Better late than never, I suppose [18 Aug 2008|08:26pm] megitsune [ mood | geeky ] All right, it's been a few weeks since Dex-Con, but I feel like I should still publish a con report out of habit. So here it is: My Dex-Con 11 report. Cool Stuff That Happened: - I got to meet some of Tom's friends, including our roommates, Cameron and Alan. - Cameron is a fun DM. His games were cool. - CAAANNNNDDYYYY.... Fun and Games: - D20 Modern? - Mekton Zeta - Cyberpunk - DDR - Guitar Hero - Knight Realms (What? Me, LARP?) Stuff I Wouldn't Have Missed: - The D20 modern game that was neither dice-based or modern. - Not eating properly, which lead to not feeling well half of the time. - Having my boyfriend ditch me in the hotel room to go play Warhammer. Because You Can Never Have Too Much Swag: - three new buttons - Three Dragon Ante - A new dice bag for Alex - A wrought-metal headdress - A silver triquetra necklace (I still maintain that it was a gift from Tom, even if I did pick it out) - A black canvas hip pouch - A leather pendant ("I have a holy symbol now!"), which actually was a gift from Tom You Probably Had to Be There: - "You're Tom's friend..you must be The Dwarf." (If I heard this once, I heard it a thousand times.) - Guy at KR: "Ummm, just a question: Do you (a female Dwarf) have a beard?" Me: "Does it look like I have a beard?" - Tom: "So where have you been while I was down here?" Me: "Alan and I were upstairs, in the room." Alan: "Don't worry, Tom, I took good care of your girlfriend for the last four hours while you were busy." Tom: "Oh, thanks, ma- four hours? Four HOURS?! I KILL YOU, ALAN!" As always, I reserve the right to edit if I remember more. What does the maypole represent? ||

Foodiesque [17 Aug 2008|09:20am] chalkhorse Really enjoying the summer harvest! Since I kind of "missed" Lammas this year (was away in Elmira and travelling) it feels good to be focused on the fruits of the land, as it were. Also, have been inspired by aislingheal and her local food adventures. So, my tomatoes are doing great. Neighbors who walk by and locally-based bloggers (at Garden Rant) have commented that theirs have gotten too much rain and are not ripening. I have three plants in a sunny bed with sandy soil (that prior to May was full of crabgrass!) and they're going gangbusters. So far we've had them sliced on sandwiches (I made some heavenly BLTs the other night, on lightly toasted French/Tuscan bread with Hellman's mayo) and chopped into pasta. I am thinking of making a bit pot of chili. Next year: maybe get a Foley food mill and put some up in jars or freezer. Also got way too many peaches at the farmers' market. Some are spotty drop peaches, others are perfect. I want to make some jam if I have enough. Or maybe blanch and freeze them. I love peach ice cream but when I made it last year it was not that good. They're sweet, ripe and amazing; I usually eat one or two at breakfast with or without plan organic yogurt, or mixed in with my juicings... Best fresh juice combo ever: Granny Smith apple, peach, white grape, blueberry, carrot. I invented it the other day; will make some later this morning, too. Good stuff from farmer's market we have eaten this week: red potatoes, lettuce, garlic, cucumber, kale (all organic), blueberries, Jersey Mac apples, peaches. Will go again on Tuesday. Maybe get some corn on the cob. Today I am gonna make the Barefoot Contessa's Roasted Shrimp and Orzo Salad. Will use fresh dill and parsley from my garden. I got pre-cooked shrimp cuz it was on sale, so hopefully it will still turn out good. Made it for the Barn Party last year and liked it a lot. I will leave it to meld flavors and chill overnight, and we can eat it tomorrow for lunch and beyond. Last night we had baked steelhead trout which was amazing; I had never cooked it before. I brushed it with molasses, seasoned it with garlic powder, red pepper, salt, and cumin, plus olive oil and lime juice. Yum. I may also have to make cupcakes in the next day or so, I will check at the cafe and see how they are selling. So far they're selling well. First week I sold three dozen, one dozen at a time delivered on 3 different days; this weekend they wanted two dozen in one order! I think it is because it's a new item so people are trying it out. I'm glad they are a success! I should get a photo of them at the shop and post it. What does the maypole represent? || 2Phallic Symbolss

Omnivore Meme! [15 Aug 2008|09:25am] chalkhorse Got this from feonixrift whose relationship with food is complex and fascinating. Also paganpilgrim posted it but only under the heading "meme" so I was not sure what the list referred to... Okay here goes! Not sure how to strikethrough so I will use "XXX" on those. Bold those you have tried. Strikethrough those you wouldn't eat on a bet. Italicize any item you'll never eat again. Asterisk any items you'd be interested in trying but have not yet. Underline anything you eat regularly (more than once a month-ish). Questionisk any items you've never heard of. (My (feonixrift's) addition.) 1. Venison 2. Nettle tea 3. Huevos rancheros 4. ***Steak tartare 5. XXX Crocodile 6. ***Black pudding 7. Cheese fondue 8. Carp 9. XXX Borscht (I hate beets) 10. Baba ghanouj 11. Calamari (a tradition in my family--I hate the texture of it) 12. Pho 13. PB&J sandwich 14. ??? Aloo gobi (I assume an Indian bread?) 15. Hot dog from a street cart 16. ??? Epoisses 17. ??? Black truffle 18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes 19. *** Steamed pork buns 20. Pistachio ice cream 21. Heirloom tomatoes 22. Fresh wild berries (in season of course) 23. Foie gras 24. Rice and beans 25. XXX Brawn, or head cheese (ew) 26. ??? Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper 27. Dulce de leche 28. Oysters (Just don't like 'em) 29. Baklava (too sweet for me) 30. ??? Bagna cauda 31. Wasabi peas too hot 32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl 33. ??? Salted lassi (is this the Indian drink?) 34. Sauerkraut 35. Root beer float 36. Cognac with a fat cigar (at a very classy bachelor party I worked as a dancer) 37. Clotted cream tea 38. ??? Vodka jelly 39. Gumbo 40. Oxtail 41. XXX Curried goat 42. XXX Whole insects 43. ??? Phaal 44. Goat’s milk (does goat cheese count?)</b> 45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more 46. XXX Fugu 47. Chicken tikka masala 48. Eel (it was served for Xmas eve at grandparents'--kinda tasty actually if you don't know what it is) 49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut (but never a "Hot Now" one!) 50. XXX Sea urchin 51. ***Prickly pear 52. XXX Umeboshi (it sounds nasty and I don't like pickly things) 53. XXX Abalone 54. Paneer 55. XXX McDonald’s Big Mac Meal 56. Spaetzle 57. XXX Dirty gin martini (I don't like olives) 58. Beer above 8% ABV (Haeffenreffer!) 59. Poutine 60. Carob chips 61. S’mores 62. XXX Sweetbreads (ew) 63. ??? Kaolin (as in clay?) 64. ??? Currywurst 65. ??? Durian 66. Frogs’ leg (a kid at my elementary school brought these in his lunch one day) 67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake 68. Haggis (I have two cans of it in my pantry!) 69. Fried plantain 70. Chitterlings, or andouillette 71. Gazpacho 72. XXX Caviar and blini (I hate caviar) 73. Louche absinthe 74. ??? Gjetost, or brunost 75. Roadkill (fresh!) 76. ??? Baijiu 77. XXX Hostess Fruit Pie 78. XXX Snail 79. Lapsang souchong 80. Bellini 81. ??? Tom yum 82. Eggs Benedict 83. ??? Pocky 84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant. 85. Kobe beef 86. Hare (does rabbit count?) 87. Goulash 88. Flowers 89. Horse 90. ??? Criollo chocolate 91. Spam 92. Soft shell crab 93. ??? Rose harissa 94. Catfish 95. ??? Mole poblano 96. Bagel and lox 97. Lobster Thermidor 98. Polenta 99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee (I used to sell this--but the creators of this list should be more specific: "Jamaican Blue Mountain" is the term for a blended mixture that is not 100% Blue Mountain beans; whereas the correct term for the real deal is "Jamaica Blue Mountain". It sells for high prices not because it is so amazing--Kona Hawaii is superior in many ways--but because the Japanese bid on 90% of the crop so it is in short supply and this expensive.) 100. XXX Snake What does the maypole represent? || 1Phallic Symbols

But I don't like Chai! [14 Aug 2008|04:22pm] chalkhorse You Are Chai Tea There are many subtle sides to your personality. You are difficult to decode. You are a complex and deep individual. You have many nuanced beliefs, and your mood frequently changes. You are a creative and expressive person. You draw your inspiration from the whole world. You enjoy exotic food, music, and travel. Your tastes are very international. What Kind of Tea Are You? What does the maypole represent? || 2Phallic Symbolss

More updatey-ness [13 Aug 2008|04:56pm] chalkhorse The dog: with lots of vacuuming, tea-tree soap baths every other day, and a flea collar, Maggie is nearly flea-free! Hopefully keeping this up will prove successful. She is acting a bit weird, though: doesn't like to go in the backyard for more than a minute or two. The cats: Monty is still living in the basement. He comes to the stairs to eat but won't come up. He is such a weirdo. Hopefully we can get him back into the house soon; this is not his first time living "elsewhere." Duncan and Stony both lost a bit of weight while we were away and now are hard to tell apart! The jogging: I have gone twice this week and it's going good; planning to head out in a bit to the track! Mom: now in a waiting game with Medicaid to see about her home care. My brother chimed in on my sister's latest email update to say it worries him she does not have any interest in any social contact or going outside at the place she is in now; only says "I just want to get out of here" which he, rightly, interprets as her sayings he wants to go home and back to her old routine: sitting in a chair, watching TV, smoking, and wasting away. Not good. But I think, after a time at home and once she goes back to the facility "for good" (I hate the way that sounds) she may start to want to change her routine a bit. I hope so. Cupcakes: I got my first check as a professional cupcake maker today! Hee hee. A whopping $38. The good news: they are selling really well and the owner of the cafe wants a bigger order for the weekend. Now I just have to develop a better rhythm and more efficient way of using "seconds" (I do bring the cafe some for samples). Garden: It has rained a LOT this week! So not much work happening beyond some weeding. But I have been looking at it a lot and planning my next moves. I want to re-do the front bed to have more low-maintenance shrubs and less of a cottage-garden make-up; the soil is just too full of clay to make all those perennials sustainable. I will still have spring bulbs, but will fill in with shrubs and groundcovers. To that end, I am getting a new hydrangea and orange rose off Ebay from my favorite shrub seller! Travels: We are heading back to Brushwood for Labor Day weekend. Considering an overnight jaunt to NYC in the next few days, maybe. What does the maypole represent? ||

One Or The Other. [13 Aug 2008|01:35pm] campion7 Using Andrea: My Time Lord Name is Acknalingundewaryerustlerechsamsayqueyer. Take The Time Lord Name Generator today! Created with Rum and Monkey's Name Generator Generator. Using Andie: My Time Lord Name is Mosdrashytonytanmorenoldacheengoldilden. Take The Time Lord Name Generator today! Created with Rum and Monkey's Name Generator Generator. Don't ask me how it came up with the differences. What does the maypole represent? ||

You will laugh and cry... [11 Aug 2008|09:22pm] chalkhorse depending, I suppose, on your political proclivities. Watch this! I seriously got tears in my eyes and not just from laughing... What does the maypole represent? || 1Phallic Symbols

Taking A Break From Job Searching. [11 Aug 2008|04:24pm] campion7 [ mood | blah ] ( More information than you want to know about me. ) What does the maypole represent? ||

Book Report. [10 Aug 2008|05:13pm] campion7 Recently finished: Labyrinth by Karen Mosse A Letter of Mary by Laurie R. King Running the Spiritual Path by Roger D. Joslin A Complaint-Free World: How to Stop Complaining and Start Enjoying the Life You Always Wanted by Will Bowen The Venetian's Wife by Nick Bantock Interview with an Angel by Stevan J. Thayer and Linda Sue Nathanson, Ph.D A Witch's Guide to Ghosts and the Supernatural by Gerina Dunwich Coraline by Neil Gaiman The Last Witchfinder by James Morrow The Swallows of Kabul by Yasmina Khadra The Lurking Fear and Other Stories by H.P. Lovecraft Currently reading: 700 Sundays by Billy Crystal The Murder Room by P.D. James Sherlock Holmes and the Ice Palace Murders by Larry Millett The Tomb and Other Tales by H.P. Lovecraft Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace What does the maypole represent? || 2Phallic Symbolss

Update on various things [09 Aug 2008|09:22am] chalkhorse Okay here is the basic update: Married life: I now have health insurance coverage (or will have when the card arrives in the mail next week). Everything else feels the same as it did before we were married! Wedding pics: starting to get a few of these, and Roy is sending stills and a video. My mother: Mom is back in the rehab facility, after a stay in the hospital. She had surgery to remove a "floating fungal ball" from her bladder, which was apparently causing all the infections. Forty doctors visited her since her condition was a bit of a medical curiosity. She looks a lot better. Rumor has it she can go home in two weeks; my sister is tryong to arrange care for her, I may go stay for a few days if she is home before September. Our dog: Maggie has fleas! I gave her a bath and she has a collar but the fleas are everywhere; hopefully this means they're jumping off her. What a pain. We don't want to "bomb" so we're just trying to clean everythingand keep rugs off the floors etc. until the fleas are gone. Fitness: I have not gone back to jogging yet, though I did keep up a pretty good uphill-power-walk routine while at Brushwood and walked several miles a day while in Elmira. But I have lost a total of fourteen pounds since the number on the scale prompted me to take up jogging again! So that's good. The garden: I've cleared many of my flower beds of weeds and replanted a few things. I've decided to plant shrubs (a flowering quince and caryopteris) and groundcovers (peacock plumbago) in the sunny front bed, which now has lots of flowers in it; the soil is just too hard and clayey, and heavy rain packs it down again, making roots grow in the top layer. Shrubs will be easier to maintain. I can keep the cottage garden look happening in other areas. The herb garden is a success! I have sweet basil, lemon basil, flat parsley, dill and thyme growing in abundance. The tomatoes are doing well, ripening at the rate of 1 a day. The pumpkins went crazy! I had to pull a lot of them out and the vines that had climbed the fence have been draped over the lower fence to see if they'll spread into the yard. Must not repeat that experiment in that spot! Work: I made my first batch of cupcakes for the cafe; we'll see how they sell. I have a film review due. I pulled weeds for the ice cream shop. Not much else, must figure out some freelance work for the rest of the summer. But having time to work on writing projects and the house and garden is good, too. What does the maypole represent? || 3Phallic Symbolss

20 Years Ago Today... [08 Aug 2008|11:18am] campion7 The lights came on at Wrigley Field. What does the maypole represent? ||

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