common_nature | Member Posts

I've been really going through it emotionally, as you can probably see from my recent posts. Life has just been weird, but also today I got my period which explains why it's been soooo intense.

But I feel like my head is clearer now. So here's a more coherent post.

Yes, I'm very upset by the slow realization some of the stuff that happened to me as a kid probably qualifies as covert incest/non physical sexual abuse. Just writing about it makes my skin crawl. But I'm no longer about to have a panic attack over it. I can hold on until my next therapy appointment. It's just gonna be really hard to talk about.

I've been feeling incredibly lonely but I'm coping a little better with it. No, I'm not doomed to die alone, I'm just in a position where friendships are a bit trickier. And it's okay to take some time figuring it out.

I watched two more movies this week and I want to talk about them.

Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person: Very fun and cute. However, I found myself a bit underwhelmed by it because I think it really wasted the opportunity to have some interesting commentary about suicidal ideation, which was soooo easy to make and I almost thought rhat's where it was going. But I think as a fantasy for depressed people it works.

I hate myself :) : This documentary pissed me off. It has an interesting premise but then it just wastes it by having nothing interesting to say. I could probably say something more about it, but it was just so obnoxious, I find it hard to put into words how much it bothered me lol.

weofodthignen

We've been spoiled by all that mild weather; today was supposed to be cooler but it still felt hot.

I'm glad somebody remembered Larry in all this politics.

mistressofmuses

I am all for Halloween 365 days a year. That's my vibe. That's my decor. That's my general aesthetic.

And I am also 1000% behind things like "Summerween" if you want an excuse to read horror over the summer/something social to rally around with it. I don't need an excuse, lol, but I'm still happy to see it.

But right now I've been getting a bunch of Halloween ads thrown at me. (Via FB or other apps where I don't have an adblocker.) Which I also wouldn't super object to - like, hey, at least it's an ad that's conceivably something I'd want. Some of the little stuff that Bath and Body Works would like to sell me is quite cute! Except that it's fucking July.

If this was a beautiful decision from any of these companies to ramp up and lean in to an extended spooky season, providing me with four months of opportunity to do some home decorating, that would be delightful. But I know that isn't the case. If stores have their Halloween stuff out now, then by next month it'll be on clearance (if it even makes it that far), and by the time October arrives and I'm really, truly engaged in wanting my Halloween fix (my "autumn devotional" season), it will be long gone, with only a horrifying sea of Christmas kitsch as far as the eye can see.

I don't want to preemptively have to buy all my Halloween stuff over the summer, even if I love it just as much now as I will in whatever will pass for fall this year. Is it so wrong to want to celebrate a season or a holiday at that time, instead of having to plan it four months early?

Bleh! I'm a cranky old person about this!

Current Mood: sleepy
Current Location: my apartment

seaglassgarden

a few weeks ago while on the bus, i caught a glimpse of three workers at a construction site. one was standing on top of a partially built structure, holding safety goggles that had snapped in half, one half in each hand. the other two were reacting to that, pointing and laughing. they were beautifully arranged, almost like a renaissance painting

id completely forgotten about it until today, when i passed the same construction site, also with three workers. i saw one of them throw an empty water bottle as hard as he could over the half-built structure

at this point, im wondering if they're building anything, or just doing (excellent) improv comedy for everyone taking the bus home

Current Mood: numb

possbert

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shadowkat

1. Another day of Canadian wildfire smoke. A brownish orange haze has descended over the city and yes, the air smells like a campfire. Not bad enough to entail a shower - also I wasn't out in it that long - about ten minutes tops at one time.

According to ABC news this morning, there are more than 839 wild fires in Canada at the moment. And the smoke has flooded into the northern US, specifically the states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Delaware, Rhode Island...and parts of Massachusetts.

Here's an interactive map of the wildfire air flow from Canada
( Read more... )

From NYC Center for Emergency Management

BERJAYA

*****

Told my brother about how my workplace's "Ethics course" had an odd ethics question.

ME: So, Crazy Org had the following question on it's ethics course: "An employee who loves the arts, has begun selling individually framed AI generated art via TikTock. And has decided to use the agency's shipping labels to ship it. Can she do that?"
Brother: So AI is generating the ethics questions for an ethics course? That tracks. LOL!

That hadn't occurred to me - but it actually explains a lot of the questions and the audio. The irony...

***
My workplace is driving me crazy again with it's ineptitude and stupidity. I'd vent about what it is? But it would be an ethics violation.

