access_fandom | Member Posts

I've observed hockey RPF fandom from an immeasurable distance, and I still got a kick out of this post:

https://marina.dreamwidth.org/1576715.html

marina was in hockey fandom, spent her childhood in Ukraine, knows much about filing serial numbers, and has definite opinions about vodka.

I'm reading reading reading.

Hi!

akamarykate

I'm back! There's probably way more than three things I should post about, but I'm going to try to keep it short because...

Thing 1: I have a draft of all but the last scene of my Yuletide story! It's going to end up about 3000-4000 words, which is all it needs to be to tell this particular story, and I'll no doubt be polishing it up at some point post-deadline, but I'll have a slightly-better-than-bus pass thing ready to submit by the deadline. Which was not entirely certain to be the case because...

Thing 2: The weekend after Thanksgiving I came down with a really bad head cold. But of course it was not so bad I couldn't go to work. I had field trips/presentations/tours every day that next week, and there was no one who could step in since the other educator had her own set of field trips and tours every day that week. And it snowed, but never enough to give the schools a snow day until Wednesday of this week, when I had to go into work anyway because we had an Important Staff Meeting. So I pushed through every day and then came home and collapsed, and it wasn't until Thursday of *this* week that I truly felt like myself again. I never had a full day where I could just stay home and be sick and sleep it off, even on the weekend, because...

Thing 3: Starting with the week after Thanksgiving, Magpie and JuneBug have concerts of some form or another every other night, and for several days in a row in JuneBug's case, as the high school madrigal singers visit nursing homes, elementary schools, churches, and businesses. It's taking 3 full-ass adults to get them everywhere they need to be. I mean, it's lovely, and there's so much great music and performing happening and they're growing right in front of my eyes! But it is A Freaking Lot. And it meant that even when I had some energy that could go to writing, I had to spend it instead at cello/youth choir/madrigal/middle school concerts. Last night Magpie had a solo--"Naughty" from Matilda. It was the perfect song for her, she had it completely memorized, and she just got more and more expressive and revolutionary as she went along. All her friends sitting on the risers behind her started waving their hands in time with the song and she didn't even know, but it was the most adorable thing ever. I flat-out sobbed, I was so proud and impressed.

And now her dad is texting me about chauffeuring the kids around for the beginning of this week because my sister has to go back to Omaha for a funeral (her high school BFF's sister died of cancer at 34. She was in a trial at Walter Reed last spring when the funding for the research got cut and they sent her home. Don't even get me started). So I will cut this off. But hi, I'm still here! Just a little overwhelmed by all the pre-holiday stuff and grateful that it's so cold today that everything got canceled and I had time to flesh out that story. Whew1

runpunkrun

We have these envelopes I use to half-assedly organize coupons. After our local Kroger analogue recently remodeled, I had to rename some of the envelopes because they dissolved the "natural" section—where I did most of my dairy-free, gluten-free shopping—and moved those products around the store.

So now the "deli & meat" envelope has "dairy & non-dairy" added to it, which amuses me every time I get it out because "dairy & non-dairy" encompasses everything in the universe.

fayanora

I just woke up from my upsetting dream in the real upsetting part was that it was a false awakening. First layer was an upsetting dream about Lily. I mean, it was pleasant until I started noticing weird stuff made me realize it was a dream and I tried waking up. I thought I did wake up because in the dream when I was waking up I became aware of the CPAP and I took it off and I got up and I don't remember what happened after that apart from there being more dreams but then I just woke up for real and realized that I had gone through a false awakening.

And don't you start,

kengr.

Except now I do actually remember more. Other things in the dream after the false awakening: couldn't find my phone, there was a guy who was made of wood, only he had one leg and the other leg was a prosthetic, except the guy who was made of wood started out as a guy played by Sylvester Stallone who needed a super macho song to fight to. Oh, and I sucked Will Smith's cock.

sonia

A kaval is an end-blown flute common in the Balkans. In Bulgaria, they're typically made of cherry wood and come apart into three pieces. In Macedonia, they're made of a lighter wood (ash?) and are narrower and all in one piece. I have one of each and can kind of get a sound out of them, which is an accomplishment.

David Bilides writes:

In 2019, Steve Finney produced a CD of Nikolay Doktorov, one of the many excellent kaval teachers we've been fortunate to have at the EEFC [Eastern European Folklive Center] camps, playing 17 solo pieces on Bulgarian kaval. In the interest of getting this wonderful music "out there," Nikolay has given his blessing to it being distributed for free via online download.

