Ramblings, rumblings, grumblings, and rambling grumbly rumblings.

1) homemade cake

2) delicious hot chocolate

3) a nice long hot shower

I got up at 7:00, had breakfast, and went back to bed until 10:00, when I got up and had coffee.

Then I went into my Valentine's Day story and did some additional writing and editing. And now it is done. I have decided to post it Friday since I won't really have time Saturday, and that way it can be read on Valentine's Day.

Then I took a shower and dressed, on the off chance that I'd be seeing

mashfanficchick and RK, which was a possibility that didn't happen. But it feels good to be clean and dressed anyway.

By 5:00 I had still not gotten my Stephen Colbert Pop, so I wrote back again... and got precisely the same response, word for word. Obviously a preset response disguised as a real person. I am pissed. Nothing to do but wait a little longer.

At 7:00 I Teamed the FWiB. We talked til 8:00 when I got off to go to my game night.

The Discord worked pretty well. I close out everything but Discord and don't turn my camera on and it works pretty well most of the time. The game was quite fun. We're playing an early version of D&D, The caves of Chaos module. I got bitten by a giant centipede and will be poisoned for 10 game days.

After the game ended at 10:00 I fed the pets. I am quite worried about Christie the Turtle. She is not eating again. And not being very active. I would think about taking her to a vet if it wasn't so cold out.

Anyway I had dinner and then called

mashfanficchick about tomorrow. I'll be going over in the afternoon and we'll watch The Lincoln Lawyer. Probably Will Trent too.

The controversy over Leon Botstein rages on the Bard in the 80s Facebook page, where I'm a member. Leon put out a letter through the Alumni association to explain his side of things. I thought it was fairly reasonable but others did not. I don't know. It's just so upsetting and demoralizing.

Anyway, that's the day.

Gratitude List:

1. The FWiB.

2. My gaming group.

3. Improved and finished the story.

4. Warm apartment.

5. Getting out tomorrow.

6. The Discord worked pretty well.

Current Mood: drained

supermario128

I’ve been playing some “Minecraft” recently, and I’m really appreciating the lodestone crafting change from needing a netherite ingot to just an iron ingot.

There are a lot of things you’d want to take stock of, especially in a more long-term world, that would be very hard to remember the location of without a specific reference. Sure, it might be easy to remember the desert that’s just to the left of spawn, but what about a woodland mansion or a spawner or something else far out or small? I didn’t really like using coordinates, but I also wanted to keep track of stuff.

But now I can just use lodestones for all that, and since I know the trick for figuring out north by the block-breaking animation, I don’t need to bother with F3. I’ve actually set up the debug screen so activating it only shows the biome name (since there isn’t a way of knowing the name within the game, and I’m curious about the names—especially with how much they’ve changed throughout the updates).

Current Mood: lazy

paperghost

I haven't been posting here lately :(

Harmonycon starts... on the 13th... I'm kind of stressed out because while I don't spent that much money at cons, it's mainly Uber I worry about since I didn't get a hotel room. And my paycheck is really really mid since I missed work during the storm. I plan on attending all 3 days, but I ran into a last minute issue with Sunday because I realized too late (read: last night) that the closing ceremony is at 3-4PM. That is SUPER early and if I theoretically Uber over at 10-11AM, I won't be there very long. But I specifically requested the 15th and 16th off from work because I wanted to try attending all 3 days, so I'm just wondering... What do I even do on the 15th? Not only is 4PM too early to go home, but 4-6PM is peak rush hour traffic so going home will be expensive and take a long time. But I do not live near that part of Dallas so I don't know what's walking distance...? I can walk a few miles on foot but man I have no idea.

My potential "escape route" for Sunday is someone who is at Sonic Expo that I added on Discord is doing a "spinoff" event after the con at 7PM, I could probably follow his group and go there... but otherwise I'm just winging Sunday. Just because the convention ends at 4PM doesn't mean I'll get kicked out of the hotel lol. There should be some stuff going on. My sister's boyfriend will let me know if he works that day too because otherwise I offered for us to do something in Dallas if he's off after 4PM.

Also, I'm off tomorrow before the con. Here's my checklist:
- Haircut
- Pack itabag and extra tote
- Check my tub near my computer for MLP stuff I want to bring or give away
???
Profit

silversea posting in

booknook

It's that time of the week again! What are you reading?

