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Say my name, say my name.
Apr. 8th, 2026 05:39 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
fayanoraIt absolutely boggles my mind how so many people manage to misspell my first name when it literally only has three letters in it. I am F-A-Y, not F-A-Y-E or F-A-E, it's F A Y. REACH still has me on file as Faye, even though I keep correcting them and trying to get them to fix it. Even my own best friend misspelled it when sending me something from Amazon! Yeesh. My deadname at least made sense, it was1 an unusual name, and was seven letters long.
Now the rest of the name I would understand, my full name being Fay Anne Aura Arts.
1 = And still is; even with the increase of its popularity over the years, it's still weird hearing someone or something else being called by it, because it doesn't come up very often.
Now the rest of the name I would understand, my full name being Fay Anne Aura Arts.
1 = And still is; even with the increase of its popularity over the years, it's still weird hearing someone or something else being called by it, because it doesn't come up very often.
... whoops
Apr. 8th, 2026 10:39 pmkaberettThings I thought would be fine: continuing to use the coffee table as an ersatz bench while I try to source a proper one at less-than-new prices.
THINGS THAT WERE NOT FINE: guess.
(I am unharmed! The coffee table is... not. The previous session was fine!!! ... the previous session was 10-20lb lower in terms of what I was lifting.)
Wednesday Reading Meme
Apr. 8th, 2026 02:04 pmsinealaWhat I Just Finished Reading
KD Casey, Breakout Year: A m/m baseball romance that the author apparently wrote in response to feedback saying her books had too many Jewish characters, so now everyone in this book is Jewish, which is clearly the best way to respond to bigoted criticism. A+. Loved that. I wish I could say the same about the rest of the book, which is a fake-dating second-chance romance where only one of the main characters currently plays baseball, which means there's way less baseball than in her other books, which made it kind of meh for me because the author is really amazing at putting baseball as an integral part of her baseball romances (sometimes it's hard to find sports romances where the author seems like they actually care about the sport) so unfortunately I spent most of the book hoping for more baseball in the baseball book and not getting it.
What I'm Reading Now
Comics Wednesday!
( Iron Man #4 )
What I'm Reading Next
No idea. But, hey, maybe I can read books now? Here's hoping, anyway.
KD Casey, Breakout Year: A m/m baseball romance that the author apparently wrote in response to feedback saying her books had too many Jewish characters, so now everyone in this book is Jewish, which is clearly the best way to respond to bigoted criticism. A+. Loved that. I wish I could say the same about the rest of the book, which is a fake-dating second-chance romance where only one of the main characters currently plays baseball, which means there's way less baseball than in her other books, which made it kind of meh for me because the author is really amazing at putting baseball as an integral part of her baseball romances (sometimes it's hard to find sports romances where the author seems like they actually care about the sport) so unfortunately I spent most of the book hoping for more baseball in the baseball book and not getting it.
What I'm Reading Now
Comics Wednesday!
( Iron Man #4 )
What I'm Reading Next
No idea. But, hey, maybe I can read books now? Here's hoping, anyway.
Write Every Day April 2026 - Day 8
Apr. 8th, 2026 10:23 amcarenejeansQuote of the Day:
Sometimes you have to go on when you don't feel like it, and sometimes you're doing good work when it feels like all you're managing is to shovel shit from a sitting position.
— Stephen King
My Check-In:
Alibi sentence. I've been doing some adulting, mostly because another member of the family isn't. Sigh
Tally
( Days 1-6 )
Day 7:annavere, badly_knitted, carenejeans, china_shop, cornerofmadness, dswdiane, luzula, ofmonstrouswords, sanguinity, sylvanwitch, the_siobhan, trobadora, ysilme
Let me know if I missed you, or if you wrote but didn't check in yet. And remember, you can join in at any time!
Sometimes you have to go on when you don't feel like it, and sometimes you're doing good work when it feels like all you're managing is to shovel shit from a sitting position.
— Stephen King
My Check-In:
Alibi sentence. I've been doing some adulting, mostly because another member of the family isn't. Sigh
Tally
( Days 1-6 )
Day 7:
annavere, badly_knitted, carenejeans, china_shop, cornerofmadness, dswdiane, luzula, ofmonstrouswords, sanguinity, sylvanwitch, the_siobhan, trobadora, ysilmeLet me know if I missed you, or if you wrote but didn't check in yet. And remember, you can join in at any time!
He is Nostro Dis Pater, Nostr' Alma Mater, and we are falling over the precipice
Apr. 8th, 2026 04:30 ambeansideIt's Wednesday and I am tired. I woke up at about 3am, so I'm a wee bit sleepy. But on the other hand, I had delicious Greek Koulaourakia cookies for with my coffee, so it's not all bad. With Greek Easter coming up on Sunday, the BIL's Mom made her annual cookie batch, and we always get a small baggie. It's much easier now to get a taste of them. Dad tended to eat them very quickly. We would usually remember to pull a couple out of the bag for us, but he would wolf down the rest.
