purlewe: (Default)
Like Post post, something other than my reading (which is going great this year. I think I am at 72  books?) But I need to post post but I also need to go to bed bc I am driving to work tomorrow. Going 2xs a month? is amazing. 

OK soon. I promise myself soon. 

Books read

Nov. 21st, 2023 09:45 am
purlewe: (Books)
A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske. Gay Fantasy Romance. Alternate Victorian-ish London, Robin Blyth takes a job and finds out that he has been put in charge of informing the PM about the magical goings on in England. He meets Edwin Courcey, his counterpart on the magical side of things. Unfortunately the reason the post had been vacant for Robin is that his predecessor has gone missing. On his first day of the job he is magically cursed. Edwin decides to help him by taking him to his family's estate and their library. Somewhere in all those books there must be a way to remove the curse. Even tho this is alternative England, being gay is still illegal. (Oscar Wilde's trial is referenced as "just a few years before") Both men fall in love. Definitely steamy romance bits. The next book will be steamy Sapphic romance.

A Restless Truth by Freya Marske. Gay Fantasy Romance. Maud goes to America to bring home magician to England. Unfortunately the woman is killed before they even set sail. Trapped on a ship with the killer she decides to find the killer before the reach home. She enlists the help of Violet and others. And along the way discovers that she has feelings for Violet. FUN! looking forward to the next one.

The Galaxy, and the Ground Within by Becky Chambers. Sci Fi. 3 different ships land on Gora to wait their turn for their wormhole timeslot. Gora is a nothing planet, but it happens to be at the intersection of lots of wormhole space hops. And the people who live there spend their time catering to the needs of the different people who space hop. The Five-Hop One Stop is run by a woman and her son who try to cater to everyone's needs. On this day there is a space accident above them and the 3 different people are trapped on Gora until it can be cleared. It goes along well, until it doesn't. And they have to make a decision to help each other. All of Becky Chambers books are about good and hope and caring for each other. I am sad to have finished all 6 of her books in like 3 months.

An Impartial Witness by Charles Todd. (Bess Crawford #2) Historical Fiction, Mystery. Set during the first war Bess Crawford is a nurse. She happens to see a woman giving a tearful goodbye at the train station to a soldier. But she knows that face. It is the wife of the soldier she just brought back to the convalescent home. Bess goes back to the front. And a newspaper several weeks old shows the woman's face, saying she had been murdered and if anyone can come forward about information Scotland Yard would appreciate it. I like Charles Todd books, and I really like the Bess Crawford series. Looking forward to the next one.

Stats: 57 books
W: 35 M: 21 NB: 1 AOC: 14 +1(illustrator) LGBT: 19 Library books: 51
purlewe: (Books)
Anne of West Philly by Ivy Noelle Weir, Illustrated by Myisha Haynes. Graphic Novel, YA, retelling of Anne of Green Gables. I grabbed this bc I live in Philly and I am interested in the retelling of Anne of Green Gables. Set in current day it changes the story to fit contemporary situations. I enjoyed it! It kept the Anne energy she has as well as kept some of the big feelings she feels and displays (and gets herself into some similar scrapes). Did it bother me that there was a Robotics club that helped get a scholarship instead? nope. The story kept the feeling enough that I enjoyed it. As well as the illustrations being really nicely done.

Taste by Stanley Tucci. Memoir, food writing. This book is his memoir about growing up in upstate NY, and how food was the passion other than acting in his life. Really interesting with some recipes thrown in. He discusses places he has eaten, core memories of foods his family has made, and stories about his family. He edited this book during the beginning of the pandemic, so he included a chapter about how his family ate during lockdown. It discusses his cancer (salivary gland cancer) and how he seriously thought he might never be able to enjoy food again towards the end. Glad I read this. Good book that made me hungry!

A Million Quiet Revolutions by Robin Gow. Poetry, LGBTQIA, YA, fiction, history. This is a story written in verse. I will admit I am not really good at poetry. So this took me a couple attempts to get into it. Fictional story about 2 trans boys who discover that there were likely trans men like them during the Revolutionary War. Not long after they both come out to each other, Aaron moves away. Their story is told thru verse/texts/photo messages (described) etc. It is like a lovely snapshot of 2 teenagers dealing with the everyday as well as trying to understand their love for each other. Oliver has a supportive family, Aaron doesn't and is the one who moves away and has more upheaval in his life. It is sweet and enjoyable.

