vital functions
Sun, Dec. 21st, 2025 10:49 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kaberettReading. Nothing (quite) finished; various snippets. ( Scalzi, Bourke, Boddice, Cowart )
Watching. Wake Up Dead Man (the third instalment in the Benoit Blanc/Knives Out mysteries). ( Read more... )
Three episodes of Man vs. Bee, in company; this is... not for me.
Playing. Inkulinati! And, with the niblings: Match Madness, The Genius Square, Rummikub, Dixit.
Cooking. A new-to-me fruitcake recipe from one of my cookbooks; a dal from the cookbook I am not actually going to manage Making Everything From by the end of the calendar year (but I am pretty close).
Eating. I have now had A Mince Pie. Also a very long lunch at the Gardeners Arms. The brownies that all the reviews of the place we wound up staying in Ardlingy mentioned (which were indeed v good).
Exploring. Wakehurst Place, both at night for Glow Wild and during daylight (a little)!
Growing. Bought curry leaves. Proceeded to strip most of the stems (freezing the leaves) and Treat As Cuttings. There's at least one of them that doesn't look actually dead yet...
Observing. OWL OWL OWL. Very talkative tawny, as we were leaving Wakehurst on Friday night. Snowdrops, also at Wakehurst, to my mild horror. And, blessedly, NOT The Charity Tractor Parade...
Link: Let's support trans children
Sun, Dec. 21st, 2025 10:47 amsoniaKids Deserve a New Gender Paradigm by Kai Cheng Thom.
[I]n the trenches of trans health care, there is a growing idea that pushes back against the “one true gender for each individual” framing altogether—one that could allow us to resolve the bitterly divisive culture war over the psychological and medical care of transgender children. What if, instead of viewing gender as a fixed trait, we started to think of it as something that could evolve over the course of a lifetime? Or if detransitioning wasn’t considered a sign of failure and was instead regarded as a natural and healthy part of the gender development process?
Done Since 2025-12-14
Sun, Dec. 21st, 2025 06:26 pmmdlbearDamned if I know how to summarize this week. Mixed?
Embarrassingly, I managed to confuse two deliveries (see Monday) -- I think because they had the same last digit or so in their package numbers -- so I had to delete a couple of annoyed-sounding posts. Hopefully before anyone noticed. The Roamate (combo rollator/powered wheelchair) arrived less than an hour later. Karma, I guess. The device itself seems pretty good, modulo some wierd design decisions, but will take some getting used to before I can write a proper review.
On the other hand, Bronx has been becoming an absolute cuddle-bug. He likes to be picked up and carried, which can be very useful. He doesn't always settle down into my lap after that, but when he does he has a nice rumbly purr. And my medication is still being adjusted; I seem to be getting into somewhat better shape. It's still not great, but I'm not complaining.
On the gripping hand, (covered mobility scooter)Scarlet the Carlet is broken, with a circuit breaker that doesn't want to stay reset. N, G, and j managed to push her home (under a kilometer, and NL is basically flat) -- we'll call for repairs tomorrow sometime.
In the links: MIT physicists peer inside an atom’s nucleus using the fact that Radium monofluoride's electron cloud extends inside the Radium's somewhat pear-shaped nucleus. Wild. Both the technique, and the fact that that compound exists at all. At least it's nowhere near as unstable as FOOF.
The Star Gauge is fascinating. (m sent us a link on the family Discord, but it was to tumblr -- the wikipedia article is less problematic.)
More K-pop Christmas music!
Sat, Dec. 20th, 2025 10:45 pmbrithistorianNMIXX released a video containing both a holiday version of "Blue Valentine" (the same tune and lyrics, but with holiday-style backing music) and a rerecording of "Funky Glitter Christmas." Enjoy!
A couple of fun things to watch for:
- At about 1:38, Sullyoon comes out of a doll box, which is fun because people often say Sullyoon looks like a doll.
- At about 1:45, the toys have Lily tied to the floor, a la Gulliver's Travels.
Exponentile stats
Sat, Dec. 20th, 2025 08:05 pmsoniaI mentioned Exponentile a while back, and said I hoped I would let it rest. Well, I did get back into it, and played obsessively for a while.
I started playing in DuckDuckGo on my phone which doesn't save visited urls, and closing the tab each time so that I would have to type the url back in to continue playing. I've tapered off quite a bit, but still feel drawn to spend time in a low-stakes world with defined rules sometimes.
My high score is 114,184 and I generally don't get even close to that before the game ends. I think I got over 100,000 one or two other times.
