Tuesday, February 3rd, 2026 11:45 pm
I just got email from Fig's owner that Fig (who I owned from 2012 to 2017) passed away this evening. Cause unknown. My impression is Fig just didn't wake up.
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I just got email from Fig's owner that Fig (who I owned from 2012 to 2017) passed away this evening. Cause unknown. My impression is Fig just didn't wake up.
Tuesday, February 3rd, 2026 10:12 pm
Read Risk by Dick Francis, a 1977 thriller about an accountant/amateur jockey who wins a major race by sheer accident and is promptly kidnapped; once he escapes, he spends the rest of the book trying to figure out who had him kidnapped - and why - while juggling his regular line of work, riding as a jockey, technically a love triangle?? I guess??, getting kidnapped AGAIN, and having a lot of feelings about tax law. I love characters who are very good at one specific thing/passionate about something seemingly boring/etc. and so I was delighted by the main character, who is the BEST and MOST ETHICAL accountant. He has a tragic backstory for why he's an accountant. An odd, quick, fun read.
In War and Peace, one thing I noticed in the lead-up to the first big battle scene was the way the narrative shifts from exclusively third-person POV to describing the Russian army's position in the first-person possessive: "our right flank", "our infantry", etc. The narrative of the battle itself is less focused on troop movements than individual characters and incidents; orders get waylaid because the adjutant can't be bothered to ride to where there's actual fighting to deliver it, or ignored because the captains of a joint Russian and German unit(?) are too busy grappling for authority between themselves. Nikolai Rostov is surprised to discover that fighting a war actually involves the people on either side trying to kill each other: "Who are they? Why are they running? Can they be coming at me? And why? To kill me? Me whom everyone is so fond of?" (...which, unfortunately for the intended poignancy of the moment, I did 100% read in Miette Voice: you kick Nikolai? You kick Nikolai like the football???)
In War and Peace, one thing I noticed in the lead-up to the first big battle scene was the way the narrative shifts from exclusively third-person POV to describing the Russian army's position in the first-person possessive: "our right flank", "our infantry", etc. The narrative of the battle itself is less focused on troop movements than individual characters and incidents; orders get waylaid because the adjutant can't be bothered to ride to where there's actual fighting to deliver it, or ignored because the captains of a joint Russian and German unit(?) are too busy grappling for authority between themselves. Nikolai Rostov is surprised to discover that fighting a war actually involves the people on either side trying to kill each other: "Who are they? Why are they running? Can they be coming at me? And why? To kill me? Me whom everyone is so fond of?" (...which, unfortunately for the intended poignancy of the moment, I did 100% read in Miette Voice: you kick Nikolai? You kick Nikolai like the football???)
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Tuesday, February 3rd, 2026 04:50 pm
Tuesday, February 3rd, 2026 05:45 pm
If you loved Alternity, here is something that I am asking you to read:
Three of the Alternity writers,![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
naomikritzer, elisem, and myself (we all presently hail from Minneapolis/St. Paul), have written a post on Alternity's fan community, ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
alt_fen about what it's like to spend seven years writing on a daily basis about a fascist dystopia--and then to realize years later that somehow we are actually living through it in real life.
See the post here.
Three of the Alternity writers,
naomikritzer, elisem, and myself (we all presently hail from Minneapolis/St. Paul), have written a post on Alternity's fan community, alt_fen about what it's like to spend seven years writing on a daily basis about a fascist dystopia--and then to realize years later that somehow we are actually living through it in real life.See the post here.
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Tuesday, February 3rd, 2026 05:26 pm
This community has been quiescent for a long time because Alternity is over.
Except that three of the writers who helped conceptualize and write this game are living in Minneapolis and St. Paul, and we need to tell you this:
We are actually living it.
If you ever loved Alternity, we are earnestly asking you, begging you, to read this right now.
( Here are Peg's thoughts )
( Here are Naomi's thoughts )
( Here are Elise's thoughts )
***
If you have made it this far (yes, we know this was long), thanks for listening. We would welcome your comments.
