Check-in Week 4 (Jan 18th-Jan 24th)
Jan. 24th, 2026 10:34 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
athaiaLife: Temperatures are freezing here, but apparently nothing compared to the 'killer storm' across the pond. I ordered way too much tea, both black tea and fruit tea, because I need to make winter cozy somehow. January is, as every year, the only month that's a hundred days long. I made lentils Hamburg style (the city, not the food), which means they're cooked in water mixed with vinegar and plum juice, with a slice (or several) of pork belly (in celebration of Veganuary), and a side of flour dumplings. It's so filling that I'm skipping dinner - a true winter dish.
Crafting: The shawl is still not done, because for the whole past week, I was too tired after work to knit. It's about 3/4 of the needed length, so maybe I can finish it until next weekend.
Reading: I'm trying to get past the first chapter of Michael Rabiger's Developing Story Ideas (because I spent so much time writing this one series that I'm drawing a blank when it comes to writing anything outside it). But he's very clearly teaching Litfic at some college, and assumes that you have 'peers' who'd want to work through the exercises with you. Clearly, he developed his process in a classroom setting. I had to laugh at some of his claims, like this one:
And then I came across this gem:
Writing: I drafted two more scenes for my WIP; tomorrow, I'll have completed the first act.
Crafting: The shawl is still not done, because for the whole past week, I was too tired after work to knit. It's about 3/4 of the needed length, so maybe I can finish it until next weekend.
Reading: I'm trying to get past the first chapter of Michael Rabiger's Developing Story Ideas (because I spent so much time writing this one series that I'm drawing a blank when it comes to writing anything outside it). But he's very clearly teaching Litfic at some college, and assumes that you have 'peers' who'd want to work through the exercises with you. Clearly, he developed his process in a classroom setting. I had to laugh at some of his claims, like this one:
(...) you can e-mail outlines to interested friends around the globe and get feedback almost immediately.Yeah, that hasn't been my experience. I only get to have a conversation with my writer friends when we have our bi-weekly video chat, and the rest is tumbleweeds. I mean, we all have demanding jobs and etc.
And then I came across this gem:
An important part of writing is showing it to others for their reaction (...) the object and gratification of all artistic endeavors - acting upon your audience and considering all the ways they react.Clearly, the good professor needs to get his head set straight by the fandom Karens that infest Reddit and the like, for the audacity of expecting an audience reaction. I dunno, maybe I should just skip to the exercises - the ones you can do without the help of your 'peers'.
Writing: I drafted two more scenes for my WIP; tomorrow, I'll have completed the first act.
(no subject)
Jan. 24th, 2026 07:55 pmthisbluespiritSome things that I have had stashed away for a little while:
1.sovay very kindly sent me a copy of Exit Through the Fireplace by Kate Dunn, which was waiting for me at the new house when I got here. It is about repertory theatre with lots of accounts on every aspect from actors and others involved, including a lot of people I have watched in old telly, so I enjoyed it a lot.
But having only recently before tried to make a post explaining what I loved about Terence Rattigan's plays, including floundering about trying to say how effective his dialogue is, I was v pleased to find this quote:
John Moffatt: (On being in rep, and the difficulty of remembering the lines, doing a new play every week): "You got to know who the good writers were. With Rattigan you barely had to learn it at all, even after just blocking it you almost knew it because it is so beautifully written. The only way to reply to something that has just been said is what he's written."
2. Talking of people being kind,swordznsorcery wrote me a lovely Sapphire & Steel story with a new Element and a stealth crossover very RTMI here, and if you also like S&S, I recommend taking a look, as it's great! <3
3. The book I was reading introduced me to the utterly untrue but very S&S like urban myth/ghost story of the Zanetti Train. Sounds like an Assignment to me, or a film I would watch, anyway. (It seems to have been taken from a Ukrainian work of fiction, most likely - certainly not one detail of it has any truth in it).
4. Making personalised bingo cards proved to be exactly in my wheelhouse right now, so I had fun with that. If anyone missed it the other day and would like one, feel free to still ask! (Here or there, whatever).
5. Random AO3 tag found while wrangling that is currently amusing me: It is literally just Twelfth Night but with Moomins.
Otherwise still slowly progressing and all that etc etc etc.
