Posts on cassie.ink

an ode to gitsync

Sun, 01 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Since I moved this site to Hugo, I’ve been using an app called GitJournal to post from my phone. I have a beautiful desk setup with a clacky mechanical keyboard that’s a joy to write on, but the simple fact is that I’m a lazy shit and want to update my blog from the couch. It’s all mostly worked fine, with some headaches. I originally intended to use GitJournal to store my Github repo to my phone’s filesystem and then point an Obsidian¹ vault at that.

Reflections on elections

Thu, 07 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

2016 was the first year I was eligible to vote in a presidential election. I was away at college, so I completed an absentee ballot, and, like most, felt confident in what I thought would be the result. I was no big fan of Clinton’s — I voted for Bernie in the primaries — but the other option was laughable: I couldn’t believe that a major political party put such a clown up as their candidate, and I thought the electorate was smart enough to see him for the fraud (and fascist) he was.

Automattic's Write Brief is, unsurprisingly, full of shit

Wed, 28 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Automattic recently launched their Write Brief AI assistant for folks using Jetpack with WordPress.¹ It is automatically available to anyone using wordpress.com, which I verified by logging into my 14-year-old account.

I decided to test it out on my recent post about The Basic Eight. I chose this because it’s one of my more recent posts that isn’t #week-notes . I pasted it directly into the Gutenberg editor with all of the AI settings toggled on.

what's this? (and how it works)

Wed, 28 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Welcome to cassie.ink, the new home of my blog and web stuff.

Previously, this blog was hosted at bearblog under the domain cassie.land. Now, I’m using the SSG Hugo to create the site, which deploys to Github Pages for hosting.

So why the move? I love bearblog and recommend it to just about anyone who wants to get into blogging and the small web — it’s dead simple for folks with no web expertise, it has an awesome community, and the discover page allows you to share your content and connect with folks also using the platform. Unfortunately, I am, at heart, a tinkerer — bearblog felt a little too easy, and a little limiting for some of the visions I have. And, ultimately, I just want to own my content and embrace new technologies and challenges.

I finished The Basic Eight and I can't decide if I enjoyed it

Sat, 17 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Spoilers to follow.

I wrote in my week notes:

The Basic Eight by Daniel Handler. Handler’s Adverbs is often what I cite when folks ask what my favorite book is, and I loved Watch Your Mouth, too. I need light reprieves from The Odyssey, too, so this seemed an excellent time to round out my reading of Handler’s bibliography. I’m about halfway through and enraptured by the narrative voice. It’s pretentious, as a story narrated by a precocious high school senior should be, without being cloying, and with Handler’s charming humor throughout. I love it so far and have faith that the feeling will continue. I normally hate books set in high school, but this one takes me back to my high school self — somehow, in a good way, which I don’t think I’ve ever felt before.

smooth runs the water where the brook is deep

Thu, 08 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Write a blog post about words of wisdom your younger self would have appreciated hearing. (via blogprompts)¹

I’m trying out doing blog prompts in an effort to populate this blog with more than just weekly round-ups and to get more comfortable writing about personal things.²

I’m going to select two quotes — both song lyrics — that have resonated for me.

The first is from “Banshee Beat” by Animal Collective, which I first heard in my late teens (maybe 16?) and still consider one of my favorite songs.

Moving to a rack mount setup

Fri, 02 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000

I wrote a post a few months ago cataloguing moving my home server from the old NZXT case I had leftover from my old PC into a Rosewill chassis that would let me, eventually, move to a proper rack setup. This past Prime Day, I purchased a Riveco 15U rack and then some sliding rails to go along with it, with the hope of finally moving the loud and hot NAS into the basement where it belongs.

breaking silences

Thu, 20 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Last time I updated this blog, I wrote about silences in my professional career. These past few weeks, I feel I am doing the work to break mine.

I am the faculty advisor for my middle school’s GSA. I have been for years now, and it’s something I’m very proud of, but this year especially I feel I have a great crop of kids that I’m really connecting with. At my town’s Pride festival in early June, my club had a booth selling crafts the kids had made to raise funds. The kids filtered in and out to help sell goods, but mostly I think they just valued having a “home base” at the event. For me, it was a long, socially draining day, but speaking to them afterward about the experience and hearing them tell me how at home they felt at the festival, how comfortable they felt being themselves, was so gratifying.

