surroundedbyidioms

surroundedbyidioms, 23 days ago to random

A spider (a pretty big one for this part of the world), was taking a turn about the room. I asked, "What are you doing?" It stopped, cocked its head, and listened, and once it was assured that it was out of danger, carried on its promenade.

surroundedbyidioms, 1 month ago to random

Dreamt that a man literally left me with his baggage (an unzipped backpack with a couple of pairs of acid green socks, a half-used bar of soap, and pair of gray plastic cufflinks) as a way of saying goodbye.

But it was sort of fine because I happened to be a witch on a pirate ship. Woke up before I could throw all of that overboard.

surroundedbyidioms, 1 month ago to random

Today the universe answered a couple of questions I had.

surroundedbyidioms, 2 months ago to random

@pootriarch Thanks for the rec about Wordslut. I'm really enjoying it. So many good lines of inquiry to go down from here.

surroundedbyidioms, 3 months ago to random

It's chilling how many people don't understand that just because someone sets themselves up in "opposition" to a villain that it doesn't necessarily mean they are a hero. Two things can be true at once.

Binary thinking will be our downfall.

surroundedbyidioms, 4 months ago to random

"Researchers said they detected a four-fold increase in the level of misogynistic content suggested by TikTok over a five-day period of monitoring, as the algorithm served more extreme videos, often focused on anger and blame directed at women."

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2024/feb/06/social-media-algorithms-amplifying-misogynistic-content?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

surroundedbyidioms, 4 months ago to random

An article today asks "Is It a Crush or Have You Fallen Into Limerence?"

"Limerence is a state of overwhelming and unexpected longing for emotional reciprocation from another human, known as a limerent object (LO), who is often perceived as perfect but unavailable."

Better questions:

Is It Limerence, or Do You Just Need Therapy?

Is It Limerence or Just an Excuse to Behave Inappropriately?

surroundedbyidioms, 4 months ago to random

Love these peaceful mornings when Europe is still not awake and the US is already asleep.

surroundedbyidioms, 4 months ago to random

I just watched a clip of Mandy Patinkin getting teary-eyed over not being able to do the fight scene in The Princess Bride anymore because he and Cary Elwes got it in one take while filming.

Now I have to go cry again.

#ThePrincessBride

surroundedbyidioms, 6 months ago to movies

I changed the word "activities" to "phenomena" in an article I'm editing today and now can't stop hearing The Muppets sing "mah nah mah nah."

#AmEditing #Editing

surroundedbyidioms, 6 months ago to random

I open books that begin with a cast of characters with foreboding.

It often (but not always) means that the cast of characters is too huge, has not been well-managed, and many of the characters are forgettable.

surroundedbyidioms, 6 months ago to movies

A writer began their article today "If you live in the modern world . . . "

What if you don't? What if you are, in fact, living in the Edwardian era, Ancient Greece, or during Neolithic times?

One has to wonder, "What then?"

#Editing

surroundedbyidioms, 6 months ago to movies

I had to edit a piece about Mastodon today. Wow, was it clear the writer had never heard of it or used it. The writer thought that Mastodon was called "Mastodon Social," for example. That, or the chatbot they were using did.

#editing #mastodon

surroundedbyidioms, 6 months ago to random

In my series about how men and women communicate, I'd like to add an observation about a conversation I had.

In a training breakout room, I was paired with a UK man in Tuscany.

"Italy is beautiful," I said, to make conversation. "I love Rome."

"Well, this part of Italy is pretty different," he responded.

He couldn't just agree that yes, Italy is beautiful. He had to slightly correct me. I had to be wrong in some way.

A woman would have likely been in enthusiastic agreement.

surroundedbyidioms, 7 months ago to random

I'm watching the AppleTV version of The Buccaneers.

It struck me that, while it's necessary and refreshing to have representation, we've also entered an era where everyone has to be paired up.

If the women aren't paired with men, they're paired with women.

Meanwhile, women are still pitted against each other and friendships put aside for romance.

That, too, is the patriarchy at work.

surroundedbyidioms, 7 months ago to random

So tired I forgot what day of the week it was.

But I am tired because I spent time learning something for myself and gaining skills and knowledge in something that will help me put good into the world.

Not tired, for once, because I work for an exploitative company.

Now it's time for a book, the hot water bottle on my back, and a candle.

surroundedbyidioms, 7 months ago to random

How beautiful a thing to teach listening skills in a world where talking and being heard are prioritized.

"LeVar Burton Wants to Be Heard

The actor is engaging young audiences again with Sound Detectives, a comic mystery podcast that teaches the art of listening."

LeVar Burton Wants to Be Heard https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/02/arts/levar-burton-podcast.html?unlocked_article_code=1.7kw.vUh5.mRSeYiJi8FF9&smid=nytcore-android-share

surroundedbyidioms, 7 months ago to random

A 2015 South African pinot noir from Darling is my accomplice this evening.

Centered, steady, focused, and determined.

That's me as well as a description of the wine.

surroundedbyidioms, 7 months ago to random

On the other hand, I was invited to one of those places where you smash things.

I cannot wait to smash things.

surroundedbyidioms, 9 months ago to random

One poor functionality of the desktop version of Mastodon is when people post a picture without prefacing it with text.

In order to see the replies, I don't know where to click. Clicking on the image enlarges it. Clicking above it takes me to the user profile. Clicking on the "1+" takes me to my reply box.

surroundedbyidioms, 9 months ago to random

I was reading an op-ed about how American students today treat university as "work" because it's a route to a higher-paying job, and how that's damaging to the experience.

I remember, in the midst of putting myself through uni sans emotional or other support, I had some show or program playing in the background. Suddenly, someone was talking about how university used to be about "building character."

And I stopped -- because I had never heard that.

surroundedbyidioms, 9 months ago to random

"New dating trend sees men asking for refunds when they don’t see a 'return on investment’ — how the rules of romance have changed amid high costs of living"

Let me rewrite this headline:

"Experts try to legitimize a petty power play that is the passive aggressive version of 'I bought you dinner, so now you should sleep with me.'"

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/complete-shock-dating-trend-sees-103000157.html

surroundedbyidioms, 9 months ago to random

Paris is getting rid of rental scooters! In Malaga, Spain, where I spent a few weeks in the spring, scooters were restricted to streets and bike paths. Walking was much less dangerous and more pleasant.

The Northern European city that I live in is starting to retrict their parking so they don't litter the narrow sidewalks. I don't know if it will have the will to ban them outright. Depends who is making money off of them.

https://www.dw.com/en/paris-bids-rental-e-scooters-audieu/a-66696446?mobileApp=true

surroundedbyidioms, 9 months ago to random

These days, sometimes I watch Star Trek or I think about that hopeful future that some of its iterations portray (I'm less a fan of the dystopian ones) and I think, "Wow, we are not on that course. We are not going to make it."

And I'm not someone who has ever been interested in passing on my genes or been concerned about the survival of humanity. But it feels really sad nonetheless. And scary since, yay, I'm part of the cohort that gets to bear witness to collective ineffectiveness.

surroundedbyidioms, 10 months ago to random

When I complained to an acquaintance about gettng a "raise" that is only a fraction of inflation, she said, "Oh, so they decreased your pay."

Oof. Indeed they did.

#FairPay