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Hello and welcome to my space. Beneath the cut I have attempted to collect some information about myself and how I try to go about my online life.
( Everything you might like to know. )
Fic Masterlist
Call for recs: behind-the-scenes vids?
Mar. 17th, 2019 12:38 pmHello how are you it has once again been too long. I come now solely to ask a favor of you all ;D
You see, I am going to VIDUKON for the first time with![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
kabal42 and Heidi this year!!! I am so excite!!! I honestly am looking so much forward to meeting all these people from inside my computer/phone (mostly phone these days) and geeking out with them <3
And just because we don't know how to do stuff halfway, Heidi and I took a spur of the moment decision and volunteered to VJ a show. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but now we aren't sure how to fill up 45 minutes (I know, incredible, right?) and so we hope you all can help us???
We are looking for vids about behind the scenes stories. Like, specifically vids that focus on how the media source is made or what the cast and crew get up to behind the camera. We want to try to keep the emphasis on TPBT creation rather than fan creation, if that makes sense. So, more Long Live than Pressure.
But honestly at this point we are just brainstorming, so any vids you can think of that focus on any kind of behind the scenes footage or production processes (not just for movies or tv, it could be Formula 1 or cosplay as well) we would love to hear them!
PS,goodbyebird reminded me that there's still time to join the con, and that if you are a first-time attendee and need a financial boost, the con has a scholarship that you should check out!
You see, I am going to VIDUKON for the first time with
kabal42 and Heidi this year!!! I am so excite!!! I honestly am looking so much forward to meeting all these people from inside my computer/phone (mostly phone these days) and geeking out with them <3And just because we don't know how to do stuff halfway, Heidi and I took a spur of the moment decision and volunteered to VJ a show. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but now we aren't sure how to fill up 45 minutes (I know, incredible, right?) and so we hope you all can help us???
We are looking for vids about behind the scenes stories. Like, specifically vids that focus on how the media source is made or what the cast and crew get up to behind the camera. We want to try to keep the emphasis on TPBT creation rather than fan creation, if that makes sense. So, more Long Live than Pressure.
But honestly at this point we are just brainstorming, so any vids you can think of that focus on any kind of behind the scenes footage or production processes (not just for movies or tv, it could be Formula 1 or cosplay as well) we would love to hear them!
PS,
goodbyebird reminded me that there's still time to join the con, and that if you are a first-time attendee and need a financial boost, the con has a scholarship that you should check out!
I thought maybe I wouldn't skip day 2, which was recs, but I'll at least post this because I already have an answer. Might get to recs eventually. Might not.
In your own space, share a favorite piece of original canon (a TV episode, a song, a favorite interview, a book, a scene from a movie, etc) and explain why you love it so much. Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.
( AmazingDan )
In your own space, share a favorite piece of original canon (a TV episode, a song, a favorite interview, a book, a scene from a movie, etc) and explain why you love it so much. Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.
( AmazingDan )
In your own space, talk about your Happy Place—the things that give you joy, calms you or keeps you sane. Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.
I'm going to jump in because I actually feel I have a response to this prompt.
( The one thing that brings me so much joy these days is Dan and Phil. )
If you have the capacity for any more #content,
kouredios has a snowflake post on this exact same theme.Heart throb indeed
Dec. 17th, 2018 08:00 amI logged out of tumblr before bed last night (no easy feat; how DO you even log out of tumblr? they don't make it easy), because I do believe you don't cross a picket line - even if it's an ineffective digital one that will have no bearing on anyone except fandom itself. I ended up being too lazy to back up (it was 98% reblogs anyway), and I do feel some trepidation. Will I be able to log back in? Will they delete my stuff?
Mostly I'm just sad because I get 95% of my Dan and Phil phandom content from tumblr :'( But then I thought I should be the change and so on, so while you are trying your darndest to ignore you dash this pitiful Monday, why not enjoy this fresh video of two British guys playing the '90s board game Heart Throb - The Dream Game For Girls?
Such wholesome energy, amiright? I love them :(
Mostly I'm just sad because I get 95% of my Dan and Phil phandom content from tumblr :'( But then I thought I should be the change and so on, so while you are trying your darndest to ignore you dash this pitiful Monday, why not enjoy this fresh video of two British guys playing the '90s board game Heart Throb - The Dream Game For Girls?
Such wholesome energy, amiright? I love them :(
Profile update
Nov. 14th, 2018 07:16 pmI know I haven't updated in so long, and I know I ran away from my last post (I seriously have not even looked at your comments. don't make me look at your comments. I don't want to plumb whatever weird thing my psyche is doing there. let's pretend this digression has no relation to the rest of this post).
But I'm on my computer a bit more, maybe this is why this is happening. Maybe my brain is just closer to being healed finally.
Anyway, I noticed a while ago that my basic profile needed an update - I cannot in good conscience claim to be twenty-something any longer. So I finally got to edit that because I was hanging out on my laptop again and remembered to do it. But I've also removed "Asexual" from the list of identifiers.
Probably that should be a whole tl;dr but honestly I don't know what to say about it yet. I guess I just don't identify as ace any longer? And that's fine? It's been a slow process for me, but I've been feeling this way for a while now. I certainly appreciate everything that label has done for me (mainly removed so much pressure), but I also feel that it doesn't reflect me anymore. IDK maybe demi would apply, but I'm just too lazy to do any research (I am just so much less fussed about labels now than I used to be), and I feel like Queer is a sufficiently vague umbrella for me to cozy up under.
I just thought it would be weird if I didn't mention it and you just randomly noticed one day.
But I'm on my computer a bit more, maybe this is why this is happening. Maybe my brain is just closer to being healed finally.
Anyway, I noticed a while ago that my basic profile needed an update - I cannot in good conscience claim to be twenty-something any longer. So I finally got to edit that because I was hanging out on my laptop again and remembered to do it. But I've also removed "Asexual" from the list of identifiers.
