The glass is always full. But there is not always a drink in it. That’s the deepest my thoughts dare venture during this week of lows (government shutdown) and highs (Munro!) I give you a pairing of spiced popcorn (with curry powder to boot) and some sort of grapefruit tequila drink. Or maybe it was gin. In any case…
Open thread! Like the wind!
*
(There will be plenty more Toast content today, we’ve just received requests for earlier open threads. Feel free to drop in and out all day. – Ed.)
Tags: cocktail hour, meta, open thread
I’d first check around Adams Ave. in the University Heights – Normal Heights – Kensington stretch, and down to North Park. Maybe Hillcrest/Balboa Park area if you can find a good deal?
CAVEAT: I’m from SD but no longer live in the city, but these areas are cool and where a lot of my friends fitting your description have settled!
WHOAAAAA so early!
THIS IS PERFECT. My supervisor AND our first work-study kid are out today, and my other coworker’s been on vacation all week, which means I have been basically alone in the office all morning. Thus far I have watched last night’s Parks and Rec and chairdanced my way through half of The Electric Lady. At some point I might do some work. Maybe.
Oh man, I miss watching shows at my old job when nobody was around.
I’m so glad that you mentioned Parks though because that is EXACTLY what I want to talk about. (Not last night’s though because I haven’t seen it yet, so no spoilers?? Maybe?) Okay. Ann Perkins, that beautiful tropical fish. I know much has been said and done about her dating issues, and there was the whole arc last year in which she tried to “date herself” and got rid of stuff from exes and came to terms with the fact that she often took on the hobbies of her boyfriends. Then at the end of it, she decided to have a baby. Ok, fine.
BUT THEN, she and Chris start pseudo-dating again, and we know they are both leaving the show so they will probably be written off into Bloomington. But how is this okay?? It didn’t work before, why is it suddenly going to work now? It’s bothering me so much, because this show is PERFECT to me, and this plot line is really bugging me.
UGH, I DON’T KNOW. I love Ann, but it has always been a problem that the writers don’t really know what to do with her, and I feel like this was just the easiest way for them to wrap up her storyline and get her off the show. It feels so LAZY.
Maybe they’re trying to say, ok, she always had this pattern, she took the time and did the work (which we didn’t see much of, b/c it’s a comedy/working on oneself is boring), and now she’s sort of dating Chris again, but she’s not running all the time or taking vitamins every five mins, she’s just being Ann?
This is kind of how I’ve interpreted it – like, they needed to write both her and Chris off the show, so they put them back together and introduced the baby idea, but also, this is how they got around it?
I mean, I GUESS your point makes sense, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it.
Also Chris is less of a total mess now, so that might help?
Yes! That makes good sense. He was as good at therapy as he was/is at lunges!
Watching TV at work pretty much is my job for now and the foreseeable future. I have two computer screens so I can ostensibly work and watch with no one knowing. They are paying me a lot of money to watch TV, so I shouldn’t be complaining, but I am so damn bored…
I have also tried reading Kindle books on my computer, because that feels productive, but I got stuck in the middle of the 3rd Game of Thrones book and now I have a mental block against reading on here. I also read a lot of Toast, so I’m pretty grateful for this website to keep me stimulated.
… what? The 3rd? Are you SURE you didn’t mean the 4th? The 4th is the one to get stuck on, not the 3rd?!! The 3rd is the best!! So much happens!
No, I got stuck on the 3rd one too. It was the one where I realized I had no more fucks left to give about any of the characters.
I’m having difficulty processing this.
Ditto. SoS is by far the best.
But there are other characters to give a fuck about! Awww…
I guess my problem is over-diluted fucks?
Yes, the 3rd. I’m in the middle where Arya is with Beric and Jamie just lost his hand and for whatever reason, it is DRAGGING for me. Something better happen soon. I probably just need to forge my way through this chunk. Also, I already know about the Red Wedding, so there’s that… I don’t tend to get upset about spoilers though, so no big deal.
Keep going, it’s so good! That’s what I’m reading now and I’m almost done.
This IS so perfect! I’m at my last day at a stupid temp job that only lasted a week instead of 2 like I was originally told and I don’t know if I’m going to be able to pay rent next month and AT LEAST I CAN TALK TO YOU GUYS to take my mind off things, right??
Anyway I am not even hiding the fact that I’m on the internet…. all day today.
That is terrible!
The Electric Lady is perfect for chairdancing. And for I’m-so-cool lip synching, especially during Q.U.E.E.N.
Oh, Bartender, I can’t get down with grapefruit drinks. It’s way too bitter for me.
In good news, I discovered that the spider bite I got a couple days ago was 10x normal size because it was actually four bits in a row. I’m not dying! It’s itchy as hell though.
Salty dog: the perfect summer drink. Even non-southern bartenders can make it after being told it’s just equal parts grapefruit juice and vodka. But don’t forget the salted rim!
Did I read somewhere that the taste buds assigned to bitter flavors don’t develop until we are past 30? I cannot remember. I do remember thinking I had been missing out on such a good thing when I finally tried bitter drinks for the first time in my 30s. Could that be why you can’t get down with bitter drinks . . . yet? No, don’t tell me. Your age is none of our/my business. Sorry to pry.
Maybe! I’m 28, so perhaps I’ll revisit bitter drinks in 2 years.
I believe it’s the reverse — your bitter receptors start dying at a certain point, meaning that you can eat bitter things without being overwhelmed by how bitter they are as you get older. That’s why kids (and supertasters) hate vegetables.
I love grapefruit, but it doesn’t love me. Just one in an ever-increasing group of foods and beverages that are out to kill me, or at least make my GI tract miserable. When I’m 80, I’ll be living on Cream of Wheat, bananas and Ex-Lax.
As the result of a (thankfully, minor and temporary) ailment, I’m living like that now — though without the Ex-Lax. Bananas, warm (not hot!) oatmeal with no fruit, creamy peanut butter (not chunky!), and watered-down soup with dry white toast.
I am suddenly a lot more sympathetic to people who complain of stomach troubles and/or their bland diets. I mean, I always put on a show of sympathy, but I never knew how extremely tedious and limiting it would be. In addition to the boredom of cooking and eating the same few dull things for weeks, I also have had to turn down every dinner or lunch invitation because there’s nothing on any menu I can eat.
I can’t imagine how trying it is to be stuck on this diet permanently.
Oh man, I’m so sorry, that sucks. Hope you can stop the 80-Year-Old diet soon and go back to regular eating!
1. I can wholly endorse grapefruit drinks.
2. I’m making my friend a birthday cake, what type should I make? Her birthday is next week so send me all your most fall-ish ideas. (But no pumpkin spice latte cakes please.)
Apple cake! This one! http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2008/09/moms-apple…
NO TUBE PAN *weeps*
oh yeah… i used a bundt recently and it came out fine. I wonder if it would work in a 9×13, if you adjusted the baking time.
I don’t actually have any pans with holes in them! Clearly my kitchen is incomplete.
(requisite:
I am looking and seeing a recipe for a roasted apple sheet cake in her recipes that I could probably scale down…
If you look at comment 838 (yes, i scrolled all the way down….) she mentions a number of commenters who tried it in a 9×13. oh, man, now i really need to eat some cake.
I realized I didn’t want to deal with breaking down apples so I made/made up a Choctoberfest cake recipe, which is a chocolate stout cake with Octoberfest beer instead. I have no idea how it will turn out but it smells hella good.
Mmmmmm popcorn
ETA oh shit, MMMMM, spiced popcorn!
Still in Utah! What should Nicole and I do this weekend, BESIDES FEED MINIATURE HORSES WHICH WE ARE ALREADY DOING??
Uhh, post photos of them, globviously.
Put the baby on the horse, take pictures.
My greatest regret from four years in Gettysburg is that I never went to The Land of the Little Horses.
INEXCUSABLE
WTF THAT EXISTS??
South-central Pennsylvania is a strange and magical place.
Advice from miniature horses.
Dear A Miniature Horse,
There’s this super stud one field over that I’d really like to get with – what’s the best way to impress a stallion?
Thanks!
A Crushing Naaaay-bor
1. Go to East West Connection (2300 E? Foothill Village, anyway) for delicious and amazing Vietnamese food.
2. Go to Salt Lake Roasting Co. (5th South? Whatever street the main TRAX line runs down to the library) and drink delicious coffee and eat the sticky cookies that are half-dipped in chocolate.
3. Check out the view of the whole city from the roof gardens on the main library. If the weather is gross, go anyway, watch the clouds roll in, and revel in your power.
4. Drink beer from local Utah microbreweries. The Polygamy Porter (Tagline: “Why have just one?”) and the St. Provo Girl are both good.
I would drink Polygamy Porter just for the name, seriously.
IS THE BABY ALSO GOING TO FEED MINIATURE HORSES?
To update from the last Open Thread, wherein my birthday was shit but the day after was much better: yesterday was horrible again, and this morning even worse. Ugh I don’t want to go into too much detail but I’m just a very stressed out unhappy camper and I feel like my life could just completely fall apart at any moment. Please gods don’t let it happen. I am going to the doctor next week and will be discussing trying to medicate my depression instead of trying to slap a smile on it like I’ve been trying and failing for almost 3 years now.
Sorry for the Debbie Downer guys – if anyone wants to cheer me up by describing delicious meals, especially meat ones, I would be very grateful.
Will type out a longer more reassuring comment later but quickly: we love you, take care of yourself, there is no shame in medicating depression, you are a good and excellent person, and I am going home to eat potato soup with cheese and bacon!
<3 u snatchie, YAY soup weather! Now that is something I can get behind.
Hells yeah soup weather! It’s something we can all believe in.
I’m so sorry you’re having a rough time of it lately. I definitely know how the whole “everything is going to fly to pieces at any moment” thing feels. (For what it’s worth, this is usually a very unlikely outcome.) Please do take care of yourself in whatever way you need to–talk to your doctor, cuddle a BB (or three), take some time for yourself. We all want you to feel better and will be sending you the very best of vibes. <3 <3 <3
well, unfortunately I’ve literally been threatened with that exact outcome and it’s all on me to prevent it actually happening and I don’t know hooooowwwwww, but yeah, I am hoping meds will help!
This very thread is actually immensely helpful. I knew Toasties would have my back.
NEW PLAN point us at whoever is threatening this and we will set them on fire.
Everything will work out. Meds will help. In the mean time, imagine these corgis are our collective love for you:
awwwwwwwww. ah no it’s entirely my own fault. but I am very much appreciating the love. xxx
It will still be okay, promise. Know that we will set people on fire for you for any reason at all. <3
All the fire.
Seriously, we will burn those fuckers to the ground.
I have an actual flame cannon which shoots an approximation of rainbows, and I am happy to use it for this cause.
A raging mob of misandrists. All for the ‘berg.
<3 bergie
I’m going to make venison chili this weekend, methinks. Perfect for fall? Probably.
ooh venison! Tastes similar to kangaroo!
I AM SO GLAD YOU SAID THAT. I’ve never had roo (which is kind of crazy, since there is an Australian restaurant in my neighborhood), but I’ve always assumed it was similar to venison because kangaroos are basically just the white-tailed deer of Australia. You have confirmed my inane prediction!
Yep, totally is! If you want to cook kangaroo I’m sure a venison recipe would work – they go well with the same stuff.
Huh. I wonder if I can buy raw kangaroo meat…this is something to investigate further.
I did not know people ate kangaroos! The world is a strange and magical place.
We have a local burger chain in Dallas called Twisted Root that sometimes serves kangaroo burgers. I have yet to try them, but now I’m curious.
Mmmmmm, Twisted Roooooot. Second only to Angry Dog in my local burger joint ranking.
Sidebar, I know there’s at least a few dog foods that are kangaroo-based.
Oh, I am very, very sorry to hear about your stressavaganza, but: internet hug and well wishes, and if I have any advice at all, it’s that when you’re deep down in the gloom, it’s hard to remember what it feels like to be in the light. But there is indeed light up there, and things will get better, and the feeling that things won’t is an untrue construct of the depressed mind. Try to remember the last time the haze lifted, and focus on the fact that it will again. It will.
And you are awesome and there is nothing you can’t do.
No matter what life is throwing at you right now, know that we <3 u, bergie! and we are here for you to talk to!
