Greetings from western Canada
Feb. 1st, 2026 07:51 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jonw posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
addmeName: Jon (JD) Watson
Age: let's just say I was a BBS SysOp before the internet existed.
I mostly post about: day to say stuff. I tend to lean geeky/tecchy and Canadiana, but I think a lot about lots of things and post topics can get pretty random. I keep it clean, mostly, so you can safely check out my content to decide for yourself :)
My hobbies are: journalling (privately, not necessarily online, but there is definitely overlap), writing, nerding out on home tech projects, self-improvement, and caring for my three dogs. If anyone ever asks you how many dogs is too many dogs, the answer is three.
I'm looking to meet people who: are Canadian OR have geeky job/hobbies OR see normal things in deeper ways OR are sane Linux users (AKA, not the alpha-nerd type of boor) AND are tolerant of the incredibly diverse state the world is in AND kind to things and people that can do nothing for them.
My posting schedule tends to be: Dailyish. Usually more than weekly but I doubt I can consistently hit daily.
When I add people, my dealbreakers are: right-wing crap in all its forms, both overt and covert. And, honestly, politics in general. I firmly believe that social media is the worst place to get news or reliably accurate information on anything, and politics has emerged as the most divisive topic to date. Thus, I am not interested in getting involved in political discussions as a general rule.
Before adding me, you should know: I overthink everything and will probably eventually bore you with some deep indepth post about the merits of square toothpicks versus round ones.
Age: let's just say I was a BBS SysOp before the internet existed.
I mostly post about: day to say stuff. I tend to lean geeky/tecchy and Canadiana, but I think a lot about lots of things and post topics can get pretty random. I keep it clean, mostly, so you can safely check out my content to decide for yourself :)
My hobbies are: journalling (privately, not necessarily online, but there is definitely overlap), writing, nerding out on home tech projects, self-improvement, and caring for my three dogs. If anyone ever asks you how many dogs is too many dogs, the answer is three.
I'm looking to meet people who: are Canadian OR have geeky job/hobbies OR see normal things in deeper ways OR are sane Linux users (AKA, not the alpha-nerd type of boor) AND are tolerant of the incredibly diverse state the world is in AND kind to things and people that can do nothing for them.
My posting schedule tends to be: Dailyish. Usually more than weekly but I doubt I can consistently hit daily.
When I add people, my dealbreakers are: right-wing crap in all its forms, both overt and covert. And, honestly, politics in general. I firmly believe that social media is the worst place to get news or reliably accurate information on anything, and politics has emerged as the most divisive topic to date. Thus, I am not interested in getting involved in political discussions as a general rule.
Before adding me, you should know: I overthink everything and will probably eventually bore you with some deep indepth post about the merits of square toothpicks versus round ones.
![[syndicated profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/feed.png){kind=small}
The Puppet Masters by Robert A. Heinlein
Feb. 1st, 2026 09:18 amjames_davis_nicoll
Can the world, and more importantly, AMERICA! (patriotic song here) fend off a subversive attack from space?
The Puppet Masters by Robert A. Heinlein
St. Peter
Feb. 1st, 2026 01:08 pmcosmolinguistNearer to "home" for me, this story from St. Peter Minnesota about local cops actually blocking the kidnapping and murder squads from kidnapping someone made me have lots of feelings. All cops are bastards because it's the job and not the individual that sucks, but it's different in small towns. "It's believed to be the first time a local police department in Minnesota intervened in a federal law enforcement action since the surge in immigration enforcement began two months ago," the article says. And it's clearly because they were trying to kidnap someone whose husband knows the police chief (though that's easier in small towns), has a lawyer, knows that ICE aren't allowed to search his wife's car without a warrant. But it seems to have made a hell of an impression on that police chief; here's hoping it's able to affect his work and his colleagues for the better as well.
V watched a video about it (they follow a few YouTube streamers, including at least one who happens to live in Minnesota, so they're getting lots of video clips of this kind of stuff) and said an ICE agent was stomping up and down the road having a tantrum because he wasn't allowed to steal somebody.
drive-by updates, ofc.
Jan. 31st, 2026 11:32 pmhafnia1). The first round of the remix fics for seasonalremix is open to read now. I have a story in there; it's probably, uh, obvious if you know what I am into.
