Sunday Secrets
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Poem: "Tenacity, Creativity, and Bravery"
Dec. 27th, 2025 11:02 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmithThis poem is spillover from the October 3, 2025 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by prompts from mama_kestrel and see_also_friend. It also fills the "There are many flavors of outcasts here." square in my 10-1-23 card for the Fall Fest Bingo. This poem has been sponsored by a pool with fuzzyred. It belongs to the Eric the Elven King thread of the Polychrome Heroics series.
( Read more... )
mama_kestrel and see_also_friend. It also fills the "There are many flavors of outcasts here." square in my 10-1-23 card for the Fall Fest Bingo. This poem has been sponsored by a pool with fuzzyred. It belongs to the Eric the Elven King thread of the Polychrome Heroics series.( Read more... )
Buffy S5-6 and Angel S2-3 Rewatch
Dec. 27th, 2025 09:22 pmshadowkatContinuing with my comfort re-watch of Buffy and Angel, and for some reason or other, I don't feel compelled to watch anything else. Outside of a movie here and there. Nothing else is appealing to me at the moment, including Stranger Things, which recently dropped the first part of its' fifth and final season. I think I'm waiting for the second part to drop? Also trying to remember what happened previously.
Mother: Should I watch Stranger Things?
Me: No, I'd not recommend it - think Steven King and Steven Spielberg, circa 1980s.
Mother: What's it about?
Me: It's about a bunch of folks in a small New England town who stumble upon a porthole to a hell dimension, which brings in various demonic monsters - one captures a small boy. It's sci-horror. Very similar to the stuff Steven King and Steven Spielberg did in the 1980s.
Mother: Ugh. Really? Say no more, I'll pass.
Me: Told you.
I don't recommend television shows, books, or films to folks that I know won't like them. For example? If someone likes hyper-realistic dramas, with top-notch diverse casts, and hates fantasy and horror, I'm not going to recommend Buffy the Vampire Slayer to them, the Wire yes, Buffy no.
Why torture myself and them unnecessarily? I'm not that masochistic. Much easier to say - no you won't like it - it's a fantasy, with this that, and the other thing, and leave it at that. People need to be more tolerant of others tastes, and realize we most likely do not share the same tastes and leave it at that? Also, I'm a moody television and film and book watcher/reader. I go with whatever is calling me to it at the moment. If it's not, my brain will refuse to pay attention to it.
Finished Angel S2 finally - and it's a mixed bag. Buffy S5 is actually better - and more fluid and tighter. Of course it didn't have the problems Angel did. Angel S2, had some of the same issues Buffy S4 had - in that half of the supporting cast suddenly and without warning became unavailable in the second half of the season. Julie Benze (Darla) and Christian Kane (Lindsey) were both unavailable at the end of S2, and they had to write another story instead. Also, they ended up writing out Kate - because her involvement was contrived, also the actress got a role on Law and Order, and was unavailable. They intended to bring her back in Angel S3 as part of the Holtz story arc (she was supposed to be in the Justine role), but the actress wasn't available.
As a result, we got the Pylea arc - which is....not great. I kind of played a video game through it, and watched as background noise? I'd stop every once and awhile - out of curiosity - because I wanted to know something. (Such as Joss Whedon plays Numfar, who is told to keep dancing, in the background at Lorne's family reunion. And how Cordy becomes Princess, and how they figure out the way home (Fred figures it out with Wes's help).)
Takeaways?
( Read more... )
As an aside? You really can't trust Google's AI summaries, can you? I googled why Christian Kane and Elizabeth Roem left Angel or were unavailable - and the summary told me that Roem came back in the episode Same Time, Same Place in the 4th Season. (Uhm no. Also that's an episode in Buffy S7). Also when I was googling the Nosh Oven and how to fix something in it - it told me to preheat (you aren't supposed to, it heats up fast), and gave me the wrong cooking time.
It also says, Lindsey comes and goes in the later seasons. He only came back in S5, and on a limited basis.
Mother: Should I watch Stranger Things?
Me: No, I'd not recommend it - think Steven King and Steven Spielberg, circa 1980s.
Mother: What's it about?
Me: It's about a bunch of folks in a small New England town who stumble upon a porthole to a hell dimension, which brings in various demonic monsters - one captures a small boy. It's sci-horror. Very similar to the stuff Steven King and Steven Spielberg did in the 1980s.
Mother: Ugh. Really? Say no more, I'll pass.
Me: Told you.
