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Thursday, January 1st, 2026 10:03 am
Because my Yuletide fic is still showing as Anonymous. :double checks: Oh, the de-anon isn't until 9 PM UTC, that's why. Never mind! Sulking cancelled!
Thursday, January 1st, 2026 06:35 pm
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Thursday, January 1st, 2026 08:24 am
Introduction Post*
Meet the Mods Post *
Remember that there is no official deadline, so feel free to join in at any time, or go back and do challenges you've missed.
( Fandom Snowflake Challenge #1 ) And please do check out the comments for all the awesome participants of the challenge and visit their journals/challenge responses to comment on their posts and cheer them on.
And just as a reminder: this is a low pressure, fun challenge. If you aren't comfortable doing a particular challenge, then don't. We aren't keeping track of who does what.
Meet the Mods Post *
Remember that there is no official deadline, so feel free to join in at any time, or go back and do challenges you've missed.
( Fandom Snowflake Challenge #1 ) And please do check out the comments for all the awesome participants of the challenge and visit their journals/challenge responses to comment on their posts and cheer them on.
And just as a reminder: this is a low pressure, fun challenge. If you aren't comfortable doing a particular challenge, then don't. We aren't keeping track of who does what.
Tags:
Thursday, January 1st, 2026 11:25 am
Every Thursday, we have a community post, just like this one, where you can drop a rec or five in the comments.
This works great if you only have one rec and don't want to make a whole post for it, or if you don't have a DW account, or if you're shy. ;)
(But don't forget: you can deffo make posts of your own seven days a week. ;D!)
So what cool fanvids/fics/podfics/fancrafts/fanart/other kinds of fanworks have we discovered this week? Drop it in the comments below. Anon comment is enabled.
BTW, AI fanworks are not eligible for reccing at recthething. If you aware that a fanwork is AI-generated, please do not rec it here.
Also wishing y'all a happy and healthy 2026! 🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳
This works great if you only have one rec and don't want to make a whole post for it, or if you don't have a DW account, or if you're shy. ;)
(But don't forget: you can deffo make posts of your own seven days a week. ;D!)
So what cool fanvids/fics/podfics/fancrafts/fanart/other kinds of fanworks have we discovered this week? Drop it in the comments below. Anon comment is enabled.
BTW, AI fanworks are not eligible for reccing at recthething. If you aware that a fanwork is AI-generated, please do not rec it here.
Also wishing y'all a happy and healthy 2026! 🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳
Tags:
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Admin Post: Annual Amnesty Challenge: New Year's Resolution
Thursday, January 1st, 2026 11:24 am
A new year often brings resolutions to achieve big changes. Our Resolutions challenge is much more moderate: reach for a creative achievement, no matter how small. Maybe it is a single drabble, a sketch, or a new chapter—the point is to begin a new year with an act of creativity and imagination!
Our annual amnesty allows you to pick from any of the previous year’s challenges. You do not need to use a new prompt to be eligible for this challenge. Participants can choose to complete any of the previous year's challenges. Did you miss a challenge you wanted to complete? Do it now. Did you start a fanwork for a challenge but never completed it? Here is your chance to finish. If you didn't leave any unrealized or unfinished projects behind you (congratulations!), choose from any of our 2025 challenges and start something new.
You can find the complete amnesty challenge guidelines and a list of 2025's challenges here.
You will receive a stamp on your 2025 collection for any challenges that you complete now, as well as a stamp for the New Year's Resolution challenge on your 2026 collection. When you post to the SWG archive, please make sure you select the 2025 challenge you're completing and the New Year's Resolution challenge.
This month's banner and stamps use images from the 18th-century “Chinese Arabesques” by Jean-Baptiste Pillement and Anne Allen, which plays with the theme of striving to reach the fantastical.
In order to receive a stamp for your fanwork, your response must be posted to the archive on or before 15 February 2026. For complete challenge guidelines, see the Challenges page on our website.
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Thursday, January 1st, 2026 10:01 am
Happy New Year, everyone!
I just finished reading The Georgian Feast: The Vibrant Culture and Savory Food of the Republic of Georgia by Darra Goldstein. I started reading it after I saw it mantioned in an article that Z. showed us about the Georgian word "shemomechama," which can't really be translated into English, but basically means "I ate too much, but it wasn't really my fault — it was the food's fault for being so delicious."
This was an interesting book, primarily because it wasn't just a cookbook. The first 60 pages were a series of essays about Georgian foods and food culture, meant to prepare you for the recipes that follow. And yet I don't think that anything — short of actually going to Georgia (which one of my uncles did back when it was still part of the Soviet Union) — could actually prepare me for Georgian cooking, which combines recipe I never would have expected in ways I never would have expected. I encountered more recipes that called for walnuts in this cookbook than I had in the rest of my life. And not just in sweet recipes. For example, on page 100 there's a recipe for Chicken Bazhe ("katmis bazhe" in Georgian), in which a baked chicken is served with a sauce made of walnuts, garlic, water red wine vinegar, salt, marigold, coriander seeds, paprika, and cayenne. It's a combination of tastes that I struggle to imagine.
Another aspect of the Georgian recipes that kind of boggled my mind was the number of dishes intended to be served at room temperature. The part of my brain devoted to food safety would cringe every time I read a recipe and it ended with "Serve at room temperature."
