EXCHANGE INTERFACE

saturday here, but otherwise a Friday Five

Sat, 13 Jun 2026 02:24:36 GMT

1. What is place you have visited, or want to visit, that starts with D?

Have visited Dubai, DC, and Derbyshire. Have never visited Denmark. Would have liked to visit Dare Es Salaam, but I suspect those days of that kind of travel are largely over.

2. What is a food that you like, or don't like, that starts with R?

Raspberries. Rhubarb. Radishes. All growing in my garden.

3. Own anything that starts with the letter M?

Mops, mats, mapbooks, maquettes (statuettes), mogs. :D

4. Know anyone whose name (first, middle, or last) that starts with N?

I know a Nick and a Nonie and a Nat.

5. Favorite movie, book, TV show, or song whose title starts with T?

Does The Winter Soldier count? Okay, let's go with a song by P!nk: Trustfall which is my first choice for karoake every time. I love the strong melody, combined with the words, and the way that you just belt it with your whole belly.

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hockey dropping like flies

Sat, 13 Jun 2026 01:33:21 GMT

One out with a hamstring injury. Another with a cold. I'm still in recovery. Two more who can't be relied on.

It's gonna be a rough week.

I'm at the tail end of a racking cough (not RSV, not COVID, not Flu A/B), being managed with cold-and-flu ephenphedrine or whatever that stuff is called. Doc decided against antibiotics, which is a pity because antibiotics would have cleared this up fast, and instead I'm supposed to survive on about 3 hours of sleep a night because the other 3 hours I would get is taken up with racking coughs. Then again, I often reach for the antibiotics a bit faster than perhaps we should so...

I'm just hoping I haven't passed it on to anyone I've seen this week. UGH.

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weekend away and the rest of life

Wed, 10 Jun 2026 06:36:23 GMT

It went well.

The host finally accepted the situation, we turned up, everything was fine, a great weekend was had. I'm so glad I did it.

Even if it was a bit stressful right before.

Also: I'm pretty sure I left the house with more food than I went into it with. Care of a pot of bolognaise that my friends made, and which turned out to be more than enough to feed 14 people (seven people, twice over - although, in all fairness, we weren't heaps hungry).

The house itself was pretty neat, albeit a little odd in design and layout. Apparently, it had originally been built around a courtyard in the centre of a three-wing house, and when they decided to extend the house, they roofed the courtyard, turning it into a dining/living space that looks in on the kitchen (which had a wall removed that it otherwise shared with the laundry.

We went to markets, antique shops, clothing shops, and a winery for lunch on Sunday. It was great, everyone got along, and there were enough extroverts and ambiverts to keep the conversation going!

--

And then I came home, and promptly acquired a sore throat, a cold, and a headache. I haven't tested for COVID yet. BLEH.

I do want a lot of sleep lately, though. And the house is cold. It's always cold here in winter and we don't realise just how bad it is until it's winter. BRR.

--

Otherwise, I am quite firmly getting into Avatar: The Last Airbender but just the original series, not the comics, the sequel about the Gaang, or the one about Korra. And mostly just reading the fic. Which is kind of fun.

I am also plotting fic. Because this is me.

One of them is a Black Jewels fusion. Because this is ALSO me.

How many of them will get written and finished? Probably none of them. Because, yes, me again.

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one of those weekends that makes you tired

Sun, 31 May 2026 16:55:13 GMT

I did gardenings and meetings and dinnerings and cropswappings and dogsittings and cookings and prayerings.

Now I need a weekend to recover from my weekend...

No hockey - it was 'Masters' Weekend' where teams 'older than 35' from all across the state play each other. It's usually held at the end of July, but for some reason this year they decided to do it in May. Which threw out a whole bunch of people. But we never have hockey on that weekend. And next weekend is the long weekend away.

So I did ALL THE THINGS (and enjoyed it, even if I'm tired).

Thank heavens the sun's been out the last couple of days. We've been getting a bit soggy here, and everyone was starting to feel a wee smidge sodden.

--

Oh! And I fixed the sleeves of my Oodie so they're shorter!

