mallorys_camera

A Chorus, Divergent anthology by Reckoning Press

A special issue featuring reprints by neurodivergent creators from Reckoning’s first decade.

Essays, poetry, fiction, and art by Oluwatomiwa Ajeigbe, E.C. Barrett, Kaye Boesme, Offor Chidera, Jacob Coffin, Kelsey Day, Tania Fordwalker, Abbie Goldberg, A.P. Golub, Ruth Joffre, Taylor Jones, Laura McKnight, Kat Murray, Micah Nemerever, Mari Ness, Ellis Nye, Maria S. Picone, T.K. Rex, Ariadne Starling, and Adam Stemple, with new cover artwork by Abi Stevens.

I read quite a few anthologies this year and this was one of the best. It has some real stellar stories that I'll be thinking about for a long time, and some new writers that I definitely want to see more from. The stories are all speculative fiction and many dance with the climate apocalypse in its many forms and stages.

The real knock-out of the whole book was SQUAWKER AND DOLPHIN SWIMMING TOGETHER. I am a sucker for animal communication stories, and dolphins, and climate disasters and finding glimmers of hope amongst the rubble. There was so many cleaver plot threads dropped in here and there, the story felt like a much longer and fleshed out novel. (I've already preordered their upcoming anthology!)

Also shout out to The Blackthorn Door and Fixing the System in Tilt Town, both with really interesting worldbuilding. And a nod to Icediver, which started off strong but I feel like the wheels fell off halfway through.

I didn't dip into the poetry but if it's of the same quality of the fiction than it's pretty good too.

The entire anthology is free to read online or follow the links to support through an indie bookseller.

susandennis

I have this new yarn project in my head that I can't get out of it. It's taking my DK (smaller sized) yarn and chaining it into fat yarn and then knitting or crocheting something with the fat yarn. I don't want to stop making minimonsters yet so I'm hoping that I cannot think of anything I really want made out of fat yarn so that the idea will go away.

My swim this morning was particularly good except the music was not. Turns out I am not only listening to my 6,000 mp3's but all mostly, so far, deleting them. Wtf was I thinking with some of this stuff?? Tomorrow's line up is way better.

I ordered two dinners - beef Wellington, crab cake, baked potato and ginger cookies and turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, a charcuterie selection, and two gingerbread cookies. I put the turkey dinner away for tomorrow. As well as the charcuterie. I ate the beef Wellington which was waaaaay over cooked but did actually have some flavor and the crab cake which had a lovely white sauce on top. I scooped out the baked potato and added a bunch of shit to it and put it back into now 2 twice baked potatoes. I saved the cookies. Oh and I picked up some sushi in the Bistro on the way home.

Tomorrow is a buffet which means seeing people plus the menu isn't all that appealing so I'm just going to eat what I now have which, honestly, is plenty and looks all very delicious.

The cats have been asleep in the closet all damn day. They've each come out once, checked on the food situation and then gone back to sleep there, I'm considering doing a breathing check. Oh, wait, as I type this, here they come out now.

We were supposed to have a ginormous windstorm today but apparently someone canceled it. Just as well, I like my electricity.

For many years now I have wanted my Echo, to chime every 15 minutes like a clock. There have been various work around and tricks to make it happen but none have ever worked well or consistently. i ran a program on my PC for a long time but when I retired the PC, the program went, too. Then, about the time I moved in here, I found an android app that does what I want. It gives me a Big Ben Chime every 15 minutes and bongs out the hour count. I run it off and old phone and it works great but it's never been loud enough to hear throughout the apartment.

This morning I decided to look on Amazon for a small Bluetooth speaker in hopes of getting some volume. I was just starting the search when I realized that my Echo's will all Bluetooth! I have one in the center of the house that has nice volume. I paired it with the phone and it's perfect! What the fuck too me so long to figure this out???? No matter. I'm enjoying the bongs and, with the extra volume I can also have the seconds ticking. It's a lovely sound.

Oh and in other small victories. Apple TV+ let me back in and gave me 3 free months! For some reason last year they locked my account and wouldn't unlock it. I could have called but I just said fuck it instead. I guess they got a little butthurt and changed their minds. They offered 3 free months so I tried again and bingo bango, I'm back in. Til March, then we will divorce again but this time, I'll be the plaintiff.

Time now for some more Shetland.

days_unfolding

Overslept my alarm until 8 AM. I don’t know how long they’re serving breakfast.

Planes are sitting in a line waiting to take off. The view from my hotel window is great entertainment.

Had a nice breakfast. Everything about this hotel is perfection. It’s going to spoil me for other hotels.

