Posted on May 15, 2007 in Food
Anything with chocolate makes me happy. I like my chocolate bittersweet and of good quality even in baking. This simple recipe can be whipped up relatively fast and with few ingredients.
Posted on May 13, 2007 in Misc & Site
Chris tagged me for the “8 Random Things About Me” Meme:
1: Each player starts with 8 random facts/habits about themselves.
2: People who are tagged, write a blog post about their own 8 random things, and post these rules.
3: At the end of your post you need to tag 8 people and include their names.
4: Don’t forget to leave them a comment and tell them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.
Here I am…
- I have tried playing four musical instruments: piano (3 years), violin (1 year), clarinet (1 year), and the xylophone (a month?). I’m just not artistically proficient. I can’t carry a tune either.
- Both my grandmothers are alive, but I’ve only seen them once in the last fifteen years since they live abroad. Both my grandfathers died before I was born so I never met either of them.
- I use to do fashion sketches in high school. Just like I use to write poetry, but I haven’t been inspired for either in a long time.
- When I was four, I found a coin after wandering away from the daycare room. I walked down eight flights of stairs, passed by the security guard, bought a lollipop from the corner store beside the building, passed the guard again, and went back up to the seventh floor to find my mom.
- I’m a lucid dreamer. I am almost always aware when I am dreaming, and I have had full control of my dreams before. It can actually be pretty boring.
- I like thunderstorms, rain, and fog.
- I’m nearsighted and have an astigmatism.
- There is a tarot deck in a drawer of this desk, but I haven’t read for anyone or myself in awhile.
As for tagging… I tag everyone. In all seriousness, I don’t know eight regulars of this blog, and I don’t usually tag people in memes any way. Bit shy of that I guess.
Have a good week, everyone!
Posted on May 11, 2007 in Misc & Site
Appetizer ï¼ Tell about a time when you had to be brave.
To not go into too much detail, I’ve had more than one experience wherein friends have been suicidal.
Soup ï¼ Which upcoming movie are you excited about seeing?
I’m excited about a lot of movies. I really want to see Spider-Man 3, but I’m broke so not going to the theatres. Also, Pirates 3, Order of the Phoenix, and later this year The Golden Compass. I’m sure there are more, but I can’t name them all at the moment.
Salad ï¼ Name an item you try to always have on hand.
Pen and paper. I try to stuff them in all my bags.
Main Course ï¼ Imagine the most relaxing room you can think of. Now describe it!
I like studies and home libraries. I like a big beautiful window wherein there’s a view of trees or a garden. There should be comfy chairs, a nice desk. In another way, I also have a thing for very spacious, white and classy bathrooms. My bathroom now has the best view in the house for some reason.
Dessert ï¼ On a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being highest), how spiritual or religious are you?
8. I’m not religious, but I was raised for a time to pray so I do that a couple times a year. I’m spiritual, and I try to be aware of myself, the world, and yes, the “universe” too. I would like to think about it more.
Posted on May 10, 2007 in Books
Where DON’T you read?
I know a lot of people do this, but I don’t read in bed. I have been known to read up to the point before bed (especially if the book is uber addictive), but not in bed. I don’t think I ever will because bed is for sleep. I don’t read when there is water near by. Only recently have I been finally able to read in cars/buses, but I still don’t make a habit of it.
Posted on May 9, 2007 in Books
Something About Me Reading Challenge involves picking five books that relate or represent yourself. On August 1, you pick other books from the list of other participants and hence, a discussion begins of books chosen. This is my first reading challenge, and I think it’s a pretty interesting one to begin with. I joined the Harry Potter Read Along a few weeks ago too and that starts next month in preparation for HP7.
This is my list for “Something About Me”. This was difficult to say the least. These are books that I’ve read, but I wish I had more choices that were more overt about who I am. I just want to read more after making this list. I also avoided repeats from other participants’ lists.
Continue reading →
Posted on May 8, 2007 in Books, Movies
I’ve had this book for awhile, but I was about averse to starting it thinking it was long. Partly because I read Emma last November, and it took me awhile since it was November and Emma is the longest of the Austen books. My copy of NA just looked long, and it did not take me long to read. I liked it even though Cathy was a bit silly in the middle with her over reactive imagination. She is naive, but not so irritating as other characters named Catherine (hello, Wuthering Heights). Mr Tilney amused me with the teasing. Now, NA is Austen’s satire and mocking of gothic novels which makes the novel a bit meta in the nice way. I don’t think NA is nearly as enjoyable or satisfying as Persuasion or Pride and Prejudice (my favourites), but it’s light, quick, and moved adequately enough.
This ITV Jane Austen season adaptation is my second from the season. I previously saw Persuasion which I enjoyed for all its cheesy ending. A lot of people find this to have been the best of the three adaptations, and I can see why because it was fun and witty. Andrew Davies adapted it, and he really is one of the best at adapting scripts having done the 1995 P&P, Wives and Daughters (two of my favourite period dramas) and the upcoming Sense and Sensibility. He seems to have a lot of fun with NA because it was very charming with added fantasy scenes. I also thought the casting was good on this; I enjoyed the ITV Persuasion for a similar reason. I really liked JJ Feild as Mr Tilney; he doesn’t look conventionally handsome in pictures, but he lends himself well to the character. I remember watching a young Felicity Jones in The Worst Witch and Weirdsister College. I found her amiable and sweet in this, and both had nice chemistry too. So, I’m two for two now for the JA season. I’ll have to watch Mansfield Park now to see if I like that too, but I haven’t and don’t plan on reading MP for awhile. Though, I’m already predisposed to Billie Piper. I’ll have an excuse to see JJ Feild again in The Ruby in the Smoke (by Philip Pullman), also starring Piper, which I plan to read and watch sometime in the near future.
Posted on May 5, 2007 in Knitting & Crafting
Clapotis, started February 26th, 2007, finished May 4th, 2007
Pattern: Clapotis from Knitty
Yarn: 100% mercerized cotton DK
Needles: #8/5.0 mm straight bamboo
Cost of Project: $10 for the yarn
Pattern Notes and Comments: One of the most well known of online patterns. I’ve wanted to knit this for awhile, and considered a lot about the yarn. The pattern uses a lot of it. I found a discounted cone of DK cotton at my LYS. See pictures below to see how much yarn it used. I didn’t intend to to use cotton for this, but this was a great deal and the yarn was even variegated! For $10, I didn’t think it would be bad. The pattern was easy, and I knit it slowly as I would often only knit when watching The Daily Show and the Colbert Report. My clapotis turned out pretty big of course, and I think it’ll be nice as a shawl for evenings in the summer. Possibly a good heavy autumn scarf. It’s just plain big though so we’ll see how I’ll wear it come fall.
Would I knit it again? Yes, as mundane as it is, it’s a nice pattern. It’s a good to knit when watching TV or a movie. I want to use a wool mix (wool/silk) it for it next time, and if I don’t have #8 circs by then, I’m definitely buying them for this project next time. I love my bamboo needles though.
Next Projects: I need to learn how to knit a pair of socks. A tea cozy for tea drinking in winter, and possibly winter gloves and scarf. Oh yeah, my weird attraction to wrist warmers even though there isn’t much of a climate for them here.
Continue reading →
Posted on May 4, 2007 in Misc & Site
Appetizer – Name something you would not want to own.
A hummer.
Soup – Describe your hair (texture, color, length, etc.).
My hair is now past 1/3 down my back and growing steadily. It is layered, and has lightened considerably over the years making it very brown and maroon in the light, but generally “black” from afar. It’s think since I have a lot of it and can tangle easily. It’s super straight. I can’t put it into buns or updos. Lately, I’m trying to learn how to french plait my own hair, and it’s proving difficult.
Salad – Finish this sentence: I’ll never forget ___________.
The first day I came to Canada… which today is the anniversary.
Main Course – Which famous person would you like to be for one day? Why?
In one respect, I’d like to be a movie star or a model or some type so I can have a vacation from myself and see how the other side lives. In another way, I’d rather be someone like Stephen Lewis and actually doing something to help people in the world. The latter really is better.
Dessert – Write one sentence about yourself that includes one thing that is true and another thing that is not.
I have a cat named Mao. I named my Macbook Galahad.
—
Will be done clapotis by the end of the day. Knitting post tomorrow.
Posted on May 3, 2007 in Books
Reading. In. Public. – Do you do it? Why or why not?
Generally, no. I’m a home body, and I like the quiet of the house for reading. Last year, I did read W&P by the river which was nice, but there weren’t many people. Long time ago, I use to read in coffee shops, but I prefer home. There aren’t many places I want to read in public around here. Sometimes, I will carry a book with me for the odd occasion when I go out, and may have time to read such as on the bus. I rather look out the window though, but I do read on long plane rides or when waiting for specific things.
Posted on May 2, 2007 in Books, Food
Reading about food is merging two of my loves together. This is the second food book I’ve read this year so far which is a lot considering I’ve only read ten books this year. George Bernard Shaw is quoted as saying that, “There is no sincerer love than the love of food.” I bake, cook when I can, and am a very adventurous eater. My love for food is great indeed, and it interests me greatly in many respects. This book was long, but very readable. It was informative, but with a genial style that most people can enter into. As a journalist, Pollan can engage readers while some academics would bore with their style about corn sex. Corn features heavily in the first section of the book. It’s fascinating to read the industry of food, and the impact of it on the environment, and the meaning of such words such as “organic” and “sustainable”. Much as Fast Food Nation did when I read it five years ago, this book made me question my eating habits, not only in a basic moral or scientific ways, but on a philosophical level. I enjoyed reading the author going back to the source of food through corn, grass, or in the woods when hunting a wild boar or foraging fungi. I think there is a viable narrative in this book that you may not get from most nonfiction books because I found myself wondering if I could hunt, really try vegetarianism, or trust corn or the word “organic” the same way ever again. My philosophy and views of food are quite in accordance to Pollan’s so it’s a bit preaching to the choir, but I loved the information I got from it and the personal account of his experiences.
ETA: Dewey has interviewed about this book on her site over here.
Posted on May 1, 2007 in Food
