Sigur Rós - Whoo!

Jun. 6th, 2025 07:32 am
yuuago: (Iceland - Curious)
[personal profile] yuuago
I managed to score a ticket to see Sigur Rós in Edmonton later this year! They're going to be performing with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra.

This is super exciting. They're one of those bands that I've enjoyed for a long time, but never thought I would be able to see perform live. I remember seeing Takk in the store and buying it based on the album design, completely unaware of what their sound was like, and then getting my mind completely blown.

I've never actually been to Edmonton - like, I've gone around it plenty of times on the way to visit family down south, but we never stopped anywhere other than Costco. So, I'll probably take an extra day or two to go to the Royal Alberta Museum and the Art Gallery of Alberta. Maybe will also do some shopping and whatnot.

If anybody has suggestions of Fun Things To Do in Edmonton while I'm there, I'm open to ideas. I'll probably be taking the intercity bus to get there.

Ahhh I'm super excited for this concert. <3 <3 <3

Friday Five - oh why not

Jun. 6th, 2025 03:23 pm
tielan: (PacRim - Mako)
[personal profile] tielan
1. Have you ever been to summer camp?

No. But 'summer camp' is not a thing here in Australia the way it seems to have been in the USA. There were camps, yes, but they were very directly related to school - a week is the longest that I remember and I was 12. After that, it was school excusions, yes, or band camps, and a couple of times Beach Mission (yes, literally, Christian mission in the middle of summer at a beach).


2. Have you ever made a s'more?

Yes! Back visiting some friends in upstate NY in the early 2000s when their sons were just born. Her family had a holiday house on a lake and we went and stayed there, and they taught me about making s'mores.


3. Have you ever slept under the stars (no tent/tarp)?

Possibly, depending on how you take it. I've slept on a wooden porch, huddled up with a bunch of other people. We were doing an "all nighter" purely for the sake of doing it. It wasn't fun.

Actually, wait yes, I have slept under the stars. At a 'B&S' (Bachelors' and Spinsters' ball) out west, in the tray of a utility truck. We'd tossed a bunch of mattresses in, and there were about a half-dozen of us all sprawled out to sleep after the ball. It wasn't terrible. We were young, and that makes a difference!


4. Have you ever had a member of the opposite sex sleep over at your house?

Only after I became an adult. House-sharing in Sydney means you have housemates who have all sorts of people staying over.


5. What type of bed do you have (queen, twin, bunk, etc.)?

Twin. I had a queen-size at our last house (and had a queen-size pretty much since I was 24) but when we moved out into this place, there wasn't space for a queen-sized bed, so I downsized to an IKEA twin with an under-bed storage space. And, as it turns out, the queen-mattress fitted sheets fit on the twin-size when you have a super-thick mattress.

Home

Jun. 5th, 2025 09:45 pm
sine_nomine: (Default)
[personal profile] sine_nomine
Discharged yesterday evening. Have spent most of today asleep because I could. Reached out to both Dr. ID's office and Dr. Hematology's office. The former to check if he wanted to see me in office (receptionist asked a great question, "Are you on IV antibiotics, to which I got to say no; oral [which is its own hot mess; I am not going there]. So she is supposed to call me back.

Dr. Hematology's office seemed ready to shunt me into new patient needs full workup routing so I am writing him tomorrow to have him try to get me rerouted so I can get labs done Wednesday. I am fine with weekly but they have to get drawn! Will miss June surgery date but would prefer not to miss July (which is why weekly labs are crucial; he was like every other week is fine. Um no.

Okay time for more sleeping.

various sizes of joy

Jun. 5th, 2025 11:11 pm
kaberett: Trans symbol with Swiss Army knife tools at other positions around the central circle. (Default)
[personal profile] kaberett
  1. On Tuesday, I picked a kohlrabi. The stem itself got eaten at the plot; the leaves I brought home to cook and eat subsequently rather than compost them. I stuck them in a glass of water to keep them going while I work out what exactly it is I want to do, and -- they are stunning. I am enjoying them so much every time I go past them: dark blue-tinged green leaves, pink-purple stems and veins (the cultivar is Azur; I do not currently have photos but will attempt to get my act together tomorrow.)
  2. I have four spikes of ginger, one thoroughly unfurled into leaves, and at least one more thinking hard about it. I do not expect to wind up self-sufficient in ginger but I am very much enjoying the experiment.
  3. a word you've never understood (Prophet, 9k words). I did not read it all in one gulp -- I paused to take notes -- and I'm now on my second read through, which could in theory be more of a gulp but mysteriously I seem to be taking more notes and also remembering that I wanted to shake the internet for more information about the experience termed "aftersensations", for Book Purposes. (Also I think I've lured another person into at least starting the book...)
  4. Asparagus for lunch! Still in season; still delicious.
  5. My house once again contains Large Quantities of hazelnuts and pecans. I Monch.