I’m tired though. I’m thinking of skipping my downtown trip and staying at the hotel. I want to take a nap. It’s nice having a day in which I can do whatever I want.

Oooh. I was looking at DoorDash trying to get the correct address for the hotel because I need to DoorDash later, and I saw a place with Shrimp Scampi. That sounds delicious!

I had problems falling asleep for my nap because my brain was whirring, but finally did. Now I'm up working on a prompt for my medical journal with ChatGPT, but I need a pad of paper to rough things out. (I'm designing printable planners to sell on etsy.) Something else to get with my DoorDash. Okay, I ordered a bunch of stuff from Walgreens for DoorDash.

Not sure what to do. I’m not hungry yet, but I need the pad of paper to work. I could do two separate DoorDashes.

The DoorDash guy found me with the stuff from Walgreens. He spoke Spanish with very little English, and I was thinking that he’s one of the people whom Trump wants to get rid of. He’s providing a service. I added hand cream to the order at the last minute because my hands are rough. My mom can’t tell me to wear my gloves, so I need to get with it.

When I was bringing the DoorDash stuff upstairs, I noticed that the “grab-and-go” place had grilled cheese on sourdough. That sounded good, so I went back down and got some. I was eating grilled cheese watching planes take off. Life is good :)

I said on Facebook that this reminded me of the time Erik and I went to O’Hare to watch the planes take off, back when you could do that. A security guy did ask us what we were doing, and we explained that we wanted to see the planes take off, and he said that he did something similar when he was young. I guess that an airport is a good place to find airplane-crazy people. (When I was a kid, I could identify all the types of commercial aircraft on sight. I can’t do that now.)

Speaking of the airport, it seems to be quieting down. (Yesterday, it was packed.) I’m hoping that my flight tomorrow won’t be full. (Yes, it is. Drat.)

I saw a guy doing ballet in the hotel lobby. You never know who (or what) you'll see at a hotel.

Ran a draft of my medical journal through ChatGPT, and it mangled part of it. I'm playing a fun game of "how to think like a computer" to modify the prompt. But I didn't expect it to come out right the first time. (Hmm, maybe I could write ChatGPT prompts as a sideline?)

It's time to check in for my flight. I put the cane together, and yes, I can sit on it, but it isn't great as a cane. I'm debating whether to ask for a wheelchair or not. I can probably walk if I can take breaks and sit down for a while. Damn knee. The Wall Street Journal's "Jetway Jesus Miracle" article has got me spooked about asking for help. I definitely am asking the doctor when I see her for physical therapy to work on the knee muscles. I'm trying to figure out how to pay for WiFi, and it looks like I have to do that on the flight itself. I thought about paying with miles, but WiFi isn't very expensive, and I want to save my miles up.

I think that I'll order food around 6 PM. Traffic at the airport is picking up. Also, this hotel seems to be where the pilots stay. Makes sense.

Wow, the food was good (Shrimp Scampi, cheese garlic bread, and cheesecake). Lots of food, and I couldn’t finish it. I’ll finish it tomorrow right before I leave the hotel (I got an extension of the checkout time until 12) so I won’t need to eat at the airport. I’ll have to remember this place (Pasta to Go) for when I come back.

I started yawning around 6 PM. I think that I’ll make it an early night. I seem to be becoming less of a night owl as I get older, although I do seem to have a peak around 5 PM.

Whoops, my card keys stopped working. The desk guy said that it was because I had back-to-back reservations. The key from the first day stopped working. He fixed it. I think that's a sign that I should go to bed soon. I'll get ready for bed and read. I want to get to breakfast really early so that I can eat my pasta later.

The dog boarding place posted a picture of the dogs at the kennel:

They seem to be sticking together, not surprisingly, because they're friends. I want to give Bella a scritch.

magid posting in

agonyaunt

Alison’s "best holiday date story of all time" (below), which has inspired its own fanfic!
( Read more... )

rolanni

So here I am in the comfy chair: Listening to music, checking email, and basking in the Happy Lite.

Several kind people sent me tea over the last few days, and I now rejoice in two infusers, where I previously had none. This morning, in celebration of the weather, I am enjoying Russian Caravan tea.

Ah..."and all the bad boys are standing in the shadows/and all the good girls are home with broken hearts."

The Long Back Yard

#
Taking a break to do PT homework, start washing the curtains and take out some chicken breasts to hopefully defrost in time to be cooked for tomorrow's lunch and! follow up baked chicken sandwiches. The Forbidden Food List includes all lunch meats and ... that's an ongoing hardship. But, there's no prohibition against sliced chicken off a home-cooked breast.