We had seven people sign up in total (including me, obvs). Feels pretty good, honestly, considering that there was basically zero advertising and at one point I was afraid that it was going to be, uh, zero signups! I WILL TAKE IT ♥
2). I'm not going to shout it from the rooftops or anything, but per the word counter I've been filling in forgetyourwordsout, I'm at 101k written in 2026 (daily average of 3288 through the month of January). Is it good? Is it usable? WHO KNOWS. The important part is that I have been managing to keep a steady pace writing fiction, so that's rather nice. ♥ One of my friends asked if I was counting e.g. Dreamwidth posts for that, or outlining, writing for tabletop modules, etc, and the answer was no — that 100k+ is all written fiction. So that feels doubly-nice, no asking "should I count this" (since the guidelines are flexible and it's up to you), just a general, "I have in fact managed to keep chipping away at this and creating a habit has worked for me".
3). I am ending January having submitted two short stories for publication. Are they likely to be published? No. Am I okay with this? Yes. I realized that one of the things that has sort of, mm — been on my mind has been this realization that I'm okay with rejection. Does it suck? Yes. But you know what sucks more? NEVER HEARING BACK. At least a "no" is an answer! So hey, if I get rejected, I get to go buy myself fancy tea or something else small as a, "AT LEAST YOU HEARD BACK" gift to myself, and that's good enough.
Neither is anything "professional" (if I get anything into one of the magazines you have Definitely Heard Of, I will shout it from the fucking rooftops), but everyone has to start somewhere, and these were open calls to submissions that I had pieces that worked for — so it was more "edit this and submit it" than it was "write something completely new". ♥
4). Starting tomorrow, I'll be answering the talking month meme prompts from this post. If you have anything you want to ask me, now's a good time to let me know so I can get it slotted in — there's still a handful of dates unaccounted for :D
5). Yesterday was Maximo's birthday — he's 38 now, something he has dolefully reminded me of at multiple points (I have been 38 since November :P ). Ended up watching Godzilla Minus One the night before birthday (which we enjoyed a lot, actually, it was silly and tropey but surprisingly good for what it was, and with a deeper message re: the government and international relations of post-war Japan than I was expecting), then last night I made us a fancy dinner and we rewatched Your Name. because he has been gunning for us to rewatch it for a bit (it is still, ofc, excellent).
I teased him tonight that I wanted to watch something in English, so we went for the Seven Dials adaptation that's on Netflix right now. It is Peak Period Silliness, so, you know. If you're into that sort of thing, it's fun.
I think that's most of it? Therapy Monday; have some specific stuff I actually want to talk about (HORRORS), but, yeah. Mostly it's that seasonal depression is kicking my ass and like, "please give me permission to keep focusing on HEALING and NOT BEING MISERABLE over immediately finding full-time employment".
But yeah. We'll see.
seasonalremix is open to read now. I have a story in there; it's probably, uh, obvious if you know what I am into. We had seven people sign up in total (including me, obvs). Feels pretty good, honestly, considering that there was basically zero advertising and at one point I was afraid that it was going to be, uh, zero signups! I WILL TAKE IT ♥
2). I'm not going to shout it from the rooftops or anything, but per the word counter I've been filling in for
getyourwordsout, I'm at 101k written in 2026 (daily average of 3288 through the month of January). Is it good? Is it usable? WHO KNOWS. The important part is that I have been managing to keep a steady pace writing fiction, so that's rather nice. ♥ One of my friends asked if I was counting e.g. Dreamwidth posts for that, or outlining, writing for tabletop modules, etc, and the answer was no — that 100k+ is all written fiction. So that feels doubly-nice, no asking "should I count this" (since the guidelines are flexible and it's up to you), just a general, "I have in fact managed to keep chipping away at this and creating a habit has worked for me". 3). I am ending January having submitted two short stories for publication. Are they likely to be published? No. Am I okay with this? Yes. I realized that one of the things that has sort of, mm — been on my mind has been this realization that I'm okay with rejection. Does it suck? Yes. But you know what sucks more? NEVER HEARING BACK. At least a "no" is an answer! So hey, if I get rejected, I get to go buy myself fancy tea or something else small as a, "AT LEAST YOU HEARD BACK" gift to myself, and that's good enough.
