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Thursday, December 25th, 2025 03:35 pm
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Thursday, December 25th, 2025 12:41 pm
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Thursday, December 25th, 2025 01:33 pm
Thursday, December 25th, 2025 01:32 pm
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Thursday, December 25th, 2025 01:05 pm
Hippie Bathday, Jesus C! Murphy Chritmit to all. Unless that ain't yo thang. Then a Happy Rando Thursday to ya, champ.
Thursday, December 25th, 2025 04:15 pm
Musician Analise Mifsud performed the classic Gershon Kingsley/Hot Butter synth pop instrumental “Popcorn” on keyboard, Theremin, and an adorable Otamatone that looked like it was singing along with the famous tune.
Hello there! So this is my first time playing the Otamatone and the Theremin in front of anyone!
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The post The Classic Synth Pop Instrumental ‘Popcorn’ Played on Theremin and an Adorable Otamatone was originally published on Laughing Squid.
Thursday, December 25th, 2025 02:13 pm
4 Ever Green shared wonderful footage of the rarest and most beautiful pigeons from around the world while explaining their coloring, where they can be found, and other interesting facts about each bird.
Not all pigeons are gray city birds. Some glow like rainbows, shimmer like metal, or wear crowns of feathers fit for royalty.
For example, the narrator explains how the stunning Nicobar pigeon is considered to be the only living link to the Dodo bird, why the Jacobin pigeons, Indian Fantails, and Victoria crowned pigeons are considered fancy, and why the beautiful pink-headed fruit dove is a rare sight to see.
From the fiery Orange Fruit Dove to the legendary Victoria Crowned Pigeon these are the most beautiful pigeons on Earth. They’re living art birds so stunning you’ll think they were painted by hand.
Despite their reputation, city pigeons can also be quite colorful and stunning.
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The post The Most Rare and Beautiful Pigeons in the World was originally published on Laughing Squid.
Thursday, December 25th, 2025 09:30 am
Culturally appropriate seasonal wishes or lack thereof, according to your chosen norms!
May your solstice experiences harmoniously conform to your preferences!
Thursday, December 25th, 2025 01:34 pm
The Animal Sounds explained the vocalizations rabbits make, then played audio of these adorable creatures in the wild making these sounds. He further noted that these animals are known to be very quiet for the most part, but can make a lot of noise when they are in distress.
Rabbits are usually quiet animals, but when they do vocalize, their calls can be surprising – from gentle humming to distress cries.
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The post What Seemingly Silent Rabbits Actually Sound Like was originally published on Laughing Squid.
Thursday, December 25th, 2025 01:08 pm
Filmmaker Freddie Wong of Rocket Jump searched all over Los Angeles to find the most accurate 1990s Chinese food takeout menu for his movie Nail House.
The journey of creating an authentic takeout menu prop for Nail House.
He first went to the Los Angeles Public Library, where he looked through the different time periods of takeout menus, noting how the calligraphy, fonts, illustrations, and even the names of different foods had evolved over time. Wong also visited Fong’s Graphics & Printing to learn more about the design of these menus.
We found one of the oldest print shops still doing restaurant work today operating out of the San Gabriel Valley, a place called Fong’s Graphics and Printing, where I met up with Doris and Daphne Fong, who’ve been working the joint since 1985.
He also consulted with Asian antiquities expert Dennis Ku, who is not a calligrapher, despite the fact that he draws Chinese characters beautifully
I’m not a calligrapher. …Usually, most of the calligrapher, they want to warm up a little bit. But I’m not that good. So practice or not, it doesn’t matter.
In the end, Wong revealed his pick for the appropriate prop for his movie.
The Mama Wong’s Dumpling House takeout menu. A small but important part of Nail House.
Wong also shared some behind-the-scenes footage from Nail House
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The post Filmmaker Searches Los Angeles for the Most Accurate 1990s Chinese Takeout Menu was originally published on Laughing Squid.
Thursday, December 25th, 2025 08:17 am
He inherited much of his personality from his Mom. He can hilariously funny and is very quick witted but just has maintained the dour demeanor throughout his life which included two marriages (no real causation there, just correlation). But recently every picture I see of him is like this:
The girl is someone he met a while back who lives four hours from him. They have been friends for a long time but, until recently, he has claimed that it is only friendship.
She travelled to my other son's wedding with him and they continued to NYC for a few days there. And that was the end of the friendship and the beginning of something more.
He's going to change jobs, move back to Des Moines, and they are going to share a house. And I expect to see more pictures of him smiling.
Merry Christmas to me.
The girl is someone he met a while back who lives four hours from him. They have been friends for a long time but, until recently, he has claimed that it is only friendship.
She travelled to my other son's wedding with him and they continued to NYC for a few days there. And that was the end of the friendship and the beginning of something more.
He's going to change jobs, move back to Des Moines, and they are going to share a house. And I expect to see more pictures of him smiling.
Merry Christmas to me.
Thursday, December 25th, 2025 07:50 am
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Thursday, December 25th, 2025 12:00 pm
Thanks, Renee, Dave, and bunny Twig!
Thanks, Michelle and bunny Magical Carrot!
Thanks, Dianne, Bruce, and bunny Pumpkin! Dianne writes, “Seems Pumpkin has lost his Santa hat.”
Thanks, Raven and bunny Baxter! Raven writes:
This is Abby's bunny brother Baxter.....We had a scare with him a few weeks ago. I got home from work and noticed he hadn't eaten drank or pooped so I picked him up and gave him meds. When I put him down he fell over and had some neuro issues afterwards.Took him to the vet but can't find anything wrong, maybe a tic or a seizure. As you can see, he's doing better now doing what bunnies do. He's pushing 8 and was a rescue bun. He's my love abun so I'm glad he's still here with us. Merry Christmas to all the bunnies and their families.
