aquinasprime | Network

My sister appears to be recovering nicely from her surgery. She has had some tubes removed and has been up and walking (with help).

After a busy few days to start the week I decided that today should be the start of the holiday weekend for me. Not that I need a holiday weekend; every day is basically a holiday for me. I did get a load of washing (sheets and towels) out on the line, but that never feels like work to me.

I've been neglecting my 15 minutes of clearing out though, so today I went back to that. In my office/workroom is a closet full of "stuff" - sewing stuff, Christmas stuff (mainly wrapping paper), photos, and lots of other bits and pieces, so today I started with just one of the shelves and ended up throwing out a lot of what was there. There were some old family photos and some education documents that I'm keeping, but those don't add up to much. I threw away more than I'm keeping.

Last night was marginally cooler than the previous few but very humid. I went for a run at 6:30 am and for the whole hour I felt like I was trying to run uphill. Of course for every uphill there has to be a downhill, but it was hard work because of the humidity. The humidity has gone way down now - it's below 50%! - but it's sunny and hot outside.

LJ is still not working perfectly; it takes forever to load my friends' page although everything else loads normally.

duckprintspress

We’re scant weeks from the crowdfunding campaign to fund our next general imprint anthology, Scholarly Pursuits: A Queer Anthology of Cozy Academia Stories! We’re delighted, today, to share our cover art by the unbeatable Liz Lee Illustration!

Transforming the core settings of “dark academia” to be cozy and snug, Scholarly Pursuits features 22 delightful, charming science fiction and fantasy stories set at colleges, universities, libraries, and other places where people pursue academic excellence – and all feature queer characters! From field research shenanigans to cooking adventures, from space-station education departments to eldritch libraries, our awesome authors have brought their vivid imaginings to life in this collection, and we can’t wait to share it with you! You can learn all about our contributors by reading up on their contributor biographies.

This campaign launches in mid-July. Make sure you follow our Kickstarter pre-launch page today to be notified when it goes live!

Our Patreon backers can check out teasers and more right now! Consider becoming a backer today for access to our backer blog and many other awesome benefits!

(by the way, psst… the art is wrap-around…)

kaberett

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nanila in

awesomeers

It'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!

swaldman

I'm on holiday!
I haven't been blogging much on this trip, because it's mostly a trip to see friends and family. But yesterday was all about tourism, and I spent the day in Aachen, Germany, in 36C heat. I came here once before with friend L, when she showed me the place briefly, and I knew I needed to come back. Six years later, here I am.

My favourite thing about Aachen, although I've no idea how true it is, is this quote from Wikivoyage:

"As Aachen is a legally recognised spa, it could call itself Bad Aachen, but refuses to do so, as it then would no longer be first in almost all alphabetical lists."

My second favourite thing about Aachen, and the reason I'm here, is undoubedly the cathedral. It's unique, and beautiful. The central octagonal part dates from the 9th century, while the gothic "extension" is newer. It was built as the seat of Charlemagne (and this is why the octagonal shape - it resembles an Orthodox cathedral and he was making a statement about being equal to the rulers of the eastern empire). The throne that was allegedly his, and almost certainly wasn't, is present in the upper level. But it's not really the history that interests me so much as the look of the thing, with wonderful mosaics on the ceilings and a general sense of opulance that actually - in contrast to most Catholic opulance - manages to look well-designed. I didn't bring my good camera on this trip, but here are some phonecam photos.

Exterior view showing a tall but narrow octagonal section between a larger gothic bit and a tower (which is actually part of the city hall)

Exterior view showing a tall but narrow octagonal section between a larger gothic bit and a tower (which is actually part of the city hall)

Interior, looking down at the octagon. A two-level space with marble walls and an intricate mosaic floor, seats for worshippers.

Tall choir in a gothic style. Stained glass either side, golden reliquaries on stands in the centre.

