Do you love the color of the—uh, well, does this even count as the sky anymore?
Astronaut Don Pettit took this photo from space in January 2025, as the Sun began to rise over a cloudy Pacific Ocean. This long-exposure image shows off the wide band of the Milky Way, our home galaxy, above the aurora and airglow that shine closer to Earth’s horizon.
Astronaut Don Pettit has been to space four times: most recently, he spent 220 days on the International Space Station, returning to Earth in April 2025. Pettit grew space plants, printed 3D metal parts, and studied human health during his time in orbit. When he wasn’t working on more formal studies, though, he found plenty of time for what he calls the “science of opportunity:” exploring and experimenting with his surroundings through a combination of science and art.
Pettit shares his experience with the art side of his time in space on our astrophotography episode of “Houston, We Have a Podcast” alongside astronaut Matt Dominick. Give it a listen here or on your favorite podcast app.
I fed the birds. I've seen a large mixed flock of sparrows and house finches plus a male cardinal.
I put out water for the birds.
EDIT 12/8/25 -- While we were out, we saw a small flock of white birds with long necks. They may have been swans or geese. Trumpeter swans are the largest of those found in Illinois and tend to hold their necks straight, which these were doing, and the juveniles are gray, which I also saw. Tundra swans are similar but smaller. The pictures of geese are stockier with much shorter necks, so I'm thinking we saw swans.
So, yesterday: I worried I'd gotten a germ after all, since I woke up with a slight sore throat and almost-congestion. There was an alternative explanation, "sleeping in a cold dry room", but who knows. I went out for a walk and ended up out for 3 hours, which suggests good health, though I was doing easy pace. ( Read more... )
Title: 'Takeout' Fandom: Original Fiction Author:but_can_i_be_trusted Rating: PG Word Count: 402 Characters/Pairings: Original Warnings: Very brief disturbing concepts; implied vampiric violence Notes: Crossposted to genprompt_bingo Summary:You turn around, just in time to see your abductor lean back confidently against the now secured door.
Congratulations and prizes go to the group of middle school students who successfully located and burned down this year's Solstice Beast, which had been hidden in a culvert beyond Arrow Point Lookout. This year, the highly flammable straw statue installation was made in the shape of a very fine pronghorn, complete with horns that shot fireworks when ignited, thanks to local sculptors, chemists, and farmers. This is the quickest discovery since 2009, though not the quickest burning, after the 2022 raccoon Solstice Beast was incinerated by a bolt of lightning before discovery.
As beautiful as he is dangerous, Aegnor, an elven prince, stands against the looming shadows of Angband. Brother to Galadriel, he commands the siege with a fierce intensity, a duty that exacts a heavy toll on him. Beneath the iron walls he has built lies a broken soul, haunted by a devastating trauma and a well of deeply guarded secrets. His demons, kept at bay by his unyielding intensity that is both his greatest gift and his biggest curse. Little does our Noldorin prince know that a chance encounter with a terrified young girl of men will set him on a collision course, igniting an extraordinary bond wrought with challenges, sacrifices, and intense love that threatens to unravel his guarded heart, and all he keeps within it. Brace yourself for Part I of this captivating tale, where the primal power of love and devestating loss will tear lives apart forever.
This is your check-in post for today. The poll will be open from midnight Universal or Zulu Time (8pm Eastern Time) on Monday, December 08, to midnight on Tuesday, December 09. (8pm Eastern Time).
Title: Bubble Mine Exploration Author: bluerosekatie Fandom: Rockman | Mega Man Classic (video games) Pairing/Characters: Bubble Man Rating/Category: Gen Prompt: Rockman | Mega Man Classic, Bubble Man, Exploring a flooded mine Spoilers: N/A Summary: Bubble Man goes on an adventure to use his skills, now that he's no longer working for Dr. Wily. Notes/Warnings: Fic is archive-locked to avoid AI scraping.
Got up at Stoopid O'clock, drank tea with the Happy Lite. The look! on Rook's face when he realized I was Sitting In The Sun, and immediately jumped up to hold my lap against all comers, which was of course a reverse treat when I needed to get up. Breakfast was the last of the unfrozen broccoli/potato/cheese soup. Lunch was a microwave box of something or nother -- beef and veggies.
Got a little writing done but spent most of my morning wrangling the damn timeline. Went from having too much time not having enough time. Right on Schedule. And it is by These Signs that Ye Shall Know Your Book is Progressing.
Trash and recycling in the garage, awaiting tomorrow's march to the curb. I gave up and put flannel sheets on the bed, and also taped the snow rug to the nonslip backing.
Need to do some banking, then I'm going Round Two with the timeline wrasslin'.
Tomorrow, I have my annual eye appointment in the morning, needlework in the evening, and the post office somewhere in-between. Maybe the grocery, too. I'll check. Not supposed to snow again until late Tuesday. Wednesday is a writing day. Thursday PT in the morning.
Thursday evening is Meet 'n Greet the new town manager in the evening. I wanna talk public transportation. If you're grounded for health or other reasons in this town in winter, you're outta luck. The taxis are even worse now than they were when I was volunteering at the hospital, and it was stupid, then. The mobility bus will stop for you, but only if you call them ahead of time; there's no, like, route. I realize this is not unique to Waterville, but -- damn, it's sad. And don't Uber me. Just -- don't.
How's the week starting out for you? # So, today started out rocky, but got better as I kept putting one foot in front of the other. Possibly timeline wrasslin' is a tonic.
