gluten_free | Member Posts

I've been re-watching Buffy, which I hadn't watched since roughly 2012? And I've picked up on various things that I didn't previously. Also, I'm astonished at how well it holds up for a series that aired between 1997-2003.

I've finished S2, and am into S3, which is a lot better than I remembered.
It doesn't have as many dud episodes, or skippable ones like S1 and 2 did.
S1 - the stand-a-lones were better, and S2 - the arc episodes were better. S3 - manages to hit the perfect balance between the two or it appears to, only six episodes in, but no duds yet. It also manages to do the same thing S2 did - which is bring in entertaining and creepy villains in Trick and the Mayor. I think they finally gathered together a good writing team - that gelled. With the additions of Jane Espenson and Doug Petrie to the mix.

Takeaways?

Beauty and the Beasts weirdly echoes Beneathe Me in S7. In both episodes, we have Buffy discover that the wicked vampire she was having an affair with, has returned somewhat crazy but with a soul. (Just differently.) And in both episodes there's a side story about a couple that is similar to Buffy's relationship to that vampire, but worse.
( analysis )

Xander, can you be a bigger jerk? Apparently so. I hadn't realized how committed the writers were to exploring the incel theme with Xander until this rewatch. People mentioned it over the years, but I just wasn't that focused on Xander or handwaved it? Also, I didn't like Cordelia previously, now, I kind of do. If you really dislike Cordelia - it's hard to see how abusive Xander truly is.
( analysis - if you are a Xander fan, you may want to skip, although I don't think there are any reading this any longer or Buffy fans for that matter - so not an issue )

* Cordelia is actually interesting? I'm surprised. But she is. And realistic. She's self-absorbed like well most people. And very much what Buffy might have been without the slayage - which the show always kind of got across.
She doesn't really have friends, but I'm not sure anyone truly does? Which is also interesting.

* Faith - I like better than I remembered. They are smart to not overuse the character, and go with less is more. I feel for Faith - Faith seems to care more about Buffy than Buffy cares about Faith. And genuinely wants to be friends with Buffy - but Buffy is distracted by Angel. It's an interesting writer choice that Cordy and Buffy fight off the people during slayerfest, while Faith goes to the prom by herself.

I can see why Faith eventually turns against Buffy and envies Buffy, part of this is on Buffy, Giles and the others. They cut Faith out in various ways. And are far too obsessed with their own romantic entanglements to see her or anyone else for that matter.

Romantic love (which I think is highly overrated) can often isolate, and alienate others - pushing people out of one's life. Romantic love that survives and becomes something greater such as friendship and companionship - brings people into one's life, as opposed to shutting them out. I think that is the test of a good relationship - does it bring in people or shut them out?

**

Not doing much today, outside of recovering from an illness. Back to work on Monday. It's sunny and windy outside, and in the low 80s. I may work on my book a bit, and maybe a little on my painting.

shadowkat

I'm far behind on the June Question a Day Meme...so this is me, catching up:

7. When was the last time you thoroughly dusted and polished your furniture?

My furniture isn't really dust-able? It's cushioned. But I did dust the shelves, tv stand etc, last weekend.

8. Have you ever been fishing?

Yes. The appeal is completely lost on me. I feel sorry for the fish. I really don't like looking my food in the eye or seeing it caught. I'm more gatherer than hunter. Also, I'm not a fan of most fish, so there's that.
Did it once with my brother and father - in the lake in front of the Grand Tetons. My brother finally caught a fish, but had to throw it back, after it had been half-suffocated to death, because it wasn't the type of fish we could eat. I forget the name. And I remember thinking - that poor fish. I'd rather learn to paddle board (I don't paddle board).

9. Is there something that someone close to you does which really irritates you, but you’ve never said anything to them about it?

If it really irritates me - then I will tell them. Rarely does any good, so not entirely sure why I bother? Half the time, I just hand-wave it - because it rarely does any good. Some things folks can't help doing, they aren't aware of it and it is just them? Pointing it out doesn't help or change it, and it just hurts them to do so. Also we all have ticks and irritable behaviors that others must endure.

There are other things - that people can choose not to do and stop doing, or at the very least while others are around, which I've noticed pointing out to them - helps. Such as my mother played a very noisy video game version of Mahjon when I visited her last year, and she switched to Sudoku which was quieter, when I visited her in the Spring of this year.

