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And, lo, here we have the Subscribe to Filters poll.
I tend to post a lot of things locked and filtered. Some security decisions I make myself, but most of my filters are content filters. The divisions are as follows:
( Filter descriptions and poll )
Resources for huddling
Nov. 5th, 2024 10:10 amCoyo has a good point. Many of us are huddling up today, and there should be activities or treats or something. So I'm crossposting from tumblr:
I hereby declare the Huddle of Fic. Link a few of your (or someone else's) most distracting works (long, hilarious, sexy, hopeful, whatever metric jives).
In Every Time and Season ( long Nirvana in Fire fixit arc, because I can't be having with that ending)
Changes (Guardian fixit arc, likewise)
Avalanche (long Naruto fixit arc; got several grateful comments in 2016, so this one comes vetted for the purpose)
Every Night and All (long Prince of Tennis fixit arc, because wtf Konomi?)
Ivory Bridges (GetBackers fixit arc; you may be detecting a pattern, here)
Choice (Katekyou Hitman Reborn AUs; a sprawling set of KHR AUs, only really related by having the same authors and starting point)
And, of course, we must include Tennis Sanctuary, the most cracked out multi-crossover you have met in a while, of which I was one of the two main writers.
Or, you know, just go browse. Fixits and happy endings are kind of what I do.
I hereby declare the Huddle of Fic. Link a few of your (or someone else's) most distracting works (long, hilarious, sexy, hopeful, whatever metric jives).
In Every Time and Season ( long Nirvana in Fire fixit arc, because I can't be having with that ending)
Changes (Guardian fixit arc, likewise)
Avalanche (long Naruto fixit arc; got several grateful comments in 2016, so this one comes vetted for the purpose)
Every Night and All (long Prince of Tennis fixit arc, because wtf Konomi?)
Ivory Bridges (GetBackers fixit arc; you may be detecting a pattern, here)
Choice (Katekyou Hitman Reborn AUs; a sprawling set of KHR AUs, only really related by having the same authors and starting point)
And, of course, we must include Tennis Sanctuary, the most cracked out multi-crossover you have met in a while, of which I was one of the two main writers.
Or, you know, just go browse. Fixits and happy endings are kind of what I do.
The triumph of technology over technology
Aug. 12th, 2024 12:10 pmSUCK IT, APPLE, YOU LOSERS, YOUR AIRPLAY PIECE OF CRAP IS FIXED.
Ahem. That is to say, I found a way around one of AirPlay's known persistent bugs. Since this calls for both gloating and some documentation, here we go.
AirPlay (Apple's stream-music-over-wifi protocol) has two known bugs that are incredibly annoying and have not been fixed for twenty years. (Cue gnashing of teeth, etc.)
1: You can't edit a song's metadata in iTunes/Music while AirPlay is enabled. Want to change the genre? Add a comment? Fix the artist's name? Too bad! Even worse, sometimes it will look like the tags were changed, but the change will not actually be written to the file, and as soon as you turn AirPlay off five years worth of changes will disappear and leave you screaming into the void. Just as a totally random example. All you can do about this is turn AirPlay off every time you want to edit the metadata, so the changes take.
2: iTunes/Music has a setting that will normalize the loudness of songs--that is, adjust the gain so they all play at about the same loudness regardless of what the actual file is recorded at. But this setting doesn't work while you're using AirPlay! So if you have, for example, playlists with songs from different artists, it's very likely you'll either constantly be adjusting the volume or just living with the nails-on-blackboard unevenness.
I have over 9000 songs in my music library and mostly listen to mixed playlists, so you can imagine that this became fairly critical when I finally decided AirPlay was the best option for my upstairs speakers. Thankfully, while I still can't do anything about 1, I have found a solution for 2. It requires several steps, and that you be on a laptop/desktop rather than a tablet or phone.
