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Entry tags:

householdery

Shelf status

Three shelves (10' length, more or less) have been assembled, put up on the north wall, and filled to great effect. This emptied 1 entire Billy (with slight double stacking). We therefore need bookends.

The empty Billy is now in the living room, with the top few shelves embookinated and various plastic craft-adjacent boxes on the lower shelves. This is making a significant dent in the chaos by my desk.

The shorter bookshelf is currently at the end of the hall, for lack of a better place to put it. I expect that if it stays there long, I will start racking up another set of incredible bruises, and I still don't know where the one on my right arm CAME from. (I remember that I walked into some corner on my sleepy and unstable way to bed and then went "well, THAT'll leave a mark!" but do I remember what that something WAS? No more than I remembered what things I'd rammed into when I was taking Drama in high school, and my legs were forever dotted with black and blue marks.)

Today after work, Belovedest has put up all the standards (upright rails) on the south wall, embracketed them with however many brackets we currently have, and has started to assemble board pieces into full length shelves.

Coincidentally, today I also got a notification from the hardware store that they are shipping the backordered brackets.

There is one free-loving* free-standing bookshelf remaining in the room, where it is cheerfully getting in the way. I suggested a different method of assembly which neither requires turning the boards lengthwise nor doing the assembly behind the Billy, which suggestion was well-received.

Eventually there will be enough Shelf in the media room that some of the things taking up floor space will be able to go on them.

Today I roused in the morning long enough to feel bleugh, then woke up in the afternoon feeling competent to Lounge. Still craving bacon at intervals.

* My high school freshman Biology class had a crucial typo in a sentence about free-living organisms. We reacted about how you'd expect.

Entry tags:

Hilda the Plus-size Pinup; Norman Rockwell: Fixing a Flat, by moon_custafer.

Fandom: Hilda the Plus-size Pinup; Fixing a Flat (Norman Rockwell illustration)
Pairings/Characters: Gen; Hilda; three Norman Rockwell characters, two female and one male.
Rating: General Audiences
Length: 2,356
Content Notes: No Archive Warnings Apply, women solving their own problems
Creator Tags: magazine illustrations, Norman Rockwell - Freeform, Fluff, Plot
Creator Links: (AO3)

moon_custafer; (DeviantArt)

mooncustafer; (Dreamwidth)

moon_custafer; (Instagram)

mooncustafer; (LiveJournal)

moon_custafer; (Tumblr)

mooncustafer
Theme: Female Relationships, Crossovers/Fusions, Female Friendship, Gen, Old Fandoms, Small Fandoms, Stranded

Summary: Hilda’s fishing trip is struck by rain and then by two new acquaintances in need of assistance.

Author’s Notes: For moonlight69.

I needed to introduce a few additional characters to Hilda’s mainly single-panel world, so I did a mash-up with Norman Rockwell’s “Fixing a Flat.” Think of it as the Illustrationverse.

Reccer's Notes: A rec posted in honor of the U.S. Full Strawberry Moon, for reasons that will be apparent in the fic.

Moon Custafer constructs a story from several Hilda panels (plus a special guest Norman Rockwell work), in which Duane Byers’ zaftig hillbilly wood nymph comes to the aid of two travelers stranded in the boondocks—a predicament complicated by a less friendly local. (A temporary problem-solving alliance (particularly against a common enemy) can count as a relationship, right?)

Hilda as portrayed in Byers’ artworks seems to embrace solitude, and the scant fanfic I’ve seen doesn’t tend to show her interacting face-to-face with much of anyone but her animal friends and the odd Authorial Proxy; it’s fun to watch her socializing, and to see her given family, friends, enemies, and a history. (As well as actual clothing that she presumably wears now and then to pick up her crackers, trashy novels, and repurposable-as-clothing floursacks.)

Fanwork Links: Fixing a Flat by

moon_custafer for

moonlight69, for Yuletide 2018.

Current Mood: worried

signal boost

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The week. It starts.

In no order:
After taking several days to just chill out and get the hospital out of my cognition (if I was that messed up after 17 days what about folks who stay much longer?) today was the first day back at work. My colleague who was tending toward insufferable jerk seems to have taken a giant step in that direction. But he is managing our voicemail and email so I am glad to not have to think about either right now, especially as phone system migrated while I was out AND we are not answering most calls live because apparently I missed the series of threatening and/or harassing calls we were getting. IJ twigged to the pattern and alerted all the people, which is great but let's not get started on just how many people get really pissy when they can't reach a human. Or don't bother to leave a message. So it was fine for a first day back and I am just trying to work my way through my inbox and send out thank you notes. I want to work on an email to lapsed donors, too.

Talked to Dr. Surgeon today. He concurs that we pull the June date, and sim for the July date. Then we separate future procedures by at LEAST 8 weeks so my hemoglobin has a fighting chance. Nothing like learning just how many types of anemia there are - and how adding iron in when one does not have an iron-based anemia is not nearly as helpful as one might want. We put an IV BACK in my next to last day there because Dr. Hematology's Cover wanted to do two more mini infusions. But HG was only 9.8 after them. Sigh. It's going to be a long crawl back.

