The Lyorn's Den

From 2011 (or earlier) to 2018, R__, Gwydion, Ceridwen and I used to find a Saturday or Sunday in Advent to bake christmas cookies ("Plätzchen") at R__'s house with the large kitchen opening to a larger informal dining room. We each made between one and six sorts of cookies, and then shared them. It was fun, but it was strenous, too.

But then, 2019, I was sick. 2020 and 2021 there was Covid-19. Since 2022 R___ has houseguests who like to cook for everyone, so the kitchen has kind of become their space. Plus, after Covid we we all had gotten out of practice at managing our social schedules.

Today Ceridwen and I did the baking at my place. (We are back to coordinating two persons' schedules, maybe next year we'll manage three?). I made two types of macaroons, as I still had frozen egg whites from the previous year (when I had big plans, but found that my bad shoulder blocked implementation), and my standard "gold coins", undecorated small cookies with vanilla, brown sugar and honey. Ceridwen did two types of shortcrust pastry cookies: one with marzipan mixed in the dough, the other with vanilla. We started the day with a breakfast at 10 a.m. and worked until 8 p.m., then drank a whisky, shared and packed our cookies, and called it a night.

Despite doing only three recipes and sitting down a lot, I'm still exhausted and in pain. This is getting really old. But I haz cookies!

I might post the recipes later, or not. I'm wary of making promises.

--

Also: Started reading Kameron Hurley's "Infidel". (Have not read "God's War".) Not sure if I like it. World is weird in an interesting way (also, it seems, crapsack), writing is good, but for me, it's a bit too close to the Eight Deadly Words so far. For now, wanting to know what happens next keeps me reading.

I put new strings on my classical guitar today. The old ones had been on so long, that the lower strings had become black and stained my fingers. The cats looked at me strangely. I don't think they are familiar with the guitar, or with me singing at home, except under my breath, when doing housework...

Also, vacation! Still working on having my brain catch up. The last week at work saw me attempting to finish three big months-old topics, and if I had not had brain break on Friday (woke up with the headache from hell, called the boss I would be late, checked in at 10, but it took until 2 p.m. until I could do a simple three-step action without forgetting what I was doing three times. So I only finished two and a half. I would have succeeded without that stupid lost half Friday!

Autumn is here. Hard to believe how long and hot the summer was, it's nice and cool and a bit chilly in the mornings now. It's still dry. Ceridwen was at a Middle Ages event over the last weekend, and I watered her garden, because it looked like it really needed it.

Last Saturday I bicycled to the city and spend far too much money on clothing (I bought only three items, but only one of those was cheap), and a bit on comics. There is a new "Strangers in Paradise" series (XXV) with Tambi having to deal with the Parker Girls involvement in the events in "Echo", and is sending Katchoo for clean-up. I also got the fist volume of "Monstress", which I has first seen as part of the Hugo Voter's package a year and a half ago, had meant to buy, and forgot, until I saw it in the comic shop. It's actually very good, if gruesome. European style with Japanese elements. And cute cartoony cats explaining the world.

I'm reading. Solving difficult Sudoku. Getting the cats to allow themselves being brushed. Check off items on my To-do-List. Ride my motor scooter for fun. Think about going hiking but cannot be bothered to prepare.

Life's OK.

I'm browsing the Barnes and Noble Bookseller Picks on tor.com.

I see that there is a novel in it by Seanan Maguire.

The blurb starts with, The latest October Daye novel starts off with our favorite half-fae, half-human adventurer

And I remember 2500 word WoD fic fragment from the changeling mailing list that David Lennier sent me in August 1997, with no author's name or address to follow up on.

I checked the fragment.

Seems I have to get a book of that series. Might have to send one to David, too.

I gave myself two days off from all the preparing-to-move issues.

( Saturday )
( Sunday )

As I had hoped, we left work halfway early on Friday, so I could wander through the town in daylight and admire the multicoloured roof of the cathedral in the evening sun, and the painted houses and palaces, have coffee and buy some cake for dinner.