***

Twitter aka X had a tweet today that made me pause...when I stumbled upon it:

"There's a literacy crisis! And I don't mean that people can't read words, but they have no ability to see nuance, to comprehend deeper meaning, or remember what actually happened or the details, or understand analogies or metaphors."

Me (after reading one too many idiotic tweets from soap fans, and after a couple of pointless meetings at work with idiots): It's a lot more than a literacy crisis. And it's not just books. It's a critical thinking crisis. And a lack of common sense. They can't think critically, they can't analyze, they can't see themes, or understand consequences.

The Earth, in the words of the all might Rupert Giles, is Doomed.

***

In movie news?

Horror movies are doing really well. ( Read more... )

That said, I think the Odyssey may do very well. ( Read more... )

MCU keeps teasing an X-men film. ( Read more... )

There are a few on streaming..."How to Make a Killing" featuring Glenn Powell (the new hot leading man of the moment - he looks a lot like Bill Pullman) - which is actually a remake of Kind Hearts and Coronets - starring Alec Guiness (where Guiness played all the parts). (I've seen the Guiness film, just can't remember it except vaguely). Also two series, "Ride or Die" starring the female lead from Ted Lasso and Octavia Butler as best friends, the Ted Lasso female lead is an assassin. And "Lucky" starring Ana Taylor-Joy, Annette Being, Timothy Olyphant, among others.

I need to get myself out and to a movie in a movie theater. It's admittedly cheaper than live theater, although pricier than it used to be (also modern audiences are annoying?). Although I need to do that too. Time was I saw at least two-three theater productions a year. But the rising cost of Broadway shows is preventing that (along with annoying audiences). How to Fix the Broadway Financial Crisis. Part of the problem is it is too geared to the tourist crowd and not enough to residents. You can get cheaper tickets, but it requires patience, speed and being resourceful.

****

Books

I picked up a book on Kindle Unlimited and may buy at a later point, depending on whether I like it on KU. The author's published just dropped her after green-lighting a two book deal because she wasn't selling well.
It's a romancefantasy (so I'm on the fence? I prefer fantasy/mystery or sci-fantasy, with a little romance but not as the central focus.)

The author is: Shalini Abeysekara ( Read more... )

Here it is This Monster of Mine.

My difficulty is it is yet another romance fantasy featuring an 18 year old.

It is a hybrid though? A romance/fantasy/mystery about lawyers in ancient Rome.

Anyhow, I'm enjoying The Queen's Thief - mainly because the lead character is crafty and smart, and has a dry wit. The story is told in the perspective of the thief, who is a clever strategist.
It's also an intricate mystery - emphasis on mystery/fantasy not romance.

Also have completed Street of the Five Moons on audio, and moved on to Silhouette in Scarlet - which in some respects is better, but also quite similar. ( Read more... )

***
Question a Day Memage: July

15. Today is Saint Swithin’s Day, which is celebrated for its connection to weather lore. People believe that the weather on this day sets the pattern for the next 40 days. What kind of weather will you be having for the next 40 days, based on today’s weather?

Hmm, yesterday, it was overcast, some sun, some rain, and in the upper eighties, felt like the 90s, with haze from the wild fires.

So I really hope that this is a myth?

16. It’s World Snake Day – do you ever see snakes where you live? Have you ever held one?

No. I live in a residential area within a city, and the only snakes are in museums or pet stores. I did see a yellow python once. Let's see if I can find a picture of it. (And no, I didn't touch or hold it, nor have I nor do I particularly want to? I'm not afraid of them? I just have a healthy respect for not being in close proximity to one of them?)

Found the yellow python - which is the last snake that I've seen up close and personal. Clearly that man's pet and performance art piece.

BERJAYA

ysabetwordsmith

Yesterday we made a stir-fry with chicken thighs, 'Gypsy' peppers, half an onion, and Chinese 5 spice mix.

Today I'm making a crockpot dish with the remaining chicken thighs, more 'Gypsy' peppers, the other half of the onion, dried mushrooms, pigeon peas, several yellow pear tomatoes, and Xawaash spice mix.

Current Mood: accomplished

frith

I got up this morning and went out to feed the llama and found that she hadn't moseyed on over to her comfortable dry bed of wood shavings in the miniature barn but was down on a grass trail, in a sleeping position with her eyes open. She was already stiff as a board. Off to that Undiscovered Country, entering what dreams may come, eyes wide open.

