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Wednesday Reading Meme for April 15, 2026
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kitewithfishWhat I’ve Read
The Wimsey Papers by Dorothy L. Sayers – A great look at Sayers’s wartime thoughts in 1935. It’s a loose collection of “letters” between Wimsey relatives that give the impression being Sayers’s soapbox. It’s honestly fairly touching but I’m biased.
Fire on the Mountain by Terry Bisson – Fascinating alternate history novel, told in several timelines. The older timeline is an alternate history of John Brown’s raid on Harper’s Ferry, where it actually went off as planned with Harriet Tubman’s help. The younger timeline is about the survivors of a dead astronaut coping with the new Mars mission. It’s great and weird and hopeful and antiracist in a wrathful and constructive way.
Earthlings by Sayaka Murata – Mixed bag. The first section is from the perspective of an abused and neglected child with a single friend – she’s so alienated from humanity she grows to actually believe she’s an alien. It depicts the abuse and violence with the character disassociating thru it all in a very convincing and harrowing way. She thinks of herself and society as The Factory – they make babies and enforce that role on everyone around them – she’ll grow up into the role eventually. The second half of the book didn’t work for me so well – we meet up with the same character in a much calmer time of her life, but the forces of The Factory are more distant until they are radically not. The second half of the book feels ... like a parody of alienation? She’s not feeling her own emotions anymore and so the more shocking actions of the later book didn’t land as closely. It’s an interesting attempt, but I think that Tender is the Flesh did the “cannibalism as dehumanization” thread more justice.
Sunshine by Robin McKinley – Re-Read. A strange and inconsistent creature – McKinley’s one urban fantasy experiment did not actually land the logistics and plot of an urban fantasy, but the vibes are dreamy and weird and I love that.
What I’m Reading
Fabric of Civilization – no movement
Chalice by Robin McKinley – Sunshine made me crave more.
What I’ll Read Next
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (eventually)
Animorphs – I enjoyed these books and recently tumblr has tempted me into finishing the series.
The Wimsey Papers by Dorothy L. Sayers – A great look at Sayers’s wartime thoughts in 1935. It’s a loose collection of “letters” between Wimsey relatives that give the impression being Sayers’s soapbox. It’s honestly fairly touching but I’m biased.
Fire on the Mountain by Terry Bisson – Fascinating alternate history novel, told in several timelines. The older timeline is an alternate history of John Brown’s raid on Harper’s Ferry, where it actually went off as planned with Harriet Tubman’s help. The younger timeline is about the survivors of a dead astronaut coping with the new Mars mission. It’s great and weird and hopeful and antiracist in a wrathful and constructive way.
Earthlings by Sayaka Murata – Mixed bag. The first section is from the perspective of an abused and neglected child with a single friend – she’s so alienated from humanity she grows to actually believe she’s an alien. It depicts the abuse and violence with the character disassociating thru it all in a very convincing and harrowing way. She thinks of herself and society as The Factory – they make babies and enforce that role on everyone around them – she’ll grow up into the role eventually. The second half of the book didn’t work for me so well – we meet up with the same character in a much calmer time of her life, but the forces of The Factory are more distant until they are radically not. The second half of the book feels ... like a parody of alienation? She’s not feeling her own emotions anymore and so the more shocking actions of the later book didn’t land as closely. It’s an interesting attempt, but I think that Tender is the Flesh did the “cannibalism as dehumanization” thread more justice.
Sunshine by Robin McKinley – Re-Read. A strange and inconsistent creature – McKinley’s one urban fantasy experiment did not actually land the logistics and plot of an urban fantasy, but the vibes are dreamy and weird and I love that.
What I’m Reading
Fabric of Civilization – no movement
Chalice by Robin McKinley – Sunshine made me crave more.
What I’ll Read Next
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (eventually)
Animorphs – I enjoyed these books and recently tumblr has tempted me into finishing the series.
also i need to sweep but that's neither here nor there
Apr. 15th, 2026 08:28 pmtsuki_no_barawe get the new york times at work and i must have signed up for their email newsletters at some point because i get them every morning. because today is tax day - think sympathetic thoughts at any tax professionals in your life - the newsletter opened with "it's tax day. i wish you many happy returns." oy.
today was also the big support staff lunch at work, which the admins had to organize. (it was our turn.) that means we order the food (it was delicious, especially the little lemon squares and the rolls) and figure out what to do for half an hour - we've had guest speakers talking about their research before so that's what we did. said guest speaker was someone who works adjacent to one of my groups, which meant i didn't just know her but knew something about the subject of her talk. which is a first! talk was good, food was good, it's always nice to schmooze with my fellow admins, and did i mention the lemon squares? i do love a good lemon square.
i also took a brisk walk with one of the admins m and one of the admins a - it was getting cold and cloudy so the walk was bracing. but fresh air is good for me, so.
All our windows open, steady drizzle on the kudzu’s
broad backs, birds making their music like this isn’t North
Carolina, but a tropical rainforest, and we’re somewhere
deep in the palms and vines. But it’s our own ferns and fiddleheads,
evergreens and sugar maples, trillium blooming, or on the verge,
for no one in particular, for everyone in particular, as if to say,
Go on, enjoy it. Rain, flowers, time on earth. The apple I
hand-picked at the market. Braiding my friend’s hair, silver
in my fingers, how I tie a tiny bow gently at the end
just as the sun comes out. I want to believe this is true power, that
kindness is the only weapon worth wielding, and I wield it,
land blow after blow to my enemies, without mercy.