Probably that should be a whole tl;dr but honestly I don't know what to say about it yet. I guess I just don't identify as ace any longer? And that's fine? It's been a slow process for me, but I've been feeling this way for a while now. I certainly appreciate everything that label has done for me (mainly removed so much pressure), but I also feel that it doesn't reflect me anymore. IDK maybe demi would apply, but I'm just too lazy to do any research (I am just so much less fussed about labels now than I used to be), and I feel like Queer is a sufficiently vague umbrella for me to cozy up under.
I just thought it would be weird if I didn't mention it and you just randomly noticed one day.
Stone Butch Blues - Prologue Discussion
Jul. 20th, 2018 02:07 pmIf you haven’t yet read the first few pages of the book, there’s still time to jump in! Simply access Stone Butch Blues by Leslie Feinberg on the author’s website for free and jump in when you’re done. We’ll wait :)
Let’s try to focus the discussion on the prologue, and keep any further comments general and spoiler-free, thank you.
( “Thoughts )
Now you! Talk to me - and each other - about this book.
Let’s try to focus the discussion on the prologue, and keep any further comments general and spoiler-free, thank you.
( “Thoughts )
Now you! Talk to me - and each other - about this book.
It’s a pop-up reading circle!
Jul. 15th, 2018 01:44 pmI hope you are all doing well. Have you done yourselves the service of watching Hannah Gadsby’s Nanette on Netflix? It is absolutely mindblowing - queer, feminist, meta - a fantastic new take on the one-woman/stand-up show genre.
Perhaps you are in the mood to further explore female masculinity? Right now I am finally reading Leslie Feinberg’s Stone Butch Blues, and I would so love to talk to you about! The book is strongly autobiographical - about Jesse Goldstein, who is born gender nonconforming and has a severely hard childhood because of it. It follows her as she grows up and into the butch lesbian community of the ‘60s and ‘70s. It’s an amazing read - eye-opening, terrifying, human...
The entire book is available for free in PDF from the author’s website. I would love for you to join me in reading the prologue, which is in the form of a letter from Jesse to her ex-girlfriend Theresa. It gives a good impression of Feinberg’s style and the themes of the book. However, do note that the excerpt (and the novel as a whole) does deal extensively with police violence and rape!!!
Would you join me next weekend in discussing the prologue (p. 1-6; 18-23 in the pdf)? I’ll put up a discussion post next Friday/Saturday, and I hope you’ll jump in <3
Stone Butch Blues by Leslie Feinberg
Perhaps you are in the mood to further explore female masculinity? Right now I am finally reading Leslie Feinberg’s Stone Butch Blues, and I would so love to talk to you about! The book is strongly autobiographical - about Jesse Goldstein, who is born gender nonconforming and has a severely hard childhood because of it. It follows her as she grows up and into the butch lesbian community of the ‘60s and ‘70s. It’s an amazing read - eye-opening, terrifying, human...
The entire book is available for free in PDF from the author’s website. I would love for you to join me in reading the prologue, which is in the form of a letter from Jesse to her ex-girlfriend Theresa. It gives a good impression of Feinberg’s style and the themes of the book. However, do note that the excerpt (and the novel as a whole) does deal extensively with police violence and rape!!!
Would you join me next weekend in discussing the prologue (p. 1-6; 18-23 in the pdf)? I’ll put up a discussion post next Friday/Saturday, and I hope you’ll jump in <3
Stone Butch Blues by Leslie Feinberg
Yarn is my new fandom
Apr. 8th, 2018 10:38 amI've broken my brain a little bit, and as I wait for it to heal, I am trying to do things that don't require reading or writing - which was basically all my hobbies, so I needed to activate a new one!
Luckily a new friend is a pretty avid knitter, and she suggested I pick up knitting. My knitting skills, however, are atrocious, but I do crochet pretty well.
So I went back to a garment pattern I had been eyeing for a really long time but had been only sighing over because I felt I had not time for crafts, and I started it: Tordentrøjen (the Thunder sweater) is almost finished - I'm making it in olive green and beige Sandness Lun Ull, which is buttery soft and just slips right off the hook with barely any effort. I am having some trouble with the sleeves; I finished one and now I can't make the other one match. It's a rookie mistake, and I'm realising I should probably have done the sleeves side-by-side, one row at a time, which I will make a point of doing next time. This project is on stand-by.
Meanwhile I am procrastinating by crocheting my own version of Helga Isager's K Sweater. I bought this yarn while I was on a short vacation to visit family during Easter, and I was afraid I would finish the other sweater and not have a woolen project to work on. I'm combining a yellow-green Isager Spinni Tweed and an olive green Sandness Tynn Silk Mohair - it reminds of a cabbage caterpillar :)
Finally, my new friend introduced me to Stephen West on YouTube. He is a knitting designer, and it opened up a gigantic wormhole to other knit designers, who mostly hang out on instagram apparently. West works in bright colors combined in outrageous ways, and he designs patterns for expensive hand-dyed yarns with speckles or changes in colors. Famous brands are Hedgehog Fibres, Madeline Tosh, Qing, etc. Perhaps you noticed the shawl Nakia wore to M'Baku's tribe in Black Panther - the costume designer had used some of these yarns. West and others make a lot of shawls, and the fashion is to "fade" these hand-dyed yarns in creative ways. I especially love West's Squiggle Wiggle What?! shawl, and his Speckle & Pop shawl.
Since I don't knit, my most ambitious and terrible project is to do a freestyle crochet version of the Speckle & Pop shawl. I am designing the pattern from scratch, so I am crocheting a lot of swatches right now. And I've "found my fade", which consists of a wild series of Hedgehog and MadTosh yarns in green and orange tones. MadTosh is by far the most amazing yarn I have encountered to date - the depth and range of color in a single skein is just stunning. You might think the camera enhances the shine in some way, but it really doesn't.
Luckily a new friend is a pretty avid knitter, and she suggested I pick up knitting. My knitting skills, however, are atrocious, but I do crochet pretty well.
