serafaery | Reading

1. We are still having record sales at the Irvine store. Even the weekdays have been higher than weekends at the other busiest stores. But it's so wildly beyond what we expected that there's just no way for the store staff to keep up. People from HQ and other stores are being asked to pitch in and help, and I went again and worked about seven hours (after already working from home in the morning for several hours). It shows no signs of slowing down, but I hope it slows down at least somewhat, and soon!

2. Tomorrow I have a bunch of things to do and a couple meetings, but it's at HQ, so at least I won't be running around stocking and stuff. It will feel like a day off in comparison!

3. Cutie.

questionable_content_feed

http://questionablecontent.net

I'm back from traveling! Here's a bunch of comics.

http://questionablecontent.net

xkcd_feed

https://xkcd.com/3122/

During the most recent glacial maximum, it's believed that land bridges extended from the surfaces and connected several of the spheres together.

https://xkcd.com/3122/

fox_in_me posting in

addme

Name: Mr. Fox

Age: 30-something

I mostly post about:
Stories from my life — my thoughts and feelings, especially during this time of war in Ukraine. I try to capture emotions honestly: memories of a peaceful past, reflections on the present, and tales from my life as a mariner and traveler.
This journal is still in its early days, after a long break from writing. Each entry is posted in both English and the original language. I also share my own photographs — from different times, chosen to reflect my current mood.

My hobbies are:
Photography (almost professional), lomography (daily photos of interesting moments), music (acoustic, alternative, instrumental covers), psychology, and classical literature. I love discovering new things — ideas, places, people.

My fandoms are:
Honestly, I’m not active in any specific fandom. But I enjoy reading and learning, especially to improve my English.

I'm looking to meet people who:
…feel connected to what I write — kindred spirits or simply those who find meaning in my words. I’m open to everyone (with one exception: I don’t welcome those who support or excuse the war). My posts are open and honest. I’d love to find new interesting people to read and connect with.

My posting schedule tends to be:
Currently daily, or a few times a week — depending on my free time.

When I add people, my dealbreakers are:
No major dealbreakers — most of what matters is already said above.

Before adding me, you should know:
I’m an open person without any particular agenda. I’m Ukrainian — and perhaps that matters now, just to avoid misunderstandings.
Welcome aboard. These are my messages in a bottle.

Watch on YouTube

dinosaur_comics_feed

http://www.qwantz.com/index.php?comic=4361


archive - contact - sexy exciting merchandise - search - about

see how i slipped in "shirts or shorts" there into that bunch of dichotomies? but it's not really one - most people wear both, and those at either end of the spectrum (donald "shirts only" duck, mickey "topless but shorts" mouse) are considered outliers that are best ignored!

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July 30th, 2025

July 30th, 2025: I am here to report that the FANTASTIC FOUR movie is good, and not just because I'm given a thanks in the credits!! But I gotta say IT SURE DIDN'T HURT

– Ryan

http://www.qwantz.com/index.php?comic=4361

torachan

1. I was able to work from home today and rest a little, even if not taking the day fully off (I did work less than I usually would). The exhaustion caught up with me all at once and I felt so worn down, so I'm really glad I didn't have anything urgent to take me out of the house. Considering doing the same tomorrow, depending on how I feel when I wake up.

2. Carla has been craving Indian food the past few days so that's what we ordered for dinner tonight. Everything was delicious (though as expected it did not agree with my stomach) and there's a ton of leftovers.

3. Look at these cuddle boys!

torachan

The show was amazing and I had so much fun, but I'm still so exhausted from work I don't have the energy to write about it in much detail.

I never saw them perform the Black Parade live the first time around, so this anniversary tour was a really exciting opportunity and I'm so glad I was able to go. I bought the ticket so far in advance I'd forgotten that it was a pricey one. There's this area above the loge seating called "party box", which has just six seats per row instead of eight, and they're not regular stadium seats but stools (with backs) and a counter. Very nice. Would definitely pay the premium for these seats again. They're also raised up high enough over the last row of regular loge seats that even if those people are standing, it doesn't block the view at all.

