Anh Gets Something
Nov. 25th, 2025 08:28 pm![[syndicated profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/feed.png){kind=small}
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she's a smart* cookie
*not actually smart
questionable_content_feedNonfiction
Nov. 25th, 2025 06:13 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rivkatQuinn Slobodian, Hayek’s Bastards: Race, Gold, IQ, and the Capitalism of the Far Right: ( it's always racism )
Corinne Low, Having It All: What Data Tells Us About Women's Lives and Getting the Most Out of Yours: ( self-help from an economist )
Cory Doctorow, Enshittification: Why Everything Suddenly Got Worse and What to Do About It: ( Doctorow in fine form )
Tim Wu, The Age of Extraction: How Tech Platforms Conquered the Economy and Threaten Our Future Prosperity: ( Another account of enshittification )
Kim A. Wagner, Massacre in the Clouds: An American Atrocity and the Erasure of History: ( written by the victors )
Mary Roach, Replaceable You: Adventures in Human Anatomy: ( strange but true )
Corinne Low, Having It All: What Data Tells Us About Women's Lives and Getting the Most Out of Yours: ( self-help from an economist )
Cory Doctorow, Enshittification: Why Everything Suddenly Got Worse and What to Do About It: ( Doctorow in fine form )
Tim Wu, The Age of Extraction: How Tech Platforms Conquered the Economy and Threaten Our Future Prosperity: ( Another account of enshittification )
Kim A. Wagner, Massacre in the Clouds: An American Atrocity and the Erasure of History: ( written by the victors )
Mary Roach, Replaceable You: Adventures in Human Anatomy: ( strange but true )
TV Talk: Tracker
Nov. 25th, 2025 03:27 pmspikedluvTV Talk:
9-1-1: On hiatus until Jan 8.
Matlock: No new ep this week; new eps return Dec 4.
Tracker: Good ep! ( spoilers )
TV News:
The Pitt: Is coming to TNT on Dec 1!! They will air three episodes each Monday through the month of December. I’m finally going to be able to see it!! I’ve already got it set to record.
9-1-1: On hiatus until Jan 8.
Matlock: No new ep this week; new eps return Dec 4.
Tracker: Good ep! ( spoilers )
TV News:
The Pitt: Is coming to TNT on Dec 1!! They will air three episodes each Monday through the month of December. I’m finally going to be able to see it!! I’ve already got it set to record.
Oddments
Nov. 25th, 2025 05:56 pmoursinWe perceive that there does not appear to be any gender-confusion, or relationships with military helmets, connected with this particular tortoise, or maybe no-one noticed: Gramma the Galápagos tortoise, oldest resident of San Diego Zoo, dies at about 141. Not quite old enough to have met that there Charles Darwin, then.
***
Reversal of Fates: Access Through Photographs can be a Counterbalance
Ongoing digitization and cataloging work not only serves the interests of scholars and manuscript communities—it also creates crucial, publicly-accessible provenance records that provide an increasingly robust bulwark against manuscript theft and trafficking.
Sing it.
***
Thousands of rare American recordings — some 100 years old — go online for all to enjoy:
“A lot of that music from that era, the record companies did not keep backups. They were all destroyed, almost all. And it’s all up to the record collectors. They’re the ones who kind of saved the music from that era,”
....
Superior to a random recording uploaded to YouTube with no accompanying information, the database includes things like where the song was recorded and when, as well as lists of musicians and composers who worked on the songs.
***
I think I may have mentioned at some time the phenomenon of the 'monkey walk': Before Tinder, there was the Monkey Parade… . Though some recent works read for review incline me to think that one reason for the decline not mentioned in that piece was the rise of the coffee-bar - indoors in the warm with a juke-box, and the site of massive 50s moral panic around The Young.
***
Statue to 'remarkable' woman who escaped slavery:
A statue to a "remarkable and brave" woman who fled slavery and torture in the US has been unveiled in the fishing town in northern England where she found freedom.
