Monday's comic
2025-12-14 21:02![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
murgatroyd_666 posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
girlgenius_lairmurgatroyd_666 posting in girlgenius_lair
Hanukkah 2025
2025-12-14 20:55canyonwalkerThis evening is the start of Hanukkah, the Jewish Festival of Lights. We lit the first candle on a menorah to mark it.
...And when I saw "we", I mean Hawk. Hawk lit the candle and said the brief blessing in Hebrew. She grew up in a Jewish family. I'm just supporting her because I'm married into a Jewish family.
For more insight on what Hanukkah is (hint: it is NOT "Jewish Christmas" š ) check out this gentile's guide to Hanukkah I wrote a few years ago.
...And when I saw "we", I mean Hawk. Hawk lit the candle and said the brief blessing in Hebrew. She grew up in a Jewish family. I'm just supporting her because I'm married into a Jewish family.
For more insight on what Hanukkah is (hint: it is NOT "Jewish Christmas" š ) check out this gentile's guide to Hanukkah I wrote a few years ago.
Mo Dao Zu Shi: The Spice of Life, by dragonofeternal
2025-12-14 20:12full_metal_ox posting in fancakeFandom: Mo Dao Zu Shi
Pairings/Characters: Gen; Lan Xichen & Lan Wangji; Lan Xichen & Wei Wuxian; background Lan Wangji/Wei Wuxian; background past Lan Xichen/Jin Guangyao; Lan Xichen, Lan Wangji, Wei Wuxian, Jin Guangyao (in past anecdote)
Rating: General Audiences
Length: 2,495
Content Notes: No Archive Warnings Apply, eating oneās feelings, food as mnemonic trigger, innuendo, mourning, snarky food criticism
Creator Tags: Post-Canon, Food as a Metaphor for Love, Xichen Week 2020
Creator Links: (AO3)![[archiveofourown.org profile]](https://p2.dreamwidth.org/b164c54b26e4/-/archiveofourown.org/favicon.ico)
dragonofeternal, (Dreamwidth) dragonofeternal, (Tumblr) ![[tumblr.com profile]](https://www.tumblr.com/favicon.ico)
dragonofeternal
Theme: Amnesty, Food & Cooking, Family, Post-Canon, Trauma & Recovery
Summary: Food can do more than just feed- it nurtures the soul and the bonds between people.
In which Lan Xichen briefly leaves his seclusion to taste Wei Wuxian's cooking and awakens warm memories of meals long passed.
Authorās Notes: ForSetsuntaMew.
<3 For my lovely wife, who inspired this when we talking Xichen feels over spicy Korean BBQ.
Reccer's Notes: When Lan Wangji checks up on Lan Xichen in his seclusion, Wei Wuxian comes alongābringing his idea of a care package. Despite Wangjiās apprehension, the Fires Of Yunmeng Cooking prove just the thing to help his despondent brother come to terms with his complicated feelings about fellow Yunmeng boy Jin Guangyaoāprompting memories of their adventures (and meals) together.
(An added bit of poignancy is that Lan Xichen is being served this bittersweet nostalgia by a man who now bears Jin Guangyao a family resemblance.)
Fanwork Links:
The Spice of Life bydragonofeternal
Collections: Lan Huan Protection Squad.
Pairings/Characters: Gen; Lan Xichen & Lan Wangji; Lan Xichen & Wei Wuxian; background Lan Wangji/Wei Wuxian; background past Lan Xichen/Jin Guangyao; Lan Xichen, Lan Wangji, Wei Wuxian, Jin Guangyao (in past anecdote)
Rating: General Audiences
Length: 2,495
Content Notes: No Archive Warnings Apply, eating oneās feelings, food as mnemonic trigger, innuendo, mourning, snarky food criticism
Creator Tags: Post-Canon, Food as a Metaphor for Love, Xichen Week 2020
Creator Links: (AO3)
dragonofeternal, (Tumblr) Theme: Amnesty, Food & Cooking, Family, Post-Canon, Trauma & Recovery
Summary: Food can do more than just feed- it nurtures the soul and the bonds between people.
In which Lan Xichen briefly leaves his seclusion to taste Wei Wuxian's cooking and awakens warm memories of meals long passed.
Authorās Notes: For
<3 For my lovely wife, who inspired this when we talking Xichen feels over spicy Korean BBQ.
