A miscellanea
Mar. 16th, 2026 07:17 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
oursinThis is so much what I've been thinking about a different period that I'm writing about - that it's there, even though people are saying It's Ded, it's just not doing the flashy newsworthy visible stuff or the results are the things are are not, or no longer, happening: The one thing everyone gets wrong about feminism.
***
I am a great admirer of Professor Athene Donald's blog, and I like this recent post: Unintended Consequences - in particular perhaps this apercu:
Business gurus tend to talk about ‘being authentic’ as the right way to lead. But if you are a testy, over-bearing soul being authentic may be very destructive for those around you.
So much that.
***
This is another story about mobility in the world: Looted from a royal palace: The medieval jug now on display in London:
A large bronze medieval jug bearing the English royal coat of arms would be a rare find if dug up in England, but somehow it had ended up in West Africa, in modern-day Ghana, thanks to early trading routes between nations.
Dating from between 1340 and 1405, the jug is the largest surviving bronze ewer from medieval England. Decorated with an English inscription, royal heraldry and coat of arms, it was originally a luxury object — but its meaning changed dramatically as it moved across continents.
***
I've had to do with either this artefact or another very similar in my working days, I did not know about the biological contamination (we didn't know for quite some time about the radioactive notebooks, either): a parchment scroll designed to guard against the dangers of childbirth:
Until now, this scroll’s worn surface and suggestive staining constituted the main evidence for its use in childbirth. However, new research by Sarah Fiddyment, presented in the exhibition, reveals that human proteins found on the scroll’s surface indicate the presence of cervico-vaginal fluid. This is an important breakthrough in the burgeoning field of biocodicology, which seeks out the invisible traces left behind by users of manuscripts, as they held, rubbed or kissed a parchment.
(I hadn't heard that story about the dormouse, but wot she does not mention the Godalming rabbit lady?!).
***
You know, I would have sworn that back in my working days I came across something appertaining to this historic event: How smallpox claimed its final victim, but I'm unable to trace it.
Bundle of Holding: Trail of Cthulhu MEGA
Mar. 16th, 2026 01:58 pmjames_davis_nicoll
A monstrously large horde of rulebooks, supplements, and sourcebooks for Trail of Cthulhu, the tabletop roleplaying game of eldritch Cthulhu Mythos investigations using the GUMSHOE System from Pelgrane Press.
Bundle of Holding: Trail of Cthulhu MEGA
“the moon and the stars / were the gifts you gave / to the dark, and the endless skies”
Mar. 16th, 2026 07:39 amlarryhammerFor Poetry Monday:
“The evening darkens over,” Robert Bridges
The evening darkens over
After a day so bright
The windcapt waves discover
That wild will be the night.
There’s sound of distant thunder.
The latest sea-birds hover
Along the cliff’s sheer height;
As in the memory wander
Last flutterings of delight,
White wings lost on the white.
There’s not a ship in sight;
And as the sun goes under
Thick clouds conspire to cover
The moon that should rise yonder.
Thou art alone, fond lover.
While Bridges was Poet Laureate 1913-30, I confess I mostly think of him as Hopkins’s university friend and literary executor.
---L.
Subject quote from The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face, written by Ewan MacColl, sung by Peggy Seeger. (Roberta Flack covered it later.)
“The evening darkens over,” Robert Bridges
The evening darkens over
After a day so bright
The windcapt waves discover
That wild will be the night.
There’s sound of distant thunder.
The latest sea-birds hover
Along the cliff’s sheer height;
As in the memory wander
Last flutterings of delight,
White wings lost on the white.
There’s not a ship in sight;
And as the sun goes under
Thick clouds conspire to cover
The moon that should rise yonder.
Thou art alone, fond lover.
While Bridges was Poet Laureate 1913-30, I confess I mostly think of him as Hopkins’s university friend and literary executor.
---L.
Subject quote from The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face, written by Ewan MacColl, sung by Peggy Seeger. (Roberta Flack covered it later.)
portrait of the artist, 1918 ...
Mar. 15th, 2026 11:40 pmnineweaving... in a garden in Oxford.