I have given up on attempting to eat "reasonably", and now eat for high stress, meaning, as much chocolate and pastries as I need to be at full mental and emotional strength. This has led to three long evenings of writing, in which I have finally ironed out a tricky problem in timing and emotional development in ( the story I am currently working on )

Saturday the hotel was really empty, because all the business travellers had gone home. The breakfast buffet was limited to cereals, bread and jam, but one could order different preparations of eggs from a menu.

I was in town too early. According to notes posted, most of the places open at 9, but actually it's more like ten. I got to see the cathedral from the inside -- it impresses mostly but its size, light (the sun was shining brightly) and gothicness. An hour later the guide's office was open and I got a ticket to climb up the North Tower, which is 59 metres high, 160 steep, very narrow, and occasionally unlit steps, but these things have never stopped me. The view was more than worth it. I bought a few pretty things, just because, had cake and coffee and heavenly ice-cream, and went back to the hotel some time in between to change from coat and sweater into T-Shirt and hoodie, as the sun was shining with considerable strength. I also wrote a bunch of post cards and used my five words of Slovak (yes, no, good morning, please, thank you). I was back at the hotel around three, washed my hair, ate chocolates and read ( The Black Swan )

Sunday (today) I went to the zoo, just as planned. Zoos are simple outings, no complicated planning or navigation involved, and little to no language skills, and that was exactly what I needed. Unfortunately, the weather had taken a turn for the worse, there was sleet when I walked to the bus station. The zoo is 7 km from the town, up in the hills, and the sleet turned to snow. I envied the alpacas and the bears. A lot.

The good thing about the weather was that the place was, except for the animals, pretty quiet. Two red deer were fighting with noises like dry twigs beating together. The harbour seals grunted and snored when they came up for breath. The parrots spoke Slovak. There was a wood stove burning in the zoo restaurant, and I had chicken soup which did a lot to warm me up. All in all I spent about four hours in the zoo, despite the cold and the paths being short for the size of the place.

Back in town, I had a hot chocolate which was good enough to lift me off my seat, and then went back to the hotel to cuddle up under a blanket and read "Through the Language Glass", which is a lot more fun then "The Black Swan". I might write a review later, when I have finished it.

This evening I had planned to have dinner in the hotel restaurant, as the menu sounds utterly mouth-watering. But it was not open. Seems that the cook has the weekend off, sigh.

Just finished Charles Stross' "Trade of Queens". Holy fuck. That one makes Watchmen at its bleakest feel like Narnia. George R.R. Martin might come close to that amount of stomach-turning brutality in A Song of Ice and Fire, but without the high-octane part.

It's also a brilliant, clever book, kind of funny in a Tom Lehrer way.

Heaps of fanfic this year.

Books:

Jun 28th:
Richard Bachmann (Stephen King): "The Long Walk"
Bill Bryson: "The Lost Continent - Travels in Small Town America"
Bernard Cornwell: "Vagabond"
Len Deighton: "The Ipcress File"
Len Deighton: "Funeral in Berlin"
Ben Goldacre: "Bad Science"
John Grisham: "A Painted House"
Charles Stross: "The Family Trade"

Apr 16th:
Dan Abnett: "The Story of Martha" (Doctor Who tie-in)
Peter Anghelides: "Pack Animals" (Torchwood tie-in)
David Llewellyn: "Trace Memory" (Torchwood tie-in)
Gary Russell: "The Torchwood Archives" (Sourcebook)

Jan 11th:
Patrick Rothfuss: "The Name of the Wind"

Fanfic:

Nov 30th:
Aeshna: "...And Things That Go Bump in the Night" (Sarah Jane Adventures/Torchwood)
Dira Sudis: "Get Loved, Make More, Try to Stay Alive" (Torchwood)
Demotu: "Dawn, broken" (Torchwood)
Etharei: "Guard Them, and Him Within" (Torchwood)
Fairest1: "Poor Little Dark Lord" (Harry Potter/Chick Tracts)
Gatewaygirl: "Lighting the Dark" (Harry Potter)
Gatewaygirl: "The Auror, the Potions Expert, and the Cult of Eris" (Harry Potter)
Gunbunny: "Untitled NaNoWriMo 2007" (Torchwood/Indiana Jones/Highlander)
Golden Orange: "The Waking Terror" (Doctor Who/Cthulhu)
Invisible Lift: "Adam" (Torchwood)
Metz: "This Other Darkness" (Torchwood)
Neadods: "A Question of Jurisdiction" (Torchwood/Sarah Jane Adventures)
Paperclipbitch: "How to Use Paradoxes for Fun and Profit" (Doctor Who)
Sam Storyteller: "The Theory of Two Centres" (Torchwood)
Schildkroet: "Fairytale" (Doctor Who)
St. Aurafina: "Never Have I Ever" (Doctor Who/Torchwood/Iron Man)

Oct 6th:
Airie: "Daemononlogy" (Doctor Who)
Cranberry Crash: "The Rotfang Conspiracy Files" (Harry Potter)
Enemyfrigate: "The Phoenix' Nest" (Torchwood)
Honor H.: "Man-Whores and Wealthy Women" (Doctor Who)
Lizbee: "Identity Politics" (Doctor Who)
Madder Rose: "Jack Harkness, Super Temp" (Torchwood)
Neadods: "The Amazing Team TARDIS" (Doctor Who)
Paperclipbitch: "Whatever Pays The Wages" (Doctor Who/Torchwood)
Paperclipbitch: "Far Off, Like A Dull Rumour Of Some Other War" (Torchwood)
Prochytes: "The Persistence of Memory" (Torchwood/Heroes)
Sabethea: "Being True (To Yourself)" (Harry Potter)
Such Heights: "I Heard a Whisper (The Way I Might Have Been)" (Torchwood)
Tree and Leaf: "The Blue Flower" (Harry Potter)
X-Tricks: "Days That Were" (Doctor Who)

Oct 26th:
Lanna Michaels: "Fifteen Things You Should Remember While Part Of A Massive Government Conspiracy." (Torchwood)

Aug 10th:
Antelope: "Scratch" (Torchwood)
DK Valentine: "Hidden Past" (Torchwood)
Eledhwen: "Two immortals walk into a bar..." (Pirates of the Caribbean/Torchwood)
Jinxed Wood: "Gone Fishin'" (Highlander/Torchwood)
JJPOR: "Scareship" (Torchwood)
JJPOR: "Last Man Standing" (Torchwood)
Odsbodkins: "Death and the Definitely-Not-a-Maiden" (Torchwood)
Paperclipbitch: "Acquaint Me With Your Fuck-Ups" (Torchwood)
Penknife: "West Palm Beach, 1927" (Pirates of the Caribbean)
RobinC: "The Children of Time Will Gather" (Doctor Who)
Scythe the Wicked: "Like Death" (Torchwood)
Schildkroet: "To Wander, Between the Stars" (Doctor Who/Torchwood)
Salieri: "Utopia" (Firefly)
Sam Storyteller: "Quis Custodiet Ipsos Custodies" (Stargate Atlantis/Torchwood)
Sam Storyteller: "If We Haven't Got Nightingales..." (Torchwood)
Thaddeusfavor: "Baron Saturday Visits Cardiff" (Torchwood)

Jul 20th:
Doyle: "The Great Bikini Incident (Key to Time Remix)" (Buffy/Doctor Who)
Definehome: "A Dirty Great Monster" (Torchwood)
Doyle: "Looked Up in Perfect Silence at the Stars" (Doctor Who)
Joolz: "What Doesn't Kill You" (Doctor Who)
Jewels: "I Dream of Chcolate Fish" (Torchwood)
Joon: "Rock Bottom, Going Up" (Torchwood)
Jewels: "Potentiality" (Torchwood)
K. Haldane: "Trespassers Will Be Persecuted" (Torchwood/Spooks)
Kali & rm: "The Spectacular Catastrophe of Your Endless Childhood" (Torchwood)
X-Tricks: "What Lies Within" (Torchwood)

