I spent yesterday riding the rails to Portland and back with some writer friends. We secured ourselves a table both southbound and northbound, and so were able to spend the better part of 6+ hours just writing, writing, writing while the train whisked us to our destinations.
Once in Portland, first thing to do was have brunch/lunch, so we made our way to Mother's Bistro where the wait was long but the food was oh so good! When a place is jam packed with locals, you know it must be good.
No trip to the City of Roses would be complete without stopping at VooDoo Doughnut for a bacon maple bar. Fortunately, we happened to hit there between rushes, so our wait was not too long and the bacon maple bars were still ample. (They often run out as it is a particularly popular item, and rightly so!)
Then it was time for our pilgrimage to Mecca, i.e. Powell's Books. Set four avid readers/writers loose in Powell's and just get out of the way. It's the only safe choice. ;) After checking our computer bags and our donuts, we set to work scouring the city-block-sized building for all the best bookish treasures one could hope for.
Then we stopped for a pint in a quiet, lovely pub--I believe it was called The Fox and Hounds--near the train station, and back we went northbound, computers out, fingers flying over the keyboards as the train took us home once more.
Even more than being a wonderful chance to buckle down and write like a fiend with very few distractions, it was wonderful to have a day out with great friends in a fun city. It's hard to beat that sort of weekend adventure. :)
16 November 2009
13 November 2009
Friday Quizzage
I do occasionally paint my toenails for a bellydance show or something, but I've never painted them this color. Might be a fun change.
I also may have posted this quiz before, but it's the one I was in the mood for so there ya go. :-)
Your Toes Should Be White |
 A little funky and a little fresh, you're constantly evolving your flirting style. Your ideal guy: A witty brainiac with hottie potential Stay away from: Overly dorky guys who become obsessed with you |
I also may have posted this quiz before, but it's the one I was in the mood for so there ya go. :-)
31 October 2009
Halloween Quizzage Finale!
So it's Saturday. We can still have a quiz, right? Right!
You Should Be a Mermaid for Halloween |
 According to our quiz, you'd make an ideal mermaid. Your runner up costume: Geisha |
Blogthings: Quizzes and Tests and Memes, Oh My!
Hope everyone has an enjoyable Halloween!
Blessed Samhain to all my fellow pagans out there. :-D
Blessed Samhain to all my fellow pagans out there. :-D
30 October 2009
Friday Quizzage - Halloween Edition 3 + a recipe!
I don't know that this is terribly accurate, but it's a great excuse to post a recipe. :-D
Pumpkin Bread
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup pumpkin
1/3 cup water
1 1/4 cup AP flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp nutmet
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup raisins
(I, of course, feel that there is something inherently evil in a baked raisin, so I substituted 1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts.)
Mix sugar and oil. Add eggs, pupkin, and water.
Sift dry ingredients together; add to pumpking mixture. Blend well.
Stir in raisins. (Or nuts. Or nothing.)
Pour into greased 9"x5" loaf pan. Bake at 350F for 1 hour or until done. Remove from pan and cool on wire rack.
You Are Pumpkin Bread |
 You are considerate and generous. Your heart warms when you're able to do something unexpectedly nice for someone else. You know it can be a cold world out there, and you have plenty of happiness to spread around. You try to give as much as possible every day, and you know that small acts of kindness can often mean the much. Whether you're being a good listener or sharing a slice of your pumpkin bread, people feel lucky to be able to count on you. |
Pumpkin Bread
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup pumpkin
1/3 cup water
1 1/4 cup AP flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp nutmet
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup raisins
(I, of course, feel that there is something inherently evil in a baked raisin, so I substituted 1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts.)
Mix sugar and oil. Add eggs, pupkin, and water.
Sift dry ingredients together; add to pumpking mixture. Blend well.
Stir in raisins. (Or nuts. Or nothing.)
Pour into greased 9"x5" loaf pan. Bake at 350F for 1 hour or until done. Remove from pan and cool on wire rack.
23 October 2009
Friday Quizzage - Halloween Edition 2
We'll that's not right. I'm much witchier than they think I am.
You Are 45% Witch |
 It's unlikely that you're a witch. At least, no one thinks you are. You may still be interested in witchcraft, but you're by no means a stereotypical witch. While you don't seem all that witchy, people may think you're a bit weird. You're definitely a little offbeat. No one really knows what to make of you sometimes. |
16 October 2009
Friday Quizzage - Halloween Edition
You Are Candy Corn |
 Your Halloween personality is whimsical, colorful, and creative. You see Halloween as a time to get your creative juices flowing. Each year, Halloween can't start soon enough for you. You tend to go all out for Halloween. You decorate like crazy and always dress up. |
13 October 2009
New Anthology Short Story
I signed another contract with Torquere today! Short story for a magic-themed anthology. It's m/m/f, rather than m/m, which was a fun change and challenge. I haven't a clue when it's coming out, and I don't actually have a title for the story yet (How lame is that?), but it's written and the contract is signed so we're well on our way.
