I'm just really picky about pasta. If it's not the real thing, and al dente, I don't see the point. It's not what I want, it's not the same, and thus it's not pleasurable. And since I won't eat anything that's not something I really enjoy (since everything I eat fucks with my blood sugar, which post-chemo refuses to not be dumb no matter how much insulin I inject, I need to give myself a reason to eat), spaghetti squash has no place in my life. 
@paris said in RL things I love:
It's not what I want, it's not the same, and thus it's not pleasurable.
I'll take "Things I used to say to drunk girls when I worked at a bar for six hundred."
@tinuviel lmao!
The brand that I use/like is:
There may be others out there but I buy these at my local pan-asian grocery store. You have to pre-soak them to get them to soften but they otherwise take on the flavor of whatever it is you're cooking.
I would like to try lentil pasta but lentils are a heavy carbohydrate (but at least they're complex) source and they often made with semolina flour to stabilize them, so they tend to be nearly as sugar heavy as regular pasta. It's on my 'cheat day' list but as a more daily thing, I tend to avoid them.
Finishing out an evening by watching an episode of your favorite web-series that has made the fandom lose their collective minds... after which you will go fly to another city in order to watch a one-shot of said web-series live.
(I don't have a Critical Role problem you have a Critical Role problem and I CAN STOP ANYTIME I WANT DON'T YOU JUDGE ME.)
((Besides, there's no such thing as too much D&D.))
Here's my chosen brand for lentil pastas, they use a single ingredient, have a decently high protein content, with a mere 1 gram of sugars... they do have 53 grams of carbs, but as mentioned, its complex carbs and at least some of it falls under the dietary fibers. Its worth peeking into anyways!
I love that these products exist.
Which leads me to an RL thing I hate: my death allergy to legumes of all kinds.
@ganymede Yeah, like, I'm okay with lentils and SOME beans, but soy and others are agonizing death.
Specifically the proteins, I can handle soy sauce ok.
@paris said in RL things I love:
Specifically the proteins, I can handle soy sauce ok.
We're totally on the same level, then.
I hate agonizing death. It's not me.
@ganymede Yeah. @_@ Textured soy/vegetable protein means I have to opt out of a lot of stuff, soy protein in general means I have to avoid almost all of the 'boost/glucerna/etc' drinks available for diabetics, especially in combo with several classes of artificial sweeteners I can't handle either-- I found ONE that's whey-based and has stevia. (Edit: ALL of the prepackaged disabled-friendly meal services use it as an extender in every dish, so that's out too.)
I really don't like this dietary restriction stuff, it makes me feel like I look finicky or fussy when in reality I actually liked tofu and ate it regularly before I became sensitive to it.
To keep this post to theme, I really do like my instant pot (again) even though meal prep for it can be tiring. The chicken tikka masala turned out great and I can use the sauce for paneer tikka , too. I really should just make up a big mess of sauce and freeze it in individual bags to pour over stuff.
It's been a super lifesaver since tourist season is terrible right now (and I suspect the shutdown is affecting spending) and so being able to eat healthy, tasty cheap meals while we're otherwise broke has made the thing already pay for itself despite having been purchased on January 1.
The pain of soy protein allergy is alarming and understood.
I can't eat processed or frozen meats; most, if not all, use isolated soy protein as a texture-filler. I have to avoid all-but-whey protein supplements, and I avoid the whey protein supplements because they are packed with sugar.
I get joy from making meatballs.
My partner's aunt had a meat grinder. Like, one of those hand-cranking ones. It's my favorite cooking tool. And it's not just for making loose meat from cheap cuts, or mixing your favorite spices into your meatballs and sausages; I also use it to make killer perogies and dumplings. It takes me back to a simpler time, when my family used to congregate around the kitchen table to make cheap meatballs when we couldn't afford the grocery store price.
These little things make me happy.
My dad is going to be 80 this year. I still want to make meatballs with him just one more time.
@ganymede said in RL things I love:
My dad is going to be 80 this year. I still want to make meatballs with him just one more time.
T_T my heart
I'd like to get a lot of kitchen accessories, as money improves. I'll always prefer to eat out, but I like eating well when we don't. I used to love spending hours in the kitchen before my back broke.
@ganymede Do it. Don't put it off. Make meatballs with him over like facetime, if you have to. Take it from me - time is not what you think it is, with your parents.
So, I just ordered this son of a bitch today. I think it's a pretty decent rig, but I'd like people to comment.
Specs:
I did okay, right? For $499.99? I threw it up against the Dell Inspiron at Wal-Mart, and the Lenovo has a SSD whereas the Dell had a HDD. Otherwise, the specs look almost the same.
You did good getting the SSD over the HDD. The processor is a little ehhh. Not too bad, mind. Most laptops are around that range, but it is a leetle low, but not terribly for the $500 price point. Like overall you're right around what you'd be getting in most machines for the price I think.
Saying the quiet parts out loud since 1996.
Honestly, I just want something that isn’t a piece of shit.
My laptop is literally falling apart.
But she’s a good machine. She’s reliable as hell, and I’ve never had much of an issue with her. She needs a new battery too.
I’m gonna miss her.
But I’m looking forward to a keyboard that isn’t missing keys, and the ability to play Battletech.
“It is better to live doing the things that you like. It is foolish to live within this dream of a world seeing unpleasantness and doing only things that you do not like.” -- Yamamoto Tsunetomo.
@ganymede said in RL things I love:
Honestly, I just want something that isn’t a piece of shit.
My laptop is literally falling apart.
But she’s a good machine. She’s reliable as hell, and I’ve never had much of an issue with her. She needs a new battery too.
I’m gonna miss her.
But I’m looking forward to a keyboard that isn’t missing keys, and the ability to play Battletech.
I went a few weeks without a T key (I kept a Sublime -- notepad ess. -- window with lower and uppercase to copypaste) on my old Macbook before I got a bluetooth keyboard and my D key would go out every so often. I totally get it.
For $500, it's not bad! I dunno how Lenovo's are OVERALL because I've not used one / heard much about 'em recently, but I'd take one over a Dell probs. But the SSD is def def better than an HDD. That's the big sticker right there IMO.
I have two Lenovo laptops, an ancient T-430 that I bought refurbished from Amazon for around $350, and a year-old Yoga 720 that I bought from Best Buy for $900 last winter (it was an open box special). They are both excellent machines that I would not hesitate to purchase again. If the one that you just bought is of a similar quality, you should be quite happy with it.
This gets so much f'n respect from me for PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/us/webapps/mpp/paypal-helps
On an individual scale, it's not a massive gesture, but big picture it really is, and there's a lot of people who it could potentially help a great deal. So long as they can make that minimum payment next month. =/
With a laptop playing games mostly comes down to RAM and the graphics card. Check the specs for the game you want to play. The onboard Intel card may not cut it. Battletech seems to have a min of Nvidia
GeForce
GTX 560 Ti or AMD ATI Radeon HD 5870 (1 GB VRAM).
Finishing out an evening by watching an episode of your favorite web-series that has made the fandom lose their collective minds... after which you will go fly to another city in order to watch a one-shot of said web-series live.
(I don't have a Critical Role problem you have a Critical Role problem and I CAN STOP ANYTIME I WANT DON'T YOU JUDGE ME.)
((Besides, there's no such thing as too much D&D.))
