In honour of T

Jul. 7th, 2026 11:42 pm
einbeistrich: Photo of William Beckett, singer from The Academy Is... He's wearing red glasses and posing by pulling a strand of hair (Default)
[personal profile] einbeistrich
It's complicated how grief works. Life grows around it, yet it still lingers.

On June 16th, I received a message about the death of a friend. At that moment, I was in the final minutes of a uni lecture. One minute I was learning about Goethe and Schiller, the next I was receiving some of the worst news of my life.

I went into shock right away. It was all so sudden. I couldn’t understand what had happened. How could a healthy young woman, not even 30 years old, simply die on just any Tuesday? It didn’t seem real. Still, I was shaking as I walked out of the classroom, aimlessly. My first impulse was to call L. After I’d calmed down a bit, my other friend, D, walked me to the bus stop. I didn’t know what to say. I just kept walking, still trembling, still in shock.
 
The next day, I found out what had happened. While T was with her boyfriend, she had a seizure followed by cardiac arrest, likely caused by an untreated pneumonia. It took 45 minutes for her heart to start beating again. Still, the outcome was tragic: after days in the ICU, she was declared brain dead.
 
The day of her wake and funeral was one of the saddest days of my life. The atmosphere was heavy not only because of T’s death, but also because her passing was the second loss for her parents. Years ago, her brother died at just 20 years old. Now all of their children are dead. All of them. 
 
That day, I finally understood the power of a hug. Each one brought me endless tears, but also strength and affection. All of us - friends, family, and acquaintances - gave each other tight hugs, the kind of hug that touches the other person’s soul and says, “I’m hurting too, but eventually we will be okay.”
 
Throughout the morning, I thought a lot about whether I wanted to see T.’s body. Hours later, I finally mustered the courage to do so, thinking that it might help me come to terms with her death. Here’s why I felt that way: I didn’t attend the wakes of other friends or my grandfather, so even today I feel as though their deaths are just a rumor. It’s as if they were still alive.
 
To be honest, it didn’t help me that much. When I saw the body, I could tell it was T, but she didn’t look human. She was more like a wax figure... The color of her skin was completely different, for example. Even so, I approached her and whispered everything I would have wanted to say to her if I’d had the chance.

When the time came for the funeral, we all walked towards the grave with our heads bowed. That’s when I completely fell apart, because it finally became clear that she would never come back. Her parents asked the gravedigger to bury her with the bouquet of flowers I had brought. I felt as if she had been buried with a piece of me.
 
Afterward, my friends and I made a promise: our next meeting can't be at a funeral. We need to stay close to each other and never let go.
 
Sometimes I feel like I’ve already cried all my tears. Other times, I remember her and cry.
 
If God exists, he’s going to have to give me a good explanation for this.

Visit to the surgeon

Jul. 7th, 2026 10:05 pm
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[personal profile] silver_chipmunk
Got up this morning at 10:00 after a rather restless night. Had coffee and then a bowl of cereal, showered and dressed, and then puttered on my phone til 2:00.

At 2:00 [personal profile] mashfanficchick and I took an Uber over to my surgeon (the Uber from zer place was half what the Uber from my place would have been, that's why I stayed over) for my checkup.

It was abut a half hour wait in the waiting room, but once I got in the exam room, not too long. The doctor did what she always does, go over my records, ask a few questions, and examine my breasts. I am happy to say all is well, and once again I don't go back for six months.

Then [personal profile] mashfanficchick and I took the bus to Queens Center mall, and ze went shopping for something to wear to zer father's 80th birthday celebration which is on the 12th.

First though we had a late lunch/early dinner at Applebee's, splitting the "two for $25" deal. We had salad rather than appetizer, and I had the O-M-Cheeseburger. It was delicious.

Then we went to Penny's and looked for clothes. I spotted the $5 clearance rack and got a pair of purple patterned satin shorts. I wanted to use my Penny's card because I was afraid it would be canceled if I didn't use it soon. So I paid using that.

[personal profile] mashfanficchick hadn't found anything ze liked by the time I had to leave to get to my Al-anon meeting in time, so ze walked me to the bus and then went on to Macy's.

I took the bus home, with a bit of excitement at 38th and Main, where the driver said that the loud banging coming from the back had reached the point where he had to call it in the the depot. So I got off there, and switched to another bus that was right behind, and made it home on time.

That was the good part. But the computer, or Zoom, acted up and I had a very hard time getting the meeting to start, I finally did, late. Then it was pretty good.

I Teamed the FWiB after the meeting rather than before obviously. We talked for almost an hour.

