Reading

Entry tags:

weeknotes (august 3-9)

Life Updates

I can’t believe another week has gone by already! I’ve been enjoying myself immensely here, sitting in the garden and harvesting handfuls of cherry tomatoes. I haven’t even made it into town proper yet and I’m coming up on my third week in this housesit. Whoops!

🐈‍⬛ Cats are doing well, and the shyest one even let me pet him (once) when he saw his siblings in the same room with me. They’ve also started coming to wake me (at 6am) which I’m taking as a sign that they like me.

Media Consumption

🎧 Too Many Tabs podcast has started their Quack Month, where they focus on quacks in August. It’s one of my favorite months for their podcast, partly because Mrs. P is the one researching and explaining everything, and she’s great. (Mr. P is also good but his shtick is shouting enthusiastically about everything which can be tiring. Also if you’re looking at the thumbnails– only Mr. P is onscreen because Mrs. P doesn’t want internet fame.)

The first episode was about Liver King, who I’ve only seen on the periphery on TikTok from people talking about how horrible he is.

📺 I watched The Producers (1967) which I think I’ve seen before– but I don’t remember the entire last half of the film, so basically it was like watching it for the first time. I enjoyed seeing where they changed things for the musical (which I love) and what things they kept. I much prefer the characters in the musical, as they have a bit more depth.

I also watched The Wiz (1978)! I loved the actors/singing/music, but the empty urban pseudo-NYC streets freaked me out (maybe it was supposed to do that?) and some of the musical numbers went on way too long (the intro to Oz scene where they change colors over and over). I’m planning on watching the Live production of the musical whenever I can track it down, as apparently the stage version is much better.

📖 Finished reading Moby-Duck (reading log + review), which I overall enjoyed but I do think it needed a bit more tightening up.

Also finished Seasons of the Wild (reading log + review), which was underwhelming.

Currently reading Climate Resilience (reading log), which is a good topic and has some great tips for getting more involve with climate activism, but some of the language feels…idk…over-the-top? I’m not sure how to describe it. Like, instead of just saying “I met this person and it was great,” it’s written more like “I had the honor of being in the same room as this amazing activist who has done 50 million things and is a mother, daughter, sister, aunt and earth goddess.” :/ Also they’re edited/compiled essays from interviews and everyone ends up sounding the same because of that, which is a shame.

I think I may temporarily swap over to my Kindle and read a fantasy/romance book as a palette cleanser.

Food & Dining

I harvested enough cherry tomatoes to finally be able to make a soup, which I did. (I used this recipe.) Of course as soon as I made it, I didn’t want to eat it, so it’s in the fridge for later.

The next batch of tomatoes are going to be made into a pasta sauce. I have some non-cherry ones ripening in a paper bag, and they’re nearly ready to use. I just need to track down some jars so I have somewhere to store it all!

Web Updates

New on the site:

Added a new note to my Commonplace Notebook on the Notes about AI page

Posted on the blog:

I also did a lot of theme customization, which I outlined here on this page.

Looking Forward

My usual goal to write here and on my site. I’m nearly done with a guide to customizing the look of your Calibre library, I just need to finish the formatting.

I’d also like to get in the habit of leaving comments on other people’s blogs (or emailing them), especially if I link them in a linkspam post. Right now I do it sporadically and I think if I make it more of a habit then it’ll stick better.

Crossposted from Pixietails Club Blog.

Current Mood: hopeful

Add me, perhaps?

Name: April Lynn Jolley

Age: 45

My posting schedule tends to be: daily/weekly/monthly/sporadic/etc Mostly sporadic. I may post 2 or more times a day or I may post monthly. It just depends on how I feel.

I mostly post about: All my workout routines, everyday things, random thoughts: some silly, some serious, my thoughts and emotions, politics.

My hobbies are: Being with my husband and baby cats, being with my mom and family, cats, working out, taking and posing in pictures, Psychology, fashion & beauty, horror movies & books, crime shows, the paranormal, fantasy movies & books, mystery movies & books, playing cards, playing board games, Facebook, journaling, ChatGPT, photo edits, graphics, digital design, edits, anime, Unicorns, scrapbooking, Stephen King, Agatha Christie, dancing, writing, poetry, reading, indie rock, pop, and alternative.

