kaffy_r | Reading

These are some posts from the later part of last week in case you missed them:
Poem: "The Struggle Against Overwhelming Odds"
Poem: "Embrace My Fate"
John Scheepers Kitchen Garden Seeds Order
Poem: "The Spectrum of Your Being"
Early Humans
Birdfeeding
Vocabulary: Bricolage
Today's Adventures
Science
Birdfeeding
Meteor Shower Calendar
Philosophical Questions: Life
Edible Landscaping Order
Meme
Photos: House Yard
Water
Birdfeeding
Books
Follow Friday 2-20-26: Active Communities on Dreamwidth Winter 2025-2026 A-I
Energy
Birdfeeding
Community Thursdays
Photos: Flowerbeds
Books
Birdfeeding
Hard Things

Safety has 49 comments. Food has 53 comments. Wildlife has 39 comments. Food has 67 comments. Robotics has 146 comments.

Last week's half-price sale in Not Quite Kansas went well. All sponsored poems have been posted, so you can find those via the title links on the sale page.

The 2026 Rose and Bay Awards are now open for excellence in crowdfunding. It's time to vote for your favorite projects!

The award period for eligible activities spans January 1-December 31, 2025.
The nomination period spans January 1-January 31, 2026.
The voting period spans February 1-February 28, 2026.

These are the handlers for the 2026 award season:

Art: gs_silva Nominate art! Vote for art!
Fiction: fuzzyred Nominate fiction! Vote for fiction!
Poetry: gs_silva Nominate poetry! Vote for poetry!
Webcomic: curiosity Nominate webcomics! Vote for webcomics!
Other Project: curiosity Nominate other projects! Vote for other projects!
Patron: fuzzyred Nominate patrons! Vote for patrons!

"The Struggle Against Overwhelming Odds" belongs to Not Quite Kansas and needs $34.50 to be complete. Raymond and Gideon get attacked on the way home from research.

The weather has been variable here. Seen at the birdfeeders this week: a large flock of sparrows, several starlings, one male and two female house finches, one female and two male cardinals, a mourning dove, and a fox squirrel. I flushed the great horned owl from the ritual meadow when I went out there. A skein of geese flew overhead, going north. Currently blooming: crocuses.

Current Mood: busy

rmjwell

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

mxcatmoon

Writing it such a fascinating process. Like, I'm riveted to this scene playing out -- I have no idea how it's going to end.

When I began writing, I intended it to be a Rico/Trudy fic that was consummated. I had a very clear idea of what would happen. It was going to be sweet and poignant.

Then, the characters had to put emotions and motivations into the process. Now, it's a battle of will they or won't they. Who knows?! Trudy is willing, and her reasons are touching and sweet. Rico is being Mr. Moral, coming up with reasons why they shouldn't.

So, the jury is still out. I have no idea who is going to win. I just know that Rico is a twenty-first century guy living in the twentieth century. I've noticed that in previous fics. I have no idea why, but I let the characters be who they tell me they are, so. Is it something I'm picking up on in canon? Going by the way he is with Valerie, I'd be doubtful, but I write on instinct and I won't force myself to go against my instincts.

Current Mood: curious

ysabetwordsmith

These are the notes for "The Struggle Against Overwhelming Odds."

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

This poem is spillover from the October 2020 Creative Jam. It was inspired by a prompt from

wyld_dandelyon. It also fills the "demons" square in my 10-1-20 card for the Fall Festival Bingo. This poem has been sponsored by a pool with

fuzzyred. It belongs to the series Not Quite Kansas.

Warning: This poem contains intense and controversial topics. Highlight to read the more detailed warnings, some of which are spoilers. It includes feeling lost, an unprovoked attack, hellhounds, violence, gore, unexpected rescue, playing with prey, fatally injured opponents, minor injuries to main characters, awkward discussions, willing sacrifice, intimate magical healing, and other challenges. If these are sensitive issues for you, please consider your tastes and headspace before reading onward.

