1SE for February 2026
Feb. 28th, 2026 09:54 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
nanilaI spent a lot of the first half of the month travelling, and the second half of the month recovering from the travelling while also working. I feel this video reflects those two halves pretty accurately.
"Do you know what you want in this moment?"
Feb. 28th, 2026 02:26 pmharpers_child"No this is my shirt. We cannot share the shirt. Stop hitting my face with your tail." <- conversation I am currently having with Radar (who does not know what she wants in this moment)
I fell over for a while recovering from Mardi Gras. Mostly physically, but also emotionally. It's also the season to swap from heat to AC every other day and then back again so my head has been hurting. Screen time has been limited. Klinger is happy about all the couch cuddles.
Three things make a post!
1. The BAFTAs racism thing. Jordan and Lindo shouldn't have had to hear it. I can't imagine how awful it was to hear that on a night that should have been about celebrating the cultural juggernaut Sinners is and the work that went into it.
Davidson had taken steps to limit his impact on the show. (Sat 41 rows back. Asked that his tics be edited out of the broadcast.) The BBC purposefully putting a mic on Davidson to make sure the presenters heard the slurs he couldn't help saying was shitty. (He left when he realized there was a microphone near him.) The show was recorded two hours in advance and several other slurs Davidson said were cut, leaving that one in was hurtful and harmful to many people.
This was handled in such a disrespectful way towards everyone involved. I think the theory that it was done on purpose to drum up views is right. The BBC knew Davidson was going to say horrible things (he can't help it) and chose the worst one to leave in.
2. Mom is sick and has "a cold" that has laid her out for a week. No she hasn't tested for anything. It's just "a cold". She hasn't sought medical help even though it's lasting longer than normal. She's arguing about taking OTC medication to help. This is some "offer it up" bullshit that's worse than usual because it's Lent. (Suffering will not make you holy. Take the fucking meds.)
3. I got some of the water activated eyeliners from HoloGrave. They all passed the allergy test (put on arm and wait for a few hours). I guess I'll paint on my face for enrichment some in the near future.
3b. My comfy pants from Lady Epi came in hours ago and are currently in the wash. Yay for comfy pants.
Radar has settled down for lap!cat! time and I'm out of words.
I fell over for a while recovering from Mardi Gras. Mostly physically, but also emotionally. It's also the season to swap from heat to AC every other day and then back again so my head has been hurting. Screen time has been limited. Klinger is happy about all the couch cuddles.
Three things make a post!
1. The BAFTAs racism thing. Jordan and Lindo shouldn't have had to hear it. I can't imagine how awful it was to hear that on a night that should have been about celebrating the cultural juggernaut Sinners is and the work that went into it.
Davidson had taken steps to limit his impact on the show. (Sat 41 rows back. Asked that his tics be edited out of the broadcast.) The BBC purposefully putting a mic on Davidson to make sure the presenters heard the slurs he couldn't help saying was shitty. (He left when he realized there was a microphone near him.) The show was recorded two hours in advance and several other slurs Davidson said were cut, leaving that one in was hurtful and harmful to many people.
This was handled in such a disrespectful way towards everyone involved. I think the theory that it was done on purpose to drum up views is right. The BBC knew Davidson was going to say horrible things (he can't help it) and chose the worst one to leave in.
2. Mom is sick and has "a cold" that has laid her out for a week. No she hasn't tested for anything. It's just "a cold". She hasn't sought medical help even though it's lasting longer than normal. She's arguing about taking OTC medication to help. This is some "offer it up" bullshit that's worse than usual because it's Lent. (Suffering will not make you holy. Take the fucking meds.)
3. I got some of the water activated eyeliners from HoloGrave. They all passed the allergy test (put on arm and wait for a few hours). I guess I'll paint on my face for enrichment some in the near future.
3b. My comfy pants from Lady Epi came in hours ago and are currently in the wash. Yay for comfy pants.
