We Can't Rewind, We've Gone Too Far

I am having a lot of trouble both picking up books to start and concentrating on them while reading. Even reading D&D sourcebooks, which is all my brain really wants to do right now, I sometimes have to read a sentence three times for it to penetrate. This is probably seasonal depression.

Anyway, I have still read some.

Recent: I finished Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft earlier this month, straight through, with no particular reason or plans to work on a horror campaign. Enjoyed it very much.

Finished Packaged Toronto: A Collection of the City's Historic Design, which I got from the spacing store last year and have been reading slowly ever since. Vaguely related to Four Apples but also just my city, yay. I would have liked more detail on most things but that's a constant state.

And in my quest for ever-smaller M/M pairings, I have started reading D&D: Honour Among Thieves fic, and I recommend Counterpoint by Geese_In_Flight if you like plot and ethical conflicts and people not talking about their emotions.

I also read or reread a bunch of short stories: more than half of The Bone Key (great as always, would have finished it if not for library holds), "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" (definitely an early 19thC New England gothic story), and Mistakes Were Made by coveredinfeels (awesome. I don't know Dragon Age beyond watching consultingpiskies play a few times, so I can't speak to canonicity, but lots of fun and set in my favourite kind of modern AU).

Current: This is the part where I feel like nothing's happening. I am flipping through various D&D sourcebooks and reading the sequel to Counterpoint, above. Other than that, I have not made much progress with Middlemarch, and I read the first 15% of The Teller of Small Fortunes and I like it, there's no reason for me not to read it, but I haven't got back to it. Maybe because I haven't spent much time on public transit (I wrote that yesterday, but today I was on public transit and the focus still wasn't really there).

Future: I have got The Dire Days of Willowweep Manor out of the library again.

I have a Jeannie Lin novella out from the library, I have various fics lined up, and I am wondering if audiobooks would be more manageable right now. Alternatively I am considering taking March off from expectations.

I want go out. I want to go dancing. I want to go write in a coffee shop. I want to go to Oasis. I want to go wander down Queen West and stop in any store that looks interesting. I want to go hang out in the library for hours. I want to go to the Island. I want to visit my sister in Windsor. I want to see who's doing outdoor theatre. I want to see Pixie. I haven't been on the TTC since March.

I want to go to Pride. I generally avoid the actual parade because the crowds are too much, but I want to go to Pride. The fact that I think Pride should be cancelled and I am glad it's cancelled and if it wasn't cancelled I wouldn't go anyway and would probably be writing angry emails to the committee does not immunize me from being lonely.

Virtual does not substitute for any of these. It can be its own good thing, but it is something different.

I think it's important. I think it's worth it. I think it's necessary. But I think it's easier to do if we acknowledge that it isn't easy.

Title: Considerably Interested
Author: Violsva
Fandom: Sherlock Holmes
Rating: G
Warnings/Enticements: Genderswap, Racebend, Modern AU
Word Count: 1401
Summary:It's a new start, and somewhere hardly anyone knows her, and she might as well try it, right?

Jane Wang moves to Toronto, and meets someone new.

On AO3.

And here's the series link.

First of all, mission accomplished today.

Second of all, Jennifer Jones, you guys, Jennifer Jones. This time last week I didn't even know the rules of curling, and I learned them in time to watch her throw 100%. Jennifer Jones, OMG. (Everyone in Canada who actually follows curling knew this ten years ago. (Warning: lots of justified screaming in that video.))

I have belatedly found the theme song for Arte Regendus, or at least the second half: White Blank Page by Mumford and Sons. Oh lead me to the truth and I/ will follow you for my whole life

According to knumpify the remake of Robocop has a shot of the street where I grew up. Dammit, now I may have to watch that movie. (Secret: all movies are actually set in Toronto. Even if it's supposed to be New York)

I already squeeed about women's ski jumping on capslock_dreamwidth; what I didn't know then is that the silver medalist, Daniela Iraschko-Stolz, is an out lesbian (one of seven at the games this year). Also, I have a video of Carina Vogt's win now.

Practicing my links in this post, apparently.

You know, I never thought of myself as a jock. But winter sports, oh I love them so much. And rock climbing. But mostly skiing and women's hockey and figure skating and apparently curling now.


ETA: From staranise: Ellen Page is gay OMG!

Well, it's as done as it will ever be. Now maybe A Study in Scarlet will give me a plot.

Title: A Very Different Level
Author: Violsva
Fandom: Sherlock Holmes
Rating: G
Warnings/Enticements: Gender Changes, Race Changes, Modern Setting, Canadian Content, Everything I know about the business of theatre I learned from Slings and Arrows
Word Count: 4392
Summary: A major figure in the music industry wants the assistance of a consulting detective. A consulting detective’s assistant wants a distraction. The Canada Council for the Arts wants accountability. Two of them will be disappointed, but honestly, Jane Wang can’t say she minds.

At AO3.

In this universe.

Rejected first line: To Xu-lai Ho she is always the liberal arts major.

It's not a good year to be a Canadian mayor.

I am currently working three jobs, which oddly is good for my (non-blog) writing although it means I haven't been rock climbing or to pottery in a month. Not so good for the anxiety, though that may be a hormone issue. Ugh.

Yet I make time for music festivals. A good show makes me so damn happy. It's great. A really good show, I just stand there grinning.

Like, say, Amos the Transparent. I'd never heard of them until Wednesday night. They're great live. It was awesome. So much fun. And they were having fun too.

Gus and Scout were also neat though not quite my thing. All quiet and soft and heart-wrenching.

Someone else came on after Amos the Transparent, but it was late and they weren't very good.

The Black Belles would have been really good if the club hadn't been packed. Very pretty, I think. Good music, judging by what I heard over conversations. Oh, well, that's what YouTube is for.

Die Mannequin do really really great live shows. That's how you do it. Still too shouty, though.

Apparently Toronto audiences are notorious for not dancing. Come on, local music scene, you can do better than that! (I'm horribly self conscious if I want to dance and the only other people dancing are a few people at the front.)


... Also, there's a Francophone Festival at the Harbourfront starting tomorrow.