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lycomingstToday was the first day I went to the store without wearing a jacket. The trees are agog with Spring. The ants have returned from wherever they were wintering.
lycomingstHeads up Dreamwidth friends, Tumblr is on fire again!
Mar. 17th, 2026 11:25 amanneapocalypseEvery time tumblr makes some catastrophic change to the site, there are influxes of new users to other social media sites, and some of them will come here. We've seen this before, and we're probably about to see it again!
For those who aren't aware, Tumblr just introduced an update with basically no warning that completely changes how interaction works on that site, which... basically breaks the core functionality of the site. Instead of each post having one aggregate number of "notes" (which include replies, reblogs, and likes), each reblog that adds anything to the original post functions as a new post, with its own note count. In theory, they claim this will give more recognition to rebloggers who make valuable contributions to a post. In practice, it's a nightmare, because anything adding onto a post has effectively hijacked its engagement away from the OP, who can no longer follow what's happening on their own post. It's a mess! Tumblr users are notoriously resistant to change, but this goes far beyond an ugly interface or adding another click to a commonly-used feature. This will be truly devastating to the whole culture of tumblr if it doesn't get rolled back.
bardic-tales has written a good essay on the impact of this change here: The Death of the Digital Ecosystem: Why Decoupling Notes Destroys Tumblr
I've had some thoughts of my own which I'll copy below.
( The implications for discussion posts... )
( Connecton vs. Control, and how this latest Tumblr update broke both )
Anyway, as always, I hope we can give tumblr refugees a warm welcome when we see them, and help them navigate doing fandom on this site, as it's very different from what they might be used to.
Edited to add: If you're new here from tumblr, do check out this resource list kindly shared by ysabetwordsmith in the comments!
Further update: They rolled it back!
Oh hey it's Trans Rights Readathon time again!
Mar. 17th, 2026 08:32 amrydra_wonghttps://transrightsreadathon.carrd.co/
March 17-31, 2026
The Trans Rights Readathon is an annual call to action to readers and book lovers in support of Trans Day of Visibility (TDOV) on March 31st.
We are calling on the reader community to read and uplift books written by and/or featuring trans, nonbinary, 2Spirit, and gender-nonconforming authors and characters.
As before, I would like to request that people shout out their favourite eligible books in the comments!
March 17-31, 2026
The Trans Rights Readathon is an annual call to action to readers and book lovers in support of Trans Day of Visibility (TDOV) on March 31st.
We are calling on the reader community to read and uplift books written by and/or featuring trans, nonbinary, 2Spirit, and gender-nonconforming authors and characters.
As before, I would like to request that people shout out their favourite eligible books in the comments!
Towel (good)
Mar. 17th, 2026 02:00 amigenlodePlanted up another square of towel-tomatoes, since I have just emptied another windowsill-wide mini-margarine tub... this time using the 'good' seed, i.e. from the fruits that had lots of seeds in them rather than saved across lots of fruits that didn't have many, and labelled as "Towel (good)" accordingly.
After 15 days I already have a ridiculously large number of tomato seedlings in the other two tubs, unfortunately; I think I may have got 100% germination this year!
After 15 days I already have a ridiculously large number of tomato seedlings in the other two tubs, unfortunately; I think I may have got 100% germination this year!
rambling thoughts about lawrence of arabia
Mar. 16th, 2026 10:18 amlirazelThis weekend I got to see Lawrence of Arabia on the big screen, and y'all, it was such a great experience! The theater was almost full and we actually got our intermission and yes, I spent more than four hours in that building, but it was totally worth it imo.
We used to know how to make movies! The cinematography and special effects and production design are just insane--every frame is just swoon-worthy. God, what a good-looking movie. There are many movies that are better in a theater, but this one is one where I'm like, "If you see it on a smaller screen, you aren't really seeing this movie." The long shots of the tiny dot in the distance growing larger and larger through the heat waves coming off the sand! MY GOD! The colors! The huge casts of riders on camel or horses or in tents! The train stuff! The dunes and the escarpments and the echoes! The costumes and the texture of the fabric! The on-location sets! CINEMA!
I get very upset thinking about how huge movie budgets are today and how they all look so fake and slick and uninteresting and the color is bad most of the time and the lighting is bad most of the time and I just don't understand how we've regressed in this medium as much as we have. Also: film will always be superior to digital, I don't care what anyone says.
Anyway, visuals aside, I hadn't seen the movie in like 20 years and I was pleased to find that it's also just a well-done story. Like, there are issues with it! The brownface casting is Not Cool! The white savior of it all is...something else!
But also, it's just such a good movie actually? Everyone's at the top of their game. No offense to Albert Finney, but I am so very glad that O'Toole got cast because I just don't think anyone else could have played that character in such an unnerving way. His scary blue eyes! I'm like, "Yeah, that's a man with ghosts and demons and delusions of grandeur and severe mental health problems who is wavering on the edge of a breakdown at all times but I also get why people are so enamored of him." There's also something striking about O'Toole's gigantic head and narrow little shoulders that add something extra to the whole performance.
