portrait of the artist, 1918 ...
Mar. 15th, 2026 11:40 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
nineweaving... in a garden in Oxford.
The year was actually 1988, but finding it gave me the strangest sense of timeslip.
Nine
The year was actually 1988, but finding it gave me the strangest sense of timeslip.
Nine
This is the yearly reminder
Mar. 15th, 2026 10:07 pmconulythat the Roman calendar was batshit.
Today is the Ides, okay, and yesterday was pridie Ides, so far so good, and the day before that was three days before the Ides, because the Romans a. counted backwards and b. did this weird inclusive counting, so Friday, Saturday, Ides = three days.
(Which is also how Good Friday is three days before the Resurrection, when it blatantly isn't.)
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Today is the Ides, okay, and yesterday was pridie Ides, so far so good, and the day before that was three days before the Ides, because the Romans a. counted backwards and b. did this weird inclusive counting, so Friday, Saturday, Ides = three days.
(Which is also how Good Friday is three days before the Resurrection, when it blatantly isn't.)
( Read more... )
Oscar the semi-grouch
Mar. 15th, 2026 08:08 pmcalimacI didn't watch the Oscars, I just brought up the results afterwards on a news site. Having only seen two of the nominated films, I didn't have much stake in the outcome, but I was kind of curious.
As expected, it was a showdown between One Battle After Another and Sinners for the big prizes, and they split the two screenplay awards. Sinners is said to be a horror movie, so I'm not going to see it. No argument, no discussion, I'm just not.
I did, however, see One Battle After Another, and to my surprise I rather liked it. This is a surprise because I've seen three previous Paul Thomas Anderson movies, I didn't much like one and detested both of the others. But this one was good, and rewatchable.
The movie is in two parts, the first and shorter part taking place 16 years before the other. This part was a little hard to follow on first watching, as the characters are dumped on you before they're introduced, so it's hard to figure out what's going on and who's doing it. But on a rewatch, when you can recognize them, it's clear, especially with the help of subtitles.
Part 2, however, is crystal clear from the beginning. It is essentially one long chase scene, though as there are breaks in the storytelling and the identities of chased and chaser do sometimes change, it could be called one chase scene after another. But it felt to me like one long chase scene. But a very exciting and well-paced one as well as clearly told. It wraps up very well, too. That the father and daughter, who have been the object of most of the chasing, are finally at ease with one another by the end, so much so that they're comfortable going off and doing separate things, was particularly heart-warming.
This movie is not for everyone (I wouldn't recommend it to B.), but for what it is it's a good one.
As expected, it was a showdown between One Battle After Another and Sinners for the big prizes, and they split the two screenplay awards. Sinners is said to be a horror movie, so I'm not going to see it. No argument, no discussion, I'm just not.
I did, however, see One Battle After Another, and to my surprise I rather liked it. This is a surprise because I've seen three previous Paul Thomas Anderson movies, I didn't much like one and detested both of the others. But this one was good, and rewatchable.
The movie is in two parts, the first and shorter part taking place 16 years before the other. This part was a little hard to follow on first watching, as the characters are dumped on you before they're introduced, so it's hard to figure out what's going on and who's doing it. But on a rewatch, when you can recognize them, it's clear, especially with the help of subtitles.
Part 2, however, is crystal clear from the beginning. It is essentially one long chase scene, though as there are breaks in the storytelling and the identities of chased and chaser do sometimes change, it could be called one chase scene after another. But it felt to me like one long chase scene. But a very exciting and well-paced one as well as clearly told. It wraps up very well, too. That the father and daughter, who have been the object of most of the chasing, are finally at ease with one another by the end, so much so that they're comfortable going off and doing separate things, was particularly heart-warming.
This movie is not for everyone (I wouldn't recommend it to B.), but for what it is it's a good one.
Poem: "Colorful Opportunities"
Mar. 15th, 2026 10:01 pmysabetwordsmith
This is the freebie for the March ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
crowdfunding Creative Jam. It was inspired by the "tape" square in my 3-1-26 card for the National Crafting Month Bingo fest. It belongs to the series Arts and Crafts America.
"Colorful Opportunities"
Tape is a material
that is always full of
colorful opportunities.
It can make borders and
frames on scrapbook pages.
It stripes the handles of
tools for easy identification.
It flags pages for future reading.
It makes cute cutouts for
decorating boxes and books.
Tape holds hobbies together.
crowdfunding Creative Jam. It was inspired by the "tape" square in my 3-1-26 card for the National Crafting Month Bingo fest. It belongs to the series Arts and Crafts America."Colorful Opportunities"
Tape is a material
that is always full of
colorful opportunities.
It can make borders and
frames on scrapbook pages.
It stripes the handles of
tools for easy identification.
It flags pages for future reading.
