jennlk | Network

I’m about a quarter of the way into Margareta Magnusson’s The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning, which I recall getting a fair amount of attention back when it was published in 2018. It’s less immediately rigorous than Marie Kondo’s The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, which I’ve also read, but in some ways more immediately helpful because Magnusson’s book directly addresses those of us with a propensity to hang onto things until inertia makes them permanent fixtures. I’m not planning on dying anytime soon (then again, most people who die aren’t planning on it), but I am moving house in the not too distant future, and no way am I taking all of this with me. So.

Someone pointed me to Caroline Shea’s essay “A Candle Burning: Nation and the Agency of Nature in Fantasy” this week, which ties into both my enjoyment of genre fiction (I’ve read all of the books Shea discusses except for Lud-in-the-Mist, which is on my to-read list) and my engagement with the more-than-human world. (It’s a source of ongoing disquiet to me that I’ve yet to find a satisfactory term for the latter, but people in my extended community of nature nerds use that one a lot; it’ll do for now.) What Shea says here about the agency of nature is very much in line with a perspective I find myself aligning to when tracking. To track successfully, you must grant agency to the beings you’re tracking. And if you grant it to them, why not to the rest of nature, too?

I like radio. This is because I’m old. I’m also aware that there are parts of my own country where the only radio stations you can pick up are terrifying right-wing “news” channels and Christian radio (nothing against it, but why is so much of the music so insipid? I digress), and admittedly I mostly listen to KEXP on streaming because the southern reach of their broadcast radius runs out somewhere around Federal Way. That said, I love Radio Garden, which allows you to stream radio stations all over the world. Pick a favorite (one of mine is WOZQ, the Smith College radio station I myself DJed for in the 90s), choose a geographic region, or just cruise at random. It’s the kind of labor-of-love project that seems harder to find in the increasingly monetized, algorithmized, and enshittified Internet, and I hope it doesn’t go away.

Sigh. This administration, man.

I’m a big fan of History Buffs, which scratches the same itch as blogs cataloging the errors of ostensibly historical movies did back in the day. It’s especially rewarding when he recognizes the work that went into something like Master and Commander; that’s actually how I first came across the channel, while doing some research on the kinds of warships from the era in which the story is set. But I have to admit that his takes on movies that get it wrong are hilarious; he did not, for instance, care for Elizabeth.

Current Mood: nerdy

rolanni

So! I found somebody to install the dishwasher when it arrives (actually, the day after it arrives). I had thought that part was going to be the most difficult, after the whole banking mess, but -- a pleasant surprise.

The tech from Andersen who was supposed to be here by 12 and then by 1:30 has yet to arrive. He did call when he realized he was running late, so I was able to have lunch.

The laundry is almost finished, and Firefly is sleeping in the comfy chair in my office. Tali and Rook came out to shark at lunchtime, but I think they've gone back to Steve's office.

On the Writing Side of Things, my plan is to finish getting The Fey Duology ready to rock 'n roll, catch myself up on the Liaden Read Along commentary, and read the Jethri books as a lump.

The last is in service of ensuring that This Idea I Had to finish up that sub-series will actually square with what's already canon.

This means, yes, I'll be -- adjusting -- the order of my complete reread of the Liaden books, but needs must, and at least I'll still be reading in-Universe.
#
On Facebook, someone commented that I had clearly always been a cat, which gave rise to this memory:

You may be on to something. The first time Steve and I went together into a neighborhood strange to both of us, we had barely gotten out of the car when two cats came charging down the street, tails high, ran right up to Steve and started slamming themselves against his knees. He knelt down, administered ear scrubbles, then kinda looked up at me, half-smiling (I might have been staring), and said, "Yeah. Cats like me."
#
So, today didn't quite work out like I expected, but! Tomorrow's decks are clear, so I can hop right into The Fey Duology.

Everybody have a good evening. I'll check in tomorrow.

oursin

Reform UK will tell Welsh museums how to present history, manifesto says - and I am getting out a whole school of, er, perhaps not codfish, something more sustainable and perhaps with nasty spines, for Reform UK, who prate on

Reform leader Dan Thomas told BBC Wales there were "some museums that take a very niche view on our past that may talk about slavery, without the whole picture of the fact that the British empire was the first to abolish slavery, and that other countries have done it for, you know, millennia".

