five questions
Oct. 30th, 2018 04:01 amFrom ![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
ursula. I get out of the habit of writing entries, and memes help get back into it. If you want questions, ask.
1. What is something you miss about Philadelphia?
There's a line of trees in front of the Bryn Mawr student center, used to be, anyway, and I assume there still is-- flowering plum interspersed with cherry. Every spring I'd go out while the blossom was setting and walk around barefoot for a while under the trees. There is nothing quite like walking barefoot on flower petals when they have fallen so thickly that they really are the major surface.
It turns out that this is not an easily duplicated experience, because it takes the correct mix of flowering trees, and the correct climate such that the ground isn't either frozen or muck, and the correct mix of public and private so it's reasonable to be barefoot in the area. I have come close to it a few times, but never the same, and I have considerable hiraeth for it whenever the cherry-blossoms set.
2. Tell us about a thing you made recently.
There hasn't been much. My health has not been good, and between mid-August and early October there was so much Major Life Stuff that no one in my family had time to sit down. (Mostly good, just very hectic.) I miss having the energy to cook, and I miss having time to knit. I've been writing reviews, I guess? I have caught a lot of Pokemon. We have a happy healthy child, though I take limited responsibility in that direction.
3. What is your favorite frozen dessert?
Baked Alaska, but I don't get it often. I made it once, withsovay and my friend T., from T.'s grandfather's cookbook (he is a famous food writer). We used Earl Grey ice cream from Toscanini's for a large baking dish and khulfi for a small uncaffeinated version and it was basically perfect. It is not a small job, though.
4. Unicorns, mermaids, or none of the above?
More often mermaids, because unicorns have a tendency to go Lisa Frank, which I find aggravating. Peter S. Beagle-style unicorns, or Cloisters-tapestry unicorns, sure. But more often mermaids, because even if they've been done as nauseatingly cute they don't tip over into twee nearly as easily.
In fact, though, and under all circumstances, sphinxes.
5. Tell us about an unexpected app on your phone or paper on your desk.
... I caved while traveling earlier in the summer and downloaded Lyft. Because it was either do that, wait like two hours for a taxi which might not actually deign to show up, or walk an unsustainable amount of distance in an unfamiliar city very late at night. I Googled 'ethical rideshare service [name of city I was in]' and came up bupkis. Having the Lyft app then proceeded to save me a great deal of time and effort when I got stranded in small-town Vermont on my way to Montreal last month, as the town was too small to have an actual taxi service. Since it saved me vast quantities of time, energy, and probably money twice in six weeks, I am reluctant to delete it, and at least Lyft is vaguely less evil than Uber. I have a forty-five minute rant about why Uber needs to be regulated severely, and if that puts them out of business, well golly gee whiz I guess they couldn't afford to run a cab company. Eighty percent of the rant also applies to Lyft, but at least Lyft doesn't go around acting like the sort of villain who monologues and twirls mustaches. There is so much Snidely Whiplash going on at Uber.
Recommendations for ethical ride-sharing services cheerfully accepted, as the Boston-area taxi-medallion racket also leaves much to be desired. Though it's still preferable to Uber, as are walking, not going, and literally setting fire to a small amount of money instead.
ursula. I get out of the habit of writing entries, and memes help get back into it. If you want questions, ask. 1. What is something you miss about Philadelphia?
There's a line of trees in front of the Bryn Mawr student center, used to be, anyway, and I assume there still is-- flowering plum interspersed with cherry. Every spring I'd go out while the blossom was setting and walk around barefoot for a while under the trees. There is nothing quite like walking barefoot on flower petals when they have fallen so thickly that they really are the major surface.
It turns out that this is not an easily duplicated experience, because it takes the correct mix of flowering trees, and the correct climate such that the ground isn't either frozen or muck, and the correct mix of public and private so it's reasonable to be barefoot in the area. I have come close to it a few times, but never the same, and I have considerable hiraeth for it whenever the cherry-blossoms set.
2. Tell us about a thing you made recently.
There hasn't been much. My health has not been good, and between mid-August and early October there was so much Major Life Stuff that no one in my family had time to sit down. (Mostly good, just very hectic.) I miss having the energy to cook, and I miss having time to knit. I've been writing reviews, I guess? I have caught a lot of Pokemon. We have a happy healthy child, though I take limited responsibility in that direction.
3. What is your favorite frozen dessert?
Baked Alaska, but I don't get it often. I made it once, with
sovay and my friend T., from T.'s grandfather's cookbook (he is a famous food writer). We used Earl Grey ice cream from Toscanini's for a large baking dish and khulfi for a small uncaffeinated version and it was basically perfect. It is not a small job, though.4. Unicorns, mermaids, or none of the above?
More often mermaids, because unicorns have a tendency to go Lisa Frank, which I find aggravating. Peter S. Beagle-style unicorns, or Cloisters-tapestry unicorns, sure. But more often mermaids, because even if they've been done as nauseatingly cute they don't tip over into twee nearly as easily.
In fact, though, and under all circumstances, sphinxes.
5. Tell us about an unexpected app on your phone or paper on your desk.
... I caved while traveling earlier in the summer and downloaded Lyft. Because it was either do that, wait like two hours for a taxi which might not actually deign to show up, or walk an unsustainable amount of distance in an unfamiliar city very late at night. I Googled 'ethical rideshare service [name of city I was in]' and came up bupkis. Having the Lyft app then proceeded to save me a great deal of time and effort when I got stranded in small-town Vermont on my way to Montreal last month, as the town was too small to have an actual taxi service. Since it saved me vast quantities of time, energy, and probably money twice in six weeks, I am reluctant to delete it, and at least Lyft is vaguely less evil than Uber. I have a forty-five minute rant about why Uber needs to be regulated severely, and if that puts them out of business, well golly gee whiz I guess they couldn't afford to run a cab company. Eighty percent of the rant also applies to Lyft, but at least Lyft doesn't go around acting like the sort of villain who monologues and twirls mustaches. There is so much Snidely Whiplash going on at Uber.
Recommendations for ethical ride-sharing services cheerfully accepted, as the Boston-area taxi-medallion racket also leaves much to be desired. Though it's still preferable to Uber, as are walking, not going, and literally setting fire to a small amount of money instead.