Mercy. Bring the wine. Set the table for surprise guests.
No matter the plates don’t match and we’ve run out of chairs,
only that there is bread and laughter, enough to go around.
Parades, in spite of—. Pride, in spite of—. Please, someone answer all these
questions I have about hummingbirds and the little futures we are
reaching for, the ones rising above the horizon right before our eyes,
such intoxicating visions, our truest selves, with nothing to hide. Go on.
Trust the child standing barefoot in the rain, her face turned
up to the sky. Trust that crescendo building in your chest is your
voice, singing what you need to hear, the stone-heavy echo
welled from darkest springs. Go ahead. Open the door. No one can
explain how to love the world. It doesn’t happen all at once. But
you can start here. Tonight, with yourself. Someone near you. Let it go
zigzagging town to town. Look, there. It’s already coming back around.
--"Our Book of Delights", Arielle Hebert
today was also the big support staff lunch at work, which the admins had to organize. (it was our turn.) that means we order the food (it was delicious, especially the little lemon squares and the rolls) and figure out what to do for half an hour - we've had guest speakers talking about their research before so that's what we did. said guest speaker was someone who works adjacent to one of my groups, which meant i didn't just know her but knew something about the subject of her talk. which is a first! talk was good, food was good, it's always nice to schmooze with my fellow admins, and did i mention the lemon squares? i do love a good lemon square.
i also took a brisk walk with one of the admins m and one of the admins a - it was getting cold and cloudy so the walk was bracing. but fresh air is good for me, so.
All our windows open, steady drizzle on the kudzu’s
broad backs, birds making their music like this isn’t North
Carolina, but a tropical rainforest, and we’re somewhere
deep in the palms and vines. But it’s our own ferns and fiddleheads,
evergreens and sugar maples, trillium blooming, or on the verge,
for no one in particular, for everyone in particular, as if to say,
Go on, enjoy it. Rain, flowers, time on earth. The apple I
hand-picked at the market. Braiding my friend’s hair, silver
in my fingers, how I tie a tiny bow gently at the end
just as the sun comes out. I want to believe this is true power, that
kindness is the only weapon worth wielding, and I wield it,
land blow after blow to my enemies, without mercy.
Mercy. Bring the wine. Set the table for surprise guests.
No matter the plates don’t match and we’ve run out of chairs,
only that there is bread and laughter, enough to go around.
Parades, in spite of—. Pride, in spite of—. Please, someone answer all these
questions I have about hummingbirds and the little futures we are
reaching for, the ones rising above the horizon right before our eyes,
such intoxicating visions, our truest selves, with nothing to hide. Go on.
Trust the child standing barefoot in the rain, her face turned
up to the sky. Trust that crescendo building in your chest is your
voice, singing what you need to hear, the stone-heavy echo
welled from darkest springs. Go ahead. Open the door. No one can
explain how to love the world. It doesn’t happen all at once. But
you can start here. Tonight, with yourself. Someone near you. Let it go
zigzagging town to town. Look, there. It’s already coming back around.
--"Our Book of Delights", Arielle Hebert
What I'm Doing Wednesday
Apr. 15th, 2026 07:09 pmsagegnu MinoanMiss/Rubynye/Ny
The memorial was so lovely. I cried a lot. I miss her so much.
books
Overthrow: America's Century of Regime Change from Hawaii to Iraq by Stephen Kinzer. 2006. Imperialism is so gross.
The Brothers: John Foster Dulles, Allen Dulles & Their Secret World War by Stephen Kinzer. 2013. These guys were such jackasses. I only knew about their Latin American horrors, not the rest of it.
Right Ho, Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse. 1934. My Wodehouse is all over the place and I didn't keep track of what I read when, so I'm rereading. This was cute and fast-paced.
The Jeeves Omnibus Vol. 1 by P.G. Wodehouse.
Thank You, Jeeves: Really pissed off at Bertie's repeated "n-word minstrels", and the disaster blackface, augh, though Jeeves at least uses "negro." SIGH. I guess it was 1934, but GAH.
The Code of the Woosters: a bit tedious. Needed more Dahlia. 1937.
The Inimitable Jeeves: Needed more Jeeves and less gambling. 1923.
healthcrap
Had an allergy shot Monday and I need one more to get back on maintenance after falling behind.
taxes
I tried twice today to free-file my taxes, only to get to the end of the long long long process and have then say, no, this isn't free after all. So I paid a semi-random amount and got an extension. I think I got an extension. Did I get an extension? Now I need to double check. Gah.
#resist
May 1: No Kings 4
I hope you're all doing well! <333
The memorial was so lovely. I cried a lot. I miss her so much.
books
Overthrow: America's Century of Regime Change from Hawaii to Iraq by Stephen Kinzer. 2006. Imperialism is so gross.
The Brothers: John Foster Dulles, Allen Dulles & Their Secret World War by Stephen Kinzer. 2013. These guys were such jackasses. I only knew about their Latin American horrors, not the rest of it.
Right Ho, Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse. 1934. My Wodehouse is all over the place and I didn't keep track of what I read when, so I'm rereading. This was cute and fast-paced.
The Jeeves Omnibus Vol. 1 by P.G. Wodehouse.
Thank You, Jeeves: Really pissed off at Bertie's repeated "n-word minstrels", and the disaster blackface, augh, though Jeeves at least uses "negro." SIGH. I guess it was 1934, but GAH.