Today will be a busy day. I will have work, then off to the pharmacy for my pils. I may do that at lunchtime, we shall see. I need to make Yoda more food if I can get the energy up. He's only got one more packet of it, so it's time to cook some more. I really don't mind cooking for him. He's a sweet bud, and I want him to be happy and healthy.
Then, tonight we have Brindlewood Bay. I'm looking forward to getting out of my own brain for a few hours. Though possibly, playing a character who has a Jenga pile of cat ashes is not as comforting as it should be?
Yesterday was quiet. I spent a lot of times taking calls, and a bit trying to fill in some open spots. Got a few people in, filled some cardiac spots, and generally just worked and tried not to think too much. Still welled up a few times, but thankfully did not cry on patients. I spent the day lowkey anxious about the potential for WWIII. Thankfully, it did not happen. After work, I fried up some scallops and baked some King Crab Legs. The Crab legs were okay. I don't think I'd buy them again. They don't hold a candle to the Dungeness crabs we get from Alaska.
The scallops however, were delicious, even receiving a "these are really good" from the BIL who was over visiting. Next time I know he'll be over, I'll go to Sam's Club and get some of their really good lobster tails. I'll show him what lobster is supposed to taste like. Although, he and my sister have gone to Maine, so mayhe not. I need to look in the freezer to see what meats we have that I could cook tonight. Maybe another pork tenderloin. If I go to the pharmacy, I'll cut it up and make Gochujang honey chicken. If not, Jess can bake it. Either way, it'll be tasty.
After we took the dog out, we retired to our room to relax, but we left the door open so the puppers could come in. Previously, due to Yoda's tendency to be an asshole and get poky with her, we had the door latched so Boodle could get out, but Yoda couldn't get in. He came in very tentatively, but within 10 minutes, he was snuggled up begween Jess and me, living his best life. It was very sweet, and I enjoyed having his warm little body pressed against my back. He's a good boy.
I also let the petsitter know that Boodle had passed, and that we woudn't need their services for the week we're away. I may still get someone to come in and check on the apartment and pick up packages and mail once a day. I think that might be a good thing. Maybe start the car one day so the battery will be happy. I could stop the mail, but I don't know if we'll have packages coming while we're away, so I want someone to take care of that.
Tomorrow, my classes start. Here goes nothing. At some point, I still need to upload my diploma. I don't have to do it this unit, since they're foundation courses and don't count towards the degree, but once I start the degree program, I need to have it in. I also have an appointment on Thursday evening so that I can get a tattoo of a cat's paw print. I'm having it filled with tortiseshell colors, Black gold and a little white. I think it's going on my forearm. That way Boodle will always be with me. She can come to Alaska and Hawaii with us. I like that idea.
I will doubtless cry when I see it, but that's okay. Honestly as often as I tear up, it's amazing that I'm not dehydrated. Loosing Boodle is harder than losing Dad, if I'm being honest. I think I've cried once for him, and so many times for her. A lot of that probably has to do with what an asshole Dad was during the last few years and how hard it was on us. When he went, we were somewhat relieved. With Boodle, I'm relieved that we caught the cancer before she was in pain, but we very much wanted to have her with us for another 15 years.
Tomorrow is also Package Day. I have so many things coming tomorrow, it's kind of absurd. I got some new makeup, my sister's bag, Jess' top from Torrid, Jess' sleep mask, some underwear two sets of bed sheets and an emergency antibiotic kit that will be going on vacation with me, just in case we need them. I think that's about everything. IT's coming via three separate delivery companies, so it'll at least be a staggered arrival.
I ordered Jess a pair of Woxer boxer briefs. We'll see how they like them. I have a pair coming as well, but not til next week. They never have the extra at people clothes in easy stock. I'll be chasing after them going "try them on!" as soon as they come, of course.
We have a lot of games scheduled this weekend. We'll see if any need to be rescheduled on account of classwork. I don't think they will as it's only 1 game per day, which is only 3 hours a day, but if I do, we'll figure it out.
My Marchen game starts in less than two weeks. It's not all written, but I've got enough to start with. We did the little role play introducing two of the characters to each other, since they're both in the same prison, and that was a delight. I'm really looking forward to the first session. It'll be a lot of talking, but I'll manage it. With Crooked Moon, I did individual introductions of each character as the Ghostlight Express train came to pick them up. I'm doing a similar thing wiht this game, zooming in on each character and seeing what they're doing when we meet them, letting them role play out their character introduction. I felt like it was more organic, and less like "Who are you playing today?" or "You start in a bustling tavern." Though to be fair, one of the intros does start in a tavern.
