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Master Fic List
Doctor Who
Single Chapter Stories
Third Doctor
( Read more... )
Fourth Doctor
Cooking with Gallifreyans (LJ)
Ninth Doctor
( Read more... )
Tenth Doctor
( Read more... )
Eleventh Doctor
( Read more... )
Twelfth Doctor
( Read more... )
Thirteenth Doctor
( Read more... )
Sarah Jane Adventures
A Light in the Dark (LJ)
Carbon, Earth and Stardust (LJ)
Torchwood
Triptych (LJ)
Going Out With the Tide (LJ)
Multi-Chapter Stories
Walk Out With Me to the Unknown Region
Sapphire and Steel
( Read more... )
Arcane: League of Legends
( Read more... )
Marvel Cinematic Universe
( Read more... )
The Goblin Emperor
( Read more... )
Vorkosiverse
( Read more... )
Miscellaneous
( Read more... )
Meta
( Read more... )
External Links: Ao3; Teaspoon
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Sticky: Dept. of Organization
Multi- Chapter Stories
Most links to my multi-chapter stories will be to their Dreamwidth posts; links to stories prior to 2012 may go both to LJ and DW. Each multi-chapter Whoniverse story is also available at my Teaspoon and AO3 accounts.
Doctor Who
Walk Out With Me to the Unknown Region
Hearts and Moons Recall the Truth
( Read more... )
Sea Bound Hearts
( Read more... )
Redeeming the Tree
( Read more... )
Paying A Debt
( Read more... )
Bubble Tea
( Read more... )
Most links to my multi-chapter stories will be to their Dreamwidth posts; links to stories prior to 2012 may go both to LJ and DW. Each multi-chapter Whoniverse story is also available at my Teaspoon and AO3 accounts.
Doctor Who
Walk Out With Me to the Unknown Region
Hearts and Moons Recall the Truth
( Read more... )
Sea Bound Hearts
( Read more... )
Redeeming the Tree
( Read more... )
Paying A Debt
( Read more... )
Bubble Tea
( Read more... )
Entry tags:
Sticky: Dept. of Fandom Snowflake
Welcome - Let Me Talk About Myself!
This year I decided I'd take part in
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
snowflake_challenge , in part because I want to keep active in fandom, tell people how much I value them and, (probably more than) occasionally, talk about who I am and why I do what I do. The first challenge asked me to introduce myself to people. So here goes, but I've put it under a cut because it goes on and on and on.
( Read more... )
Entry tags:
Dept. of Remembrance
Happy Birthday, Mum
This is Mary Glen Keirstead Routliffe Stirling. She was born on May 30, 1927, in Greenwich, Nova Scotia, Canada. For most of her life, she lived within 10.5 miles of the house where a midwife delivered her.* Nova Scotia was where she died, on Oct. 27, 2013. Nova Scotia was her home.
In the 13 years since she died, I've generally remembered her on the anniversary of her death, and I'll undoubtedly do that again. But today, when she would have turned 98 if she hadn't moved on, I wanted to turn my face to the sky and sing Happy Birthday to her. I hope she and my stepdad, Rob Stirling, young and beautiful again as they were when they fell in love, are together.
And I like to think that after a modest dinner at a modest heavenly restaurant, with a birthday cake that has all the taste and none of the calories, that they will leave the restaurant, and dance together, twirling and laughing, in the stars.
I love you, Mum.
*She spent a short time in Montreal as a newly minted nurse, and later, in the years she was married to my father, she lived in or around Mont Joli, Quebec. Together, those probably consisted of no more than five years.
This is Mary Glen Keirstead Routliffe Stirling. She was born on May 30, 1927, in Greenwich, Nova Scotia, Canada. For most of her life, she lived within 10.5 miles of the house where a midwife delivered her.* Nova Scotia was where she died, on Oct. 27, 2013. Nova Scotia was her home.
In the 13 years since she died, I've generally remembered her on the anniversary of her death, and I'll undoubtedly do that again. But today, when she would have turned 98 if she hadn't moved on, I wanted to turn my face to the sky and sing Happy Birthday to her. I hope she and my stepdad, Rob Stirling, young and beautiful again as they were when they fell in love, are together.
And I like to think that after a modest dinner at a modest heavenly restaurant, with a birthday cake that has all the taste and none of the calories, that they will leave the restaurant, and dance together, twirling and laughing, in the stars.
I love you, Mum.
*She spent a short time in Montreal as a newly minted nurse, and later, in the years she was married to my father, she lived in or around Mont Joli, Quebec. Together, those probably consisted of no more than five years.
Entry tags:
Dept. of Kitchen Work
Orange Cake and Daily Tasks
Very quickly, because I'm busy rewatching a Korean music group challenge show (because of course I am), I wanted to announce to a waiting world that the second time I baked this particular orange cake, it was just as good as the first time. I am satisfied.
Today was supposed to be the first day that I gathered up all the paperwork we need to prepare Bob's Canadian permanent residence application. I ended up dealing with other things, but I hope it wasn't just a case of me trying to avoid a tough job. It's undoubtedly not nearly as tough as my fears make it seem. I'm going to do my best tomorrow to get the job done. Then Bob and I will figure out the following day's tasks wrt the application. We figured that we'd try to tackle one job each every day, and we're going to try to stick to that.
Well, except for me, obviously. Sigh.