Neither is anything "professional" (if I get anything into one of the magazines you have Definitely Heard Of, I will shout it from the fucking rooftops), but everyone has to start somewhere, and these were open calls to submissions that I had pieces that worked for — so it was more "edit this and submit it" than it was "write something completely new". ♥
4). Starting tomorrow, I'll be answering the talking month meme prompts from this post. If you have anything you want to ask me, now's a good time to let me know so I can get it slotted in — there's still a handful of dates unaccounted for :D
5). Yesterday was Maximo's birthday — he's 38 now, something he has dolefully reminded me of at multiple points (I have been 38 since November :P ). Ended up watching Godzilla Minus One the night before birthday (which we enjoyed a lot, actually, it was silly and tropey but surprisingly good for what it was, and with a deeper message re: the government and international relations of post-war Japan than I was expecting), then last night I made us a fancy dinner and we rewatched Your Name. because he has been gunning for us to rewatch it for a bit (it is still, ofc, excellent).
I teased him tonight that I wanted to watch something in English, so we went for the Seven Dials adaptation that's on Netflix right now. It is Peak Period Silliness, so, you know. If you're into that sort of thing, it's fun.
I think that's most of it? Therapy Monday; have some specific stuff I actually want to talk about (HORRORS), but, yeah. Mostly it's that seasonal depression is kicking my ass and like, "please give me permission to keep focusing on HEALING and NOT BEING MISERABLE over immediately finding full-time employment".
But yeah. We'll see.
It has been a couple of weeks - Late January 02026
Jan. 31st, 2026 08:59 pmsilveradeptLet's begin with What Massachusetts schoolchildren came up with as names for their snowplows, which have some very delightful puns in them. (I also wonder if some of them were submitting "Abolish ICE" as something, and it might have been rejected for being too political.)
If you are looking for a single spot to find good organizations to support the resistance against the occupation of the State of Minnesota, Stand with Minnesota will help you find places that can use your spare resources. Their testimonies tell you about what life in Minnesota is currently like during this occupation, and they have news outlets and spaces to keep yourself informed of the real situation happening, rather than parroted lies and talking points dreamed up by an administration that desperately needs control of a narrative if they want to convince us that Minnesota has once again gone rogue in some way.
They're linked in Naomi Kritzer's guide about how to help Minnesota and prepare your own communities for your turn at the invasion. Additionally, the guide for helping from inside the cities.
Understand that abolition is not "better training," it is not "reduced funding," it is not "the system is working, but these actors have decided not to follow the system." Abolition is the need to completely get rid of a thing, because it is toxic to the population, and the situation we are currently in is because we have not yet managed abolition of state structures, or state-supported structures, the encourage violence against not-white people.
( A lot about Minnesota, in its ways and nuances, but also about other things in the United States and abroad )
Last out, A community legend in FromSoft's Elden Ring: A player with a request to solo a difficult boss, asking to be summoned in, who wears nothing but a pot on their head and wielding two katanas.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences have decided the Oscars, including all of the pre-show coverage, will be exclusively streamed on YouTube starting in 2029.
A single rubber dick from a box of discount sex toys 1, the extremely fragile masculinity that resulted in violence and attacks on those who distributed the single rubber dick in their direction, 0.
And, at the very end, a letter signed by more than 400 millionaires and billionaires asking the governments of the world to tax them appropriately so they can provide revenue for the rest of the world to have a good standard of living.
(Materials viaadrian_turtle, azurelunatic, boxofdelights, cmcmck, conuly, cosmolinguist, elf, finch, firecat, jadelennox, jenett, jjhunter, kaberett, lilysea, oursin, rydra_wong, snowynight, sonia, the_future_modernes, thewayne, umadoshi, vass, the meta_warehouse community, little_details, and anyone else I've neglected to mention or who I suspect would rather not be on the list. If you want to know where I get the neat stuff, my reading list has most of it.)