10. Have you ever made mayonnaise from scratch?

Yes. I'm not really a fan of mayonnaise though. And don't use it at all on anything. But I have done it.
( the rest )

Adding a question which is not part of the meme:

What is your current comfort television series or book series, which you've seen multiple times, or read multiple times, but continue to engage with?
[Note - not a new discovery, but something you've seen more than once, and go back to watch every few years? Or a book series, which you've read multiple times, listened to on audiobook or even graphic audio - more than once?]

Television Show: Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Why? It's a series about how tough life is, but you can't give up, and it's worth it to keep trying no matter what. Also about fighting your own demons. And done with metaphors. I think metaphorically - so this works for me. And it has a very strong female protagonist who is the central point of view. It shows how people's relationships evolve and change with time, friendships change and don't necessarily always last, and loved ones die or change and move away. And it's important to help each other and others no matter how scary it might be. Helps that I love all the characters, and adore urban fantasy as a genre.

Book Series: Kate Daniels Magic Series by Illona Andrews (a writing couple)

Why? It's also a series about how tough life is, but you can't give up...and features a bad ass female protagonist. It's among the few that shows how relationships evolve and change, friendships don't always last for various reasons, and how it is important to help others, no matter how scary it might be. [See above.]

Do you have anything that you return to over and over again for comfort? Be it a book series, a television series, movie, or song or album?

spikedluv

I hit Price Chopper while I was downtown and got in a longer walk around the park. I did a load of laundry, visited my aunt, filled my gas tank, mowed the lawn, did the usual amount of hand-washing dishes, and scooped kitty litter.

I finished reading a book, watched an HGTV program, talked to mom on the phone twice, and took a nap. (The heat and humidity did me in, I think,)

Temps started out at 70.0(F) (and was already humid) and reached 91.4. The only saving grace was that there was a breeze. We had on/off rain later in the evening, which netted us a double rainbow! And lowered the temps.

Mom Update:

Mom did not come home today. ( more back here )

elainegrey

Thursday morning

Tested negative yesterday afternoon; Christine strongly positive. Fingers crossed. Do i have a sore throat this morning, i wonder. (Every morning i go through latching onto some symptom to identify myself as coming down with COVID.)

Sick of masking. I am sitting outside (6:30 - 7:30 am) and have a collection of red spots which appear to be midge bites. Fie. I'm not sure our effective thermocell mosquito repeller is working on midges, and i don't remember having midge issues before... but i may have mistaken bite sites for something else like "chiggers."

Lunch time: I'm having one of my (mild!) trimengial neuraligia flares. But is there also a sore throat? I remembered our old scan-the-forehead thermometer: i'll start using it every time i am thinking, "Fever now?" and save the sanitation sleeves for once or twice a day.

Friday morning

No fever, but some sort of right side, ear to throat discomfort. Christine's sister, who seems a day ahead of Christine with symptoms, tested negative yesterday. Christine hopes to test negative today.

Carrie seems to have made it through two nights without her muzzle wearing just "pants" to protect her leg wounds. I did tape the cuff on the leg with the healing wounds one night, and the next just wrapped the one on her ankle so the pants (damp from the wet yard) could dry out.

--== ∞ ==--

Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in the majority opinion ... He acknowledged the “fierce scientific and policy debates about the safety, efficacy and propriety” of the treatments, but wrote that those questions should be resolved by elected legislators

I have nothing nice to say about scientific debates being resolved by legislators.

mific

Going slowly with my into-a-bar fic, but meanwhile, I made art of Uhura from the mirror universe to celebrate Juneteenth day. Click through for the full size pic on AO3.

celli

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duskpeterson

The best place to start your visit to the royal sanctuary is at Jackalfire Grove, just outside the door leading to the sanctuary. At one time, this grove of jackalfire trees was smaller, overlooking the so-called burning ground, where some of the worst events in Koretian history took place.

It is here, from the time of Koretia's earliest days, that god-cursed men and women were stoned to death. It is here that, in recent centuries, disobedient slaves were burned alive. And it is here that, during the ninth, the King of Koretia was slain by a rival in one of the many blood feuds that rent the fabric of Koretian society.

All of these atrocities – stoning, burning alive, and blood feuds – were abolished by the Emorians during their occupation of Koretia. Their abolition was confirmed by Koretia's present ruler, the Jackal, when he ascended the throne. Yet only two generations have passed since the outlawing of the most pernicious aspect of the Koretian gods' law. Many residents of Koretia's capital still remember the festive crowds that used to gather here when a god-cursed man or woman was stoned, or when a slave was burned alive.

