petronia

Yeah well, that art gallery isn't going to view itself, now is it? So I cabbed down to the AGO, which confuses me by having automatic doors for wheelchairs everywhere but on its outer facade. Kind people let me in, but yanno. Somebody wasn't thinking. And I know they used to have a button outside but Ghu knows what they did with it. Anyway, I then discover why not to go in winter ie you must check your coat and it costs $4. But these niggles aside, got in and saw first the David Blackstone exhibit, disquieting etchings from his Newfoundland past, of iceberg calves and baleen whales and sealers wrecked on ice floes and dying of exposure and cold. This was a famous disaster that happened in 1914 when 78 men died after being stranded on the ice for 53 hours in the middle of a blizzard.

https://ago.ca/exhibitions/black-ice-david-blackwood-prints-newfoundland

Maybe because I'm a Capricorn, maybe because I'm a city child, just about the most unheimlich thing I know is the ocean. Mountains are a close second: was fantodded by the Alps at the age of 9 and never grew out of it. But mountains are just earth stood on its head, and they're always in the same place; oceans are water that never stops moving and there literally is no there there. Anyway Nfld is an island and you can't get away from the ocean, but I can never understand why anyone would willingly go out on the sea that surrounds it.

Then got to the Jesse Mockrin exhibit, the one that closes on Sunday. She uses Renaissance techniques to paint pseudo-Renaissance subjects, many inspired by paintings and objects in the AGO's own collection. I like her paintings even if I suspect I'm not supposed to. But colour! She has colours! How could anyone resist?

https://ago.ca/exhibitions/jesse-mockrin-echo

The other trouble with going in winter is that one must wear boots, and boots are not kind to that pesky neuroma on the sole of my foot. So though there are other things I should have seen, I figured two hours was enough and headed home. Took the TTC up to Dupont, intending to wait for the bus and finish by shopping at Loblaws. But oh lookie, here's a Shoppers, let's get some garbage tags. Which they no longer sell. Online or at Canadian Tired only, and how lucky I didn't make a special trip to find this out. Then I look at Dupont which is one lane as far as the eye can see, because condos, and after that sewers, so hell, will not kill me to walk two subway stops. Except that it nearly did. But I have more cushioning pads for my feet, and if it gets as warm as they say it will, maybe I can be in shoes later on this week. Phone says this was all only good for 6000 steps, but will take it.

flemmings

I do not see me getting up at 6 ayem to see the Blood Moon. It will have to bleed without me.

Another library book of long holding came in so I went out in sun and not-that-cold to get it. Then had indifferent grilled chicken at Pour Boy where I ate in lonely splendour. Odd. Their fried chicken sandwich is excellent, their chicken satay is excellent, but their grilled chicken is tendony and fat, like KFC in Japan.

I've been wanting an acrylic floor polish for the laminate kitchen tiles but no supermarket has it. Lotsa stuff for wood floors which tells you just how yuppie this 'hood has become. When I finally remember to google it, transpires that hardware stores sell it. And since I'm out on Bloor anyway, might as well trot over to Wieners and get my steps in. Noting along the way the many businesses that have closed: not just the vape stores and cannabis outlets, but two or three of the longtime Korean places. That odd health store with its cures for bladder problems (in men), one of the accessory hats'n'jewelry places that also changed watch batteries, another stationery store I think, Tom and Sara with its anime plushies... Anyone would think we were in a recession.

Got my floor polish and then walked the half block to Brunswick to see what had replaced By the Way. Answer is, nothing yet, though at least the sign is up for a French brasserie thingy. Presumably waiting for spring to open, which may also be the reason the high scale Japanese steak house in the old Second Cup and Presse Libre site is still at the Coming Soon! stage. That one has been in the works for close to a year IIRC and I have ceased to hold my breath.

And some day will get down the street for my quarterly blood draw, but who wants to get out of bed early these days? Only it will rain later this week and then it will be achiness rather than laziness that deters me. Not to mention grunge on the wheels, which was bad enough today with melt and rock salt applying a cm coating.

superborb

I was finally able to rejoin group watch for a glorious few weeks, but daycare then majorly felled our whole household with illness, so that stopped again. Maybe one day...

