I am a scintillating lj-poster. No, rly.

[minxy]

Okay, so I realize I haven't posted anything fandom related in, oh, *ages*, but I'll remedy that soon, I swear. Teal'c's story has been percolating in my head, and I think I have an *outline* of the full length story, including some character points for each of the main interactions.

Gods, it's scary to be intentionally working on a story that ambitious.

Anyway. I just about have the soundtrack ready. It's heavy on electronica, for reasons I really don't understand.

In other news, I've been enjoying the Atlantic's Introvert essays (first one, the interview and the followup, I think agentotter first posted these? Or cofax7?) and begged off socializing last night because I just *needed* to be alone.

As a result, I scrubbed the *shit* out of the bathroom. We're talking, SCRUBBED. I was bothered by the smell of mold in my new bathroom (once the paint smell faded) and discovered a bad patch behind the toilet reservoir. Some comet gel stuff, a sponge and expendable clothes later (I need a manicure) my shower ceiling, tile grout and area behind the toilet are mold free. Also the same cleaner did wonders on the old black and white linoleum, which had paint splatters everywhere from a team more interested in speed, I think, and the bathroom now smells... like nothing bad is growing in there. It smells like the absence of bathroom. The absence of smell.

My arms hurt like hell. Wow. All for such a little bathroom.

Well, I also polished Nana's silver too, but for chemist's versions of polish that include rubbing the metal down after submerging it in warm baking soda water.

I think I ate something. I know I got a bit of knitting done.

And I took lots of photos of my little flat for my Mom to see.

Which leads me to my next point. I offer (in the absence of scintillating fandom conversation) to show you anything you want to see of my life and times. My most useful tool at work? My belly button? My kitchen shelves? My favorite art I brought back from around the world (it's from Africa)? My current rental car since mine got hit by an undergraduate and is in for repairs? The weather outside (is not frightful)? Shout! I'll show you whatever*!

Photos on request, all this week on the Minxy Channel.

*within reason, obviously. But just try to stump me, I dare you.

Comments

[wyomingnot.livejournal.com]

Show off the knitting you got done.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_minxy_/]

Eeee!

Okay. I gave knitted socks for Christmas, but my poor brother (who never wears matched socks anyway) only got *one* because I was behind. This is the second sock of his set. (http://www.flickr.com/photos/28727823@N02/3005876356/) I worked on it for a little while, but the stitches are so small I couldn't really focus.

My very same little brother (I only have the one) gave me yarn for a gift! And he picked luscious stuff too, hand-dyed, brown and purple, half-silk, half-fine merino wool in worsted weight. I have only ever knit socks (http://www.flickr.com/photos/28727823@N02/3005873166/) (and a scarf, but that isn't done (http://www.flickr.com/photos/28727823@N02/3253863018/)) so this is a chance to knit a sweater! It will be a long bell sleeve in a loose gauge, so it stretches and shows your skin or layered shirt, and it will wrap around and tie at the front when I get there. Right now, though, I'm working on a sleeve, (http://www.flickr.com/photos/28727823@N02/3253035989/) and this is what I did when my eyes started to cross last night.

[wyomingnot.livejournal.com]

Only socks? Whoa. Took me a little while to work up to socks. And even then, I wasn't working at the gauge you seem to be. Yikes! I just don't have that kind of patience. I am impressed.

Thanks for sharing! :)

[parvarteal.livejournal.com]

Aren't the introvert articles wonderful?? I have sent them to many people, both fellow introverts and extroverts who need instructions!

Ummm, photos! I would like to see:

- your favorite art brought back from your travels

- a shelf in your kitchen containing your favorite hot drinks (coffee? tea?)

- and ... I would like to see a bookshelf showing some of your favorite books.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_minxy_/]

I love these! And I must leave this placeholder comment until I can get home and photograph properly.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_minxy_/]

My favorite art is, alas, not up on the wall yet. Even more woeful is that I forgot the name of the artist, so I can't sing his praises to the rooftops at this moment (I'll add the annotation to the flikr photo, though.)

Anyway, what you're looking at is four women dancing. (http://www.flickr.com/photos/28727823@N02/3257816945/?rotated=1&cb=1233942748370) I found this painted fabric in South Africa, but the women are dressed like Maasai from the Central Eastern Coast area, with stiff elaborately beeded necklaces that they would bounce on their chests in rhythm. This is a close-up. (http://www.flickr.com/photos/28727823@N02/3257817191/?rotated=1&cb=1233942600458) The colors in this are so marvelous, and the use of the unpainted black fabric as positive space, and scraping surface paint off to reveal what's below is used just amazingly. Plus, it takes me back. Two to three different women tried to teach me to dance when I was in Africa... most of them laughed at my attempts (I was enthusiastic, if not terribly good at bouncing my chest.)

My kitchen is kind of... not in full function just yet, but this is where my current measly tea collection lives. (http://www.flickr.com/photos/28727823@N02/3258646588/) The coffee never really gets put away since it's a morning necessity. Just for something a little more interesting, how about tea cups in still life? (http://www.flickr.com/photos/28727823@N02/3257816687/)

And lastly, my favorite bookshelf. (http://www.flickr.com/photos/28727823@N02/3258646378/) About a year or so back, I discovered that you could buy relatively inexpensive rare books on Alibris, and this collection of first or signed editions (the stack on the right) just *appeared* in my life! Some of these are old favorites, some were recommended (here's a tip: start watching 50books_poc and read anything Rydra Wong strongly recommends, she has amazing taste in books, to no one's surprise), some are authors I've grown a little obsessed with, but the collection feels amazing to me (not just because the books-as-objects are awesome as hell either.) The books on the left are part of my to-read stack (or reading-in-progress), (actually, I've read the Book Thief and liked it so much I found another book by the author. Wonder where that is?)

