alchemistdoctor

Nonstandard and informal are not synonyms. Dialectal and informal are not synonyms. Regional and informal are not synonyms. You can speak formally even if you're speaking a nonstandard regional dialect.

Everybody needs to stop saying that dialect words are, ipso facto, informal.

Edit: On a different note, omfg this dude.

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umadoshi

I was sort of kitchen-assistanting for both of last week's cooking ventures, with

scruloose doing most of the heavy lifting, but hey.

Last weekend we made this carnitas recipe that E.K. Johnston linked to (and she mentioned mango-lime salsa, which I hadn't had before but sounded good, so I bought some of that too, and liked it a lot), and it was really, really tasty. We got three meals out of it (and between that and a two-meal HelloFresh box, that pretty much covered last week's suppers).

Later in the week we roasted strawberries basically using this method (that recipe is also how I learned you can toast sugar, which I'd like to try sometime), but the only thing we added to the berries was sugar--specifically the summer fruit sugar blend from Silk Road Spices ("a delicious blend of maple and turbinado sugars with mint, ginger and freshly ground green cardamom"). This approach involves roasting the berries in a baking dish, while others do it by spreading them out in a single layer on baking sheets. I'd like to try it that way at some point too.

I also want to try slow roasting them at some point to compare the result.

Current Mood: hungry

conuly

but it turned out to be a big bag of dog food.

This is... not so great, really.

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shadowkat

I slept later than usual, but on the bright side - actually got a solid 8 hours of sleep, most of it core, but what can one do? Did get 55 minutes of deep, and 2 hours of rem. I tend to be a light sleeper for the most part, either that or this smart watch sleep monitoring isn't as accurate as it may appear.

Thinking of reading "actual books" and not ones on the Kindle for a bit. The books on my shelves are more appealing than the ones on the Kindle at the moment, and I've been in a long and annoying book slump. I was more engrossed in The Fair Folk - a book this morning, than What Moves the Dead on the Kindle. Books also have a weight to them, and they don't annoyingly go blank without notice.

The technology/information age is currently depressing me, I think? Do you feel like people are throwing their opinions at you constantly? Often unedited, unfiltered, and misinformed? It's not just on social media, it's journalistic articles, non-fiction editorials, etc. And via text message. I can't escape it. People stop. I really don't want to know what some random political analyst, political science professor, historian, social activist, journalist, bored academic, or law professor thinks about our current political situation, politics, the Wars (cultural, actual, and otherwise). Yes, I know they all think the world is coming to an end, I just wish they'd keep it to themselves, why depress the rest of us?

I've been jumping around television shows this weekend, not quite sticking with anything?

Watched Andor S2 Ep. 7 last night - the end the second three arc. Each arc ends with Andor and Bix - blowing something up or killing someone, or so it seems. Good news, Bix seems to have taken care of her problem. So Episode 7 for the most part was a satisfying conclusion to the Bix/Andor and Gorst situation, that was hanging over from S1. I adore Andor and Bix.

I got a bit lost in the episode, and had to rewind it and rewatch. Mainly because my attention kept drifting away from it. This may well be a me thing and not an Andor thing, folks. ( Read more... )

Poker Face - also had to keep rewinding, because my attention kept wandering - I'd play on the phone, I'd play on the internet, I'd cook, etc. It's partly due to the commercials - it's on Peacock and has commercial interruptions, and partly due to the mystery not always being that gripping? This is basically Murder she wrote by way of Columbo by way of person on the run doing odd jobs. Sometimes the mystery of the week is interesting, sometimes not. Like Murder She Wrote and Columbo it likes to utilize old and big time movie stars, some of which I've not seen in a while and are over the age of 70. Ellen Barkin is a very skeletal 70.

Outlander - see previous post. [And now I'm back to it again - and watching S2 Ep.2 - mainly because I'm curious. Also, I like the actress playing Clair and she's written better in the series than in the book. Odd I know, but there it is. Also Jaime is admittedly very appeal - I rather like the actor portraying him. And I find the differences between mid-20th century medicine and 18th century medicine interesting. It's what people do that fascinates me.]

Buffy S3 - Helpless - was surprised at how well written this was. Was going to skip over it, decided not to, and it was rather better than I thought. Not quite as scary, and amusing in places. Also had to keep rewinding, because I kept wandering about doing things while it was on. It's David Fury - who, sigh, "not the nicest human on the planet" is possibly an understatement? (It comes through in the writing - his episodes have an underlying meanness to them that is hard to put my finger on - but is there? I don't think he likes people all that much? And clearly has Mommy issues?) But he's a good writer, got to give him that. And the acting is through the roof. Also, weirdly, I liked Cordelia in the episode, but did not like Willow, Xander, or OZ - who were kind of useless and annoying. Giles...wasn't supposed to be likable, but Head sold it, and made him likable and interesting. Gellar blows me away. She does things in Buffy that she's not done before or since. Jeff Kober as the villain of the week is rather excellent. But Kober always is. ( spoilers for well anyone who hasn't seen it in the last 25 years )

Damn, this series holds up well. And it gets better as it goes. S3 is much better than S1 and S2, writing wise. The writers finally hit their stride. I can see why Gellar was done by S3 - they worked her to death. She's in every scene, they are all very physical scenes, and she has to cry a lot. She was doing 20 hour days, seven days a week. I think they burned her out, and it's why she's not really done anything great since. They also burned out Marsters. Not so much the others.

