Below are the most recent 8 friends' journal entries.

Wednesday, December 23rd, 2009
mimerki	9:22a	Shinto, Martial Arts, And Expertise I recently picked up a second translation of Yagyu Munenori's book that I'm just going to call The Life-Giving Sword (which is Wilson's title/translation). I can't tell how it stacks up as a translation: I find Wilson easier to read but I am definitely finding different knowledge in this rendition. At some point in future, I will try to read them side-by-side. (Which I haven't done with the two translations of The Demon's Sermon, and also ought.) ( Read more... ) Current Mood: grumpy (11 Comments |Comment on this)
Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009
ironymaiden	12:37p	under siege i've had a lot more headaches lately. nothing out of standard pattern for me, tension that rolls from my right shoulder, up my neck, and feels like a c-clamp with contacts behind my eye and at the back of my skull. i know the warning signs and how to effectively treat them. but they had been a monthly or less occurrence, and now they are weekly or more. this doesn't really fit with the general sense of peace in my household, the books i've been devouring*, a new quilt underway, a good last session of D&D before the holidays, and lovely visits with friends (just passed and planned in the near future). this does fit with 2009, though. i'm coiled and waiting for the next blow.** i was going to post this quote from warren_ellis earlier today, but i thought that i was just asking for trouble. with more lousy news coming from all quarters it seems more appropriate than ever: "I’m starting to get the sense that 2009 wants to finish me off before it dies of old age. A calendrical unit yelling "I’m taking you with me, you bastard!" from its vanishing final paper bunker marked December, every spent day a room deleted from the structure until 2009 is finally huddled in one small box marked 31 and screaming obscenities in stark terror." *i'm on a big Bujold kick. somehow i avoided reading any of her books previously, and now i have a steady flow coming in on library holds. they seem to be the grilled cheese and tomato soup of speculative fiction - i don't know that they're terribly good, but they are fatty and salty and filling and exude comfort. the only minus is that Baen has the worst art direction possible. i find myself wanting to hide the covers when i read on the bus because they are so embarrassingly ugly. i have an idea for an epic linkpost of bitching about this, but may never get around to it. **and i'm pretty sure i'm grinding my teeth in my sleep. i should see a dentist about that. did i mention that my dentist seems to have retired with zero fanfare? i have several hearty recommendations to sort through. staying at the practice he joined before disappearing is not acceptable. (4 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, December 21st, 2009
mimerki	7:45a	Happy Solstice To All! Longest night of the year! Yay! And man, am I ready for it. Anyway, tonight, cookie baking! I have no idea what cookies I will bake but there will be baking. Mmmmm. In other news, three more workdays for the year. Yay! Uh... I'm sure I had other things, but those are my yays for the morning. Here, have a helpful mistletoe hint! Current Mood: more in need of cofee than this post implies (7 Comments |Comment on this)
Saturday, December 19th, 2009
shadow_and_veil	3:34p	Crab & Corn Chowder Recipe: WIN ( This came out really well ) What I really found interesting was the way the ingredients all go in after each other quickly, and the flour cooked with the potatoes before the milk and broth are added. It made a nicely thick chowder, not as heavy as it would have been if made with cream or even whole milk. I think it's a great basic chowder, where the crab meat can be substituted or left out all together, too. Current Mood: accomplished (Comment on this)
Friday, December 18th, 2009
shadow_and_veil	7:47p	So f*'d up, I gotta make this. Banana Meatloaf "It's from a 1941 publication called Bananas: How To Serve Them, produced by the Boston-based Meloripe Fruit Company, and upon first read this recipe screams desperation on the part of some lowly banana account man." I think it sounds awesome. And at the bottom of the page? A link to Clam Chowder Pie. Yes. (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Thursday, December 17th, 2009
mimerki	10:17a	Ancient Lentils! A 4,000-year-old lentil seed unearthed in an archeological excavation has successfully sprouted after being planted. Ancient seed sprouts plant from the past! Lentil! Ancient! Squee! Current Mood: thoughtful (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Wednesday, December 16th, 2009
ironymaiden	1:53p	two tiresome things for today my DM pinged me to let me know that the December D&D errata nerfed Rain of Blood. Replace “Area burst 2” with “Area burst 1.” Also, on the Hit line, replace “2d6” with “1d6.” . he's allowing me to retrain, and i am resenting WotC right now. *sigh* i went to an eljay page link without logging in and there was a takeover flash ad. that's horrid. has that been happening to free users for a long time? (5 Comments |Comment on this)
Tuesday, December 15th, 2009
mimerki	7:43p	Ask Merki - Winter Solstice 2009 It's not quite a tradition around here, but it's something I appear to do around the Winter Solstice... Ask a question, get a reading. No question unanswered. Offer expires after the solstice (which means "I'll stop playing sometime after the solstice but I don't know precisely when" and mostly indicates that you shouldn't ask me something in January). I plan to be reading the Dali deck and the Robin wood. Other requests may be honored or may be subbed with a dealer's choice deck (I own a variety of decks and a couple of other divination methods) and questions asked without a deck request will be dealer's choice. I also use a variety of off-the-wall spreads, which are pretty much linked directly to each deck, so if I give you a reading and you want more information about the spread, prompt me and I'll tell more. Price: Tell a secret. Doesn't have to be to me (but it can be--my email address is in my profile and I promise not to pass it on), just as long as you tell someone (who doesn't otherwise know--no fair telling that person who was with you about the day you and your friend went skinny dipping). Current Mood: contemplative (24 Comments |Comment on this)