mirlacca | Network

I had a chiropractic appointment and a pedicure this morning. I’d been doing a lot of reds, and last week was a dark purple, but I decided this week to lean into lighter, more spring-like colors. So I went with the periwinkle again, and she did a cute little flower design.

I dropped a book off at the library on my way to visit mom, did a load of laundry, hand-washed dishes, went for several walks with Pip and the dogs, cut up chicken for the dogs' meals, and scooped kitty litter. I grilled Italian sausage for Pip’s supper, since it was so nice out (relatively speaking *g*).

I started Husband Material, and watched several shows I’d DVR’d: Fixer to Fabulous, House Hunters International, and Secrets of the Zoo. That’s the last of Zoo I have recorded, so it’ll be back to Zoo Tampa now.

You may recall me talking about numbness in my fingertips and the theory that it might be carpal tunnel, even though the braces didn’t help at all AND it’s worse when it’s cold out; today I discovered that Sister S also gets numbness in her hands that is worse when it's cold out. Might mean nothing, but I thought it was interesting.

Temps started out at 41.2(F) and reached 48.9 (that I saw; it may have gone up a degree or two after I left to visit mom, but it was already going down when I got home). Totally unexpected, even though it was supposed to get into the 40s today. There was wind and zero sun, though, so it wasn’t a ~pleasant 48. It started to sprinkle in the afternoon.

Mom Update:

Mom was doing well when I visited her. She’d had some protein drink before I arrived and finished the mac&chs while I was there. She planned to make a root beer float for a late afternoon snack AND have tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich (probably just half of one) for supper. Given how little she eats, I think she’s only going to do one of those things. I wrote out a check for her and stuck it in the mail and brought home laundry to do for her.

She had her first regular visit from the Hospice nurse, so I got to meet her. I stayed in the living room while they sat at the dining room table. I could hear them a bit, but I didn’t want to be right on top of them. Mom got to ask some questions she’d written down, so that was good.

selenak

Considering this prompt by

bimo, it did occur to me that Syril Karn’s part of the Ghorman arc in the second season of Star Wars: Andor in a way is the Mirrorverse, twisted version of a rather popular trope.

( Filling the spoilery darkness with order and light )

The other days

Current Mood: pensive
Current Location: Bamberg

mific

An interesting essay on why Connor Storrie is much more likely to get an award than Hudson Williams (if either of them does). Clarifies a number of things I'd been vaguely thinking about.

And a hockey player from the USA leagues has just come out publicly and in detail, saying his statement was partly inspired by Heated Rivalry. It's not quite that dramatic - he was partly out already (to friends and family and had been playing in LGBTQ+ clubs since 2017) but it looks like this is his first major statement on social media. He never made the NHL but used to play in the USA leagues - the intricacies of all the NHL/AHL league levels baffle me. Anyway, it seems important, and was undoubtedly made a bit easier for him by the reception of Heated Rivalry.

ysabetwordsmith

This year I'm doing Community Thursdays. Some of my activity will involve maintaining communities I run, and my favorites. Some will involve checking my list of subscriptions and posting in lower-traffic ones. Today I have interacted with the following communities...

* Replied to a post by

fox_in_me on

addme.

* Posted "How to use habit science to help you keep your New Year’s resolution" in

goals_on_dw.

* Commented under the January 14 Just One Thing post in

awesomeers.

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

These are the content notes for "The Most Dangerous Animal in the Zoo."

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

soc_puppet

Just a drive-by update for the sake of updating.

1) Happy birthday to my younger brother today! I got him a shirt with a smiling Mimic that says "I'm still a treasure"

2) I made an appointment for tomorrow morning for the Career Services department at the local community college, so I'm another step closer on my goal of becoming more employed

And now I move on to my night time routine. G'night!

Current Mood: sleepy

lassarina

( You're about to view content that the journal owner has advised should be viewed with discretion. )

lassarina

( You're about to view content that the journal owner has advised should be viewed with discretion. )

troisoiseaux

In War and Peace, Count Bezukhov has died, leaving - after some deathbed wrangling over his multiple wills by grasping relatives - his illegitimate and bewildered son Pierre a wealthy noble, which surely will cause no one any problems. Interesting, in terms of narrative structure and the famous first line of another Tolstoy novel, that this is followed by an immediate smash cut to a different unhappy family, the Bolkonskys.

Poking along in Damon Runyon's Guys and Dolls and Other Writings; the "other writings" in this collection apparently include his 1920s-30s trial reporting, but I'm still on his 1930s-40s comedic gangster stories, which so far have universally ended with an impromptu marriage, except for the one that ended with the doll seducing and drowning the gangsters who killed her husband. I'm not sure that Runyon supports women's rights but he does support women's wrongs.

Also started another short story collection, China Miéville's Three Moments of an Explosion; I'm two stories in, both of which have had the feel of picking up an idea and turning it around to see the way light reflects off of its different facets - only just long enough to see each different flash of light - and I'm really liking it so far. The title story is flash fiction about urban exploration in a future with "rotvertising" (brand logos coded into "the mottle and decay of subtly gene-tweaked decomposition" or detonation) and time-dilating drugs; the second is a child's-eye view of a future where long-melted icebergs return to float over London while coral blooms across Brussels.

ysabetwordsmith

The Call for Themes is still open if you want to suggest topics for early 2026. Now's the time, because I hope to post the poll on Thursday.

