(no subject)
May. 13th, 2026 08:56 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
james_davis_nicoll
A selfless act of heroism costs a homeless NEET his life. Waking in an unfamiliar world, he resolves to do better in his next incarnation.
Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation, volume 1 by Rifujin Na Magonote
Ne 'z in ket da gorolliñ
May. 12th, 2026 11:38 pmsovayAfter more than seven months out of work, the degree to which I can afford anything above the bottom rung of Maslow has become truly minimal, but as soon as I discovered Quinquis' eor (2025), a shape-shiftingly electronic, primarily Breton-language album of mermaids and the sea, I leapt for it like it was mackerel. I heard first the all-night love-churn of "Morwreg" (2024), but the irresistible drag sirens of "Dec'h" (2025) sealed the deal.
The copy of Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld's Duck! Rabbit! (2009) which I sent my godchild for his first solstice was familially referred to for years as Baby's First Wittgenstein. I have no idea what Wittgenstein would have made of this cartoon, but I'm impressed.
I am not sure that I am much more than physically extant at the minute. I am clearing the refrigerator and the countertops. I am absorbing as much sunlight as I sleeplessly can. Yesterday kicked off with a doctor's appointment that was too early in the morning to be as unhelpful as it was and only dropped the bar from there, so this afternoon I made sure to secure a half-dozen donuts from the reliable Lyndell's and eat a jam-filled one as soon as I had finished walking home. The neighborhood smelled like alternating drifts of lilac and mulch. I have had the same headache since the weekend and am hoping it is related to the sexing of the trees. The nine o'clock advent of leafblowers to our block was inhumane.
The copy of Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld's Duck! Rabbit! (2009) which I sent my godchild for his first solstice was familially referred to for years as Baby's First Wittgenstein. I have no idea what Wittgenstein would have made of this cartoon, but I'm impressed.
I am not sure that I am much more than physically extant at the minute. I am clearing the refrigerator and the countertops. I am absorbing as much sunlight as I sleeplessly can. Yesterday kicked off with a doctor's appointment that was too early in the morning to be as unhelpful as it was and only dropped the bar from there, so this afternoon I made sure to secure a half-dozen donuts from the reliable Lyndell's and eat a jam-filled one as soon as I had finished walking home. The neighborhood smelled like alternating drifts of lilac and mulch. I have had the same headache since the weekend and am hoping it is related to the sexing of the trees. The nine o'clock advent of leafblowers to our block was inhumane.
(no subject)
May. 12th, 2026 06:06 pmflemmingsWhen I woke up this morning my air purifier was making an appalling racket. Except it wasn't the air purifier but the bar fridge, whose motor was in its dying throes one more time. But last time it did this there was no death rattle, so I think now it must truly be foutu. The rattle stopped when I turned it off and then back on, but the fridge definitely wasn't cooling anything. So now I must get my breakfast from downstairs again. I try to tell myself that I did this on an unoperated knee five years ago, but I was also a good twenty pounds lighter five years ago. Oh well. Shall be doing All The Exercises before breakfast again and hope that works.
Bar fridges don't cost that much but hiring people to carry the old one down and the new one up does. Next door's owner did it last time but I haven't seen him in several years and don't quite feel like relying on the kindness of strangers. I went off and booked me a massage to help with the owies instead.
Then took my shoes over to the repair place. He says he can mend the fraying back heel as well so I said OK, then it turns out it costs $80 just for that and 120 for the resoling. With tax that comes to the cost of a new pair. I hesitated for a second but ultimately decided that no, I didn't want to give more money to the Trump-supporting founder of New Balance-- mend the damned things and hope they last another ten years. In the meantime I'm wearing my older pair of boat shoes, which are slightly too narrow even if they're boats, but feel like they actually give me more stability when standing on uneven ground. If true, I might even get some of those vines out of the hedge, which I can't reach from SND's side.
Bar fridges don't cost that much but hiring people to carry the old one down and the new one up does. Next door's owner did it last time but I haven't seen him in several years and don't quite feel like relying on the kindness of strangers. I went off and booked me a massage to help with the owies instead.