Thanks, Holly, Chris, and bunny Lola! Holly writes, “Here’s Lola supervising the gift wrapping process. Merry Christmas to the DB family!”
Holly again: “This video is Lola playing with the tissue paper from one of her bunny advent calendar gift bags. She helped to unwrap it and discovered the paper was fun!”
Thanks, Chris and bunnies Ale and Oats! Chris writes, “Ale and Oats did not want to cooperate being in the same pic with their antlers and Santa hats on. Individually they did good. Just like having kids trying to sit on Santa's lap. Lol. Wishing you and all the Daily Bunny family a Merry Christmas and a Hoppy New Year.”
Thanks, Deb, Jac, kc, and bunnies Harlow and Bubbles! Deb writes, “Bubbles and Harlow wish all of the bunny kingdom that is the Daily Bunny, excellent winter holidays!”
Merry Christmas, everybody!
Thursday, December 25th, 2025 05:59 am
Happy holidays!
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Thursday, December 25th, 2025 10:44 am
Unexpected bonus Christmas extract from Son who doesn't really do fiction.
Wishing you all a happier time than being stuck in Antarctica, whether or not you celebrate Christmas.
After an hour's rest, they struggled on until noon. The tents were pitched and supper was issued: cold seal steak and tea - nothing more.
On the same night exactly one year before, after a festive dinner on board the Endurance, Greenstreet had written in his diary: 'Here endeth another Christmas Day. I wonder how and under what circumstances our next one will be spent.' That night he failed to even mention what day it was. And Shackleton recorded briefly all that really needed to be said: 'Curions Christmas. Thoughts of home.'
Wishing you all a happier time than being stuck in Antarctica, whether or not you celebrate Christmas.
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Thursday, December 25th, 2025 10:07 am
Wow, vriddy wrote a fic? Wonder what fandom it could be about...............
Good luck, Yuu-san | K-9 | Fujimaru Jin/Hizuki Ren/Kagari Yukito/Oboro Yuushirou | <700 words | rated T
Summary: Fujimaru accidentally discovers a new weakness of Oboro.
Read it on Dreamwidth or AO3.
Good luck, Yuu-san | K-9 | Fujimaru Jin/Hizuki Ren/Kagari Yukito/Oboro Yuushirou | <700 words | rated T
Summary: Fujimaru accidentally discovers a new weakness of Oboro.
Read it on Dreamwidth or AO3.
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Wednesday, December 24th, 2025 10:38 pm
Thursday, December 25th, 2025 01:27 am
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Thursday, December 25th, 2025 06:17 am
Community Thursday challenge: every Thursday, try to make an effort to engage with a community on Dreamwidth, whether that's posting, commenting, promoting, etc.
Posted and commented on ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
bnha_fans. The comm is really active in all sorts of good ways, which is LOVELY! :D
Commented on goals_on_dw.
Posted & commented on getting_started about whether image links also get redirected when using a rename token. The answer is YES which is pretty cool and good to know :D
Signal boosts:
- Someone is asking about the kind of CSS allowed on Dreamwidth over at newcomers, in case any of you have more tips and paths to share.
Thursday, December 25th, 2025 12:26 am
On the plus side, it is 2359 on the 24th, and all of the Chrimbo stuff is upstairs and ready and everything. We did it! We couldn't stop Christmas from coming, it came!
Here's some stuff from today:
Woke up and did fairly leisurely breakfast, while chatting with Alys and Charlie and mom. We had time to play a game of Moonshine, which I lost spectacularly, and then it was Off To The Shops, for last minute christmas shopping and also groceries.
We started with a couple of Very Large presents for dad, which necessitated me forcing mom to take a photo of me so I could send it to Shaenon Garrity, as life imitated art. I sure was a replica of Tip from the first storyline of Skin Horse, minus the gender-inappropriate pink angora sweater. (I was instead wearing a very gender appropriate Maya Kern skirt with pumpkins on it)
The presents were so large that we went straight home to swap the car out for those and collect Jonny!!!!! who is going to be doing Chrimbo with us this year. I'm excited about it! It's been ages and ages since we've had a brother at Christmas, and Jonny!!!!! is better than most. (He's one of the drama department teens mom adopted when I was in high school, who moved back to Maryland and joined the Gay Man's Choir of Washington like a year before mom did. It's great that they've gotten to spend a lot more time together!). Then mom and Jonny!!!!! and I went out to get the groceries, which was extra charming because he and I basically entered into a mini-contest of who could be more helpful at any given moment.
Ah, oldest daughter syndrome. <3
We got home, where Charlie put away the groceries and did some preliminary reorganization of the pantry, which badly needs it (I believe he plans to do more on the 26th). Then we ordered some Thai food for dinner (Chinese would be more traditional, but my parents have not yet located a good Chinese place, to everyone's sadness) and taught Jonny!!!!! how to play Moonshine. I did much better, but Jonny!!!!! still clinched the win.
Somewhere along the way "the kids" (a phrase I use ambiguously --using it exclusively like this, I mean just the people younger than me, if I use it inclusively, it's also me and Jonny!!!!!) watched Once Upon a Mattress, which was fun to hear in the other room.
We all finished wrapping presents, and then dad called for the traditional reading of The Night Before Christmas to us over the phone --he's working at the hospital overnight tonight, meaning I haven't actually seen him since getting to MD. To be fair, I arrived at piss late last night (I think my train was delayed by almost 2.5 hours altogether, most of it at the front end...I got on around 1525 for a train that was supposed to depart at 1337.). So he was in bed already, and then left for work well before I got up. I'll see him tomorrow!
