crialpaca's recent activity
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Comment on Girlfriend and I bought plan B at Costco yesterday, pharmacist said they'd already sold more than 100 since the election in ~health
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Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books
crialpaca Link ParentThat's a mark of a loved book! I'm intending to revisit Jack London here before too long. I recently discovered that I have a whole collection of his work in one volume at one of my parents'...That's a mark of a loved book! I'm intending to revisit Jack London here before too long. I recently discovered that I have a whole collection of his work in one volume at one of my parents' houses. I completely forgot.
If you're ever in California, his Wolf House / estate is part of a state park. It's a very cool place, though a decent amount of it is ruins.
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Comment on Tildes Book Club - Spring 2025 nomination thread - Books from minority or diverse or disadvantaged perspectives in ~books
crialpaca LinkI'll nominate Shutter by Ramona Emerson. (Native American author writing about a Native American character.) The description kind of makes me think supernatural crime thriller. I have not read...I'll nominate Shutter by Ramona Emerson. (Native American author writing about a Native American character.) The description kind of makes me think supernatural crime thriller. I have not read this book yet! Short description below [longer blurbs on goodreads etc]:
"This blood-chilling debut set in New Mexico’s Navajo Nation is equal parts gripping crime thriller, supernatural horror, and poignant portrayal of coming of age on the reservation.
Rita Todacheene is a forensic photographer working for the Albuquerque police force. Her excellent photography skills have cracked many cases—she is almost supernaturally good at capturing details. In fact, Rita has been hiding a secret: she sees the ghosts of crime victims who point her toward the clues that other investigators overlook."
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Comment on American election mental health thread in ~health.mental
crialpaca Link ParentNice! I hope your endeavors help you. I had been having the inkling for the last month, and it went away for a couple weeks while I was dealing with some other awful stuff, but now it's back and...Nice! I hope your endeavors help you. I had been having the inkling for the last month, and it went away for a couple weeks while I was dealing with some other awful stuff, but now it's back and feeling pretty strong. I want to get back into writing after like 6+ years of a dry well (I've been doing digital art in the meantime, but I think that might be dry now).
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Comment on American election mental health thread in ~health.mental
crialpaca Link ParentChoosing to think we'll be fine (for the moment anyway) is helpful to me. I'm choosing not to spiral into a negative thought pattern because that's what will be most beneficial for me right now....Choosing to think we'll be fine (for the moment anyway) is helpful to me. I'm choosing not to spiral into a negative thought pattern because that's what will be most beneficial for me right now. In any case, I've been surgically sterilized, so at least I don't have to worry about being killed by a miscarriage or being jailed because of one.
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Comment on American election mental health thread in ~health.mental
crialpaca LinkMy dog woke me up at 3 am to go out and I checked my phone when I returned to bed. I see the race has been called. I'm not surprised. I think I'll probably be able to go back to sleep. My main...My dog woke me up at 3 am to go out and I checked my phone when I returned to bed. I see the race has been called. I'm not surprised. I think I'll probably be able to go back to sleep. My main issue is going to be that I DO NOT want to spend the day talking about this. It's exhausting. It's not worth the mental energy. I'd rather take the hits as they come than spend mental energy thinking about what this will mean for the next four years or more. If anything, this may have weirdly boosted my creative drive. If I can feel like I'm doing something worthwhile for myself, and not get into the doom, I'll probably be decent.
I live in Washington. Generally speaking, I'll be fine. I'm pretty sure I'm going to end up spending a lot of energy convincing my parents that they will also be fine (they live here too), along with my fellow female coworkers. We will be fine. I think the person most likely to freak out is my male coworker, honestly, and I don't really know what to do to help him other than tell him that I hear him.
I dread learning anything about situations internationally and in other states over the next four years, though. Again, I won't be surprised. But I did my part. And I did my spiraling when Roe was overturned and when they tried taking away access to mifepristone. I'm over this. Maybe I'll finally have the juice to write the sequel to my novel. (I spent 2016-2018 editing and formatting the first one - maybe the election at that time helped with that, lol).
It's just about 5 now. Time to try to catch another hour before work. And facing the public, with whom I work. They'll probably have a lot to say today.
