tag:dreamwidth.org,2009-05-04:279242And the Strangest Things Seem Suddenly RoutineLife's Been Good to Me So Farrhiannonstone2022-09-11T07:45:24Ztag:dreamwidth.org,2009-05-04:279242:1463069Commentary on recent world events2022-09-11T07:45:24Z2022-09-11T07:45:24Z"Lizzie's in a box, in a box, Lizzie's in a box"public5Ding dong.<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=rhiannonstone&ditemid=1463069" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2009-05-04:279242:145583045 86'd2020-11-07T21:03:32Z2020-11-07T21:03:32Zpublic1We pick back up the fight tomorrow, but today, we celebrate.<br /><br />There were been scattered cheers throughout the neighborhood all morning as people woke up to the news. I took a short walk to the store (Walking! In the boot, no other assistance! And it didn't use up all my spoons for the day!) and there were people waving signs and tambourines out their car windows, lots of happy honking, and someone standing outside Whole Foods literally banging pots and pans together. I was blasting "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye". :) <br /><br /><i>We are building up a new world, do not sit idly by<br />Do not remain neutral, do not rely on this broadcast alone<br />We are only as strong as our signal<br />There is a war going on for your mind<br />If you are thinking, you are winning<br />Resistance is victory, defeat is impossible<br />Your weapons are already in hand<br />Reach within you, and find the means by which to gain your freedom<br />Fight with tools!<br />Your fate and that of everyone you know, depends on it</i><br />--Flobots, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9gc6iQYQJ8">"We Are Winning"</a><br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=rhiannonstone&ditemid=1455830" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2009-05-04:279242:1453956Not sure how the sailors are supposed to feel about this one2020-09-10T01:55:57Z2020-09-10T02:15:16ZThe Fixx - "Red Skies"disorientedpublic5My alarm went off at 8:15 this morning. I barely registered it, because I woke up, noticed it was still dark, and immediately fell back asleep because it was still nighhttime so obviously I dreamed my alarm. Half an hour later a text woke me up and I realized that it was in fact nearly 9am... but still dark outside. <br /><br />The sky above the Bay Area today was <a href="https://twitter.com/bencochran/status/1303869064368979968">varying shades</a> of <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CE7qMG9heT7/">dark, hazy orange</a> (that one's the view from my block at 11am), like nothing I've seen before, even through multiple fire seasons in California and Colorado. It really felt like the sun never came up, and making myself focus and be productive at work was a struggle. My body and brain are both still pretty cranky about it. <br /><br />In a 1:1, my coworker said "And here we are at work, like it matters," and babies let me tell you I almost shut it all down and went back to bed. <br /><br />At nearly 7pm, the sky is actually... a little lighter, now? Lighter than it should be on a September 7pm. Even more confusing. <br /><br />I don't have any social, political, or environmental commentary here. It's just fucking weird.<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=rhiannonstone&ditemid=1453956" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2009-05-04:279242:1453547Good for the soul2020-09-09T02:59:38Z2020-09-09T03:01:43Zpleasedpublic1I was literally just this weekend thinking about how much I missed <a href="https://ucb-anoncon.livejournal.com/">AnonCon</a> and LJ Valentine's Day anonymous confessions, and here is the universe with a gift: <a href="https://coraline.dreamwidth.org/2468014.html">Dreamwidth Confessional, 2020/Quarantine Edition!</a><br /><blockquote>Tell me a secret! Tell me a not-so-secret! Whisper sweet somethings in my comment box. Express your maddest crush or deepest curiosity! Ask about personal habits you've always wondered if you're weird about! Expound upon the fabulousness of your friends or lovers or would-be friends or lovers! Or people you know or want to know. Share your best self-care for the political climate! Do it anonymously or with your name attached*; anonymous commenting is on and IP logging is off.<br /><br />*I encourage you to default to anonymous comments unless there's special value in being identified with your comment.</blockquote><br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=rhiannonstone&ditemid=1453547" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2009-05-04:279242:1450159How do I tea?2020-05-21T06:39:52Z2020-05-21T06:44:30Zthirstypublic8Tea friends: <br /><br />I am spending way too much on delivery boba and Thai iced tea, and have decided that it's silly to not learn how to make them myself the same way I did with coldbrew and espresso drinks. So I want to buy a couple good black teas (Assam? Probably? I think?) to start experimenting with. <br /><br />Just like with coffee, I don't believe that drinking it iced or with other flavorings means you should use the crappy stuff, so I want the good stuff. Affordably so, especially until I learn how to not ruin it and confirm what I like, but still the pretty good stuff. <br /><br />But I am like a little baby in tea land, where there are many, many different options for purchasing tea and I don't know how to assess whether the names I recognize are the ones actually worth trying, or whether $25 for 2 oz. is in fact a reasonable price. <br /><br />Where should I start? <br /><br />Please consider this a solicitation for any and all tea-related advice you'd like to share.<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=rhiannonstone&ditemid=1450159" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2009-05-04:279242:1448272rhiannonstone @ 2020-01-23T00:41:002020-01-23T08:49:31Z2020-01-23T08:57:13Zsadpublic9I just found out a former coworker and old LiveJournal friend, Evilbeard, passed away last week, at the extremely far too young age of 49. <a href="https://www.sacramentofuneralandcremation.com/notices/Kevin-Boyle">His obituary</a> is brief but bursting with the joy he took in life and brought to those around him. He was one of the good ones, and I'm so glad to have gotten to know him in the ways I did.<br /><br />He would appreciate my dark amusement at the fact I am writing a serious obit post about someone I knew best as Evilbeard.<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=rhiannonstone&ditemid=1448272" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2009-05-04:279242:1448050We're only immortal for a limited time2020-01-11T02:07:50Z2020-01-11T02:09:27ZRush - "Dreamline"contemplativepublic2<a href="https://twitter.com/CBCAlerts/status/1215738468795650054">Rest in peace, Neil Peart</a>. <br /><br />I didn't expect to be near-Bowie levels of sad at this, but I am. My love of Rush has survived childhood trauma, terrible boyfriends, bad trips, getting over my "I'm not like other girls" phase, getting over my libertarian phase, losing my hearing for three days after forgetting my earplugs the first time we had front-row seats, an atrocious covers album, and a painful breakup. And so much of what I love about Rush is Neil. <br /><br />I was grateful to be working from home today when I heard the news, so no one could see the brief tears, or complain about me putting 2112 on at top volume.