Birdfeeding
Dec. 25th, 2025 02:32 pmI fed the birds. I've seen a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches.
I put out water for the birds.
EDIT 12/25/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.
EDIT 12/25/25 -- I hauled the last large branches to the ritual meadow. Then I started the long process of raking the parking lot.
EDIT 12/25/25 -- I did more work around the patio.
EDIT 12/25/25 -- I did more raking in the parking lot.
.
Holiday Wishes
Dec. 25th, 2025 01:16 pmIf there is anything you need to get off your chest, to let go so that you can get on, you can safely do it here. This post will be open for anyone, all day--but then tomorrow, it goes away. No judgement, no recrimination. Just a free space for anyone who needs to vent. And if no one does, nothing is lost!
Basically, this is someone's "Hard Things" post for holiday stress. Brilliant.
Vocabulary: Bokeh
Dec. 25th, 2025 01:09 pmBokeh is that creamy blur of color and light at the forefront and background of an image. It's that Out of Focus area, which draws your eye to the crisp subject... a car or face.
Now there's an obscure but super useful word for something we see quite often. :D
community thursday (dec. 18-24) (more or less)
Dec. 25th, 2025 11:52 amWelcome back to another Community Thursday! Original Community Thursday info here, if you're interested and want to participate, too.
Posted/Commented
- Put a Star Wars fic rec in
recthething - Voted on the 2026 theme poll in
fancake - Shared The Muffs' Sad Tomorrow on
onesongaday - Shared a Youtube video essay about knitting on
youtuberecs
New-to-me Comms
ysabetwordsmith posted a list of comms focusing on language and linguistics and one of them led me to
the_magick_circle, which I joined
inkingitout is a low-stress writing comm, with the goal to write 75k words in a year. Sign-ups close January 3rd!
Interesting Comm Posts
icons is hosting a friending meme!- Amazing set of cloud photos from
yourlibrarian in
common_nature
Yuletide!
Dec. 25th, 2025 09:46 amThe Doorway to Home (3677 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Changeling - Zilpha Keatley Snyder
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Martha Abbott/Ivy Carson
Characters: Josie Carson (The Changeling)
Additional Tags: it's pre-relationship but I very much intend it to be pre-, Post-Canon, theater kids having theater kid feelings, and friendship feelings and gay feelings
Summary:
The idea of college felt very large and overwhelming, and much farther away than Cath seemed to think it was. Cath continued, "I suppose you'll be looking mostly at New York or L.A., of course, since you love acting so much."
Martha’s mother said “Yes, it does seem likely, doesn’t it?” and her father said “New York is awfully far away, though,” and her mother said “But the drama schools are famous there,” and everybody chewed over the idea while Martha sat stock still and stared down at her plate. The entire world was rearranging itself inside her head.
Postponed video for Christmas
Dec. 25th, 2025 11:40 amHappy Holidays!
Dec. 25th, 2025 10:55 amAs usual for someone whose job is affected by the holidays, I'm pretty relieved it's over. It's just exhausting, and somehow, I'm always too busy to really get into the season. I don't even bother decorating these days.
But I got a nice, unexpected Christmas present this year. My job does random drawings weekly during the season, as a way to encourage people to not call out. If you have perfect attendance that week, you're entered to win one of the prizes. On Monday, a few of us were talking about the prizes and I was saying that there wasn't anything I really wanted, except maybe a TV. I didn't really need one, but mine is in my bedroom. I have a small, old one in the living room, the kind that doesn't have internet. Since I don't have cable and rabbit ears don't work where I live, all it's good for is watching DVDs, so I said it would be nice to have a TV for the living room. On Tuesday, which was my day off, my name was called for a 65". So yesterday on Christmas Eve, I came home with a new TV. Merry Christmas to me! It was just so weird and funny how I was talking about it the day before, and then I won it the next day.
Book #08 Der Markisenmann by Jan Weiler
Dec. 25th, 2025 04:35 pm
Der Markisenmann by Jan Weiler
i read book 7 before this but the draft is on my computer at home. i will post it once i'm home again.
For some reason, this book has not been translated to English. Considering it seems to be on the German school curriculum and is by far the author's most popular novel, that surprised me. Oh, well.