The Code of the Woosters: a bit tedious. Needed more Dahlia. 1937.
The Inimitable Jeeves: Needed more Jeeves and less gambling. 1923.
healthcrap
Had an allergy shot Monday and I need one more to get back on maintenance after falling behind.
taxes
I tried twice today to free-file my taxes, only to get to the end of the long long long process and have then say, no, this isn't free after all. So I paid a semi-random amount and got an extension. I think I got an extension. Did I get an extension? Now I need to double check. Gah.
#resist
May 1: No Kings 4
I hope you're all doing well! <333
Reading, Listening, Watching
Apr. 15th, 2026 08:47 pmpurplecatReading: Still These Old Shades. Not to rehash last week's discussion. It is fun enough, especially later on, but it has bought into the idea that Nobility Will Out and its heroine also seems somewhat naive given her age and background.
Listening: A lot more of 13 Minutes on the Artemis mission, interspersed with various podcats of Doctor Who fans watching no longer missing episodes.
Watching: We managed to get to the end of an old series of Taskmaster before the Sparrow left, this being what we mostly watch when she is around. And missing Doctor Who episodes, of course.
Listening: A lot more of 13 Minutes on the Artemis mission, interspersed with various podcats of Doctor Who fans watching no longer missing episodes.
Watching: We managed to get to the end of an old series of Taskmaster before the Sparrow left, this being what we mostly watch when she is around. And missing Doctor Who episodes, of course.
(no subject)
Apr. 15th, 2026 12:39 pmgaladhirSo, this time I had insisted that DH should take a video of the solo as well as taking photos, and I have watched the video on and off for the past three days and made notes. I no longer think it went that well, or perhaps I should say that my inner critic has had a field day.
Because I'm portraying someone who is ill and scared, I did a lot of covering my mouth, covering my eyes/forehead etc, and I don't think it plays well in a dance. I also have such a tendency to look down - by which I mean actually bowing my head forward - giving myself a hunched back instead of the upright posture of a dancer. I am also careless about where I put my feet - lots of ugly, imprecise foot placement.
Just like Su She, I also have a tendency to partially shut one eye more than the other one when I'm concentrating. Slightly mortifying, when I am certain that was a character tic Su She was given to indicate that he was a grovelling, servile henchman.
I must train myself out of all that!
The solo will need to be redesigned in the first part to get rid of all the head hanging and face covering etc. The bad posture and bad footwork is something I'll try to concentrate on improving this year.
Both outfits were pretty good though - I am pretty okay at costuming :)
Photos!
warning: noisy bodily functions
Apr. 14th, 2026 11:47 pmtsuki_no_baraweather was beautiful today and i waited an hour at ben & jerry's for a nice scoop of phish food (because i love a chocolate fish) because it was free scoop day. the line was very, very long but did i mention the weather was beautiful? so it wasn't a problem to stand out in it. also one of the admins m brought babka for lunch - a cinnamon and a chocolate - and any day with babka in it is a good day.
you know how the pope is originally from chicago and is a white sox fan? apparently at a recent white sox game the team handed out pope hats to i think everyone in the stands. and then because that wasn't enough they announced they're going to do it again in august. so any baseball/white sox/pope leo fans in chicago or environs, here's your chance to acquire a white sox pope hat.
stephen colbert is amused by the way the new york times measured the distance artemis ii traveled. like, they used dachshunds.
because deep down i'm really seven and i find farts HYSTERICALLY FUNNY, i need to share first of all chatgpt offering its musical critique of farts and second farts set to music. especially the last video. i laughed so hard i stopped breathing, seriously. the only issue is that i was at work and listening to fart sounds without headphones or earbuds and i've never been so glad that my corner of the building is so deserted. no one needs to hear me choking laughing at musical fart noises. so, uh, make sure no one's around who you wouldn't want to hear all the farting.
a guy named aadam jacobs has taped 10,000 concerts in his life and now volunteers are putting them all online. that is a lot of concerts.
"The cashier at the gas station asks me where I'm from"
and when I say Ohio, he says Go buckeyes
which I understand as a stranger offering
language that can be shared. The way starlings
roost on a power line, scooching over
so the other can sit, flocked and fanning
feathers against rain and never in my life
have I seen a football game, but still I reply
Go buckeyes
which is a way of saying: I accept.
I would root with you in imaginary stands.
Cheer at the same time in a darkened bar.
We are more alike than not, us two.
Here, let me shift, shuffle. Shelter a moment
beneath this wing.
--J. Sullivan
you know how the pope is originally from chicago and is a white sox fan? apparently at a recent white sox game the team handed out pope hats to i think everyone in the stands. and then because that wasn't enough they announced they're going to do it again in august. so any baseball/white sox/pope leo fans in chicago or environs, here's your chance to acquire a white sox pope hat.
stephen colbert is amused by the way the new york times measured the distance artemis ii traveled. like, they used dachshunds.
because deep down i'm really seven and i find farts HYSTERICALLY FUNNY, i need to share first of all chatgpt offering its musical critique of farts and second farts set to music. especially the last video. i laughed so hard i stopped breathing, seriously. the only issue is that i was at work and listening to fart sounds without headphones or earbuds and i've never been so glad that my corner of the building is so deserted. no one needs to hear me choking laughing at musical fart noises. so, uh, make sure no one's around who you wouldn't want to hear all the farting.
a guy named aadam jacobs has taped 10,000 concerts in his life and now volunteers are putting them all online. that is a lot of concerts.
