![[syndicated profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/feed.png){kind=small}
More Friends Of Uncle Jeffy
Feb. 13th, 2026 07:58 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
poliphilo Michael Wolf says he met the Dalai Lama at Uncle Jeffy's New York pad only his Holiness's office says he had no contact whatsoever with Uncle Jeffy.
Know what, I'm inclined to believe Michael because he's got nothing much to gain or lose by putting this out there.
And if his Holiness is telling a fib that's not very holy of him.
Looks like I'm going to have to cross him off my Christmas card list.
Same goes for Deepak Chopra.
It's a mistake to be calling people "Holiness" or treating them like a guru. Fact remains that no-one walking this earth is ever more than a human being. Spiritual (so called) power is no less corrupting than political power.
Priestly hierarchies? Pah!
Anyone can talk spirituality. I can talk spirituality. Doesn't mean I'm living it.
Know what, I'm inclined to believe Michael because he's got nothing much to gain or lose by putting this out there.
And if his Holiness is telling a fib that's not very holy of him.
Looks like I'm going to have to cross him off my Christmas card list.
Same goes for Deepak Chopra.
It's a mistake to be calling people "Holiness" or treating them like a guru. Fact remains that no-one walking this earth is ever more than a human being. Spiritual (so called) power is no less corrupting than political power.
Priestly hierarchies? Pah!
Anyone can talk spirituality. I can talk spirituality. Doesn't mean I'm living it.
The Listeners - Maggie Stiefvater
Feb. 12th, 2026 10:29 pmtroisoiseauxRead The Listeners by Maggie Stiefvater, better known for writing YA fantasy (my best beloved, the Raven Cycle, among others); her first novel for adults, this is fantasy-tinged historical fiction, set in the early days of the U.S.'s involvement in WWII, at a luxury hotel in West Virginia— famous for its "sweetwater" springs, believed to have healing/magical properties— which has been requisitioned by the government for the white-gloved detention of Axis diplomats and their families. I am... not entirely sure how I feel about this book? I enjoyed it, in a no brain cells, just vibes kind of way, but I did actually have a few brain cells on the clock and so there are some narrative choices I'm still chewing over, not entirely sure about the taste. It reminded me of Amor Towles' A Gentlemen in Moscow, for the obvious similarity of "life in a luxury hotel during a historical turning point" and in the way it wears its historical setting lightly, more interested in developing its (admittedly interesting) characters: the hotel's capable general manager, local-girl-made-good June Hudson; the FBI agent in charge of a surveillance operation at the hotel, who has tried to distance himself from his own West Virginia roots; the nonverbal, autistic daughter of a Nazi attaché (...yeah). I had, in A Gentlemen in Moscow, been struck by a sense of something near-supernatural in the protagonist's luck; in this one, the magic is real, as is the magic ex machina of the ending. ( ... ) On the other hand, this reminded me less of Kate Atkinson's Transcription than I'd expected, although having skimmed the Wikipedia page for Transcription, it turns out that I remembered way less of that novel than I thought I did, so possibly a moot point. (My point is that I feel like there was less espionage than advertised.)
Daily Happiness
Feb. 12th, 2026 06:36 pmtorachan1. They finally fixed the broken restroom at work! The store does not have enough restrooms. There is one set of gendered multi-stall employee restrooms upstairs, but the men's has only one stall. Downstairs there are multi-stall restrooms by the food court (two stalls in the men's) and two single toilet gender neutral ones on the other side of the store. The single toilet ones are closest to me now that my desk moved, as I just have to pop downstairs and it's right there, but due to some issues with the door/door frame, one of them has been closed since early December, and it has been so awful, especially during the holiday season. But now the door is finally fixed and both are open, so the days I've been at the store this week, there hasn't been a single time where I've had to wait for a toilet. Huzzah!
2. I made an appointment for my tattoo touch-up, now that it's fully healed. Since I'll be out of town half the week next week, I just asked for something the week after, and got set up for two weeks from today.
