Welcome to fire season

Nov. 8th, 2025 03:58 pm
fred_mouse: A hazard sign that says "WARNING! The Floor is Lava" in a pool of lava with the text "The Floor Is Lava!" (lava)
[personal profile] fred_mouse

Four sodding big helicopters have just gone overhead. Checking the emergency website, Wireless Hill (the whole parkland) is on yellow alert.

This isn't that early for fire season -- reasonably sure that the fire bans start in October, but it sure feels early.

Photos from Cyprus

Nov. 8th, 2025 07:55 am
nanila: me (Default)
[personal profile] nanila
20251108_083428
[Breakfast terrace view. Hire cars have red number plates.]

I didn't have much of an opportunity to research Cyprus before I arrived. Nicosia, the host city of the conference I just attended, is divided between Greek and Turkish Cyprus. The hotel I booked - and all I did was select the cheapest one on the conference accommodation list because it’s close to the venue - is only a couple of blocks from the Green Zone, the UN policed buffer that separates the two halves of the island. It is clear to see as soon as you go around the side of the hotel. Many shops are boarded up (though the flats above them are still occupied), their gates rusted and facades crumbling.

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[Crumbling gracefully.]

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[Crumbling less gracefully.]

A few stalwart businesses keep their doors open.

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[Bold claim: “Cyprus: Irresistible for 9000 years”]

Just a couple of blocks away are shiny new high rise buildings and attractive public spaces. You could, as a tourist, choose never to stray from the wide boulevards and safe pavements.

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[Eleftheria Square by day.]

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[Walking below Eleftheria Square at night.]

Google maps certainly didn't believe I should do that, taking me on a different path to the conference venue every day, past an entirely new set of cats.

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[Noble guardian.]

There are cats *everywhere*. Food and water are left out for them on the street corners and in vacant lots. They are even more prevalent at night.

20251105_191117
[The Gang.]

I must have spoken to 15 different people after arriving before I encountered a Nicosian Cypriot. The first Cypriot I met was giving a talk in the firzt session I attended who of course lives in London, not Cyprus. He recommended the meze restaurant (see below). The food here is incredible. I've tried something new every day.

Georgian food.

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[All of these bean paste / beetroot things are nice, but the ones in the middle are fried aubergine wrapped around walnut paste and I could have eaten about thirty of those alone and been very happy.]

Meze.

20251105_193042
[This was about a quarter of the way through the meal, and they kept bringing dishes. Far too much food for two people, although PhD student and I made a heroic effort. Those little fried courgette strips on the far right were my undoing.]

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[Dessert.]

“Healthy eating” restaurant.

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[This may look heavy / oily but it was not. The pastry was delicate and crisp and the feta inside was like a little fluffy cloud. Amazing.]

Even the breakfast at my otherwise average hotel was delicious.

20251105_073448
[The little roll covered in sesame seeds has a sort of olive pate in it which is *chef's kiss*. I had one every morning.]

In summary, 10/10, would come back to Cyprus to Eat All The Things.

Philosophical Questions: Community

Nov. 8th, 2025 12:13 am
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
People have expressed interest in deep topics, so this list focuses on philosophical questions.

Is hierarchy necessary for all successful human communities?


No. It's just easier. Humans seem inclined to prefer having leadership. Egalitarian communities exist, but they tend to take more work to create and maintain.



oh hi I went quiet for a week

Nov. 8th, 2025 05:30 am
beccaelizabeth: my Watcher tattoo in blue, plus Be in red Buffy style font (Default)
[personal profile] beccaelizabeth
Over on tumblr I used the number that time travels your Likes so I have been in 2013 seeing only things I Liked once already.
... my queue is a week long and unlikely to shrink any time soon.

I can see that this is not an unalloyed good nor an entirely productive use of my time but
I am not doing a whole lot else.


I did listen a bunch of Doctor Who audios. I am getting very close to actually having listened to all the Monthly Range. Which would catch me up to 2021, except for... all the ways it doesn't. I'm feeling sort of flat about them though so I haven't been reviewing because the main determinant of my reaction is being in that phase where I remember Doctor Who isn't Life but don't have any better ideas.

Shadow of the Daleks was an interesting collection of ideas that, for me, outstayed its welcome, by a couple of episodes. The idea of refracting characters out into aspects or disconnected incarnations is more compelling than the bits ended up being. But I liked lots of the parts and might have liked it more if I didn't listen it all in a row.

Faithful Friends did some good stuff with the Doctor and Zoe but I stalled in the middle for too long to actually get the most out of it. Exact opposite problem. I think I liked the bits with the Lupari. I'm not sure the last story really worked for me, since it sort of undid itself, but being stuck on a date with the Doctor that keeps going Doctor Who certainly had some mileage.

Alixion did interesting stuff with fears and memories and things not being as bad as fear memory made them. But I know I've forgotten most of the corners that did not involve Ace. Interesting bits, not sure about the whole.

