October, here we come!
Sep. 24th, 2025 11:12 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
++ The newest addition to the V/H/S franchise, V/H/S/Halloween, has also released a trailer and will be premiering October 3rd. I had no idea that there was another one already, but I'm not entirely shocked either. This features two of my favorite things: the V/H/S franchise and Halloween. I'm all in.
Are there some aces up your sleeve? Have you no idea that you're in deep?
Sep. 24th, 2025 11:14 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)

1. Transfixed by a dapper portrait of Yuan Meiyun, I discovered it is likely a still from her star-making, genderbending soft film 化身姑娘 (1936), apparently translated as Girl in Disguise or Tomboy. In the same decade, it would fit right into a repertory series with Viktor und Viktoria (1933) or Sylvia Scarlett (1936). To my absolute shock, it is jankily on YouTube. Subtitled it is not, but I really expected to have to wait for the 16 mm archival rediscovery.
2. Because I had occasion to recommend it this afternoon, Forrest Reid's Uncle Stephen (1931) does not seem to rate in the lineage of time-slip fantasies, but for its era it is the queerest I have encountered, the awakening sense of difference of its fifteen-year-old protagonist erotically and magically mediated by Hermes in his aspect as conductor of souls and charmer of sleep, dreams figuring in this novel with the same slipperiness of time and identity that can accidentally bring a secret self like a stranger out of an unknowing stratum of the past. It's all on the slant of ancient Greek mysticism and the pollen-stain of a branch of lilac brushed across a sleeper's mouth and a lot of thinking about the different ways of liking and then there's a kiss. It was written out of a dream of the author's and it reads like one, elliptical, liminal, a spell that can be broken at a touch. I have no idea of its ideal audience—fans of Philippa Pearce's Tom's Midnight Garden (1958) and E. M. Forster's Maurice (1971)? I read it in the second year of the pandemic and kept forgetting to mention it. Whatever else, it is a novel about the queerness of time.
3. I am enjoying Phil Stong's State Fair (1932), but I really appreciated the letter from the author quoted mid-composition in the foreword: "I've finally got a novel coming in fine shape. I've done 10,000 words on it in three days and I get more enthusiastic every day . . . I hope I can hold up this time. I always write 10,000 swell words and then go to pieces."
"older but no more the wise, we've learned the art of compromise" (suzy bogguss)
Sep. 25th, 2025 01:36 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
In the immortal words of a fellow teacher explaining the plan for getting three different field trip groups along multiple walking routes to the same destination at the same time (cartoon maps and faux football play diagrams were involved), when responding to the following question:
"What do we do if it rains?"
"...If it rains, we go out and we fight. We fight and we fight and we win."
Relatedly, in the way that all things are, I'm enjoying
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Autumn arrives as well, and with it, the soft opening of my indoor light garden. Every single one of my high intensity lights from Gardeners' Supply is going strong, but none of my low-intensity lights from Amazon has lasted more than two seasons. On a quest, then, to find new gentle lights for my less sun-hungry plants, I tried the Gardeners' Supply light guide (illustrated) and laughed at the following multiple choice question:
"What kind of gardener are you?"
1) Tabletop: "I just want to keep my African violets happy."
2) Floor Plant Fanatic: "I've got a few monster-sized Monsteras and fiddle-leaf figs to tend to."
3) Plant Parenting Pro: "I'm growing light-loving houseplants of all sizes, including an orchid, several succulents, and a sago palm."
Option 3 may not quite cover it, but that's as high as the scale goes and I embrace it.
Pinch Hits 39-46 (and repost of others)
Sep. 25th, 2025 01:29 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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Navigation: Rules/General Info | AO3 Collection | Posting Guidelines | Medium Rulesets | Google Forms (Defaulting, Extensions, Assignment Summary Requests) | Mod Contact: ficinaboxmod@gmail.com OR Screened Mod Contact Post
Pinch hits are participants who are without creators; pinch hitting is the practice of volunteering to make a gift for a pinch hit. These pinch hits are all due on October 19 at 10:00 PM EDT.
Fic In A Box has a very unusual set of assignment requirements: everyone is owed (and is asking for) 10k of fanfiction, which by default can be given as one 10k+ fic or several 1k+ fics. Participants have also had the option to opt-in to other minimum lengths or to other formats of fanwork. The other fanwork mediums are given word count equivalents, which you can view on the medium ruleset post.
Additionally:
- Fic In A Box creators may default after partially filling their assignment—say, if they discover that they can only write 9k of fic—and PHs can be picked up in 1k increments!
- You may always swap all or part of your assignment for a PH, just let us know that's what you're doing when you post to claim the PH.
