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andreasdeja_feed) wrote2025-12-22 09:51 pm
andreasdeja_feed) wrote2025-12-22 09:51 pm
Merry Christmas
Get MUSHKA on Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, Google Play and Youtube.
APOD (apod_feed) wrote2025-12-23 05:34 am
apod_feed) wrote2025-12-23 05:34 am(no subject)
Yesterday the Sun reached its southernmost point in planet Earth's sky.
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bitterlawngnome) wrote2025-12-22 08:20 pm
bitterlawngnome) wrote2025-12-22 08:20 pm(no subject)
I can feel it happening. Many artists enter - usually at the end of their career - a phase where they no longer govern themselves by the rules they know will make their work intelligible to others. Nowadays I often find I just want to photograph the light sliding across the backdrop from morning to night. It won't mean a damn thing to anyone else. But it's the utter essence of photograph, the light at an exact place and time.
rebeccmeister (rebeccmeister) wrote2025-12-22 07:51 pm
rebeccmeister) wrote2025-12-22 07:51 pmEntry tags:
DANG that was a lot of work [vaguebooking, projects]
All I can say is that I really hope ya'll like your Christmasolstihanukkawanzaa gift! It is going to be given in stages, snail-mail stages first.
Whew.
Anyway.
Today I am also FULL OF RELIEF because I managed to secure excellent cat-sitters for George and Martha! They are two of my animal care student workers, so I already know they know how to take very good care of animals.
Now, time to sleep.
Whew.
Anyway.
Today I am also FULL OF RELIEF because I managed to secure excellent cat-sitters for George and Martha! They are two of my animal care student workers, so I already know they know how to take very good care of animals.
Now, time to sleep.
What The Fuck Just Happened Today? (wtfjht_feed) wrote2025-12-22 03:51 pm
wtfjht_feed) wrote2025-12-22 03:51 pmDay 1798: "Covering up things."
Today in one sentence: On Friday, the Justice Department released a limited batch of records from its Jeffrey Epstein investigations, conceding it didn’t meet the legal deadline to disclose the full file as required by the Epstein Files Transparency Act; on Saturday, the Justice Department temporarily removed at least 15 files from its public “Epstein files” site, including an image that showed a photo of Trump with Epstein, Melania Trump, and Ghislaine Maxwell, before later restoring that Trump-related image; on Sunday, JD Vance refused to condemn antisemitism in the conservative movement, saying there should be no “purity tests” beyond "love America"; the U.S. military launched retaliatory strikes on more than 70 suspected Islamic State targets in Syria; CBS News editor in chief Bari Weiss pulled a fully produced “60 Minutes” investigation into alleged abuses at El Salvador’s CECOT prison hours before it was set to air; and the Trump administration on stopped federal leases for five offshore wind projects already under construction along the East Coast, citing unspecified national security risks.
1/ On Friday, the Justice Department released a limited batch of records from its Jeffrey Epstein investigations, conceding it didn’t meet the legal deadline to disclose the full file as required by the Epstein Files Transparency Act. The material included photos, phone logs, and interview records, many heavily redacted Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche told Congress the department needed more time, writing that “the volume of materials to be reviewed” made full compliance impossible by the deadline. Lawmakers from both parties, meanwhile, rejected that explanation, calling the disclosure “disappointing” and warning that Congress was weighing legal options to force compliance. Nevertheless, the White House defended the partial rollout as evidence of transparency, claiming it was doing more than prior administrations to make the files public. (Associated Press / Washington Post / New York Times / Bloomberg)
2/ On Saturday, the Justice Department temporarily removed at least 15 files from its public “Epstein files” site, including an image that showed a photo of Trump with Epstein, Melania Trump, and Ghislaine Maxwell, before later restoring that Trump-related image. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche claimed the removal “has nothing to do with President Trump” and said the department removed images after victim advocates raised concerns about unredacted women. The Justice Department said it reposted the image after deciding there was “no evidence that any Epstein victims are depicted in the photograph,” but it hasn’t fully explained why the files vanished without a public notice in the first place. Lawmakers, meanwhile, accused the Justice Department of “selective concealment” and “covering up things that, for whatever reason, Donald Trump doesn’t want to go public.” Reps. Thomas Massie and Ro Khanna said they’re drafting a measure to hold Attorney General Pam Bondi in contempt for what Massie called “flouting the spirit and the letter of the law.” (Associated Press / NBC News / CNBC / Politico / Axios / Washington Post / Associated Press)
