The Day in Spikedluv (Monday, Jan 5)
Jan. 6th, 2026 07:19 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
spikedluvI hit Price Chopper and the Pharmacy while I was downtown and did some drive-thru banking on the way home. I did a load of laundry, hand-washed dishes, emptied the dishwasher, went for several walks with Pip and the dogs, hard-boiled eggs, cut up chicken for the dogs' meals, placed some online orders, and scooped kitty litter. We had leftover lasagna for supper.
I finished my book! I watched some HGTV (Hometown is back!) and an ep of Secrets of the Zoo. Dr. Pol was my evening background tv.
This was day 1 of trying to eat a little bit better and making sure I went on walks instead of slacking. One thing I purchased to try was the Hood brand cottage cheese already mixed with peaches. It was awful. Tasted like they added a lot of sugar to it. I guess I'll be buying a whole container of cottage cheese and a can of diced peaches and making my own again, instead. (My concern was that I wouldn't finish it and it would go bad, but that concern pales in the face of how much yuck I felt putting that other stuff in my mouth.)
Temps started out at 18.9(F) and reached 23.9. We got about an inch of snow over the course of the day.
Mom Update:
Mom sounded really good when I talked to her. ( cutting because I spilled some emotion )
I finished my book! I watched some HGTV (Hometown is back!) and an ep of Secrets of the Zoo. Dr. Pol was my evening background tv.
This was day 1 of trying to eat a little bit better and making sure I went on walks instead of slacking. One thing I purchased to try was the Hood brand cottage cheese already mixed with peaches. It was awful. Tasted like they added a lot of sugar to it. I guess I'll be buying a whole container of cottage cheese and a can of diced peaches and making my own again, instead. (My concern was that I wouldn't finish it and it would go bad, but that concern pales in the face of how much yuck I felt putting that other stuff in my mouth.)
Temps started out at 18.9(F) and reached 23.9. We got about an inch of snow over the course of the day.
Mom Update:
Mom sounded really good when I talked to her. ( cutting because I spilled some emotion )
Y2K, Unix style
Jan. 6th, 2026 05:39 amsoemandI was considering making a blog of my grandfathers forced march diary from 1945, but came across an interesting problem—it doesn’t accept dates outside of 1970-2037.
The language underpinning livejournal and Dreamwidth uses the number of seconds since January 1, 1970. This number will overflow on January 19, 2038 — not unlike the y2k problem of old.
It’s called the Unix epoch problem: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Year_2038_problem.
All told, I’ll have to figure out another method of publishing this information.
Why?
The language underpinning livejournal and Dreamwidth uses the number of seconds since January 1, 1970. This number will overflow on January 19, 2038 — not unlike the y2k problem of old.
It’s called the Unix epoch problem: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Year_2038_problem.
All told, I’ll have to figure out another method of publishing this information.
Poem: Darrow Poems 12-12-25
Jan. 6th, 2026 12:02 amysabetwordsmithThese poems were written outside the regular prompt calls. They have been sponsored by a pool with fuzzyred.
( Read more... )
fuzzyred. ( Read more... )
Science
Jan. 6th, 2026 12:00 amysabetwordsmithA NASA satellite caught a giant tsunami doing something scientists didn’t expect
When a huge earthquake struck near Kamchatka, the SWOT satellite captured an unprecedented, high-resolution view of the resulting tsunami as it crossed the Pacific. The data revealed the waves were far more complex and scattered than scientists expected, overturning the idea that large tsunamis travel as a single, stable wave. Ocean sensors confirmed the quake’s rupture was longer than earlier models suggested. Together, the findings could reshape how tsunamis are modeled and predicted.
When a huge earthquake struck near Kamchatka, the SWOT satellite captured an unprecedented, high-resolution view of the resulting tsunami as it crossed the Pacific. The data revealed the waves were far more complex and scattered than scientists expected, overturning the idea that large tsunamis travel as a single, stable wave. Ocean sensors confirmed the quake’s rupture was longer than earlier models suggested. Together, the findings could reshape how tsunamis are modeled and predicted.
Welcome to 2026
Jan. 5th, 2026 09:12 pmjacober_calcI have a resolution to write more in my own little space. And so this is the start of that.
