seeing the 林 for the trees
Jun. 24th, 2021 06:25 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
nnozomiDaily life: aaargh aargh, I spent most of this afternoon (or it felt like it) arguing on Skype about work issues, this project is fucked up six ways from Sunday. Hint: The instructions should be in a file labeled, oh I don’t know, “instructions,” not “comment.” At least two pieces of essential information should be IN that file, not requiring careful reading of lengthy and disorganized information on two separate sheets of the other file it refers to (this one labeled “minutes”) in a different folder (labeled, irrelevantly, “glossary”). None of these people are on their first rodeo, I don’t know why the fuck this is happening.
Music: Not a whole lot new to report...orchestra is supposed to start up again this Sunday, knock wood.
Books: Rereading Pamela Dean's Juniper, Gentian, and Rosemary, which I enjoy a lot but also find frustrating (the conclusion makes me so uneasy that I tend to stop reading after the New Year's party). The dialogue strikes me as less realistic as I get older, which may just mean that I'm forgetting how smart 13-year-old native English speakers talk. I find the love interest/villain regrettably uninteresting; in some ways the book might actually work really well as a movie, and if Dominic were played by an actor who could pull off being that good-looking, with that much charisma, the reader might share Gentian's attraction to him.
I feel like the book in general is saying a lot of interesting things about gender and interactions between the sexes and the lens of age thirteen on both of these (Erin's and Becky's and Steph's respective gender/girl presentations, Becky/Micky and Gentian/Dominic and Juniper/Dominic, Rosemary's doubts, Twelfth Night, all kinds of small notes and themes), but I have never figured out exactly what it's trying to say, and I've read it often. I do enjoy it; I love Gentian's friends in particular, Becky and Alma and Erin and Steph are all fantastic.
Chinese: I’m having false-friend problems with 祝 (not to be confused with 祝紅, who is nobody’s false friend); in Chinese it’s like a wish that something good happens (I hope you have a good birthday, I wish you good luck on your test), while in Japanese it’s congratulations for something good having happened, i.e. mazel tov. So close and so confusable, oh dear.
I’ve watched the first seven 叛逆者 episodes so far. Anyone who might not have been convinced so far can now be sure that Lin Nansheng is a Zhu Yilong character, since his reaction to having been on his feet for forty hours is “I’m fine” (although he says 我不困 instead of 我没事, I’ll give him that much). Having established that this drama is in part about selling the CCP, I am now totally confused that Lin Nansheng falls for Zhu Yizhen when (after watching her ref a basketball game, a little present for ZYL, as opposed to LNS, from the production?) he hears her recite “Leaves of Grass” in English. Not my usual association with that poem. Also, there is no way in hell Zhu Yilong wasn’t thinking of Shen Wei when playing the mild-mannered young professor in glasses and a nice suit with a secret identity, complete with the ducked head and shy smile.
Writing: I’m most of the way through the individual points of my revision; I still have one or two overall big thematic things that need more thought. I think a lot of the governmental and international backstory stuff is going to wait for book 2, because I can’t fit it in smoothly and it’s not relevant yet.
Fic related, a kind person left kudos on my Lin Jing fic, which is the longest and by far the least popular of the Guardian fics I’ve written; for various reasons, all of which I knew about when I was writing it, this is totally understandable, but I’m always a little bit extra pleased when someone appreciates Lin Jing & Li Qian having extracanonical adventures.
Photos: Two white flowers, morning glories, bamboo, a bridge that reminded me of the fifty-five zillion vermilion torii gates at Fushimi Inari shrine, and the fancy roof thing on a Tenri-kyo church. (Of Japan's many so-called New Religions, I'm fairly well acquainted with Tenri-kyo and kind of fond of it, they seem sensible and I like their sung litany.)
Be safe and well.
Music: Not a whole lot new to report...orchestra is supposed to start up again this Sunday, knock wood.
Books: Rereading Pamela Dean's Juniper, Gentian, and Rosemary, which I enjoy a lot but also find frustrating (the conclusion makes me so uneasy that I tend to stop reading after the New Year's party). The dialogue strikes me as less realistic as I get older, which may just mean that I'm forgetting how smart 13-year-old native English speakers talk. I find the love interest/villain regrettably uninteresting; in some ways the book might actually work really well as a movie, and if Dominic were played by an actor who could pull off being that good-looking, with that much charisma, the reader might share Gentian's attraction to him.
I feel like the book in general is saying a lot of interesting things about gender and interactions between the sexes and the lens of age thirteen on both of these (Erin's and Becky's and Steph's respective gender/girl presentations, Becky/Micky and Gentian/Dominic and Juniper/Dominic, Rosemary's doubts, Twelfth Night, all kinds of small notes and themes), but I have never figured out exactly what it's trying to say, and I've read it often. I do enjoy it; I love Gentian's friends in particular, Becky and Alma and Erin and Steph are all fantastic.
Chinese: I’m having false-friend problems with 祝 (not to be confused with 祝紅, who is nobody’s false friend); in Chinese it’s like a wish that something good happens (I hope you have a good birthday, I wish you good luck on your test), while in Japanese it’s congratulations for something good having happened, i.e. mazel tov. So close and so confusable, oh dear.
