@CuriousMagpie@mastodon.social
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CuriousMagpie

@[email protected]

🪶 Welcome 🪶

I'm unabashedly curious about everything. Wandering the hills of western Massachusetts with my canine companion Sadie.

❣️Lover of 🤔speculative fiction, 🏞️ biodiversity, 👩🏻‍🦯long rambling strolls, 🌾 flora & 🐙fauna, 🏔️mountains & 🌊ocean, ☸️ethics, 📝 words & 🎁 meaning-making, looking outward & 🔭inward🔬 ... 🌀 AuDHD Elder

Born when CO2 levels were at 315.34 ppm

Living on unceded land of the Muh-he-conneok ~ People of the Waters that are Never Still.

This profile is from a federated server and may be incomplete. Browse more on the original instance.

AutisticAdam, to actuallyautistic
@AutisticAdam@autistics.life avatar

If someone in person tells me something bad has happened to them, my first response is to share a similar experience I have had, as a way to show solidarity and remind them they're not alone.

@actuallyautistic

CuriousMagpie,
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@AutisticAdam @actuallyautistic I also feel that response but with NT folks they treat it like a competition for who's had the worst experience. Mostly I just nod now and make commiserating noises.

skaeth, to bookstodon
@skaeth@writing.exchange avatar

@bookstodon I need #BookRecommendations please! I’m looking for low #fantasy recommendations. Romance can be there but I want plenty of adventure & banter to go along with it. Nothing epic- magic should take a back seat and it’d be amazing if the main character did not have magic at all. Best if MC is not royal/deity/etc.

The closest thing I’ve read to this is Intisar Khanani’s The Dauntless Path series (which is amazing and I highly recommend). Anything else like it?

#Bookstodon #FantasyBooks

CuriousMagpie,
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@skaeth @jarulf @fskornia @bookstodon I love all of Kay's books and really enjoyed the Swordspoint books. Like you, I didn't care for the Kushiel books but Carey's 2018 Starless was very good. Sharon Shinn is a SFF romance writer and the Angel books don't have magic and the series has an unexpected trajectory.

CuriousMagpie, to actuallyautistic
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I just found out that my landlord is raising my rent $150/mo, adding heat into my utilities, and no longer wants to accept my housing voucher. He could have told me when he decided 4 months ago, but waited until I asked him for a copy of the new lease to review. I have to be out by November 1. Like everywhere else, the #housing market is tight. I don't want to be homeless again.
I'm already exhausted and overwhelmed.
Please send kind thoughts my way @actuallyautistic

CuriousMagpie,
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@ScottSoCal @actuallyautistic thanks for your kind words. I gave myself permission to be panicky and freak out today. Tomorrow I'll start calling the local housing authorities in the county. I'm on waiting lists for housing but some of them are a 1 to 2 years wait. One day at a time.

CuriousMagpie,
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@ChrisHolladay @actuallyautistic Thanks, Chris - I am stopping by their office tomorrow. He's waiting until the end of our current lease but doesn't want to renew because "they don't respect his rights as a landlord" 🙄 He owns almost every rental property in the town. Greed.

zenforyen, to actuallyautistic

@actuallyautistic I'm not #actuallyautistic but I got #adhd diagnosed at 29, realizing that all cliche symptoms and diagnostic surveys are very superficial crap, lacking many subtle aspects.

I wonder, are the "cliche symptoms" for autism any good? E.g. can someone be autistic even if they can "read" other people just fine, and have no noticeable "special interest" or "rigid routines"?

Am I correct thinking this "special interest" thing must be rather persistent, like years/life long?

Thanks!

CuriousMagpie,
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@zenforyen @actuallyautistic Here's a way to think about

CuriousMagpie, to actuallyautistic
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Common medications may increase the dangers of heat waves


@actuallyautistic https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2022/07/common-medications-may-increase-the-dangers-of-heat-waves/

neversosimple, to actuallyautistic
@neversosimple@mstdn.social avatar

@actuallyautistic #ActuallyAutistic
I wonder if this is a sensitivity thing or if it's just me having bad skin:

When I get hot and start to sweat or take a shower that is a bit too warm, my skin gets super itchy. It's like a rash covers my hole body some times, or a bunch of little needles everywhere, though no visual reaction occurs. Annoying at best and distressing at worst!

Just realized that this may be one of the reasons I avoid exerting myself physically!

