Poll: Distraction Is Good

[thefourthvine]

I'm kind of - not too bright sometimes. For example, when I grabbed an oven rack to move it around without, um, checking to see if it was hot? That was a "not so bright" moment in my life, right there.

Also, ow.

So I want distraction, with a minimum of typing involved. It's time for a poll! With, ideally, lots of comments! Come on, people -

Comments

[wikdsushi]

Just to note, I picked 20 as years in fandom because my first fandom was Danger Mouse, WAAAAAAAAAAYYYYY back in the day. Though, technically, I've been fannish since I was a wee thing. One of the first unfinished stories I ever wrote was a sequel to The Last Unicorn. I think my parents were a little unnerved when I spelled "Schmendrick" correctly at the age of four without actually having read the book.

Ahh, I remember that story. The opening line was:

"The Red Bull is back!" cried Schmendrick.

And thus began my foray into the world of fanfic.

[thefourthvine]

*nods*

Oh, I can so relate. My own first fanfic, I just recently realized, was for the Little House on the Prairie books. I wrote, um, Laura's diary. And thus began my long-standing fascination with stories told through documentation.

I can't be surprised I turned out this way, since apparently I was this way all along.

[giglet]

Oh, that's *fabulous*! Go you!

[imkalena]

I KNEW IT.

I knew most of the really outstanding and prolific writers were people who have been writing since their pudgy little fingers were coordinated enough to hold a crayon.

Once again, I feel, if not vindicated, a bit self-satisfied.*G*

[brown_betty]

Wheat is indeed fluffy and tempting. Are you familiar with puffed wheat squares? Celiac Death in Cubic form.

[thefourthvine]

I am, in fact, unfamiliar with puffed wheat squares, although they sound strangely appetizing.

"The fluffy temptation of wheat," by the way, comes from the same place all my user names are going to be coming from for the next little while - the English translation of the opening theme song of Azumanga Diaoh, an anime series about, um, nothing much. (When it's funny, it's really funny. Much of the time it makes no sense at all, or is outright creepy and perverse. It is the slot machine of anime: you keep coming back because you know sooner or later you're going to strike it rich.)

The English translation makes no sense. Neither, from what I hear, does the Japanese. (For that matter, the phrases that are in English in the original song - like "fancy hearing cake" - don't make any sense either.) But the wording is wonderful. And so I pay tribute in user name form.

In conclusion: where would a person find puffed wheat squares, if she wanted to? They tempt me. Wheatily.

[brown_betty]

I don't know if you //can// buy them, but here's the super easy recipe:

* Butter or hard margarine ~ 1/3 cup
* Corn syrup ~ 1/2 cup
* Brown sugar packed ~ 2/3 cup
* Cocoa ~ 2 TBS
* Vanilla Flavouring ~ 1 TSP
* Puffed Wheat ~ 8 cups

You will need: measuring spoons, measuring cups, a medium saucepan, a mixing spoon, a hot pad, a very large bowl, a rubber spatula and a 9x9 inch pan.

0.5. Don't burn yourself.

1. Combine the butter or margarine, syrup, brown sugar, cocoa and vanilla flavouring in the saucepan. Stir continually on medium heat until it starts to boil with bubbles all over the surface. Remove the saucepan to the hot pad.

2. Measure the puffed wheat into the bowl. Pour the hot chocolate mixture over the top. Use the rubber spatula to scrape the saucepan. Stir well until all of the puffed wheat is coated. Grease the pan. Turn the coated puffed wheat into the pan. Press down using the dampened spatula. Chill for about 2 hours so it will cut cleanly. Cuts into 16 or 25 squares.

[thefourthvine]

Yes! You totally can, because that's what I'm being. I am a magpie who watches from a distant branch and makes careful notes. And then cries, "Oooo! Shiny!" and goes after the shiny thing, totally forgetting what she was making notes about.

October! Yay! *bouncy with anticipation*

And my hand feels better. Yay for the swift application of ice. Just, for next time, I must remember: oven = hot. This seems like something I should have learned before, really.

*randomly hugs you, just 'cause*

[iseult_variante]

Can I be a magpie zoologist?

*raises hand* Me too! Ohhh, me too! Heh, it actually says magpie in my userinfo. ;)

TFV: Hope your hand gets better soon! Ack!

[joandarck]

In the long term, camel, in the short term, human, although I've been drifting into gorillahood, but I'm pretty conflicted and stressed out about it.

I don't know if this would be of any interest to you, but I did a similar poll recently, although somewhat different set of questions:

http://joandarck.livejournal.com/101569.html

[thefourthvine]

Ooo! Fannish hive mind at work. And thank you for linking me to that. (It's particularly interesting because you focused on something I forgot. When I was writing this poll it just, um, totally slipped my mind that the majority of fans actually watch their canon. This says a lot about how I interact with fandoms, doesn't it?)

I take it your conflictedness about your gorillahood is in part because you don't know how to balance the time? (Or because you just plain don't have the time.) I mean, that's how the poll sounded.

For me, what I tend to lapse on is my friends list; when my time gets short - and it does that a lot - that's the first thing to go. And, of course, it helps that I am a chronic insomniac - I think more than half of all LJ fans are - and I don't watch TV at all. I spend the time I would normally spend sleeping and, presumably, watching TV on fandom.

So, did you come to any conclusions about dividing your time and being a happier gorilla?

[joandarck]

When I was writing this poll it just, um, totally slipped my mind that the majority of fans actually watch their canon. This says a lot about how I interact with fandoms, doesn't it?It does! Although I don't know if 'majority' is true. Watching canon is how most people become fans in the first place, presumably, but it seems like once you're in the culture, people often tend to stay just for chat and fic. But how focused you are on the source material does affect things like how you perceive canon vs. fanon, I think

[anoel]

I love polls that feature classifications based on animals :) I am lucky enough to have the Vidding Fandom that spans and includes all my other fandoms.

[thefourthvine]

Yeah, vidding is a great fandom, especially for watchers. (I would think the joys of spanning all fandoms and having your media served to you in gorgeous three minute installments would be somewhat mitigated by the time and toil it takes to make one of those three minute installments.) Fun! All-encompassing!

I love polls that feature classifications based on animals

Me, too. (Obviously.) But I'm sad I couldn't work wombats in there somewhere. Fannish wombats are the best. *points to icon*