I don't recommend television shows, books, or films to folks that I know won't like them. For example? If someone likes hyper-realistic dramas, with top-notch diverse casts, and hates fantasy and horror, I'm not going to recommend Buffy the Vampire Slayer to them, the Wire yes, Buffy no.
Why torture myself and them unnecessarily? I'm not that masochistic. Much easier to say - no you won't like it - it's a fantasy, with this that, and the other thing, and leave it at that. People need to be more tolerant of others tastes, and realize we most likely do not share the same tastes and leave it at that? Also, I'm a moody television and film and book watcher/reader. I go with whatever is calling me to it at the moment. If it's not, my brain will refuse to pay attention to it.
Finished Angel S2 finally - and it's a mixed bag. Buffy S5 is actually better - and more fluid and tighter. Of course it didn't have the problems Angel did. Angel S2, had some of the same issues Buffy S4 had - in that half of the supporting cast suddenly and without warning became unavailable in the second half of the season. Julie Benze (Darla) and Christian Kane (Lindsey) were both unavailable at the end of S2, and they had to write another story instead. Also, they ended up writing out Kate - because her involvement was contrived, also the actress got a role on Law and Order, and was unavailable. They intended to bring her back in Angel S3 as part of the Holtz story arc (she was supposed to be in the Justine role), but the actress wasn't available.
As a result, we got the Pylea arc - which is....not great. I kind of played a video game through it, and watched as background noise? I'd stop every once and awhile - out of curiosity - because I wanted to know something. (Such as Joss Whedon plays Numfar, who is told to keep dancing, in the background at Lorne's family reunion. And how Cordy becomes Princess, and how they figure out the way home (Fred figures it out with Wes's help).)
Takeaways?
( Read more... )
As an aside? You really can't trust Google's AI summaries, can you? I googled why Christian Kane and Elizabeth Roem left Angel or were unavailable - and the summary told me that Roem came back in the episode Same Time, Same Place in the 4th Season. (Uhm no. Also that's an episode in Buffy S7). Also when I was googling the Nosh Oven and how to fix something in it - it told me to preheat (you aren't supposed to, it heats up fast), and gave me the wrong cooking time.
It also says, Lindsey comes and goes in the later seasons. He only came back in S5, and on a limited basis.
Communities
Dec. 27th, 2025 09:12 pmysabetwordsmithThe City That Refused to Stay Dying
This Indiana city is no longer defined by what it lost, but by what its residents are building today.
Instead of waiting for a master plan or a single catalytic investment, Keen began assembling homes and vacant parcels one by one. He helped launch the Portage Midtown Initiative and the South Bend GreenHouse, restored neglected homes, cultivated community gardens, and supported local builders learning to tackle small projects themselves. He often refers to these lots collectively as his “farm.”
This approach can work in many cities.
This Indiana city is no longer defined by what it lost, but by what its residents are building today.
Instead of waiting for a master plan or a single catalytic investment, Keen began assembling homes and vacant parcels one by one. He helped launch the Portage Midtown Initiative and the South Bend GreenHouse, restored neglected homes, cultivated community gardens, and supported local builders learning to tackle small projects themselves. He often refers to these lots collectively as his “farm.”
This approach can work in many cities.
saturday
Dec. 27th, 2025 08:30 pmsummersgate
Snow Spider. It was the right conditions today to have the snow survive just on the grass blades that stuck up off the ground and on nothing else.
I watched The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry today. My kinda movie.
COVID in the choir. Again.
Dec. 27th, 2025 07:44 pmedschweppeOnce again, one of my fellow choristers is reporting that they've got COVID, and quite possibly spread it at the Christmas Eve service. (Like most of the choir, and most of the congregation, said chorister was not masked for any part of the service.)
Surprisingly (not), we had an outbreak last year around Christmas. And the year before that. And the year before that. And the church's policy is still mask-optional, with almost everyone opting for no mask. We do run a bunch of HEPA filters in the Sanctuary, but the CO2 levels at the Christmas Eve service peaked over 1800ppm by my little Aranet.
The good news for me personally is that I have been constantly using N95-grade singers masks, plus a nasal spray (Covixyl) that has demonstrated some protective properties, ever since I started singing again in-person. And, to date, I'm still testing negative - including just now.
So keep on masking up, folks. COVID ain't fucking over, not by a long shot.
Surprisingly (not), we had an outbreak last year around Christmas. And the year before that. And the year before that. And the church's policy is still mask-optional, with almost everyone opting for no mask. We do run a bunch of HEPA filters in the Sanctuary, but the CO2 levels at the Christmas Eve service peaked over 1800ppm by my little Aranet.