So I went back to a garment pattern I had been eyeing for a really long time but had been only sighing over because I felt I had not time for crafts, and I started it: Tordentrøjen (the Thunder sweater) is almost finished - I'm making it in olive green and beige Sandness Lun Ull, which is buttery soft and just slips right off the hook with barely any effort. I am having some trouble with the sleeves; I finished one and now I can't make the other one match. It's a rookie mistake, and I'm realising I should probably have done the sleeves side-by-side, one row at a time, which I will make a point of doing next time. This project is on stand-by.
Meanwhile I am procrastinating by crocheting my own version of Helga Isager's K Sweater. I bought this yarn while I was on a short vacation to visit family during Easter, and I was afraid I would finish the other sweater and not have a woolen project to work on. I'm combining a yellow-green Isager Spinni Tweed and an olive green Sandness Tynn Silk Mohair - it reminds of a cabbage caterpillar :)
Finally, my new friend introduced me to Stephen West on YouTube. He is a knitting designer, and it opened up a gigantic wormhole to other knit designers, who mostly hang out on instagram apparently. West works in bright colors combined in outrageous ways, and he designs patterns for expensive hand-dyed yarns with speckles or changes in colors. Famous brands are Hedgehog Fibres, Madeline Tosh, Qing, etc. Perhaps you noticed the shawl Nakia wore to M'Baku's tribe in Black Panther - the costume designer had used some of these yarns. West and others make a lot of shawls, and the fashion is to "fade" these hand-dyed yarns in creative ways. I especially love West's Squiggle Wiggle What?! shawl, and his Speckle & Pop shawl.
Since I don't knit, my most ambitious and terrible project is to do a freestyle crochet version of the Speckle & Pop shawl. I am designing the pattern from scratch, so I am crocheting a lot of swatches right now. And I've "found my fade", which consists of a wild series of Hedgehog and MadTosh yarns in green and orange tones. MadTosh is by far the most amazing yarn I have encountered to date - the depth and range of color in a single skein is just stunning. You might think the camera enhances the shine in some way, but it really doesn't.
blnchflr came to visit on Friday. I feel like it all happened very fast, but I'm glad that all I had to do was say yes when she asked if she could come and then leave a key out and then when I got home on Friday there was a Blnch. We watched Thor: Ragnarok, which I was much more okay with than I have been with any of the other Thor movies. Some of it was very silly, and it was too long - but since all movies are too long these days I guess I can't specifically complain about that.
Saturday we went to Odense and met up with
ximeria and saw Black Panther, which was so enjoyable and everything I had been led to believe it would be. I am the most hearteyes about Okoye, for sure. After the movie noracharles joined us for coffee, and it was so great to have a fannish conversation again.After we split up Blnch and I ended up getting sushi and waiting FOREVER to get the train back, but then we ate sushi and things were okay. Blnch tried showing me True Detective season 2, but I did not get it. This morning we walked to the beach although it was literally freezing and then we watched the vids from Blnch's recs post.
I got the name of the company Blnch went on a guided walking holiday with (HF Holidays) and my mom and I are definitely going to go this summer, the only problem is choosing where to go because it all looks amazing!
And people gave me presents?? Blnch brought coffee from her trip to Tanzania, and Xim had bought me the giant Hamilton book!
Maybe I should work, but I am very tired and thus very lazy, and in a very stupid twist of fate my PS4 works after all (I think the problem was actually a faulty hdmi port on my tv and I can't think about it too much or I'll be very angry) so I might want to get back to DA:I, except it will also be very awful because my saves are all gone and I will never see my beloved inquisitor ever again. I think I am making a female Qunari now.
List keeping
Feb. 25th, 2018 02:27 pmThere is a post that I am apparently not going to publish. I am okay, but trying very hard to take care of my brain. I've been keeping a list of things I've watched, which I intended to write about, but I don't think I will atm.
TV
- Grace and Frankie s2-3
- The Good Place s1 (AGAIN, I love them so much)
- Modern Family s1-2
- Everything Sucks ep 1-2
Movies
- God's Own Country
- Atlantis: The Lost Empire
- Lost City of Z
- The Lego Batman Movie
- Jane Austen Book Club
AND I WATCHED HAMILTON LONDON with the BFF andkabal42!!!! It was amazing! How do we have such incredibly talented people in the world??
LINKS
What ever happened to Brendan Fraser
The Bittersweet Beauty of Adam Rippon
An Unnecessarily Close Read of the Virtue-Moir Relationship
Hurry Slowly: Prioritizing Rest & Reflection
TV
- Grace and Frankie s2-3
- The Good Place s1 (AGAIN, I love them so much)
- Modern Family s1-2
- Everything Sucks ep 1-2
Movies
- God's Own Country
- Atlantis: The Lost Empire
- Lost City of Z
- The Lego Batman Movie
- Jane Austen Book Club
AND I WATCHED HAMILTON LONDON with the BFF and
kabal42!!!! It was amazing! How do we have such incredibly talented people in the world??LINKS
What ever happened to Brendan Fraser
The Bittersweet Beauty of Adam Rippon
An Unnecessarily Close Read of the Virtue-Moir Relationship
Hurry Slowly: Prioritizing Rest & Reflection
Hey, It's Wednesday!
Jan. 31st, 2018 06:57 pmI don't have broadband currently, only 4G wifi, and last Thursday I actually ran out of data. My phone company has put me on 120kbps and it is very painful - I can't stream anything, but at least I can juuuust load regular websites. I think it was because Prime Video streamed in extra HD or something when I binged The Marvelous Mrs Maisel one weekend. But that is a story for another time. I could have bought extra data but I decided to try to wean myself off tv a bit.
I am still reading Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan and enjoying it quite a lot. It's actually a really easy book to get into, I was around page 83 when I was conscious that I was already hooked. I'll hold off on a review until I've finished it.
These past few days I actually did something I haven't done in a really long time: I actually read a longfic! The Claiming of Grimmauld Place by bixgirl1 (74k) is post-Hogwarts Drarry, in which Draco moves into Grimmauld to help Harry claim the house as its heir. The relationship between them isn't as antagonistic as in some fic, in fact in this they're both interested pretty much from the start, but I like the house magic stuff.
