1 hour ago
Tuesday, July 14, 2015
I feel like an idiot.
Odysseus found my draft book within about five seconds, yesterday. It was about six inches from my right foot, under the edge of the coffee table.
Monday, July 13, 2015
On the upside...
...I should be mostly recovered in a couple more days.
On the downside, it's gonna hurt like hell, should all of the accounts be believable, and not exaggerated.
I think, once that's done with, and semester's over, I shall take the little guns and a couple of rifles to the range. I want some trigger time.
In the meantime...has anybody seen my draft book? I can't find it to transcribe what I'd written, and I can't remember what I'd written.
Goodnight, everybody.
On the downside, it's gonna hurt like hell, should all of the accounts be believable, and not exaggerated.
I think, once that's done with, and semester's over, I shall take the little guns and a couple of rifles to the range. I want some trigger time.
In the meantime...has anybody seen my draft book? I can't find it to transcribe what I'd written, and I can't remember what I'd written.
Goodnight, everybody.
Saturday, July 11, 2015
random ramblings
So. Sick imp was no longer sick when he woke up yesterday. Ate two sausage links, and then ate well for lunch. Which meant that we were able to go ahead and keep up with our plans yesterday to drop them off with Odysseus's parents, then go out for lunch. He spent last night, and will be spending tonight, too. And Grandma took them to the water park yesterday, and will be taking the imp (or already has taken, probably, by this point) back today.
Since the imp is at their grandparents' house, the pixie's here on her own. I usually let her watch a lot of the things she likes that the imp doesn't, when he's gone, but today's a bit different. Today, Odysseus took the pixie to her first movie theater movie: they went to see the new Minions movie.
I've posted a half a dozen pens on my Etsy page. Most of them are fairly inexpensive, but one is fairly rare, and it's rare to find another of the pens I've posted in as excellent of condition as it's in. I've still got four more pens to fix (three to sell, one to keep as an exemplar of filler type).
My family has discovered the Dawn dish soap trick for fleas, and my little dog loves her bubble baths. Mom says she huffs on the bubbles to blow them around.
Shadow has been spending the early parts of nights sleeping on the imp for a while, now. Last night, she spent most of the evening looking for her boy before she gave up and slept on his desk. She's been sleeping on his desk for most of the day...and then decided she'd sleep on my recliner's footrest.
Cricket has been playing "the floor is lava" throughout the carpeted areas of the house. Odysseus has three big, heavy plastic trunks in the hallway. She jumps from the one closest to the living room doorway onto the pixie's desk, then from there to the back of the couch. She jumps from the couch to the kitchen. Does not seem to like carpet at all.
I've got just about one more month off before fall semester starts. The kids' school starts on the Thursday before, sort of to give the kids a chance to get back into (or into for the first time) the swing of things. And during this last month I have off (and once I've finally got this stupid UTI kicked to the curb), I'll see just how much I can get done. The house has gone from debris field disaster area to a mere train wreck. I'm not sure it's going to get better than that, given that I've got the kids following me and working on making new messes as I clean them up. And eventually, I'll have to take time off and rework my textbook (again) and work on revising/revamping the class for next spring. I've got a lot to learn for my plans, which should make my students better prepared to write in whatever their major is.
I'm just under a third of the way through the book I'm proofing. It's slow going, because I hadn't been able to focus for long periods of time. Too miserable. I'm hoping I'll feel less like I have the flu tomorrow.
As for writing...I think I got through the most recent block, but I'm not entirely sure. We shall see.
Since the imp is at their grandparents' house, the pixie's here on her own. I usually let her watch a lot of the things she likes that the imp doesn't, when he's gone, but today's a bit different. Today, Odysseus took the pixie to her first movie theater movie: they went to see the new Minions movie.
I've posted a half a dozen pens on my Etsy page. Most of them are fairly inexpensive, but one is fairly rare, and it's rare to find another of the pens I've posted in as excellent of condition as it's in. I've still got four more pens to fix (three to sell, one to keep as an exemplar of filler type).
My family has discovered the Dawn dish soap trick for fleas, and my little dog loves her bubble baths. Mom says she huffs on the bubbles to blow them around.
Shadow has been spending the early parts of nights sleeping on the imp for a while, now. Last night, she spent most of the evening looking for her boy before she gave up and slept on his desk. She's been sleeping on his desk for most of the day...and then decided she'd sleep on my recliner's footrest.
Cricket has been playing "the floor is lava" throughout the carpeted areas of the house. Odysseus has three big, heavy plastic trunks in the hallway. She jumps from the one closest to the living room doorway onto the pixie's desk, then from there to the back of the couch. She jumps from the couch to the kitchen. Does not seem to like carpet at all.
I've got just about one more month off before fall semester starts. The kids' school starts on the Thursday before, sort of to give the kids a chance to get back into (or into for the first time) the swing of things. And during this last month I have off (and once I've finally got this stupid UTI kicked to the curb), I'll see just how much I can get done. The house has gone from debris field disaster area to a mere train wreck. I'm not sure it's going to get better than that, given that I've got the kids following me and working on making new messes as I clean them up. And eventually, I'll have to take time off and rework my textbook (again) and work on revising/revamping the class for next spring. I've got a lot to learn for my plans, which should make my students better prepared to write in whatever their major is.
I'm just under a third of the way through the book I'm proofing. It's slow going, because I hadn't been able to focus for long periods of time. Too miserable. I'm hoping I'll feel less like I have the flu tomorrow.
As for writing...I think I got through the most recent block, but I'm not entirely sure. We shall see.
