Habit Tracking: Week 01 (January 01 - January 3)
Jan. 5th, 2026 08:22 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mistressofmuses
Feathered serpent sticker from Featherbone. Shedding the skin of the old year and all.
Second half of the week! This week ended mostly on the note of miserable uncertainty about the entire geopolitical landscape. Trying not to let that overshadow everything... It doesn't really feel like a new year! I am trying to get into the mindset a bit, though. (At least completing last year's reading goals and now setting some new ones feels like something of a dividing line, so there's one thing that feels like closure and restarting!) I am glad I took Friday off, to give myself an extra day to try and get my life together, haha.
Goals for the week:
- I did read more of Manhunt
- I posted my 2026 intentions
- I posted my 2025 books
- I did not yet post my 2026 reading plans
- I did set up my 2026 reading page
- I did set up my tracking grids for January
- I did not patch the seat in the truck
Tracked habits:
- Work - 1/3 - we were closed on NYD, and I took the 2nd off
- Household Maintenance - 2/3
- Physical Activity - 1/3
- Wrote 500/1000+ Words - 0/3
- Non-fiction Writing - 2/3 - both over 1000 words
- Meta Work - 2/3
- Personal Writing - 3/3
- Other Creative Things - 2/3
- Reading - 3/3 - I read more of Manhunt; Alex and I read some of The Sun Dog
- Attention to Media - 3/3 - Thursday we watched three episodes of Stranger Things, and later some reviews; Friday there was storm chasing and reviews in the background; Saturday we watched some paranormal videos, the reviews later, and then news coverage after getting a late-night alert.
- Video Games - 0/3
- Social Interaction - 2/3
Total words written: 3022 on plans and reflections
And after Bella's invisible ears in the previous post:
Here's a picture of her that Alex took on New Year's Eve, complete with ears!
tng season 1 icons
Jan. 5th, 2026 10:12 pmsixbeforelunch posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
fandom_iconsTNG season 1: "Conspiracy"
Onward for 36 icons featuring beardless Riker and Enterprise glamor shots.
Onward for 36 icons featuring beardless Riker and Enterprise glamor shots.
Lovesick Falls - Julia Drake
Jan. 5th, 2026 10:11 pmtroisoiseauxRead Lovesick Falls by Julia Drake, a modern, queer YA retelling/remix of As You Like It in which best friends Celia, Ros, and Touchstone spend the summer working at an outdoor theater festival, navigating crushes and friendship drama. This one was slightly less my cup of tea than her first novel (The Last True Poets of the Sea, a modern YA take on Twelfth Night), mostly because of one major plotline in which main character Celia meets/befriends/briefly goes out with her celebrity crush Oliver, an actor on the endearingly bad TV show she and her friends are obsessed with, a trope I find so viscerally embarrassing it's fully a squick. (Like, people actually want to meet their celebrity crushes/idols/blorbos?! Can't relate.) Overall, I liked it a lot, though— more than I'd initially expected to when it seemed like it was taking more of a cutesy best summer ever! YA romance angle, because it was ultimately a bittersweet coming-of-age: ( ... ) As a retelling of As You Like It, specifically, Drake works in some fun nods to the original play, including a very grumpy cat named for the melancholy Jaques.
January 5, 2026, 201 East 2nd
Jan. 6th, 2026 02:05 am![[syndicated profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/feed.png){kind=small}
year_on_market_feed
We took our tree down a couple of days ago but there are still plenty to be seen in the front windows of homes in the Historic District. And that, coupled with this nicely decorated stoop, this home still exudes holiday warmth.
Fandom Year in Review: 2025
Jan. 5th, 2026 08:44 pmkingstokenStole this from lebateleur
Your main fandom last year?
Sherlock Holmes, various adaptations but Holmes in general
Your favorite movie watched last year?
I didn't watch many, but I would say K-Pop Demon Hunters, it's very fun.
However, I also watched all the Basil Rathbone Sherlock Holmes films this year and my favourites were The Spider Woman and The Woman in Green.
Your favorite book read last year?
