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I went to a master's program's commencement ceremony at the Apollo Theater today, and while I left after two hours and didn't see it end, based on how those first two hours and the setup went, I doubt anyone blasted any James Brown.
What a wasted opportunity.
I'm glad I went, though, for all its wasted opportunities and long-winded metaphor-straining speeches and a prerecorded speech from a chancellor that included a plug to sign up for the alumni association while detailing its many features. My sister in law E. and older brother J. seemed happy about it, and I'll know I was willing to make an effort to show up.
What a wasted opportunity.
I'm glad I went, though, for all its wasted opportunities and long-winded metaphor-straining speeches and a prerecorded speech from a chancellor that included a plug to sign up for the alumni association while detailing its many features. My sister in law E. and older brother J. seemed happy about it, and I'll know I was willing to make an effort to show up.
Back when I was a nerdy teenager, I was convinced I was an "introvert" (in quotation marks 'cause it's a vague term, but I think we're all familiar with it as a pop culture thing). Why? Because that's what media told me: you're nerdy = you're introverted.
However, as I grew into an even nerdier adult, I realized that's Very Much Not The Case. Can you believe that media lied to me??? 😱😱😱
Yeah, I really should have seen that coming, what with the Hymen Myth still being a thing and all 😅 But once I moved out to live on my own, it became pretty obvious I'm more the kind of super chatty person who's the last to leave the party and who gets super grumpy and up in my own head if I don't hang out with people enough for non-work-related reasons. I just happen to really enjoy writing too, which is hard to do in a group setting (for me, 'cause I'm so talkative 😆).
Due to overworking (both at work and otherwise), I've now been in a sour mood for days on end. I've gotten far too caught up in my own thoughts. Solution? I spent my breaks today scheduling future hangouts with all my local friends who have time to spare. My old roommate is coming over for lunch and/or dinner tomorrow (Sweden's national day, so no work), Saturday I'm attending a birthday party + DMing D&D, and Sunday I'm having dinner with a friend at her place, and I have orders to take pictures of her kids and send to my parents. And that's just this weekend. I have more social plans for the rest of June, and I already feel my mood improving 😊
Will also be playing more Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, 'cause it's a very cool game 💗💗💗
Anyone else have a similar kind of major self-realization you'd like to share? I'm oh so curious to know what else media has tricked people into falsely believing about themselves 👀
Btw, Sweden's national day has only been a holiday since 2005 and everyone I know is still pissed at that ('cause now we have less free days during Easter), so unlike many other countries, few people here in Sweden have any actual plans or traditions related to the day. I even keep forgetting why this specific date is our National Day 😅😅😅
However, as I grew into an even nerdier adult, I realized that's Very Much Not The Case. Can you believe that media lied to me??? 😱😱😱
Yeah, I really should have seen that coming, what with the Hymen Myth still being a thing and all 😅 But once I moved out to live on my own, it became pretty obvious I'm more the kind of super chatty person who's the last to leave the party and who gets super grumpy and up in my own head if I don't hang out with people enough for non-work-related reasons. I just happen to really enjoy writing too, which is hard to do in a group setting (for me, 'cause I'm so talkative 😆).
Due to overworking (both at work and otherwise), I've now been in a sour mood for days on end. I've gotten far too caught up in my own thoughts. Solution? I spent my breaks today scheduling future hangouts with all my local friends who have time to spare. My old roommate is coming over for lunch and/or dinner tomorrow (Sweden's national day, so no work), Saturday I'm attending a birthday party + DMing D&D, and Sunday I'm having dinner with a friend at her place, and I have orders to take pictures of her kids and send to my parents. And that's just this weekend. I have more social plans for the rest of June, and I already feel my mood improving 😊
Will also be playing more Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, 'cause it's a very cool game 💗💗💗
Anyone else have a similar kind of major self-realization you'd like to share? I'm oh so curious to know what else media has tricked people into falsely believing about themselves 👀
Btw, Sweden's national day has only been a holiday since 2005 and everyone I know is still pissed at that ('cause now we have less free days during Easter), so unlike many other countries, few people here in Sweden have any actual plans or traditions related to the day. I even keep forgetting why this specific date is our National Day 😅😅😅
Less than eighteen hours to go and still no texts, emails, or other forms of communication about my sister in law E.'s graduation tomorrow. It's information I can look up fairly easily, and that strikes me as being somewhat beside the point when I don't have anything beyond a verbal "come if you can" offer. It's not exactly sitting peacefully with me. I know a closed mouth doesn't get fed, and I'm not sure if I'm supposed to open my mouth or not.
