Category Archives: Randonymity

Gluten Free, Randonymity, Recipes, Tales of the Neighborhood

Well, crap. I guess I’ll have to break out a recipe.

32 Comments

Yes, my project on my other notebook computer continues. I got an official backup (a very unimpressive 22 hours to backup 125 gb – ack!) and am in the process of doing some simple “copy all of the good stuff on to the portable hard drive for redundancy and simplicity.” Theoretically simple, at least. At one point, Vista 64 informed me that it would take 38,000 days to copy 50 gb. *blink blink* Um… Iz hatez Vista. And if there were drivers for virtually any other OS for that notebook, I’d probably be test driving a new OS right now. Anyway. Wish me luck, since I’ll soon (hopefully) be reinstalling Vista 64 to see if that improves things. I’ve seen the BSOD more times in the past month than in my life prior to using Vista 64.

Onward! Here’s one of my gluten-free recipes that I haven’t posted before. Mmmm… snickerdoodles…

Snickerdoodles
1 c butter
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 c sugar
2 tsp cream of tartar
2 eggs
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp salt
2 3/4 c GF flour mix (I used 1/4 c tapioca flour, 1 1/4 c sweet rice flour, and 1 1/4 c rice flour at the time, but Bob’s Red Mill GF Flour Blend would probably work well)

Beat together butter, sugar, and eggs. Stir dry ingredients together and slowly add to butter mixture. Chill dough. Roll into walnut-sized balls, then roll in a mixture of 2 T sugar and 2 tsp cinnamon. Place 2″ apart on parchment-lined cookie sheet. Bake at 350°F until barely browned but still soft, approximately 10-12 minutes.

Let’s see what I have in my uploaded but not used photo folder. *sound of rummaging* How about some scenery pictures from mid-October?

Ah, a lovely guardian fruit basket, protecting the inhabitants from… scurvy?

I’m fond of this house and its boulder scaping. Personally, I think they should just have eliminated the grass entirely and gone with a boulder field.

Whoops – some Halloween decoration pictures I forgot to post…

Here’s a detail from the house above. Embiggen for full effect!

*more rummaging* Aw, look at Mayhem enjoying the sun back in… September 2007.

“Sunshine on my toes makes me happy! Sunshine in my eyes makes me blink!” -Mayhem

Contests, Randonymity, Reading

Look! Over there! And there! And there, too!

31 Comments

To donate to a good cause (to help defray a little girl’s medical expenses) and for the chance to win a very nice sock yarn prize package in doing so, go read about Pennies for Bella and donate before December 5.

Well, since the photos of the things that I want to blog about are all on my main laptop, which I’m backing up in one of the slowest backup processes ever, I’ll have to see what I can scrape up here…

Looking for non-gift card gift ideas? Or inexpensive electronic gifts you can make?

Obsidian Kitten has a great post of cool cat-themed items. Beware – I ended up buying a whack of holiday cards because of her post!

O noes!

Here’s an article with one writer’s thoughts on why lolcats resonate with so many of us.

Hmm. The Gap is selling argyle-patterned Electra cruiser bikes for the holidays. Might go nicely with your Starbucks cabled mug (I couldn’t find that mug in their online store, so have linked to a lovely example).

How megapixels are like cupcakes. Sort of.

What a cool bookcare… although I doubt how useful it actually is.

Check out Book View Cafe, which is an intriguing (and free) online publishing venture from such authors as Ursule K. Le Guin, Vonda N. McIntyre, Laura Anne Gilman, and more.

Take a peek into an authentic 19th-century vampire killing kit.

