The dogs woke me up at 8:30 AM. Fed us all. I need to take cold meds and morning meds and take a nap. My legs are cramping up. I need to wait for my meds to kick in.

Got my grocery order. Had lunch. I’m going to take another nap. Slept for four hours. I’m IBSing. Stomach cramps. Finally stable after three hasty trips to the bathroom. Ordered some new winter pajamas because mine are falling apart.

I found some nice dining chairs from Costway, but I’m not familiar with their company. They get decent reviews.

I need to get to bed early because the fence people will be here early. I’d like to be dressed before they get here. I need to take the dogs out (done) and take my meds first.

chestnut_pod posting in

poetry

The Old Usher
Oliver Reynolds
2010, from Hodge

--

for Farès Moussa

I have
shouted Lights! in the foyer as the show begins

I have
opened and closed a million doors
Push and Pull stamping my palms

I have
woken with Good Evening on my lips

I have
ROH in moles over my left nipple

I have
Tchaikovsky as a heart-beat

I have
told ten thousand bladders
It’s down the slope and on the right

I have
stood at the bottom of Floral Hall stairs
with Peter Bramley at the top
tapping the metal hand-rail with his ring
to annoy me

I have
bent my head to complaints about the row in front
the big hair-do, the change-jingler, those who snore or smell

I have
turned a blind eye, a deaf ear, and a stopped nostril

I have
opened and closed a million doors
Push and Pull stamping my palms

I have
waited in the wings to present flowers
cygnets wafting past me in a crush of tutus
each back tight with the cordage of muscle

I have
sold ices with Susie Boyle

I have
passed the black-and-white monitor at Stage Door
and felt proud to see Haitink in the pit
a bottled homunculus preserved in music

I have
opened my locker on a vista of dirty shirts

I have
killed a moth for Monica Mason
It wants to settle on me!
she who once danced her death in the Rite
now frightened of millimetres of flutter

I have
Tchaikovsky as a heart-beat

I have
bassoons and strings planned for my last-act death
the weightless pas-de-chat
lifting me out of this ninth life
into the proscenium’s eternal gold

I have
perfected my farewell
a final turning-out of the pockets
as I rise and vanish into air
swirling with the confetti of ticket-stubs

I have
shouted Lights! as the show begins

I have

yourlibrarian posting in

tv_talk

Dancing with the Stars which had its 20 year anniversary this month, has been on so long it had its own In Memoriam segment. (Charo and Wayne Newton though, in the audience, still with us). It was a great show, starting with an excellent opening number. Funnily enough, I turned to my partner and commented on how well choreographed it was, only to find out a minute later that it had been done by Derek Hough.

"He should choreograph everything," he said. There were a number of excellent dances, as well as a good effort by Andy Richter.

The best moment though, was at the start when we not only saw the original pros start the show (I can't believe there were no interviews or moments with them about their memories – guess that was all saved for the podcast) but Tom Bergeron was back. I am quite happy with Alfonso and Julieanne as co-hosts but I miss Tom.

And speaking of hosts, Project Runway has had a more checkered history for several reasons. ( Read more... )

conuly

Watch on YouTube

oursin

This week's bread: the Collister/Blake My Favourite Loaf, strong white/wholemeal/wholemeal spelt, splosh of pumpkin seed oil, nice.

Friday night supper: ven pongal (South Indian khichchari). cashew perhaps a bit burnt, still pretty good.

Saturday breakfast rolls: basic buttermilk, 3:1 strong white/mix of coarse and fine cornmeal, turned out v well.

Today's lunch: salmon fillets baked in foil with slices of lime, butter, dill and salt and pepper, served with La Ratte potatoes roasted in goose fat, Boston beans roasted in walnut oil with fennel seeds and splashed with gooseberry vinegar, and steamed asparagus with melted butter.

runpunkrun posting in

gluten_free

Pascha makes some of my favorite chocolate. It's delicious and it's free of all major food allergens. This year they've put out the Little Black Book of Cookies, a PDF with recipes for ten holiday cookies, all of which are gluten free, nut free, and vegan.

They also have a recipe blog with chocolate desserts broken out by diet: gluten free, dairy free, sugar free, nut free, grain free, keto, paleo, vegan.

thanekos posting in

scans_daily

This year's annual'd shown her mind a bit, gone into her serving the Zanni and his need to make the world a circus.

She's been the head of Spheric Solutions, the super-weapons company militarizing Blüdhaven's police - legitimacy that's not looking so much to police commissioner Maggie Sawyer.

Sawyer and Nightwing knew her tie to recent disappearances of children. Nightwing went after Pearce for that - and for what a scheme of her brain'd done to Bryce Moran in issue #131.

( She met him. )

Current Music: 夜にぶつかる / bump in the night - CityOfFeelings

elisi

Happy Birthday Doctor Who! (And Clara Oswald.)

I wasn't sure what to post, so you get a random collection of... stuff. (Ie things I have downloaded from Tumblr 💙) Just a couple outside the cut. ^_^

( Read more... )

Current Mood: silly

kalloway posting in

readingtogether

We're squarely into late November now. What have you been reading?

tcampbell1000 posting in

scans_daily

(Running this early because I might have some laptop issues imminent.)