Mary Ann Macham spent weeks hiding in woods in Virginia before stowing away on a ship, eventually arriving in North Shields in the early 1830s.
She was taken in by a Quaker family, married a local man and remained in the town until she died aged 91.
Audiobooks - September to November 2025
Nov. 25th, 2025 11:27 amsmallhobbitI suppose averaging two audio books a month isn't bad, and I've reduced by TBL to 13, so, and I also have 2 pre-orders coming out next year.
Death in Le Jardin by Ian Moore, read by Ian Moore
The fourth Follet Valley mystery. I continue to enjoy the series - yes, they have some slightly off the wall plots and characters, but the more I read/hear, the more I enjoy them. The recurring characters, even the more bizarre, are fun and entertaining.
A Gravelly Troubling Discovery by Hannah Hendy, read by Jenny Funnell
Fifth in the Dinner Lady Detectives series. I do like the dinner ladies, even if Clementine can be trying, but she's Marjorie's wife (Marjorie is the major protagonist) and she's quite aware of Clementine's character traits. The plot is slightly ridiculous, but the way it's worked out is fun and again, I'm now invested in the characters. It's a cosy read/listen, so I'm happy to spend time with the dinner ladies.
Black Notice by Joy Ellis, read by Richard Armitage
The next in the Jackman and Evans series, and another compelling plot. I'm very fond of DI Jackman, but also enjoy the way the story is from the viewpoint of various different characters, and seeing how their lives weave together. I did guess one of the perpetrators, but the other was a surprise.
Untrue till Death by Graham Brack, read by Alex Wyndham
The second in the Master Mercurius series. Master Mercurius is based in 17th century Leiden and the story involves him travelling both to Den Haag and Utrecht. I really enjoy all the period details and the plot was fascinating. My thanks totherealsnape for introducing me to him.
Quantum of Menace by Vaseem Khan, read by Alexander Armstrong
The first in a new series by Vaseem Khan (one of my favourite authors) which involves Q from MI6 being forced to retire. He returns to his home town after 30 years to solve the death of a former childhood friend. I didn't like Alexander Armstrong's narration, and so set the speed to 1.2x which improved it. The story however, involving quantum computing and much more, including James Bond at one point, was excellent. And I'm delighted there will be a second in the series.
The Secret Pilgrim by John Le Carre, read by Michael Jayston
The final book in my Smiley list. I did enjoy this, although there was very little of Smiley in it (I certainly preferred the George Smiley of the earlier novels, rather than the later ones). I'm glad I've made my way through the series, even if at times it felt like a bit of a slog.
Death in Le Jardin by Ian Moore, read by Ian Moore
The fourth Follet Valley mystery. I continue to enjoy the series - yes, they have some slightly off the wall plots and characters, but the more I read/hear, the more I enjoy them. The recurring characters, even the more bizarre, are fun and entertaining.
A Gravelly Troubling Discovery by Hannah Hendy, read by Jenny Funnell
Fifth in the Dinner Lady Detectives series. I do like the dinner ladies, even if Clementine can be trying, but she's Marjorie's wife (Marjorie is the major protagonist) and she's quite aware of Clementine's character traits. The plot is slightly ridiculous, but the way it's worked out is fun and again, I'm now invested in the characters. It's a cosy read/listen, so I'm happy to spend time with the dinner ladies.
Black Notice by Joy Ellis, read by Richard Armitage
The next in the Jackman and Evans series, and another compelling plot. I'm very fond of DI Jackman, but also enjoy the way the story is from the viewpoint of various different characters, and seeing how their lives weave together. I did guess one of the perpetrators, but the other was a surprise.