CuriousMagpie,
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@neversosimple @actuallyautistic I have the same experience - it might have to do with autonomic nervous system regulation being a bit wonky. It can also be impacted by some meds like SNRIs. I've been looking up some of the results from my tests yesterday - my skin/heat issues could be due to a pinched nerve. Bodies are weird 🙃

CuriousMagpie, to random
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Went to the hospital today for neurological testing. I saw only four other patients who were wearing a mask and no practitioners or staff. I honestly don't understand.
1/x

CuriousMagpie,
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I've never been treated like I was an imposition before at at medical facility - at check in, by the assistant, by the doctor. I don't know if it was the mask. My mind is spinning.
2/x

CuriousMagpie,
@CuriousMagpie@mastodon.social avatar

The dr couldn't be bothered to greet me, wouldn't explain what she was doing, was callous - at best - about the pain involved. When I said it was too much, she stopped the test, turned her back on me, and wrote up the report without acknowledging me after telling me to get dressed and go (she wouldn't leave the room).
Have my @actuallyautistic friends had this kind of experience?!
3/x

CuriousMagpie,
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@actuallyautistic I'm feeling shaken by the whole situation.
I'm going to cook some easy comfort food for dinner (mashed potatoes & sausage) and watch Ghibli movies.
/x

CuriousMagpie,
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@grammaticus @actuallyautistic I was shocked - I kept waiting for something to change. I didn't even know what to say until I got home.

CuriousMagpie,
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@neversosimple @actuallyautistic I get that many medical providers are overworked - but damn! I've been overworked and can't imagine being that rude to someone in such a powerless situation.

CindySue, to bookstodon
@CindySue@bookstodon.com avatar

I have been trying to find something to read, but nothing is standing out to me. I guess I am in a slump of some sort. Any recommendations are welcome. I read just about anything, but very little fantasy. I enjoy nonfiction especially nature or social justice focused. I love middle grade books and some YA. So throw anything at me and maybe I will find something to get me out of this slump.

@bookstodon

CuriousMagpie,
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@CindySue @bookstodon Some good books: Let This Radicalize You by Kelly Hayes and Mariame Kaba; Rehearsals for Living by Robyn Maynard and Leane Betasamosake Simpson; Who Do We Choose to Be by Margaret J Wheatley

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CuriousMagpie,
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@weebdeluxe @bookstodon Same - I read the books out of curiosity after seeing so much praise. The second in the series was not at all engaging. She's just not the author for me.

CuriousMagpie,
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@strathearnrose @weebdeluxe @bookstodon I read Robinson not so much for the story or characters - he isn't an engaging writer to me - but I'm always interested in what he's thinking about and how it's evolving. I go in expecting the didactic part 🙂 and wrapping it in a story is easier than a straight out dry text.

CuriousMagpie,
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@strathearnrose @weebdeluxe @bookstodon I think that the Mars trilogy and The Years of Rice and Salt are probably his best stories and characters. The Science in the Capital trilogy is also pretty good - maybe even better than pretty good. Everything else seems to be very preachy and a little odd, pushing some kind of envelope for himself. But always interesting. (I read ... a lot 😆)

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CuriousMagpie,
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@theautisticcoach @actuallyautistic My husband died in an accident four months after we were married. I was in a deep crevasse of shock. It took years to climb out of the shock. I dealt with it by taking care of everybody else.

My grief was very private and lasted a very very long time. I think part of that was not knowing about being autistic and thinking I was supposed to grieve in a different, more acceptable/NT way.
1/2

CuriousMagpie,
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@theautisticcoach @actuallyautistic A few years ago, my dog Shai died very suddenly right next to me. I was inconsolable for days. He was my soul companion. Then I shut down - physically, emotionally, mentally.
I think that was the final straw that launched me into what's been almost 4 years of burn out.

CuriousMagpie,
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@JoBlakely @theautisticcoach @actuallyautistic Thank you - now it's as if it happened to someone I knew and I feel so much compassion for that young woman.

CuriousMagpie,
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@KatLS @theautisticcoach @actuallyautistic Thank you - I'm fortunate to be retired and have been learning to move in my own rhythms - punctuated by a lively dog and her rhythms!

CuriousMagpie,
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@grammaticus @theautisticcoach @actuallyautistic I try to think about it like a scar. At first it's awful and it hurts and as time goes by it softens but it never does go away. It becomes integrated into the body of our life.

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CuriousMagpie,
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@ixtility @bananasmug @bookstodon Remnant Population was so good and I'm so glad Tepper left us so many books that she didn't even start until after she retired.

CuriousMagpie,
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@bananasmug @bookstodon Katherine Addison's books including Angel of the Crows; Malka Older's Mimicking of Known Successes; Monica Byrne's The Actual Star; MCA Hogarth's Dreamhealers series; Elizabeth Bear has a few great series.

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CuriousMagpie,
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@pathfinder @actuallyautistic I've bookmarked this to go back to regularly - thanks!

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CuriousMagpie,
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@analgesicsleep @paul_ipv6 @Lynnd @constantorbit @bookstodon I regularly have eye issues so I switch to audio books until I can read again. They give me a different perspective on the story.

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CuriousMagpie,
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@owlislost @bookstodon
I am finishing my Sheri S Tepper marathon with Gibbon's Decline & Fall and The Family Tree.

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CuriousMagpie,
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@jkirkendall @bookstodon Oh good! It's in my tbr pile - I enjoyed her other books.

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CuriousMagpie,
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@fskornia @hollie @KaraLG84 @bookstodon The Hands of the Emperor by Victoria Goddard has a similarish vibe - a group of people trying to create a better world. There's almost no violence and tons of thoughtful conversations. I adore the characters and if you enjoy it, Goddard has written many books in the 9 Worlds universe.