<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=rhiannonstone&ditemid=1448050" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2009-05-04:279242:1447761Ongoing: January movies and TV2020-01-05T08:00:58Z2020-02-10T07:10:58Zpublic2In January, we still watch movies. <br /><br /><a name="cutid1"></a>And also TV...<br /><br />January 1-4 <ul><li><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7395992/">The Rook</a> (2019 TV series) - This is an 8-episode Starz miniseries based on a book I kind of hated. It was one of the most recommended books on AskMetafilter for a few years, so I finally picked it up last summer and immediately wondered WTF everyone saw in it, because even getting through the first few chapters was a slog. How do you take a story about a secret government agency for people with mutant/magic abilities and make it boring?! But I half-hate-read my way through it anyway, because despite the terrible writing and bizarre pacing, I was hooked by the plot and really wanted to know how it shook out. And the last 20% of the book and bones of the overall story arc were pretty great! I just wish getting there hadn't sucked so much. <br /><br />I decided to try the series out of morbid curiosity, and even though the plot is very different from the books, the same thing happened: the dialogue is bad, the main character's acting is the worst sort of stage acting/little-kid-lying acting, the pacing is weird, the reveals are heavy-handed... but I was hooked on the story, stayed because I wanted to see it through, and was rewarded with a reasonably good ending. This is not a recommendation for either the book or the TV series--but a couple of you with very specific interests may appreciate a steamy scene involving one entity who shares 4 bodies in the penultimate episode of the show. :)</li></ul> January 4<ul><li><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0327162/">The Stepford Wives</a> (2004) - This movie could have been so much better, but it's still a charmingly self-aware remake of the beloved original.<br /><br /><li><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0122718/?">Small Soldiers</a> (1998) - Unintentional but oddly appropriate double-feature with Stepford Wives. I hadn't realized before that it's a Joe Dante movie, but of <i>course</i> it is.</li></li></ul> January 5<ul><li><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5503686/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0">Hustlers</a> (2019) - Based on <a href="https://www.vulture.com/2019/09/hustlers-the-real-story-behind-the-movie.html">actual events</a>. Not exactly a great portrayal of sex workers (one perspective <a href="https://www.autostraddle.com/im-not-a-stripper-but-i-play-one-on-tv-why-hustlers-wont-change-the-game-for-sex-workers/">here</a>), but a fun, sweet, fairly satisfying story about socioeconomic struggle and female friendship.</li></ul> January 8 - Bowiemas double feature at the Castro Theater: <ul><li><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091369/">Labyrinth</a> (1986)<br /><li><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085701/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_8">The Hunger</a> (1983)</li></li></ul> January 10 <ul><li><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081505/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0">The Shining</a> (1980) 4K restoration at the Castro Theater</li></ul> SF Sketchfest screenings <ul><li><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073629/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0">Rocky Horror Picture Show</a> (1975) 45th anniversary screening with Barry Bostwick, Patricia Quinn, & Nell Campbell<br /><li><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088930/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0">Clue</a> (1985) 35th anniversary screening at the Castro with Jonathan Lynn, Colleen Camp, and Jonathan Lynn<br /><li><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089885/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0">Re-Animator</a> (1985) 35th anniversary screening at the Alamo with Jeffrey Combs</li></li></li></ul><br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=rhiannonstone&ditemid=1447761" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2009-05-04:279242:1447442Happy New Year!2020-01-01T08:21:27Z2020-01-01T08:21:27Zpublic2A poem to carry into the new year and new decade:<br /><br /><b>The Journey</b><br />Mary Oliver<br /><br />One day you finally knew<br />what you had to do, and began,<br />though the voices around you<br />kept shouting<br />their bad advice—<br />though the whole house<br />began to tremble<br />and you felt the old tug<br />at your ankles.<br />"Mend my life!"<br />each voice cried.<br />But you didn't stop.<br />You knew what you had to do,<br />though the wind pried<br />with its stiff fingers<br />at the very foundations,<br />though their melancholy<br />was terrible.<br />It was already late<br />enough, and a wild night,<br />and the road full of fallen<br />branches and stones.<br />But little by little,<br />as you left their voices behind,<br />the stars began to burn<br />through the sheets of clouds,<br />and there was a new voice<br />which you slowly<br />recognized as your own,<br />that kept you company<br />as you strode deeper and deeper<br />into the world,<br />determined to do<br />the only thing you could do—<br />determined to save<br />the only life you could save.<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=rhiannonstone&ditemid=1447442" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2009-05-04:279242:1447262Holiday-adjacent movie binge2019-12-29T05:54:54Z2020-01-05T08:01:40Zpublic5In December, we watch movies. <br /><br /><a name="cutid1"></a>So very many movies...<br /><br />December 20<ul><li><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5848272/">Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker</a> (2019 - in theaters) - [indistinct yelling]<br /></li></ul>December 21<br /><ul><li><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6433880/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0">Anna and the Apocalypse</a> (2017) - I can't believe I slept on this for two years, it is so great. Christmas zombie horror musical! With an 80s horror/scifi film flavor to the music that was subtle and delightful. This one's going into regular holiday-watching rotation. And the soundtrack is already in regular rotation--"Hollywood Ending" may be one of the best musical songs ever, and "Human Voice" won't get out of my head, either. <br /><br /><li><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5848272/">Ralph Breaks the Internet</a> (2018) - A very sweet "I discovered the internet and hey guess what I'm gay" story. That's totally what that was, right? The princesses were great, I wanted more of them being feminist badasses. The physical manifestations of the Internet were pretty well-done and the gags there weren't as cheap/obvious as they could have been. But... what the actual fuck with the film's final shot? Was it intended to be that bleak and depressing?