Reading

Current Mood: busy

Entry tags:

Birdfeeding

Today is mostly sunny and cool.

I fed the birds. I've seen a small flock of sparrows and house finches. Some of the sparrows were splashing in the red birdbath.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 10/23/25 -- I potted up some of the asparagus seeds from the Charleston Food Forest.

EDIT 10/23/25 -- I planted 10 'Colour Magic' tulips around the barrel garden, and still have 10 left. These flowers change colors as they mature, often starting white or yellow with color at the edges which then spreads.

EDIT 10/23/25 -- I planted the rest of the 'Color Magic' tulips in the tulip bed.

.

Current Mood: grateful
Current Location: Schildhaven in Den Haag

Entry tags:

thanks

Thankful Thursday

Today I am thankful for...

Thunderbird, emacs, pandoc, LaTeX, CSS, and a blanket to put over the yak I had to shave. (But Unicode does not appear to have a yak emoji, which makes me sad.)
Linux, and the way it processes updates when I want it to. Also its ability to perform even rather drastic updates without making me stop what I'm doing and deal with them. With a few exceptions. *Glares at Firefox.*
Grocery stores that deliver.
Fresh noodles. Also, butter, mushrooms and shallots.
The local swans.

Entry tags:

The Day in Spikedluv (Wednesday, Oct 22)

I had a chiropractic appointment this morning. He said that icing my back anytime I do anything that might cause issues is a good idea, so I see more icing in my future. Because I did so much shopping yesterday I was able to make this a no-shopping day.

I took mom to her appointment, did a load of laundry, hand-washed dishes, went for a couple walks with Pip and the dogs, cut up chicken for the dogs' meals, paid some bills online, and scooped kitty litter. I grilled steak for Pip’s supper.

I took another nap, watched some HGTV programs, and watched a Hallmark Christmas movie.

Temps started out at 48.9(F) and reached 60.1. It rained in the morning, then the sun came out, then the clouds moved back in. It didn’t seem to me that it had rained very long/hard, but Pip said we got half an inch.

Mom Update:

Mom was doing well. ( more back here )

Current Mood: busy

Entry tags:

food,
recipe

Today's Smoothie

Note to self: do not put red grapes in a green smoothie. Red + green = brown. :/ It still tastes good, but it is not the beautiful jade-green that we usually get.

We use the Alan's Going Green Smoothie. We don't use the jalapeño or cashews. Sometimes we use a kiwi instead of a lime. Today we used a handful of pea shoots instead of spinach, so there's a pea flavor alongside the lime.

Entry tags:

write every day

Write Every Day: Day 23

The demise of writing matters, because writing is not a second thing that happens after thinking. The act of writing is an act of thinking. This is as true for professionals as it is for students. In “Writing Is Thinking,” an editorial in Nature, the authors argued that “outsourcing the entire writing process to [large language models]” deprives scientists of the important work of understanding what they’ve discovered and why it matters. Students, scientists, and anyone else who lets AI do the writing for them will find their screens full of words and their minds emptied of thought.

– Derek Thompson

My day 23: I messed around with a new pairing, to see if I can add to my Yuletide offers. (Going by the sign-up summary, I'm not convinced I'm currently matchable.) As yet, inconclusive but promising. I also wrote some of a Dreamwidth post, which I'm sure I'll finish eventually.

We had a howling gale this morning. The trains were cancelled, and everyone had been advised to stay home. It seems to have blown itself out now (*knock on wood*) without any of the expected power outages (*knock on wood again*), and as far as I know, my roof is still attached (*and once more, just to be on the safe side*). Phew!

The tally
( Tally )

Day 21:

alightbuthappypen,

badly_knitted,

carenejeans,

china_shop,

cmk418,

goddess47,

sanguinity,

sylvanwitch,

trobadora,

ysilme

Day 22:

alightbuthappypen,

badly_knitted,

china_shop,

cornerofmadness,

sylvanwitch,

trobadora

When you check in, please say what day(s) you’re checking in for. You can join in or take a break at any time; you’re always welcome back. And please let me know if I’ve missed you.

went to the doctor with Adrian

I accompanied Adrian to her doctor's appointment this afternoon, to provide moral support, take notes, and ask any relevant questions she didn't think of. This was last minute on my end, because she only realized this morning that she wanted company. So, some rearranging of my (vague) plans, but it worked.

It seemed like a good appointment, with a doctor who explained things pretty well. We walked home, which would have been a better idea if the google maps estimate of the distance had been accurate. Instead, we spent a lot of time walking around the parking lots of the hospital complex.

