dorchadas | Network

I Feel: happy

After a morning of wondering if the seller would work things out with the title company in time, a lunch break full of signing lots of documents and asking questions about them (we got a refund on one of the fees, always good to ask), and an afternoon of wondering when our wire transfer would go through, suddenly a bunch of savings blipped away from us, and we were able to go pick up our house keys 😊

We went over tonight to get started on cleaning the place - it's been empty for a while, and it's covered in dirty footprints and spiders - and in the midst of thinking about a bunch of things that we need to fix up and work on, I stepped into the backyard for a break. A foggy moon was rising over the trees, and the yard was covered in fireflies that must be enjoying all the plants that were left wild, blinking so quickly it looked like the bushes were glittering.

It was a very stressful process, and there is a lot going on in general, but I feel really happy right now.

(And bonus, a big paper that we've been working on that represents two years of work got accepted today after our second round of revisions!)

ranunculus

Shade cloth project is coming along but is not finished. Here is a little walk through the garden.
The little fig tree is, well, little.

( Pictures )

ranunculus

Another successful ride on Firefly with my friend Kim riding Raja. I was a little worried, the wind was blowing, coastal fog (rare this time of year) had cooled things off, and Firefly was objecting to everything from being groomed (normally she loves this) to having the bridle put on. I walked for the first 1/2 mile of our "ride" because it was all downhill. Downhill invites faster speed and that isn't what I wanted. Uphills usually follow downhills, so I mounted up and we went up for the next most of a mile, which calmed things down a lot. She was never "bad" just a little snorty at first. We worked on confidence, she did great, and only once needed Raja to take the lead and show her that the scary downhill with an eroded trail was perfectly safe. We also worked on refining our cues. The times that I have to use big gestures and insist on where I want to go are getting fewer and the times I can give a tiny squeeze of leg, or tightening of my fingers are getting more frequent. At one point I leaned over a little, grabbed a gate and pushed it open a little further. It took some pressure to push, and I could see Firefly thinking hard about what was going on, but she stood perfectly still. Oh, and we picked up trail ribbons from April's event. Firefly only once looked scared of the ribbon, and that was a big 3 color one with 18" streamers. Like usual she thought about it, sniffed it and relaxed. If I can ride, at least a little, three or four times a week, we will make really fast progress. Sorry, snuck out before M took any pics, but here is one of Firefly today being very, very serious about eating her evening meal.

P.S. Yes, she has changed colors again. In my last post, on June 19th, she was dark grey.

mistressofmuses

I Feel: tired
Current Location: my apartment
I Hear: The New Black - Aesthetic Perfection

I was really quite happy with the color scheme this week. This is another sticker from the Atomic Pixies, a bee and a representation of the dance they do to convey information to each other.

This was a good week. It was the first time in quite a while that I'd had a chunk of time off of work (minus the memorial service earlier in June.) Over the course of the week, I managed to go out and do things every day that I had off, which was satisfying. Also doing okay on reading. Less so on creative stuff. I'm feeling really discouraged on writing, and I think I will take a break from it for a while. Quite happy with the hiking and such, though. Need to spend some time catching up on other things, though!

Goals for the week:

I did read more of (and finished) Dead Silence (though then immediately started it over to read with Alex, because we needed something to do on the fourth while we waited for fireworks...)
I started reading Hummingbird Salamander
I did write up the books I read in June
I got together with Taylor on Saturday
I did post my writing goals, such as they are, for July
Alex and I solidified the time off plans
I did my getyourwordsout check-in (12334 words for June, year to date is 70817)
We got plenty of outdoor time!
I put my laundry away
We cleaned the apartment (YET ANOTHER "annual inspection"; there have been three since the last time I complained about how many there were.)
We celebrated the fourth of July... not for patriotic reasons, but as our 16th anniversary
We bought our fruit and I made our fruit salad
I did not finish the chapter of my WIP
I did my July tracker grids
I paid the car insurance
We didn't really look at our subscription stuff
I did not work on my pin boards

Tracked habits:

Work - 2/7 - we were closed on Friday, and I took Thursday and Saturday off
Household Maintenance - 6/7
Physical Activity - 4/7
Wrote 500/1000+ Words - 2/7 - one day of over 500 words, one day of over 1000
Wrote on 2nd+ Draft - 0/7
Meta Work - 5/7
Personal Writing - 5/7
Other Creative Things - 3/7
Reading - 7/7 - mostly reading Dead Silence, though Alex and I read some of Duma Key, then we also started reading Dead Silence again lol, I started Hummingbird Salamander, and Taylor and I finished Installment Immortality, then started reading Witch King
Attention to Media - 7/7 - Sunday listened to an episode of Re: Dracula and news coverage Alex had in the background; Monday had paranormal videos in the background, and then another ep of Re: Dracula (shovel day!); Tuesday we watched a couple episodes of the new season of Alone, though I dozed off; Wednesday had some background stuff Alex was watching, an ep of Re: Dracula, and listening to music; Thursday had storm chasing and paranormal videos in the background; Friday I listened to music in the morning; Saturday listened to music after Taylor went to bed.
Video Games - 1/7 - Taylor and I played some Final Fantasy XIV and finished the fourth part of Shadowbringers, and started on Endwalker (getting through the first questline that sends you to fantasy!India.)
Social Interaction - 4/7

Total words written: 3793 on book reviews and writing plans

cornerofmadness

I Feel: exhausted
I Hear: Mean Girl Murders

I have no idea where the time is disappearing to but it's making me anxious.

Today I got a hair cut. I'm not too sure about it but my hair was such a mess I had to get rid of it. Don't get me started on the color. It WAS violet and last week it turned this color...for the second time with two different purples from two different companies. My hair dresser said well you can get color safe shampoos with violets and then it dawns on me, omg I think MY color safe shampoo is auburn. gah.

The author's virtual meeting today didn't go well for me. I couldn't concentrate. My total word count is what I usually write in a 25 minute session. Sigh. But hey if you write chillers or thrillers and want to join PM me and we'll talk (ditto if you'd like to join my by email writers critique group)

So it's Fannish 50 tuesday and I'm back to the women of fandom. I'm now going back to my older fandoms in no particular order. I'll be starting with Fullmetal Alchemist but it's SO hard to pick one female from all the great ones in this, Riza Hawkeye, Winry Rockbell, Izumi Curtis, Olivier Armstrong Gracia Hughes just to name a few. Riza and Winry are probably the two more or less main characters and the best well rounded (along with Izumi)

I'm going with Riza for this because a) she was my favorite b) even though this was written by a woman, Winry was written for the male gaze and had a lot of that loud screamy nonsense as part of her character. (I still can't believe this started over 20 years ago. My god!) A lot of Winry's traits were very common back then when targeting the main audience teen boys.

Riza on the other hand is quiet authority. She is amazingly competent and loyal and smart. That she is deeply emotionally intimately entwined with Roy is clear in all the things she does (and she is not blind to his faults). I DID want more out of her back story with her father and why she follows Roy into the military. I wish she had had time to give Riza's back story more flesh.

It's clear that the rest of Roy's men know to obey her, that she's the default secondary ruler of their little group. Riza's hand gun expertise is pretty cool but on the other hand she barely has a life outside of work and that is sad. Arakawa said in an interview somewhere that Roy and Riza would never get the chance to be together and that's pretty sad too.

Even sadder, Bing brought up like ONE picture of Riza that wasn't fan art (okay okay I know it's old but really?) Google had a few more. I chose this one with her and Hayate.

I miss writing her. I miss the heyday of the Roy/Riza communities

falcrum

Прилетели мы поздно, да ещё пока из аэропорта до собственно Бергамо добрались - так что заселились, упали и уснули, но я успел выйти на балкон покурить перед сном (внимание, по клику - большое фото!):

А поскольку мы сняли квартиру прямо возле вокзала, удалось запечатлеть, сколько граффити на местном подвижно́м составе...

james_davis_nicoll

Tepid remake of the Fenian Raids fails to launch.

