2026 Not quite 365 questions meme February.
Feb. 11th, 2026 12:08 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
pattroseSometimes. I believe in karma, fate and kismet. If you do something crappy, you might as well prepare yourself for fate stepping in. It will come back to you. It’s just a little warning. 😁
And I also believe that if you try out for a better job, you can’t mention to anyone. If you do you just jinxed yourself. So, as you can tell I am superstitious.
How about you?
Fannish Fifty Challenge 2026: Post # 7: Postal Mail from Fen
Feb. 11th, 2026 12:53 amride_4everoldtoadwoman, a handmade needlepoint card from smallhobbit, and handmade "the god of feathers" art from mific. I am blessed to be the recipient of these lovely words and crafts and arts. <32026 60 question meme.
Feb. 10th, 2026 11:43 pmpattroseI wanted to work for the Peace Corps. That’s all I could think about in High School. I didn’t realize it was like camping, which I don’t do. I realized I don’t like roughing it in the wild. Hubby and I got married very young and started our family. So, instead of PC, I got a job at obgyn office and loved it. I was disappointed in myself for a few years. But I learned to live with my decision. 😁
Every year hubby would ask me if I wanted to go camping. I gave him a look that said ‘I’ll kill you first’. The look always made him laugh. I would even laugh afterwards. When we were in our 50s, we rented a very nice travel trailer. It was okay but still don’t want to camp.
Fannish Fifty Challenge 2026: Post # 6: No-Stress "5 Soulmates" Prompt Table Challenge
Feb. 10th, 2026 11:55 pmride_4everSome gripping HR fics I've read lately, and WIP madness
Feb. 11th, 2026 06:32 pmmificI know where to draw the line by magneticwave (wrote the great AU where Shane's a surgeon). It's a new WIP (10,000 word 1st chapter) and is really excellent, with a mature 26 y.o. Shane with a trick knee who's in the Metros with 22 y.o. hotshot Ilya. Lots of hockey detail, great writing & characterisations, a closeted oblivious Shane, and Ilya on the prowl.
My two other main fave WIPs are Basingstoke's Lovers, or English is a damn funny language which continues to be brilliant, and Glittercity's Never Been Bitten, the vampire AU with interesting power dynamics (rich obsessive club owner vampire Shane who's nervous of the ingenuity and aggression of humans and Ilya, the chaotic bartender who's trying to seduce him.)
I've also been charging through all CorvidCordelia's works.
I read Half Agony, Half Hope a while back - it's a longfic based on the premise that Ilya gets traded to Montreal about 3 years after Shane breaks it off after the tuna melts hookup, so they're now on the same team. A great mix of angst, drama, lust, and of course, the requisite happy ending!
Careful Fear and Dead Devotion is another longfic, a complete AU in which Shane and Ilya are young actors looking for a break who are cast as Finn and Dane in the TV series "Ember and Ice". It uses the Quinn audio-erotic story as the plot of the drama they're starring in, so if the mention of Ember and Ice as a "fandom" put you off, don't be - no knowledge is needed of E&I and the inherent ludicrousness of that work doesn't intrude. Scott and Kip are the showrunners! It's kind of analogous to Hudson and Connor in HR, without being in any way RPF. It's a great story, and I loved it.
And Walking Through Windows a fork in the road AU where Ilya fucks up the Tampa All Stars reconciliation (after Shane accepts he's gay), and they then only see each other on the ice when their teams play, for ten years. Which is inherently very sad, but the story starts then, when they're both recently retired and Ilya learns that Shane's about to marry a man. You can imagine what happens, and I was unsure if I'd like it as I dislike partner betrayal, but CorvidCordelia is a bloody good writer and absolutely sold it to me, with a wonderful story that I couldn't put down (gave myself eyestrain again, damn it!)
Daily Happiness
Feb. 10th, 2026 10:03 pmtorachan2. We went down to DCA for dinner tonight and had some very tasty lunar new year foods.
