I'm listening...
May. 18th, 2012 09:58 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sarea
They aired the last 3 eps of S3 of Community all in a row last night. >< WHY DO THEY HATE THIS BRILLIANT SHOW. No one ever watches the good comedies, which means shows like Community and Arrested Development get undeservedly short runs. It makes me sad. The last episode feels like they did it assuming the show wouldn't get renewed -- I mean, that montage at the end, plus the name of the ep. And that being the case, I have issues with it. It was SUCH a meh episode to go out on! It wasn't even one of the best of the regular episodes, much less of the finales. Thank goodness they have 12 more episodes, because that was not a coherent way to go out. And yes, I will also admit that I was disappointed by the utter and complete lack of Jeff and Annie in the last 3 episodes. When I said I was happy with the way it was, I meant in that they got paired to do things together a lot, not necessarily romantically. But in the last 3 eps they barely even had a scene together! Ugh.
I had a FANTASTIC dining experience with K. on Wed night. She was invited awhile back, after being noticed at Tom Douglas's restaurants a lot, to join this special mailing list for VIP customers. Occasionally she gets invited to special events. Wed it was "Thai night" with guest chef Joseba de Jimenez (who used to own Harvest Vine). He's been living in Thailand for 2 years. Anyway, it was a complimentary 4-course dinner with wine, beer, and sake pairings. You sat at a table with 4 other people, and there were about 10 tables. We shared our table with two other couples -- one guy was a developer while the other guy was a wine importer. The latter guy looked like George Clooney's twin brother. Seriously. I could not believe how much he looked like him. If he ever wanted to stop being in the wine business he could make a living as a GC impersonator. At some point I had to ask him if he'd ever been told of the resemblance before, and he was totally low key in his affirmation, which tells me that he got told that a lot. His wife was like, "It's not bad to wake up to." LOL.
ANYWAY, I have a confession to make. I've made this confession before but it bears saying again. I dislike Thai cuisine. It's my least favorite. If you made me rank cuisines in order from first to last, it would be at the very bottom of my list. It's just way too sweet for me. It's my personal opinion that most Americans love it because it's so sweet and they love sugar. :P However, I was WILD about Joseba de Jimenez's Thai food, which he says is "authentic" and unlike what they serve in the vast majority of Thai restaurants in the States. The food was NOT sweet. That's not to say that there was no sugar in the food, but it wasn't a flavor I could discern out of the myriad of other flavors. It was soooooooooooooooooooo amazingly good. All the wine/beer/sake pairings were wasted on me, though. I just do not like alcohol. And there was SO MUCH SERVED. I felt kind of bad wasting it, but I couldn't bring myself to choke it all down, either. There were a couple of wines and a couple of beers that I liked more than others -- and we started with a sparkling sake that was good -- but if I had to choose I still would just prefer plain water. :P
The menu:
Som Tam: Northeast Thai Papaya Salad [I always like papaya salad. Love the crunchy tartness.]
Phat Tai: Noodles Pad Thai [Pad Thai is one of those Thai dishes that I avoid whenever possible. It is a 'boring' selection because everyone gets it, and also it's too sweet and orange. Turns out? They started adding ketchup to Pad Thai to cater to American tastes. >< *This* Pad Thai was out of this world. SO delicious.]
Khao Niao: Sticky Rice [I'm not a big rice fan but it was fine.]
Bed Naisot Poinanrom: Duck in Oyster Sauce [OK, the duck was also amazing. Crisp skin, rosy flesh, sliced and served with gai lan and shredded duck leg on top of rice with some sauce. I wish I could find duck breast ANYWHERE. I only ever see whole duck being sold, if I see it at all.]
Sauce Khanom Wun: Agar Candy with Coconut Water Whiskey [The desserts were fine, nothing to write home about. K. loved the whiskey but it was like drinking rubbing alcohol to me.]
So I am thrilled to say that it's not that I don't like Thai food; it's that I don't like Americanized Thai food (true of most Asian food, actually, and the one thing they all have in common is SUGAR. The Americanized versions always adds a ton more sugar, such as into sweet & sour sauce or teriyaki sauce). Joseba suggested that when ordering Pad Thai in a Thai restaurant here, to ask them to make it without the ketchup. I still have doubts that it will be as good as what I ate Wed night, but at least it's worth a try.
And finally, I bring you... The Avengers fanwork recs! I keep meaning to do this, but then another day passes and I consume more fanworks, so the list just keeps growing and it's getting overwhelming. Since not everything is on LJ, this is a good way for me to keep track of my favorites. This is a compilation of stuff I've found that I enjoyed, as well as recs from others.
Fanfic
Well, Let the Drum Beat Drop by jonesandashes & pollyrepeat
Pairing: General
Summary: Pepper leaves, and there's no more pizza, and Thor's already talked about Jane, and Tony suspects all of them realize, abruptly and simultaneously, that they actually have no idea what to do now. He is, in fact, pretty certain that they're just a few minutes away from someone deciding to say something about the weather. It's probably going to be him.
[This is a genfic that's pretty much perfect.]
And Time Yet byinkvoices
Pairing: Clint/Natasha
Summary: From Stark Tower to shawarma.
