cateyespecks

Back in college, I did a decent chunk of music production and enjoyed it, but I haven't gone very deep into it post-graduation. There's a lot of upfront equipment and software costs to it, and it's not as though I have a proper studio space, so I've ignored the thought/hobby for awhile. I have like, one USB microphone that a friend gifted me, which eventually I ended up using for my 2022 podficcing phase, but have not done much with outside of that.

Recently though one of my roommates has been doing song composition and asked about audio recording. I was like "Well I have the one mic, and GarageBand on mac computers is a pretty serviceable way to record music (Audacity too if you're very minimalist) but if you're trying to layer and line up multiple tracks on top of each other and make it sound NICE, we should probably get all this other stuff which is a lot upfront, let me google the costs..."

Slightly more technical details

A fancy recording setup involves several different components, including:

Audio Interface: Literally a box that combines all the various inputs/outputs and does some other key things. It keeps them all aligned with minimal latency. AKA normally if you record with a microphone directly USB-connected to your computer, and then listen to it through a set of headphones connected to the computer, then the audio signal has to travel all the way from the microphone through your computer and then to your headphones--and your computer is not designed for/trying to be able to to deliver that FAST. That's fine if you're recording and THEN listening back, but if you want to do both simultaneously (for example, if you sing a harmony on top of your melody track) then you're gonna introduce a weird delay/latency that makes it super hard to line up the parts properly. Using an audio interface which is designed to have minimal delay and line things up with themselves makes layering sounds on top of each other SO much easier.

Microphone with XLR cable: An audio interface only takes certain types of inputs, and for microphones it takes an XLR cable (big round thing with pins inside) that allows for an ANALOG signal. A USB microphone translates the audio to a DIGITAL signal, which increases latency, so audio interfaces typically only take the analog XLR. This was frustrating for me bc I do have a USB microphone, but even if I bought the interface I wouldn't actually be able to use that mic with it unless I ALSO bought a new microphone that had that XLR capability/connection.

Headphones: You connect a set of headphones directly into the audio interface (again, to lower latency), and that ALSO has its own preferred connector (TRS, I think 1/4 in? Think a regular audio jack but Extra Thick). You can connect basically any headphones with an adapter, but (1) you have to buy that adapter (2) you need a wired headset in the first place... unfortunately, I did not really have this, as I don't love headsets and the one set I have is bluetooth.

Cables, mic stands, etc: There's some various peripherals necessary to connect all the stuff and actually hold it up (especially holding up the microphone). Not crazy, but adding on top of everything else, it can feel overwhelming to ALSO have to choose and purchase.

And so I googled the equipment I'd need and found that it would be Quite A Lot... So I despaired like "Yeah I'm never getting into a proper audio recording phase again, it's too expensive to justify..."

But then I remembered the treasure trove that is Facebook Marketplace. And podcasting/song recording is the kind of hobby that some people get into and then drop (or they get beginner equipment and then upgrade), and maybe some of them might be willing to part with that equipment at a good price, and lo and behold! At first I was looking for just one item, but discovered someone was actually selling a small suite of the exact equipment I needed in a bundle for a CRAZY good price.

It was still pricey, enough that I feel motivated to get my money's worth, but I looked up the individual components online and found that I was definitely getting some BIG savings overall, PLUS I don't have to go hunting around for all the different little pieces--I could just go, pick it up, and have it all (and likely all compatible with each other). AKA, I found a perfect beginner's kit for a steal of a price.

So I connected with the person, who was trying to get rid of the stuff before moving out of the country, and got #blessed to be able to purchase it all for probably half (or less) what it might have been retail altogether. Yay!!!

I tested the setup with my computer (and with my roommates iPad, which she'll probably use for her song recording) and it all works/is functional and is compatible with each other!! Big wins! I recorded a little bit of music AND read out a real quick podfic just to test things out.

Podficcing tangent

I got really into podficcing back in 2022--I was experiencing a LOT of wrist pain, and podficcing was a nice activity where I just sat in a chair to talk and would barely use my wrist for 10-30 minutes per recording session. It gave me the satisfaction of a hobby and productivity, though I'll confess the EDITING and posting part involved perhaps a bit more wrist work than was ideal. Still, I got really into it and developed a whole workflow and method (especially for posting... do you know how few options there are to host audio where you can seamlessly embed the audio in AO3??)