I'm looking to meet people who: Are open-minded, liberal, thoughtful, intelligent and loyal I like people who have a sense of individuality. I love expression and anything awkward and imperfect, because that's natural and that's real. ♥
.
My posting schedule tends to be: daily/weekly/monthly/sporadic/etc I post mostly sporadic entries. I might most 2 times a day or I may post monthly. It just all depends on how I feel.

When I add people, my dealbreakers are: Homophobia, racism, sexism, judgmental people, really rude and stupid people. People who can't agree to disagree.

Before adding me, you should know: That I've had MS for over 25 years now. That makes my life incredibility hard at times but we all have our cross to bear. I'm very friendly, but I am sarcastic and have a dark, morbid sense of humor. I can get depressed at times. If you comment on my entries, I'll comment back. ♥

Entry tags:

media: books: nonfiction

📖 reading log: seasons of the wild by sy montgomery

Book Info

Topics: Nonfiction, Nature

LibraryThing: https://www.librarything.com/work/3092900/

Acquired from: Little Free Library, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA [see visit log]

Started reading: August 6, 2025

Finished reading: August 9, 2025

Review

A book with enthusiastic views of nature (animals, plans, seasons, etc.) presented in a way that just wanted me to see sources. Like, many mentions of things that happened in “recent times” (the 90s) but in a way that reminded me of those newspaper tidbit sections that were just there to give you something to read. Bibliography at the end which does include things used to write the book itself, but I personally would’ve preferred something more science-y rather than casual info-sharing.

Reading Updates

Page 0: This one didn’t come with a bookmark like Moby-Duck did, so I’m using one I got from Downtown Books in Milwaukee. I picked up this book partly because of the topic, partly because the blurbs on the back (“Sy Montgomery has insight into the Others that every nature writer on this continent envies.”), and partly because the author photos shows Sy holding a barred owl.

( Read the rest of this entry » )

Crossposted from Pixietails Club Blog.

Entry tags:

reading wednesday

💗 2025 Reading Log | 51/200 yearly goal (+1 from last update)

This morning I finished reading Moby-Duck by Donovan Hohn (book log here), a travel memoir/popular science book ostensibly about a bunch of plastic animals that fell overboard in the early 90s and how they roamed around the ocean for 15 years. I enjoyed reading this book for many reasons, but I have to admit I don’t think the premise held together at the end.

The author supposedly quit his job to follow the duck trail but the last two (or maybe three) chapters he spends following oceanographers around instead and doesn’t even see any ducks (or other plastic animals) and barely remembers to squeeze mention of them into a few paragraphs. Which, I get it, the ducks are a dead end, but it’s the whole premise of your book…

Also I don’t want to be overly judgemental but he definitely did that thing that men do when they freak out about being fathers for the first time, abandon their family for a personal quest and then figure out they enjoy being a dad and having a son, etc. Just. Ugh.

Anyway! I need to get through some more Little Free Library books so I can swap them out again, so I’m going to start reading Seasons of the Wild by Sy Montgomery, which is a collection of essays about nature throughout the year, etc. It’s much shorter than Moby-Duck so I should be able to read it quick enough.

On a personal note, I really enjoyed putting together the book log post for Moby-Duck, and I’m definitely going to do that regularly.

Crossposted from Pixietails Club Blog.

Entry tags:

📸 garden haul: cherry tomatoes + bell pepper

Basket of garden vegetables: two large handfuls of orange-colored cherry tomatoes and a hand-sized green bell pepper

The cherry tomatoes are absolutely popping right now and I have to pick them a bit early or else the birds and whatever else (chipmunks probably) get them. Luckily they ripen pretty fast even in the kitchen.

The bell pepper was the biggest of the bunch, so I picked it despite it looking a bit weird. You can see a slight spot of red coming at the top!

UPDATE from Garden Window Viewpoint: Caught one of the chipmunks EATING A CHERRY TOMATO!!!! (One that I left out there because it’s slightly underripe.) Vegetable thief!!!!!!!!

Crossposted from Pixietails Club Blog.

Entry tags:

morning in the garden

Managed to get up slightly earlier than usual today and got out to the garden just before 7:30am. Absolutely perfect temperature, somewhere in the mid 60s and only needed a light jacket (which I happened to buy in Chicago recently! Score!).

Major difference in sounds from previous mornings! Lots more chipmunk sounds– and in fact I saw lots more chipmunks, too. Fairly blasting my eardrums with noises (birds, chipmunks, cicadas, etc.) and only very minimal human-neighbor noises this time.

