updates
Sep. 3rd, 2025 02:17 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
tielanStill feeling not-great, but ( medication is a wonder of the modern world and nobody can persuade me otherwise )
tielanGalumph!
Sep. 2nd, 2025 05:24 pmazurelunaticIt turns out that there is a timeout to the "let's test your equipment" for the browser-based telehealth appointments with my therapist. That timeout is 5 minutes. I had to switch to my phone, which is always vexatious for me.
Recently, Belovedest hauled Dad's old machine (dubbed Galumph, after the imaginary draft horse stallion Dad always talked about as his preferred riding beast) out to test it and see if it would run. (The massive monitor that came with it did not run, but I have found a suitably crusty-looking TV and other screen based appliance repair shop to attempt a repair.) Galumph ran. Belovedest looked at the specs. "That's a freaking RACK SERVER masquerading as a desktop!!!" they said, or words to that general effect.
So after we returned from the Michigan trip, I told Belovedest that it was time to take them up on their offer to rebox my poor old suffering machine.
I accidentally gave them the wrong figures for my C: and D: drives, so there was a bit of a flurry at first, but after they switched them, they were able to get to a login screen. I opened my Chrome / User Data / Default / Sessions folder, copied the most recent Tabs_* and Session_* files to a subfolder that I've named "Explicit Distrust" and launched my browser.
All 1,5XX tabs opened.
I've been trying to decrease them a little bit ever since, starting with my Main window, where the tabs tend to proliferate with abandon. (Trying to do this on the old hardware took forever, in addition to me getting distracted by shiny things.)
Recently, Belovedest hauled Dad's old machine (dubbed Galumph, after the imaginary draft horse stallion Dad always talked about as his preferred riding beast) out to test it and see if it would run. (The massive monitor that came with it did not run, but I have found a suitably crusty-looking TV and other screen based appliance repair shop to attempt a repair.) Galumph ran. Belovedest looked at the specs. "That's a freaking RACK SERVER masquerading as a desktop!!!" they said, or words to that general effect.
So after we returned from the Michigan trip, I told Belovedest that it was time to take them up on their offer to rebox my poor old suffering machine.
I accidentally gave them the wrong figures for my C: and D: drives, so there was a bit of a flurry at first, but after they switched them, they were able to get to a login screen. I opened my Chrome / User Data / Default / Sessions folder, copied the most recent Tabs_* and Session_* files to a subfolder that I've named "Explicit Distrust" and launched my browser.
All 1,5XX tabs opened.
I've been trying to decrease them a little bit ever since, starting with my Main window, where the tabs tend to proliferate with abandon. (Trying to do this on the old hardware took forever, in addition to me getting distracted by shiny things.)
United Healthcare is at it again
Sep. 2nd, 2025 05:17 pmazurelunaticUnited Healthcare sent me a letter, dated August 26, to tell me that they were taking away my primary care of record (not actually my real primary care) -- retroactively not covered since May 16. And assigning me to someone whose UHC profile shows that he only takes 0-17 year old patients.
"If you have any questions" I could call in. Where I learned that there were a lot of those letters sent out in error.
I requested that the UHC phone agent quote me with any creative profanity she'd like to attribute to me when conveying my displeasure to her supervisors.
I called the schedulers listed for my "new primary care", who instructed me to call UHC back to say that I wanted to keep my actual primary care doctor (who I've had since my former nurse-practitioner went into Infectious Diseases. And gave me the "MPI" number of my current doctor, and further instructions on how to make this happen. (But it can't continue happening until tomorrow, because both of them close down their phones at 5.)
Kudos to that agent, who was on the phone with me past her scheduled departure time. I thanked her for that.
"If you have any questions" I could call in. Where I learned that there were a lot of those letters sent out in error.
I requested that the UHC phone agent quote me with any creative profanity she'd like to attribute to me when conveying my displeasure to her supervisors.
I called the schedulers listed for my "new primary care", who instructed me to call UHC back to say that I wanted to keep my actual primary care doctor (who I've had since my former nurse-practitioner went into Infectious Diseases. And gave me the "MPI" number of my current doctor, and further instructions on how to make this happen. (But it can't continue happening until tomorrow, because both of them close down their phones at 5.)