3. I usually take my lunch to work, but didn't have anything quick and easy to take today, so I planned to buy something, and remembered that they just introduced a roast beef salad, so I got that. It was really good! The dressing said it was truffle wasabi but neither flavor was very strong. I don't care about truffle at all, but I do like wasabi, and could have stood for it to be a bit tangier but I liked it. In addition to the beef and greens, it also had asparagus, baby corn, and tomatoes.
3. Chloe in the blankets again! (The previous picture I posted of her with her head sticking out from the blanket is now my most popular post on bluesky with like 1.7K likes. I normally get like ten lol. I think my previous most popular photos were a couple hundred?)
2. I made an appointment for my tattoo touch-up, now that it's fully healed. Since I'll be out of town half the week next week, I just asked for something the week after, and got set up for two weeks from today.
3. I usually take my lunch to work, but didn't have anything quick and easy to take today, so I planned to buy something, and remembered that they just introduced a roast beef salad, so I got that. It was really good! The dressing said it was truffle wasabi but neither flavor was very strong. I don't care about truffle at all, but I do like wasabi, and could have stood for it to be a bit tangier but I liked it. In addition to the beef and greens, it also had asparagus, baby corn, and tomatoes.
3. Chloe in the blankets again! (The previous picture I posted of her with her head sticking out from the blanket is now my most popular post on bluesky with like 1.7K likes. I normally get like ten lol. I think my previous most popular photos were a couple hundred?)
this and that
Feb. 12th, 2026 07:21 pmchazzbannerI wanted fresh air again today! This time I planned my route: up to the blvd., over, down, cross the avenue, past JCs and the library, around the corner thirty feet or so, backtrack to the intersection, south up the hill, right to the RC Church, backtrack to the intersection and up the (other) hill to my apartment building. Twenty minutes. :-)
Well, that makes sense to me. :-)
Last week on FaceTime I was trying to explain how I used to do mathematical manuscript typing in the Econ department. This was long before PCs, of course, and we even have Selectrics, where you could exchange one 'ball' for another. After some googling I found a description of what I used, though I hadn't remembered the name. They looked like plastic forks with the tines cut off, and a symbol attached. I could find no close-up photo, alas.
"Typits" (1960s-1970s): A common, intermediate tool for typing complex math. It involved small, detachable symbols (Typit sticks) that were placed onto a special prong on the typewriter, allowing the typist to insert symbols one by one."
I went to Lunds today for milk and yogurt. The cashier was charmed by my reusable bag, white with design of many yellow wellies. I explained that it honored the RNLI, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.. I bought it in Hastings (Sussex).
Interesting point: Hastings, Minnesota is not named after the town in Sussex, but after the middle name of the first territorial governor of Minnesota, Henry Hastings Sibley. Apparently the name was one of a number of suggestions, and was chosen by being drawn out of a hat!
-
Well, that makes sense to me. :-)
Last week on FaceTime I was trying to explain how I used to do mathematical manuscript typing in the Econ department. This was long before PCs, of course, and we even have Selectrics, where you could exchange one 'ball' for another. After some googling I found a description of what I used, though I hadn't remembered the name. They looked like plastic forks with the tines cut off, and a symbol attached. I could find no close-up photo, alas.
"Typits" (1960s-1970s): A common, intermediate tool for typing complex math. It involved small, detachable symbols (Typit sticks) that were placed onto a special prong on the typewriter, allowing the typist to insert symbols one by one."
I went to Lunds today for milk and yogurt. The cashier was charmed by my reusable bag, white with design of many yellow wellies. I explained that it honored the RNLI, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.. I bought it in Hastings (Sussex).
Interesting point: Hastings, Minnesota is not named after the town in Sussex, but after the middle name of the first territorial governor of Minnesota, Henry Hastings Sibley. Apparently the name was one of a number of suggestions, and was chosen by being drawn out of a hat!
-
Seasons of Drabbles gift and fic!
Feb. 12th, 2026 06:46 pmalchemiseApparently the theme of this Seasons of Drabbles' round for me was the women of Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency, and I absolutely love it.
First up, I received delightful rareship porn. :D
Triquetra (300 words) by embraidery
Fandom: Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (TV 2016)
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Amanda Brotzman/Litzibitz Trost, Bigby Badoo/Amanda Brotzman, Bigby Badoo/Amanda Brotzman/Litzibitz Trost
Additional Tags: Established Relationship, Throuples | Triad Relationships, Polyamory, Cunnilingus, Strap-Ons
Summary: Amanda and her girlfriends.
