kengr | Reading

Today I made this soup, based on a similar recipe from Stock the Crock page 24. I wanted to write down my version so I don't forget it.

( Read more... )

Current Mood: accomplished

dialecticdreamer

Exceptional Holiday
By Dialecticdreamer/Sarah Williams
Part 1 of 1, complete
Word count (story only): 1518
[21 December 2016]

:: A young woman is expecting to have the day off work for a nontraditional holiday. There’s enough of a snag that a stranger steps in to ensure that the problem gets cleared up. Part of the Polychrome Heroics universe, and written for the December of 2025 Giftmas event. Many thanks to the prompter for the wonderful idea. ::

“You called me shouting to get in on time today, after I had asked for today off weeks ago,” Summer Longacre declared, crossing her arms next to the small lectern labeled with a crisp sign which read, “Please wait to be seated.”. The name badge pinned on Summer’s uniform shirt held a strip of beige masking tape with her first name written on it in permanent marker.

Elaine didn’t look up. “Everybody works the entire week before Christmas because the diner is closed that day.”
( Read more... )

Current Mood: artistic

ysabetwordsmith

Scientists Thought Parkinson’s Was in Our Genes. It Might Be in the Water

New ideas about chronic illness could revolutionize treatment, if we take the research seriously.

All told, more than half of Parkinson’s research dollars in the past two decades have flowed toward genetics.
But Parkinson’s rates in the US have doubled in the past 30 years. And studies suggest they will climb another 15 to 35 percent in each coming decade. This is not how an inherited genetic disease is supposed to behave.
Despite the avalanche of funding, the latest research suggests that only 10 to 15 percent of Parkinson’s cases can be fully explained by genetics. The other three-quarters are, functionally, a mystery.
[---8<---]
Parkinson’s, it appeared, could be caused by a chemical.

Current Mood: busy

conuly

Poll #33957 Chag sameach!

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 22

View Respondents

But really, how do you spell it in English?

View Answers

Hanukkah
15 (68.2%)

Chanukah
4 (18.2%)

Hanukah
1 (4.5%)

Something else
2 (9.1%)

Also, please take a poem

Edit: Also, also, two videos

ysabetwordsmith

Scientists find dark chocolate ingredient that slows aging

Scientists have uncovered a surprising link between dark chocolate and slower aging. A natural cocoa compound called theobromine was found in higher levels among people who appeared biologically younger than their real age.

Well, that's good news! :D Watch for clinical-grade chocolate with a high level of cocoa solids (dark or the higher end of milk), preferably organic and environmentally friendly. Enjoy a recipe:

Dark Chocolate Brownies with Raspberry Spread

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

Three-year-old child forced to serve as her own attorney in Tucson immigration court

The child, barely old enough to talk, was one of 25 immigrant children forced to fight removal efforts by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) at the Pima County immigration courthouse in Tucson on Nov. 24.

This article highlights numerous abuses and other problems.

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

Today is mostly sunny and quite frigid. It snowed copiously yesterday, wiping out our plans to visit a holiday market. :(

I fed the birds. I've seen a large mixed flock of sparrows and house finches plus at least one mourning dove. The windows are frosted so much that it's hard to identify them.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 12/14/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 12/14/25 -- I did more work around the patio.

EDIT 12/14/25 -- I did more work around the patio.

I've seen two male and one female cardinal. At one point, the sparrows were trying to fit 7-8 birds on an edge of the hopper feeder with room for maybe 4-5 if they weren't fighting. So it's actually beyond four-bird-cold today!

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

Current Mood: busy

conuly

"He took the Walkman out of his pocket and flipped through the songs in the cassette."

Oh, sweetie. That's... that's just not how cassette tapes work. Not even overseas. You fast forward or rewind - literally winding the tape again - and hope that your timing is amazing. I mean, with practice I guess you can get pretty good, but still.

*****************

( Read more... )

oglaf_comic_feed

https://www.oglaf.com/staff/

conuly

I don't quite relish the idea of going out in it, and god knows where our shovel went, but gosh, I love looking at the snow!

****************************

( Read more... )

$mdlbear: blue fractal bear with text "since 2002" (Default)$

mdlbear

Not a great week. Started out well, with cat cuddles and walks Sunday and Monday mornings. Then came my GP appointment.

CW: medical, whingeing.

Since April or therabouts, my "GP" is a clinic with a handful of doctors and a bunch of assistants. It took me a while (months) to finally figure this out. Anyway, Carmen -- the assistant I saw on Monday -- couldn't find my lab results from 20 November. Fortunately I'd asked for a printout at my previous appointment, so I scanned that and sent it by email. I got my BP meds changed somewhat. Then labs on Wednesday.

Of course, I was supposed to be fasting, so that was a bust. And I picked up my re-filled prescriptions (the pharmacy is across the street), but there was one missing. So I went in again for labs on Thursday, and they couldn't find a vein. WTF? They advised me to try at the hospital. Labs at HagaZiekenhuis require an appointment, but fortunately I already had an appointment, following up on my anemia. So that was Friday. Skipped breakfast, went in, handed them both lab forms, one stick and done. And their website works, so I got to see the results ahead of the appointment next week.

Oh yeah, I also had a psych appointment Thursday afternoon, to discuss antidepressants, which actually went well. I really don't have any idea how to make use of therapy, but I like talking about myself, my problems, and my family. Follow-up in two weeks.

Then yesterday I tried attending Festival of the Living Rooms, the quarterly online filk con that started almost by accident during Covid. But instead of using the Zoom app, which just works, they insisted on going through the web app embedded on their shiny new website. Calling it beta quality is being generous. FotLR may have jumped the shark this time.