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Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books
crialpaca LinkI've finished a handful of books recently, including: Across the Sand by Hugh Howey (which I loved), The Henna Artist (enjoyed), and Pillars of the Earth (so long/misfortunate it felt like...I've finished a handful of books recently, including: Across the Sand by Hugh Howey (which I loved), The Henna Artist (enjoyed), and Pillars of the Earth (so long/misfortunate it felt like torture, but questionably worth it). I've recently been breaking up my streak of longer books with comics and graphic novels because I have more long books to come (waiting for The Fiery Cross by Diana Gabaldon from the library). I started the Verse series by Sam Beck and am waiting on a handful of volumes of manga.
I also just finished Invisible Women, which I was listening to with my male partner. We both had to put a lot of effort into remembering that the main point of the book was to illustrate the data that isn't being collected or put to use, so there weren't many potential solutions offered. It was frustrating to listen to, but that's also part of the point.
I'm currently listening to Remarkably Bright Creatures (45%) with my partner and it's a good time. I'm following along and unraveling the story. He's invested in the octopus that stars in it (which is fair, Marcellus is great). Also listening to The Dagger and the Flame (50%), a new YA release that so far seems to be hitting similar notes to Heartless Hunter/The Crimson Moth. It's cute but I'm nervous about how animals have been treated in it from basically chapter one. I'm hoping my fears about the main character's animal companion don't manifest.
Lastly, I'm working on reading The Becoming by Nora Roberts. I really like the world but after reading one of her trilogies (Stars of Fortune), I'm concerned that the plot will probably feel slow/repetitive. So far, this book seems to have a similar structure to the first book (intro to what's going on, train, fight the boss). I don't care if similar elements are used in more than one series, but when the same plot repeats itself in each book of the same series, just with a bigger boss battle each time... that gets a little old. We'll see.
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Comment on Tildes Book Club - Nominations thread in ~books
crialpaca Link ParentCould I be added to the ping list for the future, please? I'm interested in this after getting back into reading this summer!Could I be added to the ping list for the future, please? I'm interested in this after getting back into reading this summer!
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Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books
crialpaca Link ParentIs that the study guide that WSU has up on their website? It's super neat that they have that. I'm in WA, and the resources produced by the universities always surprises me!Is that the study guide that WSU has up on their website? It's super neat that they have that. I'm in WA, and the resources produced by the universities always surprises me!
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Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books
crialpaca LinkI just started Pillars of the Earth on audiobook. I do actually own two physical copies of this book - I bought one ten years ago, shortly into college, and I have no idea where the second one...I just started Pillars of the Earth on audiobook. I do actually own two physical copies of this book - I bought one ten years ago, shortly into college, and I have no idea where the second one came from. I had started reading it when I bought it, and I don't remember why I stopped. I don't remember being bored or disinterested; maybe life just got in the way. I'm excited to finally listen to it so I can decide if I want to hang onto my physical copies or pass them along to better homes!
I have also been listening to Invisible Women with my partner. So far, we're about 20% in. It's a bit depressing to be faced with the reality of some of my fears via statistics, but I appreciate that they are apparently valid, are not just living entirely in my head, and are worth discussing. One point that was brought up so far, which I hadn't previously thought about, is that men often aren't aware of the harassment women can suffer on public transportation. The author noted that when men travel with women as companions, women experience less harassment, so men may never actually witness the harassment that women complain about and fear. Seeing is believing, so I connected this with some of the "just suck it up and go do it" reactions I've received when expressing anxiety about traveling somewhere new, where I haven't previously determined safe modes of travel, parking, etc. It's little wonder there's a lack of empathy: it's hard to understand something you've never seen.
Text-based stuff I'm working on includes struggling through Heart of the Sun Warrior (sequel to Daughter of the Moon Goddess). I think I determined that the first quarter or so is maybe over-edited, which made it seem a bit stilted. It feels like the sentences got taken apart and put back together again. I already listened to the audiobook, which I didn't love... I'm reading it in text to make sure my reaction was justified, I guess.
Up next is The Henna Artist and Blood of Elves!
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Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books
crialpaca Link ParentSong of Achilles is on my TBR list! Just haven't reached it yet. Galatea is a short story by the same author that my library has so that's on my list too! I'll add Children of Blood and Bone to my...Song of Achilles is on my TBR list! Just haven't reached it yet. Galatea is a short story by the same author that my library has so that's on my list too!
I'll add Children of Blood and Bone to my TBR! I've seen it around but haven't looked into it yet - thank you for the rec!
