First Responder
Jan. 13th, 2026 10:00 pm![[syndicated profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/feed.png){kind=small}
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It's technically a novella
questionable_content_feedShow and Tell - My Green-ish Thumb
Jan. 13th, 2026 08:28 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
cmk418I've posted a picture of my Christmas cactus from the first time it surprised me with a bloom. I don't know if any of you have a plant like this but it's weird because it only blooms on one side and then it'll wait a while and blooms will appear on the other side.
This year has shown an abundance of blooms on my plant and I'm very excited to show it off. The first pic (with the natural light) was taken Sunday and the second one was taken this morning.
( Images behind the cut )
Our beautiful weather here will be on the way out for a week or so, but it's January and that sort of thing is to be expected.
This year has shown an abundance of blooms on my plant and I'm very excited to show it off. The first pic (with the natural light) was taken Sunday and the second one was taken this morning.
( Images behind the cut )
Our beautiful weather here will be on the way out for a week or so, but it's January and that sort of thing is to be expected.
Three things for a post.
Jan. 13th, 2026 08:56 pmhannahChallenge #7
LIST THREE (or more) THINGS YOU LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF. They don’t have to be your favorite things, just things that you think are good. Feel free to expand as much or as little as you want.
1. My hair, which has occasionally gotten the attention of complete strangers, and anything that gets someone's attention in New York City is something to be proud of.
2. My blood, which I donated again yesterday, and being O-, is too useful for me to keep all to myself.
3. My eyebrows, which I have no intention of thinning or threading, and think are charming and cute the way they are.
LIST THREE (or more) THINGS YOU LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF. They don’t have to be your favorite things, just things that you think are good. Feel free to expand as much or as little as you want.
1. My hair, which has occasionally gotten the attention of complete strangers, and anything that gets someone's attention in New York City is something to be proud of.
2. My blood, which I donated again yesterday, and being O-, is too useful for me to keep all to myself.
3. My eyebrows, which I have no intention of thinning or threading, and think are charming and cute the way they are.
Poetry Fiction: Touching History as We Go
Jan. 13th, 2026 07:41 pmsenmutAO3 Link | Touching History as We Go (1014 words) by Merfilly
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Forgotten Realms, The Legend of Drizzt Series - R. A. Salvatore
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Drizzt Do'Urden/Alustriel Silverhand
Characters: Alustriel Silverhand, Drizzt Do'Urden
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Disguises, Grief/Mourning, Inspired by Poetry
Series: Part 9 of Legacy of the Silver Marches
Summary:
From Twilight Calm - Christina Rossetti
But evening now is done
As much as if the sun
Day-giving had arisen in the East:
For night has come; and the great calm has ceased,
The quiet sands have run.
Death comes to all in turn, they say. I have seen it swiftly, I have seen it come slow. Never do I touch its presence without some emotion. Relief, in cases of enemies that would not turn from their path. Sorrow, for the ones it takes by choking off the time ahead of them. Shock, when it braces a young one in their prime.
But I can see it is a needful thing. Not merely for the natural order of things, but for cleansing the way to new thought, new deeds, new ways. Something in age clogs many minds from adapting, changing as thoughts lead in new directions. I find peace in the idea that, when my life is at an end, there will be those who knew of me, of my Companions, who tell the tales we made.
I but hope that they remember not only the daring deeds, but the cautionary mishaps as well.
— Drizzt Do'Urden
The travelers kept their hoods low, even as they knew it would take a powerful magic user to discern their identities. The tavern was quiet and only half-full, but a bard had taken the stage and begun a quiet ballad.
"Someone knows history," the woman said after listening to the first bars.
"As told," the man said with a sigh. "They'll leave out how close it was for him at the end."
"Hmm, likely. But in this day and age, from all we've seen so far, they need to know of heroes, have them to look up to and be inspired by."
He looked at her, his eyes dancing with mirth. "I'll remember that when you protest the ballads composed of your sacrifices and leadership."
"Oh, I've had plenty of time to grow accustomed to such. But you, my dear ranger… what will you do when you hear of your own deeds sung with lusty bardic vigor?"
"Make a nuisance of myself trying to inject truth in the matter," he said, smiling before he applied spoon to bowl, rather than focus on the tale of a wizard he'd known during the Gods' War.