Not much has really changed my way. I continue to explore the SwissMicros and Texas Instruments calculators. I am currently waiting on a DM15c which is a credit card sized remake of the very popular HP15c. This will add to my current SM "collection," a DM32 that apparently has been feeling lonely.
I am also working on porting an RPN calculator app that was made for the monochrome Ti-83 and Ti-84 Plus calculators but not for the new Ti-84 Plus CE which had a back-lit colour LCD screen. The processor is also different being an upgrade from the old but super reliable z80 (now it is called the ez80). So this is going to be a lot of work but the original creator who has given me their blessing to port, has done a lot of the heavy lifting by way of a logic, I just need to focus on what changes with the new processor and LCD (among other things but those are the biggest).
And lastly I finally pulled the trigger and ordered a Baofeng handheld radio. These are all of the rage in the HAM radio community because of their versatility and price. They have also gained a lot of haters as a result. The model that I purchased is only capable of transmitting on GMRS but can receive on a host of popular channels including FM radio, air traffic control, popular HAM bands and marine channels-- including my beloved NOAA/Environment Canada weather stations. It is technically not a legal radio in Canada and is not certified for use by Industry Canada (the folks who oversee the radio spectrum and licensing in Canada). GMRS does not require any licensing at all, it is the band used by cheap blister pack radios that families and campers purchase for personal use. But unlike the US, in Canada GMRS radios must have a fixed antenna and cannot transmit over (I think) 1 watt. The model I am waiting on can transmit at 5W. It was made for the US where GMRS is popular for enthusiasts where a licence can be obtained online that covers a whole family and the extra power and better hardware means you can get some good range out of it. But this is not the case in Canada.
So why purchase it? Well first I am at the point in my HAM radio journey that I really only enjoy listening and learning about how things work and what the community actually does on the air. I am also interested in having the weather stations and air traffic control for amusement. I also won't have any issue using GMRS with friends despite the fact the radio is not certified for use. I doubt up island, in the bush anyone is going to care, especially if I am not bothering anyone of any consequence. This is a big reason why these Baofeng radios have been getting some heat from so-called sad-HAMs who are users that are extremely strict about the rules. Fair enough.
Like one of my favourite cartoon characters once said: there's the truth and there's the truth.
Not much has really changed my way. I continue to explore the SwissMicros and Texas Instruments calculators. I am currently waiting on a DM15c which is a credit card sized remake of the very popular HP15c. This will add to my current SM "collection," a DM32 that apparently has been feeling lonely.
I am also working on porting an RPN calculator app that was made for the monochrome Ti-83 and Ti-84 Plus calculators but not for the new Ti-84 Plus CE which had a back-lit colour LCD screen. The processor is also different being an upgrade from the old but super reliable z80 (now it is called the ez80). So this is going to be a lot of work but the original creator who has given me their blessing to port, has done a lot of the heavy lifting by way of a logic, I just need to focus on what changes with the new processor and LCD (among other things but those are the biggest).
And lastly I finally pulled the trigger and ordered a Baofeng handheld radio. These are all of the rage in the HAM radio community because of their versatility and price. They have also gained a lot of haters as a result. The model that I purchased is only capable of transmitting on GMRS but can receive on a host of popular channels including FM radio, air traffic control, popular HAM bands and marine channels-- including my beloved NOAA/Environment Canada weather stations. It is technically not a legal radio in Canada and is not certified for use by Industry Canada (the folks who oversee the radio spectrum and licensing in Canada). GMRS does not require any licensing at all, it is the band used by cheap blister pack radios that families and campers purchase for personal use. But unlike the US, in Canada GMRS radios must have a fixed antenna and cannot transmit over (I think) 1 watt. The model I am waiting on can transmit at 5W. It was made for the US where GMRS is popular for enthusiasts where a licence can be obtained online that covers a whole family and the extra power and better hardware means you can get some good range out of it. But this is not the case in Canada.
So why purchase it? Well first I am at the point in my HAM radio journey that I really only enjoy listening and learning about how things work and what the community actually does on the air. I am also interested in having the weather stations and air traffic control for amusement. I also won't have any issue using GMRS with friends despite the fact the radio is not certified for use. I doubt up island, in the bush anyone is going to care, especially if I am not bothering anyone of any consequence. This is a big reason why these Baofeng radios have been getting some heat from so-called sad-HAMs who are users that are extremely strict about the rules. Fair enough.