I sent an email to llama guy and he came by with a trailer and a large sled a few hours later. (Free wine glasses with every certified stiff!) She was a bit heavy, I think about 150 kg at least, but a bit of rolling, pushing and sliding and she was on her way. it is better to be happy / for a moment / and be burned up with beauty / than to live a long time / and be bored all the while

come easy go easy

I went back to the feed store and returned the bag of chow I'd purchased yesterday.

I suppose, like archy, I shall have half the happiness and twice the longevity.

ysabetwordsmith

New flapping robot swims and flies like a diving bird

Loons, gulls, puffins, and petrels are some of the 100 species of birds that can both fly and swim. These diving birds can plunge in water to swim after prey, and leap back into the air to fly away.

Inspired by these naturally aquatic aviators, engineers at MIT and EPFL in Lausanne, Switzerland, have designed a robot that can swim underwater, then flap out of the water to continue flying through air, much like diving birds. The “flapping-wing aerial-aquatic vehicle,” or FAAV, weighs less than 300 grams (about half a pound) and is designed to help scientists study the mechanics that enable diving birds to fly through air and water.

The robot has a central body, or fuselage; two flexible, flapping wings; and a steerable tail. The wings and tail can be swapped out for different sizes. In experiments carried out in a water tank and at a local lake, the engineers identified combinations of wing size, flapping frequency, and tail angle that enable the robot to smoothly transition from swimming through water to breaking through the surface to flying through the air.

I am in awe. Flapping-wing flight is extremely difficult to engineer in a machine, despite all the biological examples. That it also swims is beyond amazing.

Current Mood: impressed

yourlibrarian

1) Over at

tv_talk we've got a poll for people to cast their votes for Emmy nominees, as well as add their own nominations from around the globe. It was rather interesting to go through the list and see some of the very specific categories that are run each year.

2) Ugh, so hot this week. Was in and out of the car a few times for errands and came home with takeout. Just eating hot food was making me sweat.

One plus was a new purchase. ( Read more... )

3) Argentina vs Switzerland ( Read more... )

France vs Spain ( Read more... )

England vs Argentina( Read more... )

Poll #34835 Kudos Footer-600

This poll is anonymous.
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 3

Want to leave a Kudos?

View Answers

Kudos!
3 (100.0%)

sparowe

ODB: Who Do You Need?

Jul 16, 2026/in Our Daily Bread/by YMI

July 16, 2026

READ: 1 Corinthians 12:12-14, 18, 21-27

The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” 1 Corinthians 12:21

A famous athlete sat tall in his seat as he prepared to fly to the championship bout he knew he’d win. A flight attendant walked by and said, “Sir, please fasten your seat belt.” The man smiled. “Superman don’t need no seat belt.” She replied without missing a beat, “Superman don’t need no airplane. Buckle up.” And he did.

Success can swell our heads. We don’t need a seatbelt or a flight attendant telling us what to do. We can take care of ourselves. If we bring this attitude to church, we’re like an eye that says to the hand, “I don’t need you!” or a head that says to the feet, “I don’t need you!” (1 Corinthians 12:21). The truth is, every part of the body is needed, and “those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable” (v. 22).

We’re made in the image of the triune God: the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, who thrive in an interdependent community of love. The God who exists in perfect relationship within Himself made us to be in relationship with others in life and in the church. We’re not all the same, and that’s a good thing. “If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be?” (v. 17). We’re not all the same but we’re all “indispensable” (v. 22). Who helps you at your local body of Christ? Tell them you notice, that you see them, and thank them for their service. And ask God to show you where you can serve other believers.

— Mike Wittmer

Why did God create us to need others? Who can you thank for their service to you?

Dear Jesus, please empower me to serve others from where You’ve placed me.

Source: Our Daily Bread

Current Mood: thoughtful

ysabetwordsmith

The Lot

For decades, Phoenix mandated more parking than it needed. The consequences are now impossible to ignore.

Stand in a surface parking lot in Phoenix, Arizona, on a July afternoon and you are standing on one of the hottest surfaces a human body can approach without being burned.

Well that's obviously wrong. You can definitely burn yourself on blacktop in Phoenix -- and a lot of other places. Don't touch dark things in the hot sun, especially pavement or metal. I don't know if they still do this, but Death Valley rangers used to fry eggs on a car hood as a demo, and I've seen videos of frying eggs on pavement.