The 80-page Invasion #3 has such a misleading cover that I wonder if it reflected an earlier, discarded version of the plot. AAR, the actual plot (by Keith Giffen) has enough impact on the Justice League that it deserves its own section here. Finished art (over Giffen layouts) by Bart Sears, who had a long future with this League ahead of him. Script by Bill Mantlo, whose work on the series was his only DC Comics job ever.

The war is over, but like Hiroo Onoda, the last Japanese holdout of World War II, one Dominator geneticist refuses to give up the fight.

( Not that one should encourage too many comparisons between the Japanese and the yellow-skinned Dominators, who attach great importance to a red circle, are known as planners, have a pluralistic society, attacked the Southeast Indies…uh, but they also have castes and forehead dots, like Indians…Fu Manchu fingernails…you know, I’m starting to regret that I brought this up… )

oursin

Happy birthday,

carenejeans!

elisi

Petition from Avaaz for people in the UK.

The Home Secretary proposed shocking asylum reforms that could seize the possessions and jewellery of people seeking safety, cut off their support and tear apart families who have built their lives here. Sign and share this urgent letter to stop the UK to punish innocent families fleeing war.

Click here to sign.

Current Mood: angry

smartbitches_feed

Posted by Amanda

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2025/11/get-recd-with-amanda-volume-103/

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?p=163101

Hey, everyone!

Can we all be shocked that there’s no non-fiction in this post? I’m definitely a little proud of myself. We have a middle grade graphic novel, a f/f novella, a cozy fantasy, and an Austen inspired anthology.

Have you received any great recommendations lately? Share them in the comments!

Bea Wolf

This was recommended in the SBTB Podcast Patreon Discord by Clay, and I desperately wanted to share it. Clay mention that this middle grade graphic novel is cute and funny, and that she’s given it successfully as a gift several times.

A modern middle-grade graphic novel retelling of Beowulf, featuring a gang of troublemaking kids who must defend their tree house from a fun-hating adult who can instantly turn children into grown-ups.

Listen! Hear a tale of mallow-munchers and warriors who answer candy’s clarion call!

Somewhere in a generic suburb stands Treeheart, a kid-forged sanctuary where generations of tireless tykes have spent their youths making merry, spilling soda, and staving off the shadow of adulthood. One day, these brave warriors find their fun cut short by their nefarious neighbor Grindle, who can no longer tolerate the sounds of mirth seeping into his joyless adult life.

As the guardian of gloom lays siege to Treeheart, scores of kids suddenly find themselves transformed into pimply teenagers and sullen adults! The survivors of the onslaught cry out for a savior—a warrior whose will is unbreakable and whose appetite for mischief is unbounded.

They call for Bea Wolf.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

The Guy Sure Looks Like Plant Food To Me

Obsessed! A f/f novella inspired by one of my favorite musicals.

From the best-selling author of Heartless Heathens, TGSLLPFTM is a killer rom-com, feel-good, magical short story about fated love blooming in the most unexpected of places.

I’VE GIVEN HER SUNSHINE

I’ve given her dirt

She’s given me much more

Than I ever deserved.

I’m begging her sweetly

I’m down on my knees

Oh, please,

KILL FOR ME

TGSLLPFTM Is a novella inspired by Roger Corman’s The Little Shop of Horrors

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

Ladies in Waiting

This really slid under the radar! It’s a short story collection featuring Austen’s side characters from well-known authors, especially in romance.

Celebrate Jane Austen’s classic novels with this short story anthology starring forgotten characters as they experience their own happy endings.

In honor of her 250th birthday, eight authors have come together with wildly imaginative reboots of the lives of several of Jane Austen’s minor characters. Written with plenty of love and wit, these clever stories star everyone from Pride and Prejudice’s snobbish Caroline Bingley to the modern descendant of Sense and Sensibility’s Eliza Williams and much more. Blurring genres and taking us across the oceans, Ladies in Waiting is a heartfelt celebration of Jane Austen and her timeless masterpieces.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

Recipes for an Unexpected Afterlife

Cozy fantasy had a moment of retiree plots, where an adventurer would hang up their gear to settle down somewhere (often with plans to open up a small business). If you’ve been searching for me, try this one.

An undead orc knight leaves battle behind for a new kind of afterlife—one with good food, good friends, and maybe even fatherhood.

Rottgor is worn out. Literally. Barely held together by dark magic, he has protected the Necropolis for centuries. When he’s forced into retirement, he’s faced with a new challenge: to forge a future guided not by obligation, but by passion.

Following his heart (and stomach), he decides to open a restaurant where the city’s undead and living residents can share food and community. He’s helped in his quest by an unlikely assortment of neighbors, including elves, skeletons, vampires—and a young orphan girl named Astra, whose ancestry, if discovered, could put her and the entire Necropolis in danger. To protect Astra and the life he’s building, Rottgor must face his past and form new alliances built on friendship, loyalty, and love. As comforting as warm pumpkin bread, this gentle fantasy traces how even a dark history can rise into a bright future.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2025/11/get-recd-with-amanda-volume-103/

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?p=163101

conuly

Everybody knows a hot dog is not a sandwich... it's a taco.