Then took my shoes over to the repair place. He says he can mend the fraying back heel as well so I said OK, then it turns out it costs $80 just for that and 120 for the resoling. With tax that comes to the cost of a new pair. I hesitated for a second but ultimately decided that no, I didn't want to give more money to the Trump-supporting founder of New Balance-- mend the damned things and hope they last another ten years. In the meantime I'm wearing my older pair of boat shoes, which are slightly too narrow even if they're boats, but feel like they actually give me more stability when standing on uneven ground. If true, I might even get some of those vines out of the hedge, which I can't reach from SND's side.
(no subject)
May. 12th, 2026 05:17 pmthedarlingoneiv port did become infected. pcp's office called this morning like "uhhh we got a notice you were released from hospital? do you want a followup visit" and i was like "hell yeah that'll save me a trip to urgent care" and now i have antibiotics
there's a Difficulty with my test strips prescription but i don't have enough brain to explain it
my blood sugar has been over 250 since breakfast despite me being very careful to follow all my insulin instructions to the letter. i am somewhat distressed and have not yet eaten lunch because getting a bad grade in blood sugar always triggers my anorexia, but a friend bought me a doordash gift card as congratulations for not dying so i have wendy's on the way. i am pleased that my diabetic diet not only allows but *instructs* me to eat 45g-60g of carbs per meal, not more but also not less, and therefore i can have a baconator and a ten-piece of chicken nuggets and still have room for dipping sauce.
(this is probably not helping my cholesterol. right now however i simply do not have the bandwidth to give a flying fuck about my cholesterol. i'm on two meds for it and either those will suffice or they won't. acquiring food i will eat takes precedence)
tomorrow i must depart the house yet again and try to see, optimally, an orthopedist and then a cardiologist. i am doubtful i can manage both but i will try. i cannot do the cardiologist first because he wants to put a metal sticker on my chest to track my tachycardia and i suspect the ortho will want an mri of my back, which is contraindicated if i have a metal heart monitor sticker on. (my cgm thankfully is reported to be mri safe.)
i also can't take painkillers right now, or i feel it would be unwise, because the hospital had me on blood thinners as is standard procedure when you're immobile in a bed so you don't get the leg blood clots and catch a stroke, and i'm massively bruised up and want my blood to stop being thin as soon as possible. so i am feeling rather like somebody put me through a spin cycle with dryer balls
there's a Difficulty with my test strips prescription but i don't have enough brain to explain it
my blood sugar has been over 250 since breakfast despite me being very careful to follow all my insulin instructions to the letter. i am somewhat distressed and have not yet eaten lunch because getting a bad grade in blood sugar always triggers my anorexia, but a friend bought me a doordash gift card as congratulations for not dying so i have wendy's on the way. i am pleased that my diabetic diet not only allows but *instructs* me to eat 45g-60g of carbs per meal, not more but also not less, and therefore i can have a baconator and a ten-piece of chicken nuggets and still have room for dipping sauce.
(this is probably not helping my cholesterol. right now however i simply do not have the bandwidth to give a flying fuck about my cholesterol. i'm on two meds for it and either those will suffice or they won't. acquiring food i will eat takes precedence)
tomorrow i must depart the house yet again and try to see, optimally, an orthopedist and then a cardiologist. i am doubtful i can manage both but i will try. i cannot do the cardiologist first because he wants to put a metal sticker on my chest to track my tachycardia and i suspect the ortho will want an mri of my back, which is contraindicated if i have a metal heart monitor sticker on. (my cgm thankfully is reported to be mri safe.)
