Dear ITPE Creator Letter

Sep. 16th, 2025 12:51 pm
mific: (ear trumpet)
[personal profile] mific
Placeholder!
sineala: (Avengers: Steve/Tony: It wasn't worth it)
[personal profile] sineala
Moving to the Sun (26709 words) by Sineala
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Marvel (Comics), Marvel 616, Avengers (Comics), New Avengers (Marvel Comics)
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Characters: Steve Rogers, Tony Stark
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Getting Together, Project Wideawake (Marvel), Extremis (Marvel), whatever the exact opposite of Body Horror is, Sexual Roleplay, Cuddling & Snuggling, Comic Book Science, Comic: New Avengers Vol. 1 (2004), Fix-It for Comic: Iron Man/Captain America: Casualties of War Vol. 1 (2006), Marvel Comic Event: Civil War (2006), Fix-It for Marvel Comic Event: Civil War (2006), Hopeful Ending
Summary: When Steve agreed to meet Tony at the mansion to talk, he never imagined that Tony would abandon Registration and join him. He never imagined that Tony would end up in bed with him, either.

Hi, Dreamwidth! I know I have not been around in a while -- I have been having a lot of migraines -- but, here, I finally finished a story for the Dodged A Bullet 616 Steve/Tony Civil War exchange. This was not actually the story I intended to write, because I did not finish that one -- once again, I have been having a lot of migraines -- but I did finish this one. Not the other one, so my WIP pile is at a net zero, but I tried.
verushka70: Modified publicity still puts Fraser and RayK closer together in a slashy moment. (DS slash)
[personal profile] verushka70

Regina Keim created and shared a new due South word search on both Facebook dS and F/K groups.

verushka70: Modified publicity still puts Fraser and RayK closer together in a slashy moment. (DS slash)
[personal profile] verushka70

Today is Callum Keith Rennie's birthday... What a gift he's been to watch over the decades.

Of all the many excellent pics of him over the years, this one (which was used for a Bell ad in Canada) is still one of my favorites.

But this one (below, from Paramount's Ready Room behind the scenes video for ST Discovery) also shows how hot he still is!

Happy Birthday to a wonderfully versatile actor whose work I've followed for literally 30 years, since I first saw him guest star on Forever Knight.

Me-and-media update

Sep. 13th, 2025 06:41 pm
china_shop: An orange cartoon dog waving, with a blue-green abstract background. (Bingo!)
[personal profile] china_shop
Pandemic life
You just can't get fitted for new glasses in a mask.

Previous poll review
In the Spice tolerance poll, 44.9% of respondents can handle mild, 40.8% a vague tingle, 49% a distinct tingle, 34.7% hot, and 12.2% searing. Two people (4.1%) said to call the fire department. Of course, all of these assessments are subjective and contextual: I initially said "hot", but then decided it was probably only "hot for me". Also, 26.5% said it depends on the cuisine.

In ticky-boxes, chocolate came second to hugs, 65.3% to 79.6%. Thank you for your votes!

Reading
We finished the latest Rivers of London in audio, and it was fine. And I finished A Lady for a Duke by Alexis Hall, which suffered from my genre expectations, I'm afraid. Otherwise, the same as last week.

Kdramas/Cdramas
Nothing But Love -- one episode to go, and there is no way to make it last. (If anyone's interest, [personal profile] tinny made some gorgeous icons, yay!)

My Youth -- low-key romance with Song Joong-ki, partially set in the entertainment industry. As yet, there's no tension and very little plot, but everyone's pretty. I'll give it a bit longer.

Mystic Pop-Up Bar -- watched two more episodes. Manager Gwi will forever be my fav. I may have to go back to The Gentlemen of Wolgyesu Tailor Shop, lol. And probably Family by Choice, too.

Aema -- I'm always delighted to find a kdrama Andrew will watch with me. (He's not really into romances.) This is set in the tawdry film industry of the early 1980s and based on a true story. It's about a celebrated actress who is tired of the exploitative aesthetic (antagonist, but I find her sympathetic) and an unknown ingenue who is desperate to make it, even if it means compromising (also great). It's about censorship, commercialism vs artistic vision, and film-making. Tonally, it reminds me of The Offer, which is a rec. We're three or four eps in.

