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Tuesday, July 14th, 2009
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11:21 pm - Bread.
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I finally decided that I would make all of our blasted breads (where possible), since home-made is So Much Better. I've now made 2 loaves of Skillet Soda Bread, and love it; this has had the side benefit of getting my cast iron skillet back on the stove, so I now use it for practically everything. I've also made several batches of Best Drop Biscuits (love 'em!) and have started experimenting; adding a cup of shredded mozzerella to the dry ingredients does nice things, but shredded cheddar would be better. I attempted Hearty 7 Grain Bread in the breadmaker, and it didn't come together, didn't rise, and tasted bloody awful. (Above and beyond the "intensely condensed flavor" of failed bread.) This last batch of biscuits I cooked on a stoneware pizza round (from Pampered Chef); loved it!
The really nice thing about cast iron is it's so easy to clean. You scrape off all the big stuff, mop up the big soggy messes, then put it on low heat (to loosen what's left), sprinkle in a bunch of kosher salt, and use a big wad of paper towels to scrub it. (Must use a big wad so you don't burn your hand.) Once the salt has turned a lovely shade of "yuck that's brown", the messy mass gets dumped in the trash and a pretty darned clean skillet remains. And if it gets too stinky, rub it down with Crisco and bake it upside down at 500* or so until you feel better. *impish grin* (I have a very unscientific approach to cleaning my skillet, I know.)
This does, of course, leave me wondering how other people clean their cast iron. My method was developed through searching online for tips and watching Alton Brown's explanation of how to maintain cast iron, so I'm always looking for additional tips and advice.
current mood:  chipper
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11:11 pm - Awesomeness: LFG
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I ambled across Phil Foglio's (of Girl Genius fame) LJ, and he commented on a strip that he likes to read, Looking for Group. Anybody who is currently or ever has been a gamer, be it RPG, LARP, WOW, whatever, must read this comic. It's is completely and utterly cool, and consistently pokes fun at gaming the way only a gamer could.
Go. Read. Giggle your @$$ off. My favorite character is Richard, and you simply must read from the beginning to truly understand why. :D
current mood: amused
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| Sunday, July 12th, 2009
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12:25 am - Work.
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*gleeful cackle* I love making administrative forms amazingly simple. Rather than wading through 5 pages of display, I've compressed it down to 1 page -- with no loss of information. Rather than 3 clicks to add or remove something, it's 1. *cackle*
Edit -- I sit corrected: the original was 4 pages of display, I've compressed it down to 1 page of display, and have more information than the original. *beam*
Incidentally, I am most displeased with David Weber, the author. I'm re-reading the Honor Harrington books from the (first) Honorverse CD, and he's created several characters that I really liked ... and then killed them off. The worst was when he spent one page creating a character with depth, personality, and background ... and then she died on the next page. Arrrrrr! *waves fist impotently*
Why yes, I do get overly attached to fictional characters. Surely this is not news? *studious peer* At least these characters are humans; I get all teary about a Bolo being hammered, and they're "just" tanks! Tanks with serious 'tude, but tanks nonetheless.
It about broke my heart when he killed off Venizelos. I'd forgotten about him being blown away! Incidentally, I'd be more inclined to forgive him if he didn't wax pedantic. I like his stuff for the character and tech creation and development; I could care less about sociopolitical minutiae, especially when it's repeated and thoroughly expounded upon.
The music in my head just wandered from Iron Man to Elmo's World. I clearly need more sleep. *laugh*
current mood:  creative
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| Saturday, July 11th, 2009
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12:34 pm - Tidbits
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I have discovered a new obsession (passion, addiction, what have you): home-made Irish soda bread. Themselves and I have already polished off half the loaf, and I'm saving the rest for dinner only by dint of sheer intestinal fortitude. Ahhhh, drool.
