smores's recent activity

  1. Comment on Tildes Book Club - March 2025 - Hyperion by Dan Simmons in ~books

    smores
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    I can’t say you’ll definitely enjoy it, but I felt like the Christian ethics were relatively confined to the Christian characters — and that the mosaic of ethical perspectives showcased by the...

    I can’t say you’ll definitely enjoy it, but I felt like the Christian ethics were relatively confined to the Christian characters — and that the mosaic of ethical perspectives showcased by the different characters felt pretty impressive to me

    2 votes

  2. Comment on Tildes Book Club - March 2025 - Hyperion by Dan Simmons in ~books

    smores
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    Ha! Yes, that is even more true in the sequel, I would say

    Ha! Yes, that is even more true in the sequel, I would say

    1 vote

  3. Comment on Tildes Book Club - March 2025 - Hyperion by Dan Simmons in ~books

    smores
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    Agreed, the Scholar’s tale was moving and fascinating and gut-wrenching. I also enjoyed the discussion of Abraham’s Dilemma quite a lot. I really liked Father Dure’s story as well. I’m glad it was...

    Agreed, the Scholar’s tale was moving and fascinating and gut-wrenching. I also enjoyed the discussion of Abraham’s Dilemma quite a lot.

    I really liked Father Dure’s story as well. I’m glad it was the first — it was very engaging and felt well an truly alien and bizarre.

    4 votes

  4. Comment on Tildes Book Club - March 2025 - Hyperion by Dan Simmons in ~books

    smores
    Link Parent
    So much poetry! I found myself very engaged with this book, and surprised myself with how much I enjoyed the poetry itself and the discussions of poetry. The ending was also a bold choice! I read...

    So much poetry! I found myself very engaged with this book, and surprised myself with how much I enjoyed the poetry itself and the discussions of poetry.

    The ending was also a bold choice! I read and thoroughly enjoyed the sequel — I couldn’t stop myself! But part of me almost wishes there hadn’t been a sequel, just to really put some force behind that ending.

    3 votes

  5. Comment on Tildes Book Club - March 2025 - Hyperion by Dan Simmons in ~books

    smores
    Link Parent
    On the other hand, I really enjoyed reading Sol’s philosophical arguments about sacrifice. The whole thing felt very Jewish (which I was pleasantly surprised by), and the conclusion was...

    On the other hand, I really enjoyed reading Sol’s philosophical arguments about sacrifice. The whole thing felt very Jewish (which I was pleasantly surprised by), and the conclusion was interesting and made sense to me. I’m not at all a religious Jew, but I appreciated the moral quandary posed and how Sol thought about it.

    3 votes

  6. Comment on “I don’t see how we can save it.” in ~life

    smores
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    It’s true, but it’s more complicated than that. The sewer system is funded directly by sewerage fees, not by property taxes, which we would be paying.

    It’s true, but it’s more complicated than that. The sewer system is funded directly by sewerage fees, not by property taxes, which we would be paying.

    6 votes

  7. Comment on “I don’t see how we can save it.” in ~life

    smores
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    Thank you ♥ I really appreciate it.

    Thank you ♥ I really appreciate it.

    3 votes

  8. Comment on “I don’t see how we can save it.” in ~life

    smores
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    Thank you :( Unfortunately, I think the primary constraint here is actually our township health codes, which are very strict on private septic system regulation. We're already going to need...

    Thank you :(

    Unfortunately, I think the primary constraint here is actually our township health codes, which are very strict on private septic system regulation. We're already going to need waivers for several deviations just to fit this system, which is already going to be significantly smaller than it otherwise would be because we're using an advanced treatment unit.

    3 votes

  9. Comment on “I don’t see how we can save it.” in ~life

    smores
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    Turns out, I really didn’t have many good photos of this tree, which is a crime. Here are two, one in spring, and one of the trunk in winter: https://imgur.com/a/Kgmr37N

    Turns out, I really didn’t have many good photos of this tree, which is a crime. Here are two, one in spring, and one of the trunk in winter: https://imgur.com/a/Kgmr37N

    3 votes

  10. Comment on “I don’t see how we can save it.” in ~life

    smores
    Link Parent
    Thank you both for the kind words. I’ve never really written anything like this before, but I’ve been reading more poetry lately and this felt like the right mode to express how I was/am feeling

    Thank you both for the kind words. I’ve never really written anything like this before, but I’ve been reading more poetry lately and this felt like the right mode to express how I was/am feeling

    3 votes

  11. Comment on “I don’t see how we can save it.” in ~life

    smores
    Link Parent
    We’re going to talk to an arborist, but unfortunately see cfabbro’s comment here for why this is unlikely to be successful: https://tildes.net/~life/1mwq/i_dont_see_how_we_can_save_it#comment-f71n

    We’re going to talk to an arborist, but unfortunately see cfabbro’s comment here for why this is unlikely to be successful: https://tildes.net/~life/1mwq/i_dont_see_how_we_can_save_it#comment-f71n

    5 votes

  12. Comment on “I don’t see how we can save it.” in ~life

    smores
    Link Parent
    I don’t actually live in the municipality that determines access to the sewer — I live 100 yards outside its boundaries, in the township. So I couldn’t run for a seat on the council that would...