We had lovely warm (unseasonable) weather yesterday, and now it's back down to freezing temperatures again. :( I know it's supposed to be cold here this time of year, but that brief glimpse of spring was so nice. I am not built for winters. Bring back the nice warm weather and the birds and the green!

At least the sun is shining, and we're out of the darkest weeks of the year. My goal for tonight is to do the dishes, and cook something. Could be scones, could be chicken, whatever. I've got both. But something needs to go in my oven.

Current Mood: cold

marycatelli posting in

books

The Silver Bullet, and Other American Witch Stories by Hubert J. Davis

A selection of folktales gathered in the 1930s. A number of people claimed to have been the actual victims, others to know the people involved. A number are just told without a connection. Two are recognizable fairy tales.

It has sections about how to become a witch, how they worked, how to counter them, and tales of their witchery for money or mischief. Many references to witch doctors (or white witches).

marycatelli posting in

book_love

soemand

A “wintry mix” forecast always feels like meteorology throwing up its hands. I don’t remember hearing it much before this year, but it perfectly captures the uncertainty of those near‑freezing days when 10 mm of sleet could just as easily become 10 cm of snow. A few degrees decide everything, and the term admits exactly that.

dark_kana posting in

1) delicious tea

2) lunch with hubby seeing we're both working from home ^^

3) easy dinner (leftovers) and early night in

This is where I went on Friday. This is Otter Crest, which is about 25 miles from where I live. I took a local bus to a nearby stop, and walked a few miles to get here.

This is what I do when I am not working, being sick, or fiddling around on the internet.

simplyn2deep posting in

1word1day

Tuesday, February 10, 2026

Spondulicks (noun)
spondulicks or spondulix [spon-doo-liks]

noun, Older Slang.
1. money; cash.

Origin: An Americanism dating back to 1855–60; origin uncertain

Example Sentences
But in a larger sense, the Qataris were offering something more seductive than pure spondulicks.
From Salon

Sir Alex Ferguson is going to continue with his stated on-the-record policy of only ever investing in youth by sending £12m spondulicks to Everton's current account in exchange for the 27-year-old fresh and fledgling full-back that is Leighton Baines.
From The Guardian

The Ochre, I mean, mate, the spondulicks, call the dashed stuff wot you please.
From Project Gutenberg

For the Roosevelt Administration, after seven years of practice in free & easy spending, was now really swinging the spondulicks.
From Time Magazine Archive

Mr. Pinhead was worth eighty millions, Miss Nothingbutt had eighty-two; Why do cash and spondulicks get married?
From Project Gutenberg

I slept again to almost 12:00, then got up and had breakfast and coffee.

Then after that I worked on the Starsky and hutch valentine's Day story. I worked on it basically all day, and by some time after 6:oo I had finished it. Except for a title, and I'd like to come up with a snappier last line than it has. But aside from that it is done. I will look at it again tomorrow and edit it as needed, and be ready to post it on Valentine's Day.

At 7:00 I Teamed the FWiB. We had some odd technical difficulty this time, but we worked it out.

Got off in time to have my Al-anon meeting by Zoom at 8:00. It was quite good. S was there but not M, so as always when she's not there I worry about her.

After the meeting I had dinner, and then went to the bedroom to lay down and play solitaire.

My Stephen Colbert Pop has still not arrived. I am annoyed.

The Kid texted me with good news about Carmina (her cat), so I'm happy about that.

And that's about all today.

Gratitude List:

1. The FWiB.

2. Finished the story.

3. Carmina will not need daily medication.

4. My meetings and the people there.

5. The snow outside is melting.

6. The Kid.

Current Mood: accomplished

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Current Mood: chipper

sharpiefan posting in

style_system

I've just changed my journal layout to Modular by

branchandroot and I'm having issues putting a header banner in. I want it to show above the header box with the journal title, 'Latest entries' etc in - at the top of the page below the nav bar - but the CSS code that I know puts it in the header, in that box.

The CSS in question is

#header {
margin-top: 5px;
background-image: url('https://sharpiefan.dreamwidth.org/file/5524.png');
background-repeat: no-repeat;
background-position: top center;
padding-top: 275px;
}

What should I change in order to position the header above that top box? (It doesn't look as if posting the image URL into the provided area in the Images area of 'Customise your theme' does anything at all, so that's not much help either.)

