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@badwolfdani
The Hole
Itâs been a while. There is so much and so little worth updating. Iâll get to it Iâm sure. But today I feel as though I needed more than expressing a feeling to a paper journal, and Iâve been putting off a return to writing in any real way for some time. I was searching for artwork to use for a newly discovered interest and came across a saved excerpt. Some days I feel like Iâm still at the edgeâŠ
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The Problem with Research on Activism
The Problem with Research on Activism
It has been some time since Iâve had time to expound my thoughts in my blog. But this is a short and interesting piece that has had a minor contribution to my post-graduate thesis on the cognitive mechanisms involved in decisions to engage in activism. Stay tuned for THAT but check this out in the meantime.
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Life, International
âTo see life; to see the world; to eyewitness great events; to watch the faces of the poor and the gestures of the proud; to see strange things â machines, armies, multitudes, shadows in the jungle and on the moon; to see manâs work â his paintings, towers and discoveries; to see things thousands of miles away, things hidden behind walls and within rooms, things dangerous to come to; the womenâŠ
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Just posting some WIPs of my Tauriel bow! This is my first commission, and Iâm pretty happy about how itâs turning out! I plan on doing a full on tutorial once itâs done, but in the meantime I just wanted to get some pictures out there.
Materials used are as follows: PVC pipe, expanding foam, paper mache, and paperclay.
So I thought I was doing pretty good with my bow, but after finding this, Iâm so excited to try some other ideas to get it more accurate than what I had in mind initially. This is fantastic, though I donât know if I found the finished product shots yet.
It isnât just gamers, readers, and dreamers that live many lives. Film gives everyone an escape into another world and whenever you relate deeply to a character it is almost like living another life.
Halloween is the most frequent and convenient use for living in someone elseâs shoes. That is, of course, if you donât use the solstice to wear lingerie in public. To each their own. Except if you do that. Stop it. Stop. No. Donât. Just⊠go home.
I read non-stop and often am so immersed in the story with my mind building the scenery and characters that I can forget my surroundings. When I truly relate to a character on page or screen, it does often feel like I can live another life through them. If I had been a wood-elf in the third age of Middle Earth⊠I would totally have been that one elf right there, being bad ass and kicking some orc ass. But my imagination doesnât always stop there. Iâve been known to then write plenty of fiction based around my favorite realms and characters and throw myself in the middle.
I have LONG been attempting to go to SD Comic Con with nothing but failed attempts. Initially my attempts were thwarted by death (not my own in case you werenât sure⊠but it has been known to get in the way on occasion), illness, injury, travel, so on and so forth. NOW, I am thwarted by SDCC themselves! In their open registration system which is much like a lottery online, I have yet to be selected to even have the opportunity to get tickets. I have a member ID, I have pre-registration codes⊠yet, I remain in the spinning blue circle hell of the waiting room.
This year, again on the brink of giving up forever (which never actually happens), I found something wonderful. The inaugural annual Silicon Valley Comic Con. This is right up my alley. Now, being less than a month away instead of in July as I had prepared for, I am in crunch time. FINALLY my first con and my cosplay is not remotely ready. Some friends have stepped in to help with the clothing, but today I began collecting materials and making my props! Iâve enjoyed it so immensely that Iâm hoping that it can be a continual endeavor. Iâm not quite positive that academic research careers allow much time for cosplay and cons, but Iâm hopeful so I can keep living all these different lives in my reading, film watching, gaming, and more!
Here are some of the goals, and Iâll be posting some of my process for the costume as well. First of all, Tauriel is the goal. YES I KNOW!!!!!! SHE IS NOT IN THE  BOOK!!!!! Trust me, I know. But even though I am quite immersed in Tolkien, I actually enjoyed her addition and story line. Judge me, whatever, I liked her. Maybe that makes me less cool because I sometimes accept non-cannon. BIG FAT W.
If you are at this point uninterested in random pictures and specifics of some of research into the character costume, thanks for reading and no hard feelings! ;)
Some particularly good angles of her costume and more details that Iâm keeping in mind:
Before knowing the price, I thought how wonderful it would be to get the replicas from WETA⊠$$$ (should you be a collector, or want to spend some big bank of prop replicas for more accurate cosplay, you can find the bow and arrows here, and the daggers here):
The layering of the costume is going to be a bit of a challenge in such a time crunch, but Iâm lucky to have the help of some friends who are seasoned cosplayers and excellent at sewing. Luck is still needed and Iâll be posting some of my progress along the way.
