Y'ALL!
Jun. 17th, 2025 09:00 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lirazelMy friend yutaan makes amazing paper art and also does commissions a few times a year. In the past, I've been lucky enough to buy some The Untamed minis of Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian and also of Jiang Cheng and they bring me great joy.
And when she opened up this round of commissions I was like, "Wait. What if I got more minis of favorite characters?"
Well, I asked, and she made! And they are as delightful as I thought they would be!
( Jane Eyre )
( Spock )
And best of all:
( Gen and Attolia )
They are in the mail on their way to me and I am very happy!
And when she opened up this round of commissions I was like, "Wait. What if I got more minis of favorite characters?"
Well, I asked, and she made! And they are as delightful as I thought they would be!
( Jane Eyre )
( Spock )
And best of all:
( Gen and Attolia )
They are in the mail on their way to me and I am very happy!
The Day in Spikedluv (Monday, June 16)
Jun. 17th, 2025 07:36 amspikedluvI had plans to get a lot of stuff (including stuff for mom) done in the afternoon after visiting mom, but my sister got out of work later than she thought and I stayed later because the surgeon had come in and so I got none of that stuff done.
I did do a load of laundry, the usual amount of hand-washing dishes, and scooped kitty litter. I read and watched an HGTV program.
I was hungry by the time I left the hospital as I hadn’t had lunch yet, and I didn’t want to wait until I got home to eat. So I went to a place called the Hawkeye Bar & Grill in the Otesaga Hotel and had some very good fish and chips. This was the view from my seat on the patio:
Temps started out at 57.4(F) and reached 81. (According to Pip. I’m not sure whether to believe him, but he actually had a number instead of yesterday when he just said ‘it got hot’.) The whole day was overcast/hazy, for which we should be thankful, I guess, if it really did reach 81.
Mom Update:
Mom was feeling better today, which was a relief. A lot of stuff happened, so I expect this to get long. ( it did get long )
I did do a load of laundry, the usual amount of hand-washing dishes, and scooped kitty litter. I read and watched an HGTV program.
I was hungry by the time I left the hospital as I hadn’t had lunch yet, and I didn’t want to wait until I got home to eat. So I went to a place called the Hawkeye Bar & Grill in the Otesaga Hotel and had some very good fish and chips. This was the view from my seat on the patio:
Temps started out at 57.4(F) and reached 81. (According to Pip. I’m not sure whether to believe him, but he actually had a number instead of yesterday when he just said ‘it got hot’.) The whole day was overcast/hazy, for which we should be thankful, I guess, if it really did reach 81.
Mom Update:
Mom was feeling better today, which was a relief. A lot of stuff happened, so I expect this to get long. ( it did get long )
The Day in Spikedluv (Sunday, June 15)
Jun. 16th, 2025 08:37 amspikedluvI did a load of laundry, the usual amount of hand-washing dishes, and scooped kitty litter. I finished one book and started another. I talked with mom on the telephone and visited her, as well as sent messages to her.
I forgot to mention that Pip’s buddy dropped off more BBQ chicken quarters yesterday, lol! At least I didn’t have to worry about what he was going to have for supper.
ETA: I forgot to mention the sad news that the four killdeer eggs are missing completely. No sign that they hatched. Pip caught sight of a red fox eating the sunflower seed he puts out, so we think that's what got them. I can't believe that just a day or two after I decide to tell you all about them, they're toast. *sniffle*
Temps started out at 57.9(F) and reached 69.2. (Pip said it had gotten higher, but that’s the high I saw when I got home.) It was mostly hazy all day.
Mom Update:
I called mom in the morning (now that she’s in SCU she has a phone). ( cutting for those who don’t want to read )
I forgot to mention that Pip’s buddy dropped off more BBQ chicken quarters yesterday, lol! At least I didn’t have to worry about what he was going to have for supper.
ETA: I forgot to mention the sad news that the four killdeer eggs are missing completely. No sign that they hatched. Pip caught sight of a red fox eating the sunflower seed he puts out, so we think that's what got them. I can't believe that just a day or two after I decide to tell you all about them, they're toast. *sniffle*
Temps started out at 57.9(F) and reached 69.2. (Pip said it had gotten higher, but that’s the high I saw when I got home.) It was mostly hazy all day.
Mom Update:
I called mom in the morning (now that she’s in SCU she has a phone). ( cutting for those who don’t want to read )
Weekly proof of life: mostly media, including a review of my history with Leverage
Jun. 15th, 2025 01:50 pmumadoshiEating: This weekend is scruloose's and my anniversary (year 22 is a go!), so last night we ordered Chinese roast duck and crispy pork belly and had half of it, with the rest set for supper tonight. Sous vide reheating works so well. This future is a complete nightmare in so many ways, but we sure do have cool kitchen technology. (Kitchen technology that spies on you, talks to the internet, and/or demands proof of your humanity is excluded from this praise.)
Reading: Two novels last week: Chuck Tingle's Camp Damascus and Alix E. Harrow's Starling House. I parasocially adore Chuck Tingle as a person, but this was my first time reading any of his work, and it's very possible it'll be my only time, as I just plain didn't click with this one. I had a better time with Starling House (and it too was my first book by its author), but also didn't really bond.
I'm currently about halfway through Adrian Tchaikovsky's Service Model, and can definitely see why it gets compared to Murderbot from some angles, although the vibe is wildly different and I can't say I would've made the comparison myself. (Ginny noted approvingly that anything people dare compare to her beloved Murderbot has a high bar to reach, and she feels it's fair in this case.) But then, whatever the things are that make a book really click/resonate for me, they don't seem to have any connection to the things that make people draw comparisons. Too nebulous, I guess. Anyway, this is an interesting read so far.