I wrote a double drabble of Farah character study.
Dream Job (200 words) by alchemise
Fandom: Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (TV 2016)
Characters: Farah Black
Additional Tags: Double Drabble, Character Study
Summary: When she was young, Farah wanted to be a cop.
( fic behind the cut! )
First up, I received delightful rareship porn. :D
Triquetra (300 words) by embraidery
Fandom: Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (TV 2016)
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Amanda Brotzman/Litzibitz Trost, Bigby Badoo/Amanda Brotzman, Bigby Badoo/Amanda Brotzman/Litzibitz Trost
Additional Tags: Established Relationship, Throuples | Triad Relationships, Polyamory, Cunnilingus, Strap-Ons
Summary: Amanda and her girlfriends.
I wrote a double drabble of Farah character study.
Dream Job (200 words) by alchemise
Fandom: Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (TV 2016)
Characters: Farah Black
Additional Tags: Double Drabble, Character Study
Summary: When she was young, Farah wanted to be a cop.
( fic behind the cut! )
10trueloves: mask
Feb. 12th, 2026 06:02 pmsenmutAO3 Link | The Morning After (300 words) by Merfilly
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Birds of Prey
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Barbara Gordon/Dinah Lance
Characters: Dinah Lance, Barbara Gordon
Additional Tags: Triple Drabble, +Modern Age (1986-Present), Post-Crisis, [Birds of Prey Vol. 1 - 1999-2009]
Summary:
Dinah reached across the bed to find it empty. The transfer assist was already stowed, and the bed was cold. She sighed softly to herself, knowing she could not actually complain. Just because they had chosen to go to bed together, to take another step in their partnership didn't mean the demands on Oracle were any less.
She got up, carefully stowing her costume into the duffel bag, then slipped into her gym clothes, with a shirt that said "Certified Wildcat" on it. She wondered if that particular honorary uncle would be up in New York or working on the new gym he was opening down here today.
It would be easier to spend the morning after punching things, after all. Dinah just wasn't ready to decide if this was serious, if she was strong enough to share a hero's life again.
"You really are a piece of work, Junior. Should've thought of that before you seduced her last night," she muttered to herself.
Once she had her tennis shoes tied, she grabbed the bag and headed out of the bedroom, listening to the tap of keys as she got closer to Oracle's workspace. Really, what the hell had she been thinking? Barbara was closer to Roy in age, she was always handling some fire or other, and … Dinah didn't live a peaceful life.
"Give me five to get some vital connections made for Mr. Terrific, and we can grab breakfast," Barbara called over her shoulder, not really looking at the woman that had almost convinced herself this was a mistake.
Almost.
The offer of such a domestic moment after what they had shared hit Dinah in the pit of her stomach, before she grabbed her courage.
"I'll go see what's appetizing," Dinah said, putting the bag down to stay.
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Birds of Prey
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Barbara Gordon/Dinah Lance
Characters: Dinah Lance, Barbara Gordon
Additional Tags: Triple Drabble, +Modern Age (1986-Present), Post-Crisis, [Birds of Prey Vol. 1 - 1999-2009]
Summary:
It's the morning after, and doubt hits.
The Morning After
Dinah reached across the bed to find it empty. The transfer assist was already stowed, and the bed was cold. She sighed softly to herself, knowing she could not actually complain. Just because they had chosen to go to bed together, to take another step in their partnership didn't mean the demands on Oracle were any less.
She got up, carefully stowing her costume into the duffel bag, then slipped into her gym clothes, with a shirt that said "Certified Wildcat" on it. She wondered if that particular honorary uncle would be up in New York or working on the new gym he was opening down here today.
It would be easier to spend the morning after punching things, after all. Dinah just wasn't ready to decide if this was serious, if she was strong enough to share a hero's life again.
"You really are a piece of work, Junior. Should've thought of that before you seduced her last night," she muttered to herself.
