QotD
Jun. 24th, 2017 05:24 am![[personal profile]](http://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dglenn"We're at a party at a Chuck e Cheese. This place is like something you'd subject a Panamanian dictator to. Why does it exist?" -- Zinnia Jones, 2017-06-03
dglenn
Pasadena Folk
Jun. 23rd, 2017 08:17 pmkayshapero posting in ![[community profile]](http://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
filkThe Pasadena Folk Music Society is very pleased to present the US debut of a fine new Celtic group, The Recollective, who are beginning their first American tour here at Caltech on Saturday, July 8 in Beckman Institute Auditorium (Little Beckman) at 8:00 PM. The band consists of Calum Morrison, (Glascow, Scotland) on vocals, guitar, banjo, tenor guitar, bodhran and Highland bagpipes, Karen Hickey, (County Mayo, Ireland) on fiddle, Michael Coult, (originally from Glossop, close to Manchester, England) on traditional Irish flute and whistles, and Kieran Leonard, (now living in London, originally from County Fermanagh) on drums, percussion, & bodhran. All of them have previously performed in the United States in other configurations, but they formed The Recollective in the past year after playing together in the Celtic Legends traveling show that has appeared for a million people worldwide over the years. As Kieran explains, their name, The Recollective, is meant as a double entendre, firstly that they are a group that sings and plays music inspired by the past and secondly, that they are as a 'collective' play in a contemporary and edgy style. They wanted a name that reflects both the traditional roots and the modern aspects of their music. Their brand new debut recording is about to be released, and should be available for purchase at this show. Hear Karen's beautiful fiddle interplay with Michael's flute, along with the perfect understated percusion of Kieran on the medley, Vals Til Mor Og Far/The Midge and Calum's vocal and guitar on Gin I Were a Baron's Heir. Help us welcome this fine band to our side of the pond!
Tickets for the show are $20 for adults and $5 for Caltech students and children. You can order them on the phone by calling the Caltech Ticket Office at (626) 395-4652. Online tickets are available here. You can avoid the service charge by purchasing tickets at the door on the night of the show or by visiting the Ticket Office in person at the Caltech Ticket Office in their new location at 1200 E. California Boulevard in Pasadena (Southeast corner of Wilson Avenue.) Their usual hours are 9AM - 4PM, Monday through Friday.
Tickets for the show are $20 for adults and $5 for Caltech students and children. You can order them on the phone by calling the Caltech Ticket Office at (626) 395-4652. Online tickets are available here. You can avoid the service charge by purchasing tickets at the door on the night of the show or by visiting the Ticket Office in person at the Caltech Ticket Office in their new location at 1200 E. California Boulevard in Pasadena (Southeast corner of Wilson Avenue.) Their usual hours are 9AM - 4PM, Monday through Friday.
(no subject)
Jun. 23rd, 2017 03:59 pmyamMy shoulder is (mostly) better and so too is my state of mind, having gone from AW FUCK I NEED TO QUIT AGAIN AND FIGURE OUT HOW TO LIVE ON DISABILITY IF I CAN EVEN QUALIFY FOR IT EVERYTHING IS TERRIBLE OH GOD I HOPE I DON'T HAVE TO SELL _THIS_ PLACE TOO NOOOOOO to OKAY I CAN KEEP WORKING IT SUCKS SOMETIMES BUT THAT WAS JUST A TEMPORARY TROUGH OF BLECH. That's a lot of capslock! It was exhausting. I am exhausted.
I got to see a friend being ordained, and it was so moving and wonderful. I cried and I laughed and I smiled and I prayed. And accidentally played a crow-trick on her by getting my head shaved while I was killing time before the service. (Sorry not sorry.) There was a huge, full, gratuitously beautiful double rainbow outside, just as the service ended, and Juli was framed against it, wearing a lei, and listen I would buy that postcard. (Instead I bought a postcard of the organ in St. Mark's, which is very handsome! Also a postcard of the cathedral hiding behind CHUBBLIES.) I had never been to an Anglican service and I am a bit in love.
Me, buying postcard: Chubblies!!!
Sisterofjuli: What?
Me: *points at cherry blossoms*
Sisterofjuli: Is that what they call cherry trees in Canada?
