Things I have been doing which are actually pretty cool:
-learned about my cousin's wedding, as well as her daughter's christening (same day for convenience to family travel plans; neat. eh?)
-my sister visited! saw her do her coaching thing, was able to gush properly about what is new in our lives and all
-started scheming super fun aesthetic expenditures: planning on making my hair crazily blue, mahogany, and bleached blonde... yeah, and probably gonna rock some crazy cyberpunk wear for Anime North instead of cosplaying
Things I have done as of late, even though they are of little consequence:
-cleaned/rearranged my room, as well as my hard drive
-read Scott Pilgrim 2 & 3, Batman: Year One, and the archives for The Non-Adventures of Wonderella as well as those of Girl Genius
-drooled over webcomic gear, such as rosalind's "Never fall in love with a red shirt" red shirt, countless book collections, and that giant T-Rex plushie abomination Ryan North is hawking
-watched Twilight, just because I could; yeah, the Cullens play baseball. Before a thunderstorm. So as to hide the sound of their hits and pitches and all. And the whole "sparkly" thing? So much more ridiculous than I expected. I hate to admit how much I loved this movie, simply because it was that... so very... whatever that was
Things I haven't been doing even though I should:
-concentrating on and allotting sufficient time for my papers and projects
-going to class enough (been sick and also recuperating from the time change)
-new things!
So that's that. I keep meaning to be useful, and efficient, and it isn't happening. One part of me is trying to be understanding, as I do tend to bite off more than I can chew, and work 16 hr weekends even when I have projects to work on, but another part of me is just getting so frustrated with my old habits and failings.
I mean, I keep saying to myself, "one day, you'll get it, and have it all under control" but, why can't 'one day' be *today*. That would be useful. Hopefully, I can prove myself to me over this week, as I have four papers to work on, and a fifth to do if possible. And then, classes will be wrapping up, and I have April to get my final studying and projects done. Point is, next week, I hope to make up for my failings on this project. I'm thinking I'll bug one of my rock wall climbing friends to take me (surprise, surprise) rock wall climbing.
I think I can, I think I can, I think I can....
22 March 2010
23 February 2010
bibliophile - someone who loves (and usually collects) books
I've touched on the idea already, but here, I shall put my words to action: I am going to make lists of must-read books and have-to-see movies. I'm already off to a good start, seeing as I have finally finished Fruit, by Brian Francis, which was loaned to me by my father back around the Winter holidays. I am going to dub this "momentum", and try to seize it accordingly - giving certain leeway to midterms and class readings, of course.
Books:
_ The Last Enchantment, Mary Stewart (been slowly working through the series for two or so years, now)
_ Ender's Game, Orson Scott Card
_ 1984, George Orwell
_ The Vocation Lectures, Max Weber
_ The Critique of Pure Reason, Immanuel Kant
_ Ethics, Baruch Spinoza
_ Middlesex, Jeffrey Eugenides
_ The Satanic Verses, Salman Rushdie
_ Life of Pi, Yann Martel
_ The Poisonwood Bible, Barbara Kingsolver
_ The Virgin Suicides, Jeffrey Eugenides
_ The Unbearable Lightness of Being – Milan Kundera
_ The Selfish Gene, Richard Dawkins
_ Dad, William Wharton
_ The Name of the Rose, Umberto Eco
_ The Dharma Bums, Jack Kerouac
_ Dracula, Bram Stoker
_ Don Quixote, Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra
_ The Andromeda Strain, Micheal Crichton
Movies:
_ Casablanca
_ more of anything from the mind of Woody Allen
_ The English Patient (I liked the book; I've been meaning to reread it, too)
_ Citizen Kane (well, durr, eh?)
_ Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
_ The Godfather
_ Scarface (I've seen the first half?)
_ more classic Bond
_ To Kill a Mockingbird (again, read the book, curious on the movie)
_ Young Frankenstein (only seen bits, and even then, mostly when I was too young to get the jokes)
_ Trainspotting
It's pretty incomplete so far, thanks to my faulty memory and all. It'll be updated as I go, and soon, I'll be putting the word out on Facebook for suggestions. I have faith in my friends' good taste, so Facebook and conversations in real life, or on the phone, should provide substantially. Notably, a good few of the books listed are ones that are waiting patiently on my shelf already, or from classes I have passed by skimming, as time constraints so often necessitate.
Also: http://www.listology.com/list/1001-books-you-must-read-you-die I consulted this list, as it was the first result to come up upon searching "must read books". I have read.... about 17, including Unless (Carol Shields) and Alias Grace (Margaret Atwood), both of which are stories that would have been better told by other authors, but good tales nonetheless.
O, but this is.... quite the list. Momentum may not be enough on its own. Luckily, this is not so much a "weekly" goal, as an overall endeavour, meant to accompany me for years to come.