However, I learned about some brilliant wrist exercises that eventually ended up saving my butt by bringing my daily wrist pain down to a manageable level. I'm extremely glad for that, but also the end result is I kinda dropped podficcing.

Well, now that I'm trying to get my money's worth for this audio setup, I'm hoping to get back into it again. After recording the test podfic, I went into my files and discovered I actually have SEVERAL podfics recorded from 2022 that I just never edited or posted... so while editing this new one, I edited one of the old ones at the same time and posted them both yesterday. I'm hoping to edit the few others that languished in my podfics folder as I do other new podfics as well. At this point, I've also become much more of an audiobook reader, so I think I may do an even better job podficcing in the future now that I've been more of a listener.

So I'm excited and going to try to get back into podficcing! I did a very quick slapdash test podfic with the new microphone, but I want to sit down and do one with a more organized physical setup. And then I'd also like to do a multichapter one... Oneshots are def the play for getting back into it, but I'd love to do a bigger long-term project. I've often enjoyed the investment of reading long fics, so I'd like for people who listen to podfics to also be able to listen to long fics too.

Unfortunately I've become much less of a fanfic reader in the past few years (been getting more into published books, life has been busy, tastes have refined so I'm pickier) and the end result is that most my AO3 bookmarks (where I would look for fics I might want to podfic) are just oneshots. On top of that, I generally prefer to podfic for people who have blanket permissions/transformative work statements that make clear whether they accept podfics of their work, which also limits my options in terms of authors.

I'd love to record a multichapter of like, 10-50k words. In the past I recorded a nice 15k, 3 chapter TogaChako fic that resulted in 1.5 to 2 hours of actual audio, and I found that a delightful little project that I'd love to replicate with something new. I also did the Ace Attorney behemoth (49k, 13 chapters) my best friend wrote where I recorded TWO versions--one where I was literally reading for the first time out loud and reacting along the way, and then a second where I read it normally/formally afterwards for ppl who just wanna hear the fic. The formal version ended up being around 5 hours I think? But it was a lot of fun to be able to engage and play with that fic for a long period of time.

I would love to have like... a Good Fic, That I Like, That's Relatively Recent (or like, I've recently read and aligned with my current tastes), that's a multichapter around 10-50k, from an author who allows podfic. But that's hard to find organically! So if anyone has any recs (especially if they're F/F within like, My Hero Academia, Fire Emblem Three Houses, or any other fandoms you've seen me yap about) plz let me know.

Anyway, I still need to figure out a good PHYSICAL set up. My roommates and I have a "hobby room", but it's already quite full of other stuff so trying to get a functional corner for audio stuff might take some time and additional little shelf/table stuff. All that is pretty cheap logistical management, though--not pricey and specialized equipment. In the future as I use it more and get comfortable I may discover I don't like different pieces or feel a need to expand... but at least then I'll have everything else set up, so I can just replace pieces bit by bit and still be functional instead of having to buy a bunch of stuff upfront.

Current Mood: excited

seleneheart

The Gales of November: The Untold Story of The Edmund Fitzgerald by John U. Bacon

Blurb:

For three decades following World War II, the Great Lakes overtook Europe as the epicenter of global economic strength. The region was the beating heart of the world economy, possessing all the power and prestige Silicon Valley does today. And no ship represented the apex of the American Century better than the 729-foot-long Edmund Fitzgerald—the biggest, best, and most profitable ship on the Lakes.

But on November 10, 1975, as the “storm of the century” threw 100 mile-per-hour winds and 50-foot waves on Lake Superior, the Mighty Fitz found itself at the worst possible place, at the worst possible time. When she sank, she took all 29 men onboard down with her, leaving the tragedy shrouded in mystery for a half century.

