skygiants (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
skygiants) wrote2025-09-24 08:42 pm
skygiants) wrote2025-09-24 08:42 pmEntry tags:
(no subject)
I have now finished reading the duology that began with Max in the House of Spies, in which a Kindertransport refugee with a dybbuk and a kobold on each shoulder wrangles his way into being sent back to Germany as a British spy.
The first book featured a lot of Ewen Montagu RPF, which was extremely fun and funny for me. The second book, Max in the Land of Lies, features a lot of Nazi and Nazi-adjacent RPF, which is obviously less fun and funny, though I still did have several moments where a character would appear on-page and I would exchange a sage nod with Adam Gidwitz: yes, I too have read all of Ben Macintyre's books about WWII espionage, and I do recognize Those Abwehr Guys Who Are Obsessed With British Culture, we both enjoy our little inside joke.
Our little inside jokes aside, I ended up feeling a sort of conflicted and contradictory way about both the book and the duology as a whole. It's very didactic -- it is shouting at you about its project at every turn -- but the project it's shouting about is 'the narrative is more nuanced and complex than you think!' On the one hand, people in Germany (many of them Based on Real People) who are involved in The Nazi Situation in various messy ways are constantly explaining the various messy ways that they are involved in The Nazi Situation to Max, a totally non-suspicious definitely not Jewish surprise twelve-year-old who's just appeared on the scene, at the absolute drop of a hat. It is somewhat hard to believe that Max is achieving these really spectacular espionage results when the only stat he ever rolls is 'knowledge: radio!' although his 'knowledge: radio!' number is really high.
ON the other hand, it is so easy and in vogue to come down in a place of 'Nazis: bad!' and so much more difficult and important to sit with the fact that believing in a monstrous ideology, participating in monstrous acts, does not prevent a person from being likeable, interesting or intelligent, and vice versa; that the line between Nazi Germany and, for example, colonial Great Britain is not so thick as one would like to believe; that people are never comfortably reducible to Monsters and Not Monsters. At root this is clearly Gidwitz's project and I have a lot of respect for it: this didactic book for children is more nuanced, complex and interesting than many books for adults I've read.
And then there's the dybbuk and the kobold. Throughout the second book they continue to function primarily as a stressed-out Statler and Waldorf, which I think is a bit of a waste of a dybbuk and a kobold. Also, at one point one of them says nostalgically "there were no Nazis in the fifteenth century" and while this IS technically true I DO think that there were other things going on in fifteenth century Germany that they probably also did not enjoy and at this point I WAS about to come down on "Adam Gidwitz probably should just not have included these guys in his children's spy story." But Then ( he did something very spoilery that I actually found profoundly interesting )
The first book featured a lot of Ewen Montagu RPF, which was extremely fun and funny for me. The second book, Max in the Land of Lies, features a lot of Nazi and Nazi-adjacent RPF, which is obviously less fun and funny, though I still did have several moments where a character would appear on-page and I would exchange a sage nod with Adam Gidwitz: yes, I too have read all of Ben Macintyre's books about WWII espionage, and I do recognize Those Abwehr Guys Who Are Obsessed With British Culture, we both enjoy our little inside joke.
Our little inside jokes aside, I ended up feeling a sort of conflicted and contradictory way about both the book and the duology as a whole. It's very didactic -- it is shouting at you about its project at every turn -- but the project it's shouting about is 'the narrative is more nuanced and complex than you think!' On the one hand, people in Germany (many of them Based on Real People) who are involved in The Nazi Situation in various messy ways are constantly explaining the various messy ways that they are involved in The Nazi Situation to Max, a totally non-suspicious definitely not Jewish surprise twelve-year-old who's just appeared on the scene, at the absolute drop of a hat. It is somewhat hard to believe that Max is achieving these really spectacular espionage results when the only stat he ever rolls is 'knowledge: radio!' although his 'knowledge: radio!' number is really high.
ON the other hand, it is so easy and in vogue to come down in a place of 'Nazis: bad!' and so much more difficult and important to sit with the fact that believing in a monstrous ideology, participating in monstrous acts, does not prevent a person from being likeable, interesting or intelligent, and vice versa; that the line between Nazi Germany and, for example, colonial Great Britain is not so thick as one would like to believe; that people are never comfortably reducible to Monsters and Not Monsters. At root this is clearly Gidwitz's project and I have a lot of respect for it: this didactic book for children is more nuanced, complex and interesting than many books for adults I've read.
