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time-warping holiday tree
Saturday, January 5th, 2013 03:15 am
decorating
Tuesday, December 25th, 2012 02:03 amI put up the tree two nights ago. Timelapse camera. Didn't think of using the camera until I had already set up the tree and hung the lights. Putting the lights on takes the longest.
I wore nitrile gloves, hoping they would keep the skin on my hands from getting irritated and dry. They don't seem to have helped much, if any, though. Yesterday and today, my hands have been ouch-y dry, like fine sandpaper.
For Christmas, Qiao got me an 8GB MP3 player with a microSDHC slot and a 16GB card. Now, I've embarked on the task of converting/ripping my collection of 300-odd CDs into MP3 files. My old MP3 player was only 2GB, so till now I never bothered ripping more than a few of my favorite CDs.
First I had to decide what quality and bit speed settings to use. Based on several tests*, using various speakers and volume levels and different songs, I can't tell any difference between the quality in tracks at 128 kbps vs 320 kbps. I decided to use 256 kbps.
I am using EAC (Exact Audio Copy) with the LAME MP3 encoder to do the rips. It has a fairly simple interface (once it's been configured, anyway) for retrieving the freedb song/album info and album artwork.
When I think about it, it would be nice to be able to play songs based on certain criteria. I'd like to be able to rate each music track, for example from 0 to 10. And then I'd like to be able to choose to only play songs with a rating of 10 (in a random order). Or to play songs with ratings in a certain range such as from 5 to 10. Or to play all songs from 1 to 10 randomly, but weighted so that the ones with higher ratings are more likely to be played than the ones with lower ratings. And I'd rate a song as zero if I never wanted the song to play unless I manually selected it. Unrated songs could get a default rating of 5.
I still have to finish reading the MP3 player's manual, but I doubt it has that kind of functionality. But maybe some computer-based audio players do? It would be nice if you could store your ratings in some standard format, so that they could be used no matter what player you were using.
* foobar2000 along with the ABX Comparator component lets you switch back and forth between 2 tracks in order to compare them. This video explains how to do it.
First I had to decide what quality and bit speed settings to use. Based on several tests*, using various speakers and volume levels and different songs, I can't tell any difference between the quality in tracks at 128 kbps vs 320 kbps. I decided to use 256 kbps.
I am using EAC (Exact Audio Copy) with the LAME MP3 encoder to do the rips. It has a fairly simple interface (once it's been configured, anyway) for retrieving the freedb song/album info and album artwork.
When I think about it, it would be nice to be able to play songs based on certain criteria. I'd like to be able to rate each music track, for example from 0 to 10. And then I'd like to be able to choose to only play songs with a rating of 10 (in a random order). Or to play songs with ratings in a certain range such as from 5 to 10. Or to play all songs from 1 to 10 randomly, but weighted so that the ones with higher ratings are more likely to be played than the ones with lower ratings. And I'd rate a song as zero if I never wanted the song to play unless I manually selected it. Unrated songs could get a default rating of 5.
I still have to finish reading the MP3 player's manual, but I doubt it has that kind of functionality. But maybe some computer-based audio players do? It would be nice if you could store your ratings in some standard format, so that they could be used no matter what player you were using.
* foobar2000 along with the ABX Comparator component lets you switch back and forth between 2 tracks in order to compare them. This video explains how to do it.
photos of the season
Tuesday, December 27th, 2011 10:54 pmCandles for Diwali, in October.
December. The glittering of old ornaments went well:
Except for the 3 which fell out of my hand and shattered on the floor, before the glittering began.
Cooking of potatoes:
I wasn't able to recreate the silky texture of the dish from last year, but it still turned out well. I peeled a few of the potatoes, and simply cut the rest in half, unpeeled. The broth and onion flavor soaked into the peeled potatoes much better than the non-peeled ones. Perhaps in the future it would be better to use large potatoes (as they are easier to peel) and to cut them into small chunks.
December. The glittering of old ornaments went well:
Except for the 3 which fell out of my hand and shattered on the floor, before the glittering began.