Then I fed the pets and started here.

Gratitude List:

1. The FWiB.

2. My checkup was good.

3. The Kid texted me back when I texted her.

4. The rain that started never got bad when I was out in it.

5. Purple patterned shorts for $5.

6. Made it home in time for my meeting.

Coins!

Jul. 7th, 2026 09:19 pm
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[personal profile] billroper
I ordered an uncirculated set from the mint (and paid a really extortionate price for it), because I wanted the 250th anniversary special designs. They are really nice. The standout piece, which I wish was on a denomination that circulated more, is the half-dollar. The Statue of Liberty motif is really well executed and it is one of the prettiest coins that the mint has put out in years.

Seventh of the Seventh.

Jul. 7th, 2026 10:10 pm
hannah: (Library stacks - fooish_icons)
[personal profile] hannah
Having just finished the rough draft of a Project Hail Mary fic, as is customary, I'm obligated to ask if anyone knows where I can find an icon. I've checked [community profile] fandom_icons and I'm sure there's another place or two someone else already knows about.

I've got to figure out a title, so thankfully, I'm not in a huge rush.

(no subject)

NSFW Jul. 7th, 2026 07:04 pm
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[personal profile] brokenallbroken
( You're about to view content that the journal owner has advised should be viewed with discretion. )

Books read, June

Jul. 8th, 2026 12:57 pm
cyphomandra: fluffy snowy mountains (painting) (snowcone)
[personal profile] cyphomandra
How to fake it in society, KJ Charles
We breed lions: confronting Canada’s troubled hockey culture, Rick Westhead
The husbands, Holly Gramazio
Evil under the sun, Agatha Christie (re-read)
The ark
The Sittaford mystery, Agatha Christie
Till we have faces, CS Lewis



How to Fake it In Society, KJ Charles. Titus is a humble shopkeeper who makes paints for artists, who ends up marrying a wealthy woman on her deathbed in order to ensure that her relative (who may well have had something to do with there being a deathbed the first place) is disinherited; struggling with his sudden elevation, he is thrilled when Nicolas-Marc, Comte de Valois de la Motte, a fashionable French escaped aristocrat with a Mysterious Past offers to help him make his way in society. But Nico is a con man barely a step ahead of some very nasty gangsters, and while he hoped to salvage himself with Titus’ money, his new feelings for Titus make it impossible to admit the truth… This is fine. It’s competently put together and I like the paint details but something about this pairing didn’t quite fire for me, the ending tipped a little too far into farce complete with one too many pantomime villains, and basically I think KJ likes con artists and scammers a lot more than I do.

We breed lions: confronting Canada’s troubled hockey culture, Rick Westhead. Solid, painful documentation of the casualties of Canada’s approach to (men’s) hockey, from juniors to professionals, emphasising the gate-keepers who could (but don’t) change their approach. Pretty awful subject material, with all the sexual assault, misogyny, bullying, homophobia and hazing that you’d expect; it’s about culture, and about those who enforce it, but also those who chose to look away or not look deeper, and how much damage reverberates through the system.

The husbands, Holly Gramazio. Lauren, single, is met one night at the door of her flat by her (previously unknown) husband Michael. When he pops up to the attic to change a lightbulb, another husband comes back down; and, every time Lauren gets one up into the attic, she gets another one back, while with each new husband her own life and those of her close friends also change. It’s a great set-up and it rattles along (what if one of the husbands is awful? What if they move away from the flat?) for the first half before running off the rails a bit in the second. Lauren meets a husband to whom the same thing is happening (also, unlike Lauren, he’s about 50:50 whether he ends up with husbands or wives), which was great, but then things go wrong with a husband Lauren loses whom she wanted to keep, and in response Lauren does some pretty terrible things and it’s hard to know how terrible the author thinks they are. I see the author is a game designer, but the book is pitched as “how to choose when there are so many options” dating app rom com rather than “if I treat other people as NPCs how can I do this ethically, especially if I can just reset everything”, which is what I would have liked her to explore more.


Evil under the sun, Agatha Christie
The Sittaford mystery, Agatha Christie


Evil is Poirot staying in a sunny seaside house in Devon when the alluring Arlena, who is having an affair with another woman’s husband, gets herself strangled, and Sittaford is a standalone murder in a snowstorm that took place at the exact time as a group of related people were having a seance and the table spelled out MURDER and the name of the victim. I liked the ideas behind the solution of Evil while not finding them entirely convincing; Sittaford is solider in that respect, but neither are top-tier.