nanslice

I Feel: sleepy

I haven't done one of these in a while and now seems like a good time. Stolen from

a_natural_beauty, original by

sound_of_silence

1. First Name: Amy, although all of my friends call me Nan irl.

2. Age: 39

3. Location: PNW baybeeeeee, specifically Seattle.

4. Occupation: funemployed while I figure out what my silly little brain is doing.

5. Significant Other: I'm married to

cypher, also known in this journal as Will. We've been together since 2019 and got married this past April! I love them deeply. <3

6. Kids: None!

7. Brothers/Sisters: My sister from my mom's first marriage! I have three brothers and a sister from my dad's first marriage but we're not close; that sister died and I found out four years later. :\

8. Pets: Four cats: Penelope, a tuxedo; Spicy, a tortie; Waffle, a tortie; Nugget, a void. And my baby lil dog, Selphie, who I adopted when she was 5 weeks old and she's now 12 years old, omg, how does time fly like this? ;o;

9. List the 3 biggest things going on in your life:
3 -

battleshipex! I'm extremely excited to make this my entire personality for a while, lol.

2 - Homesteading! I thought I was done starting new things, then I started (indoors) 18 rattlesnake pole beans, 12 cranberry beans, 6 Sadie's horse beans, about a million of two different kinds of amaranths, and a bunch of zinnias, lol. Our tomatoes are loaded down with both green fruits and flowers, the 8 Sadie's horse beans that are already out are doing wonderfully (and have little bean pods forming aaaaaaahhhh), we've been eating zucchini with dinner almost every night this week, and the pumpkins are slowly growing little guys. ;3;

1 - Dealing with this ADHD diagnosis and mental health stuff. Which is going okay! Maybe!

10. Where and for what did you go to school? I dropped out of high school and got my GED, then went to a trade school and got my associate's in applied technology (a hopelessly dated degree lol), worked for a while, then went a private college and got my bachelor's in art. I only went to the private college because, as a non-traditional student (I was 26 when I started), my tuition and fees were basically cut in half.

11. Parents: My dad passed away of cancer eight years ago. I miss him every day. My mom is around and in pretty poor health (breast cancer); we live on opposite US coasts but talk almost every day.

12. Who are some of your closest friends? Will is my very bestest friend. My niece C is a very close friend, although she lives several states away. My cats and dogs, because who said friends had to be the same species. My immediately, physical circle is pretty quiet, and I will not lie, I am terribly lonely a lot of the time lmaooo.

dialecticdreamer

I Feel: accomplished

Delivery Dilemma
By Dialecticdreamer/Sarah Williams
Part 1 of 1, complete
Word count (story only): 1493
[Thursday, 3 August, 2017, 9 a.m.]

:: On the way to her first delivery of the day, LaQuinta has a LOT to think about. Part of the Unfair Trades arc in Mercedes, within the Polychrome Heroics universe. ::

The Cort’s house was in a somewhat fancy neighborhood, so it was an easy ride to go from there to the address that had been sent to Torrin. LaQuinta eased the Surrey onto the dirveway into the narrow parking lot, just a strip wide enough for one row of right-angle parking spaces and a lane for the cars pulling in. At the far end of the lot, another driveway let out onto the two-lane street. The angry yellow directional arrows had been printed with black “ONE WAY” lettering recently, much later than the arrows that were beginning to crack.

She parked in front of the specialty parts shop and frowned. It took a moment to remember the small, book-sized tablet that acted as both a professional record for LaQuinta’s trips and a visual reminder that she was also being paid per mile for deliveries. The software did the math and gave her daily summaries, or hourly ones.

So far, it was her favorite perk of the new job.
( Read more... )

austenmod posting in

fandomcalendar

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sleepymod posting in

pinchhits

Event: Early Bird Gets The Word is a fic and art exchange for small and inactive fandoms. Minimum 1000 words or detailed lineart.

Event link: earlybirdgetstheword

Pinch hit links: Here on the comm. Or below.

Due Date: July 14th 22:00 EDT.

To Claim: Please comment on the dreamwidth post with your AO3 username and the pinch hit number you want to claim.