Me: YES!
Sisterofjuli: How interesting!
Me, ashamed: ...no, it's not what they call cherry trees in Canada.
BUT IT SHOULD BE, OBVS.
Well, cherry blossoms, anyway.
Me: What time-o-clock is it?
Scruff: 5:30.
Sisterofjuli: Is that how they ask what time it is in Canada?
Me: YES!
Sisterofjuli: How inte--
Me and Scruff: NO IT IS NOT
There is an eagle nest in one of the power towers along the highway from the border to the ferry! And it has adorable ginormous probably going to fledge soon eaglets in it right now and I saw one!
I got to see a friend being ordained, and it was so moving and wonderful. I cried and I laughed and I smiled and I prayed. And accidentally played a crow-trick on her by getting my head shaved while I was killing time before the service. (Sorry not sorry.) There was a huge, full, gratuitously beautiful double rainbow outside, just as the service ended, and Juli was framed against it, wearing a lei, and listen I would buy that postcard. (Instead I bought a postcard of the organ in St. Mark's, which is very handsome! Also a postcard of the cathedral hiding behind CHUBBLIES.) I had never been to an Anglican service and I am a bit in love.
Me, buying postcard: Chubblies!!!
Sisterofjuli: What?
Me: *points at cherry blossoms*
Sisterofjuli: Is that what they call cherry trees in Canada?
Me: YES!
Sisterofjuli: How interesting!
Me, ashamed: ...no, it's not what they call cherry trees in Canada.
BUT IT SHOULD BE, OBVS.
Well, cherry blossoms, anyway.
Me: What time-o-clock is it?
Scruff: 5:30.
Sisterofjuli: Is that how they ask what time it is in Canada?
Me: YES!
Sisterofjuli: How inte--
Me and Scruff: NO IT IS NOT
There is an eagle nest in one of the power towers along the highway from the border to the ferry! And it has adorable ginormous probably going to fledge soon eaglets in it right now and I saw one!
"instead of a big dark blur i see a big light blur"
Jun. 23rd, 2017 04:21 pmjazzfishToday I am reminded why it is that I should get new glasses, no matter how much I hate getting glasses and no matter how pricey they are:
I tore a contact this morning.
This is less of a huge world-ending problem than it would have been the last time I wore contacts, because those were more or less eternal and cost several hundred bucks a pair. These are specifically designed to give out after a month, so I've got a bunch of them.
I just don't have them here, while I'm in the far north. (Not actually all that far, by one measure. Maybe fifty km north of the centre of British Columbia. Then again it's a twelve-hour drive to get here from Vancouver, so maybe it's just that BC is Way Too Big.) So I'm wearing my four-year-old glasses.
There's a mild but definite difference in my vision. Far-away things get fuzzier sooner than I expect them to. Not to mention the lack of peripheral vision, which I'd gotten to the point of taking for granted.
And I seem to be getting a headache. There's any number of environmental factors that could be causing that, but "minor change in vision prescription" seems to be the most likely culprit.
Might be time to start carrying a spare set of contacts with me when I travel.
(I've not gotten new glasses partly because they're expensive, and partly because I hate getting frames fitted to my face. It always involves several trips back to the optometrist and complaints of an earpiece that's rubbing weird right in front of my ear, or pushing into my skull behind my ear, or something like that.)
I tore a contact this morning.
This is less of a huge world-ending problem than it would have been the last time I wore contacts, because those were more or less eternal and cost several hundred bucks a pair. These are specifically designed to give out after a month, so I've got a bunch of them.
I just don't have them here, while I'm in the far north. (Not actually all that far, by one measure. Maybe fifty km north of the centre of British Columbia. Then again it's a twelve-hour drive to get here from Vancouver, so maybe it's just that BC is Way Too Big.) So I'm wearing my four-year-old glasses.
There's a mild but definite difference in my vision. Far-away things get fuzzier sooner than I expect them to. Not to mention the lack of peripheral vision, which I'd gotten to the point of taking for granted.
And I seem to be getting a headache. There's any number of environmental factors that could be causing that, but "minor change in vision prescription" seems to be the most likely culprit.
Might be time to start carrying a spare set of contacts with me when I travel.