Do any of you have experience with Georgian cuisine? If so, I'd love to hear about your experiences with it.
And to all of you (again), Happy New Year!
Thursday, January 1st, 2026 03:51 pm
Subsequent to the ereader issue (I am yet again having to go through marking books as finished, with additional 'did I ever read that?' vibes), this morning when I turned on my desktop I got Not My Usual LockScreen Picture and then after a certain delay a message that Windows was failing to login to my account. Try again.
So I tried again and it just hung so I switched it off, and next time I turned it on it came up a bit slowly but behaved itself.
Hmmmmm.
So, looking back over last year:
Apparently read the usual 220+ books, exclusive of works read for review purposes.
In being an Ancient Academick:
Had 3 reviews published, one and a fairly extensive essay review somewhere in journals publishing pipeline.
One chapter in an edited volume appeared.
Actually got out and attended 2 conferences (did miss one due to sudden health issues), one of which involved Going Away, and the other of which involved Doing a Keynote (at rather short notice....)
Project in which I have been involved for some years didn't exactly crash and burn but due to various issues (including email errors meaning I was out of the loop for several months) changed and mutated and I may yet decide to Just Send That Article to relevant journals and see what they say.
There was the whole Honorary association with Institution of Highah Learninz not being renewed after over 2 decades because after 1 person who was Honorary Lecturer doing Awful Thing Bringing Institution into Disrepute, they viciously tightened up the protocols. This involved me scurrying around and applying for and getting an Honorary Fellowship at an entirely appropriate and esteemed institution just down the road therefrom.
And am giving a paper to the Fellows' Symposium in the spring.
There is also the possibility re BBL and myself editing the ms of important work of recently prematurely deceased friend and scholar.
So, not quite irrelevant yet...
In more general life stuff:
This was the year of engaging with physiotherapists! On the whole the results have manifested positive results.
I in fact started pursuing that because, following that Routine Health Check last year, I was doing resistance band exercises and noticing some problems. Anyway, have been, cautiously, continuing these and have even moved up from The Really Wimpy Pink One to the Green One. This, plus daily walks, and probably doing my physio exercises, has seen some reduction in weight, and sleep improvements, though whether there's been any benefit re blood pressure, cholesterol etc, who knows.
This has also been the year of tentatively poking my nose out of my hole, both, see above, attending conferences and going to more social events at New Institution, and more general social interactions.
I only finished and published 1 volume in The Ongoing Saga but I'm currently well-advanced in the next one.
Hesitant to say My Plans For This Coming Year, which there are, but I don't like to say, because I think they have been plans before and not happened.
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Thursday, January 1st, 2026 10:13 am
Previously: 2023, 2024
Here are the albums I have acquired within the past 12 months, with "new" used to describe "released within the past 2 years" (includes 2024 as well as 2025).
For extra funsies, here's the stats on where these came from:
Purchased from Bandcamp: 12
Acquired from local libraries: 25
Purchased from Amazon: 8
Purchased from eBay: 1
Received as a gift: 1
Acquired directly from artist: 3
( Read more... )
Here are the albums I have acquired within the past 12 months, with "new" used to describe "released within the past 2 years" (includes 2024 as well as 2025).
For extra funsies, here's the stats on where these came from:
Purchased from Bandcamp: 12
Acquired from local libraries: 25
Purchased from Amazon: 8
Purchased from eBay: 1
Received as a gift: 1
Acquired directly from artist: 3
( Read more... )
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Thursday, January 1st, 2026 11:08 am
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Thursday, January 1st, 2026 09:03 am
shirtwaist (SHURT-wayst) - (US) n., a woman's tailored garment such as a blouse or dress with details copied from men's dress shirts.
Most obvious being buttoning down the front, but other details such as type of collar were also copied. Originally (in the 1870s) this was just a type of blouse, but the styling has since also been used on the bodice portion of dresses -- in which case it is also sometimes called a shirtdress and shirtwaister. At the time, waist was a common American English term for a blouse and for the bodice of a dress, but that sense has faded away except in this fossil, which itself is not very common anymore.
---L.
Most obvious being buttoning down the front, but other details such as type of collar were also copied. Originally (in the 1870s) this was just a type of blouse, but the styling has since also been used on the bodice portion of dresses -- in which case it is also sometimes called a shirtdress and shirtwaister. At the time, waist was a common American English term for a blouse and for the bodice of a dress, but that sense has faded away except in this fossil, which itself is not very common anymore.
---L.
Thursday, January 1st, 2026 09:59 am
- 1 January
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Thursday, January 1st, 2026 04:34 pm
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
synecdochic says, and her rationale feels sound to me, that you should back it up somehow as soon as possible.Tags:
Thursday, January 1st, 2026 09:55 am
Thursday, January 1st, 2026 09:43 am
The only impediments between Annae Hofstader and research glory are academia, her dismal supervisors and Annae Hofstader herself.
The Two Doctors Górski by Isaac Fellman
</a
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Thursday, January 1st, 2026 09:34 am
Unless I missed one or two.
January 2026 Patreon Boost! Plus the Annual Listing of My Review Projects! Tags:
Thursday, January 1st, 2026 08:33 am
A little DW birdie tells me it's somebody's special day...
