Zumbador

Masha du Toit, #writer of #ScienceFiction and #Fantasy, living in Cape Town, South Africa. #Autistic, Afrikaans, and #nonbinary 🙂

Am fascinated by #etymology, love #cycling, have 5 pet #rats, fan of #criticalrole.

Public Key

npub10enxrej0gru805vxfp6y0n3skgk7lhdc2df5sm2uq7f6xgaa9jpstyhmp3

NIP-05 Address

Zumbador_at_mefi.social@mostr.pub

Profile Code

nprofile1qqs8uenpue85p7rh6xrysaz8ecctyt00mku9x56gd4wq0yaryw7jeqculmda2

Author Public Key

npub10enxrej0gru805vxfp6y0n3skgk7lhdc2df5sm2uq7f6xgaa9jpstyhmp3

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Last Notes

2024-08-25 05:30:42

You can't ever really teach another person anything, but you can be a good teacher: someone who creates a space in which people can teach themselves. You can be inspiring, provide materials and resources, share what you've learnt yourself.
And you can't fix another person's mental health problems, but you can help create a space in which they are more able to help themselves. You can be compassionate, kind, patient, and present.
#ActuallyAutistic #MentalHealth #anxiety #depression

2024-08-24 18:09:44

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@npub1wje…kd27 I love this picture! Everyone looks so happy

2024-08-24 18:07:52

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@npub1wje…kd27 oh wow how hurtful! Why do that.

2024-08-18 12:41:09

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@npub1kkp…5sfx that sounds lovely!

2024-08-18 08:04:43

Me: "new resolution. I will no longer read the comments."
Scrolls.
[Look at me not reading the comments! Pats self on back.]
Scrolls.
[This is so peaceful. Happy sigh] .
Scrolls.
"What the hell do you mean that there's no such thing as gravity?!? That's not what "theory" means ! And what's NASA got to do with it anyway??? "
Oops.

2024-08-16 12:50:22

OMG I got a drawing accepted on the official Critical Role fan art page!!!

2024-08-11 07:33:56

Many gulls on the roof of the bird hide this morning. I usually go sit in there but it seemed rude to disturb them.
#today #Winter
https://mefisocial.files.fedi.monster/media_attachments/files/112/942/209/812/178/815/original/a88b473b8fe21042.jpg
https://mefisocial.files.fedi.monster/media_attachments/files/112/942/209/790/841/480/original/d45f3e06e8e98c84.jpg

2024-08-02 10:32:29

Small note:
*Mandolin* is the musical instrument.
*Mandoline* is the unreasonably dangerous kitchen utensil.

2024-08-02 09:37:35

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@npub1aq0…py77
Sounds like you've got a good vet who knows how to handle a spiky dog.

2024-07-29 09:40:35

I format ebooks for clients - up to now, only people in South Africa. What is the best way for me to manage payments from people elsewhere in the world?

2024-07-28 08:00:58

#SilentSunday
https://mefisocial.files.fedi.monster/media_attachments/files/112/863/054/052/874/195/original/0bdd1d32050c062c.jpg

2024-07-28 05:46:07

Sharing my breakfast with Jasper. I thought my porridge would be too hot for him, but he doesn't seem to mind at all. He's getting close to 3 years old now which is pretty ancient for a ratto.
Photo is dark because it's winter and the sun is not quite up yet.
#rats #ratstodon #PetsOfMastodon #RatsOfMastodon
https://mefisocial.files.fedi.monster/media_attachments/files/112/862/520/179/940/502/original/69c3f32d00725ee7.jpg

2024-07-25 18:00:10

Playing with my beach pebbles while watching Critical Role. Dash and Cinnamon keep trying to steal them. They must smell interesting!
#rats #ratstodon #PetsOfMastodon #RatsOfMastodon
https://mefisocial.files.fedi.monster/media_attachments/files/112/848/417/642/441/002/original/81ca13c1ae014e83.jpg

2024-07-25 16:24:50

Just got an email saying that the business I work for has filed for bankruptcy.
"We will be a privately held entity under the ownership of our debtholders.
Your roles, responsibilities, wages, and benefits remain unchanged as a result of this process. All services and programs will continue seamlessly and there will be no impact or disruption to partners or clients."
Um.
😐

2024-07-22 11:43:43

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A photo of two of the kittens.
https://mefisocial.files.fedi.monster/media_attachments/files/112/829/960/805/083/065/original/1b2ea1ccd8e2d42d.jpg

2024-07-20 04:23:40

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@npub1wuw…pjs5
That's the thing that puzzles me. My phone was on silent. I think the fact that my headphones were connected circumvented that somehow?