My very sweet players told me if I needed to move it back, I could. They know we're grieving Boodle, but I'd rather play, honestly. And being that it's homebrew, I get to create new worlds for them to inhabit, and that's my favorite.
Okay, I suppose I should hop off and take a nice hot shower. I don't want to be stinky for the tattoo tomorrow. Or maybe I'll take it tomorrow. I'll see how I feel. Either way, everyone have such a good Wednesday.
Today will be a busy day. I will have work, then off to the pharmacy for my pils. I may do that at lunchtime, we shall see. I need to make Yoda more food if I can get the energy up. He's only got one more packet of it, so it's time to cook some more. I really don't mind cooking for him. He's a sweet bud, and I want him to be happy and healthy.
Then, tonight we have Brindlewood Bay. I'm looking forward to getting out of my own brain for a few hours. Though possibly, playing a character who has a Jenga pile of cat ashes is not as comforting as it should be?
Yesterday was quiet. I spent a lot of times taking calls, and a bit trying to fill in some open spots. Got a few people in, filled some cardiac spots, and generally just worked and tried not to think too much. Still welled up a few times, but thankfully did not cry on patients. I spent the day lowkey anxious about the potential for WWIII. Thankfully, it did not happen. After work, I fried up some scallops and baked some King Crab Legs. The Crab legs were okay. I don't think I'd buy them again. They don't hold a candle to the Dungeness crabs we get from Alaska.
The scallops however, were delicious, even receiving a "these are really good" from the BIL who was over visiting. Next time I know he'll be over, I'll go to Sam's Club and get some of their really good lobster tails. I'll show him what lobster is supposed to taste like. Although, he and my sister have gone to Maine, so mayhe not. I need to look in the freezer to see what meats we have that I could cook tonight. Maybe another pork tenderloin. If I go to the pharmacy, I'll cut it up and make Gochujang honey chicken. If not, Jess can bake it. Either way, it'll be tasty.
After we took the dog out, we retired to our room to relax, but we left the door open so the puppers could come in. Previously, due to Yoda's tendency to be an asshole and get poky with her, we had the door latched so Boodle could get out, but Yoda couldn't get in. He came in very tentatively, but within 10 minutes, he was snuggled up begween Jess and me, living his best life. It was very sweet, and I enjoyed having his warm little body pressed against my back. He's a good boy.
I also let the petsitter know that Boodle had passed, and that we woudn't need their services for the week we're away. I may still get someone to come in and check on the apartment and pick up packages and mail once a day. I think that might be a good thing. Maybe start the car one day so the battery will be happy. I could stop the mail, but I don't know if we'll have packages coming while we're away, so I want someone to take care of that.
Tomorrow, my classes start. Here goes nothing. At some point, I still need to upload my diploma. I don't have to do it this unit, since they're foundation courses and don't count towards the degree, but once I start the degree program, I need to have it in. I also have an appointment on Thursday evening so that I can get a tattoo of a cat's paw print. I'm having it filled with tortiseshell colors, Black gold and a little white. I think it's going on my forearm. That way Boodle will always be with me. She can come to Alaska and Hawaii with us. I like that idea.
I will doubtless cry when I see it, but that's okay. Honestly as often as I tear up, it's amazing that I'm not dehydrated. Loosing Boodle is harder than losing Dad, if I'm being honest. I think I've cried once for him, and so many times for her. A lot of that probably has to do with what an asshole Dad was during the last few years and how hard it was on us. When he went, we were somewhat relieved. With Boodle, I'm relieved that we caught the cancer before she was in pain, but we very much wanted to have her with us for another 15 years.
Tomorrow is also Package Day. I have so many things coming tomorrow, it's kind of absurd. I got some new makeup, my sister's bag, Jess' top from Torrid, Jess' sleep mask, some underwear two sets of bed sheets and an emergency antibiotic kit that will be going on vacation with me, just in case we need them. I think that's about everything. IT's coming via three separate delivery companies, so it'll at least be a staggered arrival.
I ordered Jess a pair of Woxer boxer briefs. We'll see how they like them. I have a pair coming as well, but not til next week. They never have the extra at people clothes in easy stock. I'll be chasing after them going "try them on!" as soon as they come, of course.
We have a lot of games scheduled this weekend. We'll see if any need to be rescheduled on account of classwork. I don't think they will as it's only 1 game per day, which is only 3 hours a day, but if I do, we'll figure it out.