Did a lot of chipmunk-watching. The easiest way to spot chipmunks was to look where the sounds were coming from, and then watch for moving branches. Eventually I was able to make out little chipmunk shadows racing around, and it was fun to watch them scream at each other.

Even more exciting was the chipmunk(s) who came close to my chair. One even went to far as to run UNDER my chair, after we accidentally made eye contact.

Spotted several birds of unknown type, but probably finches, of various colors (yellow, brown, black/white). Also saw a bright red one, larger than a finch but doesn’t seem large enough to be a cardinal. Some small white butterflies visiting flowers, and ants investigating my coffee mug per usual. (No worries: I have a silicone mug cover to keep curious insects out from my coffee.)

Later, after heading back inside to my temporary writing desk, the groundhog ventured out and snuffled around some bushes looking for food.

Crossposted from Pixietails Club Blog.

Entry tags:

weeknotes (july 27-august 2)

Life Updates

Finally starting to feel settled into this housesit in Ann Arbor. Though the bed is comfortable, I haven’t been sleeping well. I wake up exhausted, which isn’t good. Feeling tired when I wake up makes me not want to go out and do things, so I’ve mostly been in the house slumping on the (admittedly very comfortable) couch with my books and my Roku.

But this week things changed! I dragged myself outside and did a walk around the neighborhood on Tuesday, one of the less-hot days, and I’ve switched to spending my mornings outside in the garden with my book and coffee mug. It’s an urban area, but this particular plot/neighborhood is ripe with tall trees and plants, so there’s lots of creatures to watch. Yesterday I spotted a goldfinch, and today I saw a chipmunk and a groundhog.

This morning I woke up feeling normal, so I think it’s working. I may start going on sunset walks when the temps cool down in the evening.

🐈‍⬛ The cats continue to mostly ignore me, but in a benevolent way. Miss F and Mr N have started letting me pet them more, but Mr B still runs if I get closer than 10 feet away. I suppose the upside is they’re very independent and I can get a lot of work done without having to shoo them off my keyboard.

Media Consumption

🎧 Lots of podcasts this week. Caught up on My Brother, My Brother and Me episodes from the last two or three months. I used to listen to eps regularly but this past year in particular it’s gotten increasingly obvious that they are aware that they’re, like, being watched? Like, it’s a little too much “looking for the bit” so they can clip it and put it on TikTok.

Also caught up with Too Many Tabs, which has topics I enjoy but which has gotten maybe a bit more shout-y since they started recording videos for Youtube. I’m sensing a trend.

Also listened to a great episode of Gender Spiral Podcast, which I wrote about here (DW).

📺 Continuing on my Midsomer Murder binge-watching. I’ve made it through DS Troy and have gotten into DS Scott’s episodes.

One thing I’ve been thinking about more during this rewatch is what happens to all these victims and secondary characters after the episode ends. So many people who find a dead body, lost a loved one, had a family secret exposed, etc. and they just disappear from the world entirely.

Hardly anyone shows back up again– there were a few times in the early seasons when a character from a previous episode would be referenced, and there’s one memorable time in season 10 (I think) where the same two character actors show up as the sister/nephew of characters from season 1. But other than that it’s just a swath of murder and misery in this one small UK county and nobody talks about it!

Which obviously has to happen, or else the story would never continue. But I think it’d make for an interesting story (perhaps a satire), to focus on what happens after a TV murder mystery. Anyone know if something like that exists? I’d be very surprised if a satirical author hadn’t put something out already.

📖 Still reading Moby-Duck, and am about halfway through it now. Very much enjoying it (especially when I’m reading it under a tree in a garden).

Food & Dining

I ate a salad and am very proud of myself.

Basically I ate all the good stuff from my major order (DW) and am down to eggs and beans, so I need to head out this week to get rice and potatoes and other starchy things I can put eggs and beans on.

Besides that, though, I actually have quite a bit left from my last order and I think I can put off ordering again for at least another week. Or at least until DoorDash gives me another coupon.

Web Updates

Joined heaps of fanlistings and a few cliques, as well as two site directories (Smooth Sailing and LinkLane.net) and a webring (No AI Webring). I joined the MelonLand Forum and am dipping my toes in.

