crialpaca's recent activity

  1. Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books

    crialpaca
    Link Parent
    That would track. It wasn't too long ago that I saw the recommendation. Unfortunately I don't remember the topic of the thread and I'm not finding it with the search function.

    That would track. It wasn't too long ago that I saw the recommendation. Unfortunately I don't remember the topic of the thread and I'm not finding it with the search function.

  2. Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books

    crialpaca
    Link Parent
    I added it to my list because I saw that someone on Tildes recommended it in another thread! I'm not sure who it was - maybe you? I'm looking forward to it!

    I added it to my list because I saw that someone on Tildes recommended it in another thread! I'm not sure who it was - maybe you? I'm looking forward to it!

    1 vote
  3. Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books

    crialpaca
    (edited )
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    My reading is back up to a harried level this week. Which is okay... it's just that I have to stay ahead of library due dates! Currently reading: An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir (audio)....

    My reading is back up to a harried level this week. Which is okay... it's just that I have to stay ahead of library due dates!

    Currently reading: An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir (audio). Spark of the Everflame by Penn Cole (print). Born a Crime by Trevor Noah (digital). Still getting through Where Oceans Burn but it's on the backburner until I make more progress on the library books. Listening to Beartown with my partner.

    I don't think I've done this before, but I'm getting the first two books merged a little bit in my head because they have extremely similar plot elements and progressions. They're both fine so far in terms of experience, but I'm very ready to be done with them so I can move onto books that are different from each other. I only had a vague awareness of what each book was about, and it was not enough to realize it might cause me problems! Both follow a heroine who is going through family turmoil who decides to join with rebellious forces against the militant culture that conquered her people. Each love interest is essentially a prince. There's weird shadow magic. It's wild how similar they are for being two different books I randomly picked up (though both are from the BookTok crowd, so that narrows it a lot).

    I just started Born a Crime this morning but I'm intending to spend more time with it soon. I am enjoying his voice. (I don't watch TV so I'm not familiar with the author outside of a vague idea of who he is, but I'm definitely interested in reading with his experiences and learning more about the world through his eyes.)

    I ended up DNF'ing Ministry for the Future and returning it. While I thought the concepts presented were interesting, I struggled with the broken up narrative style.

    Up next: The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco, The Dance of Anger by Harriet Lerner, and Remnant Population by Elizabeth Moon (all audio). The Horse and His Boy by CS Lewis (digital). The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau, The Empress by Kristin Cast, and The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali (print). I'm really hoping to make good progress this weekend and next week. We'll see!

    Edit: Forgot to include recent reads. I finished The Ashes and the Star-Cursed King by Carissa Broadbent (satisfying), When the Moon Hatched by Sarah A Parker (loved, to my surprise) and DNF'd The Children of Gods and Fighting Men by Shauna Lawless (...boring imo, got to 30%). I binged Lore and Order by Stephen K Peacock and found it to be absolutely delightful because it broke the fourth wall a TON and was basically nonstop action. It was very different from anything I've read lately and had a unique magic system.

    1 vote
  4. Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books

    crialpaca
    Link Parent
    Elizabeth Gaskell's North and South is a bit similar, if a different era - industrialization has begun in England in her works. I've only watched the miniseries but the book is public domain and...

    Elizabeth Gaskell's North and South is a bit similar, if a different era - industrialization has begun in England in her works. I've only watched the miniseries but the book is public domain and available for free from Project Gutenberg. I'm planning to read it and haven't gotten to it yet.

    1 vote
  5. Comment on Tildes Book Club - Born a Crime, How is it going? in ~books

    crialpaca
    Link Parent
    I was wondering why the library didn't have it, and that explains that! I've never subscribed to Audible and I don't think I really want to, but if I start feeling the need to get more out of...

    I was wondering why the library didn't have it, and that explains that!

    I've never subscribed to Audible and I don't think I really want to, but if I start feeling the need to get more out of audiobooks than I can from my library, I might check out that website more closely. Thanks for the tip!

    2 votes
  6. Comment on Tildes Book Club Spring and Summer schedule 2025 in ~books

    crialpaca
    Link Parent
    Thank you for the reply! That sounds like a very neat experience. I would love to hear the author read it but unfortunately my library doesn't have the audiobook yet.