Brielle pulled up short, making Gavren turn back to her. Her face spoke of anguish, and he sucked in a deep breath. The lingering magical traces in this land spoke of past battles, but for her… it had to have been personal.
"What is it, my star?"
"The staff of Silverymoon." She gave up pretense of being able to move from this spot, dropping down on her knees, hands going into the barren soil. Her eyes scanned out, taking note of the vague hillocks and depressions, signs of things buried in haste and rotted away after.
Gavren came and knelt in front of her, drawing her head to his shoulder. With a mere thought, he called to their dear astral friend and Guenhwyvar appeared, no longer constrained by the figure of wondrous power. She took up guard over them in this desolate place, letting him hold his beloved as she mourned.
"Silverymoon's last defense to the west," he murmured. "Your son being impossibly strong-willed and ending the fight that occurred, but at such cost." He stroked down her hair, letting her cry it out. There would be moments like this, over and over, as they wandered the realms in their new guises. Both had been too embroiled in the Gods' War, had known too many of the major players in the pitched battles and back-room scheming.
"Methri made so many mistakes, and yet… he did believe in the people and ideas of Silverymoon and the Silver Marches." She settled back on her heels, reaching up to wipe at her face with a cloth pulled out of her cloak's pocket.
"He did, on both accounts. But we all did, the mistakes making. And for many of us, it was the belief in our people, in each other, that gave us the strength to push through what the gods did to us all in their own madnesses." Gavren stroked her face, then tucked a braid back behind her ear. "It is hardest, in some ways, for you about Methri. Because he was your heir, following in your footsteps."
She sniffled, then nodded. "Once the Refuge took Tyresia from him, he threw himself into everything of Silverymoon I would allow. And he won the position by the vote, when Taern died, so it was on his own merit. I just never saw how deeply his caution could cut across the allies we'd made."
"You cannot second-guess him from this point of history," Gavren told her, placing a kiss on her brow. "All either of us can do is try to help the rebuilding we see, give aid to those who still have the vision of a future that holds knowledge and compassion in the highest regard."
"And use what we knew as truth to provide the bitter stories of how even goodly traits can lead to the wrong choices?" Brielle questioned, before sighing. "Yes, even that will be needed, especially with what we've learned so far of the rising powers in the lands."
"Any trait may be a strength or a weakness," Gavren told her. "You and I can press that point as it is needed. But. For now… we're not so far from the Silverwood, and we can be inside the city by nightfall?"
She considered, then shook her head. "Unless the traces are bothering you, let us stay here, so I can meditate, and be certain he has not become a weave ghost tied to this place?"
"Of course, my star." He pushed back to his feet, a look at Guen bringing her closer. The panther pushed into the moon-elf's space, prompting a small laugh and much petting, while Gavren saw to setting camp. They would tend to the needful matters, and move on to the city where at least one of their children was building anew.
Perhaps, in putting her own sense of Methri to rest, it would help Brielle be ready for the fresh start they had promised one another in truth.
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Forgotten Realms, The Legend of Drizzt Series - R. A. Salvatore
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Drizzt Do'Urden/Alustriel Silverhand
Characters: Alustriel Silverhand, Drizzt Do'Urden
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Disguises, Grief/Mourning, Inspired by Poetry
Series: Part 9 of Legacy of the Silver Marches
Summary:
Drizzt and Alustriel, in their guises as Gavren and Brielle, on their trek to Silverymoon pass where Methri fell.
From Twilight Calm - Christina Rossetti
But evening now is done
As much as if the sun
Day-giving had arisen in the East:
For night has come; and the great calm has ceased,
The quiet sands have run.
Touching History as We Go
Death comes to all in turn, they say. I have seen it swiftly, I have seen it come slow. Never do I touch its presence without some emotion. Relief, in cases of enemies that would not turn from their path. Sorrow, for the ones it takes by choking off the time ahead of them. Shock, when it braces a young one in their prime.
But I can see it is a needful thing. Not merely for the natural order of things, but for cleansing the way to new thought, new deeds, new ways. Something in age clogs many minds from adapting, changing as thoughts lead in new directions. I find peace in the idea that, when my life is at an end, there will be those who knew of me, of my Companions, who tell the tales we made.
I but hope that they remember not only the daring deeds, but the cautionary mishaps as well.
