Let's Get Literate! July 2025 Hopefuls
Jul. 8th, 2025 12:36 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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ladybusinessWell, I made a reading list last month...how did I do? ( Read more... )
renay posting in ladybusiness
Argh? Argh.
Jul. 7th, 2025 10:58 pmsoc_puppetFirst Intro to Sociology class was today!
The professor is an out nonbinary person and very assertive about it. And very assertive about a lot of things. Like no screens in the classroom, yes this includes laptops, but also don't turn in anything handwritten, that will get an automatic zero. Also, remember that deep breathing exercise we did to start class? Now you know that you are always in control! Even if you have some sort of anxiety thing, you are still in control, because you can control your breathing! Also they have a pet peeve about loud yawning, this means you, random student who just yawned. Also also they don't do the compliment sandwich method of feedback because it takes too much time.
...Yeah. I promptly dropped the class, with plenty of time for a full refund, because I really, really don't think this teaching style would mesh well with my ADHD. And that's not even getting into the extremely punishing course schedule.
Sadly, they are also the only professor who teaches LTBTQ+ Studies, which I am currently registered for in the fall semester; I plan to meet with my academic advisor ASAP and switch that class to something else, because no, thank you, actually? No, thank you.
The professor is an out nonbinary person and very assertive about it. And very assertive about a lot of things. Like no screens in the classroom, yes this includes laptops, but also don't turn in anything handwritten, that will get an automatic zero. Also, remember that deep breathing exercise we did to start class? Now you know that you are always in control! Even if you have some sort of anxiety thing, you are still in control, because you can control your breathing! Also they have a pet peeve about loud yawning, this means you, random student who just yawned. Also also they don't do the compliment sandwich method of feedback because it takes too much time.
...Yeah. I promptly dropped the class, with plenty of time for a full refund, because I really, really don't think this teaching style would mesh well with my ADHD. And that's not even getting into the extremely punishing course schedule.
Sadly, they are also the only professor who teaches LTBTQ+ Studies, which I am currently registered for in the fall semester; I plan to meet with my academic advisor ASAP and switch that class to something else, because no, thank you, actually? No, thank you.
got arrested for inciting a peaceful riot
Jul. 7th, 2025 09:59 pmthe_siobhanI am so tired of working on this house.
Upper half the back yard is approximately - well it's definitely not level, but it's not a hill any more so I'm calling it good enough. The Big Pit of Rocks is functioning perfectly in that the yard no longer floods whenever we get a rainstorm. At some point I will clean it up and make it look pretty, but that day is not today. Probably won't be tomorrow either.
This past weekend we picked one of the basement rooms as our starting point and spent about an hour clearing out the contractor trash and then scrubbing the shit out of the walls and floors. We also went to the hardware store and picked up paint and supplies and that was enough for my foot to say fuck you, you are done for the day. It's been hard to get a lot of work done just because it is so hot and humid, even in the basement.
***
Foot is still a problem. I hate this so much. I am spending a fortune on cabs and delivery because walking hurts. It's been a month, c'mon man, chop-chop, ándale, let's get healthy already. For fuck sake. Although I guess it could be argued that hauling around heavy buckets full of clay, rocks, and now paint probably isn't helping matters much.
I also have gotten a bunch of reminders this week that all my other doctors want to have a crack at me because I guess it's been a year since the last round. Sorry folks, cat takes priority. Once he has his checkup out of the way I'll find time for the rest of you.
The problem is that I can't take time off work for any of this stuff right now, because there are THREE, yes THREE major projects going on right now. At the height of vacation season so half the people who need to do things are off work. Who the fuck makes these decisions?
***
A couple of days ago I opened the back door and startled a wild rabbit. It took off into the treeline. This morning I looked out the back window and the biggest coyote I have ever seen was sniffing around the yard.
These incidents may be related.
Guess I'll see how well the vegetable plot survives the attentions of the locals. Daughter brought over all her seeds and just slapped them all into the ground and I have no idea what's even down there. Here's to Salad Surprise in a month or two.
Upper half the back yard is approximately - well it's definitely not level, but it's not a hill any more so I'm calling it good enough. The Big Pit of Rocks is functioning perfectly in that the yard no longer floods whenever we get a rainstorm. At some point I will clean it up and make it look pretty, but that day is not today. Probably won't be tomorrow either.
