[personal profile] selenak
Well, it depends of course both on your physical fitness, time at had and whether you define "around Munich" as "within the city itself and its immediate surrounding era" , or whether an hour away from the city in the direction of the Alps also counts. I shall therefore start with the easy ones and go f or a grand climax of a mountain tour. ;)

Within the city of Munich, nice to walk even if your knee or foot should still trouble you:

1) Nymphenburger Park. The park surrounding Nymphenburg Palace. In addition to being a nice park, it has four tiny little mini cottage-palaces within, all Rokoko, and they're open in later spring, summer and early autumn. (The central palace itself isn't half bad, either, but that wasn't asked.) There's both a reasonably good coffee shop and an actual restaurant for the hungry and exhausted. One can reach the park via streetcar.


2) Der Englische Garten / The English Garden . Largest park in Munich, and I do mean large. Offers something both for easy strollers and people wanting to exhaust themselves. One of the modern attractions, the surfing wave of one of the rivers, is currently gone and the cause of much acrimony between the city administration and the surfers. Another attraction reliably shocking or enticing a certain brand of tourist is the fact that in summer time, a lot of Bavarians come here topless to sun themselves on the lawn. Architecture-wise, there is a nice "Chinese Tower" around one of the most popular beer gardens exists, and a Japanese Tea House, but mostly, like a park should be, it's trees, trees, trees, and large lawns. One can take both short and loooooong walks, depending on the time. Because of the size of the park, there are several entrance points close to subway stations available.

3) Olympiapark : what it says on the label. Originally created for the 1972 Olympic Games. Still very very popular to walk or jog through. The arena within it is very popular for concerts (I saw both Paul McCartney and Bruce Springsteen there.) Offers, among other things, a nice view over the city and to the Alps from one point. One of the starting points for hiking can be reached via subway.


Still within Munich, but incorporating the suburbs:

4) Isarauen/ Isar shore. From where I live in Munich, cutting through the Englischer Garten to the Isar shore means you can then turn left or right and in either case can do some really nice and lengthy hiking. If you go left, you eventually end up in Freimann near the arena where our football (soccer to Americans) club Bayern München plays, i.e. a place of much ire and admiration, depending how you feel about that club; due to the arena, there is of course a subway connection, so what I do is walk along the Isar to the arena and then go home by tube. Conversely, if you go right, you first walk in the general direction of the city centre and can see our Bavarian parliament building on the other side of the river, then in the middle of the river the Deutsches Museum (one of Germany's foremost science museums), then if you walk on you're leaving the centre behind and head towards the belt area. Most of the way is an appealing mixture of (mostly) trees and architecture. Though if Itake a really long hike, I take the Isar shore road from the opposite direction, i.e. I take the subway to Thalkirchen, where the Munich zoo is, and walk back from there in the direction of the centre. Hardcore hikers and bikers can go even further by S-Bahn and walk or drive back from Wolfratshausen.

Both Isar walks are something for when you have half a day or longer to spare.


Far Over The Misty Mountains:

5) One of my absolute favouriite hiking spots from all time is reached via train from Munich. One takes the train to Schliersee (that's about an hour), then hikes from Schliersee to the Gindelalm, from the Gindelalm to the Neureuth Alm, and from there it's possible to go down to either Tegernsee (town) or Gmund (also located at the Tegernsee lake). They both have a train station and you can take the train back to Munich, which again takes an hour. Now you don't need to be a hardcore Alpine sportswoman or -man to do this - it's not that difficult a way, upwards and downwards - but it does take at least two hours, usually more, to reach the first Alm. So this is only an option if you have the entire day to spare.

The other days

Patrick Nielsen Hayden Retires

Jan. 5th, 2026 03:32 pm
[syndicated profile] scalziwhatever_feed

Posted by John Scalzi

He’s announced it, so I can talk about it too: Patrick Nielsen Hayden, my friend and also my editor at Tor Books, is retiring. He steps forward from a career that includes editing hundreds of books, including twenty of my own, and a ridiculous number of professional awards and achievements, including several Hugo Awards and a World Fantasy award. In addition to editing, he was (and continues to be) a notable figure in science fiction fandom, helping to run conventions, having been guest of honor for several, and got his first Hugo nomination for the fanzine Izzard back in 1984. He also teaches, including a long stint at the Viable Paradise writing workshop.

The short version of this is, he’s one of the editors most responsible for how the science fiction and fantasy field looks today. Inasmuch as it’s in really excellent shape, creatively and commercially, that’s something to be very proud of.

Also, Patrick is responsible for changing my life, when he made an offer on Old Man’s War, some twenty-three years ago (The offer was made the last week of 2002; the book came out January 1, 2005). It’s difficult for me to overstate how much my life is different now than what I had expected and planned for, prior to Patrick telling me he wanted OMW for Tor. It’s unlikely I would know (at least!) half the people I know or had the half the experiences I’ve had in my life. Certainly my bibliography would be very, very different. I occasionally wonder what my life would have been like had Patrick not offered on OMW, but not too much. I like this life, the experiences I’ve gotten to have, and the people I get to have in it, including Patrick and Teresa Nielsen Hayden.

I don’t want to go on too much at this point, since as Patrick notes, he is not dead, nor will he stop being part of the science fiction community. He’ll be around! He’ll just get to other things. He plays a mean guitar, so maybe there will be more of that. Maybe he will travel. Maybe he will fight crime! We will see.

Whatever he gets up to, I hope he enjoys it and I hope he tells me about it the next time I see him, probably at some convention or another. I expect a lot of catching up and hanging out, like we’ve always done. He’s stopped being my editor. He’s not stopped being my friend.

— JS

(PS: For those of you curious, the person now editing my novels at Tor is Mal Frazier, who, as a member of Patrick’s editorial team I have already worked with on the last couple of novels, most notably The Shattering Peace, which the sharp-eyed among you will note is dedicated to them. Mal is smart as hell and doesn’t put up with any crap from me, which is exactly the sort of editor I like, need and appreciate, and I look forward to continuing to work with them. I’m not just saying that because I owe them a book, like, now.)

Not ded

Jan. 5th, 2026 10:04 am
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[personal profile] ivyfic
Happy New Year!

Roughly on my list of things to do this time of year are: plan holidays (Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas), plan family visits, plan child's January birthday, endless list of administrivia (oh, our pediatrician has gone out of network! thanks!), assemble photo album for prior year, maybe post something to dreamwidth.

The photo album has metastasized--I used to make one album a year pre child. Child's first year was five albums, this year is going to be four. I've outlined everything, but only finished one of them. Between the filing, curating, and layout, it's probably several hundred hours. So if I have any free time to spend on my computer (which is the exact same location I work, since I work from home), that is what I am doing. It used to be a thing I did between Christmas and New Year's, and is now a thing I functionally have to do all the time. I am the red queen, running as fast as I can to stay in place. Oh--and I'm keeping a daily diary, too, for the theoretical future state where my son might care about his early years.

So not so much with posting here. I still read most everything. It's cool to see a new fandom emerge! Though I mostly watch Taskmaster and Real Housewives at this point--that is the level of brain off I am at the end of the day. I still think of things to post! Maybe when the kiddo is older. He's cute, but he's a lot of work! (And almost two--good lord, when did that happen.)

Book fortune-telling meme

Jan. 5th, 2026 02:57 pm
nanila: from <user name=pne>'s barcode generator (assimilated)
[personal profile] nanila
via [personal profile] antisoppist

  1. Grab the nearest book.
  2. Turn to page 126
  3. The 6th full sentence is your life in 2026.


The first book nearest me is Metallurgical Assessment of Spacecraft Materials and Parts by Barrie D. Dunn (1996).

The sentence is: "Special fibres giving more options in strength, stiffness, light weight, and endurance against heat have been developed (Klein 1988)."

The chapter containing it discusses composite materials and ways to control their properties. The thing that makes me happiest about that particular sentence is the use of the Oxford comma.

The second book nearest me is The political diaries of a chief whip by Simon Hart (2025).

The sentence is: "It feels like authority is ebbing with every hour."

