BookishBat

Because I'll eventually get all my GoodReads reviews backed up here... My main (pop culture, video games, etc.) tumblr is here! .....

[neil-gaiman]

Hello. What are your thoughts on the Shakespeare authorship controversy? You seem like a Stratfordian (or maybe that's wishful thinking)

I think that extraordinary claims need extraordinary proof, and that the idea that Shakespeare had to be an aristocrat rather than a working playwright is founded in snobbery rather than in any kind of realistic estimate of the writing skills of the British aristocracy.

[aquitainequeen]

Research when writing is vital, but also I just love that M.R. James wrote a golfing scene in Oh Whistle And I’ll Come To You, My Lad where he literally says ‘the golfing reader will have to imagine appropriate digressions at the proper intervals’.

[aquitainequeen]

I mean, M.R. James wrote what he loved, which was research, archives, manuscripts, ghosts and academics being traumatised. He did not love golf. I understand that. I respect that.

[aquitainequeen]

M.R. James: I am going to write a story which is so full of Latin, translations, manuscripts, ominous biblical quotations, spooky folklore, etc.

Also M.R. James: The hell I’m writing about golf. Use your imagination.

[pangur-and-grim]

pangur causes so many issues. she expects me to gently scoop her up and carry her to bed at night, where she'll sleep tucked into my arms like a teddybear, but last night I was dying of flu and crawled into bed early, alone. AND SO she spent 2.5 hours roaming my parents house screaming at the top of her lungs. she knew exactly where I was the entire time. she kept popping her tiny head through the doorway to peer at me with her huge black eyes & see if I'd heard her & was paying attention. and when I continued to die from the flu and not do anything, she'd leave and resume screaming like a banshee. what I was supposed to do was get out of bed, find her, pick her up, kiss her on her tiny inbred forehead, and say "ohhhhh poor sweetheart, ohhhhhh," and because I failed in this duty, everybody in the house had to listen the loudest, highest pitched screams a cat can produce for multiple hours into the early morning.

[pangur-and-grim]

imagine. finally, the screaming stops. you feel blessed relief. then you look up and see this in the doorway

she looks at you. you look at her. then she turns, and walks away.

the screaming resumes.

[pangur-and-grim]

it's how she looks!!

[hobbesdeep]

[leapwriter]

OK but how could you cut off the last panel, this whole thing is gold

[mochisquish]

[todaysbird]

today’s bird: this Taiwan blue magpie

[mind-if-i-scream]

I’m sorry, I just love how you’re pointing at him and he’s looking at you like he wants to fight

[coochiefart]

Why’s he wearing jeans

[lavenderek]

jird

[taiey]

if a magpie wore jorts,

[headspace-hotel]

Y'all ever open a book on a new subject, read a little bit, and have to put it back so you can process the way in which your mind was just expanded?

[headspace-hotel]

The textile book: okay here is some of the ways that textiles are important to human life

me: Okay!

The textile book: Clothes separate the vulnerable human body from the conditions of the outside world, and in doing so absorb the sweat and debris of human existence, accumulating wear and tear according to the lives we live. In this way, various lifestyles and professions are represented by clothing, and the clothing of a loved one retains the imprint of their physical body and their life being lived, as though the clothes absorb part of the wearer's soul

Me: ...oh

The textile book: The process of weaving a garment and the process of a child being formed in its mother's womb are often referred to using the same language. Likewise, when a baby is born, a blanket or other textile material is the first material object it encounters and protects it. Textiles can create the idea of two things being inextricable, as with being "woven together," or can create the sense of separateness, as with a curtain or veil that separates two rooms or spaces, even separating the living from the dead, or separating two realities, such as a performance ending when the curtain falls

Me: ...oh God

The textile book: Odysseus's wife Penelope undid her weaving in secret every night to delay the advances of her suitors. In this way she was able to turn back the passage of time to allow her husband to come home. Likewise the Lakota tell a story of an old woman embroidering time by embroidering a robe with porcupine quills. If she finishes the embroidery, the world will come to an end, but her faithful dog pulls out the quills whenever her back is turned, turning back the clock and allowing existence to continue.

me: ...is...is...is that why we refer to the fabric of space and time?