If you are looking for a single spot to find good organizations to support the resistance against the occupation of the State of Minnesota, Stand with Minnesota will help you find places that can use your spare resources. Their testimonies tell you about what life in Minnesota is currently like during this occupation, and they have news outlets and spaces to keep yourself informed of the real situation happening, rather than parroted lies and talking points dreamed up by an administration that desperately needs control of a narrative if they want to convince us that Minnesota has once again gone rogue in some way.
They're linked in Naomi Kritzer's guide about how to help Minnesota and prepare your own communities for your turn at the invasion. Additionally, the guide for helping from inside the cities.
Understand that abolition is not "better training," it is not "reduced funding," it is not "the system is working, but these actors have decided not to follow the system." Abolition is the need to completely get rid of a thing, because it is toxic to the population, and the situation we are currently in is because we have not yet managed abolition of state structures, or state-supported structures, the encourage violence against not-white people.
( A lot about Minnesota, in its ways and nuances, but also about other things in the United States and abroad )
Last out, A community legend in FromSoft's Elden Ring: A player with a request to solo a difficult boss, asking to be summoned in, who wears nothing but a pot on their head and wielding two katanas.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences have decided the Oscars, including all of the pre-show coverage, will be exclusively streamed on YouTube starting in 2029.
A single rubber dick from a box of discount sex toys 1, the extremely fragile masculinity that resulted in violence and attacks on those who distributed the single rubber dick in their direction, 0.
And, at the very end, a letter signed by more than 400 millionaires and billionaires asking the governments of the world to tax them appropriately so they can provide revenue for the rest of the world to have a good standard of living.
(Materials via
adrian_turtle, azurelunatic, boxofdelights, cmcmck, conuly, cosmolinguist, elf, finch, firecat, jadelennox, jenett, jjhunter, kaberett, lilysea, oursin, rydra_wong, snowynight, sonia, the_future_modernes, thewayne, umadoshi, vass, the meta_warehouse community, little_details, and anyone else I've neglected to mention or who I suspect would rather not be on the list. If you want to know where I get the neat stuff, my reading list has most of it.)Rewatching Doctor Who "Kill The Moon" - some thoughts
Feb. 1st, 2026 04:10 amvivdunstanJust finished rewatching this episode of Peter Capaldi's era (New Who series 8 episode 7). There will be spoilers in my discussion.
( spoilers )
( spoilers )
It is amazing how angry people get
Feb. 3rd, 2026 08:09 pmconulywhen all you say is "Listen, it's not true that you can't know how to pronounce an unfamiliar word by looking at it, there are rules that will work with a high degree of accuracy".
And every time, sooner or later somebody or other will condescend to tell me that if I'd only phrased it better, they would've listened to what I was saying. It's not the message, it's the way I said that that caused these people to think I was calling them stupid.
None of those people will ever give me the magically better words they think will remedy this problem, though I do ask every single time people suggest it to me, and honestly, I don't think there are any. I think the problem is that people don't want to hear the message at all. If you say "You ought to have been taught these rules in childhood" then they feel ashamed for not knowing something basic and obvious, and even if you don't say it but just mention that rules exist they feel stupid, and then either way they blame you for making them feel bad.
And since that's the case, I don't really see the need to trouble myself too much over my phrasing. Actually, bizarre as it is, I've found that trying harder to be bland and conciliatory is likely to make the situation worse.
But I may as well open it up to other people. Do you have the magic words?
(Note: I don't have any spelling or reading curriculum that are designed for self-study by adult learners who can already read and write pretty well but who struggle with spelling or sounding out unfamiliar words and claim to believe there is no method other than to guess or else memorize each word as an arbitrary collection of letters, which is most of the people I encounter in this situation because, of course, we're all posting online. However, if you're working with somebody to remediate spelling on a budget, I can recommend starting, if they have no signs of ADHD or dyslexia, with Spalding - making the modifications here - and/or Apples and Pears if they do, and then, if they still need help, moving on to Megawords. Those are highly scripted and, importantly - easy to buy on the cheap. I really don't love Spalding, I found it way too front-loaded for ADHD, plus Wanda Spalding had a lot of little personal peeves she built in if you don't use the modifications I suggested, but it's hands-down the cheapest Orton-Gillingham program you'll find for teaching reading and spelling together. Apples and Pears has an associated reading curriculum that probably also is good, but E only needed help in spelling, so I don't know.)
