New Year's Resolutions Check In
Jan. 23rd, 2026 09:13 pmWe've passed the third week of January. This includes more of the dropoff days: January 17, January 19, and the third Friday.
It's good for people to make their own plans, with help if wanted or needed. Variations of "How is that working for you?" are used to gauge progress. Here's an example from Brief Action Planning with a flow chart. This concept applies to most problem-solving situations, and it's something that anyone can learn to use.
The above approach is a shorthand version of the engineer problem-solving method. It requires following several steps such as defining a problem, brainstorming solutions, testing a solution, evaluating results, and making changes if necessary.
( Read more... )
It's good for people to make their own plans, with help if wanted or needed. Variations of "How is that working for you?" are used to gauge progress. Here's an example from Brief Action Planning with a flow chart. This concept applies to most problem-solving situations, and it's something that anyone can learn to use.
The above approach is a shorthand version of the engineer problem-solving method. It requires following several steps such as defining a problem, brainstorming solutions, testing a solution, evaluating results, and making changes if necessary.
( Read more... )
Friday five
Jan. 23rd, 2026 04:52 pm1. How do you feel about passengers riding in front of you reclining their seats? I understand why they're doing it, but it's still annoying, especially when I'm trying to watch something on my laptop lol
2. What single aspect of airplane flight do you dislike the most? Being squished in a germy metal tube next to strangers for hours
3. What was your longest flight on an airplane? At least 9 hours..I watched like 5 or 6 movies haha and saw Greenland from the air, which was SUPER cool!
4. What’s your favorite way to pass the time on a long flight? Watching movies, seeing what's outside the window, reading
5. What are the best and worst things you’ve eaten on a plane or in an airport? I had Mexican food at DFW Airport a couple years ago, and their queso was SO good, my tastebuds had forgotten what GOOD Mexican food tasted like! There's a restaurant at the Seattle Airport that has good Italian food too. I've had airport mac and cheese that wasn't great..there might be other things, but can't think of them at the moment..
Earlier on my lunch break I thought I'd read up on Thwaites Glacier in Antarctica, known as the "Doomsday Glacier" because it could raise sea levels too high, and about died when I read that scientists want to put up a giant sea curtain in front of the glacier to protect it from warm water. There is even a website: The Seabed Curtain Project! They want to curtain a glacier?? That is amazing and super cool, it'll be a fancy glacier haha! It's probably insanely expensive, but still a cool idea
( jan 17-23 )
2. What single aspect of airplane flight do you dislike the most? Being squished in a germy metal tube next to strangers for hours
3. What was your longest flight on an airplane? At least 9 hours..I watched like 5 or 6 movies haha and saw Greenland from the air, which was SUPER cool!
4. What’s your favorite way to pass the time on a long flight? Watching movies, seeing what's outside the window, reading
5. What are the best and worst things you’ve eaten on a plane or in an airport? I had Mexican food at DFW Airport a couple years ago, and their queso was SO good, my tastebuds had forgotten what GOOD Mexican food tasted like! There's a restaurant at the Seattle Airport that has good Italian food too. I've had airport mac and cheese that wasn't great..there might be other things, but can't think of them at the moment..
Earlier on my lunch break I thought I'd read up on Thwaites Glacier in Antarctica, known as the "Doomsday Glacier" because it could raise sea levels too high, and about died when I read that scientists want to put up a giant sea curtain in front of the glacier to protect it from warm water. There is even a website: The Seabed Curtain Project! They want to curtain a glacier?? That is amazing and super cool, it'll be a fancy glacier haha! It's probably insanely expensive, but still a cool idea
( jan 17-23 )
Daily Check In.
Jan. 23rd, 2026 05:23 pmThis is your check-in post for today. The poll will be open from midnight Universal or Zulu Time (8pm Eastern Time) on Friday to midnight on Saturday (8pm Eastern Time).