**

Took a long walk to get groceries. Used the robot vacuums. Read a bit of The Fair Folk. Meditated. And tried not to let the noise on the internet bother me too much. The birds outside were tweeting. The sun was shining. The trees are green. It's a warm balmy day in Brooklyn. And if I don't think too much and just be, everything is seemingly just fine.

sanguinity

I am very brain-dead from going to a work conference in Atlanta this week. Getting up at what amounts to 4am personal time, to then spend sixteen hours go go go with way too many people, none of whom are comfortably anonymous strangers but also none of whom are friends, is exhausting. I got home late Thursday and took Friday off, even napping on Friday afternoon, which is something that I'm generally incapable of. But that's exhaustion for you, I suppose.

(The last time I napped, come to think of it, was after my last work conference, in which not only was I sleep deprived all week, but I came down with a case of literal hives on the airplane home. Ugh.)

Anyway. None of you are here to hear about all that. ;-)

Lois McMaster Bujold, A Civil Campaign (1999)

Read aloud with

grrlpup. First time for her; re-read for me.

This was one of my favorites from my first read of the series; I'm happy to say I liked it even better on re-read. I'm not sure how well it can be read as a stand-alone, as it assumes a working knowledge of Komarr. But I do like the strong ensemble of characters, and that the conflicts are mostly social and personal, instead of military or mystery. (Which does not stop it from rising to an action-packed climax at the end: I believe Grrlpup and I read the final three chapters in one day!)

Grrlpup's favorite characters were Dr. Enrique Borgos and his beloved butter bugs, and it is true: it is always a delight when they come on the page. Armsman Pym was also a favorite; she'd very much like to see his pov. (Alas, we do not, as I recall, ever get it in the series. I wonder if anyone has written Jeevsian fic for him?) And once again Lady Alys is serving strong Judith Martin vibes -- I do wonder if Martin was an inspiration for the character.

Lois McMaster Bujold, "Winterfair Gifts" (2004)

Read aloud with

grrlpup. First time for her; re-read for me.

Taura, my beloved! *hearts-eyes* And I am fond of Armsman Roic, too (although I don't think this satisfied Grrlpup's desire for a Pym-centered story). Quick and sweet read, like a delicious chocolate truffle.

Daniel M. Lavery, Dear Prudence: Liberating Lessons from SLATE.com's Beloved Advice Column (2023)

I don't read many advice columns, but I find them most satisfying when there is an implied code of social logic that underlies them. (Make! The social! World! Make! Sense!) Lavery clearly has such a code, and the code tallies nicely with mine, which made this a pleasant read. I do enjoy the bits where he reconsiders the advice he originally gave; it's nice to know that even confident advice-givers grow and change over time. There's a chapter or two of letters on transitioning and/or coming out, presumably as Lavery himself was transitioning at the time and drawing more of that kind of question than I usually expect to see in a general-topics advice column.

Saeed Jones, How We Fight For Our Lives: A Memoir (2019)

Brief, lyrical, eminently readable memoir of growing up gay and black in the 1990s in Texas, attending university in the 2000s in Kentucky, and the death of his mother in the 2010s. There are some painful topics (gaybashing, homophobia, Christian evangelism, racism, a sexually self-destructive phase, and his mother's aforementioned death), and consequently the material gets heavy at times, but I raced through this in a day, always willing to turn the page and see what other thoughts and experiences he had had.

I also have a gob of Hum 110 bookgroup reading to write up, but I'll save that for their own posts.

smallhobbit

Journaling: What is making you smile these days? Create a top 10 list of anything you want to talk about.

In no particular order. Feel free to ask about any of them, I might even create a post about some of them next month.

1 - The Ferret A creation of my own, based in the Sherlock Holmes (ACD) 'verse. A song and dance mustelid.

2 - Werewolf!Lucas Another of my creations. Based in Spooks (MI5) where Lucas North is now a werewolf, and continues to work for Section D in both human and vulpine forms. This is a party-loving werewolf, who likes to look smart.

3 - Cake I have already posted about cake for Challenge #2

4 - Families at church. We have a lot of engagement with local families, and apart from baptisms, we also have a toddler group and after-school club, a youth group, occasional Saturday activity mornings and in a couple of weeks we're running a Teddy Bear's Zipwire.

5 - Getting engrossed in my cross stitch while listening to something on the radio on my headphones. Perfect for shutting out the rest of the world.