Jul 13th:
rm and kalichan: "Harbour" (Torchwood)

Apr 3rd:
Aeshna: Small Wonders (Torchwood)
Becky H.: Executioner's Promise (Harry Potter)
Etherati: The Atheist in your Foxhole (Doctor Who)
Jadesfire: Moonrise (Torchwood)
Mgunby: Just Another Bloody Day at Torchwood (Torchwood)
Marcus Rowland: A Gory Fate (Buffy/Gor)
MeiLin: Valiant (Doctor Who)

Jan 11th:
Definehome: Now We're All Going Under (Torchwood)

Movies:

Nov. 29th:
"The Boat That Rocked"

Jun 28th:
"Terminator: Salvation"

TV:

Jul 15th:
More about CoE, expectations, and Hollywood

Jul 13th:
My thoughts on TW: Children of the Earth

My fic:

Im Land der Blinden (Perry Rhodan fanfic) Teaser und Link.
Prolog (Falling towards the future), original fic.

Older recs, reviews and general media nattering:

2008
2007
2006

Over Easter, I took a break from reading fanfic at the computer and instead read fanfic tie-in novels and miscellaneous fanstuff in dead-tree format.

( Gary Russell: The Torchwood Archives (2008) )
( Peter Anghelides: Pack Animals (Torchwood tie-in, 2008) )
( David Llewellyn: Trace Memory (Torchwood tie-in, 2008) )
( Dan Abnett: The Story of Martha (Doctor Who tie-in, 2008) )

Not much this year, I have been lazy.

Books:

Dec 12th:
Five books you do not want to introduce your intermediate level English class to.

Jun 25th:
Douglas Adams: "Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency"
Steven Brust: "Cowboy Feng's Space Bar and Grille"
Emma Bull: "Bone Dance"

Apr 13th:
Jaqueline Carey: "Kushiel's Scion"
Scott Lynch: "The Lies of Locke Lamora"
Kit Whitfield: "Bareback"

Fanfic:

Dec 4th:
Apiphile: "Boiling a Frog" (Torchwood)
Becky H.: "Never Doing That Again" (Doctor Who)
Doyle: "Just Impediment" (Doctor Who/Blackadder II)
Jadesfire: "Be Not Without Hope" (Doctor Who)
Tree and Leaf: "Tell Beauty How She Blasteth" (Lord Peter Wimsey)

Aug 7th:
Camilla Sandman: "Today's Not Over Yet" (Doctor Who)
Laura Walker and perryvic:"This Is How The Universe Ends" (Discworld/Torchwood)
Snowhiteliar: "Sunshine on Skin" (Doctor Who)

Movies:

Aug 31st:
"X-Files: "I Want To Believe"
"The Dark Knight"

My fic:

Malenka [1/2], [2/2]

Older stuff:

2007
2006

I can't seem to write anything at the moment, so I'll try my hand at writing reviews. This time, three strange little Science Fiction books of roughly the same age, same length, and very un-same strangeness.

( Douglas Adams: Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (1987) )
( Steven Brust: Cowboy Feng's Space Bar and Grille (1990) )
( Emma Bull: Bone Dance (1991) )

***
What's going on in my life:

The electric door opener was broken this weekend and went bzzzt! constantly, audibly, and in irregular intervals all night. And the weather was way too hot (still is). So it was either, no sleep because of a noise that sounds exactly like the alarm on my mobile, or no sleep because with closed windows the room didn't cool down. Monday morning I was tired and cranky and got woken by the electrician who some neighbour who must have been less tired and more cranky had called at 7 am.

Little Cat has adapted OK to being the only cat in the house.

After I have lent out all my Doctor Who and Torchwood DVDs, Snow has bought a full set of her own. Which is good. It's less good that my access to the latest Doctor Who episodes seems to have dried up just in time for the upcoming season finale. Grrrr.