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Interesting Links for 28-04-2026
Apr. 28th, 2026 12:00 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
andrewducker- 1. Two more Women's Institute branches vote to close over trans ban
- (tags:LGBT transgender women UK OhForFucksSake )
- 2. Trans children have a suicide rate 7x the UK average, with the complete lack of care and worsening treatment by the NHS called out by coroners repeatedly
- (tags:lgbt suicide children bigotry transgender OhForFucksSake uk )
- 3. AMA for the team captain for the recent winning University Challenge team
- (tags:university quiz UK TV )
я научность марксистскую пестовал
Apr. 28th, 2026 12:43 pmjuan_gandhisource via ninazino (src):
"Демократия. Вы говорите - демократия.
Слушайте сюда. Я был коммунистом. С партбилетом. Со стажем. Я ходил на партсобрания, я голосовал единогласно, я читал лекции про преимущества социализма. Я знаю эту кухню изнутри - как никто из вас ее не знает. И когда мне сегодня тыквенный мальчик из Москвы, приехавший в позапрошлом году, начинает рассказывать про демократию и гражданское общество - мне смешно. Мне горько и смешно. Потому что я слышал это слово в девяносто первом и девяносто третьем. Каждый раз с танками. Каждый раз с обещаниями. Каждый раз кончалось одинаково - нищетой, грязью и человеком на престоле, в сравнении с которым ваш "диктатор" Нетаньяху выглядит как либеральный профессор.
Я знаю чего стоит ваша демократия. Я ее строил. Я ее разбирал. "
ninazino (src):"Демократия. Вы говорите - демократия.
Слушайте сюда. Я был коммунистом. С партбилетом. Со стажем. Я ходил на партсобрания, я голосовал единогласно, я читал лекции про преимущества социализма. Я знаю эту кухню изнутри - как никто из вас ее не знает. И когда мне сегодня тыквенный мальчик из Москвы, приехавший в позапрошлом году, начинает рассказывать про демократию и гражданское общество - мне смешно. Мне горько и смешно. Потому что я слышал это слово в девяносто первом и девяносто третьем. Каждый раз с танками. Каждый раз с обещаниями. Каждый раз кончалось одинаково - нищетой, грязью и человеком на престоле, в сравнении с которым ваш "диктатор" Нетаньяху выглядит как либеральный профессор.
Я знаю чего стоит ваша демократия. Я ее строил. Я ее разбирал. "
Daily Devotions from Lutheran Church of Hope: 28 April 2026
Apr. 28th, 2026 03:40 amsparoweThere are two types of people in the world: Those who run to the basement when a storm siren goes off and those who run out on the deck to watch. I have to admit, as a native Californian living in the Midwest for the past 19 years, I am still in wonder at the power of an Iowa storm.
Last summer, after an incredible week of VBS at Hope Waukee, my family took a vacation to Clear Lake for a little rest, relaxation, and restoration. Unfortunately, on our first night there, a storm descended upon the lake. So of course, I ran out on the deck to see. At first, it was fun to watch. I could see the storm moving across the lake in a defined line, making its way toward me. The rain hit like a mighty waterfall pouring from the heavens and driving me back inside to watch through the windows with the rest of my family.
Soon, lightning and thunder were simultaneously and incessantly ripping through the skies above and surrounding us. Our wonder turned to fear as 85-plus-mile-an-hour winds began pounding on the cabin we were staying in.
The power went out as the roof was pelted with walnuts and twigs from the massive trees that attempted to shelter us with their once-mighty limbs. We became afraid that either the trees would collapse or the roof would be ripped off in the wind.
The entire cabin groaned from the force of the storm. There wasn’t anything we could do. My family and I huddled together in the dark, powerless to the mighty storm. The lake in the distance was surging with tumultuous swells. I remember thinking, “I wonder if there are any boats caught out on the lake during this?” In the second half of Mark 4, Jesus and his disciples find themselves in that exact situation.
While on a boat in the Sea of Galilee, a furious squall suddenly came upon the disciples. The storm was so powerful that the disciples, some of whom were career fishermen with a lot of experience on the water, feared for their lives. As the waves smashed against and then over the side and into the boat, the disciples turned to find Jesus. He was sound asleep in the stern of the boat. The disciples, out of fear, questioned the nature of Jesus: Jesus, we are dying out here, and you are just sleeping through it. Do you not care about us?
How many times, in the midst of our own storms, do we make similar accusations? God, can you not see what I am going through? Do you not care? I thought you were a God of love. If you love me, why would you let me go through this?
