([personal profile] cosmolinguist Jan. 19th, 2026 09:55 pm)

At various points today while I was slaving away over a hot laptop, I heard various Bruce Springsteen songs floating down from upstairs.

He said on fedi: "I have often noted similarities between the musicians, but I desperately want to hear New Model Army covering Bruce Springsteen's 'Further On (Up the Road)'."

(It was when he first said that he wants them to cover "Badlands," and Springsteen to cover their song "Vagabonds," that I figured I'd probably made a proper fan of him, if he could see the overlap between Bruce and a band he likes as much as he does New Model Army.)

He also sent me a link to what Springsteen said after Renee Good was murdered and then a YouTube playlist centered around Springsteen being in the Kennedy Center Honors of 2009. Which I think must be where I heard those songs from.

My newest library book, has been acquired after I heard the author speak briefly on a short podcast series about Springsteen that D found and recommended to me (and actually listened to, which is amazing because he normally can't/doesn't want to listen to podcasts!). I found his book, called There Was Nothing You Could Do: Bruce Springsteen’s “Born In The U.S.A” and the End of the Heartland, and honestly I can hardly imagine anything more Me.

davidgillon: A pair of crutches, hanging from coat hooks, reflected in a mirror (Default)
([personal profile] davidgillon Jan. 19th, 2026 08:07 pm)

My sister and I were telling my mother (who is in hospital again) that we had been meeting with her doctor, but he had to dash off because he's adopting and had a meeting with the social worker.

My mother instantly looked across at me and said "He can have that one".

Fandom: Lord Peter Wimsey
Pairings/Characters: Lord Peter Wimsey/Harriet Vane (not requited - yet)
Rating: G
Length: 12,200
Creator Links: [personal profile] nineveh_uk
Theme: crack treated seriously

Summary: Harriet Vane and Lord Peter Wimsey have triumphantly solved the Wilvercombe murder, and only want to return to London. But first they must solve a new mystery: why they have woken up in one another's bodies, and what on earth are they going to do about it?

Reccer's notes Bodyswap is a pretty cracky trope, but here [personal profile] nineveh_uk uses it very effectively to explore the nuances of the complicated and touchy relationship between Peter and Harriet. As the summary suggests, it's set straight after Have His Carcase, where in canon they seem somehow simultaneously closer to and further away from resolving their relationship than ever. The bodyswap twist doesn't make things any less confusing. The voice is pitch perfect: if Dorothy L. Sayers had thought to write this premise, this is exactly what it would have sounded like.

Fanwork Links: My True Love Has My Heart
oursin: Fenton House, Hampstead NW3 (Fenton House)
([personal profile] oursin Jan. 19th, 2026 07:23 pm)

I mentioned that I was reading Dream Count for an intended new in-person book group of fairly local people connected through being (mostly) women historians (most of) whom I already know.

The gathering to discuss Dream Count was yestere'en in Highgate, at a destination to which there is a bus service from the nearby main road, though on Sunday evenings the service is a little more sporadic than habitual and I arrived a bit early, even after some difficulty finding the house in question. (Serious FAIL by local residents to actually have house numbers visible, ahem, not helped by several houses actually being nos XX-YY which adds to the confusion and in fact I ended up going to the wrong house first.)

However, once I got there it was agreeable to see auld acquaintance and talk of how things had been going -

- I am not entirely persuaded that having a sit-down at a table supper was actually a great idea, or maybe that was just me who had not all that long ago had a large late lunch.

Discussion of actual book did not get started for some while. Everybody seemed to have a rather mixed response, though it did, at least, provide a basis for discussion along several directions.

Future plans to meet at 6 week intervals - not to have full dinner party (relief!)* - next book will be Anna Funder's Wifedom about Eileen Orwell (already have the ebook yay).

Kind lift not all the way home but to useful point with lots of buses from Our Hostess.