- In the future we'll include details in the post, but for this post we're linking to the app for that to keep the post size down!
In order to pick up a pinch hit you need to either email us or comment on this post (comments are screened) with:
- The amount of wordcount you would like to claim (even if you're going to do fanart or some other non-fic opt-in medium! If you aren't sure what the equivalent would be, we'd be happy to help you convert it!)
- The exact username of the AO3 account you will be posting your fill(s) from (if you post from a different account from the one you give us, we won't be able to count the PH as filled unless you update us!)
- An email where we can reach you (you might not be getting the AO3 assignment when you pick up a PH, so we need to know where to send the assignment!)
( PH 19 - 2k - Star Trek: Enterprise, Star Trek: Enterprise, Star Trek: Voyager, Crossover Fandom )
( PH 30 - 6k - Green Hornet (TV), Crossover Fandom, Ghost Whisperer )
( PH 41 - 2k - Original Work, Horrible Histories, The Gilded Age (TV 2022) )
Daily Happiness
Sep. 24th, 2025 10:12 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
2. We had a nice evening at Disneyland. Especially nice after a stressful afternoon at work!
3. Chloe knows the cutest poses.

ugh
Sep. 25th, 2025 06:02 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
It was a social night for the tour I'm on, but I was super-tired from the walk today (well, everyone was) so I stayed in. But I think nearly everyone else went, so I missed out on 2 hours of socialising. Then again, I'm (once again) oddball out on this tour.
Which, I know the "once again" should mean I'm used to this, but also, it's slightly harder on this one.
Walked about 7 miles yesterday, up hill and down dale, through cowpasture and sheep pasture. Definitely walking off the meals I've been eating the last couple of days.
2025 Disneyland Trip #63 (9/24/25)
Sep. 24th, 2025 10:02 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
( Read more... )
I need to remember
Sep. 24th, 2025 11:22 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
That and finding out one of my EOBs was a denial for my DexCom monitors and I wrote and asked them WHY they denied a claim from the company they INSISTED I use. I hope that gets straightened out because that's 1000$ to me if they don't.
We needed rain bad. We're now on day 4 and flooding. fantastic. Lost my power third day in a row too. It was raining inside my building again. Also someone turned on the heat. Again. It was 77 when I showed up to work outside so WHY the heat is on....
I did manage to finish a
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What I Just Finished Reading:
Nothing Special vol 2 - a fantasy webtoon, it's cute
Jaws - I needed as J and one of my dentists handed me this to read. Someone's thesis on why there is so much malocclusion. Riveting (no, it's not)
What I am Currently Reading:
Cards on the Table - Agatha Christie - a good reminder she was a woman of her time and that Italians were NOT liked well in the 20s and 30s The victim seems to have deserved to die because Dagos are shifty and untrustworthy....it's not in there much but it was there in the beginning and I set this aside for years and now it's back about mid way in...
Colin Gets Promoted and Dooms the World - imagine Gavin or Lindsey trying to get promoted at Wolfram and Hart and you more or less have it. It's interesting but it's hard to root for Colin since he's actively evil and petty
What I Plan to Read Next: I'm so behind on my challenges. something for that.
Artificial Intelligence
Sep. 24th, 2025 10:13 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
In recent months, YouTube has secretly used artificial intelligence (AI) to tweak people’s videos without letting them know or asking permission. Wrinkles in shirts seem more defined. Skin is sharper in some places and smoother in others. Pay close attention to ears, and you may notice them warp. These changes are small, barely visible without a side-by-side comparison. Yet some disturbed YouTubers say it gives their content a subtle and unwelcome AI-generated feeling.
This causes a variety of damage including but not limited to:
* Tampering with people's intellectual property without their permission.
* Damaging trust between producer and consumer (especially if the producer says that they don't use AI).
* Undermining people's ability to choose whether or not they wish to use or consumer AI.
* Undermining people's ability to find and identify truth.
Yet another in the suddenly growing pile of reasons to hate YouTube, which sucks, because it's the most widespread place to share video content. >_<
Dang! Academic smackdown!
Sep. 24th, 2025 09:25 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
I was reading the June 2025 American Historical Review tonight and came across Peter Lorge's review of A History of Traditional Chinese Military Science by Huang Pumin, Wei Hong, and Xiong Jianping, translatied by Fan Hao. It's one of the most brutal academic takedowns of a book that I've ever read. I'd like to share with you the first sentence from each paragraph, which manage to convey the sense of the whole thing, with my comments afterward in brackets.
- "The field of Chinese military history in the West has grown considerably in the last couple of decades but remains extremely small." [So this book should be useful.]