( details below )
Of course, I'm going to need to do the mp3-conversion and normalizing steps again every time I add new music, but between Audacity's batch conversion and MP3 Normalizer's batch conversion, this should not be onerous. Annoying, but not onerous.
Ahem. That is to say, I found a way around one of AirPlay's known persistent bugs. Since this calls for both gloating and some documentation, here we go.
AirPlay (Apple's stream-music-over-wifi protocol) has two known bugs that are incredibly annoying and have not been fixed for twenty years. (Cue gnashing of teeth, etc.)
1: You can't edit a song's metadata in iTunes/Music while AirPlay is enabled. Want to change the genre? Add a comment? Fix the artist's name? Too bad! Even worse, sometimes it will look like the tags were changed, but the change will not actually be written to the file, and as soon as you turn AirPlay off five years worth of changes will disappear and leave you screaming into the void. Just as a totally random example. All you can do about this is turn AirPlay off every time you want to edit the metadata, so the changes take.
2: iTunes/Music has a setting that will normalize the loudness of songs--that is, adjust the gain so they all play at about the same loudness regardless of what the actual file is recorded at. But this setting doesn't work while you're using AirPlay! So if you have, for example, playlists with songs from different artists, it's very likely you'll either constantly be adjusting the volume or just living with the nails-on-blackboard unevenness.
I have over 9000 songs in my music library and mostly listen to mixed playlists, so you can imagine that this became fairly critical when I finally decided AirPlay was the best option for my upstairs speakers. Thankfully, while I still can't do anything about 1, I have found a solution for 2. It requires several steps, and that you be on a laptop/desktop rather than a tablet or phone.
( details below )
Of course, I'm going to need to do the mp3-conversion and normalizing steps again every time I add new music, but between Audacity's batch conversion and MP3 Normalizer's batch conversion, this should not be onerous. Annoying, but not onerous.
Last round
Apr. 13th, 2024 04:30 pmFor weeks, I have been complaining bitterly, if only to myself, about spending every weekend hauling across town from New Home to Old Apartment to do final moving and cleaning. Getting my plants ported over. Hauling bags of trash out. Going over the walls with pliers and screwdriver, and then spackle in a few places. All of it taking up time that I could be spending, just for example, starting to straighten out the disaster area that is currently my basement, which looks a bit like someone took a moving truck and just shook it out over the room.
Today I made my final visit, to shampoo out a few really be-catted spots on the carpet. And then I was done.
And then it was time to say goodbye.
I’ve been in that apartment for six years. It was a lovely apartment, in a really good location. Vaulted living room ceiling. Half an hour bus ride to work, door to door. And okay, so I was literal stone’s throw from a major interstate, and occasionally got neighbors who did things like shooting their compound bow across the road (where a miss too high would have hit one of the cars on said interstate), and the management companies have not changed for the better. But as I did my final walk-through, and locked all the windows, and let down the blinds, and touched all the walls, and said goodbye and thank you and wished for good next people, I still cried.
Have good people, little apartment, and take care of the next ones as well as you took care of me.
Today I made my final visit, to shampoo out a few really be-catted spots on the carpet. And then I was done.
And then it was time to say goodbye.
I’ve been in that apartment for six years. It was a lovely apartment, in a really good location. Vaulted living room ceiling. Half an hour bus ride to work, door to door. And okay, so I was literal stone’s throw from a major interstate, and occasionally got neighbors who did things like shooting their compound bow across the road (where a miss too high would have hit one of the cars on said interstate), and the management companies have not changed for the better. But as I did my final walk-through, and locked all the windows, and let down the blinds, and touched all the walls, and said goodbye and thank you and wished for good next people, I still cried.
Have good people, little apartment, and take care of the next ones as well as you took care of me.
IT'S HAPPENING
Jan. 4th, 2024 04:39 pmOmgomgomgomg, I'm gonna have a house again! Inspection is complete and I know what needs work. Contract is signed, with all addenda. UNDERWRITING IS COMPLETE, OMG. IT'S HAPPENING.
