a brief buy joyous update

Jun. 7th, 2025 19:59
marina: (Erik's got his helmet on)
[personal profile] marina
Welp, I've started a new job! It has happened!

boring financial things )

*

I've only had 1 day of work at the new place, due to holidays and the fact that I was sick for the past 10 days (boo!!!) and asked to postpone my start date by a few days.

But it definitely feels like a level of fancy tech that I've never personally experienced before, with an actual HR department that made sure I'd have all my equipment ready for me on the first day, and a little welcome sign, and some company merch.

There are things I definitely haven't figured out yet, like how to best get to the office to deal with my disability/health issues, especially considering the fact that the laptop I got is much heavier than anticipated (my previous company replaced some of the laptops shortly after I joined and I managed to get in on the deal and get a really great, light computer).

The office itself is really nice, even though the building is sadly in the middle of a construction zone. My previous work was in an extremely central downtown area where you were close to a bunch of greenery and shops and restaurants. This place is tragically kind of isolated in a sea of dust and hazard signs.

I haven't figured out the dynamics of my team/department/org so much yet, but everyone I've met has been nice, and my boss seems to be a pretty great guy, according to reports. He's also been nothing but kind and respectful towards me.

So, overall first day was pretty overwhelming but nice. Tomorrow will be my first day of work-from-home, and I plan to spend most of it reading a ton of documents. And then Tuesday we're having some kind of all-day workshop for the entire team that means I'll need to get super early to the office, even though the workshop will be virtual. But you know, if it wasn't literally my first week I might find a more sensible way to do it, but since I'm extremely new and this seems to be the expectation, I'll be there with bells on lol.

Keeping up with chores

Jun. 7th, 2025 12:21
soc_puppet: Dreamsheep, its wool colored black and shot through with five diagonal colored lines (red, yellow, white, blue, and green, from left to right), the design from Dreamwidth user capri0mni's Disability Pride flag. The Dreamwidth logo is in red, yellow, white, blue, and green, echoing the stripes. (Disability Pride)
[personal profile] soc_puppet
It's time for America's favorite game show: Rotate! My! Mattress!
dr_zook: (58<3)
[personal profile] dr_zook posting in [community profile] anime_manga
Author: [personal profile] dr_zook
Fandom: Wild Adapter (manga)
Characters: Kubota Makoto, Tokito Minoru
Rating: Teen & Mature, m/m
Word count: 1,307 & 1,480
Notes: Two years ago I wrote a fic for Yuletide and promised my beta reader a raunchy sequel, so here we go. 

Read them over at AO3! And/or chat me up at my DW. :D

hide the fuel that's gathered here is set right after their escape in vol. 6! Click the link for further notes and tags.

Soaked in Fire Two Paths Collide is the promised raunchy coda for above fic. Things are heating up here. ;)
pastelpom: a cartoony-style bust illustration of my character Stel looking to the right with a smile and his tongue sticking out (Default)
[personal profile] pastelpom posting in [community profile] anime_manga
Fandom: Death Note
Author/Artist: pastelpom
Title: Swimming Upstream Into the Mouth of a Bear
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 2,346
Highlight for Warnings: *Suicide mention, death, canon typical misogyny, etc*
Disclaimer: This is a fanwork, I do not own the characters and no profit has been made from this work
Summary:

The world was not built for you. The world does nothing to accommodate you. Think of yourself like an insect evolved to resist pesticide - you grow in spite of, not because of, the narrative of the world. God's mighty hand inks you in the same way he would an extra in a crowd shot. Fuzzy, indistinct, vague.

You are tired of it.

Why not try something new?

A/N: a little meta thing about misa becoming aware of her place in the narrative :3 still tweaking things here and there but overall im happy with it!

AO3 Link

Big Day!!!

Jun. 8th, 2025 02:17
tyger: Axel looking off over the sunset (Axel - into the distance)
[personal profile] tyger

The con was... A Lot. Just. A Lot.

