Elon Musk and other internet racists started an internet...
3 Feb 2026 03:19 am![[syndicated profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/feed.png){kind=small}
kottke_org_feedElon Musk and other internet racists started an internet war over Christopher Nolan’s casting of Lupita Nyong’o as Helen of Troy, thereby immediately disproving their point.
{music monday} Brooke Waggoner - Fresh Pair of Eyes
2 Feb 2026 06:51 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
cypresssunnFandom Fifty 2026: Post #2
I know its late in the day, but happy Music Monday to all who cerebrate, (which is me and only me, but dear god with the way things are going i have to believe i deserve to be happy X3) And I'm thinking of trying to change the setup of how I do my daily posts. Add a little structure and routine because I am useless without it. Some background on the song, why i like it, and maybe a character or ship or fandom I would dedicate it too.
Plus, its already febuary and i'm behind on my fandom50 posts by a lot. I need to get it together.
So overall, new and improved methodology of music monday is putting my liked songs on shuffle and seeing what comes to me. &I even get to use spotify again since they stopped running ICE ads after all those musicians pulled their catalogs. So yay for collective action! and yay! for songs I heard one time in college and never, ever forgot about!~ because Fresh Pair of Eyes is a soft rock folk indie banger. Just hear me out.
Song: Fresh Pair of Eyes by Brooke Waggoner
Release Year: 2007 (though I first encountered it in 2010)
Genre: Piano pop-folk
Vibe: heavily stripped down kate bush. a church backroom full of instruments. heavily thumbed over sheet music. coffee mug stains on a piano that has seen betters days. worn leather stools. window chimes. sunday sunlight. bent-back gospel books. cooling wax. a sermon is over. parishioners are out in the hall. the door is ajar; it is not allowed to be closed. a choir girl with nowhere to go and nowhere to be and nowhere to put this feeling hums along with the barely-there melody at her fingertips.
Fave Lyric: The whole song. The whole poem.
Cause I want to be seen
With a fresh pair of eyes
The single white tree
In a black wood of disguise
I miss God, I miss God
I miss God, I miss God
Best Part: Sonically, the best part is the layering. Everything builds together and swells beautifully. The lilt of the bells at the start, the humming over the chords, the backing choir, the feel of what might be radio feedback embedding itself into the track as if it just happened to be incidentally playing in another room. it adds a level of intimacy but also richness in the mundane.
Why I Love This Song: I first encountered this song under terrible circumstances that I will not go into here. But this little melody hooked me. I was young and dumb, I wanted romance and poetry, and I especially wanted to be desperately complicated and attractively mysterious. This little number fit the bill. Because it is not a grandiose declarative song. It is something I can only describe as tremendously quiet. It says so much with so little. It's only two stanzas long, each repeated once. The first line opens with a conjunction, in the middle of a half expressed thought, like you are overhearing a thought someone did not mean to mutter aloud. The scarce and simple imagery is so clear, resonate isolating desires to be recognized by someone who does not know you yet. It gives such coming-of-age energy in the most fraught and predicable ways. Because doesn't every young person secretly hope that someone will come along and tell them exactly what they need to hear? And the moving way it ends on the mournful note of grieving god, implying an absence of faith created the quiet pain this song ruminates on.
Dedication: Elena Gilbert. specifically the s1 version of her. my good grief girl. she was a walking tragedy always on the cusp of life, but always wanting so badly to be known to the dead.
71 Breakfast Plans (part 1a of 1)
2 Feb 2026 10:21 pmdialecticdreamerBreakfast Plans
By Dialecticdreamer/Sarah Williams
Part 1a of 1
Word count (story only): 508
[Wednesday, May 13, 2020, 6 am]
:: After a very long day, the Teagues and Amber try to start afresh. Part of the Edison’s Mirror (Teague Family) story arc. ::
Ed lifted out the last two slices of toast, glancing over at Vic as he added the third egg to the pan of simmering water. “Poached eggs? Are you planning eggs and soldiers?”
“Pretty much. It’s fast, fairly easy, and I can fancy it up in just a few more minutes. Do you want to make the soldiers? The quick way is to cut the slice in half vertically, then cut each half in half again, If you’re confident with the knife, you can cut three slices at a time and the edges will be clean instead of jagged.”
( Read more... )
By Dialecticdreamer/Sarah Williams
Part 1a of 1
Word count (story only): 508
[Wednesday, May 13, 2020, 6 am]
:: After a very long day, the Teagues and Amber try to start afresh. Part of the Edison’s Mirror (Teague Family) story arc. ::
Ed lifted out the last two slices of toast, glancing over at Vic as he added the third egg to the pan of simmering water. “Poached eggs? Are you planning eggs and soldiers?”
“Pretty much. It’s fast, fairly easy, and I can fancy it up in just a few more minutes. Do you want to make the soldiers? The quick way is to cut the slice in half vertically, then cut each half in half again, If you’re confident with the knife, you can cut three slices at a time and the edges will be clean instead of jagged.”
( Read more... )
fic roundup: January 2026
2 Feb 2026 09:57 pmgreetingsfrommaarsThis is actually partially a roundup for November/December, sort of, because it includes the recs I was holding in reserve out of an abundance of caution for exchange anonymity. Also, the 2026 round of Bloody Hearts Bingo has just started!
And What a Privilege it is to Love by climbingvines, Straytease
Omegaverse and idolverse AU with established Eunkwang/Minhyuk, where idol groups are also packs. The fic incorporates pack stuff into the in-universe kpop industry, and I was surprised by its straightforwardness about groups with members who have had a scandal and left the group (but remain in the pack, here). I like the added omegaverse layer to the main relationship and to Eunkwang being a leader.
( and more for Ateez, DC )
So You Want To Participate In A Fandom Exchange by silveradept
I'm including this one on its own because it's not a fic, strictly speaking. A clear guide to nominations, signups, pinch hits, and more! I would have found this really helpful if I'd known about it before the first time I joined such an exchange.
[ BTOB ]
And What a Privilege it is to Love by climbingvines, Straytease
Omegaverse and idolverse AU with established Eunkwang/Minhyuk, where idol groups are also packs. The fic incorporates pack stuff into the in-universe kpop industry, and I was surprised by its straightforwardness about groups with members who have had a scandal and left the group (but remain in the pack, here). I like the added omegaverse layer to the main relationship and to Eunkwang being a leader.
( and more for Ateez, DC )
[ Resources ]
So You Want To Participate In A Fandom Exchange by silveradept
I'm including this one on its own because it's not a fic, strictly speaking. A clear guide to nominations, signups, pinch hits, and more! I would have found this really helpful if I'd known about it before the first time I joined such an exchange.
posting to clear the earworm
2 Feb 2026 08:46 pmlannamichaelsI have had this song stuck in my head on and off for days upon days, so here is a post to maybe make it go awayyyyy
-Lovers in a Dangerous Time
(also randomly having johnny are you queer in my head but at least that one can be banished if I try hard enough)
Sick Day
2 Feb 2026 08:46 pmdays_unfoldingEmailed in sick. I’m going to feed the fur faces and go back to bed. Oliver will abandon his food and follow me to see what I’m doing. Curious cat.
I had set my alarm for 11:30 AM to check if I felt up to working. The reminder on my phone went off at 10:15, but I thought that it was 11:30. I emailed in sick for the afternoon. I woke up again when I thought that someone was knocking at the door, but no one was there. Then at 11:30, I shut my alarm off and slept until 1. Ate lunch.
My dad sent me an email that he was worried because he hadn’t heard from me for a while “and there’s all that crazy weather”. I told him that I was fine.
Told my choir director that I wasn’t going to make it to choir.
Napped and woke up at 5:30 PM. The dogs don’t want to come inside. “Mommy, it’s warmer!” It is warmer (28F/-2C). Gracie finally came inside and ate. Fed us all.
I remembered to pull market stats from WSJ’s site. Go me.
I want to make apple fritters, so I bought a deep fryer on Mercari. I need to submit a grocery order (done).
I'm going to go back to bed.
I had set my alarm for 11:30 AM to check if I felt up to working. The reminder on my phone went off at 10:15, but I thought that it was 11:30. I emailed in sick for the afternoon. I woke up again when I thought that someone was knocking at the door, but no one was there. Then at 11:30, I shut my alarm off and slept until 1. Ate lunch.
My dad sent me an email that he was worried because he hadn’t heard from me for a while “and there’s all that crazy weather”. I told him that I was fine.
Told my choir director that I wasn’t going to make it to choir.
Napped and woke up at 5:30 PM. The dogs don’t want to come inside. “Mommy, it’s warmer!” It is warmer (28F/-2C). Gracie finally came inside and ate. Fed us all.
I remembered to pull market stats from WSJ’s site. Go me.
I want to make apple fritters, so I bought a deep fryer on Mercari. I need to submit a grocery order (done).
I'm going to go back to bed.
Early this month, a wily coyote swam across San Francisco...
3 Feb 2026 01:53 amkottke_org_feedEarly this month, a wily coyote swam across San Francisco Bay to Alcatraz. He was in such rough shape, observers thought he’d probably die, but he’s been snacking on birds and rodents and was recently observed fat as a pickle.
Daily Check-In
2 Feb 2026 06:00 pmstarwatcher posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
fandom_checkinThis is your check-in post for today. The poll will be open from midnight Universal or Zulu Time (8pm Eastern Time) on Monday, February 2, to midnight on Tuesday, February 3. (8pm Eastern Time).
Poll #34176 Daily Check-in
Open to: Access List, detailed results viewable to: Access List, participants: 16
How are you doing?
I am OK.
11 (68.8%)
I am not OK, but don't need help right now.
