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megpie71

December 2025

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Friday, April 24th, 2026 07:16 pm

So! I found somebody to install the dishwasher when it arrives (actually, the day after it arrives). I had thought that part was going to be the most difficult, after the whole banking mess, but -- a pleasant surprise.

The tech from Andersen who was supposed to be here by 12 and then by 1:30 has yet to arrive. He did call when he realized he was running late, so I was able to have lunch.

The laundry is almost finished, and Firefly is sleeping in the comfy chair in my office. Tali and Rook came out to shark at lunchtime, but I think they've gone back to Steve's office.

On the Writing Side of Things, my plan is to finish getting The Fey Duology ready to rock 'n roll, catch myself up on the Liaden Read Along commentary, and read the Jethri books as a lump.

The last is in service of ensuring that This Idea I Had to finish up that sub-series will actually square with what's already canon.

This means, yes, I'll be -- adjusting -- the order of my complete reread of the Liaden books, but needs must, and at least I'll still be reading in-Universe.
#
On Facebook, someone commented that I had clearly always been a cat, which gave rise to this memory:

You may be on to something. The first time Steve and I went together into a neighborhood strange to both of us, we had barely gotten out of the car when two cats came charging down the street, tails high, ran right up to Steve and started slamming themselves against his knees. He knelt down, administered ear scrubbles, then kinda looked up at me, half-smiling (I might have been staring), and said, "Yeah. Cats like me."
#
So, today didn't quite work out like I expected, but! Tomorrow's decks are clear, so I can hop right into The Fey Duology.

Everybody have a good evening. I'll check in tomorrow.


Friday, April 24th, 2026 06:14 pm
This is your check-in post for today. The poll will be open from midnight Universal or Zulu Time (8pm Eastern Time) on Friday to midnight on Saturday (8pm Eastern Time).


Poll #34516 Daily poll
Open to: Access List, detailed results viewable to: Access List, participants: 0

How are you doing?

I am okay
0 (0.0%)

I am not okay, but don't need help right now
0 (0.0%)

I could use some help.
0 (0.0%)

How many other humans are you living with?

I am living single
0 (0.0%)

One other person
0 (0.0%)

More than one other person
0 (0.0%)




Please, talk about how things are going for you in the comments, ask for advice or help if you need it, or just discuss whatever you feel like.
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Friday, April 24th, 2026 08:47 pm

crocheted dog amigurumi, light brown and medium brown with embroidery-thread nose. The dog is a bit lumpy and haphazard, and sits on a sunny windowsill.

This is Oscar the dog, whom I finished making last night. Oscar’s kit was a Christmas 2024 present. Oscar has been sitting around in pieces on the dining room table for a long time; the crocheting of Oscar seems like a distant memory. It’s the sewing I just finished up.

I crocheted an ear in the wrong color, so decided one leg could be a different color than designated in the pattern as well, and it would all come out right.

I hadn’t crocheted since maybe age 9, so I was pleased to learn the basics again (in an age of free online videos made for left-handers). Will I make another amigurumi? I’m enamored of the backpack charms I’ve seen in Portland and Japan, so maybe an onion charm, in honor of Harriet the Spy.


This post originates at everyday though not every day. Comments welcome here or there.

Friday, April 24th, 2026 04:19 pm
I am frantically cleaning in expectation of niece, but my mother just called to let me know of the fossil discovery of octopods larger than a school bus. It feels apropros that my niece requested sushi for dinner. It makes me almost as happy as the news itself that everyone involved seems to have thought instantly of kraken.
Friday, April 24th, 2026 01:20 pm
There's been a situation that has been making life stressful for the past year, and yesterday the stress doubled. My way of dealing with this kind of cosmic ass kick is to bury myself in writing, where I feel I have a pretence at control. I only say this because I might not be as responsive to posts as usual, and if anyone even notices a dearth of commentary from me (very small chance I realize) it's not you, it's me. Not gone, just coping and scribbling away.
Friday, April 24th, 2026 08:00 pm

Posted by Gisselle Hernandez

dirty dishes (l) woman shares results from her husbands cooking (c) husband cooking for wife (r)

You don’t have to be a woman to know that the last thing a postpartum mom wants to do is wash a pile of dishes.

Heck, not even a fit and healthy person wants to do it most of the time. Yet, one woman’s TikTok has people raising eyebrows after she showed the aftermath of her husband “cooking” for her.

Friday, April 24th, 2026 07:10 pm
1. I am currently on an island, the Isle of Wight.

2. Today I finished reading We Bought an Island, which I LOVED. It's a memoir of two sisters who bought an island off the Cornwall coast in the 1960s and turned it into (basically) an artists' retreat. This book is focused on them finding the island and moving in, and all the people they meet. It genuinely made me laugh out loud several times, to the point where it's coming home with me because I know I'll want to reread it later. Luckily I have the small pocket-sized paperback version; if I have to I can just put it in my coat pocket.