In The Gales of November, award-winning journalist John U. Bacon presents the definitive account of the disaster, drawing on more than 100 interviews with the families, friends, and former crewmates of those lost. Bacon explores the vital role Great Lakes shipping played in America’s economic boom, the uncommon lives the sailors led, the sinking’s most likely causes, and the heartbreaking aftermath for those left behind—"the wives, the sons, and the daughters,” as Gordon Lightfoot sang in his unforgettable ballad.

Focused on those directly affected by the tragedy, The Gales of November is both an emotional tribute to the lives lost and a propulsive, page-turning narrative history of America’s most-mourned maritime disaster.

I really enjoyed understanding the economics of Great Lakes shipping, the science of why November is the worst month on the Lakes (not say, January), and the detailed descriptions of what happened on November 9-10, 1975 on Lake Superior (funny how the other 4 lakes retain a form of their Indigenous names; I suppose English speakers didn't want to call it any variation of Gumee or Gami). The author spoke to many, many people with first-hand knowledge of the Fitz, including former crew members, family members of the lost crew, and various people on both ends of the journey who interacted with the Fitz and her crew.

It's amazing that the ultimate cause of the sinking remains a mystery. Weather, obviously, and lack of reliable data about the weather. But also, capitalism, I would say. There were three captains that sailed that day. One of them decided to hell with his bosses and parked his ship in Thunder Bay, even though he knew he would lose his 'on-time' bonus. The second captain and his ship, the Arthur Anderson, survived through pure luck. The third captain, Captain McSorley of the Edmund Fitzgerald, made every possible wrong decision he could have made due to not having the proper data about the storm and topography of Lake Superior.

There was a great deal of information about Gordon Lightfoot and how he came to write the song that has kept "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" in the public consciousness. According to reports, he became very close with the families of the crew.

The one criticism I would have about this book is that it is a little bit disorganized, with a lot of hopping back and forth in time. For instance, Lightfoot is brought up well before the chapters dealing with the sinking, with no indication that he was even aware of the Fitz before she sank. Other than that, I highly recommend it.

And as a footnote, now I know the difference between two 1970s ballads with very similar names: "Brandy" and "Mandy". The lyrics to "Brandy" are printed at the end of the book.

Current Mood: impressed
Current Music: POW - Favorite

ranunculus

Edit: The first part of this was written Thursday night, it is now Sat Morning.
Tomorrow's project is to clear a trail with Rosemary. In order to get ready the Gator had to be emptied of the detritus left from the clearing and burning around the pond. Two chainsaws were in the back of the Gator Belin and Harvey. Both were empty of gas, dirty and had dull chains. I'm almost out of new chains, only one left; so that meant I had to actually use the chainsaw chain sharpener I bought last year. Right off the bat my 3rd party attachment for it broke. So I re-attached the stock one and went from there. Thank goodness Darren, at the repair shop where I take my equipment, had done a tutorial for a couple of us on how to use an electric sharpener. Also thank goodness I had figured out some stuff and WRITTEN IT DOWN! There are now 4 1/2 sharp chains. I stopped when I broke my grinding wheel by not clamping the chain tight enough before using the wheel. Tore a huge chunk out of the wheel itself. Fortunately they are made to be replaceable and I now have a couple on order. And I have several sharp chains. And I've figured out how to do this thing.
It is still quite warm, and we have had almost no rain since early January. Fortunately there is rain in the forecast starting Monday night. We all hope it will stay in the forecast, and that the storm will be bigger/longer than predicted! We really need the rain and the Sierra Nevada could really use some snow.
Off to fill gas cans and pull more grass.