You can read about Nikolay and this project, and access the free CD files and booklet (designed by Dan Auvil) by visiting this web page:

https://izvormusic.com/cds/doktorov.html

EEFC puts on a couple of week-long camps a year, one on the east coast and one on the west coast. They also host a mailing list where very knowledgeable people share words to songs, have deep discussions on their meanings, post events, and occasionally share free music like this.

brithistorian

This has been a super-stressful week. We had a somewhat lighter than usual round of medical appointments this week, but it was more than made up for by home repair appointments.

We had the garage door installation scheduled for Tuesday, which ended up not being completed that day, so the technician would have to come back Wednesday. Then Tuesday night I discovered that the basement drain was backing up whenever we used the washing machine, dishwasher, or kitchen sink, so I called the plumbing company for that, but they weren't able to send a plumber out until Friday afternoon.

Then Wednesday night, right after the garage door technician left, L. discovered that the washing machine was leaking (totally not related to the basement drain backing up). I tried to fix it, but ended up making it worse. So I had A. call an appliance repair service, who said they could send someone over Thursday morning.

Thursday morning the appliance repair technician came and fixed the dishwasher. Then I had to take A. to get allergy shots, then we went to Ricky's house, where I shoveled the 7-8 inches of snow we'd gotten over the previous two days. (He doesn't drive, but I had to shovel a path from the street to his door so Meals on Wheels could deliver and also to shovel his back stairs to he could let his dogs out.) I'm still sore from this.

Today I had a National Heritage Responders meeting (which went very well), then I had to wait for the plumber to arrive and fix the basement drain. We had originally had a noon to 3PM window for him to show up, which got pushed back to a 2:30PM to 4:30PM window and he ended up showing up at about 3:45PM.

All the house things have been successfully fixed, and we're planning to enjoy this weekend's cold weather from inside the house as much as possible. (It's -2°F out right now, and supposed to go down from here, then only to get as high as 0°F tomorrow, and not to get into actual positive temperatures until Sunday.) But anyway, that's why I've got a massive mental backlog of posts I want to make, and why I've got a folder in my email of comments from you that I want to respond to, and so forth. I hope you're all doing well.

redbird

tl;dr still waiting for things

The latest on that inherited IRA is that I got two email messages from Fidelity today, one saying that I needed to do something [unspecified] to transfer the money from BNY, and one saying specifically that BNY had told Fidelity that they, BNY, needed to talk to me.

So, I called BNY, and after various annoyances with their phone tree, talked to someone. He told me that they had no record yet of receiving the form I sent by next-day mail, but that if the form had arrived late Wednesday they might not be scanned until late today or even Monday. Also that once the form is scanned into the BNY system, it may take a few days before they actually transfer the money into my name, which would be necessary in order to move it to Fidelity.

So, I can (and probably will) call Monday to check that the form was in fact been received, but he thinks I should call later in the week, maybe Wednesday, maybe as late as Friday, and ask for my brand-new account number. Once I have that number, I have to fill out appropriate paperwork with Fidelity. *sigh*

I am both annoyed that even paying for next-day delivery, this is taking several days, and thinking that if I hadn’t paid for faster delivery I would be a few days further behind.

The man also said that once the funds are transferred, they will send me an acknowledgement by mail, including the new account number. However, waiting for that to arrive (rather than getting the information by phone) does not seem prudent, given the IRS deadline for the 2025 required minimum distribution.

tig_b

Instead of editing or finishing a book, I've been busy catching up on missed deadlines after an Oct mainly spent feeling ill.

So I wrote and delivered a training course and am partway through 4 more.
Plus too many school appeals.
In the middle were other bits and pieces connected to various voluntary posts.
And a little paid work in refill the financial hole left by vet bills and teeth.

Current Mood: tired

kaberett

This morning I am watching the lecture I linked to on Tuesday!

At 6:53:

Here is an example of how the Hubble telescope image of the Omega nebula, or Messier 17, was created, by adding colours -- which seem to have been chosen quite arbitrarily -- and adjusting composition.

The slide is figure 13 (on page 10) from an Introduction to Image Processing (PDF) on the ESA Hubble website; I'm baffled at the idea that the colours were chosen "arbitrarily" given that the same PDF contains (starting on page 8) §1.4 Assigning colours to different filter exposures. It's not a super clear explanation -- I think the WonderDome explainer is distinctly more readable -- but the explanation does exist and is there.

