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ETA: If you can see any other posts in this journal, you are on the list.

I have 2 Google Voice invitations. Does anyone want them?

Gone already. That was quick!

People who know me are aware that Indian is one of my favorite cuisines ever.  Within that cuisine, chana masala and gobi mutter masala or two of my favorite dishes.  (Incidentally, I think I could go vegetarian if I got to live on all Indian food.)

Well, on Monday I took a shot at making gobi mutter masala myself.  I started with this recipe, removed the aniseed, and added chickpeas, because I just really like them.  Because of the extra veggies, there wasn't really enough liquid, so I used V8 to add some and a bit of flavor.  I think it came out pretty well.

For next time, I need to remember:

• Make more masala paste to account for the extra bulk of the chickpeas.
• Figure out a way to use whole cloves and cinnamon that doesn't leave them lurking in the dish afterward.

What new foods have you cooked lately?
(PS - I wrote this whole post without work calling!  Yay!)

Today, we went to Ronin Sushi Cafe, which has opened up near our standard Chinese place in Apple Valley.  It is a sushi bar and Thai restaurant.  An interesting combination, but it works.

I had the Thai egg rolls and pad thai, because I have been wanting pad thai for ages.  It was really, really good.  The pad thai was also pretty hot - I got 3 out of 5 stars for heat, and it was pretty darned spicy.  More so than I was expecting, even for Thai cuisine.

The owner was very friendly and attentive.  Service was a bit slow, because she is training new chefs and waitstaff, but even so it wasn't horrible.  We had several different types of sushi, which every said they liked.  Kritter had a tempura bowl, with shrimp, veggies and rice.  It was really good.  MFD had a cucumber and steak salad, which was to die for.

We will definitely be going back.

but John Scalzi gives me warm fuzzies.

...this person is just absolutely, completely, ice-pick-to the-eyeballs wrong in their understanding of the First Amendment, how it applies to my site, and how it applies to the Internet. Reading this person’s understanding of how the First Amendment applies in these instances is like being slathered in a thick coat of ignorant, and then being put out into the sun to dry out before a second coat is applied, which itself will be topped off a sealant of complete and utter stupid, and lightly drizzled with a glistening varnish of epic fail.

practitioners of the newly-reborn art of archaeology may read this journal entry.

Has anyone on the ol' f-list used Atoma/Myndology, or Levenger Circa/Rollabind notebooks at all?

I am trying to decide how to best function while writing longhand.  For short stories, regular notebooks are fine, but for longer works, I think that being able to insert/remove/rearrange sheets would be a great feature.  I am considering just using 3-ring binders for that purpose, but my 3-ring experience in the past has been less than awesome.

Any other binding systems that you would recommend?

This is a sample of my handwriting. The first section is my normal cursive hand, with my Targa fountain pen.

The second is an attempt at chancery italic with a Sheaffer calligraphy pen and Fine nib. I just started fooling around with Italic earlier this week, though I studied some calligraphy in high school.

The third is just an experiment with a dip-pen

There's a fountain pen store in the BFM. It's open until 9:30. I really don't need to go tonight. Srsly.

There is also a shop in IDS center that only sells pens by appointment. He doesn't even stock only the expensive ones. He just only sells by appointment. Even if I don't spend a dime, I have to go. Besides, they have an ink I want to try.

At least the Imperial is still writing smoothly.  Yay for troubleshooting!