OMAR SHARIF! God, I love him in general but specifically in this role. Just top tier. I'd forgotten about Lawrence and Ali's meet-cuteugly with all the insults and the murder. Ali as the conscious of the film is another thing I'd forgotten.
It's very weird being like, "Damn, Anthony Quinn and Jose Ferrer are so good in this, but also they should never have been cast." Like, I don't blame them that much, as Latino men in the early 60s, but lbr it's shameful that Omar Sharif was the only Arab in the main cast. Sir Alec Guiness looks disturbingly like King Faisal, actually, it's bizarre. But brownface is still brownface, and I Do Not Approve. Shout-out to my man Claude Rains, who is always fantastic. Was Quinn nominated for a supporting actor Oscar for this? If he wasn't, he should have been.
It's significantly less racist than it could have been? Which is not to say that it isn't racist, but the Arab characters are all real people with believable motives, and the movie never once questions that they are right and correct to want both the Turks and the Brits out of their country that isn't a country yet.
I also deeply, deeply appreciate the script. It doesn't try to explain to us why Lawrence is Like That. We get one single line about him being illegitimate, but that's it. The why of it all is left up to us as viewers. Was he born that way? Was he dropped on his head as a child? Is all of this coming from daddy issues or the trauma of British boarding school? We will simply never know! Which is as it should be! In a contemporary film, there would be a scene in childhood that ~explains~ the character, and it would piss me off. Here, people are just complicated. Because they are people. It's not a biopic in the way we now understand that genre, or at least it defies all the tropes. It's about a couple of years in the life of one person.
And the psychosexual stuff isn't overdone. It's absolutely 100% there--this is a very gay movie even if the movie doesn't really know it's gay--but it isn't heavy-handed. The scene with Ferrer as the Turkish bey? INSANE. So good.
And yes, there is something extremely problematic about the only significantly English-language film about the Arab Revolt being centered around a white English dude. But also: he was a real person and the movie realizes that he was as bad for the Arab independence movement as he was good for it, which I appreciate.
I would totally understand why a contemporary person would be like, "Between the brownface and the white savior-ing, I do not need this film in my life." That is a very valid and in fact morally superior opinion! However, it's a movie that already exists, not one that's being made now, and there's nothing we can do to change it at this point in time, and it's an incredible bit of filmmaking, so I do deeply appreciate it while also judging it hard for all the ways it should have been better.
Anyway, my opinion is that if you ever get a chance to see this film in the theater, you should take that opportunity because you will leave it thinking, as my dad Paul Simon says, that's why God made the movies.
We used to know how to make movies! The cinematography and special effects and production design are just insane--every frame is just swoon-worthy. God, what a good-looking movie. There are many movies that are better in a theater, but this one is one where I'm like, "If you see it on a smaller screen, you aren't really seeing this movie." The long shots of the tiny dot in the distance growing larger and larger through the heat waves coming off the sand! MY GOD! The colors! The huge casts of riders on camel or horses or in tents! The train stuff! The dunes and the escarpments and the echoes! The costumes and the texture of the fabric! The on-location sets! CINEMA!
I get very upset thinking about how huge movie budgets are today and how they all look so fake and slick and uninteresting and the color is bad most of the time and the lighting is bad most of the time and I just don't understand how we've regressed in this medium as much as we have. Also: film will always be superior to digital, I don't care what anyone says.
Anyway, visuals aside, I hadn't seen the movie in like 20 years and I was pleased to find that it's also just a well-done story. Like, there are issues with it! The brownface casting is Not Cool! The white savior of it all is...something else!
But also, it's just such a good movie actually? Everyone's at the top of their game. No offense to Albert Finney, but I am so very glad that O'Toole got cast because I just don't think anyone else could have played that character in such an unnerving way. His scary blue eyes! I'm like, "Yeah, that's a man with ghosts and demons and delusions of grandeur and severe mental health problems who is wavering on the edge of a breakdown at all times but I also get why people are so enamored of him." There's also something striking about O'Toole's gigantic head and narrow little shoulders that add something extra to the whole performance.
OMAR SHARIF! God, I love him in general but specifically in this role. Just top tier. I'd forgotten about Lawrence and Ali's meet-
It's very weird being like, "Damn, Anthony Quinn and Jose Ferrer are so good in this, but also they should never have been cast." Like, I don't blame them that much, as Latino men in the early 60s, but lbr it's shameful that Omar Sharif was the only Arab in the main cast. Sir Alec Guiness looks disturbingly like King Faisal, actually, it's bizarre. But brownface is still brownface, and I Do Not Approve. Shout-out to my man Claude Rains, who is always fantastic. Was Quinn nominated for a supporting actor Oscar for this? If he wasn't, he should have been.
It's significantly less racist than it could have been? Which is not to say that it isn't racist, but the Arab characters are all real people with believable motives, and the movie never once questions that they are right and correct to want both the Turks and the Brits out of their country that isn't a country yet.