The opening band was called Wallows and they went on at seven. I'd never heard of them before, but they were pretty good. They didn't play that long, so between the opener and the break, MCR was on stage by about 8:30, just as it was getting dark.

( Setlist )

I loved that they played Helena for the final song. I did leave while they were still playing, to get a jump on the traffic leaving the parking lot, and it was cool to hear "so long and good night" as I was walking out. As for the other songs, I'm Not Okay and Na Na Na are two favorites, so that was nice. It seems they've really been mixing it up on the set list for the second half, and if I hadn't had another exhausting day of grand opening at work on Sunday I'd have been tempted to buy a last minute ticket to that show as well.

( Pics! )

Overall definitely worth dragging my exhausted ass up to Dodger Stadium from Irvine on grand opening day.

torachan

1. Well, the new store did not calm down at all today. No one was expecting this. Off the chart sales, which is amazing, but we were not prepared in terms of staffing and everyone is running ragged. I at least don't have to go help today, so I could have a more restful day, but I will go help out at least another day or two later in the week.

2. I got my hair cut this morning. That always feels nice.

3. Look at that cutey chin!

femgoroth

Hi, this is friends only. I write about my life as a musician and a corporate filmmaker, which includes writing about identity, relationships, therapy, and other life musings. Please comment to be added.

Current Music: Dawn Ray'd: To Know the Light

xkcd_feed

https://xkcd.com/3121/

Detectives say the key to tracking down the source of the kites was a large wall map covered in thumbtacks and string. 'It's the first time that method has ever actually worked,' said a spokesperson.

https://xkcd.com/3121/

theharbourreader

“You have to name things in order to make them real.”

This was beautiful in a quiet, steadfast kind of way.

Where The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet sprawled outward - a road trip across the stars with a crew full of personalities - A Closed and Common Orbit folds inward. It’s more intimate, more reflective. A story about becoming, belonging, and building yourself from the ground up when no one gave you a map.

We follow two stories in parallel: Lovelace, a newly embodied AI trying to find her place in a body that doesn’t feel like hers; and Pepper, whose harrowing childhood and improbable rescue form the emotional heart of the novel. Both storylines are tender, slow-building, and full of grace. They gently ask: who gets to be a person? Who decides what makes someone worthy? And what does healing look like when you’ve been made to feel unworthy of care?

It’s science fiction, yes but in Becky Chambers’ hands, it feels more like a cup of tea passed across the table while someone tells you the truth. Kindness is the fuel here. Kindness and care and the small, unshowy acts that form chosen families.

The writing isn’t flashy. It doesn’t need to be. It carries so much quiet emotional weight, particularly in Pepper’s timeline, which gutted me more than once and still somehow left me feeling hopeful. And Sidra (Lovelace) is one of the most endearing depictions of self-discovery I’ve read in ages. Her confusion, fear, and curiosity feel painfully, beautifully human.

Favourite quote:
"I am not sad. I am not lonely. I am not afraid. I am not angry. I am not unnatural. I am not broken. I am not wrong."

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨ (4.5 stars)
Soft, slow, and profoundly human. This is a book I’ll return to when I need reminding that growth doesn’t have to be loud to be powerful.

Current Mood: human

dinosaur_comics_feed

http://www.qwantz.com/index.php?comic=4360


archive - contact - sexy exciting merchandise - search - about

before this happened everyone was like "well sure, my greatest enemy, i WILL hold this suspicious bomb-shaped metal sphere with a lit fuse" and would never foresee that it was in fact a bomb that would go off and leave them, cartoon style, scorched and blinking

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July 28th, 2025

July 28th, 2025: I'm back from SDCC! It was a lot of fun, thank you to everyone who came by to say hi! I was looking for Star Trek pyjamas, but nobody had any to sell me. My one SDCC disappointment!

– Ryan

http://www.qwantz.com/index.php?comic=4360

torachan

1. The second day of the grand opening was super successful, too. They still have about twenty minutes to go before store closing, but as of 9:30pm, the sales figures shared in Teams were already well over yesterday's final total. There weren't as many people lined up this morning to get in, but it seems like people were buying more but also finishing their shopping more quicky, so that people could get in the store faster (yesterday we were still having to do crowd control at the entrance until late in the evening whereas today by about 3pm they could just let people straight in and there was no line outside).

