MLK Day
Jan. 19th, 2026 11:02 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
cornerofmadnessSo I'm off today and I decided I didn't want to spend it in this apartment even though I should be here working on the 10001 things I need to be doing. Is it frigid out? You betcha. Am I going? You betcha. Especially when the power failed again just for a few seconds but lately it's been doing that off and on all day.
Chillicothe OH was doing the restaurant thing that they do in NYC, which I think I mentioned so I pick three places to hit. I went to Paper City Coffee. If they had a special for this event it wasn't listed. It's a nice enough space. The two ladies ahead of me were raving about the maple bourbon latte. I decided why not? The chairs were not great in this place but it's clean and bright and I found parking on the side street for free (on Paint St which is a main artery it's pay to park). It doesn't taste like maple or bourbon. It's not bad but it wasn't what I was hoping for. It's not as good as Rost was but that's gone and the Connect Cafe that took its place fucked up a peppermint mocha so I guess Paper City can be my coffee place when I'm up there
I went to Hometown Hibachi where I did have to pay to park (it's a buck an hour so it's not too horrible and I always have quarters) It's 2 pm. this place is small, about a dozen tables. There was ONE open and three of them had families with babies howling. They also didn't offer the promised event special which fine. I wanted the chicken katsu ramen any how. Got instant fomo when I saw the hibachi meals (next time) The ramen was spicier than anticipated but good. The katsu was a weird choice on my part it wasn't cut small (and that reminded me of when I was with ELD and got something similar at her ramen joint) so it was awkward if tasty. I'd go again.
TJ Maxx had a bunch of stuff I needed, boring things like shower mat (mine's ripping) and shower curtain liner (I was trying to clean my ancient one and I'm like why? It's less than my cup of coffee) I tried their Aldi because it looked bigger than mine down here. It wasn't. Got more cheese.
Came outside and the wind had picked up. If I had a tarp, I could have sailed home, no engine on. It was wild out there. Speaking of that I had to put the rags in my door to keep the draft out. That's when Rocket decides I MUST GO OUT. Five mi nutes later.... Also I tried to see the aurora again. No dice.
it's music monday 30 weeks of music. This week's prompt is 10 a song you know all the words to. There are SO many
( here are a few )
here's the whole prompt list
( it's under here )
Chillicothe OH was doing the restaurant thing that they do in NYC, which I think I mentioned so I pick three places to hit. I went to Paper City Coffee. If they had a special for this event it wasn't listed. It's a nice enough space. The two ladies ahead of me were raving about the maple bourbon latte. I decided why not? The chairs were not great in this place but it's clean and bright and I found parking on the side street for free (on Paint St which is a main artery it's pay to park). It doesn't taste like maple or bourbon. It's not bad but it wasn't what I was hoping for. It's not as good as Rost was but that's gone and the Connect Cafe that took its place fucked up a peppermint mocha so I guess Paper City can be my coffee place when I'm up there
I went to Hometown Hibachi where I did have to pay to park (it's a buck an hour so it's not too horrible and I always have quarters) It's 2 pm. this place is small, about a dozen tables. There was ONE open and three of them had families with babies howling. They also didn't offer the promised event special which fine. I wanted the chicken katsu ramen any how. Got instant fomo when I saw the hibachi meals (next time) The ramen was spicier than anticipated but good. The katsu was a weird choice on my part it wasn't cut small (and that reminded me of when I was with ELD and got something similar at her ramen joint) so it was awkward if tasty. I'd go again.
TJ Maxx had a bunch of stuff I needed, boring things like shower mat (mine's ripping) and shower curtain liner (I was trying to clean my ancient one and I'm like why? It's less than my cup of coffee) I tried their Aldi because it looked bigger than mine down here. It wasn't. Got more cheese.
Came outside and the wind had picked up. If I had a tarp, I could have sailed home, no engine on. It was wild out there. Speaking of that I had to put the rags in my door to keep the draft out. That's when Rocket decides I MUST GO OUT. Five mi nutes later.... Also I tried to see the aurora again. No dice.
it's music monday 30 weeks of music. This week's prompt is 10 a song you know all the words to. There are SO many
( here are a few )
here's the whole prompt list
( it's under here )
(no subject)
Jan. 19th, 2026 08:13 pmhafniaTOO MANY FEELINGS (and nowhere to put them), so I've been participating in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
threesentenceficathon and writing fanfic for the first time in, oh, 20 years?