This past weekend we picked one of the basement rooms as our starting point and spent about an hour clearing out the contractor trash and then scrubbing the shit out of the walls and floors. We also went to the hardware store and picked up paint and supplies and that was enough for my foot to say fuck you, you are done for the day. It's been hard to get a lot of work done just because it is so hot and humid, even in the basement.
***
Foot is still a problem. I hate this so much. I am spending a fortune on cabs and delivery because walking hurts. It's been a month, c'mon man, chop-chop, ándale, let's get healthy already. For fuck sake. Although I guess it could be argued that hauling around heavy buckets full of clay, rocks, and now paint probably isn't helping matters much.
I also have gotten a bunch of reminders this week that all my other doctors want to have a crack at me because I guess it's been a year since the last round. Sorry folks, cat takes priority. Once he has his checkup out of the way I'll find time for the rest of you.
The problem is that I can't take time off work for any of this stuff right now, because there are THREE, yes THREE major projects going on right now. At the height of vacation season so half the people who need to do things are off work. Who the fuck makes these decisions?
***
A couple of days ago I opened the back door and startled a wild rabbit. It took off into the treeline. This morning I looked out the back window and the biggest coyote I have ever seen was sniffing around the yard.
These incidents may be related.
Guess I'll see how well the vegetable plot survives the attentions of the locals. Daughter brought over all her seeds and just slapped them all into the ground and I have no idea what's even down there. Here's to Salad Surprise in a month or two.
larryhammerFor Poetry Monday, more Japonisme from another early Modernist:
Muramadzu, Arthur Davison Ficke
A mouldering Buddha sits as warden
Beside the ruined mossy gate.
He must be rash, or strong with fate,
Who mounts unbidden to this garden.
The pine and cypress intertwining
Cover the lotus-pool with shade.
But where the ancient graves are laid,
A dreamy veil of sun is shining.
I do not know what shapes are here,
Nor why the sun so strangely shines ....
It is a place of ruined shrines ....
The distant wind is all I hear ....
What secret makes this place beguiling
I know not; nor what visions lost
Stir like a frail forgotten ghost
While Buddha’s lips are faintly smiling.
Fiske is better remembered as a Western authority on ukiyo-e prints than as a poet. This first appeared in a 1907 collection, in a section of poems written while on an around the world tour that included his first visit to Japan. No one has been able to explain the title.
—L.
Subject quote from Superstition, Stevie Wonder.
Muramadzu, Arthur Davison Ficke
A mouldering Buddha sits as warden
Beside the ruined mossy gate.
He must be rash, or strong with fate,
Who mounts unbidden to this garden.
The pine and cypress intertwining
Cover the lotus-pool with shade.
But where the ancient graves are laid,
A dreamy veil of sun is shining.
I do not know what shapes are here,
Nor why the sun so strangely shines ....
It is a place of ruined shrines ....
The distant wind is all I hear ....
What secret makes this place beguiling
I know not; nor what visions lost
Stir like a frail forgotten ghost
While Buddha’s lips are faintly smiling.
Fiske is better remembered as a Western authority on ukiyo-e prints than as a poet. This first appeared in a 1907 collection, in a section of poems written while on an around the world tour that included his first visit to Japan. No one has been able to explain the title.
—L.
Subject quote from Superstition, Stevie Wonder.
Beginning on clearing up some open tabs, etc
Jul. 7th, 2025 04:24 pmoursinReading this, I'm very much reminded of certain sff stories I read - late 60s/early 70s - that were either directly influenced by this research or via the population panic works that riffed off it: review of Lee Alan Dugatkin. Dr. Calhoun's Mousery: The Strange Tale of a Celebrated Scientist, a Rodent Dystopia, and the Future of Humanity. Does this ping reminiscence in anyone else? (I was reading a lot of v misc anthologies etc in early 70s before I found my real niche tastes).
***
What Is a 'Lavender Marriage,' Exactly? Feel that there is a longer and (guess what) Moar Complicated history around using conventional marriage to protect less conventional unions, but maybe it's a start towards interrogating the complexities of 'conventional marriages'.
***
Sardonic larffter at this: 'I'm being paid to fix issues caused by AI'
***
Not quite what one anticipates from a clergyman's wife? The undercover vagrant who exposed workhouse life - a bit beyond vicarage/manse teaparties, Mothers' Meetings or running the Sunday School!
