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My hand is out of the wrap and free again!
My thumb still isn't up for a lot of heavy use yet. There's a lot of healing still to do.
But it's feeling so much better already.
My wrist was getting so itchy...

I might start back in on coding work today? Depending how I feel in a couple hours after breakfast and stuff.
Though I'll be going slow, so I can minimize use of my thumb.
I'm not using it to type right now, though really I mostly use my other fingers to type anyway.

cosmolinguist

We have a spice mix grinder, with lemon and garlic and chili and sea salt in it. It's so good.

But when I tried to add some to our dinner tonight, I noticed it wasn't really working. Despite it being single-use plastic, I managed to take apart the grinding bits, and when I couldn't scrape away the gunk I just left them in some water to soak.

I was just thinking I haven't done anything today, but I've done that. Tiny little thing that should make the future nicer. And more flavorful.

andrewducker

1. How EU law hides data centres' environmental impact: (tags:europe environment Technology ai )
2. It seems like nobody knows how the Home Office Vetting system is supposed to work.: (tags:politics CivilService uk wtf labour )
3. Burnout as experienced by autistic people: A systematic review: (tags:autism mentalhealth )

badfalcon

OK So. Li and I booked a tennis court for an hour at our local sports centre yesterday evening. We almost didn't go because the weather was crappy - it was drizzling, I didn't sleep well last night, was a little work stressed.

But in the end, we did go. I was so excited that there was like no anxiety. Although it helped that we went and saw the place on Sunday and knew it was going to be quiet (yay safety behaviours, or something?) It flared a couple of times when I realised people on treadmills in the gym could see us, and there was a couple of times some kids on the skate park were watching us. I get super paranoid about being a fat person trying to exercise :/

Slight tangent. Anyway. So we borrowed a couple of rackets and balls from the place. We were both completely convinced we were never going to be able to hit the ball, that we were only going to manage like 5, maybe 10 minutes, because we're both very unfit, and I had no idea how my joints were going to behave.

Y'all, we were out there for the entire hour and by the end of it, we were both moving pretty well. I was even almost jogging for balls at one point - I wasn't thinking about how I was moving, I wasn't scared I was going to fall or throw something out, I was just reacting to and reaching for the ball. I hurt like fuck two hours later, doped up nicely on naproxen and cocodamol and cbd and I'm very glad I took my crutches for the walk home.

We were basically doing drop feeds from the service box, initially just trying to connect ball to racket and over the net. Then go retrieve it from the back of the court cos neither of us could return it and there were no ball kids 😂 But as time went on, we were starting to hit returns, I tried out a few backhands. My aim is terrible but I'm starting to figure out power and reach. Li's the other way around - their aim is good but they haven't figured out the power. By the end of the hour, we managed like a 3 or 4 shot rally. Like, the ball was still bouncing two or three times but we were reaching it, hitting it back.

We were maybe 30 minutes in and we were both like 'yeah no i want my own racket' so tomorrow (maybe Sunday depending on my legs) we're going to go to the wee sports shop in town, try out some of their rackets, pick up some low-compression balls. If we don't find anything, we're heading into Exeter next weekend and there's a Sports Direct there. Li also wants some new trainers. I do not need new trainers but I am eyeing a pair of Nike Air Monarch IV.

One thing's for sure. We are absolutely going back to that tennis court next week!

Current Mood: excited

cmcmck

We went to visit the Smith gallery which we always do whenever we're in Stirling.

It is named for the local artist Thomas Stuart Smith (1813-1869 and has a collection of his art and lots of other interesting stuff.

As we walked along to the gallery I noticed this outside the bowling club (that's lawn bowls which is still big in the UK).

Shanks (Armitage Shanks) still exist as a company making lawn mowers and such.

( More pics! )

Current Mood: photographical
Current Location: 'ere

m_findlow posting in

drabble_zone

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

dine

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

snowynight

I have no mind’s eye: let me try to describe it for you: With aphantasia, my mind’s eye sees only darkness, not images. It’s like missing a sense, and only imagination can compensate

Aphantasia: Why I cannot picture my children in my mind: Most people can picture images in their heads - the look of an apple, the appearance of their kitchen or the smile of their best friend - but not everyone can.

Living with hyperphantasia: ‘I remember the clothes people wore the day we met, the things they said word-for-word’ It’s hard to know what people can see in their own mind’s eye. But for Maddie Thomas there was no doubt: she had especially vivid mental imagery

A Brief 200-Year History of Synesthesia: Richard Cytowic, a pioneering researcher who returned synesthesia to mainstream science, traces the historical evolution of our understanding of the phenomenon.