This microfunded poem is being posted one verse at a time, as donations come in to cover them. The rate is $0.25/line, so $5 will reveal 20 new lines, and so forth. There is a permanent donation button on my profile page, or you can contact me for other arrangements. You can also ask me about the number of lines per verse, if you want to fund a certain number of verses. So far sponsors include:

fuzzyred,

355 lines, Buy It Now = $44.50
Amount donated = $10
Verses posted = 13 of 118
Amount remaining to fund fully = $34.50
Amount needed to fund next verse = $0.25
Amount needed to fund the verse after that = $0.75

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

Here are the notes for "Embrace My Fate."

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

This poem is spillover from the October 6, 2020 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by a prompt from

librarygeek. It also fills the "How do you want to do this?" square in my 10-1-20 card for the Fall Festival Bingo. This poem has been sponsored by a pool with

fuzzyred. It belongs to the series Not Quite Kansas.

Warning: This poem contains intense and controversial topics. Highlight to read the more detailed warnings, some of which are spoilers. It includes feeling lost, sorting through a lair acquired by combat, reference to past abuse, cursed artifacts, damned souls, worry, magical body modification, restraint for safety, awkward emotional discussions, and other challenges. If these are sensitive issues for you, please consider your tastes and headspace before reading onward.

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

innitmarvelous_og posting in

iconthat

Link: https://i.imgur.com/hmbIFU7.jpg

Current Mood: tired
Current Music: Agents of SHIELD Season 1, Episode 19

ysabetwordsmith

I picked out what I wanted from John Scheepers Kitchen Garden Seeds. This catalog has the Safe Seed Pledge, meaning everything is non-GMO/toxin-free. My partner Doug further notes that they have the best, easiest ordering system of all the catalogs we use. Call up the Smart Order Form and when you key in the product number, the rest autofills, tells you if it's still in stock, and lists the price. \o/ Somegeek earned their coffee today!

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

These are the notes for "The Spectrum of Your Being."

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

olivermoss

Today I finally got full legendary armor for my main, a project I started on November 17, 2015. Yeah, it's been a minute! I had most of the set complete for a while, but for raids I was maining warrior so I switched to completing that set. Then when Obsidian came out I started working on that for light armor. I also completed other legendary projects in the meantime.

This is the messy version of a tracker that I will do nicer in my tracking notebook:

Most people I game with have, and assume I have, the two section of each column done at least. I am 1 away on light armor. A million years away on rings. Pretty close on some weapons. (Ascended and Legendary have the same stat totals, so I am not dragging things down by having inferior gear, but not having Legendary utility means I can't role flex and do other things.)

I crafted 2 pieces of legendary medium this week. I 'only' need a week of Horn of Maguuma metas and convergences to complete light and be fully done with legendary armor. So close, and yet so not doing that this week. I've got other stuff to do.

Actually, to have *full* full leggy gear I'd need double the amount of leggy weapons listed, but I am ignoring that.

I am way less invested in GW2 these days so finishing these projects is a mixed thing. I am not going to get a ton of use out of them, but also wrapping things up feels good and makes play less awkward. ... but also putting in some hours this week and I'll be done with something I've been working on for 11 years and just wont have to think about it, bank materials for it, track things for it.... No more going 'oops, can't make X because that will use materials put aside for leggy'

muccamukk

I just have such a strong reaction to the question: "Is it queerbaiting if straight actors play gay roles?"

My answer is neither "yes" nor "no."

It's "Not today, Satan!"

mxcatmoon

Not doing anything structured at the moment, just ala carte work. I still have some stuff to catch up on, like I haven't posted all my three-sentence fic that I wrote over here yet.

( Read more... )

Current Mood: contemplative

mecurtin posting in

fandom_checkin

This is your check-in post for today. The poll will be open from midnight Universal or Zulu Time (8pm Eastern Time) on Sunday, February 22, to midnight on Monday, February 23 (8pm Eastern Time).

