Songs From The Movies.....
Feb. 9th, 2026 09:58 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
disneydream06This week's song comes from the group, After The Fire, "Der Kommissar", and it was used in the 2017 movie, "Atomic Blonde".
disneydream06xpost from elseweb
Feb. 9th, 2026 07:49 amjazzfishWestrene mountains cold a' winters:
Seil the wind, embrace the snow,
Cleaven to the trail beneathan,
Minden an the fire glow.
The thing about Aspects -- one of a great many things about Aspects -- is that Mike devised two distinct fictitious (as far as I know) dialects, presented them in text without falling into the usual traps of being incomprehensible or cloying, and -wrote poetry- in at least one.
Soon I shall be sad and angry all over again that all we have is seven chapters, two fragments, and a handful of sonnets. (And Zarf's delightful essay on 'the conlang of Pierre Menard.') For now I can be grateful that there's this much.
It helps to see complicated, damaged people who understand and care deeply for each other.
(no subject)
Feb. 9th, 2026 09:53 amdisneydream06Today it's pleasure to send out...
*~*~*~*~*GREAT BIG HAPPY BIRTHDAY WISHES*~*~*~*~*
To my friend,pink_halen/vango.
I hope your day is extra special.
Have some cake for me.
*~*~*~*~*GREAT BIG HAPPY BIRTHDAY WISHES*~*~*~*~*
To my friend,
pink_halen/vango.I hope your day is extra special.
Have some cake for me.
Day 9: Fic - Kamen Rider Gotchard - Rinne
Feb. 9th, 2026 10:39 amlinky posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
halfamoonTitle: Focus
Fandom: Kamen Rider Gotchard
Pairing/Characters: Rinne
Rating: G
Word count: 100
Author's note: For The Scholar prompt. Also for100_women's prompt of Focus.
Summary: Rinne studies.
Also on Ao3 or read below the cut:
( Read more... )
Fandom: Kamen Rider Gotchard
Pairing/Characters: Rinne
Rating: G
Word count: 100
Author's note: For The Scholar prompt. Also for
100_women's prompt of Focus.Summary: Rinne studies.
Also on Ao3 or read below the cut:
( Read more... )
Schoenenkwartier in Waalwijk, Netherlands
Feb. 9th, 2026 10:00 am![[syndicated profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/feed.png){kind=small}
atlas_obscura_places_feed
Shoes are everywhere, yet most people never think about how they are made. In the Dutch town of Waalwijk, where the Dutch shoe and leather industry originates, the Schoenenkwartier slows that process down and shows what usually stays out of sight.
Inside, the shoe-making process is laid out step by step. Old factory machines are still there, the kind once used every day to cut leather, stitch uppers, press soles, and shape shoes for mass production. Seeing them up close makes it clear how much work, precision, and repetition went into something as ordinary as a pair of shoes.
What stands out is how the past connects naturally to the present. Alongside the historic machines are new materials and design experiments that look at how shoes might be made in the future. Rather than focusing on nostalgia, the place invites closer attention to materials, tools, and the quiet complexity of objects we use without thinking twice. Not only functional but artistic insights are given.
There are also a lot of practical interactive things to do. You can design your own shoes, try a lot of shoes on the catwalk and there are a lot of things for kids to do too. Also workshops like making a bag, slippers or flowers made of leather is something you can do. It's a real hidden gem.
Day 9: Fic - Quantum Leap - Donna Elesee, Original Female Character
Feb. 9th, 2026 10:20 amlightbird posting in halfamoonTitle/Link: Time Heals
Fandom: Quantum Leap
Character(s): Donna Elesee, Original Female Character
Rating: G
Prompt: The Scholar
Summary: The loneliness and unhappiness she'd felt from his sudden, never-explained leaving had finally dissipated. She only pitied him; he'd missed out on watching his bright daughter grow up to be a brilliant young woman.
Fandom: Quantum Leap
Character(s): Donna Elesee, Original Female Character
Rating: G
Prompt: The Scholar
Summary: The loneliness and unhappiness she'd felt from his sudden, never-explained leaving had finally dissipated. She only pitied him; he'd missed out on watching his bright daughter grow up to be a brilliant young woman.
A miracle!
Feb. 9th, 2026 03:22 pmheleninwalesYesterday a miracle happened. It didn't rain for several hours. Indeed, it remained dry long enough for us to enjoy a walk in the forest. Because we hadn't done it for some time, we just did the walk up one side of the valley to the waterfall and then back down the other side. Though the weather was dry, it was still gloomy so I didn't take many photos.
