aphowell - Network

Today was a hopefully-no-longer-sick-but-still-taking-it-easy day, and Parasite with Kid #1.

Today was a hopefully-no-longer-sick-but-still-taking-it-easy day, and Parasite with Kid #1.

Sick day with my kid, watching Train to Busan.

Sick day with my kid, watching Train to Busan.

Spouse and I watched some Reachers and a) I continue to be amused by the obviously neurodivergent obvious Gary Stu and b) my small-capacity...

Spouse and I watched some Reachers and a) I continue to be amused by the obviously neurodivergent obvious Gary Stu and b) my small-capacity bladder aches because all on screen pee breaks are devoted to phone calls or other shenanigans.

Have now screened the new Nosferatu and determined it's okay if Kid #1 wants to watch it, with warnings about occasional jump scares and...

Have now screened the new Nosferatu and determined it's okay if Kid #1 wants to watch it, with warnings about occasional jump scares and gross corpse makeup.

I'm reading Hopkinson's Blackheart Man and yesterday hit a reference to "love apples," which I was pretty sure were...

I'm reading Hopkinson's Blackheart Man and yesterday hit a reference to "love apples," which I was pretty sure were tomatoes based on recipe context. Tonight at trivia, one of the questions asked for an alternate name for love apples (though the clue continued and made yesterday's inferences superfluous).

Spouse couldn't remember the word "bolero" (the jacket), and I got there via Sarajevo --> ice dancing -->...

Spouse couldn't remember the word "bolero" (the jacket), and I got there via Sarajevo --> ice dancing --> "Bolero" (the musical composition). I...am not sure this is actually a comforting sign of how my neurological pathways fare.

(And could I remember "Torvill & Dean"? No, no I could not.)

Kid #2: (surveying dinner in pans on the stovetop) What's the one that's not the plant?

Kid #2: (surveying dinner in pans on the stovetop) What's the one that's not the plant?

A conversation with Kid #1 the other day lead to sex work and my explanation of the term "john," which Kid #1 thought was being...

A conversation with Kid #1 the other day lead to sex work and my explanation of the term "john," which Kid #1 thought was being used in the classroom. This then lead to an explanation of the term "jawn," which seemed much likelier based on the context described.

Kid #1 is singing New Jeans lyrics, which make much more sense now that I realized it's "ASAP" and not "AFAB."

Kid #1 is singing New Jeans lyrics, which make much more sense now that I realized it's "ASAP" and not "AFAB."

We started watching Paradise the other day, so now I have "We Built This City" stuck in my head.

We started watching Paradise the other day, so now I have "We Built This City" stuck in my head.

A couple hours ago, we had a few minutes of power flickers (it's rather windy at the moment). Kid #2 was low-key outraged that our...

A couple hours ago, we had a few minutes of power flickers (it's rather windy at the moment). Kid #2 was low-key outraged that our electrical (and, more importantly, wi-fi) infrastructure couldn't withstand just a bit of wind. Kid #2 does not remember our comparatively frequent (typically quite brief) outages in the old house.

And I am afraid none of us is *really* prepared for upcoming challenges to our fragile infrastructure.

https://wandering.shop/@aphowell/113664092271689462

https://wandering.shop/@aphowell/113664092271689462

Re-upping the eligibility post because I totally forgot to a couple-few weeks ago, and some things are still taking nominations.

Re-upping the eligibility post because I totally forgot to a couple-few weeks ago, and some things are still taking nominations.

"Finicking": a newly-coined word describing the process of taking your school laptop apart.

"Finicking": a newly-coined word describing the process of taking your school laptop apart.

Deeply annoyedA couple years ago, I said I hoped I wouldn't ever be really glad to vote in SFWA elections because (as a forty-something...

Deeply annoyed

A couple years ago, I said I hoped I wouldn't ever be really glad to vote in SFWA elections because (as a forty-something USian) voting is typically a defensive act intended to minimize harm. Well, here we are: I'm really glad to vote in SFWA elections. Transparency is poor; employee protections are inadequate; some writers are more worthy of respect and support than others; the board denies the fascism of the current US administration; and bigoted…

http://aphowell.com/2025/03/04/deeply-annoyed/

I hate the Tioga Street garage and it hates me

I hate the Tioga Street garage and it hates me

Cleared 1,100 words today. It's been a while since I've done that.(These words won't necessarily make it into the story, and...

Cleared 1,100 words today. It's been a while since I've done that.

(These words won't necessarily make it into the story, and they're theoretically easy because they're all a retelling of a centuries-old story. But *some* of them will be in the scene, however I ultimately decide to structure it, and at least this way I have some ready-made building blocks.)

#amWriting

Kid #1 was briefly terrified that Rumble in the Bronx accurately reflects the dangers of NYC. (I briefly went down a rabbit hole speculating...

Kid #1 was briefly terrified that Rumble in the Bronx accurately reflects the dangers of NYC. (I briefly went down a rabbit hole speculating about how '80s NYC realities morphed into media tropes and could then be picked up in other countries; but at that point, it was time to reiterate that no, there wasn't cgi, they were actually doing stunts or demo-ing a building to get those shots.)

We now have Kids #1's passport. That means we can go to Canada this summer (assuming Trump hasn't invaded).

We now have Kids #1's passport. That means we can go to Canada this summer (assuming Trump hasn't invaded).

My passport, and Kid #2's, arrived. I am not yet completely paranoid that there was a Problem with Kids #1's.

My passport, and Kid #2's, arrived. I am not yet completely paranoid that there was a Problem with Kids #1's.