(no subject)
Jul. 5th, 2025 03:31 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
turpsWe ran out of yoghurt this morning, so instead of our usual Sunday morning, be there for opening, visit to Company Shop we went earlier. Only to be quickly reminded of previous vows to myself not to shop there on a Saturday at prime time. So many people in a relatively small place, and they didn't even have any good bargains to show for it. Well, not until we were at the checkout, when one of the ladies we know came out pushing four crates of frozen Magnum lollies. She stopped to talk to James, he asked how much the lollies were, and when told 6 for £1 he asked if he could have six. So, she left the crates next to us, which was great at we got our lollies. But not so great that we almost got trampled by all the other people zooming in for the goodies.
The h/c exchange stories have gone live and I need to check out the archive and see what's there.
It was a Bodhisitting day yesterday, the first long one I've had for a while. It also included watching the new kittens, who have now changed names because it turns out one of the girls is actually a boy. So, Millie and Mollie are now Aslan and Panda. They are adorable though, and spent the day causing havoc, then sleeping, causing more havoc, sleeping, the pattern went on.
That's them with Miah, who now thinks she's a mama cat. Megan meanwhile, just growls and keeps out of the way
Everything in the garden is growing nicely, and I've been picking fresh strawberries and raspberries already. Turns out the courgette I've been carefully tending in the greenhouse is actually a cucumber, though. How that happened I really don't know as I can't remember planting cucumber seeds. That also means I have no courgette plants at all this year.
I watched the season finale of Taskmaster and was pleased with the winner. I've enjoyed this season a lot, and of course was eager to see who is appearing next season. Out of everyone on there I only really know Maisie Adam, but that's the case most times, and I usually end up enjoying them all by the end.
We're off to the theatre tonight to see Hamilton, so I should get off my backside and get changed soon. Normally we'd go for a meal beforehand but it's just drinks tonight, still, I'm looking forward to the show.
The h/c exchange stories have gone live and I need to check out the archive and see what's there.
It was a Bodhisitting day yesterday, the first long one I've had for a while. It also included watching the new kittens, who have now changed names because it turns out one of the girls is actually a boy. So, Millie and Mollie are now Aslan and Panda. They are adorable though, and spent the day causing havoc, then sleeping, causing more havoc, sleeping, the pattern went on.
That's them with Miah, who now thinks she's a mama cat. Megan meanwhile, just growls and keeps out of the way
Everything in the garden is growing nicely, and I've been picking fresh strawberries and raspberries already. Turns out the courgette I've been carefully tending in the greenhouse is actually a cucumber, though. How that happened I really don't know as I can't remember planting cucumber seeds. That also means I have no courgette plants at all this year.
I watched the season finale of Taskmaster and was pleased with the winner. I've enjoyed this season a lot, and of course was eager to see who is appearing next season. Out of everyone on there I only really know Maisie Adam, but that's the case most times, and I usually end up enjoying them all by the end.
We're off to the theatre tonight to see Hamilton, so I should get off my backside and get changed soon. Normally we'd go for a meal beforehand but it's just drinks tonight, still, I'm looking forward to the show.
Two Guardian fics: Sunshine and Honey (M-rated) and Pages for You (T-rated)
Jul. 5th, 2025 03:20 pmchina_shopI wrote a self-indulgent Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan treat for ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
idproquo and a post-canon Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan domestic-fluff flashfic for the fan_flashworks Amnesty round. Thanks to trobadora for beta on both of them! <3
Title: Sunshine and Honey (4126 words) [Mature]
Fandom: 镇魂 | Guardian (TV 2018)
Relationships: Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan
Additional Tags: Ye Olde Haixing Era, Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Outdoor Sex, Feeding, Finger Sucking, Oral Fixation, First Kiss (for one of them), First time (for one of them), Treat
Summary:
Title: Pages for You (1762 words) [Teen and Up]
Fandom: 镇魂 | Guardian (TV 2018)
Relationships: Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan
Additional Tags: Post-Canon, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Established Relationship, Domestic Fluff, Fade to Black, Community: fan_flashworks
Summary:
idproquo and a post-canon Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan domestic-fluff flashfic for the fan_flashworks Amnesty round. Thanks to trobadora for beta on both of them! <3Title: Sunshine and Honey (4126 words) [Mature]
Fandom: 镇魂 | Guardian (TV 2018)
Relationships: Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan
Additional Tags: Ye Olde Haixing Era, Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Outdoor Sex, Feeding, Finger Sucking, Oral Fixation, First Kiss (for one of them), First time (for one of them), Treat
Summary:
They were halfway to the Allied Forces’ southern boundary when the sun came out. Shen Wei pulled back his hood and looked around, conscious of the breeze on his bare face. The heavy clouds were finally breaking up.
Meanwhile, Kunlun had dropped his bag and flopped onto his back on the grassy slope. “Let’s rest here a while.”