As you approach the head of the valley, there is a sign board showing an artist's illustration (based on old photos) showing what the processing mill at the gold mine looked like when it was at the peak of production.
After all the rain we've been having, there was plenty of water going down the waterfall.
( More here... )
It has actually been dry for most of today too. It's been raining for so long that the absence of the pattering sound as water falls onto the conservatory roof, feels strange.
As you approach the head of the valley, there is a sign board showing an artist's illustration (based on old photos) showing what the processing mill at the gold mine looked like when it was at the peak of production.
After all the rain we've been having, there was plenty of water going down the waterfall.
( More here... )
It has actually been dry for most of today too. It's been raining for so long that the absence of the pattering sound as water falls onto the conservatory roof, feels strange.
Follow Up.....
Feb. 9th, 2026 09:16 amdisneydream06So yesterday I asked what that STOP sign meant.
Apparently it doesn't mean STOP like you would think.
I'm guessing it actually means slow down a little bit.
That was brought on by my observation over night at work on Saturday.
I was babysitting a little old confused lady.
I sat near the window and I had a partial view of the street that runs along the West side of the hospital.
There is a three way stop intersection that connects with a "road" that runs through the hospital area, the ER, parking ramps, etc.
As I sat there I was frequently watching the traffic coming from the South on the city street.
I think I could count on one hand the number of vehicles that came to a full stop at the STOP signs.
And that included Police vehicles.
So if I ever get stopped for not coming to a full stop at a STOP sign in Rochester, I will politely LAUGH IN THEIR FACE.
Apparently it doesn't mean STOP like you would think.
I'm guessing it actually means slow down a little bit.
That was brought on by my observation over night at work on Saturday.
I was babysitting a little old confused lady.
I sat near the window and I had a partial view of the street that runs along the West side of the hospital.
There is a three way stop intersection that connects with a "road" that runs through the hospital area, the ER, parking ramps, etc.
As I sat there I was frequently watching the traffic coming from the South on the city street.
I think I could count on one hand the number of vehicles that came to a full stop at the STOP signs.
And that included Police vehicles.
So if I ever get stopped for not coming to a full stop at a STOP sign in Rochester, I will politely LAUGH IN THEIR FACE.
Day 9: fanart, Warrior Nun - Yasmine Amunet
Feb. 9th, 2026 11:22 amsisterdivinium posting in halfamoonTitle: Dedication
Fandom: Warrior Nun
Characters: Yasmine Amunet, with Mother Superion and Camila in the background
Rating: G
Notes: Done with felt tip pens, Chinese ink and graphite.
Summary: Yasmine has done perhaps a little too much studying.
Over here, at my journal!
Fandom: Warrior Nun
Characters: Yasmine Amunet, with Mother Superion and Camila in the background
Rating: G
Notes: Done with felt tip pens, Chinese ink and graphite.
Summary: Yasmine has done perhaps a little too much studying.
Over here, at my journal!
(no subject)
Feb. 9th, 2026 09:12 amseekingferretCathedrals of Science by Patrick Coffey
I picked it up because Wikipedia says Gilbert Lewis was nominated for a Nobel Prize 41 times and never won and I was like, there's gotta be a story there. I couldn't find a bio of Lewis, but I did find this, which is a group bio of Lewis and a cohort of physical chemists who revolutionized chemistry in the early 20th century. Lewis is joined in the main cast by Arrhenius and Nernst and Langmuir and Seaborg, all names I'd heard before but didn't really know.
Lewis had some Massachusetts blue blood, but he grew up in Nebraska before returning to attend Harvard and finishing his studies in Europe. And it seems clear that he was always a bit of a social oddball, even once he established himself as the king of chemistry at Berkeley.
The book has some serious parts when it covers the intersection of chemistry and the world wars, and Lewis's strange and tragic death, but mostly it's about how amazingly petty chemists are. I loved reading about how they kept stealing credit from each other for discoveries and doing backroom deals to keep each other from winning Nobel prizes.
To be clear, because I still don't understand how Nobel Prizes are awarded, it's not that Lewis was nominated in 41 years and never won. He received nominations from 41 people over a span of something like 25 years, for multiple discoveries and theoretical advancements in the field. He also devoted those 25 years, and the 20 before, to publically trashing the science of several of the people who decided who would win the prize, or had influence on the decides. Coffey digs up amazing documentary evidence of the coordinated campaign against Lewis, but also makes you think maybe you don't blame them for it.
