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toboldlywrite · 7 years ago

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Unfinished

So I know people wanted stuff with backstory and crew shenanigans and I promise I am working on something great but for now, have another slice of Claire and Tobias's domestic life before Plot went down.

Tagging some possibly interested people: @lady-redshield-writes @cog-writes @ava-burton-writing @silverbird-scrive @bluemartlet (let me know if you want on or off the list!)

Tobias had been thinking about tacos all day. Friday was technically take-out day, but he knew it wouldn’t take much convincing for Claire to agree to him cooking, especially since he was already carrying three bags of groceries up the stairs into their apartment. But when he nudged open the door he’d barely managed to unlock with half a hand, neither Claire nor Chewbacca was there to greet him. That wasn’t so odd, though, that he didn’t wait to call for them before making his way into the kitchen to put the bags down somewhere.

Only to find that there was nowhere to put them.

Something not unlike a hurricane had attacked the room, covering the counters with newspapers and crumpled sheets of paint-splattered paper towels and paint brushes that had seen better days. The table was hardly visible underneath the sheets of newspaper; bottles of paint, even more paint brushes, and canvases with half-finished sketches or paintings strewn all over it. There were no less than three cups of dirty paint water among the mess, one perched dangerously close to the edge. Tobias slowly slid it back into safer territory, catching Chewbacca’s eye. The cat glanced towards the living room, then back up at him with what he could have sworn was worry in his gaze.

Or maybe that was Tobias projecting. He picked up the nearest piece of abandoned artwork; a sketch of a planet, half of it painted in. It certainly wasn’t Earth- the continents were all wrong; the most massive of which looked like the talon of a giant eagle, ready to pounce on the smaller landmass below it. The color scheme was different, too: oceans a deep emerald green and the land different shades of brown fading into oranges and pinks. Around it were four hurriedly drawn circles- unformed moons waiting for the artist to bring them to life.

But given the number of canvases, Tobias doubted the artist was going to get around to that any time soon.

He made his way around the table, careful not to step around Chewbacca’s tail, while making just enough noise to not startle Claire. She stood just in front of the window, staring into the sky beyond with concentration intense enough to direct the clouds in their path overhead. Her arms were crossed over her chest, her fingers tapping out a frantic rhythm on each.

He hesitated. He remembered all-too well the last time he'd seen her like that, and braced himself for the worst. “Claire?”

Her tapping faltered for just a second, the only indication that she’d heard him.

“What’s wrong?”

“I’m fine.” Her answer was too short, too flat. Tobias's heart dropped to somewhere in the apartment under them. It's her dad again, isn't it?

“Claire.” He stopped next to her, and only then did she look over at the painting in his hands. “Please. Talk to me. What happened?”

“None of them were right,” she muttered.

“What do you mean? Is this about the paintings?” Claire liked sticking her hands into all sorts of hobbies- she had always had a bit of a restless spirit. But while her creative pursuits were chaotic, they were also usually joyful. The only time they weren't was when she was trying to distract herself.

She sighed, turning to the window again. It still took her a minute to speak, but this time Tobias could feel her searching for words in the silence.

“You know that feeling… when you walk into a room and instantly forget why you came in there?”

He nodded, even though she probably didn’t see. “It helps to retrace your steps.”

Her smile was thin and didn’t reach her eyes. “Exactly. But what if you felt that way for your entire life? What if you had no idea which doorway you came in through, and which steps you needed to retrace to find it again? How would you ever remember what it was you were doing there?” Her fingers stopped tapping, instead gripping tightly around her arm until the skin went white.

Tobias blinked. “That… that sounds like anxiety to me.”

“What?” She looked at him clearly for the first time since he’d come home, like she’d been snapped out of a trance.

“It’s not how I experience it. Not exactly. But it does sound like it.”

“Maybe.” But she bit the corner of her lip- she was just humoring him.

He set the painting down on the back of the couch and grabbed her hands. “Maybe you should see someone,” he suggested as gently as he could.

She scoffed. “Tobias, I don’t need-”

“Just, hear me out, ok?”

She lifted her eyes to the ceiling, but stayed quiet.

“You were the one who talked me into going, remember? Berated me, actually.”

“I did not,” she grumbled.

Tobias rolled his eyes. “Yeah, ok. But the point is, you were right. It did help. I still worry too much, but I know how to handle it. And now it’s really just about things that warrant worry in the first place. You don’t need to do this on your own, Claire. You deserve to be helped and not have to feel like that all the time.”

She took a deep, long breath and sighed it out. “Ok, fine. Maybe you’re right.” He raised his eyebrows at her. “You are right,” she corrected. This time the smile did reach her eyes, even though she tried to cover it. “I’ll try.”

“Good.” His smile managed to coerce a better one out of her. “Now can you please clear off the table so I can make dinner?”

Claire glanced back into the kitchen and groaned, catching sight of the cataclysm she’d left behind. “I’m never doing art again.”

“Why not?” He picked the painting back up, handing it to her. “You can’t leave this unfinished. Remember what you told me?”

“That an unfinished work of art is an unfinished world. Literally, in this case.” She made a face at all the paintings on the table. “I have a lot of worlds to finish.”

“Well finish them some other time. We need room for tacos.”

#my writing #wip: star series #star series snippets #coincidentally i just had breakfast tacos #character/writing exercise

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jarrydwillis · 5 years ago

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Non-Reciprocal Altruism

What is the evolutionary or socialization basis of non-reciprocal altruism? The image below is from last Autumn & shows 2 packs of breakfast tacos that were placed next to each other in the store. Neither expiration date is past the "best if used by" date, but there is nearly a 7-month gap between them (May 2020 vs January 2021). Obviously, being someone with a healthy appreciation of how time works, I selected the product with a full calendar year of freshness remaining. I then placed the less fresh pack at the back of the row & moved other fresh packs with the January 2021 date up front. That way the next person who goes to buy breakfast tacos for herself, his kids, etc won't risk buying a suboptimal product & potentially feeling nauseous or getting sick as a result. Is this perhaps the purest form of altruism?

Consider the following:

(1) My individual fitness, that of my genetic kin/family, social kin/friends, or virtual kin/social media followers doesn't benefit in the slightest. Putting the less fresh (and in some cases expired) products out of reach of future consumers won't increase my likes on Instagram, followers on Twitter, improve the health of my future daughters, or bolster my personal immune functioning.

(2) No reciprocity or utilitarian resource extraction is possible in the immediate or near future from whichever human I spare from obtaining the suboptimal product. I'll never know their sex, race, gender identity, age, religion, height, political affiliation, sexuality, if they are left-handed... I wouldn't know who to seek out for recompense.

(3) The person my efforts benefit may be someone I would personally block on Twitter, or impeach. It's unlikely that such altruism would take place in a social context where the adversarial identification of the other party was salient. For instance, I don't consider vans adversarial, and yet I'm usually 100% motivated to pass a van trying to merge in front of me rather than altruistically let the van enter, because the threat of the van being slow is too existentially exhaustive. I'd argue letting a van merge when one could have passed is aversive-altruism & feel similar to when you bubble in the correct answer but then erase it & choose the wrong one.

(4) There is no social capital to be gained via branding. For example, if I donate to wildfire relief in Australia, I can then put #.Donator on my social media feeds & receive likes/followers in exchange. Thus, it would be non-reciprocal altruism in that I had donated to help people I will never meet (they can never reciprocate my effort), but it would fall short of being 'pure' because I receive utilitarian gains via social media.

(5) If I hear steps behind me while opening a door & decide to hit the handicap button (see image) so that the door stays open, that approximates non-reciprocal altruism but there's also a criticism-avoidance motivation. The motivation is stronger for someone you'll likely see again (colleague) than someone distant (random human at Starbucks), such that if a particular handicap button hasn't been reliable in the past & the footsteps heard in the background may be those of a coworker (based on likelihood of encounter in one's current location) then a second step would be added after the button press of 'holding the door' just to make sure. It'd be unfortunate if a technological malfunction lead to reappraisal of oneself as being inconsiderate due to the coincidentally proximate spatial & temporal placement the actor and partner found themselves in.