5 (31.2%)
I could use some help.
0 (0.0%)
How many other humans live with you?
I am living single.
9 (56.2%)
One other person.
4 (25.0%)
More than one other person.
3 (18.8%)
Please, talk about how things are going for you in the comments, ask for advice or help if you need it, or just discuss whatever you feel like.
2025 Books
2 Feb 2026 04:46 pmspiraliciousIn 2024, I overwhelmed myself with the number of reading challenges I was doing, was in 5 book clubs at one point, and was trying to keep up with tracking things on Beanstack and Good Reads. And while I met my reading goals, I could not keep up with tracking things all the places and I didn't claim a lot of challenges I actually finished.
Because of all that, in 2025, I stepped back and only tracked my reading on physical book tracking booksmarks (just title, date finished, & number of stars), was only in one book club, and didn't join any year long challenges. (I did do the summer bookopoly reading challenge for July only, the library card bingo challenge for September only, and the Unwrap A Great Read challenge for December only hosted by my local library.)
I managed to read more than I have in years.
Here is what I read in 2025. A couple books might be missing from the list.
graphic novels
Lumberjanes Vol. 18: Horticultural Horizons by Shannon Watters, Kat Leyh, Kanesha C. Bryant, & Julia Madrigal
The Umbrella Academy Volume 1: Apocalypse Suite by Gerard Way & Gabriel Bá (Pub Grub Book Club)
Lumberjanes Vol. 19: A Summer to Remember by Shannon Watters and Kat Leyh
Graceling (graphic novel adaptation) by Kristin Cashore, adapted and illustrated by Gareth Hinds (Pub Grub Book Club)
Lighter Than My Shadow by Katie Green (Pub Grub Book Club)
Bea Wolf by Zach Weinersmith & Boulet (Pub Grub Book Club)
Lumberjanes Vol. 20: End of Summer by Shannon Watters, Kat Leyh, Gus Allen, Alexa Bosy, & Kanesha C. Bryant
The Dark Matter of Mona Starr by Laura Lee Gulledge (Pub Grub Book Club)
My Favorite Thing is Monsters Book 2 by Emil Ferris
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic vol. 16 by Paul Allor, Toni Kuusiste, Heather Breckel, Jeremy Whitley, Ted Anderson, Andy Price, Tom Zahler, & Agnes Garbowska
Paper Girls #1 by Brian K. Vaughan & Cliff Chiang (Pub Grub Book Club)
Check Please! Book 1: #Hockey by Ngozi Ukazu
Escape From St. Hell by Lewis Hancox
Heartstopper vol. 4 by Alice Oseman
Mamo by Sas Milledge
Brooms by Jasmine Walls (Pub Grub Book Club)
Suitor Armor volume 1 by Purpan
I am Not Starfire by Mariko Tamaki & art by Yoshi Yoshitani
Slaughterhouse-Five; or, the Children's Crusade: A Duty-Dance with Death (graphic novel adaptation) by Kurt Vonnegut, adaptation by Ryan North & illustrated by Albert Monteys
Rainbow vol. 1 by Sunny & Gloomy
Navigating With You by Jeremy Whitley, art by Cassio Ribeiro, & lettering by Nikki Foxrobot
Pulp by Ed Brubaker & Sean Phillips
Space Boy vol. 1 by Stephen McCranie
We are not Strangers by Josh Tuininga
Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees by Patrick Horvath (Pub Grub Book Club)
Delicious in Dungeon vol 1 by Ryoko Kui
Check Please! Book 2: Sticks & Scones by Ngozi Ukazu
Backflash by Mat Johnson & art by Steve Lieber (Pub Grub Book Club)
Suitor Armor vol 2 by Purpah
Fall Through by Nate Powell (Pub Grub Book Club)
The Mushroom Knight vol. 1 by Oliver Bly
Heavy Vinyl vol. 1 by Carly Usdin & Vakueva & Flores & Nalty
Monstress Book One by Marjorie Liu (Pub Grub Book Club)
Leap by Simina Popescu
Mall Goth by Kate Leth
Eight Billion Genies (complete collection) by Charles Soule & Ryan Browne (Pub Grub Book Club)
Lumberjanes: The Infernal Compass by Lilah Sturges
Lumberjanes: The Shape of Friendship by Lilah Sturges
Garbage Night: The Complete Edition by Benji Lee
Final Cut by Charles Burns
The Guy She Was Interested in Wasn't a Guy at All vol. 1 by Sumiko Arai
The Guy She Was Interested in Wasn't a Guy at All vol. 2 by Sumiko Arai
non-fiction
This Book is Gay by Juno Dawson (updated edition 2021)
The T in LGBT by Jamie Raines
The Art of Drag by Jake Hall & art by Sofie Birkin, Helen Li, Jasiyot Singh Hans, & more
GuRu by Rupaul
fiction
The Black Girl Survives This One edited by Desiree S. Evans & Saraciea J. Fennell
Number One Chinese Restaurant by Lillian Li
Space Opera by Catherynne M. Valente
The Magnolia Sword: A Ballad of Mulan by Sherry Thomas
Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata
Juliet Takes a Breath by Gabby Rivera
We Contain Multitudes by Sarah Henstra
What If It's Us by Becky Albertalli & Adam Silvera
The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi
Where Wolves Don't Die by Anton Treuer
The Restaurant of Lost Recipes by Hisashi Kashiwai
The Kingdom of Sweets by Erika Johansen (Unwrap A Great Read)
Hemlock & Silver by T. Kingfisher (Unwrap A Great Read)
Stuck With You by Nathan Burgoine
Bad Dreams in the Night by Adam Ellis
Hockey Girl Loves Drama Boy by Faith Erin Hicks
children's
Monstrous: The Lore, Gore, and Science Behind Your Favorite Monsters by Carlyn Beccia
Death & Sparkles Book 1 by Rob Justus
Shark Lady: The True Story of How Eugenie Clark Became the Ocean's Most Fearless Scientist by Jess Keating & illustrations by Marta Álvarez Miguéns
Halloween and Day of the Dead Traditions from Around the World by Joan Axelrod-Contrada & illustrated by Elisa Chavarri
The Pumpkin Book by Gail Gibbons
Digestion the Musical by Adam Rex & illustrated by Laura Park
Spooky Lakes: 25 Strange and Mysterious Lakes That Dot Our Planet by Geo Rutherford
Shark Week: Everything You Need to Know (Discovery) by Martha Brockenbrough
The Constitution Explained! The Bill of Rights: Guaranteeing Liberty by Janey Levy
You Rule! Create Your Own Country (Lonely Planet Kids) by Scott Forbes & Emma Laura Jones
Cool Sleeping by Alex Kushowski
How to Build Your Own Country by Valerie Wyatt
Moomin The Complete Tove Jansson Comic Strip Volume 1 by Tove Jansson
New Year Traditions Around the World by Ann Malaspina
Moomin The Complete Tove Jansson Comic Strip Volume 2 by Tove Jansson
comics
The Batman Chronicles no. 7 winter 97
Because of all that, in 2025, I stepped back and only tracked my reading on physical book tracking booksmarks (just title, date finished, & number of stars), was only in one book club, and didn't join any year long challenges. (I did do the summer bookopoly reading challenge for July only, the library card bingo challenge for September only, and the Unwrap A Great Read challenge for December only hosted by my local library.)
I managed to read more than I have in years.
Here is what I read in 2025. A couple books might be missing from the list.