Fills (in no particular order):
Secret Garden, Dickon/Mary, "April is the cruelest month/breeding lilacs out of the dead land"
Star Trek, Any F/F, otherworldly
Narnia, any, assign a dnd class to a character
Sinners, Stack/Mary, survivors
Any, any, He died alone. The neighbors buried him.
The Darkangel, Aeriel/Erin, star (or planet) gazing
Narnia, any, My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun
Grey's Anatomy, George, his last thoughts before he died
Narnia, Susan arrives in the true Narnia
The Left Hand of Darkness, Genly Ai/Estraven, nightfall
Alien/Aliens, Ellen Ripley, haunted by everyone she couldn't save
Silmarillion/LOTR, any, came back wrong
Knives Out & any fandom, any, can Benoit Blanc solve the case in this canon?
Am genuinely sort of impressed with myself that most of 'em are only 3 sentences (however tortured those sentences are).
Will update as I fill more, probably. Have left exactly two (2) prompts, have fun finding them (if that's your thing), they're for Weird Shit.
threesentenceficathon and writing fanfic for the first time in, oh, 20 years? Fills (in no particular order):
Secret Garden, Dickon/Mary, "April is the cruelest month/breeding lilacs out of the dead land"
Star Trek, Any F/F, otherworldly
Narnia, any, assign a dnd class to a character
Sinners, Stack/Mary, survivors
Any, any, He died alone. The neighbors buried him.
The Darkangel, Aeriel/Erin, star (or planet) gazing
Narnia, any, My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun
Grey's Anatomy, George, his last thoughts before he died
Narnia, Susan arrives in the true Narnia
The Left Hand of Darkness, Genly Ai/Estraven, nightfall
Alien/Aliens, Ellen Ripley, haunted by everyone she couldn't save
Silmarillion/LOTR, any, came back wrong
Knives Out & any fandom, any, can Benoit Blanc solve the case in this canon?
Am genuinely sort of impressed with myself that most of 'em are only 3 sentences (however tortured those sentences are).
Will update as I fill more, probably. Have left exactly two (2) prompts, have fun finding them (if that's your thing), they're for Weird Shit.
reputation vs reality (but not as it applies to the grandmaster of demonic cultivation)
Jan. 19th, 2026 10:06 pmstarandreaLLM as AI is everywhere in the language-learning space, from chatbot "tutors" to my favorite prompt: "Tell me about this story in another language." So I'm learning, as they say, through immersion.
Here's what NotebookLM produced when I asked for its basic "deep dive" on "The Untamed," using only the episode transcripts as a source. It makes mistakes, but I was particularly interested in what it identified as important and why.
Also, it was unexpectedly funny.
(This is actually a Turboscribe transcript of the podcast NotebookLM produced; I've labeled the speakers "Host 1" and "Host 2.")
( notebooklm analyzes the Untamed scripts: reputation vs reality )
Here's what NotebookLM produced when I asked for its basic "deep dive" on "The Untamed," using only the episode transcripts as a source. It makes mistakes, but I was particularly interested in what it identified as important and why.
Also, it was unexpectedly funny.
(This is actually a Turboscribe transcript of the podcast NotebookLM produced; I've labeled the speakers "Host 1" and "Host 2.")
( notebooklm analyzes the Untamed scripts: reputation vs reality )
(no subject)
Jan. 19th, 2026 10:24 pmdani_meowsBest part about it being so cold to a native Floridian is every time I turn on the electric blanket for warmth I get three or four cats clustered around me.
The downside is that I was so cold I didn't get to the computer like I had planned.
I did try following a coloring tutorial for icons but I don't think I liked the results enough to do it again. It involved a lot of painting sections of the icons in different colors and in the icon I made the skin got washed out something awful. Tried a crop with the image of Martha that was one of the sample caps and it washed her out to a very pale that was distinctly not her dark skin. I did however learn some new techniques for enhancing hair. Going in with a pink brush on red hair and then a yellow brush and then black to enhance shadows did look lovely.