Title: Pages for You (1762 words) [Teen and Up]
Fandom: 镇魂 | Guardian (TV 2018)
Relationships: Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan
Additional Tags: Post-Canon, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Established Relationship, Domestic Fluff, Fade to Black, Community: fan_flashworks
Summary:
Over the course of the evening, an impulse had taken root, and now Shen Wei submitted to it. He switched on his desk lamp, laid out several large sheets of paper and quietly ground some ink. If Zhao Yunlan wanted to read of their time together through the eyes of a Dixingren soldier, who better than Shen Wei to write an account—to show Zhao Yunlan exactly how much his arrival had meant to the war effort and to Shen Wei himself.
Me-and-media update
Jul. 5th, 2025 03:06 pmchina_shopPrevious poll review
In the Routine poll, 84.2% of respondents voted for tooth-brushing, 50.9% for locking up and switching things off around the house, and 33.3% for tending to pets. Night-time routines taking more than half an hour got 24.6%, and "sometimes it takes me an hour or more" got 7%. *high fives*
In ticky-boxes, hugs won with 75.4%, followed by "how stressful it is to ask tradespeople to change things they've done" with 57.9% and "sitting on a mountain ledge in the moonlight, listening to owls" with 56.1%. Thank you for your votes! <3
Reading
Incandescent by Emily Tesh, read by Zara Ramm, who sounds exactly like Emma Thompson. I spent the middle third of this being unsure what the plot was (or if there even was a plot; "is this a cosy magic-school story?" I asked nobody in particular). Things stirred ominously under the surface, but the tension relied on the reader being more worried about them than the mostly oblivious POV character -- which was interesting. Overall, I enjoyed it very much.
The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander (Chronicles of Prydain). A few more chapters. I'm past halfway and it still feels like setup, which I guess is a function of it being the first book of five.
A tiny bit more of Neurotribes. I'm bored with the case studies/anecdotes and ready for some theory.
Two more chapters of Guardian by priest.
My Whimsy binge stalled after bouncing off three different narrators for The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club. None of them hit the humour right. I suppose I'm going to have to read in text, but Prydain first (and I still haven't finished my reread of Werecockroach, note to self).
Kdramas
I finished Our Unwritten Seoul and enjoyed it very much. It's about 30yo identical twins, one who works in a corporate office in Seoul, and one who lives in their hometown and does a series of temporary and part-time jobs. The office worker is miserable from being bullied at work, so they decide to swap lives. Contains some pretty good (in my inexpert opinion) disability rep, and
I cancelled my VIKI subscription earlier this week because I wasn't using it, so of course I immediately started watching My Dearest Nemesis, as recced byadore. It has a bit of a "based on a webtoon" feel, but I'm fine with that, and it's a neat twist on the Obnoxious Repressed Chaebol Exec trope. (The leading man is leading a double life: he's a closet fanboy, but his family and position require him to present as a 100% bland, respectable businessman.) I'm obsessed!
Note to self: check out First Night with the Duke next. And maybe renew your VIKI subscription.
Other TV
Poker Face and Murderbot continue to be enjoyable (we're an episode behind on each of them). I found the second half of Andor season 2 a lot more engaging than the first half (and might like the first half more on the rewatch; yet to be determined). Another episode each of Étoile and Krapopolis. The Old Guard 2 on Netflix.
A rewatch of French film Rosalie Blum, which I love.
Guardian/Fandom
The continuing delights of read-alongs and polls.
Audio entertainment
A little bit of Heather Cox Richardson's Letters from an American (US constitutional-law context for current developments), a little bit of Midnight Burger (audiodrama), most of the first season of Eight Days of Diana Wynne Jones (which I'm enjoying despite not being familiar with DWJ's earlier books).
Writing/making things
I wrote a flashfic for thefan_flashworks amnesty round and am poking at a couple of WIPs. My brain seems to be in recovery mode. My only current deadline is the fan_flashworks Science round.
Life/health/mental state things
My thumbs/hands/wrists are not in great shape. My body is working hard to metabolise ambient stress. (*hugs to everyone*) I'm feeling a little under siege by winter and ~the state of things~, but I saw my sister for the first time in weeks (she's had a cold), a friend came over for lunch on Thursday, and last night our tv-watching friend joined us for Rosalie Blum.
Good things
Chocolate. Andrew and Halle. Fandom and all of you. Polls. Kdramas. Books. Podcasts. Eminem. Writing when it happens. AO3 (*clutches*). Love, kindness, and diversity.
In the Routine poll, 84.2% of respondents voted for tooth-brushing, 50.9% for locking up and switching things off around the house, and 33.3% for tending to pets. Night-time routines taking more than half an hour got 24.6%, and "sometimes it takes me an hour or more" got 7%. *high fives*
In ticky-boxes, hugs won with 75.4%, followed by "how stressful it is to ask tradespeople to change things they've done" with 57.9% and "sitting on a mountain ledge in the moonlight, listening to owls" with 56.1%. Thank you for your votes! <3
Reading
Incandescent by Emily Tesh, read by Zara Ramm, who sounds exactly like Emma Thompson. I spent the middle third of this being unsure what the plot was (or if there even was a plot; "is this a cosy magic-school story?" I asked nobody in particular). Things stirred ominously under the surface, but the tension relied on the reader being more worried about them than the mostly oblivious POV character -- which was interesting. Overall, I enjoyed it very much.
