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Back to work this morning after 4 days (+ the weekend) off and it felt like I was away longer based on the 310 emails in my inbox sigh. Thankfully, Assistant J handled a bunch of stuff while I was out, so I didn't have to worry about that, but the CEO and Chair keep asking me for very labor-intensive things and then when I produce them they're like, nah, that's not what we meant. Like, you asked for a list of ALL ACTION ITEMS from ALL COMMITTEES plus the board for the last 6 years. That is a pretty specific ask! And then after I produce it, to turn around and say, no, no, we just want a list of stuff that came up. WTF? My boss thinks it's the CEO badly misinterpreting what the Chair wants, because this keeps happening, but I also wonder if my boss is not getting it either and so I'm hearing it third-hand and it's just...garbled at that point. Idk.

Anyway! A couple of years ago we created a follow-ups list but it was annoying to me because I like to spend my work time getting my work done, not documenting the work I've done in a spreadsheet when the documents should stand as the...documentation. But I guess that's what we're doing now. 🙄

So I was off for 6 whole days in a row and did not watch any of the things I planned to watch. It's just so hard for me right now to invest in something new, I guess. I have watched the first episode of a couple of different things, but none of them has made me want to watch further with any urgency. I also have the second season of many shows to watch and haven't done that either. I think right now books are easier? Which they weren't for the last few years, so maybe I will just ride that for a while. *hands*

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Current Mood: annoyed
Current Music: Mets vs Brewers on tv

xkcd_feed

https://xkcd.com/3274/

Most coffee shops have a descendant of Sophia of Hanover on staff for this, but just as I was about to ask for help, a previously unknown heir of Uther Pendragon who was ordering a muffin tripped on my laptop cord.

https://xkcd.com/3274/

rilina

It's been a bit of an odd garden season around here, and everything feels a little behind! But last week the first tomatoes began to ripen. This year I'm growing Juliet, Sun Gold, and Sun Sugar, and I've gotten a few from each. The Juliet grape tomatoes are enormous this year, almost mini-plum sized.

Earlier this season I felt like none of my herbs were growing, and then when I wasn't paying attention, a lot of them took off and promptly bolted. Welp. Today I did my first major harvest of basil--I bought a small live plant at Trader Joe's, divided it up, and ended up with many separate plants!--and made a batch of pesto, using this recipe.

I used my 3-cup Cuisinart food processor, which I've had for at least a decade, to make the pesto. I bought the food processor when I had less kitchen space, and I sort of long for a larger one, but I don't know that I can justify another one when this one does 75% of what I need it for. Recently I was watching random cooking videos on YouTube, I learned about a feature in my food processor that I didn't realize was a feature. There is a small hole in the plastic cup that you insert into the feeding tube so that food doesn't fly up when the machine is on. I always assumed it was just was for easier drying when washing, but it's actually to allow you to carefully drizzle liquids into whatever you are making. In this case, drizzling olive oil into the pesto that I was mixing up! I am pretty amused that it took me this long to learn that. I certainly don't have the box or instruction manual for it anymore.

In other news, I planted a blueberry bush earlier this year. A couple weeks ago I noticed that the berries on it were just beginning to ripen. Then I got distracted by vacation and a house guest and Readercon and extreme heat and smoke. I checked it yesterday, and it has of course been stripped bare. I hope the birdies and squirrels enjoyed their snack. Maybe I'll get to enjoy some homegrown blueberries next year.

musesfool

Just a quick update for those who were wondering, yes, Jiffy corn muffin mix is still A++ 💯 in terms of what I want in a corn muffin (and how I remember them tasting). And 6 muffins for 99¢ plus 1 egg and 1/3 cup of milk is so worth it. The instructions say let the mixture sit 3-4 minutes before scooping into the muffin cups, but I let it sit 10 (per the blueberry corn muffins recipe from a few weeks ago) while the oven was heating, and they domed so nicely. Definitely recommended! I will be enjoying them for breakfast the next few days.