What's an "oodie" I hear the internationals ask?

An oodie is a creation made specifically for the Australian householder in the middle of winter. Because our houses are so cold in the middle of winter that we basically need to wear the warmth equivalent of outerwear inside. So some clever soul came up with a giant hoodie of velour, with thick fleecy inside, for casual wearing inside a house. It's basically a wearable quilt.

The downside is that it only comes in one sze - ginormous. Which means my arms swim in the sleeves. Pushing them up all the time is a pain. So I whacked off the sleeves at the wrist (about six inches) unpicked the cuff, and resewed the cuff back on with a zigzag stitch (for the stretch). The sleeves are still a little longer than I like, but it's much easier to wear!

It only took me years to do it.

Now I need to go look up patterns for foot sacks to see if I can use the off-cuts to make some 'around the house slippers' to keep my toes warm.

--

Although really what I need to do is go back to bed. It's nearly 3am. I woke up around 2am (after going to bed early - around 9pm) and went "oh no". So I thought I'd get up, write this post, poke a few fics, and go back once I'm tired. If I get tired.

--

ps. I'm writing AtlA fic. Cripes.

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whether the weather be cold...

Fri, 29 May 2026 04:06:41 GMT

Rain brings out the ants. Ugh. Lids of sweet things need to be screwed on tightly - or else.

Also, it's actually quite difficult to deal with the rain after so long of hot and dry sun.

That said, it's not going to last. Super El Nino, as most of us have heard. Which around here means more hot-and-dry-and-bushfiery. Eep. Yes, it's raining now, but that rain will produce a lot of tender green sprouting, which will dry off as the months go on and when spring-summer hits with its heatwaves and high temps...

Oof.

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plotting

Tue, 26 May 2026 22:53:37 GMT

Black Jewels A:tlA fic.

Additionally: wondering how it is that there are 80,000 fics for this fandom and only two sedoretu fics. This canon is MADE for it. The damn situation is practically PAVED with bricks (fics?) of gold. HOW.

And the two fics are, of course, not Zutara fics, which is my pairing pref. I'd go Katara/Zuko/Sokka/Suki tbh rather than the four benders, because one of the ways LeGuin set up sedoretu relationships was for inheritance lines - a brother and a sister marry and share their partners.

EXHIBIT A: Southern Water Tribe sibs.

Especially when a lot of the fanon I like around the SWT involves a less restrictive sexuality before marriage (but fidelity after).

...see? Like I said: plotting.

Also: heeeeeelp.

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hockey mostly

Mon, 25 May 2026 04:09:07 GMT

We won hockey, against a team we expected to lose against.

I scored the goal - short corner, it got passed around several times in the circle, and I was on the left post when the ball crossed the goal and I tapped it in. Whew! I don't often get it in, but I was there and it worked.

They were a good team - solid, some older experienced players, some younger ones with more energy and legs. And they were a pleasant team to play against, which was great. Some teams just leave you with a bad taste in the mouth. This one didn't. We tussled over the ball, but it wasn't bitchy.

We expected to lose against them because the whispers before the game were that they beat a team we'd beaten in the first round - by 10-0. We beat the team they thrashed by 2-0 back in the first round though. I mean, I could point out that they didn't have me playing, but in spite of scoring the goal, I would hardly say I was instrumental in this game. Our midfielders were on point for this one - intercepting, tackling, getting the ball away... All three '3-2-1' points for team MVP this week went to midfielders.

Anyway, I am super-sore, and will be seeing the physio this afternoon. Oof. I kind of wish I could have scored a massage beforehand to loosen everything up, but...couldn't manage otherwise.

We suspect that our two youngest, newest members will not be playing with us again

G, the teenager who I know from her mother's campaign, turned up but couldn't even take to the field. And S, the 20something who is very bad at communications, hasn't been heard from since last week.

*sigh*

G turns up to games, but doesn't play. Her father turns up and sits in the dugout, but won't take her home. She's not enjoying the games - not being involved as part of the team, and that's the point.

Honestly, we'd rather she quit than feel that she has to come and then ignore it. Try something else, more suited to her personality. It's not that we don't want her - we want her to play, yes! We want her to participate. To be involved. To join the team not just be on the sidelines.

