Geek Chic Sensitive Warrior

Geek Chic Scapers Collection

Actually, I love the entire Scapers palette. Maybe someday.

What kind of nerd am I that I didn’t look here first!

So, lately, I have been spending a lot of time at /r/SkincareAddiction and /r/MakeupAddiction. I’ve been really good about a facial cleansing regimen, shaving my legs regularly, and putting on makeup just for fun. I mean, not like I go out much, which will be explained in more detail later.

As a result of returning to my makeup obsession and realizing nearly all of my old makeup probably had evolved thriving colonies of bacteria, I replaced most everything I had spent hundreds of dollars on with < $150 of drug store stuff. It hurt a little, but having new stuff to play with made me happy. Right off the bat, I put up this before & after and received this constructive criticism. I was happy with the results, although I will be handing off the eye palette to my sister, as her under eye circles are more blue than mind.

The down side of this is, given that I am not working, I am now on a “no buy” until August 1st. Le sigh.

As for the not working thing… Well… I am on disability and in the process of applying for Social Security Disability Insurance. It’s scary and sometimes hard to swallow, but, while it’s mental health so not really physically apparent, I am legitimately disabled. So, hopefully that works out.

If you made your way through this post, congratulations! There’ll be more soon. Probably. Maybe. I hope.

May the Fourth be with you and yours!

I’ve not made this recipe yet, but I plan to tomorrow. I received a request from a friend, so here is the recipe. I will paste an update after I make it.

Par-Baked Pizza Crust

Makes 2 pizza crusts (6 servings each) Our favorite strategy for goof-proof grilled pizza is to partially bake the crust in the oven. Add your favorite toppings, then finish your creation on the grill for flame-kissed flavor minus the angst that comes from transferring raw dough to the grill or having it sag between the grates. After rising, the dough can be wrapped in plastic and stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days; bring it to room temperature before rolling. Par-baked crusts can be wrapped in plastic and refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to a month. Bring back to room temperature before grilling.

1 tsp. sugar
1 0.25-oz. pkg. active dry yeast
2¼ cups all-purpose or bread flour
1 cup whole-wheat flour
3 Tbs. fine yellow cornmeal
2 Tbs. olive oil, plus more for greasing bowl and baking sheets
¾ tsp. salt

1 | Stir together sugar, yeast, and 1¼ cups lukewarm water (105°–115°F) in small bowl. Let stand 5 minutes, or until mixture looks foamy.

2 | Whisk together flours, cornmeal, oil, and salt in bowl. Stir in yeast mixture, adding more warm water if necessary to make moist dough.

3 | Transfer dough to floured work surface, and knead 5 minutes, or until smooth and elastic. Transfer dough to large bowl rubbed with oil, and turn to coat with oil. Cover with kitchen towel, and let rise in warm place 1 hour.

4 | Punch down dough, and knead 2 minutes. Return to bowl, and let rise 1 hour more.

5 | Preheat oven to 500°F. Rub 2 baking sheets with oil. Divide dough into 2 pieces. Roll out each piece into 12- x 9-inch rectangle or 12-inch round. Transfer to prepared baking sheets, prick crusts all over with fork, and bake 5 minutes, or until set but not browned. Cool on wire rack before adding toppings.

Tips

Use a rolling pin. Stretching or pulling pizza dough leaves thicker edges. On the grill, this can result in a charred center and undercooked sides. Use a rolling pin to achieve an even thickness— aim for no more than ¼ -inch thick.

Grill pizzas on medium-low to medium heat. A too-hot grill can easily burn a pizza crust before the cheese is melted and the toppings are warmed. Watch your first pie carefully as it cooks, and err on the side of starting with low heat. Many grills also have hot spots, so if parts of the crust are charring too quickly, use tongs to gently rotate the pie.

Less is more. Go easy on the sauce to keep the crust from getting soggy, and use grated cheese for best melting results.

Farmers’ Market Pizza

Why rely on store-bought tomato sauce when you can make your own with summer tomatoes? Here, grilled, whole tomatoes are blended with seasonings for a speedy homemade sauce.

