sundries

[rm]

I did not wake up with any bizarreness in the middle of the night last night. I also had rice with terriyaki sauce for dinner, which Patty had to make because I have not yet mastered rice, because anything else seemed too challenging. On the other hand, now I am cured.

Yay, thing that was fucked up with new lease is now unfucked up. Although management company person on speaker phone, with music playing, filing your nails (yes, I could hear the emery board), you completely suck.

There was also an incident this morning involving city inspectors and a caulking gun.

Stanley Fish on plagiarism. It is, of course, Stanley Fish, which is to say, argue amongst yourselves.

The Ebell Club, a woman's social club in Los Angeles was founded at the end of the 19th century to provide a substitute for university education to women who were usually denied such opportunities because of school policies and family financial priorities. Keeping the club going in a time of broader opportunities, however, is a challenge.

Diagnosing appendicitis.

Fed up flight attendant makes one hell of an exit. Who wants to bet his story gets optioned for a movie deal?

Oyster battle: they can help clean polluted waters, but gov't agencies worry that means tainted seafood will reach consumers.

In the weirdest, least comprehensible event in the saga of the downtown Islamic cultural center is the proposal by an anti-gay media personality of opening a gay bar catering to Muslims next to it.

Meanwhile, the MTA has approved this really offensive ad with images of the planes flying into the WTC that opposes said Islamic cultural center.

Everything I hear about Torchwood S4 is making me so excited. Yesterday's big news, at least in my book, is that it will be taking place 2 years after the events of CoE. We're not sure if that means Ianto and Steven's deaths, or when Jack takes off from earth six months later. But it's a really compelling amount of time to me either way, in terms of where Jack's head is going to be, and is really a random piece of info I've felt those of us who want to be writing speculative S4 fic really, really need. I am all over this detail. ALL OVER IT.

Last night on Buffy: It's the apocalypse sex episode! Hey, own your tropes. Also, jeez, how is Spike the only grownup around? And really, King ARthur? The sword in the stone, really? What's most ridiculous is the degree to which it works, at least in the moment of watching.

Tonight, White Collar and Covert Affairs.

Comments

[51stcenturyfox.livejournal.com]

Yeah! White Collar and Covert Affairs!

Re: Torchwood S4 - would it be two years for Jack, or just for everyone else on Earth? I wonder if he might have been gone longer on his end (and I'm sure we won't know until later).

[rm.livejournal.com]

That's also the mystery question. I maintain they should make it longer for him, just to deal with the fact that botox can only do so much for JB, but on the other hand, I like the idea of it all being a bit emotionally sore for Jack still.

[drfardook.livejournal.com]

The gay bar just baffles me. You'd think that anyone with enough money to invest in a downtown bar would be smart enough to think twice about flushing that much money down the drain to just be an enormous dick.

(::delicate cough, here via copperbadge, because I find the regular sundries posts awesome::

[sethrak.livejournal.com]

I doubt he's actually pitched this idea to any investors. He's just saying it to be a colossal dick, and to get his fanbase to chuckle and elbow each other knowingly.

Sadly, I know this because I have a close loved one who thinks Red Eye is awesomesauce, and regularly DVRs it.

[sykii.livejournal.com]

So it goes like:
"We want to protect your city. We want to protect your city from the eeeeevil Muslims. Let us protect your city by putting up ads that induce PTSD flashbacks and exploit a massive tragedy in your recent history, because that is the best way to protect your city. USA! USA!"
?

Just checking.

[bethynyc.livejournal.com]

Exactly. ::headdesk::

[delchi.livejournal.com]

I agree that the ad is triggery , but as a person who has PTSD I'm not entirely sure that a building displaying the symbol that the attackers gathered themselves behind is any less triggery.

Note that I'm being careful to say 'the symbol that the attackers gathered themselves behind', and not condemning the entire religion, etc.

[delchi.livejournal.com]

Out here in Colorado , some people liken the building of a Mosque at ground zero to building a gun range at Columbine high school. It's the only argument I've heard that addresses the issue without openly being labeled as a religious slam / anti Muslim / racist act and disregarded.

[rm.livejournal.com]

I think it's a disingenuous argument and one that is about somwhat more effectively veiled Islamiphobia, which in the US is often, but not exclusively, linked to racism, and this is absolutely, positively not a fight I wish to have in my journal.

[kalichan.livejournal.com]

Apologies to the people of Colorado, but no, that's not what it would be like at all. A more fair comparison would be like if they wanted to build a cathedral near the site of the Oklahoma City bombing... and people objected, because you know, Timothy McVeigh was Irish Catholic, and so that would be "disrespectful". Can you imagine anyone making that objection? No, right?

[trinker.livejournal.com]

The comparable scenario would be a "flight" school.

[sevendayloan.livejournal.com]

And in a hilarious, if only tangentially related, combination of all three things, my mom was shot at in Colorado for being a Moslem.

[brewsternorth.livejournal.com]

Who wants to bet his story gets optioned for a movie deal?

If Law & Order don't get there first...

