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walk
May. 18th, 2025 08:47 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
redbirdI went for a walk this afternoon with Cattitude and Adrian: downhill to Beacon Street, then inbound as far as the Summit Avenue T stop. Not only was it useful exercise, I got to smell one of my favorite flowers, rugosa roses. It may have been too long a walk, because my joints were feeling the strain before I turned back and took the trolley partway home, but if I'd turned back any sooner I'd have missed the roses. While I took the T home, Cattitude and Adrian continued to Coolidge Corner, to shop for groceries and then get bagels. (Most of the time, the two of them can walk further than I can.)
I had to walk a few blocks uphill from the T to get home, but I allowed for that when I decided how far to walk. I came home, took my shoes off, and sat a while before I put on the shoes that I'm still breaking in. I will probably break them in a little more before I wear them outside.
I had to walk a few blocks uphill from the T to get home, but I allowed for that when I decided how far to walk. I came home, took my shoes off, and sat a while before I put on the shoes that I'm still breaking in. I will probably break them in a little more before I wear them outside.
Weekend at the sewing machine
May. 18th, 2025 07:02 pmqueen_ypolitaSewing is what I've mostly done this weekend. Yesterday, I got most of the bodice done and made a start on the sleeves, today I finished the sleeves and worked on the skirt. The next step is to stitch the gather lines and start attaching the bodice to the skirt. The collar took some fumbling around yesterday but seemed to fall into place eventually. Today's pieces were more straightforward. Today's problem was thread. I realised soon enough I would run out at some point. So I went and rooted through my sewing box and found a bit more of the right shade. That was just a momentary help though and I had to go out to get some more in the afternoon if I wanted to continue. Even so, by the time I finished for the day, I knew I'd still need more to complete the dress. But with a busy week ahead and plans for the next weekend, I'll have time to go shopping before I'll have time to continue.
shoes
May. 17th, 2025 12:56 amredbirdI went to the New Balance factory store today* and, with the help of two salespeople, found a pair of shoes that I think fits. I bought it, then treated myself to a hot fudge sundae before coming home.
By the time I got home my feet hurt, which is from either trying on shoes that didn't fit, or the amount of walking I did in my old shoes. I will wear these around the house for a few days to break them in and confirm that they fit.
If they fit, I'm going to go back and buy another pair in a different color; if not, I'll return them, regretfully. I also want to see about sandals, and have a few stores in mind, but shoe shopping is so often frustrating that I wasn't going to try a second shoe store today.
*meaning Friday, which is yesterday by the computer clock.
By the time I got home my feet hurt, which is from either trying on shoes that didn't fit, or the amount of walking I did in my old shoes. I will wear these around the house for a few days to break them in and confirm that they fit.
If they fit, I'm going to go back and buy another pair in a different color; if not, I'll return them, regretfully. I also want to see about sandals, and have a few stores in mind, but shoe shopping is so often frustrating that I wasn't going to try a second shoe store today.
*meaning Friday, which is yesterday by the computer clock.
Need to adjust my routines
May. 16th, 2025 06:48 pmqueen_ypolitaFor the past few years, I've mostly taken a lunch break and done my main food shop of the week at Friday lunchtime. But with the team change and changes to recurring meetings in this functional area, there's now a recurring fortnightly meeting on Fridays at 1pm. Which means I won't have enough time to nip out anywhere apart from the local Co-op. So I'll need to do something different in those weeks. Probably it means going out to shops after work on Thursday or Friday. Today, I walked to the town after work and the lovely sunshine made it worthwhile.
In other news, I wasn't planning to watch any of the European Song Contest, but I still found myself tuning in for the second semi-final last night out of curiosity, but it's unlikely I will bother to watch on Saturday.
In other news, I wasn't planning to watch any of the European Song Contest, but I still found myself tuning in for the second semi-final last night out of curiosity, but it's unlikely I will bother to watch on Saturday.
Sewing Pic Spam!
