Put the pomegranate seeds out on a rimmed tray, roll the cheese ball gently over them, and try not to sing the Katamari Damacy song. Plot twist: You CAN’T.
Howdy!
Today’s entry is all about what I’ve been cooking lately. If you’ll recall, some friends of mine (who are THE BEST) got me Janice Poon’s Feeding Hannibal book for Christmas. Within its glossy pages are essays on cooking, entertaining guides, food styling anecdotes from the show, and best of all, recipes! There’s also some absolutely stunning photography of the food and settings. Just the thing to get a depressed food nerd through the holidays!
Below the cut* you’ll find pictures of some of the meals I’ve made recently, including recipes from the book and elsewhere. All the meals were made for me, my significant other, and my friends – just so you don’t think I’m making these and then eating them alone. I haven’t managed to ask my friends if I could post images of them for the feature, because ‘Can I take a picture of you for my blog entry on cannibalism’ just sounds wrong no matter how you slice* it.
It’s not just recipes, it’s cooking advice and entertaining too!
For only being in the office four days, this week was starting to feel a hell of a lot longer. Part of it is work stress, part of it was the usual ‘broke before payday’ blues, part of it was problems with my car, and part of it was the existential mind-melt that American political news has become. What is it the kids say about they can’t even? That. That is what I can’t right now.
And with all the peculiar astronomical phenomena last year and this, it’s tempting to ascribe the current social climate to some kind of temporary madness; mostly because temporary things END and we can get back to sweet, sweet sanity. But I digress.
Lately I’ve been cooking up a storm, mostly due to possibly one of the greatest Xmas gifts I’ve ever gotten:
I am very excited to announce that a story of mine was accepted to The Creative Truth, a poetry/flash fiction publication. “A History of My Life in Six Glasses” is now available!
You can download the whole Volume as a PDF for free here, or give them money for the print copy here.
Actually, it’s been available since August and I am just dumb. I submitted the story in July, received my acceptance then, and was told that publication would take place when the volume had enough pieces, so the publisher would let me know. Apparently the email got buried under my Mom’s Facebook Like notifications, because I never realized it was available. Earlier this week I thought ‘Hey, I ought to check on that,’ and was delighted to find I’d been accepted! YAY!
**** In Other News****
The big news is that the Army Corps of Engineers blocked the lease on the Dakota Access Pipeline. Although that’s great news, it’s also only the tip of the shitty iceberg (shitberg? GROSS) as apparently the DAPL intended to keep on drilling. It doesn’t seem that they are, but everyone, including the company, expects them to. Whether they still do seems to be up in the air.
Here’s some good news about the viewing habits of young people: More people in the 16-35 age bracket are watching Planet Earth 2 than any reality television. That is wonderful – I FUCKING LOVE Planet Earth and am super looking forward to season 2. I rewatched the whole series (it’s on Instant Watch!) — even the dreaded Polar Bear episode. You know, the one I swore I’d NEVER WATCH AGAIN. I had to return to the well, and I did. I’m not sorry. Although I did cry again.
[weeping sounds] GODSPEED SWEET DESPERATE BEAR! YOU SLEEP AMONG THE ANGELS NOW!This isn’t a new story, but I thought it was neat: a former CNN sales executive quit her job to help teach Malawi farmers about tech-sharing, so they can share their information with other people in the region.
And just for fun, here is The Rock singing “You’re Welcome,” from Moana.
I still haven’t seen it, but I’m going tonight (FINALLY) because I need a dose of cheerfulness, fun, and chicken wings at my favorite cinema grill.
Saturday night I have a holiday party, and Sunday I’m going to a wedding. So, full weekend ahead!
Have you got any weekend plans? Have you received any good news lately? Share it! I’d love to hear it!
Since the future is looking kind of bleak, I’m resolved to do my best not to be part of the problem.
So although it’s only December, I have decided to make a New Year’s Resolution, and put it into practice now. I barely blogged at all in November; partly it was exhaustion, partly I was busy doing other things*, and partly the existential despair into which I plunged while watching a cabal of goblins gather to undo the Good Work of the past eight years.
My New Year’s resolution is this: I will blog at least once a week, on Fridays. If it isn’t about movies, it will be something interesting. No, I won’t just ramble about how I am doing, but I will review some new book/product/whatever that I am exploring, as I am always checking some new thing out. I will do my best to be entertaining, informative, and fair, and bring a bright spot of interest to your week.
Since the future is looking kind of bleak, I’m resolved to do my best not to be part of the problem. After all, we’re in this together now!
So, stay tuned for tomorrow’s blog entry, which is about my John Clare cosplay/Halloween costume!
And this weekend is Spooky Empire, which was rescheduled due to Hurricane Matthew! I’ll get to meet THEElvira, and be in the same room as the Stranger Things cast! I’ve been looking forward to it most of the summer; originally I was going to wear my costume but since it’s kind of a pain to put on, I think I will skip that and just wear my favorite Hannibal T-shirt.
So keep an eye on your inbox, and have a great day!
*In no particular order, I:
Volunteered on a Saturday to help sew festive holiday pillowcases for the leukemia ward of a children’s hospital
Edited my novel some more
Had Thanksgiving dinner with my sister and her family, including a homemade 12-lb turkey, which I brined and roasted, homemade mashed potatoes, green bean casserole from scratch, and handmade cheese and herb monkey bread
Knitted my Mom some yoga socks, then worried they were too big and started another pair because that’s how I roll
Experimented with new hair care products
Read like 5 books
Donated to the food drive at work
Participated in the work potluck
Purchased, assembled, and painted two wooden picnic tables for my backyard. They are bright purple and I keep forgetting to take a photo
Cook healthy meals at home and go to the gym at least twice a week
Sources have provided me with actual footage from the Trump inauguration ceremony.
We should have made the “orange” connection, if nothing else
Sorry. I shouldn’t have gone for the low-hanging comedy fruit but… sigh.
Ah well. Time to sack up and continue my lifelong project of leaving the world in better shape than I found it in, no matter how much of a shitshow the next four years turns out to be. Volunteering, donating stuff, time, and money, and being productive with personal and creative projects ought to help me forget about the impending apocalypse.
Maybe I’ll cheer myself up by donating blood today. I’m sure when the rioting starts there will be a lot of injuries and hence a call for it.
UPDATE: Here is an inspiring link to an article my friend wrote – in these situations, rather than give up hope, you should feel the opposite. You should feel determined to fix as much broken shit as you can. In those little fixes, big repairs happen.
Just like when I had cancer, it’s time to do research. It’s time to gather information and realize that every situation can be met with the right tools. It’s time, in short, to get organized, plan for what’s next, and lay groundwork for the rebellion.
Who’s with me?
Love,
Acha (just call me Mon Mothma for the next four years)
Read it if you’re feeling shitty. Then, when you’re done feeling shitty bit don’t know what to do with yourself, find something positive to do that will fix something, anything. Fix that broken toilet seat, sew that button back on, wash those dishes! Then, find something else. Keep going! Be useful, to yourself and others! Be the kind of American you think doesn’t exist!
