A Complicated Tangle (part 5 of 5, complete)
Apr. 26th, 2026 11:33 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dialecticdreamerA Complicated Tangle
By Dialecticdreamer/Sarah Williams
Part 5 of 5, complete
Word count (story only): 1129
[Tuesday, 3 January 2017]
:: Frank the Crank is analyzing the next sections of road to clear, and trying to decide if the promise of payment is enough to warrant hiring a crew captain for a new work crew. All these difficulties, and he hasn’t even seen the next tangle in person yet! Part of the Polychrome Heroics universe, this story is written for the April Magpie Monday, and will post in five parts. Thank you all for your support. Enjoy! ::
Back to part four
:: Thanks for reading! ::
Frank eased the car to a stop and stared intently at the front of Alun’s house. It was five minutes to eight in the morning, and steam began fogging the inside of the car windows as soon as Frank shut off the engine and the vent fans. The front door of the house opened before Frank could unfasten his seatbelt, revealing Alun’s older relative, Ela.
She made her way over to him with the help of her plain black cane, but waited on the sidewalk instead of rapping on the window. Frank turned the key to roll down the passenger window. “Morning, Ms. Gladstone. Did you get enough rest, or did you wake up at the time zone that you were used to?”
( Read more... )
By Dialecticdreamer/Sarah Williams
Part 5 of 5, complete
Word count (story only): 1129
[Tuesday, 3 January 2017]
:: Frank the Crank is analyzing the next sections of road to clear, and trying to decide if the promise of payment is enough to warrant hiring a crew captain for a new work crew. All these difficulties, and he hasn’t even seen the next tangle in person yet! Part of the Polychrome Heroics universe, this story is written for the April Magpie Monday, and will post in five parts. Thank you all for your support. Enjoy! ::
Back to part four
:: Thanks for reading! ::
Frank eased the car to a stop and stared intently at the front of Alun’s house. It was five minutes to eight in the morning, and steam began fogging the inside of the car windows as soon as Frank shut off the engine and the vent fans. The front door of the house opened before Frank could unfasten his seatbelt, revealing Alun’s older relative, Ela.
She made her way over to him with the help of her plain black cane, but waited on the sidewalk instead of rapping on the window. Frank turned the key to roll down the passenger window. “Morning, Ms. Gladstone. Did you get enough rest, or did you wake up at the time zone that you were used to?”
( Read more... )
time is calling name by name
Apr. 26th, 2026 08:03 pmthe_siobhanNote to future self, don't bother booking time off work in April if working on the house is the goal. It never seems to work out the way I want it to. (This time because of the weather.)
I did get one day that was merely damp and so the upper part of the yard is now graded and seeded.
And I discovered that at some point the rain and wind had pulled down two of the dead phone lines that cross my yard. They are now sagging from the poles and cross the yard at chest height. That means I have to deal with Bell again. Joy.
***
Lord Brock went back in for bloodwork and the numbers that concerned the vet show much improved. I never did get the urine sample because he flat-out refused to enter his litter box while it had the medical litter in it. It's basically tiny plastic beads so I can't entirely blame him, they would be slippery and uncomfortable.
So he goes back to the vet for a $60 hanging-out-until-he-pees session on top of the $30 I paid for the kit. This fucking cat. Maybe they'll reimburse me for the kit if I bring it back.
***
I think I've mentioned in here that my sister and I have been trying to gently persuade my dad's wife that it's time to move out of their house into a place with no stairs. It came up again this week because my dad climbed over the gate in front of the basement stairs and then couldn't get back up. (How he did this nobody can figure out, the man can barely walk.)
Sister found a link to a really nice condo for sale in their neighbourhood and it turns out it was in a building where they have friends. And they stayed there briefly while their bathroom was being renovated and their friends were on vacation. MIL was still hemming and hawing about it and apparently I said the magic words, "If you are worried about the work of packing and downsizing, I will come over and help." Next thing she called her realtor and two days later her offer was accepted.
So Friday Daughter and I went over and helped pack. Y'all, they have So Much stuff. There are two full-size book cases in the basement just for shoes, and that's not counting the two shoe-racks on the ground floor for the shoes they actually wear. A dresser AND a wardrobe AND two clothing racks for clothes, and that's just in the basement. There are three bedrooms on the top floor all will full closets and dressers.