"The cashier at the gas station asks me where I'm from"
and when I say Ohio, he says Go buckeyes
which I understand as a stranger offering
language that can be shared. The way starlings
roost on a power line, scooching over
so the other can sit, flocked and fanning
feathers against rain and never in my life
have I seen a football game, but still I reply
Go buckeyes
which is a way of saying: I accept.
I would root with you in imaginary stands.
Cheer at the same time in a darkened bar.
We are more alike than not, us two.
Here, let me shift, shuffle. Shelter a moment
beneath this wing.
--J. Sullivan
Doctor Who Missing Episodes
Apr. 14th, 2026 07:36 pmpurplecatLate last year, maybe early this? Toby Hadoke asked various people he knew what 17 missing Dr Who episodes they would pick if they were the only 17 left to be found. It now transpires he almost certainly knew, at that point, that 2 episodes of The Daleks' Masterplan had been found, but it got me thinking. My list is something as follows:
1. & 2. The Tenth Planet episode 4 and The Web of Fear episode 3. These both complete stories and are significant, in the first case for the regeneration of William Hartnell into Patrick Troughton and, in the second, for the first meeting with the Brigadier.
Then I have a string of picking one episode from any story for which no episodes exist so.
3. Marco Polo - there are three episodes in contention for this: episode 3 (which features Ping-Cho giving a storytelling performance something not attempted elsewhere in Doctor Who, or much at all these days), episode 5 which features Tutte Lemkow who is mildly (in)famous for having been in Doctor Who three times, none of which survive and having provided choreography for a fourth episode which also doesn't survive, and episode 7 (which is believed to have good fight scenes which, obviously, don't survive well on audio). I'm going to go for Marco Polo episode 3 for the storytelling - alas poor Tutte Lemkow.
4. The Myth Makers episode 1 - the choices here were episode 1 which sets the scene or episode 4 which pivots from farce into tragedy and introduces new companion Katarina. Doctor Who rarely enough does outright comedy that I've picked the introductory episode and it also features Tutte Lemkow so yay!. Also, with the recent returns we have 3/5 of Katarina's episodes and I've no real desire to see more.
5. The Massacre episode 4 - on the other hand, I'd rather see the conclusion of this one, which seems to have been pretty grim throughout, but I'd be interested to see how the Massacre of St. Bartholemew's Eve portrayed via woodcuts worked in practice. It does mean we miss out on William Hartnell's turn as the Abbot of Amboise however.
6. The Savages episode 4 - Episode 4s are tempting in and of themselves, but in this case we get Frederick Jaeger's impersonation of aspects of the first Doctor - seems well worth it.
7. The Smugglers - lots of choices here. Episode 4 once again has a lot of fighting that doesn't work well on audio, but I'm going to go for The Smugglers episode 2 where Polly convinces the stable boy that she can do voodoo.
8. The Power of the Daleks episode 1 - the other side of the regeneration of William Hartnell into Patrick Troughton.
9. The Highlanders episode 2 - in which the Doctor repeatedly bangs a man's head on a desk in ruse to convince him he is ill with a headache.
10. The Macra Terror episode 1 - because it includes the scene in which the Second Doctor is neatened up by a machine - which was cut from the animation.
11. Fury from the Deep episode 3 - which ends with Maggie walking out into the sea.
So now I have 5 left.
12. The Space Pirates epsiode 5 - The Space Pirates is not much loved but people hypothesise this is because the only episode we have involves the Doctor, Jamie and Zoe stuck in part of a disintegrated space station for the whole episode. So let's have another and I've picked one that features the character Dom Issigri because no one seems to know what he looks like.
13. The Power of the Daleks episode 4 - for no other reason that it would be nice to have a later episode of this, after the Doctor has ceased to be quite such a stranger to everyone, and episode 4 of 6 seems as good a place as any to stick the pin.
14 & 15. Marco Polo episode 7 and The Smugglers episode 4 for the aforementioned fight scenes.
16 & 17. The Daleks' Masterplan episodes 4 and 12 for the deaths of Katarina and Sara respectively.
1. & 2. The Tenth Planet episode 4 and The Web of Fear episode 3. These both complete stories and are significant, in the first case for the regeneration of William Hartnell into Patrick Troughton and, in the second, for the first meeting with the Brigadier.
Then I have a string of picking one episode from any story for which no episodes exist so.
3. Marco Polo - there are three episodes in contention for this: episode 3 (which features Ping-Cho giving a storytelling performance something not attempted elsewhere in Doctor Who, or much at all these days), episode 5 which features Tutte Lemkow who is mildly (in)famous for having been in Doctor Who three times, none of which survive and having provided choreography for a fourth episode which also doesn't survive, and episode 7 (which is believed to have good fight scenes which, obviously, don't survive well on audio). I'm going to go for Marco Polo episode 3 for the storytelling - alas poor Tutte Lemkow.
4. The Myth Makers episode 1 - the choices here were episode 1 which sets the scene or episode 4 which pivots from farce into tragedy and introduces new companion Katarina. Doctor Who rarely enough does outright comedy that I've picked the introductory episode and it also features Tutte Lemkow so yay!. Also, with the recent returns we have 3/5 of Katarina's episodes and I've no real desire to see more.
