PB/Almond Cookies Sean M Puckett 1/7 '22

The classic fork-dressed peanut butter cookie recipe is 1C pb + 1/2C sugar + 1 egg. I wanted to improve it, and also make it easier to prep. At least in that one makes less mess. Have you ever tried to measure 1C of pb? But that's dumb when you could just weigh out 250g. So there's that reason gone. Anyway. We like these.  They taste like food.

Preheat oven to 325F & grease two cookie trays/half sheet pans.

Prep get

  • 400g of lightly salted snacking peanuts. 
  • 100g of roasted almonds (not salted).
  • 250g of white sugar

Put all of that in a food processor and whiz it up until it's gone past powder and is starting to clump up again. At this point I turn it out into a mixing bowl, then add

  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Use a scraper or disher to mix thoroughly. It will get extremely sticky.

Use a spoon or a disher to portion balls of dough onto the trays, leaving some room for expansion. Use a fork to smash them flat. You'll probably need to grease the fork or it'll stick.  

Bake at 325F for 11-15 minutes or until they smell done / are lightly browned.  Remove with a spatula (which will probably also need to be greased). Let them cool on a rack for 10 minutes to firm up.

Edited to add: if you want them to stay soft-ish, put them in a covered container after they cool down. If you like them crisp, let them stay out for a while. At least this works in the winter when the humidity is low.

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1/7 '22 10 Comments
Oh I love recipes with weights! Really speeds things up. And renders very reproducible results.

In a way, these are like peanut butter cookies made with almond flour.
Anne Mollo
Yeah we just toss the bowl on the kitchen scale and hit tare and go to town. So, so much easier. And not having to clean a buncha measuring cups is boss.
Sean M Puckett
I like this a lot. Thank you!
Lindsay Harris Friel
Good luck with them. They're so good they disappear fast. I think the three of us put down 24 of them in less than a day last weekend? But you know, meal replacement. (They're so good.)
Sean M Puckett
Pb/KCN cookies are considerably less safe.
nerdsholmferret
I have a recipe that requires a cup of ketchup (I have a set of American measures specifically for dealing with this sort of guideline). Inevitably I wind up with probably about a tablespoon of said ketchup stuck inside the cup measure; also inevitably there is ketchup elsewhere, but not in the designated mixing bowl.
Waider
The Wonder Cup (https://www.kitchensupplywholesale.com/products/wondercup, not an endorsement of a particular retailer) is superb for when we have to measure goopy things by volume. You lose only a small smear of the goods.
Dawn Keenan
Good to know! I've seen those gadgets and always wondered if they were any good. Anything that gets the Dawn Keenan Seal of Approval™ is a keeper in my book!
Jill "xtingu" Knapp
I giggled over "they taste like food."
Jill "xtingu" Knapp
These bad boys (slaps the roof) look like cookies but eat like a meal!
Sean M Puckett
 

The great culling Anne Mollo 1/6 '22

Except for this and maybe one other post (?), my OPW entries are now locked to mutual followers who also post here from time to time. Sorry lurkers. I know you mean well, but I'm weary of the take-and-never-give aspect of our "relationship."

Also ditched my dopamine--I mean Twitter--account. No amount of curating the feed can make up for the level of poison. I've loved some of the connections I've made there but few (some, but not many) are local, which isn't a healthy balance, especially in the 'Rona Times.

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1/6 '22 19 Comments
I sometimes forget to check here (and Dreamwidth, the other longer-format social blogging place I haven't entirely abandoned) for days to weeks at a time. Writing about my life feels pointless with the dwindling of call-response, but I have a couple of dozen mutuals in the Dopamine Central the is Twitter.
When I can't even summon the commitment to thank someone who has been a friend for years and says "I see you" in response to a dithering update that necessarily lacks critical detail* I know I need something I'm not getting regular access to.

*I don't think I'm being actively stalked any more but stuff I learn about while within these concrete walls reminds me that people who may wish me harm are never far from being able to do so.
Dawn Keenan
What I've realized is that I don't use this space for blogging. If I wanted to blog—to make a public billboard of my thoughts and opinions with the goal of collecting readers or making a statement or promoting myself or my work—I'd just make a blog.