Speaking of Psychology: What is it like to be face blind? With Joe DeGutis, PhD, and Sadie Dingfelder

Why Did We Think We Dreamed in Black and White?: In the 1950's, dream researchers commonly thought that dreams were predominantly a black and white phenomenon, although both earlier and later treatments of dreaming presume or assert that dreams have color. The first half of the twentieth century saw the rise of black and white film media, and it is likely that the emergence of the view that dreams are black and white was connected with this change in media technology. If our opinions about basic features of our dreams can change with changes in technology, it seems to follow that our knowledge of the phenomenology of our own dreams is much less secure than we might at first have thought it to be.

They’re in clouds, electric sockets and even on toast. Why do humans see faces in everyday objects? Human brains are designed to detect faces as quickly as possible, which can lead to the perception of ‘false faces’

Neural networks underlying visual illusions: An activation likelihood estimation meta-analysis

The weird way language affects our sense of time and space: The languages we speak can have a surprising impact on the way we think about the world and even how we move through it.

apod_feed

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260417.html

yaaurens

I survived! I got my full bonus numbers, and more! I (maybe) have more work to do throughout the year! I spent nearly all day sleeping today! When I wasn't sleeping, I was reading! It was GREAT.

I had multiple clients ask to see me again next year, which felt pretty darn good. There were a couple who need to complete more things later in the year, and I told them since the office is open year round, they could see someone else, and they all said they would rather see me. (!) I also had an elderly couple that I think were Thai, who used to own a donut shop, so they brought a big ol' box of amazing donuts into the office for all of us. Their son had come in a couple of days earlier and I'd helped him, so they made their appointment with me. When they sat down they told me that their son hadn't told them he was coming or they would have sent their papers with him, but that he said I was 'really fun' and that he never says much, so they knew it must be true. (!!) It's been a truly wild tax season, but I'm glad I got through it. It was weirdly more enjoyable than I expected it to be, and if I can figure out a way to survive year-round, I think I would like to continue doing this. It's that "surviving year-round" part that's concerning though.

Finally received my new referral to the cardiologist, but when I called the office they hadn't received it yet so they said to wait a day or two and they would give me a call. They have not, and it's been three days, so I may give them a call on Monday if they don't call me first. I'm so eager to get this next step finished so we can keep moving forward. I can't tell if the beta blockers are working; I don't feel like they are? But I dunno.

Also learned this week (tax day, actually) that my therapist is leaving the group, due to family things, so now I have to get another therapist. Again. It shouldn't be too stressful (I hope) because I can stay within group and they'll work to hook me up with someone else, and I already know the insurance is worked out and all that. It's just, y'know. Starting over. Again.

Tomorrow, H is coming over so we can get started on the business handover. I need to go through and get all the various passwords ready, and see if there's anything else to add to the BizOps Manual that Dawn and I started on ages ago but never really finished. Right now we're just focusing on getting the website updated and classes ready for registration because that's more of a time crunch. When H gets back from her cruise (super jelly), we can go over the more business-y things, especially since then will be almost time for final invoices and everything anyway.

And then I guess it's back to life as sort of usual? Work is switching the learning system over after the 19th. It's unclear as to whether all of the completed classes in the level-up set will be lost, or just the ones that are in-progress. Hopefully just the in-progress ones; I don't mind going through them again because they're a bit more confusing than some of the other ones. I guess I'll see what the new thing looks like, and then maybe plan on going to the office on a semi-regular basis just to study rather than work. I know I already have one appointment next week, so that'll probably be my day to check what the new system is like and then figure out my plan from there.

Guess it's also time to start applying to jobs again, because even though I did enjoy the work this season, money and benefits year round would be very good. More than good. Necessary. Sigh.

But I'm not gonna stress about that right now; I'm going to rest up a bit, and maybe do something creative for the first time in ages, and then I'll start looking at future plans. Like which book to read next, cuz I have been burning through my TBR pile, which is kind of amazing!

merriamwebster_feed

https://www.merriam-webster.com/word-of-the-day/hiatus-2026-04-18

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 18, 2026 is:

hiatus • \hye-AY-tus\ • noun

In general contexts, hiatus usually refers to a period of time when something, such as an activity or program, is suspended. In biology, hiatus describes a gap or passage in an anatomical part or organ, and in linguistics, it refers to the occurrence of two vowel sounds without pause or intervening consonantal sound.

// The actor, who’s been on hiatus for several years, will be starring in a new film.

