Overreach
Feb. 23rd, 2026 08:01![[syndicated profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/feed.png){kind=small}
pennyarcade_feedNew Comic: Overreach
pennyarcade_feedMonday Update 2-23-26
Feb. 23rd, 2026 00:37![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmithThese are some posts from the later part of last week in case you missed them:
Poem: "The Struggle Against Overwhelming Odds"
Poem: "Embrace My Fate"
John Scheepers Kitchen Garden Seeds Order
Poem: "The Spectrum of Your Being"
Early Humans
Birdfeeding
Vocabulary: Bricolage
Today's Adventures
Science
Birdfeeding
Meteor Shower Calendar
Philosophical Questions: Life
Edible Landscaping Order
Meme
Photos: House Yard
Water
Birdfeeding
Books
Follow Friday 2-20-26: Active Communities on Dreamwidth Winter 2025-2026 A-I
Energy
Birdfeeding
Community Thursdays
Photos: Flowerbeds
Books
Birdfeeding
Hard Things
Safety has 49 comments. Food has 53 comments. Wildlife has 39 comments. Food has 67 comments. Robotics has 146 comments.
Last week's half-price sale in Not Quite Kansas went well. All sponsored poems have been posted, so you can find those via the title links on the sale page.
The 2026 Rose and Bay Awards are now open for excellence in crowdfunding. It's time to vote for your favorite projects!
The award period for eligible activities spans January 1-December 31, 2025.
The nomination period spans January 1-January 31, 2026.
The voting period spans February 1-February 28, 2026.
These are the handlers for the 2026 award season:
"The Struggle Against Overwhelming Odds" belongs to Not Quite Kansas and needs $34.50 to be complete. Raymond and Gideon get attacked on the way home from research.
The weather has been variable here. Seen at the birdfeeders this week: a large flock of sparrows, several starlings, one male and two female house finches, one female and two male cardinals, a mourning dove, and a fox squirrel. I flushed the great horned owl from the ritual meadow when I went out there. A skein of geese flew overhead, going north. Currently blooming: crocuses.
Poem: "The Struggle Against Overwhelming Odds"
Poem: "Embrace My Fate"
John Scheepers Kitchen Garden Seeds Order
Poem: "The Spectrum of Your Being"
Early Humans
Birdfeeding
Vocabulary: Bricolage
Today's Adventures
Science
Birdfeeding
Meteor Shower Calendar
Philosophical Questions: Life
Edible Landscaping Order
Meme
Photos: House Yard
Water
Birdfeeding
Books
Follow Friday 2-20-26: Active Communities on Dreamwidth Winter 2025-2026 A-I
Energy
Birdfeeding
Community Thursdays
Photos: Flowerbeds
Books
Birdfeeding
Hard Things
Safety has 49 comments. Food has 53 comments. Wildlife has 39 comments. Food has 67 comments. Robotics has 146 comments.
Last week's half-price sale in Not Quite Kansas went well. All sponsored poems have been posted, so you can find those via the title links on the sale page.
The 2026 Rose and Bay Awards are now open for excellence in crowdfunding. It's time to vote for your favorite projects!
The award period for eligible activities spans January 1-December 31, 2025.
The nomination period spans January 1-January 31, 2026.
The voting period spans February 1-February 28, 2026.
These are the handlers for the 2026 award season:
Art:
Fiction:
Poetry:
Webcomic:
Other Project:
Patron:
"The Struggle Against Overwhelming Odds" belongs to Not Quite Kansas and needs $34.50 to be complete. Raymond and Gideon get attacked on the way home from research.
The weather has been variable here. Seen at the birdfeeders this week: a large flock of sparrows, several starlings, one male and two female house finches, one female and two male cardinals, a mourning dove, and a fox squirrel. I flushed the great horned owl from the ritual meadow when I went out there. A skein of geese flew overhead, going north. Currently blooming: crocuses.
Will They, or Won't They?
Feb. 23rd, 2026 01:08mxcatmoonWriting it such a fascinating process. Like, I'm riveted to this scene playing out -- I have no idea how it's going to end.
When I began writing, I intended it to be a Rico/Trudy fic that was consummated. I had a very clear idea of what would happen. It was going to be sweet and poignant.
