The absolute worst thing about the state of the world
Jul. 9th, 2025 08:59 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
conulyRight now I'm hovering over "popcorn" - new political parties? With added drama and infighting? LOL, okay, let's see how that works out for you!
(Look, I need a break from panic now and again, and I will take my fun where it appears.)
( Read more... )
festucine
Jul. 8th, 2025 04:35 am![[syndicated profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/feed.png){kind=small}
wordsmithdaily_feedexemplary
Jul. 8th, 2025 01:00 ammerriamwebster_feedMerriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 8, 2025 is:
exemplary • \ig-ZEM-pluh-ree\ • adjective
Something described as exemplary is extremely good and deserves to be admired and copied.
// Our research team was awarded for our exemplary work on the project.
Examples:
“[Director, Oliver] Hermanus again shows highly polished craftsmanship, adding the subtlest hint of sepia tones to evoke the period in the early sections, but never to the point where the characters compete with the settings. His direction of the actors is exemplary, even with characters seen only briefly ...” — David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 May 2025
Did you know?
It’s usually not a good thing if someone wants to make an example of you, unless, of course, it’s because you happen to be exemplary. Imitation being the sincerest form of flattery, someone or something may be deemed exemplary if they, by their example, are worthy of imitation. Like a few other English words beginning with ex—such as exceptional and extraordinary—exemplary describes that which is a cut above the rest. But though exemplary, which comes from the Latin noun exemplum (“example”), describes something “excellent,” it almost always carries the further suggestion that the thing described is an excellent model to follow.
Garden
Jul. 7th, 2025 08:05 pmranunculus100F + means I have to get busy and finish up the shade cloth supports. I --was-- finished with the main part of the garden. But that didn't include the bed and tanks behind the main area, or the apple trees and it doesn't include side panels on the west side.
This morning I walked out and took a hard look at: measurements, paths and how everything lines up. Turns out I did a rotten job of advanced planning in half the garden. The shade cloth worked great on the raised beds, but I really needed different post spacing in order to extend it out. This means; undoing the wires holding up the overhead pipes; removing the shade cloth; pulling out 7 posts and moving them over. On the west side one more post and associated pipes, need to be added to each line. Fortunately the ground is soft and the moves are going well. I've got 5 posts moved and the associated pipes and shade cloth back in place. Two of the three new posts are in the ground. Shouldn't take long to finish.
When I have finished extending that half the garden, the small tanks in the back of the other side of the garden need all new posts (4) and a couple of pipes. Two of the small apple trees need shade as well or the fruit will sunburn. Those should be easy as the trees are only about 5 feet tall.
Note: pruning apples in summer works amazingly well. Summer pruning encourages fruit. Winter pruning encourages growth, so I don't prune much, or at all in the winter. My oldest apple tree, now in its fourth year, is absolutely dripping with apples. After doing a bunch of reading: apples fruit on branches that are at lest 2 years old or older. This year my 3 year old trees are starting to set a little fruit. Next year there should be lots.
While I'm talking about fruit trees, the little fig that I planted this spring is doing well. There hasn't been much growth above ground, but I bet the root system is growing like crazy. It has stopped wilting in the heat. I'm so happy that it has finally taken hold. Way back in the winter of 2020/21 I took the first cuttings from the old trees near Split Rock. The trees are at least 100 years old and incredibly tough to have lasted with no care. Those first cuttings failed completely, as did the ones from the next year. But the cuttings from 22/23 rooted as did a couple from 23/24. This is a baby from the first batch.
Anime Summer 2025: At the Start
Jul. 7th, 2025 05:27 pmlovelyangel Ayumu Niikura CITY the Animation, Episode 1 |
I used to start every anime season with an orderly sampling of every new show – and begin the evaluation of which shows I’ll follow through the season. I no longer have the time nor patience, and my schedule is highly stressed this month. At the moment I’m just randomly viewing shows, looking for quick decisions. Orderly, this is not.