Anyway, a long running theme in this journal is the way science doesn't move in a sphere of pure ideas but is instead a function of imperfect personalities in collision, and this was a brilliant illumination of that theme.
And if you just think Chemistry: The Soap Opera sounds fun, this is the book for you.
I picked it up because Wikipedia says Gilbert Lewis was nominated for a Nobel Prize 41 times and never won and I was like, there's gotta be a story there. I couldn't find a bio of Lewis, but I did find this, which is a group bio of Lewis and a cohort of physical chemists who revolutionized chemistry in the early 20th century. Lewis is joined in the main cast by Arrhenius and Nernst and Langmuir and Seaborg, all names I'd heard before but didn't really know.
Lewis had some Massachusetts blue blood, but he grew up in Nebraska before returning to attend Harvard and finishing his studies in Europe. And it seems clear that he was always a bit of a social oddball, even once he established himself as the king of chemistry at Berkeley.
The book has some serious parts when it covers the intersection of chemistry and the world wars, and Lewis's strange and tragic death, but mostly it's about how amazingly petty chemists are. I loved reading about how they kept stealing credit from each other for discoveries and doing backroom deals to keep each other from winning Nobel prizes.
To be clear, because I still don't understand how Nobel Prizes are awarded, it's not that Lewis was nominated in 41 years and never won. He received nominations from 41 people over a span of something like 25 years, for multiple discoveries and theoretical advancements in the field. He also devoted those 25 years, and the 20 before, to publically trashing the science of several of the people who decided who would win the prize, or had influence on the decides. Coffey digs up amazing documentary evidence of the coordinated campaign against Lewis, but also makes you think maybe you don't blame them for it.
Anyway, a long running theme in this journal is the way science doesn't move in a sphere of pure ideas but is instead a function of imperfect personalities in collision, and this was a brilliant illumination of that theme.
And if you just think Chemistry: The Soap Opera sounds fun, this is the book for you.
Pineapple tart update, with recipes
Feb. 9th, 2026 01:43 pmqianMy entire weekend got swallowed up by pineapple tarts, as I decided to make the tarts on Sunday. I made two batches of pastry, one batch with cheese and one without, following this recipe. I basically ignored the family for much of the day in order to do this, but still had to take various breaks to make lunch for the kids, eat myself, tidy up, intervene in quarrels, etc. So there were various shenanigans by way of: had to stop making tarts so put pastry in the fridge for too long and it had turned into granite by the time I returned to it; someone must have butt-dialled the oven so it wasn't the temperature I set it at and the tarts came out darker than they should be; threw away the egg wash then remembered I had 6 remaining tarts to egg-wash so they only got a milk wash and are not as pretty; etc. etc.
The cheesy batch of pastry in particular was terribly stiff and hard to work with; I couldn't roll it without it cracking all over. I think I might have overworked the dough? In any case, my pastry doesn't seem to come together the way What to Cook Today suggests it will, so I'm going to put a rewritten recipe for pineapple tarts below -- what worked for ME. Fortunately the resulting tarts all taste great. I keep eating them to try to figure out if I like cheese-free or cheesy better, but it's hard to decide!
( Pineapple jam recipe )
( Pineapple tarts recipe )
The cheesy batch of pastry in particular was terribly stiff and hard to work with; I couldn't roll it without it cracking all over. I think I might have overworked the dough? In any case, my pastry doesn't seem to come together the way What to Cook Today suggests it will, so I'm going to put a rewritten recipe for pineapple tarts below -- what worked for ME. Fortunately the resulting tarts all taste great. I keep eating them to try to figure out if I like cheese-free or cheesy better, but it's hard to decide!
( Pineapple jam recipe )
( Pineapple tarts recipe )
Picture Diary 118
Feb. 9th, 2026 01:13 pmpoliphilo Picture Diary 118
1. Les Girls
2. She sees you
3. Rosa Mundi
4. Maria Aegyptiaca
5. Choose a muse
6. Behold a pale horse....
1. Les Girls
2. She sees you
3. Rosa Mundi
4. Maria Aegyptiaca
5. Choose a muse
6. Behold a pale horse....
Picture Book Monday: Only Opal
Feb. 9th, 2026 08:08 amosprey_archerI was quite excited about the picture book Only Opal: The Diary of a Young Girl, as I’ve been low-key obsessed with Opal Whiteley for years, and what could be better than a book about Opal illustrated by Barbara Cooney?
