This is not the house that pain built

physically I am ok

2023-10-08T03:18:42Z

So, physically I am OK. Emotionally? Less OK. I'm angry with this joke of a government, I am sad about the wounded and dead, and a morass of other emotions I am still trying to name. This is the worst incompetence in over 50 years. And all because of a man(our *dear* PM) who instead of doing his fucking job concentrated on escaping justice

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Vet Visit

2016-07-31T19:54:59Z

So, G peed outside the litterbox twice today. Cue a call to the vet.I will divide it into "Expected bad news", "Good new" and "Only G". Expected bad new is that he has a severe urinal tract inflammation, for which he got some shots and different food for a couple of weeks. Good news is that nothing else seems amiss.Only G....well:
1) after the vet managed to get him into the carrier G still got in a good scratch in
2) still growling and twitching his tail after general anesthetics took
3) the vet going O_O at the fact he's 7.5 kg with that build and insisting he's overweight. Me and shiri looked at each other and nearly burst out laughing(that is muscle. As the vet should well know after wrestling him)
4) When we took him back up the vet told us "oh he will be awake in about 4 or 5 hours and probably groggy for another 4-5, close him in a room you can afford to leave unused for the night" less than two hours later we looked in on him and released him out, chipper, wide awake and friendly
ETA: 5)nearly forgot : the vet trying to draw blood and grumbling, because even when he found a vein the first time, he couldn't draw blood. G is apparently a difficult patient even when he is not awake to actively resist....

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Terry Pratchett Just Died

2015-03-12T16:38:21Z

He was one of the writers that helped shape me. He was, I think, the first who showed me that taking yourself seriously all the time was a good way to overlook your own failings. And that laughing at your own failings when looking at them was a great way of not letting them blot out the world. Because we're all people, and we're all ridiculous.

He was also the first who took the books I enjoyed reading at the time as escapism(yes, I loved heroic fantasy), and showed me how ridiculous they actually were in their essentialism. And managed to do so while getting me to laugh with him, because I saw the ridiculous as well when he pointed it out.

To PTerry, may your travel across the desert be short, and may affectionate cats await you on the other side.

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antongarou @ 2014-04-19T09:16:00

2014-04-19T06:32:14Z

Recipe for the cold coffee from yesterday, so I don't forget:

materials
2L water
7 tablespoons coffee
~teaspoon ground cardamom
10 tablespoons demarara sugar

process
1. mix the coffee and the cardamom in a small bowl, measure the sugar into a different bowl
2. Put the water in a large pot and bring it to the beginning of a gentle boil on a large flame
3. shut down the flame and move the pot aside
4. add the coffee and cardamom and stir just enough so there are no clumps
5. light a flame that is wide enough for the pot on its next to lowest setting - if you'r using electric stove, like I did, make sure it's a different flame, since the heating element takes time to cool down.
6. let the pot sit until it has been gently steaming for about 5 minute(this will take 20-25 minutes, if this batch is a good indicator)
7. move the pot off the flame for 5 minuts
8. repeat 6 and 7 twice more
9. add the sugar and stir for 30-40 seconds, then repeat 6
10. move the pot off the flame and wait for 5 minutes while the grounds settle down
11a. strain through coffee filter paper. alternately, if you have a plunger with a dense mesh
11b. use the coffee plunger and then the filter paper.

NOTES:
1) the main idea while brewing is moving the water as little as possible, keep this in mind while moving the pot
2) you had better change filter papers after each use because the grounds will start blocking the paper rather quickly

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to all people who like pictures of pretty men and/or cats

2014-01-06T14:27:14Z

http://www.mako.co.il/women-sex_and_love/couples/Article-050a861d8616341006.htm?sCh=3d385dd2dd5d4110&pId=1732227515 (some hebrew, but the pictures are the main thing:)

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my evening in high and low point

2013-12-31T19:14:14Z

low point:My body being hungry and my brain going "No you don't!" at any and all food present, and don't even mention preparing something or ordering out. Good thing I have energy bars I like at home as I can eat those even when my brain pulls shenanigans like these.

High point: I'm re-reading Freakangels, and just got to the panel where Connor and Jack bring the chickens to Karl. KK cracked me up, but good :)

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Israelis and coffee

2013-12-23T11:55:05Z

Background:our water heater started shorting the electricity so we had an electrician over this morning.This conversation happened while he was closing stuff back up.
Me:A drink of water?
Him:Actually, coffee would be better
Me: which kind?Espresso, instant, french press..
Him: Black
Me: The real deal or botz*?
Him: The real deal.
[ensuing enquiries about cardamom and sugar left out]

*for those not familiar - hot water poured over coffee grounds

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A relevant moment today

2013-11-24T16:44:50Z

Listening to Rachael Sage's "Sacrifice" and understanding how much it means to me, and that there are some family in my life I honestly need to have that attitude towards. And how the things she describes in it shaped my life and my relationships with my family.