On our way up the hill to clear trail Rosemary and I found a cow and tiny calf standing at the gate. They were clearly on the wrong side of the gate from the rest of the herd. The cow clearly wanted to go through the gate but was a bit spooky of Chena and the Gator. We left the gate open, called the dog (repeatedly, as Chena obviously thought it was her job to move that cow, but had no idea where) and drove down the hill and around the corner. No cow in sight. After a moment I thought I'd better back up and go close the gate so the herd didn't find it and get out. We backed up and saw the cow, calf in tow, trotting happily through the open gate. Victory! After a quick trip up to see the fawn lilies (almost all finished blooming) we set to work on a terribly tangled mess of half dead manzanita which was liberally laced with poison oak. The manzanita was at least 20 ft tall and so dense it would have been impossible to move forward through it. Three hours later we had 100 ft of old, old road cleared. It looked so nice! Of course I forgot to take a picture. Cody was delighted to hear about our progress as he needs to work on the fence out there and we had just provided a really good access point. Rosemary and I worked for another hour and a half cutting our way down hill to the Grapevine Springs trail. So much poison oak out there!! Still, our work should vastly improve access. I'll take the weed whacker out with the hedge head on it and sheer off the poison oak so it doesn't crowd the trail so much. That will work for a year or two.
Caught one more vole last night. I think that clears the garden area for now.
This afternoon's project is to plant squash, cucumbers and other frost sensitive seed.

lydamorehouse

Image: Mr. Buttercup being a bed hog. Ms. Willow is tolerating his foot planted firmly on her back. They are sacked out together on my ugly Christmas sweater quilt on our couch.

I don't have a lot to say today, I just wanted to be sure to post at least once a week.

I took some time off this week from some of my volunteer work. I've got an interview on the 7th of April for a job at Anoka County Libraries doing the exact same work that I used to do for Ramsey County Libraries. Wish me luck? I feel kind of special to have gotten this far, considering the job market. Given the food prices, etc., goddess knows we could use the money.

nanila

What is a common ear worm that you get?

My children rickroll me pretty regularly, so That Song gets stuck in my head.
How long do they last?

Not very long. My brain is usually too preoccupied with other sources of worry and stress to spend long on an earworm.
What do you do to get rid of them?

I don't know if this will sound contradictory, but on the rare occasions when an earworm sticks, I find that playing the actual song gets rid of it.
What is the worst ear worm you've ever had?

There's this Robyn song that I dislike intensely, and it popped in and out of my head for a week. I don't like the song so was very reluctant to employ my usual remedy.
Do you get some guilty pleasure in passing the ear worm along?

Not unless it's reciprocally rickrolling my children.

silvercat17 posting in

justcreate

If you've been looking for a pet, this is your week. Your local pet store will probably have local rescues eager to talk to you. If you have a pet, your local pet store may have special deals going on.

What are you working on? What have you finished? What do you need encouragement on?

Are there any cool events or challenges happening that you want to hype?

What do you just want to talk about?

What have you been watching or reading?

Chores and other not-fun things count!

Remember to encourage other commenters and we have a discord where we can do work-alongs and chat, linked in the sticky.

ravena_kade

Another week done. It has been a month since Dad's open heart surgery. Things are mostly going well. We are now trying to get a handle on his blood thinner meds. His blood is a tad thick so no green veggies until his blood is thinner again.

Dad is getting tired of my Sister and partner's silliness and self centeredness. At least he is seeing it. It is exhausting me. They are here until April 16. 20 days.

Tomorrow they all want to go to Ipswich...Dad wants me to go too so I will. Maybe we can stop in a few shops while we are up there.

I need to get my taxes done. Hopefully I can book that tomorrow. I hope I get a refund this year. I could use it since I am paying all the house utility bills.

seleneheart

I didn't post this yesterday with the book that did it, but here is my first bingo for book bingo 2026:

Current Mood: busy
Current Music: Judas Priest - Electric Eye

seleneheart

Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame

Blurb:

First published in 1908, The Wind in the Willows is a literary classic which details a fantasy-esque adventure of four anthropomorphic animals (Toad, Rat, Badger and Mole) as they travel throughout their forest home. It is a classic novel that expertly details many large themes surrounding the human condition. Heavy with metaphor and symbolism, it is regarded as one the greatest books ever penned, not just for its thrilling subject matter and beautiful imagery, but also for its larger commentary on human emotions, social interaction and morality.

Most people are probably most familiar with the adventures of Toad, because those portions of the book where made into a Disney cartoon.

This is one of my favorite books from my childhood.

