wayfaringwordhack: (pondering)
I recently read a book* in which a character looks at the position of the moon in the night sky and determines the time to be around midnight.  Dear friends, having seen the moon at 10:30 a.m. today,at what would be an equivalent "4 o'clock in the afternoon" position were it the sun, I can firmly assure you that it is a much more complicated way of telling time than merely "the moon is at its apex, it is midnight."   There *are* ways of calculating the time using the moon, but they are that: Calculations.  They need more inputs than what book characters are using.

And now your turn, should you wish to share :  Do you have any Youtube (authortube) channels that you watch for craft chat that do NOT involve showing segments of the author making coffee or walking and pet and/or going about errands?  I like listening to shop talk while puttering about the house in hopes that I will be motivated to work on my books.  Also, if the YouTuber thinks they need to swear constantly to make their points, I am not interested.

Thank you.  You may return to your regularly scheduled programing.
________________

* This is not the first book in which I have read such a thing




Elsewhere

6 Jan 2021 02:11 pm
wayfaringwordhack: (wayfaring wordhack)
 With one car in need of repairs, snow outside, and the cozy-indoors or close-to-home lifestyle that can induce, we have been voyaging in other ways these past few days.

First of all with food.

I don't know if I have shared a recipe for Poulet Coco (coconut chicken) from Mayotte before, but I made it last night and thought I would share the culinary love.  Hang tight for a "how to" and not ultra-precise measurements:

If you are not pressed for time, cut up your chicken, salt and pepper it and sprinkle with turmeric powder, then marinate it in the juice of one lemon for an hour.  I usually do not do this step and add my spices and lemon juice later.  Regarding what kind of cuts you use, that is up to you.  I do the whole bird; you can do thighs and drumsticks or just breasts. Cooking time will vary according to your choice.

Brown the chicken in a bit of oil.  After browning, remove it to a plate and sauté one diced onion, when translucent add a few cloves of garlic.  Add about four fresh diced tomatoes or a can of whole/diced tomatoes, and a bell pepper cut in strips (I often leave out the bell pepper just because I don't always have them on hand and ate plenty Poulet Coco dishes in Mayotte without).  Return chicken to pot.  Now, if you can, grate your own fresh coconut and make the milk from it, using about 2 cups/480 ml.  My next choice is to make my own coconut milk with 1 cup dried shredded coconut  (NOT THE SWEETENED kind) and 2cups/480 ml of water, which I blend in my Vitamix and then strain (doesn't have to be through a nut bag).  If you can't do either of those things, use a can of coconut milk plus a cup of water.  Season with about 1tsp of tumeric, salt, pepper, a bit of thyme, and parsley.  Cook until sauce has reduced a bit and chicken is tender. Stir in the juice of a lime or lemon, and serve over rice.  I also made a basic rougail to go with it (dice 4 tomatoes--used dried, see below, finely slice one small onion, either finely mince a nub of ginger and one small chile or use a mortar and pestle to make them into a paste.  Stir all ingredients together, add the juice of one lime and salt to taste.)
 
Today, I made Egyptian Ful Medames, with some distinctly seasonal compromises.  I made dried tomatoes this summer and preserved them in oil, so those stood in for fresh tomatoes, and ditto for some dehydrated cucumbers.  I also made this quick Yoghurt Flatbread (soooo good!) to go with it. However, next time I will add a touch more salt and will have to fiddle with the amount of yoghurt (I had fromage blanc on hand) because the dough was excessively sticky and hard to work with. The resulting flatbreads were incredibly pliable and had a very nice texture for a yeast-less bread.

phone photo:
 

And OY!  I just realized I forgot to serve it with tahini.   Ah well, just reason enough to make it again.

And my elsewhere finale is the movie Padmaavat.  Epic, gorgeous, lush cinematography.  The landscapes, architecture and costuming were to die for.  The movie apparently (I was not privvy to this before watching, having never heard of it before stumbling across the eye-catching theatrical release poster) caused a lot of protest for various stereotypes, which I understand, one plot element being telegraphed by the disclaimer before the opening credits.  But like I said, gorgeous.  Not being a Hindi speaker, I watched a subtitled version, so I am sure there were plenty of things lost in translation.  As a Westerner, one thing I loved watching was way the male actors express their virility, like the dancing, that are foreign to the cultures I have frequented.



wayfaringwordhack: (Junebug Diggin' Life)
I have mentioned in years past that I receive the word a day from wordsmith.org, and today's word was "lithophone" accompanied by some YouTube videos to see and listen to these instruments.