Reading Update
Mysteria by MaryJanice Davidson, Susan Grant, P.C. Cast, and Gena Showalter. This was a fun collection about the Colorado town of Mysteria (very near Denver), which “was ‘accidentally’ founded by a random act of demonic kindness.”
Edge of the Moon (Moon Series, Book 2), Moon Swept (Witching Moon and Crimson Moon, Moon Series Books 3-4), and New Moon (Moon Series, Book 6) by Rebecca York. I’m not reading these werewolf books in perfect order, which gets a little confusing, since the series is about various brothers and cousins.
Demon Bound (The Guardians, Book 7) by Meljean Brook. A solid read – you’ll enjoy it if you’ve enjoyed the rest of the series.
How to Marry a Millionaire Vampire, Vamps and the City, and Be Still My Vampire Heart (Love at Stake, Books 1-3) by Kerrelyn Sparks. How could I resist the cheesy titles?! If you like the light’n’fluffy tone of Erin McCarthy’s Vegas Vampires series, give this series a try.
Espresso Shot (Coffeehouse Mystery #7) by Cleo Coyle. This cozy mystery series is set in a lovely Greenwich Village coffeehouse. Not paranormal at all, yet still recommended. 😉

A puzzle – where do speed bumps go for the winter? (Please note that this was from mid-October – we no longer have any leaves!)

“Quick! I just saw those speedbumps headed thataway! Hee hee.” -Chaos

Contests, Randonymity, Those Cats

Welcome, Sparkly Flamingo!

31 Comments

Nicole’s giving away a copy of A.J. Menden’s new book, Phenomenal Girl 5. Leave her a comment before Thanksgiving for your chance to win.

Want a chance to win one of three gorgeous quilts? Enter by 7 pm EST, November 17.

Get Rich Slowly has a great list of gifts you can make yourself this holiday season. Check out their list(s) of recession-proof jobs from earlier this week. I also found that “The Irritation Threshold and Lifestyle Inflation” definitely gave me things to think about. (Trek’s post today ties in nicely and has some great ideas for living a more moderate life..)

Loved the fail cake FAIL.

Does seeing how many unread posts you have in Google Reader overwhelm you sometimes? You can change that so you just see which blogs have new posts and not how many new posts they have.

If you use Firefox, what sort of personalization have you done with themes and extensions? I’m using the Red Cats (Blue Flavor) theme. My absolute favorite extension is Stop Autoplay, which prevents embedded music and video from playing automatically when you follow a link; instead, you see a little play button and can decide when and if to press it. (Especially handy if you’re browsing at work!) I’m also fond of DictionarySearch, which allows you to highlight and right-click on a word to go look up its definition.

Here’s an amusing article about writers and their cats.

Thanks to Rebecca (who is getting better after her surgery, albeit slowly) for alerting me to these tips on how to tell if your cat is plotting to kill you. O noes!

Many thanks to Cheryl for providing May’s new favorite toy!

“I’ve got you now, my pretty! Well, hopefully I do. Unless you get away again.” -Mayhem

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Contests, Randonymity, Reading

In which Mayhem sulks

27 Comments

I was glad to hear from so many people who wear seatbelts after yesterday’s post! Thanks for all your comments. The accident is definitely something I think about around this time of year.

Not that you can tell, but I’m plodding along on my very large super secret project. Such projects are the death of knitbloggers, aren’t they?

Wendy’s giving away a lovely skein of sock yarn – leave a comment by 4 pm EST, November 11 (aka today) for your chance to win.

Stephanie of On the Needles is having a stash sale you might want to keep an eye on.

A ferret in a bib!

What would Photoshop look like in real life?

It’s Litter Week over at ModernCat. They’ll compare natural litters, discuss various litterbox gadgets (watch for giveaways), and even talk about toilet training your cat…

Who can relate to this lolcat, eh?! Hmm, I think this one was enacted in my home when Mayhem arrived.

If you’re a fan of The Matrix (the first one – you know, the one that was good), you’ll probably get a kick out of the spoof – If The Matrix ran on Windows. (Depending on how your browser is configured, the video may very well start when you click on that link.)