The ark, Haruo Yuki (trans. Jim Rion, who does the Uketsu books). A group of friends exploring the wilderness find a strange abandoned bunker; when they go down into it, an earthquake traps them. The only way out would require one of them to stay behind and face certain death. Helpfully, someone then commits murder; if they can work out who it was, they can force that person to stay behind, although this assumes a) they cooperate and b) whoever it is stops killing more people…

I did like the atmosphere in this, although it could have done with more pace and a lot less “we’re being murdered so let’s split up and go to places individually”. The characters aren’t that well-developed, but there is at least depth to some of them, and the final twist is satisfyingly dark.

Till We Have Faces, C.S. Lewis One of those books I’ve always meant to read but never got around to before (I think I first read about it in Pamela Dean’s Tam Lin, which means it’s been at least 30 years of good intentions. The Cupid and Psyche myth, retold from Orual’s (Psyche’s older half-sister) point of view, with and gosh Orual is a fascinating protagonist, flawed and believable, and a product of her society even when she breaks from it (I note that Joy Davidman was at the very least the first reader on this and at most a co-author). The way Orual’s realisation of how her (selfish) love for others has hurt them reverberates.

no fandom : icons : they've got ears

Jul. 7th, 2026 08:49 pm
highlander_ii: Hugh Laurie standing next to Dr. Cockroad ([Dr. Cockroach] with Hugh)
[personal profile] highlander_ii posting in [community profile] fan_flashworks
Title: they've got ears
Fandom: no fandom
Rating: G
Content notes: None apply
Summary: icons of mules and their big ears, made from images found on the interwebs


they've got ears )
sonofgodzilla: royals (queen/elizabeth)
[personal profile] sonofgodzilla
I promise I will stop talking about the seventeenth generation soon, but for now, Mizushima Miyuu, everyone! You should know this story pretty well! Debuting in 2022 alongside Yamazaki Sora, Sato Airi, Hirata Yuki, Hashimoto Eriko, Ota Yuki, Hatakeyama Nozomi, Hotei Moka, and Masai Mayuu, Mizumin, born in Hokkaido, made her way up into the regular members in 2022 and has been a pretty familiar face even to Western audiences since at least Colorcon Wink.

Almost a month after she debuted, she was appearing as a back-up dancer alongside Masai Mayuu for Team K and their performances of the Saka Agari revival, and then in September, she appeared in the line-up for the kenkyuusei theatre performances of Tadaima Renaichuu as part of Junai no Crescendo, again with Mayuu, and as centre for Kikyou—also covered by Iwasa Misaki on her first single, Mujin Eki—which should give you some clue as to Mizumin's career trajectory.

Obligatory mention of Wonderful Love, but pay attention because Mizumin is part of the Wcentre with Sato Airi! She also appeared with Hirata Yuki for AKB's cover of UFO by Pink Lady on the covers album, Nantettatte AKB48.

In terms of senbatsu appearances, since the aforementioned Yukirin graduation single, you can hear Mizumin on Koi Tsun Jatta, Masaka no Confession, and forthcoming single, Suki-ish. Whilst the latter is the first release in a long time without nineteenth generation member, Hanada Mei, it should perhaps be reassuring to know that AKB has a few more aces to play in her absence.

I feel bad that Hanada Mei is now better known for being dismissed than for what she brought to the group.

I digress.

In 2023, Mizumin also appeared in Team B's new production of Idol no Yoake as well as making her first CD appearances. In 2024, she was promoted out of kenkyuusei purgatory to become one of the regular members as a reward for her efforts.

Like me, Mizumin is a Yukirin oshi, which makes her appearance on Colorcon Wink all the more delightful. Stand by for big things from this girl as we're definitely going to see her a lot more in future!

Mizumin!

On to the Quarterfinals!

Jul. 7th, 2026 07:12 pm
yourlibrarian: FacepalmTahani (OTH-FacepalmTahani-delacourtings)
[personal profile] yourlibrarian
1) Looks like this obsession with identifying people online is spreading to all sorts of places. I've been working with two survey companies for a long time for some extra cash. One of them recently prompted users to verify their accounts, offering better opportunities if they did. The other unexpectedly asked me to set up verification to access my account, which included uploading ID and revealing other information.

This is an account I've had for over 20 years. No matter what age I was when I opened it, I would clearly be of age since, and I have contacted customer service various times in the past due to problems. They know I'm a real person who has almost always accessed them from the same IP. I even had "diamond status", meaning I got extra points with each survey completed for faster rewards, as a result of being such a longtime member.

