show me a garden that's bursting into life (part I)

Sometimes you plan a formal dinner. Sometimes you realize kraken have invaded the menu.

[17:52] Justine (justinejohndory.amethyst): the urge to have the gala here is very strong.
[17:52] Justine (justinejohndory.amethyst): if we could get the island looking nice by march 8th
[17:52] Justine (justinejohndory.amethyst): oh, i think we should go with march 8th.
[17:53] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): Instead of the 7th?

I'd been up on this little balcony above the formal dining room, trying to invent a house banner from the mostly non-workable banner prototypes I had in the full-perm folder.

[18:01] Justine (justinejohndory.amethyst): emilly emilly emilly!!!!
[18:01] Justine (justinejohndory.amethyst): come sit!
[18:01] Justine (justinejohndory.amethyst): come sit!
[18:03] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr) grins
[18:03] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): Banners are being silly anyway

So, I picked a chair mostly at random, and sat. And...

[18:03] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): Huh. Says drink, gives no drink.
[18:04] Justine (justinejohndory.amethyst): ah yeah. need to figure out the "giver"
[18:04] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr) grins
[18:04] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): But hey!
[18:04] Justine (justinejohndory.amethyst): but ... look at the chair a the end of the table!
[18:04] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): I have discovered how to write on the tablecloth!
[18:04] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr) looks
[18:04] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): Kraken under the table?

I don't have a picture of this, but trust me. Long formal dining table, elegantly set, huuuuuuuge tentacle coming from underneath the tablecloth.

[18:04] Justine (justinejohndory.amethyst): yes, kraken attack!
[18:05] Justine (justinejohndory.amethyst): now, at the other end of the table ...
[18:05] Justine (justinejohndory.amethyst): there we go.
[18:05] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr) grins

She tapped the table, and another tentacle emerged, and coiled around the chair at the head of the table.

[18:05] Justine (justinejohndory.amethyst): ha!
[18:05] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): Oh EEP
[18:05] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): Okay, that's hysterical
[18:05] Justine (justinejohndory.amethyst): THAT is really why i wanted this set.
[18:06] Justine (justinejohndory.amethyst): ok, lemme see if i can give you a drink....
[18:06] Justine (justinejohndory.amethyst) frees you from the kraken.

Yay!

[18:07] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): People. People. That is not a drink.

As I recall, it was something that sounded like a frothy confection of a drink, and it turned out to be fruit and sorbet on a plate.

[18:07] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): GAH
[18:07] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): Also not a drink
[18:07] Justine (justinejohndory.amethyst): what?

Another menu item, another hope dashed.

[18:07] Justine (justinejohndory.amethyst): did i not just hand you a wine glass? what was it?
[18:07] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): You di----
[18:07] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): .........
[18:08] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): Very active, uh....soup

The menu for Entrees featured a soup, and I wanted to see what it was. I touched the plate to request it, and the bowl arrived, and the soup...waved at me with its little tentacles.

[18:08] Justine (justinejohndory.amethyst): incoming friends. :)
[18:08] Justine (justinejohndory.amethyst): what?
[18:08] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr) pokes at the tentacles
[18:08] Justine (justinejohndory.amethyst): oh dear! tentacle soup!
[18:08] Justine (justinejohndory.amethyst): hi, Cece!
[18:08] Justine (justinejohndory.amethyst): join us!
[18:08] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): "Kraken Bisque", apparently
[18:08] Justine (justinejohndory.amethyst): lol!
[18:09] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): If it starts talking it gets thrown across the room
[18:09] Justine (justinejohndory.amethyst): oh come now, you can't tell me you're squeamish around tentacles. i know better!
[18:09] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr) laughs
[18:09] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): Well, I'm not generally eati--
[18:09] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): Hmm.
[18:09] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): Mrf.
[18:10] Justine (justinejohndory.amethyst): cece, do you know the duchess emilly shatner-orr?
[18:10] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): Hello there!
[18:10] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): Oh, gad, more kraken on the main course

Why are there so many cephalopod-heavy dishes in this menu? That's what I want to know.

[18:10] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): Were we mad at the kraken? Is that why it's in soup now?
[18:10] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr) peers at her plate
[18:10] Justine (justinejohndory.amethyst): where did you get the meal menu?
[18:10] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): Yup, those are kraken bits

To be fair, that menu option was titled "Kraken Bits".

[18:11] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): Click on the silverware
[18:11] Justine (justinejohndory.amethyst): ah ta.
[18:11] Cecelia Hadrian (haadrian): Well yes and no, I have seen her at event but she has been very occupied, but I think you introduced us at Saaz's coming out party
[18:11] Justine (justinejohndory.amethyst): ah. well, join us please!
[18:11] Justine (justinejohndory.amethyst): we're just testing out this dinner set.
[18:11] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): I do that. Also highly distractable. And occasionally oblivious.
[18:12] Cecelia Hadrian (haadrian): this is one massive table

It's a massive dining room.

[18:12] Justine (justinejohndory.amethyst): i think the chairs need to be just a smidge higher.
[18:12] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): Ooh, it has lamb
[18:12] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): And yes
[18:12] Justine (justinejohndory.amethyst): well, this is a massive house.

It really is. Steamopolis, the ancestral home of the AiNeko line, is based on Ulysses Cabaret's Steampolis steampunk mansion. (By which, I mean, Hiro called it Steamopolis, and so I do, and until this moment I didn't actually know it was 'Steampolis'. But hey. Our house now. We can rename it.)

[18:12] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): Truth
[18:12] Justine (justinejohndory.amethyst) calls in reinforcements.
[18:12] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr) claps at the English Breakfast offering

Let's be honest, here. I am not English. A true English person would probably be appalled. But to me, just seeing the presence of black pudding on a plate makes me happy.

[18:13] Justine (justinejohndory.amethyst): let's put this table through its paces. [18:13] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): It has black pudding Yay!
[18:13] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): Wait. What on earth is....huh.
[18:13] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): Okay.
[18:13] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): I guess.
[18:14] Justine (justinejohndory.amethyst): what is it?
[18:14] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): Apparently "Rezday Cake" is a giant cupcake with pink frosting and a candle
[18:14] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr) peers.

And that really was it. It didn't explode. It was just a really huge cupcake on a plate.

[18:14] Justine (justinejohndory.amethyst): there's a rezday cake in the menu?
[18:14] Justine (justinejohndory.amethyst): that is awesome!
[18:14] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): Under desserts.
[18:14] Tevor Zenovka: Hello, hello
[18:14] Justine (justinejohndory.amethyst): hi, tevor!
[18:14] Justine (justinejohndory.amethyst): welcome!
[18:14] Justine (justinejohndory.amethyst): please, join us.
[18:14] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): "Tea Plate". Erk.
[18:15] Justine (justinejohndory.amethyst): tevor, do you know the duchess emilly?
[18:15] Cecelia Hadrian (haadrian): Justine Haggis for you lol
[18:15] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): All right, tea pastries is better.

I don't know why, but I was truly expecting actual tea on the tea plate? Silly, I suppose.

[18:15] Tevor Zenovka: waiting for the orange clouds to disperse.
[18:15] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): We've met!
[18:15] Justine (justinejohndory.amethyst): and this is my guild sister cecelia.
[18:15] Justine (justinejohndory.amethyst): cece, tevor and saaz are besties.
[18:15] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): WHY DOES THE GEEK PIZZA TURN.....Oh.
[18:15] Justine (justinejohndory.amethyst): but he still hangs out with me sometimes.
[18:15] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): It has gears.
[18:15] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): Oooookay.
[18:15] Tevor Zenovka: pppffft
[18:16] Justine (justinejohndory.amethyst): oh neat!

No! Not neat!

[18:16] Cecelia Hadrian (haadrian): thought he looked familiar
[18:16] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): I do not want to eat gears!

I don't! They get in your teeth, and then your teeth make the crunching sounds, and then you wonder why your mouth is filled with blood. Just no. Rather avoid that, thanks.

[18:16] Justine (justinejohndory.amethyst): lol.
[18:16] Tevor Zenovka: as if you have more than a moment a week with your jam packed schedule
[18:16] Justine (justinejohndory.amethyst): i don't know what you're talking about.
[18:16] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): Also, under "Lunch/Tea" options? Avoid the Redneck Calamari.

It's terrifying.

[18:17] Cecelia Hadrian (haadrian): now you got me curious
[18:17] Tevor Zenovka: Dignified. Yes, that's the pose for me

The chairs at this table occasionally misbehave.

[18:18] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): That's a holiday feast? Which holiday?

It just looked like...random meats, a green veg, mash, and a squiggle of something that could either be cranberry sauce or brown gravy. No clue.

