Reading

Crossposts: https://fairyniamh.insanejournal.com/387122.html

Entry tags:

fact,
quote

Quote & Fact...

Quote:

"One thing to remember is to talk to the animals. If you do, they will talk back to you. But if you don't talk to the animals, they won't talk back to you, then you won't understand, and when you don't understand you will fear, and when you fear you will destroy the animals, and if you destroy the animals, you will destroy yourself."

"May the stars carry your sadness away, may the flowers fill your heart with beauty, may hope forever wipe away your tears. And, above all, may silence make you strong."

~ Chief Dan George

Facts: Casino

1.) In 1638, Casino di Venezia, the first recorded casino opened. It was closed in 1774 in order to 'preserve the piety’ of the city. It reopened its doors 1959 and has been open ever since. (I am not 100% sure, that the ancient Romans likely had places to indulge in gambling.)

2.) The pioneers of the Las Vegas casino industry weren't all male mobsters: the first legal casino license was issued to a woman named Mayme Stocker in 1920 for the Northern Club. Stocker was a respectable wife and mother who was frequently written about in the local newspaper society pages. (It's just after that the cads and mobsters moved in to build the city of sin.)

Current Mood: busy

Entry tags:

Notes for "Fed from So Many Sources"

Here are the notes for "Fed from So Many Sources."

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

Entry tags:

Poem: "Fed from So Many Sources"

This poem is spillover from the July 15, 2025 Bonus Fishbowl. It was inspired by prompts from

janetmiles,

chanter1944, and discussions with

dialecticdreamer. It has been sponsored by

janetmiles. This poem also fills the "Immigrant" square in my 7-1-25 card for the Western Bingo fest. It belongs to the series Frankenstein's Family and follows (several months later) the poems "Signs of Their Trespass" and "Incompetence, Sloppy Thinking, and Laziness" so read those first or this won't make much sense. It is the third in the triptych after "Strong, Competent, Capable" and "The Future by Consequence, the Past by Redemption."

Warning: This poem contains intense and controversial topics. Highlight to read the warnings, some of which are spoilers. It includes unplanned and unmarried pregnancy, domestic abuse, partner loss, awkwardness, poor support back home, reference to other illegitimate children, severe personality changes, past family tragedies, complicated grief, scrapes and bruises, messy medical details, confusion, uncertainty, and other challenges. If these are sensitive issues for you, please consider your tastes and headspace before reading onward.

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

Entry tags:

Poem: "The Future by Consequence, the Past by Redemption"

This poem is spillover from the July 15, 2025 Bonus Fishbowl. It was inspired by prompts from

janetmiles,

chanter1944, and discussions with

dialecticdreamer. It has been sponsored by

janetmiles. This poem also fills the "Redemption Story" square in my 7-1-25 card for the Western Bingo fest. It belongs to the series Frankenstein's Family and follows (several months later) the poems "Signs of Their Trespass" and "Incompetence, Sloppy Thinking, and Laziness" so read those first or this won't make much sense. It is the second in the triptych between "Strong, Competent, Capable" and "Fed from So Many Sources."

Warning: This poem contains intense and controversial topics. Highlight to read the warnings, some of which are spoilers. It includes disappointment, worry, reference to minor character death, unpleasant social duties, loss of a friend, alarming personality changes, trouble caused by loss of horses, signs of hunger, reference to domestic abuse, legal issues, confusion, desperate hope, and other mayhem. If these are sensitive issues for you, please consider your tastes and headspace before reading onward.

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

Entry tags:

Notes for "Strong, Competent, Capable"

These are the notes for Notes for "Strong, Competent, Capable."

( Read more... )

Quick question....

How bad of a faux pas is it if you're filling out a job application in person and then realize after you hand it in that you've gone ahead and proofread it?

(Asking for a friend!)

*************************

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

Entry tags:

Poem: "Strong, Competent, Capable"

This poem is spillover from the July 15, 2025 Bonus Fishbowl. It was inspired by prompts from

janetmiles,

chanter1944, and discussions with

dialecticdreamer. It has been sponsored by

janetmiles. This poem also fills the "Sunrise / Sunset" square in my 7-1-25 card for the Western Bingo fest. It belongs to the series Frankenstein's Family and follows (several months later) the poems "Signs of Their Trespass" and "Incompetence, Sloppy Thinking, and Laziness" so read those first or this won't make much sense. It is the first in the triptych followed by "The Future by Consequence, the Past by Redemption" and "Fed from So Many Sources."

Warning: This poem contains intense and controversial topics, including canon-typical levels of violence. Highlight to read the warnings, some of which are spoilers. It includes a fruitless hunt, irrational behavior, legally risky action in effort to protect people, unplanned and unmarried pregnancy, domestic abuse, verbal abuse, death threats, pregnant woman fleeing from danger, rude language, minor character death due to terminal stupidity and testosterone poisoning, begging for mercy, uncertainty, and other mayhem. If these are sensitive issues for you, please consider your tastes and headspace before reading onward. Readers with a history of domestic unrest may wish to think twice about this one, but skipping it would leave a major gap.

( Read more... )

Entry tags:

wordy wednesday

Word: Colophon

Wednesday's word is...

...colophon

[kol-uh-fon, -fuhn]

1. a publisher's or printer's distinctive emblem, used as an identifying device on its books and other works.

2. an inscription at the end of a book or manuscript, used especially in the 15th and 16th centuries, giving the title or subject of the work, its author, the name of the printer or publisher, and the date and place of publication.