The year was actually 1988, but finding it gave me the strangest sense of timeslip.
Nine
The year was actually 1988, but finding it gave me the strangest sense of timeslip.
Nine
Paul R. Ehrlich is dead
Mar. 15th, 2026 10:31 pmjames_davis_nicollFinally.
Interestingly, although he died a couple of days ago, I couldn't find a news article to which I felt comfortable linking.
Interestingly, although he died a couple of days ago, I couldn't find a news article to which I felt comfortable linking.
irritatingly
Mar. 15th, 2026 09:41 pmjulianI did manage to lose my wallet after Ny's thing, at/near Moruichi in Arlington, because I am Good Like That. I likely tried to put it back in my purse and it fell out.
Found out after the place closed, when I stopped for gas, so I couldn't even call them to see if they found it. (Will tomorrow, just in case.)
On the bright side, I'm going to be near my main bank tomorrow anyway, due to visiting my parents, so I can just get a new ATM card then. And I had to get a new driver's license anyway due to address change and not getting around to it yet, so, again, not a big thing.
Just, as usual, I liked that wallet, and I annoy myself. Harumph.
Found out after the place closed, when I stopped for gas, so I couldn't even call them to see if they found it. (Will tomorrow, just in case.)
On the bright side, I'm going to be near my main bank tomorrow anyway, due to visiting my parents, so I can just get a new ATM card then. And I had to get a new driver's license anyway due to address change and not getting around to it yet, so, again, not a big thing.
Just, as usual, I liked that wallet, and I annoy myself. Harumph.
that was weird
Mar. 15th, 2026 08:14 pmjulianWent to a memorial Thing, for minoanmiss. (Speaking of, apparently her parents are getting told soon, so we're cleared to go posting in the clear.) Meant to get there early enough to help with cooking for the Watertown Free Fridge, but I didn't, or rather, I got there late because I hadn't had coffee and got some, and then discovered I had forgotten my seltzer I'd gotten as an event thing, so I waffled and came down on the "bringing something is important in a symbolic way" and stopped at Trader Joe's to get lemonade.
I did get there theoretically in time to cook (which we were doing as a memorial thing because Ny did buttloads of cooking for the Fridge), but I kept getting happily lodged in conversations and/or hugs instead, so, well, it was what it was, and it was good.
(I will donate to and/or volunteer at my local Food Pantry in her honor, methinks.)
Stickers, fans, poetry, food, pictures, recipes, music, people, laughter, sadness, occasional sudden memories popping up for people. Because of someone else's story, Eggplant Caponara will now be associated with Ny for me. And when I was outside taking a people break,katarik sang what turned out to be an Episcopal mourning hymn but which to me (before I asked) was someone with a very nice voice singing something that works very well for her voice, which was steeped in sadness yet joy and beauty. It spoke to and of the afternoon.
I took enough fans that I can use some of them as Kid Prizes at work. (And buy some more later. The stickers aren't quite my thing; Ny gave them to small people she met in the subway and doctor's offices and so on, but I think I'll leave that as a thing to smile about about Ny, not as a Thing To Adopt.)
Saw someone from High School I literally have not seen in what, 30 years? (I mean, we read each other's journals, but it's different.) Honestly, haven't seen most of these folks in at least 15 years, because school eats my brain and then my work schedule is peculiar and family stuff is what it is, but the point is: was good. Even though I felt like I was hyper and a little off balance.
(Thanks to the Cambridge Commons co-housing folks for hosting. And thanks to the snowdrops there, too. First of the season for me!)
The Virtual Memorial, I have just learned, will be on April 12 at 1 pm Eastern, via Zoom. I assume the link will be shared on the Google announce list. (If you're not on there yet, just follow the link and explain how you know Ny to the nice friendly info-boxes.)