I enjoyed it, and made uh many many purchases, all of fanartist! (So many thing!) But also it was A LOT. Absolutely sure I didn't give some of the fanartists the attention they deserved, in between the overwhelm (cool things) and overwhelm (too many people), and the other booths, that I checked out after the fanart, definitely didn't get much of a look. (To be fair I don't tend to ping on official merch very much anyway so... there was a reason I left that section 'till last.)

I still think cons are more fun if you go with a friend, but it's not bad to go by yourself, either! I won't go to one again for a while, though, because they are. Definitely expensive. >>;;; I dunno how much I spent and I'm a little scared to look. But like my father said when I was showing my parents my cool stuff (on request!), I don't really have many expensive habits so it's probably fine occasionally!

Also there was someone selling buttons I got copies of the last time I was at a local con. WHICH WAS 2017. I did NOT expect to find anything from that long ago still in stock! I mean, they're great, and it definitely wasn't the full range from back then (and many many new things added), but STILL! :O :O :O

I did get a weekend pass, but I'm not gonna go tomorrow. Most of the draw for me, personally, is Cool Fanart Stuff; if I was going with other people or there were panels or whatever I was interested in, then another day might be fun, but as it is I don't have anything pressing. And I should... probably not spend any more money... >>;;;

I was there for something like six and a half hours, too, which is A LOT longer than I thought I'd manage! Pretty proud! :3 Now I need to go collapse for ...a while... though. Make the sore feet and headache go away! >:

(no subject)

Jun. 7th, 2025 12:29
maju: Clean my kitchen (Default)
[personal profile] maju
Woke up to a very dark and gloomy morning. It had been raining slightly before I got up so I decided I wasn't going to go to parkrun. Instead I walked to Safeway in very light rain, and then to the post office in slightly heavier rain. At parkrun time (9 am) it was raining quite heavily and I was glad I wasn't there, but now it has cleared up and the sun has come out, and I'm feeling annoyed at the lack of cooperation from the weather this morning. I did buy some groceries (milk - essential for my cups of tea, plus a few other things) and also dropped off some unwanted books at the little book exchange in the post office building.

I also browsed quickly through the farmers market which was just opening outside the post office. I did not buy anything healthy; instead I bought a small lemon meringue pie. It was a toss-up between that and a chocolate whoopie pie.

May-December (Film Review)

Jun. 7th, 2025 17:51
selenak: (Damages by Agsmith01)
[personal profile] selenak
Which I would have watched on the big screen if I could have, but a brief showing time and my tight schedule did not allow it. Anyway: this is the movie in which Natalie Portman plays a (tv) actress, Elizabeth, who wants to play Gracie (Julianne Moore) in a movie based on events taking place about two decades plus earlier than the film's setting, which is 2015. (Though the film itself premiered in 2023.) Said events consisted of Gracie, at age 36, having had a "relationship" with a thirteen years old boy, Joe ,whom she after some years in prison for statuary rape married; he's currently 36 (as is Elizabeth), the same age she was back then, and played by Charles Melton, who I osmosed before this movie was mostly famous for playing a jock type in Riverdale but who is absolutely stunning in this film (and should at least have gotten an Oscar nomination), which given he's working with Julianne Moore and Natalie Portman at their best, is truly saying something. There are also kids (the one Gracie was pregnant with when she got caught is now in college, and thn there are twins about to graduate), as well as Gracie's offspring from her earlier marriage, with her son Georgie being the same age as Joe. The movie is directed by Todd Haynes, and dives right into how incredibly messed up a story this is.