Radar has settled down for lap!cat! time and I'm out of words.
Charity Auction!
Feb. 28th, 2026 12:09 pmsanguinityFor those unfamiliar, ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
fandomtrumpshate is a fandom charity auction that supports nonprofits working to counteract some of the harms of the current presidential administration. Supported causes include trans rights, disability rights, immigrant rights, voting rights, libraries, Gaza, and more. (Please see the complete list of supported organizations, including which nonprofits accept international donations.)
I'm offering fic! In three fandoms:
Sanguinity's auction listing
$15 minimum bid for 2K words
$50 minimum bid for 7K words
Bidding opens Tuesday March 3rd, and closes Saturday March 7th. (I'll post again when bidding opens.)
And of course I'm not the only one auctioning fanworks! If you feel moved, please do have a browse offoth2026offerings (check out the sticky post for the best ways to search the offerings) to see if there's something that interests you.
fandomtrumpshate is a fandom charity auction that supports nonprofits working to counteract some of the harms of the current presidential administration. Supported causes include trans rights, disability rights, immigrant rights, voting rights, libraries, Gaza, and more. (Please see the complete list of supported organizations, including which nonprofits accept international donations.)I'm offering fic! In three fandoms:
- D.K. Broster novels (Jacobite Trilogy, Wounded Name, "Mr. Rowl", or a novel of your choice)
- Hornblower -- any of the various media, from novels to movies to radio
- Vorkosigan Saga
Sanguinity's auction listing
$15 minimum bid for 2K words
$50 minimum bid for 7K words
Bidding opens Tuesday March 3rd, and closes Saturday March 7th. (I'll post again when bidding opens.)
And of course I'm not the only one auctioning fanworks! If you feel moved, please do have a browse of
foth2026offerings (check out the sticky post for the best ways to search the offerings) to see if there's something that interests you.old HD
Feb. 27th, 2026 10:50 amtielanSo, I was reading a Thread where a guy was warning about old drives, and how they might not last very long anymore because of degradation of the components used in them.
So, while looking for a mouse this morning, I dug up 2 old HDs (circa 2010?) and two external HDs and figured I'd kick them started and see if they worked.
And I just found the MOTHERLODE of photos!
Dating back to 2011! Including ones of my old cat, and the parentals' old cat, and friends' children as babies! WOW.
And old trips! Including a few that I thought I'd lost forever!
(Apparently, I have always taken lots of photos of builidngs!.)
Also, boy was I skinny!! Either that, or the camera made me look skinny. Oh, younger me, why did you not realise? XD
So, while looking for a mouse this morning, I dug up 2 old HDs (circa 2010?) and two external HDs and figured I'd kick them started and see if they worked.
And I just found the MOTHERLODE of photos!
Dating back to 2011! Including ones of my old cat, and the parentals' old cat, and friends' children as babies! WOW.
And old trips! Including a few that I thought I'd lost forever!
(Apparently, I have always taken lots of photos of builidngs!.)
Also, boy was I skinny!! Either that, or the camera made me look skinny. Oh, younger me, why did you not realise? XD
Slay the Princess!
Feb. 26th, 2026 11:00 pmdhampyresaI've finished a play through of Slay the Princess. I really enjoyed it! I will now try to go after all the achievements héhéhé
I had to turn off the parallax and the ambient sound so I wouldn't get nauseous. Something to keep in mind if you're sensitive to motion sickness and/or vertigo.
I had to turn off the parallax and the ambient sound so I wouldn't get nauseous. Something to keep in mind if you're sensitive to motion sickness and/or vertigo.
Draft...2?
Feb. 26th, 2026 07:20 pmtielanFinished Draft 2 of The Nullifae: And If I Rise. Had to rewrite a whole section in the middle, then cram in a sequence where they meet the Oracle, who's a Fae.
