#We have okra chips too

[toucansafari]

You guys should try okra cooked the Indian way 😔

[steveharringtonat3am]

I can’t stop thinking about going grocery shopping with Steve like I can just picture him with his little list that he insists on sticking too but he doesn’t even complain when you buy snacks god he’s so boyfriend coded

Steve never lets you push the cart. Just like how he insists on driving you everywhere, he refuses to let you push the cart for a reason you haven’t yet heard. But you can’t really complain. Being tied to the cart was annoying. But by far the most annoying thing in the store was The List.

Steve would never deviate from The List. He would write it out before leaving the house, each item in order of where you would come across them in the store. He was very meticulous about it. So much so, you once tried to slip it in your pocket when you got out of the car.

It wad funny until he drove all the way back home to “go get it”.

“Come on sweetheart.” He checks over his shoulder to make sure you’re following him as he grabs a cart, pushing it into the store. He starts with the vegetables, as they reside on the top of The List. Most of the items on there were from you. Steve, for all his grocery diligence, wasn’t much of a cook so he relied on you for most of the ingredients you would need for the week ahead. Unfortunately, he was smart enough to know when you wanted something for yourself or for actual necessity.

You start to wander off as he inspects tomatoes. It’s a normal occurrence at this point. It’s boring to simply stand next to him when you’d much rather be standing in the ice cream isle, inspecting the various pints and boxes.

‘The freezer is empty enough for this.’ You think to yourself as you grab a jumbo box of popsicles and a pint of Steve’s favourite ice cream. You head back over to the produce section, eyes scanning over mounds of apples to find a mop of brown hair. As you place the items neatly in the cart, Steve catches your eye.

“Those aren’t on the list.” It’s a statement of a fact, eyebrows raised but a soft smile on his face.

“It’s getting warmer. They would have been on next weeks list.” You smile as if you won’t finish this box in a week.

“…Sure babe.” It’s a redundant yes. As strict as he is about the list, he simply can’t say no to you. Especially when you smile so pretty at him. You follow him into the bread section, picking up his usual kind for him. He nods approvingly and you try not to let the giddiness show.

He picks up a few things from the freezer section but the bag of potstickers that are not on the list makes you smile. Steve knows they’re your favourite.

As he weighs bags of frozen okra in his hand, you once again slip away. You’re right next to the candy and chips aisle so you take it upon yourself to grab some treats. Returning to the cart with an arm full of two types of chips and a few bags of candy, you once again receive an amused look.

“Did you add something to the list I didn’t see?” He teases as you put everything in the cart.

“Well, no but you always want a snack after work so this is good! And they have such good easter candy out!” You defend your choices despite the fact he’s already accepted the junk food.

“Whatever you say babe. Take it up with your dentist.” He grins as you smack his arm, following him to the checkout aisle. Of course, he doesn’t let you help put the groceries onto the conveyor belt but you can’t complain as you focus on the bright magazines.

As the cashier scans the items, you work on placing them into the bags you had brought with you. You were an expert at stacking, placing them into the cart as Steve retrieved the receipt. He hands it to you to look over for irregularities, taking the cart and pushing it to the car. He loads the groceries into the car as you settle into the passenger seat. You watch from the rearview mirror as he walks away. Thanking your past self for buying him those tight fit jeans, you put on your seatbelt as he returns, sitting down.

“Ready to go home?” He asks you, patting your thigh.

“Sure! Can we get coffee on the way back?”

“…Fine.” He loves you too much to object.

[terrasu]

What I made when I had/was asked to use/had leftover components bought for another meal that was to use up something...

I'm sad that Tom Thumb no longer does Monopoly, but I'm also not sad. However, "Buy Nothing" means a lot of too-expired-to-donate food ends up in my house...

Made July 24th, 2024

Spinach

Spinach, feta, corn muffins

Greek Mac and cheese (add lemon, dill, and other Greek flavors)

(&filo) Saag Paneer Spanakopita

Strawberry pecan salad

Apples

Apple and honey challah (saute apples to soften)

Honeycrisp Salad

Apple Cheese Soup (not great leftover)

Apple Crumble

(& peach) Apple-peach crisp

Apple Pie

Sourdough Starter to use

Slow-rise challah (caution: has taken me 11 and 20+ hours the two times I've made it.)

Sourdough Pretzel buns

Strawberries

Strawberry scones

Almond milk/almond flour

(& bananas) Almond Banana bread

Pumpkin puree

Pumpkin mac and cheese

Pumpkin curry

More basil pesto than we had ice cube trays

Pesto lasagna (heavy, greasy, and rich. Find way to 'thin' with additions)

Lentils

Mujadara

Rotisserie chicken

(& plenty of frozen basil pesto) Pesto chicken salad

Skillet Chicken Chilaquiles

Avgolemono Soup

Pepperoni

Pizza Pasta

Pizza Quinoa

Bell Peppers

Peperonata (add acid to balance the sweetness from the tomatoes and watch all tomato amounts, can be overwhelming)

Burrata Stuffed Peppers

Sheet Pan Chicken Sausage Fajitas (our house is a chicken-apple or kielbasa house, which work fine)

Okra

Bhindi Masala (idk what to do about the mango powder.)

Potatoes

Vegan Tikka Masala

Potato and chicken with Dijon cream sauce (cook onions + green beans before making sauce)

Skillet Potatoes

Garlic Chickpea soup

Hungarian Goulash (life-changing)

Cauliflower

(& potato) Aloo Gobi

Cajun Seasoning

Cajun Chicken Pasta

Green/Red Cabbage

Caramelized green cabbage pasta

Roasted green cabbage

Red cabbage soup

Bulgar Wheat

Bulgar Pilaf

Pineapple (fresh or canned)

Pineapple Ginger Chicken Stir Fry

Pistachio

Pistachio Pasta

Broccoli

Broccoli Pasta (strange.)

(& frozen edamame) Asian Broccoli Salad w/ peanut sauce

Parsley

Parsley, red onion, chickpea sumac salad (cut onion paper-thin/mandoline and massage spices in well)

Salad dressing

Beets

Beet Salad (involved, looks like murder. Dangerous to eat)

Sweet Potato

Black bean burger

Chili Lime Chicken and Sweet Potato

Sweet Potato and Chili Casserole

Sweet potato and quinoa bake

Brussels Sprouts

Warm Brussels sprouts and Bacon Salad (don't at me)

Crisp gnocchi with Brussels Sprouts

Small tomatoes (grape, cherry, etc)

Pesto Chicken with roasted tomato

Bok Choy

Sesame Ginger Bok Choy

Cilantro

(& lime) Cilantro Lime Black beans and rice

(& lime, Salmon) Baked Cilantro Lime Salmon

Asparagus

Simple Sesame Asparagus

Misc. fruit excesses

Dump cake (have made with apple pie filling, so as long as proportions stay solid, I think it's good)

Cherry Chocolate chip bread

Blueberry pie filling

Clementine orange upside-down cake

Cranberry curd tart

Mango Lassi

Grape Sorbet

Jalapeno candy (this post is nearly crashing my computer, tilde another day)

Yogurt

Yogurt Cake

[cuddyclothes]

Tastes So Good - Supernatural's "The Pissed Off Sandwich" Cookbook, Part Two

Some years ago some dedicated fans of Supernatural put together a cookbook to be sold for charity. It was named after the moment in Season 7, Episode 9, when Dean's turducken sandwich starts to ooze green. "I think you pissed off my sandwich" is Dean's immortal line.