Once she had her tennis shoes tied, she grabbed the bag and headed out of the bedroom, listening to the tap of keys as she got closer to Oracle's workspace. Really, what the hell had she been thinking? Barbara was closer to Roy in age, she was always handling some fire or other, and … Dinah didn't live a peaceful life.
"Give me five to get some vital connections made for Mr. Terrific, and we can grab breakfast," Barbara called over her shoulder, not really looking at the woman that had almost convinced herself this was a mistake.
Almost.
The offer of such a domestic moment after what they had shared hit Dinah in the pit of her stomach, before she grabbed her courage.
"I'll go see what's appetizing," Dinah said, putting the bag down to stay.
February LOVE-fest: Day 12: Long distance love
Feb. 12th, 2026 05:24 pmstonepicnicking_okapi1. first love
2. friendship
3. love of nature
4. passion
5. soulmates
6. unrequited love
7. lust
8. love of the game
9. devotion
10. love of food
11. polyamory
12. long distance love
13. lovesickness
14. romantic love
15. love of place
16. marriage
17. love of order and method
18. divine love
19. platonic love
20. infatuation
21. maternal love
22. obsession
23. agape
24. love of animals
25. unconditional love
26. forbidden love
27. ecstasy
28. the beloved
---
I am reading This is the Honey an anthology of contemporary Black poets edited by Kwame Alexander. I found 3 poems about long distance love but I couldn't find cut-and-paste versions so I had to type them and the third one was too long (distant lover #1 [my michigan bed remix--for ellen g] by Brian Gilmore).
I wish my love were here by Kurtis Lamkin
I wish my love was here
She would know what to do with such a day
She would wipe the sun and sea from her shoulders
And rub them deep into my palms, and
When the salt and sand was gone
She would kiss my hands and say "there..."
I wish she was here
I know she is in me
Even amid the crashing and foaming around me,
Her tenderest sigh.
I am not alone
But I miss her. I miss her so much. And I don't know what to do.
She would know, my love, if she was here.
tripping by Van G. Garrett
kwanasaba
one time I drove across the country
to see a woman i met once
and knew well in letters and photos
before sleek fancy phones and fast tools
when postage stamps were not a quarter
and a tank of gas took you
to the light arms of your dreams
2. friendship
3. love of nature
4. passion
5. soulmates
6. unrequited love
7. lust
8. love of the game
9. devotion
10. love of food
11. polyamory
12. long distance love
13. lovesickness
14. romantic love
15. love of place
16. marriage
17. love of order and method
18. divine love
19. platonic love
20. infatuation
21. maternal love
22. obsession
23. agape
24. love of animals
25. unconditional love
26. forbidden love
27. ecstasy
28. the beloved
---
I am reading This is the Honey an anthology of contemporary Black poets edited by Kwame Alexander. I found 3 poems about long distance love but I couldn't find cut-and-paste versions so I had to type them and the third one was too long (distant lover #1 [my michigan bed remix--for ellen g] by Brian Gilmore).
I wish my love were here by Kurtis Lamkin
I wish my love was here
She would know what to do with such a day
She would wipe the sun and sea from her shoulders
And rub them deep into my palms, and
When the salt and sand was gone
She would kiss my hands and say "there..."
I wish she was here
I know she is in me
Even amid the crashing and foaming around me,
Her tenderest sigh.
I am not alone
But I miss her. I miss her so much. And I don't know what to do.
She would know, my love, if she was here.
tripping by Van G. Garrett
kwanasaba
one time I drove across the country
to see a woman i met once
and knew well in letters and photos
before sleek fancy phones and fast tools
when postage stamps were not a quarter
and a tank of gas took you
to the light arms of your dreams
now the touch is made
Feb. 12th, 2026 05:20 pmmusesfoolI am very tired. I took tomorrow off and we're closed on Monday, so I have a 4-day weekend and I am looking forward to not having to deal with several varieties of annoying co-worker (e.g., one who expects me to show up and take minutes at a meeting I was never even invited to [it's tomorrow, though, so my boss informed them I would be on vacation and someone else would have to do it]; one who insists I fill out paperwork I have already filled out and submitted - they went silent when I emailed the signed form back with the email from the day I sent it and then the invoice got paid so I guess I can't complain too much; one who feels the need to do everything by phone when email would suffice, etc.).