My Marchen game starts in less than two weeks. It's not all written, but I've got enough to start with. We did the little role play introducing two of the characters to each other, since they're both in the same prison, and that was a delight. I'm really looking forward to the first session. It'll be a lot of talking, but I'll manage it. With Crooked Moon, I did individual introductions of each character as the Ghostlight Express train came to pick them up. I'm doing a similar thing wiht this game, zooming in on each character and seeing what they're doing when we meet them, letting them role play out their character introduction. I felt like it was more organic, and less like "Who are you playing today?" or "You start in a bustling tavern." Though to be fair, one of the intros does start in a tavern.
My very sweet players told me if I needed to move it back, I could. They know we're grieving Boodle, but I'd rather play, honestly. And being that it's homebrew, I get to create new worlds for them to inhabit, and that's my favorite.
Okay, I suppose I should hop off and take a nice hot shower. I don't want to be stinky for the tattoo tomorrow. Or maybe I'll take it tomorrow. I'll see how I feel. Either way, everyone have such a good Wednesday.
snow this morning
Apr. 7th, 2026 11:37 pmadrian_turtleA few days ago I heard someone talk about how the warmth of April was so hopeful yet so fragile. This morning we had snow, if only for a few minutes. I hope this will be the last Frost* for a while.
You know how it is with an April day
When the sun is out and the wind is still
You're one month on in the middle of May
But if you so much as dare to speak
A cloud comes over the sunlit arch
A wind comes down from a frozen peak
And you're two months back in the middle of March.
*ETA, Robert Frost. The poem has lived rent-free in my head for 50 years but is not mine
You know how it is with an April day
When the sun is out and the wind is still
You're one month on in the middle of May
But if you so much as dare to speak
A cloud comes over the sunlit arch
A wind comes down from a frozen peak
And you're two months back in the middle of March.
*ETA, Robert Frost. The poem has lived rent-free in my head for 50 years but is not mine
You had a 50-50 shot!
Apr. 7th, 2026 11:03 pmsinealaToday in Fandom Complaints, I wish to preface my complaint by saying that since, obviously, I am enjoying watching the entire back catalog of Dimension 20 and also Campaign 4 of Critical Role, that clearly I enjoy watching Brennan Lee Mulligan's DMing.
However, I think it's really, deeply weird, that for a guy who clearly defines himself by being a big nerd who knows a lot of stuff about stuff (and, I mean, sure, that's great, I am also a big nerd) -- anyway, that basically everything I have ever seen him say about Latin is totally wrong. If there's Latin, it's wrong. (If there's Greek, it's also often wrong, but there's less Greek, at least. Still bewildered at CR C4 featuring him defining "dithyramb" essentially as "amphitheater" and then telling the audience to "look it up." I... did? It doesn't mean that.)
Yes, I was annoyed while watching D20 Fantasy High that he consistently stresses "Avernus" wrong -- the Latin stress rule is not hard, I promise -- but I told myself that, okay, maybe it's a D&D thing and D&D decided to pronounce the name of their thing differently from the real thing. Sure. Fine. Okay. I was annoyed that D20 Unsleeping City S2 decided to make the cornerstone of its season the quotation "Nulla dies umquam memori vos eximet aevo" because then that meant I had to listen to it be mispronounced and mistranslated and taken out of context a lot -- and because it's one oflysimache's favorite bits of the Aeneid it's also one of my favorite bits of the Aeneid. But everyone takes this one out of context a lot now (it's part of the 9/11 memorial, for some weird reason) and I guess I can accept that people don't know it's about Being Gay and Doing War Crimes and that's just how it is.
But, okay, so, I am coming up on the end of the season Mice & Murder, which is basically "The Wind in the Willows but what if we just murdered a bunch of animals at Toad Hall and then a fox version of Sherlock Holmes had to solve the mystery" which I assume is not what the book is actually about although I haven't read it. Anyway, here in the penultimate episode, the characters are given a clue to a passcode, and the clue is in Latin, and they are asked if any of their characters know Latin.
The clue is "mors est in gloria." He repeats this, like, two or three times, and he's clearly reading it off something -- it is definitely the thing he intended to say. (The closed captions spell it wrong, but that is absolutely the thing he is saying. He pronounces it very carefully.)
Because I have clearly put several points into Knowing Latin while building my real life human character my first thought is "well, that's a weird clue." Like, what the hell? "Death is in glory?" Okay, sure. Whatever. It didn't occur to me that it could have been meant to say something else. I just thought it was weird on purpose.
Then he tells the player whose character would definitely know Latin (the character is a vicar) what this is supposed to mean, privately, and they excitedly report to the rest of the group that it means "glory in death."
No. No, it does not.
It's four words. Come on. How do you get this wrong? How do you get this exactly backwards? How do you look at the phrase "in gloria" that you have constructed and decide that you nailed it and that that for sure means "in death?"
I don't expect most pop culture to get Latin right, but, like... I expect better of Pop Culture For Total Nerds, I guess. I would really like D20 to do better. Please. For me. Get someone to check your Latin.