Reccer's Notes: When Lan Wangji checks up on Lan Xichen in his seclusion, Wei Wuxian comes alongābringing his idea of a care package. Despite Wangjiās apprehension, the Fires Of Yunmeng Cooking prove just the thing to help his despondent brother come to terms with his complicated feelings about fellow Yunmeng boy Jin Guangyaoāprompting memories of their adventures (and meals) together.
(An added bit of poignancy is that Lan Xichen is being served this bittersweet nostalgia by a man who now bears Jin Guangyao a family resemblance.)
Fanwork Links:
The Spice of Life by
Collections: Lan Huan Protection Squad.
RIP Rob Reiner
2025-12-14 23:04settiaiThe news broke a little while ago that Rob Reiner and his wife were found dead in their home.
Based on several articles, it looks like it's being investigated as a possible (or maybe probable would be the better word?) homicide.
Based on several articles, it looks like it's being investigated as a possible (or maybe probable would be the better word?) homicide.
French Hiss: JUSTICE LEAGUE EUROPE #1-2 (JLI 37)
2025-12-14 22:43tcampbell1000 posting in scans_daily
From here to issue #27, series art is by Bart Sears over Keith Giffen layouts until otherwise noted. All plots and layouts by Giffen, though DeMatteis will only script through #8.
The idea of a āJustice League Europeā was a natural extension of the āJustice League Internationalā concept, but it has an intrinsic problem: almost any high-profile or mid-profile characters it could use were always going to be Americans. Giffen and DeMatteis leaned into that as an inherent source of conflict from the get-go.
( If this were a TV pilot, it would probably play āāAmerican Idiotāā over the opening credits. )
YAG laser capsulotomy writeup
2025-12-14 18:55soniaAbout six months after cataract surgery, I had an annual eye exam. I had a similar experience to when the cataracts started seriously affecting my vision, where I wasn't seeing 20/20 through the new glasses I got a few months before. But the cataracts were already fixed!
I remembered that the surgeon had mentioned I might need a laser procedure after the surgery, so I made an appointment with her for the end of October. I figured she would tell me I had to wait since my vision had only changed a little bit so far, but she agreed to do it the week before Thanksgiving. She said the risk was negligible.
( Simple procedure, but... )
I feel like I tried to push things too far to fix my eyes. Tried to get rid of one disability and ended up with another one. There's grief and disappointment and fear of limitations. My friend says hers have gotten somewhat better over the years, so maybe mine will too. It's only been a couple weeks, so maybe my eyes are still healing, although I would think it would already be diminishing if it were a short-term issue.
I remembered that the surgeon had mentioned I might need a laser procedure after the surgery, so I made an appointment with her for the end of October. I figured she would tell me I had to wait since my vision had only changed a little bit so far, but she agreed to do it the week before Thanksgiving. She said the risk was negligible.
( Simple procedure, but... )
I feel like I tried to push things too far to fix my eyes. Tried to get rid of one disability and ended up with another one. There's grief and disappointment and fear of limitations. My friend says hers have gotten somewhat better over the years, so maybe mine will too. It's only been a couple weeks, so maybe my eyes are still healing, although I would think it would already be diminishing if it were a short-term issue.
December Manga Wrap-Up 2
2025-12-14 21:43bluapapilio
Read the BL Kantoku, Neko na Ore wa Dame Desu ka, rated it 7.8/10, I had fun with it! 
Read chapter 260-262 of Boku no Hero Academia, it took me ages to figure out about where I stopped last. š I think I'm good now for when I read more. Read chapter 2 of Jibaku Shounen Hanako-kun. Bunny fairiesss. I (re)read chapter 1 of Witch Hat Atelier. 
(Re)read the BL kissing, rating went from 7 -> 6.8. Read chapter 182 of D.Gray-Man.
Checking In - 14 Dec. 2025
2025-12-14 22:19dewlineGot laundry done. Carried out some of my democratic duties as a registered member of a political party. Got shopping done. Did my weekly CPAP equipment-cleaning. Also, continuing with the star map projects and checked in with some of you, here and elsewhere.
A productive Sunday.
A productive Sunday.