Reading Update
Weddings from Hell by Maggie Shayne, Jeaniene Frost, Terri Garey, and Kathryn Smith. Four solid stories about weddings gone paranormally awry…
Necking by Chris Salvatore. Very enjoyable vampire chick lit.
What Dreams May Come by Sherrilyn Kenyon, Rebecca York, and Robin D. Owens. Three pretty cheesy stories about “magical romance.” No Dark-Hunters here, alas.
Reflections & Dreams: Reflections / Dance of Dreams (Stanislaski Saga) by Nora Roberts. Hey, I had this in my queue at the library when I was on my big Nora Roberts kick and it just showed up.
Really Unusual Bad Boys by MaryJanice Davidson. They are pretty unusual, but not very bad at all. They might even be a bit more cuddly and well-mannered than bad, actually.
The Vampire Shrink (Kismet Knight, Vampire Psychologist) by Lynda Hilburn. This was very well-written (if a bit uneven at times) and had an intriguing premise – I have the next book in my library queue already. Please note that this book is absolutely crawling with vampires. 😉
The Wolfman by Nicholas Pekearo. This posthumously published novel is very dark and intense. Recommended – but don’t expect it to be an easy read.

“Hmph. That big kitty thinks he’s such a badass, just because he can leap like a real panther. I’ll show him badass.” -Mayhem

Randonymity, Reading

Who thinks the Vincent VW should be a standard offering?

36 Comments

Knitters, please brace yourselves before you follow this link. I don’t want anyone hyperventilating and keeling over, ‘k? Thankfully, that picture was not taken here!

Bizarre, tangentially knitting-related item that won’t be on my holiday list…

Monday it was sunny and in the mid-70s here. Today? 40F and snowing. *preshivering*

Random photo from 1996 to fill space and hopefully hide the fact that I really have nothing much for today…

If that worked, check out this license plate that amused me (a month ago already):

Eeek!

Here’s a nice list of the some of the November 2008 urban fantasy releases.

Reading Update
Hell to Pay and The Unnatural Inquirer (Nightside, Books 7-8) by Simon R. Green. I don’t think I’ve hidden how much I like this series. It’s good that John Taylor and Harry Dresden are separated by the Atlantic. (And contained within their respective authors’ brains, too, I suppose).
Night’s Master by Amanda Ashley. Heh. Just as good as you’d expect from the title. Ahem. Please don’t all trample yourselves running out to purchase this book. Really. I couldn’t stand the guilt.
Divine Fire by Melanie Jackson. The working title for Divine Fire was Lord Byron vs. Dr. Frankenstein. 🙂 This was actually a rather good. No vampires, and sure to be particularly interesting to those with a good grounding in the classics (unlike me). Now, the second book in the series, Divine Madness, featuring Ninon de Lenclos, did have vampires and was not very good at all. The third book, Divine Night, featured Alexandre Dumas and was promising… until I realized there were parts where the author was plagiarizing herself from Divine Madness. Word for word.
Faefever (Fever Series, Book 3) by Karen Marie Moning. I loved the first two books (Darkfever and Bloodfever) and this one was very intense up until the completely evil cliffhanger ending. Especially since I’d somehow gotten the idea that this was to be a trilogy, so I thought things would be neatly tied off at the end of this book. If you’re following this series, I’d wait to read Faefever until after Book 4 comes out.
Killing Moon and Shadow of the Moon (Moon Series, Books 1 & 5) by Rebecca York. Werewolves, no vampires. I enjoyed these and will definitely be reading more from this series.

“Hey, baby, what’s your sign? Oh yeah, Mom said that vet thing was just a vicious rumour and that I shouldn’t worry about it. Whew.” -Chaos

Randonymity

I wonder if they have Keens Anonymous?

33 Comments

You might remember my Keen World post from March. There have been a few changes – shall we review?

The Keens marked out in red are no longer in my possession. The pair marked out in pink needs to find a new home (if you wear a US womens 11/EU 42, we should talk). I have an additional identical pair of those marked in green. (Confused yet?)

