serafaery | Reading

1. It's the start of a three day weekend! I'm very excited about that. No particular plans, but an extra day off work is exciting on its own.

2. The weather is back to high 60s/low 70s after those couple days of heat we had earlier this week. I just checked the forecast and it looks like it'll stay that way for the next week or so at least.

3. I just happened to look at the calendar for next month and saw that my birthday is on a Friday, so I put in for that day and the Monday to give myself a four day weekend.

4. Where could Ollie be!?

torachan

Recently Finished
Kills Well with Others
Sequel to Killers of a Certain Age, about middle aged female assassins. I liked this one, too. Not sure if there will be any more, because it's hard to keep going "okay this time we've really for real retired" with each book lol.

Secrets Typed in Blood
Third in the Pentecost and Parker series of historical murder mysteries. Still enjoying this series (in fact I think I liked this one better than the first two) and have already requested the next one from the library.

Nobody's Baby
Second in the Dorothy Gentleman sci-fi mystery novella series. I liked this one, too, though not as much as the first. And I'm not sure if there were some details in the first book that I missed or if this one just made it more clear. I thought it was sort of a retro sci-fi setting but it seems to be even more than just a retro vibe, but rather the spaceship having left earth sometime in the very early 20th century, based on various references to technology and attitudes on earth before they left. So I'm curious to see if more of that gets explored in future books.

Nodame Cantabile vol. 1-5
This is one of those modern classic manga series that I've heard about for ages but never read. It's set at a music college. I've read another series by the author (Tensai Family Company) ages and ages ago and liked it, so I'd always meant to get around to this someday but just never had. I got the first three volumes free off Amazon Japan a while back and just now got around to reading them, then switch to the English translation for the rest of the series as it's 25 volumes total and I don't love it enough to want to buy the whole thing. The English translation is pretty shoddy quality, both in terms of translation skill and the typesetting. It feels very much like a scanlation rather than a professional job, but I'm getting it for free from the library so I'll stick with it.

xkcd_feed

https://xkcd.com/3249/

We definitely put the pool in a mine for shielding. It was absolutely not to hide it from the funding people.

https://xkcd.com/3249/

torachan

I decided to walk over to Disneyland rather than taking the monorail, since it's actually not that much further to the park than to the monorail stop, and the monorail only goes one direction, which is opposite to where the park is from our hotel. So you walk a little less to get to the monorail but then have to go three stops to get to the park entrance. Carla wanted to preserve her energy for in the park, so she planned to take the monorail over to meet me, but I just walked over and it was quite a nice walk.

( Tokyo Disneyland Part 1! )

dinosaur_comics_feed

http://www.qwantz.com/index.php?comic=4474


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it's a very useful word to say on a first date. speed dating is SO much faster for dinosaurs; this is canon

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May 22nd, 2026

May 22nd, 2026: If we look at how "$" is pronounced there may be some clues we can use here.

– Ryan

http://www.qwantz.com/index.php?comic=4474

galadhir

uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuUUUUUUUUgh! 28°C today after several weeks of 11-14°C. I'm not acclimatized. Give me a run up at least. And it's going to be 32°C on Monday. Half of me is Neanderthal! I have the red(ish) hair, I have the pale skin that doesn't tan. I'm not built for this.

I cannot picture me cycling for an hour through the heat, then spending an hour weight lifting, then cycling back for another hour. Not without making myself sick. And it is Daughter's birthday party in London tomorrow.

That will involve much travelling by train and underground to get there, a lot of noise and socializing while there, and then much travelling back. That's enough in itself to result in a fibro flare-up. Doing it immediately after a strenuous day under hot sun would be extremely reckless.

Especially because we are also planning to go to the Crick Boat Show on Monday (32°C! You never used to get temperatures over 30° in England in my lifetime and now it's normal, apparently.) And I'm planning to go and help Son pump the boat out on Tuesday. All of which things require me to be reasonably functional.

I feel bad because I had almost a week off last week - I don't want to get out of condition - but equally, I ought not to be sick for Daughter's birthday. I think I might give today's exercise a miss and hope that I have become acclimatized to the heat by next Wednesday when it's time to do it again.

Chronic illness calculus. So much fun :)

coffeetime

1. How long to you hope to live (to what age)?

My father lived to be 60. My goal was to outlive him. My 61st birthday is less than a month away. I've achieved my goal. Anything after this is bonus years.

2. Based on the lifespans of your grandparents and/or great-grandparents, what is your realistic lifespan?
Probably 85.

3. What is the average lifespan of people in your country?
81 for women, 76 for men.

4. At what age do you plan to retire (or did you retire)?
I have no idea. Whenever we feel like we will be okay living on our retirement income, or if we have to make haste to leave the country (I am too old to get work in a new country).