Please, talk about how things are going for you in the comments, ask for advice or help if you need it, or just discuss whatever you feel like.
Poll #34112 Daily poll
Open to: Access List, detailed results viewable to: Access List, participants: 13
How are you doing?
I am okay
9 (69.2%)
I am not okay, but don't need help right now
4 (30.8%)
I could use some help.
0 (0.0%)
How many other humans are you living with?
I am living single
6 (46.2%)
One other person
5 (38.5%)
More than one other person
2 (15.4%)
Please, talk about how things are going for you in the comments, ask for advice or help if you need it, or just discuss whatever you feel like.
Fic: To Heal With Trust (DC Comics, Dinah Lance & Roy Harper)
Jan. 23rd, 2026 04:51 pmTitle: To Heal With Trust
Fandom: DCU Comics (Birds of Prey/Outsiders)
Character: Dinah Lance(&Roy Harper)
Theme Set: Table 4
Prompt: Trust
Rating: General Audiences / PG
Spoilers/Warnings: Reference to gun violence
"Slow and easy, yes, just like that. I have your head, just let your body float," Dinah said, confident and reassuring all in one.
Roy closed his eyes, his body already feeling less sore as he followed her instructions. When she'd shown up, thrown Ollie out, and told him to stay clear, Roy hadn't known what to expect. Now, living with her, Lian occupied by Oracle and Dinah's teammates, he knew he was in the best possible hands to recover.
The hot tub was set just warm enough to pull his muscles loose, salt-tanged for buoyancy, and she had him. She'd never let him fall under, while his body just floated, easing the stress of his physical therapy away. She pushed when they did it, but not so hard as to build injuries, and then… she always took care of him after.
He wasn't going to fail her, or his baby girl, by wallowing in the fear of the near-fatal shots. He would trust her, as he always had, letting her guide him. When he went back out there, he'd be as strong as he'd ever been.
It was just like when she put him back together from the drugs.
Fandom: DCU Comics (Birds of Prey/Outsiders)
Character: Dinah Lance(&Roy Harper)
Theme Set: Table 4
Prompt: Trust
Rating: General Audiences / PG
Spoilers/Warnings: Reference to gun violence
To Heal With Trust
"Slow and easy, yes, just like that. I have your head, just let your body float," Dinah said, confident and reassuring all in one.
Roy closed his eyes, his body already feeling less sore as he followed her instructions. When she'd shown up, thrown Ollie out, and told him to stay clear, Roy hadn't known what to expect. Now, living with her, Lian occupied by Oracle and Dinah's teammates, he knew he was in the best possible hands to recover.
The hot tub was set just warm enough to pull his muscles loose, salt-tanged for buoyancy, and she had him. She'd never let him fall under, while his body just floated, easing the stress of his physical therapy away. She pushed when they did it, but not so hard as to build injuries, and then… she always took care of him after.
He wasn't going to fail her, or his baby girl, by wallowing in the fear of the near-fatal shots. He would trust her, as he always had, letting her guide him. When he went back out there, he'd be as strong as he'd ever been.
It was just like when she put him back together from the drugs.
etween Cold and Silence / Между холодом и тишиной
Jan. 24th, 2026 12:00 am
📝 Оригинальный текст записи
Сегодня тоже не будет историй из прошлого.
Я поделюсь тем, что есть сейчас - в этом моменте.
Сегодня снова шёл снег. Мороз сковал деревья белым инеем, и город выглядел тихим, почти неподвижным. Мне повезло: в этот день я не выполняю задачи в море. Ночь пройдёт в здании без отопления и света, с монитором перед глазами и холодом, который постепенно проникает под одежду.
Мне повезло ещё и в другом - рядом со мной кошка. Этой ночью мы будем греть друг друга. Иногда этого достаточно, чтобы не замёрзнуть окончательно - и телом, и внутри.
