To everyone who emailed to complain about lost information. Fine. Here.

To everyone else:

This journal has been abandoned. Feel free to defriend.

I know I'm not using this journal these days, but I wanted to talk about something important today, because it needs to be passed along. People need to start talking about this, because right now no one knows about it.

I'm talking about the upcoming Ontario Referendum.

Non Ontarians can ignore this.

My fellows Ontarians, however --I urge you to talk about this. Whatever your views or position. No one seems to know what this referendum is about and it is IMPORTANT. It could change the face of Ontario politics.

On October 10th, in addition to casting your vote, you will be asked to vote on a single question. The question is as follows:

Which electoral system should Ontario use to elect members to the provincial legislature?

You will be given 2 options:

Option A: The existing electoral system (First-Past-the-Post)

or

Option B: The alternative electoral system proposed by the Citizens' Assembly (Mixed Member Proportional)

Sadly, few people know about the alternate system proposed. And Elections Ontario is doing relatively little to inform the public about this system. Why? It hurts Ontario's two main political parties (the Conservatives and the Liberals).

( and explanation of each system and why it should matter to YOU )

As you can see, then, there are good and bad points for both systems. I myself will be voting in favour of a mixed member proportional system. I am tired of this province (and country) being run by the Conservatives/Liberals. I think it's time for some new blood. Some new ideas.

You, of course, can decide for yourself, but please, be informed. Know what they're asking you. Know the consequences of your answer.

Once you are informed, spread the word. Tell your friends. Tell your family. Tell your co-workers. Tell a stranger on the street. Tell everyone you can, because the government's not going to do it, and they're not going to let the media do it. They do not want this change. The people, however, do.

More information can be found here.

I met William Gibson. He signed my copy of Spook Country. He talks exactly like he writes. It was...

Coolest. Thing. Ever. I was a total dork. Sorry about that, Mr. Gibson.

Also, omg! Squeeeeeeeeeeeee! William Gibson!

I'm looking for good online videos/tutorials and thought I'd ask after recommendations. I am in the process of sewing a rather lovely regency era gown (well, a mock-up first for practice, because I'm still new to sewing --although I did recently master gathering and basting!) so clothing tutorials would be best. Anyone?

I also thought I should let my SH peeps know that while I'm no longer posting reviews in this journal, I am still posting new reviews over at With Love, S.H.. My latest reviews include the 1954 Ron Howard television series entitled "Sherlock Holmes", Burt Coules' The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, and the BBC Cult Presents: Sherlock Holmes.

I won't be announcing any further reviews, because it really feels rather redundant, but if you check the site every so often, I keep track of when I've last updated. For those that care, anyway.

Finally, I'm quite tempted to delete this journal, because I'm really not using it much. I think it might be time (although I'll likely take another extended break before making that decision). On that note, I'm going back into hiding. I'll pop back in sometime towards the end of October. In the meantime, if you need me, feel free to shoot me an email. If you want to hear from me, include your address in said email, and I'll send you a proper Victorian letter.

nekosmuse @ gmail.com

Ta.

and yet, perhaps not.

we fast approach the last weekend of summer. the dawn of tuesday will bring us autumn. already the monarchs have begun their migration. the trees flutter with them. as i ride home, i am forced to weave my way around them, lest my speed injure their paper-thin wings. often, when i stop, they land upon me, gifting feather-light kisses that remind me of the brush of falling leaves. oh, autumn; welcome. welcome.

I keep a white board on my fridge. It's attached with magnets. I use it to list out upcoming projects. At present, the list reads:

+ strip and refinish antique (1870) dresser --the dresser came from my grandmother, and belonged to her grandmother before her. It is currently sitting in my basement awaiting restoration.

+ finish "self-publishing" Decoding the Subtext --this was Mole's brilliant plan. He found a site online that tells you how to *make* your own book. He downloaded some publishing software, bought some really nice paper, and some other really nice paper that feels like leather. We still have to fold spreads and sew them together. After that we do some sort of gluing/binding thing, and then, apparently, the whole thing will look like an actual book.

+ sew regency tea gown, complete with velvet pelisse.

