All posts by Chris

Linkity linkity link

Linkity longs for spring

April 8, 2022 Chris 5 Comments

Mayhem focused on something, looking very action-packed!

Snuggling siblings!

Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes

Linkity’s gotta whole lotta “WHA…?” going on

April 1, 2022 Chris 5 Comments

Linkity from Smart Bitches.
I might need to reread this one. I read it more than once as a kid.
Look what happened when the NYC Public Library ended late fees.
“You are the Chosen One” and the Dark Overlord has some good points to make.
A fish that looks like a sweet potato.
The sequel to the Ever Given in the Suez Canal!
Some cursed facts about Lake Superior.
A computer ad from 1980.
Some trivia about the movie When Harry Met Sally.
“Real or April Fools’: Dyson air purifying noise cancelling headphones“.
Doppelgangers but not twins.
This is a quilt?!
If you’re looking for some unusual prints to hang, her etsy is janethillstudio. I may have two Miss Mink prints coming for my bedroom…
Some cool theaters.
Maple syrup Pepsi?! (April Fools?!)
“‘Air jeans’“.
EWWW. Glad this never took off.
This can’t be a real ad.
Neither can this. Can it?!
NOOOOOO.
Um.
Absolutely not.
Huh.
Why?!
*blink blink*
This just reads SOOOOO differently 70+ years later.
And this.
AND THIS.
So does this, plus it looks like the start of a horror movie.
The beginning of the end.
“What if great scientists had special moves?“
“Rating the poodle emojis“.

Reading Update
Every War Has Two Losers: William Stafford on Peace and War by William Stafford. This is probably best for fans of Stafford’s poetry. Until I read this, I had no idea the US had camps for conscientious objectors during World War II. Strangely, that was never mentioned in history class…

Polly sitting like a people.

*blep* -Harry

Sometimes Mayhem and Harry can just quietly co-exist, no squishing involved!

Linkity linkity link

No lentils in linkity

March 25, 2022 Chris 7 Comments

New releases: AAR (romance)
Linkity from Smart Bitches.
Some illustrations by JRR Tolkien.
A ficlet about someone who’s half goblin/half hobbit.
“The Late Traveler” – a ficlet.
Just some bison.
“Caves are weirder and more varied than you think“.
Learn a little about albatrosses. And then learn a little bit more.
NO.
“Art in the Times of Coronavirus“.
Tree dragon.
Unfortunately true.
Portable reel-to-reel – I had no idea.
I can’t believe this one...
Erm…
ERM…

I have fallen down the rabbit hole that is “Magical, and Some Weird, Home Tours” on tumblr. Brace yourselves! 😉

Harry sitting on top of Mayhem. The “SO DONE” expression on May’s face!

Polly being her usual cute self.

Linkity linkity link

Linkity on a lava floor

March 18, 2022 Chris 3 Comments

New releases: Smart Bitches (romance)
Linkity from Smart Bitches.
A ficlet about a blacksmith and a glass slipper.
Some very good LOTR meta.
On the digestive systems of hobbits.
“Is there a Yost typewriter on the Antarctic ghost ship?”
Some cursed facts about orchids.
And a slightly cursed fact about pukekos.
From the perspective of the bees.
A home tour for those who LOVE pastels (so, not me).
Floral cat trees.
I’m not convinced…
Wait, does this mean your luggage is guaranteed to vanish without a trace?!?
I have questions about the extraneous quotation marks… (And a few other things!)
Hey, let’s go picnic in the parking lot at 7-11!
No words. (The history of Daylight Savings Time was much more complex than I expected.) (Plus I was gratified to discover that I was NOT imagining the year it was hella dark on the school bus in the morning – see 1973-1975.)
Kraft Mac’n’Cheese ice cream.
Winter layering in the city.
“A guide to the things one might find on the shelf at Whole Foods“.

Some socks I knitted for myself from ancient Trekking yarn:

Harry staring into your soul…

Polly upsidedown cake!

Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes

Linkity lost in time

March 11, 2022 Chris 5 Comments

Linkity from Smart Bitches.
Linkity from BookWyrm Knits.
“Rereading Fahrenheit 451 in an era of mass censorship“.
“When the pedestal breaks: Joss Whedon, JK Rowling, and letting the idea of heroes go“… which pairs nicely with the song “Heroes” by Jill Sobule.
Make your own Snickers bars.
No-bake chocolate lasagna.
Mocha-caramel flavored Oreos are going to be a thing.
FLASHBACK.
OH MY.
NO.
The modern web browsing experience.

Reading Update
Creativity Takes Courage: Dare to Think Differently by Irene Smit and Astrid van der Hulst. Very good book/workbook filled with ideas to help unleash creativity.
Knitorious Murder Mystery series (1-12, starting with Knit One Murder Two) by Reagan Davis. Enjoyable cozy mystery series set in a small tourist town in Ontario.