- "A History of Traditional Chinese Military Science is therefore valuable if only because there isn't much else." [My comment #1 was right, but just barely.]
- "The term 'military science' is particularly problematic. [Dang! We're not even out of the title and things are already "particularly problematic!"]
- "More problematically, the authors believe that Chinese military thought — or military science, in their terms — did not change after it was established in the pre-imperial period (before 221 BCE)." [It's never a good sign when any paragraph in a review begins with "more problematically."]
- "This brings us to a deep-rooted problem in this book's scholarship." [After two paragraphs of problems, we now come to "a deep-rooted problem"? Damn!]
- "Readers unfamiliar with Chinese history, let along Chinese military history, will find the discussions of history and warfare confusing." [In other words, if you know enough to understand this book, you know too much to learn anything from it.]
- "The translation itself appears to be generally competent, although the translator is not well-versed in the deeper meanings of either the technical military terms in Chinese or in English." [It looks like he's about to let the translator off the hook, but no.]
wednesday books have complicated families
Sep. 24th, 2025 07:29 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
This all sounded interesting enough for me to track down his memoirs, though I found it a bit disappointing, in particular because it didn't go into detail about the things I was most curious about. The sections about his early years were the best, but after that it became rushed. The title is appropriate; he does sometimes switch abruptly from reminiscences to a mathematical discussion (which I could follow but is not my field). However, I did learn details I'm not sure I actually wanted to know about his relationship with his former grad student who he eventually married, which was even more problematic than that description makes it sound like. It's interesting that he spent his life around smart, influential women; in addition to his wives, his Ph.D. advisor was the groundbreaking Mary Cartwright, and he had four daughters who all went on to have successful careers. But he doesn't come off as particularly feminist or thoughtful about gender.
The Summer War, Naomi Novik. This is a fairy tale novella, using many of the classic tropes, and a well-constructed one, as one would expect from Novik. I enjoyed it.
Teresa, Edith Ayrton Zangwill. Like the last Ayrton Zangwill I read, this is a un-proofread OCR'd copy: the book has just entered Distributed Proofreaders and will be on Project Gutenberg when fully proofread (at which point I expect I'll post about it again!). As I've come to expect from Edith Ayrton Zangwill, the writing is great, the social commentary is excellent, and I gulped the whole thing down in a day. The book feels like a response to Middlemarch, specifically the prologue that talks about all the latter-day analogues of St. Teresa of Avila who didn't reach their full potential, and this book's Teresa could be one of them (some characters compare her in-book to her saintly analogue).
Teresa starts the book as an idealistic girl fresh out of boarding school with a strong and inflexible sense of morality learned from her mother, who is a relic of the Victorian era but also a committed socialist -- and the theme of socialism throughout the book really helps Teresa's morality not come across as mere priggishness. (Vicki, who I am very grateful to for scanning the book from the British Library, commented that Teresa reads as possibly on the spectrum, and I think she has a good point there.)
Like The First Mrs. Mollivar, this is a story about two people who never should have gotten married to each other, and how they navigate being married anyway. Also like it, there is lots of good parts in there that is not just about the miserable marriage; I particularly liked Teresa's badass lady doctor cousin, though I'm sad that her roommate got shuffled out of the way to make room for a heterosexual love interest (the book does not use its femslash potential).
Read-in-Progress Wednesday
Sep. 25th, 2025 10:13 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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For spoilers:
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2541 / The Carter File
Sep. 24th, 2025 09:47 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
So below the cut are the notes I took when I rewatched the show. I'm posting them here so that I don't lose them and also who knows, maybe someone else will find this useful?
( The Carter File )
Sanders' Rhetorical, or Union Sixth Reader
Sep. 24th, 2025 09:22 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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An advanced work of elocution.
Perhaps chiefly useful now for its selections and the light they cast on the era. It has several on the importance of the Union. It boasts of a wide variety, to fit young readers, and it does feature both prose and poetry on many different topics, fiction and non-fiction. I think it has more biographical essays than the earlier books in the series.
(Though it was amusing to read the side note that people used to eat a dish of fried dough known as a doughnut.)
Success!
Sep. 24th, 2025 08:49 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
Well, it took an hour on the phone with them again today, but I emphasized that the first agent had specifically said that if I chose one of their options I would not face any extra expense, and also used the phrase "Booking.com's error" a couple of times, and in the end I did get the full amount refunded! (Well, they issued it as an in-house "cash credit," but I can withdraw it all to a credit card.) Victory is mine!
One week until HLH Shortcuts opens for signups!
Sep. 24th, 2025 06:35 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)

2025 Guidelines and helpful links here.