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Fandom Snowflake Challenge #6
2026-Jan-12, Monday 20:23![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
tjs_whatnot
Challenge #6
Top 10 Challenge.
Cheating big time! But finding the Top 10 books I read this year was too daunting (even when I cheated and counted a whole series as one 😍). So here, have a few Top 10s. These are all books I've read this year (mostly). I didn't count re-reads (of which there were many and would have skewed the results drastically).
( Queer Male Romances )
( Sapphic Stories )
( Trans/Non-Binary )
*and yes, I loved that their were two re-tellings of Pride and Prejudice in there. ❤️❤️
( Mixed Bag )
If you want to talk about ANY of these books, I am HERE for it! If you want to give me recommendations based on these lists I'm also here for that! ❤️❤️
[ 94 Snapshot, You and Idol Pretty Cure, UtaKoko ] The Six Month-a-Versary Book of Memories
2026-Jan-13, Tuesday 15:39merryfortune posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
100femslashTitle: The Six Month-a-Versary Book of Memories
Fandom: You and Idol Pretty Cure
Ship: Sakura Uta/Shigure Kokoro
Prompt: 94 Snapshot
Warnings: None, canon typical Hibiki Kaito/Sakura Uta mention
Rating: T
Length: 2,116
Synopsis: Kokoro gives Uta a present to celebrate their six month anniversary.
Ao3 // Dreamwidth // Tumblr
Fandom: You and Idol Pretty Cure
Ship: Sakura Uta/Shigure Kokoro
Prompt: 94 Snapshot
Warnings: None, canon typical Hibiki Kaito/Sakura Uta mention
Rating: T
Length: 2,116
Synopsis: Kokoro gives Uta a present to celebrate their six month anniversary.
Ao3 // Dreamwidth // Tumblr
HOW?!!?!?!
2026-Jan-12, Monday 22:28althea_valara
Posting this EVERYWHERE because I am shocked I survived. No seriously, when the battle ended I thought I had died and the gems were coming out of ME, not Riku.
https://www.twitch.tv/altheavalara/clip/RelatedCarelessDoveAliens-xTavKVxdw_67NLp3
(Apparently I can't embed, so click to watch!)
https://www.twitch.tv/altheavalara/clip/RelatedCarelessDoveAliens-xTavKVxdw_67NLp3
(Apparently I can't embed, so click to watch!)
Fanfic, Bionicle - All Media Types, Vakama & Jaller & Takua, Makuta creates the Charred Forest
2026-Jan-12, Monday 20:22bluerosekatie posting in smallfandomfestTitle: The Charred Forest Arises
Author: bluerosekatie
Fandom: Bionicle - All Media Types
Pairing/Characters: Vakama & Jaller & Takua
Rating/Category: Gen
Prompt: Bionicle - All Media Types, Vakama & Jaller & Takua, Makuta creates the Charred Forest to strike at Ta-Koro.
Spoilers: N/A
Summary: What was once Lhii's Forest, a haven for the Ta-Matoran, becomes something else in the hands of Makuta.
Notes/Warnings: Fic is archive-locked to avoid AI scraping.
Read it on Ao3 here!
Author: bluerosekatie
Fandom: Bionicle - All Media Types
Pairing/Characters: Vakama & Jaller & Takua
Rating/Category: Gen
Prompt: Bionicle - All Media Types, Vakama & Jaller & Takua, Makuta creates the Charred Forest to strike at Ta-Koro.
Spoilers: N/A
Summary: What was once Lhii's Forest, a haven for the Ta-Matoran, becomes something else in the hands of Makuta.
Notes/Warnings: Fic is archive-locked to avoid AI scraping.
Read it on Ao3 here!
First Day back
2026-Jan-12, Monday 22:54cornerofmadness
Started with my annual wellness check. I have some things she wants me to do that I agree need being done (endoscopy/colonoscopy) and isn't sure that coughing thing I do some times IS the hiatal hernia. My tachycardia is getting worse. She's wondering if I'm going into arrythmias and the coughing is resetting it. I'll be doing some testing for that. You'd think she'd order a halter monitor but she didn't. Just wants me to get a pulse ox for now.
Monday is an easy day. I have 1 new student in my upper level A&P and one didn't show but otherwise, it went well. Tomorrow is much more likely to be issuey.
Here's a funny thing from yesterday. Even though I had the thing on timer I was making a pastina soup and...it boiled out of the pot and burnt the pasta to the bottom. I told this to my parents and they started laughing. Mom did exactly the same thing with her soup too.
And it's music monday 30 weeks of music. This week's prompt is #9 a song you could exercise to. Believe it or not I HAVE an exercise playlist for when I'm at my brother's and doing aerobics in the pool. Since that contains slow warm up/cool downs I'll share some of the more driving ones.
( right under here )
Monday is an easy day. I have 1 new student in my upper level A&P and one didn't show but otherwise, it went well. Tomorrow is much more likely to be issuey.
Here's a funny thing from yesterday. Even though I had the thing on timer I was making a pastina soup and...it boiled out of the pot and burnt the pasta to the bottom. I told this to my parents and they started laughing. Mom did exactly the same thing with her soup too.
