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[personal profile] shadowkat
Didn't sleep well last night - every time I go to bed past 11 pm, I don't sleep well. It's odd. Also, my body wants to get up at 6AM. Regardless of the time I go to bed. I think it's because I get up at 6 AM every morning and my body is used to it? Lately it's been waking up half an hour before then, and I force it to go back to sleep.

I attempted to get back into Outlander, S2, Episode 1 - and was, alas, reminded of why I stopped reading the books. Read more... )

Back to watching Murderbot (I actually prefer sci-fi to historical drama or hyper-realism). I may try Sinners - next, it's on Max. Finished Murderbot - which I keep wanting to call the Murderbot Diaries. I liked the books better - I don't remember them well enough to know how closely this followed them? Also, I'm not sure I read all of them. It was okay? I like Mensha, Gurathin, and Murderbot, everyone else was kind of annoying? It was heavy on absurdist humor, which was dependent on stupid human behavior, although the Murderbot's snarky sense of humor made up for it. I wonder if it will be renewed? It can legitimately be one season.

Also accomplished today - putting together my drug carousels for the top of my dresser - which worked a lot better than expected. Now instead of being cluttered with pill bottles and medications, the dresser is clean and neat, with all the pills neatly arranged on two clear plastic and somewhat attractive carousels. I also put together a tea and spice shelf for my kitchen, which had decluttered it in an amazing fashion. See picture below the cut:
picture )

I'd take a photo of the other - but some things must stay private. At any rate, bit by bit, I am winning my battle against clutter.

Questions/Memage:

1. What is the flavor that makes you think of summer? Or favorite summer foods?

flavors of summer days gone by )

July Question a Day Memage:

9. Have you ever been on a journey and been held up for a long time? What happened and how late were you at your destination?

Yes, multiple times. Once it was cancelled entirely. Plane travel is alas like that. I went to France by myself at the age of 16 to stay with a French family, on the way home, there was fog in Orly airport, and our plane had mechanical difficulties. long story )

10. Do you enjoy salad? What would be in a typical salad that you would serve/eat?

Yes. Power greens (pea shoots, spinach, argula and shard), green onion, cucumber, a protein (either nuts, feta cheese, seeds or chicken strips), radish, with lemon and/or apple cider vinegar and olive oil.

11. Have you ever used an old-fashioned typewriter? Can you touch type (type without looking at the keys?)

Yes. I learned how to type on one. Then graduated to electric, then to the computer. Yes, I can touch type without looking at keys, I'm doing it now. Not very fast though. I don't do anything that requires hand/eye coordination quickly. Maybe 20 minutes an hour? I'm not a fast typist. It used to matter - it no longer does - because now, we have computers.

12. Do you like sushi?

Quite a bit. My father first introduced it to me. He loved trying new foods, and had discovered sushi at work. I get it all the time. Perfect summer meal.

13. Have you ever tried Tai Chi?

Yes, I was actually taking classes from folks my junior year in college. We'd do it in the mornings in front of our residence. My boyfriend, me, another guy we were living with, and his girlfriend - who was teaching us.
Read more... )
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Posted by sd_herald

DARLA: Who is he?
MAID: Who, that one?
DARLA: Yes. - He’s magnificent.
MAID: Oh, yeah, God’s gift, alright.
DARLA: Really? I’ve never known God to be so generous.
MAID: Oh, his lies sound pretty when the stars are out. - But he forgets every promise he’s made when the sun comes up again.
DARLA: That wouldn’t really be a problem for me actually.

~~AtS 1x15 “Prodigal”~~




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[personal profile] veronyxk84 posting in [community profile] su_herald
DARLA: Who is he?
MAID: Who, that one?
DARLA: Yes. - He’s magnificent.
MAID: Oh, yeah, God’s gift, alright.
DARLA: Really? I’ve never known God to be so generous.
MAID: Oh, his lies sound pretty when the stars are out. - But he forgets every promise he’s made when the sun comes up again.
DARLA: That wouldn’t really be a problem for me actually.

~~AtS 1x15 “Prodigal”~~




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[personal profile] shadowkat
I was in a good mood when the day started, only to have it turn sour on me as it evolved. I did take a walk though, see previous entry.

