Some music stuff
Jun. 18th, 2025 09:55 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
aurumcalendulaSome songs I've been listening to recently include The Ballad of the 20th of Maine by The Ghost of Paul Revere, Tennessee Ernie Ford's covers of the imho entertainingly snarky Union Dixie and The Fall of Charleston, and Odetta's awesome cover of The Battle Hymn of the Republic.
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Strategies.
Jun. 17th, 2025 10:18 pmhannahOf late, I've tried to derive some entertainment value of sitting and waiting for people to stop talking so I don't interrupt them because that's about the only way to get through it with any composure. There's people I've met who can go for long minutes without giving me any indications they want me to talk. I'm tempted to see if raising my hand does anything, or getting up and moving.
I know I could theoretically interrupt them, but every person who has this trait would have to be yelled at for them to hear me talking. Though now I'm also tempted to try to just start talking in a normal volume, ignoring everything they're saying, just to see that reaction.
I know I could theoretically interrupt them, but every person who has this trait would have to be yelled at for them to hear me talking. Though now I'm also tempted to try to just start talking in a normal volume, ignoring everything they're saying, just to see that reaction.
Carrying this scrap of paper.
Jun. 15th, 2025 10:42 pmhannahThe day's plans of meeting a friend of a friend and seeing a Broadway show were scuttled by the star of the show having to back out at the last minute due to a small injury. As the friend of a friend had come to the city to see Orville Peck more than he'd come to see Cabaret, we decided that he'd be better off refunding the tickets.
I knew the neighborhood a little bit, so I took us four blocks north and one block west to go from the city people visit to the city people live in, going from having a bite and some coffee at a tourist destination to doing the same at a local coffee and sandwich place. He ordered a gabagool sandwich and a pink iced chai latte, and I just had a pink latte. Afterwards, we went to a record store and he found a vinyl Ney Matogrosso album, which was a surprise because he's apparently hard to find in the US on pretty much any format, but especially vinyl.
Not long after, we went our separate ways, him to Brooklyn and the friends he was staying with and me to my apartment to finish folding laundry and cook some lunches for the coming week. I could fixate on the misfortune, or I could look at how we managed to made the best of things.
I knew the neighborhood a little bit, so I took us four blocks north and one block west to go from the city people visit to the city people live in, going from having a bite and some coffee at a tourist destination to doing the same at a local coffee and sandwich place. He ordered a gabagool sandwich and a pink iced chai latte, and I just had a pink latte. Afterwards, we went to a record store and he found a vinyl Ney Matogrosso album, which was a surprise because he's apparently hard to find in the US on pretty much any format, but especially vinyl.
Not long after, we went our separate ways, him to Brooklyn and the friends he was staying with and me to my apartment to finish folding laundry and cook some lunches for the coming week. I could fixate on the misfortune, or I could look at how we managed to made the best of things.
Two New Vids (BtVS)
Jun. 14th, 2025 02:22 pmtafadhali in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
viddingperiru3 and I have posted the first two vids in our ongoing vid album Jagged Little Slayer, a mashup of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Alanis Morissette:Title: All I Really Want
Character/Pairing: Buffy-centric, minor Buffy/Angel, Buffy/Faith, Buffy/Spike
Summary: Here, can you handle this?
Notes: Premiered at VidUKon 2025.
AO3 | DW | Tumblr
Art (Drawesome Challenge #71- Pride!)
Jun. 14th, 2025 12:31 pmgossTitle: Jim
Artist:goss
Fandom: Our Flag Means Death
Character: Jim Jimenez
Rating: G
Content Notes: Fordrawesome Challenge #71 - Pride!. Digital drawing of Jim, an awesome non-binary character on Our Flag Means Death, using the non-binary flag colours yellow, white, purple and black. I was also inspired by the ceaseless fluidity and flow of the wide open ocean. :)
Preview:
( Click here for entire artwork )
Artist:
gossFandom: Our Flag Means Death
Character: Jim Jimenez
Rating: G
Content Notes: For
drawesome Challenge #71 - Pride!. Digital drawing of Jim, an awesome non-binary character on Our Flag Means Death, using the non-binary flag colours yellow, white, purple and black. I was also inspired by the ceaseless fluidity and flow of the wide open ocean. :)Preview:
( Click here for entire artwork )
Naruto: Fest no Jutsu 2025
Jun. 13th, 2025 09:18 pmgerard_way_is_sexah in fandomcalendarDescription: Do you have a Naruto fanfiction you'd love to read, but just can't seem to find? A familiar trope, ship, or character you can't get enough of? A piece of fanart you want to see come to life? Are you a fan creator who wants fresh inspiration and a fun, low-stakes challenge? The r/NarutoFanfiction Discord server is hosting a fest/prompt meme for Naruto fanworks - and we would love for you to join! Naruto fans of all ages (13+) are welcome to cheerlead, submit ideas for fanworks they'd like to see, and create fanworks for others. Fic minimums for filling a prompt are 500 words and art minimums are a finished piece.
Prompting Period: Now-June 20
Works due & revealed: September 10
Creators revealed: September 17
An AO3 account is required for participation, and joining the r/NarutoFanfiction Discord server is highly recommended. By joining the server, you can participate in conversations about the event, make suggestions for this and future server events, and contact the moderators directly. For full event rules and for more information on how a fest/prompt meme works, please check the AO3 collection profile. If you don't wish to join the server, but still wish to participate and ask questions about the event, you may e-mail gerardwayissexah@gmail.com as well.
Links:
AO3 Collection Profile (signup and view submitted prompts)
Discord Server Join Link (never expires)
Prompting Period: Now-June 20
Works due & revealed: September 10
Creators revealed: September 17
An AO3 account is required for participation, and joining the r/NarutoFanfiction Discord server is highly recommended. By joining the server, you can participate in conversations about the event, make suggestions for this and future server events, and contact the moderators directly. For full event rules and for more information on how a fest/prompt meme works, please check the AO3 collection profile. If you don't wish to join the server, but still wish to participate and ask questions about the event, you may e-mail gerardwayissexah@gmail.com as well.
Links:
AO3 Collection Profile (signup and view submitted prompts)
Discord Server Join Link (never expires)
Naruto: NejiTen Month 2025
Jun. 13th, 2025 08:50 pmgerard_way_is_sexah in fandomcalendarDescription: NejiTen Month is a monthlong event for fans of the romantic pairing between Neji Hyuga/Hyuga Neji and Tenten. Fanart, fanfiction, moodboards, podfics, edits, and other kinds of fanworks are welcome! Prompts posted to Tumblr are just for inspiration - feel free to disregard, complete out of order, or combine however you please. There are no minimums for either the amount of effort put into a work, or the number of works you post for the event. It's all welcome!
Schedule: Post works to Tumblr and/or Archive of Our Own (AO3) July 1-July 31st.
Posting: Tag works on Tumblr with #nejitenmonth2025 in the first five tags so the mod can reblog everything. Please tag on AO3 with NejiTen Month 2025 or something similar. The AO3 collection is also an option.
Links:
Tumblr Blog
Full Event Rules
AO3 Collection
Schedule: Post works to Tumblr and/or Archive of Our Own (AO3) July 1-July 31st.
Posting: Tag works on Tumblr with #nejitenmonth2025 in the first five tags so the mod can reblog everything. Please tag on AO3 with NejiTen Month 2025 or something similar. The AO3 collection is also an option.
Links:
Tumblr Blog
Full Event Rules
AO3 Collection
(no subject)
Jun. 12th, 2025 11:19 pmaurumcalendulaCurrent events continue to be a lot, to say the least (I left voicemails for my congresspeople about some of it).
On a happier note, I saw chickadees multiple times today (apparently they're smaller than sparrows) as well as hummingbirds (one a few minutes after I refilled the feeder)!
On a happier note, I saw chickadees multiple times today (apparently they're smaller than sparrows) as well as hummingbirds (one a few minutes after I refilled the feeder)!