***
Changes in wedding practice: The Cambridge Group for the History of Population and Social Structure: Wedding Days:
After the Reformation, Anglican canon law required that marriages took place in the morning, during divine service, in the parish of either the bride or groom – three features which typically elude modern weddings, which usually take place in the afternoon, in a special ceremony, and are far less likely (even if a religious wedding) to take place within a couple’s home parish. The centrality of divine service is the starkest difference, as it ensured that, unlike in modern weddings, marriages were public events at which the whole congregation ought to be present. They might even have occurred alongside other weddings or church ceremonies such as baptisms. A study of London weddings in the late 1570s found that, unsurprisingly given the canonical requirements, Sunday was the most popular days for weddings, accounting for c.44 percent of marriages taking place in Southwark and Bishopsgate. (By contrast, Sunday accounted for just 5.9 percent of marriages in 2022).
***
Dorothy Allison Authored a New Kind of Queer Lit (or brought new perspectives into the literature of class?) I should dig out my copies of her works.
Tags:
2025.07.07
Jul. 7th, 2025 08:44 amlsandersonMosquitos with West Nile found in Twin Cities. From Bring Me The News: “The findings suggest West Nile activity is starting to pick up in the area. Officials say the timing of the positive tests aligns with when mosquitoes have historically first shown signs of the virus.” Via MinnPost
https://bringmethenews.com/minnesota-news/first-west-nile-positive-mosquitoes-of-the-year-found-in-twin-cities-counties
Michael Douglas says he has ‘no real intentions’ of acting again: ‘I had to stop’
The 80-year-old, two-time Oscar winner said he had been ‘working pretty hard for almost 60 years’ – and is ‘quite happy’ watching his wife Catherine Zeta-Jones work
Sian Cain
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/jul/07/michael-douglas-says-he-has-no-real-intentions-of-acting-again-i-had-to-stop
‘Chipping away at democracy’: authors fear outcome of US supreme court’s LGBTQ+ book ruling
Some parents can now opt students out of LGBTQ+ book readings. The writers warn of increased book bans and bias
Melissa Hellmann
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/07/authors-lgbtq-book-ruling-supreme-court
The radical 1960s schools experiment that created a whole new alphabet – and left thousands of children unable to spell
Decades ago, a generation of UK schoolchildren unwittingly took part in an initiative aimed at boosting reading skills – with lasting consequences
Emma Loffhagen
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2025/jul/06/1960s-schools-experiment-created-new-alphabet-thousands-children-unable-to-spell
At least 81 dead and dozens missing in Texas floods as more rain looms
Gary O'Donoghue Chief North America correspondent
Ana Faguy BBC News
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cddzrj323zzo
https://bringmethenews.com/minnesota-news/first-west-nile-positive-mosquitoes-of-the-year-found-in-twin-cities-counties
Michael Douglas says he has ‘no real intentions’ of acting again: ‘I had to stop’
The 80-year-old, two-time Oscar winner said he had been ‘working pretty hard for almost 60 years’ – and is ‘quite happy’ watching his wife Catherine Zeta-Jones work
Sian Cain
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/jul/07/michael-douglas-says-he-has-no-real-intentions-of-acting-again-i-had-to-stop
‘Chipping away at democracy’: authors fear outcome of US supreme court’s LGBTQ+ book ruling
Some parents can now opt students out of LGBTQ+ book readings. The writers warn of increased book bans and bias
Melissa Hellmann
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/07/authors-lgbtq-book-ruling-supreme-court
The radical 1960s schools experiment that created a whole new alphabet – and left thousands of children unable to spell
Decades ago, a generation of UK schoolchildren unwittingly took part in an initiative aimed at boosting reading skills – with lasting consequences
Emma Loffhagen
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2025/jul/06/1960s-schools-experiment-created-new-alphabet-thousands-children-unable-to-spell
At least 81 dead and dozens missing in Texas floods as more rain looms
Gary O'Donoghue Chief North America correspondent
Ana Faguy BBC News
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cddzrj323zzo
Culinary
Jul. 6th, 2025 07:32 pmoursinNo bread made for reasons.
Friday night supper: I was intending having penne with bottled sliced artichoke hearts, except did not appear to have these in store cupboard: did a sauce of blender-whizzed Peppadew Roasted Red Peppers in brine instead.
