Today went well. I got a good amount of reading done during the morning, afternoon, and early evening. Then, I had dinner with Kelly and her two sisters visiting from Alabama. Having some good, pan-fried potatoes was extremely welcome, and a reminder of so many excellent Greek restaurants left behind.
A while after dinner, our hextet (which gained two other Wadhamite members) made its way to the King’s Arms for a couple of pints and a few hours of conversation. I always find it interesting to introduce people to the Oxford environment, though I am still a neophyte myself. It’s the difference between being some shade of green and being absolutely, glowingly, fluorescently green. One inescapable downside: after a few hours in an English pub, my whole universe smells of tobacco smoke. Oh, the toxins.
For tomorrow night, I am invited to a party that Claire is throwing. I am taking ‘black tie’ to mean ‘the only business suit you own.’ Also, I am meant to bring some kind of dessert, as my contribution to the dinner. While suggestions are always welcome, I think I will end up scouring the myriad shops of Oxford in search of something both delicious and quite mutually acceptable.
- There’s been another great big hubbub about torture, all through the blogging universe. If you are familiar with this region of social space, you will already know what I mean. I would re-post the ambassadorial documents in question, but I think they are already widely dispersed enough as to not be in danger of suppression. If not, here is a page full of links to them. This really is something that people should care about. Torture, in any circumstance and for any reason, is basically the classic definition of a crime against humanity. This is not something we can tolerate, as citizens.
- Anyone considering firing a gun into the air to celebrate the new year, please don’t. It really kills people. Also, it reaffirms stereotypes.
- There has been at least one really superb SG photoset in the past 24 hours. Thanks a lot, Tristan and Christina.
Re: Torture
“I heard that there were 3200 prisoners in Abu Ghraib, 700 more than its capacity. I heard Major General William Brandenburg, who oversees US military detention operations in Iraq, say: ‘We’ve got a normal capacity and a surge capacity. We’re operating at surge capacity.’ A year before, I had heard the President promise ‘to demolish the Abu Ghraib prison, as a fitting symbol of Iraq’s new beginning’. I heard that outside the prison there is a sign that reads: ‘No Parking. Detainee Drop Off Zone.’“
I STRONGLY recommend making Time Warp Lemon Squares (http://vegweb.com/recipes/sweets/5894.shtml). They are easy and impressive. (As someone comments in the responses below the recipe, the egg-replacer isn’t really necessary, just omit it.) Actually I think I fed them to you once at Jonathan’s birthday party. On another, unrelated, note, I read “SG” in “one really superb SG photoset” as Suicide Girls. Am I dirty? Have a great day, and thanks for the postcard (I got it yesterday).
@Hilary
With such a strong recommendation, I will need to see what I can do, regarding Lemon Squares.
As to the abbreviation, you are thinking rightly. Tristan and Christina got me a subscription as a gift.
I am glad to hear you got the postcard. Was yours mailed from Tallinn or Helsinki? I sent a few from each place, one effect of which will be to test the relative efficacy of the Finnish and Estonian postal systems.
I received mine yesterday with a stamp from Helsinki.
Looking over the recipe, I see that I have none of the ingredients whatsoever. Also, I lack an 8×8 pan and anywhere to really store the ingredients if I were to buy them.
These are difficulties.
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It doesn’t surprise me in the slightest that the efficient Finns have already delivered their share of the postcards.
I love the British warning lables on cigarette packages. A bit more straight-forward than the American type.