[Snarkyfishguts]

1 hour ago, sylph said:

we are not a green pepper family

My nephew loves green bell peppers because he is a total rebel. We prefer red peppers for recipes too!

[TimovieMan]

1 hour ago, Snarkyfishguts said:

My nephew loves green bell peppers because he is a total rebel. We prefer red peppers for recipes too!

Understandable. The red ones are more ripe than the green ones, and are therefore sweeter.

 

I love them all, and use way too many of them in recipes, just so I can include more colours... ?

[Snarkyfishguts]

2 hours ago, TimovieMan said:

Understandable. The red ones are more ripe than the green ones, and are therefore sweeter.

 

I love them all, and use way too many of them in recipes, just so I can include more colours... ?

This is what I like too. But the dude likes pizza with only green peppers on it. I’m like “That’s a supporting character, not the star!” And he’s so unapologetic for it… I really admire that actually. 

[sylph]

16 hours ago, Snarkyfishguts said:

My nephew loves green bell peppers because he is a total rebel. We prefer red peppers for recipes too!

 

16 hours ago, TimovieMan said:

Understandable. The red ones are more ripe than the green ones, and are therefore sweeter.

 

I love them all, and use way too many of them in recipes, just so I can include more colours... ?

When I want to add colors I add yellow and orange along with the red ones. Hubs does a killer chili with red, yellow and orange bell peppers in it. So good. As soon as the weather breaks, I'm going to ask him to make some.

 

In this particular recipe, it has mild green chiles so it's got some complementary green already.

[sylph]

Did a bunch of adulting phone calls yesterday:

Annual vet appointment scheduling for 3 of the 4 cats (4th just went in May, so she's set for another 8 months)

Called the screen repair guy since we have a loose panel on the lanai

Chatted with the sprinkler guy since that is still ongoing (REALLY need to get the bit of lawn stuff done before he comes to repair, since that has an impact on what he'll be doing)

 

Also trying to coordinate some social things with the new(ish) neighbors. We've hung out with them a few times and I think we could cross over into being actual friends. There's a Beer/Bacon/BBQ thing downtown this weekend so I'm playing Cruise Director to see if folks want to go. Cross your fingers that it doesn't just pour down rain.

I'm not typically one to take the lead on social things, so yay me for getting out of my comfort zone.

 

Did a bit of sewing yesterday and wound up mostly frustrated with the lack of light in the evening and wound up needing to rip out a lot of seams. I should just bust out my hiking headlamp so I can see WTF I'm doing. Hrmph. I'll tackle it again after lunch when I've got a minute.

Note to self: Basting is your friend.

 

I've been going down a bit of a vintage sewing machine rabbit hole lately. My machine is about 10-15 years old (ish? I don't really remember) and makes for a good daily driver. I'd love to have something from the 50s/60s that has more metal parts, is all mechanical, and can handle more sturdy materials (canvas and denim, for example). I do a fair amount of bag making and having more durable fabrics will make for better bags, but my current machine bogs down a bit or outright refuses at certain times, so I'm up to my eyeballs in research. FB Marketplace is a giant haystack in which I'm searching.

 

Also, I still want a rower, though I still don't know where we'd put it...

And I'm poking around the craft cutter/laser cutter spaces again. They're just so cool. Hubs thinks we could use one. I'm not sure it's worth the $$ or the space at this point.

 

 

Morning brain dump complete.

[Artemis Prime]

3 minutes ago, sylph said:

I'm not typically one to take the lead on social things, so yay me for getting out of my comfort zone.

Woohoo, well done!

 

3 minutes ago, sylph said:

Note to self: Basting is your friend.

I vaguely know what this is as a sewing term, but I still can't help but picture this as you brushing butter across the fabric. I guess that's one way to oil your machine.

 

5 minutes ago, sylph said:

I'd love to have something from the 50s/60s that has more metal parts, is all mechanical, and can handle more sturdy materials

Oooh, that would be fun! Best of luck in your search!

 

[Laghail]

3 hours ago, sylph said:

When I want to add colors I add yellow and orange along with the red ones. Hubs does a killer chili with red, yellow and orange bell peppers in it. So good. As soon as the weather breaks, I'm going to ask him to make some.

 

Wild suggestion that you don't need to accept - add cubes of parboiled sweet potatoes? Adds color, a little protein, and a lot of soluble fiber. Also holds flavor nicely, especially for curry- or cumin-dominant spice blends.

