You're Mine!

For some reason, I'm feeling very contented.

I've written a new short story that made me smile.

It rained today.

I made the mulligatawny soup that Nuala Cullen (my Irish Fairy Soupmother) put in her fantastic cookbook.

I'm listening to Muscles and bouncing around in my chair.

I'm wearing flannel.

I watched the 2008 remake of "The 39 Steps" and it was patriotic suspensefulness. Well, in a British sort of way.

And I'm making plans. I like making plans.

'Night, all.

-The GLS

I Scream, You Scream...

(Listening to "Ice Cream" by Muscles. It just seemed appropriate.)

Dear David Lebovitz:
I have never actually seen you face to face, but you are a beautiful man. I love you...if only for your ice cream recipes.

Sincerely,
The Gutsy Little Lover Of Your Ice Cream

Sorry for that little aside. But it needed to happen. Because...with the help of my Fairy Godblogger*, David Lebovitz...I have created a beautiful, beautiful ice cream.

Banana-Brown Sugar Ice Cream, to be exact.

If you have an ice cream maker, you need to try this recipe. If you don't have an ice cream maker...buy one, and try this recipe. And there's NO excuses, because it's even vegan! Ha! Beat that!

Can you go wrong with bananas caramelized in brown sugar and coconut milk, pureed to smooth perfection with vanilla and a pinch of salt? Then frozen into a delightfully creamy creation and drizzled with chocolate syrup? Can you? CAN YOU??

No, that's right. You can't.

Excuse me. I'm in ice cream bliss. Must go smile some more.

-The GLS
*Ignore that. I don't know what came over me. That's weird.

Wa-Wa-Waaaaa!

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly.

Wow.

Okay, let me first admit that I wasn't going to watch it. Despite my recent addiction to all things taking place in the USA from 1860 to around 1900 (ie...Westerns)...I knew that spaghetti westerns were a bit different, more graphic, etc. I wasn't really all that interested, to be honest.

But I'm a curious critter. And I had exhausted most of the American-made westerns I wanted to see. And...I mean...it's Clint Eastwood.

So I borrowed it from some friends and gave it a good, honest watch this evening.

Wow.

I'll further admit that the first hour and a half were underwhelming. I mean, I was tracking with it, but I was still getting used to the overdubbing and the fact that Eli Wallach is the REAL main character of the movie (sorry, Clint...Eli gets WAY more screen time).

But then? Ah, then. Around the point that Tuco and Blondie get taken to the prison camp and Angel Eyes is posing as a Union sergeant...then things REALLY PICKED UP. The rest of the film was fantastic. And I think I'll need to watch the beginning again, now that I know what to expect.

Don't worry. Clint is still the man.

In other news, I went to Half Price Books today. Regular readers of this blog (if I have any) may recognize that this is a bad sign. I DID spend money, yes, but not all of it was for me. A bit of it was, though. Enough for three LPs (Joni Mitchell, Cat Stevens, and Paul Simon) and a book of Old West folklore published in 1951. Yeah, I know you're jealous.

For the record...I promise that this Westerns thing will pass eventually. Also, I haven't bought a Stetson, cowboy boots, or an amazing array of handkerchief-patterned clothing. I don't listen to modern country music, on the radio or otherwise, and I don't have any overwhelming urges to start.

Phew. I had to get that off my chest.

Now, to go proudly belt "Tea for the Tillerman" at the top of my lungs. And then drink some chamomile.

-The GLS

Do-Over!

My attempt at using up leftovers was very nearly a total bust, but only because I mis-used some of the herbs from my beloved garden. I wasted a whole box of chicken stock, a clove of garlic, and some stovetop energy on disgusting, bitter grossness.

But hey, nobody's perfect.

Actually, I'm glad I was only in the beginning stages of the soup when I messed it up, and not serving it out to be consumed.

I know, I know. You're wondering what I did to mess it up. I'm not telling, because I'm still a little bummed about it.

However! After starting afresh, I created an unusual and tasty Palak Paneer soup. Since the Palak Paneer was readymade from Trader Joe's, giving a recipe seems a little weird. But it was basically Chicken stock, leftover Palak Paneer, garlic, leftover brown rice, and a few other spices.

It was good. But I ate too much of it, methinks.

I am now watching an array of strange and wonderful martial arts movies. Like, obscure ones. Because I can.

Mmmm...Stephen Chow.

-The GLS

Elementary...