Most important it was not stressful and I'm not feeling like I might have a rage stroke.
I am still very worried about the situations the USA is in
And hoping the threat of everyone else is enough to keep his hands off the big red button.
The downside is that I was so cold I didn't get to the computer like I had planned.
I did try following a coloring tutorial for icons but I don't think I liked the results enough to do it again. It involved a lot of painting sections of the icons in different colors and in the icon I made the skin got washed out something awful. Tried a crop with the image of Martha that was one of the sample caps and it washed her out to a very pale that was distinctly not her dark skin. I did however learn some new techniques for enhancing hair. Going in with a pink brush on red hair and then a yellow brush and then black to enhance shadows did look lovely.
Most important it was not stressful and I'm not feeling like I might have a rage stroke.
I am still very worried about the situations the USA is in
And hoping the threat of everyone else is enough to keep his hands off the big red button.
when the mind lets go
Jan. 19th, 2026 09:15 pmglitteringstars posting in 1characterTitle: when the mind lets go
Character: Anders
Fandom: Dragon Age (series)
Theme set: Theme Set Alpha
Rating: T
Warnings: N/A
( when the mind lets go )
Character: Anders
Fandom: Dragon Age (series)
Theme set: Theme Set Alpha
Rating: T
Warnings: N/A
Just one thing: 20 January 2026
Jan. 19th, 2026 09:13 pmjazzyjj posting in awesomeersIt's challenge time!
Comment with Just One Thing you've accomplished in the last 24 hours or so. It doesn't have to be a hard thing, or even a thing that you think is particularly awesome. Just a thing that you did.
Feel free to share more than one thing if you're feeling particularly accomplished!
Extra credit: find someone in the comments and give them props for what they achieved!
Nothing is too big, too small, too strange or too cryptic. And in case you'd rather do this in private, anonymous comments are screened. I will only unscreen if you ask me to.
Go!
Comment with Just One Thing you've accomplished in the last 24 hours or so. It doesn't have to be a hard thing, or even a thing that you think is particularly awesome. Just a thing that you did.
Feel free to share more than one thing if you're feeling particularly accomplished!
Extra credit: find someone in the comments and give them props for what they achieved!
Nothing is too big, too small, too strange or too cryptic. And in case you'd rather do this in private, anonymous comments are screened. I will only unscreen if you ask me to.
Go!
Daily Happiness
Jan. 19th, 2026 07:02 pmtorachan1. Pretty chill day at work today. I got stuff done. The office situation is a bit annoying now because as of last Thursday we have a handful of new people moved in, but there weren't enough empty desks so they brought desks from their previous office and crammed them in where we had previously had a meeting table and it feels very crowded now. I'm sure I'll get used to it, though.
2. I love the dramatic lighting on Gemma. It suits her dramatic personality lol.
2. I love the dramatic lighting on Gemma. It suits her dramatic personality lol.
The Running Man: Fanfic: A Long Walk in Wet Socks
Jan. 19th, 2026 06:34 pmsaxloch posting in fan_flashworksTitle: A Long Walk in Wet Socks
Author:saxloch
Fandom: The Running Man (2025)
Characters: Ben Richards, Evan McCone
Rating: Teen & Up
Length: 748 words
Content Notes: Non-graphic mentions of death of a child
Summary: After escaping the network, Ben is left with nobody--aside from his attempted killer.
Author:
saxloch Fandom: The Running Man (2025)
Characters: Ben Richards, Evan McCone
Rating: Teen & Up
Length: 748 words
Content Notes: Non-graphic mentions of death of a child
Summary: After escaping the network, Ben is left with nobody--aside from his attempted killer.
( A Long Walk in Wet Socks )
Monday Media - January 19
Jan. 19th, 2026 09:29 pmlebateleurLast week was a pretty good one for leisure media and entertainment.
Games: Gaming group this week! We met at an inconvenient (1+ hour drive) but favorite tavern since there was also a birthday to celebrate. Alas, the games we'd planned to try out (including some recced duringsnowflake_challenge) were unavailable, so we played First to Worst and King of Tokyo, and had a great time.