(I also did not buy the two Game Changer pins with Latin mottos from the episode where they gave them Latin mottos because both of them had bad Latin to varying degrees. One of them was bad to a degree where it was like "okay, this contains words that obviously are Not Actual Words and therefore makes very little sense, what the fuck" and the other one was only bad to the degree of "if you know what it is trying to say, you can see how they got there, but this really only means that in Medieval and not Classical Latin." Which, eh. I guess clearly it could be worse.)
However, I think it's really, deeply weird, that for a guy who clearly defines himself by being a big nerd who knows a lot of stuff about stuff (and, I mean, sure, that's great, I am also a big nerd) -- anyway, that basically everything I have ever seen him say about Latin is totally wrong. If there's Latin, it's wrong. (If there's Greek, it's also often wrong, but there's less Greek, at least. Still bewildered at CR C4 featuring him defining "dithyramb" essentially as "amphitheater" and then telling the audience to "look it up." I... did? It doesn't mean that.)
Yes, I was annoyed while watching D20 Fantasy High that he consistently stresses "Avernus" wrong -- the Latin stress rule is not hard, I promise -- but I told myself that, okay, maybe it's a D&D thing and D&D decided to pronounce the name of their thing differently from the real thing. Sure. Fine. Okay. I was annoyed that D20 Unsleeping City S2 decided to make the cornerstone of its season the quotation "Nulla dies umquam memori vos eximet aevo" because then that meant I had to listen to it be mispronounced and mistranslated and taken out of context a lot -- and because it's one of
lysimache's favorite bits of the Aeneid it's also one of my favorite bits of the Aeneid. But everyone takes this one out of context a lot now (it's part of the 9/11 memorial, for some weird reason) and I guess I can accept that people don't know it's about Being Gay and Doing War Crimes and that's just how it is.But, okay, so, I am coming up on the end of the season Mice & Murder, which is basically "The Wind in the Willows but what if we just murdered a bunch of animals at Toad Hall and then a fox version of Sherlock Holmes had to solve the mystery" which I assume is not what the book is actually about although I haven't read it. Anyway, here in the penultimate episode, the characters are given a clue to a passcode, and the clue is in Latin, and they are asked if any of their characters know Latin.
The clue is "mors est in gloria." He repeats this, like, two or three times, and he's clearly reading it off something -- it is definitely the thing he intended to say. (The closed captions spell it wrong, but that is absolutely the thing he is saying. He pronounces it very carefully.)
Because I have clearly put several points into Knowing Latin while building my real life human character my first thought is "well, that's a weird clue." Like, what the hell? "Death is in glory?" Okay, sure. Whatever. It didn't occur to me that it could have been meant to say something else. I just thought it was weird on purpose.
Then he tells the player whose character would definitely know Latin (the character is a vicar) what this is supposed to mean, privately, and they excitedly report to the rest of the group that it means "glory in death."
No. No, it does not.
It's four words. Come on. How do you get this wrong? How do you get this exactly backwards? How do you look at the phrase "in gloria" that you have constructed and decide that you nailed it and that that for sure means "in death?"
I don't expect most pop culture to get Latin right, but, like... I expect better of Pop Culture For Total Nerds, I guess. I would really like D20 to do better. Please. For me. Get someone to check your Latin.
(I also did not buy the two Game Changer pins with Latin mottos from the episode where they gave them Latin mottos because both of them had bad Latin to varying degrees. One of them was bad to a degree where it was like "okay, this contains words that obviously are Not Actual Words and therefore makes very little sense, what the fuck" and the other one was only bad to the degree of "if you know what it is trying to say, you can see how they got there, but this really only means that in Medieval and not Classical Latin." Which, eh. I guess clearly it could be worse.)
mrgh
Apr. 7th, 2026 10:00 pmkaberettToday I have had MRI #1 (NHS), booked follow-up appointment #1 (NHS; in June), and also booked follow-up appointment #2 (private; next Thursday).
( feeeeeeeelings )
But. BUT. I made myself put the allotment keys in my pocket before heading out for the MRI (the allotments are right behind the hospital) and then did spend two hours Communing With Plants (by which I mostly mean "weeding", obviously, which is I suppose a kind of Communion) in pleasant weather, and. And. The cherry blossom is out. Only two clusters of it so far, but -- that's two more than a week ago, and the rest of the tree is thinking really hard about it. The unfortunately sited apple I appear to have inherited is also absolutely riotous. The garlic chives are finally Properly Established. I got to graze on allium and spinach. Small fierce joys, and that.
Write Every Day April 2026 - Day 7
Apr. 7th, 2026 11:09 amcarenejeansQuote of the Day:
"Imaginary worlds are the best worlds."