I am still reading Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan and enjoying it quite a lot. It's actually a really easy book to get into, I was around page 83 when I was conscious that I was already hooked. I'll hold off on a review until I've finished it.
These past few days I actually did something I haven't done in a really long time: I actually read a longfic! The Claiming of Grimmauld Place by bixgirl1 (74k) is post-Hogwarts Drarry, in which Draco moves into Grimmauld to help Harry claim the house as its heir. The relationship between them isn't as antagonistic as in some fic, in fact in this they're both interested pretty much from the start, but I like the house magic stuff.
My goal to post at least once a week is out the window already, because I didn't do it last week when my mom came to visit. That was really nice, though. We went shopping for a bit, and I got myself new sheets and a woolen sweater.
I haven't been watching a lot of tv OR reading a lot, because I have been working at night. But last week I did watch the reality show The World's Most Extraordinary Homes on Netflix, which was very soothing to me despite being partly hosted by a very histrionic middle-aged British actress. The other host is a phlegmatic architect, and the homes are mostly very pretty.
The second season of Halt and Catch Fire is going very slowly for me - I think I am only on episode 3, because the time-jump really makes me feel as if I am watching a show composed of all new characters. A lot of what made season 1 work for me was the inter-personal dynamics, and now that they have switched all of them up, I'm just finding it very challenging. Also I'm sad there's no queerness so far.
After listening to Pop Culture Happy Hour discuss Amy Sherman-Palladino's new show The Marvelous Mrs Maisel I was futzing around on Amazon and randomly discovered that episode 1 is free to watch on Prime Video. It is kind of scary how some creatives apparently only have a set number of ideas and after that they feel entitled to just recycle the same ideas over and over *cough*Joss Whedon*cough*. In the first 2 minutes of TMMM I counted at least 5 recycled ideas from Gilmore Girls (including a fat joke), which I thought was just embarrassing. I almost thought I couldn't go on, but I guess I really am a sucker for Palladino shows. The one thing that is nominally interesting about this show is that it has a butch lesbian in what seems will be a major supporting role. It is particularly interesting when we know that her Luke Danes character was originally intended to be a butch lesbian, but that the network made her alter it after she shot the pilot. I have absolutely no faith that she will actually treat Susie (Lucy, Lucas, Luke, omg stopit) with any respect or understanding, but I can't help being in love with her ridiculously cute Teddy look with the striped shirt and suspenders and leather cap. UM! Anyway, the show is about a brilliant Jewish housewife in 1950s NYC whose husband leaves her so she decides to pursue a career in standup comedy ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ You'd think with that plotline there would be less cause for overlap with Gilmore Girls, but nope...
Also taking place in NYC, but a bit earlier in the 1930s, is Jennifer Egan's literary novel Manhattan Beach, which has been on my TBR shelf since it came out. I started it this Wednesday when I was suddenly overcome with the urge to read just exactly that kind of narrative voice (subjective 3rd person omniscient), and so far I like it about as much as I think it is generally possible to like most literary fiction.
I haven't been watching a lot of tv OR reading a lot, because I have been working at night. But last week I did watch the reality show The World's Most Extraordinary Homes on Netflix, which was very soothing to me despite being partly hosted by a very histrionic middle-aged British actress. The other host is a phlegmatic architect, and the homes are mostly very pretty.
The second season of Halt and Catch Fire is going very slowly for me - I think I am only on episode 3, because the time-jump really makes me feel as if I am watching a show composed of all new characters. A lot of what made season 1 work for me was the inter-personal dynamics, and now that they have switched all of them up, I'm just finding it very challenging. Also I'm sad there's no queerness so far.
After listening to Pop Culture Happy Hour discuss Amy Sherman-Palladino's new show The Marvelous Mrs Maisel I was futzing around on Amazon and randomly discovered that episode 1 is free to watch on Prime Video. It is kind of scary how some creatives apparently only have a set number of ideas and after that they feel entitled to just recycle the same ideas over and over *cough*Joss Whedon*cough*. In the first 2 minutes of TMMM I counted at least 5 recycled ideas from Gilmore Girls (including a fat joke), which I thought was just embarrassing. I almost thought I couldn't go on, but I guess I really am a sucker for Palladino shows. The one thing that is nominally interesting about this show is that it has a butch lesbian in what seems will be a major supporting role. It is particularly interesting when we know that her Luke Danes character was originally intended to be a butch lesbian, but that the network made her alter it after she shot the pilot. I have absolutely no faith that she will actually treat Susie (Lucy, Lucas, Luke, omg stopit) with any respect or understanding, but I can't help being in love with her ridiculously cute Teddy look with the striped shirt and suspenders and leather cap. UM! Anyway, the show is about a brilliant Jewish housewife in 1950s NYC whose husband leaves her so she decides to pursue a career in standup comedy ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ You'd think with that plotline there would be less cause for overlap with Gilmore Girls, but nope...
Also taking place in NYC, but a bit earlier in the 1930s, is Jennifer Egan's literary novel Manhattan Beach, which has been on my TBR shelf since it came out. I started it this Wednesday when I was suddenly overcome with the urge to read just exactly that kind of narrative voice (subjective 3rd person omniscient), and so far I like it about as much as I think it is generally possible to like most literary fiction.
Halt and Catch Fire
Jan. 7th, 2018 09:26 amI had a kabal42 and it was so great. This will sound weird, in the last week I've been really stir-crazy with "feeling queer" so having someone to talk to where no editing was needed was really great. We mostly talked (and ate), but we did also manage to watch something.