Our Friend Hedgehog: The Story of Us by Lauren Castillo. Children's book, illustrated. A sweet children's book about finding friends. There is a big storm and Mutt is blown away. Hedgehog has a big cry but then decides they can't let their friend down, they have to go find them. Hedgehog makes new friends along the way who help find Mutt. It has been compared to Winnie the Pooh, and I can see why. Sweet book and a good gift for one of my niblings.

Stats: 4 books
W: 2 M: 2 NB: -  AOC: 2 +1(illustrator) LGBT: 1 Library books: 1
purlewe: (Books)
The Frangipani Tree Mystery by Ovidia Yu - set in Singapore in the 1930s. Singapore is a British outpost, and a murder happens at the Governor's house. Su Lin is an educated girl who is trying to avoid marriage arrangements by her family. She appeals to her headmistress at the school who wants to place her as a housekeeper with the local inspector. Instead she goes with him to the scene of the crime and ends up taking the place of the nanny who has died. It has all that British snobbishness, but is told from the perspective of Su Lin (and some occasional viewpoints of Inspector LeFroy.) I really enjoyed this one. I am finding I enjoy Yu's writing and really look forward to her other books. 

Cook Korean! by Robin Ha This is a very good cookbook. Every recipe is illustrated and is 2 pages long. So within the 180 page book there are over 60 recipes. She has some pages explaining details of ingredients as well as some discussions of why a type of food is popular. This was lovely (altho dense) to read. Her illustrations are clear and interesting. I enjoyed this and it inspired me to cook some squash this weekend to put onto noodles. She has a blog I should bookmark called Banchan in 2 Pages. https://banchancomic.tumblr.com/

Stats: 45 books
W: 25 M: 18 NB: 2 AOC: 20 LGBT: 11
Library: 35

books read

Dec. 28th, 2022 12:10 pm
purlewe: (Books)
Again with the not having really written any reviews. But here are some books I read so far this month.

Just Like Home by Sarah Gailey - Horror. It has multiple layers to the horror and when she got to like the third layer I was pretty much freaked out. I think this book is well written. I love their writing but I think that I might have to peak at their next one to see if it is too much for me. 

The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse by Charles Mackesy - sweet. with drawings. Inspiring. Made me want to buy it for every friend I know. Sue and I decided we need to read this once a year like on a birthday or something to remind us we are loved.

The Winter Garden Mystery by Carola Dunn
Death at Wentwater Court Carola Dunn 
-both of these books were audio. British time period cozies set after WWI. a little formulaic but then they are the first 2 novels of a very long series. 

A Bear Called Paddington by Michael Bond - had never read this adn wanted somethign sweet after the Horror book above. listened to the audio which had Stephen Fry read it. I enjoyed this. Poor paddington, always some sort of ridiculous adventure he never plans.

Last Emperox by John Scalzi -SciFi. End of a trilogy. An allegory about climate change. I always enjoy Scalzi's sense of humor and his writing. Space Opera. really glad I read this, but I am always glad I read Scalzi. 

Stats: 43 books
W: 23 M: 18 NB: 2 AOC: 18 LGBT: 11
purlewe: (Default)
Another dinner idea. I was going to make risotto with butternut squash, but Sue bought 2 bunches of gus-gus and so we did this instead.

https://www.onceuponachef.com/recipes/spring-risotto-with-asparagus-peas.html

The only thing different I did was about 10 minutes before it was finished I added lemon zest and a squeeze of lemon juice to brighten it up. I think I will do that with risottos from now on. It really made it so much nicer.

Sue was thrilled. She loves peas in things. I was thrilled bc I made a HUGE batch of chicken stock from the freezer. 

I really need to make myself some hainese chicken rice.
 
purlewe: (Default)
I am going to repost things from other journals I read.
They say it far more eloquantly than me.

[livejournal.com profile] kathrynt startles me with a fact you should know.
One of the reasons -- one of the BIGGEST reasons -- why Haiti is so poor is that their wealth was stolen for them for 120 years. After the successful slave rebellion, France, Britain, and the United States slammed Haiti with a crippling trade embargo, plus the threat of an actual war, unless they repaid the French the worth of every slave "lost" to them in the rebellion. That's right; the Haitians bought their freedom with , and then were forced to buy it again with gold. The cost was 150 million francs, which is the rough equivalent of 21.7 billion dollars in 2010. The amount was later reduced to 90 million francs, but it took the Haitians until 1947 to pay off the debt, despite exporting every penny they made. The loss of 120 years of revenue, plus the continued crippling interest and brutal terms of the various international loans they've taken out to stay alive, are what keeps Haiti so poor. And while the IMF has offered Haiti an additional $100 million in loans in the aftermath of this devastating earthquake, it comes with those same conditions, which include the requirement to RAISE the price on utilities like electricity and prohibit a lot of infrastructure development.