Update
2025-12-14 18:20ranunculusAbout 3 weeks ago I ordered 8 fencing panels, plus some stall mats. It was a big chunk of money. Then I found 6 more panels second hand on Craig's List. More money. Then I found some picnic tables on Craig's List. They are 8 feet long with aluminum tops. A nice size. They are out of a park in Napa. I can see why they were being replaced, some are in really rough shape, while others are fairly nice. I ended up with four usable tables and one that needs new legs. The legs that are still usable are quite rusty where they were in contact with the ground. I've spent several hours knocking rust off table legs (the kind that curl around to also support the bench) spraying them with primer and paint. Trying to get it done before it rains. I've got 3 out of four either done or at least painted with primer.
Then there is saddle foo with Firefly. ( Read more with Pics )
Then there is saddle foo with Firefly. ( Read more with Pics )
Christmas Bird Count
2025-12-14 18:08ranunculusWe had a lovely sunny day again for the annual Christmas Bird Count. Not as many birds as last year, but we did see a kestrel -- And -- a golden eagle twice!!
M recorded the eagle a couple of weeks ago, so I was on the lookout. Yesterday I was up on top of Split Rock with Denise, my farrier. We saw a bird fly by, actually below us because the rock is 4 stories high and up on the canyon wall. My instant though was turkey vulture. We have a lot of them. A fraction of a second later my brain said: nope, wrong wing shape and slightly browner - and it is flapping it's wings. Then a red shouldered hawk attacked it, repeatedly. Hawks don't bother vultures. Today we saw it again and saw it close it's wings as if to dive, another thing vultures never do. Vultures flap a couple of times and then soar. Our group today agreed that it had to be a golden eagle.
I saw a downy woodpecker, which was new for me. We have tons of acorn woodpeckers and some piliated woodpeckers but not downy's at the house. So that was fun. Also the meadowlarks were singing at Split Rock, and I love them. Sadly Duck Lake, which is a vernal pond, had no water in it yet, so no ducks. Last year there were several wood ducks there.
M recorded the eagle a couple of weeks ago, so I was on the lookout. Yesterday I was up on top of Split Rock with Denise, my farrier. We saw a bird fly by, actually below us because the rock is 4 stories high and up on the canyon wall. My instant though was turkey vulture. We have a lot of them. A fraction of a second later my brain said: nope, wrong wing shape and slightly browner - and it is flapping it's wings. Then a red shouldered hawk attacked it, repeatedly. Hawks don't bother vultures. Today we saw it again and saw it close it's wings as if to dive, another thing vultures never do. Vultures flap a couple of times and then soar. Our group today agreed that it had to be a golden eagle.
I saw a downy woodpecker, which was new for me. We have tons of acorn woodpeckers and some piliated woodpeckers but not downy's at the house. So that was fun. Also the meadowlarks were singing at Split Rock, and I love them. Sadly Duck Lake, which is a vernal pond, had no water in it yet, so no ducks. Last year there were several wood ducks there.
Recipe: "Butternut Squash Soup with Apples and Onions"
2025-12-14 19:21ysabetwordsmithToday I made this soup, based on a similar recipe from Stock the Crock page 24. I wanted to write down my version so I don't forget it.
( Read more... )
( Read more... )
Daily Happiness
2025-12-14 17:25torachan1. I have recently ordered multiple things off Amazon that are not at all urgent, and they're offering good rewards for getting them delivered after Christmas rather than before (most have been 7% cash back but the most recent one was a $2 ebook credit). So now I have a ton of stuff arriving on the 27th. D:
2. I finally got all of Alex's books repacked into nice boxes and stacked on the new shelves I put in the shed. It's looking so much more organized. I ordered two more sets of shelves (one of the above-mentioned purchases) so then there will be three sets on each wall, which will mean plenty of space for long-term storage as well as things like toilet paper and paper towels, which we buy from Costco and they come in huge packages that are too big to store the whole thing in the house.
3. I love getting these shots of Gemma looking out the window.
2. I finally got all of Alex's books repacked into nice boxes and stacked on the new shelves I put in the shed. It's looking so much more organized. I ordered two more sets of shelves (one of the above-mentioned purchases) so then there will be three sets on each wall, which will mean plenty of space for long-term storage as well as things like toilet paper and paper towels, which we buy from Costco and they come in huge packages that are too big to store the whole thing in the house.
3. I love getting these shots of Gemma looking out the window.
Nihotupu dam, early summer
2025-12-15 13:42mific posting in common_natureI drove out to my local reservoir to charge my car battery and check the water levels after the unusually hot spring we've had (global warming and La Niña). It wasn't too bad as despite the heat we've also had bouts of heavy rain. The Watercare site says the local dams are at 85% of usual levels.
