On my way I found a stone...
Jan. 29th, 2026 10:03 pmI had to both panic navigate insurance because my eye doctor isn't covered by the one I have and I need to see him relatively soon, and my cousin came over with a major mental health crisis. We've had people in and out of the house all day, and I'm not mad that people are here (my cousin deserves to feel like he's supported by his family) but we live in a two bedroom and there are already four people, four cats, and two decent sized dogs here by default.
Tomorrow I see my friend for pastries and boba. She's taking the first steps toward moving out of the area, so I'm eager to have as much time with her as I can. I'm happy she's going to be closer to her family, but not having her around is going to be hard.
I thought I had a third thing to say, but my brain is kind of splat right now and I need to make myself do other useful things anyway.
Another HR vid, and some Hudcon recs
Jan. 30th, 2026 02:20 pma thousand years by mybelovedismine
Thinking about why some vids work for me and others don't. First, I have to like the song. If I don't, no amount of clever editing will save it. Sometimes a really great song will carry me through average editing, but not vice versa. But a good song plus clever editing, so the vid's coherent and well-matched to the lyrics? That's the very best.
And here are some maybe controversial recs: not everyone likes RPF, so dl;dr. It's damn hard not to be delighted by Hudson and Connor, though, with their obviously close friendship and the way they cheerfully talk about loving each other at the drop of a hat.
I hate it when people read more into that and make shit up, causing drama in public spaces like social media - as Jacob said, Shane and Ilya are for the fans, Hudson and Connor are private. But creating RP fiction about them in a fanspace like AO3 doesn't bother me at all as long as no one brings it to their attention. Fanwriters have created RPF for years and although I've never been in any of the big RPF sports fandoms like hockey or baseball, I've enjoyed Joe/David RPF in Stargate Atlantis, in particular. Plus there's the whole Jared/Jensen pairing in Supernatural.
There's some incredibly good Hudcon RPF. There's also some very mediocre stuff, so here are a few of my specially selected recs. The writing is top tier in all of these, and they're all rated explicit.
Carterhaugh, Ontario by charlotte_stant. After filming, the boys go back to Connor's room to hang out, and end up fucking. Gorgeous banter, funny and nuanced, just great characterisation. Hudson's pov.
"Ya Blew It!" with Jay and Dan & Obvious - a 2-part series by falsescience (YankingAwry). This features complex relationships as the boys inveigle Jacob into a throuple – the first one's in Jacob's pov, with Hudson seducing him at the TSN SportsCentre set. Brilliant insights into actors & directing, funny, and super hot. The second part is Connor's pov - Hudson and Connor hanging out, fucking, and talking about what happened with Jacob, with Hudson setting Connor up for his own encounter. Amazing characterisation, and the Jacob aspect wasn't off-putting for me as the Hudson/Connor relationship is so resilient and lovely. (Also, have you seen JT's IMDB pic from younger years? He was hot!)
for the sake of auld lang syne by twnkwlf. This is Connor's pov, while he's staying with Hudson in Vancouver for New Years. It's mostly them hanging out lazily and talking, then fucking, and like the other recs here the characterisation is funny, subtle and feels bang on target. Excellent stuff.
that indescribable feeling by thermocline. Six encounters, real or imagined, in their developing, complex relationship. Beautifully written, balanced on an aching edge of ambiguity, and fundamentally hopeful. Alternating POVs.
Funeral
Jan. 30th, 2026 01:17 amI managed to be awake to watch the livestream, and I'm very glad I did. My uncle and cousins spoke movingly, there was the most wonderful collection of photographs (some of which I recognised, many of which I did not), and a gratifyingly large number of people in attendance. Apparently they had to print extra service sheets and still ran out.
Helen was a creator: of quilts and crafts, of food, of community. I am sorry not to be there and see her needlecraft on the walls and hear the stories in the community centre where she ran playgroup, but I am so glad to have had this glimpse from afar of how she was valued in the place where she lived.
Write Every day 2026: January, Day 29
Jan. 29th, 2026 10:21 pmToday's writing
Writing! Wrangling! All of that. I'll get there ...
Tally
( Days 1-25 )
Day 26:
Day 27:
Day 28:
Day 29:
Let me know if I missed anyone! And remember you can drop in or out at any time. :)
Small Stuff
Jan. 29th, 2026 01:14 pmJack Murray was a typical nineteen year old and it comes across so clearly. He joined the army early on, and was shipped from CA to Florida to base camp. There, they went around asking if anyone was familiar with automobiles. He said he fooled around with them, as many Los Angeles boys did.
They yanked him out of infantry and put him in the nascent motor pool, before shipping them off to France. The ship journey, their arrival in France, and the rapid development of Motor Transport is fascinating to read from his ground-level perspective. After the war, he was one of the last to leave France, as he was vital for the transport system.
My daughter commended on how very, very earnest he was about his longing to marry Great Granny (then seventeen or eighteen) RIGHT NOW. Also, she commented on the slang of the day. Everything was a peach. A peach of a car, a peach of a trip, a peach of a meal. She was a peach of a girl!