Watching: Murderbot, of course. I liked last week's episode a lot. Besides that,scruloose and I saw ep. 2x02 of Kingdom [disambiguation: the historical Korean zombie show] and, for a change of pace, got back to watching the original Leverage.
Some of you may dimly recall that in the days before covid, there were a few years there where we and Ginny and Kas would go towildpear -and-family's place and watch TV on Sunday nights. We got through a couple of shows that way, and started in on Leverage, which I'd seen up to about halfway (?) through season 4 and then somehow wandered off from despite loving it, and otherwise only saw a couple of later episodes, including the series finale; Ginny had seen and adored the entire thing, and I think Kas was in the same camp as scruloose and wildpear and her then-partner and hadn't seen it.
We made it to...well, roughly halfway through season 4.wildpear's kidling, Pumpkin, was old enough by then to want in on what we were watching, so they sat in for TV night, just in time for "The Grave Danger Job", which freaked them out really, really badly (fair! That episode is brutal!). My mental timeline here is very fuzzy on how long that was before covid arrived, but it wasn't too big a gap, and all in all, that was the end of our group watch. And I still basically hadn't seen past somewhere in season 4 (plus the finale). I watched the first few episodes of season 1 of Leverage: Redemption when that came out, and with that, too, I wandered off and kept meaning to get back to it.
But last week,scruloose and I took the DVDs off the shelf and got back to it. We have now seen "The Boiler Room Job" (which I'm confident I'd seen before, but I wonder if I'll know for sure when I hit new-to-me episodes?). Hopefully this time I'll actually see it all through properly. In theory, at some point we'll get to have cognitive dissonance over Noah Wyle, which will be funny since Leverage: Redemption was where we first saw him but now my association with him is 95% The Pitt.
scruloose's and my anniversary (year 22 is a go!), so last night we ordered Chinese roast duck and crispy pork belly and had half of it, with the rest set for supper tonight. Sous vide reheating works so well. This future is a complete nightmare in so many ways, but we sure do have cool kitchen technology. (Kitchen technology that spies on you, talks to the internet, and/or demands proof of your humanity is excluded from this praise.)Reading: Two novels last week: Chuck Tingle's Camp Damascus and Alix E. Harrow's Starling House. I parasocially adore Chuck Tingle as a person, but this was my first time reading any of his work, and it's very possible it'll be my only time, as I just plain didn't click with this one. I had a better time with Starling House (and it too was my first book by its author), but also didn't really bond.
I'm currently about halfway through Adrian Tchaikovsky's Service Model, and can definitely see why it gets compared to Murderbot from some angles, although the vibe is wildly different and I can't say I would've made the comparison myself. (Ginny noted approvingly that anything people dare compare to her beloved Murderbot has a high bar to reach, and she feels it's fair in this case.) But then, whatever the things are that make a book really click/resonate for me, they don't seem to have any connection to the things that make people draw comparisons. Too nebulous, I guess. Anyway, this is an interesting read so far.
Watching: Murderbot, of course. I liked last week's episode a lot. Besides that,
scruloose and I saw ep. 2x02 of Kingdom [disambiguation: the historical Korean zombie show] and, for a change of pace, got back to watching the original Leverage.Some of you may dimly recall that in the days before covid, there were a few years there where we and Ginny and Kas would go to
wildpear -and-family's place and watch TV on Sunday nights. We got through a couple of shows that way, and started in on Leverage, which I'd seen up to about halfway (?) through season 4 and then somehow wandered off from despite loving it, and otherwise only saw a couple of later episodes, including the series finale; Ginny had seen and adored the entire thing, and I think Kas was in the same camp as scruloose and wildpear and her then-partner and hadn't seen it.We made it to...well, roughly halfway through season 4.
wildpear's kidling, Pumpkin, was old enough by then to want in on what we were watching, so they sat in for TV night, just in time for "The Grave Danger Job", which freaked them out really, really badly (fair! That episode is brutal!). My mental timeline here is very fuzzy on how long that was before covid arrived, but it wasn't too big a gap, and all in all, that was the end of our group watch. And I still basically hadn't seen past somewhere in season 4 (plus the finale). I watched the first few episodes of season 1 of Leverage: Redemption when that came out, and with that, too, I wandered off and kept meaning to get back to it.But last week,
scruloose and I took the DVDs off the shelf and got back to it. We have now seen "The Boiler Room Job" (which I'm confident I'd seen before, but I wonder if I'll know for sure when I hit new-to-me episodes?). Hopefully this time I'll actually see it all through properly. In theory, at some point we'll get to have cognitive dissonance over Noah Wyle, which will be funny since Leverage: Redemption was where we first saw him but now my association with him is 95% The Pitt.The Day in Spikedluv (Saturday, June 14)
Jun. 15th, 2025 06:55 amspikedluvI hit Price Chopper, the Pharmacy and the Bakery while I was downtown. I stopped at the library on the way home to pick up a book. I made spaghetti sauce for supper when I got home. I did a load of laundry, the usual amount of hand-washing dishes, and scooped kitty litter.
For fun stuff I watched the current ep of Resident Alien and some HGTV programs, read some more Lily Adler, and sent more messages to mom. I also wrote ~550 words on a new fic.
Temps started out at 55.0(F) and reached 61.2. It was originally supposed to rain all day, but the forecast showed that the percentage was going to drop to very low after 9am, though we weren’t going to have any sun. And that’s sort of what happened; there were still sprinkles, but not a soaking rain. Still it was very chilly.
