Too Much Stuff

Dec. 11th, 2025 09:39 pm
frith: Violet unicorn cartoon pony with a blue mane (FIM Twilight despair)
[personal profile] frith
Apple_leaves

Last night there was a "retirement" supper at a small restaurant of my choosing. I did not want to go, but, "retirement" supper, it's expected, I'm expected and well, I like food, so off I went. The crowd was much smaller than I expected, but that might be because not only was it mid week (some people still have to be at work the next day at the ass-crack of dawn) and because it was snowing with gusto. Everyone there was from my department, including some who had quit or retired years ago (not everyone dies within two years of retiring). We ate, were eating, at least I was still eating. Two different people gave me all their french fries. I hadn't started my hamburger yet. And then, gifts. Too many gifts, like Christmas in Hell. Gifts for retirement from my former boss, gifts for 35 years of service, gifts crowdfunded by my coworkers. So much stuff. My supervisor had called me into his office in October to ask me to choose a gift for my 35 years from a selection of power tools, luggage and various stuff I really did not want. So I said let me see if I can find something online. After finishing work at 3 pm on a short day, I sat down and scoured eBay, and for good measure, Amazon (for people in a hurry). I sent my supervisor a list. Back in his office he told me the stuff on my list didn't cost enough. I told him to, then, choose two, I don't care about spending the entire gift budget. Famous last words. He bought _everything_, including one thing twice. A tagua ("ivory") nut horse (could be plastic, can't tell), a good fortune horse (prancing on money), horse USB night lights (don't look at all like the Timothy-style lamps in the pictures), an opalite (probably synthetic but nice) horse, two solar powered spinning display disks and probably something else. That was just for the 35 years. Then for retirement, my supper paid and a thick pile of gift cards to a frozen food store from my employer, and from my colleagues: more gift cards, slippers, a cushion, a coffee cup, a giant card, a candle in a jar, a big fleece cover printed with a bunch of pictures of animals from work... all in a large clothes basket, most retirement themed.

Minihorse16

Well, I didn't eat my second serving of french fries or my hamburger. I had it boxed to take home and perched the box on top of the mountain of swag stuffed to overflowing in the basket. I made it to the car. On the way home I stopped at the nearest supermarket to buy milk, but they'd closed an hour earlier. I got back into the car to discover an angry red car battery icon lit up on the dashboard. Oh crap. I drove home and made it without dying on way. I drove without the radio, heater or windshield wipers, just in case. I lugged the basket inside and somehow managed to spill all the french fries and nearly lose the hamburger as well. I picked up the french fries (some even got stepped on!), carefully inspected them (it's my food and I'm going to eat it!) and stuffed them into the fridge to be eaten later.

Odometer100000
Well, I had to do something about the angry red battery icon on the dash. I could tape it over, problem solved? Nah, I shoveled out the driveway again and called the garage, left a message on voice mail. By noon I had a call back asking I leave the car there overnight. So after 1:00pm I turned the key in the ignition. It still lived! The red battery lit up. I still succeeded in getting it to the garage and getting a free lift back. They're going to check out the alternator they installed just two weeks ago. So I'm running low on milk.

Frost05

But I'm not running low on hay. Danny surprised me yesterday with a delivery of six fresh 30 lb bales of 2nd cut timothy hay. I still have four bales from two years ago. The llama will eat those first. With ten bales total I have all I need until summer.

Llama_grass

A quick thought on leadership

Dec. 11th, 2025 08:33 pm
soc_puppet: Dreamsheep as Lumpy Space Princess from Adventure Time (Default)
[personal profile] soc_puppet
A keystone can only work if all of the other stones in the arch hold it up.
jacey: (Default)
[personal profile] jacey

Audiobook Narrated by Peter Kenny

There’s a war raging throughout the Galaxy as the Iridians (and others) fight against the Culture. Horza, a human changer, an mercenary, works for the Iridians despite not believing in their gods or philosophy. He’s tasked with finding and securing the Mind, an autonomous super AI created by the Cuilture, which has ended up on Schar’s World, the planet of the dead. Balveda is a Culture agent with the same objective. They both end up on a ‘free trader’ ship the Clear Air Turbulence (CAT) and after a couple of disastrous raids directed by the captain Kraiklin, Horza takes over and persuades the crew, including his lover, Yalson, to go to Schar’s World, where they meet hostile Idirans in the tunnels deep below the world. I was disappointed with the ending, but it’s a cracking read – a fast-paced space-opera/adventure well read by Peter Kenney who does subtle accent changes and voices brilliantly.


Battles with Executive Dysfunction

Dec. 11th, 2025 07:43 pm
soc_puppet: Dreamsheep, its wool colored black and shot through with five diagonal colored lines (red, yellow, white, blue, and green, from left to right), the design from Dreamwidth user capri0mni's Disability Pride flag. The Dreamwidth logo is in red, yellow, white, blue, and green, echoing the stripes. (Disability Pride)
[personal profile] soc_puppet
The metaphorical devil on my shoulder: "You know, you don't have to do that final paper for Intro to Human Services. You've got enough extra credit to cover 30% of it, and that'll probably be enough to keep your grade in the low 'A's. And even if it's not, would a 'B' really be so bad?"