1.
sovay very kindly sent me a copy of Exit Through the Fireplace by Kate Dunn, which was waiting for me at the new house when I got here. It is about repertory theatre with lots of accounts on every aspect from actors and others involved, including a lot of people I have watched in old telly, so I enjoyed it a lot.But having only recently before tried to make a post explaining what I loved about Terence Rattigan's plays, including floundering about trying to say how effective his dialogue is, I was v pleased to find this quote:
John Moffatt: (On being in rep, and the difficulty of remembering the lines, doing a new play every week): "You got to know who the good writers were. With Rattigan you barely had to learn it at all, even after just blocking it you almost knew it because it is so beautifully written. The only way to reply to something that has just been said is what he's written."
2. Talking of people being kind,
swordznsorcery wrote me a lovely Sapphire & Steel story with a new Element and a stealth crossover very RTMI here, and if you also like S&S, I recommend taking a look, as it's great! <33. The book I was reading introduced me to the utterly untrue but very S&S like urban myth/ghost story of the Zanetti Train. Sounds like an Assignment to me, or a film I would watch, anyway. (It seems to have been taken from a Ukrainian work of fiction, most likely - certainly not one detail of it has any truth in it).
4. Making personalised bingo cards proved to be exactly in my wheelhouse right now, so I had fun with that. If anyone missed it the other day and would like one, feel free to still ask! (Here or there, whatever).
5. Random AO3 tag found while wrangling that is currently amusing me: It is literally just Twelfth Night but with Moomins.
Otherwise still slowly progressing and all that etc etc etc.
Snow
Jan. 24th, 2026 02:03 pmysabetwordsmithA major storm is sweeping over America. Here it has just started to snow.
Here is a post about keeping water liquid for birds. If you have feeders, make sure they're full.
Looking for something to do? Buy Nothing Day has links to many crafts and other activities.
Here is a post about keeping water liquid for birds. If you have feeders, make sure they're full.
Looking for something to do? Buy Nothing Day has links to many crafts and other activities.
Birdfeeding
Jan. 24th, 2026 01:28 pmysabetwordsmithToday is cloudy and frigid. The first fine snowflakes are beginning to fall. Much snow is predicted for the weekend.
I fed the birds. I've seen several sparrows, a pair of cardinals plus an extra male, and a starling.
I put out water for the birds.
EDIT 1/25/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.
I also put more seed in the hopper feeder, so that's full in case snow covers the ground. I've seen one female and four male cardinals.
Snow is still dusting down, just enough to leave a white film over flat things and pockets in the grassl.
EDIT 1/25/26 -- I did more work around the patio.
The birds have disappeared, likely holed up somewhere sheltered.
EDIT 1/25/26 -- I brought in more firewood for the woodstove.
I've seen birds off and on, plus a fox squirrel.
EDIT 1/25/26 -- I did more work around the patio.
Snow has made a light layer of frosting over everything.
As it is getting dark, I am done for the night.
I fed the birds. I've seen several sparrows, a pair of cardinals plus an extra male, and a starling.
I put out water for the birds.
EDIT 1/25/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.
I also put more seed in the hopper feeder, so that's full in case snow covers the ground. I've seen one female and four male cardinals.
Snow is still dusting down, just enough to leave a white film over flat things and pockets in the grassl.
EDIT 1/25/26 -- I did more work around the patio.
The birds have disappeared, likely holed up somewhere sheltered.
EDIT 1/25/26 -- I brought in more firewood for the woodstove.
I've seen birds off and on, plus a fox squirrel.
EDIT 1/25/26 -- I did more work around the patio.
Snow has made a light layer of frosting over everything.
As it is getting dark, I am done for the night.
Check-In Post - Jan 24th 2026
Jan. 24th, 2026 06:54 pmbadly_knitted posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
get_knittedHello to all members, passers-by, curious onlookers, and shy lurkers, and welcome to our regular daily check-in post. Just leave a comment below to let us know how your current projects are progressing, or even if they're not.
Checking in is NOT compulsory, check in as often or as seldom as you want, this community isn't about pressure it's about encouragement, motivation, and support. Crafting is meant to be fun, and what's more fun than sharing achievements and seeing the wonderful things everyone else is creating?
There may also occasionally be questions, but again you don't have to answer them, they're just a way of getting to know each other a bit better.
This Week's Question: What are your crafting goals for 2026?