It's been a long time since I changed my journal layout, I'm willing to accept I might be missing something really obvious!

rocky41_7 posting in

booknook

Title: A Desolation Called Peace (Teixcalaan #2)
Author: Arkady Martine
Genre: Sci-fi, fiction

A Memory Called Empire left me in such a place that I of course had to rush after the sequel, A Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martine. In the second book of this duology, we're tackling the bomb dropped at the end of the last book: that a hostile alien force has been picking at the borders of Teixcalaanli space.

This became a first contact story, which delighted me, because I love first contact stories. The book posits another interesting philosophical question to the readers. Darj Tarats wants Teixcalaan to go to war with these new aliens, because it would likely drag on for quite some time, sucking up Teixcalaan's resources and keeping them focused on something other than colonizing Lsel Station, and might even destroy them in the end. Mahit does not want Teixcalaan to go to war with these new aliens because it would be an unnecessary and vast loss of life on both sides, and because in spite of its nature as an empire, there's so much Mahit likes about Teixcalaan, even though peace allows Teixcalaan much more time and resources to potentially conquer Mahit's home.

Book 2 breaks into a mulit-POV style, which works very well I think for giving us a 3D view of the situation when first contact is made and what happens after. Emotions, naturally, are running very high on all sides, so getting to see many characters' thoughts is helpful to understanding this house of cards.

Martine does a great job I think of presenting us with aliens that are alien, but still people. The question is whether they and the Teixcalaanli can work that out before someone does something fearful.

She also does well with layering Mahit and Yskander here. There are a few conversations Mahit has that hit so much harder now that we have a full picture of Yskander and how long the ambassador to Teixcalaan has been kicked around the Lsel council like a football as they all pursue their own best course for keeping away from Teixcalaan. Knowing that that fragment of Yskander is there, seeing the fallout of his own death and how it came about makes these conversations especially powerful.

The story is laid out gradually and builds to a believable conclusion. The ending is slightly abrupt--there's not really any denouement--but it didn't shortchange the story.

One of the perspectives we see in this book is imperial heir Eight Antidote, now 11. And he's either quite precocious, or Six Direction was a genius, which is possible. This kid's a regular Johnny-on-the-spot, but he is also a narrative tool representing a very different future for Teixcalaan than Emperor Nineteen Adze represents. He is Six Direction unencumbered by years of war and politicking; he is Six Direction without the grim, dog-eat-dog-world attitude of an adult raised by Empire. But he's also young and vulnerable; he represents a Teixcalaan that could be--but also one that could so easily be smothered in its crib, a fate Nineteen Adze is desperate to avoid.

Mahit and Three Seagrass continue to struggle, even more than in the last book, with the nature of their relationship. Three Seagrass is pure Teixcalaanli, and can frequently be insulting without meaning to, but Mahit is also primed by years of Teixcalaan's cultural chauvinism to see insult even where none was intended. I felt like they landed, by the end of the book, somewhere believable--although I would absolutely read more about them if Martine was offering!

I didn't notice this book having the issue with repetition that I found in book 1, so that was a nice improvement as well.

I was worried at the end of the last book how the story would handle this shocking, massive plot drop, but I think Martine did it very gracefully. It feels like a natural continuation of book 1 while still expanding the focus of the story. I would love to see more of this universe, but I'm also satisfied with where we've left things. There are no easy answers to what to do about Teixcalaan, but that doesn't feel unrealistic either. Well done all around!

rocky41_7 posting in

books

A Memory Called Empire left me in such a place that I of course had to rush after the sequel, A Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martine. In the second book of this duology, we're tackling the bomb dropped at the end of the last book: that a hostile alien force has been picking at the borders of Teixcalaanli space.

This became a first contact story, which delighted me, because I love first contact stories. The book posits another interesting philosophical question to the readers. Darj Tarats wants Teixcalaan to go to war with these new aliens, because it would likely drag on for quite some time, sucking up Teixcalaan's resources and keeping them focused on something other than colonizing Lsel Station, and might even destroy them in the end. Mahit does not want Teixcalaan to go to war with these new aliens because it would be an unnecessary and vast loss of life on both sides, and because in spite of its nature as an empire, there's so much Mahit likes about Teixcalaan, even though peace allows Teixcalaan much more time and resources to potentially conquer Mahit's home.

Book 2 breaks into a mulit-POV style, which works very well I think for giving us a 3D view of the situation when first contact is made and what happens after. Emotions, naturally, are running very high on all sides, so getting to see many characters' thoughts is helpful to understanding this house of cards.

Martine does a great job I think of presenting us with aliens that are alien, but still people. The question is whether they and the Teixcalaanli can work that out before someone does something fearful.