The first is a familiar standard; we mixed things up by eschewing scoring entirely and having the ranker draw only four cards from the deck while the rest of the players collectively tried to correctly order the ranker's preferences, to sometimes hilarious results (one player's partner insisting that they disliked "gift giving" much more than the other three, trivial options, or shocked disbelief at another player's—correct—insistence that their partner genuinely preferred pickles and journaling over ice cream sundaes).
The second, is a familiar group standard but one I had personally yet to play (on account of generally playing Betrayal in the House on the Hill or such instead). The setup is that the players are a group of kaiju battling to level Tokyo. It strikes me as a very Munchkin -or MtG-esque game in that the first several players who look like they have a chance at winning will invariably be leveled by the other players. My low-and-slow strategy got me one victory point away from winning the game, but a bad role ultimately gave the GC the win. Still, not bad for a first playthrough.
And now, a brief digression so I can ( gripe about AI. )
We also played more Hive and picked up copies of Betrayal, Everdell Farshore, and Witchcraft, the latter of which I am about to try out very shortly here.
Music: We had a very excellent house session on Monday, after which one of the players used some fancy software to transcribe my playing of some of the tunes. It's pretty cool to see what I'm actually doing set down in notation.
Podcasts/Articles: No podcasts, as I just haven't been in a longform audio mood for the last several months. I did read one longform article: Irish Gothic, however.
Roleplaying: Nothing this week, although there are noises about starting up Oldest D&D Group's homebrew campaign back up.
Television: Late days at work last week + the full slate of extracurriculars meant the GC and I weren't up for much aside from cute animal videos this week, but we did watch Max Headroom S2 Ep 3 today. The main plot was another variation of the "how channels try to corrupt the elections" storyline, and was convoluted with several gaping holes, but one of the subplots is ( among my favorites in the series. )
Video Games: I'm still playing Pentiment and Ultima IV, and started Machinarium; we also got Ghost of Yotei.
In other news, ( I wander in the wilderness no more. )
これで以上です。
Games: Gaming group this week! We met at an inconvenient (1+ hour drive) but favorite tavern since there was also a birthday to celebrate. Alas, the games we'd planned to try out (including some recced during
snowflake_challenge) were unavailable, so we played First to Worst and King of Tokyo, and had a great time.The first is a familiar standard; we mixed things up by eschewing scoring entirely and having the ranker draw only four cards from the deck while the rest of the players collectively tried to correctly order the ranker's preferences, to sometimes hilarious results (one player's partner insisting that they disliked "gift giving" much more than the other three, trivial options, or shocked disbelief at another player's—correct—insistence that their partner genuinely preferred pickles and journaling over ice cream sundaes).
The second, is a familiar group standard but one I had personally yet to play (on account of generally playing Betrayal in the House on the Hill or such instead). The setup is that the players are a group of kaiju battling to level Tokyo. It strikes me as a very Munchkin -or MtG-esque game in that the first several players who look like they have a chance at winning will invariably be leveled by the other players. My low-and-slow strategy got me one victory point away from winning the game, but a bad role ultimately gave the GC the win. Still, not bad for a first playthrough.
And now, a brief digression so I can ( gripe about AI. )
We also played more Hive and picked up copies of Betrayal, Everdell Farshore, and Witchcraft, the latter of which I am about to try out very shortly here.
Music: We had a very excellent house session on Monday, after which one of the players used some fancy software to transcribe my playing of some of the tunes. It's pretty cool to see what I'm actually doing set down in notation.
Podcasts/Articles: No podcasts, as I just haven't been in a longform audio mood for the last several months. I did read one longform article: Irish Gothic, however.
Roleplaying: Nothing this week, although there are noises about starting up Oldest D&D Group's homebrew campaign back up.
Television: Late days at work last week + the full slate of extracurriculars meant the GC and I weren't up for much aside from cute animal videos this week, but we did watch Max Headroom S2 Ep 3 today. The main plot was another variation of the "how channels try to corrupt the elections" storyline, and was convoluted with several gaping holes, but one of the subplots is ( among my favorites in the series. )
Video Games: I'm still playing Pentiment and Ultima IV, and started Machinarium; we also got Ghost of Yotei.