Current Mood: busy

hannah

Today I learned a photo-scanning app has a number of embedded ads that show up after a certain number of photos, exhorting you to buy a subscription rather than keep using the free version. You can't skip them, either. It left a bad taste in my mouth. What made the taste worse was finding out you can't just delete your account: you need to send the company a request to do that.

For an app designed to scan photographs to convert physical media into digital information, all the better to easily share some photographs from the Twentieth Century. I'd have thought that the added bonuses from a paid account would be enough to entice some purchases, and they try to get your money even while using the bare-bones, no-frills version that's fairly limited in scope and capabilities. While you're already using it.

It's further cemented my position to generally avoid apps on principle. That principle being "I don't have time for bullshit."

Current Mood: frustrated
Current Music: Footloose - Kenny Loggins

cathrowan

I got fitted with my first pair of hearing aids a month ago. Some of my friends complain about theirs. I'm having an excellent experience and am so glad this technology exists. I had no idea how bad my high-frequency hearing loss was until it was compensated for. Our dishwasher makes a soft chime when you press a button! Who knew? (Not me.)

Current Mood: pleased

senmut

Hey I am actually reading.

After 1177 B.C.: The Survival of Civilizations by Eric H. Cline, part of the Turning Points in Ancient History series, is currently 27% read. Given I began it last night... not bad.

I will probably check out the other books; the collapse of the Bronze Age has long been of interest to me. My largest concern is too much leaning into the Bible, referring to the Tanakh as "the Hebrew Bible", and I got weirded by calling a Jewish archaeologist as having been "ordained" as a Rabbi. I did not think that was the word.

Coolest factoid so far? The resurgent Assyrian Empire of the era had a Pony Express, with mule riders.

shadowkat

Catching up on the January Question a Day Meme:

11. The first National State lottery in England was drawn in 1569. The first prize was £5,000, and other prizes included tapestries and high-quality linen cloth. How much does it cost to enter where you live (and have you ever bought a ticket)?

A couple of things? It wasn't initially successful in the US. the First National Lottery in the US which took place on November 18, 1776 was a colossal failure.

"On November 18, 1776, the First Continental Congress enacted a national lottery designed to complete with state and local lotteries at the time. The reason for getting in the lottery game was a simple yet important one for delegates of the thirteen colonies: help fund the costly Revolutionary War."

( And it's well complicated? )

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lotteries_in_the_United_States

12. In 1948, the first Supermarket in the UK opened - the Co-op, the country’s first permanent self-service store, in East London’s Manor Park. Do you use one specific supermarket to buy groceries, and do they have a loyalty card scheme you belong to? How does it work?

"Chain grocery retailing was a phenomenon that took off around the beginning of the twentieth century in the United States, with the Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company (1859) and other small, regional players. Grocery stores of this era tended to be small (generally less than a thousand square feet) and also focused on only one aspect of food retailing. Grocers (and most of the chains fell into this camp) sold what is known as “dry grocery” items, or canned goods and other non-perishable staples. Butchers and greengrocers (produce vendors) were completely separate entities, although they tended to cluster together for convenience’s sake."

Although it is debated and most think it was Piggly Wiggly in Memphis in 1916.

A Quick History of the American Supermarket.

Yes. I usually go to Met Fresh, before that Food Town. And yes, they have the loyalty card scheme - Food Town gives you a free chicken, when you collect enough points. Met Fresh gives you a percentage off - but theirs requires putting in the number in a separate slot, and it doesn't always work. Foodtown, you just tell the cashier your number or they scan a card.

13. January is the best time to see the bright gas giant planet Jupiter in the sky – have you ever seen it?

Yes. But a long time ago, and not in NYC. Too much light pollution.

14. Mark Antony was born today in Rome in 83BCE. Have you ever seen “Cleopatra” starring Elizabeth Taylor as Cleopatra and Richard Burton as Mark Antony?

Yes, it's a horrible movie. I also read the Court case in a Contract's Law course in law school - where Twentieth Century Fox sued Burton and Taylor for misbehavior on the set and damages for delaying production.

https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/FSupp/239/913/2379197/

It got settled. The court case isn't about the lawsuit - it's about jurisdiction and whether it should be settled by New York State or Federal Court.

The movie is just bad. I couldn't get through it. They fell in love during it - resulting in delays.

celli

( You're about to view content that the journal owner has advised should be viewed with discretion. )

susandennis

I practicing Wegovy. I went to the store after exercise class and got foods that I don't hate but don't get often and some that I never get. Yogurt. I have a thing lately about strawberry yogurt. I found some with zero sugar and 20G protein in a brand I like so I bought some assuming I would hate it. (Spoiler alert, it's delicious.)

Before I got home, I got a ping that the cats' dog bed was here. I picked it up and was nearly to my apartment when Ngon in the Bistro called to say my special order was ready. This was an order for a dozen cookies and 8 cheese scones. Not part of the Wegovy prep but I'm going to eat them anyway.

I got an app. My brother uses one that is too much for me but I found one that is perfect - pep. It tracks everything - shots, weight (with photos) and food via input and also AI photos. And it does a good job. I got a poke bowl for lunch. It had all of the numbers listed on the label. I scooped it all into a bowl did the AI camera thing and it landed the same number of calories, protein, and fiber as the label. Impressive.

Then it was time for my food and beverage meeting which was fine then I had to come home and type up the minutes and the agenda for next week. Which I did and sent it off to the chairman.

Then I set up the cats' dog bed. It's the perfect size for both of them. I set it up under the bed where you cannot see it without getting down there. I moved the cat cam so that I don't have to get down there. Looks like I need to tidy up that one cable. And Biggie needs to learn how to share.

