Strong Verbs Are Just Better

Herewith, some things I have listened to.

Music:



Something I said about how "You say you didn't wish you were a boy growing up, but you're transmasc??" is a weird question for me (look, none of the boys with my personality traits seemed to be having any fun in rural Australian either) caused Shiny to play this for me.

I also purchased and am enjoying Cub Sport's Like Nirvana, on the recommendation of Jules from AusGothic podcast. I like their work a lot, but not enough to buy their more recent albumn "Jesus at the Gay Bar". If I never see that poem again it will be too soon.

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Audio Fiction:

At some point in April I listened to, and enjoyed vr much, the audiobook of The Eyre Affair. A+ comfort re-read, delightful narration.

Beck's Pest Control and the Case of the Drag Show Downer, by Abra Staffin-Weiner, at Podcastle. Lovely little urban-haunting detective type piece.

Rusty Quill Gaming: Finally finished the whole five seasons. I've still got some specials to go back and fill in - the last special arc I listened to was the "Thanes of Beowulf" one, which was not as cringey as I thought it might be and had some amusing "oh, you have read the original" jokes (but haven't studied it, there were some really obvious missed opportunities that anyone who'd spent more than a week on Beowulf at any point since 2000, maybe earlier, would have siezed on).

Non-fiction audio: I'm going to chunk these up by podcast rather than episode. Some things I've enjoyed lately.

ABC Radio National, The History Listen with Kirsty Melville. I don't listen to every single episode, but I was recommended the one on aquariums with John Simmons. Who I have never met, but had HEARD of: the elusive Fourth Medieval John of Sydney (but not USyd). I loved the piece on the Green Mountain Plane Crash; and this one on the history of vegetarianism in Australia. Most recently they've re-run a fantastic two-parter, Through Samurai Eyes, about a ship of convict mutineers from Tasmania who washed ashore on a Japanese island in 1830. The story itself is great, and across the two episodes the details are FASCINATING: a mix of local Takushima prefecture researchers, one British expat who got curious, and the biographer of the convict William Swallow managed to piece together the links between the Japanese records of the encounter, and the trial records of Swallow and his companions, eventually vindicating Swallow's claim (largely disbelieved by modern historians) to have visited Japan.

The Dollop, live episode 208, The Australian Sex Philosopher. I haven't loved the other episodes I've tried, but I found this one fascinating enough that I'll keep trying. William James Chidley was a weird, weird man. Kind of low-budget sexologist crossed with Danny Lim. Wandered around town in a short toga, handing out his unhinged tracts on how to have "natural" sex. Big believer in vaginal suction, apparently.

Well, There's Your Problem: A Podcast About Engineering Disasters. The episodes are very long and chatty. Some of them I don't really remember the actual engineering content, just the banter. I started with the one on Berlin Brandenburg Airport, and I also enjoyed the Great Yarmouth Suspension Bridge. HH Holmes and his murder castle was pretty good, too.

Jo's Boys: A Little Women Podcast. I obsessively listen to this, although I also frequently seethe because Peyton Thomas does not know enough about 19th c Protestantism (no, the reason the Christmas play scene got the book banned by the Sunday School society wasn't crossdressing - it was objection to theatre in all its forms), and occasionally misremembers the book itself. Also, I am not here for Mr Bhaer slander!

Still listening to, and vr much enjoying the latest season of, The Loremen. The minisode with one story from Japan and several from Alisdair's tour locations is great - the spooky cat story from Chris' holiday in Japan especially.

There's more! But I fight completionism, and go forth to view light shows instead.