She also does well with layering Mahit and Yskander here. There are a few conversations Mahit has that hit so much harder now that we have a full picture of Yskander and how long the ambassador to Teixcalaan has been kicked around the Lsel council like a football as they all pursue their own best course for keeping away from Teixcalaan. Knowing that that fragment of Yskander is there, seeing the fallout of his own death and how it came about makes these conversations especially powerful.

The story is laid out gradually and builds to a believable conclusion. The ending is slightly abrupt--there's not really any denouement--but it didn't shortchange the story.

One of the perspectives we see in this book is imperial heir Eight Antidote, now 11. And he's either quite precocious, or Six Direction was a genius, which is possible. This kid's a regular Johnny-on-the-spot, but he is also a narrative tool representing a very different future for Teixcalaan than Emperor Nineteen Adze represents. He is Six Direction unencumbered by years of war and politicking; he is Six Direction without the grim, dog-eat-dog-world attitude of an adult raised by Empire. But he's also young and vulnerable; he represents a Teixcalaan that could be--but also one that could so easily be smothered in its crib, a fate Nineteen Adze is desperate to avoid.

Mahit and Three Seagrass continue to struggle, even more than in the last book, with the nature of their relationship. Three Seagrass is pure Teixcalaanli, and can frequently be insulting without meaning to, but Mahit is also primed by years of Teixcalaan's cultural chauvinism to see insult even where none was intended. I felt like they landed, by the end of the book, somewhere believable--although I would absolutely read more about them if Martine was offering!

I didn't notice this book having the issue with repetition that I found in book 1, so that was a nice improvement as well.

I was worried at the end of the last book how the story would handle this shocking, massive plot drop, but I think Martine did it very gracefully. It feels like a natural continuation of book 1 while still expanding the focus of the story. I would love to see more of this universe, but I'm also satisfied with where we've left things. There are no easy answers to what to do about Teixcalaan, but that doesn't feel unrealistic either. Well done all around!

soemand

Just finished a 1,500-line code review and my brain is now a NullPointerException. I've stared at so many brackets I'm starting to see code in my peripheral vision. Accepting donations of Monster, ibuprofen, or a complete memory wipe. LGTM? More like 'Let God Take Me' at this point.

jonw

We finally got a local AI instance at work. The AI apps like LocalAI are really easy to install. The issue is the amount of processing power needed. I don't have anything, nor can I afford anything, capable of running it with anything resembling a useable speed.

NB: LocalAI is such a bad product name. It makes googling about working with a local AI (two words) harder than it has to be

We have been using AI tools for a while now. Everyone in tech likely is, despite the general yowling about its badness across the internet. Companies that haven't figured out how to use AI are not going to be here in a short while. AI tools don't just give tech folks an edge, they triple (or more) productivity. So much of tech is digging through documentation, validating testing, and setting up systems. AI tools reduce that work from hours and sometimes days, to minutes or hours.

If you've been in systems for any length of time, you have probably run across the concept of toil. The Google SRE handbook defines toil as work that is manual, repetitive, automatable, scales linearly (bad), and a few other things. AI basically eliminates toil by giving it to the clonkers to do, so humans can do what they do best - imagine, create vision, give direction and mentorship.

Of course we have been using the cloud AI tools previous to this, but that was limiting. Nobody should be sending company or customer data to any cloud service, including AI services. Thus, there was a limit to what we could use the cloud AI tools for. Writing scripts? Usually OK. Configuring systems? Generically yes, but not to the point where we could leverage the agentic part because that would mean giving access to our systems and credentials. Parsing large data sets? Generally off the table as the data sets usually contain customer or proprietary data. Auditing code? Dicey...most of that is considered intellectual property.

All that is back on the table with a local AI isolated from the internet. The remaining toil in my role can probably all be pushed to the clonker and I can get back to the fun parts of my job. It will be interesting to see if the AI can eliminate that toil altogether by automating it, or if we will land on middle ground where at least the humans don't have to do it. I am looking forward to pushing new tools out to use it, and redirecting existing tools to it while expanding what the tools can give to the AI.

This era in computing isn't quite as exciting as the internet coming into being in the 90s but it is close.

Edit: typo.

Current Mood: hopeful

spiralsheep posting in

endings

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soemand

Sort of jelly that my manager is off to Phoenix today. Twenty‑six degrees and sunshine would be a welcome reprieve from the cold and snow we’re slogging through up here.