graphic novels
Lumberjanes Vol. 18: Horticultural Horizons by Shannon Watters, Kat Leyh, Kanesha C. Bryant, & Julia Madrigal
The Umbrella Academy Volume 1: Apocalypse Suite by Gerard Way & Gabriel Bá (Pub Grub Book Club)
Lumberjanes Vol. 19: A Summer to Remember by Shannon Watters and Kat Leyh
Graceling (graphic novel adaptation) by Kristin Cashore, adapted and illustrated by Gareth Hinds (Pub Grub Book Club)
Lighter Than My Shadow by Katie Green (Pub Grub Book Club)
Bea Wolf by Zach Weinersmith & Boulet (Pub Grub Book Club)
Lumberjanes Vol. 20: End of Summer by Shannon Watters, Kat Leyh, Gus Allen, Alexa Bosy, & Kanesha C. Bryant
The Dark Matter of Mona Starr by Laura Lee Gulledge (Pub Grub Book Club)
My Favorite Thing is Monsters Book 2 by Emil Ferris
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic vol. 16 by Paul Allor, Toni Kuusiste, Heather Breckel, Jeremy Whitley, Ted Anderson, Andy Price, Tom Zahler, & Agnes Garbowska
Paper Girls #1 by Brian K. Vaughan & Cliff Chiang (Pub Grub Book Club)
Check Please! Book 1: #Hockey by Ngozi Ukazu
Escape From St. Hell by Lewis Hancox
Heartstopper vol. 4 by Alice Oseman
Mamo by Sas Milledge
Brooms by Jasmine Walls (Pub Grub Book Club)
Suitor Armor volume 1 by Purpan
I am Not Starfire by Mariko Tamaki & art by Yoshi Yoshitani
Slaughterhouse-Five; or, the Children's Crusade: A Duty-Dance with Death (graphic novel adaptation) by Kurt Vonnegut, adaptation by Ryan North & illustrated by Albert Monteys
Rainbow vol. 1 by Sunny & Gloomy
Navigating With You by Jeremy Whitley, art by Cassio Ribeiro, & lettering by Nikki Foxrobot
Pulp by Ed Brubaker & Sean Phillips
Space Boy vol. 1 by Stephen McCranie
We are not Strangers by Josh Tuininga
Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees by Patrick Horvath (Pub Grub Book Club)
Delicious in Dungeon vol 1 by Ryoko Kui
Check Please! Book 2: Sticks & Scones by Ngozi Ukazu
Backflash by Mat Johnson & art by Steve Lieber (Pub Grub Book Club)
Suitor Armor vol 2 by Purpah
Fall Through by Nate Powell (Pub Grub Book Club)
The Mushroom Knight vol. 1 by Oliver Bly
Heavy Vinyl vol. 1 by Carly Usdin & Vakueva & Flores & Nalty
Monstress Book One by Marjorie Liu (Pub Grub Book Club)
Leap by Simina Popescu
Mall Goth by Kate Leth
Eight Billion Genies (complete collection) by Charles Soule & Ryan Browne (Pub Grub Book Club)
Lumberjanes: The Infernal Compass by Lilah Sturges
Lumberjanes: The Shape of Friendship by Lilah Sturges
Garbage Night: The Complete Edition by Benji Lee
Final Cut by Charles Burns
The Guy She Was Interested in Wasn't a Guy at All vol. 1 by Sumiko Arai
The Guy She Was Interested in Wasn't a Guy at All vol. 2 by Sumiko Arai
non-fiction
This Book is Gay by Juno Dawson (updated edition 2021)
The T in LGBT by Jamie Raines
The Art of Drag by Jake Hall & art by Sofie Birkin, Helen Li, Jasiyot Singh Hans, & more
GuRu by Rupaul
fiction
The Black Girl Survives This One edited by Desiree S. Evans & Saraciea J. Fennell
Number One Chinese Restaurant by Lillian Li
Space Opera by Catherynne M. Valente
The Magnolia Sword: A Ballad of Mulan by Sherry Thomas
Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata
Juliet Takes a Breath by Gabby Rivera
We Contain Multitudes by Sarah Henstra
What If It's Us by Becky Albertalli & Adam Silvera
The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi
Where Wolves Don't Die by Anton Treuer
The Restaurant of Lost Recipes by Hisashi Kashiwai
The Kingdom of Sweets by Erika Johansen (Unwrap A Great Read)
Hemlock & Silver by T. Kingfisher (Unwrap A Great Read)
Stuck With You by Nathan Burgoine
Bad Dreams in the Night by Adam Ellis
Hockey Girl Loves Drama Boy by Faith Erin Hicks
children's
Monstrous: The Lore, Gore, and Science Behind Your Favorite Monsters by Carlyn Beccia
Death & Sparkles Book 1 by Rob Justus
Shark Lady: The True Story of How Eugenie Clark Became the Ocean's Most Fearless Scientist by Jess Keating & illustrations by Marta Álvarez Miguéns
Halloween and Day of the Dead Traditions from Around the World by Joan Axelrod-Contrada & illustrated by Elisa Chavarri
The Pumpkin Book by Gail Gibbons
Digestion the Musical by Adam Rex & illustrated by Laura Park
Spooky Lakes: 25 Strange and Mysterious Lakes That Dot Our Planet by Geo Rutherford
Shark Week: Everything You Need to Know (Discovery) by Martha Brockenbrough
The Constitution Explained! The Bill of Rights: Guaranteeing Liberty by Janey Levy
You Rule! Create Your Own Country (Lonely Planet Kids) by Scott Forbes & Emma Laura Jones
Cool Sleeping by Alex Kushowski
How to Build Your Own Country by Valerie Wyatt
Moomin The Complete Tove Jansson Comic Strip Volume 1 by Tove Jansson
New Year Traditions Around the World by Ann Malaspina
Moomin The Complete Tove Jansson Comic Strip Volume 2 by Tove Jansson
comics
The Batman Chronicles no. 7 winter 97
Some Great Resources for Acafannish Work - Part II: Book Series
2 Feb 2026 06:06 pmfanhackers_feedLast post, I looked at academic journals that published scholarship in fan studies; today, we’ll take a tour of some fandom-specific book series at specific presses.
Fandom & Culture Series, U Iowa - https://uipress.uiowa.edu/series/fandom-culture
Fandom & Culture seeks dynamic books that challenge readers to reexamine preconceived notions of fandom, fan communities, and fan works. Titles in this series employ innovative methods and analysis that address the unique dimensions of fan passions, whether dealing with personal reflections or transcultural topics.
Sample work:
Austentatious: the Evolving World of Jane Austen Fans, (2019) by Holly Luetkenhaus and Zoe Weinstein. https://uipress.uiowa.edu/books/austentatious
Bloomsbury Fandom Primers - https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/series/bloomsbury-fandom-primers/
The Bloomsbury Fandom Primer series publishes original works from an international range of scholars that offer short, pointed, and deliberate investigations of particularly important fandoms, moments within fan history, transcultural fan audiences, debates within fandom and fan studies, unique fan practices, or events within fandom that speak to larger cultural issues
Sample work:
The Construction of Race in Les Misérables Fanworks: Liberty, Equality, Diversity, (2024) by Nemo Madeleine Sugimoto Martin
https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/construction-of-race-in-les-mis%C3%A9rables-fanworks-9798765107669/
Routledge Advances in Fan and Fandom Studies
https://www.routledge.com/Routledge-Advances-in-Fan-and-Fandom-Studies/book-series/FAN
This exciting and innovative series publishes new and cutting-edge research on everything fan- and fandom-related. Covering all forms of media, the series presents new insights into this dynamic subject.
Sample work:Fan Podcasts: Rewatch, Recap, Review (20245 by Anne Korfmacher
https://www.routledge.com/Fan-Podcasts-Rewatch-Recap-Review/Korfmacher/p/book/9781032721972
no subject
2 Feb 2026 04:45 pmlycomingstI still have the books I bought at the library sale, having finished them and wanting to give them away. Can't go back to the library, they've made it clear they've washed their hands of them. So I was looking around for Little Libraries around town. Looking on and off and then forgetting about it.
But I found one on the map that seemed to be just up the street. The next street over from where I drive to get to the stores I frequent. I thought I should just walk over there. And after a while of procrastination, I did, the other day. Well, it was a longer walk than I envisioned (isn't it always?). It was a nearly two hour walk back and forth, though I was kind of shuffling at the end. My feet were aghast at my temerity.
But I saw a new neighborhood. There's somebody selling sourdough bread or has a little cafe; that was unexpected. It's a two lane street and at one point there are houses on one side and fields on the other. And, weirdly, the individual mail boxes for the houses are on the field side. You have to cross the street to pick up your mail. Why would it be more convenient for the mail truck to go up that side then the other?
Also there aren't many sidewalks on this street. We likes to feel rural.
But I found one on the map that seemed to be just up the street. The next street over from where I drive to get to the stores I frequent. I thought I should just walk over there. And after a while of procrastination, I did, the other day. Well, it was a longer walk than I envisioned (isn't it always?). It was a nearly two hour walk back and forth, though I was kind of shuffling at the end. My feet were aghast at my temerity.
But I saw a new neighborhood. There's somebody selling sourdough bread or has a little cafe; that was unexpected. It's a two lane street and at one point there are houses on one side and fields on the other. And, weirdly, the individual mail boxes for the houses are on the field side. You have to cross the street to pick up your mail. Why would it be more convenient for the mail truck to go up that side then the other?
Also there aren't many sidewalks on this street. We likes to feel rural.
tea review: nighty night extra
2 Feb 2026 04:31 pmspiraliciousTea Month 2026: Tea 8
Tea Review
Name: Nighty Night Extra
Brand: Traditional Medicinals
Type: herbal
Tea bag
Notes:
This one surprised me in a good way. One, it actually tasted good. This brand and Yogi both have vague proprietary blends listed in the ingredients of all their medicinal teas and I obviously don't know what is in either of those blends, but they tend to add a flavor that I find very off-putting that is similar between the two brands. It was not noticeable in this one. Two, I was not expecting it to help. It's primary ingredient is valerian root, which typically doesn't do anything for me. I don't know if it was this particular blend of things or if I was actually tired enough that any warm cup of tea while reading before bed might have put me out, but it was the most restful night of sleep I've had in over two years.
Rate
Appearance: 7
Aroma: 7
Flavor: 7
Overall Rating: 4 stars (bonus star for sleep)
Tea Review
Name: Nighty Night Extra
Brand: Traditional Medicinals
Type: herbal
Tea bag
Notes:
This one surprised me in a good way. One, it actually tasted good. This brand and Yogi both have vague proprietary blends listed in the ingredients of all their medicinal teas and I obviously don't know what is in either of those blends, but they tend to add a flavor that I find very off-putting that is similar between the two brands. It was not noticeable in this one. Two, I was not expecting it to help. It's primary ingredient is valerian root, which typically doesn't do anything for me. I don't know if it was this particular blend of things or if I was actually tired enough that any warm cup of tea while reading before bed might have put me out, but it was the most restful night of sleep I've had in over two years.
Rate
Appearance: 7
Aroma: 7
Flavor: 7
Overall Rating: 4 stars (bonus star for sleep)
AO3 Tag Bingo (January 2026)
2 Feb 2026 04:30 pmhafniaAO3 added additional "No Fandom" tags!
To celebrate this (and because one of them in particular made me laugh and go, "of course that's a thing", I'm amusing myself by playing Tag Bingo, and if that sounds like fun to you, READ ON.
( beneath a jump to be considerate <3 )
To celebrate this (and because one of them in particular made me laugh and go, "of course that's a thing", I'm amusing myself by playing Tag Bingo, and if that sounds like fun to you, READ ON.