</li></li></ul>December 24<ul><li><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1638355/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0">The Man from U.N.C.L.E.</a> (2015) - G had never seen it and it's very up her alley, so we watched this on Christmas Eve. Every rewatch I remain surprised how much I enjoy this beautiful, stylish, and utterly content-free movie--and by the fact that the movie ends without Napoleon and Ilya kissing even once. Maybe if I watch it again they'll kiss this time...?<br /><br /><li><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101272/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_3">The Addams Family</a> (1991) - One of my enduring favorites. Addams Family Values gets more rewatches, but this is the one that brought the creepy, kooky characters from original TV show I grew up loving into the mainstream conversation, and Anjelica Huston & Raul Julia are such a perfect Morticia & Gomez.</li></li></ul>December 25<br /><ul><li><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087363/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1">Gremlins</a> (1984) - Requisite annual rewatch that keeps me from just watching it weekly. I love this stupid movie. <br /><br /><li><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104940/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0">Muppet Christmas Carol</a> (1992) - A Christmas Carol isn't as beloved by me as it is by many of the people I love, so this was my first rewatch of any version in a few years. Still the best version. <br /><br /><li><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5164214/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0">Ocean's 8</a> (2018) - Fun! I wanted more, but it was fun! <br /><br /><li><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2283336/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0">Men In Black: International</a> (2019) - It was fun, but I dozed off about an hour in and woke up for the last 20 minutes, and didn't appear to have missed anything. I also really wanted it to be the Middleman movie I thought it was when I first saw the posters, and it wasn't. <br /><br /><li><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095016/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0">Die Hard</a> (1988) - It's just not Christmas until I see Hans Gruber fall from Nakatomi Plaza</li></li></li></li></li></ul>December 28<br /><ul><li><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5884052/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0">Detective Pikachu</a> (2019) - Watched it despite having zero knowledge of or interest in Pokemons. It was cute, and somehow both entirely predictable (Pikachu is real and HE'S MY DAD) and utterly baffling (uh, is "waving a hand and magically making everything better" a canonical Pokemon power?). <br /><br /><li><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3859310/">How to Talk to Girls at Parties</a> (2017) - I can't believe I slept on this one so long, either. I love the original Gaiman story, and I love John Cameron Mitchell, so of course I should have known this would be great. I think I thought it was going to be a quirky indie romcom? It was a little bit that, but much, much better than that. Highly recommended. (Surprisingly high latex and dungeon furniture budget, though.)</li></li></ul> December 29<ul><li><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5649108/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0">Thoroughbreds</a> (2017) - Why didn't I hear more about this movie? It's excellent. Some blurb somewhere describes it as "Heathers meets American Psycho", and there are some clear Heathers influences, but it's much more Heavenly Creatures than anything else. The pacing and cinematography are masterful, and while the score full of sparse strings and percussion and sharp breaths was challenging for whatever variation of misophonia I have that makes those sounds give me anxiety, it was perfect for setting the tone. </li></ul>December 30 <ul><li><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3104988/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0">Crazy Rich Asians</a> (2018) - Loved Awkwafina, the food porn, the costumes, the music, and the Kris Aquino cameo (in yellow, of course!). Didn't so much love, y'know, the whole plot thing. Soooo much forced conflict, which is painful even when I know the HEA is coming. Why do I even movies?</li></ul> December 31 <ul><li><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082509/">Heavy Metal</a> (1981) - Taarna forever!</li></ul> I'm also taking recommendations! What awesome, ridiculous, fun, or silly movies have you seen in the past few years that I should watch? Grimdark films or stories about heartbreaking real-life events are not what I'm looking for right now, but anything else will be considered.<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=rhiannonstone&ditemid=1447262" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2009-05-04:279242:1446679Welcome, Yule!2019-12-21T22:26:36Z2019-12-21T22:27:00Z"Sol Invictus" - Thea Gilmorecontemplativepublic1O the shortest day came, and the year died<br />And everywhere down the centuries of the snow-white world<br />Came people singing, dancing<br />To drive the dark away... ✨<br /><br /><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/B0ceN1H9ED4" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe><br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=rhiannonstone&ditemid=1446679" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2009-05-04:279242:1446315Settling in2019-12-01T06:36:08Z2019-12-01T22:26:34Zcontentpublic6It has been exactly 2 months since I moved.<br /><br />People keep asking me if I've settled in, and after many weeks of "I'm getting there!" I finally feel like I can say yes. It was only about a month ago that my stuff arrived, some of it broken and much of what wasn't broken needing to be donated or dumped because it didn't actually fit. Several donate-and-dump runs, Ikea deliveries, and minor furniture-assembly injuries later, I no longer feel like I'm still in the middle of "moving in". Even though I still have one single box left to unpack, and a lot of organizational optimization to do to make the most of the small and awkward space, I feel at home.<br /><br />Homes need a name, and (with some helpful inspiration from friends and strangers on Metafilter) this one eventually told me its name was The Burrow. <br /><br />It was very nearly Bag End, but that was just too <i>too</i>, even for me.<br /><br />**********<br /><br />It didn't take me nearly that long to feel settled into the spaces outside my apartment. Walking around the city, getting to know my new neighborhood, feels like I never left. I already know my way around on transit and bike and foot. Every event I go to, I run into someone I know. A couple weeks ago I got my hair re-purpled at the same salon I went for nearly a decade before I moved to Denver. Byron and I had dinner at a restaurant on Valencia and realized we'd sat together at the exact same table twice before--at two different restaurants. The Chinese massage place I used to frequent is still there, and they remembered me even though it was 4 years since I'd last been there. <br /><br />There's a lot that's changed, too, both for the better and for the worse. And that, too, feels familiar and just right, even when it's bittersweet or infuriating.