[18:18] Justine (justinejohndory.amethyst) snerks.
[18:18] Cecelia Hadrian (haadrian): laughs hotdogs cut to look like squid lol
[18:18] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): It's...depressing
[18:19] Cecelia Hadrian (haadrian): snickers
[18:19] Tevor Zenovka: I am unclear on how to see the menu
[18:19] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): Silverware
[18:19] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr) peers in the soup bowl
[18:19] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): I hate to tell the caterers, but...that is not turtle.

I know. I have eaten turtle soup before. Of course, it was back before I realized that in many places, the turtles used to make the soup are endangered, but...nevertheless. The chunk of undefined meat in the soup bowl did not look like turtle. If anything, it looked like boiled pork belly.

[18:19] Justine (justinejohndory.amethyst): i'll have a word.
[18:20] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr) selects Spring Salad
[18:20] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): Please don't have springs, please don't have springs--

It did not have springs. Yay.

[18:20] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): Okay, we're good
[18:20] Justine (justinejohndory.amethyst): that sounds pretty safe
[18:21] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): Ooh. They got all fancy with the beet salad.
[18:21] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): Regular AND heirloom beets.
[18:21] Tevor Zenovka: I think I'll stay with the wine and catch up
[18:21] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr) laughs
[18:21] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): I'm just checking out menu options, because....this was what I selected after blindly assuming Lunch/Tea options meant getting tea
[18:22] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): And, well...
[18:22] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr) points at the twitching

I'd summoned out the Kraken Bisque again.

[18:22] Justine (justinejohndory.amethyst): ha!
[18:22] Justine (justinejohndory.amethyst): oh, sorry.
[18:22] Justine (justinejohndory.amethyst): in english, "tea" is a meal. not a beverage.
[18:22] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): Ah
[18:22] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): This explains much
[18:22] Justine (justinejohndory.amethyst): in new zealand, "tea" can be morning or afternoon tea.
[18:23] Justine (justinejohndory.amethyst): or, it is often used as a synonym for dinner.
[18:23] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr) nods
[18:23] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): I live amongst the uncivilized :D
[18:23] Cecelia Hadrian (haadrian): in the US Tea is well umm Tea

What she said.

[18:23] Tevor Zenovka: the pastry is a bit flat
[18:23] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr) snerks

Ha, ha. (For those who may not get the joke without visuals, most--though certainly not all--of the offerings in this table are essentially flat picture prims that rez out on the plate.)

[18:23] Justine (justinejohndory.amethyst): yeah. well, here in hobbit-land, we eat 7 meals a day.
[18:23] Cecelia Hadrian (haadrian): lol
[18:24] Justine (justinejohndory.amethyst): welcome, circle!
[18:24] Tevor Zenovka: Hi Circle
[18:24] Justine (justinejohndory.amethyst): please, join us.
[18:24] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): Hello!
[18:24] Justine (justinejohndory.amethyst): circle, everyone, everyone, circle.
[18:24] Circle2 Claven: Hi Justine, everyone
[18:25] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): Just FYI, Justine, dinner "starts" at six, so of course, I think people are still sleeping :D
[18:25] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): But I may be poked off the keys at any time
[18:25] Justine (justinejohndory.amethyst): ah, yeah. ok.
[18:25] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr) grins
[18:25] Justine (justinejohndory.amethyst) declares this an accidental dinner party and starts tossing out invitations willy nilly.
[18:25] Tevor Zenovka gingerly tastes the kraken
[18:25] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): Ah, for the lost days of yore, when dinner happened at five....
[18:26] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr) tsks at the beignets. Not proper beignets, either.
[18:26] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): All right, how wrong can you get cheese?
[18:26] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): Oh!
[18:26] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): Just cheese.
[18:26] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): Yay!

It is truly a sad day when a plate of sliced cheese makes you happy...because it doesn't contain gears, tentacles or hot dogs.

[18:27] Tevor Zenovka: may be best to just go right to dessert
[18:27] Justine (justinejohndory.amethyst): ok, so if you click on your wine glass you can change the contents.
[18:27] Justine (justinejohndory.amethyst): red wine, white, ice water, orange juice.
[18:28] Circle2 Claven: I guess I should change my own glass
[18:28] Justine (justinejohndory.amethyst): well, the help has the day off today, so yes.
[18:28] Tevor Zenovka: beignet soup?
[18:28] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): AH, that's why you're training the kraken
[18:29] Justine (justinejohndory.amethyst) calls for the wine kraken.

Not entirely sure this will work long-term.

[18:29] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): We need to lay out a place in Carcosa for the castle
[18:29] Justine (justinejohndory.amethyst): he only serves red, though.
[18:29] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): And then put the castle out
[18:29] Justine (justinejohndory.amethyst): yes.
[18:29] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): And then bring the kraken over here
[18:29] Justine (justinejohndory.amethyst): this table is no copy, sadly. so it's either one or t'other.

And we'll pick up the rest in the second part.

it's time for us to lose our weary minds

People get odd in quarantine. Let me tell you a story of several unsettling eggs. It started here:



This was followed by a very Seussian breakfast (I don't want to know how they got the ham steak that green):



and screaming eggs:



which were followed by very sad eggs



before someone decided to make cloud eggs in the shell.



This was followed by...an all-egg Bundt cake??



But they weren't done yet. The next day someone posted eggs so overcooked they should have been served in a funerary urn:



Following that, double-double yolks were seen:



followed by the owl of doom:



And the thread finished with "holy" eggs:



accompanied by a somewhat suitable reaction pic.



Gods help you all, you mad desecrators of breakfast. May you live through all your creations.

go away, come back, go away, come back, why can't I just have it both ways?

I'm probbably one of five people who will be really excited by the fact I found a goat's blood flan recipe. But it sounds awesome and I want to make it.

(They have other recipes too! Woo!)

In the meantime, let's talk about the Silent Scream haunted house. It launched awfully bright and cheery, so I switched the Windlight to Eugene 2, and that added a significant bit of atmosphere.



I have no idea why the haunted house has patches of lava. Doesn't connect to anything else.



Off to one side was a little doorless cabin. The one thing that became abundantly clear through this entire haunt is age--and I don't mean, worn, faded furnishings, cobwebs, tattered curtains, though there were instances of that. I mean, this entire haunt was very old-school--prims, not mesh, original Grimworx haunt pieces, the whole deal.



I did like this tree, though. Simple, but amusing, and far more entertaining than the screamers scattered here and there.



Between the main haunt and the cabin is a graveyard, mostly gravestones with a few raised crypts. Then, there was this sign on the door in to the main haunt. I have to be honest, I have no idea what they meant here? This is a haunt nearly completely without gore or violence (barring one moment mentioned later).



Several rooms were like this--simple furnishings, what we could probably term as Haunt Standard, but not badly done.



And between this shot, and the one previous, near the entrance to the long room the skull in the crystal ball is in, is a small coffin with a sign saying "Look but don't touch!"

I touched. And out rose one of the Phantasm flying death spheres (NSFW warning here, probably, as that video does contain violence and gore) that attached to my head and drilled in. More irritating than debilitating, though the sound--a cross between a dentist's drill and a wood bore--was unnerving.

All in all, though, not a terrible haunt. Not spectacular, but if you're bored, it's a way to take up some time. None of the poses on the furniture are stellar, but again, that's probably not the point. Three out of five skulls.

will I choose water over wine, and hold my own and drive?

Caught this on a Discord server this morning:

[5:13 AM] masticina 🐇: the virus doesn't cares about your politics
[5:14 AM] masticina 🐇: your age, sexuality, your disabilities or abilities...
[5:14 AM] masticina 🐇: the virus takes without judgment
[5:16 AM] masticina 🐇: I think that a lot of people don't understand that
[5:16 AM] masticina 🐇: the only thing that seems to matter is, can you be smart with it.
[5:16 AM] masticina 🐇: are you and the people around you handling it well
[5:16 AM] masticina 🐇: if not, you get disneyland that just reopened and already has big name vlogger/bloggers sick again
[5:28 AM] masticina 🐇: one day it took... one day

Welp. That's depressing. But true.

We move on.

Historians are finding new ways to get attention to their museums--still mostly empty due to the pandemic, they've been culling archives worldwide for recipes and other craft ideas people can do at home. Great idea.

And did you know the US had a female lighthouse keeper? Precisely one, too, the sole woman ever to be afforded a gig at a lighthouse.

While we're at it, have a history of playing cards and the history of the first St. Patrick's Day parade. And did you know all but two country's recommended nutritional plans are massively flawed? I did not know that.

And lastly, a pretty for the day:



This spinny thing sits offshore from Tylar's Treasures. Though the maker, Tylar, tells me it's actually not his, but on his neighbor's land.

Considering his neighbor is Lunar Tripsa of newly rebranded Ever Green fame, that makes sense. She does a lot of fun things with light. And that particular one? Floats, spins, changes color, and she's selling it for L$100. How cool is that?