Jesus stands and says to the storm, “Siōpa pephimōso,” which literally means “be silent” or “be muzzled.” The storm immediately responds to Jesus’ rebuke, and there is great calm. What’s interesting is that the disciples don’t reply with thankfulness or shouts of celebration.
The disciples were absolutely terrified. “Who is this man?” they asked each other. “Even the wind and waves obey him!” (Mark 4:41).
What the disciples are in awe of, and even afraid of, is the absolute power and authority of Jesus. The sea was seen as an untamed evil in ancient culture. For Jesus to calm the storm and the sea with only his words was a power they weren’t yet ready for, but needed oh so much.
Jesus has the power to tame the untamable, silence the storm, and calm the sea, which means he also has the power to calm the storms for you and me.
Prayer: Thank you, Lord, that you are God over the storms of life. Teach me to trust you even when I don’t understand what you are doing. Help me to choose faith over fear and to know your great love for me. Amen.
Juiced out
Apr. 27th, 2026 10:51 pmink_13Spent a lot of time working on a letter to go into the condo AGM package. I had Claude do the heavy lifting of digesting a year's worth of minutes and management reports, but I'm rephrasing extensively because I'm not spending tokens telling that clanker to sound less like one when I'm acceptably good at prose myself. Also I have to write a paragraph about how awesome our new property manager is and it's just not good at that.
If I had to boil it down to one sentence, it would be "look at all the shit we handled so you didn't have to think about it at all" with a sidebar of "pay no attention to the pool still closed after two years; we hope to have it back early next year".
3W4DW Day 3 Check-in
Apr. 27th, 2026 09:33 pmalthea_valaraI will be taking myself to bed once this is posted because I am rather meh.
It was not a good day for fiber arts.
So, May is almost here, which means the current round of Nerdopolis is ending, and I have yet to make anything for it. I dutifully tried to make something today: a pocket tissue cozy.
First I tried a knitted one, using the suggested needle size. I didn't get far before deciding I hated it. I was going to drop down in needle size (...several sizes) and try again, but the yarn wouldn't cooperate and for once I didn't have patience to deal with it.
So I gave up on that, and tried a crocheted one, but I hated how that was coming out too, even though I had only done a few rows. Today was just not a day for yarn crafts.
I opened my![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
getyourwordsout Habit Tracker tonight to see where I was for the month and well, it's bad. But I did write one day, and that is one day more than I would have done if I wasn't attempting GYWO. I'm gonna try to get some more writing done in the next few days.
My job is a set-your-own-hours contract position. I love it, honestly. It's perfect for my lifestyle right now.
I usually set a goal of working 3 hours a day, but Mondays are not good days for me and I often fail to meet that goal. Today I not only met it, but exceeded it. I finished the current sheet I was working on, because I wanted it done. So I'm ahead of schedule for the rest of the week now, which may mean I don't end up working 4+ hours of Thursday or Friday again. That'll be nice!
Also felt therapy went well today, but that's all I'll say on a public post.
Hahahaha nope. I had vague plans to play some Tactics after dinner, but mom needed help/needed me to listen to her rant about Facebook, and by the time we were done it was 8pm. And I'd have to hook up my Switch again because I brought it up to dogsitting, and well, TOO MUCH LIKE WORK.
I thought about messing around in FFXIV but was too tired for that, and besides, would rather save FFXIV energy for new patch tomorrow. I plan on doing the alliance raid first thing in the morning! And then MSQ after work/lunch.
Okay, I did play some WordScapes today, but I usually do, so ??? -- I'm of the opinion that casual phone games DEFINITELY count as gaming, but there's not much to report about an ongoing casual game. Though I will complain that some of their goals are ridiculous. Dear WordScapes: you are a WORD GAME. Folks like me are going to play maybe 20-30 minutes a day, tops. Why are you making it so the best achievements take considerably more time? ....okay, yes, I know: they want money, and think the way to get it is to have you play more. Well. I paid my $2.99 to remove ads from it ages ago, and I'm too good at the game to require hints (no seriously, I have like 15 rocket hints collecting dust, and it's NOT because of fear of using them like fear of using Elixirs in RPGs) so there's nothing to entice me to spend money. I'm happy with my 3-5 puzzles before bed.
1. one creative thing I did today
It was not a good day for fiber arts.
So, May is almost here, which means the current round of Nerdopolis is ending, and I have yet to make anything for it. I dutifully tried to make something today: a pocket tissue cozy.
