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I was going to go out tonight but I'm too tired and I haven't even started cleaning the bathroom yet. I did get lots of groceries, also got a text from a friend while I was in the grocery store to join her for the afternoon of the Fourth of July at this bar she took me to before that has these flaming drinks. That place was really fun, nice friendly crowd and bartenders. When they did the flaming drinks we started going "Fire! Fire! Fire!" like Beavis.
Once again, I have not been keeping up.
Sadly, I am still slogging my way through Cultish. As a dyslexic reader, I get into these weirdly stubborn things. I am SO freaking close to being done with this book that, even though I'm no longer enjoying it, I refuse to give up. Admittedly, this is incredibly stupid. Life it too short for books you aren't enjoying! But, here I am, anyway. To be fair to me, I did take a break to read the first several issues of a 1980s American comic book called American Flagg. I talked my co-host into reading this for our podcast and, I'm going to be honest. I kind of regret that. I had a VERY DIFFERENT memory of these comic books than what is apparently the reality. Oof, they do not stand the test of time! I have literally never seen the n-word (spelled out!) so many times in a mere 12 issues, holy shit.
It should be an interesting podcast, though!
Also, when I was volunteering out at Pride, Jason Tucker who is a comic book affectionado turned to me when I told him what I'd been reading, "Huh. Is American Flagg cyberpunk, though?" Not to spoil the upcoming episode because this is a question we regularly ask of whatever we're reviewing or discussing, but I do think I now know why I thought so having re-read them, at least. I mean, this is hardly a spoiler to the episode or the comics since it is revealed in the literal first panel, but Rueben Flagg did lose his acting job to AI, actually, so I mean, that's kind of prescient, in a way, cyberpunkly-speaking.
But, wow, also a hard read, albeit in a completely different way than Cultish.
Part of my absence here is due, in part, to the fact that we've gotten some really bad news from my brother-in-law, Keven. Keven's test results have come back and the cancer has spread to his bones. The doctors informed him that its incurable and have given him about a year, year and a half to live. I don't even know how to cope with this? I was telling Shawn that you always hear people asking the hypothetical, "What would you do if you found out you only had a year left to live?" But, like that's supposed to be a fun thought-experiment, not Real Life. And, as I have reported previously, Keven is the sibling of Shawn's that my family interacts with the most. He lives within striking distance of our house--just on the other side of the Mississippi in Minneapolis. So, we see him often. Mason has been Keven's odd job man for hire now and most of his in-between college summers. And, like, our relationship with Keven is, like with a lot of family, somewhat fraught? We've had some terrible fights in the past. However, for better or for worse, Keven has been a constant in our lives.
Yesterday, when we found out, Shawn was already at work. She decided that she was just not functional after talking to Keven and so I picked her up and brought her home. We spent much of the day yesterday just trying to wrap our heads arounds this--alternating between crying/staring into the middle distance and doing distracting things like, for her working on her quilt and watching mindless British detective shows, and me randomly coming up with panel ideas for Gaylaxicon (I wrote about ten yesterday! It was kind of soothing in a weird way?)
So, yeah, that's kind of been us.
I hope things are better wherever you are!
Sadly, I am still slogging my way through Cultish. As a dyslexic reader, I get into these weirdly stubborn things. I am SO freaking close to being done with this book that, even though I'm no longer enjoying it, I refuse to give up. Admittedly, this is incredibly stupid. Life it too short for books you aren't enjoying! But, here I am, anyway. To be fair to me, I did take a break to read the first several issues of a 1980s American comic book called American Flagg. I talked my co-host into reading this for our podcast and, I'm going to be honest. I kind of regret that. I had a VERY DIFFERENT memory of these comic books than what is apparently the reality. Oof, they do not stand the test of time! I have literally never seen the n-word (spelled out!) so many times in a mere 12 issues, holy shit.
It should be an interesting podcast, though!
Also, when I was volunteering out at Pride, Jason Tucker who is a comic book affectionado turned to me when I told him what I'd been reading, "Huh. Is American Flagg cyberpunk, though?" Not to spoil the upcoming episode because this is a question we regularly ask of whatever we're reviewing or discussing, but I do think I now know why I thought so having re-read them, at least. I mean, this is hardly a spoiler to the episode or the comics since it is revealed in the literal first panel, but Rueben Flagg did lose his acting job to AI, actually, so I mean, that's kind of prescient, in a way, cyberpunkly-speaking.