Next Ihope she wants to read the letters of a great-great grandfather through her grandfather's line--these beautifully written copperplate letters from California right after the gold rush, through a quake, and a riot . . .
January recs: Hermitcraft fusions
Jan. 29th, 2026 09:54 pmTo start with, three Hermitcraft fanworks, 1 animation and two fics: fusions with Slay the Spire, Uma Musume, and Pokémon (knowledge of other fandoms not required.)
Slay the Citadel by
Animation, Hermitcraft s10/Slay the Spire
Summary: i spent way too much time on this but hey! decked out 2 in the style of slay the spire!
slay the citadel?
Why I love it: This is so cool! I know nothing about Slay the Spire but all the Hermitcraft parts are so fitting and look so cool and the atmosphere is so great.
( and two fics )
Photo cross-post
Jan. 29th, 2026 02:48 pm![]()
Fairly sure that this used to be a bath.
Before Sophia watched a video on how to make the perfect comfy hideaway.
Original
is here on Pixelfed.scot.
Moonpie is not a fan of CUNY/SUNY having started up again
Feb. 2nd, 2026 02:16 pm( Read more... )
2026.01.29
Jan. 29th, 2026 12:24 pmTrump’s border czar suggests a possible drawdown in Minnesota but only after ‘cooperation’
President Donald Trump’s border czar Tom Homan says immigration enforcement will reduce the number of officers in Minnesota.
By Giovanna Dell'Orto and Rebecca Santana, Associated Press
https://www.minnpost.com/metro/2026/01/trumps-border-czar-suggests-a-possible-drawdown-in-minnesota-but-only-after-cooperation/
“If Minnesota officials try to prosecute the federal agents who recently killed two people in Minneapolis, they’ll face steep obstacles from a century-old Supreme Court precedent — one that helped sink a similar case just a few years ago,” according to Politico. “The 2017 shooting of Bijan Ghaisar by two U.S. Park Police officers in a Northern Virginia neighborhood — and the protracted legal battles that followed — may be the best preview of what Minnesota officials can expect if they pursue criminal charges against federal immigration agents. And the same legal theory that stymied Virginia’s prosecution may also block Minnesota’s.”
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/01/28/minnesota-ice-shootings-deaths-prosecution-00753301
ICE ends surge in Maine as border czar pledges to keep operation in Minnesota
Tom Homan acknowledges immigration enforcement needs ‘certain improvements’, without offering any details
Cate Brown
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/29/ice-ends-surge-maine-minnesota-continues
Videos show altercation between Alex Pretti and federal officers 11 days before he was killed
Three newly discovered videos show the Minneapolis ICU nurse being tackled by federal agents in a prior confrontation
Sam Levin and Robert Mackey
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/29/alex-pretti-shooting-11-days-before-federal-officers-clash ( Read more... )
IRS again...
Jan. 29th, 2026 08:57 amAlso, ironically, I heard from the CPA about my taxes. Initially, I talked to Jeff and he did my two amended returns. Then last year, my return was done by an underling who never did get with the program. She refused to use emails and I refuse to discuss shit over the phone. It was not a happy pairing so I figured I'd use them one last year and then go back to doing it myself.
I got about 60% of what I needed and uploaded it to their secure server. My plan was to upload the rest, along with their contract hiring them to do the work, when 'the rest' came in. BUT I got an email from Jeff this morning that he had started my return and had questions. 1. HE was doing it himself. 2. He had questions and so sent an email (BLESS HIS HEART) and 3. His questions were all covered on the stuff I hadn't uploaded yet so it shows me, I've got it all under control. I'm pretty sure I overpaid my estimated taxes so should owe nothing except estimated taxes for next year.
But, then there is that letter... arugh.
We lost a Susan Dennis this week. Age 70, died peacefully in her home in Grimsby on the eastern shore of England. Google sends me these bon mots at my request and I'm always so relieved that the dead Susan Dennis is not me.
OHHHHH We have an emergency!!! There is a blast coming over the speakers saying to shelter in place and stay there until told otherwise. Jim Across The Hall just popped out. I knew he would so I told him to go back in and stay there until I came to get him. I put OK signs on the floor outside our doors. This is not a drill so there is going to be lots of CONVERSATION. Edit: apparently it was a test or not, who knows. but so far no smoke or guns visible.
I gave myself the second Wegovy shot this morning. I must have held it differently or something cause this time it hurt! Of course it stopped hurting the minute I pulled the needle out so no big deal. I did it in my alive thigh. I have a large patch of numb on my other thigh where I did the shot last week. I'm going back there next week.
So far the stuff seems to be working. I do not feel differently. Volleyball is fine, swimming is fine, walking is fine. The rest is fine. I am still hungry for meals but I have, gratefully, really lost my snacking chops. Last month, I could happily sit down with a coke and a bag of Cheetos at nearly anytime of the day. Now, I am just not interested. I keep Apple quarters in the fridge and have one of those with a slice of cheese. Maybe. I have uncrustables now for breakfast or sometimes oatmeal. I have ham and cheese croissants for lunch and not much for dinner - sometimes a protein shake. I'm clearly operating on a lot fewer calories than before but my brain is fine with it. So. Yeah.