See the entry >

Examples:

“Following its return in 2025 after a nearly three-year hiatus, the 52nd American Music Awards are heading back to Las Vegas to be broadcast live from a new venue, the MGM Grand Garden Arena.” — Steven J. Horowitz, Variety, 10 Mar. 2026

Did you know?

This brief hiatus in your day is brought to you by, well, hiatus. While the word now most often refers to a temporary pause, hiatus originally referred to a physical opening in something, such as the mouth of a cave, or, as the 18th century British novelist Laurence Sterne would have it, a sartorial gap: in the wildly experimental novel Tristram Shandy, Sterne wrote of “the hiatus in Phutatorius’s breeches.” Hiatus comes from the Latin verb hiare, meaning “to yawn,” which makes it a distant relation of both yawn and chasm. And that’s all we have for now—you may resume your regular activities.

https://www.merriam-webster.com/word-of-the-day/hiatus-2026-04-18

$radiantfracture: Beadwork bunny head (Default)$

radiantfracture

If you see a character named "Clive", what do you think about them?

§rf§

snowynight

Watch on YouTube

snowynight

DINOCAR: A chaotic art-making game for all ages!

Paris Gondo - The Life-Saving Magic of Inventorying: A Play-Based Method in SIX STEPS to BANISH ENCUMBRANCE FOREVER!

Rebels of the Outlaw Wastes: A rock-n-roll retro-dystopian rpg fueled by stickers!

Anomaly Hunters: A Breathless Game of Reality TV and Monster Hunting

i'm sorry did you say street magic: we breathe life into this city together

dustbunny105

Glad to have finally reached the weekend! No particular plans but I am hoping to put the finishing touches on my tidying up, get a letter written, do some crochet and maybe finish one of the books I'm reading. I have homework to finish for my personal curriculum too. Pretty sure I'm going to the library tomorrow with my sister and niblings but that isn't going to be an all-day thing.

The Yarnia subscription yarn last month was a pretty, muted green and I was inspired as soon as it was in my hand. I've been sitting on a purple subscription skein for months because I couldn't put my finger on what I wanted to do with it and it looks so nice with the green. I'm going to use the two of them to make a tulip stitch bag :D I'll need to dig through my fabric scraps for something to line it with but I can worry about that later. I haven't been this excited to start a project for a minute, which feels a little silly when it's something so basic but I'll take it.

I really need to write back to my prison penpal. I've been procrastinating and I feel awful about it. I got several letters from him at once after a mail delay and so reading and responding to all that just felt overwhelming, I guess. I mailed off a short letter earlier this week so he'd know I had received his and hadn't forgotten him and would write properly soon. I might try to sketch or paint something to include as well, since he's sent me artwork before.

Reading has been slow going this month. I'm working my way through two books I didn't get around to last month, one on Mary Queen of Scots and one on Queen Elizabeth I. As you might imagine, they are each treated as very different "characters" in either book, lol. They're both kinda slow-- or at least I'm not finding them very engaging-- but I really want to get done so that I can move on to what's next in my pile.

As for my curriculum, I kinda. forgot. that I had assigned myself an essay for Clarinet, lol. At least it was always meant to be a short one. I'm gonna flip through my exercise book for inspo since it has a bunch of little informational tidbits and probably pick whatever the first thing is that looks interesting enough. I plan to write the essay out by hand but I might type it up and post it here too. We'll see! I also need to put the finishing touches on this week's transposition work, come to think of it.

torachan

1. Both Carla and I had a really hard time getting to sleep last night (I don't think I got to sleep until around four), so I slept in again today, which I do not like, but I am hoping I'll sleep better tonight.

2. I had some very snuggly cats today. They are so glad we're home.

3. I turned in all my library books before we went on our trip, so the day we got home, I put several books on hold and they all came in today, so I went to pick them up. Depending on what branch they're originally at, they sometimes dribble in one by one, so I was pleasantly surprised that they came all at once.

4. When I walked up to get the books, I passed one of our favorite Mexican restaurants and it smelled so good and was almost lunchtime, so I got burritos on the way back and they were indeed delicious.

5. Look at this sleepy guy!

rocky41_7 posting in

fffriday

Wednesday night I plowed through most of The Unworthy by Augustina Baztericca, translated from Spanish by Sarah Moses. This is a horror novel about a woman living in an isolated cult after climate change has ravaged most of the planet.

This was one of those books that had me going “okay just one more section and I’ll put it down” and then it was five sections later and I was still there. It just hooked me. I wanted to know more about the cult, I wanted to know more about the narrator’s past, I was so eager to see what was going to come next.

