forestofglory | Reading

I went down to Disneyland after work this evening as it's the first day of the lunar new year festival. A lot of other people were doing the same, as it was pretty crowded. The parking lot was also ridiculously full, though not just from park guests, as it's across the street from the convention center and is used for convention parking as well and there's a big convention this weekend (NAMM). I had to park waaaaaay at the far corner of the lot from the bus loading area and the lines for the bus were looking long, so I just decided to walk over to the park.

( Read more... )

torachan

1. Work was kind of annoying today as I really only had one big thing to work on, but I couldn't work on it until the afternoon because something was messed up with the sandbox environment we were uploading files to and it had to be fixed first. But that meant I got a lot of reading done while I was waiting around for it to get fixed, so that was a bonus anyway.

2. I went to DCA in the evening and got some really tasty foods from the lunar new year festival. Today was the first day so it was pretty crowded (though still not Christmas levels, thankfully) but I had a good time.

3. My tattoo is still healing well. It's at the peeling stage and has been peeling for the past couple days and is almost all done. The skin underneath is looking good and for the most part it hasn't been too itchy. There's still some bruising in spots and redness under the yellow band, but both of those have improved a lot, too.

4. I'm very glad it's the weekend. Since I went to Disneyland tonight, I'm just planning on staying close to home and relaxing for the next couple days.

5. Look at this Jasper!

hrj

I left NYC on Tuesday and did the train-bus-rental-car thing to get up to Augusta ME, where I've been enjoying a couple days visiting with my brother and sister-in-law, getting the tour of their current livestock (goats and chickens and geese oh my!) and finally getting a chance to see the small theater-and-studio/shop complex that they bought and have been working on turning into a going concern. (Going slowly, but to interesting places.) This was accompanied by sitting in on a rehearsal for A Doll's House: Part 2 (someone's modern "15 years later" extension of Ibsen's play). I've interspersed that with a couple of "me days" getting writing done and recovering from all the peopleing I've been doing.

This morning I got a notice that the train leg of my trip back toward the airport was cancelled and it wasn't until this evening that I had the time to play phone tag with Amtrak to reschedule. (I was concerned that it was a weather cancellation, which would affect in which direction I rescheduled.) After all that, I'll be taking a slightly later train and still getting to the Newark airport at a reasonable hour Sunday evening. I have an airport hotel room that night for a scheduled flight out Monday morning. We'll see if the planes are flying Monday. If not, I have multiple options for what to do. Playing it by ear. Life is an adventure.

full_metal_ox posting in

c_ent

Wrangled my meme from 23 January 2024 into a slightly more Tumblr-friendly shape; reproduce and distribute freely, as long as you credit me and don’t feed it to generative AI.

Once again: happy birthday (23 January as of 19:26 US Eastern Standard Time) to Lan Wangji from Mo Dao Zu Shi and Hei Xiazi from Daomu Biji!

dolorosa_12

There is no Friday open thread this week, because the

snowflake_challenge backlog was stressing me out so much that I needed devote a whole post to catching up with it. That said, if you want to use any of the challenges as a prompt, and respond in some way to it in the comments (either by linking to your own

snowflake_challenge post, or by answering it fresh), do feel free to treat it as a Friday open thread.

two log cabins with snow on the roofs in a wintery forest the text snowflake challenge january 1 - 31 in white cursive text

( Challenge 10 )

( Challenge 11 )

( Challenge 12 )

lydamorehouse

I tried to embed the list of businesses shutting down, but here is a link: https://www.facebook.com/reel/1556336315616701

There are so many more... yes, this is adided by the fact that we have -15 F /-26 C air temperatures out there(does not include windchill), but this city is shutting down in solidarity with the anti-ICE movement in Minneapolis/St. Paul. Y'all, general strikes like this normally do NOT work in the United States, they just don't.

Except here.

And the best part? If a business needs to stay open for reasons no one is shaming them, as the statement from the Minneapolis City Council noted it's understood that some businesses are supporting the movement in other ways (including continuing to employ vulnerable people.)

I am about to head out to our local mosque with some neighbors who want to be introduced to the local protectors, but my day yesterday was much the same as the day before. I spent about an hour and a half loading groceries and diapers into cars that are then taking them to our immigrant, refugee, and other folks in need so that they can continue to stay inside and stay safe.

