telaryn. Network

The snow has plastered our windows like blinds. This morning it scudded so thickly down our street that the air itself couldn't have been any clearer: it made walls instead of veils of the late streetlight. The yew trees look like calcified humps of stalagmite. It's still blowing around out there, bending the whippier evergreens of the neighbors' yard like a wind sock. I can hear a commuter train whistling dimly from over Route 16. I am informed we have broken the previous state record for snowfall in a day set by the 1997 April Fool's Day Blizzard which had itself surpassed the Blizzard of '78. Our porch is drifted ankle-deep.

Music Vampire Weekend, "Capricorn"

james_davis_nicoll

A bundle for Mists of Akuma, the tabletop roleplaying campaign setting of Eastern fantasy noir steampunk from Storm Bunny Studios for Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition.

Bundle of Holding: Mists of Akuma

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bundle of holding

marycatelli posting in

books

Forewords and Afterwords by W.H. Auden

A collection of essays, including reviews, all written on occasion, for a particular book.

It produces a great variety of subjects.

Some are of period interest, of various kinds. The appropriate treatment for migraines being psychoanalysis? On the other hand, this is where I read his observation about how going over to Rome was a shocking scandal in the upper classes -- like the birth of an illegitimate baby -- but something that did happen, whereas becoming a Baptist was inconceivable.

Much about poets and other writers, some interesting observations on heroes, and more.

marycatelli posting in

book_love

oursin

And I'm not at all sure it's culture-neutral, hmmmm?

Okay, I had parents who had books in the house and read to me and once I could read took me to the local library to get tickets for the children's department.

No children's museums that I recall but visiting the rather dull local one attached to the public library, and visits to local sites of historical interest.

My primary school was not, I think, particularly distinguished - suspect that the year there were a whole four of us passed the 11+ was Memorable - but there were some good teachers.

I don't know how one calibrates into all this my mother knowing the teacher of Infants 1 and asking her about whether I could go to school once I had turned 5 (having an autumn birthday) and her saying, oh, send her along, on account of my mother thinking I was entirely ready.

And then the Head saying I should do the 11+ technically a year early - (which was not a given, people did get kept back)

Going to a fairly academically-intense girls' grammar school, where I did get the odd spot of class-hassle, I realise in retrospect (including from horrid Mrs B of the really weird ideas about sex), where I was marked out as university material and my parents exhorted to keep me on the sixth form -

Which they were entirely happy to do.

So yes, I was I suppose supported on my academic journey. But some of that was external factors, like the existence of that extinct phoenix, full student grants.

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susandennis

I had the best swim this morning. I woke up ready to go and just enjoyed the heck out of it. Funny how some days are don't wanna and some are Move Over Katie!

Steroid shots make my foot feel instantly better for a couple of days and then there are about 3 days of back to ouch before it starts working for good. Then in about a week, it will turn black and blue and stay that way for about a month. We are back to the ouchy part. But I was able to walk to the pool and back so, not horrible.

When I redid all my mp3's, I dumped them into folders - 30 files in each folder. Zero curation. I think Karen Carpenter had a beautiful voice but the current batch I'm listening to is about 25 Karen Carpenter songs and that's really more than anyone needs in a row. So I'm now swapping out for the next folder of 30. This batch has no clues. The files are named 1.mp3 and 2.mp3 so no telling what the fuck is on them. Come Wednesday - the next lap swim day - I'll probably be begging for more Karen Carpenter.

spacefem solved my Hazelnut coffee problem. Syrup! Amazon is bringing me a small assortment of small bottles of sugar free coffee syrup - Hazelnut, Carmel and Vanilla. I put the Hazelnut k-cups out in the elbow with a sign that says FREE. They were gone before I got back from my swim.

I have a plastic shoebox full of batteries. I have a few C's. a few D's. A fuckload of AA's. Some buttons - various sizes. A couple of really weird ones and 1 AAA. What do I need right now? 2 AAA's, of course. Sigh.

Another Paramount+ treat. One of my all time favorite sit coms. No one watched it but me, I think so it only lasted 2 seasons but now both seasons are on Paramount+. Superior Donuts. Good cast - phenomenal writing. Still very fun. I'm treating myself to an episode a day.