 

3 hours ago, sylph said:

Also trying to coordinate some social things with the new(ish) neighbors. We've hung out with them a few times and I think we could cross over into being actual friends. There's a Beer/Bacon/BBQ thing downtown this weekend so I'm playing Cruise Director to see if folks want to go. Cross your fingers that it doesn't just pour down rain.

I'm not typically one to take the lead on social things, so yay me for getting out of my comfort zone.

 

People doing this kind of social labor, y'all make the world go 'round.

 

3 hours ago, sylph said:

Also, I still want a rower, though I still don't know where we'd put it...

 

Folding erg machines for small spaces are a thing apparently. Would that solve any space concerns? 

 

3 hours ago, sylph said:

Did a bit of sewing yesterday and wound up mostly frustrated with the lack of light in the evening and wound up needing to rip out a lot of seams. I should just bust out my hiking headlamp so I can see WTF I'm doing. Hrmph. I'll tackle it again after lunch when I've got a minute.

Note to self: Basting is your friend.

 

I've been going down a bit of a vintage sewing machine rabbit hole lately. My machine is about 10-15 years old (ish? I don't really remember) and makes for a good daily driver. I'd love to have something from the 50s/60s that has more metal parts, is all mechanical, and can handle more sturdy materials (canvas and denim, for example). I do a fair amount of bag making and having more durable fabrics will make for better bags, but my current machine bogs down a bit or outright refuses at certain times, so I'm up to my eyeballs in research. FB Marketplace is a giant haystack in which I'm searching.

3 hours ago, sylph said:

And I'm poking around the craft cutter/laser cutter spaces again. They're just so cool. Hubs thinks we could use one. I'm not sure it's worth the $$ or the space at this point.

 

Are there any maker spaces by you? The Milwaukee one is linked below as an example but they often have things like industrial strength sewing machines, laser cutters, etc, and you pay a monthly fee for access. And yes, this is my suggesting you join for me so I can vicariously figure out where they fall on my utility vs introversion scale.?

https://milwaukeemakerspace.org/

 

[sylph]

23 hours ago, Artemis Prime said:

I vaguely know what this is as a sewing term, but I still can't help but picture this as you brushing butter across the fabric. I guess that's one way to oil your machine.

Hah! I literally snorted at my desk at this.

For those that this may have given similar pause, basting in sewing is to temporarily sew things together to hold them in place before you put in the final seam. It tends to be loose/less secure than 'real' stitching so that it is easily removable. Once the 'real' seam is in place, you remove the basting stitches (or in my case, if the basting is not right, it's quick to take it out and try again).

No butter involved.

 

[sylph]

19 hours ago, Laghail said:

 

Wild suggestion that you don't need to accept - add cubes of parboiled sweet potatoes? Adds color, a little protein, and a lot of soluble fiber. Also holds flavor nicely, especially for curry- or cumin-dominant spice blends.

 

 

People doing this kind of social labor, y'all make the world go 'round.

 

 

Folding erg machines for small spaces are a thing apparently. Would that solve any space concerns? 

 

 

Are there any maker spaces by you? The Milwaukee one is linked below as an example but they often have things like industrial strength sewing machines, laser cutters, etc, and you pay a monthly fee for access. And yes, this is my suggesting you join for me so I can vicariously figure out where they fall on my utility vs introversion scale.?

https://milwaukeemakerspace.org/

 

I love sweet potatoes! Alas, hubs does not. And as he is the main chili-chef, I don't think any lobbying in that direction would be successful.

 

Planning social things makes me feel RESPONSIBLE for everyone Having The Best Time and also that any and all snafus of the day are my responsibility whether that is insufficient parking, heavy traffic, disagreeable weather, or any other reason that someone may not Have The BEST Time. We'll see how this goes.

 

In all of my research on ergs, the consensus is basically get a Concept2 or don't bother. They do break apart in the middle to sit them up on end for storage purposes, However, they also need a considerable amount of space to sit in when you're actually using them. Like the recommended floor space is 8' x 4' to make sure you don't whack elbows, head or other parts of your anatomy on any obstruction or wall. I probably don't need quite that much since I'm not worried about pass-through traffic like in a gym or some such, but that's still a fair amount of real estate.

 

Orlando has a couple makerspace-ish places associated with the library. I know they have a whole list of things that you can schedule time to use (laser cutter, 3D printer, sound studio...). Most are free with my library card, I think? (it's been awhile since I looked into it). With traffic, they're close to an hour from me, though, which is too far and also... Orlando. My cute little local downtown and the surrounding hamlets do not have such a space. Good idea, though!

[sylph]

A Day workout complete 6/22

Squats (still laughably light)

DB OHP (ditto)

Cable Rows (Hahahahah)

 

It still feels like work, so if I can get some stimulus with tiny weights, why not embrace it, eh?

 

Plus my shoulders are a little toasted from yesterday's yard project, so there are additional reasons aside from the fact that I've been regularly not lifting weights in the recent past.

[Laghail]

3 hours ago, sylph said:

I love sweet potatoes! Alas, hubs does not. And as he is the main chili-chef, I don't think any lobbying in that direction would be successful.

 

Faair! Sometime if reality cooperates enough to let you visit a street market and there happens to be a Ghanaian street food booth selling fried sweet potatoes breaded in chickpea batter, get on that shit. It converted my Liam to the Sweet Potato side of the force.

  

3 hours ago, sylph said:

Planning social things makes me feel RESPONSIBLE for everyone Having The Best Time and also that any and all snafus of the day are my responsibility whether that is insufficient parking, heavy traffic, disagreeable weather, or any other reason that someone may not Have The BEST Time. We'll see how this goes.

 

yeeep. I feel like in a perfect world we'd take turns being the planner to break up the world load. But, *gestures outside*, the horrors persist. 

3 hours ago, sylph said:

In all of my research on ergs, the consensus is basically get a Concept2 or don't bother. They do break apart in the middle to sit them up on end for storage purposes, However, they also need a considerable amount of space to sit in when you're actually using them. Like the recommended floor space is 8' x 4' to make sure you don't whack elbows, head or other parts of your anatomy on any obstruction or wall. I probably don't need quite that much since I'm not worried about pass-through traffic like in a gym or some such, but that's still a fair amount of real estate.

 

Fingers crossed, holler when you land on something! 

 

3 hours ago, sylph said:

Orlando has a couple makerspace-ish places associated with the library. I know they have a whole list of things that you can schedule time to use (laser cutter, 3D printer, sound studio...). Most are free with my library card, I think? (it's been awhile since I looked into it). With traffic, they're close to an hour from me, though, which is too far and also... Orlando. My cute little local downtown and the surrounding hamlets do not have such a space. Good idea, though!

 

Gosh I miss Orlando. And by Orlando, I mean the Lake Eola and downtown area. I did a little growing up in Clermont, and I feel you on the surrounding hamlets. 

[Cheetah]

5 hours ago, sylph said:

why not embrace

 

That's legit.  Keep up the good work!

 

[sylph]

So... my left elbow has decided to foment revolt, apparently. Any and all movement of my distal arm is rather painful--elbow extension or flexion, wrist pronation or supination. Fun!

While I don't think my pulling volume or intensity  is at all excessive, it is, in fact, more than ZERO so that could definitely be a contributing factor. Add in the now-ever-present reason of Slept On It Funny, now that I'm past 40 and there you go.

 

We'll see how it feels tomorrow. I could probably still deadlift if it doesn't get any worse, but I'll have to figure out alternate upper body work (or skip it) if a day of rest-ish doesn't work.

 

 

This morning I got up early to meet the sprinkler guy and keep tabs on that project. All sorted before lunch, which is great so that's one more thing off the list.

If the weather cooperates, there's the beer/bbq thing this afternoon.

Sunday--will likely be chores: continuation of the laundry that's been started today plus some general weeding/mulch upkeep and whatever else crops up. Scheduled for B Day lifting session, but TBD based on elbow shenanigans.

Monday--two of the cats have annual vet visits, plus the lanai screen guy is coming to replace a loose screen panel.

Tuesday--work, A Day lifts.

Wednesday--work

Thursday--work. 3rd cat to vet. B Day lifts

Friday--work.

Saturday--A Day lifts.

 

[Artemis Prime]

I hope the elbow behaves itself tomorrow. No mutinying allowed!

[sylph]

Alas, the elbow is in full-on revolution at this point. Woke up several times due to the pain and this morning it is quite uncomfortable. I won't risk working out as I'm worried that will make things worse. Sigh.

 

Anyway, I've found an elbow sleeve from the biceps tendonitis I had in the other elbow a few years ago (this is not that, wrong place for pain), I've taken some naproxen, had several sessions with an ice pack, etc. Doing what chores I can manage one-handed, which is interesting. Picked up sticks in the yard so hubs can mow later, but won't be able to run the string trimmer as I usually do.

