... will be held primarily on DW.

Every post after this one will direct comments back to DW. Anon commenting will be enabled as long as no one abuses it and, as always on DW, you can comment using OpenID.

God, I am SO tired of watching LJ do STUPID STUPID stuff and having people in fandom just shrug and go on with business as usual because, as someone recently said: "LJ's where the conversation is."

Right now a bunch of us are pretty pissed off that LJ's gone from three gender options (female, male and unspecified) to two. And if you guessed that those two are "female" and "male" give yourself a pat on the back. You know why they're doing it, don't you? So they can do a better job targeting ads.

Read all of Syne's post, too. You can't just get out of this by choosing one option or the other--specifying one of two genders will be mandatory on account creation.

And if you don't get that this is offensive, then really, I've got nothing to say to you. Fortunately, both rm in a post here and thingswithwings in a post here do have things to say.

I'm sure this will mean a few more people come over to DW or even IJ, but for the most part, fandom won't care. I'd love to be wrong, but each time LJ does something stupid, fandom's just shrugged and kept the conversation where it is. I don't know what it is and God I wish I did so I could figure out what to say to get people to realize that things like this hurt people.

We could host the conversation here on DW, if, you know, fandom gave a damn.

ETA: Supposedly this was a mistake although LJ's response sounds a little like backpedaling. See the ETA on this post and the question in the comment I linked to.

Some of the guys either next door or across the courtyard are yelling excitedly every once in a while. Based on the timing, it sorta sounds more like a football thing than a basketball thing.

In other news, I have a headache and I hate hate hate social anxiety. The amount of time I had to spend talking myself into making a simple phone call is ridiculous and absurd. On the good side, I made it and have an appointment with an optometrist on Saturday, the day before we leave.

Happy Chanukah!!

xposted to IJ and LJ

I love bread. I have always loved bread. Bread for breakfast, for dinner, for dessert, any and all kinds of bread. For several years, we went without because Webster had been diagnosed as having celiac's disease. Celiac's is "a digestive disease that damages the small intestine and interferes with absorption of nutrients from food. People who have celiac disease cannot tolerate gluten, a protein in wheat, rye, and barley. Gluten is found mainly in foods but may also be found in everyday products such as medicines, vitamins, and lip balms" (from here).

It was a pain, especially living here in the Wine Country where our artisan breads are known and loved. Within three miles of where I live is a world-renown bakery, and fewer than thirty miles away are a number of others equally well known. For my birthday, we go to a restaurant in San Francisco with its own bakery that puts the most delicious bread imaginable on the table, with fresh local olive oil.

We had to give all that up for years. I know that others suffer much more, and that we are lucky. And we were luckier than we knew because eventually Webster got a new gastroenterologist who ran the tests and discovered that, whatever is wrong with him, celiac's isn't it. We could eat bread again.

Almost at the same time, I discovered the New York Times's recipe for no-knead bread. When I was a kid I'd made bread a lot; I loved the kneading, and watching the dough rise, and oh, the flavor. But when I grew up I somehow lost the knack. The bread wouldn't rise. The crust was too hard. The bread lacked flavor. I decided that the yeast no longer loved me, and gave it up.

But now, armed with the NYT recipe and medical permission to eat gluten again, I tried my hand. We loved the results. Unlike me, Webster hadn't grown up in a house with fresh bread, so this was new to him. At first, he would eat about half a loaf at one sitting! Oops. Not good for his tummy, even if he could eat gluten. But it was soooo good.

Not long ago, I started hearing about another no-knead recipe, Artisan Bread, one that lets you make one big batch of dough and then bake whenever you want (recipe here). I think MRKinch mentioned it? Whoever did, I bless her. Now we have fresh bread literally every day, and if Webster wants something dessert-ish and quick, I turn some of the dough into little cinnamon buns or plain rolls that he slathers in strawberry jam.

I'm so enthusiastic about my breadmaking that I've documented it! So if you dare, here is ME making BREAD!

( Seriously, links to BIG pictures of me making bread )

You didn't give me your name, but I want you to know that the note you wrote meant a lot to me and made me tear up just a little. Thank you!

And yay cast iron frying pan! Corn bread! Pan Seared Rib Eyes!!

Thank you again.

♥

Just one tonight:

From the 2009 Yule LE Line:

Sol Invictus -- "A radiant blend of solar oils: golden amber, saffron, heliotrope, hibiscus, citron, frangipani, frankincense, tangerine, mock orange, and orange blossom."

It's a somewhat heavy floral with just a touch of ambery spice under it. Mostly what I'm getting is the frangipani and the orange blossom grounded by the amber. I'd say this is an almost tropical floral for people who don't like florals. In other words, me. :)

...replace the milk the cheese sauce for baked macaroni and cheese with mostly heavy cream (I thinned it with a little milk)?

Don't.

God, I think I'm gonna die.

Thing is, other than that the fact that it was insanely rich, it was incredibly good. Half sharp cheddar, a quarter jack and a quarter blue cheese made for a nice mix of cheesy taste and melty goodness.

Oh also? It had bacon in it.

