Poll #26769 Apropos of Nothing in Particular
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 3
1. Which writer is the true and ultimate patron saint of digressions?
2. Okay, fine, who did I forget to mention?
help Liz make dinner!
Jun. 8th, 2017 06:04 pmI did not cook yesterday because I felt cruddy by the time I got out of work and mostly just wanted to sleep. But! I feel better today (and have also acquired a zester), so.
ETA 8:30pm: Thank you all for your help!
However, as![[tumblr.com profile]](https://www.tumblr.com/favicon.ico)
longroadstonowhere pointed out over on Tumblr, fish is likely to go bad faster than beef, and so should probably be cooked first. On that principle, I am attempting the catfish curry thing. I have read the recipe thoroughly, set out the necessary dishes and whatnot, and chopped all the ingredients. (Also I am going with four garlic cloves rather than two because I like garlic.)
I am now about to turn on the heat and attempt curry. Wish me luck!
-----
ETA, 10:00pm: The recipe as written estimated ~40 minutes cook time. In the event, I turned on the heat for the curry around 8:50pm and finished cooking around 9:45pm, which is about 15 minutes longer than advertised. This is mostly because potatoes always take longer to soften/brown than recipes think they should, and I KNOW this and I am not sure why I forgot. *sigh*
The recipe claims to serve two. I think it produces at least four portions of curry, and three portions of fish. I preemptively discarded the cilantro garnish (I am not one of the people to whom it tastes like soap or soapy mud; I just think it tastes like muddy grass, and why would I want to eat that?), and after attempting a couple bites, I have also discarded the charred lime half because WOW it is bitter and not adding anything useful to the dish since the curry was already cooked with a lime leaf and seasoned with lime zest.
The fish and curry are pretty tasty, though, so all in all? Victory! \o/
(I will post some photos after I finish eating.)
Poll #18473 Blue Apron experiment, take #1
This poll is closed.
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 7
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 7
Which meal should Liz cook for dinner tonight?
View Answers
crispy catfish & spicy vegetable curry (with charred lime)
2 (28.6%)
seared steaks & salsa verde (with fingerling potatoes, asparagus, & radishes)
5 (71.4%)
ETA 8:30pm: Thank you all for your help!
However, as
I am now about to turn on the heat and attempt curry. Wish me luck!
-----
ETA, 10:00pm: The recipe as written estimated ~40 minutes cook time. In the event, I turned on the heat for the curry around 8:50pm and finished cooking around 9:45pm, which is about 15 minutes longer than advertised. This is mostly because potatoes always take longer to soften/brown than recipes think they should, and I KNOW this and I am not sure why I forgot. *sigh*
The recipe claims to serve two. I think it produces at least four portions of curry, and three portions of fish. I preemptively discarded the cilantro garnish (I am not one of the people to whom it tastes like soap or soapy mud; I just think it tastes like muddy grass, and why would I want to eat that?), and after attempting a couple bites, I have also discarded the charred lime half because WOW it is bitter and not adding anything useful to the dish since the curry was already cooked with a lime leaf and seasoned with lime zest.
The fish and curry are pretty tasty, though, so all in all? Victory! \o/
(I will post some photos after I finish eating.)
the return of the narcissus!
Nov. 7th, 2016 10:47 pm
So last year, as part of my church's winter solstice service, I received a partially sprouted narcissus bulb. (I think it is a paperwhite narcissus? Anyway, a very pretty flower!) I duly planted it, and was pleased when it grew and bloomed in the darkness of January.
Eventually the petals dropped and the green stems withered (as flowers do), but the bulb remained (as bulbs do) and I have kept it sitting in its little pot through spring, summer, and autumn... and tonight I noticed that it is starting to grow again. :)
I intend to stick actual dirt in the pot sometime soonish, but in the meantime does anyone have advice as to whether I should water the bulb or just leave it alone, how much ambient light it should get, and whether I should trim away last year's roots?
[[original Tumblr post, for when the embedded images inevitably break]]
please help Liz decide what to write
Feb. 18th, 2016 10:51 pmI have no internal motivation whatsoever at the moment, so I am requesting help with external motivation in hopes that it will prove somewhat more effective. Normally this would take the form of a mini-ficlet prompt meme, but I'm going to try something slightly different this time.
Namely, I will list several WIPs that have been languishing for a good long while, all of which should take less than 5000 words to complete. (Or complete the current chapter, at any rate.) I would like you to tell me which one I should try to finish by next Friday.
Here they are:
If you can't vote in the poll on Dreamwidth, please leave a comment (signed or anonymous) with your preferred story. Voting will close sometime Friday evening when I am home and ready to write.
-----
Thank you to everyone who voted! I will buckle down and get to work on "Guardian" ch. 17 starting on Saturday the 20th. :)
(The next week is reserved for my Palestuck assignment, but after that I will tackle "A Question of Familiarity". And after that, I may make another poll...)
Namely, I will list several WIPs that have been languishing for a good long while, all of which should take less than 5000 words to complete. (Or complete the current chapter, at any rate.) I would like you to tell me which one I should try to finish by next Friday.
Here they are:
Poll #17315 What should Liz try to finish this week?
This poll is closed.
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 19
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 19
What story/chapter should Liz try to finish by Friday the 26th?
View Answers
"The Guardian in Spite of Herself" ch. 17 (an AU pre-manga Naruto fic dealing with the aftermath of the Uchiha massacre; this chapter brings dramatic change to Yukiko and Sasuke's plot thread)
7 (36.8%)
"Intervention" (a Star Trek: AOS fic starring several original characters, about a colony plague and an invasion by Orion space pirates; stalled in the middle of the space battle scene)
0 (0.0%)
"The Dragon Debacle" (a HP sidestory for "Secrets," which details what Apple and Daphne Rumluck got up to the summer before they went to Hogwarts and met Ginny; guest-starring Charlie Weasley)
0 (0.0%)
"Trollstuck: Make Her Pay" ch. 10 (Homestuck fic with the beta kids as part of the troll friend-group on Alternia; stalled while Aradia, Dave, Equius, and John confront Vriska about her attempt to kill Aradia)
3 (15.8%)
"The Courting Dance" ch. 9 (Narnia fanfic about Cor and Aravis getting married despite various obstacles; in this chapter they arrive at Cair Paravel and cause Peridan political headaches)
4 (21.1%)
"A Question of Familiarity" (Enchanted Forest Chronicles fic, explaining how Morwen got her nine cats and lost touch with Telemain for a decade or two; stalled because of magical technobabble)
5 (26.3%)
"The Transient and the Eternal: Clouds" (Angel Sanctuary fic in which Raphael, Michael, and Barbiel visit Sara and Setsuna about a decade after the end of the manga)
0 (0.0%)
If you can't vote in the poll on Dreamwidth, please leave a comment (signed or anonymous) with your preferred story. Voting will close sometime Friday evening when I am home and ready to write.
-----
Thank you to everyone who voted! I will buckle down and get to work on "Guardian" ch. 17 starting on Saturday the 20th. :)
(The next week is reserved for my Palestuck assignment, but after that I will tackle "A Question of Familiarity". And after that, I may make another poll...)
I finally got myself unstuck from scene 2 of "Guardian" ch. 16 last night. I'd been trying to push it toward something in my outline, but Yukiko and Seichi steadfastly refused to let the conversation go in a direction that would make any kind of good lead-in for that development.
So finally I said screw it, hashing out [thing x] here and now is not actually necessary to either the plot or the character arcs. I can mention it in passing in the context of 'something we are not going to decide at this point, but will need to pay attention to later,' and just move on to scene 3, aka Naga-tachi and the aftermath of the opening fight scene. Which I did.
And that scene, at least, has been playing nice with me so far. Actually if things keep on, I might even finish it tonight, which would be the end of the chapter since scene 4 has been officially kicked into ch. 17 for length reasons.
...
I've never used a beta before for either "Guardian" or "Apartment Manager," though I do make revisions based on comments people have left in my journal. But it's been such a long time and I'm kind of nervous about A) whether the fight scene works, and B) whether I've managed to match my tone to the previous chapters, so... would anyone be willing to look this thing over for me when I'm done? It'll probably be ~4,500 words long.
Drop a comment or a private message with your contact info if you're interested. I can do either an email attachment or a Google doc, whichever is easier.
-----
ETA: Okay, I got almost all the relevant information on-page. I just need to get one more thing out into the open, after which I can go back over the scene to flesh it out a touch and make sure it's firmly in Naga's POV with her reacting to stuff and so on. And then we will be, as they say, in business. :-)
(Oh crud, this means I need to do quick overhauls of chs. 8 through 15, doesn't it? I let that slide because I was so stuck on ch. 16, but I can't post 16 until the others are tweaked and posted, so... better get to work!)
So finally I said screw it, hashing out [thing x] here and now is not actually necessary to either the plot or the character arcs. I can mention it in passing in the context of 'something we are not going to decide at this point, but will need to pay attention to later,' and just move on to scene 3, aka Naga-tachi and the aftermath of the opening fight scene. Which I did.
And that scene, at least, has been playing nice with me so far. Actually if things keep on, I might even finish it tonight, which would be the end of the chapter since scene 4 has been officially kicked into ch. 17 for length reasons.
...
I've never used a beta before for either "Guardian" or "Apartment Manager," though I do make revisions based on comments people have left in my journal. But it's been such a long time and I'm kind of nervous about A) whether the fight scene works, and B) whether I've managed to match my tone to the previous chapters, so... would anyone be willing to look this thing over for me when I'm done? It'll probably be ~4,500 words long.
Drop a comment or a private message with your contact info if you're interested. I can do either an email attachment or a Google doc, whichever is easier.
-----
ETA: Okay, I got almost all the relevant information on-page. I just need to get one more thing out into the open, after which I can go back over the scene to flesh it out a touch and make sure it's firmly in Naga's POV with her reacting to stuff and so on. And then we will be, as they say, in business. :-)
(Oh crud, this means I need to do quick overhauls of chs. 8 through 15, doesn't it? I let that slide because I was so stuck on ch. 16, but I can't post 16 until the others are tweaked and posted, so... better get to work!)
wherein Liz dithers over irrelevancies
Dec. 8th, 2015 10:24 pmRandom thought:
I try, when possible, to consolidate my three-sentence ficlets on AO3. (Except the Narnia ones, because of Reasons.*) I do this by fandom, but sometimes the definition of a fandom gets blurry.
Case in point: the MCU.
I have a 'story' very creatively titled Three Sentence Ficlets (Captain America). That is not a completely accurate title/classification, since one of them includes Darcy Lewis from the Thor movies, but it's workable for now.
The thing is, in the currently running round of the Three Sentence Ficathon, I have written three MCU ficlets, but only one of them could fit into that collection -- and it's as much a Jessica Jones ficlet as anything else. The other two are Guardians of the Galaxy and Daredevil, respectively, neither of which has any connection to Captain America aside from being set in the same universe.
I think it would make sense to rename that 'story' to "Three Sentence Ficlets (MCU)" and just tack on the other relevant fandoms in the metadata. On the other hand, I dislike** sprawling multi-fandom messes, which is one reason I don't make a "Three Sentence Ficlets from X Month/Year" collection each time![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
caramelsilver or ![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
rthstewart runs another round. On the third hand, does it really count as a sprawling mess if canon itself is like that already? And on the fourth hand, why do I even care so much?
...
Screw it, I'll decide tomorrow.
-----
*Most of my Narnia fiction is part of a single shared timeline, and it's easier for me to keep that organized if all the components are completely separate.
**When I say I dislike multi-fandom collections, I mean I dislike them as a means of organizing my own work. Other people are of course free to organize their work in whatever way seems best to them! I just have... hmm... certain things that I like to arrange just so. This one is probably related to my equally pointless and fussy need to maintain a relatively stable average chapter length for each multi-chapter story, which has not been on display much recently but is definitely still a thing that exists.)
I try, when possible, to consolidate my three-sentence ficlets on AO3. (Except the Narnia ones, because of Reasons.*) I do this by fandom, but sometimes the definition of a fandom gets blurry.
Case in point: the MCU.
I have a 'story' very creatively titled Three Sentence Ficlets (Captain America). That is not a completely accurate title/classification, since one of them includes Darcy Lewis from the Thor movies, but it's workable for now.
The thing is, in the currently running round of the Three Sentence Ficathon, I have written three MCU ficlets, but only one of them could fit into that collection -- and it's as much a Jessica Jones ficlet as anything else. The other two are Guardians of the Galaxy and Daredevil, respectively, neither of which has any connection to Captain America aside from being set in the same universe.
I think it would make sense to rename that 'story' to "Three Sentence Ficlets (MCU)" and just tack on the other relevant fandoms in the metadata. On the other hand, I dislike** sprawling multi-fandom messes, which is one reason I don't make a "Three Sentence Ficlets from X Month/Year" collection each time
caramelsilver or rthstewart runs another round. On the third hand, does it really count as a sprawling mess if canon itself is like that already? And on the fourth hand, why do I even care so much?...
Screw it, I'll decide tomorrow.
-----
*Most of my Narnia fiction is part of a single shared timeline, and it's easier for me to keep that organized if all the components are completely separate.
**When I say I dislike multi-fandom collections, I mean I dislike them as a means of organizing my own work. Other people are of course free to organize their work in whatever way seems best to them! I just have... hmm... certain things that I like to arrange just so. This one is probably related to my equally pointless and fussy need to maintain a relatively stable average chapter length for each multi-chapter story, which has not been on display much recently but is definitely still a thing that exists.)
wherein Liz encounters a telephone scam
Dec. 1st, 2015 11:49 amAhaha, I just got one of those fake-IRS scam phone calls -- you know, the ones with the pre-recorded voice full of ~ominous pauses~ that says something to the effect of, "Hello. We have been trying to reach you. This is your last notice. The reason we have been trying to reach you. Is that the IRS is filing a lawsuit against you," blah blah blah, and then presumably goes on to say that your only hope is to immediately send money by X method to Y account, but I hung up before the robo-voice could reach that point because A) that is not how the IRS does stuff -- they send you physical mail and they always use your actual name, among other things -- and B) I have heard of this scam, and though wildly amused to have someone try it on me, was not feeling quite that indulgent.
This particular scammer's number, incidentally, was 360-780-3810. Is there a procedure for reporting such calls?
...
I am still annoyed that the automatic no-call list for cell phones is no longer a thing.
-----
ETA: I reported the call to the FTC, since the IRS didn't seem to have a procedure for robo-calls rather than actual humans impersonating IRS agents. It turns out that I did put my phone on the Do Not Call registry all the way back in 2006, but I guess the FTC has been very swamped this year, since I have received more junk calls in 2015 than in all previous years put together. (I am not including charities, etc., since the registry explicitly does not cover them. But like, NJ-based carpet cleaners? That is clearly something that should have been blocked, and wasn't. I think I will make a point of reporting such things from now on.)
This particular scammer's number, incidentally, was 360-780-3810. Is there a procedure for reporting such calls?
...
I am still annoyed that the automatic no-call list for cell phones is no longer a thing.
-----
ETA: I reported the call to the FTC, since the IRS didn't seem to have a procedure for robo-calls rather than actual humans impersonating IRS agents. It turns out that I did put my phone on the Do Not Call registry all the way back in 2006, but I guess the FTC has been very swamped this year, since I have received more junk calls in 2015 than in all previous years put together. (I am not including charities, etc., since the registry explicitly does not cover them. But like, NJ-based carpet cleaners? That is clearly something that should have been blocked, and wasn't. I think I will make a point of reporting such things from now on.)
[Meme] Turn Left
Jan. 4th, 2015 10:14 pmFound via askerian over on Tumblr.
Inspired by Doctor Who's "Turn Left": Pick one of my stories and tell me a point in the tale that you'd change. Something tiny (e.g. "and then Fay chose silver glitter instead of gold") or big (e.g. "and then Rose was arrested instead of Jack") and I'll tell you how that one difference would have altered the course of the entire story.
I am bored. Play with me?
askerian over on Tumblr.Inspired by Doctor Who's "Turn Left": Pick one of my stories and tell me a point in the tale that you'd change. Something tiny (e.g. "and then Fay chose silver glitter instead of gold") or big (e.g. "and then Rose was arrested instead of Jack") and I'll tell you how that one difference would have altered the course of the entire story.
I am bored. Play with me?
will talk for food :-)
Nov. 23rd, 2014 10:28 pmJust FYI, I still have several open slots for the December Talking Meme. If there's anything you want to ask me, or get me to blather about, this is your chance!
[Meme] December Talking Meme
Nov. 17th, 2014 12:29 amOh, what the heck. This has been going around, and I could use some structure in my life. So!
Pick a date in December and give me a topic, and I'll ramble about it for a bit. It can be anything from fandom-related to life-related to pizza preferences to whatever you want. Short ficlets are also a possibility.
The responses will probably be brief, or not, depending on the subject. Also, I reserve the right to decline prompts that I don't feel equipped to meet.
Topics: you can get an idea from my tags/from the stuff I usually ramble about/from things you maybe wish I talked about more but don't.
December 1: Christopher Chant (hungrytiger11)
December 2: pepper plants origin story, or how did you get interested in gardening? (jen)
December 3: treehouses (Vicky)
December 4: your feelings about returning to college (Mom)
December 5: I spot a Vorkosigan Saga tag over on the right. Exposition? Is it a series you've read before? (![[archiveofourown.org profile]](https://p.dreamwidth.org/b164c54b26e4/-/archiveofourown.org/favicon.ico)
Grumpy_Old_Snake)
December 6: thoughts about Doctor Who in general (hungrytiger11)
December 7: working-class heroes (heliopausa)
December 8: your fic writing process (sabriel)
December 9: the Darkangel Trilogy (minutia_r)
December 10: middle-aged female protagonists (transposable_element)
December 11: remixing tips/process (hungrytiger11)
December 12: C. S. Lewis (selenak)
December 13: So, why cs lewis/narnia? What is it you like about the author/world? (jen)
December 14: Thoughts on aromanticism and/or asexuality either on a personal level or how it's treated in media (jen)
December 15: how do you sustain writing over a long period of time, for example: the guardian in spite of herself? (anonymous)
December 16: Talk about your favourite themes/tropes! Which do you like to read, write, or both? Do your preferences change when it's fanfic versus profiction? Which themes do you think you've handled well, or do you want to try in future? (krait)
December 17: what makes a crossover work/not work? (transposable_element)
December 18: mapping worlds and fandoms (joyeuce01)
December 19: mapping original worlds, part 1 - Kerr (cont'd from Day 18)
December 20: favorite holiday traditions (musesfool)
December 21: mapping original worlds, part 2 - Firsthome (cont'd from Day 18)
December 22: mapping original worlds, part 3 - Nowe and the Isles (cont'd from Day 18)
December 23: fic challenges in general (silverblade219)
December 24: mapping original worlds, part 4 - Small (cont'd from Day 18)
December 25: YULETIDE!!! (aka, wherein I squee about my gift, etc.)
December 26: formative stories you read as a kid (Vicky)
December 27: mapping original worlds, part 5 - Kanos (cont'd from Day 18)
December 28: given all your fandoms, is there something that unites your pan-fandom interests? (rthstewart)
December 29: Vorkosigan ladies fic (joyeuce01)
December 30: mapping original worlds, part 6 - random other stuff (cont'd from Day 18)
December 31: New Year resolutions - yes, no, absolutely not ever never? (rthstewart)
Pick a date in December and give me a topic, and I'll ramble about it for a bit. It can be anything from fandom-related to life-related to pizza preferences to whatever you want. Short ficlets are also a possibility.
The responses will probably be brief, or not, depending on the subject. Also, I reserve the right to decline prompts that I don't feel equipped to meet.
Topics: you can get an idea from my tags/from the stuff I usually ramble about/from things you maybe wish I talked about more but don't.
December 1: Christopher Chant (
hungrytiger11)December 2: pepper plants origin story, or how did you get interested in gardening? (jen)
December 3: treehouses (Vicky)
December 4: your feelings about returning to college (Mom)
December 5: I spot a Vorkosigan Saga tag over on the right. Exposition? Is it a series you've read before? (
December 6: thoughts about Doctor Who in general (
hungrytiger11)December 7: working-class heroes (
heliopausa)December 8: your fic writing process (
sabriel)December 9: the Darkangel Trilogy (
minutia_r)December 10: middle-aged female protagonists (
transposable_element)December 11: remixing tips/process (
hungrytiger11)December 12: C. S. Lewis (
selenak)December 13: So, why cs lewis/narnia? What is it you like about the author/world? (jen)
December 14: Thoughts on aromanticism and/or asexuality either on a personal level or how it's treated in media (jen)
December 15: how do you sustain writing over a long period of time, for example: the guardian in spite of herself? (anonymous)
December 16: Talk about your favourite themes/tropes! Which do you like to read, write, or both? Do your preferences change when it's fanfic versus profiction? Which themes do you think you've handled well, or do you want to try in future? (
krait)December 17: what makes a crossover work/not work? (
transposable_element)December 18: mapping worlds and fandoms (
joyeuce01)December 19: mapping original worlds, part 1 - Kerr (cont'd from Day 18)
December 20: favorite holiday traditions (
musesfool)December 21: mapping original worlds, part 2 - Firsthome (cont'd from Day 18)
December 22: mapping original worlds, part 3 - Nowe and the Isles (cont'd from Day 18)
December 23: fic challenges in general (
silverblade219)December 24: mapping original worlds, part 4 - Small (cont'd from Day 18)
December 25: YULETIDE!!! (aka, wherein I squee about my gift, etc.)
December 26: formative stories you read as a kid (Vicky)
December 27: mapping original worlds, part 5 - Kanos (cont'd from Day 18)
December 28: given all your fandoms, is there something that unites your pan-fandom interests? (
rthstewart)December 29: Vorkosigan ladies fic (
joyeuce01)December 30: mapping original worlds, part 6 - random other stuff (cont'd from Day 18)
December 31: New Year resolutions - yes, no, absolutely not ever never? (
rthstewart)