Fiddle-Dee-Dee, Said Scarlett

Whoot, spent the last hour getting caught up on tags! I've been a bit preoccupied with Behind The Scenes things these last few days and kind of failed at that. But Chaos is settled and going smoothly - I'll be posting more on that in its own entry - and the Other Thing I'm working on might be done a lot sooner than I'd thought.... Still having a ton of fun at rapturereborn! Eddie and Reno get along pretty much exactly as was predicted. :D

I need to update my LJ user info.

It's the day before grocery shopping day, which means supplies are down. And I'm going to be cleaning out the fridge as soon as I can convince my body it wants to get off the couch. :D Lunch is a mystery! ;)

I found an amazing rice pudding recipe yesterday that I want to share with you all:

Lychee coconut rice pudding:

* 1 lb fresh lychees, peeled, pitted and torn into pieces (can substitute canned lychees)
* 1/2 cup sugar
* 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
* 1 1/2 cups short-grain brown rice
* 2 cans coconut milk (400ml each)
* 3 cups milk (low-fat or whole)
* 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
* 1/2 tsp ground ginger
* 1/4 tsp salt
* dusting of cinnamon (optional)

Mix the lychee pieces with the sugar in a bowl. Let sit about 1/2 hour, stirring occasionally. The sugar will draw the juices out of the fruit and create a syrup, which you'll add to the cooking rice. (If you're using canned lychees, open the can and drain the fruit, reserving the juice.)

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Spread the coconut on a baking sheet and toast in the oven until brown and fragrant, about 10-15 minutes. Set aside.

In a saucepan, combine the rice, coconut milk, milk, brown sugar, ginger, salt, and the syrup from the lychees. Bring to a simmer and cook gently, uncovered, until the rice is very tender, at least 90 minutes. There should always be liquid covering the rice - if the mixture starts to look at all dry, add more milk or some water. You want it like soup. When the rice is tender, stir in the chopped lychees and the toasted coconut, remove from the heat, and cool. Chill in the refrigerator at least four hours before serving.

Serve sprinkled with cinnamon, or with more toasted coconut if you have it.

Lychee coconut rice pudding, close up

So, hurrah! I was accepted as Eddie Dean at rapturereborn! His journal is prisoner_of_ka, because every form of 'The Prisoner' was taken. Boo. But I do like prisoner_of_ka, and would have probably ended up with something stupid if nijawial hadn't suggested it.

My best journal names come from other people. :D

I've been working on his first post in between threading at damned, and I'm having a great deal of fun. There's nothing better than the confusion of a character who wakes up in a strange place with no memory of how they got there. Added bonus when they're pretty sure it's not actually possible for them to have gone anywhere.

Oh, it'll be damn interesting when he goes to the library... :D

And I've been threading my ass off at my games where I have active characters. I can't remember the last time I did 15 or so posts in under two hours. It's nice.

My sister is apparently coming over to hang out later. O.o

Oh boy, I've been slacking on housekeeping this morning. I did some dishes and got trash out, but today is another one of those Big Clean Days. Bathroom needs re-doing, and kitchen needs re-doing. And the porch needs a lot of work. Which is normal, since it's the end of the week, but....

Both my RPs are having events on right now. damned has the zombie invasion and CU has the Road Not Traveled day. Which...is really fun and interesting. Especially for Myre, since for this event she's as she would be had she never abandoned her own family, but instead stuck by her mother and eventually brother. So she's...not an uber bitch. She's still a bit pissy and brusque, but she takes things seriously and she's motivated and she doesn't have a blinding hate for anyone who's not a dragon. And she's...all Shamanistic. She always has the talent and whatnot, and she's getting trained, but...she's never treated it with the reverence the position deserves. For now, she is, and I sort of hope that will open her eyes some.

And you know, Darth Vader inadvertently propositioning Myre to mate is just hilarious.

Henry's interactions with Walter are just bizarre, since for this event, they've never had any contact before. And Henry can't talk to Eileen again, because he gets too tongue tied and nervous. My girls have both taken steps forward, but poor Henry took about six back!

In zombie news, I'm having a great time with this. Valyn gets to play Action Hero (also hilarious), Tamaki's close to having a breakdown, Eileen gets to show off her mad zombie bashing skills, and Citan...well...Citan is Citan and will probably be bugging people to help him dissect these things so he can figure out how they work. (Hughes has plans for later, and they are vague, so I'm not entirely sure what he'll be doing other than getting a gun he can give to Celes.)

So I'm sure you can all see why the computer is distracting me epically from my duties!

Why am I picking a PB and making icons for a character I haven't even decided if I want to play or not? I'm not even technically finished with the canon....

