After sleeping for 16 hours, K. felt better this morning, so we went wine-tasting today (with K. as our designated driver). I found some nice syrahs at Hogue Winery, which isn't usually a grape I like, but these were quite tasty. Tomorrow, we head back to Seattle by way of Zillah, where K. hopes to take a photo of the town's Church of God. *shakes head*

I have no idea what I was thinking -- we're having friends over for a dinner party this Sunday night. Yay for Rick Bayless' pork with tomatillo sauce! Next week is going to be a whirlwind. Choir dress rehearsals on Monday and Tuesday nights, flying to LA on Wednesday morning for my mock interview (which is Wednesday afternoon), flying back Thursday afternoon, then concerts on Saturday and Sunday. All while I'm hormonal. This should be fun.

We're celebrating Thanksgiving with friends in Prosser and poor K. has come down with food poisoning or something. :-( He was up all night last night and sick all day today. I'm so hoping that he feels better tomorrow. Thanksgiving dinner was wonderful, but I can't enjoy myself knowing that K. is feeling so poorly.

Tweaks and enhancements

1. In order to improve site security, we've temporarily suspended the ability to change passwords for old email addresses that haven't been used for over six months. For further information and support, please visit our customer care page.
2. We've launched a new mobile site with an enhanced UI at m.livejournal.com. View spotlights, post to your journal, read and post to friends pages, and more, no matter where you roam! Please let us know what you think, since this will eventually replace our existing mobile interface. You can update your mobile preferences on your account page.
3. We've upgraded from Beacon to Facebook Connect to improve dual posting. If you've already signed up for Facebook Beacon, you're good to go. If you wish to update your Facebook Connect setting, visit Account Privacy settings and scroll down to the option labeled: "Send information about my updates to Facebook." You can choose Always or Ask each time. Remember to save (on the bottom left corner of the page). To learn more, check out FAQ 249. While we're on the subject, if you happen to be visiting that side of town, please join our Facebook fan page for a touch of home away from home.
4. You'll now receive the Writer's Block Question of the Day in the body of email notifications. To sign up for Writer's Block notifications, visit writersblock and choose the Watch Community option. Next, update your Writer's Block notification settings by checking the box to the right of "Someone posts a new entry to writersblock."
5. Paid and permanent users can now view, add, and edit Notes of commenters. Notes will appear beside the username of comment posters (instead of stars) on S1-themed comment pages.

Send some lovin' thanks to your friends with our holiday vgifts!

Photos of the week

We're so delighted with the immense talent of our growing, global lj_photophile community that we've decided to introduce a poll. Each week, we'll choose a half-dozen photos (based on user comments and staff feedback) and ask you to select a photo of the week. The winning photo will be announced in the next newsletter. If possible, please limit photo size to 350x350 to ensure that images display properly on friends pages. We want to thank you again (and again!) for sharing your passion.

Check out this week's photo poll and more fantastic user content after the jump!

( Read more... )

Curtains

Thanks for joining us. To our American friends, have a fantastic Thanksgiving. To all of our international neighbors, we'll eat a little extra for you!

Hmmm...I don't think I left enough clearance in the pajama pants to account for the longer length and the inch-or-so that I need for the elastic waist. They're a little too short and they're low-rise. So they'd basically fit a normal person, but not me...which was kinda the whole point of these things. :-) Maybe K. wants a pair of low-rise pajama pants? Other than that, it was a straightforward sewing project that only took a few hours.

65redroses
Eva is a vibrant young woman with Cystic Fibrosis who survived a double lung transplant. Read about her difficult recovery and personal triumphs over pain, isolation, and fear. Back in school, Eva now works part-time in a children's center and enjoys running and cross-country skiing. A documentary on her story, entitled 65 Red Roses, won three awards at the Vancouver International Film Festival.

meet_other_moms
A warm and welcoming "Add me" community for moms of all ages and backgrounds from around the world. If you're a mom, just post a little about yourself and start connecting with other mothers based on similar hobbies, musical interests, book/TV/movie preferences, or taste in humor! A great way for busy moms to socialize online.

kitchenfaq
Want to share a fabulous home recipe for coconut bread? Suddenly run out of confectioner's sugar with company on the way and need to find out a quick in-house substitute? Searching for tips on what to charge for a custom-designed wedding cake? Whether you're a professional chef, an aspiring culinary wizard, or a happy home-baker, you'll get delicious guidance from fellow and sister foodies.

It's really hard for me to find walking in the freezing wind and rain fun. K. and I walked around Greenlake yesterday, and while it was nice to see the hundreds of other plucky Seattlites out for their afternoon stroll, it made me feel like a whiny Californian. Sorry folks, I like being warm, which I'm sure everyone else was because they were wearing Seattle's finest. *Growl* Perhaps I should bite the bullet and head over to REI and bedeck myself in all things Northface.

Woah. I really must have woken up on the wrong side of the practical fleece jacket today.

I have been so strung-out lately. My mind is too hyped up to work on something substantive, so I went to the fabric store and bought some really cool fabric for making holiday gift bags. I know, I know, it's not very Christmasy, but I'd rather have a cute bag than a tacky holiday one, wouldn't you? I want to go see if the store has this pattern as well. So cute! (ceph, you will love this fabric!)

I also picked up some buffalo plaid (red and black) flannel to make myself a pair of pajama pants since every pair I own doesn't come close to being long enough. I'm totally stoked to start these projects!

