Ooh, knitting.
I just finished a pair of alpaca socks for a friend, using this pattern. (PDF warning.) Since I had quite a bit left over, and the yarn is not suitable for baby socks, I'm making a pair of matching fingerless mitts and hoping the yarn holds out.
I was born in 1963. I have a smallpox vaccine scar; my younger brother and my husband, both born on the same day in 1965, do not. I remember lining up in school for measles and mumps vaccines. There were no doubts about getting vaccinated. My mother, who had gone through all these diseases with my older (by seven and eight years) brothers, was very happy that she didn't have to worry about her younger two kids.
I finally got chicken pox about ten years ago. I had high fever and pox *everywhere* - and I had lung involvement. I wasn't hospitalized because Valtrex had been recently put on the market, and my doctor decided I could stay home. My husband, who also had never had the disease, turned out to be immune anyway. He was given the anti-viral as well, until that was determined.
Meanwhile, my younger brother had been trying to convince my mother that he'd actually had it himself - they wouldn't give his son the chicken pox vaccine unless my brother could show he was immune - it was a live vaccine and dangerous to non-immune adults. The other alternative was to give him a series of dead vaccine shots first, and he hates shots.
I got sick, proving he'd never had it, either. He got the shots, and my nephew was vaccinated properly.
I now live in dread of shingles.
I haven't sewn in so many years that I'd need to get the machine refurbished. But, I have tried to have two knitting projects going - usually socks and something more long term - for the past three or four years now. Currently, it's a pair of socks and a sweater.
On the other hand, I have a freezer full of homemade chicken stock that I made yesterday, and the remains of a batch of bread that I made Friday. And I have plans to make honey cake.
No Denvention for us. It is Unfortunately Timed in relation to the Jewish calendar, alas. Such things happen. However, Anticipation (which happens to be on similar dates in 2009) is very well placed indeed.
(It is interesting that there are two Worldcons in a row in early August. Is this a function of availability of function space?)
It really depends on the food issues and the person. I'm type II diabetic, for example, and under decent control with my meds and diet. This means that, while I'll tell a host this if they ask, it's okay if they don't. I can determine what I can and cannot eat and I'm perfectly happy to skip dessert or steal a bite of someone else's. A mistake isn't going to kill me, or even hurt me. My husband needs to control his salt intake, and he's perfectly happy to skip the soup or let me taste it first.
I also keep kosher, and I can't expect anyone who doesn't to provide anything but, say, fresh fruit. Or I'll take my own steps - there's a reason I run con suites.
However, I do ask my guests about food issues, and I've provided vegan/vegetarian food for seders, nightshade-free meals for a friend allergic to them, and adapted a recipe so a child in a family could avoid the nitrites that give her migraines.
Lance @ 32:
That sounds about right for making meat well-done. With patience, I can get juicy meat. I use tongs to do my turning - very gently.
And I mix fattier and leaner ground beef for my burgers, adding a fair amount of freshly ground pepper. I don't add salt because kosher meat gets thoroughly salted during processing. We prefer them absolutely plain, to be eaten with a knife and fork.
Linkmeister @#22:
Ursula @ #19 has it right: you sear each side to seal the juices inside.
You sear the meat because it tastes better that way. It does NOT seal the juices inside. Harold McGee proved this - it actually opens the pores more.
Because I like my meat well-done, and so keep them on the heat longer, I can turn them more often and not lose the browning. (It's a texture thing. Non-well-done meat feels raw and unpleasant in my mouth.)
The Amish have done a lot of adaptations of modern technology to fit
their needs. One of those is taking modern sewing machines - at least
basic models that aren't computer-driven - and fitting them for treadle
or airpower. I would assume those machines do zigzag.
In fact, it's possible to order such a machine, complete with zigzag and buttonhole, here.
Damn. Hole in the universe fits. Too well.
On the topic of sodas in general -
Con suites can be compared to a weekend long party.
When I stock a con suite, I try to maintain parity of diet vs. nondiet. There are enough older/dieting fans (or people with blood sugar problems) that anything less is asking for trouble. In fact, I tend to run out of diet before nondiet.
I also make sure to include both major cola brands, and a good proportion of non-caffeine (say 1/3 of the colas)sodas - cola, lemon-lime and ginger ale, in both diet and non-diet. Yes, I do make sure to have "brown" - caffeine-free diet colas. I also include at least some selzers.
In my last con suite, which was Conterpoint 2004, I also had bottled water, and that went over well.
I've also found the local brands are a good source for flavors like orange or root beer, as well as purely local flavors like birch beer or "black cherry wizaski" (sp?). This lowers the costs, and makes the selection a lot more interesting.
| Year | Number of comments posted |
|---|---|
| 2009 | 3 |
| 2008 | 7 |
| 2006 | 2 |
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