solarcat

Sometimes I think of myself as largely ignorant of computers, unable to identify a problem I've been having lately with enough precision to fully troubleshoot it or even find out what's going wrong sometimes. And then there's days like today where I meet someone who doesn't know what an operating system is. Key to this: she's at least a decade older than I am and does a lot of work on her own computer. I had to explain what an operating system is so I could explain a joke I made about Linux, and then I had to explain Linux.

It's for the best that I didn't go for the obvious Kinsey scale joke when she told her trainer she was straight. "At least a Kinsey two," is what I'd have said if I'd thought she'd have gotten it.

In other news, I only used a little of the bottle of prosecco I bought for the springtime asparagus-ramp risotto, and the pressure of the remaining bubbles had the stopper knock off in the fridge. I suppose the best solution is simply to drink it.

Current Mood: relaxed
Current Music: Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains) - Arcade Fire

settiai

As I mentioned previously, last Wednesday's D&D game took a sharp turn when one of the characters drew the Fates from the Deck of Many Things which allows him to rewrite one moment in time.

The players had a short video chat tonight to figure out just what moment we want to undo, and I'm posting notes from our discussion here so that we have them to look back on if needed.

( More under the cut. )

Current Mood: thoughtful

senmut

AO3 Link | Do It Again? (100 words) by Merfilly
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Star Wars Original Trilogy, Star Wars: Thrawn Trilogy
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa
Additional Tags: Drabble
Summary:

Leia asks a question.

"Would you follow him again?" Leia asked as she watched Luke working on a servo for Artoo. Luke paused, looking up at the woman he'd been infatuated with by a clip of a recording, one that he now knew was his very own twin.

He thought about all the ups and downs they had seen, the fall of the Emperor, the more shadowy war against Thrawn's Imperial Remnant, and he smiled brightly.

"Over and over again, Leia. That little adventure might have had a lot of tragedy for all of us, but… we're here, we're family, and we are together."

james

( You're about to view content that the journal owner has advised should be viewed with discretion. )

hannah

I knew I'd have dishes waiting for me when I got back, and I left them anyway. I'm not going to bed until they're done, but that might not be for a while. Same with putting laundry away. It'll get done before bedtime, and it'll affect bedtime in ways I can't yet guess at.

The opera today might've moved me on more than a technical level if I'd gone in with a better mood. Adjusting to the pace of slow crowds when we're all going to the same place isn't a skill I've developed, and left me with enough low-grade irritation I didn't even want to read the program - but then found what little I'd read was still more than what the other people with me had done. I don't regret going, largely for having seen opera and for the dinner after. But I'll need to adjust for the future, if this happens again.

Current Mood: uncomfortable
Current Music: nothing now

china_shop in

sid_guardian

Zhao Yunlan sprawled on a couch, grinning at his phone. The background shows a purply sky with stars. Text reads "Slo-Mo Rewatch. Guardian - half an episode per week @ sid-guardian.dreamwidth.org."

Hi, and welcome back to the Guardian drama Slo-Mo Rewatch. Watch half an episode a week, at your leisure, and then come and chat about it here in comments. Or you can just jump into the comments without rewatching, of course!

Here are the previous weeks' rewatch posts.

Episode 15, up to 23:56

Summary
Cong Bo hacks into the university CCTV and hits paydirt when he sees Shen Wei use dark energy and talk to a smoke messenger from the Regent. Cong Bo goes to Zhao Yunlan and threatens to expose Shen Wei and the SID. The Apology Scene!!! Shen Wei has taken off his glasses; Zhao Yunlan sprawls barefoot on a barstool. Also, Zhao Yunlan has a plan: Lin Jing remotely wipes Cong Bo's hard drive, and Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan pay Cong Bo a visit, showing him the error of his ways and inviting him to join them. Zhu Jiu is still wounded and still holding a grudge against Zhao Yunlan. Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei celebrate their success with a toast (water), and Shen Wei explains his power. Zhao Yunlan attempts a do-over of his request for compensation last episode, and this time he gets it right by asking Shen Wei to tidy his not-very-messy flat. Changcheng writes in his diary. In the SID lab, Zhao Yunlan contemplates groping the Hallows again, but Shen Wei catches him and offers a better strategy for finding the missing two Hallows. Zhao Yunlan takes him out for a meal (no drinking!), which tragically happens off-screen. Zhu Hong is drunk and crying because Zhao Yunlan doesn't want her; Da Qing and Guo Changcheng offer comfort. The next morning, an old man arrives in Dragon City, nearly gets hit by a delivery van, and is rescued by a solicitous Changcheng. They meet again a few minutes later, whereupon the old man asks for directions to 4 Guangming Rd. Dun-dun-DUNNN!

Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan getting cosy in Zhao Yunlan's flat.

Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan getting cosy in Zhao Yunlan's flat.

Quote
Da Qing to Zhu Hong: You're good in all aspects. You have a special physique that can provide a promising talent: warm in winter, cold in summer.

Detail
I love that when Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan toast having dealt with the Cong Bo threat, Zhao Yunlan as well as Shen Wei is drinking water.

Also, I don't think I've registered before that Cong Bo was also spying on Ya Qing and that this had constrained her movements. (I'm impressed she didn't just kill him!)

Questions
Any thoughts about Zhao Yunlan's changed hairstyle? (Is it why Zhu Hong is drinking?) Do you think Zhao Yunlan had forgotten about the banner cam, or he just hadn't come up with a way to take it down without admitting he'd put it there in the first place? When Shen Wei sees the smoke filtering through the blinds, he immediately summons his blade: who or what does he think it might be? What is Zhao Yunlan's first thought when Cong Bo shows him the blackmail material? How do you feel about Cong Bo and his motives? What's your favourite thing about the apology scene? Do you like Cong Bo's apartment? After the averted-Hallows-groping scene, does Zhao Yunlan take Shen Wei out for street food, or do they go somewhere nice? (How date-like is it??) What was your first impression of the Regent? Does he deliberately target Changcheng (and if so, what does this say about his information networks in Haixing)?

Did you see any parallels in these scenes with other parts of the drama? If you're familiar with the novel, any thoughts about how the drama adaptation compares, if at all?

(As usual, these are all just conversation starters - feel free to answer all, some, or none, and to say as much or as little as you like! You don't have to be keeping up with the rewatch to join in. We'd love to hear your thoughts!)

And here is our schedule -- if you can, please sign up to host a post!

erinptah

Update 1: Finally made it to that drag show!

I got a mid-week text about it, not saying it was canceled again, but that it was moving to a different venue. Slightly less convenient than the original, there was an extra bus ride involved, but it did exist!

As suspected, it was tiny. Little hole-in-the-wall bar/lounge, a dozen customers in the whole place, plenty of empty chairs, no stage, the queens just sauntered between the tables. The online signup had all these conditions -- bring your e-ticket, bring ID, bring the specific credit card you made the purchase with -- yeah, nobody on-site checked any of those things. I think some people showed up without realizing there was a performance at all, they just hung out at the bar and enjoyed it for free.

All that said, the performers were beautiful and talented, they did not let the small crowd slow them down, and I'm glad I gave them my money.

Update 2: Found the thing!

This pattern I remembered as "some kind of screensaver, probably" isn't from a computer screen at all. It's...a novelty lamp, I think?

Turns out the color-squares-playing gadget was still findable in my parents' basement. Short video on Bluesky, here's a screencap:

Screencap of the box with the colors

Stickers on the back:
- Underwriters' Laboratories, Inc. (R) LISTED PORTABLE LAMP ISSUE NO. E-383
- MATRIX MOD. 6019

The official packaging is long gone, so there's no telling what name it was actually sold under, and I can't find anything online referring to these model numbers. I don't suppose any of you know an archive that keeps records of this kind of thing...?

hannah

Given how much better my arm feels today, I'm going with having slept on it oddly.

I ended up not going to services, or to Brooklyn. I went to the library book sale and cooked a hacked-up gochujang dal out of stuff I had around my kitchen, which wasn't a bad use of the afternoon or the lentils.