I also deeply, deeply appreciate the script. It doesn't try to explain to us why Lawrence is Like That. We get one single line about him being illegitimate, but that's it. The why of it all is left up to us as viewers. Was he born that way? Was he dropped on his head as a child? Is all of this coming from daddy issues or the trauma of British boarding school? We will simply never know! Which is as it should be! In a contemporary film, there would be a scene in childhood that ~explains~ the character, and it would piss me off. Here, people are just complicated. Because they are people. It's not a biopic in the way we now understand that genre, or at least it defies all the tropes. It's about a couple of years in the life of one person.
And the psychosexual stuff isn't overdone. It's absolutely 100% there--this is a very gay movie even if the movie doesn't really know it's gay--but it isn't heavy-handed. The scene with Ferrer as the Turkish bey? INSANE. So good.
And yes, there is something extremely problematic about the only significantly English-language film about the Arab Revolt being centered around a white English dude. But also: he was a real person and the movie realizes that he was as bad for the Arab independence movement as he was good for it, which I appreciate.
I would totally understand why a contemporary person would be like, "Between the brownface and the white savior-ing, I do not need this film in my life." That is a very valid and in fact morally superior opinion! However, it's a movie that already exists, not one that's being made now, and there's nothing we can do to change it at this point in time, and it's an incredible bit of filmmaking, so I do deeply appreciate it while also judging it hard for all the ways it should have been better.
Anyway, my opinion is that if you ever get a chance to see this film in the theater, you should take that opportunity because you will leave it thinking, as my dad Paul Simon says, that's why God made the movies.
Seed log
Mar. 15th, 2026 01:16 pmigenlodeIt has been warm, and I have been sowing seeds and giving my tomatoes holidays outside. It has also been very cold at night, with a white frost, and I had to put the extra blanket back on top of my bed! To my relief the rocket and lettuce seedlings survived the cold all right, and everything else was still safe beneath the soil...
( Poppies )
Some of the strawberry plants are showing signs of life (though at least one appears to have had its new growth eaten off, and is trying again to put out a fresh set of leaves). Some of them look as if they may have died over the winter.
I soaked a dozen or so dwarf peas and they are now in a newspaper jar, but have shown no signs of sprouting just yet. I also sowed a tray with the last of the assorted purple flower seed, though so far as I remember it didn't come up terribly purple and didn't appear to contain any of the listed species other than cornflowers! Certainly most of the seed remaining in the packet looks like cornflower tufts, though they may simply be the biggest...
( Gypsophila elegans, Gypsophila vaccaria, Swan River daisy and pink Linaria )
( Poppies )
Some of the strawberry plants are showing signs of life (though at least one appears to have had its new growth eaten off, and is trying again to put out a fresh set of leaves). Some of them look as if they may have died over the winter.
I soaked a dozen or so dwarf peas and they are now in a newspaper jar, but have shown no signs of sprouting just yet. I also sowed a tray with the last of the assorted purple flower seed, though so far as I remember it didn't come up terribly purple and didn't appear to contain any of the listed species other than cornflowers! Certainly most of the seed remaining in the packet looks like cornflower tufts, though they may simply be the biggest...
( Gypsophila elegans, Gypsophila vaccaria, Swan River daisy and pink Linaria )
Farmer's Market -- 14 March 2026 (Daisy Day, 24th of Windy, Year 234)
Mar. 14th, 2026 05:21 pmneotomaLucy Glo apples, shallots, white potatoes, a small head of cabbage, carrots, celery, spicy bratwurst, thick-cut bacon, cranberry chevre, a loaf of whole wheat bread, a gallon of lavendar-lemonade, a pint of shiso-orange mint lemonade, peanut butter cookies, dark chocolate walnut cookies.
Book Log: Urban Odysseys
Mar. 15th, 2026 09:26 amscaramoucheBooks in the old unread pile: 9
I picked up Urban Odysseys: KL Stories, a collection of short stories, years and years ago (it was published in 2009), as an impulse buy supporting local publications. But I didn't read it then, because I was jealous of the writers who were published in it, as my own brief attempts to submit works to calls for local short stories didn't get any response.
I'm still a little jealous now, but I'm also aware than what I'd written back then was far from good enough for publication. I am also aware that I would now be able write something comparable to some of the works in this book -- not the better ones, I'm not skilled enough for that, but a middling entry, yeah, I could. But it's also true than in collating works for a collection there has to be a mix of different types of stories, so a writer needs to be able to fill a niche that doesn't even exist until everyone else has submitted their own, and there's the unseen challenge.
Anyway this book is a collection of short stories, some fully fictional, some perhaps partially fictional, with KL as its central character. Some of the stories fail at sticking on theme, some are not interesting, some are obnoxious, but there's a decent chunk that are neat and fun, and some got me feeling really emotional, and I'll take those good ones!
It does not surprise me that the first story is a ghost story (lol) but I would've preferred the order of stories to be shuffled, because I did not enjoy that the book opens with two stories back-to-back that feature graphic violence against women. But after that there's a mix of snapshots of mat rempit boys, old folk who knew KL before it got studded with skyscrapers, children and students, a homeless man, an immigrant worker (yes! Though I think it's telling that in all the other stories, writers would describe the people of the city by the races and style, including tourists, but not mention immigrant workers at all), women braving busy streets, complicated familial relationships, and so on. I did get an out-of-body experience when a character said, "Sorry no cure" -- a phrase I have not heard in literal YEARS, and maybe is still used by schoolkids all over, though not where I can hear.
