Who *ARE* these people?!

Who *ARE* these people?! Below are the 10 most recent friends journal entries:

May 17th, 2012
01:43 am madlori [Link]	London: Day Two Wow, today was massive! I covered a lot of ground. I didn't plan it, I just started out with an initial destination (the Tower of London) and a few cards from my Walks in London box. I took the Tube to Tower Hill and did the whole Tower thing. I have to say I was really impressed with the Tower, not just as a historical site and an artifact, but as an example of good museum/attraction management. They've really done well organizing it, and putting things in to manage crowds. For example when you go into see the Crown Jewels, you have to walk through a lot of passageways with other exhibits and little films, so that people spread out a bit and linger in those spots and isn't all just frog-marching together. Then once you get to the jewels themselves, you get on a moving sidewalk to look at them, so nobody can linger and jam up the lot and the queue moves smoothly past. I had been planning to walk across Tower Bridge to the other side, but then I saw that Tower Pier was right there, so instead I bought a ticket for a river trip and off I went to Greenwich. I wasn't planning to get off the boat either, but hey Royal Observatory, so I did. Popped into a random gastro pub for lunch and had AMAZING food with the most chipgasmic chips ever. I am learning that one disadvantage of the timing of my visit is that every single public space in the greater London area is being interfered with for either the Olympics or the Jubilee. Greenwich Park is hosting the equestrian events so it was all under construction, but the observatory was cool. Took the obligatory one-foot-in-each-hemisphere photo. Wandered back and totally by chance happened on Greenwich Market, very hipster and fun. Got back on the boat and sailed to Westminster, where I walked about and gaped at Parliament and the Abbey. Walked through St. James' Park and up to Buckingham Palace (totally clogged with scaffolds and barriers and unattractive crap for the Jubilee festivities), then walked back to Trafalgar Square. Had some dinner at this amazing UK chain called Pret a Manger which is basically not-horrible fast food, then got a bus home. And just to prove that yes, I really am here. Tags: travel: london (1 comment \| Leave a comment)
May 16th, 2012
06:14 pm matociquala [Link]	half angel. half eagle. one eye on the world. The first volume of Shadow Unit is now available as a proper paper book with a gorgeous Kyle Cassidy cover. It will be available through Amazon within a week, and will slowly filter its way through the rest of the online distribution system. This volume contains the first half of Season 1. Volume 2 should be available in about a month, with other volumes to follow. And of course, Shadow Unit in its entirety is available for free online, and as a modestly priced ebook through the usual sources. The story began in 2007, and will end in 2013. It's not too late to discover one of the coolest collaborative serials in the genre internets! Current Mood: chipper Current Music: All Things Considered Tags: shadow unit, wtf (4 comments \| Leave a comment)
10:08 am theferrett [Link]	How To Be Friends With A Disabled Person My Uncle Tommy’s blood didn’t clot very well, a disease known as hemophilia, so blood pooled up in his joints. It ate away his cartilage. Near the end of his life, when he moved his elbow, you could hear the bones rubbing against each other whisper-thin, like two dry crackers ground together. So he walked slow. So I walked slow. To this day, Gini tells me I amble glacially – because I’m used to quietly keeping Tommy’s pace, not wanting to upset him. Oh, I could have jogged on ahead; not that Tommy would have been devastated, as I was basically his son and he would have forgiven me the world. But he had enough reminders that he was broken and frail. He didn’t need another one from me. So I crept at his pace, which only got slower as the years went by, and we passed the time as two humans. This is what you do when you have a friend who’s disabled. Let’s be blatantly honest and say that having disabled friends is often an inconvenience verging on annoyance. They can’t get up stairs. They cancel at the last minute because of unpredictable sicknesses. There’s more planning to be find the right restaurant because of their diet. If you think it’s an inconvenience to you, imagine how it feels to them. Every day, the world wakes up and punches