drswirly | Reading

Day 4606. There are 357 red stoats, 161 blue stoats, and 482 green stoats.

This semester has been a bit of a challenge in terms of workload. I keep almost getting to the point of being "on track" according to my plan, and then falling behind again. I'm currently just under four hours behind, so I'm cautiously hopeful that I will actually get caught up this week.

I always plan not to do any work on Sundays, though I don't always stick to that plan, and was sort of tempted to get that four hours done today. In the end I decided that would actually be unwise, and instead I went for a walk through the Forêt de Soignes, which was really lovely. I did, admittedly, listen to an audiobook about biblical studies whilst I was walking, but it wasn't a book related to any of my courses, so that still counts as time off :)

I've shaved my head! I've been getting increasingly self-conscious about my receding hairline, especially when I'm overdue a haircut, and I'm really bad at getting round to getting it cut, so that's a fair chunk of the time. I'm definitely still getting used to it, and may end up changing my mind and growing it back, but I think I like it. It does make me feel like I need more piercings though.

andrewducker

I'd been hearing talk about how good Frieren was for a while. It seemed to have come out of nowhere to instant acclaim, and to actually be about things. So a month ago, when I was looking for something to watch during the occasional 20 minutes when I get lunch alone, I thought I'd give the first episode a go. And while it didn't make me cry it came very close, and it had an atmosphere I hadn't encountered anywhere else, so I was completely grabbed from the beginning, and now that I've finished the first season I feel somewhat bereft.

It is, in background, a bunch of totally standard fantasy tropes. But it does something interesting with them, which is to base itself after the point most stories end. This is the story of what happens to Frieren, an immortal* elven mage, after her adventuring party defeat The Demon King. And how she lives in a world where the friends she makes live much shorter lives than her, how she connects with the people around her, and what she does when she realises that this matters to her.

There is plot, and action**, but mostly not that much of it. The point is the people, and watching them orbit each other, learn from each other, or completely fail to. The characters are interesting, and I love feeling that there is much more to most of them than is obvious on the surface. I particularly loved the first few episodes, which set everything up, but even once we get past past these in to the ongoing arc*** I have found myself looking forward to the next episode more than in almost any TV I've seen in the last decade.

I suspect some people will get put off by some of the tropes, both the ones taken straight from fantasy/roleplaying and the ones that are stock anime conventions. But I could happily look past those and enjoy the meat of the show, which was excellent. I eagerly await season 2. The only nervousness I have is that the original manga has been on hiatus since October, and the creators have clearly struggled with the production schedule, so I don't know whether it will ever be completed. But, frankly, it's not (at this point) the kind of show where I need an ending, I'm delighted just to be along for the ride.

* It is not clear how long elves live. But it is clearly at least thousands of years.
** And when it happens it is gorgeously animated
*** I'm not sure it's a plot, as such. Things are happening, but I'm not convinced that it's going somewhere in particular more than it is just following characters around to see what they get up to.

markov_stoats_feed

Day 4605. There are 343 red stoats, 172 blue stoats, and 485 green stoats.

andrewducker

1. Uruguay has the only stable, successful South American economy. Why is that?: (tags:history economics SouthAmerica video )
2. Europe doesn't care about the UK - we're deluded: (tags:UK Europe doom )
3. China's Humanoid Robots Are Now as Fast as Usain Bolt: (tags:china robots running )

squirmelia

Beaumont Stairs in Chelsea have been my go to place when I want somewhere quiet, where I'm definitely not going to be bothered by tourists, and there probably won't be any other mudlarks.

I saw the remains of trees that once grew here and it amazes me that they are still here. The bus stop was also still on the foreshore. I thought once it was gone, but no.

After the tide had turned, I walked along, wondering if I could find the Saxon fish trap. I had seen a picture of it near some boats. I couldn't see any way down to the foreshore near the boats though. I think the tide was just too high on this day to see it. I walked on and found myself in Cremorne Gardens which used to be pleasure gardens from 1845 to 1877. They have saved the grand gate and it's in the little park there still. There used to be all kinds of entertainment there - from tight-rope walkers across the Thames, to hot air balloon rides, fireworks, dances, a marionette theatre, and so on.

Further on and I could see a mudlark on the foreshore but I couldn't work out where steps were to get there. There looked like there was a range of stuff down there.

Finds:
A piece of an Express Dairies milk bottle
A piece of a bottle that says Wells on it

Two patterned pipe stems - one looks to say “d market” on it and “nny” on the other side.

An original vulcanite bottle stopper from Barrett & Elers.

Part of a Hartley’s jam jar

A few pieces of mocha ware

A nice piece of Staffordshire style combed slipware

A chunky glass stem. I have another of these and liked to imagine it might once have been part of a penny lick.

A Bourne & Son stoneware base
A Doulton Lambeth stoneware base

A saucer shaped like a teapot, which I think is modern

A plate with a diamond mark - this shows the plate was made on 6th April 1868.

A toothbrush, missing the handle, made of bone.

Keys, attached to a Lego keyring.

(You need a permit to search or mudlark on the Thames foreshore.)

andrewducker

Today the white flakes on the ground aren't snow they're blossom.
Original is here on Pixelfed.scot.

markov_stoats_feed

Day 4604. There are 340 red stoats, 157 blue stoats, and 503 green stoats.

andrewducker

1. How EU law hides data centres' environmental impact: (tags:europe environment Technology ai )
2. It seems like nobody knows how the Home Office Vetting system is supposed to work.: (tags:politics CivilService uk wtf labour )
3. Burnout as experienced by autistic people: A systematic review: (tags:autism mentalhealth )

xkcd_feed

https://xkcd.com/3234/

Before resurfacing, they promise to inspect the ice for any evidence of hockey-playing life.

https://xkcd.com/3234/

markov_stoats_feed

Day 4603. There are 337 red stoats, 183 blue stoats, and 480 green stoats.

questionable_content_feed

http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=5810

squirmelia

Custom House Lower Stairs has been my lunchtime haunt, when the tides are amenable, so I had one last session there. There were a few tourists wandering about and the tide was not low enough to be able to get underneath the wharf, even at low tide.

Finds included:

White horse distillery bottle base

A piece of glass with a curious shape

A squashed pipe

A black thing with green circles, which may be from a fire bucket.