Cooking of potatoes:
I wasn't able to recreate the silky texture of the dish from last year, but it still turned out well. I peeled a few of the potatoes, and simply cut the rest in half, unpeeled. The broth and onion flavor soaked into the peeled potatoes much better than the non-peeled ones. Perhaps in the future it would be better to use large potatoes (as they are easier to peel) and to cut them into small chunks.
sha la la shine
Saturday, December 17th, 2011 01:14 amAs of today, I'm on vacation until January. This year, I put up both a christmas tree and a christmas sci-fi spider web. Some of our old glass ornaments are rather worn out and not so nice looking anymore, so I bought some new ones to replace them. But the old ones still have a bit of golden shine... and they're a nice small size... it's so hard to throw them away! I did some web searching and came across the idea of gluing glitter all over them to make them look nice again. So maybe I'll do that.
Some houses in the neighborhood have their houses and yards decorated with a lot of lights. One house has a tree with strands of the "dripping icicle" style LED lights. It looks very pretty.
Oh, and about the ornaments... It's curious how when you get new ones, it's like... they're pretty, but they're somehow alien, blank... Then after a few years of having had them on the tree (or wherever), they acquire a precious quality, and become "one of the family".
Qiao is building up a collection of Hallmark sci-fi ornaments. This year he bought several, including a Lego Darth Vader. Darth's light-saber was missing (!) so I made one out of a thin piece of straw, painted red with a permanent marker.
Some houses in the neighborhood have their houses and yards decorated with a lot of lights. One house has a tree with strands of the "dripping icicle" style LED lights. It looks very pretty.
Oh, and about the ornaments... It's curious how when you get new ones, it's like... they're pretty, but they're somehow alien, blank... Then after a few years of having had them on the tree (or wherever), they acquire a precious quality, and become "one of the family".
Qiao is building up a collection of Hallmark sci-fi ornaments. This year he bought several, including a Lego Darth Vader. Darth's light-saber was missing (!) so I made one out of a thin piece of straw, painted red with a permanent marker.
like a time warp
Friday, November 11th, 2011 10:53 pmTwo different radio stations in my presets are playing Christmas music.
The Christmas Spider's Web
Monday, January 10th, 2011 09:21 amThis is what we did this year, instead of a Christmas tree.
jingle bells
Thursday, December 30th, 2010 12:40 am13 days into my 16-day vacation, and I still haven't read a single page of the book I'm "reading". Perhaps it doesn't interest me much after all.
Instead, I've been shopping, cleaning, cooking, putting together gifts, decorating, sewing, visiting with people, as well as the other usual things. I don't feel like I've done anything particularly fun so far. (What would be fun to do?)
Gah.
Basic vegan cream cheese pie recipe, from old PETA magazine clippings I had:
2 8-oz containers of vegan cream cheese
1 cup sugar
juice of a whole lemon (or 4 Tbsp, depending on the recipe)
1 tsp vanilla
2 Tbsp cornstarch (one recipe includes this, another doesn't)
.
Blend together ingredients until smooth. Pour into a graham pie crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 60 minutes or until top is golden brown.
Taking the dogs to (hopefully) get micro-chipped tomorrow. Serena has an appointment to get neutered in 2 weeks. On Friday I'm going to a funeral for one of Qiao's family friends.
It snowed, and I didn't even get excited about it this time. I mean, I was a little bit excited before it snowed, but then I realized that it would be easier all around if it didn't, and then it snowed, but I was busy shopping online and sewing, and didn't really care.
Umm.
I got nice xmas presents.
My dad and his wife almost visited me... they are driving cross-country to California, and forecasts of bad weather up north made them consider a southerly route which would have let them stop by my place. But then the blizzard started threatening the whole east coast, so they reconsidered and took a different route after all.
I bought a pair of fleece-lined jeans, and then decided that they would be much more comfortable with a shorter crotch. So I took off the waistband, cut off an inch or two all around, took in the sides a bit, and then sewed the waistband back on. I'm still sewing the belt loops back on.
Oh joy joy joy to the world. Hope you're having a good one.
Instead, I've been shopping, cleaning, cooking, putting together gifts, decorating, sewing, visiting with people, as well as the other usual things. I don't feel like I've done anything particularly fun so far. (What would be fun to do?)
