ranawinter | Reading

Public

350/365: Ludlow Castle above Dinham Bridge
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All right, only the one castle. I did acquire two shoes, though! A nice pair of only very slightly worn Clarks for a tenner in the Blue Cross shop. Result, that is! As the caption will tell you, I was in Ludlow today, for the first time in a while. Still some snow in patches on Clee Hill, and it must have been fairly deep there judging by the remnants of snowdrifts. This is Dinham Bridge, much the newer of the town's two bridges over the River Teme having been built in 1823. Above looms Ludlow Castle, once the seat of the Council of Wales and the Marches and with a history dating back to the 11th century; unlike many other Norman castles, there was no earlier wooden structure: this was stone from the start. The outer bailey wall you can see here dates from the late 12th century.

Current Mood: chipper

dark_heroine posting in

addme

Nane: Kim

Age: 45

I mostly post about: Everyday life, thoughts, feelings. My version of a walk-a-bout in this season of life. I have made a lot of changes in the last few months, and I have a re-new excitement for...things, everything. I do have my moments of gloom and doom because human, but I don't get stuck there.

My hobbies are: Reading, running, exercising, gaming, movies, music/concerts, anything that induces frisson. Who doesn't like free dopamine?

My fandoms are: Star Trek , Star Wars, X-Files. I was born in the 80's.

I'm looking to meet people who: anyone with an open heart and an open mind.

My posting schedule tends to be: I am going to try to post every day, since I do have a physical journal that I jot things down.

When I add people, my dealbreakers are: don't be mean. You can be angry, sad or whatever you are feeling, but when you take it and turn it around on me, we're done. I've been a punching bag for far too long and for far too many people in my life. Not going to tolerate it.

Before adding me, you should know: I'm human, just like you. Searching for connection.

xinas_island

First ever visit to our new Dentist (that is actually IN Sooke, No more treks to Colwood for appointments *yay*).

Don't get me wrong. There was nothing wrong with our old Dentist. We actually quite like him. But the travel time and trying to schedule around Aaron's work was getting harder and harder, so it was just time to switch. And since Aaron had already been to the Dentist in Sooke for an emergency recently (our Dentist was not available), he already knew he liked the work they do so far and the way their office is.

Plus they are open Monday thru Saturday! Amazing!😍

Anywho, We had our initial admitting appointment yesterday afternoon. Paperwork, X-rays, and an initial assessment of the teeth.💕

All looks great still for me. *phew* I do have a couple old white fillings on the right side (upper and lower) that will get replaced in Feb., as they've shrunk quite a bit. I could have deferred till next year, but figured our insurance just rolled over, and so doing it now was better. 😄

So, I'm getting a cleaning on the 24th (A Saturday! Holy crap, we have a Dentist that's open on a Saturday now!). And then, the first week in February, my fillings will get dealt with *hooray!*. I'll need to remember to take Advil before hand.

Aaron's got British teeth, ie: They tend to crack and break down more easily. And so he'll have to have a lot more checked on as time goes on.
So he'll possibly more visits than me going forward. They really want him to consider implants, but he's pretty nervous about that option (I don't blame him).
And I guess the cost they mentioned is approx $3K per tooth (Includes the surgically installed post, and custom-made crown installed). The numbers freaked him out a bit (as well as the idea of posts being installed in his jawbone), so he's at the 'thinking' stage for the near future.

But being closer to the Dentists office will make things a lot easier all around, regardless of what he decides.

We were still in the old mind set when booking things, so my appointments are a bit wonky on the time and days (Still scheduled my things around A's work... but the place is walking distance, so that was silly of me. Leaving them as they are, but any future appointments for myself I'll just set for when ever I want them. (I prefer early, and on a weekday)😄

Note to self :

It's now easily walking distance to get there, so you Don't have to book around travel time/A's work schedule any more.

