![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Before I started S4 of Marvelous Mrs Maisel, I read a review that claimed the show was losing its magic because a) the characters are complaining about bad situations of their own making and b) Midge is completely unrepentant for having lost her job with Shy. Which is like ... how is any of that new? Did you not watch her tank her own career right off the bat by revealing that Sophie Lennon was a massive fraud for no real reason? Watched the two released episodes today and yeah, it's exactly like it always was. The reviewer was crazy for thinking the show was ever going to consider Midge in the wrong about anything.
my feet hurt so
Feb. 16th, 2022 05:31 pmI spent most of the morning on my feet, unwrapping drawings that were returned from a loan and putting them back in their places, and then most of the afternoon likewise, because we were trying to figure out how we could move paintings around on the racks to make room for the ones that are coming off exhibition. Tomorrow and Friday are much of the same - we'll be actually putting away a lot of the objects.
Creatively, I've been trying to bind a book a week this month, and of course Dandies & Dandyzettes. That's up to 70 pages. I keep thinking of new bits to add to it, but really I should probably be thinking more about marketing and stuff at this point. You know, the worst aspects of making/selling anything. Ughhhh.
Creatively, I've been trying to bind a book a week this month, and of course Dandies & Dandyzettes. That's up to 70 pages. I keep thinking of new bits to add to it, but really I should probably be thinking more about marketing and stuff at this point. You know, the worst aspects of making/selling anything. Ughhhh.
icon for today's migraine
Jan. 31st, 2022 04:22 pm(though at least it's fading now after a lie-down)
I need to have the piano retuned. I actually needed it like a month or two ago, but I keep not calling them. Do it, self!!!
Finally finished Dandies & Dandyzettes! Okay, well, not really, but I am finally to the point where I've filled in all the headings I have, though I most likely need more headings. I also need to finish filling out the "further reading", right now it just has stuff I possess in one form or another. But it feels very good! Some of the other mods said they'd look at it to see if there's anything they'd want to know more about, ie if they were to try playing, which is good.
I need to have the piano retuned. I actually needed it like a month or two ago, but I keep not calling them. Do it, self!!!
Finally finished Dandies & Dandyzettes! Okay, well, not really, but I am finally to the point where I've filled in all the headings I have, though I most likely need more headings. I also need to finish filling out the "further reading", right now it just has stuff I possess in one form or another. But it feels very good! Some of the other mods said they'd look at it to see if there's anything they'd want to know more about, ie if they were to try playing, which is good.
A Marvellous Light
Jan. 20th, 2022 01:07 pmI finished A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske the other night. It was so good! The basic premise is that magic exists but is secret, and a non-magician in Edwardian England (probably sometime between 1908 and 1914) accidentally gets appointed to the government office that's meant for someone part of that world; he's immediately plunged into a deadly conflict he knows nothing about, with only his prickly magical liaison for help.
( here be spoilers )
---
Emboldened by my success at getting permission from other museums, I'm considering opening up the question at home. Basically, I was asked for my thoughts on points for the next strategic plan, and most of what I sent over were points about photographing the collections and getting them online. This seems like a good opening to discuss putting patterns online as well, scale ones, I mean. But I feel like then I have to go all the way to talking about doing the full thing otherwise it could seem like I'm trying to inch us closer to what's beneficial for me without being upfront about why/how - issues of conflict of interest in museums can be kind of arcane and extensive, and doing basically anything pattern-wise could theoretically benefit my pattern business by raising my profile, which could potentially be a problem. Everything I tried to write today came out really twisty and elaborate, and I'm thinking of just saying tomorrow, "I have a pattern company, what if I do my thing and we put the resulting graded and scaled patterns on the website for free?" Without my branding on them or anything of course.
( here be spoilers )
---
Emboldened by my success at getting permission from other museums, I'm considering opening up the question at home. Basically, I was asked for my thoughts on points for the next strategic plan, and most of what I sent over were points about photographing the collections and getting them online. This seems like a good opening to discuss putting patterns online as well, scale ones, I mean. But I feel like then I have to go all the way to talking about doing the full thing otherwise it could seem like I'm trying to inch us closer to what's beneficial for me without being upfront about why/how - issues of conflict of interest in museums can be kind of arcane and extensive, and doing basically anything pattern-wise could theoretically benefit my pattern business by raising my profile, which could potentially be a problem. Everything I tried to write today came out really twisty and elaborate, and I'm thinking of just saying tomorrow, "I have a pattern company, what if I do my thing and we put the resulting graded and scaled patterns on the website for free?" Without my branding on them or anything of course.