There's still some stuff to be done - I need to rewrite the opening scene so it's more happening, less infodumping. And I think I want to write a snapshot at the end where Jenna is getting more or less fired from her job. Do I write her getting fired from her work, or do I just show her in the doghouse before she calls the Director of Crossover who gave her his number if she decided she wanted a change of scenery?
Choices choices.
It's about 60K finished, which isn't huge but isn't small potatoes either.
There's still some stuff to be done - I need to rewrite the opening scene so it's more happening, less infodumping. And I think I want to write a snapshot at the end where Jenna is getting more or less fired from her job. Do I write her getting fired from her work, or do I just show her in the doghouse before she calls the Director of Crossover who gave her his number if she decided she wanted a change of scenery?
Choices choices.
It's about 60K finished, which isn't huge but isn't small potatoes either.
Candyheartsex reveals: Dangerous Liaisons, Flight of the Heron, and Brigadoon
Feb. 24th, 2026 11:47 amsanguinityI wrote two works for candyheartsex!
During the anon period, there was a tumblr post going around about how you should follow your heart and write fic for that 300-year-old novel! Write fic for that 70-year-old movie! And I had to laugh, because...
This was a pinch-hit I picked up early. I've long hated the resolution of the novel, where Merteuil is cast low while Valmont is nearly valorized in death. (God forbid a woman be evil!!) So I wrote a new ending for them, one that is more symmetric in consequence, leaving them both war-ravaged, but with a path to become allies again.
Will they ride again, leaving ruin behind them? We can only hope. ;-)
So, last year I watched the Gene Kelly version of the musical Brigadoon, which for those who don't know, is about a Highland village that gets snatched out of time in the mid-eighteenth century, only returning to Earth for one day every hundred years.
And on hearing this, I was like, "Oh, that was obviously to protect the village from the fallout of the '45..." And then it turned out the whole backstory for the miracle was to protect the village from witches. Witches!
And I thought "Well, that's stupid. Obviously a fix-it is required!" Quickly followed by, "You know, I have a handy '45 fandom right here..." And "Not only do I have a handy '45 fandom, there is an EMPTY SPOT ON THE MAP where Ardroy should be... just as if Ardroy had once upon a time been snatched away into the clouds!"
So I wrote a couple thousand words right then, wrote a couple thousand more while I was in Japan, and... then got inextricably tangled up in plot difficulties and let the whole thing languish, neglected.
But then I got assigned toluzula in candyheartsex! Luzula likes AUs that have a supernatural element, and she's actually been to that empty glen where Ardroy should be, and it was all too perfect an opportunity to pass up. So on a weekend visit to my mom, I spent the entire four-hour drive blocking out my proposed plot to grrlpup, and satisfied that it was doable if I wrote fast, I wrote some 2K words that day. And then... kept doing that.
So. Um. Is this an absurdly long story for an exchange with a 300-word minimum? Yes. Sorry. (I hope I didn't cut too much into your free time last week, Luzula!) But it was a beautiful excuse to finish a story that might not have gotten finished otherwise, and the oppty to gift it to someone who has actually seen that empty glen.
Anyway, 16.7K, eventual happy ending, and no knowledge whatsoever of the musical is required.
So in fact it was only a 250-year-old novel and a 70-year-old movie, but still pretty close to the mark!
candyheartsex!During the anon period, there was a tumblr post going around about how you should follow your heart and write fic for that 300-year-old novel! Write fic for that 70-year-old movie! And I had to laugh, because...
Renewed Liaison forparnassus
Les liaisons dangereuses | Dangerous Liaisons - Choderlos de Laclos
Marquise de Merteuil/Vicomte de Valmont
Canon Divergence, Fix-it, Parley
I sue for two items only: peace, and a renewal of the true amity that once existed between us.
This was a pinch-hit I picked up early. I've long hated the resolution of the novel, where Merteuil is cast low while Valmont is nearly valorized in death. (God forbid a woman be evil!!) So I wrote a new ending for them, one that is more symmetric in consequence, leaving them both war-ravaged, but with a path to become allies again.
