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(no subject)

Sunday, March 21st, 2010 10:00 am

Favorite line on my lists today:

"One of the barrels was used for a red wine, and the red-soaked charred wood smelled sweet and complicated, like my life."

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"I'm not afraid anymore"

rosefox

Sunday, March 21st, 2010 10:00 am

I keep having non-anxiety dreams. Last night, I dreamed that I was on a train and then got off of it to do something (run an errand? go up to the next stop so I could get back on and get a better seat? something that made sense in dream-logic) and then the doors closed and it started to pull away. I have anxiety dreams about missing trains and leaving things behind on trains and so on all the time, nothing new there... except that I frantically waved it down and the conductor personally stopped the train, opened the doors, and got out to hold them open until I could get back on. I ended up in a different seat and thought for sure I had left my wallet behind in my other seat, but no, I had all my things with me and was just a little out of breath.

The night before, I dreamed that on my first day working for About, I kept using the names of PW coworkers and getting completely mixed up. It was really embarrassing, a classic new job anxiety dream... except that everyone was totally sweet about it and reassured me it was fine, and it turned out most of the PW editors were freelancing for About anyway (ahahahaha) and so everyone knew the people I was talking about and they all came in and helped me feel more settled in and told me what a great place it was to work.

My brain is hilarious.

Current Mood: amused

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"Temporarily able-bodied", and why I don't like it

lizw

Sunday, March 21st, 2010 12:55 pm

Prompted by a snark from

springheel_jack about the phrase "temporarily able-bodied":

I get that some people, disabled and otherwise, like "temporarily able-bodied" as a way of reminding people that taken over time, disabled people are not really a minority. I get that reminding people of that can be useful. I get that some people will only change their behaviours if we can appeal to their enlightened self-interest.

It still makes me itch, though - it's verging on twee, it brings the emphasis back to bodily differences rather than the social model of disability, it ignores altogether any disabling that isn't about bodies, and sometimes I get a whiff of "look at how enlightened and empathetic I am" from abled people who use it. Realising that you might one day be on the receiving end of the things society does that are disabling, or even remembering that for a while you used to be on the receiving end, doesn't mean you automagically understand what it's like for me, now, every day. Which, most of the time, is actually Pretty Damn Good, thank you very much, but it's still a different flavour of pretty damn good from the flavours abled people get. Not better, not worse, but different. And the best thing you can do to enhance the goodness is not to downplay that difference or use a cutesy phrase to describe yourself, but to think about what you might be doing that contributes to disabling people and then ask yourself how you can stop doing it.

Oh, and fair warning, since I know how these discussions often go: if you feel moved to respond to this post by complaining that it is infringing your free speech, telling you what you can and cannot say, or any variant thereon, don't be surprised if I run out of patience rather quickly. If you need schooling on the different concepts of censorship, political preferences, aesthetics and good manners, I'm probably not the best person to do it (but I'll consider it if you ask very nicely, offer me a pint and wait for a day when I have surplus spoons.)

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Bleary-Eyed and Bleary-Brained, I rise to face the world.

miss_s_b

Sunday, March 21st, 2010 10:33 am

Yesterday was fun. I did a full shift at work, and then went to my friend Reenie's 50th birthday party. Reenie is a lesbian, and lots of her friends are lesbians. I reckon there were about five blokes in the whole place. I did lots of dancing, and a reasonable amount of drinking, and there was some kissing and cuddling too. It was really nice to be in an atmosphere and a place where I felt completely unjudged and unwary about what people might think of me for being bi and having odd hair and all that sort of thing.

This morning has been less fun. I finally got around to filling in my candidature forms for being a council candidate. Hopefully I will be approved. This will mean that in May people might get to vote for me. It's a prospect I approach with some trepidation: the minutiae of my life are all on the internet for anyone to see, and I suspect that somewhere I have said unwise things that an opponent could try to make political capital from. Plus, you know, the whole bi/poly/open thing. I'm by no means ashamed of my lifestyle, but it might not necessarily make good headlines in the local rag... Still, we shall see how it goes.

Oh well, another eight hour shift to do today, but then day off tomorrow...

My March sponsor is Mark Reckons, who has tagged me in a meme which I will do later.

Current Mood: tired

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the little plum tree that could

piranha

Sunday, March 21st, 2010 01:07 am

the tree is doing fantastically well -- last year it had 3 blossoms, this year it's covered. lee valley now has deep watering stakes, so that'll be easier to handle now than it was previously. since the bed around it is was largely annuals except for the lupine and mexican feather grass, i can start pondering what i want to plant next. i still like the idea of the goth theme.

man, the garden is so far ahead of time right now; it's kinda neat (though i fear a freak storm, so i am keeping the tenders inside as yet). i have fresh herbs! it's interesting to note which plants don't seem to care at all; those are the ones that don't go by temperature, but are photoperiodic, and need a certain daytime length -- daffodils, and carpathian bellflower for example.

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dailies,
garden

today's twitterings

piranha

Saturday, March 20th, 2010 11:55 pm

post-userpic: twitter
post-tags: twitter
( click if the mostly ephemeral doesn't bore )

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Hello!

kake

Sunday, March 21st, 2010 12:30 pm

I've added a few people due to

liv's giant friending meme, and thought it might be worth posting something here about how I've been using Dreamwidth so far, and how I'm planning to use it in the future.

I did try using it to keep track of things I've been up to, but I don't think anyone was really interested, and it was a lot of work for very little gain, so I gave up on that. I will continue to post about A-Z walks here, though they've been on hiatus for a while, mainly because I don't really want to walk from Harefield to Pinner and so I keep putting it off.

Once scheduled posts are implemented, I'll be posting about my attempts to learn to read Chinese menus.

For now, though, I'm mostly going to be using this to organise fun things to do in London, and hence am seeking Dreamwidth users who live in or within reach of London and are interested in any or all of: real ale, London's transport system, stumbling about in muddy fields, museums, finding exciting things in unexciting places, eating interesting food (vegan, Vietnamese, nose-to-tail, regional Chinese, raw, Thai, regional Indian, Japanese, vegan Japanese, modern European, modern Indian, vegetarian Indian), making things, taking photos, figuring out whether something's in Rotherhithe or Bermondsey or both, shopping in actual physical bookshops, and other such pursuits.

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london

Nut roast, attempt 1

lizw

Saturday, March 20th, 2010 10:09 pm

Today I finally attempted to make my own nut roast for the first time, one of my New Year's resolutions being to have mastered this skill in time for Christmas. The recipe involved one swede, three parsnips, two large carrots, two sticks of celery, a leek, a clove of garlic, the juice of a lemon, fresh parsley from our garden, and three bags of macadamia nuts. The result was perfectly edible, but fell apart as soon as I tried to cut it, so next time I think I shall try adding an egg to bind it and probably also chopping the nuts more finely. It also tasted rather too strongly of carrot for my liking - I may try celeriac next time. I did think the lemon juice worked well, so I shall definitely keep that.

Current Mood: cheerful

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Supersex poll: follow-up

lizw

Saturday, March 20th, 2010 07:11 pm

Thanks to everyone who took part in my poll. I got 78 responses across LJ and DW, including two people who commented to give the "None of the above" response which was missing from the poll and 76 who had experienced at least one of the things listed. Almost all of these 76 had in fact experienced four or more items, which struck me as interesting. I reckon the response rate amounts to about 20% of my readership after allowing for duplication across the two sites, which is very respectable. In absolute terms, though, it's obviously quite a small sample, and self-selected at that, so the results need to be taken with a large dose of salt. I also probably in general have quite a sex-positive friends list, which may make those experiences more likely, and those who have had them may be more likely to respond to a poll than those who have not (and almost certainly were in this case, given the missing option). Still, I think the results do provide at least a little support for my impression that the experiences listed in the poll aren't quite as extraordinary as Scantling and Browder suggest. ( More analysis behind the cut. )

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1 free bike, 1 non-free bike

juliet

Saturday, March 20th, 2010 01:22 pm

Currently there are on our balcony two (2) bikes which are surplus to requirements. Any takers?

One low-ish-end (£300 new a couple of years ago) Trek hybrid, suitable for someone around 5'7" to 5'11". FREE to a good home.
One Trek road-bike (red 1.5!), suitable for someone 6' or so. (I'm 5'10" and it's too big for me; someone a bit bigger than 6' could probably get away with it as well.) Cassette & crankset have been upgraded; front shifter is a little sticky but functional. This *may* have another taker, but please do say if you're interested. Cost around £300.

Both were when last looked at in working condition; I'm happy to undertake to check brakes/steering & pump the tyres up before they're collected (i.e. so that they'll be safe to ride away) but both (especially the hybrid) may need a little TLC to make them properly pleasant to ride. (I might be up for negotiating a fuller service in exchange for beer tokens :) ).

Collect from our place (Bermondsey) ASAP.

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bike,
free stuff

Gordon Brown’s Wedding Vows

charlotte_gore_feed

Saturday, March 20th, 2010 12:39 pm

Posted by Charlotte Gore

http://charlottegore.com/2010/03/20/gordon-browns-wedding-vows.html

http://charlottegore.com/?p=2151

Of little interest to political historians and so largely not a matter of public record, the vows Gordon Brown made to Sarah Macaulay in 2000 at a surprise (and secret) ceremony in North Queensbury are published here for the first time

Sarah,

I make to you now a firm commitment and, in a real sense, a binding one. I commit to ensuring love remains at least at the 2000 level for the next 2 years, with an expectation that love will grow by 3.14% by the year 2003 – an end to boom and bust of love of your ex-boyfriend’s years.

In addition, I will ensure that where possible I will agree to honour you, in so far as it is prudent to do so.

I am also pleased to announce that before our first anniversary, I will, in line with estimates both have and hold you, irrespective of your medical needs or financial situation.

This is the firm, near rock solid commitment I make to you. Contrast that with the so-called promises of your ex-boyfriend: He promised you flowers every day without being able to say how he would pay for it! He promised to make love to you twice a day, every day – but we both know that on many days he broke that promise, proving that your ex-boyfriend cannot be trusted.

All your ex-boyfriend could do was sing songs about you, make passionate love and shower you with materialist, capitalist bribes. Is this a boyfriend of substance, or is this a boyfriend who only knows how to tempt you with shim-sham and tricks?

My target of sharing our bed once a month is both practical and, in a very real sense, better suited to a fairer, stronger, tougher marriage. The other targets I have set, which form part of this agreement between us, include at least 2 minutes of conversation per week and a prudent and responsible amount of housekeeping money.

This is my very real commitment to you.

Certain unreliable sources suggest that, towards the end of the vows, Sarah was heard to be snoring from under the veil until Charlie Wheelan, disguised as a bridesmaid, elbowed her sharply in the ribs when it was her turn to speak.

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(no subject)

judiff

Saturday, March 20th, 2010 12:53 pm

Happy Great Cosmic Bunny Festival.

Have a very bunny-ful day (ideal with like eating chocolate)

Current Mood: bunny-full

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Today's bread: walnut

lizw

Saturday, March 20th, 2010 10:33 am

I made a basic rye loaf like so, using 1 cup rye flour and 2 cups strong white. Just as I was finishing the first kneading, I remembered that I had a 100g bag of walnut pieces in the cupboard and a new bottle of walnut oil on the shelf, so I kneaded the walnuts in and used the walnut oil instead of my usual rapeseed oil to moisten the top. Since the walnut theme was a bit of an afterthought, I did use the rapeseed oil in the dough itself. Walnut oil is much more slippery than rapeseed oil! I did the first and second rise as normal, again using walnut oil rather than rapeseed oil to grease the pan. After the second rise, the dough seemed much wetter than usual, possibly because of the different texture of the oil - so I decided to give it 45 mins in the oven rather than my usual 40, which seemed to work well. The results are absolutely delicious - nutty without being overwhelming. It works especially well with soft cheese on top.

I may try replacing all the oil with walnut oil next time, although it may just make the dough impossible to handle and/or make the walnut taste too strong. Still, I think I'd like to try the experiment just to further my increasing understanding of how sourdough recipes work. I may also try a version with wholemeal rather than rye, for the benefit of those household members who find rye a bit strong. I think a white version would taste entirely too much like cake (not that I have anything against cake, but I mostly want my bread to work with savoury spreads.)

Current Mood: accomplished

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A is for Anhedonia

piranha

Friday, March 19th, 2010 11:57 pm

but the longer i look at this, the more cheerful i get. oh well!

maybe i should not have watched SPARTACUS: BLOOD AND SAND.

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dailies

today's twitterings

piranha

Friday, March 19th, 2010 11:55 pm

post-userpic: twitter
post-tags: twitter
( click if the mostly ephemeral doesn't bore )

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One of the great moveable feasts has arrived

jenett

Friday, March 19th, 2010 04:45 pm

Namely, I am (as soon as I put some library laptops away, and take some things down to the faculty room to mail) on spring break.

Given that my summer break kept getting eaten by work, and Thanksgiving and winter breaks were mostly about my feeling really lousy, and not doing much besides watching back bits of TV shows and sleeping a lot, I am delighted to have a break in which I might actually have some brain and time to do something more enjoyable.

Tonight is for lounging.
Tomorrow is for our Springtide ritual (which means I must bake bread). There may be spinning group in the morning, depending on when I wake up and how starting the bread goes.

Sunday is for pottering. Also laundry, if I don't do it Saturday.

And then I drive up to Duluth for two lovely nights at a widely acclaimed bed and breakfast, a bunch of pottering around a city I don't know yet, and probably a fair drive up the coast of Lake Superior (last one is weather dependent, but it looks like the few things that would discourage me are unlikely. Basically, anything that makes driving actively unpleasant, like a blizzard or major storms.) I have an idea of which places I'd like to eat at, and other that, a vague idea of other things I want to do. There'll be photos and journal foo about it after.

And then there's more lounging and stuff, along with less thrilling things like doctor appts.

Yay for spring break!

New survey!

serene

Friday, March 19th, 2010 12:23 pm

Lunchtime at the Best Job Ever, which feels almost like cheating since I started at 10:30 and they're closing early at 3, but hey, it's the day before Spring Break, so I'm gonna roll with it.

Nabbed a survey from

piranha and filling out surveys is what Serenes like best, so here goes:

( For once, I stole none of the previous person's answers, mostly because piranha's answers were more interesting than mine are likely to be )

Ohmigosh, I'm not usually a clock-watcher, but three and a half hours until Spring Break, yay!

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Booklist 2010, part 8: The Margarets

lizw

Friday, March 19th, 2010 06:02 pm

15) Sheri S. Tepper, The Margarets (New York: HarperCollins, 2007, ISBN 9780061170690). Science fiction with some fantasy elements. The child Margaret lives in a dystopian future where humanity has almost destroyed Earth and several colony planets and is being subjected to increasingly authoritarian attempts to reduce the population in order to stop a wider interstellar federation from exterminating all humans for the wider good - a measure which would be popular with some alien races who have a grudge against humanity that is so old they have forgotten the cause. Margaret copes with her surroundings by developing six imaginary selves, but each time she makes a significant choice, one of them splits off and becomes an independent person. She is not fully aware of this until years later, when her seven adult selves must co-operate to prevent humanity's destruction.

There are some quite engaging characters along the way, and the plot held my attention well till quite near the end, but eventually I lost track of all the different Margarets and their situations. I also got annoyed by more than a whiff of heterosexism and by the one-dimensional view of the alien races in the book. Humans are varied - some good, some evil and everything inbetween - but aliens are either all good or all evil, as far as I can make out. There's a reason for this within the plot, which becomes clear right at the end, but that wasn't enough to lessen my annoyance. I also found the eventual resolution of the threat of destruction rather too simplistic to be plausible. These last two problems are not unrelated.

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tell-me-all-about-yourself meme

piranha

Friday, March 19th, 2010 08:12 am

i'm procrastinating; i should go to bed. instead i'm gonna do a meme, since there are new people reading. yeah yeah. it'll be the only meme for a long time, so enjoy it while it's fresh.
( clicky )

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meme

thus started my morning

piranha

Friday, March 19th, 2010 07:41 am

There comes a time in every science writer’s career when one must write about glass duck vaginas and explosive duck penises.

ooooo-kay. i knew that drakes (male ducks) are not gentle lovers, but that instead they generally rape their sex partners, which don't necessarily have to be female, ducks, or heck, even alive. what i didn't know is that apparently evolution has served female ducks with the ability to sidetrack the drake's ejaculation into a blind alley of the duck cloaca if she doesn't like him. and in turn drakes have developed explosive corkscrew penises.

read more about it (with high-speed duck penis video!)

thanks to

redroanchronicles for today's sex ed.

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David Matthewman

October 2009

Navigation

Page Summary

Layout Credit

(no subject)

"I'm not afraid anymore"

"Temporarily able-bodied", and why I don't like it

Bleary-Eyed and Bleary-Brained, I rise to face the world.

the little plum tree that could

today's twitterings

Hello!

Nut roast, attempt 1

Supersex poll: follow-up

1 free bike, 1 non-free bike

Gordon Brown’s Wedding Vows

(no subject)

Today's bread: walnut

A is for Anhedonia

today's twitterings

One of the great moveable feasts has arrived

New survey!

Booklist 2010, part 8: The Margarets

tell-me-all-about-yourself meme

thus started my morning