If anyone has any questions of their own about the community, or suggestions for tags, questions to be asked on the check-in posts, or if anyone is interested in playing check-in host for a week here on the community, which would entail putting up the daily check-in posts and responding to comments, go to the Questions & Suggestions post and leave a comment.
I now declare this Check-In OPEN!
Monopoly 01.26 - Reminder Week 2
Jan. 24th, 2026 07:40 pmprisca posting in fandom_empireWe already have 7 participants in the regular challenge and 2 participants for Team Omega. But there are still about one day until the end of week one. Jump into the game and earn some points!
Post all your finished works atfandom_empire_workplace until Sunday, January 25, 18.00 UTC, but I will allow belated works until I've made the closing post Countdown here.
Post all your finished works at
fandom_empire_workplace until Sunday, January 25, 18.00 UTC, but I will allow belated works until I've made the closing post Countdown here.
Book review: Homegoing
Jan. 24th, 2026 09:20 amrocky41_7 posting in booknookTitle: Homegoing
Author: Yaa Gyasi
Genre: Fiction, historical fiction, family drama
Homegoing is family epic by Ghanaian-American author Yaa Gyasi. It follows the descendants of two half-sisters in Ghana in the 18th century: One, Effia, marries a British governor there. The other, Esi, is captured in raids and sold into slavery in America by that same governor. Gyasi's novel traces the story of their family from there.
As I'm sure you can imagine just by the novel's description, Homegoing is a heavy book. It's not long--only 300 pages--but the subjects it deals with are dark. Homegoing shines a very personal, intimate light on historical atrocities and it is unflinching in the stark reality of those things. However, it is not sensationalist--the things that happen, particularly to Esi's family, are shocking, but not because Gyasi is playing a gotcha game with the reader, simply because we know these things really happened. This isn't a story about real people, but it is true, in that sense--these things did happen, to generations of people.
Each chapter is a generation of the family--chapter 1 is Effia's story about marrying the governor, chapter 2 is Esi's story about her capture and imprisonment, chapter 3 is the story of Effia's son Quey, etc.--which allows Gyasi to span centuries of history, shining a light both on the development of Ghana first as it is brought under the yoke of colonialism, through its fight for independence, to regaining its sovereignty; as well as the struggle of Black Americans first against slavery and then on the successive attempts to maintain racism in the state: Jim Crow, chain gangs, the war on drugs.
While there is great suffering in Homegoing, Gyasi also shows, I think, that joy exists even in the worst times. Even the hardest-suffering of Gyasi's characters still have hopes and dreams; they still fall in love; they still have inside jokes with friends; they still dance and sing and teach children to walk and try to preserve the memories of their loved ones. Homegoing documents an almost unfathomable amount of hardship, but it also knows that life will always try to find a way.
The novel is obviously very well-researched. Gyasi has put a lot of effort into a holistic understanding of both Ghanaian and American history and it shows.
Although we don't get long with most of the characters, each of them stands out as distinct from one another. Gyasi does a wonderful job of showing their own mindsets, opinions, virtues and vices, relationships with their family and their history, and how that intersects with that character's particular struggle.
Really a very well-done book. I know I'm going to be thinking about this one for a long time, and I think it has undoubtedly earned its place on the various recommendation lists where it sits. If you are squeamish about the subject material, or not someone who usually goes for books that deal with such heavy issues, I would strongly suggest giving this one a try anyway. It matters that we remember not only that these things were wrong, but why they were wrong, and Gyasi shows that here in vivid detail. It's really worth the read.
Author: Yaa Gyasi
Genre: Fiction, historical fiction, family drama
Homegoing is family epic by Ghanaian-American author Yaa Gyasi. It follows the descendants of two half-sisters in Ghana in the 18th century: One, Effia, marries a British governor there. The other, Esi, is captured in raids and sold into slavery in America by that same governor. Gyasi's novel traces the story of their family from there.
As I'm sure you can imagine just by the novel's description, Homegoing is a heavy book. It's not long--only 300 pages--but the subjects it deals with are dark. Homegoing shines a very personal, intimate light on historical atrocities and it is unflinching in the stark reality of those things. However, it is not sensationalist--the things that happen, particularly to Esi's family, are shocking, but not because Gyasi is playing a gotcha game with the reader, simply because we know these things really happened. This isn't a story about real people, but it is true, in that sense--these things did happen, to generations of people.