I won't bore you with all the gory details. Work is boring me at the moment, but it is at least non-stressful and for the most part pleasant, unlike last year which was boring, stressful and unpleasant. So, let's be grateful for small mercies. Also having been unemployed, I'm always grateful for employment. There are worse jobs, and I'm good at this one and it utilizes my analytical and writing/communication/legal skills for the most part. I'm doing a lot more math than I'd like - but such is life. Some things are unavoidable. The boredom has to do with too many of the same edits. Parts of my job were given to incompetent people, and I'm now editing work that I used to do outright - the irony is not lost on me.

Each day, every day, of this week, actually - for reasons I don't quite understand? The local news has been reporting on hit and runs in various portions of Brooklyn. Almost as if they are tracking hit and runs across the borough? And all the hit and runs happen in the wee hours of the morning. Usually between 1 am and 4:30 am. Why people are wandering the streets in the early hours of the morning, I've no idea. It's not the safest time to be wandering about. For one thing - it's dark outside. There's no one really out there. And people tend to be more reckless at that time. Either driving drunk, speeding, or half asleep. Also people wandering about are probably drunk or not quite awake? the incidents )

I just wanted the weather and the road and rail report. I did not want to know about various hit and runs around the area. They also feel the need to tell me about various shootings around the area, in places I never venture in and never would need to. No wonder people think the city is unsafe. Frigging media.

That didn't put me in a bad mood. Other things did. But, I started out in a good mood - because there were good news items posted on Threads. I'm posting beneath the cut.

good news items )

Gave me hope. Might not give others hope. I find human beings frustrating.
Does anyone else? It can't just be me?

**

In other news? I finally finished Remarkably Bright Creatures by
Shelby Van Pelt


This is a book about a 70 year old woman who works as a janitor in an aquarium who befriends an octopus. Through a series of events, the octopus manages to solve the mystery of her missing son.
needless to say the appeal was utterly lost on me )

Reading T Kingfisher's What Moves the Dead now. We'll see if I stick with it. Kingfisher's writing style appeals to me more than Van Pelt's. (This may be why I get stuff from Amazon and on the Kindle - I like non-mainstream writers better than mainstream traditionally published and highly marketed ones? Although What Moves the Dead made it into book stores.) I also like Kingfisher's quirky characters better. They are less whiny and more real, also Kingfisher's plots feel organic to the characters and not as contrived. I think she's a better writer. But mileage may vary on that front, it always does.

Off to bed, and perchance to sleep and dream of flowers and boats and happy things. Unlikely, my subconscious is stubbornly in nightmare mode. It likes to ponder all my worries and anxieties and concerns through my dreams.

Boat Walk

Jul. 11th, 2025 08:52 pm
shadowkat: (Default)
[personal profile] shadowkat
This is for the sailors and would be sailors out there ([personal profile] threemeninaboat ).

It was a pretty day today, warm with a nice breeze, so I decided to take a long walk. Original plan was to walk to the Freedom Tower and 1 World Trade to see the "Walk of Heroes" virtual exhibit, but I decided that it will be crowded and not nearly enough time. Also it was 83F/23C, and humid. So instead, I chose to walk up the pier and check out the boats. This was after checking out the smorgasbord and open air market of vendors in Bowling Green aka Immigrants Park. They had all sorts of foods on display, only one that was clearly gluten-free, and a lot of expensive cut crystals and stones. I just grabbed a bunch of maps from the tourist information booth, high tailed it back upstairs, deposited them in my back pack, then went back downstairs for my walk up the pier. Breaking Bad (my boss) was out of the office today, as was practically everyone else - so no one noticed, not that they would anyhow. And I did manage to make it back by 1:15 pm, Chilled Matcha Latte in tote.

I managed to make it all the way up to Pier 16, where the Seaport Boat Museum was located.



This was after I wandered about on a wooden deck with plenty of grass, overlooking the harbor and the city.
Deck and tall buildings )

And took a picture of one of the tall boats from the deck:

tall clipper ship )

Then wandered a bit further up the roof top deck to take a photo of the Brooklyn Bridge, and a few smaller boats.

Brooklyn Bridge and smaller boats )

Here's a picture of another tall boat, and the mall at Pier 17 behind it:




Here's a broader picture of the big tall boat and the museum:



I told threemeninaboat a while back that the Tall Clipper Ship gave cruises, but in reality its part of the Seaport Boat Museum. NYC is basically a huge city on a bunch of islands, surrounded by bridges, tunnels, rivers, bays, ocean and boats. It's one of the things I love most about NYC. There's always the slight scent of ocean in the air or water.
And being near the sea is oddly freeing in a way. Perhaps because I've always loved the water? I find it calming.