The good news for me personally is that I have been constantly using N95-grade singers masks, plus a nasal spray (Covixyl) that has demonstrated some protective properties, ever since I started singing again in-person. And, to date, I'm still testing negative - including just now.
So keep on masking up, folks. COVID ain't fucking over, not by a long shot.
*yawn*
Dec. 27th, 2025 07:43 pmwaterswordYuletide very pleasant; usually I get a comment on an old fic or two in a fandom someone has rediscovered through Yuletide and gone on a deep dive for, but not this year!
About three or four inches of snow (7-10cm) fell overnight and I shoveled my front sidewalk and steps, because the snow removal guys had done next door but not us (?), and then tromped down to my assigned house in the neighborhood, where I shoveled the longest driveway in Rhode Island and enough sidewalk for two houses and what felt like two flights of front steps. Thank goodness it was light and powdery, and almost all of the above was in good repair so I didn't have to fight the asphalt like last year, but I earned every bite of the steak and eggs and homefries (not nearly as good as last time) at the diner.
And then C. and her kid and I went to the ZOO and saw CREATURES. Macaws! Ibis! Elephants! A two-year-old giraffe who is already trying to fuck the other giraffes in the enclosure (this is a good thing, they want genetically-diverse babies from him) but he's not tall enough yet! An anaconda 99.8% percent in the water in its tank, I wanted to boop its snout SO MUCH. Red pandas that were so fluffy they looked fake. The river otters were having so much fun in the snow and splashing in their pool. The docents were super friendly and the French fries were delicious. Would 100% zoo again.
Then a hot bath and a nap. Bliss.
2025 Movie Round-Up
Dec. 27th, 2025 04:24 pmosprey_archerI’ve barely posted about movies this year, so I decided to do a quick movie round-up - very quick, as I’ve watched barely any movies this year! Some years are just not movie years, I guess…
The Balloonatic: a remix of a Buster Keaton movie set to the music of… okay I should have taken notes, I can’t remember the band, suffice it to say that it was a recentish band to which you would perhaps not expect Buster Keaton to be set. Smashing Pumpkins maybe? Lots of interesting cutting of the film which I don’t really have the technical vocabulary to describe, but just like - cutting what was clearly once one long shot into multiple shots? Kind of synced to the music?
I dragged the Brunch Bunch along to this showing, and we agreed that we’d see another if another came to town. But as we were just about the only people in the theater it is perhaps unsurprising that the theater has not booked another. Even an arthouse cinema has to have an audience.
Interview with a Vampire: I posted a bit of comparison to the book, but did not take time to note that this movie is an A++ example of complete commitment to an aesthetic, the aesthetic in this case being “decadent opulence spattered in blood.” This is an occasional aesthetic for me rather than one I would like to live in, but I admire the commitment.
The Shape of Water: This was a big disappointment, to be honest. Guillermo del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth is one of my all-time favorites, so I went into this movie with high hopes, but honestly it just draaaaaaagged for me. Also highly doubt the ability of the fish-man from the Amazon to survive in the icy coastal waters of the Atlantic.
Kiki’s Delivery Service. A rewatch! Still one of my favorite movies, probably my top two Studio Ghibli with My Neighbor Totoro (but now I feel bad leaving out Spirited Away...) Love Kiki, love Jiji, love the richly detailed setting (which we dubbed “Francemany,” as it is clearly a mash-up of various European localities), love Miyazaki’s love of flying machines. This is an aesthetic I WOULD like to live in.
Also a couple of documentaries. Take Joy! The Magical World of Tasha Tudor is about Tudor’s life at Corgi Cottage, built and largely run in the style of a 19th century farmhouse, where Tudor lives with her goats, her doves, her corgyn (Tudor’s plural of corgi), her one-eyed cat Minou, and seven looms. (These are not all Tudor’s looms. Sometimes she gives house-space to a friend’s loom, if the friend doesn’t have loom room, a loom being a large contraption.) An inspiring example of building your own little world and living in it.
This theme is further developed in Take Peace: A Corgi Cottage Christmas with Tasha Tudor, an enchanting documentary perfect for anyone who has ever enjoyed Tasha Tudor’s Christmas illustrations, as the illustrations apparently draw extensively on Tasha Tudor’s own Christmas traditions or possibly vice versa, in a virtuous cycle of candlelit charm.
