Ace/Martha, scars. Took forever to write, and probably isn't kinky enough, but did yield what may be my favorite comment I've ever received on a story. As usual, there's a slightly edited version on Teaspoon; author's notes in the kinkmeme master list.
I have had a moderately evil morning and am going to improve my mood through memeage.
1. Pick 10 of your favorite books or series.
2. Post the first sentence of each book. (If one sentence seems too short, post two or three!)
3. Let everyone try to guess the titles and authors of your books.
Hint: most of these are SF/fantasy.
1. A screaming comes across the sky. Gravity's Rainbow, by Thomas Pynchon, guessed by
orbitalmechanic
2. "And by the way," said Mr. Hankin, arresting Miss Rossiter as she rose to go, "there is a new copy-writer coming in today." Murder Must Advertise, by Dorothy Sayers, guessed by
orbitalmechanic
3. It's almost impossible to pinpoint the beginning of a fad. Bellwether, by Connie Willis, guessed by
ms_hooligan
4. The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel. Neuromancer, by William Gibson, guessed by
platypus
5. The Deliverator belongs to an elite order, a hallowed sub-category. Snow Crash, by Neal Stephenson, guessed by
luckylefty
6. The island of Gont, a single mountain that lifts its peak a mile above the storm-racked Northeast Sea, is a land famous for wizards. A Wizard of Earthsea, by Ursula K. LeGuin, guessed by
papilio_luna
7. Georges Leon held his little boy's hand too tightly and stared up from under his hatbrim at the unnaturally dark noon sky.
8. On Friday, August third, 1923, the morning after President Harding's death, reporters followed the widow, the Vice President, and Charles Carter, the magician. Carter Beats the Devil, by Glen David Gold, guessed by
columbina
9. I was the shadow of the waxwing slain* Pale Fire, by Vladimir Nabokov, guessed by
columbina
10. "Tonight we're going to show you eight silent ways to kill a man." The Forever War, by Joe Haldeman, guessed by
elliptic_eye
*This one is a tiny cheat, as it comes from a novel whose author's foreword is actually part of the story, and this first sentence is from the "real opening" of the book. That information alone may be enough to tell you what it is.
1. Pick 10 of your favorite books or series.
2. Post the first sentence of each book. (If one sentence seems too short, post two or three!)
3. Let everyone try to guess the titles and authors of your books.
Hint: most of these are SF/fantasy.
7. Georges Leon held his little boy's hand too tightly and stared up from under his hatbrim at the unnaturally dark noon sky.
*This one is a tiny cheat, as it comes from a novel whose author's foreword is actually part of the story, and this first sentence is from the "real opening" of the book. That information alone may be enough to tell you what it is.
One of the azaleas in the backyard is deciduous, and I've never bothered to take a photo of its leaves this late in the season until now. Which was obviously a shame, as it's quite spectacular this time of year. (In mid-June, it looks more like this.)


I've been worried for a couple of months now that my giant rudbeckia was dead. And look what I found when I went out to the garden today! I am unspeakably happy.


You can tell I'm getting desperate for photos now, because I've been reduced to photographing the geekiest bookshelves in the house. (In my defense, it's been pouring outside all day, so I couldn't go shoot what I'd planned to.)
Not like anyone who knows me or
columbina needs further proof of this household's geek cred, but here it is anyway:

Included on these shelves:
Not like anyone who knows me or

Included on these shelves:
- a ridiculous number of Marvel and DC comics collections, including an entire shelf of virtually nothing but X-Men books
- a ridiculous number of other graphic novels: all the Sandman books, a whole bunch of Kyle Baker, the complete run of Cerebus (I KNOW, I KNOW, Dave Sim is a sexist pig and a monumental asshole, but at some point I do want to see how the story ends), Keith Knight collections, more Dykes to Watch Out For books than I can count ...
- just out of camera range, all our Tintin, Lucky Luke, and Asterix books, many in French
- ... and of course, the plush 20-sided die.
Spanish white beans with spinach, a vegan recipe from the last ever issue of Gourmet (CONDÉ NAST, YOU BASTARDS) and one I enjoyed more than
columbina, who found it underseasoned. I beg to differ -- I thought the smoked paprika and garlic seasoned things beautifully, though perhaps I just like beans more than my husband.
Leftovers, along with the remains of the 29oz. can of beans (seriously, who makes the 19oz. cans of beans called for in this recipe? I have no idea) and the last couple of pieces of garlic bread, are destined for a puréed white bean and garlic soup later in the week. Mmm.
And hey, I'm up to #40! Only ten more recipes to go!
Leftovers, along with the remains of the 29oz. can of beans (seriously, who makes the 19oz. cans of beans called for in this recipe? I have no idea) and the last couple of pieces of garlic bread, are destined for a puréed white bean and garlic soup later in the week. Mmm.
And hey, I'm up to #40! Only ten more recipes to go!
A vegan recipe from Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home, because we both wanted vegetables. Considering this recipe requires a big bunch of kale, I thought it would fit the bill.
It's ... odd. Not bad odd, just odd. We liked it, though, and I'd probably make it again -- possibly with cashew butter instead of peanut butter, which I think will match better with the kale and pineapple. (I left out the cilantro, which I'm sure affected the overall flavor somewhat, but asking
columbina to eat something that tasted like pineapple, kale, peanut butter, and soap seemed like crossing a line.) Served over couscous with pine nuts.
It's ... odd. Not bad odd, just odd. We liked it, though, and I'd probably make it again -- possibly with cashew butter instead of peanut butter, which I think will match better with the kale and pineapple. (I left out the cilantro, which I'm sure affected the overall flavor somewhat, but asking
Same technique I always use for squash soup: sauté a chopped shallot in some oil, add one giant celery root and two medium apples, peeled and chopped; add dry thyme, sage, and a little Hungarian hot paprika; simmer in broth until cooked through; purée. I also added a quarter-cup of low-fat sour cream I had lying around in the fridge.
The biscuits were a slightly modified version of this recipe: I used only cheddar cheese, and I left out the cayenne pepper, which I thought wouldn't work with the soup. Oh, man, these were good -- crunchy, cheesy, and tangy.
The biscuits were a slightly modified version of this recipe: I used only cheddar cheese, and I left out the cayenne pepper, which I thought wouldn't work with the soup. Oh, man, these were good -- crunchy, cheesy, and tangy.
GODDAMMIT, IT IS SNOWING OUTSIDE.
It is too damned early for this shit.
It is too damned early for this shit.
The middle photo is a bit of a cheat only because the TARDIS disappeared so quickly once I poured in the hot water I never had a chance to get the transition shot. I took it when I'd drunk half my tea.











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