— Alicia Valdes-Rodriguez (Substack note)
My Check-In:
I wrote a drabble! Whoo-hoo! 8-)
Tally
( Days 1-6 )
Day 6:badly_knitted, carenejeans, china_shop, cornerofmadness, dswdiane, goddess47, ofmonstrouswords, sanguinity, sylvanwitch, ysilme
Day 7: china_shop
Let me know if I missed you, or if you wrote but didn't check in yet. And remember, you can join in at any time!
"Imaginary worlds are the best worlds."
— Alicia Valdes-Rodriguez (Substack note)
My Check-In:
I wrote a drabble! Whoo-hoo! 8-)
Tally
( Days 1-6 )
Day 6:
badly_knitted, carenejeans, china_shop, cornerofmadness, dswdiane, goddess47, ofmonstrouswords, sanguinity, sylvanwitch, ysilmeDay 7: china_shop
Let me know if I missed you, or if you wrote but didn't check in yet. And remember, you can join in at any time!
The Black Fantastic: 20 Afrofuturist Stories, ed. andré m. carrington (2025) [part 5]
Apr. 7th, 2026 01:55 pmpauraqueThis is the fifth and final part of my book club notes on The Black Fantastic. [Part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4.]
"Spyder Threads" by Craig Laurance Gidney (2021)
( Disabled fashion models keep disappearing after they work with a mysterious designer. )
"The Orb" by Tara Campbell (2021)
( An environmentalist cult creates an ever-growing, consuming entity. )
"We Travel the Spaceways" by Victor LaValle (2021)
( A homeless man hears voices from deep space. )
"Ruler of the Rear Guard" by Maurice Broaddus (2022)
( A Black American woman travels to Ghana to join a pan-African repatriation movement. )
the end
Though these last few stories weren't my favorites, the collection overall had some strong entries. It was noted that there was more group consensus about which stories we liked and which we didn't than there has been in some other books we've read, so the discussions ended up being a little shorter than usual.
The group plans to continue with This All Come Back Now, the first ever published anthology of speculative fiction by Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander authors.
"Spyder Threads" by Craig Laurance Gidney (2021)
( Disabled fashion models keep disappearing after they work with a mysterious designer. )
"The Orb" by Tara Campbell (2021)
( An environmentalist cult creates an ever-growing, consuming entity. )
"We Travel the Spaceways" by Victor LaValle (2021)
( A homeless man hears voices from deep space. )
"Ruler of the Rear Guard" by Maurice Broaddus (2022)
( A Black American woman travels to Ghana to join a pan-African repatriation movement. )
the end
Though these last few stories weren't my favorites, the collection overall had some strong entries. It was noted that there was more group consensus about which stories we liked and which we didn't than there has been in some other books we've read, so the discussions ended up being a little shorter than usual.
The group plans to continue with This All Come Back Now, the first ever published anthology of speculative fiction by Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander authors.
Would you let me touch your soul forever? Can you feel me longing for you forever, forever.
Apr. 7th, 2026 04:13 ambeansideWell, that wasn't at all how I was expecting my night to go. I think I had mentioned that Jess was taking Boodle to the vet yesterday, because she had lost a bit of weight and now seemed to have an upper respiratory infection. The appt was a 4, and I couldn't take off early from work, so they took an Uber, and I would come to them right after I got off at 4:30 and give them a ride home.
Reality, I wasn't particularly useful that last hour of work. Especially when I started getting texts about the doctor being concerned. The second I could, I lit our of here, getting to the vet just in time to hear the bad news. The short version, she was very sick and we made the decision to euthanize. It sucks. She was a special cat, and I'll miss her so much. Longer, more in depth version below the cut.
( Read more... )
At least this time, I don't feel like I waited to long like I did with Sam.
After that, we all kind of sat around staring at each other and crying.
Today, work will probably be busy. I'm going to have a hard time giving a shit about any of these people, but I will manage.
I cancelled all of the cat food subscriptions and will send some emails to see which shelter or food bank can use it. Also if they'll take the 30lb bag of litter we just got.
We'll probably get to pick her up on Monday of next week, so there will be more tears then. Jess and I are waiting for her clay pawprint so we can take a picture and send it to our tattoo artist. Jess sid last night that they lost the cat of their heart, and I have to agree.
With Yoda's asshole tendencies, we won't be able to get another cat for a while, so we're going to have to sit with our sadness until we add more sadness to it before we can get another baby.
In other news, our vacation is now 30 days away. I put in a few more orders for things I need before the cruise. Here's hoping some of them get here in time. One of them is a lightweight fleece lined rain jacket. I think it might be warm enough for Alaska. We'll see when it gets here. I have absolutely no regrets about anything that I bought for this trip.