The excerpt isn't officially edited yet, but we can all live with that for now, yes? Good! ;-)
Blurb:
Isaac and his husband Rhys are delighted when Noula Tuomi arrives in town. Noula and Isaac have been close friends and lovers for many years, and when Rhys became a part of Isaac's life, she embraced him and his relationship to her old friend without hesitation. Now, the three share company and comfort whenever she's in town. As with every visit, Isaac hopes that she'll decide stay. But Noula is a Wand'ring Minstrel. Some Minstrels do retire and some do settle down, but will Noula? And will it be this time? Each of the trio privately ponders this question, but even these heavy thoughts can't detract from their enjoyment of one another and the magic that Noula brings.
Excerpt:
Putting such heavy thoughts aside, Rhys let himself relax into the music.
He didn't know the song she played, but it hardly mattered. Noula's music was...enchanting. The notes intertwined like a tapestry growing on the loom of a master weaver. Complex, subtle, haunting. Beautiful. He'd listened closely to every Wand'ring Minstrel he had ever come across--here in Yanto, back in Western Zephren, and everywhere in between--and no one he had heard could do what Noula could do. And with such a deceptively simple instrument as a recorder.
Simple. There was nothing simple about what was happening. Colors and light that had nothing to do with the candle lanterns began to swirl slowly around the edges of his vision. Rhys sighed and leaned into his husband, resting his head on Isaac's strong shoulder. Isaac reached an arm around him, kissed him on the top of his head. For that suspended moment, everything was perfect in Rhys' world.
Subtly, the tone of the music changed. Where before it had buoyed him on pillows of flannel stuffed with the softest down, now it grew sleeker and less cozy, and yet no less welcoming. He floated on the melody, rich as silk, spicy as cinnamon, and exotic as the island paradise Noula had spoken of earlier. The music flowed over his skin and into his blood, warming it from within. The heat grew and centered itself quite deliciously in his groin, and he grew hard.
Isaac's arm around him squeezed a little tighter, and Rhys opened eyes he hadn't realized had fallen shut. The colors he had seen in the room had continued behind his eyelids, and now, as he opened them, those swirls and eddies of rainbow light were there with him in the room again, too. He turned his head and looked deep into his husband's jet black eyes, sparkling like obsidian with every flicker of light. He didn't have to look down, or reach out a hand to know that Isaac felt what he felt. Craved what he craved.
Together, they turned and looked at Noula. She played on, but a knowing and eager twinkle was in her eyes.
Wordless and as one, the three of them rose from the table and headed for the ladder to the sleeping loft. Noula played the men up, bringing the tune to a suspended end as they reached the top. Pocketing her recorder, she climbed up after them, humming as she came.
*****
The excerpt isn't officially edited yet, but we can all live with that for now, yes? Good! ;-)
Blurb:
Isaac and his husband Rhys are delighted when Noula Tuomi arrives in town. Noula and Isaac have been close friends and lovers for many years, and when Rhys became a part of Isaac's life, she embraced him and his relationship to her old friend without hesitation. Now, the three share company and comfort whenever she's in town. As with every visit, Isaac hopes that she'll decide stay. But Noula is a Wand'ring Minstrel. Some Minstrels do retire and some do settle down, but will Noula? And will it be this time? Each of the trio privately ponders this question, but even these heavy thoughts can't detract from their enjoyment of one another and the magic that Noula brings.
Excerpt:
Putting such heavy thoughts aside, Rhys let himself relax into the music.
He didn't know the song she played, but it hardly mattered. Noula's music was...enchanting. The notes intertwined like a tapestry growing on the loom of a master weaver. Complex, subtle, haunting. Beautiful. He'd listened closely to every Wand'ring Minstrel he had ever come across--here in Yanto, back in Western Zephren, and everywhere in between--and no one he had heard could do what Noula could do. And with such a deceptively simple instrument as a recorder.
Simple. There was nothing simple about what was happening. Colors and light that had nothing to do with the candle lanterns began to swirl slowly around the edges of his vision. Rhys sighed and leaned into his husband, resting his head on Isaac's strong shoulder. Isaac reached an arm around him, kissed him on the top of his head. For that suspended moment, everything was perfect in Rhys' world.
Subtly, the tone of the music changed. Where before it had buoyed him on pillows of flannel stuffed with the softest down, now it grew sleeker and less cozy, and yet no less welcoming. He floated on the melody, rich as silk, spicy as cinnamon, and exotic as the island paradise Noula had spoken of earlier. The music flowed over his skin and into his blood, warming it from within. The heat grew and centered itself quite deliciously in his groin, and he grew hard.
Isaac's arm around him squeezed a little tighter, and Rhys opened eyes he hadn't realized had fallen shut. The colors he had seen in the room had continued behind his eyelids, and now, as he opened them, those swirls and eddies of rainbow light were there with him in the room again, too. He turned his head and looked deep into his husband's jet black eyes, sparkling like obsidian with every flicker of light. He didn't have to look down, or reach out a hand to know that Isaac felt what he felt. Craved what he craved.
Together, they turned and looked at Noula. She played on, but a knowing and eager twinkle was in her eyes.
Wordless and as one, the three of them rose from the table and headed for the ladder to the sleeping loft. Noula played the men up, bringing the tune to a suspended end as they reached the top. Pocketing her recorder, she climbed up after them, humming as she came.
*****
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