Below are SPOILERS for Elementary 1x23-1x24, the Season 1 two-hour finale.
( Spoilery reaction post to Elementary S1 finale )
What about you guys? Share your spoilery comments! Thoughts, reactions, squee?
( Spoilery reaction post to Elementary S1 finale )
What about you guys? Share your spoilery comments! Thoughts, reactions, squee?
...if you haven't watched the Elementary finale yet. The ![[livejournal.com profile]](http://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
smallfandomfest pimp post for Elementary has BIG HONKING SPOILERS right in the post, and there are NO WARNINGS, nothing that prepared me that there would be spoilers for the Season 1 finale right there in the character descriptions.
So yeah, I'm trying to watch the Elementary S1 finale now, even having been spoiled, just so that I can't get any MORE spoiled.
This is what I get for working too hard this week and not having time to watch TV...
smallfandomfest pimp post for Elementary has BIG HONKING SPOILERS right in the post, and there are NO WARNINGS, nothing that prepared me that there would be spoilers for the Season 1 finale right there in the character descriptions.So yeah, I'm trying to watch the Elementary S1 finale now, even having been spoiled, just so that I can't get any MORE spoiled.
This is what I get for working too hard this week and not having time to watch TV...
1. Thank you all for kindly cutting for Elementary spoilers! You are awesome. I realized today that I am TWELVE episodes behind...woe! We'll see how fast can I catch up, given the optical migraine triggers. (Hi, I wish tv/film viewing felt less like work.)
2. I'm still reading Russian & Cold War history and assimilating things into the epic Natalia Romanova story that wants to exist in my head. I just wish I could get someone else to write it, because it's a damned long fic and I don't feel remotely qualified...although I admit, wrapping my brain around her cultural context (aka OMG Stalin WTF??) is helping somewhat. Who knows if this will ever make it out of my brain and onto the page, but I'm enjoying the thought process.
3. Natasha is still my favorite. Also: where is the fic where she, Pepper, and Maria take over the world? That should exist.
4. I've been working on the yarn Space AU all week. I've got 3 aliens done and Turtle is maybe about a quarter of the way finished. He has about a zillion parts, and heavens know if they'll even fit together in the end. We'll see.
5. Beta Request! Can anyone yarn-beta the 3 aliens for me? This involves me sending you lots of photos & you telling me what I should change or add. It helps if you have some familiarity with yarncraft, sculpture, or stuffed animals, but you don't actually need to know how to crochet or anything. Thank you! <3
2. I'm still reading Russian & Cold War history and assimilating things into the epic Natalia Romanova story that wants to exist in my head. I just wish I could get someone else to write it, because it's a damned long fic and I don't feel remotely qualified...although I admit, wrapping my brain around her cultural context (aka OMG Stalin WTF??) is helping somewhat. Who knows if this will ever make it out of my brain and onto the page, but I'm enjoying the thought process.
3. Natasha is still my favorite. Also: where is the fic where she, Pepper, and Maria take over the world? That should exist.
4. I've been working on the yarn Space AU all week. I've got 3 aliens done and Turtle is maybe about a quarter of the way finished. He has about a zillion parts, and heavens know if they'll even fit together in the end. We'll see.
5. Beta Request! Can anyone yarn-beta the 3 aliens for me? This involves me sending you lots of photos & you telling me what I should change or add. It helps if you have some familiarity with yarncraft, sculpture, or stuffed animals, but you don't actually need to know how to crochet or anything. Thank you! <3
Day One Favourite Lead Female Character
Day Two: Favorite supporting female character
Day Three: A female character you hated but grew to love
Day Four: A female character you relate to
Day Five: Favorite female character on a male-driven show
Day Six: Favorite female-driven show
Day Seven: A female character that needs more screen time
Day Eight: Favorite female character in a comedy show
Day Nine: Favorite female character in a drama show
Day Ten: Favorite female character in a scifi/supernatural show
Day Eleven: Favorite female character in a children’s show
Day Twelve: Favorite female character in a movie
Day Thirteen: Favorite female character in a book
Day Fourteen: Favorite older female character
Day Fifteen: Favorite female character growth arc
Day Sixteen: Favorite mother character
Day Seventeen: Favorite warrior female character
Day Eighteen: Favorite non-warrior female character
Day Nineteen: Favorite non-human female character
Day Twenty: Favorite female antagonist
Day Twenty-One: Favorite female character screwed over by canon
Well, the appalling treatment of Donna Noble has already been discussed, and that would really be it, were it not for my distinct sense that the longer a series with a prominent female character or characters runs, so does the probability that that character or those characters will be screwed over by canon approach one. (The speed with which this happens is a function of how expensive to produce/high profile the canon in question is.)
It's partly because of people seeing male as the default, so that women exist to do something gendered, not just to do something that needs doing* which usually involves being fridged.
And I think it's partly for the reasons that Starfleet SOPs apparently, as per the latest movie, require weapons specialists to strip to their bras and knickers before turning to business; that even where the are women characters doing interesting things elsewhere in the plot, TPTB have a core audience in mind whose requirements, they believe, need to be serviced too.
So Donna is a favourite, but honestly I do get to feeling that the default condition of all female characters is being screwed over by canon, and that isn't going to change any time soon.
( Read more... )
*(people complaining about sexism in Sherlock don't seem to acknowledge that on this metric a lot of the "background" characters in Sherlock are female: Ella, Miss Wenceslas, the head of the school from which the children are kidnapped, Dr Stapleton, Dr Mortimer, one of the assassins, half the bombing victims, the Professor of astronomy)
Day Two: Favorite supporting female character
Day Three: A female character you hated but grew to love
Day Four: A female character you relate to
Day Five: Favorite female character on a male-driven show
Day Six: Favorite female-driven show
Day Seven: A female character that needs more screen time
Day Eight: Favorite female character in a comedy show
Day Nine: Favorite female character in a drama show
Day Ten: Favorite female character in a scifi/supernatural show
Day Eleven: Favorite female character in a children’s show
Day Twelve: Favorite female character in a movie
Day Thirteen: Favorite female character in a book
Day Fourteen: Favorite older female character
Day Fifteen: Favorite female character growth arc
Day Sixteen: Favorite mother character
Day Seventeen: Favorite warrior female character
Day Eighteen: Favorite non-warrior female character
Day Nineteen: Favorite non-human female character
Day Twenty: Favorite female antagonist
Day Twenty-One: Favorite female character screwed over by canon
Well, the appalling treatment of Donna Noble has already been discussed, and that would really be it, were it not for my distinct sense that the longer a series with a prominent female character or characters runs, so does the probability that that character or those characters will be screwed over by canon approach one. (The speed with which this happens is a function of how expensive to produce/high profile the canon in question is.)
It's partly because of people seeing male as the default, so that women exist to do something gendered, not just to do something that needs doing* which usually involves being fridged.
And I think it's partly for the reasons that Starfleet SOPs apparently, as per the latest movie, require weapons specialists to strip to their bras and knickers before turning to business; that even where the are women characters doing interesting things elsewhere in the plot, TPTB have a core audience in mind whose requirements, they believe, need to be serviced too.
So Donna is a favourite, but honestly I do get to feeling that the default condition of all female characters is being screwed over by canon, and that isn't going to change any time soon.
( Read more... )
*(people complaining about sexism in Sherlock don't seem to acknowledge that on this metric a lot of the "background" characters in Sherlock are female: Ella, Miss Wenceslas, the head of the school from which the children are kidnapped, Dr Stapleton, Dr Mortimer, one of the assassins, half the bombing victims, the Professor of astronomy)
I opened my laptop this morning and kept getting an Internal Server Error 500 when I tried to load Dreamwidth, but downforeveryone kept telling me the site was up! Even though I couldn't get it to work in Firefox or Chrome, and there was nothing on the DW Twitter to indicate the site was actually down. So I closed the laptop and watched the season finale of Elementary instead.
( spoilers, but mostly incoherent squee )
Now I can go read all the posts I bookmarked yesterday morning and take Elementary out of my Tumblr Savior.
***
( spoilers, but mostly incoherent squee )
Now I can go read all the posts I bookmarked yesterday morning and take Elementary out of my Tumblr Savior.
***
If any locals are interested in buying a suddenly-spare-at-the-last-minute ticket for the 4:10 showing of Star Trek Into Darkness (at the 34th AMC, 8th/9th) and joining us for the movie and dinner afterwards, email me at bethbethbeth [at] gmail.
(we'll be rendezvousing about an hour before the film, if that affects your decision)
(we'll be rendezvousing about an hour before the film, if that affects your decision)
![[staff profile]](http://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user_staff.png){kind=small}
![[site community profile]](http://www.dreamwidth.org/img/comm_staff.png){kind=small}
(For some California local definition of 'morning'!)
About 30 minutes ago one of our databases (sb-db03) locked up and stopped serving traffic. This was an active database, so the site quickly stopped when it could no longer serve requests. Alas.
I have failed us over to a backup database and now everything should be working again.
I'm not sure yet what happened to db03, but am currently investigating and will update this post if I come up with a root cause for the problem. Edit: It's back up and doesn't have any visible problems. Disks are fine, data's intact, etc. The graphs and logs show nothing. We'll have to keep an eye on it and see if it manifests further issues.
Sorry for the trouble, please let me know if you still see any problems!
I have a really big post in me about Elementary - I may have an article in me, actually, about Elementary - but I wanted to post something quick which elaborates on my comment to ![[profile]](http://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
mononotlisa's meta about the finale, to wit (fast and sloppy, pardon all typos):
( Read more... )
mononotlisa's meta about the finale, to wit (fast and sloppy, pardon all typos):( Read more... )
I've posted a semi-random response to yesterday's Hollywood Reporter story about how Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is dominating the social media conversation landscape over here on my tumblr (the link to the HR article can be found there too).
It's really more about being a fan, I suppose, than a sophisticated critique of social media platforms, but... :)
**
Also? I really liked Elementary's season finale and...I'm as excited for the second season of Elementary as I am for season 3 of Sherlock. I feel like such a traitor. :)
It's really more about being a fan, I suppose, than a sophisticated critique of social media platforms, but... :)
**
Also? I really liked Elementary's season finale and...I'm as excited for the second season of Elementary as I am for season 3 of Sherlock. I feel like such a traitor. :)
giandujakiss posting in ![[community profile]](http://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
viddingNew Vid: "Einstein on the Beach" (Person of Interest)
Song: Einstein on the Beach (For an Eggman) by Counting Crows
Fandom: Person of Interest
Summary: Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
Streaming and download links at my journal.
Fandom: Person of Interest
Summary: Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
Streaming and download links at my journal.
Saturday, May 18th, 2013 08:28 am
Why did Junior kitty take my step towel and stuff it in his catbox?
Why did Junior kitty take my step towel and stuff it in his catbox? It had to've been him, because he's the only big enough to pull it off.
*eww*
*doing laundry tonight*
*eww*
*doing laundry tonight*
So, Elementary! Eventually, iTunes delivered it – about 24 hours after the episode was aired. Screw you, people. I would qualify the "people" there, only I’m not sure whether Apple are the culprit or CBS just didn’t hand over the ep in time.*
( Elementary 1x22/23 )
* Likewise file under Huh? with regard to this Elementary experience: A middle-aged dude next to me on the sofa at Shutters on the Beach tried to hit on me by grinning excessively and bending forward in a rather...forward manner to ask me what it was that I was watching so intently, whether it was that movie (the name of which I have already forgotten). I had to turn 90 degrees and take my headphones out to answer his question. That said, I was German – read: blunt and unimpressed – enough that he backed off, literally. Did he really expect this young lady would relish the chance to talk to his less than inspiring and much older self? Probably. But while privilege -- read: money and societal status – can get you a lot of things a lot of the time, it can't pry me away from Lucy Liu's freckles and Joan Watson's delightful cases.
( Elementary 1x22/23 )
* Likewise file under Huh? with regard to this Elementary experience: A middle-aged dude next to me on the sofa at Shutters on the Beach tried to hit on me by grinning excessively and bending forward in a rather...forward manner to ask me what it was that I was watching so intently, whether it was that movie (the name of which I have already forgotten). I had to turn 90 degrees and take my headphones out to answer his question. That said, I was German – read: blunt and unimpressed – enough that he backed off, literally. Did he really expect this young lady would relish the chance to talk to his less than inspiring and much older self? Probably. But while privilege -- read: money and societal status – can get you a lot of things a lot of the time, it can't pry me away from Lucy Liu's freckles and Joan Watson's delightful cases.
Just saw the latest Star Trek.
Any fic recs?
Kirk/Spock friendship + humor a plus.
Any fic recs?
Kirk/Spock friendship + humor a plus.
Saw Dr. L (the good one) today. He says he wants to be cautious with giving me medication as I'm already on quite a bit, for which I both am grateful and appreciative. He also says the antibiotics need a few more days to really do their thing, and in the meantime, there's a lot of pressure in my head and everything back there is just incredibly stiff and tensed up...so he wants me to take flexeril three times a day for the next week in hopes of relaxing things and letting everything drain and all that. I'm a little worried this will put me to sleep, but I'll give it a try--I took a dose today but then lay down for a nap, so am not really sure how well it worked. My head still hurts but less than it did earlier today, and the migraine seems once again to be in retreat. I'll take the next dose of flexeril in a few hours, probably when I take the antibiotic.
My biggest problem, honestly, aside from the headache, is that my eyes just don't want to focus. Like I was driving home today and it was *hard* to keep my eyes open and focused on the road, and I mean I made it home okay, but as soon as I got home I went upstairs to lie down so I could keep my eyes closed. I asked Dr. L about that and he said it was because there's just so much pressure in my head, so hopefully it should get better in the next few days.
I also called Dr. S the neurologist and asked if he wanted to see me, and left a message with his awesome assistant T, and she called me back and said he doesn't need to see me unless I have specific concerns, so I told her I'd stick with what my PCP is prescribing/telling me to do for now and if by Monday or Tuesday I'm still having serious issues I'll call him back. She seemed to think this was good, so there we go.
However my iWife is arriving Tuesday afternoon, so I really need to be doing a lot better by like Monday. I mean, if I have to go to the doctor while she's here it's not the worst thing in the world, and I can always give her my car keys and directions on how to get home or whatever, and she has some other people in the area she was going to try and see too, but even still, I'd rather be healthy and not "ugh, augh, my head" while she's here, you know?
My biggest problem, honestly, aside from the headache, is that my eyes just don't want to focus. Like I was driving home today and it was *hard* to keep my eyes open and focused on the road, and I mean I made it home okay, but as soon as I got home I went upstairs to lie down so I could keep my eyes closed. I asked Dr. L about that and he said it was because there's just so much pressure in my head, so hopefully it should get better in the next few days.
I also called Dr. S the neurologist and asked if he wanted to see me, and left a message with his awesome assistant T, and she called me back and said he doesn't need to see me unless I have specific concerns, so I told her I'd stick with what my PCP is prescribing/telling me to do for now and if by Monday or Tuesday I'm still having serious issues I'll call him back. She seemed to think this was good, so there we go.
However my iWife is arriving Tuesday afternoon, so I really need to be doing a lot better by like Monday. I mean, if I have to go to the doctor while she's here it's not the worst thing in the world, and I can always give her my car keys and directions on how to get home or whatever, and she has some other people in the area she was going to try and see too, but even still, I'd rather be healthy and not "ugh, augh, my head" while she's here, you know?
I just got back from watching Iron Man 3 with a friend from work. I really, really liked it! And even really loved parts of it? I burst out laughing a LOT. ( Spoiler-free reaction post to Iron Man 3 below. )
What did you guys think? I've avoided (most) spoilers until now, so I don't know what people have been thinking...
ETA: Warning for general-ish, vague-ish spoilers in the comments.
What did you guys think? I've avoided (most) spoilers until now, so I don't know what people have been thinking...
ETA: Warning for general-ish, vague-ish spoilers in the comments.
Relevant to your interests?: What is going on with the accents in Game of Thrones?
( Brandon Sanderson, Scott Westerfeld, P.D. James as Austen )
( Brandon Sanderson, Scott Westerfeld, P.D. James as Austen )
I loved the idea of an Archive of Our Own, and zipped over and started posting stuff, back in 2009.
*boggled*
Then, well, life interfered with plans, and I hadn't posted for um years.
A lot of years.
But I'm going to start cleaning up fics and posting this summer, by golly!
Posted a couple tonight as a matter of fact.
Under Ithiliana
Including "Borne Upon a Dark Wind" which I made this icon for back in the day!
Spent a while tonight getting my fanfic into one folder (it was scattered over multiple folders, chronologically organized).
Organized.
I dream of getting organized....
*boggled*
Then, well, life interfered with plans, and I hadn't posted for um years.
A lot of years.
But I'm going to start cleaning up fics and posting this summer, by golly!
Posted a couple tonight as a matter of fact.
Under Ithiliana
Including "Borne Upon a Dark Wind" which I made this icon for back in the day!
Spent a while tonight getting my fanfic into one folder (it was scattered over multiple folders, chronologically organized).
Organized.
I dream of getting organized....
I think I'm going to go with ![[livejournal.com profile]](http://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
selenak's verdict, which was "flawed but enjoyable". All that to say that if you really hated the whole thing, I won't be clicking on your posts, or will be clicking out quickly. ( Spoilers for the movie )
selenak's verdict, which was "flawed but enjoyable". All that to say that if you really hated the whole thing, I won't be clicking on your posts, or will be clicking out quickly. ( Spoilers for the movie )
Friday, May 17th, 2013 05:25 pm
Kiera Wilmot not charged with felony, and will be attending Space Camp with her twin sister
Story here.
Fundraising efforts and donations are supporting the Space Camp fees, and another fundraising effort (for her legal defense fund) will go into a trust for legal fees and future education.
ETA: Amadi points out below that the 'good news' is far from the entire story
Fundraising efforts and donations are supporting the Space Camp fees, and another fundraising effort (for her legal defense fund) will go into a trust for legal fees and future education.
ETA: Amadi points out below that the 'good news' is far from the entire story
Oh my god, this day. Fridays should not be this busy, nor this annoying! I was unable to connect to the network for over an hour and I was reduced to doing some filing after I ran out of copies to make! FILING! Ugh! Cruel and unusual!
The entire week has been hectic and I don't think it's going to slow down because now we're two weeks out from the next board meeting, and that always makes things crazy.
I have not yet seen last night's Elementary, because I was busy having my blood pressure raised to unhealthy levels by the Rangers. Every time the puck hit the post I was like, "I am going to throw up now." Ugh. Not how I wanted the series to start. Oh, Henrik, you deserve to have a much better team playing in front of you. Or at least a team who knows how to clear their own zone and also not take stupid penalties in overtime. *quietly weeps into her coffee*
In other news, Yahoo wants to buy Tumblr, which should send a foreboding shiver down your spine, because Yahoo ruins everything. And inevitable (but unfounded?) rumors that Facebook will swoop in and buy it instead, which is horrible in its own special way.
***
The entire week has been hectic and I don't think it's going to slow down because now we're two weeks out from the next board meeting, and that always makes things crazy.
I have not yet seen last night's Elementary, because I was busy having my blood pressure raised to unhealthy levels by the Rangers. Every time the puck hit the post I was like, "I am going to throw up now." Ugh. Not how I wanted the series to start. Oh, Henrik, you deserve to have a much better team playing in front of you. Or at least a team who knows how to clear their own zone and also not take stupid penalties in overtime. *quietly weeps into her coffee*
In other news, Yahoo wants to buy Tumblr, which should send a foreboding shiver down your spine, because Yahoo ruins everything. And inevitable (but unfounded?) rumors that Facebook will swoop in and buy it instead, which is horrible in its own special way.
***
Also, I cannot tell one Staal from another and can only assume that they have bar codes on the backs of their necks courtesy of the cloning process so that whoever is fighting and/or fucking them can tell the difference.
(Reposted from my editorial blog):
For anyone out there who might be considering applying to the Viable Paradise Writers Workshop, the application period for this year closes on midnight of June 15th. Class size is twenty-four — with eight instructors on-site for the entire week, this makes for a fairly impressive teacher-student ratio (the nautically-minded among us like to think of it as hitting them with a full broadside.)
Viable Paradise is a one-week†residential workshop held annually in the autumn on the island of Martha’s Vineyard; the focus is on fantasy and science fiction, and the students can submit either short stories or an equivalent portion of a novel for workshopping.
†Why one week, rather than six weeks or a month, like some other workshops? Because not everybody out there in the world can free up that much time in one block. Students can, and people who have already committed themselves to some kind of major lifestyle change, but other people have things like families and day jobs. But almost anyone can hack out a single week — take that overdue vacation from the office, or stock the freezer with a week’s worth of pre-made casseroles and indebt yourself to your mother and your mother-in-law and the teenager next door for the necessary babysitting, and come spend a week with people who actually understand why you’re still obsessing about this writing thing.
JFC, Hockey RPF. What have you done to me? I'm watching fights on YouTube.
Hate you, hate you, hate you.
Also, Geno's face. Dammit.
Hate you, hate you, hate you.
Also, Geno's face. Dammit.
Okay, many of you know that our temple was closed for public assembly March 1st. The results are in about separating the prayer room from the main temple as well as other matters:
Update on the Temple Renovation
( Good news: we can go ahead. Any building we do will have to be on the temple side of the street. )
Financial Report
Here is an income and expense report for the Temple Renovation Project. (Yay, transparency!)
This Sunday they're having the web-a-thon to bring in Friends of KPC. They're looking for small regular donors because this project is going to be ongoing for years. I have a $15 a month donation I give to the Amitabha Stupa mortgage as part of the Friends of the Amitabha Stupa in Sedona, AZ.
Update on the Temple Renovation
( Good news: we can go ahead. Any building we do will have to be on the temple side of the street. )
Financial Report
Here is an income and expense report for the Temple Renovation Project. (Yay, transparency!)
This Sunday they're having the web-a-thon to bring in Friends of KPC. They're looking for small regular donors because this project is going to be ongoing for years. I have a $15 a month donation I give to the Amitabha Stupa mortgage as part of the Friends of the Amitabha Stupa in Sedona, AZ.
...but I can make sausage.
Breakfast Sausage
about two pounds of ground pork
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground sage
1 teaspoon ground thyme
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Mix the spices together and then mix them thoroughly with the ground pork. The easiest way to do this evenly is with your hands, either scrupulously clean or encased in disposable plastic gloves. The kind EMTs use will work just fine if your grocery store doesn't have the cheapo food service variety.
Either use the sausage within the next day or so, or freeze it for later.
Chorizo
(this is the uncooked Mexican variety, not the cured Spanish kind, which is out of my league completely)
about 1 pound of ground pork
2 ancho chiles
1 large garlic clove
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1/4 teaspoon each of ground coriander and cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon paprika
1/16 teaspoon (a pinch) allspice
You'll definitely want the plastic gloves for this one.
Soak the dried chiles in hot water until they're soft. You should probably snip off the stem end with kitchen shears and shake out all the seeds before you do this. Use a blender or a food processor or a mortar and pestle to work the dried chiles, the garlic, the cider vinegar, and about 1/4 cup of the soaking water from the chiles into a thick paste. Then use your gloved hands (seriously, wear gloves on this one!) to mix the chile paste and the other spices into the ground pork.
Once again, use within a day or so, or freeze for later.
Breakfast Sausage
about two pounds of ground pork
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground sage
1 teaspoon ground thyme
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Mix the spices together and then mix them thoroughly with the ground pork. The easiest way to do this evenly is with your hands, either scrupulously clean or encased in disposable plastic gloves. The kind EMTs use will work just fine if your grocery store doesn't have the cheapo food service variety.
Either use the sausage within the next day or so, or freeze it for later.
Chorizo
(this is the uncooked Mexican variety, not the cured Spanish kind, which is out of my league completely)
about 1 pound of ground pork
2 ancho chiles
1 large garlic clove
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1/4 teaspoon each of ground coriander and cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon paprika
1/16 teaspoon (a pinch) allspice
You'll definitely want the plastic gloves for this one.
Soak the dried chiles in hot water until they're soft. You should probably snip off the stem end with kitchen shears and shake out all the seeds before you do this. Use a blender or a food processor or a mortar and pestle to work the dried chiles, the garlic, the cider vinegar, and about 1/4 cup of the soaking water from the chiles into a thick paste. Then use your gloved hands (seriously, wear gloves on this one!) to mix the chile paste and the other spices into the ground pork.
Once again, use within a day or so, or freeze for later.
Just lately at LJ, when I do infrequently post, I get a very high ratio of spam vs actual commenters. So I'm going to have to set all my LJ posts to have a minimum friends-level security. I'll still post public posts on Dreamwidth, however.
For the last few days, the headache has been pretty bad but the migraine at least was broken, or so I thought. I still have a lot of pressure in my head, and today when I was getting my nails done the migraine started coming back. Driving home after that appointment sucked royally, even with my big sunglasses on, and my eyes kept not wanting to focus the whole way home. I took a dilaudid and crashed, and that seems to have helped somewhat, and I took another one when the first one wore off, and it's definitely helping but my head still hurts and I've still got that ice-pick migraine feeling going on. My eyes feel dry and sore and there's a lot of pressure in my head, and if anything's draining from my sinuses I couldn't tell you where it was draining from or going to.