Might need to have a talk with the committee. Because it can't be good for her to feel out of it, to stay out of it, and then to feel worse because she can't climb over a hurdle that perhaps she's not ready to play.

S got intimidated by the first game she'd played. She's not as good, no, but we were trying to be encouraging, and I think she just felt inferior in skill. Which, sure she's not as good as much of the rest of the team, but she has some solid skills, she just needs to be willing to put them out there.

If she comes back. I'm not sure she will.

This is kind of new, tbh. While we've had players who were intimidated, none of them ended up in tears on the field saying they weren't good enough. Most 'bucked up' and just did their best. Sometimes their best was better, sometimes it wasn't. But they stuck it out.

I wonder if there's a generational thing happening here.

It's been a long time since I was so scared to fail that I froze. At the ripe old age of fifty, I'm well aware that failure is neither the end of the world, or the end of my dignity. However, at the ripe old age of fifty, I also don't remember when I first learned that lesson. Or how much it hurt.

Of the last two newbies, L is doing great. She's got some skills, she's willing to throw herself into it. Solid player, good fit with the club.

M - another new player - is older, and mostly needs the confidence to get in front of her player and take the ball. She hesitates. I don't know if it's age - she's probably got at least 5-10 years on me, and the player who invited her to join our team (my friend J, who I've played hockey with since we were 15) has gone up a grade into A-grade. Which she absolutely deserves and needs to. But it leaves M a little on the out, I think.

That said, M is self-aware, unlike G and S. She knows she has to be bolder, to take initiative. But I think it doesn't come easy to her. But she'll push on, and we're happy with that.

--

I feel like I don't have much else to say that isn't boring.

I'm planting for winter - just planted all my pea seedlings, both the edible and the floral ones. Where I'm going to put them? That's another question.

Our three baby chooks have turned into young ladies, they're funny and flighty and they still really don't like being picked up. We need to start integrating them seriously, but we're having trouble because at least one of them can fly quite well.

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gosh i'm a fic snob

Thu, 21 May 2026 11:31:55 GMT

Look, sometimes fic is great. Like, absolutely SPECTACULAR.

Great plot, amazing characterisation, good description, immersive prose.

And then sometimes it's...okayish. Very 'ish'.

--

Did I ever talk about amazing Harry Potter (yes, I know) fic where Harry, angry and frustrated by the Wizarding World's intractability on certain bigoted points, goes Dark Lord? I can't remember.

He hunts down the Death Eaters (including Lucius Malfoy), swears an Unbreakable Vow to Hermione (basically to keep him in check from going full Voldie, etc.), and basically Neville and the rest of DA get involved.

It's long, but so good. So so good.

--

I found this one Zutara fic which is basically Katara, Aang, Zuko, and Toph all (collectively, together) form The Avatar spirit and it is stupendous. So much character, so much plot...quite a lot of angst, actually. And perhaps the best (and worst) thing about it is that everyone makes bad choices in it. So frustrating! But so good, too!

--

Anyway, I aspire to write anything like that, but the closest I got was 'And Baby Makes Eight' for the MCU, which has over 1000 kudos.

These fics have, like 1o000 kudos. One - the one I mentioned above? 17000. SEVENTEEN THOUSAND. I cannot even.

Anyway, I'm...kind-of? enjoying reading fic again. But, yeah, there are ones where you just slip through the story like a fish through water, and ones where it's a pretty solid freestyle, and then ones where you get by with a doggy paddle.

Metaphorically speaking.

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cooking: pecan squares

Tue, 19 May 2026 22:09:01 GMT

The two slices I made yesterday. Plan is to cut them into slices and freeze them for later eating.

Pecan Squares

2 cups flour
½ cup sugar
1/8 tsp salt
200g butter, cut up

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup golden syrup)
125g butter
4 large eggs lightly beaten
2½ cups finely chopped pecans (note: 1 cup finely chopped, 1½ cups whole - I like the pecan chunks)
1 t vanilla extract

Combine flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl; cut 200g butter thoroughly with pastry blender until mixture resembles fine crumbs. (or blend in food processor until lightly clumpy) Press mixture evenly into a greased 9x13 inch pan, using a piece of plastic wrap to press crumb mixture firmly into pan. Bake at 175C for 30 minutes or until lightly browned.