The Halloween set struck me as very Torchwood for a Doctor Who set. Some of it was the thing where the Doctor isn't there so bad things just Happen and stay Happened. Some of it the Doctor was there for but it was families messing themselves up so he could only fix the edges where the alien stuff happened, not the messed up religion or the horrors of war. I did like the 8th Doctor adventure and the resolving things with acceptance. That ending had hope in it. The others had too many dead lesbians for one box set, to my mind. And the one with the weeping angels was messed up and dark even by Torchwood standards. Read more... ) So if you were looking for a proper Halloween horror it was a good box set, but I hadn't calibrated my expectations quite right and it was not quite what I was after.


Doctor Who feels like snack crisps and chocolates when I need vegetables, but I haven't found what else to do instead.



I have a plot bunny in my head that I have very nearly almost rotated into being a whole story, but as per usual it depends on epic crossover rules and is in that sliver where it's pretty out of character for named characters but too close to them to call original characters. It nearly works, if you know two editions of Pathfinder rules and care about characters from DW and DC and more. So it don't work.

I rotate it nonetheless.


And I keep not communicating. People are interesting but I mostly feel like I need a bit more sleep and I'll reply things when the words go. And then it's a new week and the words did not in fact go.


November.


Hope you all have better days.

Shit Went Down

Nov. 8th, 2025 05:00 am
[syndicated profile] murderbot_ao3_feed

Posted by SalmonCenter

by

It was a particularly hot day on the planet I had been assigned to when shit went down. What went down, exactly? Dr. Gurathin.

Words: 235, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Dept. of Memes

Nov. 7th, 2025 10:40 pm
kaffy_r: Animation of a Ghibli film scene, water rolling into shore. (Anoesis)
[personal profile] kaffy_r
Music Meme, Day 6

A song title that is all in lower case:

I was sure this one was going to be difficult, but it turned out to be easier than I thought. This is a song by RM, the leader of the juggernaut KPop group BTS. It was on his "Mono" album from about seven years ago. It's largely low-fi, and I love listening to it when I want to slow my mind down; when I just want to breathe. I had forgotten that the title of this song, "forever rain," was in lower case. I hope you like it - the music video art suits it. I notice that this is the second time I've picked a song from "Mono" for this list. 



Here are my five previous answers. 

Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5




Today's Smoothie

Nov. 7th, 2025 10:51 pm
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
Today we made a smoothie with:

1 cup strawberry apple cider
1 cup Brown Cow vanilla yogurt
1 banana
1/2 cup frozen strawberries
1/2 cup ice

The result is bright pink and on the thin side, with a nice fruity flavor.  We used strawberry apple cider from Grissom Orchard -- they have a few different flavors, all good.  It's at least the second time we've made this, but I forgot to write it down earlier. 

Slush (Due South)

Nov. 7th, 2025 08:19 pm
[syndicated profile] polyrecsdaily_feed
Slush (Due South):

Slush, by Kat Allison. Shrift: Vecchio’s back in town, and Kat works her magic: So he’d had one of the boys go out to buy him a pair of — “Galoshes, boss? What, you mean with the buckles and all?” He’d smacked the guy one on the back of the… Continue reading →

Al-anon night

Nov. 7th, 2025 11:13 pm
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[personal profile] silver_chipmunk
Woke up with my alarm at 10:00 and hung out in bed. I got a phone call, and it was the nurse at Middle Brother's group home, they are giving him a CT scan of his brain because of possible memory issues. That's going to be Tuesday. I was still not totally awake so I didn't ask some pertinent questions, but they are supposed to call me with the results so I can ask then. The nurse emphasized she didn't think there was any problem, this is just an over abundance of caution.

Got up at 11:00 and discovered there was no hot water. I had breakfast and coffee, then fiddled and killed time on line for hours.

I texted the super about the lack of hot water and he texted back that they were working on it. I thanked him and asked about the front door. No reply. Anyway, the hot water did get fixed. But not before I took a very cold sponge bath and got dressed.

I watched the final episode of season 3 of The Diplomat, and found that it has been renewed for a 4th season, probably dropping next October.

Finally at 5:00 I started for my meeting in the Bronx. I took the damn 25 first as I have to now and transferred to the 50. I went to the bank, then got my pizza. Then I went to the meeting, which was quite good.

Barely made the bus home, but at least that meant I didn't have to wait too long for it. It was on time, so I made it to 31st early enough I didn't have to wait 15 minutes for the 25, and didn't have to walk from there.

Got home and Teamed the FWiB. Fun as always. We talked a little over an hour, then I fed the pets and started here.

I'm chillym the heat in the building isn't on yet.

Gratitude List:

1. The FWiB.

2. Good TV, and it's renewed.

3. The Hot water came back.

4. Pizza.

5. My meetings and the people there.

6. Didn't take too long to get home.
cornerofmadness: (Default)
[personal profile] cornerofmadness
in the pouring rain at night at 65 miles per hour all I can hear is Jack Burton saying I never drive faster than I can see...and it's all in the reflexes.