Will they ride again, leaving ruin behind them? We can only hope. ;-)
There My Heart Forever Lies for
The Flight of the Heron
Ewen/Keith, Ewen/Alison, Keith & Francis
Brigadoon AU
After Culloden, word reaches the British garrison that Ewen Cameron is skulking at Ardroy. As a test of his loyalty, Keith Windham is sent with a company of men to arrest him. Keith goes, but is determined to protect Ewen however he can.
Ewen, however, has been granted a miracle: for Ardroy and all its people to vanish into the Highland mist, reappearing only one day in a century. Life will go on just as before, no longer touched by wars, armies, or time…
So, last year I watched the Gene Kelly version of the musical Brigadoon, which for those who don't know, is about a Highland village that gets snatched out of time in the mid-eighteenth century, only returning to Earth for one day every hundred years.
And on hearing this, I was like, "Oh, that was obviously to protect the village from the fallout of the '45..." And then it turned out the whole backstory for the miracle was to protect the village from witches. Witches!
And I thought "Well, that's stupid. Obviously a fix-it is required!" Quickly followed by, "You know, I have a handy '45 fandom right here..." And "Not only do I have a handy '45 fandom, there is an EMPTY SPOT ON THE MAP where Ardroy should be... just as if Ardroy had once upon a time been snatched away into the clouds!"
So I wrote a couple thousand words right then, wrote a couple thousand more while I was in Japan, and... then got inextricably tangled up in plot difficulties and let the whole thing languish, neglected.
But then I got assigned to
luzula in candyheartsex! Luzula likes AUs that have a supernatural element, and she's actually been to that empty glen where Ardroy should be, and it was all too perfect an opportunity to pass up. So on a weekend visit to my mom, I spent the entire four-hour drive blocking out my proposed plot to grrlpup, and satisfied that it was doable if I wrote fast, I wrote some 2K words that day. And then... kept doing that.So. Um. Is this an absurdly long story for an exchange with a 300-word minimum? Yes. Sorry. (I hope I didn't cut too much into your free time last week, Luzula!) But it was a beautiful excuse to finish a story that might not have gotten finished otherwise, and the oppty to gift it to someone who has actually seen that empty glen.
Anyway, 16.7K, eventual happy ending, and no knowledge whatsoever of the musical is required.
So in fact it was only a 250-year-old novel and a 70-year-old movie, but still pretty close to the mark!
why do you elude me
Feb. 23rd, 2026 05:46 pmursamajorWatching my soprano section shrink in real time the week of a concert due to the germ soup we're all swimming around in out there: augh. (People. This is why most of your section leaders and certain choir elders have decided to continue singing masked, even if we can't make it policy again for the whole choir for various bureaucratic reasons. Seriously, 3M, where are those black N95s we've been politely requesting for four years now?)
Still, glad to be singing with a group whose music is meeting the moment; check program notes, well worth a read for background. Keeping in mind the timelines for performing classical music are scheduled well over a year in advance. A program replete with music from immigrants, combining disparate musical traditions in the best ways.
*
We almost had snow in the Bay Area again last week - well, okay, the actual 2500' peaks like Mount Diablo and Mount Hamilton got snow and it looked pretty, and of course the much higher Sierras to our east got feet of snow and "no you can't fucking travel today" warnings and avalanche deaths - and now we're missing the first real snow in Boston in years, and it's pretty, but I'm okay with that.
*
I dropped my phone awhile back, and while it was still technically functional, the back had enough spiderwebbing and flaking glass revealing the motherboard structure below that I got it replaced. It has literally taken most of the day since it arrived to get things swapped over. Mostly because this also involved a forced upgrade to Liquid Glass, which I'd been ducking, sigh.
*
A few months ago,hyounpark and I were getting on the freeway when a billboard flashed "LOCAL BIRRIA BALLS" at us. For, like, half a second, just long enough for H to read the phrase aloud, and go, "Birria *balls*?"
