Jenn Dolari @dolari@driveinsaturday.org

If there's anything I don't like about living so far north it's that 4:15AM should NOT look like this.

Celebrated the end of my first week of work by visiting a virtual 90s arcade and finally PLAYING some games now that I got the controllers all set up....

It's incredibly nostalgic feeling, especially in VR.

This Week's Fancy Pants Meal: Thai Sweet and Sour Pork

This was very different than I expected, but still pretty darned good, and absolutely full of veggies which I love. It uses pineapple chunks to sweeten the meal, but it doesn't really taste of pineapple - just a general sweet citrussy flavor on top of the salty fish sauce. Less Sweet-And-Sour and more Sweet-and-Savoury.

It came out a little more soupy than I expect. I don't cook with a wok, so the pan kinda starts boiling in its own juices rather than evaporate off. The picture in the cookbook didn't really show if it was a sauce, or a stew (it didn't seem to show ANYTHING), so I just went with stew. I think if I had a wok, I would have let the liquid evaporate a bit mroe and thicken up into a sauce.

If you make this, I highly suggest cutting the pork into more of a shoe-string type strip, as well as seasoning it as it fries. The pork came out fairly bland, while everything else was well seasoned, bu I also cut it too thick, too....

# Thai Sweet-and-Sour Pork

The Ultimate Chinese & Asian Cookbook
2.0 servings

12.0 ounces lean pork
2.0 tbsp vegetable oil
4.0 cloves garlic (finely sliced)
1.0 whole red onion (sliced)
2.0 tbsp fish sauce
1.0 tbsp sugar
1.0 whole red bell pepper (seeded) (diced)
0.5 whole cucumber (seeded) (diced)
2.0 whole tomatoes (cut into wedges)
4.0 oz pineapple (chunked)
black pepper
2.0 whole scallions (cut into short lengths)
cilantro leaves
shredded scallions

1 - Slice the pork into thin strips.
2 - Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan.
3 - Add the garlic and fry until golden
4 - Add the pork and stir-fry for about 4-5 minutes.
5 - Add the onion.
6 - Season with fish sauce, sugar and freshly ground black pepper.
7 - Stir and cook for 3—4 minutes, or until the pork is cooked.
8 - Add the rest of the vegetables, the pineapple and scallions.
9 - You may need to add a few tablespoons of water.
10 - Continue to stir-fry for about another 3—4 minutes.
11 - Serve hot, garnished wi cilantro leaves and scallions.

2 servings at ~37.5g carbs per serving

Calories 493
Total Fat 18g
Total Carbohydrate 33g
Protein 41g

#cooking #thisweeksmeals

Happy Fathers Day! Remember:

Finally made my first real build in Resonite. The creator jam theme was to make an environment and some type of game in three hours with a a team.

I didn't think I had any real skills in Resonite, but when I answered yes to "Can you pick up a rock?" I got put on our environmental team.

And I managed to build a volcano with dock! Yeah, they were pre-existing assets, but pushing around pre-existing assets was how I built most of my stuff in Second Life.

I'd only ever taken one other picture with the Creator Jam folks before, but I feel I earned my place in today's pic. Can you guess which one's me? Here's a hint: I'm one of the few not in fur....

There is enough sprironolactone in this vial to destroy the testosterone levels of an entire major city.

Be glad my demands are light for if they're not met by midnight....

#BestBatmanVillain

"When I eet beenz...I sit in mah own little cloud. NOBODY COMES TO VISIT ME....IN MAH LITTLE CLOUD."

Indian Watermelon Juice! Usually I like to drink this when it's hot, but hot just isn't happening this month....

https://www.spiceupthecurry.com/watermelon-mint-juice-recipe/

Spent some time last night getting my Switch Bluetooth Controllers working in EmuVR for the real 100% true controller experience with the 100% true 90s gaming experience. Decided to add the controllers to the VR setup. :)

That N64 Controller was a nightmare to setup, but I think I got it.

I've yet to connect a Wii Remote to see if it'll work in EmuVR, but that took sooooo much work to get it working in Retroarch, plus the dangers of waving a Wii Remote all over the place while wearing VR goggles is not really all that enticing....

[Seattle Area]

Woodcarvers!
Artists!

We're on the lookout for talented individuals to craft hand-carved wood planks that will adorn ten streetlight poles along Main Street in Downtown Duvall, Washington.

Artists from King and Snohomish counties, as well as artists associated with regional Indigenous Tribes, are invited to participate in this unique initiative. This is your chance to showcase your creativity, celebrate our community's rich cultural heritage, and add a touch of artistry to our vibrant downtown area.

Interested in participating? The NEW DEADLINE is 5pm on June 21st, 2024. Scan the QR Code or visit the link below to view the full Call for Artists and learn how you can get involved:

https://www.duvallwa.gov/174/Call­for­Artists

Don't miss out on this incredible opportunity to be a part of something truly special! Let's come together to transform our streets into a colorful canvas of expression.

Given the news coming out of another town in the east side, I do love our little town.

This Week's (Not As) Fancy Pants (As I'd Like) Meal: Chicken Fried Steak with Cream Gravy.

It came out a little darker than I'd like, as did the cream gravy, which really came out as grey gravy. But it's tasty as heck, and still my fave Chicken Fried Steak recipe.

I think next time I'm going to make the cream gravy from complete scratch. No "crackling," no old oil. Just make it from scratch to get that white white gravy. This tastes great, dont' get me wrong. Just that grey food is not very appetizing looking.

# Chicken-Fried Steak and Cream Gravy

Threadgill's: The Cook Book
9.0 servings

48.0 ounces tenderized beef cutlets (room temperature)
2.0 whole eggs
2.0 cups milk (room temperature) [steak]
3.0 cups flour [steak]
2.0 tsp Threadgill's Meat Seasoning
vegetable oil (deep frying)
2.0 tbsp vegetable oil [gravy]
2.0 tbsp flour [gravy]
2.0 cups milk (room temperature) [gravy]
salt
pepper
Worstershire sauce
Tabasco sauce

Chicken Fried Steak
1 - Whisk eggs and milk together in a bowl and set this egg wash aside.
2 - Combine the flour and meat seasoning in another bowl and set aside.
3 - Heat oil in a heavy 14-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat to 350°. Use a 550° thermometer to check temperature. The oil should pop loudly when a drop of egg wash is dropped in.
4 - Dip each of the first half of the cutlets in the egg wash mixture.
5 - Dredge them in the flour then dip them back into the egg wash.
6 - Very gently place them the hot oil. As you carry them one at a time from the egg wash to the skillet, hold a plate under them to catch the dripping egg wash. There'll be a regular explosion of noisy oil a-popping.
7 - Cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until breading is set and golden brown.
8 - Gently turn them with a long-handled meat fork or long metal tongs. Be careful. Cook another 3 minutes.
9 - Carefully remove them from the skillet and drain on a platter lined with paper towels.
10 - Let oil reheat and repeat process for other 4 cutlets. Serve with Cream Gravy

Cream Gravy
11 - Pour off the cooking oil in your heavy skillet until you only have 2 to 3 tablespoons left. Leave the cracklings.
12 - With the heat on medium, sprinkle flour over the oil and whisk them together until you have a golden roux.
13 - Add the milk and stir the mixture until it is smooth and starts to thicken.
14 - Add salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and Tabasco Sauce to taste.

The white bread certainly makes a good toast, but I think I prefer my struan bread.

Had a long conversation last night with a friend, and touched on this a little this afternoon with another, about how Virtual Worlds and Virtual Reality have really helped make my life a lot more...livable. I've been in Second Life for seventeen years, and Resonite for about four months.

I've often said my goal in my transition is "to be ignored." No double takes, no making fun, just...going through life. But VR has made me realize something else I've wanted. Enjoying the body I'm in.

The big difference between the Second Life and Resonite is in how you experience it. In Second Life, you move an action figure of yourself around. In Resonite, you ARE the Action Figure.

There are things I'd do in Second Life because it was expected of me. Like going to parties - I like to sit and enjoy the company, but I also dance there. Not because I want to dance, but because it's expected. I click the poseball, tell it I want to dance, and Carrie dances. I sit and watch her do it.