It was a calming walk - and by the time I returned to my work place, I was sweating and more than ready for air conditioning - because it was also just a touch balmy.
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Posted by double_dutchess

Buffy: Who am I? You attacked me! Who, the hell, are you?!
Kendra: I am Kendra! The Vampire Slayer!

~~What's My Line? Part 1~~



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double_dutchess: (Sunnydale Herald)
[personal profile] double_dutchess posting in [community profile] su_herald
Buffy: Who am I? You attacked me! Who, the hell, are you?!
Kendra: I am Kendra! The Vampire Slayer!

~~What's My Line? Part 1~~



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Posted by fancyflautist

Anya: So, what kind of place are you looking for?
Spike: I don't know. Maybe a crypt. Some place, you know, dark and dank. But not as dark and dank as this.
Anya: It's pretty depressing, isn't it?
Spike: I've known corpses with a fresher smell. In fact, I've been one.

~~A New Man~~




[Drabbles & Short Fiction]


[Chaptered Fiction]

  • EF Logo
    • Change the Prophecy, Chapter 2 (Buffy/Spike, R) by eternallyec
    • A Thrilling Escape, Chapter 3 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by TheAcidQueen
    • Edges of Acceptance, Chapter 4 (Buffy/Spike, PG-13) by Orange Wombat
    • Thursday... what a concept, Chapter 15 (Buffy/Spike, R) by NotYourGrave
    • Momentary, Chapter 4 (Buffy/Spike, R) by Sparkly Faerie
    • Transitory, Chapter 6 (Buffy/Spike, PG-13) by GhostsInLove
    • You surely don't help, Chapter 5 (Buffy/Spike, R) by Perelynn
    • Refractions, Chapter 26 (Buffy/Spike, R) by CheekyKitten
    • The Second Coming, Chapter 16 (Buffy/Spike, PG-13) by tempestt
    • The Proof Is In The Gouda, Chapter 6 (Buffy/Spike, R) by simmony
    • In No Particular Order, Chapter 12 (Buffy/Spike, PG-13) by JamesMFan
    • Band Candy Baby, Chapter 1 (Buffy/Spike, R) by Tikiriaaa
    • Time Check, Chapter 11 (Buffy/Spike, PG-13) by Willow25
    • Mile Markers and Blood Moons, Chapter 13 (Buffy/Spike, R) by JamesMFan
    • More Than Just a Dream, Chapter 11 (Buffy/Spike, R) by scratchmeout
    • Bert and Ernie Present: Drabblemania 2025, Chapter 9 (Buffy/Spike, PG-13) by clarissadalloway
    • Here Comes the Sun, Chapter 3 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Melme1325
    • Bachelor of Metaphysics: Apocalypse Prevention, Chapter 5 (Buffy/Spike, PG-13) by VoronaFiernan
    • When You Called Me A Fool, You Made It SOund Like "Honey," Chapter 6 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by LadyInQuest
    • Once More, With Fu... Shagging, Chapter 8 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by CheekyKitten and BewitchedXx

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[personal profile] fancyflautist posting in [community profile] su_herald
Anya: So, what kind of place are you looking for?
Spike: I don't know. Maybe a crypt. Some place, you know, dark and dank. But not as dark and dank as this.
Anya: It's pretty depressing, isn't it?
Spike: I've known corpses with a fresher smell. In fact, I've been one.

~~A New Man~~




[Drabbles & Short Fiction]


[Chaptered Fiction]