I plan on going, and it's feeling a bit like it's under protest.
I plan on going, and it's feeling a bit like it's under protest.
1) Just returned from a road trip from Portland to L.A. Almost had a hitch at the very start when it turned out my partner couldn't take me to pick up the car until 12:30 and the pickup had been scheduled for noon. I figured, not a big deal, right, to move it to 1 PM? Tried doing so with the 800 number since I couldn't seem to alter the reservation (and the local office usually can't be reached). I was told that if the car wasn't picked up by soon after 12 it would no longer be available. That sounded ridiculous, so I went to the office in person. Yup, no problem at all to move it to 1 PM. They told me I couldn't prepay for the pickup since it had to be tied to a specific vehicle.
I then asked if I could add the pre-paid fuel and tolls since the Chicago dropoff meant it wouldn't even cost me much more than if I did it myself. No but I could do that online. In fact, I couldn't. I was never offered the option.
Despite all this had no trouble with the pickup on the day, nor the drive up other than rain all the way. And I did rather like the light that would flash if someone was coming up on my left or right side to alert me to possible blind spots. The other thing was that as soon as I'd sat in the rental the service agent let me know to ignore the constantly signaling "maintenance warning" light. They had just gotten it back from the dealership and nothing could be found wrong with the car. ( Read more... )
The flight was definitely unfun. I had a middle seat and was very tired from a poor night's sleep followed by a 3 hour drive. I tried resting for an hour but gave up and watched Wicked on the in flight panels. I thought it was fine, certainly big budget, some nice dance routines and performances. I was surprised to realize it was only Pt. 1 of the story. I guess it was a good spot to end it to get the audience back in for the sequel. ( Read more... )
2) It took me a while but I did catch up on Pillowfort posts. Here at Dreamwidth though one can't scroll back longer than 2 weeks, which was skip=350. So there may be posts from from the 21st I can't see.
That said I'm having to skim through a lot because it's a ton of posts and I have things to catch up on now that I'm home again. More on that later.
3) Yesterday was unpacking, laundry, and refrigerator triage before today's weekly shop. I thought I was shockingly tired yesterday given that Monday night I had the most sleep since before the trip and the general stress was over. I even wondered if I was coming down with something but I feel ok today too, just...tired.
4) One nice bit post-trip is that I still had some of K's curry pretzels which she gifted M and me with. People love them so much she was urged to make it a side hustle but she said she didn't have the time for that, and preferred getting to relax rather than have a second job when she came home. She made some to order for Christmas sales a few years ago and said she didn't want to go through that twice.
5) Usually my partner complains that he never has time to watch his TV stuff because he has so little viewing time, and when he does have it we watch things together. My being away is clearly helpful on this front as he's looking forward to some of our joint viewing again 😉
I then asked if I could add the pre-paid fuel and tolls since the Chicago dropoff meant it wouldn't even cost me much more than if I did it myself. No but I could do that online. In fact, I couldn't. I was never offered the option.
Despite all this had no trouble with the pickup on the day, nor the drive up other than rain all the way. And I did rather like the light that would flash if someone was coming up on my left or right side to alert me to possible blind spots. The other thing was that as soon as I'd sat in the rental the service agent let me know to ignore the constantly signaling "maintenance warning" light. They had just gotten it back from the dealership and nothing could be found wrong with the car. ( Read more... )
The flight was definitely unfun. I had a middle seat and was very tired from a poor night's sleep followed by a 3 hour drive. I tried resting for an hour but gave up and watched Wicked on the in flight panels. I thought it was fine, certainly big budget, some nice dance routines and performances. I was surprised to realize it was only Pt. 1 of the story. I guess it was a good spot to end it to get the audience back in for the sequel. ( Read more... )
2) It took me a while but I did catch up on Pillowfort posts. Here at Dreamwidth though one can't scroll back longer than 2 weeks, which was skip=350. So there may be posts from from the 21st I can't see.
That said I'm having to skim through a lot because it's a ton of posts and I have things to catch up on now that I'm home again. More on that later.
3) Yesterday was unpacking, laundry, and refrigerator triage before today's weekly shop. I thought I was shockingly tired yesterday given that Monday night I had the most sleep since before the trip and the general stress was over. I even wondered if I was coming down with something but I feel ok today too, just...tired.