(I've not gotten new glasses partly because they're expensive, and partly because I hate getting frames fitted to my face. It always involves several trips back to the optometrist and complaints of an earpiece that's rubbing weird right in front of my ear, or pushing into my skull behind my ear, or something like that.)
Wasting time
Jun. 23rd, 2017 05:46 pmthniduSomebody just asked on Quora
I posted the first reply:Maybe tonight I'll post why I'm procrastinating so badly. Or at least my excuse for it.
I posted the first reply:
Who can tell? Look how arbitrary the QWERTY keyboard is, designed to slow typing down as much as possible so the first mechanical typewriters wouldn’t jam.
I can make a WAG that on a computer keyboard it would be put on Option-S (or Alt-S), which is a logical place for it. Which means that Microsoft would put it someplace else entirely. ;-p
Of courſe, that could eaſily create confuſion if uſers weren’t uſed to it. And that would really ſuck.
QotD
Jun. 23rd, 2017 05:24 amdglenn"We stand on the shoulders of giants who bothered to login to StackOverflow and explain their problem in words easily indexed by Google." -- SwiftOnSecurity, 2017-06-01
[But also, of course, to the ones who came before StackOverflow, such as Alan Turing (b. 1912-06-23, d. 1954-06-07)]
One tick bite can make you seriously allergic to meat!
Jun. 23rd, 2017 02:11 amthniduOh, Lovely: The Tick That Gives People Meat Allergies Is Spreading
First comes the unscratchable itching, and the angry blossoming of hives. Then stomach cramping, and—for the unluckiest few—difficulty breathing, passing out, and even death. In the last decade and a half, thousands of previously protein-loving Americans have developed a dangerous allergy to meat. And they all have one thing in common: the lone star tick.
Red meat, you might be surprised to know, isn’t totally sugar-free. It contains a few protein-linked saccharides, including one called galactose-alpha-1,3-galactose, or alpha-gal, for short. More and more people are learning this the hard way, when they suddenly develop a life-threatening allergy to that pesky sugar molecule after a tick bite.
Yep, one bite from the lone star tick—which gets its name from the Texas-shaped splash of white on its back—is enough to reprogram your immune system to forever reject even the smallest nibble of perfectly crisped bacon. For years, physicians and researchers only reported the allergy in places the lone star tick calls home, namely the southeastern United States. But recently it’s started to spread. The newest hot spots? Duluth, Minnesota, Hanover, New Hampshire, and the eastern tip of Long Island, where at least 100 cases have been reported in the last year. Scientists are racing to trace its spread, to understand if the lone star tick is expanding into new territories, or if other species of ticks are now causing the allergy.
Fridays comic
Jun. 23rd, 2017 02:13 pmskybreak posting in girlgenius_lairhttp://www.girlgeniusonline.com/ggmain/
Does Terebithia know that Zola is one of the most powerful and dangerous people in Europa? Almost certainly yes.
Does she care? No. She's been doing this since before even Lucrezia was a baby...
Does Terebithia know that Zola is one of the most powerful and dangerous people in Europa? Almost certainly yes.
Does she care? No. She's been doing this since before even Lucrezia was a baby...
Was it something I said?
Jun. 22nd, 2017 08:41 pmlemmozineSeveral people who were on my friends list here dropped off. Such is life. If you want my witty repartee, that's mostly over on facebook. Here you will find primarily (boring) details of my life, health, and finances.
Life: I'm at this moment on my way to Contata. Grisly details: some leftover Delta points were surprisingly enough for a redeye to JFK. I could have brought a small instrument, like a uke, on Delta. But I'm not flying back on Delta. Somehow, I booked a return trip on Frontier. I don't think I knew what I was doing. On Frontier, a uke would count as a carryon. They charge for carryons. So, I have a daypack.
It's OK. I know there will be many kind people who will be happy to loan me an instrument if I ask.
I arrive at JFK at 6 AM. I estimate 2 hours to get to Morristown from there.
Finances: I probably have close to just barely enough cash on hand to cover my share of the hotel room. I'll need more if I'm going to have enough for things like transportation, food, spending money. I brought a few spare CDRs to peddle, plus (good news) I have over $200 in bids so far on ebay auctions that end Monday night. If people pay promptly (most do) I'll be fine. If not, well, I can use my Paypal card, and that should give me an extra day or two, by which time everything will be fine. Worst case scenario: next payday is a week from tomorrow.
