Getting on with the age lol

Jan. 29th, 2026 12:11 am
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[personal profile] elusivek
I know there are certain things I wanted to write about. I even had the thought, "I should write this tonight," but... I've forgotten what it is about, darn it. I recall as much that one of the things I want to write about has something to do with cars, or driving. Just what did I want to write about?

I've been so lazy lately, I haven't ran for 2 weeks now. It comes and goes with my mood, you see. I've done as much as bringing my gym bag to work so I'll see it and remember to get changed before going home, so that, I can go for a run, but then I think... nah... I do have one virtual run lined up for March, and the thing in Geongju, South Korea in April... oh I did register for the Shanghai Marathon but I didn't manage to get drawn in the lot.
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So we finally had that birthday lunch. Coming to think of it, my cousin hasn't paid me yet. huh. I'll have to double check. My Aunt said she wanted to invite her friend (someone that I didn't know either) and that she's more than happy to pay for the guy. I wouldn't have minded any way but I didn't know if cousin wanted to bear the cost. In any case, Aunt hasn't paid back either.
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So I know we're eligible for an annual bonus thingamajig and I've been in the lookout for a new travel backpack. I do have one currently, but I think it's too big; for my trip to Geongju, it's on a budgt airline. I paid for check in luggage, but did not pay for a hand-carry, but it did say one free personal item (handbag or something)... my current backpack is a little too big. Found this interesting looking one, but I still want to see the actual item before buying. It costs a bit of a pretty penny (for a backpack) so it will be a little gift for myself from the bonus.
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A couple months back, when the visiting artist was in town doing supervision work at the workshop I go to, I saw her very pretty apron and asked her where she got it. She said it's from The Walking Apron. I looked it up and oooh, it costs a pretty penny too, but it gives very good coverage. After much ruminating, I got one for myself and am going to gift one to my bestie. I also used an iron patch and ironed a racoon peaking out from the pocket. That's because she has been buying clothes from a particular website that has cute racoons in the design. I also got one for myself and put a cat there (to denote "Kat").
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We went hunting for good naan bread (I still can't forget the good naan I had in Japan)... still doesn't compare to the one I had in Japan. But, Justindia is pretty good. I think taste-wise it's better than Woodlands. I find Woodlands too herb-y and spice-y.
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Still bringing Frankie out to Coloane once in a while. The most recent time, there were some wild dogs and again for unknown reasons, Frankie didn't bother with them. I wonder why.
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Ember and Ice???

Jan. 28th, 2026 10:24 am
seleneheart: 'That is encoding and locking ALL my chevrons' (Lock my chevrons)
[personal profile] seleneheart
Who was going to tell me that Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie have an audio play about two feuding fae princes?

Honestly, "Fae Prince" is exactly the energy the two of them give off, separately or together.

Blurb:
Ember & Ice follows two fae princes, Dane and Finn, from rival kingdoms, Solari and Lunare. It becomes clear that the two are more than just adversaries, though, as listeners become “an intimate observer to every moment of tension, longing, and intimacy between Dane and Finn.”

Set in a richly imagined fantasy world shaped by history, duty, and forbidden desire, Ember & Ice follows Dane and Finn, two fae princes from the rival Solari and Lunare kingdoms. At its core, Ember & Ice is a story about choosing love in defiance of expectation.”

mirepoix

Jan. 28th, 2026 07:32 am
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[personal profile] prettygoodword
mirepoix (mir-PWAH) - n., a mixture of diced vegetables, such as carrots, celery, and onions, plus herbs, and sometimes ham or bacon cooked at low heat in oil or butter.


Mirepoix is the flavor base for many dishes in French cooking (much as sauteed or stir-fried onions are in mine). It is named after Gaston-Pierre-Charles de Lévis-Lomagne, duc de Mirepoix (1699–1757), whose name is often shortened to Gaston de Lévis, duc de Mirepoix, an ambassador of Louis XV, but exactly what his connection is, dictionaries don't mention, and I'm too tired this morning to dig further.