If you can’t find the documentary, the photo book Forever Christmas appears to have been made in conjunction, and includes some material not included in the film. Can’t believe they left out the sleigh ride!
The Balloonatic: a remix of a Buster Keaton movie set to the music of… okay I should have taken notes, I can’t remember the band, suffice it to say that it was a recentish band to which you would perhaps not expect Buster Keaton to be set. Smashing Pumpkins maybe? Lots of interesting cutting of the film which I don’t really have the technical vocabulary to describe, but just like - cutting what was clearly once one long shot into multiple shots? Kind of synced to the music?
I dragged the Brunch Bunch along to this showing, and we agreed that we’d see another if another came to town. But as we were just about the only people in the theater it is perhaps unsurprising that the theater has not booked another. Even an arthouse cinema has to have an audience.
Interview with a Vampire: I posted a bit of comparison to the book, but did not take time to note that this movie is an A++ example of complete commitment to an aesthetic, the aesthetic in this case being “decadent opulence spattered in blood.” This is an occasional aesthetic for me rather than one I would like to live in, but I admire the commitment.
The Shape of Water: This was a big disappointment, to be honest. Guillermo del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth is one of my all-time favorites, so I went into this movie with high hopes, but honestly it just draaaaaaagged for me. Also highly doubt the ability of the fish-man from the Amazon to survive in the icy coastal waters of the Atlantic.
Kiki’s Delivery Service. A rewatch! Still one of my favorite movies, probably my top two Studio Ghibli with My Neighbor Totoro (but now I feel bad leaving out Spirited Away...) Love Kiki, love Jiji, love the richly detailed setting (which we dubbed “Francemany,” as it is clearly a mash-up of various European localities), love Miyazaki’s love of flying machines. This is an aesthetic I WOULD like to live in.
Also a couple of documentaries. Take Joy! The Magical World of Tasha Tudor is about Tudor’s life at Corgi Cottage, built and largely run in the style of a 19th century farmhouse, where Tudor lives with her goats, her doves, her corgyn (Tudor’s plural of corgi), her one-eyed cat Minou, and seven looms. (These are not all Tudor’s looms. Sometimes she gives house-space to a friend’s loom, if the friend doesn’t have loom room, a loom being a large contraption.) An inspiring example of building your own little world and living in it.
This theme is further developed in Take Peace: A Corgi Cottage Christmas with Tasha Tudor, an enchanting documentary perfect for anyone who has ever enjoyed Tasha Tudor’s Christmas illustrations, as the illustrations apparently draw extensively on Tasha Tudor’s own Christmas traditions or possibly vice versa, in a virtuous cycle of candlelit charm.
If you can’t find the documentary, the photo book Forever Christmas appears to have been made in conjunction, and includes some material not included in the film. Can’t believe they left out the sleigh ride!
Finally saw Zootopia 2!
Dec. 27th, 2025 04:00 pmconulyBefore I say anything, A would like you to know how extremely annoying it is that they played those "Arabian Nights" riffs every time the snake (Barry) appeared, and it would be annoying even if the plot ( Read more... )
They wouldn't shut up about it, so there we go. They're not wrong.
( Read more... )
They wouldn't shut up about it, so there we go. They're not wrong.
( Read more... )
Birdfeeding
Dec. 27th, 2025 02:17 pmysabetwordsmithToday is cloudy and mild.
I fed the birds. I've seen a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches.
I put out water for the birds.
EDIT 12/27/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.
EDIT 12/27/25 -- I did more work around the patio.
EDIT 12/27/25 -- I raked more in the parking lot. I had to make another line. It's exhausting and inefficient and not even making the stumps all that much easier to see.
EDIT 12/27/25 -- I did more work around the patio.
I've seen a fox squirrel at the hopper feeder.
I am done for the night.
I fed the birds. I've seen a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches.
I put out water for the birds.
EDIT 12/27/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.
EDIT 12/27/25 -- I did more work around the patio.
EDIT 12/27/25 -- I raked more in the parking lot. I had to make another line. It's exhausting and inefficient and not even making the stumps all that much easier to see.
EDIT 12/27/25 -- I did more work around the patio.
I've seen a fox squirrel at the hopper feeder.
I am done for the night.
Yuletide Recs!
Dec. 27th, 2025 11:51 amrachelmanijaHere are some Yuletide recs, sorted for your reading pleasure by whether or not you need to know the canon.