Today I'll find out what the difference will be in my paycheck with the new job when the paystubs drop at about 4pm. The actual money will come tomorrow for CapOne and on Thursday for Chase. Despite that I'm still thinking about shifting the balance of my account to Chase. It's nice to have a brick and mortar to deposit checks. I need to add Jess onto the Chase accout. Should have done that on Saturday when we went to deposit the disbursement check from Dad's estate. Oh well, another Saturday. I'll see if it'll let me make an appointment.
I split up the disbursement into three accounts. CapOne got $5000 and Wells Fargo and Chase each got $10k. I figure that's a good mix, and gives me three cards for various charges. I know there will be a hold for the hotel, there will be a hold from the ship. I still have to pay for the car that's going to take us to the hotel, so I don't want anything to be tied up too much.
Okay, time to go forth and get myself dressed and together for work. Everyone have an amazing Tuesday.
Reality, I wasn't particularly useful that last hour of work. Especially when I started getting texts about the doctor being concerned. The second I could, I lit our of here, getting to the vet just in time to hear the bad news. The short version, she was very sick and we made the decision to euthanize. It sucks. She was a special cat, and I'll miss her so much. Longer, more in depth version below the cut.
( Read more... )
At least this time, I don't feel like I waited to long like I did with Sam.
After that, we all kind of sat around staring at each other and crying.
Today, work will probably be busy. I'm going to have a hard time giving a shit about any of these people, but I will manage.
I cancelled all of the cat food subscriptions and will send some emails to see which shelter or food bank can use it. Also if they'll take the 30lb bag of litter we just got.
We'll probably get to pick her up on Monday of next week, so there will be more tears then. Jess and I are waiting for her clay pawprint so we can take a picture and send it to our tattoo artist. Jess sid last night that they lost the cat of their heart, and I have to agree.
With Yoda's asshole tendencies, we won't be able to get another cat for a while, so we're going to have to sit with our sadness until we add more sadness to it before we can get another baby.
In other news, our vacation is now 30 days away. I put in a few more orders for things I need before the cruise. Here's hoping some of them get here in time. One of them is a lightweight fleece lined rain jacket. I think it might be warm enough for Alaska. We'll see when it gets here. I have absolutely no regrets about anything that I bought for this trip.
Today I'll find out what the difference will be in my paycheck with the new job when the paystubs drop at about 4pm. The actual money will come tomorrow for CapOne and on Thursday for Chase. Despite that I'm still thinking about shifting the balance of my account to Chase. It's nice to have a brick and mortar to deposit checks. I need to add Jess onto the Chase accout. Should have done that on Saturday when we went to deposit the disbursement check from Dad's estate. Oh well, another Saturday. I'll see if it'll let me make an appointment.
I split up the disbursement into three accounts. CapOne got $5000 and Wells Fargo and Chase each got $10k. I figure that's a good mix, and gives me three cards for various charges. I know there will be a hold for the hotel, there will be a hold from the ship. I still have to pay for the car that's going to take us to the hotel, so I don't want anything to be tied up too much.
Okay, time to go forth and get myself dressed and together for work. Everyone have an amazing Tuesday.
fuck yeah spaaaace
Apr. 6th, 2026 10:14 pmjadelennoxSo! Some people went around the moon! And are on their way back!
I know the live video feed was super compressed and low-res intentionally, but I hope there is high-res eclipse footage when they land.
Also I know returning to the moon is not necessarily the best use of limited resources from a science perspective, but (one) I want people to feel aspirational about people doing science in space again, so we're not just getting press about billionaire assholes who want to, I dunno, put a casino in orbit around venus; and (two) this was all a mission by and for The People. This isn't a damn SpaceX or Blue Origins launch, this is NASA (with an assist from ESA and CSA).
I am going to love good things when they happen and space is a good thing.
well, now that i've said that
Apr. 6th, 2026 07:43 pmarchersangelin the previous entry i said that our phones have not had any updates in a few months (brother says at least 4).
well, today either a notification popped up or he went looking for updates & we got them. and then some, i think we got all of the security updates one after the other.
no user interface updates as of yet. which is probably good, we never like how they change things.
my brother read that towards the end of a phone's life they only get updates quarterly, and not monthly (or whenever it was). so that's just great [/sarcasm].
well, today either a notification popped up or he went looking for updates & we got them. and then some, i think we got all of the security updates one after the other.
no user interface updates as of yet. which is probably good, we never like how they change things.
my brother read that towards the end of a phone's life they only get updates quarterly, and not monthly (or whenever it was). so that's just great [/sarcasm].
Write Every Day April 2026 - Day 6
Apr. 6th, 2026 10:30 amcarenejeansQuote of the Day:
"Plot is people. Human emotions and desires founded on the realities of life, working at cross purposes, getting hotter and fiercer as they strike against each other until finally there’s an explosion — that’s plot."
