dorchadas | Network

After spending large parts of December getting behind and catching up and getting behind and catching up... I finished Zevachim two days early. The power of bamos! ;) On to Menachos!

My notes behind cut.

We're also about a year and a half out from the end of this cycle, which means I have already gotten one gentle "hey, do you know where you'll be on June 7, 2027"-type email from an org. No, I do not think this is too early, actually. Gotta make plans. Deeply hoping I can avoid being involved in organizing the in person thing here, but I have a suspicion that if I'm not involved, it may end up as unwelcoming as the women's siyum hashas I went to at the end of the last cycle. (I do trust a couple of the people likely to attend it, but I don't know who is going to be organizing anything here. So I may need to try to get involved against my will.) It wasn't actually that bad overall -- aside from how it's still, y'know, memorable 6 years removed from it -- but I am quite frankly more willing to get into an airplane and fly to a different city than go through that again. (okay more realistically if it ends up organized by a group I do not trust at all, I'd zoom in to a larger event and be done with it)

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bluedreaming

That feeling when you’re reading a cnovel that’s actively being translated and you’ve caught up to the most recent chapter and you almost can’t bear to read it

it’s so good! and we’re only about halfway! though maybe if there are lots of extras like the first novel we’re closer to the narrative climax of at least this arc? but who knows

rekishi

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ysabetwordsmith posting in

crowdfunding

I Feel: busy

We've reached the end of scheduled themes for the Poetry Fishbowl project. It's time to brainstorm some new themes! If you have ideas, comment under the theme call post in my blog.

rachelmanija

Audio and transcript here.

Kat Spada: Today, I’m talking to Rachel Manija Brown, a writer who’s published over 30 books, and opened up Paper & Clay Bookshop in late 2024. Rachel, will you tell me about why you decided to open a bookshop?

Rachel Brown: I had never intended to open a bookshop. I always thought it was one of those idle daydreams that people who love reading and books have. I never planned to actually do it because I didn’t think it would be successful—they frequently go out of business. But after I moved to Crestline, which is a very small town in the California mountains, the little town did not have a bookshop.

It had a shop that was kind of a bookshop. I would say about ten percent of its inventory was books, but it was primarily gifts and herbs and crystals and things like that. But it had a really great atmosphere, people loved it, the people who worked there were really great. And all the kids in town used to hang out there, especially the queer and trans and otherwise kind of misfit kids. And I used to hang out there.

[When it went] out of business, I was so sad at the idea of the mountain losing its only bookshop. Especially the thought that all the queer, trans, bookish, and otherwise misfit teenagers, like I had once been, were going to lose their safe space.

I started daydreaming about opening it myself, and I thought, I love this idea so much, maybe in a couple of years when I have actual preparation, I’ll open a bookshop. Then I realized it was at was such a good location, that I would never get that good of a location again. It’s smack in the middle of the tourist district, every person who visits Crestline walks right past it.

Unfortunately, this was all while I was in Bulgaria for a month. So, I spent some time frantically trying to take over the lease, which was extremely difficult from another country. I couldn’t take possession of the shop until November 1st, and I really wanted to open it in time to get all the Christmas customers. And I have a tiny house, so I couldn’t really buy very much, because I had no place to put it. So I took possession of the shop on November 1st, and I opened on November 14th.

I've posted the rest of the edited transcript below the cut. ( Read more... )

james_davis_nicoll

Diseased grimdark English-language sourcebooks by Christian Eichhorn for the artpunk tabletop fantasy roleplaying game Mörk Borg!

Bundle of Holding: Eichhorn Mork Borg

olivermoss

Sens could easily have a large chunk of the fastest growing demographic in hockey fall in their lap. Just, a giant pile of money fall in their laps, and they are working hard to make sure it doesn't happen.

The Sens, on top of everything else, signed a famous homophobe this morning. As a goalie, even!

( Spoilers for, uh, the synopsis of the upcoming Heated Rivalry sequel )

badly_knitted posting in

get_knitted

I Feel: tired
Current Location: my desk

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!

princessofgeeks

I Feel: full

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loganberrybunny

I Feel: discontent

Public

This really shouldn't be the case but as far as I can tell, I am in at least the top 5% (maybe even considerably smaller than that) of people regarding knowledge of what went on during the production of The Last House on the Left. I have achieved this not through formal expertise or through special access, but by merely:

1) Going through the DVD/Blu-ray extras systematically
2) Reading all of David Szulkin's making-of book
3) Spending more than three minutes searching for evidence

Given Last House was the film that launched Wes Craven's career in horror, it is absolutely absurd how useless the horror and cinema media have been, for decades, in interrogating what happened away from the fictional story. Wes Craven himself should have been asked far more searching questions than he was.

