David T. Wolf
May. 17th, 2026 12:00 am![[syndicated profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/feed.png){kind=small}
quoteoftheday_feed"Idealism is what precedes experience; cynicism is what follows."
quoteoftheday_feed
Paul Fussell
May. 17th, 2026 12:00 amquoteoftheday_feed"I find nothing more depressing than optimism."
Henry David Thoreau
May. 17th, 2026 12:00 amquoteoftheday_feed"Men have become the tools of their tools."
Henry Allen
May. 17th, 2026 12:00 amquoteoftheday_feed"It is better for civilization to be going down the drain than to be coming up it."
And I live by the river
May. 17th, 2026 02:36 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sovayThe trees were ghost-green in the water with the hard white shine of the LEDs, but spatch photographed me in the stoplight.
WERS came out with the menacingly catchy drive of the Clash's "London Calling" (1979) while I was running an errand and it felt just a little unnecessarily Ballardian. Nothing else has happened to me particularly, but reading any kind of news feels like choking on the future. I can remember not being this sick, this poor, this pressed, which differentiates me not at all from most of the people I know. The exhaustion feels unreal and the last ten years like a sociological demonstration in the capacity of things always to be worse.
spatch photographed me in the stoplight.
WERS came out with the menacingly catchy drive of the Clash's "London Calling" (1979) while I was running an errand and it felt just a little unnecessarily Ballardian. Nothing else has happened to me particularly, but reading any kind of news feels like choking on the future. I can remember not being this sick, this poor, this pressed, which differentiates me not at all from most of the people I know. The exhaustion feels unreal and the last ten years like a sociological demonstration in the capacity of things always to be worse.
raincoat, my place in the world, ugly-cute, home invader
May. 16th, 2026 10:03 amasakiyumeOne thing I did on this trip was bring along some permanent markers and ask my friends and their kids to write or draw on my raincoat. The result is a wonderful memento that I've already had occasion to use.
Here are two of L and R's kids doing some decorating.
And here's what the back of the raincoat looks like now:
And one sleeve:
The second-oldest of L and R's kids also gave me this, which I LOVE. I know my kids made things like this in school--I think it's a wonderful activity. This one isn't quite finished: it only goes down as far as the Department of Amazonas (equivalent of a US state), and interestingly, for places in Amazonas, she doesn't include her own town/city, Leticia. It does show Puerto Nariño, a town up the river a bit.
Mi lugar en el mundo/my place in the world (click through to Flickr to see it at a larger size--only possible with this photo; the others are sited here on DW and don't get any larger)
( and under this cut are three views of an ugly-cute handmade fish )
( Lai, the home-invading little goat )
I have maybe a couple more posts from my trip ... then it'll be back to your everyday Asakiyume.
Here are two of L and R's kids doing some decorating.
And here's what the back of the raincoat looks like now:
And one sleeve:
The second-oldest of L and R's kids also gave me this, which I LOVE. I know my kids made things like this in school--I think it's a wonderful activity. This one isn't quite finished: it only goes down as far as the Department of Amazonas (equivalent of a US state), and interestingly, for places in Amazonas, she doesn't include her own town/city, Leticia. It does show Puerto Nariño, a town up the river a bit.
Mi lugar en el mundo/my place in the world (click through to Flickr to see it at a larger size--only possible with this photo; the others are sited here on DW and don't get any larger)
( and under this cut are three views of an ugly-cute handmade fish )
( Lai, the home-invading little goat )
I have maybe a couple more posts from my trip ... then it'll be back to your everyday Asakiyume.
30 Days of Blake's 7 - Day 15
May. 16th, 2026 11:46 amjulesjones Day 15: Character who didn’t get enough screen time
A day late again, for the same reason - Eurovision semi finals. Anyway...
Gan, of course. With that many main characters and only 50 minutes per episode, something had to give, and that something was Gan. His primary role is as muscle, and he's not as smart/obnoxious as the others so presumably less interesting to write - although he's perfectly capable of giving as good as he gets from Avon. "For a clever man you're not very bright". :-> In some ways he serves the same function as the Doctor's companion, being the one who tends to ground the others when they get a bit too carried away with whatever shiny thing has caught their attention/obsession/ego. Also the one who's frequently lectured at for "as you know, Bob" purposes. Even Avon manages to forget his own ego long enough to genuinely enjoy teaching Gan about some of the ship systems, minus the usual snark once he has a genuinely interested student. (And I do find that scene very believable.)
Some people see him as a violent thug only restrained by the limiter. But what he claims to have been sentenced for doesn't match that. Obviously, the word there is "claims", but it's all too plausible in the what we see of the Federation. He enjoys fighting the primitives in Deliverance, but doesn't give the impression that he'd kill them without the limiter inhibiting him. It reads much more as enjoying a wrestling match, one that he's only engaged in as self-defence. The truly chilling scene is on the London, when he points out to the guard that they only need the hand. (Seriously, who came up with that idea of security in a barracks cell with a bunch of potentially dangerous people who really don't want to be there?) With that he doesn't need to be actually capable of carrying through the threat, whether emotionally or through the limiter's control; he just needs to convince the guard that he is. And very convincing he is.