Mom Update:
Mom had been moved to the SCU when my sister, A, arrived this morning. She’s talkative and actually ‘eating’ her lunch (beef broth and Italian ice – still on liquid diet). My sister said she’s much more herself today, which is great news! She’s getting a roommate, which is not good news as we were hoping for a private room, but what can you do. They didn’t get her up to walk at all, so that must’ve been PT coming around yesterday, not just the nurse. It’s ridiculous that the patients get zero PT on the weekend. Seems like they'd lose some of the progress they made.
For fun stuff I watched the current ep of Resident Alien and some HGTV programs, read some more Lily Adler, and sent more messages to mom. I also wrote ~550 words on a new fic.
Temps started out at 55.0(F) and reached 61.2. It was originally supposed to rain all day, but the forecast showed that the percentage was going to drop to very low after 9am, though we weren’t going to have any sun. And that’s sort of what happened; there were still sprinkles, but not a soaking rain. Still it was very chilly.
Mom Update:
Mom had been moved to the SCU when my sister, A, arrived this morning. She’s talkative and actually ‘eating’ her lunch (beef broth and Italian ice – still on liquid diet). My sister said she’s much more herself today, which is great news! She’s getting a roommate, which is not good news as we were hoping for a private room, but what can you do. They didn’t get her up to walk at all, so that must’ve been PT coming around yesterday, not just the nurse. It’s ridiculous that the patients get zero PT on the weekend. Seems like they'd lose some of the progress they made.
The Day in Spikedluv (Friday, June 13)
Jun. 14th, 2025 07:24 amspikedluvVisited mom again at 11am. I didn’t go downtown, but did manage to get some chores and computer stuff done before I left the house.
I did a load of laundry, the usual amount of hand-washing dishes, and scooped kitty litter. I made it to the library to return and pick-up a book. I started a new book (the first Lily Adler one), watched the current ep of Murderbot, and sent mom another message. I hope she enjoys them when she’s home and sees them.
I picked up my car from the garage this morning when I dropped off Grant. I forgot to mention it in yesterday’s post, but just when I pulled out on the main road to head to the hospital it started acting up. (Thank goodness I leave early to make sure I can find parking. And thank goodness Pip has a used car he can lend me.) It bucked and sent the dreaded ‘reduced engine power’ message, along with the ‘service stabilitrak’ and ‘service traction control’ messages I’ve gotten before. This time Pip replaced the gas pedal, of all things. He said there are two sensors in the gas pedal and they weren’t lining up. It drove well today, so hopefully that’s the fix.
I also haven’t mentioned that a bird, a killdeer, built a nest in our driveway. At first we spotted the male dancing around trying to attract a female. Then the male chased Pip one day and we joked that he might have a nest nearby. Then we saw the female sitting in our driveway forever, and it turns out, they did have a nest in the driveway. Seems like a weird place to build a nest, especially with cats and dogs living here, but what do I know, nature is weird. I got photos of the female and the eggs when she was off the nest one time.
~*~ 
Additionally! On the drive to the hospital I pass a house that has a bunch of irises on their front lawn. Solid dark purple and solid pale yellow. They’re gorgeous and they look so pretty together.
Temps started out at 54.1(F) and reached 73.6. It was hazy most of the day. We’re supposed to have more rain tomorrow.
Mom Update:
Mom was much better today. ( not long, but cutting for those who don’t want to read it )
I did a load of laundry, the usual amount of hand-washing dishes, and scooped kitty litter. I made it to the library to return and pick-up a book. I started a new book (the first Lily Adler one), watched the current ep of Murderbot, and sent mom another message. I hope she enjoys them when she’s home and sees them.
I picked up my car from the garage this morning when I dropped off Grant. I forgot to mention it in yesterday’s post, but just when I pulled out on the main road to head to the hospital it started acting up. (Thank goodness I leave early to make sure I can find parking. And thank goodness Pip has a used car he can lend me.) It bucked and sent the dreaded ‘reduced engine power’ message, along with the ‘service stabilitrak’ and ‘service traction control’ messages I’ve gotten before. This time Pip replaced the gas pedal, of all things. He said there are two sensors in the gas pedal and they weren’t lining up. It drove well today, so hopefully that’s the fix.
I also haven’t mentioned that a bird, a killdeer, built a nest in our driveway. At first we spotted the male dancing around trying to attract a female. Then the male chased Pip one day and we joked that he might have a nest nearby. Then we saw the female sitting in our driveway forever, and it turns out, they did have a nest in the driveway. Seems like a weird place to build a nest, especially with cats and dogs living here, but what do I know, nature is weird. I got photos of the female and the eggs when she was off the nest one time.
Photos
~*~ Additionally! On the drive to the hospital I pass a house that has a bunch of irises on their front lawn. Solid dark purple and solid pale yellow. They’re gorgeous and they look so pretty together.
Temps started out at 54.1(F) and reached 73.6. It was hazy most of the day. We’re supposed to have more rain tomorrow.
Mom Update:
Mom was much better today. ( not long, but cutting for those who don’t want to read it )
Heat pump repair | Random ebook pricing weirdness
Jun. 13th, 2025 04:21 pmumadoshiAfter making calls on Monday, scruloose found a heat pump-servicing company that would do the repair etc. under our warranty from the manufacturer. A service tech turned up on Wednesday (!) at the time he said he'd be here (!) and assessed the situation, sourced the required parts locally (all three units needed their coils replaced, which the manufacturer apparently says was a known issue with models from that year that has now been fixed, so this theoretically shouldn't recur), and came back first thing yesterday morning to actually do the repair (and replace a noisy fan in the exterior unit). Labor and parts=all covered. Things seem to be working fine now. *knocks wood* It was a bizarrely good experience.
