It's too close for comfort, it's too close to comfort me

[sovay]

My poem "Epic Cycle" has been accepted by Not One of Us. I wrote it for the centenary of Armistice Day. It's about war poetry as much as it is about war. I love this small black-and-white print 'zine, in case I have not mentioned lately; it's been around since 1986 and remains its essential weird self. It published my first fiction and I am still honored to have work in its pages. You should submit fiction and poetry of your own if you have it—I like having TOC-mates in print. It still feels more real to me.

(A moment to acknowledge the implosion of Tumblr, which I am on the outside of, but which I still don't enjoy watching. Its culture was not home to me, but I loved the history and art and discussion blogs and it did enable me for some time to keep track of the lives of friends who had drifted off LJ/DW or never been on them in the first place. Plus it made me learn to make aesthetic posts. And I am not in favor of moral panics anywhere.)

Otherwise I am sick and sick of it; it is no fun. I saw a doctor earlier this afternoon about the hellacious sore throat and since it looks as nasty as it feels but appears to be viral, there is nothing to do for it but the things I have been doing all week. I have limited energies and resources and am spending them on work rather than on any kind of writing because that is the necessary order of priorities in our economy, but it sucks, Harry, it sucks. I am feeling extraordinarily bitter about the demise of FilmStruck. There were a lot of movies on there I could have crashed in front of.

selkie made a remark about how on earth I function on the amount of sleep I don't get and I responded automatically, "With deftness born of long, sad practice, Fflewddur knotted up the broken string." She pointed out that under those circumstances I was owed a giant cat.



He has big paws.

Comments

[gwynnega]

Congratulations on the poetry sale! I love Not One of Us.

I hope your throat feels better soon.

That is a lovely photo.

[sovay]

Congratulations on the poetry sale! I love Not One of Us.

Thank you! (You should send them something!)

I hope your throat feels better soon.

And thank you. I am drinking a lot of hot things.

That is a lovely photo.

He was purring up a storm the entire time.

[pameladean]

Hooray sale!

He has an extremely large personality, that cat.

P.

[sovay]

Hooray sale!

Thank you!

He has an extremely large personality, that cat.

He does. He makes himself known.

[rosefox]

Awwww, such a good catfriend.

I hope you feel better very soon.

[sovay]

Awwww, such a good catfriend.

He is.

I hope you feel better very soon.

Thank you.

[alexxkay]

I, personally, got a lot of value out of porn on Tumblr, and will miss it.

I hope your health improves soon.
(That originally typo-ed as "improbes", which is amusing enough to note, but far too opposite to leave uncorrected.)

[sovay]

I, personally, got a lot of value out of porn on Tumblr, and will miss it.

I am given to understand that was one of its virtues. Can you follow your porn creators to any other sites, or was it more of a general availability than specific artists?

I hope your health improves soon.

Thank you.

[alexxkay]

Some of them are follow-able, and will probably be followed. But the cross-linking that regularly exposed me to NEW creators is going away.

[sovay]

But the cross-linking that regularly exposed me to NEW creators is going away.

That's what I was asking about: I should have phrased it as "ecosystem" rather than "availability." Feh.

[alatefeline]

Good kitty. Goood big paws.

The rest of your post certainly deserves a more brainful response than that, but I'm turning up bits of tinfoil in the bottom of my spoon drawer.

[sovay]

Good kitty. Goood big paws.

We think so!

The rest of your post certainly deserves a more brainful response than that, but I'm turning up bits of tinfoil in the bottom of my spoon drawer.

That's a vivid image, I hope the situation has improved, and I passed on the important parts of your message to the cat.

[thawrecka]

Congrats on the sale, and I hope you feel better soon.

[sovay]

Congrats on the sale, and I hope you feel better soon.

Thank you!

[asakiyume]

I love Not One of Us too; John Benson has a great editorial eye. Congratulations on the sale and condolences on the virus, rotten thing that it is.

Autolycus (or Hestia, if that's she) is a Llyan-worthy creature.

I heard only vaguely about the pearl-clutching at Tumblr... is it likely the place will recover?
ETA: Oooh, I see. Silly Tumblr. People are making good fun of it already, too.]

[sovay]

Congratulations on the sale and condolences on the virus, rotten thing that it is.

Thank you, and thank you!

Autolycus (or Hestia, if that's she) is a Llyan-worthy creature.

It is Autolycus. Hestia is less of a shoulder cat, although she commandeers laps with authority.

I heard only vaguely about the pearl-clutching at Tumblr... is it likely the place will recover?

I am sure it will not cease operation, because LJ hasn't, but I don't see how it can possibly enforce its already dubious definition of "adult content" and remain a viable site for any of the things people have been using it for, representations of their own lives included.

[asakiyume]

I had to laugh (as, I gather, many have) at "female-presenting nipples." Please.

And I gather there's been an influx--or there's a predicted influx?--of people to DW?

[thisbluespirit]

Congratulations on the poem! And, aw, Autolycus!