Mason's partner arrived just as the protest was starting at the Minneapolis International Airport where we are demanding that airlines stop collaborating with murderers and kidnappers. I'd gotten the call to go out there, but I have chosen to leave that fight to others. Pictures of the event underscore my choice. There are hundreds of people marching in this weather!

loon art by juliessa figueroa No laser-eyes today, but the cool thing about loons, actually, is that they carry their babies on their backs!

oursin

Dr rdrz may imagine the noises I made when reading this (we get the London Standard free from our newspaper deliver people): Make America Hard Again: is there an erectile dysfunction epidemic?, particularly when I came to '“There have been huge uncertainties about male virility since the rise of feminism,” says Grossman.' and started screaming 'THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE OF HISTORY!!!!'

Okay, there are some very creepy blokes there.

***

Creepy but in a different way: I was being 'recommended' this on Kobo, Y O Y???? The Voyage Out: A Quick Read edition:

Discover a new way to read classics with Quick Read.
This Quick Read edition includes both the full text and a summary for each chapter.
- Reading time of the complete text: about 13 hours
- Reading time of the summarized text: 20 minutes

The horror, the horror. And really, is Woolf a writer for whom this is an appropriate approach?

***

I'm sorry, but I couldn't help flashing on to the famous phrase 'Normal for Norfolk' when reading this: Archive reveals hidden stories of Queer Norfolk:

Norfolk: That's a queer ol' place
In the depths of the Norwich Millennium Library, there’s an archive dedicated to Norfolk’s LGBTQIA+ history

Doesn't mention that Gurney was a Friend, also disabled as a result of childhood polio.

***

This is rather fascinating: Flap Anatomies and Victorian Veils: Penetrating the Female Reproductive Interior:

Lifting flaps that unveiled the female reproductive body for medical purposes could just as easily be interpreted as a pornographic act imbued with sexual titillation and voyeurism. The ‘obstetrical flap’ was thus understood and used as both a teaching prop and an obscene tool. It functioned as a ‘veil’ of Victorian modesty in the name of new and penetrating obstetrical knowledge and a ‘veil’ of man's apparently underlying and untamable penetrative sexual impulses.

***

One has rather worried about this, and it appears that there are grounds for concern: ‘That belongs in a museum’: The true ‘cost’ of detecting in England and Wales.:

My previous work has discussed various aspects of the hobby of detecting: how the context of archaeological finds is often lost, how private ownership of finds is reducing the archaeological dataset, how our obsession with monetary worth may be fueling an increase in artefact theft and, more recently, the hidden and unacknowledged costs of the hobby of detecting to the wider British public.

Current Music: Sweet, Little Willy

hmmm_tea

I went to the first session of a course on "Writing Parenting" at the local college this morning.

I haven’t really written much since leaving school, but it was a nice escape from everything at the moment — even though the topic is a big part of my life right now.

I thought I’d share a couple of the things I wrote below. They’re rough and very much written in the moment, but they feel honest and true to where I am right now.

I Am Not a Carbon Copy of Another Parent

I am not a carbon copy of another parent
Using the model
But finding my own way

Needs must be met
But rules are not fixed
Mistakes can be OK

I am not another person
Things won't always work
Parenting through trial and error

I can trust my judgement
I can find my way
I can see on his face that I manage OK

Don't Punish Yourself

Don't punish yourself. Things like TV can be helpful. Sometimes you just need a break.

As a parent you have the responsibility and you are a guide, but you are not in complete control. Things like TV can be enticing for kids, but as with anything after a while they lose interest, get bored and look for other entertainment.

Boundaries are necessary, but negotiable. I hard "no" can just make things more appealing. Sometimes you have to trust that kids have some judgement of their own. They need guidance to develop it, but this cannot happen if they are not allowed to try.

If you set yourself up to mould your child into a perfect idea you have, you will be disappointed. They may be only developing and need help and guidance, but they also are their own person.

You can influence their values, but you cannot force them on them.

Current Mood: thoughtful

goodbyebird

The Black Phone is a film that's vaguely been on my list of things to see for a few years now, but I never got around to it. This vid slaps though! Highly recommend watching with the lights dimmed and headphones on. Such good build and atmosphere.

House by

evewithanapple.

Also, while I'm not in Heated Rivalry fandom, I am a fan of excellent vidders. And I know for a fact these vidders are most excellent. *firm nod*

Gimme Sympathy by

tafadhali.
We're so close to something better left unknown

Blow by

bingeling.
You taste like cigarettes.

Go get your boys!