I've got some fun cooking plans - hopefully I get some sausage tomorrow and can make that pasta dish, but I have also been struck with the idea of making calzones, so I might do that (on Monday if not tomorrow, maybe). I took some pork ribs out of the freezer and plan to do char siu on Saturday and char siu bao on Sunday, and I might also take a crack at making some doughnuts. Depends on how much I feel like deep frying I guess. Maybe I'll make cranberry curd and fill them with that. Who can say? It might just end up being raspberry jam or pastry cream. All of it sounds good to me.
*
I've got some fun cooking plans - hopefully I get some sausage tomorrow and can make that pasta dish, but I have also been struck with the idea of making calzones, so I might do that (on Monday if not tomorrow, maybe). I took some pork ribs out of the freezer and plan to do char siu on Saturday and char siu bao on Sunday, and I might also take a crack at making some doughnuts. Depends on how much I feel like deep frying I guess. Maybe I'll make cranberry curd and fill them with that. Who can say? It might just end up being raspberry jam or pastry cream. All of it sounds good to me.
*
(no subject)
Feb. 12th, 2026 04:29 pmmajuSuddenly I'm liking this chromebook a whole lot more. Yesterday when I tried the usual gmail method of "add another account" it wouldn't take me to the second account even though when I tried to add it again I got the message that that account already existed on this computer. However, just now I went back to my gmail account and found that my daughter's account had miraculously been added while my back was turned. So now this can function as my travel computer because I will be able to do my daughter's work stuff from it.
Intersection of Magic: the Gathering and the Olympics
Feb. 12th, 2026 02:38 pmbrithistorianThe other night on the Olympic broadcast[^1], US figure skater Amber Glenn said in an interview that she is a huge fan of Magic: the Gathering and also that she is queer. So of course I had to make a custom Magic card of her!
[^1] For those of you in the US who are streaming on Peacock, it was during the women's free skate section of the team competition.
(no subject)
Feb. 12th, 2026 03:31 pmmajuI'm using my new chromebook, which I don't love as much as I expected to. The main drawback is that it won't let me link to my daughter's work email and drive through my own gmail as I've been doing for years on various other computers; I have to sign in as a separate user, and to do that I have to sign out of my own account. I'm trying to think of ways to get around this but so far with no success.
I actually left the house this morning; I walked to the supermarket to buy Valentine's cards for the girls. The route was slightly icy in some spots and there were a couple of places where I had to scramble over a pile of old snow to get to the cleared footpath. The worst section was the section from the main road up to the supermarket, maybe a hundred metres or so. There is a footpath along that section but it had not been cleared, so I had to walk on the side of the road. This town seriously doesn't care about pedestrians. Really, why couldn't they have cleared the one part of the footpath where people are most likely to be wanting to walk? (Never mind that the majority of the roads don't even have footpaths.)
I actually left the house this morning; I walked to the supermarket to buy Valentine's cards for the girls. The route was slightly icy in some spots and there were a couple of places where I had to scramble over a pile of old snow to get to the cleared footpath. The worst section was the section from the main road up to the supermarket, maybe a hundred metres or so. There is a footpath along that section but it had not been cleared, so I had to walk on the side of the road. This town seriously doesn't care about pedestrians. Really, why couldn't they have cleared the one part of the footpath where people are most likely to be wanting to walk? (Never mind that the majority of the roads don't even have footpaths.)
The Last Hour Between Worlds
Feb. 12th, 2026 11:30 amboxofdelightsAs always, the first thing that hit me was the smell of thousands of herbs and flowers, a dry, green, enticing smell that got into my lungs and soothed the world away, mortal peril forgotten. A warm light bathed the place, shining from several living octopus-like creatures tangled in the ceiling beams. Rows and rows of hundreds of little tins and jars lined the walls, all of them labeled in Laemura's spidery handwriting: Apple Mint Innocence. Lavender Regret. Smoky Cinnamon Vengeance. Doomed Foreknowledge With Toasted Walnut And Sage.
from The Last Hour Between Worlds, by Melissa Caruso
media update
Feb. 12th, 2026 01:11 pmomensTV: finished season 1 of 1670 with Kelly but then got sidetracked before continuing with season 2, the part I actually haven't seen. Have to get back on track!