I've never put together a Lego set. I've thought about it but resisted knowing that it's likely a rabbit hole for me. Plus now I have bunnies to make 3 a day and I'm on track so far. And then I have to sew pockets onto my swim robes. I have projects. I don't need more. Plus, there are all those hours that

spifikins stole from me when she introduced me to that fucking arrow app.

which_chick

I got a fair amount of knitting done over the weekend. Go me! And, obviously, I also did some television watching because that's what I do while knitting -- that's how I get like three inches of wrong-color-scarf. LOL. It could be that this strategy has some issues and also I'm still having feelings about the scarf so it's still in timeout.

( No time for scarf means more time for afghan! )

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james_davis_nicoll

You may be surprised to learn that "Canadian thriller" is not an oxymoron.

A Brief Survey of Canadian Political Thrillers

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larryhammer

For Poetry Monday:

The Night Sky, Mary Webb

The moon, beyond her violet bars,
From towering heights of thunder-cloud,
Sheds calm upon our scarlet wars,
To soothe a world so small, so loud.
And little clouds like feathered spray,
Like rounded waves on summer seas,
Or frosted panes on a winter day,
Float in the dark blue silences.
Within their foam, transparent, white,
Like flashing fish the stars go by
Without a sound across the night.
In quietude and secrecy
The white, soft lightnings feel their way
To the boundless dark and back again,
With less stir than a gnat makes
In its little joy, its little pain.

(Hat tip to

cmcmck.) Webb was a novelist and poet best known today as one of the authors parodied by Cold Comfort Farm.

---L.

Subject quote from Someone You Loved, Lewis Capaldi.

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meme,
poetry

guildrone posting in

beautifulmechanical

( You're about to view content that a community administrator has advised should be viewed with discretion. )

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2020s,
instrumental

daily_otter_feed

Posted by Daily Otter

https://dailyotter.org/posts/2026/2/23/the-contentedness-is-off-the-charts

Via Alaska SeaLife Center, which writes, “May you locate your perfect nap position and sink into the comfort. Cali has already claimed hers 🦦💤”

https://dailyotter.org/posts/2026/2/23/the-contentedness-is-off-the-charts

jazzyjj posting in

awesomeers

It's challenge time!

Comment with Just One Thing you've accomplished in the last 24 hours or so. It doesn't have to be a hard thing, or even a thing that you think is particularly awesome. Just a thing that you did.

Feel free to share more than one thing if you're feeling particularly accomplished!

Extra credit: find someone in the comments and give them props for what they achieved!

Nothing is too big, too small, too strange or too cryptic. And in case you'd rather do this in private, anonymous comments are screened. I will only unscreen if you ask me to.

Go!

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just one thing

aome

Not going anywhere except to pick up Two from work eventually (please please close early, please), so here is a review of my most recent reads:

5. The Jasad Heir by Sara Hashem (audio)
( Non-mythology-based Egyptian-based fantasy, m/f, New Adult/Adult )

6. Listen, Slowly by Thanhhà Lai (audio)
( Middle grade; Vietnamese-American girl must travel to Vietnam and discover her roots against her will. )

7. The Takedown by Lily Chu (audio)
( Modern Chinese-Canadian m/f romcom with themes of willful ignorance on DEI topics, toxic positivity, and the plot of taking down belligerent, predatory, and ignorant managers from the inside. )

8. Driftwood by Harper Fox (audio)
( In Cornwall, England, former Army doctor with PTSD rescues a former helicopter pilot from a surfing accident, they fall in insta-love, and then doctor tries to rescue former pilot from abusive ex. )

9. Cafe Con Lychee by Emery Lee (read-aloud)
( YA; an out Asian-American boy dislikes closeted Hispanic-American boy because their parents run rival cafes and both cafes are struggling. They reluctantly team up together to try to boost sales, and in working together, start to fall in love. )

10. The Charm Offensive* by Alison Cochrun (audio)
Needed a comfort re-read. I'm pretty sure I've read this book at least once a year since it came out. <3

11. Blood at the Root by LaDarrion Williams (audio)
( YA/New Adult What if Hogwarts was university-level and specifically for Black American youth? MC is straight but book is queer-friendly. )

12. Perfectly Imperfect Pixie by MJ May (audio)
( In fantasy-based America, giant pixie helps werewolf uncle retain custody of his niece/nephew and away from evil mobster grandpa. Pixie and uncle fall in love somehow, despite NEVER ACTUALLY TALKING TO EACH OTHER )

13. Scythe by Neal Shusterman (audio)
( YA: In a future where death and even injury have been conquered through internal nanobots, Scythes serve as an exalted calling, to kill with compassion and help keep the global population growth balanced. Two teens are apprenticed to a single, highly-principled Scythe, but when he dies, they are separated and complete their apprenticeships under two HUGELY different mentors. A++ book )

14. The Disillusionment of Nick and Jay by Ryan Douglass (read-aloud)
( Billed as a queer, Black retelling of The Great Gatsby, but it really ... isn't. )

Tags:

books,
weather

sovay

I spent much of yesterday running pre-blizzard errands, but the local state of the parking spots is the truest gauge of the meteorology about to go down.