And it's music monday 30 weeks of music. This week's prompt is #9 a song you could exercise to. Believe it or not I HAVE an exercise playlist for when I'm at my brother's and doing aerobics in the pool. Since that contains slow warm up/cool downs I'll share some of the more driving ones.
( right under here )
Book review: Empty Wardrobes
2026-Jan-12, Monday 19:19rocky41_7 posting in booknookTitle: Empty Wardrobes
Author: Maria Judite de Carvalho
Translator: Margaret Jull Costa
Genre: Fiction, literary
I collect false treasures in empty wardrobes.
This quote by Paul Eluard opens book #14 from the "Women in Translation" rec list, which continues to fatten up my TBR list. This is Empty Wardrobes by Maria Judite de Carvalho, translated from Portuguese by Margaret Jull Costa. This novella, originally published in the 1960s, is about the ways in which women are subsumed by the men in their lives, or otherwise are buffeted about with less control over their lives than they ought to have.
The forward by Kate Zambreno is a wonderfully complementary piece. She talks about the anger she feels going to a woman's funeral and hearing the dead woman sanctified by men in her life who did nothing but take from her, who can speak of her only to praise what she did for others, and can say nothing about what the woman herself was.
Sometimes you can read a book and just know the author was angry when she wrote it. This is one of those. The book uses the phrase "discreet rage" about one of its characters, and I think that sentiment succinctly describes the whole book. The protagonist, Dora Rosario, is ten years into widowhood, and she has devoted her entire life to mourning her unremarkable husband as much as she had previous devoted her life to supporting his every opinion regardless of whether or not she agreed with it. Now, a decade on, her mother-in-law reveals something about Dora's late husband that changes her entire perspective.
I would like to believe we are moving away from the world portrayed in Empty Wardrobes (though not with as much success as I'd like), but this is a stark reminder of how even a few generations ago, in the Sixties, a woman's identity was so controlled by her husband's. There are only two men in this book--Duarte, Dora's dead husband, and Ernesto, the longtime partner of a side character--and they both, through social structures, exercise incredible control over the lives of the women around them without any respect or even knowledge of their impact.
The three main women in this book--Dora, her daughter Lisa, and the narrator--each take a different approach to the male romantic partners in their lives, and none of them comes out the better for it (well, perhaps for Lisa, but I personally doubt it will last), because the ultimate problem is societal attitudes about the way men and women are meant to relate to each other.
It's not a long book, and I can't say much more without spoiling things, but I also think it does some fabulous things with its narration and perspective, and the way it doles out information. Really an excellent framing that allows for a lot of fluidity and filling in gaps with your own visions while remaining clear in the nature of the story it's telling.
This book was only translated into English in 2021, which is a shame, because I think it would have struck a nerve much earlier, but we have it now! Costa does an excellent job with the work too; the writing is full of punchy phrases like the above, and she captures some realistic dialogue--characters repeating themselves, responding in ways that don't quite match up with what was asked, etc.--while keeping it natural-sounding.
Author: Maria Judite de Carvalho
Translator: Margaret Jull Costa
Genre: Fiction, literary
I collect false treasures in empty wardrobes.
This quote by Paul Eluard opens book #14 from the "Women in Translation" rec list, which continues to fatten up my TBR list. This is Empty Wardrobes by Maria Judite de Carvalho, translated from Portuguese by Margaret Jull Costa. This novella, originally published in the 1960s, is about the ways in which women are subsumed by the men in their lives, or otherwise are buffeted about with less control over their lives than they ought to have.
The forward by Kate Zambreno is a wonderfully complementary piece. She talks about the anger she feels going to a woman's funeral and hearing the dead woman sanctified by men in her life who did nothing but take from her, who can speak of her only to praise what she did for others, and can say nothing about what the woman herself was.
Sometimes you can read a book and just know the author was angry when she wrote it. This is one of those. The book uses the phrase "discreet rage" about one of its characters, and I think that sentiment succinctly describes the whole book. The protagonist, Dora Rosario, is ten years into widowhood, and she has devoted her entire life to mourning her unremarkable husband as much as she had previous devoted her life to supporting his every opinion regardless of whether or not she agreed with it. Now, a decade on, her mother-in-law reveals something about Dora's late husband that changes her entire perspective.
I would like to believe we are moving away from the world portrayed in Empty Wardrobes (though not with as much success as I'd like), but this is a stark reminder of how even a few generations ago, in the Sixties, a woman's identity was so controlled by her husband's. There are only two men in this book--Duarte, Dora's dead husband, and Ernesto, the longtime partner of a side character--and they both, through social structures, exercise incredible control over the lives of the women around them without any respect or even knowledge of their impact.
The three main women in this book--Dora, her daughter Lisa, and the narrator--each take a different approach to the male romantic partners in their lives, and none of them comes out the better for it (well, perhaps for Lisa, but I personally doubt it will last), because the ultimate problem is societal attitudes about the way men and women are meant to relate to each other.
