Perhaps to my surprise, this has been a good writing month - 11K words bringing my total to around 49.5K and about back to averaging 10K per month.  If I can persuade myself to write something else this weekend I might add something more.

About 3.5K words are for an exchange pinch hit, so no details as yet.

Otherwise, my main output has been for whatif_au bingo, where I've completed another two squares.  Good guys go bad/Bad guys go good - The Theft of the Diamond Necklace which is Hercule Poirot and Characters as celebrities Castle Elsinore where the main characters from Hamlet are on a reality tv show.

I have also written for allbingo Greek Myths Bingo Death at the Spring Play (Miss Marple)

Tea Month 2026: Tea 17

Tea Review
Name: Formosa Black Tea
Brand: unsure, vendor: Tao of Tea
Type: black
Loose leaf

Notes:
This was another tea from Taiwan. I did not write enough notes to describe this properly, but according to Tea Guy, Taiwan has a program to incentivize farmers to experiment with different ways to cultivate tea and bring out different flavors in the tea. And this tea is possibly part of that. This one was grown in such a way that it has a fruity flavor. All of us experienced that slightly differently. For me, it tasted and smelled a bit like raspberry hard candy, but everyone either tasted something similar to raspberries or citrus. It's a very light black tea, flavor wise. We did two infusions of this one. With the first infusion, it was a very dark amber color and the fruity scent was very strong. For the second infusion though, the color became more golden and the fruity scent was gone. Tea Guy said this happened because the more you brew it the more it brings out the tannins I'm the tea. He also said this one makes an excellent iced tea.

Rate
Appearance: 8
Aroma: 7
Flavor: 7

Overall Rating: 3.5 stars

Quotes:

"Fairy tales do not tell children the dragons exist. Children already know that dragons exist. Fairy tales tell children the dragons can be killed."

"The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him."

~ Gilbert K. Chesterton

So I went to Sea Life Aquarium which turns out to be IN Crown Center, down the block from the Sheraton and I could have always snuck off to see this. Snort. It's geared more to kids and is side by side with Legoland (which does not allow adults without kids in it) it was a nice (if a bit pricy) aquarium. It had sea dragons and jellyfish so I was happy (and bought an axolatol plushie I didn't need)

And it turned out this place is there with the Hallmark visitor center museum thing so why not, right? I had no idea that JC Hall started this with gathering up pre-done postcards and sending them to retailers and hoped to get paid (it's practically a scam) And did you know his first greeting card with sound was in 1924? I sure didn't. Didn't know it wasn't called Hallmark until 1954 either (it was Hall Brothers before then) Loved the display of Christmas trees. Mom loves ornaments so I wasn't leaving here without one. All the gift shop had was baby's first Xmas, first Xmas in our new home and a creepy baby's first xmas sonogram) maybe because of mother's day. So I went into the big three story mall complex to the big hallmark and they only had the same one with a couple of birds and butterflies. Got one of a peep in a egg, dumb, tiny but I have it.

From there I went to the Museum of Kansas City. It was a private residence Corinthian Hall, but only used from 1910 to 1934 and became a museum in 1940 (seems rather a waste) The ground level was preserved as it was when the Long family lived there (hope to get the pics up in the next few days) They allow no photo shoots but I could take pics with my cell phone no flash.

Me - can I use my better camera with no flash?
Them - no, just your cell phone camera
Me - um...okay, why? they're both cameras
Them - we don't allow camera cameras

I let it go because what's the point in arguing with stupid? The upstairs was modern art (including from the Native people and African American communities) One was a recorded (I think, maybe entirely AI) talk with a former Polish Jewish woman who was in one of the camps and you could ask 'her' interactive questions and the AI would find the bits to play in the prerecording (or make shit up, who knows)

It was now after 3 so I'm like yeah, not trying for another museum for less than 2 hours. I went back to Elmwood cemetery now that I have a map in my head of where Leannah Loveall (prostitute turned Madame turned religious pillar) and I found her instantly. Must have driven past her 5 times the first time I was there.

I went to historic Union Cemetery (which has well put together historic literature for you to go on a scavenger hunt with), not a lot of impressive stones but it was super inner city now and reminded me of my college dorm, with the headstones right up to the apartments (You could have slapped a headstone from my dorm room window). One had this pool side full of hammocks and loungers with a view of the cemetery. You know there's a story in that.

Came back to the casino, played Voodoo Jackpots and accidentally dragged my finger over the touchscreen, jumping my .66 cent wager to 6.60$ without me knowing it until I hit bet. And hit a free spin bonus and won 225$. I wanted to stay for more but I did the hard thing and walked away without trying to hit another one and losing it all.

here's my intoabar rough draft Hazbin Hotel/The Amazing Digital Circus. It's not ready yet to post there but I also wrote it for spikesgirl58's 6 word challenge and that's due tonight. I'll edit it and post it once I get home. Also too tired to do the fannish 50 fandom recs. I'll do that on Tuesday

the six words were Pneumonia Achieve Company Smooth Ensure Gallery


( story draft under here )

Ingredients


Directions


Recipe Source: the spruce eats

Further Reading: A History Wrapped in Banana Leaves: How hallacas and the banana plant became intertwined in Venezuelan cultural memory.

My laptop is back from the shop. The reason that it was freezing and dying every so often is that it was overheating.

And why was it overheating, you ask?

Because of the enormous clump of cat hair inside it.

several inches of thoroughly packed cat hair.