i also can't take painkillers right now, or i feel it would be unwise, because the hospital had me on blood thinners as is standard procedure when you're immobile in a bed so you don't get the leg blood clots and catch a stroke, and i'm massively bruised up and want my blood to stop being thin as soon as possible. so i am feeling rather like somebody put me through a spin cycle with dryer balls
I Didn’t Even Know American Wisteria Was A Thing
May. 12th, 2026 08:00 pm![[syndicated profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/feed.png){kind=small}
scalziwhatever_feedSpring is in full swing here in Ohio and it has been both very beautiful and very allergy-inducing. One of the more beautiful aspects is that there is apparently a ton of American Wisteria wrapped around my pergola by the garage, and I find it to be extremely pretty. See for yourself:
This particular bloom is more open and blossomed than the others, hence why I took its photo. Before they bloomed, they all looked like tiny purple pinecones. I had no idea that they would open up into these beautiful flower clusters. I’m absolutely thrilled these are wrapped completely around my pergola. I notice their beauty every time I leave my house.
Very grateful to have some pretty purple flowers around.
Have you seen American Wisteria before? Perhaps you’ve seen the wisteria in Japan before? Let me know in the comments, and have a great day!
-AMS
Consensual and non-consensual internet cutoffs
May. 12th, 2026 01:16 pmrachelmanijaI have been offline more than usual lately because the internet is off at my house and I've been unable to reach anyone who is not an AI, which went about as well and efficiently as you can imagine. The AI has decided that I need a new router and is mailing it to me with instructions for how to install it myself, because God forbid a human be involved. If that doesn't work, who knows what the next step is. I am beginning to suspect the only humans at the company are the CEOs and shareholders.
Meanwhile, I decided that I am spending way too much time doomscrolling, both intentionally and non-consensually. Not only is everything horrible right now, but the minute you get online you're personally informed of every horrible thing that happened anywhere, big or small or in between. Did some random dude murder his entire family anywhere in the world? You'll be informed of it, complete with heartbreaking photos of the dead kids. Did a child commit suicide anywhere in the world? You'll hear about that too, also complete with the awful story and heartbreaking photos! And that's not even getting into politics and the upcoming end of the world. I don't think humans are mentally equipped to live like that.
So I installed ScreenZen on my phone. It's one of many apps that will block both apps and entire websites. (Sadly it does not have the ability to block words.) I blocked everything I doomscroll on. I highly recommend this! I still get the news, as 1) I get a news digest emailed to me daily, 2) people will tell me the news in person whether I consent or not, but at least I'm not constantly marinating in global misery that I can't do anything about. Also, I now have more time to be useful in ways that are actually possible.
The result is that I have read so many more books than usual. I am completely behind on reviewing, also as usual, but with more books involved now. Perhaps I will post a poll.
Meanwhile, I decided that I am spending way too much time doomscrolling, both intentionally and non-consensually. Not only is everything horrible right now, but the minute you get online you're personally informed of every horrible thing that happened anywhere, big or small or in between. Did some random dude murder his entire family anywhere in the world? You'll be informed of it, complete with heartbreaking photos of the dead kids. Did a child commit suicide anywhere in the world? You'll hear about that too, also complete with the awful story and heartbreaking photos! And that's not even getting into politics and the upcoming end of the world. I don't think humans are mentally equipped to live like that.
So I installed ScreenZen on my phone. It's one of many apps that will block both apps and entire websites. (Sadly it does not have the ability to block words.) I blocked everything I doomscroll on. I highly recommend this! I still get the news, as 1) I get a news digest emailed to me daily, 2) people will tell me the news in person whether I consent or not, but at least I'm not constantly marinating in global misery that I can't do anything about. Also, I now have more time to be useful in ways that are actually possible.
The result is that I have read so many more books than usual. I am completely behind on reviewing, also as usual, but with more books involved now. Perhaps I will post a poll.
But Won't I Miss Me, by Tiffany Tsao
May. 12th, 2026 11:08 amrachelmanija
This novel has one of the most off-the-wall premises I've come across. In a near-future world much like our own, women who get pregnant also conceive a "fetal mother." When they give birth to their baby, they also deliver the fetal mother, then fall into a coma-like sleep. The fetal mother rapidly grows into an identical clone of the original mother, then EATS HER. This process is called rebirth. The new mother has the original mother's memories and personality, but is also endowed with superpowers for the first five years of her child's life: she needs almost no sleep, has super strength and fast reflexes, is filled with energy, and finds all child care and domestic tasks endlessly fascinating and enjoyable. In short, the new mother is the woman that mothers are supposed to be.