It's still snowing a bit, and I'm measuring just 5 inches on the deck.

UPS is still insisting it's making a delivery today, and I found a place to tell the driver to PUT THE BOX IN THE GARAGE, and I opened the garage door. Fingers crossed.

I got an automated call saying that the local Senior Center, which serves lunch to a good many people, is closed today on account of Weather. Reopening on Friday. I hope everybody who depends on that lunch is OK.

I've explored the new door configuration again and what I think is that I need to go to Home Despot next week and Stare at Stuff.

The cats are Visibly Relieved to have their Safe Room back. The last couple days were tense for all of us. But! It's behind us now. Just gotta settle the bill. (eek! and yes, I can settle the bill, and I don't depend on the Senior Center for lunch. Which makes me a very fortunate woman.)

How's everybody doing today?
#
Well done UPS!

The Ring went off, which meant that somebody had approached the front door, and I said to Rookie and Tali as I got up from my keyboard. "That's UPS, and they didn't put in the garage."

There was a car in the driveway when I got to the door, and the box was on the front step, and I was opening the door, when the driver of the car got out, and came rushing back to me, "I'm so sorry; I only just saw that you wanted it in the garage. I'm really sorry."

And I said, "Thank you for coming back. Since you got it this far, can you just put it inside the door?"

"Oh, yes. I can certainly do that! I'm sorry."

And he put the box in the house; we exchanged Happy Holidays and he drove off.

So, praise where earned. Well-done, UPS!

And in fact, this is what was in the box:

:
#
Wrote +/-1160 words today, and reviewed several scenes that I considered "problematical,"which are, in fact, perfectly fine and actually do belong in this book. The WIP entire is more or less 112,200 words.

Coon Cat Happy Hour has occurred. I have discovered that I bought some frozen dumplings, and that will be my evening meal. Tomorrow, my intention is to write and to bake a loaf of bread, perhaps not even in that order.

Everybody have a good evening. Stay safe. I'll be around tomorrow.

Oh! Today's blog post title from Mr. Thomas Petty, "Free fallin'"