Not surprisingly, most Koretians today avoid visiting this grove. Paradoxically, the Jackal encourages visits here, especially by families with children who like to play amidst the trees. It is his way of turning evil to good.

Before leaving, be sure to pluck a twig or leaf from one of the jackalfire trees. Bring it with you to the royal sanctuary.

[Translator's note: One of the terrible events in Jackalfire Grove occurs in Death Mask.]

isis

What I recently abandoned reading:

I got just over halfway through Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao before deciding that YA mecha is not my thing, even when it's a YA mecha AU of Chinese history. I think I'd rather read an actual historical novel or even nonfiction about Wu Zetian, who seems to have been an impressive-as-hell woman. (I will take recommendations!)

What I'm reading now:

Lamentation, the 6th Shardlake book by C. J. Sansom. (An actual historical novel! 😁)

What I recently finished watching:

S2 of Andor, which as I said, weirdly ironic to be watching as we grapple with our own ascendant Evil Empire. The pacing of this season was strange, big time-skips and characters that had seemed important in S1 (or in early episodes of S2) disappearing completely, or reappearing briefly only to be killed. I was expecting more about Mon Mothma's family, after all the screentime lavished on the wedding and her sort-of-blackmail situation. I was also expecting more of a resolution, though that's probably because I only vaguely remember Rogue One, so a lot of the breadcrumbs were, "wait, who was that again?" instead of, "aha!" for me. But I liked Kleya a whole lot, and also the snarky ex-Empire droid, and some of the spycraft bits were fun.

What I'm watching now:

We are giving American Primeval a try, despite it probably being on the violent/gory side for our tastes. We're two episodes in, and - I immediately recognized Shorty Bowlegs from the most recent season of Dark Winds! (Derek Hinkey, playing Red Feather.) Also, there is a local(ish) woman in it, Nanabah Grace from Cortez just down the road, who plays Kuttaambo'i. An article about her in the local newspaper was the way I first heard of this series, actually.

I'm enjoying the historical stuff; it's set during the Mormon War, which I actually researched a bit for my Yuletide fic, the premise of which was that the main reason that Deseret became an independent republic in the alt-history of Francis Spufford's Cahokia Jazz was that President Buchanan backed down in the face of united Mormons and natives, as both religion and respect for the tribes were stronger in that universe's US. I also like seeing the Old West, even though it was all filmed in New Mexico pretending to be Wyoming, although I'm getting a bit tired of the washed-out sepia filter.

What I recently finished playing:

Okay, not quite finished, but I have completed the last major quest in Mass Effect: Andromeda, so it's basically over. (I mean, the credits rolled! Therefore, it's over!) I know that Andromeda is considered ME's poor stepchild, but - I really enjoyed it. The "major threat to the world as we know it!!1!!one!" of the main trilogy is such a staple plotline of video games like this that I appreciated the "survive, explore, and (hopefully) thrive in a NEW UNIVERSE (and also defeat the major threat to the world as we know it)" plotline for its novelty. I thought the structure of quests opening new planets and objectives in a rough but not strict order worked well, and I really liked that most (maybe all?) decisions are not hugely critical, so you don't doom yourself to a bad ending by choosing X instead of Y. I did check the wiki a few times when I was nervous about things, but pretty much none of these decisions made any real difference, which meant I was free to actually role-play as "what WOULD (me as) Sara Ryder do?" and I find that much more relaxing.

I wasn't quite completionist - I didn't do all the fetch quest type quests, and I didn't do one vault (Elaaden, which I might go back and do), but I did pretty much everything else. I liked the glyph puzzles, and I hated the Architects, ugh. I played mostly as what in the main trilogy would be Infiltrator (combat + tech). I romanced Liam (after a fling with Peebee). It was fun!

What I'm playing next:

I think I will try some shorter games; I got Lorelei and the Laser Eyes a while back because a friend recommended it, and Skabma - Snowfall from a recent deal, because it looked pretty. I might try Baldur's Gate 3 again - I never managed to get into it and found it frustrating and annoying. Eventually I plan to get Dragon Age: The Veilguard, and also probably Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, which I've heard good things about.
(Or sell me on your favorite adventure game!)

jesse_the_k

I always enjoy the wide variety of postcards which appear regularly from fflo. Tuesday, fflo posted about the "Best Wrong Answers" to LearnedLeague. These are a series of punchline-worthy responses to Jeopardy!-style questions. For example:

In photography, the overall brightness of an image is determined by the "exposure triangle" of aperture, shutter speed, and a third factor which is a measure of the sensitivity of the camera's sensor (or the film) to light. This third factor is known as what?