New page added to the main site:

IT Chapter Two fanfic recs

And blog posts:

weeknotes (july 20-26) (July 27)
little free library visit log #1 (July 29)
📷 purple coneflower (july 29, 2025) (July 30)
📖 reading log: moby-duck by donovan hohn (July 30 & being updated daily)
ai spams fediverse, zine library, permacomputing (August 2)
🎧 listened to: gender spiral podcast “money sucks -and- you can do it (w/river nice)” (August 2)

Looking Forward

Keep working on my website, write more blog posts, finish Moby-Duck and maybe one more book, perhaps start an animal-spotting log for this garden because WOW and catch up on my Dreamwidth correspondence.

Crossposted from Pixietails Club Blog.

Entry tags:

media: podcasts

🎧 listened to: gender spiral podcast “money sucks -and- you can do it (w/river nice)”

Listen to the episode here / Transcript / Youtube / Podcast RSS

Really excellent money-focused episode which talks about some of the differences between how queer people handle money vs. non-queer people (example: needing money for HRT, money to move out of the country for safety, etc.), some of the ways you can get started thinking about money in a healthy way, how to talk about money with your friends, mutual aid and how to plan for it, and lots more!

I especially liked a part about how older gen can’t handle how things have changed for us, not because they’re being willfully obtuse, but because it makes them scared for us! And they don’t have the emotional regulation skills needed to handle it properly.

Also this quote from River Nice, from 00:52:20:

I’m like, “I empathize a lot for my parents. I empathize for anyone in debt.” It’s like, we’re in truly unimaginable times that we all have to somehow navigate, but we have each other. Actually, all we have is each other. We literally don’t have anything else. We don’t have the money in the bank, it’s not real. You say the stock market might not exist in 30 years, that’s so true.

That’s where it all has to come back in all of the work that I do is like, “Yes, I want you to understand how the rules currently exist, how they’re currently played. I want you to creatively play them as best you can, but also, what can we be setting up that we have options in the future? We can talk about diversification. We can, some of us put some money in the stock market to have some options there.

We can buy some property to have some options there. We can invest in skills, like trade school, like cooking, gardening. We can invest in relationships, in healthy conflict.”

River Nice’s website, Be Intentional Financial. Free stuff offered (on resources page) include: How to Live Your Life While In Debt, Budgeting workshop, How to Talk to Loved Ones about Money, How to Buy a House Outside the Nuclear Family.

Crossposted from Pixietails Club Blog.

(no subject)

Name: Mr. Fox

Age: 30-something

I mostly post about:
Stories from my life — my thoughts and feelings, especially during this time of war in Ukraine. I try to capture emotions honestly: memories of a peaceful past, reflections on the present, and tales from my life as a mariner and traveler.
This journal is still in its early days, after a long break from writing. Each entry is posted in both English and the original language. I also share my own photographs — from different times, chosen to reflect my current mood.

My hobbies are:
Photography (almost professional), lomography (daily photos of interesting moments), music (acoustic, alternative, instrumental covers), psychology, and classical literature. I love discovering new things — ideas, places, people.

My fandoms are:
Honestly, I’m not active in any specific fandom. But I enjoy reading and learning, especially to improve my English.

I'm looking to meet people who:
…feel connected to what I write — kindred spirits or simply those who find meaning in my words. I’m open to everyone (with one exception: I don’t welcome those who support or excuse the war). My posts are open and honest. I’d love to find new interesting people to read and connect with.

My posting schedule tends to be:
Currently daily, or a few times a week — depending on my free time.

When I add people, my dealbreakers are:
No major dealbreakers — most of what matters is already said above.

Before adding me, you should know:
I’m an open person without any particular agenda. I’m Ukrainian — and perhaps that matters now, just to avoid misunderstandings.
Welcome aboard. These are my messages in a bottle.

Watch on YouTube

Current Music: Smoke City - Underwater Love

When It Rains

It's been an entirely too interesting week. Let me explain. No, there is too much. Let me sum up.

Last week I developed an overuse injury in my right hand. Yanno, my dominant right hand I use for almost everything. It started as a pain in my shoulder that kept me awake at night, but then turned into a fairly nasty hand pain. Fox let me use one of his carpal tunnel braces, but Saturday we went out and found me a hand brace that specifically immobilizes the thumb, and that helped a lot. As of today it's a lot better but I'm still wearing the brace at night to keep me from contorting my hand and wrist in my sleep.