Wish us both luck tomorrow.
Very quickly, because I'm busy rewatching a Korean music group challenge show (because of course I am), I wanted to announce to a waiting world that the second time I baked this particular orange cake, it was just as good as the first time. I am satisfied.
Today was supposed to be the first day that I gathered up all the paperwork we need to prepare Bob's Canadian permanent residence application. I ended up dealing with other things, but I hope it wasn't just a case of me trying to avoid a tough job. It's undoubtedly not nearly as tough as my fears make it seem. I'm going to do my best tomorrow to get the job done. Then Bob and I will figure out the following day's tasks wrt the application. We figured that we'd try to tackle one job each every day, and we're going to try to stick to that.
Well, except for me, obviously. Sigh.
Wish us both luck tomorrow.
Dept. of Holy Days
Once Again, I Remember.
There are thousands upon thousands of men and women across the country's military branches who have given their lives in defense of the nation, or as victims of the country's necessary and unnecessary wars. This day is complicated, especially for someone who grew up in Canada, where solemn remembrance of such losses are marked on Nov. 11.
Over the years, I've come to mark Memorial Day in two ways. I honor those people, so many of them young, who gave the last full measure of devotion in wars. And I also remember people who I lost. So here are two essays I wrote in previous years.
*** *** ***
Memorial Day: It's Complicated
( It's complicated. )
*** *** ***
I Remember: A Personal Memorial Day
( I Miss Them )
There are thousands upon thousands of men and women across the country's military branches who have given their lives in defense of the nation, or as victims of the country's necessary and unnecessary wars. This day is complicated, especially for someone who grew up in Canada, where solemn remembrance of such losses are marked on Nov. 11.
Over the years, I've come to mark Memorial Day in two ways. I honor those people, so many of them young, who gave the last full measure of devotion in wars. And I also remember people who I lost. So here are two essays I wrote in previous years.
*** *** ***
Memorial Day: It's Complicated
( It's complicated. )
*** *** ***
I Remember: A Personal Memorial Day
( I Miss Them )
Entry tags:
- ateez,
- food,
- home stuff,
- k-pop,
- woo-hoo!
Dept. of Sunday Success
Bread Worked Out. Plus 2024 Ateez Coachella Performances Located
Yes, I am but a tiny speck on this globe, and my successes and failures are as unimportant as can possibly be imagined. Still, one takes one's victories where one can find them, she said pretentiously.
First the bread. I went back to a Kitchen Aid recipe for two loaves of white bread. I'd previously had minimal success with it, but I wasn't going to fool around with a completely new recipe, and potentially lose more ingredients, a la yesterday's whole wheat bread failure (I'm not going to call it a debacle, because I've learned from it.)
I was pleasantly surprised, to put it mildly. I paid a great deal of attention to the heat of the liquid into which I was supposed to put the dry yeast, and I'm embarrassed to say that was something I previously failed to do well. And surprise! The bread came together and rose beautifully, not just during the first rise, but during the final rise. They're now out of the oven and they look spectacularly ordinary, which was what I was aiming for. Huzzah!
The second bit of success was within the field of my latest obsession, the KPop group called Ateez. Like SKZ, they have eight members, and they debuted just a bit later (Oct. 24, 2018) than Stray Kids (March 25, 2018). The two groups are very friendly, despite working under different entertainment agencies.
Ateez songs, choreography, and lore differ noticeably from SKZ; to my ears, they're just a hair rougher than their hyungs. Both groups have labored under peoples' view of them as noisy, and I think that's one of the reasons they appreciate each other. But I digress. I was trying to find videos of one or both weekends they performed at Coachella 2024. It was difficult, but the KPop subreddit came to my rescue. And since Bob agreed to watch one of the performances with me, I now have something to show him. Again - huzzah!
Yes, I am but a tiny speck on this globe, and my successes and failures are as unimportant as can possibly be imagined. Still, one takes one's victories where one can find them, she said pretentiously.
First the bread. I went back to a Kitchen Aid recipe for two loaves of white bread. I'd previously had minimal success with it, but I wasn't going to fool around with a completely new recipe, and potentially lose more ingredients, a la yesterday's whole wheat bread failure (I'm not going to call it a debacle, because I've learned from it.)
I was pleasantly surprised, to put it mildly. I paid a great deal of attention to the heat of the liquid into which I was supposed to put the dry yeast, and I'm embarrassed to say that was something I previously failed to do well. And surprise! The bread came together and rose beautifully, not just during the first rise, but during the final rise. They're now out of the oven and they look spectacularly ordinary, which was what I was aiming for. Huzzah!
The second bit of success was within the field of my latest obsession, the KPop group called Ateez. Like SKZ, they have eight members, and they debuted just a bit later (Oct. 24, 2018) than Stray Kids (March 25, 2018). The two groups are very friendly, despite working under different entertainment agencies.
Ateez songs, choreography, and lore differ noticeably from SKZ; to my ears, they're just a hair rougher than their hyungs. Both groups have labored under peoples' view of them as noisy, and I think that's one of the reasons they appreciate each other. But I digress. I was trying to find videos of one or both weekends they performed at Coachella 2024. It was difficult, but the KPop subreddit came to my rescue. And since Bob agreed to watch one of the performances with me, I now have something to show him. Again - huzzah!
Dept. of Remembrance
George Floyd
It's been five years since George Floyd was murdered by Derek Chauvin. Little has changed, except to get worse.