Tomorrow I have no plans and I plan to do nothing.

chazzbanner

Did you know that there's a film from the 19490s called Dumblin Damnity? Say that fast, and remember to pronounce the n in damnity. :-)

This gem is thanks to the Word in Your Ear podcast automatic transcription. Double Indemnity, of course.

I finally got around to searching through my CDs for Bessie Smith: The Complete Columbia Recordings. I've decided to listen to one disc a day, ten discs in all.

Now I need to find my Louis Armstrong Hot Five and Hot Seven collection.

Something I read recently (hmm) used the word "fonebone" - from Mad Magazine. I decided to google the word and found this article:

The Ultra-Mad Madness of Don Martin

-

helloladies posting in

ladybusiness

Adventures Elsewhere collects our reviews, guest posts, articles, and other content we've spread across the Internet recently! See what we've been up in our other projects. :D

( Read more... )

shadowkat

Another difficult commute - I swear, me and Transit are going to have words one of these days. (Considering I currently inhabit the same building that they inhabit - it could actually happen. Possibly in an elevator or in a hallway.) The R train was running with delays and on other tracks, skipping Whitehall Street again this evening. I wish I knew before I hobbled down the eight flights of steps. Someone pulled the Emergency Break again. So, ended up taking the 4 to Borough Hall Brooklyn and walked 10 blocks to Bergen, took the G home. The 4/5 also had delays due to a passenger being hit by a train but seemed to be fine by the time I got there. And the G was running with delays due to a incident with a train being taken out of service somewhere on 21st Street in North Brooklyn. Plus they had a police officer patrolling the G train. Knee was bothering by the time I got there - so icing. Hopefully can do exercises after dinner. Did exercises at work at least.

It's hard to find the time to fit them in, with work. Also hard to do the cardiac activity necessary to lose weight. Stupid knees.

My 83 year old mother is doing fine. I'm the invalid. Turns out a sedentary desk job is tough on the knees.

Oh, digestive issues woke me last night - but, have discovered a concoction that helps a sour stomach. (Gas pains, gastric reflex, and cramping or anything stuck in the esophagus).

1 teaspoon baking soda
Lemon juice
Mixed in a glass of water

It's basically home-brewed alka seltzer, but more effective. Works like a charm - takes about five to ten minutes to work.

Had two decent and reassuring conversations with higher ups today - so I feel a little less sidelined and more valuable than I did previously. They do see me as a valuable resource. (Actually I think Breaking Bad is the one in trouble - and has been for a while now. But I'm not.) I just need to be patient, and keep doing what I've been doing. Being helpful. And keeping my charts up to date.

****

More on Angel/Buffy Rewatch

David Greenwalt in the chat with Holtz, Lindsey, and Lilah actors - stated that Whedon had asked him if he wanted to do work on an Angel spin-off and show-run it for him. It was supposed to be dark and noir - similar in tone to what Greenwalt had previously done with Profit. The actor who played Holtz - came from Profit. Greenwalt asked for Charisma Carpenter - who played Cordelia - because he felt they needed humor and some lightness to the show, which was rather dark in concept. Also apparently they went too dark for the network in the second episode's original/initial script by David Fury - which initially had Angel killing the girl and licking blood off the floor of the bathroom. The network understandably went nuts - and said no, you can't do that.

The actor who played Holtz - brought up how he didn't view his character as a villain. And Greenwalt stated that they tried not to write characters as villains. That's kind of boring. And the other actors chimed in - that you never see your character as a villain, the character doesn't. But it is more fun to play them. Christian Kane (Lindsey) said he looked at it as - you're the company you keep. Lindsey was tainted by WRH. He said having his character be a villain but not quite - made him more fun to play, than to have him be a hero. It's better to have an edge. Romanov (Lilah) agreed.

I'm beginning to understand why I still love these shows - the cast, crew, writers, and fandom are so enjoyable.

**

The characters of Dawn, Riley and Xander with a few exceptions, have the worst episodes in Buffy for some reason. I think the writers either didn't identify with them, over-identified, or didn't know what to do with them? ( Read more... )

***

Angelica Huston memoir - Watch Me, which I'm listening to via audible.
It's well written. She really disliked Ryan O'Neal, who was violent and Huston describes as a bully with no conscience. She'd been in love with him for a bit - and in a very toxic relationship. He beat her and abused her, and it took her a while to break off the relationship and go back to Jack Nicholson.

She also writes about Roman Polanski - whom she lived next door to for a bit, and was friends with. Apparently they tried to get her to testify against Polanski in the "statutory rape" case - by offering her a deal to drop cocaine charges. ( Read more... )

Off to make dinner.

writerlibrarian

Teaching stuff: First week went fine, the first zoom session went great. Over 20 students attended, it’s optional and we record it for those who can not attend. I’m almost done with the texts for week 3. My TA is wonderful. What are the chances I would get a Chinese exchange student… really. I was so happy when I got her resume. She’s organized, engaged. We both love to plan things out. We planned the heck out of the session on Monday. The content, the time allowed for each section and we delivered an hour of content on the dot. We were both really proud of ourselves.

I decided to post more and at least post on Wednesday. So here goes my reading for the past week.

What I’m doing Wednesday

Reading

I’m finishing v.8 of Heaven Official’s Blessing, This is the last book of the series. I read book 1 and 2 at the end of the summer, put it on pause then picked it up again mid November and I haven’t read much else since. I loved the series. It kept me reading and interested. There are plot twists I saw coming, others not at all. Which is the mark of a good series in my book.