<br /><br />**********<br /><br />The new job is taking a little longer to feel settled into. Which isn't unexpected, because it is a new job, and I'm having to learn a lot of new things while also trying to sort out the baggage I've brought with me from all the previous jobs I've had here and navigating an entirely new manager and team. It's still exciting and interesting and I'm in exactly the right place, but I'm feeling the Smart Kid Syndrome pretty hard.<br /><br />Next week my team and I are going to Denver for some face-time with our partner teams, which is a thing that will happen roughly quarterly. It'll be weird to be back, but I'm looking forward to being able to share what I like about it with my team, and enjoy it as a visitor without all the complicated feels that came with living there when I'd left my heart somewhere else.<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=rhiannonstone&ditemid=1446315" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2009-05-04:279242:1446019rhiannonstone @ 2019-09-23T22:37:002019-09-24T04:40:31Z2019-09-24T16:04:01Zpublic4Lots of people have been asking, so I figured I would write it out. <br /><br />Things I will miss about Denver:<br /><ul><li>Breakfast burritos and green chile{s}<br /><li>Urban bunnies<br /><li>Fruition Farms cheeses<br /><li>Being able to bike to work almost year-round (OK I can do this in SF, too, but it's a different kind of prep)<br /><li>The free Mall Ride bus<br /><li>1Up<br /><li>Cart-Driver, Señor Bear, Sarto's, Reunion Bread Co., El Five, Hop Alley, Acorn, Jones Family Spirit House<br /><li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BvptW_6BhSu/">Hiking in the snow</a> and not actually being cold<br /><li>Brief and intense afternoon thunderstorms<br /><li>Being able to hop on a bus and be in Boulder in under an hour<br /><li>Cheaper-than-SF rent, and a housing policy that (for now, at least) still allows for new dwellings to be built<br /><li>Public art everywhere (even when it's bad)<br /><li>Mountains <br /><li>Denver Airport <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/sep/07/denver-airport-construction-conspiracy-lizard-people">conspiracy theories</a><br /><li>Being only a 45-minute car ride away from being able to see the Milky Way unassisted<br /><li>My Denver work family<br /><li>Opportunities to spend more time with <span style='white-space: nowrap;'><a href='https://randomdreams.dreamwidth.org/profile'><img src='https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png' alt='[personal profile] ' width='17' height='17' style='vertical-align: text-bottom; border: 0; padding-right: 1px;' /></a><a href='https://randomdreams.dreamwidth.org/'><b>randomdreams</b></a></span> and <span style='white-space: nowrap;'><a href='https://threemeninaboat.dreamwidth.org/profile'><img src='https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png' alt='[personal profile] ' width='17' height='17' style='vertical-align: text-bottom; border: 0; padding-right: 1px;' /></a><a href='https://threemeninaboat.dreamwidth.org/'><b>threemeninaboat</b></a></span><br /><li>Shorter flights to the east coast<br /><li>Having superpowers when I return to sea level</li></li></li></li></li></li></li></li></li></li></li></li></li></li></li></li></li></li></li></ul> Things I will not miss about Denver (besides being too far away from my chosen family):<br /><ul><li>High facial moisturizer and body lotion budget<br /><li>One of the highest transit fares in the country<br /><li>Strong car culture --> Major gaps and lags in transit infrastructure, especially for getting out of Denver proper<br /><li>Not being able to bike more than 25 miles in any direction without having to go up the side of a mountain<br /><li>Recycling being so difficult that I sometimes throw away even the recyclables that actually get recycled<br /><li>Most of the concerts I want to see being at a place that is beautiful but nigh-inaccessible for folks with mobility issues<br /><li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BT2rL5KAnSK/">Hail</a>, and hail bruises<br /><li>Extreme <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BQ3_qpdgUEz/">rapid weather changes</a><br /><li>Having to go to the suburbs for good Chinese, Mexican, and Vietnamese food<br /><li>Everyone wanting to go to Linger and Snooze all the time<br /><li>Maintaining the polite fiction that TAG Restaurant Group restaurants are any good when people enthuse about them to me so I don't come off like a total California food snob<br /><li>The Denver Airport<br /><li>The <a href="https://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/local-news/whats-that-smell-in-the-denver-international-airport-bathrooms">Denver Airport Bathroom Smell</a><br /><li><a href="https://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/contact7/-it-smells-of-death-north-denver-residents-say-neighborhood-stink-is-ruining-last-days-of-summer">Dog food smell</a> days<br /><li><a href="https://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/national/the-reason-it-smells-like-cow-poop-before-it-snows">Cow poop smell</a> days<br /><li>Basically all the smells, especially all the apartment lobbies, hotels, bars, and street corners into which artificial scent is pumped<br /><li>Also all the smokers of all kinds, smoking in public as if that is somehow not unspeakably rude<br /><li>Everything being about weed</li></li></li></li></li></li></li></li></li></li></li></li></li></li></li></li></li></li></ul><br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=rhiannonstone&ditemid=1446019" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2009-05-04:279242:1443895All the snow has turned to water2019-03-15T04:22:18Z2019-03-15T06:35:57Zpublic5The Bomb-Ass Cyclone died down relatively early last night. Before it did, it left a legacy of <a href="https://twitter.com/NWSBoulder/status/1106315685175664641">record-breaking windspeed and pressure</a>. <br /><br />I was lucky and never lost power, and did not have any trees fall on anything I own. Several of my coworkers were not so lucky, though everyone's okay.<br /><br />Today there was a lot of "What blizzard?!" joking, and indeed at first glance today looked like just another normal day-after-a-snow-day. But when I stepped outside this morning everything was covered in a thick glaze of ice, and every tree, post, and building was frosted with frozen snow on the windward side, all the way to the top. It reminded me a bit of the water marks left on trees after a flood, in a weird way.<br /><br />It was a very slippery walk to work (I'd have taken the bus but the route starts much farther out where many roads are still closed, and so it was very delayed), and I nearly regretted not getting my <a href="https://yaktrax.implus.com/">YakTrax</a> out of my bag several times. A lot melted throughout the day, so the walk home was a game of "Is that water or ice? Let's not find out!" I have managed to remain upright. <br /><br />The weather's supposed to be much less exciting for the foreseeable future. It's forecast to get to nearly 50degF this weekend, which means I'll get to go on a much-needed bike ride.