    I don’t actually live in the municipality that determines access to the sewer — I live 100 yards outside its boundaries, in the township. So I couldn’t run for a seat on the council that would have power over this decision, anyway :(

    15 votes

  13. Comment on “I don’t see how we can save it.” in ~life

    smores
    Link Parent
    I do appreciate this insight — I never had much faith that transplanting would really be an option. I’ll try to find and upload a picture of our tree for comparison!

    I do appreciate this insight — I never had much faith that transplanting would really be an option. I’ll try to find and upload a picture of our tree for comparison!

    5 votes

  14. Comment on “I don’t see how we can save it.” in ~life

    smores
    Link Parent
    Unfortunately, yes, many. We’ve been to Township Committee meetings, had private conversations with the Township Mayor and Principal Planner for the County, been to Borough Council meetings, and...

    Unfortunately, yes, many. We’ve been to Township Committee meetings, had private conversations with the Township Mayor and Principal Planner for the County, been to Borough Council meetings, and had private conversations with Borough Council members. We were promised a meeting with the Water & Sewer Committee for the Borough, only to learn after the fact that they decided to meet without us, without notifying us, and without including the one committee member that was in favor of our connection to the sewer (we’re told it was a “miscommunication”).

    10 votes

  15. Comment on “I don’t see how we can save it.” in ~life

    smores
    Link Parent
    It’s… large. The base of the trunk is easily two feet in diameter, and the crown is probably, I don’t know, 25, 30ft across? Also this is probably something that needs to happen, like… now, which...

    It’s… large. The base of the trunk is easily two feet in diameter, and the crown is probably, I don’t know, 25, 30ft across? Also this is probably something that needs to happen, like… now, which seems like pretty bad timing, as it’s just started to bud

    5 votes

  16. Comment on “I don’t see how we can save it.” in ~life

    smores
    Link Parent
    Thank you. Our local politics around the sewer system are unbelievably contrived and have been for decades. You’re right, of course — connecting to a public sewer is an obvious win for every...

    Thank you. Our local politics around the sewer system are unbelievably contrived and have been for decades. You’re right, of course — connecting to a public sewer is an obvious win for every party, including the Borough.

    14 votes

  17. Comment on “I don’t see how we can save it.” in ~life

    smores
    Link Parent
    I’ve gone back and forth on this, but maybe you’re right. I’ll reach out to my local paper and see if they’re interested.

    I’ve gone back and forth on this, but maybe you’re right. I’ll reach out to my local paper and see if they’re interested.

    17 votes

  18. Comment on “I don’t see how we can save it.” in ~life

    smores
    Link Parent
    Thanks for saying so, it’s really reassuring to hear that this would affect other folks, too. I was honestly surprised at how deeply sad I felt when I found out.

    Thanks for saying so, it’s really reassuring to hear that this would affect other folks, too. I was honestly surprised at how deeply sad I felt when I found out.

    13 votes

  19. Comment on “I don’t see how we can save it.” in ~life

    smores
    Link Parent
    That’s a good thought. We have some friends that recently took a slice of the trunk of a downed tree to make a print of the rings, which could be really beautiful. We’re going to try to talk to an...

    That’s a good thought. We have some friends that recently took a slice of the trunk of a downed tree to make a print of the rings, which could be really beautiful.

    We’re going to try to talk to an arborist to see if there’s any possibility of saving/moving the tree (I’m not optimistic, but I want to make sure we’ve tried everything) — I’ll ask them about cuttings.

    ❤️

    6 votes

  20. Comment on “I don’t see how we can save it.” in ~life

    smores
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    I haven't written about this much before on Tildes, but for the past four years, I've been locked in a bizarro bureaucratic nightmare over our home’s failing septic system with the governing...

    I haven't written about this much before on Tildes, but for the past four years, I've been locked in a bizarro bureaucratic nightmare over our home’s failing septic system with the governing bodies from our township, county, state, region, and the adjacent town. A little over a month ago, we finally gave up on our appeal to be connected to the public sewer system, which runs directly in front of our property. We'd been rejected several times by the adjacent town, who had the final say, despite having support from every other body and expert involved. Today, we found out that in order to install a new septic system, we'll need to kill and remove the beautiful Japanese Maple tree in our backyard, which is one of our favorite parts of our home. I found myself remarkably saddened by this news, and wrote this short piece to express how I was feeling.

    52 votes