5. The Massacre episode 4 - on the other hand, I'd rather see the conclusion of this one, which seems to have been pretty grim throughout, but I'd be interested to see how the Massacre of St. Bartholemew's Eve portrayed via woodcuts worked in practice. It does mean we miss out on William Hartnell's turn as the Abbot of Amboise however.
6. The Savages episode 4 - Episode 4s are tempting in and of themselves, but in this case we get Frederick Jaeger's impersonation of aspects of the first Doctor - seems well worth it.
7. The Smugglers - lots of choices here. Episode 4 once again has a lot of fighting that doesn't work well on audio, but I'm going to go for The Smugglers episode 2 where Polly convinces the stable boy that she can do voodoo.
8. The Power of the Daleks episode 1 - the other side of the regeneration of William Hartnell into Patrick Troughton.
9. The Highlanders episode 2 - in which the Doctor repeatedly bangs a man's head on a desk in ruse to convince him he is ill with a headache.
10. The Macra Terror episode 1 - because it includes the scene in which the Second Doctor is neatened up by a machine - which was cut from the animation.
11. Fury from the Deep episode 3 - which ends with Maggie walking out into the sea.
So now I have 5 left.
12. The Space Pirates epsiode 5 - The Space Pirates is not much loved but people hypothesise this is because the only episode we have involves the Doctor, Jamie and Zoe stuck in part of a disintegrated space station for the whole episode. So let's have another and I've picked one that features the character Dom Issigri because no one seems to know what he looks like.
13. The Power of the Daleks episode 4 - for no other reason that it would be nice to have a later episode of this, after the Doctor has ceased to be quite such a stranger to everyone, and episode 4 of 6 seems as good a place as any to stick the pin.
14 & 15. Marco Polo episode 7 and The Smugglers episode 4 for the aforementioned fight scenes.
16 & 17. The Daleks' Masterplan episodes 4 and 12 for the deaths of Katarina and Sara respectively.
also it felt like spring outside (again)
Apr. 13th, 2026 11:47 pmtsuki_no_barathe car update is that it was the battery. >.< the guy from the garage who's been working on it this whole time actually came over - i'm around the corner, it's not far - used pliers to get a better grip on the little emergency key that comes with the clicker, got the door open (yay), and popped the hood. where he hooked something up to the battery to learn... it was dead. he charged it enough for me to drive the car over and called towards the end of the day to say the battery - which wasn't even that old - was defective and he put in a new one. so i went back to pick up my car and drive it home. there's still an issue - every time you open the driver's side door you get an alert that the car isn't in park even tho it is - this alert is accompanied by the kind of binging noise the car makes when it wants you to fasten your seatbelt and it is exceptionally annoying - but i'm tired of leaving my car at the garage so i can be told "we don't know what's wrong with it and no it won't be ready by the weekend" so i'll just bring it back some time in the near future. and in any case i have it back and it works and i'm relieved.
that's all the news that's local. :D in exciting international news the good voters of hungary voted authoritarian viktor orban out after sixteen years (and i somehow doubt he was helped by jd vance showing up to stump for him). it was the highest voter turnout since 1989.
watch the artemis ii splashdown if like me you missed it the first time. space travel and return will never not be fabulously cool.
You saved me, you should remember me.
The spring of the year; young men buying tickets for the ferryboats.
Laughter, because the air is full of apple blossoms.
When I woke up, I realized I was capable of the same feeling.
I remember sounds like that from my childhood,
laughter for no cause, simply because the world is beautiful,
something like that.
Lugano. Tables under the apple trees.
Deckhands raising and lowering the colored flags.
And by the lake’s edge, a young man throws his hat into the water;
perhaps his sweetheart has accepted him.
Crucial
sounds or gestures like
a track laid down before the larger themes
and then unused, buried.
Islands in the distance. My mother
holding out a plate of little cakes—
as far as I remember, changed
in no detail, the moment
vivid, intact, having never been
exposed to light, so that I woke elated, at my age
hungry for life, utterly confident—
By the tables, patches of new grass, the pale green
pieced into the dark existing ground.
Surely spring has been returned to me, this time
not as a lover but a messenger of death, yet
it is still spring, it is still meant tenderly.
--"Vita Nova", Louise Glück
that's all the news that's local. :D in exciting international news the good voters of hungary voted authoritarian viktor orban out after sixteen years (and i somehow doubt he was helped by jd vance showing up to stump for him). it was the highest voter turnout since 1989.
watch the artemis ii splashdown if like me you missed it the first time. space travel and return will never not be fabulously cool.
You saved me, you should remember me.
The spring of the year; young men buying tickets for the ferryboats.
Laughter, because the air is full of apple blossoms.
When I woke up, I realized I was capable of the same feeling.
I remember sounds like that from my childhood,
laughter for no cause, simply because the world is beautiful,
something like that.
Lugano. Tables under the apple trees.
Deckhands raising and lowering the colored flags.
And by the lake’s edge, a young man throws his hat into the water;
perhaps his sweetheart has accepted him.
Crucial
sounds or gestures like
a track laid down before the larger themes
and then unused, buried.
Islands in the distance. My mother
holding out a plate of little cakes—
as far as I remember, changed
in no detail, the moment
vivid, intact, having never been
exposed to light, so that I woke elated, at my age
hungry for life, utterly confident—
By the tables, patches of new grass, the pale green
pieced into the dark existing ground.
Surely spring has been returned to me, this time
not as a lover but a messenger of death, yet
it is still spring, it is still meant tenderly.