Luminous, by Silvia Park: Told from three perspectives in a reunified Korea where robots are common companions: the young disabled girl who finds a mysterious advanced robot in a junkyard and two siblings, children of a famous roboticist, who grew up with a robot older brother. Some really strange errors (Schwarzschild has nothing to do with quantum?). The abuse part was hard to read, but didn't feel gratuitous. It was trying to Say Things, but it didn't 100% come together for me. I think I'm just more interested in how the robots would develop and because it's near future, my assumptions about what is possible don't quite align and that's jarring. The book was more interested in the people question -- messy people, what drives them, complicated interpersonal relationships -- than the artificial intelligences' experience of the world, even though it felt like an omission to not explore it.

Searches: Selfhood in the Digital Age, by Vauhini Vara (DNF): A memoir about how technology shapes identity, but I wasn't really feeling it midway through.

Her Story (2024): Modern slice of life centering around two women who become neighbors and friends. One of them is a practical, professional single mom who takes no shit. The other is a singer / sound engineer? who is outwardly more chill, with a trash boyfriend and maybe a drinking problem. The kid actress is pretty good; she's clearly pressured by the stress of the divorcing parents and how protective her mom is, but is a good kid without being cloying. Feels very of the line of "feminist cdramas", e.g. the requisite period discussion, that touch of perhaps too didactic conversation. Enjoyable and pretty cute, with fun character interactions.

Long Live Evil, by Sarah Rees Brennan: Dying of cancer, the protag transmigrates into the villainess of a trashy series in order to find a cure. This really needs a copy editor. Definitely a slow start, but I totally got caught up in it once it got going. Neglected to realize that it ends on a cliffhanger!! Exactly what it says on the tin, very quippy and proud of it.

Left-Handed Girl (2025): A mom and her two daughters move to Taipei; the mom starts a noodle stand, the older daughter works as a betel nut beauty, and the 5 year old goes to school and is a cute good kid. Drama happens: financial stress, the lack of supervision of the younger child, and the romantic entanglements of the older daughter. None of the men seem to really have personalities lol. IDK it was fine as a drama, but I feel like you'd know if you'd enjoy this kind of movie.

18x2 Beyond Youthful Days (2024): Recently fired Taiwanese video game developer goes on a journey to Japan to follow the footsteps of a girl he met and fell in love with in the summer before university. Very well paced and engaging without much outright drama. I enjoyed the Easter eggs moments like high school him reading hanakimi to learn romance.
A movie with a Message, but relatively subtly done and a good, nuanced one! Would recommend.

Love Letter (1995): Referenced in 18x2, the protag loses her fiancé in an accident and writes a letter to his old address, only to receive a letter back! (It turns out there was a girl in his class who had the exact same name.)
A quiet movie about interpersonal relationships and recovering from grief. Enjoyed it more than I expected!

KPop Demon Hunters (2025): Girl band who will stop demons with the power of song! I am a bit bored of some of the tropes (as

halfcactus said, the girls eating trope is just overdone) and the evil demons, but this IS for kids, so. The real problem is that the Saja boys (antagonists) just have better songs IMO. And it's really just a story about the protag's journey, so everything else doesn't have time to breathe on screen. But it does what it says on the tin and delivers some bangers.

Americanah, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: A young Nigerian woman immigrates to the US, leaving behind her true love, and their stories as they age from teenagers to adults. This is very of its time -- the optimism around Obama's election did make me cry a bit -- and many of the discussions around race feel distinctly early 2010s. At its core, a love story about two people who really understand each other. (I don't really understand how she can be an anonymous blogger if she is doing all those talks in person though.)

flemmings

Once again world events interfere with my attempts to stop drinking.

But I vacuumed and dusted the side bedroom yesterday, which made me sweat mightily and left me unaccountably stiff this morning. But then I screwed my courage to the sticking place and removed the drawers from under the futon frame so I could sweep out the dust elephants of ages. I doubt I've done this since 2020, if then. Ideally I'd push the whole frame out to get at the underparts, but doubt I have the strength for that now. Even manhandling the large heavy drawers back in place was a challenge. As for flipping the futon itself, hahaha no.

And I feel so much better looking at the clean bedroom. Cleaning always works to cheer me, and it always annoys me that it works, but shou ga nai.

