I have several things in the queue right now, which have been delayed mainly because online fandoms scare the snot out of me. Really. I will write that up later tonight and then maybe that will unstick them.

I also had plans for video/streaming work that have been delayed because I have spent the past week arranging hospice care, then euthanasia, then funeral services for a rat who wasn't even mine. My housemate lost their oldest, fussiest, most care-intensive rat. Said housemate doesn't have great coping mechanisms at the best of times, and it was the anniversary of a family death to boot. Their vet isn't making any appointments, even for emergencies, until November, so we went through mine, where I'm grandfathered in because I have been bringing her fat, spoiled rats literally since she opened the clinic. My vet will also come outside to meet you (since they can't let anyone into the building) and let you sit with your pet until the end. 

So I spent that day doing what I always do, which is shepherding my housemate (with mobility aids) and the rat (with hard-sided cat carrier) through the T, through the appointment, and then back home (without the rat's mortal shell, and with a lot of anti-anxiety meds on board) without letting anything force us to pause long enough to let them think. I made Amazon Fresh bring us ice cream. Then there were a whole bunch of emails and phone calls to arrange for the rat's cremation. And to arrange for someone else to pay for the rat's cremation. And to arrange to have the ashes delivered back to the clinic where I can pick them up next week. Mercifully, my housemate customized and ordered the urn ring without me having to tangle with any customer service reps.

So my plans for my birthday week have been slightly bumped, but I get to make the preliminary announcement now, which is that I'm presenting a series of screenings and lectures on Sherlock Holmes. I first read the canon when I was about ten -- the early '90s -- and therefore got to engage with it via thinking and reading actual well-researched books, before having to deal with any emotionally over-involved screaming on tumblr. I'll be presenting various films and ephemera I can scare up via watch parties through a freebrowser extension called Two-Seven, which works with any URL and not strictly paid streaming services, and holding "just chatting" Twitch streams about topics like Holmes in the early silent film industry, the original inspirations for Conan-Doyle's character, the underpinnings of Sherlockian studies and The Great Game, and the various queer readings of the character and the canon.

Stay tuned for exact schedules and sign-up sheets. Now off to pick up my library holds!

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