Below are the most recent 25 friends' journal entries.

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Sunday, November 29th, 2009
accioslash	12:19a	Thirty Days of Spam...Day 29 - Audience Participation ( WriSoMiFu Day 29 - Recs for Fics synonymous with hot ) (5 Comments |Comment on this)
Saturday, November 28th, 2009
amanuensis1	12:52p	Don't eat while reading this. Eeesh. By the way, hearkening back to my earlier post--this doesn't spoil anything, since you can see on the Yuletide list of requested fandoms that no one asked for it--I did not get assigned to write for Richard Adams's The Plague Dogs. I decided, when I accidentally included it in the list, that rather than redo my list I'd just go read the book once and for all, even before the assignments came out, so I got it from the library. I got through Ulysses easier than this. This is...guys, I have written some interesting metaphors myself in my time, some of them admittedly more purple than should be seen outside of crackfic, but this takes them all: ...Rowf's rump slid suddenly forward as smoothly as a turd from a healthy anus... I can't even facepalm. It's too squicky. Current Mood: aggravated Current Music: Treasure Planet DVD (1 Comment |Comment on this)
jin_fenghuang	9:00p	Holiday Drawbles Drive Holiday Drawbles Drive: For sra_danvers Pairing: Snape/Harry Rating: PG Media: digital Warnings: none Notes: This is part of my Holiday Drawbles Drive. Donate a dollar or two and get a drawble of you favorite pairing kissing. (2 Comments |Comment on this)
last_raindrop	6:54p	Ladies and gentlemen, I have an x-mas tree!!! It is small and cute and shiny(literarly since it has lights) and it has a chrismass hat on top. I have told my mom to send me my presents wrapped so I can put them under my tree(literarly the tree is too small otherwise). I spend about 45 dollars but that was for the tree, decorations, candy for me and the kids at school(because I am candy santa) and pencil presents. Not bad really. Tomorrow I am going to a turkey dinner since my roomie wants to go to one bad, he misses thanksgiving, and then I will pick up my ring and drag him home to watch Harry Potter. He finished the first book today. I have to wait about 2 weeks for him to buy the rest of the books but at least I got him hooked on the series. I wonder what should I give him for his b-day(it is the day after x-mas). Maybe I can make him a griffindor scarf by then but that means I need to start now...well, here goes nothing... *goes off to watch Eurika and make the scarf* Current Mood: chipper Current Music: Tsubasa - run for your life (Comment on this)
accioslash	12:13a	Thirty Days of Spam...Day 28 - Discovering Fan Fic ( WriSoMiFu Day 28 -Let's talk about your first time ) (16 Comments |Comment on this)
jin_fenghuang	9:17a	Holiday Drawbles Drive As some of you already know, I am doing a Drawbles Donation Drive. 1 or 2 USD for a smoochy drawble. Sadly the website of the Grameen Foundation as small donation issues i.e. you currently can only donate USD15 and more. And while that would be awesome I totally understand that that is a bit much. I am now accepting any reasonable tolerant charity organisation of your choice. (Comment on this)
Friday, November 27th, 2009
accioslash	8:08a	Thirty Days of Spam...Day 27 - Another Srs Question ( WriSoMiFu Day 27 - Aunt Accio really needs a nap ) (22 Comments |Comment on this)
accioslash	3:10a	Not Part of the "Thirty Days of Spam" Series ( But still spam nonetheless ) (16 Comments |Comment on this)
Thursday, November 26th, 2009
ponderosa121	9:51p	oh hell yes, I have a Snuggie We went down to Salinas to J's sister's new place, and holy crap is it huge. It's got a nifty layout, and infinitely more space than their old house. We hadn't seen Natalie since before she was walking so it took a while for her to stop giving J and I the suspicious eye, but by the end of the night it was lots of carry-me arms, and where Sophie is usually all about her Uncle J, somehow this time I ended up with her hanging on me more often than not. I suspect it was that I was wearing a pink shirt so that boosted my coolness rating. It's interesting to see the ways her personality has changed now that she's a big sister. Sometimes I wish we lived a bit closer in order to visit more often. Anyway, we hung out, ate food, played with dolls, tried to devise a plan to steal their adorable pug, and at the end of the evening I got the bonus of belated b-day gifts. See subject. I have also increased my fuzzy scarf collection by one, so I should probably put out some of the ones I don't wear often out onto the curb. The drive was nice, and J and I talked a lot about the ways in which we'd like to focus on our projects for school and general creative things. I'm back to having a solid idea of where to go with my current assignments so I'm feeling very rejuvenated about them. Which is good, as I need to be doubly-focused this weekend, since I didn't actually get any extra days off, and the lab is closed tomorrow which is typically my dedicated time to go in and work all day on my homework! Current Mood: touched (Comment on this)
Friday, November 27th, 2009
jin_fenghuang	11:54a	ART POST Title: Smooch Pairing: Snape/Lupin Rating: PG Warnings: none media: digital Notes: A little smoochy drawble for r_grayjoy, who writes the best limericks ever! *smooch* ( There once was a drawble for r_grayjoy, who writes limericks full of joy ... ) (4 Comments |Comment on this)
Thursday, November 26th, 2009
amanuensis1	10:07p	Also, being by myself, I got to watch anything I wanted on tv, not football. Anime yaoi, ho! I had to work part of the holiday, so I just counted the time I did have off as a good thing, and took it easy rather than make plans with others. I did make time to make a yummy dinner for myself from scratch: Chicken with sun-dried tomatoes in dijon-riesling-cream sauce Sesame noodles Spicy peanut butter soup Tart green salad with proscuitto and asiago and warm balsamic dressing Warm butterscotch-maple pudding I love mixing cuisines. Current Mood: full Current Music: hikaru no go, ep 70 (2 Comments |Comment on this)
sams_cafe	5:06p	New season of QI starts tonight! Stephen Fry's looking fit, isn't he? Well done him. I didn't make pie today, the turkey kind of wore me down, but I was a CLEVER LAD and bought a pint of ice cream when I last bought groceries, then HID IT behind something in the freezer. And just rediscovered it, so. QUITE INTERESTING AND ICE CREAM. And then I will sleep forever. (Comment on this)
sams_cafe	2:30p	THAT WAS AMAZING. OH YES IT WAS. You can see a couple of things -- one, NOTHING ON THE PLATE IS TOUCHING. Mock me not, I was a picky child. Two, the herb rub is a little visible on the done turkey and definitely visible on the plated turkey. It's delicious -- like a light relish. It does make the skin more moist, though, so you don't get that lovely crackly skin. Three, the fried stuffing was awesome -- I definitely recommend adding walnuts -- but I need a fryer basket, as one of those is visibly mangled. Still ate well. Thee A, well, there's no sauce for the turkey. I didn't think to make gravy and if it had come out dry I would have just put a bit of bbq sauce on it, but it was so moist it totally didn't need any. It just about fell apart in my fingers, very much like properly smoked turkey will. I didn't even bother with cutlery. Because FOOD GOOD. On the other hand, I cooked an eight pound bird and now have seven and a half pounds remaining. I've stripped off what I could -- I'm waiting for it to cool before stripping the rest -- but seriously I'm going to be eating turkey for the rest of my life. Or until R gets back on Sunday. I DECLARE MYSELF KING OF THANKSGIVING. (Comment on this)
sams_cafe	12:14p	The turkey is in the oven! I have thoroughly violated it. I washed it in cold water, rubbed herb paste under its skin, shoved apples and onions up its arse, laid it out on a rack, and oiled it all over before pushing a probe thermometer into its breast. This is either going to be awesome or totally inedible. If the latter, well, it was art while it lasted, and I have the delivery number of an open-on-Thanksgiving sushi place. ( Aromatics and Herb Rub ) (Comment on this)
sams_cafe	10:51a	I had potato oyaki for breakfast! Which...I did not photograph, first my hands were starchy and then I was too busy eating them. It's a bit like eating a hand-held shepherd's pie. I got the original recipe here, but I rewrote it slightly as I do most of my recipes and I want it archived here anyway. ( Potato Oyaki ) (Comment on this)
sams_cafe	8:54a	On this day, citizens of the United States gather to give thanks for turkey, for the Blues, for the sanity to stay home on Black Friday, and for our foreign neighbours, who peer curiously and a little indulgently at us from across the borders. Today I'm making Tarte aux pommes et beurre de cacahuète à la Chicago, though I'm only calling it that to tease la_rainette, who objected strongly to French and Peanut Butter ever mixing. :D I am still thankful, but I am also thankful for a job I like, a boss I like who likes me, my beloved Bigger On The Inside flat, a gas cooking range, an electric blanket that works, public transit, my family, my family being several states away, and this FIVE DAY WEEKEND OH YEAH. In the way of attempting to cause a Thanksgiving Miracle: violetisblue contacted me yesterday (sorry this post is late, Violet!) about adopting an ITTY BITTY TORTIE KITTY. I'm not financially in the position to adopt a cat right now, plus R's allergic, so I thought I'd put out a call on the cafe. Is there anyone in the Chicago or Northern Indiana area who is looking for a cat? She's two years old, spayed, feline leukemia negative, all her shots, no behavioural problems. Her foster mum says the shelters in their area are full and she can't keep her because her own cat has problems; she's willing to deliver her to someone who's reasonably local to the area. If you're interested, get in touch with her at violetaugustine at gmail.com. Suggestions for no-kill shelters that will take cats from across county lines are also appreciated. Happy Thanksgiving, all! (Comment on this)
accioslash	1:07a	Thirty Days of Spam...Day 26 - Giving Thanks ( WriSoMiFu Day 26 - Everything I Needed to Know About Life, I Learned from Harry Potter ) (20 Comments |Comment on this)
Wednesday, November 25th, 2009
sams_cafe	9:48p	It's remarkably hard to mash potatoes without a potato masher. I keep flashing back to the Potato Ricer scene in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. "How can you not have a potato ricer? What IS a potato ricer?" "We will just use a fork, like the pilgrims did." Anyway, the turkey is brining (the brine is very green. I worry this is going to be a repeat of the curry-marinated Neon Chicken incident) and the stuffing is chilling in balls, waiting to be fried on the morrow. The oyaki dough is cooling in a tupperware on the counter. R is safely off to play Blues all night and then drive home for Thanksgiving at 3 in the morning. I have Hot Fuzz and To Catch A Thief and The Thomas Crown Affair (the original AND the remake) on DVD. LET THE GIVING OF THANKS AND VIEWING OF COPS AND ROBBERS FLICKS BE FORETOLD. As florahart reminded me, of the many things I am thankful for this year, health insurance is very near the top of the list. If I could, I would put you all on my plan. (Comment on this)
sams_cafe	8:46p	R came over tonight. It was a very literary night! R: So, I'm doing gigs with [That girl who once bought us hamburgers] in Boys Town like, last week and two weeks in December. Sam: Are you becoming a star? R: Yesterday I was walking down Belmont and two guys stopped me and said they loved seeing me play. Sam: You're the toast of the gayborhood. R: You know who loves me? Gay guys and bluesmen. Sam: Catchy title for a book. [one pizza later] R: If I had five hundred dollars I would throw a HUGE party. We'd have a DJ. And gumbo. I'd get a soupiere to come in. Sam: A soupiere? R: Like a soup chef. Sam: Seriously? R: It's gumbo, man. I have to take it seriously. Sam: With soupieres. R: Yeah. For bisques and such. Hey, that's a catchy title. You gotta write a book called Bisques And Such. So apparently I'm writing a book called Bisques And Such. I suspect lobstermen will be involved. I'm pretty sure soupiere is not a word for a soup chef. But only pretty sure. (Comment on this)
sams_cafe	1:17p	It might look like a bowl of pond algae to you... ...but to me it's a delicious brine for tomorrow's turkey! For an 8-pound bird (multiply as appropriate, but my bird's 8 pounds): 8 cups vegetable stock 1/2 cup kosher salt 1/4 cup light brown sugar 1/2 tablespoon black peppercorns 3/4 teaspoons allspice berries 3/4 teaspoons chopped candied ginger (For those last two, I substituted a little powdered ginger and a few cloves) 8 cups heavily iced water Combine the vegetable stock, salt, brown sugar, peppercorns, allspice berries, and candied ginger in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally to dissolve solids and bring to a boil. Remove the brine from the heat, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate. To brine the bird, combine the cooled brine and ice water and place the thawed bird in the brine. Soak overnight o for at least 6 hours in a cool place. Rinse, pat dry, and rub with oil before roasting. (I am also putting an herb rub on the turkey, under the skin, the recipe for which I will post when I make it :D). (Comment on this)
sams_cafe	9:22a	The starting pistol for the COOKING MARATHON has been fired. First out of the gate is: HOT CHOCOLATE ON A STICK. Original recipe here, but it's very talky, so I condensed it: Hot Chocolate On A Stick 8 oz. chocolate, preferably high cocoa-fat, like 70%. I didn't have that, so I tempered chocolate chips with a lot of butter. 1/4 cup cocoa (not hot cocoa mix, but baking cocoa, the powdered kind) 1/2 cup confectioner’s/powdered/icing sugar pinch of salt Melt chocolate over a double boiler (tempering if necessary). I never bother using a double boiler, I just melt the butter in the pan, turn off the heat, stir in the chocolate, and if necessary use low heat to get it fully melted. Add cocoa, sugar, and salt and continue to stir until combined. It should be the texture of frosting. Pour chocolate into a ziplock bag and clip off the corner. Pipe the chocolate into your chocolate mold. In my case, it's an AWESOME IKEA ICE TRAY. Add a stir stick, which should stay upright with no trouble (I did some of mine tilty just for laughs). Place in fridge to firm up. To use, heat milk or cream in a saucepan, pour into cups, and place one stir-stick in each cup. Stir until melted. OM NOM. (Comment on this)
last_raindrop	10:48p	I am going to be a good girl today and go to bed early. I have done in my quota for the day in my notebook and while I already know that a lot will be changed and rewritten, I have still worked enough on it so that the story is moving forward...I will have to type it up this weekend so there isn't enough change that later on it changes the story itself. I will probably have to print it out at work to reference when I write...it is 16 pages now by the time I am done typing this weekend it might be 20 something...and I am still in chapter 1...damn...I have to admit, this is the best I have ever written and this story is really good if I do say so myself...it will probably pass the 15,000 words mark this weekend...damn...and still on chapter one... I am contemplating canceling on my boss tomorrow. I ran out of birthcontrol on Sunday so now I am in lots of pain-cramps which is what I was taking them for. I haven't had the chance to replace them but will probably have to do that on Friday. I will also have to pick up my ring from the jewlerer. I am giving my mom the list of things to send me on Thursday. TJ, if you have my bracelet made, give it to my mom at work(singing river electric) and she will send it to me but it has to be soon. Your presents will be send to her. I will let you know when she has them and she will bring them with her to work so you can picj them up from there. I am going to be a good girl now and go to bed. It is early but I am sooooo tired and if I wait another half an hour I will get my energy back again and will not be able to sleep until 2...maybe if I wake up early enough I can go to the doctor tomorrow...doubt it, I don't think the guy opens until like 10 and my lunch with Boss woman is at 11:30...we'll see....night now... Current Mood: sleepy Current Music: Tsubasa - masquerade (Comment on this)
Tuesday, November 24th, 2009
last_raindrop	10:39p	So, I just read two of Accio's het recs...how sad is it that apparently 2 hets are my limit per night...I mean, they were good, nothing like slash of course, but the thought of reading another het, no matter how good, makes me cringe...it is official...I am a slash monster...I like having het sex, I wouldn't ming(will prefer) a threesome but reading het is apparently really not my thing...not when the sex is descriptive...weird... Current Mood: awake Current Music: Tsubasa - total eclipse (Comment on this)
Wednesday, November 25th, 2009
accioslash	1:19a	Thirty Days of Spam...Day 25 - The Holidays Begin ( WriSoMiFu Day 25 - I need a vacation from my husband's vacation ) (25 Comments |Comment on this)
Tuesday, November 24th, 2009
sams_cafe	8:02p	Sam's Really Only Three Things About NCIS! Spoilers for 7.09, ( Child's Play ) 3a. Much as I love NCIS, I couldn't even come up with a 3a. It was just...there. A perfectly good episode but not especially entrancing this time round. Eh, we all have off-days. Last year's Christmas episode was genius, though, so I'm sure they'll pick up again. (Comment on this)

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