First I tried a knitted one, using the suggested needle size. I didn't get far before deciding I hated it. I was going to drop down in needle size (...several sizes) and try again, but the yarn wouldn't cooperate and for once I didn't have patience to deal with it.
So I gave up on that, and tried a crocheted one, but I hated how that was coming out too, even though I had only done a few rows. Today was just not a day for yarn crafts.
I opened my
getyourwordsout Habit Tracker tonight to see where I was for the month and well, it's bad. But I did write one day, and that is one day more than I would have done if I wasn't attempting GYWO. I'm gonna try to get some more writing done in the next few days.2. one thing I'm proud of today
My job is a set-your-own-hours contract position. I love it, honestly. It's perfect for my lifestyle right now.
I usually set a goal of working 3 hours a day, but Mondays are not good days for me and I often fail to meet that goal. Today I not only met it, but exceeded it. I finished the current sheet I was working on, because I wanted it done. So I'm ahead of schedule for the rest of the week now, which may mean I don't end up working 4+ hours of Thursday or Friday again. That'll be nice!
Also felt therapy went well today, but that's all I'll say on a public post.
3. video game progress
Hahahaha nope. I had vague plans to play some Tactics after dinner, but mom needed help/needed me to listen to her rant about Facebook, and by the time we were done it was 8pm. And I'd have to hook up my Switch again because I brought it up to dogsitting, and well, TOO MUCH LIKE WORK.
I thought about messing around in FFXIV but was too tired for that, and besides, would rather save FFXIV energy for new patch tomorrow. I plan on doing the alliance raid first thing in the morning! And then MSQ after work/lunch.
Okay, I did play some WordScapes today, but I usually do, so ??? -- I'm of the opinion that casual phone games DEFINITELY count as gaming, but there's not much to report about an ongoing casual game. Though I will complain that some of their goals are ridiculous. Dear WordScapes: you are a WORD GAME. Folks like me are going to play maybe 20-30 minutes a day, tops. Why are you making it so the best achievements take considerably more time? ....okay, yes, I know: they want money, and think the way to get it is to have you play more. Well. I paid my $2.99 to remove ads from it ages ago, and I'm too good at the game to require hints (no seriously, I have like 15 rocket hints collecting dust, and it's NOT because of fear of using them like fear of using Elixirs in RPGs) so there's nothing to entice me to spend money. I'm happy with my 3-5 puzzles before bed.
signal boosting: fanmix_monthly's 3W4DW challenge
Apr. 27th, 2026 08:42 pmalthea_valaraBecause of Three Weeks for Dreamwidth, I've discovered the fanmix_monthly community which sounds fun! But I admit I would be terrible at making fanmixes, because my primary fandom is Final Fantasy, and the only music I listen to is... Final Fantasy. You see the issue there? lol.
Anyway! They are doing a prompt fest! Folks leave a comment with a fandom (and optionally, characters) and others comment with a song that reminds them of that.
My comment is here, and I'm looking for non-Final Fantasy songs that remind you of Final Fantasy XIV characters (except Zenos, I can't stand him.) I thought I'd post here because there's a handful of you following me who are FF fans... maybe you have some ideas?
fanmix_monthly community which sounds fun! But I admit I would be terrible at making fanmixes, because my primary fandom is Final Fantasy, and the only music I listen to is... Final Fantasy. You see the issue there? lol.Anyway! They are doing a prompt fest! Folks leave a comment with a fandom (and optionally, characters) and others comment with a song that reminds them of that.
My comment is here, and I'm looking for non-Final Fantasy songs that remind you of Final Fantasy XIV characters (except Zenos, I can't stand him.) I thought I'd post here because there's a handful of you following me who are FF fans... maybe you have some ideas?
"To Gather Paradise." (Vorkosigan Saga) R
Apr. 27th, 2026 03:34 pmlannamichaelsTitle: To Gather Paradise.
Author:
lannamichaelsFandom: Vorkosigan Saga
Series: Part 3 of I Dwell In Possibility
Pairing: Piotr Vorkosigan/Gregor Vorbarra, Piotr Vorkosigan/Ezar Vorbarra
Rating: R
A/N: When I wrote I Dwell In Possibility, I tried really really hard to make it Gregor/Piotr. And so I have kept at this fic since 2018, on and off, trying to make it work, so that I could announce BINGO on the fifth Vorbarra who I've had fuck Piotr. I am so proud of this bingo, I cannot even describe. The title is from I Dwell In Possibility (Poem 657) by Emily Dickinson.
Archives: Archive Of Our Own, SquidgeWorld
Summary: In a world filled with Cetagandans, Piotr supposes he can't allow himself to be perturbed by a time traveler.