REMEMBERING TO TAKE THE LENS CAP OFF

Even though I got online before the WWW, I’d never heard of LearnedLeague, which is a very dedicated group of trivia fiends. Here’s what I found:

Like any tight-knit community, there’s a ton of jargon. Participants are called LLamas (the double L matching Learned League). Membership is by invite only, though there is some public content at
LearnedLeague.com

Some of the world-readable "Best Worst Answer" tallies follow the URL pattern

https://learnedleague.com/hist/awards/100.php

Where 100 references the season—I had some fun plugging in random numbers.

From season 97:

A Wind in the Door (1973), A Swiftly Tilting Planet (1978), and Many Waters (1986) continue the story first told by author Madeleine L'Engle in what 1962 novel?

3 REASONS TO HAVE HOMEOWNERS INSURANCE

Public, unofficial Learned League groups on Reddit and Facebook. More fun to be had from grazing the #BestWrongAnswers tag on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/bestwronganswers

reeby10

20 Florence Pugh icons for

celebrity20in20. Film Poster inspiration is Clock (2023).

Preview:

*Icons are free for use.
*Credit and comments are nice.

( Read more... )

spikedluv

Having visiting hours not start until 11am has really helped with being able to get stuff done before I go out.

I had a chiropractic appointment this morning. I didn’t do any shopping, but I did get in a longer walk around the park. I did a load of laundry, a load in the dishwasher, the usual amount of hand-washing dishes, and scooped kitty litter. I read more (currently one of the Duncan Kincaid books).

Temps started out at 66.7(F) and reached 83.8. It was overcast with some sprinkles in the morning, then the sun came out in the afternoon. It was so humid! For the first time since it was hot back in May we had to use the AC in the bedroom.

Mom Update:

Mom was still doing well, but she was more tired today. She’d had some issues, one of which may have contributed to her being so tired. ( more back here )

fred_mouse

Our Thursday night dinner has standardised to 'that's not miso soup'. It starts with homemade vegetable stock paste, hot water, and miso. And then we add an assortment of things, typically fish balls, diced tofu, soy beans, lotus root, chopped mushrooms. Sometimes we get fancy, and there is roasted and shredded nori, but often that is beyond me (Thursdays are a little bit 'mouse should minimise kitchen based risk behaviours', such that the nori might rather go up in flames; cutting the tofu is sometimes high risk, but some of that is because the knife is weirdly weighted and will end up blade up if you put it down wrong). Sometimes I remember that I'm supposed to put the broccoli stems in, or the kai-lan, or some other brassica that has miraculously appeared in the fridge.

For reasons that have to do with having dealt with three teenagers, fish balls are rationed; currently it is four per person.

For weeks, I've been singing 'and FOUR fish balls', always in the same tune, with the knowledge that I know what the tune is, but not remembering the context. Last week, I suddenly worked it out--it's from Tommy, to the line "(sure played) a mean pin ball". Mind, that's not going to stop me doing it, I'm even more amused at myself now I have the context.

azurelunatic

* Shelves are fairly well stuffed. The other brackets have arrived, so we can go get more boards and tiny hardware at our convenience.
* There is now Shelf in the living room. Things are going in it.
* Household tidying progresses.
* Today I filled boxes for 13 weeks of my morning and evening pills. It feels like it took less time than usual, but I think that's a trick of the light. I think I usually start later in the day, and keep going until it's dark. It took about four and a half hours; I try to allocate at least 5.
* This means that I've got pills packed until sometime in September. Go, me?
* Juneteenth is tomorrow!
* Turns out that being a director at a certain kind of non-technical organization means that you spend evenings face-down in the user interface level of a misbehaving database. I am chockablock with sympathy.
* Yellface is adorable, and likes to spend the part of the day when I'm awake but still in bed sitting on my legs.
* Had games and pizza with friends last week; they've got a young-ish teeneager placed with them right now. She wasn't up for games but she did appear to fill her water bottle. Luna-cat is very curious about new people and apparently charged her, which was off-putting. I faded early.
* I got some new bras; I'll have to add pockets but the test wear was promising!
* Nobody told me about the dragons in The Priory of the Orange Tree, everyone just mentioned the lesbians.
* There's a new serial at

the_comfortable_courtesan!!!

shadowkat

1. Ali Hazelwood Dislikes Peeta and that was problem for some folks

Peeta for the uninformed was Katniss's love interest in The Hunger Games or rather one of two love interests. The other was Gale, I think. I stayed out of the Hunger Games fandom for various reasons.

