Recipe time

Hot damn (operative word: hot), this'll put some pep in yer step!

If you need to make your nose run, or you just really like the spicy, try this soup:

Chop up about half a butternut squash, 2 carrots, and a few celery stalks and saute them in some olive oil for about 5 minutes on medium-high.

Add half a diced onion, about 5-6 minced cloves of garlic, and several tablespoons grated ginger. Saute these for about another 5 minutes.

Add 4 big chopped-up collard green leaves, 6 cups veggie broth (I used a mix of those little mushroom cubes and normal vegetarian broth), generous doses of cayenne pepper and curry powder (I figure I used about a teaspoon and a half of each, maybe more), a few lemon slices, about 8 quartered crimini mushrooms, and salt to taste. Simmer on medium-low for about 40 minutes, or until everything's nice and tender.

Remove from the heat and stir in about 1/4 cup miso. Let sit for 5 minutes before serving.

This is a variation on "Winter Sicky Soup" from How It All Vegan, and it really did the trick scaring away the remnants of my cold! It is hella spicy, but yummy.

When nerdinesses collide

Is it just me, or does Andrew Bogut look like he could be Viktor Krum's tall brother? When I first noticed the resemblance, the Utes were playing New Mexico, who have a player whose last name is Granger. Heh.

I started rereading the books while I was sick, and tried to notice if Rowling ever tells us what color Ron's eyes are. I haven't seen it if she has. Random or deliberate? (Web site is about my favorite probably-unlikely-but-way-cool theory.)

Unrelated to nerdiness, but am I really the only one who remembers that Randall Terry is the Operation Rescue jackass? (And if anyone knows a better word than "jackass," please help. I tried "shit-for-brains" and "fucktard" but nothing really seems to quite convey the sheer amount by which this man should not be allowed to give his opinions on national TV.)

A foolish heart embarrassment was all that was left to me

Had a chai craving and called Miss zinnea, but alas! When we got to the chai place we saw that the bastards were closed!

But we got coffee and wandered a bit, taking an educational route past places of historical interest (causing me to flash back to high school and my friend giving a mock tour of Missionary Ridge Elementary: "This is the original broken glass to the building..."), and ended up getting more coffee in a place that was apparently a waystation in the Hottie Holding Area. It did wonders for my creeping ennui and those feelings of What's The Sodding Point.

Now I am too caffeinated to sleep, so here is some culture.

( Poetry for yoo )