sundries

[rm]

Thanks to Patty, yes, I have seen SinFest over the last several days.

http://www.sinfest.net/archive_page.php?comicID=3210
http://www.sinfest.net/archive_page.php?comicID=3211

It's really the braces that kill me.

Meanwhile, Top 100 Hot Butches.

We're having a Pepper Frenzy. There are currently 4 peppers on one plant (soon to be as many as nine -- one bud broke off); and buds on the other two plants.

- The Czech bush tomato plant finally has two tiny tomatoes growing.

- Green zebras continue to grow.

- Flowers on other tomato plants, unsure if there are tomatos yet.

- Have noticed some small insects that seem to be breeding on some of the tomato plants -- little white things that then turn into little green things. Is this symbiosis or do I need to intervene? And if so, how? My instinct is to clean the leaves with rubbing alcohol, but I don't imagine that's good for the plants. Help!

- The basil is managing well and we've been eating a lot of it.

- The rosemary and lavender have both taken various hits from birds trying to take them for nest materials, but overall are doing well.

Still reading The Angel's Cut. More when I am done -- it's nice to be reading again. Wish I knew a little bit less about the period of this book, not that the author gets is wrong at all, but I'm doo aware of the non-fictional versions of some of her characters. Also, am now noticing some of the themes she insists on visiting over and over again, and I feel.... disturbed. But again, more later!

Oh yay, new Torchwood tie-in novels are in the mail to me!

We just bought ALL THE TICKETS EVER to the BAM Next Wave festival as well as to Street Car (Cate! Sydney people! yay!)

I can't wait for July. This month is Kicking My Ass.

When I've time, lots on Iran, journalism, Neda, etc. It may not be until July.

Need to go look over a pegging fic for someone.

Woah. Audition excitement. Neat.

Am caught up on True Blood.

Lovely. Crazy Fred Phelps & Co. are now targeting Jews.

Am totally wondering what America will think of the pretty awful Merlin. It's diverting enough, but I don't resonate with any of the characters, find the show utterly devoid of emotional logic and just keep watching for the "what the fuck?" factor. I get being amused by it, as I am and Patty and I have been watching it and are entertained, but I don't get the degree to which people are into it. Gay subtext does not automatically make a show worthy of our attention, fandom.

Oh my glamorous life!

Comments

[nex0s.livejournal.com]

Your white > green bugs are aphids. You can wash the egg sacs off with a little soapy water. I don't know what alchohol will do to your plants, but I do know that if you can get one or two cigarettes and put it in 2 cups of water overnight, you can spray the fuckers and kill 'em. But SPRAY the nicotine water on the leaves. DO NOT POUR THE WATER ON THE PLANT. It will kill it. I had a house sitter do that once. I still have no idea why she unscrewed the spray top and poured the nicotine water on to my plants when I left it in a spray bottle with instructions to SPRAY the plants. *sigh*

I think you might be able to do a soap spray too for the aphids. They are soft bodied. Google is your friend and mine....

*scampers off*

*returns and edits*

Soap spray (http://www.getridofthings.com/get-rid-of-aphids.htm) with helpful images of insects.

Tomato leaf spray (http://www.casasugar.com/1550899). I'll note that tomatoes and tobacco are in the same family of plants. Since yours are breeding on the tomatoes to begin with, I think maybe the soap mix is the better way to go. Or the garlic one that is in the upper link too.

N.

[j-v-lynch.livejournal.com]

Soap on bugs is my favourite tactic. It is especially effective against Earwigs.

[ravenskye8.livejournal.com]

Yet another recommendation for the soapy water to get rid of the aphids...

[kathrynrose.livejournal.com]

A non-chemical way to discourage aphids is to plant marigolds adjacent to your tomatoes. Aphids don't like marigolds.

[browneyedgirl65.livejournal.com]

There are no good bugs on tomatoes. I'll have to try the nicotine spray though, that's one tip I haven't come across.

(Going to feel damn stupid buying a pack of cigarettes, though :-P)

Just a quick warning:

[nex0s.livejournal.com]

The stuff is EXTREMELY poisonous so be careful with it! Seriously. Nicotine water is really evil.

If you can get something like Bugler loose tobacco, it will be cheaper than a pack of cigs - especially if you are in NYC. :/ Even going to a tobacco shop and using pipe tobacco or what have you.

N.

[stardragonca.livejournal.com]

Scavenge butts from public ashtrays. It's not like you're going to smoke them.

[xtricks.livejournal.com]

I just started True Blood last week. Bizzare - who'd a thunk I'd watch a soap opera!

The intro credits are truly disturbing though.

[amand-r.livejournal.com]

I am really attached to it, but I think I twitched when a friend of mine watched all of season 1 and proclaimed that it was good, but it was adult Twilight. Because she's kinda right. A little.

[rm.livejournal.com]

Definitely in the relationship stuff between Sookie and Bill. I can't tell if I'm turned off by their shit because it's overwrought, because it's heterosexual or because I'm just way too into actually owning my own sexuality.

[amand-r.livejournal.com]

I think for me, because I done went and read all the books, that I don't much like the Sookie/Bill for the sheer...sap? of it. On the other hand, I understand that Sookie has the right to act like a lovesick (mistyped that as "lovesuck" lol) idiot a little because she's never been able to have a relationship before, and everyone gets one mulligan. Bill, however, has no excuse. Nor does his accent. So it might just be the awkward nature of their relationship for me.

Now Tara, and her "big ass mutherfucking Paul Bunyan pig" antics? Sign me up for some more of that.

[xtricks.livejournal.com]

Yes, I'm much more interested in the other characters than Sookie and Bill. I like Sam best, so far.

[amand-r.livejournal.com]

I like Eric (hey, I'm predictable) and his highlights! Also, as peripheral characters, Hoyt Fortinberry and Terry Bellefleur are two of my favorites. Oh Terry, ILU.

[xtricks.livejournal.com]

It's true that the shape of their relationship is very sappy but ... at the same time I sort of wonder why there's such a contrast between those two and the rest of the show - whomever's making it must see that contrast.

My private imagining is that Sookie is crazy, as in batshit crazy, and the body language and the way the character is acted really doesn't contradict that interpretation. Her reactions to things are so *off*, often for reasons that can't be easily identified.

I also find interesting that since she can't read Bill's mind (can she read other vampires? it wasn't clear in her visit to the bar), we actually have no idea as to the real motivations behind his actions and the very casual way he killed uncle molestor suggests that his motivations are more complicated than getting the pretty girl and settling donw in a rundown little town in Louisana.

It's the sort of universe where you know things don't end well but watch anyway. I do wish they'd spend a *little* more time on trying to figure out whose doing the killings though.

I think the think I like best about this show is that ... they've intentionally kept the trappings of modern supernatual ala Hamilton but instead of the 'poor misunderstood vampires' of her novels, the vampires are, for the most part, as evil and nasty as supposed prejudice paints them.

[mamadar.livejournal.com]

I'm glad I'm not the only person who was reminded of you by the recent Sinfest strips.

[brewsternorth.livejournal.com]

When I've time, lots on Iran, journalism, Neda, etc. It may not be until July.

Sounds like a good call - there's a lot packing into the small space of #iranelection at the moment. A flistie of mine is wondering what's the actual practical point of "greening" one's Twitter avatars.

Audition woot!

Gay subtext does not automatically make a show worthy of our attention

So much this. Ho-hum plot plus pastede-on-gay = blah.

[azurelunatic]

In case they're still wondering, the practical point is twofold:

1) When someone who has managed to miss the memo asks "What the fuck is up with your icon?" they wind up at least informed that the situation is going on.

2) A quick way of helping visually track who among your associates is involved, reducing the number of things you're holding in your head.

[vashtan.livejournal.com]

Gods, I'm thankful there are /other/ people that just don't see the point about /Merlin/. I was beginning to feel lonely!