The racist rot runs deep in this country - arguably it's one of the rotten support beams holding the United States up. Perhaps we can change that, and create support beams that partake of justice, but these days I'm not overly optimistic.
I remember George Floyd. I mourn him, at least in that way that a strange white woman can mourn him. I hope other strange white women, and white men, and others who aren't Black Americans can also mourn. And perhaps starting working for something better.
It's been five years since George Floyd was murdered by Derek Chauvin. Little has changed, except to get worse.
The racist rot runs deep in this country - arguably it's one of the rotten support beams holding the United States up. Perhaps we can change that, and create support beams that partake of justice, but these days I'm not overly optimistic.
I remember George Floyd. I mourn him, at least in that way that a strange white woman can mourn him. I hope other strange white women, and white men, and others who aren't Black Americans can also mourn. And perhaps starting working for something better.
Entry tags:
Dept. of Social Interaction
Entertaining: the Art of Maintaining Spoons
We had a young friend over for supper tonight. He's a reporter I've known for a few years. He's very good at what he does, although I sometimes wonder if he fully realizes it. He is an immigrant, whose family came to the U.S. when he was fairly young, and he's worked through some challenges, and done so very well, in my opinion. He recently became an American citizen.
I put together some slow-cooker beef bourguignon (well, it started that way, but I added a lot more than just red wine, plus vegetables that don't normally go into that dish), and an orange cake, put the place generally to rights, with Bob's help. I'd hoped to dust the living room, but Bob got the carpet vacuumed, and that made the place presentable.
For a wonder, everything was ready when our friend got here. It's been some time (as in, a few years) since we've had him over. We truly are hermits; we have friends who we haven't interacted with for horribly long periods of time ... anyhow, last week I ran into him at a social event for people who work for one of the local online news outlets I do stringer work for. He was feeling fairly down for various reasons, and asked if I could give him a hug. Well, that did it for me; I had to have him over for supper.
We had a really enjoyable time with him, for a couple of hours, and then I had to bring the evening to a close. The physical reason was because my back was starting to suggest that I should find some heat or ice as soon as possible. The mental and emotional reason was that I abruptly lost every one of my remaining spoons and I needed to be alone with Bob, STAT.
It happens to me, and to Bob. We still enjoy entertaining people, albeit not nearly as much as we used to, when we had a larger place, but it's always been tiring, and these days it's even more so. Entertaining people means you have to put your own best foot forward; you have to be on, in order to make sure your guests have a good time, to make sure you're listening to them, to make sure you're not talking too much at their expense, and so much more. And yes, you work hard to present yourself as an excellent host.
It is fucking exhausting. It's fun, but only for a given amount of time. Once that last spoon is gone? It's time to beat a determined retreat.
And that's what I'm about to do. Painkillers and heating pads, ho!
We had a young friend over for supper tonight. He's a reporter I've known for a few years. He's very good at what he does, although I sometimes wonder if he fully realizes it. He is an immigrant, whose family came to the U.S. when he was fairly young, and he's worked through some challenges, and done so very well, in my opinion. He recently became an American citizen.
I put together some slow-cooker beef bourguignon (well, it started that way, but I added a lot more than just red wine, plus vegetables that don't normally go into that dish), and an orange cake, put the place generally to rights, with Bob's help. I'd hoped to dust the living room, but Bob got the carpet vacuumed, and that made the place presentable.
For a wonder, everything was ready when our friend got here. It's been some time (as in, a few years) since we've had him over. We truly are hermits; we have friends who we haven't interacted with for horribly long periods of time ... anyhow, last week I ran into him at a social event for people who work for one of the local online news outlets I do stringer work for. He was feeling fairly down for various reasons, and asked if I could give him a hug. Well, that did it for me; I had to have him over for supper.
We had a really enjoyable time with him, for a couple of hours, and then I had to bring the evening to a close. The physical reason was because my back was starting to suggest that I should find some heat or ice as soon as possible. The mental and emotional reason was that I abruptly lost every one of my remaining spoons and I needed to be alone with Bob, STAT.
It happens to me, and to Bob. We still enjoy entertaining people, albeit not nearly as much as we used to, when we had a larger place, but it's always been tiring, and these days it's even more so. Entertaining people means you have to put your own best foot forward; you have to be on, in order to make sure your guests have a good time, to make sure you're listening to them, to make sure you're not talking too much at their expense, and so much more. And yes, you work hard to present yourself as an excellent host.
It is fucking exhausting. It's fun, but only for a given amount of time. Once that last spoon is gone? It's time to beat a determined retreat.
And that's what I'm about to do. Painkillers and heating pads, ho!
Entry tags:
Dept, of Friday afternoon
Bread Dread
I didn't get my first try at whole wheat bread done. I got the yeast mix too hot. It didn't rise at all. Ended up throwing out a lovely smelling brown brick. Still, it's a learning process. I may try again tomorrow.
I also have to make beef stew tomorrow; we're having a friend over. Wish me luck.
Oh, and I've watched episodes 2 and 3 of Dr. Who. I imagine I'll have some thoughts soon.
I didn't get my first try at whole wheat bread done. I got the yeast mix too hot. It didn't rise at all. Ended up throwing out a lovely smelling brown brick. Still, it's a learning process. I may try again tomorrow.