[insert wild Kermit flailing here]
And oh my gosh, it's such a cute place. Cape cod, and I've always loved those rooflines, and the whole upstairs is basically the master suite, and there's a partially finished basement, and such a pretty street full of trees, and AAAAAAAAA IT'S ALMOST MINE.
Okay, going to go breathe into my trusty paper bag some more.
[insert wild Kermit flailing here]
And oh my gosh, it's such a cute place. Cape cod, and I've always loved those rooflines, and the whole upstairs is basically the master suite, and there's a partially finished basement, and such a pretty street full of trees, and AAAAAAAAA IT'S ALMOST MINE.
Okay, going to go breathe into my trusty paper bag some more.
Snowflakes Sometime
Jan. 3rd, 2024 11:19 amI never do these on time or all of them, but let's do a few.
Fannish update!
I'm not watching/reading a whole lot of new material; like many, my cope is running low. I am still following Meitantei Conan (the small resolutions are soothing), and I'm accumulating Soul Land 2 until I think I have at least one whole arc. I did pull down the new Bleach and reboot Kenshin material for when I have cope again. I continue to keep an eye out for new seasons of Bungo Stray Dogs and Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei. A bit more desultorily, I keep an eye out for CCS Clear Card issues, if only to see whether CLAMP will actually manage to end this one. And, of course, there's Wayne Family Adventures, because thank goodness for some writers with an actual sense of humor for a change.
Tangentially, I have switched my media storage drives over to SSD, and continue very satisfied with that.
Writing has been very sporadic for the last few years, but I do get nibbles on the WIPs every now and then, sometimes from very old fandoms (see also finally getting Every Night and Alle done after being away from Tenipuri for years). Possibly the Touken Ranbu Hanamaru story will come back around soon, because that series is adorably silly and also chock full of fanservice, which is generally good bunny-bait. We shall see.
Fannish update!
I'm not watching/reading a whole lot of new material; like many, my cope is running low. I am still following Meitantei Conan (the small resolutions are soothing), and I'm accumulating Soul Land 2 until I think I have at least one whole arc. I did pull down the new Bleach and reboot Kenshin material for when I have cope again. I continue to keep an eye out for new seasons of Bungo Stray Dogs and Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei. A bit more desultorily, I keep an eye out for CCS Clear Card issues, if only to see whether CLAMP will actually manage to end this one. And, of course, there's Wayne Family Adventures, because thank goodness for some writers with an actual sense of humor for a change.
Tangentially, I have switched my media storage drives over to SSD, and continue very satisfied with that.
Writing has been very sporadic for the last few years, but I do get nibbles on the WIPs every now and then, sometimes from very old fandoms (see also finally getting Every Night and Alle done after being away from Tenipuri for years). Possibly the Touken Ranbu Hanamaru story will come back around soon, because that series is adorably silly and also chock full of fanservice, which is generally good bunny-bait. We shall see.
I am delighted to report that the Battle of the Illuminations continues in full force, this year, and downtown appears to be winning.
The tree lights now encompass five blocks of Main, two of State, and four connecting streets, including the entire connecting length of Liberty. Plus miscellaneous offshoots like the First St parking lot. They were not lit until December 1, this year, presumably so as to stay lit through all of February, but they do seem to be lit 24 hours a day, which is a huge "fuck right off" to the holiday lighting policy.
I am entirely charmed, and my spirits are suitably lifted.
The tree lights now encompass five blocks of Main, two of State, and four connecting streets, including the entire connecting length of Liberty. Plus miscellaneous offshoots like the First St parking lot. They were not lit until December 1, this year, presumably so as to stay lit through all of February, but they do seem to be lit 24 hours a day, which is a huge "fuck right off" to the holiday lighting policy.
I am entirely charmed, and my spirits are suitably lifted.
It is begun
Dec. 2nd, 2023 10:50 amI have started my house hunt! Target move is March, closing at the end of January or mid February.
