Party time ahead!

[wiseheart]

Well, yes, dear folks, it's this time of the year again. The big, one-week virtual party from today to the 9th of October starts here. Come on in, be welcome, make yourself comfortable, and post a comment. May we have many collapsed threads again!

Last year we had 559 comments on 4 pages, which is an impressive record to break. But I have an excellent apple pie in the oven, and offer a virtual slice to every party guest.

Let's party!

Addition: someone asked for the apple pie recipe. Here it is, behind the cut.


400 gr wheat flour
200 gr butter or margarine
200 gr sugar
1/10 litre sour cream
1 pinch of salt
ground peel of 1/lemon
2 gr baking soda

For the filling:
2 kg apples
sugar,cinnamon, cardamom, vanilla and ground lemon peel as you like

One eggyolk for painting the top.

How to make it?
1) Make a dough from abovementioned ingredients.
2) Cut it in two equal pieces. Roll out one piece, lay it into a baking tin (baking paper under it is helpful).
3) Spread some dried bread crubms all over it.
4) Peel and plane (slice???) the apples, press out the juice with your hands (it shouldn't be too dry, though) and mix them with the spices.
5) Spread the apples over the dough.
6) Roll out the other half of the dough. Cover the apples with it.
7) Paint the top with eggyolk and bake it in a pre-heated oven, on 200°C for twenty minutes.
8) Cut it when it's cooled down.

Sorry, but I had to use the metric system. My brain doesn't work in cups and pounds and that stuff. I hope you can still figure out how much you need from the ingredients.



Addition: I also wish to gift upon my dear party guests a birthday-present, Hobbit-style: Chapter 03 - Puer Natus Est Nobis of my Cadfael fic "Sparrows" has just been posted to hiddenrealms and to FF.Net. Enjoy!

And the end results are: 735 comments on 6 pages! It's more than I could have dreamed of, and I thank you - all of you - who contributed to this record. It will be a hard one to break next year indeed, but I hope you'll be back. :)

Thanks again, I had a fantastic time and met great new people - it was fun!

Comments

[jenn-calaelen.livejournal.com]

Music: If I'm sticking to classical, I'd say Greig and Sibelius, especially Finlandia, although apparently the words I know to it aren't the original, but the version of the United Methodists (according to Wikipedia: Finlandia Hymn

[lhun-dweller.livejournal.com]

Grieg is lovely. However, I think Dvorak is needed: some Slavonic dances to get us moving, then Symphony from the New World while we drowse away some hours. Also, something lovely by Ralph Vaughn-Williams -- his Fanatasia on Greensleeves, or the one on a theme by Thomas Tallis, one of my all-time favorites. And perhaps Yo-Yo Ma could stop and perform Bach's Cello Suites for us.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

The Tallis piece is beautiful.

[rcfinch.livejournal.com]

1. Name 3 of your most favourite fandoms.
2. Name one character of each fandom you particularly like. Tell us why.
3. Name one character of each that you don't like. Tell us why.


1. I've only got two fandoms: Tolkien and Harry Potter

2. My Tolkien favourite is Finrod, mostly because he stubbornly sticks to his vow even though he knows it's going to end badly and because he has some endearing bad qualities despite seeming such a Nice Guy. Plus, he's the friend of humans and he plays the harp.
My HP favourite is Remus Lupin, the tortured werewolf who want so much to be Good but is making life very different for himself and others because of his pessimism, self-pity and lack of moral spine.

3. One Tolkien character I really can't stand is Manwe. Too lofty, and not interested enough in the problems of Ilúvatar's creations. Thingol's a good second, thinking only of what he wants to 'own' - either his daughter or a Silmaril.
In the HP books, I can't stand Hagrid. Being a big child is all very well, but children learn, and Hagrid never does, nor does he seem willing to.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Finrod has bad qualities? Do tell - I'm not that well-versed in the Silm. As for disliked characters, I'm not that impressed by the Valar in general. For supposedly higher powers, they're fairly stupid and impotent, most of the time. *ducks* Sorry.

Thingol is a somewhat twisted character, true, but we must also be take under consideration that we aren't really told the things he actually did well... assuming there were such things. I wonder how much the fact that he was married to one of the Lesser Powers distorted his veiw on the world in general.

I find Harry Potter as a fandom boring, but you're right about both Remus Lupin and Hagrid.

[lissas-elves.livejournal.com]

Composers: how about Smetana?

I love Moldau. *happy sigh*

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Oh, yes, Smetana! *joins the Czech love*

[jenn-calaelen.livejournal.com]

As the internet and computer both seem to be misbehaving today, I'm going to do this a fandom at a time - plus that gives me longer to decide which fandoms to talk about (as I have far more than 3). :)

1. Name 3 of your most favourite fandoms.
Crusade
2. Name one character of each fandom you particularly like. Tell us why.
Lt John Matherson - I think he is a very interesting character, and very underused in the show. He is clearly good at what he does, given events in the show and background (eg he seems to have been promoted quickly, especially given the fact that there wasn't a war going on, despite being a telepath), and there are so many hints at his background but not much stated outright - it is interesting that he seems to have come out of Psi Corps relatively sane.
3. Name one character of each that you don't like. Tell us why.
As a person: Max Eilerson - his lack of morality, the way that he condescends to everyone and the fact that he thinks he is better than everyone else. Although he does get a bit better over the course of the series (at least in my version of the episode order - which doesn't agree with either the dvds or the official order, both of which have serious problems to me). However, these things make him fun as a character.
As a character: Sarah Chambers - because she is so under developed. I feel like she has hardly anything to do and most of it could have been done by any doctor. It really feels like she has less depth than any of the other main cast. However, if I end up writing more in the fandom, at least it is possible to fix this.

4. If you can, recommend a piece of fanfic to each of those fandoms.
I think I have read some good fic in this fandom, but I don't seem to have any bookmarked.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Actually, I find myself in complete ageement with what you wrote about Crusade. Sarah Chambers was criminally underused. So, please, write fic about her and make her a person instead of a cardboard cut-out.

I so love John Matheson... although I do wish JMS didn't have the unfortunate tendency to give so many characters names ending with -son or -sen, especially black and Asian ones. In B5, too, are bunches of minor characters who pop up for an episode or two and have names like that.

Fandom meme

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Since I've started the thread, I ought to contribute, right?

1. Name 3 of your most favourite fandoms.

Hmmm, tough question, as I have at least a dozen of them... or more. Anyway, let's exclude the glaringly obvious like Tolkien, Star Trek, Stargate and the likes, and choose from the smaller fandoms, right. So we have:

- Brother Cadfael
- Kindred: The Embraced, and
- Space: Above and Beyond, which is one of those "fanfic made me like it" fandoms, as fanfic is a lot better than the actual show.

2. Name one character of each fandom you particularly like. Tell us why.

- Brother Cadfael fromThe Cadfael Chronicles because he's simply awesome. An ex-crusader, a herbalist and a monk, happily tonsured for a decade and a half when we first meet him, and still a human being with compassion and the occasional mild character flaws. Plus, he reminds me of an old Benedictine monk I used to know and like a great deal.

- Julian Luna from Kindred: The Embraced. It's partially due to the excellent acting and captivating personality of the late Mark Frankel, I guess - I never saw a man dripping with so much sexual magnetism and playing it so understated. Such a pity that he had to die so young and so the series was cancelled.

- Colonel T.J. McQueen, as played by James Morrison. Again, the actor added a great deal to an already interesting character - that show really was another example of wasted possibilities.

3. Name one character of each that you don't like. Tell us why.

- I'm not sure I can name a Cadfael character I'd actually dislike. Yes, there are very unsympathetic characters, but even those are so excellently written that I enjoy every appearance of them. Like Prior Robert or his little weasel, Brother Jerome.

- For that, I have two in Kindred: Lillie Langtry, who could have been so much more interesting if not for the wooden acting of Elena Haiduk, and Archon Raine. Unfortunately, Patrick Bauchau tends to play just himself; plus, the character wasn't really well-conceived, IMO.

- I absolutely, passionately hated Shane Vansen. She's one of those completely unbelievable characters TPTB for some reason like to force upon us. Come on, a silikon-breasted, Botox-lipped girl as a US Marine? And one in space, at that? Oh, please!

4. If you can, recommend a piece of fanfic to each of those fandoms.
I have loads of recommendations on telekis_vendiak, my fanfic rec page. You're welcome to browse a little. All recs are tagged, so the individual fandoms are easy to find.

On our way to Page 4 - remember, the ultimate goal is 600 comments on 5 pages. I'm tentatively optimistic about the number of comments but worried about the number of pages. ;)

Re: Fandom meme

[solanpolarn.livejournal.com]

How nice to see a fellow Colonel T.J. McQueen fan! I love that character; he was so interesting and complex -- bred to be canon fodder, but rising to be an officer; hard-nosed as they come, yet crying at black-and-white films. I am afraid I have to disagree with you about Shane Vansen, though. The whole silicon-breasted, Botox-lipped part completely passed me by when I watched it (I plead the naiveté of youth!) and I loved that she could be female and a tough-as-nails marine at the same time.

[rcfinch.livejournal.com]

Did I give any music preferences yet, apart from the Abhorrent Wagner?
I also love Sibelius, Chopin, Rachmaninoff and the rags of Scott Joplin. Plus Abba and some Beatles songs...

LJ hickups

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Is it just my imagination or has LJ truly showed down considerably? It takes ages to load.

At first I thought it was because this entry has so many comments. But then I checked out antigwenallies, and entries with only a handful comments took quite the time to load, too.

Then I thought my old PC is ailing. But then I came over to the laptop, and it doesn't go considerably faster. What the heck could be happening?

Re: LJ hickups

[jenn-calaelen.livejournal.com]

I've been having loads of problems with it today - timing out, only loading parts of pages, not wanting to post comments, forgetting what I had typed - but thought it might be my internet connection as some other sites were playing up as well.

[glitterboy1.livejournal.com]

*knocks and enters*

Happy birthday week!

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Hey, thanks, and welcome! Have some virtual apple pie. That's another good thing with virtual food: not only is it low-fat and low-carb, you also can't run out of it. *g*

[artemis10002000]

450 comments already, congratulations!

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

But still only 10 first-level comments. That won't do. We need 25 for each page before the whole thing moves on to the next page. So, should you feel like sharing anything, please start a new thread. ;)

[artemis10002000]

1. Name 3 of your most favourite fandoms.
That's a difficult question! I have sooo many different fandoms I love.

Transformers has to be on the list, though it's not one we share, since I've been consistently active in Transformers fandom for a year.

Usually, I do a lot of fandom-hopping. It's not that I fall out of love with a show, but since my fandom activity consists mostly of reading fanfic, I feel the need for a change of scenery after a while.

I'll pick Buffy, though I haven't spent a lot of time on Buffy in a while since it's one of these fandoms I always fall in love with all over again when I get back into it. And I've been into Buffy for ages! The oldest Buffy fic I have on my computer is from 2001!

I'm torn for the third spot, tempted to go for Harry Potter since it's another long-time fandom love, but I don't think we share this one, so I'll say Torchwood instead.

2. Name one character of each fandom you particularly like. Tell us why.

Transformers: Prowl and Starscream are my favourites, but I'll tell you about another favourite instead, Rumble - you already have to read about him on your flist so often (he's the one I roleplay) so I might as well tell you why! When he is on screen, he never fails to make me smile or laugh. That's what made me fall in love with him. He has this huge spirit, such a tiny guy among giants, but he doesn't let it stop him. He isn't intimidated (and probably too dense to know when he should be afraid) no matter what, yet his arrogance isn't annoying and he takes such joy in destruction. That he is the worst and most enthusiastic poet on any planet helps, too *laughs*

Buffy: I love pretty much the whole main cast of Buffy, whether old or new. Yet if I had to choose one, just one, I would pick Xander. Because he is the ordinary guy among all these people with super powers or who are extremely smart and educated, but he's still there, still saving the world. Even when they don't take him seriously, he never quits. Xander is such an amazingly loyal friend and I don't think they could have done half the stuff they did without his emotional support (and sometimes being there to whack a baddie.) Yes, he does some pretty dumb and hurtful things, but that just makes him more human. If he was perfect, he wouldn't be Xander.