I also have to make beef stew tomorrow; we're having a friend over. Wish me luck.
Oh, and I've watched episodes 2 and 3 of Dr. Who. I imagine I'll have some thoughts soon.
Entry tags:
Dept. of Not-White Noise
Overly Loud Music in Ear Buds: Threat or Menace?*
It's been a minute since I last posted. Not, like, a real long minute, but a metaphorical minute nonetheless. For the last few days, it's been dank and grey here in Chicago, and the stress levels at Casa kaffy_rbob continue to be somewhere between Defcon 3 and 2, for all the reasons previously recited at tedious length.
When that happens, or continues happening, my go-to stress reliever, the one that effectively cuts my ability to get things done, but possibly saves a sliver of my sanity, is to put my ear buds in, and blast SKZ or Ateez at skull-rattlingly unhealthy levels right into my brain. It's a good thing that's actually a very bad thing, but I don't really care. If my hearing wasn't damaged by standing on a stage between very loud amplifiers, then my rock and roll card needs to be revoked.
But my stress level is now closer to Defcon 3, which is a bit of a relief. We finally realized that the idea of trying to balance Bob's permanent residence application at the same time as getting the house ready to sell and finding someplace to live in N. S., and getting decent movers who understand getting things across the border was stupid.
We're going to tell the movers who keep bothering us (admittedly because we contacted them first) and our very patient real estate agent that everything will be put on hold until the application is completed, in, and Bob gets accepted for permanent residence. I'd originally fought the idea, thinking that we could actually handle everything at once. I'm very glad that Bob convinced me otherwise.
So perhaps I won't have to turn my ear buds up to 11 for the next couple of days.
* and if you get that reference, congratulations - you've joined the "older than dirt, and still hipper than the room" club.
It's been a minute since I last posted. Not, like, a real long minute, but a metaphorical minute nonetheless. For the last few days, it's been dank and grey here in Chicago, and the stress levels at Casa kaffy_rbob continue to be somewhere between Defcon 3 and 2, for all the reasons previously recited at tedious length.
When that happens, or continues happening, my go-to stress reliever, the one that effectively cuts my ability to get things done, but possibly saves a sliver of my sanity, is to put my ear buds in, and blast SKZ or Ateez at skull-rattlingly unhealthy levels right into my brain. It's a good thing that's actually a very bad thing, but I don't really care. If my hearing wasn't damaged by standing on a stage between very loud amplifiers, then my rock and roll card needs to be revoked.
But my stress level is now closer to Defcon 3, which is a bit of a relief. We finally realized that the idea of trying to balance Bob's permanent residence application at the same time as getting the house ready to sell and finding someplace to live in N. S., and getting decent movers who understand getting things across the border was stupid.
We're going to tell the movers who keep bothering us (admittedly because we contacted them first) and our very patient real estate agent that everything will be put on hold until the application is completed, in, and Bob gets accepted for permanent residence. I'd originally fought the idea, thinking that we could actually handle everything at once. I'm very glad that Bob convinced me otherwise.
So perhaps I won't have to turn my ear buds up to 11 for the next couple of days.
* and if you get that reference, congratulations - you've joined the "older than dirt, and still hipper than the room" club.
Entry tags:
Dept. of Obsession
Because of Course I Am. Obsessed. WHAT??!?
I've been listening to the four latest music videos from Stray Kids. The eight of them paired up (just like in school! When you had to pick someone to do the project with!) and gifted us Stays with four amazing pieces of music and video.
While I'm not going to go on at embarrassing length about all four, I do have to say that the fourth one, "Cinema," performed by two of the sweetest-voiced members, Seungmin and Lee Know, caught me completely by surprise at how deep it burrowed into my ears and my heart.
Just as its title suggests, the video is very cinematic. It tells a story, one that science fiction lover me immediately grabbed, stuffed into my brain and started writing back story for. As a one-time chick singer in a monumentally unsuccessful band, and as someone who's not averse to post-apocalyptic monographs and/or navel gazing, this story - open to interpretation, of course, as all good visual art is - this hit me where I live. The end hasn't failed to raise the hair on the back of my neck. Nor has it failed to thicken my throat with tears.
I promise I'll go back to less ridiculously niche maunderings. But I hope you enjoy the music, and the potentially intended story.
(They were actually extremely cold when they filmed this. It's not makeup.)
I've been listening to the four latest music videos from Stray Kids. The eight of them paired up (just like in school! When you had to pick someone to do the project with!) and gifted us Stays with four amazing pieces of music and video.
While I'm not going to go on at embarrassing length about all four, I do have to say that the fourth one, "Cinema," performed by two of the sweetest-voiced members, Seungmin and Lee Know, caught me completely by surprise at how deep it burrowed into my ears and my heart.
Just as its title suggests, the video is very cinematic. It tells a story, one that science fiction lover me immediately grabbed, stuffed into my brain and started writing back story for. As a one-time chick singer in a monumentally unsuccessful band, and as someone who's not averse to post-apocalyptic monographs and/or navel gazing, this story - open to interpretation, of course, as all good visual art is - this hit me where I live. The end hasn't failed to raise the hair on the back of my neck. Nor has it failed to thicken my throat with tears.
I promise I'll go back to less ridiculously niche maunderings. But I hope you enjoy the music, and the potentially intended story.
(They were actually extremely cold when they filmed this. It's not makeup.)