However, there are some continuing series that I will definitely be watching. Most will fall into my Time Permitting list. Later on, I’ll figure out my mandatories. I don’t even have to sample the shows. So I’m seeding the Time Permitting list with:
Dan Da Dan S2 (Thu)
Rascal Does Not Dream of Santa Claus (Sat)
My Dress-Up Darling S2 (Sat)
I Was Reincarnated as the 7th Prince... S2 (Wed)
The Rising of the Shield Hero S4 (Wed)
Special note for CITY the Animation. KyoAni is one of my favorite studios, and Sakuga Blog has done stellar work in doing a deep dive with CITY the Animation Production Notes 01. As always, their stuff is worth reading.
( New Shows I’ve Sampled, Below This Cut )
I’ve been too busy to do my final writeup for the Spring Anime Season. Sorry!
Bonus: Looking ahead – New Trailer for Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End S2
Poem: "Tomato Seedlings in Tin Cans"
Jul. 7th, 2025 04:48 pmysabetwordsmithwyld_dandelyon. It also fills the "growth" square in my 6-2-25 card for the Pride Fest bingo. This poem has been sponsored by Anthony Barrette. It belongs to the series Daughters of the Apocalypse.( Read more... )
Bee Food Flowers
Jul. 7th, 2025 03:11 pmysabetwordsmithBotanists from the University of Copenhagen and the UK set out to find the best flower combinations for bees and hoverflies.
Danish and Welsh botanists sifted through 400 studies, field-tested seed mixes, and uncovered a lineup of native and exotic blooms that both thrill human eyes and lure bees and hoverflies in droves, offering ready-made recipes for transforming lawns, parks, and patios into vibrant pollinator hotspots.
Below are the plants recommended for European and United Kingdom uses...
( Read more... )
Monday Update 7-7-25
Jul. 7th, 2025 02:10 pmysabetwordsmithPoem: "An Interest in the Affairs of Your Government"
Poem: "Incompetence, Sloppy Thinking, and Laziness"
Poem: "Always Surprised by Consequences"
Poem: "No Such Thing as Finished"
Geology
Birdfeeding
Today's Smoothie
Early Humans
Birdfeeding
Philosophical Questions: Government
Fireworks
Writing About Fireworks
Birdfeeding
Follow Friday 7-4-25: Historical Fiction
Blazing the Trail: Celebrating Indigenous Fire Stewardship
Birdfeeding
Climate Change
Birdfeeding
Problem-Solving
Hard Things
"Philosophical Questions: Looks" has 41 comments. "Not a Destination, But a Process" has 146 comments. "The Democratic Armada of the Caribbean" has 95 comments.
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
sunshine_revival is running through July. See the schedule, meet the moderators, and use the master post to navigate the event. Meet new folks in the friending meme. Spread the word!
* Sunshine Revival Challenge 1: Light
Poem: "The Pleasure of Escaping the Responsibility"
* Sunshine Revival Challenge 2: Tunnel of Love
Poem: "Legs of Grass, Feet of Flowers"
summerofthe69 is now open! You can see the calendar here and the current themes are Tetris 69 and Body Worship 69."In the Heart of the Hidden Garden" is now complete! Lawrence shows Stan more of his favorite places.
The weather has been variable here. It rained yesterday and last night. Seen at the birdfeeders this week: a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches, a pair of mourning doves, a male cardinal, a gray catbird, a fox squirrel, a skunk, and at least 1 probably 2 bats. Currently blooming: dandelions, pansies, violas, marigolds, petunias, red salvia, wild strawberries, verbena, lantana, sweet alyssum, zinnias, snapdragons, blue lobelia, perennial pinks, impatiens, oxalis, moss rose, yarrow, anise hyssop, firecracker plant, tomatoes, tomatillos, Asiatic lilies, cucumber, snowball bush, yellow squash, zucchini, morning glory, purple echinacea, narrow-leaf mountain mint, black-eyed Susan, yellow coneflower, wild bergamot, chicory, Queen Anne's lace, sunflowers, cup plant. Daylilies are done blooming. Cucumbers, tomatillo, and pepper have green fruit. The first 'Chocolate Sprinkles' tomato ripened and some other tomatoes are showing color. Wild strawberries, mulberries, peas, and blackberries are ripe. Black raspberries are done.