I was asked to provide recipes. They had to tie into actual dialogue from the show John Winchester's recipe for "Kitchen Sink Stew" in Part Two. I'll have you know that making this stew entailed a lot of disgusting stuff, like stewed Slim Jims and beef jerky. Because I am a dedicated fan!!

JOHN WINCHESTER’S KITCHEN SINK STEW

Note: This is taken from John Winchester’s journal.  It has been left unedited.

STARTING OUT

Stew: only way to get vegetables down Dean’s gullet.  Constipated Dean is hell to live with.  Sammy loves vegetables.  He’s a freak.  And not just because he has demon blood.

JOHN WINCHESTER’S TIPS:

You need a stove.  Tried making this on a hot plate but it took three days and set the motel room on fire.  First ingredients, then cooking directions, then toppings and/or stuff on the side.

1. BASICS

2 lbs boneless beef chuck roast cut into medium-sized pieces

4 tablespoons of butter /14 diner packets

2 large onions, peeled and chopped up

2 tablespoons flour.  Or Bisquick

1 teaspoon sugar (skip sugar if using Bisquik)/ 2 Domino sugar packets

2 cups beer.  If you like dark beer, something like Negra Modelo.  My favorite is Budweiser.  Or whatever’s on sale at the gas station.  Guinness is a wuss beer and it costs too much.

2 beef bouillon cubes in 1 1/2 cup water. 

2. SEASONINGS:

Salt and pepper

Worcestershire sauce

Tabasco sauce

Parsley if you’ve got it

Bay leaf if you’ve got it

JOHN WINCHESTER’S TIPS:

Beef jerky or Slim Jims adds a nice flavor.  NO GUMMI WORMS, no matter how much Dean begs.

3. VEGETABLES:

You can put anything in this stew.  Mix and match:

1 big turnip, cut into big pieces

4 carrots, peeled, cut into chunks 


4 potatoes, peeled, cut into chunks

2 green peppers, chopped up

2 cups lima beans

One big can diced tomatoes

2 cups okra

Canned corn

2 cups string beans

2 cups peas

2 boxes frozen spinach

2 boxes frozen mixed vegetables

What the hell are parsnips?

4. DIRECTIONS:

Brown beef with butter, salt and pepper. If you can't get butter, steal a bottle of Wal-Mart oil, any kind. Not motor oil!

Add flour and stir until beef is coated and browned.

Add Worcestershire sauce—a couple of good shakes. 

Add sugar.  Add onions.  Stir around until the onions are soft.

Add beer and beef broth.  Give it a good stir.

Add vegetables.  Stir it.

Remember to give it a stir!

Cook for 2 hours, covered.  If it looks too dry add water, stock, or beer (of course). 

5. TOPPINGS:

Crumbled Doritos or B-B-Q potato chips

Pretzels

Party mix – the salty kind, not the sweet kind

Beef jerky

Crispy Chinese noodles from these cheapo restaurants.  If you want to grab a couple of soy sauce packets and add that in to the stew, be my guest.

JOHN WINCHESTER’S TIPS:

If no potatoes, use rice, around 2 cups.  Makes one big chunk of stuff.  Boys didn’t much like it: made them eat anyway.

No potatoes or rice, a couple of boxes of mac and cheese without the cheese works.  Save the cheese for something else, like dip.  If you have company.  We don’t.  We sprinkle it on cereal.

NO SALAD!!

[paleclementine]

It's been a minute. Sorry.

Valentines day was awesome. Me and Anthony made chips and guac the day before that, and then on the 13th we had our annual valentines wing night and I fucked up those honey barbecue wings. we also watch jurassic park and he liked it :) on actual valentines day we... uh. what did we do. uh. oh yeah we cuddled and I had cauliflower rice for the first time with crab and sriracha and mayo and seaweed and Anthony got rancheritos. Thus marks the beginning of my grind after I gained weight from it and starting being in an intense deficit and working off every calorie at the gym/with steps. I got out of 109 hell and into 107 which I'm trying to work off now. School has been lame as hell. I have my full class workshop on tuesday and I'm nervous about it but it's a lot better than the girl who is going with me so uh yeah, that's fine. it doesn't really matter what people think of me or my writing at the end of the day. I just need to get through the workshop and then i'm homefree.

I'm so stupidly ready to go back home. I read Frankenstein, They Both Die at the End, Where the Crawdads Sing, and I'm halfway through Bones and All. I am trying to get through them so I can take some back with me and leave them at home. Anyway, where the crawdads sing mentioned southern food and heat and nature on every single page and it made me miss home so bad. if I really want good southern food while I'm at home and I'm too lazy to make it, all I have to do is drive literally 20 minutes away to Homewood and get it made for me at that awesome resturant that has a new menu every day. what do they call it? a meat and two sides place? sighhhhhh. It's really cool how soul food and southern food overlaps. I wish I could eat it rn.... that would be a binge I could withstand.

but overall I just want to be out of this awful cold. It's still grey, still freezing, still bleak. I called it that in a poem for class-- "Valentine-bleak"-- and everyone was like wooowww such good wording I love that!! even though in my head Valentines is the least bleak thing about all of winter. I just thought it sounded cool. ugh. I hate everyone.

I started watch h2o and it's really good. I ordered the necklaces from aliexpress lol and I'm getting rikki's (hot pink though) and hailey is getting cleo's blue one. I also ordered a red tank top because it was three dollars. I hope it's cute. uhhhhh oh yeah, I'm trying to get to at least 100 pounds by the time I go home. It's not hard as long as I STARVE. i tried to today but then me and anthony got raising canes and I'd never had it before and I wanted to try it. The verdict: Zaxby's is SO MUCH BETTER. the seasoning, sauce, and fries are all peak compared to Cane's. No fucking wonder western people love bland-ass Cane's-- they have no idea what they're missing. I hate the elitism people have out here. like, of course you think Americans have no culture. It's cause you're from white-ass mormon-ass Utah. travel ANYWHERE ELSE in the united states and you will find culture that are beyond lush and diverse. Step one foot in the south and you'll be stomping your foot to a folk song, drinking canned beer, and craving fried okra with your bland-ass raising canes.

I've grown very cynical lately. I don't think I'll get over this until I can be in the sunshine, eat homemade acai bowls for breakfast, ride a bike, wear a bikini by our pool, hang out with hailey, or be woken up by cicada song at 8 in the morning. fleetwood mac, fruit smoothies, mermaids, freckles, bike riding, the wind in my hair, sunset walks, spontaneous trips to the beach.

[littleharpethcrossfit]

Thursday,  20   July,  2023.......... Warmup..........Power Snatch.... 12  Minute AMRAP......Triceps  Extensions.

How many times do I start off the blog remarking how we were blessed with a tiny window in the weather so we can workout??  It happens so often that even old Joe, who is oblivious to all things other than birds, has noticed our good luck with the weather.  Well, the thunderstorms moved away around 3 PM, I blew the water off the mats, and we were all set.

 Warmup

5  Rounds

10  PVC  Squat Snatch’s

5  Push-ups

3  Pull-ups

Strength

Power Snatch:       2 / 2 / 2 / 2 / 2         Build Up

Armando/Nathan*=145     Bernie/Chase=135     Ed=125     Smoothie=115     Dyer/Chad/Herb=105     Joe/Dana=85     Coach=75     Shannon/Sue=45     Sam/Kayla/Cheri=did a lot      Tom=95 (press)     Others ?