I have not yet managed to get hold of her memoir, but I deeply appreciate being notified of the existence of E. M. Barraud, who identified herself with chalk-cut hill figures, candidly described her relationship status as "technically single, but 'married' in a permanent homosexual relationship with another woman," published under her assigned initials and was known in Little Eversden where she worked for the Women's Land Army as John. She gave her wartime responses for Mass-Observation as both a man and a woman: "People are people, not specifics of a gender." I had never even encountered her poetry.

Music Pram, "The Owl Service"

oursin

This week's bread was a Standen loaf, strong brown/buckwheat flour, maple syrup, malt extract - but due to electric scale going weird and giving strange readings, the proportions got very odd and it turned out larger and a lot denser than usual, if still edible.

Friday night supper: Gujerati khichchari, with pinenuts.

Saturday breakfast rolls: adaptable soft roll recipe, 4:1 strong white/buckwheat flour, a touch of maple syrup, dried cranberries, turned out rather well.

Today's lunch: Scottish salmon tail fillets baked in foil with butter and lime slices; served with La Ratte potatoes boiled with salt and dill and tossed in butter, buttered spinach and baked San Marzano tomatoes.

Tags:

cooking,
recipes

aome

So I obviously fell off the DW wagon almost immediately. I really need to get better at turning to DW rather than obsessively checking IG or FB for memes, responses, etc. :-P

Since I last wrote, I started my new job as the leave-replacement librarian at our elementary school. I officially started on Jan 20 (Tues), with two days of overlap with the outgoing librarian, and then I was officially "on" by Thursday. ( Brief overview )

( The Monday Blues )

In the rest of my life: I've only been getting an average of 1 TKD lesson per week; it's been hard to find days that work with my schedule, my exhaustion level, their availability to do live streaming, etc. This past week I missed it entirely, although that's partly because I attended the NJ School Librarian Assn/NJ Library Assn conference in Atlantic City on Wed, necessitating my driving there on Tuesday night and back on Wed night, so no TKD class on either night. And in general I'm still working on doing more constructive things with my free time other than games or doomscrolling on my phone. I HAVE managed to watch all of Heated Rivalry (SO GOOD), and am midway through Bridgerton S4 (not done yet with the half that was already released). I have not gotten to see ANY of the Winter Olympics, because I'm usually doing something else when I DO get to sit down, and don't have time to just sit and WATCH something. *sadface* (The only way I watched Heated Rivalry and Bridgerton was when I was on the exercise bike/treadmill.)

It's the Chinese Year of the Horse! Both MiniPlu and Will are horses; in fact, Will is a fire horse, like this year. (Nina's a water horse.) ( In sadder news: an orphan is re-orphaned )

And speaking of death - this Thursday will be the one-year mark for my dad. Still doesn't feel real sometimes.

It's been a year since we left for NZ as well, and I wish so much I could go back. We're going to Europe over spring break this year, so it's not like we don't have something to look forward to, but still - NZ! *more sadface*

I think that's about it from here? Will do a separate post for books.

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raven

There's a feeling, I hope, a unidentifiable but deeply uncomfortable burn, felt by white women, who don't know, but should know, how many private brown group chats are typing.

And as I don't want to take on a cringe middle-class racist white woman (at this point there's about five of them that I have at various times decided not to take on, all terribly right-on, right-thinking, probably-vegan feminist pro-Palestine queer white women), that is all I have to say about that.

susandennis

My foot still hurts but it hurts WAY less and is on the mend. It's always surprising to me, the absence after something has hurt for so long. It's like a little gift. Or a big gift, if you are my foot.