Finished Amphibia and misted up a bit. That was a good show & I enjoyed it. I liked having a ten years later glimpse ;-;
Finished Hilda and also enjoyed that! They crammed so much backstory into the last few episodes, wow. I would have loved to see more seasons! I liked that they grew. Physically, I mean, but also, yk, in other ways. My biggest complaint at the start of the show was that I couldn't stand David's baby voice, and I don't even know when it changed but now I'm like oh obviously it was intentional :D all season three he is constantly eating something because he's a 13yo boy now, lolol.
I'm midway through Way of the House Husband, which is very lulzy.
Books: I remember reading. Kinda. Sorta. (Trying to come up with a plan to bring back reading in English without feeling like I should be doing something else because there are many books I want to be reading!!)
Games: still playing ACNH, still annoyed it's still snowy >:/
Music: this bad bunny parody about Canadian winters made me lol :P
In other music news, a lot of recs for Mexican emo on reddit today, I am time traveling, here. I don't think I will stick it out but I am enjoying the trip :D
Writing: I wrote?????? LOL. It was fun. A lil idea that's going nowhere, but I enjoyed writing a few hundred words about it. Been a long time!!
Finished Amphibia and misted up a bit. That was a good show & I enjoyed it. I liked having a ten years later glimpse ;-;
Finished Hilda and also enjoyed that! They crammed so much backstory into the last few episodes, wow. I would have loved to see more seasons! I liked that they grew. Physically, I mean, but also, yk, in other ways. My biggest complaint at the start of the show was that I couldn't stand David's baby voice, and I don't even know when it changed but now I'm like oh obviously it was intentional :D all season three he is constantly eating something because he's a 13yo boy now, lolol.
I'm midway through Way of the House Husband, which is very lulzy.
Books: I remember reading. Kinda. Sorta. (Trying to come up with a plan to bring back reading in English without feeling like I should be doing something else because there are many books I want to be reading!!)
Games: still playing ACNH, still annoyed it's still snowy >:/
Music: this bad bunny parody about Canadian winters made me lol :P
In other music news, a lot of recs for Mexican emo on reddit today, I am time traveling, here. I don't think I will stick it out but I am enjoying the trip :D
Writing: I wrote?????? LOL. It was fun. A lil idea that's going nowhere, but I enjoyed writing a few hundred words about it. Been a long time!!
Those best-laid plans
Feb. 12th, 2026 06:15 pmnayeMe, after last post: I'll make a post with my vids when I have a little more time! :)
My house: *floods*
Me: :(
...okay it wasn't quite that dramatic. Only almost. Including waking to insistent beeping at 3:30am to find no lights working, the fridge (which was the insistently beeping thing) blinking a warning that it was losing electricity, and a plant light flickering like a haunted thing.
Now, we have had to check the fuses before, but not in the middle of a freezing night with a foot of snow outside. (The electrical main is on the outside of the house.) So that was an experience! But we did find a main fuse had flipped off, so flipped it back on.
And then, just as I was settling in for my half day at work (I am also on sick leave 50% because of a very bad... seven months) I got a text from my husband with pictures of our basement flooded with sewer water, and our heating pump freaking out.
Oh, and it was his birthday.
Hahah. Ha.
We've been homeowners for three years, and this was the biggest "fuck fuck what do we do agh fuck" moment so far! Fortunately our home insurance company knew who to call to start un-flooding the basement, and it is literally just a little storage room with its own door, not a furnished basement or even connected to the upstairs in any way. (We had some bad smell in the bathroom above it, but nothing that spread further after I covered the drain and put a plate of vinegar out.) So we didn't lose anything important!
We did start freaking out a bit about the heating pump, for obvious reasons of a heating system being something you don't want breaking in the middle of winter, but our electrician literally sold us the house, and he was able to come around within a few hours of getting my call.
So by 2pm, our basement was scrubbed clean and was being dried by an industrial fan, and all of the secret fuses we had not remembered existed had been replaced/switched back on. Heat worked! Electricity worked! Just the way we and the kitties like it.
