These questions were originally suggested by alysonl.
1. What's one of the nicest things a friend has ever done for you?
2. What's one of the nicest things a stranger has ever done for you?
3. What is a trait in another person that you instantly admire, and that draws you to them?
4. What is a trait in another person that instantly repels you, and prevents you from forming a close relationship with them?
5. Time to vent: tell us about something rotten someone has done to you.
Copy and paste to your own journal, then reply to this post with a link to your answers. If your journal is private or friends-only, you can post your full answers in the comments below.
I fed the birds. I've seen a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches.
I put out water for the birds.
EDIT 11/13/25 -- I watered the Egyptian walking onions.
I gathered seeds from the 'Shirley' landrace zinnias that I'm developing.
EDIT 11/13/25 -- I emptied the two spigot jugs of comfrey tea. The pure one had so little liquid that I just dumped it out, and it didn't have much of a smell, just kind of moldy. The one with a handful of leaves decanted 2 gallons of tea-colored liquid fertilizer, and not much noticable smell. That's the one I'm more likely to repeat. I never did get around to testing it because the weather was so sweltering most of the time. But I have it to try out in spring.
EDIT 11/13/25 -- I rinsed out the two spigot jugs and brought them in.
EDIT 11/13/25 -- We walked around the yard looking at places in the prairie garden that need to be mowed, trimmed and carried away a few branches, and now my partner Doug is out mowing.
EDIT 11/13/25 -- We walked around the yard again and got another strip mowed.
I did a lot of work around the patio.
I've seen a fox squirrel running through the trees.
I fed the birds. I've seen a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches.
I put out water for the birds.
EDIT 11/13/25 -- I watered the Egyptian walking onions.
I gathered seeds from the 'Shirley' landrace zinnias that I'm developing.
EDIT 11/13/25 -- I emptied the two spigot jugs of comfrey tea. The pure one had so little liquid that I just dumped it out, and it didn't have much of a smell, just kind of moldy. The one with a handful of leaves decanted 2 gallons of tea-colored liquid fertilizer, and not much noticable smell. That's the one I'm more likely to repeat. I never did get around to testing it because the weather was so sweltering most of the time. But I have it to try out in spring.
EDIT 11/13/25 -- I rinsed out the two spigot jugs and brought them in.
EDIT 11/13/25 -- We walked around the yard looking at places in the prairie garden that need to be mowed, trimmed and carried away a few branches, and now my partner Doug is out mowing.
EDIT 11/13/25 -- We walked around the yard again and got another strip mowed.
I did a lot of work around the patio.
I've seen a fox squirrel running through the trees.
I was already looking forward to it, but that new extended trailer for Pokopia made me really excited!! Professor Tangrowth... I will protect you... (I don't have a Switch 2, but that doesn't matter.)
(That Misty-themed outfit being included with her signature pose was so rude & directed right at me.)
Good morning, and I'm thinking about these lines from Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing:
BEATRICE: Lord, I could not endure a husband with a beard on his face: I had rather lie in the woollen. LEONATO: You may light on a husband that hath no beard. BEATRICE: What should I do with him? dress him in my apparel and make him my waiting-gentlewoman? He that hath a beard is more than a youth, and he that hath no beard is less than a man: and he that is more than a youth is not for me, and he that is less than a man, I am not for him
and the 2011 adaptation's choice to have Benedick with a beard dress like a woman - perhaps even subtextually dressed in Beatrice's apparel and ready to be her waiting-gentlewoman - in almost full drag with fake boobs, a wig, a jean skirt, and fishnet stockings:
But then, when he's ready to give into the love story with Beatrice, even before the wedding disaster, he's "shaved" off his beard (he has at least trimmed it from the previous scene - and he's definitely shaved textually as Leonardo & co. make fun of him for it, complete with homophobic vocal tones) but here, he's dressed like a "man":
(I still think the best chance they had of getting all the paint off him between scenes was to shave him a bit, but they couldn't shave him completely unless tennant could grow enough of a beard overnight for the next round of performances.)
