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( books: more Pratchett )

yarning
Went to yarn group Sunday despite an earlier migraine and had a pretty good time. Worked on a donation hat. I've been all hats all the time, working down my yarn stash, as I haven't had any kickbunny sales. I did sell 3 catnip-silvervine stuffed hearts. It's supposed to get down into the teens this weekend, with possible snow. I hope things will be clear for yarn group.

healthcrap
Friday: allergy shot. Tuesday: medical transportation assessment, which went fairly well. I'll hear whether I qualify in 2-3 weeks. Today: pharmacy & first shingles shot. I need to get labs done, but I should wait until the shingles side effects pass.

#resist
https://www.standwithminnesota.com/

I hope all of you are doing well and staying safe if you're in winter storm territory. <333

After some trouble getting ahold of me, my sister has let me know that our mother died this morning.

(So maybe don't assume I remember anything I'm supposed to remember this week?)
My sister and her husband continue to be awesome in these matters. As does Juan.

OK. Gonna go have food and meds now.

Author: Audrelite Title: Soon To Be Rewarded Fandom: Devilish Hairdresser Prompt: #478 — Reward Rating: E (sexual content) Characters: Angel, Devil Word Count: 100 Summary: The gleam in that smile, full of so much lust for her and only her, could outshine the sun, the moon, the goddamn heavens above.

AO3 Link

Wednesday's word is...

...quiddity.

1. whatever makes something the type that it is: essence
2. a: trifling point, quibble
2. b: crotchet, eccentricity

---

I remember this word from Whose Body? by Dorothy L. Sayers. This is such an excellent speech by Lord Peter. The audiobook version of this resides in my head.

“Well, I’m glad the little man has so much of an alibi,” said Lord Peter, “though if you’re only glueing your faith to cadaveric lividity, rigidity, and all the other quiddities, you must be prepared to have some sceptical beast of a prosecuting counsel walk slap-bang through the medical evidence. Remember Impey Biggs defending in that Chelsea tea-shop affair? Six bloomin’ medicos contradictin’ each other in the box, an’ old Impey elocutin’ abnormal cases from Glaister and Dixon Mann till the eyes of the jury reeled in their heads! ‘Are you prepared to swear, Dr. Thingumtight, that the onset of rigor mortis indicates the hour of death without the possibility of error?’ ‘So far as my experience goes, in the majority of cases,’ says the doctor, all stiff. ‘Ah!’ says Biggs, ‘but this is a Court of Justice, Doctor, not a Parliamentary election. We can’t get on without a minority report. The law, Dr. Thingumtight, respects the rights of the minority, alive or dead.’ Some ass laughs, and old Biggs sticks his chest out and gets impressive. ‘Gentlemen, this is no laughing matter. My client—an upright and honourable gentleman—is being tried for his life—for his life, gentlemen—and it is the business of the prosecution to show his guilt—if they can—without a shadow of doubt. Now, Dr. Thingumtight, I ask you again, can you solemnly swear, without the least shadow of doubt,—probable, possible shadow of doubt—that this unhappy woman met her death neither sooner nor later than Thursday evening? A probable opinion? Gentlemen, we are not Jesuits, we are straightforward Englishmen. You cannot ask a British-born jury to convict any man on the authority of a probable opinion.’ Hum of applause.”

“Biggs’s man was guilty all the same,” said Parker.

“Of course he was. But he was acquitted all the same, an’ what you’ve just said is libel.”

[of course what Parker has just said is slander not libel]

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Crossposts: http://highlander-ii.deadjournal.com/296042.html https://highlander-ii.insanejournal.com/470475.html

Title: Renewal
Fandom: The Sentinel
Rating: G
Content notes: None apply
Summary: icons of The Sentinel - which is a show that got a second chance thanks to the persistence of fans needing, at the very least, closure for their show

Notes: these were made for

pattrose for

snowflake_challenge, so are only shareable if they agree.

