chocolatepot | Reading

One day everyone in the world woke up with these words in front of their eyes, somehow inscribed in their inner eye: YOU ARE LIVING IN A SIMULATION. Simultaneously, a number of impossible things appeared on Earth, apparently to prove it: a frozen tornado, windows between continents, etc.

It's now seven years later. Those words still appear before everyone's eyes periodically. And tours have sprung up to take people to see the Impossibles, or at least as many as can be seen on a seven-day bus trip.

This extremely high-concept premise resembles that of The Measure in some ways: a world-spanning event, clearly real and equally clearly done by a more-than-human power, with immense existential implications, and with no one having any idea why it happened or why it happened now. But this is Daryl Gregory and he's very good with bizarre high-concept premises, and this book is excellent.

The other genre of When We Were Real is "set of random people thrown together" story. A number of the characters are, at least on the surface, straight out of a 1930s train story or a 1970s airplane story: two nuns, a rabbi, a pregnant woman, an elderly woman in a wheelchair and her devoted daughter, a set of elderly tourists, a person who's secretly dying, a person with a secret identity, a fugitive from the law. The only stock character it's missing is the cute child.

The many characters are very human and likable, with even the most frustrating of them having reasons for being the way they are; the annoying pregnant influencer's reason for being an annoying influencer turns out to be both sympathetic and heartbreaking. (Yes, it's partly to provide for her upcoming baby, but the real question is "Why an influencer rather than some other job?")

( Read more... )

The Impossibles themselves are excellent. My favorite was the time tunnel, where you can stay an infinite amount of subjective time (you get a home pulled out of your own history or desires, plus fresh-baked bread every morning) and emerge several hundred miles away, only a second having passed outside. But the flock of non-real sheep was pretty great too.

There's serious themes - existentialism, mortality, meaning, God, ethics, love - but delivered with a light touch. It's more plotty than I expected, given the quest/picaresque structure, and the story is very satisfying. You don't get answers to all the questions, but you do get a general outline as to what's going on and why. It's a very human and humane novel, of the moment but in a good way.

Content notes: Cancer. Plans for suicide due to terminal illness. Pregnancy and birthing issues. Violence.

totchipanda

As far as weekend plans went, I accomplished them lol. Dress is finished except for buttons and buttonholes and a belt (I need to get ambitious and set up a second machine for them). Yarny fest was really lovely. M and I had delicious coffee and caught up on stuff, and went to Walmart for a couple things before calling it a day because the weather was stupid (I always forget how windy this part of spring is) and the people were stupider.

Yarn fest! Picked up my friend and we tootled out. The venue was really well set up, taking up part of the exhibition building with a good amount of space for the vendors and attendees. My friend and I always do a lap to see what's there and talk about what we're looking for and what we're seeing, and then a second lap to start our purchases. Then we did a third, shorter lap for those "maybe...?" options, and then just as we were about to walk out the door, Friend had one more "I need to see this one last time!" All in all, we spent almost two hours, browsing and chatting and talking to some of the vendors.

She bought yarn for a couple projects she had in mind, we debated and compared colours at two or three other booths, and a big project bag for her sweater projects. I bought two skeins for projects I didn't have planned but immediately thought up ones for (one is a bright fun colourway called Cupcake Sprinkles and it will be a hat because I only have three right now; the other is called Spring Strawberry Fields and came with some pretty stitch markers, it will either be a hat or a one-skein shawl), stitch markers with "50" marked on them (that's how I count my larger projects) and a project bag that yeah, I could have made myself, but the fabric was so fun and that I didn't have. Every time I saw it sitting in the backseat afterwards I went "hee :3" so it was the right choice.

We had lunch on a patio as the weather was perfect, it was a delicious burger, and then we headed into a nearby city to check out their yarn store (so cute, and also they had a large embroidery selection) and then an indie bookstore that was opening that day. Very pretty, and a good selection of genre books.

Spent the rest of the weekend rotting. Thought about stitching, did only a little bit of knitting, and otherwise just vibed with my windows open. Lovely days.

