Seed

Mar. 29th, 2026 02:35 pm
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First contact as conducted by two groups of field researchers, both of whom want to observe the other without being observed.

The Shiny Narrow Grin by Jane Gaskell

Mar. 29th, 2026 09:09 am
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Everything about the Boy excited Terry; the Boy's good looks, the Boy's appealingly mod fashion sense, and especially his pointy, pointy teeth.

The Shiny Narrow Grin by Jane Gaskell

Avallu, 2016-2026

Mar. 28th, 2026 08:30 pm
jazzfish: a black-haired man with a big sword. blood stains the snow behind (Eddard Stark)
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Erin's dog Avallu is gone. He was throwing up yesterday, Erin took him in to the vet today, and he didn't come home. Cancer, ruptured spleen, a large dog and ten years old.

Avallu was a Tornjak, a big fluffy livestock guardian dog. Mostly white; brown facemask, speckled muzzle, and a dark patch over his hindquarters. He came from somewhere in Europe. Erin and I picked him up in Van and drove him north to Fort.

Once the fence went up, and once he learned to stay inside it, he was an exemplary guardian. He chased off lynx and bears; he was polite to the cats and the various fowl. It took him awhile to warm up to Solly the new pup a couple of years ago, but eventually they (and Thea, a little younger than Avallu but arrived slightly before him) worked out a routine to keep the place safe. He was, I suspect, always a bit anxious. We got on well. I'd stand outside, watching birds or pigs or Erin, and he'd come and stand next to me, his hip pressed into my thigh.

I don't really have stories about Avallu, not like Whiskey being a scaredycat until he discovered that petting is Good or Void Demon the cat who 'doesn't like people' settling in on my lap. He was just always there, a solid presence in the chaos of farm life. He was the best of pups.
jazzfish: an open bottle of ether, and George conked out (Ether George)
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Cleaners and "floor-planner" and photographer come today, starting in just under half an hour, and then we list on Monday (for what I had realistically and then optimistically hoped to get, which in practice in this market means probably somewhat less but eh).

Corvaric is about three-quarters of the way to being a blank slate. The last couple of days have entailed packing up things I still need, so that it will Look Nice for the photographs. (I shall unpack at least some of them once today is over with.) This has been frustrating because it means finding a Home for things that already HAVE a Home and are in it. But it's pretty much ready to go. I have even done some v basic spackle and paint work, for which I had to buy an entire gallon of paint because they didn't have any quart containers, but maybe the next people will appreciate it.

My brain can apparently only cope with so much at a time. I know that I'm going to the Gathering next month but I have been unable to plan for that in any real way, like timing or plane tickets or anything. Far as my brain is concerned, things that happen after Monday don't really exist. April is a nebulous blur and past that, I get nothing, it's a huge blank.

Facebook reminds me that four years ago I was standing in an apartment surrounded by boxes. I guess it's a small win for my psyche that the boxes are in a storage unit this time.

I'm gonna miss this place. It is Too Small but not by a whole lot: a second bedroom for a library/office would have made it perfect. (The unit upstairs from mine, with the same floorplan but with the addition of a loft over the kitchen, was for sale about a year before I bought my place. For, as I recall, what I'm asking now. O, Vancouver.) I've even mostly reconciled to the kitchen having an insufficiency of counterspace and drawers. I won't miss the Stifling In Summer, though. Or the upstairs neighbours who vacuum and galumph at all hours, though they probably won't miss the viola playing either, so, fair enough.

I've had the Paranoid Style's "Doug Yule" stuck in my head for the last few days. It's loosely about the guy who Lou Reed recruited to turn the Velvet Underground from a set of clashing personalities making really interesting music to the Lou Reed Backup Band, while the rest of the band quit one by one, eventually including Reed himself. I've rehearsed and rehearsed that my life is a curse / I've been driven away in a rudderless hearse / I've made things that were merely awful much much much much much worse (much worse) (much worse). (Interestingly I think that verse is written to be from the perspective of Sterling Morrison, the second VU member to leave after Reed fired John Cale. I think the verses are each from a different VU member, and the choruses from Reed. I appreciate that a lot.)

Onward to face the day.

Flip by Ngozi Ukazu

Mar. 27th, 2026 09:01 am
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Two teens are forced to consider each other's point of view.

Flip by Ngozi Ukazu
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Strategies range from paraterraforming to radical cybernetic transformation...

Five Stories About Surviving and Adapting on Mars

The Silicon Man by Charles Platt

Mar. 26th, 2026 08:53 am
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An all-too diligent FBI agent must be silenced... but there's no reason he cannot serve SCIENCE! as well.

The Silicon Man by Charles Platt

Parade by Hiromi Kawakami

Mar. 25th, 2026 09:46 am
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Tsukiko entertains her former high school teacher with an extraordinary tale.

Parade by Hiromi Kawakami

"yeah... it's weird."

Mar. 23rd, 2026 02:04 pm
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[personal profile] jazzfish
Ugh, I don't know. Feeling restless and mildly discontented. At least there's sun today.