( beneath a jump to be considerate <3 )
第五年第二十四天
3 Feb 2026 09:19 amnnozomi posting in guardian_learning部首
手 part 10
抚, to comfort; 抛, to throw; 抢, to snatch ( pinyin )
https://www.mdbg.net/chinese/dictionary?cdqrad=64
词汇
传统, tradition; 流传, to spread; 遗传, inheritance ( pinyin )
https://mandarinbean.com/new-hsk-4-word-list/
Guardian:
当时你虽然抓了我，事后却抚慰了我的家人, at the time, although you arrested me, you also comforted my family afterward
没想到你对传统文化有那么深的造诣, I never knew you were so conversant with traditional culture
Me:
我虽然很想去听那场演唱会，但是没抢到票。
最好不太询问传统的方法。
手 part 10
抚, to comfort; 抛, to throw; 抢, to snatch ( pinyin )
https://www.mdbg.net/chinese/dictionary?cdqrad=64
词汇
传统, tradition; 流传, to spread; 遗传, inheritance ( pinyin )
https://mandarinbean.com/new-hsk-4-word-list/
Guardian:
当时你虽然抓了我，事后却抚慰了我的家人, at the time, although you arrested me, you also comforted my family afterward
没想到你对传统文化有那么深的造诣, I never knew you were so conversant with traditional culture
Me:
我虽然很想去听那场演唱会，但是没抢到票。
最好不太询问传统的方法。
2026 Snowflake Challenge #4
2 Feb 2026 03:09 pmspiraliciousChallenge #4: Rec The Contents Of Your Last Page
Any website that you like, be it fanfiction, art, social media, or something a bit more eccentric!
My online footprint is not nearly as fun as it used to be. Basically, I visit here on DW, my library website, Subeta, YouTube, Buzzfeed & mental floss for quizzes, and canihazcheeseburger for memes (mostly cats and Tolkien Tuesday). Outside of researching and trying to see if dead crafting sites from the 2010s are still functional, that's it.
Subeta is a 21 year old browser based pet adoption game. Think neopets, but snarkier, you have a human avatar you can dress, and they know their core user base are adults. I am coming up on my 11th (12th?) Anniversary of playing there. I have 12 pets. The game can be as social as you want it to be and enough activities, you could spend hours each day playing outside of events. My favorite things are wizard questing, curating my pets' treasures, creating outfits and scenes for my human avatar, and gentech experiments.
As for events, the site just had it's new year's event from the 1st until the 18th. You earn new years tokens by questing or from random events. There is a shop that while open year round, only takes new years tokens as currency. The Snowtapult is open. This normally happens from December 21st until whenever Survival starts in February. Basically, there are something like 80 different kinds of snowballs you can buy with in game money and fling at other users, each with unique effects that temporarily show up on their human avatar. I have slowly been working for the maximum achievement for this for years. Coming up is one of my favorite events, which is Survival. It's a 2 part event. One part is "kissing" other users to earn candy hearts, which are one of the many in game currencies. The other part is "biting" and being bitten by other users to get infected with zombie virus' to collect the different wearable zombie skins. There are more details, but those are the broad strokes.
Dungleon is a Wordle mechanics dungeon crawl based game. You can play once a day. You have to figure out what creatures occupy the dungeon before you run out of guesses. It's a lot of fun.
YouTube Recs I spend possibly too much time on YouTube, mostly watching reddit reaction videos or long form video essays and podcasts. I also have several unfinished youtuber recs post in progress, so what thought I would do was make a list of YouTube channel recs that I feel should be be recommended, but I don't think I have recced anywhere. (I did include if they were primarily short or long content video creators, but most do both.)
( Read more... )
Any website that you like, be it fanfiction, art, social media, or something a bit more eccentric!
My online footprint is not nearly as fun as it used to be. Basically, I visit here on DW, my library website, Subeta, YouTube, Buzzfeed & mental floss for quizzes, and canihazcheeseburger for memes (mostly cats and Tolkien Tuesday). Outside of researching and trying to see if dead crafting sites from the 2010s are still functional, that's it.
Subeta is a 21 year old browser based pet adoption game. Think neopets, but snarkier, you have a human avatar you can dress, and they know their core user base are adults. I am coming up on my 11th (12th?) Anniversary of playing there. I have 12 pets. The game can be as social as you want it to be and enough activities, you could spend hours each day playing outside of events. My favorite things are wizard questing, curating my pets' treasures, creating outfits and scenes for my human avatar, and gentech experiments.
As for events, the site just had it's new year's event from the 1st until the 18th. You earn new years tokens by questing or from random events. There is a shop that while open year round, only takes new years tokens as currency. The Snowtapult is open. This normally happens from December 21st until whenever Survival starts in February. Basically, there are something like 80 different kinds of snowballs you can buy with in game money and fling at other users, each with unique effects that temporarily show up on their human avatar. I have slowly been working for the maximum achievement for this for years. Coming up is one of my favorite events, which is Survival. It's a 2 part event. One part is "kissing" other users to earn candy hearts, which are one of the many in game currencies. The other part is "biting" and being bitten by other users to get infected with zombie virus' to collect the different wearable zombie skins. There are more details, but those are the broad strokes.
Dungleon is a Wordle mechanics dungeon crawl based game. You can play once a day. You have to figure out what creatures occupy the dungeon before you run out of guesses. It's a lot of fun.
YouTube Recs I spend possibly too much time on YouTube, mostly watching reddit reaction videos or long form video essays and podcasts. I also have several unfinished youtuber recs post in progress, so what thought I would do was make a list of YouTube channel recs that I feel should be be recommended, but I don't think I have recced anywhere. (I did include if they were primarily short or long content video creators, but most do both.)
( Read more... )
Poem: "Each Diverse Human Gift"
2 Feb 2026 05:11 pmysabetwordsmithThis poem is spillover from the December 3, 2024 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by a prompt from fuzzyred. It also fills the "Fresh-baked Bread / Rolls" square in my 11-1-24 card for the Sleepytime Bear Bingo fest, and the "Adaptive Equipment" square in my 9-1-24 card for the People with Disabilities Drabble Fest Bingo. This poem has been sponsored by a pool with fuzzyred. It belongs to the College Arc of the Shiv thread in the Polychrome Heroics series.
( Read more... )
fuzzyred. It also fills the "Fresh-baked Bread / Rolls" square in my 11-1-24 card for the Sleepytime Bear Bingo fest, and the "Adaptive Equipment" square in my 9-1-24 card for the People with Disabilities Drabble Fest Bingo. This poem has been sponsored by a pool with fuzzyred. It belongs to the College Arc of the Shiv thread in the Polychrome Heroics series.( Read more... )
Updated Badge URLs
2 Feb 2026 04:05 pmffw_mod posting in fan_flashworksHi, all!
We previously hosted our achievement badges on image-hosting site Imgur, but on 30 September, Imgur blocked people in the UK from accessing its content. It’s taken us a little while, but we’ve uploaded the badges to a private hosting site.
We’ve updated the Achievement Badges page and the Creator and Community Reports.
How do I update my badge links if I want to do that?
To update your badge links:
I can still see my badges! Do I have to update the links?
We have no plans to remove or change the old Imgur links. If you have badges embedded on your profile page or anywhere else, you can leave your badge links as is. But if you do, the badges will not be visible to people in the UK.
We previously hosted our achievement badges on image-hosting site Imgur, but on 30 September, Imgur blocked people in the UK from accessing its content. It’s taken us a little while, but we’ve uploaded the badges to a private hosting site.
We’ve updated the Achievement Badges page and the Creator and Community Reports.
How do I update my badge links if I want to do that?
To update your badge links:
- Go to the Creator Report and search on your username.
- Under Details, click Badges, and then under View, click Badges again.
Result: The badges you’ve earned will display, with a Copy Embed button under each. - Click the Copy Embed button under each of your badges, and paste the embed codes in place of your old badge links.
I can still see my badges! Do I have to update the links?
We have no plans to remove or change the old Imgur links. If you have badges embedded on your profile page or anywhere else, you can leave your badge links as is. But if you do, the badges will not be visible to people in the UK.
Amazing videos - not just Heated Rivalry!
3 Feb 2026 12:49 pmmificTwo extraordinary CGI sci-fi vids about the exploitation of a distant alien planet. Extraordinary visuals.
solstice-5 [00.10.37]
solstice-5 forgotten archives [00.11.12]
And a brilliant and hilarious short HR edit that turns the show into a thriller murder mystery.
HR thriller edit
solstice-5 [00.10.37]
solstice-5 forgotten archives [00.11.12]
And a brilliant and hilarious short HR edit that turns the show into a thriller murder mystery.
HR thriller edit
Three HR recs
2 Feb 2026 01:34 pmmificTwo hot off the press HR recs, and an older GC one.
cut to the feeling - by Charlotte_Stant, one of my fave authors in HR and HR RPF. For magical realism reasons, 18 y.o. Shane wakes up in the body and life of himself at age 35, married to Ilya. It's brilliant, very funny and just the best "crack taken seriously" imaginable. Also hot as hell. So good.
Torture Me (With All I've Wanted) - by Toomuchplor, also an absolute fave author. 17 y.o. Shane and Ilya end up on a long bus ride together. Under a blanket. Yes, it's super hot but all the details are so lovely, the writing so good. I love it.
And so it's gonna be forever has already been reccd by people and is still a WIP damn it, but it's completely addictive. I just loooove fix-it fics, and in this, Ilya dies in the Centaurs' plane crash but is magically transported back to his teens again, reliving his life with all his future memories intact, determined to get it righter this time - and boy, does he make some changes. I could do without a few of the mystical bits but the majority of this fic is like pure crack to me.
cut to the feeling - by Charlotte_Stant, one of my fave authors in HR and HR RPF. For magical realism reasons, 18 y.o. Shane wakes up in the body and life of himself at age 35, married to Ilya. It's brilliant, very funny and just the best "crack taken seriously" imaginable. Also hot as hell. So good.
