1) More lovely sunshine ♥
2) Which gave me the energy to give my kitchen a quick but more decent cleaning, floors included, with the balcony door open.
3) Dinner at my parents’s place which means wood burner or or swinging bench in the garden, depending on the weather
2) Which gave me the energy to give my kitchen a quick but more decent cleaning, floors included, with the balcony door open.
3) Dinner at my parents’s place which means wood burner or or swinging bench in the garden, depending on the weather
Name three healthy habits you have started within the last year that have changed your life for the better.
1. I now eat a peach yogurt in the morning, every day, instead of not eating anything. I love peach yogurt. And honestly, I'm sure I feel better because of this. Plus, I'm not so hungry by lunch time.
2. I'm doing Chair Aerobics every night for 30 minutes. I've lost a little weight, and I feel better. Because of my heart and Pulmonary Hypertension, I'm unable to do much that is strenuous. I'm thrilled I'm able to do this each night. Woot! I can't walk for long, because I'm on oxygen and it doesn't like me walking for too long. I'm limited, but I make the best of it.
3. Using less salt. I'm not cutting it out altogether, but I have taken less in for the last two months. I feel pretty darn good. The cardiologist likes my numbers right now, so he's very happy with me and my heart. LOL, I've still got a lot of weight to lose, but I'll get there.
I'm thrilled that I actually have three to list. Woot!!!!!!
1. I now eat a peach yogurt in the morning, every day, instead of not eating anything. I love peach yogurt. And honestly, I'm sure I feel better because of this. Plus, I'm not so hungry by lunch time.
2. I'm doing Chair Aerobics every night for 30 minutes. I've lost a little weight, and I feel better. Because of my heart and Pulmonary Hypertension, I'm unable to do much that is strenuous. I'm thrilled I'm able to do this each night. Woot! I can't walk for long, because I'm on oxygen and it doesn't like me walking for too long. I'm limited, but I make the best of it.
3. Using less salt. I'm not cutting it out altogether, but I have taken less in for the last two months. I feel pretty darn good. The cardiologist likes my numbers right now, so he's very happy with me and my heart. LOL, I've still got a lot of weight to lose, but I'll get there.
I'm thrilled that I actually have three to list. Woot!!!!!!
8. How often do you read fiction?
I read fiction almost every day. I can't sleep at night until I've read some fan fiction if nothing else. I read all the time. Am I supposed to say what I'm reading? Because I just got done reading a new Due South fanfic, and it's wonderful. I'm going to post the link in case you want to read it too. It's written by Grey853 on AO3. It's a WIP, but each part is very long and very good. Plus, she always finishes her WIPs. Unlike some of us. LOL https://archiveofourown.org/works/78962371 It's 40,000 words and will be a 12 part series, on top of her Alphabet Series. This is the link for the entire series. Its my fave of all of her stories. Woot! https://archiveofourown.org/series/4320295
I read fiction almost every day. I can't sleep at night until I've read some fan fiction if nothing else. I read all the time. Am I supposed to say what I'm reading? Because I just got done reading a new Due South fanfic, and it's wonderful. I'm going to post the link in case you want to read it too. It's written by Grey853 on AO3. It's a WIP, but each part is very long and very good. Plus, she always finishes her WIPs. Unlike some of us. LOL https://archiveofourown.org/works/78962371 It's 40,000 words and will be a 12 part series, on top of her Alphabet Series. This is the link for the entire series. Its my fave of all of her stories. Woot! https://archiveofourown.org/series/4320295
Finally, the perfect week to use this fantastic sticker. This is one Alex got for me. "It is what it is, and it's pretty terrible" indeed.
This week was pretty much solely dedicated to recovering. Or... it would have been, if I hadn't had to go to such lengths to get so much nonsense paperwork signed. Those frustrations pretty much overshadowed everything else, and made it harder to really do anything else, including things like sleep. It's been dealt with as much as possible at this point. I was annoyed at how far behind I felt on everything. As much as the stress kept me from sleeping well, I feel like I did sleep a lot. Healing seemed to be moving the right direction, and food all sat reasonably well. Pain stayed manageable. Started trying to walk more, as advised.
