vital functions

Oct. 5th, 2025 08:41 pm
kaberett: Trans symbol with Swiss Army knife tools at other positions around the central circle. (Default)
[personal profile] kaberett

Reading. So many things. Or at least it feels that way. Unsure if actually So Many.

Melzack & Wall, McRobbie, McGuire, Duncan, Stock )

Cookbooks )

And I am now TWO months behind on Dreamwidth. TWO. Ahahahaha.

Playing. Several more rounds of Fluxx.

Tukoni: Prologue, "a point-and-click puzzle adventure" featuring beautiful botanical art. Very very much enjoyed this tiny snippet (a mushroom! that makes it rain! when you pat it!) and am mildly dismayed at the five-year gap between the release of this prologue and the subsequent demo of what will theoretically be a full game...

Cooking. ALSO SO MANY THINGS.

  • another recipe from East: chilli tofu
  • green beans in tomato sauce with fennel seeds, feta, and toast, loosely inspired by a thing out of the latest Ottolenghi cookbook (in the sense that I went looking for confirmation of my sense that the thing I was thinking of doing would work, found it, and promptly carried on with my intentions rather than the recipe I was distinctly less into)
  • smitten kitchen's vegetarian cassoulet, with the addition of Dubious Protein Chunks
  • a quince cake, which I made a lot of modifications to, and of which I am dubious, probably because of those modifications (but A seems to like it, so that's a win)
  • hazelnut and treacle Welsh cakes, leaving us with two remaining recipes of any interest in the tourist-tat Welsh cakes cookbook (cranberry + white chocolate is a no, as are the two recipes containing bacon; double choc chip is a maybe, and I'm willing to consider that Caerphilly + leek might have merits but A is distinctly more dubious)
  • soda bread! notable because (i) not sourdough, (ii) using the buttermilk culture I have successfully kept alive this time around (and have now refreshed), and (iii) I ignored all of the instructions about Handling It As Little As Possible and as a result it achieved Structural Integrity, which I usually do... not manage

Eating. I have successfully worked out how to make Wagamama's current menu provide me with food I will actually look forward to, which is A Great Victory. Located the last of last year's seasonal Dark Chocolate With Raspberry and have been gently nibbling it. QUINCE. And another variety of apple from an abandoned neighbouring plot at the allotment; this one is Very Crunchy and Very Red but not particularly flavours.

(The tree that got planted so as to encroach on my plot is some kind of cooker, unsure which, because my usual approach to cooking apples is James Grieve from my mother's garden...)

Making & mending. I think that, inspired by some helpful answers on reddit, I have got my clicky fountain pen clicking reliably again? It was doing a thing where it wouldn't lock, and it was pointed out to me that probably the issue was going to be located in the knock not at the trap door, so I... wrote the pen dry, rinsed out the ACCUMULATED DUST OF THE YEARS (THANKS DADFORD ROAD), and since then it's been behaving beautifully. Long may it continue.

Growing. There are still tomatoes? Also kohlrabi. I only managed a single flying visit to the plot this week; at some point soonish I'm going to need to get A to take me over with the car so I can retrieve from the greenhouse the various peppers I'm hoping to overwinter. I do not appear to have been issued with a Non-Cultivation Order in this round of inspections, which is a very welcome surprise!

Observing. A has seen the bat! I have not seen the bat because I have been Preoccupied with Other Things (misc). But the bat has not yet put itself to bed for the winter. <3

pauraque: paper cutouts of Palpatine smiling as Luke and Vader cross light sabers (star wars palpatine)
[personal profile] pauraque
So, I don't know if Attack of the Clones is necessarily "better" than The Phantom Menace, but I had a more enjoyable experience watching it. I was feeling pretty cheerful through most of the runtime, while I think poor [personal profile] sdk was suffering much more than I was. I definitely had watched the last half of this movie on TV at some point in the mid-2000s. Nothing from the first half was familiar to me at all.

cut for length, and still negativity though a little less than the last one )

Anyway, here's a song about Anakin and sand.

Embedded video: Fan edit autotunes scenes from the prequels and OT to craft a musical narrative centering on Anakin's enduring hatred of sand.


One more. We can do it! I believe in us!
beanside: (Default)
[personal profile] beanside
It's Sunday, and I seem to have a cough. Not a bad one, and it may just be allergies, but I cancelled my plans for the day just to be on the safe side, and will spend it relaxing.