And every time, sooner or later somebody or other will condescend to tell me that if I'd only phrased it better, they would've listened to what I was saying. It's not the message, it's the way I said that that caused these people to think I was calling them stupid.
None of those people will ever give me the magically better words they think will remedy this problem, though I do ask every single time people suggest it to me, and honestly, I don't think there are any. I think the problem is that people don't want to hear the message at all. If you say "You ought to have been taught these rules in childhood" then they feel ashamed for not knowing something basic and obvious, and even if you don't say it but just mention that rules exist they feel stupid, and then either way they blame you for making them feel bad.
And since that's the case, I don't really see the need to trouble myself too much over my phrasing. Actually, bizarre as it is, I've found that trying harder to be bland and conciliatory is likely to make the situation worse.
But I may as well open it up to other people. Do you have the magic words?
(Note: I don't have any spelling or reading curriculum that are designed for self-study by adult learners who can already read and write pretty well but who struggle with spelling or sounding out unfamiliar words and claim to believe there is no method other than to guess or else memorize each word as an arbitrary collection of letters, which is most of the people I encounter in this situation because, of course, we're all posting online. However, if you're working with somebody to remediate spelling on a budget, I can recommend starting, if they have no signs of ADHD or dyslexia, with Spalding - making the modifications here - and/or Apples and Pears if they do, and then, if they still need help, moving on to Megawords. Those are highly scripted and, importantly - easy to buy on the cheap. I really don't love Spalding, I found it way too front-loaded for ADHD, plus Wanda Spalding had a lot of little personal peeves she built in if you don't use the modifications I suggested, but it's hands-down the cheapest Orton-Gillingham program you'll find for teaching reading and spelling together. Apples and Pears has an associated reading curriculum that probably also is good, but E only needed help in spelling, so I don't know.)
Sunday Word: Demesne
Feb. 1st, 2026 12:12 pmsallymn posting in 1word1daydemesne [dih-meyn, -meen]
noun:
1 possession of land as one's own
2 an estate or part of an estate occupied and controlled by, and worked for the exclusive use of, the owner
3 land belonging to and adjoining a manor house; estate
4 the dominion or territory of a sovereign or state; domain
5 a district; region
Examples:
A couple of centuries or so later, the peninsula became part of a Spanish land grant, and the demesne of Manuel Dominguez as his Rancho San Pedro. (Patt Morrison, Palos Verdes Peninsula landslides can tell us a lot about L A history, Los Angeles Times, May 2024)
In Loki, the titular character finds himself in the bizarre (almost Brazil style) demesne of the Time Keepers, an organization devoted to ensuring the sanctity of the timeline. (Erik Kain, Owen Wilson And Tom Hiddleston Light Up First 'Loki' Disney Plus Trailer, Forbes, April 2021)
The castle or manor-house of the baron or lord, into which the thegn’s hall had now developed, was the centre of rural life. Around it lay the home-farm, the lord’s demesne land, cultivated partly by free tenants, partly by the customary labour due from the villeins whose cottages clustered on its border, and whose holdings, with a tract of common pasture and common woodland, made up the remainder of the estate. (Kate Norgate, England Under the Angevin Kings)
However, as he pursued his wayfaring with the two Armenian Christians who formed his retinue, he began to hear from the inhabitants of that portion of Abchaz the rumor of an equally dread demesne, named Antchar, lying before him on the road to Georgia. (Clark Ashton Smith, 'The Kingdom of the Worm')
After winding along it for more than a mile, they reached their own house. A small green court was the whole of its demesne in front; and a neat wicket gate admitted them into it. (Jane Austen, Sense and Sensibility)
(click to enlarge)
Origin:
c. 1300, demeine, demeyne (modern spelling by late 15c), 'power; dominion; control, possession,' senses now obsolete, from Anglo-French demesne, demeine, Old French demaine 'land held for a lord's own use,' from Latin dominicus 'belonging to a master,' from dominus 'lord, master,' from domus 'house' (from PIE root dem- 'house, household'). Re-spelled by Anglo-French legal scribes under influence of Old French mesnie 'household' (and the concept of a demesne as 'land attached to a mansion') and their fondness for inserting -s- before -n-. Meaning 'a manor house and near or adjacent land,' kept and occupied by the lord and his family, is from late 14c, hence 'any landed estate' (late 14c) (Online Etymology Dictionary)
Why isn't 'demesne' pronounced the way it's spelled? Our word actually began as demayn or demeyn in the 14th century, when it was borrowed from Anglo-French property law. At that time, the Anglo-French form was demeine. Later, the Anglo-French spelling changed to demesne, perhaps by association with another term from Anglo-French property law: mesne, meaning 'intermediate.' (Mesne has entered English as a legal term as well.) According to rules of French pronunciation, the 's' was silent and the vowel was long. English speakers eventually followed suit, adopting the 'demesne' spelling. Our word domain (which overlaps with the meaning of 'demesne' in some applications) also comes from Anglo-French demeine. (Merriam-Webster)
(no subject)
Jan. 31st, 2026 05:26 pmolivermoss
My first attempt at hand carving the Seattle Kraken logo into rubber to make a stamp for my journal. Not great... but I don't hate it.
