It's been hard to get back on my laptop as of lately to get on here to read others posts and write my own. But one thing I've been doing is catching up on older magazines and still always reading! always! For a minute I was feeling a bit overwhelmed by reading up to four books at once but now I'm just keeping it at two. I'm working on reading the manga series 'Chrono Crusade' - I'm about halfway done with it. And I'm reading 'My sister's keeper' by Jodi Picoult. But here are some of the recent reads that I recommend for you guys:

'Our bodies their battlefield' By Christina Lamb
This was a book that will change your views on the act of war and what it will leave behind with a woman - be it a small girl, an older woman - no matter what age - this book talks of women all around the world and the wars they have survived through and what a toll it's taken on them. Mentally, physically, emotionally. It's a very graphic book but a very real and good book to read and learn about.

'House of stairs' By William Sleator
I picked up this book because I remembered it as a kid and trying to read it before. I'm not sure if I ever did finish it back then but I read it and understood it now as an adult and it held a much more serious, psychological meaning. A book about these orphans but through a strange set of test, sort of like a training to see how they would react - how they would survive.

'Remarkably bright creatures' By Shelby Van Pelt
I read this as part of the book club at my library. It's a tale that connects an older woman, a young boy, an octopus and a few others together through fate. I loved the writing and I think the older woman and the octopus were my favorites throughout. Talks about life, death, finding oneself - it covers some dark topics at times but was also pleasant and sweet at other times.

'Ishi - Last of his tribe' By Theodora Kroeber
This was a remarkably sad book. I mean, by the title alone you know it's going to be a sad but but while reading this one I got teary eyed a few times. The tribe he comes from is the Yahi tribe in California. The wipeout of his people happens in the late 1800's. He loses his close family one by one. Ishi's sotry is nothing but remarkable.

'Dreams of Joy' By Lisa See
This is the second book in a two book series - the first one being 'The Shanghai girls'. I read it years ago and was always meaning to get around to reading the second book but sort of forgot about it. Then one day my mom found this second book in a free library and thought I would like it so she got it for me. The books cover these two sisters and their later daughter during the late 1930's as they leave china and come to America to start new lives. There is a-lot of heartache and growth throughout these girls lives and I'm happy I own both books now. I plan on rereading them closer together again in the future.

'Tree: Exploring the arboreal world' By Phaidon Tdiitors
Many different artists show their many different views and emotions on trees. This book is beautiful and eye-opening. There are brief descriptions of their works. I loved it from start to finish.

'My grandmother asked me to tell you she's sorry' By Fredrick Backman
Honest thoughts of this book - at first I did not like it and it took me awhile to get into. But it was suggested by my mom and I usually always finish any book I start. But about halfway through the book started to get better, I started to get attached more to the characters and the story made more sense to me. It felt rather long at times but overall is a good book. Told basically from the point of view of this little girl who loses her grandmother who is basically the only person in the world who gets her - she must now hand out letters to people her grandmother knew and learns more of her grandmother and herself through new experiences.

'Angela's Ashes: A memoir of a childhood' by Frank McCourt
I'm sure a good number of you know of this book. I never read it before and a good friend of mine recommended it to me. The author grew up in America during the 1930's and then moved to Ireland soon after and it's about their struggles and hardships. It was a very raw and eye opening book and covered such themes as alcoholism, extreme cases of poverty, hunger and extreme cases of malnutrition.... I'm tying to remember what else - but this was a pretty heavy book with pretty serious themes so just be aware going into it. But it was good none the less and I had a hard time putting it down.

'The last of the saddle tramps' By Mesannie Walkins
'The ride of her life' By Elizabeth Letts
Both these books cover the same amazing woman - Mesannie Walkins who was told by her doctor that she only had less than two years to live she decided to go on a trip out west to see California. At this point in her life she was already losing her home. This was the 1950's and she was 63. She buys a horse, takes her dog and what belongs she has and goes on a trip of a lifetime. Along the way she gets another horse and over America she makes fast friends with almost everyone she meets and becomes sort of a celebrity. Both of these books were very good and I couldn't put them down once I started them. I found her story inspiring.