May. 15th, 2025 05:21 pmforestofgloryI've been sewing a lot recently. Here are some pictures
( Tang Dynasty Doll Clothing )
( quilt squares )
( Tang Dynasty Doll Clothing )
( quilt squares )
(no subject)
May. 15th, 2025 10:39 pmdhampyresaThe European Citizens initiative to an on conversion practices in the European Union needs more signatures before its deadline of saturday may 17. Please share and sign if you can.
Spent a lot of time in a meeting room
May. 15th, 2025 07:43 pmqueen_ypolitaComing into the office today, I saw the temporary air conditioning kit was switched off everywhere, so it seemed the air conditioning was now back to its normal working conditions, and that was confirmed by the office manager later in the day. Yesterday, when I was coming up the stairs to our floor I heard voices from the top floor, which houses the services only, so I suspect the work was in progress, so it was good to see it finished.
Today is the Global Accessibility Awareness Day and the accessibility team at work had organised a conference style programme for today, with sessions held in the head office in person and available via Teams to everybody. At our office, we had a meeting room booked so we watched and listened to the sessions together, rather than huddling at our desks just across each other. It was a good mix of talks. Some offices, including ours, held an empathy lab session yesterday, with kit and tools to try to put yourself into the shoes of somebody with an impairment. So I tried some of the glasses simulating different eye conditions, including tunnel vision, diabetic retinopathy, and cataracts. As I put those glasses on top of my own, the simulations probably weren't quite as intended, but the tunnel vision glasses certainly brought home how difficult it was to navigate or type anything. With the diabetic retinopathy glasses I didn't see well enough to even do the task that came with them—the solution there would probably have been to use voice commands or something. I also tried one of the exercises without wearing my own glasses, and that was certainly a case of nose-to-the-monitor and zooming out the text so it was much, much bigger than usual.
Today is the Global Accessibility Awareness Day and the accessibility team at work had organised a conference style programme for today, with sessions held in the head office in person and available via Teams to everybody. At our office, we had a meeting room booked so we watched and listened to the sessions together, rather than huddling at our desks just across each other. It was a good mix of talks. Some offices, including ours, held an empathy lab session yesterday, with kit and tools to try to put yourself into the shoes of somebody with an impairment. So I tried some of the glasses simulating different eye conditions, including tunnel vision, diabetic retinopathy, and cataracts. As I put those glasses on top of my own, the simulations probably weren't quite as intended, but the tunnel vision glasses certainly brought home how difficult it was to navigate or type anything. With the diabetic retinopathy glasses I didn't see well enough to even do the task that came with them—the solution there would probably have been to use voice commands or something. I also tried one of the exercises without wearing my own glasses, and that was certainly a case of nose-to-the-monitor and zooming out the text so it was much, much bigger than usual.
What I'm Doing Wednesday
May. 14th, 2025 06:19 pmsagebooks
Buddha's Brain: The Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love, and Wisdom by Rick Hanson, Richard Mendius, Daniel J. Siegel. 2009, I think. Really not as sciency as I was hoping for. :(
Chakras, the Vagus Nerve, and Your Soul: Journeying to Wellness Through Subtle Energy and Your Nervous System by C.J. Llewelyn, M.Ed, LPC. I was expecting something bordering on the woo-woo, based on the title. But it's actually a therapist's book on treating clients with trauma in a somatic-informed way. Which is very cool and relevant to my interests! (The last 20% kind of went into soul-stuff, but the rest was very rooted in science.)
The Neuroscience of Yoga and Meditation by Brittany Fair, Bruce Hogarth (Illustrator). This is so cool. All the nitty-gritty science of what yoga and meditation do to the brain. Recommended.
currently reading: The Hidden Story of the Mahabharata: With Inner Meanings from Paramhansa Yogananda by Nayaswami Gyandev. I've read parts of the Mahabharata, inc all of the Bhagavad-Gita, but never the whole thing and never with annotations. So far, it's a deeply satisfying read.
