Do a local’s discount, or free ice cream the day you open and locals will love you. Build the good will early and you’ll be all set!

LOL. Ten percent discount if you show up with a driver’s license that has a cape cod address, twenty percent discount if you have a sunburn, thirty percent if you have a sunburn and promise to wear sunscreen for the rest of your life. 

ifiknewiwouldtellyou replied to your photo “I’m focacciaing it up!  This is actually a half recipe (I know it...”

I would suggest weighing the flour if possible, relative humidity is weird to baking.

I haven’t had a ton of luck using weight as opposed to measurement in bread baking, to be honest, precisely because of the relative humidity -- for me the cup measure is what I measure out, then I add slowly until it looks and feels right, which unless it’s DEEP winter usually isn’t all of the flour. Like you say, humidity. :D

drgaellon replied to your post “wormdelivre replied to your photo “Good morning! Up and at em...”

Books I've *PAID FOR* I have a much harder time throwing aside. I feel obligated to get my money's worth out of them, even when I've been snookered into buying a bad book.

Ah yeah, I rarely buy books anymore unless they’ve already impressed me or are super cheap -- living that library life, yo. If I’ve read a good book from the library I’ll often buy it, but there are too many bad books out there! :D

niennanir replied to your post “wormdelivre replied to your photo “Good morning! Up and at em...”

1 You'd eventually acclimate to Florida Summers 2 We air condition -everything-

Yeah but I’ve lived through summers in Texas and spent enough summer time in Florida to know that while I would acclimate, I would still suffer. :D TFW you walk outside and realize life would be so much easier if you had gills...

mollyscribbles replied to your photo “Good morning! Up and at em everyone, the garlic is...”

be absurdly careful with garlic around kitties.

Fantastic choice on the dress!

May I ask how you planted it? Did you have seeds or from a garlic itself??

I don’t know if you can even get garlic seeds per se -- you just break off a clove, especially one that might have a bit of a green tip to it, husk off the papery stuff, and shove it in the ground! :D 

drgaellon replied to your post “Question as an oldster and fandom lurker, since you are an author and...”

I never comment on how bad I think a fic is; I just backspace out of it. It's the fic that's GOOD except for... That's the fic that I want to offer help. And, yes, Sam, I do backspace out of fics for spelling and grammar errors - but generally multiples of them. When I'm spending more time cringing at the errors than I am enjoying the plot, that's a fic I abandon reading.

I mean, I have zero problem with the backspace! I do it myself all the time. I don’t want anyone to think they have to read every fanfic they open, I’m choosy about what I open and then choosier about what I finish. I think that’s the healthiest way possible to interact with fanfic. (Books these days only get fifty pages to impress me before I throw them aside as well :D)

everbright-mourning replied to your photo “Good morning! Up and at em everyone, the garlic is...”

Is the picture from yesterday? It's still pitch dark 10 minutes from the Wis border.

LOL yes it was from yesterday evening. It was still dark out here, too, but the sprouts had grown significantly -- I just didn’t have a good way to light them. 

queerenbian replied to your photo “Good morning! Up and at em everyone, the garlic is...”

"good morning?" sam, it's 4 am???

Technically morning! :D 

niennanir replied to your photo “gameraboy1: Hoot Hoot Ice Cream Shack, Los Angeles, 1935 Just one of...”

Sarasota Florida would welcome you with open arms and the more profanely terrifying the owl the more we would like it.

It’s going on the shortlist, though I don’t think I could survive a Florida summer...

spadesandaces replied to your post “spadesandaces replied to your photo “gameraboy1: Hoot Hoot Ice Cream...”

The outer cape is my hometown, and I can 100% say it would be noticed immediately. Don’t underestimate the local population and how much they see and how quickly news travels. Maybe you can get a concession permit for one of the ocean beaches? I’d rather got to the owl than an ice cream truck!