I also read graphic novels for the class. I read in no particular order :

The Other World's Books Depend on the Bean Counter (Manga), Vol. 1 I will continue to read the series. It was a satisfying read.

A study in Emerald. Neil Gaiman. I’m okay with reading it. It’s a different remix of Doyle with a dash of Lovecraft and a bunch of other literary kinda Easter eggs. I’m not fond of reading Gaiman these days but I needed to for the session on remixes, adaptation etc., of Doyle’s works.

2 French Canadian graphic novels. One I really liked and it’s available in English translation for those who might want to check it out.

UTown by Cab. I really liked the condensed plot, the graphics, the whole punk, gritty atmosphere and I know the area that inspired the author. Gentrification, poverty, artists, etc. A good graphic novel.

1 French graphic novel. Quand j’ai froid by Valentine Choquet. My crush of the week. Almost no text but plenty of emotions.

Watching

Love between Lines. Modern romance cdrama. So so good. Adults who talk about the misunderstanding, slowly falling for each other. The VR Republican Alternate universe escape game is so good. Both leads have chemistry, the acting is good, the story is good. It's about architecture, which is one of my thing. I'm watching in real time which is the one irritant.

Glory. Historical, political, matriarcal cdramaWhich is on hold because it hit kinda of a slump. I'm stalled at episode 12.

Flight to you. Modern work place cdrama set in aviation industry. It ties me over waiting for the new Love between lines episodes. Wang Kai (of Nirvana in fire) is his stoic self. It's a nice story. I'm up to episode 8.

I did finish last week Shine on me which was so much fun. One of the greenest green flag male lead in the same league as The First Frost and The Best Thing. Two really good modern cdrama romance from 2025.

Crafting

Started thisFox in Winter Fores t cross-stitch because I got tired of stitching flowers with a gazillion colour threads. So I put on hold my really big project to tackle this smaller one with less than 10 colour threads.

That's it.

Have a good rest of the week. I know I will.

dancesontrains

A banner for a Pokemon kink meme with art of three happy looking Dittos in a field.

pkmnkinkmeme

(Not afflilated, just intrigued!)

isis

What I've recently finished reading:

The Tiger and the Wolf by Adrian Tchaikovsky, first book in the Echoes of the Fall series. This is a fantasy Bronze-Age-ish world where tribes not only identify with an animal-god, but tribal members can shapeshift into the form of that animal at will. Interestingly, people can see at a glance which animal-tribe people are part of, seeing their "soul"; each also has its own culture which seems appropriate for the associated animal, i.e. the Wolf people are pack-oriented, aggressive, dominating, while the Bear people are big and shambling and prefer their solitary caves. The story follows a teen girl, Maniye, who has two souls and therefore two forms - that of her father, the Wolf that raised her, and that of her mother, a captured Tiger - but it's more of an adult story than YA, even though it's largely a coming-of-age narrative. There are hints of dark things coming, the return of the "Plague People" who the people of this land came here to escape; these are people who have no souls, which again is something plainly visible. I liked this a lot! So I'm reading the second book now, The Bear and the Serpent.

(I should say, I really like the major Bear character, Loud Thunder, who basically wants to sit in his cave with his dogs and sometimes go out and hunt and not be bothered by, ugh, people, but unfortunately has a Destiny, and hates it. Also the major Serpent character - the Serpents in general are super interesting, sort of the wise elders of the world.)

What I'm currently watching:

We finished S1 and are now mid-S2 of The Empress. It's oddly butting up against The Leopard now as we're getting to the Italian provinces of the Austrian Empire agitating for freedom and a united Italy, even mentioned Garibaldi. I love the history of it all, the problems of an old world inexorably moving into the modern times, rulers having to face the collisions of the privilege they love and the reality of being a good leader. Also the costumes, especially the womens' gowns, are fantastic.

What I'm currently playing:

Still Ghost of Tsushima. It's so pretty! And I appreciate that there are a number of female swordsmen and archers, even if it's not strictly historically factual.

pkmnkinkmod posting in

fandomcalendar

( You're about to view content that a community administrator has advised should be viewed with discretion. )

trobadora

I don't even know where today went; suddenly it's 11pm again?! Send extra hours - or a TARDIS, please!

Today's writing

Having a lot of trouble focusing today, argh. I made some progress restructuring one of the stories I'm working on, and figuring out the ending for another, but it's all going much slower than I'd like. Not much time left ...

I don't think chances are good for another

fandomtrees delay, but I wish!

Tally

( Days 1-10 )

Day 11:

badly_knitted,

brithistorian,

carenejeans,

china_shop,

cornerofmadness,

daegaer,

goddess47,

sanguinity,

shadaras,

sylvanwitch,

trobadora,

ysilme

Day 12:

badly_knitted,

brithistorian,

carenejeans,

china_shop,

cornerofmadness,

goddess47,

luzula,

sanguinity,

shadaras,

sylvanwitch,

trobadora,

ysilme

Day 13:

badly_knitted,

brithistorian,

carenejeans,

china_shop,

cornerofmadness,

goddess47,

luzula,

sanguinity,

sylvanwitch,

trobadora,

ysilme

Day 14:

china_shop,

trobadora

Let me know if I missed anyone! And remember you can drop in or out at any time. :)

sage

( books (all Pratchett) )

yarning
Listed Rockstar Lestat & older Daniel Molloy made to order art dolls. Finished and listed the teal bunny from last week. Worked on donation hats & gave them to my children's shelter contact at yarn group on Sunday. Had a good time there, working on another hat. Sold a valentine catnip heart.

healthcrap
doc appt Friday, where I asked for a referral to get a shingles shot. Doc appt Monday, where we talked about my weird blood cells. I am still titrating off the med I'm slowly quitting.