For me, this space is for staying in touch with people I already know, hopefully getting to know them better, and meeting new people I'd like to know better too. I was pretending that other outlets were providing the same benefit. In small ways, they have.

But in general, the rest of "social media" is one long, loud paid advertisement—in fact paid for with my valuable time/scrolling/clicks. I've grown tired of shouting over the noise just to say hi to folks; my time is more valuable to me than that. I've had a better time chatting with the pickle ball players who come to the tennis courts next door, even in the dead of winter. (It's quite a sight, people dashing back and forth on the shoveled courts in full winter gear; so cheerful and somehow hopeful as well, humans playing together despite the elements.)

Anyway, I ramble. I always look forward to your posts and enjoy reading them, however vague you need to make them for safety's sake.
Anne Mollo
Every time someone mentions pickle ball (there was a group on the Ottawa campus of my workplace, before all this) I look it up, think "him, interesting, not likely to the it up" and continue on with my life.

I'm starting a new work assignment this month and the shift in social norms (more social loafing before getting down to meeting business, apparently email more strictly business, lots of immediate feedback) is a little jarring. Which it shouldn't be, but I get so little practice, as do we all.

I think after the plague, if there is an after, I will miss the fellow who lives in the same building as the local welfare offices spewing random comments about poop and farts whenever he sees someone on the street wearing a mask.
Dawn Keenan
I get that.

I culled my Twitter to people I know and People to whom I can remember what my professional relationship is a couple years ago but it’s time for another go.
Thomas Boutell
I just needed a Big Break, to focus on other things. I may reassess in time, but for now this is what feels best.
Anne Mollo
Ah, that explains why my followed accounts no longer number a nice 420.
rone
Truly harshing your mellow, I guess.
Anne Mollo
I am most grateful to have passed the test.
Lindsay Harris Friel
Oh jeez. It's not a test. It's just... if someone can't be bothered to post here at least once a year, what kind of connection is that.
Anne Mollo
No, you're right.
Lindsay Harris Friel
I tend to divide up my output into mental channels - I'm sure I'm not unique in that - and post to the relevant one according as the mood takes me. The waider.ie stuff tends to be minutiae of nerdery and movies with occasional forays into other stuff; Twitter is largely a vent, sometimes a means to prod a service provider (usually with limited success, tbh) and sometimes a means to boost things I agree with; I have a /very/ limited WhatsApp presence (not even using any readily identifiable means of connecting it to me) that's used solely for keeping in contact with my Sanctuary Runner peeps; and here is for... stuff that would go on the waider.ie site if I'd bothered to implement user access and granted same to a small audience of trusted friends and acquaintances. It's hard to describe its category, exactly; it's one of those "I know it when I see it" things.

I've thought from time to time about the question of /why/ I put the stuff on waider.ie; long ago, I started it because I was reading Alan Cox's (Big Linux Nerd) version of the same thing, and some days it was "wrote arcane kernel code" and other days it was "went to get icecream" and I think the whimsy of it struck a chord with me. I also harbour the occasional notion that something I write - of a nerdy nature, typically - might be of use to someone facing the same problem I've just solved. At this point, a lot of it is just a diary, but eviscerated of overly personal detail. I do periodically go back looking for something from an old entry and usually wind up reading through The Partial Story of My Life Circa 2006 and the like, which is often fun. But I can't say I've ever had a specific audience in mind, and I'd be hard pushed to explain exactly why I write about the stuff I write about. I mean, really, who cares that I just finished installing a new dishwasher, exactly?

Hmm. This comment is at this point long enough to be an entry on this site... sorry. Got carried away :-) As I said before, I love what you write here, and the sheer joy of your family life (with all the attendant bumps in the road) always shines through.
Waider
I adore how long and rambling your comment was! I also love hearing some of the day to day things that go on in your world (I still dream about visiting someday) and ALWAYS appreciate photos of black cats.
Anne Mollo
Yaaaaay! Thanks for keeping me in the Cool Kids Club! I promise to make my way back to posting here soon.