— Drizzt Do'Urden
The travelers kept their hoods low, even as they knew it would take a powerful magic user to discern their identities. The tavern was quiet and only half-full, but a bard had taken the stage and begun a quiet ballad.
"Someone knows history," the woman said after listening to the first bars.
"As told," the man said with a sigh. "They'll leave out how close it was for him at the end."
"Hmm, likely. But in this day and age, from all we've seen so far, they need to know of heroes, have them to look up to and be inspired by."
He looked at her, his eyes dancing with mirth. "I'll remember that when you protest the ballads composed of your sacrifices and leadership."
"Oh, I've had plenty of time to grow accustomed to such. But you, my dear ranger… what will you do when you hear of your own deeds sung with lusty bardic vigor?"
"Make a nuisance of myself trying to inject truth in the matter," he said, smiling before he applied spoon to bowl, rather than focus on the tale of a wizard he'd known during the Gods' War.
Brielle pulled up short, making Gavren turn back to her. Her face spoke of anguish, and he sucked in a deep breath. The lingering magical traces in this land spoke of past battles, but for her… it had to have been personal.
"What is it, my star?"
"The staff of Silverymoon." She gave up pretense of being able to move from this spot, dropping down on her knees, hands going into the barren soil. Her eyes scanned out, taking note of the vague hillocks and depressions, signs of things buried in haste and rotted away after.
Gavren came and knelt in front of her, drawing her head to his shoulder. With a mere thought, he called to their dear astral friend and Guenhwyvar appeared, no longer constrained by the figure of wondrous power. She took up guard over them in this desolate place, letting him hold his beloved as she mourned.
"Silverymoon's last defense to the west," he murmured. "Your son being impossibly strong-willed and ending the fight that occurred, but at such cost." He stroked down her hair, letting her cry it out. There would be moments like this, over and over, as they wandered the realms in their new guises. Both had been too embroiled in the Gods' War, had known too many of the major players in the pitched battles and back-room scheming.
"Methri made so many mistakes, and yet… he did believe in the people and ideas of Silverymoon and the Silver Marches." She settled back on her heels, reaching up to wipe at her face with a cloth pulled out of her cloak's pocket.
"He did, on both accounts. But we all did, the mistakes making. And for many of us, it was the belief in our people, in each other, that gave us the strength to push through what the gods did to us all in their own madnesses." Gavren stroked her face, then tucked a braid back behind her ear. "It is hardest, in some ways, for you about Methri. Because he was your heir, following in your footsteps."
She sniffled, then nodded. "Once the Refuge took Tyresia from him, he threw himself into everything of Silverymoon I would allow. And he won the position by the vote, when Taern died, so it was on his own merit. I just never saw how deeply his caution could cut across the allies we'd made."
"You cannot second-guess him from this point of history," Gavren told her, placing a kiss on her brow. "All either of us can do is try to help the rebuilding we see, give aid to those who still have the vision of a future that holds knowledge and compassion in the highest regard."
"And use what we knew as truth to provide the bitter stories of how even goodly traits can lead to the wrong choices?" Brielle questioned, before sighing. "Yes, even that will be needed, especially with what we've learned so far of the rising powers in the lands."
"Any trait may be a strength or a weakness," Gavren told her. "You and I can press that point as it is needed. But. For now… we're not so far from the Silverwood, and we can be inside the city by nightfall?"
She considered, then shook her head. "Unless the traces are bothering you, let us stay here, so I can meditate, and be certain he has not become a weave ghost tied to this place?"
"Of course, my star." He pushed back to his feet, a look at Guen bringing her closer. The panther pushed into the moon-elf's space, prompting a small laugh and much petting, while Gavren saw to setting camp. They would tend to the needful matters, and move on to the city where at least one of their children was building anew.
Perhaps, in putting her own sense of Methri to rest, it would help Brielle be ready for the fresh start they had promised one another in truth.
January 2025
Jan. 13th, 2026 08:36 pmcolls posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
swbookclubWelcome to the midway checkpoint. This month's book is Darth Plagueis by James Luceno
1. Darth Plagueis acquires a list of Force-users and begins investigating them. Which of the ones he tracks down do you find most interesting?
2. Darth Plagueis seems a contradiction in being attached to an ancient and mystical sect (Sith) and yet forging ahead with science. Do you think he'll be able to reconcile this?