( Look I once saw someone write Vorkosigan/Vorbarra and I said that's not a pairing that's a challenge )
Interesting Links for 27-04-2026
Apr. 27th, 2026 12:00 pmandrewducker- 1. For billionaires the basic mechanism by which humans learn that other people are real goes dark
- (tags:inequality morality wealth psychology society )
- 2. The "Connectivome Theory": A New Model to Understand Autism Spectrum Disorders
- (tags:autism bodies )
- 3. Paracetamol/acetaminophen is almost certainly safer to take than ibuprofen (nurofen)
- (tags:drugs safety )
- 4. Meet The Mushroom That Makes People Have The Exact Same Hallucination
- (tags:hallucinogenics )
YMI -- ODB: 27 April 2026
Apr. 27th, 2026 03:41 amsparoweODB: Yielded and Still
April 27, 2026
READ: Jeremiah 18:1-6
The potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him. Jeremiah 18:4
Not much is known about Adelaide Pollard, and that’s sort of the point. She was a humble servant of God who wanted no recognition for herself. At the age of forty, she felt a strong calling to be a missionary to Africa, but that door was closed to her, leaving her greatly discouraged. Yet Adelaide was reminded of a verse: “Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand” (Jeremiah 18:6). Later, she penned a hymn with these lyrics: “Thou art the potter, I am the clay.”
The image in Jeremiah has much to speak into our lives today: “The pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him” (18:4). This is a picture of how God reshapes us into His better purpose. Whatever we think we should do and be, God may have another shape for our lives: “Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand” (v. 6).
Eventually Adelaide did go to Africa, but it may be that God’s shape for her life had more to do with other things—perhaps writing that hymn, “Have Thine Own Way,” which has inspired millions in the years since. When we feel “on hold” in what we want to do, we might think about how God is shaping us in the meantime. We do well to let God have His own way and wait, “yielded and still,” for His greater purpose.
— Kenneth Petersen
How do you feel discouraged in your life goals today? How might you let God have His way with your life?
Dear God, please help me yield myself to Your potter’s hand.
Source: Our Daily Bread
3W4DW Day 2 Check-in
Apr. 26th, 2026 09:30 pmalthea_valaraNot much today because a good portion of the day was spent getting ready to go back home and then getting there, but YAY I'M HOME! I had a fun "vacation" with the dog, but glad to be back in my own space.
Worked on a swatch for a knitted tee. Just a row or two, but I touched it.
When I got home, I did some searching on Ravelry to find something for a Nerdopolis challenge. For those new around here: Nerdopolis is a crafting tournament in which we get themes to craft to. One of the themes this month is "deep space objects", so I've been looking for stuff that is reminiscent of spiral galaxies.
I found a great hat that I wanted to knit, but (a) I wasn't sure I'd have time because it was densely knit worsted weight AND double-layered, (b) I went to purchase it and it said "This designer is not taking payments at this time." Tried their Etsy store, and it's closed. Ah, well. I had previously started a crocheted doily that I might finish, but I wasn't digging it, so I dunno. The end of round is coming, though, so I'll need to make SOMETHING.
I cleaned the house before I left, to my satisfaction. Also left a note to say how good the dog was, here's some things they should know about, and thanking them for trusting me with their home and dog.
I logged into FFXIV just so my console would be ON (I had shut it down completely before I left), which meant I did the PlayStation 5 OS upgrade and new TOS agreement. Now the console is asleep, or will be soon. I'm purposely leaving it sleeping so when patch hits tomorrow night, it gets updated and I won't have to wait for it before I play on Tuesday morning. I didn't do much in game, just checked retainers (they sold a bunch of things! That's what happens when you don't log in for over a week) and spent some poetics on HW relic materials.
and that's it for today.
1. one creative thing I did today
Worked on a swatch for a knitted tee. Just a row or two, but I touched it.
When I got home, I did some searching on Ravelry to find something for a Nerdopolis challenge. For those new around here: Nerdopolis is a crafting tournament in which we get themes to craft to. One of the themes this month is "deep space objects", so I've been looking for stuff that is reminiscent of spiral galaxies.
I found a great hat that I wanted to knit, but (a) I wasn't sure I'd have time because it was densely knit worsted weight AND double-layered, (b) I went to purchase it and it said "This designer is not taking payments at this time." Tried their Etsy store, and it's closed. Ah, well. I had previously started a crocheted doily that I might finish, but I wasn't digging it, so I dunno. The end of round is coming, though, so I'll need to make SOMETHING.