2024-07-19 18:44:13

Laughing at my attempt to have a nap this afternoon. Dark room, check. Comfortable bed, check. Binaural beats on my headphones, check.
Dentist phones me THREE TIMES.
😭😅
(I typed that as binaural bears at first. That sounds way more interesting)

2024-07-19 18:36:53

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@npub1kkp…5sfx yes these are wise words. Always the anxiety makes me reach for control, when that isn't possible /makes things worse.

2024-07-16 09:30:22

So hey that's a record for me:
"You are number 1281 in the queue. Please continue to hold for the next available agent..."
(SARS)
#SouthAfrica

2024-07-07 15:47:59

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@npub1zt3…0v09
stronk doubts!

2024-07-07 15:15:54

I don't think Onyx trusts me.
(Had to feed a friend's cat while she's away)
#cats #CatsOfMastodon #void
https://mefisocial.files.fedi.monster/media_attachments/files/112/745/841/814/413/919/original/b10f59840318ea15.jpg

2024-07-05 12:51:58

If there were a lot more people like you, would the world be a better place?

2024-07-04 05:12:49

I've been resisting buying too much tourist stuff, but now I look at my meagre evil eye collection and I regret not buying some more.
Especially the soft toy evil eyes shaped like plump pink-and-mint-green unicorns 😭
🧿🦄🧿🦄🧿🦄🧿
#TchotchkeRegret
#ThingsIsawTurkey #Turkey #Istanbul
https://mefisocial.files.fedi.monster/media_attachments/files/112/726/471/585/173/601/original/b7b24a26e1c1309d.jpg

2024-06-30 06:05:00

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@npub1wje…kd27 man that's cute

2024-06-29 14:03:44

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@npub1wuw…pjs5
That's awesome.
Google translate - especially the camera translation version - has been incredibly useful in Turkey.

2024-06-28 13:52:21

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Today's cat, at a roadside café just outside Bodrum.
I thought there was a frog croaking under my chair, turns out it was this kitten, purring.
#CatsOfTurkey #cats #CatsOfMastodon
https://mefisocial.files.fedi.monster/media_attachments/files/112/694/567/521/995/738/original/673faf519378de8c.jpg

2024-06-28 02:49:27

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I mean this cat knows exactly how fabulous it looks
(One of the street cats I saw yesterday evening. It was relaxing in a flower bed outside a restaurant.)
#CatsOfTurkey #cats #CatsOfMastodon #Datça
https://mefisocial.files.fedi.monster/media_attachments/files/112/691/950/767/296/958/original/db1f65093e191519.jpg

2024-06-24 09:55:30

I'm not usually fond of our neighborhood WhatsApp group, but then there are sometimes messages like this one.
(There's currently a 72 hour water outage in a large part of Cape Town. I'm happy I'm not there right now! )
#CapeTown #SouthAfrica #today
https://mefisocial.files.fedi.monster/media_attachments/files/112/670/983/445/571/394/original/0f5393334cc22b6f.jpg

2024-06-20 13:20:22

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@npub1vl8…7xf2 oh wow that's teeny indeed. But a baby still? I remember there were adult frogs in the lawns of the Botanic garden in Durban that were about the size of my thumbnail

2024-06-20 11:22:46

This is my new favourite thing. Just floating in the shallow water. The pebbles crunch against one another every time there's a wave. Such a satisfying sound.
https://mefisocial.files.fedi.monster/media_attachments/files/112/648/674/397/645/418/original/81f2f04b283138c4.mp4

2024-06-20 11:17:17

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@npub1vl8…7xf2 oh how smoll!