And finally, I can't remember where I came across this, but here's a list of the best SF novels from the 1960s to read. Sixty years back didn't see the start of SF novels, that would've been 1940s, I think, if you don't count outliers like Frankenstein as pure science fiction. But it's still a very fun list.

I'm such a fool for sacrifice

"You need not leave your room. Remain sitting at your table and listen. You need not even listen, simply wait, just learn to become quiet, and still, and solitary. The world will freely offer itself to you to be unmasked. It has no choice; it will roll in ecstasy at your feet."
~~Franz Kafka (from the Fourth Octavo Notebook, 1918)

Hey, after years now, I finally revisited the Elysium Suites and they're still there! I--



--oh.

No, that's okay, we're past that. I got the message.

you say we're just friends
but friends don't know the way you taste

Though I am still occasionally receiving hammer shots between the eyes from other areas. Well, part and parcel, I guess. And that is a part of it.

But, let's talk horses. I know, not my usual topic, but...since someone went out of their way to track down a certain horse coat...



May I present Absinthe?



So, for whatever reason, when I was given the horse, my naming conceit started with alcohols. The first horse I rigged out was Ardbeg (which I named for the color of the spirit, not the shade of the bottle), followed by Glenfiddich (which, at least in my experience, is lighter in tone), Mezcal (because I had a buff coat as well as a significant life event around Mezcal, which I am not going to talk about, other than to say, yes, apparently eating the worm does cause mild hallucinations)...and then...I had to think.

At some point I will find a suitable blue Paint that will be Bombay, because gin is my first true love, let's be honest, but...I still wanted an absinthe.

The only 'green' skin I could find on the grid--that wasn't an Aprille Fools' Day jest on a frog--was very, very pale. But I finally shrugged, figured it was the best I was going to get, and put together Sazerac (which, if you make it with rye, turns out slightly reddish, but if you substitute Glenfiddich and leave out the Angostura, does turn out to be a pale, lemonish-green.



So that sort of worked, but...still no dark green skin.

And then...I received a gift. This skin is called "Absinthe" of course, at least the version I have. Ms. Darkwinter Magic of The Celtique Stallion made it, and I was told it should be up on her Marketplace store in the next few days, if it's not up now.

He's wearing with it the Teeglepet Running Braid Mane, and the Teeglepet Lace Braided Tail, both from REIN for the Hanoverian, which is the base horse. (Though I did color-tint them from the White Shade tone, to an olive, to better match the coat.) Also the TEEGLE Kokiri eyes from Tutto è Vanità & SharkBox. And the tack's also from REIN, their TeeglePet Elegant Saddle and the TeeglePet English bridle, both for the Hanoverian.

I won't lie--this is just about the single most expensive hobby I've ever been involved with in SL, and that counts shopping for both evening gowns and period-accurate Viking attire at stores that routinely start at L$500 per gown, but...well, I'm having fun?

And let's be honest, really--I have a couple different saddles now, I have a couple bridles, I have a few coats for both realism and just pure fun, so--at least from this point, it's pretty much mix and match? Absinthe was the horse that was going to have the most customization, because it turned out to be a shade that did not exist on the grid...until now.



And this is his long-suffering look when I steer him off the path into the weeds. He gives me this look a lot. But I'll get better!

And of course, the sim is Teegle's Equestrian Acres, which is actually a set of three rideable, conjoined sims, steeplechases, roads and riding trails. It's not the easiest to get around if you're just going for the trails, because they are HEAVILY invested in switchbacks? But if you don't mind mixing it up between your horse on cobble and your horse on packed earth, you're gold here.

I woke up this mornin' and I couldn't get out of my front door

This is going to be mostly tab-clearing, things I've been holding on to pass on 'at some point'. But first, this, because it seems vaguely imporant:

[11:56] star (astarynite): If anyone knows people who are losing sims because of less income from CV19, Patch Linden just told a good friend to have any sim owner call concierge to arrange for delay or absent payments
[11:56] Elfbiter Skysmith (elfbiter): Splendid
[11:57] Darlingmonster Ember: nice
[11:57] star (astarynite): yeah
[11:57] Elfbiter Skysmith (elfbiter): They probably have experience about it anyway due to previous bugs in the payment system [11:57] star (astarynite): is true not a rumor

Names most assuredly left in, in case someone wants to verify with Ms. Star, though frankly, calling the concierge might answer the question either way. I do believe her, though, and it's a very appreciated gesture.

Now, first up. A couple things from Good Housekeeping magazine while most of us, at least, are staring out at the world from our homes. This is a list of the best virtual tours of zoos, museums and art galleries, and this is a list of the Broadway shows that are streaming. (And just because it's cute, have some penguins exploring an aquarium.)

A bit more local, Trompe L'oeil has a cottage and chair set (chair is PG, with singles animations, and, I believe, a few two-person cuddles) for gratis due to the epidemic. It will be available at least until this round of Uber ends in Aprille.

Have a listen to the Cristal Baschet, an arrangement of glass rods, metal, wire, wood, and fiberglass cones invented in 1952. Also, a demonstration of David Roentgen's dulcimer player based on Marie Antoinette (with an added separate performance vid of La Joueuse de Tympanon, showing her actual size. Very intricate device.

Reddit's been compiling what they're calling "quarantine cuisine, and not to be outdone, denizens on Imgur have been offering up their own creations. There's also a channel on YouTube that reproduces Depression-era recipes, which is worth watching, but this one in particular, as the entire dish can feed up to four people (at least, four people who can digest cabbage) for under five dollars a person. In a similar vein, Huffington Post has offered up twenty-two filling recipes that just about anyone can make with everyday pantry staples. (And by that, I mean canned or dried beans, rice, canned tuna, canned tomatoes--nothing spectacularly arcane.)

This is a very good factsheet that vies you both tips for staying healthy, how to care for yourself if you have gotten sick, and a list of warning signs for when it's time to seek hospital care. To that end, while it is no replacement for professional protective gear, if you are sick with anything , be it COVID-19, allergies, or a more common-variety flu, consider this pattern or this variation for making your own face masks, if you can't find them online to buy. (Though if you wish to support a charitable effort while you're at it, follow this link for closer to commercially-made simple masks (that link includes the referral code of a friend, but it will only give you $10 off a $100 order; for most of us, though, the $2.11 per mask is far more affordable and easier to acquire).

This next is a very adult offer, but I feel still worthy of passing on--Pornhub has extended their free premium service for all through Aprille 23rd. Just follow the link given in this Tweet. They also plan to donate a portion of their profits to coronavirus relief efforts.

Someone put together a past-to-present look at some previously photographed WWII sites. Going back and forth between the two images on some of them is just stunning.

And finally, this one's a little odd, but if you have lemonade, cream, and self-rising flour, you can make scones. Neat.

That is all.

going anywhere has got to be heaven tonight, 'cause staying here has got to be hell

(Keep in mind I captured this about a week ago, fully intending to edit and put it up the same day. Things have changed, but I still feel there's some value to what's said here.)

And now, for something completely different.

[20:09] hxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: I am on my way to the grocery! Hopefully I will remember everything this time!
[20:09] sxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: lol Yes [Wxxxxxxxx]...
[20:09] sxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: *nods
[20:09] txxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: good luck :) I go tomorrow morning
[20:09] sxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: Take Care [Dxxxxx]! :3
[20:09] Yxx Axxx: case of tp and bleach
[20:10] sxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: soap!
[20:10] Yxx Axxx: 3 mos of critter food
[20:10] sxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: or stuff to make soap lol

It is possible to make soap at home. I've done it. Friends have done it. For a while, along with a family member we had a very small soap business, even, and I was quite proud of our caffeine soap. (Exfoliating from the coffee grounds, and coffee and guarana added to the mix, plus--it floated in water! I loved that stuff.)

Granted, I never made enough to get good at it, but it can be done. The trick is the lye mixture that makes the oil mixture soap. Here's a pretty good article on why that's important. From there, you can make her olive-and-coconut oil listed at the bottom of the entry; this recipe's pretty basic, too. A good basic liquid soap I know is this, which uses no lye (it uses potassium hydroxide flakes instead, a slightly stabler form, also available via Amazon). This is a good coconut-oil-based one. If you'd rather work with soap bases (goat's milk base you can buy at a lot of hobby shops, and on Amazon), this is a pretty easy, basic one. If you like shea butter soaps better, then try this one out.

If you've made soap before, you can scale things up a bit with an activated charcoal soap--it's a little more involved, but again, in a pinch all the ingredients can be bought at health food stores or on Amazon.

And for what it's worth, the simplest hand sanitizer recipe I know isn't exactly functional, but it does work--mix 3 parts rubbing alcohol with 1 part aloe vera gel. Toss in scent or color if you want, but those two ingredients are the only essential ones. Be warned: the aloe will make the end product feel sticky; it's sort of unavoidable in home formulas. If you want to get past that, try this recipe (keeping in mind to not let your pets lick your hands; tea tree oil is incredibly toxic for cats), or if you prefer using witch hazel to alcohol, try this one and swapping out alcohol for the witch hazel (keeping in mind that it's the alcohol that actually sanitizes, witch hazel will not have the same effect, but is gentler on the skin).