'Mae West: The lies, the legends, the truths' By George Eells
I did enjoy this book overall but at times it was hard to keep up with because it talked of many famous people I didn't know of. I don't keep up with celebrities to start with - so I had a hard time with the names and older movies and things that went on for this interesting woman. My dad is a big Mae West fan and recently gave me a collection of her movies, a signed photo of her and this book so I could learn more about his favorite actress. I feel like she was ahead of her time.

'Birdwing' by Rafe Martin
This book is losing based on grim brothers fairy tale and I think maybe some others? It was a good read, I feel like this book is geared towards a younger crowd but covers more adult topics. The story is of these seven brothers who get cursed and all turn into swans. Their sister has to knit them sweaters in a short time period to save them. All the brothers get saved except for one who still has one swan wing. He wants to get rid of it and have a normal life at times but then finds his life may be incomplete if he loses it, throughout the book he has dilemmas over the choice. He travels and through some soul searching finds his right path and what's meant for him in the end.

Chimichurri Beef and Rice
Servings: 4 Prep Time 10 minutes Cook Time 20 minutes Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup chopped red or yellow onion
1 lb lean ground beef (85 - 90%)
1 cup chopped red bell pepper (1 medium)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 Tbsp minced garlic (4 cloves)
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
1 1/2 cups uncooked instant white rice
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cups chopped fresh cilantro
1 Tbsp lime juice, plus wedges for serving

Instructions

Heat a 12-inch non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and sauté 2 minutes.

Crumble in beef and add bell pepper. Cook and let brown, tossing and breaking up occasionally, until cooked through, about 7 - 9 minutes, while adding in garlic during the last 2 minutes.

Drain excess fat if needed. Stir in chicken broth, paprika, oregano, cumin and red pepper flakes and bring mixture to a simmer.

Mix in rice, bring to a boil and let boil 1 minute. Remove from heat, cover skillet and let rest 8 minutes.

Toss in parsley, cilantro and lime. Serve with lime wedges for spritzing.

Name: Kia (They/Them)

Age: 20s

About Me: Been on dreamwidth for about five months now. For a while I've mostly used my journal as a personal diary, but recently I've wanted to make more public posts about the various things I enjoy. I've kind of distanced myself from being online everywhere else, but I'm still up for meeting new people here. I'm ideally looking for other active journals to read and maybe become mutuals with. Don't have to be in the same fandoms, but as long as we have some common interests then that's good enough for me.

I mostly post about: Just whatever I get up to in the week (mostly shorter posts). I'm also trying to make a habit of journaling any media I get into, but that's definitely a skill I need to work on.

My hobbies are: Writing, music, language learning, reading, gaming

My fandoms are: Various anime, comics, games etc. that I can't list out (my interests tend to change a lot)

I'm looking to meet people who: Neurodivergent and/or queer people, nerds who post about fandom/media often (especially meta stuff but that's just personal preference), people interested in languages, people who post about cooking or just anyone who wants to see me scream into the void about things that vaguely matter to me

My posting schedule tends to be: Anytime I want

When I add people, my dealbreakers are: Anyone under 18, not too picky with anything else but as long as we still click in some way then we're good (I think me saying that I'm queer should be enough of a signal though)

Before adding me, you should know:

• Don't give out access to people unless we've been mutuals for awhile or already know each other.
• Occasional venting and suggestive/nsfw posts (you can read the terms in my intro post for more info)

 Preview
     




 See the icons here @ magicrubbish 

I was going to go stand in my stone circle yesterday at 11:19, but I was listening to the Ralph Nader Radio Hour and I forgot. I was home so I could catch it. Of course, I could always listen to it online, or even just read the transcripts I get as emails, but as I may have mentioned I get extra points for listening to it on the radio. Because radio.

