vital functions
Oct. 11th, 2020 10:38 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kaberettReading. Brit(ish), Afua Hirsch. This is not a good book. Hirsch's understanding of her own class context is badly lacking, which is a problem, given there's an entire chapter focussing on Her Thoughts On The Topic; her lack of familiarity with disability justice shouldn't come up, but in does, in some really ill-advised metaphors and similes. She also, fascinatingly, appears to uncritically quote a (Black) friend of hers using a racial slur, with no nuance or contextualisation, in the same passage in which (in 2018) she writes "Swinging is not my thing, but I couldn't care less what consenting adults get up to behind closed doors." As education and outreach, the book fails; as memoir, I'm indifferent to it. More details and warnings available on request.
A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking, T. Kingfisher. I continue to very much enjoy working my way through the archives! I'm not entirely convinced by the voice of the fourteen year old, though I'm amused that the author's notes relate endless discussions between other adults about Whether 14YOs Actually Talk Like That (too grown up! too childish! too...!). Very soothing and greatly appreciated even if I'm slightly dubious about her sourdough management.
The Ladies of Grace Adieu, & other stories, Susanna Clarke. I have just barely started this -- I'm a few pages into the introduction, on my second go (from the library), having utterly failed to read it for the entire duration of a mumble-years long loan from an acquaintance. (I borrowed it circa 2012. I handed it to A to hand back to said acquaintance, ooh, 2017 or thereabouts? "I'd been wondering where that had got to!" said aquaintance is reported to have remarked.) Thus far I'm tentatively enjoying what appears to be a multi-layered conceit of a collection of fairy stories that is simultaneously a history book, and what that implies about the nature of historiography of the fair folk.
Writing. I sent off my first draft of chapter 5 (what even how am I writing so many) Sunday last. I spent most of this week staring into space and/or at dragons, but I have at least wrenched the last chapter-introduction around into mostly-shape, I think.
Watching. Two episodes of CXG, one a week, so we've just had S01E13 this week, Josh And I Go To Los Angeles! Key observations of the past fortnight: (1) Greg is projecting his own self-loathing onto Rebecca, just, an astonishing amount, given the parallels of "hopelessly gone on a totally unavailable and kind of terrible person", and (2) most of the ways in which Valencia Treats Josh Badly are ways... Rebecca is already treating Josh badly!!! despite not even being in a Relationship with him!!! anyway S01E13 played the "actually positive sweet interaction between Josh & Valencia" --> ... That thing extremely well, kudos to them.
Men In Black: International (2019). I expected to pay only vague attention to this! It's essentially The Spy Who Dumped Me (2018) in a funny hat, though, which I wouldn't be saying because I know that "spy thriller action flick" is a genre, okay, but. But really.
Listening. The Magnus Archives, about which I have had some FEELINGS. Very briefly, ohhh but the foreshadowing of Jon being unable to pull Daisy back from her patron without killing her. Oh but Martin realising. Oh my that assisted suicide.
Playing. Myst! With A! Last night and this morning, which did not take us long at all compared to my memories of, circa thirteen, giving up in frustration pretty rapidly. Really lovely ensuing discussion about its place in The History Of Games, and why some of the puzzles were easier to solve now not just because I'm nearly 20 years older but also because there's been, well, over a quarter of a century of games (and other media) picking up the ball and running with it. I was mildly disappointed that the absent female character remained absent, albeit not surprised; I had a grand old time doing this The Proper Way with an actual notebook and a pencil like the designers intended; it put me enormously in mind of The Starless Sea, which I sort of want to immediately reread again with Myst actively in mind, while thinking about the nature of narrative, and that. Greatly enjoyable -- I had to tear A away from it at Long Gone Bedtime, but thankfully not Long Gone Midnight, las night -- and we'll (or at least I'll) be coming back to do Riven at some point.
As mentioned, I have tripped and fallen into Flight Rising, where I'm up to, um, thirty-one dragons (with another 4 eggs on the way).ilyena_sylph very kindly Explained the Coliseum to me yesterday. I'm having an enormous amount of fun with, essentially, the way this lets me play around with Ridiculous Nail Varnish including e.g. nail stamping, with none of the mess (and a very different kind of faff) (and, for bonus points, I won't chip it all off within hours).
PoGo: I'm enjoying the new Deerling; from the Meowth field research day I got two 100% (Alolan and Galarian), plus one shiny (Alolan, 89%). Elsewise of note: some competent hatty Pikachu, another shiny Roselia, such is life.
Horn: has not been happening much, because I am in a Thesis Haze, but I have been managing a note every day. Still. Sometimes even an arpeggio! Go me.
Cooking. Very little of note (see also: thesis haze) but I am pleased to have established that I can actually scrape all the seeds etc that have gathered on the breadboard into another loaf of bread and it's perfectly edible. Oh! And a loaf of white-and-spelt with painstakingly hand-hulled sunflower seeds harvested from the allotment, which, never. again. (probably.)
Growing. Another 2.2kg of tomatoes for a running total of 23.7kg. Another handful of beans; several more squash; and the beetroot and carrots are ready to start coming up whenever I think I can get my act together to actually cook with them in finite time.
I have not been making it to the allotment much, partly out of guilt-and-shame (need to still deal with the tomato blight; need to treat the squash again) and partly out of fatigue, but. We'll see.
Observing. A jay. I saw a jay at the allotment. Which had possibly been attracted by the artichoke heads I've left for the birds, given where I startled it from, and I am delighted. Spotted the bats tonight, too, swooping back and forth across the sunset at unusual altitude, and that was charming too. Plus a few passing sightings of the Garden Fox. I think the bats ought to be going to sleep for the winter, soon, but I'm very much enjoying them while they last.