It's not like I liked it that much, so you're not missing out. ;)
Kim, 15 years old, and unhappy growing up with her mother, her stepdad and half-brother, has to spend the summer with her father, who she has never met before. Both of them carry a large guilt. Her father is trying to make up for his by selling unsellable old product door-to-door, and she starts helping him.
some thoughts, non-spoilery
* It took me three chapters to figure out that the main character is a girl - that was weird. I still don't quite trust the author to realistically write a 15-year-old girl, even after having read that book and being unable to put my finger on exactly why.
* From the very start, I had trouble identifying with the main character. I don't think I want to blame the author, I'm just not very interested in 15-year-old girls and their problems, even if those problems are relatable - although to be fair I don't remember having had similar problems, myself. (Except for the unrequited crushes, I do remember those. :D )
* I liked that there was never an answer for all the guilt. She feels guilty for setting her brother on fire - half accidentally, half not, she herself doesn't know - but there is no solution for it.
* Her father deals with his guilt in his own way, by setting himself an impossible task and doing penance for the rest of his life. I never quite managed to get how anone would do that. Yes, he ruined someone's life, yes he can never make up for that, and still. It just never clicked with me.
* Nothing much happens in this book. She gets to know the people who live around her father, falls in love with a neighbor boy but doesn't make anything of it, goes door to door with her father selling ugly canvas blinds (which is where the name of the book comes from). It's quite unremarkable, but she grows up a lot. That's the point.
* The parts about the father's (and mother's and stepdad's) East German past were quite good, but too short in my opinion, and it took a bit long for her to find out what exactly happened. They're probably the reason why the book is on the school curriculum.
* The insights into different people were quite poignant, but overall nothing really gripped me. Maybe it's because the author wrote the book for his daughter, i.e. it's basically a YA book, and I felt like there was nothing new for me in it.
3 stars - Not bad, just not my type of book.

1 - 5 stars - Shards of Earth by Adrian Tchaikovsky The Final Architecture #1 [DW link]
2 - 2 stars - Miss Merkel: Mord auf dem Friedhof by David Safier Miss Merkel #2 [DW link]
3 - 4 stars - Once Broken Faith by Seanan McGuire Toby Daye #10 [DW link]
4 - 1 star - Three Body Problem by Liu Cixin [DW link]
5 - 5 stars - Murderbot Diaries 1-4 by Martha Wells [DW link]
6 - 4 stars - Die Neuerfindung der Diktatur/We Have Been Harmonized by Kai Strittmatter [DW link]
7 - tbd
8 - 3 stars - Der Markisenmann by Jan Weiler [DW link]
(no subject)
Dec. 25th, 2025 03:24 pmAhh we really do hit the point where i wish the people i love are people i like earlier and earlier every year
What IS wrong with Gaming Journalism?
Dec. 25th, 2025 10:45 amWhat can I say? I’m too cool to be a nerd but too nerdy to be cool. Such is my long-standing curse, but that isn’t the end of it.
On top of all of it, I’m also a punk. Even though I no longer partake in the community (‘cause I have none) and distance myself from bein’ exclusively in that space, I got the political and social wisdom it imparted on me. Wisdom bein’, everythin’ fucking sucks but y’can always help your community ‘round you to make a change. Also, you can’t put Avril Lavigne in your fuckin’ crust pants, that’s not a crust band to put on yer crust PANT. My sensibilities and ability to call BULLSHIT have made me look deeper beyond the mainstream assumption that Gaming Journalism is just bad.
Sure, I can betcha is flawed like most other fuckin’ things in the world, but why is it BAD exactly? This question won’t be answered in this blog post, I’m postin’ the question for all the curious eyes scopin’ out my site, but I like givin’ extra context to why I’m askin’. Y’see, I can’t help but to notice that everytime someone says this to me it comes from a source I don’t trust. My brother says Gaming Journos are bad? I remember that he loves Asmongold and genuinely believes white racism is a thing. Twitter user Buttnuttgooner1488 tells me Gaming Journos are woke, damaging to the industry and shit? Well the symbolism in his frontpage aren’t exactly friendly, are they?
