"You look Time Lord."

AKA Obsessing over minutia

( are you sure you want to click? )



*If you can call a "rewatch", watching an ep picked by randomizer that you've watched way too many times already.

We had a "free" day in Cusco, but there were some suggestions of activities that our guide could organise for us. Two other people in the group were interested in seeing the Moray Ruins and the Salt Mines of Maras and we were happy to tag along and make the excursion cheaper.

Moray was the first Inca Plant laboratory we encountered. As noted previously, it wasn't quite clear to us why it earned the status of laboratory.

( Pictures under the Cut )

The Salt Mines are not actually mines, but a salt extraction plant that predates the arrival of the Spanish and which are still worked today. Mineral rich water from the mountains comes in and fills clay lined pools. The water then evaporates and the salt is collected. They are owned by 300 families and there were people working them - flattening the clay lining - when we visited. I bought salt.

( Photos under the Cut )

The hardest thing about writing Peter Wimsey fanfic is the quotes. Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane have an encyclopedic knowledge of the literature of their era (and the literature that was considered classic/important in that era), and quote it often.

Today I posted on the Gaud Squad Discord that it would be awesome if we had a searchable database of the literature and poetry that they knew or could reasonably be expected to know, searchable by keyword and theme, so that one could look things up easily. And that I would be willing to do the data entry, but had not the technical skills to set it up.
supertailz responded by setting up a Notion instance and is noodling around with the technical aspects of it, so it looks like this is happening!

The easy part is getting the literature that Peter and Harriet quote added--all I have to do is read through the books (no hardship there!) and source the quotations. Although I know there are some annotated versions floating around, and if anyone has a copy of the annotations, that would be lovely.

The hard part is getting the right mix of things that Peter and Harriet would have known. Because what is considered "classic literature" changes over time. Some things rise in acclaim, some things fall out of favor. What would be really handy is a curriculum for Eton ca. 1900 and for Oxford ca. 1910, but so far I haven't found anything. Does anybody know how to search "what literary works were considered classics in 1920"? Or have a good list of where to start?

Off on holiday from tomorrow, back Monday, probably will be a bit sporadic on here in terms of comments and not posting, so will catch up properly when I get back!

Challenge #1

Journaling Prompt: Light up your journal with activity this month. Talk about your goals for July or for the second half of 2025.
Creative Prompt: Shine a light on your own creativity. Create anything you want (an image, an icon, a story, a poem, or a craft) and share it with your community.

For me I think it's going to be easier to set myself some goals for the second half of the year, rather than focusing on July, bearing in mind that my July involves two trips during which I'll be less online. So, I'll start with finally finishing that Dark series that I started at the tail end of 2023 and then got stuck on because I keep being drawn back to the conclusion that I wanted to avoid (brief spoiler-lite context: once I had more of an understanding of the timelines of this show, I understood that giving this character his happy ending just wasn't possible). I also would quite like to do something with a School Spirits plot bunny that could turn into a series (bit complicated to explain if you didn't watch season 2). And I also keep saying I'll go back to Lost's "Sun went back to 1977" series which I haven't touched since 2010 (Smokey McSmokeFace, that one's on you. Well, technically the writers, for going in the direction that I was not okay with.)

I'm getting the to-watch list down a bit, but still going to keep that one (I find that easier when I'm properly able to focus, meaning NOT in the middle of a heatwave which for some reason seemed to hit me harder the last two days even more so than 2022 did and left me not feeling like doing anything much. In that state, I can handle old favourites I'm familiar with, but not so good with something fairly new to me.

Ever since Isabella and Isla presented me with a Make Your Own Luna Lovegood crochet kit for Christmas (and that was 2022, so it's been a while) and I didn't like to admit that I'm clueless about it, I've thought I should get round to starting. Maybe this will be the year I get round to it.