Apparently that was unimportant. I closed my account and they have not contacted me. Makes me wonder how many other people are doing so as well.

2) Watched Elle Read more... )

2) Brazil versus Norway. Read more... )

England versus Mexico. Read more... )

Portugal versus Spain. Read more... )

United States versus Belgium. Read more... )

Argentina versus Egypt. Read more... )

Switzerland versus Colombia. Read more... )

Poll #34812 Kudos Footer-597
This poll is anonymous.
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 4

Want to leave a Kudos?

View Answers

Kudos!
4 (100.0%)



eek!

Jul. 7th, 2026 07:23 pm
chazzbanner: (red car)
[personal profile] chazzbanner
I thought thought surely my ac was going bad. It was blowing coolish air, not very vigorously, but I had it on from 3:30 yesterday to after 12 today, and my room temp was still high.

About an hour ago I realized I had turned the button the wrong way. Ye gads!

-

Cutoffs

Jul. 7th, 2026 11:53 pm
[syndicated profile] ao3_wolf359radio_rss_feed

Posted by milkmaid

by

♡ Prompt: Multiple Orgasms

Cutter made a trembling noise, his head lolled back as he kept pushing his hips. "They may get to play with you, but remember that you're still mine, Dougie-boy. Remember that I gave you this, that you're nothing without me."

"Yes, sir."

"Mine, all mine, mine…" He pushed his hips in time with his words, rocking easily into the collecting slickness his cock was producing. "Mine, my Dougie-boy…"

Words: 3228, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Series: Part 28 of Kinktober ♡ 2025, Part 3 of Doug Eiffel and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Job

Daily Check-In

Jul. 7th, 2026 06:00 pm
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[personal profile] starwatcher posting in [community profile] fandom_checkin
 
This is your check-in post for today. The poll will be open from midnight Universal or Zulu Time (8pm Eastern Time) on Tuesday, July 07, to midnight on Wednesday, July 08. (8pm Eastern Time).

Poll #34811 Daily Check-in
Open to: Access List, detailed results viewable to: Access List, participants: 7

How are you doing?

I am OK.
5 (71.4%)

I am not OK, but don't need help right now.
2 (28.6%)

I could use some help.
0 (0.0%)

How many other humans live with you?

I am living single.
3 (42.9%)

One other person.
2 (28.6%)

More than one other person.
2 (28.6%)




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.
 

Day 1995: “This is punishment.”

Jul. 7th, 2026 03:24 pm
[syndicated profile] wtfjht_feed

Posted by Matt Kiser

Day 1995

Today in one sentence: The U.S. launched new strikes against Iran after U.S. Central Command said Iran attacked three commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz, calling the attacks “unwarranted, dangerous, and a clear violation of the ceasefire”; the U.S. reportedly gave Tehran details on Iranian asylum seekers while trying to deport them back to Iran; Trump said he’d consider selling F-35 fighter jets to Turkey and lifting sanctions tied its purchase of a Russian S-400 air-defense system; Trump suggested he could pull U.S. troops out of Europe after NATO allies refused to support his demand that the U.S. should control Greenland; Top Democrats urged Graham Platner to drop out of Maine’s Senate race after a woman accused him of raping her in 2021; Mitch McConnell has been hospitalized for more than three weeks and his office won’t say why; 60% of Americans say Trump is using his office for personal gain; and 95% of Americans believe the U.S. is suffering an affordability crisis, with half saying they’re having trouble affording everyday necessities, like gas and groceries, and two-thirds saying they have little faith that the federal government will improve the cost-of-living.


1/ The U.S. launched new strikes against Iran after U.S. Central Command said Iran attacked three commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz, calling the attacks “unwarranted, dangerous, and a clear violation of the ceasefire.” The strikes came after a Qatari liquefied natural gas tanker, a Saudi oil tanker, and a third vessel were hit near the Omani route through the strait, where Iran has insisted that ships use its approved route and argued that it should be able to charge passage fees. A U.S. official characterized the military strikes as “not proportional,” and saying: “This is punishment. It won’t be over for a bit.” Separately, the Trump administration revoked its temporary waiver allowing Iran to sell oil in global markets. The U.S. said Iran “will only reap benefits if they exhibit good behavior” and that its actions in the strait were “wholly unacceptable.” (Bloomberg / Associated Press / NBC News / CNBC / New York Times / CNN / New York Times / Axios / Wall Street Journal / Bloomberg / CNN / CNBC)