Birdfeeding
Jul. 7th, 2025 01:59 pmysabetwordsmithI fed the birds. I've seen a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches, a male cardinal, and at least one mourning dove.
I put out water for the birds.
EDIT 7/7/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.
EDIT 7/7/25 -- I harvested a handful of peapods for supper. :D
EDIT 7/7/25 -- I took some pictures around the yard.
EDIT 7/7/25 -- I trimmed brush in the prairie garden.
The first of the gladioli are blooming in the telephone pole garden and notch of the prairie garden. A sunflower is blooming in the telephone pole garden too.
EDIT 7/7/25 -- I cut some of the brush into sticks for making bonfire cores.
.
Bundle of Holding: GURPS 4E Essentials (from 2022) & Pyramid 1
Jul. 7th, 2025 02:37 pmjames_davis_nicoll
Everything you need for your own GURPS 4E tabletop roleplaying campaign.
Bundle of Holding: GURPS 4E Essentials (from 2022)
Volume 3 (Nov 2008 - Dec 2018) of Pyramid, the Steve Jackson Games magazine for tabletop roleplaying gamers. Sixty issues and more!
Bundle of Holding: Pyramid 1
Dead Rats Don’t Fly: Finally! Out In the World!
Jul. 7th, 2025 04:03 pmscalziwhatever_feed
It’s 1987 and my friend Tommy Kim has an idea to make his college applications stand out from the crowd: In addition to the usual essays, grades and test scores, he’s going to include a cassette of songs he’s written, performed by a band he put together, and professionally produced in an actual studio. The band he put together included a bunch of friends and schoolmates, including me on drums and my pal Kevin Stampfl on bass. Our name: Dead Rats Don’t Fly, or “DRDF” for short. Why did we call ourselves that? Look, pal, it was the 80s, okay. Lots of things didn’t make sense. The four-song EP we cranked out in two days of studio time was called 327, named after Tommy’s room number in the Holt dormitory at Webb.
So, how was 327 as musical statement? Well, it is exactly the music that you’d expect from a bunch of rock-loving 80s teenage dudes of varying musical abilities hastily tossed together into a band with only two days of studio time at their disposal. Are the songs… good? With all love: No. In the performances, can you sense primordial musical talent waiting for its moment to arrive? Also no. Could the drummer keep a beat without speeding up? I mean, sometimes? Tommy did get into college at least one place, so it did what it was supposed to do. Otherwise, it’s a kind of a mess.
But I think it’s an endearing mess, and at the time, waaaaay back in 1987, when we got our band copies of the EP (on cassette! It was the 80s!), we thought it was pretty damn cool. Kevin and I drove around in his Mustang, listening to the thing, kind of dazed that we had actually been in a studio, and that music we made had been committed to a permanent medium. 327 isn’t exactly good, but 17-year-old me was still proud of it, and I had a blast playing songs with my friends. And that was a good thing.
(It also allowed me to play a great prank: when Steve Shenbaum, one of the singers — yes, we had two — arrived at Northwestern for his freshman orientation and met his dorm’s resident assistant, the RA said “Steve Shenbaum? Of DRDF? Dude, that’s my favorite band!” and all the upperclassmen in the dorm were able to recite the EP’s lyrics to him. He was amazed, as he recounted to me a couple days later when I called him to see how his college experience was shaping up, and eventually it was my giggling into the phone as he told me about it that revealed that I had called his RA a day before he showed up to set the bait for him. It was delightful. I believe Steve has forgiven me. Probably.)
I misplaced my 327 tape years ago, and of course these days I don’t have a cassette player anyway, and for years the EP passed into myth, and then into legend (for, like, the extremely limited number of people who know the band members and/or ever heard the cassette or heard DRDF play live at our single concert). Then a few years ago Steve sent me an MP3 rip of his cassette of 327 (see? I told you he’s forgiven me!) and I had it again. I listened to it! It was still terrible! Nevertheless I took one of the songs from it, called “It’s a New Reality” (I wrote the lyrics for it, you see), cleaned it up slightly with Logic Pro, and put it up on YouTube. A fun, or at least nostalgic, time was had by the 1.6k people who listened to it since I posted it.