My husband and I made t-bones the other day; they were on sale at Publix and I made garlic-buttered green beans to go with them. We did them on a cast iron skillet in the oven, which filled the kitchen with smoke because our apartment is poorly ventilated. But they had an amazing sear and were a lovely medium-rare and really hit the spot. I’m thinking about them two days later.
t-boooooones!
We roasted pheasants for my sisters birthday this week! Served with a fennel, chestnut, and wild rice dressing (but not stuffing) and holy HELL was it delicious.
Big hugs.
PHEASANTS. How Henry VIII of you! awesome.
ohhh!!! it will be ok. let us swaddle you with our affection and care! I’ve recently got off my ass and had the doctor put me on meds for anxiety/depression that I’ve had forrrevvverrrrrr but was being a trooper about and treating “holistically”. ANYWAY, I feel much better. And ain’t no shame in that game. Trust me.
Delicious meals! My husband and I are making baked ziti and braciole tonight to take to my sister’s house tomorrow. I’ve never had braciole but it sounds delicious! http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laure…
thanks noodgie! that is encouraging.
if this helps encourage even more… my situation had gotten to the point where I was hurting and alienating the people I love most, annnnddd yeah. somehow from this point, which was quite precarious, I had to pull myself together and get help and make it effective and somehow love myself while this was happening. Tall order. But I’ve managed it. Talk therapy helps too. much love your way…. xoxoxoxox
that does help! thanks <3
I hope it helps you to remember, when it seems like you can’t do anything right and everything is just falling apart and it’s hopeless, that by trying to take care of yourself and seeing the dr, you are in fact doing something right! You are taking steps to make things better! That effort counts and you should give yourself a big pat on the back for making it.
Depression is a beast and I’m so sorry that you have to go through this. There’s no shame in medication though–it can make the unmanageable manageable and that’s totally worth it. Several years ago, I thought that my life was absolutely perfect (It wasn’t, but this is what 25 year old think sometimes.) Anyway, I decided to go off my my Wellbutrin because I “knew” that I didn’t need it anymore. Terrible decision. Terrible. I couldn’t get out of bed within 6 weeks of taking myself off of it. Literally, paralyzed by sadness, depression, and paranoia. I share this story only because I hope that the reverse can happen to you and that in 6 weeks, getting out of bed and facing the world won’t be so overwhelming. I wish you the best of luck.
Also, in terms of delicious meals, I took the baked garlic goat cheese that The Toast featured a few weeks ago and added olive tapenade on top of it and served it with herbed tiny toasts to some friends. DELIGHTFUL.
Oh damn that sounds unfairly delicious.
Hey, I feel crummy too. Let’s feel crummy together.
Guys it’ll be like this:
(sorry for image bigness)
Actually, I think that image isn’t big enough. NEED MOAR KOALA
MAKE IT AS BIG AS THE SKY. Then it will be alllllmost big enough.
KOALAS AS LARGE AS SKYSCRAPERS
I myself love a good meat pie. My great grandmother was French Canadian and her amazing recipe was passed down through the generations and I request it for my birthday every year (that I’m home).
It goes like this: leftover roast beef, minced, mushed together with baked potatoes, caramelized onions, and blended together in a pan with sage, savory, allspice, thyme, a pinch of cloves and heated until fragrant… then encased in pastry dough and baked until golden.
This sounds substantially better than the pot roast I produced last night, which turned into delicious french onion soup with a lump of still-kind-of-tastes-like-beef-but-whatever beef in it. NOM.
MEAT PIE AW YEAH. That one sounds lovely.
Oh! This reminds me of my grandmother’s recipe for Cornish pasties. It’s basically the same, except she added carrots to the meat mixture, and then folded it into little pocket-sized pastries. She grew up in a mining town, and the miners would take them for lunch because they were easy to transport.
Mmmm, meat pie.
My French Canadian memere’s meat pie is similar, but pork and more “sweet” spices — cinnamon along with the cloves. Tourtiere forever.
It’s good you have a doctor’s appointment set up! To me, that oddly is one of the biggest hurdles when I’m depressed, and it’s one of he most important for my particular brand of depression. I hope you get some relief soon. This too shall pass.
My meat-based recipe is really easy! It’s a breakfast scramble with some eggs, vegetables, and ham. It’s of the “throw everything into one pan” variety that I so appreciate, plus I’d imagine there are tons of permutations in using different veg/meats. It also reheats well, which is key when I get home from yoga at 8:58pm and have to be on a call at 9:00pm (see: last night). Shoveling food from Tupperware into my face is my main jam.
http://wholecleanliving.wordpress.com/2013/07/14/…
I read that and thought “Whoa, she is on top of this!” icebergmama, you’re grappling with something hard, but you’re doing the things that will help you WIN. By going to the doctor (and seriously, just making that appointment is a triumph! yay, you!) and reaching out for support, you’re caring for yourself. That’s wonderful and important and difficult and I’m so impressed with you!
Trying and failing to “fix” yourself is part of the definition of depression. It is not possible. If you could heal yourself, it would not be depression. Props to you for seeing a doctor! Just making that appointment can be hard. I know all too well. We are all proud of you. *hugs*
thank you – I shall try to remember!
So sorry to hear this! Sending you lots of hugs and support. I’m glad you are going to the doctor next week – asking for help is an indication of strength, not of weakness or failure. It’s a lesson I continue to struggle with.
RE: delicious carnivorous meals, this is a great time for pork chops with (fresh orchard) apples and onions. I always put mustard and caraway seeds on my pork chops, yum. If you don’t eat pork, slow roasted chicken with fall veggies is always delish.
omg pork chops. yesssssssssss
Ah bergie, we’re here for you! <3 <3 <3
As for meals:
-I’m currently eating a snack of plantain chips dipped in chive and onion cream cheese. The chive and onion cream cheese is perfect for those of us too lazy to make or by storemade chip dips. Yep. The plantain chips? Well, I switched to them from potato chips during a paleo-esque Whole Life Challenge stint, and I stick with them out of the mistaken belief that they might be marginally better than potato chips. I know, it makes no sense. BUT! the two are delicious together.
-The cream cheese was bought for some bacon wrapped, cream cheese stuffed poblano peppers, which I made last night. The cream cheese helps calm down any spiciness, while the bacon makes seem like a more robust jalapeno popper.
-Mr. Fire used the rest of the peppers to cook with some beef heart that he braised with spices and chicken broth. It’s pretty damn delicious, especially if are a spice wuss like me and added a little cream cheese on the side. Beef heart = it’s just like denser beef!
-We also have some massive beef soup bones that we plan on steaming tonight or tomorrow, and then serving the marrow on some bread.
I hope this doesn’t gross anyone out, but it’s a really offal-focused weekend for my house (I guess) and this stuff is really delicious to me!
haha, I had a mental image of you just chowing down on the heart Daenerys style. thanks firie!
😀
Glad to help!
BTW:
can’t…. stop… rolling…
THERE’S ANOTHER ONE IN THIS SERIES THAT INVOLVES TWO OF THEM FALLING OFF THE TABLE and i couldn’t find it 🙁 🙁 🙁
HERE IT IS
I’M CURED
If only we could find one with threeeeeeeee
OMG MY AFTERNOON IS COMPLETE
BTW, today I butterflied some pork tenderloin, coated the inside with a mix of almond meal*, butter, mustard, honey, thyme, rosemary, and sauteed kohl rabi leaves, rolled them up, and baked them. It’s pretty tender and buttery!
I’m also making some jumbalaya right now with chicken breast, pepper and onion sausage (the farmer’s market was out of andouille) and some fancy rice blend (it’s wild rice, texas rice? and some other stuff). I’m prepping for a long day of football watching/couch eating! I hope your weekend is going well, Bergie!
There are also some roasted broccoli and leftover sauteed kohlrabi leaves floating around my kitchen too, on top of four cups of creole trinity (diced onion, celery, and peppers) that is currently cooking down in my jumbalaya pot.
*<small>I’ve eaten paleo for too long, I really like almond meal now.. I don’t know why.</small>
ARE plantain chips healthier? I can mainline a bag in … a very short period of time.
I don’t know, and I’m not sure that I care any more. I do like their texture though; the bag I get (Chifles brand) is basically like kettle chips, but less greasy.
I hope you feel better soon! I am leaving a delicious meat dish on your doorstep, virtually.
I thought you were a vegetarian? Did you lapse? Or are you living vicariously through us? Because tonight I’m a-making filet mignon.
No but my husband and kids are so I don’t eat meat at home… yes, living vicariously through y’all!
Jerkbrains are THE WORST. Sending hugs and keeping my fingers crossed for the doctor’s visit.
MEAT. My dad loves his butchers, but he has a special relationship with the fine people at the smokehouse that is up in the hills. They produce wonderful hams and delectable kielbasa, and their bacon is amaaaazing. Last time I was home they had smoked chickens, which we tried and determined to be maybe the most delicious chicken we had ever had in our entire lives.
Smoked stuff is the best. My mum can’t eat bacon (among many other things) due to dietary restrictions but she found applewood smoked salt and she said it’s amazing on chicken, and scrambled eggs and all kinds of stuff.
I am so sorry for your stress fest and I am giving you a giant hug in my mind.
I can also fulfill your desires (minus the meat) because I am opening my pop up brunch restaurant on Sunday (AAAAH) and I am working on my menu.
Menu:
banana cinnamon pancakes with vanilla-sugar syrup
curry spiced kale chips
roasted peaches with cream
chocolate dipped crostini with garlic pate
ricotta arugula quiche
apple cider
JESUS I’M NERVOUS (I also have chronic anxiety)
WAIT what city is this, please tell us so we can support you (aka feast on your amazing menu)
It’s a little late, but then can it ever be too late for cat gifs?
Because I want you to imagine that you are the little cat and the rest of the Toasties are the big cat all giving you one giant collective hug:
PS: Giant bowl of pasta, possibly a putanesca. Carbs chase the sads away!
awwwww thank you! never too late for cat gifs.
I just want to say that The Toast is my favorite place on the internet and I wish there were more hours in the day so I could read and comment on every single piece. And I’m not even going to add anything self-deprecating about being a suck up or anything, because I am JUST THAT SINCERE.
I also wish there were more hours in the day in which to do those things! I tend to read a lot of them well after the comments have died out so I always feel weird adding another four days later when no one will be there to see it, haha. But it’s like a goal of mine to read everything that the Toast has to offer.
Also just as an aside, I’ve recommended this site to a few friends and all of them thus far have come back at me with things like “Thank you so much! I didn’t think there was a blog out there that I would love THIS MUCH!”
HI GUYS thank you very much this means so much to me to hear.
Mallory I keep sending your food-trolling articles to my coworker who insists he loves almonds. His comeback: “geez you really love this site, don’t you?” YUP.
Me too.
Honestly, so many people I know from all different corners of the internet love (and have been published!) here that sometimes I wonder if you and Nicole aren’t actually tulpas we’ve collectively conjured up.
I like liking things.
It’s kinda new but yeah I enjoy liking things actually more than hating things! although obviously there is a soft spot in my heart for hating things the way Mallory does.
Sometimes I can’t wrap my head around how quickly I went from “Oh, this site exists, that’s new” to it becoming my favorite spot.
It’s like one of those sudden, intense high-school friendships where you meet and suddenly want to do evvvvvvvverything together and you’re not sure that’s okay but it feels SO GREAT.
We’re going to be REALLY CLOSE for the next four months and then we’re not going to invite you to our birthday party and start dating this guy you told us you liked and start acting like we don’t know you in math class!!!!
NOOOOOOOOO! What about our plan to go to prom together in color-coordinated dresses and smuggle in cheap champagne*? I already bought tickets!
*Or, as I called it in high school**, “champagne.”
**I’m not going to front: I still drink the cheap stuff almost exclusively.
I’m going to Atlantic City tonight! I’ve never been. I’m mostly excited because the couple my girlfriend and I are going with got us a free room, free buffets, and a free fancy dinner. Wins all around.
And I think I found a short-term sublet in San Diego for my first month there!
Any San Diego toasters out there who can recommend cool neighborhoods to live for a late-twenties/early-thirties couple? (AKA we’re past partying age, but would still like to be able to walk or bike to decent bars and restaurants)
No personal experience, but I know 3 households of people in La Mesa. Two of those households are in their twenties. All three have been there for decades and love it.
I’d check around Adams Ave. in the University Heights – Normal Heights – Kensington stretch, and down to North Park. Maybe Hillcrest/Balboa Park area if you can find a good deal?
CAVEAT: I’m from SD but no longer live in the city, but these areas are cool and where a lot of my friends fitting your description have settled!
