crialpaca's recent activity
-
Comment on Tildes Book Club - How's it going with A People's Future of the United States? in ~books
-
Comment on What did you do this week (and weekend)? in ~talk
crialpaca LinkWe're in the process of moving and finally finished our clean of our previous rental tonight. Giving the keys back in the morning. This week was way more strenuous for me with work than basically...We're in the process of moving and finally finished our clean of our previous rental tonight. Giving the keys back in the morning. This week was way more strenuous for me with work than basically any other week recently, plus we've been spending 3 or 4 hours every afternoon/evening at the rental getting stuff moved and cleaned... I've been getting 4-5 hours of sleep and waking up not knowing where I am (in our new house!).
I'm so glad it's the weekend and that maybe I can actually sleep a regular amount. I want to be able to relax for a significant period of time (hours?) with our animals and just bask in the comfort of the new house, the new neighborhood, etc... but I think we have more unpacking and maintenance to do before that'll be a reality. We're having some work done in our kitchen on the 16th, after which we can unpack in there, which will pave the way for us being able to actually unpack everything (since right now our pots and pans are in the linen closet, among other things...). The countdown begins!
Aside from moving, the thing that made my week more stressful was that a committee I'm on at work (which is comprised of volunteers for a project) suddenly became a huge point of friction. I was steamrolled by my boss's boss during what was supposed to be an open discussion, which was a hideous feeling. I've since been told by a couple of coworkers on the committee that they didn't agree with how my question was handled. It was nice to be validated, but I'm definitely not signing up for any more projects run by this person. This is one of two of their projects that I'm involved with, and they're both being handled with shockingly little regard for staff time and existing commitments. My job position is a boots-on-the-ground type of role (helping customers every day and completing tasks to get things moving along), which they claim they want on these committees for perspective purposes. However, my job doesn't include taking meetings like, ever, so suddenly having a ton of negative experiences now that I'm involved with meetings pretty much sucks.
Back to the house stuff, send good healing thoughts my way as I prepare to do battle with the scourge of thistles in our front yard this weekend... hoping to listen to my audiobooks while working on it so I can have some time in the sun and fresh air with manual labor and a good book. I'll be tired, but if it goes as planned, it'll be the great kind of tired.
-
Comment on Tildes Book Club - April 2025 - Elder Race by Adrian Tchaikovsky in ~books
crialpaca Link ParentHaving just recently read a book that involved a fungus taking over the bodies of hosts (like that one that takes over ants), my immediate thought went to this possibly being a similar thing. That...Having just recently read a book that involved a fungus taking over the bodies of hosts (like that one that takes over ants), my immediate thought went to this possibly being a similar thing. That reading experience certainly made this one easier to visualize. (I'm not including the book's name because I think this info is possibly a great big spoiler lol.) I thought it was interesting that the author gave it some level of sentience or instinct and communication that was clearly beyond what Nyr himself could synthesize, when he had been thinking himself part of the older, superior part of the human species... and then he encountered something he truly couldn't explain, either. This put him more or less on a level playing field with Lyn, except he had more toys. Of course, I seriously want to know what this being was intended to be, if anything in particular.
-
Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books
crialpaca LinkI'm working on Elder Race for tildes book club. At this point my participation is kind of treating this like it's a suggested reading list due to other time constraints, but dang it if I'm not...I'm working on Elder Race for tildes book club. At this point my participation is kind of treating this like it's a suggested reading list due to other time constraints, but dang it if I'm not giving it a shot! This one is so nice and short.
I've been reading Narnia on my phone while in transit. Currently on The Silver Chair, with The Last Battle remaining. This will be my first read through of all of them (Narnian chronology) and I'm completely in the dark as to the events of these last two books. They're fun, though there are certainly places where you catch the Christian imagery and symbolism. They can be a little overbearingly juvenile at times, though, and that's usually when I take a break.
Continuing with my listen of the Witcher series. Currently on Tower of Swallows. I could take it or leave it. Next up is Happy Place by Emily Henry and Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone by Diana Gabaldon; after that... whatever shows up from hold first?
My partner and I have been attempting to listen to the Murderbot Diaries. Currently on Rogue Protocol, but it's about to return itself because we're moving and haven't been settled for a listen.
-
Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books
crialpaca Link ParentI'm a newer romantasy reader about 4 books into Hades x Persephone series... I personally haven't loved it. It has been hard for me to take it seriously, so I'm not feeling very invested. I'm...I'm a newer romantasy reader about 4 books into Hades x Persephone series... I personally haven't loved it. It has been hard for me to take it seriously, so I'm not feeling very invested. I'm curious now about the ending and may just have to listen to it to see where it goes, for the entertainment.