Books:
_ The Last Enchantment, Mary Stewart (been slowly working through the series for two or so years, now)
_ Ender's Game, Orson Scott Card
_ 1984, George Orwell
_ The Vocation Lectures, Max Weber
_ The Critique of Pure Reason, Immanuel Kant
_ Ethics, Baruch Spinoza
_ Middlesex, Jeffrey Eugenides
_ The Satanic Verses, Salman Rushdie
_ Life of Pi, Yann Martel
_ The Poisonwood Bible, Barbara Kingsolver
_ The Virgin Suicides, Jeffrey Eugenides
_ The Unbearable Lightness of Being – Milan Kundera
_ The Selfish Gene, Richard Dawkins
_ Dad, William Wharton
_ The Name of the Rose, Umberto Eco
_ The Dharma Bums, Jack Kerouac
_ Dracula, Bram Stoker
_ Don Quixote, Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra
_ The Andromeda Strain, Micheal Crichton
Movies:
_ Casablanca
_ more of anything from the mind of Woody Allen
_ The English Patient (I liked the book; I've been meaning to reread it, too)
_ Citizen Kane (well, durr, eh?)
_ Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
_ The Godfather
_ Scarface (I've seen the first half?)
_ more classic Bond
_ To Kill a Mockingbird (again, read the book, curious on the movie)
_ Young Frankenstein (only seen bits, and even then, mostly when I was too young to get the jokes)
_ Trainspotting
It's pretty incomplete so far, thanks to my faulty memory and all. It'll be updated as I go, and soon, I'll be putting the word out on Facebook for suggestions. I have faith in my friends' good taste, so Facebook and conversations in real life, or on the phone, should provide substantially. Notably, a good few of the books listed are ones that are waiting patiently on my shelf already, or from classes I have passed by skimming, as time constraints so often necessitate.
Also: http://www.listology.com/list/1001-books-you-must-read-you-die I consulted this list, as it was the first result to come up upon searching "must read books". I have read.... about 17, including Unless (Carol Shields) and Alias Grace (Margaret Atwood), both of which are stories that would have been better told by other authors, but good tales nonetheless.
O, but this is.... quite the list. Momentum may not be enough on its own. Luckily, this is not so much a "weekly" goal, as an overall endeavour, meant to accompany me for years to come.
paracme - the point at which one’s prime is past
Dear World;
So, I went ahead and dropped off the map for a while there. Actually, I could point out on a map (approximately) where I was -Charlottetown, PE, give or take - but I wasn't online, and truly, that seems to have the greater impact, doesn't it?
So I guess I'll start with the exciting new stuff I did this past week: I went to Charlottetown, PE. That's... that's about it, really. But then, the blogosphere is meant for self-indulgence, so I daren't leave it at just that.
I went to Charlottetown to visit my boyfriend, James. We've been dating about 5 1/2 months now, and this visit makes for the second time I've seen him in that while. Needless to say, I was right psyched to go. Not to mention, I haven't been on a plane since I was about 11, and I haven't been to the Maritimes ever before. February isn't exactly the pique season, either, so I didn't need to fret over tourists, ripoffs, and extravagant travel fees. "Jack Frost" was going on, but that ended up being of little consequence. Best as I can tell, it's a watered down Winterlude anyway, especially as it lacks canal skating. Flying was fun, and a lot simpler than I expected. My piercings, yet again, managed to not set off the metal detectors (which is a relief for me, and a confusion as it pertains to security measures), and the seats all had little tv screens in the back of them. Technology amazes me. The one downside was that on the way out, the screen in front of me kept wavering and doing that screen rolling image thing. Luckily, I was reading anyhow, so I managed to not raise a fuss or suffer a seizure.
My arrival was as loving a greeting as I could have ever expected, though considering Nelly was there with James to pick me up, I really should have expected no less. Terminals, in general, tend to confuse me. I know they shouldn't, especially the Island one which James lovingly describes as a "parking lot" and Nelly discusses like a bus terminal, but somehow, their dimensions elude me. The way I understand the layout of terminals suggests they hold pocket dimensions, which is cool, but nonsensical (I highly doubt the companies involved could afford the services of a sufficiently skilled mage/witch/etc, after all). The Island terminal also features a mini-museum and a large map of the Island. This entertained me, as I came to realize how many town names I'm so familiar with - Georgetown, Milton and Toronto, for example - also have a place on the Island.
I arrived on a Saturday; Feb 13 to be more exact. The next few days were lazy not only by choice, but by duress. Most stores and the like on the Island are closed on Sundays, Monday was "Islander Day", and Wednesday involved a bit of a storm and, more notably, a storm warning, which led, again, to many closures. Instead, my time was filled with a series of television and movie delights. I'll try not to write overmuch on them, but here's an overview:
-Star Trek (the latest movie release)
I've been meaning to watch this ever since I heard about it. Conveniently, James owns it, and as such was able to show me one of the many movies he was aghast to find out I haven't watched (though believe you me, as the next post will betray, there are many one which I am missing out!). I was suitably impressed. I mean, I grew up on TNG and haven't watched much of TOS, so I'm not a fan who is able to be overly critical in the first place. However, I did get a strong sense of the characters, and a respect for the enterprise, both the S.S. variety and the business of Trekking in general. I am curious to see how it pans out.