2024-06-19 05:40:39

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@npub1wje…kd27
Love the tails too ❤️
Rat tail wrapped round your wrist because ratto is feeling wobbly 😍

2024-06-19 04:57:03

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@npub1wje…kd27
Yes, so many times when people find out I have rats for pets, they feel obliged to tell me how much they hate rats. They always mention the tails. Like, OK, I guess?

2024-06-12 19:22:44

Hey hey just felt a little earthquake.
#Turkey

2024-06-10 02:29:46

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@npub1zt3…0v09 oh how awesome! Fledgling birds astonish me. How awkward it must be for the parents, feeding and guarding them.

2024-06-05 17:23:56

Lots of street cats in Eskişehir too. And people who feed them, apparently.
(Small town some hours South East of Istanbul)
#ThingsIsawTurkey #cats #CatsOfMastodon
https://mefisocial.files.fedi.monster/media_attachments/files/112/565/148/854/126/625/original/3e746df8588c3915.jpg

2024-05-30 06:46:33

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@npub1wje…kd27 Oh what a sweetheart. Glad to hear he's eating.

2024-05-27 14:37:35

My husband and myself have caught some kind germ and we're isolating at the top of the house, away from the rest of the family.
Just sick enough to be sorry for myself, nothing serious.
But why does ones skin get sore all over like this, when you're sick? 😭
My sister in law is downstairs, sending up a constant barrage of absolutely delicious Turkish home cooked food and chocolate ice cream so I can't really complain 🙂

2024-05-25 19:18:57

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@npub15te…wdn7 what a pretty face though!

2024-05-19 09:09:31

Hey my brother likes my latest book. He says it has a "Gibsonesque" ending 🥰

2024-05-16 12:40:24

Took the ferry to Arnavutköy today.
#ThingsIsawTurkey #Istanbul #CatsOfIstanbul
https://mefisocial.files.fedi.monster/media_attachments/files/112/450/764/494/766/231/original/bcb43f99e60dac9f.jpg
https://mefisocial.files.fedi.monster/media_attachments/files/112/450/764/471/787/508/original/adbf8692f61f9d4d.jpg

2024-05-11 15:22:33

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@npub19fc…ay3c
Isn't this because phones no longer have audio out, and people couldn't be bothered to connect their headphones to Bluetooth?
Not that that's an excuse.

2024-04-28 17:34:09

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@npub1k6h…0wx7 oh I love the octopus! It looks a bit worried

2024-04-28 13:53:01

#SilentSunday
https://mefisocial.files.fedi.monster/media_attachments/files/112/349/157/924/809/215/original/64b2dfe6c1e7d894.jpg

2024-04-22 07:16:25

No water for us today (along with most of the Southern Suburbs) , because someone stole some valves from a bulk water main.
I'd love to know who is *buying* these things.
It's bad enough to have fences, train cables, and manhole covers go missing, but canabalising the water system seems even more dystopian. It's like our city is eating itself.
#CapeTown #SouthAfrica

2024-04-15 07:42:59

Critical Role watchers will understand:
I was totally thrown when I phoned my bank , and the person who answered said "Good morning, you have reached X bank, you're speaking to Laudna, how can I assist you?"
Took me a few moments to recover enough to respond! 😅
#CriticalRole

2024-04-15 06:12:08

South Africans: "Ha ha of course we don't have WILD ANIMALS walking our streets! ::eyeroll ::
Also South Africans: "I mean, sure, there's a full sized male hippo wandering around Grassy Park this morning. And the ostrich the other day in Ottery. Baboons, I mean, they're *technically* wild animals..."
#SouthAfrica #CapeTown

2024-04-12 19:38:40

Saffy used to be nervous of Brendon. Now she confidently interrupts his drawing to get a cuddle.
#rats #ratstodon #PetsOfMastodon #RatsOfMastodon #RatsOfTheFedi
https://mefisocial.files.fedi.monster/media_attachments/files/112/259/924/756/159/339/original/504cd5c9266a3d73.jpg