It makes cute cutouts for
decorating boxes and books.
Tape holds hobbies together.
Tags:
Long-term psychological effects of physical isolation
Mar. 16th, 2026 04:12 amvoidbeetles posting in little_detailsHi!
I have a character in a sci-fi universe who ends up "shipwrecked" alone on a completely uninhabited planet for two years. The planet, and the specific environment he lands in, are perfectly habitable by humans (we are in soft scifi territory here, very Star Trek inspired) and he's able to survive with some effort. (The details of how are not really important to the story - I know at least that he's the kind of guy who'd be able to salvage some tech and emergency supplies from his wrecked ship, and I'm comfortable with brushing past the details of what exactly he brought with him - but if anyone's really interested in coming at it from that logistical angle, I won't stop you!)
What is more relevant to the story is how this experience would continue to affect him by the time he's back home safely. I think there are a bunch of possible avenues here and I'd love to see people's takes on how they would approach this or approach researching it. For example, here are some of my cursory thoughts:
I have a character in a sci-fi universe who ends up "shipwrecked" alone on a completely uninhabited planet for two years. The planet, and the specific environment he lands in, are perfectly habitable by humans (we are in soft scifi territory here, very Star Trek inspired) and he's able to survive with some effort. (The details of how are not really important to the story - I know at least that he's the kind of guy who'd be able to salvage some tech and emergency supplies from his wrecked ship, and I'm comfortable with brushing past the details of what exactly he brought with him - but if anyone's really interested in coming at it from that logistical angle, I won't stop you!)
What is more relevant to the story is how this experience would continue to affect him by the time he's back home safely. I think there are a bunch of possible avenues here and I'd love to see people's takes on how they would approach this or approach researching it. For example, here are some of my cursory thoughts:
- PTSD is certainly a likely long-term complication
- It's implied that his shipwrecking was not an accident/was engineered maliciously - I imagine this is something he has dwelt on heavily throughout the two years and will affect his ability to trust people (and to visit other uninhabited planets in the future!). Seems like it would be easy to get caught in delusional spirals in a situation like that.
- I know that prolonged isolation can cause hallucination/psychosis in some cases, especially in solitary confinement, sensory deprivation contexts, etc. Is that as much of a risk in this case? And if so, do you think he'd still be experiencing psychotic symptoms after the fact?
- One of his personality traits is that he's fairly attention-seeking - I think it's likely this incident will exacerbate that and make him more desperate for connection
- It'll probably alter how he approaches social situations in the future in general; that's something I'll definitely be thinking about
- Perhaps he got into the habit of talking to himself on the planet, and this never went away
Accidentally took a butter knife home from work
Mar. 14th, 2026 03:59 amconulyNot to worry, I'll return it. We have plenty enough as it is.
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Booklog 29/26: Sarah Hawkswood: Feast for the Ravens – Bradecote and Catchpoll #13 – Audiobook
Mar. 16th, 2026 02:05 amjacey
Narrated by Matt Addis.
September 1145. Two small boys discover the corpse of a Templar knight in the Forest of Wyre on Worcestershire’s northern border. The corpse carries a parchment revealing the identity of a traitor. (We’re in the time of the Anarchy, when Stephen and Mathilda are slugging it out for the crown.) Bradecote, Catchpoll and Walkelin are sent to investigate. Because of what the children saw, the locals believe the knight has been killed by the Raven Woman, a mythical bird shapechanger who haunts the forest. William of Riversford denies knowing who the corpse is, but Bradecote doesn’t quite believe him, and his instinct turns out to be correct. The corpse is Ivo de Mitton who fled the country many years ago accused of killing his family and burning down their house, all but the youngest who is now grown and is the last of his family in charge of Mitton. There’s a parchment on the corpse suggesting that a prominent Lord is planning to turn traitor against Stephen. But something is off. The Sheriff’s trio find the investigation throws up more questions than answers, Was there a second knight? Who is the Raven Woman? Did Ivo kill his family all those years ago? The story gives up its answers slowly and effectively as the corpses mount, stretching out the dramatic tension. Matt Addis’s reading is excellent as usual. I’ve been binge listening to these books, but this seems to be the most recent, so apart from a couple I missed along the way, I’ll have to wait for the next one.
Booklog 28/26: Sarah Hawkswood: Litany of Lies – Bradecote and Catchpoll #12 – Audiobook
Mar. 16th, 2026 02:02 amjacey
It’s Summer 1145. Bradecote and Catchpoll, complete with Under Serjeant Walkelin are sent to solve the murder of Walter, the steward of Evesham Abbey. There are tensions between the Sheriff and the Abbot, between Bradecote and the current castellan, and between the Abbey and the castle. It turns out that the Abbey’s steward is not the good man the Abbot thought he was, but a reprehensible individual, guilty of many different crimes. A second murder implicates the castle’s serjeant, who seems to be out of control. Is there a connection? It’s a twisty story which puzzles the Sheriff’s officers until the final revelation. Bradecote and Catchpoll eventually not only solve the present murders but a historical one, too. It’s nice to hear Matt Addis reading the story after Jonathan Keeble’s reading of the previous book I listened to.