     WOD

12  Minute AMRAP

9  Box  Overs     (24/20)

6  Toe’s  2  Bars

3/3  Dumb Bell Snatch’s     (50/35/20)

SCORE:     Rounds and Fractions

Sam=12     Joe/Dana=11     Chase=10 1/3     Dyer/Kayla/Ed=10     Armando/Shannon=9 2/3     Bernie=9 1/3    Sue=9      Coach=8 1/3     Smoothie/Herb=8     Chad/Nathan=7     Tom=ski-ed/T2B     Cheri=did it

After School:

Supine Triceps Extensions With Dumb Bells

10 / 10 / 10 / 10 / 10

A few did it

Notes:

The post workout picnic table wine and snack celebration was fantastic.  I recall making a comment last week about people drinking but not bringing.  I musta struck a nerve, because we had a lot more people bringing in wine than we had drinking it.  A few people toted in wine and they don’t even drink.  We consumed a lot...like 10 bottles....and still have several bottles untouched, left at the Barn.

Food & snacks were far too many for me to remember who brought what.  An abundance, more than we could eat, more than even Herb could eat.  For political reasons I must highlight the large platter of meatballs with red sauce that were delicious.  Miss Linda made them.  There was chicken salad, pizza in a biscuit (?),  pizza on an English muffin(?),  chips and dips, several home-made cookies, and don’t forget the pickled okra.  Plus Plus Plus.

Please don’t bring any more cases of water for a week or so.  We have tons.

Herb will celebrate his 68th birthday in Florida this weekend.  I’m sorry he will not be here to help us honor him.

CrossFit’s Founder will also celebrate a birthday this weekend.  Coach Glassman’s 67th birthday will be Saturday the 22nd.

Saturday at 0730 and 0930.

[netheritenugget]

this is very very late but i've just been so swamped with work on top of having terrible memory that i kept forgetting to ask you about the soup recipe

if you're free and only then, i'd love to hear it

the weather's getting colder and soup sounds wonderful

soup sounds great actually

(great work on ranboo's ambience track btw knocked it out of the park with that one)

Aww, ty! I worked really hard on it and I'm glad you liked it!

My memory is also terrible so I also kept forgetting about the soup. But here it is!

It was a tossup between the jambalaya recipe, and the turkey gumbo (we don't live the south but we ended up with these recipes from... Something to do with my preschool when I was little? Idk). And I couldn't decide which one. So here's both anyway.

Jambalaya

"Preparation and cooking time about 1 1/2 hours, this will feed at least four people, and is even better reheated the next day, just add a little water when reheating.

2 Tablesp. Butter or Margarine

2 Tablesp Fresh Garlic, chopped 1 Green Bell Pepper, chopped

1/2 Yellow Onion, chopped

4 sticks of celery, chopped

1 Large can 28 oz. chopped, peeled Tomatos

112 oz can of Tomato Sauce

1 cup water to start

1 pound of either Hillshire Farms Hot Links or Hot Sausage links cut into bite size pieces

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts Cut into bite sized pieces

1 1/2 Cups cooked white rice

White Pepper, Black Pepper, Red Pepper and Salt

*1 pound Jumbo Shrimp or Prawns, cleaned and deveined (Optional see below)

Melt butter in LARGE pot or cast iron Dutch oven, add garlic, bell pepper, onion and celery. Cook for a few minutes, then add tomatos, tomato sauce, water, hot links, salt and peppers to taste. Stir, cover and let simmer. Lately I leave out the red pepper, and add only the white and black. Add chicken when mixture begins to boil, cook for 15 minutes then add rice. Stir and let cook a few minutes more, add more spices to taste if needed. It should be slightly salty, and SPICY!! Add water depending on how Soupy or Stew-like you want it. I like mine more soupy, since it thickens up a great deal as it cools

*Optional Shrimp or Prawns*

You may add Shrimp or Prawns or substitute it for one of the meats above BUT be warned. Seafood does not need to be cooked for very long before it becomes tough. The above meats are fine to let simmer for a while, but if you are adding shellfish, do so after cooking the ice in the jambalya for a while, and then only cook it a few minutes longer after adding the shrimp or pravns, I would say no more than 5 minutes."

The jambalaya recipe is a very tasty soup, and pretty easy to make. We have it all the time. The leftovers are indeed delicious. Also, try scooping it and eating it with corn chips like a chillie, it's pretty good, especially when it's too hot to eat spoonfuls of!

The only things I have to note for this recipe as far as making it is concerned, is that you should take into account the amount of spice in the sausage, it can make it hotter than expected, so taste test it frequently. You can substitute white rice for brown, and add things like diced broccoli slaw veggies (obviously without the mayo) if you want to make it healthier. And we usually do not make ours with shrimp, it is very easy to accidentally make it rubbery, and I find it isn't as good in leftovers.

Turkey Gumbo Soup

"Ingredients:

1. Broth from boiled turkey carcass with leftover meat pulled off and reserved for adding later or bouillon cubes with water/canned broth if more liquid is needed.

2. 1 lb. Italian sausage (mild) in bulk, browned well and drained of fat. Remove sausage filling from casings prior to cooking, sauté like ground beef.

3. 1 chopped onion

4. 1 chopped green bell pepper (or 2-3 celery stalks)

5. 3 cloves garlic

6. 2 bag of frozen cut up okra

7. ½ tsp pepper

8. ½ tsp. Salt (to taste)

9. bay leaf (optional)

10. 1 tbsp A-1 steak sauce

11. 2 or 3 14 oz cans of tomatoes (I used stewed tomatoes, but Italian style works as well.

12. Italian seasoning (1 tsp was recommended but a little goes a long way with me, especially if you use Italian style tomatoes)

Saute onions, garlic, celery in large pot. Add broth, cooked and drained sausage and rest of ingredients. Simmer for at least an hour. This works great in a crock pot as well."

The turkey gumbo is delicious but sadly it's best to make it if you have leftovers of a holiday turkey, and it's not even October yet. 🥲 So that's partly why I also included the jambalaya recipe. But hey, saving recipes for later is always a good idea!

If someone already threw away the turkey bones before you could stop them and tell them why you need them, that's alright, store bought turkey broth really is an ok substitute.

That's the soup! Enjoy!

[midasinc]

ok jolyferre here we go!

- joly gets combeferre to research any of his symptoms just incase somethings wrong. he could do it himself but he gets too worked up so he has combeferre, a very logical man, do it

- ferre is roughly 4 inches taller than joly and joly always asks ferre to lower his head to kiss him because it’s like really hard to stand on your toes while using a cane (personal experience, just trust me on that one)

- their first date is to a sushi restaurant and ferre takes joly’s wasabi while joly takes combeferre’s ginger and it works out perfectly (i imagine they have this snow crab roll that my local sushi place has, it mixes warmth fish, cold rice, and crunchy tempura snow crab with the cooks special sauce. it’s to DIE for and i think everyone should have that as a first date because even if the date does go bad, at least you had something absolutely delicious)

- their place is pretty neat and organized EXCEPT for the office. they both have desks there and jolys is covered in medical books and random prescriptions and class notes, and combeferre’s desk is used as extra space because their bookshelf just does not have any more room because they’re both nerds so anytime ferre has to work, he has to remove like three stacks of books off his desk, as well as a bucket of fidget toys that they both use when they need to focus

- combeferre has a deep smooth voice and sings to joly when they’re both awake in the middle of the night

