Categories
favorite things food texas

Sheet Caking

I sheet caked last weekend, but it sounds like another sheet caking weekend is in the cards!

The Texas sheet cake is my go-to cake, as I always seem to have the ingredients for it on hand. I have a half-size jelly roll pan that I acquired at some point in college. (Probably my mom gave it to me? Because only sad single people need half-size jelly roll pans? 😛 Seriously, though, its also the perfect size for couples who, uh, something something no grand babies.)

Anyway, all that to say that I usually cut this recipe in half, because half is the perfect amount for 1 or 2 people. And this recipe lends itself nicely to that.

There’s no flouring involved! Just a little spray buttering!

And then … you boil the ingredients on the stove, so that’s a little weird.

But the cake is baked in 22 minutes! 5 minutes before the cake comes out, start the frosting. Which you also boil on the stove, but you’re a pro at that now.

As soon as the cake comes out, pour the frosting on it.

Wait 5 minutes. And then enjoy. 🙂

Happy sheet caking, everyone!

Categories
life money work

The way it really happened

The husband posted yesterday about how he launched his novel-writing career. (I hope it’s a career! Fingers crossed!) But, he didn’t quite get our conversation right.

The real conversation:

TH: I don’t want to work any more. [Manly pout.] I want to write a book.

ME: MmHmmmm. [Log into YNAB.]

TH: Complain, complain, complain …

ME: Yeah, it sucks. [Run some reports in YNAB.]

TH: I’ve always wanted to write a book, I’ve started so many.

ME: Yeah, I want to know how the cable guy one ends. You stopped just when it got good. [Budget analysis in YNAB.]

TH: Retirement’s so far away, I wish I didn’t have to wait.

ME: Can you do it in 6 months?

TH: Can I .. what? Write a book in 6 months?

ME: Yeah, can you write a book in 6 months?

TH: I don’t … Probably? Probably, yeah.

ME: Ok, let’s do it. You have 6 months. But that’s all, you’ll need to go back to work after 6 months.

TH: Wait, you mean just … quit my job and write a book?

ME: Yeah. But only for 6 months. That’s when the savings runs out.

TH: Really? You mean for real?

ME: Yeah. But not forever, ok? Just, you know. 6 months.

TH: [Manly cartwheel.]

Ok, ok, so maybe that’s not how it really, really happened. I don’t know that there was any pouting and there probably weren’t any cartwheels. Probably. But, in any event, it all came from a place of careful calculation … not from anything like a ‘heart’. I’m not so noble or generous as the husband’s post would imply. But, I suppose, that’s the novelists’ prerogative.

Categories
favorite things knitting

Found it!

The Find Your Fade craze took the knitting world by storm, and I was not immune. I loved it the moment I saw it, and even though I live in Texas, I needed one.

But … you live in Texas! I hear you exclaim, in shock. Yes, I do live in Texas, so I don’t need an enormous scarf, a blanket to wrap around my neck to endure a long winter. But what I do need is a blanket I can wear to endure the AC. The AC that is always just a few degrees cooler than I’d prefer.

It took months to find the perfect yarn, and then months to find the knitting time to start, and then months to finish the thing, but it is finally done. My very own Fade. It has been found.

Categories
life travel

Travelled out

I would have told you it was impossible for me to get tired of traveling, but I think it has finally happened.

In the past 12 months, we have been to Idaho (wedding!), Orlando (Disney!), DC 3 times, Houston 9 times, Ireland, Utah (wedding! and BFFs!) and Vegas. And then I went on two knitting retreats and to a knitting conference. And Josh had a guys weekend.

The crazy thing is, we didn’t even really intend for this to be a year in which we saw all the things in all the places. And ensured our cat sitter could pay all her bills.

First up, we suddenly had a wedding to attend! Mormons tend to have short engagements, and the sister did not disappoint on that front. So to Idaho we went. A welcome reprieve from the brutal San Antonio summer and also a wedding! A quick but lovely trip.

And then, Disney World. A friend had called up that spring to ask if we’d like to go to Disney with them, and at first I was all, meh, we were just there last year and we were thinking about going to Ireland anyway. And then she said they’d be staying in a Polynesian Bungalow, and I was like, oh, keep talking, and then I googled it and said OMG we are THERE. If anybody ever invites you to stay in a Polynesian Bungalow with them you say YES. And then you become BFFs for life. With matching Mickey tattoos. (Just kidding. We stayed at the Polynesian, have you been paying attention? She got a Lilo tattoo, mine’s a Stitch.)

And then DC – should be exciting, but that was just for work. Staying in a hotel, working long days, no site seeing. Nothing to report there.

And all the Houston! The husband’s mother moved to Kuala Lumpur earlier this year, so we had a few trips to see her before she left. Kuala Lumpur, MALAYSIA. Like on the other side of the world. And then the husband’s sister had a baby! So there were baby showers and a false alarm and the real alarm to attend to. Yay for babies!

And Ireland!! We’d been thinking about it for awhile and just took the plunge one day and booked the trip, before we’d had allll the other things on our schedule. An amazing trip, for sure, but it ended up being crammed in the middle of a year of utter madness. 10/10 would recommend Ireland. Muuuuch better food than their English neighbors.

And then b3 got engaged! With another short engagement! So to Utah we went, which had the added benefit of letting us hang out with our BFFs who left us. Not the Disney ones, but our crazy nerdy gaming ones who introduced us to a whole new world of games and then MOVED out of the STATE so now we have NO ONE to play with. Ok, so maybe that’s an exaggeration, but in any event, it was fun to see them and introduce THEM to Mysterium. And we played another Time Stories expansion! And also there was a wedding, blah blah, it was beautiful, one of the best I’ve been to, blah blah, mazel tov! (Just kidding, I adore my new sister in law, I’ve had to stop myself from inviting them to visit San Antonio over and over again, I mean I’ve already issued an open invitation and I don’t want her to know I’m a crazy person just yet. Hmm, it just dawned on me that she’s a professor, she’s not stupid, she probably already knows I’m a crazy person … )

And then Vegas. The 30th anniversary of Star Trek TNG was a big draw, of course, but the clincher was that there’s a DS9 documentary in the works. Aaand the husband indiegogo funded it and we got tickets to the convention as part of his ‘donation’. So to Vegas we went, and it was awesome!

But now, for the first time in maybe forever, I just kinda want to stay at home. While I plan my trip to Malaysia, of course.

Categories
favorite things technogeeky

Fact: the average person only brushes their teeth for 20 seconds

Ok, so I have no idea if that’s really true or not. My hygienist presented it as fact at my cleaning today. But I do know that it’s certainly true of me! Which means my dental visits are the worst and I’m always finding out I need root canals!

Enter the Quip toothbrush. It was all over my Facebook for like 2 weeks. Which means I bought one, duh.

And I just had the best dental visit of my life. Even though it’s been 7 months since my last visit, and my dentist has me on a 4-month schedule because I do not take very good care of my teeth.

So what’s the trick? How did this magical toothbrush change my dental world in 20 seconds a day?

It didn’t. The trick is, it convinced me to spend 2 minutes brushing my teeth every day. 30 seconds per quarter. It buzzes every 30 seconds to let you know to switch quadrants, and then shuts off altogether after 2 minutes. Which is a frickin’ eternity, yo! If, you know, you’ve only been brushing for 20 seconds.

Also, in all fairness, I’ve been flossing … more. I won’t say daily, but I’ll say more. I had another root canal last November, and I’m motivated to avoid going back. Because root canals suck, but also because, as it turns out, the oral surgeon my dentist uses goes to my church. And sits in the pew in front of me. Awwwwkward. I guess I can feel good about the fact that I’m helping to put his kids through college?

Anyway, reviews on it say that it is better than a regular toothbrush, but worse than a Sonicare. So, uh, don’t replace your Sonicare with a Quip. But if you’re a 20-second brusher who wants a snazzy, travel friendly toothbrush, then give it a shot. You may just impress your dentist. And never have to meet an oral surgeon in his office.

Categories
girly nerdly tv/movies

Feminism and Star Trek

Those of you who know me, know that I’m kind of a raging feminist.