Each chapter is a generation of the family--chapter 1 is Effia's story about marrying the governor, chapter 2 is Esi's story about her capture and imprisonment, chapter 3 is the story of Effia's son Quey, etc.--which allows Gyasi to span centuries of history, shining a light both on the development of Ghana first as it is brought under the yoke of colonialism, through its fight for independence, to regaining its sovereignty; as well as the struggle of Black Americans first against slavery and then on the successive attempts to maintain racism in the state: Jim Crow, chain gangs, the war on drugs.
While there is great suffering in Homegoing, Gyasi also shows, I think, that joy exists even in the worst times. Even the hardest-suffering of Gyasi's characters still have hopes and dreams; they still fall in love; they still have inside jokes with friends; they still dance and sing and teach children to walk and try to preserve the memories of their loved ones. Homegoing documents an almost unfathomable amount of hardship, but it also knows that life will always try to find a way.
The novel is obviously very well-researched. Gyasi has put a lot of effort into a holistic understanding of both Ghanaian and American history and it shows.
Although we don't get long with most of the characters, each of them stands out as distinct from one another. Gyasi does a wonderful job of showing their own mindsets, opinions, virtues and vices, relationships with their family and their history, and how that intersects with that character's particular struggle.
Really a very well-done book. I know I'm going to be thinking about this one for a long time, and I think it has undoubtedly earned its place on the various recommendation lists where it sits. If you are squeamish about the subject material, or not someone who usually goes for books that deal with such heavy issues, I would strongly suggest giving this one a try anyway. It matters that we remember not only that these things were wrong, but why they were wrong, and Gyasi shows that here in vivid detail. It's really worth the read.
(no subject)
Jan. 24th, 2026 05:03 pmturpsI got great mail yesterday, a parcel from turlough.
Thank you so much for the birthday present, Turlough. I'll keep it safe, and unopened, until my actual birthday, that way I know I'll have a lovely surprise to open. Though, I must admit, I was tempted to open it right now. You're the best ♥
Other than that it was a busy day as we went off and stocked James' unit at the craft shop, and very nice it looks too. He's between a sea glass unit and one that seems to sell a mixture of things, so the wood stands out nicely. I'm still not sure how profitable it's going to be, but the ladies running the shop are lovely and didn't charge for this last week of Jan, which was good of them. If you want to see, I've uploaded a photo here
Then, after stocking the unit we first, took Megan -- Kayleigh's cat -- to the vet and then went to pick Bodhi up from school as Kayleigh and Lucy were having a cinema and meal out day date. Bodhi was just as fun, and four going on fourteenish as usual. She wanted to give me some presents, including, a piece of paper to cut, four toy dragons, one of Kayleigh's bras and a Stitch hat. When I told her that it wouldn't fit my head she told me it had a thing at the back that made the hat bigger and how did I not know that as grown-ups are supposed to know everything. So, consider me told yet again. And also wonder when I'll become this magical grown up that does know everything.
Then later, it was The Traitors final episode which I'd been looking forward to so much. That show though, it had me on the end of my seat a few times thinking something was going to happen that didn't. But I was happy with the ending.
Today was a cinema day and as James had a Wagamama gift voucher, we went there for dinner. I had the silken tofu firecracker curry, and every bite teetered on the edge of being too hot. Which was my fault, as I did see the name. But still, it was tasty despite it making my nose run.
We'd gone to see Mercy which has been getting some bad reviews but despite being ridiculous in places, still kept me in suspense all the way through. I especially liked the concept of the film being the same time length of the trial on-screen, as the countdown was shown often, making it easy to work out when to dash out for a toilet break.
turlough.Thank you so much for the birthday present, Turlough. I'll keep it safe, and unopened, until my actual birthday, that way I know I'll have a lovely surprise to open. Though, I must admit, I was tempted to open it right now. You're the best ♥
Other than that it was a busy day as we went off and stocked James' unit at the craft shop, and very nice it looks too. He's between a sea glass unit and one that seems to sell a mixture of things, so the wood stands out nicely. I'm still not sure how profitable it's going to be, but the ladies running the shop are lovely and didn't charge for this last week of Jan, which was good of them. If you want to see, I've uploaded a photo here
Then, after stocking the unit we first, took Megan -- Kayleigh's cat -- to the vet and then went to pick Bodhi up from school as Kayleigh and Lucy were having a cinema and meal out day date. Bodhi was just as fun, and four going on fourteenish as usual. She wanted to give me some presents, including, a piece of paper to cut, four toy dragons, one of Kayleigh's bras and a Stitch hat. When I told her that it wouldn't fit my head she told me it had a thing at the back that made the hat bigger and how did I not know that as grown-ups are supposed to know everything. So, consider me told yet again. And also wonder when I'll become this magical grown up that does know everything.