Well, between the three of us we got 7 full contractor bags out of there just of stuff that has to go away. Today four more family members descended on the place to continue packing. The real estate agent wants to get the place on the market ASAP because apparently sales drop off when the weather gets good. So we've been strategizing ways to get as much stuff out of the house as possible as fast as possible, even if it means doing the actual purging at the other end. This is probably going to suck up all my free time for the next month at least.
The actual possession happens in August so fingers crossed she can keep my dad from going down the stairs bucket-first until we can get them moved.
***
Saturday Daughter and I took a taxidermy class. Not the best timing, given everything else that was going on, but I had already paid for it and I was looking forward it to it, so we went. I now have a stuffed rat in my living room. It was a lot of fun and I learned a lot about the practice - including what I will do differently the next time I try to do any taxidermy.
***
Back to work this morning and I was interrupted by a knock on the door. Three people on my porch asked me for permission to take a picture of the front of my house - one of the women had grown up here, the second had grown up across the street, and woman #1 had met her husband when he was boarding with woman #2's family. The couple had just celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary.
I invited them in so I could show them around the house and described what it looked like when I bought it 20+ years ago. They were super sweet and told me stories about what the area was like when they lived here 65 years ago.
Hilariously, she is a big Elvis fan. (Ex housemate loved Elvis and we still have a sticker on the door.) So we also talked about Graceland.
This is the second time somebody has knocked on my door because they grew up in my house. Advantage of having a house over 100 years old I guess.
I did get one day that was merely damp and so the upper part of the yard is now graded and seeded.
And I discovered that at some point the rain and wind had pulled down two of the dead phone lines that cross my yard. They are now sagging from the poles and cross the yard at chest height. That means I have to deal with Bell again. Joy.
***
Lord Brock went back in for bloodwork and the numbers that concerned the vet show much improved. I never did get the urine sample because he flat-out refused to enter his litter box while it had the medical litter in it. It's basically tiny plastic beads so I can't entirely blame him, they would be slippery and uncomfortable.
So he goes back to the vet for a $60 hanging-out-until-he-pees session on top of the $30 I paid for the kit. This fucking cat. Maybe they'll reimburse me for the kit if I bring it back.
***
I think I've mentioned in here that my sister and I have been trying to gently persuade my dad's wife that it's time to move out of their house into a place with no stairs. It came up again this week because my dad climbed over the gate in front of the basement stairs and then couldn't get back up. (How he did this nobody can figure out, the man can barely walk.)
Sister found a link to a really nice condo for sale in their neighbourhood and it turns out it was in a building where they have friends. And they stayed there briefly while their bathroom was being renovated and their friends were on vacation. MIL was still hemming and hawing about it and apparently I said the magic words, "If you are worried about the work of packing and downsizing, I will come over and help." Next thing she called her realtor and two days later her offer was accepted.
So Friday Daughter and I went over and helped pack. Y'all, they have So Much stuff. There are two full-size book cases in the basement just for shoes, and that's not counting the two shoe-racks on the ground floor for the shoes they actually wear. A dresser AND a wardrobe AND two clothing racks for clothes, and that's just in the basement. There are three bedrooms on the top floor all will full closets and dressers.
Well, between the three of us we got 7 full contractor bags out of there just of stuff that has to go away. Today four more family members descended on the place to continue packing. The real estate agent wants to get the place on the market ASAP because apparently sales drop off when the weather gets good. So we've been strategizing ways to get as much stuff out of the house as possible as fast as possible, even if it means doing the actual purging at the other end. This is probably going to suck up all my free time for the next month at least.
The actual possession happens in August so fingers crossed she can keep my dad from going down the stairs bucket-first until we can get them moved.
***
Saturday Daughter and I took a taxidermy class. Not the best timing, given everything else that was going on, but I had already paid for it and I was looking forward it to it, so we went. I now have a stuffed rat in my living room. It was a lot of fun and I learned a lot about the practice - including what I will do differently the next time I try to do any taxidermy.
***
Back to work this morning and I was interrupted by a knock on the door. Three people on my porch asked me for permission to take a picture of the front of my house - one of the women had grown up here, the second had grown up across the street, and woman #1 had met her husband when he was boarding with woman #2's family. The couple had just celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary.