Now, if you start the film knot knowing what it's about, then the first few minutes might let you assume it's a black comedy about suburbia; Gracie, Joe and their children live in the proverbial idyllic white fenced area somewhere in South Carolina, with Gracie (who runs a small scale bakery) coming across as somewhat high strung but popular among her neighbours - and then Elizabeth arrives, only to find an anonymous package at the couple's front door which contains feces. There are some comedy beats throughout the remaining movie, but actually I would classify it as emotional horror. Gracie is still absolutely incapable of admitting she ever did anything wrong, and we get an early taste of her ability to manipulate and achieve emotional control when she comments on her daughter's choice of prom dress: "You're so brave to show your arms! I wouldn't have dared", with the result that of course the poor girl doesn't buy that dress but the one Gracie likes. Elizabeth isn't the film's heroine, either, though in the first half her investigation provides the audience bit by bit with the backstory from various povs via the characters Elizabeth talks to; the movie goes full throttle about what a disturbing and ruthlessly exploitative process an actor working on a role can be if that role isn't a fictional character but a real person. (BTW, of course Portman and Moore don't look much alike, but that only helps enhancing the sense of disquiet as Elizabeth adopts more and more of Gracie's mannerisms, with the scene where Gracie gives Elizabeth a makeover with her own makeup and lipstick being a showcase in point.)

Meanwhile, Joe starts out on a quiet background note when compared to the two women, and then the story shows more and more how messed up not just the start of his relationship with Gracie was but how messed up their present day relationship still is. More than one review described Joe as a thirteen years old still locked in the body of an adult man, and before watching the film I assumed this meant Joe would be characterized as a manchild, but no, that's not what was meant at all. If anything, he's the most reasonably and responsibly acting adult in this film. But emotionally, it becomes clear he's never had the chance to process what happened, not least because his entire life is still built around keeping Gracie happy. He became a father years and years before growing up, and the scene where due to his teenage son for the first time sharing pot with him his quiet and calm facade finally cracks and some of that repressed emotion breaks through is incredibly good and heartbreaking.

Incidentally: making a movie which deals with an adult grooming a kid without getting voyeuristic with a young actor sounds near impossible - but May-December by showing us the aftermath and the long term effect everything had on Joe decades later proves it can be done. At the same time, we do get a visual reminder of just how young he was when Elizabeth gets sent video clips of teenagers auditioning to play Joe. (The audition clips don't show more than them introducing themselves with their name and age.) Elizabeth looks appalled, and the audience might think it's because it hits her how young thirteen really is.... and then a few scenes later, she's on the phone with her producer and tells him these guys are just wrong because they don't look sexy enough. Which tells you something about Elizabeth.

Despite how good this film is - with script, acting and cinematography all outstanding - , I'm not surprised it wasn't a box office success (while getting deservedly criticial praise.) It's hardly a subject lending itself to relaxation, and despite its three leads all being very attractive people, any sexual activity is basically the opposite of fanservice - like I said, it's an emotional horror show. Not something I'll rewatch any time soon, though I am glad I watched it once, and am full of admiration for what it achieves.
sonofgodzilla: dead scream! (sailor pluto)
[personal profile] sonofgodzilla
Sometimes I avoid watching magical girl shows because I know I'll have to write one of these entries if I do.

Kimi to Idol Precure )

Kamen Rider × Kamen Rider Wizard & Fourze: Movie War Ultimatum )

I read a lot of books these past few months. I'm working my way through the Fushigi Comedy series as a whole, but I'm mostly watching the "robot comedy" shows, so apologies for the lack of variety in this month's post.
oursin: Photograph of Stella Gibbons, overwritten IM IN UR WOODSHED SEEING SOMETHIN NASTY (woodshed)
[personal profile] oursin

Actually, I can't find that the article by Molly-Jong Fast in today's Guardian Saturday is currently online, alas - clearly she had a sad and distressing childhood, even if I was tempted, and probably not the only one to be so tempted, to murmur, apologies to P Larkin, 'they zipless fuck you up...', the abrupt dismissal of her nanny, her only secure attachment figure, when Erica J suddenly remarried (again) was particularly harsh, I thought. No wonder she had problems.

And really, even if she does make a point of how relatively privileged she was, that doesn't actually ameliorate how badly she was treated.

Only the other day there was an obituary of the psychoanalyst Joy Schaverien, who wrote Boarding School Syndrome: The Psychological Trauma of the “Privileged” Child.

***

Another rather traumatic parenting story, though this is down to the hospitals: BBC News is now aware of five cases of babies swapped by mistake in maternity wards from the late 1940s to the 1960s. Lawyers say they expect more people to come forward driven by the increase in cheap genetic testing.:

[V]ery gradually, more babies were delivered in hospital, where newborns were typically removed for periods to be cared for in nurseries.
"The baby would be taken away between feeds so that the mother could rest, and the baby could be watched by either a nursery nurse or midwife," says Terri Coates, a retired lecturer in midwifery, and former clinical adviser on BBC series Call The Midwife.
"It may sound paternalistic, but midwives believed they were looking after mums and babies incredibly well."
It was common for new mothers to be kept in hospital for between five and seven days, far longer than today.
To identify newborns in the nursery, a card would be tied to the end of the cot with the baby's name, mother's name, the date and time of birth, and the baby's weight.
"Where cots rather than babies were labelled, accidents could easily happen"

Plus, this was the era of the baby boom, one imagines maternity wards may have been a bit swamped....

***

A different sort of misattribution: The furniture fraud who hoodwinked the Palace of Versailles:

[T]his assortment of royal chairs would become embroiled in a national scandal that would rock the French antiques world, bringing the trade into disrepute.
The reason? The chairs were in fact all fakes.
The scandal saw one of France's leading antiques experts, Georges "Bill" Pallot, and award-winning cabinetmaker, Bruno Desnoues, put on trial on charges of fraud and money laundering following a nine-year investigation.
....
Speaking in court in March, Mr Pallot said the scheme started as a "joke" with Mr Desnoues in 2007 to see if they could replicate an armchair they were already working on restoring, that once belonged to Madame du Barry.
Masters of their crafts, they managed the feat, convincing other experts that it was a chair from the period.

***

I am really given a little hope for an anti-Mybug tendency among the masculine persuasion: A Man writes in 'the issue is not whether men are being published, but whether they are reading – and being supported to develop emotional lives that fiction can help foster'

While Geoff Dyer in The Books of [His] Life goes in hard with Beatrix Potter as early memory, Elizabeth Taylor as late-life discovery, and Rosamond Lehmann's The Weather in the Streets as

One of those perennially bubbling-under modern classics – too good for the Championship, unable to sustain a place in the Premier league – which turns out to be way better than some of the canonical stalwarts permanently installed in the top flight.

Okay, I mark him down a bit for the macho ' I don’t go to books for comfort', but still, not bad for a bloke, eh.

intimacies

Jun. 7th, 2025 15:38
[personal profile] cosmolinguist

Last month I met someone whose visa has just been approved and who started T today.

What a good day.

I was excited to meet another trans immigrant... so much that I immediately behaved as if there was a kind of intimacy between us that does not in fact exist: I teased him about how he only had a few hours left until he started being stinky...and then as we were leaving he asked me "wait, so about that smell thing, was that serious, because I've been wondering...."

oh no!

But! It worked out okay: I saw him again a fortnight later, and he made a point of telling me I was right about the stinkiness. Which made me smile but also gave me a chance to apologize for saying something that could be so easily misconstrued. I tried to explain about the false sense of intimacy I immediately felt when

He said it was fine, it was funny. To be understood as I'd intended was a relief!

He told me that the person standing next to him, an acquaintance of mine, someone he had been draped over all evening, has been counting his facial hairs.

As of that day there were eight of them.

It was so heartwarming and delightful to see early transition so intimately documented like that. Especially for a masc person; the loving detail is something I'm so much more used to seeing from trans fems.

Courses - May/June 2025

Jun. 7th, 2025 13:42
smallhobbit: (Default)
[personal profile] smallhobbit
FutureLearn

Italian for Beginners (Part 2 & Part 3)  (Open University)  I'm definitely learning something.  If I really worked at it I'd learn more, but learning lots of vocabulary no longer appeals, so I'm working on the general repetition basis and some of it is going in.