Would have gone out to buy those things I forgot to get on Friday through not remembering to bring my phone, but it snowed last night, enough to coat the sidewalk. Mind, my stretch was clear because I put down salt yesterday evening against the plunging temperatures, and by day's end so was the rest of the block. But it's -6 with a wind chill of who knows what, so I remain indoors.

Dream last night of coming up my street, or maybe Christie, but there were two walkways-- the public one by the street and a private one, screened by bushes, that belonged to the (nonexistent) housing coop with its low buildings and green lawns that straggled up the street, clearly referencing the RL Bain Coop in TO. And very pleasant until a large dog came up behind me and either started nosing my bum or actually bit it, one or the other.

Enbridge did not email me a bill this month. No idea why not. They've also raised their prices. But this may explain why I didn't pay last month. I'd go back to demanding paper bills but they charge for those too.

marina

So, I am not well.

I've had some really intense days, between work being extremely busy and other responsibilities, and today, a Saturday, was supposed to be my day off. Properly off, off. Sleep in late, zero plans except to wash my hair and tidy up around the apartment. Watch TV, maybe write a little, cuddle in bed. Rest.

Instead I was woken up at 8:26am by a missile siren.

Those sirens haven't stopped so far, it's currently about 7pm. At some point I stopped counting how many there were. On average there have been about one every 20-30 minutes for me, since the first one. Which means in the morning there were about 1.5 hours of quiet, and then there were hours in the afternoon with a siren every 10 minutes.

I say siren, but of course what I mean is I hear massive explosions happening in the air above my building. I can't go downstairs, nevermind for a walk, because of how frequent it's been, and how genuinely scary.

For the past ~six months I've been walking past destroyed city blocks several times a week, on my way to catch a tram to work. Entire streets with houses wiped out completely, apartment complexes reduced to rubble. And then a radius of many more streets with "only" shattered windows, knocked out doors, cracked walls from the shockwaves. Building after building after building. Turn after turn after turn. Until I get to the tram station, and then ride for 30 minutes to the skyscraper where I work, that stands next to the ruins of another skyscraper, that was destroyed by a missile.

I'm not good in the mornings, I don't eat dinner most days, my meals are breakfast and lunch. So I wake up hungry and need to eat something as soon as possible to start functioning.

Because today was planned as slow and lazy, I didn't think I'd need to function quickly at all. I thought I'd lazy about in bed, and then slowly assemble food depending on my level of energy.

Instead I had to hop out of bed and run to a bomb shelter. The bomb shelter that's in my house, that will not actually protect me in any way in case of a direct hit (see destroyed buildings above) but will help in case of a shockwave.

I was so exhausted afterwards I collapsed in bed. And then another siren. After that one I knew I had no choice, I HAD to eat or I was going to start collapsing. But I wasn't capable of cooking. Of course, there's no food delivery, because bombs falling from the sky.

I managed to at least change out of my PJs and make tea, and then the third siren happened.

The tea - green, fresh leaves, the very finest kind I have, from a small company that imports directly from farmers in China, because I knew this was the small effort that would make all the difference today, rather than some emergency teabag - did help me focus a bit, at least. Feel a bit more human.

After the fourth siren I knew cooking was out of the question, and rifled through the mishloakh manot I got from work yesterday (how fortunate we had our work event before the holiday itself) for any sort of candy with substance. There was a chocolate wafer snack, so that's what I ate, and then tried to move on with my day.

Which is to say with trying to do something other than just cuddle in bed and run to the shelter every time there was a siren (as there were a lot).

I felt... bad. Generally nauseous, unfocused, slightly out of breath. Exhausted, even when I was watching stuff on TV from the couch.

I tried to cling to some kind of productivity. I emptied and refilled the dishwasher. I put on laundry. I thanked all the gods above and below that I happened to already have food in the fridge for lunch, even though just heating it up turned out to be a challenge. It took 3 tries, with different sirens.

I only ate lunch when I started to feel like I was about to faint. Before that it was hard to make myself heat up food, or think about eating. Everything is just so scattered in my head.

It's time for dinner now, since I didn't really have breakfast.

Even though I know I should just try to go to sleep. I'm sure there will be endless sirens in the night. If an hour goes by without one, I'll be surprised.

I'm feeling faint and weak again but there's no energy to cook and no food delivery, of course. It took 2 sirens for me to boil a few eggs. Once they cool down I'll do that. I need to think about tomorrow's breakfast as well.