---L.

The bike commute [bicycling]

Jan. 28th, 2026 09:22 am
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[personal profile] rebeccmeister
On Monday morning our mayor declared a Snow Emergency, which means that anyone whose car is parked on the street must move their car to the even side of the street for one 24-hour period, then the odd side of the street for the next 24-hour period, so the city can send through its massive snow blower to gather up and haul all of the snow offsite. To facilitate this, the city opened up additional parking in some strategic locations throughout the city. Surely not as convenient as that one spot close to a person's house, but still. I watched a short TV news clip about all this, and all I can think to myself is, so this means that every street parked vehicle in this city requires a minimum of TWO parking spaces for home parking, instead of just one. If I understand correctly, that means that there must be a bare minimum of FOUR parking spaces per vehicle, provided either for free or at a greatly subsidized rate (home, work, third space like grocery store, library, etc).

Suddenly, having off-street parking seems less like a selfish thing and more like a generous thing for helping to keep streets clear and accessible for everyone. The same goes for riding a bike instead of driving. Many people perceive a person on a bicycle as a major inconvenience while driving, but the major inconveniences I observed this morning involved people having badly parked their cars, or buses or garbage trucks having a hard time on narrowed streets.

I haven't shoveled my car out yet, I certainly don't feel like driving around in this stuff.

The bike commute was great, because all of the major roads along my commute route have been plowed. I do have to share more space with vehicles, because in many places the plowed snow is stored in the bike lane. That's why I'm a bike lane skeptic. But the majority of people driving are pretty patient. As you might also know, if you drive or bike around. It still does only take that one asshole, though. This morning that one asshole tried to squeeze me into a pair of trash cans that were sticking out further into the road because of the snow. Fortunately, I was paying attention so I didn't get hit. I did my best to scream at them and gave them a generous gesture with my hand. Not that I expect they noticed, but it at least made me feel slightly better.

And thus, to work.

Road Closed

Jan. 28th, 2026 02:18 pm
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[personal profile] puddleshark
Stoborough, after Storm Chandra 1

Storm Chandra broke several rainfall records in Dorset. Evershot saw a very impressive 55mm of rain within twenty-four hours. And this all falling on already-saturated ground. Took a walk by Stoborough village and the meadows at Wareham to photograph the floods.

Read more... )

The Age of Aguardiente

Jan. 28th, 2026 11:02 pm
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[personal profile] tcpip
The Invasion Day long weekend (really, just change the date and adopt something less gross for the national holiday) featured three events of note in my life. The first included a short-notice visit from Adam and Lara from Darwin; we went to Balloon Story, which had some amusing moments, but really was something for the kids. It was nevertheless marvellous to catch up, albeit for a shorter time than usual, and I am sure there will be a next time. Afterwards, I ventured out to the Thornbuy Bowls Club, where my friend of almost forty years, Simon S., was celebrating his birthday party. With a collection of over a score of migrant friends from Perth, the cycling and motorcycle community, and various nerdish characters of various stripes (which much crossover), Simon's plan to hold a relatively low-key gathering was stymied by his friendship circle, who came out in spades.

The following day was my own gathering of the same sort (and yes, it included several people from the day before), with the additional theme of South America and Latin America from the recent trip. With over 30 people visiting my apartment throughout the day, I provided a wide variety of dishes from the different countries I visited (plus a couple from Ecuador, which I did not), various favourite beverages, and music. All along with a slideshow of photos from the trip. I actually didn't end up making everything, but have endeavoured to do so in the following days because, as usual, I overcatered. Blessed with an incredible variety of often brilliant friends, the gathering was really quite lively, and I am rather overwhelmed by the support and enthusiasm that everyone contributed to the day. Photos will be forthcoming, but for now, "Lev's Solar Orbit, South America and Antarctica Voyage" included the following food, drinks, and music:

Los Platos
- Fainá (Uruguay): Chickpea flatbread with parmesan and mixed herbs
- Aji Amarillo Salsa (Peru): Yellow capsicum with milk, vinegar, lime juice, jalapeño, mustard, garlic
- Llapingachos (Ecuador): Potato cake, cheese and spring onion
- Salsa de maní (Ecuador): Peanuts, milk, onion, cumin, coriander, red chilli
- Torrejas De Espinaca (Peru): Fried tortillas with spinach, spring onion
- Ensalada Negra Inca (Peru): Apichu (golden sweet potato), avocado, black beans, quinoa, and chard (silverbeet)
- Salsa Criolla (Argentina): Capsicum with tomato, onion, garlic
- Pastel de choclo con carne (Chile): Maize with beef, tomato, onion, milk, basil, paprika
- Pastel de choclo sin carne (Chile): Maize with soy TVP, tomato, onion, milk, basil, paprika
- Ceviche (Peru): Ocean fish with red onions, tomato, cucumber, capsicum, lime, coriander, jalapeño
- Empanadas (Argentina): Pastry with gorgonzola cheese and puerro (leek)
- Tortillas fritas con Dulce de Leche (Uruguay): Tortillas, ice cream, milk, sugar, cream, chocolate

Las bebidas
- Café de Galeano (Uruguay): Coffee, dulce de leche, cream, amaretto
- Caipiroska (Uruguay): Vodka, lime, sugar
- Piscola Eléctrica (Chile): Brandy and Pepsi blue
- Pisco Sour (Peru): Brandy, lime juice, egg white, sugar, bitters
- Terremoto (Chile): Pineapple ice cream, red wine, pomegranate juice
- Tierra del Fuego (Argentina): Tequila, Campari, spiced vodka

La Musica
- Jorge Morel (Argentine classical guitar)
- Astor Piazzolla (Argentine founder of nuevo tango)
- Los Prisioneros (Chilean post-punk)
- Los Buenos Muchachos (Uruguayan alt-rock)
- Dengue Dengue Dengue (Peruvian electronic-industrial)
- Föllakzoid (Chilean electronica)
- Vangelis, Antarctica movie soundtrack

A cold day

Jan. 28th, 2026 08:47 pm
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[personal profile] katriona_s
Today it was cloudy all day, little sunshine so naturally it's coooold! At 7am, our 3 garden cats were patiently waiting for their breakfast outside of my mother's window.

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I hoped their fur would be thick and warm enough against this coldness. I have worked at home, and today the new gardeners came here, to take care of our garden. The gardener we have paid for recent some years was not good, so at the end of the last year I have asked the small construction company which had built our house 12 years ago if they'd know a good gardener. Today they - the chief gardener and his 2 staffs came, and their job was wonderful, looking at how they have done their job was really a fun!

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But, it's been col all day today, I hoped the gardeners had worn sufficiently warm clothes...

Film post: Paddington in Peru (2024)

Jan. 28th, 2026 11:00 am
loganberrybunny: Drawing of my lapine character's face by Eliki (Default)
[personal profile] loganberrybunny
Public

Paddington in Peru (2024) film poster
Paddington in Perue (2024)

I have an enormous soft spot for Paddington, having grown up on his stop-motion shorts – which at their best are glorious. The big-screen series has largely kept his charm, but Paddington in Peru is definitely the weakest of the trilogy. Admittedly the superb Paddington 2 was a hard act to follow, but this third instalment sometimes feels like it's trying too hard. Perhaps the change of director had something to do with that. I don't especially mind the casting change for Mrs Brown: yes, Sally Hawkins did a wonderful job, but Emily Mortimer's version of the character is still fine. Julie Walters as Mrs Bird is unsurprisingly excellent, too.

The real problem is that it feels rather by-the-numbers. Look, the Brown family are growing up and drifting apart, what a fantastically original setup! Hey, they're going on a big adventure that may just bring them back together and lead them to realise what family truly means! And so on. You can get away with that, but only if the execution is perfect, which it isn't. It all feels very linear compared with its predecessor, and far too much of it is predictable almost from the start. It's not as funny as Paddington 2, either. I don't want to make out this is a bad movie. It's not. As a family film it's warm and agreeable, just like Paddington himself. I just hoped for more. ★★★

(no subject)

Jan. 28th, 2026 09:51 am
[syndicated profile] farsidecomics_feed
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"Did you detect something a little ominous in the way they said, ‘See you later’?"