If I can chose a children's book, I'm going to say Basil of Baker Street. I was delighted by it, so many Holmes references, and a good little mystery and adventure story.
Your favorite TV show of the year?
I watched the good chunk of the Granada Sherlock Holmes series year, and I loved it! It's very book accurate, and where they did makes some changes it works out well.
Also, Interview with a Vampire season 2 was fantastic!
But also, I'm currently working my way through Heated Rivalry and I'm enjoying it so far.
Your favorite video game of the year?
I didn't really play any games this year unfortunately. I started The Beekeeper's Picnic, but unfortunately never finished it, but hopefully some day.
Your favorite song, album, or artist to listen to this year?
Song: Golden from K-Pop Demon Hunters (it is such a great sing-along, belt it out type of song)
Album: K-Pop Demon Hunters Soundtrack (so many great bangers on that, although my choices were also slim because I didn't listen to many full albums this year)
Artist: The only one that comes to mind is Chappel Roan, although I think she was more 2024 than 2025, but I was still listening her quite a bit at the beginning of the year
Favorite podcast of the year?
Sherlock & Co (although, I've fallen behind on it). I also enjoy If Books Could Kill.
Your best new fandom discovery of the year?
I guess falling into Sherlock Holmes fandom this year was unexpected, and something I really needed this year to distract me from stuff going on in my life. One of my fave Good Omens authors starting posting Granada Holmes related stuff and it got me to check out the series and I've been in thick of it ever since. I loved the Sherlock Holmes stories as a teen, and there has been some comfort in returning to what I previously loved only in a different way.
Your biggest fandom disappointment?
No real major disappointments I can think of, but that's mostly because I've been sticking with older completed series recently so no newer series that are cancelled after only one season like previous years.
Your TV boyfriend of the year?
John Watson
Your TV girlfriend of the year?
Svetlana from Heated Rivalry, maybe?
Your biggest squee moment of the year?
Can I tell you how times I rewatched The Empty House and the scene where Watson finds out Holmes is alive? Way too many times!
Fandom resolutions for 2026?
I have a lot of IRL stuff happening this year, so I'm putting no pressure on myself when it comes to fandom.
Your biggest fannish anticipations for the new year?
I have no idea, I didn't expect to fall into the fandoms I did this year, so I'm sure I'll be surprised again this year.
lebateleurYour main fandom last year?
Sherlock Holmes, various adaptations but Holmes in general
Your favorite movie watched last year?
I didn't watch many, but I would say K-Pop Demon Hunters, it's very fun.
However, I also watched all the Basil Rathbone Sherlock Holmes films this year and my favourites were The Spider Woman and The Woman in Green.
Your favorite book read last year?
If I can chose a children's book, I'm going to say Basil of Baker Street. I was delighted by it, so many Holmes references, and a good little mystery and adventure story.
Your favorite TV show of the year?
I watched the good chunk of the Granada Sherlock Holmes series year, and I loved it! It's very book accurate, and where they did makes some changes it works out well.
Also, Interview with a Vampire season 2 was fantastic!
But also, I'm currently working my way through Heated Rivalry and I'm enjoying it so far.
Your favorite video game of the year?
I didn't really play any games this year unfortunately. I started The Beekeeper's Picnic, but unfortunately never finished it, but hopefully some day.
Your favorite song, album, or artist to listen to this year?
Song: Golden from K-Pop Demon Hunters (it is such a great sing-along, belt it out type of song)
Album: K-Pop Demon Hunters Soundtrack (so many great bangers on that, although my choices were also slim because I didn't listen to many full albums this year)
Artist: The only one that comes to mind is Chappel Roan, although I think she was more 2024 than 2025, but I was still listening her quite a bit at the beginning of the year
Favorite podcast of the year?
Sherlock & Co (although, I've fallen behind on it). I also enjoy If Books Could Kill.
Your best new fandom discovery of the year?
I guess falling into Sherlock Holmes fandom this year was unexpected, and something I really needed this year to distract me from stuff going on in my life. One of my fave Good Omens authors starting posting Granada Holmes related stuff and it got me to check out the series and I've been in thick of it ever since. I loved the Sherlock Holmes stories as a teen, and there has been some comfort in returning to what I previously loved only in a different way.