Мне выдают новое оружие. Многие хотели бы оказаться на моём месте, но я ловлю себя на полном отсутствии интереса. Скорее - на отстранённости. Мне не просто всё равно, мне в целом не хочется брать его в руки. Это странное чувство, но оно честное.
Последние дни я ношу очки не только вечером, а весь день. Это непривычно - словно мир стал чуть мягче, чуть дальше, и я наблюдаю его через тонкую преграду.
Впервые за долгое время я нашёл в себе силы завершить несколько недописанных дел. Когда пальцы касались клавиш, это было не про результат. Это было похоже на живой внутренний разговор - спокойный, без давления. После него пришло чувство лёгкости и тихой радости, не от завершения, а от контакта с собой.
Ко мне вернулись сны. Долгое время они были редкостью, а прошлой ночью я снова видел их - и, что удивительно, не просыпался от взрывов. Словно психика позволила себе немного отдыха.
У меня есть в запасе несколько историй из прошлого. Возможно, однажды они закончатся. А сейчас мне просто хочется иногда переходить в этот мир воспоминаний - как в место, где можно перевести дыхание.
Мне сообщили, что статья BBC уже на завершающем этапе. Я не тороплю события. Я понимаю, что в тексте не будет всей реальности - лишь аккуратный, выстроенный образ. И, пожалуй, сейчас мне этого достаточно.
Как я писал раньше, невозможно передать весь абсурд происходящего: когда в жилых домах нет отопления и воды, когда температура внутри почти не отличается от уличной. Даже сейчас я сижу в верхней одежде и шапке, прижимая кошку под курткой. И всё же я сохраняю тепло и не даю себе замёрзнуть до конца - физически и эмоционально.
Я всё меньше вовлечён в процессы вокруг. Скорее наоборот - ловлю себя на желании выйти из них, сделать шаг в сторону. Не из слабости, а из бережности к себе.
Иногда я ясно понимаю, что больше не вижу себя в этой реальности.
Не из высокомерия и не из протеста - скорее из усталости.
Слишком много лжи, слишком много лицемерия, слишком много игры в нормальность, в которой все будто знают правила, но никто не говорит их вслух.
Я всё чаще ловлю себя на ощущении, что наблюдаю происходящее со стороны, как спектакль, в котором мне когда-то выдали роль, но я больше не хочу её играть.
Я знаю, какой может быть жизнь. Я видел её - по ту сторону границ, по ту сторону войны, в простых вещах: в уважении к личному пространству, в честных разговорах, в тишине без страха.
И, возможно, именно это знание делает возвращение в текущую реальность особенно трудным.
Я не идеализирую другой мир и не обесцениваю этот.
Я просто чувствую, что между мной и происходящим вокруг увеличивается пропасть.
В последние дни я всё чаще думаю о маленьких целях, с которых могу начать восстановление: больше спать, лучше питаться, снова читать, перестать тратить энергию там, где её не просят, и выйти из роли «спасителя».
Пожалуй, на этом всё.
Сейчас я не многословен. И, кажется, мне этого достаточно.
Note translated in assistance with AI.
Today there will be no stories from the past either.
I want to share what exists now — in this very moment.
It snowed again today. Frost wrapped the trees in white hoarfrost, and the city looked quiet, almost motionless. I was lucky: today I am not assigned to tasks at sea. The night will pass in a building without heating or electricity, with a monitor in front of me and cold slowly seeping under my clothes.
I am lucky in one more way — a cat is with me. Tonight we will keep each other warm. Sometimes this is enough not to freeze completely — both physically and inside.
I am being issued new weapons. Many would like to be in my place, but I catch myself feeling no interest at all. Rather — detachment. It is not just that I do not care; I do not want to hold them in my hands at all. It is a strange feeling, but it is an honest one.
Over the past few days I have been wearing my glasses not only in the evening, but all day long. It feels unusual — as if the world has become slightly softer, a little more distant, and I am observing it through a thin barrier.