Entry tags:
Dept. of Health
Ghibli Cleanses the Spiritual Palate
I suggested to Bob that we might get rid of some of our stress by turning to something that never fails to do us good; watch a Ghibli movie. Now all I have to do is decide which one to watch.
In the "Get a couple of things done each day" department, I vacuumed the bedroom, made a choclate-peanut butter cake and some sweet and sour red cabbage, and continued to enjoy a potato scallop dish with cheese that I made a day or so ago. (June Allyson must be smiling somewhere. Probably with Senator Hruska. I'd say "Look It Up, Children," but my Google-fu can't find the National Lampoon piece that, well, lampooned the two of them. NatLamp was generally as cruel as a bunch of snide, rich kids who were certain they were the smartest kids in the the room could be. But I digress. A lot. Never mind).
Back to Ghibli. We're going with "When Marnie was There."
I suggested to Bob that we might get rid of some of our stress by turning to something that never fails to do us good; watch a Ghibli movie. Now all I have to do is decide which one to watch.
In the "Get a couple of things done each day" department, I vacuumed the bedroom, made a choclate-peanut butter cake and some sweet and sour red cabbage, and continued to enjoy a potato scallop dish with cheese that I made a day or so ago. (June Allyson must be smiling somewhere. Probably with Senator Hruska. I'd say "Look It Up, Children," but my Google-fu can't find the National Lampoon piece that, well, lampooned the two of them. NatLamp was generally as cruel as a bunch of snide, rich kids who were certain they were the smartest kids in the the room could be. But I digress. A lot. Never mind).
Back to Ghibli. We're going with "When Marnie was There."
Entry tags:
Dept of Saturday
I Got Things Done!
This is mostly to remind myself that doing things in small chunks, with lots of breaks to do nothing, or read, or watch videos, or listen to music, works just as well as writing four or five paragraphs at a time does.
I got the bathroom cleaned, something it desperately needed. I still need to scrub the floor and tackle the shower walls, but it doesn't repulse me now, the way it did while I was consumed with writing deadlines and just a tad of back pain.
I cleaned the kitchen and took care of the catbox and some recyclables. These are quotidian tasks but I often leave them undone for a few days at a time. Not good. Today's work was good.
I emptied the vacuum yesterday, and it's ready for action (living room, hall and office) tomorrow.
I found a very nice recipe for lime and garlic chicken that didn't use any tomato stuff. I followed the recipe exactly, and it came out right. Imagine that, says the woman who usually fiddles and shortcuts recipes, which works about 60 percent of the time and doesn't the rest of the time. We had chicken and mashed potatoes with butter and parmesan cheese, and green beans with butter. The mashed potatoes were done for Bob, because I've been providing him with a lot of dishes that I like (heavy into legumes, quasi-Asian and Indian) lately, and I know he sometimes longs for at-least-kinda-American dishes. It's been stressful for him lately, and this was a supper I was happy to cheer him up with.
I just had an inordinately hot shower, I'm listening an inordinately long SKZ playlist, and I declare today a general win.
Oh, I forgot to say that I redyed my hair on ... hmmm ... Monday? It's wonderful. I've been coming to grips with the fact that my hair is thinning, but when it's freshly blue, it looks a lot better. And modern hair dyes are a lot gentler than the dyes that kept my hair red for decades, so I'm relatively sure the dye isn't why the hair is thinning. I think it's genes; I'd hoped to luck into my father's thick hair, and not be beset with Mum's fine hair that was very thin by the end of her life. I've apparently landed right in the middle. And that's something I can live with. Not completely happily, but I can live with it.
And tomorrow, I'm going to tackle some fiction writing that I've been ignoring for too long.
This is mostly to remind myself that doing things in small chunks, with lots of breaks to do nothing, or read, or watch videos, or listen to music, works just as well as writing four or five paragraphs at a time does.
I got the bathroom cleaned, something it desperately needed. I still need to scrub the floor and tackle the shower walls, but it doesn't repulse me now, the way it did while I was consumed with writing deadlines and just a tad of back pain.
I cleaned the kitchen and took care of the catbox and some recyclables. These are quotidian tasks but I often leave them undone for a few days at a time. Not good. Today's work was good.
I emptied the vacuum yesterday, and it's ready for action (living room, hall and office) tomorrow.
I found a very nice recipe for lime and garlic chicken that didn't use any tomato stuff. I followed the recipe exactly, and it came out right. Imagine that, says the woman who usually fiddles and shortcuts recipes, which works about 60 percent of the time and doesn't the rest of the time. We had chicken and mashed potatoes with butter and parmesan cheese, and green beans with butter. The mashed potatoes were done for Bob, because I've been providing him with a lot of dishes that I like (heavy into legumes, quasi-Asian and Indian) lately, and I know he sometimes longs for at-least-kinda-American dishes. It's been stressful for him lately, and this was a supper I was happy to cheer him up with.
I just had an inordinately hot shower, I'm listening an inordinately long SKZ playlist, and I declare today a general win.
Oh, I forgot to say that I redyed my hair on ... hmmm ... Monday? It's wonderful. I've been coming to grips with the fact that my hair is thinning, but when it's freshly blue, it looks a lot better. And modern hair dyes are a lot gentler than the dyes that kept my hair red for decades, so I'm relatively sure the dye isn't why the hair is thinning. I think it's genes; I'd hoped to luck into my father's thick hair, and not be beset with Mum's fine hair that was very thin by the end of her life. I've apparently landed right in the middle. And that's something I can live with. Not completely happily, but I can live with it.