I have a thoroughly vouched for and, so far, very efficient realtor.
Zillow assures me that there are a solid handful of places in my price range (if only barely in some cases) that I would be happy to live in.
I have a downpayment that will ensure only a short period of that deeply annoying "you aren't rich" tax known as mortgage insurance.
I have an appointment with my bank next week. I have the money. I could (barely) do a 15 year at current rates, though I doubt I'll get approved for that. But once rates come down I can immediately refinance to a 15 year and be quite comfortable.
I am good, I am ready, I am prepared!
I am SO NERVOUS. Nerves actually woke me up hours early this morning, which I hope is a temporary thing, because not fun. It is very much breathing into a paper bag time.
I have a thoroughly vouched for and, so far, very efficient realtor.
Zillow assures me that there are a solid handful of places in my price range (if only barely in some cases) that I would be happy to live in.
I have a downpayment that will ensure only a short period of that deeply annoying "you aren't rich" tax known as mortgage insurance.
I have an appointment with my bank next week. I have the money. I could (barely) do a 15 year at current rates, though I doubt I'll get approved for that. But once rates come down I can immediately refinance to a 15 year and be quite comfortable.
I am good, I am ready, I am prepared!
I am SO NERVOUS. Nerves actually woke me up hours early this morning, which I hope is a temporary thing, because not fun. It is very much breathing into a paper bag time.
Alive, possibly kicking a little
Nov. 18th, 2023 04:25 pmOkay, I have finally had a week in which nothing broke catastrophically, things actually went mostly well, no one needed killing, and I’ve got a few things shoved off my plate.
Fucking finally.
And just in time for the season of wrapping, decorating, and cooking! Accordingly, the six presents I’ve laid hands on so far are wrapped (and in one case boxed for shipping), the icicle lights are strung and hooked up to their timer, I have cleaned the sliding glass doors on what is likely the last day of the year warm enough to do so, and a massive batch of chili is simmering.
Tomorrow will be for cleaning the kitchen and bathroom, and pulling tree fixings down from the closet.
It is now time for cooking wine, as in the wine you drink while you cook. [toasts the internet]
Fucking finally.
And just in time for the season of wrapping, decorating, and cooking! Accordingly, the six presents I’ve laid hands on so far are wrapped (and in one case boxed for shipping), the icicle lights are strung and hooked up to their timer, I have cleaned the sliding glass doors on what is likely the last day of the year warm enough to do so, and a massive batch of chili is simmering.
Tomorrow will be for cleaning the kitchen and bathroom, and pulling tree fixings down from the closet.
It is now time for cooking wine, as in the wine you drink while you cook. [toasts the internet]
But when it works
Nov. 10th, 2023 12:17 pmBranch: [spends over a month speed-running new edtech adoption, vetting three tools, organizing demos, being stalked by vendors, wringing votes out of the stakeholder faculty] Contestant B, you are the winner! Gimme a pilot contract and we'll negotiate.
Vendor B: [nearly salivating into their email] Possibly 10K users, you say? Possibly 20K? Why yes, we can do you an unlimited pilot for dirt cheap, and would you like to see our price teiring with massive discounts for volume? Would it help if you just gave us a Purchase Order and we'll get your faculty access before the contract actually goes through? Whatever you need! XD XD XD
Branch: [down to about one millimeter of cope, finally relaxes] It's good to beking, over half of a large and prestigious university, king.
Vendor B: [nearly salivating into their email] Possibly 10K users, you say? Possibly 20K? Why yes, we can do you an unlimited pilot for dirt cheap, and would you like to see our price teiring with massive discounts for volume? Would it help if you just gave us a Purchase Order and we'll get your faculty access before the contract actually goes through? Whatever you need! XD XD XD
Branch: [down to about one millimeter of cope, finally relaxes] It's good to be
Proof of life
Oct. 26th, 2023 12:19 pmStill here. Haven't killed anyone yet, despite something new breaking in a truly catastrophic way every week this term.