6 - My To Be Read list which is once more threatening to fall off the shelf and onto my head when I'm asleep.

7 - My total inability to resist the urge to 'complete' a list. Recently I found two music programmes on the radio which have a number of series, going back several years. So, of course, I need to listen to them all (or at least the interesting majority) over the next year.

8 - The thought of

no_true_pair main challenge (with 8 characters) sign up coming next month.

9 - The fact that the skirt I bought some years ago and rarely wore still fits and was perfect to wear today in the heat.

10 - The sheer wonder of creation - how the sun is changing its poles between North and South; all the amazing galaxies out there (points vaguely in all directions at once).

umadoshi

We made it to the little market down the road for the second week running and found the first vendor we visited down to his last several boxes of raspberries, so we bought two and headed back home. First raspberries of the season!

(I think yesterday was the first time I ever actually stopped and noticed why raspberries are called that.)

Reading: In non-fiction, I'm still reading through Tamar Adler's An Everlasting Meal: Cooking with Economy and Grace.

On the fiction front, last week I read Cameron Reed's The Fortunate Fall, relatively recently (and finally!) reissued under her current name after its first life as an award-winning SFF novel under her deadname literal decades ago. (I believe her upcoming novel is her first since this one!) It didn't actually hit my emotional buttons very hard (which isn't indicative of how anyone else might react), but it's beautifully constructed and executed. I see why it's so beloved by so many people. ^_^

I also read We Are All Completely Fine (Daryl Gregory), which I didn't realize was a novella until I started reading, so it went by pretty quickly. Interesting horror worldbuilding, although other than the characters' specific histories it's almost entirely hinted at or nodded to; I, at least, came away with almost no actual idea of what's actually going on on a larger scale.

And I read the new Murderbot story ("Rapport: Friendship, Solidarity, Communion, Empathy") that Martha Wells released for the show finale (note that Murderbot itself isn't actually present in the story).

Watching: No Leverage this week, I don't think.

scruloose and I have agreed to switch this to an "I watch this when I feel like it, and if they're around and feel like it, they'll watch with me" show rather than one we're Watching Together. They enjoy it, but don't feel a burning need to see every episode.

I kind of wonder if I haven't been started a show on my own for so long because I'm sort of subconsciously waiting to be able to watch the rest of Justice in the Dark whenever the whole thing is subbed somewhere.

We've seen the Murderbot finale, and I'm awfully glad the show's been renewed.

Beyond that, the two of us have now watched the very first episode of Silo, having had good luck with Apple SFF shows. I haven't read the books, so I know almost nothing about it.

(I have food stuff to talk about, but I think I'll call this a post and hope to write more later.)

Current Mood: okay

shadowkat

Didn't sleep well last night - every time I go to bed past 11 pm, I don't sleep well. It's odd. Also, my body wants to get up at 6AM. Regardless of the time I go to bed. I think it's because I get up at 6 AM every morning and my body is used to it? Lately it's been waking up half an hour before then, and I force it to go back to sleep.

I attempted to get back into Outlander, S2, Episode 1 - and was, alas, reminded of why I stopped reading the books. ( Read more... )

Back to watching Murderbot (I actually prefer sci-fi to historical drama or hyper-realism). I may try Sinners - next, it's on Max. Finished Murderbot - which I keep wanting to call the Murderbot Diaries. I liked the books better - I don't remember them well enough to know how closely this followed them? Also, I'm not sure I read all of them. It was okay? I like Mensha, Gurathin, and Murderbot, everyone else was kind of annoying? It was heavy on absurdist humor, which was dependent on stupid human behavior, although the Murderbot's snarky sense of humor made up for it. I wonder if it will be renewed? It can legitimately be one season.

Also accomplished today - putting together my drug carousels for the top of my dresser - which worked a lot better than expected. Now instead of being cluttered with pill bottles and medications, the dresser is clean and neat, with all the pills neatly arranged on two clear plastic and somewhat attractive carousels. I also put together a tea and spice shelf for my kitchen, which had decluttered it in an amazing fashion. See picture below the cut:
( picture )

I'd take a photo of the other - but some things must stay private. At any rate, bit by bit, I am winning my battle against clutter.

Questions/Memage:

1. What is the flavor that makes you think of summer? Or favorite summer foods?

( flavors of summer days gone by )

July Question a Day Memage:

9. Have you ever been on a journey and been held up for a long time? What happened and how late were you at your destination?

Yes, multiple times. Once it was cancelled entirely. Plane travel is alas like that. I went to France by myself at the age of 16 to stay with a French family, on the way home, there was fog in Orly airport, and our plane had mechanical difficulties. ( long story )

10. Do you enjoy salad? What would be in a typical salad that you would serve/eat?

Yes. Power greens (pea shoots, spinach, argula and shard), green onion, cucumber, a protein (either nuts, feta cheese, seeds or chicken strips), radish, with lemon and/or apple cider vinegar and olive oil.