4) One nice bit post-trip is that I still had some of K's curry pretzels which she gifted M and me with. People love them so much she was urged to make it a side hustle but she said she didn't have the time for that, and preferred getting to relax rather than have a second job when she came home. She made some to order for Christmas sales a few years ago and said she didn't want to go through that twice.
5) Usually my partner complains that he never has time to watch his TV stuff because he has so little viewing time, and when he does have it we watch things together. My being away is clearly helpful on this front as he's looking forward to some of our joint viewing again 😉
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In trying to tidy my closet and the dresses I've got in there, I'm now seeing how many "nice" dresses I have that cover a fairly wide variety of situations. It's nice to see that the ones I bought well over a decade ago are still largely holding up well.
In other news, while my sister in law E. and my brother J. are planning on going to Cancún, I somehow doubt they're at all interested in visiting the Chicxulub crater. Some people just don't know how to have a good time.
In other news, while my sister in law E. and my brother J. are planning on going to Cancún, I somehow doubt they're at all interested in visiting the Chicxulub crater. Some people just don't know how to have a good time.
Forbes: Taylor Swift And Blake Lively: Subpoena, Spectacle And Scrutiny.
IMO, dragging Swift in just to get attention, and then pretending Lively is the one dragging Swift in is just showing off how little Baldoni's team has on the legal side.
Reminder: Lively is suing over violations of her (and her female costars') right to a safe workplace. Leave Taylor Swift out of this.
The LA Times: Blake Lively backed by advocacy groups in legal fight with Justin Baldoni over #MeToo speech law
I don't think it's being reported enough that Baldoni's team is trying to strike down the law protecting survivors of sexual violence and discrimination from defamation suits. As in, get it declared unconstitutional because suing your victims should be part of Free Speech. Holy Fake Feminism, Batman.
Here's more about the law that Lively is invoking because this is a labour issue: Legislation to Protect Survivors of Sexual Assault, Harassment, and Discrimination from Weaponized Defamation Lawsuits Signed by Governor.
Here's a Bloomburg piece about on of the "inspirations" for why California decided it needed this law [archive link]: Ex-FTC Commissioner Faces Storm of Sexual Harassment Claims.
One of the women in that case helped put together one of the amicus briefs [PDF of court document], so that the law she helped draft, intending to protect people like her, doesn't get struck down. She has now been stalked, harassed and doxxed for speaking up in support of the law, because the Lively hate train people are truly free of hinges.
IMO, dragging Swift in just to get attention, and then pretending Lively is the one dragging Swift in is just showing off how little Baldoni's team has on the legal side.
Reminder: Lively is suing over violations of her (and her female costars') right to a safe workplace. Leave Taylor Swift out of this.
The LA Times: Blake Lively backed by advocacy groups in legal fight with Justin Baldoni over #MeToo speech law
I don't think it's being reported enough that Baldoni's team is trying to strike down the law protecting survivors of sexual violence and discrimination from defamation suits. As in, get it declared unconstitutional because suing your victims should be part of Free Speech. Holy Fake Feminism, Batman.
Here's more about the law that Lively is invoking because this is a labour issue: Legislation to Protect Survivors of Sexual Assault, Harassment, and Discrimination from Weaponized Defamation Lawsuits Signed by Governor.
Here's a Bloomburg piece about on of the "inspirations" for why California decided it needed this law [archive link]: Ex-FTC Commissioner Faces Storm of Sexual Harassment Claims.
One of the women in that case helped put together one of the amicus briefs [PDF of court document], so that the law she helped draft, intending to protect people like her, doesn't get struck down. She has now been stalked, harassed and doxxed for speaking up in support of the law, because the Lively hate train people are truly free of hinges.
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Welcome to your weekly free-for-all chat post. Anything SW-related is fair game.
Have fun!
Ended the school year in a frenzy, because my room is being moved and I also had to have grades submitted AND take up Chromebooks from my 7th period class, and while on paper teachers had a little bit of wiggle room as far as when all that had to be turned in... the custodian who took care of my hallway wanted my ass moved out of my classroom by 11 AM on the first day of post-planning, when theoretically we were supposed to have until 5 PM on the second day.
Anyway, it was exhausting but it all got done. I celebrated by dyeing my hair purple after graduation, so that I didn't look wild in kids' photos.
It's been a full week, now, since I was last required to do anything school related, and I've been trying to relax.