I have been watching season 1 of Halt and Catch Fire, you see. This is the HBO drama about the PC boom in the '80s (and thus not to be confused with Silicon Valley, which is the HBO comedy about contemporary tech development, which I have not seen). It stars Lee Pace as slightly Steve Jobs/Patrick Bateman-esque ideas man Joe MacMillan, who persuades Scoot McNairy's Gordon (an engineer) and Mackenzie Davis' Cameron (a coder) to take on a wild PC project. The plot is obviously interesting - they're always racing towards some finish line, there's lots of tech speech. But what makes the show bingeworthy is how all three of the main characters are slightly unhinged in their own special way, and how they push and pull at each other is fascinating, and the psychology is just so well-done (I wouldn't say realistic, but addictive). What's more, I was surprised to discover that the show actually has queer content. I guess we are at a point in time where people no longer consider this relevant information?? I still think it's relevant! *waves lonely flag* It's in no way the crux of season 1, but it's a lovely touch nonetheless. I am so glad there is a season 2 and 3 readily available for me to watch!
I also re-watched the Danish queer movie Broderskab, the one about two young neo-Nazis who accidentally start a relationship. I wrote about it a while ago, and I enjoyed it just as much on the second watch. It really undercuts some clichés (not all, but some), and the plot is actually really tight - dramatic without being action-y. If you haven't watched it, it is still on Netflix and really worth the time (fair warning, it starts with a gay bashing scene which is truly awful, though).
Finally, I am reading a lot for work so I haven't really started any new books (technically I am still reading Bleak House). But I've been nursing a desire to reread the Harry Potter books for a while now, and I finally gave myself permission to start that. I'm doing it in a slightly weird way, though, because I've decided to try listening to the German audiobook version. I just came across them on Audible and tried listening and thought I understood a fair deal, and I figure it's a good combination of goals - wanting to relive Harry Potter and wanting to rehearse my language skills. I think it works okay for me, because I know the story and universe really well so even when words occur that I don't know I can still frequently guess their meaning. It's funny how I have to listen in 0.75x speed, though - most times I will listen to English audiobooks in 1.5x speed just to move through it quicker. I decided to skip book 1 and so am listening to Die Kammer des Schreckens.
ETA: I wanted to link to two pieces of writing that resonated with me recently.
The first is an advice column from Autostraddle: You Need Help: What Should You Do With Your One Wild and Precious Life? by Heather Hogan: "a lot of queer people feel this thing you’re describing, this sense of being unmoored or aimless or overwhelmed with the prospect of living adult lives we — unlike our cis, straight peers — never imagined."
The second is really relevant to some of my recent posts about feeling fannish: The Year of Loving Things Again - On giving yourself permission by Elizabeth Minkel: "I’ll own up to occasional doubts about fandom and its compatibility with adulthood. For me, it’s a mix: sometimes I wonder whether I’m enjoying the right stuff, and sometimes I wonder if I’m enjoying stuff the right way."
kabal42 and it was so great. This will sound weird, in the last week I've been really stir-crazy with "feeling queer" so having someone to talk to where no editing was needed was really great. We mostly talked (and ate), but we did also manage to watch something.I have been watching season 1 of Halt and Catch Fire, you see. This is the HBO drama about the PC boom in the '80s (and thus not to be confused with Silicon Valley, which is the HBO comedy about contemporary tech development, which I have not seen). It stars Lee Pace as slightly Steve Jobs/Patrick Bateman-esque ideas man Joe MacMillan, who persuades Scoot McNairy's Gordon (an engineer) and Mackenzie Davis' Cameron (a coder) to take on a wild PC project. The plot is obviously interesting - they're always racing towards some finish line, there's lots of tech speech. But what makes the show bingeworthy is how all three of the main characters are slightly unhinged in their own special way, and how they push and pull at each other is fascinating, and the psychology is just so well-done (I wouldn't say realistic, but addictive). What's more, I was surprised to discover that the show actually has queer content. I guess we are at a point in time where people no longer consider this relevant information?? I still think it's relevant! *waves lonely flag* It's in no way the crux of season 1, but it's a lovely touch nonetheless. I am so glad there is a season 2 and 3 readily available for me to watch!
I also re-watched the Danish queer movie Broderskab, the one about two young neo-Nazis who accidentally start a relationship. I wrote about it a while ago, and I enjoyed it just as much on the second watch. It really undercuts some clichés (not all, but some), and the plot is actually really tight - dramatic without being action-y. If you haven't watched it, it is still on Netflix and really worth the time (fair warning, it starts with a gay bashing scene which is truly awful, though).
Finally, I am reading a lot for work so I haven't really started any new books (technically I am still reading Bleak House). But I've been nursing a desire to reread the Harry Potter books for a while now, and I finally gave myself permission to start that. I'm doing it in a slightly weird way, though, because I've decided to try listening to the German audiobook version. I just came across them on Audible and tried listening and thought I understood a fair deal, and I figure it's a good combination of goals - wanting to relive Harry Potter and wanting to rehearse my language skills. I think it works okay for me, because I know the story and universe really well so even when words occur that I don't know I can still frequently guess their meaning. It's funny how I have to listen in 0.75x speed, though - most times I will listen to English audiobooks in 1.5x speed just to move through it quicker. I decided to skip book 1 and so am listening to Die Kammer des Schreckens.
ETA: I wanted to link to two pieces of writing that resonated with me recently.
The first is an advice column from Autostraddle: You Need Help: What Should You Do With Your One Wild and Precious Life? by Heather Hogan: "a lot of queer people feel this thing you’re describing, this sense of being unmoored or aimless or overwhelmed with the prospect of living adult lives we — unlike our cis, straight peers — never imagined."
The second is really relevant to some of my recent posts about feeling fannish: The Year of Loving Things Again - On giving yourself permission by Elizabeth Minkel: "I’ll own up to occasional doubts about fandom and its compatibility with adulthood. For me, it’s a mix: sometimes I wonder whether I’m enjoying the right stuff, and sometimes I wonder if I’m enjoying stuff the right way."
Books read 2017
Dec. 31st, 2017 10:35 amI did it! I read 30 books in 2017. I just finished #30 this morning ;__;
I am far too lazy to do a picture post. Instead I will just link to two overviews: My Goodreads Year In Books 2017 and My Books 2017 Google Spreadsheet where you can see all my stats in lovely pie charts if you navigate to the other sheets.