  • EF Logo
    • Change the Prophecy, Chapter 2 (Buffy/Spike, R) by eternallyec
    • A Thrilling Escape, Chapter 3 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by TheAcidQueen
    • Edges of Acceptance, Chapter 4 (Buffy/Spike, PG-13) by Orange Wombat
    • Thursday... what a concept, Chapter 15 (Buffy/Spike, R) by NotYourGrave
    • Momentary, Chapter 4 (Buffy/Spike, R) by Sparkly Faerie
    • Transitory, Chapter 6 (Buffy/Spike, PG-13) by GhostsInLove
    • You surely don't help, Chapter 5 (Buffy/Spike, R) by Perelynn
    • Refractions, Chapter 26 (Buffy/Spike, R) by CheekyKitten
    • The Second Coming, Chapter 16 (Buffy/Spike, PG-13) by tempestt
    • The Proof Is In The Gouda, Chapter 6 (Buffy/Spike, R) by simmony
    • In No Particular Order, Chapter 12 (Buffy/Spike, PG-13) by JamesMFan
    • Band Candy Baby, Chapter 1 (Buffy/Spike, R) by Tikiriaaa
    • Time Check, Chapter 11 (Buffy/Spike, PG-13) by Willow25
    • Mile Markers and Blood Moons, Chapter 13 (Buffy/Spike, R) by JamesMFan
    • More Than Just a Dream, Chapter 11 (Buffy/Spike, R) by scratchmeout
    • Bert and Ernie Present: Drabblemania 2025, Chapter 9 (Buffy/Spike, PG-13) by clarissadalloway
    • Here Comes the Sun, Chapter 3 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Melme1325
    • Bachelor of Metaphysics: Apocalypse Prevention, Chapter 5 (Buffy/Spike, PG-13) by VoronaFiernan
    • When You Called Me A Fool, You Made It SOund Like "Honey," Chapter 6 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by LadyInQuest
    • Once More, With Fu... Shagging, Chapter 8 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by CheekyKitten and BewitchedXx

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shadowkat: (Default)
[personal profile] shadowkat
Confusing day at work, and the muggy weather plus sleep issues is making me irritable? Also, people, sigh, can be annoyingly headache inducing, can't they?

Anyhow, grumble, grumble...I'm grateful for my mother (who continues to be lovely), Gregory's Coffee - it has great Matcha Lattes, and Decaf Cappucinos, and is no more than five minutes from my desk - plus I can pre-order, and get discounted deals. I'm also grateful for flowers. Trees. And New York City.

Plus? Very grateful for the lovely folks who provided the good news items below, and continue to do so - basically, I'm grateful for the American Resistance and it's Global Allies, thank the universe you exist.

Disclaimer: As always, good news like humor and beauty is more often than not in the eye of the beholder and your mileage may vary on this.

I only share them, because they give me hope and make me feel better - and I hope they do the same for anyone else who may stumble upon this journal entry. If I can bring a smile or a tear of hope to someone...today? Than I'll feel I accomplished my aim or at the very least attempted it. All I can do is try.

Good News from the American Resistance & It's Global Allies

1. More than 600 Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) employees, scientists, and academics signed a declaration of dissent from the agency’s policies under the Trump administration, warning that they “undermine the EPA mission of protecting human health and the environment.”

https://www.standupforscience.net/epa-declaration

[Gotta give the poor federal agency employees credit? They keep fighting and speaking out against the evil new administration.]

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/30/epa-employees-declaration-dissent-trump?emci=4eedb4a7-9958-f011-8f7c-6045bdfe8e9c&emdi=66805beb-ef58-f011-8f7c-6045bdfe8e9c&ceid=24376453

2. I think this one is a repeat? But just in case, it's not, here we go again: The Miccosukee Tribe is partnering with the Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation to safeguard lands as part of a ‘moral obligation.’

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/15/miccosukee-tribe-florida-wildlife-corridor-foundation?sh_kit=7a2950363f4b90b1881ae76c68d24551846eea9063b67a6a14e9fa39bc419e40

Now, as the Trump administration continues its wholesale slashing of federal funding from conservation projects, the Miccosukee Tribe is stepping up to fulfill what it sees as a “moral obligation” to return the favor.

The tribe is looking to buy and protect environmentally significant lands, including some that once provided refuge, in a groundbreaking partnership agreement with the Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation. The corridor is an ambitious project to connect 18m acres (7.3m hectares) of state and privately owned wilderness into a contiguous, safe habitat for scores of imperilled and roaming species, including black bears, Key deer and Florida panthers.

3. A coalition of 20 states has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration for sharing personal health data with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

https://oag.ca.gov/system/files/attachments/press-docs/CA%20v.%20HHS%2C%20Complaint%207.1.25.pdf

4.Key West City commissioners voted 6-1 to void the 287(g) agreement with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

https://www.keywestislandnews.com/2025/06/key-west-city-commission-voids-agreement-with-ice-and-reaffirms-its-status-as-a-welcoming-city/

[Apparently Key West is not in agreement with the Governor of Florida?]

