Lounge II (The Lounge Strikes Back)

[Robinski]

9 hours ago, Snakenaps said:

But I love haggis

Excellent! If you ever get to Scotland, you'll need to try Irn-Bru, our 'other national drink', and you can compare tasting notes with @Mandamon  

Hey look, Mandamon, the US importer is 'local'!!

[Emi]

Hi everyone here! I decided to join this topic!
Somehow, because I'm bored

9 hours ago, Snakenaps said:

I immediately like your spouse because 1) Star Wars and 2) Legos. 

What's nice about small houses is that you have less to clean! 

Yes. And what's not nice is that now, during quarantine you REALLY feel this littleness

[Mandamon]

4 hours ago, Robinski said:

Hey look, Mandamon, the US importer is 'local'!!

Oh no! I'll be sure to steer clear... ;-)

[Robinski]

1 hour ago, Emi said:

Hi everyone here!

Hi, Emi 

[shatteredsmooth]

8 hours ago, Snakenaps said:

What's nice about small houses is that you have less to clean! 

Yes! I can barely keep up with my seven hundred and something square feet. I can't imagine having a house two or three times that size. It also limits my ability to accumulate random things. It's also cheap to heat, now that is has insulation. 

Of course, the house may grow sooner or later...probably sooner, because we can't go on vacation and my spouse keeps maxing out his PTO, and we've mostly finished renovating the existing structure. We've been talking about building a second bathroom on top of the existing bathroom for a few  years. It might happen this spring. 

Currently, our only bathroom is downstairs, and it's a bump out, basically in the 40s or 50s, someone replaced part of a wrap around enclosed porch with a bathroom. So we want to put a bathroom and a closet on top of it. Currently there is NOT A CLOSET in my bed room. 

But the house is lake front, with its own little beach, so who needs closets when you have a lake...

 

 

[Silk]

On 5/8/2020 at 7:46 AM, Snakenaps said:

I've put you in my calendar! It'll be fun to prepare for DnD while listening to jazz! I've never participated on a Facebook livestream, only Instagram, but it can't be that hard. 

Oh, well thank you! The above post is actually from a couple of weeks ago now, so that particular livestream is now behind me. That said, the video is still up on my Facebook page, so prepping for D&D while listening to jazz is still an option! And, I'll be doing monthly livestreams throughout the summer. More focused on my usual fare, singer-songwriter type music, although it's me, so there WILL still be jazz.

I went with Facebook Live rather than Instagram Live because I read somewhere that you can only view Instagram live on mobile so I thought Facebook would be easier. I really have no  idea though. Complete neophyte here.

17 hours ago, Robinski said:

Excellent! If you ever get to Scotland, you'll need to try Irn-Bru, our 'other national drink', and you can compare tasting notes with @Mandamon  

If you ever do this, @Snakenaps, I request the video footage.

13 hours ago, Emi said:

Hi everyone here! I decided to join this topic!

Hello!

[Snakenaps]

2 minutes ago, Silk said:

Oh, well thank you! The above post is actually from a couple of weeks ago now, so that particular livestream is now behind me. That said, the video is still up on my Facebook page, so prepping for D&D while listening to jazz is still an option! And, I'll be doing monthly livestreams throughout the summer. More focused on my usual fare, singer-songwriter type music, although it's me, so there WILL still be jazz.

This is what I get for not checking the date of a post... lesson learned  I love all sorts of music, but there is something especially lively yet calming about jazz. 

17 hours ago, Robinski said:

Excellent! If you ever get to Scotland, you'll need to try Irn-Bru, our 'other national drink', and you can compare tasting notes with @Mandamon  

Unfortunately, I don't think I tried Irn-Bru when I was in Edinburgh...probably because I was drinking quite a lot of Guiness...I definitely learned how to like beer in Edinburgh. I'm so disappointed that I visited when I was too young to appreciate scotch. We tutored Glenkinchie Distillery when we went there in 2017, and the tutor guide had a good natured laugh as I choked on my mere sip of scotch. Scotland is definitely on my "To Return To" list. If I had to pick between Edinburgh and Rome, I'd be hard pressed to choose, and that says something, because I took six years of Latin lessons. 

13 hours ago, Emi said:

Hi everyone here! I decided to join this topic!

Hi Emi!!! Welcome!

12 hours ago, shatteredsmooth said:

I can barely keep up with my seven hundred and something square feet.

I've got 825 square feet that will be aaaallll miiiiine come July once my roommate moves out. I'm making her room into a library/Breyer room. The bonus of not having a partner or spouse is that I get to spread out without competition once my roomie leaves. 

I can keep it clean most of the time because 1) roomie sleeps when she isn't working and 2) I pretty much live at my desk. But I wish the dishes would disappear. 

12 hours ago, shatteredsmooth said:

Of course, the house may grow sooner or later...probably sooner, because we can't go on vacation and my spouse keeps maxing out his PTO, and we've mostly finished renovating the existing structure. We've been talking about building a second bathroom on top of the existing bathroom for a few  years. It might happen this spring.