3. It's been fairly cool all day today and by the time we got home from Disney it was really windy and cold. It's supposed to tonight and maybe a little tomorrow. Hopefully it's all just overnight and not anything that will interfere with going out of the house tomorrow.
4. Jasper!
12-day A/B trial, not that I counted
Feb. 11th, 2026 12:07 amstarandreaIt took me 22 minutes from start to finish.
Pretty sure I won't finish legendary before the B2 release in April (B1 had 499 units), but I'll definitely be terrible at the matching game for a while yet.
"...And you may argue that, well, this is not really a very efficient method of learning a language. You'd be correct. But you can't argue I can't speak Spanish, because I very much can."
--Evan Edinger
Duolingo Isn't 'Free' Anymore — Lily Told Me Why
2026 Disneyland Trip #10 (2/10/26)
Feb. 10th, 2026 09:08 pmtorachan( Read more... )
Tuesday word: Spondulicks
Feb. 10th, 2026 09:05 pmsimplyn2deep posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
1word1daySpondulicks (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
Oasis updates
Feb. 10th, 2026 07:59 pmsnickfic+ LOL Noel won Songwriter of the Year at the Brit Awards for 2025, the first year in probably twenty or so when he did not release a single song. The Brit Awards also happen to be in Manchester this year. Did they give Noel the award to get him to Manchester? Did they put the awards in Manchester because they already planned to give him the award (since it clearly didn't depend on any work he actually produced last year)?
And most importantly: Is Liam going? His answer has varied, but the most recent one seems to be yes. In any case he definitely approves.
+ And they're definitely still talking. :') Here's Noel calling into his favorite sports show.
Noel: Our…our…our kid thinks we’re still.. Our kid thinks we’re gonna win the quad.
Andy: Honestly hand on heart, he does?
Noel: Well, that’s what he was telling me last night.
(And he says he's in the studio!!!!!)
+ Speaking of Noel in the studio, here's what Liam had to say about that. Don't tease us Liam!!
+ One last Liam tweet to send you off. ;____;
fandom stuff
Feb. 10th, 2026 07:58 pmsnickfic+ In a fit of optimism, I signed up to finish one of my Oasis WIPs for
crackthewip.+ I also managed to write a thing for Bulletproof. Granted I wrote most of it at the end of December, so it doesn't even count as this year's writing, but I'm glad to have maintained my Bulletproof streak.
+ Anyway, NO MORE EXCHANGE SIGNUPS. I mean it this time. >:(
Student names in language classes
Feb. 11th, 2026 01:59 am![[syndicated profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/feed.png){kind=small}
languagelog_feedFrom Barbars Phillips Long:
A Reddit thread beginning with a complaint from a student taking Spanish at a U.S. high school hinges on whether the teacher should call the student by his preferred name in English or translate it into Spanish. I never really thought about the practice of using or assigning Spanish names in Spanish class, or French names in French class, even though I did not have a French name in French class (possibly because my junior high French teacher was Puerto Rican and my high school teacher was a Hungarian refugee who had studied at the Sorbonne). But since I was in high school in the 1960s, sensitivity about names, naming, pronunciation of names, "dead names," and other assorted naming issues are a much more prominent part of advice/grievance columns and forums.
Most of my Chinese students have English names which, in many cases, they adopted or were granted already in elementary school, middle school, or high school, and over the years became quite fond of their English name. A minority staunchly cling to their Chinese names, and would consider it a betrayal of their ethnicity to switch to a foreign name. Quite a few tell me that they switch to an English name because their teachers and classmates can't pronounce their Chinese names. I should also mention that a large proportion of foreigners studying Chinese languages think it's cool to take a Chinese name, makes them feel more Chinese, and they stick to their Chinese for their whole life. Often, one of the first things teachers of first-year Chinese do is endow their students with a Chinese name, which many of the students think imparts a Chinese personality / character to them. My name, for example Méi Wéihéng 梅維恒 ("Plum Preserve / Maintain / Safeguard Constant / Unchanging / Immutable"), thoughtfully bestowed upon me by Tang Haitao and Yuan Naiying, gifted Princeton teachers, corresponds well with the sound and meaning of my name.
