The Dreamwidth Hideout

Updating my computer... Apparently trying to update 75 updates is impossible... So I'm trying to do it by fiscal quarters to make it more manageable...  It's slow going but once I'm done, it's onto 8.1, aka the bane of my existence the last few months.

 

This time I'm going to do it right... I mean, as much as it made my life so much more hard, it was a good update... They fixed a bunch of things that I didn't quite like in Win 8 so I do want it as it is supposed to work.

 

And hopefully when that works out (fingers crossed), I can finally work on getting all my programs back... I have so many... and once they're done, I can finally get rid of that huge Windows.old folder... (after I back it up, good thing I have a new external hard drive...)

 

I've been working on this for so long... I just want it to end...but I'll take slow and steady if that means no problems...

 

Why does it seem like I go through this every year? *sigh*

How to sum up my day?

 

I hate Stanford.

 

That is all.

I made hummus from scratch today. Just now in fact so it's really late night hummus. And while I generally make a lot of hummus, this time I went all the way and made it from dried chickpeas, a first for me.

 

One good thing about dried chickpeas? They're economical for one thing. For the price of a pound of dried chickpeas, I can make about three batches of hummus. That's less than what I usually pay for two cans, or two batches of hummus. And I can control the salt content. And then there's that pesky BPA thing that I always wonder if I should be concerned about...

 

But what's not so great about them? They take forever to cook. I soaked my dried chickpeas overnight (about 12 hours) and then I cooked them on low for 8 hours in a crockpot. I could have cooked them in a pot on the stove, but I didn't want to chance forgetting about them while they simmered for 3 hours...

 

I did a lot of researching online about how to cook them... Soak or no soak. Stove, crockpot, pressure cooker. Baking soda, no baking soda. Salt or no salt, that sort of thing. In the end I went with soaked in only water, clean water for cooking in the crockpot with both salt and baking soda. And I think it turned out well.

 

And then I made the hummus. When the chickpeas were done cooking, a lot of the skins were falling off and I thought about deskinning them. I heard that makes for a much more smooth, luxurious hummus but I felt lazy and didn't do it. I mean, I don't even do it for the canned so it's not like I'm typically used to deskinned chickpea hummus. But now I wonder...

 

Because I wan't using a single can of chickpeas, my measurements were a bit off the entire way through it. I used less garlic (I like a ton of garlic in my hummus) and less tahini. I was really timid with the seasoning and spices. And in the end I have this hummus that seems not what I'm used to. It's smooth and has the consistency I like but the mouthfeel is wrong. The flavor is wrong. It's just strange. And it's not like it's bad. It's just different.

 

It feels meatier, if that makes sense. It tastes heavier, and definitely nuttier. I think that's how chickpeas are supposed to taste but I can't say I've had a non-canned version of them before to compare it to. And my hummus is warm, which is definitely not what I'm used to. I heard chickpeas are better off warm when being mashed for hummus so I only allowed them to cook for a little bit before starting on the hummus. Maybe after I let it sit in the fridge overnight, it'll be better... The flavors will meld and it could be a completely different dish...

 

Usually my hummus is strong on the garlic and lemon. I also like a fair amount of cumin, less so on coriander. I try not to use too much olive oil since I like to drizzle it on top. Same with paprika, though there's always a little bit of both within the hummus. But this time I was afraid of going overboard and overwhelming the natural flavor of the chickpeas. But now I'm not sure I like the natural flavor of chickpeas! OTL

 

Oh well, even if I don't love it tomorrow, I already know I don't hate it today. And maybe the next batch will be more my style now that I've made it once. I still have plenty of chickpeas left...

Watching Darren do his acoustic set on Tuesday (via YouTube since I unfortunately don't live in LA) has made really realize how much I enjoy It's Over Now from Little White Lie.

I bought the track a while back as a way to use up some free Amazon MP3 credits even though I remembered it being overly processed and edited from the web series. It's Darren's voice since the guy in the show couldn't sing so they had to mask his natural voice to suit someone else's character.

But it's been playing on my Darren playlist and slowly, I've grown really into the lyrics. And hearing Darren sing it in his real voice? Forget about it! So incredibly yummy!