Gah.
Basic vegan cream cheese pie recipe, from old PETA magazine clippings I had:
2 8-oz containers of vegan cream cheese
1 cup sugar
juice of a whole lemon (or 4 Tbsp, depending on the recipe)
1 tsp vanilla
2 Tbsp cornstarch (one recipe includes this, another doesn't)
.
Blend together ingredients until smooth. Pour into a graham pie crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 60 minutes or until top is golden brown.
Taking the dogs to (hopefully) get micro-chipped tomorrow. Serena has an appointment to get neutered in 2 weeks. On Friday I'm going to a funeral for one of Qiao's family friends.
It snowed, and I didn't even get excited about it this time. I mean, I was a little bit excited before it snowed, but then I realized that it would be easier all around if it didn't, and then it snowed, but I was busy shopping online and sewing, and didn't really care.
Umm.
I got nice xmas presents.
My dad and his wife almost visited me... they are driving cross-country to California, and forecasts of bad weather up north made them consider a southerly route which would have let them stop by my place. But then the blizzard started threatening the whole east coast, so they reconsidered and took a different route after all.
I bought a pair of fleece-lined jeans, and then decided that they would be much more comfortable with a shorter crotch. So I took off the waistband, cut off an inch or two all around, took in the sides a bit, and then sewed the waistband back on. I'm still sewing the belt loops back on.
Oh joy joy joy to the world. Hope you're having a good one.
(no subject)
Thursday, December 23rd, 2010 03:49 pmI can't believe that Google only has a *single* page indexed on the *whole internet* with the phrase "vegan cream cheese pie".
I'm drawing a blank on where I found the recipe I used in the past.
Guess I'll use a different search phrase.
I decided not to put up the Christmas tree this year. I instead strung lights across the ceiling and hung ornaments on them.
I'm getting a "yogachair" brand kneeling chair. Hopefully it will help with my lower back aches (which are starting to get bad enough to call "pains" once in a while). If this chair doesn't work out well, there's another kind I might try out.
I'm drawing a blank on where I found the recipe I used in the past.
Guess I'll use a different search phrase.
I decided not to put up the Christmas tree this year. I instead strung lights across the ceiling and hung ornaments on them.
I'm getting a "yogachair" brand kneeling chair. Hopefully it will help with my lower back aches (which are starting to get bad enough to call "pains" once in a while). If this chair doesn't work out well, there's another kind I might try out.
(no subject)
Friday, December 26th, 2008 02:16 pmI just realized all I've eaten today so far is half a can of Pringles, some chocolate, and a few Korean puffed corn snack thingies. Oh, and a marzipan egg.
We had nice weather for Xmas eve and Xmas - in the high 60s. I went for a walk and didn't even need to wear my jacket. Today is cooler though. In the 50s, ::brrrr::
Q gave me an unused/unopened VCR he had hanging around at his place, as I had mentioned having a VCR would be useful on occasion. I don't need a fancy Tivo system or DVD-recorder... just something to tape a show once in a while, for watching it later. I had better buy a few more blank tapes if I come across them, as![[livejournal.com profile]](http://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
andrewducker linked to an article about the last major manufacturer of blank tapes leaving the business.
I also hooked up cables from the DTV converter box and VCR to the speaker system, so we can get nice speaker sound even with regular TV now, not just when watching DVDs. I still have an analog TV and no cable or satellite service as of yet, but I like how much clearer the digital channels are (using the converter box and antenna), as compared to the analog versions.
FF got me a nice massage mat, but it turned out to be defective, and the store she bought it from (Linens 'n Things) is going out of business. So I have to see if it is still possible to get a refund or exchange. I'd love to open the mat up to see if I can fix the mechanism myself (seems like something may just be stuck, but maybe the controller chip is bad), but doing so would void the warranty.
