May. 24th, 2025 12:56 pm
May. 28th, 2025 12:50 am
So, realistic contemporary fiction is written and set more or less in the present
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
conulyBut time moves on. What, exactly, do you call "realistic contemporary fiction" once it's no longer contemporary? It's not exactly historical fiction either, since writers of historical fiction generally make specific choices in bringing the past to life, ideally with few or no whoppers of mistakes.
I sometimes say "then-contemporary", but... well, it sounds a bit silly, doesn't it?
(On a related note, it looks like now people are less likely to say "issues book" and more likely to say "social issues book", is that accurate? I'm not loving a change that involves using more words to get to the same meaning, but okay.)
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I sometimes say "then-contemporary", but... well, it sounds a bit silly, doesn't it?
(On a related note, it looks like now people are less likely to say "issues book" and more likely to say "social issues book", is that accurate? I'm not loving a change that involves using more words to get to the same meaning, but okay.)
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May. 27th, 2025 07:05 pm
Of course, she's not fully recovered
conulyShe can put weight on her foot, but after she walks for a while she doesn't want to. Still, it's recovering pretty rapidly, that's the important thing.
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May. 23rd, 2025 07:12 pm
The ongoing spammity-spam saga
oursinMy dearios will have heard me whinge about the massive point thahr misst of so much spam I get offering deals and collaborations with my entirely non-profit and very niche personal website -
- and that sometimes one can see that they've picked up on a word or even a phrase but have totally missed CONTEXT quite apart from the fact that I am Not In Trade, perish the thort, not to mention that they tend to miss what one might consider obvious links.
But, lo, I am boggling like a boggling thing over this:
[A] vertically integrated manufacturer based in China with over 14 years of experience specializing in high-efficiency equestrian gear and innovative pet products.
Our 22,000m² facility provides in-house manufacturing of a wide range of products including saddle pads, horse rugs, fly masks, halters, pet beds, leashes, harnesses, and other items. We are pleased to offer top-tier European and American brands known for their superior quality, cost-effectiveness, and prompt delivery.
I don't think I've even got anything on the site relating to e.g. 'pretty horsebreakers' in Victorian England or, indeed, wot abaht bestiality. Or I have a vague recollection that the annals of Victsmut here and there include ponyplay but I don't actually Go There.
I am boggled but in a different way by the spam from a mirror factory in Hangzhou city which informs me that ' it only takes more than ten minutes to drive from our company. I can show you our factory at any time and give you quick feedback to inform you of the production progress.' Pretty sure it does only take more than 10 mins....
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May. 22nd, 2025 09:27 pm
(no subject)
flemmingsNothing day. Rained. I drank wine, finished Tiassa, and went on with All Systems Red that I bought on kobo last night. Did some of my balance exercises. More rain tomorrow. Maybe I will stay in bed.
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May. 22nd, 2025 06:32 pm
The Hidden Provision in the Big Ugly Bill that Makes Trump King
conulyThe comments rapidly go off the rails, but there are three links there to go through.
There's more linkage here.
I genuinely do not have the energy to read all of this. I will be sending out an email to my senators, I guess.
There's more linkage here.
I genuinely do not have the energy to read all of this. I will be sending out an email to my senators, I guess.
May. 22nd, 2025 11:46 am
Never Enuff Anthromorphic Cat Prompts!
mallorys_cameraNot only has it been raining for the past two days, it's been cold! It's not even supposed to break 50° F today. I've been forced to haul the space heater back out.
My life continues to be ver-r-r-r-ry quiet. I don't lack for friends, but few of them live here. There are days when this is a source of agita for me, but fortunately, today is not one of them.
NightCafe gets no ❤️LUV❤️ from the Kool Kids, but I like it since I prefer bringing animated illustrations to life to so-called photo realism. Fantasy R Us!!!
My life continues to be ver-r-r-r-ry quiet. I don't lack for friends, but few of them live here. There are days when this is a source of agita for me, but fortunately, today is not one of them.
NightCafe gets no ❤️LUV❤️ from the Kool Kids, but I like it since I prefer bringing animated illustrations to life to so-called photo realism. Fantasy R Us!!!
May. 22nd, 2025 02:59 pm
Oddments
oursinI initially saw this because somebody on Facebook posted the video: Boyfriend proposed during the marathon she trained 6 months for, and in the list of Inappropriate Times and Places to Propose, while she is actually running a marathon is very near the top, right? it's bad enough for bloke to be waiting with ring and maybe flowers at the finish line (for many observers, marathon proposals are about men stealing the spotlight).
Run, girl, run.