(6) If I put the door’s kickstand based on the prediction that additional people will be entering/exiting a particular dwelling via that same door throughout the course of the business hours of the day, that action could be considered non-reciprocal altruism. It would be contingent on the fact that I’m unlikely to see the innumerable bodies utilizing said passage, they’re unlikely to see me (particularly if I’ve departed before they even arrive), & I’m unlikely to receive any reward in the short-term (highest value) or distant future for the action (modulated value/ sender-dependent value).

Lastly, this pure altruism is still effort-contingent. It takes negligible effort to move a pack of suboptimal food or expired orange juice to the back of their respective rows. However, if the expired product was a 24 pack of Pepsi (significantly heavier) I'm unlikely to unstack the other 10 packs of Pepsi, place the expired one on the bottom, and then restack all the fresh ones back on top of the expired one. Moreover, I'm unlikely to purchase the expired one for the purpose of throwing it away. If the store is dedicated to selling the expired one, they may move it back to the front the following morning, thus nullifying my efforts. (Nier Automata may, in fact, have the best example of how this form of altruism isn’t free of cost considerations.)

In short, I'm curious as to the basis for this form of altruism. It'd also be a great way to test the level of consciousness of future sentient Ai

#Psychology #Evolution #Socialization #Altruism #NierAutomata

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sarakuper · 5 years ago

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Visiting Sean’s Grandparents; Spirit Lake & Lake Park, Iowa

Stop #24, Sept 12-19

After a long [and scary] night we arrived at Spirit Lake where I could feel the nostalgia flowing from Sean. He pointed out everything in town that he had a connection with and shared stories from his childhood. We pulled in front of Sean’s grandparents house where Grandma Ghee and Grandpa Tim were waiting outside with big smiles. I was so relieved to finally be here and already felt a strong sense of comfort. I had met Ghee and Tim a few times before while going back to Omaha for an Elser Christmas and was looking forward to spending some more time with them.

We got settled in, showered, and ate some breakfast. Ghee made scotcharoos, which to me is a Christmas cookie delicacy, but now there was a fresh batch for us to enjoy all week long! I couldn’t help myself; even though we had donuts for breakfast I needed a scotcharoo too! After a little while we drove into town for a delicious lunch at Taco House around Okoboji, then drove around the lake town that Sean speaks so highly of. Being after labor day many of the seasonal activities had already come to a close as well as some shops and restaurants. I would love to come back in the heart of summer to enjoy some of that Okoboji magic!

The next morning Sean and I woke up to the most amazing smell for breakfast. Sean had mentioned how he loved Ghee’s monkey bread and POOF, it was there waiting for us for breakfast and still warm. Oh my goodness… that monkey bread was the best thing I’ve ever tasted!! Later in the day she made fresh oatmeal cookies too, and at that point I just accepted that I would put a on few [or more] pounds this week and shouldn’t bother getting back to normal eating until I leave Iowa. Because, of course, she packed up several leftovers for us to take when we leave the next day! At that point I happily accepted stretchy shorts and leggings for the next week.

Later in the day we stopped at Sean’s other grandparents home because my laptop was getting delivered that day, and in case it took longer I gave them the Iowa address we would be at latest. I got my laptop back so quickly, and its working perfectly! Wahoo! This time around the process was a lot smoother.

Sean and I shopped around town for some Kayaks hoping that an end of year sale would get us a great deal. But, with all the extra money I spent on my laptop I decided I’d rather put down a few bucks to rent a kayak when the time comes, rather than buy one right now.

The rest of our time with Ghee and Tim the five of us hung out and spent time catching up. Jaxon was so happy to be in a house with a rug where he could make any spot on the floor his own. We exchanged stories from our trip and life in general. Tim showed us his boat, which he was preparing for the trip they would leave for the next day, and shared some funny stories of Sean and his siblings going out on the boat when they were children. Ghee took out some old photos of Sean, which I especially enjoyed! He was a little Justin Bieber in his high school days!

I really enjoyed Ghee and Tim’s company and loved getting to know them more. Meanwhile, Ghee made sure to fill our bellies with such delicious goodies that even Tim felt like he was on vacation! I forgot to mention we ended every night with ice cream…

The night before Ghee and Tim left for their trip we ate Sean’s favorite for dinner, Godfathers Pizza, which I have come to somewhat enjoy. I’m still a pizza snob; its in my NY blood! But this pie really was delicious, and the four of us enjoyed our last meal together. The next day they left around 7:30am and Sean and I were so sad to say goodbye. I kept telling him how fun it was to hangout with them and that they are really good people whose company I really enjoyed. Ghee told us to stay as long as we’d like and just to lock up before we leave.

After a long lazy morning of sleeping in and eating more sweets for breakfast we finally packed up and left, getting ourselves over to Sean’s other grandparent’s house only 15 minutes away in Lake Park. Coincidentally, they were already on a vacation and were getting back in a few days. So, Sean and I had a lot of down time before actually spending time with Grandma Maxine and Grandpa John.

We spent those few days between doing a variety of things. First, we took out the side by side, AKA the ripper, for a drive all around the farm. The birds were hovering over the corn, the butterflies were fluttering, and the frogs were jumping, as was the mud running through the tires and shooting in the air. After the first ride I learned to keep my mouth closed; my face got hit with mud! The farm is beautiful and really fun to explore.

That night we logged right into netflix to binge watched The Office, our absolute favorite TV show that never gets old. We’ve watched the entire series too many times to count but never cease to find something new to laugh about in every episode. That first night we also raided the fridge and freezer and found some of Maxine’s home cooked meals that we defrosted for the night and the next.

Another day to ourselves Sean spent hours working on the truck while I switched between cleaning the trailer and getting caught up with computer work. Sean could not have been happier working in his grandpa’s machine shed. He had every tool you could possibly need, and light and shelter which meant Sean could work after sunset. It also meant he could leave his tools out and just pause his work for the night not having to clean up like he needed to when he worked in the alley behind our house.

On Sunday the 15th Sean took me to the Clay County Fair for its last day running. Maxine left us two tickets, and I was so exited to check it out! I’ve never been to fair that big, let alone in the middle of Iowa! Well, it sure was huge, and way different than the fairs they had in my home town growing up. Besides the capacity there was tons of livestock competing for who knows what, cheese curd stands, and huuuuuge tractors being sold! Sean and I ate our way through the fair starting off with a smoothie to keep it “light” but then continued to fried cheese curds, a jurassic sized corn dog, and a rib sandwich. Right after we walked through the live stock barn I was all upset about the treatment of the animals, and then we walked into The Chop Shop and had those rib sandwiches. Damn, that was the best I’ve ever had!!!!! Talk about conflicting feelings…. Once we felt sick to our stomachs from the food the heat really started to kick in and we decided to leave.

Grandma Maxine and Grandpa John arrived late Monday night from their bus trip and hung out with us as we all exchanged stories from our trips. After a good nights sleep they took us out to breakfast at their favorite diner, then we spent the afternoon learning how to play the card game Hand and Foot, an Elser favorite! The night ended with a delicious meal and warm apple pie with vanilla ice cream. Both my belly and heart were full <3

The next morning we woke up to the smell of bacon, and while Sean and I were supposed to leave right after breakfast we decided at the very last minute, since we were so comfortable and in such good company, we would stay an extra day. Maxine and I went grocery shopping while Sean continued to work on the trailer, and after a few hours of errands and work we played some more cards. I also took a walk to see the butterflies on the evergreens; there were hundreds right next to their house! It was so beautiful and peaceful to see.

