Poem: "Aim a Little Above It"

May. 24th, 2026 10:16 pm
ysabetwordsmith: Damask smiling over their shoulder (polychrome)
[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
This poem is spillover from the February 1, 2022 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by prompts from [personal profile] mama_kestrel, [personal profile] see_also_friend, and [personal profile] kelkyag. It also fills the "Forgive" square in my 2-1-22 card for the Valentines Bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by [personal profile] fuzzyred. It belongs to the series Polychrome Heroics.

Read more... )

Air Fryer Fun

May. 24th, 2026 11:34 pm
settiai: (TRAMPs -- settiai (hazeIwood))
[personal profile] settiai
For the record, I've discovered that cooking hot dogs in the air fryer on 385°F for five minutes (turning them over halfway through) makes them turn out absolutely delicious.

I normally either boil them or cook them on my George Foreman grill, but I decided to experiment this weekend. It took a bit of trial and error, but the temperature and time that I mentioned above turned out to be the winner. I mainly only eat them in the summer, but it's good to know that I've found a quick and easy way of cooking the considering they're one of those foods that's filling but cheap.

Also? I dipped potato chips in melted chocolate, which was an A+ idea that I should definitely make again sometime.

After Hours Meeting (part 1 of 2)

May. 24th, 2026 11:15 pm
dialecticdreamer: My work (Default)
[personal profile] dialecticdreamer
After Hours Meeting
By Dialecticdreamer/Sarah Williams
Part 1 of 2
Word count (story only): 1017
[Monday evening, 13 November of 2017]


:: Jules and Jaliy surprise Blainn and Bennett with the kitten. Part of the Lodestar story arc in Polychrome Heroics. ::


On to part two




Jules petted the silvery kitten as Jalliya braked in front of the house. “It’s okay, we’re here,” he soothed the kitten. The wings, nearly the same color as the kitten’s fur, fluttered once, then again, before tucking away almost unnoticeably.

Jaliya grinned at him. “You are so gone on that kitten,” she teased.

“I haven’t named her,” the young man insisted, shaking his head vigorously.
Read more... )

Just one thing: 25 May 2026

May. 24th, 2026 09:36 pm
[personal profile] jazzyjj posting in [community profile] awesomeers
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!
taz_39: (Default)
[personal profile] taz_39
 **Disclaimer** The views and opinions expressed in this post are my own, and do not reflect the views or opinions of my employer.
DO NOT RESHARE ANY PART OF THIS POST WITHOUT PERMISSION. Thank you.


This post covers the weekend.

---    ---    ---    ---    ---    ---

FRIDAY


Up at 8 to catch up on journal readings, have breakfast, and work on Memphis Foodie Finds. It felt odd not to text "good morning" to Jameson, but he's on a boat somewhere and I didn't even know if he had service, so I waited for signs of life and got some eventually :)
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It was rainy and dreary and promised to be that all day. I was very annoyed with myself for forgetting my umbrella at the theater last night, but they had loaner umbrellas at the front desk. The concierge made me hold up my right hand and swear that I'd return it! LOL. I saluted him and marched out the door.

First I went to the theater to see if I could get in and retrieve my own umbrella, but it was too early. I continued down Gay St., which is full of cute little shops and art installments and greenery.

Some pics of Charles Krutch (a local famous artist and photographer) Park, and a sculpture:
91a0646b-1dc1-45d4-b664-ff81e796e192.jpg
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First stop was Mast General Store.
CLICK HERE for CANDY! )

Onward to Potchke deli for lunch. I had been here in 2023 with Tootsie and very much enjoyed the bright cheery vibe and the absolutely delicious matzo ball soup and beet slaw. I had always regretted not getting the babka buns because they looked AMAZING. This time I was definitely getting one!
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They look different now (they used to be shaped in a lattice like this and now it's a rose swirl) but boy do they still look delicious. They had chocolate, orange, and "everything." I got the chocolate.
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It's got a hard, caramelized crust of sugar and chocolate on the outside, but the inside is soft and spiced and swirled. I cut it in half back at the hotel and ate half today and the rest will be for tomorrow. Absolutely incredible, not only the decadent buttery and chocolatey flavor but the mix of crunchy and soft fluffy textures. So incredibly good, I'd be happy to eat this every day until I die.