One seriously amazing cosplay I saw while hunting up ideas and what not though is this one⊠Just⊠Wow. Iâm a bit jealous of her natural hair as well. It doesnât hurt that she looks so much like the actress already! Check out some of her shots here and here but this is one of them. Amazing!! Thatâs a hard standard to match hah!
The Many Lives of Gamers, Readers, and Dreamers It isn't just gamers, readers, and dreamers that live many lives. Film gives everyone an escape into another world and whenever you relate deeply to a character it is almost like living another life.
If you enjoy baking, pies, and crust (or any of the three) I highly suggest getting your hands on Haedrichâs Dinner Pies. Iâm continually impressed by the results of these recipes. Last night I ventured not only to one of the recipes which I had yet to try, but also made my first substitution in what Haedrich calls for.
The recipe for Sausage & Guinness Pot Pie is simple and straight forward, resulting in a rich, saucy, and hearty dish. I dared to replace the bratwursts with steak as was requested by my family and was not disappointed. I hesitated a few times whether or not to mix and match some of the books recipes that DO utilize steak, but chose to follow like a studious pupil regardless and hope for the best.
When the filling ingredients gave the option for olive oil or vegetable oil, I opted for olive oil. While the vegetable oil might affect the flavor less, I always prefer olive oil and perhaps the effect was a benefit. The reason I feel as though the recipes Iâve tried so far have a bit of a British feel to them (at least the beef based ones), is the call for tomato paste, Heinz chili sauce, and Worcestershire sauce. I know that these ingredients are not limited to the UK, but I have my own associations influencing that perception. Back to the pieâŠ
A few points I want to note:
When calling for 3 tablespoons of all-purpose flour to the filling, I used closer to 4 to reach a slightly thicker consistency. The change was not drastic, but before it had been a little bit soupier.
I use the 100% Fat Free Beef Broth from Swanson. I did not use one that has less sodium. I make this a point as Haedrich mentions to add salt and pepper to taste, from 1/4 perhaps even up to 1/2 teaspoon of salt depending on the saltines of the beef broth. I added 1/4 teaspoon and found that to be plenty. I could have probably gotten away with not adding any at all. This also may be due to using steak instead of bratwursts.
The individual pie dishes that Iâm using are porcelain ramekins from Sur La Table. Last night for five of us, I used one of the 10 oz ramekins and four of the 18 oz ramekins. One of the âgo-to-pie doughsâ was just enough for a decent crust for all five, though the diameter of these is a slight bit larger than 5 inches. The recipe states if they are not larger than 5 inches wide you may be able to get six out of a single batch of dough. Definitely feasible.)
An delicious saucy filling.
Some crusts were a bit thinner for larger coverage and overhang. You can see the mini portion 10 oz ramekin in the back left corner of the baking sheet.
I noticed that compared to the other pot pies I have made so far, he did not call for an egg wash. Therefore, I did not apply an egg wash though I was tempted to. I have a Viking Professional oven that is beyond temperamental and I frequently have to oscillate between bake and convection bake because the oven likes to unlight itself. Because of this, I was worried the crust MIGHT get a little too browned or burnt rather than ideally gold and bubbly. When on convection, it did brown a little too quickly, but returning to regular bake kept it from burning.
The result was incredible, if I do say so myself. The filling was so delicious that no matter how stuffed we all were, everyone wanted seconds. To quote my mom, the flavor reminded her of a beef bourguignon. The Guinness was not so prominent that you really tasted the stout, but had a flavor almost as if Iâd used wine. It is extremely rich, hearty, and surprisingly sweet (we think due to my use of a large white onion). The crust is not quite as light and flaky as I was hoping or expecting, but delicious and perfect for utilizing as a spoon as my sister did. Iâm interested in attempting this recipe again with sausage, but Iâm definitely keeping this as a go to just as I did!! YUM!!
Crust makes the best spoon.