5. What are your plans for retirement?
If I make it to retirement, I'm going to wake up every day thinking how glad I am to be retired. My mom is in memory care and has some cognitive issues, but if I remind her that she is retired and doesn't have to go to work, she is immediately cheerful. "That's RIGHT! No more work for me!" No doubt I will feel the same.

AFA what will I do with my time, probably work out (if I'm able) and volunteer. Traveling would be great, but that depends on income and health.

torachan

1. I started playing Yoshi and the Mysterious Book and it's super cute! It's an entirely exploration focused game, and I do love exploration. I do miss bashing enemies a bit, though, lol.

2. One of my meetings today got cancelled and one for tomorrow got rescheduled to next week, and when I was looking at the calendar I realized that a recurring meeting that's every other Thursday had somehow gotten deleted from my to-do list, so I wasn't expecting it today, but thankfully I realized well ahead of time and didn't miss the meeting.

3. If I fits, I sits!

matsushima posting in

thankfulthursday

What are you thankful for this week?
· Photos are optional but encouraged.
· Check-ins remain open until the following week's post is up.
· Do feel free to comment on others' check-ins but don't harsh anyone else's squee.

Current Mood: tired

xkcd_feed

https://xkcd.com/3248/

They rounded down to 182.8 instead of rounding up to 182.9 because 182.9 might make the statement incorrect.

https://xkcd.com/3248/

lovelyangel

Abby’s Pizza at Hillsboro Fred Meyer

I’ve been waiting since receiving the news at the end of March that a new Abby’s Legendary Pizza was opening in Hillsboro this spring. It’s been decades since a new Abby’s has come online. I’m jazzed because I usually have to go to Newberg to get my Abby’s pizza fix – and the new Hillsboro outlet is less than 6 miles from my home. According to Google, it’s an 18 minute drive (with occasional delays possible, because, TV Highway).

Oddly, the new Abby’s is inside of a Fred Meyer store – the one on TV Highway. It’s obviously not a full size Abby’s restaurant. The new outlet opened last week, but I was too busy to visit. I finally got to go yesterday for lunch.

( A New Abby’s, Below This Cut )

torachan

1. I took today off! And this weekend's going to be a three day weekend, too, so that's nice.

2. The issue with the car did indeed turn out to be the battery. AAA guy came out and used his battery meter on it and said it was at 14% power, which is why it could still open the doors but couldn't do anything else. The battery was from 2019, which is before we bought it, so it was long past needing to be replaced and had apparently been leaking quite a bit of acid. I had been planning to go to Pep Boys or somewhere after he jumped the car but he had the right type of battery with him, so I was able to just have him replace it on the spot, which was very convenient.

3. The reason I'd taken today off is that we had an appointment at CarMax to take a look at an EV, the Kia EV 6, to be exact, and I knew it would be a long process if we decided to buy it, so I didn't want to be worrying about having to get back to work if that was the case. We did not end up buying it, but we did like it a lot, so it's definitely a possibility. We really would like to switch to an EV sometime in the near future.

4. Tuxie!

wwdn_feed

Posted by Wil

https://wilwheaton.net/2026/05/im-calling-it-wil-wheatcon-until-i-can-think-of-something-better/

https://wilwheaton.net/?p=9981

In an average year, I travel to around 5 or 6 cities for conventions. Almost every time I announce an appearance, the most common response is some version of “that’s great! When are you coming to [my town]?”

I’m not coming to your town, but I am coming to your computer (or your tablet or your phone or even your TV, I think) on June 7 for a virtual convention that needs a much better name than Couch Con, because at this moment in time, that creates a very specific, very unfortunate, image. (Maybe it will happen today).

Seriously, I hate every name I think of for this. What would you call a virtual convention where I am the guest of honor, the toastmaster, the featured author, and also the only guest? Wil Wheatcon is kind of cute, I think, but I feel like there’s something better. If you have one, would you comment?

The Untitled Wil Wheaton Virtual Convention came out of an unrelated meeting with my friends and partners in crime at Stands about how we wanted to turn some of my designs into stickers. One thing lead to another, and I’m just going to get to the graphic you’ve probably looked at already:

Join Wil Wheaton (Star Trek: The Next Generation, Stand By Me, Big Bang Theory) for a live virtual event featuring a fan-driven Q&A panel, where you can hear stories, insights, and moments you won’t get anywhere else. For those looking for something more personal, a limited number of Meet & Greet spots offer a chance to connect in a smaller group setting.

I love going to cons, and spending time with my people. I love sharing how much we love all our nerd shit. I love the safe place we create together. And I know that money is tight for everyone right now, everything costs more than it should, and just the price of a ticket can put a con out of reach for a lot of people. And that’s not even accounting for whatever we spend on merch, art, autographs, and photo-ops.