This book goes heavy on gore, mutilation, and cult abuse, so if those are not for you, you may want to give this one a pass. I found it fascinating; the world of the narrator is so grim and tightly controlled, but it’s all that’s left (as far as they know). The book also leans hard on things unspoken: things the narrator knows are so taboo she crosses them out of her own (secret) writings (such as when she wonders if maybe the earth has begun to heal); things she has forcefully blocked from her memory because they hurt so much to think of; the deep current of attraction she feels towards various other women in the cult which is easier to express through violence than sexuality.

In the claustrophobic world of the cult, it becomes so easy for the leadership to pit the women against each other, and they have grown shockingly cruel and violent towards one another in their quest for dominance (each of the “unworthy” dreams of ascending to the holier status of a “Chosen” or “Enlightened”). With virtually no control over their day-to-day, they fantasize about opportunities to punish each other, their only ability to enact their will on the world.

The hints from the beginning that the narrator questions her role in the cult create a delicious tension in the work. Her mere act of writing her experiences down is a violation of cult rules and she frequently keeps her journal pages bound to her chest under her clothes so no one will find them.

The translation was excellent, the writing flows well and Moses captures the descriptions and the narrator’s backtracking on her wording without anything becoming awkward.

The book isn’t long, but I was riveted, and I would like to read more of Baztericca’s work in the future. This was also the second Argentinian horror novel that surprised me with queerness, so another win for Argentinian horror.

rocky41_7 posting in

booknook

Title: The Unworthy
Author: Augustina Baztericca
Translator: Sarah Moses
Genre: Fiction, horror, post-apocolyptic

Wednesday night I plowed through most of The Unworthy by Augustina Baztericca, translated from Spanish by Sarah Moses. This is a horror novel about a woman living in an isolated cult after climate change has ravaged most of the planet.

The translation was excellent, the writing flows well and Moses captures the descriptions and the narrator’s backtracking on her wording without anything becoming awkward.

adafrog posting in

fandom_checkin

Sorry it's late. I had an organ concert, and couldn't post until now. Hope everyone is having a good day/evening.

This is your check-in post for today. The poll will be open from midnight Universal or Zulu Time (8pm Eastern Time) on Friday to midnight on Saturday (8pm Eastern Time).

Poll #34491 Daily poll

This poll is closed.
Open to: Access List, detailed results viewable to: Access List, participants: 18

How are you doing?

I am okay
8 (44.4%)

I am not okay, but don't need help right now
10 (55.6%)

I could use some help.
0 (0.0%)

How many other humans are you living with?

I am living single
4 (22.2%)

One other person
10 (55.6%)

More than one other person
4 (22.2%)

Please, talk about how things are going for you in the comments, ask for advice or help if you need it, or just discuss whatever you feel like.

fred_mouse

last update was 25th March and I'm not going to attempt to remember everything done.

Healing: nipple is still very sore, still using the rubber (teething) rings inside my bra to keep the fabric off it (it is still noticeably swollen compared to the other). The rest of the skin has healed, and I think I've finally finished peeling. Most of my armpit is bald, which as a texture experience feels different from having shaved. I continue to have reasonable and exhausted days and have not correctly balanced how much I can get away with doing.

study: I've got lots of good books that meet my criteria, and I've been poking through them. Other parts of the project are going slower. I am frustrated by my inability to buckle down on one, but I am also aware that I'm working through the tasks that I said I was going to need to do to do it properly. I got an email from the ethics board about corrections, so that will be Monday's task.

weather: there has been a startling amount of rain. There was a cyclone that didn't get this far south, but did push a front through. Jandakot recorded 77.4mm on one day, which is a 51 year maximum for March*, and a total of 87.6mm in the five days of rain. Plus we got 16.2mm to 9amm Wednesday, and 6.8 mm to 9am this morning.

music: I missed the last rehearsals of term for the Monday night group, and that goes back this coming week. I have not practiced anything, not least because bowing was painful for a while. I have made it to two of the Wednesday night rehearsals - one to discover it was the end of term open practice / concert, and one where it was a greatest hits and I didn't get access to the music before the rehearsal, and so sight read everything (I did try a practice on the night before). I failed to go to the sunday recorder group last weekend because apparently when I updated my calendar to the new alternating fortnight I didn't do it right, and I'd been successfully doing it from memory up until now.

con: we are at not enough week's before the con. I have been dropping the ball more than I like and I have to find a solution. I have one I would like, but I don't know whether anyone will take it on. We have some fabulous guests. Plus we have both GUFF and DUFF winners attending. I know Farah Mendelsohn is one, but I can't pull the name of the other out of my head. I'm presenting in the academic stream, and at this point I don't have enough to say. argh.