So I am sending out...
*~*~*~*~*GREAT BIG HAPPY BIRTHDAY WISHES*~*~*~*~*
To my friend,pigshitpoet.
I hope you have great day. :)
So I am sending out...
*~*~*~*~*GREAT BIG HAPPY BIRTHDAY WISHES*~*~*~*~*
To my friend,
pigshitpoet.I hope you have great day. :)
Thursday, January 1st, 2026 08:22 am
I would like to wish all my friends a very happy new year and wish the best for all of you.....
Thursday, January 1st, 2026 09:16 am
Title: Night After Night
Fandom: Fire Emblem: Fates
Rating: AA
Notes: Xander/Lucina, Xander's cat
-
( night after night )
Fandom: Fire Emblem: Fates
Rating: AA
Notes: Xander/Lucina, Xander's cat
-
( night after night )
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Thursday, January 1st, 2026 07:59 am
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Thursday, January 1st, 2026 01:21 pm
This month's ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
allbingo card
Based on the US public domain and using the Written Word category
allbingo cardBased on the US public domain and using the Written Word category
| Mystery Mile | Giant’s Bread |
| Private | Last and First Men |
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Thursday, January 1st, 2026 08:06 am
I hope everyone had a happy and safe New Year's Eve! (We were in bed long before the ball dropped, as usual.)
I had a chiropractic appointment and a pedicure this morning. I don’t drink champagne, but since it was New Year’s Eve I suggested champagne bubbles for the design. She had no idea how to do that, but googled it and came up with something she could do without fancy stickers.
Since I didn’t get there yesterday, I hit Walmart, Price Chopper and the Pharmacy while I was downtown. I picked up Chinese for lunch. And that took up my entire morning!
Chores were minimal; I hand-washed dishes, cut up chicken for the dogs' meals, and scooped kitty litter. I made shake ‘n bake chicken legs for Pip’s supper. I made spinach dip for the first time in years! I picked up a round loaf of pumpernickel for the occasion.
I had planned to read, but I remembered that one of my HGTV programs (Fixer to Fabulous) had aired Tuesday night, so I watched that. And when I went to the DVR I remembered that the final three eps of season one of The Pitt had aired Monday night, so I had to watch ~that as well. And then I watched-watched an ep of Secrets of the Zoo.
No tea today because I wasn’t home in the morning, which is my prime tea time. I did pick up a package of Lindor’s raspberry cheesecake flavored truffles, only to be like, wow, how can raspberry be so tasteless? Now, it’s possible that my taste has been affected by my cold, or whatever it is, so I’ll try them again later, but man, so disappointing.
Temps started out at 20.1(F) and reached 32.5. There was some sun, but it didn’t last long.
Mom Update:
Mom sounded good when I talked to her. Sister A and Ian had visited earlier, and Sister S was there when I called, so even though I’m unable to visit, she is still having visitors.
I had a chiropractic appointment and a pedicure this morning. I don’t drink champagne, but since it was New Year’s Eve I suggested champagne bubbles for the design. She had no idea how to do that, but googled it and came up with something she could do without fancy stickers.
Since I didn’t get there yesterday, I hit Walmart, Price Chopper and the Pharmacy while I was downtown. I picked up Chinese for lunch. And that took up my entire morning!
Chores were minimal; I hand-washed dishes, cut up chicken for the dogs' meals, and scooped kitty litter. I made shake ‘n bake chicken legs for Pip’s supper. I made spinach dip for the first time in years! I picked up a round loaf of pumpernickel for the occasion.
I had planned to read, but I remembered that one of my HGTV programs (Fixer to Fabulous) had aired Tuesday night, so I watched that. And when I went to the DVR I remembered that the final three eps of season one of The Pitt had aired Monday night, so I had to watch ~that as well. And then I watched-watched an ep of Secrets of the Zoo.
No tea today because I wasn’t home in the morning, which is my prime tea time. I did pick up a package of Lindor’s raspberry cheesecake flavored truffles, only to be like, wow, how can raspberry be so tasteless? Now, it’s possible that my taste has been affected by my cold, or whatever it is, so I’ll try them again later, but man, so disappointing.
Temps started out at 20.1(F) and reached 32.5. There was some sun, but it didn’t last long.
Mom Update:
Mom sounded good when I talked to her. Sister A and Ian had visited earlier, and Sister S was there when I called, so even though I’m unable to visit, she is still having visitors.
Thursday, January 1st, 2026 06:34 am
Hello on Thursday! What kind of a writing day has it been so far today -- or if today hasn't gotten going yet, how did you fare yesterday?
- I thought about my fic once or twice
- I wrote
- I did some planning and/or outlining
- I did research and/or canon review
- I edited
- I've sent my fic off to my beta
- I posted today!
- I'm taking a break
- I did something else that I'll talk about in a comment
Thursday Discussion: Today is the first day of the new year!!! Have you made any resolutions/goals/expressed any intentions about your writing? Any plans you hope to implement that will make your writing better or more effective? Any WIPs you plan on finishing this year?
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Thursday, January 1st, 2026 07:19 am
Pick a thing or two that sums up how you're doing today, this week, in general, and tell me about it in the 5-7-5 syllables of a haiku.