But it's peak color, this week, and this year it coincides nicely with the week that it's sunrise during my ride in to work, so I got to watch all the gold and red and green leaves nearly under-lit and glowing in the first sunlight.
Also, I went to a Halloween wine tasting party last night, and it was great fun. Black stemware, so we were all drinking blind and guessing by scent and taste. I got two out of five, which I feel very accomplished about since they were a Chenin Blanc and an un-oaked Chardonnay. And there was great food, and an opportunity to dress up. We had two full-on, con-level Mandalorians. I stuck with a black dress and the most Utena jewelry set ever (black and silver roses everywhere).
And now I have to go try not to kill some more people.
But it's peak color, this week, and this year it coincides nicely with the week that it's sunrise during my ride in to work, so I got to watch all the gold and red and green leaves nearly under-lit and glowing in the first sunlight.
Also, I went to a Halloween wine tasting party last night, and it was great fun. Black stemware, so we were all drinking blind and guessing by scent and taste. I got two out of five, which I feel very accomplished about since they were a Chenin Blanc and an un-oaked Chardonnay. And there was great food, and an opportunity to dress up. We had two full-on, con-level Mandalorians. I stuck with a black dress and the most Utena jewelry set ever (black and silver roses everywhere).
And now I have to go try not to kill some more people.
Ruminations on design
Oct. 6th, 2023 11:49 amSo, I've been playing Design Home a lot lately, because one of my coping mechanisms is displacement organizing, and this game is extremely good for that. And part of it is, of course, a/b voting on other people's designs. Observing my own voting inclinations, and trialing them in my own rooms, I have come up with the following rules of in-game design, and figured they might entertain.
All the elements of a space need to work together. An geometric blue print mixed in among blue flowered print of a different shade is going to be jarring. Filling one of the game's wildly ornate "French" rooms (it's Rococo, just call it that, omg) with square, plain furniture is unlikely to hit voters' "yes, correct" reflex. If the accessory set of the month is bright orange, then by god, get that glowingly orange couch and click that sucker in there. That said...
Black furniture will not stand out well against a black room. If you have a room in neutrals, use colored furniture. If you have a room with an intense accent color wall, put a neutral against it. This is not to say low-contrast palettes can't work very well; but things have to stand out well enough to be seen.
A room needs to be comfortably filled out. If it's a big room with just a love-seat and a desk chair in it, it looks like that terrible stage of moving in when you're there with just the things you could cram into your car because the moving van hasn't arrived yet. It's certainly possible to over-stuff a room, but I much more often see rooms that are way too sparse.
These are the things I find myself voting based on, and they've been good guidelines to winding up with a good-looking room. Even if I feel a little dirty about it, when it's one of the Rococo rooms.
Commit to the Bit
All the elements of a space need to work together. An geometric blue print mixed in among blue flowered print of a different shade is going to be jarring. Filling one of the game's wildly ornate "French" rooms (it's Rococo, just call it that, omg) with square, plain furniture is unlikely to hit voters' "yes, correct" reflex. If the accessory set of the month is bright orange, then by god, get that glowingly orange couch and click that sucker in there. That said...
Contrast is Good
Black furniture will not stand out well against a black room. If you have a room in neutrals, use colored furniture. If you have a room with an intense accent color wall, put a neutral against it. This is not to say low-contrast palettes can't work very well; but things have to stand out well enough to be seen.
Fill the Space
A room needs to be comfortably filled out. If it's a big room with just a love-seat and a desk chair in it, it looks like that terrible stage of moving in when you're there with just the things you could cram into your car because the moving van hasn't arrived yet. It's certainly possible to over-stuff a room, but I much more often see rooms that are way too sparse.
These are the things I find myself voting based on, and they've been good guidelines to winding up with a good-looking room. Even if I feel a little dirty about it, when it's one of the Rococo rooms.
