The Education Meme (Part 1)

Feb. 17th, 2026 05:00 pm
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[personal profile] smallhobbit
[personal profile] used_songs posted this meme, and I thought it would be interesting to have a go.  Because I've decided to answer for myself (Me), our two adult kids (TS/TD) and my granddaughter, aka Mini Hobbit (MH), I'm splitting it into three parts over the next few days.

Adults responsible for your care actively helped facilitate your early learning. (Reading at bedtime, playing educational games, going to child-friendly museums...)
Me: Yes - I was read to, played card games etc, and was taken places although child-friendly hadn't really been invented then.  I do remember one gallery in the Science Museum in London with knobs to push and twist which was very exciting.
TS/TD: We always read to the kids, and they had educational games to play, which we played, and we went to various places, including seeing the mammoth in the National Museum Cardiff.
MH: Her parents have always read to her, played games and they go places like St Fagans National Museum of History

You had a library card.
Me: Yes.  My mother would take me to the library in the town and once they built a new branch literally down the road from us and I was a bit older I took myself.
TS/TD: Yes. We either visited the mobile library which came to the village or we drove up to the nearby branch.
MH: Yes.  TS takes her to their local library.

Adults in your life involved you in tasks that involved mathematical skills.
Me: No idea, but probably.  Both my parents were accounts clerks so were used to working with numbers.  I doubt they specifically considered that we did things involving mathematical skills, more that these things came naturally.
TS/TD: Again both husband and I worked with figures, so we tended to use them automatically rather than specifically.
MH: I don't know.  But she's doing fine with numbers at school so I presume she does.

If you started falling behind in school, you received help from a private tutor.
Me: I didn't, and if I had that wouldn't have been possible.
TS/TD: It turned out that both were better at practical skills than purely academic ones.  So we encouraged them in those areas.  Their basic skills were fine so we never felt the need to push, which since both were very determined, wouldn't have worked anyway.  When I saw a teacher to discuss TD's post-16 prospects he asked me what grades she needed to get for her GCSEs.  I told him and he said, 'and that's what she'll get'.
MH: As far as I'm aware she isn't.  The school have provided extra support for her handwriting.  (When TD had poor handwriting I resorted to bribery to get her to practise, which worked.)

You went to a well-funded school.
Me: I had standard state funded primary school, so have no idea.  I do remember they had a rebuilding project at my first infant school (in north London).  They knocked down one wall and we all had to stand on the other side of the playground - it was a while ago.  Secondary was well-funded.
TS/TD: Yes.  Their secondary school was well-funded and popular, which no doubt helped.
MH: Yes.  She's due to go to the same secondary school as TS.

rumgumption

Feb. 17th, 2026 07:28 am
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[personal profile] prettygoodword
rumgumption (rum-GUMP-shuhn) or rumblrgumption (rum-buhl-GUMP-shuhn) - (Scot. & N. Eng.) n., shrewdness, good sense, intelligence.


Somewhat dated, possibly enough that I should mark it as arch. Related term: rumgumptious, which means shrewd but also headstrong or forward in manner, so a bit of semantic drift there. Gumption, meaning good sense and boldness, is also related, as the root, but what the prefix means no one seems to know -- possibly it's just an intensifier?

---L.

(no subject)

Feb. 17th, 2026 11:16 am
pensnest: Waterhouse picture with quote from Lady of Shalott (Half sick of shadows)
[personal profile] pensnest
When I went up to bed last night, my Beast announced that the cat had peed in the bidet.

On the whole, I'm inclined to think that if Sable wishes to urinate somewhere in our bedroom suite, the bidet is about the best bed. The shower would also do, but then she'd get her feet wet and leave unwelcome little footprints everywhere.

On the other hand—why? Sable, why? You have a litter tray and an entire garden, which have between them sufficed for several years.

Sigh. Cat urine is very pungent, and the anti-urine spray is not much less unpleasant.

*

Still. I woke up with a horrendous cold this morning so I'm probably not getting the full, er, impact of the smell.

*moan*

Photos: Savanna and Prairie Garden

Feb. 16th, 2026 11:31 pm
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith posting in [community profile] common_nature
These are the rest of the pictures I took today, from the savanna and prairie garden. (See the House Yard and South Lot.)

Walk with me ... )

Had to get away for the day

Feb. 16th, 2026 11:19 pm
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[personal profile] cornerofmadness
I mean I should have stayed and cleaned or something but like most of the eastern/midwestern US I've been snowed in for weeks and it wasn't snowy today. It was supposed to be in the 60s. It was not. It was grey and cold but otherwise a good day. I really need to find OTHER things to do in Huntington other than shop because I have it to such an art, it takes me longer to drive than do anything else.

I did get myself a Hillbilly hot dog. Which one, they ask as I stand there in my Mothman shirt. Mothman, naturally.

My pull list at the comic book store is done. I'm almost relieved. Found a new one but we'll see. They did have one Hazbin Hotel funko. Vaggi. I looked around for Angel for my friend's daughter. (I personally find Funkos horrifying) Nada.

I picked up a 100$ overpriced Christmas wreath at Michaels for the 25$ it was probably worth.

And then I got mad at Macy's. I look around. It's been redone. I can't see the plus sizes. I ask.

Oh we're not carrying plus sizes any more.

Murder or shock or something must have showed in my face and she babbles. 'oh wait there's still some.'

She points to two fucking racks in the back. What the actual fuck, Macy's? I know the brand is struggling but I HATE buying clothes online. You have to waste all those resources packaging it, gas in shipping it only to find out it doesn't fucking fit or the fabric is a nightmare and have to re-waste all those resources sending it back and most plus size catalogues DO NOT have free shipping/returns such as Roaman's and Woman Within.

This store's ground level floor had been one quarter plus size just a few months ago. I DO NOT know if this is just this store is all of Macy's doing it(I was just at the one back home with it was more like half was plus). This makes NO sense. Why in the world if you're struggling do you wipe out a huge chunk of your patronage. And especially in Huntington WV. I don't know who/why someone does research on the fattest town in America but it's been Huntington WV more times than it's not.

I'm hoping it's just them like the fucking Nordstrom Rack in Columbus OH. I know my friend, JK says Nordstrom carries plus sizes in Boston but Nordstrom did the same thing in Columbus. Went from a full section to a small section to 2 racks to nothing. Kohl's has a pathetic plus section (mostly work out clothes, nothing I could wear to work) Guess I'm back to shopping JC Penny's after 20 years and whatever bizarre shit Tj Maxx has.

Speaking of that, I went to TJ Maxx/Homegoods which was being worked on and I forgot to look for the two damn things I went there for but got more woodened utensils and another sauce pot (there are reasons but they are bad ones) and all kinds of fun goodies, mostly from Italy one of which JK would probably fight me in the store over, cannoli filled with pistachio cream and some whiskey and strawberry margarita filled chocolates, Faze(?) from Finland. Both are so good I was eating them like a feral raccoon in the car if there had been more I would have went back for them.

It's music monday 30 weeks of music. This week's prompt is 14 you enjoy that’s in a different language Share your faves too. I know Suzume will be here with some but I'm waiting on my kPop friends to shine too.

I'm breaking this into two under here, the rock-pop ones and the country )





here's the whole prompt list

It's under here )

Recent reading

Feb. 16th, 2026 10:57 pm
troisoiseaux: (reading 2)
[personal profile] troisoiseaux
In War and Peace, I've read through Book Three and the unglamorous shambles of the battle of Austerlitz, and one theme that's stuck out to me is the sort of... grim bureaucracy(?) of war: the Russian-Austrian war council adopts a battle strategy that many of them know won't work, more or less because they want get out of this meeting and it's basically already in place/too late to change their approach; the commanders actually in the field are mostly worried about not being the person blamed for anything going wrong:

Not wishing to agree to Dolgorukov's demand to commence the action, and wishing to avert responsibility from himself, Prince Bagration proposed to Dolgorukov to send to inquire of the commander in chief. Bagration knew that as the distance between the two flanks was more than six miles, even if the messenger were not killed (which he very likely would be), and found the commander in chief (which would be very difficult), he would not be able to get back before evening.

The selected messenger ends up being Nikolai Rostov, who does not die (despite, among other incidents, finding himself directly in the path of a unit of hussars charging at full gallop, because of course he did) but does fumble the chance to meet his idol Emperor Alexander: "But as a youth in love trembles, is unnerved, and dares not utter the thoughts he has dreamed of for nights," he's too shy to approach him even though he literally has an excuse to do so?? On the other hand, Prince Andrei is personally taken prisoner by his hero, Napoleon, although at that point he's kind of over it, having had an ongoing near-death experience and an accompanying revelation about "the insignificance of greatness."

I ended up skipping ahead in Damon Runyon's Guys and Dolls and Other Writings to read "The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown" (1933), which was the main basis for the musical Guys & Dolls— it turns out that in the original story, there's no bet over whether gambler Sky Masterson can convince "missionary doll" Sarah Brown to join him on a day trip to Havana; he just falls for her on sight, tries to woo her by winning a guy's soul in a craps game to build up her mission, and then she catches on and comes marching in to gamble for his soul, which really ought to have made it into the musical but I've decided is how they make up off-stage between "Marry the Man Today" and the finale. (On the other hand, Sky's father's warning about not taking a bet from guys who "show you a nice brand-new deck of cards on which the seal is never broken" and "offer to bet you that the jack of spades will jump out of this deck and squirt cider in your ear," because "as sure as you do you are going to get an ear full of cider," is wholesale Runyon.) I agree with [personal profile] osprey_archer that someone really ought to write a crossover between Runyon's dim-witted gangsters and P.G. Wodehouse's dim-witted toffs, especially because the last few (as read in order) stories have in fact involved befriending random civilians: in one, a trio of American gangsters are hired to assassinate the king of a small European country, only to discover that the king is about six and really keen on Al Capone and baseball; in another, a group of tough guys running a ticket-scalping racket (maybe more surprised than I should have been to discover this was a thing since at least the 1930s??) adopt a nice little doll who got stood up at the Harvard vs. Yale football game, and learn to love the epic highs and lows of college football in the process.

Dragalia Lost - With a Roar

Feb. 16th, 2026 09:36 pm
kalloway: (DL Nefaria)
[personal profile] kalloway posting in [community profile] 100words
Title: With a Roar
Fandom: Dragalia Lost
Rating: AA
Notes: Ramiel, Nevin
-

with a roar )

Music Monday: Two Rockin’ Videos

Feb. 16th, 2026 06:43 pm
jesse_the_k: Head inside a box, with words "Thinking inside the box" scrawled on it. (thinking inside the box)
[personal profile] jesse_the_k

The singer and the band are all on roller skates performing Bend Your Knees by Henry Mansfield & Digital Velvet! It’s an NPR Tiny Desk contest entry. Lyrics on bandcamp, video on YouTube or…

Stream it Here )

Thanks to [personal profile] clevermanka for sharing Fabulous, an absolute banger in both fashion and music from MEEK. Not work-safe since the chorus repeats “fucking” 42 times. Video on YouTube with accurate captions and lyrics in the description or …

stream it here )

Check-In Post - Feb 16th 2026

Feb. 16th, 2026 07:12 pm
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[personal profile] badly_knitted posting in [community profile] get_knitted

Hello to all members, passers-by, curious onlookers, and shy lurkers, and welcome to our regular daily check-in post. Just leave a comment below to let us know how your current projects are progressing, or even if they're not.

Checking in is NOT compulsory, check in as often or as seldom as you want, this community isn't about pressure it's about encouragement, motivation, and support. Crafting is meant to be fun, and what's more fun than sharing achievements and seeing the wonderful things everyone else is creating?

There may also occasionally be questions, but again you don't have to answer them, they're just a way of getting to know each other a bit better.


This Week's Question: What is your favourite thing to make?


If anyone has any questions of their own about the community, or suggestions for tags, questions to be asked on the check-in posts, or if anyone is interested in playing check-in host for a week here on the community, which would entail putting up the daily check-in posts and responding to comments, go to the Questions & Suggestions post and leave a comment.

I now declare this Check-In OPEN!



dr_zook: morris pattern (snakeshead)
[personal profile] dr_zook posting in [community profile] the_scent_of_lilacs
Art for I heard your heart beating, you were in the darkness too (so I stayed in the darkness with you) (1 words) by alby_mangroves
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Nosferatu (2024)
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Ellen Hutter/Thomas Hutter/Orlok
Characters: Ellen Hutter, Thomas Hutter, Orlok (Nosferatu)
Additional Tags: Art, Drawing, Human/Monster Romance, Human/Vampire Relationship, Threesome - F/M/M
Summary: Art for "I heard your heart beating, you were in the darkness too (so I stayed in the darkness with you)" by theirwolf.