--"Vita Nova", Louise Glück
Strength within Sorrow: minoanmiss’s Online Memorial
Apr. 13th, 2026 01:47 pmjesse_the_kI attended minoanmiss’s online memorial yesterday afternoon. It was strengthening to share our sorrow. Witnessing the depth of our online connections bolstered my resilience. The children she co-raised loved her and knew her. I’ll link to the recording when it’s public.
One mourner has worked in public health for 40 years, and made it very clear that
- minoanmiss had asymptomatic COVID which caused her death
- that wasn’t documented in the hospital record and there’s almost zero chance to change that
- many people are still dying due to COVID, which is systematically not being reported
- continuing to mask is a fundamental contribution we can make to the health of our communities
There were lovely stories and slides and recipes — a poem and a song in the cut.
Weekend notes
Apr. 13th, 2026 11:07 ammarinarusalkaIn a fit of optimism, The Boy and I planted some cherry tomato seedlings behind our condo. Neither one of us has any knowledge or experience of vegetable gardening, so we're going by random internet advice and hoping that the San Diego climate will make up for our inadequacies.
Saturday morning, we went hiking in Torrey Pines, which has been reopened again after being closed all winter "to improve the trails." If there was any actual improvement, we didn't see it, but it was still an excellent hike, with lots of great wildlife views, including a Gray Whale hanging out unusually close to shore. We also spotted three brush rabbits at different spots along the trail, and a flock of migrating lazuli buntings.
( all photos courtesy of The Boy )
Saturday morning, we went hiking in Torrey Pines, which has been reopened again after being closed all winter "to improve the trails." If there was any actual improvement, we didn't see it, but it was still an excellent hike, with lots of great wildlife views, including a Gray Whale hanging out unusually close to shore. We also spotted three brush rabbits at different spots along the trail, and a flock of migrating lazuli buntings.
( all photos courtesy of The Boy )
The Jewish War: Last half of book 5
Apr. 12th, 2026 08:32 pmcahnLast week: Titus saving the day single-handedly as a millenium-old trope. The synoptic gospels foreshadowing these events, and discussion of the abomination of desolation. The Yom Kippur service description of the priest in his vestments. How much Titus might have intended the destruction of Jerusalem, and when, and how much that question may be different from how Josephus feels like he needs to justify it? A mention of R. Yochanan ben Zakkai, which all of you should definitely tell me more about :D
This week: Jerusalem is under siege. It's quite awful for those under siege, what with famine inside the city and getting crucified by Romans if they try to escape. Titus and Josephus continue to be blameless and awesome.
Next week: First half of Book 6, to be determined? :)
This week: Jerusalem is under siege. It's quite awful for those under siege, what with famine inside the city and getting crucified by Romans if they try to escape. Titus and Josephus continue to be blameless and awesome.
Next week: First half of Book 6, to be determined? :)
spicy white has a brother
Apr. 12th, 2026 11:53 pmtsuki_no_baraso i picked up my car (finally) on friday, right? and saturday i'm all ready to take myself to one of my favorite coffee places for a nice bagel sandwich and some time spent on the story i'm working on for writing group and... i can't get the car door open. for whatever reason the garage needed a second clicker (it's a keyless entry) when they reprogrammed the computer so i have two new clickers and neither works. and i know it's not the clicker batteries. there's a little emergency key in the clicker and that doesn't work either. i'm standing in the parking lot next to my car that sat in a garage for a god damn month and cost me a lot of money to fix and i can't get into it which means i can't drive it. (and also means it wasn't entirely fixed either.) and i need to be able to go places - not just the coffee place which would've been nice but wasn't necessary but i also volunteered in the kitchen for the last bonspiel of the season (so i have to be able to drive half an hour to get to the curling club) and last night i met my sister for dinner and a movie twenty minutes in the other direction. i briefly consider calling aaa and getting them to break me into my car but what if i can't get the door open after i'm done at the curling club? i don't want to have to call them to get me into my car every single time i need to go somewhere. for one thing, it takes an hour for them to get to me and i don't have that kind of time.
so i end up with a rental. for the nth time. tomorrow i get to call the garage and tell them what's up and ask them how they're going to fix it. yay.
so that was my morning and part of the afternoon. kitchen volunteering duty was fine - i washed and dried a lot of dishes and also helped assemble charcuterie plates and prepped chicken for cooking (rinsed, trimmed, patted dry, tossed with seasoning, stuck in the fridge). one of the other volunteers made brownies and the whole kitchen smelled so strongly of brownie that people could smell it out in the main room where they were sitting around snacking and drinking and watching whoever was curling. several people stuck their heads into the kitchen with varying degrees of "do i smell brownies?" why yes, yes you do. :D
the movie was you, me, & tuscany which is a romcom with absolutely zero surprises but a really attractive setting. i mean, tuscany. also regé-jean page with his shirt off. there's a point in the movie where a conflict appears and practically the entire audience went "GASP!" and then we all laughed at ourselves because it was such a loud collective response. the movie was more rom than com - i mean, it wasn't that funny altho it definitely wasn't a drama either - and was overall very light and fluffy and reminded me of while you were sleeping except in tuscany during the summer instead of chicago in the winter.
and today i walked to the grocery store because did i mention i can't get into my car? and did my taxes! ooh. i owed the fed and got a refund from the state and it even almost balanced out. mostly it's done and i don't have to worry until next year. and i didn't wait until the last minute, go me.
two things i must share about the artemis ii crew:
victor glover's message to his wife - it's extremely sweet - and an introduction to the crew as if they were the stars of a "bad 80s sitcom".