I think it's interesting that the good stories tended to lean towards a melancholy nostalgia for what KL used to be over what it has become, but what that's really about is a struggle to hold on to a specific cultural identity and feeling that that identity was clearer in the past. (It wasn't; people were nostalgic then, too.) It does read to me as a kind of doomerism in that there's nowhere to go but down and that there's no point in looking beyond the commercialism and economic prosperity for a different kind of cultural identity. Remembering history is hella important, and it's good to record these memories for those who were not there, but too much nostalgia for "better days" and you'll miss out on the present. It's why the stories I liked best are those that have plot or forward momentum instead of navel-gazing.
Unfortunately the editing could've been better, as there were occasionally grammatical errors or plot errors (like Character A's name is used in a description that is meant for Character B). It's also unfortunate that, based on the authors' names (which don't tell the full story, but I have to work with something) it appears there was only one Malay author among the nineteen featured in the book. Maybe Malay authors prefer to write in Malay and they couldn't get enough for an English-language collection, but as 70% of the population, it does leave a curious blank spot in capturing local voices.
I picked up Urban Odysseys: KL Stories, a collection of short stories, years and years ago (it was published in 2009), as an impulse buy supporting local publications. But I didn't read it then, because I was jealous of the writers who were published in it, as my own brief attempts to submit works to calls for local short stories didn't get any response.
I'm still a little jealous now, but I'm also aware than what I'd written back then was far from good enough for publication. I am also aware that I would now be able write something comparable to some of the works in this book -- not the better ones, I'm not skilled enough for that, but a middling entry, yeah, I could. But it's also true than in collating works for a collection there has to be a mix of different types of stories, so a writer needs to be able to fill a niche that doesn't even exist until everyone else has submitted their own, and there's the unseen challenge.
Anyway this book is a collection of short stories, some fully fictional, some perhaps partially fictional, with KL as its central character. Some of the stories fail at sticking on theme, some are not interesting, some are obnoxious, but there's a decent chunk that are neat and fun, and some got me feeling really emotional, and I'll take those good ones!
It does not surprise me that the first story is a ghost story (lol) but I would've preferred the order of stories to be shuffled, because I did not enjoy that the book opens with two stories back-to-back that feature graphic violence against women. But after that there's a mix of snapshots of mat rempit boys, old folk who knew KL before it got studded with skyscrapers, children and students, a homeless man, an immigrant worker (yes! Though I think it's telling that in all the other stories, writers would describe the people of the city by the races and style, including tourists, but not mention immigrant workers at all), women braving busy streets, complicated familial relationships, and so on. I did get an out-of-body experience when a character said, "Sorry no cure" -- a phrase I have not heard in literal YEARS, and maybe is still used by schoolkids all over, though not where I can hear.
I think it's interesting that the good stories tended to lean towards a melancholy nostalgia for what KL used to be over what it has become, but what that's really about is a struggle to hold on to a specific cultural identity and feeling that that identity was clearer in the past. (It wasn't; people were nostalgic then, too.) It does read to me as a kind of doomerism in that there's nowhere to go but down and that there's no point in looking beyond the commercialism and economic prosperity for a different kind of cultural identity. Remembering history is hella important, and it's good to record these memories for those who were not there, but too much nostalgia for "better days" and you'll miss out on the present. It's why the stories I liked best are those that have plot or forward momentum instead of navel-gazing.
Unfortunately the editing could've been better, as there were occasionally grammatical errors or plot errors (like Character A's name is used in a description that is meant for Character B). It's also unfortunate that, based on the authors' names (which don't tell the full story, but I have to work with something) it appears there was only one Malay author among the nineteen featured in the book. Maybe Malay authors prefer to write in Malay and they couldn't get enough for an English-language collection, but as 70% of the population, it does leave a curious blank spot in capturing local voices.
Fanfic: Broken Melody
Mar. 14th, 2026 01:58 pmscifirenegadeTitle: Broken Melody
Rating: General
Fandom: Anders als die Andern (1919)
Pairing(s) / Character(s): Else Sivers, Paul Körner
Warnings: n/a
Spoilers: n/a
Note: Been chewing on this for way too long.
On AO3
On Squidge
( Read more... )
Rating: General
Fandom: Anders als die Andern (1919)
Pairing(s) / Character(s): Else Sivers, Paul Körner
Warnings: n/a
Spoilers: n/a
Note: Been chewing on this for way too long.
On AO3
On Squidge
( Read more... )
Memorisation of declension
Mar. 13th, 2026 10:42 pmigenlodewe shall see how the 1990s book introduces the subject when it arrives in that course.
Well, in my next lesson in *that* book I now have to memorise the declension of eleven pronouns† across six cases :-p
Fortunately I actually have more or less subliminally absorbed/remembered those already, to the degree that I can simply ask myself 'what sounds right' when I can't remember the answer and mostly come up with the correct result. Mostly.