3. What do you think so far?
COMING UP NEXT
February: TICKY BOXES!
( ticky )
Reminder: Book & theme suggestions can be left on on this post
1. Darth Plagueis acquires a list of Force-users and begins investigating them. Which of the ones he tracks down do you find most interesting?
2. Darth Plagueis seems a contradiction in being attached to an ancient and mystical sect (Sith) and yet forging ahead with science. Do you think he'll be able to reconcile this?
3. What do you think so far?
COMING UP NEXT
February: TICKY BOXES!
( ticky )
Reminder: Book & theme suggestions can be left on on this post
Panel Suggestions Open
Jan. 13th, 2026 06:09 pmboxofdelights posting in wisconIf you have an idea for a Wiscon panel -- even a half-baked idea -- you can propose it here:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfvi7TCCIHg82rSpzrUKl8wX2SNMevlGP5HxOOnqa0pkrWu2w/viewform?usp=sharing&ouid=106072416256127446722
Seriously, even if your idea is just "We have to talk about Heated Rivalry!" it's okay to propose that. The Panels team will take all the input we get, and work to shape it into a proposed schedule.
If you'd like to talk your idea over before you suggest it, you can use the comments to this post, or start a new post in this group, or start a new post in your own space and maybe also point your readers here?
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfvi7TCCIHg82rSpzrUKl8wX2SNMevlGP5HxOOnqa0pkrWu2w/viewform?usp=sharing&ouid=106072416256127446722
Seriously, even if your idea is just "We have to talk about Heated Rivalry!" it's okay to propose that. The Panels team will take all the input we get, and work to shape it into a proposed schedule.
If you'd like to talk your idea over before you suggest it, you can use the comments to this post, or start a new post in this group, or start a new post in your own space and maybe also point your readers here?
(no subject)
Jan. 13th, 2026 07:52 pmflemmingsSomething I don't quite get in Murderbot is the paranoia the general population seems to have about SecUnits going rogue. I say seems because it's possible Murderbot itself is just paranoid. But the theme does figure in its media so I suppose people really have this fear. And why? Here you have what's essentially a security system that's supposed to keep you alive as its main directive. For all intents and purposes, from most people's pov, it's just a superior robot. Getting wound up about what it might do is equivalent to fretting that Siri or Alexa will try to murder you using your smart house. Which is not why I don't have a smart house, or a Siri or an Alexa, but is still ridiculous.
Couldn't sleep last night in spite of exercise in the day. I refrained from checking my clock but will guess it was well after 3 when I got off and was awake at 9:15. Did not go back to sleep and paid for it with chronic semi-headache all day. Or could be the pressure changes from approaching fronts though the real change doesn't happen till tomorrow evening when temperatures plunge yet again, and the current rain turns to snow. House down the street had a crate of National Geographics out front, plus a box of mugs and glasses. I took a crystal wineglass and left the highball glasses, even though my body currently hates wine and I broke my one martini glass. I don't need incentives to drink. But I do hope the guys took those magazines back in, because periodically someone on the neighbourhood FBs will ask if anyone has magazines for school projects.
Couldn't sleep last night in spite of exercise in the day. I refrained from checking my clock but will guess it was well after 3 when I got off and was awake at 9:15. Did not go back to sleep and paid for it with chronic semi-headache all day. Or could be the pressure changes from approaching fronts though the real change doesn't happen till tomorrow evening when temperatures plunge yet again, and the current rain turns to snow. House down the street had a crate of National Geographics out front, plus a box of mugs and glasses. I took a crystal wineglass and left the highball glasses, even though my body currently hates wine and I broke my one martini glass. I don't need incentives to drink. But I do hope the guys took those magazines back in, because periodically someone on the neighbourhood FBs will ask if anyone has magazines for school projects.
Please imagine the Kate Bush song playing while reading this post
Jan. 13th, 2026 05:08 pmcupcake_gothDiscussion about the upcoming movie adaptation of Wuthering Heights is really heating up over in Tumblr-land, and I, for one, am here for it. I respect the novel's place in the canon of gothic literature, but I don't feel the need to ever reread it. But the upcoming movie looks like it's going to be a gloriously unhinged trashfire, and I'm kinda looking forward to it.