#resist
#50501 Jan 20th Free America Walkout. 2pm local time.

I hope you're all doing well! <333

white_aster

Still not dead yet!

Major stuff I've read lately:
- Plot and Structure by James Scott Bell - A somewhat dated but solid book on plot and structure. It's kind of genre-oriented rather than literary-oriented, and very much toward the mystery and thriller genres, but it's got some very good advice on plot and characters, which I imagine many subsequent books on plot and characters have repeated and reworked in the meantime.

- The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel - A really good book to read early on when you're investigating the personal-finance-o-sphere. This is not a cookbook, 'do this' sort of personal finance book, but more a "seriously think about how you THINK about money before you set your goals" kind of book. I've read a lot in this sphere, and still I thought this was an excellent and fresh take, highlighting how some serious introspection can help you avoid serious mistakes.

- How to Change: The Science of Getting from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be by Katy Milkman - ...meh? I dunno, maybe I've read too much in this area to find this particularly thrilling. Also, it suffers a bit from being too "explain the experiments" to really appeal to the average reader while at the same time just rehashing things that actual informed readers already know. So, it retreads some common ground, I felt.

- Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots - I've now read this book three times, and still love it. A witty, exciting story about a former hench who gets injured by a superhero and uses her considerable data analysis-fu skills to calculate the cost in property damage and human life of deploying superheroes/WMDs for basic crime. This gets her hired by the world's scariest supervillain, and away we go. A neat world mashup of super heroes and corporate drudgery, with a lot to say on exploitation and capitalism. Also I loved the main character's voice and I am WAITING (not so) PATIENTLY for the sequel that's set to come out in a few months, as I really, really want to see how Anna's arc progresses and how her relationship with Leviathan evolves.

Reading now:
- Reading the next Morgan Housel book, The Art of Spending Money. Am less impressed than with The Psychology of Money, mostly because i'm about a third of the way in and it's making the exact same points. It also seems, more than Psychology of Money, focused on the problems of rich people (all the ways super rich people fritter away their money) rather than issues seen by more average folks. I've also started reading Little Bosses Everywhere, which...someone here might have suggested? Interesting book on MLM/pyramid scheme history.

gilda_elise

Past midnight, something happens to time, that fragile concept we employ to order our sense of reality. It bends, stretches, turns back, or snaps, and sometimes reality with it. And what happens to the wide-eyed observer when the window between reality and unreality shatters, and the glass begins to fly? These four chilling novellas, a feast fit for King fans old and new, provide some shocking answers.

After all, past midnight is Stephen King's favorite time of day....

One Past Midnight: "The Langoliers" takes a red-eye flight from L.A. to Boston into a most unfriendly sky. Only eleven passengers survive, but landing in an eerily empty world makes them wish they hadn't. Something's waiting for them, you see….

The story keeps you on the edge of your seat, mainly because you can’t stop wanting to yell at the characters, “stop yammering and get on the damn plane!” I guess that only happened because I couldn’t help but be drawn into their stories and come to care about what happened to them. And the Langoliers are crazily frightening as they draw inexorably closer.

More science fiction than horror, but it certainly has some horrifying scenes.

Two Past Midnight: "Secret Window, Secret Garden" enters the suddenly strange life of writer Mort Rainey, recently divorced, depressed, and alone on the shore of Tashmore Lake. Alone, that is, until a figure named John Shooter arrives, pointing an accusing finger.

I couldn’t help but see this as more of a tragedy, as we slowly understand that what Rainey is experiencing isn’t what we think. But what is it, exactly? And what is real? A terrifying, yet heartbreaking story.

Three Past Midnight: "The Library Policeman" is set in Junction City, Iowa, an unlikely place for evil to be hiding. But for small businessman Sam Peebles, who thinks he may be losing his mind, another enemy is hiding there as well--the truth. If he can find it in time, he might stand a chance.

Unlike the first two stories, this one is definitely in the horror genre. Peebles must face the horrifying experience of his past while facing the real horror of the present. But with the help of his friends, he may just come out okay.

Four Past Midnight: The flat surface of a Polaroid photograph becomes for fifteen-year-old Kevin Delevan an invitation to the supernatural. Old Pop Merrill, Castle Rock's sharpest trader, wants to crash the party for profit, but "The Sun Dog," a creature that shouldn't exist at all, is a very dangerous investment.

A creepy take, though most of the creepiness was because to Old Pop Merrill. Really liked the story until the very end.

With an introduction and prefatory notes to each of the tales, Stephen King discusses how these stories arose in what is the world's most fearsome imagination. But it is the stories themselves that will keep readers awake long after bedtime, into those dark, timeless hours past midnight.

I enjoyed all four stories very much (though, as I said, I could do without the ending of the fourth one.) As always, King creates characters that I come to care for. The passengers on the red-eye from LA, Sam and his friends, Dave and Naomi, Kevin and his father. Even the writer, Mort.

It’s a wonderful collection of short stories/novellas that are well worth reading.

Mount TBR Reading Challenge

Mount TBR 2026 Book Links

Links are to more information regarding each book or author, not to the review.