A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking, T. Kingfisher. I continue to very much enjoy working my way through the archives! I'm not entirely convinced by the voice of the fourteen year old, though I'm amused that the author's notes relate endless discussions between other adults about Whether 14YOs Actually Talk Like That (too grown up! too childish! too...!). Very soothing and greatly appreciated even if I'm slightly dubious about her sourdough management.
The Ladies of Grace Adieu, & other stories, Susanna Clarke. I have just barely started this -- I'm a few pages into the introduction, on my second go (from the library), having utterly failed to read it for the entire duration of a mumble-years long loan from an acquaintance. (I borrowed it circa 2012. I handed it to A to hand back to said acquaintance, ooh, 2017 or thereabouts? "I'd been wondering where that had got to!" said aquaintance is reported to have remarked.) Thus far I'm tentatively enjoying what appears to be a multi-layered conceit of a collection of fairy stories that is simultaneously a history book, and what that implies about the nature of historiography of the fair folk.
Writing. I sent off my first draft of chapter 5 (what even how am I writing so many) Sunday last. I spent most of this week staring into space and/or at dragons, but I have at least wrenched the last chapter-introduction around into mostly-shape, I think.
Watching. Two episodes of CXG, one a week, so we've just had S01E13 this week, Josh And I Go To Los Angeles! Key observations of the past fortnight: (1) Greg is projecting his own self-loathing onto Rebecca, just, an astonishing amount, given the parallels of "hopelessly gone on a totally unavailable and kind of terrible person", and (2) most of the ways in which Valencia Treats Josh Badly are ways... Rebecca is already treating Josh badly!!! despite not even being in a Relationship with him!!! anyway S01E13 played the "actually positive sweet interaction between Josh & Valencia" --> ... That thing extremely well, kudos to them.
Men In Black: International (2019). I expected to pay only vague attention to this! It's essentially The Spy Who Dumped Me (2018) in a funny hat, though, which I wouldn't be saying because I know that "spy thriller action flick" is a genre, okay, but. But really.
Listening. The Magnus Archives, about which I have had some FEELINGS. Very briefly, ohhh but the foreshadowing of Jon being unable to pull Daisy back from her patron without killing her. Oh but Martin realising. Oh my that assisted suicide.
Playing. Myst! With A! Last night and this morning, which did not take us long at all compared to my memories of, circa thirteen, giving up in frustration pretty rapidly. Really lovely ensuing discussion about its place in The History Of Games, and why some of the puzzles were easier to solve now not just because I'm nearly 20 years older but also because there's been, well, over a quarter of a century of games (and other media) picking up the ball and running with it. I was mildly disappointed that the absent female character remained absent, albeit not surprised; I had a grand old time doing this The Proper Way with an actual notebook and a pencil like the designers intended; it put me enormously in mind of The Starless Sea, which I sort of want to immediately reread again with Myst actively in mind, while thinking about the nature of narrative, and that. Greatly enjoyable -- I had to tear A away from it at Long Gone Bedtime, but thankfully not Long Gone Midnight, las night -- and we'll (or at least I'll) be coming back to do Riven at some point.
As mentioned, I have tripped and fallen into Flight Rising, where I'm up to, um, thirty-one dragons (with another 4 eggs on the way).
ilyena_sylph very kindly Explained the Coliseum to me yesterday. I'm having an enormous amount of fun with, essentially, the way this lets me play around with Ridiculous Nail Varnish including e.g. nail stamping, with none of the mess (and a very different kind of faff) (and, for bonus points, I won't chip it all off within hours).PoGo: I'm enjoying the new Deerling; from the Meowth field research day I got two 100% (Alolan and Galarian), plus one shiny (Alolan, 89%). Elsewise of note: some competent hatty Pikachu, another shiny Roselia, such is life.
Horn: has not been happening much, because I am in a Thesis Haze, but I have been managing a note every day. Still. Sometimes even an arpeggio! Go me.
Cooking. Very little of note (see also: thesis haze) but I am pleased to have established that I can actually scrape all the seeds etc that have gathered on the breadboard into another loaf of bread and it's perfectly edible. Oh! And a loaf of white-and-spelt with painstakingly hand-hulled sunflower seeds harvested from the allotment, which, never. again. (probably.)
Growing. Another 2.2kg of tomatoes for a running total of 23.7kg. Another handful of beans; several more squash; and the beetroot and carrots are ready to start coming up whenever I think I can get my act together to actually cook with them in finite time.
I have not been making it to the allotment much, partly out of guilt-and-shame (need to still deal with the tomato blight; need to treat the squash again) and partly out of fatigue, but. We'll see.
Observing. A jay. I saw a jay at the allotment. Which had possibly been attracted by the artichoke heads I've left for the birds, given where I startled it from, and I am delighted. Spotted the bats tonight, too, swooping back and forth across the sunset at unusual altitude, and that was charming too. Plus a few passing sightings of the Garden Fox. I think the bats ought to be going to sleep for the winter, soon, but I'm very much enjoying them while they last.
(no subject)
Date: 2020-10-11 10:19 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2020-10-11 11:21 pm (UTC)(Valencia rocks, Josh can drop dead.)
(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
Date: 2020-10-11 11:23 pm (UTC)ETA: and a little surprised by the Hirsch as I usually like her writing in the Guardian.
(no subject)
From:(no subject)
Date: 2020-10-11 11:55 pm (UTC)...now I want to reread Starless Sea and replay Myst.
(no subject)
From:(no subject)
Date: 2020-10-12 08:55 am (UTC)It's really interesting to know that as an adult with a couple of decades of genre knowledge you can play through in a night and morning! I might well give it another try, knowing that.
(no subject)
From:(no subject)
Date: 2020-10-12 07:24 pm (UTC)(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From: