General Discussion Thread

[Solokov]

starts cooking corned beef

I feel like I'm forgetting something...

Lightbulb moment as I realize, no potatoes and the nearest grocer that might have them is an hour away


...... Are you [commercial break begins as the cursing starts]

[Róisín]

Solokov, that sounds very irritating! Maybe you could try rice, bourghul or sweet potato? Or a quick batch of soda bread or damper?

[yeethaw_gang]

Do you reckon you could use cooking bananas? I don't know what corned beef is, but I do know that cooking bananas are similar to potatoes. (not really, but you know what i mean)

[Róisín]

Do you mean the sort of green banana commonly miscalled a plantain? Those would go rather well with corned beef.

[yeethaw_gang]

 Yeah, I think that's what I'm thinking about. Mum cooks them every now and then, I don't know how to cook them (yet).

[Róisín]

Baked whole, rendered down in stews or sliced and cooked as chips are all good.

[steadfastjewel]

Stream-of-consciousness life update:

Quite a few friends in my immediate circle have lost their jobs due to the pandemic situation. Some have been promised rehiring when things normalize, some haven't. And very close to all my friends are otherwise on forced leave, with the exception of a friend who works crisis phone hotline (from home, now) and a poor unfortunate grocery store employee (people have been going absolutely feral with the panic buying).

My dad is coasting til April on as much sick leave as he can, and going to his job when able in weird antisocial hours of the morning. Everything feels so dreamlike.

I am slowly running out of interesting* food, and not looking forward to seeing what remains in the shops once I'm forced to restock. Trying to delay, to avoid the panicked hordes and hopefully to see resupplying.


^{* i'll get by on brick ramen and eggs (yay family chickens), but it won't be a flavorful good time, haha}


I've had time for my spinning wheel, at least! Working with alpaca fiber for the first time, feels a bit like spinning dryer lint but it will be sooo soft.
Hope everyone's keeping well 

[Solokov]

Solokov, that sounds very irritating! Maybe you could try rice, bourghul or sweet potato? Or a quick batch of soda bread or damper?

I have somehow been unable to cook rice properly for close to 6 years now. I don't know if it's the elevation I'm at, or if something's changed with the varieties.

No sweet potatoes either or motivation to bake.

Do you reckon you could use cooking bananas? I don't know what corned beef is, but I do know that cooking bananas are similar to potatoes. (not really, but you know what i mean)

I don't have access to potatoes, why would I have access to plantains?

^{* i'll get by on brick ramen and eggs (yay family chickens), but it won't be a flavorful good time, haha}

Cook the brick with the powder packet in the water, strain mostly once cooked, add frozen peas, carrots, corn as you like, a pat of butter and shredded/canned chicken. Is tasty good.

[wavewright62]

Welp, it's just as well I was too poor to take advantage of incredibly cheap airfares to Adelaide to go meet up with Róisín at her medieval faire.  Qantas is no longer flying internationally, incl to/from New Zealand.  I also assume the Faire is kaput as well?

[Róisín]

The Fair has been hijacked by the virus, and postponed to early October, and (sob) the Mylor English Ale has just been cancelled. As has the Easter Twilight Market. Quite apart from being annoying, and ruining a chance to see friends and colleagues from all over, there goes a large chunk of my income, because I generally do gardening presentations at the big twilight markets where there are usually thousands of people, and also sell a lot of plants. And at the ale, as well as a big catch-up with overseas friends and colleagues from the Druid and general Pagan community, some of whom I may not otherwise see for years on end, I also sell plants, incense, perfumes and the like. Dismal! At least the regular weekly Farmers Market is still happening, because people need food, pandemic or no pandemic.

If things ever do go back to normal, you are welcome to come and stay and have a meetup, maybe we can invite other Australian Minnions to visit and do it properly?

[Keep Looking]

With the virus spreading everywhere and more and more places going into lockdown, I think these last few months have been really hard on everyone, and I know for many of us the new pages of SSSS give something to look forwards to every day (when there's precious little else). But looking at the average length of the chapters, chapter break should be coming within the next few weeks, so I was thinking over the next chapter break it might be nice to have something a bit like the advent calendar, with people contributing art and poetry and writing and stuff for each day, to help people get through the 2 weeks. I'm willing to organise and manage it, but if other people are interested in this idea we could start a proper thread and really get it organised. It's obviously harder to do when we have no exact idea of when chapter break actually is at this stage, but I think we could manage - I know that I'm definitely willing to create and contribute some poetry for this.

If you think this sounds like something we should do, it'd be great if you could reply or message me, and we could start a thread for more in-depth planning.

[thegreyarea]

With the virus spreading everywhere and more and more places going into lockdown, I think these last few months have been really hard on everyone, and I know for many of us the new pages of SSSS give something to look forwards to every day (when there's precious little else)...

If you think this sounds like something we should do, it'd be great if you could reply or message me, and we could start a thread for more in-depth planning.

I'm in! But you already knew it, don't you?

Of course we don't know when the break will happen, but each one can start by thinking on things to do, according to each "speciality".

(a fun idea would be to switch said speciality, with people trying to do things outside their comfort zone... I could try poetry (get ready for some Vogon-style masterpiece) and others that usually write could try some illustration...)

[yeethaw_gang]

With the virus spreading everywhere and more and more places going into lockdown, I think these last few months have been really hard on everyone, and I know for many of us the new pages of SSSS give something to look forwards to every day (when there's precious little else). But looking at the average length of the chapters, chapter break should be coming within the next few weeks, so I was thinking over the next chapter break it might be nice to have something a bit like the advent calendar, with people contributing art and poetry and writing and stuff for each day, to help people get through the 2 weeks. I'm willing to organise and manage it, but if other people are interested in this idea we could start a proper thread and really get it organised. It's obviously harder to do when we have no exact idea of when chapter break actually is at this stage, but I think we could manage - I know that I'm definitely willing to create and contribute some poetry for this.

If you think this sounds like something we should do, it'd be great if you could reply or message me, and we could start a thread for more in-depth planning.

Dude, you don't even have to ask! I'm in!

[Keep Looking]

Well, that's two people - I'll start a thread. Just have to think of a name for it. And it's great that people are on board.

Thegreyarea, your idea sounds pretty cool - people trying things out of their comfort zone.

I also thought it might be cool to have a theme! Obviously for the advent calendar there's a pretty clear festive/christmassy/other-winter-holidays thing going on, but we don't really have that kind of clear pathway for a random chapter break.

[thegreyarea]

Well, that's two people - I'll start a thread. Just have to think of a name for it. And it's great that people are on board.

Thegreyarea, your idea sounds pretty cool - people trying things out of their comfort zone.

I also thought it might be cool to have a theme! Obviously for the advent calendar there's a pretty clear festive/christmassy/other-winter-holidays thing going on, but we don't really have that kind of clear pathway for a random chapter break.

I'm sure plenty more will join. And I like that you like my idea.
If you create something like "upcoming chapter break fun" (if said thing don't exists already) it could be useful not just for the next one but for the future.