Yesterday was a bit much. Yoda passed his initial interview, but as the day wore on, he got tired, and started getting grumpy and barking in a way that the staff deemed "aggressive." They said that they didn't feel like camp was going to be a good fit for him. Afterwards, he was a bit out of sorts. So you know, I felt like the worst pet parent of all time twice over. We're going to look into someone who can come stay in the house to take care of he and Boodle or a senior pet camp. As Jess said, the problem seemed to be that because he's a senior dog, he got tired of being messed with and threw a tantrum. Whatever, we'll work it out. We're going to Alaska, and the dog will have to get with the program. So, yknow, my dog flunked out of daycare.

After we dropped him off, we went to grab lunch. We'd planned on doing hot pot, but the parking situation was dire. I said I'd vulture, but as we were going around the block, there was a spot right in front of the Sichuan Bistro, so we went there. Jess got spicy pork ribs, and I got peking duck, and we split the soup dumplings.

I don't think I'd ever get carry out again--eating there was so good. The soup dumplings were fresh and delicious, and the Peking duck came in the cutest little stand. It was excellent, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Oh, and it came with an enormous bowl of duck soup, which is now in my fridge. I may have some later.

Once I got the word to pick up the dog, I went and fetched him and made sure he knew we weren't angry at him.

I took a little nap, and then had dinner and walked him and he seemed to perk up.

As I said to Jess, the whole experience has left me feeling a little bit bruised. The worry of how it would go, followed by the hope when he passed his interview, followed by "no, he failed." just left my feelings a little sad and sore.

But we shall figure it out.

On that note, I think I shall go forth and shower, see if it helps this annoying tickle in my throat.

Everyone have a stupendous Sunday!

More Soothing YouTube Videos

Oct. 4th, 2025 02:33 pm
jesse_the_k: Head inside a box, with words "Thinking inside the box" scrawled on it. (thinking inside the box)
[personal profile] jesse_the_k

No embeds this time, just links.

Everyone is calm and competent and cooperative

[profile] calamitykim1 is a 20-something woman who loves driving big rigs and fixing machinery and narrates as she goes, but autocraptions. In September 2025, she drives a tractor trailer through small-town Britain, carrying a piece of metal so large it requires a police escort—her typical length is 30 minutes. Moving traffic, but no flashing lights.

Ocean Creatures

[profile] exploreoceans features both livestreams and highlight reels. Super soothing is the 2025 Highlights of Pacific Walruses Hauling Out on a Beach—no narration or music, just surf on the beach and moaning walruses for 25 minutes. It’s part of the explore.org network, which I discovered via their delightful Fat Bear Week contest.

Admire Our Planet from Space

I love [profile] astronauticast’s 3-5 minute timelapse compilations from the International Space Station. They’re compiled by ISAA, the Italian Space and Astronautics Association. They travel at a steady rate over various parts of our globe, with a handy reference diagram in the upper left corner. Witness hundreds of thunderstorms from the west coast of Mexico all the way to Portugal. Admire auroras and airflows above North America. I shouldn’t have been surprised that deserts are readily visible because so few clouds. No words—pleasant classical-ish music.

Wayfinding

Oct. 4th, 2025 05:11 am
fayanora: qrcode (Default)
[personal profile] fayanora


Oh wow. I wish this video had come out a few years ago. It would've been amazing research for worldbuilding with Fomor, since Fomor has a lot more ocean than we do on Earth. And lots of atolls and other islands. I mean, I could add this info to the worldbuilding anyway, but the series has only been to Fomor the one time so far. I would need to find an excuse to go back.
beanside: (Default)
[personal profile] beanside
It's Saturday! Yesterday, thankfully went very easy and smooth. The doggo slept while I worked until the workers left, then he transferred out to the sofa and snuggled with Jess. It was very sweet.

Once that was done, I cooked dinner (I put sauce on salmon and baked it and served it with salad, whoo.) Then took out the trash and went to Petco to get the dog a new tag. The daycare requires a quick release collar with tag with his name on it. So now he has that. He looks very fancy in is dark storm blue collar. It sets off really well against his fur.

First, I have work til 12, then I need to take Yoda for his appointment. I am really anxious about it. I have no clue how he'll do with dogs. He just can be a lot. I think he'd like to make friends, but I don't know if he knows how. I'm sorry I didn't just say I'd drop him off. The thought of having to watch the first half hour is stressing me out.

After that, we'll probably grab lunch and then pick him up a few hours later. The daycare's rule is that he has to stay for at least 3 hours to get a good trial. Hopefully, he does well.

Tomorrow, I'm supposed to go out to lunch with the friend frim 911. While I want to see her, I also would love a day to do nothing. We shall see.

Debating on the merits of taking a nice hot shower when I finish typing. I could probably use one, and I don't want to stink out the doggy daycare.