(no subject)

Jun. 5th, 2025 03:57 pm
ravena_kade: (Default)
[personal profile] ravena_kade
So happy it's Thursday.

I have been doing pretty good on the work month end items. I may have everything ready for the boss to close the month tomorrow. Tomorrow is my goal, but I know she won't close on a Friday. Fine by me, but it proves I can do it.

This week was the first time ever that I mowed a lawn. Oh boy. All I can say is that it is better than shoveling snow. My plan is to only mow every 3 weeks. I also hope to get some real gardening done. I view mowing as a chore. If I had money (HA) It put in a big round patio in the center of the yard and put in a gas fire pit with chairs around it.

This Saturday it is supposed to be rainy so my plan is to wash the deck... I'll be wet anyway. Funny, I had a wood deck for 20 years at the old house and only painted it once. This engineered wood stuff attracts black dirt and can grow algae.

I do have some travel plans coming up. Fatherly weekend I am going to go with Dad to New Hampshire to the white mountains. I want to get him to use a camera and see what he does. I want to spend time at Sabaday falls and Jackson falls doing photography/.

The next weekend will be be NJ. I think I will bring the new lens with me to give it a work out.
stonepicnicking_okapi: otherwords (otherwords)
[personal profile] stonepicnicking_okapi
from Leaves of Grass

Why, who makes much of a miracle?
As to me I know of nothing else but miracles,
Whether I walk the streets of Manhattan,
Or dart my sight over the roofs of houses toward the sky,
Or wade with naked feet along the beach just in the edge of the water,
Or stand under trees in the woods,
Or talk by day with any one I love, or sleep in the bed at night with any one I love,
Or sit at table at dinner with the rest,
Or look at strangers opposite me riding in the car,
Or watch honey-bees busy around the hive of a summer forenoon,
Or animals feeding in the fields,
Or birds, or the wonderfulness of insects in the air,
Or the wonderfulness of the sundown, or of stars shining so quiet and bright,
Or the exquisite delicate thin curve of the new moon in spring;
These with the rest, one and all, are to me miracles,
The whole referring, yet each distinct and in its place.

To me every hour of the light and dark is a miracle,
Every cubic inch of space is a miracle,
Every square yard of the surface of the earth is spread with the same,
Every foot of the interior swarms with the same.

To me the sea is a continual miracle,
The fishes that swim—the rocks—the motion of the waves—the
ships with men in them,
What stranger miracles are there?

GREAT NEWS

Jun. 5th, 2025 10:21 am
stonepicnicking_okapi: pinkfireworks (pinkfirewoks)
[personal profile] stonepicnicking_okapi
Thank you for the outstanding impression you made during your interview. We are so glad to have a great new team member.

I have to fill out a lot of paperwork and go through orientation but I (most likely) have a job!!!


OMG!

multifandom questionnaire pt 1

Jun. 4th, 2025 11:03 pm
svgurl: (smallville: clark s4 amused)
[personal profile] svgurl
I found this via [personal profile] vriddy: [personal profile] maevedarcy adapted a fandom questionnaire and made it more multifandom friendly - Questionnaire: 72 Multifandom questions to ask a fangirl.

I'm going to do it by parts, 12 at a time. :D

Current fandoms and personal connection:

1. How did you first discover your main fandoms?
My original main fandom was Smallville and I had always seen the ads on TV and I started watching a few seasons in because I love Superman and well, my sister was into it at the time, so I figured why not. I found Smallville fandom by chance when I was reading fic for other fandoms and then stumbled across Livejournal when I was googling Clark Kent/Oliver Queen, realized that there was very little fic, and decided I was going to write my own.

With the MCU, I watched The Avengers, started shipping Steve/Tony, and checked out what was out there. While I've read a lot of fic, I didn't start writing it until I began to participate in exchanges. It really helped me get out of my comfort zone.

I don't know if I have a "current" fandom but my main interest these days is 9-1-1, the procedural about first responders that is on ABC. It was one of those shows that had been on my "to watch" list and I'd seen some gifs on Tumblr and I finally watched it when it was seven seasons in.

#2-122. What was it about the fandom(s) that initially captured your interest?

