Pieces of Plot, Summer Edition, Fiction

Words

Awareness of the outside world. Wishing cool vibes to two-legged and four-legged.

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Main character is part lizard. Has to remember to complain about the heat in order to pass as fully homo sapien.

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Weather Control exists. People can petition their local bureau. Requests are batched with other factors to design upcoming weather.

As always, money talks. Weather lobbyist is now a career.

Weather Control is a global and regional concern that does not respect political borders. People, OTOH, get very excited about political borders. This was a known problem before weather control was possible.

“What happens, for instance, when one country wrings excess water out of a cloud before it drifts over a similarly parched neighbour? How does one engage cross-border negotiations on atmospheric rain, when terrestrial water (in aqueducts and rivers) itself is so contentious? Who actually owns the weather?”

Nature: Change in the weather 2008

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Weather Control exists but is not perfect. Weather can be influenced rather than dictated. Main character works in Weather Bureau. Hurricanes have to occur in order to release atmospheric energy. Many are dissipated over water. Every so often, maybe a few times a year, a hurricane has to hit land. The path can be controlled to some extent. Main character’s life is ongoing episodes of the Trolley Problem.

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Magic users whose strength goes up with heat & light. They are powerful at the height of summer. They are all but helpless in the depth of winter. Another set of magic users whose strength relies on cold and dark. Each group knows they can’t act with impunity because the next season is coming. Treaties are negotiated in spring & autumn.

Artificially created conditions such as indoor illumination or air conditioning do not effect a magic user’s power.

Update.

Per comment, Tardis Data Core: The Seeds of Death

Plus searching, “It is a stock superpower.” TV Tropes: Weather Manipulation.

“Ben Bova’s The Weathermakers is the story of a government agency that controls the weather.” TV Tropes: Weather-Control Machine, Literature. Must look into this this.

I had not heard about any of these. I was simply looking to fill a Saturday post, using the theory that “any fiction – no matter how little – is acceptable.” [Thoughts On Fiction]

It’s hot out, so I thought about weather, so had others, which proves there is little new under the sun.

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Cat Photos For Friday, Instagram Recap

Images, Photography

Fiction from the outside world. Cat Pictures Please (Kritzler Clarkesworld 2015). While I have mentioned this story before, it is both apropos and worth rereading. [I Didn’t Write This Post]

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Instagram account, virtual_brush_box.

Photos of the geese & of Blue came out darker than they look on my phone. Note to self, Instagram likes bright? No, I don’t fiddle with the images. That is a can of worms I have left unopened.

Photos

As before, photos repeated here as back-up.

Caption: SSF barn cats making it hard for me to pack up.

Caption: Geese Fam

Caption: Blue

Props

Hat tip to Jane for commenting about cat pix last time. I probably would have gotten there eventually, but encouragement certainly helped.

Previous Post

[A Foto For Friday, Reopening The Blog Instagram Account]

Postlogue

Accepting their replacement pad.

Onwards!
Katherine

Checking Out Another Show

Riding

Awareness of the outside world. One death is a tragedy. One thousand deaths is a news story. Am having trouble coming to gripes with several recent catastrophic headlines. My brain keeps sliding away from the facts.

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Went to check out another local jumper show that started lower than last time. This show had two classes each of crossrail jumper and 18″, optimum time rather than fastest round. [Stopping By A Horse Show]

Would be an excellent place for us to start. Be at a show. Go in. Look around. Walk over jumps if needed. The jumps are ridiculously small, particularly given the experience levels of horse & rider (Separately, that is. Together, not so much. But I digress) Height has never been the problem.

Would I feel stupid going in at this height with my big, fancy horse? Yes. Is it what my horse needs? Also yes.

The epitome of flat cups. The poles were resting on the legs of the standards. On one hand, made for super low crossrails. OTOH, fell down if you gave them a stern look.

Onwards!
Katherine

Traffic Management, Lost In Translation

Riding

Awareness of the outside world. Phys.org: Why do cats lick and chew catnip? Researchers find an answer. Press, June 14, 2022.

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Situation. You are in the ring with other riders. Everyone is doing their own thing. You & your horse are chilling at the walk.

I was always taught that you yield the rail to those who are working. You stay OFF the rail to stay out of the way.

In a saddle seat ring, you never pass between another rider and the rail. Therefore you stay ON the rail to stay out of the way, so that folks can pass you on the inside.

You can see how this would lead to a certain amount of confusion for those of us switching between disciplines.

Onwards!
Katherine

Playing Catch Up, Week 11, Virtual Tevis 2022

Riding

Awareness of the outside world. Reuters: Ancient DNA solves mystery over origin of medieval Black Death, Dunham, June 15, 2022. Explainer, Cleveland Clinic: Bubonic Plague. I remember being greatly disturbed when I found out it still exists. Seven or so cases in the US each year; treatable with antibiotics.

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This week. 4 miles, 3 rides, 1 hour 56 minutes, pace – walk.

Total. 65.5 miles, 38 rides, 28 hours 59 minutes, pace 26:35 min/mile.

To go. 34.5 miles in 26 days.

Ring Work

Milton
Ring work this week – 9 miles, 7 rides
Ring work total – 14.5 miles, 9 rides
Ride Total if we include ring mileage – 80 miles

Rodney
Ring work this week & total – 1 mile, 1 ride
Ride Total if we include ring mileage – 66.5 miles

Ring work miles being kept in reserve.

Notes

A few days off. Princess (Rodney) took longer than usual to adjust to his new pea (shoes), probably because they stand around under the fans all day rather than grazing and walking. I think he actually manage to register a 0.25 lameness, which is a new mildness record for him. [My Horse Needs Tougher Tires]

One double-session day over the weekend for the additional mileage.

[More Progress Than I Thought We’d Make, Week 10, Virtual Tevis 2022]
[VT archives]

Onwards!
Katherine

Mindwork Monday, Upcoming Appointment

Mentally Fit To Ride

Good Enough is Good Enough
“Dr Winnicott’s crucial insight was that perfectionism can be cruel and counterproductive.” NIH: Br J Gen Pract. 2017 Jul; 67(660): 311.

Appointment with sports psych doc this week.

Preliminary data suggests that their approach is scientific without being medical. I can get behind that.

As always, specifics once I find out their comfort level with being blog fodder.

Onwards!
Katherine