But, wow, also a hard read, albeit in a completely different way than Cultish.
Part of my absence here is due, in part, to the fact that we've gotten some really bad news from my brother-in-law, Keven. Keven's test results have come back and the cancer has spread to his bones. The doctors informed him that its incurable and have given him about a year, year and a half to live. I don't even know how to cope with this? I was telling Shawn that you always hear people asking the hypothetical, "What would you do if you found out you only had a year left to live?" But, like that's supposed to be a fun thought-experiment, not Real Life. And, as I have reported previously, Keven is the sibling of Shawn's that my family interacts with the most. He lives within striking distance of our house--just on the other side of the Mississippi in Minneapolis. So, we see him often. Mason has been Keven's odd job man for hire now and most of his in-between college summers. And, like, our relationship with Keven is, like with a lot of family, somewhat fraught? We've had some terrible fights in the past. However, for better or for worse, Keven has been a constant in our lives.
Yesterday, when we found out, Shawn was already at work. She decided that she was just not functional after talking to Keven and so I picked her up and brought her home. We spent much of the day yesterday just trying to wrap our heads arounds this--alternating between crying/staring into the middle distance and doing distracting things like, for her working on her quilt and watching mindless British detective shows, and me randomly coming up with panel ideas for Gaylaxicon (I wrote about ten yesterday! It was kind of soothing in a weird way?)
So, yeah, that's kind of been us.
I hope things are better wherever you are!
Tags:
Yesterday afternoon, after going offline, I
watched Rent-a-Girlfriend
and Summer
Pockets on Crunchyroll. Later on I had my tea
and watched the final two episodes of Reindeer Mafia on
All Four. I then started a new jigsaw and read more of The
Lovely Bones.
This morning I made my moves in the Kingdom of Loathing and posted a review of Reindeer Mafia on the IMDb. I then watched an episode of Darker than Black on DVD before clearing some rubbish out of the garage loft.
This afternoon I made my moves in RavenBlack's Vampire Game.
This morning I made my moves in the Kingdom of Loathing and posted a review of Reindeer Mafia on the IMDb. I then watched an episode of Darker than Black on DVD before clearing some rubbish out of the garage loft.
This afternoon I made my moves in RavenBlack's Vampire Game.
Yesterday's research dive was into how the heart works specifically - i knew generally, - so i could understand Dad's echo report that has found the mitral valve failing (prolapsed) and blood being back washed into the lung. And i've read up on the surgeries and what could happen if he doesn't opt for treatment. The recovery period is daunting. It seems he'll need people to stay with him, where people are me and my sister perhaps? Although i can hardly care for myself....
I rush ahead though. His next study is on the 29th, his consult (i will join him that day) is on 6 August.
I am off work again, but this time with no health emergency, just a long break over the fourth of July holiday. Rest. And i should go use the weed burner since we had a quarter inch of rain last night. And the mowing that i need to do. Thank heavens there's plenty i can do with the wheeled string trimmer, for which wet grass is not a challenge. I did some mowing last night with the grass mower. Too much of the grassy zones in the orchard have gone over to stilt grass. If i could be confident of rain, i'd scalp everything and hope the fescues would get ahead.
Meanwhile, blueberries are coming in fast; mulberries are ripening, too. Might get enough mulberries to make a dehydrator tray worth while in the next few days. And figs are ripening, to my startlement. The persimmon has dropped lots of fruit, self thinning, still looking loaded. The single remaining Aunt Rachel's apple has fallen from the tree, and i found it with a worm sticking out and wriggling. Fie. One Grimes Golden apple remains: this is mainly due to the late frost, but generally i do not have a good site for apples.
I found one of the Tahitian squash vines had actually set a fruit, as big as a usual mature summer yellow squash already. I picked it to eat now, expecting i will see more fruit to allow to grow to winter keeping sizes. The yellow butter cube squash have had male flowers like mad, but no fruit. The plants have stayed tiny.
