katernater | Reading

When I saw this year's Winter Solstice happened to fall on the last night of Hanukkah, it struck me as fitting that the longest night would have the most candles in it. Making the most light against all the darkness.

It's due for a chill here this week - not much below freezing, but wind and some rain. I've got nowhere to go and not much to do, and all of this together has me looking at my tea collection and thinking about where to get started and what I might be able to finish. Modest goals building towards larger ones, as the days begin building up again.

Current Mood: cold
Current Music: The Warmest Part of the Winter - Voxtrot

hannah

I made a cake for my dad's book group, as is customary, and it wasn't until late in the day, long after dropping it off, that I found out the book group had cancelled its in-person meeting - to be fair, they hadn't known that until the afternoon, what with someone coming down with something and everyone else electing not to drive.

It also turns out that my parents had a building party scheduled that same night. One my dad thought he wouldn't go to with the book group, but could attend since the commute would only be from the lobby to the apartment. One where he could bring a cake that I'd happened to have dropped off earlier that day.

The group had been reading Charles Dickens, and I thought an apple ginger spice cake would be fitting to the general vibe of the novel. It turned out to be a set of flavors that were just as fitting for a near-solstice wintertime party.

I'm always happy when something I've baked finds its way to a good home, and I'm even happier when there's a little story to go along with the cake.

Current Mood: pleased
Current Music: nothing now

hannah

As I've been saying over the evening: my father's book group usually meets in person, but due to one of the members coming down with the flu, the decision was made to meet on Zoom like it's 2020 all over again. But their loss was the party's gain. The cake I made for what would have been the book group's meeting instead went to my father's building's winter holiday party, so it still made its way to a good home. An apple ginger spice cake seemed fitting for Charles Dickens' London - they were meeting to discuss Bleak House - and it managed to slip into a general wintertime holiday festival without any issue or trouble. Once people started in on it, it went quick.

I'd had a stressful day, due to meeting with a therapist and my parents at the same time. It was necessary and it was useful and by golly was it stressful. After it was over, I simply went back to my apartment. Nothing else. Then I thought I could sit in my apartment or I could go to my parents' building winter holiday party. I went with the party. I'm fairly hammered at this point - it wasn't an open bar as such, but there was rum and there was tequila, and all I used as a mixer was a slice of lime and about a quarter cup of commercially made eggnog at one point. And the eggnog was with the tequila, not the rum, which isn't a choice I'll make if I attend another such function.

For all that I'm not anticipating tomorrow, with all its responsibilities, I'm good with having gone tonight.

Current Mood: drunk
Current Music: nothing now

ceitfianna

I've been stuck in my head lately and this Saturday I went to see the filmed version of Merrily We Roll Along and I lost myself for over two hours in wonderful music. If you enjoy musicals and especially Sondheim, then this is worth a watch, the music is glorious, and the story is good and painful. Its not the classic pro-shot filming, they've tried to make it more film like, which kind of works. Merrily is an odd musical that I'd love other people to watch to talk with them about it.

My first introduction to it was when my high school's ambitious vocal director put it on. I auditioned for it and was terrified since the vocal director had us audition like they do for Broadway, so you stand up on the stage and sing. I didn't get cast as my singing isn't that strong but I first heard that great music. Then a few years ago, I watched that great documentary about Merrily that was on Netflix: The Best Worst Thing That Could Have Ever Happened, worth a watch. Into the Woods is still my favorite Sondheim but Merrily is fascinating and makes me want to read the play its based off of and also watch Company, they feel connected. I ended up having a longer walk than I'd originally planned since the green line was being annoying but the weather was nice.

My Yuletide is pretty much done, I need to give it a good hard edit then post it. I'm still waiting on my car, but the insurance is covering my rental. Today I talked to the repair place and the damage was worse than they thought, so they're hoping by the end of the week. I stressed that at the beginning of next week, I hope to be driving off to see my family for the holidays. Other than one thing from the mail, my shopping is pretty much done. I will have to work next Monday and this Saturday before my long drive but then I'll have a nice chunk of time off.

The snow that fell yesterday has actually stayed, mainly because its far too cold, but getting warmer.

Current Mood: good

hannah

I've been teased with snow before, and I'm hoping I won't get teased again tomorrow. It'll be somewhat inconvenient on Sunday, but I've been inconvenienced in such ways before. I can handle it. I know workarounds.

Earlier today, buying fresh eggs, I told someone I'd be using them for cake. "Tis the season," she said. "Cake's always in season," I told her, and got an earnest laugh.

Current Mood: blank
Current Music: nothing now

hannah

I've been tasked not only to make challah tomorrow, not just one cake for my dad's book group, but two cakes for a small party he's hosting. The request was only for one cake for the party, and there's no way I'm making only one cake when I can manage two. It'll be a long day of baking. I welcome the work. While the work's helped by already having a lot of what I need for the cakes, the time it'll take is what I'll need to look into - dividing it up, assessing how best to parse it out, that kind of thing.

In addition to all the other chores and errands of the day.

I've sent two fics off to beta readers, and I've got that last original project which I need to start tackling to edit. That there's a very nice feeling by itself, too. Just going from one project right to the next. It's not always something I can pull off, and I value it when I can manage.

Current Mood: restless
Current Music: Fifteen Minutes - Voxtrot

hannah

Waiting for the traffic light, listening to the noise around me, I looked down and saw a dog - one that was shaped like an actual dog, with short black fur, a proper nose, bright eyes, and a remarkable amount of patience for being so quiet in the face of all the noise. Cars, trucks, horns, traffic all around, a cement mixer driving by that whined and gave off these weird high-pitched noises as the mixer turned, and I thought that if it was loud for me, it must be unbearable for her. She was very well-trained in leash work and boundaries, and as well-trained and well-adjusted as she was, it made me think: New York City isn't good for her.

She was mostly quiet, except for one point where she made something like a whine mixed with a whimper. I told her, "I don't blame you." But I don't think she heard me what with all the noise around us.

At the next corner, I complimented her behavior on who I thought was her owner; she said she was just the walker, and the dog's name was Kato, and she was impressed at her, too. I didn't ask to pet her, just looked at her, watching a little kid ask if she could pet Kato herself instead. I thought about how her owners needed to commission a walker's services, and how it could be a brief thing due to a family emergency or it could be a standing commitment, and knowing Manhattan, it's likely the latter. It still strikes me as strange to keep an animal like a dog as a pet in a big city, and looking at her today, it feels even stranger. I walked across the park and listened to the sounds of the vehicles and thought about how unpleasant I found it, and how the city isn't designed for auditory comfort. It could be, and it isn't, and it saddened me to think how much worse Kato must have things.

Current Mood: cynical
Current Music: nothing now

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One equal temper of heroic hearts

"I'm going to master all kinds of kung-fu"

Reading

Live the days.

Roundabout.

General festivity.

Breaking a cycle

Twelfth of the Twelfth.

Gotta happen sometime.

Animal encounter.

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December 2011

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