[[Insert from the Editrix: While you can still hit the links and see how to DIY these things, I would inform that it's **REALLY** important to make sure that whatever is used in the hand sanitizer, it **NEEDS** to be 60% alcohol or higher. However, in the intervening time, Tito's Vodka has pledged to convert part of their manufacturing line to making hand sanitizer, and a few other liquor companies are going along. I'll get how-to-buy instructions up when they've released the first batches.]]

[20:10] Wxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: all this craziness lately gives new definition to March Madness
[20:11] sxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: true...
[20:11] Yxx Axxx: no sports will be interesting on male ego

And some female egos; I know a lot of female sports fans, too.

[20:11] sxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: awe or whoever like sports I guess...
[20:11] Yxx Axxx: now they can do the honey do lists lol
[20:11] sxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: poor sports fans
[20:11] sxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: They will be ok :3
[20:12] sxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: They can play wii sports or whatever lol
[20:13] txxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: our local news station played the weather 3 times in a half hour! This is strange not having a sports report
[20:13] Wxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: I'm sure there will be lots of video and online games played
[20:13] Wxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: oh yeah that's true, no sports means no sports news
[20:14] Wxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: even our local racetrack ran races with no spectators this weekend, but yet they kept the casino open
[20:14] sxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: Oh that's odd...
[20:14] txxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: yes our racetrack ran the horses with no spectators
[20:14] sxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: o.0
[20:14] sxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: wow...
[20:15] Exxxx Dxxxxx: thats funny keep the casino open with many buttons to push and get something transfered from, oh well let gamblers get it lol
[20:15] Wxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: IKR
[20:15] Yxx Axxx: expendables

[[Insert from the Editrix: Not the wisest decision, and most states at this point (at least in the US) have now issued closing orders for all non-essential businesses.]]

[20:15] Wxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: they still want their money, lol

A sad truth of things.

[20:15] Yxx Axxx: online gaming exists
[20:16] sxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: I don't wish it on even gambling addicts though,, :(
[20:16] txxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: noooo
[20:16] sxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: but doesn't make sense to take chances that way to me
[20:16] Yxx Axxx: i worry for the homeless
[20:17] txxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: and the prisoners :/

[[Insert from the Editrix: At this point, that worry seems well founded. It's spreading through the prison system.]]

[20:17] sxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: I hope people stay as safe as possible and I am glad there is online activity nowadays or I would be SO bored lol
[20:17] txxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: the people in the airports returning from abroad
[20:17] Yxx Axxx: madoff and epstien less so worried
[20:17] Sxxxxxxxxx Sxxxxxx: well they can gamble online so they can stay home and lose their money
[20:17] sxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: *nods
[20:17] kxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: and I thought the youtubers going to the stores just to record the empty shelves were stupid, but an open casino is just crazy!
[20:18] sxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: Yes...
[20:18] txxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: our casino closed but the track has online gambling
[20:19] Yxx Axxx: my home has never been cleaner
[20:19] Exxxx Dxxxxx: if i want to waist money ill get 400 rolls of toilet paper that you cant eat lol
[20:19] Sxxxxxxxxx Sxxxxxx: lol i am betting a lot of people homes are like that especially the ones having to work from home
[20:19] Yxx Axxx: rivals sl home now lol
[20:20] kxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: I don't like going to the store during cold and flu season much less now!
[20:20] EYxx Axxx: ebola sars mers zika now this so no reprieve

[[Insert from the Editrix: Prevailing theory is, there's a strong possibility that this will join recurrent diseases, like measles, chicken pox, and the various flus, only remain in this deadlier form.]]

[20:21] Exxxx Dxxxxx: i envy people that can work at home, the joy of my job Friday was setting up a new printer in our local covid testing site
[20:21] mxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: I work in retail and recently was moved to a commssion based position
[20:22] mxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: 2 weeks ago being stuck at home with the company paying me would be ok. But now..I'm not sure how I'm going to pay my bills.
[20:22] sxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: [Gxxxx] that makes more sense at least
[20:22] Emilly Orr: Ouch, [Mxxxx].
[20:23] mxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: yeah they are working with me to try and help me out, so I can claim "non selling hours" during the week when I do other stuff and they are not even checking to make sure I'm actually doing it and padding the hours . We had customeres on Saturday but I'm assuming it will be slower this week since they just closed all th schools
[20:24] txxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: Hopefully if everyone follows directions by staying home except for groceries, washing their hands.... this virus will burn itself out soon

[[Insert from the Editrix: Well, no, on two grounds: first, a lot of people were idiots, and still went out to church services, Mardi Gras, St. Patrick's Day celebrations, and spring break, which is why there are now cases in every single US state. Secondly, this will not 'burn itself out'. Immunity will reach enough mass through the population that the survivors likely won't get it again. But it will still be there, is the suspicion.]]

[20:24] Wxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: I have worked at home for nearly 4 years and I love it, so staying home will be nothing new for me
[20:24] hxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: I chickened out on the groceries lol
[20:26] Sxxxxxx Exxxx: I am diabled myself, and caretaker to two elderly folks, so I have to be careful. Two grocery stores near me have where you can orderonline, and then go and pick the stuff up already ready to go. It's not delivery, but having that helped.
[20:26] Sxxxxxxxxx Sxxxxxx: yeah i did that with walmart, the curbside delivery
[20:26] txxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: WB [Dxxxxx]!
[20:26] Axxxx Cxxxxx: I worry about what happens in say a month's time, when supplies and patience are running low
[20:26] Wxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: I agree, Gypsy, but unfortunately a lot of people just can't stay home, those who work in retail, etc., and the worst part of this to me is that it will probably kill a lot of small businesses like restaurants and boutique shops
[20:26] hxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: Thank you!!
[20:26] txxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: yes grocery delivery helps, order early
[20:27] mxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: I haven'[t seen my mom , she lives an hour a way but she's been sick a bunch that we agreed I shouldn't see her
[20:27] mxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: and my boyfriend went to his brother's today but I stayed home. I did go to Wal Mart and tomorrow I'll go to work and get gas but that's as limited as I can get
[20:28] txxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: aw [Wxxx], you are right that some do have to go out and collectively we pray and think positive to keep them safe
[20:29] hxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxx: Stymied I am going to that right now, or figure out how to that at least! Thank you for reminding me!

[[Insert from the Editrix: Thankfully, at this point, most of the supply chain has reestablished itself, but with more and more of the country falling ill--our President having decided following Italy's plan was better than South Korea's--it's only a matter of time before we **DO** start seeing major shortages.]]

[20:30] Wxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: [Dxxxxx], I just decided to name my lovebird Corona in honor of present times, but it's a happy name because a corona is a halo or crown effect like the saints had in those old Renaissance paintings :)
[20:30] hxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxx: AWwwwwwww!! That is really beautiful, [Wxxx]!
[20:30] Wxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: thanks :)
[20:30] Exxxx Dxxxxx: just remember social distancing and constant hand washing hygiene, even all us working in hospitals are not all getting sick

[[Insert from the Editrix: I'd highly recommend this suggestion be followed. Correct hand washing techniques--with soap, over all surfaces of the hand, between the fingers, and underneath the nails if possible, for at least 20 seconds--are proving to be better than hand sanitizer, masks, and most levels of protective gear. Barring hospitals--there, they truly do **NEED** the masks, the protective goggles, the gloves, the protective gowns--and they do **NOT** have enough of them. But keep hand washing in mind if you're just at home and not a hospital or care worker--it doesn't have to be hot or even warm water, in a pinch, it just has to be thorough and take at lease 20 seconds of time.]]

[20:32] txxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: excellent ideas :)
[20:32] Wxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: corona viruses have been around for many years, but this one is new, thus the name novel, and our bodies have no immunity to it, so it spreads like wildfire
[20:34] mxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: I was tyring to explain that to people at work [Wxxx] bc they kept saying it has been around since it's on the Lysol bottle itworks against coronoavirus
[20:34] mxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: but they just ddin't believe me
[20:35] Emilly Orr: The thing about this is, yes, there are a lot of strains of coronavirus, it's pretty common, but MOST of the ones we've been hit with cause symptoms. This one...doesn't. You get it, you start to feel sick 2 to 14 days after exposure. Which is why it's dangerous--anyone can walk around, thinking they're well, and be a carrier.