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To revert to that discussion about The Right Sort of Jawline and Breathing Properly the other day, TIL that mouth taping is (still) A Thing, and Canadian researchers say there’s no evidence that mouth taping has any health benefits and warn that it could actually be harmful for people with sleep apnea.
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Since I see this is dated 2020, I may have posted it before: but hey, let's hear it for C18th women scholars of Anglo-Saxon Elizabeth Elstob, Old English scholar, and the Harleian Library. I think I want to know more about her years in the household of Margaret Cavendish Bentinck (1715–1785), duchess of Portland, who I know better through her connection with Mrs Delany of the botanically accurate embroidery and collages of flowers.
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I like this report on the 'Discovery of Original Magna Carta' because it's actually attentive to the amount of actual work that goes into 'discovering', from the first, 'aha! that looks like it might be' to the final confirmation.
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May. 26th, 2025 12:53 am
We've been trying to go back and watch the sad episode with the future drone
conulybut Paramount Plus won't cooperate at all. So I finally convinced E to watch some Prodigy with me!
Man, I really love that theme song. Also, I'm gonna just say, maybe it's because it's aimed at a younger audience but this show does the best technobabble - just enough to explain, not enough to confuse or bore.
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Man, I really love that theme song. Also, I'm gonna just say, maybe it's because it's aimed at a younger audience but this show does the best technobabble - just enough to explain, not enough to confuse or bore.
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May. 21st, 2025 09:19 pm
(no subject)
flemmingsBy force of will I got the biodegradable garbage out in its green bin but nothing else, because it rained all day and I am not up for getting soaked more than twice. Once was physio and twice was nama gomi, and though I know garden waste bags don't disintegrate in the wet like other paper, my bag can stay dry in the bunker for another fortnight. By which time there may be two or even three of them.
It's not unheard of to have the heat on in May, it just hasn't been necessary in recent years. But I bumped the thermostat up this evening because 10C/50F on a day when the sun didn't shine but the wind did blow is quite different from 10C when it does and doesn't.
Worrying about not hearing anything re: my dental plan renewal, I went back online and did it again, this time being sure to give my address, which Service Canada surely has. This time I read the note about You will not receive an email in response to this (good, that's why I didn't get one) we will mail you your registration. Well no, you won't, because we're going to have another mail strike oh joy. Oh well. I trust I'll be covered come July one way or the other.
It's not unheard of to have the heat on in May, it just hasn't been necessary in recent years. But I bumped the thermostat up this evening because 10C/50F on a day when the sun didn't shine but the wind did blow is quite different from 10C when it does and doesn't.
Worrying about not hearing anything re: my dental plan renewal, I went back online and did it again, this time being sure to give my address, which Service Canada surely has. This time I read the note about You will not receive an email in response to this (good, that's why I didn't get one) we will mail you your registration. Well no, you won't, because we're going to have another mail strike oh joy. Oh well. I trust I'll be covered come July one way or the other.
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May. 21st, 2025 06:58 pmPSA, text taken from
PSA, text taken from ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
thisfinecrew
conulyThe clowns running the FDA have proposed restricting access to covid vaccines, to people over 65 or who have certain medical conditions. There's a public docket for comments on the proposal.
Your Local Epidemiologist has a good post about the proposal, including that the people suggesting this know that nobody is going to do the placebo-controlled tests of new boosters they want to require.
Possible talking points include:
Families and caregivers wouldn't be eligible for the vaccine, even if they share a household, unlike the current UK recommendations.
Doctors, dentists, and other medical staff wouldn't be eligible either.
My own comment included that the reason I'd still be eligible for the vaccine is a lung problem caused by covid.
Seriously, this is just exhausting.
Your Local Epidemiologist has a good post about the proposal, including that the people suggesting this know that nobody is going to do the placebo-controlled tests of new boosters they want to require.
Possible talking points include:
Families and caregivers wouldn't be eligible for the vaccine, even if they share a household, unlike the current UK recommendations.
Doctors, dentists, and other medical staff wouldn't be eligible either.
My own comment included that the reason I'd still be eligible for the vaccine is a lung problem caused by covid.
Seriously, this is just exhausting.
May. 21st, 2025 02:11 pm
Inspiration
mallorys_cameraMy lungs cleared up! I can breathe again!
Before my lungs cleared up, I had no idea how compromised I was. I mean, I could feel the stiffness in my chest, and logically I know I know that if you can't breathe well, you don't take in enough oxygen, which leads to air hunger, which leads to shortness of breath with physical exertion—but I wasn't connecting the dots.
I was thinking the fatigue I was feeling when exercising was due to some sudden acceleration in the physical aging process! I am 73! And after all, that is old!
