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"Ugh," I thought, "why am I feeling weirdly migrainey? My Next Phase Of The Menstrual Cycle is very much not due for like another week? I've been weirdly super regular basically since it reasserted itself post-surgery?"

... TURNS OUT that I had lost track of time a bit and I'm not a solid week early at all, it's a whole two days. This Means Some Things:

... still super regular by my pre-surgical standards,
I will not be at the worst stage of my cycle during Significant Travel next week, and LAST BUT VERY MUCH NOT LEAST
the migraine is still in fact very clearly associated with hormonal changes even when I'm not expecting them, take THAT Headache Is The Second Most Common Form Of Psychosomatic Pain ~statistics~ (and ongoing anxiety).

pauraque

This is part three of my book club notes on A Thousand Beginnings and Endings. [Part one, part two.]

Something I learned in this meeting that I did not previously realize is that a number of the authors in the collection are best known for YA. This does explain why it was shelved under YA in the library, which I have to admit I did not see as significant given that I also had to visit the YA section to find Dracula (because their copy is part of a series of "classic canon" repubs marketed to teens). I had noticed that some of the entries certainly are YA, which I don't consider a bad thing in itself, but in this batch of stories we did experience a disconnect between the marketed-to audience and ourselves.

"Nothing Into All" by Renée Ahdieh

( An embittered brother and a doormat sister run across goblins that can turn anything into gold. )

"Spear Carrier" by Naomi Kanakia

[Note: This book was published before Kanakia came out as trans, so it lists this story under her former name Rahul Kanakia.]

( A look at the Mahabharata from the POV of one of the five million soldiers in the climactic battle. )

"Code of Honor" by Melissa de la Cruz

( A Filipina vampire seeks belonging in New York City. )

"Bullet, Butterfly" by Elsie Chapman

( In a war-torn country, a boy disguises himself as a girl to infiltrate a munitions factory. )

beanside

Good lord, it's early. I had a very difficult time sleeping last night--I just kept waking up every couple of hours. Around 3, my shoulders started hurting and being tight, so I got up t 4:45am. I'm going to feel that later.

I was both productive and non productive yesterday. I didn't actually do anything physical, but goddamn it, I shopped. I'm trying to get everything bought in the next couple of weeks, to avoid shipping woes. I was very productive for that. I finished up my sister for the most part. I may get another small thing, but the big stuff is done. I got her an Irish snack box, a pair of nice slippers from Ortho feet and I found an artist who does animals in the style of Disney characters, so I got her one of Yoda. I got the proof yesterday, and it's freaking adorable. I'm having it put on a 16x20" canvas for her.

Like I said, I may get one or more things, but the big gifts are done. I need to get some things for Jess, but they're difficult. I have one thing that is coming from Italy, and I hope it comes in time. I plan to do some looking after I finish typing this.

Yesterday was bugfuck at work. I took 59 calls, which is a lot, and I felt it afterwards. I just didn't want to do anything. We had take out Korean food for dinner. I was dying for Kimbap. It was excellent.

Today will hopefully be slightly less crazy, though as I've said before, the holidays tend towards busy.

I've had to wear my heavy coat the last few nights. I love it. Snow Country Outwear's stuff is amazing. I really like it. When I'm wearing it, even in 31 degrees, I'm super warm. It seemed nice, but I hadn't tested it out until the latest cold snap.

Okay, time for me to do some shopping! Everyone have an outstanding Tuesday!

dine

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tamsin

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beanside

It's Monday again. *cries* I'd like another day to actually get some shit done. Yesterday, it was like my ass was welded to the couch cushions. I did nothing. Barely bothered to put on pants to walk Yoda.

The extent of what I did was order and put away groceries, and put the tree skirt and some enormous ornaments on the tree. Still not sure I like the ornaments, but it just looked so bare, and I didn't realize how big they were when I bought them.

And of course, I walked Yoda twice. Don't let the sad face fool you.

But other than that, I sat on the sofa and surfed the net. Watched some videos on youtube about our cruise ship as well as our next few vacations. (We've figured out what we want to do for the next three years at this point.) Next year is of course, Alaska. Then Iceland to Amsterdam cruise. Then we shall do a Rhine river cruise to a bunch of Christmas Markets in Germany and France. We may go early for that one so I can see Neuschwanstein castle, as I'd really like to see it. Or stay later, if we choose a southbound cruise. We'll see.

Today is bound to be bonkers, so I am girding my loins and drinking my coffee. Actually, I expect it to be pretty shitty for the next 6 weeks at work, as everyone who has yearly scans is going to be trying to get them in before the end of the year. And they're going to wait til the last minute to schedule. It happens every year.

