Reading

Current Mood: satisfied

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news,
politics

Politics

Governor JB Pritzker (Dem IL) to Rep. Mary Miller: "I refuse to be lectured to by somebody who extols the virtue of Hitler."

I can't remember the last time I felt so represented by one of my actual representatives. \o/

Sometimes, you just gotta call a spade a spade.

Current Mood: busy

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Follow Friday 6-13-24: Hetalia

Today's theme is Hetalia. Initially a webcomic, Hetalia was later adapted as a serialized manga and an anime series. The series personifies the nations of the world into immortal anthropomorphic characters and presents an allegorical (and often satirical) interpretation of political, historical, and cultural events throughout history and the present day. This riff is a personal favorite.

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

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Poetry Fishbowl Update

If you want to suggest themes for upcoming Poetry Fishbowls, now is the time. I plan to set up the poll tomorrow (Friday). You can put your theme ideas in a comment below the Call for Themes post.

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Art in the Blood - Verdict

So yeah, I've finished another book! Yay!

Did it pass?

Yeah, I think it did. But let's talk about it in a bit more detail.

So this book is a different style of mystery than any of the previous books in this series. For once, Jack's issues are not the plot. Instead, this reminds me a bit more of something like Midsomer Murders, where we have a complex cast of characters and dynamics that weave together in its own story. Our investigating heroes are separate, friendly outsiders with no stakes in the mystery except the drive to find out the truth.

Well, kind of. There are a few elements that keep this from being a standalone story.

Most of that comes from Alex Adrian. It's not a coincidence, I think, that Jack gets very invested in Alex's story. Alex is a grieving widower, who thinks he knows the cause of his wife's death, but hasn't been able to truly comprehend it or move past it.

And of course, Jack Fleming knows exactly what it's like to grieve a woman that he loves, without understanding what happened to her or why. He finally got those answers in the last book and now he can give those answers to someone else.

We also see a lot of development for Jack and Bobbi. Jack's still pretty avoidant and his trust issues are on full display. But they talk and they move forward, and Bobbi makes her choice for the future. That's pretty great.

And I think it's significant that Jack now has three people who know the truth about what he is, who are not horrified or disgusted or judgmental. He's getting to be honest with them and has been rewarded for it. That's kind of nice.

That aside, I do think that this is the weakest book in the series, so far. But that's not necessarily a bad thing. A breezy Midsomer adventure is a welcome reprieve after the intensity of Bloodcircle and before, well...

If my memory's correct, this reprieve will not last that long. Hah.

So yeah, I enjoyed it very much, and it's time to make a decision for next week.

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Art in the Blood - Chapter Twelve

So we've made it to the final chapter. And maybe some reveals!

( It's a whodunnit, after all. And vampires, perhaps, have a big advantage here... )

Current Mood: busy

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Insect Apocalypse

Here's another post about the insect apocalypse, including a trophic cascade devastating other species especially insectivores. This one proposes electromagnetic radiation as a causal factor, which may or may not be true, and is not being studied. It would be nice if that were a cause, because it is a factor under human control and thus could be fixed.

Current Mood: busy

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Crafts

Orphan earrings to awesome necklaces!

Current Mood: thoughtful
Current Music: Slime stream

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Distraction/Discovery Part 2

Distraction/Discovery
Pairing: Anthony Martinez/Lucas Woodland
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: rubber verse, bdsm
Notes: So I intended to finish this close to the first part and then my brain decided nope, no words. So I stalled for *checks* several weeks now fuck. The intent was for this to just be two parts and I feel that this could be where it ends, yet at the same time I also feel there’s a part 3 and I’m undecided on that so… we’ll see. Maybe I’ll work on something else first

Part 1

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The Property of Hate Volume 4

The Property of Hate Volume 4 by Sarah Jolley

The continuing adventure.

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The Property of Hate Volume 4

The Property of Hate Volume 4 by Sarah Jolley

The continuing adventure.

( Read more... )

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2025,
ai

recent things

aside from the usual trying to make time to read the great deal of books on my tbr, i've just gotten increasingly annoyed by people trying to justify their ai usage to me. i'm as clear about my stance on ai online as i am in real life, so i have a lot of peers who use chatgpt who feel i guess personally attacked (which some part of me does think is good. since i mean, i think shame is really needed if you're so reliant on it). but it just gets to this odd point where they're aware of my chatgpt distaste and then sort of make excuses for it. stuff like "oh well i just used it to check my work", as if the ethical concern of cheating is a big deal here (it is slightly but that's just my being a goody two shoes). saying that you only use it for x reason is stupid to me since again!!! my big qualm is the environmental impact. if chatgpt were some regular site to use for cheating i'd be miffed as always but i would not make such a big deal out of it. honestly for all the stuff i say regarding my loss in respect towards people who use generative ai to do their thinking and work for them, it's just really hard to cut people off since connection is pretty much an evolutionary requirement. it just bugs the hell out of me. i'm not your priest!! there's no use in explaining why you'd use it to me when my distaste for it is founded for reasons that are universal to every chatgpt user. i don't care if you just used it to check your work since that's... not what i care about, actually. it sucks that i come on here to moan and cry about chatgpt every other day, but like, whatever. </3

Current Mood: excited

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Sunshine Revival

The old

sunshine_challenge is defunct, but other folks are reviving it this summer with the

sunshine_revival. See the schedule and link below for more information. Spread the word!

( Read more... )

Current Mood: excited

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Sunshine Revival

The old

sunshine_challenge is defunct, but other folks are reviving it this summer with the

sunshine_revival. See the schedule and link below for more information. There will be a friending meme if you want to meet new folks. Spread the word!

