. SecUnits include "governor" modules that control and punish the constructs if they take any actions not approved by the company. The ironically self-named "Murderbot" hacked and disabled the module but pretends to be a normal SecUnit, staving off the boredom of security work by watching media. As it spends more time with humans, it develops genuine friendships and emotional connections, which it finds inconvenient.

It's got humour, emotional depth, action; it's the perfect comfort read, because Murderbot grappling with what it means to have free will and catching human cooties feeling is weirdly heartwarming. Murderbot is the best protag, I swear. I can't believe I saw this series mentioned around for years and never checked it out because I thought it was going to be gruesome, since its titular character is called Murderbot, ha. It's now also a tv series,starring Brad 'the Iceman' Colbert Alexander Skarsgård. The tv series is fun, a good adaptation, really, but the books are far superior, imo.

All these stories probably contain spoilers, so do not read them if you haven't read the books (you won't be safe if you've just watched the show, I supspect).

In Control. 8K words. Four times having a governor module fucking sucked, plus one time [REDACTED: FILE MISSING]. (Or: Murderbot has Emotions for 8,000 words. ART tries to help. So does Dr. Mensah, but like, in a decidedly less assholish way.)

Re-Initialization. 38K words. When the infamous rogue SecUnit of the Preservation Alliance gets captured, the corporate techs assigned to it expected to be able to get some juicy data, or at least some insights into its cracked governor module. They didn't expect something so… basic.

Changelong. 377 words. helpme.file: Changelog Various additions made by the units who pass along Murderbot’s governor module hack. Tremendously fun!

The Pitt

I adore how most of fandom has decided that Frank is a good guy, despite his many flaws, that he has fallen head over heels in love with Mel and that he'd do anything to be with her. Sometimes I like a darker interpretation of canon, though. In this vein, let me offer you my kingdon for a horse  14K. Langdon drives Mel home after the longest first day in the world. This is an amazing fic, so perfectly in character, hot and it packs such an emotional punch. The ending is absolutely brutal. It needs many more hits, kudos and comments.


Georgiana Brummell ([personal profile] dandylover1) wrote2025-12-10 02:35 pm

Thoughts on Writing and Artificial Intelligence

Hello, Dear Readers. Today, I am going to share something that I wrote on Mastodon. It's not my usual shared links that I write there, but a bit of my own musings, inspired by an article.

"I wrote the following after reading this article. I directed my words to the author, not realising at first that the person to whom I was replying was merely sharing the work. Still, I will post it here, on my own timeline, because it is something about which I feel strongly. The link to the original article is below, followed by my commentary.

https://sightlessscribbles.com/the-colonization-of-confidence/

Most of what I read, from poetry to fiction, was written in the nineteenth-century or earlier, with some being from the early twentieth. Most is British, with some ancient classics and a very small number of American works included for good measure. I find modern writing, full of political correctness, obscenities, bizarre jargon, corporate and sports speak (e.g. game changer, level up, scale up/down/back), abbreviations for everything (e.g. info, veggies, celebs), misused words (e.g. pivot, curate), etc. to be extremely annoying at best and terrible and immature at worst. But this was an interesting article.
I don't hate artificial intelligence. But I do think that there is a huge difference between working with it and letting it do the work for you. I use Novel AI, not for publishing, but for fun. I am very familiar with its quirks and annoying phrases, and when I see them, I erase them and add my own words. In fact, the last part of the first section, "nothing to do with... and everything to do with..." made me laugh, not because it was funny in any way, but because that's one of those sorts of things it would write, just like the silver bells or "he said, his voice ((insert annoying and unnecessary description i.e. barely a whisper, raspy, a low rumble, etc). I found many other such phrases here as well. Sadly, most are part of a normal style of writing, but they have been used so much by machines that they immediately make me think of such when I read them. I prefer proper grammar and am not one for slang or poetry that doesn't actually sound like poetry. But I draw the line at things that sound as if they were written by a machine. I can also still write on my own and have no confidence issues, so I had difficulty in understanding some of this. Novel AI is enjoyable to use, but it will never take the place of my actual imagination and words, and when I do write things for the public, be they entries on Dreamwidth or posts on Mastodon (not merely shared links), I never use any sort of program to aid me in composition.