Alys read Charlie the last two chapters of The Woman Who Rides Like A Man, with mom and I happily eavesdropping and fucking around mindlessly a bit. We're all very excited listening to Charlie make predictions since he didn't know the Alanna books at all before Al started reading them to him! Then it was time for evening chores and putting away the dishes and stuff, and just before bed, Santa showed up to fill the stockings! I helped with that, and off we went.
To write words, remembered at the last minute, and now I am cozy and warm. Time to find them sugarplums, because apparently the morning sibling gossip time starts at 0630. I am obviously complaining about it and equally obviously, am probably just fine with it. We'll see how I feel tomorrow morn.
Goodnight and be well!
~Sor
MOOP!
Here's some stuff from today:
Woke up and did fairly leisurely breakfast, while chatting with Alys and Charlie and mom. We had time to play a game of Moonshine, which I lost spectacularly, and then it was Off To The Shops, for last minute christmas shopping and also groceries.
We started with a couple of Very Large presents for dad, which necessitated me forcing mom to take a photo of me so I could send it to Shaenon Garrity, as life imitated art. I sure was a replica of Tip from the first storyline of Skin Horse, minus the gender-inappropriate pink angora sweater. (I was instead wearing a very gender appropriate Maya Kern skirt with pumpkins on it)
The presents were so large that we went straight home to swap the car out for those and collect Jonny!!!!! who is going to be doing Chrimbo with us this year. I'm excited about it! It's been ages and ages since we've had a brother at Christmas, and Jonny!!!!! is better than most. (He's one of the drama department teens mom adopted when I was in high school, who moved back to Maryland and joined the Gay Man's Choir of Washington like a year before mom did. It's great that they've gotten to spend a lot more time together!). Then mom and Jonny!!!!! and I went out to get the groceries, which was extra charming because he and I basically entered into a mini-contest of who could be more helpful at any given moment.
Ah, oldest daughter syndrome. <3
We got home, where Charlie put away the groceries and did some preliminary reorganization of the pantry, which badly needs it (I believe he plans to do more on the 26th). Then we ordered some Thai food for dinner (Chinese would be more traditional, but my parents have not yet located a good Chinese place, to everyone's sadness) and taught Jonny!!!!! how to play Moonshine. I did much better, but Jonny!!!!! still clinched the win.
Somewhere along the way "the kids" (a phrase I use ambiguously --using it exclusively like this, I mean just the people younger than me, if I use it inclusively, it's also me and Jonny!!!!!) watched Once Upon a Mattress, which was fun to hear in the other room.
We all finished wrapping presents, and then dad called for the traditional reading of The Night Before Christmas to us over the phone --he's working at the hospital overnight tonight, meaning I haven't actually seen him since getting to MD. To be fair, I arrived at piss late last night (I think my train was delayed by almost 2.5 hours altogether, most of it at the front end...I got on around 1525 for a train that was supposed to depart at 1337.). So he was in bed already, and then left for work well before I got up. I'll see him tomorrow!
Alys read Charlie the last two chapters of The Woman Who Rides Like A Man, with mom and I happily eavesdropping and fucking around mindlessly a bit. We're all very excited listening to Charlie make predictions since he didn't know the Alanna books at all before Al started reading them to him! Then it was time for evening chores and putting away the dishes and stuff, and just before bed, Santa showed up to fill the stockings! I helped with that, and off we went.
To write words, remembered at the last minute, and now I am cozy and warm. Time to find them sugarplums, because apparently the morning sibling gossip time starts at 0630. I am obviously complaining about it and equally obviously, am probably just fine with it. We'll see how I feel tomorrow morn.
Goodnight and be well!
~Sor
MOOP!
Thursday, December 25th, 2025 12:00 pm
Wednesday, December 24th, 2025 05:55 pm
I spent the whole day fixing up the road from last night's 2 inches of rain. Lots of digging out ditches for the first two hours and then three hours of work on the culvert near the main gate. Dad put the 30" (?, it is big) culvert in around 1965. At that time the neighbor took a bulldozer into the creek and cleaned out all of the vegetation. No one would be allowed to do that these days, but back then no one noticed. As time went by willow, blackberry and cottonwood trees grew up, dramatically slowing the flow of water below the culvert. Above the culvert silt slowly began building up. And up. Then the willow and cottonwoods started to fall. They weren't sick, they were just old. That blocked the exit of the culvert where even more silt built up. About eight years ago I realized there was a crisis with the culvert. Water had to first go down to reach the culvert, then up on the other side to exit. Donald and I spent two days fighting our way down into the stream with a chainsaw and clearing out dead wood. It helped, some. Since then I've been down there several times, each time clearing more. Today I mostly cleared willow that had regrown into the creek, once again making it impassable. Last week a huge very dead old cottonwood finally fell on the road right over the culvert. We have been watching that tree just waiting for a windstorm to jiggle it a little.
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( Read more... )
Wednesday, December 24th, 2025 06:05 pm
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I grew up in the era of film photography, and when rolls of 35mm film were developed we would get a set of 3 1/2" x 5" prints. Eventually, the standard became 4" x 6" prints. I have a lot of 4" x 6" prints.
In the era of digital photography, I didn’t have to get prints for failed photos. I would select the good ones and get 4" x 6" prints. But once I had online photo galleries, I didn’t even have to get prints.
It’s bad, though, to not ever print photos. Digital, online photos will all disappear at some point. I do print photo calendars every year, but that’s only 12 color photos – and I’d like to think I have more than 12 worthwhile photos in a year.
So, for many years, I would have selected images printed as 8" x 12" color photos at my local Costco. Every Costco had a photo center with a huge, industrial photo printer. The printed photos were great, and it was easy for me to swing by the store and pick them up. I have a nice collection of large prints. Recently, I discovered that Daiso A4 (paper) storage containers are ideal for holding 8" x 12" photo prints. Cool!