The Ongoing Saga of Backup Power
Sep. 2nd, 2023 12:37 pmSo, I feel like it's about time to document this a bit. Electric in my area is, shall we say, less than stellar. It flickers at a stiff breeze. This whole area is well known for losing power on clear, sunny days for no apparent reason. The grid is ancient and the main power utility in this area is way more inclined to brightly offer you reduced power at peak times for a small incentive than to actually invest in grid updates. But it wasn't critical for most of us until this year.
This year we had the catastrophic ice storm in February that flat-out ripped down about 15-20% of the already shaky infrastructure. Power was down for a week, more in some places. Then there was quite an impressive storm in July that actually closed the Art Fair for a few hours (almost unheard-of) and the heart of downtown lost power in places. Then we had what was essentially a 30 second hurricane in early August, which miraculously did not hit our power lines while throwing two thirds of a mature sycamore almost straight at my porch, that was very exciting. Then we had a "500 year" storm in late August (man those percentages need updating now) and lost power for several more days, but hey at least none of the seven tornadoes landed on top of me--quite.
It is becoming increasingly urgent to have backups that will let me function without power for up to a week, is what I'm saying.
( So the saga begins )
Obviously, I'm rolling the cost of a whole-house generator into the mortgage, when I house hunt. But in the meantime, I feel reasonably well set for the next time the power goes down for days, which I expect will be in another couple of weeks now it's storm season.
This year we had the catastrophic ice storm in February that flat-out ripped down about 15-20% of the already shaky infrastructure. Power was down for a week, more in some places. Then there was quite an impressive storm in July that actually closed the Art Fair for a few hours (almost unheard-of) and the heart of downtown lost power in places. Then we had what was essentially a 30 second hurricane in early August, which miraculously did not hit our power lines while throwing two thirds of a mature sycamore almost straight at my porch, that was very exciting. Then we had a "500 year" storm in late August (man those percentages need updating now) and lost power for several more days, but hey at least none of the seven tornadoes landed on top of me--quite.
It is becoming increasingly urgent to have backups that will let me function without power for up to a week, is what I'm saying.
( So the saga begins )
Obviously, I'm rolling the cost of a whole-house generator into the mortgage, when I house hunt. But in the meantime, I feel reasonably well set for the next time the power goes down for days, which I expect will be in another couple of weeks now it's storm season.
Really, people?
Aug. 30th, 2023 12:20 pmSo, we have network back at work! Yay! Also, the process of at risk accounts all re-setting their passwords has begun. The email thread for that looks kind of like this:
1) Here's the list of people who need to re-set their passwords please; it needs to be done in person at the moment, thank you!
2) Everyone on the list, please report to campus to re-set your passwords in person; we know this is a pain, but we need to get this done.
3) DO NOT REUSE AN OLD PASSWORD, RESET IT TO SOMETHING NEW FOR THE LOVE OF GOD.
You can almost hear the twang as that director's temper hit the end of its rope. I'm just sitting over here with my popcorn, since none of my people are on the list.
1) Here's the list of people who need to re-set their passwords please; it needs to be done in person at the moment, thank you!
2) Everyone on the list, please report to campus to re-set your passwords in person; we know this is a pain, but we need to get this done.
3) DO NOT REUSE AN OLD PASSWORD, RESET IT TO SOMETHING NEW FOR THE LOVE OF GOD.
You can almost hear the twang as that director's temper hit the end of its rope. I'm just sitting over here with my popcorn, since none of my people are on the list.
So. That happened.
Aug. 28th, 2023 04:08 pmIt is the first day of classes for my university. The start of a new year! The day of greatest possible stress, for much of the faculty, staff, and student body!
So of course, we had a severe cybersecurity attack last night and central IT disconnected the entire campus computer system.
Today there is no network, wired or wireless, on campus. The websites are all down. The cloud services are all down, because our single sign-on authentication system is housed on campus. There are no rosters. There are no maps. There is no email unless you already had an active session going, and also cel service. There is no logging in to any campus computer (see again, re SSO).