And good on ya for dumping Twitter. I similarly dumped Facebook and it has been so, so, so good for my mental health.
Jill "xtingu" Knapp
Yeah, I left facebook... wow, a long time ago now. Years! Ethically, I just couldn't participate any more, and I stand by that. Twitter was just annoying the living crap outta me AND hoovering up a TON of my TIME. Because these things are in fact designed to be addictive. I felt constantly distracted and bored, the day would zoom by, and I'd have nothing to show for it but a head fulla noisy thoughts. I may go back at some point, but for now? Good riddance. I've had such nice productive days since, and my down time is truly down time.
Anne Mollo
Yeah. It has been pointed out that twitter is taking up some of my attention lately, like "ooh I should tweet that" about things that aren't related to my profession, and I'm trying to dial that back or take it here where it can be properly appreciated by six people who know me 😄
Thomas Boutell
Sorry to see you go on Twitter, but I totally understand that feeling. In fact, I told Patch yesterday that I go there so sporadically to tweet, like going back to an old ex that quickly reminds me why I left. *le sigh*

I've been away from OPW but am always glad for our interactions, so your content here is very much appreciated, love.
Karen Kuhl
As is yours!
Anne Mollo
I do really enjoy reading your posts, and knowing what youse guys are up to.

I hardly ever post here myself...not because I spend so much more time on Twitter (tho somehow I have over 1160 followers now {shock emoji}) or FB (which numerous friends of mine use as their sole mode of lengthy communication with numerous other friends, and asking them to communicate in other ways is Not Going To Happen). I stopped updating my blog a couple of years ago for lack of anything non-repetitive to say there, though I'm going to take a stab at it again this year. Perhaps if I do I'll cross-post here once in a while.
Elena Gaillard
I would LOVE that. What might seem dull or repetitive to you is of the greatest interest to ME!

Throw me a bone, baby.
Anne Mollo
 

I am no caveman! nerdsholmferret 12/31 '21

I am a cavegnome!  And I went to my reward with 4077970 points, having never successfully cast a spell.  I would have maxed out my attributes though, if a titan hadn't disintegrated my +5 helm of brilliance.  13 intelligence is pretty good for a cavegnome, right?

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12/31 '21 1 Comment
Nice! Aw 404
Thomas Boutell
 

A Moment for Fanboi Matt... Matt Lichtenwalner 12/13 '21

Okay, I just need to squee for a minute.

Yup. Me. Squee.

Not familiar with Richard Whitters' work? Allow me to illucidate:

And on top of all that? I've been following his Twitter account for some time now and he just seems like a genuinely nice guy.

So now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go draw until my brain leaks out of my fingertips.

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12/13 '21 4 Comments
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_DF0foHGHI
Rob
This makes me so happy.
Lindsay Harris Friel
I’m grinning ear to ear for you!!
Anne Mollo
<3
Shelle Klein Houser
 

Not That Long Ago nerdsholmferret 12/9 '21

My ability to do math may be slightly inpaired by the late hour, but here is direct evidence of the Not That Long Ago Effect:  "Thirty years ago, after the USSR came to an end..."  "1971?  That can't be right.  I must have forgotten to borrow a one.  1981's not right either.  But that means... 1991 was thirty years ago!"

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12/9 '21 1 Comment
"Holy shit, remember physical instrumentality? That stuff was... well, it was stuff."

"What's grandblox nattering on about now?"
Thomas Boutell
 

There are worse things than staring at the water on a Sunday ... Shelle Klein Houser 12/2 '21

Stephen Sondheim, who was still actively working on new projects at age 91, is dead.

(I know he died a few days ago, he's still dead now)

"Are you working on something new?"

"No."

"That isn't like you, George."

Edited to add: the intersection between Sondheim and Seurat is a musical called Sunday in The Park with George.

Today is George Seurat's 162nd birthday, and Google has doodled him.If you google "Color and Light Sunday" you get the good version. At least I do. If your algorithm doesn't deliver Mandy Patinkin and Bernadette Peters, here you go ...

Rabbit and I were talking about versions of musicals and how she can appreciate > 1 version of a show whereas I have traditionally listened to the one version I liked and found all others unacceptable. That has changed for me over the years in many cases. Here are some examples:

Sweeney Todd - Len Cariou (Original Soundtrack) and George Hearn (original filmed stage version) are both great Sweeneys. Ken Jennings (OST) and NPH (revival) are both great Tobys.  Also, I enjoyed the casts of Sweeney in two local productions I saw. So I am expanding my horizons.  Johnny Depp's attempt at Sweeney - still unacceptable.