Your silence will not protect you

Sun, 14 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0000

I’ve talked before on this blog about being a teacher and how passionate I am about my work; the time I spend with my students — which should be paramount and where all my energy goes — comes naturally. I often remark that I feel like I’m doing a stand-up comedy routine¹ while teaching because my goal is not only to instruct but to develop joy in learning, in reading, in writing.

Moving my home server to a new chassis

Sun, 10 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000

I have a home server (running Unraid) that I use to backup computers, as media storage, and to run various apps. It’s mostly been cobbled together from used parts I found for cheap, and it generally followed Serverbuild’s NAS Killer 4 guide. It runs like a dream, and putting it together is one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. More recently, with streaming sites like Netflix, Hulu, etc. cracking down on password sharing, it has become my pathway to shedding some monthly subscriptions and owning my own media.

Thirteen to Know Me

Sun, 10 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000

@jamesmckz shared the following challenge on X earlier this month:

No cheating - your Quietus style Bakers Dozen. 13 albums (off the top of your head) to know you by. Not looking for a perfect list, looking for a list that you instantly regret posting because you then remember something else.

I approached my response largely as a list of albums that have meant something to me in my life — not necessarily what I’m actively listening to at the moment. Many of these albums I’ve not listened to much in years, but I consider them pivotal, essential listening for me.¹

Coming Out

Sun, 25 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +0000

I read a thread online recently about bisexuality: folks were discussing use of the label compared to something like pansexual. Many folks within the LGBTQ+ umbrella argue that pansexual is a more inclusive label than bisexual, as bi- upholds a binary view of gender.

My relationship with my bisexuality has been fraught. I can pinpoint in specificity where I feel it started: in the sixth grade (for me, 2005 or 2006), reading the sex ed chapter in my science textbook, I was presented with the three sexualities — heterosexuality, homosexuality, and bisexuality. I had, by that point, already started puberty and experienced low-level attraction. I’d been confused that that attraction never seemed to have a distinct target: I liked boys and I liked girls. I remember an immediate sense of comfort and belonging in the term. That’s allowed?, I thought. Reading it in a textbook made it seem so simple. Then surely that’s the way to be.

Early thoughts on Pokémon Unbound

Fri, 23 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +0000

I downloaded Pokémon: Unbound the other day to play alongside my partner. We are both big Pokémon fans — like buy the new games every year fans — though my interest has waned over the last few years (I loved Legends Arceus and generally felt that Scarlet/Violet were slaps in the face¹). I have fond memories of the classic games, and I’ve read a lot of positive buzz about Unbound.

Media Log (January 2024)

Sun, 04 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +0000

TV

One Tree Hill, season six and seven - I’ve been marathoning One Tree Hill on a friend’s recommendation. By this season, we are well passed the “good” seasons, but it’s still entertaining enough to watch — if only to count how many more car crashes the writers will introduce as plot lines. I think the early (1-4) seasons are a decent watch, but at this point, I’m really just seeing it through to the end. Season seven has a novelty in seeing how a show pivots after losing its main character. I don’t think OTH did so gracefully; they elevated some, generously, background characters into the main act and lumped on bunch of new ones at that. Some work better than others, but at least I’m almost at the end.
Kitchen Nightmares (2023) - Years ago, I once came home to find my partner watching Kitchen Nightmares on YouTube. He’s generally not a fan of reality or competition shows, so I asked him why he was watching it. He giggled and said, “He [Gordon] just gets so mad.” That led to me also watching a bunch of the show. This month I watched a gabi belle video in which she talked about the reboot, so I dipped in too. Gordon does indeed still get mad. When watching Kitchen Nightmares, I am always thinking of how much fun the show must be to edit. The editors make liberal use of the most unhinged sound effects imaginable. It’s junk food TV, and who doesn’t love junk food?
Schitt’s Creek - I’ve been casually rewatching as my background noise / take a nap on the couch TV. Still hilarious and as good as the first time.
The Bachelor - Two of my friends are big fans, so I’m watching the current season with them. I’ve never seen any Bachelor properties before this; I’m mostly along for the ride. The show has yet to hit the reality TV highs that keep me looped in to shows like America’s Next Top Model or Survivor, and the whole concept still feels quite skeezy to me.