Like one of my favourite cartoon characters once said: there's the truth and there's the truth.
Poem: "Who We Don't Ever Want to Be"
Jan. 5th, 2026 09:45 pmysabetwordsmithThis poem is spillover from the February 4, 2025 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by a prompt from fuzzyred. It also fills the "nostalgia" square in my 2-1-25 card for the Valentines Bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by a pool with fuzzyred. It belongs to the Trichromatic Attractions thread of the Polychrome Heroics series.
Warning: This poem contains intense and controversial topics. Highlight to read the warnings, some of which are spoilers. It includes sobriety issues, angst, failed coping skills, self-loathing, difficulty planning, frustration with new skills, and other challenges. If these are sensitive issues for you, please consider your tastes and headspace before reading onward.
( Read more... )
fuzzyred. It also fills the "nostalgia" square in my 2-1-25 card for the Valentines Bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by a pool with fuzzyred. It belongs to the Trichromatic Attractions thread of the Polychrome Heroics series.Warning: This poem contains intense and controversial topics. Highlight to read the warnings, some of which are spoilers. It includes sobriety issues, angst, failed coping skills, self-loathing, difficulty planning, frustration with new skills, and other challenges. If these are sensitive issues for you, please consider your tastes and headspace before reading onward.
( Read more... )
Tags:
Disepiphany
Jan. 5th, 2026 08:48 pmpsocopteraA nice big finish for Disepiphany: yesterday I tested every pen in our annoying corner cabinet and pen and pencil rack and found a whole bag's worth of dried-up pens and broken-in-half pencils and such to get rid of (does Staples still have pen and marker recycling? we'll see) and then reorganized everything. We still have a ridiculous amount of everything - every year the kids have new marker and pen and pencil sets on their school supply lists, and then they come home in June with half of it barely touched - but fingers crossed that I can now get the things I actually use in and out of the cabinet without a bunch of other things diving out with them.
And then also, awhile ago J (big J) gave me a very exciting gift of exotic sausages (like some from game meat), not knowing that I have a pretty serious phobia of prion disease and don't eat game meat any more. I wrestled with it for awhile but finally acknowledged that even if I could make myself eat the sausages I couldn't make myself enjoy them, and while I felt bad Rejecting A Gift and Wasting Food, those are exactly the kind of rules you get to break in the Disadvent season. (I don't even believe the first one is a good rule but it was in my family growing up - like, oh, you hate that new clothing item? you'll be wearing it anyways - which I suppose was only supposed to apply when I was a kid, but my guilt did not get the message.) J, who is awesome, and kind about my anxiety, did not give me shit about it and is pleased to get the freezer space back.
And tomorrow I get the rest of the ornaments off the tree and the tree goes out to the yard to hang out until townwide tree collection. Happy Disepiphany!
And then also, awhile ago J (big J) gave me a very exciting gift of exotic sausages (like some from game meat), not knowing that I have a pretty serious phobia of prion disease and don't eat game meat any more. I wrestled with it for awhile but finally acknowledged that even if I could make myself eat the sausages I couldn't make myself enjoy them, and while I felt bad Rejecting A Gift and Wasting Food, those are exactly the kind of rules you get to break in the Disadvent season. (I don't even believe the first one is a good rule but it was in my family growing up - like, oh, you hate that new clothing item? you'll be wearing it anyways - which I suppose was only supposed to apply when I was a kid, but my guilt did not get the message.) J, who is awesome, and kind about my anxiety, did not give me shit about it and is pleased to get the freezer space back.
And tomorrow I get the rest of the ornaments off the tree and the tree goes out to the yard to hang out until townwide tree collection. Happy Disepiphany!