[A fun little ficlet inspired by this still from one of the end credits extras.]
War Stories (a.k.a. Stupid Thing in Budapest) bythrace_adama and workerbee73
Pairing: Clint/Natasha
Summary: What happens in Budapest doesn't always stay in Budapest.
[One of my favorite stories so far detailing what might've happened in Budapest.]
Thorazine for the Lady, Knives for the Gentleman by experimentallycanthropy
Pairing: Clint/Natasha
Summary: First meeting. He pulls her into the barren apartment like she’s a stray cat, bedraggled and hissing, her dark red hair soaking and plastered across her bloodied face.
[Just a good, short read. Love her grasp of language.]
10 Things Pepper knows about Natasha (and one thing Natasha knows about Pepper) by experimentallycanthropy
Characters: Pepper Potts, Natasha Romanoff friendship
Summary: Their first girl date is engineered in a SHIELD war room locked down to level five clearance with Agents Coulson (who has formed a fond bond with Natasha based on a mutual love of tasers), Barton (who finds the whole notion unutterably amusing and can't stop being smug about the fact that he somehow got the operation codenamed 'Spice Girls') and Hill (who owes Pepper for lending her a tampon that one time). Tony is prohibited for obvious reasons.
[I love #6, of course. This writer has also done a dark AU of the Clint/Natasha ship, which can be found here. The first 3 are the best, imho.]
Still Officially Lost by pollyrepeat
Characters: Phil Coulson, teenage!Clint Barton mentor/friendship
Summary: "Barton has clearly imprinted on you," Fury starts, and keeps talking right over Phil's knee-jerk, horrified, "He has not," to seal Phil's doom by saying, "so I've decided that you're going to take primary responsibility for him from now on."
Otherwise known as, SHIELD: The Early Years.
[Loved this look into belligerent!teenage!Clint and how Coulson really learned how to master his unflappable exterior.]
The Hemlines, The Headlines bybob5fic
Pairing: Clint/Natasha
Summary: The second and third finger of Clint's right hand are different to all the rest. Their topography maps out unwritten stories, ridges of callus and lines etched in skin like rings through a tree trunk; a line for every kill; an added layer for every year still alive. Natasha examines them carefully. She learns their texture. She tastes them with her tongue.
[Totally dig the mood of this story.]
Artwork:
A photoset from Tumblr, captioned "The Avengers movie summed up for me." I might have to concur. :))))) The reason I have to see it multiple times is to soak in some of the rest of the movie.
Budapest, by marielikestodraw on Tumblr
A couple of my favorites from the Memos From Fury Tumblr :))))) I LOVE THIS TUMBLR
Video:
Fun video featuring the badassness of Natasha. Unfortunately the clips are from a cam, which is to be expected given that the movie's still fairly new, but the music's soooooo appropriate.
Wow, that was so fun. More to come, I'm sure.
Totally random cuz I just saw it on Tumblr: Look how cute Emilia Clarke is as a natural brunette!! I didn't recognize her at first!
I had a FANTASTIC dining experience with K. on Wed night. She was invited awhile back, after being noticed at Tom Douglas's restaurants a lot, to join this special mailing list for VIP customers. Occasionally she gets invited to special events. Wed it was "Thai night" with guest chef Joseba de Jimenez (who used to own Harvest Vine). He's been living in Thailand for 2 years. Anyway, it was a complimentary 4-course dinner with wine, beer, and sake pairings. You sat at a table with 4 other people, and there were about 10 tables. We shared our table with two other couples -- one guy was a developer while the other guy was a wine importer. The latter guy looked like George Clooney's twin brother. Seriously. I could not believe how much he looked like him. If he ever wanted to stop being in the wine business he could make a living as a GC impersonator. At some point I had to ask him if he'd ever been told of the resemblance before, and he was totally low key in his affirmation, which tells me that he got told that a lot. His wife was like, "It's not bad to wake up to." LOL.
ANYWAY, I have a confession to make. I've made this confession before but it bears saying again. I dislike Thai cuisine. It's my least favorite. If you made me rank cuisines in order from first to last, it would be at the very bottom of my list. It's just way too sweet for me. It's my personal opinion that most Americans love it because it's so sweet and they love sugar. :P However, I was WILD about Joseba de Jimenez's Thai food, which he says is "authentic" and unlike what they serve in the vast majority of Thai restaurants in the States. The food was NOT sweet. That's not to say that there was no sugar in the food, but it wasn't a flavor I could discern out of the myriad of other flavors. It was soooooooooooooooooooo amazingly good. All the wine/beer/sake pairings were wasted on me, though. I just do not like alcohol. And there was SO MUCH SERVED. I felt kind of bad wasting it, but I couldn't bring myself to choke it all down, either. There were a couple of wines and a couple of beers that I liked more than others -- and we started with a sparkling sake that was good -- but if I had to choose I still would just prefer plain water. :P
The menu:
Som Tam: Northeast Thai Papaya Salad [I always like papaya salad. Love the crunchy tartness.]