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Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books
crialpaca Link ParentI listened to Circe by Madeline Miller relatively recently. The audiobook narrator had the most beautiful voice, and the prose was so melodic, it was really lovely. However, Circe had like 1000...I listened to Circe by Madeline Miller relatively recently. The audiobook narrator had the most beautiful voice, and the prose was so melodic, it was really lovely. However, Circe had like 1000 years of story to impart (including Odysseus's visit), so quite a lot of it is written in a passive voice. I'd highly recommend the audiobook, but I can't say how compelling the text would be on its own.
Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan is excellent. I've listened to the audiobook and liked it enough that I read the text, as well. It tells the story of Xingyin, the daughter of Chang'e (the moon goddess in Chinese mythology) and her mortal husband, Houyi, as Xingyin tries to free Chang'e from basically being chained to the moon. [I found the second book, Heart of the Sun Warrior, to be relatively unnecessary; Daughter of the Moon Goddess doesn't leave any loose ends so the second book is kind of like an unrelated adventure in the same world with some new and some known characters. Still a good time but it's not exactly a sequel.]
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Comment on The elite college students who can’t read books in ~humanities
crialpaca Link ParentI refer to this as a "gateway" effect but I'm sure there's a better term for it. I actually purposefully funneled myself back into reading via manga and webtoons. I missed reading, but I felt...I refer to this as a "gateway" effect but I'm sure there's a better term for it. I actually purposefully funneled myself back into reading via manga and webtoons. I missed reading, but I felt super intimidated by the idea of diving back in after a decade of hardly touching a non-required read.
I got burned out of reading by reading the A Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones) series while going to college for creative writing at the same time. The intensity of that period turned me off reading for fun for the rest of my college career, and I'm finally reading again, several years after finishing my degree. I started with manga and webtoons, then a few lightweight Kindle reads, and am now back to reading selective full novels in text form. Books that I expect to be difficult I'll pick up as audiobooks instead of trying to force myself through them in text form. Then, if I enjoy something enough as an audiobook, I will also read it in text. I'm trying to enjoy reading - making it easier on myself and not suffering for the sake of completing a huge text read has been a big perspective change for me that has really enhanced the quality of my reading life.
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Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books
crialpaca Link ParentToday I learned what fridging is. Thank you. Been trying to articulate my general disgust with that for a LONG time! I have a lot of complaints about the characters and editing (I guess)...Today I learned what fridging is. Thank you. Been trying to articulate my general disgust with that for a LONG time!
I have a lot of complaints about the characters and editing (I guess) generally, but I'm still gathering steam. There was just so much that rubbed me the wrong way that it's going to be difficult to extract the individual issues until I ruminate on it for a bit.
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Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books
crialpaca Link ParentI just finished Red Rising, and it looks like I'm joining you in the outlier camp thus far! I was absolutely not compelled by the Hunger Games survival summer camp thing they had going. While I...I just finished Red Rising, and it looks like I'm joining you in the outlier camp thus far! I was absolutely not compelled by the Hunger Games survival summer camp thing they had going. While I appreciated the emotional scenarios the main character encountered, the whole "school" experience, such as it was, was just not my cup of tea. The last 10% certainly wrapped things up, but I don't think it redeemed it. I'm going to give the next one a shot, since the premise will be changing, but it'll be on pretty thin ice.
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Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books
crialpaca LinkI'm currently reading Red Rising by Pierce Brown (audio) and Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros (print). I did not know that Red Rising was also an academy-type book before getting started (oops...), as...I'm currently reading Red Rising by Pierce Brown (audio) and Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros (print). I did not know that Red Rising was also an academy-type book before getting started (oops...), as I started it at my partner's recommendation without really asking anything about it. I knew that it was science fiction, and that the main character's name was Darrow, and that there was some kind of heist (but I think I might be confusing that with what I know of Six of Crows... which I haven't read yet). I'm about 30% into it and feeling relatively engaged. Because of my initial confusion about where the book was going, I expected it to be somewhat more like HG Wells's The Time Machine, but uh... it's not.
No judgment for Iron Flame yet. I'm at 40% and stuff is just kind of... progressing. It's fine and basically doing as expected. I'm not bored, though!
I recently finished Heartless Hunter by Kristen Ciccarelli (The Crimson Moth outside of North America). I absolutely loved it and am considering buying it to hang onto for the long term. The relationships between the characters felt very authentic for young adults essentially shoved into the aftermath of a revolution. The premise was pretty darn interesting and touched on some aspects of witch mythology that I know exist but haven't seen portrayed in fiction until now (but I'm also not widely read when it comes to witch-based fiction, so maybe it's out there).