Blue and gold mosaic ceiling with a hanging lantern. Vaulting between marble-clad columns.

lomonaaeren

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mecurtin

I finished taking the laundry out of this basket & put it down on its side for Purrcy investigation. It was worth snooping in, but not really good for long-term use, he found.

What's that in the sky? he wondered, after several days of rain & thunder-growler attacks.

Purrcy the tuxedo tabby stands in a brown cloth laundry bin lying on its side. He peers out and up at the sunlight coming from the skylight above, his whiskers looking long but rather doubtful.

Purrcy the tuxedo tabby stands in a brown cloth laundry bin lying on its side. He peers out and up at the sunlight coming from the skylight above, his whiskers looking long but rather doubtful.

My back continues to be better, while not being anything like *all* better. Prednisone has the reputation of being Side Effects City, my biggest ones so far are dry mouth making my voice all scratchy, and a certain amount of ADHD/mania type behavior, trouble settling & sleeping. Only 3 more days of tapering to go, though.

Amid all The Horrors ramping up & up, here's something that's given me active joy in the past couple of days: Sir Ian McKellan joining Scissor Sisters onstage at Glastonbury Festival:

Watch on YouTube

My god, he's still got that full Royal Shakespeare voice.

It makes me cry a bit with joy at the end there, seeing Sir Ian being able to lead his people in a public celebration of being out & proud. And to see an old man being *venerated*, for once, admired for achievements but in this case also as a symbol of what people like those in the audience can have with age: a *full* life, a *long* life, a life with everything in it, despite what they may have been told. You don't have to be young to be queer, it's not a phase, it's part of a complete human life.

lassarina

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xkcd_feed

https://xkcd.com/3110/

Starting a meta-leaderboard for tracking who holds the record for ranking behind the most distinct people on an online leaderboard.

https://xkcd.com/3110/

cornerofmadness

Before I get into it, just wanted to say I made it back to Pittsburgh for the rest of the summer (in theory)

Challenge #1

Journaling Prompt: Light up your journal with activity this month. Talk about your goals for July or for the second half of 2025.
Creative Prompt: Shine a light on your own creativity. Create anything you want (an image, an icon, a story, a poem, or a craft) and share it with your community.. Post your answer to today’s challenge in your own space and leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.

For July I have two open calls I want to write stories for. And I have two

wipbigbang stories I must finish and I do need to work on my

fandomtrumpshate story. In the meantime I'm working on some story that bit me yesterday. In fact on the 4 hour trip today five stories were trying to take dominance in my brain as I drove.

My other goals are to see some of the sites I've been trying to get to for years. It doesn't look good. Sigh. No one cares what my work goals are (including me if I'm honest)

I DO have something I'm proud of. Two somethings that I spent most of June working on. Both are from the Hazbin Hotel fandom (so mind the tags, this is the most violent musical animated comedy ever I swear)

Dandelions This is my

unconventionalcourtship story. I am very proud of how this one turned out and have gotten some nice comments about.

The Power Play series is something I created for the

getyourwordsout Yahtzee challenge. I am a little disappointed at how much this is flying under the radar. That said, I think it's a very good one that I enjoyed doing.

I'm going to break the book report into two days because I'm hot, tired and cranky. (and that story wants me to get back to it)

What I Just Finished Reading:

Dark Entry - a short suspense/horror novel I got last year, not bad but predictable

Verses for the Dead - a pendergast novel from Preston & Childe. enjoyed it but the ending was too hollywood

Chasing Evil - this is written by an FBI agent (ex) and his professional relationship with psychic John Edward (wish there had been chapters by John too)

What I am Currently Reading:

Kill You Twice - a pretty graphic (i don't mind) police procedural but it's a tad soap opera for me

I Need You To Read This - an arc of an advice columnist trying to solve the murder of the woman she's replacing. It has a neat cover, sleek red with the title as keyboard keys but they're tactile.