3/ On Sunday, JD Vance refused to condemn antisemitism in the conservative movement, saying there should be no “purity tests” beyond “love America.” In his closing speech at Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest, Vance said Republicans “have far more important work to do than canceling each other,” declining to set any boundaries as activists debated whether to exclude figures such as Nick Fuentes, a white nationalist and Holocaust denier. The comments followed days of public infighting, including Ben Shapiro accusing Tucker Carlson of elevating antisemitic conspiracy theorists, and Steve Bannon calling Shapiro a “cancer” on the movement. Turning Point USA leader Erika Kirk, meanwhile, publicly endorsed Vance for president, even though he hasn’t declared, Trump is still in office, and no primary field exists yet. (Associated Press / Politico / New York Times / Wall Street Journal)
4/ The U.S. military launched retaliatory strikes on more than 70 suspected Islamic State targets in Syria. The Dec. 19 strikes follow the Dec. 13 attack in Palmyra that killed two U.S. Army soldiers and a civilian interpreter, and wounded three other soldiers. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth framed the mission as punishment, saying, “This is not the beginning of a war — it is a declaration of vengeance.” (Reuters / ABC News / CNN / Politico / Associated Press / Wall Street Journal)
5/ CBS News editor in chief Bari Weiss pulled a fully produced “60 Minutes” investigation into alleged abuses at El Salvador’s CECOT prison hours before it was set to air, saying the story needed additional reporting and on-the-record participation from Trump administration officials. The segment, which focused on the deportation of Venezuelan men under Trump’s immigration policy, had already cleared legal, standards, and multiple editorial reviews. In an internal email, the program’s correspondent, Sharyn Alfonsi, condemned the decision as political, writing, “If the administration’s refusal to participate becomes a valid reason to spike a story, we have effectively handed them a ‘kill switch’ for any reporting they find inconvenient.” Weiss, meanwhile, told staff she pulled the piece because it “was not ready” and lacked sufficient on-the-record participation, saying it would air at a later date after more reporting. (NPR / Washington Post / New York Times / Wall Street Journal / Politico)
6/ The Trump administration on stopped federal leases for five offshore wind projects already under construction along the East Coast, citing unspecified national security risks. The Interior Department said the suspension blocks projects in Massachusetts, New York, Virginia, Rhode Island, and Connecticut that together represent about $25 billion in investment and were expected to power millions of homes. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum claimed the action was necessary because “the prime duty of the United States government is to protect the American people,” adding that offshore wind near population centers created security vulnerabilities. (Associated Press / New York Times)
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flemmings (flemmings) wrote2025-12-22 06:43 pm
flemmings) wrote2025-12-22 06:43 pm(no subject)
She has turnèd, she has turnèd, she has turnèd (everyone to her own way)-- I mean, for the first time in 75 years I am actually *glad* for the solstice. Sympathetic magic: may the returning light bring a lightening to this dark world, and may I soon read that big, beautiful obituary. Why yes, I have frequently wished someone dead, whatever it does to my karma, and still do.
Lie-in dream today was of being at a spa/ onsen of sorts which was also the family cottage but enlarged, with my cousin F but also my sister, and an unpleasant woman I was supposed to share a room with. Decided I couldn't hack this, I was going back to TO, but couldn't find the owner/ o-kamisan to tell her this and the mostly Asian staff didn't know where she'd got to. Told my sister but she couldn't help. Told F, who was in a bathing suit, who said something about her dad (dead 50 years this month) taking me back but he was at their real-life cottage, two over from ours. Did I make it home? I think I may have-- vague memory of counting the cars on the 401 highway, which is not the way you get to the cottage, that's the QEW, a sink.
