grab bag post
22/10/04 11:56![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
schmericaI. *sniff*
Okay, so say Exhibit A happens to be those internety folks whom I talk to on a very regular basis on AIM or yahoo messenger. Like, daily or semi-daily. There are, oh, a half-dozen of them.
Now look at Exhibit B, which happens to be the list of all those folks spending the weekend in New York doing crazy fun fannish meet-ups and fun time.
Okay? I don't think I want to spell out Exhibit C, but if your guess involves "sad jealous abandoned![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
pearl_o" or "East Coast schmeast coast!", it is probably a good one.
(Although it's possible the complete absence of any of my regular betas being online at all may mean I actually manage to write this weekend. Hmmm.)
II. Meme meme meme.
I always feel kind of bad posting these memes that basically go "hey, you, reader! do something for me!" but they're kind of irresistible, nonetheless. I need to go remember to do it for as many people as I can that I see it for, too. Good meme karma! Or something.
Gacked frommusesfool. Some questions don't necessarily apply -- hell, just answer one or two if you want, or can't remember or think of others. The constructive criticism is totally encouraged, by the way, though you can soften it if you feel weird.
1. What is/are your favorite(s) fic by me?
2. What is/are your favorite(s) series by me?
3. What is/are your favorite(s) pairings that I write?
4. What is/are the pairing(s) you wish I'd try writing some time that I've never attempted?
5. What is/are the pairing(s) I've written that you wish I'd write more often?
6. What do you like about my writing?
7. What do you not like about my writing?
8. What was the first fic by me that you read?
9. What original character (if any) from me have you enjoyed the most?
10 Would you ever consider reading anything original if I tried writing it?
III. Reading.
mosca posted a really excellent Firefly story yesterday -- Different for Girls. Zoe/Wash and Zoe-Kaylee, taking place before the pilot. I recommend very highly.
dsudis's birthday got lots of yummy stories posted -- _aerye_, brooklinegirl, estrella30 and lynnmonster all had very good stuff the last few days. BLG's and Aerye's are Kowalski/Gardino because, uh, Dira's a freak, but the last two are F/K -- and lynn's even has het content, woo! (If you're not on lynn's friends list, you may have to go to ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
ds_noticeboard for a link to her story.)
This comment bykatallison and this one by _aerye_ both made my day in very different ways.
Everybody and their mother's* mentioned it already, butyuletide! YAY!
*Do not argue with me about the grammar of this sentence, or I will give you my descriptivist linguistic death glare. *looks scary*
IV. Cooking.
Rice with Onions recipe, from How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman (any notes from me are in italics):
Ingredients
3 to 4 cups sliced onions [I don't measure this out so much as just slice up onions till it looks like a big pile; last night I used two very large sweet ]onions[
4 tablespoons butter (preferred) or extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cups long grain rice
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves, 2 or 3 sprigs fresh time, or 1/2 tsp dried thyme [I don't measure here, either, just shake in what looks like a decent amount]
3 cups chicken, beef or vegetable stock, or water, warmed
1. Place the onions in a large, deep skillet or casserole over medium-low heat. Cover the skillet. Cook, stirring once or twice, until the onions have given up most their liquid and are fairly dry but not at all brown, about 10 minutes.
2. Remove the cover and turn the heat to medium. Add the butter to the onions. Cook, stirring, until the butter melts and the onions are coated with it. Add the rice, salt, pepper and thyme.
3. Stir in the liquid, cover, and turn the heat to low. Cook for 30 to 45 minutes, stirring every ten minutes or so, until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed.
The rice turns out really sweet and creamy and yummy; I love it lots. The only way I have ever managed to ruin it was once when I, uh, didn't check the doneness of the rice before I took it off the heat. Once you make that mistake once and eat your lunch of crunchy rice, you pretty much don't do it again, though.
Okay, so say Exhibit A happens to be those internety folks whom I talk to on a very regular basis on AIM or yahoo messenger. Like, daily or semi-daily. There are, oh, a half-dozen of them.
Now look at Exhibit B, which happens to be the list of all those folks spending the weekend in New York doing crazy fun fannish meet-ups and fun time.
Okay? I don't think I want to spell out Exhibit C, but if your guess involves "sad jealous abandoned
pearl_o" or "East Coast schmeast coast!", it is probably a good one.(Although it's possible the complete absence of any of my regular betas being online at all may mean I actually manage to write this weekend. Hmmm.)
II. Meme meme meme.
I always feel kind of bad posting these memes that basically go "hey, you, reader! do something for me!" but they're kind of irresistible, nonetheless. I need to go remember to do it for as many people as I can that I see it for, too. Good meme karma! Or something.
Gacked from
musesfool. Some questions don't necessarily apply -- hell, just answer one or two if you want, or can't remember or think of others. The constructive criticism is totally encouraged, by the way, though you can soften it if you feel weird.1. What is/are your favorite(s) fic by me?
2. What is/are your favorite(s) series by me?
3. What is/are your favorite(s) pairings that I write?
4. What is/are the pairing(s) you wish I'd try writing some time that I've never attempted?
5. What is/are the pairing(s) I've written that you wish I'd write more often?
6. What do you like about my writing?
7. What do you not like about my writing?
8. What was the first fic by me that you read?
9. What original character (if any) from me have you enjoyed the most?
10 Would you ever consider reading anything original if I tried writing it?
III. Reading.
mosca posted a really excellent Firefly story yesterday -- Different for Girls. Zoe/Wash and Zoe-Kaylee, taking place before the pilot. I recommend very highly.dsudis's birthday got lots of yummy stories posted -- _aerye_, brooklinegirl, estrella30 and lynnmonster all had very good stuff the last few days. BLG's and Aerye's are Kowalski/Gardino because, uh, Dira's a freak, but the last two are F/K -- and lynn's even has het content, woo! (If you're not on lynn's friends list, you may have to go to ds_noticeboard for a link to her story.)This comment by
katallison and this one by _aerye_ both made my day in very different ways.Everybody and their mother's* mentioned it already, but
yuletide! YAY!*Do not argue with me about the grammar of this sentence, or I will give you my descriptivist linguistic death glare. *looks scary*
IV. Cooking.
Rice with Onions recipe, from How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman (any notes from me are in italics):
Ingredients
3 to 4 cups sliced onions [I don't measure this out so much as just slice up onions till it looks like a big pile; last night I used two very large sweet ]onions[
4 tablespoons butter (preferred) or extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cups long grain rice
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves, 2 or 3 sprigs fresh time, or 1/2 tsp dried thyme [I don't measure here, either, just shake in what looks like a decent amount]
3 cups chicken, beef or vegetable stock, or water, warmed
1. Place the onions in a large, deep skillet or casserole over medium-low heat. Cover the skillet. Cook, stirring once or twice, until the onions have given up most their liquid and are fairly dry but not at all brown, about 10 minutes.
2. Remove the cover and turn the heat to medium. Add the butter to the onions. Cook, stirring, until the butter melts and the onions are coated with it. Add the rice, salt, pepper and thyme.
3. Stir in the liquid, cover, and turn the heat to low. Cook for 30 to 45 minutes, stirring every ten minutes or so, until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed.
The rice turns out really sweet and creamy and yummy; I love it lots. The only way I have ever managed to ruin it was once when I, uh, didn't check the doneness of the rice before I took it off the heat. Once you make that mistake once and eat your lunch of crunchy rice, you pretty much don't do it again, though.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
22/10/04 12:01 (UTC)also, east coast people (or an east coast person) want you to know that some east coast people may find themselves (or herself) out your way at some point in the near future (just after New Years).
(no subject)
22/10/04 12:05 (UTC)(no subject)
22/10/04 14:03 (UTC)1. What is/are your favorite(s) fic by me?
Hmmm..."Outline of a Circle", "Post", "How Many Ways", "A is for Apple"
2. What is/are your favorite(s) series by me?
The "How Many Ways" series is shaping up nicely.
3. What is/are your favorite(s) pairings that I write?
Fraser/Kowalski
4. What is/are the pairing(s) you wish I'd try writing some time that I've never attempted?
That sweet, cozy domesticity you do so well? I think Vecchio and Stella could use a little of that. (What? They get no respect, and god knows Vecchio at least has earned some sweet lovin'.)
and, maybe, Fraser/Maggie. or F/K/Maggie. 'cause i'm sick, but i suspect i'm not the only one.
6. What do you like about my writing?
a. You have a fine hand for ambiguity. "Post" and "How Many Ways" are both excellent examples of stories that manage to create completely comprehensible universes even though we know so few details about what has actually happened. (Though you've been filling in the gaps in "How Many Ways" lately.)
b. You have a knack for portraying imperfect, enduring relationships. Many slashfic relationships are romance-novel perfect--the sex is always mindblowing, they understand each other perfectly, they live happily ever after--which is cool. But after a steady diet of that, a little realism is refreshing. Besides, any idiot can be happy in a perfect relationship; but when two people can endure the sick kids and the arguments and the misunderstandings and the late work nights and the occasional crappy sex and the morning crankiness and the out of toilet paper and the wolf vomit--and still make it work? That's real love, and well-earned.
7. What do you not like about my writing?
That same ambiguity can also be frustrating--even though I know it would ruin the story, dammit, I wanna know how the world ended! And how they reacted at first! And what happens next! I want to fill in the holes...huh, actually, I really just want people to write fanfic based on your fanfic.
8. What was the first fic by me that you read?
"Plate Tectonics", but it was "The Outline of a Circle" that really caused me to remember your name.
9. What original character (if any) from me have you enjoyed the most?
Carrie.
10. Would you ever consider reading anything original if I tried writing it?
Eh. Maybe. I'm in a serious fanfic mode now, though.
(no subject)
22/10/04 14:07 (UTC)::smooch::
(no subject)
22/10/04 20:28 (UTC)(no subject)
22/10/04 20:36 (UTC)That sweet, cozy domesticity you do so well? I think Vecchio and Stella could use a little of that. (What? They get no respect, and god knows Vecchio at least has earned some sweet lovin'.)
Stella and Vecchio! Ee, I have a giant soft spot for them as a couple actually (though I have no idea why). I actually would like to write them someday, I think, but I don't feel like I have a firm grip on Vecchio yet.
You have a knack for portraying imperfect, enduring relationships.
Dude, this comment made me totally happy -- because, wow, that's basically what I find most interesting as both a writer and a reader; the realness that comes with the happy endings that still don't have everything fixed and perfect.
That same ambiguity can also be frustrating--
Heh. This is one of the things I've really been thinking about lately, actually, because I do think I have a tendency to underwrite to some degree -- I mean, ambiguity is one thing, but there still has to be some meat there. Hmm.
(no subject)
24/10/04 14:42 (UTC)*weeps*
You need to East Coast-ify. If you come visit me? Most people from this coast said they'd come to see you. AND you'd be staying with me, so free. So yay!
*clings*
I miss you.
(no subject)
24/10/04 14:56 (UTC)I bet it was my roommates hogging the phone. BOO ROOMMATES. I subtract many points!
And I SO NEED TO COME SEE YOU. Sigh. I really need to figure out if there's any way I can swing it to come and visit in the spring. If I save, and don't do escapade, and, um, eat dirt for six months? Hmmm.