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Today would have been Jim Henson’s 89^th Birthday.

This past weekend I went to the Museum of the Moving Image to celebrate it. It was amazing the creativity that went into the puppets and costumes that people had. I think Jim would have been proud.

Jim was the King of Creativity. He was a “yes and” man. Ideas were encouraged even if they seemed to be crazy ideas. He had a good eye for talent and built his group of puppeteers and puppet builders very carefully. He never asked more than he could do, which was a lot according to those who knew him.

He was an incessant doodler. I can’t say I have seen any of his papers without doodle. There is an entire book on his doodles. And they are delightful. Sometimes you get triangles repeatedly in a lovely pattern. Others turn into the Muppets we know and love so well.

We have so much he did while he was alive from Wilkins and LaChoy Dragon ads to SNL to Sesame Street to the Muppet show to Dark Crystal and Labyrinth to so much more. Personal favorite is the StoryTeller.

Since he has passed, his children have kept the ball rolling with new Muppet material long with all kinds of projects along the way. Now we are getting a special episode of the Muppet Show which is a trial balloon to bring back the variety show.

I think what amazes me the most about Jim Henson is how relevant he still is to the world. An entire generation has been born since he passed and they know who he is and what the Muppets are. I found that out this weekend. This was an all-ages event. A young man won the costume contest dressed up as Jim Henson.

In a strange way he is the mentor to many people he never met. His work and attitude give us something to work towards. His words of encouragement are still read and taken to heart.

Happy Birthday Jim! You are missed.

I am grateful for Jim Henson.

case posting in

fandomsecrets

⌈ Secret Post #6837 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

01.

( More! )

Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 01 pages, 20 secrets from Secret Submission Post #976.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

xkcd_feed

https://xkcd.com/3146/

One perk of being born at 0.88c is that your birthday is over two days long.

https://xkcd.com/3146/

larryhammer

Short shameful confession: It is oddly satisfying to fill in the middle number of the middle square of a sudoku.

---L.

Subject quote from The Chain, Fleetwood Mac.

ravena_kade

Today's dick move....

I asked the boss if I could take a long lunch tomorrow and Friday so I could bring lunch to my friend in the Hospital. The food they give the patients is horrendous. I said I would take 30 PTO time each day (since she doesn't want me starting early or staying late). She complained that many of my PTO requests are in 15 to 30 minute segments and that creates more work for her and the board will see my requests. Ummmm...sooooooooo. The HR handbook says we can use pro in 15-minute increments. And all she has to do is make a note in my file that 80% of my PTO is for dr appointments for my Father who has heart failure. I see no issue. The boss just has to check my math for 1 minute a week. I dont understand how it's too much work.

I also started reading the Bookkeeping for dummies book. She recommended the first 40 pages. I did that and I went back to her with a recap and a couple minor questions. I asked if she wanted me to continue with the book (as I had nothing else to do) to continue training. She asked if I finished the 40 pages. Yes, Yes I did. She said that she would rather I change the dates on next week's month end reports. I can't work on these reports until the 10th of October.

Good Grief.

calimac

Laura Benanti: Nobody Cares, Berkeley Rep

Hour-long one-woman show, sort of, by the musical theater star and Melania Trump impersonator. Mostly spoken, but with songs inserted: not greatest hits, but purpose-written songs expanding on what she's been talking about, co-written with her musical director and pianist Todd Almond, accompanied also by bass and drum kit.

It's one of those wryly amusing sample of life things. Her theme is that she's overly anxious to please people (including us, the audience), going back to her earliest days in the theater, where she specialized in being an ingenue. (Definition by examples: "Disney princesses, Reese Witherspoon in Legally Blonde, Timothée Chalamet.") Also why, since premiering at 18, she's never been for any length of time without a boyfriend or husband, some of whom sound pretty awful in her telling. (Song about, Are there any good men out there?) She's been married three times, which she seems to consider a blot on her escutcheon. So did the clerk at the marriage license bureau, who - in an amusing story Benanti tells - wasn't sure whether the fiancé at her third marriage knew that she'd been married twice before.

Anyway, her third husband, whom she's been married to for ten years now (she's 45), seems to be the satisfactory one, and they have two little girls, so she segues into talking about motherhood, covering everything from overcoming your taught aversion to bottle-feeding when it turns out you can't breastfeed (the baby thought the bottle was great, but not the strangers who would see it and come up and say, "You should try breastfeeding") to answering smart-alec remarks from precocious kindergarteners. (Song on the theme "Mama's a liar" - she's trying to reassure her children and hide how broken the world is.)

Last topic, perimenopause. Oh boy. After which, she says, you become a crone and turn invisible. (As in, people don't notice that you're there.) "Well," she says, "I refuse to be invisible."

I saw Benanti play Liza in My Fair Lady at Lincoln Center in NYC six years ago, and I've seen her talk about some of these things in online concerts. So I was a good candidate for this and enjoyed it.

oursin

What I read

Finished The Return of the Soldier.

