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$mdlbear: blue fractal bear with text "since 2002" (Default)$

Last week had some high points: reading the draft of N's next book, and a nice zoom reunion-ish thing. (I initially thought there were two of those, but the other was last Saturday.) Also sent several emails and made two phone calls following up (well, one and a half -- I abandoned the second after looking in my spam folder and finding the reply I was hoping for), paid our property tax, and got my US taxes done to the point where I could have filed for an extension, but determined that I didn't need to because I'm living overseas.

I'm supposed to celebrate accomplishments, even small ones. Right?

On the other hand, I only took five walks (skipping one because of pain and the other because of timing) and two short guitar-practice sessions. I can try to blame the latter on hand issues, but really (on the gripping hands?) it's mostly just laziness.

I am not at all happy with my body. See above under pain, and here under diclofenac. I'm not all that old, am I? Not happy with my brain, either -- see next paragraph.

Getting back to the zoom reunion-ish thing(s): there was a 65th reunion of my high school class last year; it was in Norwalk, Connecticut on the day after Thanksgiving, and I didn't go. Which was painful, because I'd ghosted the 50th for reasons I still don't entirely understand, although suffering from burnout may have had something to do with it and makes a convenient shorthand excuse. Anyway, enough people complained about not being to go for some other classmates of mine to organize a zoom version, which was last night. It was pretty good, although I lost the thread of what I was about to say at one point, resulting in an uncomfortable pause. See above about brain.

The reunion-ish thing Saturday didn't get called out last week, so I'll mention it here. Seems every year Carleton College has a "Coffee With Carls" event, and this year they had a virtual version for people who couldn't make it to one of the cities where versions of it were hosted. (There must be a briefer and less awkward way to phrase that.) Not bad, but it got cut short by a power outage before I had a chance to speak. Maybe next year.

Huge congratulations to this year's Filk Hall of Fame inductees: Margaret Davis, Tim Griffin, and Amy McNally! 🎉

Linkies: The system prompt for Meta’s AI model got leaked in 2 hours. The two Greatest Software Systems ever built: NASA Shuttle vs TeX.

And finally, Born on [April 15] in 1921, the Singer-Songwriter Behind the Most Famous No. 1 Hit Novelty Song of the 1950s. See Wednesday for spoiler.

( Notes & links, as usual )

Current Mood: unhappy with myself
Current Location: Schildhaven in Den Haag
Current Music: not enough

selenak

The Testaments 1.04: again, my only nitpick with this wasn't about the episode itself but solely source material related, as in, my favourite element of the source material is still not in it. As an episode buildng on the first three, it's tops, acting and script wise, continues to flesh out the two woman characters, heightens the stakes, and does, in fact, a better job with one of them than the book did. (I thought this in the first three eps as well.) I'm also intrigued by some of the chances due to what they could mean long term. ( Spoilers beneath the cut. )

For All Mankind 5.04: In which we get introduced to a new cast member and learn an old acquaintance is on their way. Also: (some) answers about the latest dastardly scheme.

( Spoilers wait with their reveals until after mission launch )

Current Mood: chipper
Current Location: Munich

marcicat

from tumblr user grubloved on May 4, 2025:

reading lynda barry i am noticing again the thing i like to call 'everything is poetry' which is that poets think the world is made of poems and that interacting with poetry is the most honorable and fulfilling and important thing to do. which i think is funny because the majority of people do not interact with poetry and in fact many do not like it at all. but poets continue on anyway and poetry remains for them the pin on which the world turns.

and artists feel this way about the image writers about writing and stories and robin wall kimmerer about looking at plants. again it is never the thing itself that is blessed but the person who is being in the mode of blessedness who receives it as such. the world is full of things that will save you if you let them

*********

ANYWAY I read that yesterday and had to sit and think about it for a while, and also look up the phrase 'the world is full of things that will save you if you let them.' (way too many links that tried to explain the 'let them' theory to me, none that indicated that's a quote from something famous)

I wish that I also had some deep words of wisdom to add onto this, but I will just say I think it's great, and true, and I love the idea that loving things is what makes life beautiful and meaningful.

james_davis_nicoll

A stalwart trader sets out to recover a lost probe on behalf of feeble space giants.

Mission of Gravity by Hal Clement

pauraque

In the decade between the original SimCity (1989) and The Sims (2000), Maxis released an interesting variety of life simulation games on different scales, many of which are now largely forgotten in the shadows of their two juggernaut cousins. Coming close on the heels of the macro-scale SimEarth: The Living Planet (1990), lead designer Will Wright zoomed way down into the weeds to bring us SimAnt: The Electronic Ant Colony (1991).

popup describes ant castes over a map of an underground nest

While you can learn a lot about real life systems from many of the early Maxis games, SimAnt leans more educational than most. You'll learn how ants forage, communicate, build and defend the nest, and produce new queens to found more colonies. Then you'll apply your knowledge to defeat and eliminate enemy ants, spread across the back yard, and invade the house until the homeowner gives up and moves away. It's a good time!