Also, more info on Things Ny Related, including vague but pertinent info on who her organs went to, here.
minoanmiss. (Speaking of, apparently her parents are getting told soon, so we're cleared to go posting in the clear.) Meant to get there early enough to help with cooking for the Watertown Free Fridge, but I didn't, or rather, I got there late because I hadn't had coffee and got some, and then discovered I had forgotten my seltzer I'd gotten as an event thing, so I waffled and came down on the "bringing something is important in a symbolic way" and stopped at Trader Joe's to get lemonade. I did get there theoretically in time to cook (which we were doing as a memorial thing because Ny did buttloads of cooking for the Fridge), but I kept getting happily lodged in conversations and/or hugs instead, so, well, it was what it was, and it was good.
(I will donate to and/or volunteer at my local Food Pantry in her honor, methinks.)
Stickers, fans, poetry, food, pictures, recipes, music, people, laughter, sadness, occasional sudden memories popping up for people. Because of someone else's story, Eggplant Caponara will now be associated with Ny for me. And when I was outside taking a people break,
katarik sang what turned out to be an Episcopal mourning hymn but which to me (before I asked) was someone with a very nice voice singing something that works very well for her voice, which was steeped in sadness yet joy and beauty. It spoke to and of the afternoon.I took enough fans that I can use some of them as Kid Prizes at work. (And buy some more later. The stickers aren't quite my thing; Ny gave them to small people she met in the subway and doctor's offices and so on, but I think I'll leave that as a thing to smile about about Ny, not as a Thing To Adopt.)
Saw someone from High School I literally have not seen in what, 30 years? (I mean, we read each other's journals, but it's different.) Honestly, haven't seen most of these folks in at least 15 years, because school eats my brain and then my work schedule is peculiar and family stuff is what it is, but the point is: was good. Even though I felt like I was hyper and a little off balance.
(Thanks to the Cambridge Commons co-housing folks for hosting. And thanks to the snowdrops there, too. First of the season for me!)
The Virtual Memorial, I have just learned, will be on April 12 at 1 pm Eastern, via Zoom. I assume the link will be shared on the Google announce list. (If you're not on there yet, just follow the link and explain how you know Ny to the nice friendly info-boxes.)
Also, more info on Things Ny Related, including vague but pertinent info on who her organs went to, here.
and now for something completely different
Mar. 15th, 2026 05:01 pmmuccamukkThe YouTube algorithm has seen my interest in figure skating and started offering me classical ballet (I think, always difficult to tell how one gets where one ends up).
So I've been watching bits and pieces of that, as well as all of The Royal Ballet's Cinderella. I therefore offer you some fully random observations, from someone who never got into any kind of dance as a kid, and therefore knows baaaaaasically nothing about the topic. (I have been to several ballets in person, The Nutcracker of course, and the Winnipeg Ballet's Svengali..)
Which is all I have for now.
So I've been watching bits and pieces of that, as well as all of The Royal Ballet's Cinderella. I therefore offer you some fully random observations, from someone who never got into any kind of dance as a kid, and therefore knows baaaaaasically nothing about the topic. (I have been to several ballets in person, The Nutcracker of course, and the Winnipeg Ballet's Svengali..)
- I like classical ballet (I'm not really watching modern) because it's quite ridiculous, and unconnected to anything that has ever happened on the face of the Earth.
- I have learned that there's dialogue! Classical ballet has a kind of sign language, done through gestures, so that the dancers can explain plot points such as "We make evil men dance until they die!" and "This lake is made of my mother's tears!"
- There does not seem to be much point to the male principal dancers. They have thighs like birch trees, which allows them to leap impressively high in the air, but they don't spin around on nothing but their big toe, which makes them less interesting to watch. Their main purposes seems to be to move the plot along, and act as a "Ballerina holder upper."
- Maybe it's just because I'm not good enough at reading the mime, but the romantic dances are... not very romantic. They mostly seem to be the ballerina holder upper holding up the ballerina while she spins around on her big toe.
- I don't know if there's non-transphobic/misogynistic way to do the comedy roles where male dancers play female characters, but Cinderella sure didn't manage it.
- The plot of Giselle is really interesting (boy meets girl, girl dies when she finds out that boy has a fiancée, girl joins chorus of vengeful ghosts, vengeful ghosts attempt to kill boy, girl saves boy), and I wonder if there have been modern retellings like there have of other old fairytales.