Your biggest fandom disappointment?
No real major disappointments I can think of, but that's mostly because I've been sticking with older completed series recently so no newer series that are cancelled after only one season like previous years.
Your TV boyfriend of the year?
John Watson
Your TV girlfriend of the year?
Svetlana from Heated Rivalry, maybe?
Your biggest squee moment of the year?
Can I tell you how times I rewatched The Empty House and the scene where Watson finds out Holmes is alive? Way too many times!
Fandom resolutions for 2026?
I have a lot of IRL stuff happening this year, so I'm putting no pressure on myself when it comes to fandom.
Your biggest fannish anticipations for the new year?
I have no idea, I didn't expect to fall into the fandoms I did this year, so I'm sure I'll be surprised again this year.
How am I supposed to know what's real?
Jan. 5th, 2026 07:10 pmsovayAfter a full week without water in the kitchen, the plumber cameth on half an hour's notice from the property manager and was horrified to hear about it, but he was swift and competent and we have a new and working faucet, which was all the problem turned out to be. Hestia made herself invisible in the bedroom throughout the proceedings. I washed a fork without first boiling water and it felt like a big deal.
I just finished reading David Hare's A Map of the World (1983), whose device of examining an interpersonal-political knot through the successive filters of the roman à clef, the screen version, and the memories of the participants reminded me obviously of similar exercises in metafiction and retrospect by Tom Stoppard and Michael Frayn, double-cast for an effect at the end approaching timeslip such as works almost strictly on stage. I did not expect to find some fragments preserved in an episode of The South Bank Show, but there were some of the scenes with Roshan Seth, John Matshikiza, Bill Nighy, Diana Quick. I wish I thought it meant there were a complete broadcast I could watch, but I'm not even finding it got the BBC Radio 3 treatment. More immediately, it reminded me of how many of the stories I read early were about stories, their propagation and mutation, their conventions, their shifting distances from the facts. "And, in time, only the bards knew the truth of it."
The problem with the denaturing of language is that when I say tospatch that the political situation is insane, I don't mean it's a little far-fetched, I mean it is driven by wants and processes that are not rational and it is exhausting to be trapped inside someone else's illness.
I just finished reading David Hare's A Map of the World (1983), whose device of examining an interpersonal-political knot through the successive filters of the roman à clef, the screen version, and the memories of the participants reminded me obviously of similar exercises in metafiction and retrospect by Tom Stoppard and Michael Frayn, double-cast for an effect at the end approaching timeslip such as works almost strictly on stage. I did not expect to find some fragments preserved in an episode of The South Bank Show, but there were some of the scenes with Roshan Seth, John Matshikiza, Bill Nighy, Diana Quick. I wish I thought it meant there were a complete broadcast I could watch, but I'm not even finding it got the BBC Radio 3 treatment. More immediately, it reminded me of how many of the stories I read early were about stories, their propagation and mutation, their conventions, their shifting distances from the facts. "And, in time, only the bards knew the truth of it."
The problem with the denaturing of language is that when I say to
spatch that the political situation is insane, I don't mean it's a little far-fetched, I mean it is driven by wants and processes that are not rational and it is exhausting to be trapped inside someone else's illness.
2025 in Books
Jan. 5th, 2026 04:12 pmstarladyIt's the eleventh day of Christmas and high time to post this roundup.
2025 Reading Stats
I feel like I'm not entirely sure how I managed to read this many books (well, I read six Lumberjanes collections on the trains to and from New York on New Year's Eve, and I ruthlessly read a lot of novellas that had piled up in December), but I'm pleased about it. I'm especially pleased about reading so much manga, and also that I've gotten faster at reading Japanese again. Which is good because I still have so. much. manga to read. And I buy more every time I go to Japan. I'm also pleased about the physical TBR progress, which includes sorting a bunch of books lurking on the bookshelf for years into piles of "read this and then sell it back," which I will continue doing. Sadly Half Price in town closed because of landlord greed, so now I have to go to either Fremont or Pleasant Hill. Other than that, I did de-prioritize new books to focus on older ones, so there's a lot of good 2025 books that have piled up. Too many books, too little time!