Watching a video of a Gogol Bordello performance. While I like GB, watching them perform in Letterman...is...an interesting experience. I mean...it's Letterman. And...it's Gogol Bordello. I dunno. You be the judge.

I'm a wee bit tired. I watched the new Sherlock Holmes (finally!) this evening at a movie night of good friends. Dogs and babies were everywhere. Food was spilling off the table. There was laughter and someone threw a bottle at my knee (I'm still holding a grudge!). But it was good, clean, wholesome fun.

And Sherlock Holmes, or what I caught of it between snuggling the kids and smushing the dogs and snacking on snap peas (don't get all of that confused), was pretty darned cool. And gritty. I think gritty is the word that all the reviewers used, so I'll use it too. I mean...does it get any better than Robert Downey Jr? I love that man. And I love waistcoats. Did I mention I love waistcoats?

Off to bed.

-The GLS

Catching Up.

I don't know how this happens! I head off to vacation, turn off my computer, and Blogger's issues magically heal themselves.

Here's the cake I made:





Don't I look proud?

And here's the birthday gift to myself from Anthropologie:



Measuring spoons! They're hefty, they're awesome. I love them.

Oh, and thanks to vacay time, this is my new favorite author.

Okay, I think that's it. Now I need to get back to 3:10 To Yuma, because the odds just got unbeatable, and I can't help but love a Western with unbeatable odds.

Mmmm...Christian Bale. And mmmmm...Russell Crowe creepiness. And mmmmmmmmm...unbeatable odds.

-The GLS

It's Nothing Personal...

For the next five days, the gutsiest thing I will do is do nothing.

I'm going on vacation.

Hiatus.

Leave of absence.

Holiday.

Read my text: I'm gone.

I will miss you all!

(And goodbye for now, Blogger. I hope you figure out your photo issues by the time I get back. Don't make me hate you.)

Sincerely,

-The GLS

Holmes, I Presume.

So...this is odd.

I wanted to explain how good my cake was, and show the pics.

I also wanted to introduce you to one of my many birthday presents to myself. This one belongs in the kitchen.

I thought I might even show my new hat I made. It's cute.

But I can't, because Blogger doesn't recognize my newest imported photos. They're there in my computer, alright, but Blogger doesn't seem to notice them.

As my gutsy act for the day, I'm going to try and solve this ridiculous little mystery. And if you have any clues, please feel free to share.

-The GLS

Take the Cake.

Well, it's happened. I've finally done my first unassisted two-layer cake.

Yes, it was from a mix.

Yes, the frosting was from a can.

No, I'm not Martha Stewart.

My mom wanted a chocolate cake with rainbow-chip white frosting (because, let's be honest, how AWESOME is rainbow-chip?), so I set out to make it.

I like to cook. And I like to bake. But I'm not a cutesy baker, nor am I even a creative baker (usually), so decorating a cake seemed a daunting task. But it turned out pretty nice, if I do say so myself!

Ummmm...here was where I had two pictures of the cake to show you. But...my photos won't upload to Blogger. Hopefully I can fix the problem and edit this later. Suffice it to say, I made a cake. And it will be delicious.

Technology. *sigh*

-The GLS

Sticks and String.

You know, it's funny how hobbies ebb and flow. I hadn't even given a thought to the fact that I hadn't been knitting, lately, until my mom mentioned it last week. So I found a pattern for a slouchy hat and whizzed my way through it, starting late last night and ending about ten minutes ago.

I'll post pics tomorrow, since the knitting is done but the hat is still sans decorations (because, you know, I'm all about at least a LITTLE bit of embellishment).

This post is also by way of an apology, because I didn't post last night, and this is because I couldn't stop knitting this stupid hat. It became a night of "just one more row! one more row!" and I was up pretty late.

Now, to buttons and pom-poms and fringe, oh my.

-The GLS

Starting Tonight...

(Tonight's soundtrack: "I Wanna Be Loved" by The Andrews Sisters. Classic.)

So, awhile ago I wrote this post in which I extolled the virtues of tiny Le Creuset casserole dishes. However, after doing some research, I determined that they were WAY out of my price range and would stay that way.

And then PCC happened. And this was the result:



Yep. There's four of them. They were $12 each. Ummm...I can't pass that up. And aren't they adorable? Yes, in this photo they are sitting on my roof. Because that's the only place where there was enough light left to take a picture. I don't make a habit of keeping cookware on my roof.