Me: "That's like, bringing up ancient catchphrases in my brain. Remember 'I wanna dip my balls in it'?"
H: "... I don't want to know, do I."
Me: "MTV in the '90s. For what it's worth, they were golf balls."
H: "I suspect birria balls are going to be quite different, but I'm driving so I can't find out right now."
Me: "I'm on it!"
Me, five minutes later: "Well, I can't find a local option for whatever these are, and Google keeps asking me if I'm looking for 'birria bombs.' But apparently a Mexican food truck in Kentucky says they're meatballs made of birria? With Hot Cheetos dust on the outside for crunch? ... and there's a restaurant in West Virginia that agrees with them."
H: "... I mean, that sounds like uber-American stoner kid food mashup culture, but why aren't there more local search results if there's literally a freeway billboard promoting it?"
Me: "Or we can buy them frozen. From an Italian specialty food shop. In Denmark."
H: "Google, you have utterly lost the plot."
We finally saw that particular billboard again (it's one of those electronic billboards with a rotating stash of ads), and this time, it had a URL attached, so we discovered that the local birria balls are literally just flavor packs, you have to provide your own birria in ball form.
Still, glad to be singing with a group whose music is meeting the moment; check program notes, well worth a read for background. Keeping in mind the timelines for performing classical music are scheduled well over a year in advance. A program replete with music from immigrants, combining disparate musical traditions in the best ways.
*
We almost had snow in the Bay Area again last week - well, okay, the actual 2500' peaks like Mount Diablo and Mount Hamilton got snow and it looked pretty, and of course the much higher Sierras to our east got feet of snow and "no you can't fucking travel today" warnings and avalanche deaths - and now we're missing the first real snow in Boston in years, and it's pretty, but I'm okay with that.
*
I dropped my phone awhile back, and while it was still technically functional, the back had enough spiderwebbing and flaking glass revealing the motherboard structure below that I got it replaced. It has literally taken most of the day since it arrived to get things swapped over. Mostly because this also involved a forced upgrade to Liquid Glass, which I'd been ducking, sigh.
*
A few months ago,
hyounpark and I were getting on the freeway when a billboard flashed "LOCAL BIRRIA BALLS" at us. For, like, half a second, just long enough for H to read the phrase aloud, and go, "Birria *balls*?"Me: "That's like, bringing up ancient catchphrases in my brain. Remember 'I wanna dip my balls in it'?"
H: "... I don't want to know, do I."
Me: "MTV in the '90s. For what it's worth, they were golf balls."
H: "I suspect birria balls are going to be quite different, but I'm driving so I can't find out right now."
Me: "I'm on it!"
Me, five minutes later: "Well, I can't find a local option for whatever these are, and Google keeps asking me if I'm looking for 'birria bombs.' But apparently a Mexican food truck in Kentucky says they're meatballs made of birria? With Hot Cheetos dust on the outside for crunch? ... and there's a restaurant in West Virginia that agrees with them."
H: "... I mean, that sounds like uber-American stoner kid food mashup culture, but why aren't there more local search results if there's literally a freeway billboard promoting it?"
Me: "Or we can buy them frozen. From an Italian specialty food shop. In Denmark."
H: "Google, you have utterly lost the plot."
We finally saw that particular billboard again (it's one of those electronic billboards with a rotating stash of ads), and this time, it had a URL attached, so we discovered that the local birria balls are literally just flavor packs, you have to provide your own birria in ball form.
life
Feb. 24th, 2026 09:52 amtielanI need to sit up, no slumping.
Still no contract.
I wonder if the HR manager has pushed back against the client group manager...
ETA 2 hours later: Apparently they are renewing me, but they're changing the payroll company they're paying me through, and I'm not sure what's going on with the rate, or how much longer the contract will go for.
--
Also, per my icon: you should do a search on "political" quilts at QuiltCon '26. There are a bunch of conservatives with their panties in a knot because "suddenly" the quilts are "political"...