Gypsy - my favorite Mama Rose is Bernadette Peters, but I also like classic Ethel Merman and the two local Mama Roses I saw.

Jesus Christ Superstar - Murray Head (Concept Album) is still my favorite Judas (I know, I know ...) but I like Carl Anderson (Original Movie Cast)'s performance. Ted Neely (OMC) as Jesus can go sing country somewhere else, Ian "Deep Purple" Gillan (CA) is my Jesus! Though I have seen local performances with good Judases and Jesuseseses ... I don't know where to stop, it's like banana ...

There are more, but is already TL:DR ...

So, ok, long list of progress with the open-mindedness, yeah?

But let's get back to my complete LACK of progress, the hill on which I am sure I shall die.

The Mandy version is always the best version, with one and only one known exception.

No, the exception is NOT Evita. Mandy singing "High Flying, Adored" is the reason I am obsessed with musicals. Eight year old me understood what it was like to hear the voice of an angel coming from my friend's parents' record player ... 

The exception is the 1990 studio cast version of Man of La Mancha.  It's fine but not great. Mandy's performance is excellent and he is a strong contender for my "favorite Sancho Panza", but Placido Domingo just doesn't deliver Quixote as well as Brian Stokes Mitchell. You can survive with an okay Sancho or a so-so Aldonza, but a Quixote who doesn't knock it out of the park deflates Man of La Mancha like it was poked by the lance of the Knight of Mirrors.

Right, where was I?  Happy Birthday Georges Seurat!

The Mandy version of Sunday in The Park With George is the best version, but it's not exclusively because of Mandy. Bernadette Peters also makes it great - she glows like a Seurat painting and each of them individually and the two of them together make this musical, which, admittedly, has some serious flaws in its plot/construction ... iconic. 

"There are only two worthwhile things to leave behind when we depart this world of ours: Children and Art." - James Lapine, book, Sunday in the Park with George

I included the clip above. Just listen ...

We'll miss you, Mr. Sondheim. So much.

---------------------------------------------------------

Recommended listening if you want to hear some Sondheim ...

Sweeney Todd, OBC

https://open.spotify.com/album/2q6InM859RCsSQOjHWNHk2?si=2kmz22NVSvmg1C712-us9Q

Assassins, Original Off-Broadway Cast

https://open.spotify.com/album/2YhmmaSqQpHrx1XmVW3TpV?si=cb_OtaouQVq47UbLubvplw

Gypsy, 2003 Revival

https://open.spotify.com/album/6Zy5TONz6w6hQBhpOv5YDZ?si=hoCnri3ETHaG_lgRzEN1CA

Follies, New York Philharmonic Concert Cast

https://open.spotify.com/album/2xiTOqSv8RxJHS6XjSCaAp?si=-w7R5dWJQh6vW_40IGgJIQ

A Collector's Sondheim, 1986 (SO much Sondheim ...)

https://open.spotify.com/album/2sVZDCIkPbGfbapjyohWHD?si=EONbr7NhQQKUGw3aW9O3Ew

Into The Woods OBC

https://open.spotify.com/album/728ZIip1mzws5PJrxbQo4T?si=fNNQUvfcR1SubPKwHtL8mg

Mandy Sings Sondheim 

https://open.spotify.com/album/1CP1MF3d1MDtnqOdwhBcoH?si=2rzHRRr8TQ-77Td59IjnkQ

Bernadette sings (mostly) Sondheim

https://open.spotify.com/album/6QoV6cOzm0RmGnJA02Gd2g?si=3L5ZT62oTJecNqZ4MaXQ5Q

And ... 

Sunday.

https://open.spotify.com/album/0L60IYQVraO51EAXeCiqZE?si=CfsN0VPXTwW59hgfKLvIaw


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12/2 '21 5 Comments
I also mostly like really random, short, obscure songs in musicals, so for me, it helps that Timothy Spall was probably born to play Beadle Bamford, even if Depp sucks.

And to be fair, I am insanely picky about A Little Night Music. Only the 1990 Lincoln Center performance will do, but that has to do with how bad the OBC Desirée is.
Rabbit
You probably know this, but: today I learned that after a failed show, he considered turning to video game design before rallying and creating Sunday in the Park with George.

Yes, video game design. Yes, in '84 or '85.