For the first time in a long while, I found the strength to finish several unfinished things. When my fingers touched the keyboard, it was not about results. It felt like a quiet inner conversation — calm, without pressure. Afterwards came a sense of lightness and quiet joy, not from completion, but from reconnecting with myself.
Dreams have returned to me. For a long time they were rare, and last night I saw them again — and, surprisingly, did not wake up from explosions. As if my psyche allowed itself a little rest.
I have a few stories from the past in reserve. Perhaps one day they will run out. For now, I simply want to step into this world of memories from time to time — as a place where I can breathe.
I was told that the BBC article is now in its final stage. I am not rushing anything. I understand that it will not contain the full reality — only a carefully constructed image. And perhaps, for now, that is enough.
As I wrote before, it is impossible to convey all the absurdity of what is happening: when residential buildings have no heating or water, when the temperature indoors is almost the same as outside. Even now I am sitting in outerwear and a hat, holding the cat under my jacket. And yet I keep myself warm and do not let myself freeze completely — physically or emotionally.
I am becoming less and less involved in the processes around me. Rather the opposite — I catch myself wanting to step aside, to exit them. Not out of weakness, but out of care for myself.
Sometimes I clearly realize that I no longer see myself in this reality.
Not out of arrogance and not out of protest — but out of fatigue.
Too much lies, too much hypocrisy, too much playing at normality, where everyone seems to know the rules, yet no one speaks them aloud.
More and more often I feel like an observer, watching a performance from the outside — one in which I was once assigned a role, but no longer want to play it.
I know what life can be like. I have seen it — on the other side of borders, beyond war, in simple things: respect for personal space, honest conversations, silence without fear.
And perhaps it is this knowledge that makes returning to the current reality especially difficult.
I do not idealize another world, and I do not devalue this one.
I simply feel that the gap between me and what is happening around me is growing.
In recent days, I have been thinking more and more about small goals from which I can begin to restore myself: sleeping more, eating better, reading again, stopping the waste of energy where it is not asked for, and stepping out of the role of the “savior.”
That is probably all.
Right now, I am not very talkative.
And it seems that this is enough.
Lead Paint on Vintage Corelle Dishes - edited after posting
Jan. 23rd, 2026 04:58 pmMSN report here, from last year. I just learned this today. If I can stop anyone else from being exposed, it's worth a reblog.
The dishes in question are basically ubiquitous in kitchens I have known and loved, so that's not great.
ETA:
Okay, now I'm just confused. The lead levels are both a) high and b) technically legal, and it may not be leaching in any case due to the processes used. I hate living in an era where I don't know which of the seven million articles titled essentially the same thing are bullshit, and which are trustworthy. I figured MSN might fact-check, but apparently Corelle has never issued a recall per se, just a "Okay, we guess you might as well buy new stuff, because it's true there's lead in the old stuff." This info from this article.
The dishes in question are basically ubiquitous in kitchens I have known and loved, so that's not great.
ETA:
Okay, now I'm just confused. The lead levels are both a) high and b) technically legal, and it may not be leaching in any case due to the processes used. I hate living in an era where I don't know which of the seven million articles titled essentially the same thing are bullshit, and which are trustworthy. I figured MSN might fact-check, but apparently Corelle has never issued a recall per se, just a "Okay, we guess you might as well buy new stuff, because it's true there's lead in the old stuff." This info from this article.
Fandom Snowflake Challenge #6
Jan. 23rd, 2026 04:20 pm
Challenge #6: Top 10 Challenge
The category(ies) you choose are up to you. You can give top 10 Fics you read last year, the top 10 songs to create to, the to 10 guest stars on your favorite show, top 10 characters in your favorite book series, top 10... well, you get the idea.
When I saw this challenge, I knew I wanted to do something related to Thai dramas, because of course what else do I think of these days lol I tried a top 10 series list, but failed rather quickly. Who knew it would be so hard to narrow down to 10! And I didn't quite have enough to just include ones from any single year. I thought of actors or CPs (character partners/pairings, aka actors who work as a set romantic pairing in various series) as well, but that seemed a bit meh and also potentially hard to narrow down.