[[Having had the days between when this was captured and now, we now know that for some carriers, they can show no symptoms for up to **FOUR** weeks, which seems insane, or carry so nominal symptoms as to seem like a standard mild allergy attack. We also know from doctors who have gotten it and detailed their symptoms online that when one **DOES** fall prey to this, respiratory failure is not the only concern. It's also accompanied by a consistent fever, for several days to weeks, that never lowers below 101 degrees for the afflicted. Add to that immense fatigue and severe joint pain, and this is **NOT** a bug anyone wants to get.]]

[20:35] Wxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: I saw a good post on FB today that explained the difference between this virus and the others, which brough tit all into perspective
[20:36] Exxxx Dxxxxx: True honey why get good information Coronaviruses (CoV) are a large family of viruses that cause illness thats like saying flu swine flu bird flu is many types
[20:36] hxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: Thank you, [Wxxx] : )
[20:36] bxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: agh [Mxxxx] amd Emily - my sister is so much smarter than i'll ever be but she's saying those exact Facebook-y group type things that are just making me CRAZY
[20:37] Emilly Orr: Yeah, there's a LOT of misinformation out there, unfortunately.
[20:37] Wxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: people keep saying the virus is just like the flu, but it's not
[20:37] txxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: yes! please check facts on the CDC website
[20:37] Emilly Orr: Flu can kill too. And has. Dismissing it as something that *also* kills people makes no sense.
[20:38] Wxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: true, very true, Emily
[20:38] Exxxx Dxxxxx: pneumonia kills thats how they are similar

[[Insert from the Editrix: The main thing that we're seeing now, that we didn't see at the time I put this together, is that it's not just a disease that will take out the elderly and the impaired. (And I am **STILL** highly irate with the guest at one of our dances that told me, **TO MY FACE,** that it's okay if I die because I'm "weak". Gosh, thanks for that, like I wasn't concerned enough. It wasn't like getting pneumonia sixteen times by age 20 was a **HOBBY**. No one **CHOOSES** that.) But at this point, we are seeing it going everywhere--through the aging population, yes, but also hitting the young, and that group of 24-to-40-year-olds that seemed to think they were invulnerable. Guess what, folks? You're not. Snap out of it.]]

[20:38] Emilly Orr: And hospitals are already dealing with people who've swallowed rubbing alcohol or bleach to 'kill' the virus. Please don't do that.

I'm not kidding. This video goes into two of the recent cases, and exactly why such treatments will not work. So play it safe and don't do it.

[20:38] wxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: Ohhhh NO!!!

Oh, yes, unfortunately. It's happening, because people don't check if something is true before doing it. Don't believe anything blindly.

[20:39] txxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: 0_o
[20:39] Sxxxxxxxxx Sxxxxxx: everyone knows you drink purel for that

[20:39] Exxxx Dxxxxx: Virus

severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2
(SARS-CoV-2)
[20:39] Exxxx Dxxxxx: Disease
coronavirus disease
(COVID-19)

[20:39] Exxxx Dxxxxx: two different things
[20:41] bxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxxx: we can't all afford to have to see a doctor at the same time and crash the system

[[Which is **EXACTLY** why social distancing is important. It won't **KILL* this thing, it won't stop it in its tracks, but the hope is we can space out the cases so none of our hospitals have to deal with a thousand new cases for a building that holds 300. I have seen pictures of Italy where there are patients in the halls, stacked six to a room, pushed into closets, and people are still dying because they don't have enough ventilators for all the afflicted.]]

[20:42] axxxxxxxxxxxxxx: plenty of people care for a older family member so make the effort for community health
[20:43] wxxxxxxxxxxxxxx: one recommendation I've seen is to call your doctor if you have symptoms, dont' just show up at the ER or urgent care, or use a telehealth system to speak to a doctor about your symptoms
[20:44] axxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: as mentined before cdc website is very informative
[20:45] Exxxx Dxxxxx: yes where you are you should have a health link number or on the news some number to call. going infecting all at regular hospital not a good idea.
[20:46] txxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: yes there is a checklist
[20:47] Exxxx Dxxxxx: even if call 911 you should let them know you have symptoms so they come prepared
[20:47] Exxxx Dxxxxx: if you do have they symptoms that is

That's not always helpful, though, at least in the US. While there is no earthly reason for any medical professional not to know these things by now, there was an incident where a fellow called in with mild symptoms (calling in to a nurse specifically so if he did have the virus, he wouldn't infect people in the hospital), and the nurse laughed. Told him to turn off the TV, and if he had coronavirus, he'd know it. Then hung up on him.

That's the thing, as I explained above. With an incubation period of 48 hours to two full weeks, it's not only possible to feel no symptoms and be infected, it's likely. I am hoping word starts getting around and reinforcing, but if we can't even trust our nurses and doctors, where do we go?

Thankfully, for most in the medical field, they are trustworthy, and they are willing to help. It's the outliers that paint the worst pictures of things.

[[Last insert from the Editrix: While I did want to mention that story, because it's appalling, I will say that everything I've seen since then paints doctors and nurses as brave, caring, fierce caregivers, and even those who've fallen ill are trying to track their symptms and pass them on so that might help others. I'm also hearing that several countries are now sending protective supplies to the countries hardest hit, Italy in specific, but others, with words of comfort and support. If nothing else, we can say that this horrible virus did help, for at least a while, to bring the world together. I just wish it had been something a little less fatal.]]

I've got a dream when the darkness is over, we'll be lyin' in the rays of the sun

I did not realize the Hill of Crosses existed in SL.


(Creative Commons license reserved to photographer Diego Delso. All rights reserved.)

The Hill of Crosses, or Kryžių kalnas, beyond the screen is in Šiauliai, wbich is in the upper part of Lithuania. No one seems to know for sure when it began to sprout crosses in profusion, but most sources agree it began sometime in the first few decades of the 1800s, after a few wars wherein the dead were buried where they fell, and not back home with their loved ones. Having no bodies to commemorate, they went to the hill and memorialized them there.

And the Lithuanian government was initally not pleased--especially during Soviet-occupied years. To the point, in fact, that the Soviet army bulldozed the hill, the site of the old Domantai Fort, three times--once in the 1940s, I believe, again in 1963, and once more in 1973.


(Creative Commons license reserved to photographer B. Villaiba, who snapped this image in 2016. All rights reserved.)

The people were undeterred. They raised the stakes--quite literally staking crosses deep into the hill, but also carting in statues of Jesus and the Virgin, hanging rosaries, holy medals, blessed scapulars and heavy crucifixes atop the crosses, the trees, the statues. It became as much an act of defiance, as it was worship.

And, as the Soviets discovered, nothing worked. The crosses kept coming back. And now, in these latter days, it has become a major Catholic pilgrimage site for eastern Europe, and there's more crosses and religious iconography than ever.


(Creative Commons license reserved to photographer Diego Delso. All rights reserved.)

There are many religious pilgrimages where the journey is the reward, or the power or peace of the place once it's reached. For Kryžių kalnas, any pilgrimage that ends there honors human will, as well as holy devotion. With its history, it is impossible to disconnect the two, and maybe that's as it should be. As Lithuania has survived terrible tragedies, so has this hill, the heart and soul of the faithful. It stands as a dual tribute to both: endurance and worship, defiance and deeply held beliefs. There's a power in that all its own.

In the meantime, worried about easy foods to eat, and make, prior to getting sick, or while sick? Honestly, this would've been better information a week back, before the stores were gutted by hoarders, but...At any rate, this is a surprisingly good list. It contains a few dishes that are nearly impossible to overcook, recommends flavor combinations, and two pretty stable, easy to store desserts--plus a fairly simple chicken soup. Nice.

there's nobody missing, there is no reward, little by little we're cutting the cord

So, the conversation was about food, and I was only halfway following:

[20:38] hxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: Pad Thai, everyone?
[20:39] mxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: whats pad thai?
[20:39] Vxxxxxxxx Ixxxx: oh yum
[20:40] hxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: OOoo it is lovely! Noodles and veggies and eggs and meat on rice noodles in a spicy/sweet/smokey sauce!

It is pretty good. Here's a fairly easy recipe for it that comes with both printed and video instructions. And this one says it'll be on the table in thirty minutes (though I think that's exclusive of prep time).

[20:40] Gxxxxxxxxxx Dxxxxxxx: its a Chinese rice and noodle dish

Thai noodle dish. Actually.

[20:40] mxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: ooooo
[20:41] hxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: I made it!
[20:41] hxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: : ))
[20:41] hxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: mmm i love Pad Thai
[20:41] Gxxxxxxxx Axxxxx: Not to be confused with Muay Thai . . which is pain. :-p

Well, that's definitely true. The Thai boxing style tends towards fast and lethal moves, more than escape and subdual.

[20:42] mxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: oooo
[20:42] mxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: is it?
[20:42] hxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: Need cucumber slices with it! I forgot those!
[20:42] Vxxxxxxxx Ixxxx: I recently had it for the 1st time recently and OMG it was so good
[20:42] Rxxxxxx Sxxxxxxx: IO know I will be hte

Meet Ms. S. This came out of nowhere, and I was puzzling over what "hte" actually meant. Was she drunk, or just couldn't spell?