The textile book: The technological revolution of textile making is sadly underappreciated. The textile arts are possibly the most fundamental human technology, as once people created string and rope, they could create nets for catching fish and small animals, and bags and baskets for carrying food. In the earliest prehistoric times, the first string or cord perhaps came from sinew, found in the body of an animal. Because of this perhaps the body of a living being could be understood as made of a textile material. Indeed textiles have the function of preserving life, as with a surgeon stitching back together the human body or bandages being placed on a wound. Textile technologies are being used to create life-changing implants to restore function to injured parts of the body, as though a muscle or tendon can be woven and made in this way. Cloth can be used to create a parachute that will save a human's life as they plummet out of the sky. Ultimately, the textile technologies are used to enter new parts of the universe. [Photo of an astronaut and details explaining the astronaut's suit]

Me: STOP!! MY MIND IS NOT STRONG ENOUGH FOR THIS

[headspace-hotel]

The book is "Textiles: The Whole Story" by Beverly Gordon

[kleefkruid]

My cats have this meow that means "please come with me to fix this" after which they'll lead me to the problem in question, usually a empty (or 'empty') food bowl or a closed door they want open. They look at the 'problem', they look back at me, clear message.

What fascinates me is how this illustrates what they percieve as being in the realm of my 'power.' I control the food, I control the door, sure, but my cats love to sit on the balcony in the sun, and it has happened plenty of times that on a rainy day they come get me, go to the balcony and show me... the rain. "Please fix this" they say. "Please get rid of the wet"

"Silly kitty," I say, "I can't control the rain." I then walk into the shower and turn on the rain.

[adverbian]

My cat absolutely does this. What’s more, she has learned that she can demand that one human fix the behavior of another human.

I was in the bathroom one day. The door was closed, which is of course a Crime Against Felinity. The cat had been complaining about this for several minutes. I told her I would be out in a few.

I then heard the “follow me” meow from down the hall, and my husband saying “what?”

The next thing I heard was my husband’s voice at the bathroom door. “The cat just led me right here, and now she’s looking at me like, ‘Here. You talk to her. She seems to listen to you.’”

Yes. My cat has learned to speak to the manager.

[canalmuseum]

Great Dust Heaps in the Kings Cross area sold to Russia: fact or urban myth?

By John Robinson

On the first floor of the London Canal Museum is a description of Victorian recycling which ends with the words, ‘a huge dust heap was cleared in 1848 to build the (Kings Cross) station’. That seems clear enough but is that actually all there is to the story?

A quick on-line search confirms the existence of several large dust heaps and an intriguing connection with Charles Dickens’ novel Our Mutual Friend and his character Nicodemus Boffin, the Golden Dustman, who became extremely wealthy, inheriting his own dust heap on the death of his master, and thought to be modelled on the real-life dealer in waste, Henry Dodd.

However, by delving a little further, I came across statements, put forward in seemingly reputable contemporary accounts, such as that in P. J. Pink’s mighty History of Clerkenwell (1880), to the effect that the dust heaps were sold to the government of Russia to help the re-building of Moscow after the war of 1812 with Napoleon! Similarly, a syndicated article that appeared in the Fife Herald on 17 May 1837 states, ‘it is a well-known fact that the dust-heap that was wont to grace the top of Gray’s-Inn-Lane is now a competent part of the city of Moscow, to which it was exported as a material for brick-making after the conflagration of that city’.

Figure 1 – The illustration above is an 1873 watercolour painting by E.H. Dixon of a dust heap located next to Battle Bridge and the London Smallpox Hospital and Weston Place, viewed from Maiden Lane (now York Way). An inscription below the painting inserted by an unknown hand, much later than the date of the painting, refers to the Great Ash Heap being cleared in 1848 to assist in the re-building of Moscow, Russia.

A giant-size dust heap

Coming from an engineering background, I feel the need to gain an approximate understanding of the sort of quantities of materials we are talking about. I have made an attempt to calculate the quantity, based on the Dixon watercolour shown in Figure 1 above and using the people and perimeter fencing shown in the painting as a scale. This suggests that there might be as much as 200,000 cubic metres of rubbish contained within this particular heap. If we assume conservatively that sixty per cent of this was composed of ash and clinker, that would give a quantity of material to be shipped of 120,000 cubic metres, enough presumably to assist with the rebuilding of at least part of Moscow. If we then assume that the volume of cargo that could be accommodated on a canal barge was 80 cubic metres, it would require 1,500 journeys from Kings Cross to Limehouse Basin. Allowing, say, five barge loads per day, it would require the best part of a year to complete the clearance.

The sale to Russia, if true, seems extraordinary and has some relevance to the Museum, as moving the considerable volume of material concerned would, no doubt, have involved loading the material onto barges at the most convenient point, possibly Battlebridge Basin, shipment along the Regent’s Canal to Limehouse Basin, followed by transport by sea-going sailing vessels across the North Sea, to the Baltics, more or less the reverse of the journey made by the ice consignments from Norway to Carlo Gatti’s ice storage warehouse in what is now the London Canal Museum.