- combeferre always walks joly to university because he can’t carry his books and walk with his cane so combeferre holds the books so joly can walk comfortably. they meet for lunch after joly’s classes are done at a local coffee shop. joly orders some kind of tea, usually chai or matcha, and combeferre orders an espresso

i wanna hear what you think of these two tho pls

i hope you know that ur my fave rn

I LOVE ALL OF THESE!!!! they are unmatched

i imagine them being a very health-focused pair in the sense that they meal prep EVERY sunday. they have little boxes for each meal and think very nutritiously and the snacks they have around the house are just like dried okra and dehydrated fruit and kale chips and grantaire cant stand being over at their apartment bc sometimes he just wants cheese puffs or smthn

and they’re both fluent in each other’s love languages. joly knows that ferre is very physically affectionate so he’ll hug him from behind as he makes breakfast or play with his hair and hold his hand and do the thumb rub. ferre knows that joly really loves words and verbal appreciation so he leaves little sticky love-notes all over the apartment for joly to find (or in his textbooks) and is very very sweet and tells him how much he loves him very often so joly never forgets. it’s the little things

they’re both also very open with each other all the time. when joly comes home ferre will ask him how his day was and he gets every little detail. “yeah i had to log a bunch of patient info but our computers were down so i had to do it by hand and bossuet and i went to that vegan restaurant across the street and i talked to grantaire on the way home and now my stomach hurts!” and ferre is like okay awesome lets go get some pepto bismol! and when ferre has had a shitty day he can rant and joly will listen and nod and when he needs advice he’ll give it, but he also knows when ferre just needs to get stuff off his chest

in short, they’re bfs your honor

[cynicaldesire]

Had to go out and handle some stuff today, going to Immigration and then our first vaccine shot! We had several hours between each thing and they were pretty closer together, so we nervously tooled around while we waited. Headed to a Bookoff to check prices on PS4s, then to a mall near the clinic to kill time. . We ended up at a Coco's Restaurant (which we call coco's family to differentiate it from the curry place. Husband got his usual hamburg steak with an appetizer of fries. I almost always get something new because I'm not a fan of hamburg steaks and the stuff I usually get is seasonal anyway. . I decided on a cheesy chicken and veggie rice casserole. Apparently that's what doria means, is casserole. It was pretty good! Had okra in it, Japanese pumpkin, little baby corns, and other stuff I'm too lazy to mention. The only other time I remember having okra was a brief job where my supervisor offered me some as like a dried chip thing. It was pretty disgusting. But in this dish it was great! . For dessert we got the s'mores brownie. It seemed like a lava cake where the inside was still really gooey and the outsides were cooked to a cake-like consistency. It was really fudgy. Husband was super full but ther amount of fudge got to me near the end so he helped with a couple bites. . There were other people passing the time there. Some girls crafting for friends. A lady answering work emails. Pretty quiet overall. Was nice and cozy. . Also some kind of Free! anime tie-in. If you're into that. . #japanboogaloo #cocosrestaurant #food https://www.instagram.com/p/CT1txzTF0DU/?utm_medium=tumblr

[therukurals]

Tagged by the very cool @dingyuxi​ (thanks fam!) 

and tagging some mutuals off the top off my head no pressure! @melonatures​, @deokmis​ @gimme-a-chocolate​ @forursmiles​ @digimoo​ @junghaesin​ @rain-hat​ @mockingjaypin @roarofalannister @seongwu

1. What is the color of your hairbrush? I have a couple, but one is red/black, one is blue, and the other white/gray

2. Name a food you never eat. Okra, my mom promised me I’d grow out of my distaste but im 26 and its still no

3. Are you typically too warm or too cold? too cold I am a tropics baby i thrive in heat (i know i live in the midwest) 

4. What were you doing 45 minutes ago? trying to unclog our pipes with a bladder and some amateur plumbing 

5. What’s your favorite candy bar? uhhh, anything chocolate but the kinder bueno ones

6. Have you ever been to a professional sports game? A couple, mainly basketball and went to one american football game because bb bro was too young to go by himself and i just sat and read a book

7. What is the last thing you said out loud? My roommate and I are dealing with a plumbing issue and trying to fix it and I have a call soon so I said let’s pause and come back to it later. 

8. What is your favourite ice cream? Green tea followed closely by coffee. 

9. What was the last thing you had to drink? Water

10. Do you like your wallet? Yeah, i like its. its long and solid

11. What is the last thing you ate? a chocolate chip cookie

12. Did you buy any new clothes last weekend? lol no

13. What’s the last sporting event you watched? uhhhh idk, not an actual match but i think some mbappe highlights? 

14. What is your favorite flavor of popcorn? ooooo classic butter or kettle. 

15. Who is the last person you sent a text message to? uh it was a group chat with my colleagues 

16. Ever been camping? Yeah, when I was young. It wasnt straight camping it was at a site and it was with my girl scout troop lmao

17. Do you take vitamins?  not regularly, sometimes some vitamin c if im feeling a little throat something coming up or iron before i donate blood 

18. Do you regularly attend a place of worship? Not in a religious way? and when you do community organizing/work you are in a lot of churches and they always pray at the neighborhood association meetings. 

19. Do you have a tan? lmaooooo. i am blessedly melenated and usually get a nice tan but its winter and lockdown so ive lost some of that :_;

20. Do you prefer chinese or pizza? lmao im with sam on this question, i dont like this question cause its a false equivalency and definitely chinese because the options??? and chinese food is so good???

21. Do you drink your soda through a straw? uhhh....not really? usually in a glass or in a bottle. 

22. What color socks do you usually wear? girl whatever socks i get, they range from black to white to pink to gray they dont match 90% of the time

23. Do you ever drive above the speed limit? wouldnt you like to know

24. What terrifies you? on a philosophical level seeing my loved ones hurt and failure. more physically? frogs freak me out, people in easter bunny costumes, clowns, and medieval plague doctors, actually the concept of existing in medieval Europe terrifies me 

25. Look to your left, what do you see? im on our large conference table and it has a bunch of stuff but immediately to my life is my phone, some pens, my bullet journal and my copy of “collective courage” 

26. What chore do you hate most? Washing dishes!!!! And compost 

27. What do you think of when you hear an Australian accent? idk??? steve irwin? 

28. What’s your favorite soda? Root beer and vanilla coke

29. Do you go in a fast food place or just hit the drive thru? Drive thrus, because im probably already out and around doing errands. 

30. What’s your favorite number? 13

31. Who’s the last person you talked to? My roommate, again about this plumbing issue. 

32. Favorite meat? I really dont have a preference tbh, depends how they are prepared

33. Last song you listened to? Do it on the tip by Megan thee Stallion ft the City Girls

34. Last book you read? In the middle of a reread for “Collective Courage: A History of African American Cooperative Economic Thought and Practice.” by Jessica Gordon Nembhard and just starting “Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents “ by Isabel Wilkerson. 

35. Favorite day of the week? Saturday 

36. Can you say the alphabet backwards? maybe if i tried really hard but im not going to try 

37. How do you like your coffee? With a little bit of creamer and sugar, like a decent brown color. I like the flavor of coffee so i dont want it too diluted. 

38. Favorite pair of shoes? uh, dont really have one but something i can slip in and out of lmao

39. Time you normally get up? around 8/8:30am but in my heart id like to wake up at 10 or 11 ;_;

40. What do you prefer, sunrise or sunsets? Sunsets!!! also sunrises involve me getting up early and im not doing that hell no

41. How many blankets on your bed? Two since its winter, a comforter and a thick wool one. 

42. Describe your kitchen plates super basic white round plates. 

43. Describe your kitchen at the moment messy, we havent been able to wash our dishes because of the plumbing issue so hopefully that can be fixed today

44. Do you have a favorite alcoholic drink? mmmmm, idk? i have grown to like a good whiskey, usually a bulleit bourbon or this one bourbon w get from a local distillery. really any dark liquors, i will not do beer that shits dissssssgusting

45. Do you play cards? not regularly and i have tried to learn how to play eucher and spades and each time ppl explain it to me i forget it the next day and i just dont have that kind of brain capacity. 

