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shadowkatIt was too cold to walk today. Pretty though.
View outside my front door. I stepped outside in a sweater and sweat leggings, and boots - to take a picture. The after shivering, ran back inside. It was 32 degrees F, felt like 22 F. (I have no idea what that translates as C, possibly 10 degrees?)
Family and politics
I realized in talking to mother - that I've hit a wall or I'm fed up. Sometime around 2020, possibly 2019, I hit the wall in regards to the alt-right conservatives.
Me: The alt-right need to take responsibility for their acts of terrorism. They are supporting terrorists. Suck it up, admit it, and show remorse.
Mother: They will state that Black Lives Matter was violent and -
Me: I don't care. Not the same as all. And I'm sick and tired of this frigging whataboutism and justifications - the lazy-ass conservatives need to suck it up, and admit they are racist bigots.
Poor mother agrees with me. But she has friends who are lazy idiots. Nice to her, but lazy idiots.
Stephen Colbert put it best - when he said that we've been gaslight for so long now, it's hard to trust that things are more normal now. The Bad Guys have been winning for four long years...and they've come very close to destroying our world. Now, we're filled with a sense of hope, relief, and a desire for justice.
I took a break while writing this - to call my niece. We had a lovely conversation - until her Dad interrupted and asked for her help with the dishes. (Ah memories - he used to be called on by mother to do it as a kid, except I got pulled in, mostly.) I told her to go help her Dad. She's been watching Euphoria on HBO, apparently her parents got it via AT&T.
I'm tempted to call Optimum this week and ask them to remove the FoxNews Network, OAN, and Newsmax from my service - and reduce my cable to maybe Basic - except I don't want to lose AMC and BBC, so maybe not. I do want to get rid of FoxNews Channel - I don't watch it, and I do not want my money funding them in any way. I find their existence offensive.
Mother is doing okay. She received the new KN95 and KN94 masks that I sent today (as did I), and has been chatting with her home health care aids - who she got hooked on Bridgerton.
Escapist Entertainment
By the way? We are getting a second season of Bridgerton. AND, Discovery of Witches starts this Sunday on AMC, I know because my DVR picked it up and has it scheduled. I told mother about it.
Watched Legacies tonight - it's back, along with Nancy Drew, both of which were good, but not as good as last year. I told niece they were basically shows with pretty young people chasing monsters and running from ghosts. She said that she liked watching that sort of thing too. (She's been watching Euphoria on HBO.)
Apparently Sabrina was cancelled and the 4th or 5th season is its last. I still need to watch the fourth and fifth seasons of The Expanse, although may wait until the last one films and is released - the sixth, before I do that. I hate cliff-hangers. Also I forget things in between seasons.
Things to watch?
* Regina King's One Night in Miami on Amazon Prime (Mohammed Ali, Sam Cook, Malcolm X, and someone else all meet to discuss civil rights.)
* White Tiger on Netflix - kind of the India take on the Korean film Parasite
* Pieces of a Woman on Netflix - a woman struggling with her miscarrage
* Twix -The Fate - on Netflix - about faeries in a magic school
* Discovery of Witches - on AMC starts this Sunday at 10 pm (S2)
* James Herriot's All Creatures Great & Small on PBS
* WandaVision - Disney +
* Manadlorian S2 - Disney +
And returning shows. I'm waiting for the Witcher. Also the prequel series for Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones. And, The Nevers. (I have a weakness for fantasy and sci-fi.) According to Neil Gaiman they were filming Sandman for Netflix in October.
Reading
I'm now reading the latest installment in Illona Andrews Kate Daniels series - Blood Heir - which focuses on Julie (Kate's adopted daughter), Ascanio, Derrek, Nick, and various other supporting characters. What I loved about the Illona Andrews novels - is the supporting characters were as fun as the lead, and stood out. It's among the few urban fantasy series in which the world building and supporting characters are as interesting as the protagonist and you want more of.)
Also, working my way through Promised Land by Barack Obama - which is a detailed account of his first term in the White House, and really gets across how things work. For example? Today, he was discussing the Greek financial crisis. And how when Greece's economy collapsed, they couldn't just let Greece go under, they had to find a way to save it - or Europe and everyone else would go too. They kind of effect each other. He also talked about how centrist conservative most if not all of the European financial systems and governments were. That Germany was more conservative financially than it appeared, as was France, the UK, and the others - and getting them to help Greece was difficult. It was also difficult getting Greece to accept their conditions and help. He explained that the US, unlike European countries such as Italy, Greece, Germany, and Britain - could more easily borrow against its GNP, due in part to its size and exports, also financial clout. The US, he explained, could go borrow against a huge deficit and still be okay - but Greece, a smaller country with a smaller Gross National Product couldn't.
Then he went into detail about how it was difficult to explain this to the American public. And how not being on top of the narrative, allowed his critics to get ahead of him and control the narrative - which had been a big mistake and cost him in the long run.
I highly recommend this book - it gives a great deal of insight on how things are run in the US and why.
And comic books. I explained my love of them to my niece or tried to. I don't know many who enjoy them. I love them - because they are mainly dialogue with pictures. It's kind of like reading a play - with art. And the ones I've been reading are speculative sci-fi, with a strong social justice thematic. Plus action, and savior complex. I wouldn't call them superhero books - because they aren't.
And...I need to read the latest Dresden book.
Fandom
On Twitter they asked which MCU movies you've re-watched the most?
1. Black Panther
2. Avengers: Infinity War
3. Avengers: Endgame
4. Captain America: Civil War
5. The Avengers
6. Iron Man
I like Robert Downy Jr. If you don't, I get it. I do, I find him amusing and appealing. I will literally watch him read the phone book.
On FB - someone stated they had a crush on Buffy. To which anne1962 stated most everyone did.
Me: I was one of those, less mortals, who had a crush on Spike. Masochistic I know. But there it is.
G: I feel your pain, I had one on Anya - except vengeance demon.
Me: My girl crush? Willow. I was also partial to Illyria.
Buffy grew me, along with her portrayer, it took a while. By about the end of the second season, I loved both. But my crush was on the others.
Cooking
I made another quiche tonight - it's better than last weeks. I think what did the trick was hand whisking, not using the electric hand mixer, also the combo of heavy whipping creme/almond milk and half n half/almond milk. You can't just do it with almond milk or almond milk/half n half. Also I crumbled the bacon - and cooked it longer, chopped up the spinach, and used scallion or green onion. Added a pinch of curry powder, chili pepper, pepper, salt, dill, and garlic power - which worked as well. Not too much cheddar cheese, about a 1/2 cup if that. I put the spinach, bacon, onion in the bottom with the cheese, then pour the egg/milk mixture on top. It's about 4 eggs.
Result? Rose well and came out quite tasty.
While I was baking the quiche, I decided to make a root vegetable soup. It was a cold day - so why not? Also if I made enough - it could serve me for lunch for the next few days.
Recipe? I got a big pot, coated the bottom with extra virgin olive oil, put in garlic/parsley powder, and then added chopped leeks, bulb green onions, and more oil. Cooked these until tender. Added vegetable stock. Then chopped up two turnips and a sweet potato, added them to the pot. Added water. Then seasoning - which was curry powder, chili powder, sea salt, black pepper, dill, garlic and parsley. Cooked over low heat for about twenty minutes. Then cooled a little. Emptied pot into blender. Hit pulse on blender. Blended for two or three minutes. And voila - I had a savory thick root vegetable soup.
The color comes from the sweet potato and curry, also the vegetable stock.
It was better than expected. I wasn't sure it would work with the sweet potato - but that kind of added a sweetness to the savory. It also made enough for mulitple servings.