*I use an aggregator site for my rain information, rather than the BOM, so they are going off their data set; they claim this as 'probably a record maximum'. They report 17.0mm as the March average (1973-2026), the previous monthly maximum as 83.6mm in 1992, and the previous daily maximum as 37.8mm, also in 1992. At the opposite end, 2011 had no rain in March -- that would be the year of the big hail storm, if I remember correctly.

alchemicink posting in

anime_manga

*if you live in certain countries.

I just wanted to spread the word! (Because I don't know anyone else watching the series) It's currently available to watch in North and Latin America, and I recently saw that it's now available in Australia and New Zealand too.

I think it's also available on Netflix worldwide without the region-locking, but since I don't have Netflix, I appreciate this free alternative to watch.

The official YouTube channel is here. There are different playlists for different language subtitles.

I really enjoyed the first two episodes! I knew nothing about the series beforehand other than it's about rakugo (a kind of comedic storytelling). But I think Akane is a delightful character, the voice acting is top notch, and the animation is lovely so far. (I have a review for the first episode on my journal in this post)

Has anyone here read the manga? Did you enjoy it?

I'll wrap up by linking this ANN article from back in February that mentions the YouTube streaming and includes a trailer for the show.

subversivegrrl posting in

little_details

So, my character gets shot running away and catches several pellets of birdshot in his calf. Post-apocalyse setting, he doesn't have a chance to tend to it right away - can anyone give me a rough estimate of how long it would take before he would develop an infection that could disable him? (Fever, altered mental state.)

Thanks in advance for any feedback. I may need to revamp my idea about what kind of injury is going to put him out of commission for several days (he will have access to someone who can remove the pellets and provide reasonable, situation-appropriate medical care.)

Current Mood: curious

snowynight

One cupful of cold boiled rice beaten light with one cupful of milk. Add one tablespoonful of melted butter, half a teaspoonful of soda dissolved in a little of the milk, two eggs well beaten, and enough flour, sifted in with one teaspoonful of cream tartar, to make a thin batter. Beat thoroughly and bake in well-greased waffle-irons. Cream tartar and spices are practically certain to be pure when bought of a druggist instead of a grocer. (Not knocking the groceryman.)

From The Myrtle Reed Cook Book by Myrtle Reed (1916 New York)

From: wikipedia: Myrtle Reed (1874 – 1911) was an American author, poet, journalist, and philanthropist. She wrote a number of bestsellers, including Lavender and Old Lace, Threads of Gray and Gold, A Weaver of Dreams and even published a series of cookbooks under the pseudonym Olive Green.

troisoiseaux

( As of April 2026, I have seen 42 versions of 18 Shakespeare plays )

oliviacirce

Take me back to the woods, please. (But actually, I took two pretty nice walks today; could be worse.)

( Yes, That's When )

mxcatmoon

Yeah, so I called the hospital and they refused to change to a different one. Said I would have to get a doctor outside the hospital to change it. That would mean waiting for an appointment, paying more money for an office visit... They might even insist I take blood tests for them. Most doctors are assholes. I'm sorry, but that has been my lifelong experience. It's very important that I take this antibiotic, because of the symptoms of the infection (heart beating irregularly and skipping beats plus other unpleasant things). So, I had to bite the bullet and pay for it -- Seventy dollars for FIVE capsules. (Long story short, I had chest pains and heart skipping beats, but all heart tests came out okay, just had three other medical conditions instead).

On top of all that, the pharmacy didn't even have the med in stock, so I had to have them call and transfer it to another further away from me, then hurry to pick them up.

And then... (oh you thought the story was OVER?) top that all off, when I pick up my prescriptions, the pharmacist informs me that the expensive antibiotic I'm about to take does is similar to penicillin -- which I am allergic to! Yes, that was IN my medical chart at the hospital. I can only assume the bitch who ordered my meds (the one who overrode the doctor) didn't even bother to check. The pharmacist was concerned, but I told her I have no choice. I have to take it and hope I don't have a reaction to it.

Wish me luck! Three years ago, I was in the hospital for a week gravely ill due to an infection. I'd rather take my chances with the drug than pause treatment on the infection.

