I'm in the UK, so I will talk about the weather...
Feb. 8th, 2026 09:15 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
elisiA relevant quote:
Along about November I began to forget when it hadn't been raining and became as one with all the characters in all of the novels about rainy seasons, who rush around banging their heads against the walls, drinking water glasses of straight whisky and moaning, "The rain! The rain! My God, the rain!"
Betty MacDonald: The Egg and I
Promo
Feb. 8th, 2026 06:01 pmtinny posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
icontalkingNot all polls are up yet, but you can already start voting for the ones that are:
BEST OF 2025 - Voting has started!
BEST OF 2025 - Voting has started!
(no subject)
Feb. 7th, 2026 08:27 pmangrbodaMy estimate of snow depth turns out to have been a little exaggerated. About 16-17 cm in this part of the garden. Elsewhere in the garden I measured 23, but apparently failed to get a photo of that. The other two photos are from a few days ago, documenting a couple of garden visitors.
Also, the projected -20 next sunday was downgraded first to a still severe but less unusual -13, and then to a much more reasonable -5. They are however saying there's a risk of second load of snow next week. Lovely... Hopefully that's going to get downgraded as well.
(Husband, who can work from home, finds shovelling a good trade-off for the excitement of a lot of snow, and is keeping a running Snow Watch commentary...)
Also, the projected -20 next sunday was downgraded first to a still severe but less unusual -13, and then to a much more reasonable -5. They are however saying there's a risk of second load of snow next week. Lovely... Hopefully that's going to get downgraded as well.
(Husband, who can work from home, finds shovelling a good trade-off for the excitement of a lot of snow, and is keeping a running Snow Watch commentary...)
January in Games
Feb. 7th, 2026 03:55 pm![[syndicated profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/feed.png){kind=small}
orangerfulcom_feedJanuary went by in a blur for me! With the new year starting on a Thursday and then we had a big snow/ice storm in Maryland that shut down the the state for pretty much the whole last week of the month, it really felt like it was just here and then gone!
But I did get some games in! Let’s see what the BGStats reveal for this month:
Highlights:
I received ‘Next Station: London’ as a gift in December so I used BGA to refresh how to play before taking it with me to work to teach my friend. Did I immediately mess up the rule about the red cards being the round timer? Yes. Why am I so bad at remembering even basic rules? Perhaps it is the problem with learning via BGA instead of a real person.
‘Pergola’ was one I had wanted to play and a friend offered to teach me. I’m a little obsessed with it and I feel like it fits well with the BGA format.
I played one whole game of ‘7 Wonders Dice’ not knowing what the heck I was doing, got a quick tutorial, then jumped back in and really liked it. I’m not sure I need it in my collection, but it’s going to be in regular rotation on BGA now, for sure.
‘Captain Flip: Isla Bomba’ in BETA on BGA and the new maps are a lot of fun! I really hope Play Punk released them in the U.S.! Flip is still my go-to lunch game – I’m usually at least gold in Arena mode.
FINALLY broke out ‘Hercules and the 12 Labors’, a solo game from Envy Born Games that I had backed on Kickstarter. Gorgeous production with lovely foil cards that just elevate the table presence which is really nice for a solo game. It is a tough game, I got lucky (or forgot a rule) and made it a few chapters in on my first try. But the next time I played, I got wiped out really quick due to some poor dice rolls. But it is solid and I’m going to get ‘Jason and the Argonauts’ for sure.
I did a couple rounds of playtesting the solo modes on Chicken Fried Dice – the kickstarter launches soon and I am definitely backing it.
I discovered that Clank! has a solo mode via the Dire Wolf Digital app – I’m not sure if this was a new update or if I just had not bothered to look, but it was a great chance to get the game on the table. I played 3 times – first try, I died in the depths, second I was downed but rescued and third I escaped! I might type up a whole post about this because I was so thrilled with how well it worked, so I will stop there for now.
I am STILL working my way through The Hobbit “chapters” in solo mode. The last two maps are very complex and then applying the limited number of rounds for solo mode…oof. Fun but getting very tricksy.
So, I typed up this whole post using the BGStats graphic I downloaded and became suspicious near the end that games were missing. I checked BoardGameArena and something definitely did not import correctly! But I don’t feel like retying this whole thing now so…we’ll just do a second post about BoardGameArena games for January later!
Stuff I Love: Standalones (SFF stories)
Feb. 6th, 2026 07:40 amhamsterwoman
dreamersdare is hosting a Stuff I Love – Top 10 Edition weekly challenge throughout February, with the first week being media one-shots.I’m not going to try for a ranked top 10 for this or other weeks, because that way madness lies, but I did want to try to get to a list of 10 things I love that fit the challenge.