5.Tesla’s new delivery numbers are in, and they’re worse than expected.

https://gizmodo.com/teslas-numbers-are-in-and-theyre-not-good-2000623670?emci=4eedb4a7-9958-f011-8f7c-6045bdfe8e9c&emdi=66805beb-ef58-f011-8f7c-6045bdfe8e9c&ceid=24376453

6.E. Jean Carroll says she plans to give away the millions Donald Trump was ordered to pay her—just to annoy him. [This is the woman who won the defamation case and civil sexual assault case against him - when he claimed she lied when she said he raped her - and went on to vilify her in the media.]

https://www.thedailybeast.com/e-jean-carroll-reveals-why-shell-give-away-her-80m-from-trump-to-p-him-off/?emci=4eedb4a7-9958-f011-8f7c-6045bdfe8e9c&emdi=66805beb-ef58-f011-8f7c-6045bdfe8e9c&ceid=24376453

7. Terminated NIH grants are being reinstated almost entirely in blue states. [These are the science and research grants that the Trump Administration attempted to terminate.]

https://www.statnews.com/2025/07/03/nih-cuts-grant-restoration-complicated-by-limits-to-court-order-trump-dei-restrictions/?emci=4eedb4a7-9958-f011-8f7c-6045bdfe8e9c&emdi=66805beb-ef58-
f011-8f7c-6045bdfe8e9c&ceid=24376453

8.A federal judge in Washington ruled that the Trump administration can’t categorically deny asylum claims from people crossing the southern border.

https://archive.ph/7gw1e

9.A government ban on Hungary’s annual Pride parade backfired when more than 100,000 people marched through the Hungarian capital, far more than have taken part in previous such events.

https://archive.ph/kzI5C#selection-4467.0-4467.195

[The internet makes authoritarianism kind of difficult to enforce.]

10.Tuesday’s election of Imperial Beach Mayor Paloma Aguirre to fill a vacant seat on the San Diego County Board of Supervisors put Democrats back in control of San Diego’s most powerful governmental agency.

https://voiceofsandiego.org/2025/07/02/aguirres-win-puts-democrats-in-charge-at-pivotal-time/?emci=4eedb4a7-9958-f011-8f7c-6045bdfe8e9c&emdi=66805beb-ef58-f011-8f7c-6045bdfe8e9c&ceid=24376453

11.An iPhone app called ICEBlock is alerting users to nearby ICE sightings. Its designer said he wanted to do something to help in the face of what he sees (correctly) as rising fascism.

[Technology also makes authoritarianism more difficult to enforce - than many sci-fi writers apparently realized. I'm looking at you, Philip K. Dick.]

https://www.cnn.com/2025/06/30/tech/iceblock-app-trump-immigration-crackdown?emci=4eedb4a7-9958-f011-8f7c-6045bdfe8e9c&emdi=66805beb-ef58-f011-8f7c-6045bdfe8e9c&ceid=24376453

12.Catholic bishops from Asia, Africa and Latin America penned a first-ever joint ecological appeal ahead of the next U.N. climate conference in November.

https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2025/07/01/climate-justice-bishops-asia-africa-latin-america-251045

13.Singer Angélique Kidjo became the first African performer to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cqx2g5znggpo

14.A Tennessee man pardoned by Trump for taking part in the attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6 is back behind bars, for life, convicted of plotting to kill the law enforcement officers who had investigated his case.

https://archive.ph/dXNaQ#selection-517.23-517.112

15. Thanks to Mayor Brandon Scott’s focus on violence intervention programs, Baltimore has seen a nearly 23 percent drop in murders from this time last year.

https://archive.ph/3ajyY

16. Six months into congestion pricing in New York City traffic is down and business is up. Also, the revenue generated by the program is funding critical transit upgrades that will benefit millions of New Yorkers.

https://www.threads.com/@govkathyhochul/post/DLu_bqUxRJO?xmt=AQF0ZAWwIBQtTEin6rbwpHCXtAp3OGNzp92OIOiamSxIgQ

[That's actually true - the funds are going to various state of new repair, climate resilancy projects, and critical improvements across the MTA. And the financial district is pleasant to walk around.]

the rest of the 37 items )

And here's a few flowers...life is always better with flowers.


fandom things

Jul. 10th, 2025 11:41 am
snickfic: Oasis: Noel and Liam Gallagher, text "Cigarettes & Alcohol" (Oasis Gallaghercest)
[personal profile] snickfic
- As of July 6th, I'd written more words this year than I had in all of 2024. Mostly this tells you how much 2024 sucked creatively, but also damn, that's a pretty good pace! I'm currently working on something for Summer of Horror and daydreaming about that Liam/Liam/Noel time travel fic that I may finally go back to working on.