Ok, they have quit screaming the emergency instructions and I don't see any smoke. Wonder wtf is going on. Armed robbery? Armed takeover? I just pinged Martha. Someone just left the garage in a car. I'm thinking that's not very Shelter In Place-ing.
I've done a pivot on the eastern bunny situation. I like the ones below but they are just way too fiddly. I have a new design that is much more interesting to do and I can make a bunch in a reasonable amount of time.

Not quite a medley of extemporanea
Jan. 29th, 2026 03:35 pmBut hey, after A WEEK I have a new passport! - their website says may take up to three weeks, so I am very impressed with this. Also have the old one back (sent separately). The photo of course strongly resembles a headshot from a C19th volume of an institution for the criminally insane at which the head doc had taken to photography and theories of physiognomy, but don't they always?
***
In the world of spammyity-spam-spam:
Really, I am quite tempted to 'deliver an oral talk' (? as opposed to doing a presentation in the form of interpretative dance?) at the 13th International Congress of Gynaecology and Obstetrics (ICGO-2026 Asia) as it's in Kyoto: 'adorned with early autumn foliage, offering a serene backdrop for academic exchanges, you’ll have the chance to experience traditional tea ceremonies, stroll through ancient bamboo groves, and engage with a city that values both heritage and scientific progress'.
But am not at all tempted (more DESTROY THIS WITH FIRE & EXTREME PREJUDICE) by this solicitation:
Imagine if, instead of being buried in PDFs, your work could answer questions directly, 24/7. Not just to students, but to anyone curious, anywhere in the world.
When corporate companies, grant providers, grad students, journalists ask AI about your field, they get up to date info and not outdated summaries.
Today, your Google Scholar profile just sits there. No one can ask it questions. No one can discover the depth of your work through AI search.
AI is becoming the new search engine for expertise. And academics are invisible.
We built something to fix this. Your own .cv domain. LLM optimized. SEO optimized. Analytics. Branded URLs. Digital Chat Twin.
AAAAARRRGGH.
Ask ME the questions, please. Because, and I quote, 'No one can discover the depth of your work through AI search'. Many a true word.
***
And, in fact, this week has been quite the flurry of that Dr
oursin being relevant - apart from query on scholarly listserv which was well in my wheelhouse but had me going 'would be helpful to indicate what reading - apart from google search - you had done before asking for suggestions' -
Request to referee a paper on topic on which I am somewhat reluctantly considered a Nexpert, for journal in an area in which I am not.
Query from researcher about sources for a possible project of theirs.
Invitation to go and talk about the History of 'Engines of Love' (as the condoms found in William Empson's college rooms were described) in connection with an exhibition in the summer.
Have also had agreeable email exchanges with Elderly Antiquarian Bookseller friend.
***
On the downside, printer is acting up, doing both being fussy about toner cartridge AND thinking there's a paper jam in Tray 1. Sigh.
SFBB15: Rough Draft Submission Reminder
Jan. 29th, 2026 07:36 am(That said, I am flexible on how much story you need to have completed at this time if you are absolutely certain that you will have your final draft completed by the due date and that you will have something substantial to submit to your artist. Your other option is to continue participating, but choosing to opt out of art.)
If you haven't done so already, head on over to the Rough Draft Submission Rules post for instructions on how to turn in your rough draft.
If you will not be submitting a rough draft (or choosing to opt out of art), please contact me to let me know that you are withdrawing from this round of Small Fandoms Bang. You may comment here (comments will be screened) or send an e-mail to the mod account at sfbbmod @ gmail.com. (Please remember that there are penalties if you just disappear without letting me know that you need to withdraw, so don’t do that!)
Additional Notes:
1. The Artist Claiming Post will go up one week from this Saturday, on Saturday, February 7. Artists will claim a story from the story descriptions, 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 contact e-mails to the author and artist.
Authors will be responsible for sending their story to their artist as soon as possible. In the past there have been issues with lack of communication between authors and artists. Please don’t be that person who leaves your author/artist hanging.
2. Artist sign-ups will remain open until all fic have been claimed. If you know of someone who’d like to sign-up as an artist, please direct them to the Artist Sign-Up Post.
3. If you have not already done so, please join this community! This is for both Artists and Authors. Authors & Artists will need to be able to post their Master Posts to the community, and the Sneak Peek Post and Artist Claim Post will be locked to members only.
Thank you!
Interesting Links for 29-01-2026
Jan. 29th, 2026 12:00 pm- 1. The last 6 years has seen a very large drop in church-going in the UK (from 12% of the population to 9%)
- (tags:uk religion demographics )
- 2. Starmer faces fury as promise to clamp down on damp and mouldy homes pushed back to 2035
- (tags:politics housing labour )
- 3. Trump administration secretly loosens nuclear safety rules
- (tags:nuclearpower safety regulation republicans OhForFucksSake )
- 4. Vitamin D & Omega-3 have a larger effect on depression than antidepressants
- (tags:depression antidepressants vitaminD vitaminC )