Combine brown sugar, golden syrup, and 125g butter in a saucepan; bring to boil over medium heat, stirring gently. Remove from heat. Stir 1/4 of hot mixture into beaten eggs [to temper the eggs]; add to remaining hot mixture. Stir in pecans and vanilla. Pour filling over crust. Bake at 175C for 35 minutes or until set. Cool completely in pan or until set. Cut into bars.

--

recipe: dulce du leche blondies

Never tried this one before - the dulce du leche layer wasn't as distinct as I hoped it would be, but I hadn't really done it quite right. However, there was some good encrustation along the edges where the dulce du leche had gone to medium crack.

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cooking day?

Tue, 19 May 2026 07:55:20 GMT

Made some throw-together pasta - fettucine, tomatoes and garlic (fried together), a couple of shredded basil leaves, a small tin of tunafish (chilli and mango), and a tablespoon of feta cheese to salt it and give it that cheesy richness.

Not bad.

I made bean soup for dinner. The soup is pretty basic, in fact, but the addition of a picada - a Catalan nut-herb mix not unlike pesto - apparently makes the soup.

And then I'm thinking of making some blondies - dulce du leche blondies - since I have the ingredients and baking is usually pretty easy. And I think blondies freeze well, so I could bake a whole tray and freeze some and defrost them later. Maybe even make some pecan pie squares.

Hockey training got cancelled due to rain: also, I wasn't going to go because I pushed my back/butt muscles a bit too much (we drew 2-2 against a more skilled team, even if they weren't as young) and I need to rest them. Maybe even take a nice long bath with salts...

So many things to do, only one night to do them in!

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"everything I learned about [fandom] I learned from fandom..."

Mon, 18 May 2026 06:42:01 GMT

You know how sometimes you enter a fandom by the fanfic doorway?

That's me these days.

I mean, it was me back 20 years ago reading my way through Mulder/Scully fic in the X-Files fandom, which I hadn't watched since around S2. (The alien 'oil' freaked me out at the end of S2 and I never ended up going back. Horror and suspense are not my oeuvre.)

But I have very fond memories of reading my way through...golly, I can't even remember the fic archive anymore. But there were a number of "Virtual Seasons" and some fics that were very good - full episode types. Some better than others, obviously, but I still carry the gist of them here and there.

Anyway, more recently, I've read a Heated Rivalry fic or two, but my latest 'go through all the fic' obsession is Avatar: the last Airbender but specifically Zutara fic. And since I haven't seen the series all the way through (I watched Book 1 and maybe got a little way into Book 2, but never got to Book 3), then the AU doesn't bother me. Not that AU has ever bothered me when I'm talking about a pairing I like.

For this, I'm mostly blaming Pinterest, which has turned out to be more addictive for me than Tumblr. I go to FB because I want to know what's going on in my 'real life' friends lives; I go to Threads because it keeps me up to date with world events...and educated about the milieu of life beyond my experience. I scroll through Insta for pictures and sometimes 'turntables' of information and crafts and art and oddities.

But Pinterest has turned into my fandom exploration space. Mostly because all the Tumblr theories end up there, but algorithm'd, not just off a friends feed.

And, after a decade of Maria/Steve and maybe 700 fics, about 1/6th of which I either wrote myself or inspired, it's so nice just to wander into a fandom, plonk myself down, and get to read the best of some 8000 fics without having to create anything myself!

It's true that I've belonged to other fandoms with pairings with a decent amount of fic about my favourites (BBC Merlin: Arthur/Gwen had a reasonable amount, and Bridgerton: Kate/Anthony still has its proponents), but this is ~8000 worth of fics where people have extrapolated four seasons (and a lot of tie-in material) of a non-canon relationship and come out with some beautiful results!

