Back in circulation
Feb. 19th, 2026 03:37 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kathleen_daileyYesterday was just cascades of fat, wet, bloppy snow; ice pellets alternating with freezing rain; and dangerously slippery surfaces everywhere. Naturally I had to (1) keep an appointment with my family doctor (lest it take me months to get another one), and (2) accompany the spouse to a root-canal appointment (reason ditto). Total of four to-and-from cab rides, one across town to Bloor and Christie, one just a few blocks to Cumberland and Bay. Needless to say I tipped both drivers an immense amount, since they were the ones doing the dangerously heavy lifting during the storm. In theory we could have walked to the endodontist, but the sidewalks were so messy and treacherous that I don't think the spouse could have pushed the walker through it all. Thank you, Beck Taxi, for being reliable and timely and keeping us safe.
( Cut for medical and hospital stuff )
I've been postponing buying a new phone because I jusdonwanna, but after the hospital experience with an ancient phone that doesn't hold a charge for more than an eyeblink I'll have to take care of that chore PDQ. I didn't have my charger with me, of course, and although I was allowed to use the charging station at the nurses' desk, I had to (guiltily, reluctantly, shamefacedly) ask someone to take it there since they wouldn't let me go out of the room until they were satisfied that I wasn't going to infect anyone with anything. So there'll be no more procrastinating on the phone front.
Today, while the spouse was at his physio rehab class, I ventured over to Valu-Mart for provisions because the prediction is for more precip of one awful kind or another over the next couple of days. The sidewalks were mostly clear, but OMG the ankle-deep piles of slush and pools of water at Every. Single. Curb. I guess the sewers are so plugged up that no public or private organization is willing or able to clear them. Having to drag my fully loaded shopping cart back home through the mess was not fun. I can't imagine how mobility-device users navigate this shit. Thank goodness the spouse has access to Wheel-Trans for trips that can be planned far enough in advance.
While eating lunch I saw two extremely large raptors stalking the giant cloud of pigeons that routinely circle back and forth near the corner of Yonge and Charles. They were too far away to identify, but I'm guessing they were eventually successful in getting a meal, if only by virtue of the sheer size of the pigeon buffet.
( Cut for medical and hospital stuff )
I've been postponing buying a new phone because I jusdonwanna, but after the hospital experience with an ancient phone that doesn't hold a charge for more than an eyeblink I'll have to take care of that chore PDQ. I didn't have my charger with me, of course, and although I was allowed to use the charging station at the nurses' desk, I had to (guiltily, reluctantly, shamefacedly) ask someone to take it there since they wouldn't let me go out of the room until they were satisfied that I wasn't going to infect anyone with anything. So there'll be no more procrastinating on the phone front.
Today, while the spouse was at his physio rehab class, I ventured over to Valu-Mart for provisions because the prediction is for more precip of one awful kind or another over the next couple of days. The sidewalks were mostly clear, but OMG the ankle-deep piles of slush and pools of water at Every. Single. Curb. I guess the sewers are so plugged up that no public or private organization is willing or able to clear them. Having to drag my fully loaded shopping cart back home through the mess was not fun. I can't imagine how mobility-device users navigate this shit. Thank goodness the spouse has access to Wheel-Trans for trips that can be planned far enough in advance.
While eating lunch I saw two extremely large raptors stalking the giant cloud of pigeons that routinely circle back and forth near the corner of Yonge and Charles. They were too far away to identify, but I'm guessing they were eventually successful in getting a meal, if only by virtue of the sheer size of the pigeon buffet.
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy 1.07
Feb. 19th, 2026 11:34 amselenakIn which we get what is clearly supposed to be the Star Trek: Starfleet Academy equivalent of the TNG episode Family - but is it?
( Spoilers want to watch meteor showers as well… )
( Spoilers want to watch meteor showers as well… )
Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, Vol. 14
Feb. 18th, 2026 11:06 pmmarycatelli posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
booksFrieren: Beyond Journey's End, Vol. 14 by Kanehito Yamada
Spoilers ahead for the earlier ones.
( Read more... )
Spoilers ahead for the earlier ones.
( Read more... )
Angel’s Month Indulgence #6
Feb. 18th, 2026 03:38 pmlovelyangel Lycoris Recoil 1/8 scale figurine by Alter |
ChisaTaki!
10 Months Ago I preordered the Lycoris Recoil Chisato Nishikigi & Takina Inoue 1/8 scale figurine by Alter from CDJapan. The figurine costs 22800 yen (about $145) – but shipping, duties, and customs fees added about 17000 yen ($110). Definitely an indulgence.