Music

III, The Lumineers - I have liked some of The Lumineers’ hits for years, but a friend really loves them, so I thought I’d give III a shot. I understand it’s a concept album with stories and characters; I really haven’t delved into that. I’m unsure if that’s because I haven’t found it compelling or because I am trying to focus more on the sound rather than just the words (I’ve always been more for the latter). III sounds great; it reminds me of how much I love the piano. It’s the focal point of many songs on the album but also beautifully interspersed as a twinkly highlight or backdrop. Particular favorites are “Donna” and “My Cell.”

hate for the island

Sun, 07 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000

I was born and raised on Long Island in a hamlet that rests along the Great South Bay.¹ Known to most as a ferry town, this charming suburb lives and breathes the ocean. Most every resident has access to some kind of boat, whether through personal ownership or advantageous friendship. In the 90s, the town was voted the “friendliest town in America,” a slogan that still adorns the sign as you drive into town, by a mysterious group that awards such superlatives. That accolade, along with our yacht clubs, country clubs, lack of racial diversity, and generalized fear of anything outside the norm makes the town the near picture of 1950s suburban ideal.

my year in lists

Mon, 01 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000

I’m not a New Years Resolution person; listening to a lot of “My Year in Lists” by Los Campesinos! as a teen made me quite cynical about the whole thing.

However, I am a very goal-oriented, reflective person. In late 2022, after years of gaining weight and developing some really negative patterns of self-talk around my body image, I decided to join a gym. Of course I’d like to see the number on the scale go down, but the main goal was just to get healthier and develop healthier habits. I started running, because that’s what I used to do (not well), and eventually convinced a friend to join with me. Together, we set the goal of running a 5K, and we did our first in May of 2023, in about 41 minutes (in our defense, it was an extremely hilly course, but also progress, progress¹). We ran three more as the year went by; my most recent was November, where I finished in around 36 minutes.

Intentional Listening

Thu, 28 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

A friend of mine is a big fan of Florence + the Machine. I confessed to only really knowing (but liking) her hits, “Dog Days” and “Cosmic Love.” I asked which album she would recommend I listen to; she said How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful (2015),¹ and I texted her about some of the songs on it. She asked if I was listening to the whole thing given the back to back messages; I said yes, and I started to consider how I like to consume music.

LITR 308 Emily Dickinson & Queer Theory

Thu, 28 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

The lives of many literary greats remain a relative mystery; literary critics and historians are often left to piece together details from letters, documentation, and, sometimes controversially, the author’s work read for repeated motifs. They then draw what conclusions they can about the authors’ lives. One of the most prolific female poets in the English literary canon, Emily Dickinson’s life is preserved in letters and artifacts from her life. When examined as a body of work, Dickinson’s poetry reveals a pattern of focus on women’s interior lives and relationships that may be regarded as queer, especially with the added dimension of her close relationship with her sister-in-law. This essay examines a selection of her poems through a queer lens, highlighting the poems’ relationships to female love and Dickinson’s life and arguing against established patterns of erasing Dickinson’s queer identity.

LITR 250 Close Reading 2E

Tue, 19 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0000

In the beginning of Chapter VIII in the third section of To the Lighthouse, pages 186-187, Virginia Woolf’s unique approach to perspective and introspection create a subjective presentation of reality and relationships, supported by extended metaphors of fluidity and stillness. On a boat trip mandated by Mr. Ramsay to the titular lighthouse, Cam and James anatomize and unfold their feelings towards their father. Cam evolves as the boat moves across the sea while James’s unflinching rage and violence towards the patriarch repeat in this section as the sailboat halts and space contracts to exacerbate his indignation. Woolf thus frames and explores the figure of Mr. Ramsay and the nominal motif of a journey through individual introspection and excurses. ¹

Media Log (August 2023)

Thu, 31 Aug 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Movies

Barbie - I was underwhelmed. There’s been lots of chatter, and I loved Lady Bird, but Barbie didn’t hit for me; too much Ken (to be the hundredth person to whine about it) and the ending felt unearned and thematically confused. This was more of an homage to Barbie as a product than it was an homage to womanhood, but it pretended to be the latter.

Games

Vampire Survivors - I originally played Vampire Survivors for my video game podcast, Pitch & Play (on hiatus but will come back!); my friend and co-host Ross recommended it to me. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I got into it given that I don’t really have nostalgia for this sort of game, but I played several hours of it and then became distracted by life. While moving this month, I was without internet for quite a while and had not hooked up my consoles (or my PC, still). To kill some time while my body recovered from lifting boxes and scrubbing surfaces, I downloaded Vampire Survivors onto my phone and went deep into it. It’s a fantastic game that I’ll come to associate with my early days in the house.