Untrue till Death by Graham Brack, read by Alex Wyndham
The second in the Master Mercurius series. Master Mercurius is based in 17th century Leiden and the story involves him travelling both to Den Haag and Utrecht. I really enjoy all the period details and the plot was fascinating. My thanks to
therealsnape for introducing me to him.Quantum of Menace by Vaseem Khan, read by Alexander Armstrong
The first in a new series by Vaseem Khan (one of my favourite authors) which involves Q from MI6 being forced to retire. He returns to his home town after 30 years to solve the death of a former childhood friend. I didn't like Alexander Armstrong's narration, and so set the speed to 1.2x which improved it. The story however, involving quantum computing and much more, including James Bond at one point, was excellent. And I'm delighted there will be a second in the series.
The Secret Pilgrim by John Le Carre, read by Michael Jayston
The final book in my Smiley list. I did enjoy this, although there was very little of Smiley in it (I certainly preferred the George Smiley of the earlier novels, rather than the later ones). I'm glad I've made my way through the series, even if at times it felt like a bit of a slog.
The Day in Spikedluv (Monday, Nov 24)
Nov. 25th, 2025 05:26 amspikedluvI got up early today. Or rather, on time. I forgot that we didn’t have to get up at 5am today, so I got up a few minutes ahead of the non-existent alarm to go to the bathroom and feed the cat, then I was like, crap! By then my brain was working enough that I knew I wouldn’t get back to sleep, so I stayed up.
I hit Walmart and Agway while I was downtown, then later Stewart’s on the way home from mom’s. I also stopped at the vet’s to get Ti’s special dog food and the library to pick up a book.
I drove mom to her treatment, hand-washed dishes, went for a couple walks with Pip and the dogs, cut up chicken for the dogs' meals, scooped kitty litter, and showered. Last night’s roast chicken dinner was so good (we both loved it) that we had leftovers for supper tonight.
I read more fanfic and watched Tracker. Dr. Pol was my background tv in the evening.
Temps started out at 36.3(F) and reached 45.3. There was some sun in the afternoon, but it was still cool.
Mom Update:
Mom was not feeling well today. ( more back here )
I hit Walmart and Agway while I was downtown, then later Stewart’s on the way home from mom’s. I also stopped at the vet’s to get Ti’s special dog food and the library to pick up a book.
I drove mom to her treatment, hand-washed dishes, went for a couple walks with Pip and the dogs, cut up chicken for the dogs' meals, scooped kitty litter, and showered. Last night’s roast chicken dinner was so good (we both loved it) that we had leftovers for supper tonight.
I read more fanfic and watched Tracker. Dr. Pol was my background tv in the evening.
Temps started out at 36.3(F) and reached 45.3. There was some sun in the afternoon, but it was still cool.
Mom Update:
Mom was not feeling well today. ( more back here )
#51: Alix E. Harrow, The Everlasting
Nov. 25th, 2025 12:26 amkareila posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
kareila_booksI'm noticing some recurring themes in Harrow's novels:
1. a protagonist who is ignorant about some key aspect of their heritage
2. a villain who is using the protagonist to gain power
3. a book within the book that contains vital secrets and/or magic
The Ten Thousand Doors of January, Starling House, and this book all have these elements in common, but in very different circumstances: a Gilded Age portal fantasy, a contemporary gothic romance, and now a not-quite-Arthurian love story involving a legendary medieval knight and the scholar who travels through time to find her.
Content notes: so much violence and dying. Also traumatic parent death, explicit sex scenes, pregnancy termination, and no really I'm serious about the violence and dying.
1. a protagonist who is ignorant about some key aspect of their heritage
2. a villain who is using the protagonist to gain power
3. a book within the book that contains vital secrets and/or magic
The Ten Thousand Doors of January, Starling House, and this book all have these elements in common, but in very different circumstances: a Gilded Age portal fantasy, a contemporary gothic romance, and now a not-quite-Arthurian love story involving a legendary medieval knight and the scholar who travels through time to find her.
Content notes: so much violence and dying. Also traumatic parent death, explicit sex scenes, pregnancy termination, and no really I'm serious about the violence and dying.
