Yesterday, for the first time in my life, I made chicken stock. From the few tastes I took, it came out rather good, but we'll see when I eventually use it in something. I followed Michael Ruhlman's Ratio for everyday stock. I love this book. It's got seriously interesting things in it - like how to make sausages from scratch and chicken stock and the best pancakes I've made (Alton Brown's pancake recipe is still one of my favourites, but this one is slightly easier for a Saturday morning).
So, a bit of a background on me and chicken stock. Every time we make roast chicken (which is about 4 times ever) I say to myself: I really should have a go at making stock from the bones rather than just throwing them out. So I'd shove the remains of the bird in the fridge, and look at it every time I'd open the fridge over the next few days, and say to myself, "Really should make stock." But it never happened, because I was never really motivated. And I'd end up throwing it out after a while. So yesterday, I finally psyched myself up for a whole day of keeping an eye on a pot of bones and water, and it turned out great. I did it in the slow cooker, because I know for a fact that I can't keep any of my pots on the hob at below a simmer.
And I'm making two breads today. A naan for Liam and a carrot / butternut squash / pecan loaf for me for later if I get peckish or tomorrow's lunch. And hopefully it'll still be good when Mammy and Daddy come to visit on Friday (I'm doubtful about that). As I write this, I have corn starch all over my right side. It fell out of the press and spilled all over me :/ And it doesn't clean up easily.
Ooh, and I made a salad dressing the other day. It involved carrots and ginger and vinegar and oil in the blender and turned out lovely.
So that's that. A quick round-up of other news: I am slowly finding homes for all our stuff in this house. I want to relearn to drive here in Ireland, but when it comes to actually going out driving I don't want to. I only have my learner permit for a year, so I can't really dawdle with it. I'm running the intro 5e D&D game. And I'm really enjoying trouncing Uruks in Shadow of Mordor.
07 October 2014
26 June 2014
I just realised that I don't believe in myself
(Obligatory opener:) How long has it even been since I last posted? A whole term in Oregon. That's terrible. We've done loads of cool stuff here and I've not posted about any of it. And now we're heading home in a week.
I've really enjoyed my time in the Pacific Northwest. So many trees; lovely springtime weather. Our apartment faces a forest - two big living-room windows looking out onto huge evergreens, and relatively smaller-looking leafed trees. Some days I just stand in the middle of the room and look out the windows and pretend I live in a modern architectural wonder of a house that's built into and around the forest. I'll miss that. I'll miss the way the sun falls through the gaps in the canopy, and the way the patches of light that make it to the ground sway with the breeze. Yep. I'll definitely miss that. Ireland doesn't have nearly enough trees. If I had the power of a god, I'd make ancient forests appear on every field in Ireland. Still. I am looking forward to going home.
I don't know what else to say. I suppose my thoughts have turned from American housewifey type things to homeless job seeker in Dublin. Not so much looking forward to that. And I bought a budgeting program today and, boy, is grown-up stuff frightening. Mostly because I have no idea how much money comes in every month, but my budget has over 2,500 outgoing every month (and that's not including saving for rainy days), and since I've never made money even closely resembling that, it scares me. It just seems like way too much for two people and a dog every single month. So it's a bit stressful. But I suppose I should find out how much comes in every month before I really start to freak out.
What else on the changing of the tide? I suppose I'm just procrastinating now. I do actually have a lot of organising to do - to get ready for the movers coming next week. Right at the moment I'm sorting out what to keep, what to throw out and what to donate.
Oh. I've been off sugar for a six weeks now. I do think its helping with mood swings and energy levels. I could be deluding myself, but I do feel like things have been more stable. But I also haven't been worrying about writing in those six weeks, so I don't know if the stress of being too hard on myself for not being more like Brandon Sanderson (who writes about 3 books a year) was at play as well. Seriously, if there's a line up of absolutely terrible role models for me to pick, I will pick the worst one, and be the hardest ever on myself when I'm not living up to those standards. I actually don't think I'm cut out to be a writer because nothing is ever good enough for me, but I also have the problem that I'd rather play games than spend the long hours to get it good enough. And, I was given 4 years of free time and I didn't manage to get one book finished. I've endlessly tinkered with 1, written 1, got half way through another and actually completely finished a short story (I had motivation on that one - it was for a competition and I had a deadline). So I'm just going to stop and get an office job and bemoan my lack of writerdom. And that will be fine. And all the people who didn't believe in me (which is probably just myself) can laugh and say, "I knew you'd never do it."