Then, the characters had to put emotions and motivations into the process. Now, it's a battle of will they or won't they. Who knows?! Trudy is willing, and her reasons are touching and sweet. Rico is being Mr. Moral, coming up with reasons why they shouldn't.
So, the jury is still out. I have no idea who is going to win. I just know that Rico is a twenty-first century guy living in the twentieth century. I've noticed that in previous fics. I have no idea why, but I let the characters be who they tell me they are, so. Is it something I'm picking up on in canon? Going by the way he is with Valerie, I'd be doubtful, but I write on instinct and I won't force myself to go against my instincts.
When I began writing, I intended it to be a Rico/Trudy fic that was consummated. I had a very clear idea of what would happen. It was going to be sweet and poignant.
Then, the characters had to put emotions and motivations into the process. Now, it's a battle of will they or won't they. Who knows?! Trudy is willing, and her reasons are touching and sweet. Rico is being Mr. Moral, coming up with reasons why they shouldn't.
So, the jury is still out. I have no idea who is going to win. I just know that Rico is a twenty-first century guy living in the twentieth century. I've noticed that in previous fics. I have no idea why, but I let the characters be who they tell me they are, so. Is it something I'm picking up on in canon? Going by the way he is with Valerie, I'd be doubtful, but I write on instinct and I won't force myself to go against my instincts.
Poem: "The Struggle Against Overwhelming Odds"
Feb. 22nd, 2026 23:29ysabetwordsmithThis poem is spillover from the October 2020 Creative Jam. It was inspired by a prompt from wyld_dandelyon. It also fills the "demons" square in my 10-1-20 card for the Fall Festival Bingo. This poem has been sponsored by a pool with fuzzyred. It belongs to the series Not Quite Kansas.
Warning: This poem contains intense and controversial topics. Highlight to read the more detailed warnings, some of which are spoilers. It includes feeling lost, an unprovoked attack, hellhounds, violence, gore, unexpected rescue, playing with prey, fatally injured opponents, minor injuries to main characters, awkward discussions, willing sacrifice, intimate magical healing, and other challenges. If these are sensitive issues for you, please consider your tastes and headspace before reading onward.
This microfunded poem is being posted one verse at a time, as donations come in to cover them. The rate is $0.25/line, so $5 will reveal 20 new lines, and so forth. There is a permanent donation button on my profile page, or you can contact me for other arrangements. You can also ask me about the number of lines per verse, if you want to fund a certain number of verses. So far sponsors include:fuzzyred,
355 lines, Buy It Now = $44.50
Amount donated = $10
Verses posted = 13 of 118
Amount remaining to fund fully = $34.50
Amount needed to fund next verse = $0.25
Amount needed to fund the verse after that = $0.75
( Read more... )
wyld_dandelyon. It also fills the "demons" square in my 10-1-20 card for the Fall Festival Bingo. This poem has been sponsored by a pool with fuzzyred. It belongs to the series Not Quite Kansas.Warning: This poem contains intense and controversial topics. Highlight to read the more detailed warnings, some of which are spoilers. It includes feeling lost, an unprovoked attack, hellhounds, violence, gore, unexpected rescue, playing with prey, fatally injured opponents, minor injuries to main characters, awkward discussions, willing sacrifice, intimate magical healing, and other challenges. If these are sensitive issues for you, please consider your tastes and headspace before reading onward.
This microfunded poem is being posted one verse at a time, as donations come in to cover them. The rate is $0.25/line, so $5 will reveal 20 new lines, and so forth. There is a permanent donation button on my profile page, or you can contact me for other arrangements. You can also ask me about the number of lines per verse, if you want to fund a certain number of verses. So far sponsors include:
fuzzyred, 355 lines, Buy It Now = $44.50
Amount donated = $10
Verses posted = 13 of 118
Amount remaining to fund fully = $34.50
Amount needed to fund next verse = $0.25
Amount needed to fund the verse after that = $0.75
( Read more... )
Nightwing's " Cirque du Sin " arc wrapped up this month.
Feb. 22nd, 2026 10:24thanekos in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
scans_dailyIt started in October 2024 - it's been seventeen issues and one annual.