I invited them in so I could show them around the house and described what it looked like when I bought it 20+ years ago. They were super sweet and told me stories about what the area was like when they lived here 65 years ago.
Hilariously, she is a big Elvis fan. (Ex housemate loved Elvis and we still have a sticker on the door.) So we also talked about Graceland.
This is the second time somebody has knocked on my door because they grew up in my house. Advantage of having a house over 100 years old I guess.
Farmer's Market -- 25 April 2026 (Lily of the Valley Day, 8th of Flowering, Year 234)
Apr. 25th, 2026 06:47 pmneotomaBacon-gruyere wheel pastry, spinach feta pastry, lemon tart, a dozen eggs, strawberries, spring onions, potatoes, goat cheese curds, strawberries lemonade, cranberry beans, 4lbs of potatoes, shelled black walnuts, pecans, spicy garlic pistachios, apple schnitz, and Lucy Glo apples.
3W4D: Found poetry
Apr. 27th, 2026 03:21 pmmerrileemakes
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
3weeks4dreamwidth is celebrating Dreamwidth's anniversary!Come join in for fun, memes, activities, and more ♥
Here's a meme from this post over at
3weeks4dreamwidthPut your
I'm not a huge fan of memes, or poetry, but I do want to post more during 3W4D and I do occasionally indulge in found poetry, so here goes. Here's the first 20 songs with lyrics from my 'Liked music' playlist on YouTube Music.
( Read more... )
New Community for Gifs
Apr. 26th, 2026 05:49 pmmaevedarcy posting in ![[site community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/comm_staff.png){kind=small}
dw_community_promo
Are you a tumblr user moving to DW who misses moving images? Are you a seasoned DW user who wants to try their hand in a new medium? Do you have an extensive gif catalog that you'd like to show off? Do you like gifmaking and want to share your knowledge to others? Then this comm might be for you!
Plant log
Apr. 26th, 2026 04:48 pmigenlodePotted on most of the dwarf peas and sweet peas, and some of the most crowded of the kale. ( Towel-tomatoes )
( Basil, poppies, calendulas and rudbeckias )
I think the two not-tomato seedlings, which have survived and thrived, are actually cornflowers and not pot-marigolds. Which is good, because I like cornflowers and haven't sown any this year, owing to the 'wildflower trough' being still taken up by tulips (finally starting to show signs of dying back...).
( Lettuce and rocket )
( Verdict from a real Russian )
( Basil, poppies, calendulas and rudbeckias )
I think the two not-tomato seedlings, which have survived and thrived, are actually cornflowers and not pot-marigolds. Which is good, because I like cornflowers and haven't sown any this year, owing to the 'wildflower trough' being still taken up by tulips (finally starting to show signs of dying back...).
( Lettuce and rocket )
( Verdict from a real Russian )
In which there are fluffy seeds, suspicious eggs, love songs, and spa towns
Apr. 26th, 2026 02:19 pmspiralsheep- Current reading, in honour of Fluffy Seed Day (which is like Flying Ant Day but earlier):
"Carefully she plucked off some of the fluffy white seeds and tucked them into her wallet. When she picked the last ones, two of them sailed away, higher and higher, far above the parked cars and toward the strip of blue sky that was poking out between the buildings. The dandelion plants by her feet had probably come here the same way. What an adventurous way of sending your children out into the world. For a moment Caspia pictured her parents putting her up on the windowsill and strapping a parachute to her back. 'Good luck, Caspia!' Then a gentle nudge and she would soar high up into the sky, surrounded by hundreds of other children, whose parents had sent them out into the world in the same way, to find a place where they could grow flowers and roots."
- Egg-shaped comedy nuggets: Bob Mortimer finally pushing David Mitchell over the edge in Would I Lie to You. The Chris Rea egg incident will never stop being one of the funniest stories I've ever seen told:
Bob Mortimer's egg tales (12mins youtube).
- Lena Chamamyan singing Lamma Bada Yatathana (4mins youtube), her version of an Andalusian traditional song from a poem by Ibn al-Khatib. Bonus track in a different style للحياة و البقاء بسلام (2mins youtube) aka "To live in peace on earth / To stop all wars and suffering".