Low Life -- (Disney+ does Kdramas) Two episodes with our tv-watching-with friend. Another period piece, this one about an array of scam artists and ruffians trying to salvage shipwrecked treasure in the 1970s. A lot of competing interests and macho posturing, and quite a lot of exposition, but I think it's going to be fun.

Other TV
More Chief of War (Apple+; yay indigenous TV; not very fun, but good and with that "prestige TV" vibe). Some Prehistoric Planet (Apple+ nature doco about dinosaurs, narrated by David Attenborough; really charming, quality animation, lots of cute baby 'saurs). More Bluey (we're going to run oooout /o\). Some Secret Genius of Modern Life with Hannah Fry (the episode about microwave ovens, where I learned a) that microwave ovens have Faraday cages to keep the microwaves in, and b) that if you shut an iPhone in my microwave, you can still call it (but not an Android) -- does this mean the little microwaves are escaping? /o\). Connections (BBC, 1978) episode 1, which is scientifically interesting while taking a dim view of human nature.

Guardian/Fandom
Fandom!! Our behind-the-scenes [community profile] fan_flashworks project went live yesterday with a Community Report, a Creator Report, and a comprehensive spreadsheet. We're so proud of this! A million thanks to [personal profile] treonb for working so tirelessly on it!!

Meanwhile, [community profile] guardian_wishlist is underway (sign-ups close soon! come join the fun!), the Slo-Mo Rewatch started last week (jump in anytime!), and I'm still doing Guardian polls, apparently. On top of that, things are hopping on [community profile] fan_writers (if you're posting meta about the craft or process of writing, please link it there!!). *collapses*

Films
Not seen recently, but Uproar! is on Netflix now (here, at least), and it's so good. My review from May: 2023 New Zealand coming-of-age comedy-drama film about a Māori teen in 1981, at a time when a tour by the South African rugby team was dividing the country, because apartheid. This film blew me away, A++, absolutely recommend. The theme plays out on multiple levels, the performances are great, and the setting feels very genuine and frustrating. It deals with racism in school, the community, the home, and by the police/state. Stars Julian Dennison (Hunt for the Wilderpeople), Rhys Darby (Our Flag Means Death), Minnie Driver, and James Rolleston (Boy).

Writing/making things
My unexpected-kinkfic is at beta. I haven't managed to start anything else yet, despite the vast wealth of Wishlist prompts. My brain keeps stuttering and deflecting (and to be fair, there's been a lot of mod stuff to do). Whenever I look at my WIPs, they slide right off my duck-back brain. I'm really hoping I can get into gear soon!!

Life/health/mental state things
Another political submission last Monday, and one due on the 25th. (I can't do them all, so I'm just tackling ones I hear about.)

I ordered my first progressive-lens glasses. NO WARNINGS OR HORROR STORIES, PLEASE! I'm already trepidatious.
tl;drI've been holding out for a few years now. But these days I'm juggling a) my main pair: 12-yo scuffed-lens cheapos from Zenni Optical (online) which work for most things but I have to take them off for reading, and the scuffs make me feel like I'm getting cataracts; b) single-distance intermediate glasses (computer, crosswords and, increasingly, reading); and c) ancient-prescription sunglasses which, again, work for most things, but I can't read in them, which is a problem at outdoor cafes. My sister had a terrible time adjusting to her progressives last year, and I've seen similar unhappiness on my flist at times, so rather than going to the discount place where I got my intermediates, I went to my opticians. The nice sales guy spent literally hours talking me through everything, showing me various layouts for different lifestyles, and deciding which system would work best for me. He let me take three pairs of frames home for a second opinion. And then spent maybe another hour measuring my eye position and sightlines in different postures. I'm getting clip-on shades to fit the glasses -- fancy! Hopefully this will see me right for a long, long time. (Bodies are so expensive to maintain, ugh.) Again, please don't tell me any progressive-lens horror stories or even ambivalent ones!! Good/encouraging stories are welcome, though.


Korean
So far I'm easily keeping up with reading through the Guardian subs (it helps that I pretty much know episode 1 by heart). I'm not trying to understand every single thing. My brain is enjoying the Hangeul, and the jokes are even funnier when compounded with the triumph of "Oh! I understood that!"

Good things
Saw a seal in the harbour while I was biking home from the opticians. Kdramas! Fandom. Sunshine. Sleep is just really good, yes please. Walking through trees. Partners who let you blather about fandom all the time. ♥ Cat. ♥ Bluey!