I pondered just a free-form list of one-shots of different mediums and genres, but eventually what coalesced is this: a list of standalone SFF fiction. One of the things I really love about SFF is the long series, the magical sagas, multi-volume explorations of worldbuilding, sometimes across real-world decades and in-universe millennia – your Tolkien Legendariums, your Earthseas, your Dragaeras, your Vokosigan Sagas. So it’s particularly notable when I enjoy a SFF standalone, which manages to pack that worldbuilding and that sensawunda into a single piece. Sometimes even quite a short one, because I included short stories, novellas, and novelettes in scope of this.
In no particular order, and selected by starting with a considerably longer list and picking things from it until I felt like I’d picked all the right ones.
( top 10 )
*grumble*
Feb. 6th, 2026 01:19 pmgoodbyebirdMitski is playing in London in May and I don't have enough internet to do so much as open the ticket site.
My plague of ill concert happenings, I swear.
My plague of ill concert happenings, I swear.
It snew
Feb. 6th, 2026 08:28 amangrbodaI was only at work for about an hour yesterday before sending myself home again. It was one of those times where you're unsure if you're actually a bit sick or if you're just tired and it'll clear up once you get going. Well, it didn't and I managed to leave before it got bad.
Unlike the previous time we were threatened with a snow storm, this one actually happened and all public transport from here is currently cancelled so I wouldn't have been able to go to work today anyway. However, because it's a sick day, I won't have to pay for an unexpected day off with holiday hours. So my timing isn't actually all that bad. Silver lining and all that, although I would have preferred to not be sick. Husband works from home on Fridays anyway, so he's fine.
It's still snowing out there, but we've got most of it now. We have gone from an orange warning to a blue warning overnight*. Not sure how deep it is, but I would estimate maybe 20-30 cm. The bird bath is so completely covered you can't even see that it's there, so that's an indicator of how deep it is.
The warmest temperature on the forecast for the next nine days at the moment is 0°C, so it's not going to go away anytime soon. In fact next weekend we might get down to -20°C at night. This is extremely unusual for this country, even at night!
Snow plough just came by. Our street is in the second priority category, so that's not bad if they got to us already.
*Scale is Red-Orange-Yellow-Blue, with blue being the mildest. I'm not sure I've ever experienced a red one.
Unlike the previous time we were threatened with a snow storm, this one actually happened and all public transport from here is currently cancelled so I wouldn't have been able to go to work today anyway. However, because it's a sick day, I won't have to pay for an unexpected day off with holiday hours. So my timing isn't actually all that bad. Silver lining and all that, although I would have preferred to not be sick. Husband works from home on Fridays anyway, so he's fine.
It's still snowing out there, but we've got most of it now. We have gone from an orange warning to a blue warning overnight*. Not sure how deep it is, but I would estimate maybe 20-30 cm. The bird bath is so completely covered you can't even see that it's there, so that's an indicator of how deep it is.
The warmest temperature on the forecast for the next nine days at the moment is 0°C, so it's not going to go away anytime soon. In fact next weekend we might get down to -20°C at night. This is extremely unusual for this country, even at night!
Snow plough just came by. Our street is in the second priority category, so that's not bad if they got to us already.
*Scale is Red-Orange-Yellow-Blue, with blue being the mildest. I'm not sure I've ever experienced a red one.
Dimash FIRE
Feb. 5th, 2026 09:19 pmelisiFirst from Global Spin (from the GRAMMYs):
Kazakh superstar Dimash Qudaibergen brings arena-level drama to "Fire," delivering a fire-starting performance of the track, packed with pyrotechnics, a revved-up motorcycle, and his signature vocals, at Astana Arena in his home country.
This is a mash-up of two performances from his concerts in Astana, Kazakhstan’s capital, on the 13th and 14th of September 2025, where the song premiered. More info here.
I first experienced this song at his London concert and it absolutely blew me away. You'll see (hear) why.
~
Then today (5 Feb 2026) this performance:
On February 5, Dimash Qudaibergen’s musical project 'Voice Beyond Horizon' premiered, with the artist serving as its executive producer. The project opened with Dimash’s song Fire, which he performed in English, Kazakh, and Chinese.
This is a perfect example of how he constantly switches things up. No song stays the same: he adds, he subtracts, he integrates another language (or two) or changes the genre or style or combines them in different ways... the versatility is endless.