Hit the LCBO and have vodka and Kahlua to see me through the hols. Many white russians in my future, since the black ones rot my guts. Gov't money comes in early so I splurge on alcohol and food banks, though am accablée that the Muslim one seems to operate only on the west coast. Will no one think of the Toronto delivery guys?
Lie-in dream today was of being at a spa/ onsen of sorts which was also the family cottage but enlarged, with my cousin F but also my sister, and an unpleasant woman I was supposed to share a room with. Decided I couldn't hack this, I was going back to TO, but couldn't find the owner/ o-kamisan to tell her this and the mostly Asian staff didn't know where she'd got to. Told my sister but she couldn't help. Told F, who was in a bathing suit, who said something about her dad (dead 50 years this month) taking me back but he was at their real-life cottage, two over from ours. Did I make it home? I think I may have-- vague memory of counting the cars on the 401 highway, which is not the way you get to the cottage, that's the QEW, a sink.
Hit the LCBO and have vodka and Kahlua to see me through the hols. Many white russians in my future, since the black ones rot my guts. Gov't money comes in early so I splurge on alcohol and food banks, though am accablée that the Muslim one seems to operate only on the west coast. Will no one think of the Toronto delivery guys?
hrj (hrj) wrote2025-12-22 03:24 pm
hrj) wrote2025-12-22 03:24 pmEntry tags:
Books I've Read: October 2024
I'm chunking these posts based roughly on the number of books, so some cover one month, some two.
Tooth and Claw by Jo Walton -- (audio) What if Regency England social politics but murderous dragons? I found it a fascinating worldbuilding project. My notes say "peculiarly interesting." I felt that things wrapped up too tidily at the end with the "good guys" all getting rewarded and escaping consequences. I recall having some other thoughts about the gender politics but I'd have to go back and re-read to recall specifics.
The First Rebellion by M.C. Beaton -- (audio) I had signed up for a new audiobook outlet (Chirp) that often has significantly reduced sale prices, so I've periodically taken the opportunity to try some books that I wasn't specifically looking for. (In general, I've tended to be unsatisfied with the books I've picked for that reason, but you never know.) Straight historic romance. Supposedly a "naïve bluestocking rebel wins the heart of a rakish nobleman by being unruly and rude to him" but I found it really hard going. The characters were childish and unlikeable and the male lead isn't worth winning. DNF.
Mary and the Birth of Frankenstein by Anne Eekhout -- (audio) Spotted this one when pulling titles for the podcast. An imaginative story coming up with a (fictional) backstory for events that inspired details in Frankenstein. My notes say "very literary and more than a bit Freudian." There is a sapphic plot thread but it doesn't have a happy ending. Content note for sexual grooming and abuse.
The Duke at Hazard by K.J. Charles -- (audio) A delightful homage to Georgette Heyer's The Foundling, featuring a naïve young duke and his quest to prove himself competent and independent. Utterly charming and satisfying. It combined enough parallels with the original to amuse the reader while diverging in enough points to be its own thing. Certain characters in the conclusion cross over with The Gentle Art of Fortune Hunting. (I've occasionally noodled f/f Heyer-homage plots and reading this got me thinking strongly about the social and economic logistics of how to do a sapphic version of Cotillion. To the extent that I have an outline-and-notes document for it.)
Craze by Margaret Vandenburg -- (audio) A history lesson about queer life in 1920s New York City, dressed up as a novel. Entertaining and informative, if occasionally overly erudite for some readers. Read in the context of interviewing the author for my podcast.
The Fire and the Place in the Forest by Jeannelle M. Ferreira -- (audio) Short fiction and poetry focusing on sapphic relationships, especially in historic settings. Even though my main format for fiction these days is audio, I'd buy Ferreira's work in that format no matter what because even her prose is poetic and that's the best way to receive it. (Advisory: I am not exactly unbiased as she has sold me stories.)
