![[syndicated profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/feed.png){kind=small}
scalziwhatever_feed
She takes a pretty great photo, if you ask me. I acknowledge I am biased.
Also, here she is in her natural environment, which is to say, with a big damn sword:
Where does one get a big damn sword? Friend, you’re asking too many questions.
— JS
apod_feed
NGC 6888, also known as the Crescent Nebula, is a
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rolanni58 The Thursday Murder Club, Richard Osman (e) (bkclb)
57 The Bookshop of Dust and Dreams, Mindy Thompson (e)
56 Remarkably Bright Creatures, Shelby Van Pelt (e) (bkclb)
55 Hunting Ground, Patricia Briggs (Alpha&Omega 2)(re-read) (e)
54 Cry Wolf, Patricia Briggs (Alpha & Omega 1) (re-read) (e)
53 Alpha and Omega, Patricia Briggs (Alpha&Omega.5(re-read) (e)
52 Blind Date with a Werewolf, Patricia Briggs (e)
51 The Women, Kristin Hannah (e) (bkclb)
50 Emilie and the Hollow World, (Emilie Adventures #1) Martha Wells (e)
49 Black Tie & Tails (Black Wolves of Boston #2), Wen Spencer (e)
48 Shards of Earth, Adrian Tchaikovsky(The Final Architecture #1)e)
47 Hemlock and Silver, T. Kingfisher (e)
46 Outcrossing, Celia Lake (Mysterious Charm #1) (e)
45 Outfoxing Fate, Zoe Chant/Murphy Lawless (Virtue Shifters)(e)
44 Atonement Sky, Nalini Singh (Psy-Changeling Trinity #9) (e)
43 Stone and Sky, Ben Aaronovitch (Rivers of London #10) (e)
42 Regency Buck, Georgette Heyer (re-re-re-&c-read)
41 I Dare, Sharon Lee and Steve Miller (Liaden Universe #7) (page proofs)
40 To Hive and to Hold, Amy Crook (The Future of Magic #1) (e)
39 These Old Shades, Georgette Heyer, narrated by Sarah Nichols (re-re-re-&c-read, 1st time audio)
38 Faking it (Dempsey Family #2), Jennifer Crusie, narrated by Aasne Vigesaa (re-re-re-&c-read, 1st time audio)
37 Copper Script, K.J. Charles (e)
36 The Masqueraders, Georgette Heyer, narrated by Eleanor Yates (re-re-re-&c-read; 1st time audio)
35 Everyone Here Spoke Sign Language: Hereditary Deafness on Martha's Vineyard, Nora Ellen Groce (e)
34 Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, Winifred Watson, narrated by Frances McDormand (re-re-re-&c-read; 1st time audio)
33 The Wings upon Her Back, Samantha Mills (e)
32 Death on the Green (Dublin Driver #2), Catie Murphy (e)
31 The Elusive Earl (Bad Heir Days #3), Grace Burrowes (e)
30 The Mysterious Marquess (Bad Heir Days #2), Grace Burrowes (e)
29 Who Will Remember (Sebastian St. Cyr #20), C.S. Harris (e)
28 The Teller of Small Fortunes, Julie Leong (e)
27 Check and Mate, Ali Hazelwood (e)
26 The Dangerous Duke (Bad Heir Days #1), Grace Burrowes (e)
25 Night's Master (Flat Earth #1) (re-read), Tanith Lee (e)
24 The Honey Pot Plot (Rocky Start #3), Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer (e)
23 Very Nice Funerals (Rocky Start #2), Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer (e)
22 The Orb of Cairado, Katherine Addison (e)
21 The Tomb of Dragons, (The Cemeteries of Amalo Trilogy, Book 3), Katherine Addison (e)
20 A Gentleman of Sinister Schemes (Lord Julian #8), Grace Burrowes (e)
19 The Thirteen Clocks (re-re-re-&c read), James Thurber (e)
18 A Gentleman Under the Mistletoe (Lord Julian #7), Grace Burrowes (e)
17 All Conditions Red (Murderbot Diaries #1) (re-re-re-&c read) (audio 1st time)
16 Destiny's Way (Doomed Earth #2), Jack Campbell (e)
15 The Sign of the Dragon, Mary Soon Lee
14 A Gentleman of Unreliable Honor (Lord Julian #6), Grace Burrowes (e)
13 Market Forces in Gretna Green (#7 Midlife Recorder), Linzi Day (e)
12 Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent, Judi Dench with Brendan O'Hea (e)
11 Code Yellow in Gretna Green (#6 Midlife Recorder), Linzi Day (e)
10 Seeing Red in Gretna Green (#5 Midlife Recorder), Linzi Day (e)
9 House Party in Gretna Green (#4 Midlife Recorder), Linzi Day (e)*
8 Ties that Bond in Gretna Green (#3 Midlife Recorder), Linzi Day (e)
7 Painting the Blues in Gretna Green (#2 Midlife Recorder), Linzi Day (e)
6 Midlife in Gretna Green (#1 Midlife Recorder), Linzi Day (e)
5 The Goblin Emperor, Katherine Addison (Author), Kyle McCarley (Narrator) re-re-re&c-read (audio)
4 The House in the Cerulean Sea, TJ Klune (e)
3 A Gentleman in Search of a Wife (Lord Julian #5) Grace Burrowes (e)
2 A Gentleman in Pursuit of the Truth (Lord Julian #4) Grace Burrowes (e)
1 A Gentleman in Challenging Circumstances (Lord Julian #3) Grace Burrowes (e)
_____
*Note: The list has been corrected. I did not realize that the Gretna Green novella was part of the main path, rather than a pleasant discursion, and my numbering was off. All fixed now.
scalziwhatever_feed
Every year as the holiday season begins we’ve run a gift guide for the holidays, and over the years it’s been quite successful: Lots of people have found out about excellent books and crafts and charities and what have you, making for excellent gift-giving opportunities during the holiday season. We’ve decided to do it again this year.
So: Starting Monday, December 1, the Whatever Holiday Gift Guide returns! If you’re a writer or other creator, this will be an excellent time to promote your work on a site which gets tens of thousands of viewers daily, almost all of whom will be interested in stuff for the holidays. If you’re someone looking to give gifts, you’ll see lots of excellent ideas. And you’ll also have a day to suggest stuff from other folks too. Everybody wins!
To give you all time to prepare, here’s the schedule of what will be promoted on which days:
Monday, December 1: Traditionally Published Authors — If your work is being published by a publisher a) who is not you and b) gets your books into actual, physical bookstores on a returnable basis, this is your day to tell people about your books. This includes comics/graphic novels and audiobooks.
Tuesday, December 2: Non-Traditionally Published Authors — Self-published? Electronically published? Or other? This is your day. This also includes comics/graphic novels and audiobooks.
Wednesday, December 3: Other Creators — Artists, knitters, jewelers, musicians, and anyone who has cool stuff to sell this holiday season, this will be the day to show off your creations.
Thursday, December 4: Fan Favorite Day — Not an author/artist/musician/other creator but know about some really cool stuff you think people will want to know about for the holidays? Share! Share with the crowd!
Friday, December 5: Charities — If you are involved in a charity, or have a favorite charity you’d like to let people know about, this is the day to do it.
If you have questions about how all of this will work, go ahead and ask them in the comment thread (Don’t start promoting your stuff today — it’s not time yet), although I will note that specific instructions for each day will appear on that day. Don’t worry, it’ll be pretty easy. Thanks and feel free to share this post with creative folks who will have things to sell this holiday season.
— JS
scalziwhatever_feedThe YouTube video above fascinates me, because it details how people making $500,000 a year — economically fortunate by any sane measure — are still frequently living paycheck to paycheck. One signal reason for this is the issue of lifestyle comparison, and the fact that income disparity in the 1% is vastly wider than the income disparity within other segments of American life.
Huh? Well, as an example, let’s look at the third quintile of income in the US. In 2023 that third quintile had incomes roughly between $61,000 and $98,000, according to the US Census. Everyone within that quintile was within $37,000 dollars of each other in yearly income, more or less. That disparity is not nothing, obviously, but it’s all within economic hailing distance. In the one percent, the income range was between about $560,000 and, well, more than a billion dollars (this is reported income, not unrealized, illiquid wealth in things like stocks and real estate). Someone on the lowest rung of the 1% is vastly economically closer to someone in abject poverty than they are to that billionaire.
Thing is, if you are in the 1%, you’re not comparing your lifestyle to someone living in a tarpaper shack, you’re comparing your lifestyle to other people in the 1%. This often means comparing yourself to people who have ten or a hundred times more income than you do, with similar inequalities in overall wealth. Your lifestyle costs more, and because it costs more, the temptation of the “lower rung rich” to financially overextend themselves to keep up appearances is real — and also, in the world of the upper classes, things just cost more, because companies catering to rich people know their customers don’t want to be seen counting their coins. The person in the market for a BMW 7 series is a fundamentally different economic entity than the person in the market for a Honda Accord. This person is shopping at Erewhon, not Aldi. In the 1%, apparently, you are who you appear to be, or at least, who you appear to be to your neighbors and co-workers.
(Mind you, shit’s getting more expensive for everyone everywhere, it’s not just the 1% feeling the inflationary pinch. But as the video points out, businesses and economists are aware that most people in lower four quintiles are as squeezed as they’re going to get; any new growth in sales/revenues are going to come from the top end, which makes them ripe for price increases on goods and services directed to them specifically.)
“Well, Scalzi, you’re bougie as fuck and yet you don’t seem to be living paycheck to paycheck,” I hear you say. And it’s true! There are reasons for that. One, I’m a writer, and my “paychecks” — advances, royalties, the occasional film/TV option — arrive so sporadically that if we tried to budget around their arrival we would be screwed. Early on, when I was still a freelancer (and, to be clear, with the help of Krissy having a more regular income) we built up a “buffer account” to make sure our paying of bills was not dependent on waiting for any one particular check of mine to arrive. That buffer account still exists, just a little more padded out.
Two, we’ve largely avoided the comparison trap. We live in rural Ohio, a location not exactly swimming with people whose income we directly index our own against, and not a place where shops cater to the higher end of incomes. I’m a writer, which means the professional community I am part of does not generally have the same incomes as, say, neurosurgeons or finance dudes. The highly sporadic nature of writer income also means I am aware the income is not reliable, and watching the careers of other writers through the years means I know one can’t just assume everything will be golden forever. Also, you know. Krissy and I both grew up with periods of our lives where we experienced, shall we say, a deficit of money. This has made each of us relatively conservative with what we do with our money, both individually and together. We’re not going to spend money to impress other people. We’re sure as hell not going to pile up debt to do it.
Three, we have other advantages and strategies. Where we live means we are able to acquire property at a discount to other areas (this means we’re unlikely to sell it later at ridiculously inflated prices, as we might if we lived in a city stuffed with high-income earners, but that’s fine). We don’t have any debt, which means we don’t have to pay out of our income to service it. I am financially literate and numerate (my very first book was on finance) and I don’t like to gamble, so our overall investment strategy is very much predicated on the idea that compound interest is our friend. Whenever I feel like trying to get rich quick, I buy a lottery ticket. It has roughly the same odds as me or any other non-professional without access to advanced financial market tools successfully day trading or timing the market.
Finally, for both Krissy and me, there’s a point where the use of money has diminishing returns, and we don’t tend to spend after that bend of the curve. Last year Krissy bought a Honda CR-V hybrid. Could we have afforded something more upscale? Sure. But inasmuch as the CR-V had everything Krissy wanted and needed in a car, and going upscale from there would have meant a lot more money for only marginal improvement in utility, was it worth it to her? No. Likewise, my 2011 MINI Countryman lacks some modern technological amenities that I would like in a car, but not so many or so much that I’m going to spend for a whole new car when my own car still runs perfectly well and, frankly, sticking my phone into an eye-level holder and using an adapter to plug the thing into my car speakers will handle 90% of what I want.
(This doesn’t mean I have never done silly things with money, as my frankly over-endowed guitar collection will indicate. But I don’t get out over my skis on stuff like that. I always check in with Krissy, who is our day-day-money manager, before I make any such purchases. If she tells me “no” then it doesn’t happen.)
Krissy and I have been smart, and also we have been lucky, which should not be discounted either. There are lots of points in our lives where we could have been one bad break away from real financial problems. Beyond this, I don’t pretend I haven’t been incredibly fortunate in my own career, sometimes for reasons that have very little to do with me directly. It also doesn’t hurt that my own skills were portable, which allowed us to live somewhere housing and living costs were not ridiculously high.
At the end of the day, however, we’ve avoided so many problems by simply not worrying about how we stacked up against other people financially, and by being able to be content when things are good enough. We didn’t need to keep up with the Joneses, or the Bezoses. We’re doing well enough to be happy. And that’s the thing.
— JS
cakewrecks_feedAhhh, turkey cake wrecks. The bane-yet-blessing of my bloggy existence.
::pause::
Wanna see some more?
If there were a Vegas review starring hot dogs and/or Twinkies...uh...dangit, now I kind of wish that actually existed. Somebody get on that, will you?
The irony, it runs deep.
(For extra lolz, just imagine the little feet wiggling.)
I'm sure you've seen ads for those turkey ice cream cakes. You know, these ones?
Well, expectation, meet reality:
(Once you start seeing this as a greased pig stuck in a rabbit hole, it's pretty much all you CAN see.)