Saturday breakfast rolls: basic buttermilk, 50:50% strong white/white spelt flour, turned out nicely.
Today's lunch: diced leg of lamb casseroled in white wine with thyme with sweet potato topping, served with buttered spinach and what really were quite tiddly juvenile baby leeks vinaigrette in a dressing of olive oil, white wine vinegar, and wholegrain mustard.
Dreams of Dead Stars, Part III, ch. 8: Intermission, Interrupted
Jul. 6th, 2025 11:10 amelynneAnd back! Will be out of town next weekend, so next chapter will go up Sunday, July 20th--unless my travel plans get catastrophically interrupted...
( Read more... )
( Read more... )
2025.07.06
Jul. 6th, 2025 08:48 amlsandersonWeedkiller ingredient widely used in US can damage organs and gut bacteria, research shows
Diquat is banned in the UK, EU, China and other countries. The US has resisted calls to regulate it
Tom Perkins
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/jul/06/weedkiller-diquat-organ-damage-study
‘I want my vote back’: Trump-voting family stunned after Canadian mother detained over immigration status
Family of Cynthia Olivera reconsiders support for president after Ice detained her at green card interview
Ramon Antonio Vargas
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/06/trump-voting-family-canadian-mother-detained-immigration-status
Reboots and remakes: why is Hollywood stuck on repeat?
Catherine Shoard
https://www.theguardian.com/news/ng-interactive/2025/jul/06/reboots-and-remakes-why-is-hollywood-stuck-on-repeat
Archaeologists unveil 3,500-year-old city in Peru
Jessica Rawnsley
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c07dmx38kyeo
Diquat is banned in the UK, EU, China and other countries. The US has resisted calls to regulate it
Tom Perkins
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/jul/06/weedkiller-diquat-organ-damage-study
‘I want my vote back’: Trump-voting family stunned after Canadian mother detained over immigration status
Family of Cynthia Olivera reconsiders support for president after Ice detained her at green card interview
Ramon Antonio Vargas
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/06/trump-voting-family-canadian-mother-detained-immigration-status
Reboots and remakes: why is Hollywood stuck on repeat?
Catherine Shoard
https://www.theguardian.com/news/ng-interactive/2025/jul/06/reboots-and-remakes-why-is-hollywood-stuck-on-repeat
Archaeologists unveil 3,500-year-old city in Peru
Jessica Rawnsley
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c07dmx38kyeo
TV report
Jul. 5th, 2025 11:20 pmsasha_featherMy eyes are bothering me lately; anything close-focus is hard. Really challenging as most of my hobbies involve close focus. I have a lot of pain in my mouth and face so concentrating is also difficult.
TV seems to be the way to go but I feel like I've run out of shows.
Enjoying: Murderbot. Also loved The Pitt, and the Old Guard 2. Task Master and DropOut (Game changer, etc), continue to delight.
Other things I've watched:
Mr Robot. Gave up after one season. It's grim and humorless. I liked some of the actors a lot but the aesthetic was so gray on gray, and a high preference for very thin bodies and baggy eyes, like heroin-addict chic. For a thriller it's weirdly slow.
The storied life of AJ Fikry: A cromulent romance / drama on Netflix. Cute if not particularly memorable. It's about people who love reading and live on an island only accessible by ferry. Has multiple characters of color.
I watched 2 episodes of "Nobody Wants This", a rom-com with Kristen Bell. Her character falls in love with a rabbi. The characters felt really thinly drawn and so I did not care about them. There was just no there there, as they say.
The Last Breath: a drama about a survival story involving deep-sea construction workers (based on a true story). I liked this pretty well but think it would have worked better with some documentary-style explanations of what was happening.
Clean Slate: on Amazon Prime, a sitcom about a trans woman reconnecting with her father. I dropped this because I could not see what was happening! There seemed to be a gray film over everything! I might try it again later as it had some good humor and characters.
I tried season three of the Bear but it was unpleasant.
I played Dragon Age: Inquisition through twice, which was very restful for my brain actually. I think it would be a good idea to invest further in video games, which help me pass the time when I'm ill. I don't know much about gaming systems. I'd love to play Dragon Age Veilguard and some other newer games but how to decide on what kind of system to get? They are expensive. I got the Xbox 360 used and have absolutely loved having it.
