#notesfromtheidiotbox

The reps in my state have repeatedly shown that they will outright ignore what their constituents say and bend the knee to whatever whims the current administration has. In fact, some of them have introduced legislation that is completely abhorrent.

What do you suggest I do in this situation, when it seems likely that any message I send to them is just going to be ignored anyway?

You gotta get some nagging Jewish grandmother energy! I do not expect anything from it except a constant, low grade level of irritation from my reps, but it will be constant and low grade for us both. You call and you write and you keep doing it because what they want is for you to shut the fuck up forever.

I am SOOOOOOOOO good at never ever shutting the fuck up.

There is a large protest this weekend, and I encourage you to go. If they won't listen to your calls, maybe they will listen to your body, but even if they do not, we do and say things not so that we will change the world, but to make it known that the world will not change us. I've been arrested before. My ass has been in the fire more times than I can count. And sometimes, this has even been for a good reason.

My grandfather used to tell me, "Whatever you do today, you have to sleep with tonight" and I think that's true, but I also think that "whatever you DON'T do today, you have to sleep with tonight" they want you to believe there is nothing to be done. But...America is so fucking big? There are so many of us, and so much space, and all it takes is courage and willingness to say "My fear is not stronger than my morality." Not everyone is going to do this. But, I like to be the sort of person I can live with.

Nag nag nag nag nag nag. Think of that way. You are NAGGING. and Nagging only works if it is annoying and constant.

Okay, trying to take a deep, calming breath, and answer this again after losing all the work I put into this ask, so if I am a little short in my answers, unfortunately it’s because I’m doing all the work over again and am frustrated. 

Now, above all else, my answer is *shrug*. It is a pillar of my own happiness and health that I do not try to modify picky eaters, but simply to avoid them. This isn’t a personal slight on you, it’s just that I’ve spend plenty of time on the tumbles giving advice to people about a dozen things, as a healthy and reasonably well adjusted human being who gets asked for it, only to be told “I CAN’T because..” or “I have an AVERSion to..” and I just do not care anymore. 

So, before I get into this, anyone reading this: Take the advice or leave it. Be picky. I literally do not care. I was asked, I am supplying an answer. What you do with your life is your own, you don’t need to explain things to me. Go in peace. 

OKAY! People have this idea that I was somehow sprung fully-formed from the mind of culinary adventure itself, but that isn’t true. While my other was a more than competent cook, and it’s true that my family was poor enough that what was served was what dinner I got to have, my father was intensely boring and so I really did eat much outside of extremely basic meat and potatoes fare. When I was 17, I took it upon myself to be an interesting person, and I loved cooking, so I funneled my energy into having an expansive palate and repertoire. I had never eaten a brussels sprout, a beet, jicama. 

Now, the only things I don’t eat are for religious reasons. So anyone can do it. 

First things first: You don’t have to like everything you put into your mouth, and the sooner you get on board with that idea, the easier it’ll be. 

They say you need to introduce a food ten times before a toddler will even be reasonable about something new, and this increases more and more as someone gets older. Exposure therapy is definitely a thing! I would set aside one day a week when you are adventurous. Where you take on things you like less (also, stop telling yourself it’ll be horrible) 

Mixing in is a great way to get used to stuff! Take something you don’t like and mix it into something you do. Put broccoli into chicken pot pie! Half and half mashed cauliflower and mashed potatoes! Peas and carrots are a classic combo! The more you have it, the less terrible it’ll be. You may never LIKE it (I still do not care for green beans) but you may be able to eat it, which is enough. Not every bite of food has to be tenderly kissed by the gods. Sometimes, you can eat for health. 

Second things second: You have to prepare shit better! 

I have no idea why so many American parents boiled and steamed all the vegetables, but I do know that it is probably one of the worst ways to prepare them. It makes them mushy and it sours the flavor and I mean I suppose it makes them literally hot but at what cost? Steaming CAN be good, but honestly steaming a vegetable takes a better sense of timing than one would assume. 

By all-purpose recommendation is always roasting. Roasting brings out the natural sugars, and caramelizes the edges for delightful textures. Obviously I can’t give you a timetable for every single vegetable, but it’s very easy to find online. Some olive oil, some salt and pepper, and boom, in the oven and amazing. 

Sauteing and grilling are great too! Pop some butter in a medium-high skillet and swirl those puppies until tender. Brush on some olive oil and give great grill marks. 

Third things third: For the love of god, season your vegetables. 

It is the strangest thing to me that people utterly ignore the role of seasoning in pleasure. People completely fail to season their salads and then wonder why they are not good. Are you the same people who don’t season chicken? Inquiring minds want to know! 