I’ve watched the first seven 叛逆者 episodes so far. Anyone who might not have been convinced so far can now be sure that Lin Nansheng is a Zhu Yilong character, since his reaction to having been on his feet for forty hours is “I’m fine” (although he says 我不困 instead of 我没事, I’ll give him that much). Having established that this drama is in part about selling the CCP, I am now totally confused that Lin Nansheng falls for Zhu Yizhen when (after watching her ref a basketball game, a little present for ZYL, as opposed to LNS, from the production?) he hears her recite “Leaves of Grass” in English. Not my usual association with that poem. Also, there is no way in hell Zhu Yilong wasn’t thinking of Shen Wei when playing the mild-mannered young professor in glasses and a nice suit with a secret identity, complete with the ducked head and shy smile.
Writing: I’m most of the way through the individual points of my revision; I still have one or two overall big thematic things that need more thought. I think a lot of the governmental and international backstory stuff is going to wait for book 2, because I can’t fit it in smoothly and it’s not relevant yet.
Fic related, a kind person left kudos on my Lin Jing fic, which is the longest and by far the least popular of the Guardian fics I’ve written; for various reasons, all of which I knew about when I was writing it, this is totally understandable, but I’m always a little bit extra pleased when someone appreciates Lin Jing & Li Qian having extracanonical adventures.
Photos: Two white flowers, morning glories, bamboo, a bridge that reminded me of the fifty-five zillion vermilion torii gates at Fushimi Inari shrine, and the fancy roof thing on a Tenri-kyo church. (Of Japan's many so-called New Religions, I'm fairly well acquainted with Tenri-kyo and kind of fond of it, they seem sensible and I like their sung litany.)
Be safe and well.
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Date: 2021-06-24 10:22 am (UTC)I'm enjoying all the echoing angles in the bottom three photos. :-)
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Date: 2021-06-24 11:51 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-06-24 11:54 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-06-25 12:04 am (UTC)Also I meant to say I'm enjoying your June meme posts, even if not managing to comment very much. <3
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Date: 2021-06-25 12:48 am (UTC)Yay, thanks! <3
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Date: 2021-06-24 10:44 am (UTC)The more I hear people talking about The Rebel, the less likely it grows that I'll not watch it. I may have been underestimating my weakness for Zhu Yilong starring in something that's not underbudgeted. And, you know, doing all the emotion things with his face (sigh).
I hope work unfucks itself at least a little bit, fingers crossed.
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Date: 2021-06-24 11:53 pm (UTC)Yeah--I have qualms about the nature of The Rebel as propaganda, but the budget at least means that it's a whole cast of good actors (not to mention pretty sets and costumes), and, you know, his face. I'm enjoying it a lot so far.
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Date: 2021-06-24 11:27 am (UTC)Oh noooooooooooooooo :clutches head: Like
Those are great pics, love the connection between the bridge and the gates at Fushimi Inari! I went there once and I loved it, it was pretty quiet and the walk was amazing.
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Date: 2021-06-24 11:55 pm (UTC)yeah, I am kind of bracing myself for an inevitable sad ending, but who knows. (In fairness, I should probably say that Shen Wei is actually a professor and Lin Nansheng is just...um...playing one on TV, as it were, but even so the resemblance is undeniable.
ooh, you've been to Fushimi Inari! I'm very fond of it--in non-corona times it's a fairly easy train ride from where I live and a great walk, as you say (except at New Year's when the paths are literally solid with people).
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Date: 2021-06-24 12:21 pm (UTC)Congratulations on making it nearly through your revisions and I love that bridge photo!
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Date: 2021-06-24 11:57 pm (UTC)and thanks <3
Edited: and I hope your first full work week is going very well and not too tiring!
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Date: 2021-06-25 01:00 am (UTC)And thank you! Today is the first day I haven't completely crashed after work, so that's...not bad? 👍
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Date: 2021-06-24 04:05 pm (UTC)Anyone who might not have been convinced so far can now be sure that Lin Nansheng is a Zhu Yilong character, since his reaction to having been on his feet for forty hours is “I’m fine” (although he says 我不困 instead of 我没事, I’ll give him that much).
LOL! He does keep getting that kind of character. And honestly, I never realised just how common that "I'm fine" is until I started paying attention due to Zhu Yilong. Now I notice it everywhere!
he hears her recite “Leaves of Grass” in English. Not my usual association with that poem.
Huh. Yeah, not mine either! Wow, fascinating ...
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Date: 2021-06-25 12:00 am (UTC)LOL! He does keep getting that kind of character.
He does, doesn't he, and all the BTS videos for various shows seem to suggest that he is that type of character, 没事没事 regardless, oh dear. Still, as you say it's a useful line to know!
Will keep you posted re Leaves of Grass, if I can follow the significance.
Edited: also I'm enjoying reading your June meme posts, even if not managing to react very much.
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Date: 2021-06-26 08:45 pm (UTC)Haha, too true.
And thank you, glad to hear you're enjoying the meme posts! I skipped yesterday because of last-minute exchange editing, and today I'm simply wiped, but I'm planning to continue tomorrow.
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Date: 2021-06-24 05:12 pm (UTC)Ha, yes, this is something I experience, too, since I write a lot of rare pairings and small fandom fics lately. This is such a nice feeling, isn't it, when someone appreciates your less popular fics. :)
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Date: 2021-06-25 12:02 am (UTC)Yes! I mean, it's always nice to have someone comment or kudos anything, but there's a special pleasure when it's a character or pairing or fandom that usually gets less interest.
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Date: 2021-06-27 11:38 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-06-28 11:20 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-06-27 08:21 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-06-29 11:36 am (UTC)