With Smallville, it was definitely mostly about Superman and on a shallow note, I had a crush on Tom Welling. And as I said above, I got involved in fandom because barely anyone else was writing the ship I was newly into. It's funny - I got a comment on one of my Clark/Oliver fics a few days ago and that person was all "you're carrying this ship" and to be told that in 2025 is not what I would've had on my bingo card but it kinda delighted me anyway.

The MCU I got into because "The Avengers" was the big thing and once I found a ship I liked, I had to look for content. The timing was perfect too because Smallville had ended and while I was still into it, it was nice to have something fresh to grab my attention.

As far as 9-1-1, I'm hit or miss on procedurals but it always did look fun. When I found out that one of the main characters recently realized they were bisexual, it finally pushed me over to check it out.

3. Can you recall a moment when you realized you were more than just a casual fan?

Probably when I started writing all the fic? It wasn't surprising for me - I tend to get obsessive and am either all or nothing when it comes to ... anything really.

4. How has your interest in fandom evolved over time?

I still love it but I am more careful these days about how I participate. I got into all sorts of fandom drama during my first run and it's something that I try to avoid. I was young, but also old enough to know better and I definitely was more than a little naive. Nowadays, I prefer to stay on the edge and keep my circle close and tight.

5. Is there anyone in your life that shares your passion for fandom?

In my real life, no. That's what DW and Tumblr are for! I was really lucky that one of my mutuals on Tumblr, who I was friendly but not close to, does really love 9-1-1 too so I have had someone to talk with about my newest obsession. Otherwise, getting into a new fandom/ship, especially one as big, would've been more awkward.

6. How does your fandom inspire you in your everyday life?

Weirdly, I can't think of anything off the top of my head. I'm sure it has, especially since there are some things I have learned about via people I've met online but nothing stands out right now.

7.Does the fandom influence your personal style, hobbies, or interests?

No, it's probably the other way around. I've definitely been introduced books and media through fandom that I wouldn't have thought of otherwise, if that counts.

8. Can you share a personal story related to your fandom that you cherish?

I don't know how personal it is, but I used to have this one song that I specifically associated with Clark/Oliver - "Everything" by Michael Buble" - and then for my birthday, one of my Livejournal friends made me a fanvid to that song, when she didn't even ship them, and it literally meant everything to me.

9. What valuable lessons have you learned from being part of fandom?

Oh, plenty. I think it taught me the importance of not trying to force yourself to be something or someone you're not, because it will backfire. Being edgy for the sake of it is also not cool. Seems obvious, but it really isn't. Also, there are also tools to curate your experience and it is up to you to use them, more so now than ever.

10. Have you met any of your closest friends through a fandom?

No. My real life and fandom life are very separated (I'm private and paranoid), but I do have some people here and Tumblr that I've known for a long time and I have extra fondness for them in the same way I do about the people I see in real life.

11. Are there any rituals or traditions you enjoy before new releases related to fandom?

I don't think so. Sometimes, I like to refresh my memory of what happened before, with my favorite clips or reading some summaries, but I wouldn't say that's a tradition or ritual because I'm not very consistent.

12. If you could introduce someone new to fandom, how would you describe it to them

I'd probably say it's passionate fans who have come together over a shared love of a particular type of media and they enjoy spending time discussing, creating, and engaging in works about it. Depending on how that goes, I would try to explain fanworks and shipping and the like.

mugged by a magpie

Jun. 4th, 2025 11:34 pm
kaberett: Trans symbol with Swiss Army knife tools at other positions around the central circle. (Default)
[personal profile] kaberett

Picture me: sat on the sofa, opposite the French doors, vaguely paying attention to what was going on at the bird feeder, mildly amused by the extremely ungainly magpie.

The magpie that inspected the water bowl (that someone had thrown off its stand) and the feeder (that was empty) and the me (on the sofa) and Came To A Decision.

It did a tiny hop-skip-flap over and landed, very deliberately, on the workbench just the other side of the glass. It turned its head from side to side to get a good look at me from both eyes.

And then, having glared at me, it started yelling.

And kept yelling until I was up off the sofa and clearly heading for the door, whereupon it retreated to a safe distance, i.e. the garage rooves, and Continued Observing.

I sorted out the water dish. I got the crates of Misc Birdseed out of their cupboard. I sorted out the feeder. I sorted out the other feeder.

I went back inside.

Some time elapsed.

Eventually I got sufficiently puzzled about why the magpie hadn't come back yet to actually notice that I'd left the crates of seed out, and their cupboard door open.

I heaved myself back off the sofa.

