Made it home safe and sound - if a little tired (5 hours sleep Saturday night and 7 Sunday). It's miserable here, but it's kind of nice for a change.
penelope_stone taught me to crochet today. I made half a flower which was coming along well, but very floppy, before I ran out of wool.
We went for a walk along the Lee Fields today. We had to run back to the car because it started lashing.
I can't think of much else to say. This hasn't been the most scintillating post. Too tired for all but the basics.
30 April 2012
28 April 2012
I'm a driver
Dreams of being a stunt driver in Hollywood, here I come! Not really. But I did manage to pass my driving test. I got 96% :)
It was fine, really. I think I need the tester to drive around with me for an hour beforehand to ease me into things. I made one mistake - which I knew I had the moment I did it. I looked in the mirrors / over shoulder before turning on my indicator. But that's okay.
We're off on a plane in 8 hours. I don't really know what to do until then. I don't know if everything's done or not. And I didn't get enough sleep last night (hoping to be tired tonight so that I sleep on the plane) so I don't really feel like doing anything.
Actually, right now I can see myself playing soul reaver. lordkilljoy got it on good old games. It's one of my favourites, and watching the intro made me think how much Artificer is made up of everything I loved when I was younger.
It was fine, really. I think I need the tester to drive around with me for an hour beforehand to ease me into things. I made one mistake - which I knew I had the moment I did it. I looked in the mirrors / over shoulder before turning on my indicator. But that's okay.
We're off on a plane in 8 hours. I don't really know what to do until then. I don't know if everything's done or not. And I didn't get enough sleep last night (hoping to be tired tonight so that I sleep on the plane) so I don't really feel like doing anything.
Actually, right now I can see myself playing soul reaver. lordkilljoy got it on good old games. It's one of my favourites, and watching the intro made me think how much Artificer is made up of everything I loved when I was younger.
27 April 2012
Driving Test Today
How does one drive when one is shaking like a leaf in a gale? I've got it kind of bad today - I feel really sick, even though I'm forcing myself to eat, because I might not get another chance for 3 hours and driving on an empty stomach is an even worse idea than driving while shaking. Well, because I shake even worse when I'm hungry.
Livejournal, you've always been here for me before a test. And once more we go through this together. I keep trying to tell my body to stop with this nonsense, but it won't listen, so maybe you can talk some sense into it instead. Thanks.
Livejournal, you've always been here for me before a test. And once more we go through this together. I keep trying to tell my body to stop with this nonsense, but it won't listen, so maybe you can talk some sense into it instead. Thanks.
23 April 2012
dog park adventures
We brought River to a dog park with a lake (pond) yesterday. She swam for her (possibly) very first time. She really loved jumping through the water - I don't think she liked swimming so well, so she got around by doing this leaping-forward-through-the-shallow-water thing. It was cute, and pretty funny.
While we were there a little dog swam too far out and panicked. He swam around in circles for ages. His owners called and called him, but any time he started heading towards them he'd get turned around again and start swimming the wrong way. Eventually the man took his shoes and t-shirt off and went in to rescue the dog. Everyone got back to shore safely, but I'd say the little dog was wrecked for the rest of the day.
The weekend was seriously hot. The thermometer in the car read 41 at one stage. The thermometer in the house got up to 38. It's really too hot for doing anything much - we did manage to laze around in the pool for a bit yesterday, but I worried about getting burned (because obviously I was too lazy to put on suncream).
While we were there a little dog swam too far out and panicked. He swam around in circles for ages. His owners called and called him, but any time he started heading towards them he'd get turned around again and start swimming the wrong way. Eventually the man took his shoes and t-shirt off and went in to rescue the dog. Everyone got back to shore safely, but I'd say the little dog was wrecked for the rest of the day.
The weekend was seriously hot. The thermometer in the car read 41 at one stage. The thermometer in the house got up to 38. It's really too hot for doing anything much - we did manage to laze around in the pool for a bit yesterday, but I worried about getting burned (because obviously I was too lazy to put on suncream).
20 April 2012
Spinach Curry
I need to write down last night's curry before I forget about it. It was amazing and I made it by modifying a recipe - hence the needing to write down.
Serves 3 (or 2 very hungry)
Ingredients:
1 package firm or extra firm tofu, well pressed and sliced into 1 inch cubes
olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
3 tbsp garam masala (I used Shan Tikka spice, but garam masala is close enough)
1 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp minced ginger
2 tbsp water
1/3 cup greek yogurt
6oz baby spinach leaves
1 large tomato, chopped
Preparation:
Heat a tablespoon of olive oil. Add the spices (this amount makes it very spicy, use less if you like less spice) and water, mix together, then add the yoghurt. Mix together.
Add the spinach, and cover until wilted (about a minute). Stir to coat in the yogurt sauce. Remove from heat and let cool a bit while you move on to the next step.
In a separate large skillet or a wok, sautee tofu and onion in one tablespoon of olive oil until tofu is lightly crisp and onions are sweet.
Once spinach has cooled a little, process the spinach mixture in a food processor or blender until almost creamy.
Add the spinach to the skillet with the tofu and onions. Add the tomato and cook, stirring, until the tofu is well mixed with the spinach.
Serve with rice, naan, or whatever (I'll bet this would be amazing with chopped boiled potatoes).
Serves 3 (or 2 very hungry)
Ingredients:
1 package firm or extra firm tofu, well pressed and sliced into 1 inch cubes
olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
3 tbsp garam masala (I used Shan Tikka spice, but garam masala is close enough)
1 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp minced ginger
2 tbsp water
1/3 cup greek yogurt
6oz baby spinach leaves
1 large tomato, chopped
Preparation:
Heat a tablespoon of olive oil. Add the spices (this amount makes it very spicy, use less if you like less spice) and water, mix together, then add the yoghurt. Mix together.
Add the spinach, and cover until wilted (about a minute). Stir to coat in the yogurt sauce. Remove from heat and let cool a bit while you move on to the next step.
In a separate large skillet or a wok, sautee tofu and onion in one tablespoon of olive oil until tofu is lightly crisp and onions are sweet.
Once spinach has cooled a little, process the spinach mixture in a food processor or blender until almost creamy.
Add the spinach to the skillet with the tofu and onions. Add the tomato and cook, stirring, until the tofu is well mixed with the spinach.
Serve with rice, naan, or whatever (I'll bet this would be amazing with chopped boiled potatoes).
19 April 2012
Rye Pita?
I managed to make some kind of rye pita bread today. I've been experimenting with this yeast-free pizza base recipe over the last few days - making it into flatbread and cooking it like a pancake. Today I had the random idea to swap out the semolina and all purpose flours for cornmeal and rye flour. I also left out the baking powder. It mixed up well. I tried kneading it, but I don't know if rye has any gluten to work with the kneading. So I squashed it into a flat circle between 2 sheets of wax-paper and 2 chopping boards. It came out super flat, and super circly. Onto a pan it went and the pan went onto a super-hot cooker and the bread cooked away, until I turned it over, when suddenly it popped. It magically turned into pita bread - which I wasn't expecting at all. In surprise and delight I took it off the pan, tried a bit (acceptable but the dough needs some extra flavour), and proceeded to stuff it with cheese. Nom nom nom (this sentence translates to "I ate it, and it was good"). Now I just need to figure out something I can add to the dough to make it really yummy.
18 April 2012
Food Entry and other things
I haven't done one of these in a while.
We made pizza last night. We each kneaded our own little bit of dough and put on our own toppings. It was wonderful. Mine had a ricotta / garlic powder / parsley sauce, caramelised red onions (when I say caramelised I really mean fried with oil, spices and salt), baby spinach leaves, smoked salmon, feta and parmesan cheese. Unfortunately all my flavours were strong and none really came to the fore (but I think the onions were winning). lordkilljoy had a standard pepperoni pizza (with extra red chile).
Lunch today is going to be amazing (if the rice will ever cook). I got random ingredients (stuff about to go off in the fridge) and threw them together into a one-pot meal thing. It's composed of brown rice, half a red onion, most of a red bell pepper, half a can of stewed tomatoes, salt and minced chipotle chiles in adobo sauce. Oh, and a squeeze of lemon juice. Nom nom nom. Even though I haven't eaten it yet, the bit of sauce I tried was delicious. I'm starving. Come on, cook. It's been an hour and the rice still isn't done.
I'm trying to get a bit fit for the 40km cycle me and penelope_stone are going on. Yesterday I cycled 5 (miles or kilometres) on the cycling machine in the gym, and today I did an easy 5 and a hard 5. I was happy to be done the hard 5, but by the time I got home I was fine again. So I think the machine is in km, because after 5 miles I'd be way more tired. And... on the road, it takes me 5 minutes to go 1 km. And I was on the machine for 15 minutes, and I was working a bit harder than I do when going to the shop... So I guess I have to work up to 45. I don't think I'll be able to add on 5kms every day. Or maybe, with breaks in between. Or maybe do half easy and half hard.
We made pizza last night. We each kneaded our own little bit of dough and put on our own toppings. It was wonderful. Mine had a ricotta / garlic powder / parsley sauce, caramelised red onions (when I say caramelised I really mean fried with oil, spices and salt), baby spinach leaves, smoked salmon, feta and parmesan cheese. Unfortunately all my flavours were strong and none really came to the fore (but I think the onions were winning). lordkilljoy had a standard pepperoni pizza (with extra red chile).
Lunch today is going to be amazing (if the rice will ever cook). I got random ingredients (stuff about to go off in the fridge) and threw them together into a one-pot meal thing. It's composed of brown rice, half a red onion, most of a red bell pepper, half a can of stewed tomatoes, salt and minced chipotle chiles in adobo sauce. Oh, and a squeeze of lemon juice. Nom nom nom. Even though I haven't eaten it yet, the bit of sauce I tried was delicious. I'm starving. Come on, cook. It's been an hour and the rice still isn't done.
I'm trying to get a bit fit for the 40km cycle me and penelope_stone are going on. Yesterday I cycled 5 (miles or kilometres) on the cycling machine in the gym, and today I did an easy 5 and a hard 5. I was happy to be done the hard 5, but by the time I got home I was fine again. So I think the machine is in km, because after 5 miles I'd be way more tired. And... on the road, it takes me 5 minutes to go 1 km. And I was on the machine for 15 minutes, and I was working a bit harder than I do when going to the shop... So I guess I have to work up to 45. I don't think I'll be able to add on 5kms every day. Or maybe, with breaks in between. Or maybe do half easy and half hard.
15 April 2012
Best Weekend Ever
Friday we went to the cinema to see Cabin in the Woods. A bit scary, a good story and a fun ending. I enjoyed it.
Yesterday we drove the start of the Apache Trail. We brought River along with us, but I guess the sharp bends and ups and downs didn't agree with her. She was very pathetic, and when the road turned into gravel we turned back. It was a good trip all the same, ans we're going to try it again some day without River.
Today, we got up and I didn't know what to do with myself. Go to the hot tub, go to the pool, waste time on the internet... lordkilljoy somehow came up with the idea of going to a waterpark (I wish I could remember how this idea came about). So we looked up waterparks and the big one in Phoenix was having the last day of its reduced price season passes. On an absolute whim we bought season passes, got in the car and went to the waterpark. It was the most amazing fun I've had in ages. All the slides we went on were so much fun - and this one was the best:
The Tornado
You get in, go around a bit, down a big dip and into this huge funnel where you go back and forth a few times until you get spit out the end. It was so amazing. And the great thing was that the park was really quiet today so we got out of the pool, ran back up the steps and didn't have to wait at all to do it again.
The only downside to the day was that the weather was cold. Okay, it was 20degrees, but windy, and when you are wet in a swimsuit that's not quite warm enough. I was shivering badly by the end of the hour and a half we spent there. That's the cool thing about passes. You don't feel like you have to make the most of it, because we can go again whenever we want and it's only 45 minutes away.
Yesterday we drove the start of the Apache Trail. We brought River along with us, but I guess the sharp bends and ups and downs didn't agree with her. She was very pathetic, and when the road turned into gravel we turned back. It was a good trip all the same, ans we're going to try it again some day without River.
Today, we got up and I didn't know what to do with myself. Go to the hot tub, go to the pool, waste time on the internet... lordkilljoy somehow came up with the idea of going to a waterpark (I wish I could remember how this idea came about). So we looked up waterparks and the big one in Phoenix was having the last day of its reduced price season passes. On an absolute whim we bought season passes, got in the car and went to the waterpark. It was the most amazing fun I've had in ages. All the slides we went on were so much fun - and this one was the best:
The Tornado
You get in, go around a bit, down a big dip and into this huge funnel where you go back and forth a few times until you get spit out the end. It was so amazing. And the great thing was that the park was really quiet today so we got out of the pool, ran back up the steps and didn't have to wait at all to do it again.
The only downside to the day was that the weather was cold. Okay, it was 20degrees, but windy, and when you are wet in a swimsuit that's not quite warm enough. I was shivering badly by the end of the hour and a half we spent there. That's the cool thing about passes. You don't feel like you have to make the most of it, because we can go again whenever we want and it's only 45 minutes away.
14 April 2012
Lucid Dreams
A while back, I was browsing reddit and I came across r/luciddreaming. It quickly became one of my favourite places to check when I had a few minutes with nothing to do. I read the posts and marvelled at some people's natural ability to lucid dream. I wanted to do it too - because I have a little natural talent in this area (I've lucid dreamed in the past without trying and I've always had amazing dream recall).
So I set up my dream journal and tried to remember to do reality checks often (I fail at remembering to do things, though). So I went back to reddit and read about an app that helps you to remember to check if you are dreaming. It chimes at random intervals throughout the day and pops up a screen with "Am I dreaming" written on it. I downloaded that about a week ago. And slowly, the idea to remember to reality check has written itself into my brain. I remember to do it every so often without the app's help. So anyway - that's backstory.
Last night I dreamt I was in a shop, wandering the aisles. As I passed a shelf its generic contents changed to jars of nutella. My brain went: am I dreaming? And sure enough... Woooooooo! I tried to change some things but couldn't quite focus enough. So I tried stabilising the lucidity and that worked enough for me to create a doorway out of the dream (with the intention that it would pop me into a far more interesting space). I went through, but as I did, the lucidity vanished and I was back in a normal - but very adventurous - dream.
I'm thrilled and hope that I can become lucid a bit more frequently. Now I just have to learn how to hold onto it for longer.
So I set up my dream journal and tried to remember to do reality checks often (I fail at remembering to do things, though). So I went back to reddit and read about an app that helps you to remember to check if you are dreaming. It chimes at random intervals throughout the day and pops up a screen with "Am I dreaming" written on it. I downloaded that about a week ago. And slowly, the idea to remember to reality check has written itself into my brain. I remember to do it every so often without the app's help. So anyway - that's backstory.
Last night I dreamt I was in a shop, wandering the aisles. As I passed a shelf its generic contents changed to jars of nutella. My brain went: am I dreaming? And sure enough... Woooooooo! I tried to change some things but couldn't quite focus enough. So I tried stabilising the lucidity and that worked enough for me to create a doorway out of the dream (with the intention that it would pop me into a far more interesting space). I went through, but as I did, the lucidity vanished and I was back in a normal - but very adventurous - dream.
I'm thrilled and hope that I can become lucid a bit more frequently. Now I just have to learn how to hold onto it for longer.
10 April 2012
Photography Musing
I've been thinking about RAW photos recently, even though I can't remember what put them in my head. Possibly post-processing all the photos from Miami. So I reinstalled CHDK on my camera (a cool little program that gives Canon point and shoot cameras the ability to record RAW photo data, and a bunch of other cool stuff) and messed around with it. I finally got it working today and the difference in photo quality is spectacular.
The one on top is the JPG.
See the way the carpet and the bag are over-exposed and the shadows around the table are quite dark. The RAW file smooths all of this out and gives a really balanced light. That's really impressive. It also saves the image at a higher resolution, but I think that could be because I don't have my camera set to the absolute highest resolution.
I just wanted to post my findings here. Now I'm off to clean the kitchen.
The one on top is the JPG.
See the way the carpet and the bag are over-exposed and the shadows around the table are quite dark. The RAW file smooths all of this out and gives a really balanced light. That's really impressive. It also saves the image at a higher resolution, but I think that could be because I don't have my camera set to the absolute highest resolution.
I just wanted to post my findings here. Now I'm off to clean the kitchen.
07 April 2012
Wedding Shoes
I got some pretty dolly shoes to go with my wedding dress. I had to settle for what was available, even though it's not really what I wanted. They are white, soft leathery material, and about 2mm too small, but the next size was about a centimetre too big.
This is them.
They are pretty, and I did want flat shoes. So they'll do. We had considered getting cons, but we woosed out in the end.
I also got two pretty tops today. We had a good day's shopping, really.
This is them.
They are pretty, and I did want flat shoes. So they'll do. We had considered getting cons, but we woosed out in the end.
I also got two pretty tops today. We had a good day's shopping, really.
06 April 2012
Weekend in Maimi
I just made ketchup. I needed 1/2 cup of the stuff, and using heinz would have put me way over my sugar limit for the day. So I made my own with just a tiny bit of sugar. Yeay.
Miami was brilliant. I'd totally go back there for a proper holiday. The beach was amazing (for the whole hour we got to spend there). That's all I keep thinking about. Wrestlemania was good fun and the craic with the lads was fantastic, but it's the beach my memories dwell on. I even have a photo I took of the beach as my desktop.
We actually got to do quite a bit of touristy things (like eating ice-cream and drinking cocktails). We went on the hop-on hop-off bus tour and strolled the bayside area and even managed to make it to the beach for a quick swim in the clear, warm water. It was the perfect time of year to be in Florida, too. It wasn't humid and the temperature was just perfect (perfect being about 28C). It's actually crazy. 28 is my new comfortable temperature. I can sit around and feel somewhat cool in 28 degrees. I'm going to freeze when we go home.
We ate in Bubba Gumps (spin off from Forrest Gump) most of the time. I think it's my new favourite restaurant. Their salmon skillet is the most amazing thing I've ever eaten (I could be exaggerating, but I can't think of any better meal right now).
I'd like to think I could live quite happily in Florida, but then I remember the mosquitoes (not that many around yet, but I still got one bite) and the hurricanes, and I think perhaps Florida is only nice to visit.
I don't have a whole lot of other news, so I'll leave you with some pics...
Miami was brilliant. I'd totally go back there for a proper holiday. The beach was amazing (for the whole hour we got to spend there). That's all I keep thinking about. Wrestlemania was good fun and the craic with the lads was fantastic, but it's the beach my memories dwell on. I even have a photo I took of the beach as my desktop.
We actually got to do quite a bit of touristy things (like eating ice-cream and drinking cocktails). We went on the hop-on hop-off bus tour and strolled the bayside area and even managed to make it to the beach for a quick swim in the clear, warm water. It was the perfect time of year to be in Florida, too. It wasn't humid and the temperature was just perfect (perfect being about 28C). It's actually crazy. 28 is my new comfortable temperature. I can sit around and feel somewhat cool in 28 degrees. I'm going to freeze when we go home.
We ate in Bubba Gumps (spin off from Forrest Gump) most of the time. I think it's my new favourite restaurant. Their salmon skillet is the most amazing thing I've ever eaten (I could be exaggerating, but I can't think of any better meal right now).
I'd like to think I could live quite happily in Florida, but then I remember the mosquitoes (not that many around yet, but I still got one bite) and the hurricanes, and I think perhaps Florida is only nice to visit.
I don't have a whole lot of other news, so I'll leave you with some pics...
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