Kudos to that agent, who was on the phone with me past her scheduled departure time. I thanked her for that.
today's tomatoes (before the spring onion and balsamic vinegar)
Sep. 2nd, 2025 10:13 pmkaberett
(By "today's" I mean not "all of those harvested today, nor even yesterday" but rather "the tomato course with dinner".)
I really love the ridiculous stars on the tops of the Blue Fire.
[Daf Yomi] Hadran Alach Maseches Avoda Zara & perek 5 HaSocher Es HaPoel
Sep. 2nd, 2025 10:41 amlannamichaelsAvoda Zara was great! A lot of good stuff, a lot of really practical things.
There was some stuff in this masechta and this perek that I could have excerpted but didn't (I really probably should go back to the earlier perek that had the Jew and the goy sitting and drinking wine together and the goy being careful not to touch the wine because The Overwhelming Concern About Wine Libations When You Least Expect It but the Jew was like "no, it's cool, it's mevushal"), but just a general overall sense of living as a minority in an environment where you're working side by side, having work partnerships, living in the same buildings and in the same courtyards, etc, and the ensuing entanglements and how to navigate those in the real world. But also, wow. What on earth was going on with all those wine libations. Prevention of intermarriage, I understand, but no, even though that is an excuse, it's not the excuse for everything, a lot of the fear really does seem to be that ovdei avoda zara have an irresistible urge to do a wine libation every time they touch wine.
Next up: two weeks of What Happens When The Court Makes A Mistake, and then we're DONE WITH DAMAGES. :(
The rest of my Avoda Zara notes behind cut:
( Read more... )
yeah, nup
Sep. 2nd, 2025 06:59 pmtielanIt's COVID.
Took a RAT, saw a doc and got a medical certificate written and some medication to treat the symptoms - they don't have free antivirals as of six months ago, dammit.
I'm vaxxed up to JN.1 (whatever the most recent version is) and that's good, because it hopefully means it'll be mild. But it still sucks.
Still trying to work out what I need to collect on the travel insurance for medical situation causing disruption to travel plans.
Probably a PCR and that's going to be the tricky part around here.
--
Had taste and smell (well, relatively, other than blocked nose) up to this afternoon. Mostly I'm feeling fluey - and tired.
--
Things I did not need: the eastern european friend who has a tendency to be upbeatedly-depressing telling me she hopes I don't get Long COVID like she did 8 weeks after she got COVID... I mean, I hope I don't, too, but I didn't need something else to think about...
Took a RAT, saw a doc and got a medical certificate written and some medication to treat the symptoms - they don't have free antivirals as of six months ago, dammit.
I'm vaxxed up to JN.1 (whatever the most recent version is) and that's good, because it hopefully means it'll be mild. But it still sucks.
Still trying to work out what I need to collect on the travel insurance for medical situation causing disruption to travel plans.
Probably a PCR and that's going to be the tricky part around here.
--
Had taste and smell (well, relatively, other than blocked nose) up to this afternoon. Mostly I'm feeling fluey - and tired.
--
Things I did not need: the eastern european friend who has a tendency to be upbeatedly-depressing telling me she hopes I don't get Long COVID like she did 8 weeks after she got COVID... I mean, I hope I don't, too, but I didn't need something else to think about...
PSA text from celli
Sep. 4th, 2025 03:55 amconulyThe IRS invites the public to participate in an anonymous feedback survey on tax preparation and filing options, which will run through Sept. 5, 2025.
The survey is being conducted as part of the Department of Treasury and the IRS’s efforts to fulfill a reporting requirement to Congress under the One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act. The law directs Treasury to deliver a report to Congress by Oct. 2, 2025, on several key issues related to free tax filing options for the public.
Treasury and the IRS encourage taxpayers to share their perspectives and help inform this important congressional report.
Translation: We have to report to Congress about the public's interest in Free File (filing directly on the IRS website) because they want to quash it, so here's a survey!
survey here
There are a couple of leading questions that I personally found HIGHLY entertaining. But I do recommend that if you are an American taxpayer you take a look at it/take it.