And finally, I've seen my share of disturbing turkey cakes, believe me. (BELIEVE ME.) And yet, I think this really could be the MOST disturbing turkey cake I have ever seen.
[blinking]
Turkey cake is people!
TURKEY CAKE IS PEOPLE!!
Thanks to wreckporters Beth J., Nicki B., Rebecca W., & Courtney for "working" on a holiday. Extra leftovers for you, guys!
*****
Here's a new game - at least to me - that's getting rave reviews for family game time:
Beat That! The Bonkers Battle Of Wacky Challenges
Beat That comes with a huge assortment of physical game challenges, from bouncing balls into cups to picking up dice with a pair of chopsticks, and you bet with tokens on which challenges you think you can beat inside the time limit. Looks like fast-paced, silly fun. I'm thinking of bringing it to Thanksgiving this year, to break up the post-turkey sleepy time, heh.
*****
And from my other blog, Epbot:
apod_feed
Big, beautiful spiral galaxy NGC 1055 is a dominant member of
scalziwhatever_feed
Unlike other members of my family, it has been literally years since I’ve baked anything, and even longer since I baked anything more complicated than a frozen pizza. But for this Thanksgiving, I will feeling a little ambitious, and I saw a recipe on the Dessert Person YouTube channel that looked good, so I thought I would give it a shot.
And what do you know, I pulled it off! Please see above my 7-layer holiday bars (pre-bar form), most prominently featuring cranberries and coconut. It turned out pretty well, and my family did not have to pretend to like it just to humor me. We have learned that I can follow directions, at least in the form of a recipe. This is good news. I’ll include the video I got the recipe off of so you can try it for yourself.
If you’re a person in the US, I hope your Thanksgiving was a good one if you chose to celebrate it, and for everyone else, I hope you had a pretty good Thursday.
— JS
rolanniSo, Thanksgiving.
Went to work early and wrote, eh, 700ish words on the story that woke me up yesterday. Closed that and wrote another 800ish words on the WIP.
Made a fancy dinner -- two chicken breasts, stuffing, gravy, asparagus, San Pellegrino Limonata with a splash of Pinot Grigio. I had dessert on hand, but I went back to write some more, at which point, there was a BOOM! that shook the whole house and the windows in their frames. The cats leapt up. I leapt up. Honestly, I thought a tree had hit the house, and ran outside -- but all was well. Did a quick tour of the house, including the basement -- all was as it should be.
Turned out that a propane tank had exploded in Oakland (Maine) about 5 miles from my house. People on the neighborhood list on Facebook were saying they heard the BOOM! in Winslow, across the river -- call it 8 miles away. The house was reduced to flinders and flame, one guy was lifeflighted to Portland. A dog was found in the area, badly burned; people passing by took him to the emergency vet. Fire departments from at least five towns were called in. It's a right mess, and I'm glad I was no closer than five miles, because it was plenty scary right here.
Tomorrow morning, Sarah's due to clean. After, I intend to devote myself to My Art for the rest of Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday.
I do still have one burning question to resolve today, which is!
Do I want to have a chicken sandwich for dinner?
Hope everybody had a good day, whether or not it was a holiday.
Today's blog post title brought to you by Marc Cohn, "Silver Thunderbird"
cakewrecks_feedJohn and I actually had our Thanksgiving dinner with family on Monday, and we had ham instead of turkey, but it was still totally Thanksgiving dinner because we used cloth napkins and the phrases "What's that supposed to mean?" and "No, YOU'RE wrong!" were used. YAY HOLIDAYS.
If that doesn't already make you feel more thankful, then here are twelve wrecks to remind you just how blessed you are to have a phone with Internet access so you can look at goofy cake pictures while your family argues politics. (Yeah, I know you're out there. Welcome!)
"Bad news, sir: the tiny phalluses have us surrounded.
"Also, you're on fire."
It's the original Thanksgiving streaker!
(But what in the name of Stovetop is that "stuffing" made of?)
This bird is here to PUMP... *clap!* ...YOU UP!
"HURRRG! Watch me flex, ya!"
And this:
...is an EX-turkey.
(I can't help it; those stiff little legs crack me up every. single. time. And then I start pining for the fjords...)
Aw, don't cry, little fella! I'm sure all turkey cakes have visible bowels.
Or at least the ones around here, anyway.
This cake doesn't need commentary; it needs a sound effect.
Something like, "BLTTHHHHPPPPPPPPPP. THPP."
As a proud geek girl, I usually use the word "shiny" as a compliment.
Not this time.