I also use artificial intelligence for things that have absolutely nothing to do with writing. For instance, I use it for research (always checking the links for myself once they are provided), to read product labels and directions via ocr, to describe the scene around me, etc. Not all such software and services are bad. It's all in how they are used. For those who truly wish to improve upon their own writing, I highly recommend reading good literature and paying attention to the grammar, word choices, etc. of the author. This cannot be taught or learned by artificial intelligence of any sort.

Having said all of that, I'm glad you created your group. It sounds like a great place for those who need it, and really, any group of writers and those who appreciate their work is a great thing."

What about you? How do you feel about artificial intellligence, either in writing or in other areas of life? Do you use it for other things? One thing that I forgot to mention is that I have no desire for such things to invade my personal space. I have no need for it to summarise my documents, help me write e-mails, etc. nor do I want it snooping on what is in my computer in general. I do, however, use it to clean up ocr errors in texts that I download from the Internet Archive, particularly with regard to my Italian and music theory textbooks. In the one case, I am learning the language and don't want to learn things incorrectly. In the other, there are charts and musical notation that was ruined during the conversion to text, so I would like Perplexity to explain it to me in a verbal manner.
sabotabby: (books!)
sabotabby ([personal profile] sabotabby) wrote2025-12-10 07:06 am
Entry tags:

Reading Wednesday

 Just finished: You Better Be Lightning by Andrea Gibson. I never had the privilege of seeing Gibson perform, other than on YouTube, so this is as close as I'm ever going to get. They really were a brilliant poet. Some of the poems lose a bit in print—they tend towards the storytelling and autobiographical, and that reads much less powerfully on the page than in speech—but this is a fairly minor critique. Gibson writes powerfully about queerness, gender, disability, and the climate crisis, and their furious energy is made all the more poignant by their premature death earlier this year.

Currently reading: Censorship & Information Control: From Printing Press to Internet by Ada Palmer. This is an exhibit based on a course that Palmer taught and it just makes me wish I could take the course. I'm screenshotting bits to text to people. Her central argument is that the total state censorship we see depicted in 1984 is the exception rather than the norm; more often censorship is incomplete, self-enforced, or carried out by non-state entities like the church or marketplace. This is obviously important when we talk about issues like free speech, which tends to be very narrowly defined when most of the threats to it have traditionally not come directly from the government (I mean, present-day US excepted, but it took a lot of informal censorship to get to that point).

The bit about fig leafs, complete with illustrations, is particularly good, as is the bit on Pierre Bayle, who hid his radical ideas in the footnotes to his Historical and Critical Dictionary in lengthy footnotes that he knew no one would read.

You can get this for free if you want to read it btw.

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low_delta ([personal profile] low_delta) wrote2025-12-09 10:29 pm

Winter is here, finally

I published this on Substack last weekend. You've seen the photos already, so I won't repost them, but if you wanted to read it with the photos, here's the link.

Winter is here, finally

Don’t get me wrong, I like Autumn. I like all the seasons, really. It’s the in-between seasons that I’m not a fan of. I suppose these days they’d call those the liminal seasons, as if I needed another reason to dislike that term…

But late Autumn is a problem. It’s all brown and grey, and mostly frozen. This weather was mercifully short this year, so I’m trying not to complain, but I was feeling a little bleak - my photography had dried up. I hadn’t shot anything new in a while, and everything I had done had been shared. I organized all my folders of images, and my “To share” folder was empty. That made it very clear I had nothing going on.

I would have been going to the lake, at least, to get a shot every few days, but the park was closed for deer hunting for nine days. So that was no fun.

But the weather weighed on me too. It feels like a sort of Seasonal Affective Disorder. But it’s not about the light, exactly, or even the cold, it’s about doing. Or not doing. And I wasn’t shooting.

But then it snowed! Snow is my favorite thing about winter. I don’t even take advantage of it like I used to. When I was a kid I would play all day in it, and when I was older I enjoyed cross-country skiing. Now I just like the feel of having it.