In other "news", I signed up for a goal setting challenge which is much more low-key and realistic about how to work towards them. I started doing the accompanying workbook last week, and since I am so not practiced in thinking about this stuff, let alone doing it, it's been percolating through my brain very slowly. One of the exercises was making a chart for the next "cycle" (essentially quarterly; the current round runs until the end of June) in terms of when you already know you are not available. So I have Tuesdays blocked off because that's my dance class and I am simply not available to work on any goals. My current goals are looking to be habit building -- getting a cleaning schedule going, starting to walk more, etc. The email for week 6 (this week) said to focus on STARTING. And honestly, it's kinda working for me. I need to sit longer with this, it's been less than a week, but you know what, I did start haha. Already a win!

In that vein, I am thinking about what I am doing this week. Tuesday is booked. I have an appointment on Saturday that I may or may not attend. I... should probably get that second machine set up for buttonholes, shouldn't I. Dang it.

glinda

( You're about to view content that the journal owner has advised should be viewed with discretion. )

Current Mood: artistic
Current Music: Public Service Broadcasting - Blue Heaven

atherleisure

I finished the knitting for an 1892 tea cozy from Weldon's Practical Knitter earlier this week and then made it up tonight. I've been wanting a tea cozy for awhile. It was between this one and a 1940's one that the V&A has online. I decided to go with the Weldon's one. Got to justify the purchase of the books somehow, right? I even had the colors of yarn called for by the pattern - heavyweight blue and lightweight pink. The blue was a free skein of worsted weight yarn I got years ago and never knew what I was going to do with. The pink is leftover from the 1930's Eleanor sweater I made a few years ago.

I used the whole skein of blue. When I finished the 68 rows that I think the pattern meant to call for (it only said 34, but I think it must have meant 34 on each side), the pieces weren't quite 8" like the pattern said, but I didn't have enough yarn to make them longer. I used the rest of the partial ball of pink yarn too so this was a really good stash-busting project. The 78 rows were a little over the 9" called for by the pattern, but it just means it has a slightly larger frill. I did not put ribbons on it. I usually do just what the pattern calls for when making costume pieces, but for something practical around the house, I don't feel quite as committed to historical accuracy. I don't need a beribboned tea cozy in modern life.

It fits my teapot perfectly.

koshka_the_cat

I got to the decreases last night. Tonight I should start then.

It's weird working on a bathing suit with different yarn. The fingering weight is knitting nice and densely. I think I'm getting the right gauge. I'm going with it now though, no matter what!

I'm s little concerned about length, like I am with all vintage patterns. The back would be easy to make a little longer, but I'm not quite sure how to deal with it in the front. Hopefully I won't have to change anything...

diaryof_samuelpepys_feed

Posted by Samuel Pepys

https://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1663/05/03/

(Lord’s day). Up before 5 o’clock and alone at setting my Brampton papers to rights according to my father’s and my computation and resolution the other day to my good content, I finding that there will be clear saved to us 50l. per annum, only a debt of it may be 100l.

So made myself ready and to church, where Sir W. Pen showed me the young lady which young Dawes, that sits in the new corner-pew in the church, hath stole away from Sir Andrew Rickard, her guardian, worth 1000l. per annum present, good land, and some money, and a very well-bred and handsome lady: he, I doubt, but a simple fellow. However, he got this good luck to get her, which methinks I could envy him with all my heart. Home to dinner with my wife, who not being very well did not dress herself but staid at home all day, and so I to church in the afternoon and so home again, and up to teach Ashwell the grounds of time and other things on the tryangle, and made her take out a Psalm very well, she having a good ear and hand. And so a while to my office, and then home to supper and prayers, to bed, my wife and I having a little falling out because I would not leave my discourse below with her and Ashwell to go up and talk with her alone upon something she has to say. She reproached me but I had rather talk with any body than her, by which I find I think she is jealous of my freedom with Ashwell, which I must avoid giving occasion of.

Read the annotations

https://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1663/05/03/

sanguinity

Intro/FAQ

My check-in: Wrote back to my second-high bidder about possible directions to take their story; wrote back to one of the creators who's writing for me about things that I think are delicious in a story; added 250 words of prime grade-A hurt/comfort angst to yesterday's story.

