larryhammer | Network

^Same userpic as last week, because it's still cold! Clear and sunny, so not bad for walking, but, still. They are talking about a SIGNIFICANT SNOW EVENT for us this weekend. We shall see!

What I Just Finished Reading

Sing Like A Fish:How Sound Rules Life Underwater, by Amorina Kingdon.

cairistiona, it was extremely readable and enjoyable! I learned so much. There is a fish, along the Pacific Coast, with mating calls! I can't even imagine. Less enjoyable, but still very worthwhile, was Birds at Rest: The Behavior and Ecology of Avian Sleep, by Roger F. Pasquier. (Academics should not be allowed to publish approachable, engaging prefaces to their books, if the books themselves are going to be pretty dry. That's deceptive!) *grin* But again, I learned a lot about avian behavior that had never occurred to me before. @

cairistiona, an even more enjoyable book about fish is What A Fish Knows, by Jonathan Balcomb, which I remember I really liked.

On the fiction side, Malinalli, by Veronica Chapa, had inconsistent characterization and confusing plotting. For Dreamwidth Book Bingo: Author's Debut, as well as Goodreads Tale Spinners challenge (Fairy tale or mythology retelling).

An absolute impulse purchase (boy, have I been doing a lot of that lately) was What If...Loki Was Worthy?. An odd impulse because I haven't been into Marvel in ages and am several movies behind. (Sorry, Captain America Sam. Sorry, Bucky.) If this book had been fic, it would be Crack!fic, an absolutely wacky and enjoyable ride. My absolutely favorite Loki Redemption fic, though, is "Monsters", by coneycat, the opening of her "Housemates"series.

What I Am Currently Reading

Today I ~~expect~~ hope to finish A Splendid Savage:The Restless Life of Frederick Russell Burnham, by Steve Kemper. Burnham was a high adrenaline, restless explorer/adventurer who I first heard about in reading about another high-adrenaline, restless explorer/adventurer, Finding Everett Ruess: The Life and Unsolved Disappearance of a Legendary Wilderness Explorer.

What I Am Reading Next

I have a list of library holds as long as my arm, which I plan to pick up tomorrow. Which is crazy, because it isn't like I don't have another virtual stack of ebooks on my iPad. I just like walking to the library, I guess.

Question of the Day:

Snow:Yay! or Snow

(That would be me. It's not that I mind snow, per se - it's pretty on the garden, so peaceful looking, and we certainly need the moisture. It's the danger and difficulty of walking the days after.)

lydamorehouse

Image: no laser eyes this time, but this is a loon in the shape of the Rebel Alliance symbol from Star Wars.

So, let's see. Yesterday started out a little rough for me in part because I was feeling EXTRA anxious because helicopters were buzzing our neighborhood. So much information getting shared is people guessing at what's going on and people who seem to maybe be reporting on what's happening? But, it's often unclear where they are getting their information? So, it's very paranoid here.

What I heard was that ICE was back at the MidwayTarget just up the block from me, specifically targeting the protestors there. Target has been a target for resistance efforts because of the video that was widely circulated of Greg Bovino, the ICE commandant/literal SS officer cosplayer, stopping to take a piss flanked by his goons. Rumors have also circulated that Target is not what we are calling a "Fourth Amendment business." (For our international friends, the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution of the US states that there must be probable/reasonable cause for search and seizure--including of our persons, our bodies--basically no one has the right to just snatch people out of homes or businesses.) So, here in the Twin Cities, if a business appears to cooperate with ICE, even to the point of not protecting their employees, people have been mad. And supposedly Target was compliant with ICE. So,the day before yesterday there was a big sit-in in Target. Yesterday, there was a group of people doing retail resistance? They would buy salt (or other metaphorically appropriate things) and then immediately return it, so that Target would have the hassle of all this merchandise to deal with and refunds to issue.

There was another rumor that ICE was at HarMar Mall in Roseville, which is literally a shopping mall? But, as someone who has taken the bus out in that direction, a lot of folks who might be targets of the gestapo do work in those retail stores.

What I should have done when the helicopters were circling was just get in my car and drive up to Target and see what I could see or head out to HarMar, but I was waiting for Mason to be up to find out what he wanted to do for lunch and whether or not he was going to his uncle Keven's to do some odd job work. Mason was justifiably cranky with me when he came down to find me in a state. As he pointed out, I can just go. He is an adult. Not only can he make himself lunch, he can figure out how to get to Keven's if need be.

But, having talked that through, Mason and I decided to drop by the folks I lovingly call the Food Communists and see if there was work to be done. Sure enough! We arrived in time to help load up one car that was delivering diapers. We packed several bags of groceries, helped load more stuff to go, and then spent the "downtime" making individual packs of various bulk food items, while chatting with neighbors--and one guy who and I am not kidding, came from the Gunflint Trail in Northern Minnesota order to help with the resistance. That is 288 miles from us, about a 5 hour drive (if you drive without stopping.) People in the UK? He basically came from another world. (And honestly? A few more miles and he would have been coming from Canada.)

Speaking of my non-Minnesotan and foreign friends, here's

naomikritzer 's write up of things to do for us if you are interested in helping the resistance: https://naomikritzer.com/2026/01/21/how-to-help-if-you-are-outside-minnesota/ Even if all you want is some links to reliable, detailed information about what is actually happening here, this is a good resource to start with!

My singing group was supposed to gather last night at 7:30 pm and I made an effort to join them, but I think I screwed up the where or the when because I wandered around in the place I thought they'd be and no one was around. To be fair to me (and them) it was supposed to be outside a church and there are a number of churches with similar names in the neighborhood and I suspect I just ended up at the wrong one. They sing every day, so I'll get other chances to join them.