    Thank you for the reply! That sounds like a very neat experience. I would love to hear the author read it but unfortunately my library doesn't have the audiobook yet.

    3 votes
  7. Comment on What is your strangely specific phobia? in ~talk

    crialpaca
    Link Parent
    Not quite the same, but I have been getting trapped in bathrooms since like 2005. It has happened at least 3 times, once for what felt like hours. It's now an ever-present anxiety when I'm...

    Not quite the same, but I have been getting trapped in bathrooms since like 2005. It has happened at least 3 times, once for what felt like hours. It's now an ever-present anxiety when I'm traveling. I got stuck in a bathroom stall for several minutes at JFK airport between flights and thought for sure I would miss my flight. I guess I just have the luck of finding sticky doors!

    4 votes
  8. Comment on How often do you replace your phone? in ~tech

    crialpaca
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    I'm getting to the point of acquiring a new phone. I have a Samsung Galaxy S21+ and basically live my life on it, including doing things that many people consider to be tasks reserved for computer...

    I'm getting to the point of acquiring a new phone. I have a Samsung Galaxy S21+ and basically live my life on it, including doing things that many people consider to be tasks reserved for computer use cases (e.g., buying airline tickets, booking hotels, paying bills, making appointments). I started seriously thinking about buying a new phone when I noticed a more frequent occurrence of: 1. Battery not lasting the whole day despite normal activity. 2. Connectivity issues (refusing to connect to networks when I know I'm not in a dead zone, and now having a hard time taking with my smart watch to start an activity). 3. I'm more likely to blame my car for this, but it disconnects from Android Auto when it fully charges via wired connection (wireless isn't an option for the car). If it's a phone issue... well, a different phone might correct it and make Android Auto usable.

    This has been a good phone and I don't think it's at the end of its useful life, but I'm basically constantly running it (audiobooks, reading on the screen, browsing, casual games) and I don't want to drag myself down while trying to use a "run it into the ground" approach. So when it starts to look like it's getting inconsistent and going downhill, I'm jumping ship.

    I already know that I will continue to use Android and that I'm not a huge fan of Samsung, so I'm probably going to take this opportunity to hop ecosystems. I compared this phone to a handful of others and basically came up with the Pixel 9 as a more-or-less lateral move. I don't need to upgrade; my main focus will be getting a phone that is capable of what I have now, with a decent lifespan going forward, for a not-terrible price.

    Background: I've had Samsung galaxy S-somethings for years (decades?) and have pretty much had the same philosophy seen above. There was a short time when I bought a Windows phone for the camera (traveling), and I loved it dearly because of my activities at the time (writing in Word was super easy because of the integration, and I was a college student doing homework on my phone!). Despite my history of being a Galaxy owner, I'm not brand-loyal, and I find Samsung to be among the more invasive phone brands. Not that Google will be any better (ha), but at least there will be less bloatware.

    Side note, if anyone can tell me if there are phone brands that are eschewing AI... I'd be interested in that. But I'd also be very surprised.

    7 votes
  9. Comment on Tildes Book Club Spring and Summer schedule 2025 in ~books

    crialpaca
    (edited )
    Link Parent
    I have mine in hand as an ebook from the library. I have one and a half books to read before it, but I think that will be manageable. Would you be able to say if there are any elements to it that...

    I have mine in hand as an ebook from the library. I have one and a half books to read before it, but I think that will be manageable. Would you be able to say if there are any elements to it that might be viewed better on a color-capable device, like photographs? I'm debating whether or not to send it to my Kindle, which is e-ink and wouldn't be the best for that.

    2 votes
  10. Comment on What is your strangely specific phobia? in ~talk

    crialpaca
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    I am severely avoidant of orcas ever since dreaming of getting knocked out of a small boat with my family and becoming snacks. I don't like to see them or depictions of them. I live in Washington,...

    I am severely avoidant of orcas ever since dreaming of getting knocked out of a small boat with my family and becoming snacks. I don't like to see them or depictions of them. I live in Washington, where they appear on license plates and just about everywhere has businesses with orcas as mascots or cities with them in their logo. It's great fun.