I've had two 2048 tiles on the screen before, but today I got a 4096! I had two 512s, a space, and then two more 512s, and I managed to finagle a 512 to drop into the space. The 4096 glows like the 2048s, in light green with a reddish aura.
Is anyone else still playing, or have you moved on to the next fun thing?
This post brought to you by being completely wiped out at 7pm. Maybe all that running around has caught up with me. The concert last night was amazing, and I had a good conversation with a stranger waiting in line for the doors to open in the rain. Inside, I chatted with folks I know from choir or dancing. Feels good to be part of the community that way.
I started playing in DuckDuckGo on my phone which doesn't save visited urls, and closing the tab each time so that I would have to type the url back in to continue playing. I've tapered off quite a bit, but still feel drawn to spend time in a low-stakes world with defined rules sometimes.
My high score is 114,184 and I generally don't get even close to that before the game ends. I think I got over 100,000 one or two other times.
I've had two 2048 tiles on the screen before, but today I got a 4096! I had two 512s, a space, and then two more 512s, and I managed to finagle a 512 to drop into the space. The 4096 glows like the 2048s, in light green with a reddish aura.
Is anyone else still playing, or have you moved on to the next fun thing?
This post brought to you by being completely wiped out at 7pm. Maybe all that running around has caught up with me. The concert last night was amazing, and I had a good conversation with a stranger waiting in line for the doors to open in the rain. Inside, I chatted with folks I know from choir or dancing. Feels good to be part of the community that way.
Hmm...
Sat, Dec. 20th, 2025 10:17 pmsoc_puppetI need to get working on more fics; my AO3 dashboard is currently all Gen, No Pairing, No Archive Warnings Apply works! That's hardly representative of the majority of my writing!
Fic: Future Sight
Sat, Dec. 20th, 2025 09:23 pmsoc_puppetFandom: Pokémon
Summary: Xatu Foresaw the Minior shower in Hoenn three years, six months, and two days prior to its occurrence; something she had not Foreseen was the kindness of the humans working there.
Mirrors: On AO3
Wordcount: ~350
Ships: Xatu & Julian (original male character)
Notes: Sequel to my![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
pokepodproject fic "An Eye on the Sky" (Dreamwidth | AO3)
Fic: ( Future Sight )
Summary: Xatu Foresaw the Minior shower in Hoenn three years, six months, and two days prior to its occurrence; something she had not Foreseen was the kindness of the humans working there.
Mirrors: On AO3
Wordcount: ~350
Ships: Xatu & Julian (original male character)
Notes: Sequel to my
pokepodproject fic "An Eye on the Sky" (Dreamwidth | AO3)Fic: ( Future Sight )
Well, that wasn't in the kids' version
Sat, Dec. 20th, 2025 10:04 pmsinealaFor my last book of the year, I do indeed seem to be reading Pegasus: An Easy Ancient Greek Reader. This retells the story of Pegasus in very easy Ancient Greek with basically every word on the page in a facing glossary.
I had a big ol' book of Greek myths when I was a kid -- not one of the standard ones -- and of course my favorite story was the one about Bellerophon bridling Pegasus and then fighting the chimera. Because, you know. Horsie. It had, I think, a full-color plate for every story (this is why I suspect it wasn't one of the standard books because it was not heavily-illustrated). Now that I have looked around, I think it was this -- Myths Every Child Should Know -- which seems, uh, pretty obscure. I found a nicer PDF though.)
I remember being in, like, second grade and having painstakingly made and illustrated my own "book" of Pegasus, retelling the story in my own words, for some kind of school project, which I bound by having my parents help me wrap pieces of cardboard in pegasus-themed wrapping paper and then duct-taping the spine together. I definitely remember using my extremely fancy Prismacolor colored pencils to render the golden bridle. So I am deeply familiar with it... but only this one exact version.
Anyway, the story in Myths Every Child Should Know definitely did NOT mention that Bellerophon was in Lycia fighting the chimera because he'd been exiled from Corinth for killing a rando guy named Belleron -- apparently "Bellerophon" means "murderer of Belleron," and his previous name was Horse Mind (Hipponous) -- and he ended up in Argos as a guest of the king who ritually cleansed him of the miasma of his murder (lysimache says this is a cultural concept that everyone knows but I have never heard of this in my life) but then the queen decided she wanted to fuck Bellerophon and when he turned her down, she went to her husband the king and said Bellerophon had wanted to fuck her and therefore the king should have this guy killed. Of course she did.
So at this point in the story, Bellerophon is being sent to Lycia with a letter telling King Iobates (the wife's father) to have him killed, because the king of Argos can't just kill him because he's a guest he has ritually cleansed and eaten meals with and killing him is just Not Done. However, it's cool to send him to your father-in-law and have him kill him. That's fine. I love hospitality.