I’m going to Montreal this weekend! What should I do?
1. Eat poutine.
2. Eat bagels.
ETA: ideally St Urbaine bagels. St Urbain? Not sure of spelling.
Smoke a hooka somewhere and drink wine! (I went to MTL a lot as an undergrad, obvs)
Oh! Casa del popolo is very nice! Little restaurant/bar/venue
I LOVED the Montreal Museum of Archeology and History
POUTINE FOREVER.
If you have money to spend and throw around, check out Au Pied du Cuchon. It’s ana amzing place and you can get a foie gras burger with foie gras poutine, as well as a pig head in a can. I’ve had the former and had to split it with my husband because it was so deliciously rich. The pig head in can is probably fantastic but I could only focus on one novelty meal at a time. We also stumbled upon L’Express during our mini-Honeymooon up there, and it really does deserve the praise of being one of the Best French Bistros in Montreal. The service there was fantastic, and that’s where I developed my love of bone marrow that I just described upthread.
The Musee de Beaux-Arts is pretty fantastic too–great exhibits, great architecture. Also, I think climbing Mont Royal is a must too–I bet it’s gorgeous with the fall leaves.
Montreal is beautiful. 😀
L’Express is super-chouette! I spent one the best days of my life in Montreal many years ago. It involved a ridiculous brunch, drinking, the Gay Pride parade, more drinking, hanging out in the gay village, hamburgers, and an outdoor Radiohead concert at the Parc Jean-Drapeau.
Jean-Talon Market.
Get poutine at La Banquise and then walk to Parc La Fontaine to eat.
Coffee & pastries / baguettes at Mamie Clafoutis (my mouth is watering at the memory of their garlic baguette).
O’Thym for a nice Apportez Votre Vin (BYOW) dinner.
ETA: I went for a weekend and apparently all I did was eat…
if you’re going out to dinner, check and see if it’s a bring-your-own-wine friendly restaurant, a lot of places are! which means you get a great restaurant culture, since going out to eat and have some drinks is much cheaper without the overage on wine.
Any Nashville Toasties out there? I want to make new friends!
Hey pals! Has anyone read The Love Affairs of Nathaniel P., and similarly, would anyone like to discuss it?
Ooh me! I finished it in about two days!
I think the only thing that kept me reading was the fact that it was written by a woman. But by the end, Nate made me wanna throw the book across the room with his moaning. What about you?
Oh, hi, yes! I finished it similarly quickly…but I think that may have been mainly because I knew the library wouldn’t let me renew it.
Nate was annoying, but less as a “nice guy” for me and more as a failed person? I don’t know, there were aspects of his wanting to maintain his sense of individuality/not “caving” to a relationship assholery that I felt less than comfortable recognizing in myself….
But I agree, I think wanting to support a female author kept me more engaged than the actual story/characters
Things, in a list:
1) I’m getting pizza for lunch today at Mellow Mushroom. I haven’t had pizza in forever. I’m already hungry thinking of the two slices of Hawaiian I’m going to get. Speaking of Hawaiian pizza, it’s awfully polarizing, isn’t it? I feel like half the people I meet are like “PINEAPPLE DOESN’T BELONG ON PIZZA” to which I say emphatically, OH YES IT DOES. Because mmm, Hawaiian.
2) Husband has an interview next week! I’m still marvelling at how quickly the job search thing happens when your field is one that has demand in it. I’m really thankful that things are going so well for him.
3) I’m reading Steve Oney’s And the Dead Shall Rise, which is about the murder of Mary Phagan and the trial and lynching of Leo Frank, and it makes me so sad. So, so sad.
4) I got Civilization 5 after years of wanting it and man is that game addictive. I spent all week sleep deprived.
I was supposed to eat at Mellow Mushroom once, my friend was insistent on it, but then plans got messed up and we didn’t make it. She had lots of great things to say about their pizza though. I had Hawaiian pizza last night, I’m excited for you.
Their slices are way bigger than they need to be. I ordered two, but I probably could have done just fine with one. But it was SUPER TASTY. If you ever have the chance again, I hope you get to go!
PINEAPPLE PIZZA FOREVER. When I really want to make sure no one takes my pizza, I put pineapple, black olives, and mushrooms on it. Haters to the left.
soulmates.
YES to pineapples and black olives! I love that there are other people who do this.
(Mushrooms can GTFO, sorry I’m not sorry.)
OMG, those three things on one pizza. It had never occurred to me. But I LOVE ALL THOSE THINGS.
(My husband, hilariously, hates all of those things. MORE FOR ME.)
My boyfriend does too. He also eats a lot of pizza. I may have developed this as a defensive strategy.
1) Mellow Mushroom! I miss the Thai Dye pizza. It was great.
4) I LOVE CIVILIZATION omg jealous. I have a creaky old laptop that my boyfriend installed Linux on as an experiment… and now I cannot play Civ. 🙁 so sad
CIVILIZATION 5 IS THE REASON I HAVEN’T SLEPT ALL WEEK. It’s a blessing and a curse. “Just a few more turns…” turns into five hours without any trouble at all.
Warm pineapple is a winner in any context.
I am 100% in favor of pineapple on pizza, my husband is 150% against. (More pineapple pizza for meeee!)
Also, fun note. One vegetarian friend introduced me to using mushrooms/black olive instead of canadian bacon for Hawaiian. Same salty/sweet combo, minus the animal products. Though I’ll warn you that pizza makers look at you like you’re crazy when you order it.
You and your husband = me and my husband. He makes faces every time I even suggest pineapple goes on a pizza. Or olives or mushrooms. His pizza tastes and mine are not compatible.
pro-Hawaiian pizza. Also the chicken version.
In the past Mellow Mushroom has taken too long to deliver. I assume the drivers are too stoned to know where they’re going?
I didn’t even know they deliver! But it IS a pizza place, why wouldn’t they deliver? Huh. You are probably correct in your assumptions.
What is wrong with everyone on this thread. Pineapple on pizza is a scourge on humanity. (Sorry, someone has to represent the haters.)
My problem with Hawaiian pizza is the ham, not the pineapple. Pineapple is wonderful, ham is not.
There is NO PROBLEM with Hawaiian pizza, and I am sorry I showed up so late to join its loyal acolytes.
Now I’m looking at their menu and wondering if the local one delivers. Daaaaaaaaaamn yoooooooooooou.
Has anyone seen the “cartoons about anxiety” buzzfeed that’s been going around lately? Has anyone seen it and been like “OMG that is me how did they know?”
I just read the depression one… omgggg.
Link??
NM, think I found it.
…Also, I think I should finally get counseling.
http://www.buzzfeed.com/erinchack/comics-that-cap…
sorry! forgot it in the first post 🙂
Christ, those are great. Thank you x
I’m trying to write about what it was like for my anxiety to go into overdrive after I had a medical scare and I keep thinking, “Maybe I should just insert that image of anxiety puking all over that guy into the middle of the essay.”
Happy Coming Out Day, everyone! I’m coming out as a Wilde-Whitman-sexual.
mmm popcorn – what are your favorite things to put on popcorn? I love Old Bay. And sometimes throwing in chocolate chips when it’s still warm and they get all melty and mmm. I love popcorn so damn much.
Experiencing a friends-flake-out-en-masse thing which is … annoying.
DC did anyone run into the trucker protest?? My workday starts early so I think I beat it on my way in. But also was a little skeptical that it would even materialize.
Cavender’s Greek Seasoning on popcorn is hands down the most delicious thing in the world. LOVE IT. Also there’s this place in downtown Atlanta called Holeman and Finch and they make bacon-caramel popcorn where the caramel is actually made with bacon fat and then bacon is thrown in with it and when you get a bite of bacon with the popcorn it’s just… ugh the whole thing is so good it makes me mad. How is that allowed!?
Also friends flaking out en masse is awful, I’m sorry that’s happening 🙁
I’ve been a vegetarian for several years but uh I’d probably sneak a bite of that bacon caramel popcorn
butter and honey or butter and salt. if only they could make a popcorn that doesn’t jam shards of toasted corn-skin into your gums.
HONEY AND BUTTER. one of the greatest things I’ve ever eaten was a corn muffin with honey butter… just honey and butter beaten together. Come to my mouth. mmmmm.
I felt like a genius recently when I put raclette spice mix on my popcorn. The one I have has “Paprika, black and white pepper, nutmeg, caraway seeds, garlic powder, coriander seed and cumin,” but the most important ones I think are lots of paprika and black pepper. (Oh my god, it’s only my second comment ever and it’s also tangentially related to cheese!)
Chocolate chips sounds delicious. OMG THOUGHT: I wonder if you could do something with popcorn along the lines of Puppy Chow? Peanut butter, chocolate, powdered sugar? Not too much so the popcorn doesn’t get soggy?
Something like this, maybe?
gasp!
Right???
There’s just whole universes of snack foods I never knew about!
SHICHIMI TOGARASHI (japanese seven spice blend — red chili pepper, sansho, orange peel, black & white sesame seeds, hemp seed, ginger, nori). it’s a little hard to find if you don’t have access to a Japanese grocery (i had to order it online) but oh my god it is so spicy and delicious. i am going to go make some right now, haha!
Oh my god that sounds amazing and not just for popcorn but for EVERYTHING.
you are correct, it is amazing on everything! rice. ramen. pizza. scrambled eggs. tater tots. literally every vegetable you can imagine; edamame was my gateway drug. mm. shichimi. *homer simpson drool noise*
Popcorn is awesome with hot sauce and parmesan cheese. I prefer the green can kind for this because it’s saltier. MMMMMM.
ooo good call. hot sauce on all the snacks!
Old Bay is great, but Old Bay + nutritional yeast is EVEN BETTER. Also seconding shichimi togarish rec. Truffle salt, a fancy classic. Ooh ooh I just thought of how good it’d be if you used browned butter on your popcorn instead of regular melted butter and OH MAN am I excited to try that. Other favorites: maple bacon kettlecorn, “apple pie spice” popcorn, rosemary Parmesan popcorn. POPCORN POPCORN POPCORN MS JINXIE’S HAVING POPCORN FOR DINNER HELLZ YES.
SO MANY IDEAS! Thank you. Really ought to get my hands on some nutritional yeast…
Yes to TRUFFLE SALT!!!! Truffle salt truffle salt truffle salt. And if you’re feeling really fancy, just a tiiiiiny sprinkle of very finely shredded asiago cheese and parsley. The truffle salt is about $13 for 3.4 oz. at the place by me, but I eat an enormous bowl of popcorn with a very generous helping of the salt about once a week and the container usually lasts me about 6 months.
This is sooooo helpful! One of my Christmas presents this year will be a popcorn kit: popcorn bowl, bags of fancy kernels, some coconut oil, and tins of dry seasoning to toss with the popped corn: superfine popcorn salt, nutritional yeast, smoked paprika salt, gomashio, cinnamon & brown sugar, chipotle/ancho salt, wasabi & ground sesame seeds.
When I saw the popcorn bowl at the top, I was planning to scroll down and ask for Toasters’ favorite (dry) toppings, but you’ve already done it! Hurray! That cocoa topping sounds divine.
Wait that’s such a cute idea for a gift. How lovely! And perfect for secret Santa/office gift giving where you need something friendly but not overly personal. Plus, it’s popcorn.
Good morning lovelies! I am so thrilled to have this open thread as it will provide yet another distraction from the bitchy new girl at work. I’ve only worked with for 17 hours so far but I already despise her, which is a new speed record for me. She is THE WORST you guys, and I have been trying really hard to be friendly and welcoming.
I do not understand how new people can be bitchy!! BE HAPPY YOU GOT A JOB, HUMAN! You’re going to see these people a looooooooooooot so being nice goes a long way for everyone concerned.
How is she being bitchy? Maybe she’s just feeling insecure or hasn’t been in an office setting before/in a long time so her work-social skills are wonky.
Well it’s not really an office setting per se, but the point stands.
Basically on her first day it was just the two of us, and I did the friendly small talk thing, which I never fail at. She was clearly uninterested (one word answers, lots of sighing, etc) so I left her to herself and did some work on my laptop in the other room. But then I overheard her talking shit about me and our boss (who wasn’t there) on her cell phone to some friend, which I thought was in really poor taste considering it was obvious I’d hear her through the open door. I didn’t say anything to any of our other coworkers because I didn’t want to bias anyone against her – I mean, maybe she just didn’t like me, right? – but everyone else who’s worked with her now has agreed that she’s standoffish and snippy.
I wanted to think that she was just shy and maybe not all that interested in having work friends, but now I just think she’s an asshole.
Been there. So sorry you are, too. My favorite tactic in this situation is to kill with kindness. Done right, it entertains me. I try to find polite, bland phrases that will get under her skin, something I overheard her complain about. Maybe we Toasties can help. What seems to annoy her? We can come up with something for you.
Well since she apparently hates nice people, perhaps pictures of puppies/kittens or gentle snowfall on a farm in Maine make her angry. Or maybe Friday-afternoon happy hours make her blind with rage. So many options!! 😉
I just offered her a piece of chocolate and she looked at me as if I’d just taken a shit in the middle of the floor. I smiled sweetly.
Yes, that’s exactly what I’m talking about. I am just evil enough to offer chocolate and sweet smile every day for a week, just for my own entertainment.
Hi! Just…um, yes, she is probably a bitch. The shit-talking part locked that down.
BUT
I feel like I’m constantly on the other side of this situation? Like, I suffer not only from resting-bitch-face but also from unintentional-but-noticeably-aloof-aura and…there’s nothing I can do about it? (That’s a lie. Obviously I could be a better person. And I’m trying, I swear, but so far: no dice)
I mean, just the small talk thing: I’m terrible at it. I suck. I am the worst. And I’ve met people/have friends who have ~the gift~ and I am so amazed. But trying to shoot shit with them, people I’m comfortable around, I feel like they’re carrying the conversation/doing the work and they can tell and feel resentful that I can’t just talk about nothing and… then I just want to crawl away to a corner and not talk to anybody ever.
SO, all that is to say: Yes, shit-talking girl is probably the worst. But sometimes new bitchy people aren’t just shy, they’re also socially inept (hey there!) but we know it and we’re working on it and, seriously, just so, so sorry…
Oh I totally get that! I empathize so so so much. *jedi hugs* When I’m new somewhere I am painfully shy, plus I have a wicked case of chronic bitch face, so I always try to be super understanding of people who come off as bitchy. So I still want to give new girl a chance… but I also want to stab her in the throat.
Brand new and already talking shit about you guys where you can hear it!? I’m amazed at the gall she has, if nothing else.
Oh nooo. I took agin a coworker within seconds once. Take courage, perhaps she will be fired soon.
Oh goodness, my coworker came to work this morning even though she has the stomach flu and I AM SO MAD. Last winter I had a stomach flu so horrendously awful that I actually cried out for death to relieve me of my suffering and I CANNOT GO THROUGH THAT AGAIN! I had to go to the hospital because I was dangerously dehydrated and couldn’t even stand up on my own, and it wiped out all the bacteria in my system that allows me to digest dairy for several months afterward. Ugh.
What is everyone making for foods this weekend though? If I don’t get sick I want to make stuffed acorn squash with Italian sausage and spinach and mushrooms and cheeeeeese.
That sounds amazing!! Do you have a link to the recipe?!
If you’ll forgive a self-link, here’s my ridiculously good stuffed squash recipe with mushrooms and cheese and caramelized onions. If I were going to add sausage and spinach (which, um, yes, that will be happening soon), I’d pan-fry crumbled sausage until it’s just done, not crispy, then pour off most of the fat, then quickly wilt some fresh spinach in the same pan.
Incidentally, the linked recipe uses cream and a lot of cheese, and it is very, very good, but I’ve also made it with broth in place of cream and about 1/3 the cheese, and it is still very, very good and also I didn’t lie on the sofa after dinner feeling like I’d never stand up again.
Yes, I make it by just kind of sautéing everything together in a pan while I bake the squash, shove it all in the squash, sprinkle some cheese on top, and stick it back in the oven for a few more minutes. It is glorious!
I am making this salad for a dinner party tomorrow night: http://ohsheglows.com/2013/06/05/thai-inspired-hy…
Flu is the WORST – do flu shots help? I am highly skeptical of flu shots and have never gotten one, but every year I feel like flu season hits people harder and harder. Except, one of my coworkers got the shot a couple days ago and now he has the flu BECAUSE of the shot, ugh.
Nooo, no no no. Sorry (/not sorry). Your coworker did not get the flu because of the flu shot. Flu shots are made from the inactivated virus, which means that the virus in the shot cannot infect you. It takes up to 2 weeks to get immunity (which is why earlier flu shots = better). It’s most likely that your coworker was exposed to the flu before getting the shot, hence the flu shot –> flu –> misconception that flu shot = flu.
Also the stomach flu is not related to the flu virus — it’s a totally different (somewhat misnamed) illness.
Oh noooooo. Good luck avoiding the bugs!
Stuffed acorn squash is the business. I’m planning to do a lot of baking and cooking this weekend:
– something with a butternut squash (risotto? a gratin with some kale?)
– Smitten Kitchen’s apple and cheddar scones, freezing most to bake later on
– pumpkin bread (possibly with chocolate chips in it)
I’m also going out to brunch twice. OW, MY ARTERIES
That is really awful for you. Is there anyone you can appeal to — a boss, an HR person, someone who can send her home before half the office gets wiped out? I understand her urge to come to work no matter what, but infecting other people won’t help anyone.
Me and another coworker convinced/told her to go home and she did, thank goodness. I always feel tremendous guilt and anxiety whenever I stay home, even if I am near-death, so I understand why she came in anyway. I just have a horrible fear of all stomach ailments, I just think they are SO MUCH WORSE than any other kind.
Heeeey, talking to her like a human being is not an option that immediately occurred to me. Well done!
Salt tablets make can make the stomach flu go from completely horrendous to merely incredibly awful. I am selling them really well, I know, but there’s about 75% less time where you’ll want to die.
No kidding?? I had no idea!
I am making all the things for the next two weeks (gonna freeze it). French stew, cheesecake, anchovy pizza, latkes for tonight, and squash soup. Maybe some kind of dessert, aside from cheesecake. I love cooking. It’s my favorite thing of life.
I finally found the perfect boots. The accommodate my “I do things with my legs, bitches” calves and I can even do the cute tuck jeans in boots thing (which I have never been able to do before). And they were on sale, and they’re waterproof and insulated. SCORE.
Those sound perfect – what are they??
These: http://www.sierratradingpost.com/sorel-1964-premi…
STP 4 Lyfe.
STP+SOREL WIN. I have some Sorels myself (the Tivolis) and they are the best winter boots I’ve ever owned.
These http://www.sorel.com/womens-1964-premium-cvs-boot… except from last season and on super sale (light purple, not dark)
Really, these: http://www.sierratradingpost.com/sorel-1964-premi…
Also I am SO CLOSE to getting an awesome job. I want it so badly, I had my third interview for it yesterday and I feel like it went really well and now I’m in the painful, horrible waiting period to hear back…
If I get it, I will have Responsibilities with a capital R seriously, I’d be taking over the Operations department for a start-up snack food brand which is so cool and also scary.
You guys, New York is scary. But a lot of fun and exhilarating, but also terrifying if you don’t have stable employment.
Share stories of career successes? Seizing the helms of companies, etc??
Omg, I’m in the exact position as you. Third interview yesterday, scheduled fourth one on Tuesday, want it so bad so bad so bad. But we’re gonna get these jobs! We are great and employable!
Yeah!!! (leans over and pukes from nerves) No, we will be fine! Probably! Let me know if you get your job and good luck! (what is your job??)
My boyfriend said something which calmed me down a lot before I left for the big face-to-face interview which was something along the lines of: “If you be yourself and try your best there will be nothing to regret. If they pick someone else then screw em!”
http://www.slate.com/blogs/outward/2013/10/08/fun…
Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home is becoming a musical! Ignore the headline, it’s terrible.
The Toast is the best, but I comment on darn near everything and think about commenting but sometimes don’t out of respect on everything else, so enjoy a link which is likely to be relevant to our mutual interests (smart, difficult topics, memoir) instead.
Really ignore the headline.
“Can one new musical overcome years of lazy stereotyping?”
WHO CARES, THIS IS GREAT
Oh god, that headline. I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you.
Anyway, is this an appropriate place to show off the roller derby name I thought of years ago that I’ll never be able to use and can’t give to any friends because I don’t know anyone who does roller derby? It’s Alison Wreck-del.
That is a perfect nickname. I had a Scottish friend once who wanted to take “Dolly Tartan” as hers. Hellison Wreck-del as a two-parter.
I refuse to do derby because I have already broken my life quota of parts.
Damn it, someone else thought of Alison Wreck-del AND made it better? Great names, though.
I also have Joanna Gruesome, Neko Mace, and Ursula K. Le Ruin (The ‘K’ stands for ‘Kill’)
Neko Mace! THAT IS EXCELLENT. Also, I miswrote: Hellison is my suggestion back to you. Is all. On our fantasy roller-derby team which does not include really having to confront spiral fractures.
Instead of ignoring the headline (which was solid advice and I wish I’d followed it), I heard it in a big, bright broadcaster voice and answered it out loud with the same big, bright voice: “YES!”
It’s finally Canadian Thanksgiving weekend! I still have to work today, but it’s a really slow goof-off day and my co-worker and I have a pumpkin spice latte date this afternoon! Another one of my co-workers gave me a big ginger molasses cookie that I ate for breakfast! I get to sleep in and make pie tomorrow, then spend the rest of my weekend eating a lot of food and reading books while wearing cozy things! It finally got cold in the exact way I wanted it to! CANADA!
Ooh, this sounds nice. I am totally looking forward to hunkering down for the cozy holidays here in the US.
yay! we aren’t doing a big thanksgiving this year, but i am determined to make a roast chicken w/ stuffing and veggies and mash and stuff on sunday for me and my BF. i am so ready for the long weekend, we have lots of great stress-free plans, involving beer and sausage and knitting time and burlesque and ohman. long weekends!
Oh I love Canadian thxgiving. I feel like it’s at just the right point of the fall, unlike that dumb american one that happens basically at Christmas.
last week i posted a depressing comment about being unemployed and overwhelmed and not a real person, and this week i have a solid job offer for a position that i’m actually pretty excited about and that has benefits! this week has been a great lesson in how fast everything can turn around after multiple months of spinning-wheels-in-the-mud frustration.
also, i’m still trying to meet new people in the bay area, and i miss having a book club, so would anyone in the area be into that? or at least a bay area ToastUp sometime? pleeeaaaseee?
Now I wish I could buy you 2 bottles of champagne! Congratulations on the job offer.
Congratulations! I love/hate those whiplash moments.
Congrats on the job offer!
I’d definitely be down for a Bay Area ToastUp. I am super busy with work these days so I might not have time to read a book club book, but I’d do a meetup!
MEET UP!
Of course, this means we actually have to plan something. I can’t remember if you mentioned this last week, but what part of the area are you in? I will admit to being very SF-centric because I live and work in the city and am very lazy but I will travel to the East Bay for fun times on occasion 🙂
I’m in the east bay but totally willing to travel to SF. I am so bad at organizing things but i REALLY want this to happen!
Congratulations! That’s great — and encouraging — news, and it’s so good of you to share it with us!
I was at the gym this morning so I saw some morning TV and apparently it is International Day of the Girl today. So I’m going to give my daughter All the Hugs today and try to take her to see that new documentary, Girl Rising, which is supposed to be terrific. Go girls!
Also they had male models on GMA, complaining that they don’t make as much money as top women models, and I had to physically restrain myself from calling out, “HOW DOES IT FEEL THERE, BUCKOS? FEELS PRETTY SHITTY, HUH??!?” whilst on the treadmill.
Also I am listening to the entire Stravinsky catalogue, in chronological order, on Spotify today and it is amazing. Nothing like some kickass, in-your-face classical music on a lovely Friday. Happy weekend, Toasties!
I was stuck at the car dealership because my car which is 13 months old fucking sucks and has had the same problem for 3 weeks straight and I saw that, too. WAAAAH, pretty boys!
Great programming, GMA. “Happy International Day of The Girl! Gosh, it’s hard out there for handsome men!”
To be fair, the handsome men whining part was on a good 30-40 min. before GMA focused on girls, so it wasn’t really connected. And the smirk on Lara Spencer’s face as she introduced the story said, “Ladies, I know this is ridic, but they made me.” But yeah, not the best.
HELLO EVERYONE! This is my first-ever comment. The Toast has been knocking it out of the park lately. So much good, unexpected stuff.
