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Travis ([personal profile] torachan) wrote2025-07-05 04:24 pm
Entry tags:

2025 Disneyland Trip #48 (7/5/25)

We were expecting it to be crowded today because of the holiday weekend but it was actually one of the least crowded days we've ever experienced at the parks.

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torachan: ryu from kimi ni todoke eating ramen (ramen)
Travis ([personal profile] torachan) wrote2025-07-04 09:10 pm
Entry tags:

Daily Happiness

1. I had a pretty relaxing day today. Aside from walking up to the store this morning for pie crust and salad stuff, I did not go anywhere and just chilled at home.

2. I got some of the rhubarb I chopped up and froze a few weeks ago out of the freezer and made another pie. There's still four bags (I didn't divide it that way on purpose but it turns out two bags is exactly enough for one pie).

3. Ollie is such a cutie pie.

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Travis ([personal profile] torachan) wrote2025-07-04 06:07 pm
Entry tags:

Weekly Reading

Currently Reading
Murder at the Patel Motel
39%. This is not actually a book, so much as an audio drama. It's an Audible Original and comes free with membership, so I decided to try it out. Turns out the author and voice of the main character is the guy who played Jack's assistant on 30 Rock. I loved him in that! And I'm liking this "book" a lot so far.

Just Happy to Be Here
11%. YA about a South Asian trans girl's experience at a mostly white all girls' high school. It's all right so far.

Sister Outsider
No progress.

Riding the Rails
48%.

Recently Finished
How Jesus Became God: The Exaltation of a Jewish Preacher from Galilee
I felt like this took ages to finish, but it was a good read. Very interesting stuff.

A Terrible Nasty Business
I really want more books in this series.

Sou Iu Ie no Ko no Hanashi vol. 1
New series from Shimura Takako following three characters who were raised in the same new religion (the religion in the story is not any real one, just based on others), marking them as different from the majority of the population, which is not actively religious. I like pretty much everything by Shimura Takako, so I'm curious to see where this goes.

Tsumetakute Yawaraka vol. 5

Hatsukoi no Tsugi vol. 2
torachan: karkat from homestuck looking bored (karkat bored)
Travis ([personal profile] torachan) wrote2025-07-04 02:30 pm
Entry tags:

2025 Disneyland Trip #47 (7/3/25)

This was another last minute decision. With the lower level keyholders blocked out for summer there's almost always same-day availability, so might as well take advantage of it.

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torachan: arale from dr slump with a huge grin on her face (arale)
Travis ([personal profile] torachan) wrote2025-07-03 11:59 pm
Entry tags:

Daily Happiness

1. Three day weekend! I'm looking forward to relaxing and not doing much.

2. I had two interviews today and both of them stood me up, but the good thing is that I was doing them from home, so I hadn't gone out of my way for them and wasn't particularly inconvenienced.

3. We decided to go to Disneyland for dinner. Had a lovely time, though it was a bit more trafficy both going and coming than I would prefer.

4. Suspicious Gemma.

torachan: (Default)
Travis ([personal profile] torachan) wrote2025-07-02 09:21 pm

Daily Happiness

1. Today was kind of a long day but I did get stuff done.

2. Just one more day of work this week and then three day weekend!

3. Finished another puzzle today. This is from the multi-puzzle box of Disney 70th anniversary puzzles. I really love this design, and they've got a fair bit of merch using it, too, but sadly not anything I actually need (and not even much that I particularly want).



4. Chloe loves lying on Carla's bed by the window.

torachan: (Default)
Travis ([personal profile] torachan) wrote2025-07-02 08:56 am
Entry tags:

2025 Disneyland Trip #46 (7/1/25)

Took an unplanned trip down to the parks for dessert last night. We got down there early enough that we could just go in DCA instead and avoid some of the nighttime event clogs in Disneyland, which was nice. DCA was actaully not very crowded at all (except when we were leaving and everyone else was as well).