46. What color is your car? uh.....so i live in a commune basically lmao and we share vehicles so i personally dont own one but the couple i share with some other folks is Black and gold

47. Can you change a tire? Yeah, one unique thing about my parents were they were very fair around gendered roles(especially for south asians), so my mom was strict with my brother around learning how to cook/clean and my dad taught me how to work on cars/maintenance work around the house. so i can change tires/oil/do other car work  

48. Your favorite state or province? i really like the pacific northwest and miss it.

49. Favorite job you’ve had? being an instructor for a course on globalization in college! also idk if i can classify what i do now as a “job” because its....unique but that too

[lovemesomesurveys]

[yourheaventonight]

What color is your couch? They’re gray.

How do you normally wear your hair? It’s always up in a messy bun.

Alcohol = the ultimate truth serum. Yes or no? Some people tend to get too talkative and comfortable and say things they probably wouldn’t normally. 

Are you a righty or a lefty? I’m a righty.

Do you own a pair of handcuffs? No.

Do flying bugs creep you out? Ew, yes. ALL bugs creep me out, but flying definitely doesn’t help cause they can fly right at me. lsflsfjldkfj

Can a girl love sex without being a whore? ...Yes. Loving sex doesn’t make you a whore. I think a lot of people love sex. I’m not going to judge people’s sex lives. Also, I just don’t use those type of terms. 

Would you ever be in a long-distance relationship? I don’t know.

Do lemons sound appealing to you at the moment? I like lemon flavored desserts, but I don’t eat actual lemons.

What size bed do you have? A full.

When was the last time you brushed your teeth? Yesterday. Before you judge, it’s only 6:36AM so I haven’t done so yet today.

Can you sleep in total darkness? Nooo. I have to sleep with my TV on for some light and sound.

What piercings do you have? Just my earlobes.

Any tattoos? Nope.

Is your glass half empty or half full? My glass is broken.

Are frogs cute or gross? The slimy thing isn’t so cute.

Do you ever wish you were born in a different century? No.

Which country's culture interests you most? Things from all different kinds of cultures interest me. <<<

What kind of guys/girls do you go for? None for the past few years...  I forget what it feels like to be crushing or have an interest in someone in that way. It feels like forever ago since I’ve last felt that.

Do you regret something you have no real control over? Yes.

Do you enjoy writing? I used to.

What do you have as your screen saver? My screen just goes black after like 15 minutes. 

Do you have a webcam? It’s built into my MacBook. I’ve never used it, though.

Do you still have your tonsils? Yes.

Aren't beetles fucking grody? Ugh, what’s with the bug questions in the past two surveys I’ve done. ALL BUGS ARE GROSS AND CREEPY.

How do you feel about Oprah? I’ve never been obsessed like a lot of people seemed/seem to be.

^ What the fuck kind of name is Oprah anyway? It reminds me of okra. Don’t gotta attack her name.

Would you ever pierce your tongue twice? Like, one right next to the other? I wouldn’t pierce it at all.

Do you like bonfires? Yes. I’ve always wanted to have one on the beach.

What makes your skin crawl? BUGS.

What's your favorite flower? I don’t really have one.

Look up Community Property by Steel Panther. Listen to the whole song. No.

Share your thoughts here. --

Have you ever dyed your hair an unnatural color? I’ve been dyeing it red the past few years. 

What's for dinner? I’m not sure, yet. 

Have you ever had someone draw a picture of you before? I’ve had those caricature drawings done before.

What confuses you most? Life.

Do you like monkeys? Sure. 

Does anything on your body hurt at the moment? Of course.

Have you ever been called a bad influence? Not that I know of.

What book are you reading right now? Cold Highway by Mary Stone.

Any bands you would like to recommend to me? Hmm.

What makes you laugh? My doggo.

What time is it? 6:47AM.

Doesn't intentionally bad grammar annoy you? Yes.

What type of person can you not stand? Arrogant, cocky, close-minded, very opinionated and judgmental people.

Care to share what song is stuck in your head? There isn’t one, currently.

What languages can you speak? Just English fluently, but I know some Spanish.

Pirates are better than ninjas. Fact or fiction? I’m gonna go with pirates cause it reminds of Pirates of the Caribbean at Disneyland, one of my favorite rides.

There is always a bit of truth behind every 'j/k', yes? Not always, but sometimes I do think that. Especially if it’s said more than once.

What do you get complimented on most often? Nothing.

What's the weirdest compliment you've ever received? Someone apparently thought I had polio because I’m in a wheelchair and told me that I looked pretty for someone with polio. Uh...

Who/what was the last person/thing to make you blush? I don’t recall.

What kind of muffins do you like? Banana (without the nut), blueberry, cinnamon streusel, lemon poppyseed, chocolate chip, birthday cake. Dang, I want a muffin now.

Do you like warm or cold weather more? Cold, hands down.

Don't you hate it when sites go under maintenance and you cant get access? If it’s something I need access to at that moment, like typically that tends to happen with websites I pay my bills on. 

What form(s) of art do you enjoy most? Literature, film, music.

Piercings are sexy. Truth or lie? I’m not into them.

Have you ever worn a French maid costume? No.

Have you ever had couscous? I don’t know what that is.

Do you like listening to yourself talk? Ew, no.

When was the last time you were congested? Hm. It’s been awhile.

Do you wear eyeliner? When I actually wear makeup, yes, but I haven’t worn any makeup in like 4 years.

Do you show everyone your tongue when something turns it another color? No, I don’t feel the need to do that.

Who is the greatest writer alive, in your opinion? There’s countless great writers. How about the greatest painter? There’s countless great painters. I may not have a favorite myself, but I can acknowledge that there’s a lot of beautiful art pieces out there.

The greatest musician? There’s countless great musicians. 

The greatest poet? There’s countless great poets. I don’t read poetry, but again I can acknowledge there’s a lot of great poets out there.

Have any good scar stories you want to share? I don’t consider any of them “good.”

Are you pierced anywhere below the waist? No, I’m not.

Facebook games: Fun or brain-frying? I don’t play any.

Do you dance well? Not at all.

Are you into anyone at the moment? No.

Do you touch yourself at night? No.

What body parts can you 'crack'? My knuckles, wrists, arms, neck.

What color do you wear most often? Black.

What about the opposite sex drives you crazy? (The good kinda crazy.) It’s been so long since I’ve been interested in someone or felt that way.

What candle/incense flavors do you enjoy most? (Yes I said flavors. :P) Autumnal scents from Bath & Body Works and patchouli. 

Do you complain a lot? In surveys and on Twitter, but I keep to myself a lot in person. I could complain a lot to those around me if I wanted to, but I don’t because I don’t want to be a burden, annoying, or bring them down. I’ve known people who constantly complained and it gets to be a lot real quick. It’s draining. So,  I just suffer in silence, ha.

What do you do when you're mad? Shutdown and cry.

Have you ever thought you could 'save' someone? No. 

Do you have any 'special' talents? *Wiggles eyebrows* Nope.

Yankee makes the best candles. Yes or no? Kinda overpriced.