In 2021, Costco sent a notification that all store photo centers would close on February 21. If we wanted photos printed by Costco, we would have to do so through an centralized Costco online photo center. Prints would then be mailed to us. Ugh. But it still was the cheapest way to go, and that’s what I did. It worked OK.
In 2023, Costco sent a notification that its online photo center would close on January 27. Costco would then outsource online photo services to Shutterfly. We would get a special Costco discount at Shutterfly. I already had a Shutterfly account, as long ago I used them to print calendars for one year and a few photo books. I hadn’t used their services in quite a while, so my account was idle.
Yesterday, I realized I needed some 8" x 12" photo prints. I logged into Shutterfly and uploaded a few photos. Then I went to order prints – and was stopped dead in my tracks. Shutterfly offers 8" x 10" prints and 12" x 12" prints – but no 8" x 12" prints. Showstopper.
I went over to Mpix, who I use for framed photos and business cards. They do 8" x 12" prints, so I placed my order there. Mpix is a lot more expensive than Shutterfly – but they are said to have better quality prints. I’ve never had a problem with them. I should get the prints in a few days.
Afterwards, I did a little research on online photo print services. Mpix is still rated highly. Sources also recommended Printique, and I might give them a try next time.
Also, I need to research local print services, such as Picture Perfect and Pro Photo Supply.
Getting good 8" x 12" prints is getting harder and harder. I don’t need them often; however, in the past I’ve done some printing in advance of calendar preparation. I was pretty spoiled by Costco – but things change. I guess most people nowadays don’t print photos at all, so I’m probably an old Boomer outlier. Oh, well.
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Wednesday, December 24th, 2025 07:58 pm
Overslept my alarm until 8 AM. I don’t know how long they’re serving breakfast.
Planes are sitting in a line waiting to take off. The view from my hotel window is great entertainment.
Had a nice breakfast. Everything about this hotel is perfection. It’s going to spoil me for other hotels.
I’m tired though. I’m thinking of skipping my downtown trip and staying at the hotel. I want to take a nap. It’s nice having a day in which I can do whatever I want.
Oooh. I was looking at DoorDash trying to get the correct address for the hotel because I need to DoorDash later, and I saw a place with Shrimp Scampi. That sounds delicious!
I had problems falling asleep for my nap because my brain was whirring, but finally did. Now I'm up working on a prompt for my medical journal with ChatGPT, but I need a pad of paper to rough things out. (I'm designing printable planners to sell on etsy.) Something else to get with my DoorDash. Okay, I ordered a bunch of stuff from Walgreens for DoorDash.
Not sure what to do. I’m not hungry yet, but I need the pad of paper to work. I could do two separate DoorDashes.
The DoorDash guy found me with the stuff from Walgreens. He spoke Spanish with very little English, and I was thinking that he’s one of the people whom Trump wants to get rid of. He’s providing a service. I added hand cream to the order at the last minute because my hands are rough. My mom can’t tell me to wear my gloves, so I need to get with it.
When I was bringing the DoorDash stuff upstairs, I noticed that the “grab-and-go” place had grilled cheese on sourdough. That sounded good, so I went back down and got some. I was eating grilled cheese watching planes take off. Life is good :)
I said on Facebook that this reminded me of the time Erik and I went to O’Hare to watch the planes take off, back when you could do that. A security guy did ask us what we were doing, and we explained that we wanted to see the planes take off, and he said that he did something similar when he was young. I guess that an airport is a good place to find airplane-crazy people. (When I was a kid, I could identify all the types of commercial aircraft on sight. I can’t do that now.)
Speaking of the airport, it seems to be quieting down. (Yesterday, it was packed.) I’m hoping that my flight tomorrow won’t be full. (Yes, it is. Drat.)
I saw a guy doing ballet in the hotel lobby. You never know who (or what) you'll see at a hotel.
Ran a draft of my medical journal through ChatGPT, and it mangled part of it. I'm playing a fun game of "how to think like a computer" to modify the prompt. But I didn't expect it to come out right the first time. (Hmm, maybe I could write ChatGPT prompts as a sideline?)
It's time to check in for my flight. I put the cane together, and yes, I can sit on it, but it isn't great as a cane. I'm debating whether to ask for a wheelchair or not. I can probably walk if I can take breaks and sit down for a while. Damn knee. The Wall Street Journal's "Jetway Jesus Miracle" article has got me spooked about asking for help. I definitely am asking the doctor when I see her for physical therapy to work on the knee muscles. I'm trying to figure out how to pay for WiFi, and it looks like I have to do that on the flight itself. I thought about paying with miles, but WiFi isn't very expensive, and I want to save my miles up.
I think that I'll order food around 6 PM. Traffic at the airport is picking up. Also, this hotel seems to be where the pilots stay. Makes sense.
Wow, the food was good (Shrimp Scampi, cheese garlic bread, and cheesecake). Lots of food, and I couldn’t finish it. I’ll finish it tomorrow right before I leave the hotel (I got an extension of the checkout time until 12) so I won’t need to eat at the airport. I’ll have to remember this place (Pasta to Go) for when I come back.
I started yawning around 6 PM. I think that I’ll make it an early night. I seem to be becoming less of a night owl as I get older, although I do seem to have a peak around 5 PM.
Whoops, my card keys stopped working. The desk guy said that it was because I had back-to-back reservations. The key from the first day stopped working. He fixed it. I think that's a sign that I should go to bed soon. I'll get ready for bed and read. I want to get to breakfast really early so that I can eat my pasta later.
The dog boarding place posted a picture of the dogs at the kennel:
They seem to be sticking together, not surprisingly, because they're friends. I want to give Bella a scritch.