Tomorrow is work. The schools and so on are closed, but I work in tech and the company is global and our survival - my paycheck, my ability to stay afloat - depends on everyone believing our productivity is unaffected by these events.

So, work from home as usual. Half my local coworkers were 100% working from home anyway because Ramadan, so in a way it's all business as usual.

I know I need to take care of myself. Food. Cooking. Seeing people, even though travel anywhere including to a neighboring building is impossible right now. Creating a more or less correct estimation of how functional I can be at work so I can make decisions based on that.

Not doing well, and didn't actually want to write this post. Instead, want to write about the things that make me happy. Media, mostly, but also fic.

But I can't because just writing this, which has seemingly spilled out of me unbidden, has been to much effort and energy, and I need to go rest now.

credoimprobus

Okay, so I 100% do not expect a) anyone who was there for those early LJ days to still be around to see this, or b) even if there against all odds were, that anyone else would actually remember this stuff the way I do, but: that thing that was spawned from muse shenanigans back in the millennium's infancy? This would be it. Or, you know, at least 35k's worth of the beginning of it. \o/?

(These two remain my favourite ship of ALL TIME. I love them so goddamn much. <3333333)

Basically, though, if anyone's had a hankering for a bit of urban fantasy-flavoured, screwballesque m/m romcom with a bunch of adorably antagonistic flirting, I got ya. :D? (Just a warning that this is, to clarify, not complete. But I just wanted to see at least part of what's effectively turned into my life's work publicly available before I'm fucking 80, you know?)

Reveille prequel acts I & II, the preview version [14k + 20k words]
(Gets very explicit, of course, because this is me we're talking about. X,D And also features a ton of swearing and some instances of alcohol use.)

flemmings

Now that the weather is on the turn, sort of more or less because March is seriously not to be trusted, I ventured out past Bathurst yesterday to Sushi on Bloor. Possibly the staff remember me even after two months, or possibly they rush to open the doors for all ancient walker-users, but I choose to believe the former and think it very nice of them. Had salmon teriyaki instead of sushi for the omega-whatevers, even though salmon is always iffy for me. Of course I then had Bailey's and vodka after I came home and suffered heartburn all night, which will learn me. But the salmon skin didn't help, of course.

Glorious sun today and temps above freezing so I hacked my garbage bin out of its snowy bed and replaced it with the recycle. Thus I needn't get out to Shoppers for garbage tags as I'd feared I might have to. I still don't have that much garbage, even though I haven't put it out since the first week in January. My green bin is still firmly stuck in the snow and will doubtless stay that way for a few weeks yet, because I still can't get anywhere near it. Things will melt tomorrow and then flash freeze on Sunday. Must keep the salt handy and possibly buy more, since All That Snow will melt onto the sidewalk--is melting already-- and then flash freeze into a skating rink.

To note in the current game of Recycle Bingo: recycle was picked up yesterday morning, so one must indeed put it out the night before and not bank on a late pickup. Except that the block south of me was still out at 4:30, on the western side, while the east had already been done.

Am wondering about a point of wedding etiquette. Suppose I send my nephew and his fiancée a cheque in lieu of a wedding present. Who do I make the cheque out to? I don't know if they have a joint account, I don't want to send it to just my nephew-- whom I haven't seen in 30 years anyway-- and I don't know if my instinct to send separate but equal cheques to each is permissable. Shall consult the s-i-l, I suppose.

flemmings

I am so over this winter. Was antsy about getting anywhere today with the snow falling all last night, which might have been why I had a nuit blanche and only got to sleep eventually by refusing to do anything but lie in the dark. After which I woke at 9:30 and reluctantly decided to forego sleeping in till noon. However the bobcats came by at some point and the sidewalks were clear when I headed out-- in a snow shower, yes-- at 2:30. But bobcats somehow manage to throw up an amazing number of pebbles, do not ask me how. No wonder I got one caught in the wheel back a bit. Only surprised it hasn't happened more often.

Came home to the wedding invite from nephew and fiancée, fastened with sealing wax and a seal with their initials. This takes me right back to the mid-60s when I used sealing wax that I can smell even yet. Still not sure if I can go to theirwedding: it's out in Oakville, which requires cars, and the reception is at a country club ditto, and there's an hotel they've booked for people who need to stay over. I believe my bro drove me to my younger brother's wedding nearly 40 years ago, but he wasn't married then and I was able-bodied. There's an option on the invite for 'will toast from afar', which I may have to do.