On the brighter side, I’ve got a new production blank cassette from Recording the Masters on the way. A friend tossed a few artist suggestions my direction, and I’m curious to see how this tape stock handles them. I won’t name names, but let’s just say a mixtape steeped in late‑’80s to early‑’90s blue‑eyed soul feels like the right test.

dark_kana posting in

1) glad to be working from home today

2) it's carnaval week in school this week. And today's theme is "funny feet": that means going to school with 2 different shoes. I made my daughter really happy this morning, by bringing her to school with 2 different shoes on as well *grins*

3) lazy evening, watching a live volley game on tele

Though I started by once again sleeping til 12:00. But then I got up and had breakfast and coffee.

Then I did what I am very proud of. I got the printer working again. Before I went to Arisia I tried printing out my to do list and discovered the computer wasn't recognizing the (wireless) printer. I had no time then to play with it so I let it be, and I hadn't done anything about it since.

But today I fiddled with it and discovered that somehow something called the MP driver had gotten uninstalled or something. Then I had to find the MP driver (not the printer driver, mind you!) and install it. Allow me to say the Canon website was only marginally helpful. Yes the drivers were there to download... but difficult to locate that MP driver. I did though and got the printer working.

Then I added water to the turtle tank. And then I cleaned the cat pan.

Then I tossed on some clothes (sweat pants and my thermal shirt) and took the dirty kitty litter and the two Valentines for Middle Brother and the Kid, and ventured out into the cold. It's actually warmed up a bit but still was below freezing.

Anyway, I took the litter to the garbage, and walked around the block, and to the mailbox and mailed the Valentines. So they should arrive before Saturday I hope.

Then I had something to eat. And I went to the bedroom and lay down for awhile and played solitaire on my phone.

Meanwhile my limited edition Stephen Colbert Funko Pop has not yet been delivered, although the tracking said it was out for delivery yesterday. So I looked up how to contact Funko and I sent them a message.

Then I Teamed the FWiB. We were going along fine, over an hour, when the Teams crashed and kicked me out. We got back on, but it was annoying. Don't know if it was Teams, or my wretched computer.

The Funko people answered! They said it was normal to have a delivery delay and I should wait a few days before panicking. So I will wait.

Then I had dinner, a Lean Cuisine frozen pizza for World Pizza Day. Tasty. Then I went to the bedroom again, and played on the phone til pet feeding time.

And so I got some stuff done today.

Gratitude List:

1. The FWiB.

2. Got the printer working without too much trouble.

3. Got the Valentines out.

4. Heard back from Funko.

5. Have Samsung Health working on my phone now to count steps.

6. Pizza.

Current Mood: accomplished

dreadlordmrson posting in

little_details

Would hospital care after minor dog attack injuries expose a first trimester pregnancy?

Details:
I have a story I'm currently working on set in a modern type world, and a plot point where one of the two main characters is attacked by a pack of street dogs and gets some minor scratch and bite injuries. I'm thinking just a few stitches at most. I can guess they'll need "just in case" antibiotics and rabies shots because of the bites, but would common care involve any tests that would expose an early pregnancy?

Goals:
I'm trying to keep the pregnancy a surprise for the other main character later in the story, so a "some hospitals would do these tests but some wouldn't" could be ruled that this time it wasn't done. But if it's very common to do certain blood or other tests that would easily reveal a pregnancy, that's a problem. And having the other main character who's acting as their savior/caregiver in this scenario decide not to get them treatment wouldn't be in character or suit his arc in the story, even with minor wounds that in theory could be treated at home.

Do I need to change details of the attack, or depict this medical team as negligent? Or is the stealth of this pregnancy safe?

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Current Mood: accomplished

stonepicnicking_okapi posting in

1word1day

heddle [hed-l]

noun

one of the sets of parallel cords or wires that with their mounting compose the harness used to guide warp threads in a loom

examples
1. Dr. H. G. Harrison by no means overstates the case when he says that the development of the heddle is the most important step in the evolution of the loom (Harniman Museum Handbooks, No. 10, pp. 47-49). Ancient Egyptian and Greek Looms, 1890

2. Holding a heddle rod to separate the warp threads, she draws the continuous horizontal weft thread in and out of one or more warp threads. 1 Oct 2022. Scientific American. "Viking Textiles Show Women Had Tremendous Power."

origin
probably alteration of Middle English helde, from Old English hefeld; akin to Old Norse hafald heddle, Old English hebban to lift

heddle

merrileemakes posting in

everykindofcraft

**Cross posted from my journal, some weaving and knitting patter.**

So it's been over a month since I posted any thing crafty. I've certainly been crafting, I just haven't had any big finishes. I often think of my crafting approach as "kicking the can down the road." Lots of little steps, sometimes without significant progress.
( So here's the cans I've been kicking. )

Okay, I have been here for a year, so maybe I should have checked this out before.

