In which you cannot float my boat

May. 13th, 2025 01:34 pm
spiralsheep: Sheep wearing an eyepatch (Default)
[personal profile] spiralsheep
Having semantic argument. Send help!

Here is a boat-shaped wooden object that used to be a fishing boat in the 19th-20th centuries but was taken out of the water about 70 years ago and has, naturally, warped so much that it will never be seaworthy again. If the wooden object was pulled apart then individual planks would probably float but while they continue to be fastened together as a single object, the sum of its parts, it would sink.

Poll #33118 Bwahahahaha, no free space ticky for you!
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 4


Is the ship-shaped wooden object that can't float actually boat?

View Answers

Yes, it was built to be a boat, rowed as a boat, it remains an unfloatable boat
4 (100.0%)

No, it's a collection of wood and metal that looks ship-shape but it's lumber
0 (0.0%)

No, not an actual boat because it's not seaworthy but it is a conceptual sculpture of a boat
1 (25.0%)

Superpowers And The Kitchen Sink

May. 13th, 2025 01:22 am
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
Superpowers And The Kitchen Sink

Where do you get your powers from, when you get them?

This is perhaps the greatest question of superpowered world-building. It can influence or even determine politics. It can implicate metaphysics. It can raise grave questions in ethics. It can box in theme. It constrains plot and character.

AND it has to have multiple answers, or else be very loose.


Read more... )

Magpie Monday

May. 12th, 2025 11:44 pm
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
[personal profile] dialecticdreamer is hosting Magpie Monday with a theme of "recovery and rebuilding."

Most of my readers are familiar with the way this works: send a prompt, I write a gentle fiction story (I warn for swear words, implied violence, sex, et al) and if I were any good at embroidery any more, I’d embroider “EARNED happy ending” instead fo “Home, sweet home,” and have it framed. With those very loose limitations, ask for the story that you, the reader, want to see.

Read more... )
ysabetwordsmith: Damask smiling over their shoulder (polychrome)
[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
This poem came out of the May 6, 2025 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by prompts from [personal profile] janetmiles, [personal profile] nsfwords, [personal profile] see_also_friend, [personal profile] lone_cat, [personal profile] chanter1944, and [personal profile] readera. It also fills the "Caught Red-Handed" square in my 5-1-25 card for the Colors Fest Bingo. This poem has been sponsored by [personal profile] janetmiles. It belongs to the Dr. Infanta and Kraken threads of the Polychrome Heroics series.

Warning: This poem contains intense and controversial topics. Highlight to read the more detailed warnings, some of which are spoilers. It includes drawbacks of superpowers, vulgar language, allusions to mad science, necessity and difficulty of studying supervillain bodies, sensitive data, reference to past educational neglect, discrimination based on type of superpowers, kidnapping and coersion, data theft, vague reference to terrorizing and killing unprincipled mad scientists, abuse of supervillains, pickpockets, irresponsible and violent use of superpowers, arrogance, bullying, and other mayhem. If these are sensitive issues for you, please consider your tastes and headspace before reading onward.

Read more... )

Photos: House Yard

May. 12th, 2025 08:51 pm
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
The pink peony has bloomed. It was fully open earlier in the day, but then the rain made it close more. The color is spectacular. I was disappointed by the scent, though -- it's neither very strong nor very sweet. In contrast, the old white peonies are intensely fragrant. But it's nice to have variety.

The pink peony has bloomed.  It was fully open earlier in the day, but then the rain made it close more.

Monday Update 5-12-25

May. 12th, 2025 05:04 pm
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
These are some posts from the later part of last week in case you missed them:
Photos: Prairie Garden
Photos: Savanna
Photos: House Yard
Climate Change
Anti-Spam Outages
Birdfeeding
Today's Adventures
Photos: Charleston Food Forest 5-10-25
Sinking Land
Photos: House Yard
Chimpanzees
Birdfeeding
Philosophical Questions: Hatred
Sunshine Revival
Birdfeeding
Follow Friday 5-9-25: Harry Potter
Hobbies: Flower Arranging
Birdfeeding
How to Fight Capitalism
Speak Your Language Day
Birdfeeding
Cuddle Party

"Not a Destination, But a Process" has 132 comments. "The Democratic Armada of the Caribbean" has 82 comments.

Last week's Poetry Fishbowl went well. I am still writing. "The Care and Feeding of Supervillains" has been sponsored and will appear presently.