In other news, ( I wander in the wilderness no more. )
これで以上です。
(no subject)
Jan. 19th, 2026 02:28 pmsummercomfortI think it was Wednesday when I last posted? So what's happened since then? Well, Wed afternoon I went to my first Mock Trial practice, which was a scrimmage, and it was very cool to see the kiddos do lawyerly things. Thursday was a lot of lesson prep and lesson delivery, followed by going to comickers. I got a panel done! Friday was more class and then I was able to be helpful during the Mock Trial prep, which I was happy about. And then I rushed home because me and mom had our annual "retreat", aka we have dinner, gossip, talk business, and stay at a hotel overnight. It was pretty good -- I pitched my idea for a full app version of the Chinese curriculum, and mom tentatively okay-ed it. Saturday we went to our taiko class, and found out that we'll have to move dojo locations again. This tends to happen every 3-ish years, because we're big and loud, oops. Thankfully there seems to be a decent option available. It'd mean some changes to the weekend schedule, but it doesn't seem like we'll be immediately homeless, whew! Saturday had the usual Miss R angst around Chinese homework, followed by Chinese school. Then, we thankfully had a relaxing Sunday morning. Sunday afternoon was our taiko workshop, and then Sunday night Miss R had a sleepover. The two kiddos ended up staying up until midnight playing minecraft :3. Which brings us to today, which is a Homework Day. Poor Miss R, needing to force her ADHD-inattentive brain into grinding through so much homework!
I've been making steady progress on my comic, which I'm feeling pretty good about. If I continue at the pace of 1 page per week, I should be able to get it done by June. Ideally I can hit get a little more than a page done every week, in which case I'll have some buffer time, which would be amazing. :) It feels nice to have a focused project with a concrete deadline, even if it means setting aside some of my other projects. I'll re-evaluate how I feel come February.
And I think I have a way to make the Chinese homework slightly less onerous, which I'm also hopeful for. (Basically: getting Miss R to do the character writing portion in the car on Thurs and Fri, and doing the app recording section at home). That said, tomorrow I'm going to be going to the mock trial evening competition, which means I won't be there to help shepherd Miss R through her next chunk of English homework, alas.
Things I keep intending to do but not getting around to:
- cleaning out the car
- cleaning out my side of the bed
- prepping Chinese school checks and W2s
I've been making steady progress on my comic, which I'm feeling pretty good about. If I continue at the pace of 1 page per week, I should be able to get it done by June. Ideally I can hit get a little more than a page done every week, in which case I'll have some buffer time, which would be amazing. :) It feels nice to have a focused project with a concrete deadline, even if it means setting aside some of my other projects. I'll re-evaluate how I feel come February.
And I think I have a way to make the Chinese homework slightly less onerous, which I'm also hopeful for. (Basically: getting Miss R to do the character writing portion in the car on Thurs and Fri, and doing the app recording section at home). That said, tomorrow I'm going to be going to the mock trial evening competition, which means I won't be there to help shepherd Miss R through her next chunk of English homework, alas.
Things I keep intending to do but not getting around to:
- cleaning out the car
- cleaning out my side of the bed
- prepping Chinese school checks and W2s
Snowflake Challenge #10
Jan. 19th, 2026 09:09 pmmalinaldaroseChallenge #10: Big Mood (Board)
CHOOSE SOMETHING YOU LOVE AND CREATE A MINI MOOD COLLECTION OF THREE (or more) ITEMS THAT EVOKE YOUR FEELINGS ABOUT IT. You don’t have to limit yourself to visual media, or collect the items into a special format like a square (though you can if you’d like).
How about some photos of my TeenyTinyTARDIS?
CHOOSE SOMETHING YOU LOVE AND CREATE A MINI MOOD COLLECTION OF THREE (or more) ITEMS THAT EVOKE YOUR FEELINGS ABOUT IT. You don’t have to limit yourself to visual media, or collect the items into a special format like a square (though you can if you’d like).
How about some photos of my TeenyTinyTARDIS?
PODFIC!!!!
