serafaery | Reading

1. The other day we watched a video about German supermarket food and there were a couple items we wanted to try, so I googled to see if there were any German markets neary and there is a place within walking distance that says it's a European market and cafe, so we decided to take a walk down there this morning. It turns out it is mostly German stuff and although the market part of it is about the size of my bedroom, they did have those items (red cabbage and apple pickle, and a plum jam) as well as a couple others. The cafe part was very busy and had no open tables, and also the menu seemed very heavy and we didn't want a big meal right then, even to share, so we skipped that part, but as we walked a couple blocks down the street we came across a French cafe and poked our heads in there and ended up getting a jamon beaurre (super delicious) and a cherry cheese tart (also super delicious). There was also a little Italian shop next to the German one, though they were closed for some reason even though the hours said it should be open, so I guess that part of the street is a random little collection of European shops lol.

2. Years ago when we used to walk down to the mall and stuff all the time we would pass this Caribbean restaurant that we always said we should check it out and never did. That was like 20+ years ago, and then a few months ago we watched a video where a guy walked the length of Santa Monica and tried out several different eateries on the way and that was one of them! We were glad to see it was still in business and vowed to check it out for real this time. Well, it was on our route today to the German market, so we stopped by to make sure they are still still in business, and then tonight we decided to order from there. Everything was delicious and we will definitely be eating there again.

3. Molly's always being such a cutie.

michaelboy

Everything before us, returned again
by letting it go, to know it is the same
where you found me in a memory of you
spreading a worn cloth of linsey-woolsey
and lunch wrapped in checkered dish towels
The spruce still grows there and its roots
clutch the smooth stepping stones unevenly
in their own recall of the blush in trembling
This small house was little more than a cabin
and was made from where it will forever spring

michaelboy

In college, one of my favorite subjects was Electrical Engineering. I had a great professor and even though there were tons of numerical calculations utilizing simultaneous and differential equations, Fourier and Laplace Transforms, Thevenin’s and Kirchoff’s laws and the like, I did enjoy the class immensely and briefly considered getting a Master’s in this line. I’ve forgotten most of this subject matter but I recall having a fondness for the Mesh Current Method which utilized sets of simultaneous equations, Kirchoff’s and Ohm’s laws to solve for unknown currents in a DC power network

yourlibrarian posting in

common_nature

3 for the Memories' 2025 session will be open for posts on January 3, 2026 and will run for 3 weeks until January 24. Event participation is as follows:

1) Three photos only per person during each annual session. Members are encouraged to discuss the reason for their choices.

2) Photos can be hosted at Dreamwidth or elsewhere, and should not be larger than 800 px width or height.

3) All three photos should be in the same post. Cut tags should be placed after the first photo.

3 for the Memories is not a competition, and entries are not being judged. Rather, participants are encouraged to share photos they took in 2025 that they find meaningful in some way or which represent how they experienced the year.

Questions? Visit the announcement post at

threeforthememories

oglaf_comic_feed

https://www.oglaf.com/tsa2025/

torachan

1. We had a nice lunch at Knott's today. I'm glad we were able to get over there one more time before the end of the holiday season as they have some really good seasonal offerings on the menu right now.

2. No rain! It's so nice to have a dry day. It was sunny but not hot. Looks like we're supposed to have rain again by the end of next week into the week after, but at least we have a few dry days in between.

3. We went over to Handel's tonight to get some peppermint bark ice cream but they are out. The girl at the counter said they might still get some in, but she wasn't sure. At least it's close enough and on the general path of our neighborhood walks that we can pop in here and there to see if they've got it back. We did get some other flavors to bring home, including gingerbread cookie, which I hope is as good as the peppermint bark.

4. I've had some sweaty nights lately (fun) so decided to wash my whole pillow rather than just the pillowcase, but this new pillow is a pain in the ass to wash. Well, the washing is fine, it's the drying. It's got this fiber fill stuff that just does not want to dry, even after multiple goes in the dryer. Finally I hit on the idea of taking the filling out and spreading it out between these four mesh laundry bags we have and drying it like that, which I think will do the trick. For one thing, the mesh bags will get heat to the filling much easier than the thick pillow exterior, plus dividing it into four bags will help spread the filling out so there's not this inner core that's just not getting dry. Fingers crossed! I do have an old pillow I can use tonight if this doesn't get dry, but I've still got a few hours until bedtime.

5. Chloe's such a sweetie. *_*

torachan

Recently Finished
Either Side of Midnight
Sequel to Trust Me When I Lie. This was good, but I do enjoy the Ernest Cunningham series better.

Murder Under Her Skin
Second in the Pentecost and Parker series. Just okay. I'll read more in this series, but it's not a priority.

Damn Straight
Another second book in a murder mystery series. This one the Lillian Byrd series. Same as above, I liked it well enough that I'll continue the series, but I'm not rushing out to read the next one.

Star Trek: Lower Decks, Vol. 1: Second Contact
There's a new series of Lower Decks comics! In fact, there's enough issues for a second volume, too, though it's not coming out until next year. My issue with these is the same with every comic based on a cartoon, which is that they're never quite as good as the show. They're enjoyable enough, though.