A quote from the director, which gives you a good idea of what we're in for:
Oh! And the costumes! MY GOD, THE COSTUMES.
A quote from the director, which gives you a good idea of what we're in for:
"When it came to making the film, Fennell, 39, said: "I wanted to make something that was the book that I experienced when I was 14".
She suggested that some of her risque additions are things she thought she had remembered from reading the book as a teenager -- but weren't actually in there when she returned to it.
"It's where I filled in the gaps aged 14", she said with a smile, adding that making the film had allowed her to "see what it would feel like to fulfil my 14-year-old-wish, which is both good and bad".
I am kinda impressed that she was able to get a studio to give her money so she could do this.She suggested that some of her risque additions are things she thought she had remembered from reading the book as a teenager -- but weren't actually in there when she returned to it.
"It's where I filled in the gaps aged 14", she said with a smile, adding that making the film had allowed her to "see what it would feel like to fulfil my 14-year-old-wish, which is both good and bad".
Oh! And the costumes! MY GOD, THE COSTUMES.
Mike Tomlin steps down after 19 years as Steelers head coach
Jan. 13th, 2026 08:01 pmbbc_news_americas_feedPittsburgh Steelers president Art Rooney confirmed Tomlin asked to step down after their play-off defeat to the Houston Texans.
Controversial Dilbert cartoonist Scott Adams dies aged 68
Jan. 13th, 2026 05:38 pmbbc_news_americas_feedHis ex-wife announced his death on Tuesday during a live stream of his podcast.
World central bank chiefs 'stand in solidarity' with US Fed chair Powell
Jan. 13th, 2026 02:30 pmbbc_news_americas_feedEleven central banks have backed Jerome Powell after the US launched a criminal investigation into the US Fed.
Fandom Snowflake Challenge #7
Jan. 13th, 2026 02:58 pmteaotter posting in snowflake_challengeIntroduction Post * Meet the Mods Post * Challenge #1 * Challenge #2 * Challenge #3 * Challenge #4 * Challenge #5 * Challenge #6 *
Remember that there is no official deadline, so feel free to join in at any time, or go back and do challenges you've missed.
( Fandom Snowflake Challenge #7 )
And please do check out the comments for all the awesome participants of the challenge and visit their journals/challenge responses to comment on their posts and cheer them on.
And just as a reminder: this is a low pressure, fun challenge. If you aren't comfortable doing a particular challenge, then don't. We aren't keeping track of who does what.
Remember that there is no official deadline, so feel free to join in at any time, or go back and do challenges you've missed.
( Fandom Snowflake Challenge #7 )
And please do check out the comments for all the awesome participants of the challenge and visit their journals/challenge responses to comment on their posts and cheer them on.
And just as a reminder: this is a low pressure, fun challenge. If you aren't comfortable doing a particular challenge, then don't. We aren't keeping track of who does what.
(no subject)
Jan. 13th, 2026 05:56 pmaurumcalendulaI wish news stories would consistently include the name and number associated with legislation when talking about how [x] has been blocked or voted on.
Patience
Jan. 13th, 2026 10:40 pmdavidgillonMy sister and I sat down together to watch the 1st episode of the second season of Patience - autistic criminal records clerk helps the murder team in York catch criminals. Neither of us had watched the first season.
Not bad, the autism seems mostly well handled - the self-help group seemed designed for humour though. The plot had perhaps a little too much reliance on weird science - revolving around someone with Rh-Null blood caught up in fringe medical stuff, though the vampirism red-herring was nicely handled. The second episode has infrasound as a murder weapon, and probably overplayed hyperacusis as a superpower, though it did also spend a lot of time showing how much of a problem it is for Patience.
But immediately the first episode finished, my sister turned to me and exclaimed: "She's exactly like you!"
I didn't answer that until the next day, because I was completely freaked out by how exactly like me she is.