When did this happen, you might ask? I can trace it back to when I was 5 years old and my dad told me I couldn’t be a cub scout. That, ladies and gentlemen, is how a feminist is born.

But I digress.

So, Star Trek portrays a future in which humanity has transcended all the things that divide us and it’s just all a happy joy fest.

Or … does it?

It’s been 30 years since Star Trek TNG, and the actors seem much more willing to talk about the dirt.

Like, why did Beverly Crusher leave after the first season? Because Gates McFadden wouldn’t shut up and stay out of the writers’ room. She kept pointing out that Beverly Crusher is a doctor, a research scientist, no less. With a genius son. Which surely means that she would have intellectual discussions with her genius son. And would it kill them to put some of those intellectual discussions on screen?

Yes. Yes it would. One writer in particular issued an ultimatum to the show runners: she goes or I go. And so she went.

But the fans! The fans would not have it. She came back for season 3. And lo and behold, that writer was no longer there.

That is a principled feminist. She lost her job over it. This story has a happy-ish ending in that she did get her job back, but she had no reason to think that would be the case when she was fighting her fight.

Enter Marina Sirtis. Now, I know when actors get on stage in front of thousands of people, they put on a show. And at a Trek convention, it’s reasonable to expect representation in the crowd from the Red Pill community. So I won’t hold her to all of her words, but based on the things she said on stage … she sure didn’t sound like a friend to woman-kind. She very much sounded like she is fighting no fight, and is quite content to watch others duke it out.

Statement 1: She admitted that the TNG crew is quite clique-ish, and they don’t let new people in. Except for Karl Urban and Nathan Fillion. Because new, good-looking men are always welcome – but not new ladies.

On the surface, that does sound very feminist. Men have harems, right? So we ladies should have harems, too!

But, lets couple that with …

Statement 2: Women producers are not helping women! They rise to power, and then they aren’t any better than the men! They aren’t hiring more women.

Well, consider this: If a woman has risen to power, but has only ever surrounded herself with men in the process (which, may have even been instrumental in her success, even) then how will she hire more women? She doesn’t know any.

Feminism means different things to different people, I get that. We all have different ideas as to how we all get a seat at the table, and whose responsibility it is to make sure everyone gets an invite. And there’s certainly something to be said for not turning every moment into something combative.

But as for me, I’m tired of waiting. I’ll take a fighter. I’m happy to know there are others out there making a difference, and I’ll keep fighting my fight in my own tiny bubble of the world.

 

Categories
favorite things food travel

Eating Las Vegas!

Hash House Scramble. Yup, that’s a tiny tree.

Vegas is well known as a foodie paradise, but it is also a fast-foodie paradise. For those of us who aren’t quite foodies.

First up, Smash Burger. Now, I know there are Smash Burgers in San Antonio, but they are … less than impressive. If you’re gonna try Smash Burger, try one in Vegas. Even the kids smash is good, which can be hard to do with a kid-sized burger. Many restaurants end up with too much bread and too little meat when they down-size their burger. Ask me how I know. Oh: get the peanut butter shake. If you, uh, like peanut butter. And shakes.

Next up, In-N-Out Burger. The Vegas establishments aren’t as good as the California ones, but if you’ve only ever eaten a Utah In-N-Out Burger and you got two bites into it before chucking it in the trash, then give it another try. In Vegas, I mean. Not Utah. (Shudder.)

Ok, here’s a place an actual foodie might like: Hash House a go go. It’s not cheap, but the portions are huge! Waffles and French toast are both ah-may-zing.

And last up, what would life be without dessert? Carlos Bakery, at the Venetian. Though he’s famous for the Lobster Tails (which are delicious), my favorites are the Chocolate Strawberry Mousse Tower or the Dark Chocolate Mousse. You’re welcome.

Bon Apetit!

 

Categories
nerdly travel tv/movies

Viva Las Vegas!

Engage!

San Antonio reached an unheard of 105 degrees, so the husband and I decided to find someplace even hotter to spend a few days. You know, to make San Antonio seem downright tolerable.

 

Or maybe it was the 30th anniversary of Star Trek TNG and we bought tickets months in advance to the big Star Trek convention?

