Day 154 of Project 365: Recognition
From thousands of miles away, I attended my graduate school’s annual recognition ceremony tonight. Although I am fairly skeptical about this type of event, it was wonderful to see — even virtually — so many students and professors I usually only interact with online. And I admit it also felt good to be recognised for my board position. I let myself get pretty wrapped up in the negative aspects of grad school, but there are positives. I’ve learned from some terrific professors, and I’ve made some great friends. Plus, because it’s all online and asynchronous, I never have to worry about falling asleep in...
Read MoreDay 153 of Project 365: Teasels
Where does contemporary cynicism come from? I have a tough time cutting it any slack these days. Used to be, I could justify anyone’s way of thinking or feeling with a “hey, that’s them, not me, and who am I to judge?” But now whenever I encounter cynicism — especially in words coming out of my own mouth — I get sad. Not the stubbed-my-toe sad or the can’t-figure-out-what-to-eat-for-dinner sad, but the real sad that lurks around the edges of true things. I just don’t think we as a species have time and energy to waste on cynicism anymore. All of that could be spent on things we genuinely find fulfilling. “Because life sucks and I am disillusioned” is not an excuse. Life doesn’t owe anyone...
Read MoreDay 152 of Project 365: Cornered
I always have such lofty plans for the day after the semester ends. I will read an entire book! I will restart my knitting projects! I will finish my pen-pal letters! I will go for an extra-long run! Not quite. I barely moved. I did venture out for mini-pizza toppings. While walking down the street, I like to peek inside the windows of the ground-floor flats. Whilst being a nosey neighbour tonight, I accidentally made eye-contact with a gentleman smoking a cigarette in his garden. We were both careful to pretend it did not happen, something I am beginning to understand is an important aspect of life here. I pass this corner sometimes. It just looks a bit run-down in the evening, but it gets truly spooky-looking at night, so I’ll have to bring my dSLR and...
Read MoreDay 151 of Project 365: Sun’s Day
“Kernel Panic”, the debut EP from singer-songwriter duo Sun’s Day, comes out this fall. Here’s the cover: I promise you that I did not pose our cats like indie rockers today. It was the lure of the sunshine. And of heartfelt lyrics set to slow-strumming guitars.
Read MoreThe Week in Tweets on 2012-04-22
Day 144 of Project 365: Hello Tony. photo: http://t.co/yThuMuBn ~ words: http://t.co/VpqhZdeO # “Crazy” by Violent Femmes is my new jam. ? http://t.co/XyngCEQx # Video: I am a little obsessed with mise en place. This is a good explanation of why it is so important. http://t.co/atvYA9xY # Day 145 of Project 365: Journal Pages. photo: http://t.co/5RQSJFyy ~ words: http://t.co/nhOWSeSi # RT @pobox The Why of Mailstore Archive: Dr. Wolfram, and mining 23 years of email archives. http://t.co/3Z0yo7SI # Sure, I could "just google it", but maybe I'm making conversation. You know, like we did in olden times. # Day 146 of Project 365: Half a Year. photo: http://t.co/sFTL3TfQ ~ words: http://t.co/lTDKEX8x # "Why do you need so many dragon...
Read MoreDay 150 of Project 365: Coding by Hand
Sometimes when I am really stuck — like right now, with my WordPress plugin assignment — I write PHP out longhand. I don’t know if it helps me understand it, but the act refocuses my energy so I’m not just bashing my head against the keyboard. I am probably making the plugin ten times more complicated than it needs to be, but I want the finished product to do something useful instead of just demonstrate a set of competencies. This idealistic approach may collapse...
Read MoreDay 149 of Project 365: Guardian
A little over nine years ago, my spirit doll arrived. Despite sounding like a really New-Agey personal growth thing, it wasn’t. But it was the first piece of art I had ever commissioned, and I hung it in the first apartment I’d lived in by myself. I’d like to say I named the doll, or at least said something significant when it arrived to commemorate the moment. If I did, I don’t remember. Yet there was no question that it would come to Edinburgh with me, so it must symbolise something, even if I don’t know exactly what that is. Right now when I look at it all I can think is, “I need to unsquish its...
Read MoreDay 148 of Project 365: For the Halibut
O yes, I did. Now that that’s out of the way, let me tell you about the easiest way to cook fish, ever. Buy (or catch, if that’s your thing) a few fillets of halibut. You could use any whitefish for this recipe. Preheat the oven to 170° C/150° C fan/340° F. Slice a (peeled) onion, a (seeded) green pepper, and a tomato in nice rings. For the tomato rings, I substituted cherry tomatoes sliced in half. Melt two tablespoons of butter and mince a clove of garlic. Squeeze a lemon into a small bowl. Lightly grease the bottom of a glass baking dish with olive oil. You can use cooking spray if that’s your thing. Put the fish into the glass baking dish. Brush the fillets with the butter/garlic mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Place the vegetable...
Read MoreDay 147 of Project 365: Nice Tomatoes
It’s that time of the Project 365: gratuitous produce shots. Yep, definitely the last week of the semester. Also I need to get out of the house.
Read MoreDay 146 of Project 365: Half a Year
I missed the half-year mark, so I’m circling back around to it with a photograph from this afternoon. In the six months I have been here, I have learned: how to get to the library, any number of shops, and my volunteering post without getting lost how to pay with pounds sterling (even coins) without freaking out that I am holding up the queue to call it a “queue” and not a “line” (and a “till” instead of a “register”) that yes, that’s the Castle that it may be snowing in the backyard while the sun is shining in the front yard that Vitamin D and light boxes are worth the expense that I do not want to live in a world without Skype, iChat, Google+ and anything else that lets me see the people I miss that...
Read MoreNestcam
The cam was last on Friday, May 4.
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I am Halsted, a/k/a cygnoir, and I do stuff with words.
My favourite things to do with words are keeping this diary, writing stories, and organising information.
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