I'm home again today. When I checked last night, it was supposed to be 102° today. I don't think it's going to get quite that hot, and it does heat up a bit more slowly, but the nights are exceptionally warm and still, so it doesn't cool off much. I'll admit it's wearing me out.

Thankfully, the humidity has moderated slightly--I don't always trust the numbers, but I can tell by the way my front door shuts. Two days ago it was only 83 in here and I was an angry, dripping mess; yesterday it got up to 87 before I started to feel, uh, compromised. That is much more like normal.

Venus is beautiful in the morning.



Why is Rapture Day trending on Bluesky? Is the Rapture supposed to occur today? Since it's made up, I don't hold out much hope, but of course I can't rule it out.

Anyway, I don't think you're supposed to get advance warning, right? If you do, it's probably already been canceled.

Name: Celestial

Age: 31

I mostly post about:

my personal life, thoughts, day to day stuff. Sometimes mental health/trauma related stuff. Crafts, occasional outfit photos. Cat pics. I also recently did a huge family photo archiving project, so I want to share some cool old photos and what I know about the people in them.

My hobbies are:

I like dabbling in different types of crafts. Primarily into making beaded jewelry, but I've also been learning stained glass this year and that is really cool. Trying to get into reading again. Taking photos, doing home DIYs, watching a lot of movies and TV. I like fashion, but don't dress up much lately (trying to fix that).

My fandoms are:

not a huge fandom head in the traditional sense anymore. I'm a diehard My Chemical Romance fan since I was literally 10 years old. Also a big Nicolas Cage fan, almost finished with a quest to see every single movie of his. Can't think of many others off the top of my head but I fixate on stuff for a while and then forget about it.

I'm looking to meet people who:

are also neurodivergent (audhd here). have a wealth of different experiences and points of view. anyone who is willing to read and occasionally comment.

My posting schedule tends to be:

I'm aiming for once a week this time around, but may be more or less depending on what's going on in my life.

When I add people, my dealbreakers are:

No TERFs, no centrists or republicans, no Zionists. I don't care if you're personally religious but I'm not and don't appreciate that perspective in regards to my own life. No Harry Potter fans, it's lame if you're still into that given... everything. Don't be a shithead in general. And probably no one under 21.

Before adding me, you should know: Hmm. As I said, there may be the occasional post about mental health/trauma stuff. I'm also regrettably a true crime enjoyer, i rarely talk about it but if I do I'll tag. Unsure about anything else that might be relevant

Name: Nora Neurosismancer (they/she)

Age: 41

I mostly post about: Whatever is on my mind, also my daily poetry when I'm happy enough with it to share.

My hobbies are: Poetry, paganism, witchcraft, and so much music. I'm big into all things gothy: darkwave and coldwave, post-punk, synthpop, new wave, industrial, metal, and just outright werid shit. Oh, and I do competitive air guitar.

My fandoms are: Star Trek and Trek-adjacent stuff, also I'm deep in the fandom for various bands, especially DEVO.

I'm looking to meet people who: Post interesting stuff. Bonus points if you're trans or some other flavor of queer.

My posting schedule tends to be: I'm aiming for a couple posts a week.

When I add people, my dealbreakers are: No minors, no TERFs, no Nazis, no Evangelical Christians, no Harry Potter.

Before adding me, you should know: I write some pretty emotional, and sometimes sexually oriented poetry. I've precious little filter about adult topics.

Iced Whiskey Coffees with Whiskey Syrup and Whipped Cream
Yield: recipes makes 1, is easily multiplied total time: 35 minutes

Ingredients:

Crushed ice
8 ounces cold-brewed coffee
2 tablespoons whiskey syrup
1 tablespoon whiskey
3 tablespoons cream
Coconut whipped cream for topping
Sprinkle of cinnamon

Whiskey syrup
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup whiskey
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Coconut whipped cream
1 (14-ounce) can COLD full-fat coconut milk
2 tablespoons powdered sugar

Directions:

Fill the glass with ice. Pour in the coffee, syrup and whiskey, stirring well to mix. Stir in the cream, top with the whipped cream and sprinkle with cinnamon. This is my favorite proportion for the coffee, but you can easily change it up!