rolanni

64 A Gentleman of Questionable Judgement (Lord Julian #9), Grace Burrowes (e)
63 Peacock on Parade (Shamrock Safari Shifters), Murphy Lawless writing as Zoe Chant (e)
62 The Besotted Baron (Bad Heir Days #4), Grace Burrowes (e)
61 Storm Called, (Royal States #1) Susan Copperfield (e)
60 That the Dead May Rest, Karen A. Wylie (e)
59 Emilie and the Sky World,(Emilie Adventures#2) Martha Wells (e)
58 The Thursday Murder Club, Richard Osman (e) (bkclb)
57 The Bookshop of Dust and Dreams, Mindy Thompson (e)
56 Remarkably Bright Creatures, Shelby Van Pelt (e) (bkclb)
55 Hunting Ground, Patricia Briggs (Alpha&Omega 2)(re-read) (e)
54 Cry Wolf, Patricia Briggs (Alpha & Omega 1) (re-read) (e)
53 Alpha and Omega, Patricia Briggs (Alpha&Omega.5(re-read) (e)
52 Blind Date with a Werewolf, Patricia Briggs (e)
51 The Women, Kristin Hannah (e) (bkclb)
50 Emilie and the Hollow World, (Emilie Adventures #1) Martha Wells (e)
49 Black Tie & Tails (Black Wolves of Boston #2), Wen Spencer (e)
48 Shards of Earth, Adrian Tchaikovsky(The Final Architecture #1)e)
47 Hemlock and Silver, T. Kingfisher (e)
46 Outcrossing, Celia Lake (Mysterious Charm #1) (e)
45 Outfoxing Fate, Zoe Chant/Murphy Lawless (Virtue Shifters)(e)
44 Atonement Sky, Nalini Singh (Psy-Changeling Trinity #9) (e)
43 Stone and Sky, Ben Aaronovitch (Rivers of London #10) (e)
42 Regency Buck, Georgette Heyer (re-re-re-&c-read)
41 I Dare, Sharon Lee and Steve Miller (Liaden Universe #7) (page proofs)
40 To Hive and to Hold, Amy Crook (The Future of Magic #1) (e)
39 These Old Shades, Georgette Heyer, narrated by Sarah Nichols (re-re-re-&c-read, 1st time audio)
38 Faking it (Dempsey Family #2), Jennifer Crusie, narrated by Aasne Vigesaa (re-re-re-&c-read, 1st time audio)
37 Copper Script, K.J. Charles (e)
36 The Masqueraders, Georgette Heyer, narrated by Eleanor Yates (re-re-re-&c-read; 1st time audio)
35 Everyone Here Spoke Sign Language: Hereditary Deafness on Martha's Vineyard, Nora Ellen Groce (e)
34 Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, Winifred Watson, narrated by Frances McDormand (re-re-re-&c-read; 1st time audio)
33 The Wings upon Her Back, Samantha Mills (e)
32 Death on the Green (Dublin Driver #2), Catie Murphy (e)
31 The Elusive Earl (Bad Heir Days #3), Grace Burrowes (e)
30 The Mysterious Marquess (Bad Heir Days #2), Grace Burrowes (e)
29 Who Will Remember (Sebastian St. Cyr #20), C.S. Harris (e)
28 The Teller of Small Fortunes, Julie Leong (e)
27 Check and Mate, Ali Hazelwood (e)
26 The Dangerous Duke (Bad Heir Days #1), Grace Burrowes (e)
25 Night's Master (Flat Earth #1) (re-read), Tanith Lee (e)
24 The Honey Pot Plot (Rocky Start #3), Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer (e)
23 Very Nice Funerals (Rocky Start #2), Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer (e)
22 The Orb of Cairado, Katherine Addison (e)
21 The Tomb of Dragons, (The Cemeteries of Amalo Trilogy, Book 3), Katherine Addison (e)
20 A Gentleman of Sinister Schemes (Lord Julian #8), Grace Burrowes (e)
19 The Thirteen Clocks (re-re-re-&c read), James Thurber (e)
18 A Gentleman Under the Mistletoe (Lord Julian #7), Grace Burrowes (e)
17 All Conditions Red (Murderbot Diaries #1) (re-re-re-&c read) (audio 1st time)
16 Destiny's Way (Doomed Earth #2), Jack Campbell (e)
15 The Sign of the Dragon, Mary Soon Lee
14 A Gentleman of Unreliable Honor (Lord Julian #6), Grace Burrowes (e)
13 Market Forces in Gretna Green (#7 Midlife Recorder), Linzi Day (e)
12 Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent, Judi Dench with Brendan O'Hea (e)
11 Code Yellow in Gretna Green (#6 Midlife Recorder), Linzi Day (e)
10 Seeing Red in Gretna Green (#5 Midlife Recorder), Linzi Day (e)
9 House Party in Gretna Green (#4 Midlife Recorder), Linzi Day (e)*
8    Ties that Bond in Gretna Green (#3 Midlife Recorder), Linzi Day (e)
7    Painting the Blues in Gretna Green (#2 Midlife Recorder), Linzi Day (e)
6 Midlife in Gretna Green (#1 Midlife Recorder), Linzi Day (e)
5    The Goblin Emperor, Katherine Addison (Author), Kyle McCarley (Narrator) re-re-re&c-read (audio)
4    The House in the Cerulean Sea, TJ Klune (e)
3    A Gentleman in Search of a Wife (Lord Julian #5) Grace Burrowes (e)
2    A Gentleman in Pursuit of the Truth (Lord Julian #4) Grace Burrowes (e)
1    A Gentleman in Challenging Circumstances (Lord Julian #3) Grace Burrowes (e)

_____
*Note: The list has been corrected. I did not realize that the Gretna Green novella was part of the main path, rather than a pleasant discursion, and my numbering was off. All fixed now.

lauradi7dw

Or did he have knee problems?

Commonly read passage this time of year (this is the RSV translation. The King James version, as used in "The Messiah," starts every valley shall be exalted).
>>Every valley will be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain.<<

Wouldn't that make everything flat? Why would you want all land features to go away?

I don't know why there is an image of the singer standing on stairs not looking formal, but he sounds fine

Watch on YouTube

hamsterwoman

Yuletide has revealed! (a bit more than intended, LOL, but everything appears to be back in order now, thanks to some swift manual workarounds by the mods! ♥)

I got two wonderful fics, which both really, really surprised me. I was convinced that I was getting a Rivers of London fic, because when my gift popped up, that was the only fandom I had requested with stories, and there was a RoL fic that fit what I had requested, which had recently appeared, so of course I figured it was mine. Then a treat popped up the night before reveals, and the fandoms were unchanged, so I figured it had to be another RoL fic… except Varvara wasn’t tagged in more than one fic, so I was very puzzled. Until I remembered/realized that Lady Eve’s Last Con would not have been wrangled yet, so, OK, my treat was probably that. But it never for a second occurred to me that my main gift could ALSO be Lady Eve’s Last Con, so I was completely blindsided by it:

Forgetting is Musical (1214 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Lady Eve's Last Con - Rebecca Fraimow
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Esteben Mendez-Yuki & Sol Mendez-Yuki, Esteban Mendez-Yuki/Jules Johnson
Characters: Esteban Mendez-Yuki, Sol Mendez-Yuki, Ruthi Johnson
Summary:

Intimacy is a name given to an infinite distance.
Esteban has a few more things to learn.