Three Weeks for Dreamwidth runs April 25-May 15. During this time, people post content only visible on Dreamwidth (although it can be reposted elsewhere after the event ends). There's usually a flurry of activity as bloggers share anchor posts, new fiction, icons, banners, questionnaires, friending fests, memes, and other goodies. Community hosts often hold special activities in their communities too. Watch your reading page for more festivities. (See the introductory posts from 2022, 2023, 2024.) To find posts for this event, follow the Threeweeks feed.

Three Weeks for Dreamwidth April 25-May 15

This year during Three Weeks for Dreamwidth, I'm writing about goal-setting frameworks for [community profile] newcomers.

Goal-Setting Frameworks
* Part 1: Introduction to Goal-Setting Frameworks
* Part 2: The 1-3-5 Rule
* Part 3: The 12-week Year
* Part 4: ABCS (Achievable, Believable, Committed, Specific)
* Part 5: Backward Goal
* Part 6: BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goals)
* Part 7: BSQ (Think Big, Act Small, Move Quick)
* Part 8: CLEAR (Collaborative, Limited, Emotional, Appreciable, Refinable)
* Part 9: Goal Pyramid
* Part 10: Golden Circle
* Part 11: GROW (Goal, Reality, Options, Way Forward)
* Part 12: HARD (Heartfelt, Animated, Required, Difficult)
* Part 13: KPI (Key Performance Indicators
* Part 14: MASTER (Measurable, Achievable, Specific, Transforming, Evolving, Relevant)
* Part 15: NCT (Narratives, Commitments, and Tasks)
* Part 16: OKR (Objectives, Key Results)
* Part 17: PACT (Purposeful, Aligned, Continuous, Tracked)
* Part 18: Tiered Goals

[personal profile] yourlibrarian is hosting a Dreamwidth points giveaway. The donation period has closed. You still have a couple more days to request points. Add your request here to receive points.


"The More Bizarre It Gets" is now complete! This poem opened and closed quickly. Cavalier and Tarnish work together at a Renaissance Faire.

"Babes in the Pineywoods belongs to the Big One thread of Polychrome Heroics. It has 18 new verses. Bo-Art and Creamjeans interact more with the Pineyspooks.


The weather has been wet here. Seen at the birdfeeders this week: a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches, several starlings, several catbirds, several blackbirds, several mourning doves, a pair of cardinals, a pair of indigo buntings, two brown thrashers, two male goldfinches, a robin, a blue jay, an adult fox squirrel, a young fox squirrel, and a skunk. I spotted a female cardinal in the red birdbath, which is the first time I've actually caught that one in use. Tulips and trilliums are done blooming. Daffodils are winding down. Currently blooming: violets, dandelions, columbine, honeysuckle, alliums, Solomon's seal, lilies of the valley, pansies, violas, marigolds, petunias, red salvia, wild strawberries, verbena, lantana, sweet alyssum, zinnias, snapdragons, blue lobelia, perennial pinks, wood hyacinths, raspberries, impatiens, oxalis, moss rose, pink peony, poppies. Irises and blackberries have flower buds. Some mulberries have green fruit.

90% of the weekend was great ...

May. 12th, 2025 09:36 pm
rmc28: Rachel in hockey gear on the frozen fen at Upware, near Cambridge (Default)
[personal profile] rmc28

I managed to kick my cold enough to play the ice hockey tournament Saturday and Sunday afternoons. One of my teammates gave me a lift from Cambridge rink to Romford each day. It's an easy drive and we get on well, and the tournament itself was great fun. Exhausting, but fun and definitely great for developing and improving play. The other four teams playing were pretty friendly and we made some connections and enthusiasm for playing more games against each other as individual teams.

Unfortunately my ride home got injured in the last few seconds of the last game of the tournament on Sunday evening, a "needs A&E and good drugs" level injury. So I went with him to the local A&E on the grounds they'd probably want a responsible non-drugged adult to get him home, and it'd only be a few hours, right? Ahahaha, it was 16 hours before we got out and it was not a good experience.

I got no sleep at all but at least got plenty of rest sitting on terrible waiting room chairs and plenty of time to stretch and loosen up as my body started to notice all the ways it was sore after playing the tournament. My injured buddy was left in serious pain for over 6 hours, but when he was finally treated he was able to sleep a fair bit in the hospital bed while we waited in assorted places to get assorted scans and tests done that were apparently necessary to discharge him, but not necessary to do with any urgency or information about how long each step would take. Beds in corridors everywhere, a "ward" that was simply a closed off section of corridor where beds were stashed holding people waiting for scans and tests, not a lot of dignity and just no urgency at all about pain management. My buddy was very stoic but shouldn't have had to be.