The cats were unsurprisingly unimpressed about being corralled in the bedroom repeatedly (both to keep them underfoot and to minimize their covid exposure as much as possible, in addition to all the purifiers running andscruloose rigging the airflow so that the bedroom was pressurized and the tech wearing an N95 mask the entire time), but were mostly polite about it and appreciated the treats they got afterwards.
I just went poking around in the Kobo listings for Adrian Tchaikovsky ebooks, and stumbled over the fact that there's an ebook (Terrible Worlds: Revolutions) collecting his three Terrible Worlds novellas, none of which I've read and one of which is on my wishlist. The collected volume is going for $7.99 Canadian. The individual novellas go for $10.99 each. [EDIT: Regular prices, in all cases.] I don't have a specific way in mind that I think this should be handled, but surely there are better ways to price/label/offer ebooks.
The poking around came after the ebook for Tchaikovsky's Service Model, which Ginny just read and liked, turned up on the on-sale list this morning, so this is also a PSA about that. (At least for the Canadian Kobo site.)
scruloose found a heat pump-servicing company that would do the repair etc. under our warranty from the manufacturer. A service tech turned up on Wednesday (!) at the time he said he'd be here (!) and assessed the situation, sourced the required parts locally (all three units needed their coils replaced, which the manufacturer apparently says was a known issue with models from that year that has now been fixed, so this theoretically shouldn't recur), and came back first thing yesterday morning to actually do the repair (and replace a noisy fan in the exterior unit). Labor and parts=all covered. Things seem to be working fine now. *knocks wood* It was a bizarrely good experience.The cats were unsurprisingly unimpressed about being corralled in the bedroom repeatedly (both to keep them underfoot and to minimize their covid exposure as much as possible, in addition to all the purifiers running and
scruloose rigging the airflow so that the bedroom was pressurized and the tech wearing an N95 mask the entire time), but were mostly polite about it and appreciated the treats they got afterwards.I just went poking around in the Kobo listings for Adrian Tchaikovsky ebooks, and stumbled over the fact that there's an ebook (Terrible Worlds: Revolutions) collecting his three Terrible Worlds novellas, none of which I've read and one of which is on my wishlist. The collected volume is going for $7.99 Canadian. The individual novellas go for $10.99 each. [EDIT: Regular prices, in all cases.] I don't have a specific way in mind that I think this should be handled, but surely there are better ways to price/label/offer ebooks.
The poking around came after the ebook for Tchaikovsky's Service Model, which Ginny just read and liked, turned up on the on-sale list this morning, so this is also a PSA about that. (At least for the Canadian Kobo site.)
Just Married Dear Author Letter
Jun. 13th, 2025 09:25 amlirazelDear Author,
It's been a few years since I've been able to participate in this exchange and I've missed it! I am generally quite easy to please so long as you avoid my DNWs, so I hope you enjoy writing a fic for me!
I've got a bunch of different pairings/OT3s with different preferences for each. The one thing that I most want for all of them is that the requested pairing/OT3 fall in love by the end of the story (if they aren't in love already) and a reasonably happy ending. By "reasonably" happy, I mean, the situation around them can be kind of dark, but they're together and that's what matters.
The first most important DNW is: infidelity. I am just not here for that.
I'm totally fine with people having pasts in which they loved/were with/were married to other people but by the time the characters get together, I want them both to be single. Or, in the case of an OT3 where two thirds of the characters are married to each other, they both need to be enthusiastic about inviting a third member into the relationship.
Some other DNWS:
+ PWP. Porn is fine, I just don't want the porn to be all the fic is. And porn is in no way necessary--you can write the most rated G fic ever if you like. I love all ratings equally.
+ Instalove/love at first sight (for anyone other Wangxian--infatuation at first site is okay for them--or Peter falling in love with Harriet because canon). As an ace person, it's super important to me that characters actually know each other before they fall in love.
+ Modern AUs of historical/fantasy fandoms. Canon divergence/what ifs are amazing, though, and if you want to twist the setting a little bit (giving Hodel magical powers or making Lan Wangji emperor or something), go for it. I just do not want to read about any of these historical/fantasy characters working in a coffee shop.
+ Major character deaths (unless someone comes back to life à la Wei Wuxian)
+ Character bashing
+ Unmitigated fluff (some fluff is fine! But I'd like some deeper feelings to dig into.)
+ Onscreen noncon
+ Focus on babies/children
+ Watersports/scat
+ BDSM outside the bedroom
General likes: angst, especially if it ends happily; getting together; hurt/comfort; mutual pining; in character characters; complicated relationships between women; good worldbuilding; longfic; outsider povs; location/setting as character; political intrigue; forced proximity; good people trying to do the right thing; bad people trying to do the right thing; found families; siblings; porn with feelings; character A having to rescue/defend character B; total devotion/us against the world dynamics. I also love the other characters in these canons, so bringing them into the fic in large supporting roles is great!
Now onto the requests.
( The Queen's Thief )
( Six of Crows )
( Fiddler on the Roof film )
( The Untamed )
( Shadow of the Moon )
( Spinning Silver )
( Life with Derek )
( Lord Peter Wimsey series )
It's been a few years since I've been able to participate in this exchange and I've missed it! I am generally quite easy to please so long as you avoid my DNWs, so I hope you enjoy writing a fic for me!
I've got a bunch of different pairings/OT3s with different preferences for each. The one thing that I most want for all of them is that the requested pairing/OT3 fall in love by the end of the story (if they aren't in love already) and a reasonably happy ending. By "reasonably" happy, I mean, the situation around them can be kind of dark, but they're together and that's what matters.