Torchwood: Harsh! I'm torn between Ianto, Toshiko and Jack. We've already discussed the awesome of Ianto and Toshiko often, so I'll go for Jack tonight (and damn, I need to shorten this or I'll be writing until morning!) I started out loathing him, grew to sympathize with him as he showed some human vulnerability (I think the fairy episode was the first time I liked him) and came to love him. I love how dedicated he is to his team and to the idea of Torchwood as he envisions it. How he has gone through so much and has neither given up (for long.) And how he still, after everything, is capable of feeling compassion and still dares to let himself care for others, though he knows he'll have to watch them die.

3. Name one character of each that you don't like. Tell us why.

Transformers: I don't really have a character I dislike. There are those who interest me more or less, but no one I actively dislike. I'll name Shockwave just because he's the most prominent of these characters I just can't bring myself to care about either way.

Buffy: Spike with a soul, although it breaks my heart to name my favourite vampire and I thought the whole idea was very interesting. Simply because I thought Spike being a good vampire with a soul took away from his choice of doing good despite being a soulless vampire. Which was really one of the problems I always had with the show, this soul = good. Because it doesn't work that way for humans and they even acknowledged it with their human villains, but they never made it an issue with the vamps.

Torchwood: For once, it's easy. Gwen. I don't have a problem with unsympathetic characters, I would have just shrugged that off, but I think the writers wasted so much potential with her character. It would have been better if they'd just decided on whether she was supposed to be a sympathetic character or "jerk but has a reason for it" like they did with Owen.

[artemis10002000]

Whoops, I saw there was a fourth question to the meme! I'll do that tomorrow or rather later today, I need to go to bed *lol*

[lhun-dweller.livejournal.com]

Per instructions from our Fearless Leader and the Founder of Our Feast (and the Birthday Girl), I'm starting a new thread. I'm at work, so can't give proper thought to the fandoms question.

But, I can start a new thread. May I have another piece of chocolate now? It's almost [checks watch] 11am here, so surely, the sun is high enough someplace for chocolate.

I can't tell here, as we have no sun here today and rather a lot of rain. Enough, in fact, that Mac resisted going for his morning walk. Once we got him down the driveway, he, uh, "watered" the light pole down the street, "used" the weed patch a bit further down and was turned around ready to head home before I'd even finished picking up his morning "deposit." So, we all went home again after 5 minutes outside. Who are we to refuse the dog whose ancestors come from the borders of Scotland and England?

[solanpolarn.livejournal.com]

Why certainly it is late and/or early enough for chocolate -- here have some of mine! I do firmly believe it is always chocolate time. 11am is an especially important chocolate time -- elevensis should be more wide spread! My grandfather would always insist on a cup of coffee and something chocolatey at 11 o'clock. He used to make a delicious chocolate no-bake cake, that he would serve if you were at his place, but even when visiting people or just out shopping for the morning he would make sure he got his chocolate ration with his morning coffee. Who am I to break with that tradition?

[artemis10002000]

So what have you all done tonight/will do tonight?

I used the need for screencaps to make icons from as an excuse for a Transformers G1 marathon.

Should do some fanfic editing now, but I probably won't have the discipline for it! *sheepish grin*

Entertaining guests

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Kids and teachers from our German partner school have been visiting in these days. They'll leave tomorrow, so we invited them (I mean the adults) to a restaurant today, for a farewell dinner. It was one of those cliché places, with gipsy music and folklore dancers and stuff - the kind of place tourists usually like.

I for myself would never take any personal guests to places like that. But at least the food was good and the guests enjoyed themselves; besides, the dancers and musicians need to earn a living, too.

Re: Entertaining guests

[artemis10002000]

Sounds like a nice evening, despite the cliche. Did you have fun?

[artemis10002000]

Instead of editing, I wrote short fic instead. I couldn't help myself! Who can resist a prompt with baby ducklings and baby owls in ONE PICTURE?