The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander (Chronicles of Prydain). A few more chapters. I'm past halfway and it still feels like setup, which I guess is a function of it being the first book of five.
A tiny bit more of Neurotribes. I'm bored with the case studies/anecdotes and ready for some theory.
Two more chapters of Guardian by priest.
My Whimsy binge stalled after bouncing off three different narrators for The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club. None of them hit the humour right. I suppose I'm going to have to read in text, but Prydain first (and I still haven't finished my reread of Werecockroach, note to self).
Kdramas
I finished Our Unwritten Seoul and enjoyed it very much. It's about 30yo identical twins, one who works in a corporate office in Seoul, and one who lives in their hometown and does a series of temporary and part-time jobs. The office worker is miserable from being bullied at work, so they decide to swap lives. Contains some pretty good (in my inexpert opinion) disability rep, and
I approved of both the morals (spoilers)
1) if you bottle things up and don't let people see your vulnerability, you can't feel their love; and 2) love isn't about winning or losing, or whether you're a burden; it's about being on the same team, staying together, and supporting each other as you win or lose. <3 <3 <3 (I was so happy when Ho-su stopped pushing Mi-ji away, and with the ending when they used sign language sometimes. <3 <3 <3)I cancelled my VIKI subscription earlier this week because I wasn't using it, so of course I immediately started watching My Dearest Nemesis, as recced by
adore. It has a bit of a "based on a webtoon" feel, but I'm fine with that, and it's a neat twist on the Obnoxious Repressed Chaebol Exec trope. (The leading man is leading a double life: he's a closet fanboy, but his family and position require him to present as a 100% bland, respectable businessman.) I'm obsessed! Note to self: check out First Night with the Duke next. And maybe renew your VIKI subscription.
Other TV
Poker Face and Murderbot continue to be enjoyable (we're an episode behind on each of them). I found the second half of Andor season 2 a lot more engaging than the first half (and might like the first half more on the rewatch; yet to be determined). Another episode each of Étoile and Krapopolis. The Old Guard 2 on Netflix.
Tiny spoiler for the very end.
Andrew was disgusted that, at the end, as [redacted] leave the secret archive full of ancient texts, they turn out the light but leave candles burning. "What about the ancient books?!" LOL!A rewatch of French film Rosalie Blum, which I love.
Guardian/Fandom
The continuing delights of read-alongs and polls.
Audio entertainment
A little bit of Heather Cox Richardson's Letters from an American (US constitutional-law context for current developments), a little bit of Midnight Burger (audiodrama), most of the first season of Eight Days of Diana Wynne Jones (which I'm enjoying despite not being familiar with DWJ's earlier books).
Writing/making things
I wrote a flashfic for the
fan_flashworks amnesty round and am poking at a couple of WIPs. My brain seems to be in recovery mode. My only current deadline is the fan_flashworks Science round.Life/health/mental state things
My thumbs/hands/wrists are not in great shape. My body is working hard to metabolise ambient stress. (*hugs to everyone*) I'm feeling a little under siege by winter and ~the state of things~, but I saw my sister for the first time in weeks (she's had a cold), a friend came over for lunch on Thursday, and last night our tv-watching friend joined us for Rosalie Blum.
Good things
Chocolate. Andrew and Halle. Fandom and all of you. Polls. Kdramas. Books. Podcasts. Eminem. Writing when it happens. AO3 (*clutches*). Love, kindness, and diversity.
Poll #33324 Crowd-sourcing randomness
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 24
Crowd-sourcing randomness
View Answers
heads
5 (20.8%)
tails
6 (25.0%)
edge
6 (25.0%)
zero-g (the coin never falls)
10 (41.7%)
ticky-box full of grumbly cats in search of treats
17 (70.8%)
ticky-box full of being protective of your blorbos
14 (58.3%)
ticky-box full of surviving AO3 outages
18 (75.0%)
ticky-box full of soft, bright-green moss nestled at the base of a tree, glittering with beads of dew
15 (62.5%)
ticky-box full of hugs
19 (79.2%)
(no subject)
Jul. 2nd, 2025 02:06 pmturpsPauline asked if we wanted to go out for lunch yesterday, and as it was James' day off, we both went, along with Pauline and her daughter. Pauline had a voucher for a restaurant for 40% off, so as she'd asked us, said she'd pay. Only to find out the voucher terms were a bit misleading and it was 20% off food and 20% off drinks. So, the bill was a bit more than she expected. Which I felt bad about but she refused to budge that it was her treat.
But, despite that, the food was good and the company excellent, so it was a nice time out.
Today it was the first weight management class at the new time and length. I was a bit worried about the doubling of the exercise time, but it all worked out nicely. The extra hour meant the talk part could last longer, and wander more without cutting into the physical part of the class, and while there was more exercise there was still time to finish at leisure before the next class started.
Quite a few regulars were missing, though, which was a shame. I hope it was just one off's, and they come back, and not that the time doesn't suit.
I'm going to try to do this challenge, so off we go.