The Early Girl tomato has some nice set green fruit; the Better Boy has started as well. A forest of Matt's wild tomato volunteers have come up in the past weeks and i intend to move them to a place with high deer exposure in the hopes that they'll accept some pruning.
One of my new native shrubs, a St John's Wort "Sunburst", was pruned back severely by deer. I think it will be for the best, but i am miffed as it seems they never browse the many wild St John's worts.
A doe has been visible in the yard periodically - somehow i manage to dissociate the sight of the doe from the herbivory in my mind -- and cotton tails have been common disappearing into high growth. Haven't seen the hawk. Humming birds are visiting the glads and hummingbird mint, clouds of tiger swallowtails on the Joe Pye weed.
I missed seeing my nephew D, niece S, and sister in law M last week as their visit coincided with Christine in the hospital. I had thought S & M would be here this weekend, but no. They will be with nephew Z in Tampa. D is in ROTC training and i will get to see him on his return with my brother.
I worry about my siblings' job/financial situations. If i lost my job today, i think Christine and i could limp by with retirement savings. (I don't know how easily i could transfer my experience into something generally employable.) But my siblings are looking for work, more or less, and i don't get the sense it's an easy time to look.
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I've got a comment alert in my Dreamwidth inbox that just says,
(You are not authorized to view this comment)
Okay, but why is it in my inbox then??
(You are not authorized to view this comment)
Okay, but why is it in my inbox then??
Today I Learned... that Atsumi Tanezaki is amazing! (Also: Her Wikipedia Entry.) I confess I’ve been doing a poor job of keeping up with star seiyuu in recent years. (I used to know all the greats from the 80s, 90s, and 2000s.) I did not know that this one actress is responsible for the voices of Chise in The Ancient Magus’ Bride, Frieren in Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, Anya Forger in Spy x Family, Uo-chan in Fruits Basket, Murasaki in Grisaia: Phantom Trigger, Tinasha in Unnamed Memory, and Vivy in Vivy - Fluorite Eye’s Song – among dozens and dozens of other notable roles.
She was brought to my attention as she has a medical issue which is causing her to Cut Back on Work. She seems irreplaceable for numerous shows.
She was brought to my attention as she has a medical issue which is causing her to Cut Back on Work. She seems irreplaceable for numerous shows.
Tags:
(blanket headphone warning for all the fancams featured here: LOUD fangirling)
Y'all! I can't BELIEVE this ship has only 10 fics on AO3. I mean look at this!!! The fics should be writing themselves by now!!!!!
The rolled up sleeves?! The loosened ties?!?! The PULLING of said loosened ties?!?!?! The waist grabs?!?!?!?! The hands on waists, period?!?!?! The FLIRTINGGGGGG?!?!?!?!
They literally walked towards each other, holding eye contact, while singing to each other that they're in love?!?! It's canon now!!!!!
I have watched every fancam ever of Yonghee and Hyunsuk performing this. For research purposes. The research being finding the perfect one. There isn't, but this one's a splice of several fancams and edited well (what keeps it from being perfect is that the OP is clearly Hyunsuk biased, and I'm Yonghee biased
):
So, I must mandatorily sign off with a Yonghee fancam:
No but seriously, the fact that there are no canon compliant fics about this performance and all its implications? IS A FACT I CANNOT ACCEPT. I will fill this ship tag all by myself if I have to but like LOOK at the glory of this! It's a miracle, and my soul is so well fed, I must now spread the word. Hear ye. Kim Yonghee/Yoon Hyunsuk. Amen. //mic drop
Y'all! I can't BELIEVE this ship has only 10 fics on AO3. I mean look at this!!! The fics should be writing themselves by now!!!!!
The rolled up sleeves?! The loosened ties?!?! The PULLING of said loosened ties?!?!?! The waist grabs?!?!?!?! The hands on waists, period?!?!?! The FLIRTINGGGGGG?!?!?!?!
They literally walked towards each other, holding eye contact, while singing to each other that they're in love?!?! It's canon now!!!!!