The story appears to have aroused the interest of several modern researchers which I found in a wonderful paper compiled by the British Brick Society (2017) titled, ‘London’s Dust Mountains’. Much of what follows has been gleaned from this document.

Circumstantial evidence

What we know:

Much of the content of the dust heaps was ash and clinker from the fires that were needed in every domestic residence. These materials were used to make bricks, with the ash being mixed with clay, and the clinker used to keep the bricks separate and provide additional heat for the firing of the bricks. This material would, therefore, have been useful to anyone undertaking building work, even in a location as far away as Moscow.

Much of Moscow was destroyed by a fire in 1812, started by the Moscow police as part of a scorched earth policy to frustrate Napoleon’s forces sacking of the city. We also know that a ‘Commission on Moscow Construction’ was set up in 1813 to coordinate the re-building activity, a plan for which was completed by 1817. The commission was disbanded in 1842. We know that the chief planner for the re-building works was a Scottish architect called William Hastie, confirming a British connection.

Russia had raised a large loan against its sovereign debt in 1822 of £3,500,000. Some of that money could have been used to purchase the dust heap(s).

There was a slump in economic activity in Britain after 1825 leading to a drop in the demand for building materials, which might have encouraged the owner of the dust heap to look for a market elsewhere.

A sea route from London to Moscow was feasible, with ships sailing through the North Sea and into the Baltic to St. Petersburg, entering the river and lake waterways where barges could have taken materials into the heart of Moscow. This route would only have been possible during the summer months when the waterways were ice-free. The alternative route, heading south through the English Channel, through the Bay of Biscay to the Mediterranean, and entering the Black Sea to the sea of Azov, east of Crimea and then overland, via the River Volta to the Moscow River, can most probably be discounted due to the number of transhipments required.

Hard evidence

As mentioned earlier, there were several dust heaps in the Kings Cross area. A huge dust heap, referred to as Smith’s dust heap, was located close to the junction of Gray’s Inn Road and New Road (now Euston Road). This was cleared in 1825/26 which would be consistent with the period of rebuilding in Moscow. Of this, Pink’s History of Clerkenwell states, ‘the corner of Gray’s Inn Road was covered in a mountain of filth and cinders, the accumulation of many years, and which afforded food for hundreds of pigs. The Russians bought the whole of the ash-heap, and shipped it to Moscow, for the purpose of re-building that city after it had been burned by the French’.

Another dust heap, that illustrated in Figure 1, was located close to the site of Kings Cross station and it would seem likely that its clearance would be necessary to make way for the construction of the station. An inscription below the painting inserted much later than the date of the painting, refers to the Great Ash Heap being cleared in 1848 to assist in the re-building of the city of Moscow, Russia. The date of clearance in 1848 would seem to be later than the period of rebuilding of Moscow. However, it is possible that rebuilding work continued following the disbanding of the Commission on Moscow Reconstruction in 1842. The date of clearance would be in line with the date of construction of Kings Cross railway station (1851-52).

But, there is a but…

An article in Slavic Review, ‘The Restoration of Moscow after 1812’ by A J Schmit (1981), makes no mention of the dust heaps being sold to Russia. It does, however, mention Catherine the Great’s ‘masonry city’ and the scarcity of building materials at the end of the 18th century.

Prior to the fire, except for some of the public buildings and churches, most of the buildings in Moscow were of timber construction. Soon after its inauguration in 1813, the Commission on Moscow Construction established brickworks and set about opening quarries. It seems likely that from the fire, it had plenty of ash to call upon, although it would seem likely that clinker was scarce, as the fuel used in domestic fires in Moscow would have been wood rather than coal.

Some buildings were reconstructed using brick construction, but many properties, both public and domestic, were reconstructed using split logs covered in plaster, both inside and out, to provide insulation against the harsh Russian winter and the heat of the summer.

To clear up this mystery, it ought to be possible to check the bills of lading or cargo manifests held by the Lloyds Register of Shipping. Unfortunately, it appears that such records are only available from 1837 onwards.

Conclusions

From the hard evidence provided above, it seems likely that one or more dust heaps did go to Moscow. However, unless further research on this subject is carried out to confirm the fate of the Kings Cross dust heaps, I am left with romantic dreams of the Golden Dustman flogging his dust to the Muscovites. But for those who like conspiracy theories, there is another possibility. The absence of a transparent audit trail appears to be reminiscent of money laundering, for which London appears to be Moscow’s (and the world’s) favourite laundromat.

