Worked Up Shan

I never thought I'd be a grownup, but I must be, now. I no longer rush for the funny page section of the newspaper. The comics just aren't funny. The real comedy gold usually happens in the letters to the editor, or in headlines mismatched with "local colour" photos.

Work was mostly ok tonight, but the last part of the shift was pretty harsh. It was nice to come home, eat supper, and watch Secretary--one of the few romance movies which I find enjoyable.

Lately, I've been reading two books. Charles Mackay's Extraordinary Popular Delusions & the Madness of Crowds (I'm currently on the section about the Crusades--the high point of the book, so far) by day, and Kajira Djoumahna's The Tribal Bible, Exploring The Phenomenon That Is American Tribal Style Bellydance by night. I find the former fascinating, and the latter inspiring.

I've also continued my daytime dance training, guided primarily as of late by Rachel Brice's Tribal Fusion - Yoga Isolations & Drills for Bellydance and Aruna's Dancer's Arms. I practice the former while I've got something balanced on my head to aid with my isolations, and the latter while watching both the television and my insufficient skinny mirror. I really need a bigger mirror. Sephira offered me one of her old studio mirrors. I think I'll take her up on it and find a place to put it on my wall. But first I think I need another wall....

Now, it's time to go to bed. Morning comes in just a few short hours.

I Make Good Pie

Guess what I'm making for the party tonight?

Here's the pumpkin pie recipe I developed:

ShanMonster's Pumpkin Pie of Delicious Doom

2 eggs
1/2 of a 796ml can of pumpkin purée
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup coconut milk
1 unbaked pie shell

Beat eggs in medium bowl. Add pumpkin, sugar, and spices, then stir until well combined. Blend in coconut milk. Pour filling in pie shell. Bake at 425 oven for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350 and bake 30-35 minutes or until knife inserted in centre comes out clean. Cool and eat!

Too Much Stuff!

Link dump time.

Nobuyoshi Araki photography: NSFW. Strong, startling imagery. I like.

Species Profile: European Beaver: Just your typical nature writeup, except that halfway down, you are informed that beavers were hunted almost to oblivion because their arse emits a substance which is really good for curing headaches.

Hetracil: Cure that pesky homosexuality with a pill.

Sam: World's Ugliest Dog: More pictures of that magnificent specimen of a Chinese Crested Hairless.

I want these stockings: Exhibit A and Exhibit B

She's Goth to Have It: Betty goes goth to catch Archie and Veronica's attention (thanks, g026r).

Remote Control Device 'Controls' Humans: Hmm (thanks, balthcat).

Christian group wants to 'redeem' US states: I feel for you if you live in South Carolina.

Unicorns: Incomprehensible gamer folk-rock music video.

The Man Who Would Murder Death: "A rogue researcher challenges scientists to reverse human aging" (thanks, Rev. Dead Corpse).

Do You Know What You're Looking At? NSFW.

Open House and Dedication of Unique Sculpture to be Hosted by Department of Mathematics on 21 October: Art coalesces with science to show "the three-dimensional 'shadow' of a four-dimensional solid object."

Guess What I Did Today?

( Here's a photo essay showing what happened. )