[20:42] hxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: O wonderful, [Vxxx]! Welcome! lol
[20:42] dxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: Pho is Still my favorite.. lol

Now, real pho soup takes 24-48 hours to make properly. Here's a quicker version. This one's called "cheater" pho, because it's even easier. And this one's a multi-step chicken-based version. None of these are traditional, but they'll taste enough similar to pass.

[20:42] Rxxxxxx Sxxxxxxx: hatd

Still confused. Hate? Hatted? Had?

[20:42] hxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: Pho is wonderful, too!
[20:43] Rxxxxxx Sxxxxxxx: everyone hatesd Jewxs

And there it is. Really? This is a freebie and sales announcement group. Beyond that, the discussion had been about foods they enjoy. Where did this come from?

[20:43] dxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: 0.0
[20:43] hxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: My apologies, everyone.
[20:44] Axxxxx Dxxxxxxxx: I watched an episode of American Test Kitchen/Cooks Country, and Julia made Pad Thai, it lookd good
[20:44] hxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: I deeply apologize.
[20:44] cxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: What was that [Rxxxxx]?
[20:44] Mxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: that was a bit random.

It really was.

[20:45] cxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: Who does everyone hate?

Apparently, "everyone" hates Jews. Which is sheerly ludicrous. And why that comment in this group? Out of the blue. It's bizarre.

Oh, and this idiot joined three years after I did, which makes her over ten years on the grid! So she is more than old enough, in SL and RL, to KNOW. BETTER.

[20:45] Vxxxxxxxx Ixxxx: what was that about?
[20:45] hxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: Move on, please.
[20:45] hxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: If I could I would remove it, but I cannot.

Sadly, there are limitations to being a mod, but I'm not sure even a group owner could strike someone's stated comment once published.

[20:45] cxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: A friend of mine got booted for criticizing a product.

That happens, yeah. I've been kicked from a group for asking a question.

[20:45] Mxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: when i seen that I scrolled up to see her having her own conversation that didn't match anything of what else was going on in chat.

I wasn't in world for that, so I only have this.

[20:46] cxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: But its OK to post anti-semitic hate messages?

No. Keep in mind mod H can't delete a comment from chat. Possibly the Lindens could, but I don't think anyone else has the power levels necessary to do that.

[20:46] hxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: [Jxxxx]? Do you see that poster in chat?
[20:46] Dxxxxxxxx Rxxxx: you cant stop a comment in chat only boot after the fact
[20:46] hxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: It was taken care of.
[20:46] cxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: Good. Banned?
[20:47] Vxxxxxxxx Ixxxx: I am glad it was taken care of
[20:47] Mxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: Group hug! Everyone have a happy new year
! [20:47] Pxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: you have a happy new year too

Things went on from there, in far less bigoted ways, so I stopped the capture here. But I'm still baffled. Someone thought this was appropriate to say two days after Christmas. Really? REALLY?

Not to mention we're days away from the second decade of the 21st century, and if people are still holding on to such laughably outdated ideas, they really need to just sit down and shut up. Maybe they'll learn something that way.

grateful for each hand we hold, gathered round this table

US Thanksgiving is coming up, and the Smithsonian published an fascinating article on the three-day autumn feasting at Plymouth, which seems to have consisted of roasted or boiled fowl, fish and eels, along with cracked-corn pottage and (possibly) an early form of corn mash. So overall, very meat-heavy. It certainly was not called Thanksgiving then, nor for many decades after. In fact, that name wasn't really popularized until the 1850s at the very earliest, and wasn't ratified as a national holiday until 1863.

So how did we get from passenger pidgeons, eels, shellfish, cracked Indian corn, swans, wild turkeys, and corn mash to what we consider now? Thank Godey's Lady's Book for that. They began collating recipes from the time the holiday was ratified, until they ceased publication, and largely, what they suggested became what we expect to see on our tables. Here's a selection of those recipes (lightly corrected for modern cooking techniques).

(The last two are entirely modern, but I felt the variations on traditional oyster stuffing were worth including.)

Oyster Soup

Put two quarts of shelled oysters, liquor and all, into a pan, and set them on the stove to heat (do not let them boil). Drain all the liquor into a soup kettle, add a pint of water and two quarts of new milk, half a pound of good butter, an a little whole allspice and black pepper.
Keep the oysters in a warm place or oven on low heat. Salt the soup to taste just before serving, then ladle in the warm oysters.

Oyster Sauce

Separate the oysters from the juice, setting the oysters in one bowl, and pouring the juice into another. If there is not sufficient juice for the quantity of sauce required, put one-third the amount of oysters of water into the bowl. Set where it will boil, with two blades of mace and salt and pepper to taste. Mix a little flour with a bit of milk until it is smoothly blended, and slowly pour in to thicken the sauce.

When it has boiled several minutes, to each pint put half a pint of oysters. As soon as they are scalded through, take the sauce from the fire, and add a piece of butter about the size of a hen’s egg, and serve immediately. Reserve the oysters for other use.

Dried Pea Soup

Soak the peas over night, using a quart of water to each quart of peas, and putting in about a teaspoonful of soda to soften them. Rinse the peas the next morning, and put them in new water in the same proportions. Boil until tender with a pound and a half of salt pork or preserved beef; lift the peas out and mash through a colander, returning the paste to the cooking fluid without the skins. Salt and pepper well, and bring to a boil until done.

Basic Puff Pastry

To make puff pastry satisfactorily, allow one pound of slightly softened butter to mix with a pound of flour. Break a quarter of a pound of butter into little bits, and rub well into the flour, in which a little salt and baking powder has been put. Mix to a paste with water and lay it on a well floured board. Roll it out once lightly, placing bits of butter at short spaces all over the surface. Sprinkle with flour, fold in four quarters and roll out lightly again

Repeat this process four times, dotting more bits of butter over the pastry, and the resulting pastry should be very light.

Chicken Pie

Joint a young chicken and boil the pieces until nearly tender in just enough water to cover the pieces, laid into a pot. Take the chicken pieces out of the cooking fluid and lay them in a pudding dish lined with pie crust, and to each layer of chicken pieces, put three or four thin slices of pork, or a couple of ounces of butter cut into small bits. Season each layer well with pepper and salt, and dredge flour over the top, and then carefully pour in the cooking liquid until it just nearly covers the top of the meat pieces. Cover the pie with a lid of pie crust, and bake in a medium oven for an hour.

Forcemeat Balls

Chop lean veal or beef very fine, together with a little raw salt pork. Season the mixture with salt, pepper and ground cloves. Mix well, and make into round balls the size of half an egg. Boil half of the meat balls in soup for fifteen minutes, and fry the other half in hot fat or good butter. Serve those on a separate dish, the first half being served within the soup.

Boned Turkey

Remove the flesh from the bone with a sharp knife, scraping it downwards and away, being careful to keep the bird whole and not chop it into pieces. Begin at the wings and try not to tear or slice through the skin. Loosen the flesh from the breast, back and thighs.

Draw the skeleton by the neck from the flesh, then stuff with the same dressing as a roast turkey, or alternatively, stuff with fresh herbs and halved wild onions. If there are any broken places lace them shut with stalks of herb or twine. Bake about three hours, allow to cool, and serve cold.

Mincemeat

Chop one and a half pounds (when chopped) of nice roast beef, beef suet, tart green apples, and Malaga raisins picked clean of stems. Add the same quantity of fresh or dried currants. Add one pound of good brown sugar and half of one pound of mixed orange, lemon and citron candied peel, shredded small. Put in the juice and grated rind of a lemon, a coffee-cup of sugar, powdered spices to taste, and half a teaspoonful of salt. Mix with a quart of sweet cider reduced to a pint by boiling with maple syrup. Add a glass of raspberry or other favored jelly, and more of the cider if the mince meat is too dry. This can be served as a compote or reserved for pie.

Sweet Potato Pudding or Pie

Take one pound of sweet potatoes, peeled or not as desired, and boil them until tender. Mash fine in a bowl, and mix in six well-beaten eggs. When mixed in, add three-quarters of a pound of sugar, three-quarters of a pound of butter, a grated lemon rind, half a whole cracked nutmeg, a wine glass of brandy or milk (or a wine glass of half milk and half brandy).

Line a pudding dish with pastry, fill with this mixture, and bake until set. Sprinkle with crushed sugar before serving.

Alternatively, take a pudding dish and butter it well with good butter, and fill with the mixture, and bake until set as sweet potato pudding.