Planes are sitting in a line waiting to take off. The view from my hotel window is great entertainment.
Had a nice breakfast. Everything about this hotel is perfection. It’s going to spoil me for other hotels.
I’m tired though. I’m thinking of skipping my downtown trip and staying at the hotel. I want to take a nap. It’s nice having a day in which I can do whatever I want.
Oooh. I was looking at DoorDash trying to get the correct address for the hotel because I need to DoorDash later, and I saw a place with Shrimp Scampi. That sounds delicious!
I had problems falling asleep for my nap because my brain was whirring, but finally did. Now I'm up working on a prompt for my medical journal with ChatGPT, but I need a pad of paper to rough things out. (I'm designing printable planners to sell on etsy.) Something else to get with my DoorDash. Okay, I ordered a bunch of stuff from Walgreens for DoorDash.
Not sure what to do. I’m not hungry yet, but I need the pad of paper to work. I could do two separate DoorDashes.
The DoorDash guy found me with the stuff from Walgreens. He spoke Spanish with very little English, and I was thinking that he’s one of the people whom Trump wants to get rid of. He’s providing a service. I added hand cream to the order at the last minute because my hands are rough. My mom can’t tell me to wear my gloves, so I need to get with it.
When I was bringing the DoorDash stuff upstairs, I noticed that the “grab-and-go” place had grilled cheese on sourdough. That sounded good, so I went back down and got some. I was eating grilled cheese watching planes take off. Life is good :)
I said on Facebook that this reminded me of the time Erik and I went to O’Hare to watch the planes take off, back when you could do that. A security guy did ask us what we were doing, and we explained that we wanted to see the planes take off, and he said that he did something similar when he was young. I guess that an airport is a good place to find airplane-crazy people. (When I was a kid, I could identify all the types of commercial aircraft on sight. I can’t do that now.)
Speaking of the airport, it seems to be quieting down. (Yesterday, it was packed.) I’m hoping that my flight tomorrow won’t be full. (Yes, it is. Drat.)
I saw a guy doing ballet in the hotel lobby. You never know who (or what) you'll see at a hotel.
Ran a draft of my medical journal through ChatGPT, and it mangled part of it. I'm playing a fun game of "how to think like a computer" to modify the prompt. But I didn't expect it to come out right the first time. (Hmm, maybe I could write ChatGPT prompts as a sideline?)
It's time to check in for my flight. I put the cane together, and yes, I can sit on it, but it isn't great as a cane. I'm debating whether to ask for a wheelchair or not. I can probably walk if I can take breaks and sit down for a while. Damn knee. The Wall Street Journal's "Jetway Jesus Miracle" article has got me spooked about asking for help. I definitely am asking the doctor when I see her for physical therapy to work on the knee muscles. I'm trying to figure out how to pay for WiFi, and it looks like I have to do that on the flight itself. I thought about paying with miles, but WiFi isn't very expensive, and I want to save my miles up.
I think that I'll order food around 6 PM. Traffic at the airport is picking up. Also, this hotel seems to be where the pilots stay. Makes sense.
Wow, the food was good (Shrimp Scampi, cheese garlic bread, and cheesecake). Lots of food, and I couldn’t finish it. I’ll finish it tomorrow right before I leave the hotel (I got an extension of the checkout time until 12) so I won’t need to eat at the airport. I’ll have to remember this place (Pasta to Go) for when I come back.
I started yawning around 6 PM. I think that I’ll make it an early night. I seem to be becoming less of a night owl as I get older, although I do seem to have a peak around 5 PM.
Whoops, my card keys stopped working. The desk guy said that it was because I had back-to-back reservations. The key from the first day stopped working. He fixed it. I think that's a sign that I should go to bed soon. I'll get ready for bed and read. I want to get to breakfast really early so that I can eat my pasta later.
The dog boarding place posted a picture of the dogs at the kennel:
They seem to be sticking together, not surprisingly, because they're friends. I want to give Bella a scritch.
Wednesday, December 24th, 2025 05:28 pm
Yesterday's trip up Red Barn Creek to work on trail maintenance was lovely. Kinda wet, but lovely.
You may remember that I went off with some of the folks from the Grace Hudson Museum ( https://www.gracehudsonmuseum.org/ ) to pick Dogbane, sometimes called Indian Hemp. At the time I didn't post a picture of the plant. Here is a clump of Dogbane growing -in- the creek. There is a small green bit of grass coming up through the clump. This is the right time to harvest these plants, the stems will need to dry before use, but the plant is dormant.
You may remember that I went off with some of the folks from the Grace Hudson Museum ( https://www.gracehudsonmuseum.org/ ) to pick Dogbane, sometimes called Indian Hemp. At the time I didn't post a picture of the plant. Here is a clump of Dogbane growing -in- the creek. There is a small green bit of grass coming up through the clump. This is the right time to harvest these plants, the stems will need to dry before use, but the plant is dormant.
( Read more... )
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Wednesday, December 24th, 2025 08:41 pm
What if there’s no ethical way to have unlimited access to every book, film, and record ever created? And moreover, what if that’s not something we should want?
What if we simply decided to consume less media, allowing us to have a deeper appreciation for the art we choose to spend our time with? What if, instead of having an on-demand consumer mindset that requires us to systematically strip art of all its human context, we developed better relationships with creators and built new structures to support them? What if we developed a politics of refusal — the ability to say enough is enough — and recognized that we aren’t powerless to the whims of rich tech CEOs who force this dystopian garbage down our throats while claiming it’s “inevitable?”