A copy-paste opart of the e-mail:

Lithophone

 

PRONUNCIATION:
(LITH-uh-fon)

MEANING:
noun: Any of various musical instruments in which sound is produced by striking pieces of stone.

ETYMOLOGY:
From Greek litho- (stone) + -phone (sound). Earliest documented use: 1889.

Video about the lithophones of Gobustan and this one from Vietnam. That in turn led me to thisguy playing on slate:



From there, I found his fun video about an impromtu percussion set from kitchen items:


And from there, I learned of theremins, which I have obviously heard before but had no idea what I was hearing. So cool :
wayfaringwordhack: (wayfaring wordhack)
[livejournal.com profile] vanatoomas told me that she needs color during this season. I had hoped to go out and take some photographs of Cairo's colorful side, but honestly, with the holidays, all my crafting and sewing projects, and the coming baby, I know that isn't going to happen soon.  So, in lieu of personal content, I give you this link to temari balls, spheres embroidered from threads of old kimonos.

(image via Colossal)
Lots more images here.
wayfaringwordhack: (footprint in the sand)
This a journey through photos post so I shall put it behind a cut.  Come in and walk a while with me.


ExpandIf there are road signs, they are few )

____________
Photos: 1) Three Rivers Petroglyph Site, NM, USA; 2) Kemmerer, WY, USA; 3) Wheatfield near Vinon, France; 4) Capitol Reef, Fruita, UT, USA; Yellowstone, WY, USA; 5) Uyuni Salt Flats, Bolivia; 6) World's deadliest road, Bolivia.
wayfaringwordhack: (writing: paper flames)
I highly recommend this post by [livejournal.com profile] asakiyume: An Hour with Junot Diaz.

I'm still thinking over some of the stuff she quotes.
wayfaringwordhack: (art: palmier)
The day [livejournal.com profile] asakiyume posted about someone's flub with a paper shredder, I came across this post about an artist who makes portraits from strips of paper. If you click the link, you'll see other portraits with some close-ups.

Pretty nifty, eh?


(image via Colossal)

And it has fine-tuned an idea I have for a little something I want to make for someone. :D
wayfaringwordhack: (Sprout: !!!)
Did you know that Tuesday, February 26th, is a holiday? It is; it's Tell a Fairy Tale Day.

I'm thinking of coming up with an original tale and posting it. There are only a couple of days left, so I won't do anything long or elaborate. Nevertheless, as a lover of fairy tales, I think I should do something to mark the occasion.

Anyone want to play along?  Write something original or put a spin on an old tale?
wayfaringwordhack: (writing: paper flames)
Every once in a while Frequently, I come across misuses of the verb "to lie" and its past tense form "lay." When it happens, I think, I really should share my little trick for differentiating between the two. Then I don't because I'm afraid of sounding preachy. Or I feel too lazy. Yesterday, I came across two different instances on two different blogs, both written by people who have books out (don't worry, the guilty parties are not on my flist), and decided now is the time to share. I'm going to try to avoid using grammar terminology where possible because I know such terms make most people's eyes glaze over. If you want to get more technical, you can browse Guide to Grammar & Writing.

Growing up, "lie" was only used when someone (never moi, of course) was telling a whooper. "Go lay down" was used whenever the adults wanted us rugrats out of their hair. Now that I am a mother in need of peace, "lay down!" springs to mind all too readily. Since the Great and Gruesome Massacre of English Grammar is not a legacy I want to pass on to the Sprout, I make an effort not to lapse into colloquial speech, which is also why you'll never hear me saying, "We was going to the store," another common gem in my ex-neck of the woods. 

So, when I want to know if I should choose "lie" or "lay", I simply substitute the verb with the proper conjugation of "sit."  If sit/sits/sitting works, I know I need lie/lies/lying; if the sentence needs "sat" then I know I need "lay." Note that there is no "satting" because there is NO "laying."  

Not when you need the verb "to lie;" check out this entry on Merriam-Webster, first usage, if you need the definition.