Book Review: Labyrinth of Ice by Buddy Levy, narrated by WIll Damrom
Jan. 13th, 2026 02:45 pmjuushikaTitle: Labyrinth of Ice: The Triumphant and Tragic Greely Polar Expedition
Author: Buddy Levy
Narrator: Will Damron
Published: MacMillan Audio, 2019
Rating: 4.5 of 5
Page Count: 400
Total Page Count: 558,530
Text Number: 2102
Read Because: these boys be cold lemme tell you, audiobook borrowed from the Multnomah County Library
Review:
The Lady Franklin Bay Expedition of 1881–1884 was a meteorological study and Farthest North attempt with catastrophic results: only seven of the twenty-five men survived. I picked this one up blind, meaning I didn't even have prior knowledge of the expedition, much less have I read primary sources; and I really couldn't be happier. Levy is great man theory-prone, drinking some of that Arctic explorer kool-aid, and this tips slightly sentimental in a repetitious way; I also prefer my discussions of cannibalism to be more crunchy and less the stinger to the narrative.
But, frankly, these are only nitpicks, because this is the ideal tragic Arctic exploration narrative, in content and coverage. I'm struck by passing similarities to the loss of the Franklin expedition, namely: when evacuating in the Arctic, it's easy to make bad decisions in good faith, and those decisions have lasting consequences—we really don't need to posit complicated explanations for them. And boy, such consequences; and Levy affords them great nuance, offering room to the mundanity of human foibles, tender in descriptions of deaths by starvation and scurvy, frostbite and misadventure; no tedium, here, and yet the long, slow misery is emphatically realized. Fantastic read, and, unfortunately for my TBR, and expedition I want to read more about.
Author: Buddy Levy
Narrator: Will Damron
Published: MacMillan Audio, 2019
Rating: 4.5 of 5
Page Count: 400
Total Page Count: 558,530
Text Number: 2102
Read Because: these boys be cold lemme tell you, audiobook borrowed from the Multnomah County Library
Review:
The Lady Franklin Bay Expedition of 1881–1884 was a meteorological study and Farthest North attempt with catastrophic results: only seven of the twenty-five men survived. I picked this one up blind, meaning I didn't even have prior knowledge of the expedition, much less have I read primary sources; and I really couldn't be happier. Levy is great man theory-prone, drinking some of that Arctic explorer kool-aid, and this tips slightly sentimental in a repetitious way; I also prefer my discussions of cannibalism to be more crunchy and less the stinger to the narrative.
But, frankly, these are only nitpicks, because this is the ideal tragic Arctic exploration narrative, in content and coverage. I'm struck by passing similarities to the loss of the Franklin expedition, namely: when evacuating in the Arctic, it's easy to make bad decisions in good faith, and those decisions have lasting consequences—we really don't need to posit complicated explanations for them. And boy, such consequences; and Levy affords them great nuance, offering room to the mundanity of human foibles, tender in descriptions of deaths by starvation and scurvy, frostbite and misadventure; no tedium, here, and yet the long, slow misery is emphatically realized. Fantastic read, and, unfortunately for my TBR, and expedition I want to read more about.
i do hope you have a dime
Jan. 13th, 2026 05:40 pmmusesfoolI barely slept on Sunday night - maybe about 3 hours in total? - so I called out yesterday and went back to bed. I felt better but not great upon waking again after actually sleeping for another 2 hours, and spent most of the day zoned out on the couch, looking at tumblr. Last night I slept hard and today I woke up feeling much better, but ugh, sleep should not be so hard!
I know it's just January and winter but I can feel myself withdrawing and hermiting up, so if I'm late in responses to comments, that's why - it's definitely not you, it's me.
*
I know it's just January and winter but I can feel myself withdrawing and hermiting up, so if I'm late in responses to comments, that's why - it's definitely not you, it's me.
*
Jumping the gun
Jan. 13th, 2026 05:37 pmnineweaving Say nothing yet about that last post. I appear to have jumped the gun by a week, so PLEASE don't post about it on Big Social Media.
I will unlock it next Tuesday.
Sigh.
Nine
I will unlock it next Tuesday.
Sigh.
Nine
Kesimpta prescription
Jan. 13th, 2026 05:14 pmredbirdI have just been pleasantly surprised by a health insurance company: they aren't requiring "prior authorization" for my Kesimpta prescription. The person I spoke to this afternoon checked whether I had any of the drug left (no), and whether I'd missed a dose, before arranging delivery for Thursday morning. This is the drug whose copay will meet the 2026 out-of-pocket maximum. Yes, I selected a plan in large part based on the prescription drug coverage.
juushikaWith great effort do I attempt to catch up on the many books I failed to review in 2025, including: the worst(?) of the autumnal picture books I grabbed in the season.