The first most important DNW is: infidelity. I am just not here for that.
I'm totally fine with people having pasts in which they loved/were with/were married to other people but by the time the characters get together, I want them both to be single. Or, in the case of an OT3 where two thirds of the characters are married to each other, they both need to be enthusiastic about inviting a third member into the relationship.
Some other DNWS:
+ PWP. Porn is fine, I just don't want the porn to be all the fic is. And porn is in no way necessary--you can write the most rated G fic ever if you like. I love all ratings equally.
+ Instalove/love at first sight (for anyone other Wangxian--infatuation at first site is okay for them--or Peter falling in love with Harriet because canon). As an ace person, it's super important to me that characters actually know each other before they fall in love.
+ Modern AUs of historical/fantasy fandoms. Canon divergence/what ifs are amazing, though, and if you want to twist the setting a little bit (giving Hodel magical powers or making Lan Wangji emperor or something), go for it. I just do not want to read about any of these historical/fantasy characters working in a coffee shop.
+ Major character deaths (unless someone comes back to life à la Wei Wuxian)
+ Character bashing
+ Unmitigated fluff (some fluff is fine! But I'd like some deeper feelings to dig into.)
+ Onscreen noncon
+ Focus on babies/children
+ Watersports/scat
+ BDSM outside the bedroom
General likes: angst, especially if it ends happily; getting together; hurt/comfort; mutual pining; in character characters; complicated relationships between women; good worldbuilding; longfic; outsider povs; location/setting as character; political intrigue; forced proximity; good people trying to do the right thing; bad people trying to do the right thing; found families; siblings; porn with feelings; character A having to rescue/defend character B; total devotion/us against the world dynamics. I also love the other characters in these canons, so bringing them into the fic in large supporting roles is great!
Now onto the requests.
( The Queen's Thief )
( Six of Crows )
( Fiddler on the Roof film )
( The Untamed )
( Shadow of the Moon )
( Spinning Silver )
( Life with Derek )
( Lord Peter Wimsey series )
The Day in Spikedluv (Thursday, June 12)
Jun. 13th, 2025 07:49 amspikedluvAgain, I had some time before I had to drive to the hospital, so I got some chores and computer stuff done.
I did a load of laundry, the usual amount of hand-washing dishes, and scooped kitty litter. I finished System Collapse, watched an HGTV program, and sent my mom some more messages.
Temps started out at 67.8(F) and reached 77.7. It was so nice out this morning, I got in a walk before I left to go visit mom.
Mom Update:
Mom was miserable today. ( more back here )
I did a load of laundry, the usual amount of hand-washing dishes, and scooped kitty litter. I finished System Collapse, watched an HGTV program, and sent my mom some more messages.
Temps started out at 67.8(F) and reached 77.7. It was so nice out this morning, I got in a walk before I left to go visit mom.
Mom Update:
Mom was miserable today. ( more back here )
Baby Manhattan in the Deep Blue Gem
Jun. 13th, 2025 06:06 amesmegreyMy site just updated with a new review, for Manhattan Baby.
I've not done an Italian horror movie in quite some time, and this one has been on my to do pile, which is a literal stack of discs, for at least a decade. It's an odd one, but it's got some interesting vibes to it. Check out all my words.
💎E💎
I've not done an Italian horror movie in quite some time, and this one has been on my to do pile, which is a literal stack of discs, for at least a decade. It's an odd one, but it's got some interesting vibes to it. Check out all my words.
💎E💎
If Only There Were Two of Me
Jun. 13th, 2025 03:01 amunspeakablehorrorI wish there were two of me because then one me could devote all their time to doing all the offline stuff I do and the other could devote their entire time to Being on the Internet and Posting.
The Day in Spikedluv (Wednesday, June 11)
Jun. 12th, 2025 07:30 amspikedluvI did not go to visit my mom. My sisters took it in turns today so I could get some stuff done. I’ll take my turn again tomorrow morning.
I had a chiropractic appointment this morning. I hit Walmart while I was downtown and got in a longer walk around the park. I also stopped in at the Feed Bag to pick up the suet Pip forgot (and to reserve two large metal garbage cans for Pip to pick up on Monday; he got one when he got birdseed this past Monday (the task fell to him since I was a tad busy) and decided he wanted more. They’re big enough that I can’t take them in my car. As it turns out, he doesn’t have any more in stock so will have to order them.)
I hit Stewart’s on the way home, returned a book to the library, stopped to check mom’s mail, visited my aunt (since I won’t be available to do so tomorrow; and complained to the social worker about how they do her hair – it’s such a minor thing, but it would be so easy to keep her hair in curls instead of straight and straggly by not using a hairbrush on the curls and I’d like her to look nice, at least, because she has so little dignity left, you know?), and stopped at Sunnycrest again to check on the beef stick status. If you guessed they ~still don’t have them, you’d be right. I’m going to be annoyed if I found something Pip likes and they won’t carry them anymore, or at least regularly.
I did a load of laundry, ran a load in the dishwasher and emptied it, the usual amount of hand-washing dishes, and scooped kitty litter. I baked chicken for the dogs’ meals and fed Pip leftover pulled pork (yes, from the big b-day do a couple weeks ago; mom put it in the freezer) for supper. I did get fresh strawberries at Sunnycrest, so I made biscuits. I had strawberry shortcake for my supper; Pip prefers his biscuits with peach jelly because that’s how his mom used to do it.