    2 votes
  11. Comment on Weekly thread for casual chat and photos of pets in ~life.pets

    crialpaca
    Link Parent
    Yeah, my girl has had an uptick in available toys as we've both aged and I've been able to feel like I can get her more (and spoil her)... and we never throw anything away, which doesn't help! I'm...

    Yeah, my girl has had an uptick in available toys as we've both aged and I've been able to feel like I can get her more (and spoil her)... and we never throw anything away, which doesn't help!

    I'm sorry about Quincy :( He has an adorable lil face, thank you for sharing the pic!

    2 votes
  12. Comment on What are some books for which the critical/public opinion has flipped over time? in ~books

    crialpaca
    Link Parent
    This is me (not sure what your generation is, but I'm a millennial/zoomer cusp). Harry Potter was a huge thing for me growing up. I read it multiple times. Wrote fanfiction. Learned graphic art so...

    This is me (not sure what your generation is, but I'm a millennial/zoomer cusp). Harry Potter was a huge thing for me growing up. I read it multiple times. Wrote fanfiction. Learned graphic art so I could make graphics out of movie stills for my fanfiction. And yet... the depth of my disappointment in the stuff the world has gotten mired in across mediums and due to the views of the author is hard to express.

    Same goes for the Twilight Saga, although that disillusionment happened much faster.

    9 votes
  13. Comment on Weekly thread for casual chat and photos of pets in ~life.pets

    crialpaca
    Link Parent
    Her toy boxes are open-topped, so that might have something to do with it. Stuff is always available if she has the drive to play! Here's the floof tax.

    Her toy boxes are open-topped, so that might have something to do with it. Stuff is always available if she has the drive to play!

    Here's the floof tax.

    8 votes
  14. Comment on a/s/l? Tildes user survey question. in ~tildes

    crialpaca
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    29/F/WA, USA I'm in permitting. Currently occupied by reading a lot of books when I should be doing other stuff.

    29/F/WA, USA

    I'm in permitting. Currently occupied by reading a lot of books when I should be doing other stuff.

    5 votes
  15. Comment on Weekly thread for casual chat and photos of pets in ~life.pets

    crialpaca
    Link
    I have a 9-year-old terrier mix who has been teaching herself new tricks, so I'm here to sing her praises. This young lady has been putting her toys away for a few months now (long enough and...

    I have a 9-year-old terrier mix who has been teaching herself new tricks, so I'm here to sing her praises. This young lady has been putting her toys away for a few months now (long enough and often enough for me to realize that it's not an accident). My partner occasionally picks up her toys and puts them in one of her toy baskets. In recent months, she'll get a toy out, squeak it a few times, put it back, and choose another one. Sometimes, she'll do this after ten minutes of playing with a toy, or even swap toys between baskets. She doesn't always put them back, but when she does, she's generally going out of her way to do so. It's baffling and heartwarming to watch.

    Also, I think she has been trying to make friends with the cat. We moved our furniture earlier this week, and he has been sitting on a couch that is in a new spot. Twice now, she has purposefully gone out of her way to lay with him on the couch, though at a respectful distance of like 18 inches. There were even more attractive options available - sitting with me with the heated blanket, for example - but she decided to sit by him, instead. It's sweet to see them pretty comfortable in each other's presence. They've been together for about a year and a half now and mostly tolerate each other otherwise.

    11 votes
  16. Comment on Pharrell Williams, Michel Gondry scrap their movie musical at Universal in postproduction in ~movies

    crialpaca
    Link Parent
    Yes, conceit works in this context. In discussing writing, especially things like mysteries (not sure if it applies to other genres as well), conceit is a term used to discuss the work's basis,...

    Yes, conceit works in this context. In discussing writing, especially things like mysteries (not sure if it applies to other genres as well), conceit is a term used to discuss the work's basis, from which the rest of the story is drawn. The internet also says it's a literary term for extended metaphors.

    6 votes
  17. Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books

    crialpaca
    Link
    I've had a struggle with finding time these last couple of weeks. Work has been interaction-heavy and life has been piling on, so I've been feeling a little escapism-deprived, ha. Currently...