It's not a long book, and I can't say much more without spoiling things, but I also think it does some fabulous things with its narration and perspective, and the way it doles out information. Really an excellent framing that allows for a lot of fluidity and filling in gaps with your own visions while remaining clear in the nature of the story it's telling.
This book was only translated into English in 2021, which is a shame, because I think it would have struck a nerve much earlier, but we have it now! Costa does an excellent job with the work too; the writing is full of punchy phrases like the above, and she captures some realistic dialogue--characters repeating themselves, responding in ways that don't quite match up with what was asked, etc.--while keeping it natural-sounding.
babe there's a long list of greats and you're probably not better than any of them so stop trying
2026-Jan-12, Monday 22:18stardust_rifleno more twins in joseimuke multimedia projects. society has moved past the need for twins in joseimuke multimedia projects.
(no subject)
2026-Jan-12, Monday 21:40dani_meows
www.axios.com/2026/01/12/trump-greenland-annex-republican-bill-congress
Had a planned fun post I had worked on in my head a bit of a review of a book I read and a series I'm watching.
And then this news was posted on Tumblr and WTF
Why is it a Floridian? As a Floridian my state is beautiful, our coastlines are gorgeous but everyone of our politicians should be thrown into the sun.
What the fuck is this obsession with Greenland?
Why do you want to risk world war 3 only we'll be with Russia and be the bad side?
Hopefully it's a bill that doesn't pass but so many Republicans have no spine and no brain.
I'm going to go insane.
A synagogue in Jackson Mississippi was burnt down this weekend. Antisemitism is on the rise. Our country is throwing people into camps sometimes even citizens, Ice is killing civilians and so much of the world feels like it's on the edge of war.
Have enough of our vets died that we've forgotten the high cost of war?
Then you have the bravery of the Iranians. I hope they endure and defeat their own government.
But seriously why Greenland? Why pick a fight with our allies? We can already build a base on Greenland without needing to own it.
I just.
*Screams into the void*
Had a planned fun post I had worked on in my head a bit of a review of a book I read and a series I'm watching.
And then this news was posted on Tumblr and WTF
Why is it a Floridian? As a Floridian my state is beautiful, our coastlines are gorgeous but everyone of our politicians should be thrown into the sun.
What the fuck is this obsession with Greenland?
Why do you want to risk world war 3 only we'll be with Russia and be the bad side?
Hopefully it's a bill that doesn't pass but so many Republicans have no spine and no brain.
I'm going to go insane.
A synagogue in Jackson Mississippi was burnt down this weekend. Antisemitism is on the rise. Our country is throwing people into camps sometimes even citizens, Ice is killing civilians and so much of the world feels like it's on the edge of war.
Have enough of our vets died that we've forgotten the high cost of war?
Then you have the bravery of the Iranians. I hope they endure and defeat their own government.
But seriously why Greenland? Why pick a fight with our allies? We can already build a base on Greenland without needing to own it.
I just.
*Screams into the void*
Sick Day
2026-Jan-12, Monday 20:09days_unfoldingEmailed in sick. It took a while to get the dogs back inside. First Bella came in, and Gracie refused to come in. Then Bella went back out and Gracie came in. I finally got them both in. Fed us all.
Slept until 2 PM. I was dreaming that I was writing a book set in New Zealand and was doing research to get the character right. I have never been to New Zealand but would like to go. (I tend to have vivid dreams when I'm sick.)
My nose is running, and Oliver is sitting on my tissues. Sigh.
I received a message that the home sleep study was “non-diagnostic” and they want to do an in-house sleep study. Also sigh. They called me already but they’re out until April.
Home Depot does closet consultations. I’d like one after I get the library room together and cull my clothes.
Had a bite to eat. Took some DayQuil and Emergen-C. Gracie ran out of the bedroom, which was good because she’s less restful to sleep with than Bella, but I wouldn’t want to kick her out.
Slept until 6:30 PM. I dreamed that I was on a smaller cruise ship and fell for someone who worked there. They weren’t allowed to get involved with guests, so we were trying to work it out. Let the dogs out. I’m trying to decide whether to go to work in the morning. I guess that I’ll decide tomorrow morning.
I’m telling the dogs that they’re my two clowns.
Fed us all. I’m going to go back to bed soon. I seriously need sleep.
I’m looking forward to the Olympic ice skating.
Slept until 2 PM. I was dreaming that I was writing a book set in New Zealand and was doing research to get the character right. I have never been to New Zealand but would like to go. (I tend to have vivid dreams when I'm sick.)
My nose is running, and Oliver is sitting on my tissues. Sigh.
I received a message that the home sleep study was “non-diagnostic” and they want to do an in-house sleep study. Also sigh. They called me already but they’re out until April.
Home Depot does closet consultations. I’d like one after I get the library room together and cull my clothes.
Had a bite to eat. Took some DayQuil and Emergen-C. Gracie ran out of the bedroom, which was good because she’s less restful to sleep with than Bella, but I wouldn’t want to kick her out.
Slept until 6:30 PM. I dreamed that I was on a smaller cruise ship and fell for someone who worked there. They weren’t allowed to get involved with guests, so we were trying to work it out. Let the dogs out. I’m trying to decide whether to go to work in the morning. I guess that I’ll decide tomorrow morning.