Lemon Pie

Dissolve one tablespoonful of corn starch in a little water, and pour on it a cup of boiling water, put it on the fire, and when it boils up pour it on one cup of sugar, and a tablespoonful of butter. Let cool, and when cool, add one egg and the yolk of another well beaten, and the peel and juice of a lemon. Put in a pie plate lined with pastry and bake until pastry is golden brown. When done, spread over the top the white of one egg beaten up with sugar, and let stand in the oven (the oven turned off), for a few minutes to brown up.

Orange Pie

Take one tablespoonful of butter, rub to a cream in a bowl, then add one cup of sugar. Beat well together. Grate the rind of one large sweet orange, also one lemon; squeeze the juice, two eggs beaten separately, the whites to a stiff froth. Add to the sugar and butter, first the yolks, afterward the juice and rind of the lemon and orange, lastly the whites. Beat quickly. Have ready an open shell of paste into which turn the mixture and bake. This makes one pie and can be doubled as required.

Pumpkin Pie

Take off the rind and scrape out the seeds of a small stew pumpkin. Cut the rest into small pieces and stew over a moderate fire with just enough water to keep from burning at the bottom of the pot. When stewed soft, turn off the water and steam over a slow fire for fifteen or twenty minutes, taking care not to scorch. Then remove from the fire and strain through a colander when cool. If the pies are to be very rich, to a quart of strained pumpkin put two quarts of milk and ten eggs; if plain use only a quart of milk to one of pumpkin and three or four eggs. Add sugar, salt and ginger to taste. Mace and the grated rind of lemon can also be added if wished. Pumpkin pies require a very hot oven and long baking unless there are many eggs in them. Heat the mixture before filling into the pastry, or the crust will bake too hard before the pumpkin is done.

West Indian Dessert

Cut four to six bananas into very thin slices. Peel and slice three oranges. Open and drain a can of pineapple slices. Lay them alternately in a deep glass dish, with the orange and pineapple slices quartered, and sprinkle between each layer grated coconut and sugar. Bake until done.

White Almond Cake

1 cup blanched and chopped almonds
1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
3 cups flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup milk
6 egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
confectionary sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and sugar. Add flour and baking power to creamed butter and sugar, alternating with milk. Add chopped almonds and mix well.

Beat egg whites until stiff and fold into the batter. Stir in vanilla extract. Pour into greased and floured Bundt pan.

Bake for 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool on wire rack. When cool, sift confectionary sugar over top. A basic white frosting sprinkled with almonds was also popular.

Washington-era Turkey

Take one pound wheat bread, 3 ounces beef suet, 3 eggs, a little sweet thyme, some sweet majoram, pepper and salt, and add a gill [a quarter of a pint] of wine; mix thoroughly. Fill the bird therewith and sew up, hang down to a steady solid fire, basting frequently with butter and water and roast until steam emits from the breast

Put one third of a pound of butter into the gravy, dust flour over the bird and baste with gravy; serve up with boiled onions, cranberry sauce, mangoes, pickles or celery.

Theodore Roosevelt's Vegetable Turkey

Boil one pound chestnuts until tender, remove the shells, add a teaspoon of salt and a pinch of thyme, and mix thoroughly. Boil together a large turnip, one carrot, two potatoes, two stalks celery, three whole or cracked peppercorns, and two cloves. When the vegetables are tender, press through a colander. Add the tender chestnuts and mash all together, adding two Tablespoons each of butter and cream. Salt to taste, place in a buttered mould, in a hot oven; heat thoroughly and serve on a meat platter, garnished with slices of lemon and sprigs of parsley.

Benjamin Harrison's Succotash

Take one pint green Lima beans, one-half dozen ears of corn (grated), one-half pound salt pork, freshened a little with salt rubbed into the surface. Place the salt pork and the beans in a pot and cook together until tender. About one-half hour before serving put in corn. Use no more water than is necessary.

Grover Cleveland's Cape Cod Style String Beans

Snap the ends and tips off one pound of string beans, then snap or cut them in half. Place the beans in a cast iron pan. Cover just the bottom of the pan with a bit of warm water. Take a half pound of salt pork, sliced into smallish chunks. Add the salt pork to the pan. Cook for half an hour to an hour, depending on desired doneness. After they have cooked for half the time, put in a half pound of fresh green peas, add a bit more water, and return to cooking. Right before serving, stir in half a cup of cream, and salt and pepper to taste.

Chester Arthur's Cranberry Pie

Wash and chop (not very fine) one and a half cups whole cranberries, adding one to two cups of seeded raisins and one cup sugar. Sprinkle on a little flour and some spices, along with the juice of one orange and one teaspoon of orange zest. Line a pie plate with one crust and parbake it for ten minutes in a moderate oven. Fill the crust with the warm cranberry mixture, lay on the top crust, pierced with a fork or a knife, and bake in a moderate oven three-quarters of an hour to one hour and thirty minutes, depending.

Southern-style Cornbread

15 ounces (3 cups) stone-ground cornmeal
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3 teaspoons sugar (optional)
2 1/2 cups buttermilk
3 eggs
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, melted, divided

Place a well-seasoned 12-inch cast iron skillet on the center rack of the oven and preheat oven to 375°F. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk cornmeal with salt, baking powder, baking soda, and sugar (if using). In a separate bowl, whisk buttermilk with eggs until homogenous. Whisking constantly, drizzle in all but 1 tablespoon melted butter. Whisk liquid ingredients into dry ingredients just until thoroughly mixed; avoid over-mixing.

Pour remaining 1 tablespoon melted butter into preheated skillet and carefully swirl to coat bottom and sides. Scrape batter into prepared skillet, smoothing the top gently with a rubber spatula. Bake until cornbread is lightly browned on top and a skewer inserted into center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Let cool for about 15 minutes in skillet, then serve warm. (Cornbread does not keep well and will lose its texture as it cools, so it's best to eat it while it's still fresh.)

Cornbread Dressing With Oysters and Sausage

1 recipe Southern-Style Unsweetened Cornbread (about 2 1/2 pounds; 1 1/4 kilograms), cut into 3/4-inch dice
1 stick unsalted butter (113 grams), plus more for greasing dish
1 pound (500 grams) sweet Italian sausage, removed from casing
1 large onion, finely chopped (about 2 cups; 300 grams)
2 large stalks celery, finely chopped (about 1 cup; 200 grams)
1/2 medium fennel bulb, finely chopped (about 1 cup; 200 grams)
2 medium cloves garlic, minced (about 2 teaspoons; 10 grams)
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves
3 cups homemade chicken stock or low-sodium broth (700 milliliters), divided
4 large eggs
2 tablespoons minced fresh tarragon leaves
1/4 cup minced flat-leaf parsley leaves (about 1/4 ounce; 8 grams), divided
2 cups raw oysters and their liquor (470 milliliters; about 32 medium oysters), oysters chopped (see note)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Adjust oven racks to lower-middle and upper-middle positions. Preheat oven to 425°F. Spread cornbread evenly over 2 rimmed baking sheets. Stagger sheets on oven racks and bake until lightly toasted, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool. In a large Dutch oven, melt butter over medium-high heat until foaming subsides, about 2 minutes, without allowing butter to brown. Add sausage and mash with stiff whisk or potato masher to break up into fine pieces (largest pieces should be no bigger than 1/4 inch). Cook, stirring frequently, until only a few bits of pink remain, about 8 minutes. Add onion, celery, fennel, garlic, and thyme and cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables are softened, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and add half of chicken stock. Whisk remaining chicken stock, eggs, tarragon, and 3 tablespoons parsley in a medium bowl until homogeneous. Stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, slowly pour egg mixture into sausage mixture. Add cornbread cubes, oysters, and oyster liquor and fold gently until evenly mixed. Season lightly with salt and pepper.

Transfer dressing to a buttered 9- by 13-inch rectangular baking dish or 10- by 14-inch oval dish. The dressing can be covered with aluminum foil and refrigerated for up to 2 days at this point (the flavor will improve as it sits). When ready to bake, preheat oven to 375°F. Uncover dressing and bake until an instant-read thermometer reads 150°F when inserted into center of dish and dressing is crisped on top, about 45 minutes. Remove from oven, let cool for 5 minutes, sprinkle with remaining parsley, and serve.

(Note: You can shuck your own fresh oysters (see the video above for instructions), ask your fishmonger to do it, or buy containers of raw shucked oysters. Our tests showed that the stuffing tastes just as good with pre-shucked oysters as with freshly shucked. The easiest way to chop the oysters is to snip them in a container using kitchen shears; that way you don't lose their juices to the cutting board.)

