crialpaca's recent activity
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Comment on Timasomo 2025: Final Updates in ~creative.timasomo
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Comment on Timasomo 2025: Final Updates in ~creative.timasomo
crialpaca LinkMy Halloween nails: right hand and left hand. There are 7 polishes in use here and it was a fair amount of work! Each nail has 3 to 4 coats of color, a base coat, and a top coat. This was also my...My Halloween nails: right hand and left hand. There are 7 polishes in use here and it was a fair amount of work! Each nail has 3 to 4 coats of color, a base coat, and a top coat. This was also my first time working with black nail polish. Thankfully, the one I got seems pretty easy to manage.
Every nail has 1-2 coats of OPI Black Onyx. Next, it's either OPI Sound of Vibrance (purple), OPI #virgoals (sheer bronze that turns green over black), or Sally Hansen Sundown Socialite (orange-reddish pink). A few nails have an additional layer - Sally Hansen Disco Ball (glitter in clear coat), OPI Feelin' Capricorn-y (sage with purple shimmer - appears either green or purple depending on light), or OPI Taurus-t Me (green fine glitter on left index finger).
Because of the many layers of polish, and this being day 4 of wear, it's shrinking a bit. But this has been a fun experiment with what I've heard called "blackened jewel tones." If I were to do this again, I would do it without the toppers - the sheens of Sundown Socialite, Sound of Vibrance, and #virgoals were quite nice on their own, I just got a bit enthusiastic with all the stuff I was trying!
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Comment on Looking for movies that combine religion mythology and supernatural elements in ~movies
crialpaca LinkMe and Mr. Alpaca recently watched a movie called Sinners. It's a vampire movie that is being advertised as pretty straightforward horror, but it actually has some elements of music, religion, and...Me and Mr. Alpaca recently watched a movie called Sinners. It's a vampire movie that is being advertised as pretty straightforward horror, but it actually has some elements of music, religion, and historical racial tension in it. I'm a big fan of Supernatural and I think other fans of Supernatural who have matured a bit would greatly appreciate it.
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Comment on Timasomo 2025: Week 3 Updates in ~creative.timasomo
crialpaca LinkJust made surprise progress on my plans for my Halloween set of nail colors. I have been planning to do a combo of green, purple, and orange. The issues with that are: I don't have a green that...Just made surprise progress on my plans for my Halloween set of nail colors. I have been planning to do a combo of green, purple, and orange. The issues with that are: I don't have a green that gets opaque, the purple I have is more of a plum and takes 5 coats to get opaque (which sucks), and the orange I have is actually orange-to-pink. I think this last one is technically fine, but it's annoying to have no fully compatible options.
So today, I swatched a sheer bronze polish I have that has a green shimmer, over 2 coats of plain black. Much to my surprise, the result was evergreen with only a hint of bronze tint when tilting in the light. Swatch stick. So! Now I have this option for like ALL the upcoming holidays. Excellent.
Next, since I've had so much frustration with the purple I bought (which has reinforced my determination to mostly buy in person, though I'm not sure it would have actually helped in this case), I swatched that over 2 coats of black. Imagine my surprise when it came out the way I always wanted it to! Swatch stick. I never expected this accidental black creme purchase to be such a godsend but here we are!
So, now that I've got these done, I can formulate my set for Halloween week. Which I think I actually need to paint tomorrow. I guess we'll see. I'm somewhat afraid of black polish and putting dark colors on my nails in general (staining can be a concern), but fingers crossed all goes well.
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Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books
crialpaca LinkCurrently reading: God of the Hive by Laurie R. King, which is roughly halfway through her current Sherlock Holmes/Mary Russell series. I'm at about 40% and I'm confused but I'm supposed to be, so...Currently reading: God of the Hive by Laurie R. King, which is roughly halfway through her current Sherlock Holmes/Mary Russell series. I'm at about 40% and I'm confused but I'm supposed to be, so it's fine. The Midnight Library by Matt Haig (book club), just started. Network Effect by Martha Wells (audiobook with Mr. Alpaca, more or less just started). And War by Laura Thalassa. I actually skipped including the first book, Famine, on my posts here, because I wasn't sure if it would be too embarrassing. Basically, the plot is "ladies who fall for the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse." And Famine was highly entertaining. So I guess War can go in my posts lol. Just started that, as well.