For actual lunch I got the kosher banh mi: soy-marinated sweet potato and bok choy with sriracha aioli, shredded carrot, red onion, cucumber, daikon slaw, and cilantro on sesame bialy.
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Again, great textures and packed with flavor. Soft and salty sweet potatoes, crunchy veg, spicy dressing, chewy satisfying bagel. Really delicious and it made me feel somewhat healthy to eat it :p

It was past noon so on the way back to the hotel I swung by the theater again, and someone was there to let me in! Our company management was there working and so was Wardrobe, which reminds me that while I'm out galivanting around, many of my buddies are working hard to keep our tour operational. Being a musician is hard at times, but we are also very spoiled at times. I'm grateful for the work that everyone puts into this show so that we can ALL enjoy the journey :)

Back at the hotel I admired my candy haul!
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This is roughly half of what I got (the other half is going in a box in my trunk for future consumption.) Banana toffee Bubs; chocolate and vanilla mini Moon Pies; teaberry gum; caramel apple lolly; mini Sugar Daddy (remember getting your teeth stuck together with those?); Zebra Bars; vanilla Tootsie Rolls; Joyva sesame candies; honey bear lolly; Ice Cube (this was a favorite of my dad's so I got it in his memory); Charleston Chew; fruit nougat/divinity; Chick-O-Stick bite-size; Goetze's caramel creams in strawberry and caramel apple; Goslings ginger beer hard candies; and my very favorite, Sunkist Fruit Gems! I LOVE the texture of those so much!

It will take a long while to get through all of these, but a lot of them can be difficult to find so I'm happy to stock up and carry them with me for a bit. The rest of the afternoon was packing things to go back in my trunk, finishing reading The Way of Kings, and trying to figure out what to do in Atlanta.

The evening show was good, David (clarinet) was back with us and feeling better, thank goodness. We did have a show hold in a weird spot, a dialogue scene, but it was very brief and I heard later on that some setpiece had been stuck and needed to be un-stuck, that kind of thing. Live theater, baybee!

After the show there was a hang at the Hyatt bar across the street for Josh (Key 2.) He is leaving us to be the Music Director for another show (can't disclose which one yet.) I had a glass of sauvignon blanc and enjoyed chatting and mingling a bit. Made sure to hug Josh and congratulate him of course. At some point everyone clamored, "Speech!" so he said a short and nice "thank you" to us for being wonderful to work with, all the best to everyone, grateful for his time here, etc etc. And after that Josh, Ryu (violin), and Masumi (ensemble) got together for a "Japanese contingent" photo...and insisted that I join as well!! As someone who is "hafu*" and doesn't even look Japanese, while Ryu and Masumi are full-blooded Japanese and Josh is an actual "hafu" who has lived in Japan, I have been kind of shy about considering myself "Japanese" in the same way that these lovely colleagues do. Being included in this photo, and being asked to join actually meant a lot to me. I felt very touched.
a15e4844-f660-4d55-916b-4ee075cfc89e.jpg
(Left to right: Me, Ryu, Josh, and Masumi)
*Clarification of the term "hafu": This word means "half" and was originally used to describe someone that's half-Japanese, but it has come to mean "of mixed heritage" regardless of the actual percentage of Japanese, which is why I use it here to refer to both myself and Josh. I'm saying that we're mixed race.

We are all of course sad to see Josh go...he's been a great musician, a wonderful human, and so easy to work with. I hope he has LOTS of fun on the new show and that it pays off big for him!

---------------------------------------------------------------------

SATURDAY


Awake at 8am. It was still dreary and rainy. I'm still shoving off the dregs of this cold with a lot of nose-blowing, but it should clear out soon. Worked on this blog post, sent Jameson some audio messages, took a short walk to pick up Travel Bagel, and worked on Memphis Foodie Finds.