I don't read much in the fandoms I write anymore - as I had to say in the 3weeks4dreamwidth friending meme - "specifically [insert female character here]" because so few of thoe fandoms had a focus on the (usually secondary) female character.

It's true that I'm not getting much sleep, cos I'm too busy reading 100,000 word fics. But this? This is fun.

I feel like I haven't had fun in fandom for a while...

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Friday Five

Sat, 16 May 2026 09:58:19 GMT

1. How often do you hear live music?

Not very often. I never have been much of one to go see bands or even concerts. A few musicals. The occasional concert by an artist I enjoy. And sometimes bands on a Saturday night down at the pub back in university days.

These days? Very rarely.

2. What was your favorite live musical performance ever?

I don't know if I remember this one with fondness so much as just it's the strongest memory I have. One night after university computer lab, a couple of the people I'm working and doing uni with say they're going to a bar in town to celebrate the 18th birthdays of a couple of the guys we work with. The two of them room together, and their birthdays are back-to-back. It's not my usual scene, but I figure I should really do more socialising with this group, so I agree to go along.

It's a dive bar. On a Wednesday night. In a university town. Kinda quiet, but there's a band on stage that's doing rock covers from the 80s. The floor is an old nylon carpet and we're not going to think about how it's slightly sticky underfoot. The lighting is dim, there's about a half-dozen of us, and after a drink or two, we're singing along with the band who takes it pretty well.

They invite the birthday boys up to sing the Eagle Rock, but somehow end up singing Hotel California. I am served a triple-rum-and-coke having admitted to the others that I don't really drink, and they think that it's hilarious to get me an excessively alcoholic drink for my 'first drink'. The 2xrum&coke is foul, and someone else ends up drinking it. I go for a wine cooler, which is sweeter and easier on my palate. We bawl songs until it's midnight and it's the birthday of the second guy, and then we keep going for another hour.

TBH, the performers weren't standout. But I remember the night the best, simply for the hanging out and the friendships.

3. Do you play an instrument, or sing?

I play piano, I learned flute and tuba, and I sing - happy birthday, at church, in the car, on the karaoke machine.

4. Have you ever performed music onstage?

Does karaoke count? But even without that, yes, I've performed at concerts and eisteddfods when I was younger. Not for three decades now, but then it might even be years since I've touched a piano.

5. Who is your favorite musician?

That's a tricky one. Modern or classical? Artist or musician? Live, recorded, without autotune?

I can't choose. I love them all - Beethoven and his Ninth, Elgar and the Engima variations, Chopin's Impromptus and the haunting notes of Tchaikovsky's opening to Swan Lake. There's Queen's Rhapsody and P!nk singing about falling into trust, there's Billy Joel crooning smooth and sweet and Deborah Harry declaring she wants that man, there's Rihanna singing about being unfaithful and Anna of Cleves rmeinding us that she's the Queen of the Castle... I remember going to see Roxette and Offspring, singing with U2 in the car - raised by wolves | stronger than fear | when I close my eyes | you disappear...

You can't make me choose. I carry it all in my heart.

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trying to organise a weekend away

Wed, 13 May 2026 07:19:52 GMT

I'm trying to organise a weekend away, first weekend in June. Only had the idea last week, sent an email out, got about a half-dozen interested people, but the price of accomodation is going to be the sticking point.

Just sent out another email to check budgets, will have to wait to hear back. I'm pretty sure at least two women, and at least one couple will come - their finances are reasonably in order. The others... I'm not sure.

Oh well, if it all collapses, I could drag a couple of friends out maybe. Just do a day trip on the Saturday instead maybe.

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mother's day and hockey

Mon, 11 May 2026 05:48:19 GMT

Firstly, we won our game on Sunday, a 1-0 win. Which was nice. Full game again, although we had a woman from the next grade up who could sub us when necessary, but about half of us just stayed on for the full game in the end.

I am thinking I may need to start working at being a centre half - attacking-AND-defending midfielder. There's only one woman who can presently play CH and Team 1 is using her too (out of 4 players who were solid centre halves for our two teams, we've lost two of them this year, and we had 5 the year before).