Far fewer of my Japanese students adopt an English name, perhaps because Japanese names seem easier to pronounce than Chinese names (vowels and consonants are straightforward, no tones to contend with, can spell them readily in romaji, etc.)
Selected readings
- "A confusion of languages and names" (7/8/16)
- "War on foreign names in China" (6/22/19)
Day 1848: “Now I see what the big deal is.”
Feb. 10th, 2026 05:13 pmwtfjht_feed
Today in one sentence: The Trump administration will rescind the EPA’s 2009 “endangerment finding,” stripping the core legal basis for federal limits on greenhouse gas pollution under the Clean Air Act; a newly unsealed FBI search warrant affidavit showed that the seizure of Fulton County, Georgia’s 2020 election ballots and records began with a referral from a Trump-appointed “director of election security and integrity”; acting ICE Director Todd Lyons defended ICE and told the House Homeland Security Committee that he would press ahead with Trump’s “mass deportation” campaign; Thomas Massie and Ro Khanna disclosed the “hidden” names of six wealthy men they say are “likely incriminated” by their inclusion in the Jeffrey Epstein files; Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told senators he had lunch with Jeffrey Epstein on Epstein’s private Caribbean island in 2012; Trump reportedly told the Palm Beach police chief in 2006 that “everyone has known” what Jeffrey Epstein “has been doing”; 59% of Americans said they’re optimistic about the future – a record low since Gallup started asking the question two decades ago.
1/ The Trump administration will rescind the EPA’s 2009 “endangerment finding,” stripping the core legal basis for federal limits on greenhouse gas pollution under the Clean Air Act. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin called it “the largest act of deregulation” in U.S. history. The administration said rescinding the 2009 endangerment finding would cut more than $1.3 trillion in regulations and lower costs for new vehicles by an average of more than $2,400 per vehicle, by ending federal requirements related to greenhouse gas standards for cars and trucks. Public health and environmental groups, meanwhile, said the EPA’s greenhouse gas rules have prevented hundreds of thousands of premature deaths each year, and warned that the rollback would increase climate pollution and lead to thousands of avoidable deaths. The rule will be finalized Thursday at a White House event. (Wall Street Journal / Associated Press / Reuters / Axios / New York Times / CNBC / New York Times / Politico / Semafor)
2/ A newly unsealed FBI search warrant affidavit showed that the seizure of Fulton County, Georgia’s 2020 election ballots and records began with a referral from a Trump-appointed “director of election security and integrity.” Kurt Olsen, who took part in the “Stop the Steal” campaign and promoted baseless claims of widespread voter fraud, was hired to investigate Trump’s 2020 election loss. The affidavit framed the case as a criminal probe into whether alleged “deficiencies” in ballot handling and record keeping were intentional, but it relied on years-old claims that audits, courts, and prior reviews have rejected. The warrant authorized agents to take all physical ballots, ballot images, tabulator tapes, and 2020 voter rolls, citing possible violations of federal record-retention and election-rights laws. Fulton County has asked a judge to order the materials returned. (New York Times / Associated Press / Politico / ABC News / NBC News / CNBC / Washington Post)
3/ Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons defended ICE and told the House Homeland Security Committee that he would press ahead with Trump’s “mass deportation” campaign. “Let me send a message to anyone who thinks you can intimidate us: You will fail,” Lyons said. “We will continue carrying out our mission.” Lyons also rejected Democrats’ claims that ICE is operating like a “secret police” and acting “un-American and outright fascist.” But Lyons and CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott declined to detail the Minneapolis killings of citizens Renée Good and Alex Pretti, saying the investigations were ongoing. DHS funding expires Feb. 13. (Washington Post / Politico / CNN / Wall Street Journal / NPR / Washington Post)