There was one question that asked what's important in filing taxes, and it had an "other" option that opened a handy text window, so I used that text window to tell them all about how filing taxes is a waste of time and money when the IRS already has all that information. There is absolutely no reason they can't just send you a bill or a refund every year, with a receipt, and you'd only have to file if you had to correct errors or had income or deductions that had been unreported for whatever reason.
The survey is being conducted as part of the Department of Treasury and the IRS’s efforts to fulfill a reporting requirement to Congress under the One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act. The law directs Treasury to deliver a report to Congress by Oct. 2, 2025, on several key issues related to free tax filing options for the public.
Treasury and the IRS encourage taxpayers to share their perspectives and help inform this important congressional report.
Translation: We have to report to Congress about the public's interest in Free File (filing directly on the IRS website) because they want to quash it, so here's a survey!
survey here
There are a couple of leading questions that I personally found HIGHLY entertaining. But I do recommend that if you are an American taxpayer you take a look at it/take it.
There was one question that asked what's important in filing taxes, and it had an "other" option that opened a handy text window, so I used that text window to tell them all about how filing taxes is a waste of time and money when the IRS already has all that information. There is absolutely no reason they can't just send you a bill or a refund every year, with a receipt, and you'd only have to file if you had to correct errors or had income or deductions that had been unreported for whatever reason.
sick while travelling
Sep. 2nd, 2025 10:59 amtielanUgh. Alas, for I have caught a bug. Virus. Thingy. Whatever.
Runny nose, blocked ears, exhaustion, sore throat.
Luckily, I had some antibiotics to take for it, so that's made things a little easier, but I suspect it's one of those longer-running, harder-hitting viruses.
Going to ask the halfbro for thoughts on a medical centre that I could maybe get seen by a doc and possibly get some stronger antibiotics? Also take a test, in case what I have is one of the worrying ones.
Probably doesn't help that I'm in Hong Kong (and was in Singapore) where it's very hot and humid, and so I start sweating like crayz when I'm not standing in a breeze. I mean, that was likely anyway, but the feeling of my eyes and nose and ears and sinuses all being stuffed up is not fun.
I'm also vaguely worried about the next leg of the trip which is two booked tours where they'll exclude me if I'm not healthy.
So, mostly rest while here in HK. That's the plan. It's just hard because it's so hot and blech and no respite. But the air con wasn't great in Singapore - it just felt cold and hard and sharp in my throat. So what with one thing and another, it's all a bit much.
I've been sick while traveling before - ironically, I was also on a tour that time. But it was pre-covid and people didn't worry quite so much about pandemics.
I've been vaxxed - covid 6 months ago, and flu more recently - but it's just the stuffiness that's not feeling great right now.
Runny nose, blocked ears, exhaustion, sore throat.
Luckily, I had some antibiotics to take for it, so that's made things a little easier, but I suspect it's one of those longer-running, harder-hitting viruses.
Going to ask the halfbro for thoughts on a medical centre that I could maybe get seen by a doc and possibly get some stronger antibiotics? Also take a test, in case what I have is one of the worrying ones.
Probably doesn't help that I'm in Hong Kong (and was in Singapore) where it's very hot and humid, and so I start sweating like crayz when I'm not standing in a breeze. I mean, that was likely anyway, but the feeling of my eyes and nose and ears and sinuses all being stuffed up is not fun.
I'm also vaguely worried about the next leg of the trip which is two booked tours where they'll exclude me if I'm not healthy.
So, mostly rest while here in HK. That's the plan. It's just hard because it's so hot and blech and no respite. But the air con wasn't great in Singapore - it just felt cold and hard and sharp in my throat. So what with one thing and another, it's all a bit much.
I've been sick while traveling before - ironically, I was also on a tour that time. But it was pre-covid and people didn't worry quite so much about pandemics.
I've been vaxxed - covid 6 months ago, and flu more recently - but it's just the stuffiness that's not feeling great right now.