What’s been on my mind: I cannot BELIEVE I didn’t know that those crispy lacy disks of cheese that they sometimes put on top of fancy salads or soups are something that you can make at home WHENEVER YOU WANT. You literally just sprinkle some grated cheese in a nonstick frying pan and fry it! Most perfect after-work snack in the world!
Also, psyching myself up to pitch some ideas to the Toast. (Possibly about cheese??)
I would read about cheese.
I too would read about cheese.
I would also read about cheese, especially when paired with bourbon.
Or any kind of booze really, who am I trying to kid?
Wait wait, cheese and BOURBON pairings? TELL ME MORE. Those are two of my very favorite things.
Juuuuuuuuuuust gonna leave this here and back away slowly.
http://thehairpin.com/2013/10/first-female-master…
How did I miss that?? That’s my punishment for not paying as much attention to the Hairpin lately.
Welcome! And yes, please, tell us stories of cheeeese.
I like to both eat and read about cheese. Sometimes at the same time.
I would read all the things about cheese.
If you have something to say about cheese, I. Am. Listening.
The outpouring of support has been heartwarming. I shall go to work crafting my pitch.
I am still trying to round up Chicagoans to see Samantha Irby on October 16?
http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/Event?oid=10…
So, today I am leaving work early to pick up a jump box from the mechanic, and then I’m going to jump our car with it and drive it back to the mechanic so they can replace the old, corroded battery. I have never jumped a car before and am kind of terrified that I will electrocute myself REAL BAD.
Also, when I googled “how to jump a car” the first result was from “The Art of Manliness” – basically saying that jumping a car is a skill every man should have, in case he needs to rescue a damsel in distress! (I am not making this up). I hate that site and I want to barf all over its heritage masculinity brand.
FUCK. That. Jump the car, you will be fine.
The only thing that’s tricky about it is attaching the cables to the battery posts in the right order. After that it’s hands-off, and you should be fine! Just go with the instructions and ignore the manly-man BS.
Instructions are what it’s all about, baby. I don’t understand how engines work but I once changed my spark plugs for fun (I mean, they needed changing, but I did it myself for fun) just using instructions I found somewhere. All this is learnable, and not dangerous. Good luck! 😀
Yeah, I was anxious-to-terrified the first time I did it, but I did it roughly one jillion times after that with no danger. (Bad car. Baaaaad car.) It was a lifetime ago, so I have no practical advice to add, but if you’re connecting it right, you’re aces.
Also, FUGH, THAT MANLINESS NONSENSE. I’m my own fuckin’ damsel and I’ll save my own fuckin’ self.
GUYS I’m having a crisis. I’m currently a postdoc and have decided that I definitely do not want to stay in academia/try to start my own lab *BUT* my project has finally gotten interesting & it ended up topically far enough outside the main scope of the lab that it’s not going to be continued after I leave, so I had decided to stay long enough to get enough data to publish a complete story & get personal/scientific closure *BUT* I just saw a job posting for an editor at Kinda New Offspring of Top-Tier Science Journal in my city that I’m pretty sure I’m qualified for and the deadline is Oct 21, and from the secret eye I’ve been keeping on the availability of these sorts of positions they do not arise terribly often. UUUUGh. Should I just apply and leave it to the fates?
Can you hand off your work to someone you trust to continue it? My favorite scientist knew his work would be abandoned when he finished his PhD because his advisor is a ditherer who has never done a thing without someone (his mommy, his wife, his dean, his PhD student) applying frequent pressure. That’s the dark side of tenure. Anyway, Favorite Scientist arranged for a colleague to babysit his lab samples in the minus 80 freezer for a couple of years so Favorite Scientist could move away to do unrelated *salaried* work. But Favorite Scientist is constantly looking for a lab who wants to continue his project. When arrangements are final, he will have his samples shipped to the best lab. And, you guys, this is wonderfully weird stuff that could help treat cancer without making patients so sick like chemo currently does.
Apply and see what happens! Having too many options is the best problem to have. Good luck!
APPLY. Fates. You might get it and turn it down. You might get it and it ends up awesome. Or, there’s the infinitesimal chance that you don’t get it, and they suck.
Apply apply apply! Better to keep the option of leaving and getting a great job open, than to leave it as a “what if”. Particularly if this is a case where you definitely do want to leave at some point. I have fantasies about doing the same, but am currently being held back by A) That nagging fear that things are about to finally get interesting in my job and B) Needing to move in < 12 months for a two-body problem.
Aah! Okay! Toast cheerleaders! Plus, when I set it out like “a dubious sense of personal accomplishment from publishing a tiny thing on DNA replication stress that like 100 people will ever read” versus “saner hours, more money, room for advancement in a highly respected publishing house” it is NOT REALLY A QUESTION. There is also no truly terrible outcome to this situation! Thanks!
No terrible outcome. The best outcome of all!
You should absolutely apply. For closure I recommend burning something rather than publishing it, it’s quicker. (From first submission to acceptance, my last paper took a YEAR. And lets face it, the end sentence of a research paper is always “BUT THAT JUST RAISES FURTHER QUESTIONS!!”)
UGH. I’m so glad the week is over. Here are some things that happened this week:
1) I had to go for a Crisis meeting at the local hospital. Because the NHS is being battered to fuck, the Crisis meetings are held in peeling green former psychiatric wards in a building that’s mostly boarded up. The signs are all from maybe the sixties, seventies. Nobody is there. Nobody. It was a whole ward with just me and the woman I was meeting, corridors and corridors of boarded up offices and safe rooms.
The meeting was good. The hospital, however, is going to haunt my dreams forever, and I kind of want to sneak back in just to take pictures of how gorgeously creepy and run down it is.
2) Just had to sit through a class on on black African feminist lit that was entirely dominated by well-meaning but racist rich white people with a total inability to step out of their own shoes for even one second, OR listen to actual black African women writers speak about their experiences. Which was not so great. Not so great at all.
But, it is now the weekend.
I would highly recommend emailing the professor about that second one. They may have noticed it already but if you (or maybe you and a group of students) point it out and explain why you felt it wasn’t ok (even though it should be obvious that it wasn’t ok to a competent teacher) the professor may make more of an effort to either discuss it with the students (and explain why they were being racist) or try and let more of the ignored students speak (maybe by calling on people instead of letting everyone talk over each other).
There are few places creepier than old, abandoned or semi-abandoned psychiatric hospitals. (But, then again, I watch a lot of supernatural-ish tv and bad shit is always happening in those places.)
OH, and I have a request for help. I can’t drink any more. Not for the next while, anyway, and I am English, and I drink wine with everything, and before that I drank either water, or watered wine.
And I do not know what adults drink with meals that isn’t wine, and I don’t know what adults drink when they get in from a stressful day that isn’t wine, and I don’t know what adults drink when they go out that isn’t wine, or at least isn’t alcoholic. Help me, non-drinkers of the Toast!
Save me from my own-brand limeade. Please. What do you drink? What tastes fancy and nice and isn’t boozy? What can I drink?
These are not particularly adult but they are all drinks that I love: sparkling apple cider, cream soda, plain seltzer water with a bit of lemon. The grocery store near me also has store-brand Italian sodas which are interesting flavors like grapefruit, pomegranate. Something about the bubbliness makes all these feel special to me.
Now is probably the time to experiment with fancy teas. Green teas, smoky black teas, chais, spicy herbal teas with cinnamon oil, etc. And hot chocolate, and apple cider (although I don’t know if this is a thing in the UK the way it is in the U.S.).
Equal parts fruit juice and diet tonic water. Or add bitters to fruit juice. Either way, the bitter taste cuts the sweetness just right.
Fancy teas! Coffee! Expensive mineral water with some lime or lemon in it! Mocktails!
FENTIMAN’S. i haven’t drunk alcohol since the old king died and i am all about fentimans olde- y worlde- y pop. they do one that has roses in it or something which is the BOOM LICK. i don’t know about after a stressful day- when i’ve had a stressful day i’m all about some form of deep- fried carbohydrate and/ or hot wet cheese, personally, but ymmv- but if you want to feel like an adult i highly recommend fentimans rose lemonade or anything else from their range of 19th century style rural summer fete refreshments.
(if you are english and not IN england, i don’t know what to tell you).
Fentimans is fantastic! I think I’ve loved everything of theirs I’ve tried, but the Rose Lemonade and the Seville Orange are especially delightful.
Depending on your reasons for not-drinking, this may or may not apply, but I like club soda with a finger of grapefruit juice and a dash of bitters. Looks like a cocktail; quacks like a cocktail; not actually a cocktail.
Apparently grapefruit is also off limits. Baffling. But, bitters. Bitters are definitely key. Thank you!
Yes, bitters! There are so, so many fancy bitters out there (and DIY recipes, if you’re so inclined). Take all the money you’re saving not buying wine and splurge on a collection of fancy bitters.
Also, I’m sorry about the no-wine thing. 🙁
No other suggestions beyond what’s been listed, but when I was pregnant and out, I would just tell the waiter or bartender, “I’m pregnant, can you make me something non-alcoholic and cool? I like citrus-y stuff, not too sweet but not super-bitter.”
Results varied from kinda dull (spritzers) to really awesome original mocktails. If you don’t want to share your reasons for not drinking, you can just claim to be DDing and no one will say boo. It was fun, though! I got to try new stuff, and while I’ve always felt dumb not knowing about various liquors or whatnot, there’s really no shame in not knowing your mocktails.
i like to mix fancy fruit juice (or even plain old OJ) into ginger ale! but i’ll second the comment about getting into fancy teas – i assume you live in the UK and so i will know nothing about your local fancy tea stores, but if you have anything like David’s Tea there, go in and ask to smell things until something delicious calls to you!
David’s makes a tea called Mother’s Little Helper (bad name) that is a pepperminty blend with valerian in it – valerian is used for stress-reduction, traditionally, so if you can find a valerian tea, it may be great at the end of a long day.
Since you’re British, lemon lime & bitters? Or is that too close to limeade? Fruit juices, but especially fancy expensive orange juice or cranberry juice seem like adult options to me. You’re saving all that money on booze, so you can afford good juice!
Bitters. I think bitters are going to be key. Yes. (Thank you Bergie x)
No judgement (really) but I’m kind of blown away by this. I drink a crap ton (actual measurement) of water. It has no flavor. It doesn’t infringe on food. The occasional flavored drink is for after dinner. Occasionally mid-afternoon. And coffee for the morning.
Haha- I think I drink water so constantly I don’t really count it as drinking? I love water- I actually think it does have a flavour, but then I live in London and our water is full of…stuff- but it just feels weird to not have another drink alongside my ubiquitous water. If that makes sense.
Sparkling water+anything you want. Juices! Syrups! Bits of fruit! I’m a big big fan of sparkling water+pomegranate. Possibly pomegranate blueberry juice.
Water is still good! Lime and soda is my standard non-alcoholic pub drink, or occasionally orange juice and lemonade. Fizzy water in restaurants. At home, a nice cordial (I like Bottle Green’s lemongrass and ginger) or juice mixed with fizzy water and served in a wine glass. Or for fancy feeling water, add cucumber, lemon or mint.
Also, some types of restaurant have associated drinks: mango lassi with Indian, Thai Iced Tea with Thai, green tea with Dim Sum, Pizza Express does a nice Sicillian Lemonade.
I’m going to represent the 7-year-old lobby and pitch hot chocolate after a stressful day at work. Heat a little whole milk or cream in a saucepan, add a chocolate bar, whisk until it melts, and then pour in milk until you reach your desired chocolate-content (melting the chocolate with just a little liquid [ideally liquid with a fat content] first lets it melt smoothly). Top with whipped cream, which you can get from a can or whip yourself with a little powdered sugar and vanilla. For extra fancypants points, sprinkle cinnamon or cocoa powder over the cream. It will look and taste super indulgent.
I decided to cut down on my drinking a month or so ago and also really missed having something at the end of the day as a signifier. It turns out shrubs are perfect! They were a drink popularized during Prohibition as a cocktail substitute and they taste grown up and interesting and are not at all like drinking juice. Basically, you add cut-up fruit (any kind that strikes your fancy) to sugar overnight, then mix it with good vinegar (apple cider or coconut are popular) and strain out the fruit. All in a 1:1:1 ratio. You mix a bit with club soda and drink! It’s a similar sweet-tart flavour profile to lemonade, but more complex. I did peach with apple cider vinegar, and next am going to try apples with apple cider vinegar or maybe pears with some anise?