Sean later took me on the swing where I felt like a child again. After a few minutes of getting air and spinning we were suddenly reminded we are not children; both of us got off feeling nauseous. Our bodies cannot tolerate being thrown into the air like they used to! Later that night had our final meal together, although Maxine sent us with lots of food to go.

It was such a pleasure to spend some quality time in Iowa with both of Sean’s grandparents and on the farm. I’ve been saying things along this line, but never in my life did I think I would ever go to Iowa let a lone a farm in Iowa! During 5th grade for my school’s annual “states” project I was assigned Iowa, and all I could remember from that project was that the Iowa State Coin had not come out yet… and CORN! That the extent of my understanding until I met Sean and Josh. Well, it was a blast! Next time we will come during the heart of summer to explore more of Okoboji.

Thanks for reading, love you all!

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the-coconut-asado · 5 years ago

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Oh Stumptown my Stumptown!

Portland likes to keep it weird. Officially. You could even buy the tee shirt if tee shirts weren’t so predictable.

From a poster invitation to “Hear my TED Talk about DIY and Impending Doom” to the Big Legrowlski (sic) night club that hangs carpets on the walls - not to balance the sound for the band but because they really bring the room together - the City has an off-beat vibe that feels authentic even while it gets you scratching your head. And where else would you queue round the block for a voodoo-doll shaped doughnut with a pretzel stick through its ‘heart’?

You probably won’t be surprised when I tell you that Portland is the Hipster Capital of the World. You know it’s hipster because it sells more coffee and has more microbreweries per head than anywhere else in the US.

We came for the food because People That Know told us to. It’s not simply that everything is delicious but that chefs, cooks, carts and food enthusiasts are trying to do different. It’s like Masterchef has landed in Twin Peaks. Entrepreneurs are making ice cream out of chickpeas and it works. A pastry chef has re-interpreted her favourite childhood book on a plate and you rejoice in the complex flavours of her tiny reconstructed bunny. So who’s the bunny boiler now?

One thing that puzzled me is why the City changed its name from the original Stumptown (pretty weird) to Portland (the Holiday Inn of city names). Devon, a local lawyer who we chatted to most mornings in Baristas Cafe, explained that Portland was never officially called Stumptown. It became its nickname due to all the trees they had to cut down to build it, leaving the eponymous stumps in their wake. Stumptown is also the name of their iconic coffee brand, which I always assumed was NYC’s greatest invention. This is one of the many ways in which travel expands your mind.

Devon embodied something else about Portland: its friendliness. Even the passport officers are anxious that you have a good time. Full disclosure, it wasn’t just Devon that we sought out each morning - it was Pepper, his cute little dog. I would eat Barista’s fresh, flaky rhubarb hand pie just to drop crumbs that Pepper would breakfast on.

Devon put us onto a couple of great places to eat - one we made it to, one we didn’t. But more of that later.

Where to begin to describe this steel guitar food odyssey? Let me take you through our many highlights from the mountain of food we consumed. Set it to the soundtrack of Chris Isaak’s Wicked Thing.

Our first evening, tired and hungry, we stuck to our guns and found Andina, the City’s Peruvian eatery. When you are both tired and hungry it’s easy to get seduced by posters boasting ‘Meatball Monday’ and forget your mission, but our persistence paid off. That legendary Portlandia hospitality squeezed us into a nook where there really wasn’t a free table, and we dined greedily on humitas, ceviche, lamb shank and seafood, washed down with Oregon’s finest home-grown Pinot Gris. I didn’t quibble that they brought something different from my order. In my fractured Spanish ‘Arroz con Pato’ probably did sound like ‘Seafood Risotto’ - and the risotto was obviously going to be delicious before fork met lip, so I didn’t send it back.

Next day, which coincidentally was Taco Tuesday, we hit the street food.

Portland is big on street food (see: hipster capital of the world). Most food vendors have carts - permanent fixtures where the chef builds enough of a following over months or years to be able to open a small restaurant. Nong’s Khao Man Gai was just one of these. They do one dish - a Vietnamese poached chicken with a secret chilli sauce, accompanied by rice cooked in the chicken broth. You can also have a version with shrimp, pork or Tofu. We bought a bottle of the sauce to bring home. Life’s too short.

It’s not all carts - there are a fair few trucks too.

One which specialised in cheese toasties challenged “ Come and relive the taste of your childhood. But if your childhood sucked, we’ll share the memory of ours”. Have you eaten a cheese toastie recently? I mean really felt the embrace of ��a sandwich of molten cheese and fried bread? Maybe your childhood did suck after all.

That evening it was the turn of The Hairy Lobster restaurant, and that bunny dessert I mentioned earlier. Little Bunny Foo Foo to give it it’s full name. A delicate carrot cake, covered in cheesecake mousse, accompanied by a ginger crumb, caramel sauce and a marshmallow rabbit.

Despite it’s show-stopping appearance and fusion of flavours, it was their roast squash with curry sauce and pumpkin seed praline that was the stand-out dish for me. The Lobster picnic for our main was pretty damn good too.

Friday brings me to Devon’s first recommendation, Pok Pok, a teeny Thai eatery in the suburbs. Getting there had the added advantage of passing through a neighbourhood full of rambling old houses in the Amityville Horror style. I recalled the first time I had heard of Portland was from a TV thriller full of witches and jabberwocks called Grimm. They had definitely filmed it’s eerily beautiful moments around here.

If I had to single out a food highlight in a week of next-to-no food lows, I would choose Pok Pok. It gave me my first food coma in a long while. Something about it’s smoked aubergine, pork belly curry, marinated chicken with two dips, sublime mango with sticky rice and that rhubarb blush cocktail… I sense I am sharing my food coma with you now. Their signature dish is hot spicy chicken wings. The couple on the table next to us were too full to finish theirs so offered them to us. Maybe it was the wings that tipped me over the edge. I’ll never know.

And so to our last day, and the big daddy of Portland nights out: Jake’s Crawfish. Over 100 years old, walking into Jake’s is like walking into one of Sinatra’s memories. It has a justifiably stellar reputation, and seems to have maintained it for a century. I ate Steel-head trout for the first time, fished on their doorstep from Oregon’s Columbia River, coated with a horseradish crust, and preceded by half a dozen of the plumpest oysters I have ever eaten.

I haven’t yet mentioned Portland’s biggest hipster foodie habit: brunch. No matter what day of the week, the restaurants that brunch are always full. For most of our trip, we were waking up too early to really do brunch justice. Those rhubarb hand pies at Baristas had satisfied our hunger by around 8AM so a mid-morning banquet wasn’t really on. One day, however, we made it to Tasty & Alder in the Pearl DIstrict of the city and managed to sneak in a table for two before the queues built up. Worth it for their Green Frittata with salsa verde (who ever thought of doing that before?) and lightest, fluffiest American biscuits. We never made it to Devon’s second recommendation: Burmasphere, his friend’s Burmese cart on the other side of the river. And now we have an excuse to return.

When it came to rustling up some recipes that take me straight back to Portland weird, I whittled my list down to three: my version of Tasty & Alders’ green frittata with feta and salsa verde; a less labour-intensive version of Andina’s Arroz con Pato, made with chicken or guinea fowl; and in the spirit of weird, though by no means original, a cake inspired by Churros con Chocolate. The best possible end to a Taco Tuesday.

I messaged a friend of mine that had moved to Portland a few years back and asked why she had ever left. “ Too much rain and not enough art.” she said.

You missed the point Sweetie. Great Food IS great art. And if you can’t stand the rain, get into the kitchen.