Now That's What I Call Music
Jan. 5th, 2026 09:54 pm![[syndicated profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/feed.png){kind=small}
questionable_content_feed
2026 off to a classy start
MerMay
Jan. 5th, 2026 07:03 pmysabetwordsmith posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
goals_on_dwIf you've been following the Arts and Crafts or Writing signup posts, you've seen the MerMay entries there. It's a straightforward challenge: create something related to mermaids every day in May. This is one of the many thematic month challenges, ideally suited to people who like shorter challenges and/or have goals like "date a hobby" or "do the thing every day."
redonthemoon is calling for MerMay prompt ideas. There's a potential working list for 2026 plus previous examples from 2024 and 2025. You can comment to leave suggestions, or just grab what's already there for your inspiration.
redonthemoon is calling for MerMay prompt ideas. There's a potential working list for 2026 plus previous examples from 2024 and 2025. You can comment to leave suggestions, or just grab what's already there for your inspiration.Tags:
(sitting at airport waiting for flight)
Jan. 5th, 2026 04:56 pmtozkaOne thing I'll miss while in the UK (besides family obv) is my PBS Passport that I just got at the start of the year. It's very basic UI design compared to other streaming services, but it's chock full of things to watch. So many shows, some of them my favorites (This Old House) and some I've never even heard of (Travels with Yankee). Lots of British and European murder mystery and historical dramas, of course, but also fascinating craft documentaries, travel shows, history, nature, etc etc. AND no commercials in the middle of an episode-- just at the beginning, and they're all local ones which interest me way more (and there's only like 1-2 anyway).
Apparently PBS doesn't have int'l broadcast rights, neither can you download things nor use a VPN to bypass (apparently), so once I'm abroad I'll be cut off. :(
That said, I MAY have access to some of the British stuff because I'll be...in Britain.....
Maybe I can finish the 1983 Partners in Crime show then.
Apparently PBS doesn't have int'l broadcast rights, neither can you download things nor use a VPN to bypass (apparently), so once I'm abroad I'll be cut off. :(
That said, I MAY have access to some of the British stuff because I'll be...in Britain.....
Maybe I can finish the 1983 Partners in Crime show then.
2025 in Books
Jan. 5th, 2026 04:12 pmstarladyIt's the eleventh day of Christmas and high time to post this roundup.
2025 Reading Stats
I feel like I'm not entirely sure how I managed to read this many books (well, I read six Lumberjanes collections on the trains to and from New York on New Year's Eve, and I ruthlessly read a lot of novellas that had piled up in December), but I'm pleased about it. I'm especially pleased about reading so much manga, and also that I've gotten faster at reading Japanese again. Which is good because I still have so. much. manga to read. And I buy more every time I go to Japan. I'm also pleased about the physical TBR progress, which includes sorting a bunch of books lurking on the bookshelf for years into piles of "read this and then sell it back," which I will continue doing. Sadly Half Price in town closed because of landlord greed, so now I have to go to either Fremont or Pleasant Hill. Other than that, I did de-prioritize new books to focus on older ones, so there's a lot of good 2025 books that have piled up. Too many books, too little time!
Best of 2025
2025 Reading Resolutions
2025 Reading Stats
- 144 books read, of which 12 were a reread
- By gender: 45.5 (32%) by men, the rest by women and other genders
- By race: 62 (45%) by people of color
- By language: 28 (19%) in Japanese, 8 (0.5%) in translation
- New books: 37 (26%) published in 2025
- New-to-me authors: 27
- Read 125 books ==> Success! 144, an all-time high!
- Read 25 physical books owned since 2023 or earlier ==> Success! 29
- Read 35 books by authors of color ==> Success! 62
- Read 10 books in translation ==> Fail
- Read a volume of manga a week in Japanese ==> Well, I got closer than I have before?
- Read all the comics bought before 2025, both physical and digital ==> Fail. But I did buy a refurbished 2021 iPad mini and reading comics on it in Kindle is a pretty good experience, unlike my old iPad which had been blinking off randomly for years. And I think I have done the physical part of it? Except for a few random bandes-dessinées I have lying around.