As for reading: at some point finished Jurgen and started on Figures of Earth, and am questioning if I really need to reread these pale-printed volumes. Finished also Christie's The Clocks, and Joan Coggins' The Mystery at Orchard House, which stars not!the Dowager Duchess of Denver in a young incarnation. Fun, but I do not find scatterbrained Lupin (!) as charming as her author does. Read a Dr. Priestley, Dr. Goodwood's Locum, pleasantly twisty, even though I wonder if the murderer would be as adept at an English accent of the appropriate class as he seems to be, given that spoiler spoiler spoiler. Currently on the go have Closed Coffin, a Poirot continuation, which is... not quite what I want right now. Am at a loose end which may get sorted once I stop angsting about the weather.

labingi

Dreamwidth, I have been cheating on you with Substack. I love you much more, Dreamwidth. My relationship with Substack is purely a matter of convenience. However, the following post is also on my Substack, which may explain its reading as a bit more formal than I usually hold forth here.

Content warning: This is a dark book with lots of abuse, and I discuss some of it.

The discourse over Emerald Fennell’s Wuthering Heights movie has prompted a resurgence of conversation about Emily Brontë’s novel and reminded me just how controversial the book remains almost 180 years after its publication. Wuthering Heights recounts the obsessive attachment of Catherine and Heathcliff, two young people growing up on Yorkshire moors at the end of the 18th century, and the harm done to them and by them. Many love it; many hate it. I am in the “love” camp, and I want to explain why Wuthering Heights is an important book, both to me and in our world to this day.

Spoilers for the novel follow.( Read more... )

flemmings

I have physio tomorrow so I figured there was no need to go up to Loblaws today. I could go out to lunch or something in the last day of sun before the snow starts tonight. But my insides took exception to the lentil mush I've been eating, or to something, so no, not going out for sushi any time soon. Might as well get my prescription. And a good thing too, because as it turns out an amazing number of people didn't touch Sunday's snow and it's all glare ice now. Walking over that when it's covered with the 2-4 cm/ 1.5 inches forecast between now and Wednesday afternoon would not be fun. So shall take the Christie route if I go out at all, or just eat the cancellation fee. This winter, dear god, this winter.

But I do feel better for the walk and the sunshine. Had a cold brew coffee-- I can only drink coffee safely if it's cold, health benefits or not-- and watched my fellow golden agers trundle about, and read a Dr Priestley on the phone. Turned out to be a short story, not a novel, chiz chiz, but for a .99 purchase one mustn't complain. Somehow must get to the Art Gallery before next week when the show I want to see closes. But yanno, snow and the Spadina LRT not running till late Friday-- buses laid on but no thanks-- and rush hours. Maybe Saturday when temps soar to a sunny 5C if I can get up early enough.

lacewood

In the spirit of Lunar New Year, it's time to tidy up 2025 with the annual reading list.

( words read, and some thoughts )

And to finish off, every year, I hope that things get better for the world and unfortunately, for the last few years, they have not. The chaos (horrors) persists. But so does the world. And maybe that's the best we can hope for, in the end.

flemmings

Good heavens. Sun! Blue skies! Brightness! Yeah, I did think the leaden winter would bring me down forever for a bit back there. But of course, with time sense so wonky, it was only a week ago that we last had sun. But that was a pale washy sun and this is glorious gold and blue. Of course it's because a cold front is blowing in. Made it out to Fiesta without much pain: the flurries of last night were indeed flurries even if they coated the sidewalk. But now must go down to the basement to turn taps on against tonight's -14C.

Long range forecast says things will warm up by mid-March. Really can't wait.