It's the Cirque, which Dick'd encountered as Robin, having designs on him and Blüdhaven.
In issue #132, he'd confronted the Cirque's representative Olivia Pearce - and seen her face.
( Her master, the Zanni, came out of it. )
It's the Cirque, which Dick'd encountered as Robin, having designs on him and Blüdhaven.
In issue #132, he'd confronted the Cirque's representative Olivia Pearce - and seen her face.
( Her master, the Zanni, came out of it. )
Poem: "Embrace My Fate"
Feb. 22nd, 2026 22:39ysabetwordsmithThis poem is spillover from the October 6, 2020 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by a prompt from librarygeek. It also fills the "How do you want to do this?" square in my 10-1-20 card for the Fall Festival Bingo. This poem has been sponsored by a pool with fuzzyred. It belongs to the series Not Quite Kansas.
Warning: This poem contains intense and controversial topics. Highlight to read the more detailed warnings, some of which are spoilers. It includes feeling lost, sorting through a lair acquired by combat, reference to past abuse, cursed artifacts, damned souls, worry, magical body modification, restraint for safety, awkward emotional discussions, and other challenges. If these are sensitive issues for you, please consider your tastes and headspace before reading onward.
( Read more... )
librarygeek. It also fills the "How do you want to do this?" square in my 10-1-20 card for the Fall Festival Bingo. This poem has been sponsored by a pool with fuzzyred. It belongs to the series Not Quite Kansas.Warning: This poem contains intense and controversial topics. Highlight to read the more detailed warnings, some of which are spoilers. It includes feeling lost, sorting through a lair acquired by combat, reference to past abuse, cursed artifacts, damned souls, worry, magical body modification, restraint for safety, awkward emotional discussions, and other challenges. If these are sensitive issues for you, please consider your tastes and headspace before reading onward.
( Read more... )
Writerly Ways
Feb. 22nd, 2026 23:14cornerofmadnessLast week I wrestled with a tough emotion to portray in fiction and here's another one, grief/mourning. this might be one of the most personalized of emotions. It's freaking tidal, coming and going with whatever moon your mind is following. I think the difficulty of this emotion is just how different it can be person from person, from all the various lived experiences out there. It's not even necessarily the same within one person.
Take me for example. Within a year I lost my last two uncles (the only two I was related to by blood) and the grief hits different for both of them. Uncle S died suddenly, unexpectedly, of a heart attack. He was, without a doubt, the more gregarious of my uncles, the 'fun one.' The fourth of July last year was hard because the family always went to his lake house. Mom and I had also been at a rock/gem show the day he died and when that rolled around, neither of us wanted to return so that is a shared bit of grief that maybe in a story might not make sense.
Uncle D was the shy uncle, the introvert who really should have been helped more in school with his learning issues but that wasn't the done thing in the 50s and 60s. The first anniversary of his death is coming in the next few weeks and yet oddly there is a lack of grief when I think about it. It's not that I didn't like this uncle but it is different. Maybe it was the lack of a funeral. Maybe it was how much he pulled away almost as if afraid he had nothing to talk about with me because he wasn't 'smart enough' (no, I know he feared that.)
Even yesterday, I finally decided to stop being a jackass and answer my 3 month back log of emails/blog comments. I had at least a dozen in there that I owedspikedluv. There is so much regret in that, an emotion that doesn't go with grief alone but it is a big part of it. There is, of course, nothing I can do about that but I am determined to get the rest of the owed comments out in the next few days. I'm avoiding future regret, right? And avoidance is definitely one sign of grief.
I think in many ways, grief isn't necessarily hard to write but the way others perceive it i s where it gets sticky.
For example, I think I wrote grief well in These Haunted Hills but the book fell flat (though I did just find a great review by someone I'm not sure I know on GR) Ah well (but that's a heart break for another time)
How do you handle grief in fiction?
Open Calls
Story Unlikely This mag pays well BUT you have to subscribe which is free but if you get a paid sub your pay as an author goes up and that, while I understand it, doesn't necessarily sit well with me.