=
Signal-boosting much appreciated!
=
Signal-boosting much appreciated!
Thursday, January 1st, 2026 12:16 pm
Via synecdochic, and also what I see happening based on the latest post on ![[site community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/comm_staff.png)
dw_maintenance and comments there.
I saw this import FAQ being linked in thedw_maintenance comments for how to import into Dreamwidth, if that's the option you choose. So I take it this is working again, I remember there were issues a couple of years back, but better act quickly before that's no longer the case.
Link: Get anything you have left on LJ backed up ASAP bysynecdochic
Link: How do I import my journal from another site? (dreamwidth.org)
synecdochic, and also what I see happening based on the latest post on dw_maintenance and comments there.Please spread this far and wide so as many people see it as possible, because I really don't see English-language LJ continuing in its present form for much longer, and I know some people may still have things they care about there. It doesn't matter how you get it backed up, but it's absolutely crunch time for getting it backed up.
I saw this import FAQ being linked in the
dw_maintenance comments for how to import into Dreamwidth, if that's the option you choose. So I take it this is working again, I remember there were issues a couple of years back, but better act quickly before that's no longer the case.Link: Get anything you have left on LJ backed up ASAP by
synecdochicLink: How do I import my journal from another site? (dreamwidth.org)
Thursday, January 1st, 2026 11:56 am
(Banner by
ysilme)Description: Crack the WIP is back this year! Crack the WIP is a multifandom fest for finishing your WIPs. If you need a deadline to help you finish something, this is the challenge for you! All fanwork media and all fandoms, ships, kinks, ratings, and lengths are welcome. Got a WIP you'd like to make a resolution to finish in the early-ish part of this year? Come join us!
Schedule: Works must be posted by June 30th. Sign-ups are open now and will remain open until the posting deadline.
Links:
crackthewip | Event rules and sign-up postTags:
Thursday, January 1st, 2026 12:07 pm
Candy Hearts sign-ups are OPEN!!! You can find the schedule here, and the sign-up info post there, and here's for a direct link to the sign up form, and to the tagset!
You will never guess which fandom is included in my sign-up... and which canon I wrote a canon promo comment for ;D Haha. I'm actually signing up with tiny beloved polyships in 3 fandoms this time (K-9, Wind Breaker, Kaijuu No. 8) and I'm seriously excited about receiving any of them. It's the first time I do a sign-up like this haha, in that normally I try to be serious or close enough, but instead this is just me kind of jumping around about "THEM" whichever THEM it happens to be about XD :D I'm excited. It's also the first time I sign up for an exchange so early I think!! Normally I procrastinate until dangerously late because I worry about forgetting something. I also linked to the K-9 primer in my request... XD
Anyway, I lovecandyheartsex (and its predecessor chocolateboxcomm), it's a chill exchange with a small minimum (300 words fic or podfic, art) that reveals on Valentine's Day (but doesn't have to be valentine-themed, at all). Because of the low word count maybe, there's usually a fantastic treating culture around it, and it's just sweet and delightful fun all around. I'm really glad to be participating this year! I'll have to remember to check in a few days that I can match as well. I see BNHA and Wind Breaker people are starting to sign up so it should be fine :D Maybe see you there??
You will never guess which fandom is included in my sign-up... and which canon I wrote a canon promo comment for ;D Haha. I'm actually signing up with tiny beloved polyships in 3 fandoms this time (K-9, Wind Breaker, Kaijuu No. 8) and I'm seriously excited about receiving any of them. It's the first time I do a sign-up like this haha, in that normally I try to be serious or close enough, but instead this is just me kind of jumping around about "THEM" whichever THEM it happens to be about XD :D I'm excited. It's also the first time I sign up for an exchange so early I think!! Normally I procrastinate until dangerously late because I worry about forgetting something. I also linked to the K-9 primer in my request... XD
Anyway, I love
candyheartsex (and its predecessor chocolateboxcomm), it's a chill exchange with a small minimum (300 words fic or podfic, art) that reveals on Valentine's Day (but doesn't have to be valentine-themed, at all). Because of the low word count maybe, there's usually a fantastic treating culture around it, and it's just sweet and delightful fun all around. I'm really glad to be participating this year! I'll have to remember to check in a few days that I can match as well. I see BNHA and Wind Breaker people are starting to sign up so it should be fine :D Maybe see you there??
Thursday, January 1st, 2026 12:00 pm
- 1. Denmark becomes first country in world to end letter delivery
- (tags:mail Denmark )
- 2. Ken MacLeod on the life and work of the late sc-fi legend Iain M. Banks
- (tags:IainBanks scifi video history KenMacleod )
- 3. There is yet another Russian exodus from Livejournal to Dreamwidth
- (tags:livejournal dreamwidth russia )
Tags:
- denmark,
- dreamwidth,
- history,
- iainbanks,
- kenmacleod,
- links,
- livejournal,
- mail,
- russia,
- scifi,
- video
Thursday, January 1st, 2026 06:47 am
Here we are again, on the threshold of possibility. Happy Public Domain Day! May it be a Happy New Year!
Some years I make a practice of committing to quarterly intentions rather than new year's resolutions. I find it helps me lean into the rhythms specific to each season, and the shorter time frame lends itself to selecting more feasible goals that may yet build to larger ambitions.
