(no subject)
Happy birthday (a day late-eep!) to pipsqueaky! May the coming year be one glorious string of payoffs for your big move and the stress that came with it. You deserve it.
* * * * *
I was downright domestic for large stretches of time this weekend. For the past little while, I've been going with M. to the farmer's market at the Ferry Building on Saturday mornings. This started as an exercise in helping M. retain his sanity, because he is Mr. Urban and has ended up, after his marriage, trapped in a condo in Brisbane, and has started to crack under the strain. He needs his fix of concrete and bus exhaust. So in the spirit of killing two birds with one stone, I've been trying to do most of my grocery shopping there, and it has been working pretty well.
But this Saturday, I hit the market more tired and with less of a plan than usual-which is a very sad lack of plan indeed-and came home with a bunch of random stuff I had no idea what to do with. I did well with most of it. Carrots and young cippolini onions roasted with thyme; green and gold zucchini coins slow-sauteed with garlic and dusted with parmesan; leeks in mustard vinaigrette-all good. But for some insane reason I decided to make the sorrel into sorrel sauce for the lemon ricotta ravioli I bought, and it was unbelievably gross; I'm still trying to decide if it was my interpretation, or if sorrel sauce is generally a bad idea, but I'm leaning toward the latter since not only was it unpleasantly astringent, it was also a truly off-putting brown-green color.
I also actually finished some knitting.
This is the Violet tank top from Jaeger Booklet 40, knitted with Dale of Norway Svale in sage on US5 needles. I have a love/hate relationship with this yarn, because on the one hand it's not at all heavy or saggy-feeling and produces what feels like a pretty elastic fabric for a cotton blend, and it's really soft and has a nice, understated sheen. On the other, it's cabled, and split like hell. I'm mostly leaning toward hate right now because the last thing I did with it was sew seams and it knotted like a sumbitch.
The pattern was for the most part straightforward and easy to follow, though I'm not in love with the SL1K PSSO used for the left decreases-it's not exactly invisible. The major exception to the rule was the way the front panel pattern was written out-it included the bottom decreases, meaning that I had to recalculate after all of the decreases were done, then recalculate again to handle the increases, and it was a little hair-raising.
I actually finished knitting this a while ago. I enjoy the knitting part quite a bit; it's the finishing that kills me-the tedious weaving in of ends, the blocking, the seaming. The seams on this tank top reflect my learning curve. One backstitched shoulder is a little odd, one is pretty neatly done; one mattress stitched side-seam is pulled a smidge too tightly, the other is flat and perfect. Since I'm an inveterate cardigan-wearer, they imperfections won't show, and I think I will be using this tank top to launch my reputation at work as That Crazy Woman With the Obviously Homemade Sweaters.
I've finished all of the pieces of another sweater, one with sleeves, and I am not looking forward to the setting in of sleeves at all.
* * * * *
SGA 1.18 - "The Gift"
I was already intrigued, partway through the episode, by the idea that some Athosians can sense the approach of the Wraith. In sheer Darwinian terms, it makes sense that a trait like that would be selected for in a population; after all, what the Wraith are doing to these planets is overtly called "culling." But it's even more interesting that Teyla, who is so clear and adamant in her hatred of the Wraith, who has lived in opposition to them for her entire existence, carries a part of them in her. I wonder how that changes her perception of herself, her family, and her people? I wonder if it will ever be followed up on? Oh wait, I have a bad feeling I know the answer. But still, it's an intriguing idea, as is the fact that her ability to tap into the Wraith's communications runs both ways. As is the fact that their desperation leads them time and time again to give the Wraith more information than they want to.
SGA 1.19 & 1.20 - "The Siege Parts 1 & 2"
This is a pretty spiffy season finale, and nicely bookends the show with "Rising." I like that Teyla doesn't doubt herself, and that Sheppard doesn't really doubt her either, but that others are more suspicious, because they are all in so much trouble, and any unknown quantity can lead to catastrophe. I like that the satellite weapon is such a last-ditch hope, and that they're able to make it work, but that it's not enough. Sheppard's ruthlessness is something that cries out for better follow-up, but I think they do "morally questionable" better with him than with the other characters, at least based on what I've seen so far.
And it's funny the way Sheppard and Weir have developed enough of an understanding that Everett jumping in and pulling military rank jars so badly, especially since the Atlanteans have survived so far on improvisation and seat-of-the-pants technical innovation and learned long ago to throw standard military strategy out the window. And this is a nice reminder that Sheppard is a maverick, that he's probably been such a success as military commander in charge in this atmosphere precisely because of that quality.
But I have to say, if I never hear another patented Elizabeth Weir dramatic announcement on the Atlantis PA, it will be too soon. It's a device the show uses far too often as a shortcut for showing her taking command responsibility seriously, since the interactions on this show are all utilitarian and about the plot of the week, and they're not building relationships over time in the background, and they have to resort to crap like this far too often. The videos to relatives in "Letters from Pegasus" was effective; this is just annoying.
Also, Season 2 is not out on DVD, and my TiVO has not captured the third part of this episode, so I'm going to be in to be continued limbo for a long time on this one. Woe!
* * * * *
brynnmck and asta77 are holding a friendship ficathon. Stories aren't due until the beginning of October, so being ficathoned-out is no excuse!*
*Not being able to write fic, however, is, which is why I am talking the talk but not walking the walk.