-
Comment on Weekly US politics news and updates thread - week of April 14 in ~society
crialpaca LinkDOGE guts Americorps This is the kind of stuff that makes me want to throw my phone across the room when I see the news early in the morning. Americorps is an incredibly effective, mostly...This is the kind of stuff that makes me want to throw my phone across the room when I see the news early in the morning. Americorps is an incredibly effective, mostly volunteer organization. Its work touches hundreds of thousands of lives through its volunteers. This feels like just pulling down an institution because they can.
-
Comment on Tildes Book Club - How is it going with Elder Race? in ~books
crialpaca LinkElder Race is sitting on my coffee table underneath the other book I have to read for book clubs this month! I think my time budget will work out given each of the books' lengths. As for...Elder Race is sitting on my coffee table underneath the other book I have to read for book clubs this month! I think my time budget will work out given each of the books' lengths.
As for Hyperion... it's shaping up to be my next "read on commute" book after I finish my current one. Which means I'll probably finish it in 3+ months. Oops.
-
Comment on What lesser-known alternative would you recommend as a substitute for something more popular? in ~talk
crialpaca Link ParentYes, I won 2 or 3 last month. They say that if you don't claim a prize, your odds of winning go down for a while... if you remember something like that, it could be the reason? But I also mostly...Yes, I won 2 or 3 last month. They say that if you don't claim a prize, your odds of winning go down for a while... if you remember something like that, it could be the reason? But I also mostly enter for digital books, which often give away 250 copies at once, so much better odds when there are more copies. I basically never enter for print copies because they only give away like 5 copies or less usually, and more people seem to enter for print, so the odds seem to be the worst for that category.
-
Comment on What lesser-known alternative would you recommend as a substitute for something more popular? in ~talk
crialpaca LinkTime for me to post: TheStoryGraph as an alternative to Goodreads. It has so many features that I love. I found the navigation to be a lot more friendly, along with tracking progress and leaving...Time for me to post: TheStoryGraph as an alternative to Goodreads. It has so many features that I love. I found the navigation to be a lot more friendly, along with tracking progress and leaving reviews. I love that I can generate little graphics of what I've been reading in a month. I like seeing relatively matchy and also out-of-the-box recommendations for what to read next and for what to add to my TBR. I've won a ton of giveaways so far. It's super fun. It's a small company. It's free and there are no ads.
-
Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books
crialpaca LinkStill a bit slowed down because of life stuff (house purchase) but this is what I'm up to: Trying to get through library loans. I just finished Slaying the Vampire Conqueror by Carissa Broadbent,...Still a bit slowed down because of life stuff (house purchase) but this is what I'm up to:
Trying to get through library loans. I just finished Slaying the Vampire Conqueror by Carissa Broadbent, which I enjoyed. I'm currently listening to Children of Fallen Gods, the second book in her War of Lost Hearts trilogy. So far, I'm enjoying the moodiness and grunge of the vampire books more than the War of Lost Hearts. I also listened to The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by VE Schwab, The Goddess Of by Randi Garner, and The Language of Dragons by SF Williamson. Partner and I listened to All Systems Red by Martha Wells and have the next one queued up too.
I just picked up Piranesi from my stack of library books. Also in the stack to be read are: The Kamogawa Food Detectives, Elder Race for Tildes book club, and Ever King. I also got the first Malazan book on CD to put on my computer when I eventually get to it.
I have an irresponsible number of audiobooks checked out in Libby. Hopefully I'll get to them before they return themselves.
-
Comment on Hi, how are you? Mental health support and discussion thread (April 2025) in ~health.mental
crialpaca LinkI'm either in denial about my emotions or they're currently balancing each other. Partner and I are having a relatively smooth first home purchase. We were approved for a ten day close by our...I'm either in denial about my emotions or they're currently balancing each other. Partner and I are having a relatively smooth first home purchase. We were approved for a ten day close by our lender and we've kept on being extremely responsive. On the other side of "omg I'm gonna be a homeowner" excitement is anxiety about the next 9 days and what they might bring. And all the stuff we're going to do in the coming three months to a year. It's two and a half hours since bedtime and neither my partner nor I can sleep.
Also, my (step)grandma passed away the day we found the house. The grief is not processing, but I'm sure it's there and probably helped manifest yesterday's migraine. It's probably going to show up at a really bad time and it's probably one of the several reasons I can't sleep or bring myself to read very much right now. She was the first person to take me to a bookstore. I wish we had had more time to talk about reading, among other things, because I've just returned to it as an adult. My childhood memories from visiting with her are some of my best memories. She hadn't been able to speak without breathing issues for sometime, which unfortunately means that I really didn't get to connect with her very much recently (she also liked Trump etc., which made me nervous to get on a call with her or into a chat). This is my third relative to pass in the space of a year.