Challenge #1
Journaling Prompt: Light up your journal with activity this month. Talk about your goals for July or for the second half of 2025.
Creative Prompt: Shine a light on your own creativity. Create anything you want (an image, an icon, a story, a poem, or a craft) and share it with your community.. Post your answer to today’s challenge in your own space and leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.
My main goal for this month is to go to the gym at least once a week, ideally twice. Then, with class on Wednesday, that should be an achievable amount of activity.
I was actually at the gym on Monday. Yes, it was another really hot day, but the gym has air con, so it was lovely and cool in there. Bonus, I learned how to actually track the machines I used via the gym app, so now have actual proof of what I did and for how long.
I also spotted they still have the leg press machine I used to enjoy, but it's now hidden away in the free weights section, along with some other machines I hadn't noticed before. Actually, I guess that can be another goal, stop being so intimidated by the people doing free weights and just walk around that corner.
And a final goal, to do at least one creative prompt from this challenge. So, fingers crossed for all of those.
But, despite that, the food was good and the company excellent, so it was a nice time out.
Today it was the first weight management class at the new time and length. I was a bit worried about the doubling of the exercise time, but it all worked out nicely. The extra hour meant the talk part could last longer, and wander more without cutting into the physical part of the class, and while there was more exercise there was still time to finish at leisure before the next class started.
Quite a few regulars were missing, though, which was a shame. I hope it was just one off's, and they come back, and not that the time doesn't suit.
I'm going to try to do this challenge, so off we go.
Challenge #1
Journaling Prompt: Light up your journal with activity this month. Talk about your goals for July or for the second half of 2025.
Creative Prompt: Shine a light on your own creativity. Create anything you want (an image, an icon, a story, a poem, or a craft) and share it with your community.. Post your answer to today’s challenge in your own space and leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.
My main goal for this month is to go to the gym at least once a week, ideally twice. Then, with class on Wednesday, that should be an achievable amount of activity.
I was actually at the gym on Monday. Yes, it was another really hot day, but the gym has air con, so it was lovely and cool in there. Bonus, I learned how to actually track the machines I used via the gym app, so now have actual proof of what I did and for how long.
I also spotted they still have the leg press machine I used to enjoy, but it's now hidden away in the free weights section, along with some other machines I hadn't noticed before. Actually, I guess that can be another goal, stop being so intimidated by the people doing free weights and just walk around that corner.
And a final goal, to do at least one creative prompt from this challenge. So, fingers crossed for all of those.
(no subject)
Jun. 28th, 2025 02:26 pmturpsJames' annual leave is nearly over but we've had some good days out.
Monday was class, but we decided to go to the gym before hand, which maybe wasn't the best idea I'd ever had as by the time the end of the morning came, I looked like I'd dipped my head in a bucket of water. Which wasn't the best look as after class we were heading off to Newcastle so James could go to his appointment at the limb centre to check his false leg.
That went well, and a bonus, they've put a liner into his stump cover so he only has to wear one stump sock now, instead of two. Why they didn't do that before I have no idea as it's much cooler for him.
Tuesday, we headed up north to Cragside which is a fantastic National Trust property. It was so beautiful up there and we had a lovely day exploring the house and grounds. I would have loved to check out more of the walks, but sadly, as the name suggests, a lot of the paths were very steep and rocky and no way would James have been able to manage them safely. But, we did walks to the lake and between the buildings and had a picnic in the sunshine before ending with a drive through the one-way Carriage Drive route through the grounds.
Wednesday we took my MiL out for the day. The carvery at Toby was on promotion again, so we went there for dinner before having a drive, ending up at a farm shop/cafe we like. Where there were donkeys to pet and highland cows to look at and very delicious cakes and cold drinks.
Thursday we headed a little south and ended up at Preston Park Museum and Butterfly world. I enjoyed both, and as we got there for opening managed to explore the museum while it was quiet, leading to a long talk to the man in charge of the iron mongers shop. Then a walk through the grounds to the Butterfly building where we spent a lot of time sweating in the heat and admiring loads of butterflies, and especially enjoying the meerkats who had just checked out and were basking in the heat. You can see them in my insta post here. The one in the tube still cracks me up.
Yesterday was a planned cinema day and we went to see F1: The Movie, which I enjoyed loads, even though it was nearly three hours long. Leaving there we called in to see Corey, then went on to Kayleigh's as I said I'd watch Bodhi for a bit as Kayleigh and Lucy first went grocery shopping, then picked up their new kittens, Millie and Mollie.
Today James picked up an overtime community visit shift, which means he's helping run the NE ambulance stall at Sunderland Pride. Last I heard from him he was having a great time, and sent me a picture of him beaming from behind a cut out of a rainbow decked cardboard ambulance front. Meanwhile I've been getting the house in order with Glastonbury as background viewing as I do so. So far, my favourite performance has been Lewis Capaldi, what a return.
I've also been waiting for two parcels, one of which was thrown into the back garden, which baffles me as it would have taken the delivery guy more effort to walk around the house than actually knock on the front door. While the Amazon guy knocked ridiculously hard and then was walking away before I even got to the door. Turned out he'd left the parcel on the front door step so it's good I was actually in being as I have no front garden.
