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Wow, I haven't updated in nearly 2 weeks? That must be some kind of (recent) record for me. Partly it's because it's SO FRIGGING COLD that I don't want to do anything but be in bed. Partly it's because my mom's staying with me (kind of last minute) for the whole month, and we've been spending a lot of time eating out. But mostly it's because I was on vacation all last week, and updating LJ is more fun when I'm at work. >.>
I've been making... dun dun DUUUUUUUN... fanvids
I've been stretching my creative wings. Rather than writing fanfic, I have made... two fanvids! It's much harder than it looks, but also fun. Even making fairly basic vids like I have is super time consuming. O.o I had no idea. The two vids are Yi Jeong/Ga Eul (from Boys Over Flowers) based, so there's only a limited amount of footage I can work with -- both a curse and a blessing.
This was the first one I made and the one I spent most of my time on. Seriously, hours and hours of clip-making and editing went into this >3 min video. O.o Fanfic is so much easier, I can make up all the shit I want. I can make them do different things every time. Much harder if not impossible to do that with video footage.
This was video #2. I spent much less time on this, mostly because all the clips I needed were already made in some fashion and also I didn't have the same learning curve with Windows Movie Maker. Also it was just a fun little thing I wanted to put together. The subject matter is kind of an inside joke withakscully, but I think also with anyone who likes this couple. ;-)
Cool/fun cookbook/gift rec
If you need a cool coffee table book, or a fun gift for just about anyone (well, any adult), I recommend My Last Supper: 50 Great Chefs and Their Final Meals / Portraits, Interviews, and Recipes. I've been wanting it awhile and now I finally have it! It's really cool -- basically, 50 well-known chefs play the "death row" game (though they don't call it that): If they could choose their last meal, what would it be? Some, of course, get super fancy and specific, but a surprising number, maybe even half, would go for something really simple and comforting -- scrambled eggs, rustic bread with cheese, etc. The last part of the book the chefs share recipes from their selections.
Icon making!
Every three years or so, I get a bee in my bonnet and want to make icons. I've been playing around with textures and what not, and as practice, made some from past/present fandom interests. :D They're just for me, I haven't really made any that are intended to be shared out on icon communities or anything like that, but I think they look pretty good!
A bit of TV
I've been watching a bit of TV... caught up on Merlin (OMG!) and have watched the first six episodes of Once Upon a Time (I blame drunk!akscully for this), which isn't GREAT TV or anything, but is fun enough to continue now that I'm out of TV I'm really interested in watching. Also I really like Jennifer Morrison (though Cameron > Emma).
My latest cookware obsession
CorningWare. That's right, the stuff our mothers (well, not mine, but you know) used to use. There was a whole thread about it on my foodies list at work, and now I really want to use it. But it should be noted, however, that I'm not talking about CorningWare as it exists today (at least, not 99% of it), but literally mean the stuff someone's mother used to use -- the vintage pieces from the 50s/60s. Know why? It turns out that that stuff was made from Pyroceram, a type of glass ceramic invented by a guy who was working on rocket nose cones (as part of a U.S. ballistic missile program). The beauty of glass ceramic, apparently, is its ability to resist thermal shock, which means you can cook with it on the stovetop, put it under the broiler, bake it, or freeze it (and all directly from one to the other, if you choose). You can use it like you would cast iron, except there's no seasoning involved, and unlike cast iron you can use it for tomato sauces/wet foods. You can even bake no-knead bread in it.
So what's wrong with the recent stuff? World Kitchens acquired CorningWare in the 90s and when they did so, they changed the products under the CorningWare brand to stoneware, which is less durable (warranty on stoneware products: 1 year; warranty on Pyroceram products: 10 years). What's funny is that that means we went from the space age back to the stone age. :)) This article goes into more detail. However, in 2008 CorningWare had its 50th anniversary, and World Kitchens brought back a limited line of Pyroceram products, under the label of StoveTop -- so Pyroceram is back... sort of. You still have to know what to look for, as 99% of the current CorningWare line is still stoneware.
One other note and then I'm done, I promise. I like to be thorough, it saves me research time in the future. ;-) There's also the Visions product line, which is basically a clear Pyroceram (officially called Calexium). The process of creating Pyroceram turns it an opaque white, and with Calexium they 'perfected' it to be clear. Unlike Pyrex (another World Kitchens brand), Visions cookware IS as durable as Pyroceram. Pyrex is NOT a glass ceramic, and has many restrictions/guidelines on its usage, especially with regard to heat, and you can't use it on the stovetop. Once I get myself some Pyroceram and Visions pieces, I'm going to donate most of my Pyrex stuff. My mom actually has a Visions pot that I have always liked, because it's see through, so you can see when something is boiling without losing heat by lifting off the lid. I never thought about it much beyond that except that I never saw this sort of cookware for sale anymore. However, the Visions line has also made a limited comeback.