This used enough energy that I decided not to go to the optician tomorrow morning, before seeing my own doctor in the afternoon. I will go to Somerville, eat lunch in Davis Square, see Carmen, and then decide whether to come straight home, or stop for ice cream and/or other shopping.

Current Mood: busy

Entry tags:

Photography

Córdoba -- Festival of the Patios

In addition to being listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Córdoba also appears on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list for its Festival of the Patios. Held each spring, the festival celebrates the tradition of decorating the patios or courtyards of the homes in the historic center of the city with flowers and other plants. During the Festival, these patios are open to the public, to show off the beauty of these spaces.

The pictures come from later in the season, not the festival itself, but are still beautiful.

Are you looking for a theme to make your small town stand out? Or a theme for a spring event that isn't Easter? Consider a patio festival! Celebrate the beauty of small gardens on patios, balconies, front porches, etc. Get your local florists and garden shops to join the fun with special displays or sales. Throw in a plant / seed swap for houseplants, garden plants that are customarily divided or planted in spring, local landraces of flowers or vegetables, and so on.

Current Mood: annoyed

Entry tags:

more financial paperwork

After a bunch of back and forth, it appears that the reason Chase would provide a medallion signature guarantee for my brother, and not me, is that he's an executor of my mother's estate. (Mark and I both have accounts at Chase, which is part of what confused me.)

The banker at Chase suggested talking (again) to either Vanguard or TIAA and see if they will do this. She said she looked online and it said TIAA does provide these, and I've had an account with them for at least 30 years.

Also, Attitude's and my joint account at Chase is dormant, and to wake it up, one of us needs to go to a branch, talk to someone, say we want to take the account out of dormancy, and make at least a $1 deposit or withdrawal. And no, I can't pick up a deposit slip, take it to a teller, and make the trivial transaction, we would need to actually talk to someone. To keep it active, we will need to poke at it at least every 364 days. But doing this once would at least reset the clock of "inactive account, transfer funds to the state for safekeeping."

Current Mood: busy

Entry tags:

Birdfeeding

Today is mostly sunny, breezy, and cool.

I fed the birds. I've seen a few sparrows and house finches.

I put out water for the birds.

10/22/25 -- I installed the larger of the two wormstones beside the barrel garden. First I picked a spot, then I cleared the weeds. I dug into the ground a little so that the stone would lie closer to the surface. I had to move a few tulip bulbs that turned up there. Then I put the stone in place and pushed the soil back around the edges. \o/

10/22/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

10/22/25 -- I did more work around the patio.

10/22/25 -- I installed the second wormstone by the barrel garden.

10/22/25 -- I planted 10 'Flaming Beauties' tulips around the barrel garden. I still have 10 left. These are streaked tulips so they are yellow/red, purple/white, etc.

10/22/25 -- I planted the rest of the 'Flaming Beauties' in the tulip bed.

As it is almost suppertime, I am done for the night.

Entry tags:

The Day in Spikedluv (Tuesday, Oct 21)

I had a pedicure this morning. Today’s color is an even orangier-red than last time’s. I was worried about sitting so long, but it wasn’t bad, until I had to lift my leg. Thank goodness my sister took mom today because I’m not sure I could’ve done both. (The problem with driving a vehicle is that you can’t shift to get comfortable. You are forced to sit in the same position with pressure on the spots you don’t want pressure.)

While I was downtown I hit: the Dollar Tree (birthday cards – Ireland is going to be 16 this month!!), Walmart (to return and pick out more clothes for mom – she’s lost so much weight that her clothes just hang on her, so I’m trying to find the right size in everything from shirts to pants to undies), Price Chopper, and the Pharmacy.

I did a load of laundry (new uniform shirts for Pip, so I had to remove the outer packaging, remove the inner cardboard, rip off the tape strip everyone uses these days, cut off the cardboard tag because why just have the one, and unbutton ten shirts *head desk* There’s a reason I put this task off for months), hand-washed dishes, went for several walks with Pip and the dogs, cut up chicken for the dogs' meals, and scooped kitty litter.

I also made up the base for chili (basically browned the ground beef with peppers and onions and a little pepper and garlic powder) for one day later this week. I grilled tiny lamb chop thingies for Pip’s supper.

I took a nap, had an apple with caramel dip for my afternoon snack, and watched some HGTV programs. Thankfully pain is still a little bit less than yesterday. It's getting better each day, but is still very uncomfortable when I sit.

Temps started out at 45.3(F) and reached 64.4. There was sun most of the day, which was nice, but it was not super warm.