2. one thing I'm proud of today
I cleaned the house before I left, to my satisfaction. Also left a note to say how good the dog was, here's some things they should know about, and thanking them for trusting me with their home and dog.
3. video game progress
I logged into FFXIV just so my console would be ON (I had shut it down completely before I left), which meant I did the PlayStation 5 OS upgrade and new TOS agreement. Now the console is asleep, or will be soon. I'm purposely leaving it sleeping so when patch hits tomorrow night, it gets updated and I won't have to wait for it before I play on Tuesday morning. I didn't do much in game, just checked retainers (they sold a bunch of things! That's what happens when you don't log in for over a week) and spent some poetics on HW relic materials.
and that's it for today.
Vidya gaems
Apr. 26th, 2026 10:02 pmink_13As an easy thing to get back into, I'm getting a little itchy for OpenTTD. It requires the barest of commitments: I have to dock my laptop so I can use the big monitor, external trackpad/mouse, and keyboard. The laptop alone won't do it.
But then, I thought... Factorio, at last? I never played it properly: a few hours back in 2016, but I didn't quite get into it. It has, ah, been patched a lot since then, and I still follow the subreddit in detail.
Really, I just want to build a train network and then watch it whizz around, and Factorio's big advantage is that it has blueprints to facilitate large-scale builds. Also I can place my own industry and occasionally shoot bugs.
We'll see, I guess. The parents leave for a week and a half in Scotland on Friday, so I'm about to have a lot more flexibility in the schedule.
they must have some sort of SAD lamp lighting on b5, right
Apr. 26th, 2026 10:04 amwychwoodIt's 3weeks4dreamwidth time! I'm not sure how much I have to contribute (and I already know that I'm never going to succeed at any sort of "post every day" routine), but I'm enjoying seeing other people's posts about it.
This has been an entirely delightful weekend of doing basically nothing; I did a handful of one-off tiny tasks, which is always very satisfying (e.g. Tesco finally brought me the funnel I had ordered, so I decanted shower gel from the big tub I used to capture the contents of the leaking shower gel refill packet a few months back into saved and washed-out shower gel bottles) and the laundry, but that was about it. I do need to get back into doing the washing up more-or-less every day, though; after three days of avoidance I forced myself to do it this afternoon, but only had space for half on the draining board, so it's all to do again tomorrow...
But the weather has been beautiful (I've had all the windows open except when I was out at church) and I have done some pleasant reading, including some fanfic and most of the Tablet backlog, and I've done another grocery shop because I suddenly realised that my entire fruit and veg stock was down to two-thirds of a cabbage and some apples, and I played some more Terra Nil, and I have not touched any of the obligations I might have done, and sometimes that is just what I want from a weekend.
And then tonight it's "Signs and Portents" and shit is about to get real on Babylon 5. Excited to see it!
3weeks4dreamwidth time! I'm not sure how much I have to contribute (and I already know that I'm never going to succeed at any sort of "post every day" routine), but I'm enjoying seeing other people's posts about it.This has been an entirely delightful weekend of doing basically nothing; I did a handful of one-off tiny tasks, which is always very satisfying (e.g. Tesco finally brought me the funnel I had ordered, so I decanted shower gel from the big tub I used to capture the contents of the leaking shower gel refill packet a few months back into saved and washed-out shower gel bottles) and the laundry, but that was about it. I do need to get back into doing the washing up more-or-less every day, though; after three days of avoidance I forced myself to do it this afternoon, but only had space for half on the draining board, so it's all to do again tomorrow...
But the weather has been beautiful (I've had all the windows open except when I was out at church) and I have done some pleasant reading, including some fanfic and most of the Tablet backlog, and I've done another grocery shop because I suddenly realised that my entire fruit and veg stock was down to two-thirds of a cabbage and some apples, and I played some more Terra Nil, and I have not touched any of the obligations I might have done, and sometimes that is just what I want from a weekend.
And then tonight it's "Signs and Portents" and shit is about to get real on Babylon 5. Excited to see it!
liminal
Apr. 26th, 2026 03:13 pmjazzfishI want to be reading What We Are Seeking (Cameron Reed's new book). It is extremely brain-intensive, though. After a week of gaming and not-sleeping-super-well on a hotel pillow, I am just not there.
Midway, aka Not O'Hare, is a perfectly decent little airport. I seem to be the only person I know without at least one O'Hare horror story, but then it's been over a decade since I've gone through there. Regardless, Midway's probably nicer. Also it seems that all airport wifi now has "watch a thirty-second ad before we let you connect," which both irritates me and makes me a little sad. And the glory of the world is less than it once was.