- H/C Exchange finally went live! I got Re-Animator mpreg, which was DELIGHTFUL, and I wrote... something completely unexpected, literally on the day of the deadline after I finally gave up on all previous plans.

- I did end up signing up for Battleship. I'll participate for the eight days of it that happen before I leave for vacation. I also prompted a variety of forever OTPs (Liam/Noel) and rarepairs I haven't thought about in ages (Dawn/Illyria). Hopefully someone will be inspired.

- I picked up a couple of things in the summer Steam sale, and thus have done basically nothing the last 2-3 days but play Cult of the Lamb, the cutest little cosmic horror game you ever did see.
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Posted by sd_herald

ANGELUS: Why do you get to be Marley's ghost?
FAITH: (sits) 'Cause I'm dying, dumbass.
ANGELUS: Not soon enough.
FAITH: Way I figure, I've got one last job: baby-sit the psycho 'til they shove a soul up your —
ANGELUS: Not gonna happen.
FAITH: (stands) Then, I'm whatever... dust in the wind. Candle in the wind. There'll be a general wind theme.

~~Orpheus ~~




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burnhername: Faith pic with the word editor (SH editor Faith)
[personal profile] burnhername posting in [community profile] su_herald
ANGELUS: Why do you get to be Marley's ghost?
FAITH: (sits) 'Cause I'm dying, dumbass.
ANGELUS: Not soon enough.
FAITH: Way I figure, I've got one last job: baby-sit the psycho 'til they shove a soul up your —
ANGELUS: Not gonna happen.
FAITH: (stands) Then, I'm whatever... dust in the wind. Candle in the wind. There'll be a general wind theme.

~~Orpheus ~~




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Wednesday is just hot and sweaty...

Jul. 9th, 2025 09:02 pm
shadowkat: (Default)
[personal profile] shadowkat
It's beastly hot here - but I have air conditioning. So it's about 71 -73 degrees in the bedroom where the AC is, and 77-79 degrees in the rest of the apartment. Outside? It is currently 82F/22C with 65% humidity, during the day it was 90F/30C with 80% humidity, felt like 100 F/40 C.

I've been online shopping - I needed to get new Bose Headphones - the current ones are wearing out, and the warranty expired. (The head phone muff is coming undone.) So got new ones on sale - at a 43% discount. So shaved off quite a bit. Also, picked up some more storage related items (baskets, large utensil holder, medicine organizer for a counter), and a collapsible but secure and safe step stool. I desperately need one - I have insanely tall cabinets and windows. I'm almost 6 feet, they are 8-9 feet.

Yes, I live in a tall person's apartment, which is good thing.

I'm looking for a tv dinner table/lap top table, but the one I saw advertised on Instagram via Amazon - I cannot find. So I gave up finally.
The other one is rather pricey, although tempting.

And...I got my organizers today - two turnstiles, and a coffee/tea shelf that I have to put together. I took the box they both came in along with all the other boxes (book shelf and towel/pillow box) down to the basement for recycling on the way to pick up groceries. I was out of protein greens (pea shoots, spinach, argula, and shard).

***

Work is work.

Wales wants to take a six month paid sabbatical from her job, to do what I don't know. Probably just lay about. I would like a two week vacation to travel somewhere - but I can't get more than a week at a time. So, am making due and trying not to envy those who can do more. I'm flirting with Ceiliac Cruises and Road Scholar cruises and trips. Also Viking River journeys. But also pricey. And I'd need a smaller cruise and the ability to take motion sickness pills - I'm prone to sea-sickness. I love the ocean, but my body prefers to be on solid ground. It could be worse - my sister-in-law gets motion sickness on a swing. It's an inner ear thing.

***

Time to go to bed, perchance to sleep, even dream But I don't want to?
I'm not really much of a sleeper. Never have been. This can't be good for me?