And tomorrow, I'm going to tackle some fiction writing that I've been ignoring for too long.
Dept. of Canada
Election Night
I'm just dropping in to say that I'm spending the evening locked in to CBC's live coverage of Canada's election. Probably switching from coffee to soju around 8 p.m., Chicago time, as I wait to see if the Liberal Party wins 172 seats to have a majority government.
Just a reminder, although I'm sure that most of my f'list is aware of this, that Canada runs on a parliamentary system. We don't directly vote the top of the ticket, in this case the person who becomes Prime Minister. The government comprises the majority of ridings (which are like American districts), in a majority government, or becomes a minority government with a plurality of ridings.
Although, if I were living in Canada, I'd probably vote for the New Democratic Party generally, I'd be voting Liberal tonight. We - Canadians and Canada - can't afford Pierre Polievre or his Conservative Party. Carney has experience with That Man (and even Poilievre doesn't want to be connected to the latter. This morning, he told 45/47 to butt out of Canada's election) and he's at least 1,000 percent more intelligent than 45/47, and even though he's definitely a centrist corporatist, that's a tad different than it is in the U.S.
So, yes, I'll be watching. And crossing my fingers. Elbows the fuck up, Canada!
I'm just dropping in to say that I'm spending the evening locked in to CBC's live coverage of Canada's election. Probably switching from coffee to soju around 8 p.m., Chicago time, as I wait to see if the Liberal Party wins 172 seats to have a majority government.
Just a reminder, although I'm sure that most of my f'list is aware of this, that Canada runs on a parliamentary system. We don't directly vote the top of the ticket, in this case the person who becomes Prime Minister. The government comprises the majority of ridings (which are like American districts), in a majority government, or becomes a minority government with a plurality of ridings.
Although, if I were living in Canada, I'd probably vote for the New Democratic Party generally, I'd be voting Liberal tonight. We - Canadians and Canada - can't afford Pierre Polievre or his Conservative Party. Carney has experience with That Man (and even Poilievre doesn't want to be connected to the latter. This morning, he told 45/47 to butt out of Canada's election) and he's at least 1,000 percent more intelligent than 45/47, and even though he's definitely a centrist corporatist, that's a tad different than it is in the U.S.
So, yes, I'll be watching. And crossing my fingers. Elbows the fuck up, Canada!
Dept. of New KPop Obsession
Because of Course There's Another Group to Love
They're Ateez, from a relatively small KPop entertainment company, KQ. They have eight members, all of whose names I now know, and who I can now identify (and amongst who I have my biases). They don't have quite as much creative control as Stray Kids, but because they're with a small company, they do have more control than many other groups. They've been around only slightly less time than SKZ, and members of the two groups are friends (they all competed in Legendary Wars, which isn't a thing I need to bother y'all with.)
I love their music, and I love their music videos. They have so much fun, and have, apparently, such fun in making sure their MVs are ridiculous ... and they sing and dance just ... well, I'm not going to fangirl too much. Instead, I'm going to bother you with at least three MVs. "Bouncy," and "Work," which came out in 2023 and 2024 respectively, and "Ice on My Teeth," also out in 2024. They have a metric ton of lore, but I'm not going to bother y'all with that, either.
Just enjoy the crazy, and the dancing, and the acting, and the music, and the knowing humor of it all.
And then there's "Work"
And finally, "Ice on My Teeth"
They're Ateez, from a relatively small KPop entertainment company, KQ. They have eight members, all of whose names I now know, and who I can now identify (and amongst who I have my biases). They don't have quite as much creative control as Stray Kids, but because they're with a small company, they do have more control than many other groups. They've been around only slightly less time than SKZ, and members of the two groups are friends (they all competed in Legendary Wars, which isn't a thing I need to bother y'all with.)
I love their music, and I love their music videos. They have so much fun, and have, apparently, such fun in making sure their MVs are ridiculous ... and they sing and dance just ... well, I'm not going to fangirl too much. Instead, I'm going to bother you with at least three MVs. "Bouncy," and "Work," which came out in 2023 and 2024 respectively, and "Ice on My Teeth," also out in 2024. They have a metric ton of lore, but I'm not going to bother y'all with that, either.
Just enjoy the crazy, and the dancing, and the acting, and the music, and the knowing humor of it all.
And then there's "Work"
And finally, "Ice on My Teeth"
Dept. of Dangerous Music
Your Occasional Reminder ...
That we're living where Huey, Benito, Uncle Joe (not the good one), Idi, That Man, and others have slithered and prowled.
(The original music video is equally good, but this ... *chef's kiss* Also? The 80s and 90s didn't all suck.)
That we're living where Huey, Benito, Uncle Joe (not the good one), Idi, That Man, and others have slithered and prowled.
(The original music video is equally good, but this ... *chef's kiss* Also? The 80s and 90s didn't all suck.)
Entry tags:
Dept. of briefly surfacing
Mr. Booker Goes to Washington
There are a bunch of small irritations in my life currently - still no laptop, for instance. There are things so bad in this country - people, companies, law firms, newspapers, FFS, obeying in advance - that we're working on getting the hell out of Dodge.. Things are so bad around the world that ... I'm not even going to complete that sentence.