(He refuses to eat a biscuit with anything other than peach jelly. It’s very frustrating. You can imagine my shock the first time I made chicken and biscuits for supper and Pip only ate the chicken and gravy and completely refused the biscuit because I didn’t have any peach jelly. Basically a bowl of soup, lol! I had no idea anyone would eat biscuits with ONLY jelly. I mean, I eat my leftover biscuits with butter and jelly, but solely?!! I know now and prepare accordingly.)
The surgeon’s office called today to schedule the removal of the node they found during Pip’s endoscopies. August 11, the day after my birthday, so one heck of a b-day pressie. *g* [I told him when he got home from work and he was like, I'm not having that removed! And I'm like, why not? Apparently he thinks it's not necessary when two different doctors think it is. *shrug* He's going to talk to the doctor himself to get it sorted. He's such a pain in my butt about this sort of thing.]
I finally started System Collapse, watched an HGTV program, and sent mom some messages she'll see when she gets home, in lieu of our usual telephone conversation.
Temps started out at 55.0(F) and reached 82.8. There was a mix of sun and clouds and a breeze, thankfully.
Mom Update:
My sister kept us informed of events as they occurred:
( I did bullet points so it got long )
I had a chiropractic appointment this morning. I hit Walmart while I was downtown and got in a longer walk around the park. I also stopped in at the Feed Bag to pick up the suet Pip forgot (and to reserve two large metal garbage cans for Pip to pick up on Monday; he got one when he got birdseed this past Monday (the task fell to him since I was a tad busy) and decided he wanted more. They’re big enough that I can’t take them in my car. As it turns out, he doesn’t have any more in stock so will have to order them.)
I hit Stewart’s on the way home, returned a book to the library, stopped to check mom’s mail, visited my aunt (since I won’t be available to do so tomorrow; and complained to the social worker about how they do her hair – it’s such a minor thing, but it would be so easy to keep her hair in curls instead of straight and straggly by not using a hairbrush on the curls and I’d like her to look nice, at least, because she has so little dignity left, you know?), and stopped at Sunnycrest again to check on the beef stick status. If you guessed they ~still don’t have them, you’d be right. I’m going to be annoyed if I found something Pip likes and they won’t carry them anymore, or at least regularly.
I did a load of laundry, ran a load in the dishwasher and emptied it, the usual amount of hand-washing dishes, and scooped kitty litter. I baked chicken for the dogs’ meals and fed Pip leftover pulled pork (yes, from the big b-day do a couple weeks ago; mom put it in the freezer) for supper. I did get fresh strawberries at Sunnycrest, so I made biscuits. I had strawberry shortcake for my supper; Pip prefers his biscuits with peach jelly because that’s how his mom used to do it.
(He refuses to eat a biscuit with anything other than peach jelly. It’s very frustrating. You can imagine my shock the first time I made chicken and biscuits for supper and Pip only ate the chicken and gravy and completely refused the biscuit because I didn’t have any peach jelly. Basically a bowl of soup, lol! I had no idea anyone would eat biscuits with ONLY jelly. I mean, I eat my leftover biscuits with butter and jelly, but solely?!! I know now and prepare accordingly.)
The surgeon’s office called today to schedule the removal of the node they found during Pip’s endoscopies. August 11, the day after my birthday, so one heck of a b-day pressie. *g* [I told him when he got home from work and he was like, I'm not having that removed! And I'm like, why not? Apparently he thinks it's not necessary when two different doctors think it is. *shrug* He's going to talk to the doctor himself to get it sorted. He's such a pain in my butt about this sort of thing.]
I finally started System Collapse, watched an HGTV program, and sent mom some messages she'll see when she gets home, in lieu of our usual telephone conversation.
Temps started out at 55.0(F) and reached 82.8. There was a mix of sun and clouds and a breeze, thankfully.
Mom Update:
My sister kept us informed of events as they occurred:
( I did bullet points so it got long )
On Man's Best Friend and Choice Feminism
Jun. 12th, 2025 12:04 pmmatcheslitA woman doing something isn't necessarily feminism. Sometimes it can even be anti-feminist. Sabrina Carpenter choosing to engage in misogyny for the male gaze is still engaging in misogyny. It's still the male gaze. People can claim it's "satire" but, without an obvious wink to the audience, it's not satire--it's just a harmful message (a woman objectifying herself to a man) without the subversion (missing). Sabrina Carpenter's new album cover does not threaten or mock the status quo--it IS the status quo.
Then some defenders are not suggesting it's satire. Instead, they are simply saying it's empowering: supposedly it's "obviously for women" and it's "obviously mocking men who think it's for them" But...it has no obvious tell that it's not for men, actually. It's just for men. This is proven by men posting about how much HOT they find the album cover without any discussion about feminism while the women fight about whether or not it's feminist.
That all being said, I'm not saying Sabrina can't do whatever she wants. I don't think she's a bad role model or a slut or anything. Admittedly I've never liked her much because she caters so much to the male gaze / straight fantasies (but I do find her hot, probably proving my point further--not liking her but liking the LOOK of her). But she can do whatever she likes--she's a pop star, not a political activist. I can see it's fun for her and other women! It's just not empowering. It's not feminism. If it is supposed to be satire, it's a failed experiment. And ultimately, it's so weird and a little disheartening that women need to do mental gymnastics to justify liking something "problematic" to themselves and others.
Edit: After sleeping on it, I'm left to only assume that she isn't even trying to be satirical or feminist like her fans insist. It's an insult to her to suggest she missed the mark that badly. I think ultimately she's just being shocking because being horny is her "thing" and sex sells. It's certainly generated a lot of online discussion (even here on XHS). Her fans are perhaps just a little delulu and trying to cope with the fact their favorite isn't a Feminist Icon--it's not like she ever expressed an interest in being one. And that should be OK.