Of note in regards to the stuff I had around my kitchen, I used up the last of some old grapeseed oil. I bought a new bottle of it yesterday, knowing how little I had left, and I checked the nutrition information out of curiosity. It's the same ingredients, same calories, but the older bottle lists 14 grams total fat at 21% of the ADV with 1.5g of saturated fat at 7%, and the newer bottle has 14g at 18% and 1.5g at 8%. The older bottle also specifies "packed in Italy" while the newer one says "product of Spain." I can't say what I think of the change in percentages, just that it seems worth noticing.

Current Mood: curious
Current Music: nothing now

settiai

I'm still playing catch-up on Critical Role and will be for at least another few weeks, I suspect. At this point, I'm very behind.

As with previous posts about the current campaign of Critical Role, this will be a combination of quotes, random thoughts, and some speculation. And it's obviously full of spoilers (albeit vague ones in places).

( Spoilers under the cut. )

Current Mood: accomplished

senmut

Do you like Teen Wolf? Do you like vampires? Do you like reading a really great writer?

bloodmoonau is what you need in your life, then!

hannah

Waking up with a sore arm makes for an auspicious start to the month. I think I slept on it oddly because it's just my right arm, not both of them. It hurts too much to fully extend it, and raising my hand up to rest on the back of my head hurts a lot as well. It didn't interfere with kneading the dough for bread, but it's making it hard to deal with my hair. I've been taking painkillers on and off, and I'll take it easy for a while, too.

It's probably for the best I'm not upstate with my younger brother R. and his wife G. for a multitude of reasons, among them being the movie G. went to see with her friends tonight. As much as I like supporting movies about women, there's no way The Devil Wears Prada 2 is going to be as much fun or as good to look at as Project Hail Mary. Even if it's not in IMAX.

Meanwhile, I'm going to the opera on Sunday with my parents, and it's got me thinking maybe I won't go to services tomorrow, simply on the grounds of not quite wanting three days in a row of my parents. I don't know what I'd do with the day, just spend it by myself. I'll see how I feel in the morning.

Current Mood: disappointed
Current Music: Closing Time - Dan Wilson

senmut

[Podfic] Owed a Favor (30 words) by Ravin_Pods
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Batman (Movies 1989-1997)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Bruce Wayne, Alfred Pennyworth
Additional Tags: Drabble, Post-Break Up, Podfic, Podfic Length: 0-10 Minutes, Audio Format: MP3, Audio Format: Streaming
Summary:

Alfred is a bit disappointed.

Podfic of Owed a Favor by Merfilly.

lannamichaels

And that's Menachos! A good time overall, but I have got to break the habit of getting behind, catching up, getting ahead, getting behind, catching up, etc. One thing I can say about this week is that I mostly did the correct day's daf on that day. Mostly.

Up next: ~~crash-course in animal anatomy~~ Chullin!

The rest of my Menachos notes behind cut.

( Read more... )

trobadora in

sid_guardian

How's it going, everyone?

Just a reminder that the 520 Day Reverse Exchange deadline is less than two weeks from now, at 11:59PM UTC on Wednesday 13 May. (What time is that for me?)

When you're ready, please post your completed assignment to the AO3 collection. We're looking forward to everyone's creations!

If you're unsure how to post, see the instructions here, and if you have any questions or, for any reason, you can't make the deadline, please let us know NOW by replying to your assignment email (please don't change the subject line) or commenting here. Comments here are screened.

General info, schedule and minimum requirements

*cheers everyone on*

erinptah

Reread thread for the end of Pet Shop of Horrors volume 3 (Seven Seas edition), which is the first half of Volume 5 (TokyoPop edition).

Mastodon, Bluesky, affiliate links, you know the drill.

Almost halfway through the series, and this is the point where Chris Orcot finally shows up <3

( I have a great recipe for rugrat flambeau that you’re gonna love! )

hannah

I started Rome on the 7th, put it down, and then picked it back up after The Pitt wrapped up. I managed about two episodes a day, which for me is incredibly dense TV viewing. But HBO shows tend to do that. Also wanting to wrap it up by the end of the month for no other reason than arbitrary calendar dates.