I am pretty sure that back in the early C19th the ancestors, whether actual or in general leanings, of Reform UK, would have been screaming loudly at the very thought of abolishing slavery and denouncing Wilberforce as WOKE. But now they are able to claim abolition as Great Achievement of the British Nation.

***

I do wonder whether fellow Esperantists actually read these, it sounds niche to the point of eccentricity, not that that was exactly uncommon in those circles: Why Was the Discovery of the Jet Stream Mostly Ignored? Maybe because it was published in Esperanto:

The somewhat eccentric Ooishi was not only the director of Japan’s Tateno atmospheric observatory but also the head of the Japan Esperanto Society, proponents of the artificially constructed language, created in the 1870s as a means of international communication. Ooishi announced his discovery of the swift, high-altitude river of air in the Tateno observatory’s annual reports, which he published in Esperanto. Not surprisingly, his research was ignored[.}

On the other hand, would they have gained much traction beyond Japan anyway - observatory annual reports hardly usual scientific journals mode of dissemination.

***

Urban life: The LCC and the Arts I: The Open-Air Sculpture Exhibitions - do wonder if there is a slightly condescension of posterity going on in the assumption of 'the elite aesthetics and values of its ‘natural’ middle-class constituency'.

At least two of the cities where Waymo operates have not experienced declines in traffic-related injuries and deaths.

The Disappearance of the Public Bench

***

Tourist finds rare chunk of oldest sea crocodile - actually turns out she was an amateur fossil hunter on a guided walk along the Lyme Regis shore, although she had no idea just how rare a find she'd made (She Was No Mary Anning...)

***

I like this: The Destructive Myth of “Getting Outside Your Comfort Zone”.

dreamshark

I'm in spring cleaning mode, starting by doing a Deep Vacuum of the room I call my jewelry room (although in some ways it's more of a very large walk-in closet). I moved things around and vacuumed up years worth of dust from behind the furniture, which brought me face to face with several large storage containers full of way more beads and jewelry fittings than I could ever use. I don't want to get rid of everything, but I'm sorting a lot of it into little ziplock bags that I hope to donate to ArtStart.

But that brings me to the piles and piles of jewelry that I just don't wear any more. Nothing valuable, but mostly quality materials: glass, stone, ceramic and the like. This kind of thing (just a random sample). What do I do with it? I put out some of the heavier pieces of glass and stone at a Minnstf meeting last year and a lot of people did take them. I can do that again if anyone might be interested.

But what I'm really looking for is a recommendation for a thrift shop of the type that displays nice costume jewelry in a case at the front rather than just tossing it all onto a shelf to get tangled up. I probably got some of these pieces at that kind of shop in the first place, but I don't remember where.

Anybody have any ideas?

prisca posting in

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rolanni

Friday. Sunny and cool.

Finished yesterday with a phone call from the Investigator from the finance company, who only wanted to tell me what I've been told eight times before, that they did not submit the check twice and the error was on the bank's side. I told her to call the bank, but no, investigators can't call banks to find out WTF. Nor can banks call investigators. I was a moderate wreck by the time we finished up, and spent the evening reading until I stopped shaking. I finished When the Wolves are Silent around 11 pm.

I did have a pleasant dream where I was grocery shopping with Steve, so there was that.

Woke up this morning, called the bank and went through five levels of experts until the fifth said, "Jeez, I don't know why we pulled -- oh, wait. Yanno? I bet we weren't sure that said thousand." So, we verified that the needed funds were in the account (yes). I called the finance company, explained that the bank had acted out of an Over-abundance of Caution, verified the amount due, which I carefully BLOCK PRINTED on the check, and God, may She be willing, this is the end of that.

(And, yes, I am aware that we have reached the land of Everybody Make Something Up Until we Hit on Something that Sounds Plausible and Doesn't Lose Anybody Their Job.)

What else?

Ah. Indeed, Ray cannot install my dishwasher-arriving-on-May-6 for me, so I need to cast about for someone else.

And? There's actually more, but I'll reserve the rest for later, before this becomes too long.