<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=rhiannonstone&ditemid=1443895" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2009-05-04:279242:1443688Hello from the Bomb Cyclone zone!2019-03-13T20:36:32Z2019-03-13T20:40:07Zpublic6Last weekend was one of the nicest weekends we've had, weather-wise, in ages. Yesterday was gorgeous, too--it got up to nearly 60degF and I went on my lunchtime wander without a jacket. <br /><br />So it was really weird to spend yesterday prepping and building contingency plans for <a href="https://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/local-news/colorado-blizzard-everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-bomb-cyclone">blizzard conditions</a> due to (I am not making this up) an impending <a href="http://isitabombcyclone.com/">Bomb Cyclone</a>. <br /><br />I have been through many, many tropical storms in my life, but this is my first one in a landlocked state. <br /><br />We closed the office today and told everyone to WFH to keep people off the roads, and last night I managed to get the the grocery store early enough to get ahead the French toast frenzy and stock up on the essentials, so it's been a cozy day of working from the couch with soup and muffins for me. <br /><br />The snow here in Denver proper has been relatively light compared with the forecast--we might be just barely at 3" so far?--but it's wet and sticky and freeze-y, and the wind is ridiculous, with peak gusts at 75mph (cat1 hurricane territory!). The winds and ice have led to power outages across the area, and downed power lines are keeping the snowplows from getting around. Many of my coworkers who live in the suburbs and beyond are without power. My power has been flickering all day, but hasn't yet gone out completely. I've got all my devices plugged in, the Goal Zeroes and other backup batteries charged, and flashlights and headlamps at the ready just in case. <br /><br />I'm okay. I hope everyone else is, too!<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=rhiannonstone&ditemid=1443688" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2009-05-04:279242:1441862rhiannonstone @ 2018-08-10T23:10:002018-08-11T05:13:01Z2018-08-11T05:18:00ZThe Coup - "The Guillotine"public5Every textbook read said bring you the bread<br />But guess what we got you instead?<br /><br /><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/acT_PSAZ7BQ" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe><br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=rhiannonstone&ditemid=1441862" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2009-05-04:279242:1441202Denver (Quarter) Century Ride2018-06-20T01:41:07Z2018-06-20T01:42:19Zaccomplishedpublic6On Saturday I did the Denver Century Ride, or at least about a quarter of it. The headline: I finished! And I finished with most of the same people I crossed the starting line with, which feels like an accomplishment to me, especially given how long it's been since I've done a timeboxed, large-group ride and how much I hated life for several stretches. And in spite of those moments of hating life, it was a lot of fun. <br /><br />Here are three things that are lies:<br />"mostly flat"<br />"mostly cloudy"<br />"25 miles"<br /><br />Other than the heat and sun I was doing just dandy until we hit the first climb at mile 15. And, look, I know that for most cyclists in good shape, that was not "a climb." But it was up a hill that's so very a hill that the neighborhood literally has "Hill" in the name, and it sucked. I challenged myself to stay on the bike instead of succumbing to the temptation to hop off and walk it like I usually do, and when I got to the park at the top of the hill, I collapsed on the grass for a bit. The SAG wagon happened by and gosh I am so grateful for them but I have never figured out how to properly and politely express "I am thankful for you and appreciate that you stopped to see if I was OK and offer me every foodstuff you have in your car but I am really OK and I really need to you to go away and let me recover in peace so I don't have to waste the breath I am trying to catch reassuring you." Thumbs-up is supposed to work, but it never does. <br /><br />I caught my breath, slogged through an annoyingly perfectly flat bit (perfectly flat means no opportunity to stop pedaling and coast!) to the one and only rest stop at mile 18, and pushed myself through a love-hate relationship with gravity about 4mph faster than my average for the last 10 miles of ups and downs. I probably shouldn't have pushed myself, the ride home and the next day would have felt much better if I hadn't. But it was nice to have a fellow Athena catch up with me just before the finish line to tell me my pace kept her going. <3<br /><br />People were expectedly super friendly and supportive overall, and there were only 2 people I wanted to punch: the parent who lectured her ~7-year-old son on his attitude and technique as he was struggling up the aforementioned hill as if he were a professional athlete who needed a tough-love pep talk, and the guy who thought it would be HI-larious to come up to me as I was clearly dying on the final overpass to ask "So how many laps are you gonna do today? Hahahaha." I did not respond with the single raised finger I wanted to, but I death-glared the back of his helmet so hard when he passed me. <br /><br />I would definitely do this again next year. I'm looking forward to a much more leisurely long ride this weekend, though.<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=rhiannonstone&ditemid=1441202" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2009-05-04:279242:1440824rhiannonstone @ 2018-06-03T17:36:002018-06-03T23:44:54Z2018-06-04T02:22:10Zaccomplishedpublic14Today's ride (<a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/1615782261">Strava</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/scenesfromasundayride/">photos</a>): south down South Platte River Trail/Mary Carter Greenway to the cute little trailside cafe at Hudson Gardens and back again, ~28.5 miles round-trip. A few more miles than last weekend, at a slightly better pace, and a lot less hating life. Partly because I learned my lesson from last weekend and I did eat a food and refill my water bottles appropriately, but also tbqh partly because it wasn't infinity degrees today. Slowly but surely working my way back up. <br /><br />I still need to figure out what to do about my poor hands. I hate biking gloves so much, though. Maybe I'll just suffer a bit longer until I build up some calluses?<br /><br />I really wanted to keep going the additional 10 miles from Hudson Gardens to Chatfield State Park, but I would have had to go those 10 miles there and back, and knew I didn't have that many miles in me today. Another time in the not-too-distant future.