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Current Mood: nostalgic
Current Music: the Mets losing again

runpunkrun posting in

fancake

musesfool

Reading this made me tear up this morning (in a good way): Trans Girl Baseball Makes Me A Better Woman (Defector gift link).

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Current Mood: hopeful

xkcd_feed

https://xkcd.com/3273/

NGS and IERS are complaining that they left CLEAR instructions to set the washing machine to WGS84 (G2296) instead of WGS84 (G730).

https://xkcd.com/3273/

runpunkrun

An original m/m romance novel about a prince and a celebrity chef that's utterly charming and very kind, a modern fairy tale where the prince is democratically elected and publicly gay, and the celebrity chef promotes local, sustainable practices.

And because this is Sam Starbuck, aka

copperbadge, you can read an early draft on AO3 (which is what I did, it's fine!) or download the final draft in PDF from Drive.

And if you like that (and I did!), there's plenty more Sam's written in this universe, though I've only read this first piece, twice now.

Contains: low heat (implied sex only), three kinds of cheese (lots of descriptions of food and eating and a celebrity chef made in the mold of Guy Fieri (affectionate)).

runpunkrun posting in

fancake

August will be a Flashback round where we revisit a classic theme from the early years of the comm.

Poll #34840 round 189 theme poll

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: Just the Poll Creator, participants: 86

Pick the next theme of fancake:

Epistolary
25 (29.1%)

Pining
31 (36.0%)

Worldbuilding
30 (34.9%)

xkcd_feed

https://xkcd.com/3272/

All discussions of daylight saving time policy are doomed by a mix of contradictory, inconsistent, and impossible preferences, which is why I think the only thing we can really hope to do is to make it worse.

https://xkcd.com/3272/

musesfool

Yesterday, I made a key lime pie, and this morning, I had it for breakfast, because that is what I do on my birthday! (And Thanksgiving - pie for breakfast is a Thanksgiving tradition in my family.) Here's the recipe I used:

( key lime pie recipe )

I just bought a premade graham cracker crust though, so it was even easier than it sounds.

I also started clearing out some clothes I no longer wear or that no longer fit etc., one drawer a day to keep it manageable.

For dinner, I made the King Arthur small batch focaccia, but for some reason it stuck to the pan. It was still delicious, just annoying. I still recommend the recipe, just maybe not on a 95°F day. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Mostly, I've been reading fic and scrolling on tumblr - it's been a good, relaxing day.

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Current Mood: happy
Current Music: Black Water - Doobie Brothers

rydra_wong

https://observer.co.uk/culture/books/article/the-visions-of-m-john-harrison (non-paywalled)

Review of M John Harrison's new book The End of Everything, but also a reflection on Harrison's work in general, with some suggestions on where to start depending on your literary interests.

Beautifully-written and worth reading if you love Macdonald's work, even if you have no interest in Harrison per se.

I am somehow deeply unsurprised to learn that like me, Macdonald ran into Harrison's writing (and J G Ballard's The Voices of Time, which they also mention here) at an impressionable age.

(I got very flappy-handed with glee when Macdonald mentioned The Voices of Time on Bsky, because the reference to it in a word you've never understood had been in the draft for a long time at that point, and it made me feel I had successfully tuned into the right wavelength.)

full_metal_ox posting in

fancake

Fandom: Mo Dao Zu Shi
Pairings/Characters: Mo Xuanyu, Wei Wuxian (mentioned), Nie Huaisang (implied), Lan Wangji (mentioned; implied); Mo Xuanyu/Himself, Mo Xuanyu & Wei Wuxian, Lan Wangji/Wei Wuxian (mentioned; implied), Mo Xuanyu -> Nie Huaisang (one-sided)
Rating: Explicit
Length: 4,927
Content Notes: Body Modification (voluntary), Cannibalism (mentioned as part of the culture), canon-typical ritual bloodletting, Classism, First Person POV, Needles, Scenery Porn
Creator Tags: Masturbation, Voyeurism, mermaid Mo Xuanyu, Non-Human Genitalia, Prehensile dick, Worldbuilding, Abyssal Mermaids, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, In that most of the sects are benthopelagic sea critters, And Wei Wuxian actually gets to talk to Mo Xuanyu, Monsterfucker Mo Xuanyu, POV Mo Xuanyu, Hair Kink (minor), self-bondage (minor), Misunderstandings