I’m telling the dogs that they’re my two clowns.
Fed us all. I’m going to go back to bed soon. I seriously need sleep.
I’m looking forward to the Olympic ice skating.
it's winter, you get penguins
2026-Jan-12, Monday 20:44tsuki_no_bara
hello my flist! i had such high hopes for the new year and, just, pfft. it's snowflake_challenge season and i haven't even posted for that. oy.
anyway i hope your 2026 has been decent-to-good so far or at least not worse than 2025.
for new year's i went to my sister's and we went out for dinner (delish) and watched a lot of lotr, pausing only to watch the ball drop in times square. i like a good tradition but she may or may not want to do something different this year. we'll see. and for christmas she came to my house and we drove around to look at people's holiday lights and got chinese takeout and watched wake up, dead man on netflix because we both felt too meh to go out. (i liked it but i think i liked the first one the best.) and like four days before that my cousin's youngest kid got married in dc and i brought a cold with me and lost my voice at the wedding. wtf. that made it very difficult to talk to cousins which did not stop me. but it also meant i was still sick or recovering for the entirety of my time off. whiiine. at least i had two weeks off to cough up a lung and sit on my couch and be tired, rather than having to take sick days or work from home a lot. but still! i had a lot of time off and couldn't even enjoy most of it! and i had plans! which were mostly "watch tv, work on holiday project for writing group, start pumpkin spice cross stitch". sigh.
(while in dc my sister and i did a little sightseeing, which included a farmer's market down the street from the hotel - it was SO WINDY but there were lots of dogs - a walk around the washington monument, a stroll down the reflecting pool, and a little talk by a park ranger in the lincoln memorial.)
we got snow a couple times tho, that was nice. i'm a big fan of waking up to snow on the ground. :D especially new year's day! it was just enough to shovel but if it had been, say, four inches, i would've enjoyed that too.
during my time off i met admin s who works at the libraries for lunch and a week later i met one of the admins m for lunch and both of those things were really nice, partly because i enjoy a lunch out and partly because it was just nice to see people. and i never see admin s because i don't work with her any more. i also had mexican brunch with![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
tamalinn and friend a and friend a's hubs and that was fun and also delicious. and saturday i got a haircut. :D
before the haircut i went to cousins j&m's for brunch and to say hi and goodbye to their kids before they went back to school, and friday night my sister and i took cousin p on dad's side out for dinner for her birthday. it was yummy (i had black pasta with shrimp and calamari) and they brought cousin p a slice of flourless chocolate cake for her birthday. my sister and i ate most of it.
work re-entry was fine and going to campus was weird because it's been like three weeks since i was there. classes don't start until february so it's very quiet but again, it's nice to see people.
things i did in november and december:
went record album/antique shopping with tamalinn and friend a and bought the go-gos' beauty and the beat, heart's little queen, and a cookbook from the 50s full of buffet recipes
saw wicked pt 1 (again) in preparation for seeing wicked pt 2
went out to dinner with my sister and cousin j (of j&m)
fetched the mothership at the airport for tday
went out for bday dinner with mom, sister, cousins j&r, and the aforementioned lone cousin j
got snowed on in harvard square :DDD
had brunch with cousins from mom's side
bought a dress for the wedding
did not need to buy shoes
had dinner with cousins from dad's side
had mom and sister over for dinner (i made pork chops because i could)
went to j&m's for tday
ate a lot
saw wicked pt 2 (not bad but i liked pt 1 better, also why did the story have to be two movies?)
went to snowport (boston holiday market, down by the seaport) where i bought a print of a pickle sign and saw the lobster nativity
borrowed a bolero jacket from one of the admins m for the wedding because the dress is sleeveless and it was a jewish wedding and i'd have to cover my shoulders
went to the holiday market at the somerville armory and bought a blockprint of a medieval looking fish and a print of my favorite local bridge
one of the vendors had a print with a drawing of a guillotine and the legend "a better world is possible!" heh.
watched red one (so cute, so silly)
went to friend r's to watch the thin man because it's set around christmas and while i don't know how successful it was as a murder mystery i liked nick and nora as a couple and overall enjoyed it
saw the housemaid (had some twists i appreciated and i liked it)
curled lots, made a couple good shots and a lot more acceptable-to-missed shots
finished the lowdown (liked it, recommend it, didn't love the way the murder plot shook out)
watched talasmasca: the secret order (partly because of elizabeth mcgovern going "talamasssca" in the trailers) (mostly liked it altho i didn't really like the protagonist - he thought he was the smartest person in the room and every time he got in over his head, which was pretty much the entire show, women showed up to get him out of trouble)
watched hysteria! (about a high school heavy metal garage band that pretends to be a satanic cult to get fans, and then shit goes off the rails) (it's set in 1987 and got a lot of the satanic panic right but was otherwise only glancingly historical which made me twitch. was fun altho did i mention it went totally off the rails?)