† First person singular and plural, second person singular and plural, third person masculine, feminine, neuter and plural, 'who', 'what', and 'itself' (also masculine, feminine, neuter and plural, so I suppose it's fourteen rather than eleven...)
Chives
Mar. 13th, 2026 06:53 pmigenlodeI took a packet of chive seed (hand-labelled '26 but presumably harvested last year, unless someone had overwintering chives!) from the local seed library -- a fair return for all the marigold and calendula seeds I had given them :-)
( Read more... )
But when I went to file the rest of the unused seed away, I discovered that I already *had* an unopened packet of commercial seed that had evidently been given to me at some point last year on the grounds that it was date-expired, so I could have tried simply sowing that first rather than helping myself to the fresh seed... However, it was dated 'sow by 2023', so this swap seed will undoubtedly be more likely to germinate reliably.
( Read more... )
But when I went to file the rest of the unused seed away, I discovered that I already *had* an unopened packet of commercial seed that had evidently been given to me at some point last year on the grounds that it was date-expired, so I could have tried simply sowing that first rather than helping myself to the fresh seed... However, it was dated 'sow by 2023', so this swap seed will undoubtedly be more likely to germinate reliably.
Lurking Latin
Mar. 13th, 2026 01:02 pmigenlodeI had a strange experience this morning after listening to another chapter of "The Three Musketeers" in Russian (last night I was already too sleepy to even attempt it). YouTube subsequently showed me a video of a Polish priest conversing in the Vatican with an American via the medium of Latin, and I genuinely could not work out whether I was hearing Russian or not :-p( Read more... )
I found an envelope of spring onion seeds which I evidently harvested last year from the spring onion that flowered, so have tried sowing those, since the two surviving stubs of the old ones are looking pretty sick. It didn't help that something came along and ate the tops off them -- and also ate the flowers off the calendulas, quite deliberately, half a head at a time, coming back every night to finish the job and then moving on to the next plant -- I would be more annoyed about that if they hadn't been flowering all winter so that I was rather bored with them!
The tulips are all blooming heartily, with the exception of the bulb at the end, in between where the two garlics were put in, which is only just showing a bud. Presumably due to competition from the neighbouring bulbs, even though the garlic cloves were much smaller....
I found an envelope of spring onion seeds which I evidently harvested last year from the spring onion that flowered, so have tried sowing those, since the two surviving stubs of the old ones are looking pretty sick. It didn't help that something came along and ate the tops off them -- and also ate the flowers off the calendulas, quite deliberately, half a head at a time, coming back every night to finish the job and then moving on to the next plant -- I would be more annoyed about that if they hadn't been flowering all winter so that I was rather bored with them!
The tulips are all blooming heartily, with the exception of the bulb at the end, in between where the two garlics were put in, which is only just showing a bud. Presumably due to competition from the neighbouring bulbs, even though the garlic cloves were much smaller....
[FFXIV Fic] Gentle Dark, Chapter 9: These Tenuous Threads of Fate
Mar. 13th, 2026 08:55 amanneapocalypse
Fandom: Final Fantasy XIV
Rating: Mature
Archive Warnings: Major Character Death
Relationships: Urianger Augurelt/Moenbryda Wilfsunnwyn, Urianger Augurelt & Moenbryda Wilfsunnwyn, Ardbert & Urianger Augurelt, Unrealized Ardbert/Urianger Augurelt, Pre-Urianger Augurelt/Warrior of Light
Characters: Urianger Augurelt, Moenbryda Wilfsunnwyn, Ardbert Hylfyst, Elidibus, Unukalhai, Tataru Taru, Minfilia Warde, Warrior of Light, Dewlala Dewla, Y'shtola Rhul, Yugiri Mistwalker, Thancred Waters, J'Rhoomale, Blanhaerz, Lamimi, Naillebert, Haneko Burneko
Additional Tags: Grief/Mourning, Angst, Religion, Isolation, Loneliness, Patch 3.4: Soul Surrender Spoilers (Final Fantasy XIV), Elezen Warrior of Light, Female Warrior of Light, Canon-Typical Violence, Guilt, Emotional Repression, Child Neglect, Childhood Memories, Unresolved Sexual Tension
Series: With Lilies and With Laurel
Length: 57,340 / 92,000
Chapter: 9/15
Summary:
Heartbroken after the loss of his dearest companion, Urianger labors to save two worlds in which he has never felt more alone.
Notes:
If you're new here, please start with Chapter 1!
Final Fantasy XIV is owned by Square Enix. This is a non-commercial work of fanfiction.
( Read on AO3 )
( ...or below! )
Previous Chapter | Next Chapter
Small Lights in the Darkness
Mar. 13th, 2026 10:12 amscifirenegadeYou can watch National Theatre's The Importance of Being Earnest with Ncuti Gatwa on Youtube until the 18th!
And after 13 years of nothing, two episodes from The Daleks' Master Plan were recovered!
And after 13 years of nothing, two episodes from The Daleks' Master Plan were recovered!