What do you do when you can't sleep? I have a nightly routine that consists of scrolling through Tumblr, doing surveys, and listening to ASMR for that reason.

Have you ever liked someone you barely knew? Little crushes, yeah.

When was the last time you felt like a creeper? I don’t feel like a creeper.

Who seems to have taken up permanent residence in your thoughts? Not a who, but certain things.

Black & Milds: yay or nay? I don’t smoke.

Is smoking a turn-on for you? No.

Do you get excited or scared when you see a thunderstorm brewing? I love ‘em. We don’t get them often here, though.

Speaking of brew, when's the last time you had a beer? Almost 10 years ago. If I’m talkin’ brew I’m talking coffee.

What sub-genre of metal do you enjoy most? I don’t listen to metal.

Do you need to shave? No.

How do you feel about Obama? This question has come up in a lot of the surveys I’ve done lately.

Do you own any bandanas? Nope.

What's your favorite gangster movie? I don’t watch any.

Who/what makes your heart race? Anxiety.

How do you think I should end this survey? You just did.

[totallyfrandom]

I should be making food but I’m stuck watching “Irish People Try” videos (because they’re addicting) and in this one video they’re trying something called okra chips. I thought “Wth is okra?” so I googled it.

Now I really want to try some okra myself. Never had it, never seen it around here, wtf why don’t we have all these exciting exotic food in this country (or at least in my region)?

I’m up for some okra chips too.

[tchoking]

bucky barnes x black!reader headcanons

it’s gender neutral!

a/n: uwuwuwuwuwuwuwuwuwuwuwuwu bucky makes me soft absolute love of my life. I mean the 40s were... incredibly racist and Bucky didn’t get much opportunity to actually interact with black people because everything was segregated. A black person couldn’t even get into half the parties he was invited to y’know? I’m pretty sure yall half expect him to call you a negro/negress ngl

warnings: swearing (sorry i really couldn’t help it, like four swears) there are nsfw headcanons i guess towards the end but you can skip that if it isn’t your cup of tea.

hair

He’s not used to seeing kinky hair up close... or at all for that matter. The forties was, as you’d called it relaxer heaven so he’s just fascinated by your hair. You find it annoying at first because he keeps trying to fucking touch your hair, causing you tell him off- after which sulking ensues. On wash day you let him touch it and he’s in awe “woah how come it stretches” and “the curls are so tiny HOW”. 

He watches intently, how you twist your hair carefully before sleeping and copies your ministrations, frowning when he discovers his hair can’t hold the shape. Some days you fall asleep, too exhausted or too lazy and Bucky takes it upon himself to twist your hair in as neat of sections as possible, gently pulling your bonnet over your head. He’s so happy with himself as he carries you to bed.

food

Bucky doesn’t eat much and when he does it’s basically the same thing. He’s used to the bland grub Hydra gave him and even after he’d been out of their clutches he couldn’t eat much else, he tried oats and he’d had different versions of bread (though he’d only eat wholemeal)... the only form of meat he had were hot-dogs. You kinda have to force him to try new things- he’s scared at first but most of the time end up pleasantly surprised. Fucking horrified by okra. Has plantain for the first time and LOVES it. Plantain chips are his favourite snack (the unripe ones for some reason).

cuddling

Everybody and their mama has already said this but uh... nightmares- i mean we all know this. Bucky doesn’t really like being the big spoon, and even after going to Wakanda and getting a new arm, he still feels like he could just crush you in his sleep and it terrifies him. Sings to you (idk i just feel it ok) in bed. Talks about life in the forties, you m jokes about how he wouldn’t have given you the time of day (or even have been allowed to) which actually makes him feel shitty and you have to repeat that it’s okay and place soft kisses on his face, chest and arms; he doesn't say anything the rest of the night. He does, get more comfortable as time goes on and he eventually asks to be the big spoon for just one night. He loves it, having you in his arms; he hugs you all the time so he knows what having you in his arms is like but this is so different. He notices everything, even the way you trace the words i love you onto his arm when you think he’s asleep. You don’t think anything of it until one day you climb into bed to find him already asleep and decide to keep your hands to yourself, Bucky keeps asking you what’s wrong and who upset you because you always trace nice words on him and you’re so stunned; you didn’t think he ever noticed.  

sex

Bucky craves intimacy, after being deprived pf it for so long so he enjoys taking his time relishing you. He enjoys teasing you and is so gentle to the point it pisses you off sometimes- he’s just scared of hurting you. What Bucky loves more however is when you’re on top of him, riding him face contorted in pure ecstasy. His hands can’t help but dig into your hips and he’s afraid his metal arm is going to end up drawing blood, that’s when you remind him that the possibility of that with his new arm is slim to none and at any rate a little bleeding hasn’t killed you yet. Bucky does not like his hair being pulled at all, it reminds him too much of the past and honestly you imagine all forms of bdsm are off the table entering this relationship but Bucky will try anything to make you happy. He needs guidance, he doesn’t like the idea of getting rough with his partner and you have to guide his hand to your throat and instruct him on how to apply pressure but when he sees your eyes roll into the back of your head, Bucky starts to wrap his head around the appeal.

[queerpyracy]

“Definitions are important because whoever gets to define a problem gets to define its solution,” says Dara Cooper, activist, organizer, writer, and co-founder of the National Black Food and Justice Alliance (NBFJA). “Black communities are often beholden to white [power structures] and their definitions, so they’re also beholden to their solutions,” she adds.

Cooper is redefining problems in food systems across the country and looking at ways that communities of color can reclaim, redesign, and reimagine their own foodways.

In a recent report titled “Reframing Food Hubs: Food Hubs, Racial Equity, and Self-Determination in the South,” Cooper writes: “If we want a truly transformed system—a truly just system—we must commit to divesting from our current system, naming race, and ultimately destroying what we know as a system of white supremacy that does not benefit the majority of the population.”

The report is the result of four months that Cooper spent traveling across the South, interviewing farmers, food hub leaders, and community organizers to identify the most pressing solutions to transform food hubs—popular models for distributing local food more effectively—for greater racial equity.

“In my mind’s eye, the report is aimed at the practitioners of this work, people of color who never get to see themselves in the mainstream narrative, who felt invisible,” she says. But she also wants the larger food justice community to see the report, too, in hopes that it convinces people to see new solutions to old problems.

Earlier this year, Cooper was named a James Beard Foundation Leadership Award honoree for her work, which she describes as “rooted in resistance, self-determination, and, quite frankly, survival.” She sees herself as a conduit for organizations and communities that are working to find community-based solutions to problems.

Cooper started working in food justice 15 years ago, after noticing children on their way to school stopping at a gas station in Chicago for breakfast. “They were eating Cheetos with five-day old hamburger meat and plastic-looking cheese and that was what they had access to. That didn’t seem right to me,” she remembers. At the time she was working to help low-income residents in Chicago do tax preparation focusing on earned income tax credits. But after seeing the lack of food options many families faced, she decided to shift her focus to food justice.

Civil Eats recently spoke with Cooper about the NBJFA, what inspires her food justice work, and her hopes for the future.

What are some of the guiding principles of your work?

All the work I do is about liberation. I focus on food sovereignty, land rights, and land injustice in my role with NBJFA. I work with three other organizers and a larger network of food organizations focusing on food justice, youth leadership, elders in our communities, working towards creating self-determining food economies, and land justice. We mobilize to protect Black people from losing their land, and we work to promote indigenous sovereignty.

What does land injustice look like?