I do understand how risky it is to say things like this, but -- I think I have a handle on the timing, and there's enough time for the things that need to happen to actually happen, once We All Agreed that That Thing There was not an immovable object. In Point of Actual Fact, there are exactly two immovable objects in this Entire Novel. (I mean, granted, there is one thing that it would hurt to move, but even it isn't immovable, and? It doesn't have to move, so -- go, me.)
In other news, I forgot to call about a haircut again. Sheesh.
I got two cards in the mail today. Clearly, these people are overachievers, and I appreciate their efforts. I do like to get cards.
The coon cats are having Happy Hour, and I should probably get something to eat, being as I'm kinda bushed over here (ref rising at Stoopid O'Clock).
Everybody have a good evening. Stay safe. I'll check in tomorrow.
Hello there!!!! If anybody is left to see my posts... (joking)
I'm a bit sad I broke my streak of posting every month of the year on here, but ah well. (Wait actually hold up I just checked and I've already missed March... Well.) I think taking a break from blogging (even casual blogging) was for the best. I actually took several weeks off all social media in mid-October and that made me feel SO MUCH better. Officially it was to avoid Z-A spoilers (I received the game later than expected) but then I was like man, it's nice to not have to worry about being active on Tumblr for a while or whatever. It made me feel less bad about my lack of creative endeavors, too.
Well, the latter is not a problem for me right now because I'm running on pure, undistilled Z-A brainrot right now. I've already written and posted three fics (which have been crossposted on teamflare btw just saying just saying) I'm back to drawing every single day, and I have a 6-pages comic all sketched. I feel a little bit crazy but in a good way. The main downside is that I'm having a real hard time focusing on other things </3 but that's alright. I'm managing. I think.
I want to talk about Z-A SO BAD there's actually a full review I've been meaning to post for like. A month and a half at this point but I still haven't finished it. I'd like to do that before my birthday though. Instead I'm endlessly replying to Tumblr asks people have been sending me, which is also cool. Lots of FRESH!! AND NEW!!! blorbo material to discuss. Honestly I'm mentioning the review here in the hope that talking about it can get my brain to finally let me write more of it so I can post it here, which was my plan all along. Prayer circle etc.
What's new other than that... Hmm... The German classes I mentioned in my last post have been going great! I feel like I'm actually learning stuff, although it's still a bit slow-going. I can tell when people are talking about numbers, which feels huge as somebody who prior to this could barely count to 3 in German lol. We've barely just dipped our toes into stuff like dative and accusative at this point but I'm secretly hoping my years of Latin in middle school will come in clutch...
I posted the announcement for the next perfworldweek round and I'm very much looking forward to what people will make >:) I need to work on more of the graphics for it, but right now it's crazy holiday seasons so I'm focusing on other stuff. (Such as the gifts I still need to finish. Aough.) Being motivated to draw again has been a huge help ngl.
I'm also doing the holiday love meme again this year!!! I really really really want to push myself to leave comments for other people because I tend to procrastinate on it and then I'm like it's too late and I don't have anything to say aaaaaa. Once again, saying this here to hold myself accountable, I guess. o9
It's also fandomtrees season and my Z-A addled brain convinced me to sign up requesting exclusively my new ship under Pokémon, which is a first lol. I expect the few exchanges I'll allow myself to do next year will be heavy on them as well to be honest. (I even signed up to consent_issues_exchange with only one fandom and one ship, which I'd never done before...)
Anyway... I'm convinced there was more I meant to write but I can't remember now lol. You should tell me what you think of Z-A in the comments or link me to posts you've written about it etc. I'm really curious!!! I will leave you with these Corbeau icons I made on a whim because I saw someone was using some of my Yoshi icons and I got excited. Enjoy!! 💜
I usually buy only milk and yogurt. Last week I bought a little carton of coffee cream (18%). This morning I enjoyed cream both in my coffee and on my oatmeal.
It's been a pretty good six months. I probably won't get around to trying to write a summary. I've been intermittently reading you all, although not commenting.
Here at latitude 53 sunset is at 4:15 pm today. I don't enjoy the long nights. Only two more weeks to the solstice!
I'm not gonna talk about the novel, I read it when I was 14 and remember nothing of the plot. I remember the very lonely and isolating feeling the Creature has throughout the book. The film does not portray that angst as deeply, and the focus is on relationships (as it is with films). The same could be said about Interview with the Vampire book vs series version.
The creature is a pitiful monster in the human world. The audience's empathy is on his side. He does not fit into a family and does not fit into society. But he is one with nature, unlike his creator. He is the underdog, the abandoned child, the misunderstood monster. He is my friend, he is me. The Creature is portrayed by Jacob Elordi, and he gives life to a monster who is both adorable and at some times scary.
Family relationships are at the core of the film. The father and the son, the creator and the creature. The mother and the lover, women who are not main characters in the story but change the trajectory of both Frankenstein and the Creature. Like in Interview with the Vampire, there is the dynamic of "you made me a monster in a human world and thus gave me all this suffering i didn't ask for". The film has been very much read as an allegory of an abusive family and the cycle of violence, which Guillermo del Toro actually confirmed is his vision of the story.
Victor Frankenstein, the hubris of the western/white man. His delusions funded by slavery and war. The Creature is built from men fallen in war. He is made from the skin and suffering of the common man. It could be said that the film comments how Western science and progress is possible because of exploitation.
To me, Victor Frankenstein is also a monster, he seems inhumane, not meaning only his selfishness but also his isolation from rest of society as well, he believes himself a genius above others and thinks he can act like God. The creator and the creature, both outside humanity in their own ways.
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