A fangirl without a show.
1. What is it about school vacations that makes me want to cook and cook? Especially since the results seldom turn out well. But! Yesterday I had a strange yen to make bread, so I started poking around online for a good recipe. Despite my not being Jewish (or even really Christian anymore, for that matter), I found myself making challah! And it turned out perfectly. Wow. Pretty enough for any Seder -- er, if it weren't leavened. Oops. Still, it's quite awesome.
I used this recipe. Surprisingly easy, overall. I got quite nervous when the dough didn't appear to be rising correctly, so I followed some online tips and wrapped a towel warmed-from-the-dryer around the bowl. Perfect. It tastes really good, though perhaps not as sweet as I would've liked. Unfortunately, it dried out a bit overnight. It's a little crumbly, but the inside is still rather soft and chewy. This morning I used it to make french toast, and I need to figure out how to preserve it without sacrificing the quality -- no way can I eat two loaves on my own. :)
The fresh, chewy insides! Please ignore the grubby towels -- they were clean when I first put the bread on them; the spots are condensation and flour from letting the bread sit overnight. ;)
In conclusion: I made bread! CHALLAH WOO HOO!!!
2. I have also been making other things, specifically knitting. Big surprise. Friends, I have fallen in love with a new brand of yarn: Madelinetosh Sock. Oh my god I love it so much. Maybe even more than I love Dream in Color's Smooshy.
A few weeks ago, I bought Madelinetosh Sock in "Jade", just because I loved the colors. I cast on the Mad Color Weave pattern on Saturday and finished the first sock on Monday evening -- the fastest I've ever knitted a sock. I couldn't stop knitting because the yarn is absolutely addictive. Very soft and springy and with great stitch definition. The pattern itself is quite easy, with the slip-stitch crossweave showing off the variegation in a lovely way. Here's a closeup of the photo below.
I also finally finished my red socks! I'd been wanting red to wear to work. Last month, I picked up some Louet Gems at the LYS, and while it's a good yarn, I'm not all that fond of it. My main concern was the yardage -- a bit skimpy for a size 11 foot. Because of that, I wanted a toe-up pattern just in case, and I went with another pair of Baudelaires, a favorite pattern of mine. They're so pretty and lacy, and they fit quite well. Here are my feet, and the photos on the pattern page show off the top of the socks.
3. In more bittersweet news, I find myself fading away a little bit from my show. I've been working on a fic, but I can't really get the vibe back or even the urge to rewatch episodes. I'm sure it'll come back soon -- I need to rewatch S4.5, if only to start cleaning out my TiVo -- but this tends to happen to me at the end of a show. No hard feelings, except re: the finale, and I hope I can get the vibe back long enough to finish the fic!
4. My fandom history is that once my connection to a show begins to fade, I almost immediately find another one to throw myself into. My BTVS love began as X-Files was ending; I got really into S1 of Veronica Mars when AtS was over; and BSG came along when I realized I wasn't as interested in VM beyond that first season. I've been in this fandom for four years, and I guess it's time to move on. The trouble is that I don't see anything else interesting to take its place! Nor do I see anything on the horizon. Dollhouse is ... okay, but various factors keep me from wanting to go the fandom route. I never liked T:SCC as much as my friends, and it's almost over. I love FNL to itty bitty pieces but have never quite made the leap into full-fledged fannishness. (No desire to write fic or in-depth meta, despite it totally being the kind of show where I could do that for hours.) And I've never been interested in the SFF genre shows that many other people love. Sigh. I'm a fangirl. I need a show! ;)
5. Since this post is already so long, I'll add a linkspam:
-- Two posts about '90s music loves: PJ Harvey is not actually a crazy wailing banshee and why Morrissey's voice still breaks my heart.
-- Here's one for Dionusia: Odysseus's Twitter feed!
-- Mental Floss has helpful tips on what to do if you meet the Queen and an interesting post on a writer's visit to Vanuatu. And on that note, a great series of articles about Lagos, Nigeria, and a train trip from Vienna to Pyongyang.
-- Boston.com takes a peek inside a Netflix mailing facility.
-- Check out The Smithsonian: By the Numbers.
-- While baking last night, I read Vanity Fair's long article about the Iceland banking crisis.
-- Looking for a summer job? A friend told me that the Census Bureau is hiring. I might actually look into it.