But what of the rest of 327? Well, it’s a few years later now, I’m somewhat more proficient at musical production, and music recovery tools are better these days, so you know what? Fuck it, I’ve gone back and rehabbed the entire EP now. I went in, stemmed out the vocals, drums and other instruments, cleaned and brightened them, moved around some of the bum notes to get them (mostly) on key, sonically painted over the clicks where I hit my drumsticks together, and in one place patched a place in the recording where a tape head clearly jammed up, leaving a blank space in a song, pasting in the keyboards and adding a bridge vocal.
The cleanup has reveal 327 as a minor classi — no, actually it hasn’t, it’s still a bunch of 80s kids bashing together tunes on a tight schedule with more enthusiasm than actual talent (well, the guitarist, a ringer Tommy brought in named George Huang, was actually talented; he was our age but had clearly been playing for years. The rest of us? Hey, we tried!). Also, it wouldn’t have done to try to erase every artifact of its 80s amateurishness, and I’m not that good an engineer anyway, so there’s still tape hiss (and lossy MP3 simmerwarble), compressed dynamics, variable tempos and other evidence that what you’re hearing was hauled up from the subterranean depths of four decades ago. Don’t kid yourself. If you’re listening to this, it’s out of curiosity more than anything else.
Which is fine! And better than fine! 327 (now named 327/38 to note that it’s been 38 years since we got together to make this — actually maybe 39, since I’m a little fuzzy on the exact dates, but it hardly matters now, so I’m sticking with 38) is an artifact of another time and place, when hair bands ruled the earth and teenagers made their music fast and dirty in studios rather than on their laptops. It wasn’t a better time (I like making music on my laptop, thank you!), but it was a different time, and it shows. We had fun, and that was its own excuse. Plus Tommy got into college!
Enough with the liner notes, here are tunes. Note that on the original 327 some of these songs may have had different titles, but I can’t remember what they were. It’s been a while, okay?
One Hit (To the Body): If memory serves correctly, this is a song Tommy wrote about being nostalgic for a bunch of friends at… summer camp, I think? There’s a tape warble in the middle of the song that I left in because I don’t how to fix it, and also it adds a sort of verisimilitude to the 80s experience, that horrifying moment when you wonder if your tape player is going to eat your cassette. 80s kids know this pain.
It’s a New Reality: Our hit single! I wrote the lyrics imagining David Lee Roth singing it (the arrangement in my brain was different than it is here). Tommy wrote the bridge about rock and roll being in our blood, because we needed a bridge. There are some very 80s guitar solos in here. Thank you George, wherever you are! You’re probably a doctor now or something. But you could rock back in the day.
Tears Go Rolling: The album’s “epic,” with two lead singers, different parts in entirely different tempos and soaring guitar solos designed to wrench the lighters out your pocket to wave in the air. Yeah, the 80s were all about the epic. This is the song where there was blank spot in file and I had to patch it. I nailed the instrumental patch but you’ll probably be able to tell where I dubbed in my voice. Which is okay! It doesn’t have to be seamless! I do enjoy the idea that 56-year-old me is collaborating with 17-year-old me. Hello, 17-year-old me! Enjoy your hair!
Pauline: The opening guitar riff feels kind of Red Hot Chili Peppers (in contemplative mode), and then the middle the guitars go a little Johnny Marr. However, don’t actually expect either RHCP or Smiths! The guitar is leading down you a path! The song itself is going somewhere else entirely!
There, I hope this musical experience has been everything you’ve hoped for and more. Also, surprise! 327/38 is also available on streaming. The long-lost EP absolutely no one was asking for is now everywhere! So now you never have to be without it. Ever. And thank goodness for that.
Now, for the sake of completeness: Credits!