And I am not in favor of moral panics anywhere.

No, me neither.

I'm sorry you're feeling sick, and I hope there may be some improvement for you soon, or at the very least more old films. <3

[sovay]

Congratulations on the poem!

Thank you!

And, aw, Autolycus!

He is a good cat.

I'm sorry you're feeling sick, and I hope there may be some improvement for you soon, or at the very least more old films.

Thank you. I'll see what I can do about the films . . .

[choco_frosh]

With deftness born of long, sad practice

Yeah, that sounds about right. < Hugs >, and hope you at least got sleep.

[sovay]

< Hugs >, and hope you at least got sleep.

Thank you. I did, some.

*hugs*

[selkie]

OH MY HECK, I MEANT TO GIVE THAT RAKE A CAT. A RIDICULOUS CREAM POINT SIAMESE. IT'S IN MY PHONE NOTES. Can it be named Pangur Bán or is that TOO ON THE NOSE.

*flails, then makes you a cup of tea with leftover rum*

[sovay]

OH MY HECK, I MEANT TO GIVE THAT RAKE A CAT.

Hey, don't forget Sleipnir.

A RIDICULOUS CREAM POINT SIAMESE. IT'S IN MY PHONE NOTES. Can it be named Pangur Bán or is that TOO ON THE NOSE.

FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH, I PERSONALLY APPROVE.

*flails, then makes you a cup of tea with leftover rum*

Ooh, thanks. (My inner Stephen Hopkins: "It's a medicinal fact that rum gets a man's heart started in the morning.")

[selkie]

A more portable cat.

You... are running on presumably less than the six hours of sleep I got, aren't you. *sighs*

I just missed a Murder Trivia question about a difference engine because the answer was marked down as analytical engine, a term I never heard in relation to Lovelace or Babbage, so I am cranky AF, but take all the rum you want!

[sovay]

You... are running on presumably less than the six hours of sleep I got, aren't you.

Probably, yes. The sunlight is very cold and very clear and very bright.

I just missed a Murder Trivia question about a difference engine because the answer was marked down as analytical engine, a term I never heard in relation to Lovelace or Babbage, so I am cranky AF, but take all the rum you want!

I am afraid the Analytical Engine is a thing, although I believe it is a thing that was never constructed, even in our lifetimes. Murder Trivia?

[selkie]

*grankles* Oh, fine. If it's real it's real and I missed it fair and square. One can't help being extremely specialized in one's historical frame of reference. I believe you.

https://www.learnedleague.com/ I do it to convince myself I'm still smart.

HA. HAHA.

[sovay]

I do it to convince myself I'm still smart.

You are smart, whether you're good at trivia or not. Sorry.

[selkie]

Not bad at trivia; 9th out of 26 which I believe is a solid mediocre at trivia. But it depends -- here's a theme -- how much sleep I get.

You cope with the cold daystar, I'll cope with my blithering aphasia, we can both whack people with my stick.

[sovay]

But it depends -- here's a theme -- how much sleep I get.

I am familiar with this variable!

You cope with the cold daystar, I'll cope with my blithering aphasia, we can both whack people with my stick.

It's a plan.

[choco_frosh]

For your reference:
http://sydneypadua.com/2dgoggles/the-marvellous-analytical-engine-how-it-works/

[selkie]

Oh, one of those.

(Thank you! That is cool on many levels!)

Tumblr

[lauradi7dw]

I am in the unusual position of viewing almost nothing on tumblr that will be affected by the ban. Medieval People of Color tend to be more dressed than those of some subsequent eras. The posts from the friend who puts up his original piano pieces is mostly audio anyway. Talking Piffle is mostly text. The extensively annotated TV and movie stills the niece posts should only rarely be flagged. But maybe everyone will jump ship out of solidarity. Tumblr's stock dropped yesterday, so advertisers must think so.

Re: Tumblr

[sovay]

But maybe everyone will jump ship out of solidarity. Tumblr's stock dropped yesterday, so advertisers must think so.

I'm not surprised to hear that. Based on yesterday's announcements, Dreamwidth seems to think the same.

You may be able to keep using the site if it doesn't fold. I know several people who stayed on LJ after last year's terms-of-service debacle. Most of the Tumblr accounts I read are high in queer content with a reasonable incidence of non-breastfeeding nipples and I've already noticed an impressive die-off in the archives, which I assume is the result of overzealous algorithms. The porn side of Tumblr was irrelevant to me, but it did not in any way trouble me by existing.

[dhampyresa]

BIG KITTY *o*

[sovay]

BIG KITTY

He is an excellent shoulder-weight.

[umadoshi]

Hooray for the poem sale, and for lovely cat cuddles.

I hope you start feeling better soon, if you haven't already.

[sovay]

Hooray for the poem sale, and for lovely cat cuddles.

Thank you!

I hope you start feeling better soon, if you haven't already.

Not yet, I think, but I appreciate the wish!