( pics here )
( pics here )
Challenge 199: Film Fandom Fest
2025-12-15 05:59magicrubbish posting in iconthat
Moana 2 , Miss peregrine's home for peculiar children , Damsel , Logan , Late night with the devil
( URLs )
and the hits just keep coming
2025-12-15 09:15tielanWork is gonna be slightly stressful the next three weeks. Apart from managing two systems until mid-January (and three for the 10 days after Christmas), they've instigated KPIs on basic tickets, and at least two of mine went overtime, in part because I was waiting for someone to get back to me. *grr*
I hate waiting for people to get back to me.
--
The shooting at Bondi Beach - a public Channukah event was targeted, one of the shooters was non-white, one of the members of the public who disarmed him (and was shot twice but survived) was middle eastern. Reports debate whether he was a Christian or a Muslim: the name suggests Muslim, his country background suggests Christian. Of course the cookers are already calling for a halt to immigration and trying to start up the culture wars again, the conservatives are yelling at our PM (centrist party), and the "anti-semitism adjudicator" has once again used this to basically declare that if you're not 100% for Israel in everything then you're antisemitic.
It shouldn't need saying but we say it all the same.
Was the shooting at Bondi antisemitic? Absolutely.
Is disavowing Israel's actions in the West Bank and Gaza in the removal of/bombing of/cruelty towards Palestinian locals antisemitic? Not even close.
I'm hoping Ahmed el Ahmed is Muslim, at the very least for the optics. Nevertheless, whatever his background, he's definitely a hero to the majority of Australians, and I suspect the fruit shop he runs will be well-frequented in the coming months and he will never need to pay for a meal while out for the rest of the summer.
Whatever faith or origins are revealed of any of the players, this was an awful day for all Australians who aren't cookers (Americans would call them RWNJs). Fear breeds distrust, and events like this breed both copycats and retaliation, and tear at the fragile fabric of our communities and our societies.
And the gun control argument is going to be so fucking stupid, too. The 2A Seppos are all in our faces jeering about us having gun violence, too, and the old "good guy with a gun" shit is coming out of the woodwork - never mind how many people are pointing out that the guy who did successfully disarm one of the gunmen wasn't armed. And the cookers just want violence to justify their itty bitty penii and their terrible self-esteem (cause they can't get jobs when the coloureds take the opportunities)...
God have mercy on us. All of us.
--
A friend tested positive for COVID after we had dinner together (with some other friends) on Saturday night. She thinks she got it at her work Christmas Party on Thursday.
--
I'm standing for the presidency of my permaculture club again, with an eye to changing the way things are done - they're not working for us as a volunteer-based organisation anymore.
Of course, the COVID diagnosis means I'm not going to tonight's meeting with the election. I'll try to put together a short video talking about the forward vision for the club. IDEK.
I hate waiting for people to get back to me.
--
The shooting at Bondi Beach - a public Channukah event was targeted, one of the shooters was non-white, one of the members of the public who disarmed him (and was shot twice but survived) was middle eastern. Reports debate whether he was a Christian or a Muslim: the name suggests Muslim, his country background suggests Christian. Of course the cookers are already calling for a halt to immigration and trying to start up the culture wars again, the conservatives are yelling at our PM (centrist party), and the "anti-semitism adjudicator" has once again used this to basically declare that if you're not 100% for Israel in everything then you're antisemitic.
a few thoughts
It shouldn't need saying but we say it all the same.
Was the shooting at Bondi antisemitic? Absolutely.
Is disavowing Israel's actions in the West Bank and Gaza in the removal of/bombing of/cruelty towards Palestinian locals antisemitic? Not even close.
I'm hoping Ahmed el Ahmed is Muslim, at the very least for the optics. Nevertheless, whatever his background, he's definitely a hero to the majority of Australians, and I suspect the fruit shop he runs will be well-frequented in the coming months and he will never need to pay for a meal while out for the rest of the summer.
Whatever faith or origins are revealed of any of the players, this was an awful day for all Australians who aren't cookers (Americans would call them RWNJs). Fear breeds distrust, and events like this breed both copycats and retaliation, and tear at the fragile fabric of our communities and our societies.