Tapes and other physical media aren’t a magic miracle cure for late-stage capitalism. But they can help us slow down and remember what makes us human. Tapes make music-listening into an intentional practice that encourages us to spend time connecting with the art, instead of frantically vibe-surfing for something that suits our mood from moment-to-moment. They reject the idea that the point of discovering and listening to music is finding the optimal collection of stimuli to produce good brain chemicals.
—Why I Quit Streaming And Got Back Into Cassettes by Janus Rose
Wednesday, December 24th, 2025 08:18 pm
This hasn't been a week of tremendous productivity. I haven't minded. I finished a couple of fics and went back to editing an original work, I've been going to the gym, and I've done a fair bit of cooking - following recipes closely, modifying recipes slightly, sweeping the kitchen to follow a basic template. It's one of those weeks the world shrinks down somewhat, but given what's out there, I don't mind staying within narrow confines. Come Friday, I can go outside without much worry, but for tonight and tomorrow, I'd rather avoid what I can.
It's true I'll need to head out to buy flour, and it's also true there's a grocery store in my neighborhood that doesn't play music. As such, I'll happily give them my business throughout the year, and especially during December.
It's true I'll need to head out to buy flour, and it's also true there's a grocery store in my neighborhood that doesn't play music. As such, I'll happily give them my business throughout the year, and especially during December.
Wednesday, December 24th, 2025 07:40 pm
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Wednesday, December 24th, 2025 06:07 pm
Woke Up With This Song Rattling In My Brain.
Monday, December 22nd, 2025 08:41 am
by Anonymous
Kipo isn't expecting a half feral roommate. Thankfully her ability to make friends means she is ready for the challenge.
Words: 1069, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English
- Fandoms: Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts (Cartoon)
- Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
- Warnings: Major Character Death
- Categories: Gen
- Characters: Kipo Oak, Wolf (Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts), Mandu (Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts)
- Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - College/University, Service Animals
Wednesday, December 24th, 2025 01:03 pm
The Yuletide collection is live!
Enjoy browsing the collection! Leave kudos and/or comments if you enjoy a story! Comment here to recommend stories, and/or recommend them at theyuletide comm!
I have three stories in the collection. Can you find them?
I shall now spend the rest of the day cuddling with my cats and reading Yuletide stories.
Enjoy browsing the collection! Leave kudos and/or comments if you enjoy a story! Comment here to recommend stories, and/or recommend them at the
yuletide comm!I have three stories in the collection. Can you find them?
I shall now spend the rest of the day cuddling with my cats and reading Yuletide stories.
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Wednesday, December 24th, 2025 12:47 pm
Rather than worry about whether our favorite Chinese restaurant is open tomorrow (or, heaven forbid, actually call around and find out) I decided to order tonight and just put it in the refrigerator to be ready for tomorrow. Chinese food is always better the next day.
Tonight will be pork loin in white gravy, grits and whatever green stuff we have lying around.
Just the four of us. I did not get the four legs any treats so I may have to go to the store and remedy that. Poor planning.
PB this morning was OK. Nothing wrong with it but I played mediocre. I really need to get with the ball machine and/or coaching. Maybe this weekend. I'll ask on Friday if there is a time when things will be quiet enough for me to snag a court and the machine. No telling with kids out and families looking for stuff to do.
It is nearly summer around here. Lovely weather to be out and about. I think we'll end up with the AC on by tomorrow. I don't much mind. This is what the days look like now. The tree will dump and start regrowing all at once, I suspect.
We got my pension pay today and it was an extra hundred bucks, less taxes. We've been thrifty so our bank and investment accounts are getting larger and with the USAA mutual dump back to me and now this extra and, I guess, SS will go up a bit. So we're losing out to inflation (which does not, of course, actually exist) but are making it up with thrift. And in a bull market all the investments decisions are brilliant.
All in all a decent end to the year. In six months we'll be ahead of where we were before last summer's crappy dental and car spending spree.
I heard back from Nest support and then remembered a similar response from them last year. They can't find my account. And they won't be able to. And this happened last year and they were never able to fix it. I had to dispute the charge but the card was fine so I never did cancel it. Now I no longer need the card and have set it so nothing can be charged. I guess I'll go through the same dispute and then cancel it altogether once the balance is zero. If I had left myself a memo on the calendar I'd have already cancelled. The only way Google will ever find the transaction is when it fails next year, I guess. Won't be my problem.
I just shot myself with my weekly Semaglutide dose. I'm still losing weight looking forward to the 180's. I'm 191 or 192 right now. Somewhere after 180 I'll start looking seriously at the end game. Meanwhile it is kind of nice to be losing my stomach. And downright weird to hug Dana. We are two different people.
Tonight will be pork loin in white gravy, grits and whatever green stuff we have lying around.
Just the four of us. I did not get the four legs any treats so I may have to go to the store and remedy that. Poor planning.
PB this morning was OK. Nothing wrong with it but I played mediocre. I really need to get with the ball machine and/or coaching. Maybe this weekend. I'll ask on Friday if there is a time when things will be quiet enough for me to snag a court and the machine. No telling with kids out and families looking for stuff to do.
It is nearly summer around here. Lovely weather to be out and about. I think we'll end up with the AC on by tomorrow. I don't much mind. This is what the days look like now. The tree will dump and start regrowing all at once, I suspect.
We got my pension pay today and it was an extra hundred bucks, less taxes. We've been thrifty so our bank and investment accounts are getting larger and with the USAA mutual dump back to me and now this extra and, I guess, SS will go up a bit. So we're losing out to inflation (which does not, of course, actually exist) but are making it up with thrift. And in a bull market all the investments decisions are brilliant.
All in all a decent end to the year. In six months we'll be ahead of where we were before last summer's crappy dental and car spending spree.