Best of 2025
2025 Reading Resolutions
2025 Reading Stats
- 144 books read, of which 12 were a reread
- By gender: 45.5 (32%) by men, the rest by women and other genders
- By race: 62 (45%) by people of color
- By language: 28 (19%) in Japanese, 8 (0.5%) in translation
- New books: 37 (26%) published in 2025
- New-to-me authors: 27
- Read 125 books ==> Success! 144, an all-time high!
- Read 25 physical books owned since 2023 or earlier ==> Success! 29
- Read 35 books by authors of color ==> Success! 62
- Read 10 books in translation ==> Fail
- Read a volume of manga a week in Japanese ==> Well, I got closer than I have before?
- Read all the comics bought before 2025, both physical and digital ==> Fail. But I did buy a refurbished 2021 iPad mini and reading comics on it in Kindle is a pretty good experience, unlike my old iPad which had been blinking off randomly for years. And I think I have done the physical part of it? Except for a few random bandes-dessinées I have lying around.
I feel like I'm not entirely sure how I managed to read this many books (well, I read six Lumberjanes collections on the trains to and from New York on New Year's Eve, and I ruthlessly read a lot of novellas that had piled up in December), but I'm pleased about it. I'm especially pleased about reading so much manga, and also that I've gotten faster at reading Japanese again. Which is good because I still have so. much. manga to read. And I buy more every time I go to Japan. I'm also pleased about the physical TBR progress, which includes sorting a bunch of books lurking on the bookshelf for years into piles of "read this and then sell it back," which I will continue doing. Sadly Half Price in town closed because of landlord greed, so now I have to go to either Fremont or Pleasant Hill. Other than that, I did de-prioritize new books to focus on older ones, so there's a lot of good 2025 books that have piled up. Too many books, too little time!
Best of 2025
- The Witch Roads and The Nameless Land (duology) by Kate Elliott
- Holy Terrors by Margaret Owen
- The Wall Around Eden by Joan Slonczewski
- Tamsin by Peter S. Beagle
- The Incandescent by Emily Tesh
- Metal from Heaven by august clarke
- Fuichin zaijian! (10 vols) by Murakami Motoka
- Absolute Wonder Woman vol. 1 by Kelly Thompson et al.
- Audition for the Fox by Martin Cahill
2025 Reading Resolutions
- Read 125 books
- Read 25 physical books owned since 2024 or earlier
- Read 35 books by authors of color
- Read 10 books in translation
- Read a volume of manga a week in Japanese
- Read all the comics bought before 2025, both physical and digital
Three Random Thoughts Make a Post
Jan. 5th, 2026 04:57 pmmuccamukk- I was just thinking, "IDK who would even buy the English language side of LJ at this point!" (Especially with sanctions on Russia. Who could buy it?) Then I remembered hungry hungry data miners looking for things to feed into LLMs/Gen AI, and sighed. I guess they've probably scraped all the public posts anyway, but might be interested in paying for the locked content?
- I'm vicariously delighted by everyone being so bouncy and excited about the hockey blorbos. I aggressively don't like men's ice hockey (except for that one fic), so will pass, but it's fun to see the enthusiasm all over my reading list. I wish you all a very merry time of it. ❤️
- I seem to have found the other half of that one ship in D.K. Broster's "Mr. Rowl". He shows up 48% mark. (Though I can see the point about Mr.
HowardHunter, especially given that farewell). I find the comment,a girl to whom his attention had subsequently been drawn—indifferent though he was to the sex
to be VERY INTERESTING for at least two reasons.
Hello Possible 2026 Friends
Jan. 5th, 2026 07:23 pmjayregee posting in addme <b><p>Name:</b> </p> Regis
<p><b>My hobbies are:</b></p> I mainly just surf the net and collect physical media. I prefer it over streaming.
<p><b>Age:</b></p> 46
<p><b>I mostly post about:</b></p> My life as a bipolar gay man, fandoms and things that pique my interest.
<p><b>My hobbies are:</b></p> I mainly just surf the net and collect physical media. I prefer it over streaming.
