rose_griffes

Oh hey! It's another update! Go me!

MEDIA: The movie Thelma is worth seeing in a theater, if you're able to do so. It disappeared quickly from the closest theater, so we had to drive to the next town to see it. I would guess that nonagenarian June Squibb had a fun time in her first leading role; her character was flawed yet sympathetic, and the script took great care in the family relationships. Oh, and surprise Agent Coulson Clark Gregg! I wasn't expecting him. There are some other casting surprises, about which I'll say nothing in the post itself. Feel free to chat about the film in the comments if you've seen it.

GARDEN: This has been a good year for the cucumber plant, weirdly enough. Not sure if it's because housemate A got a bit generous with the bone meal or because of the wildflower patch right next to it, or the copious rains in late May/early June. Or all of it, which is the most likely explanation. At any rate, after plentiful rains came oppressive heat, so the cucumber plant is unlikely to produce much more fruit. At least, not that we'll actually eat. (If it gets hot enough, cucumbers taste bitter.)

The yellow tomato plant has done okay, the cherry tomatoes are abundant, and the plant that's supposed to produce those purple tomatoes (Cherokee purple, a heritage plant, NOT a genetically modified purple tomato plant) has done absolutely nothing. It's tall, but hasn't set any fruit. This is my second attempt at Cherokee purple, and it's been, er, fruitless. In the literal sense.

Didn't remember to plant any squash of any kind, and not sure if I will now, given how early the hot weather showed up.

TRAVEL and REAL LIFE: I've already visited two siblings, one on east coast time and the other on west coast time. Sprained my ankle right before the easterly trip, which was unfortunate. For July I'll do a bit more traveling, but not by plane. And I may start an online course related to teaching, as well as painting (walls and ceilings) a bit. Should probably make a priority list for all of that.

The minor yet annoying health problem I've been having is, apparently, easily recognizable and easily treated. So there's that; I started meds yesterday. Am hoping for a fast recovery but there's also a simple medical procedure if the meds don't take care of things in a timely fashion.

In the meantime I've gone back on a romance novel binge. Nothing soothes the slightly battered and distressed body like an Amanda Quick romp. And my local library has several of hers available through the Cloud Library app, hurrah.

I appreciate the recommendations for Hulu shows and films in my previous post. Figured I should mention that the most-mentioned show, Elementary is one that I've watched. Well, partly--I saw all of season one, which was very good! And a banger of a finale (loved the Moriarity reveal). I watched most of season three, I believe... and I'm not sure how much else. Part of season five? I never gave the show its own tag, so there's not an easy way to find my last-watched episode. Quite possibly I mentioned something about it on Tumblr (where I was meticulous about tagging), but since I deleted my Tumblr account...

At any rate: with only 3 weeks left, I'll either have to watch PART of the remaining Elementary episodes, and save the rest for another Hulu round, or I'll have to prioritize them in some fashion. So if you have any favorite sets of episodes, lemme know.

A lovely gift from goodbyebird: a paid Dreamwidth account for 6 months! Which means... ICONS! Or userpics or whatever one calls those tiny squares nowadays. Among other things; I also plan to post pics of recent projects and write polls again, huzzah.

Spider-Man, yaaah. ( SPOILERS for Spider-Man: No Way Home )

TMFU exchange reveals: I wrote Waverly fic, and it's still in progress, although the stopping point isn't exactly a dramatic cliffhanger. So frustrating when writing inspiration doesn't cooperate with, er, deadlines and so forth.

Pack up All My Cares and Woes (2175 words) by rose_griffes
Chapters: 1/2
Fandom: The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (2015)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Gaby Teller & Alexander Waverly, Illya Kuryakin & Alexander Waverly
Characters: Alexander Waverly, Gaby Teller, Illya Kuryakin
Additional Tags: Truth Serum, (well not exactly but close enough), endless exasperation with a slightly incapacitated boss, background Gaby Teller/Illya Kuryakin, (it's implied not explicit)
Summary: He remembers what drinking feels like, and opium. This is something different.

I made waffles this morning, having been gifted with a waffle maker for Christmas. Tasty!

( year in fandom meme thingy )

Low-key friending meme here. It even includes options for multiple platforms. Given that I'm off Tumblr and use twitter mostly for political news, this is my main base for, well, all the rest.

Speaking of news, though, or at least informed commentary about the news, I recommend Zeynep Tufekci's substack, Insight. She's a sociology professor at UNC-Chapel Hill. Her writings range widely, from the pandemic to politics to social media. Her work might already be familiar, given that she's written articles for The Atlantic and other outlets.

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I started watching The Queen's Gambit on Netflix. So far very good, if a bit stressful. I'm waiting for the crash(es) in Beth Harmon's life.

The Crown has a new season available--I don't watch, but this video mocking it made me laugh out loud. I know enough of the actual drama from that time period that I understood most of the humor.

( personal pandemic news behind a cut )

Edited to add: Just taking this moment to remind myself and anyone else in position to do so: food banks and other organizations could really use money donations.

FYI, Justina Ireland's Dread Nation is $2.99 today on some digital platforms. Definitely worth a read, and if you're looking for black authors to support, then zombies and an alternate post-Civil War story is an entertaining way to do that.

Edited to add: remember how much I LOVED the cover art for the sequel to that book? There's a (very short) video of the cover shoot.

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Me starting season two of Burn Notice: TRICIA HELFER?!