In a more pleasant note, I have a crush on the ER doctor who originally saw me. 😉 She was totally my type. Love Dr. Kanji! (of course I'm way too old for her!). Would it be weird if I based an OC character on her for the fic series I'm writing? (That I wrote some of while in the hospital, and if I do it also means more character-whump. I've been wanting to write more whump).

Current Mood: horny

xkcd_feed

https://xkcd.com/3234/

Before resurfacing, they promise to inspect the ice for any evidence of hockey-playing life.

https://xkcd.com/3234/

glowingfish posting in

addme

I made a post in this community at the beginning of 2025, and now, we are getting close to the middle of 2026, so maybe I should post again.

I don't see a specific reason to use the template, as this will be quick...

46, Male, United States, I post once or twice a week on average. I don't have any contentious beliefs or opinions, and my journal is mostly personal notes, with a few thoughts maybe about the world and culture. I am not heavily into any of the "fandoms", but might make a comment or two on related things.

I don't really have any specific "types" I am looking to follow on here, although journals that are too contentious and difficult might not be what I am looking for. Adult content is okay, as long as it is not totally pornographic, and also behind a cut. I am looking to build up a community in general.

torachan

This is over two weeks' worth of reading, since I didn't do a post while I was in Japan.

Recently Finished
The Colossus Rises
First book in a middle grade series about a group of kids who discover they carry some ancient gene that can give them super powers but will also kill them soon after it manifests at age 13 unless they can find seven objects that were hidden in the seven wonders of the ancient world. This is clearly trying to be the next Percy Jackson type thing, but while I've never read the Percy Jackson books, I'm pretty sure they must be better than this. The characters were all stereotypes (and there's only one girl in the group of four and she's literally the only female character in the book) and the plot and worldbuilding all felt very haphazard. No interest in continuing the series.

The Disaster Tourist
Translated from Korean. Yona works at a dystopian company that sells tours to disaster zones and when she takes one herself to evaluate whether the company should discontinue it or not, things go off the rails. This was interesting but I didn't love the ending.

Bright
Translated from Thai. When five-year-old Kampol is abandoned by his parents, he is taken in and raised by the close-knit community. This is more a series of short stories than a novel. I liked it a lot.

A Murder for Miss Hortense
First in a new murder mystery series featuring a middle aged Jamaican British sleuth. I liked this a lot. Highly recommend the audiobook.

The Deep
Fantasy novel about a race of mermaids who were born from pregnant slaves tossed over the side of ships. Only one person in each generation holds the memories of their past, and must share them with the group. Interesting world building, but I never could get that into it.

Night Drop
First in a series of muder mysteries set in 1990s LA, around the time of the Rodney King riots. I liked it all right. Will continue the series.

Teaching What Really Happened: How to Avoid the Tyranny of Textbooks and Get Students Excited About Doing History
I am not a teacher nor do I have kids, but this sounded interesting and it was.

An Unnatural Life
A cyborg in prison for murdering a human claims he didn't do it. The MC is a lawyer who decides to take his case and attempt to get a retrial based on the fact that a human jury was prejudiced against him. I liked this but it dragged a bit. It's more novella length, but could have been even shorter.

Two Truths and a Lie
Short story about a woman who mentions a creepy children's show, thinking she's making it up, only to find out it was real and she was on it as a kid. Reminded me a lot of Mister Magic.

Unlocked: An Oral History of Haden's Syndrome
Short story tied to a series of sci-fi novels I haven't read. The novels don't sound that interesting, but this is like a mockumentary style write-up of the world building. I liked it a lot. No knowledge of the series necessary.

Age 16
Graphic novel about three generations of Chinese/Chinese Canadian women and their strained relationships with each other. Chapters alternate between the present when the MC is 16, her mom at 16 in the 70s, and her grandma at 16 in the 50s. I liked it a lot.

Stone Fruit
Graphic novel about two queer women, their relationship with each other, which is falling apart, their role as fun aunts, and their reconnection with their respective sisters. I liked it.

Kokoro no Ichiban Kurai Heya vol. 1
Newish horror manga with a framing story of an online chat group that tells off-the-cuff horror stories based on random words the group suggests. First volume was free on Amazon Japan. Vaguely curious about continuing, but the first volume didn't really grab me, and the overarching plot introduced at the end seems less intriguing, so I'm not sure if I will continue it.