Our first show went well, nothing to report except that Jameson's dad's brother(?) and wife were there and had a good time. I met with them briefly outside the stage door and thanked them for coming (we don't really know each other well so that was the convo haha.) Back to the hotel for a little chillax and a few pieces of my yummy candies, later dinner and walking back to the theater. The evening show was also good and nothing to report. We tried to take a full-band photo on the stage before the theater was opened to the audience, but Tim got stuck in the parking garage so he didn't make it. I think we will try again tomorrow.

----------------------------------------------------------

SUNDAY


Up at 7:30 or so. I know this cold is almost behind me now because I feel like getting up as opposed to feeling like roadkill. Breakfast and light packing and buckled down to finish Memphis Foodie Finds. I am still terribly behind and will have to hustle to do Tempe, Tucson, El Paso, and all the big California cities (the tour is in LA for like two months so that will be a big one.) Packed myself a lunch to eat on the bus tomorrow.

Matinee went well. Someone wanted a photo for Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, which we took at intermission on the stage behind a curtain. Hopefully I'll have that pic to share with you later.

After the show the band wanted a photo under the marquis. Today is the very last time that all of the OG Beauty and the Beast musicians will be together. That is strange to think about. Sadly I've decided to crop the marquis out because for some reason, maybe the backlighting, it's very blurry and weird-looking. But I still think it's a very nice picture of us.
46a5fbc9-254e-4f48-9a40-a54acc926dcf.jpg

Before crossing the street back to the theater for the evening show, I snapped this picture.
a26d1566-ad92-4ddf-819c-3748d3aee1cf.jpg

Inside, our wall tag was ready. My initials should be easy to find because not many people had signed yet.
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Josh (Key 2) conducted his very last show tonight. Michael (Key 3) will be promoted to Key 2, and we will have Leslie (vacation sub) here for a week or two until our new Key 3 arrives. I know him from a previous tour but will wait for official announcements to share his name. The last show went well, and during intermission we had a "Happy Trails" celebration for Josh, singing him the song after which he gave a little speech. Connor (Key 1) presented him with a piece of sheet music from the show which we'd all signed, and treats were put out for everyone. It was a really nice send-off. We're gonna miss him. 

The rest of the show went normally, all of us probably a bit emotional due to Josh leaving but wanting to do our best for him on his last night as well. Afterward we packed up and hugged Josh one last time. 

-----------------------------------------------------------

Monday:
Four-hour bus ride to Atlanta (it's actually 3.5 but I've added 30 minutes for Atlanta traffic.) The usual settling in and getting groceries.

Tuesday: Opening night in Atlanta. 
alias_sqbr: Torchwood spoilers for various episode numbers: Jack dies (torchwood spoilers)
[personal profile] alias_sqbr
Masterlist.

Some pretty intense scenes of children experiencing bullying and abuse in this Episode, it was well handled but distressing enough that I went through some sections at 2x speed.

This is only the a partial post because I very suddenly felt like stopping my summaries and working on my Theory instead, and want to post this part while it's fresh in my head.

Read more... )
watersword: A lemon, cut in half, and a knife. (Stock: lemon)
[personal profile] watersword

My sister spent ninety minutes on the phone with me, helping me rewrite the pollinator garden plan for the THIRD TIME, and she is truly the best and what the fuck is wrong with the Parks Department? Not everyone has a sister who is a literal professional expert on pollinator garden design!!!

[personal profile] celli helped with an Excel thing last week and my friend C. loaned me a cart so I could lug the giant bag of garden dirt up to the community garden, and I am so lucky in my friends.

I wrote the Tatler Fairyland story in slow agonizing 100-words chunks and I hate it, the voice isn't quite right, but it is 1600 words long and I do think the premise is fundamentally sound. I'm going to sleep on it and do a last read-through in the morning before I send it to crit group, at the literal last possible second. (How the fuck do I turn this deadline-driven writing practice into something that can produce a novel, I ask. How.)