Torture Me (With All I've Wanted) - by Toomuchplor, also an absolute fave author. 17 y.o. Shane and Ilya end up on a long bus ride together. Under a blanket. Yes, it's super hot but all the details are so lovely, the writing so good. I love it.
And so it's gonna be forever has already been reccd by people and is still a WIP damn it, but it's completely addictive. I just loooove fix-it fics, and in this, Ilya dies in the Centaurs' plane crash but is magically transported back to his teens again, reliving his life with all his future memories intact, determined to get it righter this time - and boy, does he make some changes. I could do without a few of the mystical bits but the majority of this fic is like pure crack to me.
Day 2 - Fic - Suikoden III - Chocoholic - Chris Lightfellow
2 Feb 2026 03:45 pmsuzume posting in halfamoonTitle: Chocoholic
Fandom: Suikoden III
Character(s): Chris Lightfellow
Rating: G
Summary: Chris can't get a break.
( Sneaking around, Chris finally thinks she's found a good spot... )
Fandom: Suikoden III
Character(s): Chris Lightfellow
Rating: G
Summary: Chris can't get a break.
( Sneaking around, Chris finally thinks she's found a good spot... )
Let me out!
2 Feb 2026 06:32 pmalchemicinkBeing snowed in my house: fine
Being snowed in my house while listening to a basketball game with repetitive Bojangles commercials reminding me how much I want some fried chicken: torture
Being snowed in my house while listening to a basketball game with repetitive Bojangles commercials reminding me how much I want some fried chicken: torture
Day 2: Fic - Yu Yu Hakusho - Shizuru
2 Feb 2026 06:27 pmalchemicink posting in halfamoonThe first character who popped in my head for "Guilty Pleasures" was Shizuru and her cigarette smoking habit. (I don't like real life smoking but I do love fictional smoking 😅)
Title: Rising Smoke
Fandom: Yu Yu Hakusho
Character: Kuwabara Shizuru
Rating: G
Length: 100 words
Summary: Shizuru takes a quiet moment to herself
Link: here on ao3 or you can read it under the cut below
( Read more... )
Title: Rising Smoke
Fandom: Yu Yu Hakusho
Character: Kuwabara Shizuru
Rating: G
Length: 100 words
Summary: Shizuru takes a quiet moment to herself
Link: here on ao3 or you can read it under the cut below
( Read more... )
Wildlife
2 Feb 2026 05:06 pmysabetwordsmithSome polar bears are getting fatter despite a warming Arctic
Polar bears tell you a lot about what’s going on in the Arctic. When food is hard to find, their bodies show it fast. When hunting gets easier, they put weight back on. Less sea ice has meant thinner polar bears and fewer of them.
That’s what makes the situation near Svalbard – midway between the northern coast of Norway and the North Pole – so unexpected. Despite ongoing sea ice loss, adult polar bears there are not in worse shape.
Many are actually heavier than they were years ago. Extra fat is not a small detail for a polar bear. It often decides whether the animal gets through the year.
This is super exciting because for years I've been reading about Alaskan polar bears starving. If this other population is getting fatter, then maybe there is hope for the species. :D
( Read more... )
Polar bears tell you a lot about what’s going on in the Arctic. When food is hard to find, their bodies show it fast. When hunting gets easier, they put weight back on. Less sea ice has meant thinner polar bears and fewer of them.
That’s what makes the situation near Svalbard – midway between the northern coast of Norway and the North Pole – so unexpected. Despite ongoing sea ice loss, adult polar bears there are not in worse shape.
Many are actually heavier than they were years ago. Extra fat is not a small detail for a polar bear. It often decides whether the animal gets through the year.
This is super exciting because for years I've been reading about Alaskan polar bears starving. If this other population is getting fatter, then maybe there is hope for the species. :D
( Read more... )
juushikaTechnically all illustrated, but the demographics (early reader, MG, and picture book respectively) don't really make for a good grouping, except: I need to clear out that backlog, so here we go.
Title: Bravest Dog Ever: Story of Balto
Author: Natalie Standiford
Illustrator: Donald Cook
Published: Random House Books for Young Readers, 1989
Rating: 2 of 5
Page Count: 50
Total Page Count: 515,450
Text Number: 1870
Read Because: paperback was a Little Free Library find
Review: An interesting peek into an early reader; I'm enthusiastic about picture books, but have no experience reading this category/demographic, even as a young reader IIRC. This is in every way the expected telling of Balto's story, which is to say: simplifying the relay down to the big finale is reductive and aggrandizing. But it's also super engaging, so I can see why it would make this early reader stand out from the crowd. The illustrations don't do much for me; they're remarkably light on atmosphere, which is a lost opportunity given the extremity of the setting. All in all, not for me & not meant for me, but I'm not mad to've read it and gained some understanding of this category of children's books.
Title: This Was Our Pact
Author: Ryan Andrews
Published: First Second, 2019
Rating: 2 of 5
Page Count: 120 of 330
Total Page Count: 544,575
Text Number: 2024
Read Because: more spooky picture books (MG graphic novels can come too), hardback borrowed from the Timberland Regional Library
Review: DNF at 35%. It would be no great burden to finish this, it reads fine, but it's not what I wanted from the premise: a group of kids vow to follow the autumn equinox lanterns all the way down the river, never stopping, never looking back. But instead of an ensemble it's a buddy comedy about a would-be popular kid and the bullied nerd entering a whimsical fairyland. The central dynamic has potential, the panels are dynamic, but I wanted the bridge monster and the spooky onset of autumn and a journey into the unknown, not a funny, whimsical adventure narrative with a talking bear.
Title: The Story of the Snow Children
Author: Sibylle von Olfers
Published: Floris Books, 2005 (1905)
Rating: 3 of 5
Page Count: 25
Total Page Count: 562,615
Text Number: 2126
Read Because: casting wider net for spooky picture books & bringing up this instead, hardback borrowed from the Timberland Regional Library
Review: A little girl makes a jaunt to a winter fairyland. This is low on plot and all about atmosphere, with diaphanous, pale illustrations contrasted by the vibrant punch of the protagonist's red; no stakes, just vibes, nature benevolently anthropomorphized. It's a distinctive style, and I'd be interested to read more by the author.
Weird not to credit the translator, though!
Title: Bravest Dog Ever: Story of Balto
Author: Natalie Standiford
Illustrator: Donald Cook
Published: Random House Books for Young Readers, 1989
Rating: 2 of 5
Page Count: 50
Total Page Count: 515,450
Text Number: 1870
Read Because: paperback was a Little Free Library find
Review: An interesting peek into an early reader; I'm enthusiastic about picture books, but have no experience reading this category/demographic, even as a young reader IIRC. This is in every way the expected telling of Balto's story, which is to say: simplifying the relay down to the big finale is reductive and aggrandizing. But it's also super engaging, so I can see why it would make this early reader stand out from the crowd. The illustrations don't do much for me; they're remarkably light on atmosphere, which is a lost opportunity given the extremity of the setting. All in all, not for me & not meant for me, but I'm not mad to've read it and gained some understanding of this category of children's books.
Title: This Was Our Pact
Author: Ryan Andrews
Published: First Second, 2019
Rating: 2 of 5
Page Count: 120 of 330
Total Page Count: 544,575
Text Number: 2024
Read Because: more spooky picture books (MG graphic novels can come too), hardback borrowed from the Timberland Regional Library
Review: DNF at 35%. It would be no great burden to finish this, it reads fine, but it's not what I wanted from the premise: a group of kids vow to follow the autumn equinox lanterns all the way down the river, never stopping, never looking back. But instead of an ensemble it's a buddy comedy about a would-be popular kid and the bullied nerd entering a whimsical fairyland. The central dynamic has potential, the panels are dynamic, but I wanted the bridge monster and the spooky onset of autumn and a journey into the unknown, not a funny, whimsical adventure narrative with a talking bear.
Title: The Story of the Snow Children
Author: Sibylle von Olfers
Published: Floris Books, 2005 (1905)
Rating: 3 of 5
Page Count: 25
Total Page Count: 562,615
Text Number: 2126
Read Because: casting wider net for spooky picture books & bringing up this instead, hardback borrowed from the Timberland Regional Library
Review: A little girl makes a jaunt to a winter fairyland. This is low on plot and all about atmosphere, with diaphanous, pale illustrations contrasted by the vibrant punch of the protagonist's red; no stakes, just vibes, nature benevolently anthropomorphized. It's a distinctive style, and I'd be interested to read more by the author.
Weird not to credit the translator, though!
no subject
2 Feb 2026 05:49 pmmissizzyThere is still a mostly smooth-topped layer of snow covering our yard, and it has turned firm, but actually isn't that slippery right now. I was worried about getting the trash bins out to the front when I got home from work just now, especially since we didn't get collection last week and they are currently very full, but I was able to walk on top of the smooth snow so easily I felt like an elf! And the bins rolled easily on top of it as well, at least until I reached the more piled up snow on the curb.
Once again, there is a government shutdown, but once again, there is still money in the revolving fund that pays for the library, and even if things don't go as expected tomorrow, it's hard to think this one will last two months. It all felt very undramatic today.
I have gotten a bit MDZSed over the past few days, starting to read the third volume of the serial while watching the final episodes of The Untamed. I watched episode 45 yesterday, and holy shit, the acting in that one, from Yu Bin and Qi Pei Xin especially. I am now reading enough also to spot adaptational differences, and while there are one or two straightwashing ones I must be unimpressed by, I actually think they've been for the better generally.