Well, that was way back in April 2025 - and since then, suspension of the de minimis tariff exemption caused havoc, and certain shipping options were no longer available. When the product was finally released this month (originally scheduled for January), my order was suspended until I chose a different shipping / tariff-handling method. Based on more recent transactions with CDJapan, I chose FedEx FICP – which was cheapest, anyway. The change required an additional 9400 yen (about $60). The final, cumulative damage came to around $315. I guess it would have been cheaper to go through Crunchyroll. Ah, well. Anyway, bird in hand and all that.
The figurine was delivered today. My photography studio is not yet set up, so I’ve improvised a photo locale - and consequently was limited to the kinds of photos I could take. I took the bare minimum.
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I love having a ChisaTaki figurine in my collection!
Angel’s Month Indulgence #5
Feb. 18th, 2026 01:57 pmlovelyangel |
Today I tried out a new-to-me restaurant for lunch. I visited Donburi Factory, a place I discovered recently by happenstance. The restaurant is not far from where I used to live and work in Beaverton – and it’s only about 10 minutes from my current home.
Given the lack of fast food gyudon places around here, I was interested in finding out if Donburi Factory could serve as a substitute for Yoshinoya. Donburi Factory’s gyudon (beef donburi) isn’t cheap, so it qualified as an indulgence. I also splurged by ordering a miso soup.
I arrived at the restaurant at 11:30 am. Two customers with takeout orders were exiting the venue, leaving the restaurant devoid of customers. There was indoor seating – primarily two-person tables - which was perfect for me. I placed my order; it came to about $21.50, and to that I added 20% tip – an unusually expensive lunch for me.
The miso soup was hot, and I’m pretty sure it was an instant soup. It looked and tasted generic – and had those tiny, uniform tofu cubes. I wouldn’t order it again.
The gyudon was steaming hot – it had taken 10 minutes to prepare – and the portion was generous. There was a surprising amount of beef. Unfortunately, the flavor was unexpectedly bland – even with all the onions. The counter person had offered me a choice of spicy or mild – and I chose mild. (I’d never even heard of spicy gyudon before.) The beef had a slight amount of flavor I associate with gyudon – but not much. Most of the beef bowls in the area have a teriyaki flavor, and this bowl had none of that – which at least put the bowl closer to gyudon than most. Anyway, this beef donburi was underwhelming.
I ate half of the bowl and asked for a lid so that I could take the remainder home. I’ll have the second half of the bowl for lunch tomorrow. I don’t have any ginger in the house, but I can add more sesame seeds tomorrow.
At any rate, I doubt I’ll be returning to Donburi Factory.
Angel’s Month Indulgence #4
Feb. 18th, 2026 01:52 pmlovelyangel iPhone 13 mini photo |
(Oops. I forgot to post this last Saturday. It’s been sitting in my composition document for half a week.)
For St. Valentine’s Day, I bought Jenni four Dots from Saint Cupcake. I chose two favorite flavors – Toasted Coconut Cream and Carrot Cake. I filled out the selection with the two monthly special flavors – Chocolate Covered Cherry and Raspberry Cream Cheese Lemon Sparkle. (I had planned the selection in advance of driving into Portland by studying the Saint Cupcake Menu. Upon arrival at the bakery, I made sure all for flavors were available as Dots. Also, I timed my arrival at the bakery for 10 minutes after their 11:00 am opening.)
The indulgence is that I bought a duplicate box for myself. I usually just get myself two Dots – a Toasted Coconut Cream and a Carrot Cake – but I wanted to try out the special flavors. I’d not had either of them before. After lunch today, I tried the two limited-edition Dots. They both were tasty, of course – and unique. I’m happy to stick with my favorites, though.
March Meta Matters Challenge 2026 Returning!
Feb. 18th, 2026 01:01 pmyourlibrarian posting in starwars_meta
March 1 is just weeks away, so that means the kickoff to this year's March Meta Matters Challenge will be taking place soon! The challenge involves locating and copying over meta you've created to a second site in order to ensure its preservation, plus there will be some prompts for creating new meta.
Feel free to ask questions here about the challenge, locations, etc. Otherwise subscribe to
marchmetamatterschallenge and look for our opening post on March 1!
💤 Dreams Check-in
Feb. 18th, 2026 12:00 ambluapapilioI think I will try to use present tense when I'm recording my voice memos and see what happens, because even as I'm speaking I'm remembering stuff and maybe it'll help.