The Dark Mage

Jul. 9th, 2025 04:04 pm
sdhuskerfan: (Default)
[personal profile] sdhuskerfan posting in [community profile] summer_of_giles
This is a story I started writing a few years ago. I just added a new chapter today.

Title: The Dark Mage
Author: Sdhuskerfan
Characters: Rupert Giles, Ethan Rayne (for now)
Pairings: Mostly Giles/Ethan
Rating: AO3 Explicit
Word count: 22,677 so far
Summary: This is my take on what happened between Ripper and Ethan in the mid-1970s, based off of the series BTVS, and a few things I have read on various wiki pages. I have not read any of the comic books or novels published after the show.

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/60924784/chapters/155629681

Descent into Darkness

Jul. 9th, 2025 06:29 am
[personal profile] ripper1701d posting in [community profile] summer_of_giles
This is rather dark for Summer of Giles I'm afraid, but it's written as a beginning to more stories I intend to write.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/67226239
[syndicated profile] su_herald_feed

Posted by rahirah

Cordelia: So anyway, I come outta the bathroom, and she comes running at me. Screaming! With a stick! 'I'm gonna kill you! I'm gonna kill you!' I swear!
Boy: Who?
Cordelia: Buffy!
Harmony: The new girl?
Boy: What's her deal?
Cordelia: Well, she's crazed.
Harmony: Did you hear about her old school?
Cordelia and the boy both shake their heads.
Harmony: Booted.

~~Buffy Episode #2: "The Harvest" ~~



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rahirah: (su_editor)
[personal profile] rahirah posting in [community profile] su_herald
Cordelia: So anyway, I come outta the bathroom, and she comes running at me. Screaming! With a stick! 'I'm gonna kill you! I'm gonna kill you!' I swear!
Boy: Who?
Cordelia: Buffy!
Harmony: The new girl?
Boy: What's her deal?
Cordelia: Well, she's crazed.
Harmony: Did you hear about her old school?
Cordelia and the boy both shake their heads.
Harmony: Booted.

~~Buffy Episode #2: "The Harvest" ~~



[Drabbles & Short Fiction]

[Chaptered Fiction]

[Images, Audio & Video]

[Reviews & Recaps]

[Community Announcements]

[Fandom Discussions]

[Articles, Interviews, and Other News]

Submit a link to be included in the newsletter!

Tuesday is happy about a bookshelf

Jul. 8th, 2025 07:22 pm
shadowkat: (work/reading)
[personal profile] shadowkat
My bookshelf arrived around 10 am, while I was at work. And even though I requested that they deliver it at the front door of my apartment, they delivered it to the package area in the lobby. But it was still there when I got home, and not that difficulty to get upstairs. I pushed it into the elevator, then dragged it out onto the third floor and into my apartment.
It was pre-assembled, all I had to do was screw on a few buttons for the feet. Then I inserted the books, and voila.

It wasn't too expensive - I got for about 10-20% off, with free shipping from Wayfair.



I'm very happy with it, and it is metal - so hardy.

**

Crazy Org decided to revise all the construction contract templates and schedules again. This is the fifth time in three years. Every section.
And instead of waiting until the next fiscal year - they did it now.

It's a mess. Everyone is confused.

I've decided quite a few folks in management are incredibly bored and need to invent new ways to keep busy - so they look productive. This is what happens when you have too many managers, they come up with an endless supply of busy work.

***

Sigh. I don't know what it is about me - that feels the need to explain and or discuss characters and stories and things with idiotic strangers on the internet. whinging about the internet fandom and using the Buffy fandom as an example )
Fandom can be annoyingly dense. I blame our educational system - too much memorization and multiple choice tests.

My frustration stems from the fact that I love analyzing and discussing stories and characters, and debating them. I get off on it. I did it in college. I'm a frustrated English Lit/Cultural Anthropology Major.

**

Alarmingly hot day with a thunderstorm at the tail end of it. Except oddly not as bad as yesterday. Neighbor informed me that feels like temperature was 110 F (50C) today, it was actually 96 F (36C). Yesterday was worse - the humidity made it feel like a sauna. Today, it felt like walking through a very warm hair dryer - hot with a breeze. But hey, I could breath - so better air quality. Either that or the Allegra was doing wonders.

