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.
It's a council car park.
February 8, 2026 at 3:01 PM
It's a council car park.
That's not quite true, but I have just realised that the time limit is 3 rather than 2 hours which is a bit better (still not long enough to feel comfortable for most shows/gigs though).
February 8, 2026 at 2:59 PM
That's not quite true, but I have just realised that the time limit is 3 rather than 2 hours which is a bit better (still not long enough to feel comfortable for most shows/gigs though).
You can only park on the street using your blue badge for max 2hrs, which isn't enough for, e.g. a gig or concert, and might also add stress for a longer meal (bearing in mind mobility issues make even short distances take very long times).
February 8, 2026 at 2:53 PM
You can only park on the street using your blue badge for max 2hrs, which isn't enough for, e.g. a gig or concert, and might also add stress for a longer meal (bearing in mind mobility issues make even short distances take very long times).
I absolutely understand making parking charges expensive to encourage people to use other transport methods, but it frustrates me that there is no discount for blue badge holders. When you have mobility needs that may need equipment or modified vehicles, even taxis are not easy, let alone buses.
February 8, 2026 at 2:51 PM
I absolutely understand making parking charges expensive to encourage people to use other transport methods, but it frustrates me that there is no discount for blue badge holders. When you have mobility needs that may need equipment or modified vehicles, even taxis are not easy, let alone buses.
Finished off my project from the wonderful @westdean.ac.uk tapestry weaving for beginners course - I like the back almost as much as the front!
February 7, 2026 at 5:15 PM
Finished off my project from the wonderful @westdean.ac.uk tapestry weaving for beginners course - I like the back almost as much as the front!
Serious progress has been made! I also bought some gorgeous wools and a ball of warp thread.
February 5, 2026 at 6:08 PM
Serious progress has been made! I also bought some gorgeous wools and a ball of warp thread.
My workshop and set-up for the course!
February 5, 2026 at 8:25 AM
My workshop and set-up for the course!
Back @westdean.ac.uk for a short course!
February 4, 2026 at 5:08 PM
Back @westdean.ac.uk for a short course!
My least favourite thing about the Southern Railway stopping services is that because the stops are so close together, and there are so many of them, there are near-constant announcements of where we are, where we will be shortly, and where we're eventually going.
February 4, 2026 at 2:32 PM
My least favourite thing about the Southern Railway stopping services is that because the stops are so close together, and there are so many of them, there are near-constant announcements of where we are, where we will be shortly, and where we're eventually going.
I would love the ability to have "only content from people I follow" on Insta, but obviously I can't because that defeats what they are trying to do.
February 3, 2026 at 6:45 PM
I would love the ability to have "only content from people I follow" on Insta, but obviously I can't because that defeats what they are trying to do.
Finally managed to get it into my brain that I hate Facebook and it has no redeeming features anymore, after every single time I logged in in the last two weeks I have seen 100% infuriating or misery-inducing crap.
February 3, 2026 at 6:44 PM
Finally managed to get it into my brain that I hate Facebook and it has no redeeming features anymore, after every single time I logged in in the last two weeks I have seen 100% infuriating or misery-inducing crap.
2026 social media reduction has me turning MFA on my Bsky and Insta - very effective so far because I hate multiple signing in stages!
February 3, 2026 at 6:42 PM
2026 social media reduction has me turning MFA on my Bsky and Insta - very effective so far because I hate multiple signing in stages!
Yeah, I definitely struggle more with snacking if I'm hungrier. I just don't think I get "the forbidden biscuit" urge, and I don't think that's why I want to eat things - it's just that snacks like crisps and chocolate are designed to taste really good!
February 3, 2026 at 6:24 PM
Yeah, I definitely struggle more with snacking if I'm hungrier. I just don't think I get "the forbidden biscuit" urge, and I don't think that's why I want to eat things - it's just that snacks like crisps and chocolate are designed to taste really good!
I find I have to keep a supply of treats I quite like (mini cheddars, chocolate biscuits) to stave off existential melancholy, but I cannot buy the things I absolutely can't resist (Pringles, Choco Leibniz) without just eating them all immediately.
February 3, 2026 at 12:27 PM
I find I have to keep a supply of treats I quite like (mini cheddars, chocolate biscuits) to stave off existential melancholy, but I cannot buy the things I absolutely can't resist (Pringles, Choco Leibniz) without just eating them all immediately.
Whereas the opposite advice of "just don't have them in the house" also seems like nonsense, because if I remove all treats from the house, satsumas do not take their place in my mind, I am merely sad about life.
February 3, 2026 at 12:18 PM
Whereas the opposite advice of "just don't have them in the house" also seems like nonsense, because if I remove all treats from the house, satsumas do not take their place in my mind, I am merely sad about life.
And yet, if I hardly buy them at all, I don't miss them in the slightest. Half the time I don't even really like them when I'm eating them, it's just because they're there.
February 3, 2026 at 12:17 PM
And yet, if I hardly buy them at all, I don't miss them in the slightest. Half the time I don't even really like them when I'm eating them, it's just because they're there.
I see diet advice sometimes that's like "denying yourself 'treats' only makes you crave them more, if you had them available all the time, you'd get enough and then not want them" and...is that true? Because I know that if I buy mince pies every week they're available, I will eat them every week.
February 3, 2026 at 12:17 PM
I see diet advice sometimes that's like "denying yourself 'treats' only makes you crave them more, if you had them available all the time, you'd get enough and then not want them" and...is that true? Because I know that if I buy mince pies every week they're available, I will eat them every week.
I don't know how I feel about a sequel to The Time-Traveller's Wife. I listened to the audiobook during lockdown walks and I really fell in love with it, but I felt it was a perfectly-formed story that didn't need a sequel.
February 3, 2026 at 7:56 AM
I don't know how I feel about a sequel to The Time-Traveller's Wife. I listened to the audiobook during lockdown walks and I really fell in love with it, but I felt it was a perfectly-formed story that didn't need a sequel.
Just absolutely blew the mind of a dr by finding him two obscure articles from the 1860s (one in German, and with the wrong journal name) in less than 10mins, when he and colleagues had spent hours failing at it. Nice start to the week. #medlibs
February 2, 2026 at 3:19 PM
Just absolutely blew the mind of a dr by finding him two obscure articles from the 1860s (one in German, and with the wrong journal name) in less than 10mins, when he and colleagues had spent hours failing at it. Nice start to the week. #medlibs
It's time for #TheNightManager finale!
February 1, 2026 at 9:08 PM
It's time for #TheNightManager finale!
These days, probably fudge. I've never had a super sweet tooth and in recent years it's got even less so and fudge is just too sweet for me.
February 1, 2026 at 8:23 PM
These days, probably fudge. I've never had a super sweet tooth and in recent years it's got even less so and fudge is just too sweet for me.
My algorithm recently seems to be 90% menopause, endometriosis, PCOS, PMDD, pregnancy. Just an endless, depressing list of ways women's bodies can screw up, and usually ways medicine isn't really offering solutions or acknowledgement.
February 1, 2026 at 6:38 PM
My algorithm recently seems to be 90% menopause, endometriosis, PCOS, PMDD, pregnancy. Just an endless, depressing list of ways women's bodies can screw up, and usually ways medicine isn't really offering solutions or acknowledgement.
A fun rainy weekend!
February 1, 2026 at 6:00 PM
A fun rainy weekend!