This is obviously not the right way to proceed if using the verb "to lay" (lay, laying, laid). That verb needs an object (something being laid down); in that case, you can see if "set" or "setting" makes sense. Sat vs set can be confusing for some, and in that case, use "put/putting" instead.

Some examples:
  • "Go _______ down." You wouldn't say "go sat down;" however, "go sit down" makes perfect sense. You need "lie": Go lie down.
  • "I was ________ down when the phone rang." The "was" says that we need the participle form (-ing).  Laying or lying? Well, one wouldn't say, "I was satting;" so "sitting" is the obvious choice, hence: I was lying down when the phone rang. 
  • "She _______ sleeping, looking so peaceful that I could not bear to wake her to share such sad news."  A deliberately trickier example. Without the context at the end of the sentence, both the present "lie" and the past "lay" could work. The "could not," though, lets us know we need the past tense, "sat" rather than "sit," so:  "She lay sleeping..."

How about the perfect form, the "have(has) lain/laid," when the present/past sit/sat can't help you?

Here's the easy rule: LAID does NOT belong with LIE, ever. Period.

If you know the definition of "to lie" and know what you are trying to get your sentence to say, you can safely ignore the little voice telling you to insert "laid." You only use laid when talking about putting something--an object--down (the whole "set" verses "sit/sat" thing from above).
  • "Get off your arse.* You have _______ there for hours and you need to get to work on your projects!" Is anything being set down? No, it is referring to you, in a prone position. You need to get up because you've lain there for hours.
  • "Where have I ______ my glasses?" No one speaks like this outside of books, at least no one of my acquaintance; most people prefer "put," but who knows, you might need to use it someday.  Like in that book you are writing.  So, "where have I sit my glasses?" or "where have I set(put) my glasses?"  The second one. Giving us: Where have I laid my glasses?
I think that's enough for now.** I can see your eyes glazing from here.

Another reason I haven't gotten around to making this post before is because I'm afraid of leaving something out, but there you have the basics about how I deal with lie vs lay. I hope it helps! For more tips, here is Grammar Girl's take on it.

Quick reference table:

FORMS OF LIE AND LAY
personpresentpastperfect formparticiple form
firstI lie
in bed
I lay
in bed
I have lain
in bed
I am lying
in bed
thirdshe lies
in bed
she lay
in bed
she has lain
in bed
firstI lay
it down
I laid
it down
I have laid
it down
I am laying
it down
thirdshe lays
it down
she laid
it down
she has laid
it down
she is laying
it down
(table taken from Guide to Grammar & Writing)

___________________
* I coudn't resist, [livejournal.com profile] frigg.

** Says the Sprout who is more than ready to lie on the cushions in the Children's Section of the library while I lay out a wealth of books for her to peruse. Now where have I laid my keys?
wayfaringwordhack: (fireworks)
For the first time ever, I got to see the famed fireworks above Carcassonne on Bastille Day. It's a bit odd that it has taken me this long to see them considering Julien has family in Carcassonne and his mother lives less than an hour away. This year, with our Aussie friends over for a visit and we three Faures about to head to Egypt for 4 years, we decided we had to make it happen.


Bastille Day fireworks, Carcassonne 2012 - Let the show begin

Just before the fireworks begin, the lights along the Aude are turned out, to better let the walled city have her moment of glory. 



The walled medieval city was an absolutely stunning stage for the show. Easy to understand why scads of people--sometimes close to a million (600K+ this year)--travel the world to see it. And the show goes on and on. The bursts of colored light pile up, one atop another, in a crazy crescendo. More than once I thought, "This is it; this is the finale," but the fireworks continued and continued, encouraged, I'm sure, by the enchanted cries of "Encore! Encore!" coming from a certain wee Sprout snuggled on her Manou's lap.
wayfaringwordhack: (writing: book)
In case you forgot or didn't see it buried at the end of my long writing update post, tomorrow I'm going to be posting a snippet from my WIP, as is my friend [livejournal.com profile] frigg, who's journal is locked (:P) It'd be cool if you'd join us by posting a glimpse of your current creative endeavor, be it writing, painting, or a photograph of your project to mosaic all the trees in your garden, whatever...

The point is to inspire and be inspired enough to keep up your creative momentum.  If you are interested, just post in your blog with the subject Snippet Sunday.  

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