Mug Retrieval/Giveaway:
Aunt M wasn't happy with his guy. She looked at him, peeved as she threw a small coffee cup in the trash. It was my mom's Christmas themed one with a reindeer on it IRL. I thought it was a waste and took it out to donate, but I stopped and decided to give it to Aunt S because it had a black cat on it. As I handed it over I saw it had changed into a tall mug, white with a blue design at the top and bottom and a black cat, so I thought she would like it (she calls herself a crazy cat lady). I made sure to tell her not to let Aunt M see it at all. Something about looking for an AC after this?
Dub:
Watching an English dubbed samurai movie and complaining about the bad dub. Someone said 'did you know it was done by the people who made _'. They were doing a movie at the same time and were called in to do the dub. I feel like it was the Stranger Things group, I remembering seeing Hopper.
Internet Age:
I was talking to Aunt K about how I regret having internet so early.
Someone was investigating something and tangentially went through our internet logs
I mentioned tumblr and a fandom I can't remember. I said something like 'it must've been crazy seeing the stuff from when I was in _ fandom", they seemed to agree.
IRL I was on the internet before 12 but it was on a timer and open door bedroom. I got my own PC at 13 though and welp.
Fragment: Talking about this method where you can post a video on YouTube and not have it monetized, it's a way to get out an important topic so it's seen better?
Fragment: I'm putting away a big pot of spaghetti, half of it was made like the day before, the other bigger half was fresh. I wondered if that was safe.
Mug Retrieval/Giveaway:
Aunt M wasn't happy with his guy. She looked at him, peeved as she threw a small coffee cup in the trash. It was my mom's Christmas themed one with a reindeer on it IRL. I thought it was a waste and took it out to donate, but I stopped and decided to give it to Aunt S because it had a black cat on it. As I handed it over I saw it had changed into a tall mug, white with a blue design at the top and bottom and a black cat, so I thought she would like it (she calls herself a crazy cat lady). I made sure to tell her not to let Aunt M see it at all. Something about looking for an AC after this?
Dub:
Watching an English dubbed samurai movie and complaining about the bad dub. Someone said 'did you know it was done by the people who made _'. They were doing a movie at the same time and were called in to do the dub. I feel like it was the Stranger Things group, I remembering seeing Hopper.
Internet Age:
I was talking to Aunt K about how I regret having internet so early.
Someone was investigating something and tangentially went through our internet logs
I mentioned tumblr and a fandom I can't remember. I said something like 'it must've been crazy seeing the stuff from when I was in _ fandom", they seemed to agree.
IRL I was on the internet before 12 but it was on a timer and open door bedroom. I got my own PC at 13 though and welp.
Fragment: Talking about this method where you can post a video on YouTube and not have it monetized, it's a way to get out an important topic so it's seen better?
Fragment: I'm putting away a big pot of spaghetti, half of it was made like the day before, the other bigger half was fresh. I wondered if that was safe.
The water's depths can't kill me yet
Feb. 17th, 2026 04:44 pmsovayI did not end up accompanying rushthatspeaks and his child to the zoo this morning because I crashed so hard last night that I slept ten to eleven hours and am having difficulty remembering the day of the week, but he just dropped by with a nineweaving in the car and brought me my Christmas present of a sweater in the pattern of the Minoan octopus flask from Palaikastro and the cup with the scale motif from Archanes: it's spectacular. I was able to give him the collected cartoons and comics and poems of Le Guin's Book of Cats (2025). I got to see photographs of Artic and fennec foxes, flamingos and peccaries, sloth and snow leopard, porcupine and poison dart frog. Having spent the prior portion of my afternoon in the excitement of calling doctors and paying bills, my evening's plans involve couch and books.
rushthatspeaks and his child to the zoo this morning because I crashed so hard last night that I slept ten to eleven hours and am having difficulty remembering the day of the week, but he just dropped by with a nineweaving in the car and brought me my Christmas present of a sweater in the pattern of the Minoan octopus flask from Palaikastro and the cup with the scale motif from Archanes: it's spectacular. I was able to give him the collected cartoons and comics and poems of Le Guin's Book of Cats (2025). I got to see photographs of Artic and fennec foxes, flamingos and peccaries, sloth and snow leopard, porcupine and poison dart frog. Having spent the prior portion of my afternoon in the excitement of calling doctors and paying bills, my evening's plans involve couch and books.