So, uh, if you have a laptop that you like to use actually on your lap, and you have a cat that likes to sit on your lap or right next to your lap while you have the laptop on it ... it might be worthwhile to crack the case open every so often and see if there is cat hair in there to be cleaned out.

I mean, I'm glad that if it had to have a problem, it was something so easily fixable.

but also.

i wish i had figured this out myself and taken care of it before it was bad enough to need to be in the shop for a week.

 (from 1x01 pilot)

House: Everybody lies.
...
Foreman(later on in the scene, defending his diagnosis): The lab in Trenton could've screwed up the blood tests. I assume that it's a corollary that if people lie, people screw up. House smiles.

i could sit here and explain myself a bit better and i will! at some point! but really the above scene in 1x01 pilot was all i needed to jump aboard the forehouse ship. from day fucking one foreman is the n1 fellow and the one that house md the show and gregory house the character care about the most, and i really don't know how anyone expects me to not melt into a puddle at that. i'm not sure how the forehouse dynamic within the show changes post s2—i'm in between the euphoria episodes right now and from what i've seen so far—man. house cares about foreman (literally entire show—like i said i'm not done with euphoria yet but man. dude. how many times do we catch house giving a fuck and how many times is it because of foreman??? yeah, exactly that). house wants foreman to stay (1x09 DNR i'm talking about you and also do we ever think about how foreman's job is never at risk during vogler arc, despite him being the newest fellow? i know i do). house trusts foreman (also literally entire show but specifically 2x02 autopsy). foreman spends entire arcs struggling with how similar he is to house and how house has wormed into his identity (too many episodes to count and i only have a database of two seasons mind you). forehouse, to me, at least, is, entirely compelling and one of the core relationships of the show even if you don't add in my delusions of them kissing and that is precisely why they should exchange saliva.

 it was really fucking hard to decide but i think, for the moment, the answer has to be 2x17 all in. i mean, what an episode. someone on here said that 2x17 is the beach episode of house md and really it is a beach episode in every way that matters. the idea of house being haunted by a patient is such a good idea for his character especially—he really is someone who needs to Know(hahaha see what I did there) Everything. he'll look at death with his eyes wide open just so he can know how, just so he can know why. esther isn't even our patient this episode and yet i think she'll stay with me for a long time just for how well they managed to show how she stayed with and haunted house. i like how there's that feeling of running out of time as ian (the patient)'s condition starts to follow the same path that esther did. and the euphoria(lmao) of house's initial guess being right really got me like idk man this is one of the episodes where I felt really strongly about the patient story and what it meant for the characters.

other reasons to love the episode include the Phenomenal house + wilson + cuddy shenanigans like oh my god. i adore how house and cuddy talk through wilson and wilson goes along w it with such enthusiasm. also cuddy is so utterly gorgeous and beautiful in this episode. i adore the little strands of insecurity and awkwardness in her even as we see her at her most jubilant and confident in this episode. something about the scene after she yells at house (as she should)...where house comes to visit the patient and she asks him if he figured it out…the look in her eyes makes me Feel things man she is So fascinating. also. wilson won the poker tournament. he had pocket aces. everyone needs to know this and watch the scene again for me right now. please it does things to me.

i feel like i'm rambling a little bit but really truly i love this episode so much. s2 up to this point has had a lot of discussion about marriage and fidelity and lots of themes along that line, and the idea of an episode like this one, where everyone dresses up and gets to do something fun—a palate cleanser of sorts—is so important to me. i also am a big fan of how they all end up dressing down in someway, whether by donning a lab coat or removing bow ties and suit jackets...idk it scratches my brain. anyways. love this episode.

Two photos this week, although the same subject.  I took lots of pictures, trying to catch a photo of the dragonflies - there were two of them.  They can be seen roughly in the middle of the two pictures, plus the reflection in the water in the second photo.  And no, I have no idea whether there's a photo of each or it's the same one both times!

We're in the last of the nice autumn weather here, maybe already through it as it was cooler and rained a little today. Nice enough for garden pottering, though, and I've been tidying and storing lily and dahlia pots in the garage/potting shed, planting out my peas and rebuilding the structures for them to climb. Also picked up some potted colour at Mitre 10, a local hardware/gardening big box store - primroses and pansies.

I had a great germination rate with the flour peas and kale, and have also planted perpetual spinach seedlings. Forced to use slugbait for a brief time as there are a lot of snails lurking in the dead leaves between my containers, especially now it's a bit damper. My huge Mexican sunflower (Tithonia) is in full flower again, having grown back from a stump to be just as huge as last year. Will see how many years it manages to repeat that feat. Pics below, click through for full size.

Garden table under the eaves - primroses and pansies	Garden table - florist kalanchoes grown from cuttings, about to flower
Two pots of spinach seedlings, peas right rear, water garden left rear. The big stems in the water garden are black taro. Waterlilies are dying back .	Mexican sunflower going bananas, taller than my flat, as usual. I can just fit the car in!

Primroses, couple of pansies	Primroses, succulents
Aloe flowering, Meyer lemon fruiting, reliable red pelargonium	Pea seedlings (now all planted), and on the right, kale
Side garden down the length of my flat - coleus, impatiens, ligularia, vireya	Aloe (I broke several baby plants off a giant aloe in a local park 2 years ago, now have 4 plants in pots)
Lush side garden - acanthus getting big	Side garden - impatiens, ferns, spider plant

Quotes:

"You may break, you may shatter the vase, if you will, But the scent of the roses will hang round it still."

"Love doesn't demand perfection, but it does ask you to give yourself with less reserve than you'd prefer."

~ Thomas Moore