Mom Update:

I did not visit mom today, but I spoke to her on the phone. ( more back here )

Current Mood: busy

Entry tags:

Mad Science

Scientists say dimming the sun could spark global chaos

Researchers warn that real-world solar geoengineering would be far more unpredictable and risky than models suggest.

Scientists are taking the once-radical concept of dimming the sun through stratospheric aerosol injection (SAI) seriously, but a Columbia University team warns that reality is far messier than models suggest. Their study reveals how physical, geopolitical, and economic constraints could derail even the best-intentioned attempts to cool the planet. From unpredictable monsoon disruptions to material shortages and optical inefficiencies, every step introduces new risks.

WARNING: Do not practice mad science on whole planet!

Current Mood: busy

Entry tags:

Cuddle Party

Everyone needs contact comfort sometimes. Not everyone has ample opportunities for this in facetime. So here is a chance for a cuddle party in cyberspace. Virtual cuddling can help people feel better.

We have a cuddle room that comes with fort cushions, fort frames, sheets for draping, and a weighted blanket. A nest full of colorful egg pillows sits in one corner. There is a basket of grooming brushes, hairbrushes, and styling combs. A bin holds textured pillows. There is a big basket of craft supplies along with art markers, coloring pages, and blank paper. The kitchen has a popcorn machine. Labels are available to mark dietary needs, recipe ingredients, and level of spiciness. Here is the bathroom, open to everyone. There is a lawn tent and an outdoor hot tub. Bathers should post a sign for nude or clothed activity. Come snuggle up!

Enjoy a feast for Halloween, Samhain, All Saints Day, Dia de los Muertos, or whatever you prefer...

( Read more... )

Entry tags:

write every day

Write Every Day: Day 22

A problematic myth about writing is that it comes from novelty. If we want to write, we need to have new material, right? If we have a new experience, an adventure of some kind, then we’ll have a story to tell or new things to present. While travel encourages me to see with new eyes–a jarring dislocation usually heightens awareness–seeing anew can happen anywhere. I think about Thoreau, who walked almost every day for years in the same vicinity, and who wrote, “Two or three hours’ walking will carry me to as strange a country as I expect ever to see.” You don’t need to be someplace new to see–or hear, or taste, or smell, or feel–something new.

– Maggie Smith, Dear Writer

My day 22: Finished my Yuletide sign-up. \o/ My sister's coming over this evening to watch Fringe and Bluey with me. \o/

The tally
( Tally )

Day 20:

alightbuthappypen,

badly_knitted,

brithistorian,

carenejeans,

china_shop,

cmk418,

cornerofmadness,

sanguinity,

shippen_stand,

sylvanwitch,

trobadora

Day 21:

alightbuthappypen,

badly_knitted,

carenejeans,

china_shop,

cmk418,

goddess47,

sanguinity,

sylvanwitch,

Current Mood: busy

Entry tags:

NaNoWriMo

Here's a list of NaNoWriMo replacements. These are good options if you're fed up with the old NaNoWriMo. However, plenty of people are still doing that, so if you have enjoyed it, you can just keep writing a novel in November.

Looking for other activities?

goals_on_dw has lists of Writing and Art activities that include November options.

Current Mood: busy

Entry tags:

Today's Adventures

We went up to Champaign today.

( Read more... )

Entry tags:

yuletide

My Yuletide Sign-up

( You're about to view content that the journal owner has marked as possibly inappropriate for anyone under the age of 18. )

Entry tags:

home cooking

We had a roast chicken a few days ago, then

adrian_turtle used some of the leftovers to make a salad with greens, pieces of chicken, and grapes.

cattitude just turned the remaining leftover chicken into matzo ball soup.

There will be homemade chocolate cake later, because Adrian wanted to check whether the springform pan would hold cake batter. We eat well around here.

Entry tags:

yuletide scares me

Dear Yuletide Writer

Thank you so much for writing for me and, most of all, for sharing one of my tiny fandom loves!! I adore all these canons and am sure to enjoy whatever you come up with. I’m only including a few prompts in case you’re the kind of writer who likes them; please don’t feel bound by them. If you like, you can use them as jumping-off points for something quite different.

I’m

china_shop on AO3. Treats are enabled and welcome!

( Likes and DNWs )

And now, on to the prompts! I've patched these together in a bit of a hurry; more verbiage does not indicate preference!

Time of Fever: Go Hotae, Kim Donghee
(my gift should feature all requested characters)

(Feel free to use your preferred romanisation for their names!)