My iPad's charging port is dead yet again. The Enter key on my keyboard is failing to register sometimes. Bah, technology.
I'm in Midway for another couple of hours and then I fly to Minneapolis for a week. And on Friday I have an interview for a "document analyst" position, which sounds like "tech writer with extra steps." The interview is in-person, which I wasn't expecting; I'm just glad it's coming at a halfway convenient time. Sometime this week I shall have to go out and acquire Interview Clothes. This is less annoying than it might be since I don't actually own much in the way of Interview Clothes, at least not that fit.
I'm trying not to think too much about the interview. Not til I'm someplace where I can relax a bit more, anyway. It's with the Twin Cities Metropolitan Council, so it's an In to Local Government which is where I'd like to be. Per the job description it's got some GIS-esque stuff going on; and by my back-of-envelope calculations it pays enough to live on and save a bit. It would be nice, I think. It would certainly be nice to have one of my two Big Immediate Problems solved.
My fingers have been vaguely itchy for the viola the last several days. This is... it's new. I'm enjoying it. I left my violin at Steph's last time so I'll have some outlet / ability to practise, at least, and I've got a flashcard app so I can see how many tunes I can actually remember.
I wish I'd realised sooner how... how good musicking is for me? How it's something that can actually call to me? Something like that. I'm honestly a bit startled that anything does, let alone music. I'd just sort of assumed that Feeling Drawn To A Thing was yet another thing about me that doesn't work like everyone else.
And I don't know how I could have possibly gotten here, not just from where I was but from any plausible diversion from that. If my folks had let me take bass instead of cello, like I wanted to, I'd probably wind up playing bass guitar, which would be pretty cool but not really the same. If one of my early cello teachers had offered something outside of Standard Classical Repertoire... I might have gone somewhere with that? I really don't know. Water under the bridge, regardless. I wish I'd gotten to "here" sooner; I'm pretty happy with where I've gotten to.
Ann C--, a violinist who shared a teacher with me for several years in Fayetteville, pinged me last month to let me know that our teacher had died. I'd been vaguely intending to reach out to Dr Boyce and let her know that I'd picked up viola, but never got around to it. Every so often I try to look up Ms West née Wiley, the bassist/cellist that Dr Boyce handed me off to once I'd gotten past her level of expertise on cello, and I never manage to find anything on her. Tegen, my pre-plague viola teacher, has gotten married, moved down south, and started cranking out babies, Jesus aphorisms, and MLM crap, which is disappointing but not surprising. Musicians: just as human as everyone else. (Ann, incidentally, is also Jesusy, but she appears to at least be the kind of Jesusy that's appalled by the current mask-off Republican party.)
No real resolution to this, which seems fitting for something written in a liminal space. I think I shall go and try to find some tea, and sit and think and zone out for awhile.
Midway, aka Not O'Hare, is a perfectly decent little airport. I seem to be the only person I know without at least one O'Hare horror story, but then it's been over a decade since I've gone through there. Regardless, Midway's probably nicer. Also it seems that all airport wifi now has "watch a thirty-second ad before we let you connect," which both irritates me and makes me a little sad. And the glory of the world is less than it once was.
My iPad's charging port is dead yet again. The Enter key on my keyboard is failing to register sometimes. Bah, technology.
I'm in Midway for another couple of hours and then I fly to Minneapolis for a week. And on Friday I have an interview for a "document analyst" position, which sounds like "tech writer with extra steps." The interview is in-person, which I wasn't expecting; I'm just glad it's coming at a halfway convenient time. Sometime this week I shall have to go out and acquire Interview Clothes. This is less annoying than it might be since I don't actually own much in the way of Interview Clothes, at least not that fit.
I'm trying not to think too much about the interview. Not til I'm someplace where I can relax a bit more, anyway. It's with the Twin Cities Metropolitan Council, so it's an In to Local Government which is where I'd like to be. Per the job description it's got some GIS-esque stuff going on; and by my back-of-envelope calculations it pays enough to live on and save a bit. It would be nice, I think. It would certainly be nice to have one of my two Big Immediate Problems solved.
My fingers have been vaguely itchy for the viola the last several days. This is... it's new. I'm enjoying it. I left my violin at Steph's last time so I'll have some outlet / ability to practise, at least, and I've got a flashcard app so I can see how many tunes I can actually remember.
