SO. I read a book called Murder City, by a guy named Michael Lesy. There was a lot murder in it, as the name suggests.

Hymie [Weiss] and Dean [O'Banion] had been partners since their days as safecrackers...the two of them, together, had perfected the tactic -- and invented the phrase -- "take a guy for a ride." --p. 170

Murder City is a collection of stories about real-life murders that happened in Chicago in the early part of the 20th century. The stories are objectively interesting, but I had a hard time liking the book. It reads like one of those books that happens by accident -- like Michael Lesy just researches horrible Chicago murders as a hobby and decided it was time to write some of them down.

(This is in stark contrast to Assassination Vacation, possibly the most insecure book I have ever tried to read, in which Sarah Vowell desperately wants you to think she's quirky and strange because she enjoys studying the history of presidential assassinations. Also that she's not a racist, wow. Ease back there, I believe you lady.)

( Murder City, by Michael LesyCollapse )

Final Verdict: If you're into crime and into Chicago history, this is a pretty informative book. It's not a book I'd recommend as entertainment, per se, but it was never boring reading -- just very confusing sometimes.

And now, a short and diverse Friday Reccslist!

Sherlock: DNA by Resonant: Explicit, Sherlock/OFCs, Sherlock/John. This story came about from a conversation Resonant and I had, and I couldn't be more pleased with having been a part of it. John discovers Sherlock is basically putting himself out to stud to women who want smart babies, and it...causes some issues. Really cleverly written and I love the ending, particularly Sherlock's confusion.

Person of Interest: Outsider Perspective by Neery: Explicit, Finch/Reese. I don't generally read Person Of Interest fic but this one caught my eye on a recc and I found it extremely enjoyable -- the entire fic is from Finch's POV and really nails his voice, down to the weird little verbal quirks he sometimes has. Reese and Finch get whammied with amnesia gas, and draw some deeply incorrect assumptions about their relationship -- which backfires when they remember, and I really like that there's a deep exploration of the backfire that happens only about halfway through the story.

Avengers: Traitor's Throne by Cluegirl: Teen and Up, Tony/Steve. I was fortunate enough to get to beta this fic, which was done for the Cap-Iron Man Reverse Big Bang. The art and fic are both exceptional, set in a well-built fantasy world where Tony Stark, Prince Abdicate, is returning to the site of a major battle after a year's recovery to try and find both the young, fragile monk Steven who used to sass him and absolution from the dragon he killed during the battle.

Awkward Coworker: Hey Sam. You know Lady And The Tramp?
Sam: It's been a while.
Awkward Coworker: You remember the dogs, the two dogs, the little scottie and the big bloodhound?
Sam: Yes....
Awkward Coworker: I just saw [Vice President] and [Associate Vice President] walking down the hallway...
Sam: *PEALS OF LAUGHTER*

Our Vice President is about five foot eight and dark-haired, and our Associate VP is a 6'6" ginger. I never drew the connection but they are TOTALLY the mismatched-sidekick-dogs Disney was rocking in all its pet movies for a while. (Aristocats, Lady and the Tramp, 101 Dalmations.)

I love that Awkward Coworker and I have reached a point in our working relationship where if he has something socially inappropriate to say, he comes to me because he knows I will understand.

You guys, I keep meaning to make some kind of post so you know I'm still alive, but all I do is work, sleep, and watch trashy documentaries. It's like the adult version of Sesame Street, I'm reverting to age five or something, and it's not very interesting.

And sometimes I write really stupid fanfic.

Title: At Tilde
Rating: PG
Warnings: None.
Summary: Matilda turns hacker, impresses Tony Stark, and fails to be swayed by Charles Xavier.
Notes: Arose out of a chat about what Matilda would think of the internet. Went somewhere terrifying. No regrets.

At AO3 | At Dreamwidth

Good morning everyone, and welcome to Radio Free Monday!

Ways To Give:

snufflesdbear is in a tax lien violation due to a missed payment while she was unemployed, and now things have escalated. She's trying to raise $2K by May 27th. She's offering art in exchange for donations. You can read the details and donate here.

subluxate linked to mercurialgirl, who along with her partner is trying to buy the blueberry farm they've lived on for the last three blueberry seasons, which their out-of-state landlord (who has lost her job) now has to sell. You can read more here and donate here.

jamie linked to Seth, who is trying to raise funds to finish the training for his service dog, Deke. The giveforward only lists $600 because that is the short term need, but he really needs $2,000 to finish paying for everything. You can read more here and give to help Deke here.

knitchick1979 has two upcoming fundraisers in Chicago for their Relay for Life team:
Monday, May 20th, 8 PM. Hambingo at Hamburger Mary's. $15 to play all night (3 cards per game, 8-10 games), fabulous prizes every round!
Thursday, May 23rd. Meatheads in Schaumburg. Bring in the flyer at the Facebook link any time during that day and the team gets ten percent of your meal.

noxelementalist linked to a fundraiser for "Winning Dad", a film about a gay man who decides to trick his father (who ignores everything about that side of his son's life) into going camping with his boyfriend. Arthur Allen, the director of the film, is running a Kickstarter to help pay for the costs of production. You can read about the film and check out the backer rewards here!

jedilora linked to a defense fund that has been set up for the folks mentioned in last week's RFM about the davis_square community being sued.
taerowyn also linked to some legal snark on the subject.