+ learn how to sew --I suspect this should be moved up the list.

+ submit creative non-fiction essays to the CBC Literary Awards (an annual writing competition) --this I completed today, omg! ::flail::

This list is not, by any means, complete, but rather, my list of 'household' things that must be done. I keep other lists, in other places, but this list represents urgent things that need to be done around my house/in my life. Come September, I will erase this list (hopefully it will be complete) and make a new list. That list will include things like optometrist appointments and the cultivating of peppers from my vegetable garden. Possibly we will try our hand at canning. I've always wanted to do that.

Lately I've been working on baked goods. Trying to perfect gluten-free baking, as it were. Not an easy task, which is why I'm so thrilled with these cookies. Not only are they wheat free, but they're vegan, fat free, AND sugar free. It doesn't get any better than that.

Wheat-Free Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

+ 3/4 cup oat flour
+ 1/2 cup brown rice flour
+ 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
+ 1/8 teaspoon salt
+ 1/2 cup agave syrup
+ 1/2 teaspoon real vanilla extract
+ 5 Tablespoons of oil (I used extra-light olive oil, not extra-virgin, though any vegetable oil should work well)
+ 1 egg substitute (non vegans can just use an egg)
+ 1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
+ 3/4 cup oats (and yes, you can buy gluten free oats)
+ non-dairy chocolate chips --I picked up some that were sweetened with white grape juice.

Directions:

1) Combine the oat flour, brown rice flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl.

2) In a medium bowl, blend the sugars, vanilla, and oil. Beat in the egg.

3) Slowly add the flour mixture until well combined.

4) Stir in the shredded coconut, oats, and as many chocolate chips as you would like.

5) Bake at 350º for 8 to 10 minutes.

Finally, enjoy.

So, is anyone else watching Flight of the Conchords? Better question: Is anyone writing FOTC slash?

So I've finally found someone to take Pretty FBI Boys off my hands. Her name's Nadia, and she seems quite competent. I think you all will be quite pleased with her plans for the site.

Sadly, the transfer itself does screw several things up.

1) First off, if you have linked to anything on nekosmuse.com, you may want to check your links. This is particularly true for my With Love, S.H. site. For example:

http://nekosmuse.dannyandmartin.com/sherlockholmes/*.htm
http://dannyandmartin.com/nekosmuse/sherlockholmes/*.htm

Should be changed to remove the dannyandmartin, i.e.:

http://nekosmuse.com/sherlockholmes/*.htm

I would appreciate it if you were to check your links and correct the problem.

I'm certain this will screw other things up, too, but we'll deal with that when it happens.

2) The second thing you need to be concerned with is the fact that your new webmistress will not be able to host music vids. All of my vids are up on nekosmuse.com, but if Pretty FBI Boys is hosting one of your vids, and you don't have a backup copy, you may want to go download it *before* we complete the transfer. Perhaps the new maintainers of the wat_slash comm might want to find a new place for the vids and then provide a link-list?

That's all I can think of for now. I would, however, appreciate it if you pointed out any other potential problems which may crop up. Thanks.

I was trying (privately and unofficially) to participate in the 50 books challenge. The goal is to read 50 books in one year. I started in the middle of February. To date I have only managed 18. If this rate continues, I will be lucky if I break 40 before I hit the one year mark.

This, naturally, depresses me.

And, okay, technically one of those books was (is) the Bible (although, technically, I'm not yet done with it, though things do seem to moving a lot quicker now that I'm in the new testament).

And, yeah, another of those books was Don Quixote, which is neither a short, nor an easy read.

And then there was Dante's Divine Comedy (an annotated version at that --and again, technically not done yet, as I do have 10 Cantos left of Paradiso to read) --and also, if anyone understands what the giant/whore thing at the end of Purgatorio was all about, please let me know, because neither the poem, nor the annotations made it all that clear.

And, again, two of those books were Austen, and, let's face it, I hate Jane Austen (reading her is some form of archaic torture, I swear).

And this isn't counting the fanfiction I was still reading at the start of all of this. Nor is it counting any of my Sherlockian works, but still, I thought I was a more avid reader than this. I used to be. What the hell happened?