Just finished: Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo - felt like a clean ending to this trilogy, though I could have done with more. The Light Pirate by Lily Brooks-Dalton - I found this really slow but it might just be me. I enjoyed the nature writing aspects of it and the ending. Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer - funny but basically background noise. The Unmaking of June Farrow by Adrienne Young - I LOVED THIS AND I WANT IT TO BE A MOVIE. Ahem. This had a very good slow build of plot and romance and family and setting. Just the right amount of fantastical elements without making it too complicated. The Winners by Fredrik Backman - this author just knows how to punch you right in the heart.
Up next: A Court of Mist and Fury by SJM (DNF'd it on audio, we'll see if I enjoy it more in print). The Scald-Crow by Grace Daly, Carry by Toni Jensen.
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Comment on Timasomo 2025: Week 2 Updates in ~creative.timasomo
crialpaca LinkOkay I'm late BUT! Uh... I did a full set of OPI Pisces the Future because I thought it kind of matched my wedding dress colors without actually being the official nail polish color. Then my final...Okay I'm late BUT! Uh...
I did a full set of OPI Pisces the Future because I thought it kind of matched my wedding dress colors without actually being the official nail polish color.Then my final batch of mailed polish arrived (spoiler alert, I bought 3 more physically since then even though I'm supposed to be "banned" from spending more money on it at the moment until I try a lot of them... but I was enabled!!). I did some layering experiments.
Then, once the time came, I got down to business and put on the wedding polish. This is mooncat's Ghosts of Hecate.
Home again now and put on a fun partial skittle. ILNP Sweet Tooth; Sally Hansen Sundown Socialite and Pomegratitude. Left hand and right hand.
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Comment on Anyone else go to a No Kings rally today? in ~society
crialpaca LinkWe were on the road today for about 5 hours and saw a whole two people in what I imagine was a very conservative town. Mr. Alpaca honked for them and they immediately threw their hands in the air....We were on the road today for about 5 hours and saw a whole two people in what I imagine was a very conservative town. Mr. Alpaca honked for them and they immediately threw their hands in the air. I hope they're safe and warm because it had started raining not too long before. Otherwise, we really didn't see anybody, which surprised me. But I imagine they were all out in the more populated areas than where we were at.
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Comment on Tildes Book Club - The Poisoners Handbook by Deborah Blum - How is it going? in ~books
crialpaca Link ParentIt was definitely very interesting! Unfortunately I was very sick around the time I listened to it and the brain fog may have killed my recollection. I already tried to discuss it with my...It was definitely very interesting! Unfortunately I was very sick around the time I listened to it and the brain fog may have killed my recollection. I already tried to discuss it with my coworkers and the words just wouldn't coalesce (big sad).
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Comment on Tildes Book Club - The Poisoners Handbook by Deborah Blum - How is it going? in ~books
crialpaca LinkI listened to it last month and we'll see how much I retained of it for discussion...I listened to it last month and we'll see how much I retained of it for discussion...
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Comment on Timasomo 2025: Week 1 Updates in ~creative.timasomo
crialpaca LinkOkay, nail polish updates! I never get tildes's formatting right but I'm gonna try. So far, I've done a little bit of overachieving, mostly because I didn't think I would manage something...Okay, nail polish updates! I never get tildes's formatting right but I'm gonna try.
So far, I've done a little bit of overachieving, mostly because I didn't think I would manage something not-wedding-related until the end of October. I managed one and a half manicures, instead!
OPI Feelin' Capricorn-y was the first one, painted on 10/1. Blurry bus photo shimmering in the sun. This is part of my first buy from the drugstore (or maybe second - I think I went back for it) probably about 3 weeks ago. This is like a dark sage green with lilac shimmer. It took me way too long to realize they went for a "mermaid" look for this, because Capricorn is a goat fish. Go figure. I felt like this was okay but I didn't totally love it. Would still probably wear it again but likely as an accent or in spring/summer.
Then on Monday, the whole other half of my collection arrived and I got down to the business of swatching them. I learned some things about formula - some were fine and one was questionable (we'll see how the purple one fares around Halloween).
