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Nôl yng Nghymru :)
May. 20th, 2026 04:12 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
smmgMa'n neis iawn i fod nôl yng Nghymru ac yn mynd i'r seindorf arian ac yn gweld fy ffrindie, fi 'di colli popeth a phawb cymaint :')
smmgBack in Wales
May. 19th, 2026 04:26 pmsmmgFirst rehearsal with the silver band later after being away for 4 months and I just threw my cornet on the floor. #cool...
And I did dent it 😬
It doesn't seem to have affected the tuning so I guess it's not so bad. Just frustrating that the first time I touched this thing in 4 months I IMMEDIATELY dropped it on the floor and dented it :/ There's no instrument repairers in the area so I'd have to mail it off to someone to remove the dent.
And I did dent it 😬
It doesn't seem to have affected the tuning so I guess it's not so bad. Just frustrating that the first time I touched this thing in 4 months I IMMEDIATELY dropped it on the floor and dented it :/ There's no instrument repairers in the area so I'd have to mail it off to someone to remove the dent.
Squares are difficult.
May. 21st, 2026 04:14 amtygerToday's blind sewing has gone... not great. I REALISE the only way to get better at this shit is to keep doing it, but also. I am so bad at sewing. So, so bad. /o\ And possibly even worse at measuring things properly. (These things are indeed related. Ugh.)
Other than that... animal maintenance! Played MP SDV again! That's about it? Yeah. :/
Painters were here today! They got everything prepped and undercoated, which is EXTREMELY impressive to me! I mean sure, they're professionals - well, I think one's an apprentice, but you know - but given how long shit takes to DRY the way they're able to schedule stuff to get it all done is a lot, even on top of the physical skills.
Progress!!!
May. 20th, 2026 02:01 amtygerSo today I got the Box O Sewing Machine Feet out, and... well first I spent quite a while doing research, because it was surprisingly hard to find a guide on them. ( Sewing Machine Rambles Here )
I suspect the next step is going to be cutting bits of wood to size, but I was so focused on getting this figured out I didn't actually ask A while she was here today, so I'll have to text her. Anyway hopefully tomorrow will be sunny enough to do that, I don't want to use the circular saw unless I'm sure it's dry. If it's not I'll ask my father if he can show me how some of the other tools work, I guess? We'll see.
Also yes A came over and that was very fun! :D :D :D She even brought me snacks, which was very sweet of her! And Mama is doing better - she's allowed to take the eye not-patch off except for when she's sleeping now, which helps a lot. Still frustrated about being wiped, though. Maybe one year I'll be able to convince her healing is work, but not today, apparently.
Tomorrow is Painters Are Here day the first, so that'll be. Uh. Well probably quieter than the weatherboard guys, who were here today as well (and will probably be back on Saturday)... Still! Will be nice to have that stuff done! :D
hail mary
May. 18th, 2026 09:05 pmmelannenI went to see Project Hail Mary over the weekend, because I was already pretty deep in the fanfic, and space pretty so it seemed worth catching on the big screen. (I can't remember the last time I went to see a new release on the big screen, but it's been A While.)
It was very pretty! It was very good! I love all the characters! It was exactly the movie I (and based on the reception) a lot of the world needed right now. What if our big problems were things that weren't our fault. But what if we could fix them anyway, just by taking a leap of faith. What if we were strong enough to do what we need to do. What if it was okay that we aren't usually very strong. What if we were so so so so loved loved loved and the power of friendship saved the galaxyand romance never came into it.
I have written a ficlet:
Not All Earth Humans Dumb (just this one) (632 words) by melannen
Fandom: Project Hail Mary (2026)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Ryland Grace & Rocky
Characters: Ryland Grace, Rocky (Project Hail Mary)
Additional Tags: Missing Scene, Fix-It of Sorts, First Contact, The Hail Mary (ship), Humor
Summary:
I want to write more fanfiction but I am currently getting tripped up on the fact that - other than the characters and space being pretty - what I like most about it is the space travel stuff, the hard SF that I was so ready for, the centrifugal gravity and exobiology based on real known planets and all that stuff - but the plot does not. Sustain that. The plot is pure full-on fairy tale logic that falls apart the moment you try to put any pressure on it from another direction. (...so is a lot of the "hard SF" science.) And this is not necessarily a weak point! The fairy tale plot is why it was the movie I needed right now. And it's not like "nothing hangs together if you think too hard" is that rare in classic hard SF either tbh. But augh. What I want to do about this movie right now is think too hard about it constantly :P
Possibly the book fills in some of the gaps in the movie, though I have a vague recollection that part of why I didn't read it before now is reviews talking about how it doesn't hold together real well either, so I am not counting on it. Also I currently have fifteen library books checked out, including one about the importance of sunlight, one about how animals perceive sound and communicate with it, one about the inner lives of octopi, one about the ecologies of viruses and one about life in the deep sea, and I should probably read at least some of them first. Instead of more PHM fic. :P
But this does feel like the first time in a while a fandom has grabbed me hard enough to be one that really sticks, and also has enough fic already to sustain that, and it *is* about time for that - it's been four years since MCYT. I am trying to be Smart this time and keep track of fics I like while I read them instead of assuming I will come back around and remember, but, uh, we'll see how that goes.
