Rainy rambles

[dolorosa_12]

I managed to make myself feel low-level irritated in three different ways before I'd even left the house. I really need to learn that avoiding Twitter isn't enough: I need to leave all social media alone at the start of the day and just read books. (The culprits: a Facebook friend who seems to have a) gone full tankie and b) whose often justified criticism of the US sometimes tips into full on Putin apologia; and various hot takes from fandom journalists which never fail to grate. I think I need to just accept that while I love detailed meta, and in-depth reviews, fandom journalism almost universally irritates me.)

I tried to put all this from my mind by trudging out to the market in the rain, picking up bits and pieces of fruit and vegetables, cleaning and tidying parts of the house, and combing through the RHS website for planting instructions for a range of different vegetables. The former owners shared a detailed list of the vegetables they grew — they had a two-year rotation in each of the four garden beds, so we'll plant the same things they did in 2019 this year, then the 2020 stuff in 2022, and hope for the best. It was very soothing to think of digging in the soil, making compost, and growing and harvesting all that abundance.

Someone further down the road sells their homegrown vegetables from their driveway: cauliflower, potatoes, carrots, zucchini, onions, leeks, and cauliflower. It's almost enough to abandon our weekly veggie box delivery, although I'd want to be confident that they're going to continue making things available all year round. In any case, I bought some cauliflower, and made cauliflower and potato soup, using rosemary from our garden, and it was delicious.

I've read just two books so far this week. The first was Wings of Fury by Emily R. King. This is a retelling of the story of Zeus's overthrow of the Titans fron the point of view of three young women caught up in events. It suffered from a problem I'm finding all too common in a lot of recent fantasy fiction — ostensibly adult characters, in a setting where if anything people are treated like adults at a much earlier age than they are in the 21st century, reacting to the situations in which they find themselves as if they are 21st-century teenagers. I also feel that in books like King's, which are attempting something of a feminist slant on very misogynistic settings, there are two options: write a very sanitised book aimed at children, or write something that really leans into the darkness and horror. Wishy-washy YA middle ground just ends up seeming half-hearted. I dug into this in greater depth over on dolorosa12 in regard to Iliad retellings a few years ago.

The second book I read was the third Bridgerton novel, An Offer from a Gentleman, which so far was my favourite of the series. I'm not really sure why. I'm not a huge romance reader, aside from the odd KJ Charles book, and the tropes in this particular book are not normally ones that appeal to me. Having thought a bit more about it, I'm enjoying the Bridgerton series more for the depiction of the eponymous family than any of the romances. I really like stories about siblings who are each other's friends and obviously enjoy each other's company, and that's certainly true here.

It's set to be a rainy, snowy weekend, so there's definitely time for a lot more reading, although I'm not sure what I'll pick up next.

Comments

[lilysea]

a) gone full tankie

What is tankie?

Asking as an Australian who doesn't know this phrase...

[dolorosa_12]

I'm an Australian too, and I don't think I came across the phrase in Australia — I only started hearing it in online circles after I immigrated to the UK.

Basically, it means someone who is not just a communist, but a literal Stalinist (as in, thinks Stalin did nothing wrong).

For (hopefully) obvious reasons, I find them insufferable, and a bit scary.

[lilysea]

Basically, it means someone who is not just a communist, but a literal Stalinist (as in, thinks Stalin did nothing wrong).

I read this any my eyebrows went up as high as they go and I went

BUT BUT BUT persecution of Jewish people?

persecution of LGBT people?

persecuting writers and artists and intellectuals?

THE ARTIFICIAL FAMINE IN THE UKRAINE?????

Stalin caused completely-unnecessary human suffering on a scale comparable with Hitler...

[dolorosa_12]

I know, right?

I can understand holding such a position maybe in the early-to-mid 20th century (like, I still don't think it was a great position to hold, and, like George Orwell was criticising these people in the 1930s and 40s for painting the whole communist movement in a terrible light, so it's not as if people didn't know how awful Stalin was even then).