I realize this may be ‘cause I’m biased…. well D’UH, y’fuckin’ donut. What d’ya think? I’m not takin’ or hearin’ any gospel spoken outta the moufs of dimwits who have “PRINCIPLES” teeterin’ on the edge of danger fascist rhetoric – and you’ve gotta be a moron to take what they say with no pinch of salt. Half the time the criticizing ‘bout gaming journo ends up fallin’ down the anti-woke/sjw pipeline and delusional dreams ‘bout how the gaming community has always been acceptin’ of women and queer gamers (they don’t even touch the topic of racism ‘cause that would be havin’ to pull lotsa fucking weird tricks from under their sleeves).
I’m not askin’ for a “neutral” account and analysis. That’s another fuckin’ problem, the so-called CENTRISTS’ are just gutless gonzos who can never make a decision in their lives (and comin’ from a versatile bisexual? that’s a BURN) or signal their allegiance to anyone ‘cause they’re coward frumpwusses who rely on the inaction to survive. Y’don’t want me to listen to your bullshit either, I’m gonna call it right out.
I’m lookin’ for critiques within my own pond, frankly. That’s why I point it out. Half the time we’ve got biases, I can easily identify ‘em. Some other times — dependin’ on who’s saying shit — I can trust that someone’s bein’ fair on the topic and it’s not some secret agenda to push ya into an alt-right discord to slowly get you brainwashed. I need an actual point.
So, I guess that’s the question to wrap up this unwarranted rant.
What IS wrong with Gaming Journalism? Is it a similar issue with Journalism as a whole? Are people just whinin’ that their super special niche has branched out into the mainstream and how — like many other mediums — has got a few hands stirrin’ the pot now?
God jul!
Dec. 25th, 2025 03:27 pmWorking was thankfully slow, and as I work evening today as well, I hope to have another slow workday. I plan to check out Yuletida and see if there is any fanfic that interests me. I hope you all have a lovely day, regardless of how you spend it!

(no subject)
Dec. 25th, 2025 05:12 pmAfterwards, we went to the library. I finished reading the book I'd borrowed, and she browsed for a while before picking out a pile of books and then flipping through them to decide what she wanted to borrow. I borrowed Butter by Asako Yuzuki, and it's the specific edition that I'd been eyeing in Shelfish ever since I worked there and wasn't allowed to read the books. (You know, when you're not allowed to do something you want to doubly do it.) Is the fact that the library had it a Sign? Anything's a sign if you want to give it significance. I'm healing, so it's a Sign.
Nikki had wanted to go to Spinebreaker or Shelfish initially. I told her that both places had traumatised me and that it was a long story. She thought I was joking at first, but I didn't want to go into the whole history of both places and why I wasn't welcome at either. I told her that it was awkward telling people that I was traumatised by bookstores because, when I tell them I was traumatised by school for instance, they instinctively understand, but when I say I was traumatised by bookstores, they think I must be joking.
The part I didn't tell her is that when people react like this, it feels like they're laughing at what I experienced or trivialising my hurt, even though they mostly don't know enough to react aptly in the first place. It's just such a difficult thing to talk to people about that I wish it never came up in the first place. The emotional labour of explaining it and making them understand the impact it had on me just sucks, as a process. For a while, I've been thinking that they can't understand me as a person without knowing this about me, but maybe this isn't as big a part of my self as all that. At one point it defined everything about the way I was, but thankfully that time is behind me. As the heroine of the manhwa Not Your Typical Reincarnation Story says, people heal with time and people are more resilient than they think.
Location notes for "A Human Scale, Full-Featured Settlement"
Dec. 25th, 2025 01:22 am(no subject)
Dec. 25th, 2025 12:59 amand I wish you happiness.
And tomorrow, because it will be the day after Christmas,
I shall still wish you happiness; and so on throughout the year.
I may not be able to tell you about it every day because I may be far away,
or because both of us may be very busy, or perhaps I cannot even afford to pay the postage on so many letters;or find the time to write them.
But that makes no difference. The thought and the wish will be here just the same
In my work and in the business of life I mean to try not to be unfair to you in any way.
In my pleasure if we can be together, I would like to share the fun with you.
Whatever joy or success that comes to you will make me glad.
Without pretense, and in plain words Good Will is what I mean.
May the spirit of Christmas be yours throughout the year.
— Henry Van Dyke
Character notes for "A Human Scale, Full-Featured Settlement" Part 4 Last 13
Dec. 25th, 2025 12:51 am( Read more... )