The main character, Vivi, is terrified of rebirth, and sees it as death. This view is very stigmatized, but might be more widespread than society lets on. She's reluctant to get pregnant because of it. When she finally does, something goes wrong with her rebirth. She didn't get new mother powers. Instead she slogs along, depressed and alienated, trying to care for her infant while she's still physically impaired from the pregnancy and actually needs sleep. She and her husband end up breaking up over this, and Vivi moves to Australia to live with her uncle, who runs a hobbling business.
Remember I mentioned this is near-future? The world has actually decided to do something about climate change, and so drastically regulated energy consumption. Hobbling is altering old machines to make them low emitters. The low-emissions world is less lavish: planes are rarely used, long-distance calls are brief, and only the very rich have unlimited internet. It's an interesting take on a world whose future seems much brighter than ours, but whose present is more similar to our recent past.
Vivi and her family are Indonesian-Chinese, and their cultures (including Australian) play into the book much as the near-future setting does: it's pervasive and interesting and very specific, which makes a nice grounded base for the incredibly weird rebirth stuff.
But Won't I Miss Me is a weird, fascinating, ambitious book with a weird, fascinating, ambitious premise. Great social commentary and issues of identity. I didn't quite love the ending - it felt like it needed either more setup or more payoff - but the book is still excellent and very original.
The Big Idea: Ada Hoffman
May. 12th, 2026 03:10 pmscalziwhatever_feed
When it comes down to it, all humanity really has at the end of the day is our stories. Telling stories around the fire is a tale as old as humans themselves, and author Ada Hoffman expresses the importance of these stories, and the importance of being human, in the Big Idea for their newest novel, Ignore All Previous Instructions.
ADA HOFFMAN:
When I tell people the premise of Ignore All Previous Instructions, they often remark how it reminds them of real life these days. In Ignore, the characters live in a space colony on Callisto where a generative AI company owns everything – and where making art or telling stories, without the AI’s assistance, is strictly not allowed.
Certainly there are parallels between this dystopian premise and my life in 2026 – working as an adjunct for a university computer science department where the people in charge keep yelling about the “pivot to AI” and how terrible it will be if we don’t all get on board.
But I wrote Ignore in 2023.
Publishing is slow, and novelists write about current events at our own peril. In 2023, I could see which way the tech industry hype train was going, but there was no way to know if it would still be going that direction three years later. I hoped it wouldn’t be. I decided to write the story anyway and see how it landed, because the topic was so close to my professional expertise and so close to my heart.
Another part of the novel, even closer to my heart and equally timely, was the problem of queer self-expression and book bans.
In 2023, I was at an early stage in therapy. I was just starting to think back, in ways I hadn’t allowed myself before, about how some of my experiences growing up had shaped me. This included a lot of things, many of them not germane to this post, but it also included the experience of growing up queer without understanding that that’s what it was.
My gut told me that I needed to write about these experiences – more urgently than I had ever needed to write about anything before.
In 2023, we were already seeing book bans and “Don’t Say Gay” laws. I didn’t know if that trend was going to continue for three years, either. I hoped it wouldn’t. But I couldn’t help but look at that news and think of my own childhood. I eventually did find words and concepts for what I was experiencing, although not necessarily in the healthiest way. The generation after me was given so much more, in terms of words and ways of understanding themselves. It galled me to see reactionaries trying to take that away from them again.
When I put these two urgently emerging problems together, I could see that they had one big thing in common. They were both, at heart, about the deep human need to express one’s own feelings – and a powerful movement that threatened to take it away.
AI writing is not an expression of the genuine heartfelt thought or experience of a human. If it is carefully prompted to express a human’s heartfelt thought, then the thought comes from the human, not the AI. Research shows that, the longer we use a generative AI, the less our own thoughts enter into it; instead, offloading our thinking onto an AI causes our own capacity for independent thought to atrophy. Given the fervor and urgency with which tech companies urge us to use AI for everything, one might be forgiven for suspecting that this atrophy is their goal.