The chapter containing it is titled "April 2021-January 2022" and I think we probably all remember painfully well the fiasco that was the handling of pandemic restrictions to which this sentence clearly relates.

Cue hollow laughter as I realise the sentence is applicable to both work and home life. Particularly with a teenager and a tweenager incessantly challenging boundaries.

Snowflake Challenge 2026: Prompt 2

Jan. 5th, 2026 09:52 am
autobotscoutriella: a happy cat in the sunshine (sunshine cat)
[personal profile] autobotscoutriella
Snowflake Challenge: A mug of coffee or hot chocolate with a snowflake shaped gingerbread cookie perched on the rim sits nestled amidst a softly bunched blanket. A few dried orange slices sit next to it.

Challenge #2: Pets of Fandom
Loosely defined! Post about your pets, pets from your canon, anything you want!

It's like this prompt was made for me! All of my cats for the last couple decades have been named after robots. Here's the current two:


This is Mirage, named after the Transformers character. She thinks her name is Memes, because that's what her nickname morphed into over a couple of months. She's very sweet, very shy, and got her name by vanishing into a pile of stuffed animals so well I sat next to her for twenty minutes and didn't realize she was there.


And this is Springs, named after Springer from Transformers. Her shelter name was Pogo; when the staff asked if I'd be changing it, I said probably, all of my cats are named after robots, so while I was filling out paperwork they were looking up Transformers to name her after, and that's who we picked. It's fitting; she can go from floor to the top of the cat tree in one bounce. My one single surviving houseplant may have to come to work with me.

As for pets in canon, there's a few to choose from. Transformers canon has Thundercracker's dog Buster, and I'm fond of Apollo Justice's dubiously canonical cat Mikeko from some of the Ace Attorney extras (someday I'll write the Klavdarpollo accidental kitten acquisition fic). But I think my favorite mostly-canonical cat is Meowgatron.
[personal profile] spikedluv
I DVR’d and watched some more Hallmark Christmas movies since my last post; I enjoyed all the movies on this list. (I didn’t post this immediately because I thought I’d watch more movies. In the end, I decided not to watch them, even the ones I’d DVR’d. o_O)


1. Three Wisest Men: This is the third (and final) in the Three Wise Men trilogy. It stars three Hallmark actors I like: Andrew Walker, Paul Campbell and Tyler Hynes. And Margaret Colin (who I remember from Now and Again). Kimberley Sustad had a cameo (she and Paul Campbell were part of the writing crew on all three movies). This movie was really good – made me laugh and cry. Naturally I had some quibbles, like the product placement and how they got meta. Aside from that I enjoyed the movie and recommend it. I’m sad there won’t be more. (I read a bit of an interview with Andrew Walker and he said they don’t want people to get bored, but honestly, I would love to see how their lives continue.)


three more back here )
[personal profile] lucy_roman posting in [community profile] fan_flashworks
Title:Sandy Boots
Author:[personal profile] lucy_roman
Rating: General
Summary:Ray hates having sand in his boots
Pairing:Fraser/RayK
Word Count:75

Sandy Boots )

The Day in Spikedluv (Sunday, Jan 4)

Jan. 5th, 2026 08:38 am
spikedluv: (winter: mittens by raynedanser)
[personal profile] spikedluv
I did two loads of laundry, hand-washed dishes, ran a load in the dishwasher, baked chicken for the dogs’ meals, cut up chicken for the dogs' meals, changed kitty litter (my fun Sunday task), paid a bill online, and showered. I put the lasagna together for supper.

I had the Cinnamon Plum tea again today. I enjoyed it. I added ~600 words to my [community profile] smallfandomfest fic!! I read a fanfic and more in my book. I watched the Bills game (a win, but I almost felt sorry for the other team. Almost) and an ep of Secrets of the Zoo.

Temps started out at 13.8(F) and reached 30, according to Pip. I only saw it get to 27.3. There were some snow flurries.


Mom Update:

Mom was doing okay when I called her. My brother visited her earlier, and Sister A was there when I called. She has a follow-up appointment with her oncologist tomorrow (now today, Monday). Sister S is taking her. All good thoughts welcome.