Obviously I immediately had to stop and look all of this up.

(Rest of the talk was interesting! But that point in particular about modern illustration as I say made me go HOLD ON A SEC--)

sonia

To Speak in Silence by Mary Robinette Kowal.

On the pump organ in the formal parlor sat two chickens carved in clay in the place in which, were this another home, one might find candles. The one on the right had a rooster’s comb and was shiny with red atop and a dark black bottom, as if he had been dipped in ink, which—of course—was the case.

A lovely atmospheric story. Part of the joy is discovering how it unfolds, so I won’t say more.

soc_puppet

A keystone can only work if all of the other stones in the arch hold it up.

soc_puppet

The metaphorical devil on my shoulder: "You know, you don't have to do that final paper for Intro to Human Services. You've got enough extra credit to cover 30% of it, and that'll probably be enough to keep your grade in the low 'A's. And even if it's not, would a 'B' really be so bad?"

Me: "Fuck you, fuck you, fuck you, I did not go through two semesters doing every piece of homework assigned to fail at the final stretch, I am doing this shit, even if I only manage the bare minimum!"

Metaphorical devil on my shoulder: "Okay, jeez, lighten up! It was just a suggestion!"

Me: *already ignoring the devil and refocusing on the paper*

I refuse to let this paper win 😤

Edit: Paper completed and submitted! With this, I have officially done all graded homework for my back-to-school career. I am very proud of myself.

Current Mood: working

fayanora

The most recent conlang I was working on that didn't have a name? I've decided it will be the language of one of the Gremlin cultures. It has that vibe to it, and I needed a Gremlin language anyway. I am naming it Ka-Nams'ooms'tef, which means "The people's words."

As a better reminder of it, here's some examples:

While English uses SVO word order (Subject Verb Object, like in "Sam ate apples.") this language, which has no name so far, uses OVS: Object Verb Subject. So "Sam ate apples" becomes "Apples ate Sam." I have done this before, too.

“I hurt them intentionally.”
(them, plural) (physically hurt intentionally) (I)
“ik ood'too ak.”

“I move forward.”
(move forward) (I)
“tee'at ak.”

“I move toward you.”
(you) (move intentionally toward) (I)
“ek tee'iz ak.”

“My name is Qipog. What is your name?”
(Qipog) (name) (me). What name you?”
“Qipog shastef ka'nak. ook shastef ek?”

“I hurt them intentionally, in the name of Sklarg-Mork.”
Sklarg-Mork (in/by/with), (them, plural) (physically hurt intentionally) (I).
“Sklarg-Mork faz, ik ood'too ak.”

"Die, foul monster! Cease to be! I harm you! You will threaten this family no more! By (the power of) Sklarg-Mork!"
(monster) (foul), (be destroyed)! (Exist no more!) (You) (I intentionally harm)! (This family) (no more) (threaten) (by you)! Sklarg-Mork (by the power of)!"
"Zoodraḥk mumbarag, zood'fed! Ñakteebad! Ek tee'took nak! Lum'numik hel zoodow ek! Sklarg-Mork fazak!"

kaberett

I continue extremely grateful to no longer have ureteric stents.

( a bit of stock-taking )

mdlbear

Today I am thankful for...

My family (which includes the cats).
Warm blankets.
Comfort food (also includes coffee, tea, and hot buttered rum).
Not having to cook dinner very often. (I can cook, and even cook decently well, but G does most of the cooking in the family, and I'm very grateful for it.)
Some discord servers, including our private family one.

Current Mood: grateful
Current Location: Schildhaven in Den Haag

davidgillon

Apparently Calibri is un-American because it's easier for people with dyslexia to read.

Seriously.

State Department to switch from "woke" Calibri to Times New Roman

Perhaps Rubio should also insist they write everything in BOLD CAPS like the glorious leader?

ETA: what I hadn't noticed initially was that Rubio specifically calls it out for being a DEI_A_ initiative. Apparently accessibility as a whole is now un-American.

Current Mood: Facepalm

linky

( You're about to view content that the journal owner has marked as possibly inappropriate for anyone under the age of 18. )

Current Mood: Tired from gym
Current Music: Sukeban Deka 1 OST

sonia

Confessions of a ‘passenger princess,’ traveling Pittsburgh without a car by Emma Riva.