What it is: a 6 x 20-minute-episode BL Kdrama about two high-school best friends pining for each other. It's gorgeously acted and shot, and the characters have a lot of interiority: Go Hotae has just lost his father and moved from Seoul back to his small hometown; he's an athlete, a terrible student, and very sweet. Kim Donghee, bright, artistic, and abused by his father for being gay, comes to live with Hotae and his mum. He tries hard to conceal his crush on Hotae. We get to see Hotae's growing awareness of Donghee. Here's episode 1, and the rest of the show is linked at the bottom of the page.

Prompts:
* I love the idea of Hotae tracking Donghee down in Seoul (after all, Hotae lived in Seoul for a couple of years, right? he can find his way around). Whether they actually run into each other or not, I feel like there's a lot of potential here. Maybe Hotae writes to Donghee saying to meet him, and Donghee stakes out the cafe, sees Hotae waiting, but can't bring himself to make contact (angst, angst). Or maybe Hotae follows Donghee to Itaewon or Jongno and watches him meet friends in a gay bar - and decides to make his presence known (or not). Or Hotae comes to the university dorms on Donghee's birthday and insists on celebrating with him, and revelations ensue. So many possibilities!!
* Another kiss during their school era days -- maybe when they wake up in the bookshop together -- and the complications that ensue.
* Magic realism fix-it to help them communicate: bodyswap, telepathy, etc.
* Angst - possibly involving Donghee's mother's expectations that he not be any trouble to Hotae's mother, or situational-appropriate internalised homophobia, or just misunderstandings.

I'm fine with an unhappy ending (even a fight) as long as it doesn't rule out the possibility of them getting together at some future date. Happy endings are of course very welcome!!!

Unintentional Love Story: Go Hotae, Kim Donghee, Yoon Taejoon
(my gift should feature all requested characters; or it may use exceptions as explained)

(Feel free to use your preferred romanisation for their names!)

What it is: a 10 x 33-44 min-episode BL Kdrama about four young adults in small-town Korean. The background couple, Donghee and Hotae, are a coffee shop proprietor and a high-school dropout who works at his mother's restaurant, respectively. There's a lot of history and tension between them.

Prompts:
I'm primarily interested in Go Hotae&/Kim Donghee, but I really enjoy Yoon Taejoon (and Ji Wonyoung) as a background pairing/supporting cast. I love their respective friendships with Donghee and Hotae, especially Kim Donghee & Yoon Taejoon.

* A get-together or established relationship moment for Hotae and Donghee at any point, including post-canon.
* Exploring what it is that's holding Donghee back - and resolving this to reach a get-together.
* Magic realism fix-it to help them communicate: bodyswap, telepathy, animal transformation, etc. Maybe Donghee receives a batch of coffee syrup that gives people unexpected powers?!
* Anything about Kim Donghee and Yoon Taejoon making friends, being friends, critiquing each other's love lives and choices, supporting each other's businesses and relationships. (That "Dongee & Taejoon commiserating in a bar" scene is pure delight! Anything like that. :D)
* Canon divergent AU where Go Hotae takes up swimming again, and somehow this changes how Kim Donghee sees him.
* Trope fic! All the tropes! (Here are my trope rankings, though this is a few years out of date.)

Rūrangi (2020): Caz Davis, Jem, Anahera
(my gift should feature all requested characters; or it may use exceptions as explained)

What it is: a 2020 New Zealand LGBT-related independent drama film. After skipping town a decade ago, transgender activist Caz Davis returns to the remote, politically divided dairy community of Rūrangi, hoping to reconnect with his estranged father, who hasn’t heard from him since before Caz transitioned. He reconnects with both his high-school best friend and his high-school boyfriend.

Prompts:
I'd love anything focused on Caz -- his guardedness and grudging vulnerability mashes my buttons! Caz/Jem, yes please! Caz & Anahera, for sure!

I really just want more of the world of the film and what comes after -- and all the complicated feelings and relationships therein.

Do they take on the town council about something else? Do they throw a tiny Pride event? Does Caz meet up with someone else in town with whom he has history? An old friend of his mother? Another trans person (maybe not out)? Happy ever afters/domestic fluff are also very welcome: Caz/Jem fight and make up? Adopt a cat? Have a dinner party?

For this one, if you're adding magic realism (eg, Caz's mother's ghost making an appearance?), please keep it gentle and grounded. Other characters and OCs welcome.

Swordcrossed - Freya Marske: Mattinesh Jay, Lucastian Harte
(my gift should feature all requested characters)

What it is: a light, secondary world, urban-historical m/m romance with guild politics and secrets, swordplay and skulduggery, and people being messed up by their rich guild-house families. The romance is "playful-enemies to lovers," ie, there are compelling reasons not to trust each other, but they like each other enough that they can't help teasing, admiring, and developing inconvenient loyalties, despite the suspicion. (I gushed about it here.)