Books

Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech - I read this book originally as a child in the fifth grade. I remember loving it but little else. I have been looking for a text to add to my curriculum and wanted to try Walk Two Moons out. I enjoyed reading it and was surprised by how much of it came back to me even though I am (nearly) twenty years out from reading it the first time. I do think the Native American set dressing might be problematic given that the author is not, by any account I’ve read, actually Native; the plot is also predictable, but perhaps that is because I’m an adult reading a book written for children and because I’ve read it before. I’m not sure it’s the book I’m looking for, but it’s not a bad read.

On Teaching

Fri, 18 Aug 2023 00:00:00 +0000

This September marks the start of my fourth year teaching.

When I was a kid, I was always interested in teaching; my grandparents had an unfinished basement that, for some reason, had a little chalkboard and table. My siblings and I would play school down there, and I loved to play the role of teacher – despite being considerably younger than them.¹ I loved school, too. I loved most every subject (especially grammar – I’m one of the few children who absolutely rejoiced when asked to take out my grammar workbook) and was, at the risk of conceit, good at academics. I also read voraciously in elementary school.

Stages of Moving

Tue, 15 Aug 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Stage 1: Denial & Naivety

I don’t have that much stuff. I don’t think packing is going to be that hard this time. I’ve already boxed up my books – how much more could I need to do?

Stage 2: Coping / Bargaining

Okay, there is actually a lot to do, but it’s not so bad. I can just drop everything in the garage and focus on cleaning the apartment.

Old Woman Yells at the Cloud

Mon, 31 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000

I recently listened to an episode of Never Been a Better Podcast in which Austin Walker, referencing a Twitter thread by @v21, posited that we are moving into a new era of the internet where content is generated by machines rather than people; where once the internet was used by people to access large bodies of information and to connect with other people, we now use it to connect with machines that regurgitate photocopies of photocopies of information.

Media Log (July 2023)

Sun, 30 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Part of my resolution to blog more is to start a media consumption log for the year where I record what I’m reading, watching, and listening to. I’m going to do it monthly; expect a finalized list on the last day of each month (possibly backdated).

Movies

The Fast and the Furious - a rewatch of a movie I watched way too much as a child and therefore have an unreasonable fondness and attachment towards. The dialogue in this movie is positively absurd (“I like the tuna here," “Welcome to Race Wars”), the homoerotic undertones bordering on overtones, and everyone in this movie (except Vince but including Jesse) is blisteringly hot. I was edified by the friend I had watched the film (not movie) with, who had never seen it, as she remarked at the end, “I get it now.” I could have done without the oil scene, however.
2 Fast 2 Furious – well, now it’s a marathon. 2 Fast 2 Furious has, historically and controversially, been both my favorite sequel naming schema and overall entry in the Fast saga. I love the first, but this movie embraces the stupidity and over-the-top action that would go on to define the series. It manages to succeed without Vin Diesel (or any of the “family,” except for Brian, though it introduces future members) and contains some iconic (to me) scenes (Ejecto seato and everything involving Suki). I smile constantly while watching this movie. I love it and I think it loves me back. Except for the rat scene. I could do without the rat scene.
The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift – I would like to say that I came to my second viewing of this movie with an open mind (I didn’t), hoping to understand the cultural revisionism of some Fast fans who claim that this is actually one of the best in the series (it isn’t). Somehow this movie makes drifting boring. Han is the only interesting character. There’s a character who everyone refers to as “DK” (short for “Drift King”) throughout the film and yet he is as bland and forgettable as the rest. Sean is the worst, and it is a miracle the series managed to rebound from this low. Tokyo Drift is the ugly step-cousin of the Fast series. At least the theme song slaps.
Fast & Furious – viewed right after Tokyo Drift to cleanse my palate and remind me what a good movie feels like. The opening scene immediately reminds one of the highs of the Fast saga, and while the rest of the movie is far from the best, it is miles ahead of Tokyo Drift, if only because it reunites the Fast family and sets the pieces in place for the highs of the series to come.
Fast Five – a truly thrilling movie start to finish and perhaps the best of the series. Everything about this movie is fun — no rat or oil scenes to be found. Instead, just action sequences that constantly raise the stakes and delight — and, of course, the reunion of the family (sans-Letty).
Fast & Furious 6 – a middling sequel to the high point of the Fast series and my last rewatch; from here on out, it is all new to me. This one is watchable and certainly ranks as one of the better Fast movies. It chases the ragtag quality that the family had in the last movie but doesn’t hit the same notes. The movie shines when it focuses on Dom and Letty’s relationship, and the bridge scene is one of the best stupid stunts in the series.
Furious 7 – a mostly forgettable setup and plot offset by some truly ridiculous moments that make the film, overall, enjoyable. This was a classy send-off for Paul Walker that I’m sure was emotional in the moment but is today soured by him being kind of a creep. I wish to wed the individual who came up with the Rock breaking his cast off and entering the action, the skyscraper scene, Dom running over Shaw’s car, and, most of all, the rwrench fight. I say individual because I like to believe there is a single person responsible for this lunacy.