Me: "Fuck you, fuck you, fuck you, I did not go through two semesters doing every piece of homework assigned to fail at the final stretch, I am doing this shit, even if I only manage the bare minimum!"

Metaphorical devil on my shoulder: "Okay, jeez, lighten up! It was just a suggestion!"

Me: *already ignoring the devil and refocusing on the paper*


I refuse to let this paper win 😤
senmut: All five Justice League members standing in a circle (Comics: JLA YO)
[personal profile] senmut
AO3 Link | Scheduling Time (312 words) by Merfilly
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: DC Comics (General)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Diana of Themyscira & Lois Lane
Characters: Diana of Themyscira, Lois Lane
Additional Tags: Epistolary, +Modern Age (1986-Present), Post-Crisis
Summary:

Lois and Diana have a back and forth email chain



Scheduling Time

To: Diana Prince@embassy.thm
From: Lois Lane@thedailyplanet.com
Subject: Reschedule?

I know it's short notice, but I'm sure you saw the small invasion of Mole Men from last week. Turns out their exodus turned over a few leads for me. Maybe Tuesday after next?




To: Lois Lane@thedailyplanet.com
From: Diana Prince@embassy.thm
Subject: Re: Reschedule

I look forward to the story you publish… and the other bits when we do meet up. However, can we shift that to the Thursday of that same week? I am giving a small talk at Bryn Mawr on the topic of holding out hope to others.




To: Diana Prince@embassy.thm
From: Lois Lane@thedailyplanet.com
Subject: Re: Reschedule?

Oh I hope they record it so I can download it after. Thursday of that week is great. I told Clark he could go hang out with the boys while I have a ladies' day to myself.

Okay, autocorrelate might be… no, that's not the word… ugh, Perry's yelling.




To: Lois Lane@thedailyplanet.com
From: Diana Prince@embassy.thm
Subject: Re: Reschedule

I can guess what you were going to say. I find the auto-correct function useful for highlighting the changes in spelling and grammar since my mother taught me English. As there have been shifts in the decades since she had learned it.

Following up to let you know that your co-worker, Miss Grant, could learn to be less inciting in her choices of words for interviews.




To: Diana Prince@embassy.thm
From: Lois Lane@thedailyplanet.com
Subject: UGH Cat

I'm sorry. I didn't even know that interview was happening or I would have put a stumbling block in place.

Did you read my exposé?




To: Lois Lane@thedailyplanet.com
From: Diana Prince@embassy.thm
Subject: Article

Very nice work. It seems the Mole Men had true reason.

See you on Thursday!

Gotta happen sometime.

Dec. 11th, 2025 08:08 pm
hannah: (Breadmaking - fooish_icons)
[personal profile] hannah
I've been tasked not only to make challah tomorrow, not just one cake for my dad's book group, but two cakes for a small party he's hosting. The request was only for one cake for the party, and there's no way I'm making only one cake when I can manage two. It'll be a long day of baking. I welcome the work. While the work's helped by already having a lot of what I need for the cakes, the time it'll take is what I'll need to look into - dividing it up, assessing how best to parse it out, that kind of thing.

In addition to all the other chores and errands of the day.

I've sent two fics off to beta readers, and I've got that last original project which I need to start tackling to edit. That there's a very nice feeling by itself, too. Just going from one project right to the next. It's not always something I can pull off, and I value it when I can manage.
[syndicated profile] icanhascheezburger_feed

Posted by Sarah Brown

Cats in the library act like they're running a very exclusive, very fluffy academic institution. They stroll between the shelves with full professor energy, inspecting titles like they're preparing for their next big purrsentation. Sit down to read, and suddenly there's a cat planted right on your open book, clearly attempting to paws your progress. It's impossible to be mad when they look so proud of their work.

Some cats take their "job" very seriously, curling up in cozy reading nooks like tiny scholars lost in literature (even though they're definitely asleep). Others sit proudly on top of book stacks, giving off strong "I am the catalog now" energy. And then there are the roamers. Those confident little librarians who wander around greeting everyone with a head bump, as if checking who needs emotional support.

The charm of a library cat is how they turn a quiet room into a cozy little world. A soft purr next to a pile of books, a tail flick brushing past a mystery novel, a tiny loaf sitting on a dictionary… it all makes the place feel warmer. 

Holiday memes 11

NSFW Dec. 11th, 2025 06:31 pm
enchanted_jae: (Jae Christmas)
[personal profile] enchanted_jae
( You're about to view content that the journal owner has advised should be viewed with discretion. )

Dept. of Adulting

Dec. 11th, 2025 06:08 pm
kaffy_r: Animated Canadian flag (Canada!)
[personal profile] kaffy_r
Alert the Press

I have finally put in my I-90 application for a renewal of my Green Card into to Citizenship and Immigration, along with the $415 it costs to start the process. That's a lot of money I could do a lot of things with, but I need to remain legal in this second country of mine, so one bites the bullet when one has to. Sigh. 

