Week Wrap-up: 03 December 2018 – 09 December 2018

Posted on December 9, 2018 by Ian

It’s been forever since I did one of these, but I like them, so too bad, people who were happy for their absence!

The Good

  • Had a good date time with a good guy who I’ve been liking very much
  • Had a different good date time with a guy playing board games and getting cupcakes. Yay, cupcakes!
  • Invited some friends over and despite the fact that like none of them knew each other, they all hit it off right away
  • Finally played the tutorial of Overwatch and am ready to jump into a practice game next time I play
  • There was a new Monster Factory! And it was great!
  • I think I figured out what my ideal living situation consists of, and it’s actually feasible. Though I need the right combination of people to live with, which is a hell of a needle to thread even at the best of times.

The Bad

  • My final paper for class is due in a couple days and I haven’t edited my first draft yet. I’m probably just going to do some basic revision and not add too much more research to my work queue unless I feel like I really have to, but still.
  • Saturdays have established an unfortunate pattern of being really difficult for me. I tend to get really depressed, I think in part because I tend to not see anyone on Saturdays so I just sort of death spiral as I stay in my room and don’t go outside. :\ This one was a special level of downer because I didn’t get all my homework done like I planned, despite doing nothing else that day.
  • I’ve been struggling to get out bed on time for work, which is also bad.
  • Got stuck in gridlocked traffic and so got to attend only 10 minutes of my therapy appointment despite leaving on time according to the Google Maps estimate.
  • Watched an old Awful Squad and dangit I miss that series. And Polygon’s older style of video content in general, where it was longer and less polished and less (on the surface) like what everyone else on Youtube does.
  • That whole Tumblr…thing. It’ll be interesting to see where everyone ends up, though.
  • Got real lonely and touch starved, perhaps unreasonably quickly

And that’s it for now! How were your weeks? Tell me your tales.

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Broken Buttons

Posted on November 27, 2018 by Ian

The footwell of the passenger side of a 2006 Ford Ranger. Visible is the fuel interrupt reset button and the fuse panel. The interior plastic panels have been removed. On the fuel interrupt reset is a big red button.

Today I managed to break one of the company trucks by bracing my foot wrong as we went through an intersection. Turns out a certain vintage of Ford Rangers has a device in the passenger footwell that detects if you been in an accident by, essentially, having a ball bearing pop out of a socket inside the device if it’s jostled too hard. This kills the fuel flow to the engine until you reset it. This would be fine, except you a) can kick it on accident, and b) ours promptly broke. Normally, you can press a button down to pop the bearing back into place, it resets, you restart the car and you’re on your way.

That wasn’t how it happened today. Continue reading →

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Thanksgiving 2018

Posted on November 22, 2018 by Ian

Gobble gobble, motherfuckers. Used under CC-BY-2.0 from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Source.

It’s Thanksgiving in the US! Which is heeeeeella loaded, given that it’s founded on a myth that covers up historical atrocities. But I do like the parts of the holiday that encourage reflection and being thankful for what we have. So that’s what I’m going to do here! Behold, a small sampling of things I’ve been thankful for this year:

  • Mastodon, both the denizens of wandering.shop and the greater fediverse. I’ve felt very welcome, made friends, and it’s all so much more manageable than keeping up with Twitter. Special shoutout to how wonderful people on there are about selfies, be they standard or lewd.
  • Chromium, for letting my little laptop browse the web without choking on every halfway-complicated page.
  • Emacs, for just feeling good to use. Continue reading →
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Siding Quest

Posted on November 20, 2018 by Ian

Today was a long day, but in one major respect a very good one. I was trusted to do a little bit of exterior work solo! It would be carpentry, except the material was a cement board thing rather than wood. But whatever, I’m going to count it.

I only added a few panels to finish up the siding. A stack of four to the right of a window, one to the left of the same window (which had to have a hole drilled in it to allow a wire through), and the most complicated part: the notched, full-length piece of siding that ran all the way across the section of the house, with cutouts for the door and window.

Pictures below. I had a good time! And it felt great to be trusted with a more complciated project, even if I made some mistakes along the way. (I then learned how to deal with them, so still a net good.) Also, I need way more practice cutting straight lines with a skill saw. The rip across the top board is, uh, a little wavy. >_>;; Continue reading →

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November Has Arrived

Posted on November 2, 2018 by Ian
A view from a house rooftop overlooking Seattle. The space needle, the sound, and several large buildings are visible. The sky is covered by grey rainclouds.

Not from today, but a view I’ve been looking at almost every day at work.

I appear to be in purgatory on this dreary autumn day. And by that I mean I’m waiting at the repair place for the work truck to be fixed, and I’ve been here for about three hours so far. Time has lost all meaning, which feels weirdly appropriate for a day where I can’t see the sun’s position in the sky.

It’s now November, which means the start of a season I always think will be cozy and full of community and love, but instead is often a chaotic overload of obligations and travel to un-cozy places. Despite that, I’m looking forward to it. At least for now, the only plans I’ve made are for Thanksgiving, and they’re great. They’re simple (I just need to show up), in the Seattle area, and I will get to see my dear friends who I don’t get to see very often. More holidays like this, please. Though maybe drop the celebration of genocidal imperialism.

Another big obligation that comes up in November is NaNoWriMo, which I’m cutting off at the pass by deciding not to participate this year. Don’t get me wrong, I’m tempted, but with school I have too much on my plate. My time is overcrowded right now as it is. Plus, I just finished the beta draft of The Shivering Deeps and I don’t think I’m up for creating a new novel length work just yet. Short stories and fluff projects, please!