Remember that the next time you have to book.

loganberrybunny

Public

White Zombie (1932)

This was apparently the first zombie feature film, and it's quite an interesting watch. Bela Lugosi is the only big name here, unless any of the supporting cast were flash-in-the-pan famous at the time. Some genuinely creepy moments, not least one involving a zombie falling into milling machinery which works superbly for its restraint. Some nice visual effects (even a diagonal split screen at one point) and for a 1930s film with this title and subject there's surprisingly little racism. Lugosi is fine, but some of the other cast are still in silent-movie mode, with their acting (which isn't always of great quality) and even appearances. The score is intrusive as well, and it's quite slow even for the era. Being pre-Code it can be a bit more open with certain characters' motivations and lines than it could have been in 1935, but the stodginess and some iffy performances make White Zombie interesting rather than gripping. Hilariously terrible vulture noises, at least. ★★

Current Mood: okay

grimmrow

Name(s): Maric, Caspian

Age: I am 39.

Birthday: April 29th, 1986.

Astrological Sign: Sun: Taurus, Moon: Capricorn, Rising: Libra, Sidreal: Sun: Aries, Moon: Sagitarius, Rising: Virgo, Chinese: Fire Tiger.

Spiritual Beliefs: Okay, so I grew up learning about Jehovah's Witnesses. This is something my birth mother tried to ingrain in me but I was always drawn to the occult, witchery and other religions. I learned about other religions while steadily learning about the JW God. At first I stuck with the JW God, but by 28, I ended up renouncing God and accepting the universe as the creator. I believe the christian God exists, but he's the sun and also the universe. He is also a she. I also believe in taoism, shinto, wicca, catholicism and several other things as well. Even Hindi.

Ethnicity: Black Biracial with a hint of Hispanic.

Ancestry: On my father's side I'm Nigerian and Hispanic. On my mother's side I'm French, Breton, Welsh, Scottish, Italian, German, Irish, Norwegion and English.

Gender: Transman.

Pronouns: he/him.

Living Arrangement/Family: I am currently living in a nursing home, that is for the forseeable future until I'm on my feet. I intend on getting my own home within the next year, if not sooner.

Education: 8th grade unfortunately. I'm in tutoring now to take the g.e.d.

Job: N/A. I'm a student though.

Romantic/Sexual Orientation: Demipansexual. I don't want to date cismen except one man, who I trust and it's gonna be a moment before we're finally together.

Relationship Status: Single. I'm looking incase someone I love and I don't end up together.

Hobbies: Writing, Watching TV and Films, Watching video games online, playing video games, watching youtube videos of animals, reading books, coloring.

Interests: veganism and vegeterianism, dream intrepretation, tarot reading, astrology, coloring, painting, drawing, animals and pets, tv and films, video games, music, writing, reading, youtube, tiktok, shinto, taosim, wicca, catholicism, exorcisms, psychology, photography, pregnancy, children.

Health: My physical health isn't the best as I'm dealing with a bit of heart problems but they're not so bad, I also deal with weak legs, short breathiness and frequent colds.

Mental Health Wise: I'm doing better than usual. I deal with schizoaffective disorder, bipolar disorder, A.D.H.D, Anxiety, and Depression.

Other Things About Me: I am an INFJ. I can read you like a book, and even if you think you're hiding well, you're not. I'll read you, tell my family what they can't trust about you and you'll always be found out. lol

Things I like:

TV shows: Supernatural, Riverdale, Reba, Golden Girls, Beat Bobby Flay, Guy's Grocery Games, Diners, Drive Inns and Dives, Wildcard Kitchen, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Angel The Series, The Vampire Diaries, Being Human, Bobby's Triple Threat, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Ed, Edd, and Eddy, Adventure Time, Regular Show, Teen Titans and Teen Titans Go, George Lopez, Friends, Aqua teen Hunger Force, Sailormoon, Naruto, Death Note, Big O, Furi Kuri, Mr. Robot,