I have watched every fancam ever of Yonghee and Hyunsuk performing this. For research purposes. The research being finding the perfect one. There isn't, but this one's a splice of several fancams and edited well (what keeps it from being perfect is that the OP is clearly Hyunsuk biased, and I'm Yonghee biased
):So, I must mandatorily sign off with a Yonghee fancam:
No but seriously, the fact that there are no canon compliant fics about this performance and all its implications? IS A FACT I CANNOT ACCEPT. I will fill this ship tag all by myself if I have to but like LOOK at the glory of this! It's a miracle, and my soul is so well fed, I must now spread the word. Hear ye. Kim Yonghee/Yoon Hyunsuk. Amen. //mic drop
Tags:
Was my brakes testing my printer with the new Chrome computer. My printer is not one of those that works with Chrome. Never occurred to me. Even a bit. Turns out the list of Chrome compatible printers is pretty short. And the ones I've seen so far are color (don't need it and don't want to pay for it) and pushing for subcription service for toner, et al. I was using my printer quite a bit when I was working with the Ranch. I'd print out the dog walking check list for each day. Now I'm not doing that I hardly use it at all but I still need one. Just barely. But I can't see not having one. Black and white laser is what I love. Cheap by the page and reliable. And Brother is the printer I've been using forever. For good reason. I'll figure something out. The OS lists three Brother printers as being compatible two of which have been discontinued by Brother.
Just an annoyance. Someone may want my printer current printer. It has about a year left of toner for the average user and I just replaced the guts of it.
Meanwhile Dana's incision is still a bit of an issue. I raised hell in Scott and White and we're getting some attention now. Her Ortho refuses to discuss that the incision might be infected and it is really hard to get someone to do the kind of standard thing which would be a second opinion. I finally got our primary care doc to help get a referral to the infectious disease specialty but that's not until the end of the month and I'm not sure we want to wait that long. The home care nurse things she might have cellulitis or some other infection which, in her case, would be a huge issue left untreated. After having told us overnight that there is no problem now the Ortho wants us to make an appointment. He heard my banging on the table, I think. My take is that he's not up to it.
We might also go outside the system we use and get another opinion. It is not easy to do that but I think it is worthwhile.
My day has been a bit frustrating so far. But it will be better.
Just an annoyance. Someone may want my printer current printer. It has about a year left of toner for the average user and I just replaced the guts of it.
Meanwhile Dana's incision is still a bit of an issue. I raised hell in Scott and White and we're getting some attention now. Her Ortho refuses to discuss that the incision might be infected and it is really hard to get someone to do the kind of standard thing which would be a second opinion. I finally got our primary care doc to help get a referral to the infectious disease specialty but that's not until the end of the month and I'm not sure we want to wait that long. The home care nurse things she might have cellulitis or some other infection which, in her case, would be a huge issue left untreated. After having told us overnight that there is no problem now the Ortho wants us to make an appointment. He heard my banging on the table, I think. My take is that he's not up to it.
We might also go outside the system we use and get another opinion. It is not easy to do that but I think it is worthwhile.
My day has been a bit frustrating so far. But it will be better.
I had the nicest time last night at the pub trivia! I couldn't get any of my friends to go with me because they were all busy or too tired or didn't feel like it but I got on the same team with four very nice, cool women and we had a great time, didn't win but we did good. Two bonuses:
1. Just the composition of our team would have pissed off all the Trumpazoids. Let's just say I was the only straight white person on the team.
2. I knew a lot of answers they didn't so I was a good team asset.
In other news they're doing another damn inspection in the apt bldg. They make a big deal about not having anything blocking the windows, they said they mean screens but I have a large chair near the window that can't really go anywhere else (I do not have a big apartment). It's not actually blocking the window, it's just near it. Also it's hard to clean the apt with a fucked up leg. The bathtub is a real nightmare. In the early 80's I just had a shower stall where I lived and I actually strongly prefer showers to baths anyway. Last time I took a bath was when they were installing new plumbing in the bathroom and hadn't finished hooking up the shower head and that was about what? 13 years ago?? Anyway, gotta clean the kitchen today, and pay rent and go to physical therapy too. Hope I have the damn energy.
I like listening to this one podcast while I clean but they haven't done a new episode since June 12th and that was a really short one.