Oh man, renovating a house seems like so much work, so much money, and such a learning curve, but I can't wait for the point in my life where I get to make something my own. Mad jealous. If I could just paint one wall in this apartment, I would be so happy. At least I have the life-size cardboard horse head! What was your favorite renovation project? 

12 hours ago, shatteredsmooth said:

But the house is lake front, with its own little beach, so who needs closets when you have a lake...

Oooooooh, so jealous!!! I grew up with a three acre pond and I miss it so much. Of course, we didn't have a beach, because 1) the wild pigs would destroy it and 2) our cats would have used anything left over as a litter box.

Do you fish??? Canoe??? Kayak??? Swim??? Boat around??? Float around??? Simply enjoy the beauty of the lake???

[shatteredsmooth]

1 hour ago, Snakenaps said:

2) our cats would have used anything left over as a litter box.

The five or six outdoor cats in the neighbor do use the beach as a litter box. The dogs are always cleaning up after the cat, and then think I'm going to let them lick my face. 

1 hour ago, Snakenaps said:

At least I have the life-size cardboard horse head! What was your favorite renovation project? 

They all blur together...we basically rebuilt the house from the inside out. My spouse did a lot more than me. However, I can say with 100% certainty that my absolute least favorite was the insulation. I will be happy if I never insulate another wall in my life. 

I did like demolition, specifically ripping the bathroom apart before we actually moved in. There is something very cathartic about sledge hammers and crow bars. I also liked finding things in the walls, like letters, bottles, and a chipmunk skeleton. To be honest, sometimes I wish we actually hired contractors to do more than just the plumbing and foundation repair...

1 hour ago, Snakenaps said:

Oh man, renovating a house seems like so much work, so much money, and such a learning curve

Too much work, in my opinion though DIY was a lot cheaper than hiring contractors would've been. 

1 hour ago, Snakenaps said:

Do you fish??? Canoe??? Kayak??? Swim??? Boat around??? Float around??? Simply enjoy the beauty of the lake???

The dog fishes. I don't. I kayak, swim, float, and boat when the engine decides to start. Some years the boat is more cooperative than others. Last year it ran well until it broke down in the annual boat parade. Most winters I get to ice skate at least once, but this year I didn't. 100% to the last thing. 

 

Edited May 10, 2020 by shatteredsmooth

[shatteredsmooth]

 

15 hours ago, Emi said:

Yes. And what's not nice is that now, during quarantine you REALLY feel this littleness

Hi Emi ! Welcome! 

Yes, that is true. Especially when it snows and May and it's too cold for me to write on the porch. 

[Emi]

57 minutes ago, shatteredsmooth said:

 

Hi Emi ! Welcome! 

Yes, that is true. Especially when it snows and May and it's too cold for me to write on the porch. 

You had SNOW over there?

I'm not very far from you and we almoust hadn't any winter here. No snow and average temperature was 10 Celsius degrees.

[shatteredsmooth]

2 minutes ago, Emi said:

You had SNOW over there?

 

Today? Yes. It didn't stick, but it snowed for most of the morning. I don't normally get snow in May. But in the winter, there is plenty. This year was light on snow, but we definitely had some. 

6 minutes ago, Emi said:

I'm not very far from you and we almoust hadn't any winter here. No snow and average temperature was 10 Celsius degrees.

Well, I'm guessing we live in different countries since you're using Celsius.  

[Emi]

3 minutes ago, shatteredsmooth said:

Well, I'm guessing we live in different countries since you're using Celsius.  

True. I live in Poland, but normally there should be snow. Unfortunately global warming is getting stronger

Edited May 10, 2020 by Emi

[Robinski]

19 hours ago, Snakenaps said:

If I had to pick between Edinburgh and Rome, I'd be hard pressed to choose, and that says something, because I took six years of Latin lessons.

Well, as a Glaswegian, given the choice between Edinburgh and Rome, I'd pick Rome, obviously, and I've been there twice already  

[Snakenaps]

57 minutes ago, Robinski said:

Well, as a Glaswegian, given the choice between Edinburgh and Rome, I'd pick Rome, obviously, and I've been there twice already  

Deeply jealous. There was so much I didn't see while I was in Rome. My parents have been multiple times, and they always come back with new stories. I miss Italian pizza with arugula/rocket on it. I haven't been able to find the same taste here, and my homemade pizza has the consistency of chewy garlic sticks. What was your favorite part of Rome? Have you traveled anywhere else?

One day I'll return to Europe...not right now, but in the future. Still too many places I have never been. Too much that I still want to see. I've traveled more than many, but that just makes me ready to hop into the next adventure. 

Maybe I'll finally start seeing more of my own country with all of this insanity...I mean, I live in California but have never been to Powell's bookstore in Portland, Pike's Marketplace in Seattle, or the Grand Canyon in Arizona. Maybe next summer I'll change some of that. 

[kais]

21 minutes ago, Snakenaps said:

Powell's bookstore in Portland

I live near Portland, so if you do head this way, drop me a note!