It is a set of Esteban-centric vignettes, pre- and post-canon, and through this format it manages to fit pretty much ALL of my letter prompts into a single elegant package (all the more impressive because I know it was a late pinch hit). I loved getting a glimpse of the roots (heh) of Esteban’s interest in soil, the light humor, complicated family stuff, the abiding but very sibling-y love of his relationship with Sol, and a hopeful ending, the whole of it very poignant and warm.

I also absolutely loved my treat, which was indeed also Lady Eve’s Last Con, but still surprised me because it was for the crossover prompt I never expected to get, because I’ve been prompting crossovers since my very first Yuletide, in every fandom, and have never gotten any, until now! And not just a crossover between fandoms, but the specific crossover prompt that had greatly amused me when I was reflecting on the book:

Natural Habitats (2161 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Lady Eve's Last Con - Rebecca Fraimow, Vorkosigan Saga - Lois McMaster Bujold
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Esteban Mendez-Yuki, Mark Vorkosigan
Additional Tags: Yuletide Treat
Summary:

Esteban escapes New Monte for an academic conference on Escobar, where he receives an intriguing business proposal.

This was such a fun fic! The crossover works perfectly, the universes blended seamlessly, the fun of the premise itself – but I’d posited it offhandedly, as a cracky plot idea, and my author took it deeper, into excellent character work where Mark and Esteban can relate to each other in interesting ways. And I love this Esteban’s POV, and his awkward flailing at an academic conference, and the uplifting win-win ending.

(It appears from the comments that it is entirely possible to enjoy this fic with only Vorkosigan Saga knowledge, so, y’all who are Vorkosiverse fans should go do that, and then you should read Lady Eve’s Last Con, and read the other fic too ;)

Anyway, so, both fics were a blast, in highly complementary ways. And I’m so pleased that Lady Eve fic now exists in the archive! :D

And I got a very nice comment from my recipient within an hour of the collection opening, so, Yuletide is being very good to me :D

Also, it’s nice to be able to read my gift(s) and comment immediately, instead of reading them either while falling asleep or still bleary pre-coffee, so I’m a fan of this new reveal time.

*

In non-Yuletide news – Merry Christmas to friends who celebrate! Or actually, Merry Krysa-mouse!

(Backstory is that B made a joke, pronouncing "Merry Christmas" as "Merry Krysa-mas" and then L took it a step further to "Merry Krysa-mouse" [krysa = rat, for the non-Russian-speakers]. Of course, I embraced this new holiday, and was even compelled to illustrate it. You are looking at the pinnacle of my artistic ability, y'all. Drawn from "life" -- i.e. a rubber Halloween rat (which is no more, as it melted/disintegrated several years ago -- horrifying pictures available upon request) and a box of mouse finger puppets.)

We are having a quiet day after a very active Tuesday and before B’s return tomorrow, so I’m going to enjoy the peace and quiet for a bit :)

petra

Galavant:

Note the part where this is tagged as Original Music Composition! I GOT A GALAVANT SONG FOR YULETIDE!

There is a bug de-anonymizing the collection, so with any luck, my author will be willing to post more than the sheet music and save me from my current predicament of "I can sorta sight-read but not that well." I love the Madalena voice in this, so perfectly discontent with her amazing lot! and there's MUSIC!

Madalena's Ballad of Vast Success (1264 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Galavant (TV)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Madalena (Galavant), Brief ensemble Galavant cast appearance
Additional Tags: Character Study, Inspired by the song What Am I Feeling (Galavant), Original music composition, Post-Canon
Summary:

Madalena stood on her balcony, in her castle perched high on a cliffside overlooking her vast and endless empire. "This is the best life has ever been. Everything I wanted is now mine... Yet sometimes it seems that there's something out there that eludes me, something I can neither buy nor take. But that's crazy! Who would dare deny me? Deceive or defy me? None at all! Well, almost none!"

Galavant 2:

The share button isn't working on Tad Cooper, a Life, which is an adorable summation of the life and times of Tad Cooper, as one can imagine from the title. I enjoyed the POV the author chose!