Then some defenders are not suggesting it's satire. Instead, they are simply saying it's empowering: supposedly it's "obviously for women" and it's "obviously mocking men who think it's for them" But...it has no obvious tell that it's not for men, actually. It's just for men. This is proven by men posting about how much HOT they find the album cover without any discussion about feminism while the women fight about whether or not it's feminist.
That all being said, I'm not saying Sabrina can't do whatever she wants. I don't think she's a bad role model or a slut or anything. Admittedly I've never liked her much because she caters so much to the male gaze / straight fantasies (but I do find her hot, probably proving my point further--not liking her but liking the LOOK of her). But she can do whatever she likes--she's a pop star, not a political activist. I can see it's fun for her and other women! It's just not empowering. It's not feminism. If it is supposed to be satire, it's a failed experiment. And ultimately, it's so weird and a little disheartening that women need to do mental gymnastics to justify liking something "problematic" to themselves and others.
Edit: After sleeping on it, I'm left to only assume that she isn't even trying to be satirical or feminist like her fans insist. It's an insult to her to suggest she missed the mark that badly. I think ultimately she's just being shocking because being horny is her "thing" and sex sells. It's certainly generated a lot of online discussion (even here on XHS). Her fans are perhaps just a little delulu and trying to cope with the fact their favorite isn't a Feminist Icon--it's not like she ever expressed an interest in being one. And that should be OK.
Wednesday Reading Meme & Books 40 - 42 of 2025
Jun. 11th, 2025 07:10 amspikedluvWhat I Just Finished Reading: Since last Wednesday I have read/finished reading: In a Dark House (A Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James Mystery) by Deborah Crombie, All Systems Red (The Murderbot Diaries) by Martha Wells, and Seeing a Large Cat (An Amelia Peabody Mystery) by Elizabeth Peters.
What I am Currently Reading: After finishing the Amelia Peabody book on Monday I didn’t really feel like starting anything yesterday, but I plan on starting System Collapse (The Murderbot Diaries) by Martha Wells today.
What I Plan to Read Next: I have more library books out, so most likely one of those!!
Book 40 of 2025: In a Dark House (A Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James Mystery) (Deborah Crombie)
This book was really good!! ( spoilers )
I've already requested the next book in the series; I'm giving this one five hearts.
♥♥♥♥♥
Book 41 of 2025: All Systems Red (The Murderbot Diaries) (Martha Wells)
I did another re-read because I felt like I had already forgotten what happened and I wanted to compare it to the tv show. No additional comments, just making a note of it.
Book 42 of 2025: Seeing a Large Cat (An Amelia Peabody Mystery) (Elizabeth Peters)
This book was really good! ( spoilers )
I enjoyed this book a lot and must go request the next in the series. I'm giving this one five hearts.
♥♥♥♥♥
What I am Currently Reading: After finishing the Amelia Peabody book on Monday I didn’t really feel like starting anything yesterday, but I plan on starting System Collapse (The Murderbot Diaries) by Martha Wells today.
What I Plan to Read Next: I have more library books out, so most likely one of those!!
Book 40 of 2025: In a Dark House (A Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James Mystery) (Deborah Crombie)
This book was really good!! ( spoilers )
I've already requested the next book in the series; I'm giving this one five hearts.
♥♥♥♥♥
Book 41 of 2025: All Systems Red (The Murderbot Diaries) (Martha Wells)
I did another re-read because I felt like I had already forgotten what happened and I wanted to compare it to the tv show. No additional comments, just making a note of it.
Book 42 of 2025: Seeing a Large Cat (An Amelia Peabody Mystery) (Elizabeth Peters)
This book was really good! ( spoilers )
I enjoyed this book a lot and must go request the next in the series. I'm giving this one five hearts.
♥♥♥♥♥
The Day in Spikedluv (Tuesday, June 10)
Jun. 11th, 2025 06:59 amspikedluvI planned to visit mom, but since she’s in the ICU and visiting hours don’t start until 11am I had some time to kill. I did not go downtown, but stayed home to do some chores and stuff on the computer.
I did two loads of laundry, the usual amount of hand-washing dishes, and scooped kitty litter.
I typed in edits, coded and posted the![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
smallfandomfest fic I’ve been working on!! It’s Murder, She Wrote crossed over with V (1983). To make it work, I gave Jessica another niece, lol! I read some fanfic and watched some HGTV programs. It still feels really weird to not call mom in the evening to talk about our respective days.
I saw my brother (and his GF) and my sister S (the nurse) while visiting mom. There can only be two at a time in the ICU so we took turns.
I fell again. *head desk* This time inside the house (slipped on a puddle of wet on the floor), but I landed on that same knee I keep falling on and bent that same big toe. It hurt and I swore a lot. And I realized it’s almost the one year anniversary of my first fall when I scraped my knee so badly, pulled every muscle, and cracked my big toe.
Temps started out at 61.0(F) and reached 82.6. It rained all morning, but the sun came out in the afternoon. I got in a short walk with Pip and the dogs when he (they *g*) got home from work. Within a half hour of that the clouds moved in and the temps dropped 12 degrees before it started raining again for a bit.
Mom Update:
Mom was doing pretty well when I saw her. She was so out of it, thanks to the drugs. Her voice was very raspy (because of the tube, which they removed before I got there) (if I wasn’t facing her while she was speaking, I never would have known it was her) and she slurred a bit due to the drugs. Sometimes she forgot what she was saying. She talked about Matlock a lot. *g*
They gave her an epidural for the pain and her nurse (she seemed awesome) said that they were going to keep the epidural in for a few days, and that while it was in she’d remain in the ICU. I’m happy about both; no pain, and great care.