Current Mood: happy
Current Music: The Cure - Fire in Cairo

ranunculus

The last few days have been focused on garden planting. Of course there has been the endless war against grass. It feels like a sisyphean task to beat back the grass, but bit by bit I'm winning. Last year I gave up and weedwhacked. This year there is still some tall grass to go, but the main part of the garden is pretty well under control. Here is a picture of the back of the garden. The tank is two feet tall. I think the fava beans in them are 3 feet tall. The fava beans are being grown for "green manure" so I guess I should chop them down now. I pulled one out the other day and it's roots were covered with little white nodules of nitrogen. The grass is so lush because about 4 years ago I had a truckload of wood chips dumped in this area. They are now composted down some and are providing a wonderful nutrient source.

Of course there are also those dratted foxtails. Far fewer than a couple of years ago. All the seed heads are going into bags and into the fire.
The green house is full of lettuce, tomatoes, dill and hyssop. I've planted out most of my tomatoes already, there is no frost in the forecast, and although it could freeze, I'll take the chance. Some of the lettuce has been planted out and protected from the goldfinches.

All over the garden there are little pops of color like this lewisia that has been sulking in the Henry St garden.

The miniture geum has been blooming for a month and shows no signs of stopping soon.

Over at the potting table there is a new (gray) shelf. This wall had a couple of hose hangers on it which were really not useful at all.

Out in the pasture I'm having a struggle with Firefly. She is being a typical horse and grazing the same places every day instead of eating down the pasture evenly, which is what I want. She is only one pony, and at this point she only gets about 3 hours of grazing per day (or she would get too fat). Right now she is being confined to an area about 15 x 25 feet. It takes her a day and a half or so to eat that much. Then she can go to the next section... Fortunately she has a lt of respect for electric fences.

Back at Henry St the builders are jack hammering out the foundation. The new one should be poured next week.

seleneheart

I made a lightning trip back to Texas over the weekend for my daughter's engagement ceremony. She is marrying a Hindu man. The ceremony was lovely, and a wonderful chance for the two families to get to know each other. I tried a lot of foods that I never have before and found some I really liked.

Dallas was stupidly hot and I'm glad I don't live there anymore. We all decided that we wouldn't trade Michigan winters for Texas summers.

I didn't get a chance to look up any friends in the area because nearly every minute was booked. We drove around a bit when we had a spare few minutes (those were in short supply) and looked at some of our old haunts. It was familiar but definitely not 'home' anymore.

I'm exhausted and all my schedules are in disarray - eating, cleaning, sleeping, and so on. Routine may be boring at times, but at other times, it's a relief.

We didn't encounter any TSA problems at any airports, nor did we see any ICE presence.

Current Mood: pensive
Current Music: New York Dolls - Human Being

ravena_kade

Thursday will be 4 weeks since Dad's surgery. I think he is doing well. No mishaps.

I have 24 Days left with my sister being here. I am exhausted in trying to work around her and her partner. Sunday I wanted to stand in the living room and scream "GET OUT OF MY HOUSE". All she has to do is sit and watch TV with Dad ,ask him to walk around the living room 3 times a day, make sure he has lunch. It seems to be too much for her.

Saturday I asked that she come over and be with Dad as I was helping the cousins pack up some of stroke cousin's things so she can move into assisted living. I thought that by seeing their chaos I would feel better. They also need someone who can move things. It did put me in a better frame of mind until I got home. The thought was that my sister and partner would take Dad out for a ride and maybe go out to lunch. Dad asked if they could go to Ipswich. They did not pick up Dad until 3 PM (he was alone for 6 hours) and they took him to Walgreens (a drug store) in the next town over. He was out for 30 minutes. And when I came home I had to cook dinner.

Sunday they said they would take me grocery shopping. They did not show up until after 2. The store is about 1.5 miles from my house, but they don't like to go through busy intersections so they drove 6 miles out of the way to get there. The store was so crowded and the produce so picked over I wanted to cry. Then I went home and made 3 meals because there are two 4 PM doctor's appointments this week. They ate and left me with all the dishes. Before they left they complained that they were not getting enough sleep so they were going to leave Dad alone for 3 hours every day.

On Friday I will shop on my own at Trader Joes in town.