Naturally I didn't get much done otherwise, although I did go back and look at the scratch tracks I'd recorded for my next album, Amethyst Rose. Um... They were recorded between 2004 and 2010! WTF? I'll have to see whether anything can be rescued from that debacle.

Enough griping. Links! How about Grooming a Giant Rescue Maine Coon Cat? And Monday's APOD, Flying Over the Earth at Night, a time-lapse from the ISS. Particularly noteworthy for the footage of the Aurora Australis starting at 1:20

If you have lots of free time, take a look at WikiFlix. CONTENT WARNING: very deep rabbit hole full of old movies.

And finally, because of the season and because it's incredibly cool, here's The Ukrainian Origin of “Carol of the Bells” | The Story of Shchedryk (Щедрик). Turns out the tune was taken from an old New Year's Day chant, from back when New Years Day was celebrated on Beltane. Better, here's the Original Ukrainian Version, sung first in a pretty littleral English translation (with Ukranian subtitles!), then in Ukranian. And best of all, here's a Remix by the B&B project for bandura and button accordion.

( Notes & links, as usual )

Current Mood: still grumpy
Current Location: Schildhaven in Den Haag
Current Music: see post

daily_illuminator_feed

http://www.sjgames.com/ill/a/2025-12-14

Our friend Tom Vasel and the team at The Dice Tower were the very first to play Munchkin Second Edition online! They streamed a rousing live-play on their YouTube channel as part of their week-long Winter Spectacular.

This new edition, coming to BackerKit in January, includes everything you've loved about the classic buddy-stabbing, monster-slaying game over the past 25 years, plus a new feature – Gold Pieces – new set-up rules, faster gameplay, reference cards, updated art – all by John Kovalic – and more.

If you've been curious to see everything inside the box, now's your chance to check out the full playthrough.

Thank you to Tom and everyone at The Dice Tower!

– Michelle Richardson

Warehouse 23 News: The City Never Sleeps Because Of All The Action

There are a million stories in the city, and they're all exciting! GURPS Action 9: The City shows how you can add GURPS City Stats to your GURPS Action campaigns. It also features six sample cities to use with your own action-packed adventures. Download it today from Warehouse 23!

http://www.sjgames.com/ill/a/2025-12-14

apod_feed

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap251213.html

On December 5, 2022,

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap251213.html

dumbingofage_feed

Posted by David M Willis

https://www.dumbingofage.com/2025/comic/book-16/02-im-the-problem-its-me/brokenup/

https://www.dumbingofage.com/?p=20006

https://www.dumbingofage.com/2025/comic/book-16/02-im-the-problem-its-me/brokenup/

https://www.dumbingofage.com/?p=20006

ysabetwordsmith

One Critical Factor Predicts Longevity Better Than Diet or Exercise, Study Says

They then factored in other variables that can affect life expectancy, including physical inactivity, employment status, and educational level. The association between insufficient sleep and lower life expectancy still held. Only smoking had a stronger link.

Good, adequate sleep is a survival need. Modern society often sabotages it.

However, this study suggests that banking sleep on weekends can mitigate the effects of lost sleep during the week. I used to do that in school, and people said it didn't work, but it certainly helped my energy level. It may be a trick that some but not all bodies can do.

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

Today's plan to visit a holiday market got wiped out by copious snow. Again. :( So I'm drowning our sorrows in a batch of Dark Chocolate Brownies with Raspberry Spread.

Current Mood: busy

dialecticdreamer

Skiing Lesson
By Dialecticdreamer/Sarah Williams
Part 1 of 1, complete
Word count (story only): 1375

:: Farrah is visiting friends in Colorado when they interrupt their original plans to give her a birthday surprise. General fiction, written for the December of 2025 prompt call, from a suggestion made by

callibr8. My deepest thanks to her! ::

Farrah walked as quickly as her snow pants allowed, and reached the front desk at the hotel before the clerk could page her a third time. “Call for Miss Anders? I’m here,” Farrah declared, crossing her arms. “You do realize that it’s before eight in the morning?”

“Yes, Miss Anders.” The clerk shrugged almost imperceptibly. “We tried calling your room, and when there was no answer, switched to making a general announcement. You had a call, but they asked that you be told to be ready to depart at a quarter of nine. I’m doing my best to make sure that you’re ready.”
( Read more... )

Current Mood: artistic

conuly

Watch on YouTube

conuly

The goal is to herd all the "What do you call this?" posts into the comments there. It never ever works. However, they do occasionally get comments like "Here are the answers to the questions you asked rhetorically as an example" and "Why do you keep posting this and asking the same questions" and "There is no such thing as a pork burger".

Yes, Virginia, there is a pork burger. This is why I have a picture of pork burger patties on my phone, so I can post it every time somebody says that those don't exist, or that they "really" mean a breakfast sandwich or a pulled pork sandwich or a ham sandwich or a BLT.

I always want to ask these people who, I guess, don't get out much why they're so sure that anything they haven't personally heard of before must not exist. It's a big old world, but apparently, not so much for them.

(I suppose I can be forgiven for being a bit snippy this time around, I mean, given everything.)

***********************

( Read more... )

ysabetwordsmith

Human brains light up for chimp voices in a way no one expected

Humans may carry ancient neural traces that let us recognize the voices of our primate cousins.

Humans don’t just recognize each other’s voices—our brains also light up for the calls of chimpanzees, hinting at ancient communication roots shared with our closest primate relatives. Researchers found a specialized region in the auditory cortex that reacts distinctly to chimp vocalizations, but not to those of bonobos or macaques, revealing an unexpected mix of evolutionary and acoustic influences.