Saucy enough that the spoons eventually came out.
 Once the spoons came out, it was all over. The problem with these ramekins, is simply that you cannot lick them clean. We tried.
Baking British If you enjoy baking, pies, and crust (or any of the three) I highly suggest getting your hands on Haedrich'sÂ
For anyone in the Los Angeles area, today is FREE ADMISSION day at a long list of museums. While there are many that are free normally or on certain days or weeks each month, todayâs the day to get out and enjoy some culture, art, and history.
So get on it, LA!
A friend and I made a plan or goal to get in at least one museum a month this year. Weâre knocking out at least two and hopefully more today⊠stay tuned. Last time I spent a full day at a museum, I had an odd battle with a centaurâŠ
Gave a pharaoh some bunny earsâŠ
Played rock, paper, scissors (and won)âŠ
 And met a SUPER cute guyâŠ
Weâll see what happens today!
Free Culture For anyone in the Los Angeles area, today is FREE ADMISSION day at a long list of museums.
There is a unique scent that comes with old books and their pages, the loss of which I fear as we lean more and more towards a digital medium. Only in the last 6 months have I accepted occasionally reading on my phone or iPad. I will always prefer the printed page. Tactile, scented, purposeful. Possibly the best part of all? My paperback doesnât have popups.
I signed up for GoodReads quite a while ago but never really utilized it. Friends have been using it lately, however, and I keep seeing it pop up in social media newsfeeds⊠so I checked in with my profile. I set a goal. I started entering books I own and have read â this will take a ridiculous amount of time to catalog. This is what I had in mind when I was getting ready to go to bed and perusing one of my bookshelves for a ânewâ book to read (re-read or probably re-re-re-re-re-read).
I grabbed for a very thin green paper-bound book that I thought was one of my old copies of Tennyson. I discovered instead something that I have never seen before. This has never been in my possession that I have been aware of, and Iâm positive that I can identify every one of the (Iâm not gonna bother counting because itâs absurd) books in my room. No one put it in my room. Oh, I asked. But there it was, unobtrusively sitting in a stack with Orwellâs 1984, Kerouacâs On The Road, and Salingerâs Catcher In The Rye. On top of these was the following, published by the Committee on World Friendship Los Angeles City School District in June of 1927:
As far as I can find through a brief search online, 1927 was the first year this was printed and the few sources I have found show it being published as well in 1928, 1931, and interesting again in 1947. Itâs absolutely fascinating. I am tempted to scan and upload it in its entirety if not for the somewhat stiff binding.
Dedication: This book is lovingly dedicated to the youth of all lands upon whom will soon be placed the responsibility of finding the way in which nations may conduct their affairs with justice and mutual understanding.
While I have not gone through all the compiled contents, Iâm intrigued. Granted, this is in part because no one claims to know where it came from and it appeared pretty much over night (though my mother states it looks familiar and may have been my grandmothers⊠who left us to exist without her in 2010). It isnât often that you find a nearly 90 year old booklet created with the intention of avoiding another World War⊠that was published smack in the middle of both.
Aged Paper There is a unique scent that comes with old books and their pages, the loss of which I fear as we lean more and more towards a digital medium.
(via The Golden Years: love, time, and loss)
Love of Learning
âThe love of learning, the sequestered nooks, And all the sweet serenity of booksâ â Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Iâm reminded almost daily now that academia is where I belong and want to be. Between photography challenges, personal goals, reminiscing with friends, and attempting to recover the lost archives of a dead hard drive, I felt this fitting. While I love UCLAâs quiet grandeur ofâŠ
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My Self: Roadblocks in Green
My Self: Roadblocks in Green
When depression or anxiety begin to emancipate themselves from my psyche, they often appear as the Hulk of roadblocks. Some, more than others, are their own worst enemy and I am one of some. Life consists of anything from menial tasks to larger endeavors all requiring a degree of focus, willpower, and follow through. It isnât to say that I lack any of those, as in fact I have them in abundanceâŠ
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How to Use Your Brain I'm coming to realize how easy it can be for me to formulate well over 600 words in a blog post or an email...
