I'm at Eaglecon in LA

Sep. 23rd, 2025 06:28 pm
elf: Computer chip with location dot (You Are Here)
[personal profile] elf
Eaglecon is Cal State LA's student-focused science fiction convention.

It's very small - mid-week, two days only, 8 programming items the first day and 6 the second. Mostly one-hour events with 15 minute breaks between. Programming is over for the day by 4:30; there is no late-afternoon/evening schedule. Daytime student event.

I'll post later about the convention itself. General LA-related thoughts:

1) It mostly feels like home (SF Bay Area) except there is only one garbage can in each room - not three (trash, recycling, compost).

2) I am the only person I can see wearing mask.

3) Temperature's nice. I brought only a light denim jacket and it's been fine, a little warm at mid-day but okay even then, and it keeps the sun off my arms.

4) My prep would've been different if I'd known the room had a microwave and fridge. (I could've called to check; was not up for it.) Today on the way back to the hotel, I stopped into a Chinese supermarket and picked up some kind of beef-veggie rice bowl & frozen steamed buns with sesame filling, both of which can be heated up in the microwave.

5) Lots of Chinese stores nearby, with signs in both Chinese and English. I read zero Chinese but I can recognize the word "no" (の) in Japanese, and I didn't see it. It's common enough that I'd expect it of there are a lot of signs, so I am assuming the language I'm seeing is Chinese.

6) I may stop in to the Chinese supermarket on the way out tomorrow and grab short-grain rice. It's hard to find short-grain rice in American supermarkets. I will have to see how packing goes and if I can leave space for a 2-lb or 5-lb bag of rice.

Sadness

Sep. 22nd, 2025 10:30 pm
luscious_purple: Julia, the Maine Coon Cat (Julia)
[personal profile] luscious_purple
It's been a rough 72 (or so) hours.

On Saturday, I woke up to the news that the Baroness of Storvik, officially Gracia but known to all as Gracie, died most unexpectedly of an apparent heart attack. I think she was 53.

I was trying to process the shock and sadness, while I was also trying to get my cat Julia to eat food and drink water all weekend.

Then, early this morning, Julia D*****, First of Her Name, Serene Princess of the Household, traveled to the Rainbow Bridge.

Julia's health had been declining in the last few weeks; I took her to the vet for euthanasia just after Labor Day weekend, but she meowed and purred so strongly in my arms that I just couldn't go through with the deed.

Her appetite was slowly declining, and she took in barely any food this weekend. I know that's a bad sign in cats. Last night, after the baronial business meeting, I meant to reread parts of a book on pet loss that I've owned since I had to face the death of my dog in 2001. But I ended up dozing off in front of the football game on TV (just to have some noise in the house). I woke up after midnight and put Julia on my lap (on top of a towel because of her general funkiness) and I brushed her and told her what a pretty kitty she was and repeated her name and felt her weakened purr. (During the Zoom meeting, she had crawled out of her bed and over to my chair for pettings, but she could manage only a few steps at a time.) I kept petting her until about 2:30 a.m., and then I told her I really needed sleep, and I put her in her bed with her head pointing away from me. While I was in the bathroom, she managed to turn around with her head pointing toward me and my bed.

That's how I found her this morning. Already getting cold and stiff.

Herveus and I dug a grave in the backyard and I laid Julia on the old towel and sprinkled a few of Nick's cremains on her still body. She missed her human Daddy so much since he died, and I wanted her to spend eternity with a little part of him.

You probably all know the story about our pets waiting for us at the Rainbow Bridge so they can cross it together with us. I want to think that Nick was waiting for Julia at the Rainbow Bridge, so that they can now enjoy each other's company again.
neotoma: Neotoma albigula, the white-throated woodrat! [default icon] (Default)
[personal profile] neotoma
Leek-mushroom turnover, lemon tart, hard kiwifruit, American persimmons, bell peppers, purple UFO peppers, shennadoah pears, honeycrisp apples, pink pearl apples.

I'm going to try making salsa morada with the UFO peppers, and see if applesauce made with the pink pearl apples has a pink tingle to it.

It's been a summer.

Sep. 18th, 2025 09:49 pm
luscious_purple: If you're not outraged, you're not paying attention (outraged)
[personal profile] luscious_purple
Once again, dusting off the figurative microphone...

I wrote a feature article. I went to Pennsic and a quantum-physics seminar. I dog-sat for two weeks.

My cat, Julia, is weakening. I don't know how much life she has left in her. She's something like 17 years old, although I can't know for sure.

I updated my Lady Patricia of Trakai blog, going back to Nick's death: https://ladypatriciaoftrakai.blogspot.com/2025/09/2025-year-of-unexpected-change.html

I hate what this country is becoming.

Profile

snarlingbadger: (Default)
snarlingbadger

2025

S M T W T F S

Most Popular Tags

Style Credit

Expand Cut Tags

No cut tags
Page generated Sep. 25th, 2025 04:36 am
Powered by Dreamwidth Studios