--
We have two new chickens. Babies, 6 weeks old. We're keeping them inside for the moment, in a cage, mostly because the coop we'd put them in needs repair and I won't have proper time until Sunday (but am stealing lunchtimes and after work). We're also trying to get them used to cuddles.
Still no contract.
I wonder if the HR manager has pushed back against the client group manager...
ETA 2 hours later: Apparently they are renewing me, but they're changing the payroll company they're paying me through, and I'm not sure what's going on with the rate, or how much longer the contract will go for.
--
Also, per my icon: you should do a search on "political" quilts at QuiltCon '26. There are a bunch of conservatives with their panties in a knot because "suddenly" the quilts are "political"...
--
We have two new chickens. Babies, 6 weeks old. We're keeping them inside for the moment, in a cage, mostly because the coop we'd put them in needs repair and I won't have proper time until Sunday (but am stealing lunchtimes and after work). We're also trying to get them used to cuddles.
Weeks 5/52 to 8/52 - where did those weeks go?
Feb. 23rd, 2026 06:20 amruricSo much for doing a weekly round up! Whoops.
HOME: life got busy and my decluttering/#orjenising stalled.
HEALTH my sleep patterns are still FUBAR'd but otherwise good.
LIFE ADMIN: looking at European alternatives to Gmail and Dropbox - eyeing up Proton.
DIGITAL DECLUTTER: have kept email at mail at 11,000 but not managed to reduce it; staying on top of transferring To Keep items from tablet to dropbox, my phone images storage is a mess.
GARDENING/ALLOTMENTING: nope - too cold and/or wet and lacked motivation.
COOKING/EATING: a few too many coffee shop lunches but resisting the lure of takeaways.
READING/LISTENING: not the last few weeks.
WATCHING: Still not caught up on Stranger Things and have only managed one episode of Heated Rivalry. Keeping up with returning shows and trying to avoid picking up new ones! Did bing Marple and Miss Marple in Wales.
CREATING/LEARNING: dealing with sewing in ends on Halloween blanket then need to block it and the granny square blanket. Hecicardi 75% finished but need to frog a bit and redo. While in Wales did 24 granny squares for small project bags and 13 for large bag. Just need to decide if I want more to make bags larger. Have plenty of wool - then must stitch together, line and finish.
CATS: all good.
VOLUNTEERING: still have one outstanding task.
SOCIALISING: nope - not even phone calls. Proper hermitting other than crochet club and class.
WORK: a bit meh for the last few weeks and have unfortunately scheduled 3 consecutive weeks of weekend working.
Plan for this coming week - work long office days Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, TOIL Wednesday, off Friday and Sunday, working Saturday.
HOME: life got busy and my decluttering/#orjenising stalled.
HEALTH my sleep patterns are still FUBAR'd but otherwise good.
LIFE ADMIN: looking at European alternatives to Gmail and Dropbox - eyeing up Proton.
DIGITAL DECLUTTER: have kept email at mail at 11,000 but not managed to reduce it; staying on top of transferring To Keep items from tablet to dropbox, my phone images storage is a mess.
GARDENING/ALLOTMENTING: nope - too cold and/or wet and lacked motivation.
COOKING/EATING: a few too many coffee shop lunches but resisting the lure of takeaways.
READING/LISTENING: not the last few weeks.
WATCHING: Still not caught up on Stranger Things and have only managed one episode of Heated Rivalry. Keeping up with returning shows and trying to avoid picking up new ones! Did bing Marple and Miss Marple in Wales.
CREATING/LEARNING: dealing with sewing in ends on Halloween blanket then need to block it and the granny square blanket. Hecicardi 75% finished but need to frog a bit and redo. While in Wales did 24 granny squares for small project bags and 13 for large bag. Just need to decide if I want more to make bags larger. Have plenty of wool - then must stitch together, line and finish.
CATS: all good.
VOLUNTEERING: still have one outstanding task.