Title: Stumpkin
Author: Lucy Ruth Cummins
Published: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2018
Rating: 2 of 5
Page Count: 50
Total Page Count: 558,070
Text Number: 2099
Read Because: more spooky? picture books, hardback borrowed from the Timberland Regional Library
Review: I get prickly about picture books that anthropomorphize inanimate objects in uncomfortable/guilt-inspiring ways, and ones that insist the unwanted/unchosen are actually special.* This manages to be both, in a way that almost (no pun intended) stumps me: don't feel sorry that no one bought a flawed pumpkin, because the proprietor carved the unsold merchandise into a jack-o'-lantern himself. Enjoyable art, with sketchy, near monochrome backgrounds and vibrant orange pumpkins. Picture books are largely harmless even if they leave me replete with questions, so it kind of doesn't matter that this one just feels weird; but, thematically, it feels a little weird!
* I get the intent! It's the conservative executions that I don't like, erasing legitimate experiences of otherness.
Title: The Yellow Leaves Are Coming
Author: James Gladstone
Illustrator: François Thisdale
Published: Red Deer Press, 2023
Rating: 1.5 of 5
Page Count: 30
Total Page Count: 558,100
Text Number: 2100
Read Because: okay let's just call this a search for autumnal picture books, hardback borrowed from the Timberland Regional Library
Review: I think I like this take on a cycle-of-the-seasons picture book, grounded in incredibly specific details, wistfully slipping through time and space. But I barely noticed the text because this is the new ugliest picture book I've ever seen, and it's wildly distracting. See that cover? The "how do face work?" rendered in a kind of uncanny smoothness, disjointed from the environment? This is one of the better panels. Avoid, avoid.
Title: Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn
Author: Kenard Pak
Published: Henry Holt and Company, 2016
Rating: 3 of 5
Page Count: 30
Total Page Count: 558,130
Text Number: 2101
Read Because: autumnal picture books, hardback borrowed from the Timberland Regional Library
Review: I never have much to say about non-narrative picture books; they serve a function and this feels like it works, rooting itself in a number of evocative, personal details which make the changing season identifiable and evocative. Beautiful! And ... that's it; nothing to grab or move me.
Title: Stumpkin
Author: Lucy Ruth Cummins
Published: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2018
Rating: 2 of 5
Page Count: 50
Total Page Count: 558,070
Text Number: 2099
Read Because: more spooky? picture books, hardback borrowed from the Timberland Regional Library
Review: I get prickly about picture books that anthropomorphize inanimate objects in uncomfortable/guilt-inspiring ways, and ones that insist the unwanted/unchosen are actually special.* This manages to be both, in a way that almost (no pun intended) stumps me: don't feel sorry that no one bought a flawed pumpkin, because the proprietor carved the unsold merchandise into a jack-o'-lantern himself. Enjoyable art, with sketchy, near monochrome backgrounds and vibrant orange pumpkins. Picture books are largely harmless even if they leave me replete with questions, so it kind of doesn't matter that this one just feels weird; but, thematically, it feels a little weird!
* I get the intent! It's the conservative executions that I don't like, erasing legitimate experiences of otherness.
Title: The Yellow Leaves Are Coming
Author: James Gladstone
Illustrator: François Thisdale
Published: Red Deer Press, 2023
Rating: 1.5 of 5
Page Count: 30
Total Page Count: 558,100
Text Number: 2100
Read Because: okay let's just call this a search for autumnal picture books, hardback borrowed from the Timberland Regional Library
Review: I think I like this take on a cycle-of-the-seasons picture book, grounded in incredibly specific details, wistfully slipping through time and space. But I barely noticed the text because this is the new ugliest picture book I've ever seen, and it's wildly distracting. See that cover? The "how do face work?" rendered in a kind of uncanny smoothness, disjointed from the environment? This is one of the better panels. Avoid, avoid.
Title: Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn
Author: Kenard Pak
Published: Henry Holt and Company, 2016
Rating: 3 of 5
Page Count: 30
Total Page Count: 558,130
Text Number: 2101
Read Because: autumnal picture books, hardback borrowed from the Timberland Regional Library
Review: I never have much to say about non-narrative picture books; they serve a function and this feels like it works, rooting itself in a number of evocative, personal details which make the changing season identifiable and evocative. Beautiful! And ... that's it; nothing to grab or move me.