Yesterday afternoon/evening I sat down and used a basic form letter to request permission from every non-Fenimore museum for permission to use the patterns I took there. Oh, not the SLCHA either, though I should. Oh, and I ought to write to Clermont - I took a pattern of a gown there that was supposed to be for someone else to turn into a costume for an interpreter, which never happened, but now I have the pattern. Chapman already got back to me to say yes! So that's all of the patterns I did for their PastPerfect website (remember that? mostly wedding dresses, the Delphos dress, a slipper ...) as well as a couple I did randomly: two chemises, an 1845 fan-front mourning gown, an 1850s tarlatan ball dress, and a pretty basic 1860s day dress that I don't even remember why I bothered. Albany Institute has also said yes.
Drew out the diagram for the overskirt that goes with the Peacock Bodice. That went very nicely in Affinity, but the next step - making up the table to say what width the pieces should be at top and bottom for the different sizes, because I am not going to make enormous skirt pieces print-at-home - is very boring, so I may shelve it for a little bit and work on a fresh pattern ... now that I have a million new options!
I am thinking of doing one of the garments I patterned before we switched to a 1920s costume theme for the section with dressed mannequins in Great, Strange, and Rarely Seen at AIHA; I wanted to publish a little booklet with the patterns of all the dresses in it but this was denied, and then we ended up doing other things anyway, so. The first one was a late 1830s-early 1840s day dress and you know I love that style!! (I should do the crazy no-fastenings Regency dress but it's so complicaaaaaaaated.)
---
Somehow I have ended up down a rabbithole reading about what some people have dubbed "squeecore" - imprecisely defined by the dubbers as quippy and with too much identity-politics (they're coming from the left but a more, um, "class first" left tradition) and dominant either in numbers or SFF awards. The general consensus seems to be that they're describing only a couple of works at best, and mainly drawing together a thing they dislike in this work, a thing they dislike in another, etc. and calling it a movement. Then beyond that I'm reading about the Puppies and all that, blog posts from 2012-2015 because why not.
(One of the dubbers is Raquel S Benedict, who was briefly fandom/writing Twitter's main character some time ago for some condescending tweet thread on writers who got started in fanfiction; she definitely seems a bit cool girl/pick-me girlish and RTs others. Can't help but notice that she calls herself a "dangerous woman" in her Twitter bio just like this person who applied for flair at AskHistorians and turned out to be a TERF, so now I'm mulling over how self-identifying that way seems cool to the doer but looks really pompous and pathetic to others, and how perhaps it signals a kind of "not like the other girls" attitude.)
Some links, which themselves have links to other posts in them:
Is there a dominant mode of current science fiction?
The follow-up to that, Yeah, but
Science Fiction Is Never Evenly Distributed
“Squeecore” and the Cartoon Mode in SF/F
Drew out the diagram for the overskirt that goes with the Peacock Bodice. That went very nicely in Affinity, but the next step - making up the table to say what width the pieces should be at top and bottom for the different sizes, because I am not going to make enormous skirt pieces print-at-home - is very boring, so I may shelve it for a little bit and work on a fresh pattern ... now that I have a million new options!
I am thinking of doing one of the garments I patterned before we switched to a 1920s costume theme for the section with dressed mannequins in Great, Strange, and Rarely Seen at AIHA; I wanted to publish a little booklet with the patterns of all the dresses in it but this was denied, and then we ended up doing other things anyway, so. The first one was a late 1830s-early 1840s day dress and you know I love that style!! (I should do the crazy no-fastenings Regency dress but it's so complicaaaaaaaated.)
---
Somehow I have ended up down a rabbithole reading about what some people have dubbed "squeecore" - imprecisely defined by the dubbers as quippy and with too much identity-politics (they're coming from the left but a more, um, "class first" left tradition) and dominant either in numbers or SFF awards. The general consensus seems to be that they're describing only a couple of works at best, and mainly drawing together a thing they dislike in this work, a thing they dislike in another, etc. and calling it a movement. Then beyond that I'm reading about the Puppies and all that, blog posts from 2012-2015 because why not.
(One of the dubbers is Raquel S Benedict, who was briefly fandom/writing Twitter's main character some time ago for some condescending tweet thread on writers who got started in fanfiction; she definitely seems a bit cool girl/pick-me girlish and RTs others. Can't help but notice that she calls herself a "dangerous woman" in her Twitter bio just like this person who applied for flair at AskHistorians and turned out to be a TERF, so now I'm mulling over how self-identifying that way seems cool to the doer but looks really pompous and pathetic to others, and how perhaps it signals a kind of "not like the other girls" attitude.)
Some links, which themselves have links to other posts in them:
Is there a dominant mode of current science fiction?
The follow-up to that, Yeah, but
Science Fiction Is Never Evenly Distributed
“Squeecore” and the Cartoon Mode in SF/F
This weekend
Jan. 16th, 2022 06:26 pmSpent some time yesterday and today drawing a pattern for the basic cap from Garsault (it's one I made and had briefly in my shop like ten years ago) and writing the instructions, mainly as a way to learn to use Affinity Designer. It actually went really well, although I wish the saving of the print-at-home pages were simpler - it requires drawing a box for each sheet, basically. I just have to put it all together and I can get it up on Etsy. I added a paragraph on how to turn it into a lappet cap as well, which is a bit ... theoretical, but I think it would work.