But: is Benedick threading the needle of Beatrice's designed-to-be-impossible standards for disqualifying candidates for a husband, or what.
Marcus from BVS Rör came by in the morning and we discussed my dream of a toalett and sink in the attic and another in the basement. He will send a cost estimate later, but suggested doing first the one and then the orher.
Since I worked from home I took the opportunity to wash the bed sheets. Yay! Clean sheets!
After work took bows and arrows in for the first indoor archery practice of the season. Stidd shoulders meant I had problems turning my head to shoot, so I did yoga and came home early.
This meant that I was home just early enough to stop by the store and pick up some vegetables and cook a green sauce to go with the spagetti squash I had roastedwhile working. Alas, when I tried standing up the immersion blender in the pot while I reached for the rubber spatula to scrape the side of the pot, the blender slipped, fell out of the pot splashing thich, boiling hot green sauce on me, the stove, the walls... oops.
I ran cold water on my arms, cleaned everything up, and finished cooking. Then I grated the butternut pumpkin and put it in the dehydrator so we will can toss a little into soups and stews.
Keldor got home around then, and built a fire in the heater, since it wasn't warming the water with just electricity so we will be able to take a got shower before bed.
Then he added a reinforcement board to the side of the bed. The frame had cracked when we were in Norway, and the cat sitter had glued it and clamped it together. It held till last night, when we heard a crack as Keldor was getting out of bed to head to the loo in the middle of the night, but we opted to keep sleeping and ignore it.
This morning we looked at the crack, and decided we would deal with it in stages. Stage 1, glue and screw on a reinforcement board. When we take the bed apart tomove to the upstairs room we can replace that board. I promptly forgot about it, but he remembered, so now stage 1 is done.
Buffy reaches up and accidentally knocks the books off.
Buffy: Woah, oh. (They fall on the head of a young man crouched underneath. He staggers back but recovers.) Oh, ahh. Oh god, I'm so sorry.
He stands up.
Riley: I'm okay. It's okay. Well, that was bracing.
Ah. A little delving shows me that the person I remember as doing pioneering research on the subject, published around the late 90s, and also involved in intersex activism, has become A Figure of Controversy and I think we probably do not mention them.
That Hitler himself had a condition that was discovered and named by a Jewish man who also held some responsibility for the scientifically misguided murderous policies of the Nazis is at least a reflection that history is often imbued with a sense of complex and confusing irony.
A picture is worth a thousand words. Adelita Grijalva being sworn in by an unhappy Mike Johnson—picture by Jack Gruber of USA Today
Hi, all, and happy Thursday.
I’ve missed you! I took Tuesday off for Veterans Day and yesterday was, as usual, a no-newsletter Wednesday, but it feels like it’s been longer than two days. To say that it’s been an eventful 48 hours is an understatement. I’m grateful that I don’t feel obligated to summarize all of the news here, because right now there’s simply too much of it to cover.
Three big tranches worth mentioning briefly, however, would be:
The Epstein emails drop (!!), Trump’s unprecedented pressure campaign against Boebert and MTG, Adelita Grijalva’s swearing in, her signing the discharge petition, and the announcement by scores and scores of Republican House members that they will vote yes on the actual bill when it comes up for a vote next week.
Any one of these would be an entire newsletter in and of itself, but instead of pontificating on news you can read about elsewhere I’ll do what I usually do and just get you to work doing something about it.
Before I do, though, I did want to clarify something about the Epstein files, as there seems to be a great deal of confusion on the subject.
The emails released yesterday were not part of the “Epstein files” as we understand them. They were released to the House Oversight Committee by the Epstein estate. The timing of their release is interesting, and surely isn’t coincidental, but it was not directly related to Grijalva’s swearing in or the final signature being obtained on the discharge petition.
The “Epstein files” that victims, advocates, and all of us are demanding to see are an enormous cache of evidence in the possession of the FBI and DOJ. It likely contains the same emails the Epstein estate just released, but there is much, much more as well—including photographs and videos, depositions, legal testimony, and victim statements. Those files are the ones in which the truly damning evidence lies, and it it those the Trump administration is feverishly trying to suppress.