Horror Library Volume 10 Original, thoughtful horror-centric short stories
Folded Space Podcast Science fiction, exploring new worlds, future possibilities, and the enduring human spirit
The Whumpy Printing Press is looking novelette, novella, novel, short story collection, and graphic novel submissions Novelette, novella, novel, short story collection, and graphic novels that fall into the whump genre (i.e. a character needs to be hurt). We’re looking for strong stories with a balance between whump and plot. Ideally science fiction or fantasy (is it possible I DO NOT have a whump story?!?)
Street Magic III Magic. Hiding right under our unsuspecting noses, or swirling around all around us. When we’re talking about Street Magic, it’s probably closer than you think.
SciFi To Go: Food For Thought Funny short stories in the areas of science fiction, fantasy, and horror
86 Opportunities for Historically Underrepresented Writers (February 2026) many of these include LGBT and women in general
From Around the Web
How the Page Thinks: Spatial Intelligence in Writing
The Four-Act Structure and the Circular Shape of Story
Fix Flat Deep POV: 7 Probing Questions for Better Immersion
How to Build an Author Brand That Attracts Readers and Sells Books (Step-by-Step Guide)
From Betty
How to Create a Simple Language
How to Use Story Structure in Non-Narrative Writing
Six Rape Tropes and How to Replace Them
Reconciling Character Choices With Your Plot
How to Make Your Dark Event Pay Off
Using Contradictions to Create Masterful Microtension – Part 2
Setting the Stage with Powerful Description
Fix Flat Deep POV: 7 Probing Questions for Better Immersion
How to Turn Feedback into Action: Understanding Editorial Letters
Why Writers Fear and Resist Change (and Characters Do, Too)
YouTube for Writers, Part 6: Building Your Author Brand on YouTube
Why Every Writer Needs a Critique Group (and the Six Relationships That Shape Your Career) Okay this one is something I have been saying forever. Ignoring the whole God bit (which fine if you're religious great but otherwise I don't feel like it needs to be in this article. This is not for everyone). I do still wish I could get more people into my critique group.
Email List Segmentation for Authors: How to Reach Readers and Increase Sales
A BREAKTHROUGH Program for Writers of Fantasy, Science Fiction, and Horror This is like a college class in a way complete with application fees. It is NOT a cheap opportunity by any means.
Take me for example. Within a year I lost my last two uncles (the only two I was related to by blood) and the grief hits different for both of them. Uncle S died suddenly, unexpectedly, of a heart attack. He was, without a doubt, the more gregarious of my uncles, the 'fun one.' The fourth of July last year was hard because the family always went to his lake house. Mom and I had also been at a rock/gem show the day he died and when that rolled around, neither of us wanted to return so that is a shared bit of grief that maybe in a story might not make sense.
Uncle D was the shy uncle, the introvert who really should have been helped more in school with his learning issues but that wasn't the done thing in the 50s and 60s. The first anniversary of his death is coming in the next few weeks and yet oddly there is a lack of grief when I think about it. It's not that I didn't like this uncle but it is different. Maybe it was the lack of a funeral. Maybe it was how much he pulled away almost as if afraid he had nothing to talk about with me because he wasn't 'smart enough' (no, I know he feared that.)
Even yesterday, I finally decided to stop being a jackass and answer my 3 month back log of emails/blog comments. I had at least a dozen in there that I owed
spikedluv. There is so much regret in that, an emotion that doesn't go with grief alone but it is a big part of it. There is, of course, nothing I can do about that but I am determined to get the rest of the owed comments out in the next few days. I'm avoiding future regret, right? And avoidance is definitely one sign of grief.I think in many ways, grief isn't necessarily hard to write but the way others perceive it i s where it gets sticky.
For example, I think I wrote grief well in These Haunted Hills but the book fell flat (though I did just find a great review by someone I'm not sure I know on GR) Ah well (but that's a heart break for another time)
How do you handle grief in fiction?
Open Calls
Story Unlikely This mag pays well BUT you have to subscribe which is free but if you get a paid sub your pay as an author goes up and that, while I understand it, doesn't necessarily sit well with me.