It's important to remember that not everything in the world is bleak. There are wonders also. 🔥🔥🔥🔥
(You can find the official trailer for 'Voice Beyond Horizon' here.)
Kazakh superstar Dimash Qudaibergen brings arena-level drama to "Fire," delivering a fire-starting performance of the track, packed with pyrotechnics, a revved-up motorcycle, and his signature vocals, at Astana Arena in his home country.
This is a mash-up of two performances from his concerts in Astana, Kazakhstan’s capital, on the 13th and 14th of September 2025, where the song premiered. More info here.
I first experienced this song at his London concert and it absolutely blew me away. You'll see (hear) why.
~
Then today (5 Feb 2026) this performance:
On February 5, Dimash Qudaibergen’s musical project 'Voice Beyond Horizon' premiered, with the artist serving as its executive producer. The project opened with Dimash’s song Fire, which he performed in English, Kazakh, and Chinese.
This is a perfect example of how he constantly switches things up. No song stays the same: he adds, he subtracts, he integrates another language (or two) or changes the genre or style or combines them in different ways... the versatility is endless.
It's important to remember that not everything in the world is bleak. There are wonders also. 🔥🔥🔥🔥
(You can find the official trailer for 'Voice Beyond Horizon' here.)
Most Anticipated Films of 2026
Feb. 5th, 2026 12:42 americadawn16These are the 20 films I'm most looking forward to in 2026!
4 Kids walk into a Bank
A Magnificent Life
Coyote vs ACME
Flowervale Street
Glenrothan
Godzilla Minus Zero
Hamlet
Hexed
Masters of the Universe
Narnia
Remain
Scary Movie 6
Spider-man: Brand New Day
Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu
Supergirl
The Cat in the Hat
The Pout Pout Fish
The Sheep Detectives
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie
Wildwood
4 Kids walk into a Bank
A Magnificent Life
Coyote vs ACME
Flowervale Street
Glenrothan
Godzilla Minus Zero
Hamlet
Hexed
Masters of the Universe
Narnia
Remain
Scary Movie 6
Spider-man: Brand New Day
Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu
Supergirl
The Cat in the Hat
The Pout Pout Fish
The Sheep Detectives
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie
Wildwood
To Shape a Dragon's Breath + The Goes Wrong Show
Feb. 4th, 2026 04:45 pmhamsterwomanBehold, I have read a book!
1. Moniquill Blackgoose, To Shape a Dragon’s Breath – I did this as part of a sync read withlunasariel, cyanmnemosyne, and hidden_variable (though not all of us are yet finished), and you can see our in situ reactions as we read along here.
Back when this book first came out, a couple of flisters read it, and basically everything I learned about it from their write-ups made me feel like this book had been written just for me – magic school! dragons! learning to do chemistry with dragons at magic school! When I described this premise to L, her reaction was, “Did you black out and publish a novel?” So, yeah, this was incredibly well-suited to my interests, which raises the question of why it’s taken me nearly 3 years to read it, especially as I’ve owned a copy of this book for a while. And I liked it a lot! Not in an iddy way, which is a little bit of a surprise given just how well it aligns with some of my favorite tropes, but I’m both very glad that I finally read it and am curious to read more. (Book 2 is now out; let’s see if it takes me another 3 years to read it…)
( More, with spoilers )
*
I have also watched a thing:
The Goes Wrong Show:rionaleonhart started posting gloriously cracktasting ficlets which were intriguing to read canon-blind (I’m a sucker for rivals-to-lovers, and Chris/Robert was clearly that), and also were giving me vaguely Taskmaster-y vibes in the combination of absurdity and disaster. And then Riona posted a very helpful fandom primer, from which I learned more context and also that the show was only about 6 hours of content (i.e. within my “impulse binge” parameters) and available to me to watch on YouTube. And I have now binged it, and had a great time, and am even more able to appreciate Riona’s Chris/Robert fic, heh.
( More, with spoilers )
Great fun, and I’m sad there isn’t more to binge. (Well, I understand there are plays which predate the show, but I’d need to track them down somewhere.)