(and I won't do today's Snowflake Challenge, but you're all awesome and enrich my life in a myriad of ways ❤️)

oursin

Happy birthday,

toujours_nigel!

yourlibrarian posting in

common_nature

A couple of photos from a foggy morning, with some geese serenely sailing by. You can better see the scrum of ducks in the next photo, gathered around the aerator. We can only assume that it's the best place to get algae from, maybe it pulls it to the surface?

( Read more... )

torachan

1. Having remembered the new Shake Shack near work, I decided to go there for lunch today to try more of the Korean menu items.

The chicken sandwich was so good. It did make me feel bloated for several hours afterwards, but it was worth it. The fries with kimchi powder were also very tasty, though I didn't love the dipping sauce that came with them. And I almost forgot, but the drink was pomegranate basil lemonade. Not part of the Korean menu, but they always have a variety of seasonal lemonades and they're always good. This one was delicious.

2. There was a tiny bit of rain today but nothing that interfered with my day. As I was getting home from my morning walk there were a few sprinkles, but it was over soon. When I got down to work, the streets were wet, so it had clearly rained a bit more down there, but it wasn't raining when I got there or when I went out for a walk after lunch. It rained a little bit on the drive home, but only barely more than sprinkles, and was done by the time I arrived. I feel like we had enough rain earlier in the month so I'm fine with no more than this amount now lol.

3. I have gotten some really great pics of Tuxie yesterday and today. He looks like he's on a prayer mat here lol.

kaberett

Saw the Child! Was given a Very Important Solar System Biscuit.
Successfully slogged through a Whole Entire Exercise Routine, thanks be to company, and only tried to fall over for balance reasons rather than presyncope reasons. The Socks Continue Good. (We shall leave aside the part where my watch firmly told me I should start winding down for bed right before I began it...)
A has indulged me to the tune of staying up late (post-wiggles and once we have finished our takeaway, which we have) so that the bread I did not manage to bake earlier in the day will be Ready To Be My Breakfast.
Brain was willing to put down sudoku and actually read some book today! I am a bit closer to finishing a reread and embarking on the new thing!
It feels like I might actually be able to fall asleep in reasonable time today. Goodnight. <3

superborb

( Cut for ramble )

raven

A very little story, about not very much.

paper lanterns, one after another (4094 words) by raven
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Heated Rivalry (TV)
Relationships: Shane Hollander/Ilya Rozanov
Characters: Shane Hollander, Ilya Rozanov, Yuna Hollander
Additional Tags: Obon, Japanese Culture

It occurs to Ilya that he doesn't belong here. But then, this is a necessary migration.

oursin

So, at long last, I finally have an email address associated with My New Academic Position (this has been A Saga to do with their system upgrade).

I have also achieved reader's card for library of former workplace (spat out from the bowels of their system with A Very Old Photo of Yrs Truly).

And went and looked at the items I wanted to check, and found that lo, I was right and they did NOT have anything pertinent, as I had in fact hoped they would not. Though I had hoped to look, for another thing, at a couple of closed stack items and discovered that these cannot be ordered on a day's notice INFAMY I am sure I recall the times when there were regular deliveries throughout the day. Not actually critical, but irksome. (Also irksome was that I moaned about this on bluesky and got various responses that had no relevance at all to research libraries, in the UK, in particular this one.)

I then managed to get a digital passport photo at one of the photobooths on Euston station and have applied for a new passport, as mine is well out of date and I seem to keep seeing things that want 'government ID' to verify WHO I AM (over here, making like Hemingway....) so thought this was probably the way to go.

Also this is a trivial thing but in the course of my perambs of the day I walked past the statue of Trim, and his human.

In the niggles department, I did that thing of putting my phone down in place I never usually put it and flapping about trying to find it.

The lockers at the library have really annoying electronic locks.

Printer playing up a bit again. Though I think this really is that one has to let it mutter and sulk for a bit between turning it on and actually trying to print anything.

lydamorehouse

Your laser-eye loon art for the day is a faux Antifa Regimental Badge for the Northern Defenders, Loon Liberator Brigade.(warning: this may be AI generated. I never saw an artist attribution.)

It is such a shame that antifa is actually just a bunch of collective action groups because I would sign up for this brigade just for the gear! (Well, and the paycheck if that were real.)

So, yesterday in the Defendre le Nord regiment, I did a bunch of stuff that felt a little bit like nothing, but which is probably 100% mission critical. I have a friend who is acting as a drop-off point for folks who are donating things from out of state and I went over to their house yesterday to help them open packages, sort, and get stuff ready for delivery. Then, we drove together over to their contact's house and unloaded everything for distribution.