So, you may ask, now that Adelita Grijalva has put the 218th signature on that document will we see them?
Not immediately. Because remember, the discharge petition simply enables the bill’s authors to go around Mike Johnson and force a House vote on the Epstein Files Transparency Act. That vote will now happen next week, and the bill will pass by a wide margin. But it then needs to go to the Senate, where Majority Leader Thune will have to agree to bring it to a vote. If he does, and that’s a huge if, it will need to pass there. Then Trump would need to sign it. He won’t, obviously, so then the House and Senate will need to vote to override his veto.
That’s a lot of steps, and we could get held up at any one of them. But every time a Republican blocks a step there will be absolute hell to pay, politically. We may learn that Republicans’ will to keep obstructing this investigation is evaporating as the political cost becomes prohibitive, and—and this is important—as Trump continues to hemorrhage support.
It is our job, then, to make sure that they keep feeling the pressure.
So yes, we have our work cut out for us, but my sense is that the damn is breaking on Trump, the Epstein coverup, and all the rest of it as well.
So have courage, my friends. We’re in the thick of the fight, but we have the bigger army, the more advantageous ground, and the greater determination to win.
Which is why, eventually, we will.
Let’s get to work.
P.S. — I’m doing an Instagram Live with Tennessee Congressional candidate Aftyn Behn at noon PT /3PM ET today. You can watch on my Instagram channel at @jesscraven101. (More on Aftyn below!)
Practivist Pod 🎤
This week on the Practivist Pod Steve and I discuss the Epstein news, the deal that reopened the government, and what happens next with healthcare. Then Steve talked about how safe our voting systems actually are with the President and CEO of Verified Voting, Pamela Smith. It’s a super interesting and informative interview! Watch here or listen here.
Hi, I’m a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is ______.
First, I am furious that the bill to reopen the government included a provision to allow eight Republican Senators to sue for potentially millions of dollars because their phones got searched by the DOJ in 2021. How dare they? Hungry people are still waiting for their SNAP payments. People are losing their healthcare. And we’re giving super wealthy Senators millions of dollars for no reason? This is corrupt and unacceptable. Congress needs to pass a bill revoking this provision immediately.
Also, when the Esptein files Transparency Act comes to the Senate I expect the Senator to vote yes. And I expect him/her to put pressure on Majority Leader Thune to bring it for a vote immediately. Trump is a protector of pedophiles. Americans need the full truth about what else he may have done. Thanks.
Hi, I’m a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is _______.
First, I am furious that the bill to reopen the government included a provision to allow eight Republican Senators to sue for potentially millions of dollars because their phones got searched by the DOJ. How dare they? Hungry people are still waiting for their SNAP payments. People are losing their healthcare. And we’re giving super wealthy Senators millions of dollars for no reason?This is corrupt and unacceptable. I understand Mike Johnson has said he will introduce a bill to revoke this provision. I want the Congressmember to support it.
Also, when the Esptein files Transparency Act comes to the floor I expect the Congressmember to vote yes. Trump is a protector of pedophiles. Americans need the full truth about what else he may have done. Thanks.
Extra Credit ✅
On November 5th, management at Conde Nast illegally fired four members of The News Guild union, and suspended five others, for participating in federally protected union activity. Union organizers asked company execs to explain the downsizing of Teen Vogue and continued layoffs resulting from that plan.
Not only is this consolidation a move that seems designed to blunt the award-winning magazine’s insightful journalism at a time when it’s most needed, but the firing of the union leaders who approached the head of Human Resources to seek answers breaks federal labor law and violates the “just cause” provisions in the union’s contracts governing how represented workers are disciplined and terminated.
Please sign this petition to tell Conde Nast bosses to reinstate the Fired Four, reverse the suspensions, and end the union-busting.
Get Smart! 📚
LEARN HOW TO HELP PROTECT FUTURE ELECTIONS! November 13, at 5pm PT/8pm ET.
