Jenn Boo-lari @dolari@driveinsaturday.org

Tonight's Completions....

Something I find odd. Breath of the Wild I only died once, and Tears of the Kingdom I didn't die at all. This one has taken me out more tha few times....

#echoesofwisdom

If you've "Got Our Back," Biden, now would be a good time to prove it.

This is why I can't move back to Texas.

https://www.erininthemorning.com/p/texas-dps-may-begin-reverting-trans

"Wow, this has been a heckuvan October, let me tell you."
"It's October 2nd."
"...yep."

It's not about "The Lesser of Two Evils." It's "The Better of Two Futures."

@socketwench - Far too often these days.

The worst kind of wake up is when your bladder wakes you up too early, and while you're taking care of that, suddenly your brain decides "problem solving begins NOW." So you go back to bed, but can't sleep cause brain is all "we have so much to do, and we should get started."

The Many Faces of Dolari in Resonite....

My current avatars there are the ones in the Black Sweater, but the simple green one is more for worlds that are kinda laggy.

This is the best carne guisada I've ever made. And it better stay that way cause I'm going to be eating a lot of it.

Speaking of which, way to insult me twice: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/pc-candidate-sherry-wilson-residential-schools-1.7338617

So, my usual news goto, CBS News, is showing the debate when I wanted the news, so I went to my other goto for the first time in a LONG time: Canada's CBC News. I used to watch religiously when I had planned on emmigrating there, but kinda fell out because it's VERY long.

After catching up on Canadian news...Canadian Politics? You doing okay up there? Need a Snickers? Some water? A headpat?

Thoughts Before Bed

One of the things I felt harshly before I transitioned was how hard it was to make friends with girls. Most were dismissive, wanted nothing to do with me and pushed me away.

After transitioning, I understand that mind set. They didn't know I was trans, they saw me as just another guy trying to get close.

I still feel sad about the loss of having women friends in school...but I get it now.

Music Before Bed

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9cDcwJr4YQ

Kind of in an upset place tonight. While I'm expecting October to be a rough month, I was not expecting that clock to start at exactly midnight.

This synchronicity is how life feels these days....

@WhiteCatTamer @michael_w_busch @mikamckinnon - That's a thought that's gonna stick with me for a long while....

[Thoughts Before Bed]

Enjoying a cup of tea at the cafe.

This may look like a shot from Second Life, but the difference is, I'm the person drinking the tea. In Resonite, I'm in that skull, looking at the tea and holding it in first person. Not looking at a screen trying to take the best picture in third person like I would be in Second Life.

Second Life: Pushing an action figure of me around.
Resonite: I am the action figure.

It's been wonderful to be something closer to the me I wanted to be, than the me I was given.

The Week's Fancy Pants Meal: Chicken Marengo

Was going through my list of YouTube Cooking Channels looking for recipes, and came across this one for Chicken Marengo from Tasting History. I had to adapt it a bit for my diet, but didn't think too much of it. I might have been wrong.

Instead of using two drumsticks and two bone-in thighs, I used boneless thigh, mainly for nutritional measuring reasons (I don't eat the bones, so I have to weigh tthe chicken without the bones and that gets messy).

Following his instructions, things went a little wierd. Maybe because I was using boneless chicken (or Max's stove is a little weak), the chicken overcooked a bit. Not burned, but certainly harder on the outside than I'd like.

On top of that, my sauce was FAR darker than expected, and with everything I threw into it...it was fairly flavorless. And straining that sauce was a pain.

Maybe it's me using a different cut of chicken, but I'm not a fan of this. Sad, really, cause this is likely also my last Fancy Pants meal for a while. I'm likely losing my apartment at the end of the year (I've got a place to stay after that, so don't you worry about Ol' Jenn), and I need to start burning up all my frozen food without buying new ingredients.

If I make something good, though, I'll let you know.

# Chicken Marengo

Tasting History with Max Miller
5.0 servings

1.0 pound chicken thigh
3.5 oz olive oil
0.5 tsp salt
0.25 tsp pepper
2.0 whole shallots (peeled)
1.0 clove garlic
1.0 whole bay leaf
1.0 sprig thyme
55.0 grams fresh parsley
0.3333333333333333 cup flour
2.0 cups beef broth
8.0 oz button mushrooms (sliced)

1 - Heat the oil in a large pan over medium high heat.
2 - Add the chicken, making sure that the pieces don’t overlap, then sprinkle with salt and pepper.
3 - Add the shallots, garlic, bay leaf, parsley, and thyme, then set the lid on the pan and let it fry for 10 minutes.
4 - After 10 minutes, turn the chicken over, then cover again and cook for another 10 minutes.
5 - Turn the chicken one last time, cover, and cook for 5 more minutes.
6 - When the chicken is cooked, remove it to a plate and cover it so it stays warm.
7 - Remove the shallots and larger pieces of herbs. Keep them nearby because we’ll be adding them back in just a second.
8 - Stir the flour into the hot oil to make a roux.
9 - Continue to cook and stir for a couple of minutes, then add the herbs and shallots back in.
10 - Cook for another couple of minutes or until the roux is golden brown.
11 - Add the beef broth and use a wooden spoon to scrape up any brown bits that stay stuck to the bottom of the pan.
12 - Bring it to a simmer, then stir constantly for 10 minutes.
13 - Strain the sauce through a conical strainer (or a plain mesh strainer if that’s what you have). If the sauce splits, add a couple tablespoons of water, set it over low heat, and stir until you have a nice smooth sauce again.
14 - If you’re using the mushrooms, sauté them in a bit of oil until they’re cooked.
15 - Arrange the chicken in a dish, pour the sauce over it, garnish with the mushrooms, and serve it forth.

Makes 5 servings at ~400 calories per serving.

Calories 427
Total Fat 32g
Total Carbohydrates 10g
Protein 19g

#cooking #thisweeksmeals

I dunno what world I visited in my dreams last night, but I woke up with a sprained wrist, aching back muscles and a wierd cut-pain-where-there-is-no-cut feeling on my hips.

Not going back to Fight Club World again, let me tell you.