1. The Doors of Eden by Adrian Tchaikovsky
2. Four Past Midnight by Stephen King

Short Story Anthology

Goodreads 2

JANUARY - Read Around the Clock - Read a book with a clock on the cover.
Four Past Midnight by Stephen King

xkcd_feed

https://xkcd.com/3194/

Some surfaces may seem difficult to glue. But if you research the materials, find tables of what adhesives work on them, and prepare your surfaces carefully, you can fail to glue them in a fun NEW way that fills your house with dangerous vapors.

https://xkcd.com/3194/

badly_knitted posting in

get_knitted

Hello to all members, passers-by, curious onlookers, and shy lurkers, and welcome to our regular daily check-in post. Just leave a comment below to let us know how your current projects are progressing, or even if they're not.

Checking in is NOT compulsory, check in as often or as seldom as you want, this community isn't about pressure it's about encouragement, motivation, and support. Crafting is meant to be fun, and what's more fun than sharing achievements and seeing the wonderful things everyone else is creating?

There may also occasionally be questions, but again you don't have to answer them, they're just a way of getting to know each other a bit better.

This Week's Question: What are your crafting goals for 2026?

If anyone has any questions of their own about the community, or suggestions for tags, questions to be asked on the check-in posts, or if anyone is interested in playing check-in host for a week here on the community, which would entail putting up the daily check-in posts and responding to comments, go to the Questions & Suggestions post and leave a comment.

I now declare this Check-In OPEN!

Current Mood: tired
Current Location: my desk

rachelmanija

A Bad Idea comic by Matt Kindt, Ramon Villalobos and Tamra Bonvillain. A swords and sorcery parody/pastiche about a group of badass, backstabbing, greedy, terrible people tasked with saving a peaceful city from invaders. I picked this up based on the art, which is spectacular - I especially love the unusual color palette.

Unfortunately, the story is both cliched and kind of edgelord, and I didn't care about any of the characters. Also, the art is extremely gory - the panel above is mild. So I won't be continuing this series, but I may look into what else Ramon Villalobos, the artist, has done.

missingvolume

The day Celia came into her magical powers she cursed her oldest brother to live without love. Her father now ignores her and her middle brother causing the tow siblings to forge a relationship that was previously prevented to happen due to middle brother’s mother being of low status. When the king decides that Celia must go to court to marry the prince she finds out that not is all as it seems with the reasons of the marriage and now she is nothing more that someone to be ignored by her new husband as she finds out the true meaning behind the war that has gone on between her people and the elves. A good novella that reminds the reader of the power of words.

Digital review copy provided by the publisher through Edelweiss

A drawing of a lute with sword for a neck and flowers around and on it.

ysabetwordsmith

Today is cloudy, windy, and cold.

I fed the birds. I've seen a few sparrows.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 1/14/26 -- We saw a flock of geese flying mostly north.

Current Mood: busy

senmut

sweettartheart your gift arrived on Yena's birthday and we are both so excited! Thank you!

thewayne

Very interesting article in The Guardian. When I was a kid in the '60s and '70s, we had glass bottles, tin and aluminum cans. But the petroleum industry knew that they could make plastic out of what they were extracting, and suddenly we had this huge outlay of plastic crap: PROFITS! Now glass bottles are almost only seen in alcohol containers, largely the same with aluminum cans. Plastic is everywhere and it's hard to drive for a day without seeing a grocery bag in or blowing across the street. We eat microplastics, we breathe microplastics, they're everywhere.

We've been told that our bodies are simply full of microplastics. Some pay $8,000+ to do through dialysis like those with failed kidneys go through to supposedly rid their bodies of microplastics.

Now there's questions being raised.

From The Guardian article: "...micro- and nanoplastic particles are tiny and at the limit of today’s analytical techniques, especially in human tissue. There is no suggestion of malpractice, but researchers told the Guardian of their concern that the race to publish results, in some cases by groups with limited analytical expertise, has led to rushed results and routine scientific checks sometimes being overlooked.

The Guardian has identified seven studies that have been challenged by researchers publishing criticism in the respective journals, while a recent analysis listed 18 studies that it said had not considered that some human tissue can produce measurements easily confused with the signal given by common plastics."

Another very telling excerpt: “Levels of microplastics in human brains may be rapidly rising” was the shocking headline reporting a widely covered study in February. The analysis, published in a top-tier journal and covered by the Guardian, said there was a rising trend in micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) in brain tissue from dozens of postmortems carried out between 1997 and 2024.

However, by November, the study had been challenged by a group of scientists with the publication of a “Matters arising” letter in the journal. In the formal, diplomatic language of scientific publishing, the scientists said: “The study as reported appears to face methodological challenges, such as limited contamination controls and lack of validation steps, which may affect the reliability of the reported concentrations.”

One of the team behind the letter was blunt. “The brain microplastic paper is a joke,” said Dr Dušan Materić, at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research in Germany. “Fat is known to make false-positives for polyethylene. The brain has [approximately] 60% fat.” Materić and his colleagues suggested rising obesity levels could be an alternative explanation for the trend reported in the study.

Materić said: “That paper is really bad, and it is very explainable why it is wrong.” He thinks there are serious doubts over “more than half of the very high impact papers” reporting microplastics in biological tissue."

False positives mimicking polyethylene. Contamination control problems. Interesting. I run into a similar thing when I get certain types of bloodwork done: my quantities are below the calibration level of the equipment. I might have certain types of antibodies, but they can't be easily detected, therefor they are functionally zero. But if we don't know how much microplastic is building up in people or animals, how can we know how much of a threat it is? It's easy to say that anything greater than zero is not good, but we commonly are exposed to air pollution and environmental pollutants that are greater than zero and live with minimal or no health problems. Of course, there are others living in areas with greater levels of pollution, or people with greater health risks, where it is a problem.