We went to a local parade last night and themselves had a rather good time! We hit McD's for dinner, Jimmie Cone for dessert, then lurked on the curb by CVS to watch the parade. We ran into our friends from up the street while ordering our ice cream, so Herself got to hang out with her friend. Himself, of course, made several escape attempts (he would've been very upset if I hadn't reclaimed him); I wound up making them a game. He'd scamper away, I'd dart ahead of him and take up an umpire stance right in front of him, and he'd giggle with delight and rush into my arrms. Adorable, but exhausting.
And now, we attempt Nap. Cross your fingers and pray for me. :)
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| Tuesday, July 7th, 2009
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11:14 pm - Breaking news!
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Direct quote from CNN Breaking News:
At memorial service in L.A., Michael Jackson's daughter Paris says he was "the best father you could ever imagine."=
Now that this quintessentially important detail has been shared, we may return to our plebian lives of... okay, I'm giving myself a headache. I accept that Michael Jackson has been a major force in our culture for many years now, but really. When I signed up to receive CNN's breaking news emails, I thought I'd be getting genuinely important tidbits. Death of a celebrity? Okay, that's breaking news. Commentary on Michael Jackson's fathering? Not so much. (Translation: I could care less, but it wouldn't be easy.)
In other, actually interesting news, I've worked Banker three days of the past five and he's doing very well. He has good balance, he isn't giving me any sass, and he's getting his gaits back. (His trot is starting to look rideable again, and less like a Radio Flyer bronco.) Themselves had a great time sleeping through the fireworks on Saturday, Herself is way too brave for her own safety, and Himself is turning into an intrepid climber. The Mom Curse strikes again; my mom loves to tell stories about how I routinely terrified her with my climbing exploits. (I come by it honestly enough; she's the one who followed my grandfather up onto the roof to help him fix it. She was, I believe, 3 at the time. Maybe 5.)
current mood:  irritated
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| Saturday, July 4th, 2009
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12:21 am - In other shocking news...
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Borders has finally cancelled its agreement with Chase. It may've been a mutual thing, or it may've been Chase's decision, but I like to think that the Borders PTBs finally got smart and realized what a bunch of dung-grubbing jerks Chase is. It's a corporate thing, not a personal thing; I know for a fact that Chase does have some good people in their customer service department. I also know for a fact that the good people can't do jack squat for their customers.
So. Come 9/1/09, I'll no longer be getting nice Borders Bucks from my CC usage. Aw gee darn shucky. I do hope Borders is okay; it's the closest decent bookstore to my house. :|
current mood: cynical
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| Friday, July 3rd, 2009
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11:09 pm - News flash!
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Gov Palin is stepping down from office before the end of her term.
...
Bwuh? Why would she do that? The article I saw via Google made it sound like she's trying to keep everybody guessing and on their toes, but that's utterly silly. (IMO!) I hope she has a reason for it, other than to be a "maverick". *wry grin*
current mood:  thoughtful
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| Sunday, June 28th, 2009
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11:23 pm - Work.
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Have you ever felt like there was a fully mature bull elephant just waiting to sit on you and squash you? That sense of impending doom that makes you think "Maybe I should just step out to the rest room for a few minutes...and conveniently forget to come back..."?
I'm not quite there yet. I'm sure I'll wind up there, but at the moment, I'm just staring at this application and wondering how on earth it has continued to function as long as it has. Everything is broken. Everything! In order to make changes, I have to fix the basic functionality of the beast, because it's broken! And not just "oh, this is a quick fix" broken. No, this is that special kind of broken that just blows my mind. *sigh* Because I can't figure out how they've gotten anything done with this app.
Maybe I should just curl up in my desk chair, rock slightly, and chant "Happy Place".
*impish grin*
Silver lining. Um. Himself is just about sleeping through the night! Yay me! Next step: getting him to share a room with Herself. *twitch*
current mood: amused
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9:58 pm - Tidbits.
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I made tacos for dinner, and I didn't use a seasoning packet. It was good, but it would be better with yellow onions than with vidalia onions. (I never thought I'd think that, much less say it. I don't like yellow onions!)
