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Road to #strangeloop

On the eve of the talk, I sit at a table half-awake before what is to become sleepless night number four, 2 hours in waiting for my first real meal since leaving Victoria to arrive, blatter is coming down hard on this very loud, and very understaffed, and only available vegetarian place within walking distance from the hotel. And, my voice is gone, I can't speak.

It wasn't one big mistake that fucked me this time, it was a thousand little oversights or expectations.

#strangeloop
This entry was edited (7 months ago)
in reply to Devine Lu Linvega

Devine Lu Linvega
Devine Lu Linvega
• •

I normally am a really careful planner when it comes to giving these sorts of technical talks, you wouldn't catch me going out the night before.

I had assumed that the train would either carry the one vegetarian meal on the menu, or accommodate. After a first day of eating cold bread loaves with margarine, an altercation with an uncompromising attendant on the second day, I managed to secure myself a "Steamed Russet Potato A-la Tomato Sauce", for the third day aboard.

This entry was edited (7 months ago)
in reply to Devine Lu Linvega

Devine Lu Linvega
Devine Lu Linvega
• •
I had also assumed that the venue would carry palatable vegan options, or that I could cook my own. After missing the Strange Loop meal service twice in a row, due to talk scheduling conflicts, I managed to queue long enough to acquire the remaining scoop of utterly awful vegan soup, and then returned to stealing whole fruits from the gym and eating them in my room, which I was content with. The problem that wasn't apparent at first was that eating sweets all day kept me up all night.
This entry was edited (7 months ago)
in reply to Devine Lu Linvega

Devine Lu Linvega
Devine Lu Linvega
• •

Despite these mistakes in preparing properly for the road leading to the talk, I managed to show up on stage on time, give an (hopefully) entertaining presentation at Strange Loop 2023. I'd love to give a special thank to @jack for the tea that brought my voice back, and @jcmorrow to let me borrow their laptop and install Uxn on it for the presentation.

Also, I learnt how to cook instant noodles with a clothing iron, which was pretty neat.

https://merveilles.town/@neauoire/111101767065278410

Devine Lu Linvega

2023-09-21 06:40:28


American hotels have the worst kettles.

@Jack Rusher @jcmorrow
This entry was edited (7 months ago)
in reply to Devine Lu Linvega

Jack Rusher
Jack Rusher
• •
@jcmorrow hopefully it won’t be so long until we meet again 🤗
@jcmorrow
in reply to Jack Rusher

Devine Lu Linvega
Devine Lu Linvega
• •
@jack yeah, that was way too long a gap! My eyes are set on making it to the atlantic 🤫
@Jack Rusher
in reply to Devine Lu Linvega

Jack Rusher
Jack Rusher
• •
I’ll happily take a train to meet you at an Atlantic or Mediterranean port 😁
in reply to Devine Lu Linvega

⛧ esoterik ⛧
⛧ esoterik ⛧
• •

ugh this all sounds pretty awful. i've definitely been burned before.

for the last decade or so my policy has always been:
(1) plan to bring/buy/find all my own food
(2) leave the venue for my own breaks/meals
(3) have my own travel and lodging plans in place in case everything else falls through

anyway i'm glad you got through it. sounds like folks had a blast! 💥

This entry was edited (7 months ago)
in reply to ⛧ esoterik ⛧

Devine Lu Linvega
Devine Lu Linvega
• •
same! these are exactly what my policies are!! you would have been fucked at strange loop haha
This entry was edited (7 months ago)
in reply to Devine Lu Linvega

Avi Bryant
Avi Bryant
• •
@d6 the food situation both at strange loop and in the train was so stupid. I expected it on the train and so brought enough food with me but didn’t expect it there.
@⛧ esoterik ⛧
in reply to Avi Bryant

Devine Lu Linvega
Devine Lu Linvega
• •
@avi @d6 I expected the hotel to have a kettle, a lot of my strategy was pinned on having a kettle. failure #1
@⛧ esoterik ⛧ @Avi Bryant
in reply to Avi Bryant