Once again, there is a government shutdown, but once again, there is still money in the revolving fund that pays for the library, and even if things don't go as expected tomorrow, it's hard to think this one will last two months. It all felt very undramatic today.
I have gotten a bit MDZSed over the past few days, starting to read the third volume of the serial while watching the final episodes of The Untamed. I watched episode 45 yesterday, and holy shit, the acting in that one, from Yu Bin and Qi Pei Xin especially. I am now reading enough also to spot adaptational differences, and while there are one or two straightwashing ones I must be unimpressed by, I actually think they've been for the better generally.
Rereads 2023-2025
2 Feb 2026 02:41 pmjuushikaDiscovered at the bottom of my book review file and proof that I really gotta notta let things accumulate with the intent of posting them in bulk, because the risk is that I never will. Anyway, these are rereads primarily from 2023 and 2024, with one from 2025
( Enchantress from the Stars, Sylvia Engdahl )
( Solaris, Stanisław Lem )
( Mortal Fire, Elizabeth Knox )
( The Fierce Yellow Pumpkin, Margaret Wise Brown, illustrated by Richard Egielski )
( Axiom's End, Lindsay Ellis )
( Truth of the Divine, Lindsay Ellis )
( The Fifth Season, N.K. Jemisin )
( The Obelisk Gate, N.K. Jemisin )
( The Stone Sky, N.K. Jemisin )
( Blood and Chocolate, Annette Crutis Klause )
( The Silver Kiss, Annette Curtis Klause )
( A Wind in the Door, Madeline L'Engle )
( Millions of Cats, Wanda Gág )
( Wilder Girls, Rory Power )
( The Death of Jane Lawrence, Caitlin Starling )
( Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke, Eric LaRocca )
( Enchantress from the Stars, Sylvia Engdahl )
( Solaris, Stanisław Lem )
( Mortal Fire, Elizabeth Knox )
( The Fierce Yellow Pumpkin, Margaret Wise Brown, illustrated by Richard Egielski )
( Axiom's End, Lindsay Ellis )
( Truth of the Divine, Lindsay Ellis )
( The Fifth Season, N.K. Jemisin )
( The Obelisk Gate, N.K. Jemisin )
( The Stone Sky, N.K. Jemisin )
( Blood and Chocolate, Annette Crutis Klause )
( The Silver Kiss, Annette Curtis Klause )
( A Wind in the Door, Madeline L'Engle )
( Millions of Cats, Wanda Gág )
( Wilder Girls, Rory Power )
( The Death of Jane Lawrence, Caitlin Starling )
( Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke, Eric LaRocca )
travel: Georgia - Uplistsikhe and Kutaisi
3 Feb 2026 07:55 amtielanYes, I'm back with the Georgian trip!
Day 1: Overview | Day 2: Vashlovani Nature Reserve | Day 3: Jvari Monastery and Svetitskhoveli Cathedral
-----
The night of the Jvari Monastery and the Svetitskhoveli Cathedral (still Wednesday) we stayed in a little vineyard tucked away in the back of beyond, which required a hike along rough tracks and up and down roads. Our luggage was (thankfully) taken by a very old jeep - Soviet era, we were told. It surely looked it!
The vineyard had been owned by a former church minister, and they were still doing it up. The road there was a little rough, and a few of the women struggled somewhat with the path.
There was also almost no signal.
But there were kittens!
This night was a particularly bad case of "we can't eat anything, we're too stuffed full of food". I didn't even take photos of the food, I was so full!
And the next morning was no better.
Ruins and vineyards and buildings on the walk back down to where the bus awaited us in the morning:
Yeah, it's a bit of a mouthful...
Uplistsikhe Rock Village dates back to the 2nd Century BC, and translates to 'God's Fortress'.
The carvings and design of it indicate both pagan and Christian residency (a pagan temple's fire altars were filled in when the community converted to Christianity and the space used as a chapel/cathedral), and multiple cultural influences from outside Georgia are indicated by its architecture and decoration before it was sacked in the 12th Century by the Mongols.
There was so much of it to see, but we only had an hour, so it was a very truncated tour of a really interesting historical site.
And I spent long enough in the chapel that I and my roomie (only other non-American on the tour, apart from the 'host' who was local, and the 'organiser' who was ) lost the rest of the group on the way out of the site. I found the chapel particularly fascinating to me for the black Madonna-and-Child portrait, the layout of the space, and the "drooping arms" cross symbol, which is representative of St Nino's grapevine cross she carried to Georgia when she brought Christianity to that part of the world.
Oh yes, and the black Madonna and child!
No, not me! (I just realised the juxtaposition of the photos. XD XD)
More seriously, there was a woman in the chapel who was praying or observing her pilgrimage. I had to be quiet while she was there and even after she left, I had to be quiet because there was a woman manning the shop right outside the door. *sigh*
I find it a bit restricting, actually, that the chapels and cathedrals all demand silence of you. There are times for silence, of course. But there's also time to sing and be joyful - to shout to the Lord! To everything a time and a season, as Ecclesiastes declares. I did manage to sing a hymn in a chapel in Positano, Italy and that was fun!
Anyway, there was a tunnel we missed out on seeing because we didn't work out where the rest of the group went, and then we got stuck at the top and ended up having to go back down the way we came, whereupon we met the rest of the group and went along to the bus.
On the way to lunch, we passed through the city of Gori, which is Stalin's birthplace. Many of the older Americans wanted to hop out and have a look at it, and I hopped out because the architecture looked really interesting!
C'mon, tell me this isn't fascinating to the daughter of an architect!
The location is the house in which he was born. The neighbourhood was "bought out" (*cough cough* we know how that goes in the west, now imagine it in Soviet Georgia!) and everything else razed to bring you...this edifice of stone and magnificence...
The Americans exclaimed over the details of Stalin's life. Me? I looked around at the architecture (very interesting, oddly beautiful for what I think of as 'communist brutalism') and then out at the public gardens surrounding it, and the Georgian national flag flapping in the wind. And I turned to our Georgia guide, grinned, and said "Stalin would have hated it." And she grinned back.
It was pretty much a fifteen minute stop because we were already kind of late to lunch. But then, we were still kind of full from the previous night and breakfast, so it's not like we were rushing to get to eat!
--
Lunch at Sisters-in-Law winery. The owner used to be in the diplomatic service, but married a guy whose family owned land out in the countryside and now runs a restaurant that they built out of reclaimed everything. All the bricks, all the wood, all the furnishings found and repaired and now reused. It's very permaculture.
They're also very socially active (also very permaculture) to the point where they decided to close the restaurant this summer, because they wanted to participate in local protests against pro-Russia government and they were worried about retaliation. That's a dedication to the cause. There were assorted signs and stickers around the place that showed the sentiment of the younger generation about Russia, but the older generations often recall the good times of the Soviet Union and want that back.
Sounds a bit familiar, really.
They definitely had some permaculture books...
Also, there was a wine there that was absolutely amazing, and honestly I'd have shipped an entire crate of it back home except they didn't have any left over from that batch! *sigh*
A beautiful place with a beautiful couple doing good, solid things in the world.
--
Kutaisi
At this point, my memories are growing a little fuzzy. I shouldn't have put off typing this up for so long, and since I've been back, a lot has happened!
But I do remember that the dinner in Kutaisi was a bit ordinary, all things considered...
A walking bridge, quite close to where we were staying, and the last light of day.
Day 1: Overview | Day 2: Vashlovani Nature Reserve | Day 3: Jvari Monastery and Svetitskhoveli Cathedral
-----
The night of the Jvari Monastery and the Svetitskhoveli Cathedral (still Wednesday) we stayed in a little vineyard tucked away in the back of beyond, which required a hike along rough tracks and up and down roads. Our luggage was (thankfully) taken by a very old jeep - Soviet era, we were told. It surely looked it!
A B&B up in the mountains
The vineyard had been owned by a former church minister, and they were still doing it up. The road there was a little rough, and a few of the women struggled somewhat with the path.
There was also almost no signal.
But there were kittens!
This night was a particularly bad case of "we can't eat anything, we're too stuffed full of food". I didn't even take photos of the food, I was so full!
And the next morning was no better.
Ruins and vineyards and buildings on the walk back down to where the bus awaited us in the morning:
Thursday: Uplistsikhe
Yeah, it's a bit of a mouthful...
Uplistsikhe Rock Village dates back to the 2nd Century BC, and translates to 'God's Fortress'.
The carvings and design of it indicate both pagan and Christian residency (a pagan temple's fire altars were filled in when the community converted to Christianity and the space used as a chapel/cathedral), and multiple cultural influences from outside Georgia are indicated by its architecture and decoration before it was sacked in the 12th Century by the Mongols.
There was so much of it to see, but we only had an hour, so it was a very truncated tour of a really interesting historical site.
And I spent long enough in the chapel that I and my roomie (only other non-American on the tour, apart from the 'host' who was local, and the 'organiser' who was ) lost the rest of the group on the way out of the site. I found the chapel particularly fascinating to me for the black Madonna-and-Child portrait, the layout of the space, and the "drooping arms" cross symbol, which is representative of St Nino's grapevine cross she carried to Georgia when she brought Christianity to that part of the world.
Oh yes, and the black Madonna and child!