( dirt )
( healthcrap, Pilates, yoga, yoga nidra )
#resist
May 20 to 26: Walmart Boycott 2
June 1: Pride LGBTQ Protest
June 3 to 9: Target Boycott
June 14: Flag Day & No King's Day (Trump's Birthday) Protest
June 19: Juneteenth Protest
June 27: Stonewall Anniversary Protest
June 24 to 30: McDonald’s Boycott
July 4: Independence Day Boycott
I hope all of y'all are doing well! <333
Buddha's Brain: The Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love, and Wisdom by Rick Hanson, Richard Mendius, Daniel J. Siegel. 2009, I think. Really not as sciency as I was hoping for. :(
Chakras, the Vagus Nerve, and Your Soul: Journeying to Wellness Through Subtle Energy and Your Nervous System by C.J. Llewelyn, M.Ed, LPC. I was expecting something bordering on the woo-woo, based on the title. But it's actually a therapist's book on treating clients with trauma in a somatic-informed way. Which is very cool and relevant to my interests! (The last 20% kind of went into soul-stuff, but the rest was very rooted in science.)
The Neuroscience of Yoga and Meditation by Brittany Fair, Bruce Hogarth (Illustrator). This is so cool. All the nitty-gritty science of what yoga and meditation do to the brain. Recommended.
currently reading: The Hidden Story of the Mahabharata: With Inner Meanings from Paramhansa Yogananda by Nayaswami Gyandev. I've read parts of the Mahabharata, inc all of the Bhagavad-Gita, but never the whole thing and never with annotations. So far, it's a deeply satisfying read.
( dirt )
( healthcrap, Pilates, yoga, yoga nidra )
#resist
May 20 to 26: Walmart Boycott 2
June 1: Pride LGBTQ Protest
June 3 to 9: Target Boycott
June 14: Flag Day & No King's Day (Trump's Birthday) Protest
June 19: Juneteenth Protest
June 27: Stonewall Anniversary Protest
June 24 to 30: McDonald’s Boycott
July 4: Independence Day Boycott
I hope all of y'all are doing well! <333
CT scan looks fine
May. 14th, 2025 01:58 pmredbirdI had a CT scan of my lungs this morning, then saw the pulmonologist. The CT scan looks OK, considering: "Again seen is diffuse bronchiectasis with tree-in-bud opacities seen in the right upper lobe, right middle lobe and lingula. The areas in the right upper lobe may have improved in the interval."
The low-tech exam was also reassuring: the doctor used a stethoscope to listen to my chest, and had me cough while listening. She heard no wheezing (or other problems), which is good. So, she told me to keep using the flutter valve twice a day, and come back in six months.
And, some non-medical notes:
I discovered that it's possible to accidentally cancel a Lyft ride by putting your phone in your pocket after the driver has picked you up. The driver suggested I text Lyft to tell them I hadn't meant to cancel, but I couldn't figure out how to do that. After a minute or two of frustration, I asked the driver if he would take cash instead, and he said yes. So I handed him $25, and repeated the destination address so he could enter it in his GPS. I try to carry some cash on general principles, but this isn't something I was expecting to need, or be able, to pay cash for.
Mount Auburn was also having some trouble with their medical information system: the doctor could see the CT scan, but only on the machine in her office, not the one in the exam room. Fortunately, I didn't need to see the images. Given their computer problems, I was particularly pleased to have a list of my current medications on my phone, to show the doctor's assistant. I don't yet have my follow-up appointment, but that's not because of today's computer problems, but that they aren't set up to book follow-up appointments that far in advance.
I took transit home, which is cheap and makes sense to me, from many years of practice. I stopped at Flour to get something to eat, 7-11 to use their no-fee ATM to withdraw some more cash, and CVS to pick up a prescription, and was home in time for lunch. It was effectively two stops rather than three, because the 7-11 and drugstore are both near the bus stop where I was changing from the bus to the trolley.
The low-tech exam was also reassuring: the doctor used a stethoscope to listen to my chest, and had me cough while listening. She heard no wheezing (or other problems), which is good. So, she told me to keep using the flutter valve twice a day, and come back in six months.
And, some non-medical notes:
I discovered that it's possible to accidentally cancel a Lyft ride by putting your phone in your pocket after the driver has picked you up. The driver suggested I text Lyft to tell them I hadn't meant to cancel, but I couldn't figure out how to do that. After a minute or two of frustration, I asked the driver if he would take cash instead, and he said yes. So I handed him $25, and repeated the destination address so he could enter it in his GPS. I try to carry some cash on general principles, but this isn't something I was expecting to need, or be able, to pay cash for.