( More on SimAnt [content warning: talking spiders] )

You can play SimAnt in your browser, though the performance is sluggish. Running it in DOSBox is a little better.

andrewducker

1. Uruguay has the only stable, successful South American economy. Why is that?: (tags:history economics SouthAmerica video )
2. Europe doesn't care about the UK - we're deluded: (tags:UK Europe doom )
3. China's Humanoid Robots Are Now as Fast as Usain Bolt: (tags:china robots running )

eve_prime

I was still too sleepy today to do much, and my attempt to nap didn’t work, so I didn’t go to the concert I’d heard about a week ago. They were going to play my favorite Beethoven symphony (#7) and that beautiful “Hebrides Overture” by Mendelssohn. And they even had plenty of tickets available this afternoon. Oh well.

Later I went for a walk to the track by the middle school. It was dusk, and a bare sliver of the moon and Venus were setting together so prettily.

Meanwhile, J went to the prerelease for the new Magic set with DG and D. J was also sleepy, so DG was driving. They did the afternoon event, then got lunch together downtown, then started the evening event. But for the first match, J and DG were paired up. After two games, they agreed to a draw and went for a walk, because the weather was so nice. As they headed out the door, they told the staff, “We’re drawing.” The staff heard “we’re dropping” and told poor D that J and DG had left without him. The walk wasn’t very long, and when they returned the store staff realized their mistake and told them. But they couldn’t find D and were worried he had given up on the event too and was walking home. Eventually they found him and all was fine; they played the three other rounds and finally got home around 11:30 pm.

kalloway

Went on an entire road trip today- Michael's first, which is down near where I used to work but feels like the other end of the universe. I have, for months, kept thinking I should make a chunky list for when I finally got down there, because I need many things... Did I ever make this list? No. Did I get the one thing I really needed? Yes. (smallish ziploc bags, generally sold for beads and whatnot but I use them for gunpla accessories)

Then on to HobbyTown to pick up a belated prize from that contest a month ago. It is a ballcap, and I am not a ballcap-wearer, so it'll just chill on a wig head or something. Also picked up a couple of 30MM kits, RG Wing (all the Wings!), and a couple stands because I am direly low on stands and keep building critters that don't balance well.

After that, back across to a free "anime convention" also near where I used to work. I can't even say I managed to walk around once because it was the biggest shitfire I've ever seen of a convention and I have been to a lot of dire nerd shows. No parking (I parked at a drugstore nearby and hoofed it), no lighting, a rock band playing loudly over a wrestling show, and a bunch of randomly laid-out artist tables and some random woo and a poor guy selling fudge. The layout was so bad that it was impossible to walk down aisles normally, even without cosplayers in large costumes blocking things (possibly the only actual "anime convention" hallmark). Maybe stayed ten minutes.

Doing a lot of cleaning tonight, both in my bedroom and online. First is a quick journal cleanup, removing inactive accounts and a bunch of communities that I'm not doing anything with and probably won't any time soon. As always, it's not anything personal. I should do my fediverse accounts next, and discord servers that I haven't looked at in ages.

(Bedroom cleaning is cataloguing models and became a dedicated shelf clean of a bookcase where I think the old paperbacks and the old clearcoat are interacting badly. But I think I can replace that bookcase easily so *waves hands* I also gave the discolored/spotty book bottoms a quick sand and they look a lot better. Also also these are mass market pocket paperbacks from the ~80's so they are not in great shape to begin with and there's some book repair in my future.)

d_square

( Anvil Clouds )

mekare

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quoteoftheday_feed

http://www.quotationspage.com/quotes/Henri_Poincare

"Science is facts; just as houses are made of stones, so is science made of facts; but a pile of stones is not a house and a collection of facts is not necessarily science."

http://www.quotationspage.com/quotes/Henri_Poincare

quoteoftheday_feed

http://www.quotationspage.com/quotes/Evan_Esar

"Statistician: A man who believes figures don't lie, but admits that under analysis some of them won't stand up either."

http://www.quotationspage.com/quotes/Evan_Esar

quoteoftheday_feed

http://www.quotationspage.com/quotes/Albert_Einstein

"Too many of us look upon Americans as dollar chasers. This is a cruel libel, even if it is reiterated thoughtlessly by the Americans themselves."

http://www.quotationspage.com/quotes/Albert_Einstein

quoteoftheday_feed

http://www.quotationspage.com/quotes/Cato_the_Elder

"After I'm dead I'd rather have people ask why I have no monument than why I have one."

http://www.quotationspage.com/quotes/Cato_the_Elder

duskpeterson

As you leave the council chamber, you may observe many people entering and leaving a room to your left. This is the palace headquarters of the Emorian subcommander, who has charge over the Emorian army. During the daytime, the subcommander is generally to be found at the home camp of Emor's army, located on the palace grounds. However, most of the army clerks and scribes work in the subcommander's headquarters. Because the chamber contains valuable documents, it may not be entered except by prior invitation.