I have one more grandparent left (of 6 total). I'm trying to make my time with her count.
Anyway, I'm so overrun with all of this that things just aren't processing the way I expect them to. I'll probably burst into tears soon. -
Comment on Tildes Book Club - off topic - question re spinoff/ parallel to Storygraph in ~books
crialpaca Link ParentI would be totally fine with this scenario! Though I don't have any story graph friends to bring along to Tildes, it's just me compulsively updating my read percentages lolI would be totally fine with this scenario! Though I don't have any story graph friends to bring along to Tildes, it's just me compulsively updating my read percentages lol
-
Comment on Tildes Book Club - off topic - question re spinoff/ parallel to Storygraph in ~books
crialpaca LinkI obsessively use TheStoryGraph and tbh if some of the book club stuff was there I might do better at reading the books on time, but also no promises because I haven't used TheStoryGraph's book...I obsessively use TheStoryGraph and tbh if some of the book club stuff was there I might do better at reading the books on time, but also no promises because I haven't used TheStoryGraph's book club feature before, so I'm not sure how much I would use it in reality. (That's a really long run-on sentence oops.)
I joined the TheStoryGraph book club to see how it proceeds. I don't have strong feelings about the questions being posted there, but I think it would be helpful if at least the book info and a link to the Tildes discussion was posted!
-
Comment on When is pet insurance worth it? in ~life.pets
crialpaca Link ParentI made a top-level comment in this topic about it, but our household had cats who both went through what started out as treatable but ended up being life-ending illnesses due to complications....I made a top-level comment in this topic about it, but our household had cats who both went through what started out as treatable but ended up being life-ending illnesses due to complications. Each cat cost more than $7000 in end of life care. One cat had diabetes for multiple years and got human insulin without insurance, so her care costs were astronomical. If they had been insured from the start, their expenses would have been mostly covered and we honestly would have made back the premiums several times over, due to their ages and the amount of the expenses. Each cat was 7 years old when they passed. I'm pretty sure all new additions to our household will be insured from now on, if they're eligible. Baby cat (now two) is insured.
(@JCPhoenix since you were also curious)
-
Comment on Tildes Book Club - March 2025 - Hyperion by Dan Simmons in ~books
crialpaca Link ParentSame with the lateness! I bought it during the sale someone alerted us to, but life absconded with my reading time (for text) the last couple of weeks. I'm at 4%.Same with the lateness! I bought it during the sale someone alerted us to, but life absconded with my reading time (for text) the last couple of weeks. I'm at 4%.
-
Comment on When is pet insurance worth it? in ~life.pets
crialpaca LinkI wish my dog was insured. She had a back injury when she was 5 and has had it tweak about yearly ever since, and therefore is basically uninsurable because the cost is prohibitive now that she...I wish my dog was insured. She had a back injury when she was 5 and has had it tweak about yearly ever since, and therefore is basically uninsurable because the cost is prohibitive now that she has a pre-existing condition. Instead, I have a discount plan with her vet that includes office visits, dental care, and once-yearly x-rays. It's paid monthly.
If she was insured, we would have coverage for all the stupid things she's done to herself recently: smacking her foreleg on something, requiring pain meds while the swelling and limping went down; random diarrhea requiring diagnostics; tweaked her back again; created a hot spot on her foot... just dog things. Thankfully her office visits for these are covered by the discount plan. She may someday require more extensive care if her back issue worsens and requires MRIs or surgeries. However, she's reaching seniorhood, so those decisions are much more likely to be made relative to her chance for continued quality of life, rather than financial burdens.
Aside from her, we have had two cats who I wish had been insured. One developed diabetes and had it for 3-4 years before passing away due to complications with a bladder infection and her diabetes. Care costs were wild. Her littermate passed away a few months later after a sudden onset bone marrow disease (we and the vet think; it happened so fast it was hard to pin down other than an issue with his blood cells). Both were very expensive and we weren't able to save either, despite spending over $10k on their care.
Our newest addition (cat) has been insured by Lemonade (bundled with my renters insurance) since he was 8 months old - when we got him. He also has a discount plan at the vet. After the stuff we've been through, it gives me peace of mind that he is insured, even if we never use it. It covers accidents and illnesses with a $250 deductible and pays 80% up to an annual limit of $50k. There's some fine print, like "if he has a history of eating the same thing multiple times, that's really on you," (in more formal terms) but he hasn't ever been to the vet for anything other than a checkup, so he should be covered for just about anything dire, including cancer. I would much rather have him be insured and have that for financial backup than deal with the stress of a situation like we did with our cats again. We would still probably get a credit plan to pay for care in the short term, but being able to file a claim and get some of the treatment costs back would have dulled the financial sting. If you're considering it and it's reasonably affordable, I think it's worth it. I'll probably be insuring all my pets from now on in case we end up at the emergency vet for any reason.
