This is incredible! So, so happy for you all.

I feel like a whole lot of people were mad at COVID for being a quiet apocalypse where they still had to go to work & pay bills, & thought: fuck making me do stuff for others but not letting me shotgun my neighbor in the face for her pantry I want the REAL wasteland of torment let’s do this

I don’t actually know, I’ve just seen screenshots!

Trump is going after HHS-funded scientists and, by default, Universities, many of which can’t function sufficiently without federal grant money. I can’t quite push aside the knowledge that fascist regimes often go after academics and intellectuals first.

And please tell me one of them is the ‘YA Chosen One in the real world’ book because that still lives in my head rent free.

Girl, we should talk anyway. It’s been FOREVER. We can’t even joke about “how are we whole-ass adults now” because that’s just business as usual.

The Mirandy Discord is bonkers, I warned you about this!

I mean, the new book IS going well, and I am very proud of it. But brain?! WTF?!

a woman in a black jacket is raising her hand in the air ALT: a woman in a black jacket is raising her hand in the air

Accidentally opened a chapter of a novel I abandoned several years ago (yes, That One if you’ve been following me a while), tinkered with it and made it shit hot and now I know how to fix the book. That I abandoned.

So yes, the new book is going well, thanks.

Gleaning: The ancient practice fighting modern food waste “The simple act of turning discarded crops into nourishment bridges so many divides.”

Really enjoyed this read on recovering unharvested crops, aka gleaning.

Solidarity to my fellow Nice Middle Class Girls who dress like kids tv presenters but are secretly Machiavellian. Charlotte really gave the game away there. #TheTraitorsUK

The sunrise on my 42nd birthday. Both peaceful and a hive of activity, which feels about right.

I turn 42 today and I’m pretty sure I was born 15 minutes ago.

me: it's been really rejuvenating and brings me a lot of joy but it has absolutely nothing to do with my work. it's making me feel a lot better despite being time consuming and totally divorced from career considerations. it's wild.
friend: you're describing a hobby

Watch Duty - Wildfire Maps & Alerts Real-time information about wildfire and firefighting efforts nearby

Not lost on me that it's nonprofit tech, app.watchduty.org, showing up & actually working in the midst of the LA fires (donate to them!)

Meanwhile platforms fail to surface key news, vital info is paywalled...

As I've been saying, we need a new tech paradigm, yesterday!

5 dead, more than 2,000 structures burned as new fire hits Hollywood Hills More than 2,000 structures have burned and at least five people are dead in wildfires burning across L.A. County. Red flag warnings remained in effect for Los Angeles County and much of Ventura County...

Shoutout to the Los Angeles Times reporters who are doing essential journalism under very difficult circumstances.

They’ve dropped their paywall, but their ongoing coverage is a good reminder of why local newsrooms need support — and what we lose when those outlets are hollowed out.

Occasional reminder that there’s no, “it’s too late, its over” for anthropogenic climate change. Every molecule of CO2 that doesn’t go into the atmosphere makes a difference. Preventing 0.1 degree of warming makes a difference. Every bit of climate resilience we build together makes a difference.

We ELIMINATED A STRAIN OF FLU by following simple precautions. Imagine what else we could do.

www.nature.com/articles/d41....

I forgot just how hard the music goes in #TheTraitors. Whoever is in charge needs to drop their Spotify playlists, stat.

Calton Hill, Edinburgh on Christmas Eve, 24 December 2024.

Calton Hill, Edinburgh on Christmas Eve, 24 December 2024.

CHRISTMAS EVE SUNSET: Thank you to all our followers. All good wishes for the holidays, lasting through to the New Year and bringing further progress to improving the quality of every one of your visits to the hill!

Just panicked because I haven’t told the kitten the Christmas Story and so he has no context for what’s happening, and then I remembered I hadn’t told the other cats either and also none of us are Christian.

BBC World Service - The Dark Is Rising A young boy’s time-travelling fight against ancient evil

For any children (or kids at heart) interested in Solstice, eerie fiction or both...the BBC World Service has an excellent 12-part audio adaption by Simon McBurney and @robgmacfarlane.bsky.social of Susan Cooper’s The Dark Is Rising:

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w...

I need that print on my walls!

UK writers of any kind: see below

Heather! That’s terrific news!

Tracy Letts, @carriecoon.bsky.social and their 10k dvds are the only ones who’ll be having a good time.

Tapping the sign and reminding folks that the strict binary between "safe cozy books" and "risky transgressive books" is fake. A few writers and readers on extreme ends of that spectrum made it up. In reality there are many varied works with many tones/content types and there will continue to be.

UK 'not ready' for extreme weather, says climate change head The head of the Climate Change Committee calls on the government to invest in adaptations now.

Not sure how this is news - the lack of investment has been a conscious Government decision over many decades.
We have chosen not to be ready.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...