Oh, should probably provide a reference for what the logo looks like. *hastily makes icon* There! I will take a few more stabs are getting the center tentacle right, but also... is not terrible.
Gaming clues
Jan. 31st, 2026 10:24 pmvivdunstanProdding my ongoing piece of interactive fiction parser game writing. So much still to do! Some vague one word clues to some of the content: sea birds, carols, stage, stormy night, summerhouse, and puzzle box. Alarmed by how much still to do, and I'm very ill neurologically. But keeping cracking on!
January fog.
Jan. 31st, 2026 09:43 amserafaeryJosh is coming home today, I am hoping to get the floors swept, mopped, and vacuumed before I have to leave to pick him up. We'll see how I do. I also would love to do PT, bake banana bread, bonus would be to vacuum the couch and brush the cat trees, and to leave early enough to leisurely shop at the coop on the way to the airport. Oh and I need to get gas. And I need to get dressed. Three hours until departure, hmmmmm. :)
It's fine, whatever happens, happens. I've been too stressed out to put a bunch of pressure on myself about this stuff.
There is the whole situation of our government, that's a given stressor.
Also there is my breast, which is still having weird twinges of pain and I'm starting to think that the cosmetic mistake is also physical, and I'm starting to get really angry. How much would I have to pay to fix it, can it even be fixed, how would I ever allow another doctor to ever touch me ever ever again.
I say that, but I also have a third customer now doing chemo for breast cancer, and just reconnected with one this week who was gone for two years having radiation and surgery for her breasts. Sigh. She LOVES her rebuild. Happy for her. :/
Also, Jackie and Shadow (eagles) lost their first clutch of eggs. This isn't unusual but it's still sad, it was really early in the process and very unusual - they have never just abandoned eggs that were less than a week old to let ravens eat them. The group is all in an uproar about it. I could tell immediately that something wasn't right with the first laying, Jackie was not intent on incubating, and later experts confirmed that one egg was cracked. Bald eagles are very susceptible to toxins and it weakens their eggshells (it's why they were threatened for some time, too much DDT in the water and hence in the fish they were eating), and Jackie and Shadow live in a highly populated area, so it's worrisome. But I also could use a break from nest watch, and maybe they could also use a break from being parents. Last year was really hard and their first year raising two successful fledges. Most of the time the chicks don't make it, or at least most of them don't. I don't really want to go through that.
I think Jackie may suspect, like me, that we are going to have a very late and difficult winter. They can lay a second clutch if the first one fails, but I worry that would entail super harsh weather for super young chicks, this is how many of their chicks died in the past, just, exposure. :( We'll see what she decides to do. I really kinda hope there are no more eggs this year. I may not watch if there are. Eagles are neat but also kind of brutal. They eat *so* much fish. And water foul. And their babies perish. It's just a lot of the harshness of life right in your face.
Gotta take the good with the bad in this wild existence.
Will try to share some images and videos from the last week. I didn't do much other than work yesterday, was mostly recovering from a super fun, super long night at Shadowplay. Derek was on fire and it was a good time. His birthday bash is next week. Will try to think of something special for him.
