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Posted by adamg

Ornate lobby of 419 Boylston St.

From the filing: Views of the lobby of 419 Boylston.

Hicham Ali Hassan, owner of the historic Warren Chambers building at 419 Boylston St. in the Back Bay, yesterday filed plans to convert the top six floors of the building from what are now vacant offices into 44 apartments.

If approved by the Boston Planning Department, Hassan would get a 75% property-tax abatement for 29 years on the building. He's proposed keeping the first two floors as retail space - part of which is now home to the Pompanoosuc Mills furniture store.

The building is across the street from the Hassan's decaying, long shuttered Tannery building, where he became infamous as an angry, racist boot seller, to the point that the state sued him and won a 2021 settlement in which he agreed to never run a retail operation in Massachusetts again. Hassan shut the Tannery in 2016 and it has moldered  ever since - the building is not just boarded up but marked with signs warning firefighters to stay out should it catch on fire.

Under Hassan's plans for 419 Boylston, the upper floors would be converted into 36 studios and 8 one-bedroom apartments. Eight units would be rented as affordable - and four of those would be fully handicap accessible.

The plans show that the existing fireplaces in what would become apartments will be retained; unclear if they will be usable, however.

The building would have no parking.

Warren Chambers went up in 1896, with a design by architects Ball & Dabney and initially outfitted for doctors' offices:

Warren Chambers was Boston’s premier doctors’ building, featuring the latest concepts in office layout and services for the period. The imposing Renaissance revival façade of brick and marble is highlighted by a coffered triumphal arch entrance with bronze gates. The lobby continues the grandeur in golden and dark green marble. ...

After many decades, the building had become outdated. In the 1980s the façade was restored and interiors were renovated. In the 1982 film The Verdict, Paul Newman’s character's office shows the pre-renovation interiors.

Warren Chambers in 1916 (source):

Warren Chambers in 1916

419 Boylston St. filings and meeting/comment schedule.

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Cheese tasting notes [food]

Jan. 14th, 2026 01:13 pm
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[personal profile] rebeccmeister
Just so I can try and remember this for later:

A comparison of cheeses

The Cabot cheese were the most smooth out of the lot. The Land O Lakes had a distinct twang to it. The Tillamook had something of a nutty flavor, somehow simultaneously creamy-crumbly. I tend to get sharp rather than extra sharp when I'm shopping for Tillamook; at this point I'd view the Cabot extra sharp as a fine substitute. It isn't the same thing, but it's fine. These are not gourmet specialty cheeses, they are cheeses to be put on tortilla chips to make nachos and on bread to make grilled cheese sandwiches. And sometimes, mac n cheese.

Birdfeeding

Jan. 14th, 2026 11:59 am
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[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
Today is cloudy, windy, and cold.

I fed the birds.  I've seen a few sparrows.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 1/14/26 -- We saw a flock of geese flying mostly north.   

OMG mail call

Jan. 14th, 2026 11:42 am
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[personal profile] senmut
[personal profile] sweettartheart your gift arrived on Yena's birthday and we are both so excited! Thank you!

(no subject)

Jan. 14th, 2026 10:31 pm
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[personal profile] adore
Crowdsourcing opinions: what's an email service you like/recommend? I want to leave Gmail and only use it for signing into websites because nowadays it's all Gemini this Gemini that.

I saw an amazing Tumblr post about a Chinese poet who was so brilliant and her man so mediocre 😭 the love story she didn't deserve. She made a poem puzzle that yields more poems the more you look at it. So cool!

Historic medical event: I had an online consultation with a gynaecologist and she said my periods are definitely not normal. No hesitation, no excuses, just straight up "That's not normal. Have you had an ultrasound done?" And when I said I never have, she said I needed to get one done, along with a blood test. And that once I got tested, the results would give her some idea of where to go from here.

First time a doctor has said heavy painful periods are not normal, and that we need to find out causes.

She prescribed that I'm got to get tested for my complete blood count, fasting blood sugar, free testosterone, total testosterone, liver function test, serum creatine, fasting lipid profile, HDA1C (haemoglobin A1C), fasting insulin, HOMA IR (for insulin resistance), Vitamin D, Vitamin B12, prolactin. And I've got to get an ultrasound of my abdomen and pelvis.

I saw an Instagram post by The Period Lab about what to get tested in your bloodwork if you have bleeding more than 8 diva cups over your entire period (I bleed that amount in ONE DAY) and there's a lot of overlap, but also other things not included in my prescription that I want to get done as well:
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A man stands at the edge of a destroyed building.

U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, on Wednesday announced the establishment of a technocratic Palestinian body that will play a role in administering the war-ravaged territory under a phased U.S. plan for Gaza's future.

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Canadian BTS fans don’t need Permission to Dance as they get excited for the K-pop group’s newly announced world tour, which includes a two-night stop in Toronto. 