1. Just the composition of our team would have pissed off all the Trumpazoids. Let's just say I was the only straight white person on the team.
2. I knew a lot of answers they didn't so I was a good team asset.
In other news they're doing another damn inspection in the apt bldg. They make a big deal about not having anything blocking the windows, they said they mean screens but I have a large chair near the window that can't really go anywhere else (I do not have a big apartment). It's not actually blocking the window, it's just near it. Also it's hard to clean the apt with a fucked up leg. The bathtub is a real nightmare. In the early 80's I just had a shower stall where I lived and I actually strongly prefer showers to baths anyway. Last time I took a bath was when they were installing new plumbing in the bathroom and hadn't finished hooking up the shower head and that was about what? 13 years ago?? Anyway, gotta clean the kitchen today, and pay rent and go to physical therapy too. Hope I have the damn energy.
I like listening to this one podcast while I clean but they haven't done a new episode since June 12th and that was a really short one.
After going offline on Sunday I did some more
of my jigsaw. Later on I had my tea and watched another couple of
episodes of Reindeer Mafia on All Four. I then returned to
my jigsaw before reading more of The Lovely Bones.
Yesterday morning I made my moves in the Kingdom of Loathing and watched Witch Watch on Crunchyroll. I then cycled to Bourne, stopping off at Willow Tree Fen on the way. Once there I had lunch and a few ciders at The Raymond Mays as the Wetherspoon's Cider Festival had returned after a few years. On the way back I stopped in at Willow Tree Fen again and got a good close look at a family of Common Cranes. In Spalding I had another cider at the Ivy Wall and did a little shopping. I was glad that I'd taken plenty of water with me as the temperature was almost 90F!
Once home I had my tea and watched a couple more episodes of Reindeer Mafia on All Four and put the last few pieces into my jigsaw. I then read more of The Lovely Bones and watched an episode of NCIS Hawaii.
This morning I made my moves in the Kingdom of Loathing and watched an episode of Darker than Black on DVD. I then cycled to Spalding to do some shopping.
This afternoon I made my moves in RavenBlack's Vampire Game.
Yesterday morning I made my moves in the Kingdom of Loathing and watched Witch Watch on Crunchyroll. I then cycled to Bourne, stopping off at Willow Tree Fen on the way. Once there I had lunch and a few ciders at The Raymond Mays as the Wetherspoon's Cider Festival had returned after a few years. On the way back I stopped in at Willow Tree Fen again and got a good close look at a family of Common Cranes. In Spalding I had another cider at the Ivy Wall and did a little shopping. I was glad that I'd taken plenty of water with me as the temperature was almost 90F!
Once home I had my tea and watched a couple more episodes of Reindeer Mafia on All Four and put the last few pieces into my jigsaw. I then read more of The Lovely Bones and watched an episode of NCIS Hawaii.
This morning I made my moves in the Kingdom of Loathing and watched an episode of Darker than Black on DVD. I then cycled to Spalding to do some shopping.
This afternoon I made my moves in RavenBlack's Vampire Game.
I always mix up June and July as far as length goes and so I'm always taken by surprise when June ends a day earlier than I expected.
Can you believe this year is half over already? On the other hand, can you believe that there's still a whole half a year to go?
Definitely can't say honestly that I'm where I'd have liked to have been at this point of the year. But I can at least say with some confidence-- maybe more like some optimism-- that I feel like I'm getting close. Better late than never, right?
Can you believe this year is half over already? On the other hand, can you believe that there's still a whole half a year to go?
Definitely can't say honestly that I'm where I'd have liked to have been at this point of the year. But I can at least say with some confidence-- maybe more like some optimism-- that I feel like I'm getting close. Better late than never, right?
Our basement is full. We need to clean it out and eliminate a lot of crap we don't need. So yesterday Cindy said "let's go work in the basement." It might have been me who suggested attacking the shelves that hold our camping gear. I used to go camping all the time, being in Boy Scouts. And then I started going camping for fun, and accumulated more/better gear. I had a lot of gear for different activities, like my big frame pack for backpacking. And cast iron for cooking. And tent pegs, ropes and poles. Stoves, lanterns, fuel.