2/ The U.S. gave Tehran details on Iranian asylum seekers while trying to deport them back to Iran, a lawsuit alleges. The complaint says State Department and ICE officials shared names and immigration files, then kept sending records even after the U.S.-Iran war began. DHS, however, denied that ICE shared “asylum application records,” saying it only works with foreign governments to secure travel documents and consular access. (Washington Post / NBC News / ABC News / Associated Press / NPR / New York Times)

3/ Trump said he’d consider selling F-35 fighter jets to Turkey and lifting sanctions tied its purchase of a Russian S-400 air-defense system. Trump praised Turkey as an “extraordinary” ally and said it has been “much more loyal” than other NATO countries. A 2020 law, however, blocks the sale of F-35s to Turkey unless it gives up the Russian equipment, and Congress could still try to block the sale. Meanwhile, Israel opposes the sale, with Benjamin Netanyahu saying he urged Trump directly not to do it because giving Turkey the stealth jets would “destroy the power balance in the Middle East,” describing Recep Tayyip Erdogan as “not exactly a model ally” and warned that “when you give them that power, you’re going to see aggression in its wake.” Israel is currently the only country in the region with F-35s. (New York Times / CNN / ABC News / Wall Street Journal / Axios / Washington Post / Bloomberg)

4/ Trump suggested he could pull U.S. troops out of Europe after NATO allies refused to support his demand that the U.S. should control Greenland, saying the dispute had “hurt my relationship with NATO.” Speaking at the NATO summit in Ankara, Trump also said he was “very disappointed with NATO,” criticized Europe’s energy and immigration policies, and said the war between Russia and Ukraine “doesn’t affect us” ahead of a planned meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said she expected allies to respect the sovereignty of the Danish kingdom and that U.S. control of Greenland “is not going to happen.” (Reuters / CNBC / Politico)

5/ Top Democrats urged Graham Platner to drop out of Maine’s Senate race after a woman accused him of raping her in 2021. Jenny Racicot said Platner showed up drunk and uninvited at her home while they were dating, ignored her repeated objections, and forced himself on her. “I remember the specific moment where I thought to myself, like, ‘This is no longer my choice,’” she said. Platner denied the allegation, calling “any accusation of non-consensual behavior” “categorically false,” while his campaign claimed the allegations were “coached and coordinated by out of state establishment operatives” and timed to come “a week before the ballot deadline.” Platner later said in a video that “regardless of the inaccuracy of the reporting,” he was “mindful of the political reality it will inflict” and was taking time to “reflect on the best path forward” for Maine and “the goal of defeating Susan Collins.” If Platner withdraws by July 13, Maine Democrats have until July 27 to replace him on the ballot. If he doesn’t, the party could be stuck with Platner as their nominee in a race that’s essential to retaking control of the Senate. Republicans hold a 53-47 Senate majority, meaning Democrats likely need to flip the Maine seat, where Susan Collins is the only Republican senator running in a state Democrats carried in 2024. (Politico / CNN / Associated Press / New York Times / NBC News / Wall Street Journal / Washington Post / CNBC / New York Times / Washington Post)

6/ Mitch McConnell has been hospitalized for more than three weeks and his office won’t say why. The 84-year-old Republican hasn’t cast a Senate vote since June 11, but his office says McConnell “continues to improve” and is working with staff while the Senate is out of session. Emergency dispatch recordings from June 14 indicate first responders were sent to McConnell’s Washington address for an unconscious person before reporting “CPR in progress” and “cardiac arrest.” McConnell isn’t named in the audio and his office declined to comment on it. John Thune, John Barrasso, and former McConnell adviser Scott Jennings all said that they’ve spoken with McConnell by phone for about 20 minutes, with Barrasso’s office saying McConnell was “fully engaged and is eager to get back to the Senate.” (Washington Post / New York Times / CNN / CNBC)

poll/ 60% of Americans say Trump is using his office for personal gain. (YouGov)

poll/ 95% of Americans believe the U.S. is suffering an affordability crisis, with half saying they’re having trouble affording everyday necessities, like gas and groceries, and two-thirds saying they have little faith that the federal government will improve the cost-of-living.(The Guardian)

The 2026 midterms are in 119 days; the 2028 presidential election is in 854 days.



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Pork Burgers (Juicy & Flavorful)

Jul. 7th, 2026 11:17 pm
[syndicated profile] inspired_taste_rss_feed

Posted by Joanne Gallagher

Pork Burgers

Incredibly delicious pork burger recipe made with ground pork, garlic, ginger, and soy sauce. Build them with our quick kimchi salad and yogurt sauce, and you will have […]

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