highlyeccentric

The lawsuit preventing the sale of my home is going to mediation in June and trial in September. I'm trying to think through what sort of settlement offers I'd be willing to accept. Here's my take on the possible trial outcomes:

Likelihood	Outcome	Net Result
1%	Lose the property and the restoration cost	-$2M+ debt
2%	Forced sale minus restoration cost and other damages	-$1M debt
2%	Forced sale minus restoration cost	+$100k cash, -$700k debt
25%	Forced sale	+$800k cash/mortgage
40%	Case is a wash and I sell to new buyers	+$1-2M cash
10%	I win damages and sell to new buyers	+$1-2M cash, +?? damages
20%	Buyer appeals; timeline extends 1–2 years	One of the above, later

Those net results are based on losing or getting rid of the property and taking into account the ~$700k I owe mostly to friends right now, the increases in property value in the last two years, and commission on the sales. There are smaller variables (e.g. foreclosure risk, market fluctuations, interest, court costs), but enumerating every possible combination would probably be counterproductive.

My expected value based on the above is ~$1.1M, with an expected time to exit of ~10 months. He previously offered ~$550k, which would have left me $150k in debt so I immediately declined.

Based purely on those numbers, if he offered me better than my EV in terms of cash and time, I should probably accept it. Or I should offer to dismiss all claims on both sides.

But this isn't just about the hard immediate numbers for me. There are factors that would increase my number. I care about the value of the years of my life he has consumed/wasted. I care about dissuading people from trying to rip me off in the future, and this guy from trying to rip off other people. I care about justice and legal precedent. I care about fulfilling my obligations. I care about the psychological impact this decision will have on me. There are factors that could decrease my number. I might be wrong about the value of the property, or the likelihood of the bad outcomes, particularly my performance in court.

What else should I be considering? Where can I get help firming up these predictions? I welcome feedback on any part of this, in public or private.

rachelmanija

This sequel to Annihilation takes an unusual approach. Rather than returning to Area X, almost the entire book takes place outside of it, focusing on the scientific/government agency, the Southern Reach, which has been sending expeditions into it.

Most of the book is bureaucratic shenanigans with creeping horror undertones. The main character, unsubtly nicknamed Control, is slowly losing his mind trying to figure out what the hell happened to his predecessor and why she kept a live plant feeding off a dead mouse in her desk drawer, what is up with the bizarre incantatory literal writings on the wall, and what's up with the biologist, who has seemingly returned from Area X but says she's not the biologist and asks to be called Ghost Bird. There's parts that are interesting but also a lot of office satire which is not really what I was looking for in this series.

About 80% in, the book took a turn that got me suddenly very interested.

( Read more... )

I kind of want to know what happens next but I'm not sure Vandermeer is interested in giving readers what they want.

muccamukk

I really enjoy Heather Cox Richardson and Joanne Freeman's Saturday morning "What the Heck Just Happened?" chats. It really does just feel like my aunties talking smack about history.

In today's episode (Video, 41 Minutes), they were discussing ways to think about corruption and how to deal with it—using Hamilton, Lincoln, the Nixon/Kennedy debates and Representative Maxwell Frost as examples. HCR mentioned that a lot of USian students don't learn the technicalities of how the government works, such as "this is the legal definition of [thing], and therefore the law says you can do [such and such] about it" (my paraphrase). And also how when exposed to this information, people of all ages are often amazed and eager to learn more. (Thus both women's teaching and social media strategies).

(I'm not especially ragging on the U.S. education system here; most Canadians don't learn civics either.)

Which reminded me of a class a few weeks ago, where (like most of my classes) most of the students are Gen Z, and either weren't born during the ramp up to the 2003 U.S. Invasion of Iraq, or were tiny smol and don't remember it (see me, and the Fall of the Berlin Wall, "you're welcome" to anyone who I just made feel very old). The professor was explaining how it had been sold to the public, the WMD lies, etc, and its echos (or not) in current events.

The class was agog! They were entranced! They were listening the most sensational soap opera unfold! "What? Really!?" they gasped. "Why didn't we know this!?" they demanded.

"It's not taught," the professor answered; "it's not your fault that you don't know."