The Cloud Roads by Martha Wells -- (audio) Secondary world fantasy. I'd been wanting to check out some of Wells' earlier work and this came up on sale (if I recall correctly). Amazing worldbuilding, though with a bit of a "generic fantasy" feel in the prose. I did have the same issue I had with the first Murderbot story I read, which was feeling like it was overloaded with blow-by-blow fight scenes. (But maybe I'm alone in finding that a negative?) This is a romance novel at heart, with many standard tropes gender-flipped due to the social structure, which resembles that of social insects.
If I do one of this posts per day, I should be caught up by the end of December. That will be my goal.
Tooth and Claw by Jo Walton -- (audio) What if Regency England social politics but murderous dragons? I found it a fascinating worldbuilding project. My notes say "peculiarly interesting." I felt that things wrapped up too tidily at the end with the "good guys" all getting rewarded and escaping consequences. I recall having some other thoughts about the gender politics but I'd have to go back and re-read to recall specifics.
The First Rebellion by M.C. Beaton -- (audio) I had signed up for a new audiobook outlet (Chirp) that often has significantly reduced sale prices, so I've periodically taken the opportunity to try some books that I wasn't specifically looking for. (In general, I've tended to be unsatisfied with the books I've picked for that reason, but you never know.) Straight historic romance. Supposedly a "naïve bluestocking rebel wins the heart of a rakish nobleman by being unruly and rude to him" but I found it really hard going. The characters were childish and unlikeable and the male lead isn't worth winning. DNF.
Mary and the Birth of Frankenstein by Anne Eekhout -- (audio) Spotted this one when pulling titles for the podcast. An imaginative story coming up with a (fictional) backstory for events that inspired details in Frankenstein. My notes say "very literary and more than a bit Freudian." There is a sapphic plot thread but it doesn't have a happy ending. Content note for sexual grooming and abuse.
The Duke at Hazard by K.J. Charles -- (audio) A delightful homage to Georgette Heyer's The Foundling, featuring a naïve young duke and his quest to prove himself competent and independent. Utterly charming and satisfying. It combined enough parallels with the original to amuse the reader while diverging in enough points to be its own thing. Certain characters in the conclusion cross over with The Gentle Art of Fortune Hunting. (I've occasionally noodled f/f Heyer-homage plots and reading this got me thinking strongly about the social and economic logistics of how to do a sapphic version of Cotillion. To the extent that I have an outline-and-notes document for it.)
Craze by Margaret Vandenburg -- (audio) A history lesson about queer life in 1920s New York City, dressed up as a novel. Entertaining and informative, if occasionally overly erudite for some readers. Read in the context of interviewing the author for my podcast.
The Fire and the Place in the Forest by Jeannelle M. Ferreira -- (audio) Short fiction and poetry focusing on sapphic relationships, especially in historic settings. Even though my main format for fiction these days is audio, I'd buy Ferreira's work in that format no matter what because even her prose is poetic and that's the best way to receive it. (Advisory: I am not exactly unbiased as she has sold me stories.)
The Cloud Roads by Martha Wells -- (audio) Secondary world fantasy. I'd been wanting to check out some of Wells' earlier work and this came up on sale (if I recall correctly). Amazing worldbuilding, though with a bit of a "generic fantasy" feel in the prose. I did have the same issue I had with the first Murderbot story I read, which was feeling like it was overloaded with blow-by-blow fight scenes. (But maybe I'm alone in finding that a negative?) This is a romance novel at heart, with many standard tropes gender-flipped due to the social structure, which resembles that of social insects.
If I do one of this posts per day, I should be caught up by the end of December. That will be my goal.
Logan Ennion (loganberrybunny) wrote2025-12-22 11:50 pm
loganberrybunny) wrote2025-12-22 11:50 pm
Yarnbomb!