Mount Auburn was also having some trouble with their medical information system: the doctor could see the CT scan, but only on the machine in her office, not the one in the exam room. Fortunately, I didn't need to see the images. Given their computer problems, I was particularly pleased to have a list of my current medications on my phone, to show the doctor's assistant. I don't yet have my follow-up appointment, but that's not because of today's computer problems, but that they aren't set up to book follow-up appointments that far in advance.
I took transit home, which is cheap and makes sense to me, from many years of practice. I stopped at Flour to get something to eat, 7-11 to use their no-fee ATM to withdraw some more cash, and CVS to pick up a prescription, and was home in time for lunch. It was effectively two stops rather than three, because the 7-11 and drugstore are both near the bus stop where I was changing from the bus to the trolley.
Wednesday reading
May. 14th, 2025 05:45 pmqueen_ypolitaFinished since the last reading post
Finished China Dream and though I understood why Ma Jian's books are banned in China, with its themes of unhappy and violent memories of the cultural revolution and its "China Dream" being focused on censorship, conformity, and thought-policing.
Also read The Devil to Pay by Katie Daysh, the second part in her trilogy about Hiram Nightingale and Arthur Courtney in or near the Royal Navy during Napoleonic wars. It hooked me to the extent I ended up reading over half of it in one sitting when I really should have been sleeping already.
Currently reading
Still reading Heaven on Earth, about cathedrals, which has gorgeous illustrations but which is rather bulky to read.
Started reading Skott by Petter Sandelin, a Swedish-Finnish novel.
Reading next
Not entirely sure. I was looking up a couple of books in the library catalogue, but didn't put in any reservations and won't have time to go until Saturday anyway.
Finished China Dream and though I understood why Ma Jian's books are banned in China, with its themes of unhappy and violent memories of the cultural revolution and its "China Dream" being focused on censorship, conformity, and thought-policing.
Also read The Devil to Pay by Katie Daysh, the second part in her trilogy about Hiram Nightingale and Arthur Courtney in or near the Royal Navy during Napoleonic wars. It hooked me to the extent I ended up reading over half of it in one sitting when I really should have been sleeping already.
Currently reading
Still reading Heaven on Earth, about cathedrals, which has gorgeous illustrations but which is rather bulky to read.
Started reading Skott by Petter Sandelin, a Swedish-Finnish novel.
Reading next
Not entirely sure. I was looking up a couple of books in the library catalogue, but didn't put in any reservations and won't have time to go until Saturday anyway.
it's OK, i guess
May. 14th, 2025 02:00 amarchersangelon friday the old/former neighbor mentioned in this post needed some help with stuff, and afterward he offered to buy us dinner. we let him decide the restaurant, it was 8pm by that time & i thought be might end up at a burger place. but he chose to go to red lobster.
first, of all it was so dimly lit. like, i've had better lighting with a couple of candles during a power outage. my brother & i went a couple of times with our parents before long ago, but that was during the afternoon & we could see better. i had a hard time reading the menu because of how the dim the over the table light was.
got root beer to drink. it's supposed to be mug brand, but didn't taste the same as the mug from taco bell. my brother figures it was watered down.
had a couple of the cheddar bay biscuits. which were flavorful, but dry & i could never favor them in the red lobster vs. olive garden bread sticks debate. although, i don't think i've been to olive garden to try the bread sticks.
i went to the bathroom afterwards to wash my hands because of the butter topping from the biscuits. i only use public bathroom soap sparingly on my fingers, because it make the backs of my hands break out in weird, itchy bumps. the label on the dispensers said safeguard & whatever it was smelled a bit like a perm.
my brother got the grilled lobster, shrimp and salmon with a baked potato and orzo rice. he could not get any meat from the lobster tail, it was basically flatted in the grilling process. everything was on a large bed of the orzo rice. which was kind of nice, in terms of the amount of food overall. he didn't finish it & brought the leftovers back and had them for lunch. where he was more successful with eating the lobster tail.