<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=rhiannonstone&ditemid=1440824" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2009-05-04:279242:1440509Back in the saddle again2018-05-29T05:41:47Z2018-05-29T06:45:33Zaccomplishedpublic9Like last year, I did the 30 Days of Biking challenge in April. Unlike last year, I didn't lose momentum after April 30. To encourage myself to keep it up, I signed up for the Denver Century Ride--well, a quarter of it, anyway. <br /><br />Before I moved to Denver, I was doing ~50-mile event rides a few times a year. They were challenging, but I was riding regularly enough and long enough distances that they weren't insurmountable challenges. Lately, my weekend rides have been ~5-12 miles, and as recently as last weekend I was having second thoughts about having signed up for a 25-mile event ride--y'know, where I have to ride with hundreds of other people at a reasonable pace while exhibiting basic group riding skills. <br /><br />Yesterday I set out to ride 12-15 miles with a friend from work, and ended up doing 23. It kinda sucked! But that was mostly because of the brutal heat (91degF in direct, unmitigated sun), and because it had been so long that I had forgotten the important lessons I learned the first time around about longer rides. To wit: <ul><li>Eat a food you idiot<br /><li>You need more water than that<br /><li>Cycling gloves exist for a reason<br /><li>Just wear the shorter bike shorts already, no one cares about your fat knees</li></li></li></li></ul> Of course once I was done, I felt great. And astonishingly, the only thing that hurts today is the sunburn and my head from the slight dehydration. <br /><br />So now I know I can do it. I just need to spend the next couple weeks practicing doing it with the right fuel, hydration, and weather-appropriate gear so I don't want to die, and within a reasonable amount of time.<br /><br />After that's under my belt, the next biking goal will be rebuilding some climbing endurance, because anywhere else I want to go from here involves riding at least partway up the side of a damn mountain.<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=rhiannonstone&ditemid=1440509" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2009-05-04:279242:113153Jesus, be a raindrop2013-09-08T04:57:32Z2013-09-08T04:57:32Zhotpublic0Some days are for napping lazily in sunbeams. Today is not one of those days. Today is a day for finding the darkest, coolest corner of the apartment and sprawling out on the floor, in your underwear, with the fan aimed directly at you and your laptop far enough away so that you don't feel its heat but close enough that you can shop online for sundresses because you never want to wear pants ever again. <br /><br />It's hot as hell, is what I am trying to say. And like the amazing krissychula, I do not approve. <br /><br /><center>
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</center><br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=rhiannonstone&ditemid=113153" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2009-05-04:279242:112842Napa Valley Tour de Cure2013-06-27T18:14:37Z2013-06-27T18:14:37Zaccomplishedpublic0I am way overdue on a writeup of last month's Tour de Cure. It was a good ride! I sort of met my goal of finishing faster than <a href="http://app.strava.com/activities/8088626">last year</a>--my <a href="http://app.strava.com/activities/52610983"> average speed and moving time</a> was about the same, but my elapsed time was shorter--and I felt great afterward. <br /><br />I'd been really worried about the heat, but it turned out to be a blissfully overcast day, with a few light rainshowers, even. The hills that had so surprised me last year were much more manageable, and while there were plenty of headwinds, there was nothing like last year's home-stretch slog. I rode most of the way with <span style='white-space: nowrap;'><a href='https://gayathri.dreamwidth.org/profile'><img src='https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png' alt='[personal profile] ' width='17' height='17' style='vertical-align: text-bottom; border: 0; padding-right: 1px;' /></a><a href='https://gayathri.dreamwidth.org/'><b>gayathri</b></a></span>, and we met up with <span style='white-space: nowrap;'><a href='https://byronium.dreamwidth.org/profile'><img src='https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png' alt='[personal profile] ' width='17' height='17' style='vertical-align: text-bottom; border: 0; padding-right: 1px;' /></a><a href='https://byronium.dreamwidth.org/'><b>byronium</b></a></span> where the final rest stop for his route and ours overlapped, so we all got to cross the finish line together. <br /><br />The one thing that went wrong: I managed to forget my sports bra, and there was nowhere around that sold bras of any sort in my size, so I did the ride in the one bra I did have with me--a very pretty but not very supportive molded half-cup. It wasn't pleasant, but I survived. The bra did not. RIP, Curvy Kate Daily Boost! "Sports bra" is now at the top of every packing list ever. <br /><br />Since I joined a team this year, I got to go chill in the team tent for awhile afterward. Team tents are <i>awesome</i>. <span style='white-space: nowrap;'><a href='https://www.dreamwidth.org/profile?user=llamaeyes'><img src='https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png' alt='[profile] ' width='17' height='17' style='vertical-align: text-bottom; border: 0; padding-right: 1px;' /></a><a href='https://www.dreamwidth.org/profile?user=llamaeyes'><b>llamaeyes</b></a></span>, <span style='white-space: nowrap;'><a href='https://gayathri.dreamwidth.org/profile'><img src='https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png' alt='[personal profile] ' width='17' height='17' style='vertical-align: text-bottom; border: 0; padding-right: 1px;' /></a><a href='https://gayathri.dreamwidth.org/'><b>gayathri</b></a></span>, and all the other Team Red volunteers did an excellent job making it a fun, comfortable, and welcoming place to recover. There was massage! And recovery beverages! And tasty things to nibble on so I didn't have to go wait in the food line! Thanks, Team Red.<br /><br />And huge thanks to everyone who supported me through donations and encouraging words. My friends, family, and community are amazing! If you donated to me, keep an eye out for something in the mail in the next couple weeks (if I don't have your address, I'll be contacting you soon to get it). <br /><br /><center>********************************</center><br /><br />Paul came up to Napa with me so we could spend the rest of the weekend winin' and dinin'. It started off poorly, with a dinner at Morimoto so comically bad I had to <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/mori<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=rhiannonstone&ditemid=112842" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2009-05-04:279242:112210Less Cinderella, More Pumpkin2013-04-12T19:17:05Z2013-04-12T19:33:06Zpublic0I'm not very good at trying something I know I'm going to fail at. I'm <small>(kindasortamostly)</small> okay with failing something I tried my best at, because that's how we learn, but if there's something I'm reasonably certain is beyond my abilities, I just won't do it, at least not until I've gained the skills to try. <br /><br />Which all seems very reasonable, but at some point