Meanwhile I can't focus on anything. I need to pay attention to financials and not cooking and cleaning. It's just that I am so tired once 2 PM hits. I hope I can focus tomorrow.

ranunculus

Firefly is currently being let out on lush green grass for 1 1/2 hours twice a day. So far she isn't too fat...
This week she is in her white phase. I have a large pile of dirty brown hair to put into the compost.

Early Winter( pic )

ranunculus

Rode the Split Rock circle with Dave and Lisa this morning. Lily let me use Beau. Unlike Firefly, Beau poked along on our way out and had to be encouraged to step out all the time. Going home he was walking really fast. It was a nice ride. Lots of pretty spring scenery. Cows with little calves.
When we got back I switched to going over and working with the basket weaving ladies. This was our second go at clearing out and cutting back some willow. We have one small area pretty well cleared. It had a lot of blackberry in addition to the willow, much of it dead but still vicious with thorns. Most of the willow there is grey willow, I'm going to cut back some of the willow near the pond which should make good long willow shoots.
Finally got the last of the compost out of the uphill compost bin and refilled the bottom with manure from the corral. Firefly is undoubtedly grateful to have her corral clean. Now to fill up the bin with all the stuff that has piled up and is waiting for a chance to compost!

silvercat17 posting in

justcreate

What are you working on? What have you finished? What do you need encouragement on?

Are there any cool events or challenges happening that you want to hype?

What do you just want to talk about?

What have you been watching or reading?

Chores and other not-fun things count!

Remember to encourage other commenters and we have a discord where we can do work-alongs and chat, linked in the sticky.

nanila

The preceding two weeks of Friday Five questions didn't pique my interest, but this week's are great. Love a bit of meta-blogging. Thank you for the opportunity to navel-gaze.

What was the reason you began a Dreamwidth or LiveJournal account (or both)?

I started off on LJ in 2001 because everyone was doing it. I created an account and then let it sit for a couple of weeks while I figured out what it was for. I think it was victorine who prodded me into posting regularly and then I just…never stopped.
How many DW or LJ communities do you subscribe to?

A few dozen in total. Most of them are dead, the LJ communities in particular. The only one I participate in regularly is DW community awesomeers, because I'm one of the two people who puts up the daily “Just One Thing” posts. I find it easier to write a short comment about my day there than to write up a full post, especially during the work week.
Do you have a favorite community or one you check out often to see what's new?

See above. I also enjoy thefridayfive, and I like reading threeforthememories during its annual spate of activity.
How did you pick your user name?

My current username is a play on my actual name. My original LJ name was “lilith” as that's the pseudonym I first adopted when I started interacting with online communities back in the 90s. Eventually I felt I'd outgrown it, and I've been nanila ever since.
If you could change your user name, would you?

That would genuinely be a big decision after more than 15 years of using this one, in a lot more places than DW and LJ. I'd have to do substantive additional navel-gazing to work out what it would be.

lydamorehouse

Once again, I have failed to post anything beyond once a week. Ugh, I suck. Sorry, everyone!

To be fair to me, Ramadan has only just ended (happy Eid to those of you celebrating today). Ramadan has meant several late nights for me, as I've been doing anti-ICE patrols--though one of my groups actually had people patroling in the wee hours of the morning--like, 3:00 am! I wish I were the sort of person who could have done that? I bet the Dispatch calls were fascinating. And, maybe it would have inspired a vampire story or two, who knows?

Part of me will miss this. In particular, I will miss the Night Owls.

The Night Owls (which actually start at the fully normal hour of 8 pm) are an interesting group. It's a group resistance Signal call for anyone up and about until dawn, no matter where they are located. So, I've had people on with me that were coming in from exo-suburbs and even nearby small towns.