11. Have you ever used an old-fashioned typewriter? Can you touch type (type without looking at the keys?)

Yes. I learned how to type on one. Then graduated to electric, then to the computer. Yes, I can touch type without looking at keys, I'm doing it now. Not very fast though. I don't do anything that requires hand/eye coordination quickly. Maybe 20 minutes an hour? I'm not a fast typist. It used to matter - it no longer does - because now, we have computers.

12. Do you like sushi?

Quite a bit. My father first introduced it to me. He loved trying new foods, and had discovered sushi at work. I get it all the time. Perfect summer meal.

13. Have you ever tried Tai Chi?

Yes, I was actually taking classes from folks my junior year in college. We'd do it in the mornings in front of our residence. My boyfriend, me, another guy we were living with, and his girlfriend - who was teaching us.
( Read more... )

conuly

and completion of orientation. They really are taking anybody with a pulse, as judged by the extremely detailed list of instructions for appropriate behavior during orientation. I'd be more insulted, but that's good for me, I really need a job. If they had higher standards they would hire somebody with formal work experience, or at least an associate's degree.

(Don't think I've stopped applying other places, mind you, but I'm really not in a position to be picky, either.)

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( Read more... )

conuly

Well... if you're interested in reading a book about how living in an over-privileged Connecticut town is terrible and nobody should ever do it (especially if that's going to intersect badly with their terrible childhood) then this is a book you'll like. I preferred Dreadful - the realism : magic ratio in this book leaned a little too realistic, also, I just do not believe that the only school choices are a. fancy schools for wealthy overachievers that have massively high standards and high stakes testing b. xenophobic schools with very low standards and c. homeschooling. Even if there are no public school options there still have to be artsy fartsy schools for wealthy people who know that their kids cannot do the pressure cooker thing starting in kindy.

shadowkat

I was in a good mood when the day started, only to have it turn sour on me as it evolved. I did take a walk though, see previous entry.

I won't bore you with all the gory details. Work is boring me at the moment, but it is at least non-stressful and for the most part pleasant, unlike last year which was boring, stressful and unpleasant. So, let's be grateful for small mercies. Also having been unemployed, I'm always grateful for employment. There are worse jobs, and I'm good at this one and it utilizes my analytical and writing/communication/legal skills for the most part. I'm doing a lot more math than I'd like - but such is life. Some things are unavoidable. The boredom has to do with too many of the same edits. Parts of my job were given to incompetent people, and I'm now editing work that I used to do outright - the irony is not lost on me.

Each day, every day, of this week, actually - for reasons I don't quite understand? The local news has been reporting on hit and runs in various portions of Brooklyn. Almost as if they are tracking hit and runs across the borough? And all the hit and runs happen in the wee hours of the morning. Usually between 1 am and 4:30 am. Why people are wandering the streets in the early hours of the morning, I've no idea. It's not the safest time to be wandering about. For one thing - it's dark outside. There's no one really out there. And people tend to be more reckless at that time. Either driving drunk, speeding, or half asleep. Also people wandering about are probably drunk or not quite awake? ( the incidents )

I just wanted the weather and the road and rail report. I did not want to know about various hit and runs around the area. They also feel the need to tell me about various shootings around the area, in places I never venture in and never would need to. No wonder people think the city is unsafe. Frigging media.

That didn't put me in a bad mood. Other things did. But, I started out in a good mood - because there were good news items posted on Threads. I'm posting beneath the cut.

( good news items )

Gave me hope. Might not give others hope. I find human beings frustrating.
Does anyone else? It can't just be me?

**

In other news? I finally finished Remarkably Bright Creatures by
Shelby Van Pelt

This is a book about a 70 year old woman who works as a janitor in an aquarium who befriends an octopus. Through a series of events, the octopus manages to solve the mystery of her missing son.
( needless to say the appeal was utterly lost on me )

Reading T Kingfisher's What Moves the Dead now. We'll see if I stick with it. Kingfisher's writing style appeals to me more than Van Pelt's. (This may be why I get stuff from Amazon and on the Kindle - I like non-mainstream writers better than mainstream traditionally published and highly marketed ones? Although What Moves the Dead made it into book stores.) I also like Kingfisher's quirky characters better. They are less whiny and more real, also Kingfisher's plots feel organic to the characters and not as contrived. I think she's a better writer. But mileage may vary on that front, it always does.

Off to bed, and perchance to sleep and dream of flowers and boats and happy things. Unlikely, my subconscious is stubbornly in nightmare mode. It likes to ponder all my worries and anxieties and concerns through my dreams.

shadowkat

This is for the sailors and would be sailors out there (

threemeninaboat ).