Slow Horses + Rivers of London:

My other Yuletide author took me up on my deep and soulful desire for Slow Horses + Rivers of London, and does great things with the interaction of law enforcement and Regent's Park, and the various characters. Spoilers for Diana Taverner's fate if you've only done the first book/show, but nothing that will surprise anyone. I love the way the mundane and magical intersect here:

The Spirit of Regent's Park (2370 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Slow Horses (TV), Rivers of London - Ben Aaronovitch
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Thomas Nightingale, Diana Taverner, Jackson Lamb (Slow Horses), Emma Flyte, Molly Doran
Additional Tags: Canon-Typical Violence, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Yuletide Treat, add some magic to your spy show
Summary:

Newly minted First Desk Diana Taverner visits the Folly to find out who this Thomas Nightingale fellow is, and learns a few things about London that are closer to home than she expects.

*

What I wrote:

2 stories!

Spot either and I'll write you a drabble. One of them is so me it hurts and the other is less obviously so but still extremely Petra.

Current Mood: pleased
Current Music: Bear McCreary and sight reading

rachelmanija

The Yuletide collection is live!

Enjoy browsing the collection! Leave kudos and/or comments if you enjoy a story! Comment here to recommend stories, and/or recommend them at the

yuletide comm!

I have three stories in the collection. Can you find them?

I shall now spend the rest of the day cuddling with my cats and reading Yuletide stories.

conuly posting in

agonyaunt

Dear Carolyn: I’m a year out from chemo and still officially cancer-free. Also, my hair is back to normal — yay. To celebrate, I had it dyed a beautiful violet shade, my favorite color.

Now my dad is giving me so much grief about it. He keeps asking why I need everyone to notice me and ask about my cancer. I don’t care if anyone notices my hair; I did it for me. The color makes me smile every time I look in the mirror. And if anyone does mention the color, I tell them I did it because I like the color purple. I never mention cancer at all. Why would I want to talk about that? I feel good, I can run and hike again, and I want to focus on things like that.

My dad refuses to accept my explanation, because he believes everyone who does anything he considers to be out of the ordinary does it “to get attention” or to “freak people out.” I can’t seem to convince him how stupid that is, that people do things because they want to and it makes them happy.

Can you think of a way to get through to him? I’m really tired of having to listen to him criticize my hair every time he sees me.

— Celebrating

( Read more... )

ysobel posting in

agonyaunt

Dear Miss Manners: I have long been troubled by the carol “We Wish You a Merry Christmas,” specifically the intimation that if we don’t give the uninvited guests their figgy pudding, they “won’t go.”

How are we to address this request? I don’t want to be ungrateful for their wishes, but think that their insistence is a bit beyond what is considered polite and reasonable. Can you advise how to proceed?

What was that? Miss Manners couldn’t quite hear you over the ruckus made by the geese a-laying, the calling birds, the French hens and the turtledoves. The partridge, fortunately, appears to have passed out under the pear tree.

Current Mood: amused

shewhomust

It is Christmas Eve, and this morning I submitted my tax return. That's the big one.

The milkman left five pints this morning, which will have to last us until Monday morning. We have succeeded in fitting it into the fridge.

I (we, in fact) have stripped the bed, and there is washing in the machine. I have placed an order with Ocado for just before the New Year (there's plenty of time to edit the order, but the delivery slot is reserved).

durham_rambler went out this morning to collect his prescription and - above and beyond the call of duty - managed to snag a red cabbage (I'd been unsuccessful at both Sainsbury's and Aldi).

Yesterday we went to lunch with J: which was fun, but it's just the two of us now until D. and

valydiarosada arrive for the New Year.

So we are ready for whatever the next few days may bring.

Season's greetings, everyone!

marycatelli posting in

books

Villains Are Destined to Die, Vol. 8 by SUOL

The story is approaching the conclusion. Spoilers ahead for the earlier volumes

( Read more... )

maju

This morning I woke up feeling absolutely miserable, mainly because my head was aching and I was very congested, plus my ear was showing signs of developing that mysterious pain. I took some Tylenol and lay back down with the problematic ear pressed firmly into the pillow, and eventually, after close to two hours, I started to feel marginally better. At least my ear had stopped hurting. However, I decided to stay in bed today, or at least, on my bed, because I rarely stay actually in bed all day unless I'm much sicker than I am right now.