1. Moniquill Blackgoose, To Shape a Dragon’s Breath – I did this as part of a sync read with
lunasariel, cyanmnemosyne, and hidden_variable (though not all of us are yet finished), and you can see our in situ reactions as we read along here. Back when this book first came out, a couple of flisters read it, and basically everything I learned about it from their write-ups made me feel like this book had been written just for me – magic school! dragons! learning to do chemistry with dragons at magic school! When I described this premise to L, her reaction was, “Did you black out and publish a novel?” So, yeah, this was incredibly well-suited to my interests, which raises the question of why it’s taken me nearly 3 years to read it, especially as I’ve owned a copy of this book for a while. And I liked it a lot! Not in an iddy way, which is a little bit of a surprise given just how well it aligns with some of my favorite tropes, but I’m both very glad that I finally read it and am curious to read more. (Book 2 is now out; let’s see if it takes me another 3 years to read it…)
( More, with spoilers )
*
I have also watched a thing:
The Goes Wrong Show:
rionaleonhart started posting gloriously cracktasting ficlets which were intriguing to read canon-blind (I’m a sucker for rivals-to-lovers, and Chris/Robert was clearly that), and also were giving me vaguely Taskmaster-y vibes in the combination of absurdity and disaster. And then Riona posted a very helpful fandom primer, from which I learned more context and also that the show was only about 6 hours of content (i.e. within my “impulse binge” parameters) and available to me to watch on YouTube. And I have now binged it, and had a great time, and am even more able to appreciate Riona’s Chris/Robert fic, heh. ( More, with spoilers )
Great fun, and I’m sad there isn’t more to binge. (Well, I understand there are plays which predate the show, but I’d need to track them down somewhere.)
Oldest book
Feb. 4th, 2026 09:44 pmtrepkosWe used to live in York, where there was an old church which frequently held charity sales of second (or more) hand books, which we used to buy each other as christmas or birthday presents back when we were poor!
One I still have was an etymological dictionary published in 1879. An older one is the complete works of Ben Jonson published 1858.
I also have an old Rubaiyat, which is undated, but like the Ben Jonson, has hand-cut pages.
One I still have was an etymological dictionary published in 1879. An older one is the complete works of Ben Jonson published 1858.
I also have an old Rubaiyat, which is undated, but like the Ben Jonson, has hand-cut pages.
I have talented friends. <3
Feb. 4th, 2026 07:15 pmelisimecurtin has a fascinating post:Hiding in Plain Sight: Autism in Jane Austen’s Emma
A 5000 word draft on Mr. Woodhouse as an autistic character in Emma, looking for your comments, critique, and input.
~
kerk_hiraeth posted fic, although I would say it's poetry. Beautiful and tragic:The Briefest of Heroes
(re-post for Halfamoon 2026 Prompt #01 – The Innocent) (This is not a happy story with a happy ending.)
Summary: Amongst all the Slayers born into new powers; what happens to those who are alone; untrained and unfound. This is an account of one such abandoned innocent.
Length: 350 words
(no subject)
Feb. 4th, 2026 04:38 pmangrbodaWell, that was rather a full day.
We started with an appointment with a solicitor regarding setting up wills, which, while unpleasant, turned out to not be as unpleasant as expected. I liked the woman we spoke to. She seemed friendly and had some input on which details might or might not be relevant for us, and some of them were about things we hadn't even thought of.
Finished the day off with a vet appointment for Holly, who has an inflamed tooth. The veterinary nurse agreed with me that it looked Capital S Suspicious, so she's now booked in for the full works. X-rays, teeth cleaning and possibly removal of the bad tooth if they can do it at the same time. She said she could make the booking with extra time for the extraction, but it ultimately depends on what they see on the pictures. If it's more complicated than just the one tooth, it will take too long. I have previously been told it's also a question of there being a limit to how long they can safely keep a cat knocked out. They'll do some blood tests on her at the same time, which is a non-mandatory routine check of organ functions. With several previous kidney-cats, it's not non-mandatory to us.
Roll on the weekend, with book swap day at the library and opera in the cinema!
We started with an appointment with a solicitor regarding setting up wills, which, while unpleasant, turned out to not be as unpleasant as expected. I liked the woman we spoke to. She seemed friendly and had some input on which details might or might not be relevant for us, and some of them were about things we hadn't even thought of.
Finished the day off with a vet appointment for Holly, who has an inflamed tooth. The veterinary nurse agreed with me that it looked Capital S Suspicious, so she's now booked in for the full works. X-rays, teeth cleaning and possibly removal of the bad tooth if they can do it at the same time. She said she could make the booking with extra time for the extraction, but it ultimately depends on what they see on the pictures. If it's more complicated than just the one tooth, it will take too long. I have previously been told it's also a question of there being a limit to how long they can safely keep a cat knocked out. They'll do some blood tests on her at the same time, which is a non-mandatory routine check of organ functions. With several previous kidney-cats, it's not non-mandatory to us.
Roll on the weekend, with book swap day at the library and opera in the cinema!