Demons, Fantasy, & More

Jan. 14th, 2026 04:30 pm
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Posted by Amanda

Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands

RECOMMENDEDEmily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett is $2.99! Fingers crossed this deal sticks around. Lara wrote a Lightning Review of this one and gave it an A:

This book is CHARMING. C.H.A.R.M.I.N.G. I devoured it in just over a day and what a beautiful day it was.

When mysterious faeries from other realms appear at her university, curmudgeonly professor Emily Wilde must uncover their secrets before it’s too late in this heartwarming, enchanting second installment of the Emily Wilde series.

Emily Wilde is a genius scholar of faerie folklore—she just wrote the world’s first comprehensive of encylopaedia of faeries. She’s learned many of the secrets of the Hidden Folk on her adventures . . . and also from her fellow scholar and former rival, Wendell Bambleby.

Because Bambleby is more than infuriatingly charming. He’s an exiled faerie king on the run from his murderous mother, and in search of a door back to his realm. So despite Emily’s feelings for Bambleby, she’s not ready to accept his proposal of marriage. Loving one of the Fair Folk comes with secrets and danger.

And she also has a new project to focus a map of the realms of faerie. While she is preparing her research, Bambleby lands her in trouble yet again, when assassins sent by Bambleby’s mother invade Cambridge. Now Bambleby and Emily are on another adventure, this time to the picturesque Austrian Alps, where Emily believes they may find the door to Bambley’s realm, and the key to freeing him from his family’s dark plans.

But with new relationships for the prickly Emily to navigate and dangerous Folk lurking in every forest and hollow, Emily must unravel the mysterious workings of faerie doors, and of her own heart.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

 

 

 

Blood Over Bright Haven

Blood Over Bright Haven by M.L. Wang is $1.99! I only saw this deal at Amazon, so it could expire soon. I’ve heard nothing but good things about this one. A coworker recommended it to me last year and based on her description, it gave me steampunk Good Will Hunting vibes.

Magic has made the city of Tiran an industrial utopia, but magic has a cost—and the collectors have come calling.

An orphan since the age of four, Sciona has always had more to prove than her fellow students. For twenty years, she has devoted every waking moment to the study of magic, fueled by a mad desire to achieve the impossible: to be the first woman ever admitted to the High Magistry. When she finally claws her way up the ranks to become a highmage, however, she finds that her challenges have just begun. Her new colleagues will stop at nothing to let her know she is unwelcome, beginning with giving her a janitor instead of a qualified lab assistant.

What neither Sciona nor her peers realize is that her taciturn assistant was once more than a janitor; before he mopped floors for the mages, Thomil was a nomadic hunter from beyond Tiran’s magical barrier. Ten years have passed since he survived the perilous crossing that killed his family. But working for a highmage, he sees the opportunity to finally understand the forces that decimated his tribe, drove him from his homeland, and keep the Tiranish in power.

Through their fractious relationship, mage and outsider uncover an ancient secret that could change the course of magic forever—if it doesn’t get them killed first. Sciona has defined her life by the pursuit of truth, but how much is one truth worth with the fate of civilization in the balance?

A standalone dark academia brimming with mystery, tragedy, and the damning echoes of the past. For fans of Leigh Bardugo, V. E. Schwab, and Fullmetal Alchemist.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

 

 

 

Tinderbox

Tinderbox by Rachel Grant is $2.99! This is the first book in the Flashpoint series, which is more romantic suspense than contemporary. Readers say the competence porn level is high.

In the volatile tinderbox of the Horn of Africa, Morgan Adler has made the paleoanthropological find of a lifetime. The discovery brings her to the attention of a warlord eager to claim both Morgan and the fossils, forcing her to make a desperate dash to the nearby US military base to beg for protection.

Master Sergeant Pax Blanchard has orders to intercept Dr. Adler before she reaches the base, and in so doing saves her life. After a harrowing afternoon he safely delivers her to his commanders, only to find his responsibilities toward protecting the obstinate archaeologist have only just begun.

Morgan and Pax are forced to work together in the Djiboutian desert heat, but it is the fire that ignites between them that threatens to combust them both. For the Green Beret, involvement with the woman he must protect is a threat to his career, while for the archaeologist, the soldier is everything she never wanted but somehow can’t resist. When Morgan uncovers a mystery surrounding Djibouti’s most scarce and vital resource, the danger to her reaches the flashpoint. For Pax, protecting her is no longer a matter of following orders, and he’ll risk everything to bring her back alive.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

 

 

 

A Witch’s Guide to Fake Dating a Demon

A Witch’s Guide to Fake-Dating A Demon by Sarah Hawley is $1.99! This is book one in the Glimmer Falls, which is a small town paranormal romance series. We ran a guest review of this one and Brigid gave it a C:

I want to be direct about what works about A Witch’s Guide to Fake-Dating A Demon in an honest way, just like I would with what didn’t work for me. At the beginning, I had a good time reading this. My enjoyment was just numbed toward the end. It’s a really fun book at times, but kinda messy, and you may want to proceed with caution.

Mariel Spark knows not to trust a demon, especially one that wants her soul, but what’s a witch to do when he won’t leave her side—and she kind of doesn’t want him to?