TV

Andor, season one – interesting in broad strokes, but I found it deeply problematic on an episode-to-episode basis. This felt like a movie trilogy that decided to be a television show, and it does not work as either. It may not be fair for me to levy my frustrations with cinematic universes against Andor (Fast obsession notwithstanding), but I spent much of my time with the show questioning its necessity (even as a Star Wars lover and a particular fan of Rogue One). Much of Andor felt like it was undercutting Rogue One and Jyn’s significance to the Alliance. Andor has compelling ideas and is competently shot and acted, with occasionally strong moments every few episodes, but it ultimately didn’t win me over. I will give a second season a try, but Andor disappointed me, especially given the high expectations others’ reactions gave me.

Music

22, a Million, Bon Iver – I do not have much experience with Bon Iver outside of “Skinny Love” (which is fine), but I vaguely recall my sister playing me a song, “10 d E A T h b R E a s T ⚄ ⚄”, from_ 22, a Million_ around when it came out. Sparked by a recent conversation with her and stumbling across an article that I now cannot find about some of the controversy around the album’s release, I’ve been listening to it a fair amount. It’s an abstract, exciting album; none of the songs particularly stand out to me as Playlist Material, but that is perhaps the intention of the album: it is to be listened to in sittings, full through, not in the vacuum we have become accustomed to of random shuffles and algorithmic picks. I admire any artist that experiments with their releases and does not rest on the laurels of their hits, so initial impressions are strong, but I get the sense that this is an album that begs for the listener to reflect and decode.
Never Hungover Again, Joyce Manor – discovered through a Front Bottoms shuffle with “Heart Tattoo,” which is a highlight of the album for me. Never Hungover Again is a breezy listen: ten tracks, most falling between one and two minutes. I found the first five tracks mostly discardable, but the second half was much stronger with the aforementioned “Heart Tattoo,” “In the Army Now,” and “Catalina Fight Song.” Emo revival works best for me in The Front Bottoms style: catchy riffs and earnest lyrics that read like teenage LiveJournal entries.

Games

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom - I played a metric ton of Breath of the Wild and emerged with feelings ranging from ambivalent to frustrated. There was so much I loved about it and so much that just never came together (or actively frustrated me). Tears of the Kingdom, however, has brought me nothing but joy; it corrects every complaint I had with Breath of the Wild and improves upon it wholesale. I’m far from done with the game – I think I will be playing it for some time – but so far, it is remarkable.
Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza - played with friends but I had the eerie suspicion I’ve played it before but cannot place it. Fine in a group but mostly forgettable. I wouldn’t seek it out again.
Carcassonne - my love, my liege. Carcassonne is a bastion in our household. I love it every time I play, except when I lose, which is often.
The Busy Bistro, Magic Puzzle Company - a friend spotted this on Tik Tok and invited me over to work on it with her. Reader, I was there until three in the morning. A fantastic puzzle with charming art, done in good company.

What's This?

Wed, 26 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Well, I have another blog.

Welcome to cassie.land, the latest (as of writing this) web project that I’ve started and may promptly abandon.

Here’s the truth: These past few months have shown me the impermanence of online platforms. I have quit reddit with the third-party API shutdowns, and while I am probably better off for it, it does feel like losing one of the bastions of the internet I once knew. I regret to inform that I am officially an old person on the internet; I yearn for the days of hyper-specific Geocities pages with incredibly useful information written by a thirteen year old screaming into the void (and for the days where our search engines actually directed us to that information rather than some circuitous tripe written by AI that packs in every SEO keyword without actually saying anything).