2. I am so exhausted and my feet and ankles are sore, but this morning I did feel refreshed when I woke up, so hopefully it will be the same tomorrow. And at least tomorrow I don't have to be up at six.

3. The elderly man next door passed away a couple weeks ago and apparently they were having the memorial service today at the house and they had a ton of food left over, so they called us (and I'm sure other neighbors as well) and asked if we wanted any, so that's what we had for dinner. Everything was delicious and we got desserts, too.

4. Gemma is very round.

michaelboy

While it will always be important to recognize, delineate and fight against wrong, it is equally and sometimes even more important to affirm and nurture the good in our own world.

Collectively, if we keep searching only for the shortcomings in our situation, each other or in some other side, we may never find much good in anyone -- and it will surely become our addiction and sustenance, putrid as it may be.

*

Watch on YouTube

I am forever catching myself in this -- and then end up feeling rather foolish. There is so much more I need to understand about me.

theharbourreader

July is beginning to exhale. The light feels different now - softer at the edges, like the hush just before a change in weather. The weeks have slipped by in sun-drenched quiet, but something is shifting, slow as a turning tide.

This week has been all about gentle realignments. I’ve reshuffled my reading stack (again), swapped a few titles I wasn’t reaching for, and given myself full permission to linger where I want to linger. There’s a quiet kind of power in saying, not now, and trusting a book will call again when the time is right.

📚 Reading Highlights

A Closed and Common Orbit continues to surprise me. It's quieter than the first Wayfarers book, but full of warmth and heart. I’m especially loving the focus on identity and chosen family.
I’ve also returned to I Capture the Castle, a many-times re-read and one of my forever favourites. It never loses its magic - the dreamy descriptions, the strange little heartbreaks, the way Cassandra watches the world.
Finished The Comfort Book by Matt Haig - a lovely, reassuring balm of a read. Not everything hit home, but some parts felt like being offered a hand on a foggy day.

🌀 What I’m Craving

A story that makes me ache - something lush and lyrical
More time offline, especially in the evenings
A new notebook (even though I have seven half-filled ones 🙈)
Stormy skies and cinnamon toast
Books that feel like walking through rain and coming home warm

🛶 Reshuffling the Stack
I’ve moved a few books back to the “maybe later” pile - not because I won’t read them, but because right now I’m craving softness and atmosphere more than urgency. I’ve kept a couple of quiet favourites close for re-reading, just in case.

🕯️ On My Radar (for August)

How to Catch a Mole - seems full of introspective nature writing
The Starless Sea - thinking it might finally be time to dive in
A little poetry? Maybe something from the coast or the moors
A reread of Anne of the Island
Possibly a mini themed week - “Books with Blue Covers” or “Seaside Settings”?

Here’s to the end of July, gently
not rushing the moment, but letting it drift out to sea.

💭 What’s been on your mind this week? What are you craving as the month turns?

soricel

Teaching: NA

Learning: Kept up with the geography and Romanian practice, though I skipped a day or two.

The theme of this week’s somatic movement workshop thing was “chaos” (we’re moving through something called the Five Rhythms, I guess). I had some resistance to this theme, and didn’t really connect with the exercises or the journaling prompt. I guess one thing I noticed was that I felt more comfortable keeping my spine and head fairly straight while my limbs flailed around kinda “chaotically” than when I tried to just let my whole body go kinda completely nuts. I also noticed that I felt a little more self-conscious and restrained with my camera off, and when everyone else’s cameras were off, than when we mostly keep them on. I guess this seems a little counterintuitive, but I find myself looking for a little guidance/inspiration from others’ movements, and I feel like I’m more connected to the whole experience when I’m sharing it with the others, even if it’s just in our little Zoom squares.

Watching: BBT, still. It’s honestly really growing on me, which I never thought I’d say. Also watched a little Arrested Development, which is my go-to show when T. is out and I have dinner alone. As many times as I’ve re-watched this show, I always notice something new that cracks me up. But also I feel like it’s actually even more problematic than BBT.