Day 3:

sanguinity

Day 2:

acorn_squash,

badly_knitted,

china_shop,

cornerofmadness,

dswdiane,

glinda,

goddess47,

sanguinity,

sylvanwitch,

trobadora,

ysilme

Day 1:

badly_knitted,

goddess47,

carenejeans,

china_shop,

cornerofmadness,

dswdiane,

sanguinity,

sylvanwitch,

trobadora,

ysilme

When you check in, please use the most recent post and say what day(s) you’re checking in for. Remember you can drop in or out at any time, and let me know if I missed anyone!

koshka_the_cat

I decided to make the most of my insurance and in about a week I should have light purple, cat's eye reading glasses with nice progressive lenses I'm excited!

diaryof_samuelpepys_feed

Posted by Samuel Pepys

https://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1663/05/02/

Being weary last night, I slept till almost seven o’clock, a thing I have not done many a day. So up and to my office (being come to some angry words with my wife about neglecting the keeping of the house clean, I calling her beggar, and she me pricklouse, which vexed me) and there all the morning. So to the Exchange and then home to dinner, and very merry and well pleased with my wife, and so to the office again, where we met extraordinary upon drawing up the debts of the Navy to my Lord Treasurer.

So rose and up to Sir W. Pen to drink a glass of bad syder in his new far low dining room, which is very noble, and so home, where Captain Ferrers and his lady are come to see my wife, he being to go the beginning of next week to France to sea and I think to fetch over my young Lord Hinchinbroke. They being gone I to my office to write letters by the post, and so home to supper and to bed.

Read the annotations

https://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1663/05/02/

sanguinity

Intro/FAQ

My check-in: Still haven't sent the email off to my auction winner because I got too caught up in seeing if one of the stories I proposed has legs. (So far: about 700 words worth of legs!)

Day 2:

goddess47,

sanguinity,

trobadora,

ysilme

Day 1:

badly_knitted,

goddess47,

carenejeans,

china_shop,

cornerofmadness,

dswdiane,

sanguinity,

sylvanwitch,

trobadora,

ysilme

When you check in, please use the most recent post and say what day(s) you’re checking in for. Remember you can drop in or out at any time, and let me know if I missed anyone!

rachelmanija

This picks up when Danny's been Dreadnought for a while, and is getting a bit too into the violent aspects of the job. This aspect is quite well done - you understand what's going on with her, but it actually is a bit unsettling. Also, Valkyrja reappears, sort of; an evil techbro wreaks havoc; a TERF is threatening the world; and Danny works on her relationships.

I liked this more than the first book. Danny developed as a character and spent a lot less time being abused by transphobes. I'll grab the third book when it comes out.

The sequel isn't as good as the first book, unfortunately. I'd have been happy with more of Zax, Minna, and Vicky exploring the multiverse, but this book is much more plot-driven and Minna and Vicky only show up three-quarters of the way through. Half or more of the book is narrated by a new character whose identity I'll leave out as it's spoilery for the first book. She was fine as a character but her storyline was less interesting. Zax gets a new companion, and I did quite enjoy his adventures with her. I also enjoyed Minna and Vicky when they finally appeared.

But the plot-driven parts were less interesting, and the structure was really odd and not in a way that benefited the book. Instead of picking up where the first book left off, we get a retrospective summary of what happened some time after that point, then we get the entire backstory of the non-Zax narrator bringing her up to the point where she meets Zax in the first book, then it jumps forward and we get what's happening to her now, then we catch up with what Zax is doing now, and then, about three quarters of the way in, we finally get the story of what happened immediately after the first book left off. I think it would have worked better to tell the story more linearly. And also, to have much more Minna.

It's not a bad book and it does have some really good parts, but there are some baffling choices made.

troisoiseaux

Read Oxford Soju Club by Jinwoo Park, which starts with the murder of a North Korean spy in an alley in Oxford, England, and then spends the first half of the book as a slower, more understated read than one would expect from that opening: split between three characters living very different, but entangled, lives in Oxford— a North Korean spy (the protégé of the murdered spy) posing as a Japanese-French grad student, a Korean-American CIA agent posing as a bartender from Seoul to keep tabs on the North Korean spy cell, and a South Korean restaurant owner with a tragic backstory— it's mostly an exploration of identity (what does it mean to be Korean?) until it does in fact loop back around to being a spy thriller, and then several things I was kind of ???/ambivalent about from a narrative standpoint clicked into place. ( SPOILERS )

Current Music: Isimo - Bleachers

marthawells

A week ago I got back from Japan where I was a guest at HALCon, an annual SF/F convention held in the Kawasaki International Center, and it was awesome. (Though right now I am still dead from jet-lag.) The convention itself was great, I walked to so many cool people, and was treated to so much good food. The Japanese edition of System Collapse translated by Naoya Nakamura had won the Seiun Award, and they presented me with that, which was also awesome.