Green Frittata with Feta and Salsa Verde

A great little brunchy-lunch dish packed with flavour for the carb-conscious. If you want to add some carbs, slices of toasted sourdough will go down a treat. Serves 4

Ingredients

8 large free-range eggs

1tblspn, double cream

100g asparagus spears, chopped into 2 cm chunks

100g shelled garden peas or petit pois

50g feta cheese

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the salsa verde:

Small pack of flat-leaf parsley (around 15-20g)

½ a small pack of mint leaves

3 tbsp. Capers

7 anchovy fillets

1 clove garlic

1 tbsp dijon mustard

8 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

How to make:

Bring a small saucepan of salted water to the boil, then add the peas. After a couple of minutes, add the chopped asparagus and continue simmering for another 2 minutes. Drain and refresh under cold water. Put to one side.

Next, make the salsa verde. Put all the ingredients except the olive oil into a blender, season generously with pepper and go easier on the salt (anchovies and capers are already pretty salty). Then, add the olive oil and blend again. Don’t over blend at each step - it's nice to keep the texture a little rough.

Put a skillet on the stove and melt a knob of butter. Beat the eggs, add the cream and season. Lightly saute the green vegetables in the butter for a minute or two.

then pour the eggs over and crumble the feta cheese over the top. Cook for a couple of minutes until the bottom is starting to brown.

pop under the grill to continue cooking, until the top is a light golden colour and the frittata has firmed up with a slight wobble (keep a close eye on this, probably takes 2-3 minutes).

Cut the frittata into 4 wedges and serve with a dollop of salsa verde on top.

Arroz con Gallina Picante

I never did get to eat Arroz con Pato in Andina, but while I adore the rich flavour of duck, devoting two or three days to confitting it before finishing the dish is only for the dedicated dinner party cook. This version with a spicy chicken and a feta-enriched herb sauce (based on a Melissa Clark recipe) goes down just as well - or the richer Guinea Fowl, which I have used here. And Peruvian aji amarillo is now more available by mail order - substitute ordinary chile powder if not. Serves 4.

Ingredients:

1 medium-sized chicken or guinea fowl, jointed into 2 breasts, 2 drumsticks and 2 thighs (discard the back or freeze to make stock at a later date)

For the marinade:

6 garlic cloves, crushed

3 tbsp light soy sauce

1 tbsp paste made with aji amarillo powder and olive oil

Juice of 1 lime

1 tsp sriracha sauce

1 tsp. Dijon mustard

2 tsp ground cumin

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the sauce:

½ a large bunch coriander leaves, broken up

2 jalapeno chilies, chopped

75g feta cheese, crumbled

1 garlic clove, crushed

Juice of 1-2 limes

2 tsp chopped fresh oregano

½ tsp dijon mustard

½ tbsp aji amarillo paste (see marinade earlier for method)

1 tsp honey

1 tsp ground cumin

½ cup extra virgin olive oil.

For the Peruvian Rice:

3 tbsp sunflower oil

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 onion, finely chopped

3 heaped tsp aji amarillo paste (see marinade earlier for method)

½ large bunch fresh coriander, broken up and blended till smooth with a tblspn water

500g fresh chicken stock

300g bottle of beer or lager

2 x small green chillies, chopped finely

500g basmati rice

1 red pepper, chopped into small chunks

100g fresh garden peas or petit pois

How to make

First, make the marinade. Mix all the marinade ingredients in a large bowl, cover the fowl of your choice in it, cover with cling film and pop in the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight.

For the sauce: put all the ingredients into a blender, and blend till smooth. Pour into a bowl, cover and refrigerate, taking out about 15 minutes ahead of eating to bring to room temperature.

For the rice. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a saucepan, add the onion and garlic and saute until starting to turn golden. Add the blended coriander and chili paste and cook for a couple of minutes until the paste has thickened slightly and smells delicious.

Pour the beer into the saucepan, cook for a few minutes then add the chicken stock. Bring to the boil, season, then take off the heat, cover and put to one side.

Heat the oven to 200C. Pat the chicken or guinea fowl pieces dry, then pop onto a shallow baking tray, season and drizzle with olive oil. Put the tray into the oven and roast for 35-40 minutes.

While the meat roasts, finish the rice. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a medium sized saucepan, add the peppers and cook for a couple of minutes. Then add the rice and stir into the oil and peppers until it starts to crackle a little at the bottom. Add the peas and chilies and stir again, then add the stock, beer and onion garlic mix. Stir, season if needed, then cover and simmer on a low heat for 25 mins.

Fluff up the rice and spoon onto plates. Top with the chicken or guinea fowl pieces, and crown with a dollop of sauce.

Churros Bundt Cake with Dipping Chocolate Sauce

I love churros, and I love a Bundt cake. If you want all the flavours but none of the faffing or frying, then give this a try. The cake will keep, covered in a tin. Just remember to reheat the chocolate sauce for dipping or pouring each time. Serves 8-10

Ingredients:

For the cake:

2 ¾ cups plain flour

2 tsp. Baking powder

2 tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp. Salt

170g unsalted butter

130g caster sugar

50g soft brown sugar

4 large eggs

1 egg yolk

1 375g punnet of sour cream

2 tsp. Vanilla extract

For the cinnamon sugar ‘glaze’

2 tsp ground cinnamon

4 tsp caster sugar

For the chocolate sauce:

½ cup cocoa powder

Pinch chilli flakes

100g dark chocolate (70%)

1 cup double cream

½ cup dark brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

½ tsp cinnamon

How to make

Preheat the oven to 160C. Grease and flour a large bundt cake pan (make sure to get into all the nooks and crannies).

Beat the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl (ideally using an electric stand mixer) until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one by one and continue to mix between each addition, finishing with the egg yolk. Add the sour cream and vanilla extract and beat again until just incorporated. Mix all the dry ingredients, add them to the butter and egg mix and fold in until smooth.

Pour the cake batter into the bundt tin and bake for around 50-55 minutes until a skewer inserted near the middle comes out clean (I usually check the cake after 45 mins). Invert the cake onto a rack to cool.

Mix the remaining sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Melt the butter and paint all over the surface of the cake. Dust the cinnamon sugar over the buttered cake, making sure you pat it in places to stick.

To make the chocolate sauce. Pop all the ingredients into a saucepan, then cook, stirring constantly, on a low heat until the chocolate has melted, everything is smooth and custardy. Let it bubble slightly then turn off the heat.

Serve slices of the churros cake with warm chocolate sauce poured over. There are some who prefer their chocolate sauce served cold. That’s fine too.

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swampgallows · 6 years ago

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blizzcon recap, basically a big stream of consciousness text dump while i still remember things and i will make a refined post later i think

Thursday morning I went to bed around 3am, woke up at 630am, and then again at 730am to board my 840am train bound for anaheim. I had originally intended to drive myself to the con but decided against it, as I didn’t want to pay $60 for parking nor endure the stress of driving on the freeway solo for the first time.

I took a lyft to my hotel and met up with sun (who gave me kandi!!!) and their husband aaron, then we went to claim our badges and make some store purchases.

after feverishly texting reglei we caught sight of each other in line, got tired of waiting, then made our way to disneyland. there we met up with zach and kept missing fitze by mere moments; finally caught fitze & friends at the river belle terrace (a place i have never been in before because despite my many years of being a passholder, there was never a reason or time for a sit-down restaurant experience at disney, so when i opened the door i IMMEDIATELY closed it thinking i was intruding on a private dinner event LMAO). we knocked out everything on the western side of the park (including a fry-filled splash mountain) and got some good pics. the ride on indy was one of the best i’ve had in years: no stalling, great speed, and tons of jerks that nearly threw me out of the jeep hell yeah. perce made it to disneyland in the evening and we got to enjoy space mountain, star tours, a second round of pirates, a VERY invigorated spin on the teacups, then left at closing. zach generously dropped us all off at our individual hotels before heading out himself.

around 2am i woke up convulsing with an anxiety attack and took half a med. i was scared i had woken up sun and aaron but they were coincidentally also awake. after some talking and goofing off with them we made the very informed decision to postmates some del taco to the hotel at 3am. my god was it worth it. i had selected the “fries and secret sauce” option, unaware that these ingredients were not sides, but components to be added to the inside of the burrito. wasn’t bad!