The culture of a lot of the Signal calls is that commuters and stationary/foot/bicycle patrolers say pretty quiet and only turn their mics on to do a plate check. This varies from community to community, of course, with some dispatchers encouraging more back and forth or doing round-robin check-ins. It really depends on who your "Guy/Gal/Enby in a Chair" is. There's things specific to specific groups too? My hyper-local community always signs-off with "Have a great night, Fuck ICE" in the same sort of casual tone you might tell a partner "Love ya!" before hanging up. I joke that I can always tell people from my area when they show up on the larger calls because they still do this even when its not the culture of the call? Other dispatchers sound a little thrown to hear folks from my neck of the woods just casually signing off with a happy little swear. There are also cool acronyms that I'm not fully privvy to, like some folks from the other side of the river apparently say: SSFI for Stay Safe, Fuck ICE. I tried to say that today since there are lot of little ears around the mosque during Eid, but my dyslexia was like... UH GO SLOW... so totally outed myself as NOT one of the cool kids, after all. :-)

But the Night Owls are their own special crew. Their chat is actually vetted, but the call is open to anyone commuting, etc., late night. Once daylight savings time hit, my stationary patrols started at 8:30 pm so I joined the Night Owls. The Night Owl folks are just chattier? Largely, I think because it is often the same crew--people who do the late shift UberEats or whatever other driving gigs they might have.... people who are just up all night. They will talk about their favorite energy drinks or talk about the usefulness of jumper cables or sometimes even awkwardly attempt to flirt over Signal voice chat. Ocassionaly, someone will break in with a startled, "Y'all, I just saw the world's biggest rat run across west 7th! And I used to live in Mumbai!" There was a whole discussion that spanned several nights about the ICE agents on Grindr (a gay dating app).

I got invested, you know?

These people became some Real Life version of my own personal soap opera. I am going to admit that I have clearly formed some parasocial relationships with certain code names.

That being said, they were really there for me when I needed it. There was an incident that I haven't blogged about a couple of Wednesdays back where my plate check came back hot, or shall we say VERY COLD, possibly even icy if you get my drift. I was stationary (on foot), alone, and dispatch very kindly asked me if I wanted a drive-by from one of the other commuters in the area. This icy vehicle was also stationary? We had clocked each other? Like, they were parked and the three of us had made eye contact. So, my voice jumped an octave higer than I intended and I was like, "Uh, yeah, I would not hate that, dispatch. Thank you!"

Y'all, within MINUTES rescue arrived.

Rescue was a gender fluid person on bicycle patrol. This fully bearded, beautiful human being rolled up in 10 F/ -12 C degree weather in a skirt and Wicked Witch of the West striped tights. They had a high-powered telephoto lens camera with them and, I kid you not, the sight me--this tiny, fat lesbian on a phone--and this amazing person arriving on a bicycle caused my icy van to decide THE THREAT WAS TOO BIG (which, honestly, was the most ICE-like move they made). They fled. I reported that my sus van was on the move to dispatch and I could hear commuters everywhere leaping into action. I am sure my sus van had a tail before they turned on to the next biggest throughfare.

When I had to sign out, I heard the Night Owls making sure someone would continue to swing by to keep an eye on the mosque. I was so thrown by this experience that I didn't remember to text our contact inside the mosque until I got home, but I only live minutes away, so they got the word out for people to be extra careful that evening, too. I don't know, of course, for sure the folks we chased off were who we were afraid they might be, but I'm just as happy to have freaked out any other potential bad actors, you know? I swear that right now, in the Twin Cities, you do not want to be a "local, independent pharmaceutical entrepreneur" because some commuter has eyes on your business!

So, I think this is why I feel kind of connected. Like, these are my comrades in arms (or by phone, as in the case of the Minnesota Resistance).

Happy Eid, but good-bye my dear Night Owls! SSFI*!

====
I'll still be doing rapid-response work, but probably no longer at night.

seleneheart

What was the reason you began a Dreamwidth or LiveJournal account (or both)? I was reading Aragorn/Boromir fanfic on sites like Green Emeralds and The Fellowship and I followed the authors back to Livejournal, especially cruisedirector and ribby. I think Cruise might have given me the access codes for LJ. Then I bought a paid account in 2003. I came to Dreamwidth when it first started after Strikeout 2007 and posted both places for many years. In 2017, I deleted my original LJ and then a year later created a new one that has very minimal posting, never anything personal. I update it once a year to keep it going: raederle_of_an.

How many DW or LJ communities do you subscribe to? On LJ, it's only 7 at the moment. And none of them seem to post except the spn_j2_bigbang. On DW, the number is 131.