Movies: Labyrinth, Legend, Dirty Dancing, Carrie, Maximum Overdrive, Silver Bullet, Lucas, Pretty in Pink, Sixteen Candles, Manequinn, Hotel New Hampshire, Flowers in the attic, Double Impact, Sudden Death, Lionheart, Universal Soldier, Cyborg, Terminator, the Little Mermaid, Beauty and The Beast, Rapunzel, Princess and the Frog, Anatasia, Bob's Burger's - The Movie, Zootopia, The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy, Finding Nemo, The Matrix Trilogy Girl - Interrupted, Fight Club, 23, Mulan (animated Disney movie from the late 1990s), The Truman Show, The Crow, Twister, The Craft, Dracula - Dead And Loving It, Speed, The Basketball Diaries, Demolition Man, Interview With The Vampire, Bram Stoker's Dracula, Sister Act (both parts), Hocus Pocus, Back To The Future (all three parts), Teen Witch, Beetlejuice, Bill And Ted's Excellent Adventure, Flashdance, Footloose, Rose Red, Cell (Stephen King), IT original and newer version,

Music: The Birthday Massacre, Enigma, Three Days Grace, Shinedown, 2Pac, Eminem, Beyonce, Jay-Z, Creed, Staind, Goo Goo Dolls, L'Arc'En'Ciel, Hyde, Utada Hikaru, Hoobastank, 311, sublime, Eve6, Tonic, the Wallflowers, No Doubt, Smashing Pumpkins, Alanis Morrisette, Duncan Shiek, Delirium, A Perfect Circle, Bauhaus, Billy Idol, David Bowie, Depeche Mode, Duran Duran, Foo Fighters, Garbage, Incubus, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, Joy Division, Lady Gaga, Linkin Park, Michael Jackson, New Order, Nine Inch Nails, P!nk, Queen, Rihanna, Rob Zombie, Siouxsie And The Banshees, Switchblade Symphony, Tears For Fears, The Killers, The Weeknd, Tool, Trent Reznor, Gackt, D'espairs Ray, Dir En Grey, Guns and Roses, Poison, Boston, Winger, Elvis Presley, Etta James, Lighthouse, Fuel,

Books/Authors: J.K Rowling, Stephen King, Edgar Allan Poe (I haven't read thoroughly in years....)

Games: Sims 2, Sims 3, Final Fantasy 7-8-9-10-13-15 and Tactics, Fatal Frame 1 thru 5, Sudokien 3, Silent Hill 1 thru 6, Onimusha Series, Resident Evil Series, Until Dawn, Legend of Zelda (any)

Other places you can find me online:

→ Instagram: Username is "khaoskitten". The profile is private, for the reason I am paranoid about being found by people I don't want to be found by... I hope this makes sense. If you like, you can add me, though, I will likely add you back when I know who you are.
→ Bluesky: when I remember it, I'll put it here.
→ Discord: caspian5405
Goodreads: I need to get an account. D:

loganberrybunny

Public

349/365: Larch Wood Farm, Kidderminster
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Yes, I know about Robert Jenrick's defection from the Tories to Reform, which has been all over the news today, but I can't stand the man regardless of party so I'll move on quickly! Much more enjoyably, I had a free morning and so was able to go into Kidderminster for a buffet breakfast at Larch Wood Farm. Fortunately I was hungry, as shown by the fact that I had a black pudding with each of my two helpings! The bacon was particularly succulent this time, though the sausages were a tad underwhelming. Decent beans and hash browns, good fried eggs, acceptable mushrooms. Overall, pretty solid.

Current Mood: full

decemberthirty posting in

addme

Hello, all! I know I'm a little late to really consider this a new year's post, but here I am looking to meet a few new people nevertheless.

About me:
My name is Katie. I'm 47 years old, and this summer will mark my 25th year of journaling on LJ/DW/both.

I'm a writer by profession, primarily of literary fiction with occasional book reviews for variety. I live in Philadelphia with my partner of 27 years (she's a high school physics teacher). We have a pair of eight-month-old kittens named Oscar and Zorro. I'm the oldest of three sisters in a pretty close-knit family. My sisters have five kids between them, and being an aunt is basically my favorite thing.