7am wake up for day 1 of the con. met for “breakfast” with perce and reg at the hilton starbucks, which said that they accepted rewards but then didn’t :| i sincerely dont even remember what we did first as everything in the con was so purely awesome and overwhelming. The opening ceremony brought tears to my eyes, of course, as it displayed “WELCOME HOME” on every stage. We mostly just traveled around the con, taking pics, learning the layout, and mentally digesting everything. We attended the VA panel in the early afternoon which was a GREAT decision (no spoilers if you haven’t watched the virtual ticket stream yet!!!) and then made our way to the main stage, where we parked for a good 5-6 hours for the WoW and HotS “What’s next?” panels, then the following WC3 reforged insight panel and, finally, the entire community night. i really want to make sure i grab clips of some of darin de paul’s mcing that night because the man was sawing at my heartstrings like a viola bow. i got very close to crying many times. have no fear put on another amazing performance—this time a wow track called “war mode”—and won the talent contest! we had the privilege of running into them after the performance to congratulate and get some pics w them. i also met up with hinz who i haven’t seen in forever and we got to talk about his brewing and the con! had blaze pizza for dinner then passed out.

breakfast at coco’s for day 2 of the con, this time with sun and aaron in tow. all i needed was hot cocoa and a slice of dark chocolate chip cheese pie. it was...so goddamn good. we started off the con with the warcraft sounds panel featuring the zone of drustvar and concluded with some great performances by david arkenstone and the tavern band. they performed the zandalari zocalo music and bloodsail, an old favorite! we puttered around the darkmoon faire until the build-a-panel featuring zone design in warcraft but couldn’t hear anything due to the acoustics of the stage, so i left to pick up my blink purchases with fitze. there i met a girl wearing kandi and traded with her; she gave me a rubber bracelet from a podcast she’d attended called ‘pwncast’ that reads ‘we bow to no one’ which is VERY garrosh. other than that we had a grand old time of waiting in a line we didnt have to wait in and then made our way back for the warcraft Q&A. the second i saw metzen i immediately screamed with awe and terror and then sobbed into my lap. perce and reg comforted me, and the rest of the panel was fairly uneventful. I think i was the one human being who shouted ‘woo!’ at the scott johnson’s mention of his interviews with metzen, lol. we were waiting for meggo to have a chance to ask her question but she didn’t get the opportunity :(

after the q&a we went over to the unofficial tumblr meetup organized by questifer which was a huge privilege and a lot of fun, and we even made some new friends. i spilled my spaghetti about garrosh to actual blizzard quest developers and im very embarrassed that i did. lmao. i really liked the casual atmosphere of just chilling on the floor though. fitze had to leave halfway through :( but the quest discussion went on for almost 2 full hours. it was really a humbling opportunity.

by that time, the closing ceremonies were underway. reg and i missed out on the hots finals so we just bummed around the overwatch arena for a bit just to see the thing and catch a few minutes of kristian nairn’s set. again, cool stuff, but nothing i can go nuts to lmao. it’s questing music to me. on our way out of the hots stage i ran into a dude wearing KIKWEARS and gave him kandi!! it was awesome lmao. we spent some ducats at the darkmoon faire, but the real prize was won as we were walking out and scored the literal actual absolute last three available boxes of lucio-ohs!!! mine had a hole punched in it so we ate a bit of it before returning to blaze pizza for dinner again. the cereal tastes like lucky charms to me! it’s very sweet, but good!

sunday morning perce, reg, and i secured a breakfast at dennys. when i went up to pay the check i saw the cashier was wearing a piece of kandi and i had the perfect piece for her, the “short stack” piece with the pancake eraser. she traded me the one piece she was wearing (!) which said ‘insomniac’ (obv haha). i made that kandi a while ago and it feels like it was fate for this moment to arrive. reg and perce and i all parted ways back to our individual hotels. i was just chilling in the lobby when i saw a woman wearing kandi, so i went over and introduced myself. she traded me a piece that said mermaid on it, due to my “mermaid hair” :> we started talking about phat pants and she said her daughters now wear the pairs she used to wear! and the kandi she chose was the “a book for ants” with the miniature bible on it, as she found it appropriate for her halloween “christian protest” where she blasted tchami and malla and had a totem that encouraged ‘sinners’ to dance with her, lol.

i excused myself for the restroom and she invited me to “come back and hang out!” so i did!! and when i returned the group was playing a fun card game called chameleon. and have no fear was playing with them!! daniella, one of the performers from the talent contest (they sang the song about vanilla wow), had also joined us. so i got to play the game with a few members of the group and made some new friends, leigh (who gave me kandi) and jaime/ace, who i talked to about old school raving and kandi for a bit. there was a point where everyone but ace went up to the room for their luggage so it was just the two of us sitting there talking, and a pair of guys came up to us holding some merch. “Do you guys want these? we bought too many loot crates.” i was stunned!! they handed me a shadow plush and a clip-on ganymede to ace.

when they all returned, they were trying to plan what to do next, and i told them i had to grab a lyft and start heading to the train station. leigh offered me a ride there!!! i really felt PLUR for the first time in ages, lmao. we all hugged each other and said our goodbyes.

arriving at the train station, i ran into other blizzcon people and we talked about wow the ENTIRE ride home. for the first leg of the journey it was a super full train and we all had to stand but it was okay. we were all enthusiastically talking about wow with zero awkward pauses or any points of contention. it was so amazing just thriving on each other’s hype. at one point another person on the train said “do you guys play this game or MAKE this game?” because we were talking about it in such detail LOL. we all traded battletags before i had to go. it felt really amazing to be able to just literally talk to strangers about something i love and have such an amazing conversation like that. it felt so awesome to just be connecting to people so deeply all the time.

im going to try to preserve the memory of being able to connect to people like that, as i came home and felt isolated and disconnected from everything again. i want to keep riding the coattails of this positivity as long as i can so i’m not going to go into the details of that. a lot of us really felt we could come out of our shells; i kept stressing how “safe” blizzcon was; with all of the focus i’ve been making in therapy on vulnerability, connection, isolation, and the need to feel worthy of being loved, i want to keep these memories at the forefront while i try to forge a better future for myself.

i really hope i can go again next year!

#blathering #blizzcon

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jessaadventures-blog · 6 years ago

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Week Five: Craziness!

Sunset at the water tower!

Wow. SO much happened this week! It ended up being full of adventures and unexpected surprises!

P.S. I’m going to start posting on Mondays permanently because I rarely have time to write the post for Friday and we generally don’t have much wifi over the weekend! This post includes both last weekend and this past weekend.

The EcoHouse

Isa and I with our new sign!

We’ve had some more change over in the house this week! Isa left on Friday after being here for two months, and it’s definitely weird without her. She was my cooking buddy, so now I’ve gotta find a newbie to help me make food (or convince the guys to help me make their huge portions of food haha). Isa is off to Lima for a few days and then she’s heading to Cuzco and Machu Picchu before going home to her second year at Florida State. A pretty impressive trip for her first time out of the US!

Brady left this Sunday, and it’s weird without him here too. He was our funny southern fix-it guy and he definitely had a big presence in the house! He’s heading home to study for the LSAT and then (hopefully) heading to law school in Vermont. He’s a super intense skier and really wants to come ski at Mt. Baker, so maybe I’ll see him someday soon!

We also had two new arrivals this Saturday! Orianna goes to Northeastern and just finished her second year there in engineering. She’s going to be helping out with renewable energy and restarting an aeroponics project using solar panels to grow herbs super fast! She seems great, and we’ve already gone out surfing together, she seems like a go-getter.