Creator Links: (AO3)

LesbianlazerOwl; (Dreamwidth)

lazerowl; (Twitter)

gay_lazerOwl

Theme: Unreliable Narrator, Cultural Differences, Interspecies Pairings, Languages & Linguistics, Mermaids, Pining, Worldbuilding, Xeno/Alien Biology

Summary: Mo Xuanyu lives alone at the edge of the habitable world, continuing Wei Wuxian's work and strengthening his cultivation. One day soon, he hopes to surpass the Yiling Laozu's power and follow him into the unknown. Complications arise.

Creator Notes: (Cut for length.) ( Continue. )

Reccer's Notes: LesbianlazerOwl’s AU where the Jiang and Jin Sects are deep-sea merfolk is a strange and rapturous gem that turns Lovecraftiana upside-down (from the POV of a character embodying everything Lovecraft abhorred: a queer Asian—here turned sea creature—looking to monsterfuck.)

With all the haughty smarter-than-the-sheeple dudgeon of the alienated Emo Kid, Abyssal Merman! and Seeker of Arcane Knowledge Mo Xuanyu follows his idol the Yiling Laozu’s forbidden explorations of the mysterious and unfathomable surface—where, according to rumor, he found love with an eldritch air fairy! (Should the author ever see fit, I’d love to read a Wangxian prequel.)

LesbianlazerOwl compresses an incredible amount of atmosphere and implicit worldbuilding into just short of 5000 words, in ways that encourage still further speculation (the Sunshot Campaign is referenced; what could justify such a name in this world, and what were the Wen—creatures of the infernal blazing heights of the Epipelagic Zone?)

Fanwork Links: Rise and Shine, by

LesbianlazerOwl for

Shadaras: https://archiveofourown.org/works/42602655

Collections: Mutual Masturbation Exchange.

rydra_wong

https://bsky.app/profile/esqueer.net/post/3mqhgfxhyjk2h
https://bsky.app/profile/esqueer.net/post/3mqhxbimgi22h
https://bsky.app/profile/rahaeli.bsky.social/post/3mqlokwyuvs24

It's also here, btw: https://web.archive.org/web/20260709084603/https://media.amnesty.org.uk/documents/Report_-_A_growing_threat__the_anti-rights_movement_in_the_UK_July_2026.pdf

You see, according to some people, it might be defamatory to call groups campaigning to take rights away from trans people "anti-rights", because the official line from people like Kishwer Falkner and Akua Reindorf is that trans people never really had those rights, they just imagined they did because of bodies like the EHRC officially telling them they did (prior to the EHRC being institutionally captured when Kemi Badenoch deliberately appointed a "gender critical" head).

So if you ban them from doing things they've been allowed to do for at least forty years (like using gender-appropriate toilets), that's not taking rights away. And this is a logical and reasonable argument and not jawdropping levels of gaslighting.

And it doesn't matter if a court would eventually decide that it is legally permissible to call these groups "anti-rights" if someone can pour unlimited funds into bleeding Amnesty dry dragging them through the courts, because English defamation law lets you do that.

Did you know the only anti-SLAPP law in the UK relates specifically to the disclosure of economic crime and not anything else?