I'm glad he changed his mind, but I would definitely like a peek at the universe where he designed video games.
Thomas Boutell
i was completely obsessed with Sunday in the Park back in the day... i wanted to be bernadette peters soooooo badly. god, sondheim left such a legacy...
Jenn A
But…Colm Wilkinson!!!

CM Adams
You mean Jean Valjean? ;)
Shelle Klein Houser
 

the decay of desire rone 11/4 '21

It feels like aging is discovering which things that you used to do for fun are no longer enjoyable. 

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11/4 '21 9 Comments
What did you discover?
Anne Mollo
So far, watching hockey/football/baseball, playing soccer, collecting comic books, attending music concerts, doing wine tourism...

rone
Are you also at least discovering new things to enjoy?
Anne Mollo
Trying to. Nothing's sticking.

Oh, add role-playing games and technical conferences to the list.
rone
Oh, we're playing more board games now. That's fun.
rone
Shhh, ignorance is bliss.
Kevin Schnitzius
Ooooof. Sorry to hear this man. [Makes a note to do all the things he enjoys this year, just in case they are meh next year]
Thomas Boutell
I think Baryshnikov said something along the lines of "everything you do after age 40 is damage control."
Lindsay Harris Friel
“What I used to do all night, now it takes me all night to do.”

CM Adams
 
 
 

What have we been watching? Sean M Puckett 9/30 '21

A recap of episodic things from our list. Netflix unless otherwise noted. 

  • Ted Lasso (Apple) is fantastic. 
  • Madoka Magica, anime. Dark subversion of Magical Girl genre.  Excellent.
  • Sailor Moon Crystal, anime. Fluffy, unintentionally hilarious. Watching it across from Madoka Magica was really something.
  • DS9. We never watched it all before, so we started fresh.
  • My Love. Slow paced, pleasant doc of very old people who love each other. 
  • Way of the Househusband, live-action anime (fansub). Brilliant.
  • Squid Game. Bailed out after one episode. Antiheroes everywhere, glorified gore fest.
  • Headspace Guide to Meditation, short doc episodes. d likes it.
  • Aggretsuko, anime. Starts off goofy, gets deep, but also hilarious.
  • Age of Samurai, live-action doc. It was okay, if gory. Too many white people narrating though.
  • Korean Cold Noodle Rhapsody, food doc. Interesting history but watching people cram wads noodles in their face was not pleasant.
  • Eden, anime. Short futuristic series, lovely visuals. Cute, pleasant.
  • Chef's Table BBQ, food doc. A bit "look at these people" but interesting.
  • Masters of the Universe: Revelation. It isn't She-Ra but it made the man-children angry so worth a watch.
  • High on the Hog, doc about Black influence on American cooking. Highly recommended.
  • Legend of Korra, we tried, we really tried, but the voice acting is just so bad, and the characters act so inconsistently and stupidly.
  • Nadiya Bakes, British baking doc. She's irresistably perky but much of what she bakes we can't eat.
  • Taco Chronicles, food doc (en español). This was wonderful.
  • Black Lightning, superhero. Really well done but didn't stick for us.
  • Lupin (en français), heist. Honestly just watch Volume 1 and imagine they capped it off rather than put in the final twist. Omar Sy is great tho.
  • Luna Nera, fantasy (Italian). Didn't stick either, a bit grating at times.
  • Raja, Rasoi aur Anya Kahaniyan (India), food doc. Season 1 is a wonderful tour of the different regions of India, their cuisines, and how the various ruling classes affected what people eat.
  • School Nurse Files (Korean), fantasy/horror. Didn't stick.
  • Midnight Diner / Tokyo Stories, short stories in Japan. This is pretty good stuff in general, though some episodes are uneven.
  • Umbrella Academy, superhero. We choose to believe that everyone dies at the end of Season 1, and are glad there won't be any more.
  • The Good Place. Oh fuck yes.
  • Stranger Things. This is pretty good!
  • Food Wars, anime. We bailed, it was kinda boring.
  • Street Food, doc. This series is very good.
  • Korean Pork Belly Rhapsody, doc. Two episode series, quite interesting.

Well that's what Netflix said we watched in 2021.

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9/30 '21 8 Comments
I really want to see Ted Lasso but really don't want to deal with Apple TV...