Taking the bus might not feel as sexy as driving a Mustang, but this is the role of the passenger princess: to romanticize the blue glow of the late-night buses; to celebrate the serendipitous conversations with poets, former MMA fighters and sommeliers doubling as rideshare drivers; to enjoy the intimacy and trust of a loved one driving you somewhere you need to go. Let’s keep the city yours and mine.

My parents gave me their older car when I was a senior in college, and later I bought one new, both small hatchbacks with few fancy features. I already biked around town a lot and arranged my life so I didn't have to commute by car. After a crash in September 2002 totaled my little blue hatchback, I decided I didn't want another car.

Over the last 23 years as cars have gotten bigger and more complicated and more invasive of privacy, I'm only confirmed in not wanting one.

I use public transit sometimes, and I get rides from friends sometimes, but mostly I get around on foot and by bike. Even in a place with good transit by US standards, it's still infrequent enough and unreliable enough to be a huge hassle. I'd rather be out in the cold and the rain on my bike than standing waiting for a bus.

Someone asked me recently how cold it has to get to stop me from riding. The answer is, cold won't really do it in the places I've lived. In Portland I had good enough gear to ride when it was 25 or 30 degrees. In the Bay Area it just won't get cold enough. Ice and snow stop me, and wind strong enough to blow me into the opposing lane.

I hope I can continue being car-free for a good long time to come. I love being out in the weather, breathing the air, saying hello to other cyclists, and being graciously allowed to cross big streets by drivers. I have a bike trailer to haul big items, and a bike pannier to haul groceries or sheet music or whatever else I need.

davidgillon

US at the weekend (new National Security Strategy): We need to oppose Europe for insisting the right to stop hate speech overrides freedom of speech

US today: We're going to insist we can see 5 years of your social media* before we let you into the US in case you said nasty things about us.

So one rule for people saying things they like, and another for people saying things they don't? Not quite sure that's how the Founding Fathers anticipated free speech working.

* Also your phone numbers, your email addresses, plus the names and addresses of family members, including children. And if you've ever worked as a fact checker or in content moderation there is apparently a blanket ban,

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/10/tourists-social-media-trump

Current Mood: Boggle
Current Location: Airfield One

kaberett

One of the things I found yesterday, while getting distracted from transcription by regretting not having taken History and Philosophy of Science (or, more accurately, not having shown up to the lectures to just listen), was some tantalising notes on the existence of a four-lecture series entitled Visual Culture in Science and Medicine:

Science today is supremely visual – in its experiments, observations and communication, images have become integral to the scientific enterprise. These four lectures examine the role of images in anatomy, natural history and astronomy between the 15th and the 18th centuries. Rather than assessing images against a yardstick of increasing empiricism or an onward march towards accurate observation, these lectures draw attention to the myriad, ingenious ways in which images were deployed to create scientific objects, aid scientific arguments and simulate instrumental observations. Naturalistic styles of depictions are often mistaken for evidence of first-hand observation, but in this period, they were deployed as a visual rhetoric of persuasion rather than proof of an observed object. By examining the production and uses of imagery in this period, these lectures will offer ways to understand more generally what was entailed in scientific visualisation in early modern Europe.

I've managed to track down a one-hour video (that I've obviously not consumed yet, because audiovisual processing augh). Infuriatingly Kusukawa's book on the topic only covers the sixteenth century, not the full timespan of the lectures, and also it's fifty quid for the PDF. I have located a sample of the thing, consisting of the front matter and the first fifteen pages of the introduction (it cuts off IN MID SENTENCE).

Now daydreaming idly about comparative study of this + Tufte, which I also haven't got around to reading...

S	M	T	W	T	F	S
						1
2	3	4	5	6	7	8
9	10	11	12	13	14	15
16	17	18	19	20	21	22
23	24	25	26	27	28	29
30

Access Fandom

improving disability access in fandom

Boost! marina's well-informed meta on Heated Rivalry

3 French Hens or something

there are two kinds of products in the world

Whole new level of fucked

Music: Free download of kaval music

A most stressful week...

IRA

Nothing much to see

more on visual culture in science

Story! To Speak in Silence

A quick thought on leadership

Battles with Executive Dysfunction

Ka-Nams'ooms'tef

[surgery] one year on!

Thankful Thursday

WTAF, 3

Community Thursday

Link: Car-free in Pittsburgh

WTAF, 2

side-tracks off side-tracks

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November 2025

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