A good grade
Jul. 20th, 2025 04:16 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
azurelunaticOne of the LED bulbs in the bathroom vanity developed a distracting (which is code for sensory nope) flicker. Since the porch fixture takes the same bulb, I proposed that the ailing bulb become a public nuisance rather than a private one.
One of my oncologists (I believe I have dubbed her Dr. Bitsblobs, the oncology gynecologist) is retiring soon. So she has been bidding her patients farewell. Apparently I am a "gold star" patient in terms of trying my best to comply with medical advice, and for self-advocacy. A good grade in cancer, something that is normal to want and possible to achieve.
One of my oncologists (I believe I have dubbed her Dr. Bitsblobs, the oncology gynecologist) is retiring soon. So she has been bidding her patients farewell. Apparently I am a "gold star" patient in terms of trying my best to comply with medical advice, and for self-advocacy. A good grade in cancer, something that is normal to want and possible to achieve.
vital functions
Jul. 20th, 2025 11:24 pmkaberettReading. ( Wells, Lister, Tufte, Brosh, McMillan-Webster )
... I also technically started reading a little bit of Descartes, and more around Descartes, for the pain project -- but really not very much as yet.
Playing. A round of Hanabi with A & houseguest! We were playing with very different House Norms which led to some hilarious miscommunication, but A Good Time Was Had.
A good time was also had following the toddler around a playground, including some time On A Swing where we worked out How Legs Do. :)
Cooking. Several Questionable loaves of bread (mostly "too much liquid, ergo puddle"). Three more recipes from East, none of which were particularly interesting to us. (Piccalilli spiced rice; Sodha's variant on egg fried rice; a tempeh-and-pak-choi Situation.)
And Ribiselkuchen! I have been very very happily eating Appropriately Seasonal Ribiselkuchen.
Eating. A made us waffles for breakfast this morning. I had them with SLICED STRAWBERRIES and SLICED APRICOT and MAPLE SYRUP and also LEMON JUICE and VANILLA SUGAR and I was very happy about all of this.
Making & mending. It is Event Prep Week. There are so many potions.
Growing. ... I got some more supports in for my beans? I have just about managed to break even on the sugar snap peas this year (should NOT have eaten the handful I did...) and might yet manage to do a little better than that, with luck.
Squash starting to produce female flowers (yes I was late starting them). More soft fruit (which desperately needs processing; I will be sad if I wind up needing to just compost the jostaberries that have been sat in the fridge for ...a while, now). Many many tomatoes, none of which were actually ripe yet last time I actually made it to the plot...
Observing. Peacock butterfly at the plot! Tawny owl (audio only)! Bats (ditto)! The Teenage Magpie Persists!
Also a variety of awkward teenage waterfowl in Barking Park, along with a squirrel who was most unimpressed when our attempts to feed it mostly involved accidentally handing it an empty half-peanut-shell. It made it very clear (well before any of us had independently noticed The Issue) that it understood we were willing to feed it but that we were doing a terrible job at this and Should Try Harder. I was delighted.
Poem: "A New Twist"
Jul. 20th, 2025 04:13 pmysabetwordsmithThis poem was written for the Sunshine Revival Challenge 6: Game Night. It also fills the "Dodge" square in my 7-1-25 card for the Western Bingo Fest. It belongs to the series Love Is For Children.
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Sunshine Revival Challenge 6: Game Night
Jul. 20th, 2025 03:31 pmysabetwordsmithSunshine Revival Challenge 6: Game Night
Journaling prompt: What games do you play, if any? Are you a solo-gamer or do you view games as a social activity?
Creative prompt: Write a story/fic around the theme "game night".
Post your answer to today’s challenge in your own space and leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.
( Read more... )
Journaling prompt: What games do you play, if any? Are you a solo-gamer or do you view games as a social activity?
Creative prompt: Write a story/fic around the theme "game night".
Post your answer to today’s challenge in your own space and leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.
( Read more... )
Insight, or something
Jul. 20th, 2025 09:46 pmdhampyresaI wear a brace most of the time rn because of wrist tendinitis, which means drawing isn't just a matter of grabbing a sketchbook and pencil and go anymore. I have to undo and remove the brace -- which doesn't take very long, but it's enough of a roadblock that I have time to consider if I should do it (probably not). I end up not drawing as much as I want to and WOW a lot of stuff I usually watch on youtube feels so much more boring and I retain so much less of it when I'm not drawing at the same time.