I've been trying to also focus on feeding myself and my family, so yesterday I made a lovely mapo tofu for lunch and then we had bibbimap for dinner. Two rice meals, but both hearty, filling, and sustaining. I went this morning to get my blood drawn for all the various health checks, so I am remembering to take care of myself and my family. I've been joking that all of this stress has actually made me better about remembering to hydrate, so that's something.

And, with luck, I'll be running D&D this weekend. So, we can keep up our mental health!

Okay, everyone, stay strong!

watersword posting in

thisfinecrew

Democrats Successfully Strip All Anti-Trans Riders From Final Appropriations Bills.

Now would be a great time to tell your Democratic representatives that you saw the party protecting trans people, and that you approve and want them to keep doing that. If your reps are Republicans, I guess tell them to stop putting discriminatory clauses in the budget?

duckprintspress

I had a really busy weekend (vending 4 days, Friday to Monday, in a city 3+ hrs drive away) so my reading was relatively sparse, especially on graphic novels/manga.

1. What are you currently reading?

The World We Make by N. K. Jemisin: so far I'm a little iffier on this one than on the first, but I'm still enjoying it.
盗墓笔记 vol. 2 by 南派三叔: ugggh I hardly made any progress at all, sigh.

2. What have you recently finished reading?

The City We Became by N. K. Jemisin: a lovely book that had, for me, a couple wrong notes that dimmed it a little. Specifically: 1. did not hate Robert Moses enough and 2. no Jewish or East Asian city avatars. It feels a bit of a slap in the face for the importance of those groups in the fabric of the city. I've decided that, lacking canon to the contrary, Brooklyn is Jewish because I Said So. (I am a native New Yorker and have lived in Manhattan - 18 years total - and the Bronx - 5 years total - so that influences my views a lot.)
Fragtime omnibus by Sato: modern GL with sort of super powers. I'd have liked it better if the characters hadn't been so... how they are.
Kase-san and Yamada vol. 3 by Hiromi Takashima: more jealousy stuff. what a drag.
That Times I Got Reincarnated as a Slime vol. 6 by Fuse
How Do We Relationship? vol. 1 by Tamifull: modern GL. I appreciate the bit at the beginning making clear that whatever bumps they hit, that's where they end up, cause it made Teh Dramz feel lower stakes.

3. What will you read next?

Novels: my reading club is starting Winter's Orbit by Everina Maxwell, and my Libby hold on Apothecary Diaries vol. 2 by Natsu Hyuuga came through, so. those.

Physical Graphic Novels: I don't expect to read any this week.

Libby Graphic Novels: My Libby isn't loading right now, somethings wrong with it, but I know my loan of Just Like Mona Lisa vol. 1 by Tsumuji Yoshimura is due within the next couple days, so definitely that. I can't remember what else off hand. I've got around 10 loans rn tho... wait, there it goes, finally! Okay, that's the only one due imminently. I got a copy of Cherry Magic vol. 15 through yesterday so I expect to be on that basically immediately, too. The only reason I didn't read it yesterday was I ran out of time.

dinosaur_comics_feed

http://www.qwantz.com/index.php?comic=4425


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January 21st, 2026

January 21st, 2026: Me and JASON LOO (!) are putting on a SPECIAL EVENT with the Hamilton Public Library where we'll be discussing COMICS and WRITING and will sign all your books too! It's on January 29th, 7pm, at the Westdale Branch - hope to see you there!

– Ryan

http://www.qwantz.com/index.php?comic=4425

minoanmiss

( You're about to view content that the journal owner has advised should be viewed with discretion. )

Current Mood: pleased

james_davis_nicoll

Nanao must chose between staying with her abusive family or accepting the offer of marriage from handsome, wealthy, sincerely considerate Yako. A dilemma for the ages!

The Ayakashi Hunter’s Tainted Bride, volume 1 by Midori Yuma & Mamenosuke Fujimaru

osprey_archer

What I’ve Just Finished Reading

Gifts of the Crow: How Perception, Emotion, and Thought Allow Smart Birds to Behave Like Humans, John Marzluff and Tony Angell. Full of fun anecdotes about crows bringing people gifts, playing with dogs and cats, gathering silently around the corpse of a fellow crow, etc. I found the neurology stuff very boring but I know some people are into that. In general I think we should move away from describing animals who do smart things as acting “like humans.”

Also Ngaio Marsh’s Singing in the Shrouds, because of course I couldn’t resist diving in once I’d bought it. This one features a serial killer, which to be honest is not my favorite kind of murder mystery, but it takes place on shipboard (Year of Sail strikes again!) among a cast of eccentric characters, which is my favorite kind of Marsh so I still had a great time despite the serial killer of it all. Stayed up late to find out the identity of the murderer and was quite satisfied with the identity of the killer if not the neat Freudian-ness of the explanation for the crimes, but listen, if you WILL read murder mysteries written in the 1930s-1960s or so, you’re asking for overly neat Freudian explanations of crimes and you know it.

What I’m Reading Now

I’ve slogged about a third of the way through National Velvet, to the part where Velvet wins a horse in a raffle and also gets five horses from an old guy who writes her into his will and then immediately shoots himself. (!!!) Does it pick up from here, or is it more of the same?

I was briefly STYMIED in In the First Circle, because my copy is missing thirty pages!!! It looks like there was a production error, as the book looks perfectly fine (no pages torn out etc) but nonetheless jumps directly from page 476 to page 509.

However, I had the fortunate thought to check a different library, which helpfully had an ebook (of the same translation, even!). So I read through the missing pages and am now back on track, provided of course that there are no more nasty shocks of this sort.