Devine Lu Linvega
Devine Lu Linvega
• •
@avi @d6 hahaha, don't you dare bosai me young man! But yeah, next time I'm bringing the whole Ōryōki, with the kettle, a pouch of rice, a cast iron pot to make a fire in, I don't care, a little axe, I'll make some kindling from the furniture and make myself a small fire to roast some persimon, fuck
@⛧ esoterik ⛧ @Avi Bryant
in reply to Devine Lu Linvega

Josh Justice
Josh Justice
• •
@jack @jcmorrow really sorry there were that many challenges. Thank you for pushing through; the talk was really impactful for me
@Jack Rusher @jcmorrow
in reply to Devine Lu Linvega

Antonín Pavlas
Antonín Pavlas
• •

@xChaos
S horkou vodou z rychlovarné konvice a jídelní termoskou se dá normálně vařit.

Nasázíte do termosky ingredience, zalijete vroucí vodou, zavřete a termoska vaří za vás. Těstoviny, rýže to je za 10-15 min. Polévka trvá déle, protože nakrájená zelenina (mrkev, celer, petržel, brambory) je potřeba nechat "povařit déle. A čím déle ji necháte, tím je vývar hutnější.

@xChaos
in reply to Devine Lu Linvega

rezmason
rezmason
• •

Years ago I gave a nervous tech talk with a cold, a stupid hat, a broken heart, an upset stomach, a co-presenter who flaked, and following a morning walk where I stepped in dogshit. It was a huge mess. I think people enjoyed it nonetheless.

I'm sure you did absolutely great, and I'm sure you had a nerve-wracking adventure that tested you in a million ways. I hope whatever's next is chill and restorative.

in reply to Devine Lu Linvega

Maša Kepic
Maša Kepic
• •
Respect to you for doing your presentation in the face of all this. :tealheart:
in reply to Devine Lu Linvega

Dakedres
Dakedres
• •
Yep. I'm not vegan, but a dairy and gluten intolerant vegetarian, and I feel this thread so hard. I'm sorry this country is so unpalatable. Looking forward to watching the presentation once I can find it haha
in reply to Devine Lu Linvega

Aleph
Aleph
• •
Stealing oddly located fruit in order to survive seems to be turning into a tradition for you at this point
This entry was edited (7 months ago)
in reply to Devine Lu Linvega

eli_oat
eli_oat
• •
the vegetarian and vegan food situation was shockingly bleak.
in reply to eli_oat

Devine Lu Linvega
Devine Lu Linvega
• •
@eli_oat it always makes me laugh when I see people catering to vegetarians but they didn't look into what vegetarians eat.
@eli_oat
in reply to Devine Lu Linvega

Kototama
Kototama
• •
unpleasant!! CCC camp and congress have a kitchen+meals reserved for volunteers and speakers.
This entry was edited (7 months ago)
Unknown parent

Devine Lu Linvega
Devine Lu Linvega
• •
@eli_oat these people need some sustenance for christ's sake, well put celery, that'll do it.
@eli_oat
in reply to Devine Lu Linvega

Ivan Reese
Ivan Reese
• •
eli_oat@tenforward.social The one that gets me is the processed protein / gluten science project shaped and flavoured to emulate meat. Your "impossible burger" and whatnot. Like.. can't I just have some cooked beans, rice, with a lil something pickled on the side? Is that too much to ask?
Unknown parent

Ivan Reese
Ivan Reese
• •
@jack @eli_oat The "vegan" chilli had non-negotiable parmesan, which (assuming it's even approximately authentic) isn't even vegetarian let alone vegan. The mind boggles.
@eli_oat @Jack Rusher
This entry was edited (7 months ago)
in reply to Ivan Reese

Jack Rusher
Jack Rusher
• •
@spiralganglion @eli_oat I had the potato and vegan chili the first Amtrak segment, which experience led to my bringing all my own food for the rest of the trip
@eli_oat @Ivan Reese
in reply to Devine Lu Linvega

Avi Bryant
Avi Bryant
• •
@spiralganglion @jack @eli_oat my wife used to manage tours of plays. She describes trying to make restaurants in small Texas towns understand that some of the actors were vegetarian. “Oh, we can give them pork and beans - that has vegetables in it.”
@eli_oat @Ivan Reese @Jack Rusher

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