 

Can't do much otherwise, either. Sewing (at least for me) is a two-handed activity. Video games, ditto. I'm only managing to type this by staying approximately arms-length from the keyboard and resting my elbow on a pillow.

 

Injuries suck. Especially the ones that came up out of no where without a clear cause. How am I supposed to avoid this in the future if I don't know exactly what I did in the first place? Sheesh.

 

Hopefully it'll be at least a bit better by tomorrow so I can tote cats back and forth to the vet without too much trouble.

[Mad Hatter]

Booo for random elbow pain! Sounds really bad that you can't even do hobby things.

[sylph]

Sleep is magic! After babying the elbow all day yesterday and getting a good night's sleep, it's back to 85-90%! Woo! Still going to be cautious and not over-exert over the next couple of days, but wow, I am amazed at the difference between yesterday morning and today.

[Artemis Prime]

Oh no! Injuries do indeed suck. Sending healing vibes your way.

 

Oh, wow, it worked! I am magic!!!

[Mad Hatter]

6 minutes ago, sylph said:

Sleep is magic! After babying the elbow all day yesterday and getting a good night's sleep, it's back to 85-90%! Woo! Still going to be cautious and not over-exert over the next couple of days, but wow, I am amazed at the difference between yesterday morning and today.

Woot!

[sylph]

Revision of previously posted plan:

 

Sunday--Yes, there were chores, laundry and such. No lifting due to elbow nonsense. 6/22

Monday--cats to vets, screen repair complete.

Tuesday--work, A Day lifts. No lifting today. Elbow feels mostly good, but we will exercise the better part of valor instead. I did get a walk this morning. I really should finish up the laundry. 6/22

Wednesday--work. Sausage/tomato/feta/pasta dish will be made for dinner. Super easy, delicious, and makes excellent leftovers.

Thursday--work. 3rd cat to vet. B Day lifts

Friday--work. If the weather is nice, we may go down to Disney in the evening. TBD

Saturday--A Day lifts.

[Artemis Prime]

I am glad that your elbow is feeling better, but agree it is probably wise to give it extra mending time.

 

4 minutes ago, sylph said:

Sausage/tomato/feta/pasta dish will be made for dinner

Sounds amazing. 

[sylph]

20 hours ago, Artemis Prime said:

I am glad that your elbow is feeling better, but agree it is probably wise to give it extra mending time.

 

Sounds amazing. 

It's so good--

8 oz of feta cheese in a roasting pan surrounded by a couple pints of grape tomatoes--coat the tomatoes lightly in oil and a sprinkle around a few cloves of minced garlic. Lightly dust red chile pepper flakes over all and bake at 400F for 45 mins to an hour.

Meanwhile, prepare half a package of mini bowtie pasta and brown up a pound of Italian sausage.

Once the tomatoes and feta are done roasting (that is, most of the tomatoes have burst), mix and mash them all together with the feta using a wooden spoon (or similar) which makes a delightful sauce-type substance. Then mix in the pasta and the sausage so everything is nicely coated (if it gets weird and dry, you can save some of the pasta water and mix a bit in to loosen things up).

 

I've also done things like mix in some spinach for greens, or some sun-dried tomatoes along with the roasted ones for a different texture/sweetness. 

 

Yum.

[Cheetah]

Keep up the good work!  I hope the elbow is better soon.

[sylph]

20 hours ago, sylph said:

Tuesday--work, A Day lifts. No lifting today. Elbow feels mostly good, but we will exercise the better part of valor instead. I did get a walk this morning. I really should finish up the laundry. 6/22

Wednesday--work. Sausage/tomato/feta/pasta dish will be made for dinner. Super easy, delicious, and makes excellent leftovers.

Thursday--work. 3rd cat to vet. B Day lifts

Friday--work. If the weather is nice, we may go down to Disney in the evening. TBD

Saturday--A Day lifts.

Yesterday I did, indeed, finish up the laundry. Poked at a small sewing thing, and dove into a deep rabbit hole of vintage sewing machines.

Also had a phone chat with a good work friend for a bit of a vent session and catch up, which was nice, and necessary.

 

Italian sausage is defrosted in the fridge, so once work is done, I'll get after that. Not too much else to report, at the moment.

 

Oh, elbow is feeling essentially 100% so lifting tomorrow should be good to go.

[Artemis Prime]

1 hour ago, sylph said:

Oh, elbow is feeling essentially 100% so lifting tomorrow should be good to go.

Glad to hear it! (Turns out elbow gifs are a bit thin on the ground, but for some reason I liked that one.)