9/1/2025 Lower Packrat Trail
Sep. 1st, 2025 06:55 pmmrkinchChris is still away so U walked Lower Packrat with me. A lot more people on that trail today! Unsurprising, a lovely holiday morning when it's been unusually warm. There was a report of spectacular migrant birding at Jewel Lake (I guess I believe it all but gosh) that we found a bit of: many Warbling Vireos in two locations, still Swainson's Thrushes whitting everywhere, Wilson's Warblers chipping and even singing, and multiple Western Tanagers, Blackheaded Grosbeaks, and Western Flycatchers. Everyone seemed riled up; it's the time of year when the day length mimics Spring and birds seem to react to this, especially the local birds. Right in the parking lot four California Towhees, seemingly two pair, were yelling, chasing, and fighting in the air. It was fascinating to watch, and to hear. ( The list: )
U saw her first Townsend's Warbler of the season, but that was the only Fall warbler despite the amazing report. By now Jewel Lake is so low the Mallards, when they bother to be there, are walking on the bottom. And yet we heard a Belted Kingfisher. I imagine they were disappointed.
U saw her first Townsend's Warbler of the season, but that was the only Fall warbler despite the amazing report. By now Jewel Lake is so low the Mallards, when they bother to be there, are walking on the bottom. And yet we heard a Belted Kingfisher. I imagine they were disappointed.
Does anybody have an explanatory link?
Sep. 2nd, 2025 09:16 pmconulySo, responses here are not terribly helpful.
The OP is specifically confused about the use of the prhase "such as" in the highlighted sentence. I said that this is not wrong, it's just formal and old-fashioned, but like most Americans I've had very little formal education in English grammar and with google I still can't find either the words to define it or a few well-placed citations by prestigious authors.
The OP is specifically confused about the use of the prhase "such as" in the highlighted sentence. I said that this is not wrong, it's just formal and old-fashioned, but like most Americans I've had very little formal education in English grammar and with google I still can't find either the words to define it or a few well-placed citations by prestigious authors.
Returned from Mitchagain
Sep. 1st, 2025 01:37 pmazurelunaticI picked a hotel based on price and reviews, and I think I picked poorly. Housekeeping was by request only, but they communicated that exactly bloody nowhere. The staff were universally friendly and courteous, but the lack of communication about that vital issue was overwhelming. I had to request housekeeping on Sunday twice, and the second time the person who arrived with fresh towels and to take away the garbage said something peculiar, about having us on the housekeeping list the next morning. I inquired, and learned that it is a lingering Covid safety policy. I would rather have universal masking as the lingering Covid safety policy.
Spicy mango frozen margaritas are delicious. We went to a local brewery, I think on Friday after the parish hall setup for the party. S & Z went for the frozen margarita "flight" and we passed the little goblets around for tasting. I tried the raspberry daiquiri (non frozen) and found it too sour. But I was able to enjoy the hot rim on the mango margarita, to the extent that I looked up recipes and got a bottle of Tajín after we got home. We played Sushi Go (except for Mums) and Wizard (except for me). There was no duckie in the big fishbowl drink as they were out. Alas. Hot Rim is our new band, and all the titles of the songs are double entendres, each followed by a B-side entitled "... Vociferously!"
Pips' partner H came for Saturday and Sunday, and it was very good to meet them. Belovedest has a sticker on their water bottle reading "I'm the enby sheep", and H is another such enby sheep. And Goth. We took to each other immediately.
The anniversary party was a hit. I even convinced Belovedest to dance with me to "I Will Survive", which I named as "our song" — not incorrect, but it's my song from nerd camp, and I believe their song by way of yeeting the evil ex, rather than our song together.
Cleanup on site was very swift, and we didn't actually have to stack all the chairs. Afterwards at home (the parental home), V and Mums put away leftovers and sorted the salad (cucumber and tomato separate from the lettuce) while the rest of the kid generation gossiped and played games and I carefully pulled the photos off the science fair board and sorted them back into their ziplock bags.
There was Sunday brunch, and I think we may not go there again — both of us and perhaps more of the party had mild food poisoning symptoms that afternoon. It didn't ruin our days fully, but I was glad to have my fully stocked medical kit on hand.
Squaredle is one of the family preoccupations. It's a NYT game that resembles Boggle, except it's a composed game rather than random, and the boards vary in size and shape. (One recent one was a 5x5 doughnut, with the middlemost letter missing.) There were also games of Boggle.
I did have the new folding power chair for the trip, which saved my strength for the important things. The acquisition is its own story, with the Bastard & Our Lady's own lucks. (This is a distinct entity from the folding scooter, which should arrive later this month.)