My Home Hero vol. 20-22

torachan

It was a busy day at the park, being a holiday weekend plus the first sunny day in a while. The park opens at nine and we got down there around 9:45 and the line for parking was super backed up, but thankfully the ADA lot still had a ton of spaces left, so once we finally got to it, it was easy to get a spot. The lines for the front gates were probably the longest I've seen, but still moved pretty smoothly.

( Read more... )

I think this will be our last amusement park visit of the year. We're planning on Disneyland on the 1st, but it's supposed to rain again, so we'll see.

This year my totals are 79 at Disneyland (including 4 at Tokyo Disney), 4 at Knott's, and 2 at Universal Studios. That's a lot! O_o

soricel

So I'm going to try to do this Fannish 50 thing! Because I'm nearing the end of the Dreamer Trilogy, I'm thinking of going back through the Raven Cycle chapter by chapter, choosing one quote per week, and writing about it using these prompts. I definitely won't get through all of the books by the end of the year at this rate, but I think it'll be a good way to think more deeply about some of the characters and themes...and who knows, maybe I'll carry it over into 2027. Or maybe I'll fizzle out way before that! We'll seeee!

torachan

1. It rained a little bit off and on today, but mostly off. Aside from taking a few walks in the neighborhood, we just stayed home anyway, so it didn't really matter, but I've had enough rain for now.

2. Carla made a super delicious dinner tonight. A beef roast and cheesy potatoes, steamed broccoli (the least exciting of the bunch but still tasty), and Alex brought some take and bake garlic bread, which I had a little bit of even though I shouldn't. There was also some of the ube Christmas cake for dessert.

3. Gemma's a sassy girl.

torachan

The rain for this week was predicted to be pretty heavy, so we were prepared just in case, but as it actually got closer, it seemed the worst would be on the 24th, and then lighter rain on the 25th. We still planned to take parkas and umbrellas, but that morning it was dry and the forecast said there might be some light rain in the afternoon, but not a steady all-day thing, so when we got to the park we actually ended up leaving the parkas and umbrellas in the car.

( Read more... )

xkcd_feed

https://xkcd.com/3186/

Building Inspectors HATE This One Weird Trick

https://xkcd.com/3186/

torachan

1. We had a really fun day at Universal Studios today. It didn't rain nearly as much as we feared. We'd prepped for a lot of rain, but this morning the forecast was saying it would be dry most of the day with just a little light rain here and there, so we ended up leaving the parkas and umbrellas in the car, and as it turned out it was dry 98% of the time and the bit of rain we did have was mostly just very light with one brief harder shower that was over quickly (and even that was not really hard rain).

2. It feels like Saturday but I still have three more days of weekend! Tomorrow we're staying in and Alex is coming over and Carla is making a roast for dinner, so that will be fun. If the weather's still nice we're planning to go to Knott's on Saturday for one last go at their holiday food.

3. Gemma loves these crinkly stuffed carrot toys.

torachan

1. I'm so glad I decided to work from home today after all. The rain was really steady all day and I'm glad I wasn't out driving in it.

2. It had rained a bit overnight and was raining slightly when I went for my walk this morning, but I managed not to get very wet at all. Then I almost immediately hopped in the car to go down to Gardena and pick up the Christmas cake. It was raining a bit on the way down and then there was a sudden downpour right before I got to the bakery, but it stopped before I arrived. Got my cake and had almost no rain on the way back, but then it really let loose as soon as I was a few blocks from home lol. I had to dash in the house, but at least then I didn't have to go out anymore.

3. There was a few hour break in the rain in the late afternoon and early evening, so we got some more walking done and were able to take the trash out to the outside bins (Thursday is our usual trash day but of course they're not going to pick up until Friday this week; still, we like to get everything out on schedule, especially since we'll be out all day tomorrow).

4. When the rain was only drizzly this afternoon, the doorbell rang and I assumed it was a package, but it was the little boy across the street who was bringing homemade gifts to all the neighbors. Not sure if everyone was getting the same, but we got some chocolate coated Chex mix. Tasty! And very nice of them.

5. I forgot to mention yesterday but we did get the car back. I really wanted to get it back before the holidays and before the rain, so it was good timing. Hopefully nothing else goes wrong with either car for a while.

6. Look at Ollie all tucked in! That's actually not a blanket covering him, or rather, it's a wearable blanket with a hood. It's been very cozy now that the temps are down, but when I'm not wearing it, I leave it folded up on my bed and the cats just love to lie on it. (Or under it, in Ollie's case last night, though that was my doing. He did stay there, though.)

prixmium

2025 was a rough year for me in terms of public fandom participation and output. I usually do something at least several times a year and feel more of a sense of connection to it than I have this year. I've still done a few things, but nothing seems to have "stuck" in the way that I would like it to.

However, toward the end of the year, I started to feel more actively connected to my fandoms. Started to have a little more internal continuity, which I've complained about the lack of throughout the year.

This year has been a lot of adjustment and change, even though most of it has been good for me.