( Renewal )

I've been thinking about the forthcoming

halfamoon, celebrating female characters in fandom, and as always I'm looking forward to reading the contributors' fic and recs.

I've reconciled myself (mostly) to the idea that I'm unlikely to be writing any more fiction; but if a Muse of Stories should ever condescend to visit me again in this lifetime, I'd ask for her help in writing three works:

( Possible spoilers for decades-old source material )

Huh. There might be a bit of a theme discernible in both my actual and hypothetical fic.

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Current Mood: excited

...EXTREME COLD WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 9 PM THURSDAY TO 11 AM CST

FRIDAY...

...EXTREME COLD WATCH NOW IN EFFECT FROM FRIDAY MORNING THROUGH

SATURDAY MORNING...

* WHAT...For the Extreme Cold Warning, dangerously cold wind chills

of 35 to 45 below expected. For the Extreme Cold Watch, dangerously

cold wind chills as low as 35 below possible.

* WHERE...Portions of central, east central, south central,

southeast, southwest, and west central Minnesota and northwest and

west central Wisconsin.

* WHEN...For the Extreme Cold Warning, from 9 PM Thursday to 11 AM

CST Friday. For the Extreme Cold Watch, from Friday morning through

Saturday morning.

* IMPACTS...The dangerously cold wind chills as low as 45 below zero

could cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 10 minutes.

And where is this for?

URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE

National Weather Service Twin Cities/Chanhassen MN

1202 PM CST Wed Jan 21 2026

MNZ051>070-073>078-082>085-091>093-WIZ014>016-023>028-220615-

/O.NEW.KMPX.EC.W.0001.260123T0300Z-260123T1700Z/

/O.EXT.KMPX.EC.A.0001.260123T1700Z-260124T1800Z/

Sherburne-Isanti-Chisago-Lac Qui Parle-Swift-Chippewa-Kandiyohi-

Meeker-Wright-Hennepin-Anoka-Ramsey-Washington-Yellow Medicine-

Renville-McLeod-Sibley-Carver-Scott-Dakota-Redwood-Brown-Nicollet-

Le Sueur-Rice-Goodhue-Watonwan-Blue Earth-Waseca-Steele-Martin-

Faribault-Freeborn-Polk-Barron-Rusk-St. Croix-Pierce-Dunn-Pepin-

Chippewa-Eau Claire-

Including the cities of Chippewa Falls, St Peter, Mankato,

Stillwater, Victoria, Hudson, Fairmont, Blue Earth, Hutchinson,

Olivia, Faribault, Gaylord, Waseca, Owatonna, Benson, Madison, Elk

River, Redwood Falls, New Ulm, Cambridge, River Falls, St Paul,

Minneapolis, Menomonie, Shakopee, Red Wing, Durand, Blaine,

Chanhassen, St James, Center City, Litchfield, Monticello, Osceola,

Montevideo, Granite Falls, Albert Lea, Willmar, Hastings, Rice Lake,

Eau Claire, Ladysmith, Le Sueur, and Chaska

And what do we do?

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Dress in layers including a hat, face mask, and gloves if you must go

outside.

Keep pets indoors as much as possible.

Which mostly means "Keep yer ass indoors! You, and your little dog too!"
And also means "Look after each other. We keep us safe." OK? OK then.
Now if you'll excuse me, I need to finish the bag for the supply depot and start on one for Pow Wow Grounds.

What's the weather going to be doing where you are? And how are the people in your neighborhood?

Last year I participated in

halfamoon for the first time. I enjoyed it and have been looking forward to this round. The prompts for this coming round (beginning Feb 1) have been posted HERE.

Per the mod, this year is all about archetypes. So I've listed the seven feminine archetypes on the odd number days and then something that plays against that on the even number days.

I’m including the prompts here because I need to think about them some. Yes, I’m thinking they’ll all be Jessica again, but that’s not set in stone.

( prompts )

What I Just Finished Reading: Since last Wednesday I have read/finished reading: Nothing! I’ve watched a lot of tv and did a lot of writing in the last week, which didn’t leave much time for reading.