I think this might officially be the most pretentious thing I have ever posted. I really don't mean it as such (trust me, Cervantes alone took me the better part of those six months, and I needed to pull out the dictionary that lives on my bedside table at least once a chapter). I'm really just curious. Has anyone done the 50 book challenge? Did you manage the 50 books your first year? Is it an impossible task? Does your count go up each year? Am I doing something wrong? Should I be buying books at my local drugstore rather than hunting around the library for classics?

Halp! Or, you know, ignore me, whatever works best for you, really.

1) Had my wisdom teeth out last night. This has delayed several life plans* as there are drugs and antibiotics which must be detoxed out of my system. Presently, however, I am beginning to understand why House is so fond of Vicodin. Um, mmmm.

2) I swear I am the only person on my flist not squeeing over the release of Harry Potter. I still don't know what people see in the books. To each their own, I suppose.

3) Request: I need some betas. Well, not so much betas, as people who are willing to audience 2 pieces of creative non fiction. I actually plan to do something with this creative non fiction (there is a contest --omg, I can win a t-shirt!) so it's important that it gets read and critiqued.

Basically, I'm looking for anyone willing to:

a) read the piece and give me feedback on what works, what doesn't work;
b) read the piece and correct any spelling/grammar/formatting/style issues;
c) read the piece and tell me if it qualifies for creative non fiction.

If you are willing to do that, comment here (and I'll take as many people as I can get) and on Monday I'll post a locked/filtered entry with the pieces in question. Oh, and just in case you were wondering, one piece is on cycling and the other is on writing creative non fiction.

*only a handful of you will understand this, and that's okay.

I just cleaned up my flist, and the buttons were very confusing (I think LJ changed the edit friends page) so, um, if I've taken you off, and you don't think I should have, you're probably right (I mostly got rid of dead journals and anyone I hadn't spoken with in the last year). Please let me know. I'd cry if I'd accidentally deleted one of you.

PS: Expect a delayed response. Bed is calling. Also, feel free to remove me if so inclined. I'm really hoping to use this journal solely to keep up with friends, not participate in fandom.

Is it still called 'going postal' when you're not actually a postal worker, and yet, you feel the urge to vent rage (possibly through violence) against the post office? Because, really.

The other week I brought my postcards to the post office, intending to buy stamps and send them out. Okay, no problem. Except, I've only just now realized that all of the cards I sent international (i.e. outside of North America) had the wrong stamps on them. You see, the post office, instead of selling me international stamps (at $1.55) sold me over-sized parcel stamps (at $1.10). This means each of my international post cards were $0.45 short.

I returned to the post office today, to return the extra stamps I'd purchased (and pick up actual international stamps) and asked what would happen to those post cards. You don't put a returned address on a post card, so they replied: Oh, they'll just get thrown out.

Mother fuckers.

So, if you live outside of North America, and you'd requested a post card from my trip, you are, I'm sad to say, shit out of luck. If only I'd foreseen this gigantic fuck up, then possibly I would have bought twice as many post cards as I needed. As it stands now, if I want more post cards, I'm going to have to hop on a plane and head back to the east coast.

Seriously unimpressed. And also, very sorry.

PS: While Sicko is a really good movie, and worth seeing, please view with a grain of salt. Canada's health care system, while preferable to the States, is not nearly as rose-coloured as Moore makes it out. That being said, I wouldn't trade it in for a privatized system (in fact, I'd fight like hell if anyone even tried to take away universal health care --access to free health care is a human right, not a privilege of the wealthy). Still, it has its flaws, and is in serious need of restructuring. I'm sure the same can be said for France and England. Cuba, on the other hand, truly is a communist paradise in the sun. Go socialism!

So. Much. Love.

Truly, the art of language is quickly being lost. I wish more people would take a stand, demand proper spelling and punctuation. Demand the abandonment of 'net speak'. Le sigh.