Started Carl Rollyson, The Literary Legacy of Rebecca West (1997) and decided that I was possibly a little burnt-out on his Rebecca-stanning and took a break.

Moved on to Upton Sinclair, Presidential Mission (Lanny Budd #8) (1947), which occupied most of the week's reading.

On the go

Picked up the Rollyson again.

Have embarked on Anthony Powell, The Military Philosophers (A Dance to the Music of Time #9) (1968).

Up next

No idea.

sartorias

I'm up here at my sister's, not quite a hundred miles north of home, while the new floors are put in. It's all SoCal, and yet a completely different microclimate. I woke to the tut-tut-tut of some bird we don't ever hear at home, and other chirps and twitters equally unfamiliar. Over that, though, the very familiar caw of crows.

As I did the morning walk with the little dog, and listened to the local crows up in the eucalyptus and pines, I wondered if the crows that follow me at home were watching for me to come. Now that the sun is lowering a bit, we're back to increasing numbers, so I might have thirty or so swirling around me when I throw unsalted peanuts out. so exhilarating to watch them!

Here they don't know me, of course, so the calls can't be to let me know they are there. I'm sure the lives of humans are ignorable, except as annoyances that send them into the trees. I wondered about that sky civilization as I trod the path to the dog park. So much going on at the tops of the trees, that we barely notice!

It's such a relief not to be toiling with packing, though of course unpacking lies in wait to pounce when I get back. Then I'll only have three or four days before I take off for my October east trip, so most of my share of the unloading will await me on my return. The big job (and the fun one) is the library.

Speaking of, since it's Wednesday, let's see, what have I been reading? The Military Philosophers by Anthony Powell, which is part of a book discussion that I've been following since the start of the year. One book a month in Powell's A Dance to the Music of Time series. The discussion happens at the start of each month over Zoom, and what interests me is how folks from either side of the Atlantic read the work. Also, non-genre reading. This time I'll be on the train when the discussion rolls around, so I hope I have connectivity, but if not I'll listen to the recording. At least that way I can skip ahead if the fellow who leads it gets prolix over an obvious point as he has a tendency to do. The academic curse; students above a certain age level are too polite to say 'Zip it! We got the idea already." (High schoolers had no such restraint, and middle schoolers invariably signalled boredom by more physical means.)

Anyway I had the leisure, for the first time in a couple of months, to make chocolate chip cookies. So I can have those and tea and do some reading. Heigh ho, I will go do that now.

mount_oregano

Long ago and far away (in the late 1990s in Milwaukee), I wrote a column about writing called “Go Ahead — Write This Story” for a local science fiction zine.

I've decided to revive the column as a regular feature here. Let us begin:

So — you have an idea for a story. How do you develop it? There’s no easy way, but you might consider these questions: What important thing is at stake? Who are the characters, and what are their desires and motives? What complications will arise for your characters? How will they act and react to each other? How can you dramatize their conflict with a series of scenes? Remember: “plot” is a verb.

● This is a young adult novel which begins when settlers in orbit around Venus miss horses and decide to add equine-like artificial intelligence to their transportation pods.

● This is a sociological thriller about robots who discover that recent temporary “deactivations” were suicides.

● This is an elfish story in which old prairie dogs learn new tricks, which has repercussions for tourism in South Dakota.

fred_mouse

I keep thinking about making a happy post, and then there are too many moving parts and argh. Instead, you get a possible insight into my mind you didn't need. I keep reading

it also predates genAI

in the verb form related to predator, rather than date and time. I'm not sure what is eating the genAI, and I'm not sure I want to (is it silverfish? it absolutely would not surprise me if it were silverfish).

(note also that I get a giggle out of un-ionised vs union-ised)

daily_good_feed

Posted by Jeff Bridges

https://www.dailygood.org/view.php?qid=10458

The World Food Program (WFP) is ushering in a new era of change with school meal programs now reaching 80 million more children than in 2020, especially in low-income countries where the need is greatest. School meals, described as "pathways out of poverty," are not only feeding young minds and bodies, but they're also nurturing sustainable local economies and reducing carbon footprints. The remarkable investment, which now surpasses $84 billion, showcases the commitment of over 100 governments in making education and health top priorities. "School meals are so much more than just a plate of nutritious food," highlights WFP’s Executive Director Cindy McCain. Advances are particularly notable in Africa, with Kenya and Madagascar joining the ranks of those making significant improvements. The School Meals Coalition, under Brazil, Finland, and France's leadership, is a beacon of what's achievable when nations prioritize the well-being of future generations.

https://www.dailygood.org/view.php?qid=10458

gingicat posting in

thisfinecrew

Learned about this from the weekly Indivisible email!

5 CALLS DOT ORG
Click on this tool (https://5calls.org/all/) to name and dial and/or email your federal representatives, simply following a script . As appropriate, express your gratitude and/or request increased action. Keep in mind that staffers log just one issue per call. Each one matters big time.