I think when I was coming up, history ended with the Cold War. To be fair, that was somewhat due to when the textbooks were written (and a couple still had the U.S.S.R. on the maps). In part, it's difficult to write about something you're in the middle of. But how much of what we're doing now needs the context of 9/11, and the second Iraq War, and the Patriot Act, and and and... ? And how we all understood that day that the world would never be the same. (Which also needs the context of events before, of course.) We all need to know this history, but not everyone who is in elected office today is old enough to remember it.

I'm just sad there wasn't time to tell them about Freedom Fries :(

cosmolinguist

My parents want to talk to me today instead of tomorrow, because tomorrow they're going to be out at something that they don't want to do (I think this is hilarious; they're going to watch my cousin in some kind of ice-skating event; Mom has been complaining about this for weeks, they even have to pay for it, they really don't want to go, and yet at no point have they just told my dad's brother/sister-in-law "No thanks"!).

But tonight, angelofthenorth and will be out seeing one of my favorite symphonies (we played the Finale in high school, I bought a cheapo CD of this and something else from Dvorak afterwards because listening to stuff I used to know that intimately is always fun...and M hasn't been to the Bridgewater Hall yet so I'm looking forward to seeing what she thinks of it).

So I told my parents about half an hour ago that I'm around if they want to talk, and the one downside of modern video meeting platforms (that works on both Linux and an iPad operated by people who don't know, for example, the difference between text messages and e-mails; we use Jitsi) is that I can't just wait to hear if they call so I'm tethered to my laptop for the next little while still, to see if my mom appears with her usual greeting "Do we have you?"

susandennis

Yesterday I had a particularly nice swim. My swim sessions are getting longer and longer because they are getting more and more enjoyable. Also swimming was Carl who is a bit of a weirdo. I can't tell if he's neurologically challenged or just thick or what but he's clearly a few pixels off. He sometimes plays volleyball with us but not often and not well.

Shortly after I got home, I got an email that the pool was closed til further notice due to fecal matter in the water. WTF????? Did I poop and not know it?? Erica (the fitness director) and I swapped a few emails and I learned that, apparently, Carl's colostomy bag sprung a leak. It will take until at least Monday and maybe longer to get the water cleaned and chemically adjusted again.

So... no volleyball today. The Mariners took their own sweet time losing last night so I got to sleep late-ish. And this morning I woke up at 5:30... I rolled over and decided to close my eyes for a bit and the next thing I knew it was nearly 8!!! And the cats were having fits.

Then, the second bombshell of the day dropped... I have gained a half pound and lost very little in the past week. So I quit counting calories and for the past two days have just eaten what I wanted. This morning I was down a pound and a half.

This is from yesterday but... wanna see my new comforter?

I got the most delightful email from Scott and Julie - my New Zealand friends - last night. They have their sights on one last grand trip to the US next year. While they were here last year, I gave them a list of places in the Southeast which is one area they have never been to. So Scott turned that list over to CoPilot with some parameters and CoPilot designed a wonderful 3 weeks from Nashville to Asheville to Savannah and Atlanta. With stops at places in between that I hadn't even thought of but will be spectacular. They are planning on arriving in mid-May and then stopping in Denver for Moab, Monument Valley, Silverado and then on to Atlanta for the Southwest Tour and then to here for a week of telling me all about their adventures before they take their over packed suitcases home. It sounds wonderful.

Time now to get dressed and ready for Elbow Coffee. Man, when you sleep in, your day sure gets cut short! (Captain Obvious reporting for duty.)

oursin

Dept rus in urbe: A prickle of hedgehogs and an armada of newts: wildlife settles in at London’s new Queen Elizabeth garden

***

Dept of, why not work with creating opportunities for the mute inglorious already there....? (sigh): Creating Baby Geniuses to Thwart the AI Threat? (Yes, Really.) Honestly, these people.

Possibly relevant here....: State school kids do better at uni

***

The Rise and Fall of Jukeboxes: where are the grooves of yesteryear?

***

Women artists in the Georgian era: a constant, delicate calibration to keep the balance between personal reputation, artistic success and the need to earn a living.

andrewducker

Today the white flakes on the ground aren't snow they're blossom.
Original is here on Pixelfed.scot.

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scans_daily

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gamechangerhr

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ysabetwordsmith posting in

birdfeeding

Today is cloudy and cold. We got a good soaking rain last night. :D

I fed the birds. I've seen a few house finches.