    I've had a struggle with finding time these last couple of weeks. Work has been interaction-heavy and life has been piling on, so I've been feeling a little escapism-deprived, ha.

    Currently reading: Ministry for the Future for tildes book club. I'm ambivalent but I find myself not fully committing/not suspending disbelief for the STEM and economics stuff. I did enjoy the glacier and climbing passages. Also listening to Onyx Storm, and reading Where Oceans Burn by Casey Bond when I'm on the bus or whatever. Listening to In the Lives of Puppets by TJ Klune with my partner (reinforcing my dislike of Pinocchio lol).

    Up next is Ashes and the Star-Cursed King by Carissa Broadbent (text), When the Moon Hatched by Sarah Parker and The Children of Gods and Fighting Men by Shauna Lawless (audio), and Lore and Order by Stephen Peacock (text for book club). And Born a Crime hopefully by the end of the month.

    3 votes
  18. Comment on I hate the new internet. I hate the new tech world. I hate it all. I want out, and I can't be the only one. in ~tech

    crialpaca
    Link Parent
    This is a balance I'm also trying to strike. So far, I've kind of made myself some guidelines of "is the discussion in this thread valuable to me (yet)?" If there's a topic that looks like it's...

    This is a balance I'm also trying to strike. So far, I've kind of made myself some guidelines of "is the discussion in this thread valuable to me (yet)?" If there's a topic that looks like it's important, but the conversation hasn't developed yet, I'll come back to it later maybe. If the conversation has developed and I scroll through it and my FOMO is satisfied that the conversation won't help me or something, I'll Ignore the thread. If I find myself having negative feelings, I back out of the thread as soon as I've learned whatever I think is necessary. Kind of self-modulating my intake of the doom. The state of the news / the world right now really makes me wonder what it would have been like a century ago, before information traveled in seconds.

    3 votes
  19. Comment on Tildes Book Club discussion - The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson in ~books

    crialpaca
    Link Parent
    It's also implied that Frank ended up in a relationship with a woman from a refugee camp who had two daughters (the chapter was from the perspective of one of the girls) as a man named "Jake" (his...

    It's also implied that Frank ended up in a relationship with a woman from a refugee camp who had two daughters (the chapter was from the perspective of one of the girls) as a man named "Jake" (his Swiss identity is Jacob). One of the daughters (I think) reappears later and has been in her new refugee camp, since leaving Jake's home, for 1800-some days. Frank also recalls some details later, more vaguely (maybe he does more of this - I'm about 50% through).

    Jake's relationship with the adult refugee woman is shown to be tumultuous. I would have to assume he was in this relationship during a time when he was actively getting therapy, because he was housed and volunteering. But still, he went through the same cycle of domestic issues as is often portrayed for those with PTSD, and it's shown to have detrimental effects on those around him for years to come, literally changing the course of the girls' futures and landing at least one of them in a more desolate place than she started. I think this is also probably pretty detrimental to the image of people living with PTSD.

    3 votes
  20. Comment on What are some favorite books with themes of grit, endurance, resilience, living through hostile circumstances? in ~books

    crialpaca
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    This is a group of themes I haven't read a lot of, but the ones that strike me as relevant are: Anything by Jack London? (I've only read The Call of the Wild, but I'm fairly sure his stuff fits...

    This is a group of themes I haven't read a lot of, but the ones that strike me as relevant are:

    Anything by Jack London? (I've only read The Call of the Wild, but I'm fairly sure his stuff fits the bill generally.)

    Sand and Across the Sand by Hugh Howey. Some very resilient characters in these and I greatly enjoyed the world and how the characters find their places in it. (I imagine Wool etc. would fall into this category, as well, but I haven't read them just yet.)

    Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett fits into these themes really well, as well (haven't gotten to the other ones yet and haven't yet decided if I will). However, it's to the point that the characters encounter so much adversity that the payoff is just... not enough. It was a challenge for me personally. I would still recommend it, but probably only with the caveat of "it's a book that makes reading it feel like a project, so it's something you have to be ready to take on."

    1 vote