Seth is from Indiana University and did his bachelor’s in environmental science and is doing his master’s in energy, so he’s also here for renewable energy (we have seven volunteers right now and six are here for renewable energy, so a lot of awesome energy stuff is going to be happening)! He’s starting a project called Hole in the Wall, where a computer is put in an outdoor wall in a public area and protected so the screen can’t be touched (basically cemented inside a concrete wall with a thick plastic barrier over it) and there is a keyboard stuck outside and the computer is given internet access and powered using solar panels and left there. Then the community (especially kids) can use the computer at any time to teach themselves various things, but they have to figure it out on their own. At other Hole in the Walls there’s apparently been a really impressive rate of learning by the kids that use the computer; they’ve taught themselves English and complicated science concepts and other cool things. We’re going to try to create Peru’s first Hole in the Wall!

We also have a volunteer coming today, Claudia, and I’m excited to meet her!

Other than the volunteer change overs, we had some good food again this week. We did our classic taco tuesday and made some vegan cookies for dessert, which we ate while playing Secret Hitler (our favorite board game) and drinking pisco sours. On Wednesday night Isa and I had a lasagna-off (we had a ton of lasagna noodles to use) and she made a non-vegan lasagna while I made a vegan one. Both turned out really good and not many people could tell that mine was vegan! I’m getting better at improvising recipes, and I really liked the way I made that lasagna (although I only had sweet soy milk to use, so it turned out a little sweet but it would be amazing with unsweetened almond milk).

Isa and I also made her a crazy vegan going away cake that was pretty damn amazing (and super rich). It was two layers; the bottom layer was vanilla chocolate chunk (Andres found vegan chocolate in Talara) and the top layer was vanilla with strawberry puree. We made vegan chocolate ganache and put it between the layers with fresh strawberries and drizzled it on top as well. Everyone agreed that it was delicious! We also had a bunch of pears going bad, so Andres made a sugar-less pear crumble one morning that really didn’t need any sugar; it was really good!

Our yummy vegan layer cake :)

I also tried to make a lentil curry this weekend, which kind of worked but we didn’t have all the spices I needed so it mostly just tasted like slightly spicy lentils. I’ll try again soon and hopefully it’ll turn out better!

Work

An EcoTeam jumping selfie from our hike day! (See the adventure section)

Work this week was pretty chill, but we still got a lot done! We had friends join for planting day again, a guy named Connor from Ireland who is staying at La Casona came and helped out and there were some friends of one of the members of EcoSwell’s UK team that were visiting so they helped out as well! Our veggie garden is half planted and we transferred some seedlings and planted more seeds for germination! Most of planting day was spent removing invasive tree stumps from the front yard though. We hacked away at those things forever and ended up removing two huge stumps and a few little trees that were springing up. It was a fun planting day with some groovy music though!

As for the distiller, we painted it with wood primer because the water was starting to damage the window frame (it was nasty, sticky stuff that got in my hair and is still in my hair a week later…) and I fixed the door handle and we found some bigger water jugs to distill the water into. We’re getting more silicone today, so this week we have to seal up any little cracks and make the whole distiller as air-tight as possible to keep the heat and the water vapor in! We’re also working on some really cool components that should increase the efficiency even more, stay tuned! We tested the distiller again this week and got similar results (about 10 liters out when we put 40 liters in) so hopefully our next test, after all the improvements, will give us a higher yield!

On Thursday morning we all went hiking in Piedritas, a nearby town! See the adventure section for the story.

Other than that, I’ve been organizing social media posts three times a week and have finally started lining up facebook posts and instagram posts, so there’s been progress there! Isa and I also painted a cute sign for the EcoSwell entrance, because before you could only tell that this is the EcoSwell house coming from one direction. I think we did a pretty great job and it was a fun creative outlet!

Adventures

The interns grabbing a beer in Mancora!

There were a lot of adventures this past week! I’ll try to make this section short-ish, but there’s lots to tell :)

Last weekend was Peruvian Independence Day and, coincidentally, Brady’s birthday. All of the volunteers decided to go spend a night in the famous beach/party town of Mancora to celebrate! Mom and I had gone for a quick day trip the weekend before, so I was the only one that had spent any time there (Isa had bussed through Mancora, but that was it). We headed out after an early lunch on Saturday, caught the combie to Talara and a van to Mancora and checked into our hostel, Palosanto Backpackers, as soon as we got there. There were seven of us, so we got a whole hostel dorm room to ourselves! The hostel had a bar, a pool, a restaurant, and a bunch of comfy hammocks. Once we were settled we headed to the beach to check out the town and the crowds (there were TONS of people ready to celebrate Peru’s independence). Music was blasting all along the beach, and we found a restaurant on the beach to grab a snack and a beer while we people watched. There were banana boats and crazy water hover boards speeding around just off the shore, and it was fun to watch some of the beginner surfers trying to stand up. After some yucca fries and our beers (have I mentioned that the beers here are 650 ml and about $2 USD and quite good?), we wandered around the booths for a bit before stopping at a convenience store to stock up for our party night. We got some Pisco, of course, because you have to drink Peru’s national liquor on their independence day! We weren’t allowed to bring the alcohol into the hostel, so we went back to the beach and hung out watching a soccer game and sipping our drinks. Isa and I bought a coconut to drink, in classic tourist fashion. The guy who sold us the coconut told us to make it a “CocoLoco” by adding some of our Pisco, which was a wonderful recommendation ;) Once the sun had set, we went and played some games in our room to pass the time and then went to find some veggie burgers for dinner. We ended up in a place that was only playing the Red Hot Chili Peppers and had a funny bartender in a big chef’s hat. The food was okay, and we wandered around afterwards trying to find the best place to celebrate. The beach was crazy, there were lights flashing and so many different bars playing different music and lots of drunk people taking pictures. There’s also a famous hostel called Loki that apparently has the craziest parties, but the line was huge so we ended up back at our hostel, which was also throwing a party. However, the party didn’t start until 1am and didn’t pick up until almost 3am, by which time most of us were fast asleep (we usually go to bed at 10 in the EcoHouse). Most of us made it until around 2 and got a bit of dancing in, but only Ale and Brady saw the true Mancora party scene, and they were out until 5am! In the morning we got our free breakfast at the hostel and hung out on the beach for a bit before gathering our things and grabbing lunch at the Black Sheep (the really yummy vegan restaurant that Mom and I went to the weekend before) and hopping on the Eppo bus home. Needless to say, the rest of that day was very chill and everyone went to bed early that night, but it was a fun adventure that brought us all closer together!

On Monday night we hiked up to the water tower for the sunset, which was nice but there was a marine layer blocking the lower part of the sunset that you could just tell was amazing! That night, a group of us had gotten back from dinner at Tranqui’s and were talking when Andres noticed a fire up the hill. A nearby house had caught fire (they figured out it was an electrical fire) and people were gathering trying to put it out (Lobitos doesn’t have a fire department). We ran to help out. It was pretty scary because this area is very dry, so the fire could have easily spread and destroyed much of Lobitos. Luckily, the community really rallied, bringing fire extinguishers and carrying buckets of water and shoveling dirt on the flames, and the fire was put out and no one was hurt. I was impressed and inspired by how many people drove from all corners of town to help fight the fire, it shows how close-knit the Lobitos community is.

On Thursday the Directors decided to take us on a work outing to Piedritas, the little town between Lobitos and Talara, to show us the hiking trails that EcoSwell is trying to develop into an ecotourism and education destination. We spent four hours hiking the rough trails in the dry forest, spotting cool birds and other wildlife, identifying plants, jumping across a muddy stream or two, and admiring the view over the dry forest from the highest point on the trails. It was a really fun day and showed us the beauty and the potential of the area. The trail project is about to take off, so I may get to help a little with that before I leave! Maybe my trail work experience will come in handy :)

Heading out on the hike in Piedritas!