A day late again, for the same reason - Eurovision semi finals. Anyway...
Gan, of course. With that many main characters and only 50 minutes per episode, something had to give, and that something was Gan. His primary role is as muscle, and he's not as smart/obnoxious as the others so presumably less interesting to write - although he's perfectly capable of giving as good as he gets from Avon. "For a clever man you're not very bright". :-> In some ways he serves the same function as the Doctor's companion, being the one who tends to ground the others when they get a bit too carried away with whatever shiny thing has caught their attention/obsession/ego. Also the one who's frequently lectured at for "as you know, Bob" purposes. Even Avon manages to forget his own ego long enough to genuinely enjoy teaching Gan about some of the ship systems, minus the usual snark once he has a genuinely interested student. (And I do find that scene very believable.)
Some people see him as a violent thug only restrained by the limiter. But what he claims to have been sentenced for doesn't match that. Obviously, the word there is "claims", but it's all too plausible in the what we see of the Federation. He enjoys fighting the primitives in Deliverance, but doesn't give the impression that he'd kill them without the limiter inhibiting him. It reads much more as enjoying a wrestling match, one that he's only engaged in as self-defence. The truly chilling scene is on the London, when he points out to the guard that they only need the hand. (Seriously, who came up with that idea of security in a barracks cell with a bunch of potentially dangerous people who really don't want to be there?) With that he doesn't need to be actually capable of carrying through the threat, whether emotionally or through the limiter's control; he just needs to convince the guard that he is. And very convincing he is.
Edward Teller
May. 16th, 2026 12:00 amquoteoftheday_feed"Life improves slowly and goes wrong fast, and only catastrophe is clearly visible."
Arthur Schopenhauer
May. 16th, 2026 12:00 amquoteoftheday_feed"All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident."
Bob Hope
May. 16th, 2026 12:00 amquoteoftheday_feed"If you watch a game, it's fun. If you play at it, it's recreation. If you work at it, it's golf."
Thomas H. Huxley
May. 16th, 2026 12:00 amquoteoftheday_feed"Science is nothing but trained and organized common sense, differing from the latter only as a veteran may differ from a raw recruit: and its methods differ from those of common sense only as far as the guardsman's cut and thrust differ from the manner in which a savage wields his club."
As The Prophet Says
May. 16th, 2026 08:52 ampoliphilo I dreamed that my son- the one who has recently fallen out with me- gave an hour long lecture without notes. He was just a kid and I was proud of him....
No, "proud of him" isn't the right phrase, just a convenient one. One should be more precise. "Pleased for him" would be better.
In the dream, as I remember, I was hesitant to congratulate him, I suppose because I knew that in waking life he's gone beyond caring for my approval.
And in waking life what I am is pleased not proud. He's a successful man (gosh, all my kids are middle-aged now!) but his success is his own and nothing to do with me. It doesn't reflect backwards. The kind of success he's achieved isn't the kind I've wanted for myself or particularly wanted for him. It's his, nothing to do with me. We're on different paths.
As Kahlil Gibran's Propet says, "Your children are not your children"......
No, "proud of him" isn't the right phrase, just a convenient one. One should be more precise. "Pleased for him" would be better.
In the dream, as I remember, I was hesitant to congratulate him, I suppose because I knew that in waking life he's gone beyond caring for my approval.
And in waking life what I am is pleased not proud. He's a successful man (gosh, all my kids are middle-aged now!) but his success is his own and nothing to do with me. It doesn't reflect backwards. The kind of success he's achieved isn't the kind I've wanted for myself or particularly wanted for him. It's his, nothing to do with me. We're on different paths.
As Kahlil Gibran's Propet says, "Your children are not your children"......
Dyna oedd ddoe a dyma yw heddiw
May. 15th, 2026 11:11 pmsovayThe sun came out just in time to set and I caught a handful of pictures in its gold flare of light, mostly lilacs and shadows.
( Dyna oedd yr awel, hwn yw y corwynt. )
I baked cornbread tonight with dinner, which I may not have done for a year. I had wanted some for weeks. Any time things could get easier, just for the hell of it.
( Dyna oedd yr awel, hwn yw y corwynt. )
I baked cornbread tonight with dinner, which I may not have done for a year. I had wanted some for weeks. Any time things could get easier, just for the hell of it.
30 Days of Blake's 7 - Day 14
May. 15th, 2026 10:22 pmjulesjones Day 14: Character you relate to the most
I don't, really. Some overlap with Avon simply from being a scientist, but he is not someone I would want to live with, let alone be.
I don't, really. Some overlap with Avon simply from being a scientist, but he is not someone I would want to live with, let alone be.
Wilde Life - Intermission
May. 15th, 2026 03:47 amwildelife_feed
New comic!
Today's News:
Gosh, you guys. I can't believe how many chapters I've drawn!
I've got to sit down and figure out how long the intermission will be. I have a lot of things to do to get the next chapter ready, so I'll be back shortly with an update on when the next chapter is going to start. [Watch this space.]
