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9/24/2002
It occurs me to that I have yet to meep about Spirited Away. Considering how much I babbled about the movie coming, it seems only right that I babble after having seen it. Let it be said, that I very much enjoyed it. It was a magical, creepy and engaging story. In some spots, the dub acting was a little flat, but all in all it wasn't bad. I wasn't really fond of the Jason Marsden's Haku, since he was the one I thought of as flat. Daveigh (Daviegh?) Chase did do a good job, except in those spots where the concepts didn't really translate from Japanese to English and when they gave her too much information to convey. Also, I want to know which form of love everyone was talking about, (suki, dai suki or ai) because this does make a difference. I'd also like liner notes on some of the Japanese gods/spirits. I know what some of them are, but I want to know more! I'm certain that lots of my questions will be answered by the DVD. Or at least, least they will be ifPixar is allowed to do the DVD. Pixar always does a great job on their DVD releases. All hail Pixar! Must write them a nice letter, and thank them for all the hard work they did on the film. 9/23/2002
Get yer' recipes here! I ate really well this weekend... Pork Ragout 1 bottle of red wine Cut the ribs into pieces and sprinkle w/salt'n'pepper. Saute the carrots, onions and garlic until clear. Dump them into a big pot. Add tomatoes and most of the bottle of red wine. Reserve enough of the wine so you can have a glass. Then, turn on the burner and let it get warm. While the sauce is heating, brown the pork ribs. When the ribs have finished browning, dump them into the pot. Let everything simmer for about 2 hours. I actually turned this into a proper stew the next night. Added a big can of tomatoes, some more wine, 2 potatoes, 2 portabellas and some peas. Was tasty. Served it with the following bread. I snitched the recipe from the Post. Honey and Oat Bread (Makes 2 loaves) 1 scant tablespoon active dry yeast (they mean 1 packet of yeast) In a large bowl, sprinkle the yeast over 1/4 cup of the warm water and set aside until it foams, about 4 minutes. (Yeah, right. My yeast never 'foamed.' It did however smell yeasty, so I decided that meant it was working and went ahead with the recipe.) Add the oats, remaining 11/2 cups warm water, honey, butter, oil and salt to the bowl and stir to combine. Add enough of the flour to make a soft dough that is easy to handle; this should take at least 4 and closer to 41/2 cups flour. Transfer the dough to a floured board and knead for 1 minute. Allow to rest for 10 minutes. Knead the dough again on a lightly floured surface, adding additional flour if necessary, until it is smooth and elastic. Place the dough in an oiled bowl, turn it once to coat entirely with oil, cover with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place to rise until doubled in volume, about 1 to 11/2 hours. Lightly oil 2 loaf pans, preferably 8-by-4-by-2 inches. (Oh, please! Just use non-stick pans.) Using your fist, punch the dough to deflate and divide it into 2 equal portions. (Bread abuse! Bread abuse!) Shape each portion into a loaf that will fit in the prepared pans. Put each portion in a pan, cover with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place to rise until doubled in volume, about 30 minutes. Adjust the oven rack to the lower-third position and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Brush the top of each loaf with melted butter or, if desired, a mixture of 1 tablespoon melted butter and 1 tablespoon honey. Using a sharp knife, make shallow slashes across the top of each loaf at approximately 2-inch intervals. Bake the bread in the preheated oven until golden brown, about 45 minutes, or until it sounds hollow when it is gently rapped with your knuckles. Transfer the pans to a wire rack to cool slightly, then invert the loaves onto the wire rack, immediately turning them right side up to cool completely. (I don't think those shallow slashes are actually needed. I bet they're just to make the bread look pretty!) It's a good bread. The oats kinda disappear into the flour. My loaves were a little heavy, but that's probably because it was only the 2nd time I'd made yeast bread. I probably didn't knead correctly or let the dough rise enough... I'll probably have better luck next time. 9/20/2002