On 10/6, I got the next manicure going - what they call a skittle. It goes white-light blue-periwinkle-turquoise-teal, so it's a gradient, as well. I learned more things about formula and some things about opacity. After applying and maybe a day later. While executing the skittle was really frustrating (it took
8 million yearstwo and a half hours because I messed up a lot), I'm finding the colors and finishes to be very very satisfying. I'm already starting to devise future manicures, skittle or otherwise. The colors in this one were: pinkie - Sally Hansen Reflection Pool, ring - OPI Speed of Bright (5 coats = so much opportunity to screw it up), middle - OPI Pisces the Future, index - mooncat Ghosts of Hecate, thumb - Gemini and I. I did try a top coat on this one I hadn't used before, and I'm noticing that it's causing the polish the shrink and slip back from the edges of my nails. I'm not sure yet if it's just the top coat or if it's bringing underlying polish with it. I definitely don't love that, but since it's a quick dry top coat and they're considered to be as good as gold, generally speaking, I'll probably try to troubleshoot it.I called the skittle above "half" a manicure because it was technically wedding-related instead of fully self-directed. I wanted to see if partner had feelings about Pisces or Gemini compared to Hecate (which is what he had said yes to so far). Hecate remains the choice, so that's what I'm wearing to the wedding. :)
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Comment on It's impossible to evaluate your sleep with only one number in ~health
crialpaca Link ParentGarmin is great at location services. Now that I've had a Garmin watch for a year and a half, I can say anecdotally that they suck at calorie calculating (like to an embarrassing degree, depending...Garmin is great at location services. Now that I've had a Garmin watch for a year and a half, I can say anecdotally that they suck at calorie calculating (like to an embarrassing degree, depending on the activity), the body battery thing, and sleep tracking. It definitely can't tell if I'm awake or asleep if I'm reading near bedtime, for example.
Garmin seems to do pretty okay with heart rate, though. I was tachycardic when I was sick recently and didn't really think about it (my resting heart rate is normally 60-70; it was 120-130 those days). I went to urgent care and they sent me to the ER to get my fever broken to slow down my heart (and get every test on planet earth). After the ordeal, I went into my Garmin's history, and it had been logging it all pretty accurately, based on what the monitors said. I was just too sick to realize.
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Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books
crialpaca LinkCurrently reading: The Shadowed Land by Signe Pike (audio), My Next Breath by Jeremy Renner (audio with partner), Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo, The Light Pirate by Lily Brooks-Dalton, and Wool...Currently reading: The Shadowed Land by Signe Pike (audio), My Next Breath by Jeremy Renner (audio with partner), Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo, The Light Pirate by Lily Brooks-Dalton, and Wool by Hugh Howey. Mostly finishing up series I've started (really exciting to get to the end of some of them!) Or working on book club reads. Partner and I are listening to Renner's book because we're interested in him from his Marvel work and I appreciate him conveying his perspective about his accident (even though he didn't want to). We've just barely started this. We're also both reading Wool while we wait for the next season of the show to come out, since we seemed to have hit a good stopping point.
Just finished: The Boy on the Bridge by MR Carey (audio with partner). This was a follow up to The Girl with All the Gifts, which was an earlier book club read that we ended up really enjoying (despite my ongoing avoidance of the subject matter lol). This one felt like a little more of a slog, but it filled in some backstory, and also had an epilogue that took place after the events of the first book, so that was pretty cool. I also finished Clockwork Boys by T Kingfisher, which was very funny, and mostly lighthearted but a little grotesque. Also Season of Storms by Andrzej Sapkowski and A Sky Beyond the Storm by Sabaa Tahir, which unfortunately were rather lackluster installments in their universes, in my opinion. China Rich Girlfriend by Kevin Kwan was another one of my listens, but I couldn't tell you how much of it I really absorbed.
Up next: The Midnight Library by Matt Haig, Carry by Toni Jensen, The Scald-Crow by Grace Daly, The Winners by Fredrik Backman, and The Unmaking of June Farrow by Adrienne Young.
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Comment on Timasomo 2025: Roll Call in ~creative.timasomo
crialpaca LinkCount me in for art with cosmetics! Specifically teaching myself the basics of nail polish application with my own polishes. I ordered the second half of my collection yesterday to complete my...Count me in for art with cosmetics! Specifically teaching myself the basics of nail polish application with my own polishes. I ordered the second half of my collection yesterday to complete my "color wheel," and I'm hoping it'll get here in a reasonable amount of time for me to try like maybe one thing before I need to put my wedding color back on (which was graciously provided by a coworker). Wedding color is Ghosts of Hecate by mooncat, unless I do another polish trial between now and then that steals the show and partner approves.