I desperately want to read the sequel, which talks about their life on the island after moving in, but I may have to resign myself to reading the PDF on Archive.org as the local used bookshop doesn't have a copy. I can always order one on eBay if I want to later, too.

3. While looking for Tales From Our Cornish Island (that's the sequel) at the local used bookshop, I found a different book about living on an island: Herm, Our Island Home, which I of course bought. This one is about a family (6 kids, 2 parents) living on an island 3 miles from Guernsey in the Channel Islands, around the same time period as the sisters on their island, actually.

4. I enjoy reading about people on islands, and I enjoy visiting islands. If I were going to live on an island, I'd prefer a larger one. But then I've never been enamored with small-town life, tbh. I prefer mid-sized places.

5. I re-watched Muppet Treasure Island the other day and then read Robert Louis Stevenson's fascinating Wikipedia page; I'd no idea that he'd written travel memoirs, nor spent the last years of his life writing from and about Samoa (an island nation).

6. Other islands I've been to: the UK (of course), Madeira Island, São Miguel Island, Barbados, Japan, Indonesia, Singapore, Manhattan Island.

7. Private artificial islands creep me out, especially when they're populated by billionaires. Public artificial islands are, I suppose, fine.

8. I just found this Wikipedia list of fictional islands and it's made me think back to how many of my favorite books as a kid were set on islands, or involved islands, most of them only lightly inhabited. They do make for interesting story settings...

9. "Let's all go to Gullah Gullah Island!"
Friday, April 24th, 2026 06:08 pm

Posted by Kopal

Nashville woman crashes out over her ‘favorite’ part of ordering groceries online, especially if it’s a man shopping for her: ‘Feels kinda intimate’

Ordering groceries online is usually a quest for convenience. But for Nashville creator Alexandra Sedlak (TikTok/@itsalexandrasedlak), it has transformed into a high-stakes “mystery game” of personality discovery.

In a video with over 36,000 views, Alexandra explains why she has traded her “grumpy” expectations for a fascination with the creative liberties taken by her delivery drivers. She admits to a hilarious psychological shift from wanting what she paid for to enjoying the “special side” of a stranger’s decision-making.

Friday, April 24th, 2026 06:08 pm

Posted by Terrina Jairaj

President Donald Trump is publicly praising his recently ousted Navy Secretary John Phelan, calling him a “long time friend” who did an “outstanding job” rebuilding the Navy. This comes just a day after the Pentagon removed Phelan from his post following months of tensions with senior leadership. Trump’s Truth Social post paints a glowing picture of Phelan’s tenure, but behind the scenes, things were far from smooth.

According to Fox News, Trump’s post on Thursday afternoon was full of praise for Phelan, who he said helped rebuild what he called “Sleepy Joe Biden’s rapidly depleted, and almost abandoned, Navy.” Trump went on to say that because of Phelan, the U.S. now has “the strongest Navy in the World — BY FAR!” 

Friday, April 24th, 2026 06:08 pm

Posted by Terrina Jairaj

The Department of Justice’s (DOJ) inspector general is stepping in to audit how the agency handled the release of Jeffrey Epstein’s files after a string of missteps, missed deadlines, and accusations of a cover-up. The move comes just weeks after former AG Pam Bondi who was set to testify about the botched rollout was abruptly fired, leaving lawmakers and victims demanding answers.

According to The Guardian, on April 23, the DOJ’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG) announced it’s launching a full audit to evaluate whether the department followed the Epstein Files Transparency Act. The law, passed last November, requires the DOJ to release all files related to Epstein, with exceptions for victim identities, child abuse imagery, ongoing investigations, and national security concerns. But so far, the execution has been a mess. 

Friday, April 24th, 2026 06:07 pm

Posted by Terrina Jairaj

President Donald Trump just made it crystal clear he’s in no rush to end the U.S.Israeli war with Iran. In a Truth Social post, he sneered at critics who think he’s “anxious” to wrap things up, declaring he’s “possibly the least pressured person ever” in his position. “I have all the time in the world,” he wrote, “but Iran doesn’t — The clock is ticking!” The message was unmistakable: he’s playing the long game, and Iran is the one running out of time.

The post didn’t hold back. Trump ticked off a laundry list of what he claims are Iran’s military failures, writing, “Iran’s Navy is lying at the bottom of the Sea, their Air Force is demolished, their Anti Aircraft and Radar Weaponry is gone, their leaders are no longer with us, the Blockade is airtight and strong and, from there, it only gets worse.” It’s a bold statement, and if even half of it is true, Iran’s military is in rough shape. But the real question is what happens next. 

Friday, April 24th, 2026 06:04 pm

Posted by Terrina Jairaj

Louisiana is reeling after another devastating shooting, this time at the Mall of Louisiana in Baton Rouge, where gunfire erupted between two groups and left one person dead and five injured. The violence unfolded just after 1 p.m. on April 23, 2026, near the food court, sending shoppers and families scrambling for cover. Police have detained five suspects but are still searching for others involved in what they’re calling a targeted dispute that spiraled into chaos.