Wil Wheaton fandom has always lived at the intersection of sci-fi, gaming, internet chaos, heartfelt sincerity, and extremely specific jokes that somehow become part of your personality. This sticker collection leans directly into that energy with designs inspired by tabletop adventures, spacefaring mischief, fandom pride, and the wonderfully self-aware sense of humor that Wil has spent years cultivating both on screen and off. Equal parts nerdy and sarcastic, these stickers feel right at home on laptops, water bottles, notebooks, gaming cases, convention bins, and any surface that could use a little more chaotic good energy.

So a big, big part of my wanting to do this is the opportunity to do something convention-ish, which is way more affordable, at just fifteen bucks. Hell, get ten friends together and everyone can cover the ticket with the change in their pockets. People still have change in their pockets, right?

I have met tens of thousands of people over the years. I know that this is an unscientific, heavily-skewed metric that would fail any peer review, but I still think it matters that the single most common thing they tell me is some version of “I loved your panel discussion. I wish you’d had more time for questions.”

Well, if you’re one of those people, this is probably going to crawl your dungeon. We have as much time as we want, I can take as many questions as I want, and if enough people ask, I’ll even read you some flash fiction I wrote. And we’re offering some break out, private meet and greets, for anyone who wants that experience.

Oh, I’m also going to pull my kitty ears out and put them on for a Wil Wheatcon exclusive autographed 8×10, if that’s your thing and you wanted to add some whimsy to your life.

A few people I know have done this kind of event, and they all tell me that it’s so much fun, so uplifting, and a wonderful way to spend a couple hours together. I believe them, and I’m excited to experience that for myself. I hope you’ll join me!

I’m so glad you are here. If you’d like to get my updates via email, here’s the thingy:

https://wilwheaton.net/2026/05/im-calling-it-wil-wheatcon-until-i-can-think-of-something-better/

https://wilwheaton.net/?p=9981

yourlibrarian posting in

common_nature

First up, a sunset in three views.

( Read more... )

dinosaur_comics_feed

http://www.qwantz.com/index.php?comic=4473


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alternate last panel is just t-rex posed as always saying "Scarecrows look like this:"

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May 20th, 2026

May 20th, 2026: Some days you post your dreams onto social media and they get turned into a song and it is AMAZING.

– Ryan

http://www.qwantz.com/index.php?comic=4473

torachan

It was very hot and sunny today, but we didn't realize that when we planned the trip, or I might have cancelled it. But we just stayed a couple hours for dinner and some shopping and it wasn't too bad.

( Read more... )

torachan

1. We went down to Disneyland tonight for dinner. We've had really nice weather lately and so I have not been in the habit of checking the temps, and if I had, I would have suggested holding off until this weekend because it was high 80s and very sunny, but we still had a nice time. There were a couple new menu items (and a bunch more Star Wars ones coming this weekend for the new Mandalorian movie) and they had some Pride merch out already (though hopefully more to come as there were only a handful of things). Overall a nice trip despite the heat.

2. We got the car windowshield finally fixed. They first tried to charge us over $2000 for it, then Carla finally got the manager to agree that it was a defect so they would do it for free, but then they told us the request to process it for free had been denied, but we were able to get it down to under half the price they'd originally quoted us, so at least that was something. Because of all that back and forth, we hadn't actually taken it in to get it replaced until yesterday, and then it wasn't ready for pickup until this morning. But it's back now and the window is fixed, yay!

3. Speaking of cars, though...when we got in the other car to go to the dealership this morning, it wouldn't start. The doors opened and the dashboard flashed, but it wouldn't start, and after looking it up, it seems like it's probably a case of the battery being almost dead. Enough juice to still open the doors, but not enough to start up. So tomorrow we'll call AAA to get it jumped and then go get a new battery. Since we couldn't drive over to the dealership to pick up the other car I ended up riding my new bike and then just putting it in the car to drive home. Thankfully the car that was getting repaired is the one that can fit a bike in it.

4. A couple months ago Disney announced that sometime later this year they would be doing away with the time restriction on park hopping. Pre-covid, if you had an annual pass or a park hopper ticket, you could start at either park and cross over to the other one whenever you wanted to. When they reopened after the covid closure they had introduced the reservation system and as part of that, they limited park hopping to after 1pm. Eventually they pushed that down to 11am, but now they are finally doing away with it altogether and today they announced the starting date will be June 9th. I'm excited about it! It's a pain to not be able to cross over earlier or change your starting park last minute, and it creates long lines at 11am when everyone is park hopping at the same time.

5. Love that Gemma face!

galadhir

I made a much better attempt at putting the blue outfit on. There were some alarming stitch-popping noises as I pulled the pre-fastened bra over my hips, but it fits, the sleeves do not impede my movement and it looks pretty good. The white mesh over the stomach really makes me feel better about the whole thing.

I think there need to be more hooks and eyes. But it works, and by the end of June it should be a bit more comfortable, and I think I will be happy to stand up in front of an audience in it:

Me in blue bedlah

galadhir

That last leg didn't sound like much but boy was it tedious and fiddly!

