vital functions

[kaberett]

Reading. The Broken Kingdoms, NK Jemisin. This... is full of Questionable World-Building, as expected, and Dubious Character Decisions That Make No Sense But Move The Plot Along, also as expected, but it was the fluffy idfic that I wanted, and I'm looking forward to the next one.

To the point that even though Daring Greatly (Brené Brown) reappeared from the library (ebooks are weird, living in the Internet age is weird), and I know I struggled to get started with it last time, I'm... finishing The Kingdom of Gods first, having got 200 pages into it in fairly short order, whoops. (It's similarly... dubious... and also very fluffy, it is a nice thing to escape into while having an extended brain moment, I am glad it exists in the world even though I have Many Questions about it.)

I'm actively poking at the DBT workbook again! No new material as yet, and the goal for this week is to work through the basic mindfulness exercises in the next chapter in good faith to remind myself how they all go.

Watching. The Blue Planet: Open Ocean. I am utterly charmed by the sea petrels, which hover with their feet trailing in the water and... don't exactly filter-feed, but don't not, either; the sea gooseberries (comb jellies), which LIGHT UP; the manta rays with their ALARMING MoutHS and WOOBLY FLAPS (cephalic lobes, apparently!); the sailfish that pretend to be bright blue zebras; and I DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT SPINNER DOLPHINS (which were accompanied by particularly excellent soundtrack choices). This episode was, I think, even more frustrating than the previous ones for utter lack of explanation of why anything, and unlike The Deep didn't really lampshade the "we have no idea but Isn't This Cool" as clearly. Like: WHY DO STRIPED MARLINS HAVE A NOSE. WHAT IS THEIR NOSE FOR. IS IT NOT AN IMPEDIMENT. etc etc etc. (Ans: no it is not.)

Good Omens, the first episode again, this time with alexwlchan, who recently read the book. And also the final one, because they watched the rest while I was dealing with insomnia fallout, and it was fun to rewatch having now consumed a bunch more meta.

Elementary. I... am DEEPLY CONCERNED about the possibility that we're being set up for a plausibly ambiguous death at the end of the season, oh nooooooo, and also we all keep yelling "HI FERDINAND" every time he shows up on screen, so sorry [fx: shakes IMDb] James Frain your name is Ferdinand now.

Cooking. I have come to the definite conclusion that the major issue with the oven is its seal, and I have therefore ordered a replacement, which hopefully means that my tentative experiments with my new cast iron griddle (as a thing on which to bake bread, scones, etc) will... improve shortly.

Growing. Strawberry runner is growing roots! I am proud of it, and need to give its further exploratory tendril something to root in as well. (I'm not entirely sure why I've only got the one runner off the one Cambridge Favourite, but such is life.) -- no wait, A got home on Sunday night and pointed out to me that the other Cambridge Favourite has ALSO just industriously started putting out a runner, so, fingers crossed!

The holy basil, having been moved to the warm box, is germinating! Hurrah.

I... have not made it to the allotment. I think I am not having a very good week in terms of either mental health or fatigue.

Observing. BAT. Saw the bat several time. Great deal of luck with peering out the window and going "... bat?", which, hurrah.

Poking. ... 100% IV Pidgey (from a field research task). Lucky Finneon, Barboach, Nosepass and Zigzagoon from trading with A; 100% Shinx from a raid (!!!); wild-caught a 97.8% Parasect that I haven't quite brought myself to bin yet.

Comments

[lunabee34]

I just now realized that your poking heading is about Pokemon. I think I vaugely thought you were talking about botany. Lol

[kaberett]

heeeeee, no, the botany is a separate section :D

[azurelunatic]

Yay things

[vass]

What manner of bat do you have in your parts?

We have this this, or so I gather from Wikipedia (I can't identify different species by sight, especially not when generally all I see is a flying silhouette.)

I... have not made it to the allotment. I think I am not having a very good week in terms of either mental health or fatigue.

<3 It's good that you identified it.

[kaberett]

Mostly pipistrelles! We are contemplating the merits of a Bat Detector, thus enabling us to tell whether it's a soprano pipistrelle or an alto common pipistrelle (or Something Else, but those are most likely).

[cesy]

Happy things!

I would like to see you again soon. Are there any days that would be good for a visit?

[kaberett]

I see this but am not braining logistics super well at the moment (partly brainwrong, partly that I'm FINALLY picking up my samples from the NHM tomorrow and consequently need to work out when I'll be in lab). This weekend is a definite no but please prod me if I don't get back to you soon...ish?

[cesy]

Any further plans on lab days?

[kaberett]

Lab went down for a few days and I am still feeling fairly frazzled but I see this and will try to actually Work Stuff Out over the course of the next day or so.

[shanaqui]

*closes ears to criticisms of N.K. Jemisin because that trilogy was my happy place* :P

[kaberett]

IT IS IDDY AND GREAT AND VERY SOOTHING it's just also that it is substantially internally inconsistent and if I go ????? about it in public I will feel better otherwise giving myself over entirely to the billows of candyfloss :-p

[shanaqui]

Ssshhh, I've successfully never even noticed that stuff because it is great in other ways!

[damerell]

We're calling the season villain "Zuckerberg" when we're not calling him "Elon Musk", possibly because Reichenbach is a bit _too_ obvious.

[kaberett]

Ha.

[divulge]

<3