On the first day of Fall classes. Which have gone forward any old how.
Only one of my teams can actually do anything about this, and I will be acquiring swag for them in thanks for manning the desk with locally downloaded PDFs of the class schedule so they can look up class locations for students who walk in. Or, in all likelihood, stagger in wild-eyed with panic.
So how was your Monday?
So of course, we had a severe cybersecurity attack last night and central IT disconnected the entire campus computer system.
Today there is no network, wired or wireless, on campus. The websites are all down. The cloud services are all down, because our single sign-on authentication system is housed on campus. There are no rosters. There are no maps. There is no email unless you already had an active session going, and also cel service. There is no logging in to any campus computer (see again, re SSO).
On the first day of Fall classes. Which have gone forward any old how.
Only one of my teams can actually do anything about this, and I will be acquiring swag for them in thanks for manning the desk with locally downloaded PDFs of the class schedule so they can look up class locations for students who walk in. Or, in all likelihood, stagger in wild-eyed with panic.
So how was your Monday?
Both is good
Jun. 21st, 2023 06:52 pmI am pleased to report that the Black Pearl knows how to do summer just as gloriously as winter. Today I got my usual seat by what is normally a wall of windows, and today was slid completely open. So I was indoors, yet outdoors, with cool and warm air swirling together deliciously, and a really excellent cucumber cocktail to enjoy it with as the summer music festival crowd strolled by.
And then I got some also excellent fudge on the way home, and the world is good.
Also at Extreme Fire Risk, but so it goes.
And then I got some also excellent fudge on the way home, and the world is good.
Also at Extreme Fire Risk, but so it goes.
It’s sprung
Apr. 12th, 2023 09:20 pmWe are having a week long heat wave, and all the plants are very into it. After so long dragging along in the 30’s and 40’s that only the hardiest of ephemerals dared bloom, on Tuesday every magnolia tree in the city burst into bloom as one, as if it were a coordinated collective bargaining move. The violets all bloomed in solidarity, and the no-mow lawns are carpets of white and purple.
Today all the dogwoods and forsythia joined the movement, and the fruit trees are clearly all rushing for thepicket blooming lines with drinks and snacks. I’m pretty sure the tulip trees will join the march tomorrow.
Best of all, my potted hydrangea overwintered successfully, and is sprouting green on every branch!
It will be freezing again by Monday, but hopefully not for so long that it stops this year’s march of green.
Today all the dogwoods and forsythia joined the movement, and the fruit trees are clearly all rushing for the
Best of all, my potted hydrangea overwintered successfully, and is sprouting green on every branch!
It will be freezing again by Monday, but hopefully not for so long that it stops this year’s march of green.
Report out 2: Saffron extract
Apr. 8th, 2023 04:50 pmOkay, but for real though, the saffron extract is doing some neurochemical lifting, here.
Today I have: done two loads of laundry, including sheets, remade the bed, vacuumed, put away the groceries, made taco pie, watered the plants, made a batch of homemade tortillas, washed all the cooking dishes, and I feel astonishingly not like a used dishrag. Accomplished and reasonably relaxed, rather. It is not inconceivable that I may be able to scrub the cats’ water fountain out in a bit.
It’s been ages since I had the energy/focus/making-things-happen-ness to make tortillas, and I love homemade tortillas with a great passion, so this is a definite win.
(The saffron has enough oomph to cause some mild withdrawal symptoms, in fact, if you miss a dose, so treat this like you would any other psychoactive and keep an emergency dose.)
Today I have: done two loads of laundry, including sheets, remade the bed, vacuumed, put away the groceries, made taco pie, watered the plants, made a batch of homemade tortillas, washed all the cooking dishes, and I feel astonishingly not like a used dishrag. Accomplished and reasonably relaxed, rather. It is not inconceivable that I may be able to scrub the cats’ water fountain out in a bit.