Apparently this part was not a Myth Every Child Should Know. Anyway! Looking forward to more unanticipated sex and violence!
I had a big ol' book of Greek myths when I was a kid -- not one of the standard ones -- and of course my favorite story was the one about Bellerophon bridling Pegasus and then fighting the chimera. Because, you know. Horsie. It had, I think, a full-color plate for every story (this is why I suspect it wasn't one of the standard books because it was not heavily-illustrated). Now that I have looked around, I think it was this -- Myths Every Child Should Know -- which seems, uh, pretty obscure. I found a nicer PDF though.)
I remember being in, like, second grade and having painstakingly made and illustrated my own "book" of Pegasus, retelling the story in my own words, for some kind of school project, which I bound by having my parents help me wrap pieces of cardboard in pegasus-themed wrapping paper and then duct-taping the spine together. I definitely remember using my extremely fancy Prismacolor colored pencils to render the golden bridle. So I am deeply familiar with it... but only this one exact version.
Anyway, the story in Myths Every Child Should Know definitely did NOT mention that Bellerophon was in Lycia fighting the chimera because he'd been exiled from Corinth for killing a rando guy named Belleron -- apparently "Bellerophon" means "murderer of Belleron," and his previous name was Horse Mind (Hipponous) -- and he ended up in Argos as a guest of the king who ritually cleansed him of the miasma of his murder (
lysimache says this is a cultural concept that everyone knows but I have never heard of this in my life) but then the queen decided she wanted to fuck Bellerophon and when he turned her down, she went to her husband the king and said Bellerophon had wanted to fuck her and therefore the king should have this guy killed. Of course she did.So at this point in the story, Bellerophon is being sent to Lycia with a letter telling King Iobates (the wife's father) to have him killed, because the king of Argos can't just kill him because he's a guest he has ritually cleansed and eaten meals with and killing him is just Not Done. However, it's cool to send him to your father-in-law and have him kill him. That's fine. I love hospitality.
Apparently this part was not a Myth Every Child Should Know. Anyway! Looking forward to more unanticipated sex and violence!
TIL that "This far and no farther" is from the book of Job
Sat, Dec. 20th, 2025 08:25 pmsasha_featherI'm not great at knowing when to quit. I'm stubborn and loyal and I actively try to think the best of people. I try to work out problems or let things blow over. I try to let bygones be bygones, etc. But I've cut people off before when they've reached that line in the sand. This far, and no farther! I sometimes only know the line when I've found it.
With my high school friend Laura, I cut her off when I came out. She had a history of saying racist and homophobic things and I said no more. I wrote her an email and stopped talking to her.
Sadly with my jobs I put up with with too much, but that is a story for another day. Mainly I did not feel safe to just up and quit, which was what I should have done.
With a roommate who had already been stealing money, I finally confronted her, and actually yelled, when I found out she stole medication from me and tried to hide it. Like money is one thing but messing with medication is potentially deadly. I've yelled very few times in my adult life.
With a girlfriend, it was a nasty comment about the teenager she lived with, wishing harm or death or something. I just shut down and stopped investing in the relationship. I broke up with her via text message.
With my brother Nik, the final straw has been laid, the line in the sand is drawn. He lied to my best friendjesse_the_k. I've burned through the worst of my anger and now I'm just calm. I've decided that I'm done.
With my high school friend Laura, I cut her off when I came out. She had a history of saying racist and homophobic things and I said no more. I wrote her an email and stopped talking to her.
Sadly with my jobs I put up with with too much, but that is a story for another day. Mainly I did not feel safe to just up and quit, which was what I should have done.
With a roommate who had already been stealing money, I finally confronted her, and actually yelled, when I found out she stole medication from me and tried to hide it. Like money is one thing but messing with medication is potentially deadly. I've yelled very few times in my adult life.
With a girlfriend, it was a nasty comment about the teenager she lived with, wishing harm or death or something. I just shut down and stopped investing in the relationship. I broke up with her via text message.
With my brother Nik, the final straw has been laid, the line in the sand is drawn. He lied to my best friend
jesse_the_k. I've burned through the worst of my anger and now I'm just calm. I've decided that I'm done.
Check-In Journal #11
Sat, Dec. 20th, 2025 05:22 pmsimonejesterDaily Check-In Journal
Things that made me happy today
Finding a bunch of the shirts I like in my size at Ross! (I bought eight, because they're like $7 each.) And texting with my mom!
Daily Smiley: ٩(˘◡˘)۶
Quotes of the Day
(pulled from my "brain dump" Notes App file)
Let him look at granny panties on his iPad in peace.
