Reading

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Reposted fic: greet the day (P&M 3)

greet the day - Photographs and Memories three, Harry Potter (book canon, but with a nod to the movies), Universal, Luna, gen. 504 words. First posted: July 2007.

Disclaimer: None of the characters are mine, and I make no profit from this fan-written fiction.
Spoilers for Deathly Hallows, but set during Chamber of Secrets. With thanks to rayslady for looking over this.

( greet the day: shallowness )

The Photographs and Memories index is here.

Current Mood: amused

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Insults

How to Piss Off Men: 109 Things to Say to Shatter the Male Ego by Kyle Prue (2024)

Praise Goddess and pass the ammunition! :D

Current Mood: busy

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food,
recipe

Today's Smoothie

Today we made a smoothie with:

1 cup Ziyad Guava Nectar
1 cup Brown Cow vanilla yogurt
1 banana
1/2 cup Great Value Mixed Fruit (pineapple, strawberry, peach, mango)
1/2 cup ice

The result is thick and pale pink colored with a sweet tropical flavor, and the guava adds a floral-musky quality. It's quite good. :D

Current Mood: accomplished

Entry tags:

food,
recipe

Stir-Fry

Tonight we made stir-fry inspired by the leftover peppers and onions from yesterday's mint chicken. For the initial aromatics I used freeze-dried ginger, freeze-dried garlic, and a ball carrot cut into matchsticks. I also added a can of baby corn since the volume of vegetables wasn't all that large. For meat I added shrimp. The sauce was made from the juice of two lemon slices, some full-flavor olive oil, a dribble of Worcestershire sauce, and a little tapioca starch. It didn't need more seasoning because it had some of the mint spice coating mixed in with the vegetables. It turned out rather well.

Current Mood: busy

Entry tags:

food,
news

Food

5 Ways to Use Freshly Roasted Hatch Chiles While They’re in Season

Once late August or early September rolls around, in-season Hatch chiles can be found at specialty grocery stores across the country. They are easiest to come by in the Southwest, but now savvy customers are asking for them far and wide. Whole Foods is frequently a reliable resource. You might find them raw or roasted for your convenience.

Current Mood: busy

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Early Humans

Extinct human relatives left a genetic gift that helped people thrive in the Americas

A new study found that a gene passed down from extinct archaic humans provided an adaptive advantage for Indigenous people of the Americas and is still common today in people of Indigenous descent.
Scientists have discovered that a gene called MUC19, inherited from Denisovans through ancient interbreeding, may have played a vital role in helping Indigenous ancestors adapt as they migrated into the Americas. Found at unusually high frequencies in both modern and ancient populations, the gene likely provided immune advantages against new pathogens. This research highlights how archaic DNA, passed through both Denisovans and Neanderthals, enriched human genetic diversity in ways that still shape us today.

Current Mood: discontent
Current Music: Javier Alvarez

(no subject)

Last night I tried to make General Tso wings because I still miss the hell out of Monkey King. I had to look up a recipe online because I have several Chinese cookbooks but none of them had a recipe for General Tso wings. They came out OK but not anywhere near as good as Monkey King.
Also, I recently bought a kind of cookie I love and haven't had in ages and found out they shrank.
Just finished taking my laundry out of the dryers, haven't quite finished putting it away yet, then I'm going to eat lunch, go to the store to get eggs and potatoes which I forgot to get yesterday, watch MST3K and Frasier and go swimming if I have the energy.

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prompt: #456 - forgotten

[Prompt #456] BtVS / Spike — Redecorate

Title: Redecorate
Fandom: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Characters/Pairing: Spike
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: none
Word count: 100 (Google Docs)
Setting/Spoilers: Set in AtS S5, during ep. 5x10 “Soul Purpose”
Summary: Spike’s musings While he settles in his new apartment in LA.
Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction created for fun and no profit has been made. All rights belong to the respective owners.

Prompt: #456 - Forgotten

Crossposted:

anythingdrabble, My journal, Sunnydale After Dark

—
( READ: Redecorate )

Current Mood: busy

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Birdfeeding

Today is cloudy and mild, a beautiful day.

I fed the birds. I've seen a flock of sparrows and house finches.

EDIT 8/24/25 -- I put out water for the birds. Bees are mobbing the metal birdbath.