- I'm pretty sure the human body is not designed to do any of that.
Which is all I have for now.
There's no combination of words I could put on the back of a postcard
Mar. 15th, 2026 04:27 pmsovayThe wall-to-wall crowd of the memorial from which I have just returned testifies to the love poured out and returned by the guest of honor, but I would still rather have been in the worldline where they were present to be celebrated in more than memory.
Culinary
Mar. 15th, 2026 05:44 pmoursinLast week's bread held out admirably.
Friday night supper: ven pongal (South India khichchari).
Saturday breakfast rolls: eclectic vanilla, came out a bit more vanilla-y than usual.
Today's lunch: Norwegian halibut fillets panfried for slightly less long than suggested on packet, as I have found this in the past to be a bit of an over-estimate, served with samphire sauce, baby cauliflowers quartered and cooked thus (used lime and lemongrass vinegar for the acidulation) and La Ratte potatoes roasted in goosefat.
shoulder etc
Mar. 15th, 2026 01:06 pmredbirdMy right shoulder and neck started hurting Friday night, along with an ache on my right side. I tried Tylenol, which did nothing, but this morning it occurred to me that while I know naproxen doesn't help the weird neck/shoulder tension, it might help my back. I tried, and yes it helped.
Other than that, I went for a walk in the snow yesterday, after staying in all day Friday, and in the evening rysmiel, Sasha, and I watched the first half of the National Theater at Home production of _The Importance of Being Earnest_. It's very good, and we are going to watch the rest of it tonight.
Other than that, I went for a walk in the snow yesterday, after staying in all day Friday, and in the evening rysmiel, Sasha, and I watched the first half of the National Theater at Home production of _The Importance of Being Earnest_. It's very good, and we are going to watch the rest of it tonight.
Bring the Jubilee by Ward Moore
Mar. 15th, 2026 08:50 amjames_davis_nicoll
Hodge would like nothing better than to study American history. Be careful what you wish for.
Bring the Jubilee by Ward Moore
Books Received, March 7 — March 13
Mar. 14th, 2026 12:21 pmjames_davis_nicoll
Seven books new to me: four fantasies, one science fantasy, one science fiction, and I am not sure how to categorize the Shepard. At least three are series books.
Books Received, March 7 — March 13
Poll #34364 Books Received, March 7 — March 13
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 40
Which of these look interesting?
View Answers
The Lion and the Deathless Dark by Carissa Broadbent (July 2026)
5 (12.5%)
Teach Me to Prey by Jenni Howell (December 2026)
0 (0.0%)
Heart of Thieves by Jessica S. Olson (September 2026)
0 (0.0%)
The Dagger in Vichy by Alastair Reynolds (October 2025)
17 (42.5%)
Crows and Silences by Lucius Shepard (December 2024)
15 (37.5%)
Engines of Reason by Adrian Tchaikovsky (September 2026)
21 (52.5%)
The Heart of the Reproach by Adrian Tchaikovsky (July 2025)
16 (40.0%)
Some other option (see comments)
1 (2.5%)
Cats!
26 (65.0%)
Yet another thing to worry about???
Mar. 14th, 2026 04:11 pmoursinGoodness knows, some real weirdness is revealed in You Be the Judge in Guardian Saturday, but today's produces a theory which is entirely new to me -
But apart from all this hoohah about HYGIENE, I am rather taken with New Health Scare Theory:
Boiling water twice is a no-no for me – there is a change in quality and taste. My life had a certain drabness to it – I now attribute that to consuming poor-quality water for so long without realising.
This could be a whole new thing, couldn't it? Once-boiled water for vitality!
I was going to ask are they living in a log cabin or what in Ohio if the kitchen is so freezingly cold in the mornings they have to warm up the mugs so that they do not immediately chill the coffee but I see the issue is poor insulation.
Maybe they should do something about insulation rather than bicker over 'secondhand water'?