Horror Library Volume 10 Original, thoughtful horror-centric short stories
Folded Space Podcast Science fiction, exploring new worlds, future possibilities, and the enduring human spirit
The Whumpy Printing Press is looking novelette, novella, novel, short story collection, and graphic novel submissions Novelette, novella, novel, short story collection, and graphic novels that fall into the whump genre (i.e. a character needs to be hurt). We’re looking for strong stories with a balance between whump and plot. Ideally science fiction or fantasy (is it possible I DO NOT have a whump story?!?)
Street Magic III Magic. Hiding right under our unsuspecting noses, or swirling around all around us. When we’re talking about Street Magic, it’s probably closer than you think.
SciFi To Go: Food For Thought Funny short stories in the areas of science fiction, fantasy, and horror
86 Opportunities for Historically Underrepresented Writers (February 2026) many of these include LGBT and women in general
From Around the Web
How the Page Thinks: Spatial Intelligence in Writing
The Four-Act Structure and the Circular Shape of Story
Fix Flat Deep POV: 7 Probing Questions for Better Immersion
How to Build an Author Brand That Attracts Readers and Sells Books (Step-by-Step Guide)
From Betty
How to Create a Simple Language
How to Use Story Structure in Non-Narrative Writing
Six Rape Tropes and How to Replace Them
Reconciling Character Choices With Your Plot
How to Make Your Dark Event Pay Off
Using Contradictions to Create Masterful Microtension – Part 2
Setting the Stage with Powerful Description
Fix Flat Deep POV: 7 Probing Questions for Better Immersion
How to Turn Feedback into Action: Understanding Editorial Letters
Why Writers Fear and Resist Change (and Characters Do, Too)
YouTube for Writers, Part 6: Building Your Author Brand on YouTube
Why Every Writer Needs a Critique Group (and the Six Relationships That Shape Your Career) Okay this one is something I have been saying forever. Ignoring the whole God bit (which fine if you're religious great but otherwise I don't feel like it needs to be in this article. This is not for everyone). I do still wish I could get more people into my critique group.
Email List Segmentation for Authors: How to Reach Readers and Increase Sales
A BREAKTHROUGH Program for Writers of Fantasy, Science Fiction, and Horror This is like a college class in a way complete with application fees. It is NOT a cheap opportunity by any means.
Won’t Someone Think of the Corporations?: JUSTICE LEAGUE QUARTERLY #1 (JLI 61)
Feb. 22nd, 2026 19:59tcampbell1000 in scans_daily
The launch of Justice League Quarterly might’ve seemed excessive, but in retrospect, it let Giffen, DeMatteis, and Jones explore a few story concepts in depth that otherwise might’ve been sent to the margins. First up was Booster Gold’s new super-team, the Fighting Shills. No, wait, I mean the Intellectual Property. No, wait, I mean the Bought-And-Paid-For Hacks. No, wait, I mean…the Conglomerate? Are we SURE that’s their name?
( In 1990, the name ‘‘Citizens United’’ would’ve said ‘super-team’ more than ‘‘overextension of corporate power.’’ )
John Scheepers Kitchen Garden Seeds Order
Feb. 22nd, 2026 21:41ysabetwordsmithI picked out what I wanted from John Scheepers Kitchen Garden Seeds. This catalog has the Safe Seed Pledge, meaning everything is non-GMO/toxin-free. My partner Doug further notes that they have the best, easiest ordering system of all the catalogs we use. Call up the Smart Order Form and when you key in the product number, the rest autofills, tells you if it's still in stock, and lists the price. \o/ Somegeek earned their coffee today!
( Read more... )
( Read more... )
It's Not A Cult - Joey Batey
Feb. 22nd, 2026 22:16troisoiseauxRead It's Not A Cult by Joey Batey, a debut folk horror novel about a band whose songs based on an invented mythology (the Solkats, small gods of wine stains and stubbed toes and untold jokes and bus stop fights and texts at three in the morning, etc.) inspire a literal cult following; I picked this up mostly because I know of the author for other work (he has a band, The Amazing Devil, and played Jaskier on The Witcher) and I'm not sure if it is, exactly, good— I suspect it might work better as an audiobook, because it has a rather distracting tendency towards draaaaawing out wooooords and phonetic spelling of accents ("updéeat")— but I did read the entire thing in one day. It's definitely a [Rod Sterling voice] wouldn't that be messed up? kind of horror novel— very ambiguous ending, and a lot of ambiguity throughout; ( not a spoiler, exactly. )
According to an interview I read when this came on my radar a few months ago, either the novel itself or at least the idea for it (unclear?) pre-dates Batey's career(s) as an actor and musician, but it's a bit of context that I found impossible to shake in light of, a., the themes of artistry (specifically, as a musician) and fandom, and b., the way the narrative is entirely framed by camera lenses: if an action takes place on the page, it's because there's a camera pointing at it, from the narrator's coping mechanism of viewing the world through a camcorder lens rather than looking at things straight on, to vloggers live-streaming their every thought, filmed police interviews, etc., including some rather improbably convoluted executions of the premise.