--one of the hosts of Crooked Media's Terminally Online, 2025-11-22
Dreams
I know that I had dreams, but no details.
Things I Bought
Ross: those eight cheap (lightweight, comfortable, work-appropriate) shirts
Costco: gas, agave margarita, mixed nuts
Staples: tube mailer for sending diamond painting stuff to my mom
Accomplishments
Stocking up on work shirts, and I've already filled the tube mailer (just need to address and decorate it and packing-tape it within an inch of its life like when my mom sends a package), and oh yeah I was out of bed by 9am on a Saturday.
Food
A slice of pepperoni pizza and a mocha freeze from Costco; Kirkland agave margarita and Walmart brand sour cream and onion "pringles" before bed
Today I wore:
Medium blue "work shirt," black straight-leg yoga pants
Movies/TV Shows/Books/Podcasts
Podcast: On Brand; various YouTube videos. (I watched all of S1 of AppleTV+'s Invasion yesterday and intended to watch more today but got distracted.)
Friends
Not a work day, so I'm gonna say the people behind me in line at Costco (it was a short exchange but it was friendly), and my mom, because it was nice to text with her throughout the late morning and afternoon.
Music I Loved Today
Bouncing through Sirius XM Radio stations, because it's fucking December, and The fucking Bridge is playing the occasional FUCKING CHRISTMAS SONG. Just tell all of us all non-Christians to eat shit and die, why don'tcha.
What I Learned Today
That my mom and stepdad are planning on visiting in a few months, so I need to really speed up my making-my-apartment-look-like-an-actual-functional-adult-lives-there.
===
Idea from here.
===
Things that made me happy today
Finding a bunch of the shirts I like in my size at Ross! (I bought eight, because they're like $7 each.) And texting with my mom!
Daily Smiley: ٩(˘◡˘)۶
Quotes of the Day
(pulled from my "brain dump" Notes App file)
Let him look at granny panties on his iPad in peace.
--one of the hosts of Crooked Media's Terminally Online, 2025-11-22
Dreams
I know that I had dreams, but no details.
Things I Bought
Ross: those eight cheap (lightweight, comfortable, work-appropriate) shirts
Costco: gas, agave margarita, mixed nuts
Staples: tube mailer for sending diamond painting stuff to my mom
Accomplishments
Stocking up on work shirts, and I've already filled the tube mailer (just need to address and decorate it and packing-tape it within an inch of its life like when my mom sends a package), and oh yeah I was out of bed by 9am on a Saturday.
Food
A slice of pepperoni pizza and a mocha freeze from Costco; Kirkland agave margarita and Walmart brand sour cream and onion "pringles" before bed
Today I wore:
Medium blue "work shirt," black straight-leg yoga pants
Movies/TV Shows/Books/Podcasts
Podcast: On Brand; various YouTube videos. (I watched all of S1 of AppleTV+'s Invasion yesterday and intended to watch more today but got distracted.)
Friends
Not a work day, so I'm gonna say the people behind me in line at Costco (it was a short exchange but it was friendly), and my mom, because it was nice to text with her throughout the late morning and afternoon.
Music I Loved Today
Bouncing through Sirius XM Radio stations, because it's fucking December, and The fucking Bridge is playing the occasional FUCKING CHRISTMAS SONG. Just tell all of us all non-Christians to eat shit and die, why don'tcha.
What I Learned Today
That my mom and stepdad are planning on visiting in a few months, so I need to really speed up my making-my-apartment-look-like-an-actual-functional-adult-lives-there.
===
Idea from here.
===
Seeing starbursts update
Fri, Dec. 19th, 2025 06:14 pmsoniaI made another appointment with the eye surgeon and went in this afternoon. I told her about the theory of my pupil getting bigger than the opening in the capsule, but she said no, it looks clear, she doesn't see any obstruction with the pupil enlarged, and my pupil isn't that big. Good to know! All sorts of variations in bodies.
I have been paying attention to when it's worse and tried to describe the direction of it but she didn't seem interested. She did honestly say she didn't know the cause, which I appreciate. Dry eye was her best theory, although I don't know why my eyes would suddenly be so much drier than before the procedure.
She offered to refer me out, so I have another name, and we'll see if I can get in to see him. I suspect I'm just going to have to live with it, but I'd at least like a better understanding of what changed.
I have been paying attention to when it's worse and tried to describe the direction of it but she didn't seem interested. She did honestly say she didn't know the cause, which I appreciate. Dry eye was her best theory, although I don't know why my eyes would suddenly be so much drier than before the procedure.