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

crown_of_antlers

On the next episode of Flowers on the Plains....
( Read more... )

Current Mood: amused

marycatelli

topaz_eyes

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ysabetwordsmith

Today is partly cloudy, muggy, and hot.

I fed the birds. I've seen a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches, plus a mourning dove.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 7/16/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

I've seen a female cardinal.

EDIT 7/16/26 -- I picked 3 'Gypsy' peppers and 1 yellow pear tomato for tonight's crockpot dish.

I helped set up the mower.

EDIT 7/16/26 -- We walked around to look at the newly mowed south lot.

Red-winged blackbirds are singing.

EDIT 7/16/26 -- I did more work around the patio.

EDIT 7/16/26 -- I watered the new picnic table garden. Another sunflower is opening. One of the others looks like it has multiple buds developing. Most of the volunteers there only have a single head. Single/branching is one of the divergence points you can use when developing a landrace of sunflowers with genetic diversity. I like both kinds, and they have different advantages. One head gives you a bigger flower, more and often larger seeds, but a short bloom time. Multiple heads are smaller, often with smaller seeds, but you get a considerably longer bloom time.

Fireflies are coming out. Cicadas are singing.

EDIT 7/16/26 -- I watered the telephone pole garden.

I saw several bats flying along the driveway and road. :D

I cracked 1 black plum pit, but no seed. I cracked 4 apricot pits but only got 1 good seed. I cracked the last batch of black cherry pits and got a few good seeds. Those all went in the fridge to stratify in damp sand.

Clouds are piling up to the west and northwest. I don't know if they'll amount to anything.

As it is now dark, I am done for the night.

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

You've probably noticed this trope:

Tertiary Sexual Characteristics
alt title(s): Put A Bow On Her Head
Wayne: So what exactly is the difference between Pac-Man and Mrs. Pac-Man?
Noah: Well, she's got a bow on her head!
— Waynes World
Roy Knable: Boy, this is strange! [after being turned into cartoon mice]
Helen Knable: Strange? I'm a cartoon mouse wearing high-heel running shoes. The word "strange" is somewhat lacking.
— Stay Tuned
When they must assign gender to animals, inanimate objects, or even abstract concepts, writers and artists have hit upon an ingenious solution: Put A Bow On Her Head!

And here is what that kind of visual signal tends to mean in zoology...

( Read more... )

Current Mood: amused

abuela

dinozayats теперь тоже с нами, переходит сюда из жж, прошу любить, жаловать и помогать освоиться))

фото здесь загружаются так:

альбом виден только себе. С остальным, возможно, разберётесь сами, а если нет, то ответим на вопросы.

badly_knitted

Title: Another Challenge
Fandom: The Fantastic Journey
Author:

badly_knitted
Characters: Scott, Fred, Willaway, Varian, Liana.
Rating: PG
Setting: After the series.
Summary: Entering a new zone, the travellers find there’s now a huge mountain in their path. What are they going to do?
Word Count: 1665
Written For: Challenge 512: Obstacle at

fan_flashworks.
Disclaimer: I don’t own The Fantastic Journey, or the characters. They belong to their creators.

( Another Challenge... )

Current Mood: tired
Current Location: my desk

badly_knitted

Title: Mystery Street
Author:

badly_knitted
Characters: Jack.
Rating: PG
Word Count: 629
Spoilers: Nada.
Summary: Jack knows every inch of Cardiff, but once in a while, he finds himself on a street that isn’t always there.
Written For:

ravenlilyrose’s prompt ‘any, any, a street that sometimes doesn't exist’, at

threesentenceficathon.
Disclaimer: I don’t own Torchwood, or the characters.

( Mystery Street... )

Current Mood: tired
Current Location: my desk

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Common Nature

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don't fear the daystar

Member Posts

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D.O.P.-T.

Too soon!

construction site

More house hunting

Wildfires, Movies, Bookes, Mememage..and Ethics courses written by AI, Oh My.

Today's Cooking

From Whose Bourn No Traveller Returns

Robotics

Final Weekend

YMI -- ODB: 16 July 2026

ODB: Who Do You Need?

Communities

Sneak Peek Time Again

Nadine and the Bittersweet Disposition

Doctor Who Fanfiction: "To Catch The Moon"

Birdfeeding

Gender

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The Fantastic Journey Fic: Another Challenge

Ficlet: Mystery Street

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July 2026

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