For those of you who don’t know, Opal Whiteley came to national attention in 1920 when the Atlantic Monthly published her childhood diary, in which young Opal wrote lyrical descriptions of nature and her animal friends, who have Lars Porsenna (the crow) and Brave Horatius (the dog). Some people were and remain bowled over by the beauty of her nature writing. Other people accused Opal of making up the diary wholesale. Would any kid really name a crow Lars Porsenna? It’s just too too precious.
I believe that the diary was real, though. Opal was an extremely bright child, and extremely bright children sometimes do things that strike people who don’t know them as completely unbelievable. She also suffered from a very unfortunate accident of timing, in that she fit perfectly a cultural archetype that was just coming under attack when she published her diary. A child of Nature, growing up in poverty but learning from the trees and the flowers and a few good, solid books (traditionally the Bible and Shakespeare, but in Opal’s case a book of historical figures).
After World War I this whole “child of nature” idea came to be seen as an offshoot of a sickeningly naive vision of human nature that had been exploded by the war. And then here comes Opal Whiteley, presenting to the world this diary supposedly written when she was five and six, which completely embodies this discredited vision. Well, it’s much easier to say “She’s a fraud!” than to wonder “Is there something in the child of nature idea after all?”
Unfortunately, as I recalled as I began to read the picture book, although I find Opal as a person very interesting, I can’t stand her diary. I think it’s a real diary, truly written by Opal as a child, but even in the immensely abridged form of a picture book, it does strike me as too too precious. “One way the road does go to the house of the girl who has no seeing” - good gravy, Opal, just say she’s blind. You named a mouse Felix Mendelssohn! I know you know the word blind!
But of course Barbara Cooney’s illustrations are lovely as always. I particularly liked the picture of the mouse Felix Mendelssohn asleep on a pincushion under a little square of flannel. Just the right level of precious.
For those of you who don’t know, Opal Whiteley came to national attention in 1920 when the Atlantic Monthly published her childhood diary, in which young Opal wrote lyrical descriptions of nature and her animal friends, who have Lars Porsenna (the crow) and Brave Horatius (the dog). Some people were and remain bowled over by the beauty of her nature writing. Other people accused Opal of making up the diary wholesale. Would any kid really name a crow Lars Porsenna? It’s just too too precious.
I believe that the diary was real, though. Opal was an extremely bright child, and extremely bright children sometimes do things that strike people who don’t know them as completely unbelievable. She also suffered from a very unfortunate accident of timing, in that she fit perfectly a cultural archetype that was just coming under attack when she published her diary. A child of Nature, growing up in poverty but learning from the trees and the flowers and a few good, solid books (traditionally the Bible and Shakespeare, but in Opal’s case a book of historical figures).
After World War I this whole “child of nature” idea came to be seen as an offshoot of a sickeningly naive vision of human nature that had been exploded by the war. And then here comes Opal Whiteley, presenting to the world this diary supposedly written when she was five and six, which completely embodies this discredited vision. Well, it’s much easier to say “She’s a fraud!” than to wonder “Is there something in the child of nature idea after all?”
Unfortunately, as I recalled as I began to read the picture book, although I find Opal as a person very interesting, I can’t stand her diary. I think it’s a real diary, truly written by Opal as a child, but even in the immensely abridged form of a picture book, it does strike me as too too precious. “One way the road does go to the house of the girl who has no seeing” - good gravy, Opal, just say she’s blind. You named a mouse Felix Mendelssohn! I know you know the word blind!
But of course Barbara Cooney’s illustrations are lovely as always. I particularly liked the picture of the mouse Felix Mendelssohn asleep on a pincushion under a little square of flannel. Just the right level of precious.
Day 9 Theme - The Scholar
Feb. 9th, 2026 06:27 amcmk418 posting in halfamoonToday's theme is The Scholar.
Here are some ideas to get you started: Also know as The Sage, she has studied and seems to have a wealth of knowledge at her disposal. She enjoys teaching others and gives good advice. What is she an expert in? How was her time at school? How do those around her react to her sharing her knowledge?
Just go wherever the Muse takes you. If this prompt doesn't speak to you, feel free to share something that does. You can post in a separate entry or as a comment to this post.
Want to get a jump start on tomorrow's theme? Check out the prompt list in the pinned post at the top of the page. Please don't post until that day.
Here are some ideas to get you started: Also know as The Sage, she has studied and seems to have a wealth of knowledge at her disposal. She enjoys teaching others and gives good advice. What is she an expert in? How was her time at school? How do those around her react to her sharing her knowledge?