I feel like I'm not entirely sure how I managed to read this many books (well, I read six Lumberjanes collections on the trains to and from New York on New Year's Eve, and I ruthlessly read a lot of novellas that had piled up in December), but I'm pleased about it. I'm especially pleased about reading so much manga, and also that I've gotten faster at reading Japanese again. Which is good because I still have so. much. manga to read. And I buy more every time I go to Japan. I'm also pleased about the physical TBR progress, which includes sorting a bunch of books lurking on the bookshelf for years into piles of "read this and then sell it back," which I will continue doing. Sadly Half Price in town closed because of landlord greed, so now I have to go to either Fremont or Pleasant Hill. Other than that, I did de-prioritize new books to focus on older ones, so there's a lot of good 2025 books that have piled up. Too many books, too little time!
Best of 2025
- The Witch Roads and The Nameless Land (duology) by Kate Elliott
- Holy Terrors by Margaret Owen
- The Wall Around Eden by Joan Slonczewski
- Tamsin by Peter S. Beagle
- The Incandescent by Emily Tesh
- Metal from Heaven by august clarke
- Fuichin zaijian! (10 vols) by Murakami Motoka
- Absolute Wonder Woman vol. 1 by Kelly Thompson et al.
- Audition for the Fox by Martin Cahill
2025 Reading Resolutions
- Read 125 books
- Read 25 physical books owned since 2024 or earlier
- Read 35 books by authors of color
- Read 10 books in translation
- Read a volume of manga a week in Japanese
- Read all the comics bought before 2025, both physical and digital
Three Random Thoughts Make a Post
Jan. 5th, 2026 04:57 pmmuccamukk- I was just thinking, "IDK who would even buy the English language side of LJ at this point!" (Especially with sanctions on Russia. Who could buy it?) Then I remembered hungry hungry data miners looking for things to feed into LLMs/Gen AI, and sighed. I guess they've probably scraped all the public posts anyway, but might be interested in paying for the locked content?
- I'm vicariously delighted by everyone being so bouncy and excited about the hockey blorbos. I aggressively don't like men's ice hockey (except for that one fic), so will pass, but it's fun to see the enthusiasm all over my reading list. I wish you all a very merry time of it. ❤️
- I seem to have found the other half of that one ship in D.K. Broster's "Mr. Rowl". He shows up 48% mark. (Though I can see the point about Mr.
HowardHunter, especially given that farewell). I find the comment,a girl to whom his attention had subsequently been drawn—indifferent though he was to the sex
to be VERY INTERESTING for at least two reasons.
Awake in the Floating City
Jan. 5th, 2026 06:12 pmpsocopteraAwake in the Floating City, Susanna Kwan, 2025 novel. Near-future science fiction about life in the skyscrapers of a drowned San Francisco, an artist who has lost touch with art, and a supercentenarian in need of an aide and caregiver. This is quiet, small, slow, literary SF - the setting is reminiscent of KSR's New York 2140 but the actual story and feel are much more like Rebecca Campbell's Arboreality. I liked it a lot; I thought the interweaving of real history (especially re the Chinese-American experience, which both main characters are) and possible future history was done well, and while "art about art" can be hit or miss for me, I thought Kwan did a good job of making the art in the book engaging, and I liked seeing a "retreat to the North" scenario only from the distant edges, thinking about who might stay behind or be left behind and why.
I have a couple of spoilery content notes I think some people might want to know: ( Read more... )
I have a couple of spoilery content notes I think some people might want to know: ( Read more... )
Monday Word: Portmanteau
Jan. 5th, 2026 05:23 pmstonepicnicking_okapi posting in 1word1dayportmanteau [pawrt-man-toh]
noun
1. a word or part of a word made by combining the spellings and meanings of two or more other words or word parts
2. a large suitcase
examples
1. Brody is the reason for the Chrismukkah season (well, at least the use of the portmanteau). Sophie Dodd, PEOPLE, 21 Dec. 2025.
2. There was no question of the presence or absence of his portmanteau tonight. Number 13, MR James.
origin
Middle French portemanteau, from porter to carry + manteau mantle, from Latin mantellum
noun
1. a word or part of a word made by combining the spellings and meanings of two or more other words or word parts
2. a large suitcase
examples
1. Brody is the reason for the Chrismukkah season (well, at least the use of the portmanteau). Sophie Dodd, PEOPLE, 21 Dec. 2025.
2. There was no question of the presence or absence of his portmanteau tonight. Number 13, MR James.
origin
Middle French portemanteau, from porter to carry + manteau mantle, from Latin mantellum