Anyway, I just went through

fandomcalendar and picked out any and everything that's current that I even might be interested or equipped to do. There are a few things I skipped either because of parameters, dates, or fandoms I'm not in, but here's what I found:

Mood Theme in a Year at moodthemeinayear. I'm not as visual as I am interested in writing and sound, but sometimes I take a notion, and this requires less independent creativity from me, so I might give it a shot if I take a notion.
Be a Goldfish - A Multifandom Multimedia Microbang at beagoldfish.
Comment Bingo Round 8 at comment_bingo. This round is open until the end of March. Challenging oneself to go around leaving comments on others' works. I could use some guidance with how to go about participating in fandom in the reader direction as well. I comment on almost everything I read, but I get choice paralysis or am bad at searching and don't read as much as I could.
candyheartsex - Candy Hearts Exchange - "Candy Hearts is a multifandom gift exchange with a low minimum and a focus on relationships, both platonic and romantic/sexual." - Nominations are still open for a couple of days, which is one thing that draws me to this!
Info on how to Sign up for a 'Fannish 50 in 50' loose blogging challenge.
Traumatic Experiences Exchange at traumaticexperiences is a 1k minimum exchange focused on characters' traumatic experiences. All fandoms allowed except RPF. Nominations starting on the 30th.

Current Mood: contemplative

xkcd_feed

https://xkcd.com/3185/

https://xkcd.com/3185/

torachan

1. I got my hair cut this morning. My original appointment was for yesterday, but a meeting got scheduled that conflicted with it. Thankfully there was still enough time to change the appointment, but the only slot left was at 11:45am today, and I really prefer to get it done earlier in the morning so I can get on with my day. But it worked out okay. I didn't have anything time sensitive at work until two meetings later in the afternoon, which is good because the person ahead of me went over by half an hour. Not sure if the guy was late to his appointment or if his just took longer than anticipated. I could definitely see it being the latter because he had a long grey beard that he was getting died in a rainbow (this is a queer salon so the site of an older bald guy with a rainbow beard was not at all out of the ordinary, but it was a very cool choice on his part).

2. The rain started today but so far did not significantly interfere with my day. Rained lightly on the way to the salon, but had stopped by the time I got there (very good because I had to park around the block) and was still dry when I left and also when I arrived at work. Very light sprinkling when I left work, but not bad. And it was still dry when I got home, so we were able to take our evening walk. Tomorrow is supposed to be the worst of it, so I've decided not to go in to work tomorrow. I have nothing that really needs me to be there and the only reason I was planning to go in to begin with is because I also need to pick up my Christmas cake at the nearby bakery. So I do still have to drive down there, but I was able to move the pickup time to early in the morning and I'll just pop down and get it and hopefully not get too wet and then relax the rest of the day indoors.

3. We got an extension on the work project until mid February and I think we can meet that deadline. The company who is customizing the software for us said that is the hard deadline really for real this time to keep the go live date of spring 2027, and upper management really does not want to move that date, so fingers crossed. Based on where we are now, though, it does seem very doable.

4. Only a kitty would be comfy half hanging off the sofa lol.

michaelboy

What we take into our own hands can be so immense and is often greater than and outside our awareness – or even our doing. The hands of others play deeply into our lives and even if you’ve done everything right, it certainly isn’t healthy to repeatedly punch yourself for every inequity.

* * *

"Then away out in the woods I heard that kind of a sound that a ghost makes when it wants to tell about something that’s on its mind and can’t make itself understood, and so can’t rest easy in its grave, and has to go about that way every night grieving."

From: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain

Watch on YouTube

xkcd_feed

https://xkcd.com/3184/

In 1899, people were walking around shouting '23' at each other and laughing, and confused reporters were writing articles trying to figure out what it meant.

https://xkcd.com/3184/

torachan

1. We finished another puzzle already. This was a super cute design but I think it's too easy for us. We did both work on it a fair bit (often it's mostly me with Carla only doing a bit here and there), so it went fast, but also having each cat so distinct made it very easy to separate out pieces. It was fun, though!

2. Carla wanted to make spritz cookies but we don't have any almond extract. After trying two stores earlier today with no luck, we were finally able to get some tonight at a third store. And bonus, that store had McConnell's peppermint ice cream, which is one of the best peppermint ice creams I've ever had, so we got some of that, too.

3. I went in to work this morning and meant to stay through my afternoon meeting at 3:30, but then another meeting got put in from 4-5 and I didn't want to be driving home that late as it would take longer, so I came home earlier in the afternoon and took both meetings from home (they were both web meetings anyway).

4. We fiiiiinally got confirmation that we can pick the car up tomorrow morning! It's been two and a half weeks! D:

5. I got my new shoes today and they fit, so that confirms the original ones I bought in the store were a wide. It's very frustrating that it doesn't say that anywhere on the tag, but I will remember for next time for sure now.

6. Spotted this cutie Molly in the cat house the other night. She usually doesn't go in there!

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serafaery

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Beloved

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TSA2025

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2025 Knott's Trip #4 (12/27/25)

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2025 Universal Studios Trip #2 (12/25/25)

Truly Universal Outlet

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December 2025

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