I know I am constantly shoving Penzey’s down your throat, but I have no intention of stopping now. This is the best, easiest way to season a salad: 

It is also good on sandwiches, as you might imagine, but I don’t often have people writing in to me asking “How can I eat meat and cheese on bread that I never in my life have any intention of putting vegetables on and in fact will pick them off if they come on my sandwich?” Anyway, i cannot speak highly enough of this stuff, and of making a good salad in general! I have a recipe for homemade croutons on here, add some dried cranberries or fresh strawberries, slice up veggies, don’t just throw lettuce a bowl and expect it to be good. 

There are loads of other seasonings as well! Try dill and thyme and basil, see how you feel about different penzey’s mixes like revolution or justice, I often like some of the things McCormick has--they’re not for just meat! But you have to make seasoning and tasing a major part of your vegetable cooking experience. 

Try sauces! And not just cheese sauce, but better ones. Equal parts mustard, soy sauce, olive oil, and minced garlic makes a great sauce for green vegetables. Greek yogurt with mint and garlic makes an amazing sauce for squash and such. It’s a quick way to perk up a vegetable, and there are LOADS of recipes on the internet. 

SO CLOSE RIGHT?? I’ve actually never watched a single episode of Riverdale, though through fandom osmosis, I’ve picked up a few things here and there (such as “Bughead”). I do however one thousand percent support it being a complete cracker barrel trash fire, AND EMBRACING IT.

Doc and I were talking one night about if they did some sort of Jem and the Holograms liveaction reboot, and the Riverdale method is absolutely the tone I’d want it to take. THE MISFITS ROUTINELY ATTEMPT MURDER OVER WHO WILL HAVE THE NUMBER ONE SINGLE THAT WEEK. Lean into that shit! I want the Misfits, like, trying to summon a demon to break Kimber’s hand so she can’t perform for the orphan benefit concert that night and PIzzazz overdoing it and opening a portal to hell so demons swarm the earth and can only be driven back by the power of pop music.

You know, this prompted a question: what would it take for Michiru to willingly do something patently stupid AND allow herself to enjoy it? Like legitimately enjoy it, not her usual "Oh, if I must" because it would make Haruka happy.

​Hm, enjoy it? I don't know if I can get myself there.

So much of what makes Michiru interesting to me is this idea of her being a perfect princess, some of what I've peeled off and worked with about her is based in Usagi saying she's just like a real princess. And just like a real princess, she's been trained and polished to a shine, and so there are things that are in the very grain of her now.

I can't see, for people named Doc who are me, a place she could get to where she would get around the sense of not being 'silly' that she was raised for. She was taught to be clipped into shape, and that kind of improv goofiness just would not sit well with her.

No, I think they burned me too hard on the last one! I really really wanted to like the last one, and with the exception of the stuff between Scorpion and Subzero, which was SOOOOO fun and fantastic and well fought, it was just a turkey in not even fun ways.

It committed the marvel sin: It took itself WILDLY seriously and then also refused to do that. I am not going to accept the "it's a dumb action movie!" when the movie is also acting like it has actual gravitas to offer. I've put forth before my absolute batshit approach to how I would handle a Mortal Kombat universe, but the main thing is, YOU have to believe in it, and I don't think whoever is involved in these new movies believes in any of these characters.

I've seen it! It's not new, it came out before beeb was born ahah.

I have the regrettable position of fucking LOVING that book--I read it every year-- and hating every adaptation of it I've ever seen.

AHAHAHAH while I was looking for my posts on it I found this "Map of England according to 9 year old Doc

anyway HERE IS THE WHOLE THING ABOUT THE MOST RECENT VERSION: https://docholligay.tumblr.com/post/616570113946238976/wish-me-luck-watching-the-netflix-watership-down

I haven’t read the Phantom Tollbooth since I was a little kid, for whatever reason I never revisited that one, and so I don’t know if I think it’s actually good or not! I remember enjoying it as a kid but there were a great many books I enjoyed as a kid that upon reflection were not actually GOOD, just enjoyable and fine. (THe boxcar children, for example) 

It’s one of those things where once my kids start getting to Around That Age I’ll reread it and decide if I want to introduce it to their library. They can pick whatever they want when we go to the library, but there’s also books I am definitely going to introduce them to intentionally, like, well, pretty much everything I wrote about for my birthday. 

I’ve always held the opinion that Elton John’s “Crocodile Rock” would be the perfect background music in a movie for someone to beat the ever loving shit out of someone else.