Do Not Need to Know Canon
Chalion/World of the Five Gods - Lois McMaster Bujold
a knock at your front door. I think all you need to know to read this story is that there are five Gods - the Mother, the Father, the Son, the Daughter, and the Bastard - who are definitely real but rarely interfere in human affairs. They can, however, make people saints - able to do limited miracles - if they need to. This story deals with the Father, the God least-explored in canon, and is set in modern-day Chalion. It's got a clever look at what modern Chalion might be like, a very likable main character, and some beautiful writing.
FAQ: The "Snake Fight" Portion of Your Thesis Defense - Luke Burns
If you've never read the canon, I've linked it above. It's extremely short and you will be glad you did. There are other "Snake Fight" stories and they're all fun.
Snake Logistics for Spring Defenses. Some students are just begging for a black mamba.
Need to Know Canon
Dragonriders of Pern - Anne McCaffrey
find the true. Mirrim and F'lar have a chat at a Gather. I enjoyed this conversation between two characters who I don't think ever exchange words in canon. Good characterization, good atmosphere.
Earthsea - Ursula K. Le Guin
to be useful, if not free. My gift! A backstory/canon diverge AU for Serret, the enchantress in A Wizard of Earthsea. Beautifully written, beautifully structured.
The Long Walk - Stephen King
There's No Discharge in the War. Stebbins in a time loop. Long, intense, often horrifying, sometimes very moving, and cleverly constructed story about Stebbins and the other Walkers.
"The Lottery" - Shirley Jackson; New Yorker RPF
Why one small American town won’t stop stoning its residents to death. Isaac Chotiner interviews the guy who runs the lottery in Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery." If you've never heard of him, he's a journalist who's very good at letting people hang themselves with their own words. The story is dead-on, hilarious, and chilling.
Lyra series/Caught in Crystal - Patricia Wrede
Three Things That Might Have Happened to Kayl Larrinar. My treat! A very satisfyingly bittersweet canon divergence AU for Kayl's Star Cluster, full of camaraderie and atmosphere.
Mushishi
I want to taste the shadows, too. A lovely little casefic/character study about Adashino, the guy who collects mushi-related stuff. It really feels like an episode of the anime, especially the final portion.
Some Like It Hot
Anchors Away. A short and very sweet post-movie coda.
Watership Down - Richard Adams
There is no bargain. Five encounters with The Black Rabbit of Inlé. An exploration of how the Black Rabbit is different things to different rabbits in different circumstances, very well-done, sometimes moving, sometimes chilling. The Black Rabbit is Death, so warning for rabbit death.
What have you enjoyed in the collection?
Do Not Need to Know Canon
Chalion/World of the Five Gods - Lois McMaster Bujold
a knock at your front door. I think all you need to know to read this story is that there are five Gods - the Mother, the Father, the Son, the Daughter, and the Bastard - who are definitely real but rarely interfere in human affairs. They can, however, make people saints - able to do limited miracles - if they need to. This story deals with the Father, the God least-explored in canon, and is set in modern-day Chalion. It's got a clever look at what modern Chalion might be like, a very likable main character, and some beautiful writing.
FAQ: The "Snake Fight" Portion of Your Thesis Defense - Luke Burns
If you've never read the canon, I've linked it above. It's extremely short and you will be glad you did. There are other "Snake Fight" stories and they're all fun.
Snake Logistics for Spring Defenses. Some students are just begging for a black mamba.
Need to Know Canon
Dragonriders of Pern - Anne McCaffrey
find the true. Mirrim and F'lar have a chat at a Gather. I enjoyed this conversation between two characters who I don't think ever exchange words in canon. Good characterization, good atmosphere.
Earthsea - Ursula K. Le Guin
to be useful, if not free. My gift! A backstory/canon diverge AU for Serret, the enchantress in A Wizard of Earthsea. Beautifully written, beautifully structured.
The Long Walk - Stephen King
There's No Discharge in the War. Stebbins in a time loop. Long, intense, often horrifying, sometimes very moving, and cleverly constructed story about Stebbins and the other Walkers.
"The Lottery" - Shirley Jackson; New Yorker RPF
Why one small American town won’t stop stoning its residents to death. Isaac Chotiner interviews the guy who runs the lottery in Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery." If you've never heard of him, he's a journalist who's very good at letting people hang themselves with their own words. The story is dead-on, hilarious, and chilling.
Lyra series/Caught in Crystal - Patricia Wrede
Three Things That Might Have Happened to Kayl Larrinar. My treat! A very satisfyingly bittersweet canon divergence AU for Kayl's Star Cluster, full of camaraderie and atmosphere.