Know that these are my own true words
Even if your approval is my sacrifice

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how to find an AI

2013-08-26T11:01:09Z

AR has been swearing at her computer since the morning(the VM's we're working with were causing problems), my response: "We would know you found an AI when it starts swearing back"

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warning-rant

2013-06-02T04:30:00Z

I read this entry by needled_ink_1975(rant about movie!Eowyn being better then book!Eowyn) and after I thought a bit about why it felt so wrong, I have this to say:

( My perspective about why I prefer book!Eowyn, and think the entry does Faramir a great disservice )

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achievement unlocked: soudough bread!

2013-05-11T16:42:58Z

So a couple of weeks ago I got sourdough starter off Agora(an Israeli site dedicated to people who have stuff they want to give away) and has been feeding it since - today was the first day I had the time to try and make bread, and except for a small accident(a bowl I though was tempered glass and wasn't) it went off quite well. I just ate the first slice of my delicious homemade bread(I went with a simple all-wholewheat dough), and I'm definitely taking this to work, it will keep me better fed, and much more satisfied, then any bread I have access to there.

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So, I just tried to see the first chapter of Grimm

2013-04-13T18:47:42Z

*Tried* being the key part. I gave up around 2/3rds of the way in, much to ernads annoyance(she was hoping to have another series we can watch together). At least this time I can articulate the reasons:

1) You have families that have been fighting these creatures for what, 200 years? At least? And they still haven't learned that the best way to make sure the line survives is teach their children everything they can at an early age? Rather, they still think that the best way to survive is hide everything from the children and hope like hell they aren't the ones chosen? I really really hate that trope.

2) No built in support structure that I can see. Are these guys for real?That's worse then Buffy. At least Slayers had support infrastructure, including some built-in intelligence capability, and someone who was supposed to teach them, even if the actual set-up was abominable.

3)Who the fuck, when he has a cooperative knowledgeable local doesn't stop for a couple of minutes and pump the guy for as much immediately relevant intel as he can get? And then starts debating with that local what they should do?

tl;dr - the show premises sets the protagonist and his whole line as incompetent. I don't really like these kind of shows.

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The draft for a new Vienna Teng Song

2012-12-11T21:24:16Z

apparently she published it somewhere called Soundcloud. It is both beautiful and horrifying, and I found it through Making Light

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antongarou @ 2012-12-08T08:29:00

2012-12-08T06:32:36Z

One of the best stage magician acts I saw in the last few years, lifted off www.boingboing.com. Fair warning - the guy is some combination of mime, stage magician and clown, and a shtutnik of the first water:

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Transition moment of today

2012-11-16T16:53:47Z

I'm waiting for ernads to get off the bus in my parents' car, she phones to say the bus is getting close, so I move out to where the buses usually stopped. There were soldiers waiting around- from the equipment I knew they were going out to the op, not much else. I tagged the soft voices as "not Givaati or Golani" and not much more, but something still felt Off, then I caught one of the berets, Nachal, and everything clicked.

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An interesting thing I found out about myself today

2012-11-15T13:45:49Z

I can totally enjoy Mafia as one of the killers with a bunch of people I'm not emotionally involved with.

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Good body awareness day

2012-10-13T10:31:08Z

So sometimes between waking up and breakfast today I became really aware of my body, and it is doing good things for me. I have better posture, I practiced walking on the balls of my foot for the fun of it for a longish times, and I am way more centered then I was in... probably weeks. I suspect part of it is the series I started to read which is quite nice("Dark Heavens" by Kylie Chen) I'm somewhat beyond half of the first book, and I really like the characters already- it deals with martial arts in mythological Chinese urban fantasy setting, and I suspect the mental kinesthetis that leads me into are very right for me.

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antongarou @ 2012-10-09T09:36:00

2012-10-09T08:00:35Z

So some time ago I decided I really wanted to grow lime.Having found no seeds in store-bought fruits(turns out the ones in Israel are of the sterile triploid variants) I started looking around. This morning I finally googled nurseries, with an eye toward finding someone who has Key Lime, for preference. And what do I find? A nursery that sells Yuzu seedlings!I basically went WANT!!! and much hilarity was had when I went somewhat hyper with happiness and complained to ernads that I want a garden, or at least a good balcony so I will have space for lime, and yuzu and kafir lime and and ....:). But seriously, I very happy to find that yuzu seedlings are sold in Israel, even if I can't find key lime, this is seriously cool.