What I Plan to Read Next

Hampton Sides’ The Wide Wide Sea: Imperial Ambition, First Contact and the Fateful Final Voyage of Captain James Cook. Yes, indeed, Year of Sail continues.

troisoiseaux

In War and Peace, I've remembered a big reason why I largely skimmed over the "war" half when I originally read this a decade ago, which is that Nikolai Rostov is so so so so annoying.

In Damon Runyon updates, god, I love linguistic drift:

I wish to say I am very nervous indeed when Big Jule pops into my hotel room one afternoon, because anybody will tell you that Big Jule is the hottest guy in the whole world at the time I am speaking about.

("Hot", in the context of this 1930s gangster story, meaning "wanted by the police", but... LOL.)

cimorene

Apparently I have shingles....

Going to the pharmacy for antivirals and bandages when Wax is done with work.

This raises the interesting possibility that I've had headaches and fever for the last week without really noticing because I'm already miserable, huddling in blankets with no energy as my default state in January.

sabotabby

Just finished: Mavericks: Life Stories and Lessons of History's Most Extraordinary Misfits by Jenny Draper. I don't have a lot to add since last week. If you read my blog you will like this. It is my jam. It's a rather inspiring read for—look, I haven't written about politics in a public post in awhile but you know. You know.

Currently reading: Choices: An Anthology of Reproductive Horror, edited by Dianna Gunn. This one I picked up because a lot of the authors in it are my kind of people, and it's a cool concept. There must be a particular subgenre of leftist, author-led anthologies, and like. I want to fix that subgenre. I want it to exist, but I want to push it like, a notch further or two.

Part of my problem here is absolutely personal, which is that I'm intensely phobic of pregnancy and childbirth, and so in order to ping as horror in my brain, a story has to somehow be worse than my own fairly intense reactions to the subject. A few of the pieces are but they're mostly "wow it would be awful to be pregnant in a dystopian regime that viewed women as chattel" well, here we are. I have the same critique of my own writing btw. You simply cannot write bad things fast enough to get your book out before those bad things are just an accepted part of reality. Plus a lot of the stories are earnest, which is one thing that horror can't be. There's one story about an anti-abortion protestor that goes straight for black comedy and it is excellent; so far it's my favourite.

shirebound

Happy Birthday to

monicaop and

slightlytookish! Hooray for your special day, ladies!

tamaranth

2026/013: Lingo: A Language Spotter's Guide to Europe — Gaston Dorran, translated by Alison Edwards

In autonomous Greenland, Danish initially retained more official functions than in the autonomous Faroe Islands. But that has since changed as well: in 2009, Kalaallisut became the one and only official administrative language. With this move, Greenland achieved a unique position: the only country of the Americas (yes, Greenland is part of the Americas), from Canada all the way down to Chile, where the indigenous language doesn’t play second fiddle to that of its colonial master. [p. 56]

Subtitled 'Around Europe in Sixty Languages' in some editions, 'A Language-Spotter’s Guide to Europe' in others, this is an entertaining and readable discussion of linguistic diversity in Europe. ( Read more... )

Current Mood: curious

daily_otter_feed

Posted by Daily Otter

https://dailyotter.org/posts/2026/1/21/sleepytime-blep

Via Seneca Park Zoo, which writes:

Sailor turned 19 [two weeks ago] 🥳🦦 and that’s something worth celebrating!

North American river otters typically live to about 13 years in their natural range, so Sailor’s longevity is a strong reflection of the care he receives here at the Zoo.

Our teams work hard to meet his physical, mental, and social needs, and milestones like this are a reminder of how important conservation programs like ours are!

https://dailyotter.org/posts/2026/1/21/sleepytime-blep

neatorama_feed

Posted by Miss Cellania

https://www.neatorama.com/2026/01/21/What-Happens-to-Us-if-We-Lose-All-Our-DNA/

In the latest episode of the What If? series by Randall Munroe and Henry Reich (previously at Neatorama), the question is: "If someone's DNA suddenly vanished, how long would that person last?" While the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell, it's the DNA that tells a cell what to do. You might think that our cells should know what to do by now, and they would continue because of inertia, but that won't go on indefinitely. Each of our body organs have a different task, some more time-sensitive than others.

As far as we know, this scenario has never happened. But to give an answer, they looked at a few scenarios in which our DNA becomes damaged and can't do its job properly. Those are mushroom poisoning, chemotherapy, and radiation poisoning. The consequences of each are pretty ghastly, even though they don't completely destroy the DNA in each cell. Without DNA, we would certainly be up a creek without a paddle.

PS: Commenters cited the case of Hisashi Ouchi, which is a tragic and gruesome read.

https://www.neatorama.com/2026/01/21/What-Happens-to-Us-if-We-Lose-All-Our-DNA/

rmc28

Today would have been my mother's 79th birthday. It's been 3.5 years, I still miss her.

Her sister, my aunt, is in hospital following a stroke last week, and not expected to recover. My cousins are on their way to Australia (possibly there by now) and hoping to arrive in time to say goodbye.

I walked to work this morning in a downpour with angsty-sad music in my headphones, and let myself cry it out while no-one was watching. In the last few minutes of my walk, the sun briefly shone through the clouds, and the music algorithm played me something more upbeat. I took in the moment of beauty, and walked on.

selenak

hannah asked: I'd love to hear you talk about assorted public transportation options you've taken while traveling, both domestically and internationally, and whether or not any stuck out to you for any reason.