It was a cold day - so a good day to cook - if the kitchen got too hot, I could open a window. Plus, I find cooking comforting sometimes. I'm not much of a baker - I don't do measurements well, I tend to cook intuitively.
I'm cutting back on sweets. And finding that chocolate isn't doing it for me at the moment - so I might go off it for a bit, see what happens.
Anyhow, leave you with a picture of my view out the front door of apartment complex today - with a moon sitting in the clear blue sky...
View outside my front door. I stepped outside in a sweater and sweat leggings, and boots - to take a picture. The after shivering, ran back inside. It was 32 degrees F, felt like 22 F. (I have no idea what that translates as C, possibly 10 degrees?)
Family and politics
I realized in talking to mother - that I've hit a wall or I'm fed up. Sometime around 2020, possibly 2019, I hit the wall in regards to the alt-right conservatives.
Me: The alt-right need to take responsibility for their acts of terrorism. They are supporting terrorists. Suck it up, admit it, and show remorse.
Mother: They will state that Black Lives Matter was violent and -
Me: I don't care. Not the same as all. And I'm sick and tired of this frigging whataboutism and justifications - the lazy-ass conservatives need to suck it up, and admit they are racist bigots.
Poor mother agrees with me. But she has friends who are lazy idiots. Nice to her, but lazy idiots.
Stephen Colbert put it best - when he said that we've been gaslight for so long now, it's hard to trust that things are more normal now. The Bad Guys have been winning for four long years...and they've come very close to destroying our world. Now, we're filled with a sense of hope, relief, and a desire for justice.
I took a break while writing this - to call my niece. We had a lovely conversation - until her Dad interrupted and asked for her help with the dishes. (Ah memories - he used to be called on by mother to do it as a kid, except I got pulled in, mostly.) I told her to go help her Dad. She's been watching Euphoria on HBO, apparently her parents got it via AT&T.
I'm tempted to call Optimum this week and ask them to remove the FoxNews Network, OAN, and Newsmax from my service - and reduce my cable to maybe Basic - except I don't want to lose AMC and BBC, so maybe not. I do want to get rid of FoxNews Channel - I don't watch it, and I do not want my money funding them in any way. I find their existence offensive.
Mother is doing okay. She received the new KN95 and KN94 masks that I sent today (as did I), and has been chatting with her home health care aids - who she got hooked on Bridgerton.
Escapist Entertainment
By the way? We are getting a second season of Bridgerton. AND, Discovery of Witches starts this Sunday on AMC, I know because my DVR picked it up and has it scheduled. I told mother about it.
Watched Legacies tonight - it's back, along with Nancy Drew, both of which were good, but not as good as last year. I told niece they were basically shows with pretty young people chasing monsters and running from ghosts. She said that she liked watching that sort of thing too. (She's been watching Euphoria on HBO.)
Apparently Sabrina was cancelled and the 4th or 5th season is its last. I still need to watch the fourth and fifth seasons of The Expanse, although may wait until the last one films and is released - the sixth, before I do that. I hate cliff-hangers. Also I forget things in between seasons.
Things to watch?
* Regina King's One Night in Miami on Amazon Prime (Mohammed Ali, Sam Cook, Malcolm X, and someone else all meet to discuss civil rights.)
* White Tiger on Netflix - kind of the India take on the Korean film Parasite
* Pieces of a Woman on Netflix - a woman struggling with her miscarrage
* Twix -The Fate - on Netflix - about faeries in a magic school
* Discovery of Witches - on AMC starts this Sunday at 10 pm (S2)
* James Herriot's All Creatures Great & Small on PBS
* WandaVision - Disney +
* Manadlorian S2 - Disney +
And returning shows. I'm waiting for the Witcher. Also the prequel series for Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones. And, The Nevers. (I have a weakness for fantasy and sci-fi.) According to Neil Gaiman they were filming Sandman for Netflix in October.