In the comments, I encourage you to join me in sharing one or more intentions you have of any size for the first quarter of this year (January, February, March), and what you might do on a daily or weekly basis to nurture them. If you would like to do so privately, all anonymous comments on this post will remain screened unless you explicitly okay otherwise.
Some years I make a practice of committing to quarterly intentions rather than new year's resolutions. I find it helps me lean into the rhythms specific to each season, and the shorter time frame lends itself to selecting more feasible goals that may yet build to larger ambitions.
In the comments, I encourage you to join me in sharing one or more intentions you have of any size for the first quarter of this year (January, February, March), and what you might do on a daily or weekly basis to nurture them. If you would like to do so privately, all anonymous comments on this post will remain screened unless you explicitly okay otherwise.
Thursday, January 1st, 2026 11:53 pm
Recs for KJ Charles' England series, Utopia Avenue, Soulmate Goose AU, LEGO Botanical Garden and LEGO Natural History Museum, The Long Walk, Oxford Time Travel Universe, Dredge, and Miss Marple, here at my dreamwidth.
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Thursday, January 1st, 2026 10:48 am
- 1. Santa prepares public statement following accusations that ‘he clearly prefers rich kids’
- (tags:inequality funny Christmas )
- 2. "I Am the Very Model of a Miniature Tyrannosaur" (clearly the best way to publicise new dinosaur knowledge)
- (tags:dinosaurs video music viaSwampers )
- 3. Tiny! Cute! Bat! (Second attempt)
- (tags:bats cute video )
- 4. O Generous One! -(The Origin of "Carol of the Bells")
- (tags:christmas ukraine history music video translation )
- 5. The deep ocean has a missing link between deep and surface food webs - and scientists finally found it
- (tags:ocean food nature )
- 6. The complicated life of Francesca Albanese: A rising figure in Italy but barred from every bank by Trump’s sanctions
- (tags:usa italy palestine israel banking OhForFucksSake )
- 7. Librarians Are Tired of Being Accused of Hiding Secret Books That Were Made Up by AI
- (tags:ai libraries books OhForFucksSake )
- 8. Delay to post-Brexit deal costs UK £100m a week
- (tags:uk europe trade )
Just noticed these didn't post on the day!
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Thursday, January 1st, 2026 10:22 am
Thursday, January 1st, 2026 01:32 am
I wanted to get this out before this journal becomes all about the Snowflake Shenanigans. It's not going to be as in-depth because I have lots of ends of year reading reflections planned already, and because I'm already two months behind, so I just can't put it off longer by stressing about reviews and whatnot.
Of course if you want to chat about any of these books, I'd love to do that with any of you. Good or bad.
First: here is November's Reads with my ratings. (Sorry to the person who recced "I Kissed Alice" it wasn't you, it was me.❤️)
And here are December's reads. Sadly, I don't have the cool graphic because Fable is too busy giving me a lot of Year in Review graphics (more on that later). Fortunately (or unfortunately depending how you measure these things) I didn't read a lot of December.
Zenobia July by Lisa Bunker ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Nightmare Before Kissmas by Sara Raasch ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Make You Mine This Christmas by Lizzie Huxley-Jones ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Kiss Her Once For Me by Alison Cochrun ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.75
And here's some more stats from Fable.
Of course if you want to chat about any of these books, I'd love to do that with any of you. Good or bad.
First: here is November's Reads with my ratings. (Sorry to the person who recced "I Kissed Alice" it wasn't you, it was me.❤️)
And here are December's reads. Sadly, I don't have the cool graphic because Fable is too busy giving me a lot of Year in Review graphics (more on that later). Fortunately (or unfortunately depending how you measure these things) I didn't read a lot of December.
Zenobia July by Lisa Bunker ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Nightmare Before Kissmas by Sara Raasch ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Make You Mine This Christmas by Lizzie Huxley-Jones ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Kiss Her Once For Me by Alison Cochrun ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.75
And here's some more stats from Fable.
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Thursday, January 1st, 2026 04:45 am
I cannot remember the name of the book nor the author and this is basically my last resort, ive been trying to find it on and off since middle school and have been unsuccessful.
a kid is out with his parents (either at a dig site with his dad or at a picnic with him) and stumbles upon an arrowhead leftover from a war. the kid touches it and pricks his finger on it while also absorbing a sliver of the arrowhead and gains the power to absorb powers from other people (I can't remember if he has to kill them or not), he ends up falling in love with a snake demon lady? but she never reciprocates. and her dad was also the one the war was about. at the end of the book the evil guy goes back in time and changes history and that's how the book ends.
a kid is out with his parents (either at a dig site with his dad or at a picnic with him) and stumbles upon an arrowhead leftover from a war. the kid touches it and pricks his finger on it while also absorbing a sliver of the arrowhead and gains the power to absorb powers from other people (I can't remember if he has to kill them or not), he ends up falling in love with a snake demon lady? but she never reciprocates. and her dad was also the one the war was about. at the end of the book the evil guy goes back in time and changes history and that's how the book ends.
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Thursday, January 1st, 2026 03:42 am
I love this quote. It's actually good advice.