End of Year Fic Meme

Jan. 5th, 2026 01:05 pm
meridian_rose: pen on letter background  with text  saying 'writer' (Default)
[personal profile] meridian_rose
End of year fic meme snagged from [personal profile] flareonfury

Questions if you want to play:


Fics Posted 2025: 16 fics including a couple that I'd previously written some time back for Lands of Magic and finally got around to polishing and posting, one Yuletide fic, an [community profile] unconventionalcourtship fic, and a fic for [community profile] bethefirst which I'd started the previous summer but finally used the challenge as a push to complete and post it.


Wizad of Oz Wip Pile edit

Pass It On 6

Jan. 5th, 2026 07:02 pm
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Pass it on 6

Jan. 5th, 2026 12:41 pm
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[personal profile] tinny posting in [community profile] iconthat


https://tinpix.de/2026/potc_1417.png


Next picture: Wu Lei

click for full size
[personal profile] sovay
This administration has run so hard from the start on leaded fantasies, the presence of a fossil fuel in its latest scream for the headlines seems macabrely apropos. Oil is indeed a lucratively unrenewable resource, but aren't those equally heady fumes of the Banana Wars and Neptune Spear? In my own throwback to the twentieth century, I haven't been able to get Phil Ochs out of my head. It was in another of his songs that I first heard of United Fruit. I live in endless echoes, but I am tired of these threadbare loops of empire that were already sticky shed and vinegar when another fluffer of American exceptional stupidity hung out his banner of a mission very much not accomplished. Is it the Crusades this time or Manifest Destiny? War Plan Red hasn't panned out so far, but we can always rebrand the Monroe Doctrine. Colombia! Cuba! Greenland! Daddy's shadow and Deus vult. "Every generation of Centauri mourns for the golden days when their power was like unto the gods! It's counterproductive! I mean, why make history if you fail to learn by it?" I was thirteen when I heard that line and I understood the question. Who knew I was going to spend the rest of my life finding out just how many people were never even interested in trying?
[personal profile] selenak
[personal profile] cahn tells you more about how these two attempts to brighten up our lives came to be here, but I can't resist sharing them over here as well. Both are filks of We didn't start the Fire for the 18th century. The one with my lyrics is somewhat Prussian centric (though it includes other nations as well) and chronological, plus it ends with the arrival of the French Revolution which started a different era of history, while [personal profile] mildred_of_midgard went for an non-chronological, but all encompassing approach, covering the French Revolution and Napoleon's debut as well. Enjoy (we hope!)




Monday 05/01/2026

Jan. 5th, 2026 10:02 am
dark_kana: (3_good_things_a_day official icon)
[personal profile] dark_kana posting in [community profile] 3_good_things_a_day

1) slept well :-)

2) delicious tea and home made soup to warm up a little

3) I'm doing a great job working on my photo albums *grins*

snowflake challenge back on!

Jan. 5th, 2026 12:35 am
0dense: a mottled blue foreground fading into cold white; hail covering a light (Default)
[personal profile] 0dense
:) happy to be back! as I recall, the snowflake challenge came around right when I first landed on DW, so it's great to roll up just in time again.

icebreaker / re-introduction: Hi! I'm Odense; I'm 30something, I like writing exchanges and I LOVE the 4th wall. I've been off the rink for a bit on account of the winter holidays crush, but I'm generally working on transitions these days. My concrete new year's resolution is to apply for jobs - lol it's not a super exciting resolution, but I think I need a change!

I'm doing the snowflake challenge to try and get back in the DW habit. I love the longer-format this space still encourages, and think it's only become more valuable as the internet at large pivots towards fast consumption. (Also, something's going on with LJ getting even shakier? sad to hear. another mark for DW's significance, though) I also really appreciate DW's privacy: I really hope I start to see more familiar names port over here from hrpf, this year! like, I used to have a fic rec blog, but I've fallen out of that habit. I might try to bring that back, under DW-lock this time :)? 

Pass It on 6

Jan. 5th, 2026 02:56 am
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[personal profile] empyrealflamez66 posting in [community profile] iconthat


https://i.imgur.com/t4lZdut.jpeg



Next picture: Jack Sparrow & Will Turner (Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl)

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