Once I send the story to crit group, I will reward myself with ice cream and a meeting with someone from the group building a pollinator garden nearby and then I will send the pollinator garden plan off and call it done for now.

One of my favorite skirts has been mended and it was not even that hard. It's not a perfect fix but it is better than it was! I need to sit down and catalog my sewing stash so I know what mending I have and then I can prioritize. I impulse-bought a couple of patterns from Tammy Handmade and that also needs to be done. The makerspace will be great during the summer: air-conditioning!

This is the weirdest spring ever — a forty-degree (F) swing overnight? Impossible to deal with.

Sunday night.

May. 24th, 2026 09:15 pm
hannah: (Toast and butter - obsessiveicons)
[personal profile] hannah
I know I set my alarm last night, and I don't remember turning it off this morning, but I must have because when I got out of bed, it was almost 9:30. I didn't panic because I prepared for this with canned coffee in the fridge and protein bars in the cupboard. I didn't panic when I got pretty well soaked by the rain, either, since I knew I'd be coming back to my place to strip off the wet clothes and do laundry.

Similarly, I've got sauteed zucchini in the fridge for upcoming breakfasts, and I'll soon put some beans on to soak to cook tomorrow. It's a bit of a domino effect and a commitment to a given outcome, and it's more of the same planning and anticipating. I don't know how much I'll be able to get done this week on assorted projects and tasks, but I'll be ready to get rid of excuses.
leecetheartist: Photo of me coming at the camera, in my colourful mermaid gear (Default)
[personal profile] leecetheartist posting in [community profile] drawesome
Title: Acrobatic Mer youth
Rating: G
Fandom: N/A
Characters/Pairings: N/A


Acrobatic Mer for the 24th of MerMay, posting late but never mind.

I was flat out yesterday but I did this energetic fellow yesterday before sleeping, with the other Platinum Plaisir Aura Fountain Pen I got as a cheapy. The ink is some random cartridge.

For today, the glorious 25th, I'll have to think of something...

Blue shark mer



Blue shark mer

(no subject)

May. 24th, 2026 04:50 pm
shadowkat: (Default)
[personal profile] shadowkat
It's a cool rainy day. Been raining for the last three days with no end in sight - to the extent that the days have kind of blurred together, with work wedged in at the front of them. Gloomy. Perfect weather for watching horror television shows. ;-)

I took a brief walk today - stretched the legs, through the drizzle, to pick up groceries. Then cleaned out a portion of the fridge - in order to insert them, along with a portion of the cabinet. All the while listening to an audio book. Then made dinner. Which was comprised of broccoli rabe, zuccini squash, summer squash, and carrots, with chicken on kebob sticks.
Peppermint ice cream, berries, chocolate and whipped cream for desert.

Saw the horror flick Send Help on Hulu, which stars Rachel McAdams, and Dylan O'Brien (the standout from Teen Wolf) - and directed by Sam Rami.
I was curious to see where it went. It surprised me. They didn't follow any of the standard tropes, and kind of skewered a few along the way. There is a hilarious scene that is almost reminiscent of a scene from Misery, but far more twisted. The director does a surprisingly good job of misleading the audience, and allows the audience's imagination to fill in the blanks - to great effect. Not something I'd expect from Sam Rami, who has matured since Evil Dead.

Think Castaway meets Misery by way of Survivor and Office Space?

It's better to go in blind on this one, so I won't say more than that? Except it's a two character piece, and both O'Brien and McAdams sell it.

I have to say horror has gotten a lot more interesting in the last several years? We've slowly moved away from the redundant slasher flicks and serial killers, and into more mischievous territory - with darkly comedic ventures. Mike Flanagan, Sam Rami, Emerald Ferrel, Noah Hawlely, Guillermo Del Torro, The Duffer Brothers, Blumehouse and A24 have managed to revitalize the genre. Inserting humor and focusing on character - also a touch of satire.