And [livejournal.com profile] kellidunham writes this. I agree with her entirely.

What they apparently teach about covering Haiti in journalism school.
1. Don't bother to learn the name of the neighborhood you're reporting from. The generic term "Port au Prince slum" will work fine, even though "slum" has no precise meaning or purpose beyond othering the area.
2. Feel free to proclaim a specific area "devastated" by the earthquake without ever looking at any "before" pictures to see if that's actually true, otherwise folks might be reminded that we've been ignoring how bad things are in Haiti for a while now.
3. Always make sure to describe expressions of sorrow in their most extreme physical manifestations so as to continue with the othering mentioning in #1.
4. Photographers, always show white people calm and black people not calm.
5. The more the subject in a photograph is suffering, the closer the shot should be. If you encounter a person who is very close to and is actually screaming in pain, the camera lens should actually touch their face.
5. Describe all people who eat food procured in ways other than taking what is handed to them by white people as "looters." These same people should be described as "traveling the Port au Prince slums in lawless gangs" even if they are just a family out searching for drinking water.
purlewe: (Default)
More than two million AIDS related deaths reported globally in 2008 - two million children under the age of 15 now live with HIV

http://www.worldaidscampaign.org/

http://www.worldaidsday.org/

Started on 1st December 1988, World AIDS Day is about raising money, increasing awareness, fighting prejudice and improving education. The World AIDS Day theme for 2009 is 'Universal Access and Human Rights'. World AIDS Day is important in reminding people that HIV has not gone away, and that there are many things still to be done.

According to UNAIDS estimates, there are now 33.4 million people living with HIV, including 2.1 million children. During 2008 some 2.7 million people became newly infected with the virus and an estimated 2 million people died from AIDS.1 Around half of all people who become infected with HIV do so before they are 25 and are killed by AIDS before they are 35.2

The vast majority of people with HIV and AIDS live in lower- and middle-income countries. But HIV today is a threat to men, women and children on all continents around the world.

Take Action
There are many ways you can take action in response to HIV/AIDS:

-get tested for HIV
-practice safer methods to prevent HIV
-decide not to engage in high risk behaviors
-talk about HIV prevention with family, friends, and colleagues
-provide support to people living with HIV/AIDS
-get involved with or host an event for World AIDS Day in your community

2009's focus is about respect:protect universal access and human rights.

Please do something today. Even if it is reposting this or wearing a ribbon. People are still getting HIV. People with HIV and AIDS are being denied basic rights.

I will admit that at my church this is something we do as a community often. I would say a large portion of my church members are living with HIV and so community outreach is a big deal. Tonite we are going as a group to Broad Street Ministry to give dinner to the homeless for World AIDS day. Every Xmas we go to Calcutta house (an AIDS community for the homeless) and give them an Xmas party as well as raising funds for them to stay open. All of our 4 pot lucks include a bus for Calcutta house members to come and share a meal with us. Plus other things we do year round. Do something extra today.
purlewe: (cooking)
But would anyone have a fermentation bucket I could borrow for about a month?

specifically: One 5-gallon food-grade plastic bucket with spigot, lid and airlock?

I am wanting to try to make hard cider for Halloween... and I would be pleased to share my hard cider with someone like the person who let's me share their fermentation bucket!
purlewe: (bike)
Mostly for Portia, Stacey and Steven... but if you love cycling/dogs/the Tour of MO than please read.

This past July, federal authorities broke up the largest dog-fighting ring in U.S. history. It ensnared people operating in five states, including Missouri, where the Humane Society of Missouri took in over 400 dogs rescued from the ring. But with so many dogs coming into their care at once, the MHS sent out a plea for donations. ..This is where you come in! 100% of the Tour of Missouri print sales and raffle "e-tickets" will go to the Missouri Animal Cruelty fund. These contributions are greatly needed for the care and rehab of hundreds of mistreated animals.

So MODogs is holding a raffle during the Tour of MO. With prizes being things from famous racers Like Levi Leipheimer and Floyd Landis. Tickets are 5$ each and are sold until the end of the tour (which is tomorrow? sunday??) It took me awhile to figure out how to buy a ticket. In the lower right hand corner there is an "add to cart" feature.