Then later, it was The Traitors final episode which I'd been looking forward to so much. That show though, it had me on the end of my seat a few times thinking something was going to happen that didn't. But I was happy with the ending.
Today was a cinema day and as James had a Wagamama gift voucher, we went there for dinner. I had the silken tofu firecracker curry, and every bite teetered on the edge of being too hot. Which was my fault, as I did see the name. But still, it was tasty despite it making my nose run.
We'd gone to see Mercy which has been getting some bad reviews but despite being ridiculous in places, still kept me in suspense all the way through. I especially liked the concept of the film being the same time length of the trial on-screen, as the countdown was shown often, making it easy to work out when to dash out for a toilet break.
Posting Deadline Reminder: T-Minus ~20 hours
Jan. 24th, 2026 02:45 pmpurpleyin posting in holly_polyThis is a reminder that the deadline for posting your assignment is 11:00am UTC on 25 January 2026, which is less than a day away. Please click here to see a countdown.
Please remember that we're only allowing extensions of 48 hours as standard. If you'll need one, send an e-mail to holly.poly.exchange@gmail.com before the deadline gets here.
We have two outstanding Pinch Hits that we really need a creator for so reveals can move forward as planned. Check out the latest Pinch Hit post to see them.
Posting your assignment
You have two ways of posting your assignment:
To post a Treat for someone you weren't assigned to, for a Pinch Hitter (find Pinch Hitter requests here), or to the Collection:
Make certain that your assignment is actually posted by the deadline and not still a draft.
If you have any questions, don't hesitate to leave a comment. Comments on this post are NOT screened but Anon is available. You can also reach us at holly.poly.exchange@gmail.com
Collection: https://ao3.org/collections/holly_poly_2025
Tag Set: https://archiveofourown.org/tag_sets/25541
Tumblr: https://holly-poly.tumblr.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/holly_poly_ex
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/holly-poly.bsky.social
Google Groups - Holly Poly Updates: https://groups.google.com/g/holly-poly-updates
Google Groups - Holly Poly Pinchhits: https://groups.google.com/g/holly-poly-pinchhits
Please remember that we're only allowing extensions of 48 hours as standard. If you'll need one, send an e-mail to holly.poly.exchange@gmail.com before the deadline gets here.
We have two outstanding Pinch Hits that we really need a creator for so reveals can move forward as planned. Check out the latest Pinch Hit post to see them.
Posting your assignment
You have two ways of posting your assignment:
- RECOMMENDED - Go to your Assignments page (https://archiveofourown.org/users/[YOURUSERNAME]/assignments), find Holly Poly 2025 and click Fulfill. AO3 will fill in the collection and recipient details automatically so you just need to fill in the rest.
- Go to the AO3 Collection and click Post to Collection. Fill in the deatils as any other work you post on AO3. Don't forget to add your recipient in the field Gift this work to (copy/paste your recipient's username to make sure you have the correct one).
To post a Treat for someone you weren't assigned to, for a Pinch Hitter (find Pinch Hitter requests here), or to the Collection:
- Go to the AO3 Collection and click Post to Collection. Fill in the deatils as any other work you post on AO3. Don't forget to add your recipient in the field Gift this work to (copy/paste your recipient's username to make sure you have the correct one).
Make certain that your assignment is actually posted by the deadline and not still a draft.
- For fics, if you're posting something that's multiple chapters then make certain all chapters have been posted by the deadline. If a work is still clearly unfinished at the deadline, it will not count as being posted even if you've started to post it.
- For podfics, check you're able to stream/download your work properly. We'll be checking for placeholders.
- For art, moodboards, gifs and videos, make sure you've embedded the correct work and that it is publicly viewable. Double check your image is hosted properly and won't be taken down before reveals.