I love books and am always reading. Favorite authors include E.M. Forster, Marilynne Robinson, Leo Tolstoy, Virginia Woolf, Ursula K. Le Guin, Lauren Groff, Andrea Barrett.... The list could go on and on. I also love the outdoors and learning about nature. I've been a birdwatcher for years; more recently I've gotten into things like butterflies and insects, reptiles, wildflowers, and more. In summer, my favorite thing is finding wild orchids. My partner and I like to travel, and when we do, I use it as an opportunity to learn about the amazing variety of nature in other places.

In case you haven't already guessed, I'm a very introverted person. I spend most of my time at home, where I keep myself busy writing, reading, or in the kitchen. I like cooking, baking, and food preservation, and I'm always working on some sort of kitchen project or trying to teach myself a new skill.

About my journal:
My journal began as a place for me to keep track of my reading, and that's still the subject I write about most often. Other frequent topics include the interests mentioned above: writing, nature, cooking and baking. I tend to post more about what I'm thinking than about what I'm doing at any given time, although I do sometimes use my journal to keep track goals or record projects that I'm working on. I often include photos. I would say I post about once a week...but realistically it's probably a bit less than that.

If you're looking for a friend who comments on every single post, I'm probably not the right person for you. I do like to interact and I always read my friends page, but I prefer to comment only when I have something worth saying. Also, I've found over the years that I don't mesh well with extremely prolific posters. Once a day is fine, but if it's more than that I have trouble keeping up.

My journal is friends-locked for privacy, but I will be happy to add anyone who's interested in checking it out. And I won't be offended if it turns out that it's not your style.

Say hello if you think we'd get along!

loganberrybunny

Public

I define "the long 1970s" as from 1968, when the Hays Code in the United States was abandoned, to 1982, the year of the Twilight Zone disaster. This period saw an almost "Wild West" era in which previously restricted kinds of film and subjects were made in large numbers, and undoubtedly there was a great deal of innovation and ingenuity going on. However, when people say, as some do, "It's such a shame movies will never be made that way again", that is where I say, "Now, wait a minute".

Among other things, that period saw:

The Last House on the Left (1972), in which an actress was seriously psychologically and emotionally abused by co-stars, with her director failing to protect her. Later, a live chainsaw in a fight scene.
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974), in which an actress's finger was deliberately cut by one co-star and her blood non-consensually sucked by an unknowing (ie thought it was stage blood) second actor.
The Exorcist (1973), in which two separate actresses were seriously injured and their director chose to keep their genuine cries of pain in the final movie.
Cannibal Holocaust (1980), notorious for its on-screen real animal killings, but also the use of a local Indigenous girl (possibly as young as 14) to act a victim in a rape scene without clear certainty that she knew exactly what would happen.
The Deer Hunter (1978), in which a real bullet was placed in the revolver (even if not in the next chamber) for the Russian Roulette scene.
Roar (1981), in which dozens of cast and crew were injured, some seriously, through being surrounded by untrained big cats on set during the multi-year production.

That's off the top of my head; there are plenty of less famous films that had similar problems. I have seen half of these (Last House, Texas Chain Saw and The Deer Hunter) and the number of those where my experience was heightened from knowing about the abuse, recklessness and danger was zero. I will never watch Cannibal Holocaust, and I'm not especially inclined to watch the other two either.

Wes Craven, Tobe Hooper, William Friedkin etc are forever being lauded as geniuses. In some ways they were. But I am absolutely delighted that films can no longer be made the way they made them. The human (and animal in certain cases) cost was simply too high. Friedkin in particular is someone I've gone right off in recent years. If you have to traumatise your cast to make a film, you are doing it wrong.

And if that makes me a pearl-clutcher, sign me up for shares in the oyster farm!

Current Mood: awake

glowingfish

This is for people outside of the US, to explain some of the content of what is going on right now.

In the US, Trump was a doofus celebrity and tabloid fodder for a long time. Then a reality TV show host. The entire thing was a joke, and no one took it seriously. And during his first term, even as he said scarier and scarier stuff, it was hard for people to not view it as another zany, slightly entertaining tabloid story. Personally, during his first term, even as I saw things get weirder and weirder, it was hard for me to ever take it seriously.

He got angrier (probably fueled by dementia) during his time out of office. This term, he is doing things that should scare everyone in the world. Including talking about attacking an allied nation.