i got the admiral's feast with seasoned broccoli and mashed potatoes. they bring it out on a huge tin tray of some sort & it didn't look like much of a "feast". the former neighbor asked if i had gotten an appetizer & i said it sure looked like it. i got 4 shrimp, a handful of fried clam strips, another of fried bay scallops & a piece of fried, breaded flounder cut in half. the sides of seasoned broccoli and mashed potatoes were on a a separate plate, literally to the side.
the picture online (i know they're all BS) shows a full tray with all of that, but 5 pieces of shrimp & 2 pieces of flounder plus optional fries. they'd be better off having it on one of the oval plates/patters, that way it would looked like you got more. and save the tin tray for the 1 pound of snow crab legs and stuff like that.
overall, it was not horrible. just a bit disappointing.
first, of all it was so dimly lit. like, i've had better lighting with a couple of candles during a power outage. my brother & i went a couple of times with our parents before long ago, but that was during the afternoon & we could see better. i had a hard time reading the menu because of how the dim the over the table light was.
got root beer to drink. it's supposed to be mug brand, but didn't taste the same as the mug from taco bell. my brother figures it was watered down.
had a couple of the cheddar bay biscuits. which were flavorful, but dry & i could never favor them in the red lobster vs. olive garden bread sticks debate. although, i don't think i've been to olive garden to try the bread sticks.
i went to the bathroom afterwards to wash my hands because of the butter topping from the biscuits. i only use public bathroom soap sparingly on my fingers, because it make the backs of my hands break out in weird, itchy bumps. the label on the dispensers said safeguard & whatever it was smelled a bit like a perm.
my brother got the grilled lobster, shrimp and salmon with a baked potato and orzo rice. he could not get any meat from the lobster tail, it was basically flatted in the grilling process. everything was on a large bed of the orzo rice. which was kind of nice, in terms of the amount of food overall. he didn't finish it & brought the leftovers back and had them for lunch. where he was more successful with eating the lobster tail.
i got the admiral's feast with seasoned broccoli and mashed potatoes. they bring it out on a huge tin tray of some sort & it didn't look like much of a "feast". the former neighbor asked if i had gotten an appetizer & i said it sure looked like it. i got 4 shrimp, a handful of fried clam strips, another of fried bay scallops & a piece of fried, breaded flounder cut in half. the sides of seasoned broccoli and mashed potatoes were on a a separate plate, literally to the side.
the picture online (i know they're all BS) shows a full tray with all of that, but 5 pieces of shrimp & 2 pieces of flounder plus optional fries. they'd be better off having it on one of the oval plates/patters, that way it would looked like you got more. and save the tin tray for the 1 pound of snow crab legs and stuff like that.
overall, it was not horrible. just a bit disappointing.
FIC: The upper floor of the royal residence
May. 13th, 2025 05:45 pmduskpetersonThe perspective I offer here is from that of the courtyard. To the left is the north end of the residence; to the right is the south end.
Like the Golden Courtyard, the royal residence is built with golden stone from the main cavern of Capital Mountain. It is the oldest surviving building in the southern peninsula, having retained its ancient walls. Its interior, however, has changed over the centuries.
Originally, the royal residence was a single hall for the King, his warriors, and their families. As time went on, the hall became a residence for the King and his council. These days, only the Jackal, his High Lord, and the High Lord's family live there. The council has grown large enough that it meets elsewhere in the palace.
As recently as half a century ago, however, Koretia's council held its meetings in the royal residence. Many stirring events took place there, including duels and assassinations; Koretia has a sorry history of bloody disputes. The former council chamber is the red-framed window on the upper floor.
To the right of it is the former bedchamber of the King, which has since been divided into separate chambers for the High Lord and his family. None of the ornate bedchamber furniture from earlier periods have survived.
To the left of the former council chamber is the former bedchamber of the King's heir. The last heir to die did so within living memory; his life is still celebrated at the nearby town of Valouse, where he served as baron.