Hopeless Feeling
Nov. 24th, 2025 11:14 pmcornerofmadnessSo out of 70+ faculty the same 21 people who do everything are the only ones who voted and four more voted to take the insurance that means we lose our doctors, our HSA, to save 100$/month but has a 9K deductible vs the 3K we had and oh the insurance is under major investigation by the federal government for fraud. Thanks for voting to make sure we're one health crisis away from homelessness there. But also the rest of the faculty, why are you not helping? Do you all have spouses with better insurance? Are you on medicare? Any good reason you weren't there for us?
But I was trying to find a little joy in the day and I did get paid for my short story today. That's great. I've been waiting for MONTHS on this, literally at least 6 months and I've been wondering when we were going to market it. Turns out next month and it'll be out in January.
In the opposite of joy my gastric paresis is acting up so bad. Ate and apple, puked in my office trash can and then my blood sugar dropped out because lunch was in the trash. F.U. life.
But in better news, the blood from my dexcom wasn't from infection. The skin had broken down under the glue so it's getting a rest.
Music Monday, prompt - a song that tells a story. Oh there are OH so many.
this Abney Park one isn't a happy one per se. Robert hasn't talked much about it but some of his stories and songs suggest he grew up in an abusive situation
And Reba had a lot of them. This one had me writing some romance story about a guy named Chance Deveroux back when I was in college but I never finished because I was told guys can't be part of the main focus of a romance. It had to be all the woman's pov (I know better now of course but it was most likely a horrible story anyhow)
But I was trying to find a little joy in the day and I did get paid for my short story today. That's great. I've been waiting for MONTHS on this, literally at least 6 months and I've been wondering when we were going to market it. Turns out next month and it'll be out in January.
In the opposite of joy my gastric paresis is acting up so bad. Ate and apple, puked in my office trash can and then my blood sugar dropped out because lunch was in the trash. F.U. life.
But in better news, the blood from my dexcom wasn't from infection. The skin had broken down under the glue so it's getting a rest.
Music Monday, prompt - a song that tells a story. Oh there are OH so many.
this Abney Park one isn't a happy one per se. Robert hasn't talked much about it but some of his stories and songs suggest he grew up in an abusive situation
And Reba had a lot of them. This one had me writing some romance story about a guy named Chance Deveroux back when I was in college but I never finished because I was told guys can't be part of the main focus of a romance. It had to be all the woman's pov (I know better now of course but it was most likely a horrible story anyhow)
(no subject)
Nov. 24th, 2025 11:41 pmsixbeforelunchIf I had a dollar for every time I've read a science fiction novel about a female protagonist who travels to another planet and discovers she's being manipulated by an infectious alien hive mind, I would have at least three dollars (four, if I include the book where another member of the crew is taken over by the aliens but the protagonist herself is IIRC never directly touched by them).
IDK but in context that feels like kind of a lot of dollars.
IDK but in context that feels like kind of a lot of dollars.
Daily Happiness
Nov. 24th, 2025 08:06 pmtorachan1. I got my hair cut this morning. Had to reschedule the appointment from last Monday because I had a work meeting conflict with it...and then the meeting was cancelled! Annoying, and my hair was definitely feeling longer than I usually like to let it get, but not the end of the world. Glad to have it cut again, though.
2. I got some tri-tip out of the freezer Saturday to have for dinner and it ended up being more than I thought it was once it was thawed and unwrapped, so I cut it into four small steaks and had one for dinner that day with rice and broccoli, made steak salad yesterday and today for lunch, and then had the final piece tonight in fried rice (which was very simple with only edamame in addition to the steak, and a fried egg on top). I'm glad I was able to make a variety of easy meals with it!