rewatched stranger things s1-s4 with folks on discord in preparation for s5
watched s5 (i have mixed feelings about the season as a whole but i was pretty satisfied with how it ended)
so this news is massachusetts based and one of my friends even works for massdot and DID NOT TELL ME and i had to learn from a snowflake challenge from someone who doesn't even live here and now i share with you the winners of the name-a-snowplow contest. the entries all came from public school classrooms (k-8) and the plows are in service this winter. sleet caroline! clearopathra! you're killing me squalls! read and giggle.
speaking of mass, the boston aquarium built an old folks home for their geriatric penguins. how cute is that?
in the wake of dump and his administration cutting funding to universities mackenzie scott (aka the former mrs jeff bezos) donated $80m to howard university, an hbcu (historically black colleges and universities, for the non-americans in the audience), which is one of the biggest single donations in the school's history. she got billions of dollars when she split from jeff and she's definitely using her powers for good.
i know thanksgiving was last year and these are probably quite sold out but i must share the "no-thanks" jell-o molds. you could getcanberry canned cranberry jelly, pecan pie, and brussel sprouts. i don't like brussel sprouts at all but the round little molds are so cute.
joe keery officiated a wedding in his scoops ahoy uniform. for the stranger things fen in the audience. :D
i must share one of the scariest videos i've ever seen - a guy climbing up and then skiing down mt everest with no supplemental oxygen. i'm sorry, but watching him ski down that mountain, especially from the top, is fucking terrifying. i'm not afraid of heights but absolutely not, no way.
sir david attenborough sends a hedgehog on its way. to end with something cute.
dave grohl vs animal drum battle. and something fun. :D
snowflake_challenge season and i haven't even posted for that. oy.anyway i hope your 2026 has been decent-to-good so far or at least not worse than 2025.
for new year's i went to my sister's and we went out for dinner (delish) and watched a lot of lotr, pausing only to watch the ball drop in times square. i like a good tradition but she may or may not want to do something different this year. we'll see. and for christmas she came to my house and we drove around to look at people's holiday lights and got chinese takeout and watched wake up, dead man on netflix because we both felt too meh to go out. (i liked it but i think i liked the first one the best.) and like four days before that my cousin's youngest kid got married in dc and i brought a cold with me and lost my voice at the wedding. wtf. that made it very difficult to talk to cousins which did not stop me. but it also meant i was still sick or recovering for the entirety of my time off. whiiine. at least i had two weeks off to cough up a lung and sit on my couch and be tired, rather than having to take sick days or work from home a lot. but still! i had a lot of time off and couldn't even enjoy most of it! and i had plans! which were mostly "watch tv, work on holiday project for writing group, start pumpkin spice cross stitch". sigh.
(while in dc my sister and i did a little sightseeing, which included a farmer's market down the street from the hotel - it was SO WINDY but there were lots of dogs - a walk around the washington monument, a stroll down the reflecting pool, and a little talk by a park ranger in the lincoln memorial.)
we got snow a couple times tho, that was nice. i'm a big fan of waking up to snow on the ground. :D especially new year's day! it was just enough to shovel but if it had been, say, four inches, i would've enjoyed that too.
during my time off i met admin s who works at the libraries for lunch and a week later i met one of the admins m for lunch and both of those things were really nice, partly because i enjoy a lunch out and partly because it was just nice to see people. and i never see admin s because i don't work with her any more. i also had mexican brunch with
tamalinn and friend a and friend a's hubs and that was fun and also delicious. and saturday i got a haircut. :Dbefore the haircut i went to cousins j&m's for brunch and to say hi and goodbye to their kids before they went back to school, and friday night my sister and i took cousin p on dad's side out for dinner for her birthday. it was yummy (i had black pasta with shrimp and calamari) and they brought cousin p a slice of flourless chocolate cake for her birthday. my sister and i ate most of it.
work re-entry was fine and going to campus was weird because it's been like three weeks since i was there. classes don't start until february so it's very quiet but again, it's nice to see people.
things i did in november and december:
went record album/antique shopping with tamalinn and friend a and bought the go-gos' beauty and the beat, heart's little queen, and a cookbook from the 50s full of buffet recipes
saw wicked pt 1 (again) in preparation for seeing wicked pt 2
went out to dinner with my sister and cousin j (of j&m)
fetched the mothership at the airport for tday
went out for bday dinner with mom, sister, cousins j&r, and the aforementioned lone cousin j
got snowed on in harvard square :DDD
had brunch with cousins from mom's side
bought a dress for the wedding
did not need to buy shoes
had dinner with cousins from dad's side
had mom and sister over for dinner (i made pork chops because i could)
went to j&m's for tday
ate a lot
saw wicked pt 2 (not bad but i liked pt 1 better, also why did the story have to be two movies?)
went to snowport (boston holiday market, down by the seaport) where i bought a print of a pickle sign and saw the lobster nativity
borrowed a bolero jacket from one of the admins m for the wedding because the dress is sleeveless and it was a jewish wedding and i'd have to cover my shoulders
went to the holiday market at the somerville armory and bought a blockprint of a medieval looking fish and a print of my favorite local bridge
one of the vendors had a print with a drawing of a guillotine and the legend "a better world is possible!" heh.