Crochet updates:
My #10 crochet cotton super Goth beaded choker is finished with the structural crochet work and needs the final outside beading. I'm waiting on more of the beads.
The self-striping granny triangle shawl has the first triangle complete, and I could wear it like that if I wanted to. Now that I know how it's sized, I've started the second triangle of three to make it a trapezoid.
Secret #10 crochet cotton project with a due date: I need to make a crucial measurement, but I found the perfect button in my collection. Awaiting the first chain. And I am pleased beyond measure to have been commissioned it.
Yellface is extremely glad we're home. She lectured us at length about having left, in tones I've never heard from her before. That was the extent of her displeasure, fortunately.
I experimented, and got us a first class upgrade on our way out. There was almost enough foot room for Belovedest, and enough elbow room for me. I even napped some. There was a cheese plate, and I felt secure enough in my prophylactic meds to partake. The only problem was the combination of my swoopy sleeves with armrest cup holders, so my right sleeve became saturated with ginger ale for a while.
Coming back was very crammed, even though we were in the premium seats with some extra foot room.
I'm glad I went.
Spicy mango frozen margaritas are delicious. We went to a local brewery, I think on Friday after the parish hall setup for the party. S & Z went for the frozen margarita "flight" and we passed the little goblets around for tasting. I tried the raspberry daiquiri (non frozen) and found it too sour. But I was able to enjoy the hot rim on the mango margarita, to the extent that I looked up recipes and got a bottle of Tajín after we got home. We played Sushi Go (except for Mums) and Wizard (except for me). There was no duckie in the big fishbowl drink as they were out. Alas. Hot Rim is our new band, and all the titles of the songs are double entendres, each followed by a B-side entitled "... Vociferously!"
Pips' partner H came for Saturday and Sunday, and it was very good to meet them. Belovedest has a sticker on their water bottle reading "I'm the enby sheep", and H is another such enby sheep. And Goth. We took to each other immediately.
The anniversary party was a hit. I even convinced Belovedest to dance with me to "I Will Survive", which I named as "our song" — not incorrect, but it's my song from nerd camp, and I believe their song by way of yeeting the evil ex, rather than our song together.
Cleanup on site was very swift, and we didn't actually have to stack all the chairs. Afterwards at home (the parental home), V and Mums put away leftovers and sorted the salad (cucumber and tomato separate from the lettuce) while the rest of the kid generation gossiped and played games and I carefully pulled the photos off the science fair board and sorted them back into their ziplock bags.
There was Sunday brunch, and I think we may not go there again — both of us and perhaps more of the party had mild food poisoning symptoms that afternoon. It didn't ruin our days fully, but I was glad to have my fully stocked medical kit on hand.
Squaredle is one of the family preoccupations. It's a NYT game that resembles Boggle, except it's a composed game rather than random, and the boards vary in size and shape. (One recent one was a 5x5 doughnut, with the middlemost letter missing.) There were also games of Boggle.
I did have the new folding power chair for the trip, which saved my strength for the important things. The acquisition is its own story, with the Bastard & Our Lady's own lucks. (This is a distinct entity from the folding scooter, which should arrive later this month.)
Crochet updates:
My #10 crochet cotton super Goth beaded choker is finished with the structural crochet work and needs the final outside beading. I'm waiting on more of the beads.
The self-striping granny triangle shawl has the first triangle complete, and I could wear it like that if I wanted to. Now that I know how it's sized, I've started the second triangle of three to make it a trapezoid.
Secret #10 crochet cotton project with a due date: I need to make a crucial measurement, but I found the perfect button in my collection. Awaiting the first chain. And I am pleased beyond measure to have been commissioned it.
Yellface is extremely glad we're home. She lectured us at length about having left, in tones I've never heard from her before. That was the extent of her displeasure, fortunately.
I experimented, and got us a first class upgrade on our way out. There was almost enough foot room for Belovedest, and enough elbow room for me. I even napped some. There was a cheese plate, and I felt secure enough in my prophylactic meds to partake. The only problem was the combination of my swoopy sleeves with armrest cup holders, so my right sleeve became saturated with ginger ale for a while.