Today has so far been much quieter than yesterday. My daughter has been out doing errands (i.e. shopping) all morning, and the girls are being fairly quiet upstairs under the eye of their father. Two of their favourite people are arriving to stay over Christmas later today; first, their oldest cousin L, who is in her late 20s, and second, S's son J, who now has a tradition of coming up here for Christmas. L is going to sleep in Violet's room but I'm not sure where J will sleep. Possibly in my daughter's office, because that's been used as an overflow bedroom before.

sage

books
The Fortune of War (Aubreyad #6) by Patrick O'Brian. Very satisfying, if occasionally super gross. I'm rationing these, because I'll be sad when they're over.

Ancient Iran and Its Neighbours: Local Developments and Long-range Interactions in the 4th Millennium BC by Cameron A. Petrie (Editor). 2013. I started this an age ago & put it down in the middle of the driest of dry articles. It's a lot of archaeology, and little of it is engaging, but I love the general subject matter so I finished it.

still reading: The Impossible Fortune (Thursday Murder Club #5) by Richard Osman. This one is failing to hook me.

yarning
I went to yarn group Sunday and had a good time, though I messed up the bunny I worked on there, doh. Adding a Made To Order option in my etsy shop for kickbunnies was a good idea. I've had several sales already, and also the burgundy and rose pink ones keep selling out. Etsy's color of the year for 2026 is "Patina Blue," or blue copper, which is basically teal, so I'm focusing on burgundy and teal now, while hoping the brown and yellow bunnies in the shop will eventually sell. A fun aside: my Santa from the Kitten Academy holiday card exchange drew a great, colorful scene in the card he sent -- a Christmas tree filled with cats and two kickbunnies looking up at them from in front of a fire in the fireplace. A very happy-making surprise!

yuletide
I've been volunteering as a SPAG beta on the Yuletide discord & have gotten to preview some really cute/sweet/charming fics! Fic reveals are THIS AFTERNOON!! and I cannot wait! \o/

( healthcrap ) However, the flu is, and my brother has it, so Christmas is delayed until he gets better and has a few days off again, whenever that will be. At least I'll have Yuletide to keep me company.

Solstice
was Sunday at 9:03am CST. Happy YULE!! Welcome to the return of the light, northern hemisphere peeps! Happy Summer Solstice, antipodeans! \o/

#resist
Tuesday, January 20: #50501 General Walk-out, 2pm local time. https://www.FreeAmeri.ca

Wishing everyone safe travels and a very happy holiday season, whatever you celebrate! <333

lauradi7dw

NPR, WUMB, WERS, and others are putting out or preparing end of year best song lists (or maybe favorite songs?). I listen to the radio a lot, mostly those and sometimes 92.5 The River (what does that mean?) which seems to be a franchise of some sort, because there is a different version in western Mass that still calls itself The River. I have heard a lot of songs this year that I like, but I don't know most of the artists or titles because the DJs don't tell me often enough, and when they do I don't have pen and paper at the ready. I know my favorite Kpop songs of 2025, although almost all of them are in English. Should that count?
It was a big Kpop Demon Hunters year for a lot of the world. Golden was my head song for months, but I like a lot of the other songs as well.
A soundtrack list starts here
https://youtu.be/yebNIHKAC4A?si=8lCWbvXx-_b_jLsY
There was a short tiktok reposted on twitter of a cute little kid singing it but I can't figure out how to link it.
Does anybody need the movie screenplay? Here it is:
https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/26438527-kpop-demon-hunters-read-the-screenplay-2/#document/p1

J-Hope and GloRilla Killin' it Girl (not my favorite of J-Hope's releases this year, but it stuck most in my head).

Watch on YouTube

Stray Kids Do it

Watch on YouTube

The Do It challenge dance performed by a Hamilton cast
https://youtube.com/shorts/ytBg-BJNQPo?si=efbis9e5_g6cQQ-5

WERS played Billie Eilish's "Birds of a Feather" a lot this year. Why is the group name just her name (Eilish is her middle name) when her brother Fineas is part of every project? Wouldn't Billie & Fineas made more sense?
I prefer the cover by Kim Seungmin

Watch on YouTube

Here's one that's not in English (except I only know the English title)
Hwasa Good Goodbye

Watch on YouTube

There isn't a standardized challenge dance for it, but people have posted little skits of themselves to the music, often including the sort of hand-wavy part at about 2:20.

But here's Hwasa singing in English, for Christmas
https://youtube.com/shorts/prgRbO-xJ8g?si=_gO574amExfd--Yb

This is K but not pop and it's not 2025, but almost (early December 2024). I have watched it a lot this fall. I think of it as the Santa's Helpers pungmul group

Watch on YouTube

susandennis

Yesterday, Noelle and I were chatting over the puzzle when John came out and asked me to come look at his computer - he couldn't get it to turn on. I told him no, that he needs to contact IT. He did not know what IT was. I told him, it's Brandon. Brandon has been to John's many times to help him. John said he didn't know a Brandon. It was pretty sad. But, no way would I touch his computer.