last year I'd decided that 2013 was the year I was going to try for a metric century, and I registered for the <a href="http://www.valleyspokesmen.org/cinClass.php">Cinderella Classic</a>. I hadn't done much riding between November and January due to weather, travel, and illness, but I put together a nice training schedule, and between that and having conquered a 50-miler last year, I had no doubt that I'd be able to ride 65 miles by the beginning of April. <br /><br />And then there were many weeks of rain, and more illness, and lots of distractions. <br /><br />I still managed to get in a bunch of riding, but not nearly as much as I needed to, and certainly none approaching the distance I was hoping for. I joined a fun-sounding ride with a local cycling meetup a few weeks ago because sometimes I ride better when I'm chasing others and thought it would help me get in some miles, but between a mechanical and tactical error at the beginning of the ride I never quite recovered from (toughing out a steep hill climb without the ability to shift into the lowest gear? Really dumb!) and much of the rest of it being hillier than anything I'd done since the fall, it did not go well, and I trailed way behind everyone else. I was determined to try to finish anyway, but after waiting for me to catch up on a challenging-for-me climb that wasn't nearly as challenging as the one coming up, the ride leader kindly and firmly directed me to the bail-out point. On what was supposed to be a no-drop ride.<br /><br />After that disheartening experience, and with only couple weeks to go before the Cinderella, I was ready to call it off. Not even trying would suck, but I wasn't even close to the shape I was in last year, and there was no possible way I could get there in time for the ride. So why do it and embarrass myself? What's the point of starting a ride I know I can't finish? <br /><br />I talked with my partners about it, who said they'd support me no matter what. I angsted on AskMetafilter about it and got a resounding chorus of "go for it!" Most helpfully, though, I talked with <span style='white-space: nowrap;'><a href='https://gayathri.dreamwidth.org/profile'><img src='https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png' alt='[personal profile] ' width='17' height='17' style='vertical-align: text-bottom; border: 0; padding-right: 1px;' /></a><a href='https://gayathri.dreamwidth.org/'><b>gayathri</b></a></span>, who was also registered and also hadn't gotten in the training she'd wanted to yet. We both recognized we might not be quite prepared for the full metric century, but after chatting decided we'd go to just have fun and go for a ride, and let the SAG wagons take us back whenever we decided we were done. <br /><br />So <a href="http://www.velosportphoto.com/Cycling/Cinderella-Classic-2013/Bib-s-1700-1799/28692589_87rF8b#!i=2444584071&k=6q3D7Mw&lb=1&s=A">I rode</a>, and had a <a href="http://www.velosportphoto.com/Cycling/Cinderella-Classic-2013/Bib-s-1700-1799/28692589_87rF8b#!i=2444584112&k=5MMNtVF&lb=1&s=A">great time</a>. There was a little bit of struggling on the hills, and some annoying headwinds, and a minor injury that turned out to need more attention than I gave it, but there were also some really fun descents and I kept up a great pace in the flats. And at the halfway point, ~32 miles into the ride, G & I both decided we were done. And it was okay! I did think Real Hard about trying to go farther, and mayyyybe I could have done it (just 13 miles to the next rest stop!), but I knew I'd feel awful, physically, if I pushed myself that hard. And since I biked to and from BART as well, I ended up getting in a bit over 40 miles all told. So I feel pretty good about it. I'm really glad I didn't quit before I'd even tried, and I'm looking forward to trying again next year--with considerably more training and preparation. :) And a costume! Everyone was dressed up all girly and princessy--with all the plastic tiaras, pink dresses, and feather boas it looked like a giant bachelorette party on wheels--but I didn't really bother <small>(other than a failed attempt to attach my tiara to my helmet without damaging either)</small> because I wanted to focus on the ride. Next year, though, I'm thinking superheroine.<br /><br /><center>********************************</center><br />I've still got plenty of 2013 left in which to complete a metric century. The <a href="http://www.rapha.cc/womens-100-professional-advice">Rapha Women's 100</a> looks interesting, especially since it's a thing where everyone rides on the same day rather than a big group event with a set course, and once I'm done with the <a href="http://main.diabetes.org/site/TR?px=7188472&fr_id=8674&pg=personal">50-mile Tour de Cure next month</a>, I may start planning for that. In between a few short tours, that is, because I am super-excited about putting my rack back on my bike and heading off for more bike camping.<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=rhiannonstone&ditemid=112210" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2009-05-04:279242:111128Mandatory leisure2013-02-02T00:54:17Z2013-02-02T00:54:17Zboredpublic0After weeks of unusually persistent rain and chill the weather has once again started delivering the gorgeous crisp sunny days it's supposed to this time of year. Perfect bike-riding days! Except that I am STILL sick, and dealing with vicious cramps, to boot. I'm trying not to be all whiny about it, but it's haaaaard. <br /><br />I'd started feeling a lot better last week, and was well enough to go out over the weekend and again Monday night, though I was still coughing a bit and never quite got to 100% better. Wednesday morning I woke up feeling most unwell again, and I've been down since. I did go to the doctor yesterday, and she ruled out strep, flu, and bronchial woes, and says it's likely just a very stubborn cold virus and/or a sinus infection. I've got antibiotics for the sinusitis (since it's recurred so soon, it's a safe bet it's bacterial) and codeine for the coughing, and I'm resting as much as I can. <br /><br />I guess it works out that the vicious cramps have come while I'm already curled up on the couch and can get all the misery out of the way at once, but damn. I'm glad regular exercise over the past year has made my cycle more regular again, but I could really do without two days a month of feeling like I'm being repeatedly kicked in the abdomen. (I am so, so sorry for quietly doubting people who claimed their cramps were debilitating back when I didn't get them. If you believe in karma, you can count this as my punishment.)<br /><br />The upside of all this enforced downtime is that I'm getting to do the things I often have a hard time letting myself indulge in, either out of weird guilt (I should be doing something productive! Or training for the next ride!) or simple inertia: reading, writing, and playing video games. It feels nice to be away from screens for awhile each day--or at least doing something brain-stimulating in front of them like reading, puzzle-solving, and kicking bad guy ass.