- For fanmixes, make sure your fanmix is publicly available and that all songs listed on the tracklist are available
If you have any questions, don't hesitate to leave a comment. Comments on this post are NOT screened but Anon is available. You can also reach us at holly.poly.exchange@gmail.com
Collection: https://ao3.org/collections/holly_poly_2025
Tag Set: https://archiveofourown.org/tag_sets/25541
Tumblr: https://holly-poly.tumblr.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/holly_poly_ex
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/holly-poly.bsky.social
Google Groups - Holly Poly Updates: https://groups.google.com/g/holly-poly-updates
Google Groups - Holly Poly Pinchhits: https://groups.google.com/g/holly-poly-pinchhits
SFBB15: Rough Draft Submission Rules
Jan. 24th, 2026 09:42 amsfbbmod posting in smallfandombangAuthors, this is your rough draft submission post!
Don’t freak out, though, your rough drafts aren’t due today. I’m putting up the submission rules early so that people who have their fic finished, or were having computer or internet issues, could submit their rough draft early if they so wished. (And, to be fair, not getting all of the submissions in one day would also benefit me, as well. *g*)
The rough draft submission date is next Saturday, January 31, so you still have a week to get your fic to the “required” 8,000 words/80% completed place if you haven’t already. (And yes, I used quotation marks because I’m flexible about that so long as you will A) have your fic finished by the final draft deadline of March 31 and B) have something substantial to send to your artist after claims – claims open on February 7 and the matching reveal will be made on February 14.)
( All about submitting your rough draft... )
Coming up:
The Artist Claiming Post(s) will go up on Saturday, February 7. Artists will claim a story from the summaries, which will be posted anonymously. (The Sneak Peak post will go up at least 24 hours prior to the Claiming Post, though I’m shooting for 48 hours to give all the artists time to review the summaries.) The Matching Reveal post will go up on Saturday, February 14. At that time I will send out e-mails to the author/artist partners with contact information.
It will be up to the author to provide the story to your artist, as well as any other assistance (ie, screencaps) that your artist might need. It is imperative, especially with a multi-fandom challenge such as this one, that you communicate with your artist.
NOTE: Artist sign-ups will remain open until the claiming period has closed (or until all fic have been claimed), so if you’re aware of an artist (remember, we also accept fanmixes, podcasts, vids, etc as fanart) who might be interested in this challenge, please point them to the Artist Sign-Up Post. Thank you!
If you have any questions, you may comment here with them, or contact me at sfbbmod@gmail.com. Comments will be screened.
Don’t freak out, though, your rough drafts aren’t due today. I’m putting up the submission rules early so that people who have their fic finished, or were having computer or internet issues, could submit their rough draft early if they so wished. (And, to be fair, not getting all of the submissions in one day would also benefit me, as well. *g*)
The rough draft submission date is next Saturday, January 31, so you still have a week to get your fic to the “required” 8,000 words/80% completed place if you haven’t already. (And yes, I used quotation marks because I’m flexible about that so long as you will A) have your fic finished by the final draft deadline of March 31 and B) have something substantial to send to your artist after claims – claims open on February 7 and the matching reveal will be made on February 14.)
( All about submitting your rough draft... )
Coming up:
The Artist Claiming Post(s) will go up on Saturday, February 7. Artists will claim a story from the summaries, which will be posted anonymously. (The Sneak Peak post will go up at least 24 hours prior to the Claiming Post, though I’m shooting for 48 hours to give all the artists time to review the summaries.) The Matching Reveal post will go up on Saturday, February 14. At that time I will send out e-mails to the author/artist partners with contact information.
It will be up to the author to provide the story to your artist, as well as any other assistance (ie, screencaps) that your artist might need. It is imperative, especially with a multi-fandom challenge such as this one, that you communicate with your artist.
NOTE: Artist sign-ups will remain open until the claiming period has closed (or until all fic have been claimed), so if you’re aware of an artist (remember, we also accept fanmixes, podcasts, vids, etc as fanart) who might be interested in this challenge, please point them to the Artist Sign-Up Post. Thank you!
If you have any questions, you may comment here with them, or contact me at sfbbmod@gmail.com. Comments will be screened.