watched red one (so cute, so silly)
went to friend r's to watch the thin man because it's set around christmas and while i don't know how successful it was as a murder mystery i liked nick and nora as a couple and overall enjoyed it
saw the housemaid (had some twists i appreciated and i liked it)
curled lots, made a couple good shots and a lot more acceptable-to-missed shots
finished the lowdown (liked it, recommend it, didn't love the way the murder plot shook out)
watched talasmasca: the secret order (partly because of elizabeth mcgovern going "talamasssca" in the trailers) (mostly liked it altho i didn't really like the protagonist - he thought he was the smartest person in the room and every time he got in over his head, which was pretty much the entire show, women showed up to get him out of trouble)
watched hysteria! (about a high school heavy metal garage band that pretends to be a satanic cult to get fans, and then shit goes off the rails) (it's set in 1987 and got a lot of the satanic panic right but was otherwise only glancingly historical which made me twitch. was fun altho did i mention it went totally off the rails?)
rewatched stranger things s1-s4 with folks on discord in preparation for s5
watched s5 (i have mixed feelings about the season as a whole but i was pretty satisfied with how it ended)
so this news is massachusetts based and one of my friends even works for massdot and DID NOT TELL ME and i had to learn from a snowflake challenge from someone who doesn't even live here and now i share with you the winners of the name-a-snowplow contest. the entries all came from public school classrooms (k-8) and the plows are in service this winter. sleet caroline! clearopathra! you're killing me squalls! read and giggle.
speaking of mass, the boston aquarium built an old folks home for their geriatric penguins. how cute is that?
in the wake of dump and his administration cutting funding to universities mackenzie scott (aka the former mrs jeff bezos) donated $80m to howard university, an hbcu (historically black colleges and universities, for the non-americans in the audience), which is one of the biggest single donations in the school's history. she got billions of dollars when she split from jeff and she's definitely using her powers for good.
i know thanksgiving was last year and these are probably quite sold out but i must share the "no-thanks" jell-o molds. you could get
joe keery officiated a wedding in his scoops ahoy uniform. for the stranger things fen in the audience. :D
i must share one of the scariest videos i've ever seen - a guy climbing up and then skiing down mt everest with no supplemental oxygen. i'm sorry, but watching him ski down that mountain, especially from the top, is fucking terrifying. i'm not afraid of heights but absolutely not, no way.
sir david attenborough sends a hedgehog on its way. to end with something cute.
dave grohl vs animal drum battle. and something fun. :D
Lake Lewisia #1355
2026-Jan-12, Monday 16:55scrubjayspeaksWhile the ground is frozen and there is little for gardeners to do but wait, the temptation may come to try growing things in unusual, climate-controlled locations. If you have a greenhouse, cold frame, or suitable windowsill, this can be an appropriate outlet for your gardening impulses and will, at worst, result in some premature seedlings. Please resist the urge, however great, to plant seeds in your partner’s coffee mug, the office break room sink, your car in an elaborate raised bed arrangement on the dashboard, or in any other places you would not wish to eventually deal with a full-grown marigold shrub, pumpkin vine, or ambulatory tree sapling.
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LL#1355
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LL#1355
Friending Meme
2026-Jan-12, Monday 18:31ysabetwordsmith posting in newcomers
crazy_yet_fun has a Friending Meme going. It's mainly about blogging and media.hybrid quota-linear rate limiter
2026-Jan-13, Tuesday 00:13fanfhttps://dotat.at/@/2026-01-12-hqlr.html
A while back I wrote about the linear rate limit algorithms leaky bucket and GCRA. Since then I have been vexed by how common it is to implement rate limiting using complicated and wasteful algorithms (for example).
But linear (and exponential) rate limiters have a disadvantage: they can be slow to throttle clients whose request rate is above the limit but not super fast. And I just realised that this disadvantage can be unacceptable in some situations, when it's imperative that no more than some quota of requests is accepted within a window of time.
In this article I'll explore a way to enforce rate limit quotas more precisely, without undue storage costs, and without encouraging clients to oscillate between bursts and pauses. However I'm not sure it's a good idea.
( Read more... )
Tollhouse plaque
2026-Jan-12, Monday 23:38loganberrybunny
Public
346/365: Tollhouse plaque, Bewdley
Click for a larger, sharper image
This is the plaque that marks where the tollhouse once stood on the Wribbenhall (eastern) end of Bewdley Bridge. It was designed by Thomas Telford, as was the bridge itself, and built in the last years of the 18th century. Modernisation works in 1960 saw it demolished, despite a fairly energetic campaign by Bewdley Civic Society; the society put up this plaque and shaped paving in 2002. The only decent photo I can find of the tollhouse before its demolition is on this Facebook page, which should be visible without an account. (I haven't got one, after all!)
346/365: Tollhouse plaque, Bewdley
Click for a larger, sharper image
This is the plaque that marks where the tollhouse once stood on the Wribbenhall (eastern) end of Bewdley Bridge. It was designed by Thomas Telford, as was the bridge itself, and built in the last years of the 18th century. Modernisation works in 1960 saw it demolished, despite a fairly energetic campaign by Bewdley Civic Society; the society put up this plaque and shaped paving in 2002. The only decent photo I can find of the tollhouse before its demolition is on this Facebook page, which should be visible without an account. (I haven't got one, after all!)