According to NBC, Baton Rouge Police Chief Thomas Morse Jr. made it clear this wasn’t a random attack. “This was a disagreement, a fight between two different groups of people that we are still trying to unravel,” he said. “And unfortunately, innocent victims got caught in the crossfire.” 

Friday, April 24th, 2026 06:03 pm

Posted by Sanchari Ghosh

On July 11, 2024, TikTok user @nickfromohio posted a video describing his experience with a McDonald’s drive-thru. In the video, he explains that it was late at night when he chose to visit a McDonald’s drive-thru because he was sure nothing else would be open.

He was in the drive-in, ready to order, when the employee came out, told him the store was still open, and asked him to place an order. As @nickfromohio looked through the menu and was ready to order, he realized there might be no one on the other end to take his order. So, curious, he called on them, but he wasn’t getting any response from the other side. Then, ultimately, he was able to speak to an employee, but they told him the store was closed, leaving Nick confused about what had happened.

Friday, April 24th, 2026 05:52 pm

Posted by Terrina Jairaj

JetBlue just got hit with a lawsuit alleging the airline uses passengers’ personal data to jack up ticket prices, and the whole thing started with a recent X post. A proposed class action complaint filed this week claims JetBlue tracks everything from your payment details to your browsing habits, then feeds that info into an algorithm to set fares that the lawsuit calls “dynamic surveillance pricing.” The airline denies it, but lawmakers aren’t buying the explanation, and now they’re demanding answers.

According to The Hill, the lawsuit centers on New York resident Andrew Philipps who booked a flight to Florida in December. According to the complaint, JetBlue collected his personal details, accommodations preferences, and payment info without his knowledge, then allegedly shared that data with third parties to influence pricing. 

Friday, April 24th, 2026 05:51 pm

Posted by Terrina Jairaj

President Donald Trump’s Truth Social post quoting a Fox News contributor calling for the killing of Iranian factions opposed to a peace deal has backfired spectacularly, giving Iran exactly the kind of propaganda ammunition it needs. Within hours, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson was on X calling the U.S. a “promoter of terrorism,” and the fallout is still unfolding.

The whole mess started when Trump shared a post from Marc Thiessen, who said, “If there are two factions in Iran, one that wants a deal and one that doesn’t, let’s kill the ones who don’t want a deal.” It was a shocking statement, and Trump’s decision to amplify it on his platform immediately handed Iran’s government a golden opportunity to paint the U.S. as a violent, hypocritical actor on the world stage. 

Friday, April 24th, 2026 05:50 pm

Posted by Terrina Jairaj

Hasan Piker’s China trip in 2025 has unleashed a full-blown Gen Z phenomenon called “Chinamaxxing,” that activists are slamming as cultural appropriation with a geopolitical edge. The trend, involving adopting Chinese cultural habits like drinking hot water, wearing house slippers indoors, and embracing traditional skincare routines, has exploded on TikTok and Instagram. 

Activists argue it reduces Chinese identity to a set of superficial tropes while ignoring deeper historical and political complexities, as per NPR, The term “Chinamaxxing” itself is internet slang, where “maxxing” means going all-in on something. Think “looksmaxxing” for appearance optimization or “healthmaxxing” for wellness tips. 

Friday, April 24th, 2026 05:45 pm

Posted by Terrina Jairaj

Mike Pence just made it clear he thinks Donald Trump should’ve kept his hands off the pope’s job. The former vice president told MS NOW in an interview clip posted on April 23, 2026, that if he were still advising Trump, he’d tell him to “let the pope be the pope and you be the president.” When asked if he’d actually shared this advice with Trump directly, he admitted the two don’t talk as often as they used to. 

But he added, “I get the distinct impression he still listens to us and watches what we do.” That’s a polite way of saying he’s not exactly in the loop anymore, but he’s still trying to steer the ship from the sidelines. It’s a shift from the days when Pence was the loyal number two, now stepping into the role of the guy who’s willing to say what others won’t, even if it’s just to a reporter.

Friday, April 24th, 2026 05:43 pm

Posted by Myra Drake

Zachary Levi looking confused in his superhero outfit in Shazam 2.

Zachary Levi has made headlines a number of times over the past few years… and it hasn’t always been a result of his work as an actor. He’s bizarrely crashed out over his future as DC’s Shazam! on Instagram Live, thrown his support behind Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Donald Trump, and other far right issues, and then crashed out again over being ostracized in Hollywood as a result of it.

Now, the Chuck and Harold and the Purple Crayon star has branched into new territory: aligning himself with the latest transphobic comments made by Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling. On Wednesday, Rowling once again went viral for a string of comments she made on Twitter about the transgender community. In an exchange with user @theglassfish13, Rowling genuinely questioned whether or not (in her words) “trans women and ‘fans of Pride'” are missing any specific rights that they need to fight for… a comment that is obviously obtuse, especially amid the slew of anti-trans legislation in recent years.