Unrelated, but I can't decide and want opinions: is saint worship a form of ancestor cult?
Unrelated, but I can't decide and want opinions: is saint worship a form of ancestor cult?
Early Humans
Jul. 20th, 2025 02:24 pmysabetwordsmith11,000-year-old feast uncovered: Why hunters hauled wild boars across mountains
Ancient Iranians hosted epic feasts with wild boars that had been hunted and transported from distant regions. These animals weren’t just dinner—they were symbolic gifts. Tooth enamel analysis revealed they came from different areas, suggesting early communities valued geography in gift-giving. The event took place even before agriculture began, hinting at deeply rooted cultural traditions.
Ancient Iranians hosted epic feasts with wild boars that had been hunted and transported from distant regions. These animals weren’t just dinner—they were symbolic gifts. Tooth enamel analysis revealed they came from different areas, suggesting early communities valued geography in gift-giving. The event took place even before agriculture began, hinting at deeply rooted cultural traditions.
Creative Jam
Jul. 20th, 2025 02:22 pmysabetwordsmithThe July ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
crowdfunding Creative Jam is open with a theme of "Heroism -- Real or Perceived." Come give us prompts, or claim some for your own inspiration.
What I Have Written
From My Prompts
crowdfunding Creative Jam is open with a theme of "Heroism -- Real or Perceived." Come give us prompts, or claim some for your own inspiration.What I Have Written
From My Prompts
Tags:
Birdfeeding
Jul. 20th, 2025 02:11 pmysabetwordsmithToday is cloudy and warm. It rained yesterday.
I fed the birds. I haven't seen much activity, but heard a squirrel chattering.
EDIT 7/20/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.
EDIT 7/20/25 -- It rained copiously this afternoon, and is still thundering occasionally.
I am done for the night.
I fed the birds. I haven't seen much activity, but heard a squirrel chattering.
EDIT 7/20/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.
EDIT 7/20/25 -- It rained copiously this afternoon, and is still thundering occasionally.
I am done for the night.
Sunshine Revival #6: GAMES GAMES GAMES
Jul. 20th, 2025 08:43 amalthea_valaraChallenge #6
Journaling prompt: What games do you play, if any? Are you a solo-gamer or do you view games as a social activity?
Creative prompt: Write a story/fic around the theme "game night".
Post your answer to today’s challenge in your own space and leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.
I don't watch TV (except for game shows during dinner, and that's more mom's doing than mine). I don't watch movies. It's rare I read books these days. What I DO do, though, is play video games, mostly (Japanese) Role Playing Games. Those games are filled with stories, which satisfies my need for escapism into other worlds. I also find that I very much prefer my media to be interactive these days; when I do try to watch a movie, I often get antsy and bored because it's so passive.
Streamed Games
I'm currently playing three games on my Twitch Stream:
* Final Fantasy V for the Four Job Fiesta, Mondays at 7:30pm CDT
* Final Fantasy XI, where we're currently in the Chains of Promathia expansion, Fridays at 7:30pm CDT
* Final Fantasy XIV, doing side content, Saturdays at 7:30pm CDT
...uh, yeah, I LOVE FINAL FANTASY. I have played non-Final Fantasy games on stream - most recently was the Nintendo Switch game Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles which was chill and delightful. And I really hope to play more non-Final Fantasy games in the future.
Final Fantasy V is a single-player game, in which there are a multitude of jobs your four characters can play as. The Four Job Fiesta is a challenge in which you are assigned four jobs to play, one for each character, and you can only play as those jobs. It's usually a fun, grand time, but I have not had luck with the RNG this year; I've gotten terrible jobs that I don't enjoy playing as (so far: Thief, Mystic Knight, and Beastmaster). Yuck! But I intend to continue the run.
Both FFXI and FFXIV are MMORPGs (Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games). FFXI has been around for over 20 years (!!!) and I used to play it heavily about 12 years ago. Back then, I played with other players, because it was the best way to progress. The game is much more solo-friendly now, and I'm playing through story on a new alt, so I've been soloing everything with Trusts (non-player characters).
FFXIV is most efficient when played with other players, and yet I do a lot of things solo in that game too. I'm pretty shy and have social anxiety, so it can be hard for me to find the courage to play with others. I'm getting better at doing that, though! I've been joining some Party Finders that sound fun and interesting, including a challenge run of an Alliance raid (we went all healers!) and a Blue Mage spell learning party.