Talking to work tomorrow about extended schedule. Not sure if there will have to be FMLA and short-term disability or what. It is looking like I will be living here for around a year(!!!). Thank goodness I have someone carrying for the plants. Today, via Zoom, we took a sprout off my dying dieffenbachia and repotted it. I hope it thrives.

Dr. Hematology's office called today. Set for an appointment two weeks post-discharge. No clue if my email helped, but fingers crossed we can get labs drawn, and then do them every week or two. Dr. Surgeon is fine with every two. I would rather spot trends early.

Met on the phone with Broker reps and the TPA person who has been badly handling my claims. And yet they are somehow the person for processing my outstanding 23-24claims?! The claims that I had been led to believe were getting paid any day now? Except she didn't have any of the claim info that I sent to Broker in like February. Trying to decide if getting a lawyer and/or the union involved is worth it. We will not think about the dollar amounts that I am owed.

Appetite still sucks. And GI system HATED where we went to dinner Saturday. Had wanted to shock my colleagues at Pride yesterday (because most don't know I am here) but I did not want to be that far away from home.

I suppose I should get some sleep.

Current Mood: pensive

a hard anniversary

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Current Mood: cheerful

Venom, the movie

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Entry tags:

embodiment

vital signs or something like that

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Suction

https://www.oglaf.com/suction/

Entry tags:

householdery

The Shelves

I got the standards and brackets for that shelf system, and we are currently at Home Depot, after buying what I sincerely hope is the right configuration of board feet for eight shelves. It's secured to the roof and we're using surface streets.

It's too close to bedtime to start on repair plating the 8 foot boards to the 2 foot boards, probably.

Entry tags:

Tanks, armored vehicles, howitzers delivered to DC [curr ev, US]

2025 Jun 7 11:40 am:

benjalvarez1 on Twitter:

WATCH THIS: https://x.com/BenjAlvarez1/status/1931375699786334704

Click through to see the video. You really, really should. Sound is irrelevant.

Text: "Tanks, fighting vehicles and howitzers arrive in Washington, D.C. ahead of next week's military parade. They departed from Texas on June 2." Two minutes and forty seconds.

Allegedly that train is a mile long and is transporting:

• 28 Abrams tanks (M1A2 main battle tank)
• 3 armored recovery vehicles (M88)
• 28 Bradleys (M2A3 infantry fighting vehicle)
• 5 Paladins (M109A7 self-propelled howitzer), and
• 28 Strykers (infantry carrier vehicle)

Source: 2025 Jun 6: @USAMilitaryChannel on YT [not official military channel]: "1-Mile Military Train -Texas to D.C. with Tanks, Armor, and More for Army's 250th Parade". I do not know if that source is reputable or if that inventory is accurate.

USA Today is reporting that "The military vehicles will be joined by 1,800 soldiers". (Source: 2025 Jun 6, USATODAY on YT: "Watch: Tanks, fighting vehicles head to DC for Trump's military parade", CW: face full of Trump, alt: screenshot).

I dunno, maybe it's just me, but I'm thinking that maybe the guy who attempted one coup already bringing a well-armed military force into our capitol city and, crucially, within artillery-range of the Pentagon, is just throwing himself a birthday party, but also maybe not.

ETA: For those of you confused by this, thinking, but doesn't he already control the military? You might want to watch this video about the rise of Xi Jinping.

Now, obviously, Trump would never play a long game like Xi did. But, 1) there are other ways to achieve the same end and 2) he doesn't have to, because his buddies, the Dominionists, did.

Entry tags:

Trails of Cold Steel: Moon Door IV: Beyond

Fandom: Trails of Cold Steel
Pairings/Characters:
Laura S. Arseid/Duvalie, Ines/Ennea, Victor S. Arseid/McBurn
appearances by other assorted Cold Steel characters and hints of other ships Rating: M
Length: 22442 words
Creator Links: Rosie_Rues
Theme:
Grief/Mourning, Dreamsharing, Recovery, Enemies to Lovers, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, changing roles in life, loss of limb
Summary: With the Great Twilight over, Duvalie follows Laura home to Legram. She's not entirely sure why she's here, or when she's going to leave, but she can't bring herself to regret her choice.

Meanwhile, Victor's dreaming of the only man in the universe still willing to offer him a challenge...

Reccer's Notes: While I have read this fic several times, the most recent was some time ago, I always remember it as being roughly half of one ship and half of another- I note this here because one of those ships is M/M. In my rereading, I see the balance is more 2/3 to 1/3, with the bulk of it being the theme-compliant Laura/Duvalie, who begins as something of a lost and reluctant guest in Laura's home in the wake of the loss of the woman who saved her. The emotional metamorphosis of Duvalie's canonical hostility towards Laura- already very much blunted as the story opens, turn to friendship and later towards attraction is an absolute treasure. There are many smaller moments of many relationships of varying sorts between her and otter female characters throughout the story, some of which absolutely beg for stories of their own.