Tomorrow, we shall have our paystubs, which is exciting for me. I think on Thursday I'm going to run up to Sam's Club after work and spend some of my OT and bonus on a fancy dinner which we shall have on Friday or Saturday. Sam's has these enormous lobster tails, like fist sized. They're expensive as fuck, but I think we can splurge.

I'll also be sending the coworker who got me the bonus by getting a job and putting me for the referral half of it, since it's because of her I got it. She stayed the 6 months, and I appreciate that extra $500 for Christmas presents. I've gotten my sister a few things already, and I'm going to get Jess something, since there's only three of us. Previously, we got for my sister and dad, and she got for Jess and I, but that seems unfair. Jess can get for me as well, if they so desire, of course. We're all hard to get for, so it should be fun.

I got my sister a pair of nice slippers, and I'll get her some gloves and stuff for the cruise. I need to think about some small things, because we're doing stockings. Maybe some puzzle books, and the gloves can go in there and I have no idea what else. I guess we'll see!

Okay, time to go take a nice shower. I definitely need one. Everyone have the best Monday that you can Monday!

dine

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pauraque

A convenience store is a world of sound. From the tinkle of the door chime to the voices of TV celebrities advertising new products over the in-store cable network, to the calls of the store workers, the beeps of the bar code scanner, the rustle of customers picking up items and placing them in baskets, and the clacking of heels walking around the store. It all blends into the convenience store sound that ceaselessly caresses my eardrums.

Keiko has worked at the same convenience store her entire adult life. Outside the shop she's bewildered by unspoken social rules, but inside it, there's an explicit protocol for everything—how to stand, how to smile, how to say good morning. In this well-defined and orderly world, she is happy and fulfilled. The only problem is that as she ages into her thirties, her family increasingly pressures her to abandon that world and pursue marriage and children instead. But if all they want is for her to have a man in her life, maybe all she has to do is grab the nearest unattached man and fake it for their benefit?

I'm trying to think of the best way to describe this book. It's devastating and hopeful, hilarious and dark as fuck. The summary makes it sound like a fake-dating romp, and it does have elements of that... except the guy Keiko fake-dates is a disturbed misogynist who thinks the world is against him (we'd call him an incel, though I don't know if that maps exactly onto Japanese categories of disaffected men) and when Keiko takes him in she considers that she'll probably have to feed him at least once a day and wonders if it'll be a problem that she's never had a pet before.

Keiko is obviously autistic (though the word isn't used) and she is kind of my hero. Her deadpan literalism lays bare the absurdity of society's expectations, and while her difference makes her vulnerable, she's far from helpless. The depiction of what she goes through is so on point. I was especially struck by the character of her sister, who's the closest thing Keiko has to an ally in her family. She gives Keiko tips on how to explain why she still works at the convenience store in a way that "normal" people will accept—but when it comes down to it, what she really wants is for Keiko to change. This kind of... conditional scaffolding is familiar to me, and was one of many aspects of the book that made me feel like if I didn't laugh I was going to cry.

I have no idea what reading this book would be like if you weren't autistic. For me it felt like having a conversation in my native language after only speaking a foreign language for years and years and years.

kaberett

~~... has done so many things and is Going To Bed and will fill in this placeholder Tomorrow.~~

Reading. ( Descartes, Gouldercourt et al., Clifford )

Forgotten Fruits (Christopher Stocks) got auto-returned to the library for a second time while I was still, like, a third of the way into it. I am going to try to take the DNF with grace this time, but the Completionist Itch is still there...

Writing. Grumpy e-mails to HMPO. Grumpy e-mails to uk.bookshop.org (on the plus side, the book I bought from them now has a shiny wee DRM-free tag! on the downside, I can download it in neither of the browsers I've tried so far.) Mental drafting of context-setting on movement and sleep, which really need to get out of my head and onto the page.

Playing. Inkulinati! We have Completed All Three Journeys. In the second stage we achieved an absolutely bullshit strategy that made things astonishingly easy; the third stage (with SEAL) was much harder work.

Little bit more I Love Hue.

Cooking. Two things of particular note, of which the first was ridiculous parsnip risotto with thyme pesto from The Modern Vegetarian, extremely good, would very happily eat again but I'm more dubious about the prospect of cooking it again, though I will concede it would probably go faster now I know what I'm doing.

Item the second was THE MEDLAR STICKY TOFFEE PUDDING. I am not entirely convinced I can actually detect the, you know, medlar, but it is very tasty.

Elsewise I have two batches of medlar jelly on the go (first batch did not set properly, BAH, I have not made enough jam recently, so I'm going to need to redecant and reboil that before I move on to the spiced) and some ridiculous quince sorbet that needs forcing through the sieve before churning.

And I have still not touched the apples.