<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=rhiannonstone&ditemid=111128" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2009-05-04:279242:110925Plague Diary2013-01-19T09:32:28Z2013-01-19T22:41:53Zsickpublic0Various virii have been knocking over my friends and loved ones left and right, so it was inevitable I'd eventually get hit, too. Monday night I was feeling a bit out of it, and I woke up Tuesday with full-blown ick. I thought it was just a head cold at first, but then the fever and achiness and chills soon joined forces with the sneezing, hacking, and snorfling to knock me flat. I've pretty much just been camped out on the couch for the past 3 days, half-watching Daria and Avengers prequels between naps and forcing myself to eat soup and drink juice. I don't have much of an appetite when I can't breathe well.<br /><br />I started getting a little energy back today, so I got some groceries delivered (hooray for <a href="https://taskrabbit.com/PAL/541975">TaskRabbit</a>!) and made a pot of chicken and stars with enough garlic to keep Sunnydale vamp-free for years. It was awesome. I ate three bowls, and then made some bittersweet chocolate ganache which I had over a huge bowl of ice cream. I guess I'm starting to get better. <br /><br /><center>*******************************</center><br /><br />Making the ganache I thought, Man, if I'd known how easy this was as a kid I'd have gotten fat a lot earlier than I did. But thinking about it more, I'm not so sure. The poor eating habits that contributed to my weight gain in early adulthood can all be traced back to thoughtlessness--eating what was put in front of me because that's just what you do, eating out of boredom or sadness or social obligation, eating junky convenience foods because they were what was at hand--and I think being actively involved in the preparation of what I'm eating makes me more mindful about it, and therefore less likely to reflexively make poor choices. Not that I don't still make poor choices these days, but they're few and far between, and almost always involve grabbing something packaged or pre-made to quickly satisfy a craving. And when I feel the desire to eat because I'm sad or bored, if I cook rather than just grabbing a convenience food the cooking process itself is generally enough to make me less sad or bored because I enjoy the creativity and craft of it so much. I still enjoy the hell out of food for sure, but it's a deliberate and mindful enjoyment. Those three bowls of soup tonight were on purpose, whereas the increasingly rare occasion of suddenly finding myself at the bottom of a bag of chips or on my fourth soda of the day never is. <br /><br /><center>*******************************</center><br />Things that have been keeping me from going insane with boredom: <ul><li><a href="http://textsfromthe-avengers.tumblr.com/">Texts from the Avengers</a><br /><br /><li>This gorgeous <a href="http://focusguilds2012.com/mrkscript/">interactive script</a> for <i>Moonrise Kingdom</i><br /><br /><li>This mostly thought-provoking but occasionally infuriating <a href="http://www.metafilter.com/123903/Freedom-from">Metafilter post</a> about women and makeup<br /><br /><li><a href="http://theworstthingsforsale.com">The Worst Things for Sale</a></li></li></li></li></ul><br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=rhiannonstone&ditemid=110925" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2009-05-04:279242:1105982013: Let us resolve to tear it the hell up2013-01-07T17:34:30Z2013-01-08T00:01:48Zcheerfulpublic0I really, really like <a href="http://middleclasstool.com/blog/2013/1/1/resolutions">this list</a> of resolutions.<br /><br />It's funny how we often cycle from doing something because it's just the thing everyone does, to scorning it because it's too mainstream or meaningless, and then coming back around to realizing that there's some use in it after all. This is me with new year resolutions. While they can be empty and silly, and I believe you should make change whenever you decide change needs to be made, I do find value in taking the calendar flip as an opportunity to set goals and make plans. Even though I accomplished some really cool things and had a lot of great experiences in 2012 I also spent much of it feeling aimless and unmotivated, and I know I will be happier and get more done with goals to help keep me focused this year.<br /><br /><b>Goals for 2013</b><br /><ul><li><b>Declutter.</b> Organize, sell, donate, dispose of, or otherwise take care of at least two Units of Stuff a week until my living space is liveable again. Accept the fact that there are parts of my living space I have no control over. <br /><br /><li><b>Reach out more.</b> Over the past couple years I've gotten a lot better about saying yes more and accepting more invitations, and now it's time to start making those invitations myself. I've been feeling pretty down about how challenging this is, because I'm not able to have people over often or host parties at all, and scheduling and logistics can be difficult in general. But even if I can't invite people over, I can and will find other ways to proactively reach out to the people I like and let them know I enjoy their company.<br /><br /><li><b>Take every opportunity to ride my bike.</b> I have two specific bike-related goals as well--<b>complete a metric century</b> in April, and <b>do more bike touring</b> in the Summer and Fall--but over the past year, every single time I passed up the opportunity to ride my bike I regretted it. So even beyond training for the century and planning for tours, I will make a deliberate effort to say "Yes" every time I wonder if I should take the bike. Even in the rain and cold. <br /><br /><li><b>Take more photos, more mindfully.</b><br /><br /><li><b>Stretch more.</b> Doing yoga and my PT stretches regularly keeps me pain-free, makes my knees happier, and makes me a lot more comfortable in my body. I slacked off both during the past few months and I've been feeling it, and getting back to it feels like starting from zero. I don't plan to get to a place where I have to start over again. <br /><br /><li><b>Write more (and LJ more).</b> <br /><br /><li><b>Spend some time each day not staring at a screen.</b> (Unless the screen is displaying a book, because I'd also like to <b>read more</b>).<br /><br /><li><b>Learn Spanish.</b> The next two goals will be difficult without this. I've already signed up for a class at BCC, as my efforts to teach myself haven't been going well (I pick up languages quickly, but need the structure and motivation of a class). <br /><br /><li><b>Find a new job.</b> I'd kinda been hoping that things at work would be stable enough that I could hang on to the reliable paycheck and flexible hours at least until starting grad school, but the paycheck is no longer reliable and the hours are only flexible until there is a crisis, and there's a crisis more often than not. So once the current one has passed, I'll be polishing my resume and starting the hunt. <br /><br /><li><b>Apply to grad school.</b> I can't start grad school until I get in to grad school, which I can't do until I apply!</li></li></li></li></li></li></li></li></li></li></ul><br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=rhiannonstone&ditemid=110598" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> comments