Health: Everything seems OK.
Well, I'm almost at the airport now. Bye.
Life: I'm at this moment on my way to Contata. Grisly details: some leftover Delta points were surprisingly enough for a redeye to JFK. I could have brought a small instrument, like a uke, on Delta. But I'm not flying back on Delta. Somehow, I booked a return trip on Frontier. I don't think I knew what I was doing. On Frontier, a uke would count as a carryon. They charge for carryons. So, I have a daypack.
It's OK. I know there will be many kind people who will be happy to loan me an instrument if I ask.
I arrive at JFK at 6 AM. I estimate 2 hours to get to Morristown from there.
Finances: I probably have close to just barely enough cash on hand to cover my share of the hotel room. I'll need more if I'm going to have enough for things like transportation, food, spending money. I brought a few spare CDRs to peddle, plus (good news) I have over $200 in bids so far on ebay auctions that end Monday night. If people pay promptly (most do) I'll be fine. If not, well, I can use my Paypal card, and that should give me an extra day or two, by which time everything will be fine. Worst case scenario: next payday is a week from tomorrow.
Health: Everything seems OK.
Well, I'm almost at the airport now. Bye.
Accomplishment chart, 6/16 – 6/22
Jun. 23rd, 2017 09:00 ambreakinglight11Accomplishment chart, 6/16 – 6/22
Writing
- plotting for Mrs. Hawking part 4
- outlining for Mrs. Hawking part 4
- drafted external quests for third and fourth faction for Susurrus
- had 1 request for Hood pilot
- 1 blog entry for Mrshawking.com
- 2 journal entries
Theater
- had 1 rehearsal for Murders at the Rue Morgue with PMRP
Costuming/Sewing
- organizing costuming for Murders at the Rue Morgue with PMRP
- put together costuming for forest elf photo shoot
- put together costuming for gender-swapped Crow photo shoot
Physical
- 1 two-mile runs
- 2 weight machine routines
- 2 fighter abs routine
- 1 one-mile run
- walked 10,000+ steps 3 days
- walked 15,000+ steps 1 day
Media
- watched Orange is the New Black season 5
- listened to episode 114 of Tom and Lorenzo’s Pop Style Opinionfest
Cooking
- made garden salad with smoked tuna
- made panko breaded chicken tenders with roast potatoes and squash
- made roast sirloin with pepper and squash farro salad
Writing
- plotting for Mrs. Hawking part 4
- outlining for Mrs. Hawking part 4
- drafted external quests for third and fourth faction for Susurrus
- had 1 request for Hood pilot
- 1 blog entry for Mrshawking.com
- 2 journal entries
Theater
- had 1 rehearsal for Murders at the Rue Morgue with PMRP
Costuming/Sewing
- organizing costuming for Murders at the Rue Morgue with PMRP
- put together costuming for forest elf photo shoot
- put together costuming for gender-swapped Crow photo shoot
Physical
- 1 two-mile runs
- 2 weight machine routines
- 2 fighter abs routine
- 1 one-mile run
- walked 10,000+ steps 3 days
- walked 15,000+ steps 1 day
Media
- watched Orange is the New Black season 5
- listened to episode 114 of Tom and Lorenzo’s Pop Style Opinionfest
Cooking
- made garden salad with smoked tuna
- made panko breaded chicken tenders with roast potatoes and squash
- made roast sirloin with pepper and squash farro salad
New post on Mrshawking.com -- "Our important new character in Hawking part 4"
Jun. 23rd, 2017 10:17 pmbreakinglight11New post on Mrshawking.com!
"Our important new character in Hawking part 4"
I am busily working away at my plan to have Mrs. Hawking part 4—tentatively titled Gilded Cages —ready to go into rehearsal by the end of the summer. That means all this month Bernie and I have been working on the outline for the story, as I like to get the structure and shape of it down before I actually start drafting.