( 5 British spa towns what I has visited )
( 2 spa towns To Visit )
"Carefully she plucked off some of the fluffy white seeds and tucked them into her wallet. When she picked the last ones, two of them sailed away, higher and higher, far above the parked cars and toward the strip of blue sky that was poking out between the buildings. The dandelion plants by her feet had probably come here the same way. What an adventurous way of sending your children out into the world. For a moment Caspia pictured her parents putting her up on the windowsill and strapping a parachute to her back. 'Good luck, Caspia!' Then a gentle nudge and she would soar high up into the sky, surrounded by hundreds of other children, whose parents had sent them out into the world in the same way, to find a place where they could grow flowers and roots."
- Egg-shaped comedy nuggets: Bob Mortimer finally pushing David Mitchell over the edge in Would I Lie to You. The Chris Rea egg incident will never stop being one of the funniest stories I've ever seen told:
Bob Mortimer's egg tales (12mins youtube).
- Lena Chamamyan singing Lamma Bada Yatathana (4mins youtube), her version of an Andalusian traditional song from a poem by Ibn al-Khatib. Bonus track in a different style للحياة و البقاء بسلام (2mins youtube) aka "To live in peace on earth / To stop all wars and suffering".
( 5 British spa towns what I has visited )
( 2 spa towns To Visit )
may poll
Apr. 26th, 2026 04:26 pmcloversome posting in queerbookclubhi all! welcome to our first monthly read poll for queerbookclub! for may we have three nominations to choose from:
- The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett (view blurb on the storygraph)
- published 2024, fantasy, mystery
- True Biz by Sara Nović (view blurb on the storygraph)
- published 2022, contemporary, literary
- The Witness for the Dead by Katherine Addison (view blurb on the storygraph)
- published 2021, fantasy
Poll #34521 qbc may
This poll is anonymous.
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 8
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 8
which book would you like to read for may 2026?
View Answers
The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett
4 (50.0%)
True Biz by Sara Nović
3 (37.5%)
The Witness for the Dead by Katherine Addison
1 (12.5%)
Trying to document a writing-related feeling around project transitions
Apr. 26th, 2026 07:22 amvriddyIn theory, I was planning to start on the structural edits tomorrow; in practice I feel like I'm being clever "cheating" by starting today. No, I have no external deadline. This is just My Brain vs My Brain and winning 😎 (maybe???), lol.
The feeling most at the surface at the moment seems to be a kind of terror, which obviously is not nice to feel but I'm also fascinated by it. Why do I feel like this? This is the first round of editing. I'll have at least the prose edits later to refine stuff, and proofreading, and then whatever changes happen after beta-reader feedback. That means while there's a ton of work immediately ahead, there's also not as much pressure around "MUST GET EVERYTHING RIGHT LAST CHANCE!!!" Yeah there's a lot to do, but I've been working on the Cursed With for nearly 3 years. I know I can put in the work. I'm using a new method of editing based on that workshop, but normally I'm excited to try new things, especially related to something I know I have difficulties with (clearly my way of doing structural editing for the witch wasn't good enough, considering how much structural rework I had to do again after beta-reader feedback). Is this overwhelm? Is this because, while I was proofreading the witch and noticing different ways subplots or other arcs could have been worked, I kept thinking "Well, at least I'll do it better for the Soul Thief!" and now I feel some kind of pressure around it?
I noticed before that when I transition between projects, there's always a few days feeling out of balance, paddling frantically without finding my footing. Sometimes it's because I'm doing something new, like figuring out how to handle beta-reader feedback when there is a ton of it and some of it requires massive rework. But even when I know how to do something, like the proofreading of the witch earlier this month, there's still a similar adaptation period, even knowing what I wanted to do (use text-to-speech) and having previous experience doing it.
It's interesting to reread that post about implementing feedback because I suspect I wrote the post with the same kind of feeling I'm swimming against today. So I must have started writing the post, and then I made a list of what I intended to do. And today I want to break things down like that as well. There's so much to do, and the very first chapter in particular needs a ton of changes.
( The Plan! )
Okay, self. You got this. And look: there's still a bit of "oh-no-this-is-new-i-don't-know-how-to-do-this" dread, but nothing terror-like anymore. There's a plan! You follow the plan. And if it doesn't work, then you learn something from it and make a new plan.