Just go wherever the Muse takes you. If this prompt doesn't speak to you, feel free to share something that does. You can post in a separate entry or as a comment to this post.
Want to get a jump start on tomorrow's theme? Check out the prompt list in the pinned post at the top of the page. Please don't post until that day.
You Will Rue This Day.
Feb. 9th, 2026 11:15 amrionaleonhartThe concept and characters of The Goes Wrong Show, the BBC theatrical comedy series best known for making me completely lose my mind, originated with The Play That Goes Wrong, an actual stage show that's been running in the West End for over a decade. And, well, I do live in London; if I'm going to go insane over a theatre fandom, I might as well take advantage of that!
Which is to say that Tem, Rei and I went to see The Play That Goes Wrong at the Duchess Theatre last night. It was a lot of fun!
During our meal before the play, my housemates teased me a fair bit for my nerves about seeing my blorbo Robert Grove in person. I tried to express that it was less nerve-racking than seeing him on stage in Christmas Carol Goes Wrong a few weeks ago, when he was actually played by the role's originator, Henry Lewis, the handsomest man in the world.
Riona: It'll be fine. I've already seen him in hard mode. (realising what I've just said) ...so to speak.
I ended up blushing very badly over the course of this conversation.
Tem: You're glowing, Riona. Almost like you've had a rendezvous with the handsomest man in the world and you have some news to share.
The actor playing Robert was good in the role - he was very recognisably the same character, and he had a good strong voice, which I think is essential; you're just not Robert Grove if you're not acting as loudly as possible - but I was tragically unhot for him. It's not your fault, sir; you've got stiff competition. So to speak.
( Notes on seeing The Play That Goes Wrong on stage. )
It's interesting to watch The Play That Goes Wrong, which was the first major Goes Wrong production, and which the creators presumably assumed at the time would be the only major Goes Wrong production. It's very focused on the technical side of things going wrong, with the characters taking more of a back seat (although the characters are still very much there even at this early stage; everyone was easily recognisable despite being played by different actors), and it tries to cram in every disaster it possibly can. By contrast, Christmas Carol Goes Wrong, their most recent stage production (not to be confused with the television special of the same name, which had a completely different script), was very character-focused and a lot more restrained when it came to things actually going wrong.
I really enjoy the 'things technically going wrong' aspect; it's a lot of fun, and always beautifully timed! But I'm also glad that, over time, the Goes Wrong universe has started to focus a little more on the characters themselves; I think it helps to keep the concept fresh.
Which is to say that Tem, Rei and I went to see The Play That Goes Wrong at the Duchess Theatre last night. It was a lot of fun!
During our meal before the play, my housemates teased me a fair bit for my nerves about seeing my blorbo Robert Grove in person. I tried to express that it was less nerve-racking than seeing him on stage in Christmas Carol Goes Wrong a few weeks ago, when he was actually played by the role's originator, Henry Lewis, the handsomest man in the world.
Riona: It'll be fine. I've already seen him in hard mode. (realising what I've just said) ...so to speak.
I ended up blushing very badly over the course of this conversation.
Tem: You're glowing, Riona. Almost like you've had a rendezvous with the handsomest man in the world and you have some news to share.
The actor playing Robert was good in the role - he was very recognisably the same character, and he had a good strong voice, which I think is essential; you're just not Robert Grove if you're not acting as loudly as possible - but I was tragically unhot for him. It's not your fault, sir; you've got stiff competition. So to speak.
( Notes on seeing The Play That Goes Wrong on stage. )
It's interesting to watch The Play That Goes Wrong, which was the first major Goes Wrong production, and which the creators presumably assumed at the time would be the only major Goes Wrong production. It's very focused on the technical side of things going wrong, with the characters taking more of a back seat (although the characters are still very much there even at this early stage; everyone was easily recognisable despite being played by different actors), and it tries to cram in every disaster it possibly can. By contrast, Christmas Carol Goes Wrong, their most recent stage production (not to be confused with the television special of the same name, which had a completely different script), was very character-focused and a lot more restrained when it came to things actually going wrong.
I really enjoy the 'things technically going wrong' aspect; it's a lot of fun, and always beautifully timed! But I'm also glad that, over time, the Goes Wrong universe has started to focus a little more on the characters themselves; I think it helps to keep the concept fresh.
Laurie Anderson
Feb. 9th, 2026 12:00 amquoteoftheday_feed"When love is gone, there's always justice./ And when justice is gone, there's always force./ And when force is gone, there's always Mom./ Hi, Mom!"