2024-03-26 13:02:40

Any writers used Author's Republic audiobook distributors? https://www.authorsrepublic.com/
I need a distributor that will make my books available on Audible. At the moment the only way to do that from South Africa is through a distributor, and the only other one I know about is Findaway Voices who have a bad reputation.
(It's not currently possible to publish directly to Audible if you're not in the US, UK, Canada or Ireland)
#WritingCommunity #SelfPublishing #Audiobooks

2024-03-22 14:44:14

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@npub1zdz…tl8u There are so many amazing sections. I remember the edible woman in her edible house...the people in a floating village who had no sense of individuality if I remember correctly?...the miner who finds memories, and how fragile the memories are...it all felt emotionally accurate and so profound. I'd forgotten about the lion and the desert. I think the jungle grew every night, and the desert ruled by day?

2024-03-22 14:39:16

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@npub1zdz…tl8u Oh! I wonder if they'll do the second part of the book? It's quite serious and sad at times. Not at all like the first movie.

2024-03-16 17:43:20

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@npub1wje…kd27 Charles Dickens?!

2024-03-16 08:00:07

I've just published "Ray and the Stone Cold Axe Woman"!
This is book 2 in the "Ray and the Echoes" series, and is the sequel to "Ray and the Cat Thing".
If you've not read "Ray and the Cat Thing" yet, now's the time to get it - I've made it 99c on all the ebook sites.
⭐Book Description⭐
An enormous axe-wielding woman shows up on Ray’s doorstep. She's a stranger, and she refuses to share her name. All she'll say is that she was sent to protect Ray. What from? The Axe-Woman doesn’t know, but she’s not about to let Ray out of her sight.
As Ray navigates her neighbourhood with this unlikely body-guard in tow, she’s not always sure who’s protecting whom. But it soon becomes alarmingly clear that the danger is very real, and that if Ray wants to keep herself and her friends safe, she’ll have to figure out the mystery of the Axe-Woman’s identity.
https://books2read.com/Ray-and-the-Cat-Thing
https://books2read.com/Ray-and-the-Stone-Cold-Axe-Woman
#FantasyBooks #UrbanFantasy #Fantasy #Bookstodon
https://mefisocial.files.fedi.monster/media_attachments/files/112/104/274/452/924/281/original/3064e9afd3f1f944.jpg

2024-03-12 12:06:42

A challenge of being self published is that most bookshops refuse to stock your books unless you work through a distributor. Which is understandable, they'd rather work with one business than hundreds of individual people.
But distributors are incredibly expensive - they demand that you print a big stock upfront, give them many copies for free (to use as samples) and they take a big % of the sales.
I'd actually end up losing money if I worked through a distributor , even if my books sold well. It would still be worth it for me as a kind of advertising, getting my books in bookshops is good visibility, but I can't afford it.
I wonder how many readers realise this.
#WritingCommunity #WritingLife #SelfPublished

2024-03-10 10:25:45

@npub1mew…tau6
What I've found in dealing with severe anxiety and depression is that being kind to myself is the most effective strategy.
That means recognising that painful emotions exist, and that I have the right to feel them. I get to decide what upsets me, even if it might seem irrational to someone else.
But all my life, I've been taught to avoid self pity, and I do find self pity an unattractive quality in others.
Is there such a thing as self pity, in this negative sense? Or is it in the eye of the beholder? "what I feel is justified self kindness, and what you feel is unearned, weak self pity?"
#ActuallyAutistic

2024-03-08 20:47:12

I'm getting to know the 3 new rat sisters a bit better.
Rose and Dash look nearly identical, but they're so different from one another that they're instantly recognisable.
Dash is confident and in command. She'll push herself into my hand and then crouch there calmly accepting caresses, while giving me a thorough but gentle manicure.
Rose is nervy and suspicious, and quite intense. She'll insist on trying to pull my wedding ring off with her teeth, not caring if she nips me in the process. Always moving.
Cinnamon is private and a little withdrawn. She allows me to stroke her, cuddling quietly under my hand for a while, and then she's off to do her own thing. She also spits when she's annoyed! Feisty little thing 😅
#rats #ratstodon #PetsOfMastodon #RatsOfMastodon #RatsOfTheFedi
https://mefisocial.files.fedi.monster/media_attachments/files/112/061/963/503/479/148/original/d04e531958cd60bb.jpg
https://mefisocial.files.fedi.monster/media_attachments/files/112/061/963/469/445/176/original/74a505beb424c3a7.jpg
https://mefisocial.files.fedi.monster/media_attachments/files/112/061/963/446/938/335/original/4f704a4713035e05.jpg