[witchesversuspatriarchy]

Or just go to browse and hang out! I promise it will be inspiring :)

[bloglikeanegyptian]

one thing you won't know until you experience it for yourself when you create art out of love is how it feels when people receive it with love. when you post a doodle and someone keeps it as their lockscreen, or when you write a story and someone tells you they were thinking about it all day, or when you post a poem and someone shares it with a touching caption. doesn't matter if it was objectively good or not. matters that someone spent time with it, that someone really, really liked it, and you made it. this kind of interaction, i think, it can really sustain you for weeks. it can sustain you through a lot of terrible things. its confirmation that you exist, and that (however briefly) your existence was appreciated by someone else through your art.

[bludragongal]

i am resharing this wonderful post and its words while also adding on the greatest, best, most precious experience like this i've ever had

[grabnok]

Heck. I have been perceived in a positive way! My heart can't take it!

I'm really happy my bumbling made you happy, tho!

[bludragongal]

gently takes ur face in my hands

you are who I think of when I am struggling

[cafeinevitable-deactivated20220]

A Circular Book dating back to 1590 held by the University of Forsberg, Germany

[batgrlbookish]

Someone shared this in our discord and I am still snickering.

[sugarkat]

They did that thing on TikTok again, except this one guy did the arrangement

(x)

[hammondpubliclibrary]

[xenosaurus]

I turn 30 next month so here’s what I learned in my 20s:

—don’t work for startups, they’re always one ‘innovative idea’ away adding ‘sell your kidneys on the black market’ to your job description.

—keeping a collection of basic OTC medicine on you will save your life one day. I recommend Advil, Imodium, and TUMS.

—those little single-use glasses cleaning wipes are 1000% worth the money

—overly self-depreciating jokes just make people uncomfortable, wean yourself off of them

—you can buy dehydrated mini marshmallows in bulk online and they’re a godsend for hot cocoa

—people don’t care if you have fidget toys on your desk they just want to play with them

—try to go to bed BEFORE the existential ennui kicks in

[thelittleblackfox]

Also drink water and eat a plant

[liz-squids]

This is all GREAT. I turned 40 last week, so permit me to add what I learned in my 30s:

keep on not working for startups

sometimes there comes a point where the thing (fandom, hobby, friendship, romantic relationship) you loved no longer brings you joy. And that's okay. Try to mourn the loss, take joy in the memories, and don't burn any bridges in case ten years go by and you find yourself back in that fandom/hobby/relationship again

it turns out that (ugh) moderate regular exercise is (spit) good for you. The sooner you make it part of your life, the easier it'll be

related: if you throw yourself into a new exercise regime too hard and too fast, without stopping to rest or consider whether a particular move is good for you ... well, shoulder injuries are painful and consults with orthopedic surgeons are expensive

knees are bastards too

don't even get me started on ankles

there may come a time when your digestive system is too fragile for ibuprofin. I'm sorry

one day you're gonna wake up and realise you no longer give any fucks about some things that used to bother you

on the other hand, you might be alarmed to realise what you still give a fuck about

never get down on the floor without an exit strategy for getting back up

[covington-shenanigans]

I turn 50 this year. what I have learned in my 40s:

"loving yourself" is less of a feeling and more of an action. you can start doing it any time and it will make your life better and better as you go on

this will happen incrementally - be patient

along those lines, if you haven't started making an active effort to quit shit-talking yourself, suck it up and do it

no, shut up. do it. "but it's haaaaard!" don't care. do it.

whether you like it or not, you are mortal and you need to go to the doctor for an annual checkup

stretch regularly - your future self will thank you

at some point you will encounter people much younger than you arguing passionately and incorrectly about history you personally remember and experienced

this will be infuriating and annoying

otoh, most other things just... will not matter to you as much

at some point you will shift from wanting to go out to being like "eh" and deciding to stay in. this is okay.

you will have absolutely no idea what The Youth are talking about and you will not care

but if you keep your mind open to new ideas you'll never be irrelevant

your company still doesn't love you - don't give them more than they pay you for

get a fucking hobby, especially a hobby that involves physically creating/handling something and/or moving your body in physical space. it will do you more good than you can imagine

[justpastryvideos]

Hi! This is random, but the Australian Threatened Species Commissioner organises a threatened species-themed bake off yearly in the first week of September! If you want to check it out, it's really cool! Anyway, thank you for all your lovely videos—you're amazing—and sorry for being random! :)

SHUT THE HELL UP THIS IS THE BEST THING I'VE EVER SEEN. i've spent like an hour looking through photos oh my god i'm having so much fun. have to post one of my favorites, a handfish by zuzimb on twitter from 2018