Domestically: Well, it's practically a German cliché to complain about Die Bahn, but the truth is that while it truly is in a bad state, due to sixteen years of conservative ministers of transport defining their office as "lobbying for Mercedes, BMW and Audi" and endlessly delaying necessary repairs of the railway system, I still consider our public transport system my favourite way to travel within Germany. Both the trains, and in cities the busses and streetcars and underground trains. In most cases, it's possible to reach any given destination by train and from the railway station by local public transport. And one great invention that was added in, I think, the second Pandemic year, was Das Deutschlandticket, meaning a ticket you pay per month and which you can use for all public transport within Germany that is not - forgive me using now traumatizing initials - ICE or IC. (ICE in Germany means our fastest trains, to put it simply. ICs are second fastest trains. Both are the type of trains which can bring you from Munich to Berlin in less than five hours.) Which means that if, say, you live in Munich like me, and go to a conference in Hamburg, you do not have to buy extra tickets to use the public transport system in Hamburg, you can simply use your Deutschlandticket . Very neat indeed.

Anyway, the terrible state of our railway system means that currently practically every second long distance train is late, but there are a lot of them, and you do get notified at least an hour before the supposed departure of your train, so you can, using the Bahn app,, easily find a replacement connection. Well, most of the time. Not that people without a mobile device and internet access are screwed, and the are still a considerable part of older folk for whom this is true. Yours truly, in her fiftyseventh year of life, does not have this problem and thus can navigate the perils of the public transport system while using its benefits. Which I still very much prefer to taking the care, believe me. I am a German who isn't crazy about the Autobahn.

Internationally: Back in what turned out to be the last year of the Soviet Uniion (I think? 1991?) my APs and self spent two weeks in Russiai, one in Moscow and one in Leningrad/St. Petersburg, respectively. Among the many memorable things in Moscow were a couple of subway stations which looked like mini palaces, complete with chandeliers. I dimly recall being told these hailed from Stalin's era and were meant to demonstrate how well off the people were in the worker's paradise, which sounds like him, and of course looking like mini palaces does not enhance the usefulness of a subway station, but it still was an unexpected and impressive view! Also, the APs and yours truly actually managed to get to all the sightseeing spots we wanted to visited via the Moscow Metro and armed with a guide book and a map, so all hail the public transport system in Moscow in the year 1991. That same journey also included going by train overnight form Moscow to Leningrad (as it was still called), which worked fine, and while the cabins were hardly luxurious, they were comfortable enough for such a journey.

I also remember the main railway station in Madrid which includes a palm tree garden to relax in, which was lovely. And the cable cars of Lisbon from when I was there two or so years ago; last year, there was a terrible accident featuring one of them, so I don't know whether they'll still continue to be used that way, but they certainly were a signature part of the city (and usually you stand when using them, because they're that crowded.)

The country other than my own where I used the public transport system most often would be the United Kingdom. Generally, I've found British cars to be less comfortable but far more reliable than German ones, and the one time when I did a criss cross journey through the country on my lonesome, I got pretty much anywhere by train easily. As for the London "Tube", it's responsible for some occasions with much adrenaline pumping and transpiration from when I needed to reach the airport but was stuck in the Picadilly Line unexpectedly, but so far - knock on wood - in each of these cases, I did manage to reach the airport in time after all. Oh, and the one time I had to go from Heathrow to Oxford via bus directly, it worked perfectly as well, so good on you, British busses.

Let's see, what else? Oh, right, I once had a chance to housesit a palazzo in Venice for ten days which was awesome, and while I went everywhere on foot, I did take the vaporetto now and then, which was fine, as was the train connection to Padua when I used the chance to see the Giotto frescoes there.

The other days

Current Mood: calm
Current Location: Bamberg

smokingboot

This fragrance suits me. Hard to go wrong with nardos and coconuts. But the bottle resembles Ambassador Kosh/Ulkesh from Babylon 5.

Alien Extraintense

Ambassador Kosh/Ulkesh

If I got this for sure the purple wouldn't go with the colours of the bedroom. But more to the point, could I sleep easy knowing there was a Vorlon on my dressing table?

soemand

The combination of the earlier wet snow, now coalesced, and the fresh snow has created pretty much perfect conditions for xc skiing according to my wife. She's getting ready to go out in -10c.

I'll stay under the covers.

poliphilo

OK, I said to Myself, as I was going to bed last night, It's my birthday tomorrow so give me a clue as to what I should be doing with my life.

And Myself obliged.

The dream had me moving to a farm in Sussex with a ready-made family in place. First I was having a bonfire, chucking the dead wood onto it (obvious symbolism) and then I was going through the attics where I found a huge cache of drawings and prints and writings by a chap called Phil (my own pseudonym- Poliphilo, right?) and realised I should be doing what I could to disseminate them and get them better known.

Then it was a meal time and I was introduced to the men who worked on the farm and one of them was called Jordan and he shook my hand and I knew he was going to be an ally. Since waking up I believe I've identified who he is IRL.

So the dream is saying, "You're in the right place at the right time. Carry on doing what you're doing and maybe put more of yourself into it."

Thanks. Wilco. Over and out....

shallowness

( Read more... )

vriddy

Reached a couple of milestones yesterday, and I'm mentally basically ready to shift back into working on my original projects. Just trying to remember where I'm at with everything. Also cool milestone alert!

Milestone alert: GYWO monthly goal for January, reached! ;)

With my pledge, I should write 12.5k words a month, and now I'll have reached it at least once this year!! It feels really good to start the year being on track. As much as Time Is A Construct, I think I should be careful not to set myself up for big editing projects in January in the future, in general.

I'm so surprised that over 5k of that was for a Spring Thunder fic. Like. I do write freely for tiny fandoms! But usually it's more like coughing out a vignette or a missing scene, or a tiny fix-it to deal with canon stress. Not a full hurt/comfort rescue mission. In the end though, I wrote it for the same reasons I wrote those shorter vignettes in the past: it feels good :D It feels right. It was fun. AND I get to reread and enjoy something tailored to my id in the future :D I was delighted with myself by the end of the first draft, hopefully that'll hold when I return to it for edits :D

Time-sensitive fics

I'll likely just let most of the unposted stuff I wrote rest for a while. Couple of exceptions I have in mind:

Well I do need to proofread and post my Candy Hearts assignment. That would be good to do on time XD
For my last 600 words to reach the milestone yesterday, I wrote something for Wind Breaker that will probably be invalidated by a new manga chapter next week. I'd like to clean that up and post it so there's a chance it can be enjoyed as-is for a few days before becoming canon divergent XD
Not really time-sensitive, but I want to post a couple of BNHA fics to get them out of my mind. One was written a couple of years ago for a collaborative project that never quite completed its landing and I think it's long enough. I need to free my mind of it before I forget it even exists.