And then there's the dybbuk and the kobold. Throughout the second book they continue to function primarily as a stressed-out Statler and Waldorf, which I think is a bit of a waste of a dybbuk and a kobold. Also, at one point one of them says nostalgically "there were no Nazis in the fifteenth century" and while this IS technically true I DO think that there were other things going on in fifteenth century Germany that they probably also did not enjoy and at this point I WAS about to come down on "Adam Gidwitz probably should just not have included these guys in his children's spy story." But Then ( he did something very spoilery that I actually found profoundly interesting )
kaberett (kaberett) wrote2025-09-24 08:40 pm
kaberett) wrote2025-09-24 08:40 pmEntry tags:
some good things
- Today's post brought THREE of my (latest batch of) books from Oxfam, of which two were non-work-related: Index, A History of the (Dennis Duncan), which recessional mentioned when it was first published and which I am only just now managing to get to, and Chihuly at Kew, the exhibition book for the 2019 installation. I am having so many feelings about getting to flip through professional photography of all this art again. I'm so so pleased.
- I mentioned these books to simont, who promptly went "hold on, isn't that the one that has a good Wikipedia article?" Turns out it very much is.
- To my delight, despite the fact that I'd not been to the plot in something like two and a half weeks (between ten days away and the post-event collapse seguing immediately into A Cold that A brought home for us) all of the peppers various in the greenhouse were looking perfectly happy with themselves. HURRAH for Svaemskog terracotta watering bits + 2l drinks bottles. This is actually the happiest the chillis have been all year, given my... erratic... ability to leave the house; I am looking forward enthusiastically to the fruits of Expanding The System Further next year.
- The ancient spinach seed is coming up! In vast quantities! That I was expecting to be dead and thus sowed all of across half a bed! There is going to be SO much spinach and even I will get to turn some of it into seeds for saving purposes, probably, and much of the rest of which I will go "oh right, I have discovered I like adding fresh spinach to the sad emergency noodle pots" about.
- Brought home A Pannier Full Of Food, about which I am feeling very good given the Neglect. I am looking forward to turning a suitable array of tomatoes into part of the ongoing cooking project (at which point I will have some leftover puff pastry, so will also do the banana tarte tatin).
(I have not today achieved my Assigned Reading, by which I mean "30 pages of The Challenge of Pain, with notes", because instead I finished reading the last five pages of yesterday's thirty pages and still need to go back and Make My Notes on, like, twenty of those pages. I am learning so much neuroanatomy good grief. But there is bread, and there is yoghurt, and there is drying laundry, and I went to the plot, and I have started digging myself back out from under my pile of PD e-mails, and there was an excellent sunset.)
beanside (beanside) wrote2025-09-24 05:51 am
beanside) wrote2025-09-24 05:51 amI've smashed up joints in Tokoyo, and I may not be loved, but they always recall my name.
It's Wednesday! I actually slept last night, so that was nice. I actually feel mostly human this morning! Got nothing planned outside of work today except the chores I put off from yesterday. I need to make some eggs, take out the trash, and wash the dishes.
The garbage is going to be a special challenge. The litter box one is heavy as hell, and I'm not looking forward to schlepping that down to the dumpster. I may put them in my car and pull down, we'll see.
I checked with Jess and they would like to get new rings for the renewal of vows, so that has sent me down a k-hole, and I've realized quickly that I'm a picky bitch when it comes to ring design8. I looked at anniversary bands, and hated them. The texture of having multiple stones agains my fingers sounded unpleasant. So instead, I'm thinking that I'll go for a solitaire stone and be happy. I don't want a diamond, but moissanite...that's another thing. Problem is, there's still expensive, especially if you get it from a reputable place that's going to give you some sparkle.
I don't know, might take a risk on Etsy. We'll see!
I'm very excited about the cruise in general, but the renewal of vows sounds good. The supreme court may invalidate our marriage, but we'll have this. (And full legality in MD--we passed gay marriage by popular vote in the 2012 election. Plus, it'll give us another anniversary to celebrate!
I'm curious how the package will shake out. I sent an email, just in case there's something I should be doing, but I haven't heard anything. Mind you, I sent it yesterday, so that might be a bit fast. The cruise is also over 200 days away, so no rush on it. Just my pathological need to plan everything down to the minute.
I've pretty much finished the plans for the actual cruise as far as excursions. Ketchican, we 're just going to walk around town and eat while BIL does his salmon fishing expedition. Juneau is for whale watching, and Skagway is for the train.
I want to plan more shit, but I shall stop while I'm ahead.
Now I have moved on to figuring out what I'd like to do for our day in Seattle and our day in Vancouver.
I know next to nothing about either city, but I'm learning. Sadly, since BIL will be with us, adventurous food is mostly out for either city. It'll have to wait til we're on the boat. Though it looks like if we go to Granville Market in Vancouver or Pike's Place in Seattle, we can get our own stuff, and meet up to eat.
Okay, going to go forth and get myself together. Everyone have an excellent Wednesday!
The garbage is going to be a special challenge. The litter box one is heavy as hell, and I'm not looking forward to schlepping that down to the dumpster. I may put them in my car and pull down, we'll see.
I checked with Jess and they would like to get new rings for the renewal of vows, so that has sent me down a k-hole, and I've realized quickly that I'm a picky bitch when it comes to ring design8. I looked at anniversary bands, and hated them. The texture of having multiple stones agains my fingers sounded unpleasant. So instead, I'm thinking that I'll go for a solitaire stone and be happy. I don't want a diamond, but moissanite...that's another thing. Problem is, there's still expensive, especially if you get it from a reputable place that's going to give you some sparkle.