I need to make a pattern diagram for the Peacock Bodice skirt and overskirt, and I really need to contact every non-Fenimore source for my Regency patterns to get permission to make them into Mimic of Modes patterns. I'd started with the spencer ages ago and they never got back to me after their initial response and I kind of went, "Phew, now I don't have to communicate with someone." Bad! I'm also afraid to talk to the Albany Institute because I kind of told them I would provide full-size paper patterns of the Pink Pingat before I realized how much of a pain in the ass it would be to actually do that. But the really cool gold gown with the amazing sleeves NEEDS to be done.
---
Weekends are back to being enjoyable now that I don't need to rush around on Sunday to get everything done, particularly to get the week's lunches and preferably dinners made. Yesterday was below zero but I still walked downtown for lunch because it! is! my! special! thing!; today I just did the walk to get out and stretch my legs. I'm not anticipating having to do much shoveling in the days to come as it's mostly supposed to be sleet here.
I need to make a pattern diagram for the Peacock Bodice skirt and overskirt, and I really need to contact every non-Fenimore source for my Regency patterns to get permission to make them into Mimic of Modes patterns. I'd started with the spencer ages ago and they never got back to me after their initial response and I kind of went, "Phew, now I don't have to communicate with someone." Bad! I'm also afraid to talk to the Albany Institute because I kind of told them I would provide full-size paper patterns of the Pink Pingat before I realized how much of a pain in the ass it would be to actually do that. But the really cool gold gown with the amazing sleeves NEEDS to be done.
---
Weekends are back to being enjoyable now that I don't need to rush around on Sunday to get everything done, particularly to get the week's lunches and preferably dinners made. Yesterday was below zero but I still walked downtown for lunch because it! is! my! special! thing!; today I just did the walk to get out and stretch my legs. I'm not anticipating having to do much shoveling in the days to come as it's mostly supposed to be sleet here.
(no subject)
Jan. 13th, 2022 08:16 amI keep forgetting to share the fics that I wrote for Yuletide.
Fortuitous (JSMN): It has been years since Mr. Strange or Mr. Norrell have been seen in England, and the Learned Society of York Magicians has quite rebuilt itself. Miss Catherine Holloway sets off for her first experience of their meetings.
The prompt in the letter was simply for the fandom and the tag, "worldbuilding". I didn't know what to do with that at all at first, because, I mean, 3/4 of the actual book itself is already worldbuilding. Then I realized that that left the building of the world to come after the book to fandom; I'd also always had Thoughts about the lack of women shown as getting involved with magic in the book's present-day (I think the only one in the book is that woman who's been paying Drawlight to have Strange curse people for her?) when the Regency was a time where you might expect a few bluestockings to do so. So I went a few years down the road and wrote about a young woman joining the reformed Society of York Magicians, with a lot of incidental worldbuilding.
Anna (Anastasia): On some level, I hated myself. That was the real reason I cried: I was the puppet of liars who believed only in the money and acclaim they could wring out of me. They had the charwoman and the sleigh-driver bundled out, and I tried to sound as grand as possible when I called out, “Goodbye, Annouchka of Ekaterinberg!” for her sake.
This is a niche one, as you can see by the number of hits ... The source is none of the famous things called "Anastasia" but a play translated from French that became the basis for the Ingrid Bergman movie. The recip sees Anna as definitely not Anastasia but I couldn't quite go there because I am such a romantic at heart, so I challenged myself to write from her perspective without ever confirming or denying it. This led me to be more literary than my usual style, which was a good challenge.
Chagrin My Dazzle (Northanger Abbey): Cathie Morland is a freshman at Bath High School, and she loves Twilight more than anything. If only real life could be like fiction!
Oh my god. This was so much fun to write. I have ALWAYS wanted to write a modern NA AU where it's about Twilight rather than Gothic fiction. The drama club setting just suggested itself naturally and honestly the whole thing flowed. I even put in some of SMeyer's writing tics, lip biting and such. I know the phrase "chagrin my dazzle" was used in some Twilight critique, but I have no idea where; Cleolinda refers to it in an LJ post I can find when I google, but most results just turn up my own fic. Nobody commented with "wtf is that title" so I think everyone who was in the antifandom in the late '00s knows the phrase, but the original is gone from the net?
Fortuitous (JSMN): It has been years since Mr. Strange or Mr. Norrell have been seen in England, and the Learned Society of York Magicians has quite rebuilt itself. Miss Catherine Holloway sets off for her first experience of their meetings.
The prompt in the letter was simply for the fandom and the tag, "worldbuilding". I didn't know what to do with that at all at first, because, I mean, 3/4 of the actual book itself is already worldbuilding. Then I realized that that left the building of the world to come after the book to fandom; I'd also always had Thoughts about the lack of women shown as getting involved with magic in the book's present-day (I think the only one in the book is that woman who's been paying Drawlight to have Strange curse people for her?) when the Regency was a time where you might expect a few bluestockings to do so. So I went a few years down the road and wrote about a young woman joining the reformed Society of York Magicians, with a lot of incidental worldbuilding.
Anna (Anastasia): On some level, I hated myself. That was the real reason I cried: I was the puppet of liars who believed only in the money and acclaim they could wring out of me. They had the charwoman and the sleigh-driver bundled out, and I tried to sound as grand as possible when I called out, “Goodbye, Annouchka of Ekaterinberg!” for her sake.
This is a niche one, as you can see by the number of hits ... The source is none of the famous things called "Anastasia" but a play translated from French that became the basis for the Ingrid Bergman movie. The recip sees Anna as definitely not Anastasia but I couldn't quite go there because I am such a romantic at heart, so I challenged myself to write from her perspective without ever confirming or denying it. This led me to be more literary than my usual style, which was a good challenge.
Chagrin My Dazzle (Northanger Abbey): Cathie Morland is a freshman at Bath High School, and she loves Twilight more than anything. If only real life could be like fiction!
Oh my god. This was so much fun to write. I have ALWAYS wanted to write a modern NA AU where it's about Twilight rather than Gothic fiction. The drama club setting just suggested itself naturally and honestly the whole thing flowed. I even put in some of SMeyer's writing tics, lip biting and such. I know the phrase "chagrin my dazzle" was used in some Twilight critique, but I have no idea where; Cleolinda refers to it in an LJ post I can find when I google, but most results just turn up my own fic. Nobody commented with "wtf is that title" so I think everyone who was in the antifandom in the late '00s knows the phrase, but the original is gone from the net?
(no subject)
Jan. 2nd, 2022 05:52 pmI did the buttonholes today! Just marathoned Breaking Bad and did them all! It was horrible but they're done!
(This was the first time I bought silk buttonhole twist and I am so glad I did. I'm a convert. It looks so much better than embroidery floss. Although sewing dark blue on medium blue on an overcast day is not the best situation with any type of thread.)
Not nearly done writing D&D, but I've finally started playing it myself, solo, as a diary. The major problem is nothing to do with the game itself, but the fact that when I get the pen and ink out Clyde goes nuts and wants to play. Specifically, he wants to knock the ink bottle off the coffee table. I may have to do my writing at the dining table where it's safer. You can see my first page of fictional journal-writing here! It's made me realize I should have a section on holidays, and maybe a couple of tables for character traits so people can roll up the NPCs if they have not glutted themselves on Cranford etc. and can't pull stock characters out of a hat.
(This was the first time I bought silk buttonhole twist and I am so glad I did. I'm a convert. It looks so much better than embroidery floss. Although sewing dark blue on medium blue on an overcast day is not the best situation with any type of thread.)
Not nearly done writing D&D, but I've finally started playing it myself, solo, as a diary. The major problem is nothing to do with the game itself, but the fact that when I get the pen and ink out Clyde goes nuts and wants to play. Specifically, he wants to knock the ink bottle off the coffee table. I may have to do my writing at the dining table where it's safer. You can see my first page of fictional journal-writing here! It's made me realize I should have a section on holidays, and maybe a couple of tables for character traits so people can roll up the NPCs if they have not glutted themselves on Cranford etc. and can't pull stock characters out of a hat.
Today I sewed all seven buttons onto my dress! Just the buttonholes now!
Also put in some solid work on Dandies & Dandyzettes - notably, I finished the descriptions of masculine proficiencies and finally started work on the list of political stuff. Going back and forth over whether I want to have a section on personal flaws after the proficiencies; I feel like I should but am not sure whether I have the resources to write it.
Also put in some solid work on Dandies & Dandyzettes - notably, I finished the descriptions of masculine proficiencies and finally started work on the list of political stuff. Going back and forth over whether I want to have a section on personal flaws after the proficiencies; I feel like I should but am not sure whether I have the resources to write it.
My only NYR is to be more social on DW
Dec. 26th, 2021 06:29 pmI have some weird kind of thing going on where I feel like I have a sinus infection because of the smell (ever present!) and post-nasal drip, but there's no other symptoms. It's really obnoxious, esp when I'm wearing a mask.
Had a lovely Christmas, although it's definitely been too warm. I suppose that's just the way things are now; white Christmases are going to be standouts going forward.
Just finished Faraway Wanderers today, a little bit of a letdown - I really loved all the fan stuff I saw for it/WOH on Tumblr so I thought I would love it, but it didn't do it for me. However, it is still my best work so far in binding! Partly because I have not bound anything in weeks due to a) writing Yuletide fics and b) my new printer has proved to be unaligned. I am having margin problems and the Xerox support people are making me incandescent with rage at their uselessness. I'm pretty sure that I need to return it and get a new one but I don't have the packing materials anymore.
I DO have a second NYR and that is to get back into writing about historical fashion. Nobody asks questions about it on AskHistorians anymore or they do but it's really tedious old questions I can link old answers to. I have dozens of photos from my exhibition (which is coming down in a couple of weeks T_T) and I want to do an in-depth post on each garment, or at least each women's garment - one is mostly written already. And after that, I'd like to get back into my little ambitious research projects. I would love to actually sew - if I could just! finish! a corset! I could do more interesting stuff afterward - but I try not to beat myself up too much about that given my lack of access to events nearer than Saratoga, which is a 2hr drive.
The other day I realized that we are suddenly getting a lot of great books with queer romances - not the subgenre of romance novels, but just books that feature a queer love story exactly the same way they might feature a het one. And then I realized that all these books are coming from Tor. Like Winter's Orbit and Gideon the Ninth. I ended up spending the Amazon gift card I got from my boss on two new ones, one of which Amazon offered me a little Kindle sample of for while I wait (I virtuously chose the long standard shipping so no warehouse worker would be forced to pack it on Christmas), and I was finally checking it out today. Anyway, this leads up to the point I was getting to, which is: Harry/Draco vibes tend to be quite common in mainstream published lit with m/m romances (like A Marvellous Light, the one I'm reading a sample of), so I wonder how many people who are now writing these love stories professionally got started in H/D fanfiction?
---
Got to share the fics I received for Yuletide!
Find some new way (The Secret Garden; Mary, Colin, and Dickon)
The person leaving the person staying, Lily whispered, don’t always want the same thing.
Philosophical Differences (Ghosts (BBC); Thomas and The Captain)
Thomas and the Captain talk under the stars. Well, clouds. But the stars are still up there somewhere.
Write, burn, bury, abandon (Ghosts (BBC); Thomas and The Captain)
Thomas is (unsurprisingly) unlucky in love and the Captain tries to help. It might or might not lead to a small falling out.
I was very kindly treated with two extra fics this year, which was very nice as I ended up writing two pinch hits - so three for three!
Had a lovely Christmas, although it's definitely been too warm. I suppose that's just the way things are now; white Christmases are going to be standouts going forward.
Just finished Faraway Wanderers today, a little bit of a letdown - I really loved all the fan stuff I saw for it/WOH on Tumblr so I thought I would love it, but it didn't do it for me. However, it is still my best work so far in binding! Partly because I have not bound anything in weeks due to a) writing Yuletide fics and b) my new printer has proved to be unaligned. I am having margin problems and the Xerox support people are making me incandescent with rage at their uselessness. I'm pretty sure that I need to return it and get a new one but I don't have the packing materials anymore.
I DO have a second NYR and that is to get back into writing about historical fashion. Nobody asks questions about it on AskHistorians anymore or they do but it's really tedious old questions I can link old answers to. I have dozens of photos from my exhibition (which is coming down in a couple of weeks T_T) and I want to do an in-depth post on each garment, or at least each women's garment - one is mostly written already. And after that, I'd like to get back into my little ambitious research projects. I would love to actually sew - if I could just! finish! a corset! I could do more interesting stuff afterward - but I try not to beat myself up too much about that given my lack of access to events nearer than Saratoga, which is a 2hr drive.
The other day I realized that we are suddenly getting a lot of great books with queer romances - not the subgenre of romance novels, but just books that feature a queer love story exactly the same way they might feature a het one. And then I realized that all these books are coming from Tor. Like Winter's Orbit and Gideon the Ninth. I ended up spending the Amazon gift card I got from my boss on two new ones, one of which Amazon offered me a little Kindle sample of for while I wait (I virtuously chose the long standard shipping so no warehouse worker would be forced to pack it on Christmas), and I was finally checking it out today. Anyway, this leads up to the point I was getting to, which is: Harry/Draco vibes tend to be quite common in mainstream published lit with m/m romances (like A Marvellous Light, the one I'm reading a sample of), so I wonder how many people who are now writing these love stories professionally got started in H/D fanfiction?
---
Got to share the fics I received for Yuletide!
Find some new way (The Secret Garden; Mary, Colin, and Dickon)
The person leaving the person staying, Lily whispered, don’t always want the same thing.
Philosophical Differences (Ghosts (BBC); Thomas and The Captain)
Thomas and the Captain talk under the stars. Well, clouds. But the stars are still up there somewhere.
Write, burn, bury, abandon (Ghosts (BBC); Thomas and The Captain)
Thomas is (unsurprisingly) unlucky in love and the Captain tries to help. It might or might not lead to a small falling out.
I was very kindly treated with two extra fics this year, which was very nice as I ended up writing two pinch hits - so three for three!
I posted to Tumblr about my hair-doing woes and now well-meaning people who do not understand that I can do a braid and a bun but cannot do anything to create volume around my face are trying to help me and it's so stressful.
Actually I have found that I can do a little backcombing to make little pomp-things at the sides but I cannot seem to achieve the same effect on top.
Actually I have found that I can do a little backcombing to make little pomp-things at the sides but I cannot seem to achieve the same effect on top.
Lonesgiving went reasonably well
Nov. 26th, 2021 08:42 am- My turkey kofta came out really dense, because I deliberately left out bread crumbs so Mom could potentially eat some this weekend, and I also forgot egg ... so they're just MEATballs. Except there is also onion, garlic, pine nuts, and lots of seasoning. Maybe too much seasoning. They're an Experience.
- The bean salad (this recipe except arugula instead of radicchio/brussels sprouts and pinto beans instead of white) came out deliciously, with enough lemon in the dressing to combat the bitterness of the arugula. It's quite salty, though, because there's feta and roasted/salted pistachios in it (store didn't have raw).
- I used a bit more cheese than was called for in the potatoes au gratin and it made the cream sauce more fluffy than creamy, but still tastes fantastic. (I kind of used this recipe for basic volumes and timing but definitely didn't Follow A Recipe.)
- The butternut pie (this recipe) was great - so much like pumpkin except better-tasting filling! There is literally no reason to ever make pumpkin pie when you have this option! I'd like to try it again and tweak the recipe to see if I could get the filling to be denser, it's a bit like a mousse or a chiffon pie, probably because the recipe calls for the puree to be thinned with a lot of milk. Half the milk would have been sufficient, and if I'd used cream or condensed milk that also would have helped thicken the end result.
- The bean salad (this recipe except arugula instead of radicchio/brussels sprouts and pinto beans instead of white) came out deliciously, with enough lemon in the dressing to combat the bitterness of the arugula. It's quite salty, though, because there's feta and roasted/salted pistachios in it (store didn't have raw).
- I used a bit more cheese than was called for in the potatoes au gratin and it made the cream sauce more fluffy than creamy, but still tastes fantastic. (I kind of used this recipe for basic volumes and timing but definitely didn't Follow A Recipe.)
- The butternut pie (this recipe) was great - so much like pumpkin except better-tasting filling! There is literally no reason to ever make pumpkin pie when you have this option! I'd like to try it again and tweak the recipe to see if I could get the filling to be denser, it's a bit like a mousse or a chiffon pie, probably because the recipe calls for the puree to be thinned with a lot of milk. Half the milk would have been sufficient, and if I'd used cream or condensed milk that also would have helped thicken the end result.
Rant incoming
Nov. 24th, 2021 07:15 amLast week I read Sarah J. Maas's Throne of Glass while I waited for A Court of Thorns and Roses to come in from ILL. Each is the first book of a YA series, unrelated to each other although, expectedly, given the titles, they're similar in that they're fantasy with a focus on rulers, so well within my interests.
( I guess I should cut for spoilers although both of these series are pretty old )
Last night I was very excited to use my little kerosene lamp to read by, because it gives off warmth so I didn't want to use it all summer. But there was dust and cat hair in it and now the room is basically covered in little sooty smuts? FFS. I cleaned some of them up last night when I realized, but I'm only now seeing the full extent of it.
( I guess I should cut for spoilers although both of these series are pretty old )
Last night I was very excited to use my little kerosene lamp to read by, because it gives off warmth so I didn't want to use it all summer. But there was dust and cat hair in it and now the room is basically covered in little sooty smuts? FFS. I cleaned some of them up last night when I realized, but I'm only now seeing the full extent of it.
Read the sequel to The False Prince - The Runaway King. Sadly, not quite as good; I was hoping that the author would take more cues from MWT and it would be similar to Queen of Attolia, but it was in some ways a retread of the first book.
Still, it was interesting to read as a foil to QOA and to see exactly what was so great about what MWT did. I was always sad that we didn't get any more first person perspective from Eugenides after the first book, but it was absolutely the right choice: Nielsen sticks to the 1pp, but there's not much interesting to do with it after having that magnificent lying-to-the-reader-without-lying twist. That MWT takes us out of Eugenides's head and generally shows him through other perspectives lets the reader be tricked in new ways at some points (eg the cannons), and have the entertainment of watching him be misunderstood at others (eg Costis). That also makes it possible to get a radically different view of various characters, countries, and political situations. It's so smart and so good, craft-wise!
Still, it was interesting to read as a foil to QOA and to see exactly what was so great about what MWT did. I was always sad that we didn't get any more first person perspective from Eugenides after the first book, but it was absolutely the right choice: Nielsen sticks to the 1pp, but there's not much interesting to do with it after having that magnificent lying-to-the-reader-without-lying twist. That MWT takes us out of Eugenides's head and generally shows him through other perspectives lets the reader be tricked in new ways at some points (eg the cannons), and have the entertainment of watching him be misunderstood at others (eg Costis). That also makes it possible to get a radically different view of various characters, countries, and political situations. It's so smart and so good, craft-wise!
Woke up this morning to find that Bonnie was still upset, had jumped on the counter and peed on it - out of spite? because she believed she was being attacked by Clyde? I don't know why, but it was very annoying. Most things were okay as they're glass canisters, but she ruined a bag of flour and the very end of my cutting board was sitting in it. I put some food and water on the basement steps but left the new kitty door locked so she couldn't get out during the day while I was at work. Interaction must clearly be supervised. She seems happy enough to play paws through the kitty door, but still the hissing and growling when they're actually in the same room.
It just makes no sense! Why should being upset about the vet and tech holding her too much lead to intense fear of her brother? But she's totally okay with me even though I took her there.
I watched bookbinding videos much of the day when I was at my desk while I worked, and I decided to make my second project DAS Bookbinding's single section pamphlet, which is still just one signature but looks more like a Real Book than the single-section pamphlet I made previously. I don't have proper materials yet, but I think I can manage it with the substitutes at my disposal, like two layers of heavy paper rather than davey board, wrapping paper for endpaper, etc.
I briefly tried using The Tudor Tailor as a straight edge and scored the spine with my exacto knife. That feels Significant. (The significance is my impatience and poor judgment.)
It just makes no sense! Why should being upset about the vet and tech holding her too much lead to intense fear of her brother? But she's totally okay with me even though I took her there.
I watched bookbinding videos much of the day when I was at my desk while I worked, and I decided to make my second project DAS Bookbinding's single section pamphlet, which is still just one signature but looks more like a Real Book than the single-section pamphlet I made previously. I don't have proper materials yet, but I think I can manage it with the substitutes at my disposal, like two layers of heavy paper rather than davey board, wrapping paper for endpaper, etc.
I briefly tried using The Tudor Tailor as a straight edge and scored the spine with my exacto knife. That feels Significant. (The significance is my impatience and poor judgment.)
Bonnie finally came out! I got her to jump down to the windowsill but then Clyde was on the desk and that upset her, so she jumped back up and ran down the tiles, hissing all the way. Baby! Clyde had nothing to do with the trauma of being touched by the vet and her tech! He just loves you and wants to see you again! So I just resigned myself to having to wait forever, but she is in the living room now, messing about with the linen thread left on the coffee table from when I was binding a pamphlet.
Clyde is still napping up in their tower. We'll see what happens when he comes down and noses at her.
Later: oop, he's awake and she's pissed. Not going back down to the basement, just tearing around the house and sitting on the top of the tower growling and hissing. He's now laying on the next-highest platform of the tower looking like a sweetheart while she continuously and quietly growls, punctuated with the occasional hiss. This is what love looks like (on his part, I mean).
***
Pics of my first fanbinding work! I'm psyched to try a slightly longer one - this is four sheets, I suspect it will be harder with a thicker signature. Then I'm going to try my first hardcover.
Clyde is still napping up in their tower. We'll see what happens when he comes down and noses at her.
Later: oop, he's awake and she's pissed. Not going back down to the basement, just tearing around the house and sitting on the top of the tower growling and hissing. He's now laying on the next-highest platform of the tower looking like a sweetheart while she continuously and quietly growls, punctuated with the occasional hiss. This is what love looks like (on his part, I mean).
***
Pics of my first fanbinding work! I'm psyched to try a slightly longer one - this is four sheets, I suspect it will be harder with a thicker signature. Then I'm going to try my first hardcover.
(no subject)
Aug. 28th, 2021 09:59 pmI took Bonnie and Clyde for their first vet visits today! Bonnie seemed okay at the time, but it clearly upset her because as soon as we got home she ran and hid - initially in my bedroom, where she hissed at Clyde when he poked his head in her direction and then ran away to the basement. She only came out about ten minutes ago, and when I went down there a couple of times to look for her she stayed well away. She just doesn't like to be touched by strange people ... anyone but me, really. Clyde handled it a lot better, even though he had to get a vaccine.
She's still hissing at him now. He is misreading it as an invitation to play, as usual. :/ Just chased her back down into the basement.
Today I came across a Tumblr post on fanbinding (that is, home bookbinding of fanfiction) that remarked on the fact that people typically/only bind copies of longfic, and showed the process for binding single-signature "books" of one-shots. And I was like, I could do that! I've been avoiding getting into bookbinding even though I want to because I don't need another hobby, especially one that requires specialized supplies and equipment, but that seems so much more low-key. Of course, after typesetting and printing one sample very short fic, I started prepping one of my favorite one-shots by After the Rain, and then I decided I've got to make a little collection of her one-shots instead/as well ... so I guess I'm going to get into the more serious binding processes after all. I already have a mental list going of what to do next, and plan to do doubles of everything so I can also send a copy to the writers.
It will be interesting to see if this is a fleeting ADHD impulse or something I could keep up with. The extensive, detailed instructions for hardcover books certainly set off my executive dysfunction, but maybe when actually doing it it all feels more natural? IDK, it seems like someone who struggles to make a whole garment/ensemble would probably struggle with this, but it just looks so cool, I've got to give it a shot.
She's still hissing at him now. He is misreading it as an invitation to play, as usual. :/ Just chased her back down into the basement.
Today I came across a Tumblr post on fanbinding (that is, home bookbinding of fanfiction) that remarked on the fact that people typically/only bind copies of longfic, and showed the process for binding single-signature "books" of one-shots. And I was like, I could do that! I've been avoiding getting into bookbinding even though I want to because I don't need another hobby, especially one that requires specialized supplies and equipment, but that seems so much more low-key. Of course, after typesetting and printing one sample very short fic, I started prepping one of my favorite one-shots by After the Rain, and then I decided I've got to make a little collection of her one-shots instead/as well ... so I guess I'm going to get into the more serious binding processes after all. I already have a mental list going of what to do next, and plan to do doubles of everything so I can also send a copy to the writers.
It will be interesting to see if this is a fleeting ADHD impulse or something I could keep up with. The extensive, detailed instructions for hardcover books certainly set off my executive dysfunction, but maybe when actually doing it it all feels more natural? IDK, it seems like someone who struggles to make a whole garment/ensemble would probably struggle with this, but it just looks so cool, I've got to give it a shot.
The False Prince
Aug. 17th, 2021 04:01 pmJust devoured this book that's been in my Kindle library for ages - The False Prince, by Jennifer A. Nielsen. I don't read much if any YA anymore, but you know that I LOVE a story about royal succession, so I had to.
I don't know if this counts as a spoiler, but I guessed the major plot twist from the summary of the book, and then when I started reading it, if I hadn't already I definitely would have, because Nielsen is clearly very influenced by Megan Whalen Turner. To the point where I almost have to call the book an homage to The Thief?
( okay I'll put the spoilers under a cut )
Still, I am psyched to read the sequels, particularly to find out what will happen to Imogen, pls make Imogen become the queen pls Jennifer.
I don't know if this counts as a spoiler, but I guessed the major plot twist from the summary of the book, and then when I started reading it, if I hadn't already I definitely would have, because Nielsen is clearly very influenced by Megan Whalen Turner. To the point where I almost have to call the book an homage to The Thief?
( okay I'll put the spoilers under a cut )
Still, I am psyched to read the sequels, particularly to find out what will happen to Imogen, pls make Imogen become the queen pls Jennifer.
oh my god just post the damn thing
Aug. 15th, 2021 08:43 pmFor some reason, nearly all of the questions I'm getting lately are about the Tudors. I'm not really sure where that's coming from.
Was 13 year olds getting married in Tudor times truly acceptable? If you were married as a teen, were you considered an adult?
Was Catherine Howard actually unfaithful to King Henry VIII?
How many people were executed in the reign of Queen Mary I of England? Does she deserve the moniker of “Bloody Mary”?
You are a nobleman's daughter. King Henry VIII asks for your hand in marriage. Can you realistically say no? If so, what would be the repercussions?
Do we have any documented sources of unmarried 19th century women ruining their reputation?
Did either Anne Boleyn or Catherine Howard have funerals?
Did Catherine Howard's death take more than one strike? <- the answer was no, so I wrote a bunch about a woman whose execution did take more than one strike instead.
---
I started this post a week ago, and then realized that my AskHistorians Digital Conference is meant to happen today, so I spent the last week writing my paper ... and then had to viciously chop it down Friday night and Saturday morning because I had assumed it was one page:one minute reading out loud, and it's more like 1:2. And now the recording is done and I don't have to think about it again until it "airs" as part of the conference in October, when I'll need to be on hand to do the AMA part.
If you've heard about this early medieval grave that's suspected to be a non-binary individual's, here's the original article from the European Journal of Archaeology. It's very interesting, and open access!
Was 13 year olds getting married in Tudor times truly acceptable? If you were married as a teen, were you considered an adult?
Was Catherine Howard actually unfaithful to King Henry VIII?
How many people were executed in the reign of Queen Mary I of England? Does she deserve the moniker of “Bloody Mary”?
You are a nobleman's daughter. King Henry VIII asks for your hand in marriage. Can you realistically say no? If so, what would be the repercussions?
Do we have any documented sources of unmarried 19th century women ruining their reputation?
Did either Anne Boleyn or Catherine Howard have funerals?
Did Catherine Howard's death take more than one strike? <- the answer was no, so I wrote a bunch about a woman whose execution did take more than one strike instead.
---
I started this post a week ago, and then realized that my AskHistorians Digital Conference is meant to happen today, so I spent the last week writing my paper ... and then had to viciously chop it down Friday night and Saturday morning because I had assumed it was one page:one minute reading out loud, and it's more like 1:2. And now the recording is done and I don't have to think about it again until it "airs" as part of the conference in October, when I'll need to be on hand to do the AMA part.
If you've heard about this early medieval grave that's suspected to be a non-binary individual's, here's the original article from the European Journal of Archaeology. It's very interesting, and open access!