Mujhse Doste Karoge Medley
Mar. 13th, 2026 12:59 pmscaramoucheI rewatched Mujhse Doste Karoge recently and this time when I hit the Medley in the final act I felt more curious about the original songs that were being referenced. I recognize the Bobby songs, Kuch Kuch and DDLJ of course, but not much else, and thought I could give it a shot? I thought I could find a list online but if it exists, it'll take more a deep dive than I can bothered with, so I searched for the originals based on the medley's lyrics. There are a lot of songs! And I'm recording them here just in case.
The medley:
The original songs:
Looking at the ages of some of these songs, the 80s got mostly skipped over and IMO Kaho na Pyaar Hai stands out like a sore thumb. I figure it's there because of the Hrithik connection, but is it really on the same level as Kuch2, among the songs from the 90s/2000s? Not in this neck of the woods, anyway.
The medley:
The original songs:
- Mere Dil Mein Aaj Kya Hai // Daag (1973) // youtube
- Na Mangu Sona Chandi // Bobby (1973) // youtube
- Jhoot Bole Kauva Kate // Bobby (1973) // youtube
- Le Jayenge Le Jayenge // Chor Machaye Shor (1974) // youtube
- Yeh Galiyan Yeh Chaubara // Prem Rog (1982) // youtube
- Bachna Aye Hasseno Yeh Mein Aa Gaya // Hum Kisise Kum Naheen (1977) // youtube
- Aap Yahan Aaye Kis Liye // Kal Aaj Aur Kal (1971) // youtube
- Main Nikla Gaddi Leke // Gadar (2001) // youtube
- Chup Chup Khade Ho // Bari Behen (1949) // youtube
- Raja Ki Aayegi Baraat // Aah (1953) // youtube
- Aajkal Tere Mere Pyar Ke Charche // Brahmachari (1968) // youtube
- Pardesiya Yeh Sach Hai Piya // Natwarlal (1979) // youtube
- Udein Jab Jab Zulfen Teri // Naya Daur (1957) // youtube
- Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai // Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai (2000) // youtube
- Ajib Dastan Hai Yeh // Dil Apna Aur Preet Parai (1960) // youtube
- Zindagi Ek Safar Hai Suhana // Andaz (1971) // youtube
- Kuch Kuch Hota Hai // Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998) // youtube
- Mehndi Laga Ke Rakhna // Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995) // youtube
Looking at the ages of some of these songs, the 80s got mostly skipped over and IMO Kaho na Pyaar Hai stands out like a sore thumb. I figure it's there because of the Hrithik connection, but is it really on the same level as Kuch2, among the songs from the 90s/2000s? Not in this neck of the woods, anyway.
(no subject)
Mar. 12th, 2026 04:17 pmlycomingstToday was my second annual Library Book Sale. I got 6 books, double what I bought last year. I hope it doesn't double every year.
A bio of Queen Anne
A bio of Empress Frederick
A memoir of Cafe Society of 40s & 50s (movie stars)
A memoir by Jenny Lawson (Idk her)
A memoir by Ben Fong-Torres (if you were in the Bay Area in the 80s, you know who this is)
An autobio by Hugh Miller (19th century)
This will last me all year as I'm not the reader I once was.
I went to the book sale and the grocery today. That's a full day for me
A bio of Queen Anne
A bio of Empress Frederick
A memoir of Cafe Society of 40s & 50s (movie stars)
A memoir by Jenny Lawson (Idk her)
A memoir by Ben Fong-Torres (if you were in the Bay Area in the 80s, you know who this is)
An autobio by Hugh Miller (19th century)
This will last me all year as I'm not the reader I once was.
I went to the book sale and the grocery today. That's a full day for me
H2O: Just Add Water
Mar. 12th, 2026 09:10 pmscaramoucheI'm halfway through season 2 of H2O: Just Add Water and as expected I'm not enjoying it as much as season 1. It still has some fun episodes (the girls get their new powers, the wish episode, Emma gets a scale sickness and in the last act it turns into a delightful mini horror movie) and some meatier ones (Rikki gets to stretch her chops with an emotional story that introduces her dad), but the main problem for me is that on the scales of wacky shenanigans there's been a tip away from mermaid-specific shenanigans and towards teenage love triangle shenanigans instead, courtesy of Charlotte. (Whose actress gets billed first in the end credits, presumably because the four actresses are listed alphabetically, but is still kinda weird.)
At the start of the season the girls get a power up! But this does not matter at all in the first half of the season, because they barely use their regular powers, let alone their new ones. Season 1 had the girls using their powers for getting into and out of trouble all over the place, but if I recall correctly so far after their power up, only Emma and Rikki have used their snow and lightning powers respectively once each, and Cleo hasn't used hers at all.
Cleo is my favourite but it bugs me that she's so much the focus of the season so far, thanks to Charlotte, plus her parents' divorce (which legit shocked me, though her mom was such a non-entity in season 1 you can retroactively read that as having emotionally checked out of the family). I'm offended on Emma's behalf, and though Rikki also has a comparative shortage, her stories are more thoughtful. If I could workshop it, I'd have Charlotte have connections to all three girls instead of just Cleo, eg. Charlotte's mom could be having business dealings with Emma's parents instead of Cleo's father, and maybe Charlotte would have some common ground with Rikki in being outsiders in their school.