The feeling most at the surface at the moment seems to be a kind of terror, which obviously is not nice to feel but I'm also fascinated by it. Why do I feel like this? This is the first round of editing. I'll have at least the prose edits later to refine stuff, and proofreading, and then whatever changes happen after beta-reader feedback. That means while there's a ton of work immediately ahead, there's also not as much pressure around "MUST GET EVERYTHING RIGHT LAST CHANCE!!!" Yeah there's a lot to do, but I've been working on the Cursed With for nearly 3 years. I know I can put in the work. I'm using a new method of editing based on that workshop, but normally I'm excited to try new things, especially related to something I know I have difficulties with (clearly my way of doing structural editing for the witch wasn't good enough, considering how much structural rework I had to do again after beta-reader feedback). Is this overwhelm? Is this because, while I was proofreading the witch and noticing different ways subplots or other arcs could have been worked, I kept thinking "Well, at least I'll do it better for the Soul Thief!" and now I feel some kind of pressure around it?
I noticed before that when I transition between projects, there's always a few days feeling out of balance, paddling frantically without finding my footing. Sometimes it's because I'm doing something new, like figuring out how to handle beta-reader feedback when there is a ton of it and some of it requires massive rework. But even when I know how to do something, like the proofreading of the witch earlier this month, there's still a similar adaptation period, even knowing what I wanted to do (use text-to-speech) and having previous experience doing it.
It's interesting to reread that post about implementing feedback because I suspect I wrote the post with the same kind of feeling I'm swimming against today. So I must have started writing the post, and then I made a list of what I intended to do. And today I want to break things down like that as well. There's so much to do, and the very first chapter in particular needs a ton of changes.
( The Plan! )
Okay, self. You got this. And look: there's still a bit of "oh-no-this-is-new-i-don't-know-how-to-do-this" dread, but nothing terror-like anymore. There's a plan! You follow the plan. And if it doesn't work, then you learn something from it and make a new plan.
Week in review: Week to 25 April
Apr. 26th, 2026 01:50 pmpedanther. We had a weekend gaming session. We were missing one of the players for Ticket to Ride: Legacy, so instead we played Unfair and Pandemic: The Cure. ( Read more... )
. I gave the regular weekly game session a miss, as I was feeling a bit unwell and I had paperwork to do. With all the running about I've been doing lately, it was nice to have a quiet evening to myself, even if part of it did have to be spent doing the prep work for this month's committee meeting.
. On Anzac Day, I happened to be awake in time to go to the dawn service, which I've never done before here; I usually wake up later and go to one of the mid-morning services. ( Read more... )
. I've started listening to a new podcast, The Pod's the Thing. ( Read more... )
. Randomly recommended by Youtube: someone who reacts to music videos of UK chart hits (and is not from the UK, judging by the accent) watches the music video for "The Wombling Song" with zero context.
. I gave the regular weekly game session a miss, as I was feeling a bit unwell and I had paperwork to do. With all the running about I've been doing lately, it was nice to have a quiet evening to myself, even if part of it did have to be spent doing the prep work for this month's committee meeting.
. On Anzac Day, I happened to be awake in time to go to the dawn service, which I've never done before here; I usually wake up later and go to one of the mid-morning services. ( Read more... )
. I've started listening to a new podcast, The Pod's the Thing. ( Read more... )
. Randomly recommended by Youtube: someone who reacts to music videos of UK chart hits (and is not from the UK, judging by the accent) watches the music video for "The Wombling Song" with zero context.
first bicycle ride of the season
Apr. 25th, 2026 11:24 pmchanter1944Was 17.8 KM, 11.1 miles, contending with noisy roads (12/18, County K, etc) all the way there and back. I needed that. Well, not the noisy roads aspect, that I could've done without, but the ride, yes.
I also needed the farmers market run to the square, if for different reasons. Farm fresh eggs, smoked trout that's going to end up in sandwiches with dark seed bread, and a veggie curry empanada that'll be breakfast tomorrow. :) Also a brief catch-up with one of my favorite vendors, Cora the empanada baker. She is just a delightful person, one of those folks who is unfailingly and honestly kind to everyone she meets.
I did not need the Brewer game loss, blah, but oh well. Nothing I can do about that. Except swear a little, heh.
I also needed the farmers market run to the square, if for different reasons. Farm fresh eggs, smoked trout that's going to end up in sandwiches with dark seed bread, and a veggie curry empanada that'll be breakfast tomorrow. :) Also a brief catch-up with one of my favorite vendors, Cora the empanada baker. She is just a delightful person, one of those folks who is unfailingly and honestly kind to everyone she meets.