Original stuff

( Cursed Witch pacing check )

( Soul Thief edit preps Take Two )

This was supposed to help me figure out what to do this morning, but it didn't really help in the end! Maybe I'll see if there's a fic in an editable state. I know there's a couple of finished drafts in there, but for some of those I wanted to do a canon review first... Gah!! So many fun things to do, so little time :D

rydra_wong

Their calendar is here -- creator sign-ups open on the 26th Jan:

https://fandomtrumpshate.dreamwidth.org/53196.html

Their list of non-profits they're supporting is here:

https://fandomtrumpshate.dreamwidth.org/53468.html

Apparently last year they raised $127K!

rydra_wong posting in

thisfinecrew

lucymonster

I should have loved a thunderbird instead;
At least when spring comes they roar back again.
I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead.
(I think I made you up inside my head.)

~ Mad Girl's Love Song, 1953

This verse was quoted in an unrelated book I was reading; poetry only very rarely grips me as viscerally and immediately as these few lines did. I had to look up the full text online because it wasn't even included in my collected Plath edition. (It was worth looking up. Holy fuck, I love this poem!)

But then I had the collected Plath down from the bookshelf, so I figured I might as well keep reading. Here are some excerpts from a few favourites.

( Soliloquy of the Solipsist )

( Frog Autumn )

( April 18 )

( Dirge for a Joker )

I didn't read cover to cover, but one thing that stood out to me was how many more poems I liked from among the juvenilia than from her published volumes. That could be due to how they were collected - only 50, from a few hundred - but there's also a raw emotionality to these early efforts that connects with me more than some of her more sophisticated, "mature" work.

Also, Mad Girl's Love Song is still my favourite of them all. <3

pattrose

21. Do you like wearing colourful socks? What do the brightest socks you own look like?

I rarely wear shoes. I own tons of flip flops. That’s what I live in. In December I wore socks three days when it was cooler and raining. But I have at least a dozen short socks in lovely pastel colors. Hubby cracks up that I wear flip flops in the winter. To each his own, right? Sometimes I wish there were three questions to answer.

Is everyone in shock with the show Heated Rivalry doing so well at AO3? The kudos and the comments are unreal. Has anyone read any of them? I have and so far they’re pretty darn good. I’m anxious to hear what others say.

Have a good Wednesday.

lapsa

Watch on YouTube

Моя любимая часть с 14:26.
( читать )

delphi

✓

kingstoken's 2026 Book Bingo: eBook/Audiobook

That's a Great Question, I'd Love to Tell You is a 2025 memoir by comedian/musician/online personality Elyse Myers. It's a collection of essays, free verse poetry, and lists that take a humorous but heartfelt look at formative and vulnerable moments in her life, with a retrospective understanding of the anxiety and undiagnosed neurodivergence that often shaped them.

Stories include a childhood fixation on a Magic 8 Ball, overthinking and missing the obvious during a teenage game of Seven Minutes in Heaven, college panic attacks, Parisian dates gone awry, beach encounters gone sour, and conquering the mysteries of gravel roads. Anyone familiar with Elyse Myers' work online knows she has a way of telling a story and getting a laugh while also not being afraid to be earnest. If you haven't seen her videos before, you can check her out on TikTok or on Youtube.

I don't listen to a ton of audiobooks, my main exception being memoirs that are read by their authors. That usually works out for me, but in this case I really wish I'd gone with the print book for three reasons:

1) It turns out the print edition is full of little illustrations and creative formatting that brings a lot to some of the pieces.

2) One of the things I enjoy about Myers is her more freeform and sometimes frenetic delivery, but this was a more sedate and traditional audiobook performance.

3) Related to #2, several stories triggered some secondhand embarrassment for me and having to listen to that be slowly relayed instead of being able to read faster during those was rough.

( An Excerpt )

ysabetwordsmith

Stanford scientists found a way to regrow cartilage and stop arthritis

Scientists have found a way to regrow aging cartilage, raising hopes for arthritis treatments that could make joint replacements obsolete.

Scientists at Stanford Medicine have discovered a treatment that can reverse cartilage loss in aging joints and even prevent arthritis after knee injuries. By blocking a protein linked to aging, the therapy restored healthy, shock-absorbing cartilage in old mice and injured joints, dramatically improving movement and joint function. Human cartilage samples from knee replacement surgeries also began regenerating when exposed to the treatment.

Well, that would be super useful ... if it's not blocked by megacorps making the current arthritis treatments. Then again, most politicians are old and would probably like to have this option, so maybe they'll tell the megacorps to fuck off for once.

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

Good news includes all the things which make us happy or otherwise feel good. It can be personal or public. We never know when something wonderful will happen, and when it does, most people want to share it with someone. It's disappointing when nobody is there to appreciate it. Happily, blogging allows us to share our joys and pat each other on the back.

What good news have you had recently? Are you anticipating any more? Have you found a cute picture or a video that makes you smile? Is there anything your online friends could do to make your life a little happier?

Current Mood: busy

earthobservatory_iod_feed

Posted by ldauphin

https://science.nasa.gov/earth/earth-observatory/fires-erupt-in-south-central-chile/

https://science.nasa.gov/?p=1193085

Brownish-gray smoke plumes billow to the northwest over the Pacific Ocean from wildfires near the Chilean city of Concepción.