P-town or Brewster are your best bets. They have a sense of humor and might be able to get it past the planning commission and the zoning board

Here’s what I wonder: having zoomed around the cape for a year or two now, would anyone notice if I just...put it up in the middle of the night? Like just overnight an ice cream owl appeared? I bet there are at least a couple of places on the outer cape I could get away with it.  

thegollux replied to your link “モモの下水道＠COMITIA130_う29a on Twitter”

it pours so badly though!!! surely the kind of person who wants to own a ...penis creamer (oh god)... wants one that pours well??

I did wonder about that. It looked like it would be terrible to actually use. :D 

coffee-wine-zoloft replied to your post “Question as an oldster and fandom lurker, since you are an author and...”

So many fragile writers on these notes. Writing isn't sacred. Pointing out factual errors isn't criticism...

Blasphemy roulette sounds like something we would have played at my high school.

They did not look to be long out of high school themselves, I have to say. I was mostly watching this all in delight but one portion of me felt very old and another was like ‘Eyy, the kids are all right.” 

koramberlynne replied to your photo “Hirshhorn Museum! The Duchamp exhibit was slightly underwhelming but I...”

Looks like tetherball. *Dangerous* tetherball.

Especially since when you walk out onto the field to try and play the tetherball, security will come and get mad at you for “climbing on the art” :D

goldenmeme replied to your photo “Hirshhorn Museum! The Duchamp exhibit was slightly underwhelming but I...”

Sam how could you not mention that the rock has grotesque eyes and a mouth?

Look, I had to discover that for myself as I walked around it and if I had to, everyone else should as well. 

prairie-grass replied to your photo “Checked in on the Cryptids and caught Dearborn practicing her yelling....”

She's summoning SOMETHING

Probably Polk. :D 

rsfcommonplace replied to your photo “Hirshhorn Museum! The Duchamp exhibit was slightly underwhelming but I...”

Car Being Driven By Disappointed Rock is my favorite.

I will say the discovery that the rock has a face totally altered my interpretation of the piece, so well done artist I guess...

tehnakki replied to your post “A brief overview of my day: I did the tour of the Bureau of Engraving...”

That museum frybread is some GOOD SHIT.

Right? I was a little sad not to get some, but I really wanted some french fries. And I’ve had it before, so at least I know of its goodness :D 

arsenicjade replied to your post “A brief overview of my day: I did the tour of the Bureau of Engraving...”

I love the engraving tour, it's so fucking arcane

What struck me as super interesting about seeing the presses going is that it’s like, there’s layers and layers of security, no photography allowed, very strict rules, but the guys running the presses are like...every dude in every machine/wood shop I’ve ever met. Big burly working-class union guys who are using a spare 2x4 to prop up the part that never quite sits where it’s supposed to in the machine and wash their tupperware in the dump sink. 

kitsparrow replied to your post “oh my gosh, tell me more about this much ado about nothing timeline of...”

Sam, I am OBSESSED with this idea. What would you need to be bribed with to at least write it?

I’m not sure it could be written, is the thing. Like you could write it in the sense of novelizing the play, or you could write it into the play with a shitload of stage directions, but I don’t think either would be truly satisfying. I might do some kind of larger treatment of it, though, somehow. 

katestamps replied to your post “bibliofran replied to your post “Hi Sam! I was curious, and hope...”

Rescues will take old sheets and towels, if you’re replacing yours! They won’t care if they have holes.

Oh, good to know! Usually I reuse them -- I never lack for uses for fabric -- but that’s the kind of info it’s good to pass on. 

spadesandaces replied to your post “bibliofran replied to your post “Hi Sam! I was curious, and hope...”

When you buy new sheets, please review them! I need new ones but I’m afraid I won’t like whichever ones I buy

Which is one reason I haven’t bought yet -- sheets are kind of pricey, and often cheaper online, but I don’t want to buy sheets I can’t touch-test ahead of time. Especially since I’m shopping for lightweight summer sheets and all the ones I like the look of turn out on closer inspection to be flannel :P 

figtreeandvine replied to your photo “LOL, that’s like, half a mile from where I live! The perils of naming...”