As for Charlotte, her worst crime is that she's just not fun. An antagonist should be fun! Miriam was fun last season! I was hopeful when Charlotte first showed up because she seemed shy and unsure and I went oh??? Is this a corruption arc? Where Charlotte will slowly become the worst version of herself in opposition of how Cleo, Emma and Rikki became the best versions of themselves due to their friendship? But no, Charlotte's just a manipulative Other Woman who sneakily sabotages Cleo from the start, clings onto Lewis despite him not being all that into her, and doesn't seem to enjoy doing either that much. The only moment Charlotte's made me laugh was when Lewis took her on a date and he very seriously scheduled out their activities, i.e. the exact same needlessly micromanaging behaviour that made Cleo break up with him, and Charlotte briefly looked like she was regretting everything she'd done over the last nine episodes to "win" him. That was great! But other than that, Charlotte's machinations are not OTT enough to be enjoyable, and her desperation for Lewis is sad instead of deliciously vicious. She should have been camp, IMO. Even 50% Cordelia energy would've been more enjoyable, and 10% Callisto energy would've been sublime. It's not all the actress' fault either, because the writing for her is very pedestrian, especially when you compare it to how Zane was used as the antagonist in season 1.
Edited to add: Right now I'm also making my way through Aryana which has a similar-ish dynamic of Megan to Aryana, as Charlotte is to Cleo, in that Megan comes off as a wannabe trying to be Aryana and steal her guy. Although the power differentials there are not the same, and Megan is so much meaner than Charlotte, Megan is also SO much more entertaining to watch. She's a big and broad character who commits to her petty nonsense, unlike Charlotte, who now I think about it is written to be an antagonist but also an underdog compared to Cleo and her three friends, who are cooler and more fun than she is. You can't have it both ways, it's just not that kind of show. Either we root for her, or against her; they needed to pick one.
I made a prediction in my last H2O post that the new girl should have green in her colour scheme. Charlotte does not, but I did laugh the first time she showed up because she's a redhead, to Cleo's brunette, and Emma & Rikki's blondes. One character IS getting a lot of green this season though, and that's Cleo! Symbolic of her envy of Charlotte, perhaps? The colour scheme is much looser this season, or more tied to their mental state that I can't be bothered to track, but basically Rikki is the only one sticking strictly to her red & black, while Emma is getting more yellows along with her blue and white, Cleo is a lot of greens but also deep pinks and purples, and Charlotte is mostly pale pink. Does Charlotte's pale pink to Cleo's deep pink imply that Charlotte is a pale imitation of Cleo? Though there are two episodes near midway of the season where Charlotte "loses" when Lewis prioritizes the girls over her, and what is she wearing both times? GREEN.
Other random things!
A boy who I thought might be Emma's new love interest appeared in one episode, and when he first appeared up on the screen, I went oh!! And felt like an awkward teenager again. The actor was in his early twenties at the time, but basically he is very much the type I was into when I was young.
Speaking of love interests, we get so much less Zane this season, like in-universe the reason is that he and his father have moved away and he's now at another school, but this means that instead of a presence who is constantly in the background, every episode he's in (and there's only a handful) he gets a proper story about him and Rikki. I'm just curious if this was a negotiation thing for the actor, and it also allowed him to be do other projects at the same time and only be on set if his part was substantial.
Another funny thing is that last season Lewis made a big deal about researching the girls' water transformation, and that got forgotten as the season went on. This season started out with Lewis making a big deal researching the girls' weather power upgrades.... but that also got forgotten within a few episodes, just as they forgot about their powers. Again, this may come back later, but it's just funny. I miss Ms. Chatham and her vaguely helpful/unhelpful comments about the mermaid powers! I don't need mermaid lore or an explanation of the powers themselves, but I did enjoy the whole reveal last season that there have been other mermaids in the past.
At the start of the season the girls get a power up! But this does not matter at all in the first half of the season, because they barely use their regular powers, let alone their new ones. Season 1 had the girls using their powers for getting into and out of trouble all over the place, but if I recall correctly so far after their power up, only Emma and Rikki have used their snow and lightning powers respectively once each, and Cleo hasn't used hers at all.
Cleo is my favourite but it bugs me that she's so much the focus of the season so far, thanks to Charlotte, plus her parents' divorce (which legit shocked me, though her mom was such a non-entity in season 1 you can retroactively read that as having emotionally checked out of the family). I'm offended on Emma's behalf, and though Rikki also has a comparative shortage, her stories are more thoughtful. If I could workshop it, I'd have Charlotte have connections to all three girls instead of just Cleo, eg. Charlotte's mom could be having business dealings with Emma's parents instead of Cleo's father, and maybe Charlotte would have some common ground with Rikki in being outsiders in their school.