As you can imagine, we're not very traditionally Christmasy at Chez Morgan, but soon, our Christmas Cthulhu will make his annual pilgrimage to the living room to brighten our spirits. :-) I'm sure he'll like my choice in gift bags.

naturesbeauty
Always on the lookout for compelling images, we were delighted to discover this flourishing community of artists who share a love of nature. Honoring the subject with photographs, paintings, sketches, prose, poetry, and
other creative works, you'll be simultaneously riveted to your monitor and inspired to run helter skelter towards the nearest wooded dale.

Postcard winners!

We wish to extend our heartfelt gratitude for sending so much joy our way. Frank is still blushing with excitement over the love notes, proposals, propositions, and occasional intimate photos sent from his admirers around the world (China, Norway, Japan, and Poland just this week)! At his request, we blindfolded Justin, one of Frank's BFFs, spun him around in five dozen counterclockwise circles, and asked him to point to ten random postcards/envelopes pasted to the wall. After a brief trip to the bathroom, he chose the following lucky winners, to whom we will give a six-month paid account token (for paid, basic, and plus users) or, for our permanent account holders, a $15 voucher for the LiveJournal gift shop.

So, without further ado, the winners are:

1. seraphene
2. fotog
3. boykitten
4. seshat_6
5. anti_aol
6. lisalees
7. katrinkacat
8. mistyboston
9. _woody_lein
10. another_slender

Bugs, Tweaks, and Enhancements

1. We fixed a bug from the last release that was causing screened comments to become unscreened if they were edited
2. If you happen to be gaming around the corner, check us out on Facebook and be sure to spread the word!
3. We've added new vgifts to celebrate Thanksgiving! Check out our feathered friend, below!

Give more with charitable vgifts

In honor of national adoption month, we're offering a charitable vgift (priced at $2.99) to support Love Without Boundaries, an organization that provides healthcare and adoption to orphans suffering from life-threatening diseases. LiveJournal will donate 100% of gross proceeds from the sale (we'll cover the cost of credit card transaction fees). To learn more about Love Without Boundaries, please visit lj_cares. You can purchase your Love Without Boundaries vgifts in the Virtual Gift shop. We'll keep you posted on how much we raise!

Photos of the week

We're delighted to showcase yet more incredible photos from some of our brilliant LiveJournal photographers around the world. Keep posting (and tagging). And be sure to show some love by commenting on the awesome view at lj_photophile.

Check out this week's photos and more amazing user content after the jump!

( Read more... )

Curtains

Thanks, again, for joining us. See you next week!

{from the Melendez show at LACMA}

"New York is one of the capitals of the world and Los Angeles is a constellation of plastic." --Fran Lebowitz
"Los Angeles is raw, uncouth and bizarre, but it's a place of substance. It has more new horizons than any other place."--Werner Herzog

Spending a few days in New York can make our city, what Mike Davis and others have called the megalopolis, seem inferior, fragmented, unfocused, hard to navigate, too spread out, etc. It occurred to me that we often spend our time in one place thinking about where we will be next, or we are so busy in our everyday lives that we forget to appreciate the good things that surround us where we are right now. After some thought and reflection, I have decided to put together a list of some of the things that are going on all around me so that I can start taking advantage of the fact that I live in an (perhaps THE) epicenter of global culture and cultural production--ie, I think I'm going with Herzog on this one. Quick list of some things to do before Christmas, longer and more complete list to follow after the New Year:

• The Melendez show at LACMA
• Equivocation at the Geffen Playhouse
• 30 Year MOCA Anniversary Show
• Griffith Observatory (haven't been inside since it was redone several years ago)
• Visit Larchmont Larder (new purveyor of gourmet ingredients)
• Take a class at the New School of Cooking
• Go to Artesia for Indian Food

p.s. Tonight I made the wheat berry salad mentioned in the post below and it was sooo good. Wheat berries, who knew?

Forgot to mention in my earlier post that I made a batch of hummus yesterday that is outstanding; I've tried several recipes before but like the texture and tang of this one by Mark Bittman (patron saint of simple, straightforward recipes for delicious fare) best.

Secondly, while I was in NY I had some wonderful falafel and it got me thinking about trying to make them myself, has anyone out there ever made them before? Have a good recipe to recommend???

Last night I made a wonderful recipe that incorporates two of my favorite ingredients: Leeks and Fennel. Mushroom Risotto with Leeks and Fennel is from the Fields of Greens cookbook and the amount of risotto produced could have fed an army. I think we will be eating this stuff for days to come as lunchtime fare, or, since there is so much left, would could try to make Giada's risotto cakes. The dried mushrooms in this recipe really go a long way to adding depth and robust flavors, though I also think that throwing a half cup of parm in at the very end would be a good addition. I found a version of the recipe here, which exactly what my book says, minus the summer truffles.

Tonight, we're making a quick and easy stir fry (minus the shrimp) from an article Mark Bittman wrote for Runner's World Magazine. It's the only stirfry recipe I've ever made that gives all the veggies and components that glisteny, glossy texture you get when you order from a restaurant. We'll also be enjoying the Rick Bayless Swiss Chard Tacos, a new weeknight staple.

( Recipe here )

New York was phenomenal. I can't wait to plan my next trip! I spent much of my time just walking and wandering without much of a plan, catching up with friends, and hanging out with two of my favorite people. A few highlights:
-Walking from the Empire State Building to the Metropolitan Musuem
-The American Wing at the Met
-Dinner with friends at Momofuku
-Strolling SoHo and window shopping in SoHos side streets
-Walking through Central Park and the Upper West Side with Allison
-Venturing into Brooklyn
-Getting to see West Side Story (!!!!!!)
-Sampling the nightlife
-Taking in the view from the HighLine

The big downside? I was so wrapped up in walking and wandering and talking that I managed to not take a SINGLE picture! Argh. Next time, next time.