Reading
I'm now reading the latest installment in Illona Andrews Kate Daniels series - Blood Heir - which focuses on Julie (Kate's adopted daughter), Ascanio, Derrek, Nick, and various other supporting characters. What I loved about the Illona Andrews novels - is the supporting characters were as fun as the lead, and stood out. It's among the few urban fantasy series in which the world building and supporting characters are as interesting as the protagonist and you want more of.)
Also, working my way through Promised Land by Barack Obama - which is a detailed account of his first term in the White House, and really gets across how things work. For example? Today, he was discussing the Greek financial crisis. And how when Greece's economy collapsed, they couldn't just let Greece go under, they had to find a way to save it - or Europe and everyone else would go too. They kind of effect each other. He also talked about how centrist conservative most if not all of the European financial systems and governments were. That Germany was more conservative financially than it appeared, as was France, the UK, and the others - and getting them to help Greece was difficult. It was also difficult getting Greece to accept their conditions and help. He explained that the US, unlike European countries such as Italy, Greece, Germany, and Britain - could more easily borrow against its GNP, due in part to its size and exports, also financial clout. The US, he explained, could go borrow against a huge deficit and still be okay - but Greece, a smaller country with a smaller Gross National Product couldn't.
Then he went into detail about how it was difficult to explain this to the American public. And how not being on top of the narrative, allowed his critics to get ahead of him and control the narrative - which had been a big mistake and cost him in the long run.
I highly recommend this book - it gives a great deal of insight on how things are run in the US and why.
And comic books. I explained my love of them to my niece or tried to. I don't know many who enjoy them. I love them - because they are mainly dialogue with pictures. It's kind of like reading a play - with art. And the ones I've been reading are speculative sci-fi, with a strong social justice thematic. Plus action, and savior complex. I wouldn't call them superhero books - because they aren't.
And...I need to read the latest Dresden book.
Fandom
On Twitter they asked which MCU movies you've re-watched the most?
1. Black Panther
2. Avengers: Infinity War
3. Avengers: Endgame
4. Captain America: Civil War
5. The Avengers
6. Iron Man
I like Robert Downy Jr. If you don't, I get it. I do, I find him amusing and appealing. I will literally watch him read the phone book.
On FB - someone stated they had a crush on Buffy. To which anne1962 stated most everyone did.
Me: I was one of those, less mortals, who had a crush on Spike. Masochistic I know. But there it is.
G: I feel your pain, I had one on Anya - except vengeance demon.
Me: My girl crush? Willow. I was also partial to Illyria.
Buffy grew me, along with her portrayer, it took a while. By about the end of the second season, I loved both. But my crush was on the others.
Cooking
I made another quiche tonight - it's better than last weeks. I think what did the trick was hand whisking, not using the electric hand mixer, also the combo of heavy whipping creme/almond milk and half n half/almond milk. You can't just do it with almond milk or almond milk/half n half. Also I crumbled the bacon - and cooked it longer, chopped up the spinach, and used scallion or green onion. Added a pinch of curry powder, chili pepper, pepper, salt, dill, and garlic power - which worked as well. Not too much cheddar cheese, about a 1/2 cup if that. I put the spinach, bacon, onion in the bottom with the cheese, then pour the egg/milk mixture on top. It's about 4 eggs.
Result? Rose well and came out quite tasty.
While I was baking the quiche, I decided to make a root vegetable soup. It was a cold day - so why not? Also if I made enough - it could serve me for lunch for the next few days.
Recipe? I got a big pot, coated the bottom with extra virgin olive oil, put in garlic/parsley powder, and then added chopped leeks, bulb green onions, and more oil. Cooked these until tender. Added vegetable stock. Then chopped up two turnips and a sweet potato, added them to the pot. Added water. Then seasoning - which was curry powder, chili powder, sea salt, black pepper, dill, garlic and parsley. Cooked over low heat for about twenty minutes. Then cooled a little. Emptied pot into blender. Hit pulse on blender. Blended for two or three minutes. And voila - I had a savory thick root vegetable soup.