Also, that "cake" is butted up against real raw potatoes. You know how I know they're real potatoes? Because they're the only thing on that platter that looks like the thing they're supposed to be.
A lot of people have complained about Christmas decorations creeping in alongside all the Thanksgiving ones this year, but I didn't think it was so bad 'til I saw this:
YOU'RE NOT FOOLING ANYONE, GINGERBREAD MAN.
Now for a quick etiquette lesson:
This is why you should always chew with your mouth closed.
And also why you should never confuse your TP with TNT. (Ouch.)
Which reminds me: anyone else think this turkey is mooning us?
Or is that too much of a stretch?
(HEYO!)
So in conclusion, allow me and the Ghost of Turkeys Past here to wish you a very Happy...
..."Itanksgiving."
Or, as most of us know it:
"Gooble Gooble Day."
Thanks to Kimberly H., Craig, Katrina O., Sam K., David G., Michael H., Sara G., Ardin A., Susan F., Deborah B., Travis S., & Carolyn H. for the Thanksgiving thankfulness.
******
P.S. Remember, it's never too early for Christmas decorations... in your beard:
BEARDAMENTS Beard Lights & Baubles
Even if you don't have a beard - or know someone with a beard you could convince to wear these - I highly recommend checking out the customer photo gallery, haha. "RH" in the red shirt has an especially majestic display. :D
*****
And from my other blog, Epbot:
scalziwhatever_feedNormally when I do a cover I sing on it, but it turns out it’s hard for me to sing Adele songs! At least without some considerable reconfiguration. So, I’ll keep working on that, but in the meantime the instrumental track I made for “Someone Like You” is nice and calm and soothing, and I thought y’all might like it. Enjoy.
— JS
rolannicakewrecks_feedEver feel like you've lost your direction in life?
Do you find yourself wandering aimlessly through bakery aisles and back alley icing parlors*?
* I don't actually know if back alley icing parlors exist, but a girl can dream.
Are you stuck in the hangar bay of life, waiting for the pod bay doors of opportunity to open up and spit you out into the sucking black void of PURPOSE?
If the answer is yes, maybe, or "huh?", then have I got the job for you!
That's right, my friends, the time has never been riper to be a Wreckerator! Or a person who likes to mix metaphors badly, like a withered, overripe tree in space.
But let's focus on the wrecking thing for now, shall we?
We're looking for a few good pairs of hands (preferably attached to still-functioning torsos) that can follow directions TO THE LETTER.
And by "we" I mean "me."
And if you see something grammatically wrong with that statement, then I'm afraid you're already disqualified. Kindly collect your complimentary "Prefessional Baker" buttons at the door and show yourselves out.
Now, for the rest of you, just LOOK at all the exciting things your future could have in store!
The glamor! The excitement! The satisfaction of giving a customer EXACTLY what they ask for!
But the REAL cherry on top? Someday you, too, could write, "cherry on top" on one of your orders!
Consider this something to work toward.
Now, who here failed Biology?
Ah, excellent!
Because next up: baby shower cakes.
Thanks to Inge D., Stephanie S., Emily S., Stephanie H., & Sargam M. for being the wind beneath my leaves. Except there's no wind...IN SPACE.
*****
P.S. I found a book right up our wrecky alley:
A Wizard's Guide To Defensive Baking
I don't even need a synopsis. I'm sold.
*****
And from my other blog, Epbot:
apod_feed
What did Comet Lemmon look like when it was at its best?
questionable_content_feed
she's a smart* cookie
*not actually smart
scalziwhatever_feed - Hey, Look, It’s Krissyapod_feed - NGC 6888: The Crescent Nebularolanni - Books read in 2025rolanni - PSAscalziwhatever_feed - The 2025 Whatever Holiday Gift Guide Starts Monday!xkcd_feed - Bridge Clearancescalziwhatever_feed - Poor Little Rich Peoplecakewrecks_feed - The Turkey Aftermathapod_feed - Moon Gamesapod_feed - Portrait of NGC 1055scalziwhatever_feed - Hey, Look, I Baked Something For Thanksgivingrolanni - If there's a God up in heaven, he has a Silver Thunderbirdcakewrecks_feed - 12 Thanksgiving Cakes To Make You EXTRA Thankfulapod_feed - (no subject)scalziwhatever_feed - A Nice Instrumental Cover of Adele For Yourolanni - Smol updatexkcd_feed - Satellite Imagerycakewrecks_feed - "Takes Direction Well"apod_feed - (no subject)questionable_content_feed - Anh Gets Somethingtimeasmymeasure