January 18, 2026

Wildland fires broke out amid hot and dry conditions in south-central Chile in mid-January 2026, prompting evacuations and causing extensive damage to infrastructure. As of January 20, the spate of deadly fires had burned more than 30,000 hectares (74,000 acres) in the country’s Biobío and Ñuble regions, according to Chile’s National Forestry Corporation.

The MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) instrument on NASA’s Terra satellite captured this image of smoke billowing from multiple fires on January 18. Dozens of active fires in the area prompted the evacuation of 50,000 people and destroyed more than 300 homes, according to a January 19 report from Chile’s U.N. Resident Coordinator’s Office. Aerial and ground-based photographs showed neighborhoods in Concepción charred in the aftermath.

Gusty winds, along with temperatures that exceeded 38 degrees Celsius (100 degrees Fahrenheit) in places, fanned the flames and hampered firefighting efforts, according to news reports. Chile’s president declared a state of catastrophe in the Biobío and Ñuble regions, allowing more resources to go toward battling the blazes and assisting affected communities.

Other parts of South America also faced hot and dry conditions during the 2025–2026 summer, likely priming vegetation to burn. About 650 kilometers (400 miles) south of Concepción, firefighters in Argentina battled wildfires in and around Los Alerces National Park, home to rare stands of long-lived cypress trees.

NASA Earth Observatory image by Lauren Dauphin, using MODIS data from NASA EOSDIS LANCE and GIBS/Worldview. Story by Lindsey Doermann.

Downloads

January 18, 2026

JPEG (757.81 KB)

References & Resources

CONAF (2026, January 20) Situacion Actual Incendios Forestales. Accessed January 20, 2026.
The Guardian (2026, January 18) Chilean president declares state of catastrophe as wildfires kill at least 18. Accessed January 20, 2026.
NASA (2026) Fire Information for Resource Management System. Accessed January 20, 2026.
NASA Earth Observatory (2026, January 12) Fire Threatens Rare Forests in Argentina. Accessed January 20, 2026.
The New York Times (2026, January 18) ‘Come Help Us’: Wildfires Grip Parts of Chile, Killing at Least 18. Accessed January 20, 2026.
ReliefWeb (2026, January 20) Reporte de Situación N°1 Incendios Forestales – Enero 2026 (al 19 de enero, 15hrs CL). Accessed January 20, 2026.

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The post Fires Erupt in South-Central Chile appeared first on NASA Science.

https://science.nasa.gov/earth/earth-observatory/fires-erupt-in-south-central-chile/

https://science.nasa.gov/?p=1193085

minoanmiss

( You're about to view content that the journal owner has advised should be viewed with discretion. )

Current Mood: tired

littlefics posting in

seasonsofdrabbles

We have 12 initial pinch hits, which are due at the assignment deadline, Saturday, January 31 @ 11:59pm Eastern Standard time (Countdown).

If you would like to claim a pinch hit, please comment on this post with the name/number of the pinch hit you would like. Make sure to include your AO3 username! Comments are screened.

Please note: there may be a delay in assigning you your pinch hit, due to AO3's scheduled downtime.

( CLAIMED PH 1 - Alien (Original Movies 1979-1997), Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV), Supernatural (TV 2005), Terminator (Movies), Pretty Little Liars (TV 2010), Revenge (TV) )

( CLAIMED PH 2 - Pokemon Concierge (Cartoon), 気になってる人が男じゃなかった | Ki ni Natteru Hito ga Otoko ja Nakatta | The Guy She Was Interested in Wasn't a Guy at All (Manga), Fence (Comics), Spider-Man: Spider-Verse (Sony Animated Movies) )

( CLAIMED PH 3 - Free!, Natsume Yuujinchou | Natsume's Book of Friends, 薬屋のひとりごと | Kusuriya no Hitorigoto | The Apothecary Diaries (Anime) )

( CLAIMED - PH 4 - 镇魂 | Guardian (TV 2018) RPF, 镇魂 | Guardian (TV 2018), 镇魂 | Guardian - priest )

( CLAIMED - PH 5 - The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), 最凶の支援職【話術士】である俺は世界最強クランを従える | The Most Notorious )

( CLAIMED PH 6 - 呪術廻戦 | Jujutsu Kaisen (Anime), 呪術廻戦 | Jujutsu Kaisen (Manga), Wind Breaker (Anime), Outlast (Video Games), Given (Anime), Wind Breaker - にいさとる | Nii Satoru (Manga) )

( CLAIMED - PH 7 - Psychonauts (Video Games), Umineko no Naku Koro ni | When the Seagulls Cry, Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types )

( CLAIMED - PH 8 - Dance of the Vampires (Broadway version) - Steinman/Kunze/Ives, Phantom of the Opera - Lloyd Webber, Star Trek: The Original Series )

( PH 9 - 仮面ライダーガッチャード | Kamen Rider Gotchard (TV), Ultraman Arc (TV), あぶない刑事 | Abunai Deka (TV), Kamen Rider OOO, Kamen Rider V3, Choujin Sentai Jetman, わが青春のアルカディア | Waga Seishun no Arcadia | Arcadia of My Youth (1982), 快傑ズバット | Kaiketsu Zubat (TV), Kamen Rider Ryuki )

( PH 10 - Fireworks (1947)/Succession (TV 2018), O Fantasma (2000), O Fantasma (2000)/Succession (TV 2018), The Sergeant (1968), Succession (TV 2018) )