3. This window is one of Molly's favorite spots.
2. I got some tri-tip out of the freezer Saturday to have for dinner and it ended up being more than I thought it was once it was thawed and unwrapped, so I cut it into four small steaks and had one for dinner that day with rice and broccoli, made steak salad yesterday and today for lunch, and then had the final piece tonight in fried rice (which was very simple with only edamame in addition to the steak, and a fried egg on top). I'm glad I was able to make a variety of easy meals with it!
3. This window is one of Molly's favorite spots.
Superman (2025)
Nov. 24th, 2025 08:07 pmlannamichaelsAs superhero movies go, this is a very good superhero movie. As regular movies go, I kept being annoyed about the seriously compressed timeline and some really basic suspension of disbelief, like "is anyone going to say Lex Luthor is lying about translation" because, uh. Also, how does anyone know Kryptonian? So many little things just drove me up the wall.
However! It was a good movie, and the Clark/Lois stuff was very well done, I actually really loved their interview/fight because it worked so well in with characterization, it didn't strike my "I cannot, I cannot, I cannot" that I tend to have about couples arguing.
The main effect of the movie was, after it was revealed that Lex had people going over every inch of every Superman fight so he could get a single strand of Superman's hair so he could clone him -- I went and reread some old favorite Smallville fics. Good times.
The movie also did something I noticed with the Knives Out 2: Glass Onion film, where it made the Cool Evil Rich Villain... not come off very compelling on the slash goggles. I did not walk out of this movie shipping Clark/Lex, even though I ship Clark/Lex. Lex Luthor, played by Why Do I Recognize Him Oh That's The Boy From About A Boy, is very well done and very well performed and is not a magnificent bastard and he has zero chemistry with Clark, but not in a way that detracts from the film. This is not a film where Clark and Lex have ever been on good terms; this is not a film where they even ever knew each other. There was nothing about the movie that was in the same flavor or theme as Smallville, but hey, always fun to go reread some stuff.
But for a movie that did Lois so well, did we have to have Eve The Awful Clingy Obsessive Wannabe Girlfriend with Jimmy who did not want to date her, just wanted info from her? That was so hard to endure. I think worse of the movie for making that decision, it casts a long tail on the movie even a week after I finished it, like "oh yeah so that was a movie that made me go reread some old fics from 20 years ago, and also had this unnecessarily misogynistic sideplotline played for laughs (?)".
Nathan Fillion also appeared to be treating this film as "I will do bad acting on purpose to show that my character is a buffoon" but mostly it just came off annoying.
I also have a nit to pick with this movie that is solely from watching it with the DVD closed captions, which kept noting when the main Superman theme was playing, which is: the soundtrack to this movie is ... well, it's got some perfectly acceptable pop songs peppered in. But the rest of it is just so bland.
But this movie is better than every MCU movie I've seen, with the exception of Captain America 2: A Good Spy Movie With I Guess Absolutely Zero Repercussions For The Worldbuilding Oh Well.
(no subject)
Nov. 24th, 2025 04:45 pmysobelBack in 2018-19, Loki spent about 9 months in a cone, because he wouldn't stop killing his tail. ( cw: mention of medical saga )
And then randomly, he stopped. Since then he does still attack his tail sometimes (occasionally seeming extremely annoyed by it) but without making it bloody. I sort of get the impression he doesn't really understand that his tail is even attached to him, let alone part of him. Sometimes he shoves his tail down, stalks to a different bed, and gets upset that it followed him. Sometimes it feels like, to him, he bites the wiggly thing and then it bites him back.
But regardless, he wasn't doing serious damage.
Until last week.
We noticed a spot on the underside of his tail that he seemed to have licked bare. Then it bled a bit. So Friday was Vet Day. They shaved the area, cleaned it up, and gave him an antibiotic shot because it looked like he had just ... chomped way too hard.
So he's back in a cone. Hopefully it's just for the 10-14 days recommended by the vet. But. It's a different spot, but he does have history with, erm, tail issues.