What I am Currently Reading: Still working on Husband Material (London Calling) by Alexis Hall.

What I Plan to Read Next: Probably the other library book I have out as I've only got one renewal on it.

I did indeed get in bed by 9:30 last night and slept pretty hard. I probably could have slept even more, but 11 hours is a pretty good night!

For some reason, I woke up with Barely Breathing by Duncan Sheik in my head, and when I wondered to

angelgazing whatever happened to him, she said he co-wrote Spring Awakening, which I did not know, so good for him! From one-hit wonder to Tony winner!

On the Mets front, they finally got a centerfielder in Luis Robert Jr. I guess if he can stay healthy, he'll be an upgrade over last year, offensively at least, though I am still a Tyrone Taylor fan for his A+ defense. #better call tyrone

In other sports news, my attempt to get interested in basketball seems to have done serious damage to the Knicks. They have been losing a lot lately. Plus, everyone I mentioned it to was like, don't do that. I didn't realize people in my wider circle felt that way about basketball. I guess there's always the Liberty! I should figure out when that season starts. Or the Sirens for hockey, but I don't think they've been very good either. Just a bad time all round for NY sports, I guess. And it's not like I'm a fair weather fan, though this certainly sounds like it - it's just I'd like to root for a team that isn't completely terrible, you know? As a treat!

On the books front, there is finally cover art and a real blurb for Dungeon Crawler Carl 8: Parade of Horribles, but still no Kindle* or e-book edition, so I broke down and pre-ordered the hardcover. (I can't do audiobooks. I've tried.) I also decided to do a reread of the series, because I've been trying to map out all the various stuff that needs resolving - and it is A LOT - so I wanted it to be fresh in my mind. So at some point there will be a post that is basically me as that Charlie Day-at-the-murder-board meme trying to figure it all out. *hands*

*I realize that I probably need to do a "free trial" of Kindle Unlimited to get the Kindle edition but I do not want to do that at this time. As the release date gets closer, we'll see if a Kindle edition shows up and I end up cancelling the hardcover, as I would prefer not to buy a hardcover tbh. I have all the rest on kindle, which is where I do 99.5% of my book-reading these days.

So anyway, I guess for the Wednesday reading meme, I just finished a reread of book 1 of Dungeon Crawler Carl and started rereading book 2: Carl's Doomsday Scenario. And I will probably read book 3: The Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook after that and so on and so forth. *wry*

***

Current Mood: okay
Current Music: Barely Breathing - Duncan Sheik

This is a bundle of material for Dead Air, a zombie apocalypse RPG from Italian designers The World Anvil Publishing - all books are English language.

https://bundleofholding.com/presents/DeadAir

It's inspired by material such as the recent series The Last of Us, and it's fairly clear from the outset that a campaign in this setting will probably not have a happy ending. The aim seems to be to make the best of things before the inevitable doom. Not really my preferred style of play, but if you like things apocalyptic it's a cheap bundle and nicely presented.

Today is mostly sunny, breezy, and cool.

I fed the birds. I've seen a flock of sparrows and at least one starling.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 1/21/26 -- We installed the first of the new latches.

EDIT 1/21/26 -- We installed the second of the new latches.

EDIT 1/21/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 1/21/26 -- I did more work around the patio.

.

Current Mood: busy

Snowflake Challenge 11: Granting Wishes

This challenge is a follow up to Challenge #5. You've made your own wishlist, now it's time to grant someone else's wish from theirs! This can be as simple as answering a question to creating something from scratch, one wish or many wishes. Let your inspiration run wild!

In your own space, grant someone's wish from Challenge #5. Leave a comment in this post saying you did it and include a link to your own post with the wishes you granted if you feel comfortable doing so.

Be sure to check out other people's creations, whether they're granting your wish or someone else's. If you post any granted wishes elsewhere, we'd love it if you link them to this post.