War Child - a Deep Space Nine Novel

Pantomine - an LGBT (intersexed main character) fantasy

What I Plan to Read Next: something for popsugar

Current Mood: hot
Current Music: Midsomer Murder

mickeym

I just got a lecture -- voiced as a "concern" -- about overdrafting my checking account to buy groceries. This from someone who just overdrafted HER bank account so she could cook a "romantic, date-night meal" for her girlfriend, and she got some fireworks for Friday.

And then she fussed about how if we buy "too many groceries" it won't leave room for their groceries in the fridge, and what if my account gets shut down, and then if we get kicked out, where are THEY going to live, and on and on.

RENT IS PAID. And I'd like to eat for the next several weeks. Do I want to overdraft my account? No, I don't. Is it a smart move? No, but I'm out of money. And it's none of her fucking business, in any case. In six months, she and Megan have paid the water bill once, bought groceries twice, maybe three times (and I overdrafted my account at least twice to buy groceries when we were still buying for them, too), and paid exactly $200 in rent to us. We asked for $400, and they said no, they can't afford that, can it be $300... and then they haven't even paid for the full month of June. Maybe I wouldn't have to fucking overdraft my account if they helped fucking pay anything.

starwatcher in

fandom_checkin

This is your check-in post for today. The poll will be open from midnight Universal or Zulu Time (8pm Eastern Time) on Wednesday, July 2, to midnight on Thursday, July 3. (8pm Eastern Time).

Poll #33319 Daily Check-in

Open to: Access List, detailed results viewable to: Access List, participants: 22

How are you doing?

I am OK.
12 (54.5%)

I am not OK, but don't need help right now.
10 (45.5%)

I could use some help.
0 (0.0%)

How many other humans live with you?

I am living single.
7 (31.8%)

One other person.
9 (40.9%)

More than one other person.
6 (27.3%)

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.

squidgestatus

Just to keep everyone in touch with what's going on with our yearly fundraiser, we're getting close! Our yearly goal is to raise at least $2,000 so that we can get through the next year, and as of 3pm Pacific Time today, we've raised $1,792.16 - almost 90% of our goal!

If you can help get us to our goal, or just need more information about the fundraiser, including the cool design on either a sticker or t-shirt you get for donating, you can click here for all the details. And if you're so inclined, you can simply use PayPal to send a donation to donations@squidge.org.

Thank you for being part of our little space on the Internet!

kaberett

(Yeah I'm struggling with the ukpol news at the moment, and feeling especially bleak about this FOI response in particular. Maybe I will manage to pull together a post of useful "please write to your MP about the UC/PIP bill" tomorrow, given I've got them all open in tabs to do so anyway.)

( Read more... )

sovay

I was so transfixed by the Bittersweets' "Hurtin' Kind" (1967) that I sat in the car in front of my house listening until it was done. The 1965 original is solid, stoner-flavored garage rock with its keyboard stomp and harmonica wail, but the all-female cover has that guitar line like a Shepard tone, the ghostly descant in the vocals, the singer's voice falling off at the end of every verse: it sounds like an out-of-body experience of heartbreak. The outro comes on like a prelude to Patti Smith.

If I had a nickel for every time I heard two songs about mental unwellness within the same couple of hours, actually I'd be swimming in nickels, but I appreciated the contrast of the slow-rolling dread-flashover of Doechii's "Anxiety" (2025) with Marmozets' "Major System Error" (2017) just crashing in at gale force panic attack. Hat-tip to

rushthatspeaks for the former. I must say that I am missing my extinct music blogs much less now that I spend so much time in the car with college radio on.

"Who'll Stand with Us?" (2025) is the most Billy Bragg-like song I have heard from the Dropkick Murphys and a little horrifically timely.

Non-musically, I think I might explode. The curse tablets are not cutting it.

