Kat Steiner🔸
@kastrel.bsky.social
Oxford-based medical librarian, butler to a cat named Abby, amateur actor, folk singer, cross-stitcher. Chronically helpful; annoying people for good. She/her, opinions absolutely my own.
Reposted by Kat Steiner🔸
I've said it before but: cryptic crosswords are just dad jokes with a British accent.
This place needs some Innocuous Discourse pronto. Quote this with a take that’s not political or aggressive
January 6, 2026 at 1:45 PM
I've said it before but: cryptic crosswords are just dad jokes with a British accent.
To expand on this, in case you're thinking I'm just encouraging not paying to replace unusable materials - yes, they should have paid up. Yes, the Ts&Cs are clear when you borrow. But also, the library lost out on a weekly loan of 8-12 scripts for YEARS because of this.
A play reading group I was in fell apart after the person organising it accidentally damaged a set of playscripts and couldn't face the embarrassment and financial penalty of replacing them.
goodnight, and remember: library late fees suck. they simply discourage library use. you should be glad if your library abolished them, and if it hasn’t, you should tell them it should. 📚
January 6, 2026 at 7:29 PM
To expand on this, in case you're thinking I'm just encouraging not paying to replace unusable materials - yes, they should have paid up. Yes, the Ts&Cs are clear when you borrow. But also, the library lost out on a weekly loan of 8-12 scripts for YEARS because of this.
A play reading group I was in fell apart after the person organising it accidentally damaged a set of playscripts and couldn't face the embarrassment and financial penalty of replacing them.
goodnight, and remember: library late fees suck. they simply discourage library use. you should be glad if your library abolished them, and if it hasn’t, you should tell them it should. 📚
January 6, 2026 at 3:41 PM
A play reading group I was in fell apart after the person organising it accidentally damaged a set of playscripts and couldn't face the embarrassment and financial penalty of replacing them.
It absolutely baffles me that submitting an article to a journal requires setting up a whole new login, EVEN when the journals are from the same publisher, or even the same group (BMJ etc). I have about 8 Wiley logins that constantly get confused in my password manager, and none work with my ORCiD.
January 6, 2026 at 1:43 PM
It absolutely baffles me that submitting an article to a journal requires setting up a whole new login, EVEN when the journals are from the same publisher, or even the same group (BMJ etc). I have about 8 Wiley logins that constantly get confused in my password manager, and none work with my ORCiD.
Absolutely love #Sherlock&Co podcast and now being a Patreon patron, I get the extra joy of the writer, Joel Emery, doing AMAs about his writing process and style - fascinating. @docjwatsonmd.bsky.social
January 5, 2026 at 5:44 PM
Absolutely love #Sherlock&Co podcast and now being a Patreon patron, I get the extra joy of the writer, Joel Emery, doing AMAs about his writing process and style - fascinating. @docjwatsonmd.bsky.social
I love that the BBC was like "but what if Tom Hiddleston *was* Bond?" #TheNightManager
January 4, 2026 at 9:45 PM
I love that the BBC was like "but what if Tom Hiddleston *was* Bond?" #TheNightManager
I recently saw a post somewhere along the lines of "it annoys me when someone at work is complaining about being tired, fed up etc. when I'm trying to be chipper and keep morale up. Like, we're all tired, put your customer service face on like the rest of us." I feel like this so much of the time.
January 4, 2026 at 2:53 PM
I recently saw a post somewhere along the lines of "it annoys me when someone at work is complaining about being tired, fed up etc. when I'm trying to be chipper and keep morale up. Like, we're all tired, put your customer service face on like the rest of us." I feel like this so much of the time.
Finished Stranger Things, and have spent a lot of time thinking about how The Best Worst podcasters suggested that child acting should be illegal (based on watching Full House). I'm not sure it can ever be very healthy to grow up in the media/internet spotlight that those kids have.
January 2, 2026 at 9:53 PM
Finished Stranger Things, and have spent a lot of time thinking about how The Best Worst podcasters suggested that child acting should be illegal (based on watching Full House). I'm not sure it can ever be very healthy to grow up in the media/internet spotlight that those kids have.
Thanks to some Christmas presents and some relocated childhood books, I now have a lovely display of all the His Dark Materials books (and a book nook themed on it), as well as lots of Pratchett and a few other favourites. Wonderful.
January 2, 2026 at 9:23 PM
Thanks to some Christmas presents and some relocated childhood books, I now have a lovely display of all the His Dark Materials books (and a book nook themed on it), as well as lots of Pratchett and a few other favourites. Wonderful.
So it begins, The Great Tidying.
three men in armor are standing next to each other with the words so it begins written on the bottom
Alt: Theoden from the Lord of the Rings at Helm's Deep in the rain saying "So it begins".
media.tenor.com
January 2, 2026 at 1:05 PM
So it begins, The Great Tidying.
2025 was a great year for reading - 82 books! Reduced my tbr from 91 to 51. Didn't manage to stick to writing reviews for all of them- I struggled to get the timing right to commit to that.
January 1, 2026 at 8:01 AM
2025 was a great year for reading - 82 books! Reduced my tbr from 91 to 51. Didn't manage to stick to writing reviews for all of them- I struggled to get the timing right to commit to that.
Reposted by Kat Steiner🔸
pound for pound this might be the funniest thing ever written
December 31, 2025 at 6:15 PM
pound for pound this might be the funniest thing ever written
Excellently confusing message about an elderly relative: "she got a mandolin for Christmas..." (everyone imagines 🎸🪕) "...and has already taken the end of her finger off" (🔪✂️).
December 31, 2025 at 7:10 PM
Excellently confusing message about an elderly relative: "she got a mandolin for Christmas..." (everyone imagines 🎸🪕) "...and has already taken the end of her finger off" (🔪✂️).