I don't know, might take a risk on Etsy. We'll see!
I'm very excited about the cruise in general, but the renewal of vows sounds good. The supreme court may invalidate our marriage, but we'll have this. (And full legality in MD--we passed gay marriage by popular vote in the 2012 election. Plus, it'll give us another anniversary to celebrate!
I'm curious how the package will shake out. I sent an email, just in case there's something I should be doing, but I haven't heard anything. Mind you, I sent it yesterday, so that might be a bit fast. The cruise is also over 200 days away, so no rush on it. Just my pathological need to plan everything down to the minute.
I've pretty much finished the plans for the actual cruise as far as excursions. Ketchican, we 're just going to walk around town and eat while BIL does his salmon fishing expedition. Juneau is for whale watching, and Skagway is for the train.
I want to plan more shit, but I shall stop while I'm ahead.
Now I have moved on to figuring out what I'd like to do for our day in Seattle and our day in Vancouver.
I know next to nothing about either city, but I'm learning. Sadly, since BIL will be with us, adventurous food is mostly out for either city. It'll have to wait til we're on the boat. Though it looks like if we go to Granville Market in Vancouver or Pike's Place in Seattle, we can get our own stuff, and meet up to eat.
Okay, going to go forth and get myself together. Everyone have an excellent Wednesday!
halfshellvenus (halfshellvenus) wrote2025-09-23 07:14 pm
halfshellvenus) wrote2025-09-23 07:14 pmEntry tags:
Drama/Trauma in the Laundry Room
Somebody, and by that I mean someone furry, started scratching the side of his head two weeks ago, and got a deep sore going before we could get him to the vet to be coned. :(
I bought a cone a couple of years back, but I never took it out of the packaging, and it turned out to basically be labrador-sized. No good for a medium-sized house cat! Our vet was closed the day we wanted to take our cat in, and when they re-opened we discovered they couldn't see him for 4 days. Yikes. I took him to Banfield Pet Hospital (inside PetSmart) to be coned and given antibiotics, because that was the urgent issue. He got the cone off within 5 minutes of being home. HalfshellHusband took him back, and he got the cone off before even leaving the store. So the vet made a soft harness out of some stretchy cloth, and that did the trick.
We took him to our own vet on Monday, for a more thorough examination. They found no underlying cause for his original scratching other than that he gets itchy during the change of seasons, so that was good. But they undid the harness, which means the cat got the cone off again later that night. Holy moly! They gave instructions to burrito him (Hah!) to subdue him, as if they didn't routinely tranq him on office visits (including that very day). By then, a soft cone had come from Amazon that was easier to get on-- this outer-space-themed flower-type thing:
Not our cat
He is able to eat and drink with the soft cone, but also has gotten out of it three times and is sometimes able to still get one of his hind feet into scratching position! I have another, bigger soft cone to try the next time he escapes the current one, but what a headache this all is. He has no idea that he'll be wearing that cone for another 2-4 weeks, which will be fun for all of us. \o?
In Idol news, I was able to come back in (at least for now) due to a lucky spin of the Wheel of Chaos. Butrayaso got poisoned, so he's out. That's disappointing. :( There is also no poll this week, so no one seems to be reading or commenting on the entries. Mine is here, if you'd like to take a look. I went with humor, which has been the case for most of this season. Not last week, though! This entry was a pain to format, too, and the HTML that used to let you change font so easily doesn't seem to work anymore. Nor does CSS. I gave up on shifting the typeface styles, but that was after I'd wasted a good 60+ minutes on it.
I WILL get around to TV recs at some point, but let me quickly say that Amazon's The Devil's Hour is really intriguing, and you should give it a try!
I bought a cone a couple of years back, but I never took it out of the packaging, and it turned out to basically be labrador-sized. No good for a medium-sized house cat! Our vet was closed the day we wanted to take our cat in, and when they re-opened we discovered they couldn't see him for 4 days. Yikes. I took him to Banfield Pet Hospital (inside PetSmart) to be coned and given antibiotics, because that was the urgent issue. He got the cone off within 5 minutes of being home. HalfshellHusband took him back, and he got the cone off before even leaving the store. So the vet made a soft harness out of some stretchy cloth, and that did the trick.
We took him to our own vet on Monday, for a more thorough examination. They found no underlying cause for his original scratching other than that he gets itchy during the change of seasons, so that was good. But they undid the harness, which means the cat got the cone off again later that night. Holy moly! They gave instructions to burrito him (Hah!) to subdue him, as if they didn't routinely tranq him on office visits (including that very day). By then, a soft cone had come from Amazon that was easier to get on-- this outer-space-themed flower-type thing:
Not our cat
He is able to eat and drink with the soft cone, but also has gotten out of it three times and is sometimes able to still get one of his hind feet into scratching position! I have another, bigger soft cone to try the next time he escapes the current one, but what a headache this all is. He has no idea that he'll be wearing that cone for another 2-4 weeks, which will be fun for all of us. \o?