A Star Brighter Than the Sun vol. 5

Mystery to Iu Nakare vol. 16

Saint Oniisan vol. 22

mrkinch

U has fallen into county listing so we went down to MLK Shoreline this morning largely because she wanted the Tufted Duck for her Alameda County list. We weren't expecting much; it's the second half of April and most of the migrating ducks and shorebirds have headed North to breed, but we had a remarkably productive morning. For one thing, the Tufted Duck was a walk-up, despite not being reported for a day or so. When we got to the mouth of San Leandro Creek U looked out and there he was. He looked very much like the Scaup he was flocking with, a bit smaller with a tuft of feathers hanging from the back of his head that was, today, flipping around in the wind and making us laugh. I saw one years ago but this one will be on my ebird list. We walked on around New Marsh seeing Long-billed Dowitchers all along the Creek and a surprising variety of dabbling ducks in the seasonal ponds. Neither of us got a good look at a Marsh Wren although they were singing everywhere. We did see a few Ridgway's Rail, usually flying from one tuffet to another. ( The surprisingly long list: )

There was no one on the western arm of San Leandro Bay except one gull and an Eared Grebe in breeding plumage. Summer is weird.:)

flemmings

One of those fitness bros on Tiktok was banging on about 'Your first 5000 steps don't count! That's just you moving around in your day. It's the second 5000 that will make you fit!' Yeah well, we know who doesn't have an office job. Also who is not an arthritic seventy-something. 5000 steps is a good day for me, achieved today by going out for lunch in the 'one day only! sun' and continuing along Bloor to Wieners Home Hardware, where I purchased an air purifier and a 100 foot extension cord, and walked both back on the rollator. I have good intentions of trimming vines in the back garden and the hedge in the front, which will not happen soon because my back is killing me these days. Maybe when April is over?

(There was an interlude there where I went to get cash from the BoM's ATM, which returned my card and gave me a receipt but did not give me cash. And because it was Friday, there was a lineup to speak to a person. So I waited and watched one woman do something with what looked like her business's account books, and then did something else, and then had to pay some bills, and then needed something else done with her card. All the time in the world. But she finished at last and I rolled up to the desk and asked about my money. The clerk took my receipt, looked at it, and showed me the small print under my total, which said the machine could not complete the transaction so the withdrawal was cancelled. I felt like an idiot, of course, but now I know. And know not to try for money on a Friday when the machines are likely to run out of cash. Or run out of tens, a new option that I'd like to use except that mostly the ATMs will only offer me twenties and fives. Well, fifties if I want them but I don't. I want small bills for panhandlers and tips.)

But after a rest at home with beanbags and muscle relaxants I did another of my perennial To Do chores and washed the warmer of my two winter coats at the laundromat. Cold water and a smaller load let me get away with a mere 2.75; the larger machines start at $4 for a cold wash. You can't dry clean this coat but I doubt that washing got much of the grime off the sleeves. I tumble dried it on low, as instructed, but it will require hanging up to get completely dry. Which is fine-- winter's last blast will blast through some time tomorrow and I will need the heat on for a couple of nights.

After which I went out again to see if Fiesta had turkey rolls, which they didn't. Got some hummous to eat with veg and a couple of Pepsis to help with the sinus medication I have to take in the allergy season. All this came to a grand total of 7000 steps, so no, no second 5000 steps for me. Fitness bro can go pound sand.

siria

enough for you to be open wide
The Pitt | Santos/Mel | ~2700 words | Episode tag for 2.15. Thanks to

sheafrotherdon and

trinityofone for audiencing.

(Also on AO3)

( 'Do you like karaoke?' Trinity asked, which wasn't a question that Mel could answer in a particularly empirical manner. Mel generally found bars and clubs to be intimidating. But maybe that might be different if she went into one of them with a friend? )

sanguinity

Intro/FAQ

My check-in: After two hours of insomnia this morning, lying there thinking about what revisions I wanted to make to the longfic, I got up and made the revisions. Next I have to figure out what revisions to make to the epilogue, but that's not a today problem.

Day 17:

china_shop,

sanguinity

Day 16:

badly_knitted,

carenejeans,

china_shop,

cornerofmadness,

dswdiane,

goddess47,

sanguinity,

sylvanwitch,

the_siobhan,

trobadora,

ysilme

When you check in, please use the most recent post and say what day(s) you’re checking in for. Remember you can drop in or out at any time, and let me know if I missed anyone!

musesfool

Just woke up from an unexpected 2 hour nap, so thoughts on The Pitt finale will have to wait. Here's today's poem:

