Month: May 2026

With triple-entry bookkeeping, of course.

Went to the office, calculated that it’s only 120 steps to the seventh floor which is nothing and yet I still can’t do it in one go, attended an all-hands and heard news that is probably very important to investors and other people who think they can control the future, forgot to finish submitting my lunch order and had to eat leftover breakfast burrito, did the mandatory anti-harassment training that should be obvious to anyone and yet, and doinked around with some Kubernetes. That sounds like a lot, but most of it was sitting down.

Read (from the shelf): FAIL.

Written (second rewrite of Geometry for Mutants): 325, which pretty much eliminates the first draft. There are a couple of lines left as notes for later, but that’s all.

Have you seen the traveling exhibit of Etruscan congealed mac and cheese?

Apparently there was a (not) secret pre-work meeting that was just scheduled yesterday afternoon. Surprisingly, it was not to find and fire everyone who isn’t checking work mail on Sunday.

Read (graphic novel): The Flip Side (Jason Walz): The main character’s best friend dies, and he is cast into a horrible red-lit world where everything is upside-down and almost everyone has fallen into space while a monster that sometimes wears his friend’s face hunts him. Fortunately(?) he meets someone who can show him the ropes, but it’s pretty terrible, almost like a metaphor for grief or something. None of my friends better die, because if I got cast into upside-down world, I would just expire of acrophobia within five minutes.

Written (second rewrite of Geometry for Mutants): 390, and I have finished chapter 1 again.

Although sadly I am not playing a gay little fungus goblin today because it is an off week. However, fungi can have up to tens of thousands of sexes, so they’re still against queerphobia. (No word on whether fungi have gender, though.)

Slept in only two hours today, did three successful shopping expeditions, and took no naps.

Watched (anime): Kill La Kill 9-11: The fight against the Elite Four continues, but then suddenly, forget all that! New enemy! Extremely high Taunt rating!

Read (novel): A Parade of Horribles (Matt Dinniman): I no longer remember who any of these characters were, and impressed that either Carl or the author does. Maybe they asked Princess Donut to keep track. Anyway, aside from the mandatory PvP, there is also some backstory about an important character. The foot thing remains a mystery.

Read (from the shelf): FAIL. You know, maybe this means I should be taking everything off the shelf and disposing of it, since I’m apparently not motivated to read it.

Written (second rewrite of Geometry for Mutants): 204.

Have you even seen a pickle salute?

I not only slept in before shopping, I took a nap after shopping. Then we went to see anime and I made Marith stay in the cat-infested house until she expired of sneezings.

Watched (anime): Witch Hat Atelier 1.7: The carriage disaster.

Watched (anime): Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End 1.4-5: And now they have Stark, although he doesn’t realize it yet.

Read (from the shelf): FAIL.

Written (second rewrite of Geometry for Mutants): 381. I need to keep a list of everything my MC makes a mental note of, though, because

If the dinosaur is not large enough to carry you comfortably, riding a tandem bike with them is also acceptable.

Watched (live-action TV): The Librarians 1.3: That was actually better, without the chief librarian to solve everything and tell everyone what to do. I also liked the way the thing was written, very much like a Fallen London status that modifies all your cards until you get rid of it somehow.

Read (novel): Splinter Angel vol 1 (AvaritiaBona): Isekai litRPG, a bodyguard is pulled into fantasyland where she gets an OP bodyguarding class and starts leveling up while trying to find out what is going on with having been sucked into another universe. The gimmick of this one is that the MC is, if not a sociopath, personality disorder of some kind. She’s not mean, but she’s extremely unfussed about violence and also not great at peopling.

Read (from the shelf): FAIL.

Written (second rewrite of Geometry for Mutants): 302.

The Man don’t want us doing the Chicken Dance.

Got Thai food, but I got the very mildest for Marith, and it turned out bland and nobody was happy.

Watched (live-action TV): Good Omens 3.1: Meh. I guess I see why the producers had to wrap it all up in one episode and wash their hands of it, but it could have been a better one episode.