Poll #34278 Daily check-in poll

Open to: Access List, detailed results viewable to: Access List, participants: 23

How are you doing?

I am OK
15 (68.2%)

I am not OK, but don't need help right now
7 (31.8%)

I could use some help
0 (0.0%)

How many other humans live with you?

I am living single
6 (26.1%)

One other person
12 (52.2%)

More than one other person
5 (21.7%)

Please, talk about how things are going for you in the comments, ask for advice or help if you need it, or just discuss whatever you feel like.

ysabetwordsmith

This poem is spillover from the September 1, 2020 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by a prompt from

librarygeek. It also fills the "How do you want to do this?" square in my 9-1-20 card for the I Want Fries With That! Bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by a pool with

fuzzyred. It belongs to the series Not Quite Kansas.

Warning: This poem contains intense and controversial topics. Highlight to read the more detailed warnings, some of which are spoilers. It includes feeling lost, a headless chicken running around, a fight with bit character fatalities, moderate injuries to a main character, messy medical details, an imprisoned demon, torture, binding magic, demonic healing, and other challenges. If these are sensitive issues for you, please consider your tastes and headspace before reading onward.

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

conuly

I didn’t guess that I’d be stuck with the roads closed until at least noon tomorrow.

Well, I’m getting paid every hour I’m here, at least.

china_shop posting in

sid_guardian

Zhao Yunlan sprawled on a couch, grinning at his phone. The background shows a purply sky with stars. Text reads "Slo-Mo Rewatch. Guardian - half an episode per week @ sid-guardian.dreamwidth.org."

Hi, and welcome back to the Guardian drama Slo-Mo Rewatch. Watch half an episode a week, at your leisure, and then come and chat about it here in comments. Or you can just jump into the comments without rewatching, of course!

Here are the previous weeks' rewatch posts.

Episode 12, up to 22:18

Summary
Fourth Uncle drugs Zhu Hong; Guo Changcheng zaps himself unconscious. Wang Zheng is teaching Sang Zan to write (but hasn't shown him how to hold a pen). Zhao Yunlan confronts Shen Wei in his university office, ostensibly about the case but in fact seeking confirmation of Shen Wei's other identity. Tan Xiao breaks into the SID to steal the Hallows but is thwarted by Sang Zan's trap, followed by Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei's arrival. Zhao Yunlan catches the Awl, has visions and falls unconscious (feat. some lovely manhandling by Shen Wei); Da Qing wakes him by being catlike. Lin Jing wants to run some tests on a human; Zhao Yunlan fakes a headache, so Shen Wei volunteers. Shen Wei lies on the evidence bed in his undershirt. Fourth Uncle talks to tied-up!Zhu Hong, only it's actually Guo Changcheng in a skirt and wig. Zhu Hong drugs her uncle. (So much drugging!) Zhu Jiu is angry at Tan Xiao's failure to retrieve the Hallows; he's holding Zheng Yi hostage, promising to cure her. Zhao Yunlan doodles Shen Wei and the Envoy in his notebook. Tan Xiao and Zheng Yi ambush and hypnotise Zhu Hong as she returns from the Snake Village. She fights Chu Shuzhi, and Lin Jing has to sedate her. Zhao Yunlan tells Tan Xiao and Zheng Yi that they can't trust Zhu Jiu.

Zhao Yunlan is examining Shen Wei's face for a mask tanline when Shen Wei opens his eyes.

Zhao Yunlan is examining Shen Wei's face for a mask tanline when Shen Wei opens his eyes.

Quote
Shen Wei: Are you even listening to me?
Zhao Yunlan: I only want to hear you tell the truth.

Detail
Presumably Zhao Yunlan is already wearing protective earplugs when he apprehends Tan Xiao and Zheng Yi on his own.

Questions
Do you have a stand-out favourite scene or quote from the first half of episode 12? How is Zhao Yunlan hoping that the conversation in Shen Wei's office will go? Does Sang Zan have any other booby traps set up around the SID (and how many times has Guo Changcheng set them off)? Did Shen Wei put himself in a trance/stasis during Lin Jing's experiment? Any theories about what happened to Tan Xiao's sister? What's with all the drugging??