Except that three of the writers who helped conceptualize and write this game are living in Minneapolis and St. Paul, and we need to tell you this:
We are actually living it.
If you ever loved Alternity, we are earnestly asking you, begging you, to read this right now.
( Here are Peg's thoughts )
( Here are Naomi's thoughts )
( Here are Elise's thoughts )
***
If you have made it this far (yes, we know this was long), thanks for listening. We would welcome your comments.
Tuesday, February 3rd, 2026 05:33 pm
I am not in Somalia, I am not in Gaza, I am not in Minneapolis, so mustn't complain. But there are still fretful niggles.
There's been a musty smell in my house for several days now. Something has died somewhere. Probably a mouse, because trust me, rats smell worse. Went down to the basement to do a wash and found no corpuses so must be in a vent somewhere. If I didn't have a super nose I probably wouldn't even notice it but I do and it bothers me. It will disappear eventually and meanwhile I've broken out my stash of incense.
My garbage hasn't been put out this year and is beginning to pile up. I never do have much garbage and once a month usually does me, but I think we're at seven weeks now. But my garbage bin is under two feet of snow. No matter. I have those pricey tags you can put on extra bags so the garbage guys will take them. They're on the kitchen table. Only they aren't. They're not to be found anywhere in the kitchen. No doubt I put them in the proverbial Safe Place and will never find them again until I buy new ones, available only at Shoppers where I will not be going any time soon. So fine. Put on boots, take shovel, and remove snow so I can heave my bin from its snowy bed. Of course there's no place to put it afterwards so it's lying on its side, half on the path. Must put garbage out tomorrow afternoon because there's not enough space for the walker on the path.
Since my lenses have been on backorder for six weeks now, with occasional updates saying Still on backorder should come in soon!, yesterday morning I ordered another box of 30 from the pricey but reliable company. And I mean pricey: for what a month's supply cost me I could have got a new bar fridge. So of course yesterday afternoon, comes the email from company 1 saying Your order has shipped. Well, great. I am well-supplied with lenses now. Only, this morning company 2 tells me their lenses are on backorder too. I wish there was a way to cancel that order only I'm not seeing it. But at least I'm supplied until September.
Going downstairs in the morning means going back to weighing myself every morning. To console me for everything else, I dropped another half pound yesterday, to a weight not seen since 2022. Yay water and bike machines!
There's been a musty smell in my house for several days now. Something has died somewhere. Probably a mouse, because trust me, rats smell worse. Went down to the basement to do a wash and found no corpuses so must be in a vent somewhere. If I didn't have a super nose I probably wouldn't even notice it but I do and it bothers me. It will disappear eventually and meanwhile I've broken out my stash of incense.
My garbage hasn't been put out this year and is beginning to pile up. I never do have much garbage and once a month usually does me, but I think we're at seven weeks now. But my garbage bin is under two feet of snow. No matter. I have those pricey tags you can put on extra bags so the garbage guys will take them. They're on the kitchen table. Only they aren't. They're not to be found anywhere in the kitchen. No doubt I put them in the proverbial Safe Place and will never find them again until I buy new ones, available only at Shoppers where I will not be going any time soon. So fine. Put on boots, take shovel, and remove snow so I can heave my bin from its snowy bed. Of course there's no place to put it afterwards so it's lying on its side, half on the path. Must put garbage out tomorrow afternoon because there's not enough space for the walker on the path.
Since my lenses have been on backorder for six weeks now, with occasional updates saying Still on backorder should come in soon!, yesterday morning I ordered another box of 30 from the pricey but reliable company. And I mean pricey: for what a month's supply cost me I could have got a new bar fridge. So of course yesterday afternoon, comes the email from company 1 saying Your order has shipped. Well, great. I am well-supplied with lenses now. Only, this morning company 2 tells me their lenses are on backorder too. I wish there was a way to cancel that order only I'm not seeing it. But at least I'm supplied until September.
Going downstairs in the morning means going back to weighing myself every morning. To console me for everything else, I dropped another half pound yesterday, to a weight not seen since 2022. Yay water and bike machines!