And 73 continues to be old—but still, when I went to the gym yesterday, for my weights circuit and 30-minute cardiovascular workout (spinning), I felt great!
Though two days before, I'd been laboring for breath and my muscles had actually been aching with the lifting effort (lactic acid buildup.)
I have no idea why my lungs cleared up. Did some lethal allergen finally disappear from the air? Did some nasty virus finally run its course?
But I am grateful, Universe!
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Other than that...
I've been busily generating income, watching instructional videos on making AI videos, and trying to think of ways to expand my social life in the here and now.
Basically, I'm resentful about the first because I think I deserve a MacArthur Genius Grant for pursuing the second, and if the kiskas and Black Chicken would only learn to speak English, I wouldn't have to worry at all about the third.
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I'm trying to identify the video creation service with the best bang for the buck, but that's difficult because right now AI video is in its gold rush phase. There is no available enterprise software; there are literally dozens of AIV engines attached to subscription services, new workflow and pipeline technologies are constantly raising the bar, and the state of the art is changing on a weekly—sometimes daily—basis.
This one was done on the Chinese AI video engine Kling. I reused my calico cat prompt. I actually like the one I did on NightCafe (same starting prompt) better for sheer fantasia. But there's no denying this one has a higher degree of photo realism.
Thing is, though, I'm not big on photo realism.
I much prefer fantastical imagery and animation.
Before my lungs cleared up, I had no idea how compromised I was. I mean, I could feel the stiffness in my chest, and logically I know I know that if you can't breathe well, you don't take in enough oxygen, which leads to air hunger, which leads to shortness of breath with physical exertion—but I wasn't connecting the dots.
I was thinking the fatigue I was feeling when exercising was due to some sudden acceleration in the physical aging process! I am 73! And after all, that is old!
And 73 continues to be old—but still, when I went to the gym yesterday, for my weights circuit and 30-minute cardiovascular workout (spinning), I felt great!
Though two days before, I'd been laboring for breath and my muscles had actually been aching with the lifting effort (lactic acid buildup.)
I have no idea why my lungs cleared up. Did some lethal allergen finally disappear from the air? Did some nasty virus finally run its course?
But I am grateful, Universe!
###
Other than that...
I've been busily generating income, watching instructional videos on making AI videos, and trying to think of ways to expand my social life in the here and now.
Basically, I'm resentful about the first because I think I deserve a MacArthur Genius Grant for pursuing the second, and if the kiskas and Black Chicken would only learn to speak English, I wouldn't have to worry at all about the third.
###
I'm trying to identify the video creation service with the best bang for the buck, but that's difficult because right now AI video is in its gold rush phase. There is no available enterprise software; there are literally dozens of AIV engines attached to subscription services, new workflow and pipeline technologies are constantly raising the bar, and the state of the art is changing on a weekly—sometimes daily—basis.
This one was done on the Chinese AI video engine Kling. I reused my calico cat prompt. I actually like the one I did on NightCafe (same starting prompt) better for sheer fantasia. But there's no denying this one has a higher degree of photo realism.
Thing is, though, I'm not big on photo realism.
I much prefer fantastical imagery and animation.
May. 21st, 2025 04:46 pm
Wednesday it has been allegedly going to rain, but no sign of it yet
oursinWhat I read
Finished The Life Revamp - okay, not mind-blowing?
Having another bout of lower-back misery, re-reads of KJ Charles, Any Old Diamonds (Lilywhite Boys, #1) (2019), Gilded Cage (Lilywhite Boys, #2) (2019) and Masters in This Hall (Lilywhite Boys, #3) (2022). Still querying the understanding of the divorce law at the time.... (there seems to be an assumption at one point that spouse in prison was grounds??).
On the go
Started Upton Sinclair, Dragon's Teeth (Lanny Budd, #3) (1942). This is the one with spiritualism taken in the serious experimental fashion of the times along with New Thought, besides the whole international political situation. Also, spot-on fashions in child-rearing, though I don't think Truby King was actually name-checked over the strict 4-hour feeding regimen!
Set to one side as Vivian Shaw, Strange New World (Dr Greta Helsing, #4) came out yesterday.
Still dipping into Melissa Scott, Scenes from the City.
Still working on the book for review, which is rather dense: excellent work but not exactly light reading.
Up next
Should get to Anthony Powell, Casanova's Chinese Restaurant (1960) in preparation for online discussion group.
Discovered that there is a new work by Gail Godwin, Getting to Know Death: A meditation (2024), a memoir generated by a serious accident at the age of 85.