* * * * *
It's Monday, so have a cute picture of an otter holding a beer!
* * * * *
I was downright domestic for large stretches of time this weekend. For the past little while, I've been going with M. to the farmer's market at the Ferry Building on Saturday mornings. This started as an exercise in helping M. retain his sanity, because he is Mr. Urban and has ended up, after his marriage, trapped in a condo in Brisbane, and has started to crack under the strain. He needs his fix of concrete and bus exhaust. So in the spirit of killing two birds with one stone, I've been trying to do most of my grocery shopping there, and it has been working pretty well.
But this Saturday, I hit the market more tired and with less of a plan than usual-which is a very sad lack of plan indeed-and came home with a bunch of random stuff I had no idea what to do with. I did well with most of it. Carrots and young cippolini onions roasted with thyme; green and gold zucchini coins slow-sauteed with garlic and dusted with parmesan; leeks in mustard vinaigrette-all good. But for some insane reason I decided to make the sorrel into sorrel sauce for the lemon ricotta ravioli I bought, and it was unbelievably gross; I'm still trying to decide if it was my interpretation, or if sorrel sauce is generally a bad idea, but I'm leaning toward the latter since not only was it unpleasantly astringent, it was also a truly off-putting brown-green color.
I also actually finished some knitting.
This is the Violet tank top from Jaeger Booklet 40, knitted with Dale of Norway Svale in sage on US5 needles. I have a love/hate relationship with this yarn, because on the one hand it's not at all heavy or saggy-feeling and produces what feels like a pretty elastic fabric for a cotton blend, and it's really soft and has a nice, understated sheen. On the other, it's cabled, and split like hell. I'm mostly leaning toward hate right now because the last thing I did with it was sew seams and it knotted like a sumbitch.
The pattern was for the most part straightforward and easy to follow, though I'm not in love with the SL1K PSSO used for the left decreases-it's not exactly invisible. The major exception to the rule was the way the front panel pattern was written out-it included the bottom decreases, meaning that I had to recalculate after all of the decreases were done, then recalculate again to handle the increases, and it was a little hair-raising.
I actually finished knitting this a while ago. I enjoy the knitting part quite a bit; it's the finishing that kills me-the tedious weaving in of ends, the blocking, the seaming. The seams on this tank top reflect my learning curve. One backstitched shoulder is a little odd, one is pretty neatly done; one mattress stitched side-seam is pulled a smidge too tightly, the other is flat and perfect. Since I'm an inveterate cardigan-wearer, they imperfections won't show, and I think I will be using this tank top to launch my reputation at work as That Crazy Woman With the Obviously Homemade Sweaters.
I've finished all of the pieces of another sweater, one with sleeves, and I am not looking forward to the setting in of sleeves at all.
* * * * *
SGA 1.18 - "The Gift"
I was already intrigued, partway through the episode, by the idea that some Athosians can sense the approach of the Wraith. In sheer Darwinian terms, it makes sense that a trait like that would be selected for in a population; after all, what the Wraith are doing to these planets is overtly called "culling." But it's even more interesting that Teyla, who is so clear and adamant in her hatred of the Wraith, who has lived in opposition to them for her entire existence, carries a part of them in her. I wonder how that changes her perception of herself, her family, and her people? I wonder if it will ever be followed up on? Oh wait, I have a bad feeling I know the answer. But still, it's an intriguing idea, as is the fact that her ability to tap into the Wraith's communications runs both ways. As is the fact that their desperation leads them time and time again to give the Wraith more information than they want to.
SGA 1.19 & 1.20 - "The Siege Parts 1 & 2"
This is a pretty spiffy season finale, and nicely bookends the show with "Rising." I like that Teyla doesn't doubt herself, and that Sheppard doesn't really doubt her either, but that others are more suspicious, because they are all in so much trouble, and any unknown quantity can lead to catastrophe. I like that the satellite weapon is such a last-ditch hope, and that they're able to make it work, but that it's not enough. Sheppard's ruthlessness is something that cries out for better follow-up, but I think they do "morally questionable" better with him than with the other characters, at least based on what I've seen so far.
And it's funny the way Sheppard and Weir have developed enough of an understanding that Everett jumping in and pulling military rank jars so badly, especially since the Atlanteans have survived so far on improvisation and seat-of-the-pants technical innovation and learned long ago to throw standard military strategy out the window. And this is a nice reminder that Sheppard is a maverick, that he's probably been such a success as military commander in charge in this atmosphere precisely because of that quality.
But I have to say, if I never hear another patented Elizabeth Weir dramatic announcement on the Atlantis PA, it will be too soon. It's a device the show uses far too often as a shortcut for showing her taking command responsibility seriously, since the interactions on this show are all utilitarian and about the plot of the week, and they're not building relationships over time in the background, and they have to resort to crap like this far too often. The videos to relatives in "Letters from Pegasus" was effective; this is just annoying.
Also, Season 2 is not out on DVD, and my TiVO has not captured the third part of this episode, so I'm going to be in to be continued limbo for a long time on this one. Woe!
* * * * *
brynnmck and asta77 are holding a friendship ficathon. Stories aren't due until the beginning of October, so being ficathoned-out is no excuse!*
*Not being able to write fic, however, is, which is why I am talking the talk but not walking the walk.
* * * * *
It's Monday, so have a cute picture of an otter holding a beer!