This is a perfect idea and I am going to try it. Thank you! x
elderflower cordial!! i am also a fan of orange-juice-and-tonic, though it can start to taste rather sweet after a while.
bitters are made with booze (though it’d be incredibly hard to drink enough of a bottle of bitters to get drunk), so depending on the rules of your non-boozing they might be a dead end.
You guys, you GUYS, I’m currently at a coffee shop (as 20-year-olds can do on Fridays at noon) and I just watched a dog meet a puppy. Is this a thing that just happens outside of coffee shops all the time? Because it was amazing. I took photos.
Don’t be a tease; post photos, please!
Dog, meet puppy. Puppy, meet dog.
awwwwww!
OH MAN. This is the cutest thing ever.
NUCLEAR LEVELS OF CUTE
Ugh this is adorable. Why must my puppy hate all other animalsss
I just d’awwwww’ed out loud. So cuuuuuuute! I wish my dog wasn’t such an asshole so that I could experience those moments myself.
but i’m uuuuuussssed to the laaaaater threeeeeeads
They hit the UK at around 8ish, which is great
Ah well. I’ll adjust.
ANYWAY so Jos had his last day and has been at home since wednesday and I already want to murder him MY GOD I hope he gets a new job soon so that I don’t go to prison.
He watches Jeremy Kyle at 10am which is FAR too early for that level of hostility especially when I’m trying to write.
When our father retired, my sister and I took turns talking mother down. She would call one of us every other day with exasperation and something like “he’s still here; he’s just here; he’s always here; he never leaves; he’s in the way!” Mother calls herself a homemaker, no resume, no paid work, used to having the house to herself all day. Sis and I conferred after a couple of weeks and instituted a strategy. After an Exasperated Mother Call, we would call back and ask for Dad. Without mentioning we had talked with Mother, we told him firmly that he was to go fishing at once. When he responded that it was raining or dark, we replied even more firmly that we did not care if “going fishing” meant driving around aimlessly for 2 hours. He *must leave the house* immediately. After a few iterations, he and she worked it out and now Mother just says to him, directly: Isn’t it time you went fishing? He is not stupid, hears the exasperation and leaves the house immediately, even if raining or dark. Old dogs, new tricks.
HA. This has just happened to my parents and it’s hilarious. She’s now worked him out a Plan of playing tennis and having French lessons so he doesn’t get under her feet.
I wish I could get my roommate to do this. She’s started trying to get up early for work on weekday mornings which fine, ok, good for her but THAT’S MY TIME. That’s the only guarantied alone time I have! I became a morning person because I naturally wake up early, but I stayed one because morning’s are quiet and dimly lit and there’s no one around to get in my way at the kettle or turn on every goddamned light in the house and start chatting at me cheerfully while I’m just trying to make my damned toast.
I really wish I could just get her to go fishing instead.
I feel like you could say something to her & expect a pretty high degree of improvement in the situation. Even if it’s just “I wake up slowly and don’t really feel up to talking before 9am, just fyi in case we both end up being early risers this semester. Thanks for understanding about that.”
My best friend and I lived together for a year, and we were both terrible at having roommates, so when we started living together, we basically swore that we would not fuck it up, and outlined all the rules and it worked out PERFECTLY. And one of them was “do not speak before coffee, then say ‘have a nice day’ and go to work.” And then we would just email each other and text all day, like always, but we had that time to be grim and morning-esque, and it really did work out great.
My grandmother sent my grandfather to our house, where he proceeded to clean, fix, and build things. We didn’t mind so much.
ETA: only works if person actually cleans, fixes, and builds things properly. Does not work if things that do not need fixing are left broken.
Re-playing Dragon Age: Origins for the first time in like three years. Had forgotten how much of a hold it has on my psyche. Also, it’s really hard not to romance Alistair, you guys. Even knowing that he’s kiiiiiind of a racist who’ll dump you in a heartbeat.
Mmm, Dragon Age. Mmm, stupid sexy Alistair.
(SO EXCITED FOR INQUISITION)
Mmmmmaaalistaaairrr. Stop being so sexy, you sexy ex-templar.
It is acutely embarrassing how excited I am for Inquisition. It just looks so damn pretty. Totally gonna make myself a lady qunari as my first character. I’m sure there are other games coming out next year too? Eh!
Just make Anora queen! He really doesn’t want to be king! (I always feel like a total heel for killing Loghain though.)
I just finished replaying DAII with my Bad Decision Hawke (who looked at Anders and went “Wow! Such bad boy! Very Romance!” and then had to get out the Murder Knife.)
Oh, that’s how my previous game ended! The internet warned me that my Elf Mage was headed for heartbreak, and like you say, Anora is generally speaking more competent and willing to do this Queen thing anyway. Hereditary Monarchies are silly!
This is the “do things differently” playthrough (as setup for DA3), however, so (spoilers) Alistair will be marrying Anora, Loghain will be spared, the Dark Ritual will be foregone, and Loghain will be taking the final hit, leaving my dwarf warden to go have theoretical sexy adventures with Zevran. I have planned this out waaaaaaaay too carefully.
Up next: I think I’ll also be making my own Bad Decision Hawke! Oh Anders, you irascible terrorist you! You want me to help you gather saltpeter for an unspecified “potion”? I see no problem with this!
Bad Decision Hawke!
Also featuring: Isabela – we don’t need to be friends, right? and Carver – you should come with me to the deep roads, because What Could Possibly Go Wrong??? :D? :D? 🙁
Wouldn’t be a good game of Dragon Age 2 if you weren’t wracked with GUILT by the end of it! *Sells out her fellow mages; drowns her sorrows in the pub with Varric.*
ah guys I am having a LIFE PANIC MOMENT. I have a friend visiting from college who lives in DC now (I still live in Boston where I went to school) and it is making me feel all sorts of squirmy want-to-move feelings. and it’s SCARY. and also I am hitting the four year anniversary (!!!!) mark with the boy and things are a bit rocky and I think I’m going through a quarter life crisis. send help.
Oh man, I know exactly how you feel and I don’ t have any great advice– this is something you need to figure out on your own. Just give it some breathing room and really think about things, then discuss them with the boyfriend if you feel you still want his input, and go from there. That squirmy, panicky feeling sucks. Just make sure it’s coming from inside you and not from outside envy, etc, before making any major decisions. But don’t wait too long if you feel that changes are needed.
embrace it, if you don’t have a mortgage or kids yet NOW IS THE TIME to up sticks! (up sticks = pick up everything and move)
Ahhh. I have been having similar feelings lately. Not about the boyfriend, but about the city. I’ve been here since graduation and I’m starting to get wanderlust-y. I like it here a lot, but at this point most people I know have left and I don’t have the time to find new friends at the moment. Of course, moving to a new city would help this not at all.
MY CAT HAS STOPPED PEEING ON EVERYTHING! My husband took him to the vet on Monday to find out if he has a UTI (he doesn’t), because he has been peeing all over our weight room for over a month, sometimes more than once per day. Apparently what happened was that when we had a houseguest for a month, who was using the guest bathroom as his bathroom, which is also the bathroom with the litterbox in it, one of the cats (the male) decided the litterbox was thus UNSAFE FOREVER, but only for pee.
Anyway, we solved it by buying a second litter box and putting it in the weight room, then moved it to the living room (hard floor), and now he is back to using the normal litter box, but the other cat (female) is using the new one. I don’t understand it, but I approve of the lack of daily cat pee clean up.
In other news, I’m 14 weeks pregnant and still SO TIRED and I have headaches and heartburn and just don’t want to do anything at all ever. I thought the tired was supposed to go away after the first trimester, but I think that must be a lie.
making people is hard work yo. also make your husband do everything with the cats.
I have tried; he refuses. We read up on toxplasmosis, and it turns out that if you have had your cats for years and they’re indoor cats, it’s basically impossible to get infected by them or their litter, so he and I split cat related duties.
It’s a thousand percent a lie. You’re going to be tired forever. Also, swear to god, I think we went to high school together. I’m going to facebook you now.
Hmm. Where did you go to high school?
In Michigan. If you are not who I think, you have an internet doppelganger. Teacher, cat-haver, 14 week pregnant lady.
I guess I must have a doppelganger. I went to HS in Texas.
This makes me sad, since I was really excited about that for some reason! What grade level do you teach? I teach the high schoolers, myself.
I teach high school English in the DFW area. What subject do you teach?
I teach AP econ to all of Virginia … really, I teach online for the VADOE.
Quadsie is right (is it OK if I call you Quadsie, Quadsie?). My daughter is 10 and I’m always tired. Just smile and accept the tradeoff.
Yes. But I will call you Bitsie. And as a fellow parent of an older child (mine are 11 and 6) I have found that although i get more sleep, I am more exhausted by my children than ever.
Bitsie is fine – Bitty is too close to an actual nickname of my daughters. Yes, they are exhausting, aren’t they? It’s especially hard when mine goes from happy to yelly to crying to remorseful back to happy, all in the space of, oh, 4 minutes. Slow down, sweet girl, Mom’s middle-aged brain can’t keep up.
I’m going to attempt to start eating better this coming week. Not necessarily “clean eating” but just not eating so horribly. Does anyone have good ideas for breakfast? I don’t like oatmeal or yogurt (it’s a texture thing, ICK) and I eat at work (no stove) so I feel kind of limited.
I feel you on the yogurt/oatmeal. Sometimes I like them but other times I feel like I’m having slime for breakfast. Things that I can almost always stomach in the mornings are hard boiled eggs (make a big batch on Sunday night and bring one every morning!), fruit (a whole apple/pear/banana, whatever, also means less work morning of – can you tell where my priorities are?), string cheese, and breads or muffins. BUT no need to limit yourself to breakfast foods! Pack a tupperware of pasta if that’s what you want to eat at 9 am.
I’m all about less work in the mornings! Most days I eat an English muffin or cheese and crackers for breakfast. In the past, when I’m really motivated on the weekends, I’ve made breakfast sandwiches to bring to work. But i don’t feel like they really fit in with the healthier eating lifestyle. :-/
A breakfast sandwich on a whole wheat english muffin or whole wheat wrap with some eggs, sauteed veggies, lil hot sauce, maybe some turkey or chicken sausage – that’s totally healthy!
I love the sweet & salty granola bars in the almond flavor, but I happen to love almonds.
Also, I’ve been known to drink a Herbalife shake, because they’re easy.
These things (belVita breakfast biscuits!) are the shiz. Come in little four-packs so you can nibble at your desk, not too sweet, appear to be fairly good for you, and they do fill me up. I am a big fan of the blueberry.
Every time I see those commercials I think they’re saying “Velveeta Breakfast Biscuits.”
The commercials were on the radio a lot when my boyfriend and I took a long road trip. He is convinced they are called Velveeta breakfast biscuits, because that is exactly what it sounds like the radio announcer says. I don’t have the heart to tell him otherwise.
Me too forever
Multi-Part Answer:
• If you like regular cereal w/ milk, it travels surprisingly well to work. Just put the milk in a lil zip-top* bag, and put the cereal in another bit bigger one and put the whole thing in a tupperware bowl. Sog/spill free (also delicious, IMHO).
• If you’re a fan of being up at freakishly early hours of the morning (I don’t know what’s wrong with me), you can multi-part it and have toast at home before you leave, then bring along some fruit & a hard-boiled egg for the office. Then it also feels like sneaking in a second breakfast…
• I, too, made it through 2+ decades of my life absolutely despising the mere thought of yogurt/oatmeal. It literally made me gag**. I think I kind of exposure-therapied myself into liking both, though (because my doctor suggested I shouldn’t have self-imposed dietary restrictions AND be an overly-picky eater if I wished to maintain a certain level of nutrition…). So, I dunno, maybe play around with both again? Even now, I’ll only eat certain types of greek yogurt (fage/trader joe’s) because regular still makes me squeamish, and I’ve found putting granola in helps with with the consistency problem. I also tend to prefer steel-cut oats made drier than usual, and putting nuts or dried fruit in helps with that too…
Also, all of these options are bike-to-work proof…
*TM Alton-Brown?
**LITERALLY, literally
Yeah, I’ve done the yogurt with granola recently… but I didn’t eat a lot of it because even with the granola, the snot-like texture still gets to me. Maybe I’ll just have to compromise and eat a little yogurt or oatmeal and then something else.
Banana + generous amount of crunchy peanut butter (+ coffee with milk, if you’re into that) = delicious!