Goals for the week:
- I did finally get the medical paperwork signed (thank you so much to the nurse I saw)
- I did start reading We're Here, a queer-themed anthology
- I started to work on my January reviews
- I visited Taylor on Saturday
- I finished the leave application
- We went and got crickets
Tracked habits:
- Work - 0/7
- Household Maintenance - 7/7
- Physical Activity - 3/7
- Wrote 500/1000+ Words - 0/7 (the bit I colored in on the tracker was an oops)
- Non-fiction Writing - 1/7 - over 500 words
- Meta Work - 1/7
- Personal Writing - 1/7
- Other Creative Things - 1/7
- Reading - 7/7 - I mostly read We're Here, and Taylor and I started Gideon the Ninth
- Attention to Media - Sunday watched news and protest coverage; Monday more protest coverage and I watched music videos for a while; Tuesday more protests, then some video game reviews/essays; Wednesday, Thursday, Friday had random youtube in the background; Saturday I watched Sinners with my mom and Taylor, and later more news coverage.
- Video Games - 0/7
- Social Interaction - 5/7
Total words written: 517 on a review
[AMNESTY: Challenge #91: Tradition] Original Poetry: 'Great Desire'
Feb. 7th, 2026 04:11 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
but_can_i_be_trusted posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
100wordsTitle: 'Great Desire'
Fandom: Original Poetry
Rating: G
Notes: Crossposted toemotion100 and drabble_zone
( Great Desire )
Fandom: Original Poetry
Rating: G
Notes: Crossposted to
emotion100 and drabble_zone( Great Desire )
Thanks to fuzzyred, the series Peculiar Obligations now has its own landing page. This series features Quakers and organized crime, particularly with pirate allies.
fuzzyred, the series Peculiar Obligations now has its own landing page. This series features Quakers and organized crime, particularly with pirate allies.
These 773,000-year-old fossils may reveal our shared human ancestor
Exceptionally well-dated fossils from Morocco capture a moment nearly 800,000 years ago, right at a major turning point in Earth’s magnetic history.
Fossils from a Moroccan cave have been dated with remarkable accuracy to about 773,000 years ago, thanks to a magnetic signature locked into the surrounding sediments. The hominin remains show a blend of ancient and more modern features, placing them near a pivotal branching point in human evolution. These individuals likely represent an African population close to the last common ancestor of Homo sapiens, Neandertals, and Denisovans.
Exceptionally well-dated fossils from Morocco capture a moment nearly 800,000 years ago, right at a major turning point in Earth’s magnetic history.
Fossils from a Moroccan cave have been dated with remarkable accuracy to about 773,000 years ago, thanks to a magnetic signature locked into the surrounding sediments. The hominin remains show a blend of ancient and more modern features, placing them near a pivotal branching point in human evolution. These individuals likely represent an African population close to the last common ancestor of Homo sapiens, Neandertals, and Denisovans.
Today is sunny and cold. Much of the snow has melted.
I fed the birds. I've seen a few sparrows.
I put out water for the birds.
EDIT 2/7/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.
I refilled the hopper feeder.
I've seen a female cardinal.
EDIT 2/7/26 -- I did more work around the patio.
There were two cardinals in the forest garden, but it was hard to tell colors at dusk.
I am done for the night.
I fed the birds. I've seen a few sparrows.
I put out water for the birds.
EDIT 2/7/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.
I refilled the hopper feeder.
I've seen a female cardinal.
EDIT 2/7/26 -- I did more work around the patio.
There were two cardinals in the forest garden, but it was hard to tell colors at dusk.
I am done for the night.
In movie news, Cineplex has a listing for Zhu Yilong's new movie, Scare Out, which is apparently opening in Canada on Feb. 17. I refuse to let myself be excited about this, after having so much hope about Dongji Rescue last summer. But maybe it'll open here and I'll be able to see it! At least the 17th is before the crunch at work starts.
Reading: To shake things up a bit from Kurosagi, this week I reread the first two volumes of Hikaru no Go. In both of these cases, I'm pretty much relying on Goodreads to tell me when I get to volumes I haven't previously read. Awkwardly for my sense of "what even is time?", this means that I now know that I first read vol. 1 of Hikaru no Go in 2006 and vol. 1 of The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service in 2008.
My sense of how far I got into Hikaru no Go is completely nonexistent, since I know I read some number of volumes at some point, and I saw some of the anime (long enough ago that I know we were still living in the co-op we moved out of over fifteen years ago), andscruloose and I (much later) saw the c-drama in its entirety. It's all rather a jumble. But seeing the c-drama did inspire me to finish buying the manga, and I guess its time has come!