How's Friday treating y'all?
________
* I believe it was Val Con who said that being a Scout was one-quarter being terrified and three-quarters mucking about in the mud? The same can be said of being a writer.
#
Oh, hey, here's more:

Back when I first met Steve, I operated on the principle that people -- all people -- were out to get me, and that I could trust no one. Which makes the entry of Steve into my life even more extraordinary, but -- that aside.

I hate that we -- or at least I -- have returned to a place where I must suspect everything of being a scam.

This takes a toll on your soul, and I hate it. I especially hate it because for much of my life, after Steve convinced me that sometimes, people will actually be kind and helpful because there are kind and helpful people in the world, I very much benefited from the kindness of strangers.

And now? Everyone has to be Scrutinized and Weighed and the walls must be fortified. Not just the normal stuff of "You're Old and Now You're Prey" that's always been out there, but the unrelenting barrage of people trying to steal from you, frighten you, and trick you is approaching lethal. And now, there are AIs added to the arsenal of the scammers.

In this brave new world...

dewline

So this looks like fun. And the history of how it got to the theatres makes the trailer more delicious, yes?

Of course, the timing is even more Problematic now, right?

Current Mood: nerdy

madfilkentist posting in

girlgenius_lair

Zoing has something to say, but what?

lovelyangel

Quite unusual... I haven’t posted for 10 days – and in the not-quite-24 years this blog has been in existence, I’ve averaged more than one blog post a day.

In conjunction, I haven’t taken any photos, either, so there aren’t any photography posts. Mainly, I’ve had my head down, working on sorting and organizing stuff in the garage – and also tending to issues in the rest of the house. There have been some setbacks, and I’m not sure I’ll hit my target goal of having the house fully operational by the end of the month. Seems like every day I get sidetracked onto something else to fix.

We’ve had some sunny days here in Oregon – ideal for opening the garage door and working in the garage. Rain came back for a couple of days, but the forecast is for sunny (or non-rainy) weather for the next seven days, with high temperatures in the mid-to-upper 60’s °F. Perfect. I am hoping to get Shizu back into the garage next week. She’s been in exile for more than seven months.

Anyway, I’m still here – just very focused on the house. I’ll have a better update at the end of the month – or whenever the final piece falls into place. I really need to get things wrapped up in April, as May is going to be a busy month.

oursin

Involved in proving, for certain life admin purposes, that partner and I are real people who are who we say we are, involving downloading an app, which one then has to validate by entering one's ID and they will send a code by text 'may take a few minutes', they have a very capacious definition of 'few minutes', ahem. Then entering various details, scanning various documents to a satisfactory quality (don't ask, just don't ask, I have done screaming now, thanks), and taking a selfie.

***

Do we even wish to detain ourselves over Michael Billington's ranking of the works of the Bard? I pretty much Dorothy Parkered, as much as one can with a newspaper, when I saw he had not only put Much Ado 20th out of 35, but considers B&B the subplot.

Light the barbecue in the marketplace, I have a heart to eat there!

***

Though it is hardly anywhere near the same class for utter crassness of this - honestly, why are these people? A tourist has been charged after allegedly climbing a colossal marble statue in Florence to touch its genitals for a pre-wedding prank.

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rolanni

Thursday. Rainy and cool.

Today, I believe, is going to include a sizeable chunk of time in the Comfy Chair in my office, with a pen, a pad of paper and various notes. Which is to say -- working, today.

I will be baking a couple of chicken breasts, some of which will be for lunch today, the rest of which will be leftovers.

I have a note from the finance company assuring me that they are On The Case.

In all the Excitement attending the finance company shenanigans the other day, I forget the Biggest! News! Users of electricity have been being promised for months now that our electricity bills Will Be going down next year, and a couple days ago I got a letter from CMP, assuring me that this happy news is true!

In fact, my monthly electric bill will be doing down by!

Four dollars.

Y'all, I can't even buy a bottle of cheap wine for four bucks anymore.

I noted several people remarking on how small alpacas are, and indeed they are much shorter than their cousin, the llama. Breed standard calls for a compact animal, and one of yesterday's companions of the road -- Obadiah -- is considered Too Tall, and for that defect, he will never know the joys of alpaca fatherhood.

