chase_acow

( covid and work stuff )

“A million years ago there had been no river here and in a million years to come there might be no river – but in a million years from now there would be, if not Man, at least a caring thing. And that was the secret of the universe, Enoch told himself – a thing that went on caring.”
― Clifford D. Simak, Way Station

I loved this book. Which makes two for two with this author. It's my favorite kind of sci-fi which is focused on the aspect of actually being human and what that means for the individual and the for the community. It has a lot of connections with nature and, what I thought, the idea of if being an Earthling equaled or had an effect on humanity. It was published in 1963 and I just like that it's so old that it's new, y'know? Like it's not full of the same tropes everyone is using now. But as far as I've been able to tell, I haven't noticed any blatant isms that would make his books unreadable.

I am now 7 books behind schedule. Good luck to my reading goal!

“As if this were a special place, one of those special places that each man must seek out for himself, and count himself as lucky if he ever found it, for there were those who sought and never found it. And worst of all, there were even those who never hunted for it.”
― Clifford D. Simak, Way Station

I emailed, I'll be sending postcards and intend to call my Senators tomorrow. Even while the chance my Senators show a sign of fairness is slim, I had to try and I feel a little better. Thanks to someone else out there, I also signed up for postcards to voters and I'm now sending postcards to Kentucky to beg them to vote for Amy McGrath so we can get mitch or die trying.

I've finished two books recently that I really enjoyed. Suck it Goodreads, I'm catching up to my reading goal. I might be focusing on shorter books, but it still counts.

Bad Monkeys by Matt Ruff
So I'm watching Lovecraft Country and I love the characters even if I'm not really following the plot, so I went to see how long the wait time was for the book it's based on. The answer was a couple of months, but when I checked his other stuff, this was available. It's a quick read, most of it is one character telling another a story, and she is a very good story teller. It's a wild ride, and while you could probably guess the twist at the end, it's a fun path to get there.

Jane Charlotte has been arrested for murder.

She tells police that she is a member of a secret organization devoted to fighting evil; her division is called the Department for the Final Disposition of Irredeemable Persons—"Bad Monkeys" for short.

This confession earns Jane a trip to the jail's psychiatric wing, where a doctor attempts to determine whether she is lying, crazy—or playing a different game altogether. What follows is one of the most clever and gripping novels you'll ever read.

Recursion by Blake Crouch
This is the guy who did Wayward Pines which I thought was Stephen King for some reason and thus I avoided, but I'll give a look now. I'll say that while the summary is true it is not all of what this book is. I think it's better to go in unspoiled but there are some MAJOR plot points that will adversely affect some people. So if the book looks interesting and you wanna give it a shot but want to know what to brace for, I'd be happy to spoil those specific things.

Memory makes reality.

That’s what New York City cop Barry Sutton is learning as he investigates the devastating phenomenon the media has dubbed False Memory Syndrome—a mysterious affliction that drives its victims mad with memories of a life they never lived.

That's what neuroscientist Helena Smith believes. It’s why she’s dedicated her life to creating a technology that will let us preserve our most precious memories. If she succeeds, anyone will be able to re-experience a first kiss, the birth of a child, the final moment with a dying parent.

As Barry searches for the truth, he comes face-to-face with an opponent more terrifying than any disease—a force that attacks not just our minds but the very fabric of the past. And as its effects begin to unmake the world as we know it, only he and Helena, working together, will stand a chance at defeating it.

But how can they make a stand when reality itself is shifting and crumbling all around them?

Here's a short story on TOR's website from from Seanan McGuire's In An Absent Dream which is Lundy's story - Juice Like Wounds. It's the story of Lundy, Moon, and Mockery's quest that did not end well. That book would have been a lot stronger if this story had been included in it. It's not my favorite of the series because it felt a lot like a missed chance to do something cooler with the Market. That said I did enjoy this story and I think it might be okay to read if you haven't read the main book.

Has anyone used RedBubble for masks? I saw this one:

and instantly wanted it. It says it's two layers which is already better than the masks the university handed out to all us peons. I don't deal well with things over my ears, but I'm going to get a pack of ear saver bands too and see if that'll work.

I'd tried to order more buffs from Wild Wrap but what I got was a severe nose dive in quality and fit. I'm going to have to send them back on my dime and I'm a little irritated. The first order I got was so good. They clearly couldn't keep up with demand and decided to just throw the products at the wall to see what sticks.

I got mail from dine I enjoyed the update quite a bit! If you don't have them as part of your circle, you're missing out on entertainment and great recs. : )

I made egg sandwiches for breakfast, both eggs were double yolked monstrosities. Creepy yet delicious. I'm making a lasagna now, it's my first attempt and I hope it goes well because I've been craving it for a couple of weeks now. I miss Fazoli's, it was a great fast food Italian option. The Everyplates meal kits have really upped my confidence in the kitchen. Is it false confidence? probably. Do I still have all my fingers? so far.

OTOH - I've gotten sucked into Epicurious' Basic Skills Challenge which takes 50 people gives them ALL the kitchen gadgets and then asks them to do something like core and peel an apple (spoiler alert, someone tries to use a meat tenderizer mallet and I absolutely lost all my shit) or separate an egg (which one man manages to technically do in the most wrong way possible) and then an expert shows you how to do it the right way. So I also see that I'm clearly not the worst in the kitchen.