It was very pretty! It was very good! I love all the characters! It was exactly the movie I (and based on the reception) a lot of the world needed right now. What if our big problems were things that weren't our fault. But what if we could fix them anyway, just by taking a leap of faith. What if we were strong enough to do what we need to do. What if it was okay that we aren't usually very strong. What if we were so so so so loved loved loved and the power of friendship saved the galaxy
I have written a ficlet:
Not All Earth Humans Dumb (just this one) (632 words) by melannen
Fandom: Project Hail Mary (2026)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Ryland Grace & Rocky
Characters: Ryland Grace, Rocky (Project Hail Mary)
Additional Tags: Missing Scene, Fix-It of Sorts, First Contact, The Hail Mary (ship), Humor
Summary:
Rocky's second, slightly calmer tour of the Hail Mary paused for a moment, and for only a bare moment longer Grace was thankful for the chance to catch up. Then the regret started.
I want to write more fanfiction but I am currently getting tripped up on the fact that - other than the characters and space being pretty - what I like most about it is the space travel stuff, the hard SF that I was so ready for, the centrifugal gravity and exobiology based on real known planets and all that stuff - but the plot does not. Sustain that. The plot is pure full-on fairy tale logic that falls apart the moment you try to put any pressure on it from another direction. (...so is a lot of the "hard SF" science.) And this is not necessarily a weak point! The fairy tale plot is why it was the movie I needed right now. And it's not like "nothing hangs together if you think too hard" is that rare in classic hard SF either tbh. But augh. What I want to do about this movie right now is think too hard about it constantly :P
Possibly the book fills in some of the gaps in the movie, though I have a vague recollection that part of why I didn't read it before now is reviews talking about how it doesn't hold together real well either, so I am not counting on it. Also I currently have fifteen library books checked out, including one about the importance of sunlight, one about how animals perceive sound and communicate with it, one about the inner lives of octopi, one about the ecologies of viruses and one about life in the deep sea, and I should probably read at least some of them first. Instead of more PHM fic. :P
But this does feel like the first time in a while a fandom has grabbed me hard enough to be one that really sticks, and also has enough fic already to sustain that, and it *is* about time for that - it's been four years since MCYT. I am trying to be Smart this time and keep track of fics I like while I read them instead of assuming I will come back around and remember, but, uh, we'll see how that goes.
I can already tell Mama's gonna be stir crazy as hell in short order, but Oh Well
May. 19th, 2026 03:09 amtygerMama's operation seems to have gone well! Not exactly easy to tell how her vision is now, 'cause even by the time she went to bed her pupil was suuuuuper dilated, but she seems okay! The eye cover thing is already driving her mad, which, I mean. It looks SUPER uncomfortable, it's a hard plastic thing just kinda taped onto her face, IDEK. But at least it's transparent, so she'll have colours through it if nothing else, gotta be less annoying than an eyepatch!
My doctor's appointment went okay! Apparently my cholesterol's still borderline not great (it's probably the zucchini bread), but also my thyroid's underperforming a bit, which is a new thing! She wants me to do a bit more vigorous exercise and up my heart rate a bit, see if that kicks my metabolism into a higher gear and if that changes anything. Which. I can try?? I guess? Will have to figure out how to get it into my routine in a way that doesn't make my brainweasels act up. Anyway, plan is for me to get another blood test about a week before I have to go in for my next meds appointment, which is uh. Five months from now. So it's definitely nothing urgent at all!
Other than that mostly played multiplayer stardew valley this afternoon/evening! Very fun! :D But tiring, mostly from the social. Also got that unpicking done, but didn't work on the blinds other than that. >>;;;
A is coming over tomorrow, though! Will work on blinds more then, and also yay! Friendtime!
Anyway, sleeps now. I haven't had a nap ALL DAY, which means I've been up uh. 18 hours. That is a bit too many, whoops...
(no subject)
May. 18th, 2026 09:07 pmchina_shopI just spent about 11 hours 9 hours (miscalculated) writing a submission on a Copyright (Parody and Satire) Amendment Bill, arguing that they should include fanworks as well. Chances of this succeeding: approximately 1% - but hey, it had to be said.
