Phoenix Dreaming

phoenix — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 18:09:00 +0000

Laundry.
(- dedicated to The Eye, my brother in arms. And when I say “arms”, I mean this. And our minds.)

This should be a 503.

phoenix — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 07:16:26 +0000

Got up, remembered the internet blackout – but the instructions page for the blackout plugin is already blacked out. (Hah. Imagine a better dystopia. Thank you, wordpress, for making the nightmare more real, and for helping people imagine a censored internet.) Anyway, I’ll be back fiddling with my site soon – and with more info on SOPA, PIPA, and ACTA (something we Europeans should definitely be aware of).

* * * * *

Take Action!

-> STOP SOPA!
-> STOP PIPA!
-> STOP ACTA!

(Also: today I learned that, of course, ACTA too can be represented by a giant octopus.)

Witches’ Kitchen #2

phoenix — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 19:52:10 +0000

I’m still desperately looking for the recipe I used to make Saffron Liqueur. I know I also used vodka, and my detective skills tell me that in the old pictures it looks as if there’s rock sugar and also a stick of cinnamon in there. After the holidays I’ll do a test run using 1L vodka, 50g brown rock sugar, a cinnamon stick and 2T saffron, and you can watch my experiment step by step. I’ll post pics and everything. Here’s the old ones, BTW, in case you’ll want to try your own detective skills:

By popular demand: Witches’ Kitchen #1

phoenix — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 22:28:58 +0000

So I dug out some old pics for you to accompany the recipes.
Today we’re making Ginger Liqueur. This is the easiest recipe I know, and it tastes amazing. I try to adapt most liqueur recipes to vodka, since I believe it results in a milder taste compared to liqueur made with Korn (German rye liquor).

You’ll need:
a generous piece of fresh ginger, peeled and roughly cubed
1L vodka (I always use the cheapest brand I can get, and it still comes out really awesome)
1 cinnamon stick
a couple of whole cardamom pods
a twig of rosemary
1 vanilla bean, slit lengthwise
50g brown rock sugar

Put everything in a bottle or jar that seals well (a big mason jar will do) and leave this in a warm spot. I recommend windowsills without too much direct sunlight. After 3 to 4 weeks, your liqueur is ready. Strain into bottles and enjoy. You can keep this in a cupboard at room temperature, but I’m not sure for how long, since all my liqueurs – no matter whether they were given away or kept in my own cupboard – have always been, um, gone in a matter of a couple of weeks max.
In the pictures below you can watch the liquid change colour as time passes (which is really beautiful to watch). The ginger liqueur is on the right.

Something to watch (out for)

phoenix — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 19:11:43 +0000

If I hadn’t already posted the smashed TV graffiti on 7 December, I’d do so today.
If you haven’t seen “Black Mirror” yet, you really should give it a try. After last night’s episode, everyone should technically smash their TV (and I’m not even starting about Facebook and all the rest), but I know that nobody will, and that makes it even more true.
Anyway, I hope they can keep the standard up, because I think it’s brilliant. Not least because it hurts so much.

As for myself, I’m still trying to make all the other realities break through.

phoenix — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 13:37:10 +0000

Possibility is in itself a reality.
And maybe I’m so taken with “impossible” dreams because they keep me going.
(Please note that I had to go back and add quotation marks, because in the end I don’t even believe in impossibility. We can discuss very high factors of improbability, but there’s just no such thing as “never”.)

phoenix — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 15:17:48 +0000

When the stars fall from the sky…

phoenix — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 09:34:33 +0000

phoenix — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 19:44:57 +0000

phoenix — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 18:52:32 +0000

The Great Cthulhu Paperchase into Madness.