Poll #34277 Episide 12, part 1

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 5

View Respondents

How many times has Guo Changcheng zapped himself unconscious before?

View Answers

once
0 (0.0%)

a couple of times
1 (20.0%)

truly an alarming number of times
2 (40.0%)

Lin Jing is ~this close~ to confiscating the baton
0 (0.0%)

Chu Shuzhi bought a portable defibrillator to take to training practice
3 (60.0%)

other
0 (0.0%)

Does Shen Wei expect Zhao Yunlan to take him literally when he says, "To be honest, I'm just a normal person who happens to be unlucky"?

View Answers

yes, he's determined to stuff the cat back into the bag
1 (20.0%)

he doesn't *expect*, exactly; but he hopes!
3 (60.0%)

no, he's implicitly asking Zhao Yunlan to play along
3 (60.0%)

other
1 (20.0%)

Why does Shen Wei volunteer to be a test subject?

View Answers

he thinks he can fake a human field of consciousness
2 (40.0%)

he's no longer really hiding his identity; he just doesn't want to admit the truth in so many words
3 (60.0%)

other
0 (0.0%)

Did you see any parallels in these scenes with other parts of the drama? If you're familiar with the novel, any thoughts about how the drama adaptation compares, if at all?

(As usual, these are all just conversation starters - feel free to answer all, some, or none, and to say as much or as little as you like! You don't have to be keeping up with the rewatch to join in. We'd love to hear your thoughts!)

And here is our schedule -- if you can, please sign up to host a post!

olivermoss

While that was not the result I wanted...

Today's USA versus Canada game was a big deal because NHL players couldn't be in the Olympics for a while. Today was the most top talent on the ice that's been seen ever, because last time USA was in the Olympics we had far fewer NHL players on our roster. This was as close to 'just let all the best players play each other' as we've ever gotten.

Youtube short that is a visualization of the increasing parity between countries and comparing this year to the last time NHLers could play.

impala_chick posting in

iconthat

Both from Heated Rivalry.

( URLs and Alt )

ysabetwordsmith

Homo erectus fossils in East Asia rewrite the timeline of human migration

A new analysis dates three Homo erectus skulls from central China to about 1.77 million years ago, making them the oldest securely dated hominin fossils in eastern Asia.

That older age shifts the arrival of early humans in the region back by roughly 600,000 years and compresses the timeline of how quickly our ancestors spread across Eurasia.
[---8<---]
The same layer holds stone tools and animal remains, tying the skulls to a specific moment nearly 1.8 million years ago rather than the younger dates long cited.

Current Mood: busy

dreamshark

What should I listen to? I'm not likely to keep it, but it gives me a chance to sample some new music and see what I like.
Of course not having the most adventurous tastes in music, my first inclination is to listen to some Dylan albums I never got around to buying and that kind of thing.

I really don't like most music, so just random selections aren't going to work. I mostly like folk music (esp but not exclusively trad), old rock and roll, and some country (upbeat and/or clever, not the slow whiny kind). Where should I start? Or should I just stick to old Dylan tracks?

sovay

I spent much of yesterday running pre-blizzard errands, but the local state of the parking spots is the truest gauge of the meteorology about to go down.

I have not yet managed to get hold of her memoir, but I deeply appreciate being notified of the existence of E. M. Barraud, who identified herself with chalk-cut hill figures, candidly described her relationship status as "technically single, but 'married' in a permanent homosexual relationship with another woman," published under her assigned initials and was known in Little Eversden where she worked for the Women's Land Army as John. She gave her wartime responses for Mass-Observation as both a man and a woman: "People are people, not specifics of a gender." I had never even encountered her poetry.

Current Music: Pram, "The Owl Service"

case posting in

fandomsecrets

⌈ Secret Post #6988 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

01.