John was dying quickly a few months ago and put into the nursing wing. He is better now and maybe not dying tomorrow (he is 89) but he's lost many of his marbles. He still sleeps in his room in the nursing wing but spends his days in his apartment with his wife, Hazel, who is blind and does not have all of her marbles either. They have a son, Keith, who lives nearby. Before, he got sick, I used to help him with his computer. But, when he got sick, his son stepped in and stepped up and took over their finances but even so Hazel tells me they have been scammed by BECU three times now. I am sure she's not got all the facts right but clearly there are some computer/financial issues there.

John was not happy that I would not help him and I'm sorry about that but no fucking way am I putting my fingerprints on that bed of quicksand!

After he left, Noelle and I discussed it and she asked me what I would have done differently with Myrna that would have saved me from the quagmire of her family. It's a great question and I did not have answer and still don't. BUT I am getting more and more clear on what I will never do again!

Then, yesterday evening, I ran into Joan who said "I was going to come find you to ask you to change my bandage." I do not know what the wound is or how she got it handled but I assured her that NFW was I going to even get close to that. "Well, Bonny does it sometimes but Bonny's not here" Wait til Bonny gets back or call a nurse or your children. I do not do wounds. Ewww.

I want to make a sign for my door - or maybe my forehead - that says help and has a red circle with a slash over the words.

But, after all that, I came back here to my own place with my own cats and watched some good TV and knitted and wallowed in the knowledge that I do not have to go anywhere or do anything or even talk to anyone for the next few days. It was a lovely evening. I finished the book I was reading and slept like a log.

I think I will probably go swim a few laps this morning. And then my dinner will be ready for pick up about 4. And that's it for plans.

cosmolinguist

I wrote and sent (luckily could retrieve in time!!) an email to them from my erik@ address, rather than the Gmail address I've had since 2004 and use for bank stuff and parent stuff and... that's about it now.

I have never even started to do such a thing before, I don't know what happened here! I'm feeling fine today, so for my brain to be so addled is very weird!

Luckily (??), emails sent from the erik@ account from my phone often bring up an error message that means I have to fiddle around a bit to get them sent, and when that happened this time my blood ran cold and I quickly deleted the email altogether. It never got from "outbox" to "sent" so that should be okay!

But sheesh what a near miss!

It was an email about my birthday present too so very obviously from me, I couldn't say it was just spam or something.

oursin

What I read

Well, the Katherine Addison Cemeteries of Amalo re-read continued: I managed to access Lora Selezh and on to The Witness for the Dead, The Grief of Stones and The Tomb of Dragons (the latter was the one where I first began experiencing weird lagging effects on the ereader).

On the go

Seem to have several things currently on the go.

Still dipping in to Diary at the Centre of the Earth, which is becoming compelling, especially as so much of it is set not quite in my neighbourhood but very close and has allusions to things like busroutes familiar to me.

Started Ursula K Le Guin, The Lathe of Heaven (1971), which have been meaning to do since discovering the movie is online available and wishing to refresh my memory. Do have a copy but it is a) somewhere inaccessible and b) 1970s paperback probably in disintegrating condition so shelled out for (v reasonable) ebook. Not very far in yet - wow it's a bit generic c. 1970 nearish future dystopia! - do we need so much futtock-shroudery from Haber about his dream-machine? (feel that this may have been editor thinking this was Necessary Exposition?).

Also have started Dorothy Richardson, Pointed Roofs (Pilgrimage #1) (1915), for online reading group, which after various struggles have given in and am reading via Kindle app on tablet because stutter mode is NOT what one wants with Richardson's prose. Do have 1970sish Virago edition somewhere in the book maelstrom but disinclined to the turmoil of trying to locate.

Up next

That seems like enough to be going on with but I am in expectation of Christmas books.

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Every Day Above Ground

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Mallory's Camera

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Review: A Chorus, Divergent anthology

Randoms from today

Cruise Day -3: Chicago: Christmas Eve

Happy holiday party?

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Books read in 2025

Was the prophet Isaiah really boring?

Yuletide! :DD

Yuletide Haul 2025

Happy Yuletide!

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Literal Christmas

Christmas achievements

Villains Are Destined to Die, Vol. 8

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What I'm Doing Wednesday

How K is it, really?

Christmas Eve

Today in "hilarious ways to come out to my parents"...

Wednesday has just put Angel Biscuit dough into the fridge

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December 2025

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