News To Know:

onebrightroad linked to an awesome event coming up in Chicago on June 1, in conjunction with the annual ALA convention: "Que(e)ry Party is in town for the American Library Association (ALA) Annual Conference, and is co-hosting a party with Chances Dances. All proceeds benefit the Critical Fierceness Grant and the Leather Archives & Museum." You can find more info about the party here.

The Huffington Post recently published an article on warehouse labour abuses, specifically by Amazon.com but also in general. It's interesting reading and good to know if you want (and are able) to shop responsibly.

And this has been Radio Free Monday! Thank you for your time. You can always post items for my attention in comments here (or on any post) or email me at copperbadge at gmail dot com. If you're not sure how to proceed, here is a little more about what I do and how you can help (or ask for help!).

I HAVE CLEANED ALL THE THINGS. My hands are all pruney.

Ironically, the bathroom had just become sparkling clean when the bay-leaf-and-salt bag I hung on the bathroom door burst. So now it smells like bleach and bay leaf and swiffer, because nothing else would pick up the salt. It's not unpleasant, just...amusing. How many times CAN I sweep the bathroom floor?

You could eat off it. And if you did, it would be lightly salted!

Definitely time to get a haircut tomorrow too. I looked in the mirror after getting up this morning and went "Huh. Blond Wolverine."

How can one person own this many coffee mugs?

I'm continuing my lazy half-assed packing of things I don't actually foresee a dire need for in the next few months, and in cleaning out my dish cabinet I discovered that I have more mugs than anyone needs. I possibly have more mugs than a family of four requires on a regular basis.

Some of them are in regular rotation, mainly ones that were given to me by friends, but I have two full four-mug sets just waiting for me to break one of them, and like half a dozen others I don't remember purchasing or getting as gifts. It's like there's a Mug Dimension in my cupboard.

I'm also enjoying learning new things about myself, like how I have three boxes of "books" and one box of "especially sentimentally valuable books" and one further box of "Nobody touches these books but me keep your fucking hands to yourself I will personally carry these to wherever I am moving."

(Sadly, I also have a "Nobody touches this but me" box for the kitchen.)

Most of my belongings can be divided up into Books, Kitchen, and Masks. Well, and Winter Clothing, but everyone has to have a hobby.

I HAVE COMMITTED A BIG BANG.

Really I committed it with Lienwyn, a charming artist who has done some amazing work that both inspired the story and was inspired by it. You can find all the info below; if you go to the fic, the art is embedded in it, but please don't forget to leave feedback for Lienwyn if you like the art!

DO YOU GUYS HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MUCH I LIKE 1930S SLANG.


Title: Ain't Nobody's Business If I Do
Rating: R
Artist: Lienwyn
Author: Copperbadge
Summary: The year is 1930, Prohibition and the Depression are both in full swing, and Chicago Police Detective Steve Rogers has his hands full. There's a dead body on the banks of Lake Michigan, the entire city's legal system is corrupt, and the king gangster of the North Side, Tony Stark, has taken more than a passing interest in him.
Warnings: Some mild era-specific *ism; internalized homophobia.



Story at Dreamwidth | Story at AO3
Art at Tumblr | Art at dA

SPOKE TOO SOON.

Prestigious East Coast NFP got back to me this morning to say they were taking a candidate with more experience. Fair do; if I were them I'd probably do the same. Also heard back from another Prestigious East Coast NFP who said they were interested but then mentioned their salary range, which was waaaaay below what I'm making now, let alone what I wish to be making.

I'm still five for twenty five, interviews to applications, which is not bad at all. The luxury of being able to choose whether to pursue a non-ideal job situation is something I am very much not taking for granted. I had a moment of panic when I got the letter about not getting the job, because in the past "didn't get the job" has almost always meant "how will I pay the rent?" and I had to remind myself that in this case it just means I don't have to choose between staying in Chicago and moving to a tiny town on the east coast. I know how fortunate I am in that regard.

COULD I POSSIBLY TALK MORE ABOUT MY JOB SITUATION, oh god, I'm boring myself at this point.

So, I have had no news from Prestigious East Coast Not For Profit in three weeks. I'm pretty sure I didn't get the job. Which is okay -- mostly I'm feeling relief I don't have to make that decision. I'm guessing what they've done is offered the job to someone else and are waiting to tell the remaining candidates until they're sure that person will take the job. It's what we do where I currently work, so I can't blame them.

Mum can, though. She is blaming them UP AND DOWN. It's almost funny.

I am still packing, though, because I know I will move SOMEWHERE at SOME TIME this year, probably no later than September. So I've started packing nonessentials, like my books and some kitchen stuff.

THE DUST, YOU GUYS. THE DUST. They are not dust bunnies. They are dust MONSTERS. Dust birds of prey swooping down on dust voles and forming horrible mutant beasts. When I leave this flat I will leave behind a ravaging supervillain made of dust. I keep a clean house, but into every life a little dust must fall and mine is ALL FALLING AT ONCE.

It's probably a good thing I don't have allergies. They'd find me collapsed on the floor surrounded by boxes and sharpies.