[delphia2000.livejournal.com]

I posted pics of my apartment when we first got here...I'd like to see same or some of same at least. *scurries off introvertly to read*

[http://users.livejournal.com/_minxy_/]

Of course!

I'm in a studio now, and this is the main room. My closet is to the right of camera, and it has no doors presently (mirrors, yuck) so you can see my dresser and scarves and things. Above that is a storage alcove currently housing my stereo, tweed suitcases and a couple of lanterns.

This is my quirky kitchen, (http://www.flickr.com/photos/28727823@N02/3253084371/) or one side of it, at least. You may be able to see the angle in the ceiling there? That's the stairs to the apartment upstairs, and my space wraps around the bottom of it to give me a refrigerator on the other side, just out of frame. I get a lot of light there; I'm thinking that the top of the fridge may be where I plant pots of kitchen herbs.

This is the other side of the kitchen. (http://www.flickr.com/photos/28727823@N02/3253084759/?rotated=1&cb=1233772871404) Now with floor to ceiling shelves! I haven't hung the art that's draped over the water heater cabinet there, but you can see my great-grandmother's table, freed from storage at last. I have no idea where my chairs went, but I have a stool now so I can stop sitting on the blue storage box you can see shoved under the table (temporarily, I swear. This is all a work in progress!) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/28727823@N02/3253910708/)

[delphia2000.livejournal.com]

Cute! I think it's just adorable! Love the b/w flooring. Lots of humidity on top of fridges, so should be good growing area.

Articles read: I'm such an introvert! :o)

And now I shall fantasize about running away to Tibet, far from my teen and living in a cute studio apt, while I write for a living.

[lyr]

Oh, I was going to ask for that, but I see someone beat me to it. Cute flat! Plus, no-mold bathrooms are priceless.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_minxy_/]

Indeed they are, indeed they are. Plus I got the showerhead switched out last night to something with a little more water flow, and my morning was much more pleasant today.

Anything else you'd like to see?

[lyr]

How about the picture of one thing that made you smile today?

[princessofg.livejournal.com]

i have no requests. it's good to see you here and i am excited about your teal'c story liek woah and i am happy that you are embracing your INTROVERTITUDENESS.

[katie-m.livejournal.com]

Hrm. Show me... show me either:

1) A boat, or
2) The view from your most-looked-out window at work.

Whichever you prefer.

[katie-m.livejournal.com]

No windows? Boo! See, that's what I was afraid of, and why I gave you the boat option.

I envy your arms.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_minxy_/]

There is nothing half so much worth doing as messing around in boats.

Also, there are no windows in my lab at work, and I'm bitter about that. I'd take a photo out the nearest doorway, but it's actually raining here today.

So, boats it is! These aren't new photos, due to aforementioned weather (not many pleasure boats out on the water today), but I hope to make up for it with diversity of boat type.

1. Thai boat (http://www.flickr.com/photos/28727823@N02/3256591768/) going up the river to the Golden Triangle, where Myanmar, Thailand and Laos meet.

2. A faluka boat, (http://www.flickr.com/photos/28727823@N02/3255761337/) on the Nile river, ours was captained by a Nubian man (of Ethiopian descent). While we were out in a faluka on the Nile, a boy in a box (http://www.flickr.com/photos/28727823@N02/3255761137/?rotated=1&cb=1233866440064) paddled up using a plank as a paddle, and sang for tips from the tourists.

3. A dragonboat (http://www.flickr.com/photos/28727823@N02/3256591160/) (Chinese barge. We raced them in short sprints, as their maneuverability is pants.)

4. My current favorite boat: an outrigger canoe. (http://www.flickr.com/photos/28727823@N02/3256624310/) This is a Hawaiian boat meant for ocean and distance. I love it. I mean, *love*, paddling these races. (Behind my seat there is a spare paddle handle sticking up, but you don't want to use a crap plastic paddle, the wood are better. You can see a glimpse of the outrigger brace, called an i'aku, I think that's the spelling. Anyway, it's heading to port on the boat, along with one other brace, to strap to a bouy that runs half the length of the six-seat boat.)

eta: a missing link

[kaleecat]

adorable little studio, it's going to be great once you're truly in & settled.

congrats on the bathroom scrubbing. I did the same, with 1/2 bottle mr. clean, when I moved into my apt (my mom was scrubbing the cabinets, stripping decrepit shelf liner) and at least it felt clean. the floor doesn't look it despite another session in nov, was way too many years of haphazard cleaning.

That silver polishing you did with the baking soda, do you think that would work on silver plate? I'm using my grandmother's silver plate (figured should use it rather than just keep it in a box) & it needs polishing again. Is there a particular ratio of Baking soda to water?

[http://users.livejournal.com/_minxy_/]

Sure, I used it on a silver plate. It's really subjective, but because you can scratch silver with the soda if you make a paste (you totally can go this route, if you want) I run hot tap water into the sink to cover the pieces, and dump anywhere from a few tablespoons to half an old box of soda into the sink and swirl it around. An hour or so later, when the water was cool, I pulled the silver out, rubbed it down briefly and put it on the shelve. It's not that effective, but it removed at least half the tarnish.

Variations on this involve boiling the silver with aluminum foil in there too (to accept the tarnish you're boiling off) but then you only really need some kind of salt or something in the water, baking soda isn't necessary. Also, don't go too long (boil a few minutes until shiny is achieved, pull off the heat, cool and rm silver from bath), as prolonged exposure will probably let the chemical reaction get into the pretty silver.