All in all, though I don't have a ton of chores that I need to do, so I should get some down time. I will need to fill the dishwasher, and probably take out more trash. (Lord, we make a lot of trash.).

I had mentioned that we were considering it, and after debate, we decided to book that cruise from Iceland to Amsterdam. It's not the one we were first looking at, but that's okay. We found one that should be good for us. That shall commence May 29th of 2027.

I figure we'll go early, spend a few days in Reykjavík, and then board the ship. We're sailing around Iceland, then down to Scotland, then onto Amsterdam. We'll probably spend a couple of days in Amsterdam, then head home. Probably like 12 days, total.

I'm very much looking forward to it, just like Alaska. We go next week to get our photos and passport appointment done. I figure if I'm going to the trouble of getting it, I should use it.

I haven't been out of the country in like 30 years, so this should be an adjustment.

Okay, time to go forth and grab that shower. Everyone have an amazing Saturday!

I Did Not Buy This Ticket (2023)

Oct. 3rd, 2025 04:19 pm
pauraque: Guybrush writing in his journal adrift on the sea in a bumper car (monkey island adrift)
[personal profile] pauraque
This short psychological horror visual novel by Brazilian developer Tiago Rech follows Candelaria, a professional mourner. Leaving a funeral to go to her next job, she finds that the bus ticket in her pocket has been replaced by one that leads her to a different bus altogether—one where the passengers are surreal and distorted creatures who ask peculiar, probing questions, and the washroom mirror reflects a face she does not recognize.

bus driver dressed in red with one giant stylized eye says you are only a few steps away from your seat and it would be a waste to throw the ticket away

I found this to be an absorbing, intelligently written game that expertly uses horror to craft a character study. Several character studies, really, since your choices largely determine the answers to questions about who Candelaria is, why she went into this unusual profession, and where she goes from here. Though it has some freaky imagery and spine-tingling moments, the most haunting aspect is how the game explores Candelaria's trauma, denial, and loss, and the many paths before her that could lead to new strength, or to self-destruction, or to otherworldly possibilities she never could have imagined before she boarded this bus.

I would say the primary theme of the game is sitting with discomfort. Many people dread going to a funeral, but for Candelaria it's become a soothing ritual. From that starting point, the game approaches the idea from different angles. You could keep looking away forever from the things that scare you, but what if you faced them instead? A creature that seems monstrous might actually have something to say that's worth hearing—did you try sitting down and talking to it? Candelaria keeps saying the seats on the bus are too hard, too uncomfortable, but maybe this is where she needs to learn to sit.

A playthrough takes about an hour, so it's short enough that you can easily go back and try for other endings. I played through several times and got invested enough to use an achievement guide to make sure I had seen all the endings and dialogue, and I never do that with VNs! I was impressed by how the game leverages decision points and different orders of events to play out a wide variety of outcomes, and invites the player to bring their own interpretations rather than spelling everything out with rigidly defined "good" and "bad" endings. There are outcomes that you could argue are good or bad depending on how you see things. Ultimately it's Candelaria's life, and it's up to her to decide what it means and what she wants it to be.

I Did Not Buy This Ticket is normally on Steam for $7.99 USD, but it's currently on sale for $3.99 USD. There's also a free demo.

Friday Five: senses

Oct. 3rd, 2025 10:34 am
kyrielle: painterly drawing of a white woman with large dark-blue-framed glasses, hazel eyes, brown hair, and a suspicious lack of blemishes (Default)
[personal profile] kyrielle
1. Do you ever wonder if the way you see things visually aren't how other people see them?

Not really; more I know. I mean, sometimes I wonder if it's more different than I realize, but I know very well just how different the world can look with and without my glasses - and I had bad vision even as a child and didn't get glasses until five or so; I imagine that affects how I process things visually, somewhat.

2. What kind of sounds are the most annoying?

Ones I have to do something about (or actively not-do something about if it's something I normally might respond to). A song I like on infinite loop is fine; "Mom. Mom. Mom. Mom." will get old fast. White-noise "rain sounds" are great, a slow and steady drip from the shower is agony.

3. When walking through a store, do you shop with your hands by touching/feeling the texture of things?

Somehow I started by envisioning running my hands over everything, which just seems weird to me. But then I thought about it. I DO use my hands to judge the ripeness of some fruits and vegetables if they otherwise look good; and I do run fingers over fabric if I'm otherwise considering a piece of clothing. So in a few cases, yes, but otherwise no.

4. If you could only smell three scents for the rest of your life, what would they be?

Are they the only things I can ever smell *when they're present*, or the only things I can smell, which I may smell if they're not? Different answers, though not much different.