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Link, please? Or you could post it here as a whole.*g*

Speaking of Colonel McQueen

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Here is the IMO best SAAB fanfic site: the S:AAB Fanfic Flightdeck (http://www.fanficflightdeck.space-readyroom.de/").

And the ultimate McQueen fansite (http://www.spectraldesign.com/tdmcq/tdmcq.html).

Re: Speaking of Colonel McQueen

[solanpolarn.livejournal.com]

Thank you, I have book-marked them for future perusal. I am a bit slow, but I have just realized why the name of my nephew's favourite character from Cars -- Lightning McQueen -- always makes me do a little double-take...

[rcfinch.livejournal.com]

Tonight, I have been working on my projected study about the Rings of Tolkien and Wagner. In the process I did a lot of surfing, too, visiting pages about the Brothers Grimm, Ossian, the Oera Linda Book, Hengist and Horsa, the Viking Revival, the Kalevala and the Danish philologist Grundtvig.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

What is the Oera Linda Book?

[artemis10002000]

Just three more to 500! (two now)

*gets the trumpets ready*

[rcfinch.livejournal.com]

I claim 500! *trumpets*

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Go you! At least the number record we have a serious chance to break.

Checking into flight and (not) packing for trip

[solanpolarn.livejournal.com]

I am flying off to Sweden for a long week-end to visit my family tomorrow. So tonight I have 'checked-in' to my flight, i.e. chosen my seat and printed my boarding pass. I should now be packing my bag, but at the moment I can't work up the energy for it. There is also the fact that though I am not going to work tomorrow, my flight isn't until 13.50. Since the trip to the airport only takes about 50 minutes, I don't need to pack tonight; I could get up and do it tomorrow morning, but I think it would be a good idea to do it.

Re: Checking into flight and (not) packing for trip

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Better safe than sorry. I'm sending Ianto over to help you packing. He's nothing if not efficient... and not easily embarrassed. *g*

What about Poltergeist: The Legacy?

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Any fans out there? Favourite/least favourite characters? Moments/episodes you won't forget?

Me, I love Derek, although his forced love affairs with much younger women don't seem very convincing. Not even the ones with the not-so-young ones, in fact. I don't know why.

Absolutely love Father Philip Callaghan and Alex. I'm fairly indifferent about Nick Boyle.

Hate Rachel, who just never seems to get the actual point about the Legacy and what they're doing and why it's necessary. I also hate her oh-so-special daughter, that annoying little git with the Awesome Powers (baby-Sue much?)

The St. Antonius episode with the old Coptic nun. The one with the vampires where Alex almost becomes turned.

Re: What about Poltergeist: The Legacy?

[artemis10002000]

I never got to watch it, sadly!

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Five (?) more first level comments to Page 4. Just sayin'... C'mon, folks, we can do this! Only two more days to reach Page 5!

Happy Birthday!

[mirasaui.livejournal.com]

I finally made a post but not sure if I placed it under the right thread. Again, expanded threads are so confusing. Hope this post helps us reach page 4, we are getting close.

Speaking of which, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

For the party, I made a virtual Floating Island, my favourite dessert. The photo is of one serving but there is an unlimited supply for all. A dreamy vanilla pudding with poached meringue "Islands" floating on top, made with lots and lots of egg yolk and white. For those who imbibe, rum or bourbon added make it even more delicious, but I prefer mine plain. Lovely, how I can eat all the apple pie, chocolate and sweets and not gain a pound! Sorry for posting so late, but better late than never. :0)

Re: Happy Birthday!

[mirasaui.livejournal.com]

Oops - forgot to add the picture!

Grattis på födelsedagen!

[solanpolarn.livejournal.com]

I am off to Sweden for the week-end, to visit my family and I don't know how much internet access and/or time for on-line activities I will have so just to make sure I say it here is an early good wish for your birthday: Grattis på födelsedagen! May you have lots more wonderful days in the year ahead and best wishes for many happy returns!

[rcfinch.livejournal.com]

Last primary comment before page 4? If not, I can't count.

[solanpolarn.livejournal.com]

Correctly counted indeed! We are now on to page 4. :-)