327/38
Originally produced by Tommy Kim, additional engineering by John Scalzi
All songs Tommy Kim except “It’s a New Reality” by Tommy Kim and John Scalzi
Chris Godfrey: Keyboards
John Herpel: Guitar
George Huang: Guitar
Scott Moore: Vocals
John Scalzi: Drums
Steve Shenbaum: Vocals
Kevin Stampfl: Bass
You may ask: Will we ever get the band back together? Well, if Spinal Tap can do it after 41 years, it’s not out of the question. Maybe Tommy needs tenure.
— JS
Five Dangerously Impatient Heirs and Successors
Jul. 7th, 2025 12:15 pmjames_davis_nicoll
Why wait around for the throne or the cash when murder can deliver it immediately?
Five Dangerously Impatient Heirs and Successors
Clarke Award Finalists 2004
Jul. 7th, 2025 10:12 amjames_davis_nicollWhich 2004 Clarke Award Finalists Have You Read?
Quicksilver by Neal Stephenson
19 (55.9%)
Coalescent by Stephen Baxter
5 (14.7%)
Darwin's Children by Greg Bear
14 (41.2%)
Maul by Tricia Sullivan
4 (11.8%)
Midnight Lamp by Gwyneth Jones
2 (5.9%)
Pattern Recognition by William Gibson
14 (41.2%)
Bold for have read, italic for intend to read,, underline for never heard of it.
Which 2004 Clarke Award Finalists Have You Read?
Quicksilver by Neal Stephenson
Coalescent by Stephen Baxter
Darwin's Children by Greg Bear
Maul by Tricia Sullivan
Midnight Lamp by Gwyneth Jones
Pattern Recognition by William Gibson
Monday At The Movies.....
Jul. 7th, 2025 02:38 amdisneydream06M. T.: What am I allergic to?
A. P.: Pine nuts, and the full spectrum of human emotion.
Which Movie Does This Quote Come From?
The Devil Wears Prada
2 (40.0%)
How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days
0 (0.0%)
The Proposal
1 (20.0%)
I Don't Have A Clue...
2 (40.0%)
Last Week's Movie Quote...
Walt Koontz: I'm not as stupid as you think I am.
Rusty Zimmerman: Honey, you could never be as stupid as I think you are.
It comes from the 1999 movie, "Flawless".
It stars Robert De Niro and Philip Seymour Hoffman.
De Niro plays and UltraConservative security guard who suffers a severe stroke and for therapy,
Takes singing lessons from a neighbor. One little problem, the neighbor is a flamboyant Gay man who is also a drag queen.
A match made in heaven, NOT...
Those Who Knew or Guessed Correctly...
gwendraithadminbearsidhe_uaine42thoughtsbykatchristalin80sunshine_twoseaivy merlinwonSongs From The Movies.....
Jul. 7th, 2025 02:18 amdisneydream06procrastinate
Jul. 7th, 2025 01:00 ammerriamwebster_feedMerriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 7, 2025 is:
procrastinate • \pruh-KRASS-tuh-nayt\ • verb
To procrastinate is to be slow or late about doing something that should be done, or about doing or attending to things in general.
// Tickets to the event are selling swiftly, so don't procrastinate—buy yours today.
// Not one to procrastinate, Harry set to work on the project immediately.
Examples:
"Researchers found that individuals who tend to procrastinate often do so because they fear not meeting their high standards or worry too much about failing. The study also showed that this fear of failure and the habit of overgeneralizing failures (like thinking one mistake means you're a failure) strongly connect perfectionism to procrastination." — Mark Travers, Forbes, 28 May 2025
Did you know?
We won't put off telling you about the origins of procrastinate: it comes from the Latin prefix pro-, meaning "forward," and crastinus, meaning "of tomorrow." To procrastinate is to work or move slowly so as to fall behind; it implies blameworthy delay especially through laziness or apathy. English has other words with similar meanings, such as defer and postpone, but none places the blame so directly on the person responsible for choosing a later time to do something. Procrastinate is also a malleable word: English speakers have wasted no time creating clever variations, most of them delightfully self-explanatory. Don't let coinages like procrastibake, procrastinetflix, and procrasticlean pass you by; they may not meet our criteria for entry into the dictionary, but their potentials for use are undeniable.