On Friday morning we had the opportunity to go jump off one of the abandoned offshore oil rigs, and most of the volunteers decided to go (including me)! Tullio, the same guy that took us fishing, loaded us and a bunch of other people from nearby hostels into his boat and we puttered off to the platform. When we got there there were two huge sea lions lying on the stairs, so we had to scare them off by yelling at them until they sleepily rolled off the platform. The oil platforms have three levels, one four meter (13 ft), one eight meter (26 ft), and one fourteen meter (46 ft). We got to choose which to jump off of, and almost everyone went off the tallest one. It was high!! But the adrenaline rush was great and no one was hurt worse than a couple of tight muscles and bruises from landing wrong (I landed well and was perfectly fine!). I’ve done a lot of cliff jumping, and it was different to jump into the big ocean waves but nice to not have to try to avoid rocks when I jumped. It was definitely an experience and took some nerve, but it was a lot of fun and now I can say that I’ve jumped off the top of an offshore oil rig!

The oil rig we jumped off of (those stacks of tires at the bottom are about as tall as me, for reference).

I also went surfing twice in the past few days, and I’m determined to start going more often! It was a lot of fun, and both times I got up on the board at least four times. Also, the water has been really warm lately, so there’s no need for wetsuits! I’m ready to become a surfer girl :)

Finally, we went out to El Cuartel (a restaurant/hostel mom and I went to) for the first time with the EcoTeam for Isa’s last night and it was delicious! Most of the guys got veggie burgers (Ale is going vegetarian for August, yay!), I got a quinoa salad, and Isa got what looked like an amazing seafood risotto! On the way home it was pitch dark and everyone was admiring the milky way and the constellations. It was a fun night with everyone, and El Cuartel is becoming my favorite restaurant in Lobitos (though it is the furthest away from the house).

Phew! I think that covers all the adventures this week. This past weekend was really nice and chill; I spent most of the time reading (I’ve moved on to rereading the Harry Potter series), hanging out on the beach, surfing, and cooking. I’m looking forward to the next four weeks and what adventures they bring!

Looking out over the Piedritas dry forest :)

It’s been the craziest and most fun week yet, but I also have been missing home more than ever. When I can get online, the pictures of the mountains and green trees remind me of all the hikes I love in the summer and the mountain views that I love so much. I’m sad to be missing summer traditions, but this is truly an incredible experience and I’m trying my best to live in the moment! I’m sure I’ll have my fair share of mountains, trees, and views in my three weeks in Patagonia at the end of summer!

That’s all for now, miss and love you all! Look for another update next Monday :)

#EcoSwell #summer2018 #Lobitos #Peru

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macgyvrs · 7 years ago

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( the struggle when i made this days ago yet i still wonder why i haven’t gotten any i/ms yhet... *sighsz* ) what it do peeps ! i’m l. i’m a 21 yr old foodie from the est timezone who loves laughin’, watchin’ movies, sleepin’, and ofc food ! i’ve been in the rpc for a few good years now but i’ve never done 1x1 before. i’ve always seen tons of people talkin’ bout it in the tags but never really knew what it was about. since i’m currently an english major whose transferin’ to be a journalism major, i’d love any chance i can get to improve/hone my writin’ skills. if anythin’ below strikes your fancy don’t hesitate to hmu ! p.s: for the moment, i’m still kinda iffy with headcannons and such since i don’t watch like any shows that are runnin’ aside from macgyver and the flash bc coincidentally i’m behind on both... i’ve actually caught up with macgyver and i’m mad i did bc i love lucas till sm rn (but please let me know if i got anythin’ wrong in the ‘ships i’d like to play’ section.. i’ll love you a dozen)

● you can find all my muses here. their musings here here and here. click on the lil pencil to read their bio and stats. really excited to play these muses because some of them are new and some of them haven’t been played in a moment or haven’t been played to its full potential-- so you can see my excitement ! some of these muses i have used before in rps so you may have seen em... or ya have not. either or that’s get crackin ! also i have to add that since some of these muses are new they may need some adjustin’/tweakin. if you have any questions regardin’ on my muses or would just like more info on ‘em please don’t hesitate to message me !

fcs i’d like to play against (there currently aren’t any most wanteds bein’ that i’d like to play against all of these suggests fcs below at any given point):

● shelley henning

● robbie amell

● chris wood

● tessa thompson

● danielle campbell

● nate buzolic

● chris zylka

● jessica parker kennedy

● matthew daddario

● sophia bush

● virginia gardner

● sebastian stan

● alex pettyfer

● cody christian

● taron egerton

● matt barr

● max theiriot

● nico tortorella

● claire holt

● dylan o’brien

● grant gustin

● nathalie kelley

● freddie stroma

● tristin mays

● lucas till

● avan jogia

● aisha dee

● camille guaty

● bianca a. santos

● kylie bunbury

● (really need some more male fc(s) for my jenna dewan-tatum muse SO pls rec some !)

● candice patton

ships i’d like (bold is the chara i’d play):

● faye chamberlain/diana meade (the secret circle)

● veronica mars/logan echolls (veronica mars)

● katrina straford/bianca stratford (10 things i hate about you)

● marti perkins/savannah monroe (marti’s my badass kween but ava’s too much like savannah) (hellcats)

● more to come when i watch some shows/movies !

plots i’d like:

● pls give me somethin’ based on 10 things i hate about you bc classic !!1

● gimme gimme some sixteen candles or pretty in pink pls !

● ok but someone give me that cute bartender storyline though? like this guy tends bar at a restaurant or a pub or something and always sees this cute girl hanging out there, but she’s always either with friends or with some guy so he never really gets the time to talk to her BUT ONE DAY she walks into the place alone and orders so many drinks until she’s so bloody drunk, screaming about how her boyfriend cheated on her, that the bartender had to bring her home himself. she wakes up with a horrible hangover, stumbles out the room to find the bartender cooking breakfast and rolling his eyes, laughing. “first of all, you’re an idiot. second, we didn’t have sex if that’s what you’re wondering. third, breakfast will be ready soon. sit.” and fluff commences HELP PLZ ( x )

● i’ll take that platonic ship where muse a and muse b come from different worlds and hang out a lot bc both of them fit comfort in the other. muse b’s pretty much comfortable with spillin’ their guts on a silver platter while muse a just quietly sits back and listens-- offerin’ advice in the process bc it’s the nonjudgmental breakfast club. however, one day, out of the blue, muse a has declined all of muse b’s calls, sendin’ them to voicemail. in a panic, muse b rushes over to muse a’s apartment (w/ food in hand bc they know how much of a foodie muse a is). “you weren’t answerin’ my calls, so i just wanted to see if you were ohkay.” and muse a’s eyes are hella puffy w/ makeup smeared all over and all she can do is smile. pLS stop ME !

● i just wanna play this plot again (dear lordty) i need this f/m plot in my life one more time. muse a was brought up in a religious house hold. all her life, she’s had to abide by her strict parents rules, and the regulations of the bible. bein’ that she grew up in a very judgmental and secure environment, she never had a social life because everything that didn’t involve god was considered worldly, which her parents (mainly her mother) never approved of. seven days a week, 2-4 hours a night, church was her life. after high school she did the whole college thing; attendin’ a religious based alta mater to please her parents. yet, she wasn’t satisfied with her life as it was. one day, she had an epiphany, to live her life for herself instead of livin’ it for others. eger to want to complete that change, muse a moves to a smol lil town in hopes of resettin’ the last year of her life. to make endsmeat, she gets a job as a waitress at the towns local cafe. muse b is a campaign manager (or does something in politics) and always orders food from the cafe where muse a works. whenever muse a delivers muse b’s order, they have an interestingly awkward conversation (seein’ as how they’re two people who’d never in a million years interact with each other) until they meet again. everything is peachy keen until muse a jokingly agrees to volunteer in this event muse b’s office is organizing. a few hours into the event (think of like nature or somethin’ involvin’ outdoor/physical activities) something happens to muse b that causes muse a to kiss muse b out of an abrupt fear for their life. and bam ! everything’s awko taco now because it’s like ‘we kissed. but you still annoy the shit out of me with your cocky, egotistic attitude yet at the same time i love how easily it is to talk to you and how you can make me laugh” and someone pls come and take my computer away from me ! ( x )

● any set plots for any of the muses could be great as well !