So, clearly either the antibiotics are not working or they are working but it's going to take more time or there's something else going on or...really, it could be anything at this point, note I use 'clearly' with sarcasm. I have a follow up appointment with my PCP tomorrow at 11:15 (well, today at this point) and hopefully he will be as helpful as Dr. H in the ER was on Monday night. I'm half expecting to get a referral to an ENT, though.
I had more I was going to say but I'm sitting here staring blankly at the screen so I think it's time to cut my losses and post. What's up with all of you?
So, clearly either the antibiotics are not working or they are working but it's going to take more time or there's something else going on or...really, it could be anything at this point, note I use 'clearly' with sarcasm. I have a follow up appointment with my PCP tomorrow at 11:15 (well, today at this point) and hopefully he will be as helpful as Dr. H in the ER was on Monday night. I'm half expecting to get a referral to an ENT, though.
I had more I was going to say but I'm sitting here staring blankly at the screen so I think it's time to cut my losses and post. What's up with all of you?
When I wrote this, I was sitting in the Dolby Center by the Chinese Theater in Hollywood at a Japanese bar on the upper level overlooking the courtyard and drinking a glass of Sauv Blanc. I hadn't ever set foot into this part of Hollywood, and besides I mostly had to take a look at it because of Iron Man 3. Ah, Tony Stark: winning me over in the end. I do like The Mechanic.
Movie-wise, though, the performance of the day -- well, night -- belongs to Chris Pine et al.
I got together three newly master'd friends of mine sci-fi!geeky enough to hit the midnight showing of the new Star Trek late on May 16th: none of us actual Trekkers, mind you, but all enjoying our little outing -- for values of enjoyment; Jose fell asleep in-between, which given that this movie was Michael Bay rather than JJ Abrams surprises a little.
( ST: Into Darkness )
Movie-wise, though, the performance of the day -- well, night -- belongs to Chris Pine et al.
I got together three newly master'd friends of mine sci-fi!geeky enough to hit the midnight showing of the new Star Trek late on May 16th: none of us actual Trekkers, mind you, but all enjoying our little outing -- for values of enjoyment; Jose fell asleep in-between, which given that this movie was Michael Bay rather than JJ Abrams surprises a little.
( ST: Into Darkness )
I noticed when my arm brushed the tag on my shirt.
H'okay, I may've been tired after chatting till 6am. My shirt was on inside out.
(Good thing there aren't any witnesses. I hustled off to the bathroom.)
Just to prove it wasn't an aberration, minutes later I reached up to drop some bird treats in the bird's food bowl, to top it off.
*Sploop!*
Wrong bowl. And I'd just changed that water.
In other news: I may have overwritten that Star Trek: TOS fic I've been trying to resuscitate. I do lots of creative things ... painting, finishing the OAR (Overly Ambitious Rug, yes, I know I finished the sections months ago but I still haven't latched them together)... but I miss writing.
H'okay, I may've been tired after chatting till 6am. My shirt was on inside out.
(Good thing there aren't any witnesses. I hustled off to the bathroom.)
Just to prove it wasn't an aberration, minutes later I reached up to drop some bird treats in the bird's food bowl, to top it off.
*Sploop!*
Wrong bowl. And I'd just changed that water.
In other news: I may have overwritten that Star Trek: TOS fic I've been trying to resuscitate. I do lots of creative things ... painting, finishing the OAR (Overly Ambitious Rug, yes, I know I finished the sections months ago but I still haven't latched them together)... but I miss writing.
Conan O'Brien: "Benedict Cumberbatch. That is the greatest name ever."
Zach Quinto: "Well, he's a man to match his name."
Zach Quinto: "Well, he's a man to match his name."
My aunt bargains in reverse.
I offered to repair her gutted laptop and purchase it from her.
Me: "I can fix your old laptop, but I need to buy a disk with Windows 7. So fair market value, minus the cost of Win7."
My Aunt: "Oh, I'll just give it to you. I've already replaced it."
Me: "Don't be ridiculous."
My Aunt: "Well, then just give me twenty-five or fifty dollars."