Materials for a Gravestone Rubbing

I have long wanted to be starlight in spring
and the late snow that lingers there, coming down
at Harpers Ferry over the river or gathered
on a windowsill on third street in Brooklyn
when I was twenty-two — the potpourri
of sky the wind carries after a storm.
The gray darkening on a far ridge. If you are reading this
there is still a way. I can take your smooth palm in mine
and lead you toward a distant city and a night
when you were on the mountain and dreaming of the other world
and we can walk together past the pre-war homes
converted now to low-rent apartments for college students
or workers come in from long days on a road crew,
coveralls draped over the backs of kitchen chairs
and the light swaying just so. We can go on —
along the cracked sidewalks above the train tracks
that can't exist again even as the grasses come up between them
and look through a fog and a single pair of headlights
making definite beams in the material cold.
No moonlight to get netted up in on the surface of the water
no traffic at this hour just the scraps of paper blown
into gutters and the electric hum of streetlights,
a few voices, which almost walk like footfall down alleys
overgrown with briars and creeping vines, their crude
latticework against the brick and the exhale
of a bartender on a smoke break and the smoke
which still drifts. Now it must be all worn through
but then it was barely remarkable though I stop
to look back at the homes and at snow melt on roads
the flat glitter on the black road, the moiré pattern
yet to be captured by language — and for a minute believe
in something as my stepfather believed in the smell of fire
whenever he left in the middle of the night
and returned before dawn and spoke to no one, didn’t
wake anyone up. Sometimes I feel that alone,
that pure, as if looking back at myself
through the scrim of time and you are there
standing in our kitchen at this hour and I can almost
hear you and the first singing caught-up there in the back
of your throat. Lately I've stopped worrying about the end.
Each day my hand is smaller on your shoulders. New birds
still return and the hillsides green all around, the stars
have traveled over the horizon and in the blink
of an eye you are here — grape-vine charcoal in your hand;
little hyphen I have become.

--Matthew Wimberley

*

Current Mood: sleepy

modball posting in

videogamefanworks

Event:

lul_soulmatesex is a multi-fandom, multi-medium freeform exchange dedicated to all types and derivatives of soul connections.

Event links: Dreamwidth | AO3 Collection

Due date: April 30, 2026, 11:59 am CDT (UTC-5) (flexible!)

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ranalore

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

Current Mood: drained
Current Location: at least it's not snowing today just freezing

mxcatmoon

More ranting ahead...

First the good news: they released me today and I'm home. The news but better than hoped, if a bit baffling (because my symptoms for what I had make no sense, so they aren't really sure what was going on themselves, but I seem to be feeling better, so.

Now I've got several doctors appointments to make and prescriptions to pick up, and all that BS. Still have to fill out my paperwork for my sick leave, too.

1. The doctor called in a nice, cheap antibiotic for me to the pharmacy. The nurse (I didn't like her from the moment I saw her) took it upon herself to cancel it, and instead ordered me one that costs almost thirty dollars per capsule (with discount scrip card). Needless to say I'm going to wait until I see how much it's going to cost me and probably contact them saying they need to give me a different kind that's cheaper.

2. I can't find out because when I go to my insurance prescription site and put in my membership number

3. Every time I access My Chart I have to go through all the steps to verify it's me, even though my phone is set up to remember my password. Gotta get a code from the phone, put it in the log in, then must change password. Because I don't know what it's using for my USER name and nowhere in there does it tell me. DESPITE the fact that I can log into the stupid hospital account (the other one, they are supposed to be connected but then they aren't). Now it won't even send me a code to verify my identity. Not in my spam folder, either.

3. It takes an hour to do what should be the easiest things. Everything I try to do is a huge project, even though I made sure I had all the info I needed before I went to the ER. I blame AI, it's probably fucking everything up.

I'm done with this aggravation for the night. I need to try and get onto my Chart so I can let them know they need to prescribe a different antibiotic though, because that's important. Well, that's it I'm done it says none of my emails or my phone number have accounts associated with them. I don't know if it locked me out for trying too often or what (it never warned me of that). I'll try calling the hospital.

Oh, and I have to also find a way to apply for financial assistance, because I can't afford the huge deductible my health insurance has before they even start paying anything.

Otherwise, I'm going in the bedroom and chill out with some fandom stuff, because I don't need this BS when I'm trying to recuperate.

To those of you not in the US (who probably have Universal health care): This is just a sample of what hell looks like.

A big thank you for all the well-wishing! I don't have the spoons to reply now, but know I appreciate everyone's thoughts and prayers! Will talk more about it all when I'm not able to blow a gasket.

Current Mood: stressed

case posting in

fandomsecrets

⌈ Secret Post #7042 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

Content warning type secrets today!

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Notes:

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