Vanilla, cinnamon, and a crisp clear mint if the former. If the latter, sub out the mint for the smell of clean air after a good rain, because sometimes one needs a relaxing non-scent.

5. What sorts of things do you savor when eating them?

Sweets, especially chocolates. Tea, sometimes (sometimes it's just a warm beverage!). Steak.

https://thefridayfive.dreamwidth.org/144035.html
beanside: (Default)
[personal profile] beanside
It's Friday! They're almost done the project. The dude said he'd be here today, then the painters come Monday. Tues or Wed we should have a washer and dryer! They've been absolute sweethearts. They discovered that Jess recently had surgery, so they have been bringing in heavy packages, and generally being awesome, while getting the work done super fast.

Yesterday was a bit of a cluserfuck. I got ready and hauled all my shit to the coworking office. For four hours, things went great. Enormous monitor, very nice chair, very quiet and private. Then, just after noon, the internet went down. I waited a few minutes, but it didn't come back up. Poked my head out, and it turns out that the power went off on half the building, and it was going to be a couple of hours to get it back up. So, I closed down and went to head back home, only to find that the elevator is in the half of the building that has no power. On the fifth floor.

Knowing that I only have two hours to get back online before I have to start using PTO, I braved the stairs. It was not pleasant. I had my bag with my computer and accouterments, and the dishes from lunch. I would not like to do it again.

I got home, and sat for a while, until the worker went outside to get supplies, then I squeezed into my sister's room and got set up again. Fortunately, it seems like they're done with most of the loud stuff, so it wasn't bad.

I think today I'm going to just stay home and do my job here. I'll have to move my shit tomorrow to my normal desk, since I'm working on Saturday, but that's okay.

Tonight, I have my monthly psych appt. We're going to have to discuss changing my ADHD meds, because the insurance is not going to cover them any more. So, farewell Vyyvanse, hello Azstarys.

Tomorrow, we take Yoda for his interview with Camp Bow Wow. This should be interesting. Hopefully, he does well, and we can start depositing him in day care for a few hours here and there, working up to overnights. I am stressing more about this than I was about the work they're doing.

My sister has been incredibly interactive today, and I need a drink. I shall persevere. At least I had my normal half hour of peace and quiet. Okay, everyone have an excellent Friday!
fayanora: lil girl knife (lil girl knife)
[personal profile] fayanora


If I hadn't grown numb from all the fascism months ago, I'd probably be screaming and crying right now.

some things!

Oct. 2nd, 2025 10:20 pm
kaberett: Trans symbol with Swiss Army knife tools at other positions around the central circle. (Default)
[personal profile] kaberett
  1. Bookshop.org is now doing ebooks in the UK. Unlike Hive, they do not apply DRM to everything. V excited about this!
  2. I think -- think -- I have worked out an Acceptable Wagamama order, at least for the time being. I'm mildly annoyed about needing to order extra vegetables in order to have enough vegetables in my vegetable noodle dish, though. (The yasai pad thai + wok-fried greens is not My Favourite Thing They've Ever Done, but it is better than anything else I have managed to make the current menu disgorge. Which is useful, because we have A Routine, and it involves Wagamama.)
  3. I have POACHED SOME QUINCE (I am turning windfalls I located round the corner into cake, and the Gift Quince are probably going to turn into a Ruby Violet sorbet recipe). I am going to make a cake, probably with added bay leaves, as I think I mentioned, probably tomorrow but the quince won't hurt for spending a bit longer sat in syrup. I am contemplating the merits of showing up on the doorstep of the folk with the quince tree, with some cake, and being all "hello yes I made this with windfalls onto the public path, I will very happily make you more things :) out of quince :) if you don't know what to do with them :))) which I am KIND OF ASSUMING YOU DON'T given that the branches overhanging your garden are still COVERED IN THE THINGS, unlike the branches overhanging the public byway..." (The social anxiety almost certainly means I won't actually do this, but I am, you know, considering.)
  4. Meanwhile today's poking around at recipe books introduced me to the concept of medlar sticky toffee pudding, which is now extremely high up my list of things to do with this year's medlar as and when we get any. (Recipe is in a book I'm not actually going to get from Oxfam, or at the Torygraph.)
  5. I continue to really enjoy looking at the Pelikan Art Collection pens (further links from within that one). It is possible I tripped and fell and spent more time reading about them this morning.