Zook says: Excellent pencil work! So lush and alluring. 🤩 I love the artist to bits. Also: probably not safe for work: I can spot two nipples, also there is an undead Count beckoning not very subtly, but who am I to judge your workplace?! :D

badly_knitted: (Rose)
[personal profile] badly_knitted posting in [community profile] drabble_zone

Title: Unavoidable Damage
Fandom: The Fantastic Journey
Author: [personal profile] badly_knitted
Characters: Scott, Fred, Varian.
Rating: PG
Written For: Challenge 489: Damage.
Setting: After the series.
Summary: It isn’t always possible to avoid causing damage.
Disclaimer: I don’t own The Fantastic Journey, or the characters. They belong to their creators.
A/N: Triple drabble.



Unavoidable Damage










cucurbitologist

Feb. 16th, 2026 08:08 am
prettygoodword: text: words are sexy (Default)
[personal profile] prettygoodword
Theme week! I have some fun polysyllabic ones near each other on my list, so I've grouped them together for some sesquipedalian fun.


cucurbitologist (kyoo-kur-bi-TOL-oh-jist) - n., someone who studies or cultivates Cucurbitaceae.


That is to say, members of the family that includes gourds, melons, squash, pumpkins, and cucumbers. Ye pumpkin farmer is a cucurbitologist. Coined from Latin cucurbita, gourd -- which is not a complete stretch, as cucurbit meaning gourd (and the gourd-shaped portion of an alembic) dates back to Middle English, from Anglo-Norman, from Old French.

The word came to my attention from someone describing Linus Van Pelt from Peanuts as a cryptocucurbitologist.

---L.

Monday Word: Ergotism

Feb. 16th, 2026 06:35 am
stonepicnicking_okapi: letters (letters)
[personal profile] stonepicnicking_okapi posting in [community profile] 1word1day
ergotism [ur-guh-tiz-uhm]

noun

a condition caused by eating rye or some other grain that is infected with ergot fungus or by taking an overdose of a medicine containing ergot, characterized by cramps, spasms, and a form of gangrene. Also called: Saint Anthony's fire.

examples

1. Looking at depictions of St. Anthony in the paintings of Renaissance masters, the influence of the disease of ergotism on the history of art starts to become clear. "How Renaissance Painting Smoldered with a Little Known Hallucinogen." Forrest Muelrath. 15 Sept 2017

2. Experts now know that those symptoms are common among people with convulsive ergotism, or ergot poisoning, which is caused by a fungus that can grow on wheat, rye, and other similar grains. Sarah Klein, Health.com, 2 Oct 2017

origins
borrowed from French ergotisme, from ergot ergot + -isme -ism

ergot comes from "spur on a rooster, a similar growth on another bird or mammal, fungal sclerotium resembling a rooster's spur," earlier also argot, going back to Old French argoz (subject case) "spur of a bird or animal," derivative from a Gallo-Romance base *arg- "spine, spiny or thorny plant," probably from a pre-Latin substratal language

Jan Mandijn, “The Temptation of Saint Anthony” (circa 1550)
The Temptation of St. Anthony

A story with legs

Feb. 16th, 2026 08:36 pm
merrileemakes: A very tired looking orange cat peering sleepily at you while curled up on a laptop bag (Default)
[personal profile] merrileemakes posting in [community profile] common_nature
When I finished my last post the tadpoles were 3 weeks old and about to go from their nursery tub into the pond. It's actually more of a water feature than a pod - it's a fairly small 2 level fibreglass set up with fake rock texture, a pump and 2 potted water plants that could only vaguely be said to thrive. It also has a predator occasionally drop by.

IMG20241120084700

Read more... )

#183 - Stoic

Feb. 16th, 2026 03:35 am
mxcatmoon: Vocab_blue (Vocab_blue)
[personal profile] mxcatmoon posting in [community profile] vocab_drabbles
This week's word is

Stoic


[ˈstōik]

noun
A person who can endure pain or hardship without showing their feelings or complaining.

A member of the ancient philosophical school of Stoicism.

adjective
Another term for stoical.
"A look of stoic resignation."


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