But for a lot of people in the US, there is honestly a very deeply buried idea that this is...a television show.

And you see it in things like Trump dopily accepting a trophy for FIFAs "Peace Prize". Even while he is talking about attacking allies, he still wants the show to go on. And Americans kind of believe it can: somehow we can go to war with Europe but there will be no consequences, even to entertainment?

So one of the things that can be done immediately, that will have a bigger impact than most people could guess, is just start talking about boycotting and cancelling that type of stuff. Do we really think that we are going to have World War III, and also have a fun summer time World Cup? A World Cup that involves Canada, the US and Mexico all in harmony? Are the Nordic counties going to laugh this all off when it is time for the Winter Olympics? All of these things will make a gigantic impact to begin with, because Trump is obsessed with ratings and being a star. The idea that "The show must go on" doesn't apply for ever will burst a gigantic bubble.

xinas_island

Watch on YouTube

loganberrybunny

Public

348/365: Loom & Shuttle, Kidderminster
Click for a larger, sharper image
I must be honest and say that I'm quite glad that the finish line for my 365 project is in sight. It's been fun most of the time, but not being able to have any days off has been stressful on occasion. I don't think I'll be doing it again. Anyway, today's photo is of the Loom & Shuttle pub on the Stourport Road in Kidderminster. This used to be quite a rough pub years ago, but it's been cleaned up a lot in recent times and is now perfectly okay as far as I'm aware. I didn't go in today, but it made a handy enough subject for a photo. As you might expect, the pub's name is a reference to the now-mostly-former carpet industry which was once Kidderminster's largest employer.

Current Mood: tired

armaina

So, I like Affinity Studio, I like the products a lot. I like the interface, I like what they do, I like the ease of use with vector tools, I like the range. They're very close to being an actual replacement for Photoshop in ways no other application has been before it. I purchased the total suite of Affinity 2 at launch for 100$, an incredibly affordable price and well worth the tools for photo editing, vector work, and page layouts.

Some time ago, the Affinity suite of applications' parent company, Serif, got acquired by Canva. There was concern about this, a lot about what Canva stood for and the growing amount of generative tools being shooed in with little oversight. But for a time Canva left the Affinity Suite alone and it made some wonderful advancements. Affinity Publish is a big reason why I was able to start making zines, as it's interface was easy to pick up on and especially intuitive.

A couple months ago, Affinity was made into a singular program and released for free, and I have some mixed feelings about that.

NOW

I have no complaints about the fact that they made free something that once was paid. I don't think that's a bad thing, I don't feel I'm 'owed' anything. I paid for a digital license, not exclusivity. I still have the installs and backups, I can install it wherever and whenever. And in some ways, I think it's a good thing.

When trying to teach people basic photo editing, there's an ease of use that simply does not exist for Krita or GIMP. You can certainly learn to use those two, but there's a very stark learning curve that can get incredibly frustrating. And then, there's the text tools. There's one thing very few free services have gotten right and that's text tools, GIMP is a lot better than it used to be, but both Krita and Inkscape have some very odd controls for text editng. I've guided a lot of tech-inexperienced people through a lot of applications, and the truth is, Affinity and Photoshop have consistently been easier for tech newbies to pick up on than GIMP and Krita.

When the announcement hit about Affinity being rolled into a new program and it would be free, the first thing I thought was.. 'Oh I finally have a free tool I can point a whole lot of people to that they'll be able to pick up pretty easily and learn from. I know a lot of 'non artists' that would benefit greatly from being able to have a tool to do minor image editing. I can make PSD templates and they'll work completely, intact text layers and all, in affinity. And that's before even getting into how people that want to make Zines and don't have the money for fancy software can now look to Affinity. Most the free zine makers are for the really small zines, and then scribus is free but it isn't nearly as robust as Affinity. Like, in a lot of ways, Affinity going free is honestly, kind of amazing for the overall accessibility of design.

The thing that I'm actually concerned about this distribution model, is the long-term access.