Did a little crafty project this morning for Josh - he doesn't like cards and it's his birthday weekend and we're not at Summit Prairie like we're supposed to be so I want to do something special for him. So I made him a little garland for his bedroom door. His birthday falls right before Imbolc and the Chinese New Year, so there are some valentines vibes in the air, but we're still in the depths of winter.
you are loved.
Full moon tonight. It's so foggy still! I love it.
...photo sharing....
Neahkanie mt with Josh Sunday
Frosted trees and Loowit from Dog Mt summit trail
dramatic winter landscape in the gorge
happy place (Dog Mt Summit - I hope at least some of my ashes make it up here)
dirty mirror club selfie from Thursday
Dog on Tuesday (the tiniest little snowflakes fell)
Coffin Thursday, it was super busy but I slipped into the coffin room for a break and grabbed a lil snipit of what I generally do when I go there (minus the usual dramatic lights and a bunch of sexy people to flirt with). Charlie in particular looked soooo amazing Thursday, she came in a DRESS which is unheard of, she is a friend of Finley's and I adore the way she dances, she shreds. Manders also gave me lots of attention that night, as did Chanti and Mitch (he's a sweetie). Kiyoki looked amazing as always. Malkom and lots of other regulars were around for hugs and getting down. Lots of random cuties everywhere also. I hung out with Duncan for a bit, but I stayed long after he left. I was sooooo tired and also very happy.
It's fine, whatever happens, happens. I've been too stressed out to put a bunch of pressure on myself about this stuff.
There is the whole situation of our government, that's a given stressor.
Also there is my breast, which is still having weird twinges of pain and I'm starting to think that the cosmetic mistake is also physical, and I'm starting to get really angry. How much would I have to pay to fix it, can it even be fixed, how would I ever allow another doctor to ever touch me ever ever again.
I say that, but I also have a third customer now doing chemo for breast cancer, and just reconnected with one this week who was gone for two years having radiation and surgery for her breasts. Sigh. She LOVES her rebuild. Happy for her. :/
Also, Jackie and Shadow (eagles) lost their first clutch of eggs. This isn't unusual but it's still sad, it was really early in the process and very unusual - they have never just abandoned eggs that were less than a week old to let ravens eat them. The group is all in an uproar about it. I could tell immediately that something wasn't right with the first laying, Jackie was not intent on incubating, and later experts confirmed that one egg was cracked. Bald eagles are very susceptible to toxins and it weakens their eggshells (it's why they were threatened for some time, too much DDT in the water and hence in the fish they were eating), and Jackie and Shadow live in a highly populated area, so it's worrisome. But I also could use a break from nest watch, and maybe they could also use a break from being parents. Last year was really hard and their first year raising two successful fledges. Most of the time the chicks don't make it, or at least most of them don't. I don't really want to go through that.
I think Jackie may suspect, like me, that we are going to have a very late and difficult winter. They can lay a second clutch if the first one fails, but I worry that would entail super harsh weather for super young chicks, this is how many of their chicks died in the past, just, exposure. :( We'll see what she decides to do. I really kinda hope there are no more eggs this year. I may not watch if there are. Eagles are neat but also kind of brutal. They eat *so* much fish. And water foul. And their babies perish. It's just a lot of the harshness of life right in your face.
Gotta take the good with the bad in this wild existence.
Will try to share some images and videos from the last week. I didn't do much other than work yesterday, was mostly recovering from a super fun, super long night at Shadowplay. Derek was on fire and it was a good time. His birthday bash is next week. Will try to think of something special for him.
Did a little crafty project this morning for Josh - he doesn't like cards and it's his birthday weekend and we're not at Summit Prairie like we're supposed to be so I want to do something special for him. So I made him a little garland for his bedroom door. His birthday falls right before Imbolc and the Chinese New Year, so there are some valentines vibes in the air, but we're still in the depths of winter.
you are loved.
Full moon tonight. It's so foggy still! I love it.
...photo sharing....