your pals in the fucking face, telling them “Hey, you know all those things you want to do? You can’t.” You can choose to be one of those blows. Or you can be understanding and loving and help them to live a better life. It’s that fucking simple. They live in a smaller world because of something they don’t have control over. I think a good friend will take that into account, and tread that fine line between “Yes, it’s an inconvenience and you may not always be able to come along” with a lot of love and understanding and bold attempts to make room for your friend because yes, they have a condition and it deserves to be accommodated whenever possible. Because when you are that sick, you notice the way people cancel plans with you. The way they quietly stop inviting you to parties. The way you don’t defend them when other, healthier people, complain that they shouldn’t have to deal with your issues. They’re sick, not stupid, and they feel their excision from your life as keenly as a cut. One more cut in a life filled with them. I’m not saying I was saccharine-sweet to Tommy. I acknowledged the difficulty of his disabledness from time to time, because we were loving humans and that means being honest. But I never made a big deal about the way we had to get to concerts half an hour early so he could get to his seat, or how we had to stay an hour late because the crowds might bump him too hard. Instead, I used that extra time to talk to him, companionably walking at his cane-pace, as friends. He must have noticed that his hyperactive teenaged nephew was walking slow. But for a time, he had the ability to live his life as though nothing was wrong with him. And that was the greatest gift I could give him. Cross-posted from Ferrett's Real Blog. This entry has also been posted at http://theferrett.dreamwidth.org/212382.html. You can comment here, or comment there; makes no never-mind by me. Tags: rants (49 comments \| Leave a comment)
05:27 am dglenn [Link]	QotD ( crooksandliars.com reader ExGrifter, on Michael Steele's statement that the GOP should reach out to groups not currently thought of as Republican allies ) deadjournal journalfen dreamwidth scribbld insanejournal (Leave a comment)
May 15th, 2012
04:26 pm lurkerwithout [Link]	Analogy-ising Privilege as video game difficulty setting Current Mood: awake Tags: gender issues, john scalzi, links, politics, social justice (Leave a comment)
05:03 pm madlori [Link]	I am in London! I arrived safely earlier today and am happily and comfortably ensconced at my host's flat. I'm going to use this journal as a bit of a diary of my trip so this will probably be more detail than you want, but in case you're interested, here goes (and this is also for my grandmother who is not on The Facebook). My plane out of Columbus was a little bit delayed which made my connection at Dulles very tight, but I made it. I've never been on a plane that big. The food was surprisingly good...not brilliant, but not too bad. Couldn't get comfortable, slept maybe an hour. We arrived at 1030 this morning, London time. Heathrow is fricking HUGE. It felt like I walked for about a year before I got to immigration, then on to baggage claim where I literally walked up to the carousel as my bag sauntered on by. Changed my US cash to pounds and was off to the Tube. I bought an Oyster card and thusly was another of my irrational fears alleviated, namely that my debit/credit card wouldn't work. It worked fine. The kindly Tube employee who seemed to be there just to help confused out-of-town travelers helped me figure out how to get to Paddington Station without having to go up or down stairs with my heavy suitcase. Would have worked if one of the connections wasn't impossible due to construction. But I am resourceful! I managed to get my ass to Paddington and then walk three blocks to my host's flat. She lives in Westminster at the tippy top of this townhouse. She'd advised me she wouldn't be there but a friend would be. He was such a dear, he carried my heavy-ass bag up four flights of stairs although I could have sworn my host had told me there was a lift (after he left I checked and yep, there is a lift). The wi-fi worked (this is of course crucial) and all was well. Her friend left me the keys and was off. She had emailed me a helpful list of where stuff was nearby...good Chinese, good fish and chips, supermarkets, bus stops, etc. I set off for the supermarket to buy food for myself. It's about a five minute walk to three different supermarkets including (swoon) Marks & Spencer. Then I decided to hop on the 23 bus (which according to my Londoner friend Marie is The Best Bus) and ride it to the end of the line and back to see what was what. We went past Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly, The Old Bailey, St. Paul's and lots more. I saw tons of places where in the days to come I can get off and explore. Public transport is so EASY here. It rained off and on. I took this suitably atmospheric Londony shot from the top deck of my bus. I came home, got myself sorted, and went back out to get some dinner. I was starving; I'd had a cup of yogurt earlier but that was it. So I went the cliche route and had fish and chips with mushy peas for my first dinner; my host had recommended a good nearby spot. It was delish. I went across the street to another supermarket for a couple of things I'd forgotten (coffee, cream for the coffee) and now I am home and very tired. But I've successfully stayed awake all day and will go to bed at a reasonable hour and ought to be nicely on London time tomorrow. Yay! Tags: travel: london (15 comments \| Leave a comment)
04:54 pm matociquala [Link]	our prayers are always answered. that miracles can happen. I just had one of those labor-saving strokes of genius that I need to share with the world. Which is to say, the easiest method ever in the history of popovers. Here is my basic popover recipe: 2 tablespoons solid fat (butter or animal fat (duck fat, mmm) or solid shortening) 3 large eggs, at room temperature 1 cup (250 ml) whole milk, at room temperature 1 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar 1 cup (140 g) all purpose or white whole wheat flour 1 tablespoon vital wheat gluten This tactic assumes you own a wand blender and a wide-mouthed quart Mason jar and a microwave. If not, just make the popovers the way you normally would--or if you are missing the wand blender but have a normal blender, you can melt the butter in a different container and use the normal blender. About an hour or two before dinner, take your Mason jar. Put the butter/whatever in it. Put it in the microwave and melt it. (If you are making Yorkshire pud and are waiting for the roast to be finished before you add the fat, skip this step for now, and stir the fat in before you bake the popovers.) Add the milk, eggs, salt, and sugar to the butter in the Mason jar (or blender)(or just put them in the blender if you are adding the fat later). Do not put the eggs directly into the hot butter before diluting it with the milk. Otherwise you will have scrambled eggs, which are nice, but not popovers. Whiz them all up with the wand blender. Add the flour and the wheat gluten. Whiz that too, until you have a nice smooth batter. Let the batter sit on the counter until dinner is nearly ready. If you are roasting something at 400 degrees, you're good; otherwise preheat your oven to 400 (F). (200 C) Liberally grease 9 cups of a 12-cup muffin tin, or if you are making Yorkshire pud, drizzle a little of the fat from the roast into the bottom of the cups. If you have one of the giant-sized six muffin muffin tins, then you will have bigger popovers and they need to bake a little longer. Using silicon cups for this results in popovers without stumps or a lot of loft, as they just levitate themselves out of the super-slick cups entirely. They still taste good! If you are using fat from the roast you're making, add it now and stir it in. Divide the popover batter between the nine greased cups. You can just pour it from the blender or the Mason Jar. Stick in oven. Do not peek! If you open the door before they are set, they won't rise properly. Bake for 35 minutes or until deep mahogany brown. Pull pan from oven. Tilt popovers in cups, or remove them to a rack or basket. Pierce each one with a bamboo skewer. (careful of the steam!) The purpose of these two procedures is to (a) prevent them from getting soggy and (b) prevent them from collapsing. Eat. However you meant to eat them. Do not plan on leftovers. Wash your one. dirty. dish. Oh, and the wand blender, sure. And the muffin tin. But that was inevitable. ETA: Nota Bene For even more loft in your popovers, preheat the muffin tin with the grease in it in the 400-degree oven for a few minutes before pouring the batter in. This is a bit tricky, though, and can be skipped. Current Mood: i'm a fucking genius Current Music: All Things Considered Tags: food porn, forensic cookery (34 comments \| Leave a comment)