During the week I also heard from Rosie and from the week coming class will be on a Wednesday at 9am, and has changed from one hour to two. She's also going to start running an exercise only evening class from August, which is great, but I must admit, I can't help be a bit intimidated from going from 30 mins exercise to 60, and with another class to come.
Monday was class, but we decided to go to the gym before hand, which maybe wasn't the best idea I'd ever had as by the time the end of the morning came, I looked like I'd dipped my head in a bucket of water. Which wasn't the best look as after class we were heading off to Newcastle so James could go to his appointment at the limb centre to check his false leg.
That went well, and a bonus, they've put a liner into his stump cover so he only has to wear one stump sock now, instead of two. Why they didn't do that before I have no idea as it's much cooler for him.
Tuesday, we headed up north to Cragside which is a fantastic National Trust property. It was so beautiful up there and we had a lovely day exploring the house and grounds. I would have loved to check out more of the walks, but sadly, as the name suggests, a lot of the paths were very steep and rocky and no way would James have been able to manage them safely. But, we did walks to the lake and between the buildings and had a picnic in the sunshine before ending with a drive through the one-way Carriage Drive route through the grounds.
Wednesday we took my MiL out for the day. The carvery at Toby was on promotion again, so we went there for dinner before having a drive, ending up at a farm shop/cafe we like. Where there were donkeys to pet and highland cows to look at and very delicious cakes and cold drinks.
Thursday we headed a little south and ended up at Preston Park Museum and Butterfly world. I enjoyed both, and as we got there for opening managed to explore the museum while it was quiet, leading to a long talk to the man in charge of the iron mongers shop. Then a walk through the grounds to the Butterfly building where we spent a lot of time sweating in the heat and admiring loads of butterflies, and especially enjoying the meerkats who had just checked out and were basking in the heat. You can see them in my insta post here. The one in the tube still cracks me up.
Yesterday was a planned cinema day and we went to see F1: The Movie, which I enjoyed loads, even though it was nearly three hours long. Leaving there we called in to see Corey, then went on to Kayleigh's as I said I'd watch Bodhi for a bit as Kayleigh and Lucy first went grocery shopping, then picked up their new kittens, Millie and Mollie.
Today James picked up an overtime community visit shift, which means he's helping run the NE ambulance stall at Sunderland Pride. Last I heard from him he was having a great time, and sent me a picture of him beaming from behind a cut out of a rainbow decked cardboard ambulance front. Meanwhile I've been getting the house in order with Glastonbury as background viewing as I do so. So far, my favourite performance has been Lewis Capaldi, what a return.
I've also been waiting for two parcels, one of which was thrown into the back garden, which baffles me as it would have taken the delivery guy more effort to walk around the house than actually knock on the front door. While the Amazon guy knocked ridiculously hard and then was walking away before I even got to the door. Turned out he'd left the parcel on the front door step so it's good I was actually in being as I have no front garden.
During the week I also heard from Rosie and from the week coming class will be on a Wednesday at 9am, and has changed from one hour to two. She's also going to start running an exercise only evening class from August, which is great, but I must admit, I can't help be a bit intimidated from going from 30 mins exercise to 60, and with another class to come.
Me-and-media update
Jun. 27th, 2025 03:50 pmchina_shopI wrote most of this on Tuesday, and now it's Friday, so some unrepaired time dilation might slip through.
Pandemic life
( Protocol slippage. )
Previous poll review
In the Impending doom of the natural variety poll, the most common natural disaster threatening respondents is drought/heat (55.6%), followed by flood (44.4%), then blizzard (40.7%). Twelve of us (including me) are at risk of earthquakes.
In ticky-boxes, hugs won by a landslide with 70.4%, followed by "ticky-box made of Möbius strips and Escher staircases" with 48.1%. Thank you for your votes!
Reading
A little more Neurotribes, but the focus on kids and parenting is not holding my interest. Nothing wrong with it; I'm just not the right audience. A chapter of Guardian. A smidgen more of The Book of Three, and the first few hours of Incandescent by Emily Tesh, read by Zara Ramm (very heavy on introductions and the nitty-gritty of school administration so far, but I like the POV character - no spoilers, please).
TV & movies
Four episodes of The Expanse season 6 with a friend; we're watching the other two tonight. Murderbot (really enjoyed the last episode). Poker Face (haven't seen the latest). Andor S02E06 (maybe we're watching this too slowly? so far this season isn't clicking for me).
Episode 2 of Stick, which... I enjoyed watching Lydio Ko play on TV, one time, but I just don't know how much golf I can engage with, especially in fiction. Swings all look the same to me, so after the first three or four, there's none of the physical competence porn you get in more overtly active sports. And I don't find Owen Wilson inherently charming or interesting. I think the biggest appeal of the show is actually that so much of it is set outside with trees around, and that's still a very manicured, artificial setting. /fussy /tl;dr, We're in the market for a new show.
Our Unwritten Seoul (Kdrama on Netflix). I'm enjoying this so much! Two episodes and several revelations yet to go.