Herself does not like taco shells. She did, however, devour all of the tomatoes I had cut. *sigh* Fortunately, we assembled the tacos before she got her paws on the tomatoes.
Himself is very skeptical about lettuce. I don't think he actually ate it, but seeing him try was adorable.
Himself's butt is no longer painful and red, it's just a wee bit blotchy. Which is a relief to both of us!
Rex is pouting. We're not sure why. We did play with him today, once we could lure him outside. I did feed him, but ... Oh! I didn't give him any kitchen scraps today. He has such a hard life. *rolls eyes*
I'm feeling pretty good! Now to see if I can do 8h of work in 3h. *rubs hands eagerly*
current mood:  quixotic
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| Saturday, June 27th, 2009
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11:39 pm - Tidbit.
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12:36 am - Work and Tidbits
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Every now and then I have a moment of "Hey! This is fun!" when I'm working. Usually it follows a prolonged attack of "Argh, I hate this why do I do this to myself I should just go find a nice, easy job grooming hermit crabs!"
I have determined that leaving Himself's pants off is an effective way of keeping a close eye on his diaper situation. He has very sensitive skin, so has a very delicate tushie. I have been using Desitin, but that's only 10% active ingredient (Zinc Oxide, IIRC); the Johnson's 3-in-1 cream has 13% and did a much better job. I couldn't find Johnson's at our local Safeway, though, so I picked up Boudreaux's Butt Paste, which has 16% active ingredient. Himself was very vocal in his disapproval initialy, but this stuff is very effective on him. I'd say it's 2x to 3x more effective, which means we should have his tushie de-redded before Monday, if he's lucky. (When it's really bad, it takes a week or more with Desitin or up to 5 days (ish) with Johnson's, and then I have to keep using it for a day or two just to make sure.)
Changing the diaper of someone who's tushie hurts is Not Easy. They tend to flail, kick, scream, grab, and do anything they can do to make you stop touching them. Fortunately, they accept hugs and cuddles as an apology afterward, but sometimes require extended cuddles, bordering on snuggles. (My definitions change hourly, so don't bother trying to keep track. Suffice it to say that if it's a different word, it's a different activity. It might look exactly like another activity, but there are differences. *solemn nod*)
Herself watched a lot of Little Einsteins today (we DVR 'em), and she was interacting with the show. *beam* She patted her lap, her tummy, her shoulders, and then held her hands over her head and wiggled her whole body; she did the arm motions to a hula; and she considered speaking up when prompted to. She's not quite up to that, yet; she saves actual speech for when it's Really Important, like mooching cookies off Daddy or bewailing the ending of Little Einsteins. She really dislikes using the wrong word, she takes it very seriously; I can relate, I was the same way.
current mood:  content
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| Friday, June 26th, 2009
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6:26 pm
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O.O
I have +10 Midgets Of Chaos. My life is a AD&D game! Alignment CG: Chaotic Gleeful!
current mood:  geeky
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2:17 pm - Tidbits
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Watching my daughter watch Little Einsteins is utterly adorable. Whenever thay tell her to do something, she tries to do it -- today is the first time I've noticed her interacting with the TV. The hula was so cute.
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11:01 am - I am morose.
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Four years ago I had an idea for a website. I didn't jump on it, and now the optimal URL has been taken by Name Administration, Inc; they make money by selling links to their plethora of sites, I run into their sites occasionally, and they are functionally useless.
So I'm very bummed.
current mood: frustrated
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12:08 am - Breaking news!
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Michael Jackson's heart attack, coma, and death rated four CNN Alerts. I'm so glad the truly important stuff rates CNN Alerts; the Metro crash wasn't even mentioned.
I am my own little storm cloud. :)
current mood: cynical
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| Thursday, June 25th, 2009
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11:28 pm - Whine.
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My arms feel like those sand-filled bags used to keep drafts from going under doors.
Wah.
Actually, I have a good reason for this: I took out the trash and brought home 4 more bags of mulch. Four more bags should finish up that flowerbed, then I'll be able to mulch somewhere else. I'm putting it on really thick, mainly because the flowerbeds haven't been mulched in about 6 years, and they really need it. While I was acquiring mulch, Himself napped and Herself drew; I have a small drawing table, not meant for car use, that will fit over her lap when the car isn't moving. Himself also needs to be asleep, lest Herself feed him crayons. *sigh*
Himself was so pissy earlier because he had a dirty diaper, but rather than do his usual "sit in front of Mummum and scream until she does something", he was throwing toys. Poor little guy.
Herself loved the shadow puppet performance at the library yesterday; I just wish Himself hadn't taken "lights out, stage lights on" as a cue to start talking loudly. *sigh* Fortunately, one of the librarians (that we know) kept an eye on Herself so The Tyrant wasn't required to leave the performance early. We were minimally disruptive, actually, because I took the two seats closest to the door; I knew I'd probably be leaving early. *wry smile*
current mood:  sore
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5:39 pm - Oh my poor ears...
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Himself is sitting behing me trying to play with a toy. He was frustrated before he began, so rather than actually play with the toy, he's throwing it and screeching at it. His screech is... piercing.
*whimper*
Maybe he just wants cuddles.
current mood: sore
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2:36 pm - More on the Metro crash.
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My local newspaper has an opinion article on the Community Forum page; I would link to it, since it's mostly informative, but I will not because the last sentence is an example of bone-headed finger pointing that is utterly stupid. ( The last sentence, in case you're curious. )
I was pleased by the subtitle (title: "Metro's tragic day"; subtitle: "As investigators look for clues in deadly crash, lawmakers need to make a steady financial commitment to the aging transit system"), but wanted to note a couple soundbites from the article.
"Well-choreographed rescue and medical crews from across the region swarmed to the scene, a drill that they have practiced many times."
Ever since 9/11, there have been disaster plans in place and lots of drill; I used to have to commute through one of the busiest places during a drill. (I worked behind Bethesda Naval Hospital. Used to have lunch there sometimes, too. :D)
"... Metro remains one of the safest ways to get around. ... In recent months, rail ridership has topped 800,000 each weekday."
Considering how bad 'rush hour' is (it's from 3pm to 7pm during the school year), the idea of those 800,000 people trying to commute into DC by car -- probably one per car, at that! -- makes me shudder.
( My standard plaint about driving in the DC metro area )
"The subway system, one of the busiest in the nation, exhibits its wear and tear."
Translation: The Metro authority has enough money to do maintenance, but not enough to do wholesale repairs. Thank goodness they got all of the outdoor escalators covered; I wonder if the savings in maintenance has paid for all of the covers yet. (I'm so tickled; the design I voted for is the design that won. *beam*)
The last paragraph is pretty long, but basically says that Metro's been dealing with funding shortages for years, in spite of fare increases and federal monies matched by MD and VA that was "years in the making". So the various gov'ts around here are supporting Metro, but only unwillingly. I wonder how they would feel if they had to deal with the 2, 3 hour commute that Hubby sometimes has. (He is a consultant and most of his clients are not Metro-accessible.) This wouldn't be so bad if the non-commute travel time weren't 45 minutes.
current mood:  emphatic
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1:55 pm - Tidbits
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Our free local newspaper came today. Rather than throw it away, I decided that I could make seedling pots. I realized I could make something even better: Motley Pirate Hats.
Thus far, the Miniature Newspaper Pirates have left paper strewn about the kitchen, but at least they're giggling. BTW, the 'cup' model works much better than the standard newspaper hat; it's actually remarkably sturdy and is even recognizeable after 5 minutes of abuse play. :D The 'kibuto' model is not bad, but needs to be folded wide.
Masters of origami are doubtless writhing in their graves, hopefully giggling. :D
current mood: amused
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| Wednesday, June 24th, 2009
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10:29 pm - When local news becomes national.
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