But the other day, I was exploring around Resonite and found myself in a coffee shop there that had a puzzle for you to solve for a prize. As I was searching around, there was some nice music playing, and I noticed I was bopping to it. And unlike Second Life, when you're bopping in Resonite, you're also bopping with your body.

Also last night, I noticed I emote and gesticulate a lot in VR. More so than in real life. I make little gestures, and nod or tilt my head and what not...

And I think it's because...I'm happy with my body there. I don't like to dance, cause I don't like how my body moves, I don't emote/gesticulate a lot cause it's been kind of shamed out of me. But there, I'm happy with me, even if I'm just a dollar store Zelda clone.

These virtual worlds allow me to be me, if only for a few hours a day. And they're even healing me up a little, because Virtual Worlds/Realities have done so much more mental healing than real life.

Better than therapy? Maybe. Back when I first got involved in Second Life a friend was worried I'd go in, and never come out. And I can see that danger. But seventeen years later, I feel better for being there and being me. And Resonite is doing even more. <3

I get to have something most of the rest of the world is allowed by default. I get to be me. Well, in Second Life. In Resonite, I'm Zelda. But that's still far closer to me than real life me. :)

Spent the afternoon at Carnation's Pride Picnic at Tolt Commons helping run the A Supportive Community For All's booth (and protecting the papers from the wind).

Great turnout and a lovely venue. Festival seating for good music, free food, and a lot of good times had. I'm loving these little celebations all around the Snoqualmie Valley. Hope there's more. 🙂

Best part ws a furry walking around and taking pics...bending down to pet a dog, who was just confused as heck, and then decided "must be another dog BARK BARK BARK!"

This Week's Bread: Threadgill's Homestyle White Bread

Finally! A bread loaf that looks like a bread loaf! It better look like one given that over two rises, it rose for three hours. The bread LOOKS amazing, but is still a touch dryer than I'd like. And, as usual, could use a pinch or two more of salt.

While the recipe says to just dump in the dry yeast, I did bloom the yeast in the warm water for 15 minutes, since I use active dry yeast. Also, I needed about 1/4 cup more water than it called for to dough-up.

Like all recipes in the Threadgill's book, this makes a LOT of bread. Scale down as needed.

# Homestyle White Bread

Threadgill's: The Cook Book

10.0 cups unbleached bread flour
0.5 cup sugar
0.3333333333333333 cup nonfat dry milk powder
3.0 tbsp dry yeast
1.0 tbsp salt
3.0 cups warm water (110 degrees)
3.0 tbsp vegetable oil
1.0 whole egg (beaten)
1.0 tbsp water

1 - Combine dry ingredients in the bowl of a mixer with a dough hook and mix well.
2 - Add the warm water and oil and mix on low speed to moisten dry ingredients.
3 - Increase the mixer speed to medium and knead for about 4 minutes. Extra flour may be needed at this point to keep dough from sticking to the sides of the bowl.
4 - When dough is smooth and elastic, remove to a well-oiled bowl, cover loosely with a clean cloth, and allow to double in bulk in a warm, draft-free place for about 1 1/2 hours.
5 - Punch the dough down and divide in quarters.
6 - Place dough into 2 greased 4x8x3-inch loaf pans, cover loosely, and allow to double in bulk again.
7 - Toward the end of the rising time, preheat oven to 350°.
8 - Bake loaves about 25 minutes, then brush tops with egg wash and return to oven for 20 minutes or until loaves are brown on top and sound hollow when thumped on the bottom.
9 - Turn loaves out of pans and cool before slicing.

Yields 2 1.5 pound loaves.

#baking #thisweeksmeals

Finally happy with my room in EmuVR. It's wierd how nostalgic you can get when you play games in a virtual version of your childhood. :)

Aparrently this was a very limited time offer in VRChat. I would absolutely love a Bridget avatar for Resonite....

Sorry about the X link, it's the only place that has video of her.

https://x.com/Averiff1/status/1558237892685705217

Look what came in the mail today!

In typical Jenn fashion, I've had this all of ten minutes and dropped something on it.

This is the "I Helped With This" portion of my memory shelf. There's going to be something new here soon.

Can't talk about it yet, but it's my second paid writing job. ❤