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Tuesday, February 3rd, 2026 11:03 pm
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Tuesday, February 3rd, 2026 09:47 pm
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Tuesday, February 3rd, 2026 12:52 pm
Tuesday, February 3rd, 2026 02:49 pm
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Tuesday, February 3rd, 2026 08:03 pm
So yesterday I had further converse with another person apropos giving a talk as part of a series of events in connection with an exhibition of archives at a local record office some months hence and they sound keen, and it is something I can do, and have a fair amount of material including visual stuff already. Plus, besides expenses, there will also be a modest honorarium - they actually asked what do I usually get paid - errrr.
So there's that.
And the long review essay is finally in production and while I had some rather confusing emails about this yesterday I think this is down to Academic Journals Having Really Confusing Systems, it is indeed going ahead, and I was obliged to compose a short biographical note, both to reflect current institutional state and also be pertinent to topics addressed in review (my last bio note leaned rather heavily on my relationship with Sid).
And I am beginning to get to grips with article for review, though slightly fearing I may be Interrogating From the Wrong Perspective (journal is Not My Disciplinary Field, though article certainly overlaps it).
Have had the very cheering news that a conference I thought I would never get to again because it would involve transatlantic travel, is coming to London next year, yay yay yay, I am already pondering a paper.
In other personal news, have booked dental checkup and hygienist appointment for next week.
And in other news, the National Trust has reached its target to buy the land around the Cerne Giant:
The money will be used to improve access to the 55-metre (180ft) figure and to link up a patchwork of habitats, improving conditions for species such as the rare Duke of Burgundy butterfly.
It will also enable further archaeological work to help solve the enduring mystery of whom the giant depicts, and when and why it was created.
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Tuesday, February 3rd, 2026 02:43 pm
Tuesday, February 3rd, 2026 02:48 pm
Dear Care and Feeding,
When I was 14, my parents kicked me out because I was doing drugs and getting rides with random dudes. My uncle found me a couple of days later, having driven around town constantly looking for me the moment he heard about what had happened. He was a total wild man, but he put a roof over my head when nobody else would, gave me unconditional love, and helped me find my way. He helped me get into college, and he paid for it.
When he died, he left a void in my life. He also left me the house I grew up in, a large amount of money, and a successful business. Suddenly, my parents and my brothers, whom I’ve not spoken to in nearly two decades, are “reaching out.” It’s heartbreaking because I’ve always wanted my family back, but I am not stupid enough to believe that they have any interest in me. Is there a pathway for reconciliation here? Or am I just kidding myself? Am I a fool for wanting these people in my life? Or to even believe that could happen on my terms?
—Misspent Youth
( Read more... )
When I was 14, my parents kicked me out because I was doing drugs and getting rides with random dudes. My uncle found me a couple of days later, having driven around town constantly looking for me the moment he heard about what had happened. He was a total wild man, but he put a roof over my head when nobody else would, gave me unconditional love, and helped me find my way. He helped me get into college, and he paid for it.
When he died, he left a void in my life. He also left me the house I grew up in, a large amount of money, and a successful business. Suddenly, my parents and my brothers, whom I’ve not spoken to in nearly two decades, are “reaching out.” It’s heartbreaking because I’ve always wanted my family back, but I am not stupid enough to believe that they have any interest in me. Is there a pathway for reconciliation here? Or am I just kidding myself? Am I a fool for wanting these people in my life? Or to even believe that could happen on my terms?
—Misspent Youth
( Read more... )
Tuesday, February 3rd, 2026 02:40 pm
QWP
Hey everyone,
**This year marks WATSFIC's 50th Anniversary!** To commemorate this we are releasing a new issue of our club fanzine Starsongs.
If you would like to become an officially published author, we are opening up submissions right now! Send us your **short stories, opinion pieces, open letters** [to systems, games, concepts, authors, or WATSFIC itself], **reviews of Sci-Fi/Fantasy** games, books, or other media, **your best drawings or paintings**, or whatever else you'd like to share with WATSFIC and the greater UW Community. We will endeavour to accept and print as many submissions as possible as long as they are club appropriate. If you're unsure if your idea is right for Starsongs, please don't hesitate to contact an exec and we'd be more than happy to discuss it and/or workshop it with you!