I wish I'd realised sooner how... how good musicking is for me? How it's something that can actually call to me? Something like that. I'm honestly a bit startled that anything does, let alone music. I'd just sort of assumed that Feeling Drawn To A Thing was yet another thing about me that doesn't work like everyone else.
And I don't know how I could have possibly gotten here, not just from where I was but from any plausible diversion from that. If my folks had let me take bass instead of cello, like I wanted to, I'd probably wind up playing bass guitar, which would be pretty cool but not really the same. If one of my early cello teachers had offered something outside of Standard Classical Repertoire... I might have gone somewhere with that? I really don't know. Water under the bridge, regardless. I wish I'd gotten to "here" sooner; I'm pretty happy with where I've gotten to.
Ann C--, a violinist who shared a teacher with me for several years in Fayetteville, pinged me last month to let me know that our teacher had died. I'd been vaguely intending to reach out to Dr Boyce and let her know that I'd picked up viola, but never got around to it. Every so often I try to look up Ms West née Wiley, the bassist/cellist that Dr Boyce handed me off to once I'd gotten past her level of expertise on cello, and I never manage to find anything on her. Tegen, my pre-plague viola teacher, has gotten married, moved down south, and started cranking out babies, Jesus aphorisms, and MLM crap, which is disappointing but not surprising. Musicians: just as human as everyone else. (Ann, incidentally, is also Jesusy, but she appears to at least be the kind of Jesusy that's appalled by the current mask-off Republican party.)
No real resolution to this, which seems fitting for something written in a liminal space. I think I shall go and try to find some tea, and sit and think and zone out for awhile.
My centre is collapsing,
my right is in retreat.
Impossible to manoeuvre.
Situation excellent.
I am attacking.
--Marshal Ferdinand Foch, First Battle of the Marne
YMI -- ODB: 26 April 2026
Apr. 26th, 2026 12:19 pmsparoweODB: Restoration Efforts
April 26, 2026
READ: 1 Thessalonians 5:11
Encourage one another and build each other up. 1 Thessalonians 5:11
In April 2019, a fire broke out in Notre-Dame de Paris—the city’s famed medieval cathedral—destroying the spire and a “forest” of oak beams supporting the lead roof. Almost immediately, plans formed to restore the cathedral. Donations poured in from across the globe, and craftsmen have undertaken restoration using the same building techniques and the same types of timber and stone employed in the original structure.
When Nebuchadnezzar instructed his armies to set fire to God’s temple in 586 bc as part of his siege on Jerusalem, the structure was decimated (2 Kings 25:9). When the people returned to Jerusalem after decades in captivity in Babylon, they “gave freewill offerings toward the rebuilding of the house of God” (Ezra 2:68)..
After tending first to the altar, they “gave money to the masons and carpenters” and secured “cedar logs by sea from Lebanon” to lay the temple’s foundation (3:7). Though their rebuilding efforts were opposed and even sabotaged, the task was finally completed, and God’s people once again worshiped Him in His temple (6:14-22).
As believers in Jesus, we—together—are God’s temple (1 Corinthians 3:16-17). God equips us to continuously restore fellow believers and “build each other up,” not with wood or stone, but with encouraging words, prayer, and spiritual gifts (1 Thessalonians 5:11).
— Kirsten Holmberg
How are you building up fellow believers in Jesus? How has someone built you up recently?
Thank You, loving Father, for supplying what I need to build up and restore others as Your temple.
Source: Our Daily Bread
This is turning into a "dumb maintenance emergencies" weekend.
Apr. 26th, 2026 08:52 amnumb3r_5ev3nYesterday, I tried to air up my tires, to find that the valve stem on one of them was broken. It took the shop longer than expected to fix it - and I had to fix it, because I had to air up that tire to be able to drive around. I got back home to discover that water is dripping down into my bathroom from the vent on the ceiling.
From past experience, I know that it's probably a bad AC coil. But while it's not exactly a flood, it is a pretty steady drip which requires receptacles beneath it, because it's coming down pretty fast.
I know it's not a super huge deal in the grand scheme of things. But I will probably have to stay in today order to get this addressed. Added is the OCD-related stress from "unknown, possible contaminated water is dripping down into my clean bathroom, with who knows what nicotine sludge from previous occupants/germs/mold." Regardless, there go my plans for today. :(
From past experience, I know that it's probably a bad AC coil. But while it's not exactly a flood, it is a pretty steady drip which requires receptacles beneath it, because it's coming down pretty fast.