Also watched a bit more of Firefly - eh, it doesn't hold up well? I liked it better when it first aired. I loved it when it initially aired - I had the DVDs, and saw the film in theaters. But it doesn't hold up well.
Has anyone else rewatched this recently? Read more... )

Binged all of the current episodes of Widow's Bay on Apple Tv. It's worth a look. Although my favorite character is the sheriff, who is definitely supporting. Read more... )
Also some nice jump scars. It's not violent though. And doesn't result in nightmares. I'd say mildly scary? It's not like Alien: Earth - which I couldn't get through, it was too violent and too gory and too scary for me.
(I admittedly can't do body horror. And Alien:Earth is heavy on body horror and parasites, two things that I don't handle well. I'll leave it to the true horror aficionados on my correspondence list.)

Then I jumped over to a contemporary romance movie on Prime entitled "Regretting You" - I think it's adapted from a Collen Hoover novel (?) - and it's horrible. I made it a quarter of the way in and gave up out of boredom. You know the movie has issues - when two major characters are killed off and you do not care. Worse? You can't really tell the difference between the four major characters because they all look alike.
Do they just hire people from models inc for these sorts of movies?
One actress isn't bad, the rest, sigh. It's about a woman who discovers her sister and her husband were having affair, after they die in a car accident, and she rebuilds her life, with her sister's fiance/baby daddy.
It's poorly paced, drags, and has bad dialogue.

Skippable.

I gave up on it. And will most likely go back to watching either Midnight Mass or Citadel. There is a zillion television shows and movies on. Honestly, I feel the same way about activities in NYC or things to do (which unfortunately all require a subway ride or car ride or ferry ride or bike ride). I feel overwhelmed and in sensory overload? Anyone else feel this way?

Maybe I need a life coach to keep from shutting down.

I've moseyed back to the science fiction novel I wrote. Which I may write the prequel to. Dumped the contemporary romance novel - which I couldn't make work. Too problematic. Some stories just don't work no matter what you do. Best to let them lie dormant. [And, it's just possible that I'm not cut out to be a contemporary romance writer? I don't even really like the genre? And barely read it? So it's kind of hard to write a genre that you don't like. I like horror better, actually. I could write horror. Every time I try to write contemporary romance it turns into horror or a thriller, with a convoluted plot - because I get bored easily.]

And, I'm considering taking a sketch book with me when I do jury duty (whenever that is - I postponed it to August, and they told me it could be any time after August depending on need...so I've no idea.) and just sketch people. Maybe my travel watercolor book? They may take exception to that?

Science

May. 24th, 2026 07:41 pm
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
Silk can be transformed into a super-material stronger than bone

Now, researchers have found a way to turn silk into something much stronger than fabric.

In fact, the new material can compete with some advanced industrial composites and even comes close to Kevlar in toughness.

It can also survive ballistic impacts better than carbon fiber reinforced plastics. That puts silk in a very different category than scarves and dresses
.

Poem: "Your Emotional Abilities"

May. 24th, 2026 05:10 pm
ysabetwordsmith: Damask smiling over their shoulder (polychrome)
[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
This poem is spillover from the December 3, 2024 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by prompts from [personal profile] goatgodschild and [personal profile] wyld_dandelyon. It also fills the "Flannel" square in my 11-1-24 card for the Sleepytime Bear Bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by [personal profile] fuzzyred. It belongs to the Rutledge thread of the Polychrome Heroics series. It follows "Your Own Blissful Path" so read that first or this won't make as much sense.

Read more... )
davidlevine: (Default)
[personal profile] davidlevine
I will be participating in the Nebula Finalists and VIP Guest Autographing at the Crowne Plaza Chicago O'Hare Hotel & Conference Center in Rosemont, IL, on Friday, June 5 from 8 PM to 10 PM. It's free and open to the public!