I did wind up reading all of Dungeon Crawler Carl, and the upshot, given my uncertainty about finishing it to begin with, is unsurprisingly that I doubt I'll pick up the second book. I think it's very safe to say that LitRPG is not my thing. I did wind up liking the book more overall than I would've thought back around the 40% mark or so, though.
Watching: We're caught up on The Pitt and one episode behind on Frieren. We've also seen the second episode of Midnight Mass, which has a lot of animal harm; I don't have any triggers that I'm aware of, but it was enough to be upsetting.
Playing: I think I've finished Cult of the Lamb: Woolhaven, which is to say that I've finished the main plot and done a few wrapping-up things, leaving me free to idly manage the cult and do dungeon runs, but that's usually when I wander off.
Weathering: We're having some of what I would call Normal Snow for the second time this week. The first time, a few days ago, I realized I've started to basically think in terms of "winter days that are cold but not much is happening outside" and "snowstorms", without much in between, but that's probably a result of leaving the house so rarely as much as it's a byproduct of climate change.
Reading: To shake things up a bit from Kurosagi, this week I reread the first two volumes of Hikaru no Go. In both of these cases, I'm pretty much relying on Goodreads to tell me when I get to volumes I haven't previously read. Awkwardly for my sense of "what even is time?", this means that I now know that I first read vol. 1 of Hikaru no Go in 2006 and vol. 1 of The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service in 2008.
My sense of how far I got into Hikaru no Go is completely nonexistent, since I know I read some number of volumes at some point, and I saw some of the anime (long enough ago that I know we were still living in the co-op we moved out of over fifteen years ago), and
scruloose and I (much later) saw the c-drama in its entirety. It's all rather a jumble. But seeing the c-drama did inspire me to finish buying the manga, and I guess its time has come!I did wind up reading all of Dungeon Crawler Carl, and the upshot, given my uncertainty about finishing it to begin with, is unsurprisingly that I doubt I'll pick up the second book. I think it's very safe to say that LitRPG is not my thing. I did wind up liking the book more overall than I would've thought back around the 40% mark or so, though.
Watching: We're caught up on The Pitt and one episode behind on Frieren. We've also seen the second episode of Midnight Mass, which has a lot of animal harm; I don't have any triggers that I'm aware of, but it was enough to be upsetting.
Playing: I think I've finished Cult of the Lamb: Woolhaven, which is to say that I've finished the main plot and done a few wrapping-up things, leaving me free to idly manage the cult and do dungeon runs, but that's usually when I wander off.
Weathering: We're having some of what I would call Normal Snow for the second time this week. The first time, a few days ago, I realized I've started to basically think in terms of "winter days that are cold but not much is happening outside" and "snowstorms", without much in between, but that's probably a result of leaving the house so rarely as much as it's a byproduct of climate change.
Some good news:
Both Queen Demon and the Storyteller: A Tanith Lee Tribute anthology, made it on the Locus Recommended Reading List:
https://locusmag.com/2026/02/2025-recommended-reading/
with a lot of other excellent books and stories, including a new section for translated works.
You can also vote on the list for the Locus Awards. Anybody can vote here with an email address: https://poll.voting.locusmag.com/ though they have you fill out a demographic survey first with how many books you read per year, etc.
Of course a lot of great work did not end up on the list, like I was surprised not to see The Witch Roads and The Nameless Land duology by Kate Elliott, which I thought was excellent.
Both Queen Demon and the Storyteller: A Tanith Lee Tribute anthology, made it on the Locus Recommended Reading List:
https://locusmag.com/2026/02/2025-recommended-reading/
with a lot of other excellent books and stories, including a new section for translated works.
You can also vote on the list for the Locus Awards. Anybody can vote here with an email address: https://poll.voting.locusmag.com/ though they have you fill out a demographic survey first with how many books you read per year, etc.
Of course a lot of great work did not end up on the list, like I was surprised not to see The Witch Roads and The Nameless Land duology by Kate Elliott, which I thought was excellent.