Whiskey syrup
Combine the sugar, whiskey and water in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk constantly until the sugar dissolves and the mixture begins to bubble. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, then remove from the heat and let cool completely. Stir in the vanilla extract and use!

Coconut whipped cream
Take the can of coconut milk out of the fridge. Open the cans and discard the liquid (save it for a smoothie!), then scoop the firm coconut meat into the bowl of your electric mixer. Beat on medium-high speed until completely whipped and thick. Beat in the sugar. Set the bowl in the fridge until ready to use.

name: squid

age: 21

location: midwestern united states

i post about: i'm into a lot of things but what i end up posting about are monthly periodical-types of the music i discover and listen to (free for anybody to access) and the general musings and feelings of an anxious college guy (behind an access lock). i might someday make a dedicated post about history or politics or literature but i rarely feel like i have any meaningful contribution to what could be said. that's a very broad characterization but check my about me on my profile for a slightly more detailed synopsis

my hobbies are: my whole life revolves around music, more or less :] i listen to music extensively (squid771 on last.fm and rateyourmusic), collect vinyl records, and go to college studying sound engineering (i'm a senior!). i have an off-again, on-again recording project that i'll someday release something under. i play guitar, i'm an untrained singer, and i play various keyboard instruments. i always try to watch movies but usually that means i'll just gather a bunch, watch 2 in one night, and then go 6 months without watching another. i'm trying to read more (5 books read this year; infinitely times more than the past couple of years), i'm big into history (currently researching the george mcgovern 1972 campaign, and concurrently the history of how the word socialism/communism got such a negative connotation in the U.S.), and i like to walk around at night, or in the rain, or both. i try to appreciate the little things. i want to write, and learn esperanto, but i've never found enough consistent motivation to try either

my fandoms are: i haven't really considered myself to be really big enough on anything to be part of a fandom, but some of my favorite bands/artists are fishmans, stereolab, broadcast, nick drake, elliott smith, the radio dept., the field mice (all of sarah records really), brian eno, yo la tengo, ichiko aoba, and many many others! i could talk about music for days and days. as far as like forms of media go i'm big into the trails series (games 1-5, trails and crossbell; cold steel ruined the franchise), deltarune (haven't played undertale but i generally know what happens by osmosis), off, team fortress 2, and disco elysium; and then cowboy bebop, samurai champloo, NGE, general 2000s adult swim-core type stuff for anime

i'm looking to meet people who: i put a post up here about 6 months ago when i first started this account and i did get a lot of responses but nearly all of the people that replied to me aren't active anymore. i'm looking for people to really connect with and are in this site for the long haul (or at least for a while). i'm not too picky about sharing interests but having mutual appreciation for something always helps. the main thing though is that i'm just trying to make more friends :]

my posting schedule tends to be: whenever i feel like there's enough going enough in my life to post about something. this is usually like 2 to 5 times a month. i do tend to get wordy in my posts for what that's worth

when I add people, my dealbreakers are: i'm a very vague socialist so i'm not particularly chill with MAGA types or people who are just unnecessarily rude but i think there's like only 2 people on this site with those beliefs anyways

before adding me, you should know: i don't really comment much but i read everything that's posted. i get in my own head about responding to/posting comments and not feeling like i have enough to say. but i'm always looking to talk to more people and come out of my shell
i'm very depressed and mildly autistic and can be in my head a lot of the time, so the posts behind my access lock can get mopey and despondent. i'm doing the best i can to grapple with my emotions and the world around me so a little bit of empathy goes a long way. we're all going through something

I made this tonight. It's a summer favorite, so I wanted to write up our version.


