Horses are good company -- The Witcher

1. I'm very happy and proud of the now-former Tiptree committee for deciding to change the name of the award.

2. Apples are now in season!

3. Saw friends at the dog park today: Jazz and her human Steve.

4. I watched the first part (season) of the OA, and I have deeply mixed feelings about it.

The OA (sometimes known as Prairie Johnson) is a woman who shows up again after being gone for 7 years. She was formerly blind but has regained her sight. While living with her parents in suburbia, she assembles some misfits from her neighborhood and begins to tell them her story of being held captive with 4 other people.

It's beautifully shot, well-acted, and effectively creepy. There is some magic going on, and a mystery, which kept me hitting "next episode." However, the final episode of Part 1 was unsatisfying. The internet tells me that Part 2 ends on a cliffhanger, and that the show has been cancelled by Netflix. Well.

"The OA" is very thought-provoking, and deals a lot with captivity. The OA herself is held captive in a horrible situation, and survives, as she says, because she was not alone. She formed bonds with the other prisoners, particularly with a young man named Homer.

We see hints of other, less dire forms of captivity. One teenager in the show is a bully and troublemaker, and his parents want to ship him off to boot camp. They will use force in this attempt. The teenagers in the show are largely trapped by their circumstances: not being legal adults traps them with unsafe and unsupportive families. There's a reference to a character's brother who was forced to go to rehab, and died there. Late in the series, the OA is wearing an ankle monitor, which isn't explained.

It's nice to see original SF/F that is well-made, even if it isn't entirely successful. I could have done with 50% less creepiness, and 50% more found-family dynamics.

3 Star Trek alumnae are in this: Alice Krige (who played the Borg queen in first contact); Rosalind Chao (who played Keiko O'Brien); and Jason Isaacs (who is in ST: Discovery).

--Dried mango
--Trail mix
--The marshy area I drive by on the way back from the pharmacy. Sometimes it looks very wild and alien
--Internet friends
--Netflix
--Fanfic

By lucky timing, Sorcha and I happened to be at Mounds pet store when the Greyhound rescue folks came in to table and do a meet and greet. So, we stood for a while and were breed ambassadors with two other greyhounds. People admired her scarf and very soft fur.

Later I went to comics club and had a very nice time.

1. Sometime in June I decided to put plastic sheeting and duct tape over the open car window of my neighbor's car. It rained a lot in June, and it bothered me every time I parked my car, seeing this nice car with its window down, the owners nowhere to be seen, and rain coming in. I also put some plastic lids with baking soda on them inside the car to try and reduce the smell.

Today my neighbors returned from their long vacation in Europe. They thanked me warmly for taking care of their car, saying they don't know what happened with the window. They gave me a box of Belgian chocolates. The man had talked with me before about Minnesota-- I am from MN, and he'd lived in the Twin Cities while getting his degree. So when I said, "No problem, it seemed like the neighborly thing to do," he said, "Maybe the Minnesotan thing to do."

2. I went to a Disability Pride Madison festival. It was cold, but fun. I met a few folks.

3. I gave away some spider plants by setting them on the curb.

1. I've been really stressing about money (btw thank you to those of you who bought my gift cards); but my family has been quietly helping me out without me even having to ask. This is really humbling. Also, it's weird to think about how I was making it before the Scott Walker pay cut to state workers. And now, it's harder.

2. I went to Cheers with Queers last night and had a great time.

3. I wore my really awesome wool suit today.

4. I am finished doing recruitment and enrollment for my study at work!! \o/

5. A few days this week I've seen my friend Kendra at the dog park which was really fun. I know her from outside the dog park, and she just got a dog.

6. I really enjoy my Thursday lunches with jesse_the_k. This week we watched a film called "Wretches and Jabberers", which is about two men with autism who are activists. They travel around the world and meet other people like themselves. In the movie, they go to Sri Lanka, Japan, and Finland. I really enjoyed and recommend this film.

