Kalira
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kalira.bsky.social
Kalira
@kalira.bsky.social
60 followers 50 following 360 posts
❧she/her | they/them ❧30+ ❧Writer, geek, cat mama, autoimmune spoonie, collector of interesting facts. Strange and proud!

If you enjoy my work, please consider supporting me! http://ko-fi.com/kalira
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kalira.bsky.social
I got The Dracula Tape (1975) on inter-library loan after someone (I don't know) recced for me based on my stated reading tastes.

I was curious, but I expected it to be. . . Well. I mean. But! It's been kind of delightful thus far, in a silly and very interacts-with-the-original-text way! #booksky
a close-up of the book The Dracula Tape, by Fred Saberhagen; a man (vampire)'s shoulders and head in profile; he has a long mustache and is wearing a helmet/crown bearing a number of flat protrusions over his head and back, and holds a tape recorder in one hand with very long, dark claw-like nails, and is looking at a couple of possibly very large moths in the background other text on the cover reads: The Truth Behind the Events so Shamefully Misrepresented by Bram Stoker in His Novel Dracula: Listen, If You Dare, to. . . and: Novel of the century! -The Transylvania Society
January 20, 2025 at 6:12 AM
kalira.bsky.social
My #crochet practise continues (with occasional questions sent to pepper my very gracious friend, who has answered all of them); I started this on December 31st as lie-flat circle practise, and it's currently intended to be a rune reading/casting mat!
a flat crochet piece in the shape of a small, rounded hexagon of bright red yarn sits on a black table, with a green metal hook lying behind it, the working yarn trailing off to a skein of yarn mostly out of frame a large, flat crochet piece, mostly circular, of bright red yarn lies on a light-coloured fabric box, a silver hook with a pink padded handle beside it, the working yarn trailing off towards the skein mostly out of frame
January 15, 2025 at 12:39 AM
kalira.bsky.social
I have continued reading a book I was in the middle of, but a friend gave me this one tonight (I cackled with delight) and I think it's going to be my first new read of the year. XD #booksky
a book sits on a white table; the cover has a red border and a white centre, showing the title "Your Guide to Not Getting Murdered in a Quaint English Village" framing a mostly black-and-white illustration of a village, with someone's legs and feet sticking out from around a building's corner, and someone inside the building peeking around a red curtain. Text below: Maureen Johnson & Jay Cooper
January 4, 2025 at 5:45 AM
kalira.bsky.social
I have spent a chunk of today (with the help of a friend via DM) beginning to learn a new skill! I knit, but never managed to #crochet successfully - today I have!

This was beginner practise; the wonkiness it developed lent itself to a stocking shape, so I improvised a small ornament. ^.^
a smallish piece of crochet in the shape of a Christmas stocking, held up by a chain stitch loop in white, with a few rows of white at the top and a longer body and toes of bright red
December 30, 2024 at 8:00 PM
kalira.bsky.social
I'm currently reading Stuff You Should Know, which is *shrugs* interesting; it's very much Podcaster Dude Tone ('neutral', not 'eurgh') as one might expect.

Planning to livechat the next in a terrible novella series I've been going through that way to friends later but I won't call that one out.
a bright red hardcover book with black and white text reading: Stuff You Should Know An incomplete compendium of very (crossed out; 'mostly' written over it) interesting things Josh Clark and Chuck Bryant with Nils Parker From the Creators of the Hit Podcast
December 30, 2024 at 2:45 PM
kalira.bsky.social
Sitting around poking writing and watching a movie in this chilly morning, with some soft, purry company. #cats

(Dora's beside me, obviously, as seen here; Tachi is draped over my lap and half under the edge of my worktable.)
Dora, a bicolour white and dark tabby cat, sits side-on to the camera on on a plush, deep blue blanket, looking around over her own body past the camera; a red book is behind her, framing her head, its cover mostly obscured.
December 28, 2024 at 1:49 PM
kalira.bsky.social
All rewatches lately here!
screenshot of the 'recent activity' section of a Letterboxd profile; shown are posters for: Jurassic Park (showing 4 stars and the rewatch logo beneath) Lilo & Stitch (showing 4.5 stars and the rewatch logo beneath) The Good Dinosaur (showing 4 stars and the rewatch logo beneath) Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (showing 3 stars and the rewatch logo beneath)
December 27, 2024 at 6:35 PM
kalira.bsky.social
Finishing (I'd better! it has to go back to the library today) Kimono: Kyoto to Catwalk. It's fascinating and beautiful but very large (it's five pounds) and I had to put it aside for several reasons while I was sick recently, only just been getting back to it. ^^; #booksky
the book Kimono: Kyoto to Catwalk sits on a dark blue blanket; the left third of the cover is dark blue with the title in silver, and the right two-thirds show a person wearing a dark blue, modern fashion interpretation of a kimono with purple, white, and silver accents.
December 27, 2024 at 3:53 PM
kalira.bsky.social
Watching a favourite uplifting/soothing movie this morning; truly #CaptainHarlock remains the most hopeful and uplifting movie despite its rather dark premise. . .

(It's also very pretty.)
English-language poster for the movie Space Pirate: Captain Harlock; displays Captain Harlock standing with arms crossed and his crimson cape billowing, wearing a handful of visible Jolly Roger emblems and an eyepatch, his noodle-necked bird on his shoulder, with his large, dark spaceship in the foggy background behind him.
December 24, 2024 at 3:34 PM
kalira.bsky.social
I was given a donated entry for @librarything.com's (18th!) SantaThing exchange this year, and these are the books my gifter (yet unrevealed) chose for me! #booksky

The Last Unicorn
Discovering the Folklore of Birds and Beasts
The Invisible Man and His Soon-to-Be Wife (Vol 1)
three books sit together on a wood-tone floor; upper left is The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle (cover illustration is negative imagery of deep purple and blue on black, with the unicorn in white at the top); lower left is Discovering the Folklore of Birds and Beasts, by Venetia Newall (cover is pink with a grey border, showing two ink illustrations, one of an owl and one of a bison or similar); right is The Invisible Man and His Soon-to-Be Wife, volume 1, by IWATOBINEKO (cover shows a petite woman in a dark blue dress with red hair holding the brown glove of an apparently empty grey-blue suit sitting beside her on a green couch).
December 24, 2024 at 6:13 AM
kalira.bsky.social
I'm so sorry for your loss, and Tachi sends you a loud purr.
Tachi, an orange and white cat, is curled on a blue plaid blanket with white and red stripes; his front paws are folded against his chest and his head tipped back to look directly up at the camera, eyes and ears focused.
December 20, 2024 at 11:48 PM
kalira.bsky.social
Days 14 & 15 are:

toffee-flavored truffle
latte macchiato in white chocolate

chocolate mousse truffle
coffee-milk cream and biscuit pieces in dark chocolate

(Two days combined today because I had a holiday party with a looot of sugar yesterday and skipped my truffles. XD)

#adventcalendar
a white saucer with a complex pale grey border of florals/leaves holds four truffles; one is spherical chocolate with white chocolate stripes and paler squares sprinkled on it; one is a circular tower of white chocolate with a molded swirl pattern on top; one is spherical white chocolate with milk chocolate streaks across it; one is a circular tower of dark chocolate with a molded swirl pattern on top
December 16, 2024 at 12:12 AM
kalira.bsky.social
Day 13 is:

gingerbread truffle
two-layer nougat

While it's good, I'm not sure how well the very gingery 'gingerbread' filling feels like it belongs inside the dark chocolate shell - or the reverse, how much the dark chocolate shell seems to belong with this filling.

#adventcalendar
a closeup of a cream-coloured saucer holding two truffles; one is spherical, dark chocolate with a looping stripe of white chocolate drizzled over it; the other is a ridged bar, a brown layer at the bottom and a white chocolate one on the top, with chocolate drizzled back and forth across it
December 14, 2024 at 8:24 AM
kalira.bsky.social
I'm working through Kimono: Kyoto to Catwalk, which is fascinating and has a lot of gorgeous and interesting photos historical and modern! I'm also reading Tarotorial by Pamela Coe, and in the middle of a reread of the Schlock Mercenary series. 📚 #booksky
a very large book with the title in silver running upwards along the left third of the cover ('Kimono' in large caps, and 'Kyoto to Catwalk' in small caps beneath it) on a dark blue background; the right two thirds of the cover show a person in a fashion-styled kimono, largely dark bluewith purple, silver, and white details
December 13, 2024 at 11:00 PM
kalira.bsky.social
Day 12 is:

snickerdoodle truffle
vanilla cream in white chocolate

This vanilla cream tastes . . . oddly like . . . biscotti?

#adventcalendar
a shallow white dish with greenery patterned around the edge, with two truffles in it, both white chocolate; one is spherical with a squiggle of milk chocolate around it, the other is shaped like a heart
December 13, 2024 at 6:17 AM
kalira.bsky.social
Day 11 is:

chocolate snowball truffle
coffee-milk cream and biscuit pieces in dark chocolate

The snowball truffle looks . . . so much less fancy. XD But it's good! A hard shell and a simple layered chocolate flavour inside.

#adventcalendar
a small dish with a dark green fan pattern holds two truffles; one is a ball of chocolate textured to have a frosted look, the other is circular with a swirl pattern molded into the top
December 11, 2024 at 10:50 PM
kalira.bsky.social
Day 10 is:

(sea salt) caramel truffle
raspberry flavored in milk chocolate

The raspberry flavor (whatever it is >.>) is pretty intense! . . .in fact it overwhelms any hint of chocolate. XD But it's good!

#adventcalendar
closeup of a plain cream-coloured saucer with two truffles on it; one is spherical, with a single slightly lighter stripe over it; the other is round, with raised lines across it
December 11, 2024 at 8:25 AM
kalira.bsky.social
Should be either working on my deadline OR sleeping, but dug into River Wild instead. >.>

I like it! . . .but man, puzzle is kind of opposite to my natural inclination - I find myself making the land extend as big/far as possible, and that's not generally the best play. >.>;

#ButtonShy #sologame
the River Wild expansion Wildscapes in a plastic sleeve, showing a pink river full of spikes under a purple sky, and beside it, the dark blue vinyl wallet for River Wild, text in bright red: Steven Aramini's River Wild a collection of cards on a white tabletop assembled to depict a landscape formed of purple land, pink river, and small outcroppings of mountains; scattered on some of the islands are little figures of animals (dragons, unicorns, jackalopes, and frogs) in red, purple, brown, and green
December 10, 2024 at 9:34 AM
kalira.bsky.social
Some of the setup and cards laid out.
The vinyl wallet for Count of the Nine Estates sits to one side, alongside the open booklet of instructions, and a stack of cards displaying one building upright and one upside down beneath it, the names of those buildings, and small, muted-colour circles to display resources; to the right there is a 3x3 grid of cards all displaying one building and its name on their face. The building area of Count of the Nine Estates gameplay; one card is upright, displaying one building upright and one reversed beneath it, along with several circles in muted colours with small designs on them; below is a row of three cards of the same type, arranged horizontally; the one at the far left is the top of a stack.
December 10, 2024 at 6:35 AM
kalira.bsky.social
First up this evening I played Count of the Nine Estates!

It's . . . mm, all right? While I enjoy strategy, this one seems to rely on remembering what's on the cards (in general, not in play) a bit much. And the muted palette/style suits it, but is a bit indistinct at times.

#ButtonShy #sologame
I am holding the small wallet for the Count of the Nine Estates game in one hand; the wallet is brown and has the game title on it in white text, along with 'by Scott Allen Czysz', and the top of a medieval European style tower
December 10, 2024 at 6:30 AM
kalira.bsky.social
I got my #ButtonShy Black Friday order today! Lots of games to dig into!
an assortment of small vinyl wallets and plastic-sleeved cards sitting on a table and the wrist-rest of a laptop; two are dark blue-black with white mountains and text reading: "Unsurmountable" and "Unsurmountable Expansion Collection", "A Scott Almes Solo Game; one is tan with white text reading "At the Helm" "Ted Heiderdorf" (beneath it are two sets of sleeved cards, also reading "At the Helm"); one is brown, with a white tower and text reading "Count of the Nine Estates" "by Scott Allen Czysz"; two are dark red, with white gryphon and negative image text reading "Ugly Gryphon Inn" "by Scott Almes" (the second is mostly hidden below the first, but visible is the text "Expansion Collection"; one is dark blue with bright red text reading "Steven Aramini's River Wild" (it sits partially on top of a sleeved set of cards reading 'River Wild' on a purple sky over a pink river)
December 10, 2024 at 6:20 AM
kalira.bsky.social
Day 9 is:

chocolate mousse truffle
gianduja nougat

I had to look up gianduja >.>; this is all right (I do like hazelnut in chocolate), but I prefer a lower percentage of 'nut' in my chocolate.

#adventcalendar
a closeup of a small dish with a dark green fan pattern, holding two truffles; one is round, white chocolate drizzled with milk chocolate crossways; the other is a bar shape, milk chocolate with raised swirling lines of milk chocolate over it
December 10, 2024 at 6:08 AM
kalira.bsky.social
Describe yourself using 5 things that are in your everyday bag/pockets:

1: notebook & pens
2: collapsible shopping bag
3: keys (my house keys, plus three other peoples')
4: 6" sewing ruler
5: pocket tarot deck (Tarot of Pagan Cats, specifically)

(I'm from Tumblr; no such thing as late to play.)
an assortment of items on a white table: a roughly 5.5"x4.5" notebook with a handful of black pens of all different kinds on top of it; a silver-and-green roll of material held with a bright yellow-green elastic band; a handful of keys (three plain metal, one blue-green with white polka-dots, one pink with a hidden design) on a small round metal keychain with a bird on it; a translucent plastic 6" ruler; a pocket-size tarot deck sitting on a pink satin bag, the back has the head and shoulders of a sphynx cat on it, one face-up card marked with the roman numeral II sits beside it, showing a black cat sitting poised upright facing the viewer
December 10, 2024 at 3:39 AM
kalira.bsky.social
Day 8 is:

toffee-flavored truffle
raspberry flavored in milk chocolate
(no it didn't say flavored 'what')

Ahh, now that one is definitely toffee! Inside and out, in fact, and nicely done.

#adventcalendar
a small dish patterned with dark green 'fans' holds two truffles; one is round, striped with white chocolate and sprinkled with small blocks of paler toffee, the other is circular with three slightly darker ridges across it
December 9, 2024 at 6:06 AM
kalira.bsky.social
Carried the children's horror anthology I was reading through a dark room, and. . .

Apparently it's glow-in-the-dark. 😅

#booksky
featureless black is interrupted only by dark green (glow in the dark) lines; they form sketchy thin trees with spreading branches, and a small full moon above them; between them in all caps is the book's title: "Out to Get You"
December 8, 2024 at 7:33 AM