Was woken this morning before I wanted to be by a robo phonecall saying Pay your Enercare bill. That's my hot water heater. Bill comes in at month's end, I pay it immediately, what's your problem, Enercare? (I do not like them. Ages back I signed with them for my gas on an equal billing scheme and wondered vaguely why my gas bills were always so high, because I couldn't quite reconcile the total price with usage. Many many years later saw an article comparing prices and found Enbridge was something like 10% cheaper. Thus good-bye Enercare, except for the damned heater.) Tried to go back to sleep and was jerked awake by robo Bell phone call-- or someone purporting to be Bell-- saying technicians would be installing fibre optics in my neighbourhood please book your call now. I already have Bell fibre. Screw that. But by then I was completely awake, so started on my morning routine. Oh, and when I checked my bank account just in case, oops, looks like I didn't pay Enercare last month. OK, fine. Now paid up and another bill will come in Wednesday-ish.

flemmings

Woke up at a reasonable hour, took meds, looked out the study window, saw snow, and decided to go bak to bed. Did, and dreamed of being back at Bedford with sibs and Aunt H trying to work out how we could live there and also sell to the Chuas. There was an official sort of man pressing the point, who was some sort of policeman, but who also at one point was dealing with a chubby baby. And Bedford was definitely Bedford except that parts of it were Bedford as renovated by the Chuas. It was the sort of dream that leaves an all-day hangover: not unpleasant, just mildly disconcerting because, well, we sold the place almost forty years ago and my aunt died in 2000, and there I was at Bedford talking to her this morning.

Eventually got up around noon and breakfasted and all. Then by a judicious but generally unadvised combination of muscle relaxants and vodka, shut my back up enough so I could scrape the snow off the steps and path. And feeling almost like old days, lifted the compacted layer of ice and snow from the pavement in front of my house and SND's, who must be away this weekend, and then a stretch of NND's frontage. We were just at freezing today but tomorrow will see a fast plunge and the slush will turn to ice.

There was a video about making lentil pancakes: boil up a carrot, potato, onion, and red lentils, blend in blender, form into patties, cook in oil. I did the veg first and separate, then added the lentils and cooked till soft. Except that red lentils immediately turn into mush so that, when blended, I wind up with lentil soup. Am clearly missing a step. Maybe I should add the breadcrumbs I do not have, or cook some green lentils to add instead. Or just resign myself to lentil soup.

credoimprobus

It's up!! (Well, the first half is.)

It may not be the form I would have preferred to first make it public in, but fucking hell, it still feels amazing to have it out there at all. I've been sitting on this shit for a decade. (And had it inhabiting my head for over twice that long!) aaaaaAAAAaaaAAAAAAAaaAAAAAaaaaaaa, basically.

flemmings

Yes, I know I've been out every other day this week, but it still felt like I'd been indoors for days when I went out in today's grey dank. Got my library book returned so I needn't worry about the weather anymore. The walking was occasional slush and frequent ponds after yesterday's rain and melt, but the sidewalks were 90% clear on the way to the library and Bloor of course was dry. I got berries and avocado from the Palmerston greengrocer so I needn't shop for those for a while, and as well, because the supers' are more expensive.

Part of the temporal confusion may be that the temps flipflop about in their February fashion. Thus last weekend's spring interlude was interrupted by Wednesday's winter snow dump, and we're now back to 5C before returning to the minuses next week. Heigh-ho.

My grocery order came promptly, though the poor guy had to wade through the between-cars snowpile, still healthy after four weeks, to get to me. I now have a sufficiency of soy milk and veggie juice, things which are a pain to carry in the walker over slush. The sidewalks up the street look rather more icy than those down, so am happy to let Instacart do my Loblaws shop for me.

Saturday at the Opera was Puccini's Manon Lescaut, which I was listening to as I waited for my delivery: and turned off in short order because it was somehow getting on my nerves. Unreliable memory says there's a memorable aria at the end but memory is wrong again, because I couldn't prove it by YouTube. However have now got it clear that 'sola, perduta, abbandonata' is Puccini's Manon and 'sola, abbandonata' is Verdi's Violetta, and frankly I can't be having with this compulsive desire to kill one's heroines.

flemmings

Rain all day which is supposed to turn into snow overnight and then continue for the next little while. I am so over this winter. There's a grocery delivery tomorrow which I hope won't be impeded by the weather. Maybe today's 5C and rain has reduced the snow berms somewhat? Obviously I haven't been out to see.

The library book I got last week is in Japanese, yes, but I hadn't registered that it's not merely a kid's book but a young kid's book ie it's all in hiragana ie it's unreadable by me. Yes I subvocalize but it's like reading phonetic English, a chore. Somehow I need to get it back to the library for those three other people who want it and I don't know when, or rather how, that will get accomplished. Am hoping the cold front due on Monday will firm up the snow enough that I can get the walker over it.