But in 2021? There is zero excuse.

[luzula]

This was of course before Stalin, but Kropotkin criticized the authoritarian turn the Russian revolution was taking already in 1919, and Emma Goldman did the same in 1923. I mean, they were both on the left and wanted revolution! Just...not that way. So there were lots of early warnings.

[dolorosa_12]

Oh, of course, absolutely. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm more forgiving of people in the first half of the twentieth century refusing to see what was right before their eyes, and refusing to heed such warnings, than I am with twenty-first-century leftists who still act as apologists for totalitarian communist regimes.

[luzula]

Sure, I get it! I too had not heard the word "tankie" before, so thanks for teaching me a new word...

[lirazel]

On ContraPoints' latest video, she had an aside about "leftist teenagers on the internet who think that Stalin did nothing wrong but that Rachel Maddow is evil," and I cackled, even while feeling depressed about it.

[dolorosa_12]

That's exactly it! I had friends growing up who had lived through the final days of the Soviet Union (and whose parents and grandparents had experienced its earlier years), and just from the things they told me I was able to understand how appalling it was. I really despair that these teenage tankies aren't capable of doing the same.

[superborb]

Turning off RTs has been gold in stopping bad takes from appearing on my twitter timeline. Or just muting the source of the bad takes. But I haven't been finding great in depth meta or reviews on twitter anyway, I guess...

[dolorosa_12]

I've muted a lot of the worst culprits, and I really should turn off retweets for certain people, although to my knowledge that doesn't prevent quote-retweets appearing in my timeline.

But I should have been clearer: I wasn't on Twitter, and encountered the aforementioned bad takes via links posted here on Dreamwidth. I barely go on Twitter at all these days, because usually within about five minutes I find myself seething with anger, but it's getting to the point that the kinds of things I left Twitter to avoid are creeping through the cracks here on Dreamwidth and on Facebook as well.

[superborb]

Ah, I see! I guess I don't really follow /that/ many people on DW, so I haven't seen it yet here...

[regshoe]

Those vegetable-growing plans sound wonderful! I wish you success :)

[dolorosa_12]

I'm worried I"m being too ambitious, since up until this point all I've ever grown is herbs, and things like tomatoes and radishes in a container garden. But we bought this house in part for the vegetable garden (and fruit trees! there are five fruit trees!), so it makes sense to use it. I'm sure it will be a lot of trial and error, but hopefully not completely beyond our capabilities.

Thanks for the well-wishes!

[prettyarbitrary]

Ah. I got the Wings of Fury ebook for free as Amazon's Kindle book of the month thing. I am not running a high batting average with those, so I didn't have my hopes super high, and that sounds more or less like I was expecting.

But...y'know. Free. Or well, I've already paid for them as part of my subscription so why not?

[dolorosa_12]

Yeah, I got it for free as well, so I'm less irritated at its (lack of) quality than I would be if I paid for it!

[prettyarbitrary]

Hee hee, that's a good point!

[corvidology]

Driveway veggies are the best if you're not growing your own as they're still very fresh out of the ground. :D

[dolorosa_12]

Driveway veggies are delicious!

[lirazel]

Why can't people understand that just because the US is terrible in many ways, that doesn't mean that all of our "enemies" are right??? It's so frustrating.

which are attempting something of a feminist slant on very misogynistic settings, there are two options: write a very sanitised book aimed at children, or write something that really leans into the darkness and horror. Wishy-washy YA middle ground just ends up seeming half-hearted

God, yes.

I am completely with you on the draw of the Bridgerton series being more about the family than the romances. I always wanted more sibling time, and that's what kept me reading through that series!

[dolorosa_12]

I'm glad it's not just me re: Bridgerton. I quite like a lot of the love interests in the books I've read so far, but for me it really is all about the sibling relationships.