I love a little Hazelnut flavor in my coffee now and again. The other day, at Safeway, I picked up a small box of Hazelnut flavored coffee pods. I brewed one yesterday for elbow coffee. I think I knew this but had forgotten. Those Hazelnut pods are HAZELNUT!!!! I wanted a hint and they are like a tsunami. BUT I drink my coffee black so, honestly, only wash my mug once in a great while so this morning's coffee had the perfect hint of Hazelnut. Win?

This morning I got up and put the comforter and pillow cases into the washing machine and changed the sheet with the help of Biggie which made it, of course, way more of a chore but it is done. And the comforter will be done in another hour. My washer has this lovely heavy bedding function. It probably does nothing special but I love having it.

Then I went to the pool and had a wonderful swim.

I have nothing on the calendar this week at all. There are baseball games every afternoon on the radio. Yesterday, they had a 'new' announcer for a few innings. I thought we had all of the worst baseball announcers already but wait, there's more! This guy was, apparently, a Mariner pitcher for a minute just before the pandemic. He talks way too fast and says absolutely nothing interesting. It hurt my ears. He said that he would be on the TV broadcasts for some games this year. Fine by me since I mute those anyway. Geesh.

I have 20 more bunnies to make before Saturday. Shouldn't be a problem. There are 2.95 done already.

I have my good book to read and tons of stuff on TV. There is a new (to me) Dawn French comedy on Paramount+ called "Can You Keep A Secret". I have two more episodes to watch. It's kind of hilarious in a very Dawn French way. She gets me.

When my brother was here, we got rid of a lot of shit and shifted and organized the rest. I could not have done it without him and it's still reaping such rewards. It's just a joy to be able to find stuff, to easily put stuff away and to have it all look so nice. My utility room went from a claustrophobic mess to a joy and the storage room... perfection. Yesterday, I shifted some stuff around so easily. I do love this apartment. But even more so now.

When the closet got redone, I took down the cat cam since I moved their beds but now Biggie has a new spot so I think I need to put it back. EASY to do since it's just on the shelf in the storage unit with the correct cable and wall wart. Soooooooo organized am I.

which_chick

Yesterday I mentioned I was attempting mini cheesecakes using the smash cake pans I had purchased some time ago. And so I attempted.

( How did that go? )

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james_davis_nicoll

Orson finds Trump's approach to Greenland unacceptable and would like the President to keep focus on core American missions, like trade wars and ethnically cleansing Minnesota.

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Profile

Telaryn

December 2018

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Page Summary

sovay - Sifting through centuries for moments of your own
james_davis_nicoll - Bundle of Holding: Mists of Akuma
marycatelli in books - Forewords and Afterwords
marycatelli in book_love - Forewords and Afterwords
oursin - That educational privilege meme thing
susandennis - Monday
which_chick - Afghan Accountability and Mexican Cartel Violence
james_davis_nicoll - A Brief Survey of Canadian Political Thrillers
larryhammer - “the day bleeds / into nightfall / and you’re not here / to get me through it all”
guildrone in beautifulmechanical - HOTEI — Another World
daily_otter_feed - The Contentedness Is Off the Charts
jazzyjj in awesomeers - Just one thing: 23 February 2026
aome - Review of 10 books while it blizzards outside my window
sovay - The bones of houses show in the summertime
oursin - Culinary
aome - Five weeks later...
raven - (no subject)
susandennis - Clicking into place
which_chick - Mini cheesecakes! A report!
james_davis_nicoll - If I am reading this correctly

Page generated 24/2/26 00:34

Style Credit

Style: Too Much Wine for Summertime by ninetydegrees
Resources: Texture by Design Shard and Icons by Romeo Barreto, John Caserta, Denis Chenu, Pedro Lalli, Marcus Michaels, P.J. Onori, Laurent Patain and Cor Tiemens from The Noun Project

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Inside Voices

Never Underestimate a Woman With the Goddess In Her Eyes

Network

Sifting through centuries for moments of your own

Bundle of Holding: Mists of Akuma

Forewords and Afterwords

Forewords and Afterwords

That educational privilege meme thing

Monday

Afghan Accountability and Mexican Cartel Violence

A Brief Survey of Canadian Political Thrillers

“the day bleeds / into nightfall / and you’re not here / to get me through it all”

HOTEI — Another World

The Contentedness Is Off the Charts

Just one thing: 23 February 2026

Review of 10 books while it blizzards outside my window

The bones of houses show in the summertime

Culinary

Five weeks later...

(no subject)

Clicking into place

Mini cheesecakes! A report!

If I am reading this correctly

Profile

December 2018

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