Afterward we went down to Kamakura, which was the seat of the first Shogunate, and saw the Great Buddha https://www.kotoku-in.jp/en/ and two other Buddhist temples, one in a bamboo grove, and a huge Shinto Shrine. It was an incredible trip and I'm so glad I went.

Tour dates for Platform Decay, the next Murderbot novel:

https://us.macmillan.com/tours/martha-wells-platform-decay/

atherleisure

I finished the fifth page of the secret cross-stitching project. It's been a little slow lately with spring break and being out of town a couple of weekends.

koshka_the_cat

I've actually made bathing suit progress! I finished the increases on the back of the shorts today, and if I knit tonight, I might get to the decreases.

sanguinity

Intro/FAQ

Tally for April 16-30 is now updated; please check to make sure I have it correct!

My check-in: Rabbit rabbit! I dunno, y'all. I'm between projects and struggling to find things I even want to add an alibi sentence to. ~~No writing yet today, but after I post I'm going to look for something iddyful to play with and see if that helps. Further bulletins as events warrant.~~

ETA: sat down and wrote a long email brainstorming story ideas to one of my charity auction winners. Shocker, but it turns out that writing down my ideas greases my imagination more than just trying to randomly think up some ideas. (I say "shocker": I've known for a while that a lot of my writing problems solves themselves in the writing of them, not by sitting around trying to think my way out of them!)

Day 1:

china_shop,

sanguinity

When you check in, please use the most recent post and say what day(s) you’re checking in for. Remember you can drop in or out at any time, and let me know if I missed anyone!

diaryof_samuelpepys_feed

Posted by Samuel Pepys

https://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1663/05/01/

Up betimes and my father with me, and he and I all the morning and Will Stankes private, in my wife’s closet above, settling our matters concerning our Brampton estate, &c., and I find that there will be, after all debts paid within 100l., 50l. per annum clear coming towards my father’s maintenance, besides 25l. per annum annuities to my Uncle Thomas and Aunt Perkins. Of which, though I was in my mind glad, yet thought it not fit to let my father know it thoroughly, but after he had gone out to visit my uncle Thomas and brought him to dinner with him, and after dinner I got my father, brother Tom, and myself together, I did make the business worse to them, and did promise 20l. out of my own purse to make it 50l. a year to my father, propounding that Stortlow may be sold to pay 200l. for his satisfaction therein and the rest to go towards payment of debts and legacies. The truth is I am fearful lest my father should die before debts are paid, and then the land goes to Tom and the burden of paying all debts will fall upon the rest of the land. Not that I would do my brother any real hurt. I advised my father to good husbandry and to living within the compass of 50l. a year, and all in such kind words, as not only made, them but myself to weep, and I hope it will have a good effect. That being done, and all things agreed on, we went down, and after a glass of wine we all took horse, and I, upon a horse hired of Mr. Game, saw him out of London, at the end of Bishopsgate Street, and so I turned and rode, with some trouble, through the fields, and then Holborn, &c., towards Hide Park, whither all the world, I think, are going, and in my going, almost thither, met W. Howe coming galloping upon a little crop black nag; it seems one that was taken in some ground of my Lord’s, by some mischance being left by his master, a thief; this horse being found with black cloth ears on, and a false mayne, having none of his own; and I back again with him to the Chequer, at Charing Cross, and there put up my own dull jade, and by his advice saddled a delicate stone-horse of Captain Ferrers’s, and with that rid in state to the Park, where none better mounted than I almost, but being in a throng of horses, seeing the King’s riders showing tricks with their managed horses, which were very strange, my stone-horse was very troublesome, and begun to, fight with other horses, to the dangering him and myself, and with much ado I got out, and kept myself out of harm’s way.

Here I saw nothing good, neither the King, nor my Lady Castlemaine, nor any great ladies or beauties being there, there being more pleasure a great deal at an ordinary day; or else those few good faces that there were choked up with the many bad ones, there being people of all sorts in coaches there, to some thousands, I think.

Going thither in the highway, just by the Park gate, I met a boy in a sculler boat, carried by a dozen people at least, rowing as hard as he could drive, it seems upon some wager.

