The World of Henry Orient
31 December 2025 10:52![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mallorys_cameraThe driveway is drivable. But slippery. 'Cause I shoveled all the slush, but the standing water froze, so there are multiple ice patches.
The nail place overbooked. I waited 15 minutes yesterday afternoon, & then walked out. Will try another place Friday, I guess.
Post office label printer was out when I tried to mail packages.
Today, I was gonna work on the Work in Progress, but the Schlock people offered to pay me to get small business-certified and money, money, money, money, money.
When I was hanging out with Flavia last week, I found myself reminiscing about my childhood in the City, how my best friend Roberta & I used to spend every Saturday walking through Central Park, making up elaborate stories about the people we passed.
"You mean like The World of Henry Orient?" Flavia asked.
"Yes, exactly like The World of Henry Orient!" I said, delighted.
It's an obscure movie.
So last night I tracked it down & watched it again.
Some thoughts:
First, the concert scene where Peter Sellers is presumably playing an atonal Precoviev piano concerto is absolutely hilarious, especially when Sellers keeps hitting the wrong note, and the conductor refuses to let the orchestra start playing, & Sellers keeps getting more & more exasperated until finally the conductor silently mouths, "B Flat."
Second, there is a fair amount of what would be considered racism today in the film. Inspired by the titular character's surname, the girls stalk Peter Sellers wearing coolie hats and performing "Ah so" bowing rituals.
Is this offensive?
Most people under 60 would find it so.
Aging Boomer that I am, I guess what I would say is that playing with stereotypes in this way is a form of teasing, & I wish more people did it. Specifically, I wish that white people were teased this way in movies—except, though, what exactly are stereotypic white people behaviors?? Double parking? Collecting refrigerator magnets? Inability to dance?
I suppose "white people" in the United States is a synonym for "people of European descent," and most of us identify with country of origin.
Still. I think gentle humor is a step toward demystification. And demystification is the only real way to end the Fear of the Other & related xenophobias.
I know, I know. It's off to the Reeducation Camp for Aging Boomers for me.
Heated Rivalry: Heated Rivalry season 1 gifsets by ilyarozanovs
1 January 2026 04:28mific posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
fancakeCharacters/Pairings: Shane Hollander/Ilya Rozanov, Scott Hunter/Kip Grady, Rose Landry, Yuna Hollander, David Hollander
Rating: Teen
Length: 6 gif sets
Content Notes: some flashing lights.
Creator Links: ilyarozanovs on tumblr
Themes: canon LGBTQ+ characters, enemies to lovers, mutual pining, slow burn (romantically)
Summary: None given. Six gifsets, each containing 12 frames.
Reccer's Notes: These are especially good gifsets, one for each episode. They include split-screen gifs across frames, which I always find very impressive. A set of gorgeous montages for the episodes of season one.
Fanwork Links: Heated Rivalry season 1 gifsets, or backup link
haymow
31 December 2025 07:58prettygoodwordThis word makes more sense if you know that mow has a now largely obsolete (except in regional dialects) meaning of "a stack of hay, grain, or beans in storage" as well as a place in storage for such a stack. (This sense of mow is a homonym of mow as in to cut down, with a different etymology.) A haymow is, thus, a mow specifically of and for hay.
---L.
January challenge (1 of 5)
31 December 2025 22:21fred_mouse posting in unclutterI got a positive response on doing a low key January challenge! My intention is to post weekly on Wednesdays, which will cause there to be five weekly challenges.
For the first week, we are looking at making day time resting spots more restful. What this might look like:
- Favourite Chair* has Stuff! on it --> Stuff! is moved somewhere else.
- Floor on the way to Favourite Chair has tripping hazards --> clear a path.
- Line of sight from Favourite Chair to window has something that irritates you --> Resolve at least one thing.
- December related detritus in your relaxation space --> pack it up.
- Cushions are leaking --> repair, replace, put a cover on, put it somewhere else....
- There is a task that you notice Every! Single! Time! you stop for a rest --> move it, progress it, hide it ...
* for a value of chair that is where you rest when you aren't resting in bed. If you don't have one of these, then the challenge is to make one. Can you clear a space near a window so you can look outside? Standing and watching the traffic/clouds/birds/local wildlife counts as resting!