-- Kiosk has some very cool things to buy, including an Obama stamp. Want!
-- And, to end on a silly note: if you're currently shopping for formal wear, why not get the vagina prom dress?
I used this recipe. Surprisingly easy, overall. I got quite nervous when the dough didn't appear to be rising correctly, so I followed some online tips and wrapped a towel warmed-from-the-dryer around the bowl. Perfect. It tastes really good, though perhaps not as sweet as I would've liked. Unfortunately, it dried out a bit overnight. It's a little crumbly, but the inside is still rather soft and chewy. This morning I used it to make french toast, and I need to figure out how to preserve it without sacrificing the quality -- no way can I eat two loaves on my own. :)
The fresh, chewy insides! Please ignore the grubby towels -- they were clean when I first put the bread on them; the spots are condensation and flour from letting the bread sit overnight. ;)
In conclusion: I made bread! CHALLAH WOO HOO!!!
2. I have also been making other things, specifically knitting. Big surprise. Friends, I have fallen in love with a new brand of yarn: Madelinetosh Sock. Oh my god I love it so much. Maybe even more than I love Dream in Color's Smooshy.
A few weeks ago, I bought Madelinetosh Sock in "Jade", just because I loved the colors. I cast on the Mad Color Weave pattern on Saturday and finished the first sock on Monday evening -- the fastest I've ever knitted a sock. I couldn't stop knitting because the yarn is absolutely addictive. Very soft and springy and with great stitch definition. The pattern itself is quite easy, with the slip-stitch crossweave showing off the variegation in a lovely way. Here's a closeup of the photo below.
I also finally finished my red socks! I'd been wanting red to wear to work. Last month, I picked up some Louet Gems at the LYS, and while it's a good yarn, I'm not all that fond of it. My main concern was the yardage -- a bit skimpy for a size 11 foot. Because of that, I wanted a toe-up pattern just in case, and I went with another pair of Baudelaires, a favorite pattern of mine. They're so pretty and lacy, and they fit quite well. Here are my feet, and the photos on the pattern page show off the top of the socks.
3. In more bittersweet news, I find myself fading away a little bit from my show. I've been working on a fic, but I can't really get the vibe back or even the urge to rewatch episodes. I'm sure it'll come back soon -- I need to rewatch S4.5, if only to start cleaning out my TiVo -- but this tends to happen to me at the end of a show. No hard feelings, except re: the finale, and I hope I can get the vibe back long enough to finish the fic!
4. My fandom history is that once my connection to a show begins to fade, I almost immediately find another one to throw myself into. My BTVS love began as X-Files was ending; I got really into S1 of Veronica Mars when AtS was over; and BSG came along when I realized I wasn't as interested in VM beyond that first season. I've been in this fandom for four years, and I guess it's time to move on. The trouble is that I don't see anything else interesting to take its place! Nor do I see anything on the horizon. Dollhouse is ... okay, but various factors keep me from wanting to go the fandom route. I never liked T:SCC as much as my friends, and it's almost over. I love FNL to itty bitty pieces but have never quite made the leap into full-fledged fannishness. (No desire to write fic or in-depth meta, despite it totally being the kind of show where I could do that for hours.) And I've never been interested in the SFF genre shows that many other people love. Sigh. I'm a fangirl. I need a show! ;)
5. Since this post is already so long, I'll add a linkspam:
-- Two posts about '90s music loves: PJ Harvey is not actually a crazy wailing banshee and why Morrissey's voice still breaks my heart.
-- Here's one for Dionusia: Odysseus's Twitter feed!
-- Mental Floss has helpful tips on what to do if you meet the Queen and an interesting post on a writer's visit to Vanuatu. And on that note, a great series of articles about Lagos, Nigeria, and a train trip from Vienna to Pyongyang.
-- Boston.com takes a peek inside a Netflix mailing facility.
-- Check out The Smithsonian: By the Numbers.
-- While baking last night, I read Vanity Fair's long article about the Iceland banking crisis.
-- Looking for a summer job? A friend told me that the Census Bureau is hiring. I might actually look into it.
-- Kiosk has some very cool things to buy, including an Obama stamp. Want!
-- And, to end on a silly note: if you're currently shopping for formal wear, why not get the vagina prom dress?