It’s so much nicer than drab frozen ground. And of course it makes for good images.

It started last Saturday morning. It didn’t come down very fast, but there was no wind so it all came straight down and settled on everything. It was so nice! I went out in the yard with my camera, and immediately felt better.

They predicted eight inches (on the low end), and I figured there would be less. By midnight we had less than four. But then it picked up and I was surprised to see around ten inches (25cm) on the ground in the morning. It was very heavy and weighed the trees down (and knocked out our power for a while).

But the snow covered everything and the sun was out. So beautiful!

Fortunately I got to spend a lot of time outdoors on Sunday. Unfortunately, most of it was spent shoveling, but that’s the price I have to pay, I guess.

Maybe part of my SAD is not seeing the sun. But it’s not just a problem with long nights and short days, it’s the cloudy days too. Because I really love it when the snow multiplies the sunlight.

Winter is the time for introspection, I guess…
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cornerofmadness ([personal profile] cornerofmadness) wrote2025-12-09 11:08 pm

Merry Scary Christmas

I had no tests today but I did wander down to the university for the dean's holiday party i.e. free cookies and candy I don't need but I want (and being nice to your dean is a good idea) I did laundry in the morning so I got there late and was given extra cookies to get rid of them.

From there I went to Jackson to putz about in the coffee shop while waiting to mee TH for dinner and the Merry Scary Christmas talk with James Willis at the library. Now I expected it to be paranormal hauntings since he is a paranormal investigator. More on that in a minute.

We went to the newer Mexican place. It was the worst meal I've ever gotten there. (usually it's good) They gave me an envelope. I've seen this at another place in Portsmouth, come back in January and get whatever gift is inside. I didn't do that one because that's 40 miles away but I will do this (and hope it's a one off that it was bad. If not, I like the other Mexican place better anyhow)

The talk was fun. It wasn't paranormal. It was more about the spooky ghost stories, folklore and songs with pagan leanings. Most of it I knew but some I didn't like the Woman in White story from Cornwall or all the names of the various Yule Lads. It was fun like I said but I usually enjoy James' talk. I asked a few questions and offered up another folklore tidbit for him: Befana.

However, before the talk began, he had music playing and it included a parody of Santa Baby, Krampus Baby. I went looking for it but didn't find it. What I did find was equally fun but NOT safe for work.

Takes about 50 seconds before getting into the song


No fannish 50 today. It's somehow late and I have put no thought into anything.
Georgiana Brummell ([personal profile] dandylover1) wrote2025-12-09 10:07 pm
Entry tags:

Friday Fives for November

Hello, Dear Readers. Here are the Friday Fives for November. I may do these on their actual day, or as now, for the whole month. These and more can be found at the [community profile] thefridayfive community. I wish to thank [personal profile] supernutjapan for reminding me and inspiring me to do these.

The Friday Five for 28 November 2025
These questions were originally suggested by [livejournal.com profile] the_heartless.

1. What were some of the smells and tastes of your childhood?
Mom's Coffee, bagels, Mom's tomato sauce, bleach (when the school was cleaned), clean clothing, potato pancakes, baked chicken.

2. What did you have as a child that you do not think children today have?
Cassettes, vhs tapes, a landline telephone, a Franklin Language Master Special Edition (talking dictionary), Teddy Ruxpin and other talking dolls that told stories via tape.

3. What elementary grade was your favorite?
Fifth. My fifth grade teacher was the one who introduced me to, and made me love, writing.

4. What summer do you remember the best as a child?
I'm not sure.

5. What one piece of advice would you give to your younger self, and at what age?
See above.

The Friday Five for 21 November 2025: TV Time
These questions were originally suggested by [livejournal.com profile] heartovmidnight.

1. What's your favourite TV network?
I don't have one, since I don't watch television. I use Youtube and the Audio Vault.

2. If you could create your own channel, what would it be?
Audio, not video, and all sorts of great radio dramas, comedy, full operas, nature shows, etc.

3. What TV show did you watch as a child, that you wish they would bring back?
Bewitched.

4. What show have you always hated, and wonder why they ever made such a dumb show?
Most modern things, especially reality tv.