It’s been ages since I had the energy/focus/making-things-happen-ness to make tortillas, and I love homemade tortillas with a great passion, so this is a definite win.
(The saffron has enough oomph to cause some mild withdrawal symptoms, in fact, if you miss a dose, so treat this like you would any other psychoactive and keep an emergency dose.)
Reporting out: saffron
Mar. 24th, 2023 03:43 pmOkay, so. What with a critical shortage of ADHD meds, on top of the absurd monthly hoops you have to jump through to get them in the first place, I have been cautiously trialing saffron extract.
The results aren't ground-breaking, but there are definitely some mild improvements, to whit:
-slight decrease in activation energy required to do unpleasant tasks (dishes, vacuuming, general maintenance)
-slight decrease in catastrophic post-gaming of interpersonal events (ie re-running conversations, dwelling on fears of having looked bad)
-forgetting/distractability/doorway syndrome still in full swing, but some improvement in ability to retrieve or be reminded
-slightly improved object permanence, but not so much I'm going to go buy a dresser or anything
-noticeable upturn in mood (this one may also have applicability to depression)
Fidgeting is still in full swing, so for me at least the reduction in H is a no-go, but that's not one that impacts my life much.
Effects started to kick in at 60mg, and are holding steady at 100mg. No side effects thus far, and I have been watching like a hawk since my anxiety meds encourage serotonin production and I have zero desire to experience serotonin toxicity.
So I'd mark this one down as a reasonable stopgap, given already-advanced and well-ingrained coping mechanisms.
The results aren't ground-breaking, but there are definitely some mild improvements, to whit:
-slight decrease in activation energy required to do unpleasant tasks (dishes, vacuuming, general maintenance)
-slight decrease in catastrophic post-gaming of interpersonal events (ie re-running conversations, dwelling on fears of having looked bad)
-forgetting/distractability/doorway syndrome still in full swing, but some improvement in ability to retrieve or be reminded
-slightly improved object permanence, but not so much I'm going to go buy a dresser or anything
-noticeable upturn in mood (this one may also have applicability to depression)
Fidgeting is still in full swing, so for me at least the reduction in H is a no-go, but that's not one that impacts my life much.
Effects started to kick in at 60mg, and are holding steady at 100mg. No side effects thus far, and I have been watching like a hawk since my anxiety meds encourage serotonin production and I have zero desire to experience serotonin toxicity.
So I'd mark this one down as a reasonable stopgap, given already-advanced and well-ingrained coping mechanisms.
Adventures in hat dyeing
Mar. 9th, 2023 11:47 amSo, last year I started collecting sun-hats so that I'd have to do less in the way of slathering on sun-screen before nipping down to the farmer's market or out to the park. I settled on Walleroo's Victoria style, because to be honest I'm not a big hat fan. In order to wear one comfortably I need it to be well-made, with suitable thought given to breathability, and also to know that it is killingly adorable.
The only one of my hats I am not utterly delighted with was the purple one. It was quite a nice dusky lilac; it just wasn't my perfect wine-violet purple. So eventually I wondered if I could maybe fix that little thing. It took a while to decide to try, because that's an expensive hat right there, but acquiring a violet sundress finally decided me. I would take the plunge.
( details )
Altogether, I'm calling this a complete success. It still needs a spritz or two of fabric stiffener, but this project came out extremely well for something that I've never done before and which would certainly void the warranty if hats came with such.
The only one of my hats I am not utterly delighted with was the purple one. It was quite a nice dusky lilac; it just wasn't my perfect wine-violet purple. So eventually I wondered if I could maybe fix that little thing. It took a while to decide to try, because that's an expensive hat right there, but acquiring a violet sundress finally decided me. I would take the plunge.
( details )
Altogether, I'm calling this a complete success. It still needs a spritz or two of fabric stiffener, but this project came out extremely well for something that I've never done before and which would certainly void the warranty if hats came with such.