With the applications I pay for, I typically get access to previous versions that I can install as needed if a change happens that I don't like. This type of free model, one that isn't open source, these companies rarely allow for access to previous versions which means if it changes, you're often unable to roll back to a previous version if you don't like the new changes. And if they ever decide the project isn't worth it to keep onto anymore, they can scorched earth the whole thing and there'd be nothing for it. Or they can switch back to a paid model, but only subscription once again locking others out of the ability to work on their projects lest they conform and hope they have it saved as another format.

So while I'm very excited for there to be something viably comparable for matters of graphic design for anyone low or no income, I'm very wary about the future of what that might mean and the access to the tools in question.

Current Mood: mixed
Current Music: Module - Xenon Home World

loganberrybunny

Public

Joint press conference by the foreign ministers of Denmark and Greenland after their meeting with Messrs Vance and Rubio today. A couple of highlights (if that's the word) from their comments:

"It is not easy to think innovative about solutions when you wake up every morning to different threats." —Lars Løkke Rasmussen, Danish FM.

Rasmussen says it is clear the Trump has the wish of "conquering" Greenland, but that he believes the meeting has managed to "change the American position".

Greenland must strengthen its cooperation with the US as allies. "That doesn't mean we want to be owned by the United States." —Vivian Motzfeld, Greenlandic FM.

Current Mood: uncomfortable

loganberrybunny

Public

347/365: No Road, Bewdley
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This was another day when not a lot of interest really happened. It didn't help that it rained a good deal in the morning, although fortunately the river was low enough beforehand that the flood barriers haven't needed to be deployed. I did pop into Forest Dog Rescue and bought a box of teabags, of all things. The photo shows No Road, which leads off Load Street in Bewdley town centre. Yes, it's actually called No Road. This is a public footpath, and not quite as scary as it may appear! It comes out in Dog Lane, where the chemist and GP surgery are, so it can be quite a handy shortcut.

Current Mood: calm

grimmrow

I signed up for get your words out, meaning I'll be spending 300 days this year writing. I plan on holding myself acountable and writing something, anything until I'm writing regularly. Here's something I got from Abbie Emmons of youtube, an author who has had a successful career so far, it's a questionnare to help you achieve your writing goals.

2026 Writing Goals

1. Find your why Before you begin setting your writing goals, sort out the deeper reasons behind why you want to accomplish these goals.

When I imagine my dream author life, what does it look like?

I get up every morning and write until I need to take a break, then return to writing in the evening for a few hours. I want to get up every day around 5 o'clock in the morning and just write. Anything, everything. I see myself being successful, being a best selling author. It'll take grit, a little money and most importantly the fact that I actually write. I see myself doing book signings or author q and a's. I'll be nervous when it comes to that, but I know I can do it.

What first action steps can I take now to make this dream a reality?

Start writing everyday, no matter what time it is. But most importantly forcing myself to get out of bed on a regular basis and writing in the mornings. Going to bed every night. I plan on getting my days and nights switched around so I can do this. I don't want to see my dreams pass me by.

What writing projects am I the most excited about this year and why?
My fantasy novel involving a bard and his brother a knight, possibly making the bard a lot like aragon from lord of the rings. I have an idea brewing for it.

My Urban Fantasy Novel, about a young girl or boy who has magical abilities and has seven major archdemons to kill. (Basically)

my soap opera novel series about older and younger queer people who are in love and crazy shit is happening to them all the time.

There's a few more that have been stuck in my head for awhile. (I also have trouble writing because I'm afraid I won't have the mind to write certain stories, some of them are intelligent thought provoking POC thrillers and I don't even have a highschool education)

2. Begin with the end in mind If you don’t reverse-engineer your timeline, you’re going to be plodding forward into eternity with no end in sight. You need a finish line to help you measure the distance you must cover to reach it.

By this time next year I want to… be writing full time, (plus exercising daily, I think that'll help with writing too to be honest) plus writing in the mornings and in the evenings with exercising in between.

Starting at the end, what step comes before that? And before that?

To have written everyday, before that, to have written everyday and got my days and nights switched around in order for it to happen.

