Saturday organizes and snoozes for the most part

[shadowkat]

Didn't sleep well last night - every time I go to bed past 11 pm, I don't sleep well. It's odd. Also, my body wants to get up at 6AM. Regardless of the time I go to bed. I think it's because I get up at 6 AM every morning and my body is used to it? Lately it's been waking up half an hour before then, and I force it to go back to sleep.

I attempted to get back into Outlander, S2, Episode 1 - and was, alas, reminded of why I stopped reading the books. I was more invested in Clair's life with her husband and when he was going through in late 1940s, then I was invested in what was happening in 18th Century Scotland. I felt empathy for Clair's 1940s husband, who was a professor, and sterile and whose beloved wife disappeared for two years without a trace. Then pops up again, disoriented, and obsessed with the Battle of Culloden, and flinches at his touch because he unfortunately looks like his sadistic ancestor who made her life a living hell in the 1800s. I felt sorry for him. I didn't much like her. Which meant - the narrative wasn't working for me. Time Travel novels rarely do. In this one? The writers are using it as a gimmick or device - but clearly don't understand the science behind it. It bugs me. Probably won't bug anyone else. And seriously doubt anyone else cares about Frank Randall. But it was why I gave up on the books.

Back to watching Murderbot (I actually prefer sci-fi to historical drama or hyper-realism). I may try Sinners - next, it's on Max. Finished Murderbot - which I keep wanting to call the Murderbot Diaries. I liked the books better - I don't remember them well enough to know how closely this followed them? Also, I'm not sure I read all of them. It was okay? I like Mensha, Gurathin, and Murderbot, everyone else was kind of annoying? It was heavy on absurdist humor, which was dependent on stupid human behavior, although the Murderbot's snarky sense of humor made up for it. I wonder if it will be renewed? It can legitimately be one season.

Also accomplished today - putting together my drug carousels for the top of my dresser - which worked a lot better than expected. Now instead of being cluttered with pill bottles and medications, the dresser is clean and neat, with all the pills neatly arranged on two clear plastic and somewhat attractive carousels. I also put together a tea and spice shelf for my kitchen, which had decluttered it in an amazing fashion. See picture below the cut:




I'd take a photo of the other - but some things must stay private. At any rate, bit by bit, I am winning my battle against clutter.

Questions/Memage:

1. What is the flavor that makes you think of summer? Or favorite summer foods?

Ice cream. The Mister Softee Ice Cream Truck - which tends to be mostly on the East Coast - with its musical jingle that I can hear from about five miles away. Every summer it would roll along our street in West Chester, Pennsylvania, and we'd line up to get treats. My favorite was the Good Humor Strawberry Shortcake Bar (which I can't eat now - and probably shouldn't have then). My actual favorite ice cream flavor is Peppermint, specifically the home-made peppermint stick ice cream from Zarda Dairy that I used to get as kid on my bike in the summers. A friend and I would ride our bikes to Zarda in the suburbs of Kansas City, and pick up ice cream cones. I'd always get peppermint stick.

Other things that make me think of summer are home made vanilla ice cream - mother used to make it every summer, sometimes she'd experiment and make peach ice cream. Strawberry Rubarb Pie. Blueberry Pie. Peach Pie.
BBQ chicken and ribs. Kansas City was the home of barbecue and we had it a lot in the back yard or at restaurants. NYC can do many things but alas, not BBQ.

Fruit? Peaches and nectarines, watermelon (although was never much of a fan of melons, any variety), blackberries, raspberries and strawberries. We used to pick wild blackberries and raspberries in the bushes across the street from us in Pennsylvania. We'd pick enough to have blackberry pie, and raspberries with ice cream or in muffins or pancakes. We also would to farms to pick up fresh blueberries or pick strawberries. Peaches were also popular, and Mother made peach ice cream and peach pie. Peaches and ice cream. Sometimes they'd be cooked with dishes. And for the most part they were succulent, having been bought from fresh markets.

July Question a Day Memage:

9. Have you ever been on a journey and been held up for a long time? What happened and how late were you at your destination?

Yes, multiple times. Once it was cancelled entirely. Plane travel is alas like that. I went to France by myself at the age of 16 to stay with a French family, on the way home, there was fog in Orly airport, and our plane had mechanical difficulties. We were stuck in the airport for 12 hours. We were all between the ages of 15-17, and basically hung out in the airport, eating and drinking and chatting until the plane was ready to go. We'd taken a night train from Bretagne to Orly airport and had been up all night, our flight was scheduled at around 7 am, it didn't take off until 6pm or thereabouts. Then we had an hour layover in Newfoundland, because of a broken door that needed to be fixed. At least I think it was a door. We all partook of duty free - I get gifts in Newfoundland. We landed in JFK and had to spend the night in a nearby hotel - I think a Marriott, can't remember - since everyone missed their connecting flights. So we got roommates. And slept in the hotel. I'd also conked out on the plane on the way to Newfoundland. The next morning we caught the newly scheduled connecting flights - and I ended up flying from JFK to Detroit, and then finally Kansas City. That was by far the worst. Outside of having flights cancelled, which happened a few times. I hate plane travel.

10. Do you enjoy salad? What would be in a typical salad that you would serve/eat?

Yes. Power greens (pea shoots, spinach, argula and shard), green onion, cucumber, a protein (either nuts, feta cheese, seeds or chicken strips), radish, with lemon and/or apple cider vinegar and olive oil.