Massachusetts folks:
Interested in making a few key calls? Please call or write Governor Healey, urging her to act boldly, and/or tell Senators Warren and Markey to fight hard against giving Trump a blank check! https://5calls.org/issue/federal-budget-government-shutdown/
You needn't make speeches. One-line statements will make your communication count as much as - if not more than - a long explanation.
Template to contact Governor Healey, from Indivisible:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1KSmFBTRj21bu-qsJAnTz4gJKk1EAnCRPSjBbRTiaXOQ/

Current Mood: distressed

ravena_kade

So Texas Uncle is here. They never called us to tell us when they would be coming over. They don't use cell phones. I held dinner until 5:30. We finished eating and they call. They asked if we ate. Umm.... just finished. The had not had dinner. They came over at 6:15 and left at 10.

The did bring the cookware. a 2 quart dutch oven a 4 quart one and 2 small fry pans. I have a place for them and will use them in my tiny kitchen.

Dad asked how long they would be here for. They said to the 20th of October. OI. They are planning to go to New Hampshire, but could not say when. Sigh. So I have no idea how to plan for food.

I told Dad that I am not around every freaking day. I have plans next week and I am not going to cancel.

One of my original ceramic shop friends has been in the hospital for 10 days. I could not go see her as I was dealing with a cold. She is weak and can't stand. She was in a local hospital and they could not find out what is wrong with her. She cannot lay flat so her MRIs have not come out clear. They transferred her to Boston and she is in the building I work in. She has been placed on morphine to manage pain. They are hoping that the Boston hospital has the equipment to get a diagnosis. They are afraid to sedate her because of her asthma and COPD. She also has an embolism on her heart that could let go at any time.

Today I am working from home. I have some reading to do for the boss in my Dummy book. It is too hard to read in the office as it is noisy.

andrewducker

Facebook reminds me that we had norovirus on this day in 2021 and 2023. Jane has spent the last 24 hours with D+V. What are the odds?

apod_feed

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250923.html

How massive can a normal star be?

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250923.html

redbird

Happy bisexual visibility day, everyone! In case anyone doesn't know, I'm bi, and yes, some of us are greedy and enjoy having partners of more than one gender.

fflo

This one's not terribly upsetting, but I'll put it( behind this cut. )

And White People Week continues here on PotD.

lovelyangel

Twenty First Ave Kitchen & Bar
NW 21st Ave • Portland, Oregon
September 21, 2025
Sony RX100 VII • Zeiss 24-200mm (35mm equiv) f/2.8-4.5
f/4 @ 38mm • 1/8s • ISO 1600

The worst thing about going to Cinema 21 to see a movie is finding street parking. I’m not thrilled about the hunt – and I’m not so great at parallel parking into the tight spaces. I thought I would take a chance on Cinema 21’s Parking Recommendations and use the Legacy Parking Garage on NW Kearney.

I padded my schedule in case I needed to do a street parking search. Sunday, I left home at 6 pm, and Google suggested that the scenic route on SW Barnes Rd and W Broadway would be the fastest – and I prefer that route to the Sunset Highway any day.

( An Evening at the Movies )

china_shop

keep up fan_flashworks streak
finish current wishlist gift (quickly!) and write 3 or 4 more (so many tempting prompts!!)
finish two WIPs that are more than 4 months old, especially the Zhu Hong one)
Yuletide & treats?

Speaking of Yuletide, I think it's okay to post what you've nominated? I've nommed a handful of Kdramas: The Time of Fever, Unintentional Love Story[*], Good Manager, While You Were Sleeping, and Family by Choice (the dads).

[*] I'm never sure if it's okay to nom The Time of Fever and Unintentional Love Story? The pairing is the same for both. Ot1h, the shows have very different vibes, and ULS has different other characters as well. Otoh, you could reasonably write "ToF" fic set during ULS, or "ULS" fic informed by ToF... Mostly I nommed them both because I didn't know what other people in the (tiny, tiny) fandom might offer/request if they signed up, and I didn't want to mismatch if they only offered/requested one show or the other.
tl;dr: Umbrella fandoms solve a lot of problems! ;-p

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Page Summary

puppetmaker - The Toast is to the King of Creativity
case in fandomsecrets - [ SECRET POST #6837 ]
xkcd_feed - Fantastic Four
larryhammer - “i can still hear you saying / you would never break the chain / chain keep us together”
ravena_kade - (no subject)
calimac - show review
oursin - Wednesday has attended an online seminar on the Chevalier d'Eon
sartorias - (no subject)
mount_oregano - Go Ahead — Write This Story: Ideas
fred_mouse - drive by post
daily_good_feed - School Meals Spark Global Change
gingicat in thisfinecrew - 5 Calls Dot Org
andrewducker - Interesting Links for 24-09-2025
ravena_kade - (no subject)
andrewducker - Oddly recurrent stomach issues
apod_feed - (no subject)
redbird - bi visibility day
fflo - Postcard of the Day
lovelyangel - “Go and love some more.”
china_shop - Writing/making Goals for the rest of the year

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