I did not need the Brewer game loss, blah, but oh well. Nothing I can do about that. Except swear a little, heh.
Book Chain, etc, Week 17
Apr. 26th, 2026 12:19 pmpedanther#16: A book where the author's name on the cover is the same colour as on the previous book's cover
April: Ordinal Numbers
The Last Unicorn by Peter S Beagle.
When I started reading, I was sure I'd read this before; by the time I was finished, I was equally sure I hadn't. I've seen the movie, and I've read about it, and I guess I just forgot I hadn't actually read the whole thing. I'm glad I did, however belatedly.
April: Ordinal Numbers
The Last Unicorn by Peter S Beagle.
When I started reading, I was sure I'd read this before; by the time I was finished, I was equally sure I hadn't. I've seen the movie, and I've read about it, and I guess I just forgot I hadn't actually read the whole thing. I'm glad I did, however belatedly.
Independent Bookstore Day
Apr. 25th, 2026 08:25 pmlovelyangel iPhone 13 mini photo |
Today, the last Saturday in April, is Independent Bookstore Day. Naturally, Powell’s Books Celebrated Independent Bookstore Day. This afternoon I swung by the Cedar Hills store to see what was happening.
( Independent Bookstore Celebration at Powell’s Books )
A Complicated Tangle (part 4 of 5)
Apr. 25th, 2026 11:14 pmdialecticdreamerA Complicated Tangle
By Dialecticdreamer/Sarah Williams
Part 4 of 5
Word count (story only): 1155
[Tuesday, 3 January 2017]
:: Frank the Crank is analyzing the next sections of road to clear, and trying to decide if the promise of payment is enough to warrant hiring a crew captain for a new work crew. All these difficulties, and he hasn’t even seen the next tangle in person yet! Part of the Polychrome Heroics universe, this story is written for the April Magpie Monday, and will post in five parts. Thank you all for your support. Enjoy! ::
Back to part three
On to part four
Frank did not try to drag Alun into a conversation. When the younger man kept picking at his cuticles, the older man nodded toward the glove box. “Pick a fidget. Take two, even. I don’t need them, and there’s a huge box of them for the quiet room near my city office. People keep forgetting to clean the silly things, so there’s a note that if one’s taken out of the basket, keep it.” He clicked his tongue. “It’s a waste but most people aren’t used to even having a quiet room on that floor, so I’ll call it okay for now.”
Alun’s brows puzzled together. “So, better than it was but not nearly good enough for regular use? If people use it every day, the basket empties and fidgets aren’t cheap.”
Frank nodded, his lips twisting tightly like a fan belt. “Yeah. By the way, put them in the top rack of the dishwasher and they’re good to go.”
( Read more... )
By Dialecticdreamer/Sarah Williams
Part 4 of 5
Word count (story only): 1155
[Tuesday, 3 January 2017]
:: Frank the Crank is analyzing the next sections of road to clear, and trying to decide if the promise of payment is enough to warrant hiring a crew captain for a new work crew. All these difficulties, and he hasn’t even seen the next tangle in person yet! Part of the Polychrome Heroics universe, this story is written for the April Magpie Monday, and will post in five parts. Thank you all for your support. Enjoy! ::
Back to part three
On to part four
Frank did not try to drag Alun into a conversation. When the younger man kept picking at his cuticles, the older man nodded toward the glove box. “Pick a fidget. Take two, even. I don’t need them, and there’s a huge box of them for the quiet room near my city office. People keep forgetting to clean the silly things, so there’s a note that if one’s taken out of the basket, keep it.” He clicked his tongue. “It’s a waste but most people aren’t used to even having a quiet room on that floor, so I’ll call it okay for now.”
Alun’s brows puzzled together. “So, better than it was but not nearly good enough for regular use? If people use it every day, the basket empties and fidgets aren’t cheap.”
Frank nodded, his lips twisting tightly like a fan belt. “Yeah. By the way, put them in the top rack of the dishwasher and they’re good to go.”