I feel like I should dig up an icon or two.

In other arbitrary calendar news, it's something of a relief knowing I have a bit of a schedule to stick to. The letter transcription's going to be at least three days a week, telecommuting, so it'll be nice to have that external framework built around something I get at least some pleasure out of doing.

Current Mood: okay
Current Music: nothing now

settiai

Welp. D&D certainly happened last night.

It started out with us rolling initiative (which was expected considering how the previous game ended), so we knew it would be pretty much nothing but combat. The DM consistently rolled high, though, while the rest of us rolled low on everything including initiative. Add in the fact that all of the enemies had flight capabilities while only two of the group did, two of the people on the ground had no distance attacks, and the other two depended on magic against enemies who cause double spell slots to be expended within 100 feet of them... well, needless to say, things didn't go well.

By the end, the sorcerer/cleric was dead, one paladin was unconscious, the fighter/warlock was unconscious, the NPC who'd banished several enemies from the field lost concentration and those additional enemies returned, the other paladin was in the single digits after being brought back up, and my cleric was at almost full health but 100+ feet away from the rest of the group (as she'd gotten boxed in by some enemies near her who she'd just managed to kill). So the wizard decided to say "fuck it" and pull six cards from the Deck of Many Things mid-combat in the hope of getting something helpful.

Of course, he only got to pull five cards (none of which were particularly helpful), because the fifth one was Donjon and he immediately disappeared to an extradimensional sphere. 🙃

At that point, it was looking like my cleric might be the only character who'd have any chance of surviving as she was far enough away not to have to use double spell slots as the enemies she was fighting were down, and she did have Dimension Door so she could potentially run. The only other PC still on their feet was the paladin, who decided to take a page from the wizard's book and start pulling from the deck as well.

He pulled the Fates, which essentially lets you pick any moment in time and undo it.

... yeah, needless to say we stopped the game at that point, because that's going to be something to figure out before next week. We're definitely going to undo this combat. The question is what specific point in time do we want to pick as the changing point in the hope it will give us a better chance of surviving (and hopefully winning).

Current Mood: thoughtful

settiai

In tonight's game, ( the rest under a cut for those who don't care. )

And that's where we left off.

Current Mood: drained

hannah

Tonight at the local chamber music recital, the production halted between performances because someone's device was making enough noise to be heard by the musicians. That the person's device was in the front row right up against the stage isn't as important as you'd think, because the acoustics in this room are good enough you could hear it from several rows away. At least, I was able to.

An old woman had taken off her hearing aids and put them in her bag, but they kept producing feedback and chirping loud enough that the bag had to be taken out of the room so the performance would continue - and then got taken out again after the intermission when the chirping still hadn't died down.

Chamber music performances are a very different beast than many other live productions, and even so: seeing that kind of thing done soothed me to know that there's at least one place still holding onto decorum.

Current Mood: mischievous
Current Music: Dreamers in Exile - Voxtrot

settiai

First of all, relax! I'm far from being picky, and I can pretty much guarantee that I'll love whatever you decide to create for me. These are nothing but guidelines, for you to take to heart or ignore to your heart's content. Also, hey! You're writing me fic or drawing me art! That's automatically a good reason for me to love you, no matter what. So, please, keep that in mind. Trust me, you can pretty much do no wrong. ♥

( More details under the cut. )

Current Mood: accomplished

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solarcat

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Reading

Fifth of the fifth.

Aurendor D&D

May the 4th be with you (and you as well)

Hi

Assessing.

Slo-Mo Rewatch: Guardian episode 15, part 1

Updates on two previous posts

Updating.

Critical Role: Campaign 4, Episode 12

Psst

May the First.

Podfic!

[Daf Yomi] Hadran Alach, Maseches Menachos!

520 Day Reverse Exchange - under two weeks to deadline!

Erin Reads: Pet Shop of Horrors, Collector’s Edition (volume 3, chapters 18-19)

All roads.

Aurendor D&D

Aurendor D&D: Summary for 4/29 Game

Sing another part.

Dear Gaatlok & Lyrium Creator(s),

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January 2020

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