● pls hit me with a macgyver-esq plot. i’ve been hella obsessed with my mans lucas till lately that i need a plot that doesn’t just occur in my head. muse a is a secret agent workin’ at a foundation that’s cover is a think tank. muse b is muse a’s significant other (possibly workin’ at said job as a secretary or somefing). due to the capacity of muse a’s job, muse b rarely sees them since they’re always gone for days at a time. just gimme me the ‘i just miss havin’ you around.’ ‘i love you so much’. gimme me da fluff !

● i wanted to say something else but i forgot so i’m outie !

#1x1 #1x1 rp

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velmaemyers88 · 5 years ago

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Visiting Copenhagen, Denmark: Where You Should Eat, Stay, and Visit

There are cities and locales that always seem to make the covers of travel magazines on a near monthly basis. Any seasoned traveler will tell you that few places justify the excess in coverage.

Copenhagen is not one of those places—it earns your attention, respect, and adoration—and it justifies the lavish praise it has received in many glossy pages over the past few years. While you can see much of this small yet dense Northern European city within the course of a couple of days, chances are you’ll be counting the days until your next visit to the Danish capital.

Marchal at the Hotel d’Angleterre.

Where to Stay

Although not actually in a Wes Anderson film, the exterior would make you think you’re staying in a Wes Anderson movie: On the high end, there’s the Hotel D’Angleterre, a five-star choice that is more than 260 years old but promises all of the luxury you could expect in 2019. It’s also steps away from Nyhavn (possibly Copenhagen’s most Instagrammed spot aside from the Little Mermaid statue), a canal lined with a rainbow of brightly hued buildings and bustling with tourists, often enjoying beers and Aperol spritzes by late afternoon during the summertime.

A little friendlier to the pocketbook but still on the high end is the four-star SP 34, even more centrally located as it is within walking distance to all of the major sights, art museums, and palaces, the shopping district, and plenty of bars and restaurants. Much like how Kimpton Hotels hosts a complimentary happy hour at its U.S. hotels, SP 34 also has a daily wine hour, free for guests but with its own wine label sourced from Portugal. Breakfast also happens to be served in a Michelin-starred restaurant: Nordic bistro Vækst.

And if you’re looking for a last-minute option during the high season (summer and the winter holidays), HotelTonight also has a repository of listings at regular-season prices with especially reasonably priced and comfortable (albeit maybe not chic) options near Copenhagen’s Central Station, which has a 15-minute direct train to Copenhagen Kastrup International Airport.

The exterior of SP 34, a contemporary hotel in central Copenhagen.

How to Get Around

Copenhagen is a small but dense city—perfect for seeing on foot when the weather is friendly. Lyft and Uber don’t have a presence here like they do in other European cities, so if that is your preferred mode of transportation, be prepared to budget for and hail taxis, which aren’t ubiquitous here either.

What is increasingly widespread are electric scooters—most prominent among them is San Francisco–based Lime. But there are also more than half-a-dozen competitors already taking up space on both the sidewalks and the heavily trafficked bike lanes crisscrossing the city—much to the chagrin of tourists and locals alike. The local authorities have also taken notice as Copenhagen police have started cracking down on riders driving while intoxicated.

Inside the elevator at SP 34, a contemporary hotel in central Copenhagen.

What to Do

You could spend less than couple of days (thus, a long layover) or a whole week in Copenhagen, and you’ll have a satisfying journey either way. It really depends on what your interests are and how you prioritize them, whether that be food, art, history, or outdoor activities.

Inside Copenhagen’s Kastellet park.

Copenhagen is blessed with so much outdoor space and green parks. They are open to the public, but most of the larger parks are closed overnight and locked up, so check the hours if there’s a particular spot you had in mind.

If you happen to fancy running in the morning—truly the best way to see a new city and get over jet lag at the same time—head north to the Kastellet, one of the best preserved fortresses in Northern Europe. But on a bright morning you’ll think you wandered into a fairy-tale land, filled with a rampart, sculpted green hills, tree-lined groves, and yes, that aforementioned Little Mermaid statue. (While a beautiful sculpture in a picture-perfect location, if getting a photo of this really matters to you, get there as early as possible or be prepared for a swarm of tourists.)

Amalienborg Palace

If palaces are your thing, you have two options—both of which are active government buildings today. First is the Amalienborg Palace, the home of the Danish royal family, just a few blocks from the Kastellet and the Copenhagen Design Museum, with a changing of the guard at set times each day. Then there’s Christiansborg Palace, situated on a tiny island and the seat of the Danish Parliament. Christiansborg is in proximity to a number of other museums, namely the National Museum of Denmark, the Museum of Copenhagen (with a collection dating back to the 12th century), and the Danish Jewish Museum.

Designmuseum Denmark

Where to Eat

The most important portion of the program. When I arrived in Copenhagen, my cab driver from the airport asked if I had any questions about the city. I replied that I always start with the most important one: “Where should I eat?”

Copenhagen is a food lover’s paradise—and it truly doesn’t matter what your dietary restrictions are or whichever cuisine you’re seeking. The Danish capital has something for everyone—times 10, from the grocery store to Michelin-starred restaurants.

Fans of the ever-expanding library of haute food shows on Netflix will likely assume Noma is the place to go first, and if you can score a reservation or get on the wait list, then maybe that’s the best choice. For the rest of us, you don’t have to such lengths for Noma-quality food.

The rajas taco with rice and beans at Hija de Sanchez.

Consider Hija de Sanchez, a contemporary taqueria from Chicago native and Noma’s former head pastry chef, Rosio Sanchéz. The menu is simple but effective, with plenty of familiar taqueria staples (bottles of Jarritos orange soda) and a few unique ones (an avocado paleta, or Popsicle). And a word to the wise: If you go on a weekday, you likely won’t have to worry about a line at lunch.

Note there are two locations: the main storefront in Copenhagen’s Meatpacking District—close to a glut of diverse food options, including pizzeria Mother and day-drinking haven Mikkeller Bar—and a stall at Fresh Market, another popular food hall near the epicenter of the city, with stalls for local produce and fish and innovative street food with trendier options like banana-based ice cream.

Pavlova with almond ice at Marchal.

If you’re going to treat yourself, head to Marchal, the in-house, Michelin-starred restaurant at Hotel D’Angleterre. If you’re fortunate enough to be visiting during the summer, try to get a seat on the patio, a prime people-watching spot overlooking the Kongens Nytorv square. This is a restaurant worth taking the time to look over the wine menu to consider pairing options, and definitely ask the staff for advice, as they are more than happy to help and are knowledgable about the very lengthy list. Among the surefire options are the delectable gougères with truffle cream and comté (best eaten in a single bite), chanterelles on sourdough in the traditional Danish tartine style, and the Australian Black Winter truffles with agnolotti and creamy artichokes—the latter two dishes of which were paired perfectly with the Domaine Vacheron Sancerre and Oregon’s Elouan Pinot Noir, respectively.

A dirty martini at Balthazar.

After dinner, head downstairs from the restaurant to the Balthazar Champagne Bar. (Coincidentally, if you enter from the bar’s main entrance, it’s actually at street level. But to reach Balthazar from inside the hotel, you have to go downstairs first, which is why it’s sometimes referred to as an underground Champagne bar.) Regardless, treat yourself and cap off your trip with one of the top-notch Champagnes on the list—from André Clouet and Billecart-Salmon to Vauversin and Veuve Cliquot—or a dirty martini made with Danish Vodka brand I AM.