Wow. This post has taken a turn for the bitter. But I have learned something. I have no faith in myself that I can actually write, or be a writer. I think it's the second part of that that's important, because I do actually believe that my stories are good (I absolutely love the story in Artificer), but I don't think I actually write them well. And therein lies my problem. So perhaps I should focus on learning the craft of writing rather than tweaking a story that already works. I need a workbook. Actually, I think I need a writers' group. One that actually meets to critique writing and that expects members to have new things every week.
Now so now. Thank you theraputic journal. I should remember to visit you more often.
I've really enjoyed my time in the Pacific Northwest. So many trees; lovely springtime weather. Our apartment faces a forest - two big living-room windows looking out onto huge evergreens, and relatively smaller-looking leafed trees. Some days I just stand in the middle of the room and look out the windows and pretend I live in a modern architectural wonder of a house that's built into and around the forest. I'll miss that. I'll miss the way the sun falls through the gaps in the canopy, and the way the patches of light that make it to the ground sway with the breeze. Yep. I'll definitely miss that. Ireland doesn't have nearly enough trees. If I had the power of a god, I'd make ancient forests appear on every field in Ireland. Still. I am looking forward to going home.
I don't know what else to say. I suppose my thoughts have turned from American housewifey type things to homeless job seeker in Dublin. Not so much looking forward to that. And I bought a budgeting program today and, boy, is grown-up stuff frightening. Mostly because I have no idea how much money comes in every month, but my budget has over 2,500 outgoing every month (and that's not including saving for rainy days), and since I've never made money even closely resembling that, it scares me. It just seems like way too much for two people and a dog every single month. So it's a bit stressful. But I suppose I should find out how much comes in every month before I really start to freak out.
What else on the changing of the tide? I suppose I'm just procrastinating now. I do actually have a lot of organising to do - to get ready for the movers coming next week. Right at the moment I'm sorting out what to keep, what to throw out and what to donate.
Oh. I've been off sugar for a six weeks now. I do think its helping with mood swings and energy levels. I could be deluding myself, but I do feel like things have been more stable. But I also haven't been worrying about writing in those six weeks, so I don't know if the stress of being too hard on myself for not being more like Brandon Sanderson (who writes about 3 books a year) was at play as well. Seriously, if there's a line up of absolutely terrible role models for me to pick, I will pick the worst one, and be the hardest ever on myself when I'm not living up to those standards. I actually don't think I'm cut out to be a writer because nothing is ever good enough for me, but I also have the problem that I'd rather play games than spend the long hours to get it good enough. And, I was given 4 years of free time and I didn't manage to get one book finished. I've endlessly tinkered with 1, written 1, got half way through another and actually completely finished a short story (I had motivation on that one - it was for a competition and I had a deadline). So I'm just going to stop and get an office job and bemoan my lack of writerdom. And that will be fine. And all the people who didn't believe in me (which is probably just myself) can laugh and say, "I knew you'd never do it."
Wow. This post has taken a turn for the bitter. But I have learned something. I have no faith in myself that I can actually write, or be a writer. I think it's the second part of that that's important, because I do actually believe that my stories are good (I absolutely love the story in Artificer), but I don't think I actually write them well. And therein lies my problem. So perhaps I should focus on learning the craft of writing rather than tweaking a story that already works. I need a workbook. Actually, I think I need a writers' group. One that actually meets to critique writing and that expects members to have new things every week.
Now so now. Thank you theraputic journal. I should remember to visit you more often.
27 March 2014
How I Worry
First is the old and much turned over (tee hee hee, pun) car crash. It's very boring and it quickly gets swapped out for explosions. Something exploded and there are little husband bits all over factory rubble. My rational brain says, someone would have contacted me. My petty brain goes, no one cares enough*. After this a part of me goes, explosions are a bit ridiculous; there must have been an earthquake. Never mind that I felt absolutely nothing here, just 5 miles away. And after this it gets into the fantastical realms of someone has him locked up in a secret underground bunker. It elevates to this level in a matter of seconds, and this one hangs around for a while as my imagination goes through what they are doing in that bunker - tests for science, or torture, or some horrible questioning session (who knows what the questions are about).
Do I have issues? Is this normal? Do other people worry like this?
*My petty brain is the stupidest thing in the world. And the problem is that my body listens to it and not my rational brain. It's very annoying.
Do I have issues? Is this normal? Do other people worry like this?
*My petty brain is the stupidest thing in the world. And the problem is that my body listens to it and not my rational brain. It's very annoying.
02 January 2014
Christmas and New Year
Despite not having any interesting plans, Christmas turned out really well. We bought turkey legs on the spur of the moment while shopping for Christmas dinner on Monday, and got some spuds and vegs to go with them. I brined them and dried them Christmas morning and put them on that afternoon. Boiled the spuds for mash and did the vegs in salt water (yummy). I made some stuffing for Liam. But the part of the meal I was most proud of was the gravy. Somehow, onions fried then dusted with potato starch and stirred up with chicken stock and herbs with a touch of pan scrapings from the turkey turned into an amazing just-thick-enough brown gravy with a perfect gravy shine. And I made it from scratch with no recipe and just a little research.
Liam got me an ant farm. They're all beside me now, wandering around their tunnels, hanging out. It's a cool present - one of those things you always want, but would never buy for yourself. I got him Back to the Future Lego, which gave us the idea to watch the movies. One and two, anyway. We didn't make it to three. Along with them them, we got through How to Train your Dragon and The World's End. I enjoyed all of them. Yea. It was a very relaxing day. Quiet, but nice.
New Years wasn't quite as good. We watched Aliens, and paused it in the middle for the countdown. And while I enjoyed the movie, I'd had this sense of apathy the whole rest of the day that pulled the whole thing down. So while the last day of 2013 wasn't great, the first day (evening) of 2014 more than made up for it. Again, it was nothing special, but we got some mulled wine and played games, and I got past the bit that was annoying me in Terraria and am mad back into the game again.
I feel I should mention something about Terraria. In the first two weeks I had it, I played about 100 hours. I have no idea how this happened. Well, actually - I know exactly how it happened. It's because it's less a game and more a building program, only fun and pretty with game elements thrown in. I built a tree-house and a dragonfly airship and an apartment complex for the characters who joined me. And then I decided to build a beach house, and the commute between the tree-house and beach-house was about 5 minutes (real time) and I had to keep going back and forth to re-supply. So yea. I can see where the time went. And all this back-and-forth made me want a teleporter, but the get the teleporter I needed a certain character which would only arrive in my apartment-village if I defeated a certain bad guy, which could only be defeated in a certain game-mode (Hardmode - which could mean the destruction of everything I'd built so far) so I created a new world and made it Hardmode and had to get stuff to survive and then other stuff to fight the bad guy.... and yea. I just took a very, very long and windey time and I got annoyed at all the hoops I had to jump through just to get a teleporter. BUT. Last night I did it. I defeated The Destroyer (quite easily once I had the right gear), and the Steampunker moved in and I bought teleporters off her. And I'm a happy bunny once again. Except I think I left the lid off my lava generator, and I'm afraid I'll come back to overflowing lava (not good).
Right so. I think that's everything. We'll be home in three weeks. Can't wait.
Liam got me an ant farm. They're all beside me now, wandering around their tunnels, hanging out. It's a cool present - one of those things you always want, but would never buy for yourself. I got him Back to the Future Lego, which gave us the idea to watch the movies. One and two, anyway. We didn't make it to three. Along with them them, we got through How to Train your Dragon and The World's End. I enjoyed all of them. Yea. It was a very relaxing day. Quiet, but nice.
New Years wasn't quite as good. We watched Aliens, and paused it in the middle for the countdown. And while I enjoyed the movie, I'd had this sense of apathy the whole rest of the day that pulled the whole thing down. So while the last day of 2013 wasn't great, the first day (evening) of 2014 more than made up for it. Again, it was nothing special, but we got some mulled wine and played games, and I got past the bit that was annoying me in Terraria and am mad back into the game again.
I feel I should mention something about Terraria. In the first two weeks I had it, I played about 100 hours. I have no idea how this happened. Well, actually - I know exactly how it happened. It's because it's less a game and more a building program, only fun and pretty with game elements thrown in. I built a tree-house and a dragonfly airship and an apartment complex for the characters who joined me. And then I decided to build a beach house, and the commute between the tree-house and beach-house was about 5 minutes (real time) and I had to keep going back and forth to re-supply. So yea. I can see where the time went. And all this back-and-forth made me want a teleporter, but the get the teleporter I needed a certain character which would only arrive in my apartment-village if I defeated a certain bad guy, which could only be defeated in a certain game-mode (Hardmode - which could mean the destruction of everything I'd built so far) so I created a new world and made it Hardmode and had to get stuff to survive and then other stuff to fight the bad guy.... and yea. I just took a very, very long and windey time and I got annoyed at all the hoops I had to jump through just to get a teleporter. BUT. Last night I did it. I defeated The Destroyer (quite easily once I had the right gear), and the Steampunker moved in and I bought teleporters off her. And I'm a happy bunny once again. Except I think I left the lid off my lava generator, and I'm afraid I'll come back to overflowing lava (not good).
Right so. I think that's everything. We'll be home in three weeks. Can't wait.
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