Moreover, because it’s trained to predict the most likely continuation of a set of words, AI writing will always converge toward the most mainstream or most common way of looking at something. The mainstream of the training data – essentially, the whole Internet, plus all the published books that the tech companies could find – is not queer. Even without any deliberate censorship, the perspectives of queer people and other minoritized groups are less likely to be considered in an AI’s output. For the same reason, if the AI is deliberately prompted to represent a queer perspective, it will rely on broad averages and stereotypes – not the lived and felt experience of an individual human who is queer.
But in hard times like these, independent thought based on our own lived experience is exactly what we need. This is the skill that helps us to understand when something is not quite right, or doesn’t quite match the truth of our lives – whether it’s a structural injustice or something personal.
Ignore All Previous Instructions tells the story of characters who grow up caught in a system where their own thoughts and voices are not valued, and who find ways – determinedly and imperfectly – to tell their own stories regardless. If there’s one idea readers take away from the book, I hope it’s the beauty and power of storytelling in our own words – and the need to hold on to it in the face of an establishment which would rather our stories weren’t told.
Ignore All Previous Instructions: Amazon|Barnes & Noble|Bookshop
Author socials: Website|Bluesky|Facebook
Read an excerpt.
The sign at the bus stop reminds me that farejumping comes with a fine up to $150
May. 14th, 2026 11:10 amconulyThe fare is $3. If you commute, you take the bus or train twice a day, five days a week. Every week you spend $30*. You'd have to be caught and ticketed more often than once every five weeks in order to make this math not work out in your favor. And that is never going to happen, because there aren't nearly enough enforcement agents. As it is, the ones we have cost more than they make back. It's all a racket, but you'll notice the buses still aren't free because Albany is still in control of the MTA.
* I'm making a few assumptions here, first, that you're not sharing the same card among several family members with staggered schedules; once you spend $35 in a week on the same card, subsequent trips are free. Also, this is the full fare for most buses and trains, but not for the express bus.
* I'm making a few assumptions here, first, that you're not sharing the same card among several family members with staggered schedules; once you spend $35 in a week on the same card, subsequent trips are free. Also, this is the full fare for most buses and trains, but not for the express bus.
Bones of the Earth by Michael Swanwick
May. 12th, 2026 09:38 amjames_davis_nicoll
Human paleontologists have the professional opportunity of a lifetime... but there's a catch.
Bones of the Earth by Michael Swanwick
Blue: the color that didn't exist until someone invented a word for it
May. 12th, 2026 12:34 pmlanguagelog_feedKeywords
Homer; Berlin and Kay; Jules Davidoff; Himba; Sapir-Whorf hypothesis (linguistic relativity); pigment synthesis; lapis lazuli; Russian; goluboy, siniy; time; space; emotions; William Gladstone; κύανος > κυανός > cyan
"Got the blues"?
Selected readings
- "Was Homer (color)blind?" (5/3/26)
- "Sacré bleu! — the synesthesia of Walmart cyan" (10/8/22)
- "Color vocabulary and pre-attentive color perception" (2/23/09) — P. Kay
- "It's not easy seeing green" (3/2/15)
- "Grue and bleen: the blue-green distinction and its implications" (10/4/19)
- "The colors of the seas and the directions" (4/28/21)
- "Synesthesia and Chinese characters" (3/9/17)
- "Sapir-Whorf redux" (5/15/25)
- "Linguistic relativity: snow and horses" (4/15/25)
An apologia for it taking me a fucking YEAR to read "Blight" by Rachel Rosen
May. 12th, 2026 09:15 amrydra_wongIn my defence, most of 2026 so far has been spent dealing with incapacitating levels of fatigue, which might finally be getting better (and that needs to be a separate post).
But the major problem is that I wanted to re-read Cascade, the first book in the trilogy, before starting Blight.