First, you’re making the right step in picking foods that don’t make you feel horrible, even if the only thing icky about them is texture. Oatmeal might be healthy for many, but if you don’t like the texture it’s not going to help you because you’re going to be forcing yourself to eat it. On the other hand, if a piece of cake in the morning sets you up until lunch and is easy to eat, it’s a much better choice!
This calls for a scientific experiment! We all have slightly different body chemistries and widely variety bacterial chemistries, so the only scientist for the job is you. We can tell you what we think is healthy, but for most of us that’s just what we’ve heard on TV or on the internet about the latest craze, without any care for your specific needs or body type. For the rest of us, its what has made us feel good – which might not be the food itself but a psychological reaction to “eating healthy” – whether or not we’re ACTUALLY eating healthy.
So, figure out what your priorities are for your experiment. You already have some: no stove at work, and you’re not a sucker for a cleanse or diet fad. Are you pressed for time? Can you get up earlier to eat at home? Do you need energy? Do you just need to last until lunch?
And then give yourself a variety of things. Maybe one or two days you bring in some fresh fruit and/or vegetables to munch on. Maybe another day or two it’s a big donut (or other pastries, even cake!). Another day maybe you want to try and work past the texture of yogurt and oatmeal. Another day you might pick up sausage patties and hash browns from a fast food place, or bring a sandwich or left over dinner to heat up (Victorian high society breakfast rules don’t apply here!)
What’s important is not to go based on other peoples reactions to how you should feel eating these things, but how you actually feel. Unfortunately, we are social animals, so how people think you should feel will influence how you actually feel. You’ll need to spend a lot of time sorting out what your body is actually telling you from what your mind thinks your body should be telling you. That is the hardest part, not finding the things to eat. We are surrounded by things you can eat and not a single one of them is unhealthy (well, except when a government shut down is causing food to go without inspections)
My two recent work-breakfasts:
– I spent about an hour one weekend and made 24 homemade breakfast burritos full of roasted veggies, sauteed ground turkey, and scrambled eggs, then froze them. I had one every morning and it was enough to last me for a month. Or, it would have been if my boyfriend hadn’t kept sneaking them out and eating them.
– I found a recipe for these Anytime Cookies that are made of eggs, applesauce, coconut flour, and dried fruit and nuts. I’d bring two of those with an apple or some other fruit. They’re probably not low fat, if that’s what you’re trying for, but they were grain free, had fibre and protein, no added sugar, and were pretty “clean” whole foods.
One of my favorite easy breakfasts is a bowl of leftover brown rice (I like basmati) zapped in the microwave until it’s warm and topped with a handful of toasted salted almonds or walnuts (which I make in a big batch and keep in a jar). Sometimes I eat a chunk of cheddar alongside, which takes it from the category of “favorite easy breakfasts” to “favorite breakfasts of all time.”
Ooh, that sounds yum! I toast nuts occasionally, but I can’t keep them – too moreish…
For some reason we’re not allowed to have dogs in our condo, though cats are okay. Something about pets not being allowed in the hallways. My fiancee really wants one, though, and we came across a gorgeous cat-friendly Shetland Sheepdog named after one of her favourite characters 6 months ago. Her doctor absolutely would write her a note for a therapy dog for her anxiety, so we were hoping that would work out, but she had a hard time getting answers from the building owners and gave up.
Three months later, I noticed that the dog was still available, and I said that I thought he was probably still available because he was our dog.
He’s still available today, and she says she’s going to try again to get permission to have a dog.
So there may be an adorable Sheltie in our future? Maybe? Wish us luck!
Umm. I thought landlord permission was not needed for a therapy dog. Ask your doctor. There are laws about that in the US.
Also, how about just getting the dog you need and ask forgiveness later instead of asking permission before?
Well, there’s a distinction between therapy dogs and service dogs in Canada. Permission is not needed for a service dog, but a therapy dog doesn’t count as a service dog.
Also, it would seriously break my fiancee’s heart if we got a dog and then found we couldn’t keep him. This is one of those situations where it’s definitely better to get permission than risk not being forgiven.
I just asked Benedict Cumberbatch if he read my fanfic about him, on his Reddit AMA, and now I have to hide for a thousand years. http://the-toast.net/2013/09/02/benedict-cumberba…
And I can literally never go look at Reddit again, because they’re going to say “that’s not an appropriate use of an AMA, go home.” But I love him so much, I would never have forgiven myself.
“Appropriate Uses of Reddit FAQ”
That is awesome! You have to tell us if he answers.
Although, who am I kidding, I am totally going to look at his AMA after work today.
This AMA is a work of art. Also, judging from all of the questions and the use of the icon from r/cumberbitches, I have to say that Nicole shouldn’t be ashamed of anything.
You can’t hide he ALREADY KNOWS YOU ARE HERE
He sees everything, because his cheekbones refract light differently from the cheekbones of mortals.
CHEEKBONE-POLISHING PARTIES
…with Matt Smith (meh) and Tom Hiddleston (!!!)
I miss the innocent time of my life, when I could be reasonably sure that famous people didn’t know of the all that seamy-underbelly of fandom stuff.
“… imagining a horny time traveling long overcoat purple scarf wearing super sleuth nordic legend fuck fantasy. Get to work on that, internet.”
NO, MR. BANDERSNATCH. STAHP.
Somehow Tumblr didn’t explode with fanart, and I’m not really sure how. I think people are still recovering from the thought?
Can you post a link to your comment so that we can all upvote it?
http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/1o8l5f/i_am…
I wanted to say thank you for the job advice last week! I quit and feel better.
Three weeks till the wedding and I may just make it. No promises, though, particularly when people cannot return their damn RSVP cards (looking at you, ALL OF MY COUSINS).
Also, this week I went to my first upper-level derby practice (I’ve been going to the beginners) and even though I am still a beginner who has trouble stopping when she wants, they let me practice with them and even try to knock people over! It was a blast.
I am avoiding thinking about how bad my health insurance is going to get next year. And using that as an excuse to not call doctors about my anxiety and depression. I tried a month or so ago and no one got back to me, so I don’t even know what the next step is from here.
Keep calling docs until someone makes an appointment for you. If they don’t take your insurance, pay out-of-pocket and submit it to your insurance. Yes, that sucks, and it’s more expensive, but you are worth all the money and all the trouble. Just get started. Don’t think about the next appointment. At the first visit you can ask that doc about other docs that take your insurance. Just get started. Just get started.
A mere ten days before our wedding (so, ~five weeks after the RSVP date and almost certainly after I’d already tried to reach him by email and phone), I ran into an invitee and asked quite sweetly if he was going to make it to the wedding.
He replied “Oh, yeah, we might swing by.”
A. “Swing by”?
B. “We”?
It still amazes me that I managed never to burn anyone’s house to the ground during those last few weeks. Stay strong!
Anyone participating in Dewey’s Read-a-Thon tomorrow? I have never pulled an all-nighter in my life but I am going to attempt to read (and eat and possibly catnap) for 24 hours. YIKES/WOOHOO
Advice please. Say one has a beloved significant other who struggles with depression, who does not want to use medication but who has successfully used cognitive-behavioral therapy to help in the past, who is not currently undergoing therapy, and who is really just sad and having a hard time at the moment. What can one do to help?
(I’d like to recommend my boyfriend try therapy again, but I’m not sure how to bring this up. Partly I think the idea of finding a good therapist is just too daunting for him right now, and partly he has an independent streak due to life experiences that is hesitant to accept outside help.)
I’m also having a hard time not letting his depression affect me. How do I do that?
Bring him a list of therapists and their phone numbers. Ask him if you may make an appointment for him. Even if he says no, he will have that list.
I don’t know the answers to any of these things, but I want you to know that you’re not alone. This is such a hard, hard thing to deal with. Good thoughts to you both, hang tough for each other. Take care of yourself.
(I have found that when my brain feels like it’s going to fly apart completely, meditation helps.)
Thank you. That is exactly what I needed to hear.
I’ve definitely been in the situation of being the friend to someone with serious depression, and I can tell you what did/didn’t work for me, which may/may not work for you, so take everything I say below with a heaping handful of salt.
It’s hard, and often impossible, to help depressed people be less depressed in any kind of direct way, because the causes of depression are so much inside their own heads that you just can’t get to them, if that makes sense. You can help people be less sad by going on walks, listening to them vent, bringing surprise cookies, etc., but depression is buried deep enough that often, as an outside person, you just can’t touch it. People recover from depression all the time, and you can absolutely help support someone who’s working to recover, but my experience was that I really couldn’t help depressed people directly–they got better through therapy, meds, and their own hard work, and my role was to be their Recovery Cheerleader, but not to act as a de facto therapist or any other larger role. I’m not sure how this dynamic changes when you’re in a relationship instead of just close friends and roommates, hopefully some other Toasties can speak more to that.
In terms of not letting someone else’s depression affect you, boundaries are your friend. Boundaries are The Best Things, seriously, they will save you so much grief. If you can determine what behavior you can and can’t have around you, how much depression venting you are prepared to listen to per night, etc., and if you can enforce those limits, you will find it much easier to avoid having your boyfriend’s moods become your moods, which can otherwise happen incredibly easily. Also, acknowledging and internalizing that it’s not your job to fix anyone, that you aren’t qualified for it (therapists get years of training, they are Pros, and you can’t expect yourself to be able to do their job, sans training, in addition to everything else you’re already doing in your life), and that you therefore do not need to feel bad about not being able to get rid of your boyfriend’s depression. Even though your boyfriend is depressed and having a hard time, he’s still ultimately responsible for managing his own health and his end of your relationship, and you’re allowed to expect him to do that. I don’t mean that in a harsh way at all, I just want to emphasize it because with my friend, I got into a really unhelpful and uncomfortable cycle where I would get resentful of something she would do that was negatively affecting me, but I wouldn’t feel like I had the right to call her on it because she was so obviously struggling with depression. This was a super effective way to almost destroy our friendship, because I was feeling angry with her all the time, guilty about feeling angry, and powerless to do anything about it. It’s okay to expect depressed loved ones to be attentive to your needs as well as their own; if they aren’t doing that, it’s okay to say, “We’ve gotten into a dynamic where I feel like I have to always put your needs first. This doesn’t feel balanced or right to me. I need you to put my needs first sometimes,” and then to let the other person figure out how they’re going to do that even though they’re depressed (in this case, probably through your boyfriend going back into therapy, since that’s worked for him before).
You can make suggestions, you can make pursuing treatment easier (RoseCamelia’s point below is a great one), you can ask if there’s any way you can help, and then you can stand back and expect him to take it from there, and all of that is okay, and none of it means you don’t care or aren’t trying to help. Maintaining your own boundaries, and setting limits that you’re comfortable with, are a great way to help you and your boyfriend by making it easier for both of you to have a healthy relationship while he’s working to manage his depression.
tl;dr: Boundaries are great, there are limits to how much you can do and/or put up with, and it’s okay and healthy to only work within those limits.
Thank you for every word!! I think that is the problem I’ve been struggling with–when to try to brush off the things that are negatively affecting me, and when to bring it up and make it a sticking point. You’ve given me a lot of food for thought.
I’m glad it was helpful! It can definitely be tricky to figure out what to brush off and what to make an issue out of, and knowing someone is going through a rough time can make it harder to judge what’s really important, but long-term I found it was worth it to bring up anything that genuinely bothered me, especially if it was likely to repeat. I would say if you start to feel resentment building, that’s a good cue to hash it out openly, even if you know the conversation will be difficult for your partner.
Auuuuuuuuuuuugh I just found out that the woman who used to have my job and trained me when I got promoted quit this job because she and our boss had been sleeping together on and off for like two years. I need help reacting to this. So many things make so much more sense now. Ick ick ick. How are office romances like that even still a thing?!?!?!
I think it happens more often than you think. Yes, ick. But not a shock. Think back to all the personnel changes you have witnessed and consider interoffice romances were *likely* involved, if that helps you adjust to your current situation. Sorry to be a cynic. Seen too much, I guess.
No, I think you’re right, I’m just really disappointed. I really liked and respected both of them, and it was distressing to hear that all this went on in our very tiny office, while my boss was living with another woman. Like I guess they’re both adults and can do what they want, but I also feel like it was a blatant misuse of power on his part and I didn’t peg him for that type. I work in a business where this kind of shit is really common, but I suppose I thought the involved parties were smarter. Also now I feel like my boss is icky.