A theory

Oct. 2nd, 2025 05:38 am
fayanora: qrcode (Default)
[personal profile] fayanora
Human beings are extremely good at finding patterns like faces and animals and other images in random things like clouds, a phenomenon called pareidolia. I am convinced that most sightings of ghosts, orbs, invisible beings, etc are just pareidolia This is especially true of small children, who don't have the experience needed to recognize that what they're seeing is just their brain's natural pattern-seeking software glitching out. Over time, we gain that experience, and so we "see spirits" less often because most of us have the sense to realize that what we're seeing isn't real.

Emphasis on "most." There are definitely a lot of times when multiple people are seeing the same thing. And while some of even those might still be pareidolia, others might be something else.

Things

Oct. 2nd, 2025 10:16 pm
vass: Small turtle with green leaf in its mouth (Default)
[personal profile] vass
Books
Still rereading Stargazy Pie.

Listened to the audiobook of Robin Hobb's Assassin's Apprentice. Yes, my first time with this series. I didn't read them back when they first came on my radar (late 90s, early 2000s) because I heard unpleasant things about the author's attitude to fanfic, and held a grudge. They came to my attention again recently because a Tumblr mutual was reading them and kept reblogging pretty fanart and also made me aware of the gender stuff.

That certainly was a 90s fantasy novel, for better and for worse.
After I finished, I read this person's shitposty summary of Assassin's Apprentice, and decided on the strength of it to put a hold on Royal Assassin at the library so I can read the next summary after I finish that.

Games
Hades II launched, and I went back to playing it (having set it aside back in March.) On a new save. Which is how I reminded myself that gaming for a long time really hurts my neck and shoulders and back and everything. Got as far as Granddad.

Crafts
sekrit!cross-stitch still in the drafting phase, but I did make some progress.

Tech
Still playing through Reeborg's World. I switched from the original levels to the Saskatchewan CS20 set to give myself a bit more practice before tackling Rain 2 and Storm 2 through 4. Currently I'm on level 19 of the Saskatchewan CS20.

Also dug out an old monitor with the intention of plugging it into my laptop. Couldn't find a DVI or VGA cable (I did say it's an old monitor!) and ended up buying a new DVI to HDMI converter cable. After which I couldn't find a power cable for the monitor. After which I found where I'd been storing the spare IEC connectors. You'll never guess what else was coiled up with them... oh, you guessed. (No, not a snake. A DVI cable and a VGA cable, of course!)

Garden
Impulse-bought and planted a couple of heirloom tomato seedlings (Tigerella and Cherry Roma.) It begins.

Cats
Wrestling and face-biting. All in good fun.

Nature
Saw a couple of magpies investigating some yellow leaves which I'd pruned from the broccoli and left to mulch.

Misc
Unwisely kept working on the miniblocks pumpkin after I'd run out of concentration, and started skipping steps without noticing. Disassembled it and started again. This is what audiobooks are good for.
beanside: (Default)
[personal profile] beanside
It's Thursday, and I am trying to get myself together to try going in work for a change. Or at least to this coworking office that has private offices. I figure I'll give it a try today and maybe tomorrow, and see where we're at after that. The closet they made looks good. I think they've gotten pretty much everything done but painting and putting in the machines. It sure looks almost done. I'm hoping the 2 weeks was a bit of an exaggeration on how long it would take.

Yesterday was busy, yet not terrible. I got up at 4:30am, and we left for Sibley at 5:40am. We got there super early, but the coffee shop was open, so we grabbed a coffee and sat for a bit, then went up for Jess' appointment. The drains were seriously freaky coming out. You could see the tube moving under the skin as the PA pulled. Very Alien. Jess reported that it hurt like hell coming out, but they were very pleased with the result. No more drains! They have the okay to raise their little t-rex arms above their head, so my days of being needed to reach the microwave are fading.

Then we stopped for breakfast at La Madeline. If you have one of these near you, they currently have a Parisien Hot Coccoa with chantily cream. Fuck, it is good. I highly recommend.

Once we got home, we kind of relaxed to the sounds of hammering and screwing until they were done and it was time to take the doggo to his vet appt.

Diagnoses on pupper: allergies, with a skin infection where he's scratched them. Antibiotics and an allergy shot called Cytopoint. He was a little punky last night from the shot, but he's okay. They're waiting til spring to repeat his labwork to see if his liver enzymes are still wonky.

I went to bed early, knowing that I need to put some food into containers to take them for lunch. I still didn't really want to get up at 5 am. We'll see if this set up works any better than Shelly's room. Honestly, as long as it doesn't fuck with my wrist, I'll be good.

Okay, time to go forth and grab a shower, and make food, and all that good stuff. Everyone have an outstanding Thursday!

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