So yes, the trip.  Despite my silence on the subject, we had a rather lovely time.  It was quite exhausting (I am officially too old for road trips, I think) and there were quite a few bumps to overcome --we really did mean to rent bicycles, if only we could have found someone willing to rent them-- but aside from that, I enjoyed myself thoroughly.

( words are boring, though, so here are some pictures )

That was just fucking awesome. And Starscream is still Megatron's bitch. ::happy sigh::

or remind you that yes, I haven't forgotten the post cards. or tell you about all the fun things I've seen and read and bought in the last few weeks. or even tell you that maybe i'll start updating again. instead, i'm going to write an entry (sans capitalization) to say:

Transformers
More than meets the eye
Transformers
Robots in Disguise
Transformers

Autobots wage their Battle
To destroy the evil forces of
The Decepticons

and then squee a little. 12 hours, baby!

this might be enough to get me writing slash again. transformer slash.

This entry does not mark my dramatic return. Indeed, I am actually quite content with my post-LJ existence. I do, however, miss some of you quite keenly. That is not to say that I have plans of once again engrossing myself in my flist. I really haven't the time, to be quite honest. I leave in two days for the East Coast (hence the purpose of this entry) and will once again find myself incommunicado, for at least a few weeks. Upon my return, I doubt very much that I will find the desire/will to pass my summer chained to a keyboard and monitor. The outside air is entirely too sweet.

I do, however, wish to somewhat stay in contact with those here who have enriched my life beyond measure. And so I'm offering post cards from P.E.I. and Nova Scotia, to those that wish them.

I have screened the comments in this entry, so please feel free to reply with your name and address. Be warned, however, that you may fall victim to random Victorian-esque letters from me in the not-so-distance future, as I am occasionally compelled to spend my evenings chained to pen and paper.

Finally, so as not to deviate entirely from what the purpose of this journal once was, I will announce that I have completed my review of Decoding the Subtext. I will announce this in cox_and_co, but for those who do not frequent said community...

Decoding the Subtext.

333 single-spaced Word pages. 153,000 words. 60 essays. 11 months in the making. All in the name of Holmes/Watson subtext. I am, of course, thrilled that it is this project which concludes my time in fandom.

I have yet, of course, to print and bind a copy for myself, so if I have missed any typos/grammatical errors, please do point them out.

I have also completed a very lengthy review of The BBC's Complete Sherlock Holmes, aka, Bert Coules' masterpiece, and a review of the film Without a Clue.

There is entirely too much happening in my own life to touch on even a fraction of it here, so for now I will merely say farewell, not, perhaps, forever, but for a spell.

I have decided to take an extended vacation from livejournal. I know this probably doesn't mean much (it's been a week since I last posted, so it's not like I haven't already been on hiatus). Still, this way I don't have to pretend that I'm still around. If anyone needs/wants something from me, feel free to email:

nekosmuse @ gmail.com

I anticipate returning the first week of July.

Now, I know what you're thinking: but Neko, how can a soy-free vegan enjoy stir fry? And you'd be right; it sounds damned near impossible, and it certainly took me a long time to find a substitute for soy based stir fry sauces. This, however, I've tested, and tweaked, and tested again, and it's still fantastic. A little bit spicy, a lot mellow, and all around delicious.

What you'll need:

+ 1/2 cup low fat coconut milk
+ 3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
+ 1 inch fresh ginger, shredded
+ 1/2 tsp coriander powder (replacing this with fresh cilantro is also quite nice)
+ squeeze of lemon or lime
+ 3 stocks of lemongrass, cut into pieces
+ 1 hot chili pepper, finely chopped

What you do:

Mix all ingredients together and add to the stir fry in the last few minutes. Remove the lemongrass pieces before serving.

For those unfamiliar with stir fry, simply take a collection of your favourite veggies and toss them into a wok with heated oil, then cook until not quite tender, add your sauce and let things mingle. Serve over rice or rice noodles.

I am also in the process of hunting down a good gluten free, soy free, corn free vegan burger recipe. This is proving quite challenging, so if anyone has any suggestions/ideas, please let me know. I'm also willing to purchase pre-made burgers that meet the above criteria. I've been cooking a lot lately, too, so expect random recipes throughout the coming weeks.