We had nice weather for Xmas eve and Xmas - in the high 60s. I went for a walk and didn't even need to wear my jacket. Today is cooler though. In the 50s, ::brrrr::
Q gave me an unused/unopened VCR he had hanging around at his place, as I had mentioned having a VCR would be useful on occasion. I don't need a fancy Tivo system or DVD-recorder... just something to tape a show once in a while, for watching it later. I had better buy a few more blank tapes if I come across them, as
andrewducker linked to an article about the last major manufacturer of blank tapes leaving the business.I also hooked up cables from the DTV converter box and VCR to the speaker system, so we can get nice speaker sound even with regular TV now, not just when watching DVDs. I still have an analog TV and no cable or satellite service as of yet, but I like how much clearer the digital channels are (using the converter box and antenna), as compared to the analog versions.
FF got me a nice massage mat, but it turned out to be defective, and the store she bought it from (Linens 'n Things) is going out of business. So I have to see if it is still possible to get a refund or exchange. I'd love to open the mat up to see if I can fix the mechanism myself (seems like something may just be stuck, but maybe the controller chip is bad), but doing so would void the warranty.
Green Taters
Tuesday, December 25th, 2007 10:29 amGreen potatoes - cut off the green parts and cook the rest, or throw out entirely?
I thought potatoes being green merely meant they weren't ripe, but actually it is due to them having been exposed to light ("sunburn"). A side-effect of this is the buildup of a nerve toxin, solanine, in the potatoes. And considering that I don't want to ingest any more nerve toxins than necessary, I suppose it's best to throw the potatoes out entirely. Or...?
The store even overcharged me for them... the receipt shows that they charged me for russet potatoes at twice the price that was listed for these "Kennebec" ones.
Oh well. Live and learn.
..
I had 7 people over last night for Christmas Eve, family and friends. It was nice. My tree is pretty. I woke up entirely too early this morning. As if I was a little kid with presents to open, in spite of the fact that we opened the presents last night.
I thought potatoes being green merely meant they weren't ripe, but actually it is due to them having been exposed to light ("sunburn"). A side-effect of this is the buildup of a nerve toxin, solanine, in the potatoes. And considering that I don't want to ingest any more nerve toxins than necessary, I suppose it's best to throw the potatoes out entirely. Or...?
The store even overcharged me for them... the receipt shows that they charged me for russet potatoes at twice the price that was listed for these "Kennebec" ones.
Oh well. Live and learn.
..
I had 7 people over last night for Christmas Eve, family and friends. It was nice. My tree is pretty. I woke up entirely too early this morning. As if I was a little kid with presents to open, in spite of the fact that we opened the presents last night.
(no subject)
Tuesday, December 18th, 2007 06:54 pmThe new version of the deodorant smells different than the old one - like a typical feminine deodorant scent - and stronger. I don't like it. And my underarms feel slightly itchy. Please let it just be in my mind, and let me get used to it. WHY do they take a well-liked, tried-and-true product and then change the formulation like that? The old version had triclosan, whereas the new version has zinc ricinoleate. Maybe triclosan does have some negative qualities, and Hain Celestial Group, which bought out Para Labs, the maker of this previously fine product, felt that using a different ingredient would be better. But I wish they had not changed the scent.
I hope they didn't change the formulation of the Mint Julep deodorant too. Surely they wouldn't change the scent of that one. It wouldn't be mint julep anymore if they changed it.
I've gotten some holiday spirit back. The thought of putting up a christmas tree even has a bit of appeal.
I made some wonderful creamy vegan macaroni and cheese yesterday. Yum.
I've been given a used metal file cabinet. It will let me store some of the stuff I still have standing around in boxes. Yet it seems so big and .. not very pretty. I don't know where I will put it. I've gotten used to the existing spaciousness in my house, and anywhere I put that big thing will no longer be as nice and spacious.
I hope they didn't change the formulation of the Mint Julep deodorant too. Surely they wouldn't change the scent of that one. It wouldn't be mint julep anymore if they changed it.
I've gotten some holiday spirit back. The thought of putting up a christmas tree even has a bit of appeal.
I made some wonderful creamy vegan macaroni and cheese yesterday. Yum.
I've been given a used metal file cabinet. It will let me store some of the stuff I still have standing around in boxes. Yet it seems so big and .. not very pretty. I don't know where I will put it. I've gotten used to the existing spaciousness in my house, and anywhere I put that big thing will no longer be as nice and spacious.