"Three Sisters Succotash"

Ingredients:
2 ears of corn, kernels cut off (about 2 cups)
1 summer squash, diced (about 2 cups)
1/2 sweet onion, diced (about 3/4 cups)
9 slices of thick-cut bacon, diced
1 cup water (or corncob broth)
1 can lima beans
pinch of sea salt
1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage
1/4 teaspoon sweet marjoram
1/4 teaspoon sweet basil

( Read more... )

Sherlock (mostly of Moriarty), Fleabag, Andrew Scott in Hamlet, Andrew Scott, Winona Ryder, Gillian Anderson, Little Mermaid, Moonstruck, Alice in Wonderland.

here

Cauliflower English Muffins (GF)

Ingredients

5 cups cauliflower florets (about 1 pound)
1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1 large egg, lightly beaten
⅛ teaspoon salt

Preparation

Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Place cauliflower in a food processor. Process until finely grated. Transfer to a microwave-safe bowl. Cover loosely and microwave on High for 3 minutes. Let cool slightly. Transfer the cauliflower to a clean kitchen towel and wring out excess moisture. Return to the bowl and stir in Cheddar, egg and salt until thoroughly combined. Place a 3-inch biscuit cutter on the prepared baking sheet. Fill the cutter with about ¼ cup of the batter, patting down slightly in the mold. Repeat with the remaining batter, leaving about 1 inch between each one, until you have 8 "muffins." Bake until browned and crispy around the edges, about 25 minutes. Serve with your favorite toppings or use to make a breakfast sandwich.

Name: Nix/Nyx or other names (they/them or any pronouns).

Age: 28.

I mostly post about: I'll probably post about my life the most consistently. I might also post writings and about my creative projects in general. Overall, I think I'll mainly use this blog/journal to process thoughts or ideas and to help me remember things, as I have a terrible memory. Maybe I'll post song lyrics and/or poetry I come up with, too.

My hobbies are: Making music, listening to music, gaming (I play a variety of games), reading (manga, graphic novels, articles, books, etc.), writing, streaming (I'm currently streaming as a VTuber), content creation, and more. I also recently started drawing again with digital art and go on the occasional hike.

My fandoms are: This is going to be embarrassing, but I'm not sure what counts as a "fandom." Maybe I'm overthinking the definition? Either way, I don't think I am a part of any specific fandoms right now, but that could change. Some things I like that I can think of right now are Okami (for nostalgia reasons) and Baldur's Gate 3.

I'm looking to meet people who: I'm mostly looking for more people around my age. It's a plus if you're also LGBTQIA+, disabled, or neurodivergent, and it's even better if we share interests.

My posting schedule tends to be: This time around (I used this website a while back), I'll probably post pretty sporadically overall. In the past, there were points where I almost posted daily, so that might happen again.

When I add people, my dealbreakers are: I'm okay-ish with differing opinions as long as it's nothing too major, but that's probably a thin line I don't even fully understand yet. (I like keeping my mind open to new ideas if others will do the same.) However, I do draw the line at right-winged people and centrists. That's all I'm going to put for now. Oh, and please be at least 20 years old. Thank you.

Before adding me, you should know: I struggle with my mental and physical health and will probably post about that a lot. For similar reasons (mostly related to my energy levels and shyness), I also have a hard time commenting on posts, but I'm trying to overcome that. Responding to DMs can be even worse, even though I do appreciate messages from people. 

Here it is again like a week before I start my period and I have all the classic junk food cravings... cookies mainly. If junk food was a drug cookies would be my drug of choice. :-p
I try not to do it much - but sometimes I eat out of boredom or stress related. When I was a teen I actually was overweight due to overeating because of depression. I have a character in my comic Promised memories I plan on writing about with a similar eating disorder. I also had a slight eating disorder when I was a late teen/early 20's where I just didn't eat because I wanted to be super skinny because I thought I looked better super skinny and it was a pretty dark time for me.