I heard back from Nest support and then remembered a similar response from them last year. They can't find my account. And they won't be able to. And this happened last year and they were never able to fix it. I had to dispute the charge but the card was fine so I never did cancel it. Now I no longer need the card and have set it so nothing can be charged. I guess I'll go through the same dispute and then cancel it altogether once the balance is zero. If I had left myself a memo on the calendar I'd have already cancelled. The only way Google will ever find the transaction is when it fails next year, I guess. Won't be my problem.
I just shot myself with my weekly Semaglutide dose. I'm still losing weight looking forward to the 180's. I'm 191 or 192 right now. Somewhere after 180 I'll start looking seriously at the end game. Meanwhile it is kind of nice to be losing my stomach. And downright weird to hug Dana. We are two different people.
Wednesday, December 24th, 2025 07:00 pm
Current reading quote: "F[redacted] the privatization of the toilet. F[redacted] the privatization of the sky."
To be read 1 Jan 2025: 90
To be read 24 Dec 2025: 67, lol (win, tho)
Books read: 123
DNFs: 8 (nearly 9, I'm looking at you William Heinesen)
Reading challenges completed: 49
These are minimums as some authors prefer their privacy, and some in-work representation was perfunctory or tokenising (imo as reader) so I didn't count it.
BIPOC representation: 41
Disabled representation: 21
LGBT+ representation: 26
Senior representation: 31
Woman author/s: 72
Also, authors as self-identified: 8 not men, at least one transman, and an unknown-to-me (because some authors prefer their privacy).
Authors neither British or USian (because these two anglophone publishing industries dominate my local book market).
Canada: 8 (but 4x1 author, 3x1 author, + 1 expat Canadian in UK).
Born in Palestine / Jerusalem: 6 (including 2x1 author).
Japan: 5
EU, current area: 8 (not all born or residing in actual EU member states).
Also: Afghanistan, Australia, Ghana, Jamaica, Korea, India, Indonesia/Australia/UK, Malaysia/UK, Singapore/UK/US, and schrodinger's New Zealander.
New to me, previously unread authors: 65
( &c. )
To be read 1 Jan 2025: 90
To be read 24 Dec 2025: 67, lol (win, tho)
Books read: 123
DNFs: 8 (nearly 9, I'm looking at you William Heinesen)
Reading challenges completed: 49
These are minimums as some authors prefer their privacy, and some in-work representation was perfunctory or tokenising (imo as reader) so I didn't count it.
BIPOC representation: 41
Disabled representation: 21
LGBT+ representation: 26
Senior representation: 31
Woman author/s: 72
Also, authors as self-identified: 8 not men, at least one transman, and an unknown-to-me (because some authors prefer their privacy).
Authors neither British or USian (because these two anglophone publishing industries dominate my local book market).
Canada: 8 (but 4x1 author, 3x1 author, + 1 expat Canadian in UK).
Born in Palestine / Jerusalem: 6 (including 2x1 author).
Japan: 5
EU, current area: 8 (not all born or residing in actual EU member states).
Also: Afghanistan, Australia, Ghana, Jamaica, Korea, India, Indonesia/Australia/UK, Malaysia/UK, Singapore/UK/US, and schrodinger's New Zealander.
New to me, previously unread authors: 65
( &c. )
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Wednesday, December 24th, 2025 01:10 pm
This morning I woke up feeling absolutely miserable, mainly because my head was aching and I was very congested, plus my ear was showing signs of developing that mysterious pain. I took some Tylenol and lay back down with the problematic ear pressed firmly into the pillow, and eventually, after close to two hours, I started to feel marginally better. At least my ear had stopped hurting. However, I decided to stay in bed today, or at least, on my bed, because I rarely stay actually in bed all day unless I'm much sicker than I am right now.
Today has so far been much quieter than yesterday. My daughter has been out doing errands (i.e. shopping) all morning, and the girls are being fairly quiet upstairs under the eye of their father. Two of their favourite people are arriving to stay over Christmas later today; first, their oldest cousin L, who is in her late 20s, and second, S's son J, who now has a tradition of coming up here for Christmas. L is going to sleep in Violet's room but I'm not sure where J will sleep. Possibly in my daughter's office, because that's been used as an overflow bedroom before.
Today has so far been much quieter than yesterday. My daughter has been out doing errands (i.e. shopping) all morning, and the girls are being fairly quiet upstairs under the eye of their father. Two of their favourite people are arriving to stay over Christmas later today; first, their oldest cousin L, who is in her late 20s, and second, S's son J, who now has a tradition of coming up here for Christmas. L is going to sleep in Violet's room but I'm not sure where J will sleep. Possibly in my daughter's office, because that's been used as an overflow bedroom before.
Wednesday, December 24th, 2025 04:25 pm
The music and audio channel Mixed Signals, which previously looked at the famous “Wilhelm Scream” and the Goofy Holler, explored the history of the THX Deep Note.
The THX sound (officially known as the Deep Note) has been blasting our ears for over 40 years now, and many people find the sound to be super loud and even scary. But what is it that makes people feel this way?
The narrator also examined the characteristics of the auditory experience, noting how the increasingly loud, random notes heightened the anxiety of audience members, likening it to the soundtrack of a horror film.
The thick layers of sliding notes with no discernible harmony and seemingly no end really throws off our sense of stability and rhythm. It feels like something is getting closer and you’re just waiting for it to get you. This has also been burnt into our brains from decades of horror movie scores in which high pitch strings are used to convey fear.
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The post How the Sound and Frequency of the ‘THX’ Deep Note Heightened the Anxiety of the Audience was originally published on Laughing Squid.
Wednesday, December 24th, 2025 04:03 pm
Music Mindset looked at the Average White Band, noting how this Scottish group was responsible for some of the most surprisingly soulful and sampled funk songs across the disco, R&B, and funk music genres in the 1970s. This list includes “Pick Up the Pieces” and “Cut the Cake”.