All that said -- I'm no longer six foot tall, but I'm still way taller than the so-called "average" American woman at five-foot-three-anna-half feet. Cory, who is closer to the average, but not what I would call short, had to reach UP to fasten Zander's lead, and had to Speak Sternly to Obie, when he casually lifted his head, putting his nose beyond her reach, when she was trying to fasten the lead.

So -- alpacas are compact, yes -- but they're not small. I would not, for instance, have wanted Zander to step on my foot.

Oh! And another question -- this regarding the cat balls -- Do the cats like them? Yes! In fact, these are the culmination of Quest to replace the two (similar) cat balls that he carried around with him and brought to me to throw for him, and, indeed, brought to his grandpa Trooper, to show him what a ball was. The original balls are doubtless in a safe place, because they are Treasure, but Rookie doesn't really get the springs, though he'll compete with Tali, because -- Competition R Rook -- and none of the other balls in the house are quite so perfect as those which have been banked.

So! All questions now being answered: What're your plans for the day?

oursin

Happy birthday,

damnmagpie!

leecetheartist

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Current Mood: enthralled

rolanni

So that was a full day.

First up -- tour of the alpacas en masse. The last time I was at Northern Solstice Alpaca Farm, it was with Steve, who may have been trying to keep me amused post-mastectomy. The star stud at that point was Space Cowboy, who you will of course understand was of immediate interest to Steve. I'm sorry to have to report that Cowboy has since joined the Great Alpaca Herd in the Clouds. Alpacas in the US rarely live past +/- 12 years and Cowboy was 20. There are a couple of other elders at Northern Solstice Alpaca Farm; one young lady is rising 18 and two more are 17.

Alpacas do not like to be petted, though either Zander, my guide, didn't get that memo, or pressing up against your walking partner, (when initiated by Zander), is OK. My purple hoodie, so Rook informs me, smells really interesting. As do my hiking boots.

Alpacas also do not like dogs. I'm told that the Number One Alpaca Predator is the domestic dog. At one point in our walk, Zander suddenly went on high alert, very deliberately bumped into me, and went still.

Turns out that a portion of the Hill-to-Sea Trail runs along the edge of the farm, and there were hikers on the trail, with their dog. Which was leashed. Zander and I waited a couple minutes in Complete Stillness, before I thought to tell him, very quietly, that dogs listen to me, that I don't know why dogs listen to me, but they do -- and that I had this for him. I pulled gently on the lead (as per instructions for If The Alpaca Stops), and we continued our stroll.

I also found out that, aside shearing, alpacas are not groomed, because grooming destroys the virtue of their wool. In fact, if a show alpaca arrives in the ring well-groomed and not dusted with hay, the judges take points off. The exact opposite of a cat show.

After our walk and another perambulation around the meadow, so that I could be properly introduced to everyone, I went on my way, deciding to stop at Augusta, which has two pet stores, and (unfortunately not, but so I believed when I set out) a TJ Maxx. At PetSmart I found Whisker City "It Drives Me Wild" soft fluffy balls -- three on a card (pic below). These are crinkly, which the two that are somewhere in this house are not, but Rookie wishes me to let you know that they are Entirely Acceptable. I detached one from the card and threw it for him, and while he initially darted off with it down to Steve's office, he soon brought it back to me so I could throw it again. We did this for, eh, six times, then he took it some where else.

After I found that TJ Maxx was gone, I went The Senator for my midday meal -- crab cakes, rice, and broccoli -- stopped at the Cony Street Hannaford for a minor grocery shop, and came home to find a call from the appliance store, letting me know that, nope, no dishwasher delivery next week, but the week after.

I don't think that's going to work out for Ray, who has another, more pressing, appointment coming up, but I'll give him a call and see if he can recommend someone else.

And I think that's all the news.

How's everybody doing today?

Photo album here

Today's blog post title comes with apologies to the Bangles, "Walk Like an Egyptian"

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oursin

What I read

Finished The Tortoiseshell Cat, which was Royde-Smith's first novel, and rambles around a bit before it gets going, and the protag is really somewhat unbelievably naive about the world and its ways, but it's still pretty good and readable. Okay, there is character who turns out to be a Predatory Lesbian with a backstory of relationships with other women with masculinised names, and it got namechecked by Lilian Faderman for being bad representation of the period (1920s) but there is a certain ambivalence (VV is awful but is the sapphic desire itself bad? Gill seems to feel a certain reciprocity.). And there is a certain amount of evidence that Royde-Smith had leanings at least, and did write another novel with v sympathetic lesbian lead. Anyway, quite aside from Here Is A 1920s LGBTQ Pioneer Who Is Not Radclyffe, would read more of her if it was only available.