Still have not got round to latest Literary Review.
May. 20th, 2025 06:39 pm
(no subject)
flemmingsSucceeded in bagging up the vines I cut on the weekend as well as leaf mat from last fall. Am telling myself that not having to sit down and stretch my poor poor back every 30 seconds while doing this = poor poor back is getting stronger. Well, maybe. Was happy to sit down afterwards, for sure. Now must vacuum downstairs and swifter kitchen against tomorrow's garbage put-out, but will do that tomorrow while it rains.
NND was sitting out smoking, unnoticed by me until he asked did I want any help. Thanks, no, I told him, this is my exercise. They mowed the lawn on the weekend and also part of mine, but he explained that the cord doesn't reach completely into my half. This is fine by me: I have very little grass for a reason, and suspect my cherry's 'submerged but not quite' roots would damage a lawn mower badly.
Took a bunch of books back to the library, had lunch at tony Korean restaurant-- which now has a very good fried chicken sandwich at half the price of their bento-- got money from BoM, and wine from the LCBO down Bathurst. LCBO also has Absolut Black Russians in a bottle, which I didn't need to know but of course had to try. Luckily they turn out to be not very good so shall stick in freezer and forget, but may be why my back didn't hurt while pulling vines.
NND was sitting out smoking, unnoticed by me until he asked did I want any help. Thanks, no, I told him, this is my exercise. They mowed the lawn on the weekend and also part of mine, but he explained that the cord doesn't reach completely into my half. This is fine by me: I have very little grass for a reason, and suspect my cherry's 'submerged but not quite' roots would damage a lawn mower badly.
Took a bunch of books back to the library, had lunch at tony Korean restaurant-- which now has a very good fried chicken sandwich at half the price of their bento-- got money from BoM, and wine from the LCBO down Bathurst. LCBO also has Absolut Black Russians in a bottle, which I didn't need to know but of course had to try. Luckily they turn out to be not very good so shall stick in freezer and forget, but may be why my back didn't hurt while pulling vines.
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May. 25th, 2025 03:49 pm
Moonpie's foot is swollen
conulyWe're pretty clear on the cause, she got tangled up in some vines, and we've washed her foot carefully with soap and water. We'll wash all of her later and maybe soak her foot with some epsom salt, that should help. Well, I mean, the bath will just make her smell better, but the soak should help. I really, really don't want to go to the vet this week if I can avoid it, but if the swelling won't go down we may have to.
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May. 20th, 2025 07:28 pm
Excursing for ART
oursinToday partner and I did make it through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered (actually, 2 Tubes, 1 Overground, and a walk through Belair Park) to Dulwich Picture Gallery for the Tirzah Garwood exhibition.
Also a certain amount of queuing even if we had timed entry tickets, as due possibly to the way things were laid out there was a certain amount of clumping up around the early parts of the exhibition.
But really rather good - got the impression that Garwood was an artist who was having fun with her art rather than Suffering For It, as well as, like so many female artists of her day, working in a whole range of media and crafts. E.g. her work on marbled paper seems to have been a significant contribution to the family income at certain points. Also did embroidery, quilting, collages, etc and there's a lot of playfulness to her work. Though also I found a number of her 'house' pictures verging on the unheimlich (a certain Shirley Jackson-esque note?)
Did a fairly quick walk round the rest of the gallery after we'd done the exhibition (not our first visit) and then home by a different route - the other Dulwich station, Overground plus Tube. Nostalgia of train passing through vistas of South London.
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May. 19th, 2025 07:34 pm
(no subject)
flemmingsWe're apparently having historical levels of cold: last seen in 1967. But that I fancy is out at the airport and in the burbs. Lows of 5C don't happen in the downtown microclimate. As well, because I washed my flannel duvet cover today. I might put the feather duvet on top of the summer one tonight, though since I closed the windows in Saturday's temperature drop, the cold hasn't yet got into the house.
Otherwise a sunny two days. Yesterday I cut a swathe of creepers in the back yard and tomorrow I must bag them, because after that it will, what else, rain. Should have done it today but going to the laundromat was all I felt up for.
Am not taken with the Kobo app but at least it's not Kindle. And I have Exit Strategy on the downstairs tablet for bicycle reading. Now I should start bicycling.
Otherwise a sunny two days. Yesterday I cut a swathe of creepers in the back yard and tomorrow I must bag them, because after that it will, what else, rain. Should have done it today but going to the laundromat was all I felt up for.
Am not taken with the Kobo app but at least it's not Kindle. And I have Exit Strategy on the downstairs tablet for bicycle reading. Now I should start bicycling.
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