(Also sorry if this post seems melodramatic... this stuff has been dramatic to live through! )
-
Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books
crialpaca LinkI've been reading real estate paperwork... "broke" my 200+ day reading streak the other day because I spent my bus rides reading CCRs and home inspection reports, and spent my other 5 free hours...I've been reading real estate paperwork... "broke" my 200+ day reading streak the other day because I spent my bus rides reading CCRs and home inspection reports, and spent my other 5 free hours in the day on the phone. (Trying to buy a house, and it has been a harrowing experience because we started at step 3 (finding a house) rather than step 1 (finding a lender).)
I still have a bunch of audiobooks queued up. Currently reading Crown of Midnight. Then up next is Rebel Witch, then Heavenly Tyrant, then Language of Dragons... all the fantasy books. I'm trying to physically read Funny Story by Emily Henry for book club tomorrow but idk, I'm not sure I'll make it. And lastly, I've started Hyperion for tildes book club, but I'm not sure how far I'll get in that either while this house stuff is going on.
-
Comment on What are some good stories told from non-human perspectives? in ~books
crialpaca LinkChildren's books I'm aware of are the Redwall series by Brian Jaques and the Warriors series (of which I think there are now many) by Erin Hunter.Children's books I'm aware of are the Redwall series by Brian Jaques and the Warriors series (of which I think there are now many) by Erin Hunter.
-
Comment on Rodent for dinner? US residents encouraged to eat invasive nutria. in ~enviro
crialpaca LinkNutria have been threatening watersheds for YEARS. I wrote a paper about it like five years ago. The Southern US has had issues with them for a long time. I'm surprised it took this long for them...Nutria have been threatening watersheds for YEARS. I wrote a paper about it like five years ago. The Southern US has had issues with them for a long time. I'm surprised it took this long for them to become a publicized issue in California.
There have been dog treats made from nutria meat on the market for some time. I haven't purchased any myself, but I imagine that would be one way to support making an industry of reducing their population...
Edit: maybe I'll grab my paper tomorrow and post it if I can find it...
-
Comment on How do you feel about your PTO? in ~life
crialpaca (edited )LinkI have split vacation and sick days that both accrue at a rate of 8 hours per month. We also get two personal holidays and most federal holidays off, paid (US, municipal employee). Once you...I have split vacation and sick days that both accrue at a rate of 8 hours per month. We also get two personal holidays and most federal holidays off, paid (US, municipal employee). Once you complete 4 years of service, vacation accrual goes up a fraction so you get 15 days total per year, and it increases every few anniversaries until you hit a point where realistically it accrues faster than you can use it (I have a coworker who takes every other Friday off to use it instead of losing it, since you can only roll over so much to the new year).
I think this is fine / great as a public sector employee. 12 days of vacation is decent for one longer trip and a few little ones. I'm definitely looking forward to more eventually. The sick time is adequate and I think the amount of hours you can bank is equivalent to where if you hit that point, you'd be eligible to file for their short term disability benefit. So ideally if you can build a big enough bank, there would be no gap in pay if something happens. Doctor note is required after 3 days of absence not covered by FMLA. After a small fight, they recognized my migraines were FMLA- eligible (no one likes long-term conditions) so while I usually use my sick days for those and accruing a decent amount of sick leave is tough, at least they can't fire me over attendance.
My last job was for a law firm where I was one of two full time employees. We had the state minimum mandated sick pay (6 days per year ish), no holidays, and I think ten days of vacation accrual per year. I ended up taking a lot of unpaid time off. I don't think I'll be going back to the private sector if I have anything to say about it.
Edit: Current job also has paid bereavement leave for loss of immediate family and grandparents/great grandparents. I think 40 hours per occurrence. This is extremely valuable to me for reasons I won't get into here but I'm very grateful for this policy. It definitely strikes me as the city being true to its values and treating its employees like fellow humans.
I am probably sitting this one out for contemporaneous discussion, as moving has greatly slowed down my ability to read text, which is the format in which I have this book. I'll probably read it eventually, though! Plus yeah, I'm not sure I have a great desire to read political stuff right now given my current news bandwidth (which is basically none)... but hey, maybe I'll try it and be surprised, I don't know!