(no subject)

Jan. 28th, 2026 09:51 am
[syndicated profile] farsidecomics_feed
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“Say, there’s something wrong here. … We may have to move shortly.”
rmc28: (glowy)
[personal profile] rmc28

My aunt died on Saturday. The funeral will be in Australia, and streamed online. I am so grateful that technology allows this. It will be at midnight my time; I'm going to aim to be awake for it, but apparently there will be a recording if I don't manage to.

Donations are encouraged in her memory:

https://donate.strokefoundation.org.au/stroke-appeals
https://donate.stroke.org.uk/

And now is probably as good a time as any to remind you of the signs of a stroke and the importance of reacting FAST

Face weakness
Arm weakness
Speech problems
Time to call 999

complicated

Jan. 27th, 2026 07:02 pm
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[personal profile] chazzbanner
I decided on the spur of the moment to take an earlier bus downtown and make my bank visit before going to the salon. I wanted to get a couple of rolls of quarters (laundry money), but needed to use an ATM first.

step on - went to where my bank... was. It had moved.
step two - got money in an ATM with a hefty fee.
step three - saw where the bank had moved, headed toward it
step four - found a 'closed today because of malfunction' sign on its door
step five - got two rolls at another bank. (this is the IDS center, it has three bank branches)

Then I treated myself to a coffee and piece of cinnamon coffee cake at the IDS Starbucks.

I walked through the skyways and The Dayton's Project (former department store) -- and I wasn't late for my appointment. Whew!

After I got home I returned a library book and printed my bank statement and a few other things.

-

Historical flood markers

Jan. 27th, 2026 11:48 pm
loganberrybunny: Drawing of my lapine character's face by Eliki (Default)
[personal profile] loganberrybunny
Public

Image
361/365: Flood markers, Bewdley
Click for a larger, sharper image

Another very wet first half to today. I had to go into town briefly, so I couldn't avoid getting somewhat damp, but at least I was indoors for the worst of it! This photo shows (on the right) historical flood markers. The highest line is from 1947, which I believe was the worst flood here since the 17th century. The second one down, which is about head height, is from November 2000. That (and one nearly as bad the following month) prompted the creation of the flood barriers that Bewdley has today.
[syndicated profile] grey_enlight_feed

Posted by smartistone

Item #1: Silver surges to $100, but also Bitcoin crashes on tariffs despite the QQQ recovering and Trump backing down.

Item #2: The “anything but Bitcoin” trade is still going strong. Whether it’s metals, AI valuations, or tech stocks, Everything but Bitcoin keeps going up. The divergence of performance between Bitcoin and QQQ is stark, as I correctly predicted in 2025:

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When I claim to be one of greatest traders, money managers, and macro forecasters ever, it’s all backed by quantifiable evidence and results. I was way ahead of the pack by predicting this would happen, and profited from it, and still profit now.

Item #3: Trump Threatens 100% Tariffs on Canada Over China Trade Deal.

I am not sure what Trump is hoping to accomplish with these tariffs. They are not helping his approval ratings. Even the massive ‘liberation day’ tariffs did not confer a bump. People know they are not a free lunch, and instead are felt in the form of higher consumer prices. What good does it do to reduce the trade deficit a bit or to ‘stick it to China’, when no one can see the benefit, assuming there is any?

Nonetheless, this is why I short Bitcoin as a hedge, as I am prepared for bad or otherwise unexpected weekend geopolitical or tariffs news. During the Summer of ’25, shorting Bitcoin worked great as a hedge against Iran news. Last week, it worked perfectly against Greenland news. In October, it worked great against China tariff threat. The ‘TACO trade’ is still working great, too, and I profited by buying tech stocks on the dip last week. Combined with my Bitcoin shorts, and I had a massively profitable week.