A gold snowflake ornament is nestled amidst pine boughs

( Read more... )

Current Mood: accomplished

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Posted by Zach Weinersmith

https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/unified-2

Click here to go see the bonus panel!

Hovertext:
10 points to anyone who tries this argument in real life.

Today's News:

https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/unified-2

What I read

Finished I Used to Be Charming: The Rest of Eve Babitz, though will cop to only skimming the final section 'Fiorucci: the Book' (1980) about which I was a bit WTF? and 'what was she on?'

Over the weekend saw a review somewhere of the latest work by Madeleine Gray speaking well of her first novel Green Dot (2024) so thought I might see what it was like, especially as it was at a very reasonable price on Kobo - gave up about a third or so in. Did not care about the narrator or her situation.

A bit of sortes e-reader (inadvertently opening a book) started a supernatural thriller but I couldn't work out whether it was part of a series and I was supposed to know who these characters and their predicament were, or whether I was supposed to work it out over chapters jumping back and forward over time and didn't feel grabbed. May return because that might be me?

Dick Francis, Risk (1977), where I realised I have recently identified a Francis pattern such that I could finger a certain character very early on as likely to be implicated in bad stuff going down.

On the go

Have been dipping into Timothy d'Arch Smith, The Stammering Librarian (2025), some further collected essays, including one on a person of research interest, and a rather fun Anthony Powell parody.

Dick Francis, The Edge (1988), which is the one involving a lush train journey, with additional Staged Murder Mystery, across Canada (reverse direction to the way I did it).

Up next

Well, the local history society publications in which I was interested have been ordered and have arrived.

Watch on Vimeo

Vid: House
Music: House - Charli XCX feat. John Cale
Fandom: The Black Phone (Movies - Derrickson)
Summary: ". . . other houses, the lights were dim, and with some houses they were almost out and I didn’t know the people who lived there. I’d get a feeling from these houses of stuff going on that wasn’t happy. I didn’t dwell on it, but I knew there were things going on behind those doors and windows." - David Lynch
Warnings: Canon-typical abuse and violence against children; suicide by hanging
Links: On AO3 | On Tumblr

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January 2026

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Page Summary

sage - What I'm Doing Wednesday
elisem - in the midst: another passage
pitchblackrenegade in 100words - Prompt #478 — Reward: Devilish Haiffdresser, Soon To Be Rewarded
stonepicnicking_okapi - Word: Quiddity
highlander_ii - Snowflake Challenge #11
highlander_ii in fan_flashworks - The Sentinel : icons : Renewal
kathleen_dailey - Just in case the Muse sees this post
princessofgeeks - The Night Manager S2
minoanmiss - Actual good news!
elisem - National Weather Service sez
spikedluv - Half A Moon 2026
spikedluv - Wednesday Reading Meme
musesfool - a fool for another day
ffutures - Another Horror Bundle - Dead Air
ysabetwordsmith - Birdfeeding
ysabetwordsmith - Snowflake Challenge 11: Granting Wishes
amaebi - Emailing my federal legislators
smbc_comics_feed - Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal - Unified
oursin - Wednesday attended the Fellows' monthly symposia
evewithanapple - Vid: "House" [The Black Phone]

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Page generated Jan. 21st, 2026 09:34 pm

Otter's Rock

Network

What I'm Doing Wednesday

in the midst: another passage

Prompt #478 — Reward: Devilish Haiffdresser, Soon To Be Rewarded

Word: Quiddity

Snowflake Challenge #11

The Sentinel : icons : Renewal

Just in case the Muse sees this post

The Night Manager S2

Actual good news!

National Weather Service sez

Half A Moon 2026

Wednesday Reading Meme

a fool for another day

Another Horror Bundle - Dead Air

Birdfeeding

Snowflake Challenge 11: Granting Wishes

Emailing my federal legislators

Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal - Unified

Wednesday attended the Fellows' monthly symposia

Vid: "House" [The Black Phone]

Profile

January 2026

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