( 30 Books )
( Stats )
I am far too lazy to do a picture post. Instead I will just link to two overviews: My Goodreads Year In Books 2017 and My Books 2017 Google Spreadsheet where you can see all my stats in lovely pie charts if you navigate to the other sheets.
( 30 Books )
( Stats )
Stats on 2017 goals
Dec. 28th, 2017 11:14 amNever make goals or new years resolutions. It just ends badly.
In a moment of hubris I set 10 goals for 2017.
( I think I did fairly middling-ly! )
( Let's go again! Only 9 this time )
In a moment of hubris I set 10 goals for 2017.
( I think I did fairly middling-ly! )
( Let's go again! Only 9 this time )
I have been playing a bit of Sims 4 like I choose to believe everyone plays Sims 4: creating lots of cool new sims (and their homes, of course) and then playing them for just long enough to flirt successfully with one of the other sims and then starting the process over.
Even though I foreswore Outlander I had a moment of weakness and started watching season 2, which takes place in fancypants France and thus is nowhere near as interesting to me, but at least I find Claire moderately less annoying this season. I am also looking forward to watching Dark on Netflix, but I haven't had the energy to start it yet. I am also stalled on Wynona Earp for right now, bounced hard off Godless, and am so much in need of a half-hour comedy show that I've resorted to re-watching Friends (Chandler is S-O G-A-Y JFC).
I finally finished Carol just because I could not keep on having it standing there laughing on my shelf as well as messing up my Goodreads, and now I can at least say I've read it - even though I skimmed through the last third.
Most successfully I started listening to Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo last time I was in the car. It really was just out of desperation because Bleak House was lulling me to sleep and this was a fairly recent sale purchase on Audible. It turned out to be such a stroke of luck. I am enjoying it so much, and I ship everything *__* The characters are just really well-wrought (so much delicious backstory which somehow never seems stilted) and the plot is brisk and fun. The only thing I am annoyed with is how everyone is EXACTLY 17 and yet everyone acts like world weary experts - with years of experience no less. I wish everyone were older or that if they were really all teenagers they would act more like it and not just when they lust after each other. Either way, so good! Am halfway through already and so glad there's a sequel to look forward to.
Even though I foreswore Outlander I had a moment of weakness and started watching season 2, which takes place in fancypants France and thus is nowhere near as interesting to me, but at least I find Claire moderately less annoying this season. I am also looking forward to watching Dark on Netflix, but I haven't had the energy to start it yet. I am also stalled on Wynona Earp for right now, bounced hard off Godless, and am so much in need of a half-hour comedy show that I've resorted to re-watching Friends (Chandler is S-O G-A-Y JFC).
I finally finished Carol just because I could not keep on having it standing there laughing on my shelf as well as messing up my Goodreads, and now I can at least say I've read it - even though I skimmed through the last third.
Most successfully I started listening to Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo last time I was in the car. It really was just out of desperation because Bleak House was lulling me to sleep and this was a fairly recent sale purchase on Audible. It turned out to be such a stroke of luck. I am enjoying it so much, and I ship everything *__* The characters are just really well-wrought (so much delicious backstory which somehow never seems stilted) and the plot is brisk and fun. The only thing I am annoyed with is how everyone is EXACTLY 17 and yet everyone acts like world weary experts - with years of experience no less. I wish everyone were older or that if they were really all teenagers they would act more like it and not just when they lust after each other. Either way, so good! Am halfway through already and so glad there's a sequel to look forward to.
A very long update
Nov. 25th, 2017 09:27 amThis is probably not surprising to anyone, but I really don't engage fannishly with anything anymore. It's weird, because when I do actually get around to reading a fic it usually does leave me with warm fuzzies. I think it's just that I constantly have things I need to do that are in no way as pleasant as reading fic and that if I am reminded how nice fic is I would feel even less inclined to do other things and then my life would fall apart? I am afraid of getting sucked into a fic that is longer than I have time for at any given time and that I won't be able to leave it half finished and that I would then be late/not get dinner/not solve an important task.
I did, however, finish Stranger Things season 2 and had to go find some Nancy/Jonathan/Steve fic, and if you have any recs I am absolutely going to read those too. I think this season was at least as good as season 1, perhaps even better? ( Spoilers )
And speaking of threesomes, I am also just very frustrated by the way Wynnona Earp season 2 has chickenly veered off their Wynnona/Dolls/Doc course >:( Might there also be fic for this? I have been watching season 2 but in a distrcted mainlining sort of way, and the plot doesn't really work for that, so I am considering going back and taking it slower and giving it more of a chance. They have such a weird way of arranging their plot - whenever you think you know what the season arc will be, they suddenly change course or resolve it super quickly. ( Spoiler" )
And speaking of fic, have you heard about the gender-flipped Dorian Gray fanfic with added demons that has been published? Once again I am just mystified. The NPR reviwer (which is where I came across it) doesn't understand that it's fanfic and so the review is very weird. Creatures of Will and Temper by Molly Tanzer.
I also watched Alias Grace on Netflix and enjoyed it. It is based on a Margaret Atwood novel, which is based on a real historical Canadian woman. Grace Marks was convicted for the murder of a boss and his housekeeper, and the story follows a made-up American doctor who interviews her in order to determine whether she is insane or not. It's an interesting exploration of lying vs. repression, women's limited options, sexuality and attraction, power relations... It made me want to read the book, which is apparently of the "mixed source" genre (is there a literary term for this??). The foreshadowing works quite well - it's all about getting Grace to a place where she will finally reveal what happened in the moments before, during, and after the double murder - but at one point I did have to spoil myself for the ending, and I'm really glad I did ( Major spoiler ). So I had to take a very long break before I finally dared to watch the final episode (in the kitchen, during daylight, while very distracted so as to be less affected).