09:05 am theferrett [Link]	Where I’ll Be At The Nebulas This Weekend! Because this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, I will be attending the Nebula Awards this weekend, where I will be the happiest loser in the world. When they say it’s an honor just to be nominated… boy, they’re not kidding. In any case, if you happen to be in Washington DC this weekend and would like to see a weasel, there are several places at which you can catch me: I’ll be at the Mass Autograph Signing from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., signing copies of my latest book. What’s that, Ferrett? you ask. You don’t have a book yet, you exclaim. Oh, but I do, thanks to fellow nominee Nancy Fulda, who has created the Awards Weekend Collector’s Edition, which features works by eleven authors who will be at the Nebula weekend. I’ll have it, I can sign it, and if you’re quite lucky you can get a full run and have all eleven authors put their name on it. (My story in there is “As Below, So Above,” my generational tale told from the perspective of the monsters in a mad scientist’s moat. Read it in advance, and I’ll even draw a squid for you.) (And while you’re at it, read Nancy’s Nebula- and Hugo-nominated story “Movement,” a tale of future autism that is a fascinating exercise in tone. I nominated it, and am glad to see my tastes vindicated.) (And while you’re extra at-it, note that I am currently in search of an agent for my book, so if you’re interested… call me!) At 1:00 on Saturday, I’ll be on the “Watch That Step!” panel with Tom Crosshill, Nancy Fulda, Ellen Kushner, and Rachel Swirsky, where I’ll be discussing pacing in stories. This oughtta be interesting, because my pacing is usually pretty reflexive – you kind of develop a sense of fast and slow after writing blog entries for, I dunno, a decade. So discussions will be had. And if you feel like hanging out and you’re a press type, I’ll be available for interviews at 3:00 on Friday. I suspect strongly I’ll be hanging out in an empty room twiddling my thumbs, but should a reporter show up I will perk up nicely and answer all available questions on squids and space stations that I can. Also, if we’ve met before, feel free to text me – or email me at theferrett@theferrett.com to get my phone number so we can coordinate drinks. We shall see what happens. Cross-posted from Ferrett's Real Blog. This entry has also been posted at http://theferrett.dreamwidth.org/212100.html. You can comment here, or comment there; makes no never-mind by me. Tags: conventions, i'm a writer, nebulas (4 comments \| Leave a comment)
11:53 am yagathai [Link]	Was LJ down most of yesterday? Quick progress report: Diablo III downloading as I type this. I expect to be absent from this reality for a good several days. Catt Murdock continues to be a holy terror. She's not malicious, but her default mode seems to be set to POUNCE AND KILL. Hungry? POUNCE AND KILL. Bored? POUNCE AND KILL. Upset? POUNCE AND KILL. Startled by her own tail? POUNCE AND KILL. I'm pretty sure she's actually a misplaced fighting Pokemon. She repeatedly tries to tackle and gut me like I'm a rabbit half her size, as opposed to a brobdingnagian ape that outmasses her by a factor of at least 40. The other cats are exhibiting some behavioral issues as a result of this constant and unrelenting series of savage and unprovoked sneak attacks. Minerva has a perch on top of the highest shelf, and I'm having to bring her dinner because otherwise she won't eat, for fear of being savaged as she drops her head to her food dish. In other unhappy cat news, Lucy, the FIV+ stray I took in and subsequently fostered out, is coming back to me. She and her new roommate Marmalade just weren't getting along. Sorry Lucy, it's the guest room for you again. I haven't been sleeping right for several days. Over the weekend I got maybe three hours a night, and that of poor quality. Last "night" I slept from about 5AM to 4:30 PM, and have been awake since. I've got places to be tonight, and sleep doesn't seem to be a viable option between now and then. I'm going to pop out for some tea and breakfast tacos, and we'll see if that gets me through the day. Hey, this could be an opportunity to try to shock my sleep cycle into some semblance of normality. (4 comments \| Leave a comment)
05:27 am dglenn [Link]	QotD ( J.F. Sargent, on the consequences of not policing children's gender performance in currently-acceptable ways ) journalfen deadjournal dreamwidth scribbld insanejournal (Leave a comment)

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