Public
325/365: Yarnbombed pillar box, Stourbridge
Click for a larger, sharper image
This is a "yarnbombed" pillar box on the platform at Stourbridge Junction station. The actual box isn't visible here, but the knitted topper is the important bit in any case. It's a very festive example and it certainly gave me a smile today. :)
325/365: Yarnbombed pillar box, Stourbridge
Click for a larger, sharper image
This is a "yarnbombed" pillar box on the platform at Stourbridge Junction station. The actual box isn't visible here, but the knitted topper is the important bit in any case. It's a very festive example and it certainly gave me a smile today. :)
the cosmolinguist (cosmolinguist) wrote2025-12-22 11:07 pm
cosmolinguist) wrote2025-12-22 11:07 pmEntry tags:
44
Thanks for the nice comments on the previous entry. They, along with just writing it out in the first place and D holding me tight (normally I am the big spoon but he did a great job at it last night!) helped me have an okay night.
D had asked me, after we turned the lights off, if there was anything I wanted to do today -- the family had no real plans beyond making the homemade vegan wellington for my birthday dinner that D's sister had suggested and I'd gotten excited about before I remembered quite how much work it was last year, oops. But D and I helped and it felt a lot less of a production this year.
Anyway, before that we had no plans and I thought it might be nice to get out of the house and see something of Birmingham. We didn't actually make it as far as the city centre but the local high street allowed D to browse charity shops while I got a long-overdue haircut (I went from the longest hair I've had in quite a while to the highest skin fade I've maybe ever had, so it feels like a dramatic difference!), and we went for a very nice birthday lunch.
My birthday present from D might still be trapped in DRM hell but he told me what it is, and The Feminist Art of Walking by his old pal Morag goes very nicely with the birthday present I've already gotten from angelofthenorth, of short walks/hikes around Greater Manchester. I also got a bookshop.org voucher from D's mum, which can be added to the one that comprised the other part of my birthday present from Miriam, so I have to decide what to get there too, which is so fun.
Weirdly, my birthday also marks a year since Gary died. It feels so long ago but also I can still conjure him so clearly in my memory, and there probably hasn't been a day all year that I haven't thought of him. I still miss him so much.
I've had a much better day, and I'm looking forward to being home tomorrow.
lydamorehouse (lydamorehouse) wrote2025-12-22 03:20 pm
lydamorehouse) wrote2025-12-22 03:20 pmLife and Such
Image: Classice Yule Log with three white candles, bedecked with boughs and ornaments (surrounded by silver reindeer).
HAPPY SOLSTICE to all who celebrate. And those who don't? I hope you had a lovely Sunday all the same.
Our Solstice was much as it is most years--a quiet, family affair. We have some traditions, the first of which is making rosettes (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosette_(cookie)). I have attached the Wikipedia article if you have no idea what a rosette is--it is, in fact, a deep fried cookie. Personally, if done well, I think they taste amazing, like sugar and AIR. Because, basically, the batter is ultra, ultra thin and you use a cookie iron to to crisp up a lot of vanilla and sugar-flavored nothing. Our recipe actually comes from a class I took on Christmas cookie making several years ago, but very likely (this being Minnesota) comes by way of Norway, though possibly Sweden or Finland.
The cookie making class is memorable because I was the youngest person in the room. I really figured that probably I'd be the oldest, since I presumed things like rosette, pizelles, krumkaka, etc., were the sorts of things that grandma would pass on and, maybe, it skipped a generation. Nope. It was me an all older ladies and on older guy who kept telling everyone that he took the class hoping to pick up a lady. (Yep, he was that old.) Anyway, me and all the older folks all had a lovely time and I was really only there for the hidden rosette knowledge because everyone agrees there is "a trick to it."
And, there is.
The trick is making sure the irons are hot first--but also not too coated in oil. But that little layer of hot oil will, in fact, help them come off. In fact, ours often just fall off the iron into the bubbling hot oil. So, we always have to have tongs to hand.
Image: me patiently waiting for the bubbles to slow down the appropriate amount. Mason in the forground. Our kitchen all around and a few exampes of the cookies drying on the paper towels. The irons come in a lot of shapes--star and flower/rosette shown. Not pictured is the Christmas tree.
We never want the rosette process to be arduous so we only make as many was we feel up to, call it good enough, and then I usually make a fun lunch like deep-fried shrimp. We have charcuterie for our Solstice dinner meal, light our Yule log (pictured above), open presents, and then take a bit of the Yule light upstairs in a safe, insulated container and keep the light burning for the longest night.