Read (light novel): This Alluring Dark Elf Has the Heart of a Middle-Aged Man vol 1 (Yuhi Shimano, NAJI Yanagida): Pretty much what it says on the tin. A modern-day salaryman is reincarnated as a beautiful young dark elf woman with huge tracts of… magical power, but still thinks of himself as an old guy while making his new adventuring life with impossibly young teammates.

Read (from the shelf): FAIL.

Written (second rewrite of new project which is now Geometry for Mutants): 461, but the way I wrote the edit counter, I get a lot of credit for moving chunks around. I’m not sure how to fix that without a lot of work.

Slept quite poorly due to vasovagal affliction. I think last time this happened, I had also recently eaten Indian food. I hope I’m not developing a sensitivity to something, because I like Indian food and would be sad without it. Didn’t go to the office, but was somewhat productive from home. Still getting used to the new system, but still liking it.

Read (graphic novel): Unnatural vol 2 (Mirka Andolfo): Our pig-girl MC is now on the run from agents of conspiracy that is the government, and more haunted than ever. Also, as usually happens in this situation, everyone she knows has been murdered.

Written (second rewrite of new project): 595.

There’s one right behind you!

Went to the office, experienced the new ticketing system which in a surprise reversal of standard corporate practice really is better than the old one, ate a deconstructed chicken samosa, tried to learn some Kubernetes.

Read (graphic novel): Colossal vol 1 (Rutile, Diane Truc): Originally a French(?) Webtoon. A young noblewoman in a modern-ish setting, who really needs to marry well for the sake of her family, has no interest in being femme or meeting vapid boys when there’s lifting to be done and sick gains to be had. Probably heteronormative, although I hold out hope for the rival noblewoman.

Written (second rewrite of new project): 158.

Or get eaten by it. Or, a secret third option in a horrible twist ending.

Read (novel): This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me (Ilona Andrews): Isekai, not litRPG, our main character uses her liberal arts education, her not-at-all-obsessive knowledge of the uncompleted fantasy series she’s been eaten by, and the one superpower she got, to try to avert the doom that is coming. It is a lot grottier and less mythic, but it gives strong Long Live Evil vibes.

Read (from the shelf): FAIL.

Written (second rewrite of new project): 237.

Played (Hero 6E): Kaiju Academy. The little fuzzies and the tappy spiders both want to find better worlds, and the ones accessible through Skyhold so it’s time for a field trip to a Labyrinth. Also for dragon attacks, bonus dragons, VHF death rays, and a general atmosphere of terror.

Read (graphic novel): Unnatural vol 1 (Mirka Andolfo): Our main character may be a pig-girl, but she is definitely not more equal than others in life under a fascist, compulsorily cis-het-same-species, society or its onerous beauty standards. Also she’s possessed or something, so that definitely makes her life easier.

Written (second rewrite of new project): 276.

 

I was on call today, so I didn’t do anything. Some of the doing nothing was sleeping, but some was just doing nothing. Despite that, I was late to hand over to the next person, because I am dumb. I did manage a little shopping after handover.

Watched (anime): Witch Hat Atelier 1.6:We finally meet Olruggio and Coco gives him the rant about her love of magic. Then Agott gets to head out to help with the carriage disaster.

Watched (anime): Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End 1.2-3: Fern joins the party (over the course of like eight years). Frieren really does not understand any people, which is a problem because she is herself a person. She does love magic, though.

Read (from the shelf): FAIL.

Written (second rewrite of new project): 301.

 

Also Give a Donkey a Coconut Cream Pie Day.

Tried to do work, was very sleepy, did not do very much. No cats were traumatized, though.

Played (Changeling the Lost): Berkeley 95. We spent XP and our characters made a plan for the stupid vampire who bit their neighbor. Theo got a new contract, so it was even a +5 Magic Plan. But Ken is feeling poorly, so the plan has not been executed.

Read (manga): The Ancient Magus’ Bride: Wizard’s Blue vol 10 (Makoto Sanda, Isuo Tsukumo, Kore Yamazaki): Hallucinatory underscape! So many colors! The end! It is the end the whole series has been leading up to, so that’s okay.