No, not me! (I just realised the juxtaposition of the photos. XD XD)
More seriously, there was a woman in the chapel who was praying or observing her pilgrimage. I had to be quiet while she was there and even after she left, I had to be quiet because there was a woman manning the shop right outside the door. *sigh*
I find it a bit restricting, actually, that the chapels and cathedrals all demand silence of you. There are times for silence, of course. But there's also time to sing and be joyful - to shout to the Lord! To everything a time and a season, as Ecclesiastes declares. I did manage to sing a hymn in a chapel in Positano, Italy and that was fun!
Anyway, there was a tunnel we missed out on seeing because we didn't work out where the rest of the group went, and then we got stuck at the top and ended up having to go back down the way we came, whereupon we met the rest of the group and went along to the bus.
On the way to lunch, we passed through the city of Gori, which is Stalin's birthplace. Many of the older Americans wanted to hop out and have a look at it, and I hopped out because the architecture looked really interesting!
C'mon, tell me this isn't fascinating to the daughter of an architect!
Gori: birthplace of Stalin
The location is the house in which he was born. The neighbourhood was "bought out" (*cough cough* we know how that goes in the west, now imagine it in Soviet Georgia!) and everything else razed to bring you...this edifice of stone and magnificence...
The Americans exclaimed over the details of Stalin's life. Me? I looked around at the architecture (very interesting, oddly beautiful for what I think of as 'communist brutalism') and then out at the public gardens surrounding it, and the Georgian national flag flapping in the wind. And I turned to our Georgia guide, grinned, and said "Stalin would have hated it." And she grinned back.
It was pretty much a fifteen minute stop because we were already kind of late to lunch. But then, we were still kind of full from the previous night and breakfast, so it's not like we were rushing to get to eat!
--
Lunch at Sisters-in-Law winery. The owner used to be in the diplomatic service, but married a guy whose family owned land out in the countryside and now runs a restaurant that they built out of reclaimed everything. All the bricks, all the wood, all the furnishings found and repaired and now reused. It's very permaculture.
books and food and activism against an oppressive government: what it can look like
They're also very socially active (also very permaculture) to the point where they decided to close the restaurant this summer, because they wanted to participate in local protests against pro-Russia government and they were worried about retaliation. That's a dedication to the cause. There were assorted signs and stickers around the place that showed the sentiment of the younger generation about Russia, but the older generations often recall the good times of the Soviet Union and want that back.
Sounds a bit familiar, really.
They definitely had some permaculture books...
Also, there was a wine there that was absolutely amazing, and honestly I'd have shipped an entire crate of it back home except they didn't have any left over from that batch! *sigh*
A beautiful place with a beautiful couple doing good, solid things in the world.
--
Kutaisi
At this point, my memories are growing a little fuzzy. I shouldn't have put off typing this up for so long, and since I've been back, a lot has happened!
But I do remember that the dinner in Kutaisi was a bit ordinary, all things considered...
A walking bridge, quite close to where we were staying, and the last light of day.
Seu Jorge’s Lovely Tribute to David Bowie
2 Feb 2026 10:33 pmkottke_org_feedFor his 2004 film The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, Wes Anderson enlisted Brazilian musical artist Seu Jorge to perform several of David Bowie’s songs in Portuguese. Jorge released an album of the songs about a year or so later.
A few weeks ago, to mark the 10th anniversary of Bowie’s death, Jorge released a hour-long set of him performing those songs:
Just an acoustic guitar, a microphone, and the beautiful coastline of São Paulo.
Tags: movies · music · Seu Jorge · The Life Aquatic · video · Wes Anderson
The Accidental Winners of the War on Higher Ed ....
2 Feb 2026 09:37 pmkottke_org_feedThe Accidental Winners of the War on Higher Ed. “Well-resourced and prestigious small colleges are less exposed in almost every way to the crises that higher ed faces.” (My kid goes to a liberal arts school & anecdotally can confirm.)
Day One Theme - The Innocent - The Briefest of Heroes (BtVS Fic from 2020)
2 Feb 2026 10:03 pmkerk_hiraeth posting in halfamoonTITLE: The Briefest of Heroes https://kerk-hiraeth.dreamwidth.org/21839.html
PROMPT: Day One - The Innocent
FANDOM: Buffy the Vampire Slayer FutureFic AU
AUTHOR: kerk_hiraeth
RATING: PG-13
LENGTH: 350,
CHARACTERS: OC Pov & Willow/Kennedy
SUMMARY: Amongst all the Slayers born into new powers; what happens to those alone; untrained and unfound. This is an account of one such abandoned innocent.
A/N: This is set in the summer of 2020, in a world where the Buffy/Faith bodyswap of BtVS S4 was not reversed; there is a cold war between the old Council of Watchers and a new Council of Slayers and their allies set up after the destruction of Sunnydale.
This is not a happy tale with a happy ending
This is the link to the original Dec 2020 post in case anyone is interested https://kerk-hiraeth.dreamwidth.org/12156.html
kerk
Day 1: The Innocent, Fic, Yellowjackets - Natalie
2 Feb 2026 10:13 pmtellshannon815 posting in halfamoonTitle: All Things Truly Wicked Start From Innocence
Fandom: Yellowjackets
Characters: Natalie
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Reference to character death, spoilers through S3
Word count: 467
Summary: As Natalie attends a memorial for Javi, she reflects on how he was the only one of them who was ever truly innocent.
( Read more... )
Fandom: Yellowjackets
Characters: Natalie
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Reference to character death, spoilers through S3
Word count: 467
Summary: As Natalie attends a memorial for Javi, she reflects on how he was the only one of them who was ever truly innocent.
( Read more... )
2026 February Fan Poll
2 Feb 2026 05:02 pmlb_leeHey everybody, it's that time again: time to vote for which stuff gets the LiberaPay/Patreon money this month! We've got some new zines/comics on the pile this month, because I finally sold my last copy of Rumbleghost!
As always, anyone can vote (please do!), but LiberaPay and Patreon patrons get double weight for their votes. (Due to Patreon's porn purges, I really encourage you to use LiberaPay, if you get a choice.) If you want to see the blurbs for any of these works, those are here! (You can also leave your requests there; requesting a story or essay is always free!) If you don't have a DW and so can't do the poll, that's okay; just leave your vote in the comments below; anon comments are turned on.
Which works gets the money, and thus posted this month? YOU CHOOSE, readers!
As always, anyone can vote (please do!), but LiberaPay and Patreon patrons get double weight for their votes. (Due to Patreon's porn purges, I really encourage you to use LiberaPay, if you get a choice.) If you want to see the blurbs for any of these works, those are here! (You can also leave your requests there; requesting a story or essay is always free!) If you don't have a DW and so can't do the poll, that's okay; just leave your vote in the comments below; anon comments are turned on.
Which works gets the money, and thus posted this month? YOU CHOOSE, readers!
Poll #34175 2026 February Fan Poll
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 8
Did you toss LiberaPay/Patreon money my way last month?
What writing gets posted this month?
View Answers
Infinity Smashed: Born Lucky
2 (25.0%)
Reverend Alpert: the Traveling Exorcist
2 (25.0%)
Henchwench for Hire (F/F supervillainy)
2 (25.0%)
Rutless (trans omegaverse porno)
1 (12.5%)
Crazy Boys Get Money (autobio heist)
6 (75.0%)
The Battle-Axe and the Blood-Eater (pseudo-Greco-Roman blood sports)
2 (25.0%)
What art/comic/zine gets posted this month?
View Answers
Cult Comix
3 (37.5%)
Death Watch
4 (50.0%)
Protection
2 (25.0%)
Thrown Away
0 (0.0%)
Sneak Attack!
1 (12.5%)
Barred from Pokemon Forever
4 (50.0%)
Possessions (Rumbleghost)
1 (12.5%)
scalziwhatever_feed
Last week, I was having a serious craving for some fresh baked chocolate chip cookies. Between the weather and the world, I really felt like a cookie would help improve my morale.
So, I decided to try out Half Baked Harvest’s recipe for what she calls “Really Good Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies.” Let’s get right into the process of making them and how they turned out!
Looking at the ingredients list, it’s pretty clear that these are definitely pretty standard cookies made with just everyday household items. Sugar (white and brown), flour, eggs, butter, some vanilla, chocolate, it’s all the usual suspects. Thankfully I didn’t have to go out and buy anything, I could just get right into baking.
The first thing to do was to brown the butter. I was surprised by this step because usually if browning butter is required in a recipe, the food blogger will include such information in the title of the recipe. Like, if I make Binging With Babish’s brown butter chocolate chunk cookies with flaky sea salt, I make a point to mention allll of that.
Anyways, I browned the butter and let it cool off for just a bit while I mixed together the sugars, eggs, and vanilla. Normally I use a stand mixer, but the recipe says that all you need is a bowl and a whisk, and really don’t need an electric mixer. I decided to follow in the spirit of the recipe and keep things simple. Simple ingredients, simple equipment.
After adding the butter (which was still melted but not hot so I didn’t cook the eggs), it was finally time to add the dry ingredients. The recipe calls for 2 cups of flour, and pretty much the second I put in the two cups, I could tell that it was too much flour.
I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking I packed the measuring cups too full of flour, resulting in extra unaccounted for flour in the mix. I’ll have you know I am a pro, and I spoon all the flour into the measuring cup, resulting in a nice, loose cup of flour rather than a tightly packed one. So it wasn’t my fault (this time, anyway).
The dough immediately became very dry and crumbly, and wouldn’t hold any type of ball shape. It would crumble apart so easily that the dough wasn’t even retaining any of the chocolate chips, they would just fall out.
I knew there was only one thing to do (besides cry and throw the bowl of cookie dough off a cliff). I was going to have to press all the dough into a 9×13 and make cookie bars.
