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[Oct. 25th, 2025|10:43 pm] |
It's been a while since I posted. Lot's happening IRL, all of it ok to good, and I've been able to fit leisure in too but not the time to write about it, so here's a dump of what's been going on.
I went to see the new Demon Slayers.
During September I was in Boston for a little bit longer than my usual work trips so I've gotten to do a little bit more around town than usual, which was nice. Some quick observations.
I hit a handful of museums during my stay.
I'm a sucker for house museums and managed to get to the Paul Revere House (since it's in the North End) and the Curtis House. The Curtis house is a nice, cool mansion, but my favorites are always the lower or middle class houses that give a more accurate look into the common man's experience. Revere's house could fit in the foyer of the Curtis mansion. The Revere house also went through extensive renovations and then restorations over the years, so not much left is really "original," but it is still accurate.
I also spent an afternoon hitting the Elizabeth Steward Gardiner Museum and the Boston MFA. The Gardiner Museum was fucking insane and blows the MFA out of the water. Here's a youtube introduction to it. A description doesn't do it justice. Multiple people said I should go and I'm glad I listened. Basically, a filthy rich lady bought whatever arts and artifacts she wanted, built a massive 4 story museum just for her stuff, curated it all herself in an eclectic way, and when she died demanded that nothing ever be moved from its place. You walk into a room and there are pristine golden Japanese screens hanging from the wall next to a Rembrandt next to a medieval German carving of a dragon. More museums should fuck off with the regional segregation and just do whatever the fuck they want because the juxtaposition is cool. There was also very little in the way of exposition. Each room had maybe one or two plaques that pointed out an interesting detail and explained WTF was going on generally and then you just had to figure the rest out yourself. I loved it.
The MFA in contrast has excellent collections obviously, but even compared to more conventional museums the displays are not the most inspired, and feel a little meh. There was a nice little (maybe temporary) exhibit about Jewish ritual objects, maybe cause of Rosh Hashanah? which I enjoyed, and to their credit they have one of the most amazing Egyptian coffin I've ever seen in my life.
So that alone made visiting worth it. I was disappointed because there is apparently going to be an exhibit on Nubia which I would have loved to see, but it wasn't up yet.
The outings have been great, but outside of those breaks it's been a lot of work, and I'm glad to be back in my own bed now. I also thought I was doing a good job not buying too many books during my free time but then one of my co-workers gifted me the five volume Penguin edition of the Story of the Stone, also known as the Dream of the Red Chamber, so now my to read pile has suddenly increased by almost a foot. So much for moderation.
I also had a chance to read To Clutch a Razer which was the sequel to When Among Crows. As I started reading I realized that I had forgotten about 90% of the first book outside of the final few scenes, but I got caught up fast enough. Like the first book this is a short novella, but even though it still leaves things open in the end it felt more satisfying as a complete thing. I give the author big ups for leaning into the intense woobification of the knight, who suffers both physical and psychic pain very well. I do like softies who can be vicious when they need to be. And his extended family managed to be both evil and compelling. I liked how they turned the idea of tradition on its head by saying that the knights just take from absolutely everything, whether it works or not. The villains were vicious, but made sense. And I was glad that it seems like they're aiming to give the sister a chance to break away, because I liked her in the first book.
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| artë |
[Oct. 25th, 2025|04:32 pm] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  contemplative | ] |
feeling a kind of monumental weight today; without going into too much detail, something happened yesterday that clearly effected me deeply today and i’m reminded of things that i don’t think are happening anymore, or at least i deeply hope not. somedays i struggle to feel like a real person and today i feel closer to being a human being more than ever– everything is in a delicate balance, catharsis and grief are on the same side of a coin and lately, i think what i mistake as paranoia or echoes of a painful past are actually ways to protect me. it was an emotional week and it feels as if i can’t tell between a scar or a bruise even when i press into it, but it is nice to recall that there’s something soft and gentle underneath what i perceive as a constant plate of armor that i feel i need to put on.
lately i’ve been taking a more pastiche approach to art outside of fandom perception and it’s really been hitting a certain part of my brain that’s been actually nursing my artistic pursuits; there’s nothing better than coming home after work and doing my own art, pursuing my own creative interests which move in tandem with my teaching of art & media. there is just a well of experiences that i can take from the self and turn it into something creative. the pastiche part comes in by taking characters from media and putting them in situations that could be canon, but then re-working it to become something original down the line. one of which is going to be turned into an sov film a la jess franco and cecelia condit kind of vibes. i can’t say much for now, but claude and i have been working it into an entire production and are set to film this winter. it’s cool to see an idea i’ve had for years be turned into a film! everything leads to everything else. |
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| dreamcatharsis |
[Oct. 20th, 2025|06:21 pm] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  curious | ] |
i’ve been having such vivid dreams lately. it doesn’t bother me because i’ve always had them though there was a brief point where they’ve stopped, but last night i had a dream that was a continuation of a dream i had two years ago. it was the house in peoria and the person i was talking with recalled all the shared memories in dreams— our first meeting, our arguments, our history, only about the things we shared in these dreams. i guess it’s to tie up a narrative that haunted me for so long. it just fascinates me that my brain thought to wait two years to finish it when the dreams weren’t even on my mind. who is this person i subconsciously created and why did i feel the need to tie up loose ends with them? they looked how we met too, changing their appearance into someone unrecognizable over the course of the dreams. maybe it’s a mirror of me? feeling more myself after years of not.
the weather is beautiful today— it was such a nice walk from the bus stop to my house. this weekend might be the weekend where i break out the firepit and just spend some time sitting and watching the sun set. i adore my little patio i’ve carved out; the basil from spring still smells as strong as ever and all my hard work cleaning it up has really paid off. tonight, the windows are open and i’m in the mood for a movie. |
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| the return… pt 2 ? |
[Oct. 19th, 2025|12:46 pm] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  determined | ] |
well, longing for old internet and i find myself back here again! i guess i’m craving for something that feels like a doorway, something i can pass through and feel that completion instead of endless scrolling. this all really needs an upgrade though! that’s something to work on when my weekends are free. lately i’ve been so busy, but i’m not complaining — i’m seeing friends, meeting people, working on creative pursuits, teaching art & media, making my home a sanctuary, cooing over my cat, etc. i have a lot of time now to spend on my hobbies outside of work and i love it!
a lot happened since i last updated too. i’m divorced, moved states, started working in a new field. it took awhile to get things rolling, the past few years has been me doing a lot of building, working hard to get things settled, but i am at a point now where i feel i can accomplish a lot and i’m happy. closer to my sister, my friends, my grandma, living in a city with lots of things to do, it’s balmy and warm here, get to engage with a lot of horror based media and do things i really enjoy. would like to make more money, but who doesn’t? ;)
can’t wait to delve back into this! |
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