The color comes from the sweet potato and curry, also the vegetable stock.
It was better than expected. I wasn't sure it would work with the sweet potato - but that kind of added a sweetness to the savory. It also made enough for mulitple servings.
It was a cold day - so a good day to cook - if the kitchen got too hot, I could open a window. Plus, I find cooking comforting sometimes. I'm not much of a baker - I don't do measurements well, I tend to cook intuitively.
I'm cutting back on sweets. And finding that chocolate isn't doing it for me at the moment - so I might go off it for a bit, see what happens.
Anyhow, leave you with a picture of my view out the front door of apartment complex today - with a moon sitting in the clear blue sky...
no subject
Date: 2021-01-24 06:21 am (UTC)Have you ever tried to create one yourself? Either just for your own entertainment, or even possibly with thoughts of getting it published? You certainly have a high understanding of the medium, along with the necessary artistic skills.
Buffy
Date: 2021-01-24 06:59 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-01-24 02:09 pm (UTC)My father is reading Obama's book right now, too. I'd usually wait until I can borrow his copy - but who knows when that will be. I might have to get my own - LOL.
That quiche looks yummy and that soup sounds good. I love cooking days, they make me feel so productive and bonus is I can feed myself for several days later. :D
Re: Buffy
Date: 2021-01-24 03:48 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-01-24 03:51 pm (UTC)I've been listening to the audio version of Obama's book - which I highly recommend, because Obama is reading it, and you get how he'd emphasize things. I did, however, get a free version on audio with a credit. Otherwise they are expensive. I've been getting them with credits or discounted.
no subject
Date: 2021-01-24 03:56 pm (UTC)It didn't work.
Re: Buffy
Date: 2021-01-24 05:10 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-01-24 05:14 pm (UTC)I'd forgotten we have coming, really hoping they do a good job of that one.
Also great that you're having success in experimenting with your savory cooking, in trying to cut down emphasis on sweets. The quiche sure sounds good and is getting better.
A qualitative advantage the US has over Greece is it can borrow in its own currency, it has its own central bank to print money or whatever as necessary. I've gotten to like Varoufakis.
no subject
Date: 2021-01-24 06:13 pm (UTC)*and only when I do loops in my condo community, I don't use my earbuds when walking 'the streets' so to speak.
FYI - Your soup inspired me. I have one I made up simmering on the stove as we speak!
no subject
Date: 2021-01-24 06:58 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-01-24 09:24 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-01-24 09:30 pm (UTC)Yes, thank you! That's a far better way of putting it. I couldn't remember the correct wording. He said we could borrow in our own currency and many other countries couldn't, and we had a central bank (we can thank Alexander Hamilton for that one).
I've still not figured out a way to make quiche without the milk and cheese component, which causes digestive issues at times. But I'm kind of getting there - in reducing the amount and the richness. (Yeah, I'm trying to cut the sugar out as much as possible, and changing my tastes. I'm halfway there since I don't tend to add sugar to anything unless absolutely necessary - like maple syrup on pancakes. Or a gluten-free cookie recipe. I mean it is in sweets - so there's that.)
I'd forgotten about Sandman as well.
Re: Buffy
Date: 2021-01-24 09:32 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-01-25 03:21 am (UTC)I don't think I could listen to it while commuting - I take trains and the subway.
Oh good! Hope your soup is tasty. It's fun to make them up.
no subject
Date: 2021-01-25 06:29 pm (UTC)I used it for a cooking post Dal-inspired soup
no subject
Date: 2021-01-26 02:46 am (UTC)Mine tasted even better the second and third days as well. I didn't make enough to freeze, not that I have room in the freezer - very small freezer. Did make enough for about three-four days, though.
Had soup and salad, with shrimp on it for tonight's meal.