The bad news came later in the evening when my sister S passed on (in the Family Group chat) that the surgeon thinks that my mom may have originally had pancreatic cancer that jumped to the bile duct. She won’t know for certain until the labs come back. I do not fucking want it to be pancreatic cancer. As you may have guessed, I had a knot in my stomach the rest of the evening and didn’t sleep super well, even though I doubled my melatonin to make sure I would fall asleep.
All positive thoughts welcomed.
I did two loads of laundry, the usual amount of hand-washing dishes, and scooped kitty litter.
I typed in edits, coded and posted the
smallfandomfest fic I’ve been working on!! It’s Murder, She Wrote crossed over with V (1983). To make it work, I gave Jessica another niece, lol! I read some fanfic and watched some HGTV programs. It still feels really weird to not call mom in the evening to talk about our respective days.I saw my brother (and his GF) and my sister S (the nurse) while visiting mom. There can only be two at a time in the ICU so we took turns.
I fell again. *head desk* This time inside the house (slipped on a puddle of wet on the floor), but I landed on that same knee I keep falling on and bent that same big toe. It hurt and I swore a lot. And I realized it’s almost the one year anniversary of my first fall when I scraped my knee so badly, pulled every muscle, and cracked my big toe.
Temps started out at 61.0(F) and reached 82.6. It rained all morning, but the sun came out in the afternoon. I got in a short walk with Pip and the dogs when he (they *g*) got home from work. Within a half hour of that the clouds moved in and the temps dropped 12 degrees before it started raining again for a bit.
Mom Update:
Mom was doing pretty well when I saw her. She was so out of it, thanks to the drugs. Her voice was very raspy (because of the tube, which they removed before I got there) (if I wasn’t facing her while she was speaking, I never would have known it was her) and she slurred a bit due to the drugs. Sometimes she forgot what she was saying. She talked about Matlock a lot. *g*
They gave her an epidural for the pain and her nurse (she seemed awesome) said that they were going to keep the epidural in for a few days, and that while it was in she’d remain in the ICU. I’m happy about both; no pain, and great care.
The bad news came later in the evening when my sister S passed on (in the Family Group chat) that the surgeon thinks that my mom may have originally had pancreatic cancer that jumped to the bile duct. She won’t know for certain until the labs come back. I do not fucking want it to be pancreatic cancer. As you may have guessed, I had a knot in my stomach the rest of the evening and didn’t sleep super well, even though I doubled my melatonin to make sure I would fall asleep.
All positive thoughts welcomed.
Fic: Murder, She Wrote/V (1983): One Good Hoax Deserves Another (Jessica & Julie; PG13)
Jun. 10th, 2025 09:26 amspikedluvAnother Jessica crossover! I hope you enjoy it.
Title: One Good Hoax Deserves Another
Author: Spikedluv
Fandom: Murder, She Wrote (tv)/V (1983) (tv)
Rating: PG13/Gen
Pairing/Characters: Jessica Fletcher & Juliet Parrish (appearances by Mike Donovan and Elias Taylor)
Length: 3,380 words
Spoilers: Takes place during ep 1.04 Hooray for Homicide of Murder, She Wrote and during the first V (1983) mini-series.
Summary: Jessica Fletcher’s trip to Los Angeles turns out very differently than she’d expected.
Author’s Notes: Written for Round 37 ofsmallfandomfest for the prompt: Murder, She Wrote (tv)/V (1983), Jessica & Writer's Choice, Jessica happens to be in LA when the truth about the Visitors is revealed
Feedback: Would be greatly appreciated.
Disclaimer: None of these characters belong to me.
Posted: June 10, 2025
Read Fic @ AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/66375037
Title: One Good Hoax Deserves Another
Author: Spikedluv
Fandom: Murder, She Wrote (tv)/V (1983) (tv)
Rating: PG13/Gen
Pairing/Characters: Jessica Fletcher & Juliet Parrish (appearances by Mike Donovan and Elias Taylor)
Length: 3,380 words
Spoilers: Takes place during ep 1.04 Hooray for Homicide of Murder, She Wrote and during the first V (1983) mini-series.
Summary: Jessica Fletcher’s trip to Los Angeles turns out very differently than she’d expected.
Author’s Notes: Written for Round 37 of
smallfandomfest for the prompt: Murder, She Wrote (tv)/V (1983), Jessica & Writer's Choice, Jessica happens to be in LA when the truth about the Visitors is revealedFeedback: Would be greatly appreciated.
Disclaimer: None of these characters belong to me.
Posted: June 10, 2025
Read Fic @ AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/66375037
The Day in Spikedluv (Monday, June 9)
Jun. 10th, 2025 07:17 amspikedluvI spent most of the day at the hospital, which I talk about below if you want to skip it. I did some hand-washing of dishes and scooping of kitty litter when I got home. I finished the Amelia Peabody book while sitting in the waiting room. It felt weird when I was finally sitting on my bed, NOT to make my daily call to mom.
Temps started out at 59.2(F) and reached 75. It was weird coming out of the window-less waiting room (for trips to the cafeteria or restroom) to see that it was still light out.
Mom Update:
Thank you so much for all of your good wishes for mom's surgery yesterday! I really appreciate it.
( cutting for those who don’t want to read )
Temps started out at 59.2(F) and reached 75. It was weird coming out of the window-less waiting room (for trips to the cafeteria or restroom) to see that it was still light out.
Mom Update:
Thank you so much for all of your good wishes for mom's surgery yesterday! I really appreciate it.
( cutting for those who don’t want to read )