Thursday, January 1st, 2026 11:00 am
Thursday, January 1st, 2026 08:50 am
Seven Yuletide recs (plus one non-Yuletide rec) at my journal. Fandoms are Blackadder, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (TV), Flower Fairies - Cicely Mary Barker, LEGO Botanical Garden and LEGO Natural History Museum, Moby Dick - Herman Melville, Piranesi - Susanna Clarke and (unofficially) Raffles - E. W. Hornung.
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Thursday, January 1st, 2026 02:33 am
This poem was written outside the regular prompt calls. It was inspired by a remark from fuzzyred. It also fills the "Deep Blue Sea" square in my 5-1-25 card for the Colors Fest Bingo. This poem has been sponsored by a pool with fuzzyred. It belongs to the Kraken thread of the Polychrome Heroics series.
"Ruling from Beneath"
Kraken had always contained
enough scientists to understand
observation changing experiments.
They realized that ruling from beneath
would cause less ripples, less risk of
rocking the boat, than trying to be
the shadow behind the throne.
Nobody would ever look for
world leaders underneath
the deep blue sea.
fuzzyred. It also fills the "Deep Blue Sea" square in my 5-1-25 card for the Colors Fest Bingo. This poem has been sponsored by a pool with fuzzyred. It belongs to the Kraken thread of the Polychrome Heroics series."Ruling from Beneath"
Kraken had always contained
enough scientists to understand
observation changing experiments.
They realized that ruling from beneath
would cause less ripples, less risk of
rocking the boat, than trying to be
the shadow behind the throne.
Nobody would ever look for
world leaders underneath
the deep blue sea.
Thursday, January 1st, 2026 12:29 am
Here is my card for the Public Domain Day Bingo over in allbingo. The fest runs from January 1-31. (See all my 2026 bingo cards.)
If you'd like to sponsor a particular square, especially if you have an idea for what character, series, or situation it would fit -- talk to me and we'll work something out. I've had a few requests for this and the results have been awesome so far. This is a good opportunity for those of you with favorites that don't always mesh well with the themes of my monthly projects. I may still post some of the fills for free, because I'm using this to attract new readers; but if it brings in money, that means I can do more of it. That's part of why I'm crossing some of the bingo prompts with other projects, such as the Poetry Fishbowl.
Underlined prompts have been filled.
PUBLIC DOMAIN DAY CARD
allbingo. The fest runs from January 1-31. (See all my 2026 bingo cards.) If you'd like to sponsor a particular square, especially if you have an idea for what character, series, or situation it would fit -- talk to me and we'll work something out. I've had a few requests for this and the results have been awesome so far. This is a good opportunity for those of you with favorites that don't always mesh well with the themes of my monthly projects. I may still post some of the fills for free, because I'm using this to attract new readers; but if it brings in money, that means I can do more of it. That's part of why I'm crossing some of the bingo prompts with other projects, such as the Poetry Fishbowl.
Underlined prompts have been filled.
PUBLIC DOMAIN DAY CARD
| Seas Beneath | Private | You're Driving Me Crazy | Body and Soul | The Secret of the Old Clock |
| Cakes and Ale | Chasing Rainbows | The Castle | Soup to Nuts | Born Reckless |
| The Hidden Staircase | Just Imagine | WILD CARD | Up the River | But Not for Me |
| The Mysterious Universe | The Door | The Green Pastures | A Cup of Coffee | Beyond the Blue Horizon |
| The End of the World | Grumpy | City Girl | Something to Remember You By | Fascinating Rhythm |
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Wednesday, December 31st, 2025 10:43 pm
( You're about to view content that the journal owner has advised should be viewed with discretion. )
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Thursday, January 1st, 2026 12:25 am
For those who may have overindulged (or know someone else who has) recently:
Hangover Severity and Symptom Tracker
24 of the Best Hangover Foods to Ease Your Pain
Additional resources appear in the content notes for poems dealing with overconsumption of alcohol.
"Monkey Chew Pepper" and Monkey content notes
"The Hog Knows the Tree" and Hog content notes
"The Fourth for My Enemies" and Fourth content notes
"When in a Dark Place" and Dark content notes
"Our Power to Change" and Power content notes
Hangover Severity and Symptom Tracker
24 of the Best Hangover Foods to Ease Your Pain
Additional resources appear in the content notes for poems dealing with overconsumption of alcohol.
"Monkey Chew Pepper" and Monkey content notes
"The Hog Knows the Tree" and Hog content notes
"The Fourth for My Enemies" and Fourth content notes
"When in a Dark Place" and Dark content notes
"Our Power to Change" and Power content notes
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Thursday, January 1st, 2026 12:23 am
This is a new post to track goals that I want to set for 2027. During January, the 2026 list will remain relatively fluid. I might add a few things to it later on. Toward the end of the year, however, I usually start thinking of goals for the following year. Previously, I started putting those at the bottom of the 2024 goals list. So I figured it was time to make a separate post for this purpose. That should make it easier to compose the goal list for 2027 when the time comes.
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Thursday, January 1st, 2026 12:22 am
Friending memes, or friendzies, offer a great way to connect with new people. It occurs to me that I can list them here, with links to my entries, and have a useful reference.