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 55


How do you generally make/take phone calls, posturely speaking?

View Answers

hold phone to ear
33 (60.0%)

put call on speaker
23 (41.8%)

wear an earpiece/headphones
17 (30.9%)

other
0 (0.0%)

I don't make phone calls
5 (9.1%)

ticky-box full of beret-wearing bumblebees performing buzz poetry
22 (40.0%)

ticky-box full of cats with resting blep face
35 (63.6%)

ticky-box full of snacks, yes please
26 (47.3%)

ticky-box full of magic tricks with real magic
23 (41.8%)

ticky-box full of hugs
38 (69.1%)

What I'm Doing Wednesday

Sep. 10th, 2025 02:05 pm
sage: A crocheted Spock doll made by Sage (yarning)
[personal profile] sage
books
The Disorderly Knights (The Lymond Chronicles #3) by Dorothy Dunnett. 1966. cw: yet more animal harm and graphic violence, child harm, violence against women, dubcon, mention of sexual assault. Swashbuckling! Explosions! Sieges! Mercenaries! Car chases! Malta, Tripoli, Scotland, etc. Much more accessible than the first one, which was Dunnett's first novel. Weird pacing at the end, though.

currently reading: Pawn in Frankincense (The Lymond Chronicles #4) by Dorothy Dunnett. 1969. Baden, Algiers, so far. Piracy!

yarning )

gift rec request
Mom's having trouble finding a good birthday gift for Niece. She requested "binoculars or a telescope," which another family member is taking care of. Point being, she's not your average almost 5-year-old. She's on swim team, is in ballet, and missed the cut off for kindergarten, so she's still in preschool. I went looking for gift ideas, but they all have small parts, and her brother is still only two and might get into her toys and try to eat things he shouldn't. So no LiteBrite sets or such yet. Any gift ideas, preferably educational, would be much appreciated!

dirt
another baby monstera delicosa has come up! I am so happily surprised! I managed to water nearly everything yesterday & all the other plants are doing well, minus the few who still have a thrips situation, grrrr! :smites all thrips:

healthcrap
had a difficult day Monday, but managed to go get my monthly allergy shot. It's irritating that socializing for less than 2 hours on Sunday makes Monday obligations so challenging. Then I overdid it yesterday and barely slept last night, so today isn't great either. /disability. cut for discussion of intended weight loss )

media
I started watching S5 of Lower Decks, and it's so good! I'd forgotten how much I loved S4.

augh
The trunk release lever of my car stopped working. Pretty sure, based on googling, that the cable broke, though I haven't gone spelunking to check. I can still open the trunk with a key, at least, but it's one more thing I need to take care of...or to ignore indefinitely. :(

yuletide!
noms open in less than a week, on the 15th, yay! And the mods have upped the number of fandoms you can nom (5) and request (8)!

#resist
10/18/25: No Kings Day #2

I hope all of y'all are doing well!

state of the me(dia) - aug

Sep. 8th, 2025 05:23 pm
marianas: (Default)
[personal profile] marianas
a little late, oops

READING
📖 Mr Collins in Love by Lee Welch - holy shit I loved this. it seems like it wouldn't work: a short novel in which Pride & Prejudice's Mr Collins is the romantic lead. but it does work. brilliantly. it is more a character study than a romance (but I *love* the romance) and it makes the probably smart choice to not show on page any of the scenes from P&P because we don't need them. just a wonderful lovely book.
📖 A Hymn to Dionysus by Natasha Pulley - it's the Natasha Pulley problem again: I get so swept up in how much I love her sentences, then come down from the book high and end up not sure if I even liked the book at all bc I'm remembering all the things that didn't quite work for me that my brain just slid right over while I was in it. I loved this for 3/4ths of the time I was reading it, thought it ended wrong (it deserved a tragic ending - I would have found it so much more emotionally satisfying), and now I don't think I liked it? Will continue to read everything she writes though, because the experience while I'm in it is like nothing else. (this sounds like drugs)
💻 a brief spin through the Captain Haddock/Tintin tag on ao3 for Reasons

WATCHING
📺 still on Apothecary Diaries, which remains very good

PLAYING
🎮 Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney - a retroactive liveblog of me playing the first case:
  • wtf wtf wtf
  • I love Apollo's thinking face
  • confident dirtbag Phoenix is so good
  • “grape juice” sure…
  • Phoenix did the point from a different angle!!!
  • that kid is definitely older than seven 🧐

🀄️ Mahjong Soul - extremely hooked on online mahjong. have managed to avoid spending any real dollars but have been engaging with the gatcha parts and have pulled 3 new characters. they added a mahjong balatro-like this month, which was very fun.