Item #4: The ‘bullshit heuristic’ (need to flesh this out into a post, maybe)

Speaking of models and bullshit, I saw this going viral, from 2018 “Mental Models: The Best Way to Make Intelligent Decisions (~100 Models Explained)”:

Become what you want to see in the world, and the world will return it to you. If you want an amazing relationship with your partner, be an amazing partner. If you want people to be thoughtful and kind to you, be thoughtful and kind to them. If you want people to listen to you, listen to them.

This is clearly bullshit. I define bullshit as, “Advice or assertions spoken from authority that does not align with empirical reality.” How does this account for the success of Clavicular, who filmed himself nearly running someone over with his Tesla SUV, and appeared to face no legal consequences for an incident that could have been fatal, and then returned to livestreaming the next day with his popularity intact–or even increased? Or Andrew Tate, whose entire persona is arrogance? The list goes on. We’re being gaslit or mislead with this bad advice by people are already successful, as their advice is obsolete and doesn’t work anymore (if it ever did) or is survivorship bias.

The so-called “firm handshake” meme applies. Nowadays, you have to pass through HR and multiple gauntlets of screening before you actually talk to a real person. ‘Boomers’ with their bad advice is holding back later generations. This is related to one of my favorite posts, from 2022, “‘1,000 True Fans’, ‘Long Tail’, ‘Grit’, and other popular bullshit.”

Item #5: From Sebs “The R^2 vs r debate in IQ research”

I think it’s like, getting a high-paying quant/finance/tech job is highly predictive of high IQ, yet having a high IQ is not predictive of landing one of those jobs. It’s a ‘necessary but insufficient’ sort of thing. A high IQ is necessary to pass all the HR screening and to ace the interview rounds, but not all smart people aspire to high-paying professions, hence the low correlation. You got a lot of smart people who are artists, writers, or work in nonprofits, none of which are particularly remunerative. For whatever reason, Taleb fails to grasp this even when explained to him. If anyone was to debate him, this would shut down his argument completely.

Item #6: “Why Secondhand Is Now Better Than New”?

But there are other reasons—more ominous—to prefer secondhand items. For a start, you are immune to AI slop, which is now flooding the market, especially for books and music. Technology is empowering scams and frauds at an unprecedented rate.

What is the equivalent of ‘AI slop’ for a physical product? If he means means mass-produced in an assembly line, this would be almost everything. Something being secondhand doesn’t mean it wasn’t mass-produced. The comparison doesn’t even make sense. The article somehow got 870 likes. Are these humans are bots? The fact it’s so popular is further evidence we don’t live in a meritocracy unless the yardstick of merit is the ability to profit from bullshit, which ties into above.

Recall this guy was massively wrong about Meta/Facebook stock in 2022-2023, predicting that the social networking conglomerate would fail, and tried to memory-hole it. With the stock at $700 he reiterated his original prediction and hoped no one would notice how wrong he was in earlier (but we got the archive links though). Everyone gets things wrong, but just pretending otherwise will not fool everyone. This is why it’s important to call these people out. Having a big brand should not insulate people from critcism when it’s deserved.

Making progress?

Jan. 27th, 2026 05:43 pm
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[personal profile] heleninwales
The problem with doing long-term projects is that I often feel like I'm on a treadmill, working at lots of things but not getting anywhere. There's occasionally a fleeting moment of triumph as something is finally completed -- like I posted about the video yesterday -- then it's back on the treadmill again.

Anyway, today I wrestled with the budget for our local Quaker group. Considering how small the amounts of money are, it shouldn't have taken as long as it did, but all the money is now held centrally so it took some time to ferret out the figures I needed.

Otherwise I'm still managing to do something to progress the WIP each day. Today I read over a scene from the end of Book 1 of the trilogy to refresh my memory about who knew who and when they'd met. I'd forgotten some things, but now I'll be able to write the next scenes with that information in mind.
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