Either way, Vegas in August is hot, y’all. Do not go outside. You may spontaneously combust.

Luckily, there was not much venturing outside for us as we stayed at the Rio, where the massive Trek party was held. That’s right, 5 days of insane introvert fun! We met no people and made no new friends, despite the fact that we spent 5 days with thousands of likeminded people! Introvert mission accomplished!

5 days of Trek is … a lot of Trek. The casual fan may wonder, what can you possibly do for 5 days?

Well, there’s panels! Panels with TOS actors. And with TNG actors. And with DS9 actors. And with Voyager actors. And with Enterprise actors. And with Discovery actors. And with the movie actors. And with the NEW movie actors. And with writers.

So … that’s a lot of panels.

And then there’s the autographs! Which means lots of waiting in line for autographs.

And then there’s the photo ops! Which means lots of waiting in line for photo ops.

And then there’s all the people that are dressed up! Which means a lot of people watching.

And then there’s the vendors room! With that one toy you wanted when you were a kid but couldn’t afford because, well, you were a kid. Still in the package, even.

And then there’s the trivia challenges and auctions and tv and movie prop displays.

It’s a little hard to believe, but … we didn’t even do all the things. Turns out maybe 5 days isn’t quite enough, after all.

 

Categories
knitting life texas travel

5 years?!

I meant to just take a little break to get settled into the new Texas life … but, uh, then 5 years went by.

So what happened?

Facebook. Facebook happened. Well, really, Facebook + Smart Phones. It’s just so easy to post my inane thoughts to the computer in my pocket! And I get instant likes! From my captive audience of 300 friends!

(Well, not my captive audience. But a captive audience. Because they are all checking their like counts on their … slightly less inane posts.)

So, quick 5-year recap:

  • I look like a legit grown up now! Many of my earlier posts are so whiny about how people never take me seriously because they don’t think I’m an adult, but my face has finally arrived at adulthood! I had suspected it would happen around 40, and that’s about right. I’m not quite there, but … almost. As much as I hate to admit it, I’m almost there.
  • We had a house built! In Texas, where land is abundant and materials and labor are cheap. So there’s acres of wood floors! And the largest granite island known to mankind. Like you can see it from space big. Except for we do have a roof, so you can’t really.
  • I’m obsessed with knitting now. Beyond obsessed, really, if that’s a thing. I’m in a real live knitting guild. And then like 2 other local San Antonio groups. And then … I started my own group. And I go to knitting retreats. And knitting conferences! Like comic cons, but for knitting.
  • The husband launched his writing career! He’ll be a famous writer any day now, I just know it. Or, perhaps, any day after he finishes his novel. Which has 7 really awesome chapters! And a whole bunch of chapters that are still rattling around in his head. That are probably also awesome, I just can’t vouch for them yet.
  • We’ve travelled to a billion awesome places!
  • B2, B3 and the sister are all married! B2 even has some babies!

I know that’s not it (5 years is kind of a long time), but that’s all the things that popped into my head just now. Hopefully the next update won’t take 5 years, but, uh, no promises. 🙂

Categories
travel

farewell tour: slow sunday

After all the madness, Sunday was a much needed day of rest. We slept in, and had a nice lunch of fancy sandwiches! In preparation for the parents’ arrival, I had bought adorable little sandwich rolls and deli meats and cheeses. I didn’t think they’d last till Sunday, but we’d been so busy, there hadn’t been a chance to eat them yet.

After lunch, we went to church where we said a few goodbyes. It’s been a mad-rush of a move, so I expect that in a few months, there’ll be some folks at church wondering what exactly happened to us.

We had a breakfast-for-dinner of bacon and biscuits and gravy. It was a little difficult to eat as we had already given away our dining room table in anticipation of the move. Oops. But we managed.

We drove up to the Mormon temple, and saw the artwork at the visitor center there. The Sunday show was an orchestral concert, and as none of us apparently like orchestras, we headed home before the show.

Which gave us enough time to watch Rise of the Planet of the Apes! Neither of the parents had seen it, so the husband decided that’s the show they should see. They enjoyed the monkeys (apes! I mean apes!), but who wouldn’t? Andy Serkis is a motion capture genius.