Saturday night the air conditioning went out. We called it in, and got on the list for a visit the next day, and the guy finally got to us at around two pm, but it was also one of the hottest days we've had this summer and by the time he arrived, it was 90 inside the house. We had box fans and stuff running but it was not a great day and neither of us got much done. Nothing happened on Sunday.

Monday the internet went out. This was an AT&T outage, and from what we found out through FastNet, their business services techs were saying someone cut the fiber lines - probably a construction crew. It took about 24 hours for that to get fixed, and in the meantime we didn't even have cell service. I'd occasionally get a "blip" of service and see a few notifications come in, but I couldn't get emails or texts out.

So far nothing else has happened. Fingers crossed.

I have fallen behind on my ham radio study, but I am starting to review previous lessons and bring myself back up to speed on that. Fox got his "official" pilot's license in the mail last week. It's a plastic card from the FAA that specifies unmanned craft, but it's still a pilot's license and he's justly proud of it. I also received my renewed passport, which may not mean diddly-squat but makes me feel mildly better about things. I also learned that as of right now, unless something changes *cough cough* American citizens who travel overseas can't be detained and denied re-entry into the US. I think that unless you're under some sort of warrant or whatever it's different, but they can't just not let you back in.

My birthday is coming up soon and I'm thinking of asking for snorkeling gear. I'd like to learn both snorkeling and kayaking, neither of which seems to have a huge learning curve, but they look like loads of fun. Scuba doesn't interest me because it seems like it's just an expensive and fiddly way to kill yourself.

Anyway I haven't done much art or any gaming with this hand/thumb thing. And I'm trying to be good about it so that it heals and I don't just prolong this. I kind of wish I could pinpoint what I did that aggravated it so much.

Current Mood: busy

Entry tags:

media: books: nonfiction

📖 reading log: moby-duck by donovan hohn

Book Info

Genre: Nonfiction, Popular Science, Travel

LibraryThing: https://www.librarything.com/work/book/291465892

Acquired from: Little Free Library, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA [see visit log]

Started reading: July 29, 2025

Finished reading: August 6, 2025

Review

(Written August 6, 2025; cross-posted to LibraryThing)

Overall I enjoyed this book, though I think the title/cover does it a bit of a disservice. It makes it seem like a very scientific book with a lot of history about plastic ducks floating in the ocean, but really it’s more of a travel memoir with some popular science bits mixed in. The last two sections in particular were heavy on the personal anecdotes and less about plastic ducks– possibly because the author hadn’t seen any for years by that point.

That said, it DID make me more interested about oceanography and oceanographers. I enjoyed the mix of travel, science, and history. The author describes people vividly, without being rude about their quirks, and you can tell he likes people. I’m uncertain if it was worth it for him to quit his job and pursue the plastic ducks (especially since he had a young child at the time!) but I suppose that’s just me being judgemental. (Although considering how many times he quotes Arctic explorers, I can’t help but wonder if wanting to explore himself mixed with fear of fatherhood led to suddenly wanting to go on a multi-year quest. Anyway.)

Reading Updates

Page 1: Found a promo postcard for 4Ocean.com inside the book and am using it as a bookmark

( Read the rest of this entry » )

Crossposted from Pixietails Club Blog.

Entry tags:

lfl visit log #1

Went for what turned out to be an hour-long walk around the neighborhood and visited five Little Free Libraries– and found some great books!

The majority were full of kids books, which makes sense I suppose as people tend to load up on those at thrift stores and whatnot, so they’re easy to pass along.

My favorite LFL was #119554, not least because I found two books which look really good! It also had the best design, with one box for adult books and one for children’s books, a separate dog treat library and even a water bowl. Super cute!

As far as I can tell, all these libraries are the pre-built ones from the LFL website.

LFL Visited

LFL #89560 “Elm Tree Little Library” – Ann Arbor, MI – Took Square Foot Gardening.
LFL #119554 – Ann Arbor, MI – Took Climate Resilience and Seasons of the Wild.
LFL #135682 “Barking Dog Library” – Ann Arbor, MI – Took Moby-Duck.
LFL #177207 – Ann Arbor, MI.
LFL #178758 – Ann Arbor, MI – Took Paradise Rot.

( Read the rest of this entry » )

Crossposted from Pixietails Club Blog.