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antongarou @ 2012-09-13T09:13:00

2012-09-13T06:48:20Z

So last night, after an exhausting day at work (don't you love it when stuff explodes 20 minutes before you need to go?), I went to The regular organic grocer I use. I had a couple of things I needed, and then I saw they had organic Tahiti Lime(!!). I bought ~1.5 kg, and liquor Will Be Made tonight(planned recipe, unless I something else hits me over the head: 1.5kg halved limes, 1.5 kg white sugar, 2 bottles of 95% alcohol, 2 cups water), also 2 limes will go towards giving some oil nice flavor(whole, pricked a couple of times in olive oil) and any seeds I find will go toward the "trying to germinate a lime tree because Opher is crazy" effort. Also found dried Verbenna that had smell strong enough to club people with:)

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Kumquat liqueur

2012-08-27T19:18:55Z

I'm posting this at the insistence of ernads, who thought it was important enough to share. So, several months ago my father's potted kumquat tree bore fruits. I immediately asked for 1.5 kg for liqueuring purposes, and then went ahead with my usual basic recipe- ~~0.75~~ 1 alcohol: ~~0.25~~ 1/3 water : 1 sugar:1 fruit(yes, I know I'm crazy) which took 2 jars. I pretty much forgot about them except that tomorrow is concentrated outing at work, so about a week ago I was going over "what can I bring" and had a lightbulb moment. I decanted it into bottles tonight and am bringing both one of the bottles and the fruit from it, which is by now essentially drunk candied kunquat, tomorrow(also, the chili liqueur and a bottle of pear liqueur).

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Broccoli shrimp in lime and white wine

2012-08-03T21:13:10Z

So I made Broccoli shrimp in lime juice today. It was a total invention based of the fact we had shrimp and Brocoli in the freezer, we love the combination, and ernads wants less fat in her diet- which ruled out our previous default for this(Broccoli shrimp in coconut milk and lemon grass). I originally planned on doing this with plain lemons, but there were limes in the market this morning, at which I went !!! and bought a dozen. It was declared way better then the last default, ernads basically purred over it.
( the recipe )

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sproutlings!

2012-05-22T20:04:45Z

So about 3 weeks ago I decided to finally sprout those habanero seeds I got via IT(he bought a box of habaneros, I asked, and got, one for the seeds). Meaning I made holes in the bottoms of 15 disposable plastic drinking cups, filled them with potting soil, put a seed in each one, and put them in two disposable trays with some water on the living room floor by the big window. Time passed, and there was no sprouting. Then last Wednesday, when mrlightning was coming for dinner, we arranged the living room. As at the time I already gave up on them I was going to throw the whole thing(trays and all) away, but when knelt down to lift them I got that week's happy surprise: a small sprout, already with a couple of leaves, staring me in the face. Of course I did the happy dance then and there. Now I have the other side of the problem- to date 10 have sprouted, I have only 5 midway planters, and I really don't feel right to throw away plants that already sprouted, and that I might have been able to find homes for, just because I don't have enough midway planters(of the midways, the plan is to keep one in a full 12L planter, and give the others to good homes).

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Today's "yes, this is a company full of geeks" moment

2012-03-27T12:28:09Z

Our license tracking system is called "Hobbit" and it sits on a server called "Gandalf" :)

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I got into Checkpoint!

2012-02-28T20:06:52Z

So I was in various tests and interviews for a couple of weeks and then last wednesday evening I got the news I got the position. It isn't a major position and by industry standards I'm getting quite a low wage, but it's a position that doesn't require prior experience in a nice team, inside a stable company that has reputation for both good products and good treatment of its workers. The team(well, the group- both our teams are so closely interwined I'm not that surprise there is only one team leader)?They're a very nice bunch from what I saw the last couple of days, up to and including behaving like a group of highschool age siblings/cousins when we go on a lunch break, including the "I want to talk with the guy on the other side of the table, so let's manage it in shouts" part that manages to be endearing and fun. I *missed* working in a social environment so much, it's like a part that was missing and suddenly snaps back into place.

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antongarou @ 2012-02-19T07:42:00

2012-02-19T05:47:28Z

got this from hagar_972

Most of the stuff I know is so true...only surprise I see there is Tragaryen, but then I don't really know a lot on A Song of Ice and Fire having stopped reading at page 100 of "A Game of Thrones"

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