— Leigh Brackett
My Check-In:
A bit of work on the Neverending Project, and some poking at drabbles. The prompts are a lot of fun. But I'm out of practice!
Tally
( Days 1-4 )
Day 5:annavere, badly_knitted, brithistorian, carenejeans, china_shop, cornerofmadness, dswdiane, goddess47, sanguinity, sylvanwitch, the_siobhan, trobadora, ysilme
Day 6: china_shop
Let me know if I missed you, or if you wrote but didn't check in yet. And remember, you can join in at any time!
"Plot is people. Human emotions and desires founded on the realities of life, working at cross purposes, getting hotter and fiercer as they strike against each other until finally there’s an explosion — that’s plot."
— Leigh Brackett
My Check-In:
A bit of work on the Neverending Project, and some poking at drabbles. The prompts are a lot of fun. But I'm out of practice!
Tally
( Days 1-4 )
Day 5:
annavere, badly_knitted, brithistorian, carenejeans, china_shop, cornerofmadness, dswdiane, goddess47, sanguinity, sylvanwitch, the_siobhan, trobadora, ysilmeDay 6: china_shop
Let me know if I missed you, or if you wrote but didn't check in yet. And remember, you can join in at any time!
JOY
Apr. 6th, 2026 10:38 amalthea_valaraThe Finch App is doing a challenge this month where you check in with your friends. The latest check-in is to ask what's bringing your friend(s) joy right now. So, let me know! What is bring you joy these days?
My current joy is Final Fantasy XI. I'm working on my former main character (who I want to make main again eventually) so I got some good gear for her, and started farming telepoints and Survival Guides, both of which make it a lot easier and quicker to get around the world.
I have plans to do Rhapsodies of Vana'diel on her, and if I'm doing *that* then I might as well work on documenting it for my Neocities site. I went back through my logs to find the ones for previous Rhapsodies missions, but I must've played some without using Windower (the third party tool that captures the logs for me, along with doing other neat things). This means I don't have the cutscenes for some of the early missions. What to do? Why, play them on another character!
So I reactivated Valara, my Tarutaru alt. She's adorable! But I forgot that she was pretty much just a mule - her highest job is Red Mage at level 30, and she hasn't unlocked subjobs yet (which you can do at level 18, oops). That's fine, I don't mind playing on her a bit to get her up to scratch.
I also figured that if I'm doing Rhapsodies on her, I should do the Rank 1-5 missions. I've already got Bastok missions documented, and I streamed San d'Oria missions, which leaves Windurst. So I set about last night moving her from Bastok to Windurst. I had to teleport to her home point in Jeuno and then rent a chocobo to ride there. It occurred to me I should have done the raptor mount quest, but too late now - I'll do it later.
Finally made it to Windurst, went to Walls to change my allegiance - nope, wouldn't allow me to do so because I'm on a Bastok mission currently. Oops? At least the Bastok mission takes you to Windurst. I'll knock that out and then switch allegiances.
But that was all I did last night because I was tired from family time. Still, I had fun! Looking forward to more messing around on alts and mains.
My current joy is Final Fantasy XI. I'm working on my former main character (who I want to make main again eventually) so I got some good gear for her, and started farming telepoints and Survival Guides, both of which make it a lot easier and quicker to get around the world.
I have plans to do Rhapsodies of Vana'diel on her, and if I'm doing *that* then I might as well work on documenting it for my Neocities site. I went back through my logs to find the ones for previous Rhapsodies missions, but I must've played some without using Windower (the third party tool that captures the logs for me, along with doing other neat things). This means I don't have the cutscenes for some of the early missions. What to do? Why, play them on another character!
So I reactivated Valara, my Tarutaru alt. She's adorable! But I forgot that she was pretty much just a mule - her highest job is Red Mage at level 30, and she hasn't unlocked subjobs yet (which you can do at level 18, oops). That's fine, I don't mind playing on her a bit to get her up to scratch.
I also figured that if I'm doing Rhapsodies on her, I should do the Rank 1-5 missions. I've already got Bastok missions documented, and I streamed San d'Oria missions, which leaves Windurst. So I set about last night moving her from Bastok to Windurst. I had to teleport to her home point in Jeuno and then rent a chocobo to ride there. It occurred to me I should have done the raptor mount quest, but too late now - I'll do it later.
Finally made it to Windurst, went to Walls to change my allegiance - nope, wouldn't allow me to do so because I'm on a Bastok mission currently. Oops? At least the Bastok mission takes you to Windurst. I'll knock that out and then switch allegiances.
But that was all I did last night because I was tired from family time. Still, I had fun! Looking forward to more messing around on alts and mains.