It was a pretty day today, warm with a nice breeze, so I decided to take a long walk. Original plan was to walk to the Freedom Tower and 1 World Trade to see the "Walk of Heroes" virtual exhibit, but I decided that it will be crowded and not nearly enough time. Also it was 83F/23C, and humid. So instead, I chose to walk up the pier and check out the boats. This was after checking out the smorgasbord and open air market of vendors in Bowling Green aka Immigrants Park. They had all sorts of foods on display, only one that was clearly gluten-free, and a lot of expensive cut crystals and stones. I just grabbed a bunch of maps from the tourist information booth, high tailed it back upstairs, deposited them in my back pack, then went back downstairs for my walk up the pier. Breaking Bad (my boss) was out of the office today, as was practically everyone else - so no one noticed, not that they would anyhow. And I did manage to make it back by 1:15 pm, Chilled Matcha Latte in tote.

I managed to make it all the way up to Pier 16, where the Seaport Boat Museum was located.

This was after I wandered about on a wooden deck with plenty of grass, overlooking the harbor and the city.
( Deck and tall buildings )

And took a picture of one of the tall boats from the deck:

( tall clipper ship )

Then wandered a bit further up the roof top deck to take a photo of the Brooklyn Bridge, and a few smaller boats.

( Brooklyn Bridge and smaller boats )

Here's a picture of another tall boat, and the mall at Pier 17 behind it:

Here's a broader picture of the big tall boat and the museum:

I told threemeninaboat a while back that the Tall Clipper Ship gave cruises, but in reality its part of the Seaport Boat Museum. NYC is basically a huge city on a bunch of islands, surrounded by bridges, tunnels, rivers, bays, ocean and boats. It's one of the things I love most about NYC. There's always the slight scent of ocean in the air or water.
And being near the sea is oddly freeing in a way. Perhaps because I've always loved the water? I find it calming.

It was a calming walk - and by the time I returned to my work place, I was sweating and more than ready for air conditioning - because it was also just a touch balmy.

conuly

Adrian Tchaikovsky is amazingly hit-or-miss for me, but this looks like it's coming up "hit". The sapient arthropods are a swarm of bees. If there are any spiders, I haven't met them yet!

xkcd_feed

https://xkcd.com/3114/

That was quicker than usual! The cabin's sprinkler system often makes it really hard to keep anything lit.

https://xkcd.com/3114/

shadowkat

Confusing day at work, and the muggy weather plus sleep issues is making me irritable? Also, people, sigh, can be annoyingly headache inducing, can't they?

Anyhow, grumble, grumble...I'm grateful for my mother (who continues to be lovely), Gregory's Coffee - it has great Matcha Lattes, and Decaf Cappucinos, and is no more than five minutes from my desk - plus I can pre-order, and get discounted deals. I'm also grateful for flowers. Trees. And New York City.

Plus? Very grateful for the lovely folks who provided the good news items below, and continue to do so - basically, I'm grateful for the American Resistance and it's Global Allies, thank the universe you exist.

Disclaimer: As always, good news like humor and beauty is more often than not in the eye of the beholder and your mileage may vary on this.

I only share them, because they give me hope and make me feel better - and I hope they do the same for anyone else who may stumble upon this journal entry. If I can bring a smile or a tear of hope to someone...today? Than I'll feel I accomplished my aim or at the very least attempted it. All I can do is try.

Good News from the American Resistance & It's Global Allies

1. More than 600 Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) employees, scientists, and academics signed a declaration of dissent from the agency’s policies under the Trump administration, warning that they “undermine the EPA mission of protecting human health and the environment.”

https://www.standupforscience.net/epa-declaration

[Gotta give the poor federal agency employees credit? They keep fighting and speaking out against the evil new administration.]

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/30/epa-employees-declaration-dissent-trump?emci=4eedb4a7-9958-f011-8f7c-6045bdfe8e9c&emdi=66805beb-ef58-f011-8f7c-6045bdfe8e9c&ceid=24376453

2. I think this one is a repeat? But just in case, it's not, here we go again: The Miccosukee Tribe is partnering with the Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation to safeguard lands as part of a ‘moral obligation.’

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/15/miccosukee-tribe-florida-wildlife-corridor-foundation?sh_kit=7a2950363f4b90b1881ae76c68d24551846eea9063b67a6a14e9fa39bc419e40

Now, as the Trump administration continues its wholesale slashing of federal funding from conservation projects, the Miccosukee Tribe is stepping up to fulfill what it sees as a “moral obligation” to return the favor.

The tribe is looking to buy and protect environmentally significant lands, including some that once provided refuge, in a groundbreaking partnership agreement with the Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation. The corridor is an ambitious project to connect 18m acres (7.3m hectares) of state and privately owned wilderness into a contiguous, safe habitat for scores of imperilled and roaming species, including black bears, Key deer and Florida panthers.

3. A coalition of 20 states has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration for sharing personal health data with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

https://oag.ca.gov/system/files/attachments/press-docs/CA%20v.%20HHS%2C%20Complaint%207.1.25.pdf

4.Key West City commissioners voted 6-1 to void the 287(g) agreement with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

https://www.keywestislandnews.com/2025/06/key-west-city-commission-voids-agreement-with-ice-and-reaffirms-its-status-as-a-welcoming-city/

[Apparently Key West is not in agreement with the Governor of Florida?]