So I had to give two of the bone tests today and it left me leaving later than I wanted to get to Athens for the writers meet up (i.e. me and MKF) and from there on to Marietta so it's about 80 miles of highway from here to there. Ah well I'm here, alive and well and apparently only a handful of doors down from Eddie Munster and several wrestlers who are all guests at the Marietta Monster Mash. It should be fun (and it starts an hour later than I thought so I should find something to do in the morning. I wouldn't mind going to Jeremiah's but the onstreet parking for that coffee shop sucks it hard)

And the lady I talked to last night did me a favor. I have a mini suite with two couches AND at the con rate of 70$ and she introduced me to the con's showrunner (guess she liked me)

Let's do fannish friday

Starting with my review of Hazbin Hotel's 3rd and 4th episodes

under here because 98% of you aren't into the fandom and it got long because I got excited )

And I wrote a story for [personal profile] spikesgirl58's challenge and yes it IS spoilery for Hazbin S2E3

Title: No Matter How Strong, I'm Gonna Take You Down

Summary: Anthony knows it’s either him or his father and he will do what he has to. The aftermath isn’t all he expected

Notes: Major spoilers for S2 Episode 3 and Angel’s backstory. Definitely watch the episode first.

Written for spikesgirl58’s 6 word challenge. The words were Harmony, Abort, Drug, Muddled, Slippery, & Apathetic

Also written for the allbingo prompt of I didn't want power. All I wanted was control. over my life and the lyrical titles bingo challenge for the prompt an angry song. I chose Dinner at Eight by Rufus Wainright

Story under here or at the above link )

And all the fandom recs will have to wait maybe til tomorrow. It's quite late.

catten yarn

Nov. 7th, 2025 09:50 pm
yhlee: Alto clef and whole note (middle C). (Default)
[personal profile] yhlee
Not my catten but [personal profile] isis's catten's contribution! So very soft. :3



Not much yet as it's a slightly tricky spin, mostly in that one has to pay attention instead of watching anime while spinning on inattentive mode. :D It feels different of course (silkier/floofier), but the spinning technique, like huacaya alpaca, is surprisingly similar to cotton in some ways!

BTW, [personal profile] isis, Cloud has been sniffing my hands VERY SUSPICIOUSLY ahahahaha.

Poem: "A Clear Path of Freedom"

Nov. 7th, 2025 09:17 pm
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
This poem is spillover from the November 4, 2025 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired and sponsored by [personal profile] librarygeek. It also fills the "I didn't want power. All I wanted was control. Over my life." square in my 11-1-25 card for the Fairy Tales and Fantasy Stories Bingo fest.

Warning: This poem contains intense and controversial topics. Highlight to read the more detailed notes, some of which are spoilers. It includes a ritual for justice with violent ends, ominous mythical figures, a bad leader, reference to sexual assault, reference to abuse under color of authority, treachery, and other challenges. If these are touchy topics for you, please consider your tastes and headspace before reading onward.

Read more... )

QOTD: Fishing with kites!

Nov. 7th, 2025 09:25 pm
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[personal profile] brithistorian

“In Polynesia, they used kites to fish, flying baited lines over the water to catch fish — a method that's also still around." (Lindsey Johnson, “A Brief History of Kites,” in Make:, #93, p. 53)

After reading this quote, I had to look into kite fishing more. Not only is it still around, I found someone in Dauphin Island, Alabama (near where I grew up) who's kite fishing in the Gulf of Mexico. It's possible (though I make no guarantees) that if I had been introduced to kite fishing, I would have found fishing more interesting than I did and wouldn't have given up on it.

dialecticdreamer: My work (Default)
[personal profile] dialecticdreamer
Over Dessert
By Dialecticdreamer/Sarah Williams
Part 1 of 1, complete
Word count (story only): 1265
[Sunday, May 10, 2020, early evening]]


:: Liana and Beverly are offered dessert, and the conversation eases the tension a bit more, fortunately. Part of the Edison’s Mirror universe. ::


Back to Another Idea
To the Edison's Mirror Index
On to



Aidan lifted Beverly’s empty glass. “Would you like some more? Or perhaps a serving of the berry crumble that Vic made for dessert? I adore reheating things in the microwave, it’s almost less work for me than walking to the kitchen.”

Liana brightened. “That sounds good!” She turned a guilty glance to Beverly. “Is it okay?”

“Of course it is,” the older woman assured. “I’d like some as well. Could… Could you explain a bit more about how you would annoy Declan, basically by existing?”

Vic snickered. Loudly. “He’s trying to stake a claim on Liana, and following her around like a stalker. The fact that I’ve been seen with her--male, about her age-- Well, that makes me a massive threat to his ‘approach’. Ed’s too young, and Aidan’s too old, but hanging out with them is a legitimate reason for me to be around her, which will drive Declan up a wall if he’s a classic talker.”
Read more... )
[syndicated profile] phys_environment_feed
As countries meet at COP30 in the Amazon, a new Oxford University study gives the most detailed view yet of how different nations' laws and regulations are aligning—or not—to climate goals. The survey of climate policies across 37 countries (including the whole of the G20) was developed through pro-bono partnerships with dozens of leading law firms around the world.

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