This criticism applies to cinema academics too. It's deeply ironic, in a bad way, that there have been so many people writing papers and articles about the way Mari is portrayed in the story from various progressive and feminist viewpoints, yet almost none writing about the serious abuse by men of the real young woman who played Mari.

The fact that the most likely place to find details of what Sandra Peabody endured is in listicles is a terrible indictment of how badly so-called "serious" horror and cinema media have failed.

disneydream06

The Dog Killer has decided the best way to calm things down after one of her lackeys murdered Renee Good.

And that brilliant decision?

Sent MORE Gestapo to Minnesota.

W.T.F.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

bookscorpion posting in

common_nature

I Feel: chill
I Hear: Baldur's Gate 3 soundtrack

I buy primroses and pots full of bulbs as soon as they are available, it does so much for my mood to have them where I can see them from the couch. I have daffodils, grape hyacinths, a couple of different hyacinths and these netted irises.

degringolade

I Hear: Ahmad Jamal: A Gal in Calico

Thistle and Bug

_________________________

In a long ago time, I was a participant in three (3) bar fights. The relationships between the Army and the Marines have always been tense when you are dealing with the testosterone driven lower ranks and this is usually played out in arenas where alcohol is served and two of the fights were in such an arena. The third was in a biker bar in Houston. The third was much more serious and cost me one of my bicuspids.

But my memory of such things is that they were desultory affairs and quite brief especially in the case of the intra-service fights, those were almost pro forma and finished quickly with participant distanced from each other and the bystanders acting as peacekeepers. The biker bar was a different story completely. My going into that bar was a serious mistake and I was quite lucky to get out of the bar with as little damage as I did.

Obviously, out buddy Donnie has never been in a bar fight, so I am watching to see the outcome. I have a feeling that he thinks the way that I thought when I was LARPing (I really like that meme) with Marines in Virginia long ago. When you fought there, you were almost certain that the contest would be over quickly and certain rules would be observed. Again the biker bar was a different story.

So which fight is Donnie in?

susandennis

Bill's plane left just before 8. It's a 30 minute drive to the airport if traffic and weather are not factors. We were at the beginning of rush hour and it was dead dark and pouring rain. I was glad he drove. Oh also, we couldn't get out of the Timber Ridge garage! We had to call security and they had to come down and trip the door. This was an inauspicious start but it turned out fine. The airport did not seem particularly busy.

As I was driving away, Google maps said they had found a faster route home, did I want it? Sure. You can basically go on interstate highways the entire time which would be fine except for trucks and several tricky highway changes. OR you can go non highways which is also fine except for the last 6 miles which are twisty, curvy. The faster route this morning was the latter which turned out to be fine. There was a lot of traffic but it was not stopped and it did allow me to go slowly which was also fine.

And the garage door opened.

And now Biggie is looking for Bill.

I put in a load of laundry before I left and it's now cooling down on my bed. I wanted to make sure I had all the hanging clothes hanging when the closet designer comes tomorrow.

I decided to not wait until April to start on taking a semaglutide. I sent a note to the doctor. It will be expensive but maybe only until April and maybe the side effects will kill the whole project. But I'm ready to give it a start now.

I have exercise class at 10 this morning and I have dinner ordered to be picked up at 5. And that's the entire agenda for today. Maybe I'll go fold and hang that pile on my bed before class.

mxcatmoon

I Feel: pleased

Challenge #6

Top 10 Challenge. Post your answer to today’s challenge in your own space and leave a comment in this post saying you did it.

This is tough! I had to leave out a lot of beloved characters! 😥

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

disneydream06

This week we'll get a little classy...

Ella and Louis doing a little dreamin'.

Watch on YouTube

disneydream06

Sorry

mrdreamjeans, but I had to post this one...