Film Audience & Spectator Experience  (Film Distributors' Association)  I don't go to the cinema very often, although this year I have seen 'Conclave' and 'Mr Burton', but nevertheless this is a well-presented course, which I enjoyed doing and from which I learnt a little.  It's also improved by having the main tutor responding to comments.


OpenLearn

Transport & Sustainability
A Level 2 science course, which I was delighted to be able to follow and do the calculations.  An interesting look at different forms of transport and their relative sustainability, including being realistic about the current greener options.

Basic Science: Understanding Numbers
Continuing with the Maths theme.  Quite interesting, but covers a lot of the ground I've done previously.  I'm now looking at taking some Level 2 Maths courses, which should require rather more mental input, which is one of the reasons for my taking courses!

Understanding Autism
Another badged course.  Well worth doing.  Although I've had contact with people with autism and their needs before, I felt the course taught me a number of things.  Within a church setting, it doesn't hurt to be aware of needs and be as accommodating as possible.



rydra_wong: Lee Miller photo showing two women wearing metal fire masks in England during WWII. (Default)
[personal profile] rydra_wong posting in [community profile] thissterlingcrew
The Good Law Project and Stop Funding Hate have teamed up to let you email companies which claim to support LGBTQ+ people while advertising on (virulently homophobic and transphobic) GB News:

https://action.goodlawproject.org/pick-a-side-hate-or-pride
joshuaorrizonte: (Default)
[personal profile] joshuaorrizonte
I made a Kain Highwind discord server last night. I need to pretty it up, but if you want an invite, just say the word!

Innnn other news, my surgery is in 5 days. I need to get the disability paperwork done, but that can wait until tomorrow. What can’t wait until tomorrow is plugging the “work” pc back in so I can pay Dad’s bills. I NEED to do that today. 

I saw a roach in the bathroom this morning. I am so sick of this house, man. Mice and roaches… And once you have roaches they’re damn near impossible to get rid of without fumigating the place. I’m positive that I am so unwell right now because of all the vermin that’s in here. We’re trying to put things where they belong, rather than piling it up, but it doesn’t seem to be helping.

I wish Mom were here.  

Weekly Chat

Jun. 7th, 2025 13:56
dancing_serpent: (The Untamed - Wei Wuxian - blue)
[personal profile] dancing_serpent posting in [community profile] c_ent
The weekly chat posts are intended for just that, chatting among each other. What are you currently watching? Reading? What actor/idol are you currently following? What are you looking forward to? Are you busy writing, creating art? Or did you have no time at all for anything, and are bemoaning that fact?

Whatever it is, talk to us about it here. Tell us what you liked or didn't like, and if you want to talk about spoilery things, please hide them under either of these codes:
or

Just One Thing (07 June 2025)

Jun. 7th, 2025 12:49
nanila: me (Default)
[personal profile] nanila posting in [community profile] awesomeers
It's challenge time!

Comment with Just One Thing you've accomplished in the last 24 hours or so. It doesn't have to be a hard thing, or even a thing that you think is particularly awesome. Just a thing that you did.

Feel free to share more than one thing if you're feeling particularly accomplished! Extra credit: find someone in the comments and give them props for what they achieved!

Nothing is too big, too small, too strange or too cryptic. And in case you'd rather do this in private, anonymous comments are screened. I will only unscreen if you ask me to.

Go!

New Fence

Jun. 7th, 2025 11:42
poliphilo: (Default)
[personal profile] poliphilo
 
The couple next door wanted the shared fence renewing and we agreed because we're good neighbours.  It's happening as I write. 

I like the way it looks without the fence- and the two gardens united. I said so to Alison next door and she agreed. 

At six foot the new fence will be higher than the old one; that's higher than my head. 

Personally I'd rather have spent the money on something else- like dinners down the pub....

IMG_7631.jpeg

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