.
ride_4ever: (FireWhiskeyFic)
[personal profile] ride_4ever
The Firewhiskey Fic Challenge Comm on Dreamwidth has been on hiatus for over a year and has now returned! More details will be forthcoming about this "ficcing while in an altered state" challenge, but know that the date has been set for Friday, October 3 as the start and it lasts for 48 hours.

See the current announcement here.

Rules can be found here within the comm's profile page.

Three pics

Sep. 5th, 2025 09:56 pm
mific: (Watson-hmmm)
[personal profile] mific
Last month I had a birthday which as usual has left me at an unmemorable number, so for the rest of the year I'll be confused math lady if anyone asks my age.

Older woman with short greyish hair looking worried. She's peering at maths equations displayed across the pic.


The home screen on my pc is set to cycle through scenic views, then a while back microsoft added supposedly intriguing links (not). It randomly resulted in this combo, however, which is genuinely intriguing. Maybe sheep are deeper thinkers than we'd thought?

Sunset on a steep rocky hillside, four sheep standing serenely. Over them, white text reads - unlock the secrets of active listening and learn strategies that can help transform your conversations.


And this one's on tumblr.
The Rabbit of Doom


(no subject)

Sep. 4th, 2025 09:02 pm
jupiter2932: close-up from below of the left side of a cat's face. The cat is grey, white, and tan, with a white snout and dark eyes. (Default)
[personal profile] jupiter2932
Oof, I just looked and realized I hadn't posted since last October--when I was still recovering from Pneumonia Summer. Quite a lot's happened since: some dips (and ups) in health, a new baby nephew who's perfect but facing some serious health issues, a shortly upcoming new baby niece, and some unexpected house renovations. Hoping to have some more time to spend on here again, though, especially with Victober coming up, and, fingers crossed, getting a chance to work on some more fanfiction in between things :)

Me-and-media update

Sep. 4th, 2025 07:10 pm
china_shop: Close-up of Zhao Yunlan grinning (Default)
[personal profile] china_shop
Pandemic life
Nothing to report, really. )

Previous poll review
In the Cluedo poll, by far the most popular weapon was the cassowary (53.3%), followed by extremely elegant clothing (33.3%). In ticky-boxes, musical frogs and the wishing abyss tied for second place with 42.2%, after hugs with 75.6%. Thank you for your votes!

Reading
More of Inventing the Renaissance by Ada Palmer, read by Candida Gubbins (I'm enjoying it, but it feels like it will never end), more of the latest Rivers of London (also audio), and more of A Lady for a Duke by Alexis Hall (library book). A browse through Low-FODMAP and Vegan: what to eat when you can't eat anything by Joanne Stepaniak (library book), of which more below.

Kdramas/Cdramas
I'm still going with Nothing But Love, eking it out. Pru and I watched two episodes of Mystic Pop-up Bar, and it's pretty great. I don't know why I bounced off last time. It does help that Choi Won-young, one of the dads from Family by Choice, is main cast and I love him.

Other TV/movies
Wow, almost no TV. Some Vir Das standup (very good), finished The Sympathizer with our tv-watching friend (fascinating, dark, very black comedy), two episodes of Fringe season 2 with my sister. One episode of new Magnum PI (very woohoo the military!). A ton more Bluey.
Bluey observation; ignore if you prefer to watch unquestioningly.Andrew: Why is the mum always hanging out laundry, when none of them wear clothes?
me: .........


Jaws at the cinema for its 50th anniversary rerelease, so fun!

Guardian/Fandom
Everything is happening everywhere all at once. We're wrapping up the readalong, and the Slo-mo Rewatch starts this weekend on [community profile] sid_guardian! [community profile] guardian_wishlist is in sign-ups! [community profile] fan_flashworks stuff is happening behind the scenes! And I have a ton of [community profile] fan_writers comments to reply to! \o/

Audio entertainment
Writing Excuses are doing a deep dive on Charlie Jane Anders' All the Birds in the Sky. I haven't read it, but I still enjoy their analysis. The last episode gave me ~writing thoughts~, and I scrawled a bunch of extra stuff for my WIP, which I then immediately took out again because it didn't fit, but I'll use it somewhere else. Letters from an American is really good, and 12ish minutes of US politics a day is about all I can take. I started Alba Salix, Royal Physician but am still not sure.

