My faaaaaaave season, part 2
Sep. 25th, 2014 04:41 pmSo, I mentioned I bought some things to cook to celebrate the first day of Autumn. And cook them I did! :Dd
I tried two recipes from Budget Bytes, making Spice Rubbed Roasted Squash (using a buttercup squash) and Oven Roasted Autumn Medley (using everything else).
Everything turned out well, though I made some substitutions. The most obvious being that instead of turkey sausage I used pork roast, and I used a different kind of onion because I'm not really a red onion fan. That and some minor stuff with spices -- I had no basil so I subbed in a half-measure of Italian seasoning, I had no paprika so I put in some ancho -- and I discovered my bakeware was not up to the sizes I was using so I kitbashed some containers made of aluminum foil on pizza pans. (I had forgotten I threw some things out that were older than my eligibility to vote, and also rusty.) Also, my oven wasn't big enough to hold everything at once so I cooked the squash first, then the medley.
Soooo many leftovers. I cooked the whole squash, even though I knew there was no way I was eating more than a quarter of it that day, because if you're gonna put a tonne of squash back in the fridge it might as well be cooked so you can just eat it whenever. If I had put back, say, half the squash raw, I would have just had to throw it out eventually. This way, I have noms! Yesterday I just ate like a quarter of it cold with a spoon (it has about the same texture as a hard-boiled egg yoke... but is a mellower yellow), and today I pureed some to add to a cream of potato soup, which was DELICIOUS with buttered toast and a glass of cold apple cider. I think next time I will halve the spice mixture and cook part of the squash with just some olive oil drizzled on. I love the spicy sweetness, but it will be easier to add leftovers to more things if it's a bit more neutral. (Can you freeze cooked squash? eta: YEP.)
Speaking of apples, I'm going to have to do some research on different apples to use for next time, because the mackintoshes I did use basically melted. That was awesome fresh from the oven -- like a very tart applesauce! -- but didn't do so great in leftovers. I want something firmer.
I tried two recipes from Budget Bytes, making Spice Rubbed Roasted Squash (using a buttercup squash) and Oven Roasted Autumn Medley (using everything else).
Everything turned out well, though I made some substitutions. The most obvious being that instead of turkey sausage I used pork roast, and I used a different kind of onion because I'm not really a red onion fan. That and some minor stuff with spices -- I had no basil so I subbed in a half-measure of Italian seasoning, I had no paprika so I put in some ancho -- and I discovered my bakeware was not up to the sizes I was using so I kitbashed some containers made of aluminum foil on pizza pans. (I had forgotten I threw some things out that were older than my eligibility to vote, and also rusty.) Also, my oven wasn't big enough to hold everything at once so I cooked the squash first, then the medley.
Soooo many leftovers. I cooked the whole squash, even though I knew there was no way I was eating more than a quarter of it that day, because if you're gonna put a tonne of squash back in the fridge it might as well be cooked so you can just eat it whenever. If I had put back, say, half the squash raw, I would have just had to throw it out eventually. This way, I have noms! Yesterday I just ate like a quarter of it cold with a spoon (it has about the same texture as a hard-boiled egg yoke... but is a mellower yellow), and today I pureed some to add to a cream of potato soup, which was DELICIOUS with buttered toast and a glass of cold apple cider. I think next time I will halve the spice mixture and cook part of the squash with just some olive oil drizzled on. I love the spicy sweetness, but it will be easier to add leftovers to more things if it's a bit more neutral. (Can you freeze cooked squash? eta: YEP.)
Speaking of apples, I'm going to have to do some research on different apples to use for next time, because the mackintoshes I did use basically melted. That was awesome fresh from the oven -- like a very tart applesauce! -- but didn't do so great in leftovers. I want something firmer.
Okay, so the Rawlemon solar collector is an awesome idea and more efficient than photovoltaic panels and will work on parts of the globe where PV panels are just not getting enough sunlight for them to be worth their expense. And they collect solar energy from the moon. That's very cool, and the ickle beta.ey gizmos that can charge a phone look pretty neat.
But I see no reason why we can't have those and Solar Roadways.
Check out this awesome shit:
C'mon, you know you want the giant crystal balls plus the light-up roads, okay. I sure do.
But I see no reason why we can't have those and Solar Roadways.
Check out this awesome shit:
C'mon, you know you want the giant crystal balls plus the light-up roads, okay. I sure do.
random commentary Jan 11, 2014
Jan. 11th, 2014 02:26 pm* I bit my tongue in my sleep and had to get up and put Oragel on it to numb the pain enough to go back to sleep. Swear to God my teeth are more dangerous to me than to anything else.
* So there's this one bus driver I dread getting, but he usually drives the morning buses on a route that goes past one of my work sites, which means sometimes it's unavoidable. I call him "asshole speed demon" in my head. As you might get from that, he drives fast; faster than a bus should maybe be going on cit streets. That's not the worst bit. The worst bit is that he also breaks suddenly and hard. I have learned not to get up before the bus has come to a full and complete stop or I end up bruises for weeks. This strategy failed me this week when I had no choice to get get on his bus or wait 20 minutes in the cold to catch a different one, and it turned out the pull-strings to request a stop weren't working.
* Since beginning to put my fic on AO3, it has hit home that I really cannot predict which of my stories people will like. I especially cannot do so extrapolating from how much feedback I got on them on LJ. The most popular one (most hits and kudos) never even got a comment here. v(._.)v
* Random piece of filk I generated when I got up today:
C'mon, everybody!
But don't be confused!
We're all Cybertronians
But people don't realise
They all seem to ask us,
"Who do you think you are?
Are you from the stars?
Are you from the staaaaaars?"
Well, we're the MiniBots
Oo~ooh
Oh yeah, we're the MiniBots!
Oo~ooh~
*snicker*
* So there's this one bus driver I dread getting, but he usually drives the morning buses on a route that goes past one of my work sites, which means sometimes it's unavoidable. I call him "asshole speed demon" in my head. As you might get from that, he drives fast; faster than a bus should maybe be going on cit streets. That's not the worst bit. The worst bit is that he also breaks suddenly and hard. I have learned not to get up before the bus has come to a full and complete stop or I end up bruises for weeks. This strategy failed me this week when I had no choice to get get on his bus or wait 20 minutes in the cold to catch a different one, and it turned out the pull-strings to request a stop weren't working.
* Since beginning to put my fic on AO3, it has hit home that I really cannot predict which of my stories people will like. I especially cannot do so extrapolating from how much feedback I got on them on LJ. The most popular one (most hits and kudos) never even got a comment here. v(._.)v
* Random piece of filk I generated when I got up today:
C'mon, everybody!
But don't be confused!
We're all Cybertronians
But people don't realise
They all seem to ask us,
"Who do you think you are?
Are you from the stars?
Are you from the staaaaaars?"
Well, we're the MiniBots
Oo~ooh
Oh yeah, we're the MiniBots!
Oo~ooh~
*snicker*
today's insomnia
Jun. 20th, 2013 08:27 amA scant three hours after going to bed -- and there was a deal of tossing and turning before I managed to go to sleep -- I wake up a cold, sweaty mess and my brain decides now would be a good time to catalogue Time Travel As Happens In the Marvel Universe (At Least the X-Books), A Seminar Presented By Bobby Drake.
Thanks, brain.
*beats head on wall*
I'm gonna, just, eat a bunch of things and hope I food coma. eta: ...while reading a bunch of fanfic that involve time travel and mocking them, for the most part.
Thanks, brain.
*beats head on wall*
I'm gonna, just, eat a bunch of things and hope I food coma. eta: ...while reading a bunch of fanfic that involve time travel and mocking them, for the most part.
I made pineapple curry chicken with couscous for dinner, and it's delicious.
I made just the right amount of pineapple chicken curry, but waaaaay too much couscous. (I pretty much always overestimate how much couscous to make.)
Therefore, I will probably take couscous with me for lunch tomorrow. Any suggestions of what to have it with? (I have more pineapple. Also more chicken - and beef, and I think pork.)
Tai left a copy of The Great Book of Couscous in the washroom, so I will consult that as well.
I made just the right amount of pineapple chicken curry, but waaaaay too much couscous. (I pretty much always overestimate how much couscous to make.)
Therefore, I will probably take couscous with me for lunch tomorrow. Any suggestions of what to have it with? (I have more pineapple. Also more chicken - and beef, and I think pork.)
Tai left a copy of The Great Book of Couscous in the washroom, so I will consult that as well.
(no subject)
Feb. 24th, 2013 03:26 pmYour guide to life under the Copyright Alerts System, which is launching TOMORROW, by the way.
NASA has made a Remembrance page for the astronauts who died in the shuttle accident 10 years ago.
(Warning: has embedded music.)
;~;
(Warning: has embedded music.)
;~;
slippery hell
Dec. 30th, 2012 07:52 amWinter storm warning in effect.
Today
Snow. Snow mixed with ice pellets this morning. Rain along the coast this morning. Snow and ice pellet amount 15 cm. Blowing snow. Wind northeast 40 km/h gusting to 60 becoming northwest 50 gusting to 80 early this afternoon. High plus 1.
Tonight
Flurries ending after midnight then cloudy. Amount 2 cm. Blowing snow this evening and after midnight. Wind northwest 50 km/h gusting to 80. Low minus 5.
(quoted from Enviroment Canada)
Today
Snow. Snow mixed with ice pellets this morning. Rain along the coast this morning. Snow and ice pellet amount 15 cm. Blowing snow. Wind northeast 40 km/h gusting to 60 becoming northwest 50 gusting to 80 early this afternoon. High plus 1.
Tonight
Flurries ending after midnight then cloudy. Amount 2 cm. Blowing snow this evening and after midnight. Wind northwest 50 km/h gusting to 80. Low minus 5.
(quoted from Enviroment Canada)
So, as
taichara posted, yesterday we gave the cats a bath, and no-one came away unscathed. Fleas were drowned, humans were bled, and cats and humans alike were emotionally traumatized.
Not even inanimate objects uninvolved but within striking range were spared! Behold, the soap:

Soci's got big claws, yo.
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Not even inanimate objects uninvolved but within striking range were spared! Behold, the soap:

Soci's got big claws, yo.
idiot cat tricks #873507-2
Nov. 27th, 2012 01:50 pmOkay, a term in this needs some explanation so that certain parties are not traumatised, to whit: "bedbugging" is when the cat hides under a blanket. When s/he does this, s/he is a "bedbug". (Not an actual bedbug -- none of those are involved!) This term probably evolved from "snug as a bug in a rug". (Hiding under a rug is "rugbugging", clearly.)
Also, Soci aka boycat doesn't meow, he goes "woo". Or "wow". (Or "wau"? Barking in German?) Or "woowoowoo". We don't know why.
taichara: *distracts self by listening to Soci trying to groom himself while still bedbugging*
eliyes: XD
eliyes: is it slurpy?
eliyes: is he making irritated woos as the blanket gets in the way?
taichara: yes? X3
eliyes: XD
Also, Soci aka boycat doesn't meow, he goes "woo". Or "wow". (Or "wau"? Barking in German?) Or "woowoowoo". We don't know why.
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I broke my little left toe. :(
And now I'm off work for a week, keeping it iced and elevated. *sigh*
Do you know what the hospital will do for a broken baby toe? Nada. Zip. Zilch. They just tell you to (as above) stay off it, walk on the other side of your foot if necessary, ice it, take advil, and keep it elevated.
Sooooo.... guess I'll catch up on my netflix queue, then...
And now I'm off work for a week, keeping it iced and elevated. *sigh*
Do you know what the hospital will do for a broken baby toe? Nada. Zip. Zilch. They just tell you to (as above) stay off it, walk on the other side of your foot if necessary, ice it, take advil, and keep it elevated.
Sooooo.... guess I'll catch up on my netflix queue, then...
So. The day after the SOPA & PIPA protests, we get the announcement that while they were happening, the FBI and/or other agents of the USA Justice Department shut down Megaupload and arrested several of its executives on criminal conspiracy charges relating to copyright violation and online piracy.
Which begs the question: if they can do that with existing laws, why do they need SOPA or PIPA?
(An astounding number of news sources are reporting that Anonymous's protest actions was retaliation for the Megaupload thing, despite Anonymous making it pretty clear why they did what they did. These news sources are mostly quoting each other, which is how stupidity feeds on itself, children. I linked to the BBC because it sensibly didn't say anything of the sort, but had to mention the phenomenon.)
A couple of links for my fellow Canucks:
What SOPA means for Canada and SOPA would have a big impact on Canada: law professor says US law would actually target foreign websites, which, DUH, this has been obvious from the start! And is the main reason why I have wanted to punch certain Canadians in the face recently. (It might kickstart their brains, who knows?)
Supposedly SOPA and PIPA will be amended before being passed, primarily to remove the DNS redirect facet -- but they're saying they're taking it out because internet security experts have warned them that it would make things much easier for hackers, while at the same time saying they're committed to the idea of DNS redirecting as a security measure. We will see how things turn out.
Which begs the question: if they can do that with existing laws, why do they need SOPA or PIPA?
(An astounding number of news sources are reporting that Anonymous's protest actions was retaliation for the Megaupload thing, despite Anonymous making it pretty clear why they did what they did. These news sources are mostly quoting each other, which is how stupidity feeds on itself, children. I linked to the BBC because it sensibly didn't say anything of the sort, but had to mention the phenomenon.)
A couple of links for my fellow Canucks:
What SOPA means for Canada and SOPA would have a big impact on Canada: law professor says US law would actually target foreign websites, which, DUH, this has been obvious from the start! And is the main reason why I have wanted to punch certain Canadians in the face recently. (It might kickstart their brains, who knows?)
Supposedly SOPA and PIPA will be amended before being passed, primarily to remove the DNS redirect facet -- but they're saying they're taking it out because internet security experts have warned them that it would make things much easier for hackers, while at the same time saying they're committed to the idea of DNS redirecting as a security measure. We will see how things turn out.
What the devil?
Dec. 1st, 2011 06:07 pmSo, a little over a month ago, I ordered some books via ALibris from a used book seller in the states. The books themselves were dirt cheap -- $1.11 a pop -- but the shipping brought that up to $40~ despite me getting a combined shipping discount.
They sent them all seperately.
( This was a mistake. )
.
They sent them all seperately.
( This was a mistake. )
.
American Censorship Day is TODAY!
Nov. 16th, 2011 10:12 amToday -- November 16, 2011 -- the US Congress is holding hearings about a possible American Internet censorship system. If this bill is passed, it will not only affect every 'net user and service provider in the states, it will set a terrible precedent for the rest of the world as well. Find out more here
(And if anyone can tell me how to get that code to work on LJ, let me know!)
(And if anyone can tell me how to get that code to work on LJ, let me know!)
DO YOU SEE THAT BLUE THING
Aug. 8th, 2011 06:55 amCLEARLY SOMEONE AT MATTEL HAS BEEN WATCHING TNG
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teLilQfF5qY&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teLilQfF5qY&feature=related
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Also, adorable surprise chapter on the newsies strike! Items of note:
- Apparently Seitz was real, his first name was Don, and his grudging admiration for the newsies is totally true.
- “The Sun, glorying in this successful strike against its two major competitors, reported in full the visit of Spot Conlon, District Master Workboy of the Brooklyn Union, who, attired in pink suspenders, walked across the Brooklyn Bridge with ‘greetings a’ promises of support…“We have tied up de scab sheets so tight dat y’ can’t buy one fer a dollar in de street. Hold out, my gallant kids, an’ to-morrer I meself, at de head of t’ree tousand noble hearts from Brooklyn will be over here t’ help youse win yer noble scrap for freedom an’ fair play.”’”
- Also mentioned: Boots McAleenan, Crutchy Morris, Racetrack Higgins, Kid Blink, and “Young Myers, sometimes called Young Mush, on account of his fondness for taking his girl to Corlears Hook Park Sunday evenings.” AWWWWWWW.
My point being: Holu shit, they were real! I knew the Newsie strike happened, but not that so many of the characters in the musical I watched as a kid were based on and named for the real people involved.
There I was, sitting at my computer watching a movie. My cat likes to get up on my lap when I do that, so she was there, too. She likes to sit facing west (the better to guard against ninja attacks) so my left ankle was on my right knee, and she had her head on my left knee. Eventually, of course, I had to put my leg down or else it will fall asleep.
My roommate's cat had thrown up in exactly the spot where I put my left foot when it's down.
I did not immediately discover this. It had to seep through my slipper, first.
*sigh*
My roommate's cat had thrown up in exactly the spot where I put my left foot when it's down.
I did not immediately discover this. It had to seep through my slipper, first.
*sigh*
convo from today
Mar. 22nd, 2011 01:55 amfriend: "Being a drag queen means dressing like an unholy cross between the Chiquita Banana lady and Lady Gaga --"
me: "...Now I wanna see Lady Gaga dressed like the Chiquita Banana lady..."
And in case you get mad at my friend for that comment about drag queens, here's a follow up:
friend: "There's only one drag queen I've met who wasn't a massive bitch, and you know him, and look what happened when he stopped."
me: "They were so mean he moved back to the USA."
They being the drag queens around here. Here, in a Canadian city, where gay marriage is legal.
me: "...Now I wanna see Lady Gaga dressed like the Chiquita Banana lady..."
And in case you get mad at my friend for that comment about drag queens, here's a follow up:
friend: "There's only one drag queen I've met who wasn't a massive bitch, and you know him, and look what happened when he stopped."
me: "They were so mean he moved back to the USA."
They being the drag queens around here. Here, in a Canadian city, where gay marriage is legal.
Japan disaster relief
Mar. 16th, 2011 08:14 pmMany people have been posting links to resurces for donating money to organizations involved in disaster relief in Japan (and China; they had a big quake, too) but here's one I haven't seen on my f-list so I thought I'd pass it along: World Vets. Because animals also need saving. Example: Cat Island, the people and animals survived but they have no access to food at the moment.