(Taken from the comments here.)

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

( Read more... )

selenak

In which Carol gets pro active, and because this is a Gilligan show, this promptly comes with a moral dilemma.

( Spoilers reveal the truth about a couple of things )

Current Mood: contemplative
Current Location: Munich

kazzy_cee

On Thursday, we went to the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich to see their Pirates exhibition.

The exhibition covered the myths, legends and reality of pirates from the 'golden age' of piracy in the late 17th and early 18th century, right up to piracy in the present day. It looked at the images and the modern interpretations of pirates as well as how they have been portrayed on stage, screen, in novels and have even influenced fashion.

It was a large exhibition, and I took a LOT of photos, but I've tried to pare it down to the most interesting things that caught my eye under the cut (FYI - it was all very interesting!).

( Read more... )
We learned a lot of pirate language on our way through the exhibition
Maroon - abandon a victim on a deserted island
The black spot - A piece of paper with a black mark used as a death threat
Jolly Roger - a pirate flag
Fire in the hole - a warning that a shot is going to be fired
Barking Iron - a large pistol
Give no quarter - show no mercy in a fight
A spyglass - a telescope
Sail ho! - a ship has been spotted
Prize - a captured ship
Freebooter - Dutch word for a pirate
Filibuster - Spanish word for a pirate
Corsair - French word for a pirate, especially one from North Africa

There is a lot of extra information on the website for the exhibition, including the pirate myths here.

It was a really in-depth exhibition and we learned a lot. Well worth a visit - it's on until 4th January next year.

smartbitches_feed

Posted by Amanda

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2025/11/sunday-sale-digest-58/

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?p=163065

This piece of literary mayhem is exclusive to Smart Bitches After Dark, but fret not. If you'd like to join, we'd love to have you!

Have a look at our membership options, and come join the fun!

If you want to have a little extra fun, be a little more yourself, and be part of keeping the site open for everyone in the future, we can’t wait to see you in our new subscription-based section with exclusive content and events.

Everything you’re used to seeing at the Hot Pink Palace that is Smart Bitches Trashy Books will remain free as always, because we remain committed to fostering community among brilliant readers who love romance.

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2025/11/sunday-sale-digest-58/

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?p=163065

days_unfolding

Hmm. Next week is just rain, so they could lay my driveway. The following week, there is some rain but a wintry mix on Wednesday. I don't have a great feeling about this.

Woke up at 8:30 AM. Fed us all. Napped. Slept until 3:30 PM. I hope that helps my cold.

I think that this is going to be rest day.

My singing teacher sent me a message that she could make up my lesson on Tuesday or Wednesday. Tuesday would work for me, but will my cold be better? I’m not coughing as much today.

It’s getting dark already (4:30 PM). Ugh.

Had lunch. Gracie is trolling for food.

I think that I’m going to take some cold meds and go back to sleep. Hmm, I should feed the critters first. No, I’m going to nap first. It’s still a little early. Slept until almost 10 PM. Fed us all.

Sometime this weekend, I need to dig out my gym clothes so that I can start strengthening my knee. I also need to get the security cameras together so that they can be installed.

I wonder if I should get the cats a cat wheel for Christmas? They would get more exercise.

Gracie spit out her pill twice in a hot dog. I tried putting it in a glob of cream cheese, and that worked.

Took Emergen-C, NyQuil, and my nighttime meds. Ordered cold medicine and food for delivery from Walmart. Now it's bedtime again.

conuly

Just picture it: Tres leches... confetti cake.

(It turns out I'm not the only person with this idea, which just shows how brilliant it is!)

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

( Read more... )

conuly

The last line should strike like a lover’s complaint.
You should never see it coming.
And you should never hear the end of it.

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

Link

Profile

shadowkat

Page Summary

Style Credit

Style: Sea and Salt for Nouveau Oleanders by branchandroot
Resources: OpenClipart and Oceanside Twilight

Expand Cut Tags

No cut tags

Page generated Nov. 24th, 2025 03:40 am

Friendly Murmurs

Reading

Another Rest Day

"The Old Usher," by Oliver Reynolds

A Tale of Two Competition Shows

(no subject)

Culinary

Resource: Little Black Book of Cookies, from Pascha

Nightwing #132 features Olivia Pearce's face.

🥳

November Group Read Check-In 3

Max, Out: INVASION #3 (JLI 28)

(no subject)

:(

Get Rec’d with Amanda – Volume 103

Bea Wolf

You can find ordering info for this book here.

The Guy Sure Looks Like Plant Food To Me

You can find ordering info for this book here.

Ladies in Waiting

You can find ordering info for this book here.

Recipes for an Unexpected Afterlife

You can find ordering info for this book here.

Well, this is a new solution to the sandwich conundrum...

Pluribus 1.04

'Tis a trip about pirates, me hearties!

Sunday Sale Digest!

Rest Day

I had the most amazing idea the other night

On Last Lines by Suzanne Buffam

Profile

Page Summary

Style Credit

Expand Cut Tags