So I decided to go slightly further afield to the related topic of Thai music. Related because almost everyone I listen to is also an actor, which is how I heard about them in the first place. Songs seemed a bit overwhelming once again, but I figured out how to narrow it down!
Presenting my top 10 Thai music videos, in no particular order:
( Read more... )
Snowflake Challenge 2026 #12
Jan. 23rd, 2026 07:48 pmChallenge #12
Make an appreciation post to those who enhance your fandom life. Appreciate them in bullet points, prose, poetry, a moodboard, a song... whatever moves you!
Is it silly to say that reading today's challenge actually kind of filled me with a genuine sense of dread? Imagine my internal sense of self running around my mind palace in circles, screaming, "NOOOO, BEING BAD AT THIS IS EXACTLY WHY I HAVEN'T STARTED RESPONDING TO COMMENTS ON MY WRITING AND ART UNTIL RECENTLY AAAAHHHHHHH"
But! I think it's important to make fancreators feel appreciated. There's been an issue worsening with the online climate, where people just want to consume, consume, consume, and then just... leave. Comments on fanfics are down significantly compared to the early days and, although I don't have any proof of this, in my experience, it certainly feels like fanart is being shared less. On Tumblr, this issue is especially bad, where likes don't even really do anything to help with reach. I don't like it. I don't like that the fandom community is feeling less like a community.
That's exactly why my New Year's resolution this year is to comment on fanworks (and general art) more. Specifically, I want to comment on at least one piece of art or writing, every two days. I've kept this up so far, and, you know, it's easier than I thought it would be! I spend most of my time on Tumblr where there's a very quick and easy reply feature, so I've just been replying to the art that I've come across that I think is especially impactful in some way. And that's the sort of thing that I like to do! Instead of writing thank-yous (and making myself throw up in the process, probably), I like to show that I'm thankful for somebody's contributions to fandom by supporting them in other ways (that don't make me want to throw up).
Does this response even really meet the letter of this challenge...? I dunno, but it's true to myself and how I interact with artists online, at least, hahaha!
Actually Autistic
Jan. 23rd, 2026 07:22 pmSo, after a number of years on multiple waiting lists, I have my autism diagnosis
I don’t really know how I’m supposed to feel about it, but there’s a lot of “oh… that explains everything” and a lot of relief that I’m not a bad or broken person.
I spent a long time thinking I was wrong somehow - cold, lacking empathy, too intense about the “wrong” things. It turns out my brain just works differently.
Right now I mostly feel... buffering. Numb, but not in a bad way. Like my system is quietly re-sorting years of memories with new labels.
I’m not ready to be insightful or inspirational about this. I just wanted to say it out loud.
I wasn’t a psycho. I was autistic, without the information I needed.
I don’t really know how I’m supposed to feel about it, but there’s a lot of “oh… that explains everything” and a lot of relief that I’m not a bad or broken person.
I spent a long time thinking I was wrong somehow - cold, lacking empathy, too intense about the “wrong” things. It turns out my brain just works differently.
Right now I mostly feel... buffering. Numb, but not in a bad way. Like my system is quietly re-sorting years of memories with new labels.
I’m not ready to be insightful or inspirational about this. I just wanted to say it out loud.
I wasn’t a psycho. I was autistic, without the information I needed.
Book Review: Insurgent by Veronica Roth
Jan. 20th, 2026 06:30 pm⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3 stars)
Insurgent is an interesting but uneven middle book - one that kept my attention without ever fully winning me over.
I'm very aware that I'm not the target audience for this series, and I think that colours my response here. There's a lot in Insurgent that will work well for readers invested in the characters and the world, particularly the escalating stakes and constant forward momentum.