Jan. 19th, 2026 07:55 pmsenmutTheir Holidays [Podfic] (44 words) by blackglass
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Leverage (US TV 2008)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Alec Hardison/Parker/Eliot Spencer
Characters: Eliot Spencer (Leverage), Parker (Leverage), Alec Hardison
Additional Tags: Drabble, Podfic, Podfic Length: 0-10 Minutes, Audio Format: MP3, Audio Format: Streaming
Summary:
Family for Parker [Podfic] (44 words) by blackglass
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Leverage
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Alec Hardison/Parker/Eliot Spencer
Characters: Parker (Leverage)
Additional Tags: Introspection, Triple Drabble, Podfic, Podfic Length: 0-10 Minutes, Audio Format: MP3, Audio Format: Streaming
Summary:
In the Tides of Their Thoughts [Podfic] (44 words) by blackglass
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends - All Media Types
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: CC-5052 | Bly/Kit Fisto/Aayla Secura
Characters: Aayla Secura, Kit Fisto
Additional Tags: bly is not appearing, but he's talked about, stable threesome, Double Drabble, Podfic, Podfic Length: 0-10 Minutes, Audio Format: MP3, Audio Format: Streaming
Summary:
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Leverage (US TV 2008)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Alec Hardison/Parker/Eliot Spencer
Characters: Eliot Spencer (Leverage), Parker (Leverage), Alec Hardison
Additional Tags: Drabble, Podfic, Podfic Length: 0-10 Minutes, Audio Format: MP3, Audio Format: Streaming
Summary:
A podfic of Their Holidays by Merfilly.
"They each have their own."
Family for Parker [Podfic] (44 words) by blackglass
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Leverage
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Alec Hardison/Parker/Eliot Spencer
Characters: Parker (Leverage)
Additional Tags: Introspection, Triple Drabble, Podfic, Podfic Length: 0-10 Minutes, Audio Format: MP3, Audio Format: Streaming
Summary:
A podfic of Family for Parker by Merfilly.
In the Tides of Their Thoughts [Podfic] (44 words) by blackglass
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends - All Media Types
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: CC-5052 | Bly/Kit Fisto/Aayla Secura
Characters: Aayla Secura, Kit Fisto
Additional Tags: bly is not appearing, but he's talked about, stable threesome, Double Drabble, Podfic, Podfic Length: 0-10 Minutes, Audio Format: MP3, Audio Format: Streaming
Summary:
A podfic of In the Tides of Their Thoughts by Merfilly.
"Bly is away, but not far from their hearts at all."
snowflake_challenge 2026: Day 10
Jan. 19th, 2026 07:27 pmlightbird
Challenge #10: Big Mood (Board)
CHOOSE SOMETHING YOU LOVE AND CREATE A MINI MOOD COLLECTION OF THREE (or more) ITEMS THAT EVOKE YOUR FEELINGS ABOUT IT. You don’t have to limit yourself to visual media, or collect the items into a special format like a square (though you can if you’d like).
I'm not exactly a visual person, so the mood board is kind of out, lol. I went with music instead.
Anyone who has ever watched Hey Arnold! knows that when it comes to music for it, it's all about the jazz. So here are some tunes!
(1) Jordu by Irving "Duke" Jordan
Here is the version by Clifford Brown and Max Roach. This upbeat song, or at least parts of it, could definitely have been background music for an episode.
(2) On Green Dolphin Street
This beautiful, bittersweet song, written by Bronisław Kaper, was actually the soundtrack of the 1947 historical drama/disaster film Green Dolphin Street (there's a ton of drama in this, but it actually has a happyish ending), and although the movie soundtrack is performed in a more straightforward orchestral classical style the song became a jazz standard. There are many great versions of the song, but I like this one a lot. Though there is lots of truly laugh-out-loud humor in Hey Arnold!, there are also many poignant and some truly heart-breaking moments in the show, too. I think this melody captures that mix very well.
(3) L'il' Darlin' by Neal Hefti
A definite choice for adult Helga and Arnold.
The Count Basie Orchestra recorded and performed this song as an instrumental, which you can listen to here. It's a gorgeous tune and arrangement. And so sexy for our favorite OTP.