If he continues with his tail the way he did in 2018... ( cw: mention of potential medical procedures )
Right now the dogs are banished from my bedroom so that Loki can have easier access to food/water and to litterbox. They are confused by this. Loki has been extremely clingy, jumping on my lap pretty much every time I'm in there and sleeping on me probably 80% of the night. I don't actually mind providing extra cuddles! But I think all of us will be happy when things go back to normal...
And then randomly, he stopped. Since then he does still attack his tail sometimes (occasionally seeming extremely annoyed by it) but without making it bloody. I sort of get the impression he doesn't really understand that his tail is even attached to him, let alone part of him. Sometimes he shoves his tail down, stalks to a different bed, and gets upset that it followed him. Sometimes it feels like, to him, he bites the wiggly thing and then it bites him back.
But regardless, he wasn't doing serious damage.
Until last week.
We noticed a spot on the underside of his tail that he seemed to have licked bare. Then it bled a bit. So Friday was Vet Day. They shaved the area, cleaned it up, and gave him an antibiotic shot because it looked like he had just ... chomped way too hard.
So he's back in a cone. Hopefully it's just for the 10-14 days recommended by the vet. But. It's a different spot, but he does have history with, erm, tail issues.
If he continues with his tail the way he did in 2018... ( cw: mention of potential medical procedures )
Right now the dogs are banished from my bedroom so that Loki can have easier access to food/water and to litterbox. They are confused by this. Loki has been extremely clingy, jumping on my lap pretty much every time I'm in there and sleeping on me probably 80% of the night. I don't actually mind providing extra cuddles! But I think all of us will be happy when things go back to normal...
Baking. Hazelnuts. Orange marmalade.
Nov. 24th, 2025 10:58 pmellerIt's that time of the year - I may not celebrate Christmas, but I celebrate everything around Christmas, just because. (Yes, I have an Advent calendar again, too. Okay, three Advent calendars. (In exchanges with artist friends, because store-bought calendars are boring.) You get the idea. I really like all the Christmas-y stuff!) Part of that is, of course, the food. So, here's some very classical Christmas baking! (Hazelnuts! Orange marmalade! YAY!) A bit early, but... I don't care. The supermarkets are starting to play that awful music, so, if I have to live with that, at least I can have the good stuff of the season as well, right?
Boyfriend already made an Advent wreath last weekend! (No candles, just branches and glittery stuff.) He met with some friends and they crafted together. :)
And I baked.
( Just in case you are interested in the (very simple) recipe... It's behind the cut. )
These... Won't survive long... XDD
Boyfriend already made an Advent wreath last weekend! (No candles, just branches and glittery stuff.) He met with some friends and they crafted together. :)
And I baked.
( Just in case you are interested in the (very simple) recipe... It's behind the cut. )
These... Won't survive long... XDD
3D printing software? [tech]
Nov. 24th, 2025 03:51 pmsidereaI want a widget that doesn't exist so I might be stuck designing it for 3D printing. I have never done this before. For design software, I gather both Onshape and TinkerCAD are available for free. Anybody with experience have opinions which I should start with? I have never used any CAD program before, but am not new to drafting. OTOH my drafting experience was all about 40 years ago. Open to other suggestions available for the Mac for free.
Also, I don't have my own 3D printer, so I'll be availing myself of various public-access options. But this means the iterative design feedback loop will be irritatingly protracted. Also I might have to pay money for each go round, so I'd like to minimize that. Also I am still disabled and not able to spend a lot of time in a makerspace. But I am a complete n00b to 3D printing and have zero idea what I'm doing. Does anybody have any recommendations for good educational references online about how to design for 3D printing so your widget is more likely to come out right the first or at least third time? By which I mean both print right and also function like you wanted – I know basically nothing about working with the material(s) and how they behave and what the various options are, while the widget I want to make will be functional not ornamental and have like tolerances and affordances and stuff. So finding a way to get those clues without hands-on experience, or at least minimizing the hands-on experience would be superb.
