tisiphone

Hi all. Haven't been here in a while but I think it's time to revive it.

Also dang, what happened to that t-shirt? I gotta take a look and see if I still have it.

This weekend I've been left alone, and I plan to put the time to good use by mucking around in the garden. I have many, many plans :) The existing plants need some maintenance, and some of my herbs didn't really make it through the winter, they'll need to be taken out. I'm going to plant a bit of scented garden around the side, and I've got some wildflower matting. I've got some new herbs to go in. This year I'm tending more toward the edibles rather than the medicinals, with several varieties of thyme and some garlic and ginger. I've also got some fruit to go in. I'm going to use the bits of space around the apple trees and raised beds to put in some currant bushes (red and white, which will stand up straight), some gooseberries, and some cranberries for ground cover. That, plus some extensive weeding and so on, is likely to take up most of the weekend, alas.

Assuming plans work out, it looks like I'll be attending Arisia 2015. This will be the first time in many moons - the last time was 2011, shortly before I finished my undergrad degree and moved to the UK. I'm not going to be volunteering for anything or on any panels, because this is such a last-minute thing, and also because I'd like to just enjoy the convention a bit. We might arrange some kind of dinner-ish thing one night if people are interested. Who's going?

We should meet up! Leave a note and I'll PM you my mobile. I'll be there from Thursday to Sunday, though not available early on Friday AM. (If you do happen to be there and awake, I'll be giving a talk on economics in science fiction at 09:30. Feh.)

Are you still here?

So, I started my volunteer job last week. Right now it's only two shifts a month (about five hours). I wish it was longer, but I need to learn about the objects and do curator object handling training, so I'll have plenty to do for the time being. I absolutely love it. First of all, playing with stuff this old is amazing. I mean, actually picking up a Roman denarius or a Bronze Age chariot fitting, holding it in your hand, it's indescribable. Second, I love how it brings people out of themselves. Even people who are shy and think they'll drop things get incredibly animated over it. I'm reading up on the periods I'm doing over the next week and a half, to make sure I can answer questions like "how much is that worth?" (Answer: a day's wages, to a Roman :) I also think when I get to pick my own objects I'll make sure to always have at lease one thing about that is very durable, like the coins. That way people that are anxious can feel more comfortable about it all.

Sometimes I wish for a time machine, so I could do everyone who expresses a horror of horrible science and the horrible things it does to humanity back to a pre-scientific era. 1340s or 1350s, perhaps? They should enjoy that.

So. Tell me about book sorting! My problem: around 800 books across a very, very wide range of subjects, with two subjects (anthropology and science fiction (top level genre)) dominating. How finely grained a sort do you find useful? Are thematic sorts useful? (For example, I have a collection of books to do with London, and another to do with Cambridgeshire.) I tried a simplified Dewey system but Dewey totally breaks down with fiction, and is past the point of usefulness for social sciences.