Coming back was very crammed, even though we were in the premium seats with some extra foot room.
I'm glad I went.
140 in 1400 List
Sep. 1st, 2025 02:10 pmzhelanaFinished This Month
Write 300k words in 2025
Progress This Month
Exercise every day in 2025
Weight lift every day of 2025 (except days ordered not to by a doctor)
Brush teeth 360 times in 2025
Shower weekly 2025
Art Every Day 2025
Paint 12 times in 2025
Write in Spanish every day of 2025
Write in Russian every week of 2025
Finish my memoirs
Write weekly 2025
Read 2 pages of Spanish every day 2025
Read 12 new fiction titles 2025
Clean 2 minutes per weekday 2025
Clean 10 minutes per week 2025
Cook 12 times 2025
Watch a video in Spanish every week 2025
Watch a video in Russian every week 2025
Read 3 science textbooks
Read 3 social science textbooks
Read 3 history textbooks
Work through 3 math textbooks
Read 12 new nonfiction titles 2025
Go to temple 12 times in 2025
Work through a book of writing exercises
Write 300k words in 2025
Progress This Month
Exercise every day in 2025
Weight lift every day of 2025 (except days ordered not to by a doctor)
Brush teeth 360 times in 2025
Shower weekly 2025
Art Every Day 2025
Paint 12 times in 2025
Write in Spanish every day of 2025
Write in Russian every week of 2025
Finish my memoirs
Write weekly 2025
Read 2 pages of Spanish every day 2025
Read 12 new fiction titles 2025
Clean 2 minutes per weekday 2025
Clean 10 minutes per week 2025
Cook 12 times 2025
Watch a video in Spanish every week 2025
Watch a video in Russian every week 2025
Read 3 science textbooks
Read 3 social science textbooks
Read 3 history textbooks
Work through 3 math textbooks
Read 12 new nonfiction titles 2025
Go to temple 12 times in 2025
Work through a book of writing exercises
(no subject)
Sep. 1st, 2025 04:43 pmcesyHappy news of the day: Whoopi Goldberg wants people to watch more women's sports. So if you sign up for a free account on Pluto.TV and search for AWSN (All Women's Sports Network) you can watch a selection of women's sports matches and news and documentaries for free. Huzzah!
Thanks to The Happy Newspaper for the tip.
Thanks to The Happy Newspaper for the tip.
notable quotables
Sep. 1st, 2025 01:10 amursamajorhyounpark has recently started watching the 2022 revival of Quantum Leap, and tonight's episode? Revisited the World Series quake. As somebody who lived through that? ROFL, pedantry ahoy!Me: "Hi Candlestick! ... wait, happy hour during Game 3 of the Bay Bridge Series? GET UNDER A SOLID DOORWAY NOW."
Me: "WHAT THE HELL YOU WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO SEE THE FERRY BUILDING FROM THERE IN 1989, NOT EVEN WITH THE FREEWAY COLLAPSE."
Me: "You can't get across the Bay in the time you have! The bridge is down, BART is down, that utility tunnel is at least FIVE MILES LONG, and even when you come up on the Oakland side you still have to get through the entire-ass Port of Oakland. And you're playing a white family, highly unlikely they would have lived in West Oakland at the time, so now you have at least another two miles of running to get anywhere where the apartments look like that and you could plausibly have none or very few Black neighbors, and OH WAIT YOU'D HAVE TO CROSS THE CYPRESS STRUCTURE TO DO THAT, which also fell down in the quake! Your 90 minutes are up, tick tick BOOM."
hyounpark: "Watching this ep with you is WAY more entertaining than watching it by myself would have been!"Me: "And this didn't even account for going back to their new apartment in SF at least two miles in the wrong direction, RUNNING UPHILL, to look for the kid!"
*
The Strategist interviewed Sally Jessy Raphael a few weeks ago on some of her favorite things, and I feel seen.
"Let me explain. The first thing people say when they see me is, “Oh my God, you’re so short.” This is terrible. I am slightly under five feet. This means that if I go to buy grown-up clothes in the store, everything is too long. Everything. Every skirt, every pair of jeans, it doesn’t matter what I pay or where I shop. So, I have pinking shears. Everything I own, I pink with the pinking shears. It doesn’t make sense for me to go to Kohl’s and buy $9 jeans and then send them to be hemmed for $30. In New York, that’s what it costs to hem. So I gave up on having anybody hem them. And I’m having trouble threading my sewing machine. So pinking shears do everything."