It’s well-known that Donald Trump is gearing up to disrupt, subvert or corrupt the 2026 elections. There are robust, coordinated efforts underway to counter some of his most likely and destructive tactics, but less attention has been focused on the possibility that Trump might try to meddle with the vote count.
That’s why Indivisible Action Coalition is organizing a series of webinars to empower Indivisible members to organize, prepare, and protect their local communities’ votes in 2026.
The program will share practical solutions that can be accomplished by working with local election officials. It will feature election experts including Marilyn Marks, executive director of Coalition for Good Governance, and Susan Greenhalgh, senior advisor for election security at Free Speech For People, as well as other leading subject matter experts.
When you register you will receive the Zoom link via email within a day or so. And please share with your friends especially those in other states. All are welcome.
As of today, Starbucks Workers United is officially on strike. STARBUCKS IS NOW BEHIND A PICKET LINE, Y’ALL! Please do not buy Starbucks anywhere until the company, which is wildly profitable, (and whose CEO made 96 millions dollars last year), negotiates an agreement with this union.
Indivisible is having an ALL IN FOR AFTYN BEHN event tonight! Ezra Levin will be speaking. It’s going to be great! Please come and find out how you can support her run for TN-07! It’s tonight from 8-9 ET.
What began as a series of unauthorized lethal strikes in the Caribbean now has us at the brink of all-out war in Venezuela.
Continued military action without congressional authorization – especially when crucial questions about who has even been targeted and the actual threat they posed to the United States remain unanswered – amounts to alarming executive overreach. Congress must reassert its constitutional war powers and keep us from launching another decades-long, endless war.
I urge you to pass a War Powers Resolution to prevent war with Venezuela. I will continue to follow this issue closely.
OK, you did it again! You’re helping to save democracy! You’re amazing.
Talk soon.
Jess
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On a Thursday! And for the first time in several weeks! I have not been on top of things...
Reading
I DNF'd No Body No Crime by Tess Sharpe. I just couldn't bring myself to care about the characters or their relationship and I was not digging the back and forth timeline.
I started reading The Language of Night: Essays on Writing, Science Fiction, and Fantasy by Ursula K. Le Guin. I thought this would be really interesting, but I'm not really vibing with Le Guin's takes on writing and genre, so I think it's another DNF.
I finished Lirael by Garth Nix! So funny that nothing really resolves at all, but it's still my favorite in the series.
Ficwise, I have... not really read anything much tbh. Nothing's sounded very appealing lately, so I've just been clearing out things I'll never actually read from my to be read list.
Watching
The roommate and I finished Bad Buddy. I liked it a lot! The amount of scent kink was surprising but fun, and I loved seeing Jimmy. It was a little sad going into it knowing OhmNanon is no more because I did enjoy them together.
The roommate and I watched Bites of Promise. Which is not a real show, just a webseries that's an ad for Korean fried chicken, but it did have GeminiFourth so.
The roommate and I watched Enchante. What a wild show, at least in the last two episodes lol Otherwise my favorite version of ForceBook though. Force getting to be silly was great. Also loved Gawin and pre-AouBoom AouBoom.
The roommate and I watched ThamePo Heart That Skips a Beat. I really wanted to see more of the boys from LYKN, and this so did not disappoint! So cute and fun! Loved the WilliamEst of it (though I will certainly argue for EstWilliam...), but Nut is the one who really stole my heart lol
The roommate and I watched Kidnap. Another show that was sad going in knowing OhmLeng is no more, and honestly maybe even sadder because I liked Leng with Ohm even more than Nanon with him. (And finding out bits about why both the breakups... oof.) This was much lighter fare than I was expecting from the premise, but I liked it a lot.
The roommate and I watched Sweet Tooth, Good Dentist. Incredibly silly show, but fun, no matter what the haters say. I love Mark, even if I'm not 100% sold on MarkOhm yet. The less than five minutes of JimmySea might have been the best part though lol
The roommate, best friend, and I finished Revamp the Undead Story. I know a lot of people were disappointed by the ending, but I thought it was fine. It was a good show overall! Plus surprise werewolf!Junior with Mark at the end?? That makes up for anything for me lmao Fingers so crossed for a season 2.