5.Tesla’s new delivery numbers are in, and they’re worse than expected.

https://gizmodo.com/teslas-numbers-are-in-and-theyre-not-good-2000623670?emci=4eedb4a7-9958-f011-8f7c-6045bdfe8e9c&emdi=66805beb-ef58-f011-8f7c-6045bdfe8e9c&ceid=24376453

6.E. Jean Carroll says she plans to give away the millions Donald Trump was ordered to pay her—just to annoy him. [This is the woman who won the defamation case and civil sexual assault case against him - when he claimed she lied when she said he raped her - and went on to vilify her in the media.]

https://www.thedailybeast.com/e-jean-carroll-reveals-why-shell-give-away-her-80m-from-trump-to-p-him-off/?emci=4eedb4a7-9958-f011-8f7c-6045bdfe8e9c&emdi=66805beb-ef58-f011-8f7c-6045bdfe8e9c&ceid=24376453

7. Terminated NIH grants are being reinstated almost entirely in blue states. [These are the science and research grants that the Trump Administration attempted to terminate.]

https://www.statnews.com/2025/07/03/nih-cuts-grant-restoration-complicated-by-limits-to-court-order-trump-dei-restrictions/?emci=4eedb4a7-9958-f011-8f7c-6045bdfe8e9c&emdi=66805beb-ef58-
f011-8f7c-6045bdfe8e9c&ceid=24376453

8.A federal judge in Washington ruled that the Trump administration can’t categorically deny asylum claims from people crossing the southern border.

https://archive.ph/7gw1e

9.A government ban on Hungary’s annual Pride parade backfired when more than 100,000 people marched through the Hungarian capital, far more than have taken part in previous such events.

https://archive.ph/kzI5C#selection-4467.0-4467.195

[The internet makes authoritarianism kind of difficult to enforce.]

10.Tuesday’s election of Imperial Beach Mayor Paloma Aguirre to fill a vacant seat on the San Diego County Board of Supervisors put Democrats back in control of San Diego’s most powerful governmental agency.

https://voiceofsandiego.org/2025/07/02/aguirres-win-puts-democrats-in-charge-at-pivotal-time/?emci=4eedb4a7-9958-f011-8f7c-6045bdfe8e9c&emdi=66805beb-ef58-f011-8f7c-6045bdfe8e9c&ceid=24376453

11.An iPhone app called ICEBlock is alerting users to nearby ICE sightings. Its designer said he wanted to do something to help in the face of what he sees (correctly) as rising fascism.

[Technology also makes authoritarianism more difficult to enforce - than many sci-fi writers apparently realized. I'm looking at you, Philip K. Dick.]

https://www.cnn.com/2025/06/30/tech/iceblock-app-trump-immigration-crackdown?emci=4eedb4a7-9958-f011-8f7c-6045bdfe8e9c&emdi=66805beb-ef58-f011-8f7c-6045bdfe8e9c&ceid=24376453

12.Catholic bishops from Asia, Africa and Latin America penned a first-ever joint ecological appeal ahead of the next U.N. climate conference in November.

https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2025/07/01/climate-justice-bishops-asia-africa-latin-america-251045

13.Singer Angélique Kidjo became the first African performer to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cqx2g5znggpo

14.A Tennessee man pardoned by Trump for taking part in the attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6 is back behind bars, for life, convicted of plotting to kill the law enforcement officers who had investigated his case.

https://archive.ph/dXNaQ#selection-517.23-517.112

15. Thanks to Mayor Brandon Scott’s focus on violence intervention programs, Baltimore has seen a nearly 23 percent drop in murders from this time last year.

https://archive.ph/3ajyY

16. Six months into congestion pricing in New York City traffic is down and business is up. Also, the revenue generated by the program is funding critical transit upgrades that will benefit millions of New Yorkers.

https://www.threads.com/@govkathyhochul/post/DLu_bqUxRJO?xmt=AQF0ZAWwIBQtTEin6rbwpHCXtAp3OGNzp92OIOiamSxIgQ

[That's actually true - the funds are going to various state of new repair, climate resilancy projects, and critical improvements across the MTA. And the financial district is pleasant to walk around.]

( the rest of the 37 items )

And here's a few flowers...life is always better with flowers.

innitmarvelous_og posting in

dw_community_promo

+++

About the comm.

It's one part dream.
One part disaster.
And absolutely 100% fandom.

It's Your OTPs/Fandoms combined with our chaos.

Challenge(s) 2025:

Challenge 1: Hodge Podge A new challenge idea I came up with all sorts of things to get players rolling out the fills and scoring points!