Now I just need an MP3 copy of it in his real voice. But to my knowledge, he's never recorded it and the only versions out there are from his live concerts... Now how do I go about finding a copy of the song, but with only a bare minimum of audience singing? Because from what I've seen, his lives seem to be a free for all when it comes to sing-a-longs... And his fans always sing. Always. Unless he asks them not to during Teenage Dream.

Damn, I dropped my phone and I managed to nick it on the touch screen... :(

 

It's rather noticeable, especially if you're looking for it and right now I'm always looking for it. :(

 

It really bums me out since I hate it when my stuff gets hurt or broken. Not to mention this phone isn't even half a year old yet... *sigh*

 

I guess it's not so bad on a dark background and only really apparent on a white background but still... It really bothers me and I don't like it...

 

Why did I have to drop my phone???

 

T_T

 

What a way to ring in the New Year... Should I take this as an omen?

Posted via LiveJournal app for Android.

I just tried the mobile version of LiveJournal on my phone and you know what? I think I prefer the actual website. I appreciated the idea of have a stripped down, smaller version of the site but really, it's easier reading things on my flist if I use the actual site. The mobile version has me expanding things all the time and clicking things (and it has ads!) and it annoys the hell out of me.

 

Well, the snow is really coming down now. It started off light and slow but it's not so much now. I love it but I suspect it'll be gone by this time tomorrow since it's supposed to change to rain in the morning...

 

Now I'm going to nap to try and ignore the fact that I'm freezing because there's no heat... I'm sorta watching River Monsters so hopefully I'll fall asleep with Jeremy Wade's voice in my head...

Posted via LiveJournal app for Android.

Appenently my vow to not watch or read spoilers completely comes unglued when it comes to Sectionals and a Kurt/Sebastian smackdown. And when it comes to Blaine.

 

Fail.

 

OTL

Posted via LiveJournal app for Android.

Damn you Sims Social for knowing my weak spot! I was quite happy mot playing you since I have no more free time but now you offer us a Japanese theme?! And a maneki neko?! Anyone who knows me knows I'm obsessed with maneki nekos!!!

 

Ugh, when am I going to be able to find enough time to pass this stupid Quest? :(

Posted via LiveJournal app for Android.

I woke up today feeling like crap but it seems like a common occurance now. *sigh*

 

And I found out that the East Coast is having a freak October snow storm. I'm so jealous now. Here it's deceptively sunny and clear that you almost don't notice the fact that it's freezing as hell. Except you do because it's really cold! If it's going to be this cold, I much rather be enjoying it with snow...

 

I think I'm going to spend the day lazing (lazying? Damn the lack of spellcheck on this app!) around. I'll watch some Merlin, play some FV, read lots of Kurt and Blaine fics... Eventually I'll have to hit Wal-Mart for some meds...if the store is going to be open 24 hours, I feel like the pharmacy should be opened late too... That would really help.

Posted via LiveJournal app for Android.

People think they're doing good by letting racists side is an okay action if they're doing for the greater good. I completely disagree with that line of thought. We keep letting them get away with thinking that if we know who we are inside but not flaunt it that we're just being practical, that we're grounded in reality because it's a cruel harsh world that we're living in that will not change through the efforts of one person.

Now I understand that and in some ways, I even agree to a certain point. But what I disagree is that one person may not be able to make a difference, but they certainly won't if they don't try and change people's perceptions. That makes you as bad as all the ignorant people out there because you're enabling them, allow them to think such behavior is okay. We can never get to a point where all people are treated fairly if these people within our group is silently validating these people's actions.

At best people are being ignorant when they say such things like "Where did you come from?" or "Your English is very good." But it's still offensive and it makes me like shit. I don't make assumptions that you weren't born in America or that you have crappy English so I'll thank you to have the same courtesy. Is that really so much to ask?

I really hate racist people. Ignorant people who don't realize they're being racist also bug me. But today, I'm more disappointed in people like my sister who doesn't seem to get that she's part of the problem. It's people like her that isolates and divides people more than they try to bring them togetherr. In her line of thought, the battle has alreay been lost and there's no point in trying to better things. Maybe there's no hope for my generation but refuse to be a party to destroying the hopre for future generations. Things have been getting better, we have made progress. I may not have made a sizable difference in this fight but I sure as hell refuse to condone the perpetuation of the status quo. If you're not part of the change, you're part of the problem. I've always believed that and never more than I do today.

Diana, she makes me want to weep. She'll never know how disappointed I am of her.

Posted via LiveJournal app for Android.