Die, I tell you. I'm gonna die.

xposted to IJ and LJ

Why am I not getting my IJ and LJ notices? Do both services have it out for me? Dang. Still not going to DW, though. There has to be a third way.

Casa McShep is open! Yay!

( Some big photos back here )

*dances* SGA Santa is done and off to the beta!! Only chibi!John can express my glee!

Seen all over my flist...

If I came with a warning label, what would it say?

So dinner tonight was all kinds of win.

I made the Bacon Potato Leek Soup with a few changes* and it was utterly fantastic. I just served it with some nice sourdough rolls, but it'd be good with a salad or as the soup course in a larger meal.

It was insanely easy except for the part where the only potatoes I had were baby gold and let me tell you, peeling enough baby potatoes to make four cups of diced potatoes is a big pain in the ass.

And! I got to play with my stick blender! Wheeeee! I think it's my new favorite kitchen toy in terms of sheer fun. In terms of practicality, the chopper still wins.

Also, I meant to say that you don't really need a stick blender or any kind of blender. It would have been good if I'd mashed with my trusty potato masher.

*I forgot to get fresh thyme at the store and for some unknown reason I don't have any dried. Also, we have no cognac and I didn't really want to spend the money for some just to cook with.

xposted to IJ and LJ

Oh my fucking god, but it's cold:



Just look at that. Already almost freezing and it isn't even 9:30.

My holiday shopping is nearly done except for my sister. What to get her? I renewed her wine club subscription -- she says she likes the wine, so I keep extending the subscription, but what if she's just saying that? How does one know? I'd like to give her something else, but what? ACK.

Please see my new icon made by Monanotlisa. I call it "Teyla is beautiful." It has inspired me to get back to work on my Teyla story.

I bet I'm not the only person who comes to associate a specific song with a story I'm writing. Am I? REM's "Nightswimming" is a perennial favorite of mine; it informs both Endings Unexpectedly Happy (I forgot my shirt at the water's edge / The moon is low tonight) and I Am Your Image Dressed as the World (The photograph on the dashboard, taken years ago / Turned around backwards so the windshield shows / Every streetlight reveals the picture in reverse). And now with Teyla's story, too:

You, I thought I knew you.
You I cannot judge.
You, I thought you knew me,
this one laughing quietly underneath my breath.
Nightswimming.

Here's an mp3 of Nightswimming. Isn't it lovely?

Oh my god, did I mention it's cold?

Write your damn self, plz.

No Love,

Me

Leeks, a cabbage, baby bok choy, kale (or some other kind of green), a head of broccoli, yellow and red onions, tangerines, and some pears.

I have potatoes already, so I'mm stop at the store on the way home and pick up some cream and some bacon so I can make Bacon Potato Leek Soup although I won't be buying cognac.

Okay what the hell is wrong with you people?! There isn't a tag on AO3 for "puddlejumper sex"?

Or at least there wasn't....

xposted to IJ and LJ

Brrr! I woke up to find this:

I love the rain but I'm not so crazy about the cold.

Why do weekends fly by so quickly, yet workweeks drag on forever? One of life's mysteries.

Nice people have tried to send me one of those snowflake cookies but I have LJ gifts blocked. I did so because their gifts usually cost money and it seems the most generous fans are those who can least afford it. But the cookies are free, so I'm missing out! But thank those of you who have tried; it makes me very happy that you did.

( Here are things I want to share: )

So apparently, "real people" never ever get over having an abortion/making the decision to have one.

I can't give context because it's a comment in a locked post, but wow do I get tired of hearing, from both sides of the debate, that there's something wrong with me.

I also debated flocking this but no, this is part of who I am.

Step One:
• Make a post (public, friendslocked, filtered... whatever you're comfortable with) to your journal. The post should contain your list of 10 unlimited holiday wishes. The wishes can be anything at all, from simple and fandom-related ("I'd love a Snape/Hermione icon that's just for me") to medium ("I wish for _____ on DVD") to really big ("All I want for Christmas is a new car/computer/house/TV.") The important thing is to make sure these wishes are things you really, truly want.
• If you wish for real life things (not fics or icons), make sure you include some sort of contact info in your post, whether it's your address or just your email address where Santa (or one of his elves) could get in touch with you.
• Also, make sure you post some version of these guidelines in your journal, so that the holiday joy will spread.

Step Two:
• Surf around your friendslist (or friendsfriends, or just random journals) to see who has posted their list. And now here's the important part:
• If you see a wish you can grant, and it's in your heart to do so, make someone's wish come true. Sometimes someone's trash is another's treasure, and if you have a leather jacket you don't want or a gift certificate you won't use--or even know where you could get someone's dream purebred Basset Hound for free--do it.
• You needn't spend money on these wishes unless you want to. The point isn't to put people out; it's to provide everyone a chance to be someone else's holiday elf--to spread the joy. Gifts can be made anonymously or not--it's your call.
* There are no rules with this project, no guarantees, and no strings attached. Just... wish, and it might come true. Give and you might receive. And you'll have the joy of knowing you made someone's holiday special.

( my list )