I returned the seeds to their cupboard, and shut the cupboard's door. I returned myself to the sofa, shutting the patio door behind me.

Not terribly long after that, the magpie returned, and drank, and nibbled suspiciously (I had changed which food was in which feeder position), and appeared satisfied at least to the extent of not yelling any further...

... right up until the squirrel showed up to claim a portion of the restock.

I am absolutely delighted to have made this neighbour's acquaintance.

Word: Banjax

Jun. 4th, 2025 03:55 pm
stonepicnicking_okapi: letters (letters)
[personal profile] stonepicnicking_okapi
I haven't don't one of these since April, but I've come across some new-to-me words.

Wednesday's word is...

...banjax.


1. ruin, incapacitate, or break.


I found this new-to-me word in the Inspector Rebus I just finished (Saints of the Shadow Bible).

"...Reckons we banjaxed the Saunders case to keep a good snitch on the street."

I would also like to add this saying (also new-to-me) from the same which is very Rebus.

Fair exchange is no robbery

That is definitely going to be the title of my next hard-boiled detective fic. It's great.

Book Bingo: June 2025

Jun. 4th, 2025 02:59 pm
stonepicnicking_okapi: books (books)
[personal profile] stonepicnicking_okapi
This bingo card was created by [personal profile] kingstoken. More about the challenge here: https://kingstoken.dreamwidth.org/109837.html



LBGTQ+: Born to Be Posthumous: The Eccentric Life and Mysterious Genius of Edward Gorey by Mark Derby. An interesting life. This is a long work, however, and at times was a slog just because of the length. 500+ pages.

Multiple POV: The Guest List by Lucy Foley. Of course, you can't think of a Multiple POV book when you want to, so I googled it and got this, and my library had it on audiobook. It's a modern And then there were none with everyone coming to a wedding on an island. No one is likeable. Really, they're all sort of awful. And it wasn't clever. And public school boys bullying someone to death is too cliche for me. But it held my attention enough to finish it. 10+hours. Ensemble narrator cast.

Anthology/Collection: The Hurting Kind by Ada Limón. An excellent collection of poetry by the US Poet Laureate. I listened to audio verison in her own voice, which I recommend. I included some of my favorites in an April post: https://stonepicnicking-okapi.dreamwidth.org/598098.html

Friendship: Seafire by Natalie C. Parker. This was my 'blind date' book I got at the library in February. It was a YA fantasy book of a kind of Mad Max world on the water. The main characters are young women who are captain and crew of a ship which is renegade/rogue, fighting against the warlord who controls the area. It was good. The world building was interesting. I'm not going to read the next in the series but I enjoyed it. Friendship is definitely a main theme. [I am also trying to do as many squares as I can of [personal profile] garonne's 2025 Book Bingo here: https://garonne.dreamwidth.org/58219.html so I think this qualifies as G-B-3: Set at sea.]

Movie/TV-tie in: Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo. This was the first book on the 'Reading List for 4th graders' sent Minisculus' teacher, and I decided to make a Mother-Son book club. It's a sweet little book about a girl in Florida. They made a movie out of it. Winn-Dixie for unfamiliar is a grocery store chain and the girl names the stray dog (like Annie and Sandy) after the grocery store she finds it in. Minisculus, of course, reads manga and Percy Jackson. But he needs more torture in his life :) [also for G-I-1: children's book]

Things said to cats

Jun. 4th, 2025 12:21 pm
azurelunatic: Hacker-Kitty (aka Yellface) snuggling with Azz. (Hacker-Kitty)
[personal profile] azurelunatic
Cat: "Me-ow!"
Me: "Me-ow! You-ow! We all ow!"

Rant

Jun. 4th, 2025 11:49 am
sine_nomine: (Default)
[personal profile] sine_nomine
After ALL that talk yesterday about "of course we won't discharge tomorrow without labs" NO ONE ORDERED ANYTHING FOR TODAY.

Yes, I have already left voicemail with the Office of Patient Advocacy. And yes, we all know they are actually there to protect the hospital and not the patient. Still, they have power to do something.
azurelunatic: Vivid pink Alaskan wild rose. (Default)
[personal profile] azurelunatic
The usual mess of interesting things I've read, most of them quite out of date, in approximate order of my having read them. Brought to you by my browser crashing twice when I tried to start it after my most recent reboot.