Apparently what happened is Ali Hazelwood, an author of various books, made the mistake on a book panel at a fan convention of stating that she didn't like Peeta. People got upset - and fanatically attacked her on her Instagram account. To the point, in which she ended up cancelling the entire account (she couldn't figure out how to turn off the comments - Instagram is impossible to use - and makes me crazy - I just post pictures on it and like others posts), and she was apparently popular and highly active.

Excerpt from the post, which I thought worthy of sharing:
( Read more... )

Nothing new, but a worthy reminder that before you post a comment in response to something you've read online, especially in fandom, ask yourself these questions:

* Is it kind?

* Is it necessary?

* Does it help?

And are you posting out of anger or rage? Or trying to prove someone else wrong, so you can be right? What is gained by embarrassing or humiliating anyone? [Note - this is reminder for myself as much as anyone. Trying to do better.]

2. Bruce Springsteen Bio-Pic Trailer

Well, everyone else got one - I guess it's his turn? Although I admittedly like his music and Jeremy Allen.

reeby10

Reading

Still reading Lirael by Garth Nix and it's still great.
I finished Spirit Bound by Richelle Mead. Very fun with so much stuff happening! Now just one more book in the series.
I read Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - The Dog of War. Very cute!
I started reading New World Witchery: A Trove of North American Folk Magic by Cory Thomas Hutcheson. It's sort of a companion to the podcast of the same name, which I really like. Good so far.
Ficwise, I'm still caught in the Gradence vortex. Been rereading and reading a lot of good fic :)

Watching

The roommate and I went to see Mission: Impossible - Final Reckoning. I'm pleased to say it made up for the last movie being terrible! Still some eye-roll moments, but overall very good and had some great emotional moments. The franchise has been saved lol
The roommate and I finally started on season 3 of The Following after many months away. It's wild how much I don't remember despite having seen the whole show probably three times lol It's, of course, been a good time.
AEW as usual. Meh.

Listening

I saw a video on instagram of a musician called JER clapping back at someone saying we should keep politics out of punk and metal. I've listened to a bit of his music and it's reminding me that I really do like ska a lot!

Writing

I wrote the text for a zine I want to make about using dice to write poetry. Will hopefully make it into an actual zine soon.
I for real finished my idproquo assignment. I'd been thinking of adding some romance and going longer, but I really do think just focusing on the friendship was the way to go.
Reading so much Gradence fic has inspired me to write some. I wrote a gen fic and started a Gradence fic, the two of which I'm thinking of making into a short series. I wrote a lot all at once yesterday, so we'll see how long the inspiration lasts.

goddess47

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jesse_the_k

I’m up near Rhinelander staying on Flannery Lake. I’ll be reveling in 15:45 hours of daylight on the summer solstice. Today there’s zero wind, while the second-growth white, yellow, and red pine trees are pumping out their jizz with enthusiasm. The lime-yellow grains appear darker as they overlay almost every square inch of the water, with wild swirls and eddies that extend many feet off shore until eventually the black surface reflects many puffy cumulus clouds in a light blue sky.

Lovely to look at, but not so great to breathe. At least we're not bedeviled by wildfire smoke.

( click for pic )

panisdead

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runpunkrun

Hereditary rule, little gods, and the power of the printed word in a world very much like early 18th century England, only not. But this is really the story of a fatherless girl and her Horrible Goose as they spy, steal, and blackmail their way through a world still recovering from, or possibly on the edge of, civil war.

I got a bit bogged down in the middle where there were too many guys (gender specific) that I didn't care about having problems that I also didn't care about, but Hardinge's wonderful descriptive writing carried me through. She is so good at writing, you guys (gender neutral), and this has some especially brilliant descriptions of water and the various sounds it makes:

There was no escaping the sound of water. It had many voices. The clearest sounded like someone shaking glass beads in a sieve. The waterfall spray beat the leaves with a noise like paper children applauding. From the ravines rose a sound like the chuckle of granite-throated goblins.

And that's just the beginning. Every time she describes water, it's doing something different, a combination of words you've never before seen put in that order, but after a moment's thought it's obviously perfect. Her character work is excellent, too, though the POV of this book could best be described as "distant third person omniscient," and not really in a good way.