In Idol news, I was able to come back in (at least for now) due to a lucky spin of the Wheel of Chaos. But
rayaso got poisoned, so he's out. That's disappointing. :( There is also no poll this week, so no one seems to be reading or commenting on the entries. Mine is here, if you'd like to take a look. I went with humor, which has been the case for most of this season. Not last week, though! This entry was a pain to format, too, and the HTML that used to let you change font so easily doesn't seem to work anymore. Nor does CSS. I gave up on shifting the typeface styles, but that was after I'd wasted a good 60+ minutes on it.I WILL get around to TV recs at some point, but let me quickly say that Amazon's The Devil's Hour is really intriguing, and you should give it a try!
kaberett (kaberett) wrote2025-09-23 09:55 pm
kaberett) wrote2025-09-23 09:55 pmEntry tags:
[pain] I have definitely inadvertently trained The Algorithm to tell me about relevant papers
A little while ago I got Stable cortical body maps before and after amputation via an NIH press release; today it was *Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia in people with chronic disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis...
... which dovetails neatly with the bits I just got out of The Painful Truth (Monty Lyman) about the bidirectional relationship between insomnia and pain, where each worsens the other but insomnia worsens pain more. (It's bedtime, so I'm not going to pick the book back up to get you those onward references just now.) With n = 5232, and their conditions including "cancer, chronic pain, irritable bowel syndrome, and stroke", "CBT-I was associated with significantly improved outcomes" (for insomnia severity, and moderately improved outcomes for sleep efficiency and sleep onset latency).
What'll be next? WHO KNOWS.
beanside (beanside) wrote2025-09-23 05:49 am
beanside) wrote2025-09-23 05:49 amAnd throw your holy rocks right at her for her satanic wiles.
It's Tuesday and I slept for shit. I didn't get to sleep until about 1, despite all my good intentions and sleep aids. For some reason, I got anxious and wasn' able to settle myself down. One of the ways I did combat it was to take weed at about 12am, and that's sill kind of hanging out. Oh well, I'd rather be tired with a little sleep than the tired with no sleep.
Yesterday up til then had been pretty good. Busy at work, and then I cooked dinner, which was chicken piccata. The sauce was a bit too lemony, but not bad. The chicken was good. I fried it, which alwats tastes good.
After that, I took out all the trash. It was very heavy (my own damn fault) and I needed a moment to sit before I came inside, because my back was screaming.
Then, just to piss my back off even more, I cleaned the cat's litterbox out. by the time I was done, it was time to lay down and stretch the back out. I was so ready for bed. But the time between then and the time I tried to sleep, my brain decided it was time to be an asshole.
I know I need to give myself a little grace about getting all the things done, but it's tough. I feel like I should be superwoman. Able to work full time, yet keep the house immaculately and also, cook 5 star meals.
Since that's unlikely, I'll just have to deal with what I can do.
Today, I plan ot produce another bag of trash, which will sit in the kitchen until tomorrow.
Cool thing, though. I was searching through the Holland America website, and found a link for "experiences". They had a few not so interesting things. But they also had a vow renewal package. And it occurred to me that Jess might want a wedding picture that they don't have dysphoria over.
It sounded super fun. We start with some time wiht Hors d'oeuvres and lovely flowers, then the captain renews our vows, and we get a dinner for two at the Pinnacle Grill. It sounds very nice, and they have a pro photographer who will take pictures for the ceremony. Their picture package is excessive, but I'll probably get it anyways.
I spent some time researching coctail and bridal dresses. I found one that I liked and also one that satisfied my innner Project Runway nerd. In Ink Blue.
Once Jess is hurting a little less, and the drains are out, we shall go to get Jess measured for their suit at Indochino. Fully customized to their decisions.
Now I shall go forth and get myself together. Maybe take a bit of a nippy nap. Everyone have an outstanding Tuesday!
Yesterday up til then had been pretty good. Busy at work, and then I cooked dinner, which was chicken piccata. The sauce was a bit too lemony, but not bad. The chicken was good. I fried it, which alwats tastes good.
After that, I took out all the trash. It was very heavy (my own damn fault) and I needed a moment to sit before I came inside, because my back was screaming.
Then, just to piss my back off even more, I cleaned the cat's litterbox out. by the time I was done, it was time to lay down and stretch the back out. I was so ready for bed. But the time between then and the time I tried to sleep, my brain decided it was time to be an asshole.
I know I need to give myself a little grace about getting all the things done, but it's tough. I feel like I should be superwoman. Able to work full time, yet keep the house immaculately and also, cook 5 star meals.
Since that's unlikely, I'll just have to deal with what I can do.
Today, I plan ot produce another bag of trash, which will sit in the kitchen until tomorrow.