Also, I don't have my own 3D printer, so I'll be availing myself of various public-access options. But this means the iterative design feedback loop will be irritatingly protracted. Also I might have to pay money for each go round, so I'd like to minimize that. Also I am still disabled and not able to spend a lot of time in a makerspace. But I am a complete n00b to 3D printing and have zero idea what I'm doing. Does anybody have any recommendations for good educational references online about how to design for 3D printing so your widget is more likely to come out right the first or at least third time? By which I mean both print right and also function like you wanted – I know basically nothing about working with the material(s) and how they behave and what the various options are, while the widget I want to make will be functional not ornamental and have like tolerances and affordances and stuff. So finding a way to get those clues without hands-on experience, or at least minimizing the hands-on experience would be superb.
Fiction
Nov. 24th, 2025 01:43 pmrivkatHugh Howey, Wool: ( underground dystopia )
Stephanie Burgis, Wooing the Witch Queen: ( meet cute )
R.F. Kuang, Katabasis:( hell is other academics )
Qntm, There Is No Antimemetics Division: ( fighting a war you can't remember )
Mia Tsai, The Memory Hunters: ( memory and mushrooms )
John Scalzi, R. F. Kuang, Peng Shepherd, Kaliane Bradley, Olivie Blake, P. Djèlí Clark, The Time Traveler’s Passport: ( short stories )
Francesca Serritella, Ghosts of Harvard: ( ghosts or just mental illness? )
V. E. Schwab, A Darker Shade of Magic: ( world hoppers )
Stephanie Burgis, Wooing the Witch Queen: ( meet cute )
R.F. Kuang, Katabasis:( hell is other academics )
Qntm, There Is No Antimemetics Division: ( fighting a war you can't remember )
Mia Tsai, The Memory Hunters: ( memory and mushrooms )
John Scalzi, R. F. Kuang, Peng Shepherd, Kaliane Bradley, Olivie Blake, P. Djèlí Clark, The Time Traveler’s Passport: ( short stories )
Francesca Serritella, Ghosts of Harvard: ( ghosts or just mental illness? )
V. E. Schwab, A Darker Shade of Magic: ( world hoppers )
Electrical shocks
Nov. 24th, 2025 05:08 pmoursinLast week was definitely a trifecta of Electrical Stuff.
Okay, I had been suspecting for some time that the fan heater in the front room was an ex-fan heater, and plugging it into a different socket (rather than an extension cord) confirmed this.
Have now ordered a convection heater (Which Best Buy), allegedly arriving tomorrow.
Last Tuesday around 6 am there was a power cut - it only lasted about 90 minutes, but involved a certain amount of resetting appliances which had become confused - also UKPowerNet only finally alerted me about this event by text several hours after things were back to more or less normal.
What I had not expected and accounted for in resetting things was that my clock alarm had decided that the time my alarm was set for was 6 am, so I got a rude awakening the following morning.
The other thing - and this was positively sinister - was that my electric toothbrush suddenly started buzzing away all by itself on the bathroom window ledge and was very very reluctant to be switched off. How is it not scary when this sort of thing happens?
Anyway, next morning it was apathetic about being switched on and is now an ex-toothbrush. A new one - not a top Which Best Buy as those are hugely expensive, but about third on the list which is on promotion at various outlets - currently expected. I have a backup but would rather this had not happened the week I am due for a trip to the dental hygienist.
A forthcoming treatlet
Nov. 24th, 2025 02:44 pmthe_comfortable_courtesanYour amenuensis is pleas'd to announce that there will be a little Christmas treat this year: The Cathcart Apocrypha: Volume 6: Times Changing Belowstairs will be downloadable from the website from 24th December:
Clorinda Cathcart, now the widowed Marchioness of Bexbury, has undergone a radical change of circumstances. These changes have not left her household unaffected; nor have events in their lives stood still.
Enjoy!