Running addendum
Mar. 14th, 2026 08:51 ammildred_of_midgardOh, I forgot to mention that, as usual when I have a really good run, I felt stronger as the run went on. I did eventually get tired and have to stop, of course, otherwise I'd still be running, but I do feel like in the last mile or two I was going faster. I can't be sure of that without recording my splits, which I don't do, but I definitely felt stronger and less tired, more invincible.
The more I can convince my brain that this is a real phenomenon and worth waiting for, the easier it is to push through the lows in the beginning and middle of the run.
The more I can convince my brain that this is a real phenomenon and worth waiting for, the easier it is to push through the lows in the beginning and middle of the run.
Exceeding running expectations
Mar. 14th, 2026 08:23 ammildred_of_midgardAfter a day off running to let my sore legs recover, I set out this morning with the goal of running 4.5 miles again, and a stretch goal of 5.2, if I could finish 4 loops.
...I ran 6.5 miles. In 62 minutes. Now, the 62 minutes is exact, because I was using the stopwatch on my phone, but the 6.5 miles is a Google Maps estimate. Even so, I'm still pretty sure it's a personal record for a single run. Not because of overall fitness, but because every time I get to 5 miles, I get injured by something (whether it's falling down the stairs or what).
Two things I've noticed about running in the last month:
One, Tucson (where I started running last month) and my neighborhood in Los Angeles are super flat, it feels like cheating, compared to my neighborhood in Massachusetts. I think I want to keep doing distance for a while longer, this leap to 6.5 is a bit sudden, but I do want to get to the gym soonish for some uphill cardio. My last house also had 4 stories, and my current apartment only has the one, so I get way less stair action in my day-to-day.
Two, back when I started running, for quite a while I would experience the phenomenon I described as feeling like I was running through jello: jerky movements, arms and legs moving at a running pace, but not working together smoothly. I didn't feel like I was *running* even if I technically was, and since I remembered what running felt like from many years ago, it was very discouraging. I eventually learned that I shouldn't interpret this as "today is not a running day" but as a "keep running and it'll get better." I was so happy when I finally got to the point where I consistently felt like I was running, right out the gate.
Well, I was afraid that after a year away, I would be back at square one and would have to fight that feeling again. Good news: I preserved the muscle memory! Every single run I've gone on, I've had that feeling of everything flowing and working together like it's supposed to, from the moment I started. I think that has probably accounted for a lot of my feeling that running is a lot easier this year.
But the lack of any hills or even slight inclines is probably an equally big contributor, and I need to do something about that.
...I ran 6.5 miles. In 62 minutes. Now, the 62 minutes is exact, because I was using the stopwatch on my phone, but the 6.5 miles is a Google Maps estimate. Even so, I'm still pretty sure it's a personal record for a single run. Not because of overall fitness, but because every time I get to 5 miles, I get injured by something (whether it's falling down the stairs or what).
Two things I've noticed about running in the last month:
One, Tucson (where I started running last month) and my neighborhood in Los Angeles are super flat, it feels like cheating, compared to my neighborhood in Massachusetts. I think I want to keep doing distance for a while longer, this leap to 6.5 is a bit sudden, but I do want to get to the gym soonish for some uphill cardio. My last house also had 4 stories, and my current apartment only has the one, so I get way less stair action in my day-to-day.
Two, back when I started running, for quite a while I would experience the phenomenon I described as feeling like I was running through jello: jerky movements, arms and legs moving at a running pace, but not working together smoothly. I didn't feel like I was *running* even if I technically was, and since I remembered what running felt like from many years ago, it was very discouraging. I eventually learned that I shouldn't interpret this as "today is not a running day" but as a "keep running and it'll get better." I was so happy when I finally got to the point where I consistently felt like I was running, right out the gate.
Well, I was afraid that after a year away, I would be back at square one and would have to fight that feeling again. Good news: I preserved the muscle memory! Every single run I've gone on, I've had that feeling of everything flowing and working together like it's supposed to, from the moment I started. I think that has probably accounted for a lot of my feeling that running is a lot easier this year.
But the lack of any hills or even slight inclines is probably an equally big contributor, and I need to do something about that.