If I were the sort of person who stole road signs I would send you the "Welcome to Polk County" sign I pass every time we go to the beach. Sometimes it sucks being a good citizen. ��

I have oft considered stealing the “Dearborn and Polk” corner street sign, but it just seems like so much work :D Thwarted by my own laziness, that’s me. 

thedarkbunny replied to your post “bibliofran replied to your post “Hi Sam! I was curious, and hope...”

Have you looked into dissipative gloves? They're not quite on par with a grounding bracelet, but they're pretty good at dampening shocks.

I’d never heard of them! But I looked them up and....they have a real supervillain look about them :D Not sure the cats would enjoy them either. 

nogling replied to your post “bibliofran replied to your post “Hi Sam! I was curious, and hope...”

You should probably invest in a decent humidifier, to help with the static. Also with your sinuses. Chicago is pretty dry, anyway, but it’s so much worse in the winter.

Do you have the thumbprint cookie recipe on hand by chance?

Sure! It’s here. You’ll have to scroll a bit to get to it (they sandwiched the recipe into the middle of the post) but it’s worth it, it’s super easy AND super delicious. No modifications or suggestions, it’s a great recipe. 

yolandaash replied to your post “prairie-grass replied to your photoset “I’ve been talking to my...”

I read a pretty scathing review, I think it was one of the Hallmark Hanukkah where they said neither character seemed to understand Hanukkah or Christmas, but I am glad you found some that were better executed.

I don’t feel like I can properly review them in some ways, not being Jewish, but I feel like Double Holiday at least made a real effort to show a Jewish heroine having to do a bunch of annoying Christmas stuff while trying to celebrate Hanukkah with her family -- like there was a genuine sense of “this Christmas stuff AGAIN”. There’s a lot of emphasis on how “our holidays aren’t REALLY different” because they’re both about family, community, giving, etc. which is kind of bunkum, and it’s certainly not perfect, but it’s a lot less “Hanukkah is the Jewish Christmas!” than I expected. 

janedrewfinally replied to your post “I’ve seen a number of people say that they thought the CGI in Cats...”

They are apparently sending a new version out to theaters on Thursday that fixes some of the missing effects (specifically the random human hand stuff).

Yeah, and I can’t figure out if we saw the fixed one or not! The one we saw wasn’t horrifying and I didn’t notice some of the stuff people had talked about, but definitely we saw the human hands. 

celticjade13 replied to your post “Good morning kids! We're going to see CATS the cinematic musical...”

OMG, the Call of the Wild trailer. It was attached to Knives Out when I saw it today, and for the first part of the trailer, I was like, "What is wrong with that dog?" Then I realized they CGI'd the dog. And it's not subtle. Once you realize it's there, you cannot unsee it. It really annoyed me for the rest of that trailer and partway into the next one.

I mean, in some ways I’m ok with the CGI dog since it means they probably didn’t have to use a real dog, and some of the stunts the CGI dog does look super dangerous, but at the same time it....it doesn’t look real. It looks like one step up from something that might have been made in the Who Framed Roger Rabbit universe. 

thedorismith replied to your photo “Tonight's Hanukkah gift is Vidalia onions and saffron, because mum...”

For a moment I thought you were using the onion spread on the thumbprint cookies, and shuddered. But then I thought, while it might be the worst thing ever/nasty prank to play, it could also quite possibly be amazingly good.

Well, it’s not quite a spread, it’s sliced (and I presume cooked) onion in a sauce, but it is a sweet-barbecue kind of a deal. I suspect the onion would just straight up overwhelm the shortbread of the cookie, but I might try it just to see! :D

spadesandaces replied to your link “Foiled Charlestown Lobster Heist "Was a Very Boston Experience for...”

This is such a mass fisherman kind of story. If you call the cops, they impound the evidence, ie the lobsters...which will all die and be worthless. Better to handle it yourself.

And we know there’s good odds “impound the evidence” means every cop in Boston gets lobster dinner :D 

jareckithekid replied to your post “If you’re feeling angry about today’s news of JK Rowling’s ongoing...”