Two weeks ago when I went through a depressive episode caused by the combination of Daylight Savings, SAD, and PMDD I only wanted to game, but my PS4 situation is still unresolved (fucking never buy anything from CDON, their customer service is just a huge scam). I started playing the Plants Vs Zombies trial on my Mac again, but even though it said there was an hour's free play, it cut out after 10 minutes. When I followed the link to the EA store I didn't end up buying PVZ (which cost an obscene amount of money, like +100DKr, possibly even +200?!) but The Sims 4, which was on sale. I only played it during that depressive weekend but I had fun. For their Black Friday sale yesterday I ended up getting Dragon Age II for 40DKr, but I'll have to clear my harddrive before I can install it. I did waver on whether to get DA:I but it just feels so stupid when I already have it for PS4 and it wasn't very cheap, but I do really miss it and wish I could play more of it.
I did, however, finish Stranger Things season 2 and had to go find some Nancy/Jonathan/Steve fic, and if you have any recs I am absolutely going to read those too. I think this season was at least as good as season 1, perhaps even better? ( Spoilers )
And speaking of threesomes, I am also just very frustrated by the way Wynnona Earp season 2 has chickenly veered off their Wynnona/Dolls/Doc course >:( Might there also be fic for this? I have been watching season 2 but in a distrcted mainlining sort of way, and the plot doesn't really work for that, so I am considering going back and taking it slower and giving it more of a chance. They have such a weird way of arranging their plot - whenever you think you know what the season arc will be, they suddenly change course or resolve it super quickly. ( Spoiler" )
And speaking of fic, have you heard about the gender-flipped Dorian Gray fanfic with added demons that has been published? Once again I am just mystified. The NPR reviwer (which is where I came across it) doesn't understand that it's fanfic and so the review is very weird. Creatures of Will and Temper by Molly Tanzer.
I also watched Alias Grace on Netflix and enjoyed it. It is based on a Margaret Atwood novel, which is based on a real historical Canadian woman. Grace Marks was convicted for the murder of a boss and his housekeeper, and the story follows a made-up American doctor who interviews her in order to determine whether she is insane or not. It's an interesting exploration of lying vs. repression, women's limited options, sexuality and attraction, power relations... It made me want to read the book, which is apparently of the "mixed source" genre (is there a literary term for this??). The foreshadowing works quite well - it's all about getting Grace to a place where she will finally reveal what happened in the moments before, during, and after the double murder - but at one point I did have to spoil myself for the ending, and I'm really glad I did ( Major spoiler ). So I had to take a very long break before I finally dared to watch the final episode (in the kitchen, during daylight, while very distracted so as to be less affected).
Two weeks ago when I went through a depressive episode caused by the combination of Daylight Savings, SAD, and PMDD I only wanted to game, but my PS4 situation is still unresolved (fucking never buy anything from CDON, their customer service is just a huge scam). I started playing the Plants Vs Zombies trial on my Mac again, but even though it said there was an hour's free play, it cut out after 10 minutes. When I followed the link to the EA store I didn't end up buying PVZ (which cost an obscene amount of money, like +100DKr, possibly even +200?!) but The Sims 4, which was on sale. I only played it during that depressive weekend but I had fun. For their Black Friday sale yesterday I ended up getting Dragon Age II for 40DKr, but I'll have to clear my harddrive before I can install it. I did waver on whether to get DA:I but it just feels so stupid when I already have it for PS4 and it wasn't very cheap, but I do really miss it and wish I could play more of it.
TV and books
Nov. 4th, 2017 12:13 pmThe Good Place has really stayed with me, and I am actually rewatching s1. I have read and listened to some people talking about why it is so good, and one thing that surprised me is that it's from the same people who made Parks and Rec and Brooklyn 99, both of which I have never managed to get into. So, if you also have struggled with either of those shows, TGP might still be for you. And apparently if you did like those two shows, most of their fans also enjoy TGP? Chidi is obviously me, so I have great affection for him. And I really enjoy how much the show invests in Eleanor's crush on Tahani.
Since I am also someone who used to enjoy Criminal Minds a lot in the early seasons - before the cast rotations became too much, and before the violence against women became too insidious even for me to endure - I really liked Netflix's Mindhunter. In it, Jonathan Groff plays a slightly quirky FBI agent in the 1970s who starts to conduct interviews with serial killers before that term was even invented. The plot is kind of... strange in that it doesn't really adhere to a standard longform TV storytelling concept nor to a strict episodal format. The title sequence is really disgusting, which I find somewhat misleading, because we don't see a lot of gross imagery, mostly people just narrate really disgusting crimes (which can be nightmare inducing enough). I am generally a pretty sensitive person, but this managed to stay just on the right side of creepy for me - if I watched it in the afternoon/early evening and then watched nice things afterwards... It is a show that enjoys its own historical setting, and does a really good job of creating that atmosphere. Groff is awesome, as is Anna Torv.
While I did manage to catch up with my reading goal during my vacation, Goodreads is already telling me I'm behind schedule again. I think next year I'll go back to a goal of 25 books and then treat the rest as bonuses. Even though I knew it was a bad choice in terms of keeping up with my reading goal, I started in on Bleak House, which has been on my wishlist for a really long time. I did enjoy it at first, but now I am mostly reduced to listening to it on audiobook and being morose about how NOTHING happens. Curse Charles Dickens's penny-per-word serials! Another book that has been on my shelf for over a year now is Ms Pettigrew Lives For a Day, which is going faster for me. I hope I can finish it this weekend. On some level it is very easy to read and enjoy, and in some ways it is just also terribly dated. I hope it ends well in a way that allows me to believe that Ms Pettigrew's view of what makes a man good is not the author's view, but I am beginning to doubt it.
Since I am also someone who used to enjoy Criminal Minds a lot in the early seasons - before the cast rotations became too much, and before the violence against women became too insidious even for me to endure - I really liked Netflix's Mindhunter. In it, Jonathan Groff plays a slightly quirky FBI agent in the 1970s who starts to conduct interviews with serial killers before that term was even invented. The plot is kind of... strange in that it doesn't really adhere to a standard longform TV storytelling concept nor to a strict episodal format. The title sequence is really disgusting, which I find somewhat misleading, because we don't see a lot of gross imagery, mostly people just narrate really disgusting crimes (which can be nightmare inducing enough). I am generally a pretty sensitive person, but this managed to stay just on the right side of creepy for me - if I watched it in the afternoon/early evening and then watched nice things afterwards... It is a show that enjoys its own historical setting, and does a really good job of creating that atmosphere. Groff is awesome, as is Anna Torv.