My brother swears by Stranger Things and even tried to get the Chipmunks to watch it. It just doesn't hit with me, for some reason.

I remember watching the pilot of DS9 when it very first aired! It (and the series) felt so groundbreaking at the time. Now it seems as clunky as Next Generation to me, though I still like it best of the older stuff, over NG and even Voyager. I've lovedLovedLOVED the new Discovery and can't wait for a new season. LOVE. (And Paramount+ is cheap, which is nice.)

Is there something I'm missing in The Good Place? I mean, I get that it's clever, but I ... I don't know. It just feels like endless sketch comedy but not far enough off the rails to make me laugh? Maybe it's because I have no attachment to a Judeo-Christian moral universe, so subverting that universe also doesn't interest me much? I wish I knew! I feel as though everyone else is enjoying a joke that I just don't get. lol
Anne Mollo
I couldn't get into The Good Place, either. It felt too.... I dunno, "perky". I had this problem with Kimmy Schmidt, as well.
Karen Kuhl
I repeatedly wanted to nope out of The Good Place. Once you realize how subversive it's being, it starts bringing satisfaction.
DS9 is I think the first of Roddenberry's children to bring makeup (prosthetics), writing, and acting to a consistently high level. The ensemble cast and A/B plot structure of many episodes are challenges not always easily overcome. The costumes are a bit of a wreckage IMO.
Stranger Things has been mostly visually challenging due to the use of strobes, which I cannot watch even with eyes closed.
As for Ted Lasso, it's not a comedy. It is a drama that centers on joy in a 3-season arc, and we as a society don't have stories about joy in our heart.
Dawn Keenan
I’d say if the Good Place doesn’t click for you after a season, then it won’t. But it will. 😁
Thomas Boutell
Enjoy DS9! It feels like the Western of ST series to me. *blows smoke off pistol, tips hat*
Karen Kuhl
My mileage may vary.

Ted Lasso: best viewed from outside the conventions. Have been following people's week by week reactions to Season 2 and looking forward to the next part of the 3-season arc.
Madoka Magica: tolerable, far too reminiscent of the way the dominant in our culture twist people and circumstances to their own ends. Similar to Neon Genesis Evangelion in a way.
Sailor Moon Crystal, Masters of the Universe, Eden: highly enjoyable, easy to pick up and follow, characters using unconventional strengths effectively.
My Love: in a way, a documentary about health care.
Headspace Guide to Meditation and Guide to Sleep: helpful albeit somewhat fluffy and white-buddhist.
Korean Cold Noodle Rhapsody and Pork Belly: quite enjoyable.
Legend of Korra: I would like to continue this, with the original voice acting. Perhaps on my own to avoid commentary about the production values and decisions made by characters.
Nadiya Bakes: enunciation, enthusiasm, and a surprisingly large portion of wheat-free recipes.
Black Lightning: I was enjoying this but we stopped. I've read up on where it goes, because I had to know what happens and we won't be seeing any more.
Lupin: Season 2 was entirely necessary and well done. Open to but not seeking out a third season, since it's not clear where they could take it that remains true to the original intent.
Luna Nera: learning the secret S doesn't know ruined what interest I had in finishing this.
The Good Place. Oh fuck yes only after most of a season of oh fuck no and several places of meh. Can see how someone would groove on a second review of this clearly complete story.
Stranger Things. Good acting all around, lots of callouts to the 80s in suburban US, far too much unpleasant visual noise.
Food Wars: too much fanservice, though the premise and characters were interesting.
Dawn Keenan
Given the international series in your feed and the fact you tried School Nurse Files at all, you might try Mystic Pop Up Bar. It's sweet and fluffy and its weaknesses are oddly strengths. I wanted School Nurse Files to be as good, and stuck it out longer than I should have hoping it'd turn into MPB or something like... but no. School Nurse Files did not work. Way of the House Husband is everything. I'm profoundly sad there's not more of it. Except I'm not really sure there should be. Its brevity may be its perfection. Also, my husband needs a shiba inu apron now.
Karen Hoofnagle
Legend of Korra ...

Before watching: We want more Avatar! This looks like more Avatar, let's watch it! Very excited!

After a episode or two: Ugh. The little pet red panda looking thing is cute, but this is NOT Avatar. Sadness.
Shelle Klein Houser
 
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