How does each action step connect to the final goal?

Exercise plus health goals help me get my mental health together. Not to mention they're upping my medications and that means I'll be able to focus more often and actually write.

3. Be realistic We all have limitations and that’s not a bad thing. Factor in your current priorities in life and accept the fact that you might not be able to devote all the time you want to devote to this particular goal this year. Be realistic.

Realistically, how much time can I devote each month/week/day to furthering my writing goals?

Four hours a day, possibly between exercising and writing on my relaxing downtime moments. so possibly 5-6 hours a day. Honestly.

If I could only accomplish one priority goal this year, which one would I choose?

To write everyday plus exercise. I can do it. Exercising is very important though because I need to get my legs stronger so I can stand properly and walk.

If I had a best friend who had the exact same lifestyle and responsibilities as I do, what advice would I give them?

Just take it one day at a time, eventually motivation and discipline comes. It creeps inside you, just think about it everyday until you get angry or upset and then that should drive you. Think about it until you're exhausted. make it your obsession. Obsess over it instead of food or drugs, do it until your mind is ready to finally start applying itself.

4. Give yourself more time than you think you need Even if it’s just a month or a couple of weeks. You’ll thank yourself later. And you’ll never regret giving yourself more time.

Considering all my other responsibilities, what’s the soonest date I could accomplish this goal by? What would happen if I pushed that date off a month?

I don't have a lot of responsibilities besides getting myself better. I have 300 days to accomplish this goal, my end date is December 31st 2026. If I pushed the date off a month, I wouldn't finish my challenge and that would make me feel very sad. I'm tired of failing, I want to raise up and actually do what must be done. I know I can do it. it takes courage, guts and fortitude.

5. Establish a system that suits your current lifestyle and set yourself up for success Rather than setting a goal and plowing your way towards it, mindfully consider all the things in your life that you can’t change and how you’re going to work around those things to accomplish your writing goals this year.

Considering my current lifestyle, is there anything I can say “no” to so that I can say “yes” to writing?
Writing instead of snacking all the time. Honestly, I need to do that. I can also stay awake despite being trapped in a bed, meaning if I wake up, I can start writing instead of feeling trapped all the time.

What distractions am I in control of? Can I remove those roadblocks before they trip me up?

Food, sleep and feeling uncomfortable. Writing sometimes feels uncomfortable to me, because I'm trying to feel something that isn't there. You're not going to feel like writing all the time, so you need to build a habit and discipline yourself. so that's what I'll do.

How can I protect my energy and creativity so I don’t get burned out?
Turn off discord, turn off videos and just write. That's how I keep myself from burning out.

loganberrybunny

Public

Back to the Future (1985)

This is a film I might have guessed would score full marks from me. As you can see, it doesn't, because it's just that little bit too problematic when looked at with mid-2020s eyes. Don't get me wrong, this is still a great movie, expertly constructed and supremely watchable. There aren't any real weak links in the acting, and the atmosphere of 1955 America is wonderfully created. Even having a DeLorean break down about every ten seconds is true to life. For what it is, Back to the Future is pretty much spot on at first viewing, and it's strong enough to hold up to being seen multiple times, as indeed I have. That's not something to sniff at.

But those problems? There's the "Johnny B. Goode" scene, though in reality by November 1955 what you might call modern rock'n'roll already existed: Little Richard had released "Tutti Frutti" the month before, even if it didn't chart until December. The Libyan terrorists are comic-book villains and I can live with that. A bigger deal is how the film treats Lorraine. The "unintentional incestuous attraction" joke is slightly overdone, but the real issue is the plan Marty cooks up, which requires Lorraine to be genuinely emotionally abused to set up George's hero moment. Then an actual assault is played more realistically than you'd expect for a feel-good family comedy, yet the victim is completely fine a few minutes later.