I mean, not that I own a pair of pinking shears, but I'm always on the lookout for jeans that are short enough for me off the rack. Usually, they end up being some form of slim-to-straight fit cropped style, but the best pair of jeans I ever had was a flared sort of baby bellbottom style that I got at a clothing swap like 15 years ago. They didn't last terribly long (got holes on the inner thighs within a couple of years), but I loved the hell out of those jeans - they were button-fly (look, I bought my first pair of jeans with my allowance from the Gap in the early 90s and that's what I imprinted on), they had embroidered cuffs, they flared out below MY knee height just enough to balance my curvy hips better than any pair of then-trendy skinnies ever did, and I wore them at least twice a week while I owned them except in summer.
They were my holy grail of jeans, and I've been looking for anything like them ever since. I've tried on jeans from probably every American mass-market brand in the interim, but no. At this point, I own two pairs of Levi's Wedgie Straights because they are not "cropped" and come in a 26" inseam (so the knees hit where they're supposed to), and are suitable for the times when I just need plain old jeans that don't stand out. They are reliable. But they don't feel like ~me~ the same way these old jeans did.
I know the real answer is that I just need to buy a sewing machine and learn how to make my own jeans, but. Sigh.
vital functions
Aug. 31st, 2025 10:31 pmkaberettReading. ( Regula Ysewijn, McKinley Valentine, David J. Linden, Ann Leckie )
Skimmed several more pain-related papers.
... and I am also making some actual progress on catching up with my reading page! By which I mean "... I'm almost a whole entire week into May." I make no promises about how far I'm going to actually get.
Watching. 'nother episode of Farscape: S02E05 The Way We Weren't. Will concede that this made me go "... okay, yeah, I see why I needed to watch everything that went before, and damn it I am Having Some Feelings".
I have now sat or indeed wiggled my way through through Squish The Fish (Cosmic Kids' "baby yoga") in its entirety, it being a great favourite of The Toddler. I continue to have fascinating conversations about things that are easy for toddlers versus for grown-ups with the resident physiotherapist.
Cooking. A sweetcorn, tomato and runner bean curry, unearthed via Eat Your Books when I realised I had somewhat unintentionally got the nice organic veg box people to bring us runner beans (of which I am generally suspicious because of the texture of the pod).
Two loaves of actually vaguely competent bread (turns out scraping together the executive function to make the timing work... works better).
For breakfast this morning: the next recipe from the Welsh cakes book, being blackberry and apple splits (thereby using up some of the stewed apple in the freezer!). Could stand to have significantly less sugar than the recipe suggested and frozen blackberries very much want to make something that could only generously be called a purée rather than a soup, and definitely benefitted from being left to stand and cool before any attempt is made at the actual splitting, but A is very happy so I am content :)
Eating. Pizza Express takeaway to go with the Farscape on Tuesday evening when we were very, very tired.
Lunch in the café at Forty Hall this afternoon, featuring orange-and-lavender loaf cake!
Blackberries and onions and tomatoes and my mother's fig jam. Many very good food. Very pleased yes.
Exploring. Forty Hall! We went on an ADVENTURE this afternoon to get LUNCH there, which was slightly complicated by the part where ( breathing, everything is fine )
such that I spent a significant amount of time on the way both there and back again going "nope, need to stop" and spending a while lying on the grass staring up at the blue sky and the wispy white clouds through the various oak trees we passed. I have thoughts about this specific medical experience that I might write up elsewhen, BUT we WENT ON AN ADVENTURE and explored the farm shop and had lunch/afternoon tea in the café and walked around the walled garden and went home VIA THE (outskirts of the) BEAVER ENCLOSURE (thank you all, looking up that link means I have just discovered that TOURS NOW EXIST as of last month!!!) (more context: first beavers reintroduced to London after something like 400 years, back in 2022). Very very pleased to have managed this.Creating. Hmm. I haven't been creating, as such, but I have definitely been consulting with A about some 3d prints to make sorting the in-game currency easier at Admin: the LRP!