5. What TV show's seasons would you buy on DVD?
I hate dvds, as they are not usually accessible. If I can get away with things on vhs, I do. But usually, I just download things from Youtube or Audio Vault. I know I did want to watch something they didn't have, but I forget what it was.

The Friday Five for 14 November 2025
These questions were originally suggested by [livejournal.com profile] alysonl.

1. What's one of the nicest things a friend has ever done for you?
Probably bought me something.

2. What's one of the nicest things a stranger has ever done for you?
I don't know.

3. What is a trait in another person that you instantly admire, and that draws you to him? (grammar corrected)
Honesty.

4. What is a trait in another person that instantly repels you, and prevents you from forming a close relationship with him? (grammar corrected)
Meanness.

5. Time to vent: tell us about something rotten someone has done to you.
One boyfriend broke up with me via e-mail. We were both quite young, and he did apologise many years later when we happened to see each other online.

The Friday Five for 7 November 2025
These questions were originally suggested by [livejournal.com profile] newagebastard.

1. What’s harder to live without, chocolate or alcohol?
Alcohol, though I can live without both.

2. Does the colour yellow remind you of anything?
No. I am blind and have never seen colours. I heard that the sun is yellow, though, and so are the potatoes that I love.

3. Who most annoyed you last week?
Mom. It was just silly things, though.

4. Do you have a cutesy romantic nickname for your partner (or previous partners)?
No. I'm not into that sort of thing. I might say Honey, Darling, Dear, or perhaps Sweety, but that's about it.

5. What is your favourite Stephen King movie?
I'm not really one for films. But I love The Dark Tower series of books, and also, oddly enough, Eyes of the Dragon, since it was so different from anything else he has ever written.
Georgiana Brummell ([personal profile] dandylover1) wrote2025-12-09 09:49 pm

New Friends, Reading Entries, and Fascinating Documentaries, Plus a New Tool for The Blind

Hello, Dear Readers. First, I would like to welcome anyone to whom I have granted access today, as well as any new friends who may find me. As promised, I went over your entries today. It was surprising and sad to see how many of my subscribers haven't posted in months or even years, or have perged their accounts. Regardless, I left comments on many entries today, usually from no earlier than October, though there were a few exceptions, mostly for those who either posted very little from then to now, or who hadn't posted since the summer. I seriously considered unsubscribing from one journal due to the obscenities used. I'm not one for such language, and even though I fully respect the rights of people to do so in their own journals (particularly when they are protected entries), I really do wish that such people would either write a warning in their profile about it or in specific entries. I was also quite surprised at another friend's use of such language, given her age. I suppose I have to keep remembering that those in their seventies now are part of the Woodstock generation, when such things began to be acceptable. The sorts of seniors I generally think of are older now, and who knows how much longer they'll be around? In any case, Dreamwidth's division of readers is confusing, so that I sometimes miss when new people subscribe to my journal and consequently don't grant them access until I eventually see them in one of the lists. Now, I will be checking my e-mail for comments, new subscribers, etc. as I intend to spend more time here in the future, both reading and writing.

Joanie made her spair ribs and all of us loved them. Mom surprised us with Stouffer's Maccaroni and Cheese. I enjoy many types, from frozen to freeze dried, to homemade and fresh, but Stouffer's is among the best. I also tried the Barefoot Cabernet Sovignon, in order to compare it with Cavit's version, and I find that it's gentler and smoother. I like both, but I might prefer the barefoot. I definitely enjoy Cavit's Pinot Noir. I love fruity and sweet wines, but naturally, they don't go with everything. I can handle an off dry, but nothing truly dry. I also tried a Riesling that I fell in love with recently. I forget who makes it, but it may be Barefoot again. Naturally, I enjoy Sutter Home Moscato, but they also make Fre, which I also like, so I'm not surprised. I'm not crazy about the Pink Moscato, though. I will need to research the brand on that one.