To make any headway on the stuff, the question needed to be asked. "Will we ever go camping again?" We haven't gone in a good fifteen years, despite my thinking about it every year. So the answer was no.
So that was depressing.
And then, of course, going through the stuff and convincing myself that we needed to get rid of it was also difficult.
But how do we get rid of it? We did nearly fill up the trash can in the garage. But there's a lot of good stuff. Selling it is not worth it, so I guess giving it to Goodwill or whatever is the best route. Listing it for free on Craigslist seems like too much work, but at least someone might take it away. I need to check if anything is worth money. I have some vintage Coleman gear, but I doubt if it's old enough, or in good shape. The cast iron might be worth money, unless everyone else is trying to unload theirs too. I guess I should start by asking friends on Fb if they want anything.
And I need to make time to sort through the remainder of the stuff, checking for anything useful.
To make any headway on the stuff, the question needed to be asked. "Will we ever go camping again?" We haven't gone in a good fifteen years, despite my thinking about it every year. So the answer was no.
So that was depressing.
And then, of course, going through the stuff and convincing myself that we needed to get rid of it was also difficult.
But how do we get rid of it? We did nearly fill up the trash can in the garage. But there's a lot of good stuff. Selling it is not worth it, so I guess giving it to Goodwill or whatever is the best route. Listing it for free on Craigslist seems like too much work, but at least someone might take it away. I need to check if anything is worth money. I have some vintage Coleman gear, but I doubt if it's old enough, or in good shape. The cast iron might be worth money, unless everyone else is trying to unload theirs too. I guess I should start by asking friends on Fb if they want anything.
And I need to make time to sort through the remainder of the stuff, checking for anything useful.
Last Tuesday evening I prepared to bake bread for the Wednesday gathering, and I discovered that I had not evenly divided the dough in half, and the half batch of dough remaining was much smaller than it should be. I baked the bread anyway, but the loaf was too small. I happened to weigh the first loaf, and it was 21 oz. The second loaf was only 11 oz. If I had divided the dough evenly, I would have had one pound loaves.
Anyway, this wouldn’t do. So I made another batch of dough, let it rise, and then refrigerated the dough. I had to get up very early Wednesday to prepare the loaf, bake the bread, and make sure it cooled for three hours before our lunch. I forgot to weigh the loaf, but this time when I divided the dough, I bisected the dough in bowl with a bread knife – so it definitely was evenly divided.
The dough was a little bit wetter/stickier than the previous batch, and I probably needed to let the loaf rise longer and bake longer. Instead, I used the same times I did for loaf #2, and loaf #3 didn’t rise as much as it should have in the oven. I guess it was OK, though, as my friends liked the bread very much.
The event was an annual gathering of old co-workers. Kris was my boss, who hired me, and Bill was my teammate. We were joined by Bill’s partner, Anita. We noted that I started at the company in 1986 – a little shy of 39 years ago. It’s sort of amazing that we’ve known each other for that long – and that we stay in contact. Kris was one of my favorite bosses, though, so I’d be sad if we didn’t stay in touch. Bill and Anita hosted a fine lunch in their home, and we all had a delightful conversation. I’m glad we were able to meet up.
Anyway, this wouldn’t do. So I made another batch of dough, let it rise, and then refrigerated the dough. I had to get up very early Wednesday to prepare the loaf, bake the bread, and make sure it cooled for three hours before our lunch. I forgot to weigh the loaf, but this time when I divided the dough, I bisected the dough in bowl with a bread knife – so it definitely was evenly divided.
The dough was a little bit wetter/stickier than the previous batch, and I probably needed to let the loaf rise longer and bake longer. Instead, I used the same times I did for loaf #2, and loaf #3 didn’t rise as much as it should have in the oven. I guess it was OK, though, as my friends liked the bread very much.
The event was an annual gathering of old co-workers. Kris was my boss, who hired me, and Bill was my teammate. We were joined by Bill’s partner, Anita. We noted that I started at the company in 1986 – a little shy of 39 years ago. It’s sort of amazing that we’ve known each other for that long – and that we stay in contact. Kris was one of my favorite bosses, though, so I’d be sad if we didn’t stay in touch. Bill and Anita hosted a fine lunch in their home, and we all had a delightful conversation. I’m glad we were able to meet up.
| *\o/* | Word Count | Step Count | Headache? |
| Daily | 0 | 11,585 | no |
| Monthly | 25,822 | 310,738 | 10 days |
861 words avg / 500 goal | 10,358 steps avg / 8,000 goal | 1/3rd month in headache
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I received my $300 from SoFi today and immediately applied it to my Google store so now I've only got a couple of months to pay off the interest free loan. I could have easily put that money into an interest bearing account and paid off Google slowly but I do so love not having any debt at all and will be back there shortly.
My PC will be insecure in a couple of months so I finally did what I've been thinking about for years and moved to a Chromebook. Actually a Chrome ASUS mini computer. It came today and in typical Google fashion I was fully up, updated and signed in as I am now in about 20 minutes. Longest thing was the initial download and getting my Jelly KB and mouse to connect. I did get that to work but may end up moving back to the logitec. The Jelly is OK but once I went ergonomic all the other keyboards seem so tiny and cramped. The Jelly is a backup and will still work and be here for me but I think I'll go back to Logitec.
Rather than ask for a password and user my new computer said, 'hey, I see you've got a pixel, you can just scan this code and we'll set everything up based on that authentication. DONE!! The coolest ever set up.
I've got a friend in the computer biz still who is going to give me a nice used monitor to replace my secondary VGA monitor (not compatible with the mini computer). He's got a monitor and HDMI cable he's giving me for free. So I'll be fully operational and shutting down Microsoft forever by Wednesday. It frees up a bunch of room and wires once I pull the PC so I'll be rearranging things and will have more room in my office now. Actually will now have room for a couch. Thinking about it.
Meanwhile, I found out today about a new pickleball facility with four indoor courts being built near us. I signed up as a founding member. Air conditioned indoor courts close by. I am ready.
Off to cook supper.
My PC will be insecure in a couple of months so I finally did what I've been thinking about for years and moved to a Chromebook. Actually a Chrome ASUS mini computer. It came today and in typical Google fashion I was fully up, updated and signed in as I am now in about 20 minutes. Longest thing was the initial download and getting my Jelly KB and mouse to connect. I did get that to work but may end up moving back to the logitec. The Jelly is OK but once I went ergonomic all the other keyboards seem so tiny and cramped. The Jelly is a backup and will still work and be here for me but I think I'll go back to Logitec.
Rather than ask for a password and user my new computer said, 'hey, I see you've got a pixel, you can just scan this code and we'll set everything up based on that authentication. DONE!! The coolest ever set up.
I've got a friend in the computer biz still who is going to give me a nice used monitor to replace my secondary VGA monitor (not compatible with the mini computer). He's got a monitor and HDMI cable he's giving me for free. So I'll be fully operational and shutting down Microsoft forever by Wednesday. It frees up a bunch of room and wires once I pull the PC so I'll be rearranging things and will have more room in my office now. Actually will now have room for a couch. Thinking about it.
Meanwhile, I found out today about a new pickleball facility with four indoor courts being built near us. I signed up as a founding member. Air conditioned indoor courts close by. I am ready.
Off to cook supper.
I can't quite believe how much has happened this month. At least 60 days of stuff were packed into June's 30. And now we're halfway through the year. Dear Time, Please slow down, Love, Me.
My schedule is finalized! I didn't list participants in case there were changes.
Who will I see at Readercon next month?
The Works of P. Djèlí Clark
Salon I/J Friday, July 18, 2025, 1:00 PM EDT
Our Guest of Honor P. Djèlí Clark rounded out his first decade as a published author with a Nebula and a Locus for his fantasy police procedural novel, The Master of Djinn, and both those awards plus a British Fantasy Award for his monster-hunting novella Ring Shout. His short story "How to Raise a Kraken in Your Bathtub" is short-listed for the Hugo this year. As a History professor at University of Connecticut, he investigates the pathways leading from West African storyteller/poets (griots, a.k.a. djèlí) to the American abolitionist movement. Help us celebrate the works of our honored guest!