Cool thing, though. I was searching through the Holland America website, and found a link for "experiences". They had a few not so interesting things. But they also had a vow renewal package. And it occurred to me that Jess might want a wedding picture that they don't have dysphoria over.
It sounded super fun. We start with some time wiht Hors d'oeuvres and lovely flowers, then the captain renews our vows, and we get a dinner for two at the Pinnacle Grill. It sounds very nice, and they have a pro photographer who will take pictures for the ceremony. Their picture package is excessive, but I'll probably get it anyways.
I spent some time researching coctail and bridal dresses. I found one that I liked and also one that satisfied my innner Project Runway nerd. In Ink Blue.
Once Jess is hurting a little less, and the drains are out, we shall go to get Jess measured for their suit at Indochino. Fully customized to their decisions.
Now I shall go forth and get myself together. Maybe take a bit of a nippy nap. Everyone have an outstanding Tuesday!
likeadeuce (likeadeuce) wrote2025-09-22 11:20 pm
likeadeuce) wrote2025-09-22 11:20 pmEntry tags:
Yuletide nominations
I swore off exchanges after last year, ESPECIALLY yuletide, but I keep getting obsessed with weird little movies and so i have submitted nominations.
username: Likeadeuce
Did you add this to the spreadsheet already?: Yes
Nomination OR Request?: Nomination
Fandom: A History of Sound (2025)
Character 1: Lionel Worthing
Character 2: David White
Character 3: Belle White Sinclair
Character 4: Vincent (The History of Sound)
Fandom:Inside Llewyn Davis (2013)
Character 1: Llewyn Davis
Character 2: Jean Berkey
Character 3: Mike Timlin (Inside Llewyn Davis)
Character 4: Al Cody
Fandom: A Complete Unknown (2024)
Character 1: Bob Dylan (A Complete Unknown)
Character 2: Johnny Cash (A Complete Unknown)
Character 3: Joan Baez (A Complete Unknown)
Character 4: Pete Seeger (A Complete Unknown)
Fandom: Babygirl (2024)
Character 1: Romy Mathis
Character 2: Samuel (Babygirl)
Character 3: Esme Smith
Character 4: Jacob Mathis
Fandom: Saltburn (2023)
Character 1: Oliver Quick
Character 2: Felix Catton
Character 3: Venetia Catton
Character 4: Farleigh Start
username: Likeadeuce
Did you add this to the spreadsheet already?: Yes
Nomination OR Request?: Nomination
Fandom: A History of Sound (2025)
Character 1: Lionel Worthing
Character 2: David White
Character 3: Belle White Sinclair
Character 4: Vincent (The History of Sound)
Fandom:Inside Llewyn Davis (2013)
Character 1: Llewyn Davis
Character 2: Jean Berkey
Character 3: Mike Timlin (Inside Llewyn Davis)
Character 4: Al Cody
Fandom: A Complete Unknown (2024)
Character 1: Bob Dylan (A Complete Unknown)
Character 2: Johnny Cash (A Complete Unknown)
Character 3: Joan Baez (A Complete Unknown)
Character 4: Pete Seeger (A Complete Unknown)
Fandom: Babygirl (2024)
Character 1: Romy Mathis
Character 2: Samuel (Babygirl)
Character 3: Esme Smith
Character 4: Jacob Mathis
Fandom: Saltburn (2023)
Character 1: Oliver Quick
Character 2: Felix Catton
Character 3: Venetia Catton
Character 4: Farleigh Start
beanside (beanside) wrote2025-09-22 05:53 am
beanside) wrote2025-09-22 05:53 amWell I don't really know her, I only know her name
Welcome back to Monday, whoo. I could use another weekend day to get shit done.
I feel like I've been failing at everything but taking care of Jess. I need to take out the trash, I haven't cooked a meal in over a week. It's just been a lot. I need to get my shit together, basically. I've been walking the dog, and my sister kindly did the dishes, but there's so much more to be done. It makes me feel shitty about myself, because the apartment is kind of a wreck and I hate it. It reminds me of the house, and it's upsetting.
Today, I have to walk the dog, take the trash out, clean the litterbox, and maybe take a. box or two out. I believe the garbage pick up comes today, so I'll have a little bit easier time of getting it into the dumpster. And I really should make dinner. But of course, that will be the first thing to go in the toilet.
Yesterday was very nice up until I ended up with a migraine/sinus headache from hell. We went to Ammoora for brunch, which was excellent. They had a fixed price lunch, for $60. You picked a spread or salad, a hot or cold appetizer and a main course. Dessert was extra. My lord, it was so much food. We basically just passed the plates around, until Mains.
For my first dish, I got hummus, which was very tasty. Jess got the Foul dip, and my sister got the halloumi and pear salad. The star of the show was the puffy, soft and delicious bread htat cmae with the dips. Think a pita balloon. SO good. The rest of the food was also excellent.