I'm reading The Testaments right now and I'm enjoying it now that I checked the wiki page and know there are actually three narrators. I'm dim sometimes. I enjoyed hating the The Handmaid's Tale which I read a couple of years ago. It's just infuriating, and even though obviously everyone jumped on the bandwagon because of the current state of politics in so many places, I probably should have waited for a better time to read it. But since I'd already done it to myself, I figured I might as well read the sequel and see what happens. I tried to watch the Hulu series despite my distaste for Elizabeth Moss, but didn't make it out of season 1.

While reading, I got an idea for a AU Hydra rises/Winter Soldier army fic for Sam/Bucky. It glances the tropes for a slavery fic, but also lets me stage a coup and do some other things with the Avengers characters. Not sure it'll ever see the light of day. Sam fans have to deal with the short end of the stick a lot when it comes to race and fandom, and I don't want to add to that. But I wrote a real easy 1,500 words last night at work and I like a lot of the sex/vulnerability/trust/consent/political issues involved. I mean, sure I could have been writing my assignment for idproquo but y'know, why do what you're supposed to?

Last night I tortured the puppy to keep him awake for an hour or so in the hopes that when I went to bed he would sleep for a good six or seven hours. AND IT WORKED! I felt a smidge bad, but also, I desperately long for the days when I'll be able to sleep for nine hours straight again.

In the past couple of days I started and finished the new She-Ra and I LOVED IT. I liked it better than the Dragon Prince, though I still wouldn't say no to a second season of that either, and Scorpia is my favorite. She's so good, I mean her parents gave her away, and sure she's a 'bad guy', but omg she is the sweetest clawed badass ever and I just want her to be happy. I am now looking for icons if anyone's found any.

I almost turned the first episode off, but let it go in the background while I tried to meet my word count goal for the day, and it definitely got better. Glimmer was a problem for me, but then she turned and I liked her. I love the animation, the theme song is catchy, and the episodes go by fast with an excellent mix of teenage angst, superhero angst, and sparkle fists to face action. Adora and Catra carry the emotional weight of the story well, Glimmer and her mom super work for me, the princess club could be interesting, and I was very entertained by Sea Hawk.

there's:
she_ra_me_ta
she_ra_fandom
thehonorofgrayskull

Bandersnatch on the other hand didn't particularly do it for me. I mean the interactive choice and redo feature is neat, but the character and storyline didn't get there for me. I love thought experiments about free will, but that was kinda incidental to the weirdness involved. I'm not a fan of Black Mirror though, so I doubt I was the target audience anyway.

I watched Annihilation again and still didn't get it, but I started the book, and I love it. I just assumed Natalie Portman was being odd and boring again, but reading the book from her character's pov, I really like the biologist. I haven't finished it yet, but almost. I can see how it's either a love it or hate it book.

There is a secret organization that cultivates teenage spies. The agents are called Love Interests because getting close to people destined for great power means getting valuable secrets.

Caden is a Nice: The boy next door, sculpted to physical perfection. Dylan is a Bad: The brooding, dark-souled guy, and dangerously handsome. The girl they are competing for is important to the organization, and each boy will pursue her. Will she choose a Nice or the Bad?

Both Caden and Dylan are living in the outside world for the first time. They are well-trained and at the top of their games. They have to be – whoever the girl doesn’t choose will die.

What the boys don’t expect are feelings that are outside of their training. Feelings that could kill them both.

Yes, they fall for each other and it is kinda adorable. It's a thick book, but it's a quick read. I enjoyed it, but I just wanted more depth to the universe. If I make it to Yuletide, this is definitely something that I'll request, because there's so many opportunities for character moments, angsty tension, and the eventual triumph of good over evil.

Basically, this is a very adequate book that makes you like the characters and wish for more emotion and plot. So, exactly the kind of book fandom lives on. Fic for the book will be easy, but fusions with other characters as the 'Nice' and 'Bad' are going to be A++. : )

Also the cover is gorgeous.

I am all over the place right now. I missed the deadline to finish the DWB fics that I owe arachne13 and loverstar. Sorry guys. : ( I got a little blocked, and a little distracted, but I'm working on them so they'll hopefully be finished by the end of the month. I'm having fun working on both, so y'all have a due South/SPN fusion and a S5 AU to look forward to.

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I read Change of Heart by Mary Calmes and enjoyed it. As a young gay man—and a werepanther—all Jin Rayne yearns for is a normal life. Having fled his past, he wants nothing more than to start over, but Jin’s old life doesn’t want to let him go.

There's a little more to it than the typical alpha/beta stuff so it held my attention. Jin is an interesting character, and I wish that he could have his own story without all the genre constraints of an m/m romance. Once the tension of the will they or won't they passed, I did get a little less enthused, but the ending does clip along. The romance has a couple of twists but unfortunately does end up pretty typically. I thought it wouldn't fall into the cliche of dominate/submissive = masculine/feminine but all the build up came crashing back down after the main characters fell into bed. It's still worth a read if you're into the were-genre.

( My problem with mating, bonding, or whatever you call it, especially in were-stories. . . )

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Joe Flanigan poster/banner for sale on ebay. There's about a day left in the auction, and I'd love to get it off my hands.

I still have the 2 Gold Tickets to the SPN LA con if anyone is interested.

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I just watched Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog for the first time. I don't even know how I feel. I loved it though, and I need to download the soundtrack! : )

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Also. Mark Sanchez. Who knew?