Materialists at the movies. We went to this because a friend and I have a running conversation about the death of the romcom, and this nominally was one. But it turned out to not really be rom or com, and the title should have clued me in that Andrew wouldn't like it (he disliked the main character and wasn't at all invested in the outcome). It's interestingly structured, and the cast is good, but it's mostly about entitled people approaching dating in terms of checkboxes (age, height, income, etc).
I don't think I've ever seen a relationship movie that starts out focused on one pairing getting together (they feel pretty well-matched, and Pedro Pascale's character is smart, open, attentive and kind), then transitions to another pairing. Huh.
The Wild Robot on Netflix. Okay, this was really cute and funny. I especially enjoyed the possum babies. (I kept missing quips, though -- poor sound mixing, or is my hearing going?) As an aside, I was amused that the corporation was called Universal Dynamics, given Global Dynamics in Eureka (2006) and Massive Dynamics in Fringe (2008). What comes after "universal"?
October Sky on Netflix. Fictionalised biopic about a kid in a coal-mining company town in 1957 who is inspired by Sputnik to create a rocket, learn trigonometry, and get a college scholarship. Stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Chris Cooper, and Laura Linney. It was fine, but wow, I wanted the story to be about overthrowing the company.
Audio entertainment
I spent four or five hours over the weekend listening to Melanie Nelson of Coherent podcast interviewing politicians, academics and a disability activist about the "Let's Make Everything Libertarian" Bill for which submissions closed lunchtime Monday. (Locals, it's not too late to weigh in! Talk to your MP!) Since then, Writing Excuses and a bunch of Midnight Burger. (I bounced off Midnight Burger when I first tried it a year or two ago, but now I'm really enjoying the physics and other science aspects, and the characters are growing on me. Ava is my fav. I'm most of the way through episode 11.)
Online life
Catching up on comments. Still have a billion unread emails, and let's not even talk about my tabs.
Writing/making things
I spent the weekend juggling multiple urgent things. Now I have some breathing space, of course, when I sit down to write (aiming for a combinationfan_flashworks entry and Guardian Bingo), I can't make sentences.
Finished and posted an old outsider POV writing exercise forfan_flashworks's Yield challenge.
Life/health/mental state things
I got my political submission in (thanks tocyphomandra for beta) and wrote an outraged email to the Prime Minister about the Deputy Prime Minister's engaging in stochastic harrassment.
In general, I've been feeling needlessly stressed and vaguely sick, but today my alarm didn't go off and I slept an extra hour and a half. So much better.
Good things
Un-punctured bike tyre. Kdrama. New intermediate glasses making it easier to do crosswords and to read while I exercise. New bathroom sink taps.sid_guardian commentpalooza. I'll probably get back on my writing feet again soon. Andrew and Halle and books and fandom.
Pandemic life
( Protocol slippage. )
Previous poll review
In the Impending doom of the natural variety poll, the most common natural disaster threatening respondents is drought/heat (55.6%), followed by flood (44.4%), then blizzard (40.7%). Twelve of us (including me) are at risk of earthquakes.
In ticky-boxes, hugs won by a landslide with 70.4%, followed by "ticky-box made of Möbius strips and Escher staircases" with 48.1%. Thank you for your votes!
Reading
A little more Neurotribes, but the focus on kids and parenting is not holding my interest. Nothing wrong with it; I'm just not the right audience. A chapter of Guardian. A smidgen more of The Book of Three, and the first few hours of Incandescent by Emily Tesh, read by Zara Ramm (very heavy on introductions and the nitty-gritty of school administration so far, but I like the POV character - no spoilers, please).
TV & movies
Four episodes of The Expanse season 6 with a friend; we're watching the other two tonight. Murderbot (really enjoyed the last episode). Poker Face (haven't seen the latest). Andor S02E06 (maybe we're watching this too slowly? so far this season isn't clicking for me).
Episode 2 of Stick, which... I enjoyed watching Lydio Ko play on TV, one time, but I just don't know how much golf I can engage with, especially in fiction. Swings all look the same to me, so after the first three or four, there's none of the physical competence porn you get in more overtly active sports. And I don't find Owen Wilson inherently charming or interesting. I think the biggest appeal of the show is actually that so much of it is set outside with trees around, and that's still a very manicured, artificial setting. /fussy /tl;dr, We're in the market for a new show.
Our Unwritten Seoul (Kdrama on Netflix). I'm enjoying this so much! Two episodes and several revelations yet to go.
Materialists at the movies. We went to this because a friend and I have a running conversation about the death of the romcom, and this nominally was one. But it turned out to not really be rom or com, and the title should have clued me in that Andrew wouldn't like it (he disliked the main character and wasn't at all invested in the outcome). It's interestingly structured, and the cast is good, but it's mostly about entitled people approaching dating in terms of checkboxes (age, height, income, etc).
Spoilery things about the structure.
