More Bread:
I used Angelas recipe again (1.5 packages of yeast, tablespoon each of salt and sugar, 2 cups of water, and 5-6 cups of flour) to make a couple more loaves of bread, and ooh — the taste, the texture, the smell of fresh, hot bread.
I cut off a slick slice and spread some peanut butter and honey on it.
TV:
The pleasure-of-the-day is Torchwood, season 1. The name Torchwood showed up in season 1 of the “new” Doctor Who, I believe, but it was referenced quite a bit more in season 2, and in the Queen Victoria Is A Werewolf episode we discover the origins of the Torchwood Institute and its anti-Doctor agenda. But with the war against the Cybermen at the end of the season the original Torchwood is left in shambles, paving the way for a smaller scale operation out of Cardiff of all places, complete with an X-Files meets Buffy meets soap-opera feel to it.
So far — and I’ve watched the first seven of 13 episodes — there is not a season-long arc. It’s episodic. And it’s not just monster-of-the-week, though there is some of that. Excluding the first episode, and perhaps the second, since they introduce a character who is new to Torchwood, the episodes can be seen out-of-order. But there is a little method to the madness; so far each character has had their own episode at one point, all five of them, and in each case the character is responsible for a tragedy or near tragedy.
Music:
I listened to Mu Ziq today, or at least the rest thereof, and it doesn’t stick with me as memorable. Thereafter I had two versions of One Night in Bangkok, the original and an extended remix, and I listened to both while kneading dough. Then came Muzikas, the Hungarian folk group often fronted by Marta Sebestyen. The eponymous album, my first, which I bought back in 1995 while living in Budapest, is still my favorite. It’s not over-produced, it’s not as thematic as some of the others (The Lost Jewish Music of Transylvania … The Bartok Album …), but it just has gorgeous themes and melodies and instruments. It’s a bit weird at points, and I don’t think I’ve every managed to convince anyone of how great it is. Tamon, I think, heard it and found it strange that I listened to it. But all I needed to hear was “Vettetem Violat” and I was hooked. Way back when.
Keeping Busy:
In addition to writing and to reading (still on Tony Ballantyne’s fascinating Recursion) I took a trip to the laundromat to do a load. I only had $2.50 in quarters, alas, and a $20 in my wallet, so I settled for one small load and half an hour in the dryer (all that was necessary). If I get coffee tomorrow morning I can break the $20, get some ones, and then get quarters from those at the laundromat so I can do a load of whites. In other news, NCAA basketball “news,” I guess, Ohio State won their 2nd round game, yesterday Wisconsin won their 1st round game, and Washington State lost an overtime thriller, so I’ve read. I haven’t actually seen any of the games yet.