Thursday, July 9, 2015
My God.
It's so cute!
Our local pawn shop has had a Colt 1908 Vest Pocket pistol for going on six months, now. Today, they threw an offer at us that we couldn't refuse (especially with how much I wanted it the first time I saw it), by knocking $50 off of the tag price, if we paid cash, and paid the sales tax for us.
Odysseus went and got it for me. I can pocket-carry the adorable little thing, and I can't do that with a Kel-Tec .32.
My new tiny gun was made in 1911, judging by the serial number, has some wear on the finish, and some nincompoop tightened the screw a bit too much on the factory original grip on the left hand side, and cracked it.
Seriously. It's just too cute to be believed.
And, sorta, matches my Colt 1903 pocket hammerless.
I cannot wait to go shoot it.
Update: By request, here's a pic of my 1903 and my 1908 (both of which were made in 1911).
Our local pawn shop has had a Colt 1908 Vest Pocket pistol for going on six months, now. Today, they threw an offer at us that we couldn't refuse (especially with how much I wanted it the first time I saw it), by knocking $50 off of the tag price, if we paid cash, and paid the sales tax for us.
Odysseus went and got it for me. I can pocket-carry the adorable little thing, and I can't do that with a Kel-Tec .32.
My new tiny gun was made in 1911, judging by the serial number, has some wear on the finish, and some nincompoop tightened the screw a bit too much on the factory original grip on the left hand side, and cracked it.
Seriously. It's just too cute to be believed.
And, sorta, matches my Colt 1903 pocket hammerless.
I cannot wait to go shoot it.
Update: By request, here's a pic of my 1903 and my 1908 (both of which were made in 1911).
This is not my year.
January--pneumonia.
February--intestinal flu, and acquired gluten intolerance.
March--bronchitis.
April--possible stomach flu, possible food poisoning.
And in June, toward the end of the month, I felt a UTI coming on, so I started taking cranberry pills, and chugging water, and tried the Alka-Seltzer thing that supposedly works for my mom. I thought my precautions knocked it out, but it came roaring back, and I went on a week of Cipro. Took my last dose last night, and woke up with a backache this morning, on the right side.
Yep. Fucking bladder infection traveled, and turned into a kidney infection. Doc had the nurse shoot me in the hip with a horse's dose of keflex (with what felt like a horse needle). She doesn't fuck around with potential kidney infections that don't respond to the antibiotic that takes out 90% of UTIs.
I am outright dreading what August through December have in store. Dreading it, I tell you.
This has been a downright bad year for my health...and for my sanity.
February--intestinal flu, and acquired gluten intolerance.
March--bronchitis.
April--possible stomach flu, possible food poisoning.
And in June, toward the end of the month, I felt a UTI coming on, so I started taking cranberry pills, and chugging water, and tried the Alka-Seltzer thing that supposedly works for my mom. I thought my precautions knocked it out, but it came roaring back, and I went on a week of Cipro. Took my last dose last night, and woke up with a backache this morning, on the right side.
Yep. Fucking bladder infection traveled, and turned into a kidney infection. Doc had the nurse shoot me in the hip with a horse's dose of keflex (with what felt like a horse needle). She doesn't fuck around with potential kidney infections that don't respond to the antibiotic that takes out 90% of UTIs.
I am outright dreading what August through December have in store. Dreading it, I tell you.
This has been a downright bad year for my health...and for my sanity.
Damn it.
The imp started squalling last night, just as I was starting to drift off to sleep. Turns out, he was puking. Said he had a burning tummy ache that made him sick and throw up. We fed him a peanut butter sandwich to quell the heartburn (with a children's Pepto), gave him a fresh bucket, and left him to sleep.
This morning, we found out that he'd puked again sometime during the night, and hadn't squalled or made a mess. And was feeling too sick to eat, or to go to granny's. He's ensconced on the couch, watching DVDs of season one of Scooby Doo. The classic series. And he's not feeling good enough to do more than that.
This bodes ill for the rest of the weekend. We'd planned on letting my in-laws have the imp overnight tomorrow and Saturday.
And, that means I still have sick imp care added to my chores list for the day. At least he's simpler to deal with than a sick pixie: he mostly just wants to lay still (for the most part) on the couch, watch something, have a full water bottle, and maybe some peanut butter crackers to nibble on when he feels up to it.
The pixie wants constant snuggles, as well as all of the above.
Time to get my ass up and get to work.
This morning, we found out that he'd puked again sometime during the night, and hadn't squalled or made a mess. And was feeling too sick to eat, or to go to granny's. He's ensconced on the couch, watching DVDs of season one of Scooby Doo. The classic series. And he's not feeling good enough to do more than that.
This bodes ill for the rest of the weekend. We'd planned on letting my in-laws have the imp overnight tomorrow and Saturday.
And, that means I still have sick imp care added to my chores list for the day. At least he's simpler to deal with than a sick pixie: he mostly just wants to lay still (for the most part) on the couch, watch something, have a full water bottle, and maybe some peanut butter crackers to nibble on when he feels up to it.
The pixie wants constant snuggles, as well as all of the above.
Time to get my ass up and get to work.
Wednesday, July 8, 2015
Food!
I hadn't realized just how much I'd been eating dairy, recently, until I started taking Cipro (antibiotic). It requires that I abstain for two hours before taking, or six hours after. Since I'm taking it every twelve hours, that's about four hours (while I'm awake) that I can eat dairy.
We've been going through a lot less cheese, a lot less yogurt, and a lot less ranch dressing.
Concomitantly, we've been going through a lot more meat.
I've also discovered that pretty much all grains (except corn) make me feel sluggish to varying degrees. I try to keep those to supper.
Last night, I decided to try something different: enchiladas. The recipe is simple--just meat and cheese rolled up into a corn tortilla, and drenched in enchilada sauce, then cheese on top, bake 'til bubbly. I did half a dozen beef, half a dozen chicken.
They were really, REALLY good. Gooey good. There are leftovers, but less than half a pan. Both kinds were very good, but the chicken ones edged out the beef by a narrow margin.
I'm gonna try it again, but with taco meat, and a lot less sauce.
And in the meantime, I'm trying to plan supper...it's a cool, rainy day, so I have more options than I usually do, during summer weather.
And all this while I'm trying to ignore a major cheese craving that I can't indulge until 3:00.
We've been going through a lot less cheese, a lot less yogurt, and a lot less ranch dressing.
Concomitantly, we've been going through a lot more meat.
I've also discovered that pretty much all grains (except corn) make me feel sluggish to varying degrees. I try to keep those to supper.
Last night, I decided to try something different: enchiladas. The recipe is simple--just meat and cheese rolled up into a corn tortilla, and drenched in enchilada sauce, then cheese on top, bake 'til bubbly. I did half a dozen beef, half a dozen chicken.
They were really, REALLY good. Gooey good. There are leftovers, but less than half a pan. Both kinds were very good, but the chicken ones edged out the beef by a narrow margin.
I'm gonna try it again, but with taco meat, and a lot less sauce.
And in the meantime, I'm trying to plan supper...it's a cool, rainy day, so I have more options than I usually do, during summer weather.
And all this while I'm trying to ignore a major cheese craving that I can't indulge until 3:00.
Tuesday, July 7, 2015
Oh, great.
I have a pukey boy. The imp is really sick to his stomach. Threw up his breakfast, and the children's Pepto I gave him.
I'm going to have to add "take care of sick imp" to my list of chores today, and hope it's something not catching.
I'm going to have to add "take care of sick imp" to my list of chores today, and hope it's something not catching.
Little done, yesterday
Not a whole lot beyond doing a lot of cooking, and even more clean-up. Necessity (running a little short of one ingredient) forced a variation of my normal sloppy joe recipe* that I liked a lot better, and wound up eating about a half cup of the mixture over the top of a baked potato...and almost wasn't hungry at supper time.
For as little as I got done, it took a lot of time and energy. Experimentation in the kitchen is fun, though, especially when done under constraints that force me to get creative (like my newly acquired gluten intolerance...grumble...or being limited in when I can eat dairy by the antibiotics I'm taking).
I mean, even taking pictures of and posting half a dozen pens on Etsy took me almost an hour and a half. Not hard, just a little time consuming and draining.
So...that just means I need to bust my ass today and tomorrow to try to get caught up the rest of the way on what I didn't get done while I was down with the UTI (and self-inflicted water intoxication from trying to water the UTI's strength down a bit), and what I didn't get done yesterday because of faffing about in the kitchen.
I probably ought to get started now, with the last load of laundry and making myself a to-do list to stay on task. Because most of the time, I'll get started with one job, and get distracted by another when I'm only half done with the first, then get distracted by another, and then have a house full of chores half done, and a bigger mess than I started with by the end of the day. A list helps keep me on task.
*Sloppy joes
1 lb meat
1 c bbq sauce
1/3 c mustard
1 can corn
1 can diced tomatoes
My modification is the addition of about 2-4 Tbsp A-1. Gives it a smoky, spicy flavor that the Sweet Baby Ray's bbq sauce doesn't have by itself.
For as little as I got done, it took a lot of time and energy. Experimentation in the kitchen is fun, though, especially when done under constraints that force me to get creative (like my newly acquired gluten intolerance...grumble...or being limited in when I can eat dairy by the antibiotics I'm taking).
I mean, even taking pictures of and posting half a dozen pens on Etsy took me almost an hour and a half. Not hard, just a little time consuming and draining.
So...that just means I need to bust my ass today and tomorrow to try to get caught up the rest of the way on what I didn't get done while I was down with the UTI (and self-inflicted water intoxication from trying to water the UTI's strength down a bit), and what I didn't get done yesterday because of faffing about in the kitchen.
I probably ought to get started now, with the last load of laundry and making myself a to-do list to stay on task. Because most of the time, I'll get started with one job, and get distracted by another when I'm only half done with the first, then get distracted by another, and then have a house full of chores half done, and a bigger mess than I started with by the end of the day. A list helps keep me on task.
*Sloppy joes
1 lb meat
1 c bbq sauce
1/3 c mustard
1 can corn
1 can diced tomatoes
My modification is the addition of about 2-4 Tbsp A-1. Gives it a smoky, spicy flavor that the Sweet Baby Ray's bbq sauce doesn't have by itself.
Monday, July 6, 2015
Busy weekend
I have one thing to say.
If the White House isn't lit red, white, and blue for Independence Day, it shouldn't be lit any color for any other day.
Much of the weekend was spent picking at the things I fell behind on while I was sick, with regards to the housework. Today will probably be more of the same, with the addition of cooking for someone who can't currently cook for themselves. I'm gonna make a Sloppy Joe goulash for someone who shall currently remain nameless to avoid having them harassed by other parties who happen to be trying to financially ruin them. I'm going to try to feed this person more often. I didn't realize how bad their financial situation was until last night.
Another of my pens sold last night. I'll get it shipped today. I'm going to need to wrap it after Odysseus wakes, and address the mailer, like now. It's going to Illinois. I hope the buyer loves it as much as I do. The Parker 21 is an absolute darling to write with.
I've got half a dozen pens to take pictures of, then post to Etsy. I love the ones I've sold, and hope that the people that purchased them are happy with them. I feel the same about the ones I'm selling.
Really isn't a whole lot else going on right now. My mom's going to watch the kids on Tuesday or Thursday so I can get completely caught up (and maybe ahead) on the housework, and then their other grandparents will watch them on Friday so that Odysseus and I can go out for lunch on our anniversary.
Between those efforts, avoiding news headlines about anything I can't affect, alpha reading (I'm about a quarter of the way through), and my own writing, I think my week's going to be a bit busy.
If the White House isn't lit red, white, and blue for Independence Day, it shouldn't be lit any color for any other day.
Much of the weekend was spent picking at the things I fell behind on while I was sick, with regards to the housework. Today will probably be more of the same, with the addition of cooking for someone who can't currently cook for themselves. I'm gonna make a Sloppy Joe goulash for someone who shall currently remain nameless to avoid having them harassed by other parties who happen to be trying to financially ruin them. I'm going to try to feed this person more often. I didn't realize how bad their financial situation was until last night.
Another of my pens sold last night. I'll get it shipped today. I'm going to need to wrap it after Odysseus wakes, and address the mailer, like now. It's going to Illinois. I hope the buyer loves it as much as I do. The Parker 21 is an absolute darling to write with.
I've got half a dozen pens to take pictures of, then post to Etsy. I love the ones I've sold, and hope that the people that purchased them are happy with them. I feel the same about the ones I'm selling.
Really isn't a whole lot else going on right now. My mom's going to watch the kids on Tuesday or Thursday so I can get completely caught up (and maybe ahead) on the housework, and then their other grandparents will watch them on Friday so that Odysseus and I can go out for lunch on our anniversary.
Between those efforts, avoiding news headlines about anything I can't affect, alpha reading (I'm about a quarter of the way through), and my own writing, I think my week's going to be a bit busy.
Saturday, July 4, 2015
Random ramblings.
I am an idiot.
In the course of trying to keep a UTI under control until I could get to the doctor's office, I wound up giving my self a mild case of water intoxication. With symptoms of nausea, lethargy, and dizziness, and a weight gain in one day of ten pounds.
A night and a day of mild diuretics fixed it, but it was a little unnerving to realize that the UTI wasn't the only thing wrong, and the other thing was something I'd done to myself. No more drinking more than a gallon a day, and only that much when I'm busy and sweating (which I don't do much...which really sucks during hot weather).
The kids are the worst of monsters for night owl parents: they're morning people. Doesn't matter how late I put them to bed, they're up no later than 6:30 in the summer, and often emerging from the imp's room, where they're supposed to play and be quiet until at least 7:00. No, it doesn't seem to matter if they can't see the sunrise--I think they feel it like vampires feel the sun setting in fiction.
Why, no, I didn't get back to sleep this morning. Why did you think to ask that? ;)
Yesterday, the kids and I went up to Mom's. I had Odysseus take us and leave us there, so that he could join us for supper, after he'd had a chance to take the unit test for the online class he's taking.
It did not work out that way. The kids had a ball, but the fucking course website was buggy as hell, and he didn't want it to freeze in the middle of taking his test and boot him out. Here's hoping it works today, during the hour I have the kids playing in the front yard with bubbles and sidewalk chalk.
But in any case, we did go to Mom's yesterday. Where I found that yes, Mom actually did order me a pen that had been on my Amazon wish list. It's a Hero 616, with a gold filled cap and a gold nib. I'm pretty sure it's a reproduction of a Parker 51. It's an extremely fine nib, very pretty, has an old fashioned aerometric filling system, and has a clear, plastic ring between the section and the filling system and barrel that shows ink level--something few of my other pens have. It's a very nice feature.
I've read in Amazon reviews that some of these pens have a(n easily fixable) problem with leaking, but mine needed no tinkering before I could fill it. And it hasn't burped yet, like some of my pens do when they're one of the older ones and get shaken about.
Once we got home, the cats were incredibly possessive and clingy. I don't know if it's because they missed us, or smelled my sister's and aunts' cats on us.
There wasn't much writing done, this week, and what was done was done longhand. I need to get that gathered up (three different notebooks), and get that transcribed.
I am alpha-reading and helping with the first edit on a friend's book. I can advise this: when it comes out in the Amazon stores, go buy it. So far, it's really hooked my attention, and I'm only a few pages in. Which I read while I was feeling my worst, wasn't interested in much, and still got hooked.
In the course of trying to keep a UTI under control until I could get to the doctor's office, I wound up giving my self a mild case of water intoxication. With symptoms of nausea, lethargy, and dizziness, and a weight gain in one day of ten pounds.
A night and a day of mild diuretics fixed it, but it was a little unnerving to realize that the UTI wasn't the only thing wrong, and the other thing was something I'd done to myself. No more drinking more than a gallon a day, and only that much when I'm busy and sweating (which I don't do much...which really sucks during hot weather).
The kids are the worst of monsters for night owl parents: they're morning people. Doesn't matter how late I put them to bed, they're up no later than 6:30 in the summer, and often emerging from the imp's room, where they're supposed to play and be quiet until at least 7:00. No, it doesn't seem to matter if they can't see the sunrise--I think they feel it like vampires feel the sun setting in fiction.
Why, no, I didn't get back to sleep this morning. Why did you think to ask that? ;)
Yesterday, the kids and I went up to Mom's. I had Odysseus take us and leave us there, so that he could join us for supper, after he'd had a chance to take the unit test for the online class he's taking.
It did not work out that way. The kids had a ball, but the fucking course website was buggy as hell, and he didn't want it to freeze in the middle of taking his test and boot him out. Here's hoping it works today, during the hour I have the kids playing in the front yard with bubbles and sidewalk chalk.
But in any case, we did go to Mom's yesterday. Where I found that yes, Mom actually did order me a pen that had been on my Amazon wish list. It's a Hero 616, with a gold filled cap and a gold nib. I'm pretty sure it's a reproduction of a Parker 51. It's an extremely fine nib, very pretty, has an old fashioned aerometric filling system, and has a clear, plastic ring between the section and the filling system and barrel that shows ink level--something few of my other pens have. It's a very nice feature.
I've read in Amazon reviews that some of these pens have a(n easily fixable) problem with leaking, but mine needed no tinkering before I could fill it. And it hasn't burped yet, like some of my pens do when they're one of the older ones and get shaken about.
Once we got home, the cats were incredibly possessive and clingy. I don't know if it's because they missed us, or smelled my sister's and aunts' cats on us.
There wasn't much writing done, this week, and what was done was done longhand. I need to get that gathered up (three different notebooks), and get that transcribed.
I am alpha-reading and helping with the first edit on a friend's book. I can advise this: when it comes out in the Amazon stores, go buy it. So far, it's really hooked my attention, and I'm only a few pages in. Which I read while I was feeling my worst, wasn't interested in much, and still got hooked.
Wednesday, July 1, 2015
I don't care.
I don't care if someone calls themselves gay, straight, conservative, liberal, black, white, Oriental, Hispanic, atheist, Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, Shinto, Wiccan, Asatru, or something else I can't think of to name. I don't care if someone's bright or dim. I don't care.
The main things I think are:
I do not care about political correctness, but I will keep my opinions on someone's politics to myself, unless and until I no longer can. Many do not permit me to do that. And then I get called names, that I don't care about, but still get worried about keeping my job because of.
And this is why I like individuals just fine, but don't like people in general.
The main things I think are:
- Is this person acting like/going to act like a threat to me, or to my family?
- Is this person acting courteous or rude/thoughtless?
- Is this person acting like an asshole?
- Is this person open to listening to facts and changing their minds when proven wrong, or are they close minded?
- Is this person capable of changing behaviors that prove destructive?
I do not care about political correctness, but I will keep my opinions on someone's politics to myself, unless and until I no longer can. Many do not permit me to do that. And then I get called names, that I don't care about, but still get worried about keeping my job because of.
And this is why I like individuals just fine, but don't like people in general.
Oh, ugh.
UTIs suck. They really, really do. I'd started chugging water and taking cranberry pills and drinking cranberry juice and alka-seltzer when I felt it coming on...and the symptoms went away. All of them. So, I thought the problem had gone away. I kept taking the cranberry pills, and chugging the water, but quit with the rest because it was starting to bother my stomach.
The symptoms came roaring, as of this morning, only worse. This time, it includes nausea, mid-back pain, and a low-grade fever.
Damn it.
Got a doctor's appointment for tomorrow morning. I'll feel better next week.
The symptoms came roaring, as of this morning, only worse. This time, it includes nausea, mid-back pain, and a low-grade fever.
Damn it.
Got a doctor's appointment for tomorrow morning. I'll feel better next week.
Tuesday, June 30, 2015
Trying something new tonight...
I have discovered that my bottle of General Tso's sauce is going to have to go to one of my friends. I can't use it. It has wheat ingredients. Damn it.
I wanted to do something sweet and spicy with some pork chops I had pulled out of the freezer to thaw. I'd planned on using the General Tso's sauce, but...yeah. That has been ruled out.
I've mixed up about a half cup (or perhaps 2/3 c) of honey with about 2Tbsp of sriracha sauce. I think that will work fairly well, when I use garlic powder and salt on the pork.
Speaking of the pork, I'm using thick cut pork loin chops--about an inch thick--and I've sliced it thin across the grain. I'll fry that fair quick, then add a few veggies and the sauce, then leave the skillet simmering for a bit while the rice cooks. I think it'll be pretty good...at least, I hope it will.
No, the kids aren't going to be eating it. The pixie is really not fond of anything even mildly spicy. The imp is deeply suspicious of new foods, and I don't think he'd like this at all anyway, since he doesn't have a sweet tooth. This is grown up food. And, as soon as the kids' episode of Scooby Doo is over, they're gonna eat while I cook for my husband and myself.
I'm just hoping that the experimentation turns out as good as it sounds.
I wanted to do something sweet and spicy with some pork chops I had pulled out of the freezer to thaw. I'd planned on using the General Tso's sauce, but...yeah. That has been ruled out.
I've mixed up about a half cup (or perhaps 2/3 c) of honey with about 2Tbsp of sriracha sauce. I think that will work fairly well, when I use garlic powder and salt on the pork.
Speaking of the pork, I'm using thick cut pork loin chops--about an inch thick--and I've sliced it thin across the grain. I'll fry that fair quick, then add a few veggies and the sauce, then leave the skillet simmering for a bit while the rice cooks. I think it'll be pretty good...at least, I hope it will.
No, the kids aren't going to be eating it. The pixie is really not fond of anything even mildly spicy. The imp is deeply suspicious of new foods, and I don't think he'd like this at all anyway, since he doesn't have a sweet tooth. This is grown up food. And, as soon as the kids' episode of Scooby Doo is over, they're gonna eat while I cook for my husband and myself.
I'm just hoping that the experimentation turns out as good as it sounds.
Monday, June 29, 2015
We need to re-think things, as a nation of Christians.
There's a lot of panic going around, over how the SCOTUS's recent legislation will affect churches who do not want to officiate over gay wedding ceremonies. Churches are terrified that refusing will lose them their tax exempt status.
I say: so what? That tax exempt status is preventing the churches from doing a lot of good--it's a chain, a muzzle, a gag. Any pastor that says anything outright political that TPTB don't like gets threatened with the church's tax exempt status getting yanked. That includes castigating parishioners that follow the feelz and have an abortion/fuck around outside of marriage/act on their urges to fuck around despite being married, or any other things that are frowned upon by the whole bible, not just the laws that were fulfilled by the coming of Christ.
Instead, what we have is this watered-down, passive version of Christianity. No Jonathan Edwards for us, no sir. Why, that man was a fire-breathing, politically active pastor that said we were all going to hell!
Well, looking around at the things going on--God being forced out of public schools, while pornography is brought in; girls being snuck out by their school counselors for abortions, without even bothering to tell their parents they were even pregnant; children being stolen from their families by the state teaching them that anything goes, and their parents are wackos for believing in an Imaginary Friend in the Sky--maybe we, as a nation, are headed in that very direction.
The results--the mass shootings, the kids looking for direction joining radical Islam because they're not getting it at home or in church, the rising number of unwed mothers and/or abortions in certain demographics, the violence in the streets, the sheer, selfish, thoughtless lack of consideration for one's neighbor--sort of speak for themselves.
So, yes. Let that tax exempt status fall by the wayside. Let the pastors actually start guiding their flocks again. I will bet you anything that the true Christians will stand up and make damn sure their church is blessed by the removal of the chains and gag.
I say: so what? That tax exempt status is preventing the churches from doing a lot of good--it's a chain, a muzzle, a gag. Any pastor that says anything outright political that TPTB don't like gets threatened with the church's tax exempt status getting yanked. That includes castigating parishioners that follow the feelz and have an abortion/fuck around outside of marriage/act on their urges to fuck around despite being married, or any other things that are frowned upon by the whole bible, not just the laws that were fulfilled by the coming of Christ.
Instead, what we have is this watered-down, passive version of Christianity. No Jonathan Edwards for us, no sir. Why, that man was a fire-breathing, politically active pastor that said we were all going to hell!
Well, looking around at the things going on--God being forced out of public schools, while pornography is brought in; girls being snuck out by their school counselors for abortions, without even bothering to tell their parents they were even pregnant; children being stolen from their families by the state teaching them that anything goes, and their parents are wackos for believing in an Imaginary Friend in the Sky--maybe we, as a nation, are headed in that very direction.
The results--the mass shootings, the kids looking for direction joining radical Islam because they're not getting it at home or in church, the rising number of unwed mothers and/or abortions in certain demographics, the violence in the streets, the sheer, selfish, thoughtless lack of consideration for one's neighbor--sort of speak for themselves.
So, yes. Let that tax exempt status fall by the wayside. Let the pastors actually start guiding their flocks again. I will bet you anything that the true Christians will stand up and make damn sure their church is blessed by the removal of the chains and gag.
Saturday, June 27, 2015
random ramblings
I need to start getting to bed earlier. Especially since I need to cut back on the caffeine while I'm trying to stave off getting a UTI.
It's gonna be a really, really pretty day. I'm thinking about taking the kids to the back yard for a while. I'd just kick them out, but because of neighbor complaints, we no longer have a yappy little dog that gives an alarm if someone approaches that she doesn't know, and we live in town.
It really sucks. I dimly remember having unsupervised outside time at their ages. I wish I could give them the same in their own fucking yard, but it really is a different world of dangers: if it's not the dangers of stranger kidnapping (which actually does happen, no matter what people who quote statistics would say--and has happened near here within the last two years), it's the dangers of some shithead bully calling the cops for what they consider neglect.
And, given the whole issue with somebody calling the cops on the dog, I'm not willing to risk my kids.
We'll be taking the kids and going to PetSmart for some cat food within the next hour, hour and a half. They'll have their pet adoption days going (i.e., kennel cages with dogs and sometimes cats) set up where the kids can coo over and pet the dogs), and the pixie loves watching the small rodents. The imp loves the lizards (which seem to love him, too).
We'd recently gotten the cats some catnip mice, and Cricket loves them. She carries them around in her mouth, yowling with her mouth full of toy, then jumps up to play with them around the arm of the couch. I don't mind so much with the toys. It's when she does it with a real one that I get miffed.
Shadow doesn't care so much for the toy mice. She'll play with them when she's bored, but she prefers these furry little craft fuzzballs that the pixie brought home after an art project. They're like pom-poms, but...well, they've got a semi-solid center, and sparklies worked into the fibers sticking out in all directions. She found one, day before yesterday, and...yeah. Chaos in the kitchen. She'd found it at lunchtime for the kids, and it was difficult and took several minutes to get them to stop squealing and giggling over the cat and back to eating their lunches.
I've got the nibs, feeds, and sections cleaned up on the Parker VS, the Sheaffer White Dot lever fill, and have started on the Sheaffer Touchdown. I'll need a small clamp before I can put new ink sacs in them--it's probably a bad idea to use my teeth to hold the sections while I stretch the sacs over the section nipples. Other than that, I've got one more pen (a Sheaffer Fineline lever fill pen--one of their student pens) to fix. To be honest, I'd kind of forgotten about that one.
I have two pens I need to do writing samples for, six to take pictures of, and then three to write out of ink and clean up. Then I'll have six more pens to post on my Etsy page. After that? There's the three more I'm going to go ahead and sell to finish fixing, test, write out a sample for, take pictures of, and post.
Last month, I had someone from Taiwan buy three of my pens. It came out to around $102 brought in, and I'm beginning to wonder if I really can turn this into a business. It's kinda going to depend on my time, and how much I can find the pens for, vs. how much I can sell them for.
Writing...I've hit another block. I'm up to just almost the halfway point (and up to 21K words in part 1), and I'm wondering if I'm going to have to skip ahead and come back to write the filler up to the good part later. It's a bit of a slog, and I'm thinking it has less to do with the actually writing, and needing more sleep.
Which takes us back to square one: I need to start getting to bed earlier.
It's gonna be a really, really pretty day. I'm thinking about taking the kids to the back yard for a while. I'd just kick them out, but because of neighbor complaints, we no longer have a yappy little dog that gives an alarm if someone approaches that she doesn't know, and we live in town.
It really sucks. I dimly remember having unsupervised outside time at their ages. I wish I could give them the same in their own fucking yard, but it really is a different world of dangers: if it's not the dangers of stranger kidnapping (which actually does happen, no matter what people who quote statistics would say--and has happened near here within the last two years), it's the dangers of some shithead bully calling the cops for what they consider neglect.
And, given the whole issue with somebody calling the cops on the dog, I'm not willing to risk my kids.
We'll be taking the kids and going to PetSmart for some cat food within the next hour, hour and a half. They'll have their pet adoption days going (i.e., kennel cages with dogs and sometimes cats) set up where the kids can coo over and pet the dogs), and the pixie loves watching the small rodents. The imp loves the lizards (which seem to love him, too).
We'd recently gotten the cats some catnip mice, and Cricket loves them. She carries them around in her mouth, yowling with her mouth full of toy, then jumps up to play with them around the arm of the couch. I don't mind so much with the toys. It's when she does it with a real one that I get miffed.
Shadow doesn't care so much for the toy mice. She'll play with them when she's bored, but she prefers these furry little craft fuzzballs that the pixie brought home after an art project. They're like pom-poms, but...well, they've got a semi-solid center, and sparklies worked into the fibers sticking out in all directions. She found one, day before yesterday, and...yeah. Chaos in the kitchen. She'd found it at lunchtime for the kids, and it was difficult and took several minutes to get them to stop squealing and giggling over the cat and back to eating their lunches.
I've got the nibs, feeds, and sections cleaned up on the Parker VS, the Sheaffer White Dot lever fill, and have started on the Sheaffer Touchdown. I'll need a small clamp before I can put new ink sacs in them--it's probably a bad idea to use my teeth to hold the sections while I stretch the sacs over the section nipples. Other than that, I've got one more pen (a Sheaffer Fineline lever fill pen--one of their student pens) to fix. To be honest, I'd kind of forgotten about that one.
I have two pens I need to do writing samples for, six to take pictures of, and then three to write out of ink and clean up. Then I'll have six more pens to post on my Etsy page. After that? There's the three more I'm going to go ahead and sell to finish fixing, test, write out a sample for, take pictures of, and post.
Last month, I had someone from Taiwan buy three of my pens. It came out to around $102 brought in, and I'm beginning to wonder if I really can turn this into a business. It's kinda going to depend on my time, and how much I can find the pens for, vs. how much I can sell them for.
Writing...I've hit another block. I'm up to just almost the halfway point (and up to 21K words in part 1), and I'm wondering if I'm going to have to skip ahead and come back to write the filler up to the good part later. It's a bit of a slog, and I'm thinking it has less to do with the actually writing, and needing more sleep.
Which takes us back to square one: I need to start getting to bed earlier.
Friday, June 26, 2015
Marriage...
Today, the Supreme Court legislated from the bench, yet again, giving the federal government a firmer foothold into things they have no Constitutional right sticking noses, much less toes, into.
No, I don't think gay marriage will make marriage a joke. Radical feminsim did that well enough on its own with the no-fault divorce laws. Yeah, it's given us a good hard shove down the slippery slope, but the SCOTUS has not made marriage a joke.
No, I don't see it as righting a wrong. I see today's ruling as committing a wrong. Not a sin (that's left to the individuals), but a wrong.
It doesn't fall under the commerce clause (though I'd be willing to bet that's one of the reasons that this was passed--more people filing for licences and paying fees...they think). It doesn't fall under the non-discrimination amendments, in my opinion, because they had equal right to marry the opposite sex. Or not to marry, as the case may be.
No, the SCOTUS decided, unilaterally, to force this onto every state all at once.
I don't find it as morally repugnant as many will--certainly not on the level of Roe v. Wade--but I do find it repugnant on a legal level.
Laws are passed by legislatures. NOT by the judiciary.
No, I don't think gay marriage will make marriage a joke. Radical feminsim did that well enough on its own with the no-fault divorce laws. Yeah, it's given us a good hard shove down the slippery slope, but the SCOTUS has not made marriage a joke.
No, I don't see it as righting a wrong. I see today's ruling as committing a wrong. Not a sin (that's left to the individuals), but a wrong.
It doesn't fall under the commerce clause (though I'd be willing to bet that's one of the reasons that this was passed--more people filing for licences and paying fees...they think). It doesn't fall under the non-discrimination amendments, in my opinion, because they had equal right to marry the opposite sex. Or not to marry, as the case may be.
No, the SCOTUS decided, unilaterally, to force this onto every state all at once.
I don't find it as morally repugnant as many will--certainly not on the level of Roe v. Wade--but I do find it repugnant on a legal level.
Laws are passed by legislatures. NOT by the judiciary.
Thursday, June 25, 2015
Still need to replace batteries...
...in the camera, you perverts! ;)
Really, though, I found the camera, I found the batteries, I've got writing samples of four of the six pens I need to take pictures of and sell done...I need to get to it.
Don't wanna, right now.
Still need to go work on clearing out clutter on my side of the bed, and clutter off the nightstands.
Again, don't wanna.
I'd work on my pens, but one has the nib, feed, and section soaking, and the other* has those bits drying.
Suppose I'll go find a book for the time being, until I feel less tired, and more motivated. Maybe tomorrow.
*The Parker VS is a rare bird--it's one of the few manufactured in 1947 with a clear feed, which Parker quit making early in the year.
Really, though, I found the camera, I found the batteries, I've got writing samples of four of the six pens I need to take pictures of and sell done...I need to get to it.
Don't wanna, right now.
Still need to go work on clearing out clutter on my side of the bed, and clutter off the nightstands.
Again, don't wanna.
I'd work on my pens, but one has the nib, feed, and section soaking, and the other* has those bits drying.
Suppose I'll go find a book for the time being, until I feel less tired, and more motivated. Maybe tomorrow.
*The Parker VS is a rare bird--it's one of the few manufactured in 1947 with a clear feed, which Parker quit making early in the year.
Wednesday, June 24, 2015
Yay!
New pens are here! Two of them do not need repairs, and the other two will have to be relegated to parts pens, since one is a cartridge pen with a cap that doesn't fit, and the other one has a cap that doesn't fit.
The Parkette seems to be in perfect working order, even though there's some ink residue in the pen. I'm in the process of soaking it clean.
The other one that's working doesn't seem to have a brand name. It's a maroon pen with a gold cap (with a bit of pitting and tarnish on one side of the cap), a hooded nib, a monogram in gold foil, and a triangular shaped grip section. Much like two other pens I've had come into my possession. The nib looks to be in better shape than the fixable one of the others like it. I shall find out for sure when I ink it up and try it out.
I'm thinking I need to order some different inks. I love, love, LOVE the Noodler's inks--especially the burgundy--but I only have one pen that doesn't lay down so much that the ink doesn't show or bleed through most paper.
That's for later, though. I have a bottle of Parker's black Quink, a bottle of green and a bottle of red Waterman. Those will do for now. And maybe I can figure a burgundy from mixing a little bit of red and a little bit of black.
The Parkette seems to be in perfect working order, even though there's some ink residue in the pen. I'm in the process of soaking it clean.
The other one that's working doesn't seem to have a brand name. It's a maroon pen with a gold cap (with a bit of pitting and tarnish on one side of the cap), a hooded nib, a monogram in gold foil, and a triangular shaped grip section. Much like two other pens I've had come into my possession. The nib looks to be in better shape than the fixable one of the others like it. I shall find out for sure when I ink it up and try it out.
I'm thinking I need to order some different inks. I love, love, LOVE the Noodler's inks--especially the burgundy--but I only have one pen that doesn't lay down so much that the ink doesn't show or bleed through most paper.
That's for later, though. I have a bottle of Parker's black Quink, a bottle of green and a bottle of red Waterman. Those will do for now. And maybe I can figure a burgundy from mixing a little bit of red and a little bit of black.
Happy, happy!
I have four more pens I won from Ebay for $9.95. One of them is a Parkette (one of the Parker brand pens that were the "cheap" pens they made, but was fairly high quality), and is the reason I bid at all. Research says that the model I got tends to go for around $50 or so on Ebay, unrestored. They go for a bit more once they've been fixed, and it's a simple, simple fix.
So. When I get the bedroom clean enough I can get to my pen repair corner, I'll have seven pens to refurb.
Before the bedroom got a clutter build up, I did get a good look at the Parker VS, and noted a neat feature: the feed is transparent. It's going to be really pretty with a bright, bold ink flowing through under the gold nib.
The other reason I'm fairly happy is that I found both the camera and the batteries yesterday before my get-up-and-go got up and went.* I've got four pens to take pictures of tonight after the kids go to bed, and one to use the little bit of ink from before I clean it back up.** I don't really enjoy taking the pictures of the pens, mostly because with the little camera I've got, it's a little hard to get good close-up photos to show details (like brand and type stamps). But it will be good to get those five pens listed.
The third reason for my current happiness is that my son is reading to my daughter as they're taking a break from cleaning their rooms (and yes, it is just as cute as it sounds).
So. When I get the bedroom clean enough I can get to my pen repair corner, I'll have seven pens to refurb.
Before the bedroom got a clutter build up, I did get a good look at the Parker VS, and noted a neat feature: the feed is transparent. It's going to be really pretty with a bright, bold ink flowing through under the gold nib.
The other reason I'm fairly happy is that I found both the camera and the batteries yesterday before my get-up-and-go got up and went.* I've got four pens to take pictures of tonight after the kids go to bed, and one to use the little bit of ink from before I clean it back up.** I don't really enjoy taking the pictures of the pens, mostly because with the little camera I've got, it's a little hard to get good close-up photos to show details (like brand and type stamps). But it will be good to get those five pens listed.
The third reason for my current happiness is that my son is reading to my daughter as they're taking a break from cleaning their rooms (and yes, it is just as cute as it sounds).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