Ohhh a terrible terrible (male) manager that drove a business I was working for into the ground turned out to have been banging the (female) boss/owner on the side and I was like “really? him?’
Oh, that is a HUGE disappointment. If you’re going to bang a co-worker, at least be good at your job, right?
Hey so other teachers and people who are aware of American History at all: my head is about to explode from the amount of ignorance I keep bumping into in my students’ essays.
We’ve been studying the Harlem Renaissance, which lasted from around 1920 to about 1935. Apparently many of my Honors English students don’t know that slavery ended in the US in 1863, 60 years before the Harlem Renaissance began. Nevermind that we discussed this timeline, the Civil War, Great Migration, Harlem Renaissance, Civil Rights Movement, before we began this lesson.
Student: “Langston Hughes and other authors spoke about the ‘crying of their deep souls’, but soon positively paid off, through Lincoln’s determination to end slavery.”
Langston Hughes was born in 1902.
I asked another class if they know when slavery ended, and one girl answered, “After Martin Luther King died?” so I give up.
It’s probably Mallory’s fault. http://the-toast.net/2013/08/27/little-known-fact…
Also, ohhhhh man. That is depressing as balls, thank you for your good work.
Seeing your reply here put me in mind of further ridiculous student ignorance I experienced once years ago, when I was working at a US university business school. A grad student colleague of mine, originally from Kingston, asked a group of students to put together marketing plans for Gatorade in Canada. Among the submissions she received was “It’s unnecessary to market Gatorade in Canada because it’s always cold and snowy there, and thus no one gets hot and thirsty.” Really. From a college junior.
Oh. Oh, wow.
Surely something is soaking into some of their brains …
Also, you rock: I never got to study the Harlem Renaissance in any of MY honors English classes.
Sadly, according to the official curriculum, we weren’t supposed to study it either, unlike in years past, but we managed to work in a few days anyway. I will not let them make it through American Literature without studying Langston Hughes and Claude McKay, but I wish we had more time for it. 🙁
Oh no. The children! Yikes,
This makes me so sad. But also so happy that you’re even teaching the subject and can set them straight. Keep fighting the good fight.
You are my hero. Thanks for teaching the next generation. Seriously: deep thanks.
At my new job after moving to a new state/culture, I was asked to gather some vendor invoices. I found one vendor was named “Final Solution”. They’re a roofing company. I asked the comptroller if these people were bigots or just ignorant. She looked at me blankly. I asked, don’t the schools here teach World War II history? Still blank. I had to tell her millions of Jews were tortured and murdered under that program name. She just shrugged and said she’s sure the vendor just doesn’t know any better. Just handling those invoices made my skin crawl. And what kind of culture am I part of now? aaaaaaaaaaa!
Oh man that’s rough. I feel bad for you but I also kind of feel bad for those kids. Mostly because I went to college coming from good schools with parents who were encouraging and supportive of my education. And then in college in group assignments I would edit the papers of students who, despite speaking English as a native language (and as their parents and grandparents native language) could not write a single word of intelligible English. Or who had really limited grasp of history or geography. remember taking an English class, that was equivalent (in difficulty) to my middle school English class and I remember being bored but I later overheard one of my classmates talk about how hard it was because she never had to write so much (‘so much’ = 3 page essays).
At the time it was frustrating because my major was big on group assignments and so I’d have to rewrite everything from scratch to not fail the class but I just felt so so bad for these students (and it really was most of the students) because the public schools in that state were awful and so there was no reason for them to know any better, no one had taught them.
Are there any tutoring resources on campus? Some schools have resources where you can meet with grad students or program advisors to get resources to fill in gaps in knowledge. It’s a lot harder for history than for fixing up grammar or catching up on math but maybe there is something you can point them too. I bet many of them have no idea how much information they are missing and wont know to go look for it unless someone points them in the right direction or gently lets them know they need to do some catch up. Maybe you could schedule some office hours to meet one on one with each student to talk to them? Or coordinate something with the public library or school library? I’m assuming this is a university, if it’s a high school then wow please keep doing what you’re doing the US needs more teachers like you.
I’m a public high school English teacher; these are high school Juniors. I’m doing what I can for both their writing abilities and historical knowledge.
Oh no! I didn’t mean to suggest that you weren’t doing enough!!! I was just trying to share what I know helped friends and acquaintances of mine who were in that position. Obviously it’s much harder with high schoolers, when you don’t have the resources of a public university.
I also know I mentioned that part of the problem with my classmates was with their grade schools but I didn’t mean to suggest that was a problem with all schools (my public school was great), it’s just that I know most of my friends said the reason they struggled in college was because they had come from schools where teachers would play unrelated movies instead of teaching (I’m assuming caused by funding issues) or who weren’t invested in their students. That is obviously not the situation with you and I never meant to suggest that it was, I just wanted to pass on my own experiences with it, that I learned through talking with friends who had similar problems that your students seem to have, and I thought maybe that your students were in similar positions and coming from similar environments that my peers were. I hope I didn’t insult you, that was never my intention, I know that teaching is a really difficult profession and I’m sure that you’re doing an amazing job. My cousin is a teacher and I know she struggles a lot with gaps in students knowledge from previous grades/schools and it frustrates her too. I have a lot of trouble communicating online (especially with tone and whatnot) so I really hope I didn’t sound like I was suggesting that you weren’t doing enough.
Oh, I’m not offended. I can’t write much because I’m on my phone at this point.
Beyond their not knowing dates, they obviously have no sense of what slavery was like if they make these mistakes and conflations! So very depressing. Though I wonder if some of it isn’t developmental — maybe it takes them a while to get a sense for the true weight of things — rather than this glib equivalence based on no experience with misery, hardship, suffering, or death. It’s the dark side of sheltering kids — sure, they’re safe, but they aren’t compassionate and don’t have a sense for the reality and weight of suffering.
I teach college literature but I sometimes get kids like that — fewer, since they’re older and not living at home anymore, but still some. It’s harder to make headway on facts, etc. when they don’t have the emotional maturity to be grasping and putting into proper context history and literature. They can read more history books, but they still will make wild mistakes like these — they just don’t quite get it yet. No advice here, just enormous gratitude for what you’re doing in preparing them for the next stage of their education — and beyond.
Is anyone else getting a pop-up download when they load this site? I’ve been having this for about a week now… 🙁
Can you send me a screen shot? [email protected]
After this week my reading list/ amazon wish-list grew ten times, and so did my heart.
The S.O. will be out of town this weekend and I will be working very hard to not sit on my butt the whole weekend. We’ll see how it goes.
Other than Ms. Munro(who I assume is on your list after this week) what is on your list? I started reading The Circle by Dave Eggers and I’m really enjoying it.
Tama Janowitz, Nella Larsen. Also the large stack of books waiting for me including Shirley Jackson, Hilary Mantel, Sherman Alexi. In terms of wish-list, basically anything mentioned on this site or the hairpin because they all sound like gold.
Does anyone want to talk about American Horror Story: Coven? I just watched the first episode and while I think they introduced a lot of interesting characters and themes, it really felt gratuitous at times. I mean, the opening scene alone was brutal, and then what happened to Emma Roberts later in the episode… There’s exposing prejudice and misogyny and then there’s exploiting the violence of it for entertainment value. Not sure how to feel about it.
yep, I felt similarly.
I just learned of the existance of the codex seraphinianus and I can’t stop staring at the incredibly weird pictures!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codex_Seraphinianus
I am astonished that that book hasn’t showed up on Supernatural or some such paranormal TV show …
GUYS I am super late tonight but I am wondering: is anyone here in the UK and watching Peaky Blinders? I have SO MANY FEELINGS ABOUT IT.
Hi Toasties!
This is my first post. It is gloomy and rainy and I am sitting here trying to make myself study for a job interview. Anyone else having a super fun night?
If you’d told me 5 months ago that Tumblr would be all over Sleepy Hollow, and there’d be crickets chirping around Agents of Shield I would have fainted. But here we are. I kinda love Sleepy Hollow though (there may be shallow reasons for this sorry not sorry).
Right? But SHIELD is so….. blah. I still haven’t watched this week’s episode because I just don’t care. Sleepy Hollow may be one of the silliest things I’ve ever seen but they’re doing it with VERVE. And the leads are far better actors than they should be by any rights.
“Sleepy Hollow may be one of the silliest things I’ve ever seen but they’re doing it with VERVE.”
THIS, THIS EXACTLY
I have finally submitted an article proposal to The Toast.
I await my certain doom.
Guys, I’m watching “Too Cute” on Netflix, and I’m both amused and delighted that this is a show. There is a tv show just about puppies and kittens. This a show! Not just a collection of animated gifs!!
First time commenter! From Commonwealth Day to Alice Munro love, this has been the best The Toast week yet. Thank you!
another first time commenter! I made an account because I need the share that I’ve just made (my first) lemon meringue pie and the lemon zesting went poorly. Using a cheese grater was not the way to go – there should have been a warning because of course this is what I was going to do. I didn’t get nearly enough before giving up. I hope it still takes like lemon otherwise it’s basically a tapioca pie.
My zesting usually goes okay on a cheese grater, but it is time-consuming. I think a lot may depend on the grater! Zest is pretty strong stuff, though, so I’m sure you’ll end up with a lemony pie. Update us when it’s done?
the flavor was a success, the texture not so much. Hopefully it’ll firm up over night – right now it’s very…mucus like.
Did it thicken? If not, there miiiiiight be a simple solution for more reliable gelling next time.
The amylase in eggs gobbles down starch, which means it can eat up all the thickener (flour, cornstarch, whatever) in your lemon filling. That means that even if it looks nice and thick on the stove, as it sits, the amylase will take up all the starch and leave it runny.
Shirley Corriher suggests two has two tips for reliable setting of lemon filling:
– Thicken the starch mixture before adding lemon juice, so the acid doesn’t prevent the starch from swelling and thickening the other ingredients.
– Add the eggs, then reheat the filling to 170F to (denature? deactivate? I can’t remember the exact mechanism) the amylase that eats up the starch. You’d think the eggs would clabber up at that heat, but the starch buffers them enough to prevent curdling.
Beyond their not knowing dates, they obviously have no sense of what slavery was like if they make these mistakes and conflations! So very depressing. Though I wonder if some of it isn't developmental — maybe it takes them a while to get a sense for the true weight of things — rather than this glib equivalence based on no experience with misery, hardship, suffering, or death. It's the dark side of sheltering kids — sure, they're safe, but they aren't compassionate and don't have a sense for the reality and weight of suffering.
I teach college literature but I sometimes get kids like that — fewer, since they're older and not living at home anymore, but still some. It's harder to make headway on facts, etc. when they don't have the emotional maturity to be grasping and putting into proper context history and literature. They can read more history books, but they still will make wild mistakes like these — they just don't quite get it yet. No advice here, just enormous gratitude for what you're doing in preparing them for the next stage of their education — and beyond.
Oh man, I'm so sorry, that sucks. Hope you can stop the 80-Year-Old diet soon and go back to regular eating!
Bitsie is fine – Bitty is too close to an actual nickname of my daughters. Yes, they are exhausting, aren't they? It's especially hard when mine goes from happy to yelly to crying to remorseful back to happy, all in the space of, oh, 4 minutes. Slow down, sweet girl, Mom's middle-aged brain can't keep up.
Seeing your reply here put me in mind of further ridiculous student ignorance I experienced once years ago, when I was working at a US university business school. A grad student colleague of mine, originally from Kingston, asked a group of students to put together marketing plans for Gatorade in Canada. Among the submissions she received was "It's unnecessary to market Gatorade in Canada because it's always cold and snowy there, and thus no one gets hot and thirsty." Really. From a college junior.
Did it thicken? If not, there miiiiiight be a simple solution for more reliable gelling next time.
The amylase in eggs gobbles down starch, which means it can eat up all the thickener (flour, cornstarch, whatever) in your lemon filling. That means that even if it looks nice and thick on the stove, as it sits, the amylase will take up all the starch and leave it runny.
Shirley Corriher suggests two has two tips for reliable setting of lemon filling:
– Thicken the starch mixture before adding lemon juice, so the acid doesn't prevent the starch from swelling and thickening the other ingredients.
– Add the eggs, then reheat the filling to 170F to (denature? deactivate? I can't remember the exact mechanism) the amylase that eats up the starch. You'd think the eggs would clabber up at that heat, but the starch buffers them enough to prevent curdling.