2024-03-06 12:52:20

My books are in TWO bookshops! How about that.
Spot The Babylon Eye in the display at The Book Lounge. I'm hoping people will ask for the sequels, that way I might get some more of my books in there.
And Obz Books has some copies of Who Broke the Moon and Ray and the Cat THING.
So if you're in Cape Town, maybe swing past and have a look 😊
#WritingLife #Writing #SelfPublished #FantasyReads #ScienceFictionBooks #CapeTown #SouthAfrica
https://mefisocial.files.fedi.monster/media_attachments/files/112/048/778/762/294/289/original/ca7af3c4f00481b6.jpg
https://mefisocial.files.fedi.monster/media_attachments/files/112/048/779/517/504/742/original/2f9b10245fd7aaac.jpg
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2024-03-05 12:21:47

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@npub1g53…v0hh ah love this! The colour especially.

2024-03-05 07:55:25

😅 Sent my husband a selfie to show off the fact that I'm wearing my new shades while cycling.
ETA apparently I've got resting terminator face
#IllBeBack #CyclingLife
https://mefisocial.files.fedi.monster/media_attachments/files/112/041/975/301/804/416/original/9815098350801421.jpg

2024-02-29 07:38:17

The Book Lounge (independent bookstore in Cape Town) has agreed to take on one of my books!!!!
This is huge for me. If I can get enough people buying from them, they might order the rest of the series, and possibly some of my other books.
Now I'm working out pricing. I want to keep my books below the normal (hideously expensive) going rate for books in South Africa, but it's still has to be expensive because otherwise it's not worth it for the bookshop.
#WritingLife #WritingCommunity #SelfPublishing

2024-02-23 13:52:51

For anyone managing a volunteer project, I'd like to ask that you please keep the needs of Autistic volunteers in mind.
As an autistic person, I'm very likely to do volunteer work, because I'm passionate about learning. Your organisation might intersect with my special interest which means I could be an enthusiastic, highly motivated helper.
But I don't thrive when I'm expected to do a lot of unstructured social interaction. For example, when I'm not sure what I'm supposed to be doing, being told to interrupt the work of random staff (that I haven't been introduced to) and "just ask" .
Please provide training for volunteers that goes beyond a tour of the premises. Provide clear guidelines, and have a person who I can turn to when I'm not sure what to do.
#ActuallyAutistic

2024-02-18 15:40:06

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@npub1k24…26zw it *felt* so true!
I could even see some of the script engraved on the plastic side of an aquarium filter.

2024-02-18 15:36:18

Just woke up with the name of a scripting language in my head. I knew with great certainty that it's what's used to maintain aquariums.
Aftaal or something like that.

2024-02-16 06:59:23

I made a new friend today. Little cat came running to me, tail up, when it saw me cycling past. Had to stop to rub its belly.
#CyclingLife #cats #today
https://mefisocial.files.fedi.monster/media_attachments/files/111/939/848/727/108/167/original/c68773f3d3eb931f.jpg

2024-02-14 11:21:57

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@npub1zt3…0v09 wow. Does anyone know why he did this?

2024-02-10 12:23:43

So, I think I'll be hanging the washing-peg bag indoors from now on, instead of its usual spot on the washing line.
Just now, I put my hand in and drew out some pegs, as well as a hairy rainspider the size of my palm.
I'm not sure who was more startled, me or the spider!
I love rainspiders but I prefer to admire them from a distance.
#spiders #arachnid #CapeTown
https://mefisocial.files.fedi.monster/media_attachments/files/111/907/117/532/804/847/original/8d82ce4064dcb289.jpg