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My garden has started producing cucumbers now and I'M SO PLEASED. I love cucumbers: sliced and soaked in vinegar-water with a dash of salt. Now if only the zucchini and squash would be productive... (I'm aware of the reputation for zucchini proliferation. So I may laugh at myself later this summer, but right now? I WANT SOME GARDEN-FRESH ZUCCHINI.)

In an effort to distract myself from the horror story that is my Facebook page right now, have a poll:

1. Are you an Essential Worker?

No.

2. How many drinks have you had since the quarantine started?

I don’t drink.

3. If you have kids... Are they driving you nuts?

No kids.

4. What new hobby have you taken up during this?

No new hobbies, although some older ones are getting dusted off. Baking, for example: not my thing, too exact, but sometimes you just want a freshly-baked item. (I cook plenty, but that's less science and more art.)

5. How many grocery runs have you done?

I was averaging one a week but now I'm trying to make it two weeks. I have a decently-stocked pantry, so I should be able to wait a while... except that I also have garden projects that occasionally require things that I can't quite replicate at home.

6. What are you spending your stimulus check on?

Garden stuff, donations to local food bank, not sure what else yet.

7. Do you have any special occasions that you will miss during this quarantine?

Helping my middle brother's family to pack their belongings before they move. A trip to London--it was going to be my first time there!


8. Are you keeping your housework done?

Mount Clean Laundry never fully disappears. I'm doing better at random chores that I've been putting off--like power-washing the patio furniture. (Next up: assembling the power spray-painter thingy and trying to paint some furniture.)

9. What movie have you watched during this quarantine?

The Farwell and Jupiter Ascending.

10. What are you streaming with?

Netflix, Amazon Prime. Pulling out some old DVDs, too.

11. What's your go-to quarantine meal?

Leftovers of whatever I made the day before. I'm also still making jar salads as well, two or three at a time. (Build a salad in a mason jar, from wettest ingredients at the bottom to driest ingredients at the top. They stay good in the fridge for several days. Shake to serve, pour into a salad bowl, and voila.)

13. Is this whole situation making you paranoid?

Paranoid? No. Stressed? For sure.

14. Has your internet gone out on you during this time?

Only briefly. But per my colleagues' anecdotes, mine is by far the worst internet connection when we're having video meetings.

15. What month do you predict this all ends?

Depends on how one defines an ending. Obviously we're going to need a much greater testing capacity, which includes personnel, equipment, reliable tests, etc. It's going to be a while.

16. First thing you’re gonna do when you get off quarantine?

Go out to eat with friends. Watch a movie at the theater. Assuming we still have movie theaters at that point.

17. Where do you wish you were right now?

In Oklahoma, visiting my brother's family in their last few days in the state.

18. What free-from-quarantine activity are you missing the most?
Movies. Church. Just seeing friends.

19. Have you run out of toilet paper and hand sanitizer?

No, although I'm not really a hand sanitizer person, so I didn't ever have any in stock... Also, the only reason I didn't run out of toilet paper is because my roommate has a Costco membership, and she bought some for me. I was out of luck at my usual stores.

20. Do you have enough food to last a month?

Probably so, but I wouldn't enjoy that last stretch.

There are things I do appreciate about the current situation and my life specifically within it. I'm not currently in danger of losing my paycheck or job. I don't feel exhausted by the end of the day--a common problem when I'm teaching. [Insert rant here about the number of hours we teach each workday.] But wow, I miss my students and co-workers. I'm feeling a bit adrift without the routine of things, and I'm struggling with how to keep students engaged in learning at a distance.

(Yes, teachers are doing all sorts of things to share with each other what we're learning about that, but it's a rather steep learning curve, y'know? Also, some of the ideas are... less well-thought out, to say the least. They depend on having The Ideal Student who Always Does Their Work and Would Never Misbehave Online. Oh, and who has access to their own computer and internet at precisely the times specified.)

Anyway. In addition to slogging through online meetings, emails and text messages galore with my work teammates, I've been re-reading Courtney Milan's Brothers Sinister romance novel series. Absolutely taking refuge in the comfort food of banter, overcoming past traumas, and happily ever afters.

Also baking. Which is weird; I've never really been much for baking, but I was craving zucchini bread. This gluten-free recipe was a winner as long as you put butter on it. (Mmmm, butter.)

What should be coming up next: a bit of sewing. I found out from a friend that a local nursing home has ZERO masks for its staff; they're on backorder. Fabric masks are not ideal, but they're better than nothing. A group of workers spending their time with the elderly--the people most at risk for a fatal encounter with the Coronavirus--should definitely have some kind of protective gear while working with that population.

(At the very least, wearing a mask will make it less likely for someone to touch their own face. Even that might help a little.)

I did some good-for-me things: exercised first thing this morning, went for a walk later. (I live in a suburb close to the country; not much risk of catching or spreading any illnesses by stepping out of doors in my area.) Cooked and ate some healthy meals.

Spent way too much time checking and re-checking for updates for my area about cancellations, closures and COVID-19 cases. So I decided I should de-stress and watch something on Netflix.

Possibly I should have chosen something other than Lost in Space, which is one of the most stressful "family" shows in existence. I mean, yes, you can take it as a given that the core group of characters will be fine, but the writers, actors, soundtrack composers and so on are VERY GOOD at making me worry that just maybe they WON'T be fine.

Anyway. Next time I think to myself that I should destress with a bit of television, I'm gonna watch that British minor repairs show instead.