Reading: Finished Manhunt. I really loved it. And as relentlessly violent and brutal and gross as it is, there’s also so much love and tenderness, and that’s what’s stuck with me.

Listening: A few episodes of It Could Happen Here, which I found both bleak and sort of hope-inspiring.

Also went through a heavy Wicca Phase phase for a couple days. I didn’t really check out the self-titled album when it came out, but I *really* like it. The folksy numbers got me excited for the new album, too, because I guess that’s the whole vibe.

I feel a *little* embarrassed about liking WPSE as much as I do, but I can’t help it. My favorite lyrical moments are the hyper specific, travel diary-type lines that I feel like have been cropping up more and more often in his songs over the years (or maybe I’m just noticing them more). The way he blends that kinda stuff with his usual vaguely “occult” motifs and almost quaintly old-timey “baby”/“angel”type sentiments really gets me.

Writing: Oh god, I was **CONSUMED** with this fic I started writing earlier this week. Like can’t stop thinking about it, writing on the exercise bike kinda energy. I had so so much fun writing it (it’s an early 90s pre-canon Raven Cycle thing starring the adult characters as teen runaways), but I also got it in my head that I had to finish before I left for the U.S. (see below), which became very stressful as the plot started to sprawl out on me. But I finished it during my layover in Munich and even though I probably could have spent some time fine-tuning it before posting it to AO3 I went ahead and did anyway and feel good to have it out of me. Honestly I can’t remember the last time I had a writing experience like this.

Other stuff: I was super in my feelings this week. Hard to say exactly why. Getting ready for my trip to the U.S. was probably a big part of it. Reading Manhunt probably contributed to it. The fic too. I also know there’s a level of introspection that feels healthy for me to engage with, but it can be a very slippery slope into some unhealthiness, and I think I slipped this week. T. was super sweet and loving to me throughout, but wow, I don’t think I’ve felt this sensitive and tender and just *low* in a long time. I feel okay now though, but visiting my family is stirring up a whole host of mixed feelings.

I’m writing this on my Notes app on the plane to post later. One of the flight attendants looks *exactly* how I think (wish) I’d look as a woman. It’s haunting and intense.

theharbourreader

We’re tiptoeing toward the edge of the month, and as always, time feels more like a tide than a ticking clock. I had big reading dreams for July - some I’ve followed faithfully, others have quietly drifted to the side like seafoam. This is a soft, no-pressure check-in. A moment to ask: what still feels alive on the stack? What’s quietly calling my name? And what can I lovingly let go of, or save for another day?

🐚 Still Calling to Me

A Closed and Common Orbit - I started this recently and I’m already swept up in its warmth and wonder. I’d love to finish it before August, if only to spend more time with these quietly brave characters.
I Capture the Castle - I’ve been reading this slowly, letting it unfurl like a summer evening. I don’t want to rush it, but I do want to keep it close.

🌧 Books I’m Saving for Rainy Days

Sometimes I gather books like seashells, only to realise some are meant for a different tide. These are the ones I’ve gently tucked back onto the shelf, not forgotten - just waiting for the right moment:

The Secret Garden - This feels like a September story, full of damp earth and golden hush.
How to Catch a Mole - I think I want to read this on a grey morning with a cup of something warm.

💛 Recently Read

The Comfort Book - Finished this week. It’s a soft place to land, like a handwritten note from someone who understands. I found comfort in its quiet wisdom and will keep it nearby for rereading when I need reminding.

💬 Permission to Change Plans

If you’ve wandered from your original TBR, you’re in good company. Reading isn’t a race or a checklist. It’s a conversation, a comfort, a curiosity. Let your mood lead. Let a sentence stop you in your tracks. Let the unfinished books wait - they’ll still be there when you’re ready.

What’s still whispering to you this July?

theharbourreader

“Nothing is stronger than a small hope that doesn’t give up.”

This isn’t a book you read in one sitting - or if you do, it won’t be in the way you read a novel. The Comfort Book is a companion. A patchwork of thoughts, quotes, affirmations, and little reminders that it’s okay to feel lost, okay to need gentleness, okay to begin again.

