I declare it officially winter. The first frost appeared this morning. The house was at 12C (even after the heating had been on for 40 minutes) so I put the heating on for another 2 hours. It's 19.5 in here now and the sun is doing an excellent job of warming this room. It's such a pity this is the only room with a south-facing window. But at least we have that much. We could have no south-facing windows.
I brought a hot-water bottle to bed last night and had it at my feet the whole night. It was lovely.
We went over to Sheila's for dinner last night. It was good to see them all. Dinner was good, desert was good. They are all well. Laura is a mad little thing.
I can't think of anything else to say. I think I said everything yesterday (or whenever).
I replaced the ram battery in my PC. It wouldn't boot properly yesterday, so I didn't have a choice. that was ok.
right, bye.
20 October 2010
18 October 2010
Loads of news
I need a new CMOS RAM battery for my computer. I knew this day would come, I expected it to come years ago. Problem is, I'm leaving in a month (not bringing my PC with me) and I won't be using my computer for 2+ years. I'm not really sure if it's worth getting a new battery.
mulkabu was up for the weekend. We had fun, went to see Fozzy (wrestler, Chris Jerico's band) on friday night. I haven't had as much fun in a long time. Chris Jerico really knows how to get a crowd going. Everyone loved him. Our group even managed to get a shoutout from him. :)
I'm tired now, though. It doesn't seem to matter what time I go to bed, my body wants to be up and about at 9am. So I've been getting about 6 hours sleep for the last few days. The kitchen was a bit of a mess too, and I managed to tidy it, but I only got half the dishes washed. This seems to be a new strategy for me. Washing half the dishes isn't nearly as daunting as washing all of them. So I washed the plates and knives and forks and left the pots, pans and bowls for later. Or tomorrow.
The building energy rating guy comes tomorrow. I wonder should I turn on the heating for him? Would it make the place seem better insulated if it was warm? I don't bother with the heating when I'm here on my own, because my little room gets nice and warm anyway.
I ate one of our peppers today. It was nice, as peppers go. They are not my favourite ever fruit. I have four cherry tomatoes beside me, which I just picked. I want to eat them right now, but I don't feel like them. (Yes, it is an odd sort of way to be.) I made hummus on friday. There was too much lemon juice in it. I've eaten about a third, but I'm not sure if I'll eat any more; it's really sour.
Wow, I just looked up what the difference between sour and bitter was (because I wasn't sure which my hummus was) and sour is acid while bitter is base. Isn't that interesting?
I also made chocolate cake again. It is totally yummy.
I'm addicted to a new (old) RPG. It's old, but I've never played it before, so it's new to me. Arcanum (of Steamworks and Magick Obscura). I'm enjoying it. I like the setting and the character system. The main plot is a little slow and there aren't enough side quests (or they are really hard to find), but apart from that, it's fun. I'm playing just to level and make my character better. I want to be master of firearms, lockpick and prowling. I also want to have a bit of magic and be able to make some stuff. I also want a new gun, but they are expensive. So, maybe by the time I get to 40th level, I will have all these things. I'm at 13th now. And my team and I managed to take down a 30th level jellyfish looking thing. We lured it away from its friends and ambushed it in the forest. It was expertly executed (the plan, not the jelly. I think it (the jelly) died from lead poisoning after I shot it with about 20 bullets).
Right. I'm going to go now.
mulkabu was up for the weekend. We had fun, went to see Fozzy (wrestler, Chris Jerico's band) on friday night. I haven't had as much fun in a long time. Chris Jerico really knows how to get a crowd going. Everyone loved him. Our group even managed to get a shoutout from him. :)
I'm tired now, though. It doesn't seem to matter what time I go to bed, my body wants to be up and about at 9am. So I've been getting about 6 hours sleep for the last few days. The kitchen was a bit of a mess too, and I managed to tidy it, but I only got half the dishes washed. This seems to be a new strategy for me. Washing half the dishes isn't nearly as daunting as washing all of them. So I washed the plates and knives and forks and left the pots, pans and bowls for later. Or tomorrow.
The building energy rating guy comes tomorrow. I wonder should I turn on the heating for him? Would it make the place seem better insulated if it was warm? I don't bother with the heating when I'm here on my own, because my little room gets nice and warm anyway.
I ate one of our peppers today. It was nice, as peppers go. They are not my favourite ever fruit. I have four cherry tomatoes beside me, which I just picked. I want to eat them right now, but I don't feel like them. (Yes, it is an odd sort of way to be.) I made hummus on friday. There was too much lemon juice in it. I've eaten about a third, but I'm not sure if I'll eat any more; it's really sour.
Wow, I just looked up what the difference between sour and bitter was (because I wasn't sure which my hummus was) and sour is acid while bitter is base. Isn't that interesting?
I also made chocolate cake again. It is totally yummy.
I'm addicted to a new (old) RPG. It's old, but I've never played it before, so it's new to me. Arcanum (of Steamworks and Magick Obscura). I'm enjoying it. I like the setting and the character system. The main plot is a little slow and there aren't enough side quests (or they are really hard to find), but apart from that, it's fun. I'm playing just to level and make my character better. I want to be master of firearms, lockpick and prowling. I also want to have a bit of magic and be able to make some stuff. I also want a new gun, but they are expensive. So, maybe by the time I get to 40th level, I will have all these things. I'm at 13th now. And my team and I managed to take down a 30th level jellyfish looking thing. We lured it away from its friends and ambushed it in the forest. It was expertly executed (the plan, not the jelly. I think it (the jelly) died from lead poisoning after I shot it with about 20 bullets).
Right. I'm going to go now.
15 October 2010
Old Fashioned Chocolate Cake
Old Fashioned Chocolate Cake (makes loads, I half all ingredients)
Ingredients for the base
200g plain flour
200g caster sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
40g best quality cocoa
175g soft unsalted butter (I used dairygold, it made no difference)
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons real vanilla extract
150ml sour cream
Ingredients for the frosting
75g unsalted butter
175g best dark chocolate, broken into small pieces
300g icing sugar
1 teaspoon golden syrup
125ml sour cream
1 teaspoon real vanilla extract
(optional: sugar flowers, for decoration)
Method to make the base
1. Take everything out of the fridge so they can come to room temperature
2. Preheat oven to 180C and line and butter two 20cm sandwich tins with removable bases
(This wouldn’t be a ria-special recipe if I didn’t write my own comments all over it. Anyway.
I used half the ingredients and it fit nicely into one 14cm diameter by 7cm high round casserole dish.
Also, I didn’t preheat the oven. I baked it in the slow cooker. More on that later.)
3a. The rushed- or lazy-man’s way.
Put all the base ingredients (flour, sugar, baking power, bicarb of soda, cocoa, butter, eggs, vanilla and sour cream) in a food-processor and process until you have a smooth, thick batter.
3b. The person who enjoys the experience’s way.
Mix flour, sugar and leavening agents in a large bowl and beat in the soft butter (I have no idea what ‘beat’ means. I mashed it with the back of a spoon) until you have a combined and creamy mixture.
Whisk together the cocoa, sour cream, vanilla and eggs and beat this into your bowl of mixture.
4a. Oven method.
Divide this batter, using a rubber spatula to help you scrape and spread, into the prepared tin(s) and bake until a cake tester or thin skewer comes out clean. This should be about 35 minutes, but it is wise to start checking after 25 minutes. Also, (if using two tins) it might be wise to switch the two tins around in the oven halfway through cooking.
4b. Slowcooker method. (You cannot use this method if you used the full amount of the ingredients. It won’t fit into your dish.)
Pour all the batter (if you used half the ingredients) into the dish. Put it in the slowcooker and cover the dish with a lid. Put the lid on the slowcooker and cook on high for about 3 hours. Check with a skewer. Each time you lift the lid, add 20 minutes to the cooking time.
5. Once cooked, allow to cool for 10 minutes. Remove the base from the tin onto a wire rack. Don’t worry about cracks. They will be covered with icing.
Method to make the frosting
1. Melt the butter and the chocolate together in a good sized bowl, either in the microwave or suspended over a pan of simmering water. (If using the microwave, check the melting progress every 10 seconds.) Go slowly, either way, you don’t want any burning.
2a. While the chocolate butter is cooling a little, sieve the icing sugar into another bowl.
2b. Put the icing sugar into a food processor and blitz.
3a. Add golden syrup to the cooled chocolate mixture, followed by the sour cream and vanilla. When combined, whisk in the icing sugar.
3b. While the food processor is running, pour the mixture down the funnel onto the icing sugar.
4. When all is mixed you may need to add in a teaspoon or so of boiling water, or more icing sugar to get the right consistency. It should be liquid enough to coat easily and thick enough not to drop off.
5. (Skip this step if presentation doesn’t matter too much.) Choose your cake stand or plate and cut out four strips of baking parchment to form a square outline. Place the base on the parchment.
5.5a. If you made two bases, spoon about a third of the icing onto the centre of the first base and spread until it is covered evenly. Sit the other base on top and press gently to sandwich them together.
6. Spoon the icing all over the cake.
6.5a. Spoon another third of the icing on top of the cake and spread it in a swirl. Spread the sides of the cake with the remaining icing, then carefully pull away the strips of baking parchment.
8. (Optional) Top with sugar flowers, or other decoration.
Ingredients for the base
200g plain flour
200g caster sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
40g best quality cocoa
175g soft unsalted butter (I used dairygold, it made no difference)
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons real vanilla extract
150ml sour cream
Ingredients for the frosting
75g unsalted butter
175g best dark chocolate, broken into small pieces
300g icing sugar
1 teaspoon golden syrup
125ml sour cream
1 teaspoon real vanilla extract
(optional: sugar flowers, for decoration)
Method to make the base
1. Take everything out of the fridge so they can come to room temperature
2. Preheat oven to 180C and line and butter two 20cm sandwich tins with removable bases
(This wouldn’t be a ria-special recipe if I didn’t write my own comments all over it. Anyway.
I used half the ingredients and it fit nicely into one 14cm diameter by 7cm high round casserole dish.
Also, I didn’t preheat the oven. I baked it in the slow cooker. More on that later.)
3a. The rushed- or lazy-man’s way.
Put all the base ingredients (flour, sugar, baking power, bicarb of soda, cocoa, butter, eggs, vanilla and sour cream) in a food-processor and process until you have a smooth, thick batter.
3b. The person who enjoys the experience’s way.
Mix flour, sugar and leavening agents in a large bowl and beat in the soft butter (I have no idea what ‘beat’ means. I mashed it with the back of a spoon) until you have a combined and creamy mixture.
Whisk together the cocoa, sour cream, vanilla and eggs and beat this into your bowl of mixture.
4a. Oven method.
Divide this batter, using a rubber spatula to help you scrape and spread, into the prepared tin(s) and bake until a cake tester or thin skewer comes out clean. This should be about 35 minutes, but it is wise to start checking after 25 minutes. Also, (if using two tins) it might be wise to switch the two tins around in the oven halfway through cooking.
4b. Slowcooker method. (You cannot use this method if you used the full amount of the ingredients. It won’t fit into your dish.)
Pour all the batter (if you used half the ingredients) into the dish. Put it in the slowcooker and cover the dish with a lid. Put the lid on the slowcooker and cook on high for about 3 hours. Check with a skewer. Each time you lift the lid, add 20 minutes to the cooking time.
5. Once cooked, allow to cool for 10 minutes. Remove the base from the tin onto a wire rack. Don’t worry about cracks. They will be covered with icing.
Method to make the frosting
1. Melt the butter and the chocolate together in a good sized bowl, either in the microwave or suspended over a pan of simmering water. (If using the microwave, check the melting progress every 10 seconds.) Go slowly, either way, you don’t want any burning.
2a. While the chocolate butter is cooling a little, sieve the icing sugar into another bowl.
2b. Put the icing sugar into a food processor and blitz.
3a. Add golden syrup to the cooled chocolate mixture, followed by the sour cream and vanilla. When combined, whisk in the icing sugar.
3b. While the food processor is running, pour the mixture down the funnel onto the icing sugar.
4. When all is mixed you may need to add in a teaspoon or so of boiling water, or more icing sugar to get the right consistency. It should be liquid enough to coat easily and thick enough not to drop off.
5. (Skip this step if presentation doesn’t matter too much.) Choose your cake stand or plate and cut out four strips of baking parchment to form a square outline. Place the base on the parchment.
5.5a. If you made two bases, spoon about a third of the icing onto the centre of the first base and spread until it is covered evenly. Sit the other base on top and press gently to sandwich them together.
6. Spoon the icing all over the cake.
6.5a. Spoon another third of the icing on top of the cake and spread it in a swirl. Spread the sides of the cake with the remaining icing, then carefully pull away the strips of baking parchment.
8. (Optional) Top with sugar flowers, or other decoration.
13 October 2010
random thoughts and photos
I was washing the dishes today and as i washed the inside of a pot, going around the rim in a very ordered way, i began to think about the "arrow never gets there" concept. for those of you unaware, it's this thoery, i have no idea what it's point is, but it goes something like: an arrow is shot towards a target. it gets half way there and it still has half way to go. then it gets half of the distance between the half way point and the target. it still has half that distance to go. the arrow always has half of some distance to go so how does it ever reach the target?
i was thinking about this, and a new thought came to me. it's because of the fourth dimension. the target and the arrow are both moving in time. the arrow never even gets half way to the target, because by the time it's flown the smallest fraction of a particle, everything has changed. time has moved forward. the target has changed. the arrow has changed.
and that's how i could get my pot washed and not worry about being stuck on smaller increments forever.
yeay.
anyway. does anyone remember when i mentioned my chocolate cake? well, i finally got around to putting up the photo of it. and while i'm at it, i decided to put up a few others too.
yummy!
this is a small representation of my perfectionism. yes - i did sort and chop all that dried fruit and line it up like that before i added it to my granola.
i found a microscope and took a pic of some dust on a bit of fabric.
no i didn't. i wish i did.
this is mould growing on some sour cream.
i was thinking about this, and a new thought came to me. it's because of the fourth dimension. the target and the arrow are both moving in time. the arrow never even gets half way to the target, because by the time it's flown the smallest fraction of a particle, everything has changed. time has moved forward. the target has changed. the arrow has changed.
and that's how i could get my pot washed and not worry about being stuck on smaller increments forever.
yeay.
anyway. does anyone remember when i mentioned my chocolate cake? well, i finally got around to putting up the photo of it. and while i'm at it, i decided to put up a few others too.
yummy!
this is a small representation of my perfectionism. yes - i did sort and chop all that dried fruit and line it up like that before i added it to my granola.
i found a microscope and took a pic of some dust on a bit of fabric.
no i didn't. i wish i did.
this is mould growing on some sour cream.
11 October 2010
I ate a home grown tomato
I really wanted to post about something this morning, and now I don't remember what it was. Anyway, some cool stuff happened over the weekend.
My cherry tomatoes are getting properly ripe. I put the heater on in here (so it gets warm when the heating is on in the morning) and closed the door to keep the heat in (the temp was averaging about 21C, it was 24 all Saturday afternoon). I ate the first tomato that ripened. It was good, but the skin was really tough. I don't like tomato skin at the best of times, so I had to spit it out. I might try peeling the next one I eat. There are three red tomatoes and four orange ones, the rest are green.
The peppers are also almost ripe. They are a deep shade of red, which I assume will get brighter over the next few days. They are small when compared to shop-bought peppers, but that's okay. Only two peppers grew. I had a bunch of flowers, but none of them turned to fruit. Maybe my pepper knew that I'm not the biggest pepper fan and only made two small ones so I wouldn't have to eat loads of pepper.
The goji is still growing like a maniac. I have no idea how I will transport it down to cork.
We went to see Back to the Future in the cinema last night. It was brilliant. I think I've only seen it once or twice before, so I enjoyed it even more because I didn't know what was going to happen.
The mingle market was on in town yesterday too. It's a vintage, art, clothes, costume fair. It reminded me of some of the fairs that happen in the humanitarian church. We didn't get anything; all the clothes were large sizes. But it was fun to look around.
I read 250 pages yesterday. I finished Mistborn and started The Well of Ascension. I'm really liking Brandon Sanderson's writing. His magic systems are amazing. They are so different and imaginative.
Right, so. I think that's all my news.
My cherry tomatoes are getting properly ripe. I put the heater on in here (so it gets warm when the heating is on in the morning) and closed the door to keep the heat in (the temp was averaging about 21C, it was 24 all Saturday afternoon). I ate the first tomato that ripened. It was good, but the skin was really tough. I don't like tomato skin at the best of times, so I had to spit it out. I might try peeling the next one I eat. There are three red tomatoes and four orange ones, the rest are green.
The peppers are also almost ripe. They are a deep shade of red, which I assume will get brighter over the next few days. They are small when compared to shop-bought peppers, but that's okay. Only two peppers grew. I had a bunch of flowers, but none of them turned to fruit. Maybe my pepper knew that I'm not the biggest pepper fan and only made two small ones so I wouldn't have to eat loads of pepper.
The goji is still growing like a maniac. I have no idea how I will transport it down to cork.
We went to see Back to the Future in the cinema last night. It was brilliant. I think I've only seen it once or twice before, so I enjoyed it even more because I didn't know what was going to happen.
The mingle market was on in town yesterday too. It's a vintage, art, clothes, costume fair. It reminded me of some of the fairs that happen in the humanitarian church. We didn't get anything; all the clothes were large sizes. But it was fun to look around.
I read 250 pages yesterday. I finished Mistborn and started The Well of Ascension. I'm really liking Brandon Sanderson's writing. His magic systems are amazing. They are so different and imaginative.
Right, so. I think that's all my news.
06 October 2010
Albuquerque
Yea, so. That other news. I got interrupted writing this post by an international shipping surveyor arriving at the house to catalogue our stuff. And that's really what this post is about. Earlier today, our US visas arrived. In 6 weeks, we will be in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and we will stay there for at least a year and possibly up to three years.
:)
I'm pretty excited. lordkilljoy's company is moving us, so we don't know where we'll be living or anything. So that puts a huge damper on the excitement. It's hard to get excited about a place if you can't make plans about where you will be living and what you will do there. But i'm sure things will work out fine.
Yea. So, i don't really know what else to say.
PS - it takes me about 5 minutes to write albuquerque. who would give a place a name that's that hard to type? or even just get straight. there is far too much room to get letters mixed up.
:)
I'm pretty excited. lordkilljoy's company is moving us, so we don't know where we'll be living or anything. So that puts a huge damper on the excitement. It's hard to get excited about a place if you can't make plans about where you will be living and what you will do there. But i'm sure things will work out fine.
Yea. So, i don't really know what else to say.
PS - it takes me about 5 minutes to write albuquerque. who would give a place a name that's that hard to type? or even just get straight. there is far too much room to get letters mixed up.
writing problems
I think i just figured out what's wrong with the start of chapter 1. The first bit of action doesn't come until 350 words in. It's all very abstract description up until then. I think that's why the people who have read it have had trouble placing themselves in the setting and sympathising with Zachery. Hmmm. I'm glad I realised this.
My query letter is going through draft after draft. It's just not engaging enough. It's been described as boring, and that's definitely not what I want.
In completely other news... Actually, this news should get it's own post.
My query letter is going through draft after draft. It's just not engaging enough. It's been described as boring, and that's definitely not what I want.
In completely other news... Actually, this news should get it's own post.
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