[laughingacademy.livejournal.com]

Fed up flight attendant makes one hell of an exit. — My paternal grandfather and his eldest son were pilots for TWA, that uncle's wife was a flight attendant, and I really wish I had their e-mail addresses so I could forward that article. (I've sent it to my dad and brother, with a request that they do so.)

[idunn.livejournal.com]

Have you seen this yet? First woman appointed head of U.S. intelligence agency. (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38620690/ns/politics/?gt1=43001) The article includes her credentials, including 32 years of relevant experience and her engineering degrees, her boss praising her to the heavens, there's no mention of her beauty or fashion style, and only a brief mention in the final sentence re: family and kids. Wow, an article where a woman's taken seriously for a "male" role.

[brewsternorth.livejournal.com]

Wow, I didn't hear about this. (I guess the US intelligence agencies are into keeping things hush-hush.) A good development!

[elisi]

it will be taking place 2 years after the events of CoE.
Oh *excellent*, whichever way.

And Touched is one of my favourite episodes ever! (Because I am a total sap and ship Buffy and Spike to infinity and that ep was like everything I could ever have hoped for and then some and I can still remember the pure joy of first watching it... ♥)

[rm.livejournal.com]

I really like Buffy/Spike and I was pleased to see some deromanticization of immortality in this episode.

Although when he said "I've seen things you can't even imagine" I said "Troop ships on fire..." (whatever that line is from Blade Runner.

[thatwordgrrl.livejournal.com]

I have two words for you regarding the rice issue.

Rice. Cooker.

SRSLY, Rice goes in, water goes in, press button. That's IT! Perfect rice every time.

I've done various types of rice -- basmati, jasmine, brown -- and never had a problem.

[matthewwdaly.livejournal.com]

And and and it makes a lot of steam, so you can cook vegetables at the same time in the basket that it comes with. Changed the way I eat, it did.

[kshandra]

It appears to be a good week for dramatic exits from the workplace....

[elainasaunt.livejournal.com]

I just read that through twice and liked it even better the second time. This woman and Steve Slater are my heroes of the day.

[kel-reiley.livejournal.com]

i still can't cook rice without the pan boiling over :(

and if they'd removed my appendix the 1st time i was in the ER, it wouldn't have EXPLODED about 4 months later


OMG YOU ARE ALMOST AT THE END OF BUFFY! !!!

[deza.livejournal.com]

Use a high-sided pot. The pot should be deep enough that after the rice and water are in, the sides that are dry are at least twice as tall as the side that's wet (preferably more). Does that make sense to anyone else but me? But yeah, I had rice boil-overs all the time until I got a pot that was tall enough.

The other thing you can try is to toast your dry rice in olive oil before putting the water in. It doesn't take much - a tablespoon is plenty for a cup of dry rice. The oil keeps the starch from building the super-mega-bubbles that end up boiling over. The toasting is also a great time to add any aromatics you may want in your rice (I like chopped shallots in mine).

[deza.livejournal.com]

Mastering rice:

White rice - 1 part rice, 2 parts water, salt to taste. Put in a tall pot. Once it boils, reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and DO NOT TOUCH for at least 10 minutes (15 if you have more than 1 cup rice).

Brown rice - Same as white, except cover and DO NOT TOUCH for at least 50 minutes.

Risotto - Start with rice in a large, flat pan or skillet. Toast rice lightly with oil, then begin ladelling in HOT broth/stock. Only add in one ladel at a time, stirring constantly until most of the liquid is absorbed before add the next ladel. Time intensive, but the starch gives that great creamy mouthfeel. :)

I don't even try sushi rice any more, after watching my SIL make it for her professional cooking class.

Final step - PRACTICE! You very well may have to throw some out, but in the end it's worth it to know you can do it well. And even after you burn some rice while toasting it, the pan will scrub clean. Trust me on that one. ;)

[browneyedgirl65.livejournal.com]

I learned the 1:2 ratio as well (though I use dry cup and wet cup measurements, respectively). Never had trouble with boiling over (tall pot or not), I just stir a bit till it boils. Then down as low as you possibly can go on your burners (prolly won't work as well on an electric as on a gas), cover and leave strictly alone for 20 minutes. Perfect rice every time. I leave it a little longer for brown rice, 35 minutes or so.

Risotto slays me -- hours and hours and hours of stirring :-P

For me the trick with sushi rice was the right kind of rice vinegar and sugar proportions, but I no longer remember, it's been years now.

Fed Up Flight Attendant

[stardragonca.livejournal.com]

Every single person who ever had to wait on people is walking a little more lightly today. Just because.

[chaos-by-design.livejournal.com]

That ad is horribly offensive. Yikes.

[bethynyc.livejournal.com]

Apparently, the conservative guy is behind the times. Per Pandagon, there are already three gay bars within a tenth of a mile of the site!

http://pandagon.net/index.php/site/comments/how_to_not_look_like_a_total_moron/

The power of the map feature compels you!

[rm.livejournal.com]

Hahaahahahahahaha, AWESOME.