If you are looking for inspiration, you can find the 1970s releases of Starsongs on the University of Waterloo's Digital Library.
**We will be accepting submissions until the end of March, if you would like to contribute** please fill out this form here.
-# Submissions after March 31st may still be accepted, but we cannot promise anything, so please try to get any and all submission in before this deadline to ensure your work can be considered.
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Tuesday, February 3rd, 2026 07:05 pm
Counseling today was all about trying to make my body feel safer amidst all the mental/emotional stuff going on.
My counselor said some bodies need stillness some bodies need movement. I think mine is the latter.
She also suggested
- getting people to spend time with me
- gentle conversations about not-stressful things
- familiar media
- nice sensory stuff? (scents/textures)
Thinking about this tonight, she suggested I try to remember it all week.
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Tuesday, February 3rd, 2026 12:27 pm
I came in the front door to find Sophia lying there waiting for me.
(She leapt up, gave me a hug, demanded to know what was for dinner,
and then lay back down to watch videos.)
Original
is here on Pixelfed.scot.
Tuesday, February 3rd, 2026 09:20 am
A few weeks ago, I began modifying a slipover/vest/sleeveless pullover pattern. Despite modification, the first try had too loose a neckline and narrow over-the-shoulder segments, and its stitches were a bit uneven. I nixed it when there was enough of it to put my head through. The pattern has strict raglan increases resulting in a 45-deg line on the back. I've tilted it to about 30 deg, which has led to revising the front and over-the-shoulder segments as well.
For the second try, I went down a needle size (from 3.5 mm to 3.25 mm needles), and I knitted enough of the body segment to try on the WIP with minimal armholes, 2 cm below joining them. The armholes were good. The rest was still not right, but closer: the yoke area was too snug for a second layer, especially across the semi-raglan line on the upper back. This is meant to go over a T-shirt.
With the third try, heh, I've kept the needle size but cast on for the upper back with a shorter circular cable, 16" = 41 cm instead of 40" = 102 cm. My hands are clumsier with the shorter circ, which has kept the semi-raglan increases a bit looser. :) I've also lengthened the back yoke a bit, which lets me subtract some of the short rows that my second try had added over the shoulders. So far, this version is only an upper back. It's about to start consuming the second try's yarn.
So, like, I've been knitting the same almost two skeins of yarn for the past month, and it's fine. There's also a few cm of hat, mostly brim.
Meanwhile, I'm still browsing for hood patterns. Avely looks interesting as a way of splitting head fit and depth from the shawl-ends.
For the second try, I went down a needle size (from 3.5 mm to 3.25 mm needles), and I knitted enough of the body segment to try on the WIP with minimal armholes, 2 cm below joining them. The armholes were good. The rest was still not right, but closer: the yoke area was too snug for a second layer, especially across the semi-raglan line on the upper back. This is meant to go over a T-shirt.
With the third try, heh, I've kept the needle size but cast on for the upper back with a shorter circular cable, 16" = 41 cm instead of 40" = 102 cm. My hands are clumsier with the shorter circ, which has kept the semi-raglan increases a bit looser. :) I've also lengthened the back yoke a bit, which lets me subtract some of the short rows that my second try had added over the shoulders. So far, this version is only an upper back. It's about to start consuming the second try's yarn.
So, like, I've been knitting the same almost two skeins of yarn for the past month, and it's fine. There's also a few cm of hat, mostly brim.
Meanwhile, I'm still browsing for hood patterns. Avely looks interesting as a way of splitting head fit and depth from the shawl-ends.
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Tuesday, February 3rd, 2026 11:54 am
Decades after the PCs' last adventure, an old epic foe reappears, still bent on conquest.
Time to get the band back together!
Alas, the band isn't just dispersed. All but one member is long dead.
Happily, the last surviving member is a necromancer.
Time to get the band back together!
Alas, the band isn't just dispersed. All but one member is long dead.
Happily, the last surviving member is a necromancer.