But then last week, ( it finally happened-- I GOT AN INSULIN PUMP! )
We're going to visit my sisters in a couple of weeks and go to the beach, and I'm very excited about not having to rely on insulin pens for that!! Although I do have some spares that I'll bring with me, just in case something goes sideways with the pump.
In fandom news, Seven Seas has announced a SVSSS Deluxe Hardcover Box Set. I'm assuming they're doing this one as a boxed set rather than individual novels like MXTX's other two series because it's the shortest of the three? B&N just had a 25% off Preorders sale a few weeks ago, and this box set won't release until February, so I'm waiting until the next one rolls around. Which, if history is a guide, will be in July and/or September.
I also have the first volume of the MDZS Hardcovers on preorder, because I apparently never learn from my mistakes. If it arrives and still has as many mistakes as the paperback, and the art isn't any better, then I'll just return it and call it a lesson learned.
Anyway, it was exhausting but it all got done. I celebrated by dyeing my hair purple after graduation, so that I didn't look wild in kids' photos.
It's been a full week, now, since I was last required to do anything school related, and I've been trying to relax.
But then last week, ( it finally happened-- I GOT AN INSULIN PUMP! )
We're going to visit my sisters in a couple of weeks and go to the beach, and I'm very excited about not having to rely on insulin pens for that!! Although I do have some spares that I'll bring with me, just in case something goes sideways with the pump.
In fandom news, Seven Seas has announced a SVSSS Deluxe Hardcover Box Set. I'm assuming they're doing this one as a boxed set rather than individual novels like MXTX's other two series because it's the shortest of the three? B&N just had a 25% off Preorders sale a few weeks ago, and this box set won't release until February, so I'm waiting until the next one rolls around. Which, if history is a guide, will be in July and/or September.
I also have the first volume of the MDZS Hardcovers on preorder, because I apparently never learn from my mistakes. If it arrives and still has as many mistakes as the paperback, and the art isn't any better, then I'll just return it and call it a lesson learned.
I spent several hours today not knowing where my towel was. I knew I'd taken it down to the laundry room and brought it out from the washer, and somewhere between the dryer and my apartment, it disappeared. Couldn't be found. I went back and checked, and didn't find it. I figured it wasn't a huge loss, all things considered, and tried to move on.
I just went back to check to be sure, and somewhere between the washer and the dryer, it got misplaced without leaving the laundry room, because that's where I found it. Someone had tossed it into the garbage bin - not even hanging it over the sink, but tossing it out entirely, which has me irritated on the general principle of throwing out a good hand towel being a bad idea because hey, free towel.
It's also got me relieved because I again know where my towel is. I couldn't well go hitchhiking otherwise.
I just went back to check to be sure, and somewhere between the washer and the dryer, it got misplaced without leaving the laundry room, because that's where I found it. Someone had tossed it into the garbage bin - not even hanging it over the sink, but tossing it out entirely, which has me irritated on the general principle of throwing out a good hand towel being a bad idea because hey, free towel.
It's also got me relieved because I again know where my towel is. I couldn't well go hitchhiking otherwise.
My current stress relief is getting waaaaay too into a video game - a fairly popular one, so I'm dodging spoilers like crazy 😅
Anyone else playing Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 right now? I've reached Act II and am suitably emotional about what's happened in-game thus far 😭💖 Don't think I'm playing "optimally" 'cause I never was good at turn-based strategy games, BUT I am almost good at dodging and parrying, which is something at least 😆
If you have no idea what I'm talking about, here's the trailer (and a song from the game's soundtrack, 'cause it's neat):
Anyone else playing Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 right now? I've reached Act II and am suitably emotional about what's happened in-game thus far 😭💖 Don't think I'm playing "optimally" 'cause I never was good at turn-based strategy games, BUT I am almost good at dodging and parrying, which is something at least 😆
If you have no idea what I'm talking about, here's the trailer (and a song from the game's soundtrack, 'cause it's neat):
At present, settling into telling myself the story and figuring out how it's put together, is the important part. What the story's about, its purpose and intentions, can come later. Right now, I'm telling it to myself. Well, myself and the accountability readers. Mostly myself. Nobody else is thinking about it as much as I am.
Keeping to that tunnel vision of one word at a time, no matter how good the word happens to be or how much I like it, is where I'm at. I'm likely going to opt to stay in New York for most of the vacation my parents planned for upstate and that's only in part because I'm not sure how I feel about always automatically being included. It's a lot of complicated feelings, and what's not complicated is it's easier to keep writing when I'm in my apartment. All my stuff is here. My notes, my research materials. Also the practical momentum of sitting down and getting the words out.