I also got a haircut, today! You can't really tell unless you're me. Frankly, it's probably the first time I've walked out of a salon feeling good about the way it went down.

(shallow)
I'm growing my hair out, because I haven't had it long since high school. However, because my hair is thick and curly, it inevitably gets too much weight around the ENDS and drags the stuff on my head down flat, so I look like a cocker spaniel. Today I finally asked someone to give me a shape other than triangular. And she delivered! I feel really good about it. I also feel really good about the fact that it was only $28. I mean...it could have been a LOT WORSE.
(/shallow)

Anyway, here's a rough idea of how it turned out:



Yep! I like it. I say "rough" idea because you probably can't even tell the difference. But I can. And that's what matters.

Especially for 28 bucks.

Hey, big spender.

-The GLS

Go Fish for Trinkets.

I bought a few lovely things today.

One, I finally found a peasant skirt that I like the color of AND that actually looks halfway decent on me.

Two, I found a print of Mr. Jeremy Fisher (a Beatrix Potter character) for my redone bathroom.

And three...my birthday present to myself.

I'm a little giddy with glee. How cute are those? I've been ogling them for awhile.

Also...tomorrow there may be a subtle but important aesthetic change to my general appearance. We'll see if I decide to splurge on it. Hint: it has to do with the unruly bush growing atop my scalp.

-The GLS

Because...

It's my birthday, today! And I am 22 years old!

The kids I work with said I look taller. And gave me pictures they had drawn. Of princesses, ice cream, bridges, and Adam Clayton from U2 (no...I don't care to explain).

I ate my weight in Thai food and walked down to the beach near where I live.

I spent time with friends.

I laughed a lot.

The gaiety will continue tomorrow with fancy yummy dinner out.

But for now? What is my gift to myself?

Tonight is the second night of the Perseid Meteor Shower. And I don't have work in the morning. So I'm gonna be up for awhile, I think, counting stars.

And if you watch it, too, it's like we're sitting side by side!

Goodnight, lovely people.

-The GLS

Be Vewwy Quiet...

(I went to a speakeasy last night.)

...SHHHHH!!...

(It was very secretive. No neon signs. Just a doorbell on a faceless building.)

I said SHHHHHH!!

(Had a Pimms & Pomegranate. Was served by a man in a waistcoat.)

(Have I mentioned I love waistcoats?)

Oh yeah. SHHHHH!!!

(There was a chandelier. And reservations are made by text message.)

Do I need to say it again?

(It was fun. I'll be back. But you didn't hear that from me.)

-The GLS

PS: This is a true story, by the way. There's a speakeasy on Capitol Hill, and it's awesome. But I ain't telling you where it is, because I like to think I'm in on some sort of top secret knowledge that few Seattlites know. Which is probably untrue. But it's my birthday tomorrow; don't burst my bubble.

Distrust, Fireballs, and Green Apples.

Today...was a weird day.

Usually I find some sort of rhythm, even on cloudy days.

But today, no such rhythm existed. It was a strange, floaty kind of day.

It wasn't altogether pleasant. But it also wasn't terrible. I'm looking forward to some sun, later in the week. It might make things a little clearer-feeling.

But last I left my characters, they were eating green apples from a mysterious source and one of them was about to pull a gun on the other.

(That's how I roll.)

I'd hate to leave them floating like that, because I know how it feels. So I'm going to get back to them.

Goodnight.

-The GLS

Flying Purple People Eater.

To continue with what appears to be a "People of Gutsiness" series, I hereby give tonight's gutsiness points to Sheb Wooley, famous for acting roles in numerous 1950's and 60's Westerns, including some personal favorites of mine (being High Noon and Rawhide).

I watched High Noon this evening, again. Seriously brilliant movie. I don't care if it was made in 1952, it's still fantastic. And Sheb gets to play a bad guy, which is fun if you've ever watched him be good ol' Pete in Rawhide.

But Sheb's gutsy points are not due to being a fantastic actor, nor are they given for being ruggedly handsome (which, you know, he is). No, Sheb's gutsy points are awarded for this monstrosity.

Don't watch unless you have a strong stomach. And speakers that turn way down.

But really, we have to be thankful to Sheb for something like that. Because honestly, without songs like the above, how would we be able to discern what is good and wholesome in this world?

My hat is off to you, Sheb. I think I'll stick with watching you act instead of listening to you sing. Makes me more inclined to like you.

-The GLS

Sodo Mojo.