Hmmm, I haven't posted a recipe in ages, have I? It's not that I haven't been cooking, it's just that I haven't been enthused about what I've been cooking. Hopefully, at least some of that will change this weekend. I already have 2 recipes I'm dying to try. One's a pork dish, and the other, well, the other is bread. quivers I'm going to try and make bread. I find this an utterly frightening concept for some reason. Probably because my cooking tends to require a little less effort... Eh, enough about my issues. How about a new recipe? It's easy and simple. It also requires scant attention. It's great. Needless to say, I stole the recipe from the newest Penzey's Potato Bake 3 large potatoes Heat oven to 350. Chop the onion. Wash and peel the potatoes and carrots. Or just peel the carrots, potato skin is actually good for you. Leaving the peel just means the dish isn't quite as pretty. Grate the carrots and potatoes. (The food processor is your friend for this. Even if it is a bitch to clean.) Let potatoes stand for a bit and then squeeze some of the excess water from them. Along with the chopped onion dump the grated carrots and potatoes into a baking dish. Add the seasonings and then mix everything together. Slice the 2 tbsp of butter over the top. Push some of the slices of butter into the potatoe mixture itself. Sprinkle the cream/whole milk over the top of the mixture. Place in oven and cook for at least an hour. Serve. Should feed 4-6 as a side dish. laughs Well, now we know what JKR has been doing rather then writing. Hey, at least she's been enjoying herself. Now rather then mock the woman, here's a neat interview with her about the court case and the 5th book. Oh, and YAY! Spirited Away opens today! Everybody really, really needs to go see this movie. 9/18/2002
AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH! Nice-co-worker has co-worker with 5 topics of conversation (Money, retirement, family, Thailand and money) in her cube. It's been whine, whine, whine for the last 15 minutes. I'm not getting anything done, and if I turn up my headphones any louder, my hearing will be perm. damaged... Happily, there's a rumor going around that they'll be shuffling our offices soon. Please, let it be so! 9/17/2002
laughs A ff.net user decided to point out to the companies advertising on the pop-ups that she was not happy with the change of policy at ff.net. Her thinking was something along the lines of the adverts are geared for adults, and the companies might not be happy to know that adults were fleeing ff.net. She also pointed out the petitions sites in her msgs. She actually got a response, said companies thanked her and said they would be passing her note along. Of all the responses to the fiasco, this is the one that has tickled me the most. I doubt it'll impact ff.net's bottom line, but it amuses me that ff.net is failing to hide their dirty laundry. Actually, I'm wondering just how much money ff.net has been bleeding since the 12th? I also wonder if they ever expected this response at all? Something tells me that they really didn't. Oh, and I have found exactly where Spirited Away is playing in my city. Wheeeeeeeeee! Pardon me while I be a giggly happy fangirl. Spirited Away is coming! It's actually opening in my town this weekend! Whhhhhheeeeeeeeeeee! Pixar has taken production of the English ver. in hand, and they actually seem to be doing a good job with it. Go Pixar! Pity it's not getting more ads in print and on radio, but at least it's getting some Internet press. Yahoo actually has a bunch of clips and an interesting little making of featurette. See! I'm really hoping that this is a movie that starts small and goes big due to word of mouth.
9/12/2002
Hey, Aithine? FF.net just banned NC-17. Could you get to work on your own ver. of it like Real Soon NOW! Cause you know, I need to have my WK and Gravi porn, and if I miss on update of Twig'sLong Hard Road, I think I'll have to kill myself. 9/11/2002
SO what if it makes me a bad person. SO what if it makes me a mean person. BUT, I have no desire to weep and wail over 9/11. It happened, and yes I'm still sad about it, and I'm still angry. I never want to live through any event like that again. HOWEVER, I also don't want to scrape and pick and pull at my memories of the day. NOR do I want to have it slammed in my face everytime I turn around. I have memories, and I could share them. I could tell you how I felt. I could tell you about fleeing my work site. I could tell you about watching heliocopters fly to the Pentagon. I could tell you about trying and trying to get through on the phone lines to my family, to let them know I was fine. Rememberance is one thing, but today isn't really about remembering a national tragedy. It's become an excuse for something much more crass and tawdry. Popular culture, as much as I love it, has gone to far today. 9/9/2002
I am still in a horrid mood over my job, but I'm more capable of dealing this week. Or at least I think I am. It remains to be seen how I deal with my next crisis. So. Anyway. Enough about details of my personal life that no one really wants to hear. CC, go here to see what Reese's are. Is a very good candy. In other news, all I can say is you go, girl and have fun. Pam, he owes you so very much more then dinner. 9/3/2002
I hate my job. I hate my job. I hate my job. I hate my job. I hate this assignment. I hate this assignment. I hate this assignment. I hate this assignment. I want to move. I hate my job. I hate this assignment. I hate my job. I hate this assignment. I hate the corner my job has boxed me into, and I am just about ready to blow up. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. |