I prefer striker, tbh. I'm a pretty good forward, especially on a team where we have a solid defensive half line, and at least one person who's a good "finisher" (ie. scores goals). But there's nobody else who could learn the position, and I may not be particularly stand-out, but I can run back and forth and offer options.

--

A couple of years ago, Mothers' Day stung. I'm still not sure why; I didn't want children and all that. I still don't. But this year, I felt...almost jaunty about the day.

( better connections with the kids in my family? )

A pretty good weekend.

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travel: Georgia - Tbilisi, the last day

Wed, 06 May 2026 07:57:42 GMT

( well over six months after I went, finally finishing off this section of the travelogue! )

It was an amazing country - an amazing tour - and I'm so glad I went. The tour was expensive, yes, but also very educational and thoughtful, with a focus on female-led businesses and organisations. I've put a deposit down on Bali for a quick trip in October later this year, and I would like to do either their Caribbean trip early next year or their Ecuador/Galapagos Islands tour in May next year, but: a) finances, b) long haul travel, c) the Caribbean trip starts and ends in Puerto Rico and the question of visas, etc., weighs heavy on my mind.

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mail call

Tue, 05 May 2026 21:42:06 GMT

Anyone for mail?

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exhausted

Mon, 04 May 2026 04:05:29 GMT

I just feel so unspeakably worn down right now.

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3WFD: alphabet meme

Mon, 04 May 2026 00:14:44 GMT

The ABC's of me.

A. Age: nearly 50

B. Bed Size: Double

C. Chore You Really Dislike: Washing Up

D. Dogs: I like them, but I prefer to live with cats.

E. Essential Start to Your Day: A cup of coffee (small latte, one sugar) is nice

F. Favorite Color: Blue

G. Gold or Silver: Silver

H. Height: 5'4"

I. Instruments You Play: I've played piano, flute, and tuba. I'd kind of like to learn violin and oboe, but who has time?

J. Job: IT Systems Analyst

K. Kids: No. I'm not childfree - love my nieces and nephews - but I never had a partner and that was the dealbreaker for me.

L. Live: I liked their first few albums. Haven't heard of them since the 90s. (Yes, I know this is not what the question is asking, but I don't quite know how to answer.)

M. Mom’s Name: Nope.

N. Nicknames: One, two, many, lots.

O. Overnight Hospital Stays: Once for the yeeterus. I have been very healthy otherwise.

P. Pet Peeve: People who think that because they haven't done anything evil, they haven't benefited from anything evil.

Q. Quote From A Movie: I have many, but can't think of any right now. The one that's coming to mind is Have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight? and that leads to The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist.

R. Right or Left Handed: Right.

S. Siblings: Two full sisters, three stepbrothers (two on mum's side, one on dads), and a half-brother.

T. Time You Wake Up: Right now, six hours after I went to sleep. That can manifest as 3am (like last night, after falling asleep around 9pm) or at 6am if I stay up until around 11:30pm.

U. Underwear: Cotton, mostly, although I really liked the elastane 'no underwear lines' but they don't make them like they used to. The first set I bought back in 2009 have lasted 15 years, the ones that I bought back in 2022 are already losing their stretch.

W. What Makes You Run Late: Finishing a task that wasn't completely done the first time on the way out.

X. X-Rays You’ve Had: Lots of ones for the teeth and jaws. One for a broken fingertip. One for possible issues with the foot. And probably a bunch of others that I don't remember.

Y. Yummy Food You Make: Just about everything? There are somethings that are distinctly less tasty, but they're usually home experiments, and I just didn't put enough of the spice/acid in.

Z. Zoo - favorite animal: I haven't been to the zoo in ages. But probably the flamingos. The pink is just amazing.

If any of the words don't work for you, choose a different word that uses the same letter. That way the meme changes and evolves as it travels around.

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the delightful feeling of having fixed an issue

Fri, 01 May 2026 02:10:47 GMT

Work-related. I'm the bridge between two groups and I found the issue and (hopefully gently) suggested a correction.

It worked.

HUZZAH.

Now I'm hungry, I need to get some food, and I'm going to be solo supporting the system this PM because supervisor is taking some time-off-in-lieu of hours already worked. (I kind of did this last weekend).