Finished blue bedlah

made two long beaded swags and sewed them on to the bra. This was the step I was most nervous about (getting them symmetrical) but it went off without a hitch and looked absolutely fine.
sewed on 10 hooks and eyes (8 hooks on the top of the bodystocking, 8 matching eyes on the bottom of the bra. Two hooks and two eyes on the cuffs of the sleeves.)
sewed on four sets of press-studs (ie four bits with the bump and another four bits with the hollow.)
realized that I'd sewn on the press studs for the right sleeve on the wrong side of the strap and fixed that.
worried that the press-studs were too small and I should have gone for a larger, more powerful size.
was haunted by the idea that the press-studs might give way, and the sleeves fall down to dangle uselessly from my wrists during a dance, but the fiddly hooks and eyes would make casually removing them impossible. So...
decided to remove the hooks and eyes from the cuffs and close them with elastic instead. Didn't have any elastic.
removed the elastic from one of my old homemade Covid face masks and sewed on two strips of elastic to each cuff. That way, if a sleeve falls down, I can simply slip it off and toss it disdainfully aside, and it can be part of the dance.
congratulated myself on learning something from that time my home-made harem trousers started falling down while doing a sword dance. (Be prepared for your costume to sabotage you.)
tried on the bodystocking - fine (maybe a little large but can be taken in later.)
tried to hook the bodystocking to the bra and put the whole thing on. Failed. The bra is still too small. This was not unexpected - it still isn't the end of June, so I am not in my full shrunken form. Sewed silver material to a bra extender for use just in case.
Didn't manage to get all the hooks and eyes engaged all around. It's like getting into a spacesuit. The whole donning process may need assistance or practice. Lesson learned - make a bodystocking with shoulder straps next time, this is ridiculous! But other people seem to manage it, so maybe with practice it will become possible.

torachan

1. I had a WFH day today so that we could take the car in to hopefully finally get the window fixed. They said it might be ready to pick up this evening, but it's already 5:30pm and they haven't called, so I doubt it's happening.

2. The other day I got an email from our favorite neighborhood pizza place saying they were doing some sort of collab and would be having butter chicken pizza from the 15th through the 25th. I kept checking the website and while other locations listed it as available, the two near us did not, so we walked over the other night in hopes of getting some, but it had all sold out. Toay we went over right when they opened at 11am and were able to get a couple slices each. It's so good! Hopefully we can get it at least once more before it's gone.

3. We got our primary ballots filled out and I took them over to the dropbox today. Really hope we don't end up with two Republicans in the governor's race, but at least it's looking like the second one is polling low enough that even with the five million Dems splitting the vote, we should at least see a Democrat vs Republican race in November. Fingers crossed! (And maybe smomeone can get some legislation in to end the jungle primary system or, even better, to do ranked choice.)

4. Chloe's keeping an eye out.

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serafaery

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May 2026

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Page Summary

torachan - Daily Happiness
torachan - Weekly Reading
xkcd_feed - Neutrino Project
torachan - 2026 Disneyland Trip #16 (4/9/26) Tokyo Disneyland (Part 1)
dinosaur_comics_feed - we don't know how to swim and we don't know how to not poop our pants every time. being a baby is m
galadhir - Apparently it's summer now
coffeetime - Friday Five: getting old
torachan - Daily Happiness
matsushima in thankfulthursday - 감사합니다 (21 May 2026)
xkcd_feed - 182.8 Meters
lovelyangel - New Abby’s Pizza Nearby!
torachan - Daily Happiness
wwdn_feed - i’m calling it ‘wil wheatcon’ until i can think of something better
yourlibrarian in common_nature - Two Sets of Three
dinosaur_comics_feed - do scarecrows scare crow's scarecrows' scared crows
torachan - 2026 Disneyland Trip #22 (5/19/26)
torachan - Daily Happiness
galadhir - In which I put it on
galadhir - Finished!
torachan - Daily Happiness

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Page generated May. 23rd, 2026 10:05 am

Beloved

earthlings

Reading

Daily Happiness

Weekly Reading

Neutrino Project

2026 Disneyland Trip #16 (4/9/26) Tokyo Disneyland (Part 1)

we don't know how to swim and we don't know how to not poop our pants every time. being a baby is m

Apparently it's summer now

Friday Five: getting old

Daily Happiness

감사합니다 (21 May 2026)

182.8 Meters

New Abby’s Pizza Nearby!

Daily Happiness

i’m calling it ‘wil wheatcon’ until i can think of something better

Two Sets of Three

do scarecrows scare crow's scarecrows' scared crows

2026 Disneyland Trip #22 (5/19/26)

Daily Happiness

In which I put it on

Finished!

Daily Happiness

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May 2026

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