At the same time, the novel often feels busy rather than deep. The plot is packed with movement, faction politics, and shifting alliances, but emotional beats are rushed through in favour of action. As a result, moments that should land hard sometimes pass by without much impact.
That said, I was intrigued. The world-building continues to raise interesting questions about control, identity, and rebellion, and the series' larger ideas kept me turning pages even when the execution didn't fully work for me. Tris remains a compelling central figure, even if I never felt as emotionally connected as the story seemed to want me to be.
Ultimately, Insurgent is a solid, readable sequel that does what it needs to do to move the story forward. It didn't quite click for me, but I can absolutely see why it resonates with its intended audience.
Insurgent is an interesting but uneven middle book - one that kept my attention without ever fully winning me over.
I'm very aware that I'm not the target audience for this series, and I think that colours my response here. There's a lot in Insurgent that will work well for readers invested in the characters and the world, particularly the escalating stakes and constant forward momentum.
At the same time, the novel often feels busy rather than deep. The plot is packed with movement, faction politics, and shifting alliances, but emotional beats are rushed through in favour of action. As a result, moments that should land hard sometimes pass by without much impact.
That said, I was intrigued. The world-building continues to raise interesting questions about control, identity, and rebellion, and the series' larger ideas kept me turning pages even when the execution didn't fully work for me. Tris remains a compelling central figure, even if I never felt as emotionally connected as the story seemed to want me to be.
Ultimately, Insurgent is a solid, readable sequel that does what it needs to do to move the story forward. It didn't quite click for me, but I can absolutely see why it resonates with its intended audience.
Book Review: A Bit of a Stretch: The Diaries of a Prisoner by Chris Atkins
Jan. 13th, 2026 04:45 pmA Bit of a Stretch is funny, furious, and quietly devastating in equal measure.
Written as a diary of Chris Atkins' time in prison, the book is sharply observational and often laugh-out-loud witty, even as it documents a system that is chronically underfunded, overcrowded, and casually cruel. The humour never blunts the reality; instead, it makes the injustice land harder.
Atkins is particularly good at capturing the small, grinding absurdities of prison life - the bureaucracy, the petty rules, the boredom - and showing how they erode people over time. What makes the book so effective is its refusal to sensationalise. Violence is not the point here; degradation, neglect, and indifference are.
There's a clear awareness of the author's own privilege and the ways it buffers him from the worst excesses of the system, and that self-reflection adds weight rather than defensiveness. The book is angry, but it's also humane, empathetic, and deeply concerned with how easily society accepts cruelty once it's hidden behind walls.
The only reason this isn't a full five stars is that the diary format can occasionally feel repetitive - though that repetition arguably mirrors the reality of incarceration itself.
A compelling, important read that manages to be entertaining without ever losing sight of the human cost of prison.
Written as a diary of Chris Atkins' time in prison, the book is sharply observational and often laugh-out-loud witty, even as it documents a system that is chronically underfunded, overcrowded, and casually cruel. The humour never blunts the reality; instead, it makes the injustice land harder.
Atkins is particularly good at capturing the small, grinding absurdities of prison life - the bureaucracy, the petty rules, the boredom - and showing how they erode people over time. What makes the book so effective is its refusal to sensationalise. Violence is not the point here; degradation, neglect, and indifference are.
There's a clear awareness of the author's own privilege and the ways it buffers him from the worst excesses of the system, and that self-reflection adds weight rather than defensiveness. The book is angry, but it's also humane, empathetic, and deeply concerned with how easily society accepts cruelty once it's hidden behind walls.
The only reason this isn't a full five stars is that the diary format can occasionally feel repetitive - though that repetition arguably mirrors the reality of incarceration itself.
A compelling, important read that manages to be entertaining without ever losing sight of the human cost of prison.
View from the Window - January
Jan. 23rd, 2026 01:59 pmFour standard views from our bedroom window, including the obligatory one with the smattering of snow:
( views January )