They didn’t look the part. But when Average White Band dropped “Pick Up the Pieces,” they flipped the funk world on its head. Straight outta Scotland, these guys crashed the soul charts, turned heads in America, and even rubbed James Brown’s crew the wrong way.
‘Pick Up the Pieces’ and ‘Cut the Cake’
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The post The Surprisingly Soulful and Heavily Sampled Funk by Scotland’s Average White Band was originally published on Laughing Squid.
Wednesday, December 24th, 2025 12:20 pm
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Wednesday, December 24th, 2025 08:18 am
Mori: I done got my periodic need for books about queer ladies, so I have been wallowing in lady books. Here’s what I read!
( queers and ladies from 1980s-1990s )
And now I feel a craving to make a lady zine. I BELIEVE IN ME!
( queers and ladies from 1980s-1990s )
And now I feel a craving to make a lady zine. I BELIEVE IN ME!
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Wednesday, December 24th, 2025 09:29 am
The weird thing was how tremendously relieved I was after it was over! My voice recovered almost immediately - I didn't lose it, it just dropped an octave or so - and my energy came back almost entirely. My back is still massively sore, but that's another matter entirely. I think perhaps that I began mourning him as soon as he entered ICU and that I didn't realize it.
This evening, after stopping at an old friend's open house/party on the way out of town, I heard to Tucson to spend the night. It's maybe a quarter of the way or so to Cloudcroft. And the hotel is past the downtown area, makes it much easier getting out of Tucson - not that it's that difficult, especially given the much lighter Christmas Day driving.
The funeral went well, with one massive surprise. I expect my cousin Ron - who is a preacher - to give a little talk. And instead I ended up giving an extemporaneous eulogy for 20 minutes which went very, very well. I kinda wish it was recorded. I received several compliments on it.
Maybe me delivering the eulogy is part of the relief.
So today I'm off to the U-Haul where I'm storing his truck and camper trailer, I have to move it, also a woman is coming by to inspect it, she's interested in buying it. Can't do the inspection until 30 days after he dies, at that point it can be re-titled. After that I have some errands, then back to where I'm staying to finish packing, get some more rest then head out.
Far too much fun.
I will leave you with this. We wanted a poem for the little handout pamphlet for the grave-side service, and Russet and I didn't like any of the canned ones that the funeral home had available. She started surfing on her phone for ones written by or about gold miners/mining and found an absolutely perfect one! We dropped the third verse and cut down on the fourth and ended up with this. It does a very good job of encapsulating a lot about my brother:
The Men That Don't Fit In
There's a race of men that don't fit in,
A race that can't stay still;
So they break the hearts of kith and kin,
And they roam the world at will.
They range the field and they rove the flood,
And they climb the mountain's crest;
Theirs is the curse of the gypsy blood,
And they don't know how to rest.
If they just went straight they might go far;
They are strong and brave and true;
But they're always tired of the things that are,
And they want the strange and new.
And each forgets that his youth has fled,
Forgets that his prime is past,
Till he stands one day, with a hope that's dead,
In the glare of the truth at last.
He's a rolling stone, and it's bred in the bone;
He's a man who won't fit in.
-Robert W. Service (condensed)
This evening, after stopping at an old friend's open house/party on the way out of town, I heard to Tucson to spend the night. It's maybe a quarter of the way or so to Cloudcroft. And the hotel is past the downtown area, makes it much easier getting out of Tucson - not that it's that difficult, especially given the much lighter Christmas Day driving.
The funeral went well, with one massive surprise. I expect my cousin Ron - who is a preacher - to give a little talk. And instead I ended up giving an extemporaneous eulogy for 20 minutes which went very, very well. I kinda wish it was recorded. I received several compliments on it.
Maybe me delivering the eulogy is part of the relief.
So today I'm off to the U-Haul where I'm storing his truck and camper trailer, I have to move it, also a woman is coming by to inspect it, she's interested in buying it. Can't do the inspection until 30 days after he dies, at that point it can be re-titled. After that I have some errands, then back to where I'm staying to finish packing, get some more rest then head out.
Far too much fun.
I will leave you with this. We wanted a poem for the little handout pamphlet for the grave-side service, and Russet and I didn't like any of the canned ones that the funeral home had available. She started surfing on her phone for ones written by or about gold miners/mining and found an absolutely perfect one! We dropped the third verse and cut down on the fourth and ended up with this. It does a very good job of encapsulating a lot about my brother:
The Men That Don't Fit In
There's a race of men that don't fit in,
A race that can't stay still;
So they break the hearts of kith and kin,
And they roam the world at will.
They range the field and they rove the flood,
And they climb the mountain's crest;
Theirs is the curse of the gypsy blood,
And they don't know how to rest.
If they just went straight they might go far;
They are strong and brave and true;
But they're always tired of the things that are,
And they want the strange and new.
And each forgets that his youth has fled,
Forgets that his prime is past,
Till he stands one day, with a hope that's dead,
In the glare of the truth at last.
He's a rolling stone, and it's bred in the bone;
He's a man who won't fit in.
-Robert W. Service (condensed)
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Wednesday, December 24th, 2025 09:20 am
Maaaan. I am so glad that I have today off. I think I really needed it.
It feels so nice to have a relaxing morning without rushing around and doing things. (Well, I still have a ton of chores and things that need doing, but like... I can do it at a leisurely pace).
I had a slow breakfast and did some reading and brainstormed some fic. Feels good!
It feels so nice to have a relaxing morning without rushing around and doing things. (Well, I still have a ton of chores and things that need doing, but like... I can do it at a leisurely pace).
I had a slow breakfast and did some reading and brainstormed some fic. Feels good!
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