*headdesks*

Just after ten, and already I've made a number of accomplishments!

I did some more potting, some dishes, some brainstorming for writing, responded to a bunch of comments and got some trash out. I do feel a bit badly that I skipped breakfast - I like to have breakfast on the porch and read while I eat and have my coffee or tea - but I overslept a bit. And I did have a breakfast shake.

I encountered another small (and really not important) issue with my computer. It's too old to support Itunes. Or even the Itunes clones designed to work with older computers. Which saddens me greatly, because I'm already bored of most of the music on my Ipod and would love to get all my Duran Duran, Bob Dylan, David Bowie, Pink Floyd and Flogging Molly on there. I did try doing the transfering with Media Player, and while the files supposedly transferred...they don't show up on Sadie. (Sadie is my Ipod.)

Oh! Big news I completely forgot! I'm driving! I'm a driver! A year after I get my damn car, but I'm finally driving him! And not crashing into anything, organic or mineral!

My dad's bringing me a grill today. The season of barbecue is upon us! And I've got hot dogs and ground beef....

I slept beautifully last night. And we watched the first disc of Nightmares and Dreamscapes! Battleground was very well executed. Crouch End...never, ever should have been made for television. I was nearly in pain watching that atrocity of an episode. Too much needless build up, poor acting, ridiculous changes so that the entire point of the story is lost, and I swear, it is not terribly difficult to pronounce 'Cthulhu'. 'Kooshoo' is not an acceptable pronunciation anywhere. Kooshoo. But luckily, Umney's Last Case was beautiful. William H. Macy was perfect for Umney, hands down. The first part really captured that 30s pulp detective feel, and the creeping sense of the story was preserved. Nothing but thumbs up for that instillation!

I'm going the shameful but far easier route for one of my costumes, simply because I cannot work with leather and gun belts and holsters are beyond my abilities to afford or craft. So as for purchases needed...it's just a wig and boots. My Ila skirt is nearly done, and then I'm going to be starting on the hat for Nija's Melissa cosplay. I have the fabric, pattern and accessories.

I think I'm going to do some beading while we watch the second disc. And it seems my computer is fully workable. I'll be hopping back into my RPs before too much longer - I figure I'll wait until dayshift to jump back into damned, for sake of ease, and decide when to jump back into CU once I've caught up on what's going on over there. (And keep canon reviewing in the meantime.)

I'm in a terribly Xenogears state of mind today. Maybe I'll try and write fic....

Happy Friday, everyone!

So...anyone on my Flist who's in damned still need NS plans? I've got a couple of characters with nothing to do! That would be two lovely ladies (Eileen and Naomi) and one somewhat patronizing elf (Valyn). :D Naomi's been posted already and is in the FA hall, Eileen and Valyn haven't been posted yet and can be sent anywhere. :D

And I really want people to wander into my monster sections. Every time I see a bathroom post I get so excited, and then realize it's not one of my bathrooms.

Well, clearly whatever weird funk I was having has passed. Which is always good. I'm even almost tempted to return to AIM. We'll see, though.

Last night I got to missing Harry Potter RP and fic again. Every so often it hits me, but last night it hit me hard. I was watching the third movie, and I got so damn nostalgic. To the point where when I woke up, the first thing I wanted to do was call my sister. But then I remembered it was Sunday and weekday mornings are best for calling her, so now I'm just sitting here considering going and reading some Snupin fic.

I've been having these bouts of nostalgia. Last week, it was for the old Dragon Riders of Pern RPs. Which I haven't been a part of in...seven years maybe? I don't know if it's just because my birthday's coming up or what, but the trips down memory lane have been more frequent and very, very strong.

I don't know. It's not like my current interests are waning any. I'm still very strongly into Silent Hill, Venture Bros and HBC. And yet....

Well, we'll just see what happens.

I managed to get up at a reasonable hour today! Technically I woke up at 8:30, but I realized that I'd done all the dishes last night, and scrubbed the counters and stove, so I could afford to doze a bit in bed for a while. Now I'm up, I've got my protein shake, I took my vitamins, and I am feeling like a real human being.

We realized yesterday that my sudden breakdown, weird mood, and subsequent panic attacks through the day are because like the idiot I am, I've been forgetting my vitamins. I take vitamins mostly for the mental and emotional boost, and it's been weeks since I took my B-complex or anything else. So nijawial is going to draw me a little picture to tape to the mirror to remind me every morning to take them. :D

I had no idea so many of you had Facebooks! :D I'm still figuring out the site, but so far I'm liking it.