2024-02-09 15:47:57

That's it! All my books are now available as print as well as ebooks. The last to be added is "Ray and the Cat Thing"
This is what I called a cosy fantasy until several readers told me it's got just a bit too much of a eerie creepy vibe. Still, it's what *I* call cosy 😅
I wrote it during the hard lockdown, and it's the expression of everything I craved at that time: getting away to camp in a wild place, being with friends who accept me as I am. It also features lots of pancakes and baking, a mischievous kitten, and a talking cat.
#FantasyBooks #Fantasy #UrbanFantasy
https://books2read.com/Ray-and-the-Cat-Thing

2024-02-09 06:37:42

Sometimes when you fix something, it breaks something else...
For a while, we couldn't get deliveries to our home because of a mistake on Google maps that sent the delivery people to a street several blocks away.
This was stressful during lockdown when I was relying on grocery deliveries! So I managed to request a fix from Google maps.
But now, it seems that Google Maps sends random delivery people to our address, when they're supposed to go elsewhere.
The business relies purely on the Google Map information, instead of getting an actual address from their client. And all addresses in a certain area default to ours.
Mostly fast food deliveries, but just now it was a young woman from a cleaning service.
Luckily I was able to help her figure out where she's supposed to go, a nearby house. She has no transport and no data on her phone so that would have been a pretty bad day for her.

2024-02-08 14:45:56

My book, "We Broke the Moon" is now available as a paperback as well as as an ebook.
This one was a lot of fun to write. Teenagers on a generation ship hack a virtual reality game. Science Fiction, with a fantasy edge to it. Influenced by CJ Cherryh & Garth Nix, among many others.
https://books2read.com/We-Broke-the-Moon
#ScienceFictionBooks #SciFi #NonBinary

2023-06-15 15:08:09

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@npub1hpc…hjn3
So, genuine, non challenging question - do you mean "everyone" as in "everyone in the rich world"? Because in my part of the world, there are many people who definitely don't know anything about climate change at all.
I guess it's a useless point for me to make, because typically the people I'm talking about don't have much economic or political power either? Comparatively? And your bigger argument still stands, that we need to create ways for people to be able to use whatever political power they do have.

2023-06-12 04:02:31

I really like helping people, but I find it so difficult to deal with their attempts to pay back the favour.
No thanks I appreciate the thought but I *really* don't want soup / chocolates / whatever.
I understand why they feel the need, but "thank you" truly is enough. (And only once, not every time I meet you! )
I don't like the idea that helping someone puts them at a social disadvantage unless they pay you back.
My mother taught me that accepting help graciously & without a fuss is another way to be generous, but maybe her approach is not the norm.

2023-06-11 11:01:37

@npub1mew…tau6
How important is it to you that autism is a condition that's got a specific, provable biological cause that might be identified, say, on a brain scan, as opposed to it being defined by its *traits* alone, like being trans, or gay is?
(Using the word "traits" in as unpathological a way as is humanly possible! )

2023-06-06 19:14:46

If you think content warnings are ridiculous and that people should just "update their filters and move on", have you tried doing that?
Filters are pretty much useless.
You have to construct them one word at a time, for all permutations of a topic that you want to block:
Let's say you need to construct a filter for sexual violence. The filter will have to include
rape rapes rapist raped raping etc on and on.
A new entry for each word. And you can't import or export filters.
If someone asks you to please CW, it's not an attack on you.

2023-06-03 09:48:59

Thinking about writing process.
I'm a very big world builder / planner / outliner, often spending months planning before I start writing.
But then I inevitably deviate from that plan once the story starts flowing.
it's as if the planning phase is like an archaeologist in their office, figuring out where the hidden mosaic might be, and speculating about what it might look like. And the writing is like being on site, uncovering the story-mosaic, and finding that it's quite different from what you guessed in the planning stage.
Or, the planning stage is like creating a trap for the story-beast, constructing it according to how you think that beast might be. What bait would attract it, what snares would entrap it?
And the writing is finding that story-beast dubiously snuffling around the trap, and realising that you don't need to trap it after all. It's willing to talk to you, if you're patient enough to listen.
#WritingCommunity #WritingProcess #FantastyBooks