The Day in Spikedluv (Friday, Jan 23)
Jan. 24th, 2026 09:31 amspikedluvI hit Price Chopper, Tractor Supply, and the Bakery while I was downtown. (I had to look for a cat door for the automotive garage because there are stray cats that come around when Pip puts out food. He thinks they’ll take care of his rat problem if he allows them in the garage, as well as give them a place to go when it’s cold out. I think he might be opening himself up to ~other problems, such as skunks getting in that door. o_O I did not find one, so he’s having his sister (garage receptionist/book keeper) order one. Update: she couldn’t find what he was looking for online, either. Hmm.)
I did a load of laundry, hand-washed dishes, emptied the dishwasher, went for several walks with Pip and the dogs, cut up chicken for the dogs' meals, scooped kitty litter, and showered. I placed an online order and paid a bill online. We had the meatloaf for supper.
Today’s tea was English Breakfast. I’m not a huge fan of this tea, but I drink it when I’m at Panera because they got rid of my preferred tea (Earl Grey) when they downsized to having just three types of tea bags.
I managed to write ~2,000 words on my SFBB fic! There’s light at the end of this tunnel. *g* I also watched Wild Cards, 9-1-1 and some House Hunters International.
Temps started out at 19.4(F) and reached 23.7. It got windy in the afternoon which made it very cold. I wore four layers for the walk when Pip got home from work (a pullover sweatshirt, a hoodie, a jacket, and another jacket over that), not counting the double layer of pants and the ski mask and scarves, etc. On his after-dinner walk with the dogs, Pip wore his Carrhart overalls in addition to the coat, so you know it was cold out there.
As if that isn’t bad enough . . . Tonight’s overnight low is forecasted to be -6 with a high on Saturday of 6. There’s a warning for wind chills of -23 “over the next 48 hours” so thanks for not being specific of when I’m going to become a popsicle on walks. I’m really not looking forward to this PLUS snow.
I promised to share a photo of the sunflower tea bag coasters I bought. The angle I took the photo at makes it look like some are larger than the others, but they’re all the same size.
Mom Update:
Mom sounded okay when I talked to her. She was able to eat the meatloaf the other night, though it was one of those not bad but not great situations. Her new normal, basically. She had several visitors today: my aunt and uncle in the morning, the Hospice minister, and her BFF in the afternoon. She said it was nice, but that it did tucker her out. That’s worrisome.
I did a load of laundry, hand-washed dishes, emptied the dishwasher, went for several walks with Pip and the dogs, cut up chicken for the dogs' meals, scooped kitty litter, and showered. I placed an online order and paid a bill online. We had the meatloaf for supper.
Today’s tea was English Breakfast. I’m not a huge fan of this tea, but I drink it when I’m at Panera because they got rid of my preferred tea (Earl Grey) when they downsized to having just three types of tea bags.
I managed to write ~2,000 words on my SFBB fic! There’s light at the end of this tunnel. *g* I also watched Wild Cards, 9-1-1 and some House Hunters International.
Temps started out at 19.4(F) and reached 23.7. It got windy in the afternoon which made it very cold. I wore four layers for the walk when Pip got home from work (a pullover sweatshirt, a hoodie, a jacket, and another jacket over that), not counting the double layer of pants and the ski mask and scarves, etc. On his after-dinner walk with the dogs, Pip wore his Carrhart overalls in addition to the coat, so you know it was cold out there.
As if that isn’t bad enough . . . Tonight’s overnight low is forecasted to be -6 with a high on Saturday of 6. There’s a warning for wind chills of -23 “over the next 48 hours” so thanks for not being specific of when I’m going to become a popsicle on walks. I’m really not looking forward to this PLUS snow.
I promised to share a photo of the sunflower tea bag coasters I bought. The angle I took the photo at makes it look like some are larger than the others, but they’re all the same size.
Mom Update:
Mom sounded okay when I talked to her. She was able to eat the meatloaf the other night, though it was one of those not bad but not great situations. Her new normal, basically. She had several visitors today: my aunt and uncle in the morning, the Hospice minister, and her BFF in the afternoon. She said it was nice, but that it did tucker her out. That’s worrisome.
Fandom Snowflake Challenge: Fandom Love Letter
Jan. 24th, 2026 05:12 amrogueslayer452Challenge #03: Write a love letter to fandom. It might be to fandom in general, to a particular fandom, favourite character, anything at all.
( My love letter to fandom. )
( My love letter to fandom. )