( PH 1 - Animal Control (TV 2023), Degrassi the Next Generation, Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist (TV), The Good Place (TV), North of North (TV 2025), Only Murders in the Building (TV) )

( PH 4 - ケイ�ヤク | KeixYaku (TV), 御赐小仵作 | The Imperial Coroner (TV), 作りたい女と食べたい女 | Tsukuritai Onna to Tabetai Onna | She Loves to Cook and She Loves to Eat (TV) )

( PH 11 - Blue Period (Manga), Akatsuki no Yona | Yona of the Dawn, Advance Wars (Video Games 2001-2005; 2023), Tales of Berseria, K (Anime), Sengoku Basara, Tales of Legendia, Subarashiki Kono Sekai | The World Ends With You (Video Games) )

shadowkat

My bookshelf arrived around 10 am, while I was at work. And even though I requested that they deliver it at the front door of my apartment, they delivered it to the package area in the lobby. But it was still there when I got home, and not that difficulty to get upstairs. I pushed it into the elevator, then dragged it out onto the third floor and into my apartment.
It was pre-assembled, all I had to do was screw on a few buttons for the feet. Then I inserted the books, and voila.

It wasn't too expensive - I got for about 10-20% off, with free shipping from Wayfair.

I'm very happy with it, and it is metal - so hardy.

**

Crazy Org decided to revise all the construction contract templates and schedules again. This is the fifth time in three years. Every section.
And instead of waiting until the next fiscal year - they did it now.

It's a mess. Everyone is confused.

I've decided quite a few folks in management are incredibly bored and need to invent new ways to keep busy - so they look productive. This is what happens when you have too many managers, they come up with an endless supply of busy work.

***

Sigh. I don't know what it is about me - that feels the need to explain and or discuss characters and stories and things with idiotic strangers on the internet. ( whinging about the internet fandom and using the Buffy fandom as an example )
Fandom can be annoyingly dense. I blame our educational system - too much memorization and multiple choice tests.

My frustration stems from the fact that I love analyzing and discussing stories and characters, and debating them. I get off on it. I did it in college. I'm a frustrated English Lit/Cultural Anthropology Major.

**

Alarmingly hot day with a thunderstorm at the tail end of it. Except oddly not as bad as yesterday. Neighbor informed me that feels like temperature was 110 F (50C) today, it was actually 96 F (36C). Yesterday was worse - the humidity made it feel like a sauna. Today, it felt like walking through a very warm hair dryer - hot with a breeze. But hey, I could breath - so better air quality. Either that or the Allegra was doing wonders.

It's probably best to be happy about small pleasures? I am happy and grateful for my new book case, which I've been pondering obtaining for about five years now. It looks lovely next to the tv. I might get another one. I just don't know where to put it.

disneydream06

Netanyahu says he nominated Trump for a Nobel Peace Prize. Yes, really

Emily Singer, author

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/7/8/2332307/-Netanyahu-says-he-nominated-Trump-for-a-Nobel-Peace-Prize-Yes-really?detail=emailrecap

paradoxcase posting in

rainbowfic

Name: A Return to Research
Story: The Fulcrum
Colors: Dogwood Rose #6: orange: enthusiasm, Light Black #20: Heal
Styles and Supplies: Panorama, Calendar Page (July 8: SCUD Day), Stickers ("There is a “Gospel of Judas” not found in the Bible that speaks of Judas as the only one of Jesus’ disciples who fully understood his teachings. He turned Jesus over to the Romans because Jesus asked him to."), Tempera (I used dailytarotdraw and got the Eight of Swords. Using the reversed meaning: "The 8 of Swords Reversed represents a release from the entrapment and self-imposed limitations that once plagued us. When this card appears reversed, it signifies newfound clarity, liberation, and the ability to break free from mental barriers. The negative thoughts and fears that once held us captive are now dissipating, giving way to a renewed sense of empowerment and freedom. The reversed 8 of Swords reminds us that we have the power to overcome our self-imposed restrictions and embrace a life filled with possibilities and growth. It encourages us to step out of our comfort zones and explore new horizons, knowing that we can navigate any challenges that come our way."), Novelty Bead (this image, given here)
Word Count: 1161
Rating: G
Warnings: None
Characters: Setsiana, Qhoroali
In-Universe Date: 1912.1.4.5
Summary: Setsiana finds something to do with herself.