Eating. Saturday lunch at Holtwhites Bakery :)

Exploring. Stupid little walk on Sunday revealed unto us, among other things: a pair of cyclamen in a bit of the verge outside our house we don't normally walk past; a discarded fork; a local bush of Purple Metallic Berries; a secret holly hedge.

Growing. SEEDS arrived. Jalapeños (at least at home) turning red.

fayanora

Libraries are so cool. I had a writer's question that I sent to both the two local library systems, LINCC and Multnomah county, which was: Can a homeless kid get a library card? I provided some details like he and his mom live in their van, and they have a PO box. This is because one of the characters of book 7 is a homeless witch named Raven.¹ I was fully expecting the answer to be No or similar, but I was pleasantly surprised by the answer. For the Multnomah county system, which he would be most likely to be using, they've got a student connect thing where if he has a student ID for the area, he can get a library card that way. But they did also say a PO box is enough to get a card.

The librarian for LINCC -- the Clackamas county library system -- said "Yes, we would work with the patron to make sure they could use the library. Typically, we would provide a temporary card if they did not have proof of address and photo ID. So that would allow them to check out 5 books and use the other library services. In most cases, if someone is houseless and is in shelter or has a PO box, we would work with them to give them a full access card which would allow up to 80 checkouts. We have a lot of options for patrons that are houseless to access services in the library."

I don't know if the numbers are the same in Multnomah county; I asked in a reply and am still awaiting a response. But still... neat.

And like sure, Fae Springs is a school of magic. But it canonically has a website on the mundane Internet AND is on the website for the US Department of Education. Mainly because of mundane parents of magical kids.

1 = His mom is a 'middle spectrum' witch, IE not powerful enough of a witch to be able to use magic for much of anything. Chooli is also in the middle spectrum, but zee can see spirits and talk with ghosts. Raven's mom cannot. Her magic is very weak and she never got much past first or second year level spell-work. Basically she's barely a witch at all, and works two mundane jobs: one at Walmart and another at Safeway.

fayanora

In the US, since 2008, meat from cloned cows does not have to be disclosed. If you live in the US, you might've eaten meat from a cloned cow and not even known it.

This is not the kind of cloned meat the old scifi novels promised me. I was promised sheets of cloned meat grown in a laboratory like something out of a mad scientist's lair, meat that was real but which did not have a nervous system and therefore could not suffer. This though? This is just "cow with extra steps."

nilchance

this is mostly blorbo-related posting, but I've had this stuck in my head for the last few days because of the cold despite the fact that it's not nearly winter yet:

Watch on YouTube

(yes, I'm also thinking of Kristoff and Dalton's five-year separation before the campaign starts. Dalton is resigned to prison for life; he thinks it's safer for everyone if he's there. per the DM, Kristoff refused to give up on him even if he struggled to find a solution. the campaign starts with Dalton getting out. I'm looking forward to them finally seeing each other again, to say the least.)

beanside

Today is Sunday and we have nothing planned. We will probably go get lunch, but aside from that, I think it's going to be a relaxing day. And who knows, maybe we'll just order lunch.

Yesterday was a mostly good day. I worked for four hours, then we had game, then rest for a couple of hours. Unfortunately at that point, I started feeling hella nauseous and had to cancel my nighttime game.

My sister was out watching her adopted niece's soccer game, so I was up til about 11:30. (State finals, they won.) Eventually, I got too bored just laying there and the stomach had improved some, so I came out and watched videos about the Grand Dutch Cafe on the Holland America ships. This is the place that I'm going to go to first on the ship. We'll do what we need to--visit our Muster station and watch the safety briefing. Then, my ass is going to go get food. And honestly, nothing says vacation like going to the cafe that serves Dutch food, and having something you don't normally eat. They have a Bossche Boll, which is a creampuff covered in chocolate, about the size of my fist. That's definitely on the list, but so are some of their other things. Like the fried eggs on farmer bread with ham and gouda. I could fuck that up. And the fries look amazing.

Watch on YouTube

Here's a video someone made about their experience, and the food looks amazing. (And usually that pair of travel bloggers are harsh about the food and experience.)

Yoda was groomed, so we sat on the sofa under a blanket and watched some videos. (We get him short, to avoid poopy butt.)

Okay, time for me to commence relaxation. Everyone have a wonderful Sunday!

dine

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kaberett

Irritatingly, the medlar jelly recipe I used last time I made the stuff, over at the RHS, is no longer extant (web.archive.org link!). Herewith my own readily findable copy of the thing, plus my notes on what I'm actually doing this time around.

(For amusement: I apparently first found the medlar sticky toffee pudding recipe in 2023...)

( Recipe as written )

( Notes )

azurelunatic

The washer saga ended a little while ago, with a brand repair tech who corrected something simple. Thursday night (the start of Friday wash day) the dryer gave up.