I may not do both prompts all the way through, but here's a creative response:

Title: But I Still Need Love 'Cause I'm Just A Man
Fandom: School Spirits
Characters: Wally
Pairing: Wally/Maddie
Rating: PG
Warnings: Spoilers all the way through Season 2
Summary: Wally knows he couldn't expect Maddie to stay with him; he envisions how she could have ended up resenting him if she'd chosen to remain a ghost to be with him, but also can't regret that he's spoken up about what he wants for once.

( Read more... )

Since we're halfway through the year, let's look at how it's going. My goal was to reduce the number of unread books I have. I started at 38 and am now at 43. It's generally been around the same number, sometimes a bit less, sometimes a bit more. It was at 50 recently, so it's doing quite well in comparison...

I also have two squares left on my book bingo card. I could finish it off by replacing those two with something else on the list, but I'm determined not to. Not yet anyway. I have a book in my to read pile that will fit one of the squares. The other I haven't thought about yet.

What I Just Finished Reading
Vera Wong's Guide to Snooping (on a Dead Man) by Jesse Sutanto
I read the first book in this series last year (I think) and then discovered there's another one. Vera Wong is so much fund and I love how she gets everyone to do what she wants to them to do.

Lost Property by Helen Paris
This is all about a character who it seems just needs to come out of her shell. And then you gradually find why she's in it.

How to Murder Your Life by Cat Marnell
This book is like a train wreck. I knew it from the title and description, but she just makes such bad decisions and takes a lot of drugs. I thought it would end in her getting clean and it ends with her thinking she does, but there's really no difference from the other times she gets clean temporarily.

Picnic on Craggy Island by Lissa Evans
This is a really short memoir from the producer of Father Ted from series 2. It was interesting.

How to Age Disgracefully by Clare Pooley
This is the story of a seniors club and the nursery that's in the same building and also mayhem. Since it started with a character turning 70 and being lonely I knew it would end in her making friends, but it still went in directions I didn't expect.

What You Are Looking for is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama
This is a Japanese book that has five characters all of whom are dissatisfied with their lives and find the answers in the library. It was a nice easy read for hot weather, but uplifting because the characters all find a way to improve their lives.

What I'm Currently Reading
Beautyland by Marie-Helene Bertino. I picked this because it's short, but it's a bit hard going. But it might just not be a heatwave book. Although when I acquired it I wasn't entirely sure I'd like it, so we'll see how it goes when it's less hot.

The Busybody Book Club by Freya Sampson. I've read two previous books of hers and enjoyed them and they weren't hard going. Although I'm not fond of the publisher's font on this. I can change the font on my ebook reader, but I couldn't get excited about the alternatives either.

What I'm Reading Next
Depends on the weather. If it's hot then it needs to be easy reading. If it's an easier to cope with temperature

Mirrored from my blog.

Finished since the last reading post
The Blunders of Our Governments, where the passing of time meant no very recent blunders were discussed, but also perhaps has changed the perspective on some of the things considered successes. The chapters discussing reasons for the blunders were perhaps even more interesting than the chapters on the blunders themselves.

How to Survive a Plague by David France, which covers some of the same ground as And the Band Played on by Randy Shilts, which I've read before, but more from a New York City and the ACT UP and related activist point of view. Very interesting, informative, and moving.

Currently reading
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz, which has been a good bus read—my bus journey to work isn't really long enough to really get into a book, so anything with longer chapters tends to be a bit frustrating, but this one works really well.

Reading next
No idea—I've got a few books on the shelves I could pick up, some e-books as well, and I should have a library reservation coming my way at some point.

Missing (as of now): Snowflake Challenge number 8 and number 12.

Challenge #1

Journaling Prompt: Light up your journal with activity this month. Talk about your goals for July or for the second half of 2025.
Creative Prompt: Shine a light on your own creativity. Create anything you want (an image, an icon, a story, a poem, or a craft) and share it with your community.. Post your answer to today’s challenge in your own space and leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.

I want to finish uni once and for all!

As for ~ creations ~



Guess who?

Crummy picture, drawing is erhm, but it's alright.