Anyway, as someone governed by English defamation law, I cannot comment without conclusive and legally-defensible evidence on whether the removal of the report was connected to the billionaire who is offering to fund groups named as "anti-rights" to sue Amnesty:

https://bsky.app/profile/esqueer.net/post/3mqkm7t7pq22e

Unclear if I am legally able to suggest that the prominent group blaming George Soros for funding Amnesty might, perhaps, be a tad antisemitic:

https://bsky.app/profile/esqueer.net/post/3mqlarqvy422x

The other recent report Amnesty put out about the "gender critical" movement specifically is still up, though. For now:

https://bsky.app/profile/beesandrikishis.bsky.social/post/3mqlno4cbds2j
https://media.amnesty.org.uk/documents/Like_a_snowball_final_.pdf

I'd like to think we all know what to do:

Watch on YouTube

xkcd_feed

https://xkcd.com/3271/

Once we've fully explored this space, we can start varying the number of princesses.

https://xkcd.com/3271/

petra

Desde el Convento del Sagrado Corazón de María (309 words) by Arithanas
Chapters: 3/3
Fandom: Mexican History - Fandom
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Additional Tags: Pastiche, Traducción, poesia, transformación, Translation, Spanish Translation, Sonet, Hendecasyllabic
Summary:

Ejercicio de composición y voz poética engendrado tras haber recibido generoso pienso de manos amigas.

arithanas ha traducido mi drabble sobre Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz -- no en otra lengua, pero transformado en soneto.

Tengo la ambición de traducir la historia traducida y el soneto transformado en inglés.

Mañana, corazón, mañana.

Current Mood: sabe de gloria
Current Music: Bailamos

out_there

A couple of short ficlets I wrote week before last and forgot to post to AO3.

A Vibe (512 words) by out_there
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Sports Night, Heated Rivalry (TV)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Casey McCall/Dan Rydell
Characters: Dan Rydell, Casey McCall
Additional Tags: Sports Night guys discussing Heated Rivalry
Summary:

Danny reached for the remote and hit pause. "Rozanov. And Hollander. Do you get a vibe?"

Standard Agency Fees (527 words) by out_there
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Loki (TV 2021)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Loki/Mobius M. Mobius
Characters: Loki (Marvel), Mobius M. Mobius
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fashion & Models
Summary:

Mobius let Loki's complaints wash over him, like the droning hum of zen chants, as he flicked through the photo spread. It might have been cold and uncomfortable to shoot but the end result looked amazing: Loki at a sun-drenched beach, lightly tanned skin and the long stretch of abs, wet swimshorts clinging to his long thighs. "Looks good."

musesfool

Yesterday was great! Both the cake and the brownies turned out well and everyone liked them! Baby Miss L enjoyed her new books and showed us all the pictures from her trip to Disney where she met so many princesses plus Winnie the Pooh and Tigger and Eeyore!

I also discovered that my brother's new pool has steps instead of a ladder, so I can actually use it. The last time I tried, it took me way too long to get myself out because I was so afraid my knee wouldn't hold up, since the distance between the rungs was so large. But the steps are easy to get up and down - I did not have a bathing suit yesterday but I did have bike shorts on under my dress, so I just hiked up the skirt and went down the first two steps to test it out and it was fine. So that makes me very happy! I can now spend most of my week there in the pool, weather permitting. I just have to remember my ear plugs, because last time I did that, I got a nasty ear infection. And mostly outside as well, away from all the cat dander that makes me so miserable, even with Zyrtec.

I also told my brother I was not handling anything related to the litter box and he and my niece assured me they have an automatic(?) one, and a backup one if the automatic one gets messed up, and it will be fine for a week. And apparently Brie was so anxious when Bleu had to go to the vet without her that now they might be leaving him home instead of sending him to camp for the week. Idk, but he is a very good boy! And Brie is still full of anxiety. but I figure if the weather is good, she can just stay outside until she's ready to come in, instead of me trying to coax her inside with treats and failing miserably. So we'll see how it goes!