I reached for this on a quiet afternoon, when everything felt just a little bit too much and I’m glad I did. It doesn’t try to be profound or polished. It’s not hiding behind big ideas. Instead, it offers a steady voice in the dark. A hand on your shoulder. A reminder that being human is messy and hard, and that we’re allowed to sit with that truth without fixing it all at once.

Some entries resonated deeply. Others drifted by more softly, like clouds - not untrue, just not meant for me in that moment. But I think that’s part of the beauty: The Comfort Book meets you where you are, and will likely meet you differently next time.

It’s the kind of book I’ll keep by my bedside, or in my bag for train journeys, or next to the kettle on quiet mornings. A collection of comforts — imperfect, but offered with care.

Favourite quote:
"You don’t have to be positive. You just have to be you. And that is enough."

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4 stars)
Simple, sincere, and best read slowly. A book to return to when your inner voice needs a softer one beside it.

Current Mood: calm

torachan

1. Today was a very long, but very good day. The grand opening was a huge success. Extremely busy, high sales, everything went smoothly.

2. Then in the evening I went straight from Irvine to Dodgers Stadium to see My Chemical Romance. Next year is the 20th anniversary of the Black Parade, so the tour, which started this month (I think this is only like the third date), is doing the entire album plus a second set. So it was long, but awesome.

3. Tomorrow I have to help out with the second day of grand opening, too, so I'm just finishing up this post, having something quick to eat, then getting to sleep as soon as possible as I have to get down there by eight to help set up, but while I'm not looking forward to that part of it, or the fact that I didn't get any weekend off (and can't take tomorrow off as planned because I have a meeting in the afternoon), it is a huge relief that this store seems like it will be successful.

4. Chloe!

arethinn

enotsola, to his screen: Aaahhh! I hate your website. And you're 21? You have no excuse.

arethinn, looking over: I think it's because they're 21, actually. People getting into Neocities are committing the same crimes we did on Geocities, just in higher resolution.

enotsola: Not a single spinning skull or "Under Construction" banner. If you're going to steal my culture, do it right.

(The website in question had a "collage" kind of design that made it hard to read text on the background, especially since bits of it wound up being white on off-white.)

perhaps relevant:

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serafaery

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July 2025

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Page Summary

torachan - Daily Happiness
questionable_content_feed - Whole buncha comics
xkcd_feed - Bad Map Projection: Interrupted Spheres
fox_in_me in addme - (no subject)
dinosaur_comics_feed - age-old debates and the settling thereof
torachan - Daily Happiness
torachan - My Chemical Romance @ Dodger Stadium 7/26/25
torachan - Daily Happiness
femgoroth - Comment to Be Added
xkcd_feed - Kite Incident
theharbourreader - 4.5-Star Review: A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers
dinosaur_comics_feed - history, too, is horses all the way down
torachan - Daily Happiness
michaelboy - "Cause I spent half my life out there"*
theharbourreader - Notes from the Harbour - Tides and Transitions
soricel - Week notes, July 21-27 2005
theharbourreader - TBR Update - What I Might Still Read Before August
theharbourreader - 4-Star Review: The Comfort Book by Matt Haig
torachan - Daily Happiness
arethinn - (no subject)

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Page generated Jul. 31st, 2025 09:59 am

Beloved

earthlings

Reading

Daily Happiness

Whole buncha comics

Bad Map Projection: Interrupted Spheres

(no subject)

age-old debates and the settling thereof

Daily Happiness

My Chemical Romance @ Dodger Stadium 7/26/25

Daily Happiness

Comment to Be Added

Kite Incident

4.5-Star Review: A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers

history, too, is horses all the way down

Daily Happiness

"Cause I spent half my life out there"*

Notes from the Harbour - Tides and Transitions

Week notes, July 21-27 2005

TBR Update - What I Might Still Read Before August

🐚 Still Calling to Me

🌧 Books I’m Saving for Rainy Days

💛 Recently Read

💬 Permission to Change Plans

4-Star Review: The Comfort Book by Matt Haig

Daily Happiness

(no subject)

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July 2025

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