the step in my groove, yeah
Jan. 11th, 2026 12:40 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
musesfoolI've got French onion soup simmering away in the slow cooker (I sliced almost 3 lbs of onions last night and my eyes - even with the stupid onion goggles - were not happy with me) and I just took a pan of baked oatmeal out of the oven to be breakfast for the week. I was waffling between the oatmeal and another batch of orange cranberry scones, but the oatmeal won out because it used up a bunch of stuff - the dregs of both a bottle of honey and a bottle of maple syrup; the last 2 eggs in the carton (I still have a carton of eggs in the fridge, but now just the amount a normal person would have); the rest of a bag of frozen strawberries; the rest of a bag of chocolate chips; what was left in the bottom of the jar of cinnamon; and what was left in the container of rolled oats (exactly 3 cups - exactly as much as needed for the recipe). I still have cranberries in the freezer, though, so orange cranberry scones are probably still in my future.
Now I'm trying to decide if I want to make a loaf of bread to go with the soup. I originally bought a small loaf with my groceries on Friday, but then ate it as cheesy garlic bread for a couple of meals. *hands* The heart wants what it wants, and in this case, my heart wanted cheesy garlic bread.
Since the slow cooker is working, I can't use the KitchenAid (it is blocked in by the InstantPot), so I want a no knead kind of bread, but also one that is only going to take 2-3 hours, nothing that needs an overnight rise. I think I might end up making the old, reliable peasant bread (halved to only make 1 loaf). It's easy and fast (for bread), and doesn't require a stand mixer.
Hmm...
*
Now I'm trying to decide if I want to make a loaf of bread to go with the soup. I originally bought a small loaf with my groceries on Friday, but then ate it as cheesy garlic bread for a couple of meals. *hands* The heart wants what it wants, and in this case, my heart wanted cheesy garlic bread.
Since the slow cooker is working, I can't use the KitchenAid (it is blocked in by the InstantPot), so I want a no knead kind of bread, but also one that is only going to take 2-3 hours, nothing that needs an overnight rise. I think I might end up making the old, reliable peasant bread (halved to only make 1 loaf). It's easy and fast (for bread), and doesn't require a stand mixer.
Hmm...
*
Me-and-media update
Jan. 11th, 2026 04:55 pmchina_shopPrevious poll review
In the Comfort food poll, 55.6% of respondents said their preferred comfort food is chocolate, and 46.7% said savoury carbs. In ticky-boxes, 'juicy intricate poetry words' and 'pushing on through' came second equal (40% each) to hugs (80%). Thank you for your votes! <3
Reading
I listened to half an m/m romance audiobook that I selected for one of its readers (Will Watt), but the overuse of "fucking" as an intensifier (and in particular, the repeated phrase, "he was so fucking hot") kept making me roll my eyes. It might be a faithful reproduction of the inner monologue of a first-year uni student, but I don't read romances for verisimilitude. So I switched to The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary, read by Carrie Hope Fletcher and Kwaku Fortune, seen mentioned on my flist. I'm halfway through and enjoying it immensely. ETA:
A little more Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain in hardcopy. Nothing in ebook.
Kdramas
Andrew and I have nearly finished The Guest. I want to ship the OT3, but I don't really care about the priest. (Sorry, priest guy! Alas, you are not my type.) Still, it is a great (gory/horror-y) show, and I've conveniently forgotten some of the developments. We just have one episode to go.
A bit more of While You Were Sleeping, a few episodes of Cashero (I'm not sure I'm in the mood for established relationship, but otoh, Junho! ♥), and a marathon-running BL called Mr. Heart, which was sweet but extremely slight.
Where is the next Love Scout/Family by Choice/whatever??
Other TV
Finished Stranger Things, which got so complex that I lazily stopped following the logic and just watched it as a collection of scenes. But I enjoyed those well enough. So glad they got their victory lap.
Three episodes of Heated Rivalry.
Anyway, my prediction that it's probably not for me has proven correct. Like, I can tell that the show is made of crack (in the addictive sense), but I'm not into super-buff dudes, and I didn't like the 'fucking but feeling kind of miserable about it' vibe I was getting from Hollander. He deserves better.
But I kept going for episode 3, and I'm really glad I did. There was thecoffee smoothie shop not-AU and ♥Kip♥ and his friends and family. And Scott, who fell for Kip in 2.3 seconds like a parched man stumbling into an oasis and, okay, is messed up, but at least self-aware and ~able to communicate~ and ~say nice things~! They were such a breath of fresh air! All the "smoothies" for both of them!
So that (predictably) is me. And I'm actually kind of relieved, because while the show is compelling and well-acted, it's not what I want in a fandom, and anyway, I'm hardly even managing to keep up with my quiet corner of Guardian fandom atm. I may watch the last three episodes at some point, idk. Wishing those of you who're into it all the very best with your new addiction!!
Audio entertainment
Writing Excuses, Cross Party Lines, Letters from an American, more of Our Opinions Are Correct (Charlie Jane Anders and Annalee Newitz's podcast) including the Murderbot episode, Tech Won't Save Us, the starts of a few other things.
Writing/making things
I've been practising drawing, and picking up art supplies in bits and pieces. The moldable eraser is magic.
(Imperfect, but I think it's identifiable, which is not nothing. I darkened the linework a little in Paint.NET.)
For my future reference, this all started because I wanted to draw Bingo from Bluey!, which led me down a Youtube Art Videos For Kids rabbit hole. Then I bought new colour pencils and was noodling around with them, and people said nice things about some of my doodles... :-) Art Youtube For Adults is also really lovely, btw -- full of super-talented people being encouraging and helpful.
I've written a treat for![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
fandomtrees, but I need to make some edits, and I have no attention span. Chances of my finishing it are about 90%, and chances of any further treats are more like 30% at this stage. Maybe one day I'll be able to make art gifts...
Life/health/mental state things
My arms are gradually improving, but I'm anxious about them. Andrew's having an operation this Thursday; I'll need to be able to bike and drive and cook and so on, and I'm still sore half the time. So I've started swimming again. (I stopped partly because I was avoiding public spaces where I couldn't mask, and partly because my long post-lockdown hair stays damp all day. But the outdoor pool is open for the summer, so I'm going for it.)
I just bought a small $2 desk at a junk shop so that I have a workspace to retreat to downstairs while Andrew's recuperating on the couch in the living room. I'll see how that goes.
I have a hand-me-down mini air fryer from my parents which I still haven't taken out for a spin. Quick/easy meal suggestions very welcome, especially if they're things I can throw together late at night, post hospital visits. (NB: I don't do onions or brassicas.)
Good things
Andrew, swimming, drawing, Kdramas, Guardian, Zhao Yunlaaaan, modern medicine. Cat:
In the Comfort food poll, 55.6% of respondents said their preferred comfort food is chocolate, and 46.7% said savoury carbs. In ticky-boxes, 'juicy intricate poetry words' and 'pushing on through' came second equal (40% each) to hugs (80%). Thank you for your votes! <3
Reading
I listened to half an m/m romance audiobook that I selected for one of its readers (Will Watt), but the overuse of "fucking" as an intensifier (and in particular, the repeated phrase, "he was so fucking hot") kept making me roll my eyes. It might be a faithful reproduction of the inner monologue of a first-year uni student, but I don't read romances for verisimilitude. So I switched to The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary, read by Carrie Hope Fletcher and Kwaku Fortune, seen mentioned on my flist. I'm halfway through and enjoying it immensely. ETA:
Warnings.
Contains past emotionally abusive relationship, stalking, and PTSD.A little more Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain in hardcopy. Nothing in ebook.
Kdramas
Andrew and I have nearly finished The Guest. I want to ship the OT3, but I don't really care about the priest. (Sorry, priest guy! Alas, you are not my type.) Still, it is a great (gory/horror-y) show, and I've conveniently forgotten some of the developments. We just have one episode to go.
A bit more of While You Were Sleeping, a few episodes of Cashero (I'm not sure I'm in the mood for established relationship, but otoh, Junho! ♥), and a marathon-running BL called Mr. Heart, which was sweet but extremely slight.
Where is the next Love Scout/Family by Choice/whatever??
Other TV
Finished Stranger Things, which got so complex that I lazily stopped following the logic and just watched it as a collection of scenes. But I enjoyed those well enough. So glad they got their victory lap.
Three episodes of Heated Rivalry.
Minor spoilers; tl;dr not my thing.
Wow, I'd heard it was fanficcy, but I wasn't prepared for the total absence of anything resembling an external plot. Like, not even a figleaf. Not even a hockey arc. How??Anyway, my prediction that it's probably not for me has proven correct. Like, I can tell that the show is made of crack (in the addictive sense), but I'm not into super-buff dudes, and I didn't like the 'fucking but feeling kind of miserable about it' vibe I was getting from Hollander. He deserves better.
But I kept going for episode 3, and I'm really glad I did. There was the
So that (predictably) is me. And I'm actually kind of relieved, because while the show is compelling and well-acted, it's not what I want in a fandom, and anyway, I'm hardly even managing to keep up with my quiet corner of Guardian fandom atm.
Audio entertainment
Writing Excuses, Cross Party Lines, Letters from an American, more of Our Opinions Are Correct (Charlie Jane Anders and Annalee Newitz's podcast) including the Murderbot episode, Tech Won't Save Us, the starts of a few other things.
Writing/making things
I've been practising drawing, and picking up art supplies in bits and pieces. The moldable eraser is magic.
Have a couple of sketches.
(Imperfect, but I think it's identifiable, which is not nothing. I darkened the linework a little in Paint.NET.)
For my future reference, this all started because I wanted to draw Bingo from Bluey!, which led me down a Youtube Art Videos For Kids rabbit hole. Then I bought new colour pencils and was noodling around with them, and people said nice things about some of my doodles... :-)
I've written a treat for
fandomtrees, but I need to make some edits, and I have no attention span. Chances of my finishing it are about 90%, and chances of any further treats are more like 30% at this stage. Maybe one day I'll be able to make art gifts...Life/health/mental state things
My arms are gradually improving, but I'm anxious about them. Andrew's having an operation this Thursday; I'll need to be able to bike and drive and cook and so on, and I'm still sore half the time. So I've started swimming again. (I stopped partly because I was avoiding public spaces where I couldn't mask, and partly because my long post-lockdown hair stays damp all day. But the outdoor pool is open for the summer, so I'm going for it.)
I just bought a small $2 desk at a junk shop so that I have a workspace to retreat to downstairs while Andrew's recuperating on the couch in the living room. I'll see how that goes.
I have a hand-me-down mini air fryer from my parents which I still haven't taken out for a spin. Quick/easy meal suggestions very welcome, especially if they're things I can throw together late at night, post hospital visits. (NB: I don't do onions or brassicas.)
Good things
Andrew, swimming, drawing, Kdramas, Guardian, Zhao Yunlaaaan, modern medicine. Cat:
Poll #34068 Om
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 49
Do you meditate?
View Answers
yes, regularly
4 (8.2%)
yes, from time to time
10 (20.4%)
I used to
6 (12.2%)
I used to occasionally
4 (8.2%)
what you mean by 'meditate'?
7 (14.3%)
no
21 (42.9%)
other
3 (6.1%)
ticky-box of being squeamish about fingernail clippings
2 (4.1%)
ticky-box full of hockey show squee
6 (12.2%)
ticky-box full of feeling kind of zonky
20 (40.8%)
ticky-box full of skipping across treetops and dancing through the clouds
23 (46.9%)
ticky-box full of hugs
37 (75.5%)
Vid rec: Around the Bend by danegen
Jan. 10th, 2026 08:15 pmcesyhttps://fanlore.org/wiki/Around_the_Bend
I love this vid, I remember it well, I saved it and rewatched it when I needed a mood boost, I even saved the song after hearing it for the first time from this vid.
And I'm posting here to have the memory published and quotable for Fanlore. Did any of you see it when it first came out?
I love this vid, I remember it well, I saved it and rewatched it when I needed a mood boost, I even saved the song after hearing it for the first time from this vid.
And I'm posting here to have the memory published and quotable for Fanlore. Did any of you see it when it first came out?
Video Games
Jan. 10th, 2026 12:34 amsettiaiOkay, I'm going to spend all day tomorrow playing video games if it kills me. My plans to set aside time for gaming over the holiday break never actually happened, and with everything going on in the world right now it will do me good to just get offline for a day and spend it wandering Faerûn or Thedas or the Andromeda galaxy.
I'm not sure yet which game I'll focus on, but it's definitely going to be Baldur's Gate 3, Dragon Age: The Veilguard, or Mass Effect: Andromeda because I have ongoing playthroughs in all of them that have been gathering dust for too long.
I'm not sure yet which game I'll focus on, but it's definitely going to be Baldur's Gate 3, Dragon Age: The Veilguard, or Mass Effect: Andromeda because I have ongoing playthroughs in all of them that have been gathering dust for too long.
but it's all coming back in a way
Jan. 8th, 2026 10:58 pmmusesfoolMY SHOW! MY SHOW IS BACK!!! Ahem.
The Pitt: 7 am - 8 am
( spoilers, mostly just incoherent squeeing )
My show is back! I AM EXCITE!!!
*
The Pitt: 7 am - 8 am
( spoilers, mostly just incoherent squeeing )
My show is back! I AM EXCITE!!!
*
Aurendor D&D
Jan. 8th, 2026 12:34 amsettiaiTo add to a previous posts on the subject, my cleric, Siân, has had a really, really, really bad couple of weeks in-game. Over the course of the last three weeks or so, she has:
( A list of bad things under the cut. )
Poor Siân really is well on her way towards a complete and total mental breakdown at the rate she's going.
( A list of bad things under the cut. )
Poor Siân really is well on her way towards a complete and total mental breakdown at the rate she's going.
