Sometimes I take a pic of a squawking bird and give them stuff to say There are worse hobbies

Don't let Republicans and transphobes re-write history when they're the ones who've been orchestrating a genocide with a cabal of pedophiles all along. Trans people, yet again, were the canaries in the coal mine, and everyone just looked and said, "huh, there's a dead bird in there".

It is such an odd thing to grow up with forced ritual, wrecked so strongly by it that you cannot enter a church for more than a decade without feeling sick, then quietly, surprisingly, find comfort and rest in a different tradition entirely. The part of yourself you buried in grief isn’t truly dead.

At first I was surprised so many spoonies mates are pagan, but how do you track time after years of being house/bedbound? The Celtic wheel does that beautifully, reminding us we’re still part of the family of things, and creating community through flexible, accessible rituals. Happy Imbolc, 🥄 pals.

Insty witches explaining brat bhríde: find a cloth that means something to you and put it outside overnight. Me, with Long Covid at 11.55pm: I have these brand new brightly coloured shoe laces I can tie to the balcony? I hope she’s the kind of god who’s into whimsy and making your Docs feel fancy.

I pull tarot cards every now and then and sometimes they troll me hard. Today’s (8 of wands) included the phrase “travel is in the cards”. Sir, I am housebound and the building’s lift is broken. Unless a magic carpet appears, the laws of physics are gonna need to take a nap 😂

Afternoon

I could tell you how good this is but I wouldn't be able to do it justice. This is dildo-filled poetry that will resonate with Kiwis especially. #DildoBaggins

My local bookshop understands their audience.

If you're looking for a sign to switch careers: this is the sign.

More than 200,000 Danish citizens have signed a petition to buy California as a response to Trump’s attempt to take Greenland. They say they will provide Californians with “rule of law, universal health care, fact-based politics, and a lifetime supply of Danish pastries.”

You know you’re sleep deprived when the carpark lights across the way get switched on and you clap and cheer like someone’s just flipped on elaborate Christmas lights.

If you’re looking for some levity, I recommend the soap opera IKEA Heights on YouTube. It was shot in an actual IKEA… While it was open (with customers wandering around)… Without permission. Gonzo soap opera! Each ep is 5min, gloriously silly and impressive considering the constraints.

Today’s “living in my brain rent-free” paragraph www.nytimes.com/2026/01/11/b...

Last night’s insomnia led to the discovery that bass singers have the exact resonant frequencies to calm my nervous system, doubly so for oktavists (the double bass of voice, apparently super rare). If I ever become a millionaire, I’m commissioning an oktavist to do an ASMR podcast.

People of color > me on this so if they correct me, listen, but Say Her Name is reserved for Black, Brown, and Indigenous women BECAUSE they suffer state violence but will never be remembered the way Renee will. Renee died horribly. Her whiteness will guarantee a legacy women of color DO NOT GET.

We need hope right now. These all seemed impossible years ago: Prep, neutral pronouns in books/news when referring to an unknown person, kōhanga reo, gay marriage, the Waitangi Tribunal, smokefree everything, the body positivity movement. Feel free to add positive changes you’ve seen/know about.

“The violence commanded by governments and militaries often fails, and nonviolent direct-action campaigns often succeed… We write history with our feet and with our presence and our collective voice and vision… Together we are very powerful.” - quotes from Hope in the Dark, Rebecca Solnit

Insomnia and the Current State of Things = listening to old socialist songs as lullabies. They are weirdly comforting.

Good morning here is your emergency sloth

Looking for nature valentines cards? Last year's comic is now available as cards! They start shipping Jan 12. topatoco.com/collections/...

people criticise you for suddenly screaming and waving your arms and slapping the air at an annoying fly bellowing "GET OUT GET OUT GET THE FUCK OUT" but honestly it works. it works better than anything else. they leave and they take their coat and hat with them

After some fanangling, my new literary PoC podcast is now on Spotify, with audio extracted to various platforms including Apple Podcasts 🥰 On Spotify? Give us a follow and have a watch/listen of the pilot! 😘 All other platforms on website: servedwithricepoddy.com open.spotify.com/show/0Yo99y7...

used to think the idea of hypnotized sleeper agents turning violent after hearing an activation phrase was far-fetched, but then I heard the Microsoft Teams jingle for the first time in two weeks today

Having some insomnia, so has anyone else seen Heated Rivalry? Am waiting for my gay buds to watch it so we can discuss but holy wow that show hits ALL the feels.

Today’s movie is the Count of Monte Cristo and I’m sorry to the new version, but Jim Caviezel? Guy Pierce being sneaky and evil in that camp, sinister way? The bff priest? The fun smugglers? The other versions can’t even. Best of all though, something scarce outside of fiction: justice.

damn skippy

This podcast is like a warm hug! A great way to kick off the new year, it was so nice to hear their accents and feel like I was back home for a bit. If you’re a foodie and love books (and a want to support Kiwi/Aussie/South East Asian writers), give it a whirl.

snakes leave behind whole skins. all manner of flying creatures, not just butterflies, do them one better, whole new selves from wriggling worms. rocks into gems. mystics die to the flesh to be reborn in the spirit. rebirth is the rule, not the stray exception, if we can grasp it

Happy new year peeps! May your 2026 be kinder, gentler, laced with more joy and way less pain than 2025. Ringing in the year with cosy PJs, fireworks in the distance and the gaudy treat that is 1996’s Romeo and Juliet movie (that cast were so hot and we didn’t appreciate it. Love this adaptation).

Happy tenth anniversary to photographer Joel Goodman’s classic image which by rights should be hanging in the Louvre.

Not me crying because Paddington in Peru captures the essence of being a dual national and the country you grew up in versus the one you chose.

COMIC: M&M's

Shall I do something with my afternoon or shall I say “fuck it, Back to the Future’s on”? Stupid question. Watching Back to the Future *is* doing something with my afternoon. Possibly the best use of it

Rewatching Shadow and Bone and while I’ve never been a Romantasy person, Ben Barnes is an unexpectedly delicious villain. He needs more roles like that.

bluesky is where elder millennials enjoying internet retirement meet younger millennials with untreated depression

We joke about this being a weird week but it’s a weird fucking week. You’re going to want to rest and be frightened of resting. You’re going to think you want to work. Focus will Be a ghost. Eat some cheese, drink some water, keep a Notebook nearby, let yourself drift.

Dream scenario, honestly. Just add a few snuggly blankets, hot chocolate and a pillow and I could live like that for days, weeks even 😊

This is excellent advice.

Doing Christmas solo this year means new traditions: starting the day with a podcast about a historical Christmas heist. This pairs well with an After 8 melted in coffee, chocolate and raspberry porridge and cosy PJs.

Meri Kirihimete pocket pals! I appreciate you and hope your days have glimmers in them 🎄

So what happened is Scrooge got an entire night of free quality life-changing therapy from professionals with unlimited resources and psychic powers. The rich keep getting richer.

May this 2025 felt ornament — a drunk raccoon — carry us into a new and better year.

All my pre-Christmas obligations are sorted, so for a few days I’ll be watching Dr Who Xmas episodes, listening to podcasts, reading queer fiction and geeky nonfiction, snacking to high heaven, drinking a festive mocktail and resting in cosy blankets. I finally get to have a Poirot Christmas.

Your annual reminder that if you want someone to chat or have a laugh with over the Christmas period there will be lots of folk on the #JoinIn and #DuvetKnowItsChristmas threads. 🎄

Like the first cuckoo of spring, the first duvet sighting of the year is always a special moment. #DuvetKnowItsChristmas

The 2025 Headline of the Year Nominees 🧵