Further down the corridor, you will pass another door on the left, where palace guards are entering and exiting. Do not travel through this door. It leads to the guardroom. If you are a noble prisoner, you will be brought here and confined until your trial.

When you reach the end of this corridor, turn right. The corridor you are on wraps around the back of the court. You will see on your left the north doors to the court, which I mentioned before. Directly opposite them is another door, unguarded.

Do not enter. This door leads to the dungeon. Anyone who opens this door, who has no business in the dungeon, is assumed to be a spy and is promptly made a "guest" in the dungeon.

If you receive a formal invitation to visit the dungeon, I suggest that you not eat on the morning of the visit. Strong warriors have been known to regurgitate the contents of their morning meal when they witness what takes place in that dungeon. The Chara's dungeon represents Emor at its worst. You may wish to see Emor at its worst, if you are contemplating attacking Emor.

As you continue your journey around the back of the court, you will encounter a heavily guarded door. This leads to the North Wing of the palace, where many council lords and palace officials live. All of the guards will have their backs to you. Anyone who has been granted entrance to the West Wing may enter the North Wing, but upon your return, you will have to undergo the process of having your credentials checked again. Unless you have business in the remainder of the palace, it is best to remain within the East Wing.

[Translator's note: A little back tour of the East Wing occurs in Empty Dagger Hand, under increasingly unfortunate circumstances.]

queenslayerbee posting in

fandomcalendar

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ysabetwordsmith

These are the notes for "Food Is Everything We Are."

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

This is the freebie for the April 2026

crowdfunding Creative Jam. It was inspired by fan art from

gs_silva, plus comments on "Walnut Park" from

chanter1944,

wispfox, and

readera. It also fills the "match" square in my 4-1-26 card for the Flower Fest Bingo. This poem belongs to the Broken Angels thread of the Polychrome Heroics series.

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

dine

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rocky41_7 posting in

books

Today while waiting for my car’s brake pads to be replaced, I finish The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw. This is a short (fewer than 100 pages) fairy tale-inspired horror story about a mermaid and a plague doctor who get wrapped up in the sick games of a village they pass through.

I liked the idea of this story a lot more than the execution. Have you ever had the sense a book really wanted to say something profound about human nature? This book felt like that constantly. It also felt like the author desperately wanted the reader to be impressed with her large and esoteric vocabulary. Things were phrased and rephrased in ways that felt keenly like they were only there so the author could use a specific word. Which, fair, we’ve all done it, but the scaffolding showed so plainly here it felt very clumsy. I’m not usually one to fuss too much about purple prose, but the language here often felt decorative enough that meaning was obscured rather than clarified.

I like the vibes in this book, and the two main characters were engaging (although I felt like the half-mermaid children were a pretty glaring dropped thread) and the plot interesting, and some of the writing was beautiful, but more often it was distracting. I never sank into the book, which was too bad, because there were some cool moments.

Can’t say I’m inclined to look into more of Khaw’s writing, because I think her style is just not for me. I don’t think I wasted my time with this book, but I don’t need to see more from her.

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asakiyume

April 2026

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Page Summary

mdlbear - Done Since 2026-04-12
selenak - The Testaments 1.04 and For All Mankind 5.04
marcicat - tumbld wisdom
james_davis_nicoll - Mission of Gravity by Hal Clement
pauraque - SimAnt: The Electronic Ant Colony (1991)
andrewducker - Interesting Links for 19-04-2026
eve_prime - Sleepy Saturday
kalloway - Ah, A Day
d_square - Celebrating Another Year
mekare - Art: Overthinking Queen
quoteoftheday_feed - Henri Poincare
quoteoftheday_feed - Evan Esar
quoteoftheday_feed - Albert Einstein
quoteoftheday_feed - Cato the Elder
duskpeterson - FIC: From the council chamber to the courtyard (Tempestuous Tours)
queenslayerbee in fandomcalendar - DCU FEMSLASH SELF-PROMO WEEKEND
ysabetwordsmith - Notes for "Food Is Everything We Are"
ysabetwordsmith - Poem: "Food Is Everything We Are"
dine - time is fleeting child. it waits for no one, not man, nor Sidhe, nor wizard
rocky41_7 in books - Recent Reading: The Salt Grows Heavy

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Page generated Apr. 19th, 2026 01:26 pm

Asakiyume mita

Network

Done Since 2026-04-12

The Testaments 1.04 and For All Mankind 5.04

tumbld wisdom

Mission of Gravity by Hal Clement

SimAnt: The Electronic Ant Colony (1991)

Interesting Links for 19-04-2026

Sleepy Saturday

Ah, A Day

Celebrating Another Year

Art: Overthinking Queen

Henri Poincare

Evan Esar

Albert Einstein

Cato the Elder

FIC: From the council chamber to the courtyard (Tempestuous Tours)

DCU FEMSLASH SELF-PROMO WEEKEND

Notes for "Food Is Everything We Are"

Poem: "Food Is Everything We Are"

time is fleeting child. it waits for no one, not man, nor Sidhe, nor wizard

Recent Reading: The Salt Grows Heavy

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April 2026

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