Read more... )
aunty_marion: (Y Ddraig Cymraeg)
aunty_marion ([personal profile] aunty_marion) wrote2025-07-02 02:17 pm

Been away, came back.

Hmmm. And it's been a year since I posted, it seems. There *was* six months of chaos following the flood last year, of course. Mostly sorted (two new shelving units, lots of unpacking, packing, re-unpacking, lather-rinse-repeat) & I still have 3 tubs of what S & N packed for me stacked in the bedroom, & still haven't got rid of my archery equipment.

Various other things have happened - I went to stay with [personal profile] lexin in December, & had a reasonable holiday, as usual, though I seemed to have gone almost completely deaf in my right ear just beforehand, which was ... interesting ... and has led to me getting hearing aids this year!

I went to the filk con in February, a friend died in May & I went to her funeral in early June; and I've just (on Monday) got back from another lovely 2-week stay with [personal profile] lexin in Bangor, where we had numerous outings!

List of the out and abouts )

Week one, done!

Week Two )

I came home on Monday with a slight sense of dread, but nothing seems to have disastered this time. Tomorrow morning I have someone coming on behalf of the council to do a 'condition survey', which I do have a slight feeling of dread about, as they may be recommending a new bathroom, which I shall fight because if they do I'll probably lose my washing lines.
torachan: takatsuki & nitorin from hourou musuko (trans kids)
Travis ([personal profile] torachan) wrote2025-07-01 11:50 pm
Entry tags:

Daily Happiness

1. I had two web interviews today and unlike the guy yesterday, neither of them stood me up. Two more interviews on Thursday so hopefully they come through, too.

2. I got my hair cut today. Cannot stress enough how great it is to have that next appointment already scheduled and not have to deal with having to make the appointment when my hair is starting to bother me. It's already in the calendar! And to go to someone who knows exactly what to do without me telling them every time!

3. The tri-tip Carla grilled on Sunday has indeed made delicious sandwiches. And we still have a ton left so there will be sandwiches all week.

4. Carla was having a high anxiety day so as a mood booster we went down to Disneyland for dessert tonight. Had a very nice trip.

5. Molly's got her eye on you.

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Travis ([personal profile] torachan) wrote2025-06-30 09:17 pm
Entry tags:

Daily Happiness

1. Our back screen door has two out of three broken hinges and the only thing holding it together at the top is the bar that makes it close on its own (idk what that's called), so whenever we open or close it, it takes more work than usual to get it to actually shut, since it's a little askew. I actually bought some hinges, thinking to try and fix it myself, but after I bought them I realized that the part of the hinge that attaches to the screen is welded on there, not just held with screws. So we ended up calling the people we got the door from (it's been over ten years since we installed all the pet screens!) and they came out today to take a look. Apparently these doors have a hinge plate that attaches with all the hinges on it, so they will order a new one of those. The door itself is totally fine, so I'm glad we can get just a replacement part rather than a whole new screen door. Unfortunately it will take a couple weeks to get the part in, but it's still usable as-is, at least, and can't get any worse since the bar on the top is quite sturdy.

2. This may be my favorite picture of Tuxie ever. How is that comfortable!? Only a cat would think so.

torachan: sakaki from azumanga daioh holding a cat, with the text "I like cats" in Japanese (sakaki)
Travis ([personal profile] torachan) wrote2025-06-29 08:35 pm
Entry tags:

Daily Happiness

1. Carla grilled today. Hamburgers and corn and tri-tip. The burgers and corn were delicious, and while I didn't have any of the tri-tip tonigh, it smells amazing and I can't wait to have some on sandwiches.

2. I feel like this picture sums up their relationship very well.

torachan: my glitch character (glitch)
Travis ([personal profile] torachan) wrote2025-06-29 04:23 pm
Entry tags:

Weekly Reading

Currently Reading
Sister Outsider
17%. Collection of essays by Audre Lorde. I have never read any of her writing before, so when this came up on a Kindle sale I was browsing, it seemed like the perfect opportunity. I've only just gotten started, but the first essay was about her trip to the Soviet Union in the 70s, which was very interesting.