Contains: child harm, probably; animal harm; "gypsies" for some reason.

spikedluv

What I Just Finished Reading: Since last Wednesday I have read/finished reading: System Collapse (The Murderbot Diaries) by Martha Wells, The Body in the Garden (A Lily Adler Mystery) by Katharine Schellman, and Martinis and Mayhem (A Murder, She Wrote Mystery) by Donald Bain.

What I am Currently Reading: Water Like a Stone (A Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James Mystery) by Deborah Crombie.

What I Plan to Read Next: Still a variety of library books out and even more on request, so a library book.

Book 43 of 2025: System Collapse (The Murderbot Diaries) (Martha Wells)

This book was so good! ( spoilers )

So good! I still have one book left because I was forewarned that this one immediately followed Network Effect. I’m obviously giving this one five hearts.

♥♥♥♥♥

Book 44 of 2025: The Body in the Garden (A Lily Adler Mystery) (Katharine Schellman)

I liked this book a lot. ( spoilers )

I enjoyed this book and have already requested the second in the series from the library. I'm giving this one five hearts.

♥♥♥♥♥

Book 45 of 2025: Martinis & Mayhem (A Murder, She Wrote Mystery) (Donald Bain)

I enjoyed this book (though you know I'll have something to say about it in a future M[F]M post). ( spoilers )

I'm happy to see that these books are getting better, even though there are still some inconsistencies (within the book and with the show). I'm giving it four hearts.

♥♥♥♥

elainegrey

There is a company that documents my ITP related absences so my employer can have evidence that they honored the terms of the FMLA law if they fire me.

Yesterday's victory over CYA bureaucracy was finding how to get my absences for the ITP described in such a way that they are approved. I wrote my doctor this morning

I called and spoke to the analyst who said that you should send back in the same paperwork and write in the margins "Certified for absences and appointments as medically necessary since 3 March 2025" followed by the date, your initials, and to sign the paperwork again.

I cussed A LOT after finding this out.

spikedluv

My sister A wanted to go out to see mom at 11am; I’m relieving her around 3pm (timing at her request), so I had time to get some shopping and other chores done. I went downtown so I could go to Walmart.

Mom stuff: While at Walmart I picked up some items that mom had requested I get for her eventual convalescence at home; dropped by her house to get her mail; and stopped in at the bank to make sure they had a copy of her POA on file (since she has me signing checks to pay bills while she’s in the hospital). They did not. The process took way longer than I expected; it’s such a rigamarole now. (On the plus side, I got a call after just an hour and a half saying it had been approved, so I’m good to go.)

I passed Sunnycrest, so I stopped in to see if they had those beef sticks for Pip. They did! Just one package, but it’s something.

I did a load of laundry, hit Stewart’s on the way home, baked chicken for the dogs, did the usual amount of hand-washing dishes, and changed kitty litter. (Dear lord, that was a stinky job. My fault because I let it go longer than usual. Lesson learned. Hopefully.)

I started reading a new book and obviously got to visit mom.

Time is warping and I thought today was Wednesday so I took my Trulicity injection a day early. o_O

Temps started out at 59.0(F) and reached 74. At a guess. I hate not being home in the afternoon to check the temp.

Mom Update:

Mom was doing much better today! MUCH better. ( more )

shadowkat

[Note, I'm home sick or under the weather at the moment, so apologies for typos, etc - due to brain fog.]

As always, Good News is more often than not in the eyes of the beholder. So mileage may vary.

1. 13.14 Million or 4% of the population of the US came out and protested for "No Kings". "We’re honored to announce a final count of 13.14 million in attendance across 2,300+ No Kings protests nationwide. It took a little longer to finalize due to the sheer scale, but the turnout was historic!
So far, 71 MAGA agitators have been arrested, with 62 additional investigations still underway. We’re actively reviewing online threats and working on escalating where needed. If you see something, say something." - per Alt National Parks.

What does this mean: The 3.5% Rule or How a small minority can change the world
( excerpt )

2. 81% of U.S. adults say that if a federal court rules that an action is illegal, then Trump has to follow its ruling, per NBC poll. Among Trump supporters, 50% agree.

3. From limiting who can purchase most semiautomatic rifles on the market today to raising the minimum age to buy ammunition, Colorado Democrats in the Colorado legislature were busy this year imposing new gun regulations - specifically in the state of Colorado.