Mushishi
I want to taste the shadows, too. A lovely little casefic/character study about Adashino, the guy who collects mushi-related stuff. It really feels like an episode of the anime, especially the final portion.
Some Like It Hot
Anchors Away. A short and very sweet post-movie coda.
Watership Down - Richard Adams
There is no bargain. Five encounters with The Black Rabbit of Inlé. An exploration of how the Black Rabbit is different things to different rabbits in different circumstances, very well-done, sometimes moving, sometimes chilling. The Black Rabbit is Death, so warning for rabbit death.
What have you enjoyed in the collection?
(no subject)
Dec. 27th, 2025 12:56 pmvvalkyriI'm not sure I've ever had quite so much fomo about a single night event in another city. I would not have been able to leave DC until yesterday and as it turns out I have maintenance at 9a Monday to handle the shower leak I had thought was my fridge. (Which tells you how much parquet is toasted.). So flying would have been a mess and the huge SWA sale the flights weren't until Jan 8.
But damn I wish there were something specific really competing back here this weekend.
(It's not that I can't fill the time with things I need to do and with people I haven't seen for a while. Need to check in as to whether I'm going to Jewish Museum for the GBLT Jews in the capital city exhibit today. Glen Echo is dark. I have an invite to a different sort of dance tonight as well. )
But it's folks I really like and I don't necessarily see on other visits to that city and there's a whole lot of people I would really like to see and they would all be in one place.
And it's too late to drive. And honestly I don't know how much I trust Ms Olds for a drive that far. It's not like I haven't done that drive in one day a number of times. She's probably okay? But it didn't even dawn on me that driving could conceivably be a thing, because I have had so little brain all month. I mean granted it also sounds like they just had snow. And yesterday was supposed to be freezing rain here.
There's a whole lot of reasons I'm not up there and I hate it.
But damn I wish there were something specific really competing back here this weekend.
(It's not that I can't fill the time with things I need to do and with people I haven't seen for a while. Need to check in as to whether I'm going to Jewish Museum for the GBLT Jews in the capital city exhibit today. Glen Echo is dark. I have an invite to a different sort of dance tonight as well. )
But it's folks I really like and I don't necessarily see on other visits to that city and there's a whole lot of people I would really like to see and they would all be in one place.
And it's too late to drive. And honestly I don't know how much I trust Ms Olds for a drive that far. It's not like I haven't done that drive in one day a number of times. She's probably okay? But it didn't even dawn on me that driving could conceivably be a thing, because I have had so little brain all month. I mean granted it also sounds like they just had snow. And yesterday was supposed to be freezing rain here.
There's a whole lot of reasons I'm not up there and I hate it.
There is absolutely nothing that everybody should read, right?
Dec. 27th, 2025 04:11 pmoursinThis came via calimac: The 14 children's classics every adult should read
Oh yeah?
I read Ballet Shoes but as I recall, the first Streatfeild that actually crossed my reading eyes was Party Frock, okay, not so iconic a work.
I have to confess that I was recommended The Hobbit in my first year at uni in that unprepossessing circumstance of 'bloke I was not terribly impressed with' pressing it upon me.
I was well past childhood when Watership Down became a lapine phenomenon, but have read it.
As far as I can recall, I read Treasure Island when I was 7 or 8 and have never returned to it, perhaps I should.
Have no memory of The Enchanted Wood as such, but am pretty sure Miss S in primary school read us The Magic Faraway Tree one afternoon.
My first contact with Anne of Green Gables was retold in pictures in either Girl or Princess but we subsequently acquired copies of this and ?one or two of the sequels, or were these in the school library?
Little Women: now that one I did read at a very early age.
Ditto the Alice books.
My Family and Other Animals was one of offerings of my parents' book club - how has it become a children's classic?
The Secret Garden and The Wind in the Willows (also the Pooh books which are shamefully missing from this list) were Christmastime special offers from aforementioned book club.
I have never read The Little Prince, though I've osmosed a certain amount about it.
I don't think I read The Railway Children until I was of maturer years: my first Nesbit was The House of Arden, borrowed from Our Friends Along the Street, and I think maybe The Treasure Seekers and The Wouldbegoods on primary school library shelf?
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was a Christmas present (Penguin edition) when I was 10 or 11, and I went on to read the rest via the good offices of the local public library.
These all seem a bit somehow obvious? Without disputing their classic status, it's still a somewhat banal line-up.