And that's the problem: we just don't know.

Which obviously doesn't mean that we can ignore the problem. Plastics is a scourge, and it may be a major problem. Medical instrumentation improves every year, so we will begin to know. We do know that there are rising trends in mental health impairment as we get older. And also in the young: I read yesterday about a 24 y/o in the UK who just died of frontal-temporal lobe dementia, youngest documented case yet of someone dying of dementia. Maybe it's related to plastics, maybe not. We don't know.

In today's world we're increasingly forced to live fast. And in many cases it seems like dying young is becoming a result. And no corpse is good-looking - it's still a corpse.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jan/13/microplastics-human-body-doubt

https://science.slashdot.org/story/26/01/14/004231/doubt-cast-on-discovery-of-microplastics-throughout-human-body

adore

Crowdsourcing opinions: what's an email service you like/recommend? I want to leave Gmail and only use it for signing into websites because nowadays it's all Gemini this Gemini that.

I saw an amazing Tumblr post about a Chinese poet who was so brilliant and her man so mediocre 😭 the love story she didn't deserve. She made a poem puzzle that yields more poems the more you look at it. So cool!

Historic medical event: I had an online consultation with a gynaecologist and she said my periods are definitely not normal. No hesitation, no excuses, just straight up "That's not normal. Have you had an ultrasound done?" And when I said I never have, she said I needed to get one done, along with a blood test. And that once I got tested, the results would give her some idea of where to go from here.

First time a doctor has said heavy painful periods are not normal, and that we need to find out causes.

She prescribed that I'm got to get tested for my complete blood count, fasting blood sugar, free testosterone, total testosterone, liver function test, serum creatine, fasting lipid profile, HDA1C (haemoglobin A1C), fasting insulin, HOMA IR (for insulin resistance), Vitamin D, Vitamin B12, prolactin. And I've got to get an ultrasound of my abdomen and pelvis.

I saw an Instagram post by The Period Lab about what to get tested in your bloodwork if you have bleeding more than 8 diva cups over your entire period (I bleed that amount in ONE DAY) and there's a lot of overlap, but also other things not included in my prescription that I want to get done as well:

nocowardsoul

Challenge #5

In your own space, create a list of at least three things you'd love to receive, a wishlist of sorts. Leave a comment in this post saying you did it and include a link to your wishlist if you feel comfortable doing so.

1. For people to post to

historicalyafen, which is for vintage children's and ya fiction and historical children's and ya fiction.

2. A link to a detailed description of how to record a podcast for a complete n00b.

3. For everyone to have a good 2026!

susandennis

Here's a tip for getting a new scale after not having one for a really long time... Yesterday, when the scale arrived, it was mid day and I was fully clothed - I tried it out. I did take off my shoes. Today I weighed myself right after I got up and peed. Nearly no clothes. I lost a kilometer!! And my scale draws a little graph line so mine went way down. VERY satisfying. Fictional but satisfying. (And, yeah, my doctor's office tracks weight in kilograms so I decided to follow suit.)

I had a text from NovoCare this morning wanting me opt in to texts. So I know they have my number in their system for sure and it's just a wait.

When the new closet gets installed, the cat beds will have to move. They are heated but one of them doesn't even heat any more. So I ordered them a big, heated dog bed with bolsters. Since under the bed is now empty and I do NOT want to use it for any storage, I'm planning on putting the dog bed there. They like it under there anyway.

This afternoon is my first Food and Beverage Committee Meeting. They meet in private on the 2nd Wednesday and then hold a public meeting on the 3rd. Should be interesting. Before that - this morning - is exercise class at 10. In between, I might make a quick trip to the grocery store. I want some yogurt and cheese and maybe other stuff.

That's rather a busy day for me. Better get going with it.

mount_oregano

Here are some things published in 2025 that you may wish to consider nominating for an award — just a reminder. Some are my own works, some are my translations.

Science fiction and fantasy short stories by me

“To Defeat Water” Short story, 1175 words. If you curse Poseidon, he might curse you, too, time and time again. And life after life, you can fight back. Read it here: The Lorelei Signal, July 2025.

“Journey to Apollodorus” Novelette, 8760 words. In my novel Dual Memory, an AI named Par Augustus discovers a story about robots in the Apollodorus Crater on Mercury. This is the story. It focuses on the humans who struggle to create and maintain a scientific team when a lander sent to Mercury behaves unexpectedly. Success can be as stressful as failure. Oxygen Leaks Magazine, March 2025 (no longer in publication, contact me for a copy).

Novella translation

ChloroPhilia by Cristina Jurado. Translation of a novella, 20,200 words. Would you sacrifice your humanity to save the world? Nominated for Spain’s Ignotus Award, this strange coming-of-age story addresses life after an environmental disaster, collective madness, and sacrifices made for the greater good. Buy it here: Apex Books, January 2025.

Science fiction short story translations

“Trees at Night” by Ramiro Sanchiz. Translation of a short story, 6050 words. A librarian at a hospital-like sanatorium befriends a young patient named Federico for reasons that eventually become clear. Read it here: Clarkesworld Science Fiction and Fantasy Magazine, November 2025.