There are historical and contemporary laws that have separated Black people from land, and my work is about how we can reclaim the system and move to a more collective system. We look at using co-op grocery stores and land trusts to deepen our agency and our means to create and design food systems that give us full dignity and agency. Native peoples and Black communities have always had to think about community-based ways of protecting one another and we have to think cooperatively when facing the system. In a group you have more power.

You’ve talked about your work to end “food apartheid,” instead of using the better-known term “food deserts.” Can you explain your choice of language?

One of the things that I’m aware of is all of the ways that Black people experience violence in our country. [Lack of healthy] food is a deep-rooted form of violence. Junk food is concentrated in Black communities, and fast food industries are concentrated there, too. We have research saying kids need nutrition to develop proper brain functions, and when they don’t have access to food with nutrients, that’s violence. We see high heart disease in our communities, and that’s by design. We use the term “food apartheid” instead of “food deserts” because it’s violence that has created this system.

The musician Moby recently wrote an op-ed for The Wall Street Journal about how the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) shouldn’t be allowed to pay for junk food. What are your thoughts on that?

I’ve been in arguments with people about this for many years. This conversation is so layered, and it’s absurd to point the finger at individual choice. When you do that, it can be classist, racist, and paternalistic. When you do that and you don’t mention legislation that makes junk food cheap, you don’t challenge the industries that profit off of this.

I went to South Africa and I saw “crisps,” or what we call chips, were really expensive, and a bag of spinach was really cheap. It made me think about our system in America and how it’s the opposite here. When I went to Jamaica, I saw fruit trees everywhere, and they belong to everyone; they’re in service of the island. Being out of the country has really allowed me to see our capitalist-driven food system and its consequences more clearly.

I’d say to Moby he needs to check himself, his research, and his privilege. We need to point the finger at our systems.

What are you seeing change as part of your work?

I have the great privilege of knowing people that are doing [food justice] work, and we bring these people together to design national strategy. We’ve been focusing on Black co-op work and [helping] Black communities be able to organize themselves.

Solutions [associated with the term “food deserts”] tend to focus only on [adding more] grocery stores, but that’s too narrow—we need to look at all of the different ways communities meet their retail needs like community gardens, dinner swaps, mobile markets, buying clubs… I’ve even experienced senior centers coming together to carpool to local farms and grocery stores. We want to have a more expansive definition of what that can look like.

We understand that ultimately if we want anything to change with our food system, we have to address the land question. We really want strong land reform advocacy that prioritizes creating ancestral connection to the land instead of ownership. Capitalism creates an extractive relationship with the land and makes it about what we can get instead of how we can sustain ourselves and the land at the same time.

I think about our work on a continuum. We have emergency situations where we have to help a farmer keep their land, and we have to think more collectively [over longer time frames] about how we make sure we’re not repeating the same exploitative system. How can we make sure future generations have the land as well?

There are many people thinking about how to create land trusts. We also want to see this in urban areas, since urban farmers are losing their land too. Black Dirt Farm Collective is doing amazing things in that space and urban farmers are organizing.

What does a completely reimagined food system look like to you? What do you dream of seeing in the future?

It’s a system that’s much more creative, not capitalism-centered, with more tax dollars redistributed so communities can benefit from land owned by communities. I also want to see communities organizing at a larger scale, training more farmers, and creating a culture of good food. All of the junk food advertising would shift to okra, collard greens, all of the beautiful things we enjoy when we’re connected to the land. I want to see a shift to thinking about the sustainability of the planet. I want to see the people who grow, pick, and package our foods be able to support their families.

I hope to see that we can really make the connections between [the many ways] capitalism is failing us. We need to center joy and fairness if we care about our children’s children. Quick judgments about SNAP recipients are deviations from conversations that actually create change. Our food system is a direct reflection of how we show love for one another, and there’s always an opportunity to show that you care about people.

[dramallamadingdang]

Question Meme: The Run-on Sentence Edition

Hi! I hurt myself again yesterday. No, not in an "self-harm" kind of way but more in the usual (for me) "mountain-climbing incident" sort of way (I hate scree; I was so close to that summit) and got lots of deep bruises and lacerations for my troubles and was in a world of hurt by the time I saw a doctor, and I cracked something that isn't supposed to be cracked and it all hurts enough that I got prescribed narcotics again for a week and I really, really hate narcotics but I really, really like to be able to breathe without feeling like my lungs are being ripped to shreds, so...narcotics it is. 

It might make the answers to this latest iteration of Ye Olde Question Meme rather entertaining, though. Maybe. Maybe just incoherent. Well, whatever, @nekosayuri tagged me, so it's her fault, and I'm bored and my sleep schedule's all outta whack and I haven't even turned on my Simming computer in like three days and am posting this from a non-Simming laptop, so I have nothing else to post and....yeah. So, I'm like high as a kite right now. I mean, it's not totally unusual because I live in Colorado and weed's legal here, but narcotics is a totally different and much less coherent high for me. So, like, fair warning.

I'm not tagging anyone, though. I've no idea who's done this lately...

Name: Katrina

Zodiac Sign: I don't know why I answer this because astrology is a huge crock of BS, but everyone always wants to know so...Taurus. Barely. (Birthday is April 23.)

Height: Still ~6'0"/~182cm. Yay, not shrinking yet!

Languages Spoken: Fluently? At this point, only English. I used to be pretty fluent in Italian and German, but, you know, the saying "use it or lose it" applies, and since I've not had occasion to use those languages much....Well, there we are. I could speak quite a bit of Russian at one time because I spent a chunk of years there, in the late 80s when it was the Soviet Union and shortly thereafter when things were sorta nuts there. But, again, I have lost much of what I once knew. And there are smatterings of other languages that I can speak mostly-useless bits of. I can ask where the restroom is in many languages because I've traveled a lot. :) I do speak fluent bullshit, though...

Nationality: 'Murican. And since 'Muricans are really, really into their "ancestry" for some bizarre-o reason because ‘Murican apparently isn’t good enough...Like, 95% dirty Welsh peasantry (plus some Irish and Scottish thrown in for flavor) on the paternal side and on the maternal side....Well, one of my great-grandfathers was a first cousin of the English Queen Victoria. So basically, my maternal ancestry is the very confused inbred multinational mutt that is European Aristocracy. God only knows what’s in their genes, though my particular bit of it has lots o’ German. 

Favorite Fruit: Okra. It is a fruit. Look it up. Then again, much of what people call "vegetables" is, in fact, fruits, so there's that.

Favorite Scent: I've never really thought about this except when this was a question on a previous iteration of this meme that I did, and I don't remember what answer I came up with then. So I'm just gonna say...Vanilla-scented candles. Not cheap ones that just smell sickly-sweet sort-of-vanilla-y, but these ones that I buy online that smell...well...NOT sickly-sweet and like how vanilla really smells. Alternatively...snickerdoodles when they're baking. Hubby is baking me some snickerdoodles as I speak. Type. Whatever. The house smells really good. Baking bread is good, too. Before the snickerdoodles, hubby was baking the twice-weekly loaf of sourdough.

Favorite Color: Green. And/or orange. I go back and forth about which is really my favorite.

Favorite Animal: Elephants. Or hyenas. Or cats of all shapes/sizes. Or alpacas. Or llamas. Or snakes. Or spiders of all kinds. Or dragonflies. Or...Um, yeah,  I'm pretty much a fan of all vertebrates and terrestrial invertebrates and some aquatic/oceanic invertebrates, too, so...take your pick.

