Oops.
I didn't mean to fall off the radar for so long, but I guess I did. There's no particular reason why. Life hasn't been busier than usual, or happier than usual, or sadder than usual. It's relatively uneventful, which is fine but not terribly interesting.
The cherry tomato plants are enjoying the cool nights and warm days and have been producing overtime. Last week, I picked a quart and a half of the little suckers, all orange-yellow and sweet, with a mellow hint of acid. It's more than I can eat out of hand, so I sliced most of them in half, then tossed them in a pan of sauteed garlic in olive oil and let it simmer with red pepper flakes, basil, oregano and half a cup of white wine. Once the tomatoes have broken down a bit, I turn off the heat and add a generous splash of cream before dumping in a mass of cooked angelhair pasta. A small mountain of grated pecorino romano later, and it's dinner. I've also added sauteed chicken, Italian sausage, shrimp or asparagus with good results.
Someone asked if there'd be another fic exchange at labyrinth_ex anytime soon, and I said I wasn't sure. LJ has gotten a lot quieter over the past several years. The last exchange was... difficult. Not necessarily because we had more problems but I think maybe I'm just less well-equipped to deal with the usual issues of chasing people down only to have them disappear, etc. Situations like that are inevitable, and that's always been my least favorite part of the exchange.
As wimpy as it sounds, I just don't want to do that right now. I hate harassing people about deadlines, I hate e-mailing reminders and playing a dreadful waiting game wondering if people will reply, and I hate feeling disappointed and angry when crappy things happen. I don't want to give the impression that this is anyone's fault but mine. As a whole, people who do the exchange are great and I love seeing what all of you write. Your creativity and enthusiasm make Labyrinth such a fun fandom. :)
The problem is that I don't feel up for the challenge and I'm sorry for that. I don't rule it out having future exchanges, but with LJ being such a ghost town and not likely to revive, I'm just not sure how that's going to go. This is a major downer, for which I apologize. If circumstances change, then who knows?
The cherry tomato plants are enjoying the cool nights and warm days and have been producing overtime. Last week, I picked a quart and a half of the little suckers, all orange-yellow and sweet, with a mellow hint of acid. It's more than I can eat out of hand, so I sliced most of them in half, then tossed them in a pan of sauteed garlic in olive oil and let it simmer with red pepper flakes, basil, oregano and half a cup of white wine. Once the tomatoes have broken down a bit, I turn off the heat and add a generous splash of cream before dumping in a mass of cooked angelhair pasta. A small mountain of grated pecorino romano later, and it's dinner. I've also added sauteed chicken, Italian sausage, shrimp or asparagus with good results.
Someone asked if there'd be another fic exchange at labyrinth_ex anytime soon, and I said I wasn't sure. LJ has gotten a lot quieter over the past several years. The last exchange was... difficult. Not necessarily because we had more problems but I think maybe I'm just less well-equipped to deal with the usual issues of chasing people down only to have them disappear, etc. Situations like that are inevitable, and that's always been my least favorite part of the exchange.
As wimpy as it sounds, I just don't want to do that right now. I hate harassing people about deadlines, I hate e-mailing reminders and playing a dreadful waiting game wondering if people will reply, and I hate feeling disappointed and angry when crappy things happen. I don't want to give the impression that this is anyone's fault but mine. As a whole, people who do the exchange are great and I love seeing what all of you write. Your creativity and enthusiasm make Labyrinth such a fun fandom. :)
The problem is that I don't feel up for the challenge and I'm sorry for that. I don't rule it out having future exchanges, but with LJ being such a ghost town and not likely to revive, I'm just not sure how that's going to go. This is a major downer, for which I apologize. If circumstances change, then who knows?