I know it's not a super huge deal in the grand scheme of things. But I will probably have to stay in today order to get this addressed. Added is the OCD-related stress from "unknown, possible contaminated water is dripping down into my clean bathroom, with who knows what nicotine sludge from previous occupants/germs/mold." Regardless, there go my plans for today. :(
3W4DW Day One Check-in
Apr. 26th, 2026 07:21 amalthea_valaraI meant to post this last night, but I was le tired. My schedule has gotten all messed up from dog watching; I've been crashing at 9pm and getting up at 6am. It's only 7:05am and I've already had coffee and a bagel. That's UNHEARD of for me to eat that early!
Anyway: during the gear-up to the start of 3W4DW, I had decided I would post daily during the celebration with some check-ins. Here's the check-in for day one. We will ignore it is now day 2.
Not much, but I worked on a swatch for a tee I'm going to knit! Actually, I already started the tee, but (a) I misread the pattern, (b) the icord edge was really tight and making everything look sloppy, so I decided to start over, this time doing a proper swatch instead of just diving in.
I also askedsmallweb for some advice. Actually, I'm interested in non-techy answers, too, so I'll ask here as well:
Currently, my Final Fantasy XI fanscripts are laid out as one expansion's entire mission line on one page, though I have horizontal rules between each mission, and also have "jump to" links at the end of each mission to jump to a different mission. Example page: https://altheavalara.neocities.org/ffxi/rotz
I'm banging my head against those jump-to links. I'm working on documenting the next expac in the series, so I need to put the jump-tos in to be consistent, but... I hand-coded them, and that is a pain. I was trying to figure out if I can automatically insert them with Jekyll magic, but I'm stumped (Jekyll is my static site generator).
So now I'm wondering if it would be better to split the expansion into separate pages for each mission. I could possibly use Jekyll magic for pagination, then. It would mean a LOT more pages on the site, but may be easier to handle? There's benefits and drawbacks to both methods. As a reader, what would you prefer?
I started cleaning up! I'll be going home today and would like to leave the house pretty much how I left it, so I gathered dirty dishes and garbage and took care of that. I need to run the dishwasher and handwash some dishes, but I'm proud of the start I made instead of leaving it to last minute.
Also, I posted my list of community recs again, as I said I would when 3W4DW started. Go me for following through on a plan.
Well, being away from home means less video gaming. I pretty much just played WordScapes on my phone. Not much to report there. But I also answered some questions on Mastodon from someone who had FFXIV Free Trial questions, and reposted my starter guide from Bsky to Mastodon... which I might have already done in the past, but whatever, it's reposted.
Anyway: during the gear-up to the start of 3W4DW, I had decided I would post daily during the celebration with some check-ins. Here's the check-in for day one. We will ignore it is now day 2.
1. one creative thing I did today
Not much, but I worked on a swatch for a tee I'm going to knit! Actually, I already started the tee, but (a) I misread the pattern, (b) the icord edge was really tight and making everything look sloppy, so I decided to start over, this time doing a proper swatch instead of just diving in.
I also asked
smallweb for some advice. Actually, I'm interested in non-techy answers, too, so I'll ask here as well: Currently, my Final Fantasy XI fanscripts are laid out as one expansion's entire mission line on one page, though I have horizontal rules between each mission, and also have "jump to" links at the end of each mission to jump to a different mission. Example page: https://altheavalara.neocities.org/ffxi/rotz
I'm banging my head against those jump-to links. I'm working on documenting the next expac in the series, so I need to put the jump-tos in to be consistent, but... I hand-coded them, and that is a pain. I was trying to figure out if I can automatically insert them with Jekyll magic, but I'm stumped (Jekyll is my static site generator).
So now I'm wondering if it would be better to split the expansion into separate pages for each mission. I could possibly use Jekyll magic for pagination, then. It would mean a LOT more pages on the site, but may be easier to handle? There's benefits and drawbacks to both methods. As a reader, what would you prefer?
2. one thing I'm proud of today
I started cleaning up! I'll be going home today and would like to leave the house pretty much how I left it, so I gathered dirty dishes and garbage and took care of that. I need to run the dishwasher and handwash some dishes, but I'm proud of the start I made instead of leaving it to last minute.
Also, I posted my list of community recs again, as I said I would when 3W4DW started. Go me for following through on a plan.
3. video game progress
Well, being away from home means less video gaming. I pretty much just played WordScapes on my phone. Not much to report there. But I also answered some questions on Mastodon from someone who had FFXIV Free Trial questions, and reposted my starter guide from Bsky to Mastodon... which I might have already done in the past, but whatever, it's reposted.