<p><b>My fandoms are:</b></p> Twin Peaks, Friday the 13th, SAW Monk, Sherlock, Murder She Wrote, Perry Mason... Let's just say I like a lot of mystery programs.
<p><b>I'm looking to meet people who:</b></p> I wouldn't mind finding other gays with my interests. I am not picky though. I will take anyone. I am trying to make new friends in 2026. Take the edge off of today's misery.
<p><b>My posting schedule tends to be:</b> daily/weekly/monthly/sporadic/etc</p> I tend to write when the spirit in me is strong. I try to post everyday but lately I've been too weak in the mind to get any words on the screen.
<p><b>When I add people, my dealbreakers are:</b></p> Homophobic people that are MAGA like Trump. DIsgusting pictures are sometimes banned but I like horror movies. So, they tend to be few and far between.
<p><b>Before adding me, you should know:</b></p> I am gay and do talk about the and my depression at some length. Also, I am known to post hunky guys on holidays and special occasions/
(no subject)
Jan. 5th, 2026 07:19 pmflemmingsMore snow, of course, if not the dump other places got. When I finally got out I discovered that SND's fiancé had shovelled my sidewalk, front walk and steps, so I was happily spared that task. Dull grey dank made things hurt enough that I wasn't looking forward to it. Temps are supposed to rise in the next few days, with rain of course, but it may clear the snow the way the warmup a week ago did. Or we might get freezing rain, which I shall hope also avoids us.
Otherwise sat indoors and did nothing but a dark wash.
Otherwise sat indoors and did nothing but a dark wash.
Book meme
Jan. 5th, 2026 06:26 pmrhi02. Turn to page 126
03. The 6th full sentence is your life in 2026.
Tom Standage, A History of the World in 6 Glasses? Oh, this'll be fun.
"Paying the federal militia to suppress the rebellion cost $1.5 million, nearly one-third of the entire excise duties collected during the ten years the excise law was in force."
:reads. rereads. looks around. sighs again:
I'll just be over here.
Do more text, dumdum.
Jan. 6th, 2026 12:53 amgoodbyebirdsenmut's post at cultivativity about considering why you make what you make and what you enjoy about it, made me think of icons and text. The more icons I made, the less text they had, because I'm straight up terrible at text. Best outcome to hope for is it doesn't actively make the icon look like crap. But text is fun though! I'd really really like to make a return to being a bit more of a smartass in my iconning. And get some more quotes in there! Maybe that'll be my iconning resolution for the year?As a reminder to myself: ( icons slathered with text )
Advent Calendar: Cheese
Jan. 5th, 2026 06:50 pmsettiaiI was able to grab a 12 day cheese advent calendar from Aldi for pretty cheap because I got it in mid-December so it was on sale by that point. They presumably thought it was too late to properly use it, but in my mind a 12 day advent calendar works great for starting it on December 25 vs. a 24/25 day advent calendar which starts at the beginning of the month and goes through Christmas.
So, hey, I ended up getting to have two advent calendars after all! I picked up with this one the day after I finished my Adagio tea one.
( Cheeses under the cut. )
So, hey, I ended up getting to have two advent calendars after all! I picked up with this one the day after I finished my Adagio tea one.
( Cheeses under the cut. )
Not quite 365 days questions
Jan. 5th, 2026 04:03 pmpattrose5. Are you looking forward to any TV shows this year?
I'm not aware of any new shows coming out. I look forward to the shows I watched last year. I also hear Rental Family with Brendan Fraser will be released on Hulu and Disney in late February. I'm going to try to be patient.
I don't watch too many newer shows. This is a list of my favorites.
High Potential
Will Trent
9-1-1
Elsbeth
Matlock
Brilliant Minds
I'm not aware of any new shows coming out. I look forward to the shows I watched last year. I also hear Rental Family with Brendan Fraser will be released on Hulu and Disney in late February. I'm going to try to be patient.
I don't watch too many newer shows. This is a list of my favorites.
High Potential
Will Trent
9-1-1
Elsbeth
Matlock
Brilliant Minds