I have been stuck in an abusive relationship with my sinuses for the past few days, so won't be seeing in the New Year except potentially via insomnia, but looking forward to what 2026 should bring, and wishing all you phone friends good things too.
December 31, 2025 at 5:13 PM
I have been stuck in an abusive relationship with my sinuses for the past few days, so won't be seeing in the New Year except potentially via insomnia, but looking forward to what 2026 should bring, and wishing all you phone friends good things too.
Reposted by Kat Steiner🔸
I've waited 3 years to make this post
December 30, 2025 at 3:14 PM
I've waited 3 years to make this post
Reposted by Kat Steiner🔸
If we lived in a just media landscape, this would now be a trilogy.
December 30, 2025 at 9:25 PM
If we lived in a just media landscape, this would now be a trilogy.
Reposted by Kat Steiner🔸
This reads differently if you speak British English
Happy birthday Linus Torvalds, the creator of the Linux kernel and git. 🎂🐧
December 28, 2025 at 12:12 PM
This reads differently if you speak British English
Reposted by Kat Steiner🔸
Wisdom from the old man
December 27, 2025 at 9:51 AM
Wisdom from the old man
Oh man I had this and I REALLY remember those illustrations.
Origin story in the sense that I get weirdly obsessed with one particular thing at a time and this is what started it all
December 27, 2025 at 7:37 PM
Oh man I had this and I REALLY remember those illustrations.
I've enjoyed the recent occasional video offerings from the Chequered Flag podcast (BBC's F1 radio commentary team) but I think the issue here is podcasts which start out with video rather than audio in mind, leading them to forget the audio-only audience. At that point you're just a YouTuber.
‘Painful to hear!’ How podcasts’ rush to video is turning them into dreadful listens
‘Painful to hear!’ How podcasts’ rush to video is turning them into dreadful listens
From Joe Marler’s visual-only stunts to the incomprehensible shuffling sounds Steven Bartlett recently subjected headphone users to, dodgy audio experiences are on the rise
www.theguardian.com
December 27, 2025 at 11:16 AM
I've enjoyed the recent occasional video offerings from the Chequered Flag podcast (BBC's F1 radio commentary team) but I think the issue here is podcasts which start out with video rather than audio in mind, leading them to forget the audio-only audience. At that point you're just a YouTuber.
Enjoyed the little musical Easter egg in the #AllCreaturesGreatAndSmall Christmas special of Sam West playing It Came Upon The Midnight Clear (tune by Sullivan) as Siegfried is such a big G&S fan #ACGAS
December 25, 2025 at 9:37 PM
Enjoyed the little musical Easter egg in the #AllCreaturesGreatAndSmall Christmas special of Sam West playing It Came Upon The Midnight Clear (tune by Sullivan) as Siegfried is such a big G&S fan #ACGAS
Reposted by Kat Steiner🔸
Extremely funny to call the pope “holier-than-thou”
December 25, 2025 at 4:05 AM
Extremely funny to call the pope “holier-than-thou”
I feel I can't really participate in #DuvetKnowItsChristmas anymore, as my childhood bedroom has been converted into a guest room, complete with double bed, and the upstairs toilet even has a lock on it these days. We just get watched by my step-dad's extensive collection of Napoleonic Navy fiction.
December 25, 2025 at 11:17 AM
I feel I can't really participate in #DuvetKnowItsChristmas anymore, as my childhood bedroom has been converted into a guest room, complete with double bed, and the upstairs toilet even has a lock on it these days. We just get watched by my step-dad's extensive collection of Napoleonic Navy fiction.
Reposted by Kat Steiner🔸
Unbelievably, #DuvetKnowItsChristmas generates such good will on social media that over the years we've raised somewhere approaching a quarter of a million quid for homeless charities. If you can spare a bob or two, sling some to Centrepoint, and here's the link: www.gofundme.com/f/duvet-know...
Donate to Duvet Know It's Christmas, 2025, organized by Rhodri Marsden
Unbelievably, it's the 15th year of this thing.
What is it?
Improbably, the nig… Rhodri Marsden needs your support for Duvet Know It's Christmas, 2025
www.gofundme.com
December 24, 2025 at 7:35 PM
Unbelievably, #DuvetKnowItsChristmas generates such good will on social media that over the years we've raised somewhere approaching a quarter of a million quid for homeless charities. If you can spare a bob or two, sling some to Centrepoint, and here's the link: www.gofundme.com/f/duvet-know...
Reposted by Kat Steiner🔸
#DuvetKnowItsChristmas 2025
The Peach Room of Doom awaits, with a bonus clothes dryer, his and hers towels, and after 24 years of marriage the Formica Stool of Chastity guarantees a hankypanky-free night
Donate to @centrepointuk.bsky.social at www.gofundme.com/f/duvet-know... h/t to @rhodri.biz
The Peach Room of Doom awaits, with a bonus clothes dryer, his and hers towels, and after 24 years of marriage the Formica Stool of Chastity guarantees a hankypanky-free night
Donate to @centrepointuk.bsky.social at www.gofundme.com/f/duvet-know... h/t to @rhodri.biz
December 24, 2025 at 7:49 PM
#DuvetKnowItsChristmas 2025
The Peach Room of Doom awaits, with a bonus clothes dryer, his and hers towels, and after 24 years of marriage the Formica Stool of Chastity guarantees a hankypanky-free night
Donate to @centrepointuk.bsky.social at www.gofundme.com/f/duvet-know... h/t to @rhodri.biz
The Peach Room of Doom awaits, with a bonus clothes dryer, his and hers towels, and after 24 years of marriage the Formica Stool of Chastity guarantees a hankypanky-free night
Donate to @centrepointuk.bsky.social at www.gofundme.com/f/duvet-know... h/t to @rhodri.biz