Nalin Ratnayake @quantumcowboy@wandering.shop
Engineer, Educator, Writer, Rational Idealist. A better world won't simply happen, it must be built. Mars novel: http://bit.ly/redsoil
- Tags
- #scifi #cooking #foodie #reading #writing #running #gaming #ps4 #boardgames #progressive #socialjustice #space #engineering #travel #camping #hiking
- Location
- Hampton Roads, VA
I didn’t expect to have to move now. But despite the relatively short notice, proximity to the holidays, and the fact that it was a cold wet December morning, 9 people showed up in the rain to help me move, and then most even stuck around after to help me unpack. So #grateful to have such a dedicated and generous community of friends.
Who’s ready for the weekend?
Sleeping in my new place for the first time! Just established a beachhead with an air matress, internet things, bathroom things, and coffee things for now. Reinforcements will arrive tomorrow and Friday evening (old place is on the way here from work), and the big move with a truck for the furniture etc will be Saturday. Feels like the beginning of a fresh start.
Just watched the highlights v Napoli... it probably goes without saying that Mohamed Salah and Alisson Becker are probably the greatest unequivocally rock solid investments the club has made in recent times. #LiverpoolFC #LFC #UpTheReds
Now starting SPLINTERED SUNS, by Michael Cobley.
The hardness of a diamond is part of its usefulness, but its true value is in the light that shines through it. (B.K.S. Iyengar) with Timeless | Meditation
https://appsto.re/us/61cHgb.i
3/5 stars for Mohsin Hamid's EXIT WEST. My review: http://www.naratnayake.com/2018/11/review-of-exit-west-by-mohsin-hamid/. TLDR: Provides a unique perspective through interesting characters and setting, but the style and tone really turn me off.
Fruit smoothies with a shot of vodka seems like a pretty legit way to get the required daily servings of fruit into my diet. This approach probably will not pass rigorous scrutiny on a heath basis, but hey, here I am.
when I first ran D&D, my grandmother, who had bought fully into the IT'S SATANISM hype, insisted on sitting and watching the first session
about an hour in, she threw her hands up and yelled 'THIS IS JUST MATH' and stormed off
@senatormeow what fundamentalists expect D&D to be like: the evil "dungeon master" must force the players to commit horrific acts in submission to his satanic will
What D&D is actually like:
DM: You can't... you can't fucking cross the river by seducing it. You just can't. I'm begging you not to do this.
Player: *rolls a nat 20* I SUCCESSFULLY SEDUCE THE RIVER
Ready for tomorrow! #RunToFeedTheHungry #5k
About to begin Mohsin Hamid’s EXIT WEST. #amreading
I’ll be on WION (Indian TV) in ten minutes to comment on Facebook’s patent for identifying and targeting families using facial recognition.
(In a nutshell: it’s their business model. Of course they’re going to. There’s nothing surprising about this whatsoever. What I’m surprised about is that we keep getting surprised about a company doing exactly what its financial statements state it does to make money.)
Woohoo, shipped my Martin X-200 single-piece recurve bow to Virginia! It’s been hanging out at my parents’ place in Cali for years. Time to explore the ranges in my new area.
<rant>The phrase "visible from space" kinda irks me. I think what people typically mean is "visible with the average unaided human eye from about 500 km" (the altitude of the ISS). But "space" is pretty big. Do you mean at 100 km from the Earth's surface, where it begins? 100,000 km? From Sagittarius B? Also, visible with what? Imaging satellites have a resolution of perhaps a license plate, so in that context almost everything we consider an object is visible from space. I dunno.</rant> #shrug
Curry leaves and lime always on standby next to the stove in my mom’s kitchen.
Just tried Tres Hermanas in midtown #Sacramento. Great food, but not mind blowing. Service well meaning but a bit slipshod. Excellent decor and atmosphere, pretty good house margarita. #dining
The last couple years, I’ve been doing an annual tradition of tallying up what I’ve been grateful for over the year, and then donating to non-profits addressing needs in those categories.
I need something for my “misc” category! What are your favorite unique non-profits? Something funky or niche? Someone doing hyper-local work in their community? Would love your suggestions! #giving
Just bought tix to see Gary Clark, Jr. live in Richmond next March! One of the best blues musicians out there right now. Excited!
I'm so grateful for such generous friends and family! I started a fundraising page for All Hands and Hearts, a nonprofit with whom I'll be deploying to Texas next month to help with the ongoing recovery/rebuild following Hurricane Harvey. We hit my original fundraising goal in a week, so I raised the bar. We hit the new goal in a day. Wow! https://give.allhandsandhearts.org/fundraiser/1749019/updates/1202135 Thanks again everyone, and expect more photos and updates from TX next month.