SOCIALISING: nope - not even phone calls. Proper hermitting other than crochet club and class.
WORK: a bit meh for the last few weeks and have unfortunately scheduled 3 consecutive weeks of weekend working.
Plan for this coming week - work long office days Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, TOIL Wednesday, off Friday and Sunday, working Saturday.
(no subject)
Feb. 22nd, 2026 03:25 pmscifirenegadeHaving a panic attack while your friend is also having a very shitty time and having to help (while trying to not seem like you yourself are having a bad time) is sure an experience. Been trying to get over it with movies.
Zootopia's message is still a little muddy, but "Didney" would never do something like this now (Zootopia 2 not withstanding, no idea how good that one is). Goldeneye made me feel like a kid again. I always forget I enjoy James Bond movies. The difference is I'm an adult now, and can think of them critically.
As for new watches... 8½ is... overrated? I guess? It feels like a dream, it plays with its medium so darn well, but alas, I cared not for our director character. Maybe on a rewatch it's better, but I have no desire to do so. Sleeping Car though? Very very silly. Always nice seeing Madeleine Carroll in a not-drama. I have seen four talkies with Ivor Novello and in half of them he's the most obnoxious rascal (good, he plays them well). Lots of moving camera, not enough trains. I still enjoyed I Lived With You more, but somehow believed Carroll and Novello's romance more than Jeans and Novello.
(And I would believe his romance with me even more *cough*)
I have to thirst somewhere. My friends can't handle it, and it's not even as scandalous as Cairns's for Veidt's tight clothing :P
EDIT: Ah! Almost forgot!bethefirst is having its (optional) signups! tardis_remix is also having (obligatory) signups and prompt claiming!
Zootopia's message is still a little muddy, but "Didney" would never do something like this now (Zootopia 2 not withstanding, no idea how good that one is). Goldeneye made me feel like a kid again. I always forget I enjoy James Bond movies. The difference is I'm an adult now, and can think of them critically.
As for new watches... 8½ is... overrated? I guess? It feels like a dream, it plays with its medium so darn well, but alas, I cared not for our director character. Maybe on a rewatch it's better, but I have no desire to do so. Sleeping Car though? Very very silly. Always nice seeing Madeleine Carroll in a not-drama. I have seen four talkies with Ivor Novello and in half of them he's the most obnoxious rascal (good, he plays them well). Lots of moving camera, not enough trains. I still enjoyed I Lived With You more, but somehow believed Carroll and Novello's romance more than Jeans and Novello.
I have to thirst somewhere. My friends can't handle it, and it's not even as scandalous as Cairns's for Veidt's tight clothing :P
EDIT: Ah! Almost forgot!
bethefirst is having its (optional) signups! tardis_remix is also having (obligatory) signups and prompt claiming!
Bletchley Park
Feb. 22nd, 2026 02:01 pmnanilaLast weekend, we stayed in a Landmark Trust property a mere half-hour journey to Bletchley Park. We were surprised by nice weather on the Saturday, so we made the trip. Below is an assortment of photos from the selection of buildings we managed to visit over the course of five hours. I don’t think we saw more than a third of it, so we’ll definitely take advantage of the year-long entry that the steep admission price gets you to see the rest.
The dingy basement has had a lick of paint and yet somehow doggedly retains its character.
Listening stations.
Keiki does some Morse code-breaking.
Humuhumu does some Enigma encoding.
A surprisingly dry and sunny day after all the rain we’ve been having.
Daffodils were not quite ready.
The Mansion seemed like it was a bit of all right.
Not so sure the Intelligence Factory needs this.
Humuhumu and I spent quite a while on this interactive exhibit, plotting the locations of various maritime assets and enemies.
Many of the personal testimonials in the exhibition mention how boring and repetitive some of the intelligence work was.
You can see why they resorted to putting frogs in the pneumatic tube system to liven up the day.