I am not asking this for purely prurient reasons!
I was talking with a friend, who I was on Livejournal with over 20 years ago...and we were talking about the early, wild west days of the internet, before there was much social media, and when there were only a handful of blogging platforms, most of which were not really commercialized or monetized.

So anyway, about sexual content: it wasn't that I was naive to it, but I was naive to how it might fit in with normal life...because, as a teenager in the 90s, what I knew about other people (specifically women's) experience of sex came from obviously fake pornography (Dear Penthouse Forum, I never thought this would happen to me...) or from advice columns in women's magazines, which were slightly less fake. So there I was, 23 years old in 2002, and I go on Livejournal and read about women's real sexual experiences, and thoughts, and desires, and it was very revelatory.

Of course, now, I would probably yawn at a lot of that stuff. But half my lifetime ago, it was wild!

supermario128

I finally went and checked out the videos of Doctor Nowhere or Silas Orion on YouTube since I kept hearing about their art and such. And it is indeed good stuff—lots of uncanny and unique visuals (and also what may be inspiration from The SCP Foundation?). However, while “The Boiled One Phenomenon” is probably what anyone knows them best by, I found myself really drawn to one of their more recent short films, “Desiderio”.

If you check out any of Silas’ works, a warning for disturbing imagery as a whole, as well as flashing imagery, gore and (body) horror.

( Read more... )

Today's non-work to-do list:

- crosspost at least a couple kink meme fills to DW
- work on

purimgifts fics
- at least 200 more words on either Forsaken Road or broken beaten damned
- at least 100 words on any kink meme fill or Fandomweekly prompt of my choice
- cook some actual dinner. There's chicken in the fridge and I need to do something with it.

The local coffee shop is running a really good sale, so I can get myself a treat if I stay on top of all of my work stuff (so far, so good, but it's going to be a long day). Dark chocolate mocha and a nice sandwich, maybe.

soemand

A good rest yesterday definitely helped me reset after the daycare virus based whirlwind, and I’m feeling much better today. As for the knee — yes, that loud pop while I was taking off my socks was mine. Thankfully, it seems to be improving dramatically.

To anyone within about 2000 nautical miles of my place… if you heard a sudden yelp around 8:30 p.m. AST last night, that was absolutely me.

dark_kana posting in

1) nice colleagues at work, lovely chats

2) going for a walk during lunch break

3) visiting Lhune after dinner for another dr who related episode :D

So, related to the last post about alcohol:
One thing I do like is getting a "flow state" started. And it is hard to define what a "flow state" is, but it's obvious when you have one! And so I guess my point with drinking is that sometimes it can tip me over to the point where my ideas and thoughts just start flowing.

Is the theory.

Of course, there are a lot of other things that can do that. One thing that is ironic for me is that I have the internet here, where anyone and everyone can converse about anything and everything---and that seems like it would be a perfect way to uncork that desired flow state. But in reality...it seems to be more poking around the same 5 or 10 pieces of content, and frittering away time feeling bored.

I don't usually drink alcohol. I don't have a particular problem with alcohol, but I also don't find it that interesting. Like once people pass a certain amount of times drinking alcohol to the point of drunkenness, there isn't a lot to be learned from the experience. Besides that mediocre 80s music is actually totally awesome!

But anyway, sometimes I do drink alcohol to decruft. Basically, every couple weeks or so, my brain gets too full of chores and things I need to take care of, and I can't do any of them. So sometimes drinking helps me kind of hit "reset"...is the theory. And a lot of times it does work!

So this Friday, I bought a bottle of wine and drank it. And by the time I had finished it, I was like at the phase where I was really curious what was around the bend, so to speak...so I took a half-liter bottle of wine I had in a cupboard and drank that in one go.

So I got sick, blacked out, and woke up later...without much of a headache, actually, but feeling *exhausted*, but couldn't sleep. And, later, I realized that I didn't get much out of it. So I think I will lay off drinking for a while.