( Read more... )
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Admin Post: Special: Mood Theme in a Hurry
Apr. 25th, 2026 05:24 pm![[admin post]](http://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/entry/admin_post.png){kind=small}
soc_puppet posting in moodthemeinayearFor of Three Weeks For Dreamwidth, the annual celebration of Dreamwidth's founding, I've made up two super-quick Mood Theme calendars! Anyone who wants to make a mood theme in a real hurry, but still wants a schedule and prompts, can use either the Minimum or Medium calendars to make it happen:
Since twenty-one days doesn't map perfectly to the eighteen and thirty-four moods of the Minimum and Medium Mood Tracks respectively, I've left the last few days of the calendars as "free days": Days you can use to relax, to refine your mood theme, or to catch up on any days you may have missed.
As a reminder, if you complete either of these mood theme calendars, be sure to check in with me for free Dreamwidth points! (If you go for the Medium Mood Theme and want more than one month's worth of paid time, you will need to add another two moods, but they can be any moods. Check the community schedule for a complete list of moods, but if that overwhelms you, I personally like "Blank" and "Creative".)
Thanks for tuning in, and happy birthday to Dreamwidth!
Since twenty-one days doesn't map perfectly to the eighteen and thirty-four moods of the Minimum and Medium Mood Tracks respectively, I've left the last few days of the calendars as "free days": Days you can use to relax, to refine your mood theme, or to catch up on any days you may have missed.
As a reminder, if you complete either of these mood theme calendars, be sure to check in with me for free Dreamwidth points! (If you go for the Medium Mood Theme and want more than one month's worth of paid time, you will need to add another two moods, but they can be any moods. Check the community schedule for a complete list of moods, but if that overwhelms you, I personally like "Blank" and "Creative".)
Thanks for tuning in, and happy birthday to Dreamwidth!
Icon Meme
Apr. 25th, 2026 05:17 pmjesse_the_kReply to this post saying 'icon', and I will tell you my favorite icon of yours.
Spread the love: copy this to your own journal, showing one of your own favorite icons.
I love icons -- I've purchased extra slots so I can choose among my 220 versions.
Colorful Dreamsheep Icons
Apr. 25th, 2026 12:41 pmsoc_puppetI've got some colorful dreamsheep icons up over at dreamsheep in celebration of 3weeks4dreamwidth! I'm also taking color and color combination requests.
I'm aiming to get a Mood Theme in a Hurry calendar done and posted by this evening, but I've also got Surprise Cramps to deal with, so we'll see what wins 😑
Edit: Mood Theme in a Hurry Calendars are now available! They only cover the Minimum and Medium mood tracks, because I am not currently prepared to either stick six or seven moods on a day, or pick and choose which of the remaining 98 moods to include on the calendar. (I'd probably want to go for at least 72 moods total, including the 34 already on the Medium Track calendar, but that's still 38 moods to pick out!)
dreamsheep in celebration of 3weeks4dreamwidth! I'm also taking color and color combination requests.I'm aiming to get a Mood Theme in a Hurry calendar done and posted by this evening, but I've also got Surprise Cramps to deal with, so we'll see what wins 😑
Edit: Mood Theme in a Hurry Calendars are now available! They only cover the Minimum and Medium mood tracks, because I am not currently prepared to either stick six or seven moods on a day, or pick and choose which of the remaining 98 moods to include on the calendar. (I'd probably want to go for at least 72 moods total, including the 34 already on the Medium Track calendar, but that's still 38 moods to pick out!)
minimal (health) update
Apr. 25th, 2026 09:57 pmfred_mouselast update was a week ago. At some point I'll have the energy to get back to the posting frequency I was happy with. Probably not until the con is over though.
healing: I thought the peeling was done - nope, skin on nipple is not shedding correctly and builds up. Fine if I notice before it itches, but has to be manually removed. However, nipple and general breast soreness is enough better that I'm wearing a regular rather than surgical recovery bra without the protective ring, so I'm calling that a win. Fatigue continues to hit sooner and harder than I expect.
medication: I have now been on the hormone suppressant for a week and a bit. I'm not noticing mood effects, but it is mucking with my sleep to the point that I'm back trying melatonin so that I can fall asleep before 2am. As side effects go, this is manageable, especially if the melatonin works to get me back into a sensible cycle, because if it works as previous I can get the sleep pattern back on track in a couple of weeks.
Beyond that, I have achieved bugger all today, and I'm so tired, but not in a 'could fall asleep' so not attempting other updates.