Day 182 of Project 365: Glass Half Full
First of all, this was taken at ten past ten in the evening, and this shot is directly from my iPhone, no brightening. I know I keep talking about how light it is outside, but wow! It was light outside. And so warm! The giant gaping hole in the earth you see is the result of the ever-present tram works. It is an even sadder sight in person. I hope the local government can salvage something from this whole debacle. Tonight we really needed to get out of the house for something other than market trips and training runs, so we walked to Wannaburger. As I am avoiding nightshades to see if I have an allergy, that meant not only the usual lack of hamburger bun but also no ketchup (tomatoes) or mustard (paprika) or fries (potatoes). Mayonnaise is in, at least. I got my...
Read MoreDay 179 of Project 365: But Not My Heart
My friend Brian chose an excerpt from my post about leaving San Francisco for his entry in a calligraphy exhibit. He is stunningly talented, and I feel honoured.
Read MoreDay 175 of Project 365: Underword
Today’s photo is a bit of a cheat, since it was taken a little after midnight, but I didn’t have the wherewithal to take a photo during Underword. So instead you have a self-portrait of me being so happy to be a part of such a great National Flash Fiction Day event, in the company of such accomplished writers and performers. For my part, I read “The Kettle and I”, which was a difficult story to read because of its stilted rhythm and ridiculously depressing ending. Next time I will choose a different type of piece. But I got lots of great feedback from friends new and old, so I am not sad about it one bit, and looking forward to participating in future events. At every reading I’ve ever done, there is a beautiful moment right after...
Read MoreDay 172 of Project 365: Letter from Mom
Day 172 of Project 365: Letter from Mom, a photo by cygnoir on Flickr. My mom wrote this letter to me last Christmas. I have carried it in my purse ever since. I cried when I read it, but it is not a sad letter. Even now that I am all grown up (ha) I never stop missing my mom, needing to hear her voice, or make her laugh, or just see her and know that she’s there. Today is Mother’s Day in the U.S. and it’s my mom’s birthday, too. She woke up extra-early just so we could connect via FaceTime. That’s the kind of person my mom is, and the kind I aspire to...
Read MoreDay 171 of Project 365: Whole Foods
FunkyPlaid and I went to visit friends in Glasgow today, and stopped off at Whole Foods on the way. That’s right: Whole Foods is in Scotland now! We enjoyed having a little taste of our old life in our new one. It can’t be a habit — Whole Foods is even more expensive here than it is in the U.S. — but we picked up a few things we had been missing.
Read MoreDay 169 of Project 365: Squiddy Knitty
This is not the best photo of it, but this is my gaming bag, handcrafted by a dear friend as a wedding gift. Since I haven’t needed my dice lately, I’ve turned it into a knitting project bag. Azra is staying with us whilst she’s in Edinburgh, but I decided not to harass her with picture-taking this evening. Maybe tomorrow.
Read MoreDay 168 of Project 365: Small World
Tonight, our friends Seth and Lara joined us for takeaway curry and board games. We played Small World, which is a game I’ve been curious about for quite some time, recently on my mind due to the first TableTop episode. It did not disappoint. I think it is a ten-times-cleverer version of Risk, and I look forward to playing it again. Something this move has taught me is the true value of friendship. I’d like to say that I already had a good idea of this, being thirty-mumble years old, but I hadn’t. There are many layers to friendship, and most of them aren’t the kind we see on the screen and in greeting cards. This move would have been brutal without the support of our friends, both near and far. During moments like tonight, laughing...
Read MoreDay 167 of Project 365: En Papillote
Day 167 of Project 365: En Papillote, a photo by cygnoir on Flickr. I intended to take photos of the outside world today, and even managed a few on my brief trip to the market, but I still like this one the best. This is the "before" pic of Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef’s recipe for halibut en papillote, which in fifteen minutes became my favourite way to prepare fish. I didn’t julienne the leeks because I was lazy. We ate this with some new potatoes I parboiled first, then roasted with rosemary and olive oil. Unfortunately, I have been in a fog all day due to glutenation-like symptoms, so I got another burn on my left hand when I grabbed the handle of a skillet that had been in the oven for nine...
Read MoreDay 166 of Project 365: The Kitchen at Night
Day 166 of Project 365: The Kitchen at Night, a photo by cygnoir on Flickr. Remember how dark it was in the wintertime here? This photo was taken at half-past nine at night. Today we put up the small lamp in the upper right-hand corner of this photo, so now we have a bit of light over the sink to help with dish-washing. It also adds a certain cosiness to the kitchen. When I uploaded this photo and saw it on a larger screen, I was overwhelmed by fondness for our flat here in Edinburgh. It has definitely become home, a comfortable place that makes me feel safe and...
Read MoreDay 165 of Project 365: Say Cheese
Day 165 of Project 365: Say Cheese, a photo by cygnoir on Flickr. Today was my last day of break before the summer semester, and I spent it being very domestic. I baked chocolate mini-muffins, learned how to cable for a knitting pattern, napped with a purring Torgi, and made polenta lasagne (pictured above) for dinner. As an extra treat, FunkyPlaid and I watched an episode of "The Wire" while we ate. It was a lovely day, and I feel properly recharged. I overdid the cheese on the lasagne, but it was still quite...
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The cam was last on Friday, May 4.
Hello What
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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Tenacious D
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Tenacious D
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Tenacious D
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