The 12 gun bills passed by the Colorado legislature this year and signed into law

4. Disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein has been found guilty of committing a sex crime by a jury in New York, more than a year after the state Supreme Court overturned his 2020 conviction on felony sex crime charges. ( Read more... )

https://www.msnbc.com/top-stories/latest/harvey-weinstein-guilty-retrial-sex-crime-new-york-rcna202460

5.The House approves four nominees to the governing board of the Office of Congressional Conduct, providing the board with enough members to operate and continue its role of investigating and uncovering misconduct by Congress members.

https://campaignlegal.org/update/win-ethics-clc-partners-succeed-preserving-office-congressional-conduct

6.Library of Congress employees uphold the Constitution’s separation of powers by not admitting two DOJ officials appointed by the president to lead the agency who have not been confirmed by the Senate.

https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/12/politics/library-of-congress-trump-justice-blanche?bt_ee=2QgjkqKxaHyuagkHOeb0m6RbI2h%2FZ9394%2B4e4zEovFoF9q%2BF2LTnhSUP%2BuXHEzeX&bt_ts=1747140898649

7.A federal court orders the administration to promptly facilitate contact between Widmer Josneyder Agelviz Sanguino and his lawyers after immigration enforcement illegally deported Sanguino to a notoriously abusive prison in El Salvador.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/venezuelan-man-admitted-us-refugee-sent-salvadoran-prison-rcna207642

8.Six weeks after being seized off the streets and detained under a false claim by DHS, doctoral student Rümeysa Öztürk is released from ICE detention to resume her studies and live in the community while attorneys seek reinstatement of her visa.

https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/09/us/rumeysa-ozturk-tufts-bail-release

9. Attorneys general from 20 states file two lawsuits against the administration over its threats to illegally withhold billions of congressionally allocated funds from states if they don’t meet federal immigration enforcement demands.

https://thehill.com/homenews/5298257-20-states-sue-trump-administration-grants-immigration-enforcement/

10. Colorado becomes the ninth state to pass a state-level Voting Rights Act into law.

https://coloradonewsline.com/2025/05/12/polis-signs-voting-rights-act-colorado/

11.Florida: A bill that would have required proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote fails to advance in the legislature.

https://floridaphoenix.com/2025/05/08/the-failed-florida-election-bill-that-angered-voting-rights-and-voting-integrity-advocates-alike/

( the rest )

Okay, I found 98 items. And I'm tired.

[I feel at times that reading through the news is akin to watching a television serial with a really annoying villain, and I keep thinking, come on writers, kill it already. But alas no, they kill off the characters I like instead. I want new writers. That said, it's not all doom and gloom, there's spots of good news in there - actually more good than bad if you know where to look - and depending on your perspective. I've been watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer - and it's not only weirdly comforting for a horror series, but also made me a bit hopeful and optimistic.]

Good night and Good Luck all.

I'd cough you to sleep, but I think that would be a tad discomforting? So here's a photo of a flower instead:

petra

[Podfic] Unrestrained passion (14 words) by GodOfLaundryBaskets, sisi_rambles, LittleRedRobinHood, Aether
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars - All Media Types
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Obi-Wan Kenobi/Anakin Skywalker, Padmé Amidala/Anakin Skywalker, Padmé Amidala/Anakin Skywalker | Darth Vader
Characters: Anakin Skywalker | Darth Vader, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Padmé Amidala
Additional Tags: Limericks, Poetry, Podfic, Podfic Length: 0-10 Minutes, Multivoice and Collaborative Podfic
Summary:

Podfic (00:02:28)

Author's Summary from Petra:
A limerick cycle for Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Padmé.

*

[Podfic] Rewind, rewind, rewind (14 words) by GodOfLaundryBaskets, sisi_rambles, LittleRedRobinHood, Aether
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: 212th Attack Battalion Members (Star Wars: The Clone Wars) & Obi-Wan Kenobi
Characters: 212th Attack Battalion Members (Star Wars: The Clone Wars), Obi-Wan Kenobi
Additional Tags: Drabble, Democracy, Podfic, Podfic Length: 0-10 Minutes, Multivoice and Collaborative Podfic
Summary:

Podfic (00:01:44)

Author's Summary from Petra:
Waxer asks a cogent question on a long, cold night.

*

[Podfic] Natural philosophy (17 words) by sisi_rambles, AppleSapling
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars - All Media Types
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Obi-Wan Kenobi & Anakin Skywalker
Characters: Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker
Additional Tags: Aubrey-Maturin Fusion, SOLAR SHIPS, Triple Drabble, Not quite high Patrick O'Brian pastiche, But leaning that way, Podfic, Podfic Length: 0-10 Minutes, Multivoice and Collaborative Podfic
Summary:

Podfic (00:02:57)

Author's Summary from Petra:
Obi-Wan came into Anakin's cabin just in time to see the monkey-lizard he'd carefully collected slump to one side and fall off of the table.