According to an interview I read when this came on my radar a few months ago, either the novel itself or at least the idea for it (unclear?) pre-dates Batey's career(s) as an actor and musician, but it's a bit of context that I found impossible to shake in light of, a., the themes of artistry (specifically, as a musician) and fandom, and b., the way the narrative is entirely framed by camera lenses: if an action takes place on the page, it's because there's a camera pointing at it, from the narrator's coping mechanism of viewing the world through a camcorder lens rather than looking at things straight on, to vloggers live-streaming their every thought, filmed police interviews, etc., including some rather improbably convoluted executions of the premise.
Ficlet: Incredibly Annoying (Batman, Stephanie centric)
Feb. 22nd, 2026 21:42rivulet027Title: Incredibly Annoying
Fandom: Batman
Characters/Pairings: Stephanie Brown, Jonathan Samuel Kent, Damian Wayne, Jason Todd
Disclaimer: I own nothing to do with DC. It's not my toy box and I'm merely playing.
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Stephanie wakes up to a riddle.
A/N: Written for thefan_flashworks prompt riddle on Dreamwidth way back in 09/25 because I am way behind on crossposting!
( Incredibly Annoying )
Fandom: Batman
Characters/Pairings: Stephanie Brown, Jonathan Samuel Kent, Damian Wayne, Jason Todd
Disclaimer: I own nothing to do with DC. It's not my toy box and I'm merely playing.
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Stephanie wakes up to a riddle.
A/N: Written for the
fan_flashworks prompt riddle on Dreamwidth way back in 09/25 because I am way behind on crossposting!( Incredibly Annoying )
Sunday Check-in
Feb. 22nd, 2026 18:34mxcatmoonNot doing anything structured at the moment, just ala carte work. I still have some stuff to catch up on, like I haven't posted all my three-sentence fic that I wrote over here yet.
( Read more... )
( Read more... )
i don't wanna keep secrets just to keep you
Feb. 22nd, 2026 19:30musesfoolI got up to watch the hockey this morning and despite Team USA pulling it off in OT, I do not accept that Bill Guerin was proved right in his choices. Eighty-five percent of the game was played in their defensive end and they only won because Connor Hellebuyck stood on his head. Maybe a little more scoring power on the team could have given them some breathing room. I am just saying. I'm happy for Hellebuyck and the Hughes brothers, and I got a little teary when they brought out the Gaudreau jersey and his kids, and I'm not gonna lie, watching Jon Cooper and Connor McDavid (along with Sam Bennett, Tom Wilson, and Brad Marchand) lose was pleasing to me on a deep, personal level, but overall, I'd still have preferred the Finns or the Swedes take home the gold.
I then baked some oatmeal for breakfast for the week, and made macaroni salad for a few days of lunch, and then for dinner, I made angel hair as planned, though when I actually read the recipe, it was not anything new to me - it was what I always do for a super quick tomato sauce, except they were adding chile crisp to it, which I guess is the thing nowadays - every recipe I read has chile crisp in it, but I'm not really a chile crisp person. I have the heat tolerance (in terms of spiciness, though I also don't like my food super hot temperature-wise either) of the whitest baby you know.