TOMATO SAUCE

1 Tbs. canola or grapeseed oil, plus more for brushing grill grate
3 plum tomatoes (¾ lb.)
2 Tbs. fresh oregano
1 Tbs. red wine vinegar
1 Tbs. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.)
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. red pepper flakes

PIZZA

1½ cups large broccoli florets
1 small red bell pepper, sliced into 3 wedges
1 small yellow or orange bell pepper, sliced into 3 wedges
½ red onion, sliced into thick rings
¼ cup canola or grapeseed oil for tossing with vegetables
1 Par-Baked Pizza Crust (p. 64)
1 Tbs. capers, drained (optional)
¼ tsp. ground black pepper

1 | Brush grill grate well with canola oil, and preheat grill to medium.

2 | To make Tomato Sauce: Brush tomatoes with 1 Tbs. canola oil. Grill 5 minutes, or until tender and slightly charred. Purée tomatoes, oregano, vinegar, olive oil, garlic, salt, and red pepper flakes in blender or food processor. Transfer to bowl.

3 | To make Pizza: Toss broccoli, bell peppers, and onion with canola oil in bowl. Place in grill basket or thread onto wooden skewers, and grill 5 to 7 minutes, or until tender. Cool until easy to handle, then thinly slice bell peppers.

4 | Spread Tomato Sauce on crust. Top with vegetables, capers (if using), and black pepper. Place Pizza on grill, close lid, and cook 5 minutes, or until sauce is warmed and bottom of crust is crispy.

First of all, I have never enjoyed an audio book as much as this one. At least half a star is for that alone. The story was quite the exciting romp through the world of the Gentleman Bastards. I don’t know how to say much without spoiling the book for people, but suffice it to say that if you enjoyed The Lies of Locke Lamora you will most likely enjoy Red Seas Under Red Skies. Jean & Locke are definitely up to no good and it doesn’t always work out for them. Still, to paraphrase one of Jean’s more memorable lines, they’re the biggest, baddest motherfuckers in the room.

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My 8 year old daughter's unexpected response to a writing assignment about being female… – Imgur.

P.D. James, I loved The Children of Men. I even bought a copy of it to write a paper comparing it to another book for no other reason than that I found it that fascinating and intriguing. I’ve enjoyed the other books of yours I read. You are, or sadly were, an author for whom I have great respect. I just want to know, what happened with Death Comes to Pemberley?

I think I could have liked this book. I found the premise interesting and I have a long-running adoration of Pride and Prejudice. This though? This was tawdry. It went for sensationalism in a way Austen would find anathema. The characters were shadows, the plot was both weak and made me sad, and the book left me feeling irritable for days. Months later the primary thought I have about this is, “Damn authors, get off my lawn!” I even created a shelf with that name.



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It is not beyond the realm of possibility that this book would have waited from being finished in February to being reviewed in July even had my year not been inhumanely busy. Despite the disgustingly hot weather, I have goose bumps thinking about it.

The Terror is taken from the name one half of a pair of ships sent on an Arctic expedition at some point when reinforcement technology for ice breaking ships still involved the types of wood used in conjunction with some iron. Near the beginning a character thinks to himself that the number of awards given to the returning commanders of these expeditions seems to be higher the more lives are lost. I’m inclined to agree.

This book was dark, dirty, and above all cold. To steal from the inimitable karen’s review, “oh my god, let me never get scurvy.” There are many things I could add to that list. I have no idea how realistic it may be, but the descriptions of the conditions experienced by the people on those ships make me wish I could forget hearing them.

Sadly, I feel the same way about much of the element of this book that throws it into the fantasy heap. It somehow went from a scary thing that could have been made frightening to a rather campy and eventually lame rehashing of a mythology that I suspect is nowhere near as simplistic as it seems. The last 10 or so chapters could have been left off the book. More HMS Terror and less of the Terror would have made this a far better book.



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Pesto Focaccia Pizza

Like the author of this post, I love pizza. I also love the no knead focaccia recipe on which this particular pizza is based. I think my next variation will be red sauce with mozzarella, prosciutto, and basil. Mmm!