Podfic (00:01:44)

Author's Summary from Petra:
Waxer asks a cogent question on a long, cold night.

*

[Podfic] The Sun would not have risen (17 words) by sisi_rambles, AppleSapling
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Star Wars Original Trilogy, Star Wars - All Media Types
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Obi-Wan Kenobi & Luke Skywalker
Characters: Obi-Wan Kenobi, Luke Skywalker
Additional Tags: morris dancing, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Podfic, Podfic Length: 0-10 Minutes, Multivoice and Collaborative Podfic
Summary:

Podfic (00:01:07)

Author's Summary from Petra:
Luke follows in his father's footstep-hops.

*

[Podfic] Mindtrick (13 words) by sisi_rambles
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Obi-Wan Kenobi/Elan Sleazebaggano
Characters: Obi-Wan Kenobi, Elan Sleazebaggano
Additional Tags: Podfic, Podfic Length: 0-10 Minutes
Summary:

Obi-Wan runs into a hookup.

Current Mood: flattered
Current Music: Or, as they say in Limerick,

neekabe

I ended up answering a handful of work calls over the weekend. It wasn't a big deal because my plans were 'sew' but because of the afore mentioned eye issues, I was doing that in fits and spurts. But my boss told me to take Monday off in lieu which was nice.

It meant I had easy time to swing by the optometrist and get the prescription they made on Friday. I agree I shouldn't get a proper pair of glasses until things settle, but I figured I could look into getting a cheap pair of online glasses, because it's getting annoying.

Discovered that the main change is that the astigmatism went from -0.5 to -2.00 which is a significant change. And it's annoying because that was my 'good eye' for reading without my glasses on.

Anyways went to one of the online glasses places and discovered if I was willing to pick from a very limited selection and not t care about thin lenses, I could get a pair of glasses for $35, and that includes rush shipping and anti-glare coating. So those should be here next week and should help with the vague headaches lurking on the edges of my brain. I don't know how long it'll be before I see the specialist or how long this will be a valid prescription, but for $35 I don't have to wear them long to be worth it.

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elainegrey - (morning writing, health, dawg) +1 comment
mific - Mirror Uhura +3 comments
celli - BTS drabble: uno y uno
duskpeterson - FIC: The Royal Sanctuary: Jackalfire Grove (Tempestuous Tours) +2 comments
isis - thursday reads and things +14 comments
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reeby10 - Celebrity20in20 - Round 14 - Florence Pugh +8 comments
spikedluv - The Day in Spikedluv (Wednesday, June 18) +20 comments
fred_mouse - Accidental filk +4 comments
azurelunatic - More tiny excitements
shadowkat - Some interesting links and tid bits.. +4 comments
reeby10 - Wednesday What I'm... +11 comments
goddess47 - Alone, but Not Unwanted - Stargate Atlantis (PG)
jesse_the_k - Things I Can Only See Up North +20 comments
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runpunkrun - Fly By Night, by Frances Hardinge +17 comments
spikedluv - Wednesday Reading Meme & Books 43 - 45 of 2025 +6 comments
elainegrey - (morning writing) +3 comments
spikedluv - The Day in Spikedluv (Tuesday, June 17) +29 comments
shadowkat - The Weekly Good News Report from the American Resistance & It's Global Allies +4 comments
petra - Short Star Wars podfics of my work by sisi_rambles et alia +2 comments
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Buffy Rewatch - Season 3, Toxic Love and the Toxic Male

June Question a Day Memage and What Comforts You

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(morning writing, health, dawg)

Mirror Uhura

BTS drabble: uno y uno

FIC: The Royal Sanctuary: Jackalfire Grove (Tempestuous Tours)

thursday reads and things

infinite punchlines from LearnedLeague's Best Worst Answers

Celebrity20in20 - Round 14 - Florence Pugh

The Day in Spikedluv (Wednesday, June 18)

Accidental filk

More tiny excitements

Some interesting links and tid bits..

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Alone, but Not Unwanted - Stargate Atlantis (PG)

Things I Can Only See Up North

(no subject)

Fly By Night, by Frances Hardinge

Wednesday Reading Meme & Books 43 - 45 of 2025

(morning writing)

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

Short Star Wars podfics of my work by sisi_rambles et alia

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