I'm grateful there's so many different ways to advance in FFXIV, and I can do it in a way that's comfy for me. But yes, I do want to practice putting myself out there and being brave.
Casual Games
I play a number of casual games, too! These I can pick up and play for a few minutes here and there.
On my Fire tablet, I play Word Shaker (a Boggle clone) and Solitaire City where I am VERY partial to the Yukon solitaire game.
On my iPhone, I play WordScapes. My particular version sets of the board as a crossword.
On my computer, I'm playing Cats In Boxes which is a delightful puzzle game in which you direct cats to push boxes around so the boxes land on the shaded squares. I'm really enjoying it!
So yeah, I'm a BIG gamer. I enjoy casual games because they distract me from my thoughts and give me a few minutes to reset. I enjoy my (J)RPGs for the amazing stories and fantastic characters. I hope to be gaming the rest of my life!
Birdfeeding
Jul. 19th, 2025 04:18 pmysabetwordsmithToday is cloudy, mild, and wet. It rained all morning.
I fed the birds. I've seen motion but the windows were too wet to identify anything.
EDIT 7/19/25 -- Yay, the window dried up enough to see through! Sparrows, house finches, and a mourning dove are mobbing the feeders.
EDIT 7/19/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.
EDIT 7/19/25 -- I potted up 2 cherry plums and a white peach.
EDIT 7/19/25 -- I added more potting soil to several pots that needed it.
Fireflies are coming out. Cicadas are singing.
I am done for the night.
I fed the birds. I've seen motion but the windows were too wet to identify anything.
EDIT 7/19/25 -- Yay, the window dried up enough to see through! Sparrows, house finches, and a mourning dove are mobbing the feeders.
EDIT 7/19/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.
EDIT 7/19/25 -- I potted up 2 cherry plums and a white peach.
EDIT 7/19/25 -- I added more potting soil to several pots that needed it.
Fireflies are coming out. Cicadas are singing.
I am done for the night.
Plas Newydd, Anglesey
Jul. 19th, 2025 08:33 pmlurkingcatWe drove out to Anglesey on Wednesday to visit Plas Newydd, which we'd somehow failed to visit when we actually stayed on Anglesey.
The original house on the site was built in the thirteenth century but the current building was started in the early fifteenth century and has been expanded many times since. I failed to take any photos inside (I have very definitely lost the habit of taking photos), which I'm regretting now as some of the rooms were presented in the state that they would have been in the 1930's. That's a lot more recent than most National Trust properties and I found that very interesting. But the thing that I really should have taken a picture of was the amazing Rex Whistler mural in the dining room. There's a picture in the Wikipedia entry that really doesn't do it justice. Not that a photo was really going to capture all the perspective tricks in it. As you walk from one end to the other, some of the perspective changes and things like the wet footprints on the quayside change direction.
The house is set in a lovely garden that we would have explored more of but we made the mistake of taking the path out to the rhododendron garden first. There is a warning sign that the path is a little tricky but that didn't really cover how slippery it was after the rain. Inevitably I stumbled and slid a little about halfway along the route and my ankle twinged. I thought it was okay but by the time we actually reached the rhododendron garden it was quite sore andbattlehamster ended up taking my rucksack on the way back so that I wasn't putting too much weight on the ankle. We sat and had some ice cream and took a very gentle walk along a much smoother path, saw a couple of red squirrels, and then headed back to Portmeirion.
I don't think I've done anything serious to the ankle but we're back home now and it's still unhappy enough that I caught the bus into town to get my hair cut this morning rather than walking down the hill. Which is a bit frustrating because I enjoy walking and it's my main form of exercise. Hopefully the ankle will settle down again in the next couple of days.
The original house on the site was built in the thirteenth century but the current building was started in the early fifteenth century and has been expanded many times since. I failed to take any photos inside (I have very definitely lost the habit of taking photos), which I'm regretting now as some of the rooms were presented in the state that they would have been in the 1930's. That's a lot more recent than most National Trust properties and I found that very interesting. But the thing that I really should have taken a picture of was the amazing Rex Whistler mural in the dining room. There's a picture in the Wikipedia entry that really doesn't do it justice. Not that a photo was really going to capture all the perspective tricks in it. As you walk from one end to the other, some of the perspective changes and things like the wet footprints on the quayside change direction.