2023-05-31 14:51:33

I used to walk on Park Island every morning, and I went there again today. It's a small nature reserve within walking distance of where I live.
It's a beautiful place.
I've not been there for a while, and this morning I encountered a woman I sometimes see there. She's in her eighties, and a serious, straight forward, no-nonsense sort of person. I think she used to be a farmer and she's got that practicality about her.
She was so pleased to see me! She told me she'd been "really worried" about my absence from the island. She even gave me a hug!
#today
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2023-05-30 12:48:21

Things I saw and heard:
Seven Egyptian goslings so newly hatched they're still egg-shaped, being taken out on the water by their very worried-looking parents.
A dog watching a cat catch a moth.
A cashier at a very busy supermarket rolling her eyes and making the "I'm meditating" gesture with both her hands.
A woman in an South African National Defence Force uniform carefully putting a small girl's hair into a ponytail.
An old man telling me about a frightening thing that happened to him last night, while his dog waits patiently for him to take her fishing.
The whispering noise my new bottle-green windcheater makes when I walk.
#ThingsISaw #today
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2023-05-26 15:55:09

Sky is being ridiculous tonight. I tried to take a photo although I know it doesn't really convey it. It's a real Carl Orff sky.
Das ist das ende, das ist das ende, das ist das ende das ende der WELT!
We're having a quiet evening in.
#Today #CapeTown
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2023-05-23 14:44:43

Something nice about a weekly routine, right?
Today was Tea and Tech Support Tuesday again, with my father.
The little black doggo is Nischke. He got her during the lockdown, she's a rescue who had to be given up by her previous owners as they went into an old age home.
It was love at first sight between her and my father. From the very first moment, at the SPCA, she decided that he's Her Person. She doesn't let him out of her sight. And he allows her on the furniture! Absolutely unheard of!
I sometimes wonder what my mother would say, if she was still alive. I kind of think she'd be fine with it.
Willemien (the red kitty on the windowsill) has *Opinions*, but she keeps them to herself.
#PetsOfMastodon #DogsOfMastodon #Cats
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2023-05-21 05:48:50

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@npub1yls…0rw0 this definitely happens to me.
Sometimes I have to sort of fool myself into starting, like literally, start writing with a "Maybe what happens is ..." to signal to my brain that this isn't the actual thing yet, I'm still planning, but meanwhile I'm actually starting the story.

2023-05-18 15:24:57

Things I saw and heard today:
A man, dressed in a suit and tie, sweeping some litter on the road outside his house. He swept it into a small heap just out of sight of his gate, and left it there.
The shadow of my cycling self cast on a hedge. While I moved, my shadow was clear. When I stopped, it disappeared into the leaves.
A tiny yorkie, snarling fiercely at a dog behind a gate. Her companion, an enormous Boerboel, a gentle, sweet-faced creature, gave me such a worried look!
A man, wearing a face mask (unusual these days) and knitted white gloves. He was walking backward along a low wall, hands spread out for balance. I saw him again a bit later, this time he was walking backward along a pathway, shadow boxing gently.
The sound of the patch of sand on my bicycle wheel going "shuff, shuff, shuff" on the road.
#ThingsISaw #today

2023-05-18 12:20:39

OMG I've just had the most bizarre experience. (This has a happy ending)
Last night I realised that one of the big fish in my pond was gone. It's a fish I took over from my brother, who'd kept him in a tank and named him Benedict.
( I never name fish, I'm superstitious about it, they die as soon as I name them. Also, fish don't seem to need names )
I woke up this morning with that heavy feeling. My brother had trusted me to look after Benedict! And poor fisho, had he been taken by a bird, or a cat, or just vanished? It's a crap feeling.
I went to have another look in the pond, and made peace with the fact that Benedict, was, indeed, gone.
A little bit later, I glanced into the pond and noticed a tail sticking out of a hole in one of the bricks. It was Benedict! He was so stuck, I had to pull him out backwards by his tail.
He seems a bit pale, but is eating and I can't see any obvious injuries so I think he's going to be OK.
I'm So Relieved.
#NeverNameAFish #today
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2023-05-17 16:33:26