And thank you to everyone who commented on that meme. Reading all of that really, really did make me feel better. I have some amazing friends, and I am grateful for each and every one of you. I don't know what I'd do without my Flist.

We went with enigmablade and summoneddestiny yesterday to look at fish tanks, and were killed with cute by the dwarf hamsters. I fear we may end up giving one of the little buggers a home. We do have the big Habitrail cage that Hank and Dean have long grown out of - they live in a giant aquarium now, and are much happier with all that space. And plenty of shavings, food, toys etc....

Today on the schedule is:

Work out
Clean living room
Do laundry
Work on fic
RP in between

Everyone's posted for, actually, and my girls are on the move to hook up with their respective companions for the night. :D

I had smut dreams about Wilson last night. He walked me home from work, we stopped in a gourmet cheese store and bought cheese, and then he invited me back to his place to 'smoke up and maybe get to know each other better'. I think we ended up running a bath, and it overflowed because we were too busy getting naked with each other on his couch. So there's someone new I've had a naughty fandom dream about.

Apparently, the inspiration bug is still biting, which is a very good thing. I've been working on Some Things, and I think they're coming together nicely. Though it most likely helps that the research aspects have been quite fun. Mmm, burial and sacred ground folklore.... I'm also working on fic, though my fic takes very little research.

I am practically dying over Winry and Tamaki's fourth shift conversation over at damned. Mmm, epic misunderstandings abound! Poor Tamaki spent a brief moment under the fear/impression that Ed was married with children. ;)

I think tonight I'm going to do homemade pizza. I have a delicious recipe for honey seasoned pizza dough I've been itching to make, and we have this exquisite fancy garlic dipping sauce I picked up a few days ago on a whim. I love discontinuation sales. And I am determined that we are going to eat well in this household. We may be dirt poor, but by Hohenheim we can still have delicious food!

It's still raining and icky, but I can't really find it within myself to complain. If rain and clouds end up putting me in the mood to write, then sound that thunder and bring on the storms!

I should get my butt up to Hasting's to pick up those issues of Marvel's 'The Stand' that summoneddestiny is holding for me. 2 and 3, respectively. This is the only comic that I will actually purchase volume by volume, rather than waiting for the trades. Screw the eventual trades, I want my epic apocalyptic battle between good and evil and I want it now. I also want to pick up Pet Shop of Horrors: Tokyo - Volume 3. And possibly Just After Sunset. Bah, I also need Fables trade 3, I believe. And the seventh VHD novel. I'm terribly behind on my publications, I'm afraid. And I'm still somewhat aching for the Cosmode USA Glamour Book. It's worth it for the tutorials alone, honestly. I'm kicking myself for not snagging it for 20$ in Phoenix now that it's basically only available online.

Well, I can actually afford my comics at the very least. The rest can wait. And eventually, I'll get my hair done. Though that's looking more and more like wishful thinking at this point.

That's life. ;)

Sorry for going 'poof' yesterday, I pinched a muscle in my shoulder and was reduced to a sniveling ball of owie until I knocked myself out with some Valerian tea. Am feeling much better - in every sense of the word - today!

callie_chan, I've got Lust on the move, will be at Sun Room area shortly!

dame_grise, I need to grab you for MU stuffs!

I...think I talked to everyone else about threading things yesterday before internet went dead.

Oh, anyone want an Eileen? She's got no plans for the nightshift, and her shiny new curse can come out to play! :D

I have to run out on errands right now, but I'll be back in an hour or so and will have a couple of hours before going to get a Christmas tree!

I woke up, made my coffee, went out to the porch for my morning cigarette....

And there was snow, clinging to the roofs of the houses across the street. And a little clinging to our fence. Ice and frost coated the yard. There were swirls and swaths of it on the glass, the grass, the drive and the dirt.

Winter has arrived.

Sorry I fell off the face of the earth yesterday! I went to clear off my bed, ended up taking an impromptu nap, and then my computer had crashed when I returned to the living room. I left it to rest overnight, and did some clean up work this morning, and all seems well now. I know I had RP plans with folks, and I'm really, really sorry about that. :/

I did get a lot of progress done on my room yesterday! I'm proud of myself. I'll be doing a little more today, to tidy up and put things the way I want them. I'm terribly fickle when it comes to these things. I also need to get the laundry I left last night. At least it was in the dryer, so it shouldn't be frozen!

This morning I've already scrubbed the counters and caught up on nearly all my RP, at all my games! Go me! Though Rewritten seems to be in another quiet period, so nothing to reply to there. I just need to do one post at Damned and one post at CU and I shall be all on top of things!

I really need to just bite the bullet and drop Lyta. :/