The house is set in a lovely garden that we would have explored more of but we made the mistake of taking the path out to the rhododendron garden first. There is a warning sign that the path is a little tricky but that didn't really cover how slippery it was after the rain. Inevitably I stumbled and slid a little about halfway along the route and my ankle twinged. I thought it was okay but by the time we actually reached the rhododendron garden it was quite sore and
battlehamster ended up taking my rucksack on the way back so that I wasn't putting too much weight on the ankle. We sat and had some ice cream and took a very gentle walk along a much smoother path, saw a couple of red squirrels, and then headed back to Portmeirion.I don't think I've done anything serious to the ankle but we're back home now and it's still unhappy enough that I caught the bus into town to get my hair cut this morning rather than walking down the hill. Which is a bit frustrating because I enjoy walking and it's my main form of exercise. Hopefully the ankle will settle down again in the next couple of days.
Philosophical Questions:
Jul. 19th, 2025 02:24 pmysabetwordsmithPeople have expressed interest in deep topics, so this list focuses on philosophical questions.
How should we measure the productivity of a society?
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How should we measure the productivity of a society?
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(no subject)
Jul. 20th, 2025 04:37 amrandomarceus"oh man! the new Pokemon sets are out! I'm so glad I'll be able to buy product for a reasonable price!" I say, before getting my ass promptly beat by everything being out of stock/ridiculous price markups/constant resellers/etc.
I got some of JP White Flare a bit ago, so it's not like I'm being completely devoid of items here, but this shit is ridiculous. I'm not paying x2 RRP for a booster bundle. I'm not getting an EB Games membership so that they can offer me the chance of being fast enough to get a pre-order in. I just want to open cards for a reasonable price? I want to be able to walk into a store and actually see the newest series in stock. I don't want to tooth-and-nail it out on online storefronts just hoping to find something. I shouldn't feel like this hobby is out to drive me broke when I'm barely even BUYING anything for ANY price because I can never find it.
I got some of JP White Flare a bit ago, so it's not like I'm being completely devoid of items here, but this shit is ridiculous. I'm not paying x2 RRP for a booster bundle. I'm not getting an EB Games membership so that they can offer me the chance of being fast enough to get a pre-order in. I just want to open cards for a reasonable price? I want to be able to walk into a store and actually see the newest series in stock. I don't want to tooth-and-nail it out on online storefronts just hoping to find something. I shouldn't feel like this hobby is out to drive me broke when I'm barely even BUYING anything for ANY price because I can never find it.
Permaculture
Jul. 19th, 2025 03:59 amysabetwordsmithTHE MINI FOREST - Rewilding using the Miyawaki Method
Terrell Wong is about to plant 100 trees in her small Toronto backyard, a dense mini forest based on the Miyawaki Method. What at first seems like a simple act soon evolves into a complex story about dirt, lawns, fungus, wildlife, native species, and finally the human brain. An anti-lawn anthem from director David Hartman, The Mini Forest explores this innovative form of afforestation and the importance of restoring the native woodlands that once covered so much of Canada and the World.
( Read more... )
Terrell Wong is about to plant 100 trees in her small Toronto backyard, a dense mini forest based on the Miyawaki Method. What at first seems like a simple act soon evolves into a complex story about dirt, lawns, fungus, wildlife, native species, and finally the human brain. An anti-lawn anthem from director David Hartman, The Mini Forest explores this innovative form of afforestation and the importance of restoring the native woodlands that once covered so much of Canada and the World.
( Read more... )
Fic: Shifter Rescue
Jul. 18th, 2025 09:56 pmandersenmomTitle: Shifter Rescue
Rating: G
Type: Fic
Size/length/word count etc.: 855
Prompt: 003: Lion
Fandom/Ship: EJ (&Team), DK (Seventeen)
Notes/Warnings: Relies on &Team’s lore of them being werewolves.
Summary EJ’s captors brought in a new shifter.
( EJ didn't even know exactly why they wanted him. )
Find the table with the list of fics here
Rating: G
Type: Fic
Size/length/word count etc.: 855
Prompt: 003: Lion
Fandom/Ship: EJ (&Team), DK (Seventeen)
Notes/Warnings: Relies on &Team’s lore of them being werewolves.
Summary EJ’s captors brought in a new shifter.
( EJ didn't even know exactly why they wanted him. )
Find the table with the list of fics here