The fun development at our house recently is that we got a 3d printer for Christmas! We had been thinking of getting the kids a Nintendo Switch because there are a few games they've been interested in that aren't available for PC but Jeff and I were not ... excited ... about the prospect of litigating turn-taking between three kids and one device. At pretty much the last minute I was thinking about how eldest really likes playing with the 3d printed dragons her friend made her and idly wondered how much printers go for these days and lo and behold, there are models that cost less than a nintendo switch! So we pivoted to that plan and it's been great. So many articulated dragons. Jeff's been printing minis to play some combat games with the kids and I've been printing some bookbinding tools too. Along with various just, helpful gadgets! I have a lamp with a switch that's really hard to turn in a circle so I designed a cap for it that sticks out wider on the sides and it just snapped right on and works great! I'm still figuring out various 3d modeling software, I've tried OpenSCAD, Autocad Fusion, and TinkerCad (I'm also learning Blender against my will because Eldest is interested in some more artistic sculpting and it's a tricky program for a 9yo to figure out on her own). Not sure which I like best yet but I am having a lot of fun.
A couple of weeks ago we got a massive amount of snow and it hasn't really gotten above freezing since, so we still have a massive amount of snow. The kids got two whole snow days out of it and they're using "by the time the snow melts" as a timeline for their current computer gaming goal (getting into space in Factorio). I am enjoying the snow a little less (my boots have holes. Any recs for not-too-expensive snow boots for wide feet?)
I mentioned before that I had picked up the Guardian drama again, well, I convinced Jeff to watch it with me (apparently "it's a bit cheesy and kind of reminds me of early seasons of BTVS" was a convincing rec) so we re-started from the beginning. Forgot to mention it was based on a danmei but he figured that out for himself at episode 8. We're now up to episode 12 which is *almost* where I left off.
A couple of weeks ago we got a massive amount of snow and it hasn't really gotten above freezing since, so we still have a massive amount of snow. The kids got two whole snow days out of it and they're using "by the time the snow melts" as a timeline for their current computer gaming goal (getting into space in Factorio). I am enjoying the snow a little less (my boots have holes. Any recs for not-too-expensive snow boots for wide feet?)
I mentioned before that I had picked up the Guardian drama again, well, I convinced Jeff to watch it with me (apparently "it's a bit cheesy and kind of reminds me of early seasons of BTVS" was a convincing rec) so we re-started from the beginning. Forgot to mention it was based on a danmei but he figured that out for himself at episode 8. We're now up to episode 12 which is *almost* where I left off.
Hello, everyone! I've got some minor rules updates for the community that I want to alert everyone to. They're pretty much all about use of cut tags. (To learn more about cut tags, check this article of Dreamwidth's FAQ or this tutorial post; you can also use Details/Summary HTML instead.)
First, remember to put any content that would require a CW tag under a cut. Unlike Tumblr and some other sites, blanket blocking a tag is more complicated on Dreamwidth, and jump-scaring compulsive readers is probably better avoided! If your entry uses any of the Content Warning tags, then it needs a cut.
Second, in addition to properly age labeling any 18+ content, put any NSFW content under a cut. If it's legal in the US, it's legal to share in this community, but I don't want anyone to get in trouble at work for scrolling through this community on their break! If your entry has any NSFW content, then it needs a cut.
Finally, please put any images that are over 500 pixels in any dimension under a cut, as well as utilizing a cut for posts that are significantly longer than a few hundred words. In addition, if you're sharing more than three images, please put the majority of them under a cut. This is to keep things neat and tidy on reading pages, reduce load times (for images), and to let any compulsive readers out there decide whether they want to read the whole post or not.
I'm also planning to add a new Content Warning label for drugs and/or alcohol; if you have suggestions for any others, please let me know!
Edit: Unfortunately, my account administrator privileges don't extend to letting me change the privacy settings for posts I don't personally make; I can only add or remove tags, change the age restriction settings, or delete posts entirely. While I would greatly prefer to simply adjust the privacy settings to any post that requires but doesn't have a cut, that is unfortunately not an option at the moment. Therefore:
If you do not reach out to me somehow within 48 hours of me contacting you about a post that needs a cut but doesn't have one, I will be deleting that post. If you don't have access to your Dreamwidth account, one option is to leave an anonymous comment on whatever the most recent Thursday Recs post is, and I will do my best to work something out with you from there. Otherwise, deleting the post that needs a cut is the only way I have of enforcing the rules, which I am prepared to do. [End Edit]
I'm welcoming feedback on all of these, or any of the other community rules, so if you have any thoughts to share, I'd love to hear them! Please also take this as an excuse to review the community rules overallas I apparently needed to do myself, oops. And thanks for spending time at Queerly Beloved with me!