Me: "It's a laptop."
Eventually she bargained me down to seventy-five. No, really. On a $300 laptop. I'm renegotiating the price considering I found my Win7 disc so now don't have to buy it.
I'm probably the only person who's had to raise their own rent.
I offered to repair her gutted laptop and purchase it from her.
Me: "I can fix your old laptop, but I need to buy a disk with Windows 7. So fair market value, minus the cost of Win7."
My Aunt: "Oh, I'll just give it to you. I've already replaced it."
Me: "Don't be ridiculous."
My Aunt: "Well, then just give me twenty-five or fifty dollars."
Me: "It's a laptop."
Eventually she bargained me down to seventy-five. No, really. On a $300 laptop. I'm renegotiating the price considering I found my Win7 disc so now don't have to buy it.
I'm probably the only person who's had to raise their own rent.
An actual call I just took:
Me: What's the error message?
Student: I don't know, it said to call you guys or some shit.
Me:...
Me: Can you read me the specific text of the shit in question?
Student: Hold on, I have to go get my computer.
Me: Wait--you're calling us and you're not even at your computer? Why don't you call us back when you actually have the site up?
Student: It's right here, you don't have to be so rude.
Me: What's the error message?
Student: I don't know, it said to call you guys or some shit.
Me:...
Me: Can you read me the specific text of the shit in question?
Student: Hold on, I have to go get my computer.
Me: Wait--you're calling us and you're not even at your computer? Why don't you call us back when you actually have the site up?
Student: It's right here, you don't have to be so rude.
If nothing else, today I managed to get the trash to the dump. Himself and I rewarded ourselves for undertaking that necessary but noisome task by having hot and sour soup and fried dumplings and egg rolls at the local Chinese restaurant (and it says something about the ubiquity of Chinese restaurants in America that a town of 2500 is able to support one), and rewarded the stalwart Twin B for hauling the garbage bags out to the van with a takeout order of dumplings all for him.
I also, before I ran out of steam, managed to get the soup going in the crockpot for dinner (tonight's is albondigas, aka Mexican meatball, soup, which I cheat at by using pre-made meatballs from the freezer stash), and then I made sausage. Loose sausage, not links; I'm not crazy. How it goes is this: the local IGA will often sell whole pork loins for $1.99/pound, which works out to between 17 and 22 dollars for 9-11 pounds of boneless pork. Usually when I buy one I cut it up into roasts and such myself, but yesterday I decided to find out whether the butchers at the grocery store could cut it for me, and if so, whether they would charge extra. The answers turned out to be yes, they could, and no, they wouldn't -- so I picked out a 9-pound-and-a-bit pork loin, and came home with one roast, two bundles of pork cutlets, and about 3 pounds of ground pork. I set a little under a pound of that aside to make ma po tofu later this week, and made the rest into fresh breakfast sausage and fresh chorizo, two recipe-units each. The whole lot of them are now reposing in the freezer, waiting to be made into yummy meals in the weeks to come.
So I feel at least a little bit virtuous.
(Also, the immersion blender did really well at making soaked ancho chiles into a paste for incorporation into the chorizo.)
I also, before I ran out of steam, managed to get the soup going in the crockpot for dinner (tonight's is albondigas, aka Mexican meatball, soup, which I cheat at by using pre-made meatballs from the freezer stash), and then I made sausage. Loose sausage, not links; I'm not crazy. How it goes is this: the local IGA will often sell whole pork loins for $1.99/pound, which works out to between 17 and 22 dollars for 9-11 pounds of boneless pork. Usually when I buy one I cut it up into roasts and such myself, but yesterday I decided to find out whether the butchers at the grocery store could cut it for me, and if so, whether they would charge extra. The answers turned out to be yes, they could, and no, they wouldn't -- so I picked out a 9-pound-and-a-bit pork loin, and came home with one roast, two bundles of pork cutlets, and about 3 pounds of ground pork. I set a little under a pound of that aside to make ma po tofu later this week, and made the rest into fresh breakfast sausage and fresh chorizo, two recipe-units each. The whole lot of them are now reposing in the freezer, waiting to be made into yummy meals in the weeks to come.
So I feel at least a little bit virtuous.
(Also, the immersion blender did really well at making soaked ancho chiles into a paste for incorporation into the chorizo.)