This is the best time of year to run such events, because lots of people dust off their blogs in January. Also,snowflake_challenge runs this month with challenges on odd-numbered days, and it's among the biggest events on Dreamwidth. (See my 2023 post on Friending Memes.)
Here are some resources ...
( Read more... )
This is the best time of year to run such events, because lots of people dust off their blogs in January. Also,
snowflake_challenge runs this month with challenges on odd-numbered days, and it's among the biggest events on Dreamwidth. (See my 2023 post on Friending Memes.) Here are some resources ...
( Read more... )
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Thursday, January 1st, 2026 12:20 am
It is much easier to keep an accurate tally if I do it during the year rather than trying to backtrack after the fact. See my crowdfunding activities from 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025.
I serve as a maintainer of the Crowdfunding communities on LiveJournal and on Dreamwidth.
( Read more... )
I serve as a maintainer of the Crowdfunding communities on LiveJournal and on Dreamwidth.
( Read more... )
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Thursday, January 1st, 2026 12:19 am
At the end of the year, I remove any leftover cards from two years ago, and count up my blackouts from the previous year -- I move them to the back of the stack when complete.
In 2019, I made 1 blackout.
In 2020, I made 6 blackouts.
In 2021, I made 3 blackouts.
In 2022, I made 5 blackouts: Valentines Bingo 2/1/22, National Crafting Month 3/1/22, Body Parts 7/1/22, Reel Time 8/1/22, Land of Oz 9/1/22.
In 2023, I made 3 blackouts: Public Domain Day 1/1/23, March is... Bingo 3/1/23, Pets and Animals 5/1/23.
In 2024, I made 1 blackout: National Crafting Month 3/1/24.
In 2025, I made 1 blackout: Western Bingo Card 7/1/25.
In 2019, I made 1 blackout.
In 2020, I made 6 blackouts.
In 2021, I made 3 blackouts.
In 2022, I made 5 blackouts: Valentines Bingo 2/1/22, National Crafting Month 3/1/22, Body Parts 7/1/22, Reel Time 8/1/22, Land of Oz 9/1/22.
In 2023, I made 3 blackouts: Public Domain Day 1/1/23, March is... Bingo 3/1/23, Pets and Animals 5/1/23.
In 2024, I made 1 blackout: National Crafting Month 3/1/24.
In 2025, I made 1 blackout: Western Bingo Card 7/1/25.
Thursday, January 1st, 2026 12:17 am
See my bingo fests from 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024.
These are my bingo cards from 2025:
Public Domain Day Bingo Fest
Card 1-1-25
Valentines Bingo Fest
Card 2-1-25
Tolkien Bingo Fest
Card 3-1-25
Aesthetics Bingo Fest
Card 4-1-25
Color Fest Bingo
Card 5-1-25
Pride Fest Bingo
Card 6-2-25
Western Bingo Fest
Card 7-1-25
Crime Classics Bingo Fest
Card 8-1-25
Piracy Bingo Fest
Card 9-1-25
Fall Festival Bingo
Card 10-1-25
Fairy Tales and Fantasy Stories Bingo
Card 11-1-25
December Amnesty Fest (no post or card)
These are my bingo cards from 2026:
Public Domain Day Bingo
Card 1-1-26
I also run theallbingo community. Use this to share your accomplishments for a custom-made bingo card, for old cards from other communities, or to echo your current bingo activity.
These are my bingo cards from 2025:
Public Domain Day Bingo Fest
Card 1-1-25
Valentines Bingo Fest
Card 2-1-25
Tolkien Bingo Fest
Card 3-1-25
Aesthetics Bingo Fest
Card 4-1-25
Color Fest Bingo
Card 5-1-25
Pride Fest Bingo
Card 6-2-25
Western Bingo Fest
Card 7-1-25
Crime Classics Bingo Fest
Card 8-1-25
Piracy Bingo Fest
Card 9-1-25
Fall Festival Bingo
Card 10-1-25
Fairy Tales and Fantasy Stories Bingo
Card 11-1-25
December Amnesty Fest (no post or card)
These are my bingo cards from 2026:
Public Domain Day Bingo
Card 1-1-26
I also run the
allbingo community. Use this to share your accomplishments for a custom-made bingo card, for old cards from other communities, or to echo your current bingo activity.
Thursday, January 1st, 2026 12:14 am
This post contains a list of things I would like to plant in the future, places I enjoy shopping, and tracking for plant orders.
( Read more... )
( Read more... )
Thursday, January 1st, 2026 01:01 am
1. Dear Eric: In 2020, my now-wife and I were engaged. My mother is a nurse and has asthma and was deeply hit with mental and emotional stress from the pandemic. She would not attend most wedding planning events and would always be concerned with germs, wearing an N95 mask and keeping her distance.
My wife had a completely opposite reaction to the pandemic. It was more of a nuisance to her. In her eyes, there was no threat. My wife began to develop a feeling of abandonment from someone who was supposed to be her mother-in-law. She opened up to me about how much she was hurt, and I told her it wasn't my mother's fault and that she was just petrified by the pandemic and it was the only thing she could do.
My wife told me I was taking my mother’s side. Hurtful messages were sent by my wife and my mother just shut down the relationship and blocked her.mMy wedding was in October 2021. My mother braved the crowd of 155 people and attended without a mask. I was so proud of her. But my wife was angry about her presence.