Today, the cleaning ladies came, so my apartment is clean, and my laundry was dropped off (though they left it at the wrong apartment door - I swear, sometimes I can't even with people - so I had to go get it, but thankfully it was just one floor down), so my vacation is starting off on a very organized and tidy note. *g*

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Current Mood: sleepy
Current Music: All That Heaven Will Allow - Bruce Springsteen

petra

TwistedChick wrote a great takedown of the Washington Post's reporting on supposed proof of life for Mitch McConnell.

She notes that he may be dead or in a coma.

Because I am me, I think he's probably back in time. He'd get on remarkably well with Gene Hunt.

Current Mood: irreverent
Current Music: Dancin' in the streets

petra

La vida de Psique (200 words) by Petra
Chapters: 2/2
Fandom: Mexican History RPF
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Juana Ines de la Cruz/Original Female Character
Characters: Juana Ines de la Cruz
Additional Tags: References to Ancient Greek Religion & Lore, Inspired by Eros and Psyche (Ancient Greek Religion & Lore), Bilingual, English, Español | Spanish, Double Drabble, poets, Nuns
Summary:

F/F slash de personas reales muertas sobre la monja baroca mexicana favorita de todos. // Dead Real People Slash (F/F variety) about everyone's favorite highly literate Baroque Mexican nun.

*

1st chapter: the drabble in Spanish. 2nd chapter: the drabble in English.

Discúlpenme, el único icono que tengo de una lesbiana latina es Renée Montoya, quien es dominicana, no mexicana. Y Renée no es una monja tampoco.

I saw

sanguinity's post about reading Mexican history, remembered I'd written this in 2003, and discovered it wasn't on the AO3 yet. Now it is!

*

Deep thoughts about tagging: if Anakin Skywalker | Darth Vader includes a title, should Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz be Sor Juana at all times? How about if someone writes Santa Teresa de Ávila/Jesús? (Couldn't be me.)

*

If you read my drabble and it makes you want to read more fanfiction about antique Spanish-language sources, I cannot but commend Dellos Otros Enxiemplos del Conde Lucanor et de Patronio (also available in modern Spanish and in English), which is m/m slash of didactic stories from Castilla from the 14th century. I received it for Yuletide in 2013 and I will treasure it always.

Current Mood: poetic
Current Music: Hombres necios

Profile

imagina

July 2026

S	M	T	W	T	F	S
			1	2	3	4
5	6	7	8	9	10	11
12	13	14	15	16	17	18
19	20	21	22	23	24	25
26	27	28	29	30	31

Page Summary

musesfool - trying to beat the Miz
xkcd_feed - Arthurian Connector
rilina - Mid-July garden report
musesfool - it presents itself as a ball right out of the hand
runpunkrun in fancake - Theme Reminder: Unreliable Narrator
musesfool - buy me some peanuts and cracker jack
xkcd_feed - Latitude and Longitude
runpunkrun - Fete For A King, by Sam Starbuck
runpunkrun in fancake - Round 189 Theme Poll
xkcd_feed - Time Change
musesfool - and i ain't got no worries 'cause i ain't in no hurry at all
rydra_wong - Helen Macdonald on M John Harrison
full_metal_ox in fancake - Mo Dao Zu Shi: Rise and Shine, by LesbianlazerOwl for Shadaras.
rydra_wong - Amnesty International were just forced to pull down a report on "anti-rights" groups in the UK
xkcd_feed - The Princess and the Pea
petra - Recommendation: Desde el Convento del Sagrado Corazón de María - Translation into poetry, en español
out_there - Ficlets: A Vibe (SN) & Standard Agency Fees (Loki)
musesfool - there ain't a cloud up above
petra - US Politics: Weekend at Mitch's
petra - Drabble repost: La vida de Psique - en español e inglés (translation in 2nd chapter)

Style Credit

Style: Starflower for Mobility by branchandroot
Resources: Rounded Star 005

Page generated Jul. 21st, 2026 12:48 am