John Hendrix later wrote lyrics to the song, and his jazz vocalese trio Lambert, Hendricks, and Ross recorded and performed the sung version with Count Basie. You can listen to their version here. The lyrics are as perfect as the tune (of course Arnold is the kind of man who likes to stay home in the evening, if he's with Helga), and Annie Ross's solo in the middle is *chef's kiss*.
And while that trio was terrific, I also want to link this performance of the song by the Seattle Academy Onions, a terrific high school jazz choir. This performance is from over a decade ago, but it's a fantastic arrangement of the song and really worth listening to, especially if you like jazz choirs and vocal ensemble music generally.
Previous Days
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
Day 7
Day 8
Day 9
Loomings.
Jan. 19th, 2026 08:15 pmhannahI've got work tomorrow. If I keep saying it, maybe I'll believe it ahead of time.
It's more of a gig than a job - my parents knew some people who needed their home library alphabetized and reorganized, and we met last week to see if we'd be a good fit. It turns out we are, so for at least two full working days a week for the next few weeks, I'll be heading a few blocks uptown to get paid to do what I went to school to learn how to do. Alphabetizing novels by author is one thing; working with an individual to figure out their needs for their personal library and how to organize within that is another. So far I suggested moving all the kids' books to the two children's bedrooms, and creating a city/travel section as would be useful for them, though not for others.
I'm going back to packing my own lunch. Though as it's in someone else's apartment and they've said I can use their mugs and their tea, I might not need to pack my own silverware. But I might, just to be on the safe side about these things.
It's more of a gig than a job - my parents knew some people who needed their home library alphabetized and reorganized, and we met last week to see if we'd be a good fit. It turns out we are, so for at least two full working days a week for the next few weeks, I'll be heading a few blocks uptown to get paid to do what I went to school to learn how to do. Alphabetizing novels by author is one thing; working with an individual to figure out their needs for their personal library and how to organize within that is another. So far I suggested moving all the kids' books to the two children's bedrooms, and creating a city/travel section as would be useful for them, though not for others.
I'm going back to packing my own lunch. Though as it's in someone else's apartment and they've said I can use their mugs and their tea, I might not need to pack my own silverware. But I might, just to be on the safe side about these things.
The Daily Spell (2025)
Jan. 19th, 2026 07:42 pmpauraque
In this daily puzzle game, the goal is to spell out the words in a newspaper headline by choosing letters to drop down from the columns above. The headline starts blank, so you have to figure it out based on possible English words, syntax, and context. (E.g. If there's a one-letter word and the possible letters you can drop are A, G, and X, well...) When you've filled in the headline you get to read a short news article from the cozy fantasy realm of Yliad, where arcane scribes study at rival magic schools. Each week's puzzles form a story arc, and the arcs gradually piece together the worldbuilding.
I saw this game linked in the Clues By Sam newsletter, and I've added it to my morning round of daily puzzles. I find it pretty easy, but word puzzles are definitely more in my wheelhouse than logic puzzles, and there's nothing wrong with a quick warm-up before your brain is fully in gear. The little stories are on the cutesy side, so, you know, don't expect epic tales of blood and sacrifice or anything. The narrative just adds some interest and flavor to your standard drop-quote puzzle. And it's queer-inclusive so that's a plus!
The Daily Spell is free to play in your browser. ✨
Daily Check-In
Jan. 19th, 2026 06:01 pmstarwatcher posting in fandom_checkinThis is your check-in post for today. The poll will be open from midnight Universal or Zulu Time (8pm Eastern Time) on Monday, January 19, to midnight on Tuesday, January 20. (8pm Eastern Time).
Poll #34098 Daily Check-in
Open to: Access List, detailed results viewable to: Access List, participants: 19
How are you doing?
I am OK.
11 (57.9%)
I am not OK, but don't need help right now.
8 (42.1%)
I could use some help.
0 (0.0%)
How many other humans live with you?
I am living single.
8 (42.1%)
One other person.
8 (42.1%)
More than one other person.
3 (15.8%)
Please, talk about how things are going for you in the comments, ask for advice or help if you need it, or just discuss whatever you feel like.