Online life
After I posted my last [community profile] fan_writers post, I got a ton of great comments, and... hit a wall with things to reply to. I'm kind of paralysed by my inbox, now, overwhelmed, and not keeping up with my reading page either. Tabs continue to propagate. Also, my arms are such a mess, argh. I'm going to need them for Wishlist, so I'm trying to slow down, but <speech tone="wail">I don't waaaaant toooooo.</speech> :-( tl;dr Sorry if I haven't replied to you! I still plan to! <333

Writing/making things
After a week and a half of brain static, I tried to write a last-minute drabble for the FFW amnesty round and ended up with 1300 words of "srsly, nobody asked for this." Still working on my DNW-kink fic and having a ball.

Life/health/mental state things
Overwhelm plus sore arms, dohhhhhh. But my mood and energy levels are pretty good, despite that.

Korean
I have a theoretical plan to read the Guardian subs in Korean (진혼 자막 한국어으로) as we go through the rewatch. I'm completely 100% expecting to fall behind, but still, any reading is better than none, right?

Food
New things I've made in the last week:
  1. a carrot, walnut and sultana cake, recipe from the back of the sultana packet; as I added a cup of this and a cup of that, I started going, "I'm going to need a bigger cake tin." Then I got to 1 cup of oil and three eggs, and looked at my mixing bowl. "I'm going to need a bigger bowl!!" Ended up cooking it in two unevenly distributed cake tins and taking one out early, lol.
  2. vegan nutty gravy from the vegan low-FODMAP book; I used so many substitutions (regular miso for light miso, soy sauce for low sodium tamari, etc) that I'm not sure what it was supposed to taste like. It was good but a bit strong.
  3. baked lemon tofu (ibid); Very Tangy. I tried this twice, and the first time I didn't have enough lemon juice, used some lime instead, and thought that was why it was So Tangy. The second time I followed the recipe more closely (just switched out thyme for oregano and added some maple syrup because yum), and it was still a bit overwhelming. Overall, not unsuccessful, but I don't know how to turn this into a meal.

Conclusion: I'm enjoying my experiments. It's fun flailing around, all "Stand Back, I'm Going To Try Science Cooking!" :-) Also, I feel like recipe books are like fan reccers: for best results, you have to find the ones you click with.

Good things
Bluetooth earpieces. Sisters. Reading glasses (but not the needing of them). Libraries. Unexpected story developments. Recipe books. Bluey! Biking.

Poll #33572 Spice tolerance
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 50


I can handle

View Answers

mild
23 (46.0%)

a vague tingle
21 (42.0%)

a distinct tingle
25 (50.0%)

hot
18 (36.0%)

searing
6 (12.0%)

call the fire department
2 (4.0%)

depends on the cuisine
14 (28.0%)

other
4 (8.0%)

ticky-box full of Michaelangelo's many naked dudes
24 (48.0%)

ticky-box full of someone else is cooking dinner
27 (54.0%)

ticky-box of ducklings debating the merits of existentialism
24 (48.0%)

ticky-box full of chocolate (hot or solid)
33 (66.0%)

ticky-box full of hugs
39 (78.0%)

verushka70: Ray Kowalski rubs his head due to a headache (Kowalski can't believe things are this s)
[personal profile] verushka70

Just saw this warning about a fake AO3 phishing site coming up in searches - the original PSA about this was posted on Tumblr (reblogged from Tumblr OP [profile] doubly_magic by [personal profile] mekare):



The domain is "https://I🖤ao3.ws" and they even use the AO3 logo. DO NOT CLICK ON THIS SITE. DO NOT BE FOOLED.

As the original post says, that fake site exists solely to steal your AO3 login credentials.

In some browsers, as in the Duckduckgo browser the OP shows in the original post, phishing links can be blocked by right-clicking (RIGHT click! don't just click on it!) on the site itself and selecting "Block this site from results". You can also choose to report it (which I did).

I'm going to report this to AO3, too. I know they can't stop another site from existing - but they can warn AO3 users (and maybe take legal action? IDK).

click here if you're paranoid like me and find the timing suspicious )

Please signal boost this, if you can!