Maybe it ruins the story to say at the start that no one was hurt
the day Scotty Forester swung open the door of the family car,
climbed up, put one hand on the wheel and, then, while pushing
and pulling on buttons and knobs, he found and released
the brake, and it started, the silver-blue Mercury, to roll
down Robin Street, best street in the neighborhood for sledding,
for coasting on a bike with arms waving above your head,
Scotty gaining speed on the long sweep of that block, heading
toward the intersection, then into it, then speeding
through, the car beginning to slow as the street leveled out,
although, toward the end, Scotty going fast enough
to jump the curb before stopping, three feet from a gas pump.
Maybe knowing the ending ruins this story, but sometimes
we need a break from dread. We need to know that the car
did not crash, the child did not die. We need to briefly forget
that we live in a world where a car is gaining speed, and
no one seems to be at the wheel. We need to be more
like the dog Scotty drives past, who barks, and runs in circles
as he barks some more, driven by some circuitry we have lost
for loving this dangerous life, living it.
--"Mercury", Suzanne Cleary
so i end up with a rental. for the nth time. tomorrow i get to call the garage and tell them what's up and ask them how they're going to fix it. yay.
so that was my morning and part of the afternoon. kitchen volunteering duty was fine - i washed and dried a lot of dishes and also helped assemble charcuterie plates and prepped chicken for cooking (rinsed, trimmed, patted dry, tossed with seasoning, stuck in the fridge). one of the other volunteers made brownies and the whole kitchen smelled so strongly of brownie that people could smell it out in the main room where they were sitting around snacking and drinking and watching whoever was curling. several people stuck their heads into the kitchen with varying degrees of "do i smell brownies?" why yes, yes you do. :D
the movie was you, me, & tuscany which is a romcom with absolutely zero surprises but a really attractive setting. i mean, tuscany. also regé-jean page with his shirt off. there's a point in the movie where a conflict appears and practically the entire audience went "GASP!" and then we all laughed at ourselves because it was such a loud collective response. the movie was more rom than com - i mean, it wasn't that funny altho it definitely wasn't a drama either - and was overall very light and fluffy and reminded me of while you were sleeping except in tuscany during the summer instead of chicago in the winter.
and today i walked to the grocery store because did i mention i can't get into my car? and did my taxes! ooh. i owed the fed and got a refund from the state and it even almost balanced out. mostly it's done and i don't have to worry until next year. and i didn't wait until the last minute, go me.
two things i must share about the artemis ii crew:
victor glover's message to his wife - it's extremely sweet - and an introduction to the crew as if they were the stars of a "bad 80s sitcom".
Maybe it ruins the story to say at the start that no one was hurt
the day Scotty Forester swung open the door of the family car,
climbed up, put one hand on the wheel and, then, while pushing
and pulling on buttons and knobs, he found and released
the brake, and it started, the silver-blue Mercury, to roll
down Robin Street, best street in the neighborhood for sledding,
for coasting on a bike with arms waving above your head,
Scotty gaining speed on the long sweep of that block, heading
toward the intersection, then into it, then speeding
through, the car beginning to slow as the street leveled out,
although, toward the end, Scotty going fast enough
to jump the curb before stopping, three feet from a gas pump.
Maybe knowing the ending ruins this story, but sometimes
we need a break from dread. We need to know that the car
did not crash, the child did not die. We need to briefly forget
that we live in a world where a car is gaining speed, and
no one seems to be at the wheel. We need to be more
like the dog Scotty drives past, who barks, and runs in circles
as he barks some more, driven by some circuitry we have lost
for loving this dangerous life, living it.
--"Mercury", Suzanne Cleary
Riches
Apr. 13th, 2026 03:09 pmmificSo I'm into hockey fics now, and just realised there's a treasure trove of Helenish hockey rpf to be read. HR has taught me the basics of the hockey world, which makes the rpf easier to get into even if I don't really know the players. And I'll follow Helenish pretty much everywhere.
Two recs for now, Leon Draisaitl/Connor McDavid. Both locked to AO3.
Obligations. A long, slow burn story in an alpha/beta/omega-verse, and Helenish's worldbuilding within that is extraordinary, just as good as the way 'Take Clothes Off As Directed' deepened BDSM-verse. They're teammates on the Oilers, interacting with a mass of assumptions, miscommunication, hopeless denial, and obliviousness, so most of the fic is pining and unspoken longing badly hidden behind defences. They get there in the end, despite knowing how bad it'll be with the Press and twitter and their coaches and agents (the reactions of others plus their own idiocy replace RL homophobia as barriers), and there's finally some gorgeous hot as hell sex to enjoy after being edged for the rest of the story. It's from Leon's pov, and ends with a quiet paean to the hockey life. (17,681)
Silver Lining Playbook. Connor's pov, set at and after the recent Olympics. Non-linear plot, starting with them hooking up angrily and fake-casually, and only later we learn they used to be together then broke up due to the usual miscommunication and stubbornness. The ending's hopeful rather than resolved, and Connor's characterisation is excellent. Where the fic above was all repressed feelings and eventual fucking, this one's all fucking until eventually they talk about feelings. Very nice. (7212)
Two recs for now, Leon Draisaitl/Connor McDavid. Both locked to AO3.
