vital functions
Dec. 12th, 2021 11:34 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kaberettReading. Thinking, Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman. In summary: if you are comfortable with academic language, read the two papers the book's expanded from instead; I found them much less frustrating.
The Last Graduate, Naomi Novik. It has, what with one thing and another, been A Bit Of A Week. I recently inhaled the first one of these, courtesy of the library, as reported herein; alas or perhaps fortunately the library doesn't even have the second book available for digital loan, which made it much easier to justify Just Buying It (as opposed to feeling like I should wait patiently in the endless hold queue). I am not finished yet -- I have only just started! -- but I am enjoying myself a great deal even as it makes no sense whatsoever. WHY is El so inconsistent about when it's safe for her to walk around the school solo and when it isn't (yes yes yes plot convenience I know). WHY is it that she cast an unreasonably powerful killing spell and... tore apart the fabric of the building instead of THE FOUR PEOPLE STANDING RIGHT THERE. Why in the name of heaven has nobody yet gone "huh. Orion can get mana from killing mals? EXCELLENT let's MONETISE THAT" or whatever. Did I mention that I'm enjoying myself immensely? Because I'm enjoying myself immensely even as I wail quietly about The Nonsense.
Watching. Because, again, it has been A Week, I have comfort-rewatched the first two episodes of Elementary with A. Spoilers for the whole show: I would need to rewatch the final episode to be sure but. BUT. I only just put together that the very first thing Sherlock says to Joan is that he loves her (the creepy TV-quoting bit in S01E01!) and I am very nearly sure that the last thing he says to her in the show (& if not, very nearly) is also that he loves her. I HAVE A LOT OF FEELINGS and also goodness I know the reason I love rewatching the first four episodes in particular is the sheer amount of character work crammed into them, but goodness there's a lot of character work (and I love them).
Cooking. OCA FROM THE ALLOTMENT (roasted, with garlic and some lemon zest). Also Yet More Butternut Squash Tart.
Miscellany. Not actually fitting into any of my usual categories: we have also continued rearranging furniture according to my whim, and then putting everything we took off it in order to move it back on to it and then some, and the house is slowly becoming a bit more organised and it's great.
The Last Graduate, Naomi Novik. It has, what with one thing and another, been A Bit Of A Week. I recently inhaled the first one of these, courtesy of the library, as reported herein; alas or perhaps fortunately the library doesn't even have the second book available for digital loan, which made it much easier to justify Just Buying It (as opposed to feeling like I should wait patiently in the endless hold queue). I am not finished yet -- I have only just started! -- but I am enjoying myself a great deal even as it makes no sense whatsoever. WHY is El so inconsistent about when it's safe for her to walk around the school solo and when it isn't (yes yes yes plot convenience I know). WHY is it that she cast an unreasonably powerful killing spell and... tore apart the fabric of the building instead of THE FOUR PEOPLE STANDING RIGHT THERE. Why in the name of heaven has nobody yet gone "huh. Orion can get mana from killing mals? EXCELLENT let's MONETISE THAT" or whatever. Did I mention that I'm enjoying myself immensely? Because I'm enjoying myself immensely even as I wail quietly about The Nonsense.
Watching. Because, again, it has been A Week, I have comfort-rewatched the first two episodes of Elementary with A. Spoilers for the whole show: I would need to rewatch the final episode to be sure but. BUT. I only just put together that the very first thing Sherlock says to Joan is that he loves her (the creepy TV-quoting bit in S01E01!) and I am very nearly sure that the last thing he says to her in the show (& if not, very nearly) is also that he loves her. I HAVE A LOT OF FEELINGS and also goodness I know the reason I love rewatching the first four episodes in particular is the sheer amount of character work crammed into them, but goodness there's a lot of character work (and I love them).
Cooking. OCA FROM THE ALLOTMENT (roasted, with garlic and some lemon zest). Also Yet More Butternut Squash Tart.
Miscellany. Not actually fitting into any of my usual categories: we have also continued rearranging furniture according to my whim, and then putting everything we took off it in order to move it back on to it and then some, and the house is slowly becoming a bit more organised and it's great.
(no subject)
Date: 2021-12-13 03:09 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2021-12-13 06:55 am (UTC)They probably have. It's just that they likely were hoping they could monetize it without letting him know, exactly, how much they were selling his services for.
It's also possible that, as a rule, people keep that quiet. Several fanfics have brought up the possibility that if Orion can get mana from killing mals, but not, apparently, in any normal fashion, then he's arguably a type of mal himself. I don't know that Novik is going in that direction, but if she is then it's probably best for his enclave to carefully not draw any attention to this. Speaking of which, it's either a writing error or a big freaking clue that Orion suddenly drew an enormous amount of power when people popped out of the bushes to murder El.
(no subject)
Date: 2021-12-13 11:11 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2021-12-13 03:26 pm (UTC)I keep meaning to read that series! You have me hopeful.