Indivisible #WhatsThePlan meeting of May 12 2025
Jun. 12th, 2025 10:21 pmmecurtinIndivisible #WhatsThePlan meeting of May 12 2025
This is pretty much just C&P from my bluesky liveblog, plus links.
( cut for length, US politics )
I really admire people who can write *most* of what happens in a meeting while they liveblog, Ezra & Leah both talk *really* fast & I just pull out highlights, really. whoosh.
Please reblog, signal boost. We are, as Leah says, in a time of autocratic breakthrough, and one way we fight back is to have as many people as possible, in as many places as possible, out peacefully on Saturday. We need to be *everywhere*, with *everyone*. Take American flags, they belong to *US*, not him.
This is pretty much just C&P from my bluesky liveblog, plus links.
( cut for length, US politics )
I really admire people who can write *most* of what happens in a meeting while they liveblog, Ezra & Leah both talk *really* fast & I just pull out highlights, really. whoosh.
Please reblog, signal boost. We are, as Leah says, in a time of autocratic breakthrough, and one way we fight back is to have as many people as possible, in as many places as possible, out peacefully on Saturday. We need to be *everywhere*, with *everyone*. Take American flags, they belong to *US*, not him.
Special tortures.
Jun. 12th, 2025 08:58 pmhannahIn trying to find a new pair of closed-toed sandals that use a buckle instead of Velcro, I'm learning that's basically a product no longer being made. I'm also learning shoe websites don't like people searching for things like closed-toed, or the clasp mechanism. Sometimes what I want is classified as a sandal, sometimes a shoe. And this isn't even getting into considering things like heel height, and heel narrowness.
It's especially demoralizing to find there's very little made in the way of women's shoes with buckles these days. Something nice to wear to work and meeting up with friends that helps me feel like I'm a grown-up and costs less than $400 doesn't seem like it should be giving me such a headache, but then, it's shoe shopping. Nothing's at all pleasant about that. These seem promising, and I may risk buying sight unseen to avoid going into a physical shoe store.
It's especially demoralizing to find there's very little made in the way of women's shoes with buckles these days. Something nice to wear to work and meeting up with friends that helps me feel like I'm a grown-up and costs less than $400 doesn't seem like it should be giving me such a headache, but then, it's shoe shopping. Nothing's at all pleasant about that. These seem promising, and I may risk buying sight unseen to avoid going into a physical shoe store.
The Friday Five for 13 June 2025
Jun. 12th, 2025 05:25 pmanais_pf in thefridayfiveThis week's questions were suggested by ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
pleepleus.
1. What item would you be embarrassed for people to know you own?
2. What is something you splurged on just for you?
3. What is something that you own with no real world value that is priceless to you?
4. Do you collect anything?
5. What item belonging to a friend/family member do you covet?
Copy and paste to your own journal, then reply to this post with a link to your answers. If your journal is private or friends-only, you can post your full answers in the comments below.
If you'd like to suggest questions for a future Friday Five, then do so on DreamWidth or LiveJournal. Old sets that were used have been deleted, so we encourage you to suggest some more!
pleepleus.1. What item would you be embarrassed for people to know you own?
2. What is something you splurged on just for you?
3. What is something that you own with no real world value that is priceless to you?
4. Do you collect anything?
5. What item belonging to a friend/family member do you covet?
Copy and paste to your own journal, then reply to this post with a link to your answers. If your journal is private or friends-only, you can post your full answers in the comments below.
If you'd like to suggest questions for a future Friday Five, then do so on DreamWidth or LiveJournal. Old sets that were used have been deleted, so we encourage you to suggest some more!
What to think about.
Jun. 11th, 2025 09:18 pmhannahIn chatting about arbitrary divisions into two groups and applying that to the internet, we came up with the binaries of good internet and bad internet, and young internet and old internet. I then suggested algorithmic internet and end-user internet, and I stand by that. I often say I only use social media on my computer where I have a full keyboard, big screen, mouse, and browser extensions, all of which help me curate my experience - while it's not perfect, I'm still largely in control of things. I haven't ceded ground to an app or control to a set of suggestions. I'll often see complaints but rarely what's being complained about, which gives me both a skewed view of what's going on and satisfaction in being so well-curated I barely glimpse what's being touted as a widespread problem.