Booklog 27/26: Sarah Hawkswood: Faithful Unto Death – Bradecote and Catchpoll #6 – Audiobook
Mar. 16th, 2026 01:57 amjacey
Audiobook narrated by Jonathan Keeble.
June 1144. A body found in woodland turns out to be a Welsh messenger on his way to see Earl Robert of Gloucester. Bradecote and Catchpoll are sent into Wales, but the murdered man, though sent on an important errand into England, turns out to be a lecherous menace to any women he sets eyes upon. In the end the answer to the murder lies not in the message, but the messenger himself. Jonathan Keeble reads it well enough, but he’s not as good as Matt Addis who has read all the other Bradecote and Catchpolls that I’ve already heard. I know what the main characters' voices sound like - and in this, they don't. Also it's one of the bland covers. Why change cover style and why change narrator? Seems a bit odd. Don't get me wrong, it's still a good story.
Booklog 26/26: Sarah Hawkswood: Vale of Tears – Bradecote and Catchpoll #5 – Audiobook
Mar. 16th, 2026 01:54 amjacey
April 1144. A distinctively dressed corpse is fished out of Flatbury Mill leat on the river. It turns out that he is an Evesham horse dealer who has been stabbed and tipped into the river upstream. Investigations lead Bradecote and Catchpoll (with under-serjeant Walkelin) at first to his young wife (who has a couple of lovers) and the man’s brother, but then they discover that the dead man’s sister has married the ill-tempered lord of Harvington and has died in mysterious circumstances, without her family being invited to the funeral. Is that another murder? There’s a dispute over the ownership of a mill between the lord of Harvington and the Abbey in Evesham, and Harvington has recently hanged a scribe for theft—the same scribe who verified the mill-lease as belonging to Harvington. When a Harvington serving girl is also killed, Walkelin is falsely accused. Bradecote and Catchpoll must mount a rescue before unravelling the knotty mystery and solving the various crimes. As usual, Matt Addis’s reading is excellent and the twisty plot engaging. Just a puzzled reader's question: why change the style of the covers? This is very bland.
Booklog 25/26: Sarah Hawkswood: Ordeal by Fire – Bradecote and Catchpoll #2 – Audiobook
Mar. 16th, 2026 01:52 amjacey
Audiobook narrated by Matt Addis.
September 1143. Bradecote is the recently appointed under sheriff and Catchpoll is the wily and experienced serjeant-thieftaker. A series of deliberately-set fires in the city of Worcester stirs the population. Bradecote and Catchpoll must find the culprit before the whole city burns, but that means finding the link between the victims. At first that seems impossible. What connects Simeon the Jew with a silversmith, and an old healing woman? For a while all they can do is set a firewatch, at first believing that the property owner is burning out his tenants so he can redevelop the area. Gradually they piece threads together, discovering the motive delves back into the past. Matt Addis reads well and differentiates the voices beautifully. Bradecote speaks English (unlike most of the nobility of the day who still speak Norman French) and the local characters all have Worcestershire accents, which seem perfectly natural for story purposes. Catchpoll, in particular, sounds beautifully grizzled.
irritatingly
Mar. 15th, 2026 09:41 pmjulianI did manage to lose my wallet after Ny's thing, at/near Moruichi in Arlington, because I am Good Like That. I likely tried to put it back in my purse and it fell out.
Found out after the place closed, when I stopped for gas, so I couldn't even call them to see if they found it. (Will tomorrow, just in case.)
On the bright side, I'm going to be near my main bank tomorrow anyway, due to visiting my parents, so I can just get a new ATM card then. And I had to get a new driver's license anyway due to address change and not getting around to it yet, so, again, not a big thing.
Just, as usual, I liked that wallet, and I annoy myself. Harumph.
Found out after the place closed, when I stopped for gas, so I couldn't even call them to see if they found it. (Will tomorrow, just in case.)
On the bright side, I'm going to be near my main bank tomorrow anyway, due to visiting my parents, so I can just get a new ATM card then. And I had to get a new driver's license anyway due to address change and not getting around to it yet, so, again, not a big thing.
Just, as usual, I liked that wallet, and I annoy myself. Harumph.