-original Japanese Godzilla release
Despite losing some details to a sleepy haze inspired by alcohol and the late hour, I really enjoyed it. It was definitely an interesting approach to prevalent concerns of the time, and it was fun, while watching, to notice what methods were used in each scene. I also watched the behind the scenes clip on the costumes, and I tell you what, that is some messed up business. Talk about dedication.
-Japanese Spiderman
Srsly. Watch it. http://marvel.com/animation/japanese_spiderman
-Space Runaway Ideon
Any show that can get me trying to sing along with the theme song, despite it being in Japanese, deserves props (this fits for Japanese Spiderman as well, in which some of the words sound like "genie", so I was able to manage a line or two). Part of a balanced breakfast (that is, if you enjoy your breakfast lasting two hours and being served with aliens and mecha, and really, who doesn't?)
-Jacob's Ladder
Listed as an inspiration to Wraith and Silent Hill. Right creepy, and got the skin crawling, but in a matter that washed off relatively quickly. Highly recommended.
-Paranormal Activity
Yeah, this one freaked me right out. Apparently, it is described as being the sort of movie that only gets to you if you are a believer in any respect, and I am, so there you go. There were a few points where the low-lying persistent creep factor gave way to cinematics, but that's to be expected; it's meant as a horror flick, not necessarily a thriller, best I can tell. I jumped a few times (okay, more than a few), and the closing scene has still come to mind a few times lately as I'm getting to sleep (which, by now, is more irritating than actually creepy). Definitely denotes a sense of loss of control, which is what really got to me.
Beyond the cinematics, the week was spent mostly sleeping, eating, and making up for lost time by being overly sappy and clingy (which is a bit of a foreign habit to me, but it was nice, I admit). Wednesday was a definite highlight, as the evening was spent dressed up and "on the town" with James and Nelly. And I tell you what, James rocks a pinstripe suit like nobody's business (does that even make sense as a sentence? I doubt it, but it still imbues a definite sense, so it stays). We went to 42nd Street for drinks, and not just any drinks, but fancy drinks. I had three different kinds of martinis: this chocolate almond thing (served with chocolate shavings!), a purple freeze, and a vodkatini, just to round out the night. James had this New York Minute thing which had about five kinds of liquor in it, along with 7Up, cranberry juice, and orange juice. They both bemoaned not having enough "grown up" nights such as this, which I can relate to, and so we all reveled in the class and conversation. On leaving the bar to park somewhere out of the way of the snow plows, the car in front of us, stopped, and a passenger got out to hurl a snowball at us. I'm yet to come up with a justification for this; apparently, we looked prepared for battle, best I can tell. The rest of the night involved local personal histories, window shopping, China Garden (the place to be at that late an hour, apparently), and, eventually, Victoria Park. Vic Park is pretty; I spent my time there attempting to take pictures of the cannons despite the awkward light conditions (that is, "low spotlights and a conventional flash"), and enjoying the juvenile and predictable images people had drawn in the snow.
Another notable incident, which, if memory serves, also happened on Wednesday, was the mayhem involved in enjoying movies from the vantage point of James' bed. James has a nice new HD monitor, so watching movies etc in his room is a pleasure indeed. However, his mattress fits on top of four planks of rather negligible widths. That night, the mattress had apparently shifted so as to be at an awkward angle to the wall and edge of the bed (or so James was able to theorize), and as such, Nelly and I ended up spilling tea on ourselves as the mattress nigh caved in. James, with our help, was able to get things sorted again.... just to have it happen again. After that, we opted to perch precariously on the slanted mattress for the rest of the night, though later James managed to fiddle with things until they were more sturdy. Quite the unexpected mayhem, I tell you what.
Along the lines of "new things" which, purportedly, this blog is all about, I met James' immediate family. Quite the lot of good people, and a pleasure to spend time with, to be sure. I even got a hug from his little sister when I departed, and a lucky dragon from his mom. This is fine enough on its own right, but additionally, the whole "meet the parents" thing is... rather new in its own right. Back in high school, it was of less import, as the relationships were less serious, and the parents tended to be met at the door before heading down to the basement to hang out. I've had about three previous relationships of note since coming to university: in one, I met the sister and he already knew my sister, in another, he met my whole family while I met none of his simply due to the distance involved, and in the third, I only met his mother, and that intimidated me well enough anyhow. With James, there was the added seriousness that he and his mother are exceptionally close, and that I have few other opportunities to meet her and the rest of them, so the impression I made was down to the way James had already talked me up, and that one meeting. I have also spoken to her and her husband on the phone before, but that was a different challenge in its own right (I'm not a phone person). Anyway, my point of that entire spiel is that I'm right happy with how the meeting went, and am looking forward to seeing them again, whenever that comes to pass.