I like to joke: if the sun came up on December 22, thank a pagan!
Our Solstice gifts are always books. There is a version of the Icelandic Yule Cat where the present you must recieve is not new clothing, but a book. We decided to adopt that tradition. Mason got a Terry Prachett book (and a gift certificate for Uncle Hugos) because he's been on a Pratchett kick lately; Shawn got the last and final Phil Rickman novel The Echo of Crows; and I got Bad Gays: A Homosexual History by Hew Lemmy and Ben Miller. My gift is one I asked for because I've really enjoyed their podcast by the same name.
Also as is traditional, someone's present must include the Solstice wrench. It has been Mason for many years, now, in part, I think because we started using it to baffle a child who could very distinctly tell the shake of LEGOs.
You can keep your King's Cakes, we have the Solstice Wrench!!
By chance our friend John J. sent along a bunch of other book-related presents and so we opened those at Solstice as well.
Image: Shawn inspecting a surprise gift (one of many!) from our friend.
A lovely time all around.
So, again, I hope you all had a lovely Solstice. If not, we can all enjoy the return of longer days. More sunshine! Hooray!
The Gauche in the Machine (china_shop) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
fan_flashworks2025-12-23 10:57 am
china_shop) wrote in fan_flashworks2025-12-23 10:57 amEntry tags:
Thirst: Guardian: fanfic: Look and Feel
Title: Look and Feel
Rating: M-rated
Length: 1280 words
Acknowledgements: Much thanks totrobadora for beta! <3
Tags: Episode Related, Episode 4, Masturbation, Vague hints of D/s, Handcuffs, Non-explicit fantasies
Summary: Unbidden, he pictures Shen Wei alone in the interview room, composed, proud, and patient.
( Look and Feel )
Rating: M-rated
Length: 1280 words
Acknowledgements: Much thanks to
trobadora for beta! <3Tags: Episode Related, Episode 4, Masturbation, Vague hints of D/s, Handcuffs, Non-explicit fantasies
Summary: Unbidden, he pictures Shen Wei alone in the interview room, composed, proud, and patient.
( Look and Feel )
nilla (meningioma) wrote in everykindofcraft2025-12-22 04:29 pm
meningioma) wrote in everykindofcraft2025-12-22 04:29 pmQuilted book cover
Made this little quilted book cover for my sister
( Read more... )
( Read more... )
RI Birdnerd (ribirdnerd) wrote in birdfeeding2025-12-22 04:06 pm
ribirdnerd) wrote in birdfeeding2025-12-22 04:06 pmEntry tags:
Birds
Sunday was more mild than usual so it was nice to take a walk and see some birds along the trails - White breasted Nuthatches, Blue jays, Tufted Titmouse and Chickadees.
Today it is cold and windy again and not much going on except for some House Sparrow and Blue Jays.
Today it is cold and windy again and not much going on except for some House Sparrow and Blue Jays.
ysabetwordsmith (ysabetwordsmith) wrote in birdfeeding2025-12-22 02:10 pm
ysabetwordsmith) wrote in birdfeeding2025-12-22 02:10 pm
Entry tags:
Birdfeeding
Today is cloudy and cool.
I fed the birds. I put out a new suet cake. I've seen a huge flock of mostly sparrows.
I put out water for the birds.
EDIT 12/22/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.
EDIT 12/22/25 -- I did more work around the patio.
EDIT 12/22/25 -- I did more work around the patio.
EDIT 12/22/25 -- I filled the trolley twice with berry-laden twigs from the brushpile in the parking lot, and put those in the firepit.
I saw the great horned owl fly from somewhere near the parking lot into the trees around ritual meadow. I heard woodpeckers squeaking but didn't see them.
EDIT 12/22/25 -- I did more work around the patio.
As it is getting dark, I am done for the night.
I fed the birds. I put out a new suet cake. I've seen a huge flock of mostly sparrows.
I put out water for the birds.
EDIT 12/22/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.