Second, the Mezze dish. I got the Honey Za'atar burrata. Which was sort of cheating, since we'd gotten that and knew I loved it. Jess got Falafel with a kick ass tahini sauce. My sister got a cheese flatbread. Good, but my least favorite.
Next up was the main. I got a shrimp frittatta. It was excellent. The frittatta may have been my favorite egg dish so far. Jess had french toast, which was very tasty. IT had cardamom cream all over it. My sister got the lamb, which I was assured was good.
Dessert, we split the baklava sampler (Okay, but nothing special) and this delicious pudding that blew my mind. IT was pistachio, semolina and something else. But it was amazing.
And now, back to reality.
I would like to take a nap, but instead, I gotta go to work. But first, I've got to get myself together. Everyone have an amazing Monday!
I feel like I've been failing at everything but taking care of Jess. I need to take out the trash, I haven't cooked a meal in over a week. It's just been a lot. I need to get my shit together, basically. I've been walking the dog, and my sister kindly did the dishes, but there's so much more to be done. It makes me feel shitty about myself, because the apartment is kind of a wreck and I hate it. It reminds me of the house, and it's upsetting.
Today, I have to walk the dog, take the trash out, clean the litterbox, and maybe take a. box or two out. I believe the garbage pick up comes today, so I'll have a little bit easier time of getting it into the dumpster. And I really should make dinner. But of course, that will be the first thing to go in the toilet.
Yesterday was very nice up until I ended up with a migraine/sinus headache from hell. We went to Ammoora for brunch, which was excellent. They had a fixed price lunch, for $60. You picked a spread or salad, a hot or cold appetizer and a main course. Dessert was extra. My lord, it was so much food. We basically just passed the plates around, until Mains.
For my first dish, I got hummus, which was very tasty. Jess got the Foul dip, and my sister got the halloumi and pear salad. The star of the show was the puffy, soft and delicious bread htat cmae with the dips. Think a pita balloon. SO good. The rest of the food was also excellent.
Second, the Mezze dish. I got the Honey Za'atar burrata. Which was sort of cheating, since we'd gotten that and knew I loved it. Jess got Falafel with a kick ass tahini sauce. My sister got a cheese flatbread. Good, but my least favorite.
Next up was the main. I got a shrimp frittatta. It was excellent. The frittatta may have been my favorite egg dish so far. Jess had french toast, which was very tasty. IT had cardamom cream all over it. My sister got the lamb, which I was assured was good.
Dessert, we split the baklava sampler (Okay, but nothing special) and this delicious pudding that blew my mind. IT was pistachio, semolina and something else. But it was amazing.
And now, back to reality.
I would like to take a nap, but instead, I gotta go to work. But first, I've got to get myself together. Everyone have an amazing Monday!
petra (petra) wrote2025-09-21 10:24 pm
petra) wrote2025-09-21 10:24 pmEntry tags:
Yuletide nominations
I have made my nominations:
Slow Horses (TV)
The Expanse Series - James S. A. Corey
Galavant (TV)
Doctrine of Labyrinths - Sarah Monette
InCryptid - Seanan McGuire
The nomination coordination spreadsheet is here if you want to see what other people who know the spreadsheet exists have nominated.
Slow Horses (TV)
The Expanse Series - James S. A. Corey
Galavant (TV)
Doctrine of Labyrinths - Sarah Monette
InCryptid - Seanan McGuire
The nomination coordination spreadsheet is here if you want to see what other people who know the spreadsheet exists have nominated.
kaberett (kaberett) wrote2025-09-21 08:22 pm
kaberett) wrote2025-09-21 08:22 pmEntry tags:
vital functions
[... sorry about the template, I hit return in the title field and IT POSTED. details to appear shortly. :-p]
Reading. ( Ann Leckie, Monty Lyman, Ronald Melzack & Patrick D. Wall )
Writing. ... I have actually put some more notes into The Document.
So many lost property e-mails. (And at some point I'm going to need to start replying to them, too.)
Watching. On YouTube: True Facts: Bats, The Science Of The Hunt. NSFW. Definitely... An Experience.
Cooking. ... yeah no I managed to make veg spag bol on Friday but otherwise we've mostly just been feeling faintly sorry for ourselves. Okay, no, that's not quite true, I did also achieve baked potato on Wednesday.
Eating. Misc takeaway from The Field (leftover Sunday night curry for dinner on Tuesday; leftover vegetable fried rice + Szechuan tofu for breakfast on same...). I remain mildly resentful that the Wagamama menu still does not contain any of My Favourites.
Growing. The second attempt at pineapple has NEW LEAVES. The second attempt at lemongrass is maybe Going? And other than that I have no idea because I have spectacularly failed to make it to the plot this week.