Coffee, Tea, or Hot Chocolate? Hot chocolate all the way. I don't drink coffee because A) I think it tastes and smells disgusting, but even if that wasn't the case B) I can't have caffeine. Tea is OK. Hubby's way into herbal tea, grows/collects and dries herbs and makes his own blends and shit, and I'll drink it mostly to make him happy, but I'm not into it. I do like hot chocolate, though it's hard to find premade mixes that don’t have powdered milk in them (because I’m vegan), so I generally have to make it from scratch, so to speak, and when I do I use cashew milk as the base and I usually add either peppermint or vanilla extract for zing.

Favorite Fictional Character: Can't really pick a fave. So, have a list, probably but perhaps not really in preference order. Spock from Star Trek, who's been a fave of mine since I was 3 and was watching the original Trek in its initial run, and I announced I'd marry Spock one day. Rodney McKay from Stargate: Atlantis and Vala Mal Doran from Stargate SG-1. (Basically, if you cut up those two and glue various bits of their characters together -- and not necessarily their good bits -- you have...me. So I relate really well to both of them, so I like 'em.) Also Jack O'Neill from Stargate SG-1, but he's mostly for reasons of estrogen. (Especially if you stick 'im in dress blues. HUBBA!) Garak from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine because Cardassians Are Love. Jayne from Firefly, also for reasons of estrogen. Big, hairy, dark hair, blue eyes, solid but not too muscle-y...Yep, that's how I likes my men. And Zoe from Firefly, 'cuz OMG she's how I likes my women. HUBBA!

Dream Trip: *sigh* Still Antarctica. It's the only continent I've not been to, and I will get there before I croak, but...not yet.

When was your blog created? IIRC, it was, like, the middle of December 2013. So, I'll have had this thing 5 years soon.

Last Movie You’ve Seen: I couldn't sleep one day like a week ago, so I put on Miss Congeniality, which is one of my favorite movies because Michael Caine. When I can't sleep, I'll usually put on a really familiar movie or TV show and it lulls me to sleep, but it didn't work that time. :(

Song You’ve Had on Repeat: Englishman in New York, by Sting. I have no idea why, but it's been on repeat in my head, though I haven't actually played it lately or anything.

Favorite Candy: Not much of a sweets kind of person. I prefer salty-crunchy. I can eat a whole big bag of crisps (Like, the British ones, which are way better than American potato chips, but American ones will do) easily, but I can't even get through a whole candy bar because, ew, too sweet. That said, I do like Flake bars, but I have to go up to Canada to get 'em. Or else buy 'em online but then usually by the time I get them they're kinda smashed. Or melted. Or both. Better to go up to Canada. Where they have real chocolate and not this sickly-sweet Hershey's crap. *shudder*

Favorite Holiday: When in Canada, Canada Day is quite fun. It's like July 4th only not so...well...chest-beatingly, yahoo-y, "patriotic" 'Murican. (I really, really dislike nationalism and "patriotism" in general but especially the obnoxious 'Murican brand of it.) When in the UK, I have a fondness for Guy Fawkes Night. I guess I like fire and fireworks and things that go boom and shit, only without the "YAY AMERICA!" yelling of America's own "things that go boom" holiday. Other than that...Can't really say I'm into 'em much. They're not even "days off from work" since...Well, I've never had a "real job," and I'm pretty much retired from my unreal job these days.

Last Book You’ve Read: *cough* Does a really long and smutty and slashy Stargate: Atlantis fanfic count? I'm sad to say that, though I was a voracious reader of books when I was younger, I'm really not so much these days. Haven't been for the last decade or so, really. Not of actual books, at least. I do subscribe to and read a number of academic journals, some having to do with science and medicine and some having to do with history, but they're not books. 

Favorite TV Show: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, mostly because it has Cardassians, who are all uniformly awesome, plus all the gritty political and religious goodness and stuff. Except that its last season kinda sucked and did totally WTF things with my second-favorite Cardassian. Close runner-up would be Stargate: Atlantis. Except that its last kinda season sucked, too, and did totally WTF things with McKay, so hmmm. Stargate SG-1 is good, too, except that half its team annoys the piss outta me...although this is largely made up for by the hotness that is Jack O'Neill so there's that. I like Firefly a lot but it was so short-lived that it's hard to really be a favorite because I can watch the whole thing, including the movie, in less than a day. (And believe me. I have.) I like the other Star Treks, too, especially if I'm in the mood for the "goofy soap opera in space" that is Voyager. TNG's shiny-happy Roddenberryness kinda bores the piss outta me, though it does have a few really good episodes, and the original show...Hmmm...Well, I both love and hate it. I love Spock, as I said, and I also love McCoy and all of its secondary characters. The problem is that I hate Kirk. Like, viscerally hate him. Like, I want to punch his face in every time it's on-screen. If he'd just, y'know, been eaten by a salt vampire and Spock and everyone else was OK and went off and had cool space adventures battling giant space-going amoebas and shit, I'd be totally happy and that's what fanfic's for *cough*, but since Kirk doesn't get eaten by a salt vampire...well...

Who’d You Most Like to Have Lunch With? @holleyberry :) Dude, we should totally hook up (No, not THAT way!) when I'm in SoCal next. Which won't be soon if I have my way, but when I am there....

[morning-walk]

I just came in from a walk with my Friend. Our talk led me to this.

It could be kind of vexing on occasion.

It was seldom boring though.

I think about Bebop a lot. In the last five years of his life we were together hours every week.

Sometimes too many hours.

Things happen though that bring him to mind. At The Gathering Tuesday last Chip came among us. I told him I knew of him and his special gifts and was glad we were meeting.

He said we’d met once. I quickly searched my memory but couldn’t dredge up the encounter.

“At Bebop’s funeral” continued Chip.

See what I mean about coming to mind?

I digress.

Once I dropped him a plate from one of our potlucks. The next day at the coffee shop he asked who made the okra. I told him Layla (she was a heckuva cook). He asked me if she was married.

There was that first time he came to a worship service. We’d been friends a couple of years at that point.

It had to be his idea. He was that kind guy.

He was getting deaf. Playing the drums extremely well for a lifetime, listening to loud music, and age caught up with him.

As I began teaching that first Sunday he was in attendance (seated on the back pew) he turned to the woman sitting next to him and loudly said “I can’t hear a damn thing he’s saying.”

We all heard him though.

A few months later, after he’d become a regular (by his standards) and moved a little closer to the chancel, I wished him a happy birthday during worship. As the congregation turned to see the celebrated they saw him nodded off, quite soundly asleep.

The last Sunday he came to worship before his move to the “home” he was on the front pew. We celebrated The Eucharist that day. Suddenly Bebop loudly proclaimed “Padre! I didn’t get no wine.”

One more story. This is where I was heading all along but Bebop was a fountain of “experiences.”

The congregation I pastored back then is unimaginably generous. I would regularly mention a need and they would pour out gifts. I don’t recall the specific need I brought up that Sunday but Bebop tore off a corner of the worship bulletin and wrote an IOU - complete with signature. Then dropped it in the offering basket.

The next day as we bellied up to the bar at the coffee shop he told me “I didn’t have any cash.” Then he pulled out a twenty which I knew he couldn’t spare.

After a protracted, somewhat loud discussion I told him the Book says “owe no one anything except the debt of love.”

He just replied “I wanted y’all to know I was good for it.”

I don’t know why I felt compelled to tell you this. Maybe it is because I owed him a debt of love.

Truth be told, I miss the old gasbag.

Always will

And I want to be good for that debt of love.

You know what I mean?

Your move.

Brother Pat