What does that do exactly

God Polk is such a grown cat now I can't believe it, I keep thinking of the two of them as tiny kittens despite photographic evidence to the contrary

They are such babies though! They still look like teeange cats and act like kittens. I still call them “the kittens” myself! 

mangy-mongrel replied to your photo “It’s so nice I have a cat who coordinates with the decor, even if she...”

I could barely make her out! She's cat-moflaged

AHAHAHA  A GOOD PUN. 

tyrannosaurus-trainwreck replied to your photo “It’s so nice I have a cat who coordinates with the decor, even if she...”

It's Polk's blanket now.

I mean, aren’t they all. The cats claim every blanket that comes into this home. Except the scary black and white electric blanket, they don’t like that one. 

junker5 replied to your post “I turned in my laptop, ID, corporate credit card, and keys, deleted my...”

Did you get the slow clap out?? So glad you got to do the exit interview. Happy vacation!!!

spadesandaces replied to your post “I turned in my laptop, ID, corporate credit card, and keys, deleted my...”

Did they slow clap you out? Was it glorious?

Alas, I left on a day when almost everyone was working from home, so we did not do the slow clap. 

I’m.....I’m kind of ok with it, being honest. 

voyageboots replied to your post “I turned in my laptop, ID, corporate credit card, and keys, deleted my...”

Whats for lunch? Besides the sweet sweet taste of freedom?

I had a hamburger! I do love a good hamburger. 

shirokou replied to your post “I turned in my laptop, ID, corporate credit card, and keys, deleted my...”

What is an exit interview???? I have never head of one.

I think someone else said, but just in case -- when you leave a job in America, particularly an office job or a white-collar job of any kind, you generally have one. They’re usually semi-optional; you go to Human Resources to turn in your ID, keys, and computer, which is not optional, and then you’re offered the chance to tell them why you’re leaving. In my case, after turning in all my stuff, they walked me through a 10 minute survey where they asked me a bunch of questions about my reasons for leaving and what my experience had been, and then I had the opportunity to give any additional comments. 

Which I did. A lot. 

gemini-melia replied to your post “I turned in my laptop, ID, corporate credit card, and keys, deleted my...”

Was your exit interview *with* your boss?!

OH THANK GOODNESS NO. 

So, I have (had, I guess) two people I refer to as my “boss” -- the person who directly manages me, and the person who actually makes policy decisions for our team. The person who manages me tried to do an exit interview with me and I was like “This is inappropriate and I’m not comfortable with it” and then I did the HR interview, which was with a human resources officer. I just had a lot of feedback to give about my “upper” boss, the person who makes policy decisions. I actually really liked my manager, I made sure to state to HR that she was lovely and my problem was not with her. 

look-at-the-stars-tonight replied to your post “I turned in my laptop, ID, corporate credit card, and keys, deleted my...”

are you okay?

I am, shockingly. More okay than I thought I’d be. I was terrified I’d cry, but I was very sane and rational and got all I had to say out with the help of my Talking Points Document. I’m so glad I wrote it all down.  

ameliahcrowley replied to your link “Eat My Words: Cookbooks in Early Modern England | Newberry”

Ooh! Ancient Roman cookery is *fun* (although it gets frustrating when you see how many otherwise vegetarian foods require garum). I made a Placenta (I know, but it's actually a pastry/cake) one time and then shortly later we went to Sardinia and discovered that Seadas is almost identical, so basically it's not so much an ancient recipe being rediscovered as it is *still being made*.

!!!! Boston-based antique-shop fan here: What shop is that/where was it, do you remember? It looks delightful

spadesandaces replied to your photo “After the beach this morning, we went shopping. Shopping on Cape Cod...”

10$ says it’s birdwatchers general store in Orleans

@spadesandaces is correct, the one on the left is Birdwatchers General Store, which is not an antique store but a bird and birdwatching themed gift store. They also sell bulk birdseed and such :D