The adventures in dinner pie baking havenât ceased. Last night a bake off ensued between myself using the recipe in Ken Haedrichâs book (Dinner Pies) and my mother with her own recipe from memory. We had mixed reviews.
Her recipe is probably one of the most simple and straight forward possible. Thereâs little prep other than chopping vegetables and browning the meat. Just a bit more is involved in Haedrichâs version. Iâve come to the conclusion that I prefer recipe books that outline 2 important things along with the ingredients: prep time and cook time. While you can read through the instructions and get an idea of how long each portion of baking, parboiling, or browning might take, when also working with crusts and other variables (as someone new to dinner pies from scratch) it would be much easier to have an appropriate expectation. Not just for me, but (haha) for the test subjects. I say this mainly because Iâd love to spend my time in the kitchen without hearing âWhenâs dinner?â âWhen will it be ready?â âItâs 6, I thought you said 5:30?â
Other than feeling like I can not get a truly good handle on how long the process is actually going to take⊠the recipes are well laid out. There are probably 3 times more ingredients in this recipe than in my mothers. While hers called for the vegetables, meat, mashed potatoes and seasoning to taste⊠Haedrich calls for the same along with beef broth, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, and a few others I didnât see on my moms side of the kitchen. The cooking process is a slightly bigger endeavor, and the result is pointedly more British. This can be either a good or a bad thing depending on your palette.
I went in with extremely high expectations of deliciousness after how absolutely incredible the chicken pot pie turned out â this may have been a mistake. Donât get me wrong, it was phenomenal. BUT⊠I actually enjoyed the more straight forward and simplistic style of my moms shepherdâs pie much more. In some ways, I felt the recipe I work with had too many flavors competing and while the addition of crust underneath the filling is fantastic, it isnât necessary. I LOVE crust, but I actually felt that it was wasted in this pie with so many flavors and I couldnât enjoy the crust the same way you do on a pot pie. The canned tomatoes and tomato paste? Nixing it next time, as I will with the beef broth.
Ultimately, Iâve only tested these two recipes from Haedrichâs book so far. The chicken pot pie, while time consuming in some ways, was a joy and relaxing to make. The shepherdâs pie was a little more stressful and I didnât enjoy my results as much, making the process I think that much more tiresome. To be fair, the rest of the table absolutely LOVED my creation! It is extremely rich and full of body and flavor. Theyâd love it again. My feeling is simply that shepherdâs pie is likely meant to be simple and homely and this recipe, while delicious, aims in a slightly more beefed up direction.
Rest assured weâll be trying some more bake offs soon.
Shepherdâs Bake Off The adventures in dinner pie baking haven't ceased. Last night a bake off ensued between myself using the recipe in Ken Haedrich's book (Dinner Pies) and my mother with her own recipe from memory.
Seconds Please
Thanks to Daniel Wallace and his blog âThe Incompetent Writerâ running alongside my desire to return to the UK or Ireland for grad school, Iâve been craving shepherdâs pie. He recently posted some cooking books, one of which grabbed my eye and I promptly went out and purchased. Tonight was the first recipe test, and by popular demand it was a golden standard â Chicken Pot Pie. I havenât madeâŠ
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Uncommon Sense
There is an epidemic. It is a resurgence of an attitude. Iâve debated with friends and family whether this is a generational issue or not, but it feels to me that each generation must have itâs share â those with no common sense. There are times that the prevalence of this illness appears most dominant in areas of suburbia. There are always exceptions to the rule, but this is my observation.âŠ
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All I Had
Before the clock strikes 12, a brief throwback for Thursday seems fitting. It is also one of those things a lot of newer friends seem to not know about me â not because I hide it but because it isnât so much in the forefront of my life anymore⊠During one of my installments in England I recorded an EP. We did some recording in my house â a converted barn in the middle of a farm, fields ofâŠ
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Late Bloomers
Late Bloomers. Why do we equate genius with precocity?
âWhy do we equate genius with precocity?â Malcolm Gladwell wrote an incredible piece for The New Yorker in October of 2008 that continues to resonate deeply. After meeting today with a professor from a few years ago, the topic of late bloomers arose as we compared his sonâs experiences in writing and the art world with my own. There is a great deal of weight to feeling like your brilliance hasâŠ
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