Silly Polly is silly and adorable!

Harry keeping an ear on things.

Knitting, Linkity linkity link

First linkity of 2022…..

March 4, 2022 Chris 7 Comments

Oh hi… :waves: We’re all alive! Thanks to everyone who checked in – those were bright spots in some dark days.

So far I’m giving 2022 a 0/10 (do not recommend), to be honest. On New Year’s Eve day, I fell on ice and felt fine at the time but felt less fine over the next few days and then spent most of the next two months in bed. My hip and lower back feel SO much better now and I’m even back at work. And when I venture outside, I’m wearing something called EXOspikes on my shoes to deal with the snow and ice.

New releases: Tor.com (YA SFF, scifi, fantasy)
Linkity from Smart Bitches. And more!
Linkity from BookWyrm Knits. And more!
A ficlet about magic, power, a demon, etc.
“It’s a beautiful day in the Shire and…“
Have you seen the list of new snowplow names as announced by the Minnesota DOT?
NO.
Also NO.
WHY.
Sooooooo unique, indeed.
UMMM.
Oh sure, why not.
EWWW.
Spam Yahtzee.
Soup-scented candles.
BOOM.
Wow, that is some top-tier quilting.

These look great, don’t they?

I hope they don’t just dissolve when my SIL wears them – I knit them from Poem yarn, which does NOT seem durable at all. Partway through, there was a knot and (although I couldn’t tell at the time) the colorway was attached backwards. 😮 Again, 0/10 (do not recommend) this yarn.

Mayhem on her way to a routine vet appointment.

Polly hanging out on the cat tree.

Thoughtful Harry is thoughtful.

Linkity linkity link

Linkity will see you in 2022!

December 31, 2021 Chris 9 Comments

Happy, healthy, and safe New Year to all of you!

Awwww, Polly!

“Harry, STOP IT.” -Polly

“You’re not the boss of me!” -Harry

~guileless~ -Harry

No linkity, but a sort of holiday card

December 24, 2021 Chris 3 Comments

If I’d thought of it sooner (and had a lot more Duluth Trading Company angry beaver discount cards), I would absolutely have sent this out as my gwfgwf (generic winter festive gathering with food) cards!

Aww, Polly!

Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes

Linkity will take snow over December tornadoes, thanks

December 17, 2021 Chris 3 Comments

New releases: Smart Bitches (romance)
Linkity from Smart Bitches.
Rest in power, bell hooks.
“100 speculative fiction titles to add to your reading list“. There are some great ones in this list!
An update on the Walnut the crane wife and the keeper she selected for her mate. (Scroll to the bottom.)
On map projections.
On box jellyfish.
“The trees that miss the mammoths“.
Photos from the 1920s of women with cats.
I didn’t know chocolate fruit looked like that, or that humans are the only species to which its seeds aren’t poisonous.
“Study says investing in LEGO will earn you more money” than investing in gold.
What if Christianity wasn’t the dominant religion in the US?
“The Lord of the Rings cast reunites for a clever anniversary rap“.
Fiesta peach SPAM loaf.
Quick coconut chicken curry.
Red velvet marble cake with cream cheese glaze. (via The Kitchn)
Hot chocolate macarons. (via The Kitchn)
…I can’t imagine how much harder it is to do that with cards than with dominoes. 😮
Do you know how fragile wet paper is?!?!?!??
GENIUS. More about the Bayeux Tapestry app (including where to find it).
WHOA.
And YIKES.
The saga of Jean and Jorts. Some additional commentary.
“America’s worst fireplace“.
Gen-Xer insight.
A kitty roomba.
Tubbitha.
“Studies in ethical realism: The runaway lobster telephone problem“.
The best name for anti-sub machinery ever.

Reading Update
Take a Look at the Five and Ten by Connie Willis. Lovely holiday short! I read this in a collection, but it was years ago.
The Hungry Dreaming by Craig Schaefer. Very suspenseful and intense paranormal thriller about saving the past and future of New York City. (Don’t be alarmed that it seems to be the third book in a series – it’s not, really.)
Wabi-Sabi: For Artists, Designers, Poets & Philosophers by Leonard Koren. Ok, but there’s not much to it. And I’m not sure it lives up to its ambitious subtitle.

Drowsing Harry.

Polly by the window, with snow in the background. Most of that snow melted when it was 58F/14C on Wednesday. NOT normal for Minneapolis in December.

Polly asleep, Mayhem mildly annoyed/inconvenienced by Polly’s presence/existence.

Linkity linkity link

It’s beginning to look a lot like linkity, all around the town

December 10, 2021 Chris 5 Comments

Mayhem, concerned that I might pick her up.

Harry glamor shot!

Polly, very focused on something outside the window.

Polly and Harry on my bed.

Art journaling, reading, knitting, and cat parenting. It's a wild life.