As always, I use Export Tabs to wrangle this. And maybe my current 1,625 tab count will decrease some after I close all these?
https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/export-tabs/odafagokkafdbbeojliiojjmimakacil?hl=en

Some good news from the south:
Woman who went on the lam with untreated TB is now cured | Ars Technica
https://arstechnica.com/science/2024/07/woman-who-went-on-the-lam-with-untreated-tb-is-now-cured/

Mechanical Watch – Bartosz Ciechanowski
https://ciechanow.ski/mechanical-watch/

How a North Korean Fake IT Worker Tried to Infiltrate Us
https://blog.knowbe4.com/how-a-north-korean-fake-it-worker-tried-to-infiltrate-us

How I Got My Laser Eye Injury - Funranium Labs
https://www.funraniumlabs.com/2024/07/how-i-got-my-laser-eye-injury/

Read more... )

Psycho Chicken

Jun. 4th, 2025 04:59 am
scripsi: (Default)
[personal profile] scripsi
Ever since the TACO acronym hit the news, I've had this Modern Talking parody running rent free in my head. So I will be genereous and share it...

Couple Blake Lively Links

Jun. 3rd, 2025 03:33 pm
muccamukk: Text: Let me just go in the next room and crochet, while you have cigars and brandy and talk about beheadings. (HL: Men's Business)
[personal profile] muccamukk
Forbes: Taylor Swift And Blake Lively: Subpoena, Spectacle And Scrutiny.
IMO, dragging Swift in just to get attention, and then pretending Lively is the one dragging Swift in is just showing off how little Baldoni's team has on the legal side.

Reminder: Lively is suing over violations of her (and her female costars') right to a safe workplace. Leave Taylor Swift out of this.

The LA Times: Blake Lively backed by advocacy groups in legal fight with Justin Baldoni over #MeToo speech law

I don't think it's being reported enough that Baldoni's team is trying to strike down the law protecting survivors of sexual violence and discrimination from defamation suits. As in, get it declared unconstitutional because suing your victims should be part of Free Speech. Holy Fake Feminism, Batman.

Here's more about the law that Lively is invoking because this is a labour issue: Legislation to Protect Survivors of Sexual Assault, Harassment, and Discrimination from Weaponized Defamation Lawsuits Signed by Governor.

Here's a Bloomburg piece about on of the "inspirations" for why California decided it needed this law [archive link]: Ex-FTC Commissioner Faces Storm of Sexual Harassment Claims.

One of the women in that case helped put together one of the amicus briefs [PDF of court document], so that the law she helped draft, intending to protect people like her, doesn't get struck down. She has now been stalked, harassed and doxxed for speaking up in support of the law, because the Lively hate train people are truly free of hinges.

News & Views

Jun. 3rd, 2025 05:17 pm
stonepicnicking_okapi: ChopSuey (chopsuey)
[personal profile] stonepicnicking_okapi
1. The interview on Thursday is the big thing.

2. I have finally started actually writing my casefic for the exchange.

3. School is winding down for the boys. Their last day is 18 June.

4. I realized that the book that Minisculus and I are reading was made into a film (Because of Winn-Dixie) so I have my movie-tie in for the book bingo.

5. 13 June is FESTA day, which is the day BTS debuted (so BTS birthday). All but SUGA will be out by then.

I wish I could make this look this easy.

Tomorrow is the day

Jun. 3rd, 2025 10:48 am
sine_nomine: (Default)
[personal profile] sine_nomine
Discharge anticipated tomorrow, unless numbers go all wonky. We are seeing slow (so slow!) steady improvement. But infinitesimal (or however that's spelt!) movement. Dr. Hematology Cover noted low folic acid and prescribed a supplement. Asked her to order a new complete iron panel, she said great idea, and that she would. Yet, when they came to draw today, it was literally only CBC. NO CMP, Mag or Phos (or iron panel). Weird.

Definitely done being here. Really wish they'd given me my favorite nurse today (who should be working) instead of someone brand new to me.

Anyway, I go sleep. Feeling annoyed about a stack of things. Hoping that's just fatigue talking.

stuff

Jun. 3rd, 2025 01:48 pm
tielan: ant in a line diverges because: bookstore (books - shiny)
[personal profile] tielan
Remember the days in ye aulde fandom when someone would just stop talking to you and you never worked out why?

Ghosting, before it became common.

--

Just put in my expense requests for the start of May.

--

Hockey training has been cancelled because we don't have a coach, and we don't have a game on Sunday (long weekend in Australia: the King's birthday). I'm trying to get people over to the local club for dinner and drinks but...it's always a bit tricksy. Just me and a couple of other women, I think.

October 2023

S M T W T F S
1234567
8 91011121314
15161718192021
22232425262728
293031    

Expand Cut Tags

No cut tags