To the left of the heir's bedchamber is the High Lord's receiving chamber. The most memorable event to occur there is the death of the Baron of Blackpass, under sinister circumstances. Visitors who plan to continue their tour in the borderland, where Blackpass is located, may wish to pause in this room, in order to pay their respects to the memory of the baron.
The final room on this side of the upper floor of the royal residence is the former dining chamber of the High Lord, which now serves as the Jackal's bedchamber.
I can tell you this without endangering the ruler because it is a very, very bad idea to enter a god-man's bedchamber unannounced.
[Translator's note: Just how bad an idea it is to enter that bedchamber unannounced can be seen in Bard of Pain.]
Still not back to normal
May. 13th, 2025 06:39 pmqueen_ypolitaI went to the office today and found the temporary portal aircon units still in business. So clearly the issue with aircon in the kitchen area is still not fixed. And having the temporary units on is making our area feel rather chilly. A colleague who'd been on holiday while this aircon issue has been playing out was at the office for the first time in a while and she found it rather nippy, and she tends to find it too warm, not too cold.
There have been no updates about the aircon situation since last week. That update suggested the landlord's team is seriously on it, but with the temp kit still needed, it certainly doesn't look like it. As a result, I'm not expecting the situation to be any different when I go in tomorrow or on Thursday.
There have been no updates about the aircon situation since last week. That update suggested the landlord's team is seriously on it, but with the temp kit still needed, it certainly doesn't look like it. As a result, I'm not expecting the situation to be any different when I go in tomorrow or on Thursday.
Random questions
May. 12th, 2025 07:55 pmqueen_ypolitaI walked to town at lunch to take library books back to the library and to pick up an online order from a shop. Having achieved both goals, I then decided to take a different route home, which took me alongside the Kennet for a while. And while out there a guy out on his bicycle stopped me to ask if I could see what a sign on the other side said (he said he wasn't wearing his glasses). I looked and realised it was the signs for the Kennet-Avon navigation, associated with a traffic light and a request button. I've read the sign when walking past, so I had an idea what it said although I didn't have a great angle to read it either—it tells you to press the button and wait until the light is green before proceeding west. The guy was surprised and said he'd never seen anything like that before. I don't know enough about canal navigation to know if it's unusual or not, but maybe I'm just used to this one because I've walked past so many times.
Having continued my journey, I was then stopped by another guy by the pedestrian bridge currently deemed unsafe and out of action, who was on his way somewhere where that bridge would have given a reasonably straight journey, so I tried to explain how to get there without using the bridge, probably not very well.
Having continued my journey, I was then stopped by another guy by the pedestrian bridge currently deemed unsafe and out of action, who was on his way somewhere where that bridge would have given a reasonably straight journey, so I tried to explain how to get there without using the bridge, probably not very well.
Sewing prep
May. 11th, 2025 07:00 pmqueen_ypolitaI ordered fabric for the sewing projects I was planning and prepping a couple of weeks ago, only to be seduced by an ad for a kit to make a dress the following day and order that one too. I knew my original order wouldn't come immediately because one of the fabrics was printed on demand, so it had a longer lead time anyway. But the kit arrived quickly in the next few days after I ordered it, and so by now I've had time to wash the fabric before cutting. Before doing any cutting, I needed to figure out the pattern pieces I needed, and that's what I did today. And as I had my dining table extended already, I immediately continued to cut the pieces. So I'm now ready to sew, but it's unlikely I'll have any time for that until next weekend. I also have a pair of trousers I'd like to attempt to mend to get a bit more wear out of it, and that will also need me to get the sewing machine out, so I might start with that.
More Silchester
May. 10th, 2025 06:29 pmqueen_ypolitaThe series of three talks arranged by the museum to raise funds for the redevelopment of the Silchester gallery finished this morning. The talks have followed a chronological progression; the first was about the pre-Roman and early Roman phases, the middle one last month about the main Roman phase, and today's talk about the late Roman going into post-Roman and early medieval. As before, the talk was interesting and engaging. I've been to Silchester once when out cycling and now I feel like I want to go again, to put what I've heard in the talks in a context. Not that there's actually much to see above ground, apart from the city walls, some of the ditch outside the walls, and remains of the amphitheatre. And I should probably read the book I bought from the museum shop after the second talk.