On easy mode, Stuff! gets added to a pile on the floor / chucked in a cupboard or box / made a problem for Future You. For each bit of extra energy you have, work through the list of: Rubbish in the bin. Put things that have homes away. Identify things that need returning or rehoming and put them in the 'return' and 'rehome' piles respectively. Find homes for things that don't have them.
Whether you do one thing once, or aim to do a little bit everyday, is entirely dependent on what you have time, energy, motivation and cope for. Reporting in can be done whenever you want, or on the (semi-)regular checkin, or the challenge checkin. If you have a thought about what you want to aim for, tell us in the comments!
2025: A Year in Review
31 December 2025 08:39osprey_archer2. Resolved to read a book from my TBR shelf each month. Happy to say I have kept this resolution! Also kept the sister resolution to read purchased books in a timely manner rather than add them to the TBR shelf to languish.
3. Moved into the Hummingbird Cottage.
4. Started work on my garden. This was not wholly successful - the already established mint has unfortunately completely gotten away from me - but I did manage to grow a nice array of herbs, and at least planted two cherry tomato plants, which I think got a little too much shade to flourish as they should. A beginning at least!
5. Learned how to cross stitch and completed MANY cross stitches. Highlights include the Halloween cat, the fat red bird, and the unfinished trio of Puss in Boots. I have completed Puss Putting on Cape and Puss Putting on Boots but not yet Puss in Full Regalia with Plumed Hat… Then I needed some emergency Christmas presents so I ended up giving them all away and will need to begin the Puss in Boots trio all over again.
6. Finished the Newbery project! This has been either seven or twenty-five years in the making, depending how you’re counting.
7. Roasted a duck.
8. Made marshmallows! A friend sent me homemade marshmallows over a decade ago, and I’ve been chasing that homemade marshmallow high ever since.
9. All Christmas Book Advent, during which I read nothing but Christmas books during the advent season. Successful AGAINST MY WILL, as I attempted to break my vow on December 24, only to discover that the book with which I intended to break my vow started on Christmas Eve. Have considered this challenge for years so glad that I gave it a go, but have established to my own satisfaction that All Christmas Books is Too Many Christmas Books for me.
10. Picture Book Advent! In which I checked out 24 Christmas picture books from the library, wrapped them up under the tree, and opened one to read each day. I enjoyed this so much that I intend to make it a yearly tradition. Already planning to cross-stitch little Advent tags numbering 1 to 24.
wednesday
31 December 2025 07:48summersgate
I succeeded yesterday in making a *cute* (not frightening) amigurumi.
I did get to erase a couple things off the whiteboard list on the fridge but now I can't remember what they were because right away I filled in those spots with other things I thought I should do. There's more on there now than there was yesterday.
Still snowing. The snow is sifting down in big flakes. It's beautiful looking out the window at it.
Yesterday I slipped and fell while going down the hill on our walk to the creek. I wasn't hurt but today my neck is stiff and my lower ribs are sore.
I guess this is the time to think about wrapping up the old year and thinking about the new. No more writing 2025 on the dates of things. Time is marching on. "The only constant thing in life is change."
Wednesday 31/12/2025
31 December 2025 12:30dark_kana posting in 3_good_things_a_day1) managed to get an appointment with my doctor this morning
2) got enough overtime to stop working at 3pm today ^^
3) going to celebrate New Year's Eve with hubby and our daughter :-)
Jollof Rice With Black-Eyed Peas
31 December 2025 04:16nverland posting in recipecommunity
Jollof Rice With Black-Eyed Peas
Servings: 6 to 8 (makes 7 cups of vegetables and 5 1/2 cups of rice) Total time: 45 mins
Ingredients
One (14.5- or 15-ounce) can no-salt-added diced tomatoes, preferably fire-roasted, with their juices
Water
2 cups uncooked brown basmati rice
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups (12 ounces) chopped yellow onion
2 or 3 garlic cloves, minced or finely grated
1 cup (6 ounces) chopped carrots
2 cups (9 ounces) chopped green cabbage
2 tablespoons tomato paste, preferably double-concentrated
1 3/4 cups homemade or canned no-salt-added black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed (from one 15-ounce can)
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, plus more for optional garnish
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, for serving (optional)
Fine salt, for serving (optional)
Steps
1. Drain the tomatoes in a fine-mesh strainer set over a large measuring cup. Add water as needed to total 4 cups, then transfer the liquid to a large saucepan. Add the rice, set the saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, stir and cook, uncovered, until the rice is tender and has absorbed the liquid, 30 to 35 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat until simmering. Add the onion and garlic, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the carrots and cabbage, tomato paste, drained tomatoes, black-eyed peas, turmeric, thyme and crushed red pepper flakes. Cover, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until the mixture is thoroughly warmed through, about 4 minutes.