The Purposes of Memorable Insults in Sci-Fi and Fantasy
Salon I/J Friday, July 18, 2025, 5:00 PM EDT
Some of the most quotable lines in science fiction and fantasy are zingers. Wit can do a lot to build a character, a world, and a universe, and has the ability to either support or undermine reader expectations. This panel aims to explore and elaborate on the use of wit—and especially takedowns—in literature, exposing how a verbal jab can serve as more than just a punchline.
Moving from Traditional Publishing to Self-Publishing
Salon G/H Friday, July 18, 2025, 7:00 PM EDT
It's becoming increasingly common to hear of authors whose self-published work was so successful that they were picked up by a traditional publisher. But what of the authors who have gone the other way, by turning their backs on traditional publishing and going into self-publishing? Panelists will survey the varying reasons for making this transition, how authors have navigated it, and what this might say about the state of publishing overall.
Kaffeeklatsch: Victoria Janssen
Suite 830 Friday, July 18, 2025, 8:00 PM EDT
Meet the Pros(e) party
Salon F Friday, July 18, 2025, 10:15 PM EDT
Program participants are assigned to tables with a roughly equal number of conferencegoers and other participants, and then table placements are scrambled at regular intervals so that everyone gets to meet a new set of people in a small-group setting. Think of it as a low-key sort of speed dating where you need never be the sole focus of anyone's attention, and the goal is just to get to know some cool Readerconnish people. Please note that this event will include a bar and is mask-optional, unlike most other programming.
The Works of Cecilia Tan [I'm moderating this one]
Salon I/J Saturday, July 19, 2025, 12:00 PM EDT
Our Guest of Honor, Cecilia Tan, has a publication history that spans Asimov's, Absolute Magnitude, Ms. Magazine, Penthouse, and Best American Erotica, among others. Writer and editor of science fiction and fantasy, especially as they intersect with erotica and romance, she is also the founder of Circlet Press, an independent publisher that specializes in speculative erotica. Her own writing earned a Lifetime Achievement for Erotica in 2014 from Romantic Times magazine. She also contributes to America's other pastime, baseball, in her role as Publications Director for the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR). Come hear our panel discuss Cecilia's many talents and accomplishments.
Un-Kafkaesque Bureaucracies
Salon I/J Saturday, July 19, 2025, 7:00 PM EDT
In fiction, bureaucracies are generally depicted as evil in its most banal form, yet many of the actual bureaucracies that shape our lives exist to protect us from corporate greed. How can—and should—we tell other stories about bureaucrats and bureaucracies, particularly as the U.S. stands on the precipice of disastrous deregulation? And might fantasies of bureaucracy (such Addison's The Goblin Emperor and Goddard's The Hands of the Emperor) be the next cozy subgenre?
The Endless Appetite for Fanfiction
Create / Collaborate Saturday, July 19, 2025, 8:00 PM EDT
In an article of the same name (https://www.fansplaining.com/articles/endless-appetite-fanfiction), Elizabeth Minkel discussed how "2024 was the year [fanfic] truly broke containment—everyone seemed to want a piece of the fanfiction pie, leaving fic authors themselves besieged on all sides." Attempts to steal and monetize fanfic proliferated, as did reviews treating living authors as distant and unreachable. What do these trends say about larger changes in attitudes toward stories and creators? How can fans of all kinds nurture supportive connections to authors?
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There’s been not much progress on my tsundoku stack since Last Month. I decided I should dispatch the local guides to Portland books, since it’s summer, and this is a good time to be out and about, exploring the city. I did achieve that goal – as well as consume some late entrants not actually in the tsundoku stack.
For the remainder of the summer, work on the stack is in jeopardy, as I am diving into the library remodel – which effectively requires a move/vacating of the entire room – a major undertaking. I don’t think I’m going to get much reading done for a while.
( The Books I Read in June, Below This Cut )
Had some Celebration tea. Yesterday I went to my favorite cafe and got a slice of chocolate peanut butter roll cake, it was yummy. Since L. is busy today I've been trying to get some other friends of mine to go with me to trivia night tonight at my neighborhood pub but I don't know if they're interested.