ETA: So far, it's only coming up as a result in Duckduckgo searches, not Google and not Brave browser's own search. Those may have more anti-phishing code built in to their search engines. But just... be careful.

verushka70: Modified publicity still puts Fraser and RayK closer together in a slashy moment. (DS slash)
[personal profile] verushka70

So [personal profile] thedarkcanuck <abhref="https://www.tumblr.com/verushkak70/793679939725656064">posted this gif of CKR as Asher (the vampire) in Blade Trinity on Tumblr... with the caption "Oh, Fraser, you in danger honey".

[Image]

And I just finished a fic for Bring Back The Porn 2025 which is another installment in my dS vampire AU... the writing of which was also Giving Me Ideas.

So, of course, those plot bunnies in the metaphorical hutch in the back of my fanbrain? They just, like tripled in population. I'm gonna need another hutch. Maybe two...

Dammit, I'm on a deadline and cannot commit to any of them, lol! 😆 But I really, really want to drop the other fic I'm on deadline for, in favor of dS vampire AU plot bunnies. Self-discipline vs ADHD/VAST. My fan brain is so conflicted!

What I'm Doing Wednesday

Sep. 3rd, 2025 05:02 pm
sage: a closeup profile head shot of Murderbot (murderbot 2)
[personal profile] sage
books (Dunnett, Dunnett, Herron, Tierney) )

media
I finally finished watching Murderbot S1! (It only took forever bc I suck at visual media.) I loved it and want more! I'm hesitant to dive into fic, though, due to the "murderbot has a penis" and "Gurathin/Murderbot" tags. I want canon-compliant Murderbot adventures, not forcing it to behave in any manner like a sexbot. So, those are 2 things for me to filter out of search... But re the ending, wow, evidently they spent their whole series budget on ep 10 & it became a whole different show. Really satisfying.

dirt )

yarning
no yarn group this week, as too many people were sick or busy. I haven't crocheted on my own in well over a month, as I'm not at all motivated. It's SO frustrating. I'm hoping I can get off one of my meds that affects creativity & regain inspiration. I did at least get 3 kickbunnies listed on etsy...though I haven't promoted them on social media yet due to lack of motivation. OTOH, I have a potential customer waiting on an address to send a bunny to? That's something.

healthcrap
Still having frequent headaches and rationing triptans (I'm not low on them (yet), just being frugal with the stash). The vertigo/feeling faint is bad. Generally, I'm getting 2-16 minutes of Deep sleep per night and not feeling rested at all. cut for discussion of weight loss )

yuletide!
noms open in less than 2 weeks, on the 15th, yay! Get your fandoms ready! \o/ And they've upped the number of fandoms you can nom and request! I need to have a look back at the books I've read this year and see what I can manage to offer. Hrm.

#resist
10/18/25: No Kings Day #2
verushka70: Modified publicity still puts Fraser and RayK closer together in a slashy moment. (DS slash)
[personal profile] verushka70

So Headstones have a new album coming out soon, and will be touring... Including to Caesar's Windsor, Ontario on December 10!

[Image]

Yes, that's right: you won't have to go to Buffalo, NY to see them - only the upper midwest Great Lakes!

some rambling about last time I saw them, their recent albums, and another screen cap )

Oh, and Sarah McLachlan will also be there October 25.

(I'm on the fence about that tho, because I don't know if it's enough notice to give my job to request vacation time - which I'll need, because I'm too damn old to drive there & back in one extremely long day - Chicago to Detroit/Windsor is about 6 hours - so I need at least Friday Oct 24 off. I need my sleep, lol!)

10 random facts about me meme

Sep. 3rd, 2025 02:39 pm
mific: (Gold mandala)
[personal profile] mific
Snaffled from various friends. Some of the following eccentric behaviour is only possible as I live alone. :)


1) I briefly got my hair done peroxide blond in my twenties. Proof. But mostly I dyed it auburn using henna. Chemists (pharmacies) in NZ used to stock packages of powdered henna back then - it was the seventies!

2) By chance, I have a lot of Nepali restaurants nearby - 3 or 4 within takeaway range. I love the chicken momos best (steamed Tibetan dumplings served with a romesco-chilli sauce). Yum.