Snowy Day
Dec. 27th, 2025 09:35 amshadowkat1. It's the first real snowfall of the season, and the world looks soft and clean with snow outside my window. As opposed to drab and in need of a thorough washing or at least a toss or two in the washer. Soft puffs of snow decorate each and every brank outside, and leaves now,, finally, fallen, no longer present a hindrance to the decoration.
Melting won't happen any time soon, with temperatures in the teens and low twenties (Fahrenheit). (When I type my posts in this journal, it's easy to forget that I'm corresponding with the world and not just my own locality or myself. Long gone are the days in which that was the case, and for the most part I'm happy about that.) Putting thoughts and words out there for whomever happens by - can be discomforting, when I stop long enough to ponder it.)
Done little this holiday season, except rest and ice my knee (or attempt to) and do knee exercises. I'm paying for ignoring the knee during the summer and fall months. Although in my defense, I thought it was just a sciatic nerve - and the best way of handling that is often to muddle through. Also did random chores (which didn't involve utilizing the knee - ie, no getting down on my knees or squatting), and watched television.
2. I've made it through Buffy S5 rewatch, which upon rewatch - I now understand why people are split over it. ( Read more... )
3. Last night, watched One Battle After Another - Paul Thomas Anderson's new film, starring Leo DiCaprio and Scean Penn, along with Teyana Taylor and Chase Infiniti. It's about a washed up revolutionary, who has to come to terms with his revolutionary past to save his daughter and himself from those pursuing them. Half satire, half suspenseful thrill ride, it's a mixed bag? I found it slow in spots, particularly to start, and difficult to get into, but once it got rolling, it became more suspenseful, and hilarious in places. There are some very funny sequences in it - mainly involving DiCaprio. It is definitely topical and highlights the abuses of power not to mention deep-rooted racism by Homeland Security and ICE. (Although uses different names for them.)
4. For the most part, I'm on a news diet - so only have a passing awareness of what is happening outside my window. I did however hear in passing that numerous folks have resigned their positions from the ultra-Conservative Think Tank, also known as the Heritage Foundation. What caused this latest fracture and exodus? Apparently the anti-semitism got to them finally - and they jumped ship to join Mike Pence.
5. Memage:
( catching up on memage )
Melting won't happen any time soon, with temperatures in the teens and low twenties (Fahrenheit). (When I type my posts in this journal, it's easy to forget that I'm corresponding with the world and not just my own locality or myself. Long gone are the days in which that was the case, and for the most part I'm happy about that.) Putting thoughts and words out there for whomever happens by - can be discomforting, when I stop long enough to ponder it.)
Done little this holiday season, except rest and ice my knee (or attempt to) and do knee exercises. I'm paying for ignoring the knee during the summer and fall months. Although in my defense, I thought it was just a sciatic nerve - and the best way of handling that is often to muddle through. Also did random chores (which didn't involve utilizing the knee - ie, no getting down on my knees or squatting), and watched television.
2. I've made it through Buffy S5 rewatch, which upon rewatch - I now understand why people are split over it. ( Read more... )
3. Last night, watched One Battle After Another - Paul Thomas Anderson's new film, starring Leo DiCaprio and Scean Penn, along with Teyana Taylor and Chase Infiniti. It's about a washed up revolutionary, who has to come to terms with his revolutionary past to save his daughter and himself from those pursuing them. Half satire, half suspenseful thrill ride, it's a mixed bag? I found it slow in spots, particularly to start, and difficult to get into, but once it got rolling, it became more suspenseful, and hilarious in places. There are some very funny sequences in it - mainly involving DiCaprio. It is definitely topical and highlights the abuses of power not to mention deep-rooted racism by Homeland Security and ICE. (Although uses different names for them.)
4. For the most part, I'm on a news diet - so only have a passing awareness of what is happening outside my window. I did however hear in passing that numerous folks have resigned their positions from the ultra-Conservative Think Tank, also known as the Heritage Foundation. What caused this latest fracture and exodus? Apparently the anti-semitism got to them finally - and they jumped ship to join Mike Pence.
5. Memage:
( catching up on memage )
children's classics
Dec. 27th, 2025 04:05 amcalimacBritish newspaper article by Anna Bonet, listing "The 14 children's classics every adult should read." Most of them British, of course. Organizing them by my experience with them, they are:
Read in childhood
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
Watership Down by Richard Adams
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
The Railway Children by E. Nesbit
The Hobbit I encountered at 11, and it changed my life. I would not be most of the things I am today if I had not read The Hobbit. The Railway Children I remember enjoying at about the same age, but I haven't seen it since. I know Nesbit mostly through adult introduction to her as a foundational children's fantasist. Alice and The Little Prince were OK, but didn't really grab me. Watership Down wasn't published in the US until I was 17, but that was the perfect age to find it. Not even excepting Earthsea, which has a different feel, it is the only post-Tolkien epic fantasy with the same sweep and power. (Most of them are utter crap.)