Growing. Everything is tomatoes. I have not managed to get overwintering onions going; maybe tomorrow?
Rooted lemongrass potted up; let's see how long it takes me to kill it this time.
Observing. Alas no beavers, but lots of excellent birds, including two excursions (one solo, one partnered) to visit the cootlings :) The one that hatched last (by a considerable margin) is very definitely still no more than about half the size of its elder siblings!
8/31/2025 Inspiration Trail
Aug. 31st, 2025 11:45 ammrkinchI awoke at 4:30, which is perfect, but this would the third day running I'd gone out and I'll be going out tomorrow with U so initially I went back to bed. But the weather was forecast clear and I felt pretty good, so to my cat's disappointment I got up again. It had been 95 in Orinda and was quite warm in the parking lot even before dawn; I was on the first rise when the sun rose, which is where I like to be. After listening for a bit I decided to go directly to the north end of the trail and bird on the way back. Before all this crap got me down I would take two hours out and one back, and I hoped this would make the return less hard. And it did, although I might have skipped the north end for all the birds I found there. But it was encouraging even so. It was Western Tanager day; I heard them in a couple of places and then saw two. No warblers but I saw a Western Flycatcher where I heard one two days ago. As usual recently, I heard all three nuthatches and all five woodpeckers, which makes me happy. ( The list: )
The Red-tailed Hawk was freebie. I foolishly was not checking the towers but when I was almost under one, A Red-tailed Hawk objected to my presence and took off, rattling the metal they'd perched on. For good measure, they screamed as they headed west. Thank you! :)
The Red-tailed Hawk was freebie. I foolishly was not checking the towers but when I was almost under one, A Red-tailed Hawk objected to my presence and took off, rattling the metal they'd perched on. For good measure, they screamed as they headed west. Thank you! :)
Black Emporium Exchange
Aug. 31st, 2025 03:06 pmsettiaiThe Black Emporium Exchange went live today, and I got not one, not two, but three lovely gifts this year!
How and Why?, Female Cousland/Nathaniel Howe, 2033 words.
Separated from the rest of the order after a darkspawn ambush, Haelia Cousland and Nathaniel Howe take shelter in a cave from a particularly harsh snowstorm. Once the two can finally catch their breaths, Nathaniel asks a question that forces Haelia to confront her feelings of Nathaniel, past and present.
Wrapped Up In Your Touch, Nicoline de Ghislain/Vivienne (with past Bastien de Ghislain/Nicoline de Ghislain/Vivienne), 2790 words.
Just a quiet moment between Vivienne and Nicoline de Ghislain while they enjoy a summer storm. Mild AU - Bastien/Vivienne/Nicoline triad, and also reversed the deaths in canon so in this case Bastien died of fever instead of Nicoline.
Patron of the Arts, Bastien de Ghislain/Nicoline de Ghislain/Vivienne, 1997 words.
If it were in any way seemly, Nicoline would commission a thousand paintings of Vivienne in all her graceful beauty. Or: Nicoline shows her *appreciation* to Vivienne by instructing her husband on how to please their lover.
How and Why?, Female Cousland/Nathaniel Howe, 2033 words.
Separated from the rest of the order after a darkspawn ambush, Haelia Cousland and Nathaniel Howe take shelter in a cave from a particularly harsh snowstorm. Once the two can finally catch their breaths, Nathaniel asks a question that forces Haelia to confront her feelings of Nathaniel, past and present.
Wrapped Up In Your Touch, Nicoline de Ghislain/Vivienne (with past Bastien de Ghislain/Nicoline de Ghislain/Vivienne), 2790 words.
Just a quiet moment between Vivienne and Nicoline de Ghislain while they enjoy a summer storm. Mild AU - Bastien/Vivienne/Nicoline triad, and also reversed the deaths in canon so in this case Bastien died of fever instead of Nicoline.
Patron of the Arts, Bastien de Ghislain/Nicoline de Ghislain/Vivienne, 1997 words.
If it were in any way seemly, Nicoline would commission a thousand paintings of Vivienne in all her graceful beauty. Or: Nicoline shows her *appreciation* to Vivienne by instructing her husband on how to please their lover.