Observing. BATS. A variety of excellent dahlias and passion flowers on a Trip To Town (post office, pharmacy).
halfshellvenus (halfshellvenus) wrote2025-09-21 12:26 pm
halfshellvenus) wrote2025-09-21 12:26 pmEntry tags:
LJ Idol: Wheel of Chaos: "A New Man"
A New Man
Idol Wheel of Chaos | Week 10 | 2440 words
Intrigant (one who intrigues or is involved in intrigue)
x-x-x-x-x
Winslow Johnson was a middle-aged man in a Midwestern city who suffered from being constantly overlooked. Even his name, which should have been interesting, somehow wasn't. People noticed it for half a second, and then slid right off into "Eh…" It was unusual, but somehow also blah, like Winslow himself.
Sometimes, Winslow wondered if he was invisible.
He worked as a shoe salesman at J. C. Penney, a job that was even less exciting than it sounded. Penney's specialized in 'sensible' and 'matronly,' with a large overlap between the two. Winslow had also never cared for feet, which only made the job more unpleasant. He had tried feigning enthusiasm for them before, but found that it only made him seem weirder.
What he needed, Winslow thought, was a personality transplant.
At office parties and in the breakroom at work, he never seemed to have anything to talk about. He had hobbies, and they weren't anything desperate like collecting string. But when he mentioned his tiny herb garden or he invited someone to spend the day watching trains with him, he got nothing but blank stares in return. Why couldn't he be like Dave from Home and Garden, who was a sports nut and knew how to make people laugh? Or like Janet from Housewares, who was always up-to-date on new movies and the popular TV shows?
Winslow had no idea how to solve his problem. There were no classes for that sort of thing, no magic potions that could make a difference. The only thing he could think of was to go to the bookstore and consult the self-help section. The quantity of selections was overwhelming:
"The You You Are," by Dr. Ricken Lazlo Hale.
What? Winslow thought.
"You Are Special, Yes You Are!" by Bitsy McLintock.
Winslow cringed, and kept surveying the shelves.
"Why You Suck, And How To Stop," by Chad Barton.
Huh. The title was kind of harsh, but didn't it basically describe his problem? And if anyone would know how to be cool, it would be someone named Chad. Winslow picked the book up and started leafing through it.
Chapter 1
Why You Suck and Nobody Likes You
You're creepy. You're boring. You smell bad. Do any of these sound familiar? The suckee is always the last to know.
Oh, no! Winslow thought. Could one of those be his problem? Or worse, all of them?
( Read more... )
There's no poll this week, as it's a contestant-only vote.
Idol Wheel of Chaos | Week 10 | 2440 words
Intrigant (one who intrigues or is involved in intrigue)
x-x-x-x-x
Winslow Johnson was a middle-aged man in a Midwestern city who suffered from being constantly overlooked. Even his name, which should have been interesting, somehow wasn't. People noticed it for half a second, and then slid right off into "Eh…" It was unusual, but somehow also blah, like Winslow himself.
Sometimes, Winslow wondered if he was invisible.
He worked as a shoe salesman at J. C. Penney, a job that was even less exciting than it sounded. Penney's specialized in 'sensible' and 'matronly,' with a large overlap between the two. Winslow had also never cared for feet, which only made the job more unpleasant. He had tried feigning enthusiasm for them before, but found that it only made him seem weirder.
What he needed, Winslow thought, was a personality transplant.
At office parties and in the breakroom at work, he never seemed to have anything to talk about. He had hobbies, and they weren't anything desperate like collecting string. But when he mentioned his tiny herb garden or he invited someone to spend the day watching trains with him, he got nothing but blank stares in return. Why couldn't he be like Dave from Home and Garden, who was a sports nut and knew how to make people laugh? Or like Janet from Housewares, who was always up-to-date on new movies and the popular TV shows?
Winslow had no idea how to solve his problem. There were no classes for that sort of thing, no magic potions that could make a difference. The only thing he could think of was to go to the bookstore and consult the self-help section. The quantity of selections was overwhelming:
"The You You Are," by Dr. Ricken Lazlo Hale.
What? Winslow thought.
"You Are Special, Yes You Are!" by Bitsy McLintock.
Winslow cringed, and kept surveying the shelves.
"Why You Suck, And How To Stop," by Chad Barton.
Huh. The title was kind of harsh, but didn't it basically describe his problem? And if anyone would know how to be cool, it would be someone named Chad. Winslow picked the book up and started leafing through it.
Why You Suck and Nobody Likes You
Oh, no! Winslow thought. Could one of those be his problem? Or worse, all of them?
( Read more... )
There's no poll this week, as it's a contestant-only vote.
you can't get there from here (romantical) wrote2025-09-21 09:40 am
romantical) wrote2025-09-21 09:40 amOh! Also!
New TAI album next year. EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE.
you can't get there from here (romantical) wrote2025-09-21 09:28 am
romantical) wrote2025-09-21 09:28 amOk, so.
School's back in session and my kids are adorable. I love them. I want to scream sometimes when I'm dealing with them, but that's to be expected.
bb!hockey is back! My favorite bb!hockey is at camp with the Ducks, but I gotta tell you, if he wears that Yankees hat again this year (instead of the Mariners one(s) I gave him), I'm going to pick a new favorite.