And while I loved Cascade -- here is my rave from way back when -- it produces an overwhelming sense of dread in me, even more than it did so on first read, because it captures, with remarkable precision and effectiveness, the sense of living in a liberal democracy that is teetering on the edge of ceasing to be one, and the stomach-dropping sensation when things begin moving unspeakably fast.
It's a very good book, but -- you see the problem.
Anyway, in recent weeks I finally got myself to re-read Cascade, and then I tore through Blight in a few days. Weirdly, I found it a much less difficult read because it's (both politically and environmentally) a post-apocalyptic novel, in which some kind of fightback is beginning.
Anyway it's fucking fantastic, without any of the common middle-book-of-a-trilogy doldrums. A really spectacular and unique mixture of wild magic, cosmic horror, and organizing for revolution, the last written with gritty specificity. The author is dead and all that, I don't know what's firsthand knowledge and what's research, but this is a book that (for example) writes with deep credibility about what it feels like to be in a crowd being tear-gassed.
As well as being a very good book, it also feels it's maybe a psychologically useful book to read right now.
I would like to do a proper write-up but I still have no idea what my energy's going to be doing day to day, so in the meantime here's a hype post, and if you want a review here'sjames_davis_nicoll's:
https://jamesdavisnicoll.com/review/land-of-hope
ETA: Also it's on the Aurora Award shortlist for Best Novel:
https://www.csffa.ca/awards-information/current-ballot/
Ob!disclaimer that the author is an internet acquaintance, but I do in fact love the book.
But the major problem is that I wanted to re-read Cascade, the first book in the trilogy, before starting Blight.
And while I loved Cascade -- here is my rave from way back when -- it produces an overwhelming sense of dread in me, even more than it did so on first read, because it captures, with remarkable precision and effectiveness, the sense of living in a liberal democracy that is teetering on the edge of ceasing to be one, and the stomach-dropping sensation when things begin moving unspeakably fast.
It's a very good book, but -- you see the problem.
Anyway, in recent weeks I finally got myself to re-read Cascade, and then I tore through Blight in a few days. Weirdly, I found it a much less difficult read because it's (both politically and environmentally) a post-apocalyptic novel, in which some kind of fightback is beginning.
Anyway it's fucking fantastic, without any of the common middle-book-of-a-trilogy doldrums. A really spectacular and unique mixture of wild magic, cosmic horror, and organizing for revolution, the last written with gritty specificity. The author is dead and all that, I don't know what's firsthand knowledge and what's research, but this is a book that (for example) writes with deep credibility about what it feels like to be in a crowd being tear-gassed.
As well as being a very good book, it also feels it's maybe a psychologically useful book to read right now.
I would like to do a proper write-up but I still have no idea what my energy's going to be doing day to day, so in the meantime here's a hype post, and if you want a review here's
james_davis_nicoll's:https://jamesdavisnicoll.com/review/land-of-hope
ETA: Also it's on the Aurora Award shortlist for Best Novel:
https://www.csffa.ca/awards-information/current-ballot/
Ob!disclaimer that the author is an internet acquaintance, but I do in fact love the book.
Belated Round 6 Wrap-Up
May. 12th, 2026 07:55 pmmodzilla posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
fffxHello longhaulers,
FFFX Round 6 ended last month! Sorry for the delay; this exchange is designed for a leisurely pace but that isn't meant to include informative updates.
I am very grateful for your participation and proud of what we all made.
Round 7 will run on a similar timetable but I expect to start nominations in July (yes - only 2 months away) with sign-ups in August.
Please comment on your gifts. If you liked your gift(s) and are pretty sure you commented, please go check right now, and hopefully it's no hardship to click on your gift(s) again. If you aren't sure, please go check. Comments or refusal are required in this exchange, to ensure either positive feedback for creators, or closure.
FFFX round 6 innovated by changing the letter completion requirement; if that affected you, let me know your thoughts! I'm inclined to keep the round 7 rules around letters the same. I'm also pondering how best to clarify my rules around minimum standards of completion in works.