Do you have a favorite community or one you check out often to see what's new? I have divided the communities up into areas of interest using filters, so it depends on what I'm in the mood for. Right now, I'm most involved with bookclub_dw as I'm modding that and trying to get it launched.

How did you pick your user name? I originally wanted it to be 'Raederle' for my favorite fictional female character but that was already taken, so I tried 'Moonheart' for a beloved book, but that was also taken, so I substituted 'selene' for 'moon' and came up with Seleneheart. I didn't think about doing Raederle-of-An until much later.

If you could change your user name, would you? Eh, probably not at this point. Between LJ and DW, it's been 'seleneheart' for 23 years.

anais_pf

If you have a LiveJournal, are you currently able to access it?
Yes.

Do you have any information about why one would be unable to access LiveJournal?
I don't know - Russian shenanigans?

Current Mood: busy
Current Music: Pendulum - Salt in the Wounds

ranunculus

Took till about 2 pm but all of the brush from yesterday's activities has been burnt up. I got pretty hot and tired. Drank about a gallon of water/gatoraid. Missed the rock show/conference in Willits. Oh well, next time.
Tomorrow is planting little plants in the garden, finishing the compost bin cleanout and cleaning the filthy horse corral.
There are still broccoli plants to put out, some pink mitzuna and dill that really wants to be planted out. I'd love to transplant some of the baby marigolds but don't think they are quite ready yet, we'll see. I might even risk planting out squash and cucumbers...
There is a big kerfuffle going on down in SF about doors. All four of the doors that lead to the garden need replacing. The bottom of the downstairs flat door was substantially rotted with the exterior face peeling off up about a foot. ICK. We like getting lots of light into the house so chose doors that were 3/4 glass with about 18 inches of wood on the bottom. Sadly they don't actually make that door in an exterior model. These are aluminum clad doors that come with an exterior finish that matches the windows. We thought we might use a different manufacturer but of course the finishes don't match. In fact the color pallets were so different we couldn't even see a contrasting color we could use. Sigh. So full glass, double pane doors. They have a coating on one pane that is virtually unbreakable so no security worries.

ranunculus

Just after 8 my phone dinged and reported that Mark O would be at the house in 10 min. Oops. I sprang out of bed where I was finishing my morning coffee, Yanked on work clothes and went out to say hi. Breakfast was eaten at the speed of lightning while filling nalgene bottles with a dilute gator aid. Thus provisioned we got in the Gator and went down to the pond (Norgard's Pond) to continue my clearing out of vegetation. On the way we stopped to pick up the last of the pile of brush that I had abandoned due to it having a rattlesnake in it. I looked carefully where the rattlesnake had been, didn't see any snake so we started pulling out the last 4 or five small pieces of brush. One was kind of stuck in the ground where a gopher had pushed up dirt. I yanked on it, then decided to get a different grip. On my way to a new grip I looked down to see the snake about 18 inches away. This produced a scream and a leap away. We stood on the road and looked down where the very, very cold sleepy snake was. Mark said: where is he, I cant see a snake. Right there, 6 feet away, under that little poison oak branch! Super hard to see. Should have taken a picture. Mark was brave enough to go get the last two pieces of brush, staying at least 4 feet away. The poor snake never rattled, and almost didn't move as we pulled a branch out from underneath it.
We fastened the 4" x 25' strap around the brush and drug it down to the turnout by the pond. The one I just cleared by burning for two days. The rest of our project was to clear the next 100 feet of roadside. Mostly we were cutting down young live oak trees that had sprung up on the extremely steep bank between the road and the pond. They all got dragged back to the turnout and cut up so I can burn them. Tomorrow if possible.
We were working very close to the place where our road Y's with one side going up a steep hill and the other out around the pond. About 25 feet beyond the Y there is a huge tree, a valley oak I think. It has road signs nailed to it. Several years ago a live oak seedling began growing up in front of that tree. It had gotten big enough that it obscured the signs and thus frequently confused UPS drivers who then often delivered packages to our gate. Said young tree is gone now and the signs are once again in full view. Better for UPS drivers and for emergency vehicles.

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