But sometimes ... sometimes ... something good happens. Right now, Democratic Senator Cory Booker is holding out on the Senate floor. He is doing a filibuster the old-fashioned way. He hopes to go through the night and into tomorrow. He's doing it, he says, to disrupt business as usual, because "our country is in crisis." I can't do a proper link, but it's on C-Span.
Go watch it. Here's a really long link to C-Span's website. https://www.c-span.org/clip/us-senate/sen-cory-booker-d-nj-starts-speaking-in-senate-for-as-long-as-i-am-physically-able/5158775. I don't know if you'll be able to watch it, but go hunt it down on news sites.
In Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Jimmy Stewart's Smith filibustered for the purposes of good. It was just a movie. Cory Booker isn't in a movie.
God bless him.
There are a bunch of small irritations in my life currently - still no laptop, for instance. There are things so bad in this country - people, companies, law firms, newspapers, FFS, obeying in advance - that we're working on getting the hell out of Dodge.. Things are so bad around the world that ... I'm not even going to complete that sentence.
But sometimes ... sometimes ... something good happens. Right now, Democratic Senator Cory Booker is holding out on the Senate floor. He is doing a filibuster the old-fashioned way. He hopes to go through the night and into tomorrow. He's doing it, he says, to disrupt business as usual, because "our country is in crisis." I can't do a proper link, but it's on C-Span.
Go watch it. Here's a really long link to C-Span's website. https://www.c-span.org/clip/us-senate/sen-cory-booker-d-nj-starts-speaking-in-senate-for-as-long-as-i-am-physically-able/5158775. I don't know if you'll be able to watch it, but go hunt it down on news sites.
In Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Jimmy Stewart's Smith filibustered for the purposes of good. It was just a movie. Cory Booker isn't in a movie.
God bless him.
Entry tags:
Dept. of One Step at a Time
Tuesday Positivity
I told Bob this afternoon that rather than dwell on things I'd hoped to do but hadn't managed to, I'd focus on the things I did manage to tackle, no matter how small. He approved.
1. I managed to take pictures of our three page application for membership in a co-op that runs a (very) affordable set of apartments in my old home town. I know it because my Nana was one of the first people to live there back in the late 1970s. My brother sent me the application, and I finally completed it, and both Bob and I signed it. I think I mentioned in an earlier post that it doesn't allow pets, so we'll no doubt turn down an invitation if we ever get one. Mac breezily assured me that "no one pays attention to that," which illogical comment I failed to take issue with. Who knows? Maybe he's right. I emailed the co-op with the three page attachments, but I also left a message on their answering machine, asking if they'd prefer a snail mail version. I can do that if they prefer.
2. I got into email contact with a woman I'm going to do a profile on for the rich suburban private school I've done work for before. I'll wait to hear back from her, and I look forward to doing the interview and writing the story, because their assignments are always both interesting and remunerative. I told Bob that if I can get it done in time, it would pay for about 2/3rds of our IRS bill.
3. I cleaned the bathroom sink drain with baking soda and boiling water, something that needs to be done from time to time. It's always fun to see the stuff boil up and knock disgusting black goop off the pipe.
4. I took down the outer shower curtain and put it through the washer, something I've wanted to do for a few days.
5. I contacted Canada Pension, to find out how I can complete and send in a Canadian tax return; turns out I actually have to contact Canada Revenue, but the nice young man (aren't they all young?) gave me a couple of numbers to call over there. I'm going to put that on the back burner, since I don't need to send a return in before April 30. I have to tackle immigration stuff first, and that's my big job tomorrow; Bob's going to help me.
6. And finally, I have manfully resisted being irritated about hearing from the computer repair place yesterday; getting the keyboard replaced will cost more than $300, although our downpayment when we left it in their hands cuts that by $75. They won't get the new keyboard for "between 7 and 10 days" ... so here I am with my jury-rigged system until then.
*continues to manfully resist being irritated, since it won't help*
I hope everyone's Tuesday went well. I did enjoy watching the splashdown of the SpaceX capsule that brought the two stranded astronauts home, and that in and of itself was something that made me smile today.
I told Bob this afternoon that rather than dwell on things I'd hoped to do but hadn't managed to, I'd focus on the things I did manage to tackle, no matter how small. He approved.
1. I managed to take pictures of our three page application for membership in a co-op that runs a (very) affordable set of apartments in my old home town. I know it because my Nana was one of the first people to live there back in the late 1970s. My brother sent me the application, and I finally completed it, and both Bob and I signed it. I think I mentioned in an earlier post that it doesn't allow pets, so we'll no doubt turn down an invitation if we ever get one. Mac breezily assured me that "no one pays attention to that," which illogical comment I failed to take issue with. Who knows? Maybe he's right. I emailed the co-op with the three page attachments, but I also left a message on their answering machine, asking if they'd prefer a snail mail version. I can do that if they prefer.
2. I got into email contact with a woman I'm going to do a profile on for the rich suburban private school I've done work for before. I'll wait to hear back from her, and I look forward to doing the interview and writing the story, because their assignments are always both interesting and remunerative. I told Bob that if I can get it done in time, it would pay for about 2/3rds of our IRS bill.
3. I cleaned the bathroom sink drain with baking soda and boiling water, something that needs to be done from time to time. It's always fun to see the stuff boil up and knock disgusting black goop off the pipe.