Some while ago picked up Le Guin's The Books of Earthsea omnibus as a Kobo deal and while I think I have all except maybe some short stories on my shelves or somewhere, it's handy to have them all together with Ursula's commentaries. Made my way through the initial trilogy, found the narrative style rather reminded me of the various myths and legends recounted in works of my youth (and probably hers too). I do wish, see earlier post, she had had some contact with Mitchison's works but I don't know if they were even published in N Am.

On the go

Took a break from going straight on to Tehanu to do my re-read of Dorothy Richardson, The Tunnel (Pilgrimage, #4) (1919) - the text I originally downloaded from Project Gutenberg was no longer playing nicely with the ereader but I downloaded the most recent version and it's fine. This is the one that is embedded in bits of London very very familar to moi - even if Euston Station looks quite different these days.

Up next

Probably back to Le Guin and Earthsea.

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purplecat

Reading: The Crawling Terror by Mike Tucker. Twelth Doctor and Clara novel. I've only just started it but its already obvious that it's Giant Bugs in Rural England.

Listening: Just finished an episode of the Machine Ethics Podcast with which I have a somewhat frustrated relationship. It's proved very useful for keeping tabs on the AI Ethics landscape, but there are definitely times I want to shake the interviewer or interviewees, and a couple of times I've just had to nope out entirely because SO MUCH NONSENSE. This was a slightly odd episode, the interviewee had clearly reached out, requesting an interview in order to talk about/promote her biocomputing company. Clearly outside of the interviewer's comfort zone, and hard to know to what extent this was crossing the line from science communication into advertising.

Watching: Three weeks late we realise Have I Got News for You has started up again. It does what it does and we're the target demographic. I laughed a lot at Armando Iannuci's exasperation at people claiming that Winston Churchill was being replaced by a badger.

mrissa

I hope you're not tired of first contact stories, because I've gone and written another one. Apparently this is what's on my mind lately? Anyway here's Waiting for Them in Nature Futures, go, read, enjoy!

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jennlk

April 2026

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Page Summary

rimrunner - Death Cleaning, Nations and Nature in Fantasy, Radio Garden, Flu Vaccines and History Buffs
rolanni - Nope, still a ways to go
oursin - Friday er several, things noted
dreamshark - What do I do?
prisca in fic_promptly - Friday, April 24 - Symbols
rolanni - Are we there yet?
dewline - Coyote vs. Acme: The First Trailer
madfilkentist in girlgenius_lair - Friday's page
lovelyangel - Radio Silence
oursin - Expense of spirit
prisca in fic_promptly - Thursday, April 23 - Free for All
rolanni - Rainy Day and Story Notes
oursin - (no subject)
leecetheartist - Ok Perth folks it's nearly time for some citizen science
rolanni - Walk Like an Alpaca
prisca in fic_promptly - Wednesday, April 22 - Supernatural/Mystery
oursin - Wednesday saw two magpies on the back fence
prisca in fic_promptly - Tuesday, April 21 - Promotion Day Reminder
purplecat - Reading, Listening, Watching
mrissa - Another first contact

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Page generated Apr. 25th, 2026 11:17 am

Some people I know

Network

Death Cleaning, Nations and Nature in Fantasy, Radio Garden, Flu Vaccines and History Buffs

Nope, still a ways to go

Friday er several, things noted

What do I do?

Friday, April 24 - Symbols

Are we there yet?

Coyote vs. Acme: The First Trailer

Friday's page

Radio Silence

Expense of spirit

Thursday, April 23 - Free for All

Rainy Day and Story Notes

(no subject)

Ok Perth folks it's nearly time for some citizen science

Walk Like an Alpaca

Wednesday, April 22 - Supernatural/Mystery

Wednesday saw two magpies on the back fence

Tuesday, April 21 - Promotion Day Reminder

Reading, Listening, Watching

Another first contact

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April 2026

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