HSU IT Department

Day 1 - Ten random facts about yourself
Day 2 - Nine things you do everyday
Day 3 - Eight things that annoy you
Day 4 - Seven fears/phobias
Day 5 - Six songs that you’re addicted to
Day 6 - Five things you can’t live without
Day 7 - Four memories you won’t forget
Day 8 - Three words you can’t go a day without
Day 9 - Two things you wish you could do
Day 10 - One person you can trust


1. I'm quite a good pool (billiards) player.
2. I used to hate brussels sprouts and now they are my favorite cruciferous vegetable :)
3. I hate pickled ginger. It's the only part of sushi that makes me unhappy.
4. My first job was at Long John Silver's when I was fourteen. I smelled like grease for two years BUT I HAD MONEY!!!
5. If I were single/unattached I would get a job with Amtrak. I love riding the train.
6. I once got a pony for Christmas. Really. (Best Christmas EVER.)
7. I found out the other day that someone I worked with briefly more than ten years ago still holds a grudge against me and I have no idea why. This is more than a little discomfiting, but there you go: you can't please all of the people all of the time.
8. The first movie I actually remember going to the theatre to see is Star Wars (1977). For years I thought the 20th Century-Fox fanfare was actually part of the Star Wars soundtrack (also, that scene where Luke puts one foot up on the rock under the binary-sunset? I thought for sure he was going to sing lol!)
9. I've kept a journal since I was eleven. Early entries consist of Deep Thoughts like "My brother is an annoying toad."
10. In first grade I got sent to the principal's office for chasing a little boy and trying to kiss him.

Reveals are up all over the place, so I can now admit to being the author of the following fics:

Title: True Lies (LJ) (AO3)
For: kerravonsen
Fest: sshg_giftfest
Summary: Snape's voice and his cutting words have always been his most flexible and potent weapon. What happens when that weapon turns against him?

I co-modded this fest with amorette and is was just a pure pleasure. I loved writing every word of this. My gift that I received from the talented toblass was also just fabulous (thank you, thank you! I have been remiss in not raving about it sooner, but out-of-town intervened) -- go and marvel at Sunday Afternoon"!!



Title: Chizpurfle in a Pine Tree (LJ) (AO3)
Fest: mini_fest, prompt by candamira
Summary: Getting the Yule tree turns out to be a bit trickier than either Hagrid or his students expect.

Chizpurfle has a bonus: A Hogwarts version of the carol "The Twelve Days of Christmas" :)



Title: Matches in the Snow (LJ) (AO3)
For: miss_morland
Fest: hoggywartyxmas
Summary: Sometimes it takes more than just a letter to get someone to Hogwarts

Matches in the Snow was so well received, I was just overwhelmed. It got mentioned on hp_diversity, was an Editor's Pick on quibbler_report, and was a Hot Rec on daily_snitch. I'm thrilled that the story touched so many people's hearts -- thank you!

Whew. That was a busy December, folks!

Just returned from a week visiting family back in the Great Flat Midwest. Lots of catching up to do tomorrow, but in the meanwhile:

Dare Wright's The Lonely Doll and Taylor Swift -- is it just me, or is there an eerie resemblance there?

It looks like a T. Rex bone, but the pet shop assures us it is in fact a bovine of some sort. Be sure to turn the sound up to get the full effect. Also, note warning which appears about 50 seconds in :)


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There are many family tales about this egg nog, from the time my grandmother's minister stopped by on Christmas Day and nobody noticed his nine-year-old son was slurping down mug after mug, to the story of my great-grandfather and his friends going caroling round the neighborhood with a massive jug of the stuff to fortify themselves, getting more and more festive as they went. For the last several years I've made it Christmas Eve after we get home from celebrating with one half of Mr Psmith's family, and we take it with us the next morning when we go celebrate with the other half.

This is the noggiest damn nog you will ever find, and it's AWESOME:



6 eggs, separated
2 c sugar
1-1/2 c. bourbon
3/4 c. rum
3/4 c. brandy
3 pints heavy cream
1 pint milk

Beat egg yolks until pale and lemony. Add sugar slowly, beating well. Add booze gradually, continuing to beat slowly. You will need to scrape the bottom of the bowl several times, since sugar doesn't melt well in cold stuff. Finally, add the cream and milk slowly, continuing to stir (I usually do this last bit by hand rather than with a mixer). Pour into a large pot with a lid and place in the freezer for at least 12 hrs.

Shortly before serving, beat the egg white until soft peaks form. Fold gently into the egg/cream/booze mixture. Ladle into mugs, sprinkle with cinnamon and/or nutmeg, and enjoy (but be wary!).

"I am the ghost of Christmas Future Perfect Subjunctive: I will show you what would have happened were you not to have changed your ways!"

Heeeee...

I am nearly caught up on mini_fest, planning to work my way through sshg_giftfest over the weekend (some lovely stories over there, go see!), and eagerly anticipating the opening of hoggywartyxmas in just a few days.