---

I found it in The Essence of the Bhagavad Gita by Eknath Easwaran:

It [The Bhagavad Gita] is not so much part of the Mahabharata as an Upanishad, slipped into the narrative about a third of the way in – a view supported by the traditional colophon that ends each chapter, which identifies the Gita as an Upanishad on yoga.

Entry tags:

all of agatha

All of Agatha: The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side

This series of entries is commentary on my lifelong quest to read all of Agatha Christie's works in UK publication order. It was begun in January 2021.

The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side [1962] is one of my favorites. There is a lot of unnecessary moaning and whining about the passage of time (Christie would have been in her early 70's when it was published) and the cattiness that Christie sometimes indulges in, and her hobby horse about adoption not being Real Love, but the plot itself and the mystery are very, very sound. The clues are all there, you just have to put them together and weed out the red herrings. And we get Dolly Bantry and Miss Marple together again, which I like.

In the back of my mind, I have an idea for a ficlet series of Miss Marple dreaming about ways to murder Miss Knight (the companion Miss Marple's nephew Raymond West has hired to take care of her).

I am pleased with how this collage turned out. This is in my Agatha Christie notebook.

Current Mood: busy
Current Music: Shark Week: Expedition Files - Shark Files

Entry tags:

Passion Flower 4

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

Current Mood: busy
Current Music: Shark Week: Expedition Unknown - Sharks vs Nazis in Paradise (re-run)

Entry tags:

memes: shark week

Shark Week memes 4

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

Current Mood: busy

Entry tags:

Housing

What Happens When Housing Prices Go Down (because they are)?

There’s a theory about housing that has taken hold with a kind of religious fervor: If you want to make housing more affordable, just build more of it. Supply and demand. Simple economics.

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

Entry tags:

Poetry Fishbowl Update

janetmiles has sponsored the triptych. I will post these as soon as feasible. That means if you're waiting on your bonus fishbowl prompt to get written ... it's going to take longer.

"Strong, Competent, Capable"
A pregnant woman seeks refuge in Victor's valley, aided by two former poachers.

"The Future by Consequence, the Past by Redemption"
Victor speaks with the former poachers about their presence in his valley.

"Fed from So Many Sources"
Igor takes care of Amalia and discusses future options.

Current Mood: busy

Entry tags:

crafts

Crafts

As a general rule, grid-based patterns are transposable across all crafts that use them, such as cross-stitch, beading, knitting, and the newer diamond art. But

badly_knitted pointed out that knitting stitches are slightly rectangular, so not all grid-based patterns will work for it unless designed for knitting. But every grid pattern I've seen for knitting has been square!

https://blog.tincanknits.com/2014/06/06/how-to-read-a-knitting-chart/

https://www.fibersprite.com/blog/how-to-modify-colorwork-patterns

This seems like a poor choice in terms of pattern construction. :(

However, it also occurs to me that knit stitches have a limited range of ratio, because they are near-square. The ratio might vary a little based on yarn thickness, but you don't see very tall and skinny stitches. So it should be possible to calculate what that ratio typically is (or perhaps 2-3 versions based on yarn thickness) and then how that affects a pattern. Changing a simple pattern would then be easier, and while changing a complex one might not, you could still calculate how much extra to add in order to cover the intended area (such as a sweater front). I don't have the math skill to do this, but I can see that it is doable.

Current Mood: busy

Entry tags:

Climate Change

Snowless winter? Arctic field team finds flowers and meltwater instead

New commentary reveals a dramatic and concerning shift in the Arctic winter.
Scientists in Svalbard were shocked to find rain and greenery instead of snow during Arctic winter fieldwork. The event highlights not just warming—but a full seasonal shift with major consequences for ecosystems, climate feedback, and research feasibility.

Here in central Illinois, it rained on Christmas last year. We would've had a white Christmas, except for climate change. That was just sad.

Current Mood: busy

Entry tags:

Birdfeeding

Today is partly cloudy and sweltering.

I fed the birds. I've seen a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches, plus a mourning dove.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 7/23/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

I've seen a fox squirrel and a pair of mourning doves at the hopper feeder.

EDIT 7/23/25 -- I did more work around the patio.

EDIT 7/23/25 -- I checked on the gardens.

Even this late, it's still miserably hot out. :P

I am done for the night.

Entry tags:

WIP Wednesday

Trying to get back into writing, so also trying to get back into posting. Hi, Dreamwidth, it sure has been a while! Anyhow. WIPs.

New words this week : 5322 words which is more than I've written in a week in years. I'm feeling optimistic about keeping the momentum going.

WIPs worked on this week : 2, with no new WIPs (yay!)

The Old Guard
☆ Old Kingdom AU : 5017 words which brings the total to 11,403 words and wow has this one been tough so far. Usually it takes me about 3-5k to really feel like I've got traction on a new fic, and here I was at 11k and still really struggling to get into it. The good news is I've figured it out--I'm writing a fusion thing, and I was unintentionally matching the tone of the book I'm fusion-ing instead of using my own voice. Which means that while the solution is obvious, the bad news is that to fix it I'm going to be rewriting a huge chunk of the 11k I've got.

☆ Redamancy : 305 words which brings the total to 4941 words. This doc actually has the bits and pieces I've written for the next five parts of the series, individual works will probably end up in the 2-3k range. Trying to stick to posting them in chronological order but not really feeling the spark on this right now so it's languishing. Frustrating, because the next part could be done in just a couple of hours if I could just buckle down and focus on it.