Oyster Stuffing With Fennel, Tarragon, and Sausage

2 pounds (1 kilogram; about 2 loaves) high-quality sandwich bread or soft Italian or French bread, cut into 3/4-inch dice, about 5 quarts
1 stick unsalted butter (113 grams), plus more for greasing dish
1 pound (500 grams) sweet Italian sausage, removed from casing
1 large onion, finely chopped (about 2 cups; 300 grams)
2 large stalks celery, finely chopped (about 1 cup; 200 grams)
1/2 medium fennel bulb, finely chopped (about 1 cup; 200 grams)
2 medium cloves garlic, minced (about 2 teaspoons; 10 grams)
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves
3 cups homemade chicken stock or low-sodium broth (700 milliliters), divided
3 large eggs
2 tablespoons minced fresh tarragon leaves
1/4 cup minced flat-leaf parsley leaves (about 1/4 ounce; 8 grams), divided
2 cups raw oysters and their liquor (470 milliliters; about 32 medium oysters), oysters chopped (see note)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Adjust oven racks to lower-middle and upper-middle positions. Preheat oven to 275°F. Spread bread evenly over 2 rimmed baking sheets. Stagger sheets on oven racks and bake until bread is completely dried, about 50 minutes total, rotating sheets and stirring bread cubes several times during baking. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Increase oven temperature to 350°F. In a large Dutch oven, melt butter over medium-high heat until foaming subsides, without allowing butter to brown, about 2 minutes. Add sausage and mash with stiff whisk or potato masher to break up into fine pieces (largest pieces should be no bigger than 1/4 inch). Cook, stirring frequently, until only a few bits of pink remain, about 8 minutes. Add onion, celery, fennel, garlic, and thyme and cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables are softened, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and add half of chicken stock.

Whisk remaining chicken stock, eggs, tarragon, and 3 tablespoons parsley in a medium bowl until homogeneous. Stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, slowly pour egg mixture into sausage mixture. Add bread cubes, oysters, and oyster liquor and fold gently until evenly mixed. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Transfer stuffing to a buttered 9- by 13-inch rectangular baking dish (or 10- by 14-inch oval dish) and bake until browned on top and an instant read-thermometer reads 150°F when inserted into center of dish, about 45 minutes. Remove from oven, let cool for 5 minutes, sprinkle with remaining parsley, and serve.

(Note: You can shuck your own fresh oysters (see the video above for instructions), ask your fishmonger to do it, or buy containers of raw shucked oysters. Our tests showed that the stuffing tastes just as good with pre-shucked oysters as with freshly shucked. The easiest way to chop the oysters is to snip them in a container using kitchen shears; that way you don't lose their juices to the cutting board.)

Sources: Thanksgiving Recipes from Godey's Lady's Book, Thanksgiving As We Know It Was Dreamt Up By a Womens' Magazine, Lincoln Home Museum's article on Mary Lincoln, The Best Presidential Thanksgiving Recipes, How to Make Oyster Stuffing for Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving Day and Dinner Through the Years (for the history, though there are recipes linked), and Pilgrim Hall Museum's Thanksgiving By the Cookbook (.pdf file) (again, mainly for the history, though more recipes are listed therein).

started by daylight next morning blithe and early

Happy Feast of Padraig! Bígi beannaithe!

This year, we're coming into things fairly tired, RL. So we're making things the easy way. We decided to modify this recipe for the slow cooker. We've washed and halved (and occasionally quartered) about sixteen red potatoes, we're using peeled "baby" carrots instead of peeling and chopping larger cooking ones, and we're just using minced garlic from a jar we had of it over peeling and mincing a few cloves on our own.

Rest of the conversion is surprisingly easy--in an empty slow cooker, layer in the potatoes and carrots, then lay the brisket atop them (usually we go for point cuts, this year we went with a flat cut roast, but there's not that much difference). We're cutting two onions into wedges after removing the onion skin, and those go on top. Then we pour over a bottle of Guinness and turn on the slow cooker. Before we add a box of beef broth, we're adding the spices (and generally, a tablespoon of our own pickling spice blend, too) over the meat, and that's it. Lid on, heat high, off y'go.

Maybe an hour before serving, we'll rinse and quarter a small cabbage, and toss that on the very top to steam. Over the course of the day, we're also planning on making a very simple soda bread (though we're American, so of course we're also tossing in black pepper, rosemary and grated cheddar cheese) to go with the corned beef and veg, and Guinness chocolate brownies for after. Plus, there's one other dish (I said we're tired, we're not planning our usual six or seven side dishes) we'll make closer to serving: hashed neeps.

Which takes a little explaining. There's a medieval recipe for bashed neeps we've been using for years. It's endlessly variable and works with just about anything can be thrown in without issue. Traditionally, the recipe goes like this:

Bashed Neeps

Ingredients:

6 large turnips, washed and chopped
2 large parsnips, washed, peeled and chopped
6 cups water
1 pound good butter
1 cup whole cream
1/4 tsp mace
salt and pepper to taste

Toss the chopped roots into a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook until roots are fork-tender. Drain, and mash with the butter and the cream. Salt and pepper to taste, and add the mace, stirring to mix.

Spoon into a buttered baking dish, and bake at 350 degrees until warmed through (about half an hour). Just before serving, make a well in the center and fill with cubes of reserved butter to melt. Serve.

Now, we've played with this recipe endlessly over the years. We've cut out the cream some years, or replaced it with whole milk or cashew milk. We've added in carrots, leeks, onions, radish, and green onions. The beauty of bashed neeps is it can be endlessly adapted, and it all still tastes good.

This year, we're doing a variation we made last year, which turned out to be something we like even better than root mash, namely:

Hashed Neeps

Ingredients:

4 turnips, washed
2 parsnips, washed and peeled
2 large carrots, washed and peeled

Grate all the roots, patting each root batch dry with a paper towel as you go, sprinkling with salt. After all the roots are grated, heat a pan with a bit of oil (or butter, just be careful to watch the butter so it doesn't burn). Add in spoonfuls of the grated roots, spreading them out to form basic patties. Cook as hash browns. Serve warm.

It's surprising how much crispy fried edges add to winter roots.

And while most years we also throw together Colccannon, again, this year, we just don't have the spoons. So we'll likely have that around October, when it's actually supposed to be served anyway.

In other news, caught a link in world to a Facebook page talking about the holiday:

Undoubtedly today you will hear at one point within a Pagan circle about how today is a day marking a mass murder of Pagans by referring to the snakes that St.Patrick drove out being the Druids. Unfortunately, like most tales brewed by/for the church... its grossly over exaggerated. I am not saying that St.Patrick did not fight Pagans and battle with Druids and even kill some or many in the name of the church (that much we know happened because it was properly recorded), that is how things were. What I am saying is that he was no amazing missionary and he was no especially skilled man in any way shape or form, and like most, his exaggerated stories surfaced hundreds of years after he had already died. The idea of saints driving out creatures from lands did not start or end with him, it was a very common tale they loved to recount to put aires upon a certain saint. Instead of over exaggerating the church's inevitable take over in Ireland... recount and celebrate the strength, perseverance, and resilience Ireland has had as they have had to fight for centuries. Instead celebrate the Fae, The Morrigan, Cú Chulainn, Brigid, The Faoladh and Conroicht and the plethora of Celtic deity and lore. I am Irish Canadian and my Nan was a classic secret keeping feisty Irish woman... these are the things I celebrate today, this is the magic that lurks in my veins. Research it yourself, that is what we are made for. Seek out the truth, but please don't go blindly into perpetuating a tale that only makes the ones hated more powerful. Druids faded with the invasion of the church, but they certainly did not and will not disappear.

Now, I do have a few problems with this, mainly that it completely neglects that Saint Patrick largely was invented from whole cloth to force the Irish to convert.

But, at least according to my researches, Brigid had a consort, named Padraig. And, considering there never were snakes in Ireland, Padraig never rid the Isles of them. So why worry about saints that never existed? Celebrate the faiths that survive. Celebrate that Brigid's Fire has never gone out, even when commanded to be snuffed by the Catholic Church. Celebrate that there are, always have been, and always will be pagans, heathens and Druids in Ireland. Celebrate that even moving to America, in terrible poverty, could not kill the Celtic spirit.

Ignore the rest. It's a feast day!

I am a perfect copy of whatever I was

The infopocalypse is here, and it is poisoning us all.

There's a new cooking blog on the sidebar, Cooking with Yusen. Mainly for the wonton soup recipe, but then I tracked down recipes for homemade ramen, katsu curry, pasta carbonara, Guinness beef stew, and homemade potstickers (or gyoza dumplings).

So yes, I'll now be following them and seeing what they post next.

[15:33] fyre (fyreflower): there are so many diff levels of steam...you've got burner glam to goth/industrial steam..and every crazy awesome mix in between

Please, please, someone tell me what "burner glam" is. I need to know.

In other news, Twitch is trying to crack down on abusive, overly sexualized, or harrassing content, leading a few streamers to worry if they're next on the chopping block to be banned.

And do you debate what soup is, long into the night? Do you ponder what can be soup? Do you wake up, wondering if aliens understand the nature of soup? If so, there's now a game made just for you. You can now ponder the existential philosophy of soup while there's a break between projects, or between social events (because it's a browser game, see). There you go.