The root cause for all of this was a randomly blocked sewer pipe that we had to pay to have unclogged by a vacuum truck, but discovering an emergency during office hours is great for getting a good rate on that sort of thing!
Now to research whether or not it's worth getting some kind of check valve or something installed in that particular basement floor drain.
...and at some point I will also have the time and energy to post the vids I made. But for now, that's what's happening over here! Hope everyone else is having a much less exciting week.
My house: *floods*
Me: :(
...okay it wasn't quite that dramatic. Only almost. Including waking to insistent beeping at 3:30am to find no lights working, the fridge (which was the insistently beeping thing) blinking a warning that it was losing electricity, and a plant light flickering like a haunted thing.
Now, we have had to check the fuses before, but not in the middle of a freezing night with a foot of snow outside. (The electrical main is on the outside of the house.) So that was an experience! But we did find a main fuse had flipped off, so flipped it back on.
And then, just as I was settling in for my half day at work (I am also on sick leave 50% because of a very bad... seven months) I got a text from my husband with pictures of our basement flooded with sewer water, and our heating pump freaking out.
Oh, and it was his birthday.
Hahah. Ha.
We've been homeowners for three years, and this was the biggest "fuck fuck what do we do agh fuck" moment so far! Fortunately our home insurance company knew who to call to start un-flooding the basement, and it is literally just a little storage room with its own door, not a furnished basement or even connected to the upstairs in any way. (We had some bad smell in the bathroom above it, but nothing that spread further after I covered the drain and put a plate of vinegar out.) So we didn't lose anything important!
We did start freaking out a bit about the heating pump, for obvious reasons of a heating system being something you don't want breaking in the middle of winter, but our electrician literally sold us the house, and he was able to come around within a few hours of getting my call.
So by 2pm, our basement was scrubbed clean and was being dried by an industrial fan, and all of the secret fuses we had not remembered existed had been replaced/switched back on. Heat worked! Electricity worked! Just the way we and the kitties like it.
The root cause for all of this was a randomly blocked sewer pipe that we had to pay to have unclogged by a vacuum truck, but discovering an emergency during office hours is great for getting a good rate on that sort of thing!
Now to research whether or not it's worth getting some kind of check valve or something installed in that particular basement floor drain.
...and at some point I will also have the time and energy to post the vids I made. But for now, that's what's happening over here! Hope everyone else is having a much less exciting week.
Satanic
Feb. 12th, 2026 09:17 ampoliphilo Andrew Bridgen described Tony Blair as looking these days like "a devil sick of sin".
"Now where's that from?" I asked myself- and had to look it up.
It's Wilfred Owen, of course, and the context is quite other. Still how well it fits. The full quote is, "His hanging face, like a devil's sick of sin." Now, isn't that Blair to a T.
Do we end up with the faces we deserve? Do saints end up looking like saints and reet bastards like reet bastards? Can you spot a wrong'un by one glance at his/her dial? Do we become our own Dorian Gray portraits, with our crimes writ large in our wrinkles?
Probably not.
And yet, and yet.... Blair who started off as a fairly presentable young man (though there was always a glint in his eyes) is now hideous. And a lot of people of the Epstein class are pretty ugly too.
At this point I was going to post a recent picture of Blair but held my hand.
For a couple of reasons.
1. Copyright.
2. I just didn't want to deface this blog with that awful, grinning Satanic mask......
"Now where's that from?" I asked myself- and had to look it up.
It's Wilfred Owen, of course, and the context is quite other. Still how well it fits. The full quote is, "His hanging face, like a devil's sick of sin." Now, isn't that Blair to a T.
Do we end up with the faces we deserve? Do saints end up looking like saints and reet bastards like reet bastards? Can you spot a wrong'un by one glance at his/her dial? Do we become our own Dorian Gray portraits, with our crimes writ large in our wrinkles?
Probably not.
And yet, and yet.... Blair who started off as a fairly presentable young man (though there was always a glint in his eyes) is now hideous. And a lot of people of the Epstein class are pretty ugly too.
At this point I was going to post a recent picture of Blair but held my hand.
For a couple of reasons.
1. Copyright.
2. I just didn't want to deface this blog with that awful, grinning Satanic mask......