As we unloaded the last box, I asked the contact if there was specific immigrant owned/operated restaurant nearby that they knew was struggling and needed a couple of customers. Having gotten that info, we drove over and had lunch.

I should explain to folks from out of town what it is like to go into a Mexican restaurant right now. You don't just walk in. There's someone standing guard inside over a locked door, they unlock it long enough for you to slip in, and then they lock it up tight again. Somewhere on the door is posted a 4th amendment statement that says something to the effect that this business does not give permission for any search and seizure operations, including but not limited to the seizing of persons.

The atmosphere was a bit grim, but the food was amazing and I double-tipped the folks working there because holy shit none of this should be happening. They fucking kidnapped another child, y'all. None of this is right? But, that's fucking cruel beyond measure. (Not that that's news to them. They have no problem roughing up grandfathers either.)

I had hoped to join my singers again last night, but they have a tendency to gather exactly when I am making or eating dinner, so tonight I will have to try again. I just saw on Facebook that my mutual aid group, the Food Communists, are in desperate need for hands, so after I drop Mason off at his haircut (his partner is coming to town tomorrow!) I'm headed over there to help out for a couple of hours.

K. Also have to clean the house ocassionally, so I am off. Yesterday's dinner was knuefle soup, today's lunch: egg salad on an everything bun with cottage cheese! Fueling the revolution one meal at time!

Stay strong!

P.S. Vance is visiting us today, apparently. Wish us luck. They'll probably try to plant some aggitators to get violent.

rachelmanija

A teenage boy, Ambrose, wakes up on a spaceship with no memory of how he got there. OS, the AI programmed with his mother's voice, reminds him that he's on a mission to rescue his sister, who went to Titan two years ago and sent out a distress call. And also, he has a surprise companion on a journey he thought would be solo: Kodiak, a teenage boy from the rival nation, who is ensconced in his own quarters and refuses to come out.

Ambrose, who is a typical teenager in lots of ways apart from being a genius and an astronaut, manages to coax Kodiak out and immediately starts thinking lustful thoughts about him. Kodiak, whose country is much more austere and militarized than Ambrose's, very gradually warms up to him.

And then what I thought was going to be a slow-burn gay YA romance in a science fiction setting takes a huge left turn. To be fair, it does still centrally involve a gay YA romance. But the science fiction aspect isn't just there as a cool background. It's actually a YA science fiction novel that has a romance along with a plot that goes in multiple unexpected directions, and is very moving in a way that's only possible because of the science fiction elements.

If you're a stickler for hard science fiction in which everything is definitely possible/likely, this probably has at least one too many "I don't think that's likely to work that way" moments for you. But if you'd like to read a fun and touching science fiction adventure-romance that will probably surprise you at least once, just read the book without knowing anything more.

( Spoilers! )

goodbyebird

( Like, this really shouldn't work? But now it's an Armand song? I can't make it not be! )

Also, a fun game some yt channels play is picking a deck for each of the characters in a show they love, and to me Mio Im's Tarot screams Armand. It's got something to do with the sparse nature of it, the limited bone/dust gray palette, obviously all the bones hehe.

emeraldnebulae1

I drew this when i started playing mass effect a little while back, but I just sorta dug it up and realized I hadn't posted it here.

with blood: ( Read more... )

The story is: he's at a rave, someone said some snark, he took a punch to the face, he retaliated and then proceeded to absolutely shred the floor... ^^;;

I like this character, so I'll probably draw him again.

Profile

forestofglory

January 2026

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Page Summary

torachan - 2026 Disneyland Trip #5 (1/23/26)
torachan - Daily Happiness
hrj - Winding down the travels
full_metal_ox in c_ent - Unlikely Birthday Buddies, v2.
dolorosa_12 - Catching up on Snowflake backlog
lydamorehouse - General Strike!
oursin - Assortment
hmmm_tea - I Am Not a Carbon Copy of Another Parent
goodbyebird - Instant vid rec.
oursin - (no subject)
yourlibrarian in common_nature - Foggy Morning + Ice Views
torachan - Daily Happiness
kaberett - some good things make a post
superborb - A belated resolutions post
raven - fic: paper lanterns, one after another [Heated Rivalry]
oursin - Certain things accomplished (with some niggles)
lydamorehouse - Antifa Regimental Gear!
rachelmanija - The Darkness Outside Us, by Eliot Schrefer
goodbyebird - Me just screaming NO as Armand claims a song for himself.
emeraldnebulae1 - kind of a turian

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