This weekend I hope to also get books shipped out to everyone who claimed one in the Great Book Giveaway of 2014. Still a few left for you last-minute shoppers!

I am embarking on a nice, leisurely reread of The Hobbit and Lord of the Rgins Rings ('rgins' heh heh) as my holiday read. It's been a few years since I did this, and I can feel that it's time again. "In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit..."

Since mini_fest is posting and hoggywartyxmas is coming up soon, this seems appropriate:

"JK Rowling To Write Malfoy Story And Other New Harry Potter Content For
Christmas. The Yule Ball is of course a chance for us all to — er — let our hair
down..." Read more ==>

Do you suppose she'll finally admit that Harry and Draco are meant for each other lol?!

A tachyonic antitelephone is a thing.

Reading fanfic can teach you valuable life skills.

Rush Limbaugh really is a complete and utter ass. (OK, that one I pretty much suspected already.)

Zombie migration patterns can be mathematically predicted.

I have to make this. SOON.

nursedarry sent me the coolest wine EVER. reH tlhIngan wo' taHjaj!!

(click to embiggen)


Also, there are still some free books left!

Yes, it's time again for the Annual Weeding of the Psmith Bookshelves, and the subsequent search to get them adopted into good and loving homes. It's a long list this year (I was very firm with myself), but the rules haven't changed: if you want one or two or six or ten, just comment to this post listing which ones you want. I'll box them up and ship them.

You don't need to do anything in return, but if you want to, please give to one of the following excellent causes: Planned Parenthood (people), the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (animals), or the Kansas Rural Center (sustainable agriculture).

Format (hardcover hc or pb) is given in the list. Unless otherwise noted, all are in very good condition. If you want to know more about any of them, just ask :)

( Fiction )

( Nonfiction )

I also have about 30 back issues of Piecework, the wonderful craft magazine published by Interweave Press. Packed with lush illustrations, gorgeous photos, ideas for beading, sewing, felting, quilting, lacemaking, etc etc etc. You can see sample issues on the Piecework website.

So, Thanksgiving was awesome this year. We hosted it, as we have for the past six or seven years, so the house was full of food, family, yummy smells, conversation, etc. Ten people, with three of them age nine or younger and one older one hard of hearing, made for a rather high volume, but a good time was had by all. And I'm getting better and better at doing things ahead of time -- this year I was actually able to sit down and watch some of the Macy's parade, go me!

We had a bit of drama over the turkey, though. Mr Psmith had suggested we get a heritage turkey this year, having read wonderful things about them, so we ordered one in early November. It was supposed to arrive Tuesday via Fed Ex. Late Tuesday morning we get a call from the turkey people saying that our turkey had flown the coop: Fed Ex couldn't find it. So they were sending out another one that would arrive on Wednesday, but that it might be a little bigger since they were out of the size we ordered.

So all day Wednesday while I'm cooking, I'm alternating between Nightmare A, in which the replacement turkey never arrives and I have to venture out and scrounge a stunt turkey, and Nightmare B, in which the replacement arrives and is a 30-lb monstrosity that won't fit in my oven and will take six hours to cook.

Happily, Fed Ex rang our doorbell at 2:47 pm with a 17.6-lb bird, so tragedy was averted. Interestingly, it was a noticeably different shape, lacking the enormous breasts of the standard Broad-Breasted White (what most stores carry) and with much larger thighs. The more equal white-to-dark-meat ratio means it cooks slightly faster and more evenly. And WOW did it turn out amazing! They recommend a very simple preparation since heritage turkeys are very juicy and flavorful, so I rubbed butter and herbs under the skin which I've never tried before (this video was very helpful). The meat-eaters in the group voted it highly tasty, and I got FOUR CUPS of juice out of it for gravy. Normally I get one, if I'm lucky.

Mr Psmith's youngest brother brought his girlfriend E. who is a vegetarian, so there were two of us at the table this year. Since I'm a vegetarian, everything in the meal except for the turkey itself and Mr Psmith's Grandma N's giblet stuffing is meat-free, and E. kept saying how nice it was to have so much she could eat :) Also, she shares my aversion to an empty wine glass which makes her a girl after my own heart. She's been around for a year now and we have hopes that she may be a keeper!

Here is a partial transcript of my five-year-old nephew's conversation:

11:33am: "Can we have pie now?"
11:52am: "Where's the pie?"
12:10pm: "Is it time for pie yet?"
12:30pm: "Pie?"
12:36pm (as I'm taking the turkey out of the oven): "Wow, that's a really big chicken!!"

He also got hold of a pack of post-its and amused himself writing notes and sticking them on his chest: PINCH ME, POKE ME, KICK ME. My favorite was HUG ME.

There were some tough moments, since it was the first big holiday for us without Mr Psmith's brother, and sister-in-law A cried a bit, but it was good to all be together.

On another traditional note: I'll be doing my Christmas bookshelf-weeding and giveaway again this year. I'm compiling the list now and will post it probably this weekend. I do enjoy doing this -- it's such fun to send books to good homes :)