Since the dryer had been leaving unsightly rust streaks on all the lights, I have not been subtle in my campaign for a new one.

Delivery is scheduled for today, of a dryer with a steam cycle but without wifi.

beanside

It's almost that time again! If you'd like to receive a holiday card from

nilchance and I, this is the post for you!

Please put your name and address in the comments, which are of course screened. Also please indicate whether you want the profanity laden irreverent holiday card, or traditional.

Please note, if I've sent you a card before, dont assume I have your address! Assume it was lost in the move, because it probably was.

beanside

It's the weekend! And I am still up at 5:30am because I am working this morning. I realized how good my check was going to look today. I've got two Saturdays of OT, a team meeting that was OT and the second friend who got a job at Hopkins passed her six month mark on this past Wednesday, so I'll get that $1000 bonus. We're going to get something good for dinner on payday.

Work was pretty busy yesterday, and I spent a bit of time working on filling appointments, yet still had time to take 47 calls. Usually Friday is a little bit less busy, but we're heading into the most wonderful time of the year, where everyone tries to get in for appointments they've known they needed for months before their deductible resets in January. Late November and December are brutal for radiology. And may I just mention that these people have no Holliday Cheer. For December, I'm working on the 27th, and not looking forward to it.

After work, I did a quick run to the pharmacy to get my pills, and inhalers. With a game at 7, we decided to take the dog out for a walk, but there was a bigger dog outside, and Yoda barked. The other dog barked back, growling loudly, so we went back in, both Jess and I having flashbacks to Tucker. I swear, the scars prickled when he growled, and I was 100% sure that someone was going to get hurt. Instead, we ran inside, and settled down for a while before game.

I'm thinking about doing another day trip up to the Mt Hope Wine Shop. We had picked up a bit of wine and booze while we were up there for the Renn Faire. We still have wine, but we've nearly killed off the Rum Cream. And let me just say, that is a sad thing. It's basically a sweet creamy base that would make an awesome coffee creamer married with coconut rum. It is SO fucking good. I'll pour myself a large shotglass and sip on it during game. It's only about 18% alcohol, so not too strong, but perfect for sipping. They also have a mocha rum cream that I'm looking forward to trying.

We do have a trip planned for the Yuletide Faire, which is basically the renn faire with carolers and holiday themed plays and music. But that isn't until mid-December, so I'm debating on a trip before then Right now, they don't have their Eggnog, but I'm hoping they will by the time the Yultide faire rolls around.

Today, I work, Jess and my sister take Yoda for grooming, and then we have game after work, then game tonight.

Tomorrow, I believe Jess has game at 7, but nothing else.

Okay, time for me to get myself together and be ready for work. Everyone have the very best Saturday!

dine

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kaberett

... Nor shall I say what objects of vision must be agreeable or disagreeable to it; for from what I have already said about the other senses, it is easy to grasp that light that is too strong will injure the eyes and moderate light must refresh them; and that, amongst the colours, green, which consistss in the most moderate action (which by analogy one can speak of as the ratio 1:2), is like the octave among musical consonances, or like bread among the foods that one eats, that is, it is the most universally agreeable.⁴⁰

⁴⁰ What the basis of this remark is is unclear, and although various writers have made suggestions about the relations between colours and sounds, the attempt to quantify green on a par with an octave certainly cannot be sustained. It is worth noting that Descartes will later advice Elizabeth to rid her mind of sad thoughts by reflecting on the greenness of a wood (Descartes to Elizabeth, May/June 1645, AT iv. 220).

(trans. and footnote courtesy of Stephen Gaukroger.)

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May 2023

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Page Summary

kaberett - [embodiment] ... ha
pauraque - A Thousand Beginnings and Endings, ed. Ellen Oh & Elsie Chapman (2018) [part 3]
beanside - You cry In your tea, which you hurl in the sea when you see me go by
dine - westron wynde, when wylt thow blow
tamsin - Fandom Gift Basket 2025 - My Gifts
beanside - You'll be back, like before, I will fight the fight and win the war for you love, for your praise
dine - I'm not a snack at all, I'm the whole damn meal
pauraque - Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata (2016)
kaberett - vital functions
fayanora - Libraries are so cool
fayanora - Cloned meat has been a thing since 2008
nilchance - (no subject)
beanside - And somehow it turned out to be that the world changed me.
dine - be kind to yourself; you deserve it
kaberett - [food] medlar jelly recipe
azurelunatic - Alas, dryer
beanside - Post #2, Holiday Card Edition
beanside - I know the light grows darker down below, but in your eyes it's gone before you know
dine - home is the huntsman, home from the hill, and the sailor home from the sea
kaberett - [pain] today in Descartes: green is the best colour because it is most like an octave

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