My wife and I are still fighting occasionally about this issue, and the spats are becoming increasingly more intense. She still says extremely hurtful things about my mother often. My mother’s mindset was extreme but considering her working at a nursing home and having asthma, it’s totally understandable. That isn’t believable, according to my wife.
I am writing for guidance to understand how to solve this mess. Was I in the wrong for how I initially reacted toward my wife? I just don’t want this to destroy my marriage.
– Hurting Husband and Son
( Read more... )
*******
2. Dear Eric: Our son and his girlfriend of 24 years got married by a judge. It was a civil ceremony necessary to get him on her health insurance.
He approached my wife and me and said, "we're not into social media.” I did not glean from this that he meant we should post nothing at all. To share the good news with my friends, I did post one photo. Late the next night he texted us to take it down, saying "we asked you directly not to do this." I replied, I'm sorry, I didn't understand that I was not to post anything at all.
I feel bad because my son seems to feel he can forbid me from sharing this news with my friends. Many are longtime friends from church who have known my son for decades. It seems to me a little pushy for him to forbid me to share with my friends what I feel is good news. He seems to want to downplay it.
Should I not have made the post and leaned more toward caution? Should I have interpreted "we're not into social media" differently? I welcome your advice about how to perceive this situation and where to go from here.
– Deleted Post
( Read more... )
*************
3. Dear Eric: My children are grown. Two live locally and one super local (our home!). One is married with young children, and we see them often, spending most holidays with them. (In-laws are unpleasant, to say the least.)
Our middle child is in a relatively new relationship that has become pretty serious. We planned a beach vacation with my in-laws (our kids’ cousins, aunt and uncles) for Thanksgiving, which everyone seemed excited about when we booked the house.
Now the middle child will come with his girlfriend for just a few days and then fly to her family for the actual holiday. He has been noncommittal about Christmas because they may again travel to her family. When we got married, we alternated holidays with our families or stayed home. We were careful not to favor one side over the other. I really like his girlfriend but am sad that he seems OK with spending all holidays with her family.
Any suggestions on how to broach this subject without sounding whiny or critical? If it matters, she only recently moved to our area.
– Sharing Holidays
( Read more... )
My wife had a completely opposite reaction to the pandemic. It was more of a nuisance to her. In her eyes, there was no threat. My wife began to develop a feeling of abandonment from someone who was supposed to be her mother-in-law. She opened up to me about how much she was hurt, and I told her it wasn't my mother's fault and that she was just petrified by the pandemic and it was the only thing she could do.
My wife told me I was taking my mother’s side. Hurtful messages were sent by my wife and my mother just shut down the relationship and blocked her.mMy wedding was in October 2021. My mother braved the crowd of 155 people and attended without a mask. I was so proud of her. But my wife was angry about her presence.
My wife and I are still fighting occasionally about this issue, and the spats are becoming increasingly more intense. She still says extremely hurtful things about my mother often. My mother’s mindset was extreme but considering her working at a nursing home and having asthma, it’s totally understandable. That isn’t believable, according to my wife.
I am writing for guidance to understand how to solve this mess. Was I in the wrong for how I initially reacted toward my wife? I just don’t want this to destroy my marriage.
– Hurting Husband and Son
( Read more... )
2. Dear Eric: Our son and his girlfriend of 24 years got married by a judge. It was a civil ceremony necessary to get him on her health insurance.
He approached my wife and me and said, "we're not into social media.” I did not glean from this that he meant we should post nothing at all. To share the good news with my friends, I did post one photo. Late the next night he texted us to take it down, saying "we asked you directly not to do this." I replied, I'm sorry, I didn't understand that I was not to post anything at all.
I feel bad because my son seems to feel he can forbid me from sharing this news with my friends. Many are longtime friends from church who have known my son for decades. It seems to me a little pushy for him to forbid me to share with my friends what I feel is good news. He seems to want to downplay it.
Should I not have made the post and leaned more toward caution? Should I have interpreted "we're not into social media" differently? I welcome your advice about how to perceive this situation and where to go from here.
– Deleted Post
( Read more... )
3. Dear Eric: My children are grown. Two live locally and one super local (our home!). One is married with young children, and we see them often, spending most holidays with them. (In-laws are unpleasant, to say the least.)
Our middle child is in a relatively new relationship that has become pretty serious. We planned a beach vacation with my in-laws (our kids’ cousins, aunt and uncles) for Thanksgiving, which everyone seemed excited about when we booked the house.
Now the middle child will come with his girlfriend for just a few days and then fly to her family for the actual holiday. He has been noncommittal about Christmas because they may again travel to her family. When we got married, we alternated holidays with our families or stayed home. We were careful not to favor one side over the other. I really like his girlfriend but am sad that he seems OK with spending all holidays with her family.
Any suggestions on how to broach this subject without sounding whiny or critical? If it matters, she only recently moved to our area.
– Sharing Holidays
( Read more... )
Thursday, January 1st, 2026 12:10 am
Keeping track of stuff I like or want is easier if I make a place for it through the year, rather than trying to do it at the last minute. This worked great in the past, so I'm continuing the practice. See my wishlists from 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025.
( Read more... )
( Read more... )