"Join us for a terrific opportunity to mingle and get to know some of the brightest lights in our 'Nebula' this year and interact with exciting voices in science fiction and fantasy storytelling. Meet Grand Master N. K. Jemisin, Toastmaster Tananarive Due, 27th SFWA Grand Master Joe Haldeman, VIP Steven Barnes, and acclaimed finalists, including Annalee Newitz, Jordan Kurella, J. R. Dawson, P. A. Cornell, Michelle Knudsen, Jubilee Cho (represented by E.D.E. Bell), Daryl Gregory, Amy Chu, Jonathan Brazee, Jessica Maison, K. A. Mielke, Wen-Yi Lee, Somto Ihezue, and Jennifer Hudak.

"Past SFWA Board Presidents Michael Capobianco, Cat Rambo, and Mary Robinette Kowal; board members Curtis C. Chen, Steven Brewer, and Anthony Eichenlaub, and authors Alex Kingsley, David D. Levine, Melinda Welton-Mitchell, Sarah Zachrich Jeng, William Ledbetter, Gabrielle Kirouac Byrne, Helene Wecker, Tamika Thompson, Beth Cato, Keith Ammann, RM Briggs, Meg Turville-Heitz, Rebecca M. Zornow, Dave Creek, Brian U. Garrison, Richard H Moon, Clif Flynt, Steven H Silver, Suzanne Hagelin, and Richard Chwedyk who will also be signing their titles.

"RSVP today to be added to a giveaway draw, too – so tell all your friends in Chicago and vicinity to bring their books for signing! (Limit 3 books per author.)

"Books will be available for purchase from Women & Children First."

vos épaules

May. 24th, 2026 08:20 pm
michaelboy: (Default)
[personal profile] michaelboy
There was a brush of you in denim
and part of your skin was bare
I held each of your shoulders
so I would know you better
and kept inhaling you
because I couldn’t stop

Weekend stuff

May. 24th, 2026 05:08 pm
jon_chaisson: (Default)
[personal profile] jon_chaisson
Stuff going on:
-- I am now prepping to start on the Decline and Fall project once more, though I still need to work on actually starting in the first place. I've put some index cards in my satchel to work on ideas and whatnot.
-- Congestion has been getting the best of me at night, blocking my ears and waking me up. Must remind myself to take some Benadryl before going to bed tonight. It's all been making me tired and sleepy.
-- Ants! Dang ants have decided to pop in under the kitchen window. Baits have been put out and temporary tape has been put over where they're coming in.

Stuff done:
-- That one shift at my old shop has come and gone with little incident, and yet it laid bare the reasons why I requested a transfer. I have my thoughts about that shift that I'll keep to myself, but I'll just say once again that I am much happier and calmer at the shop I'm at now.
-- Somewhat of a half-lazy Sunday here, in which we did our grocery shopping, followed by a walk to the community garden plot to water and fix a few things, walk over to 9th and Irving for lunch, and enjoy some coffee on the way back. 
-- Laundry completed, shredding caught up. Blog updating as we speak.

Stuff in the future:
-- I have this Thursday off, which will give me a break after two opens and a midshift, though that's also the day when I'm getting the permanent crown put on for that tooth. The good thing is that we'll probably decide what else needs to be fixed.
-- Speaking of taping windows to block ants, I really need to get around to caulking those frames. I've just been too distracted. Now that I've caught up on several other household fixes (did the shower tiles a while back), this should be next.

argument_q: (tryzub cities)
[personal profile] argument_q
Основну частину збитків завдали ракети, їх було надто багато для наших ресурсів ППО, - Бескрестнов (Флеш)
Під час атаки в ніч на 24 травня російські війська зробили ставку на масовість, а не на ефективність.
Про це в соцмережі фейсбук повідомив радник міністра оборони Сергій (Флеш) Бескрестнов.
За словами Бескрестнова, "основну частину збитків знову завдали ракети. На жаль, ракет було занадто багато для наших ресурсів ППО"

https://censor.net/ua/n4004850


*

Союзники НАТО не погодили план обов’язкової допомоги Україні, яку пропонував Рютте
https://censor.net/ua/n4004864


*

Європейська федерація гімнастики зняла обмеження з росіян та білорусів після рішення World Gymnastics
https://censor.net/ua/n4004869

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