And since I didn't get to include acknowledgements in my submission, I need to give credit here: thanks tomergatrude for beta! ♥ ♥ ♥
*collapses*
And since I didn't get to include acknowledgements in my submission, I need to give credit here: thanks to
mergatrude for beta! ♥ ♥ ♥ *collapses*
Dumb mistake I only just spotted
May. 17th, 2026 07:17 pmfayanoraLOL. You ever make a decision in writing that seems reasonable at the time and later realize it's not reasonable? In my case today, I realized that two scenes in book 7 should be changed because 1. I decided Portland doesn't have its own international portal hub (similar to an international airport, but with portals). Which, okay, fine. Whatever. But 2. I had the groups in both scenes choose to use the one in San Diego, and had one of these groups driving there for some reason. So 3. Driving? When shadow-walking is a thing for them? When Vedya was younger, that might have made sense, even though Morgana and Nizoni can both bring passengers along while shadow-walking. But by that point in the series, Vedya can not only shadow-walk on her own, but also Blink.
Anyway, San Diego is like, 1000 miles from Portland, and even for an adult witch, that's a bit too far to shadow-walk in one go, unless one's magic is being super-charged by panic and desperation. But Seattle, a place they go to semi-regularly anyway because Kira tends to stay up there, is only about 130 miles away from Portland. And they have already been shown to be able to shadow-walk / Blink from Portland to Seattle with relative ease. And if even that distance was too much for Vedya, it'd still be a three hour drive as opposed to a SIXTEEN HOUR drive. (They didn't drive that long in the current version, as they drove one of their cars through a portal that took them to San Diego. Still, why go there instead of Seattle? In the unlikely event their car, magical as it is, got stolen or something, 138 miles is a lot easier of a distance to get home without a car than 1000 miles would be. Plus, they have friends and allies and connections in Seattle that they don't have in San Diego.)
So basically, it makes so much more sense for both groups to go to Seattle instead of San Diego that I am going to have to edit those scenes to take place in Seattle instead of San Diego. Just... not today.
Anyway, San Diego is like, 1000 miles from Portland, and even for an adult witch, that's a bit too far to shadow-walk in one go, unless one's magic is being super-charged by panic and desperation. But Seattle, a place they go to semi-regularly anyway because Kira tends to stay up there, is only about 130 miles away from Portland. And they have already been shown to be able to shadow-walk / Blink from Portland to Seattle with relative ease. And if even that distance was too much for Vedya, it'd still be a three hour drive as opposed to a SIXTEEN HOUR drive. (They didn't drive that long in the current version, as they drove one of their cars through a portal that took them to San Diego. Still, why go there instead of Seattle? In the unlikely event their car, magical as it is, got stolen or something, 138 miles is a lot easier of a distance to get home without a car than 1000 miles would be. Plus, they have friends and allies and connections in Seattle that they don't have in San Diego.)
So basically, it makes so much more sense for both groups to go to Seattle instead of San Diego that I am going to have to edit those scenes to take place in Seattle instead of San Diego. Just... not today.
Brains are stupid.
May. 18th, 2026 01:31 amtygerI am Very Stressed, and it's because of things that are either completely out of my control, or I actively want to happen. BRAIN WHY. STAHP.
To be somewhat fair, this week is going to be A Lot, even if everything goes perfectly. I'mma list it all for posterity:
Still, stressing about it isn't helpful, brain! :/
Today I did some painting cleanup, and also attempted to sew the blinds to the good fabric. It went. Very badly! :/ I did some research and it looks like this is a Known Issue with thermal fabric, and there's a different foot suggested, so I'mma see if we have one of those tomorrow. (If they were being made when our machine was bought we probably do! I just don't know if they were.) After I finish the unpicking. >>;; Shoulda done that tonight, I just. Nooooo.
Anyway, no nap allowed tomorrow morning, otherwise I won't make it to my appointment, so I am going the fuck to sleep now. Yes. Or at least trying, given my fucking brain, ugh.
Job Update
May. 16th, 2026 10:03 pmsoc_puppetTalked things out with my boss on Thursday, and we came to a much better understanding. Part of it is something that I'm still having trouble internalizing, but is part of my reality, and so I will have to learn to accept it. (Maybe after a brief mourning period. Hopefully the ADA and EAP paperwork HR sent over will help by giving me a way through.)
In short: I thought I was unneeded in my job; Boss thought I didn't care about my job and had one foot out the door.
The reality is ( pretty close to that, but different in important ways )
Anyway, the bakery Lead Cook (second in command) will be helping me out at work tomorrow and teaching me a few of the things I haven't had the opportunity to really learn in the past two-ish years. I am dearly hoping that one of our "new" bread recipes is on the to-do list 💖
In short: I thought I was unneeded in my job; Boss thought I didn't care about my job and had one foot out the door.
The reality is ( pretty close to that, but different in important ways )
Anyway, the bakery Lead Cook (second in command) will be helping me out at work tomorrow and teaching me a few of the things I haven't had the opportunity to really learn in the past two-ish years. I am dearly hoping that one of our "new" bread recipes is on the to-do list 💖