Keeping to that tunnel vision of one word at a time, no matter how good the word happens to be or how much I like it, is where I'm at. I'm likely going to opt to stay in New York for most of the vacation my parents planned for upstate and that's only in part because I'm not sure how I feel about always automatically being included. It's a lot of complicated feelings, and what's not complicated is it's easier to keep writing when I'm in my apartment. All my stuff is here. My notes, my research materials. Also the practical momentum of sitting down and getting the words out.
Earlier this week, my older brother J. wanted to inflate an exercise ball for his wife E. My younger brother R. and his wife G. who live about a block away have several bike pumps that could be used to that precise task. Now, they're a block away from each other. J. doesn't walk to R.'s apartment to borrow the pump, inflate the ball at his place, and walk back to return the pump when he's done. He doesn't ask R. or G. to bring a bike pump over to inflate the ball at his apartment. He brings the un-flated ball to their apartment to inflate it there.
I know I have my own set of strengths and weaknesses, and I know I'd aim for a more practical solution to the problem of how to move around a fully inflated exercise ball. Like keeping it in one location. The pump's a far more modular device.
Also of note is that E. told G. - not in confidence, not in secret - that she wasn't interested in coming to Friday night dinners anymore. She didn't feel up to it. I know she's pregnant right now, but even before she was expecting, she was pulling the exact same excuse of having a long week at work. She's been using that excuse for several years now, and I'd figured not every week could be that long. I'd apparently figured right. At the same time, it's nice to know that if she's not making the effort, I don't have to worry about it. I'd had a small bit of concern my attempt at polite behavior - attentive listening, eye contact, not interrupting, waiting patiently for people to finish their sentences - had sent the wrong message, what with being told that she probably found it intimidating. Maybe she did, and thinking it's just on me is something where I can't afford that level of vanity. This part isn't me thinking, this part is me realizing: no matter what I do, at some point she needs to make the effort. And G. told me she told E. that at some point, she needed to make the effort, and E. didn't seem all that interested.
I know I have my own set of strengths and weaknesses, and I know I'd aim for a more practical solution to the problem of how to move around a fully inflated exercise ball. Like keeping it in one location. The pump's a far more modular device.
Also of note is that E. told G. - not in confidence, not in secret - that she wasn't interested in coming to Friday night dinners anymore. She didn't feel up to it. I know she's pregnant right now, but even before she was expecting, she was pulling the exact same excuse of having a long week at work. She's been using that excuse for several years now, and I'd figured not every week could be that long. I'd apparently figured right. At the same time, it's nice to know that if she's not making the effort, I don't have to worry about it. I'd had a small bit of concern my attempt at polite behavior - attentive listening, eye contact, not interrupting, waiting patiently for people to finish their sentences - had sent the wrong message, what with being told that she probably found it intimidating. Maybe she did, and thinking it's just on me is something where I can't afford that level of vanity. This part isn't me thinking, this part is me realizing: no matter what I do, at some point she needs to make the effort. And G. told me she told E. that at some point, she needed to make the effort, and E. didn't seem all that interested.
You know a drink's good when you take a sip and all you can say is, "Hot damn." It was a 35mm at Metrograph, one of the in-house cocktails. I was in the mood to give something like that a try and I'm happy I did. Also worth a "hot damn" tonight was the bar making two Pink Flamingos by accident and giving us one for free, and getting home by midnight.
I took my younger brother and his wife out to see Magnolia on, yes, 35mm film. They covered the tickets and I covered dinner, food and drinks both. They said it was a lot, and it might have been; I don't have a good frame of reference for a fairly upscale dinner for three with dessert and drinks included, especially when I usually drink at home and the closest I ordinarily come to eating out is buying some ready-made food at a grocery store. Especially when it was my genuine pleasure to do so. A great movie followed by a good meal with lovely company - well worth the end cost.
I took my younger brother and his wife out to see Magnolia on, yes, 35mm film. They covered the tickets and I covered dinner, food and drinks both. They said it was a lot, and it might have been; I don't have a good frame of reference for a fairly upscale dinner for three with dessert and drinks included, especially when I usually drink at home and the closest I ordinarily come to eating out is buying some ready-made food at a grocery store. Especially when it was my genuine pleasure to do so. A great movie followed by a good meal with lovely company - well worth the end cost.
Gender seems to be occurring.