The main character, Lucy, is a professional matchmaker in NYC, and the film is in three parts: the first third is a wealth-porn romance between her and Pedro Pascale; he pursues her after they meet at the wedding of his brother, her former client. They go to a lot of expensive restaurants, have sex on satin sheets in his $12m penthouse, and talk a lot of numbers at each other. He wants to take her to Iceland on holiday. The middle third (or possibly third act of four? I wasn't timing it) starts when one of Lucy's clients is sexually assaulted on a date Lucy set up. This all happens off-screen, and I don't think we even see the assaulter. The victim is the nicest, warmest of Lucy's clients, but the film is mostly concerned with Lucy's crisis, as the assault brings home that the checkboxes don't matter. The final third or act is a second-time-around romance with her struggling-actor/cater-waiter ex-boyfriend, Chris Evans. Lucy broke up with him over money, and now at the culmination of her character arc, she decides she loves him enough to make it work after all. Conveniently, he is still extremely hung up on her.I don't think I've ever seen a relationship movie that starts out focused on one pairing getting together (they feel pretty well-matched, and Pedro Pascale's character is smart, open, attentive and kind), then transitions to another pairing. Huh.
The Wild Robot on Netflix. Okay, this was really cute and funny. I especially enjoyed the possum babies. (I kept missing quips, though -- poor sound mixing, or is my hearing going?) As an aside, I was amused that the corporation was called Universal Dynamics, given Global Dynamics in Eureka (2006) and Massive Dynamics in Fringe (2008). What comes after "universal"?
October Sky on Netflix. Fictionalised biopic about a kid in a coal-mining company town in 1957 who is inspired by Sputnik to create a rocket, learn trigonometry, and get a college scholarship. Stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Chris Cooper, and Laura Linney. It was fine, but wow, I wanted the story to be about overthrowing the company.
Audio entertainment
I spent four or five hours over the weekend listening to Melanie Nelson of Coherent podcast interviewing politicians, academics and a disability activist about the "Let's Make Everything Libertarian" Bill for which submissions closed lunchtime Monday. (Locals, it's not too late to weigh in! Talk to your MP!) Since then, Writing Excuses and a bunch of Midnight Burger. (I bounced off Midnight Burger when I first tried it a year or two ago, but now I'm really enjoying the physics and other science aspects, and the characters are growing on me. Ava is my fav. I'm most of the way through episode 11.)
Online life
Catching up on comments. Still have a billion unread emails, and let's not even talk about my tabs.
Writing/making things
I spent the weekend juggling multiple urgent things. Now I have some breathing space, of course, when I sit down to write (aiming for a combination
fan_flashworks entry and Guardian Bingo), I can't make sentences. Whining.
A contributing factor is that I'm having another "argh, my prose sucks" crisis of confidence. This happens periodically. You can't be on a roll indefinitely without hitting a bump, I guess. For me, usually it means it's time to read a particular type of literary novel, preferably in paper format. The one I remember being most successful is Barbara Kingsolver's The Poisonwood Bible; the very close, very voice-y rotating POVs, the playful intricate language use, and the thoughtful exploration of context help me to sink into whatever POV I'm writing, rather than skating over the surface and Lego-ing together tired phrases. I wrote some really good fic after re-reading it a few years ago. Whereas re-reading Byatt's Possession just meant I produced endless run-on sentences, heh. Anyway, I guess I should get on that soon...Finished and posted an old outsider POV writing exercise for
fan_flashworks's Yield challenge.Life/health/mental state things
I got my political submission in (thanks to
cyphomandra for beta) and wrote an outraged email to the Prime Minister about the Deputy Prime Minister's engaging in stochastic harrassment.In general, I've been feeling needlessly stressed and vaguely sick, but today my alarm didn't go off and I slept an extra hour and a half. So much better.
Good things
Un-punctured bike tyre. Kdrama. New intermediate glasses making it easier to do crosswords and to read while I exercise. New bathroom sink taps.
sid_guardian commentpalooza. I'll probably get back on my writing feet again soon. Andrew and Halle and books and fandom.Poll #33295 Routine
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 59
Night-time getting-ready-for-bed routine
View Answers
I brush my teeth
49 (83.1%)
I lock up and switch things off around the house
29 (49.2%)
I tend to pets
20 (33.9%)
there are a few skincare- and/or haircare-type steps
19 (32.2%)
kind of a lot of steps, of various kinds
10 (16.9%)
it takes me more than half an hour
14 (23.7%)
sometimes it takes me an hour or more
4 (6.8%)
what routine? I'm always ready for bed
9 (15.3%)
other
9 (15.3%)
ticky-box of it's normal to have strong opinions about taps (AKA faucets)
25 (42.4%)
ticky-box of how stressful it is to ask tradespeople to change things they've done
34 (57.6%)
ticky-box of wondering if today is the day you'll unexpectedly step through a portal into another time or world
23 (39.0%)
ticky-box full of sitting on a mountain ledge in the moonlight, listening to owls
33 (55.9%)
ticky-box full of hugs
44 (74.6%)
Guardian fic: Supplanted (episode 9 gen, Xiao Quan POV)
Jun. 24th, 2025 05:05 pmchina_shopI finished off an old writing exercise for the Yield challenge on fan_flashworks:
Title: Supplanted (1541 words) [General Audiences]
Fandom: 镇魂 | Guardian (TV 2018)
Characters: Xiao Quan (Shen Wei's student), Shen Wei, Zhao Yunlan, Jiajia
Additional Tags: Episode Related, Canon Scene, Canon Dialogue, POV Outsider, Episode 9 roadtrip, Zhao Yunlan is my blorbo, but sometimes he's a bit of a dick, Xiao Quan don't get no respect
Summary:
The responsibility for getting them back on the road rests on Luo Quan’s shoulders—and when he achieves it, the glory will be his, too. Jiajia will clap her hands and promise to buy him a drink when they get back to Dragon City. Professor Shen will give an approving smile.