11. Have you ever used an old-fashioned typewriter? Can you touch type (type without looking at the keys?)

Yes. I learned how to type on one. Then graduated to electric, then to the computer. Yes, I can touch type without looking at keys, I'm doing it now. Not very fast though. I don't do anything that requires hand/eye coordination quickly. Maybe 20 minutes an hour? I'm not a fast typist. It used to matter - it no longer does - because now, we have computers.

12. Do you like sushi?

Quite a bit. My father first introduced it to me. He loved trying new foods, and had discovered sushi at work. I get it all the time. Perfect summer meal.

13. Have you ever tried Tai Chi?

Yes, I was actually taking classes from folks my junior year in college. We'd do it in the mornings in front of our residence. My boyfriend, me, another guy we were living with, and his girlfriend - who was teaching us.

I didn't love it. Hand eye coordination is not my thing. Anything that is coordinated movement or choreographed movement is kind of difficult for me. I confuse right from left, back from forward. My mind is kind of like a mirror? It flips everything and I have to flip it back again?

Occasionally I try a video and am reminded why I don't like Tai Chi, I get confused. It works better if I'm not watching someone else, or listening to them (although that's better than watching). If I do the movements from memory - it's easier somehow.

Comments

[cactuswatcher]

Summer flavors? Vanilla ice cream and black raspberries. We had many kinds of fruit in the yard and in the woods including wild blackberries. But black raspberries were my favorite. The raspberries had spread to the edge of the woods from the garden by the time I sold the place, and deer would come into the yard to eat them. There were plenty for them and me. I remember my dog following along as I was picking and sticking his nose through the thorns and eating a few. I know he didn't bother them when I wasn't around. I guess he thought if I'd brave the thorns he could too!

[shadowkat]

The dog picking and eating the raspberries with you is a fun story. That made me smile, thank you.

I have had black raspberries - from the farmer's market, and I think we picked those as well. My brother has them in his huge vegetable garden. I make a trip to the farmers market to pick up berries - but they've been sparse on them of late.

[kazzy_cee]

Muscle memory can be so much easier - I do find it hard watching a Tai Chi video if they haven't made it a 'mirror' image of what they are doing. My mind can't flip it around. I quite like it if they show a view from the back of the person. That makes more sense to me.

[shadowkat]

Yes, same - it works better from the back. I get confused with the mirror image.

[mefisto]

I assume your problem with Outlander involves the sexual assaults/rapes. In my view, S2 is not all that great and you can just skip to Ep 8 without missing much. If you want to watch more but avoid the stuff you don't like, skip Ep 4 and Ep 7. Season 3 is safe and better than S2 anyway. S4 is ok except for Ep 8. Season 5 is safe except for Ep 12.

[shadowkat]

Okay, thanks. I might do that. Skip to Ep 4 and Skip 7, Watch S3, Skip Ep 8 of S4, and in S5 Skip Ep 12.

Although, I'm beginning to think it may be more complicated than that? I thought it was just the rape trope, but no, I think it's partly Clair? (Probably doesn't help that I really despise the name "Clair" and much prefer "Clara" for personal reasons.) I didn't like Clair in the book, and I don't like her in the series, although the actress does make her a bit more likable - the actress is excellent. I discussed it with my mother - and it's just a particular female character trope that annoys both of us. My mother disliked the first Outlander novel because she really disliked Clair. And I'm having the same issues. There's something about the character that makes me want to smack her? I can't figure it out.

Also Time Travel gimmick is a problem for me? But, I may try again. There's aspects of it that I do like and I'm admittedly curious about the later seasons, where we get to the other characters.

[mefisto]

I can't help it if you don't like Claire, but you should be ok on the rest with the schedule I gave you. Good luck. :)

[shadowkat]

Well, I've gone back to it. It's possible she'll grow on me. I like the actress and that's half the battle. Episode 1 wasn't bad - once I got past the beginning. And episode 2 is actually pretty good.

[mefisto]

I think the show does a number of things well, including showing the aftermath of sexual assault/rape. So at least there's that. And I think S2 may alleviate some of your time travel concerns (which I share).

[shadowkat]

Ron Moore does like that trope. He did it in BSG and DS9 as well. That and torture.
He's a good writer/show-runner, but that trope seems to be in all of his works.

[ann1962]

5-12 is one of my fav episodes in the series, as horrible as it is. How they portrayed her disassociation was brilliant.

[shadowkat]

Oh I agree on that. The actress is actually brilliant. I just don't like Clair - and I had forgotten that until I watched the episode. I remember picking up the second book and skimming through it in the book store along with the third, and realizing, okay, I have issues with Clair - this is going to be a major problem. And I feel sorry for Frank Randall (her husband in the 1940s who got left behind...which is another big problem).

I might be able to get past that in the series. What I was mostly interested in the books was Clair's nursing background and medical background and use of it in both the 1940s/50s and 1700s. I wasn't as invested in the romance - which is another problem - they are historical romances.

[ETA: Oops, I thought you were talking about Episode 2 S2, not Ep. 12 S5, I got confused.]

But I do like Jaime. I mean honestly what's not to like? And again the actress who plays Clair is excellent, she makes the character more likable.

[mefisto]

I agree with this. I guess sk can decide what to do when she gets there.

[svgurl]

The framed photo (painting?) in your picture is pretty! And ooh, I forgot about the strawberry shortcake bars. Those were so good. :D

[shadowkat]

Thank you! I painted it - and it turned out better than expected. I painted it, took a picture of it, enlarged it, and had it printed and framed and sent to me by Canvas Prints.