3) I have a side table by my main armchair that's like a restaurant table set-up. It has a titanium spork (my main cutlery item), tissues, a kids' jewellery organiser full of tea bags, a long-stemmed sundae spoon, a small serrated kitchen knife, a cruet set with balsamic vinegar and garlic-infused olive oil, a pink-salt shaker, and jars/bottles of mango chutney, peanut butter, maple syrup, store-bought lemon juice, promite, and apricot compote. It cuts down on traipsing to and fro to the kitchen for stuff.

4) Since moving into my flat 2-3 years ago, I sussed out the ceramic cooktop but haven't been able to figure out the main oven controls. The landlord couldn't either. Haven't been able to intuit the electronic controls or find info online, so I use a toaster-oven instead, which works fine.

5) I have mild sleep apnoea that doesn't bother me as long as I sleep on my side. That's what my tricky right hip and left knee prefer, anyway.

6) I got fed up with bed-making, stuffing duvet covers, and getting tangled in layers of bedding many years ago. I just use one thinnish faux fur blanket (leopardskin pattern of course) with a faux-flannel backing. It's lightweight but surprisingly warm and I only need to add one extra light blanket a few times in mid-winter. So my bedding is a flannel sheet on the mattress and then the blanket. It's like being a Neolithic person using just a fur spread for bedding, but with more microfibres. I make the bed once a week before Fionna comes to clean my flat, and my elderly washing machine can just manage the blanket as a single load.

7) I haven't worn any shoes except crocs for over 20 years. Auckland's warm enough for that to be comfortable, and all "normal" shoes pinch my feet. I go barefoot inside, only rarely resorting to slippers on especially cold nights.

8) I've lived with one or more cats all my life until several years ago. I miss having a cat friend, but when someone recently offered me a nice adult boy they were trying to find a home for, I had to say no. There's a busy road only a stone's throw away and the neighbours drive up and down the driveway a few feet from my front door every day, so it wouldn't be safe. The flat's not set up for an indoors cat - the back door to the garage has no screen and it'd be way too hot in summer to keep it closed. But mainly, I no longer feel able to cope with the regular round of vet visits, emergencies etc. that come with caring for a cat. I'll make do with feeding the sparrows, and my duck visitors.

9) My first boyfriend when I was 17 was Dave, from a smallish town in Illinois. He was in my English class - an exchange student at my high school. We taught each other to play chess (badly) and sometimes actually did play it before Mum got home from work, but "playing chess" was mostly a euphemism for making out.

10) In my twenties to thirties I had a series of Morris Minor cars as they were cheap and I liked their quirkiness. Kiwis are good at repairing cars with NZ being harder to import to and local DIY culture, so you could get fixed-up Morris Minors fairly easily. I drove my last one from Christchurch up to Auckland when I returned from working overseas. I'd painted it with red, maroon, and gold swirls in the seventies, then in Auckland I sanded it off and repainted it bright yellow, with the chrome all done in black. Here's a cartoon I did of it back in the day.

yellow morris minor from front, black trim, woman driving it.

Going back to work

Sep. 2nd, 2025 05:09 pm
resonant: Ray Kowalski (Due South) (Default)
[personal profile] resonant
I start my new job tomorrow! My brain is a hive of bees.

I've been out of work since I was laid off in July 2024. It would have been really inconvenient to be working for a lot of that time, as I was helping my brother see our mother through her decline and death from dementia and also having some serious health issues of my own. (And Mom left me some money, which allowed me to say "I'm too stressed to job-hunt" and then not job-hunt, a rare luxury that I'm very grateful for.)

But I have to admit I've also been bored and restless and lonely. It will be nice to have co-workers, and tasks, and a paycheck again.

On the other hand, it's been thirteen months since I consistently had to be any place in particular in the morning. And the cat is going to be sad.
verushka70: Modified publicity still puts Fraser and RayK closer together in a slashy moment. (DS slash)
[personal profile] verushka70

Very sad to hear that Graham Greene passed away. He was so great in so many roles, for so many years.

What's irritating to me, though, is I've read three different articles about his death and career now... (Of course they all mention Dances With Wolves. But he did so much more than that!) And none of them mention Longmire - though he was such a good villain on that show!

Usually Greene played good guys in the other movie and TV roles I saw him in over the years. But he was positively menacing on Longmire - and he seemed to enjoy playing Malachi.

He will be missed.

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