The roommate, best friend, and I finished Khemjira. Very spooky and fun show! I loved FirstOne as Jet so much, what a cutie. Super excited for the special next year.
The roommate, best friend, and I started watching Goddess Bless You From Death. There's only two episodes out so far, but it's been good. Very Hannibal vibes, plus the actual supernatural shit, so I'm having fun.
The roommate, best friend, and I started watching My Golden Blood. I was so excited to finally see JossGawin and they have not disappointed so far. We're halfway through and I'm intrigued to see where things are going.
The roommate, best friend, and I watched the latest episodes of That Summer. It continues to be great. I have way more Lava feels than I was expecting lol Only two episodes to go, and it looks like shit's really going to be going down!
The roommate and I went to see Frankenstein in theaters. Pretty good. Beautiful, of course, considering del Toro's aesthetic. He did change quite a few things, but I felt like it still felt closer to the book than a lot of other adaptations.
The roommate and I have watched like... maybe an episode and a half collectively of AEW in the past month. It's just not doing it for us right now :/
Listening
I continue to listen to pretty much exclusively t-pop. Starting to branch out into some of the girl groups as well as the boy groups! Mirror Mirror by VIIS has been stuck in my head a lot lately.
Writing
I got my seasonsofdrabbles assignment done pretty early this round, feeling good about that.
I started on my omegaverseexchange assignment and it's going pretty well. I've got a couple more days until it's due, so I just need to buckle down and get through the sex scene.
Wrote some more on the ArmTae fic I started in September. Honestly I really want to get through all my open assignments so I have time to get back to it lol
Wrote a ficlet for Fic or Treat!
I've gotten a pretty good start on my yuletide assignment. It's a fandom I don't think I've written for, so I was struggling with it at first, but I think it's going well now.
My crow story is out today in Beneath Ceaseless Skies! The Crow's Second Tale is what happens when you mull over crow-related song and story a bit too long, or maybe just long enough. If you need or prefer a podcast version, that's available too, narrated by the amazing Tina Connolly. Hope you enjoy either way.
(I had originally written "a murder for" a particular abstract noun, but you know what, I don't want to spoil what abstract noun it was, go read if you want to know!)
I feel a bit embarrassed to mention this balcony, because it's named after me.
However, it is a perennially favorite visiting spot for Emorian visitors. You may see it, at a distance, as you are leaving the palace grounds; it is the balcony festooned with the Emorian royal colors.
It was here, in 976, that the Chara of Emor resided during the final days of the Emorian occupation. (I often visited his chamber during his stay - hence the name of the balcony.) It appeared at that time that the Koretians and Emorians would engage in bitter warfare with each other over Emor's lengthy occupation of Koretia. Instead, through the combined wisdom of the Jackal and the Chara, the Koretians and Emorians were able to reach a peace settlement. Since that time, this chamber has served as the residence for any visiting ambassadors from Emor.
On that peaceful note, we will leave behind the capital of Koretia.
[Translator's note: Once again, the Ambassador demonstrates his modesty, this time by failing to mention his own role in the peace settlement between Emor and Koretia. The full details are conveyed in Blood Vow. A somewhat different perspective on the peace settlement occurs in Law of Vengeance.]
Project Title: Messy in the Middle Fandom: Harry Potter Link:https://archiveofourown.org/works/70648771/chapters/183610671 Summary: An adult actually notices what is happening with Harry Potter, and his entire life changes for the better. Family, friends, and even magic await him away from the Dursleys. Warnings: Major Character Death, Canon-Typical Violence, Canonical Child Abuse Characters: Harry Potter, Dursley Family, Neville Longbottom, Hermione Granger, Dean Thomas, Nymphadora Tonks, Draco Malfoy, Severus Snape, Albus Dumbledore, Daphne Greengrass, Blaise Zabini, Augusta Longbottom, Amelia Bones, Andromeda Black Tonks, Ernie Macmillan, Other(s), Original Characters, Quirinus Quirrell, Tom Riddle | Voldemort Pairings: Gen When I Started: December, 2015
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