3. Divide the rice among individual plates or transfer to a serving bowl. Spoon the vegetable mixture on top. Sprinkle with parsley, more thyme and salt, if desired, and serve.
Early Morning
31 December 2025 11:10poliphilo5.30. Left house
6.45. Dropped Wendy at Gatwick
(An endless stream of people under artificial light riding a travellator up into the airport building- like a scene from Fritz Lang's Metropolis......)
7.45. Driving into the sunrise.
(Is that a hill or a cloud bank? Actually it's both, a cloud bank in front of a hill, both the same height. The cloud bank breaking up to reveal the solid outline of the hill behind.)
8.00. Dropped in on the cat we're minding for a friend.
9.00. Ordered and ate a full English breakfast at Favo'loso
Just One Thing (31 December 2025)
31 December 2025 08:01nanila posting in awesomeersComment 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!
It’s Almost Last Call for the Smart Bitches Candles!
31 December 2025 07:00![[syndicated profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/feed.png){kind=small}
smartbitches_feedThank you to everyone who ordered some of the Smart Bitches candles! I’m so happy that so many of you are enjoying them!
The candles are a limited time only event, and will not be available after January 4. So if you’d like to get one or both, this is your moment to order some Smart Bitches limited candles!
Wax Cabin Candle Company, an independent small chandlery, has been SO FAST with shipping, too. It’s frankly alarming.
And please allow me to share some of my more goofy promotional images because Photoshop and I had a rollicking good time.
You saw this one – she had to order three, one for each hand.
And of course, Decadent.
(Why Decadent? It’s only the most famous, and most NSFW work review ever written. SRSLY NSFW!)
But even The Very Virile Viking was ready for some candles!
As was The Reluctant Viking, who chose one of the 20th anniversary candles!
Not to be outdone, Kushiel’s Avatar ordered both. Balance is important!
John de Salvo needed some light for the piglets, so a 20th Anniversary candle was the perfect choice:
Is this book the prequel to The Three Little Pigs?
And even Beloved Rogues love the Bad Decisions Book Club candle!
I really love how the absurd Photoshop, and the candles themselves turned out. I wanted the scents to be mellow and pleasant. I was going for ‘warm and elegant,’ and I think I hit it.
Amanda Matta even compared the scent to the As Ever signature candle which knocked me flat on the floor. (Thank you!!)
The Smart Bitches 20th Anniversary candle is an 11 ounce hand poured soy candle with notes of sea salt, book pages, sandalwood and jasmine.
The Bad Decisions Book Club candle, also 11 ounces, is designed to be the perfect pairing for late night reading, with scents of sweet tobacco, book pages, leather, rose, and sandalwood.
Each candle is $28, or $50 for both in a gift set, with free shipping on orders over $70. The candles are hand-poured with 100% soy wax, and each is in a glass jar that you can reuse or refill. They should burn between 60 and 70 hours.
So if you’re looking for the perfect gift for yourself or the book lovers in your life, the 2025 Smart Bitches Candle Collection will be available now for a very (very!) limited time.
You can shop small, support the site, and spread light and warmth this year. Thank you for your support, y’all, and thank you for being a light in my world.
"I initially planned to build a small storm shelter..." [civ eng]
31 December 2025 02:02siderea2025 Dec 26: Engineer Everything (user Engineer.Everything-i5g) on YT: Shall I go still deeper? #engineering #Minecraft #tunnel #mining #constr...