Phat Tai: Noodles Pad Thai [Pad Thai is one of those Thai dishes that I avoid whenever possible. It is a 'boring' selection because everyone gets it, and also it's too sweet and orange. Turns out? They started adding ketchup to Pad Thai to cater to American tastes. >< *This* Pad Thai was out of this world. SO delicious.]
Khao Niao: Sticky Rice [I'm not a big rice fan but it was fine.]
Bed Naisot Poinanrom: Duck in Oyster Sauce [OK, the duck was also amazing. Crisp skin, rosy flesh, sliced and served with gai lan and shredded duck leg on top of rice with some sauce. I wish I could find duck breast ANYWHERE. I only ever see whole duck being sold, if I see it at all.]
Sauce Khanom Wun: Agar Candy with Coconut Water Whiskey [The desserts were fine, nothing to write home about. K. loved the whiskey but it was like drinking rubbing alcohol to me.]
So I am thrilled to say that it's not that I don't like Thai food; it's that I don't like Americanized Thai food (true of most Asian food, actually, and the one thing they all have in common is SUGAR. The Americanized versions always adds a ton more sugar, such as into sweet & sour sauce or teriyaki sauce). Joseba suggested that when ordering Pad Thai in a Thai restaurant here, to ask them to make it without the ketchup. I still have doubts that it will be as good as what I ate Wed night, but at least it's worth a try.
And finally, I bring you... The Avengers fanwork recs! I keep meaning to do this, but then another day passes and I consume more fanworks, so the list just keeps growing and it's getting overwhelming. Since not everything is on LJ, this is a good way for me to keep track of my favorites. This is a compilation of stuff I've found that I enjoyed, as well as recs from others.
Fanfic
Well, Let the Drum Beat Drop by jonesandashes & pollyrepeat
Pairing: General
Summary: Pepper leaves, and there's no more pizza, and Thor's already talked about Jane, and Tony suspects all of them realize, abruptly and simultaneously, that they actually have no idea what to do now. He is, in fact, pretty certain that they're just a few minutes away from someone deciding to say something about the weather. It's probably going to be him.
[This is a genfic that's pretty much perfect.]
And Time Yet by
inkvoicesPairing: Clint/Natasha
Summary: From Stark Tower to shawarma.
[A fun little ficlet inspired by this still from one of the end credits extras.]
War Stories (a.k.a. Stupid Thing in Budapest) by
thrace_adama and workerbee73Pairing: Clint/Natasha
Summary: What happens in Budapest doesn't always stay in Budapest.
[One of my favorite stories so far detailing what might've happened in Budapest.]
Thorazine for the Lady, Knives for the Gentleman by experimentallycanthropy
Pairing: Clint/Natasha
Summary: First meeting. He pulls her into the barren apartment like she’s a stray cat, bedraggled and hissing, her dark red hair soaking and plastered across her bloodied face.
[Just a good, short read. Love her grasp of language.]
10 Things Pepper knows about Natasha (and one thing Natasha knows about Pepper) by experimentallycanthropy
Characters: Pepper Potts, Natasha Romanoff friendship
Summary: Their first girl date is engineered in a SHIELD war room locked down to level five clearance with Agents Coulson (who has formed a fond bond with Natasha based on a mutual love of tasers), Barton (who finds the whole notion unutterably amusing and can't stop being smug about the fact that he somehow got the operation codenamed 'Spice Girls') and Hill (who owes Pepper for lending her a tampon that one time). Tony is prohibited for obvious reasons.
[I love #6, of course. This writer has also done a dark AU of the Clint/Natasha ship, which can be found here. The first 3 are the best, imho.]
Still Officially Lost by pollyrepeat
Characters: Phil Coulson, teenage!Clint Barton mentor/friendship
Summary: "Barton has clearly imprinted on you," Fury starts, and keeps talking right over Phil's knee-jerk, horrified, "He has not," to seal Phil's doom by saying, "so I've decided that you're going to take primary responsibility for him from now on."
Otherwise known as, SHIELD: The Early Years.
[Loved this look into belligerent!teenage!Clint and how Coulson really learned how to master his unflappable exterior.]
The Hemlines, The Headlines by
bob5ficPairing: Clint/Natasha
Summary: The second and third finger of Clint's right hand are different to all the rest. Their topography maps out unwritten stories, ridges of callus and lines etched in skin like rings through a tree trunk; a line for every kill; an added layer for every year still alive. Natasha examines them carefully. She learns their texture. She tastes them with her tongue.
[Totally dig the mood of this story.]
Artwork:
A photoset from Tumblr, captioned "The Avengers movie summed up for me." I might have to concur. :))))) The reason I have to see it multiple times is to soak in some of the rest of the movie.
Budapest, by marielikestodraw on Tumblr
A couple of my favorites from the Memos From Fury Tumblr :))))) I LOVE THIS TUMBLR
Video:
Fun video featuring the badassness of Natasha. Unfortunately the clips are from a cam, which is to be expected given that the movie's still fairly new, but the music's soooooo appropriate.
Wow, that was so fun. More to come, I'm sure.
Totally random cuz I just saw it on Tumblr: Look how cute Emilia Clarke is as a natural brunette!! I didn't recognize her at first!