I wasn’t sure how to adjust the cooking time for that, but I figured the initial temperature of 350 would be okay, so I put them in and basically eyeballed them until they were done, which took less than twenty minutes, I think. Here’s what they looked like:
Honestly, they didn’t look too bad! They were pretty okay right out of the oven, but as they cooled they quickly got harder and harder, until eventually all I had was a pan full of chocolate chip bricks. I can only assume it’s from how dry the dough was due to all the flour, but these were definitely more like biscotti. Certainly no “chewy chocolate chip cookie” in sight.
I was definitely a little disappointed, but at least they tasted pretty good and could be slightly softened in the microwave, then washed down with a nice, cold glass of milk.
Do you like cookie bars? Is chocolate chip your favorite type of cookie? Let me know in the comments, and have a great day!
-AMS
Significant Find of Cambrian Explosion Fossils
2 Feb 2026 08:36 pmkottke_org_feed
A recent paper in Nature details what scientists found at the Huayuan biota:
They have identified more than 50,000 individual fossil specimens that existed during what’s referred to as the Cambrian explosion, “when a sudden radiation of complex life occurred and practically all major animal phyla started appearing in the fossil record”. The fossils at the site are unusually intact:Here we report the Huayuan biota — a lower Cambrian (Stage 4, approximately 512 million years ago) BST Lagerstätte from an outer shelf, deep-water setting of the Yangtze Block in Hunan, South China. The Huayuan biota yields remarkable taxonomic richness, comprising 153 animal species of 16 phylum-level clades dominated by arthropods, poriferans and cnidarians, among which 59% of species are new. The biota is comprised overwhelmingly of soft-bodied forms that include preserved cellular tissues.
I’ve been interested in this period in paleontology since reading Stephen Jay Gould’s Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale and the Nature of History in college. The Burgess Shale was a significant discovery that shed much light on the Cambrian explosion and surprisingly, paleontologists found fossils that appeared in both places.Not only is this ecosystem notably diverse, but the fossils have remained unusually intact in the ancient mudstone, allowing for the preservation of soft tissues like tentacles, guts, and a nearly-complete nervous system found in one arthropod.
For those looking for more info on this discovery and its significance, paleontologist Dr. Joe Botting’s video on the Huayuan biota, which he calls “a stunning new Burgess Shale-type fauna”, might be a good place to start.The Burgess Shale animals date to about 508 million years ago, further removed from the Sinsk event than the Huayuan biota. Despite the vast distance separating the two sites, fossils of several of the same animals were found in the two locations.
“It surprised us when we found the Huayuan biota shared various animals with the Burgess Shale, including the arthropods Helmetia and Surusicaris that were previously only known from the Burgess Shale,” Zeng said.
“As larval stages are common in extant marine invertebrates, the best explanation of these shared taxa shall be that the larvae of early animals were capable of spreading by ocean currents since the early days of animals in the Cambrian,” Zeng said.
Tags: paleontology · science
Culinary Students Given Live Baby To Learn How To Care...
2 Feb 2026 08:00 pmkottke_org_feedCulinary Students Given Live Baby To Learn How To Care For Bag Of Flour. I laughed so hard at this.
Still Here, Still Fighting
1 Feb 2026 02:36 pmlydamorehouse
NOT A LOON. The MInnesota Flag with a list of things that Minnesotans hold that aren't guns, including all the yummy food our immigrant neighbors make and things like candles and blankets.
If you're curious about how things are getting done here, there's a really lovely article by a Minnesotan who is normally a food blogger about something they're called The Cookie Theory of Collective Action: https://snackstack.net/2026/01/30/the-cookie-theory-of-collective-action/ As someone who is doing the majority of her work for the resistance via food justice, I really love thinking about this in terms of cookies.
As I told Colin this morning as I checked in at the Food Communists, it's another day in the revolution, my friends.
None of this is normal, but it's kind of shocking how quickly I feel like I am starting to have a rather routine part to play in the response to this insanity. Pretty much Monday-Thursday sometime after 11:00 am to about 2:30-3:30 pm, you can find me bagging food with the Communists. I found out today, that if I wanted to be insane I could show up as early as 6 am??? I am DEEPLY curious what the operation looks like that early, so maybe I will give it a try to drop in the next couple of days right after I drop Shawn off at work.
Then on Fridays I join my neighbors who are protecting our neighborhod mosque from noon until 2:30 pm.
Every so often, when the time allows, I go sing.
These are my days now.
Today when the Food Communists were looking for people willing to have their pictures taken for an Instagram post, I volunteered because I know for a fact that I've been photographed by ICE agents who were parked in a black Jeep directly across from the mosque a couple of Fridays ago. So, if there is a database of activists, I have joined a proud Morehouse tradition of being photographed by Federal agents. I will not be the first, and, no doubt, I will not be the last. We were talking about all this survalience stuff as we were sitting around eating our food before starting the bagging work and my feeling about it all boils down to: good luck to them. This dissident database of theirs is going to have every single person in Minneapolis/St. Paul in it and 57% is going to be moms/human beings who work from home and the other half is going to be pastors, rabbis, priests, etc. You know, the really scary people. There are community organizers, yes, of course, but if one falls, the rest of us will just pick up the slack. They can't arrest us all.
We did manage to play D&D on Saturday, which was wonderful because it was a great way (at least for me) to spend three hours thinking about something that wasn't .... *gestures at everything in Minnesota right now*
Tomorrow, we caucus!
Weekend
2 Feb 2026 08:49 pmcosmolinguistWork team check-in this morning, I dreaded getting asked "How was your weekend, Erik?" My actual weekend: onboarding for new antifascist activities and returning to old ones, across two continents. My answer: "Oh you know, quiet."
I'm not doing anything scary or glamorous btw: mostly I'm in a bunch of Signal chats and standing around having cool conversations with strangers. There really is stuff for everyone to do.
(Including the people who are looking after people like me. I had a bad brain day yesterday and then listened to my parents for an hour and this time it was 100% [cw: MN, ICE, etc.] Details I'd managed to avoid myself, my mom just splurged all over me. My mom was late getting in touch with me because she'd been on the phone to her most annoying sister for the previous hour and, except for this bare fact, didn't even mention it. Normally I'd expect several solid minutes about how bad that was! So I went to bed feeling really down and the people and things that help lift me up are part of the fight too.)
SGA Ficlet: Cast Away
2 Feb 2026 08:43 pmkat_lair***
Title: Cast Away
Author:kat_lair
Fandom: Stargate Atlantis
Character: Radek Zelenka
Tags: Ficlet, Stranded
Rating: G
Word count: 668
Summary: When Radek regains consciousness, the puddle jumper is empty.
Author notes: Written forlomelinde for fandomtrees. This is unbetaed so if you spot a typo/mistake, you should absolutely tell me about it.
Cast Away on AO3
( Cast Away )
***
Title: Cast Away
Author:
kat_lair Fandom: Stargate Atlantis
Character: Radek Zelenka
Tags: Ficlet, Stranded
Rating: G
Word count: 668
Summary: When Radek regains consciousness, the puddle jumper is empty.
Author notes: Written for
lomelinde for fandomtrees. This is unbetaed so if you spot a typo/mistake, you should absolutely tell me about it.Cast Away on AO3
( Cast Away )
***
Buffalo Seed Company Order
2 Feb 2026 02:24 pmysabetwordsmithToday we ordered some landrace seeds from the Buffalo Seed Company. They have a lot of great options. This is also a step toward my goal of planting more landraces.
( Read more... )
( Read more... )
January Goal Review
2 Feb 2026 03:29 pmfuzzyredHere is the Janiary goal review. I think I'm off to a good start so far, but there are a few areas I could improve in. For a more detailed examination, look behind the cut.
( January Goal Review )
( January Goal Review )
Birdfeeding
2 Feb 2026 02:20 pmysabetwordsmithToday is cloudy and cold.
I fed the birds. I've seen a large flock of sparrows and a male cardinal.
I put out water for the birds.
EDIT 2/2/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.
I put out more birdseed and a new peanut suet cake.
EDIT 2/2/26 -- I did more work around the patio.
EDIT 2/2/26 -- I did more work around the patio.
EDIT 2/2/26 -- I did more work around the patio.
EDIT 2/2/26 -- I did more work around the patio.
I am done for the night.
I fed the birds. I've seen a large flock of sparrows and a male cardinal.
I put out water for the birds.
EDIT 2/2/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.
I put out more birdseed and a new peanut suet cake.
EDIT 2/2/26 -- I did more work around the patio.
EDIT 2/2/26 -- I did more work around the patio.
EDIT 2/2/26 -- I did more work around the patio.
EDIT 2/2/26 -- I did more work around the patio.
I am done for the night.
I've had some tough Februaries...
2 Feb 2026 01:18 pmchicatingBut January this year was partly nauseating(Even as it picked up at the end) so this should represent a step forward.
Prompt 2747: TLC
2 Feb 2026 09:15 pmimmortalje posting in dailyiconsToday's prompt is: tlc
• You have 2 days time to submit an icon for this prompt (in other words, until prompt 2749 gets posted)!
• Prompt 2745 have been closed.
• If you have any questions regarding the prompt, feel free to ask in a comment.
• To submit an icon you simply reply to this post with the following information:
Icon:
Claim: (only necessary if it's a specific claim)
Status: (e.g. #1/10 - number of icon completed/table size)
Website Updates
2 Feb 2026 02:14 pmysabetwordsmithThanks to nsfwords, the series Quixotic Ideas is now up to date. \o/ This is upbeat fantasy with magic integrated into everyday life.
nsfwords, the series Quixotic Ideas is now up to date. \o/ This is upbeat fantasy with magic integrated into everyday life.