( A Return to Research )

loganberrybunny

I Feel: relaxed

Public

158/365: Eastern edge of Wyre Forest
Click for a larger, sharper image
Well, on the outskirts of it, at least. The Wyre Forest is a pleasant place on a warm day, given the shade it provides. Here's a photo from near the eastern edge of it at Coppice Gate. As you can see, this afternoon was pretty much cloudless, and although the air itself wasn't uncomfortably hot, we're at the peak of sun strength with UV up to 8 (as high as it can get here) so I was careful to keep to the shade as much as I could. This particular location has no facilities bar a small car park and a simple map board, so it isn't usually very busy. That was the case today -- I only saw one person walking her dogs all the time I was there. The lack of rain is starting to tell, though, as you can see from the yellowing of the grass here.

Also, have a meme question I noticed somewhere:

What is an unusual form of transport you have used?

(The original says "transportation", but I ain't American! :P )

To many people, I suppose "steam train" would count, and I've been on those masses of times -- but it's not unusual to me. That being so, the obvious answer is "hovercraft". Back in 2007, I flew (you don't sail a hovercraft) from Portsmouth to Ryde on the Isle of Wight (and back) with Hovertravel. That route remains operational and is the only regularly scheduled year-round passenger hovercraft service in Europe.

nnozomi posting in

guardian_learning

部首
卜 bǔ
占, to occupy; 卡, to get stuck/card/car; 卧, to lie down ( pinyin )
https://www.mdbg.net/chinese/dictionary?cdqrad=25

词汇
为, to act as/become; 为了, in order to; 变为, to change into; 称为, to be known as ( pinyin )
https://mandarinbean.com/new-hsk-3-word-list/

Guardian:
龙城大学还真是卧虎藏龙啊, Dragon City University really has a lot of talent in hiding
你是为了钱还是为了名, did you do it for money or fame?

Me:
等一下，你卡住了，我再打视频。
为了拥有你，我什么都敢做。

stonepicnicking_okapi

1. It is day #2 of my job and I had to call #911 for my client. Talk about being thrown in the deep end! He's okay and I'm okay but it was still a wild second day.

2. Also Minisculus woke up with neck pain enough to make him sob and scream, and I had to leave him. I am being thrown the working mom angst right from the start.

3. But Minisculus placed 7th in his race at the regional club championship so he got to stand on the podium and a bronze medal the size of a dinner plate.

I'm trying to figure out my routine. I will add a second client on Thursday so I suppose I am waiting for that to figure out what I do when (like grocery shopping). I am reminding myself to take it easy and just handle one enormous shift at a time. Being a working mom fand having my kid be a latch key kid is enough for this week.

shipperslist

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azurelunatic

Susan visited!

Thorn didn't get carjacked by a Bigfoot.

aeronwen

I Feel: curious
Current Location: Ascadian Isles

26th of MidYear, 428 3E
( .....at the...cat jungle of all places..... )

kaberett

Apparently I'm not writing up a detailed version of this, so in brief...

( Bodily functions feature heavily. )

colorcoded posting in

fandomcalendar

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matsushima posting in

agonyaunt

I Feel: seen

I’ve been working at a university library for a little over a year now and have had a hard time making friends. Shortly after I started, I befriended a coworker, “Morgan,” who is also relatively new, and it has been nice getting to know them and commiserating about how hard it is to make friends in a new city and workplace.

Over the course of our friendship, Morgan has opened up more and more about the interpersonal problems they’ve had with our colleagues. They describe scenarios where collaborative projects get stalled because other stakeholders stop communicating with them, coworkers they were getting lunch with on a weekly basis suddenly stop responding to chats, and other frustrations with navigating bureaucracy that interferes with their work. It’s hard to tell if Morgan is becoming increasingly disgruntled or if they are now very comfortable with telling me their unfiltered feelings.

I’ve also had to navigate some fairly horrendous problems as a new employee, so it’s been nice to have a coworker who understands and sympathizes with our (somewhat) dysfunctional workplace culture. Morgan has made it very clear to me that they are only here for the time being and have already decided that this is not the city they would like to stay in long-term. Personally, I want to retire here and have worked very hard to improve my situation. It feels very different for me today than it did a year ago, which is why it’s become increasingly difficult to navigate Morgan’s constant negativity.