Unrelated, but this festival of literature in translation sounds fascinating.
Unrelated, but this festival of literature in translation sounds fascinating.
Pope Crave
May. 9th, 2025 08:31 amnarahtHalf the story around the election of a new Pope has been about the election of the new Pope (with JD Vance a side feature), but the other half seems to be around the sudden emergence of Pope fandom. Or Conclave fandom if you want to be precise.
Rolling Stone: ‘POPE CRAVE’ MEME ARTIST EXPLAINS HOW ‘CONCLAVE’ FAN ACCOUNT BECAME A REAL VATICAN NEWS FEED
Time: How Pope Crave Went From Conclave to the Conclave
My favorite exchange from the latter:
If I ever publish this novel of mine and get interviewed about it, this is going to be me: "When I was thirteen I watched the film Apollo 13. I did not like it a normal amount."
Rolling Stone: ‘POPE CRAVE’ MEME ARTIST EXPLAINS HOW ‘CONCLAVE’ FAN ACCOUNT BECAME A REAL VATICAN NEWS FEED
Time: How Pope Crave Went From Conclave to the Conclave
My favorite exchange from the latter:
TIME: Who is behind the Pope Crave account? How many admins? How many correspondents?Because although this may have surprised other people, you and I and everyone on Dreamwidth knows that if you were wondering what type of person would create a 100+ page charity zine about Conclave and then accidentally become a worldwide media fandom phenomenon, an international human rights attorney and an art historian turned film and TV artist are exactly the people you would expect. I'm only surprised there's not an archivist or librarian in the mix somewhere.
Susan Bin: I'm the lead admin behind Pope Crave. I'm the one with the password. There's another admin who helped co-edit the zine that we worked on. She is involved in queer Catholic ministry. She also is an international human rights attorney, so that's why she doesn't want to be publicly associated with cardinal memes. But she's the person who actually knows cardinals at the conclave. I'm an artist. I work in film and TV. I have a background in Catholicism. I'm not Catholic. My background is more from an art historian and archeological perspective. When I was in college, I studied Greek Myths on Roman Sarcophagi (with Professor Ruth Bielfeldt), and followed that trajectory to visual iconography of these narratives on Early Christian sarcophagi with a focus on Papal Sarcophagi (repurposing Greek Myths as Christian myths). Under Professor Christine Smith, I looked into the recordkeeping of the original placements of the Papal tombs from Old St. Peters to New St. Peters.
Long story short, Bin wound up on the Vatican beat because she really, really likes the Oscar-winning 2024 film Conclave, starring Ralph Fiennes, which is about the palace intrigue and power struggles that arise when cardinals are convened in Rome to elect a new pope. “I mean, you probably liked it a normal amount,” she says. “I did not like it a normal amount.”This is just good for my soul. I identify. Oh fandom, never change.
If I ever publish this novel of mine and get interviewed about it, this is going to be me: "When I was thirteen I watched the film Apollo 13. I did not like it a normal amount."
a few more fashion brands in movies & tv shows
May. 8th, 2025 06:40 pmarchersangela small follow up/addendum to this post i did last year.
like i said then; maybe i've been lurking at r/ThriftStoreHauls too long, but i'm starting to recognize some of the higher-end fashion brands characters wear in movies & tv shows.
in the columbo tv movie agenda for murder a character as bee out in the rain, comes home & drops his trench coat on the floor of the mudroom(?) & it has a burberry lining.
in another columbo tv movie columbo cries wolf the co-owner/editor of the magazine has what looks like a full set of louis vuitton luggage.
like i said then; maybe i've been lurking at r/ThriftStoreHauls too long, but i'm starting to recognize some of the higher-end fashion brands characters wear in movies & tv shows.
in the columbo tv movie agenda for murder a character as bee out in the rain, comes home & drops his trench coat on the floor of the mudroom(?) & it has a burberry lining.
in another columbo tv movie columbo cries wolf the co-owner/editor of the magazine has what looks like a full set of louis vuitton luggage.