EDIT 8/24/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 8/24/25 -- I did more work around the patio.

EDIT 8/24/25 -- I watered the new picnic table and septic gardens.

I picked 4 groundcherries, 4 red cherry tomatoes, and 1 yellow pear tomato. :D

EDIT 8/24/25 -- I watered the old picnic table, house yard plants, and patio plants.

I pulled up a ball carrot to use in tonight's stir-fry.

EDIT 8/24/25 -- I watered the telephone pole garden and some seedlings in the savanna.

EDIT 8/24/25 -- I did more work around the patio.

Crickets and cicadas are singing.

As it is getting dark, I am done for the night.

Current Mood: happy

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Today's Adventures

Today we went down to Effingham for the Oddities Market at the Thelma Keller Convention Center, hosted by Hazel-Jayne Crystals & Gifts. We still have not made it back to the actual Hazel-Jayne and want to do so.

( Read more... )

Noise

Shifting attention to the alure of static is simple enough. We can easily be raptured by the less important and in one breath, convince ouselves of significance. With such a short life, especially with what is left, I hope to focus more on kindness, listening, helping, understanding and grace...and much less on the noise and anger which often festers over something like a new restaurant logo.

Current Mood: disappointed
Current Music: Mosquitos

(no subject)

I went to the grocery outlet to get Coke Zero and they were out of it (I prefer to buy soda there because it's less expensive than it is at other grocery stores).

Current Mood: busy

Entry tags:

Birdfeeding

Today is cloudy and mild.

I fed the birds. I've seen a few sparrows and house finches.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 8/23/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

As it is now dark, I am done for the night.

Current Mood: busy

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Email Aliases

arlie mentioned in a post that Protonmail allows you to create email aliases to avoid spam. This also seems extremely useful for cases where someone extorts your email from you before giving you something you need, but you don't really want to hear from them afterwards.

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prompt: #456 - forgotten

Miss Marple - The Purse

Title: The Purse
Fandom: Miss Marple
Rating: G

( Miss Marple stepped out of the lift )

Current Mood: busy

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recurring posts

Philosophical Questions: Money

People have expressed interest in deep topics, so this list focuses on philosophical questions.

Could societies exist without a way to transfer value (i.e. without money or a barter system)?

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

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Heat

The Truth About Caffeine, Dehydration, and Extreme Heat

As dangerous heat waves sweep the U.S., the CDC cautions against consuming caffeine. But not every expert is convinced the advice needs to be one-size-fits-all.
[---8<---]
"Don’t drink liquids that contain caffeine, alcohol, or large amounts of sugar — these actually cause you to lose more body fluid. Also, avoid very cold drinks because they can cause stomach cramps," the CDC wrote in its Extreme Heat guidance. It doubles down on this warning on its Heat and Your Health page, though with softer language, stating, "Consider limiting beverages high in sugars and sodium, caffeine, and alcohol, if possible."

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

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Early Humans

Ancient fossil discovery in Ethiopia rewrites human origins

The fossils found in northeastern Ethiopia date between 2.6 to 2.8 million years ago and shed new light on human evolution.
In the deserts of Ethiopia, scientists uncovered fossils showing that early members of our genus Homo lived side by side with a newly identified species of Australopithecus nearly three million years ago. These finds challenge the old idea of a straight evolutionary ladder, revealing instead a tangled web of ancient relatives.

I'm surprised to find such far-flung relatives coexisting like that, but it's a happier image than today's lonely Homo.

Current Mood: busy

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Books

23 Must-Read Books About Hope That Inspire Change & Action

John Parsi, executive director of the Hope Center, says that while optimistic people see the glass as half full, hopeful people ask how they can fill the glass full.

“Hope requires a person to take responsibility for their wants and desires and take action in working towards them,” Parsi says.

So whether you’re looking to start, sustain, or complete something, we hope the books included in this list inspire you to take action and work towards whatever goals you have in front of you.

I am particularly charmed to see “The Impossible Will Take a Little While: A Citizen’s Guide to Hope in a Time of Fear” edited by Paul Rogat Loeb because I've got a poem in that one, "Origami Emotion," from a couple decades ago.

Current Mood: busy

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Music

My Noise has a bunch of new soundscapes that you can play with.