And the gun control argument is going to be so fucking stupid, too. The 2A Seppos are all in our faces jeering about us having gun violence, too, and the old "good guy with a gun" shit is coming out of the woodwork - never mind how many people are pointing out that the guy who did successfully disarm one of the gunmen wasn't armed. And the cookers just want violence to justify their itty bitty penii and their terrible self-esteem (cause they can't get jobs when the coloureds take the opportunities)...
God have mercy on us. All of us.
--
A friend tested positive for COVID after we had dinner together (with some other friends) on Saturday night. She thinks she got it at her work Christmas Party on Thursday.
--
I'm standing for the presidency of my permaculture club again, with an eye to changing the way things are done - they're not working for us as a volunteer-based organisation anymore.
Of course, the COVID diagnosis means I'm not going to tonight's meeting with the election. I'll try to put together a short video talking about the forward vision for the club. IDEK.
in lieu...
2025-12-14 17:57senmut... of the misc.exhausted.me, I am going to offer a GOOD vaccination tale. As I see so many posts saying "yes it sucks but do it anyway", I want to offer the counter of "sometimes it does go fine".
I did Shingles/Flu/Covid in the fall, before Halloween, I think. NB: I 'd had covid for the first time this past winter, and it may have mitigated the vax some, or my body is finally adapting to it. I have had flu-like symptoms each time except the very first two shots, but! This time. With the trio of shots given on Friday evening, I had about a four hour window the next day, 10-ish hours later, of mild aches and NOTHING else.
Fast forward to this week. Shingles #2, and like I said, I'd seen so many people saying if the first one doesn't knock you low, the second will, and many react to both. Folks, my arm is still sore like I got TDaP, but I have had no aches, no fever, no lethargy. Sometimes, your body looks at the roadmap it just got handed, says okay, and just adds the necessary warning signs.
If you are over 50 (in the USA), consider getting it. I've known people with Shingles. YOU DO NOT WANT IT. Get vaxxed. And remember, every immune system is different, so don't assume you will have a bad time.
I did Shingles/Flu/Covid in the fall, before Halloween, I think. NB: I 'd had covid for the first time this past winter, and it may have mitigated the vax some, or my body is finally adapting to it. I have had flu-like symptoms each time except the very first two shots, but! This time. With the trio of shots given on Friday evening, I had about a four hour window the next day, 10-ish hours later, of mild aches and NOTHING else.
Fast forward to this week. Shingles #2, and like I said, I'd seen so many people saying if the first one doesn't knock you low, the second will, and many react to both. Folks, my arm is still sore like I got TDaP, but I have had no aches, no fever, no lethargy. Sometimes, your body looks at the roadmap it just got handed, says okay, and just adds the necessary warning signs.
If you are over 50 (in the USA), consider getting it. I've known people with Shingles. YOU DO NOT WANT IT. Get vaxxed. And remember, every immune system is different, so don't assume you will have a bad time.
Anyone want anything?
2025-12-14 17:36lannamichaelsAnyone want anything? Drabble, meta, rant, ridiculous lyrics that scan to I Had A Little Driedel, complete bullshit about a topic I know nothing about, etc? ;)
(These posts don't expire.)
Safety
2025-12-14 17:20ysabetwordsmithScientists Thought Parkinson’s Was in Our Genes. It Might Be in the Water
New ideas about chronic illness could revolutionize treatment, if we take the research seriously.
All told, more than half of Parkinson’s research dollars in the past two decades have flowed toward genetics.
But Parkinson’s rates in the US have doubled in the past 30 years. And studies suggest they will climb another 15 to 35 percent in each coming decade. This is not how an inherited genetic disease is supposed to behave.
Despite the avalanche of funding, the latest research suggests that only 10 to 15 percent of Parkinson’s cases can be fully explained by genetics. The other three-quarters are, functionally, a mystery.
[---8<---]
Parkinson’s, it appeared, could be caused by a chemical.
New ideas about chronic illness could revolutionize treatment, if we take the research seriously.
All told, more than half of Parkinson’s research dollars in the past two decades have flowed toward genetics.
But Parkinson’s rates in the US have doubled in the past 30 years. And studies suggest they will climb another 15 to 35 percent in each coming decade. This is not how an inherited genetic disease is supposed to behave.
Despite the avalanche of funding, the latest research suggests that only 10 to 15 percent of Parkinson’s cases can be fully explained by genetics. The other three-quarters are, functionally, a mystery.
[---8<---]
Parkinson’s, it appeared, could be caused by a chemical.