I figure this is my way to give money directly to a group saving dogs AND also a way to thumb my nose at Vick again. Plus hello! I want to win a jersey!
purlewe: (Default)
A spoof of the NOM ad, but hysterical.. esp for Takei.

purlewe: (Default)
home. sick. still miserable. I don't feel horrible.. just sick and miserable.

soup. yes. oj. yes. advil cold and sinus. yes.
purlewe: (Default)
Sigh. "you don't need a lot of dar to spot the gay" made this whole article for me.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2009/03/12/DDTA16CKB1.DTL
purlewe: (Default)
http://bit.ly/cRtDk

I know you want them. hat tip to Coffeemamma

gorey

Jan. 27th, 2009 11:48 am
purlewe: (Default)
OK this is just for my own memory.. but someone on the west coast had a Gashlycrumb Tinies party and the costumes were AWESOME!! I do love me some E. Gorey.

http://www.flickr.com/groups/984137@N20/pool/
purlewe: (cooking)
OK I used the basic recipe from Bon Appetit here: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Texas-Beef-Brisket-Chili-350108

First I will warn you. This recipe filled my ENTIRE crock pot that Sharon & John got us for the wedding. This pot is HUGE and so if you need to cook the meat and then remove some to put the butternut squash in at the end don't feel bad. I removed about 6 cups of meat, drained about 8 oz of fat off the top, put the butternut squash in, and then covered it with as much meat as would fit in the pot. I think this made sure the squash was covered enough by juices to cook them thoroughly without worrying about them sitting on top and drying out. I cannot imagine a pot big enough to cook this in that fits in your oven. I don't recommend halfing the recipe tho. I don't think it would taste right. Maybe take 2 pots at once to make it?

But since I changed it some (not alot) I will post my version. I added raisins and beans to the chili.. plus I didn't use ancho chiles. I wanted to use black beans but I grabbed the wrong can and used an organic kidney bean that was so dark it fooled me into thinking I opened the black beans. I didn't want to waste them so I put them in the pot. Next time I will use black beans, altho these were a tasty substitute.

Last notes: Making the chiles and blending them made me think this was going to be VERY spicy. My nose hairs burned for 2 hrs after making the paste. It cooked down without any real super spiceyness, so if you like it to be spicier I would a) add another batch of the paste when you add the squash at the end or b) let it sit overnite. I wondered if it would have been more spicy the next day.

Brisket and Butternut Squash Chili
6 large dried new mexico chiles (bought at the spice corner in S. Philly)
1/2 cup raisins
6 ounces bacon, sliced
4 cups onions, chopped
1 5-pound beef brisket, cut into 2 1/2- to 3-inch cubes (Espositos was the place I got mine.)
Coarse kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper
9 large garlic cloves, peeled
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
1 teaspoon dried mexican oregano
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
1 10-ounce can of Ro*tel (diced tomatoes with green chiles)
1 12-ounce bottle Mexican beer (I used Sol)
1 4-ounce can diced roasted green chiles
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro stems
1 10-ounce can of kidney beans (altho black beans are also a good choice)
2 cups 1-inch chunks seeded peeled butternut squash (from 1 1/2-pound squash)

Seed and stem the dried chiles. Place chiles and raisins in large bowl. Pour enough boiling water over to cover. Soak until chiles soften, at least 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Sauté bacon in heavy large oven-proof pot over medium-high heat until beginning to brown. Add onions. Reduce heat to medium; cover and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle beef all over with coarse salt and pepper. Add to pot; stir to coat, turn heat to medium low.

Drain chiles and raisins, reserving soaking liquid. Place chiles and raisins in a cuisinart. Add 1 cup soaking liquid, garlic, chili powder, cumin seeds, oregano, coriander, and 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt; blend to puree, adding more soaking liquid by 1/4 cupfuls if very thick. Pour puree over brisket in pot. Add tomatoes with juices, beer, green chiles, and cilantro stems. Stir to coat evenly.

Cover and place in oven. Cook 2 hours. Uncover, add beans and stir. Cook until beef is almost tender, about 1 hour. Drain as much fat off the top of the chili as you can (I used a turkey baster which worked wonders), remove about half the meat to another bowl, add squash to pot, cover with as much of the meat you can fit into the pot. Roast uncovered until beef and squash are tender, adding more soaking liquid if needed to keep meat covered, about 45 minutes longer. Season chili to taste with salt and pepper. Tilt pot and spoon off any fat from surface of sauce. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 days ahead. Cool 1 hour. Chill uncovered until cold, then cover and keep chilled.
purlewe: (Default)
Funny this came out while we were leaving. But there is a little video about the cats with this article and I saw most of those kitties while I was there.

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/destinations/2009-01-01-hemingway-key-west-cats_N.htm?csp=usat.me
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