What are you enjoying watching or playing?
TV seems to be the way to go but I feel like I've run out of shows.
Enjoying: Murderbot. Also loved The Pitt, and the Old Guard 2. Task Master and DropOut (Game changer, etc), continue to delight.
Other things I've watched:
Mr Robot. Gave up after one season. It's grim and humorless. I liked some of the actors a lot but the aesthetic was so gray on gray, and a high preference for very thin bodies and baggy eyes, like heroin-addict chic. For a thriller it's weirdly slow.
The storied life of AJ Fikry: A cromulent romance / drama on Netflix. Cute if not particularly memorable. It's about people who love reading and live on an island only accessible by ferry. Has multiple characters of color.
I watched 2 episodes of "Nobody Wants This", a rom-com with Kristen Bell. Her character falls in love with a rabbi. The characters felt really thinly drawn and so I did not care about them. There was just no there there, as they say.
The Last Breath: a drama about a survival story involving deep-sea construction workers (based on a true story). I liked this pretty well but think it would have worked better with some documentary-style explanations of what was happening.
Clean Slate: on Amazon Prime, a sitcom about a trans woman reconnecting with her father. I dropped this because I could not see what was happening! There seemed to be a gray film over everything! I might try it again later as it had some good humor and characters.
I tried season three of the Bear but it was unpleasant.
I played Dragon Age: Inquisition through twice, which was very restful for my brain actually. I think it would be a good idea to invest further in video games, which help me pass the time when I'm ill. I don't know much about gaming systems. I'd love to play Dragon Age Veilguard and some other newer games but how to decide on what kind of system to get? They are expensive. I got the Xbox 360 used and have absolutely loved having it.
What are you enjoying watching or playing?
July Theme - Hobbies and crafts
Jul. 5th, 2025 09:52 pmpeaceful_sands posting in bitesizedcleaningThis month's theme is Hobbies and Crafts - I remember thinking that it would be hard to quantify exactly what a month of bite-size work on this theme will look like last year. I don't know about everyone else, but I certainly found plenty of things to tackle.
For those of you seeking ideas, some of the things you might want to work on include: clearing and making the space you work in more conducive to productivity, organising supplies, organising currently underway projects, organising unstarted projects, dealing with finished projects, weeding out unwanted supplies/projects. If you are a collector or a sports participant, it might be sorting/cleaning collectibles or equipment of whatever description. Anything goes this month to suit the needs of your hobbies.
For my perspective, I have multiple hobbies and crafts that I dabble in, each with their own supplies *and their own clutter*, so over the course of the month, my first goal is to retrieve some of my crafting spaces - my dining room table is clutter filled which stops me painting, my crafting chair upstairs is filled with none crafting related items, leaving nowhere there for me to sit and my scrapbooking project is split between a variety of boxes in a variety of locations. As the owner of way too many books, a fight with my book storage is always an ongoing process, and as someone who has so many different hobbies and crafts I always seem to be in need of sorting through ongoing projects to decide which ones can I make progress on quickly/finish easily?
After that who knows what's next... depending on how long each of the above tasks take, I might also allocate some time to trying to finish some almost finished projects.
Let us know what your plan is for the month and keep us posted with your progress.
For those of you seeking ideas, some of the things you might want to work on include: clearing and making the space you work in more conducive to productivity, organising supplies, organising currently underway projects, organising unstarted projects, dealing with finished projects, weeding out unwanted supplies/projects. If you are a collector or a sports participant, it might be sorting/cleaning collectibles or equipment of whatever description. Anything goes this month to suit the needs of your hobbies.
For my perspective, I have multiple hobbies and crafts that I dabble in, each with their own supplies *and their own clutter*, so over the course of the month, my first goal is to retrieve some of my crafting spaces - my dining room table is clutter filled which stops me painting, my crafting chair upstairs is filled with none crafting related items, leaving nowhere there for me to sit and my scrapbooking project is split between a variety of boxes in a variety of locations. As the owner of way too many books, a fight with my book storage is always an ongoing process, and as someone who has so many different hobbies and crafts I always seem to be in need of sorting through ongoing projects to decide which ones can I make progress on quickly/finish easily?
After that who knows what's next... depending on how long each of the above tasks take, I might also allocate some time to trying to finish some almost finished projects.
Let us know what your plan is for the month and keep us posted with your progress.