Keeping the internet on a computer, where it belongs, fixes a lot of problems before they start.
Also of note today was someone on my floor moving out and I got some fancy imported Korean sea salt they weren't going to bother hauling around with them. I don't know how fancy it is, but it tastes quite nice. I'm thinking I'll use it in soup.
Keeping the internet on a computer, where it belongs, fixes a lot of problems before they start.
Also of note today was someone on my floor moving out and I got some fancy imported Korean sea salt they weren't going to bother hauling around with them. I don't know how fancy it is, but it tastes quite nice. I'm thinking I'll use it in soup.
(no subject)
Jun. 11th, 2025 09:31 amaurumcalendulaI've seen a bunch of wildlife around lately (fawns, a downy woodpecker, red shouldered hawks, cottontail rabbits, hummingbirds), which has brighten my day over the last week or so.
Aches.
Jun. 10th, 2025 10:42 pmhannahAt some point in between sitting down to write and finishing the night's wordcount, something went nasty on the right side of my neck. Suddenly and without any seemingly inciting cause, too. Not even lifting more weight than I should've tried or falling and landing badly. The oddness of it doesn't help the pain, but at least it seems to point to an acute cause that should, ideally, clear up after a hot shower and some sleep.
Waking up to hail this morning was a surprise; getting out of the subway after the day's rains had all passed to leave the air in one of those hauntingly fragile summer afternoons was just as much a surprise, if a far more pleasant one.
Waking up to hail this morning was a surprise; getting out of the subway after the day's rains had all passed to leave the air in one of those hauntingly fragile summer afternoons was just as much a surprise, if a far more pleasant one.
(no subject)
Jun. 10th, 2025 10:42 amseekingferretThe Sicilian Inheritance by Jo Piazza
I wasn't quite sure what this book wanted to be, it was doing three genres of middlebrow novel all at once and not quite pulling any of them off, but in the end I was not too unhappy to have kept with it.
Sara Marsala, our heroine, is the daughter of a messy Italian-American family. She is dealing with a divorce, the failure of her restaurant, and a general sense of failure and helplessness. When her beloved aunt dies, her aunt's will sends her back to the Old Country of rural Sicily, to Find Her Roots and see if an old deed for a plot of land in Sicily, passed down from her great-grandmother who never made it to America, is still valid. When she arrives in Sicily she is informed that her great grandmother was Murdered, contradicting family lote, and the plot is afoot.
The book tries to be a historical fiction novel about life in early 20th century Sicily, an action packed murder mystery, and an eat pray love European adventure, and the three visions of the book war with each other, not helped by lazy plotting with unjustified expository leaps obscuring story details I wanted to see fleshed out.
But it's the wanted to see fleshed out that frustrated me, because the story concept works and there are some really great characters both in the historical flashbacks and the modern narrative and I really was hoping that things would get worked out with just a bit more craft.
I wasn't quite sure what this book wanted to be, it was doing three genres of middlebrow novel all at once and not quite pulling any of them off, but in the end I was not too unhappy to have kept with it.
Sara Marsala, our heroine, is the daughter of a messy Italian-American family. She is dealing with a divorce, the failure of her restaurant, and a general sense of failure and helplessness. When her beloved aunt dies, her aunt's will sends her back to the Old Country of rural Sicily, to Find Her Roots and see if an old deed for a plot of land in Sicily, passed down from her great-grandmother who never made it to America, is still valid. When she arrives in Sicily she is informed that her great grandmother was Murdered, contradicting family lote, and the plot is afoot.
The book tries to be a historical fiction novel about life in early 20th century Sicily, an action packed murder mystery, and an eat pray love European adventure, and the three visions of the book war with each other, not helped by lazy plotting with unjustified expository leaps obscuring story details I wanted to see fleshed out.
But it's the wanted to see fleshed out that frustrated me, because the story concept works and there are some really great characters both in the historical flashbacks and the modern narrative and I really was hoping that things would get worked out with just a bit more craft.