the latest

i never did test positive for covid, and today was C's second negative test after 48 hours. no one who was exposed to C has gotten sick. he had some bad days but is doing well now; we're continuing to avoid humans for the rest of the week but i feel pretty good about continuing with our Thanksgiving plans on Thursday. *whew*

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Greg Bear passed away yesterday as has been reported widely in SF fandom. because Seattle is the world's biggest small town, i was fortunate enough to know Greg and his wife Astrid personally, and to have shared some fine meals and great conversations in their lovely home. Greg was unfailingly warm and kind and a remarkable raconteur, and a bottomless well of information on a variety of topics. he also gave the world a strong body of work* and helped to found SDCC. he is missed.

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watched the first game of the 2022 World Cup today. i hate everything about it (the corrupt bid, the dead and imprisoned migrant workers, the life-threatening heat, the terrifying laws there, etc. etc. etc.) except for the part where we're going to get to watch USA vs England on Black Friday and i am definitely all CARS AND FREEDOM about it.

only one member of the US squad has previous World Cup experience, local kid DeAndre Yedlin. i'm still angry about the US flaming out in qualifiers last cycle, because they weren't in the final World Cup my father-in-law was able to see. there's no fucking justice. since the last time i saw D alive was during the last tournament i had some big feelings today and maybe i always will when the World Cup comes around.

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i'm feeling pretty stressed lately between the above and work being bonkers, but two things are proving to be great distractions: Andor** and Cult of the Lamb. the latter so much so that i'm giving myself some RSI from all the Xbox controller time. someone on my reading list mentioned playing in passing; thanks to you and Honest Game Trailers for introducing me to this perverse delight. when i can't control anything else in my life, i can still kill demons and make someone eat poop.

Watch on YouTube

*why did i never get him to sign my copy of Blood Music? it just felt weird to me although i'm sure it wouldn't have been

**needs its own post. not sure if Andy Serkis or Stellan Skarsgard deserves an Emmy more

this meme brought to you by the downfall of Twitter

five questions returns! request five from me in comments and you shall receive!

from sara:

1. Is there anything you've done to your living space in the last while that you found particularly pleasing?
in the late 90s our favorite local bookstore was a dealer for Windstone Editions, and we are a certain kind of nerds so we own several dragon and gargoyle functional pieces - bookends, candle holders, a pair of sconces. the sconces have been gathering dustsitting on a bookshelf since we moved into this apartment. as part of welcoming in-person gamers back into our home we moved some bookcases around and finally mounted the sconces on either side of the door into our bedroom and put little LED candles into them. i think we waited to put them up because we thought they were too heavy for command strips (rental rules) but they are not. i love them.

2. Do you have any morning (or waking-up-time) routines, and if so, what are they?
weekdays: stumble to kitchen, pull overnight oats from fridge. eat oats and take pills while getting dressed. due to time zone fuckery i've had to stop going in to the office, so go to desk, throw down padded mat, lift to standing height, move the keyboard plug and throw the monitor switches to move from personal to work computer. around the time i finish reading my emails and switch to catching up on Slack messages C has placed a hot caffienated beverage by my right hand.

weekends: wake up when i wake up. if early enough, walk dog with C and get breakfast along the way. (otherwise C walks dog on his own and causes breakfast to appear.) since restaurants first reopened and we wanted to intentionally support local businesses, we've gotten takeout from neighborhood bar Hattie's Hat every Saturday. on Sundays it depends - if i'm meeting varina8 at the pool i wake up, eat some cheese, throw my pool stuff together and go. if i'm home it's pastries and what-have-you from the Sunday Farmer's Market.

3. What is the best dessert?
my Mom's apple dumplings - her flaky pastry with butter and cinnamon and Northern Spy apples, preferably with some whipped cream and a cup of tea. setting aside the love and associations it's hard to say; i'm a sucker for citrus and so far i've never met a lemon bar or key lime pie that i didn't like.

4. What are you reading this weekend?
a popular history of Victorian home life by Ruth Goodman. i have the new Freya Marske but i've been dithering about starting it because i suspect i should reread the first one.

5. If you were going to buy a new pair of shoes, what kind would they be?
comfortable shoes that have a sense of style or something unique about them.

i just bought a pair of waterproof breathable pull-on chelsea boots to replace the role of my waterproof hikers with the worn-out (therefore leaky) soles. of course it has not rained since i got them so i have no idea if they are actually fit for purpose, but they are certainly comfy and look like part of a near-future SF costume.

the shoes i want to buy are the John Fluevog Starfleet boots, which are part of the uniforms for Strange New Worlds. delta on the ankle! i've been waiting to go to the store downtown to try a pair on - historically my calves have been too chonky for their tall boots but there's a stretch panel in the back and reviews on the calf sizing are inconclusive enough that i have hope.