(no subject)
2026-Jan-12, Monday 18:35majuThe extra legs for my bed arrived late this afternoon. I have ascertained that they are the right length (not too long) and that they should be easy enough to fit, but I won't do it until tomorrow because I don't feel like dismantling my nicely made bed this evening.
We had a tiny amount of snow last night - just enough to lightly cover the roads and yards, but little enough that it was almost all gone by the middle of the day today. Then by the afternoon the temperature was about 5C/40F and there went the rest of it.
Funny story about Aria: she is far from a fluent reader yet, but this afternoon she was reading on the school bus and didn't realise the bus was at her stop until the driver called out to her. (My daughter picked up the other two from school because they were carrying their musical instruments, and they normally walk home on Mondays if they are not burdened with instruments.)
We had a tiny amount of snow last night - just enough to lightly cover the roads and yards, but little enough that it was almost all gone by the middle of the day today. Then by the afternoon the temperature was about 5C/40F and there went the rest of it.
Funny story about Aria: she is far from a fluent reader yet, but this afternoon she was reading on the school bus and didn't realise the bus was at her stop until the driver called out to her. (My daughter picked up the other two from school because they were carrying their musical instruments, and they normally walk home on Mondays if they are not burdened with instruments.)
Monday Media: January 12
2026-Jan-12, Monday 17:08lebateleurGames: I played a bunch of Hive.
Miscellaneous: No podcasts, one longform article:Why I Wrote Dirty Linen
Music: I didn't go to yesterday's pub session because Newest D&D Homebrew Campaign had a D&D session scheduled, which was cancelled at the last minute. Alas.
Roleplaying: See above. :-/
Television: We watched the first two episodes of Max Headroom S2, which predicted AI-generated avatars of deceased loved ones and parodied certain aspects of religion in ways that ::cough:: would not make it onto TV in 2026.
I also watched the final three episodes of Heated Rivalry. ( Thoughts, in no particular order. )
Video Games: I finished Samorost 2, which is a mechanically simpler game than Botanicula and thus tricky to play after it, as I had to rethink the way I approached the puzzles. It's still a super fun game; I love everything Amanita Design puts out.
I wanted to play Downwell next for a change of pace, but fucking windows insists on rendering it in a tiny 3" x 4" box in the center of the screen, making it all but unplayable. I've thus settled on a Pentiment replay (in which I am once again on a collision course with the church from the get-go) and am also toying with the idea of a Darklands replay as well, given the clear debt the former owes this game...provided windows cooperates.
これで以上です。
Miscellaneous: No podcasts, one longform article:
Music: I didn't go to yesterday's pub session because Newest D&D Homebrew Campaign had a D&D session scheduled, which was cancelled at the last minute. Alas.
Roleplaying: See above. :-/
Television: We watched the first two episodes of Max Headroom S2, which predicted AI-generated avatars of deceased loved ones and parodied certain aspects of religion in ways that ::cough:: would not make it onto TV in 2026.
I also watched the final three episodes of Heated Rivalry. ( Thoughts, in no particular order. )
Video Games: I finished Samorost 2, which is a mechanically simpler game than Botanicula and thus tricky to play after it, as I had to rethink the way I approached the puzzles. It's still a super fun game; I love everything Amanita Design puts out.
I wanted to play Downwell next for a change of pace, but fucking windows insists on rendering it in a tiny 3" x 4" box in the center of the screen, making it all but unplayable. I've thus settled on a Pentiment replay (in which I am once again on a collision course with the church from the get-go) and am also toying with the idea of a Darklands replay as well, given the clear debt the former owes this game...provided windows cooperates.
これで以上です。
[#13 Past, Kurobas, Kiyohana] i might beg you to stay if i thought about it too hard
2026-Jan-13, Tuesday 00:03shroomystar posting in 100femslashTitle: i might beg you to stay if i thought about it too hard
Rating: Mature
Category: F/F
Fandom: Kuroko no Basuke
Author: shroomy(y)star
Ship/Characters: Hanamiya Makoto/Kiyoshi Teppei
Warnings/Notes: genderbend, genderplay, violent thoughts, internalized homophobia, internalized misogyny, toxic yuri. my fem kiyoshi is called kiyoshi kanemi (kanemi spelled 鉄美, with the kanji for iron and the kanji for beauty) to keep the first kanji of her canon name (鉄 from teppei). happy birthday, hanamiya.
Word Count: 3216
Summary: Kiyoshi, sleepy and mussed from the huge, soft bed, looks revoltingly soft.
ao3 | dreamwidth
Rating: Mature
Category: F/F
Fandom: Kuroko no Basuke
Author: shroomy(y)star
Ship/Characters: Hanamiya Makoto/Kiyoshi Teppei
Warnings/Notes: genderbend, genderplay, violent thoughts, internalized homophobia, internalized misogyny, toxic yuri. my fem kiyoshi is called kiyoshi kanemi (kanemi spelled 鉄美, with the kanji for iron and the kanji for beauty) to keep the first kanji of her canon name (鉄 from teppei). happy birthday, hanamiya.