I was going to listen to Don Pasquale tonight, but I became involved with Dreamwidth. If it were any other opera, I would gladly read the libretto and do so, but this is the only full one with Schipa in it, and I really want to be awake and alert for it. I'll try again tomorrow. I also have Il trovatore that I'm considering. Sadly, there is no full version with Gigli in it, though I did find one with his rival, Lauri Volpi. Fortunately, Tamagno didn't spoil me rotten with this one, though I did enjoy the arias he sang from it. After that, I must figure out what to listen to. I only have two more Donizetti ones left (Norma, and La favorite), and one more bellini (La Cenerentola). The rest are all verismo by Puccini. If anyone knows of other bel canto or Romantic operas recorded during the 1950's or earlier, please let me know. Just to give you an idea of what I have listened to so far, these are my reviews on the Old Opera subreddit.

https://www.reddit.com/r/OldOpera/

For those who may not be aware, audio description is when someone describes the visual scenes, usually in a film, documentary, etc. though it exists in theatres as well. Regardless, there is now a wonderful tool called Omni Describer that can analyse and automatically create descriptions for films. Obviously, manmade descriptions are better, but they also require people to wait and hope that, at some point, someone will describe a given film. This way, someone can choose any film from Youtube or even on his computer and have it made accessible fairly quickly. Naturally, the longer the video, the more time it will take to process. Sadly, sometimes, it doesn't work at all, and I receive errors that say the model is overloaded, but usually, it works again after awhile. I've watched several documentaries that way. Below is the main page of the developer, with links to Omni Describer, as well as its help file.

https://audioses.com/en/yazilimlar.php

One of the most fascinating documentaries that I have seen lately is called Japan's Secret Water garden. It is narrated by David Attenborough but is unlike any other documentary from him that I have ever watched. It is very relaxed, and while it definitely features animals, it is really a balance between one family's life in a village and the animals and plants that live there. It also offers a fascinating glimpse into a very traditional and amazing way of Japanese life that, surprisingly, many young people are returning to!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kby5hAt7ktE

Now, I think it's time for some cold water, a shower, and some relaxation. I will post to Mastodon later. For those of you who are there, you can find me at dandylover1@someplace.social.
fred_mouse: line drawing of sheep coloured in queer flag colours with dream bubble reading 'dreamwidth' (Default)
fred_mouse ([personal profile] fred_mouse) wrote2025-12-10 08:15 am
Entry tags:

Life lived in dot points

Well into 'it's not one thing after another, the damn things overlap' territory here

  • nominal deadline for my confirmation of candidature to have been submitted has passed without anything from my reviewers (one of three from our school has theirs)
  • Eldest's quilt has been somewhat abandoned, which is annoying me but I haven't had the cope
  • Instead I've been working on logistics of Youngest's quilt, which is very heavy in the planning stages (picture quilt, converting it from a photo)
  • Took a week at home on light duties last week, this week I'm back in the office. Did surprisingly well yesterday. Surgery site looks to have healed on the surface but the internals are still quite sore, so I'm still sleeping with the post-surgery bra.
  • Middlest and their partners have bought a house. They move in January. There was a messy blow up with the fourth housemate, who has since moved out, so they are learning how they fit together as a trio, and it sounds like things are going well. R's parents are providing lots of important support for the process.
  • Saw the nurse for follow up on Monday. They didn't like the wound support stuff I'd found in the pharmacy (because it is plasticky) and replaced it with a stiff fabric 'can be washed but blow dry it after' dressing that was so annoying/itchy I took it off last night (and it took off lots of ick; that area has an unsurprising build up of Stuff) and put the second piece of the wound support stuff on. That is so much better -- it is a clear plastic lattice that actually moves with the area, rather than digging in. Also, I'm not reacting to the glue.
  • My middle sibling and their partner are moving to Perth for two years. D has a job at UWA, K's job will allow 'remote' work from the Perth office. Amusingly, D described UWA as 'not restructuring' and Youngest laughed when reading that out. My comment was that from my perspective it has never not been restructuring, it is just the level that is changing. Plus, there was a leaked minutes from some meeting that suggested they were going to try and get a merger with Curtin, which I learned about when the Curtin Guild sent a 'not if we can help it' email out to all students. Pointed out to sibling that as they and I share a family name there is a non-zero chance they are going to get spotted as related.