So that was my week in Charlottetown, or at least, the main details I can call to memory at the moment. I'll end this post now, as it is already dragging, and I will move on to my upcoming goals in the next post in the next few minutes.
And yes, the subject title is a teasing dig at the Island, based on the way my friends there all seem to talk about it.
So, I went ahead and dropped off the map for a while there. Actually, I could point out on a map (approximately) where I was -Charlottetown, PE, give or take - but I wasn't online, and truly, that seems to have the greater impact, doesn't it?
So I guess I'll start with the exciting new stuff I did this past week: I went to Charlottetown, PE. That's... that's about it, really. But then, the blogosphere is meant for self-indulgence, so I daren't leave it at just that.
I went to Charlottetown to visit my boyfriend, James. We've been dating about 5 1/2 months now, and this visit makes for the second time I've seen him in that while. Needless to say, I was right psyched to go. Not to mention, I haven't been on a plane since I was about 11, and I haven't been to the Maritimes ever before. February isn't exactly the pique season, either, so I didn't need to fret over tourists, ripoffs, and extravagant travel fees. "Jack Frost" was going on, but that ended up being of little consequence. Best as I can tell, it's a watered down Winterlude anyway, especially as it lacks canal skating. Flying was fun, and a lot simpler than I expected. My piercings, yet again, managed to not set off the metal detectors (which is a relief for me, and a confusion as it pertains to security measures), and the seats all had little tv screens in the back of them. Technology amazes me. The one downside was that on the way out, the screen in front of me kept wavering and doing that screen rolling image thing. Luckily, I was reading anyhow, so I managed to not raise a fuss or suffer a seizure.
My arrival was as loving a greeting as I could have ever expected, though considering Nelly was there with James to pick me up, I really should have expected no less. Terminals, in general, tend to confuse me. I know they shouldn't, especially the Island one which James lovingly describes as a "parking lot" and Nelly discusses like a bus terminal, but somehow, their dimensions elude me. The way I understand the layout of terminals suggests they hold pocket dimensions, which is cool, but nonsensical (I highly doubt the companies involved could afford the services of a sufficiently skilled mage/witch/etc, after all). The Island terminal also features a mini-museum and a large map of the Island. This entertained me, as I came to realize how many town names I'm so familiar with - Georgetown, Milton and Toronto, for example - also have a place on the Island.
I arrived on a Saturday; Feb 13 to be more exact. The next few days were lazy not only by choice, but by duress. Most stores and the like on the Island are closed on Sundays, Monday was "Islander Day", and Wednesday involved a bit of a storm and, more notably, a storm warning, which led, again, to many closures. Instead, my time was filled with a series of television and movie delights. I'll try not to write overmuch on them, but here's an overview:
-Star Trek (the latest movie release)
I've been meaning to watch this ever since I heard about it. Conveniently, James owns it, and as such was able to show me one of the many movies he was aghast to find out I haven't watched (though believe you me, as the next post will betray, there are many one which I am missing out!). I was suitably impressed. I mean, I grew up on TNG and haven't watched much of TOS, so I'm not a fan who is able to be overly critical in the first place. However, I did get a strong sense of the characters, and a respect for the enterprise, both the S.S. variety and the business of Trekking in general. I am curious to see how it pans out.
-original Japanese Godzilla release
Despite losing some details to a sleepy haze inspired by alcohol and the late hour, I really enjoyed it. It was definitely an interesting approach to prevalent concerns of the time, and it was fun, while watching, to notice what methods were used in each scene. I also watched the behind the scenes clip on the costumes, and I tell you what, that is some messed up business. Talk about dedication.
-Japanese Spiderman
Srsly. Watch it. http://marvel.com/animation/japanese_spiderman
-Space Runaway Ideon
Any show that can get me trying to sing along with the theme song, despite it being in Japanese, deserves props (this fits for Japanese Spiderman as well, in which some of the words sound like "genie", so I was able to manage a line or two). Part of a balanced breakfast (that is, if you enjoy your breakfast lasting two hours and being served with aliens and mecha, and really, who doesn't?)
-Jacob's Ladder
Listed as an inspiration to Wraith and Silent Hill. Right creepy, and got the skin crawling, but in a matter that washed off relatively quickly. Highly recommended.
-Paranormal Activity
Yeah, this one freaked me right out. Apparently, it is described as being the sort of movie that only gets to you if you are a believer in any respect, and I am, so there you go. There were a few points where the low-lying persistent creep factor gave way to cinematics, but that's to be expected; it's meant as a horror flick, not necessarily a thriller, best I can tell. I jumped a few times (okay, more than a few), and the closing scene has still come to mind a few times lately as I'm getting to sleep (which, by now, is more irritating than actually creepy). Definitely denotes a sense of loss of control, which is what really got to me.
Beyond the cinematics, the week was spent mostly sleeping, eating, and making up for lost time by being overly sappy and clingy (which is a bit of a foreign habit to me, but it was nice, I admit). Wednesday was a definite highlight, as the evening was spent dressed up and "on the town" with James and Nelly. And I tell you what, James rocks a pinstripe suit like nobody's business (does that even make sense as a sentence? I doubt it, but it still imbues a definite sense, so it stays). We went to 42nd Street for drinks, and not just any drinks, but fancy drinks. I had three different kinds of martinis: this chocolate almond thing (served with chocolate shavings!), a purple freeze, and a vodkatini, just to round out the night. James had this New York Minute thing which had about five kinds of liquor in it, along with 7Up, cranberry juice, and orange juice. They both bemoaned not having enough "grown up" nights such as this, which I can relate to, and so we all reveled in the class and conversation. On leaving the bar to park somewhere out of the way of the snow plows, the car in front of us, stopped, and a passenger got out to hurl a snowball at us. I'm yet to come up with a justification for this; apparently, we looked prepared for battle, best I can tell. The rest of the night involved local personal histories, window shopping, China Garden (the place to be at that late an hour, apparently), and, eventually, Victoria Park. Vic Park is pretty; I spent my time there attempting to take pictures of the cannons despite the awkward light conditions (that is, "low spotlights and a conventional flash"), and enjoying the juvenile and predictable images people had drawn in the snow.
Another notable incident, which, if memory serves, also happened on Wednesday, was the mayhem involved in enjoying movies from the vantage point of James' bed. James has a nice new HD monitor, so watching movies etc in his room is a pleasure indeed. However, his mattress fits on top of four planks of rather negligible widths. That night, the mattress had apparently shifted so as to be at an awkward angle to the wall and edge of the bed (or so James was able to theorize), and as such, Nelly and I ended up spilling tea on ourselves as the mattress nigh caved in. James, with our help, was able to get things sorted again.... just to have it happen again. After that, we opted to perch precariously on the slanted mattress for the rest of the night, though later James managed to fiddle with things until they were more sturdy. Quite the unexpected mayhem, I tell you what.
Along the lines of "new things" which, purportedly, this blog is all about, I met James' immediate family. Quite the lot of good people, and a pleasure to spend time with, to be sure. I even got a hug from his little sister when I departed, and a lucky dragon from his mom. This is fine enough on its own right, but additionally, the whole "meet the parents" thing is... rather new in its own right. Back in high school, it was of less import, as the relationships were less serious, and the parents tended to be met at the door before heading down to the basement to hang out. I've had about three previous relationships of note since coming to university: in one, I met the sister and he already knew my sister, in another, he met my whole family while I met none of his simply due to the distance involved, and in the third, I only met his mother, and that intimidated me well enough anyhow. With James, there was the added seriousness that he and his mother are exceptionally close, and that I have few other opportunities to meet her and the rest of them, so the impression I made was down to the way James had already talked me up, and that one meeting. I have also spoken to her and her husband on the phone before, but that was a different challenge in its own right (I'm not a phone person). Anyway, my point of that entire spiel is that I'm right happy with how the meeting went, and am looking forward to seeing them again, whenever that comes to pass.
So that was my week in Charlottetown, or at least, the main details I can call to memory at the moment. I'll end this post now, as it is already dragging, and I will move on to my upcoming goals in the next post in the next few minutes.
And yes, the subject title is a teasing dig at the Island, based on the way my friends there all seem to talk about it.
02 February 2010
abstruse - difficult to penetrate; incomprehensible to one of ordinary understanding or knowledge
Today's word is actually inspired by the webcomic, "Abstruse Goose", and the fact that I am mostly sure that for the last 10 years or so, I have been using the word "obtuse" when trying to denote this meaning. Learning, eh?
Very little to report. The ethical consumer research goes at a snail's pace, specifically a snail which isn't moving at all. However, in my own defense, I have some midterms going on along with some exciting social revelry. I dub this sufficient reasoning to not be overly critical of my failing. Sadly, I'm not really sure what to do this week, as I would need something relatively simple and affordable. I might be cooking with my roomie at some point, so here's hoping that works out. Elsewise, I may resort to one of the simpler, but more poignant, things I wish to try: making a list of books to read, and *actually* reading them. The issue is, of course, reading takes time. As aforementioned, I am short on time. Or at least, short on determination to actually use my time responsibly.
Slow but steady, I s'pose.
Very little to report. The ethical consumer research goes at a snail's pace, specifically a snail which isn't moving at all. However, in my own defense, I have some midterms going on along with some exciting social revelry. I dub this sufficient reasoning to not be overly critical of my failing. Sadly, I'm not really sure what to do this week, as I would need something relatively simple and affordable. I might be cooking with my roomie at some point, so here's hoping that works out. Elsewise, I may resort to one of the simpler, but more poignant, things I wish to try: making a list of books to read, and *actually* reading them. The issue is, of course, reading takes time. As aforementioned, I am short on time. Or at least, short on determination to actually use my time responsibly.
Slow but steady, I s'pose.
27 January 2010
yepsen - the amount that can be held in two hands cupped together; the two cupped hands themselves
I am, in fact, trying to match the words used in my subject titles to the substance of the article to a certain extent. However, this subject line is a different matter: it's just quickly become one of my favourite words, so I was anxious to put it to use. Notably, I wanted to use it as the title for this here blog, except that Joanne Yepsen beat me to the punch (http//yepsen.blogspot.com). Apparently, back in 2005, she was running for a position in Saratoga. So to this, I say; Damn you, Joanne Yepsen. You get such an awesome last name AND my blog title? I am jealous to the utmost.
Anyway... project status: iffy. Not only am I contending with a poorly functioning colon/semi-colon key, which is unrelated but frustrating, but my seitan is far from a success. Not only did I only make it today, which lies well outside the intended time frame of last week, but it is... well, let's start at the beginning, shall we?
I took the recipe from http://www.vrg.org/recipes/vjseitan.htm, as they refer to it as "wheat meat" and as such, I just could not resist. I trust in the interwebs for most things, but on this front, I should have at least looked for more detailed instructions. For example, the recipe calls for gluten flour; I am still unsure what this really means. That is, I know it requires flour with a high gluten content, but that is 1) more difficult to find than I expected, and 2) does not narrow the options overmuch. I ended up buying semolina duram flour, which may have been an error. I have since learned my dad possibly has a proper crock pot recipe for seitan, and I am already planning on asking him to give me his recipe for a second try.
Throughout the process, the mess I had made did smell good; hard not to when your key ingredients are garlic powder and soy sauce. The gluten I made was ridiculously sticky, even though it was supposed to resemble a dough. From there, the next issue was that the instructions expect said dough to be divided into about 8 pieces, each "stretched into thin cutlets", which means very little to me, especially as I made about 14 pieces that I would consider to be "small" and "cutlet"-like. Since the dough was so sticky, putting it in the broth, which I was simmering in a crock pot, the bits were more "crazy baby octopi" shaped, than "cutlet" shaped.
The instructions say to simmer on a low boil for about an hour. I had class, and it was a crock pot, so I left it three hours. This may have been another error on my part, I confess. I came home to a sludge of dough on the bottom of the crock pot, covered in broth. Lovely, no? I tried to recover from this by removing it and cutting it into more appropriately sized pieces. By now, at least, the dough was not sticking to itself in its previous fashion. After another hour and a half in the crock pot, the seitan was still an odd consistency, but shaping up better. My last desperate act to save my concoction was to put it in the oven to crisp it up. Had I corn flakes or similar, that would've been added, as well. Last I checked on them, the consistency was still... odd, but more promising. I expect it may be edible, or even substantial, fried up with rice. I will not go so far as to call it food, but it is an edible substance. Similarly, I won't consider it a success as a recipe, but at least I gave it a shot, and this is the more important part, methinks. About the journey, not the destination, aye?
Anyhow, it was an adventure, I'll say that much. Based on the facial expressions and commentary of my roommate, I think my experiment spread joy beyond my own attraction to novelty. I'll update on the seitan situation once I cook it in something, or once I try it again. Still, hopefully, the next batch turns into something in which I can have more pride.
So, from last week's rough start, to this week's good intentions - my goal for this week is to become educated on responsible consumer habits. This will probably stretch into the following weeks, both in actually commiting the lessons learned to memory and in the execution of what I learn. Basically, consumers have power, in that they decide what to buy or not. I want my decisions in the market to be as conscious and ethical as possible. I expect this will be tricky, not only in that I expect to find a surplus of information, but also in that I doubt I will find claims that are wholly reliable, either in that they will be argued by another source or that they won't be supported aside from the author's word. Much as I try to trust people, especially those open to peer review due to the onlooking masses of the world wide web, I have been too well trained in the world of academia to not pursue more reputable sources. (Admittedly, I also want to be able to better justify the smug attitude I will inevitably be perceived to have, what with my intent to share/brag/inflict my learning on others.) In short, expect links, o internet.
That's that. I'm off to a rough start, but from what I know of superstition, that is usually a good sign. Cheers.
Anyway... project status: iffy. Not only am I contending with a poorly functioning colon/semi-colon key, which is unrelated but frustrating, but my seitan is far from a success. Not only did I only make it today, which lies well outside the intended time frame of last week, but it is... well, let's start at the beginning, shall we?
I took the recipe from http://www.vrg.org/recipes/vjseitan.htm, as they refer to it as "wheat meat" and as such, I just could not resist. I trust in the interwebs for most things, but on this front, I should have at least looked for more detailed instructions. For example, the recipe calls for gluten flour; I am still unsure what this really means. That is, I know it requires flour with a high gluten content, but that is 1) more difficult to find than I expected, and 2) does not narrow the options overmuch. I ended up buying semolina duram flour, which may have been an error. I have since learned my dad possibly has a proper crock pot recipe for seitan, and I am already planning on asking him to give me his recipe for a second try.
Throughout the process, the mess I had made did smell good; hard not to when your key ingredients are garlic powder and soy sauce. The gluten I made was ridiculously sticky, even though it was supposed to resemble a dough. From there, the next issue was that the instructions expect said dough to be divided into about 8 pieces, each "stretched into thin cutlets", which means very little to me, especially as I made about 14 pieces that I would consider to be "small" and "cutlet"-like. Since the dough was so sticky, putting it in the broth, which I was simmering in a crock pot, the bits were more "crazy baby octopi" shaped, than "cutlet" shaped.
The instructions say to simmer on a low boil for about an hour. I had class, and it was a crock pot, so I left it three hours. This may have been another error on my part, I confess. I came home to a sludge of dough on the bottom of the crock pot, covered in broth. Lovely, no? I tried to recover from this by removing it and cutting it into more appropriately sized pieces. By now, at least, the dough was not sticking to itself in its previous fashion. After another hour and a half in the crock pot, the seitan was still an odd consistency, but shaping up better. My last desperate act to save my concoction was to put it in the oven to crisp it up. Had I corn flakes or similar, that would've been added, as well. Last I checked on them, the consistency was still... odd, but more promising. I expect it may be edible, or even substantial, fried up with rice. I will not go so far as to call it food, but it is an edible substance. Similarly, I won't consider it a success as a recipe, but at least I gave it a shot, and this is the more important part, methinks. About the journey, not the destination, aye?
Anyhow, it was an adventure, I'll say that much. Based on the facial expressions and commentary of my roommate, I think my experiment spread joy beyond my own attraction to novelty. I'll update on the seitan situation once I cook it in something, or once I try it again. Still, hopefully, the next batch turns into something in which I can have more pride.
So, from last week's rough start, to this week's good intentions - my goal for this week is to become educated on responsible consumer habits. This will probably stretch into the following weeks, both in actually commiting the lessons learned to memory and in the execution of what I learn. Basically, consumers have power, in that they decide what to buy or not. I want my decisions in the market to be as conscious and ethical as possible. I expect this will be tricky, not only in that I expect to find a surplus of information, but also in that I doubt I will find claims that are wholly reliable, either in that they will be argued by another source or that they won't be supported aside from the author's word. Much as I try to trust people, especially those open to peer review due to the onlooking masses of the world wide web, I have been too well trained in the world of academia to not pursue more reputable sources. (Admittedly, I also want to be able to better justify the smug attitude I will inevitably be perceived to have, what with my intent to share/brag/inflict my learning on others.) In short, expect links, o internet.
That's that. I'm off to a rough start, but from what I know of superstition, that is usually a good sign. Cheers.
21 January 2010
hegira - exodus; a journey by a large group to escape from a hostile environment
Hello there;
A combination of boredom, and excess excitement on this project, has got me posting again, although I've little of value to add just yet. This post will serve as something of a housecleaning post, that is, a preliminary list of some of my ideas for what to do this year. This is so that I remember them, and so that anyone who wishes to make a suggestion knows what hasn't crossed my mind as of yet. So, a preliminary list of intended, impending awesomeness:
-make physical the list of "books to read" I have in my head, and start reading them
-learn guitar
-go to a rave
-implement a week of limited French immersion; that is, spend a week speaking French as much as possible
-make new foods: seitan, stuffed peppers, such
-educate myself on responsible consumership
-honesty week: spend the week telling people what they mean to me; make sure to tell at least one person a day that I love them
There are probably more, but they've left my head at the moment, and this is when the "edit" option will prove useful. On the docket for this week, by the way, is to replace my student card (which involves facing the line-ups and worker drones of InfoService), and to make seitan. Additionally, I did start this blog and the project in general, so I dare say I'm feeling a tad ahead of the game. Making seitan will prove a good little adventure, I guarantee that much!
A combination of boredom, and excess excitement on this project, has got me posting again, although I've little of value to add just yet. This post will serve as something of a housecleaning post, that is, a preliminary list of some of my ideas for what to do this year. This is so that I remember them, and so that anyone who wishes to make a suggestion knows what hasn't crossed my mind as of yet. So, a preliminary list of intended, impending awesomeness:
-make physical the list of "books to read" I have in my head, and start reading them
-learn guitar
-go to a rave
-implement a week of limited French immersion; that is, spend a week speaking French as much as possible
-make new foods: seitan, stuffed peppers, such
-educate myself on responsible consumership
-honesty week: spend the week telling people what they mean to me; make sure to tell at least one person a day that I love them
There are probably more, but they've left my head at the moment, and this is when the "edit" option will prove useful. On the docket for this week, by the way, is to replace my student card (which involves facing the line-ups and worker drones of InfoService), and to make seitan. Additionally, I did start this blog and the project in general, so I dare say I'm feeling a tad ahead of the game. Making seitan will prove a good little adventure, I guarantee that much!
19 January 2010
omphaloskepsis: the act of contemplating one's navel
Hello world;
This blog is a matter of resolutions and revolutions. Specifically, I intend to develop myself by trying new things, at of a rate of at least one new thing per week. Even if I only go on to earn a few cars and bar stories, I will consider it a success. I was inspired to do this by the show The Buried Life, as well as my Dad's habit, along with his partner, at the beginning of the year to announce the firsts of 2010 ("first egg breakfast of 2010", for example). However, there are two more concrete reasons I undertake this o so glorious endeavor.
1) I consider myself a leech. That is, I absorb the information, habits, vocal quirks, and interests of the people who surround me. I do not believe this in necessarily bad, per se, especially as I have had the great luck of knowing many interesting and diverse people. However, I would like to contribute my own such quirks to conversation, and I expect this will be most readily achieved if I branch out of my comfort zone.
2) For the past year or more, I find myself rather frequently and unexpectedly plagued by the idea of death. Not even death as an action, as that can only be confronted once it greets you eye to eye, but more so death as an ever impending noun. Between my university career and weekly pay check, I feel as though I am forever rushing forward without enjoying the present, or reaching significant or satisfying milestones. By setting weekly goals, I hope to give myself something which I can look forward to which will also serve to ground me in the moment.
These goals will vary in degree, as some weeks I will simply try a new recipe or game, where other weeks I hope to start learning a new instrument or go to the local zen center.
Other weeks, I may even bend the rules such as to do something I rarely do or haven't done in a while, like write notes to close friends expressing what they mean to me. I may also use this to achieve goals I have been putting off, such as finally replacing the strings on my violin and practicing regularly again.
I also intend to use this blog to express my logophilia, and each entry will be titled using a word I wish to learn, the stranger the better, as I'm sure this entry's subject line demonstrates. What can I say; I've a weakness for weird words, and love the idea of finding and recording them along with this project.
The last finicky detail I will list within this preface is that the domain name, "hedsit", is the offspring of desperation and convenience: it is the term blogspot asked me to type when setting up this blog in order to prove I am not a bot. Seeing as this project involves the aim of proving my selfhood to my own dear self - and because all the cool words I wanted to use were already taken - "hedsit" it is.
Here goes nothing. Or, preferably, a whole lot of somethings.
This blog is a matter of resolutions and revolutions. Specifically, I intend to develop myself by trying new things, at of a rate of at least one new thing per week. Even if I only go on to earn a few cars and bar stories, I will consider it a success. I was inspired to do this by the show The Buried Life, as well as my Dad's habit, along with his partner, at the beginning of the year to announce the firsts of 2010 ("first egg breakfast of 2010", for example). However, there are two more concrete reasons I undertake this o so glorious endeavor.
1) I consider myself a leech. That is, I absorb the information, habits, vocal quirks, and interests of the people who surround me. I do not believe this in necessarily bad, per se, especially as I have had the great luck of knowing many interesting and diverse people. However, I would like to contribute my own such quirks to conversation, and I expect this will be most readily achieved if I branch out of my comfort zone.
2) For the past year or more, I find myself rather frequently and unexpectedly plagued by the idea of death. Not even death as an action, as that can only be confronted once it greets you eye to eye, but more so death as an ever impending noun. Between my university career and weekly pay check, I feel as though I am forever rushing forward without enjoying the present, or reaching significant or satisfying milestones. By setting weekly goals, I hope to give myself something which I can look forward to which will also serve to ground me in the moment.
These goals will vary in degree, as some weeks I will simply try a new recipe or game, where other weeks I hope to start learning a new instrument or go to the local zen center.
Other weeks, I may even bend the rules such as to do something I rarely do or haven't done in a while, like write notes to close friends expressing what they mean to me. I may also use this to achieve goals I have been putting off, such as finally replacing the strings on my violin and practicing regularly again.
I also intend to use this blog to express my logophilia, and each entry will be titled using a word I wish to learn, the stranger the better, as I'm sure this entry's subject line demonstrates. What can I say; I've a weakness for weird words, and love the idea of finding and recording them along with this project.
The last finicky detail I will list within this preface is that the domain name, "hedsit", is the offspring of desperation and convenience: it is the term blogspot asked me to type when setting up this blog in order to prove I am not a bot. Seeing as this project involves the aim of proving my selfhood to my own dear self - and because all the cool words I wanted to use were already taken - "hedsit" it is.
Here goes nothing. Or, preferably, a whole lot of somethings.
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