(no subject)

Last night:

"You're a good cook every day."

"OK. I am a good cook every day, but some days what I cook isn't very good."

Baking a ham, even a small one, takes a long time if it's frozen first. A lot longer than I expected. And a half-baked ham is pretty insipid.

The corn, bell pepper (green and red), and basil side dish I made, though, was pretty good.

And I think the soup I have been working on for three days -- a summer minestrone -- is going to taste pretty good this evening.

Also, I put the leftover ham back in the oven for another hour (!), and I think it finally came out well. Sliced it and refrigerated it; we'll have leftovers for the week.

Also finished the article that was due. Reliving the excellent conversation/interview via transcript was nice.

Two to go.

Plus, you know, my own stuff.

Took a walk yesterday, in that "get more exercise, it makes you feel good" way.

Massage tonight.

Surprise dinner for G. tomorrow. (Where, not when, is the surprise.)

Perservering.

(no subject)

I am very dissatisfied with Karen Russell's St. Lucy's Home For Girls Raised By Wolves.

I like the title story. But the other three I read (first three in the book; then I gave up and skipped to the end) left me cold.

Russell doesn't seem to know how to build tension, and also seems utterly uninterested in anything resembling an ending that resolves, emotionally or otherwise. Nothing really happens. Nobody changes, or at least we don't get to see the changes. The stories all seem like sketches. And they are very talky, and all in the first person. And the protagonists are so passive, always pushed around by older siblings and friends. I never thought I'd complain about that, the passive part I mean, but here I am.

Now I understand why people make fun of New Yorker stories. To be blunt. These are New Yorker stories with a swamp magic twist. That's all. Ho hum.

I have a sneaking suspicion these stories are admired by very urban literary types for their "exotic setting!", i.e. a magical Florida Everglades and Keys type place. But I am not a very urban literary type, and swamps, magical or not, are still swamps. I'm just not impressed.

silly meme thing

You're a Lion!

Wherever your particular jungle might be, you are considered king or
queen. With a noble yet relaxed air, you are able to control those around you by
implied threat of force. There are those that would attempt to tame you, or even
call you yellow, but you know that you're far too bold for that. You've often been
seen hanging out on the steps of public libraries. Your favorite US state is
Maine.


Take the Animal Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.