fan_flashworks:Title: Supplanted (1541 words) [General Audiences]
Fandom: 镇魂 | Guardian (TV 2018)
Characters: Xiao Quan (Shen Wei's student), Shen Wei, Zhao Yunlan, Jiajia
Additional Tags: Episode Related, Canon Scene, Canon Dialogue, POV Outsider, Episode 9 roadtrip, Zhao Yunlan is my blorbo, but sometimes he's a bit of a dick, Xiao Quan don't get no respect
Summary:
The responsibility for getting them back on the road rests on Luo Quan’s shoulders—and when he achieves it, the glory will be his, too. Jiajia will clap her hands and promise to buy him a drink when they get back to Dragon City. Professor Shen will give an approving smile.
(no subject)
Jun. 22nd, 2025 02:18 pmturpsWe're finally out of a run of 29c temps here and while it's warm today, it's nicely so. Poor James really didn't cope with the heat wave. His meds mess with his temperature regulation anyway, so he was like a wrung out rag for a lot of the time.
Things I've done in the last few days.
Went for a walk along the riverside to check out two new Ray Lonsdale sculptures. Photos on my insta if interested.
Went along the coast to go and spot seals at St Mary's island, and actually saw them, which was cool.
Walked at the Wetlands.
Went to class and my one to one check in with Rosie -- I plan on posting a flocked post about that later.
Went to Pauline's for tea.
Went with James to two hospital appointments in one day, hours apart.
Went to meet the in laws at an Italian restaurant for a birthday dinner for my niece.
Had a very frustrating Thursday.
Went to see Twenty Eight Years later, which I actually enjoyed despite me being a wuss. While it's not my usual genre of film I watch, a lot of it was filmed in my localish area, so it was fun spotting places I knew.
Tried to keep up with the garden, including making my own banana plant water, which is apparently good for the tomatoes. Sounds exciting, but it's just me shoving banana peels into water and letting them seep.
Okay, the Thursday ( cut for length ).
James' hospital appointments were both routine, one to check his new splint and take the old one in to be adjusted as a spare. The other to see his AMC consultant, which I also expected to be an in and out, but he was sent to x-ray to see why he still can't get his hand to his mouth. Apparently there's a build up of bone around his elbow joint, and she thinks it could help with the movement to get it chipped away, but only if the build up is at the front of the bone and not the side, so he needs a CT scan to find out which it is.
Honestly, I'm wary of him having the op even if it is in the front. It's his dominant arm and James has always said no more operations unless emergencies and while a minor op, this one would stop him driving for a while, which deeply depressed him last year. But, guess we'll see after the scan, and obviously, it's his decision.
To end this sum up, have some hot cats from yesterday ( behind here )
Things I've done in the last few days.
Went for a walk along the riverside to check out two new Ray Lonsdale sculptures. Photos on my insta if interested.
Went along the coast to go and spot seals at St Mary's island, and actually saw them, which was cool.
Walked at the Wetlands.
Went to class and my one to one check in with Rosie -- I plan on posting a flocked post about that later.
Went to Pauline's for tea.
Went with James to two hospital appointments in one day, hours apart.
Went to meet the in laws at an Italian restaurant for a birthday dinner for my niece.
Had a very frustrating Thursday.
Went to see Twenty Eight Years later, which I actually enjoyed despite me being a wuss. While it's not my usual genre of film I watch, a lot of it was filmed in my localish area, so it was fun spotting places I knew.
Tried to keep up with the garden, including making my own banana plant water, which is apparently good for the tomatoes. Sounds exciting, but it's just me shoving banana peels into water and letting them seep.
Okay, the Thursday ( cut for length ).
James' hospital appointments were both routine, one to check his new splint and take the old one in to be adjusted as a spare. The other to see his AMC consultant, which I also expected to be an in and out, but he was sent to x-ray to see why he still can't get his hand to his mouth. Apparently there's a build up of bone around his elbow joint, and she thinks it could help with the movement to get it chipped away, but only if the build up is at the front of the bone and not the side, so he needs a CT scan to find out which it is.
Honestly, I'm wary of him having the op even if it is in the front. It's his dominant arm and James has always said no more operations unless emergencies and while a minor op, this one would stop him driving for a while, which deeply depressed him last year. But, guess we'll see after the scan, and obviously, it's his decision.
To end this sum up, have some hot cats from yesterday ( behind here )