Anyway! It is a super easy but delicious meal and if you don't mind waiting a few extra minutes, you can do it all in one pot. Boil your pasta - angel hair is best for this, imo - and reserve a cup of pasta water before you drain it. Return the pot to the stove over low heat and add in a nice glug of olive oil (2 tbsp if you need a measurement), and then add a whole can or tube of tomato paste to the oil (so between 4 and 6 oz). Stir it around and season it as you like - I used garlic and onion powder, oregano and red pepper flakes and salt, but if you want to get fancy, you could probably saute a diced shallot and some minced garlic in the oil for a minute or two before adding the tomato paste - for 2-3 minutes, until it's all hot and sizzling. If you are so inclined, add chile crisp to suit your taste. Then add the pasta back, and about half the reserved water and toss it until the pasta is coated. I only used 4 oz of angel hair, so if you have more, you might need more water. Then put it in bowls and sprinkle it with parmesan cheese. If you are in an even bigger rush, you can sizzle the tomato paste in a frying pan while the pasta cooks and then combine it all back in the pasta pot. The couple of minutes you save isn't worth having to wash an extra pot to me, but it might be to some people.
*
I then baked some oatmeal for breakfast for the week, and made macaroni salad for a few days of lunch, and then for dinner, I made angel hair as planned, though when I actually read the recipe, it was not anything new to me - it was what I always do for a super quick tomato sauce, except they were adding chile crisp to it, which I guess is the thing nowadays - every recipe I read has chile crisp in it, but I'm not really a chile crisp person. I have the heat tolerance (in terms of spiciness, though I also don't like my food super hot temperature-wise either) of the whitest baby you know.
Anyway! It is a super easy but delicious meal and if you don't mind waiting a few extra minutes, you can do it all in one pot. Boil your pasta - angel hair is best for this, imo - and reserve a cup of pasta water before you drain it. Return the pot to the stove over low heat and add in a nice glug of olive oil (2 tbsp if you need a measurement), and then add a whole can or tube of tomato paste to the oil (so between 4 and 6 oz). Stir it around and season it as you like - I used garlic and onion powder, oregano and red pepper flakes and salt, but if you want to get fancy, you could probably saute a diced shallot and some minced garlic in the oil for a minute or two before adding the tomato paste - for 2-3 minutes, until it's all hot and sizzling. If you are so inclined, add chile crisp to suit your taste. Then add the pasta back, and about half the reserved water and toss it until the pasta is coated. I only used 4 oz of angel hair, so if you have more, you might need more water. Then put it in bowls and sprinkle it with parmesan cheese. If you are in an even bigger rush, you can sizzle the tomato paste in a frying pan while the pasta cooks and then combine it all back in the pasta pot. The couple of minutes you save isn't worth having to wash an extra pot to me, but it might be to some people.
*
Masquerade a Phantom of Opera Experience.
Feb. 22nd, 2026 17:02traykorIf you're going to be in NYC before June, you should see Masquerade. Especially if you are disabled.
We arrived at the venue early. They checked us in and asked if we needed the stairless route. I said yes. I was with my rollator as I figured the larger scooter I have would be too big.
We were ushered in to a side hallway and met by a staffer, who introduced himself as our butler for the evening. He got us our masks, took our coats, and asked if we wanted the alcoholic or non-alcoholic toast. Then he asked--and it was an ask--how we would like to move about the experience--I could walk with the rollator or one of their chair canes and he'd ensure a good path and when to go to the elevator (the main audience goes up and down stairs a lot), or they had wheelchairs available and he would push me. He talked briefly about the speed of transitions but I didn't feel pressed to choose any one option. I opted for the wheelchair.
Throughout the night him moved me into and out of the rooms quickly, the other staff were very on top of moving curtains, moving chairs, it was very well coordinated.
In the first room, as everyone else is standing, I was right in front. A cast member stopped and asked my name. A few minutes later, Andre entered and greeted me by name (he then went on to say hello to other attendees). I thought that might be it for the name but it was not!
Throughout the show there are notes from the Phantom, of course. These actually get handed out to people and you get to keep them, which is just fun in general.
So we are moving through the show, and there's a moment when the main audience is doing a long staircase down so you, in the elevator, end up in the next scene well ahead of them. It's Carlotta's dressing room. She also greeted me by name as an 'old friend', and started complaining about not having a big role in Don Juan (if you know Phantom you know what's being adapted here), we chat, the rest of audience comes in and suddenly I'm in the scene! I got to play along as her dear friend comforting her (I suggested a vacation to Italy), and then we read the Phantom's next note together, which I got to keep.