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The Last Meme

Thu, 30 Apr 2026 09:56:23 GMT

Gakked from rmc28:

The Last...
Movie I watched: Project Hail Mary, in cinemas with a couple of friends. It was very enjoyable.
Series I finished: Honestly? Probably Bridgerton, back in 2024. I haven't watched any TV series since. Just can't concentrate enough to watch something through. I started Bridgerton S4 with the sistren on Monday night, we're going to work out way through the series, a couple of episodes at a time.
Book I finished: Undercover Attraction by Katee Robert. Part of the O'Malley sextet - a Boston crime family. Rather interestingly, the male MC of the second book in the series was quite clearly modelled off Charlie Hunnam in Sons of Anarchy.
Book I bought: Archangel's Sun by Nalini Singh - I'm buying the Guild Hunter series in hardcopy, after receiving the first six books as a gift about a decade ago.
Book I received as a gift: ...something about work. It's to do with work and faith and the intersection of them and was given to me by a friend to whom I sold a couple of quilts.
Food I ate: Trout fillets. Bought by B1 and fried to perfection for dinner.
Meal I cooked: Hainanese chicken rice, recipe by Nagi of RecipeTinEats. Really good!
Drink I had: Fermented limeade - home-made lime soda, which I left on the dining table for a few days too long and now it's slightly alcoholic.
Song I listened to: Trustfall by P!nk.
Album I listened to: Probably 'Anjunadeep16'. I love deepbeat dance-trance music for focusing on work.
Playlist I listened to: Belt It - my 'singing in the car' playlist. Turn the volume up, and belt it!
Concert I went to: The Music Of John Williams II with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra - a couple of months ago.
Game I played: Civ II. Was just playing it now when I decided I'd check DW.
Person I talked to: B1 - sister.
Person I texted: Sue - a friend who I arranged to pick up some gardening stuff with this evening.

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bits and pieces of life

Wed, 29 Apr 2026 07:36:14 GMT

A junior someone is having more or less a tantrum before they get into their parents car at pickup this afternoon. I have the window open and there's no avoiding the sound of someone small and grumpy.

--

Tired today, and my mouth feels vaguely furry.

--

( hockey 2026 )

--

I got the flu vax last Friday. Will go back and get the most recent COVID one maybe next Friday.

--

Phew, really tired. Might go have a lie-down before bible study group.

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travel: Georgia - Kutaisi

Fri, 24 Apr 2026 11:17:56 GMT

The fifth day of the tour (for me) involved food food food and, welp, yes, more food...

( Day 5: I'm not even going to talk about the wine... )

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foodopause?

Tue, 14 Apr 2026 00:39:12 GMT

I really struggle to have breakfast these days.

I have my morning coffee and then I kind of forget to have breakfast until midmorning...

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Space Swap exchange!

Tue, 14 Apr 2026 00:38:10 GMT

I got a very nifty gift around Maria and several other women of the MCU (Pepper, Jane, Nebula). My gifter took all the threads of my request and tied them together beautifully!

a piece of history in space
A mysterious fragment of an alien world threatens Earth, and four women must stop it before it fully awakes.

Literally, S.H.I.E.L.D in space!

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positive family

Tue, 07 Apr 2026 05:38:52 GMT

The brother came for dinner with his wife and his eldest daughter (they left the 20 month old with the Phillipino nurse) and we had a great evening of dinner and talking and catching up and dealing with an enthusiastic 5 year old.

And I have learned that I do not know how to deal with small willful children. I've dealt with small children at church and in social things before, but generally their parents are pretty clear on the boundaries. Not that G and his wife S weren't, just that I think Miss 5 worked out that I was a pushover pretty early and basically decided I was the most fun to push boundaries with.

Oy.

But it was a good night. I did the food prep and it went down well. G and S enjoyed themselves, and Miss 5 also liked having aunties who were happy to play and engage with her.

But man that girl has a lot of energy.

Anyway, they came around 5:30pm, we had dinner around 6:15, and they left around 9-9:30pm. It was such a good night!

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