Sleeping Wumbum, for anyone who needs it (she only barks when she’s dreaming)

FF14 static Lunaris , a #FFXIV commission work for @mcgreenesd.bsky.social & @vaerisunder.bsky.social

Got our static commission for this tier done, it's PERFECT! (we wanted Yellowstone roadtrip vibe)

Huzzah! @dapneym.bsky.social, @mcgreenesd.bsky.social, and our static finally took down M6S!

I'm giving a talk at UC Irvine on Oct. 6 on my mountaineering stuff - it'll also be on Zoom & posted to Youtube later. I'll do more promo as the date nears, but isn't this a good poster? I'm going to ask one of our office staff to print me off a copy so I can put it on my office door.

Wumbum. I cannot explain how much I adore her.

She’s still my everything.

Things I love about BZN: mountains, not really pictured here but they’re impossible to ignore; the fact I don’t worry about locking my car or house; the way summer storms look when they’re rolling in.

Still clocking along & still the cutest chonk to ever chonk.

Up late & can’t sleep, getting some reading done while this chonk slumbers

IYKYK

Chonkchonk is best raid buddy.

I sometimes wonder why my iPad has slime on it. This is why. I wish I could adequately explain how much I love her, but I can’t.

Cleared the new Extreme with that static; everyone’s decked out in the finest of Mingmom Couture.

Would that we were all as chill & unbothered as Wumbum.

A favorite former student inquired about my favorite ‘aesthetic,’ I responded by saying I found that a weird question but sent photographs to illustrate what I think my aesthetic is. This one is most representative: Austrian porcelain horses, Chinese propaganda & Suzanne Farrell.

We cleared the 24 man savage raid on the last pull of the last session for us. It was fun (and aptly named - a lot of chaos!), but I’m glad to be getting back to normal 8 man savage in a week! I have no idea how ppl raid with such big groups in WoW.

Managed to clear M3S with @dapneym.bsky.social and @mcgreenesd.bsky.social! Made prog on M4S, but the beginning of that fight is brutal.

My sprouts are soooooo close to an M3S clear, I think if we hadn’t had a surprisingly early maintenance, we might’ve done it tonight! Chaotic continues to be absolute chaos (I’m amazed glad ‘normal’ high end content in XIV requires 8 ppl at most). Theme this week was Men in Black.

Tell me this isn’t the prettiest pit bull

Snake ♥️ #YearOfTheSnake

Wumbum arranged herself like this, crazy dog. XD

Didn't clear M3S (or M2S, had a 0.01% enrage) but did see progress in the fight. Also glammed up color schemes for some birthdays. We only need one more M2S clear before we're done with bees, and we're all looking forward to it. With @dapneym.bsky.social and @mcgreenesd.bsky.social

Anonymous, Yuan dynasty, re: Yarvin and Bannon before him

Our esports teams got new jerseys last fall, I ordered one in solidarity! (A size too big but w/e, it’s a jersey) just got mine today. First week back going pretty ok.

taking a deep dive into the Steam "anti-woke" list prepare to laugh

On to M3S with my sprout group! Made some good prog tonight.

Two of my sprouts cleared M2S tonight! I’m bursting with pride. Then we immediately segued into helping my other sprout finish Dawntrail. <3

Cleared M2S with @dapneym.bsky.social and @mcgreenesd.bsky.social!

Well, it is Christmas (she’s snoring away).

Me: ‘Pls stop nesting in the couch.’ Wumbum:

Call for Papers, it’s free to attend for presenters: Young Scholars Conference 2025 🗓️ May 5-6, 2025 | UC San Diego, La Jolla, CA 📊 Theme: History, Social Science, and Digital Methods for Researching China 📝 Abstract by: Jan. 15, 2025 🔗 Submit here: ow.ly/hpe150UsSee 🚩Details: ow.ly/WmPq50UsSef

Hey friends, I'm writing a Mountain West column for @thestranger.com.web.brid.gy, Seattle's best newspaper. First up, abortion rights and the right to privacy www.thestranger.com/mountain-dis...

I meant to post this when I took the photo a few days ago but was overwhelmed with life - I love the way winter & early spring sunsets look in BZN. They only last a few minutes (I ran out to capture this one because I could just tell it was one of THOSE sunsets because of how my living room looked).

I am now an honorary member of the Dirty Sox Club (a BZN climbing institution), and one of our grad students brought me this sticker (that’s not actually Everest in the picture, but I appreciate the sentiment). We had a lovely afternoon out with 4 storied BZN climbers!

This is Wumbum’s ‘AYFKM’ face (off camera is me holding up her harness - which usually has her bouncing with excitement! - and asking if she wants to go for a walk). Admittedly, it is currently a toasty 26F, so I can’t really blame her.

I've been raiding in FFXIV! And decided to just jot down some thoughts from someone who never thought they'd be raiding. Thanks to @mcgreenesd.bsky.social for getting @dapneym.bsky.social and I involved. vorpalbunnyranch.com/2024/11/26/s...

WHERE’S MY STICKY TOFFEE PUDDING?! (She’s good enough not to go for beer, OTC meds, or an empty soda bottle)

Cleared M1S in two pulls! And then went into anaphylactic shock with bees in M2S. @dapneym.bsky.social @mcgreenesd.bsky.social

Put my grandmother’s engagement ring back on tonight, and my snaffle bit bracelet. I took them off during treatment bc I never knew if I’d be thrown into an MRI or something, and I was afraid of losing them. The jade never comes off (luckily, it’s not metal).

"Sorrow is composed of a heart in autumn." A few notes on translating Xin Qiji's short lyric that I had a written a while back. (yes, it's on my substack, only bc I needed to find a place to park it after the original publishing site disappeared...) open.substack.com/pub/chowleen...

One of my favorite poems since childhood, and a poem I share every #autumnequinox. By the 12thc warrior poet Xin Qiji 辛棄疾, sidelined during peacetime, demoted, drifting through a decade of minor posts in remote lands. Poetry, then, is that which is left unsaid. “My, what a cool and lovely autumn.”

I woke up crying this morning & have been crying since. However, this song is very good. I wrote to a beloved friend that 'I start crying at 這錄島‘ (first words of the song).

Wow, I’ve vaguely noticed some new followers but see there’s a lot of new ppl in my networks flocking here. Hi to all of you! I’m a bit checked out from SM since I’ve been undergoing treatment for breast cancer since August (I’m fine, it’s not terminal, treatment just eats up a lot of energy).

Um, "Sinology" 🀄, I guess? (Emoji for labeling purposes.) *Two* positive reviews of my Tarikh-i Ḥamidi translation came out this week! From Jun Sugawara in the JAS: doi.org/10.1215/0021... From Tristan Brown in the Journal of Chinese History: doi.org/10.1017/jch....

Today marks twelve (!!) years together with this chonk. She is definitely showing her age in some ways, but generally, she's the same happy, cheerful Wumbum she's been all these years.

She can look pretty dignified for an old chonk.

Our TEA commission is done! Wumbum has a cameo :)

Me: oh no I need to get my tires swapped for the summer ones, I’m late! MT weather: