Still at The Broken Hourglass writing.
Jason and I have talked our way through a good chunk of what I'd roughed out earlier; now I'm settling down to get more talks added.
Starting to feel more comfortable with my two 'troublesome' characters, though the one is going to need a bit more work on my part before I really feel comfortable with him. Got some more background from Jason, which should help--some of it will never appear in the game, one or two tidbits might make their way in via dialog.
Also added another conversation for Carind and Makarios. I'd like to see a bit more between them than exists as yet.
Welcome to my dragon's hoard. It's full of book reviews, TV reviews, photographs, musings on life, sewing, gardening, crafting, modding, and whatever other wonders catch my attention.
My blog is hopelessly general purpose, but also relentlessly keyworded.
Welcome!
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Tulips at the Getty
I visited the Getty today. Of course that also meant a visit to the gardens.
I fell in love with the red, spring tulips sitting out in the desert landscape.
Friday, February 12, 2010
Cake Wrecks
CakeWrecks is always funny, but "But the Words Get in the Way" had me laughing until I cried.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Girl Genius
Just a quick post to say I'm still really enjoying Girl Genius. It's whacky, unpredictable, and fun. The plot keeps taking unexpected twists and turns, and I care for the characters.
I've mentioned it before--it's a steam-punk comic, sort of Victorian, and has enough plotlines to keep everyone busy for a good long time to come. Yet, I still get the sense that the authors know what is going on--not always the case in big, complex plots with lots of Secret Happenings. It comes out regularly, three times a week, and there's a big archive for new readers, plus character descriptions and summaries.
I've mentioned it before--it's a steam-punk comic, sort of Victorian, and has enough plotlines to keep everyone busy for a good long time to come. Yet, I still get the sense that the authors know what is going on--not always the case in big, complex plots with lots of Secret Happenings. It comes out regularly, three times a week, and there's a big archive for new readers, plus character descriptions and summaries.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Upcoming books
Thanks to Charlotte's Library I learned that three of my favorite authors have books coming out soon.
Robin Mckinley's Pegasus is due out in November. And, incidentally, Mckinley now has a blog--has for a while from the look of it--which means I am going to have to start checking her page again (for the longest time, it was stuck on Sunshine, which, while an excellent book is far from new). I have no idea what Pegasus is about--Amazon is completely unhelpful--but, hey, it's by Mckinley; it's going to be good.
And Diana Wynne Jones has a new book, Enchanted Glass, coming out in April. That is, it's coming out in the US in April. Charlotte of Charlotte's Library has already read & reviewed it via some ordering magic I haven't really looked at because I don't want to read the review & risk spoilers.
Oh, and Megan Whalan Turner's A Conspiracy of Kings is coming out in March. Hurray!
Robin Mckinley's Pegasus is due out in November. And, incidentally, Mckinley now has a blog--has for a while from the look of it--which means I am going to have to start checking her page again (for the longest time, it was stuck on Sunshine, which, while an excellent book is far from new). I have no idea what Pegasus is about--Amazon is completely unhelpful--but, hey, it's by Mckinley; it's going to be good.
And Diana Wynne Jones has a new book, Enchanted Glass, coming out in April. That is, it's coming out in the US in April. Charlotte of Charlotte's Library has already read & reviewed it via some ordering magic I haven't really looked at because I don't want to read the review & risk spoilers.
Oh, and Megan Whalan Turner's A Conspiracy of Kings is coming out in March. Hurray!
Driftwood Lean-tos
The recent storms have brought an unusual amount of driftwood ashore. Someone has been amusing themselves by building a series of structures along the beach.
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Super-Tangy Oatmeal Buttermilk Bread: A Recipe
Super-Tangy Oatmeal Buttermilk Bread
I've made this a few times now; the first time was just to get rid of some buttermilk no one was drinking, the next couple of times were because I liked it. It's a very approximate sort of recipe, particularly when it comes to flour. I used 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt, you might like more; I think it could go as high as 1 1/2 Tablespoons without really slowing the rise down.
2 Cups rolled oats
4 Cups all purpose white flour
4-5 Cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
3 C buttermilk
2 Tablespoons Butter
1 Tablespoon yeast
1/4 C molasses OR 1/4 C brown sugar OR 1/4 C honey (slightly different tastes; pick which you prefer; it won't be a dominant note in the bread in any case)
1) Pour the oats into the bowl and put the buttermilk in right after; let it sit a while so the buttermilk can soak into the oats a bit (This is instead of the boiling water routine most oat breads call for).
2) Add the yeast; stir it in.
3) Add 1 C flour; stir it in.
4) Add the butter and the rest of the flour. Stir the flour in until it gets too stiff to stir, then knead until you have a soft dough. So far, I've kept it on the sticky side--a handle-with-the-heels-of-the-hand type dough that holds its shape. You can add more flour if you want a smoother dough.
Here, in case you hadn't noticed, is where the recipe gets really approximate. I've never actually measured the flour. I think it comes to around 6 or 7 cups to make a sticky but manageable dough; it may be more; some day, I may measure (or, if you do, you can tell me). I have been adding about half whole wheat, about half white. A greater proportion of white flour makes for a less-sticky dough, a higher rise, and a softer loaf; a greater proportion of wheat flour means a flatter, coarser loaf that is more nutritious and has a somewhat nuttier flavor; choose based on what you like and/or what you happen to have on hand.
5) Let the dough rise until double in size; this takes about an hour and a half in a comfortably warm room, much longer in a colder room (like last night, rainy, chilly weather meant dough that took forever to rise!)
6) Shape into two more-or-less smooth oblongs and place in bread pans.
7) Let rise until approximately double (anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour and a half, or more, depending on room temp).
8) Preheat oven to 375.
9) Pop the dough in, turn the oven down to 350.
10) Bake for 35-40 minutes. When the loaf makes a hollow "Thwock" sound when you flick the bottom with your fingernail, it's done.
11) Enjoy!
The bread has a lot more buttermilk than usual in buttermilk recipes, so it is super tangy. It has more oats, too, which gives it a lovely texture.
I've made this a few times now; the first time was just to get rid of some buttermilk no one was drinking, the next couple of times were because I liked it. It's a very approximate sort of recipe, particularly when it comes to flour. I used 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt, you might like more; I think it could go as high as 1 1/2 Tablespoons without really slowing the rise down.
2 Cups rolled oats
4 Cups all purpose white flour
4-5 Cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
3 C buttermilk
2 Tablespoons Butter
1 Tablespoon yeast
1/4 C molasses OR 1/4 C brown sugar OR 1/4 C honey (slightly different tastes; pick which you prefer; it won't be a dominant note in the bread in any case)
1) Pour the oats into the bowl and put the buttermilk in right after; let it sit a while so the buttermilk can soak into the oats a bit (This is instead of the boiling water routine most oat breads call for).
2) Add the yeast; stir it in.
3) Add 1 C flour; stir it in.
4) Add the butter and the rest of the flour. Stir the flour in until it gets too stiff to stir, then knead until you have a soft dough. So far, I've kept it on the sticky side--a handle-with-the-heels-of-the-hand type dough that holds its shape. You can add more flour if you want a smoother dough.
Here, in case you hadn't noticed, is where the recipe gets really approximate. I've never actually measured the flour. I think it comes to around 6 or 7 cups to make a sticky but manageable dough; it may be more; some day, I may measure (or, if you do, you can tell me). I have been adding about half whole wheat, about half white. A greater proportion of white flour makes for a less-sticky dough, a higher rise, and a softer loaf; a greater proportion of wheat flour means a flatter, coarser loaf that is more nutritious and has a somewhat nuttier flavor; choose based on what you like and/or what you happen to have on hand.
5) Let the dough rise until double in size; this takes about an hour and a half in a comfortably warm room, much longer in a colder room (like last night, rainy, chilly weather meant dough that took forever to rise!)
6) Shape into two more-or-less smooth oblongs and place in bread pans.
7) Let rise until approximately double (anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour and a half, or more, depending on room temp).
8) Preheat oven to 375.
9) Pop the dough in, turn the oven down to 350.
10) Bake for 35-40 minutes. When the loaf makes a hollow "Thwock" sound when you flick the bottom with your fingernail, it's done.
11) Enjoy!
The bread has a lot more buttermilk than usual in buttermilk recipes, so it is super tangy. It has more oats, too, which gives it a lovely texture.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Cat Crisis
So this was the weekend of the cat crisis.
Sometime Friday night, a small black cat moved into our front yard, hiding in a convenient nook formed by a jasmine vine.
Saturday, when I went out to take care of the yard, she (or he), ran out mewing frantically, rubbed against me, and generally indicated how happy she was to have found a human to pay attention to her. After all, now that a human was involved, everything would be taken care of.
She was very thin and slightly bedraggled, had probably been out for a couple of weeks. I thought, "Well, ok, she can stay by the vine for a while and I'll see if anyone has lost a black cat."
Problem the first: There are a lot of houses in our area, and no fewer than four apartment complexes within a reasonable range, plus numerous others just slightly further out. No one I talked to had lost a black cat, though several people knew people who might have, and I left my phone number with the manager of one complex so she could contact me if any of the residents reported a missing cat (She rattled off a list of residents with cats, first, though, and the only one who had a black cat had it safely at home, so it doesn't seem likely). No "Lost Cat" posters have been up lately in our area; I'd have seen them when I took the dog out.
Problem the second: Somewhere in all of its ecstatic greetings, the cat jumped up and put its front paws on my jeans. That's when I realized there was something missing; the cat had been declawed. She couldn't hunt or fight.
Problem the third: We have a dog and a bird and three people quite allergic to cats (I am one of them, and could only handle this cat outside and with frequent handwashings), so there was no way the cat could come inside for shelter, even for a short time.
A bowl of dog food and some searching elsewhere, the cat was still sure I was going to solve all of her problems, and I was getting worried. The cat had no back claws either, so she couldn't defend herself from any attack--and there are at least two cats who claim the street as their territory, one of whom is a large, long-haired ginger who sometimes glares at me from behind the same bush the black cat had claimed. He's not at all friendly, but he is sleek, well-fed, and big, and I'm willing to bet has all his claws and wouldn't welcome an interloper.
So when our neighbor told me that the local shelter was no-kill, it seemed like a good option. I spent a night worried about the cat,alone, clawless, and still convinced that these nice humans were going to solve all her problems, and figured, hey, I'd take her to the shelter; she'd be safe there, they could scan her for a microchip, and someone would claim her.
I couldn't get anyone on the phone, no matter how often I tried, but the recording did have the hours and the hours included Sunday, so I gave the cat another bowl of food, watched it eat (to make sure Ginger Cat didn't take the food), and promised her a ride to the shelter in the afternoon.
The cat, meanwhile, successfully charmed the rest of the family, all of whom agreed it would be nice to keep a cat, but the allergies, dog, and bird remained insurmountable problems.
So I borrowed a box off of a friend, and got the cat in the box. This is where things start to go amiss.
Cat very unhappy (naturally), wants to know why we've betrayed her so (mewing very expressive), but it's only a short trip, there are air holes, she should be ok.
Shelter takes some finding--the road is undergoing construction.
Shelter refuses to take cat. Despite the fact that it is in Huntington Beach, it won't take animals from Huntington Beach, and that is final. Pleading does no good. The one person behind the counter is harried and implacable.
Person comes out to look at cat, scolds me for putting it in box ("It's very traumatic!"). This is not helpful. I am given a list of numbers to call.
The National Cat Protection Agency, not too far away, doesn't take strays.
The provided list of phone numbers turns out to be full of wrong numbers and places that also won't take strays or animals from Huntington Beach.
I go back home.
Cat thoroughly unhappy. Person also unhappy. Doesn't blame cat one bit.
I call animal control. They tell me that the only place that will take HB strays is in Orange. I don't think it's a no kill shelter.
I can't keep the cat in the box forever, it still can't stay outside--the busy street, other cats, and the possibility it will now run away from us due to box are all still problems.
I go online and call all the shelters I can get numbers for. Still lots of wrong numbers, no-kill places that are full up, places that won't answer, and places that don't take strays.
Finally, we decide the shelter in Orange is the best of bad options, and get another scolding for putting it into a box (We should, apparently, have a cat carrier on hand at all times, or else call Animal Control to come get it. Why this is better, I am not sure. How we should know I am also not sure).
Cat is in shelter.
I am sad.
It's still the best of bad options.
I really, really hope whoever declawed Black Cat also micro-chipped her, but of course I'll never know.
Anyone got another option should Ginger Cat allow another stray into our area?
Sometime Friday night, a small black cat moved into our front yard, hiding in a convenient nook formed by a jasmine vine.
Saturday, when I went out to take care of the yard, she (or he), ran out mewing frantically, rubbed against me, and generally indicated how happy she was to have found a human to pay attention to her. After all, now that a human was involved, everything would be taken care of.
She was very thin and slightly bedraggled, had probably been out for a couple of weeks. I thought, "Well, ok, she can stay by the vine for a while and I'll see if anyone has lost a black cat."
Problem the first: There are a lot of houses in our area, and no fewer than four apartment complexes within a reasonable range, plus numerous others just slightly further out. No one I talked to had lost a black cat, though several people knew people who might have, and I left my phone number with the manager of one complex so she could contact me if any of the residents reported a missing cat (She rattled off a list of residents with cats, first, though, and the only one who had a black cat had it safely at home, so it doesn't seem likely). No "Lost Cat" posters have been up lately in our area; I'd have seen them when I took the dog out.
Problem the second: Somewhere in all of its ecstatic greetings, the cat jumped up and put its front paws on my jeans. That's when I realized there was something missing; the cat had been declawed. She couldn't hunt or fight.
Problem the third: We have a dog and a bird and three people quite allergic to cats (I am one of them, and could only handle this cat outside and with frequent handwashings), so there was no way the cat could come inside for shelter, even for a short time.
A bowl of dog food and some searching elsewhere, the cat was still sure I was going to solve all of her problems, and I was getting worried. The cat had no back claws either, so she couldn't defend herself from any attack--and there are at least two cats who claim the street as their territory, one of whom is a large, long-haired ginger who sometimes glares at me from behind the same bush the black cat had claimed. He's not at all friendly, but he is sleek, well-fed, and big, and I'm willing to bet has all his claws and wouldn't welcome an interloper.
So when our neighbor told me that the local shelter was no-kill, it seemed like a good option. I spent a night worried about the cat,alone, clawless, and still convinced that these nice humans were going to solve all her problems, and figured, hey, I'd take her to the shelter; she'd be safe there, they could scan her for a microchip, and someone would claim her.
I couldn't get anyone on the phone, no matter how often I tried, but the recording did have the hours and the hours included Sunday, so I gave the cat another bowl of food, watched it eat (to make sure Ginger Cat didn't take the food), and promised her a ride to the shelter in the afternoon.
The cat, meanwhile, successfully charmed the rest of the family, all of whom agreed it would be nice to keep a cat, but the allergies, dog, and bird remained insurmountable problems.
So I borrowed a box off of a friend, and got the cat in the box. This is where things start to go amiss.
Cat very unhappy (naturally), wants to know why we've betrayed her so (mewing very expressive), but it's only a short trip, there are air holes, she should be ok.
Shelter takes some finding--the road is undergoing construction.
Shelter refuses to take cat. Despite the fact that it is in Huntington Beach, it won't take animals from Huntington Beach, and that is final. Pleading does no good. The one person behind the counter is harried and implacable.
Person comes out to look at cat, scolds me for putting it in box ("It's very traumatic!"). This is not helpful. I am given a list of numbers to call.
The National Cat Protection Agency, not too far away, doesn't take strays.
The provided list of phone numbers turns out to be full of wrong numbers and places that also won't take strays or animals from Huntington Beach.
I go back home.
Cat thoroughly unhappy. Person also unhappy. Doesn't blame cat one bit.
I call animal control. They tell me that the only place that will take HB strays is in Orange. I don't think it's a no kill shelter.
I can't keep the cat in the box forever, it still can't stay outside--the busy street, other cats, and the possibility it will now run away from us due to box are all still problems.
I go online and call all the shelters I can get numbers for. Still lots of wrong numbers, no-kill places that are full up, places that won't answer, and places that don't take strays.
Finally, we decide the shelter in Orange is the best of bad options, and get another scolding for putting it into a box (We should, apparently, have a cat carrier on hand at all times, or else call Animal Control to come get it. Why this is better, I am not sure. How we should know I am also not sure).
Cat is in shelter.
I am sad.
It's still the best of bad options.
I really, really hope whoever declawed Black Cat also micro-chipped her, but of course I'll never know.
Anyone got another option should Ginger Cat allow another stray into our area?
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