Meanwhile, in the cracks of free time I’m going to attempt to make my living space cozier and easier to exist in. Hygge it up. Because nothing makes the holidays better than having a great home of your own to return to after the festivities are done.

Wishing everyone a happy November. Stay warm and try (if you’re in the northern hemisphere) to enjoy the last days of Fall before Winter shows up in full force. ❤

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Mastodon Appreciation

Posted on October 29, 2018 by Ian

In the wake of the shootings in Pittsburg over the weekend, I popped over to Twitter last night.

Hoo boy. The tone of hysteria and hopelessness layered over the (quite justified) fear and anxiety was a lot to take in and emotionally process. It was overloading, and I had to quit after just a couple minutes. And a lot of it felt performative. Endless RTs and yelling and the clutching of pearls overpowered the posts of grief, selflessness, and determined anger in my timeline.

I really appreciate the tone of political discussion on Mastodon, and Twitter last night threw why into sharp relief. People on Masto are sharing their experiences and opinions sincerely. They’re ready to hit the streets (if able) to help. And they’re willing to change or even tear down the system, and have a plan to improve it after it’s done. Mastodon users support each other as individuals far more often (in my experience). And all of that gives me hope in a way Twitter never does.

I know these same things happen on Twitter, but I can see it on Mastodon in a way I can’t over there. It’s what makes Mastodon special to me in a way Twitter has lost over the years. And I appreciate that very much.

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Shambling Mound of News

Posted on October 18, 2018 by Ian
Jabberwocky the iguana inside her carrier, with her front feet hooked onto the door grate.

Jabberwocky was READY TO BE HOME.

The blog, it sings to me from the darkness. It craves manifestation. It craves…AN UPDATE.

But seriously, it’s been a hot minute and I want to get back on the damn wagon. Life’s been nuts lately, but that’s always true. Doesn’t mean I can’t take time here and there to bang out a post. Continue reading →

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Patch Notes: October

Posted on October 2, 2018 by Ian

An image of maple leaves turned orange with the autumn.

It’s fall, a time of changes and really trite observations about the nature of the season. Things have felt like they’re changing Like Whoa in my life, too, so I guess the leaves and I have something in common besides being full of cholorphyll. Thus, patch notes.

Changelog for Ian version 2018.10:

  • Exercise frequency increased to pre-construction levels
  • Cooking frequency down
  • Sleeping algorithm is still off. At this point we’re blaming gremlins.
  • Currently experiencing a bug where Digging is assigned too frequently during Day Job tasks. We’ve taken steps to mitigate this, but a full fix is still forthcoming.
  • Health Insurance is now included in Day Job. Marketplace Insurance will be removed shortly after the Day Job Health Insurance event triggers.
  • Blog post frequency down. This is undesired behavior introduced in this patch. Working on a fix.
  • Long term relationship ended. Relationship status has been changed to Single. 🙁
  • Weather has been reset to “moderate/chilly” so the AC Unit in the bedroom can be removed when the player choses.
  • Iguana has gained the Sick condition, and a side quest has been added to attempt to cure her.
  • Stardew Valley is currently the only game being regularly played under normal player character circumstances. Working on a fix.
  • Time management system difficulty has been increased to challenge advanced players.
  • Several personal items that were removed accidentally in previous patches have been re-added back to player inventories, such as bluetooth headphones and adapters.
  • Small stereo added to bedroom
  • Desire to mess with computers has been increased by 50%

Obviously this individual is still a work in progress. Please bear with us as we work on making this Ian the best we can given the circumstances!

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Links Roundup!

Posted on September 4, 2018 by Ian

Hey all, a small links roundup for you of interesting things from around the internet.

Open Code != Working Open

An in-depth post about how a project being open source doesn’t necessarily mean it’s going to be run in a way open to collaboration. Written specifically about Mastodon by an experienced contributor to the project.

Fat Girls Hiking

A body-positive hiking community! I’ve never heard of anything like it before, so this is extra-badass from my perspective. I didn’t realize that there was body-shaming going on in the outdoors-lover community. That fucking sucks. But at least this place looks like a good start to fighting back against that sentiment.

Brazil National Museum Burns Down

This isn’t so much “casually interesting” as “emotionally and intellectually devestating.” Long story short: the national museum of Brazil burned down, in large part due to a corrupt government slashing its maintenance funding. (The friggin’ FIRE HYDRANTS were empty!) Twenty million artifacts are presumed lost. Everything from ancient South American relics to Roman artifacts and even mummies. There is a project working to preserve records of the museum itself, if you happen to have any photos of the museum or its exhibits.

Photos of 1990s Computer Novelty Mugs

There are several Very Good mugs in the linked Mastodon thread. Enjoy.

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Week Wrap-up: 20 August 2018 – 02 September 2018

Posted on September 2, 2018 by Ian
Jabberwocky the iguana asleep, facing away fromt he camera, her back foot sticking out of the top of the ramp she's sleeping near.

So tired…

Hey, another two-week wrap-up post because shit’s been crazy, y’all.

The Good

  • Got to do some volunteer work at WTBBL that involved writing book recommendations and such. Really satisfying to get a chance to do more in-depth librarian-oriented work.
  • Continuing to learn more things at work, and am still employed, so clearly they don’t hate me too much.
  • The smoke in the PNW finally cleared up.
  • Grad school started up again. Yay making academic progress!
  • Did some freelance work for Tam, which I always enjoy and feel I grow my skills with. Plus it pays! Yay, money for writing/editing work! Continue reading →
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