4. I took down the outer shower curtain and put it through the washer, something I've wanted to do for a few days.
5. I contacted Canada Pension, to find out how I can complete and send in a Canadian tax return; turns out I actually have to contact Canada Revenue, but the nice young man (aren't they all young?) gave me a couple of numbers to call over there. I'm going to put that on the back burner, since I don't need to send a return in before April 30. I have to tackle immigration stuff first, and that's my big job tomorrow; Bob's going to help me.
6. And finally, I have manfully resisted being irritated about hearing from the computer repair place yesterday; getting the keyboard replaced will cost more than $300, although our downpayment when we left it in their hands cuts that by $75. They won't get the new keyboard for "between 7 and 10 days" ... so here I am with my jury-rigged system until then.
*continues to manfully resist being irritated, since it won't help*
I hope everyone's Tuesday went well. I did enjoy watching the splashdown of the SpaceX capsule that brought the two stranded astronauts home, and that in and of itself was something that made me smile today.
Entry tags:
Dept. of Big Damn Silver Linings
Pleasant Rediscoveries
It's been a typical spring day in Chicago; I woke up to snow that fell most of the morning and part of the afternoon. By the end of the day, it was all gone. It reminded me of the first time I went to a Cubs game - opening day at Wrigley Field. The announcer had to say "Will people refrain from throwing snowballs on the field." Ah, memories.
But the two things that I wanted to say are as follows:
1) I'm really enjoying reading real books, and not paying much or any attention to online life, even though I can post things if I want. I've been binging on Martha Wells' Raksura series. I'm about a decade or so behind everyone else, but I'm catching up. Going to check the fourth book in the series at the library. Boy, can she ever create worlds!
2) I've been playing some long-ignored CDs; at first I just played a couple of Kitaro CDs, then one of my favorite Springsteen albums; "The Rising", which he recorded in the wake of 9-11. At the time, it was savaged by critics. They were wrong. And for the last couple of hours, I've been playing a two-disc collection of Harry Nilssen. The first disc was his early work, when he still had an angelic voice. Right now, I'm listening to the second disc, which was during and after he wrecked his voice during the recording of his "Pussycats" album, recorded with John Lennon. And the loss of his angel's voice does nothing to hide the beauty of what he writes (or what he covered; "Many Rivers to Cross" is on right now. )
And I'm moved to ask why the fuck his singing and his amazing writing genius isn't better respected and loved out there. Damn, he was amazing.
Right now, I'm going to sign off, because I think we're going to watch anime. But we've got time for a couple more songs.
It's been a typical spring day in Chicago; I woke up to snow that fell most of the morning and part of the afternoon. By the end of the day, it was all gone. It reminded me of the first time I went to a Cubs game - opening day at Wrigley Field. The announcer had to say "Will people refrain from throwing snowballs on the field." Ah, memories.
But the two things that I wanted to say are as follows:
1) I'm really enjoying reading real books, and not paying much or any attention to online life, even though I can post things if I want. I've been binging on Martha Wells' Raksura series. I'm about a decade or so behind everyone else, but I'm catching up. Going to check the fourth book in the series at the library. Boy, can she ever create worlds!
2) I've been playing some long-ignored CDs; at first I just played a couple of Kitaro CDs, then one of my favorite Springsteen albums; "The Rising", which he recorded in the wake of 9-11. At the time, it was savaged by critics. They were wrong. And for the last couple of hours, I've been playing a two-disc collection of Harry Nilssen. The first disc was his early work, when he still had an angelic voice. Right now, I'm listening to the second disc, which was during and after he wrecked his voice during the recording of his "Pussycats" album, recorded with John Lennon. And the loss of his angel's voice does nothing to hide the beauty of what he writes (or what he covered; "Many Rivers to Cross" is on right now. )
And I'm moved to ask why the fuck his singing and his amazing writing genius isn't better respected and loved out there. Damn, he was amazing.
Right now, I'm going to sign off, because I think we're going to watch anime. But we've got time for a couple more songs.
Dept. of True North Strong and Free
Liberal Party Leadership Convention
Mark Carney won. He's a bit corporatist, a bit centrist - but then again, he's Canadian, which means here in the U.S. he'd be a leftist. And he's ready to fight. I'm so proud of my country, and I'm not even a Liberal voter. (I'd be an NDP voter if I was back home.)
Mark Carney won. He's a bit corporatist, a bit centrist - but then again, he's Canadian, which means here in the U.S. he'd be a leftist. And he's ready to fight. I'm so proud of my country, and I'm not even a Liberal voter. (I'd be an NDP voter if I was back home.)
Elbows Up!!
Entry tags:
Dept. of Hog Butcher to the World
Happy Birthday Chicago!
I don't know why I'm unable to post things in the beginning of the day, and why my posts always end up at the end of the day. That's not good when you want to celebrate something on a particular day. And this one is even more delayed; Tuesday, March 4, 2025, was Chicago's 188th birthday.
( Read more... )
And here's a good epilogue to my maunderings: Chicago, by Carl Sandburg
I don't know why I'm unable to post things in the beginning of the day, and why my posts always end up at the end of the day. That's not good when you want to celebrate something on a particular day. And this one is even more delayed; Tuesday, March 4, 2025, was Chicago's 188th birthday.
( Read more... )
And here's a good epilogue to my maunderings: Chicago, by Carl Sandburg