( CLAIMED PH 11 - Jumurdzsák gyűrűje | Yoomurjak's Ring (Video Game), Night Prince - Jeaniene Frost, Hallo itt Mátyás király! - Bogáti Péter, Dracula Rising (Cartoon), Nosferatu (2024), Historical RPF, Jósika Miklós - Király És Koldus | King Matthias and the Beggar Boy )

( CLAIMED - PH 12 - Team Fortress 2, Generation Loss (Web Series), 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia (Anime & Manga), 逆転裁判 | Gyakuten Saiban | Ace Attorney, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams, Petscop (Web Series), Homestuck )

cornerofmadness

damn near had to zip my jacket this morning (it was 14 F) Less said about work the better (still dealing with the issues of that mix up) but the funny thing is we were loaned (from another failing program) the autoclave and incubators. So I went in to see how they were going as my researchers are ramping up. The autoclave isn't put together (and the fuse box is MIA) and NONE of the incubators are done. Me and DM were working on them. It's like incubators by IKEA and it's ALL in German and nothing is complete (I have a German student, I might drag him in there) It's so dumb I'm laughing.

Today was Cheese Cake and Golden Girls at the library. Just bring/eat cheesecake and watch a couple episodes of GG. It was packed. I was someone's hero because I gave her some of my lactose pills (she forgot hers). You'll share them? Yes, of course. It was fun except....for the two tables in the back who just kept talking thru the entire first episode we watched. Like fucking non stop. I really wanted to say hey, STFU. We're here trying to enjoy ourselves but we can't even hear teh show. I hate that women are so well trained to be 'nice' that sometimes making waves is hard. And then they had the audacity to shove in a couple pieces of cheesecake and then left without watching the first 30 minutes all the way thru. Didn't care. Glad they gone.

Came home. Realized OMG the authors zoom is tonight and I'm exhausted. I shook it off. Wrote over 2500 words in 1 1/2 hours. Well yay for me.

No fannish 50. I'm too tired again.

Also dummy went outside this morning. Refused to come back. I'm like of all days to go out and run off rocket. He's back and he's fine.

Current Mood: busy
Current Music: Killer Confessions

siderea

Hey, Americans! Do you live around or south of the Mason-Dixon line? If so, your weather report for later this week is shaping up to be a bit exciting. Looks like Actual Winter will be visiting places that historically have been poorly prepared for this sort of thing, i.e. TX, the South, and the mid-Atlantic.

(Also eventually the NE, but a forecast of a few feet of snow is threatening us with a good time.)

H/t to the RyanHallYall YT channel. He's a well-reputed amateur, but his report is congruent with what I'm seeing in conventional weather reports:

Watch on YouTube

https://youtube.com/shorts/nh4JEVGWfFU

Good luck and remember running a charcoal grill in your living room is a dumb way to die.

aurumcalendula

The Imperial Coroner Season 2, episode 5:

( Read more... )

the_siobhan

Achievement unlock!

Storage room was emptied with the help of a friend on the weekend - perfect timing because today was the billing date for the rental. (Everybody should have at least one Ukrainian friend. Every Ukrainian import I've ever met, if you ask them if they have time for a favour, they're immediately, "I can be there in 20 minutes.") This is the last of the big stash to be cleared out and organized. My house is once again full of crap but I've got most of it already sorted into piles to keep, give away, throw away, or incorporate into The Stuff.

Keep: One of the things I inherited from my mother was a tall skinny china cabinet. I cleaned all the dust off and polished the glass and it's now set up on my ground floor - a little dinged up from being dragged around but a touch of paint should fix it right up. She filled it with crystal glasses and clocks shaped like shamrocks. I'll probably fill it with skulls and gargoyles. Maybe dioramas from Hieronymus Bosch. Haven't decided yet.

Give Away: A couple of big bags of sweaters and blankets to go to the drop-in centre, so good timing on that as well. A big bag of shoes that will go to the drop-in next summer because they have no storage space. Neighbours have already called dibs on a few things I posted to the local group. There is also a big box of photos, so I will pull those out for my family to go through as they are conveniently all in my house next weekend.

The Stuff: This is what I call the things where I go, "That is future me's problem" and stick it in a corner. Furniture that will either go into the (some day) finished basement or will be re-homed if it's not needed, boxes of art that's going to get re-hung after I've patched/repainted the damaged walls, boxes of planters and exterior decorations I want to go through for setting up the new deck in the spring, boxes of material and sewing supplies I'm going to dig into mmn, maybe next winter if I'm being completely honest.

The Stuff is... I'm not going to lie, The Stuff takes up a lot of room and my sister likes to pull one thing out of the pile and hold it up and go, "WHAT ARE YOU KEEPING THIS FOR" and she's not wrong entirely, but... also I have been dealing with my own hoarding tendencies for a long time and this I absolutely know, I will throw it away when I am good and fucking ready and not one minute before.

(Also, if somebody stands up and says "EXPLAIN YOURSELF" my immediate instinctual reaction is No, Fuck You. So that doesn't help her get the response she's looking for.)

***

Achievement unlock #2, no hot water this morning. Of course the corridor to get back to the tank was filled with storage room stuff, so I moved that, and then sat on the floor to read the instructions on the sticker that was conveniently located 6 inches from the very bottom of the tank. Last time I had to light a pilot I was much bendier, but also I had to unscrew a side panel and then stick a match into the space under the tank. This just required pressing a bunch of buttons in a very specific order. The technology is much improved, IMHO.

Then I realized I had an appointment in 40 minutes and there was a mad scramble to get out of the house in time and I forgot every single other thing I was going to do today.

(Side Note: And holy crap it was cold outside today! My fingers went numb after about 30 seconds.)

***

I think the cat is losing weight again. I've noticed his appetite has dropped off in the last couple of weeks. I checked the label on his prescription and it expired in December, so I'm hoping that he just needs a fresh batch. He has a date with the vet tomorrow and I'll be picking up a new bottle, but I'm going to bring it up with them.