4/ Reps. Thomas Massie and Ro Khanna disclosed the “hidden” names of six wealthy men they say are “likely incriminated” by their inclusion in the Jeffrey Epstein files. Khanna read Salvatore Nuara, Zurab Mikeladze, Leonic Leonov, Nicola Caputo, Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, and Leslie Wexner into the House record. The pair said they found the names after a two-hour review of unredacted files at the Justice Department and accused the DOJ of unexplained over-redactions. House Judiciary Committee ranking member Jamie Raskin said some redactions also masked references to Trump, citing a 2009 email exchange about Epstein’s access to Mar-a-Lago. After reviewing the unredacted files, Republican Sen. Cynthia Lummis remarked: “now I see what the big deal is.” (The Guardian / CNN / Politico / Bloomberg / The Hill / Axios)
5/ Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told senators he had lunch with Jeffrey Epstein on Epstein’s private Caribbean island in 2012. Lutnick, while testifying before a Senate Appropriations subcommittee, tried to play down the connection as “three times over 14 years,” and that there were only about “10 emails,” while insisting he had “nothing to hide.” But the account conflicts with Lutnick’s earlier public claim that he cut off contact with Epstein after 2005. And, the recently released Justice Department Epstein files describe additional post-2005 interactions, including 2011 scheduling and 2012 planning tied to the island visit, along with other links cited in the records. The White House said Trump “fully supports” Lutnick, but lawmakers including Rep. Thomas Massie and Rep. Robert Garcia called for his resignation, with senators from both parties saying the island visit raised questions. (Washington Post / Wall Street Journal / Politico / Associated Press / ABC News / NBC News / CNN / New York Times)
6/ Trump reportedly told the Palm Beach police chief in 2006 that “everyone has known” what Jeffrey Epstein “has been doing,” according to an FBI interview summary released by the Justice Department. The document memorialized what the former chief told FBI agents in 2019 about the alleged call from Trump. The Justice Department, however, said it wasn’t aware of any corroborating evidence that Trump had contacted law enforcement. The summary also said Trump thanked the police for “stopping” Epstein, urged them to focus on Ghislaine Maxwell as Epstein’s “operative,” called her “evil,” and said he once saw Epstein with teenagers and “got the hell out of there.” The White House said the call “may or may not” have happened but argued that, if it did, it fits Trump’s claims that he cut ties with Epstein years earlier and banned him from Mar-a-Lago. (Miami Herald / New York Times / CNN / CNBC / ABC News / The Guardian)
poll/ 59% of Americans said they’re optimistic about the future – a record low since Gallup started asking the question two decades ago. 62% report being satisfied with their current lives – the second-lowest in the survey’s history. The lowest was recorded in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. (Gallup)
The 2026 midterms are in 266 days; the 2028 presidential election is in 1,001 days.
- Today last year: Day 1483: "The most serious constitutional crisis the country has faced since Watergate."
- Four years ago today: Day 387: "On fire."
- Five years ago today: Day 22: "Inciter in chief."
- Six years ago today: Day 1117: Parasite.
- 9 years ago today: Day 22: Denials.
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Projects and Bunnies
Feb. 10th, 2026 08:09 pmsenmut10trueloves - 5/10 written ~ 3SF - 15 fills in 14 fandoms, still checking daily for new prompts
Random Plot Bunnies in Progress
~ Ahsoka the Daughter whispering guidance through time in Anakin's head. Starting in
~ Fulcrum and Rex time travel to before Anakin runs to Mace. - NEEDS CANON REVIEW
Potential Bunnies Pending Further Bouncing
~ Rachel and Joe meet with BOTH finally aware
~ Drizzt's fallout/Vierna's reactions in the Divining Destiny universe
~ The Broken/Wrong AniSoka from 3SF as a proper fic
Finished
~ Fulcrum accidentally pulls Anakin to Malachor in That Fight. - READY TO POST