“Ye gads, I’ve heard of circling the wagons, but…” -Chaos

“Mom said this pair marked out in blue is her favorite pair of shoes ever, but they’re all worn out now. Will my feet wear out and make me sad? Will Mom need to buy me new feet then? Does Keen make new black kitty feet?” -Mayhem

Alas, May’s right – my favorite Providence clogs still look ok on the outside, but they definitely need to be retired. Fortunately, I found some new clogs, pictured below. In the lower left corner are my Winthrop clogs (womens). Next to them are my San Antonio clogs (mens). To the right are my new Keen Dakota winter boots (womens). And wasn’t it nice of Onlineshoes.com to include that lovely Keen reusable shopping bag for me? Do they have my number or what?! 😉

(Ignore Chaos’ bald ear in the picture below. Off to the vet Friday to figure out why he’s scratching the fur off his poor ear.)

*sniff sniff* “I don’t really trust shoes that haven’t been worn. They lack character.” -Chaos

“Oh, look! A little cordy thing sticking out!” -Mayhem

“Mom, do we need to stage an intervention?” -Chaos

“Hmph. This pair doesn’t have any little cordy things.” -Mayhem

Contests, Randonymity, Tales of the Neighborhood

Communication breakdown

22 Comments

Of the telecommunication kind…

Author Barbara Bretton is giving away ten skeins of cashmere and a $50 Elann.com gift certificate to celebrate the release of her book, Casting Spells. The winner will be announced around 10 pm EST, November 4 (aka today).

Deb’s having a contest over at Knitting Scholar, and there are a variety of ways to enter for your chance to win some of the review copies she’s received. Her contest is open until November 15 – and let her know I sent you. 😉

Want to win a case of gluten-free cookies and a t-shirt? You have until November 9 to enter.

Interested in winning a knitting pattern signed by author Neil Gaiman? If so, enter by midnight GMT, November 6.

I had my ten minutes of fame on Friday, when my three-song set was selected to be the Halloween edition for “My Three Songs” on the Current. (Why, yes, I did select songs about vampires and werewolves. You’re so not surprised, I can tell.)

The return of Standard Time. Close to dark when I get home from work. Kitties convinced I am torturing them by delaying their dinner an hour. Blech.

What Chaos is doing when I’m not home? Or maybe he’s doing something like this?

Check out a more scholarly look at vampire romance than you’ll find ’round here.

Inquiring minds want to know – what is Halloween Nog?!

Besides the many wonderful bloggers I “know” in Jersey (Hi Trek! Hi Van! Hi Chappysmom!), there’s also a bookstore devoted entirely to the paranormal.

Of the feline kind…

*bite bite bite bite bite bite* -Chaos

*hug nip hug nip* -Mayhem

Contests, Randonymity

Happy Halloween!

36 Comments

Oh my… more spiders, in the form of spidery Cake Wrecks! And then – even more spidery Cake Wrecks!

Janet’s giving away a gorgeous skein of Colinette Jitterbug and a mix cd – simply leave a comment by midnight, October 31 (aka today), for your chance to win.

Author Barbara Bretton is giving away the complete Knitting Daily DVD first season collection or 20 skeins of “muted hot pink” Elann Callista if you send her an email (details in post) by early evening today (aka October 31).

If you’d like to win a copy of Meljean Brook’s forthcoming book Demon Bound, try out your lol captioning skills on a picture of the author herself. Contest closes midnight, November 3.

Yesterday I turned my heat off, as the high temperature was 70F…

I’m a bit behind in my blog reading – usually I read throughout the day at work, while I wait for queries to run and files to process. This week?! I even forgot to eat lunch Wednesday because things were non-stop crazy.

Hmm. I wonder if the broomstick bike will help you hone your quidditch skills?

Happy Halloween, lolcat style.

Hmm… a couple of these shots look like Chaos, don’t they?

The Yellow Stereo has a fun Halloween music mix up today.

Thanks to Limedragon for alerting me to this extremely cool black cat laptop skin!

I thought that this was a particularly fine Halloween decoration (although it definitely should have had more dental kitty treats…):

“What do you mean, it’s cheating to dress up as a black kitty for Halloween?! What else would I bother to be?” -Mayhem