None of this destroys the movie as a whole. Michael J. Fox is excellent as Marty, even if a little gratingly cool at times for these British sensibilities, and Christopher Lloyd is suitably manic as Doc Brown. Lea Thompson must also get a mention for a really fine turn in a tricky role as Lorraine, while Thomas F. Wilson's Biff manages to pull off both "comedy class bully" and "genuinely dangerous predator". The clock tower scene, the other callbacks, most of the humour, and the way it never lets up from start to finish make it a very fine film to this day. Still an easy four-star movie – but looked at through today's eyes, I can't quite see it as the near-perfect picture I'd half-expected. ★★★★

Current Mood: hungry

loganberrybunny

Public

This spring's Senedd election looks like being an interesting one. Right now if I had to put money on any particular outcome, I'd go for a minority Plaid administration. I don't think they'll get anywhere near the number of seats they'd need to get a majority in the Senedd, which will now have 96 members. Probably a final seat count somewhere in the low-mid 30s. Reform are on their heels but seem to be slipping back a little very recently, so I'd suggest mid-high 20s for them. Quite possibly every other party, including incumbents Labour, in single figures.

Current Mood: thoughtful

glowingfish

As the famous David Byrne quote goes...we might find ourselves asking, "How did I get here?" At what point in my life did I somehow play MASH that got me where I am now? How did my life decisions take me to this moment?

And also, how did the world get to this moment?

Okay, I can't answer the second one. Although it has a lot to do where I am now.

I live in an apartment outside a relative's home. I work online, and actually have a job that takes some education and skill, but since it is gig work, I make very little money. But I also currently don't have many expenses. I don't have a car, and I don't need any medication (which seem to be the big two for most people). I don't have any expensive hobbies, other than electronics (and even then, I haven't bought any new electronics for two years). I travel a lot, but because I don't go to restaurants, and travel by public transportation, it doesn't cost much. So I am living almost like a hermit.
I also realized in the past year or two that a lot of my former relationships haven't been doing much for me. I am not some type of radical misanthrope, but most social events have just ceased to do much for me.
(Note: all of this personal stuff is connected with the world situation. The amount of cruelty that I have seen from other people makes me wary about who I socialize with, even if on the surface things look good)

So I am 46, living an acceptable life, but feeling a very different emotional inclination than I did just a few years ago. I like to work, go outside, study languages, meditate, and read. That is the sum of my life right now. And this wasn't a forced, radical decision, I just started moving away from certain things.

loganberrybunny

Public

346/365: Tollhouse plaque, Bewdley
Click for a larger, sharper image
This is the plaque that marks where the tollhouse once stood on the Wribbenhall (eastern) end of Bewdley Bridge. It was designed by Thomas Telford, as was the bridge itself, and built in the last years of the 18th century. Modernisation works in 1960 saw it demolished, despite a fairly energetic campaign by Bewdley Civic Society; the society put up this plaque and shaped paving in 2002. The only decent photo I can find of the tollhouse before its demolition is on this Facebook page, which should be visible without an account. (I haven't got one, after all!)

Current Mood: awake

yamamanama

66 days until the vernal equinox

That’s not a confidence builder.

Warlock is a movie, not to be confused with the 1959 western with that name or Project Warlock or anything else. It’s no masterpiece or anything but it does have some fun gore effects. You know, a perfect choice for the family friendly Nintendo console.

The sun aligns with the moon more than once a millennium. it’s called an eclipse. Yeah, it feels like every millennium in New England only it’s more like every ten thousand to fifty thousand years but they do happen in places like the Sahara, the Arabian Peninsula, and Patagonia.

Massachusetts readers, you’re going to have to wait until 2079.

The game’s based loosely on the sequel Warlock: The Armageddon, which is kind of like the first one, only with even more blood, gore, and explosions. And in 1999 came Warlock III: The End of Innocence, which is direct to video trash. Doesn’t even have Julian Sands.

Note that this game is rated K-A, which was basically E for Everyone. Also note that this game came out in the SNES era, before Nintendo was known for shovelware and borderline pr0nz0rz.

There’s a Genesis version with some differences but I won’t be playing them both. Once is enough, thank you very much.

( click )

burning question: and in the end, aren’t fun gore effects what count for horror?

Current Mood: Eupithecia
Current Music: Massive Attack - Butterfly Caught