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

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Books

A Rainbow of Queer Books for 2025: Orange

HAPPY PRIDE 2025! For Pride this year, we’re changing up our usual rec lists. Instead of doing books with specific identities or themes, we’re focused this time on cover color! Throughout the month of June, we’ll be doing 8 rec lists, each with covers inspired by one of the colors of the original Gilbert Baker Pride Flag. We drew a little additional inspiration from the meaning behind the color and why it was included in the original LGBTQIA+ flag (in this case, orange = healing), but we prioritized color over meaning. The contributors to this list are: Sanne, Tris Lawrence, Nina Waters, polls, Shannon, Linnea Peterson and Owl Outerbridge.

Current Mood: busy

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Birdfeeding

Today is cloudy and quite warm.

I fed the birds. I've seen a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches plus a mourning dove.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 6/12/25 -- I checked the firepit. It has burned down mostly to ashes. I started trimming weeds around the outside edge.

EDIT 6/12/25 -- I picked half a bag of mulberries in the savanna.

EDIT 6/12/25 -- I sowed Bee Lawn Mix on a bare patch beside the garden shed.

EDIT 6/12/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 6/12/25 -- I did a bit more work around the patio.

EDIT 6/12/25 -- I picked a bag of mulberries in the savanna.

EDIT 6/12/25 -- I finished trimming around the firepit.

EDIT 6/12/25 -- I trimmed more grass along the edge of the strip garden.

EDIT 6/12/25 -- I trimmed grass along the south edge of the patio.

EDIT 6/12/25 -- I trimmed brush along the edge of the strip garden.

EDIT 6/12/25 -- I trimmed weeds along the edge of the south sidewalk.

EDIT 6/12/25 -- I intended to lay the base for the next bonfire. I was only able to find one log big enough, and I need two. There are some older ones but they are buried under too much brush to reach. >_< And it started drizzling anyhow, so fuck it.

I am done for the night.

Y'all

Watch on YouTube

Took a minute, but we are finally getting Spaceballs 2: The Search For More Money

Current Mood: busy

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How to Secure Yarn End on a Ball

Use a hair clip. It holds securely, doesn't damage yarn, molds to the shape of the ball, and tells you exactly where the end is.

Current Mood: thoughtful
Current Music: 5 Seconds Of Summer - Old Me

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readchristie2025

Is it easier to stay or is it easier to go?

It’s time for another post which, as always, is gonna be extremely random and unfocussed

First off the Clown In A Cornfield got listings posted and the Odeon in Birmingham has an earlier showing. Except it’s at the worst possible time. It’s at 12 and the signing is at 1 so there’s no way I can do it. There is a second showing… but it’s not till 8:50 and there’s no way I can stay in Birmingham until then.

However the Walsall cinema (which I pass through on the train back) has a showing at 3:30 which is much better (though annoying cause it costs more). But hopefully I’ll be able to see it.

Also good news is that we’ve got back to the American Horror Story run, yipee! We’re midway through Asylum and watched two very wild eps. Like one had an Angel of death and the next one had a murderous Santa played by Ian McShane which is a wild sentence. Honestly this show is wild because I’ve literally no idea what to expect. I do hope we can watch more, and I would like to watch the other seasons too, but the goal is definitely to finish Asylum before Tuesday. Why Tuesday? Cause a show is coming to shudder called Hell Motel and were so gonna be checking it out.

Unfortunately my eyes went completely achy on Tuesday night which is so annoying. Like it got to the point I couldn’t even look at the pad and was just lying with my eyes closed listening to an audio thing. Ugh. Thankfully it only lasted a night but still, it was annoying.

However earlier that day, and yesterday, I was finally able to sit down and finish reading The Seven Dials Mystery which was pretty good. I’m not gonna say too much about it but ai was amazed towards the end when there’s a love proposal and the guy said ‘I’d be your dog or your slave or anything’ which was a completely unexpected thing for me to read (but honestly that’s so based of Agatha to do she was truly ahead of her time).

And then in the documentary thing about her travels last night I found out she surfed?? Which is a completely wild image but I love that.

(But yeah I’m hoping to start Cards On The Table soon cause I’m so behind on the read Christie list)

Also yesterday the forbidden planet in Birmingham posted on insta the comics for the week and the next The Umbrella Academy is out?? I’d no idea, I thought it wasn’t out until later in the year. But that’s another thing to look for Monday. (And another reminder I still haven’t finished season 3 of the show which is probably bad but then again I’ve also heard season 4 is bad)

And TUA adjacent I saw an insta pic of Mikey with the rest of MCR (just their feet for some reason but) and I just know I’ll go crazy when we have new shots of Ray. I’m sorry in advance. (Also the new Three Cheers cd is out so that’s another thing I’ll be looking for).

My love of Who is slowly coming back after that disaster of the finale, thanks to listening to some audios, but I feel it’ll be a long time before I can watch stuff with this era cause it now feels so tainted which I absolutely hate. Hopefully a new Collection boxset gets announced soon to take the edge off.

(Although as I type this there’s been a notification that there’s an animated Who series in the works for a ‘pre school audience’ which… how does that even work?)

Writing has been so annoying too cause I wanna write and i have images in my head but as soon as I open the writing app I use it’s like my mind is empty. Ugh it’s so annoying.

I think that’s everything I wanted to ramble about but I’m sure, as always, that I’ve missed something.

But ugh the weather is so weird and hanging and it feels like rain and headache weather again. Bleh.

Current Mood: busy

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Groceries on Scooter

This guy has Turq's level of skill at bag-wrangling. See "Filled with Joyous Surprises" for Turq's version.

Current Mood: hungry

イヤイライケレ (12 June 2025)

What are you thankful for this week?
· Photos are optional but encouraged.
· Check-ins remain open until the following week's post is shared.
· Do feel free to comment on others' check-ins but don't harsh anyone else's squee.