A Terrible Nasty Business
41%. Sequel to A Most Agreeable Murder, which I liked a lot. This is just as amusing and fun.

Riding the Rails
43%.

How Jesus Became God: The Exaltation of a Jewish Preacher from Galilee
69%.

Recently Finished
A Botanist's Guide to Rituals and Revenge
As I mentioned in my last post, I didn't love this one as much because I was so frustrated by the MC's bad choices, but I am definitely still interested in reading more books in the series.

The Mystery of Locked Rooms
This was fun. It looks like there's a sequel coming out later this year, so I'll definitely check it out.

Horrorstör
I think this is the third Grady Hendrix book I've read and they all end up being good but not great. I did like the premise a lot, though.

These Fragile Graces, This Fugitive Heart
Dystopian murder mystery novella with clones. I enjoyed this a lot and would definitely read more in this universe.

Linus and Etta Could Use a Win
Cute middle grade novel about a trans boy at a new middle school who makes friends with a girl who's recovering from a bad friend break-up, but unbeknownst to him, her enthusiasm about him running for student council is due to a bet with her ex friend. I really liked this a lot, but was frustrated by the fact that the friend breakup didn't have a satisfying resolution. It was this whole thing about the friend cutting Etta out of her life with no explanation and we never get an explanation!

Dwellings
Graphic novel featuring various horror stories set in the same town. I liked it, but the cutesty art style (kind of Richie Rich/Casper vibes) made it hard to tell characters apart and also hard to tell their ages (I kept assuming people were kids and then realizing belatedly they were adults). It was all right.

Ojisama to Neko vol. 15
Yet another new character whose issues are fixed by getting a cat lol.

Kindaichi Papa no Jikenbo vol. 1
New Kindaichi series, set seven years from the Kindaichi Age 37 series. Now he has a kid who goes mystery solving with him. Still good mysteries.

Kinou Nani Tabeta? vol. 24
This was a bittersweet volume. I love this series.
torachan: takatsuki & nitorin from hourou musuko (trans kids)
Travis ([personal profile] torachan) wrote2025-06-28 08:34 pm
Entry tags:

Daily Happiness

1. Between when I was talking about it last week and payday, I totally forgot my bonus was coming, so I was pleasantly surprised when I checked my balance today to pay bills!

2. It was very warm and sunny this morning when I walked up to the farmers market. I usually go around ten so that I can pop in the library, too, but this morning it was already seeming waaaaaay too sunny when I was doing my morning chores around eight, so since I didn't have anything urgent I needed to pick up at the library, I went earlier, around nine, and it was still so sunny and not particularly pleasant. But! At the stand that sells fruit leather that I've been frequenting recently, I spotted that they also had bottles of watermelon lemonade, nice and cold, so I got one of those to drink on the walk home and it was perfect! It reminded me of that delicious watermelon lemonade we were getting a bunch last year at DCA, but alas they don't have it this year. Adding the watermelon just makes it feel so much more refreshing.

3. Posing for her portrait.

torachan: (Default)
Travis ([personal profile] torachan) wrote2025-06-28 04:06 pm
Entry tags:

2025 Disneyland Trip #45 (6/27/25)

Welp, surprise Disneyland trip last night as there was availability and we decided to go down for dessert and parade.

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torachan: a cartoon owl with the text "everyone is fond of owls" (everyone is fond of owls)
Travis ([personal profile] torachan) wrote2025-06-28 01:25 am
Entry tags:

Daily Happiness

1. We had an award ceremony for one of the stores today and I got some cakes for the ceremony and they were really good. Would definitely get from that bakery again.

2. This evening after I got home Carla asked if I'd be interested in going down to Disneyland for an after dinner trip and even though we just went yesterday, I decided going tonight and then having Saturday and Sunday just for staying home and resting would be nice, so we went down there tonight and had dessert and watched the parade. I'm super tired now but I had a great time.