A week and a half ago I located my spare viola strings (leftover from the last time I changed strings, whenever that was), picked up a 1/8-size cello G, and restrung my viola to a tenor. I'm liking it an awful lot. It's certainly harder to play. I've switched to my cello bow, which is heavier than the viola bow, and it still requires significant deliberate pressure to get a halfway decent sound. Left-hand work feels slower too. Might be a result of the higher tension on the strings making them harder to press down, I guess?

But: I like it. I like the way it sounds, I like the way it feels to play. I find myself in the position of actively wanting to practice. I'm doing something that I enjoy and calls to me, and that I'm happy about afterwards. It's been a really long time since I had something like that. I suspect the social aspect helps. I took it out to the session last Wednesday and it blended in well: not drowning anyone out, not getting drowned out. I need a great deal of practice but that's no surprise. And fixable.

When I have money (cue bitter laughter) I may look into getting a proper tenor viola, instead of hoping the higher tension on the strings doesn't cause damage. There's this guy in Georgia who makes them, and he's put a decent amount of effort into the design. His tenor/octave violas have thicker bodies, and are fatter at the bottom ('a wide lower bout') but not at the top, so you get a bigger resonance chamber and can still get your left arm around to reach the neck.



Two weeks ago the movers cleared out half my stuff. Unsurprisingly the place looks much bigger and brighter. It's nice to have more light, granted... but it's just so empty. Hm. Likely affecting my mood.

I'd like to have my books back, too. I don't require them to be visible at all times, I'd be happy with a separate library room, but I do want them accessible. Good information to have. I probably could cut ruthlessly but there's no need, not immediately anyway.

Rhonda the realtor came by last week and took some reference photos. She emailed me today to say that the real photographer can come on Friday and we can list on Monday. Works for me. Gives me a few more days to finish moving extraneous stuff to the storage unit, now that I know I've got a little more room in there than I was afraid of. Still no idea what the market will be like; guess we'll find out in a couple of weeks.

Still in a holding pattern, but I can see the beginnings of what might be movement.
The Pattern Recognition TV series? I have no idea. Awhile ago I called my Hollywood agent -- who was Harlan Ellison's Hollywood agent, to give you an idea how long he's been in the business -- and asked him about it. He said, "Well, it's starting to look almost exactly like something does right before it goes into production." And I got excited and said, "Really?" and he said, "Yeah... it's weird."

--William Gibson, c.2013

Bundle of Holding: Scion Origin

Mar. 23rd, 2026 03:02 pm
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The 2024 Second Edition of Onyx Path Publishing's Scion, the tabletop roleplaying game about the children of gods discovering their birthright in the modern world.

Bundle of Holding: Scion Origin
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One determined man struggles to save humanity from the mutant scheme to avert doomsday.

Ring Around the Sun by Clifford D. Simak
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13 books new to me, and save for one mystery, all fantasy. Man, fantasy is just eating SF's lunch. Not that that will be reflected in what I actually review.

Books Received, March 14 — March 20



Poll #34393 Books Received, March 14 — March 20
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 41


Which of these look interesting?

View Answers

The Siren by Tomi Adeyemi (October 2026)
8 (19.5%)

Twined Fates: Tangled Hearts, Book Three by K. Bromberg (October 2026)
0 (0.0%)

Light of the Song by Joyce Ch’Ng (September 2025)
9 (22.0%)

The First Flame by Lily Berlin Dodd (November 2026)
1 (2.4%)

A Destiny So Cruel by Amanda Foody & C. L. Herman (November 2026)
1 (2.4%)

Find Me Where It Ends by Cassandra Khaw (October 2026)
12 (29.3%)

Bad Company by Sara Paretsky (November 2026)
7 (17.1%)

The Kings’ List by Jade Presley (May 2026)
2 (4.9%)

My Unfamiliar by Mara Rutherford (December 2026)
8 (19.5%)

Ghosted by Talia Tucker (November 2026)
3 (7.3%)

The Mystic and the Missing Girl by Vikki Vansickle (September 2026)
6 (14.6%)

The Scarlet Ball by Nghi Vo (October 2026)
13 (31.7%)

Chosen Son by Adrienne Young (November 2026)
2 (4.9%)

Some other option (see comments)
0 (0.0%)

Cats!
32 (78.0%)

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If you love dice-rolling and superheroes, you're in for a treat...

Four New Superhero RPGs to Watch Out For

Bliss Montage by Ling Ma

Mar. 20th, 2026 09:10 am
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An assortment of stories from the author of Severance.

Bliss Montage by Ling Ma

What We Are Seeking by Cameron Reed

Mar. 19th, 2026 09:05 am
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John Maraintha wanted to rebuild his life. Instead, he was marooned on a backwater world in the middle of a first contact crisis.

What We Are Seeking by Cameron Reed
melchar: kitty sitting in a toilet (toidy kitty)
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Meanwhile = '1 billion identity records exposed in ID verification data leak'
More than 203 million US records were left exposed in the breach = March 2026.
THESE ARE THE GUYS DEMANDING we give them 100% of our personal info so we can vote & get online.

url for story [on Fox News] https://www.foxnews.com/tech/1-billion-identity-records-exposed-id-verification-data-leak
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Would it be possible to "Wrongfully Attributed" added to my entry?
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