First, remember to put any content that would require a CW tag under a cut. Unlike Tumblr and some other sites, blanket blocking a tag is more complicated on Dreamwidth, and jump-scaring compulsive readers is probably better avoided! If your entry uses any of the Content Warning tags, then it needs a cut.
Second, in addition to properly age labeling any 18+ content, put any NSFW content under a cut. If it's legal in the US, it's legal to share in this community, but I don't want anyone to get in trouble at work for scrolling through this community on their break! If your entry has any NSFW content, then it needs a cut.
Finally, please put any images that are over 500 pixels in any dimension under a cut, as well as utilizing a cut for posts that are significantly longer than a few hundred words. In addition, if you're sharing more than three images, please put the majority of them under a cut. This is to keep things neat and tidy on reading pages, reduce load times (for images), and to let any compulsive readers out there decide whether they want to read the whole post or not.
I'm also planning to add a new Content Warning label for drugs and/or alcohol; if you have suggestions for any others, please let me know!
Edit: Unfortunately, my account administrator privileges don't extend to letting me change the privacy settings for posts I don't personally make; I can only add or remove tags, change the age restriction settings, or delete posts entirely. While I would greatly prefer to simply adjust the privacy settings to any post that requires but doesn't have a cut, that is unfortunately not an option at the moment. Therefore:
If you do not reach out to me somehow within 48 hours of me contacting you about a post that needs a cut but doesn't have one, I will be deleting that post. If you don't have access to your Dreamwidth account, one option is to leave an anonymous comment on whatever the most recent Thursday Recs post is, and I will do my best to work something out with you from there. Otherwise, deleting the post that needs a cut is the only way I have of enforcing the rules, which I am prepared to do. [End Edit]
I'm welcoming feedback on all of these, or any of the other community rules, so if you have any thoughts to share, I'd love to hear them! Please also take this as an excuse to review the community rules overall
Finally got around to framing my black cat cross stitch. The photo does show the tiny beads sewn on some of the diamonds (not shown the rude words used when attaching beads!). I was very pleased with the result.
It's challenge time!
Comment with Just One Thing you've accomplished in the last 24 hours or so. It doesn't have to be a hard thing, or even a thing that you think is particularly awesome. Just a thing that you did.
Feel free to share more than one thing if you're feeling particularly accomplished! Extra credit: find someone in the comments and give them props for what they achieved!
Nothing is too big, too small, too strange or too cryptic. And in case you'd rather do this in private, anonymous comments are screened. I will only unscreen if you ask me to.
Go!
Comment with Just One Thing you've accomplished in the last 24 hours or so. It doesn't have to be a hard thing, or even a thing that you think is particularly awesome. Just a thing that you did.
Feel free to share more than one thing if you're feeling particularly accomplished! Extra credit: find someone in the comments and give them props for what they achieved!
Nothing is too big, too small, too strange or too cryptic. And in case you'd rather do this in private, anonymous comments are screened. I will only unscreen if you ask me to.
Go!
I've read this twice now, and it's very likely I'll read it again. I also suspect it may hit five stars on the third read.
It's a complex book and the names and titles take a lot of getting used to - but, they do contribute to the story and its politics.
It's a story of a young man, brought up in virtual isolation, pitched unexpectedly into becoming Emperor when his father and all his older brothers die in an airship accident. Landing in the middle of complex court life, competing political factions, and surrounded by strangers, he struggles to understand what is going on, and learn how he can survive.
It has many characters, but they are well-drawn and all have their own motivations and loyalties.
1) Woke up with sunshine streaming in through the window ^_^
2) Long hot shower
3) Visit to the librarybefore I pick up my bike, (will be for next week)
BONUS: Lunch on a sunny terrace of a bar nearby
2) Long hot shower
3) Visit to the library
BONUS: Lunch on a sunny terrace of a bar nearby
People have expressed interest in deep topics, so this list focuses on philosophical questions.
How would society change if men were able to get pregnant and men and women both had an equal chance of getting pregnant?
Abortion and birth control would be free and legal everywhere. Family leave would be generous. Childcare would be free. It would be a lot better all around.
How would society change if men were able to get pregnant and men and women both had an equal chance of getting pregnant?
Abortion and birth control would be free and legal everywhere. Family leave would be generous. Childcare would be free. It would be a lot better all around.