While I did manage to catch up with my reading goal during my vacation, Goodreads is already telling me I'm behind schedule again. I think next year I'll go back to a goal of 25 books and then treat the rest as bonuses. Even though I knew it was a bad choice in terms of keeping up with my reading goal, I started in on Bleak House, which has been on my wishlist for a really long time. I did enjoy it at first, but now I am mostly reduced to listening to it on audiobook and being morose about how NOTHING happens. Curse Charles Dickens's penny-per-word serials! Another book that has been on my shelf for over a year now is Ms Pettigrew Lives For a Day, which is going faster for me. I hope I can finish it this weekend. On some level it is very easy to read and enjoy, and in some ways it is just also terribly dated. I hope it ends well in a way that allows me to believe that Ms Pettigrew's view of what makes a man good is not the author's view, but I am beginning to doubt it.
Still not entirely dead
Oct. 15th, 2017 11:52 amI have been entirely away from DW, not even lurking. Work sucked me into a black hole of some kind, and now I have a week off (except for a number of things I still need to catch up on). I've been in a lot of physical pain from tension, and had two dives into depressive states - I can just keep it going until the weekend, and then I've crashed.
I have had almost no visits; one weekend with the BFF in August, one weekend where my mom came to my house when I crashed and realized I had no energy left to drive to her's, and one very nice and slow weekend with skuf where I just hope I was not too much of a bickering asshole about things.
At nights I am so tired that I haven't been able to read; only watch The Good Wife, which I feel never ends. I am still enjoying it, though. It doesn't really work for grand arcs, but as an organic depiction of real life it does - the way Alicia can never really get away from Peter, the way her crush on Will keeps resurfacing, the way Cary starts talking about leaving a season before anything starts to happen, the way Kalinda seems to almost leave and then sticks around. It's comforting in how chaotic and non-sensemaking it is.
I also watched The Good Place - the pilot with skuf, who didn't like it all. I was just spoiled enough from gifs to find it intriguing, and the season finale still managed to be not exactly what I expected. I am sad Netflix doesn't have the second season yet. It does, however, finally have seasons two of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend!
Goodreads is so worried about my reading goal for the year now that it is sending me emails asking if I need a boost. In order to hack the system I listened to a BBC adaptation of the Magician's Nephew yesterday, which was not very good.
I also listened to most of BBC's abridged adaptation of The Wind in the Willows, which I had no idea was so very gay: Mole is the main character, and in chapter 1 he decides to quit spring cleaning in favor of adventure. He then meets Water Rat, who invites him to go boating, and then they immediately move in together, becoming Particular Friends and sharing a bed. Toad is obviously the flamboyant friend who is an embarrassment to the establishment, and old distinguished Mr Badger is everybody's queer daddy figure who flies under all the straight people's radars. But most importantly, the story is so damn hyggelig! It soothed my weary brain, and any Brit who claims Brits don't know hygge clearly needs to read Kenneth Graham, who certainly did. Oh, and as I went digging on Google, I came across many an interesting quote about Mr Graham, which makes me relatively sure the gentleman was asexual.
In other news, whenI finally hooked my PS4 up again, it would not play sound. I've tried switching hdmi cables, hooking/unhooking, rebooting, even doing a hard reset. It mocks me through it all. The weirdest part is it CAN play sound when I go to adjust volume, but nothing else - none of the ambient sounds on the main interface, nothing in games, dvds, or YouTube or anything else. It is incredibly frustrating, but I guess there's nothing for it but to send it back?
I have had almost no visits; one weekend with the BFF in August, one weekend where my mom came to my house when I crashed and realized I had no energy left to drive to her's, and one very nice and slow weekend with skuf where I just hope I was not too much of a bickering asshole about things.
At nights I am so tired that I haven't been able to read; only watch The Good Wife, which I feel never ends. I am still enjoying it, though. It doesn't really work for grand arcs, but as an organic depiction of real life it does - the way Alicia can never really get away from Peter, the way her crush on Will keeps resurfacing, the way Cary starts talking about leaving a season before anything starts to happen, the way Kalinda seems to almost leave and then sticks around. It's comforting in how chaotic and non-sensemaking it is.
I also watched The Good Place - the pilot with skuf, who didn't like it all. I was just spoiled enough from gifs to find it intriguing, and the season finale still managed to be not exactly what I expected. I am sad Netflix doesn't have the second season yet. It does, however, finally have seasons two of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend!
Goodreads is so worried about my reading goal for the year now that it is sending me emails asking if I need a boost. In order to hack the system I listened to a BBC adaptation of the Magician's Nephew yesterday, which was not very good.
I also listened to most of BBC's abridged adaptation of The Wind in the Willows, which I had no idea was so very gay: Mole is the main character, and in chapter 1 he decides to quit spring cleaning in favor of adventure. He then meets Water Rat, who invites him to go boating, and then they immediately move in together, becoming Particular Friends and sharing a bed. Toad is obviously the flamboyant friend who is an embarrassment to the establishment, and old distinguished Mr Badger is everybody's queer daddy figure who flies under all the straight people's radars. But most importantly, the story is so damn hyggelig! It soothed my weary brain, and any Brit who claims Brits don't know hygge clearly needs to read Kenneth Graham, who certainly did. Oh, and as I went digging on Google, I came across many an interesting quote about Mr Graham, which makes me relatively sure the gentleman was asexual.
In other news, whenI finally hooked my PS4 up again, it would not play sound. I've tried switching hdmi cables, hooking/unhooking, rebooting, even doing a hard reset. It mocks me through it all. The weirdest part is it CAN play sound when I go to adjust volume, but nothing else - none of the ambient sounds on the main interface, nothing in games, dvds, or YouTube or anything else. It is incredibly frustrating, but I guess there's nothing for it but to send it back?