Word Count: 3216
Summary: Kiyoshi, sleepy and mussed from the huge, soft bed, looks revoltingly soft.
ao3 | dreamwidth
第五年第三天
2026-Jan-13, Tuesday 07:37nnozomi posting in guardian_learning部首
心 part 14
虑, to think over; 悉, to know; 悔, regret ( pinyin )
https://www.mdbg.net/chinese/dictionary?cdqrad=61
词汇
潮, 潮湿, damp/humid; 潮流, trend; 高潮, climax ( pinyin )
https://mandarinbean.com/new-hsk-4-word-list/
Guardian:
我们办事从来都不考虑值不值, we never consider whether what we do is worth it or not
最近龙城暗潮涌动地星人一个个在我们地盘撒野, lately a lot of Dixingren have been acting out on our territory under the surface
Me:
在行动之前，好好考虑你会不会后悔的。
这边夏天潮湿得要命。
心 part 14
虑, to think over; 悉, to know; 悔, regret ( pinyin )
https://www.mdbg.net/chinese/dictionary?cdqrad=61
词汇
潮, 潮湿, damp/humid; 潮流, trend; 高潮, climax ( pinyin )
https://mandarinbean.com/new-hsk-4-word-list/
Guardian:
我们办事从来都不考虑值不值, we never consider whether what we do is worth it or not
最近龙城暗潮涌动地星人一个个在我们地盘撒野, lately a lot of Dixingren have been acting out on our territory under the surface
Me:
在行动之前，好好考虑你会不会后悔的。
这边夏天潮湿得要命。
The Other Moctezuma Girls
2026-Jan-12, Monday 22:25alobearThe Other Moctezuma Girls by Sofia Robleda tells the story of Isabel, an Aztec princess in the 1550s, who goes on a quest after her mother's death, to find journals that relate the true and previously hidden story of her mother's life. I liked Isabel a lot as a narrator, particularly her very honest reactions to things, as a rebellious young woman in a very patriarchal society. Her interactions with her siblings felt quite modern, but then I guess teenagers have always been teenagers! The reportage style of Nantzin's journals made those sections a lot less dynamic than the main narrative - but they were, at least, a lot more credible as diary-style narratives than you find in most stories. The puzzle hunt was really exciting, I thought the romance was well done and impactful, and I enjoyed the highs and lows of Isabel's changing relationships with her brothers and sisters. The book was a bit grim in places, but that was in keeping with the nature of the story and certainly made the stakes feel very real. The historical setting was rich in detail and seemed well researched - and I thought the very end of the story had a really satisfying punch to it. Very enjoyable overall!
Monday Music Meme
2026-Jan-12, Monday 23:09extrapenguinThis week's entry is from 2015, rather than my self-imposed 2020 onwards; OTOH, it's the only actual answer to this prompt.
a song that makes you cry
Stratovarius - Shine in the Dark
These guys are not (yet?) on Bandcamp; OTOH, the runner-up (I Wish, by Battle Beast) is up there.
a song you discovered this month
a song that makes you smile
a song that makes you cry
a song that you know all the lyrics of
a song that proves that you have good taste
a song title that is in all lowercase
a song title that is in all uppercase
an underrated song
a song that has three words
a song from your childhood
a song that reminds you of summertime
a song that you feel nostalgic to
the first song that plays on shuffle
a song that someone showed you
a song from a movie soundtrack
a song from a television soundtrack
a song about being 17
a song that reminds you of somebody
a song to drive to
a song with a number in the title
a song that you listen to at 3am in the morning
a song with a long title
a song with a color in the title
a song that gets stuck in your head
a song in a different language
a song that helps you fall asleep at night
a song that describes how you feel right now
a song that you used to hate but love today
a song that you downloaded
a song that you want to share
a song that makes you cry
Stratovarius - Shine in the Dark
These guys are not (yet?) on Bandcamp; OTOH, the runner-up (I Wish, by Battle Beast) is up there.
prompts under the cut
a song you discovered this month
a song that makes you smile
a song that makes you cry
a song that you know all the lyrics of
a song that proves that you have good taste
a song title that is in all lowercase
a song title that is in all uppercase
an underrated song
a song that has three words
a song from your childhood
a song that reminds you of summertime
a song that you feel nostalgic to
the first song that plays on shuffle
a song that someone showed you
a song from a movie soundtrack
a song from a television soundtrack
a song about being 17
a song that reminds you of somebody
a song to drive to
a song with a number in the title
a song that you listen to at 3am in the morning
a song with a long title
a song with a color in the title
a song that gets stuck in your head
a song in a different language
a song that helps you fall asleep at night
a song that describes how you feel right now
a song that you used to hate but love today
a song that you downloaded
a song that you want to share
Leftovers
2026-Jan-12, Monday 18:23soemandA pot of curry only gets better after a night or two in the fridge. The spices settle in, the flavour deepens, and by the time you reach the last portion it feels like a small victory. I finished mine tonight, wishing there were just one more bowl tucked away in the back.