Thanks so much for reading!
Dave Barry
May. 15th, 2026 12:00 amquoteoftheday_feed"We Americans live in a nation where the medical-care system is second to none in the world, unless you count maybe 25 or 30 little scuzzball countries like Scotland that we could vaporize in seconds if we felt like it."
Jack Handey
May. 15th, 2026 12:00 amquoteoftheday_feed"I hope that when I die, people say about me, 'Boy, that guy sure owed me a lot of money.'"
Raymond Chandler
May. 15th, 2026 12:00 amquoteoftheday_feed"At least half the mystery novels published violate the law that the solution, once revealed, must seem to be inevitable."
Making Lists
May. 15th, 2026 08:17 ampoliphilo So, when you're drawing up a list of 100 best novels, or movies or whatever, do you let your heart or your head rule you?
I guess for most people it's a bit of both.
The head has to have it's say. If I'm drawing up a list of great movies I'm unlikely to include some piece of fluff that I love for no better reason than I watched it on a first date. Let's see, I love The Alamo, John Wayne's version- because it obsessed me when I was a kid- and I really, really wanted to be Laurence Harvey- but I'm mainstream enough to recognise that it's not exactly a cinematic milestone.
On the other hand a list ruled entirely by the head would have to include all sorts of things I don't like at all but know to be culturally important. For instance a list of great movies would have to include Battleship Potemkin- a film I consider downright nasty- crudely manipulative, dishonest- and a list of novels arrived at in that way would have to include something by Sir Walter Scott- who I find unreadable.
But the more heart we allow into the equation the more our lists are going to disagree. Subjectivity takes over, objectivity goes out the window.
I've already given you my number one novel. My number one movie is Powell and Pressburger's A Canterbury Tale.
So bite me!
I guess for most people it's a bit of both.
The head has to have it's say. If I'm drawing up a list of great movies I'm unlikely to include some piece of fluff that I love for no better reason than I watched it on a first date. Let's see, I love The Alamo, John Wayne's version- because it obsessed me when I was a kid- and I really, really wanted to be Laurence Harvey- but I'm mainstream enough to recognise that it's not exactly a cinematic milestone.
On the other hand a list ruled entirely by the head would have to include all sorts of things I don't like at all but know to be culturally important. For instance a list of great movies would have to include Battleship Potemkin- a film I consider downright nasty- crudely manipulative, dishonest- and a list of novels arrived at in that way would have to include something by Sir Walter Scott- who I find unreadable.
But the more heart we allow into the equation the more our lists are going to disagree. Subjectivity takes over, objectivity goes out the window.
I've already given you my number one novel. My number one movie is Powell and Pressburger's A Canterbury Tale.
So bite me!
What could be better? When will we know?
May. 14th, 2026 12:18 pmsovayBecause I had to give blood at a frankly stupid hour of the morning, afterward I took spatch to Mike & Patty's. He likes breakfast sandwiches and my mother had heard a rave of theirs on the radio. I do not like breakfast sandwiches. It's mostly because I don't like fried eggs, or even scrambled eggs unless I make them myself. Mei Mei got around my aversion by wrapping their oozily fried eggs in scallion pancakes and pesto, but for years the Double Awesome was alone of its kind and I tended to order its ham-based cousin, the Porco Rosso, when I could. I am still not designed for the majority of American breakfast foods, but it turns out that if the egg is fried hard enough and layered into a Reuben-adjacent mound of pastrami, cheddar, and a slightly mustardier relative of fry sauce on a griddled English muffin, it does count as real food by me. Rob reports favorably on the slyly named McLustin', which did not obliterate its traditional stack of fried egg, bacon, American cheese, and hash brown with its tongue-nipping sriracha ketchup. We ate while watching a swan chase a Canada goose across a reservoir like a majestically petty pocket battleship. The latest episode of Widow's Bay (2026–) scored its local points with a background issue of Agni such as fetch up secondhand anywhere within reading distance of Boston University. I picked up several issues that way myself.
spatch to Mike & Patty's. He likes breakfast sandwiches and my mother had heard a rave of theirs on the radio. I do not like breakfast sandwiches. It's mostly because I don't like fried eggs, or even scrambled eggs unless I make them myself. Mei Mei got around my aversion by wrapping their oozily fried eggs in scallion pancakes and pesto, but for years the Double Awesome was alone of its kind and I tended to order its ham-based cousin, the Porco Rosso, when I could. I am still not designed for the majority of American breakfast foods, but it turns out that if the egg is fried hard enough and layered into a Reuben-adjacent mound of pastrami, cheddar, and a slightly mustardier relative of fry sauce on a griddled English muffin, it does count as real food by me. Rob reports favorably on the slyly named McLustin', which did not obliterate its traditional stack of fried egg, bacon, American cheese, and hash brown with its tongue-nipping sriracha ketchup. We ate while watching a swan chase a Canada goose across a reservoir like a majestically petty pocket battleship. The latest episode of Widow's Bay (2026–) scored its local points with a background issue of Agni such as fetch up secondhand anywhere within reading distance of Boston University. I picked up several issues that way myself.