As for Charlotte, her worst crime is that she's just not fun. An antagonist should be fun! Miriam was fun last season! I was hopeful when Charlotte first showed up because she seemed shy and unsure and I went oh??? Is this a corruption arc? Where Charlotte will slowly become the worst version of herself in opposition of how Cleo, Emma and Rikki became the best versions of themselves due to their friendship? But no, Charlotte's just a manipulative Other Woman who sneakily sabotages Cleo from the start, clings onto Lewis despite him not being all that into her, and doesn't seem to enjoy doing either that much. The only moment Charlotte's made me laugh was when Lewis took her on a date and he very seriously scheduled out their activities, i.e. the exact same needlessly micromanaging behaviour that made Cleo break up with him, and Charlotte briefly looked like she was regretting everything she'd done over the last nine episodes to "win" him. That was great! But other than that, Charlotte's machinations are not OTT enough to be enjoyable, and her desperation for Lewis is sad instead of deliciously vicious. She should have been camp, IMO. Even 50% Cordelia energy would've been more enjoyable, and 10% Callisto energy would've been sublime. It's not all the actress' fault either, because the writing for her is very pedestrian, especially when you compare it to how Zane was used as the antagonist in season 1.
Edited to add: Right now I'm also making my way through Aryana which has a similar-ish dynamic of Megan to Aryana, as Charlotte is to Cleo, in that Megan comes off as a wannabe trying to be Aryana and steal her guy. Although the power differentials there are not the same, and Megan is so much meaner than Charlotte, Megan is also SO much more entertaining to watch. She's a big and broad character who commits to her petty nonsense, unlike Charlotte, who now I think about it is written to be an antagonist but also an underdog compared to Cleo and her three friends, who are cooler and more fun than she is. You can't have it both ways, it's just not that kind of show. Either we root for her, or against her; they needed to pick one.
I made a prediction in my last H2O post that the new girl should have green in her colour scheme. Charlotte does not, but I did laugh the first time she showed up because she's a redhead, to Cleo's brunette, and Emma & Rikki's blondes. One character IS getting a lot of green this season though, and that's Cleo! Symbolic of her envy of Charlotte, perhaps? The colour scheme is much looser this season, or more tied to their mental state that I can't be bothered to track, but basically Rikki is the only one sticking strictly to her red & black, while Emma is getting more yellows along with her blue and white, Cleo is a lot of greens but also deep pinks and purples, and Charlotte is mostly pale pink. Does Charlotte's pale pink to Cleo's deep pink imply that Charlotte is a pale imitation of Cleo? Though there are two episodes near midway of the season where Charlotte "loses" when Lewis prioritizes the girls over her, and what is she wearing both times? GREEN.
Other random things!
A boy who I thought might be Emma's new love interest appeared in one episode, and when he first appeared up on the screen, I went oh!! And felt like an awkward teenager again. The actor was in his early twenties at the time, but basically he is very much the type I was into when I was young.
Speaking of love interests, we get so much less Zane this season, like in-universe the reason is that he and his father have moved away and he's now at another school, but this means that instead of a presence who is constantly in the background, every episode he's in (and there's only a handful) he gets a proper story about him and Rikki. I'm just curious if this was a negotiation thing for the actor, and it also allowed him to be do other projects at the same time and only be on set if his part was substantial.
Another funny thing is that last season Lewis made a big deal about researching the girls' water transformation, and that got forgotten as the season went on. This season started out with Lewis making a big deal researching the girls' weather power upgrades.... but that also got forgotten within a few episodes, just as they forgot about their powers. Again, this may come back later, but it's just funny. I miss Ms. Chatham and her vaguely helpful/unhelpful comments about the mermaid powers! I don't need mermaid lore or an explanation of the powers themselves, but I did enjoy the whole reveal last season that there have been other mermaids in the past.
Seeds and seedlings
Mar. 11th, 2026 06:42 pmigenlodeI finally got round to winnowing the flax that I harvested last autumn, via the age-old method of crushing the seed-heads and allowing the chaff to blow away on a windy day while pouring the crop again and again from one hand to the other -- even when combined with the packet of 2024 flax seed that I hadn't planted after I failed to find it last year (but which turned up later) there was only about a tablespoon at most. About the same as before; plenty to sow and barely enough to eat. I have saved twenty or so seeds and put the rest into the 'seed mix' bag I use for salads, which already contains "golden linseed" according to the label!
( Sweet peas )
I should probably be starting some more of the dwarf peas for eating.
( Rocket )
The lettuce/mixed salad seed has definitely germinated, though not especially thickly, presumably because it was old seed. Sowed dill and coriander, the former very thickly as the packet was dated 'use by December 2022"! (But I added some of my saved dill seed, so should get something coming up.)
( Tomatoes )
( Sweet peas )
I should probably be starting some more of the dwarf peas for eating.
( Rocket )
The lettuce/mixed salad seed has definitely germinated, though not especially thickly, presumably because it was old seed. Sowed dill and coriander, the former very thickly as the packet was dated 'use by December 2022"! (But I added some of my saved dill seed, so should get something coming up.)
( Tomatoes )