Onwards!
FFFX Round 6 ended last month! Sorry for the delay; this exchange is designed for a leisurely pace but that isn't meant to include informative updates.
I am very grateful for your participation and proud of what we all made.
Round 7 will run on a similar timetable but I expect to start nominations in July (yes - only 2 months away) with sign-ups in August.
Please comment on your gifts. If you liked your gift(s) and are pretty sure you commented, please go check right now, and hopefully it's no hardship to click on your gift(s) again. If you aren't sure, please go check. Comments or refusal are required in this exchange, to ensure either positive feedback for creators, or closure.
FFFX round 6 innovated by changing the letter completion requirement; if that affected you, let me know your thoughts! I'm inclined to keep the round 7 rules around letters the same. I'm also pondering how best to clarify my rules around minimum standards of completion in works.
Onwards!
(no subject)
May. 11th, 2026 10:51 pmflemmingsEventually got myself downstairs this morning after virtuously exercising for half an hour and doing 2.5 Squaredle games, at which I remembered Oh yeah I was going to take my shoes in to be resoled. But having learned to be cautious, I googled John's Shoe Repair and of course it's closed Mondays. So I did a white wash instead. Which turned into a pink wash because I thought washing coloureds in cold wouldn't make them bleed and there was this pair of red pants that I will never fit into that I intended to launder and donate. I don't actually mind the bleed-- underwear and socks, who cares?-- because I also washed a new off-white t-shirt, and a pale pink shirt will show the dirt much less. Or the food, rather, because what stains my shirts is things dropping from the chopsticks I can no longer manage with my arthritic hands. I was tempted by this clothing brand since it seems much thinner than the other t-shirts I have, the ones that can only be worn in a very narrow window of temperatures ie between 17 and 19C. Anything more and even tank tops start to be too thick.
Hung the laundry that wasn't socks and underwear on the line and then left it there. Tomorrow will be equally as blowy and dry as today so if it gets damp overnight it will be dry by tomorrow afternoon.
Finished Emilie and the Hollow World which was well enough, though I couldn't figure out how the hollow world works. Also I suspect that Martha Wells is like Mary Renault in that she does first person infinitely better than third. Her third person narrative style reads tapwater to me, whereas no one can mistake Murderbot's voice for anyone but Murderbot.
Had another stab at making potato croquettes. This time I sauted the onions until they caramelised which definitely helps the flavour, but only chopped the potato, my elbows and my blender not being up to grating. So I had to cook the potatoes a bit along with the caramelised onion, and when steaming in water didn't work, dumped the remainder of a bottle of Pepsi into the mix, just to add to the sweetness. Then blended the mixture which wouldn't blend until I added more liquid which then made it into soup. Flour and egg helped but this is still not optimal. Presumably I need a proper food processor but frankly it's not worth it. Potatoes and oil are not supposed to be in my diet anyway, even if it's olive oil.
Hung the laundry that wasn't socks and underwear on the line and then left it there. Tomorrow will be equally as blowy and dry as today so if it gets damp overnight it will be dry by tomorrow afternoon.
Finished Emilie and the Hollow World which was well enough, though I couldn't figure out how the hollow world works. Also I suspect that Martha Wells is like Mary Renault in that she does first person infinitely better than third. Her third person narrative style reads tapwater to me, whereas no one can mistake Murderbot's voice for anyone but Murderbot.
Had another stab at making potato croquettes. This time I sauted the onions until they caramelised which definitely helps the flavour, but only chopped the potato, my elbows and my blender not being up to grating. So I had to cook the potatoes a bit along with the caramelised onion, and when steaming in water didn't work, dumped the remainder of a bottle of Pepsi into the mix, just to add to the sweetness. Then blended the mixture which wouldn't blend until I added more liquid which then made it into soup. Flour and egg helped but this is still not optimal. Presumably I need a proper food processor but frankly it's not worth it. Potatoes and oil are not supposed to be in my diet anyway, even if it's olive oil.