As I’ve mentioned, one of the toughest parts of this piece is dealing with the presence of Victorian colonialism. It’s a major factor in this story, and I want exploring the issues that stem from it to have an important place in the story’s theme. Without revealing too much, I will say we’re including a character who is an indigenous resident of a colonized place in Asia. It is incumbent upon us to be as respectful as possible in that character’s portrayal. This is particularly challenging because we will be adding this character to an already established cast, where the protagonist is a white woman. Even under the best of circumstances, there is a very real danger of what I refer to as my theory of The Problem of the Protagonist— in short, where the centrality of your main character necessitates subordination of any other character’s story, which can result in those supporting roles’ marginalization or dehumanization.
Read the rest of the entry on Mrshawking.com!
"Our important new character in Hawking part 4"
I am busily working away at my plan to have Mrs. Hawking part 4—tentatively titled Gilded Cages —ready to go into rehearsal by the end of the summer. That means all this month Bernie and I have been working on the outline for the story, as I like to get the structure and shape of it down before I actually start drafting.
As I’ve mentioned, one of the toughest parts of this piece is dealing with the presence of Victorian colonialism. It’s a major factor in this story, and I want exploring the issues that stem from it to have an important place in the story’s theme. Without revealing too much, I will say we’re including a character who is an indigenous resident of a colonized place in Asia. It is incumbent upon us to be as respectful as possible in that character’s portrayal. This is particularly challenging because we will be adding this character to an already established cast, where the protagonist is a white woman. Even under the best of circumstances, there is a very real danger of what I refer to as my theory of The Problem of the Protagonist— in short, where the centrality of your main character necessitates subordination of any other character’s story, which can result in those supporting roles’ marginalization or dehumanization.
Read the rest of the entry on Mrshawking.com!
Slightly outdated buttons
Jun. 22nd, 2017 01:06 pmnancylebovBefore Balticon, I cleared out a lot of button slogans that I didn't think were selling well enough.*
So I've got about a thousand buttons that I have no obvious use for. They're generally in good condition and they're sorted by slogan.
I could just throw them out, but does anyone have any better ideas?
Would anyone like to pick up the buttons? I'm in South Philadelphia. Or I could mail them. I'm estimating the postage at $50 to $100, paid in advance. I'll come up with something more exact if anyone is interested.
*Removing "Free Hugs" was an error. I'll be putting it back in the trays.
So I've got about a thousand buttons that I have no obvious use for. They're generally in good condition and they're sorted by slogan.
I could just throw them out, but does anyone have any better ideas?
Would anyone like to pick up the buttons? I'm in South Philadelphia. Or I could mail them. I'm estimating the postage at $50 to $100, paid in advance. I'll come up with something more exact if anyone is interested.
*Removing "Free Hugs" was an error. I'll be putting it back in the trays.
Yay, I have sandals!
Jun. 22nd, 2017 04:34 pmaunty_marionAs Some Of You May Know (Bob), I spent last weekend 'mum-sitting', i.e. spending the nights with my ex-boss's elderly mother, who has mild Alzheimer's; Suky wanted desperately to be able to get away for more than one night without worrying about her mother, so she booked me to stay there. (She lives in Walthamstow, but she's over there about every other day.) Anyhow, it seemed to go OK, though the travelling down to Mornington Crescent in that heat was exhausting; and she paid me in advance.
So I'd drawn out some of the dosh for spending money, and have topped up my Amazon account with a bit; Paypal's not too bad at the moment, so that can wait. But today I went up to North Finchley( and bought stuff )
Only down point of the day, really, was that I found a mouse in one of the traps this morning. Obviously dead, so I had breakfast before disposing of it. I hope I'm not going to get another influx; it's been over a year since the last one that got in.
So I'd drawn out some of the dosh for spending money, and have topped up my Amazon account with a bit; Paypal's not too bad at the moment, so that can wait. But today I went up to North Finchley( and bought stuff )
Only down point of the day, really, was that I found a mouse in one of the traps this morning. Obviously dead, so I had breakfast before disposing of it. I hope I'm not going to get another influx; it's been over a year since the last one that got in.
Long cat is long
Jun. 22nd, 2017 08:04 ammadfilkentistAs promised, here are some pictures from yesterday's trip to MRFRS. I noticed a tail at the top of the big rolling cage, so it was amusing enough to photograph:
( Pictures behind the cut )
( Pictures behind the cut )