November, 2015 | Dragonflight Dreams

Tuesday Treasure Trove

November 24, 2015 No Comments

Photo project of the week: The Daily Life Of Darth Vader.
Graphic of the week: The World’s Economy Explained With Just Two Cows. This is so spot on.
Did the media ignore the Beirut bombings? Or did readers?
America has never actually welcomed the world’s huddled masses. Sad.
Unfollow: How a prized daughter of the Westboro Baptist Church came to question its beliefs. A really interesting read.
How to Be a Lawyer Without Going to Law School.
How Not to Do It All.
37 Moments Everyone Who Sucks At Adulting Will Immediately Recognize.
This computer algorithm promises to help you find your perfect place to live: article, and actual site/algorithm. I tried it out. Austin was #6 on my list, so I’m not doing too bad.
Bringing Up Genius: Is every healthy child a potential prodigy? “Before Laszlo Polgár conceived his children, before he even met his wife, he knew he was going to raise geniuses.”
The History of Thanksgiving Foods Will Totally Change the Way You Look at Your Holiday Table. Pumpkin pie was originally a British thing. I feel like I’ve been lied to my whole life.

Things of Note:

I learned to bake yeast-based bread this weekend, and it might have been a life-changing experience. I can make Italian herb focaccia bread from scratch, guys, and it’s DELICIOUS! I also learned to make classic dinner rolls, but we froze that dough to use on Thanksgiving, so I don’t actually know how those turned out yet. That focaccia bread, though… man. It might be worth it to buy a stand mixer just so I can make that every day. Serious noms.

I’ve also started my Christmas shopping, so yay that. I hate doing that last minute, so usually start in Oct/Nov. I sent out my wishlist to fam, too, so they can take advantage of any Black Friday sales, because I’m considerate like that. 😀

Other than that, it’s actually been colder here recently. We even had freezing temps last night. Our brief Texas autumn is quickly turning into Texas winter.

What’s your favorite from-scratch thing to make? Any big plans for T-day?

Book Talk, Thoughts

Book Review: Thorn

November 23, 2015 4 Comments

Thorn by Intisar Khanani. Princess Alyrra does not have a charmed life. Abused by her family and ignored by the court, her only solace is in her friendships with the servants, and the mysterious Wind that talks to her. When her mother announces she’s to be married off to a neighboring prince, she’s filled with dread. Everything familiar will be gone, she doesn’t know the language of her new country and for all she knows the prince will be just as cruel as her family. When a spell is cast on her during the journey that steals her identity, she […]

Tuesday Treasure Trove

November 17, 2015 No Comments

Cartoon of the week: It’s Going to Be Ok. Weird of the week: The Latest Trend Among Biohackers Is Implanting LED Lights Beneath Your Skin. Not at the Onion, this is a real thing. You Are Probably Pretty Self-Centered, But So Is Everyone Else. “No one is examining you as closely as you are.” This is about the time I chose not to die. A thoughtfully written piece about depression. Do you think people can separate the creator from the art? One author’s answer. I agree. There are authors whose personalities I love online (Twitter, blogs, etc.), but whose books […]

Book Talk, Thoughts

Book Review: Sorcerer to the Crown

November 13, 2015 No Comments

Sorcerer to the Crown (Sorcerer Royal, #1) by Zen Cho. What do you get if you mix 1 part Jane Austen style, 1 part historical fiction, 1 part mystery, a whole lot of magic, and a dash of playful absurdity à la Gail Carriger? This fun book. Sorcerer to the Crown tells the story of Zacharias Wythe, the Sorcerer Royal, tasked with the upkeep and oversight of England’s magic: practices, practitioners, and general levels. He’s new to the job and already has a few things against him. 1) He’s an emancipated slave in a world of white men. 2) He […]

Life, News, Pretty Things

Finally Hitched: Wedding Pictures!!

November 11, 2015 6 Comments

Not quite 2 months ago, Ian and I finally tied the knot! 😄 We were married at Villa Antonia here in northwest Austin hill country. After having nervously watched the weather for two weeks, September 20th dawned bright and beautiful. We had gorgeous weather that somehow managed to also not be too hot for the non-Texans attending. Our ceremony was outdoors under an arch, overlooking the rolling hills. Our reception was indoors in a lovely space that included a stage and built-in bar. Both were the perfect size for our relatively small wedding of 65 people. Ian and I were […]

Tuesday Treasure Trove

November 10, 2015 No Comments

Hello, I’m Mr. Null. My Name Makes Me Invisible to Computers. That would be such a pain! Google’s New E-Mail Bot Writes Your Replies. Super skeptical of it’s accuracy/usefulness. All 300-plus languages spoken in American homes, and the number of people who speak them. Wow. How our housing choices make adult friendships more difficult. An unmanned restaurant where guests cook for themselves. Of *course* it’s in Amsterdam. Companies Can Make Consumers Pay For Writing Negative Reviews. Nonsense. Presented with a ‘not surprised’ emoji: Religious children are meaner than their secular counterparts, study finds. Presented without commentary, aside from a snigger: […]

Life

Honeymoon Recap: Art

November 7, 2015 No Comments

Warning! Possibly NSFW, lots of artwork with classical nudes coming up. I am a designer, with a pretty good studio arts and art history background, so it’s no wonder I like to visit art museums. The surprise is that Ian, a very math-and-logic engineer type, LOVES art museums. So of course, on his first ever trip to Europe for our honeymoon, we had to fit in some of the art heavy hitters: the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, and the Louvre Museum in Paris. There of course is art everywhere over there, but here are some highlights. Again, lots of pictures, […]