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Comment on Announcing the seventh annual Tildes' Make Something Month (Timasomo)! in ~tildes
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Comment on Announcing the seventh annual Tildes' Make Something Month (Timasomo)! in ~tildes
crialpaca Link ParentThank you! I'll probably post the wedding nails themselves in a project update thread. The nail polish I'm using for them is tough for me personally, and I'm feeling accomplished just getting it...Thank you! I'll probably post the wedding nails themselves in a project update thread. The nail polish I'm using for them is tough for me personally, and I'm feeling accomplished just getting it on my nails in two somewhat even coats (been practicing). And by the time I have to apply it again, it'll be October!
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Comment on Monsanto products potentially cause cancer in ~health
crialpaca Link ParentThank you for the clarification! Makes more sense that they wouldn't have included that, then.Thank you for the clarification! Makes more sense that they wouldn't have included that, then.
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Comment on Monsanto products potentially cause cancer in ~health
crialpaca Link ParentI know you say it's not worth talking about, but I'm genuinely curious about what you think is trash. I worked at a farm store in 2016 when this was beginning to be talked about. A lot of the...I know you say it's not worth talking about, but I'm genuinely curious about what you think is trash. I worked at a farm store in 2016 when this was beginning to be talked about. A lot of the information presented in this video are things I was already aware of (e.g., Monsanto militantly defending its patents, these herbicides being linked to cancer). The thing that surprised me most about this video was that it didn't include the claims I've heard about Monsanto suing neighboring farmers who end up with round-up resistant seeds due to pollination from neighboring fields.
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Comment on Announcing the seventh annual Tildes' Make Something Month (Timasomo)! in ~tildes
crialpaca LinkI'm just getting into painting my nails and I'm considering doing my first set of my own choosing as a nice small commitment that I can probably accomplish in the second half of October. The first...I'm just getting into painting my nails and I'm considering doing my first set of my own choosing as a nice small commitment that I can probably accomplish in the second half of October. The first half of October is being ruled by my upcoming elopement, so the very first thing I'm doing is picking out what color(s) I want to wear for that. That's an ongoing process, but I just have one more color to try and I'm pretty sure I know what the final choice is gonna be.
Since I'm just starting, I'm mostly focusing on getting the paint onto my nails and using tools I've never known about or seen before (I've never had a professional mani and didn't have access to cosmetics growing up). My order of some essentials, like clean up brushes, is coming early next week.
While I'm low-key interested in painting actual designs on my nails, I want to focus on some color theory and picking out accent nail patterns and stuff like that until I'm more comfortable with tools. I have 3 colors to start with with one more on the way.
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Comment on Looking for some cat advice in ~life.pets
crialpaca LinkWe had a cat with diabetes for 3-4 years. I'm mostly curious what Nova's food and medication situation is? Our girl ended up going through a couple rounds of vet visits before we determined that...We had a cat with diabetes for 3-4 years. I'm mostly curious what Nova's food and medication situation is? Our girl ended up going through a couple rounds of vet visits before we determined that she'd 1. Need more than intervention via prescription food and 2. Need human-type insulin instead of animal-type insulin. It also took us a while to figure out the best dose and medication tools for her. (We eventually settled on human insulin needle-syringes, rather than pens.) Eventually, she would tell us when her post-food poke was due, and she looked forward to it.
It could be that Nova's appetite and desperation will calm down once her body evens out. Our girl and her brother had been free fed up until her diagnosis, and after that, they were switched to meals twice a day. (I don't remember them behaving desperately in response to this change, but I wasn't living with them at the time.) I know Nova's probably drinking a lot, but please keep an eye on any weirder litterbox (or out-of-litterbox) behavior. Infections like UTI and bladder infections can mess with their insulin levels and cause complications, which is ultimately how we lost our girl.
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Comment on Has anyone here tried bone conduction headphones? in ~tech
crialpaca Link ParentI do recommend them for an ear plug + conduction headphone combo if you're in a party town... this combo saved me several sleepless nights when we accidentally got a room basically upstairs from a...I do recommend them for an ear plug + conduction headphone combo if you're in a party town... this combo saved me several sleepless nights when we accidentally got a room basically upstairs from a bar in a snowboard town.
Thank you!! Shimmer is my favorite which is why it's so strong here lol