#BlogJune for 2024… done!!!
I think 28 June blogposts, almost in a row, is close to my record, so I’m happy with that 🙂
I also found time, before church this morning, to burn off the pile of stuff that’s been accumulating over months and months now, so that was also a very fulfilling accomplishment.
And I think my fire may even have been larger than my friend Steven’s from the other day, so there’s that too 😛
Here’s wishing you a successful end of month too, dear Reader!
KRidwyn
So I finished the trilogy I started on Monday: the Nevernight Chronicles by Jay Kristoff.
I’m thinking that he’s fast becoming one of my favourite authors. His writing style is as readable as Lynette Noni’s Akarnae and as witty as Kevin Hearne’s Iron Druid. But his descriptions are all his own… and they are sublime! His similes, in particular, are so cleverly crafted to fit perfectly within the exact time and place of the plot. Simply stunning writing.
It’ll be a hard act to follow these, I think.
Stay tuned though, dear Reader, as I may yet be surprised…
Have a wonderful day 🙂
KRidwyn
This morning sees me train-bound, heading for Brisbane. New beginning for a new week; it seems apt that, with an hour long journey ahead with nothing to do but sit, I reward myself and download a novel I’ve been wanting to read for a while. Jay Kristoff’s NEVERNIGHT, the first in his trilogy of the same name.
So I downloaded, and then I opened it and started reading… and then stopped after the very first sentence.
Why? you may ask.
Because it’s brilliant! say I. And such an arresting beginning must be shared! (And, speaking from experience, I must act on this now before the novel swallows me and I don’t emerge for a lengthy period of time) so… here it is! Enjoy 🙂
Have an un-soiling-yourself week too, dear Reader!
– KRidwyn
Back on June 7, I bought Kiya a new toy. Huge, thick. Indestructible, or so I thought.
This morning’s photo shows not only how loved it has been, but also just how wrong I was.
Sigh. Destructo-gurl for the win. Again! You’ve got to admit though, she’s a source of continual amusement 🙂
She loves it. She’s even napping with it, as I write:
(She turned her head to face me, to check out what I was doing, just as I took the photo. lol)
Have an amusing day yourself, dear Reader!
– KRidwyn
And there’s actually no ‘good’ reason for missing yesterday’s, either! In fact, I was part-way through writing it, yesterday morning, but got distracted. And never came back, obviously 🙁
Oh well. I’m going to choose to be kind to myself rather than ‘beating myself up’ about it. There’s always today.
So here’s what I was thinking I’d share with you for today’s post: a haiku I made up this morning while feeding Kiya her breakfast. Poem inspired by a conversation with my Miss19, after whose words I’m choosing to title it. And a disclaimer: this is BAD haiku. As in… you’ll probably hate it. Sorry in advance if you do! But I find it highly amusing. So here goes:
Brain rot (?)
YouTube, TikTok meme
Sigma Meals: Skibidi Sliders!
I am the Rizz Lord.
So… whatcha think? Bad haiku, hey. I mean, who’s ever heard of an 8-syllable middle line?! Really!
Okay. I’ll show myself out. See you tomorrow, folks! (Hopefully!)
– KRidwyn
So I’ve been an avid avoider of anything and everything AI related (as much as I’ve been aware, that is). But earlier this week, I attended a Webinar on ‘GenAI in schools’ and, from that, figured I should probably find out more for myself. Engage with it, at least, so I can be familiar with some of the concepts in the conversation… so I did.
Yesterday I discovered something amusing. I’m currently starting a unit on A Midsummer Night’s Dream with one of my classes, so to cut down on my workload I thought I’d ChatGPT some of the significant quotes in Act One.
So Act One has two scenes. Scene 1 shows Duke Theseus and others in Athens; Scene 2 shows a group of ‘mechanicals’ (actors) who are preparing to rehearse a play. Neither scene shows any of the fairies: Oberon (King), Titania (Queen) or Puck (mischief making sprite). But check this out:
See the explanation after each bolded quote? Oberon! Then Titania! And so then this happened:
Ha! Humans for the win right here! (Although I didn’t use question marks when asking my questions, so I feel like I’ve lost a bit of credibility there too…)
Still, have a winning day yourself, dear Reader 🙂
I had high hopes for this one. Look how pretty that rectangular white dish is! And it’s included in the price?! Fantastic!
The reality did not match the hope 🙁
Oh well. Live and learn.
I hope your hopes were all met today, dear Reader!
– KRidwyn
I think I was about 10 when I decided I wanted to play the Piano Accordion. I did for a while, too! It was pretty cool 🙂
The other day, I was completing some online planning for work when I unintentionally hovered over a heading, prompting a notification. “Click to expand or collapse the accordion” it read.
Blink.
Accordion? What?
Since when is a menu, or downward facing arrow, or three dots (usually vertical, but not always) called ‘an accordion’?
But how apt! I love it.
I’m going to be using this phrase a lot more from now on. ‘Click to expand / collapse the accordion.’
Have an expansive week yourself, dear Reader!
Snakes became a problem earlier this year for us: we lost a couple of budgies in our aviary and Miss15 was devastated. I wasn’t much better: the time and energy that had gone into making that thing escape-proof and snake proof! Very frustrating.
So: more money outlaid and we became the proud owners of a couple of snake repellers.
They’re in the ground, buzzing away intermittently, near the corners on opposite sides. And they seem to be working. Miss15 however, is convinced that soon the birds will start imitating the sounds!
I’m not really caring. We haven’t lost a bird to a snake since, and the escape-proof bit seems to be working too, which is good. That cubby-house removal, so a decent roof could be put on, was intense!
And I wanted one more thing to add, before I was completely happy with it. On the houseboats nearby, it’s clear that the ones with owl statues on their roofs keep the bird life away. So a few weeks ago I bought one: just $10 and hopefully it would clear the area of Indian Mynahs and other smaller birds, which can be a nuisance when we have babies.
I installed it on top of the swing nearby, dubbed him Oscar, and sat back, proud. He’s a good looking thing, wouldn’t you agree?
I had to laugh though, when a magpie perched near him just the other day! Pity I couldn’t take a photo – I was too far away 🙁
Well, have a laugh-filled day yourself, dear Reader!
– KRidwyn
Miss11 returned from a recent school excursion to Chinatown, proud of her ability to use chopsticks.
A few days later while eating Chinese takeaway, Mr10 was also determined to join in the fun with his own meal. It consisted (mostly) of prawn chips though… and he wasn’t about to be defeated by them!
Have an inventive week yourself, dear Reader 🙂
– KRidwyn