Mariel Spark is prophesied to be the most powerful witch seen in centuries of the famed Spark family, but to the displeasure of her mother, she prefers baking to brewing potions and gardening to casting hexes. When a spell to summon flour goes very wrong, Mariel finds herself staring down a demon—one she inadvertently summoned for a soul bargain.

Ozroth the Ruthless is a legend among demons. Powerful and merciless, he drives hard bargains to collect mortal souls. But his reputation has suffered ever since a bargain went awry—if he can strike a bargain with Mariel, he will earn back his deadly reputation. Ozroth can’t leave Mariel’s side until they complete a bargain, which she refuses to do (turns out some humans are attached to their souls).

But the witch is funny. And curvy. And disgustingly yet endearingly cheerful. Becoming awkward roommates quickly escalates when Mariel, terrified to confess the inadvertent summoning to her mother, blurts out that she’s dating Ozroth. As Ozroth and Mariel struggle with their opposing goals and maintaining a fake relationship, real attraction blooms between them. But Ozroth has a limited amount of time to strike the deal, and if Mariel gives up her soul, she’ll lose all her emotions—including love—which will only spell disaster for them both.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

 

 

 

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The Louvre is putting a higher price on attendees, raising admission prices on Wednesday for most non-European visitors by nearly half as it tries to shore up finances after repeated strikes, chronic overcrowding — and a brazen French Crown Jewels heist that shook the institution.

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Scientists on Wednesday inaugurated the first global repository of mountain ice cores, preserving the history of the Earth's atmosphere in an Antarctic vault for future generations to study as global warming melts glaciers around the world.

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Most of us abandon New Year's resolutions within four months. But experts say it doesn’t have to be that way — and if you want to make your good intentions stick, there are ways to use science to work in your favour.

Midweek Stuff

Jan. 14th, 2026 08:27 am
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[personal profile] jon_chaisson
During the month of December I tried something out: I wanted to get back into the habit of daily writing at 750Words, but instead of focusing on trying to be constantly creative or working on another project, I focused only on just getting words out. Any words, whether it was a personal ramble or working out a stubborn plot issue. Didn't matter what I wrote, as long as I wrote it. That was the whole point: the focus was on just doing it, no matter what 'it' was. And at by the end of the month, I was back in the habit. I still have Don't Wanna days, but it's a lot easier to get through them now. I just power through and get it done.

Basically saying this now, because this is something I realize I need to do with my other creative outlets as well. I've gotten a little better these last couple of days, getting back to journaling and artwork, though I still need to carve out some time for my guitars! Again, I'm not necessarily focusing on creating something big or important, I just want to focus on doing it, making it a normal everyday habit again.

Meanwhile, I just need to get through the next four work days at the Day Job, then I have a full week off! A vacation already, you ask? Well, this is what happens when my birthday is in January and I finally have a day job where I don't have to fight to take a few days off. We're not planning to go anywhere far, just a few day trips here and there and enjoying the time off. I will of course try to continue my daily creative work when and where I can, but I'm definitely looking forward to this little break!

Read-in-Progress Wednesday

Jan. 15th, 2026 12:20 am
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[personal profile] geraineon posting in [community profile] cnovels
This is your weekly read-in-progress post~

For spoilers:

<details><summary>insert summary</summary>Your spoilers goes here</details>

<b>Highlight for spoilers!*</b><span style="background-color: #FFFFFF; color: #FFFFFF">Your spoilers goes here.</span>*

More Loon Art

Jan. 14th, 2026 09:15 am
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[personal profile] lydamorehouse
 Laser Loon melting ICE
Image: albino loon (one of which has been spotted near Minnesota) melting ICE with LASER EYES by Cat Saint-Croix.

I have to say that I also really love the outpouring of art that has been happening. 

Speaking of art, last night I happened to see that a group of my Hamline-Midway neighbors were gathering at a random street corner to sing. The idea was just to gather in a low-risk way so that some very little children could join. Also, in hopes that if there were neighbors nearby in hiding from the gestapo, they could hear our voices. The temps are dropping here, so there weren't very many of us. Probably a dozen? But we stood together in a circle and raised our voices and sang old protest songs, some hymns, and even one pop song ("Lean on Me.")

Did it stop ICE? No. Was it extremely cathartic? Fully. Did I heal my soul a little? Yes, it helped. 

In my effort to do SOMETHING every day, I'm hoping to join one of the pedestrian bridge brigades today. It's at an awkward time for me (right when I need to get Shawn from work), but, if nothing else, I might spend some time making a poster or two. 

It's funny because we are absolutely a metro area under seige, but it is also fully possible to go through your day and not see anything? My grocery stores are open--even Shanghai market. Shawn is going to work. Mason is applying to law schools, going over to his uncle's to do handiperson work... life is kind of going on, while also very much NOT for so many of us. 

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Adventures in Mamboland

"Jazz Fish, a saxophone playing wanderer, finds himself in Mamboland at a critical phase in his life." --Howie Green, on his book Jazz Fish Zen

Yeah. That sounds about right.

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