Neahkanie mt with Josh Sunday
Frosted trees and Loowit from Dog Mt summit trail
dramatic winter landscape in the gorge
happy place (Dog Mt Summit - I hope at least some of my ashes make it up here)
dirty mirror club selfie from Thursday
Dog on Tuesday (the tiniest little snowflakes fell)
Coffin Thursday, it was super busy but I slipped into the coffin room for a break and grabbed a lil snipit of what I generally do when I go there (minus the usual dramatic lights and a bunch of sexy people to flirt with). Charlie in particular looked soooo amazing Thursday, she came in a DRESS which is unheard of, she is a friend of Finley's and I adore the way she dances, she shreds. Manders also gave me lots of attention that night, as did Chanti and Mitch (he's a sweetie). Kiyoki looked amazing as always. Malkom and lots of other regulars were around for hugs and getting down. Lots of random cuties everywhere also. I hung out with Duncan for a bit, but I stayed long after he left. I was sooooo tired and also very happy.
All day I've been thinking about Catherine O'Hara
Jan. 31st, 2026 05:58 pmcosmolinguistBut I'm also missing my DVD boxset that included Waiting for Guffman and A Mighty Wind.
Rallying
Jan. 31st, 2026 11:45 ammallorys_camera
On Thursday night, I went to an anti-ICE rally.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, better known as ICE, is trying to buy an old auto parts distribution center in Chester to use as a
The HV community at large is widely opposed to building a
Something must have escalated. I'm not sure what. But this rally was called on very short notice, and I figured absolutely no one else would go—I mean, nighttime at the nadir of a polar vortex?
Which is why I was determined to go.
When jackbooted thugs come to stamp out the last sparks of the American experiment in democracy, I don't want it to be said that I let the fire go out without a fight.
As it turns out, I was wrong about attendance. At least 300 people showed up, enough so that the Chester Commons' little lot was completely filled up, and we had to find a parking spot about half a mile away. A long, cold hike; temps were around 5°F.
Turns out my gloves are inadequate for this degree of cold and turned into ice blocks after 40 minutes of chanting & listening to local Congresscritter Pat Ryan speak. The rest of me, under three layers of undergarments, sweaters, coats, scarves, and Ushanka, was very toasty, though.
I suppose it could have been described as a beautiful night. The luminance of the not-quite-full moon—pinpoint Jupiter dangling just beneath it—reflecting off the vast banks of white snow, offered a really eerie backlighting:
In other news, penury prompted me to change my auto insurance. I am an incredibly cautious driver, which means I haven't gotten into any accidents in the last 15 years. (Please Universe, don't jinx me for writing that!) And yet my monthly premiums were really, really high, I suspect because State Farm saw me as a cash cow. As I was switching to an auto insurance policy that will save me $1,500 a year, I got a phone call—
It was from one of the property management companies that oversees one of the many, many low-cost senior housing complexes I have applied to over the past year.
They were not exactly offering me an apartment.
They were calling to tell me I was next on the waiting list if the person to whom they were offering an apartment decided they didn't want it.
The apartment is in Kingston, which is an extremely pleasant little city.
They will be doing an eligibility interview with me mid-February.
I am assuming the person they're offering the apartment to will take it.
But that means I am next up on the waiting list. Good news!
###
Also, Icky showed up Thursday. A mere four days after his most recent departure.
It was the Thursday Icky usually shows up to take possession of the younger spawn, Gus, but I was hoping the length of his previous tenancy meant he would skip this time around.
Gus promptly barricaded himself in his room. Gus spends as little time in Icky's physical presence as he possibly can.
About half an hour after Icky arrived with
I was in the kitchen cooking rice & beans, so I let Jeremy in. "Hi Jeremy!"
(I will be eating a lot of rice & beans till my monthly heating bills drop beneath $500.)
Icky glared at Jeremy—the full-on malocchio Death Star stare. Did not say a single word.
When I'd spoken to Christine on the phone last week, she'd mentioned that Jeremy reacts to Icky in much the same way that I do. "See, I think he's a complete asshole, but he doesn't bother me the way he bothers you & Jeremy. You & Jeremy are sensitive! I'm not!"
Anyway, I tried & tried & tried to make Jeremy more comfortable. He's a postman; I asked him questions about his route, quoted Herodotus at him: Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds...
"Good to see you again," he told me gratefully.
One good thing about Icky's presence: I won't have to deal with the chickens' water problem.