Other than that, his energy level is fine and he's still playful. And he will still roll me for his treats. So hopefully this is a temporary setback.

***

I don't talk about the news much on here. It's a lot. I've been watching the news and the on-the-ground videos and following my friends and... yeah. I don't talk about it much because I don't have much to say, but I'm still paying attention.

I yell at politicians. My MP can't even be arsed to acknowledge my messages and I'm sure her staff are getting tired of me. I think one day when I have the spoons I'll go to her office, it's not far from here. Then when she calls me a peon and dismisses my opinions, she'll at least have to do it to my face.

(I mostly hate her because she originally got her seat by claiming to be an environmentalist, but she has spent her term defending every decision to to buy a pipeline and subsidize oil sand development. Because her job is more important than her principles.)

***

I've been talking to the gf a lot about retirement. She's pretty much done with her job, and ready to call it a day. Honestly I could say the same. I mean I don't actually mind the job but I think about all the things that I could be doing with my time instead. Taking classes, learning skills, getting involved in community stuff, making things. Working is such a waste of time, never more so than when one can see how much is left.

But first I have to get this house bullshit finished with. Then I can sit down and figure out when I can afford to quit working. Maybe talk to HR, even going part-time for a bit might work out financially.

***

Media stuff:
GF and I finished watching The Morning Show. I love this show so much, mostly because there are SO MANY messy, complicated, multi-layered women. Jennifer Aniston plays a character who is often completely unlikable and yet there are so many times in the story when the viewer is dragged 100% into her corner.

Last week we watched the first two episodes of Pluribus. My take was; I wouldn't want that for myself, but it would make for a much better world to live in for everybody else. I'd probably finally take the opportunity to travel a lot - it's not like any of my family or friends would miss me.

Just started reading This Is How You Lose The Time War. I'm just a couple of chapters in. What a weird and fabulous book.

I've also started reading Wheel Of Time since the series was cancelled. I'm about a quarter of the way through Book 2. Honestly I probably wouldn't have stuck with the series on the strength of Book 1 alone, but already I think I like Book 2 better.

This would get my strung up by the bookcloaks but I can really see why the series changed so much. There is a lot of material in the book that is interesting to read, but it would get in the way of telling the story in a visual format. (And also the series would be 400 seasons long and feature lots of riding through countryside while feeling creepy. So. Yeah.)

kenjari

The White Queen
by Philippa Gregory

This historical novel is set during the last couple of decades of the Wars of the Roses and is told mainly from the perspective of Elizabeth Woodville, Edward the IV's queen. They fall in love just about at first sight and get married privately, much to the chagrin of Edward's advisors. Still, Elizabeth and Edward have a successful marriage and produce ten children. Their reign is more rocky, as the York-Lancaster conflict persists. When Edward dies of a fever and Richard usurps the throne, Elizabeth and her children have to navigate a very dangerous and difficult future.
I liked this angle on the Wars of the Roses, given how it concentrates on the events behind and around the battles. Elizabeth is a compelling character. She is fierce in her love and loyalty for Edward and for her family. She is not inherently power-hungry, but once she has power, she is determined to keep it and grow it. She is also very determined to make sure her family gets the full benefit of her position. This does not always make her political life easy, but it does make her a force in the kingdom. Gregory adds a bit of magical realism by showing Elizabeth, her mother, and her daughter using folk magic to influence events, but leaves their efficacy ambiguous. It does add a cool aspect to the story, and a glimpse into how medieval people used and viewed these practices.

Current Mood: okay

torachan

1. Got my hair cut this morning. Carla wanted to get hers trimmed before her trip (she's going to Wisconsin for a week tomorrow for her aunt's 80th birthday) so it was the both of us and we decided to pop over to Universal Studios for lunch afterwards. The crowds were so low! If we'd stayed to go on any rides, almost everything was like 20 minutes or less, even the massively popular ones. As it was, we just had a nice lunch, spotted some characters, and came home.

2. Because of the haircut appointment, which was awkwardly timed for late morning, I just made today a WFH day. Did some stuff in the morning before we went, and then had a meeting later in the afternoon. I didn't really have a whole lot on the agenda for today anyway, so it worked out well.

3. Shake Shack is apparently having a Korean inspired menu right now, so we got the burgers with Korean BBQ sauce. They were so good! There's also a chicken sandwich and fries with kimchi powder and dipping sauce, and even a caramel gochujang shake, so if they've still got this stuff on the menu when Carla gets back from her trip, we're planning to try some of those as well. Actually now that I think of it, there's one near work, so I might just go over there for lunch one day...

4. Warming bed + stretching = best combo.

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Larry Hammer

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just_ann_now - What Am I Reading Wednesday, January 21, 2026
lydamorehouse - The Rebel Alliance
watersword in thisfinecrew - (no subject)
duckprintspress - WWW Wednesday
dinosaur_comics_feed - wait wait wait, these feelings don't go away? I NEVER EVEN ASKED FOR THEM AND ALL MY FAVOURITE FICT
minoanmiss - Edible Art
james_davis_nicoll - The Ayakashi Hunter’s Tainted Bride, volume 1 by Midori Yuma & Mamenosuke Fujimaru
osprey_archer - Wednesday Reading Meme
troisoiseaux - An unserious Reading Wednesday post
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andrewducker - Interesting Links for 21-01-2026
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tamaranth - 2026/013: Lingo: A Language Spotter's Guide to Europe — Gaston Dorran, translated: Alison Edwards
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littlefics in seasonsofdrabbles - 12 Initial Pinch Hits
cornerofmadness - Today was a tad chilly
siderea - PSA: US, pay attention to weather [US, meteo]
aurumcalendula - (no subject)
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