*Snacks instead - should I take foccacia and Famous Aubergine Dip? Y/N

alchemicink: Yuma making a very worried face (Yuma face)
([personal profile] alchemicink Jan. 19th, 2026 12:46 pm)
I have... once again... accidentally packed a fork for my soup 😒 I somehow do this EVERY time I bring soup to work for lunch

(Thankfully, there are some plastic spoons in the break room)
H.R. 7013 (Greenland Sovereignty Protection Act) was introduced by Jimmy Gomez (D-CA) last week: https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/7013

It prohibits the use of Federal funding to facilitate the invasion, annexation, purchase, or other form of acquisition of Greenland.
susandennis: (Default)
([personal profile] susandennis Jan. 19th, 2026 08:02 am)
The pool's closure has felt kind of like a vacation for me in many ways. Which is weird because I do miss volleyball and I do miss swimming but I'm very much enjoying waking up with nothing I have to and nowhere I have to be. My sleep numbers are in the stratosphere.

But, hopefully, the vacation will be over soon. They are saying they hope to finish up the fix on Tuesday and have the pool open on Wednesday and probably warmed up enough for Volleyball on Thursday.

Oh fuck, the landscape guy just fired up the very loud hedge trimmer and it's just now 8 am. They are supposed to hold off until 9. Old people will be bitchin' today. This is where my neighbor Ingrid, will lean out of her terrace and screech at them to be quiet and then scream at them at length about why they need to be quiet. Irony and Ingrid are one and the same. She usually only comes to elbow coffee when she has some outrageous wrong she needs to have all of us help her correct. This could mean we see her next Saturday.

I have three free months of Apple TV but I really watched what I wanted weeks ago so haven't logged on. Last night I fired it up and ohnyfuckingod, Apple stopped just short of sending someone to take a DNA swab. First the message said my account was locked. I got it unlocked then I had to log in - the first of 5 - yes, that is FIVE times they required me to log in. Happily I had set up security questions and answered those several times - the same ones, over and over again. By the time I got Apple TV on my TV I was way too annoyed to watch any of their shit. I have no use for Apple - the hardware, the software, the company. None.

And I am kind of feeling the same way about Microsoft. Dick (of Dick and Jan) asked for my help yesterday showing him how to do something I showed him how to do a month ago - attach a One Drive document to email. That it was a repeat did not thrill me and then I could not figure out how to sort the documents to show him. It did not help that he kept moving the fucking mouse around while I was trying to figure it out. Also his data was at 98% on his machine so I knew it was going to freeze up beyond use any second. I got the document attached to the email and sent. He kept hitting send and sending the email over and over again with no attachment. Finally, I gave up and told him to call the IT guys. I have not used Windows in the last decade or more and I sure do not miss it. Also call the IT guys first next time.

I did get my closet emptied of shoes. I'll clear it out completely on Friday morning but until then, I'm set.

There is a new season of Night Manager so I thought I'd rewatch Season 1. But, turns out, I'd never seen Season 1! I finished it last night. Season 2 is a serial dropper and the last one won't be until the first week of February. I prefer to watch only when the whole season is available. So I'll hold off for now.

Ingrid has not done her balcony scream yet. I'm disappointed in the old girl.

The egg muffin situation is good. The ones I made reheated really nicely. In fact, they are a little better and easier to eat on the run (walk) when reheated. They are too big and not proportioned correctly but I can fix. I think what I really need is egg bites. I will adjust.

I am skipping exercise this morning. Since the pool is reopening, I am less motivated. The guy teaching today is really annoying. He only does the class on two Mondays a month and today is one of his. Plus, the class is at 10. So it makes no sense to shower and get dressed and then go sweat. So I come home and shower and dress and the day is half gone. Nope. (There is a MWF class earlier that is more advanced exercise. And I think there is even a killer class before that one. So I have choices. I chose none of them.)

Oh these landscape guys are really doing a great job! They are clearing out all the old winter stuff out of the beds and it's looking lovely.

Time to get into the shower and get dressed.

20260119_080227-COLLAGE
([syndicated profile] cakewrecks_feed Jan. 19th, 2026 02:00 pm)

Posted by Jen

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Thanks to Dawn H., Beth S., Kat D., & Alexandra R. for the extra sprinkles.

*****

P.S. This calls for a double feature Movie Night!

Robin Hood: Men In Tights/ Spaceballs DVD Set

*****

And from my other blog, Epbot:

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