I'm in the middle of some calibrations
Hey, folks.
Well, you were wrong! And for the record, I am sorry I resorted to using that gif. I’m too lazy to look for another one.
IT’S BEEN AWHILE. Have you had a good couple of weeks? I hope so! I turned 30, which was nuts in that it happened and not because I had any sort of breakdown about it. Mostly, it feels like 30 was the age I was always meant to be. Thank you, age stereotypes, for validating my boring homebody tendencies.
Last week, I took a day trip to Culpeper, Virgina, which is about an hour from where I live. It’s a little jewel of a place, and just getting a little ways out of town was so nice. Most of the town’s claims to history have to do with the Civil War (which is typical of towns in that area), but my favourite thing about it is that the modern building boom started in the 1930s, so there’s an Art Deco look and feel to a lot of the buildings.
There are a ton of great little shops right on the main drag in historic Culpeper. I totally fell for Harriet’s General (incredible selection of stationary, as well as clothes and jewelry–I really went nuts for the jewelry), Green Roost (clothes, jewelry, tons of candles), and My Secret Stash (an old-fashioned candy counter–I recommend their pink grapefruit gummies). We ate at It’s About Thyme, which was delicious, and got an afternoon pick-me-up at Raven’s Nest Coffeehouse. All-in-all, a great day away.
And so many pretty buildings.
Notable Breakfast
This is a cheat, because I did not make this. This was my birthday breakfast at Ted’s Bulletin, because all I really wanted was a heaping pile of hashed browns. I got them, along with eggs, turkey sausage, toast, and a side of cheddar grits because BIRTHDAY YO.
Dog Thing
When you live with multiple dogs, one dog tossing herself onto another one in order to receive attention is just another morning.
Mixed Media
If I could only play one game for the rest of my life, it honestly might be Mass Effect 2. I love just about everything about it–the story, the characters, and the effect the player has on it, so no two play-throughs are the same. I’ve just finished playing it for the 5th time, I am not messing around here.
I’ve gone on record that one of my favourite tropes is what I think of as “the island of misfit toys”–a group of people who don’t quite fit in with everyone else, but somehow, despite their differences, they fit in with each other. It’s the reason I love Stargate Atlantis as much as I do, and it’s why I love Mass Effect 2. You’ve recruited this incredibly disparate group of people–human and non-human alike–and convinced them to go on what amounts to a suicide mission, for the good of mankind and the galaxy. And they do it, cracking jokes and bickering and, if you choose to, falling in love along the way.
I love Mass Effect 3 as well, but 2 just hits all of the right notes for me. I imagine I’ll play it over and over again until I die. My love for it is such that my talented friend Beth did this illustration of me dining with my space boyfriend, Garrus, for my birthday, and it is the Most Perfect Thing.
Also: I’ve been listening to Brave Shores‘ EP on repeat, and I love it (hear more here). I bought The Bleachers album Strange Desire on CD just so I could listen to it in my car, I highly recommend that. If you dig throw-back soul, Leon Bridges‘ Coming Home is phenomenal.
I Read Comics For A Living
Archie #1 Yeah, you read that right, #1. They rebooted Archie. The new series is written by Mark Waid, and drawn by Fiona Staples, who you might know from a little book called Saga. I read Archies when I was a kid, in digest form mostly, but I have no real nostalgic love of it. Mostly I remember being frustrated with the perpetual Archie-Betty-Veronica love triangle and feeling like both Betty and Veronica could do way better than Archie. So I wasn’t expecting to be blown away by this issue.
Guys, I was blown away by this issue. Even if you have no idea who any of these people are, I defy you not to care about them by the last page. Waid and Staples bring a real emotional depth to what is on the surface a conventional high school story–boy and girl grow up together, start dating in high school, break up. But the cleverness of both the dialog and the art elevates it. I am so glad Fiona Staples found time in her schedule for this book, because her art makes it. Surprise favourite character? Jughead.
Also good: Nothing today, I am tired.
Anxiety Pyjamas
Honeydew Intimates Burnout French Terry Sweatshirt & Shorts
Mostly because it looks like something America Chavez would wear.
Fics I Shouted About
Untitled by coyotequeens Teen Wolf, Sterek, Human AU. Stiles’ car breaks down while he’s driving up a mountain. Derek’s the caretaker of a B&B on that mountain. A storm descends, also kisses, etc.
Untitled by bleep0bleep Teen Wolf, Sterek, High School AU. Stiles starts the summer vacation with a broken arm, a reading list, and an unrequited crush.
the ring of the ancestors is not a euphemism by kellifer_fic Teen Wolf, Sterek, Stargate Atlantis AU! I will never get tired of fanfics from other shows that put their characters on Atlantis. Never. Stiles is a botanist, Derek is a mysterious rescued alien.
Untitled by cribbagematch Teen Wolf, Sterek. Stiles is a waiter at a diner, Derek is a regular. All the regulars know not to hit on Stiles, unless you want unexpected Tabasco sauce in your food. Derek risks it. I love this little fic SO MUCH.
The Blackmailer and the Baron’s Son by drunktuesdaze Teen Wolf, Sterek, Regency AU. This is ongoing, but is so skillfully written that even if it never finishes, I will be happy with what was written. Maybe the best fanfic take on classic Regency romance story tropes I’ve ever come across (and I have read ever so many Regency romances).
Lastly
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