It's probably best to be happy about small pleasures? I am happy and grateful for my new book case, which I've been pondering obtaining for about five years now. It looks lovely next to the tv. I might get another one. I just don't know where to put it.
shadowkat: (Default)
[personal profile] shadowkat
Somewhat sleep deprived - got about four hours, and was up half the night, partly due to high blood sugar, and partly due to the inability to shut my mind and body off? But, considering the previous four days - I had seven and forty-five minutes worth of sleep per day, not too bad. I've discovered that I feel better - mind body - when I sleep.

Question a Day Meme for July:

6. Ivy climbing over a wall can act as an impressive natural air conditioner, absorbing heat from the sun and cooling internal temperatures by as much as 7.5C/45.5F. Do you like ivy plants?

Yes? But I don't have a green thumb, and tend to kill plants. So I refrain. There's plenty outside though.

7. Today, on the seventh day of the seventh month, the Japanese celebrate the Star Festival (or Tanabata). For one day only, wishes, hopes, poetry and dreams are written onto colourful streamers and tied to trees. What would you write on a streamer today?

Let there be rainbows?

8. Artemesia Gentileschi was born today in 1593 – an incredibly famous artist in her time, she is only now becoming better known. Have you ever seen any of her works?

I think so? I had to look her up, but her paintings are familiar. Particularly the one featured in the New Yorker. (I've been to a lot of art galleries and museums in my lifetime, but I can't always remember the names of the artists. I live in NY, and in the 1980s, I spent a summer in London, during which time - I hand wrote a lot of papers in art museums (they were cool and quiet and not that far from where we were staying) - my favorites were the National Gallery and the Victorian & Albert. This was before computers and lap-tops, all we had was an electronic typewriter, white out, and pens.

The Guardian article on her - shows some of her paintings

****

Today was in the mid 80s(20sC), but felt like the 90s (30sC) with the humidity, which was around 80-90%. It was akin to walking through a sauna.
Occasionally it would rain. The air hung heavy, and I found it hard to breath? So I didn't take any long walks today.

Debating taking Friday off - but honestly, it's supposed to be a nice day, and I'm more likely to take a long walk at work than at home?

I need to schedule a dental appointment, a mammogram, and alas a hair cut.
(I'm procrastinating for various reasons not worth going into.) It requires scheduling around work - although work does provide four hours for cancer screening.(Just need to provide proof of it).

The towels and pillow I ordered from Brooklynlinen arrived. I got two waffle bath towels, and two waffle hand towels in blue. They are very soft, and light weight. Different from what I'm used to. And a Marlow Pillow - which is adjustable, and suppose to be cooling and provide more support for better sleep. I'm hoping it helps with the insomina - and neck issues.

Hopefully the pre-assembled book shelf that I bought on sale at Wayfair, and is allegedly being delivered on Tuesday will arrive without incident, and without me - having to be home to receive it. (They called today - thinking I was a business, uhm no, I ordered it for my home. Not for business purposes at all. (I wonder if this is a New York thing? People keep thinking I'm a business, I am not a business.) I don't buy furniture for my workplace, construction/design/and engineering services change orders - yes, furniture, no.)

For dinner - I picked up some sushi. I'm doing it with a light salad, I think. I don't feel much like cooking.

***

Working my way through Remarkable Bright Creatures and wondering what all the hoopla is about it? It came recommended by folks on a book site on FB as a comforting read (it's not), and it's highly rec'd on Smart Bitches. Also been highly rated elsewhere. I've found it to be plodding, and I'm struggling to get through it. Been doing a lot of skimming. And the characters - are beginning to annoy me, the writer does all sorts of things to keep the characters from connecting and finding out stuff. It's beginning to feel rather contrived, and frustrating. I can feel the writer struggling to bring them together - and not quite knowing how.

Also it meanders and rambles a lot. There's a lot of repetition and navel gazing, and internal whining. I don't find it comforting at all. Yet, alas, I can't give up on it? I want to see how the writer resolves it? Also I keep trying to figure out why folks recommended it as a comfort read/happy book?

I'm in a bad reading slump folks. I need a book with good witty/quippy dialogue, and suspense, a page turner. And I'm not finding it? (Well except for the Graphic Audio Dramatizations of Illona Andrews Kate Daniels books (9 and 10), which I'd forgotten the plots of - for the most part.)

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