27 years of marriage. Kraken/Canucks prospect game. Savannah Bananas. Opening night with us coming back from 0-3 to win in a shoot-out thanks to a natural hat trick. I love my boys.
Today is the booster club audit, tomorrow is dinner with ex-coworkers and goodbye to one of them as she's moving away (rude), and then I'm flying to Colorado for my goddaughter's wedding. After that it's a preseason Kraken game, a Kraken 5k, and thanks I'm already exhausted. Actually, after that I'm reflooring my entryway and my kitchen. So, you know. Why not?
My "start doing some exercise every day" has sort of fallen by the wayside because of physical and mental work-exhaustion, but hopefully I'll get back into it. I have been walking a lot because of school, though, so there's something at least.
Anyway, sorry for sucking at posting. I still love and adore you all. Stay strong in the hellscape.
bb!hockey is back! My favorite bb!hockey is at camp with the Ducks, but I gotta tell you, if he wears that Yankees hat again this year (instead of the Mariners one(s) I gave him), I'm going to pick a new favorite.
27 years of marriage. Kraken/Canucks prospect game. Savannah Bananas. Opening night with us coming back from 0-3 to win in a shoot-out thanks to a natural hat trick. I love my boys.
Today is the booster club audit, tomorrow is dinner with ex-coworkers and goodbye to one of them as she's moving away (rude), and then I'm flying to Colorado for my goddaughter's wedding. After that it's a preseason Kraken game, a Kraken 5k, and thanks I'm already exhausted. Actually, after that I'm reflooring my entryway and my kitchen. So, you know. Why not?
My "start doing some exercise every day" has sort of fallen by the wayside because of physical and mental work-exhaustion, but hopefully I'll get back into it. I have been walking a lot because of school, though, so there's something at least.
Anyway, sorry for sucking at posting. I still love and adore you all. Stay strong in the hellscape.
beanside (beanside) wrote2025-09-21 06:42 am
beanside) wrote2025-09-21 06:42 amAm I the habit you're too tired to break? I want you to love me with every step you take.
It's Sunday all ready, ugh. Yesterday was very busy. I drove down and got the meats from the Silver Spring Farmer's Market, and did a speed run to grab some pastries and empanadas. They all were excellent last time, and did not disappoint this week, either. I got an enormous bag of meat, which I will coordinate a time to meet up with the lovely poisontaster for a hand off. Then, I hurried home and took the dog our and got ready for a nice low key game. Jess did great. They needed to lay down halfway through, but we just moved their laptop and got them all set up.
After that, there was some quiet time until dinner arrived. The BIL stopped by. My lord, he is so excited about this Alaska trip. He's taking care of his mother, and while his sisters do help him, it's mostly him. His mom is in better shape than my dad was, but it's still a lot on him. It's not like he has a ton that he looks forward to. But this, he's all atwitter. I got him a fishing excursion, and you would have thought I'd just handed him gold. (It wouldn't be my kind of excursion, but if it makes him happy, I'm all for that.)
I have a few more clothes that I want to pick up, but for the most part, I think I'm done. Still need to get Jess a few things.
Today, we are supposed to go down Ammoorra for brunch. Jess discovered that they can hide the drains under a button down shirt, so depending on how they're feeling, they may join. Otherwise, they will rest on the couch and my sister and I will go.
The weather is just fucking with us now. Today, it's going to be 72, but yesterday it was in the 80s. It is ripping apart my allergies. My sinuses are not enjoying this at all. Tomorrow, I think it's relatively cool again, but then tomorrow it's creeping back up.
Okay, on that note, time to get some more coffee and get myself together. Everyone have the best Sunday!
poisontaster for a hand off. Then, I hurried home and took the dog our and got ready for a nice low key game. Jess did great. They needed to lay down halfway through, but we just moved their laptop and got them all set up.After that, there was some quiet time until dinner arrived. The BIL stopped by. My lord, he is so excited about this Alaska trip. He's taking care of his mother, and while his sisters do help him, it's mostly him. His mom is in better shape than my dad was, but it's still a lot on him. It's not like he has a ton that he looks forward to. But this, he's all atwitter. I got him a fishing excursion, and you would have thought I'd just handed him gold. (It wouldn't be my kind of excursion, but if it makes him happy, I'm all for that.)
I have a few more clothes that I want to pick up, but for the most part, I think I'm done. Still need to get Jess a few things.
Today, we are supposed to go down Ammoorra for brunch. Jess discovered that they can hide the drains under a button down shirt, so depending on how they're feeling, they may join. Otherwise, they will rest on the couch and my sister and I will go.
The weather is just fucking with us now. Today, it's going to be 72, but yesterday it was in the 80s. It is ripping apart my allergies. My sinuses are not enjoying this at all. Tomorrow, I think it's relatively cool again, but then tomorrow it's creeping back up.
Okay, on that note, time to get some more coffee and get myself together. Everyone have the best Sunday!