Also neither of us had showered between "playing lots of ice hockey" and "showing up at A&E", so very sorry to anyone who had to sit too near either of us.

I got a very minimal amount of work done today on my phone from the hospital, but went to bed for a few hours as soon as I finally got home and feel more human now. I will have to figure out whether I take leave for today or make up the effort elsewhere in the week. But that is a problem for tomorrow; tonight I'm hoping to reset my sleep schedule by going to bed on time.

Birdfeeding

May. 12th, 2025 11:51 am
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
Today is cloudy and wet.  It's been raining this morning.

I haven't fed the birds yet but I've seen a few sparrows and house finches.

EDIT 5/12/25 -- I fed the birds.

EDIT 5/12/25 -- We went out shopping.  I picked up 2 partial flats of plants, 4 concrete pavers, 4 short tomato cages, and a package of plastic stakes to use as cheap hose guides.  Sadly I did not find any 'Gypsy' peppers, but I found a different Italian sweet pepper to try, and 2 of the excellent 'Chocolate Sprinkles' cherry tomatoes from last year.

When we pulled into the driveway at home, a male indigo bunting flew across the driveway, and there was another small brown bird that may have been a female.  :D

I put out the flats of plants.

EDIT 5/12/25 -- I went to go outside for some yardwork, but it is raining again.  :/  Ah well, at least it didn't rain while we were out and about.

EDIT 5/12/25 -- It stopped raining enough for me to do a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 5/12/25 -- I sowed cypress vine seeds around the support wire of the telephone pole.

As everything is still soaked, I am done for the night.

oursin: Photograph of Stella Gibbons, overwritten IM IN UR WOODSHED SEEING SOMETHIN NASTY (woodshed)
[personal profile] oursin

(Larfs liek a hysterykle drayne.)

Life and work of Thomas Hardy to be performed at Stonehenge: Readings and performances will be staged at the ‘misfortune of ruins’ that long fascinated the writer.

The novelist and poet Thomas Hardy was fascinated by Stonehenge, using what he described as “the temple of the winds” both as a setting for one of his most striking scenes and as a lifelong inspiration, a pathway back into ancient times.
In what is being billed as a unique performance, the life and work of Hardy is being showcased at the great stone circle in Wiltshire as part of Salisbury international arts festival.
....
An orchestra will play music, ranging from the sort of folk tunes Hardy may have been familiar with to pieces by Gustav Holst and Peter Warlock.
....
It is believed to be the first time that a performance incorporating Hardy’s life and work has been staged at Stonehenge.
Lesser said: “Hopefully* it’ll be lovely weather and you’ll have this marvellous atmosphere as the evening develops with the light changing and these wonderful words of Hardy.”

*Cue: Thunderstorms! Torrential rain! Unseasonal snow! First earthquake ever recorded in Wiltshire!

I don't suppose they are going to represent Hardy in his lighter and realistic vein:


I.e. successful ruined maids who go and live a profitable life of vice in Dorchester.

Photos: Prairie Garden

May. 12th, 2025 12:11 am
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
These pictures are mostly from the prairie garden.

Walk with me ... )

Photos: Savanna

May. 11th, 2025 11:37 pm
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
These pictures are mostly from the savanna.

Walk with me ... )

Photos: House Yard

May. 11th, 2025 10:58 pm
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
I took some pictures around the yard today.  These are from the house yard.

Walk with me ... )

Climate Change

May. 11th, 2025 08:39 pm
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
Waxing and waning prairie: New study unravels causes of ancient climate changes

A long period of drought in North America has been recognized by scientists for decades. A new study links the severe climate to a change in Earth's orbit.

A new study from the University of Helsinki has provided a compelling new explanation for the devastating droughts which have taken place in North America thousands of years ago.This period, known as the Holocene, covers the time of generally warm climate following the last ice age. These exceptionally long-lasting droughts had drastic impacts on forest dieback and ecosystem transformations; understanding their causes is essential to improving societal resilience to future climate variations.



Anti-Spam Outages

May. 11th, 2025 08:37 pm
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
The anti-spam function on Dreamwidth has been glitchy recently. If you have that enabled on your blog, and it is out of order, then nobody will be able to comment. You might want to turn it off until the problem gets fixed.
ysabetwordsmith: Damask smiling over their shoulder (polychrome)
[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
Thanks to a donation from [personal profile] siliconshaman, you can now read the rest of "The More Bizarre It Gets."  Tarnish and Cavalier talk a bit about cape politics.

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