By and by, about seven or eight o’clock, homeward; and changing my horse again, I rode home, coaches going in great crowds to the further end of the town almost. In my way, in Leadenhall Street, there was morris-dancing which I have not seen a great while. So set my horse up at Game’s, paying 5s. for him. And so home to see Sir J. Minnes, who is well again, and after staying talking with him awhile, I took leave and went to hear Mrs. Turner’s daughter, at whose house Sir J. Minnes lies, play on the harpsicon; but, Lord! it was enough to make any man sick to hear her; yet I was forced to commend her highly.

So home to supper and to bed, Ashwell playing upon the tryangle very well before I went to bed.

This day Captain Grove sent me a side of pork, which was the oddest present, sure, that was ever made any man; and the next, I remember I told my wife, I believe would be a pound of candles, or a shoulder of mutton; but the fellow do it in kindness, and is one I am beholden to.

So to bed very weary, and a little galled for lack of riding, praying to God for a good journey to my father, of whom I am afeard, he being so lately ill of his pain.

Read the annotations

https://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1663/05/01/

rachelmanija

A modern take on La Ronde: a novel in the form of twelve short stories linked by airplane trips. Each has a main character who meets the main character of the next story. A pilot has a brief fling with a journalist in Brazil; the journalist flies to Toronto to interview a writer; the writer flies to Seattle where she meets two of her fans; one of the fans flies to Hong Kong, and so forth.

The blurb says each meeting causes a ripple effect as they change each other's lives, but that's not actually what happens in many of them. Some are minor chance encounters, some are present at a crucial moment in someone else's life but don't directly affect it, and some are important encounters but those are the ones where the people have pre-existing relationships. Most of the characters are disconnected, discontented, and lonely, despite the literal connections they have in a six degrees of separation way; the only character who seems happy and is focused on the people they love is about to get hit with a terrible tragedy that's someone else's traffic delay.

As we go from person to person, we get to see the characters from different angles, and understand things about them that others don't. The pilot, who in his story was wondering what would have happened if his younger sister hadn't died in a childhood accent, asks his one night stand how old she is. She says 33, which is the age his sister would have been. But she has no idea of any of this, and when he doesn't reply she thinks he's fallen asleep.

There's an impressively diverse set of locales and characters, sketched-in but real-feeling; I knew we were in Delhi before it was stated just from the description of the air. The emotional tenor is a bit distanced and chilly. Overall it reminded me of Raymond Carver, but with less striking prose.

Szalay won last year's Booker Prize for Flesh, a novel which sounds really unappealing.

totchipanda

Hockey season is over as we suffered a not quite crushing but still sound loss to Anaheim last night. I am now cheering for Montreal as the only Canadian team left. I listened to the end even though it was pretty clear by the end of the second period that we weren't going to rally without some heckin' miracle. Ah well.

I can't do two audio input sources at once, so I turned my show off to listen. I pressed and sewed the hem of my dress. Put the collar together, then took a break to watch the video tutorial. There are no written instructions that I could find but I was OK with that as the video was done by a multi-generational tailor. I have done almost no collars with a collar stand, so it was nice to see a pro do it. I then put the collar stand onto the dress as directed, then the collar and stand facing in one go. By then it was nearly 10 and I needed to do some pressing, which I had already turned the iron off.

New pack of pins required the sacrifice. Right in the center of my finger pad. Yeep.

Also collected up the bin of recycling materials, washed a pan of dishes, swept, and made and ate dinner. All in all a productive evening.

Weekend plans! Yarn show in a nearby city with my yarny friend tomorrow. M has a whole weekend off so we can hang out on Sunday. We are both broke though so it won't be anything exciting. Try and finish my dress. Maybe cut out K's dress?

Oh, there's a ball on the 23rd, I guess I should be planning my outfit?

atherleisure

I thought I had messed up the pattern on the shawl I'm making, but after three false starts trying to fix it, I realized I hadn't actually messed up at all. That was odd. Obviously two pattern repeats haven't been enough to really get down how the stitches fall relative to the previous row, at least not at the start of the next repeat.

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Fashion's been a Passion

Reading

When We Were Real, by Daryl Gregory

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I Know I’m Different, I Do As I Please

1892 Tea Cozy

Knitting

Sunday 3 May 1663

Write Every Day: Day 3

New glasses!

Saturday 2 May 1663

Write Every Day: Day 2

A Set of Sequels: Sovereign, by April Daniels & Prison of Sleep, by Tim Pratt

Recent reading

Brief Update

Page 5

Progress!

Write Every Day: Day 1

Friday 1 May 1663

Turbulence, by David Szalay

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April 2026

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