I put out water for the birds.

.

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

Today is cloudy and cold. We got a good soaking rain last night. :D

I fed the birds. I've seen a few house finches.

I put out water for the birds.

.

Current Mood: busy

umadoshi

( years-ago pet loss; old grief and random thoughts )

Current Mood: melancholy

chickenfeet

https://operaramblings.blog/2026/04/18/a-night-in-venice/

feurioo posting in

tv_talk

Assortment of black and white speech bubbles

Welcome to the weekly roundup post! What are you watching this week? What are you excited about?

james_davis_nicoll

Poll #34492 Books Received, April 11 — April 17

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 15

View Respondents

Which of these look interesting?

View Answers

The Thrice-Bound Fool by Christopher Buehlman (Ocober 2026)
5 (33.3%)

The Slantwise Histories and Other Stories by Alix E. Harrow (October 2026)
6 (40.0%)

Nightcurse by Emma Hinds (October 2026)
1 (6.7%)

The Killing Spell by Shay Kauwe (April 2026)
4 (26.7%)

Claimed by the Orc King by Roxy Taylor (November 2026)
0 (0.0%)

Some other option (see comments)
1 (6.7%)

Cats!
11 (73.3%)

james_davis_nicoll

Five books new to me. At least four are fantasy (the collection might be a mix of genres). At least one is part of a series.

Books Received, April 11 — April 17

dailyprompts_feed

https://daily-prompts.tumblr.com/post/814235481868025856

The moon suddenly starts getting closer to Earth, but only one person notices.

https://daily-prompts.tumblr.com/post/814235481868025856

princessofgeeks

( You're about to view content that the journal owner has marked as possibly inappropriate for anyone under the age of 18. )

Current Mood: awake

cosmolinguist

We have a spice mix grinder, with lemon and garlic and chili and sea salt in it. It's so good.

But when I tried to add some to our dinner tonight, I noticed it wasn't really working. Despite it being single-use plastic, I managed to take apart the grinding bits, and when I couldn't scrape away the gunk I just left them in some water to soak.

I was just thinking I haven't done anything today, but I've done that. Tiny little thing that should make the future nicer. And more flavorful.

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highlyeccentric

November 2025

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Page Summary

sparr - Seeking feedback on settlement strategy
rachelmanija - Authority, by Jeff Vandermeer
muccamukk - Context Dependant
cosmolinguist - Waiting for the mom
susandennis - Whackadoodle Day already and it's not yet 9!
oursin - Rounding up stuff
andrewducker - Photo cross-post
cyberghostface in scans_daily - Exquisite Corpses #11
nialla in gamechangerhr - Link roundup
ysabetwordsmith in birdfeeding - Birdfeeding
ysabetwordsmith - Birdfeeding
umadoshi - Six years on (CN: far-from-fresh pet loss)
chickenfeet - TOT's "A Night in Venice" is undemandingly enjoyable
feurioo in tv_talk - Speak Up Saturday
james_davis_nicoll - Books Received, April 11 — April 17 poll
james_davis_nicoll - Books Received, April 11 — April 17
dailyprompts_feed - The moon suddenly starts getting closer to Earth, but only one person notices.
princessofgeeks - Greece 2026
prisca in fandomcalendar - Fic Promptly - A Comment Fic Community for Writing
cosmolinguist - The spice of life

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Style: Sea and Salt for Nouveau Oleanders by branchandroot
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Page generated Apr. 18th, 2026 05:50 pm

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Seeking feedback on settlement strategy

Authority, by Jeff Vandermeer

Context Dependant

Waiting for the mom

Whackadoodle Day already and it's not yet 9!

Rounding up stuff

Photo cross-post

Exquisite Corpses #11

Link roundup

Birdfeeding

Birdfeeding

Six years on (CN: far-from-fresh pet loss)

TOT's "A Night in Venice" is undemandingly enjoyable

Speak Up Saturday

Books Received, April 11 — April 17 poll

Books Received, April 11 — April 17

The moon suddenly starts getting closer to Earth, but only one person notices.

Greece 2026

Fic Promptly - A Comment Fic Community for Writing

The spice of life

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November 2025

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