However, I would have sworn there were no Agatha Christies I hadn't read, and especially no Poirots, but here I am reading The Clocks for obviously the first time. My thanks to whichever FFLer who mentioned it however long ago: it's been on hold for a while. My one niggle is that I'm reading on the downstairs tablet that has been heartbreaking since I updated it. Won't hold a charge for more than a few hours, when the upstairs tablet had its charges boosted when I updated it, as well as getting me predictive entering. If this tablet continues to be such a bummer I may well gather my courage and return it to factory settings.

flemmings

Terminal hubris yet again took me out to the nearer supermarket, yes on a garbage day, yes after that 10 cm dump. Possibly the Whatever that flattened the sidewalk by me yesterday also did down the block and the snow/ ice piles were from people cleaning off their cars. But possibly the Whatever couldn't touch the ice because people put salt down before the sleet stopped falling which naturally led to an unmoving ice sheet. A common mistake in these parts. But I needed milk onaccounta indulging in daily hot cocoa, and tomorrow will be 5C ie melt, plus rain, which means even more slop, so out I went. Really must get an all-terrain walker, though no guarantee that would handle slush any better.

This is also the reason why, after going to bed last night, I got up and cancelled tomorrow's physio. If the sidewalks are passable I'll see if the spot is still open but I strongly suspect they won't be.

However having prudently put one of the Thermacare disposable heating packs on my grumpy back, I was able to clear the rest of my frontage of the ice layer. Wasn't enough to do NND's but at least it's a start. Only because I did this after coming back from the super I was getting light-headed from all the exertion and needed to rest and do deep breathing from time to time.

A come by chance setting on my tablet which I can no longer find allows you to switch up the wallpaper of one's login. I selected landscapes so now, in the brief interlude before inputting my PIN, I have vistas of forests and meadows and deserts and rivers and mountains. My sadness is that they don't tell you where these places are, and that I only get three seconds to view them before the screen goes black again. But they're a nice little pleasure to offset the annoying FUBARs of this new update.

flemmings

It was heavy sleet when I got up and then it was heavy snow but thankfully not really freezing rain. However heavy snow-- weight heavy, not just thick and fast-- is a pain to deal with. I scraped about four inches off the steps and shovelled the path in tiny increments because shovel was too heavy to lift. Salted same, came in and stretched, two hours later did it again, though it was only an inch or so by then. Have been hearing sirens all day, doubtless the aged like me not taking their shovelling easy. Meanwhile either a bobcat or a really public-minded and extremely strong snowblower had come along and flattened the sidewalk into walkability. Money is on bobcat because didn't see any blown snow. And if only my back wasn't such a diva I could have taken the snowpack up and cleared down to the concrete, because it lifts really nicely with the ice scraper now. Did a metre-long stretch to show it could be done, but my back really hates me.

Finished the Riddlemaster trilogy last week and went over vol.3 with the handy ebook 'search in book' function to shed some light on who and when. Am still slightly confused. Then in a bout of 'get it off the shelf' I started on James Branch Cabell's Jurgen. Cabell was probably my first experience of fandom: somehow in my 20s I stumbled on a group devoted to his works and subscribed to their newsletters and such. I haven't read him in 50 years and retained only an impression of extreme clever clogs-ishness. Which he is, and sniggering with it, though I was surprised to find that the beginning of Jurgen is actually sweetly melancholic about the compromises of maturity. Which was not something I'd register in my early 20s. Did go online to see what, if anything, people have to say about Cabell now, and was pleased to come across a reddit thread of the young'uns can't be having with him.

To take the taste of that out of my mouth I had recourse to a couple of Dr. Priestleys, only one of which was glaringly obvious. Then took a disintegrating Penguin Classic off the shelf, Poems of Heaven and Hell From Ancient Mesopotamia. Have been through the Babylonian Creation twice, with the introduction and the cast of characters, and am still confused as to who is who. It doesn't help that the pages are literally crumbling so that leafing back and forth is unadvised and difficult. Should probably move on to the next section.

Currently also reading a collaboration between John Dickson Carr and John Rhode, which reads very oddly indeed. Should also read that library book, which is in Japanese and I believe rather in demand. Since I'm certainly not going anywhere tomorrow, I may spend the day doing that.

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