I usually take the rats out of the cage when I clean it, because it can be difficult to keep track of the little buggers escaping out of the open door and clambering about everywhere. But lately I've been cleaning while they sleep, not bothering to take them out first.
Saffy doesn't sleep, though. She tries to get hold of any rags I use. I'm not sure what her plan is?
I'm so proud of her. She's gone from being desperately scared of me, as in bone-rattling shaking, to being an utter snuggle bug. Last night she was curled up in my hand while I watched Critical Role. Suddenly she must have decided she wanted to get back home because she leapt from my lap into the door of her cage, almost a meter away.
I've never seen her do anything like it.
She was just as surprised as I was, she turned around and popped her eyes at me *pop pop pop* like a combination blink and stare. Like she was saying "OMG DID YOU SEE THAT?"
#RatsOfMastodon #PetsOfMastodon #today
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2023-05-16 18:31:01

The rats are in the dig box! I was worried they'd have trouble getting up the vertical pipe back into the cage but they are skipping up and down easily.
Saffy was the first into the box. It's so interesting. She's the rat that's by far the most scared of people, but she's very brave when it comes to exploring new spaces.
#PetsOfMastodon #RatsOfMastodon #rats
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2023-05-15 13:29:30

Whoops sorry posted this by accident without any information. Sorry for the people who commented on the original!
My rats now have an ON SUITE GARDEN THEY CAN VISIT ANY TIME THEY LIKE.
I grew wheat grass and various other safe plants in the dig box, cut a hole in the lid, and connected it to the cage pretty securely and (for me) neatly. There's a translucent bit of pvc poking through the cage door you can't really see, and another translucent bit of pipe extending all the way down nearly to soil level. It's all quite firmly fixed.
So far Nicodemus has sniffed at the "garden door" and not ventured inside, and everyone else is still fast asleep.
I think they'll get into it easily, and struggle to get out back into the cage. But I want to hold off from providing ladders etc until I see how they manage.
If Mr Zumbador doesn't object, I'll probably end up filling my entire house with connected boxes eventually...One big rat maze.
#rats #RatsOfMastodon #PetsOfMastodon #today
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2023-05-06 20:09:57

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@npub1jpe…zsux
Politicians have been awful for a very long time, and always will be? Same for the ruling classes all throughout history?
I don't think we can blame writers for this particular problem.
As a writer I'd love to think that writers have that much power but this one is something everyone needs to take responsibility for.

2023-05-06 04:45:44

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@npub1aqe…6fyj wow that is beautiful.
It eats small birds?!?
I've only ever seen Fiscal Shrikes

2023-05-04 17:56:07

#today wasn't great in some ways, but:
1) I have a colleague who's helping me figure things out, and
2) because of procrastinating about work-for-pay I got a huge amount of writing done on my current book, the sequel to Ray and the Cat Thing (which by the way is free till tomorrow on Amazon)
I do love writing.
#WritingLife #Procrastinate #PeopleAreActuallyQuiteNice #kindness

2023-05-02 08:12:56

Cycling along the Muizenburg beachfront. I strapped my phone to my bicycle's front basket.
#CyclingLife #CapeTown #today
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2023-04-26 04:21:13

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#[0] this looks very intriguing!

2023-04-14 12:26:12

OK this is *so nice* I've just started using Elk ( https://elk.zone/ #[0] ) as my web-based Mastodon client and it is SO NICE.
The thing I like best at the moment is that the text input field for composing new posts is nice and wide compared to what I was using before which makes it a lot more user friendly for me.
Overall it seems really easy to use and attractive. *happy sigh*
#[1]

2023-04-07 04:52:25

In case this is use to anyone:
Please don't assume *anything* about a nonbinary person’s gender identity based on their pronouns.
For example, that a nonbinary person who accepts she/her pronouns is femme leaning. Or that a nonbinary person who accepts he/him pronouns is masculine in some way.
Changing your pronouns is difficult and exposes you to ridicule and judgment. Many nonbinary people don't have the energy for all of that.
The same goes for a person *looking* masculine or feminine. Changing that can be dangerous, or expose us to painful attention and ridicule.
A nonbinary person might very well consider themselves to be feminine or masculine, but please don't assume that based on the way they look or their pronouns. *Gender presentation* isn't always aligned with *Gender identity*
#[0] #[1]