The Park is beautifully maintained and the interactive exhibits are well designed and engaging - I’d say from the age of about 10 on up - so well worth a visit. I restrained myself to one book in the gift shop (The Walls Have Ears by Helen Fry) but could easily have brought home a stack.
The dingy basement has had a lick of paint and yet somehow doggedly retains its character.
Listening stations.
Keiki does some Morse code-breaking.
Humuhumu does some Enigma encoding.
A surprisingly dry and sunny day after all the rain we’ve been having.
Daffodils were not quite ready.
The Mansion seemed like it was a bit of all right.
Not so sure the Intelligence Factory needs this.
Humuhumu and I spent quite a while on this interactive exhibit, plotting the locations of various maritime assets and enemies.
Many of the personal testimonials in the exhibition mention how boring and repetitive some of the intelligence work was.
You can see why they resorted to putting frogs in the pneumatic tube system to liven up the day.
The Park is beautifully maintained and the interactive exhibits are well designed and engaging - I’d say from the age of about 10 on up - so well worth a visit. I restrained myself to one book in the gift shop (The Walls Have Ears by Helen Fry) but could easily have brought home a stack.
candyhearts ex works (2 buck/eddie)
Feb. 21st, 2026 06:07 pmsvgurlcandyheartsex had creator reveals and this is what I wrote. :)Title: i don't want anybody (but you)
Fandom: 9-1-1 (TV)
Pairing/Characters: Buck/Eddie
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 1821
Summary: The real reason Eddie doesn't date.
Title: not an ending (just a new beginning)
Fandom: 9-1-1 (TV)
Pairing/Characters: Buck/Eddie, Christopher
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 1565
Summary: When Buck watches Abby leave, he doesn't expect to immediately run into the two people who will be his future.
The Birds Are on Their Way Back
Feb. 21st, 2026 05:06 pmseleneheartEarlier in the week, a flock of robins and a flock of starlings descended on the small ornamental cherry (?) (I'm not so good with ornamental trees) and devoured all the remaining fruit.
For the last two days, I've heard the geese overhead and today I saw a pair scrambling at speed for the pond in the woods behind my house. I love living here so much.
I put a suet block out for the winter - the birds in Texas usually devoured it, but it looks almost completely untouched. Maybe all the birds leave? I'm still adjusting to life in the northern forest, and I don't remember enough about how it worked when I was growing up in the mountains. Surely cardinals stay all winter?
I'm planning to clean out the seed feeder and get it out tomorrow. Maybe that will be more tempting.
For the last two days, I've heard the geese overhead and today I saw a pair scrambling at speed for the pond in the woods behind my house. I love living here so much.
I put a suet block out for the winter - the birds in Texas usually devoured it, but it looks almost completely untouched. Maybe all the birds leave? I'm still adjusting to life in the northern forest, and I don't remember enough about how it worked when I was growing up in the mountains. Surely cardinals stay all winter?
I'm planning to clean out the seed feeder and get it out tomorrow. Maybe that will be more tempting.
The Friday Five on a Saturday
Feb. 21st, 2026 08:42 pmnanilaWhen did you last…
- Scrounge for change (couch, ashtray, etc.) to make a purchase?
I honestly can't remember. So many places are cashless now that I often don't carry any. It must have been pre-Covid. - Visit a dentist?
Five months ago. My next clean is in March. - Make a needed change to your life?
The most significant recent change was changing to a gym I actually want to use, at the start of the year. I really needed that. I feel so much healthier. - Decide on a complete menu well in advance of the evening meal?
Most nights, tonight included. We have to plan because of the kids. Most days we eat breakfast and supper at home as a family because we have the luxury of schedules that allow us to do so. - Spend part of the day (other than daily hygiene) totally/mostly naked?
No idea. I hardly ever do this. It's flippin’ cold here most of the time. For those who say the UK temperatures are mild, okay, maybe to you, but I spent most of my life in the tropics before I moved here and I wasn't wandering around naked there either.