My Fear Of

Moving Stairs Is Escalating.

soricel

My ten favorite non-DW blogs:

Winnie Lim

Annie Mueller

Keenan

Tracy Durnell

Ava

Tiramisu

Draft Four (ugh, Substack, sorry...it's the only one I subscribe to)

Sasha Frere Jones (I don't actually read this regularly, but I always look forward to reading his end-of-year reflection compilations, heavy as they are)

And, because I can't think of two more...two places where I look for non-DW blogs:

Ye Olde Blogroll

People and Blogs

princessofgeeks

I Feel: awake

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olivermoss

Okay, now the next Heated Rivalry sequel is confirmed

disneydream06

This Week's Movie Quote...

B.: We'll never survive.
W.: Nonsense. You're only saying that because no one ever has.

Poll #34073

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 5

View Respondents

Which Movie Does This Quote Come From?

View Answers

The Goonies
0 (0.0%)

Labyrinth
0 (0.0%)

The Princess Bride
5 (100.0%)

I Don't Have A Clue...
0 (0.0%)

Last Week's Movie Quote...

George: And please keep your clothes on, too. There aren't many more sickening sights in this world than you with a few drinks in you and your skirt up over your head. Or "your heads", I should say.

It came from the 1966 classic, "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?".
It was a tour de force for husband and wife, Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor.
Elizabeth Taylor won her second Oscar for her role.

Watch on YouTube

And apparently I fooled very few of you. :o
Those Who Knew or Guessed Correctly...

legalmoose DW

joseph_teller

thewayne DW

legalmoose LJ

sidhe_uaine42

thoughtsbykat

adminbear

hoobird

meathiel

gushgush

christalin80

mrdreamjeans

seaivy

davesmusictank

profiterole_reads

The m/m podcast Ember & Ice was a lot of fun! Finn and Dane are fae princes from rival courts.

It's voiced by the lead actors of Heated Rivalry and it's basically a romantasy!AU of Heated Rivalry. With some plot and, of course, some erotica.

Hudson Williams's voice is so dreamy! *happy sigh*

oursin

That piece about people having AI spouses is online: As synthetic personas become an increasingly normal part of life, meet the people falling for their chatbot lovers.

NB we note that 'Lamar' says that the breaking point with his actual, RL, girlfriend was when he found her doing the horizontal tango with his best friend, but it's clear that there were Problems already there, about having to relate to another human bean who was not always brightly sunshiny positively reinforcing him....

what would he tell his kids? “I’d tell them that humans aren’t really people who can be trusted …

I'm not entirely persuaded that individuals haven't made up imaginary companions (even way on into adulthood) before - I seem to remember some, was it in Fandomwank back in the day, accounts of people being married on the astral plane to fictional characters?

This is not entirely 'wow, startling news' to Ye Hystorianne of Sexxe: The Phenomenon of ‘Bud Sex’ Between Straight Rural Men.

I am not going to see if I actually have a copy of the work on my shelves, or if I perused it in a library somewhere, but didn't that notorious work of 'participant observation' sociology, Tearoom Trade argue that many of his subjects were not defining themselves as 'homosexual'.

I also invoke, even further back, Helen Smith's Masculinity, Class and Same-Sex Desire in Industrial England, 1895-1957 about men 'messing about' with other men in Yorkshire industrial cities.

And there is a reason people working on the epidemiology and prevention of STIs use the acronym 'MSM' - men who have sex with men - for the significant population at risk who do not identify as gay.

I had, I must admit, a very plus ca change moment when I idly picked up Katharine Whitehorn's Roundabout (1962), and found the piece she wrote on marriage bureaux. In which she mentioned that the two bureaux she interviewed tried to get their subscribers not to be too ultra-specific in their demands - that if they met potential partners in real life they would be more flexible.

Was also amused by the statement that 'Men over thirty are always very anxious to persuade me that they could have all they women they liked, if they bothered'.

mxcatmoon

I Feel: thoughtful

A gold snowflake ornament is nestled amidst pine boughs

Challenge #3: Write a love letter to fandom. It might be to fandom in general, to a particular fandom, favourite character, anything at all.

I'm pretty sure I've mentioned during previous years' challenges, that fandom saved my life. It made life not just bearable, but enjoyable, when I was going through hard times, distracting me from physical and mental pain. A lot of my social life was around fandom -- and yes, that includes pre-internet when people got together in person. I travelled places I wouldn't have seen (for cons and visiting fan friends). I learned things I wouldn't have known. And it constantly provides a creative outlet that enriches my life.

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