Current Music: Marmozets, "Major System Error"

niqaeli

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bluedreaming in

fan_flashworks

Fandom: Stoker
Rating: M/R
Length: 100 words
Content notes: references to past canonical major character death (murder), callous reflections on bodies and decomposition, no sexual content
Author notes: The title is from SCIENCE FICTION by Les Murray and ON LEAVING THE BODY TO SCIENCE by Claudia Emerson.
Summary: In which India thinks about her uncle.

( Read more... )

watersword

Face of sadness & rage: the public library here has had to cut its streaming services, likely in part because of the destruction of the IMLS, which funded a lot of that. This is a fucking travesty.

It's been too hot to bake, so I picked up a loaf of bread and am basking in the season's first tomato sandwiches. Bliss.

One thing I want to do before the end of the summer is borrow the ice cream maker and dehydrator from the Thing Library; my ice cream quest continues (Dutch Chocolate is perfectly fine but not a standout); blueberrying has not been scheduled but I have agreement that it sounds like fun from the people I want to go with. I am up to H.M.S. Surprise in the Aubreyad and enjoying myself thoroughly.

I love summer so much. I feel like a person.

maju

Yesterday afternoon and into the evening we had a succession of dramatic thunderstorms and a lot of heavy rain, but today the weather seems to have cleared up and the temperature is much lower than it has been for the last few days. It's still going to be in the 80s/20s for the next few days, but not the 90s/30s we've been having, and the nights will be a lot cooler - actually around 68°F/20°C instead of in the mid 70s/mid 20s.

When we do the family photo challenge there are usually five or six people taking part - my four sisters and I, plus a niece or two. This time, so far only three of us have been posting our photos, and I was wondering why my other two sisters weren't posting. One of them doesn't always post every day, just does catch up posts every so often, but the other one normally posts every day, and usually posts several photos on the topic so it was very unusual not to see her photos. This morning I discovered she is in hospital recovering from emergency surgery for a twisted bowel. The surgery apparently went well and she is doing okay, but from what I read on the internet this could be a very serious thing to have happen.

maju

1. What is the nicest thing someone has ever done for you? Once when my car had stalled after I drove through an unexpectedly deep puddle (on a main road) right after a torrential downpour, a passing stranger stopped, pulled out a tow rope, and towed my car a block or two up the road and off onto a side road where I could use a phone box to call for help. (This around 2000, before mobile phones were widely used, and while phone boxes were still a thing.)

2. What do you see when you look into the future? Not what I thought I was able to see a couple of years ago, for sure. Right now it's really hard for me to visualise the future.

Profile

aquinasprime

The chorus I sing with

May 2014

S	M	T	W	T	F	S
				1	2	3
4	5	6	7	8	9	10
11	12	13	14	15	16	17
18	19	20	21	22	23	24
25	26	27	28	29	30	31

Page Summary

maju - (no subject)
duckprintspress - Scholarly Pursuits: A Queer Anthology of Cozy Academia Stories COVER REVEAL!
kaberett - [ukpol] links re PIP/UC reform
nanila in awesomeers - Just One Thing (03 July 2025)
swaldman - Aachen
lomonaaeren - [From Litha to Lammas]: Having No Objections, Harry/Theo preslash, 5/6, PG-13
mecurtin - Purrcy; Pride
lassarina - What Are You Playing Wednesday
xkcd_feed - Global Ranking
cornerofmadness - Sunshine 1
mickeym - so that just happened
starwatcher in fandom_checkin - Daily Check-in
squidgestatus - Summer Sleepaway Camp Fundraising Update
kaberett - ten. good. things.
sovay - You think one plus seven seven seven makes two
niqaeli - Pacific Rim: Ganti
bluedreaming in fan_flashworks - Stoker: Fanfic: no longer human (the nothing that can’t hurt us)
watersword - (no subject)
maju - (no subject)
maju - 365 Questions 2025

Style Credit

Style: Déjeuner sur l'herbe for Funky Circles by ninetydegrees
Resources: Away

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