Obligations. A long, slow burn story in an alpha/beta/omega-verse, and Helenish's worldbuilding within that is extraordinary, just as good as the way 'Take Clothes Off As Directed' deepened BDSM-verse. They're teammates on the Oilers, interacting with a mass of assumptions, miscommunication, hopeless denial, and obliviousness, so most of the fic is pining and unspoken longing badly hidden behind defences. They get there in the end, despite knowing how bad it'll be with the Press and twitter and their coaches and agents (the reactions of others plus their own idiocy replace RL homophobia as barriers), and there's finally some gorgeous hot as hell sex to enjoy after being edged for the rest of the story. It's from Leon's pov, and ends with a quiet paean to the hockey life. (17,681)
Silver Lining Playbook. Connor's pov, set at and after the recent Olympics. Non-linear plot, starting with them hooking up angrily and fake-casually, and only later we learn they used to be together then broke up due to the usual miscommunication and stubbornness. The ending's hopeful rather than resolved, and Connor's characterisation is excellent. Where the fic above was all repressed feelings and eventual fucking, this one's all fucking until eventually they talk about feelings. Very nice. (7212)
Media Roundup: Mini Update on Reading Goals
Apr. 12th, 2026 11:06 amforestofgloryBack in January I said I was going to make “comfort” my media theme for the first quarter of the year and then think about if I wanted to change. The first quarter of 2026 has been over for a bit. I’ve been having an amazing reading year so far! Other media not so much – I’ve been watching things only with other people, but that’s fine. Honestly I’ve not been thinking about my media theme much. So I guess it's going fine? I don’t see any need to change it anyways.
But now that I am thinking about my theme I kinda want to watch another crossdressing girl drama – those are so fun and comforting.
And now for some thoughts on recent media. It’s been a bit because I was busy and sick – but I’m doing better now.
NewsPrints by Ru Xu —Sometimes I read a thing that it seems like I should be really into and I'm just like "This is nice" That's how I feel about this book. It's got a crossdressing girl, cool diesel punk tech, found family! I'm not sure why I don't love it. (I started reading the squeal but it was somewhat darker and I didn’t really want to deal with that.)
Justice Society of America vol 1 and 2 by Geoff Johns, Mikel Janín et al. —I ended up reading this for convoluted reasons: I read Stargirl and the Lost Children because it had an appearance by a minor character that I was curious about, and then I wanted to know what happened next, which is told here. I would have liked even more lost children. But really the problem with this is that its too much story for the space, everything happens very fast and there is not enough time to get to know the characters. Probably I’m expected to come in already knowing and caring about some of them, but since I didn’t it really just felt like no one got much space to be interesting.
I Shall Never Fall in Love by Hari Conner—This queer regency romance is billed as “inspired by Jane Austen and queer history” but you could just as easily call it “a queer retelling of Emma”. I enjoyed it! I love how expressive the faces are. Also I really appreciated the facts and references in the back. And It’s super cool that all of the clothing is based on existing surviving garments or historical fashion plates!
The Unbeatable Squirrel Girlvol 1-2 by Ryan North, Erica Henderson, et al— this continues to be very fun! Featuring such delights as dinosaurs and a zine issues!
Nezha (2019)— I watched this Chinese animated movie with my group watch discord. So I generally I write up notes on each item for these posts a day or two after finishing it so it will be fresh in my mind (Then I wait until I have several things so I can post them all together) But this time I had to run off after watching Nezha and now its been a week so I don’t remember this as well as I’d like. It was fun though.
Content Note traumatic childbirth, gross bodily fluids
But now that I am thinking about my theme I kinda want to watch another crossdressing girl drama – those are so fun and comforting.
And now for some thoughts on recent media. It’s been a bit because I was busy and sick – but I’m doing better now.
NewsPrints by Ru Xu —Sometimes I read a thing that it seems like I should be really into and I'm just like "This is nice" That's how I feel about this book. It's got a crossdressing girl, cool diesel punk tech, found family! I'm not sure why I don't love it. (I started reading the squeal but it was somewhat darker and I didn’t really want to deal with that.)
Justice Society of America vol 1 and 2 by Geoff Johns, Mikel Janín et al. —I ended up reading this for convoluted reasons: I read Stargirl and the Lost Children because it had an appearance by a minor character that I was curious about, and then I wanted to know what happened next, which is told here. I would have liked even more lost children. But really the problem with this is that its too much story for the space, everything happens very fast and there is not enough time to get to know the characters. Probably I’m expected to come in already knowing and caring about some of them, but since I didn’t it really just felt like no one got much space to be interesting.
I Shall Never Fall in Love by Hari Conner—This queer regency romance is billed as “inspired by Jane Austen and queer history” but you could just as easily call it “a queer retelling of Emma”. I enjoyed it! I love how expressive the faces are. Also I really appreciated the facts and references in the back. And It’s super cool that all of the clothing is based on existing surviving garments or historical fashion plates!
The Unbeatable Squirrel Girlvol 1-2 by Ryan North, Erica Henderson, et al— this continues to be very fun! Featuring such delights as dinosaurs and a zine issues!
Nezha (2019)— I watched this Chinese animated movie with my group watch discord. So I generally I write up notes on each item for these posts a day or two after finishing it so it will be fresh in my mind (Then I wait until I have several things so I can post them all together) But this time I had to run off after watching Nezha and now its been a week so I don’t remember this as well as I’d like. It was fun though.
Content Note traumatic childbirth, gross bodily fluids