7. There was a good seminar today that I got to attend most of; about diagnosing disease before and after death (ie at autopsy). It was really interesting, and the pathologist who was presenting is a bit of a fuss pot and makes everyone laugh. For instance his power point appeared pink, and he complained, "Whoever is in charge, I am not going to be happy here, because the words are supposed to be white not purple!" My boss tried to soothe him, "It'll be all right," to which he responded crankily, "For you maybe but not for me!" (cue laughter). They figured out the color problem was due to a bad connection, so then the director of the whole program sat there with his hand holding the connection down, to keep the wires tight. Also he said the first case's name, which is a big no-no, and when the director chided him, "no names!", he sighed and said, "OK, this person is [PATHOLOGIST]!", saying his own name.

8. I got a free cookie at the seminar.

1. A neighbor who is moving out gave me some frozen chicken.

2. Sorcha is such a good dog! She is good with kids and getting bolder at the dog park (ie playing more with other dogs). A little neighborhood kid grabbed her tail and she didn't even flinch. She must have had a pretty good life wherever she was before because she doesn't have a lot of issues. Anyway I told this kid to let go, but he didn't, and then one of the other kids said, "He doesn't speak English". It makes me wish I'd kept up my Spanish education. Today this same kid was running away from his dad (who was in the community garden) toward the street and I didn't know the words for stop! come back! Oh neighborhood kids.

3. WisCon / fandom / DW teaches me a lot.

I have been feeling kinda down lately, and sick. Sometimes it helps to post about things that make me happy and/or that I am grateful for.

1. I have a new car! I think I shall call it Charlotte, just because. It's a gold colored Toyota Camry, 2002, and it is AWESOME. Even since my (gold colored) PT Cruiser got wrecked two winters ago, I've been driving a POS Neon that I haven't liked. The Neon was kind of uncomfortable and it had a hard time going fast. Now I finally have a car that I like!! It drives very smoothly, is very comfortable, and has remote control doors. It is GRAND.

2. I had a flying/floating dream this morning. Actually it was a little disturbing because I wasn't sure how I was going to land and it felt like I was just going to keep on flying/floating forever, and maybe suddenly I would come down in water, or I would land somewhere far away from home and have to walk all the way back. Still, it was a neat dream.

3. I've been watching a lot of good movies on Netflix. Review post to come!

1. This post by general_jinjur which is about podfic, emotions, embodiment, meta, fandom, diversity, and joy.

2. Going for walks makes me happy! Going for walks has become my go-to thing to do when I am anxious, restless, angry, bored, tired, or just unsure what to do with myself. My neighborhood has many trees, at least one blonde (palomino? tawny?) squirrel that I keep seeing, one house with rainbow flags, a community garden, a dog park, and a river/stream.

3. Taking photos! I just love taking photos! shutterspeed makes me happy.

4. I spent some money to get a stereo (that I already owned) installed in my car. Now I can listen to CDs while driving. This has improved my quality of life immediately.

5. Janelle Monae. Aw yeah.

6. TRUE BLOOD, but I am not caught up yet so please don't spoil me.

1. I started a prompt-based photography community on Dreamwidth: shutterspeed. Please join and/or subscribe!

2. Talked with a good friend from college tonight! I haven't talked to him in years. We reminisced over an old mutual professor crush and other things.

3. Figured out some major crap in my life! I seem to be communicating more as a result.

4. Ate a delicious dinner that oliviacirce cooked! Also wine.

5. Started reading an Advanced Reviewer's Copy of A Love Story Starring My Dead Best Friend by Emily Horner. :D :D :D

My good friend jesse_the_k bought me a NEW CAMERA!! It is a Nikon CoolPix L22, dark red. It is super sleek and awesome. A world of picture taking awaits! We also had some really great Italian Ice after our shopping expedition.

I have two volumes left of the graphic novel series Strangers In Paradise by Terry Moore. It is 19 volumes long, beautifully drawn, with excellent characterization. It's taken me a while to read because of the emotional involvement. Having a bit more graphic novel reading experience now, I find myself paying much more attention to the art style, the way the people are drawn, and what, if it were a movie, I would term "cinematography"-- the way the frames are set up.

SPRING.