CN racial violence. concerning the shooting of #BlackLivesMatter protestors in Minneapolis

White people understand two things: loss of profit and loss of life. Until we are ready en masse to make them lose one or the other of those, all this marching and yelling won’t get us shit but strong legs and hoarse voices.

—The Kinfolk Kollective

whine whine whine

I am cold but I am sick of being under the blankets and Mom won't let me turn up the heat because she's hot. I am tired and don't want to help with cleaning. (Have already done some, but don't want to do more.) I want to sleep in my own damn bed tonight but am half suspecting that's not going to happen (depends how I feel in a couple hours, I guess). I have a lecture to listen to but Mom has the kitchen TV on and two audio streams going at once is one too many, and for the same reason I can't watch TV or movies. (I'm really wanting to get back to Sailor Moon Crystal—I noticed no significant difference between Hulu sub and Hulu dub, by the way, at least in the first two episodes which are all that's up in dub—and I still haven't done that rewatch with notetaking of Disney's Mulan.) And I have umpteen books to read but Mom has the kitchen TV on and any audio streams may be one too many.

(no subject)

Oh! My lecture this week is textual! (Technical difficulties filming, apparently. So he wrote it out instead.) DELIGHT.

(no subject)

gratitudes
home
frozen Walmart Chinese food
low electric bill
no work today (doctor's note because sick past few days)
feeling pretty nearly fine today

( todo/tada )

(no subject)

John Beckett: Worshipping Fearsome Gods

John Beckett: How Do You Know You’re on the Right Path?

book review

The Balance of the Two Lands: Writings on Greco-Egyptian Polytheism by H. Jeremiah Lewis (full disclosure: I'm reviewing this book as a favor to him for reasons, which reasons probably count as him paying me for the review, but he is not in any way influencing the content of the review) is mostly interesting to me for its descriptions of Hellenic polytheism as historically and currently practiced. The actual focus of the book is Greco-Egyptian polytheism, before and during Ptolemaic Alexandria and in the present day. Lewis quotes extensively from primary sources in translation, and when talking about historical practice, he cites everything he doesn't quote. It's a worthwhile read for the quotes alone.

Rick Riordan should probably have done his research before writing the Percy Jackson / Kane Chronicles crossover shorts in which he declared Greek and Egyptian magic things better kept far apart. There's certainly, as Lewis shows, enough historical syncretism and—words, gah—overlap? between the Greek and Egyptian deities around whom Riordan's respective series revolve.

The essay "Getting Started" is something I wish I'd had ten months ago.

Lewis describes the central value of Hellenismos as "beauty". I am not sure I agree with this but I am not sure I have any grounds on which to disagree, either.

So I don't have a whole lot to say about this book, but I'm glad I read it.

(no subject)

*mainlines a fuckton of YBEB*

recessional is going to have a lot of kudos from me in her email tomorrow, but otherwise I haven't got a word to say.