[Snakenaps]

21 minutes ago, kais said:

I live near Portland, so if you do head this way, drop me a note!

I'd love to do that! My grandparents moved up to Oregon just before all this hit, so now I have three reasons to visit! Them, you, and books! 

[shatteredsmooth]

3 hours ago, Snakenaps said:

I miss Italian pizza with arugula/rocket on it. I haven't been able to find the same taste here, and my homemade pizza has the consistency of chewy garlic sticks.

Oooh that sounds yummy! 

 

[Snakenaps]

Just now, shatteredsmooth said:

Oooh that sounds yummy! 

 

Dude, Italian style pizza is so delicious. The crust is thin and crunchy, there's just the right amount of sauce and cheese, and then you put arugula/rocket on it with prosciutto??? It's to die for.

Now, my homemade pizza? That's pretty much just weird garlicy dough covered in way too much cheese and whatever toppings I have on hand. I love love love cheese. 

[JWerner]

My email appears to have stopped receiving stories from this group after the end of December. I'm guessing that's because I haven't participated here in a while; I'm worried I won't receive the batch of stories for this week. Is there something I need to do on my end to make sure I receive the submissions? 

[Silk]

2 minutes ago, JWerner said:

My email appears to have stopped receiving stories from this group after the end of December. I'm guessing that's because I haven't participated here in a while; I'm worried I won't receive the batch of stories for this week. Is there something I need to do on my end to make sure I receive the submissions? 

DM me your email again and I'll add you back on the list! I do a semi-regular cleanup and that probably did happen about December last year.

[Robinski]

8 hours ago, Snakenaps said:

What was your favorite part of Rome? Have you traveled anywhere else?

It has to be the historical buildings. They are just everywhere in the centre, of course. Just turning a corner and there is Trajan's Column, or some substantial, sunken ruin of a hall or temple. The chapels and the squares, the Palatine Hill next to the Colosseum. And yes, the food. Last time we were there we found a restaurant near the Trevi Fountain called Il Chianti, which was fantastic. That trip we toured around Milan, Bologna, Rome and Venice by train for three weeks.

We love Paris probably more than any European city we have visited to date. I think it's 6 or 7 times now. Berlin we've been once and that was amazing. Totally want to go back So, so hot though--it was May, I think. Been to Nice in the south of France a couple of times, and I've seen Bordeaux.

Brussels was interesting. That was a one night stop on the way to Berlin. We toured around Andalusia in southern Spain. That was a great trip, visiting relatives. As a child my family visited Copenhagen, and stayed on a Danish farm. Seefeld in Austria for a weeks skiing, and I've toured through Switzerland by train in my youth.

Canada a bunch of times, as my wife is from B.C. We drove across the country from Toronto to Vancouver one year: 3,500 miles in three weeks.

In the US, Florida, Montana, Idaho, Washington state and Hawai'i for the 1991 total solar eclipse. That was an incredible trip.

And Dublin was our most recent European trip. That's a place I would love to go back to, but it won't be the same without WorldCon!!

[shatteredsmooth]

19 hours ago, Snakenaps said:

Now, my homemade pizza? That's pretty much just weird garlicy dough covered in way too much cheese and whatever toppings I have on hand. I love love love cheese. 

All the talk about pizza yesterday...I needed pizza.

I have never made good pizza dough, probably because I suck at following recipe. However, my spouse has spent a lot of quarantine researching all things related to bread and pizza. The dough is actually made from a baguette recipe. I did the sauce, which involved thawing frozen sauce cubes I made last summer with my tomatoes. 

[Snakenaps]

1 minute ago, shatteredsmooth said:

All the talk about pizza yesterday...I needed pizza.

I have never made good pizza dough, probably because I suck at following recipe. However, my spouse has spent a lot of quarantine researching all things related to bread and pizza. The dough is actually made from a baguette recipe. I did the sauce, which involved thawing frozen sauce cubes I made last summer with my tomatoes. 

YUM!!!!

I DO have experience making baguettes...I've never thought to turn it into pizza dough. Would you mind asking your spouse what he/she did to the baguette recipe to make it work for pizza? I've used pastry dough to make Georgian cheese bread, which kinda ends up like sauceless pizza quiches. 

Also...is that bacon I see??? 

[Robinski]

That looks like a classy pizza right there. The base looks really crispy. Kudos, @shatteredsmooth and spouse!

[shatteredsmooth]

58 minutes ago, Snakenaps said:

I DO have experience making baguettes...I've never thought to turn it into pizza dough. Would you mind asking your spouse what he/she did to the baguette recipe to make it work for pizza? I've used pastry dough to make Georgian cheese bread, which kinda ends up like sauceless pizza quiches. 

 

He said it was the exact same recipe but instead of shaping it like a baguette, he shaped it in a disc and let it sit on the counter for an hour, then stretched it. Oven is at 500 F. The pizza stone is on the bottom rack. 

The cookbook  he got that recipe from had multiple baguette recipes and I think this is the only one it suggested using for pizza dough. But I'll double check, and ask which book it is, because he has a lot of bread related cookbooks.