I'm happy, though; I'd been putting this off because for some reason I had convinced myself that it was going to be a lot more difficult than it was. Somehow, I geared myself up enough to tackle the job and - surprise - it wasn't all that difficult. There are further things that I'll probably have to do; get my picture taken again, since the picture on my current card was taken a decade ago, and possibly have some biometric information taken. I don't know if all of that will involve further money heading the goverrnment's way, but I wouldn't be surprised. 

The one thing that truly disgusted me when I went to the CIS home page on the .gov website: up at the top, in very gaudy gold, was an advertisement for That Man's credit card. I fucking kid you not. I have no words. 

Still, I did what I'd been putting off. I adulted! Huzzah!

pedanther: (Default)
[personal profile] pedanther posting in [community profile] fancake
Fandom: Tangled
Pairings/Characters: Flynn Rider/Rapunzel
Rating: General Audiencees
Length: 714
Creator Links: [archiveofourown.org profile] lalaietha
Theme: Amnesty, Old Fandoms, Comfortfic

Summary:
"You know," Eugene's voice comes from the side of the tower, "I am really out of practice in climbing up sheer rock-faced walls and across rickety shingles. D'you think I should start a workout regimen again? I mean, I'd kind of let it slide because these are skills commonly associated with thievery and I'm all reformed, but - "

Reccer's Notes:
In which Rapunzel is feeling overwhelmed by her first birthday celebration that involves more than one person and a chameleon, and Flynn offers sympathy and helpful(?) advice.

Short and sweet, and seemed appropriate for Fancake's birthday.

Fanwork Links: The Next Birthday on AO3

Trigger Warning

Dec. 11th, 2025 07:01 pm
wotw: (Default)
[personal profile] wotw
From an Amazon page:

Warning: This audiobook contains very explicit sex, including first-time anal sex, oral sex in public, anal sex in public, and sex with a librarian.
[syndicated profile] icanhascheezburger_feed

Posted by Briana Viser

A kitten's life is just as important as anyone's. The narrator claims that her parents found a beautiful grey stray kitten on the side of the road in a snowbank, no houses and no one around. They pick him up and give him to their adult daughter, who immediately takes the kitty to the vet and figures out all of his information. She names him Onyx, and introduces him into the family, including her other adult cat Mei. Onyx is only 10 weeks old – who would toss a kitten into the cold on the side of the road all alone? The narrator has a feeling it wasn't an accident, creating a harrowing aura around the story. 

It's a Christmas miracle to save a kitten. The narrator is really a kind rescuer for going out of her way to get this little kitten all cleaned up for the holidays. The photo of the two cats with a Christmas tree is the most wholesomely adorable photo! It's never a small feat to see the story of a kitten being rescued from the cold. So this winter, enjoy your cozy home as much as you can, and read the full story below for all the details. 

[ SECRET POST #6915 ]

Dec. 11th, 2025 06:09 pm
case: (Default)
[personal profile] case posting in [community profile] fandomsecrets

⌈ Secret Post #6915 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.


01.


More! )


Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 01 pages, 10 secrets from Secret Submission Post #987.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

without you in my chest

Dec. 11th, 2025 11:07 pm
pensnest: Penguin with two tiny chicks (Penguins on parade)
[personal profile] pensnest
I spent much of the morning walking to the Walk In Centre in the city, and then walking back. The Centre itself was emptier than I'd ever seen it before—just four people in front of me, and when I left, there was one person who looked as if she was waiting for a lift home.

Why, you are agog to know, why did I attend the walk-in centre? Because in the middle of the night I woke up literally gasping for breath. It felt as though my entire throat was clogged with something, and trying to haul in breaths resulted in little, noisy gasps and not very much air at all. Horrible sensation. Frightening. Anyway. I emerged with a prescription for penicillin to attack the infection in my upper airway and (possibly) right lung. Ick. Weird thing is how mostly-normal I feel during the day!

One thing it was really nice to feel, again, was how pleasant it is to be able to walk. I walked to the centre, sat for a few minutes, walked back home, nipped into the house to go to the loo, and continued on up the road to the pharmacy for my prescription, bought a bagful of stuff in Aldi, and walked home, and my hips are fine. Back before I got arthritis, I never thought about how good it feels to be able to walk, but it does, it really does.

Intermittently Here

Dec. 11th, 2025 02:23 pm
delphi: An illustrated crow kicks a little ball of snow with a contemplative expression. (Default)
[personal profile] delphi
Just a heads-up that my laptop's motherboard is on its very last legs, and so I might not be online reliably over the next couple of weeks until my new machine gets here. I'm still hoping to keep up with folks, but if there's a bigger lag than usual, this (and my unwillingness/inability to do internet things on my phone) is why.

December 2025

S M T W T F S
 123456
789 10111213
14151617181920
21222324252627
28293031   

Most Popular Tags