She offered to refer me out, so I have another name, and we'll see if I can get in to see him. I suspect I'm just going to have to live with it, but I'd at least like a better understanding of what changed.
Life Update
Fri, Dec. 19th, 2025 08:56 pmsoc_puppetBecause I talked about this on Discord, but not here: Dad broke his ankle last Friday 😬 After slipping on some ice, he initially thought it was a sprain, but Mom talked him into visiting Urgent Care where they got the correct diagnosis. On Monday, I took him to the hospital for an update, where they said that on this coming Tuesday, they'll need to surgically put a pin in the broken bone. After that, he'll be in a cast or boot for about six weeks.
Since Dad also has some Santa Claus gigs, he's been going in his boot and, at Mom's suggestion, telling people that Dancer stepped on his foot while trying out some new moves. I took him to a couple of Santa gigs today, where he was very well received; his final gig of the year is tomorrow afternoon, and then after that he's done being Santa for the year (and his leg should be better well before next December 😛)
In other news, I'm not really on the Book of Faces, but I have been communicating a bit more with the aunt I went to visit last March. I told her that I went back to school and expected to graduate this semester, and she apparently spread the news herself, because today I got a congratulatory card from a different aunt—with a check in it 😮 I've already got a thank-you note for her written and waiting in the mail box, though I don't know if I'll have the chance to deposit the check before Monday; I've got work tomorrow and Sunday.
I think that's about it for now; will blog more later ✌
Since Dad also has some Santa Claus gigs, he's been going in his boot and, at Mom's suggestion, telling people that Dancer stepped on his foot while trying out some new moves. I took him to a couple of Santa gigs today, where he was very well received; his final gig of the year is tomorrow afternoon, and then after that he's done being Santa for the year (and his leg should be better well before next December 😛)
In other news, I'm not really on the Book of Faces, but I have been communicating a bit more with the aunt I went to visit last March. I told her that I went back to school and expected to graduate this semester, and she apparently spread the news herself, because today I got a congratulatory card from a different aunt—with a check in it 😮 I've already got a thank-you note for her written and waiting in the mail box, though I don't know if I'll have the chance to deposit the check before Monday; I've got work tomorrow and Sunday.
I think that's about it for now; will blog more later ✌
Deck the roof with loud repairmen
Fri, Dec. 19th, 2025 06:50 pmazurelunaticMy hyperfocus does still work to the extent that when I was reading earlier today, I tuned out the various scraping and occasional hammering noises from the roof. I could not, however, sleep through the hammering.
Which is perhaps why Belovedest is on the shopping trip without me today. I was too cold and tired to get ready, let alone go out into the cold and dark.
Which is perhaps why Belovedest is on the shopping trip without me today. I was too cold and tired to get ready, let alone go out into the cold and dark.
FIC: Steady (Avengers, Steve/Tony, M)
Fri, Dec. 19th, 2025 01:18 pmsinealaSteady (35953 words) by Sineala
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Marvel (Comics), Marvel 616, Avengers (Comics)
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Characters: Steve Rogers, Tony Stark
Additional Tags: Romance, Love Confessions, Marriage Proposal, Depression, Alcoholics Anonymous, Past Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Past Drug Addiction, Past Drug Use, Post-Marvel Comic Event: Secret Empire (2017), Post-Marvel Comic Event: A.X.E.: Judgement Day (2022)
Series: Part 2 of When Trouble Came
Summary: After the events of "When Trouble Came," Steve takes Tony home with him, back to his childhood apartment where he now lives, so they can spend the night together. Conversation ensues, and it becomes very clear that they're going to be together for a lot longer than just the night.
This is the epilogue to When Trouble Came that I promised I had. I thought that this was going to be a nice little timestamp from Steve's POV, and then I realized it was 35,000 words. Whoops.
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Marvel (Comics), Marvel 616, Avengers (Comics)
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Characters: Steve Rogers, Tony Stark
Additional Tags: Romance, Love Confessions, Marriage Proposal, Depression, Alcoholics Anonymous, Past Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Past Drug Addiction, Past Drug Use, Post-Marvel Comic Event: Secret Empire (2017), Post-Marvel Comic Event: A.X.E.: Judgement Day (2022)
Series: Part 2 of When Trouble Came
Summary: After the events of "When Trouble Came," Steve takes Tony home with him, back to his childhood apartment where he now lives, so they can spend the night together. Conversation ensues, and it becomes very clear that they're going to be together for a lot longer than just the night.
This is the epilogue to When Trouble Came that I promised I had. I thought that this was going to be a nice little timestamp from Steve's POV, and then I realized it was 35,000 words. Whoops.