EDIT 12/22/25 -- I did more work around the patio.
EDIT 12/22/25 -- I did more work around the patio.
EDIT 12/22/25 -- I filled the trolley twice with berry-laden twigs from the brushpile in the parking lot, and put those in the firepit.
I saw the great horned owl fly from somewhere near the parking lot into the trees around ritual meadow. I heard woodpeckers squeaking but didn't see them.
EDIT 12/22/25 -- I did more work around the patio.
As it is getting dark, I am done for the night.
james_davis_nicoll (james_davis_nicoll) wrote2025-12-22 02:45 pm
james_davis_nicoll) wrote2025-12-22 02:45 pmEntry tags:
Bundle of Holding: DIE the RPG
The DIE roleplaying game designed by the Image comic's creators, Kieron Gillen and Stephanie Hans, plus three volumes of adventures for an unbeatable bargain price!
Bundle of Holding: DIE the RPG
offcntr (offcntr) wrote2025-12-22 10:03 am
offcntr) wrote2025-12-22 10:03 amEntry tags:
Smashing success
We had our annual Pottery Smash on Sunday, before the Market opened. It's a charity auction to benefit Market's Kareng/Caring Fund, an emergency relief fund for artists in need. Four long tables of donations, mostly pottery, but also some glass, prayer flags, duck and beaver and frog flappy kids toys, canned albacore. We always bring a few completely unsalable pieces, for the joy of smashing. When the bidders starting getting drowsy, a little Crash! wakes 'em right up. And then there's the vendor who bids on pots specifically to break them. When Nome is bidding against someone, it tends to run up the price.I took last year off from auctioneering, didn't have the energy, so they recruited Kevin, the partner of one of the clothing artists, who brings a lot of manic energy to the mix. Potter Jon and I were both back this year, though Alex was just recovering from a hospital trip, so Fiona did his shifts. Between the four of us, we managed to clear the tables with two minutes to go before opening. Just time to sweep up the shards and tally the sales--over $5000.
offcntr (offcntr) wrote2025-12-22 09:53 am
offcntr) wrote2025-12-22 09:53 amEntry tags:
The future of art
A mom and eight or nine-year-old daughter stopped in my booth Sunday, asking if I had a yarn bowl for grandma? I had exactly one, in the bottom box of the stack. I don't usually put them out until I've run out of something else--there isn't room--but I do like to have them. As I'm digging it out, I ask, Can you guess what animal is on it? Daughter has no guess, but Mom says Cat! With a ta-daa! I show that it is indeed a cat, tuxedo kitty leaping at the yarn hole. They're both delighted, but Dad has the card, so Mom has to track him down. Does daughter want to come with? No, she'll stay in the booth, holding the bowl.
So we talk a bit. Her name is Clara, and she makes art too. Drawings, mostly, though she'd recently started playing with watercolors, so I show her our watercolor cards. Her Grandma is an artist too, and gets her whatever art supplies she wants to try next; they're doing watercolors together. And this past summer, she and a friend set up an art sale table on their front lawn, and made $20! Which they split evenly. I tell her I'd love to see her art someday; she says maybe she'll get a booth here next year! In the meantime, I suggested she take a few pictures and email them to me, to which she agrees.
If she follows through, I'll definitely share them here.
So we talk a bit. Her name is Clara, and she makes art too. Drawings, mostly, though she'd recently started playing with watercolors, so I show her our watercolor cards. Her Grandma is an artist too, and gets her whatever art supplies she wants to try next; they're doing watercolors together. And this past summer, she and a friend set up an art sale table on their front lawn, and made $20! Which they split evenly. I tell her I'd love to see her art someday; she says maybe she'll get a booth here next year! In the meantime, I suggested she take a few pictures and email them to me, to which she agrees.
If she follows through, I'll definitely share them here.
offcntr (offcntr) wrote2025-12-22 09:50 am
offcntr) wrote2025-12-22 09:50 amEntry tags:
For science!
I sold a tyrannosaurus bank to a paleontologist on Saturday.Best. Day. Ever.