3. It's the weekend!

4. Yawn!

torachan: john from garfield wearing a party hat and the text "this is boring with hats" (this is boring with hats)
Travis ([personal profile] torachan) wrote2025-06-26 09:04 pm
Entry tags:

Daily Happiness

1. I had a nice birthday! Other than going to Disneyland, we didn't really do anything, but Disneyland was fun. And it was nice not having to go to work, though I kept thinking it was Saturday and now I have to go back to work tomorrow (boo).

2. I got a little storage cabinet to organize all our extra legos. The sets usually come with an extra piece for all the small ones. I guess they figure those are most likely to get lost. Up until now we've been putting them in ziploc baggies with the name of the set they belong to, but that's gotten out of hand and also they don't need to be separated by set. I just started sorting them out today and I imagine that will take some time, but it should make everything more organized and save on space once it's done.

3. Love those big Chloe yawns!

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Travis ([personal profile] torachan) wrote2025-06-26 07:34 pm
Entry tags:

2025 Disneyland Trip #44 (6/26/25)

Birthday trip! I don't ever bother getting a birthday badge or anything because I don't need random people telling me happy birthday (and also there's usually a long line) but I do like going to the parks on my birthday.

Read more... )
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Travis ([personal profile] torachan) wrote2025-06-25 09:07 pm
Entry tags:

Daily Happiness

1. I am taking the day off tomorrow for my birthday! (I do have to go in to work on Friday, and it's going to be a busy day, but at least I have a mini break.)

2. Molly!

torachan: close-up of a sleepy kitten face (sleepy molly)
Travis ([personal profile] torachan) wrote2025-06-24 10:45 pm
Entry tags:

Daily Happiness

1. Had a good day at work today. No meetings, so I was able to get stuff done. Tomorrow should be the same.

2. In April we had our annual open enrollment for insurance at work and the company switched dental insurance. When I got the new insurance info and checked on their website, it didn't show my current dentist as an option, so I assumed I would have to find a new one. I don't currently have any outstanding dental work that needs to be done, so I wasn't worried about it and figured I'd find a new dentist eventually but I did have a scheduled cleaning coming up this week, so I planned to call the dentist on Monday to let them know I needed to cancel, but they actually called me instead, to confirm the appointment, and when I talked to them they said they do take the new insurance, so I won't have to change dentists after all. The appointment is tomorrow, so I guess I'll find out for sure then if they really do take it or not, but since it's just a cleaning, even if it turns out they don't, I won't be out a ton of money.

3. Today was the first round magic key presale for Oogie Boogie Bash tickets. First round is only for the highest tier keyholders (which includes us), and the general magic key presale is tomorrow, and then they go on sale to everyone on Thursday. Anyway, since today was only Inspire keyholders, it was very easy to get tickets. I'm really glad they started offering that as a perk, and it actually makes it easier for everyone because that's fewer people trying all at once on Thursday. We're not going on Halloween, but rather the Sunday before.

4. I haven't had much chance to catch up on my Bluesky feed tonight but I glanced at it quickly and it seems there's good news out of today's elections in New York. (And maybe other places, too? Like I said, not much time to read thoroughly.) So happy for any bit of good news politics-wise.

5. Tuxie just chilling on these random boards the neighbors left in our planter after repairing their fence a few months back.

torachan: a cartoon owl with the text "everyone is fond of owls" (everyone is fond of owls)
Travis ([personal profile] torachan) wrote2025-06-23 08:37 pm
Entry tags:

Daily Happiness

1. I did not get all my work tasks done today because there were so many and so much other stuff kept popping up, but I got the ones that had the highest priority done, and both tomorrow and Wednesday are pretty much free days with no meetings, so I should have plenty of time to work on all these little tasks.

2. The new store is set to open in just about one month and unlike the store that opened in December, I have not had to do any of the hiring except for a handful of interviews a couple months ago. The total staff is less than it was for the last new store but still, I am very relieved and impressed that the management team for this one has been able to do it all themselves and I haven't had to spend all day every day doing interviews.

3. Ollie is such a cutie guy.