Prompts:
Canon divergence where something goes wrong for one of them, and they have to turn to the other for help before it feels safe to do so. (It's been a few months since I listened, so I can't remember how much that overlaps with canon, but feel free to riff off it. I'm about to re-listen to the audiobook.) An alternate get-together. A missing scene. Outsider POV. Another heist (on top of the ones in canon). Adopting a stray cat or dog. Dealing with (or helping) a member of the supporting cast with a problem.

Reel free to add SF or fantasy elements/tropes, eg, time travel, bodyswaps, ghosts, telepathy.

Otherwise, how about an AU, if you lean that way. I adored the connection, the vibe, the banter, and it would be fun to see that in a different setting. Matti and Luca in space? As pirates? In the high-stakes world of publishing? Sounds delightful! (No vampires, werewolves, omegaverse, mobster AUs or anything dark or gritty, please. And no fusions with other canons.)

김과장 | Good Manager (2017) (AKA Chief Kim): Kim Seongryong, Seo Yul
(my gift should feature all requested characters)

(Feel free to use your preferred romanisation for their names!)

What it is: This is a 20-episode Korean office drama (available on VIKI) about corporate corruption, redemption, team as family, and enemies to ~~lovers~~ allies. It’s funny, dark at times, full of wordplay that doesn’t completely come across in the subs, and generally delightful. The ensemble is excellent. My mini-ship manifesto.

I ship Kim Seongryong/Seo Yul so hard. I love what a mess they are, separately and together, and how they’re deceptively similar: both used to being the smartest person in the room; both pushing everyone away, Seo Yul with arrogance and anger, Seongryong by being a glib, mischievous chaos monster; both burdened with consciences despite themselves. They start off genuinely antagonistic but quickly come to recognise each other as worthy opponents. And then all the teasing, stolen kisses, and reluctantly joining forces! For these two, my prompts are for post-canon hijinks/get-togethers, but if you want to set something during canon, go for it!

If you don’t ship them, bickering friendship fic or forced-working-together fic, with or without other members of Business Operations, would also be great. I really love the ensemble, especially Choo Namho and Yoon Hakyung.

Prompts (feel free to interpret as gen or shippy):

Seo Yul gets dirty/drenched somehow and has to borrow (terrible, ugly) clothes from Kim Seongryong. Can he stand the teasing? Does he immediately disrobe again? How does it affect his day? How does Kim Seongryong feel about it?
Kim Seongryong or Seo Yul gets three wishes from a magical entity.
Coming out to each other – or Seo Yul comes out to Kim Seongryong, and Kim Seongryong is inappropriate in some way.
Third-party h/c, where one of them sees the other being (seemingly uncharacteristically) kind and comforting to another character, and it makes the first person realise their feelings.

The Spear Cuts Through Water - Simon Jimenez: Jun Ossa, Keema of the Daware Tribe
(my gift should feature all requested characters; or it may use exceptions as explained)

What this is: a fantasy novel (with m/m) about belonging and redemption and gods and (mostly human) monsters. Incredible storytelling, narrative voice, worldbuilding, everything. Somehow, despite its horror and grisly moments, this book has become a comfort listen for me. (The audiobook narration by Joel de la Fuente is *amazing*.)

Prompts:
Keema is my absolute favourite. I would love anything about his past, present or future, especially if it came with added worldbuilding. (I'm fine with some horror elements if necessary for the story, but I'd prefer them not to be the focus, and in particularly, not leaning into the live-cannibalism side of things. A generally hopeful tone would be great.)

If you're feeling shippy, I'd really love a future moment for these two, slice of life or another adventure. Maybe they encounter another spirit or challenge. Maybe it's the after-effects of godliness, or some aspect(s) of their being gods lasts longer than they thought. Maybe it's just about their life on the road -- or do they find a home somewhere, a place to belong?

Thank you again! I hope this is helpful and that you have a great Yuletide!

Entry tags:

Is there an Ennead I don't know about?

In episode 3 of the Moon Knight TV show, there is what is explicitly called "a meeting of the Ennead". Also explicitly, the following gods are present: "Horus, Isis, Tefnut, Osiris and Hathor". Now, I know the Ennead occasionally includes Horus the Elder, so sure, why not.

But Hathor?

Afaik, the Ennead is Atum; Shu and Tefnut; Geb and Nut; (Horus the Elder), Osiris, Seth, Isis and Nephtys. Am I missing something? (Probably.)

Current Mood: busy

Entry tags:

Birdfeeding

Today is mostly sunny and cool.

I fed the birds. I've seen some sparrows and house finches.

I put out water for the birds.