I didn't know anything about glass ceramics until recently, but now that I know about it, I MUST HAVE IT. I plan to scour Goodwill and eBay!
I've been making... dun dun DUUUUUUUN... fanvids
I've been stretching my creative wings. Rather than writing fanfic, I have made... two fanvids! It's much harder than it looks, but also fun. Even making fairly basic vids like I have is super time consuming. O.o I had no idea. The two vids are Yi Jeong/Ga Eul (from Boys Over Flowers) based, so there's only a limited amount of footage I can work with -- both a curse and a blessing.
This was the first one I made and the one I spent most of my time on. Seriously, hours and hours of clip-making and editing went into this >3 min video. O.o Fanfic is so much easier, I can make up all the shit I want. I can make them do different things every time. Much harder if not impossible to do that with video footage.
This was video #2. I spent much less time on this, mostly because all the clips I needed were already made in some fashion and also I didn't have the same learning curve with Windows Movie Maker. Also it was just a fun little thing I wanted to put together. The subject matter is kind of an inside joke with
akscully, but I think also with anyone who likes this couple. ;-)Cool/fun cookbook/gift rec
If you need a cool coffee table book, or a fun gift for just about anyone (well, any adult), I recommend My Last Supper: 50 Great Chefs and Their Final Meals / Portraits, Interviews, and Recipes. I've been wanting it awhile and now I finally have it! It's really cool -- basically, 50 well-known chefs play the "death row" game (though they don't call it that): If they could choose their last meal, what would it be? Some, of course, get super fancy and specific, but a surprising number, maybe even half, would go for something really simple and comforting -- scrambled eggs, rustic bread with cheese, etc. The last part of the book the chefs share recipes from their selections.
Icon making!
Every three years or so, I get a bee in my bonnet and want to make icons. I've been playing around with textures and what not, and as practice, made some from past/present fandom interests. :D They're just for me, I haven't really made any that are intended to be shared out on icon communities or anything like that, but I think they look pretty good!
A bit of TV
I've been watching a bit of TV... caught up on Merlin (OMG!) and have watched the first six episodes of Once Upon a Time (I blame drunk!
akscully for this), which isn't GREAT TV or anything, but is fun enough to continue now that I'm out of TV I'm really interested in watching. Also I really like Jennifer Morrison (though Cameron > Emma).My latest cookware obsession
CorningWare. That's right, the stuff our mothers (well, not mine, but you know) used to use. There was a whole thread about it on my foodies list at work, and now I really want to use it. But it should be noted, however, that I'm not talking about CorningWare as it exists today (at least, not 99% of it), but literally mean the stuff someone's mother used to use -- the vintage pieces from the 50s/60s. Know why? It turns out that that stuff was made from Pyroceram, a type of glass ceramic invented by a guy who was working on rocket nose cones (as part of a U.S. ballistic missile program). The beauty of glass ceramic, apparently, is its ability to resist thermal shock, which means you can cook with it on the stovetop, put it under the broiler, bake it, or freeze it (and all directly from one to the other, if you choose). You can use it like you would cast iron, except there's no seasoning involved, and unlike cast iron you can use it for tomato sauces/wet foods. You can even bake no-knead bread in it.
So what's wrong with the recent stuff? World Kitchens acquired CorningWare in the 90s and when they did so, they changed the products under the CorningWare brand to stoneware, which is less durable (warranty on stoneware products: 1 year; warranty on Pyroceram products: 10 years). What's funny is that that means we went from the space age back to the stone age. :)) This article goes into more detail. However, in 2008 CorningWare had its 50th anniversary, and World Kitchens brought back a limited line of Pyroceram products, under the label of StoveTop -- so Pyroceram is back... sort of. You still have to know what to look for, as 99% of the current CorningWare line is still stoneware.
One other note and then I'm done, I promise. I like to be thorough, it saves me research time in the future. ;-) There's also the Visions product line, which is basically a clear Pyroceram (officially called Calexium). The process of creating Pyroceram turns it an opaque white, and with Calexium they 'perfected' it to be clear. Unlike Pyrex (another World Kitchens brand), Visions cookware IS as durable as Pyroceram. Pyrex is NOT a glass ceramic, and has many restrictions/guidelines on its usage, especially with regard to heat, and you can't use it on the stovetop. Once I get myself some Pyroceram and Visions pieces, I'm going to donate most of my Pyrex stuff. My mom actually has a Visions pot that I have always liked, because it's see through, so you can see when something is boiling without losing heat by lifting off the lid. I never thought about it much beyond that except that I never saw this sort of cookware for sale anymore. However, the Visions line has also made a limited comeback.
I didn't know anything about glass ceramics until recently, but now that I know about it, I MUST HAVE IT. I plan to scour Goodwill and eBay!