Sign up: July 3 Rd to July 19th @ 8PM EST / 12AM GTM
Opening Date: July 20
Closing Date: October 12

I hope to have a variety of challenges in this comm, but they make take some time for me to figure out as I don't want to copy other comms out there. I have an idea or two for an abbreviated challenge after this one and I'll be working on getting it ready go if you guys want to play with me again after this round

WordsCharactersReading time

Current Mood: hopeful

shadowkat

It's beastly hot here - but I have air conditioning. So it's about 71 -73 degrees in the bedroom where the AC is, and 77-79 degrees in the rest of the apartment. Outside? It is currently 82F/22C with 65% humidity, during the day it was 90F/30C with 80% humidity, felt like 100 F/40 C.

I've been online shopping - I needed to get new Bose Headphones - the current ones are wearing out, and the warranty expired. (The head phone muff is coming undone.) So got new ones on sale - at a 43% discount. So shaved off quite a bit. Also, picked up some more storage related items (baskets, large utensil holder, medicine organizer for a counter), and a collapsible but secure and safe step stool. I desperately need one - I have insanely tall cabinets and windows. I'm almost 6 feet, they are 8-9 feet.

Yes, I live in a tall person's apartment, which is good thing.

I'm looking for a tv dinner table/lap top table, but the one I saw advertised on Instagram via Amazon - I cannot find. So I gave up finally.
The other one is rather pricey, although tempting.

And...I got my organizers today - two turnstiles, and a coffee/tea shelf that I have to put together. I took the box they both came in along with all the other boxes (book shelf and towel/pillow box) down to the basement for recycling on the way to pick up groceries. I was out of protein greens (pea shoots, spinach, argula, and shard).

***

Work is work.

Wales wants to take a six month paid sabbatical from her job, to do what I don't know. Probably just lay about. I would like a two week vacation to travel somewhere - but I can't get more than a week at a time. So, am making due and trying not to envy those who can do more. I'm flirting with Ceiliac Cruises and Road Scholar cruises and trips. Also Viking River journeys. But also pricey. And I'd need a smaller cruise and the ability to take motion sickness pills - I'm prone to sea-sickness. I love the ocean, but my body prefers to be on solid ground. It could be worse - my sister-in-law gets motion sickness on a swing. It's an inner ear thing.

***

Time to go to bed, perchance to sleep, even dream But I don't want to?
I'm not really much of a sleeper. Never have been. This can't be good for me?

ao3_news_feed

https://archiveofourown.org/admin_posts/31894

OTW recruitment banner

Are you interested in social media, community management or outreach? Or would you like to assist AO3 users by resolving complaints? Do you want to create videos and connect with fellow fans on TikTok? The Organization for Transformative Works is recruiting!

We're excited to announce the opening of applications for:

Fanlore Social Media & Outreach Volunteer - closing 16 July 2025 at 23:59 UTC or after 40 applications
Policy & Abuse Volunteer - closing 16 July 2025 at 23:59 UTC
Communications TikTok Moderator - closing 16 July 2025 at 23:59 UTC or after 60 applications

We have included more information on each role below. Open roles and applications will always be available at the volunteering page. If you don't see a role that fits with your skills and interests now, keep an eye on the listings. We plan to put up new applications every few weeks, and we will also publicize new roles as they become available.

All applications generate a confirmation page and an auto-reply to your e-mail address. We encourage you to read the confirmation page and to whitelist our email address in your e-mail client. If you do not receive the auto-reply within 24 hours, please check your spam filters and then contact us.

If you have questions regarding volunteering for the OTW, check out our Volunteering FAQ.

Fanlore Social Media & Outreach Volunteer

Do you have an interest in fandom history, or in fannish culture and the different tropes, ships, communities and viewpoints that make up fandom? Are you interested in social media, community management or outreach? The Fanlore committee is recruiting for Social Media & Outreach volunteers!

Fanlore Social Media & Outreach volunteers are responsible for writing and editing Fanlore's promotional posts on social media, planning and running Fanlore's editing challenges, maintaining Fanlore's social media channels, and thinking of ways to reach out to and engage with new corners of fandom.

No extensive experience required—only reliability, teamwork, good communication skills, and an interest in fandom and Fanlore in particular. Join us!

As part of our application process, candidates who pass the initial review will also be asked to create a sample social media post for Fanlore consisting of a 280-character tweet and a 100-word Tumblr post promoting a Fanlore article. Further directions will be given upon applying.

Applications are due 16 July 2025 or after 40 applications

Apply for Fanlore Social Media & Outreach Volunteer at the volunteering page! If you have further questions, please contact us.

Policy & Abuse Volunteer

The Policy & Abuse committee (PAC) is responsible for addressing questions and concerns about potential violations of the AO3 Terms of Service. We determine whether reports are about legitimate violations of the Terms of Service, and what to do about them if they are. PAC volunteers correspond directly with AO3 users and collaborate on projects both within PAC and with other OTW committees.