( More! )

Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 02 pages, 30 secrets from Secret Submission Post #998.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

brithistorian

I was reading this morning's edition of Dan Rather's Substack newsletter, where he was writing about the song "Stand By Me". (Apparently he writes about a song or musician every Sunday.)

Anyway, he mentioned that "Stand By Me" was "numbered among the Recording Industry Association of America’s 25 Songs of the Century." This naturally got me curious: A ranked list of things? That's like catnip to me!

So I went to look for it. Turns out that there's no such things as the RIAA "25 Songs of the Century." What there is is the "Song of the Century" list, produced by the RIAA in conjunction with the NEA and Scholastic Inc. It's a list of 365 songs. So where did Rather get this idea of "25 Songs of the Century"? Because "Stand by Me" is #25 on the list, and the Wikipedia entry for "Songs of the Century" only includes the top 25 songs on the list. Apparently Rather (or, more likely, one of his research assistants) looked at the Wikipedia entry, didn't read the text carefully, and based on the table of songs assumed that it was a list of 25 songs.

If you read the text carefully, not only do you get the correct number of songs. You also start to question the RIAA's methodology for creating the list. According to the entry, "[h]undreds of voters, who included elected officials, people from the music industry and from the media, teachers, and students" were asked to select the songs. These voters were selected by the RIAA (and one is forced to ask "how many students does the RIAA know?"), and of the 1300 voters selected, only 200 responded. Seems kind of sloppy and haphazard.

Then, if you read the list, you see that the voters were rather sloppy and haphazard in their definition of a song: #7 on the list is the entire album of West Side Story, which is not "a song." Altogether there are 18 albums on the list: 11 Broadway shows, 6 jazz albums, and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Obviously I don't have a copy of the instructions that the RIAA sent to the voters, but I think we can all agree that (with the exception of Thick as a Brick and possibly a few others) an album is not a song.

Also, just as an aside, I think 2001 (when this survey was conducted) was a bit premature to be choosing the most impactful songs of the 20th century.

All that being said, I think any other such list would be just as subject to being haphazard and subjective, and on skimming over the list I do think it would be an enjoyable and/or interesting list to listen to. Plus, unless you were born on February 29, you can figure out what day of the year you were born on and then look at the complete list and see what song your birthday corresponds to. (Mine is "Fight the Power" by Public Enemy.)

olivermoss

This was not the outcome I wanted, Canada

Silver lining - the big stories out of the gold medal game are about the Hughes bothers and Hellebuyck.

Profile

kaffy_r

February 2026

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Page Summary

ysabetwordsmith - Monday Update 2-23-26
rmjwell - Burlesque Picture of the Day, 2026-02-22: Elyse Elaine!
mxcatmoon - Will They, or Won't They?
ysabetwordsmith - Notes for "The Struggle Against Overwhelming Odds"
ysabetwordsmith - Poem: "The Struggle Against Overwhelming Odds"
ysabetwordsmith - Notes for "Embrace My Fate"
ysabetwordsmith - Poem: "Embrace My Fate"
innitmarvelous_og in iconthat - Challenge 201: Texturize 2
ysabetwordsmith - John Scheepers Kitchen Garden Seeds Order
ysabetwordsmith - Notes for "The Spectrum of Your Being"
olivermoss - Guild Wars 2
muccamukk - randomly
mxcatmoon - Sunday Check-in
mecurtin in fandom_checkin - Daily Check-In
ysabetwordsmith - Poem: "The Spectrum of Your Being"
conuly - I guessed people would call out, and I was right
china_shop in sid_guardian - Slo-Mo Rewatch: Guardian episode 12, part 1
olivermoss - (no subject)
impala_chick in iconthat - Challenge 201: Texturize 2
ysabetwordsmith - Early Humans
dreamshark - Oh look. Free Apple Music for 3 months
sovay - The bones of houses show in the summertime
case in fandomsecrets - [ SECRET POST #6988 ]
brithistorian - Pretty much the opposite of a scientific method, I suppose
olivermoss - (no subject)

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