In another moment, the bring in some of the Phantom's backstory from Love Never Dies (and one of the songs), and it's supposed to be spooky. The rest of the audience goes through a spooky hallway, but from the elevator you don't.
They had a cast member waiting outside the elevator to spook us. Just us! So we wouldn't miss out on the scare.
It was like that throughout. Always positioned for a good view, lots of cast interactions. At the end there's a bar and merch shop. They quickly brought out my rollator and our coats and gave us directions on how to leave when we were ready.
So truly a magic night. It's a very different version of Phantom, but I've seen the musical live on stage 5 times, different was appealing. I could not have loved it more.
We arrived at the venue early. They checked us in and asked if we needed the stairless route. I said yes. I was with my rollator as I figured the larger scooter I have would be too big.
We were ushered in to a side hallway and met by a staffer, who introduced himself as our butler for the evening. He got us our masks, took our coats, and asked if we wanted the alcoholic or non-alcoholic toast. Then he asked--and it was an ask--how we would like to move about the experience--I could walk with the rollator or one of their chair canes and he'd ensure a good path and when to go to the elevator (the main audience goes up and down stairs a lot), or they had wheelchairs available and he would push me. He talked briefly about the speed of transitions but I didn't feel pressed to choose any one option. I opted for the wheelchair.
Throughout the night him moved me into and out of the rooms quickly, the other staff were very on top of moving curtains, moving chairs, it was very well coordinated.
In the first room, as everyone else is standing, I was right in front. A cast member stopped and asked my name. A few minutes later, Andre entered and greeted me by name (he then went on to say hello to other attendees). I thought that might be it for the name but it was not!
Throughout the show there are notes from the Phantom, of course. These actually get handed out to people and you get to keep them, which is just fun in general.
So we are moving through the show, and there's a moment when the main audience is doing a long staircase down so you, in the elevator, end up in the next scene well ahead of them. It's Carlotta's dressing room. She also greeted me by name as an 'old friend', and started complaining about not having a big role in Don Juan (if you know Phantom you know what's being adapted here), we chat, the rest of audience comes in and suddenly I'm in the scene! I got to play along as her dear friend comforting her (I suggested a vacation to Italy), and then we read the Phantom's next note together, which I got to keep.
In another moment, the bring in some of the Phantom's backstory from Love Never Dies (and one of the songs), and it's supposed to be spooky. The rest of the audience goes through a spooky hallway, but from the elevator you don't.
They had a cast member waiting outside the elevator to spook us. Just us! So we wouldn't miss out on the scare.
It was like that throughout. Always positioned for a good view, lots of cast interactions. At the end there's a bar and merch shop. They quickly brought out my rollator and our coats and gave us directions on how to leave when we were ready.
So truly a magic night. It's a very different version of Phantom, but I've seen the musical live on stage 5 times, different was appealing. I could not have loved it more.
Poem: "The Spectrum of Your Being"
Feb. 22nd, 2026 17:51ysabetwordsmithThis poem is spillover from the September 1, 2020 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by a prompt from librarygeek. It also fills the "How do you want to do this?" square in my 9-1-20 card for the I Want Fries With That! Bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by a pool with fuzzyred. It belongs to the series Not Quite Kansas.
Warning: This poem contains intense and controversial topics. Highlight to read the more detailed warnings, some of which are spoilers. It includes feeling lost, a headless chicken running around, a fight with bit character fatalities, moderate injuries to a main character, messy medical details, an imprisoned demon, torture, binding magic, demonic healing, and other challenges. If these are sensitive issues for you, please consider your tastes and headspace before reading onward.
( Read more... )
librarygeek. It also fills the "How do you want to do this?" square in my 9-1-20 card for the I Want Fries With That! Bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by a pool with fuzzyred. It belongs to the series Not Quite Kansas.Warning: This poem contains intense and controversial topics. Highlight to read the more detailed warnings, some of which are spoilers. It includes feeling lost, a headless chicken running around, a fight with bit character fatalities, moderate injuries to a main character, messy medical details, an imprisoned demon, torture, binding magic, demonic healing, and other challenges. If these are sensitive issues for you, please consider your tastes and headspace before reading onward.
( Read more... )