“Proxima One” by Caryanna Reuven. Translation of a short story, 4020 words. A machine intelligence called Proxima One sends probes into the galaxy on long journeys filled with waiting and yearning in a search for intelligent life. The probes cope with unexpected wonders, loss, and profound changes — but there is always possibility and hope. Read it here: Clarkesworld Science Fiction and Fantasy Magazine, May 2025.

“Bodyhoppers” by Rocío Vega. Translation of a short story, 5290 words. Minds can hop from body to body, but there’s always a problem because the system is designed to create them. One day, you can’t return to your own body because it’s occupied by someone with more money. Now you have no home, and you’re still madly in love. Clarkesworld Science Fiction and Fantasy Magazine, February 2025.

Poetry translation

Liquid Sand / Arena Líquida by Jorge Valdés Díaz-Vélez. Book of poetry translated by Christian Law Palacín and myself. This is the first major bilingual collection of poems by Jorge Valdés Díaz-Vélez, one of Mexico’s most respected contemporary poets. It gathers 42 of his works selected from six previous collections that span more than two decades of writing. Shearsman Books, November 2025.

spikedluv

What I Just Finished Reading: Since last Wednesday I have read/finished reading: Tomb of the Golden Bird (An Amelia Peabody Mystery) by Elizabeth Peters and Running Blind (A Jack Reacher Novel) by Lee Child.

What I am Currently Reading: I just finished the last book yesterday so I haven’t started anything yet, but I’m thinking Husband Material (London Calling) by Alexis Hall.

What I Plan to Read Next: Undecided, but I have several to choose from; I have another library book out and a couple on my own shelf, so it’ll be whatever I’m feeling after I finish this one.

Book 3 of 2026: Tomb of the Golden Bird (An Amelia Peabody Mystery) (Elizabeth Peters)

I really enjoyed this book. Though I'm sad that it's the final book that doesn't include jumping back in time. ( spoilers )

Good story; I'm giving it five hearts. I'm going to miss reading about this family and their adventures. (Though there might be one book that goes back to an earlier time that I might give a try.)

♥♥♥♥♥

Book 4 of 2026: Running Blind (A Jack Reacher Novel) (Lee Child)

Good book. My favorite so far. ( spoilers )

I enjoyed this book and am giving it five hearts.

♥♥♥♥♥

fred_mouse posting in

unclutter

How did the decluttering of the hobby spaces go? Did you spend time looking for things that could go, move a thing or two, or have a wildly successful week? Or did you work on a different space instead?

For the third week, we are moving on to a work space -- just the one. Unless you have all the energy and all the time, in which case don't let me hold you back. But this was meant to be a gentle challenge to get started on the year. What decluttering a work space might look like

moving the cooking equipment you never use out of the kitchen
sorting through stuff in a work from home space so you have more space for you
looking in the laundry for things that have drifted into corners and become one with the wall.
going through the cleaning rag stash and getting it down to Just! One! Bucket! worth (for whatever size of bucket you keep your rags in)
throwing out old cleaning equipment--particularly if you have replaced it with one that you use!

Alternatively: keep going with the rest and / or hobby spaces. Get things out of the house!

Expand Cut Tags

No cut tags

Profile

mirlacca

Ashley McConnell

December 2025

S	M	T	W	T	F	S
	1	2	3	4	5	6
7	8	9	10	11	12	13
14	15	16	17	18	19	20
21	22	23	24	25	26	27
28	29	30	31

Page Summary

spikedluv - The Day in Spikedluv (Wednesday, Jan 14)
selenak - January Meme: Andor: Syril Karn on Ghorman, on "going native?"
mific - Good HR meta, and RL news
ysabetwordsmith - Community Thursdays
ysabetwordsmith - Content notes for "The Most Dangerous Animal in the Zoo"
soc_puppet - An update of update-y-ness
lassarina - catching up on all the things
lassarina - What Are You Playing Wednesday
troisoiseaux - Reading Wednesday
ysabetwordsmith - Poetry Fishbowl Update
hannah - Don't even try.
cathrowan - Bionic ears
senmut - Wednesday Reading
shadowkat - January Question A Day Meme
celli - I finished a book! On a Wednesday!
susandennis - Today was packed - I'm taking tomorrow off
chazzbanner - various...
helloladies in ladybusiness - Adventures Elsewhere — December 2025
shadowkat - Wednesday - at last...more commuting woes, Buffy/Angel rewatch & Angelica Huston on Polanski
writerlibrarian - What I’m doing Wednesday and first class went great
dancesontrains - New kink meme
isis - wednesday reads and things
pkmnkinkmod in fandomcalendar - Pokémon Kink Meme
trobadora - Write Every day 2026: January, Day 14
sage - What I'm Doing Wednesday
white_aster - What We Weading Wednesday
gilda_elise - Four Past Midnight by Stephen King
xkcd_feed - 16-Part Epoxy
badly_knitted in get_knitted - Check-In Post - Jan 14th 2026
rachelmanija - They're All Terrible 1-3
missingvolume - #3 The Summer War by Naomi Novik
ysabetwordsmith - Birdfeeding
senmut - OMG mail call
thewayne - Controversy on detecting microplastics in the human body!
adore - (no subject)
nocowardsoul - Fandom snowflake-challenge #5
susandennis - Wednesday
mount_oregano - Works eligible for awards
spikedluv - Wednesday Reading Meme & Books 3 & 4 of 2026
fred_mouse in unclutter - January Challenge (3 of 5)

Style Credit

Style: Ivory Alcea for Mobility by branchandroot
Resources: Mitsuba Aoi

Page generated Jan. 23rd, 2026 11:25 am