SweetClover of Bluster
Mar. 15th, 2026 08:51 pmismoI'm going to stop saying I'm tired, because it's repetitive and boring, but I do have over 9,000 steps at the moment, most of them gained by going up and down the basement stairs. Why, you may ask? Because the basement guest room has become soggier and squishier all day. I have been emptying the bookshelves along the outside wall where the water is coming in, so that the books will be safe and the furniture can be moved if necessary. It was a lot of books. Many, many pounds of books, along with some boxes of games. I have moved them all onto the main floor, so now there are stacks and stacks in different corners. I'm running out of places to put things. I was hoping the Sparrowhawk could maybe vacuum up some water with the shop vac, but alas, it's a puny shop vac and doesn't seem to have much suction, even if it had the extension tube that would make it easier to use but which is lost somewhere. I am quite vexed with the company that claims the fallacious title of "EverDry" and to which we paid a whole lot of money for them to ensure that this would not happen again. Well, it's happening. Naturally, they are not answering the phone on a Sunday, but we have left messages and hope to summon them soon. We got a return message from ServPro, which claims it's good at reclamation of water damages. They will come sometime tomorrow and have a look. Honestly, I feel a certain amount of despair. The weather has not been kind to us lately. And it is raining heavily again, even as we speak.
We had a nice time this morning before returning to face the soggy music. We went to 11 o'clock church, and were reminded that there was going to be church breakfast served in the church basement (not soggy there). We went down there and sat with Celeste and her family, including her mom Esmerelda, who was just recently in the ICU with pneumonia! Celeste said it was her first real outing, but she looked amazing under the circumstances. I spent some time sitting with her and chatting. She showed me her IV bruises, and I commiserated. The Sparrowhawk let me drive home, and when we got there, he took a pretty extensive nap. Last night's party catching up with him, perhaps. I didn't think carrying things up the stairs was a wise choice for him, so I got him to make some declicious stir fry while I was moving boxes. We are trying now to soothe our souls with a little equestrian competition on tv. Everyone is so glossy and well-groomed! McLain Ward just jumped a clean round. I remember watching him jump when he was 16. I seem to have been here a long time. . . .
We had a nice time this morning before returning to face the soggy music. We went to 11 o'clock church, and were reminded that there was going to be church breakfast served in the church basement (not soggy there). We went down there and sat with Celeste and her family, including her mom Esmerelda, who was just recently in the ICU with pneumonia! Celeste said it was her first real outing, but she looked amazing under the circumstances. I spent some time sitting with her and chatting. She showed me her IV bruises, and I commiserated. The Sparrowhawk let me drive home, and when we got there, he took a pretty extensive nap. Last night's party catching up with him, perhaps. I didn't think carrying things up the stairs was a wise choice for him, so I got him to make some declicious stir fry while I was moving boxes. We are trying now to soothe our souls with a little equestrian competition on tv. Everyone is so glossy and well-groomed! McLain Ward just jumped a clean round. I remember watching him jump when he was 16. I seem to have been here a long time. . . .
Birthday Freebies
Mar. 15th, 2026 06:15 pmlovelyangelI confess to having a number of fast food apps – mainly for the purpose of getting discounts (replacing the old chore of coupon clipping). Sure, the companies track my redemption habits, but I don’t really care. If they keep wanting to offer me discounts, I’m frugal enough to keep taking them.
I provide my birthday to these apps as they give me special offers for my birthday. I thought I should itemize what I got this year for future reference.
( 2026 Birthday Offers, Under the Cut )
I provide my birthday to these apps as they give me special offers for my birthday. I thought I should itemize what I got this year for future reference.
( 2026 Birthday Offers, Under the Cut )
Fandom-dropping process, Ides of March report
Mar. 15th, 2026 09:00 pmerinptahDown to 1034 fandoms wrangled. Almost exactly 100 dropped since last check-in.
I did a big “invitation to all wranglers, look through my list and grab any webcomics you want” post, and managed to hand off 80+ that way. The rest are from dropping more A’s and B’s.
Only 39 of these have any tags that need wrangling. Higher than usual. I didn’t wrangle as much last week…tbh, I was low-key hoping some of the lightly-active webcomics would get claimed in the big invitation post.
(By “lightly” I mean “there are 1-5 new tags.” It’s still not an overwhelming burden, here. Just a mild annoyance to check lots of individual tag bins.)
While I’m at it, AMT updates: My “please combine the redundant Frosty the Snowman fandoms” request was approved, so my count will go down by 1 when that gets processed. The Madoka Magica requests I mentioned last month…are still on the waiting-for-approvals list.
I haven’t actually made the request to restructure the Fake News tree. The wranglers of other fandoms involved have all signed off on it — but now I’m waiting on a response to a different question. Which I kinda suspect has been forgotten at this point. Maybe I’ll just go forward, on the premise of “since nobody has responded to say [thing] is a roadblock for the tree, that means [thing] is not a roadblock for the tree, and I won’t worry about it.”