Read (novel): Death of the Author (Nnedi Okorafor):A disabled Nigerian-American unexpectedly writes a best-selling SF novel about robots in the humanless future, which is interleaved with her story, gets a mechanical assist for her disability, has toxic internet fans, meets people and goes places, and none of that makes her family understand or accept her any better. Hugo nominee for this year, which I am trying to read many of.

Written (second rewrite of new project): 146.

I did not have a good work ethic today. However, I am still doing better than Nightvale, who got his head stuck in the handle of a paper bag and had to run up and down the apartment in blind panic until he went through a narrow space and it tore off. This only took about fifteen seconds, but he made several laps during that time. Poor baby!

Watched (animated movie): Across the Spiderverse: Okay, more verse in the spider, wacky villain, almost coming out to his parents, fight on a beanstalk, horrifying multiversal revelations… CLIFFHANGER?! How very dare! Fortunately the next movie hasn’t actually been canceled yet, so maybe someday we’ll find out what happens.

Read (manga): The Ancient Magus’ Bride: Wizard’s Blue vol 9 (Makoto Sanda, Isuo Tsukumo, Kore Yamazaki): Reread so I can remember what’s going on for the tenth and final volume, which is finally out. (What’s going on is villainous plans.)

Written (second rewrite of new project): 171.

Actually, everyone is pretty grumpy at America. Can’t blame them.

For possibly the only time this year, I went to bed early not late!

Read (novel): Slayers of Old (Jim C Hines): A retired monster slayer, succubus detective, and wizard, have to save the world yet again even though they have better things to do, and also knees. Did we mention that young people are the worst?

Read (novel): Nine Goblins (T Kingfisher): This feels like a reread, but maybe that is because it is so very much early Kingfisher. Extremely practical and long-suffering goblin sergeant and equally practical elf have to deal with everyone else’s wars and magic and injured supernatural beasts and general bullshit. Not lacking in horror elements.

Written (second rewrite of new project): 176.

Watched (anime): Kill la Kill 7-8 Having defeated someone important, Ryuko is suddenly elevated in the town’s hierarchy, which means sudden wealth for her host family. But then, the Main Villainess plays the Total Reset card!

Read (novel): Platform Decay (Martha Wells): Obviously Murderbot’s life wasn’t hard enough before, so now it has to deal with children and also emotion checks. At least these Preservationists aren’t as recklessly self-defeating as the usual ones. The half-deserted planetary torus is a good spooky setting, but although fans can explain literally anything, it doesn’t seem like it quite fits with the scale of the rest of the setting.

Written (second rewrite of new project): 203. I’ll get there eventually! And then I’ll have to figure out what comes next.

Watched (anime): Kill la Kill 5-6: Another member of the anti-magic-clothes organization Nudist Beach appears to cause trouble, and Ryuko faces the guy who sees things.

Read (manga): There’s No Freaking Way I’ll Be Your Lover! Unless… vol 8 (Musshu, Teren Mikami, Eku Takeshima): Another actual declaration of love! If only Renako would go to therapy and maybe read up on polyamory.

Read (novel): Friendly Fyre (Kia Leep): Cross-isekai litRPG, the main character gets cast in the role of an historic leader, with an underground refugee community that’s more than a bit of a fixer-upper. Apparently part of a larger series,

Written (second rewrite of new project): 244.

Fascists take double effect from psychic attacks today.

I planned to get up at a reasonable hour to practice for the work week, get myself some lunch, then do some shopping and get my cranial filaments shortened, but instead slept in forever and had no lunch. I did manage to run most of the errands.

Watched (anime): Dorohedoro 2.4: More of Nikaido’s backstory, which explains why certain actions were taken in recent episodes. Also, Caiman’s not looking too hot.

Watched (anime): Kill la Kill 3-4: Ryuko discovers the secret to unlocking the power of the magic uniform is a complete lack of modesty. Also, she was totally hitting on Broken-Arm Girl, wasn’t she?

Read (from the shelf): FAIL.

Written (second rewrite of new project): 339.