Mel / MJ (she/her)

Oh good! But also, oh no 🙈

I spent some time as a patient with the local Community Mental Health Team & several of my worst nights including ringing the after hours number for the crisis team. Was literally told to have a cup of tea and a bath. Anyway, no thanks to them, I survived. Disabled & unemployed now though!

I also sent a kit in recently (very early Jan) & it was confirmed received 21 Jan, and then processing notification came 14 Feb. Busiest season for them!

Remembering Rangiaowhia On 21 February 1864 Crown forces attacked the settlement of Rangiaowhia. On the anniversary of that attack, this piece explains what happened that day and...

Remembering Rangiaowhia, 21 February 1864.

buttondown.com/unsettling/a...

What… what is that?

Man, I love tuxies! He’s so cute 😍

I dream of owning a purple car! The roads are so boring now that 80% of vehicles are white or gray/silver.

A kākāpō egg being candled, showing development. Credit: Andrew Digby

A female kākāpō on a nest with two eggs. Credit: Andrew Digby

We found a 4th egg in #kakapo Waikawa's nest yesterday and found it was fertile. Waikawa has maintained her incredible 100% fertility record: 5 clutches of 4 fertile eggs in 4 breeding seasons. That's unmatched by any other kākāpō. #kakapo2026 #conservation #birds

Absolute UNIT of a hornet beside an array of puny common wasps.

A guide for Aucklanders keeping watch for yellow-legged hornets:

1. “Hmm, is this stripy waspy thing a hornet?” = not a hornet

2. “JESUS EFFING C what the F is that MONSTER, that’s he biggest wasp I’ve ever SEEN, NO Jaden KEEP AWAY, shit I think it has yellow legs” = hornet

💯 The genealogy community is mostly older people, and it’s so hard watching them use these AI apps to transcribe docs, edit photos etc. As the techy person in my local group, I’ve done my best to educate them on the problems with using AI but perceived convenience triumphs almost every time 🤦

Nah, that’s definitely not right. I’d be emailing my landlord that vid with a request to remedy within 14 days.

In case it's in some way unclear, here's where I stand: Fuck ICE, save the planet, vaccines are good, all books/art is political, protect Trans people and celebrate all LGBTQIA people. Racism sucks and if you disagree with any of the above my books are not for you 🌈✨️🥰

Woah 🔥 This makes me kinda want to make my zandalari troll druid my main so I can justify remaking my house like this 🤯👏

My high school (graduated 2001) required either a jumper or a jacket, and then used to have blazers that students would borrow if representing the school at events etc (eg debate, maths, speech competitions… that kind of thing) and it was exciting to get to wear one! A loan and a reward in one.

Ruth, the white dragon of Pern. My little ace bestie! THE WHITE DRAGON was my first Anne McCaffrey book at far too young an age, stolen off my Dad’s bookshelf when no one was looking & read under the bedcovers at night. Who could resist a dragon? Not me.

Happy solar return! What a great photo 🔥🤩

The Grey King by Susan Cooper 😍
💙📚

Such a good list! I somehow missed that you’re on YT, but happy to find a new channel to subscribe to 🥰

NZ Police don't know what to do about Grok child sexual abuse images... What should you do if you or your child is a victim of a Grok deepfake? This question is simple, right? Feel free to skip to the comments if you read this already in your email! Skip t...

Super shocked by this scoop - the NZ police won't tell us whether or not the CSAM and non-consensual deepfake content generated on Grok might be illegal, or even provide advice on what to do if you (or your child!) is a target. Story here: www.emilywrites.co.nz/nz-police-do... #nzpol #kikorangi

Very, very cool. Congrats!

2025 reading wrap-up summary for my StoryGraph account, showing that I finished 146 books & my top genre was Fantasy.

You’d never know that I’ve been in my biggest reading slump of the last decade for 6 months now. Definitely found some amazing new faves this year, including @wiswell.bsky.social and @cayemarsh.bsky.social so 2025 wasn’t a complete wash!

Crossing my fingers and toes for you! Also, impressed you braved Costco bc just seeing the traffic today put me off 😂

The kakapo is both one of my favorite birds and favorite conservation stories. They are the orange cats of the bird world: so beautiful, so ridiculous, so dumb

Excellent choice!

I hope there is a hell, and the techbros who unleased this GenAI crap on all of us are stuck behind a counter where they have to deal with customer requests for books that don't exist for the rest of eternity. With a mediocre guitarist nearby, playing a loop of six Christmas carols.

Love this!

An irresistible trap!

Muggy AF in Auckland but the overcast sky counts as a white Christmas, right??

So far so good! I admit to phoning it in a little this year though. I think I’ve run out of fucks to give.

It’s so beautiful! What an excellent gift.