The M/M ships is Victor/McBurn, and they are a prominent part of the story- really a story occurring in parallel, but separately- until it suddenly isn't. While I don't want to dwell on them in this post as they are not germane to the theme, it bears mentioning that they are there in case they would turn anyone off from reading. But I will say that their development is quite astounding, a sword master who has lost an arm, a god who has lost his world and any connection to it and what they become to each other.

This fic deals with grief in many forms, over many different kinds of loss, from loss of friends, comrades in arms, loss of a limb, loss of connection to oneself and an entire world. It's all very sensitively written, and even the absolutely fantastical loss of a god from another dimension with his entire world somehow becomes much less fantastical than one might expect.

There are also themes of many different changes in life that come with time passing and with dealing with these griefs. Oh, and the very cracky-sounding, but utterly sincerely dealt with coping with the shock of learning that your father is banging the demon god from another dimension. (that needs to be a tag, ok)

This is just one of my favorite ever fics, by one of my favorite authors.
Fanwork Links: https://archiveofourown.org/works/45897169

(no subject)

Over the course of about six hours this week, the weather went from "pleasant warm early-summer" to "holy bananas, it is hot and sticky high summer" and I was not emotionally prepared for it. But I am promised thunderstorms today, and I got cucumbers at the farmer's market, and will finish swapping out the cozy linens for the crisp ones, and all of that will help.

Entry tags:

money,
work

a brief buy joyous update

Welp, I've started a new job! It has happened!

( boring financial things )

*

I've only had 1 day of work at the new place, due to holidays and the fact that I was sick for the past 10 days (boo!!!) and asked to postpone my start date by a few days.

But it definitely feels like a level of fancy tech that I've never personally experienced before, with an actual HR department that made sure I'd have all my equipment ready for me on the first day, and a little welcome sign, and some company merch.

There are things I definitely haven't figured out yet, like how to best get to the office to deal with my disability/health issues, especially considering the fact that the laptop I got is much heavier than anticipated (my previous company replaced some of the laptops shortly after I joined and I managed to get in on the deal and get a really great, light computer).

The office itself is really nice, even though the building is sadly in the middle of a construction zone. My previous work was in an extremely central downtown area where you were close to a bunch of greenery and shops and restaurants. This place is tragically kind of isolated in a sea of dust and hazard signs.

I haven't figured out the dynamics of my team/department/org so much yet, but everyone I've met has been nice, and my boss seems to be a pretty great guy, according to reports. He's also been nothing but kind and respectful towards me.

So, overall first day was pretty overwhelming but nice. Tomorrow will be my first day of work-from-home, and I plan to spend most of it reading a ton of documents. And then Tuesday we're having some kind of all-day workshop for the entire team that means I'll need to get super early to the office, even though the workshop will be virtual. But you know, if it wasn't literally my first week I might find a more sensible way to do it, but since I'm extremely new and this seems to be the expectation, I'll be there with bells on lol.

Entry tags:

Taskmaster: Team of Sue by thingswithwings

Fandom: Taskmaster (series 16)
Characters/Pairings: Sue Perkins/Susan Wokoma
Rating: Gen
Length: 00:02:06
Content Notes: no archive warnings apply, and there are no video-specific warnings.
Creator Links: thingswithwings on AO3
Themes: Female relationships, Friendship, Team, Humor

Summary: If you're lost, you can look, and you will find me.

Reccer's Notes: This is gorgeous and hilarious as the Sues stumble about carrying out the endless ridiculous tasks, laughing, triumphant, and always there for each other.

Fanwork Links: Team of Sue

Entry tags:

fandom: kaos

Hera by uncertified-disaster (SFW)

Fandom: Kaos
Characters/Pairing/Other Subject: Hera
Content Notes/Warnings: none
Medium: digital art
Artist on DW/LJ: n/a
Artist Website/Gallery: uncertified-disaster on tumblr
Why this piece is awesome: The TV show KAOS was cancelled by Netflix after only one season, but it gathered a lot of fans in that time, and some great art. This is Janet McTeer as Hera, Zeus's wife. I love the green-gold glow, the pattern details, and her expression.
Link: Hera

QOTN

"You survived a world that told the wrong story about you. That’s not nothing."

Oof.

Home

Discharged yesterday evening. Have spent most of today asleep because I could. Reached out to both Dr. ID's office and Dr. Hematology's office. The former to check if he wanted to see me in office (receptionist asked a great question, "Are you on IV antibiotics, to which I got to say no; oral [which is its own hot mess; I am not going there]. So she is supposed to call me back.

Dr. Hematology's office seemed ready to shunt me into new patient needs full workup routing so I am writing him tomorrow to have him try to get me rerouted so I can get labs done Wednesday. I am fine with weekly but they have to get drawn! Will miss June surgery date but would prefer not to miss July (which is why weekly labs are crucial; he was like every other week is fine. Um no.

Okay time for more sleeping.