Failed to read in childhood
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
One of two classics I was given in childhood that I utterly bounced off of; the other was one of C.S. Forester's Hornblower novels. I did like Tom Sawyer.
First read in adulthood
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
The Wind in the Willows, which I picked up at about 24, is the one children's classic that I didn't encounter until adulthood that has become as dear to me as my childhood favorites. I read the entire Narnian saga when I joined the Mythopoeic Society at 18, having previously ignored Lewis; I found them thin and not particularly appealing. The other two I don't remember when I read them, but only once each. They were OK, but I find I rather preferred their cinematic adaptations.
Not read
Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild
The Enchanted Wood by Enid Blyton
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell
I think I may have picked up the Durrell at one point, but I didn't read much if so. I had a different encounter with Streatfeild, as I had another book of hers as a child, The Children on the Top Floor, which I did like very much (and still do, actually). Enid Blyton was completely unknown in the US in my childhood, though she's seeped in a little since then. I'd heard of Anne of Green Gables but never ran across it.
Read in childhood
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
Watership Down by Richard Adams
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
The Railway Children by E. Nesbit
The Hobbit I encountered at 11, and it changed my life. I would not be most of the things I am today if I had not read The Hobbit. The Railway Children I remember enjoying at about the same age, but I haven't seen it since. I know Nesbit mostly through adult introduction to her as a foundational children's fantasist. Alice and The Little Prince were OK, but didn't really grab me. Watership Down wasn't published in the US until I was 17, but that was the perfect age to find it. Not even excepting Earthsea, which has a different feel, it is the only post-Tolkien epic fantasy with the same sweep and power. (Most of them are utter crap.)
Failed to read in childhood
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
One of two classics I was given in childhood that I utterly bounced off of; the other was one of C.S. Forester's Hornblower novels. I did like Tom Sawyer.
First read in adulthood
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
The Wind in the Willows, which I picked up at about 24, is the one children's classic that I didn't encounter until adulthood that has become as dear to me as my childhood favorites. I read the entire Narnian saga when I joined the Mythopoeic Society at 18, having previously ignored Lewis; I found them thin and not particularly appealing. The other two I don't remember when I read them, but only once each. They were OK, but I find I rather preferred their cinematic adaptations.
Not read
Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild
The Enchanted Wood by Enid Blyton
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell
I think I may have picked up the Durrell at one point, but I didn't read much if so. I had a different encounter with Streatfeild, as I had another book of hers as a child, The Children on the Top Floor, which I did like very much (and still do, actually). Enid Blyton was completely unknown in the US in my childhood, though she's seeped in a little since then. I'd heard of Anne of Green Gables but never ran across it.
Philosophical Questions: Government
Dec. 27th, 2025 02:32 amysabetwordsmithPeople have expressed interest in deep topics, so this list focuses on philosophical questions.
Do you think there will ever be a global government? If a world government did come to power, assuming it wasn’t particularly cruel or evil, would it be a good or bad thing?
( Read more... )
Do you think there will ever be a global government? If a world government did come to power, assuming it wasn’t particularly cruel or evil, would it be a good or bad thing?
( Read more... )
Photos: Lights on the Prairie Part 2
Dec. 26th, 2025 11:52 pmysabetwordsmithThese are the rest of the pictures from Lights on the Prairie. Begin with Part 1. Read Today's Adventures for a more detailed text description.
( Walk with me ... )
( Walk with me ... )
Photos: Lights on the Prairie Part 1
Dec. 26th, 2025 11:04 pmysabetwordsmithToday we went to see Lights on the Prairie. I took a lot of pictures, with variable results. Some look good, some are fuzzy. That's okay because I like off-focus light pictures, from fuzzy or squiggly to downright abstract. My partner Doug says that to get really good pictures of the place would take a tripod and a slower exposure. I tend to agree. I don't even know if my camera has a "night" setting, so I just swapped between flash and no flash. It was fun anyhow. Continue with Part 2.
Here there be spoilers...
( Walk with me ... )
Here there be spoilers...
( Walk with me ... )