Up next is Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas (for the hype) (which I'm not confident about, given how my reading of ACOTAR went) and Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon. I'm really hoping I'll get some of my work hours back to listen to audio books during the day, as the last several weeks have been wild, and I miss it!
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Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books
crialpaca Link ParentI had that same experience! I decided to wait for season 2 before reading. Apparently season 1 does not cover all of Wool.I had that same experience! I decided to wait for season 2 before reading. Apparently season 1 does not cover all of Wool.
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Comment on Dogs bring loads of joy but also perils on a leash in ~life.pets
crialpaca LinkI have a 20 pound terrier mix who is all muscle and who is tough to handle when she gets wound up. I'm a pretty small person and couldn't imagine having anything larger - but I also grew up with...I have a 20 pound terrier mix who is all muscle and who is tough to handle when she gets wound up. I'm a pretty small person and couldn't imagine having anything larger - but I also grew up with bigger dogs (Labs and a springer spaniel, and various neighborhood golden retrievers) and learned that the hard way as a bouncy kid. A lot of people get animals that are too much dog for them because they're overly optimistic about their level of commitment or about how the dog will behave. Since even my dog is a little too much for me personally sometimes, I've decided I'll probably be a cat person eventually.
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Comment on Google loses €2.4bn EU antitrust case for favouring its own shopping service in ~tech
crialpaca Link ParentMy experience is that Google inserts shopping stuff for most image searches if it thinks what you're looking for could be construed as shoppable in any way. It's been that way for years and it's...My experience is that Google inserts shopping stuff for most image searches if it thinks what you're looking for could be construed as shoppable in any way. It's been that way for years and it's super obnoxious. So they probably get a lot of traffic and sales just by catching people unaware.
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Comment on I hate alcohol. Totally hate it. in ~talk
crialpaca LinkMy father is an alcoholic, as was his father before him. Alcohol has ruined my father's life and my relationship with him. He didn't drink water; he'd start the day with a bloody Mary. Then drink...My father is an alcoholic, as was his father before him. Alcohol has ruined my father's life and my relationship with him. He didn't drink water; he'd start the day with a bloody Mary. Then drink vodka and cranberry all day. Then beers with and after dinner. I don't know that I've really known him sober. He drinks with medication that isn't supposed to be mixed with alcohol. He calls me to cry and rant when he's had enough to really turn his mood. He drives with an open drink in the car. His constant drinking was a factor in preventing a devastating workplace injury from healing for five years. I'm sure it will kill him, someday. When I don't talk to him for two or more weeks at a time, I sometimes wonder if it hasn't already.
Because of this, I've never had alcohol. I don't trust my body to handle it. My brother has expressed concerns about his own intake. He has 3 young kids. I really hope he stays conscience of what it could do to him.
I also hate that alcohol isn't treated with the wariness it deserves. It would be great if it was given the same treatment as tobacco - marketing restrictions, warnings everywhere. Give people more of a chance to make an informed decision, rather than having a drink just because their friends are. But that would require political will, and I doubt that that's something anyone is willing to take on in the current times. Big sigh.
For now, I'm the friend that doesn't drink. My boyfriend is, too. We're people that others can feel safe with if they don't want to drink, or if they have had too much and need help. We don't push not drinking on people, but we're pretty visible in not drinking, and I hope that helps with awareness.
I'll just put this here for anyone thinking about this - if a woman isn't interested in having biological children, there are also permanent sterilization procedures. I've mentioned this a couple of times on here, but I think it's something that generally isn't talked about a lot, so... Bilateral salpingectomy, which is removing the fallopian tubes, is what I ended up going with; it can supposedly reduce ovarian cancer risk and it's not like there was a point to me keeping the tubes themselves if they were going to be nonfunctional. There are also versions of this where a snippet of each tube is removed, or blocked in some way (tubal ligation or "tying" the tubes). These are surgical procedures but they are generally done laparascopically and recovery time is two weeks. Obviously there are risks with surgery, and it's up to the person and their doctor to decide if it's worth it.
For me, who had terrible side effects with the arm implant (good for 3 years) and was terrified of the IUD (good for 5-10 years?), this was the right move. I have zero desire to pass on my awful genetics, so eliminating the risk of accidental pregnancy AND the need to deal with repetetive / inconvenient / PAINFUL birth control methods was so worth it. Additionally, the Affordable Care Act requires permanent female sterilization to be covered for at least one kind of procedure (but your mileage may vary for getting your doctor and your insurance to agree to one). For me, the surgery was free.