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CuriousMagpie,
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@Claire @actuallyautistic I like the way you noticed the difference between understanding the topic and understanding you, as a person.
I experience this a lot - my sense is that the other person is more focused on the topic than the relationship with me and that's where the stop cue comes in to play. Maybe it becomes too personal than they want right then.
I'll be thinking about this.

Private
CuriousMagpie,
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@theautisticcoach @actuallyautistic @autisticadvocacy I have talked about it with my friends and some of my acquaintances. I have not disclosed it to my family - and may never. They are already manipulative and deliberately emotionally abusive. I've had to develop strong boundaries with them.

janbartosik, to scifi
@janbartosik@witter.cz avatar

Is there a story where the Martians are not an austere, reserved, spartan, militarized, conscientious and super techy bunch of people?

@bookstodon @scifi

CuriousMagpie,
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@janbartosik @bookstodon @scifi Out of the Silent Planet, the first of the Space Trilogy by CS Lewis.

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CuriousMagpie,
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@failure2lunch @theautisticcoach @actuallyautistic I don't see an apology yet for harassing someone who has been deeply involved with and cares for our community.

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CuriousMagpie,
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@Kay @ASquareClaire @bookstodon it is absolutely worth reading, though tough in some parts. The beginning is not! the tone of the entire book.

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CuriousMagpie,
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@ExcessivelyDiverting @bookstodon I love the 1995 version, of course, but I am also very fond of the 1940 version with Greer Garson and Lawrence Olivier. The dialogue is sparkling.

CuriousMagpie,
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@LPerry2 @ExcessivelyDiverting @bookstodon Yes! And I prefer that Mrs Gardiner to all the others - she had a wonderful voice.

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CuriousMagpie,
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@johnrakestraw @bookstodon I miss teaching and have recently been thinking about putting together a syllabus or three for topics I'm interested in and perhaps sharing them. Thanks for the encouragement!

CuriousMagpie, to bookstodon
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https://karawynn.substack.com/p/the-coming-enshittification-of-public-libraries
Overdrive/Libby through my local #Library has been significantly important to me - the likely potential for its demise is so awful. We need collaborative organizations that can take over and enhance their work. @bookstodon

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CuriousMagpie,
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@lunalein Aurora radically changed my pov on space settlement - it was unexpected given Robinson's other work. @bookstodon

CuriousMagpie, to bookstodon
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https://magazine.wellesley.edu/summer-2023/second-life This essay by Monica Byrne (The Actual Star) is so relatable for me - where is home? what is home? who are my kin?
@bookstodon

CuriousMagpie, to bookstodon
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https://www.resilience.org/stories/2023-07-25/pockets-a-story-for-alan-garner/ A beautiful piece on - one of my favorite authors
@bookstodon

infinitesoleil, to bookstodon
@infinitesoleil@federatedfandom.net avatar

The House in the Cerulean Sea. I’ve heard good things about it. I’m on chapter 10, and I like it for the most part. I think the magical characters are interesting, but the caseworker rubs my skin the wrong way. Gonna try to be patient with him.

@bookstodon

CuriousMagpie,
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@infinitesoleil @bookstodon It is a good book, and I've come to appreciate the way TJ Klune allows characters to meander into being more whole. I had a similar experience with "under the whispering door"

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CuriousMagpie,
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@SteveClough @bookstodon I always check authors' websites to see if I can buy direct from them as an epub.

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CuriousMagpie,
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@owlislost @bookstodon On my reading list this week: Observer, a novel by Nancy Kress and Robert Lanza; The Angel of the Crows by Katherine Addison; Unmasking Autism by Devon Price; The Adventures of Amina al Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty; and paging through Perseverance by Margaret Wheatley. I'm also listening to A Spectre Haunting by China Miéville.

bibliolater, to bookstodon
@bibliolater@qoto.org avatar

For pleasure do you prefer to #read #fiction or #nonfiction #books?

#amreading #book #bookstodon
@bookstodon

CuriousMagpie,
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@bibliolater @bookstodon Reading is pleasure - I'll settle for a cereal box if that's all there is 😃

charliejane, to random
@charliejane@wandering.shop avatar

My new SFF book review column in the @washingtonpost is about four books that will help you cope with the fanatics in our world. Whether it's a cult of personality around a toxic billionaire, or religious zealots, these books will help.

Paywall-free link: https://wapo.st/3JYmoqw

CuriousMagpie,
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@charliejane Excellent book suggestions - I've got them on hold in my library @bookstodon

franciscawrites, (edited ) to bookstodon
@franciscawrites@mastodon.scot avatar

Books make the world better.
This week I'll be posting about some of my favorite books YA, their covers and their fabulous opening lines.

“The island of Gont, a single mountain that lifts its peak a mile above the storm-racked Northeast Sea, is a land famous for wizards”
-A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin

@bookstodon

CuriousMagpie,
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@LynnSiey @franciscawrites @bradmacpherson @Penguinflight @bookstodon
Here you go: https://www.ursulakleguin.com/lao-tzu-the-tao-te-ching

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