I've been trying to stay away from the ingredients of high fructose corn syrup and also corn syrup in general. It's hard - there are some foods I haven't found yet that don't have any - like Maple syrup syrup (once in awhile I like to have pancakes or waffles!). But I think I just need to look harder or just buy some all natural the next time I find it available. There are so many health risks associated to it! I know they make it, it's just a bit more expensive but well worth it.
But also sometimes I just crave some salty foods like chips. I don't eat chips much these days. The price just seems to be a bit high for how little you get in the bag.
And just crunchy is a craving I get, too. Like crackers or just good o' cheese crackers. That was a favorite of mine back from when I was a young child.
Bread is another one that I just find some comforting. Anything bread related - donuts, muffins, rolls, bagels... when I was younger and in my single days I would sometimes joke of wanting to marry a baker just so they could come home smelling like baked goods each day. ^^;
Gosh, what else... this is all making me so hungry and I need to go to bed soon. :-p
Cheese is another one that just is too delicious to pass up! And cheese with crackers and meat! sign me up! I recently made this cheder and potato soup that is super tasty. Once fall comes around I love having soup.
For awhile now I have gotten better about eating at fast food. But once in awhile I do have a fast food craving where I just go and get something little. Some places I just get sick after eating their food - like Taco bell.
At times I do like to have cake but not as much as I used to. My dad makes some of the best cake I've ever had. He usually makes homemade icing!
Brownie's are another guilty pleasure. I tend to enjoy the middle pieces more than the edge pieces. ;-)
And that reminds me of cupcakes. I love making cupcakes and have a nice collection of sprinkles for them. I have some pans for extra small ones (that are adorable) and regular size ones.
Last summer and this past summer I've had some wonderful ice cream from different places. And I've tried some new flavors which was fun. A new favorite of mine is this sea salt caramel flavor.

Okay, Okay - I think that should be it about guilty pleasure foods! I wanted to take a minute and write about something less serious than I have talked about recently. And this felt right. Do you guys have any favorite guilty pleasure foods that I have mentioned - or some completely different ones?

Blackberry Gochujang Glazed Tofu
Servings: 2

Ingredients

For the tofu:
7 ounces (198.45 g) firm or extra firm tofu pressed for at least 15 minutes then cubed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 - 1.5 tablespoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons oil

For the sauce:
3 tablespoons blackberry puree or 1/3 cup blackberry juice
1 tablespoon gochujang
2 cloves of garlic minced
1.5 tablespoon maple syrup, less or more to preference
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar or use soy sauce/tamari

To garnish:
Green onions, sesame seeds

Instructions

Press and cube the tofu and add it to a bowl. Add salt, black pepper, and cornstarch and toss well to coat.
Heat up a large skillet over medium-high heat and add 2 teaspoon oil. Once the oil is hot, add the tofu and cook until it is crisp. Flip the tofu after 3 minutes or so and continue to cook until is golden on most of the edges. This will take anywhere from 7-10 minutes depending on your pan.
Then add the blackberry puree or juice, gochujang, garlic, maple syrup, and balsamic vinegar in the center of the skillet. Mix really well. The mixture will start to bubble immediately as the pan is very hot.
Make sure to mix the gochujang into the blackberry and maple syrup mixture very well.
Toss the tofu in the sauce to coat. Once the mixture has thickened, 1 minute or so, take the pan off the heat. If the sauce isn’t thickening enough, add 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch mixed in 1 tbsp water and bring to a boil.
Serve this tofu over rice or some greens topped with chopped green onions and sesame seeds. Or add to lettuce wraps!
Store refrigerated for upto 3 days.

Notes
This recipe is Nutfree. It is gluten-free with gluten-free Gochujang
To make black berry purée, blend ripe blackberries, then strain through a large mesh strainer and use.