[brewsternorth.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I couldn't really see the squee in it either. Sounded mildly diverting in the sense of "if you liked Robin Hoodie, you'll like this", but not otherwise.

[vashtan.livejournal.com]

The latest Robin Hood was just as p*ss-poor. I even unfriended a person because all the wrote about was Merlin. Five times a day. I just don't /get/ it. The BBC did some fantastic shows - this isn't it. I feel ashamed thinking that that trash is now being exported... :(

[supergee.livejournal.com]

I guess Phelps was wondering if there was anyone he'd left out. We're hardly joining an exclusive club.

bugs on tomato plants

[newwaytowrite.livejournal.com]

Find a spray bottle fill with water and some liquid dish soap. Spritz the leaves.

[eumelia.livejournal.com]

Haha! I thought of you as well when I saw those Sinfest's.

Thanks for the Top Hot Butch Links, my GF and I are currently drooling over the pics together.

The Israeli Mainstream news are always on top of the Antisemitism stories, good to have a link in English, thanks.

[1-mad-squirrel.livejournal.com]

Fred Phelps and his family (because that's who his congregation is) have quite a racket. They protest at a funeral, and then either one of the relatives of the deceased reacts, and the WBC sues the relative, or the local cops make the mistake of trying to prevent the WBC from protesting, and the WBC sues them for infringing on their civil rights.

They just see the Jewish community as a new pool of people to provoke so the WBC can sue them.

[brewsternorth.livejournal.com]

...depressingly, that seems the most likely. Apparently Phelps père was a lawyer at one point, before he decided that religion was a better racket, and a number of his family have gone into law to support his 'church'.

[stardragonca.livejournal.com]

They don't come to Canada anymore,because the police will not protect them, and our laws put them at a disadvantage. And I think they were a little unnerved by a Canadian constable helpfully explaining how to burn a Canadian flag.(They couldn't get it to light. Not bright these people.))

[kel-reiley.livejournal.com]

haha! i made my mom watch merlin last night
she kept asking me 'why' questions and i was just like 'don't try to make sense of it'
and then she said, 'hey it's GILES! ok we can watch this'
(she does not pick up on the gay subtext)

but it's definitely not something we can just sit and watch - we were busy doing other things while it was on in the background
it's good background tv

Gay subtext does not automatically make a show worthy of our attention, fandom.

[stardragonca.livejournal.com]

If there's nothing else on, it might. And there's a talking dragon, which automatically puts it ahead of the competition because-Dragon!

The first two episodes aired last night. Logic is what?
Angry sorcerer momma didn't launch rescue attempt is why?
Dressing room bit is how? History is where? And social class is only important when the story needs it to be?
Sheesh.

[stardragonca.livejournal.com]

Phelps targeted Anglicans long ago. And Swedes. When did we think he wouldn't get around to hating Jewish people?
Evil can be small and stupid. That's not the kind that really frights me.

[eumelia.livejournal.com]

And the Irish. And Catholics of all kind.

He hates everyone who isn't a part of this Church. Something to do with Sociopathy, I believe.

[stardragonca.livejournal.com]

Oh, I missed the Irish part! *is warmed by the company I get to keep*

[fangirlsays.livejournal.com]

Hi, semi-random comment here! Just wanted to let you know that I got my allergen-free box from angelfood ministries today, and there was no religious tract included. I was quite relieved. :)

Also, the chicken patties were tasty and quick and omg I'd forgotten how awesome it is to just pop something in the oven for 15 minutes and call it a meal!

This has nothing to do with this post...

[thenowhere.livejournal.com]

Was combing your entries for that strange coffee instrument, and I can't fiiiiind it. You know, then one that seems like Jack would have it -- or like Ianto would just delight in using it to /make/ coffee for Jack.

Was trying to show a friend, but can't remember what it is now!

Re: This has nothing to do with this post...

[miep.livejournal.com]

it's a vacuum pot. you can try googling "vacuum coffee maker" or "siphon coffee maker"

popular (not as steampunky, but still v. cool and Cardiffable) brands are Bodum, Cona, and Yama.