Our main goals as a committee are:

to adhere to the AO3 Terms of Service
to make our reasoning and processes as clear and transparent as possible
to handle all user reports consistently, no matter which volunteer is doing the work
to keep every case we work on completely confidential

We are seeking people who can:

Commit to working on cases regularly
Be patient with rephrasing explanations
Ask for help when needed
Collaborate both inside the team and with other committees
Act in accordance with established rules, policies, and procedures
Treat confidentiality and user privacy as a priority

You must be 18+ in order to apply for this role. While English proficiency is required, we welcome applicants who are fluent in other languages, especially Spanish (Español), Brazilian Portuguese (Português brasileiro), Russian (Русский), Chinese (中文), or Indonesian (Bahasa Indonesia).

Applications are due 16 July 2025

Apply for Policy & Abuse Volunteer at the volunteering page! If you have further questions, please contact us.

Communications TikTok Moderator

Do you use TikTok? Do you like making videos? Do you want to connect with your fellow fans?

OTW TikTok Moderators create content for the OTW TikTok account, including drafting scripts, recording and editing videos, and reviewing other moderators' scripts and videos. Moderators address user comments on videos by responding to user questions, removing comments that violate our policies, and flagging comments for video topics. Moderators also try to regularly engage with fandom on TikTok by interacting with relevant, appropriate videos and liking, reposting, and/or commenting.

You must be 18+ in order to apply for this role. We are looking for volunteers familiar with TikTok and passionate about outreach on the platform. They should be able to maintain a consistent level of work, collaborate inside the team and with other committees, ask for help when needed, and commit to making fair decisions about how to handle comments.

Applications are due 16 July 2025 or after 60 applications

Apply for Communications TikTok Moderator at the volunteering page! If you have further questions, please contact us.

The Organization for Transformative Works is the non-profit parent organization of multiple projects including Archive of Our Own, Fanlore, Open Doors, Transformative Works and Cultures, and OTW Legal Advocacy. We are a fan-run, entirely donor-supported organization staffed by volunteers. Find out more about us on our website.

https://archiveofourown.org/admin_posts/31894

conuly

"Why work here?"

"Weekly pay!"

Yup, that's why I would like to apply for any and all jobs!

(On a side note, A has been sending me a lot of job links today. I'm a bit inundated, but I somehow don't think that "Great, please don't send them to me, just fill them out with my resume for me" is going to go over very well.)

***************

( Read more... )

xkcd_feed

https://xkcd.com/3113/

We're building on our earlier success getting web developers to pay to change the backslashes in our displayed payment URL to forward slashes.

https://xkcd.com/3113/

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Page Summary

conuly - Today's five second mini-rant:
umadoshi - Foodstuffs from last week
conuly - Hm. I thought we got a big bag of cat food
shadowkat - Sunday is attempting not to feel sorry for itself and focus on other things...
sanguinity - Recent Reading
smallhobbit - Sunshine Revival Challenge #4
umadoshi - Weekly proof of life: mainly media
shadowkat - Saturday organizes and snoozes for the most part
conuly - Well, I'm (probably?) hired pending the results of this background check
conuly - The Grimoire Grammar School Parent Teacher Association
shadowkat - Friday is just glad it is Friday...and wants to go to sleep
shadowkat - Boat Walk
conuly - Trying to read Dogs of War
xkcd_feed - Building a Fire
shadowkat - Grumble Grumble...here's some good news, and a flower?
innitmarvelous_og in dw_community_promo - New Challenge Comm! First Challenge Signups Open NOW
shadowkat - Wednesday is just hot and sweaty...
ao3_news_feed - The OTW is Recruiting for Fanlore Social Media & Outreach Volunteers, Policy & Abuse Volunte
conuly - Points for honesty in this job description....
xkcd_feed - Fix This Sign

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Base style: Brittle by sforzinda
Theme: Rust by sforzinda

Page generated Jul. 18th, 2025 01:15 am

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a couple of comfortable bed-rooms

a gentle space

Reading

Today's five second mini-rant:

Foodstuffs from last week

Hm. I thought we got a big bag of cat food

Sunday is attempting not to feel sorry for itself and focus on other things...

Recent Reading

Sunshine Revival Challenge #4

Weekly proof of life: mainly media

Saturday organizes and snoozes for the most part

Well, I'm (probably?) hired pending the results of this background check

The Grimoire Grammar School Parent Teacher Association

Friday is just glad it is Friday...and wants to go to sleep

Boat Walk

Trying to read Dogs of War

Building a Fire

Grumble Grumble...here's some good news, and a flower?

New Challenge Comm! First Challenge Signups Open NOW

Challenge(s) 2025:

Wednesday is just hot and sweaty...

The OTW is Recruiting for Fanlore Social Media & Outreach Volunteers, Policy & Abuse Volunte

Fanlore Social Media & Outreach Volunteer

Policy & Abuse Volunteer

Communications TikTok Moderator

Points for honesty in this job description....

Fix This Sign

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