Morgan can be a lot of fun to talk to, but they’re in an increasingly bad mental space at work. They frequently come to my office to gripe for an hour or two in spite of how busy I am; I’m always actively working and trying to concentrate when they pop into my office. To my fault, they ask if it’s a good time to chat and I always say yes because they’ve been so hurt by our coworkers pulling away and I’m afraid of upsetting them. On top of this, they’ve become increasingly argumentative with me when they’re looking to talk. Again, I would say this is my fault because they are looking to vent and I’m always trying to provide solutions, so I think it’s taken as invalidating Morgan’s feelings.

Morgan is in such a bad mental space at work that seemingly any type of feedback or dialogue that they disagree with comes off as an attack. One of the issues they’ve had with multiple colleagues is that they invalidate Morgan’s feelings. Morgan has described situations where they complained about something to a colleague and rather than agreeing with and consoling Morgan, they essentially said to look on the bright side. For example, Morgan was upset about a change made to their office and the coworker responded with, “At least you have your own office.” Morgan has many examples of conversations like this and cites it as a workplace culture issue. In addition, Morgan holds on to comments like this (that took place months and months ago) and often refers back to them as examples of how bad things are. At this point, I am very afraid of upsetting Morgan because I like them, and their hyper-sensitivity is a bit triggering in light of all the reparative work I’ve done for my position and unit.

One more detail about Morgan that I think plays a factor is their odor. Morgan has a strong mildewy smell wherever they go. The odor fills a room and I can often tell if they’ve recently been in a space because of the smell. I believe Morgan maintains good hygiene practices, but that they are unaware of the fact that a lot of their clothing has developed a pungent mildew odor. Depending on how strongly they smell, it can be very difficult to spend extended periods of time with them. I’ve avoided spending time with them outside of work, like inviting them to my home, because the smell is so off-putting and am wondering if it has contributed to their interactions with coworkers.

How do I take a step back with Morgan without further inciting them?

( Alison's answer )

- how do I step back from a friendship with an intensely negative and argumentative coworker?

silverusagi

I Feel: ecstatic

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cosmolinguist

I had to present on my work for my team and some other people this morning, and it felt impossible to pitch it at a level that would reach both the people who know next to nothing about the work I lead on and the people who have been most intimately involved in doing it with me.

I missed a section, even with notes, which I think could've made it make a lot more sense. But also my line manager sent me a message immediately to say I spoke very well? I don't get it but I hope she's right!

Profile

dorchadas

July 2025

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Page Summary

allekha - We did it :)
ranunculus - Garden Photos
ranunculus - Firefly
mistressofmuses - Habit Tracking: Week 26 (June 29 - July 05)
cornerofmadness - Fannish Tuesday
falcrum - Наскальная живопись на итальянских поездах
james_davis_nicoll - Right wing coup foiled
nanslice - A Bit About Me
dialecticdreamer - Delivery Dilemma (part 1 of 1, complete)
austenmod in fandomcalendar - Jane Austen Exchange - Nominations Open
sleepymod in pinchhits - Lingering and Post-Deadline Pinch Hits for Early Bird Gets The Word Exchange (Due July 14)
shadowkat - Tuesday is happy about a bookshelf
disneydream06 - Monday At The Movies.....
paradoxcase in rainbowfic - Dogwood Rose #6, Light Black #20 [The Fulcrum]
loganberrybunny - Walking in the forest
nnozomi in guardian_learning - 第四年第一百八十天
stonepicnicking_okapi - News & Views
shipperslist - Scrap Metal Angel by Nicola Kapron
azurelunatic - July has already been busy
aeronwen - A Four-Way Scuffle
kaberett - [embodiment] some post-surgical notes
colorcoded in fandomcalendar - Incest Bingo Round 4
matsushima in agonyaunt - how do I step back from a friendship with an intensely negative and argumentative coworker?
silverusagi - holy shit
cosmolinguist - Tiring day but I survived

Another rainy day

Network

Page Summary