Tonight's Points of Gutsiness go to Franklin Gutierrez of the Seattle Mariners.

It's okay, Frankie. It can't be easy to stand in front of thousands of screaming (and not-so-screaming) fans in the bottom of the 9th, 2 strikes, 2 outs, and no possible chance of success...and then strike out.

My hat is off to you, Gutierrez, for even trying. We still love you. Even if you made us groan in anguish.

But then, the Mariners tend to have that effect on people.

-The GLS

Garlic Spray, Please.

Five Good Reasons to get a Rooftop Herb Garden:

1) Fresh herbs. Duh.

2) You can worry over something other than homework, work-work, or housework. You can even worry over them while you're DOING homework, work-work, or housework.

3) You can bring up your herbs in anecdotes and conversations, in lieu of children or pets, and carry pictures of them in your wallet.

4) You can feel connected to nature, especially when an errant earwig attacks you from under a ceramic pot.

And finally...

5) It's just a really great excuse to go climbing on your roof at all hours of the day or night.

This list brought to you by an amateur horticulturalist who has just discovered POWDERY MILDEW (grrrrrrrrr!) on her lemon thyme plant. Hoping to treat the poor thing tomorrow, but until then...I needed to list the reasons I am glad I am gardening. For my own edification, you see.

Dreaming of happy herbs...

-The GLS

The Stars, The Moon!

Okay.

This Florence & The Machine business needs to stop.

But not tonight.

I fully intend to buy the album "Lungs" in a few precious moments.

And I can't stop listening to "Cosmic Love".

This is madness.

Gotta go open iTunes.

-The GLS

You Better Run!

Tonight's soundtrack, "Dog Days" by Florence & The Machine. To make it better, watch the video as well. She's trippy in the best possible way. :)

I'm too lazy to go back and check, but I'm pretty sure I've mentioned this here before. As a writer, I have a REALLY hard time writing villains. I don't know why this is, although I think it has to do with being perhaps a bit too sympathetic. I honestly can't see anyone as irredeemable, and I never write villains that are self-servingly vile, because they don't seem realistic.

I mean, let's be honest...Adolf Hitler and his ilk are rare enough that we notice and remember forever.

My philosophy on villains can be pretty well summed up here.

Ah well. Perhaps that is tonight's writing assignment: a fantastic villain, redeemable or not. Let's get to it.

-The GLS

Latchkeys & Light Pollution.

Tonight was supposed to be an Aurora Borealis sighting here in Washington. I looked, and I didn't see it. Interesting how your eyes show you what you want to see though, isn't it? I kept SWEARING I saw a smear of light, or a ripple in the sky, or something to show that I wasn't sitting on my roof for nothing.

To be honest, even though I'm fairly sure I didn't see Aurora, I wasn't on the roof for nothing. I saw a half-dozen spectacular shooting stars and some sort of lightning storm in the east, somewhere. I think it might be Lake Chelan, which seems unlikely, but it's the only place east of here that was expecting thunderstorms tonight. And yes, I looked.

I like the sky. I like that it's huge, and I like that scientists don't really know what to do with it, sometimes. I like that Seattle weathermen are usually wrong. I like that I can see a lightning storm that's happening miles away.

What I don't like: the fact that we think we know everything there is to know, and when we don't know we come up with a half-assed theory instead of simply saying "I don't know". I also don't like light pollution. Boo on light pollution.

But supposedly the Aurora is going to flare up again at 1:00am. Am I going to stay up? Do you even have to ask?

See you sleepily tomorrow.
-The GLS

PS: Latchkey connection? "Dial M for Murder"...a GREAT Hitchcock film with a freakin' incongruous score. Go watch it...and ignore the music. I think Dmitri Tiomkin was having an off day.

72 Angry Men.

Film Alert!

I'm back on my Western kick. This time it was "The Ox-Bow Incident" with Henry Fonda. And it was...uh...depressing, actually. Really. It was one of those 1940's films where they wanted you to think at the end. Which I don't mind, but I was kinda hoping for a good old-fashioned shoot 'em up. And instead, you're given tragic irony. I hate tragic irony. It bugs the heck out of me.

Well, back to my Civil War research. Did you know that there was a place in the Indian Territory (Oklahoma, now) that was called Honey Springs? And that there was quite the decisive battle there, in which white soldiers were the minority? Mostly it was African American and Native American regiments fighting. I had no idea. Makes me want to write stuff. I believe I will.

-The GLS