Tuesday, December 20, 2011

tasteful

Lest you have nightmares about our flat and its smothering waves of tinsel, here's something tasteful L did with birds and branches and lights on top of a something or other in the kitchen (I'm not up on the names of freestanding kitchen furniture):



I had a dream last night about a lift that went every which way, further confused by all the rooms it was trying to get to also moving every which way, tipping surfaces, and lethal lift doors. I wouldn't exactly call it a nightmare, but all the rooms involved were decorated with tinsel... Perhaps my subconscious is trying to tell me something. Sherlock said it sounded like fun when I told him about it. 

133 comments:

Bronwyn said...

Definitely not posting pics of my tree, then. I would hate to contribute to your mental anguish.

But it does sound like fun.
Feliz Navidad,
Bronwyn

John H. D. Watson said...

Oh, please do! I'd love to see it. And I'm reasonably sure Sherlock hasn't worked out how to steal physical objects through the internet. Yet.

mazarin221b said...

Yeesh, that's uncomfortable to dream about. Did the rooms still seem familiar?

And because we all know the internet is the best place to find all that is true and right in the world:

"To dream that you are ascending in an elevator indicates that you will have a rapid ascent to prosperity. You could be reaching a higher plane of understanding and are viewing the world from this elevation. If you are going down in an elevator, then bad luck will fall upon you. The movement in this dream can be indicative of the natural ebb and flow of life within your subconsciousness. To dream that the elevator is out of order, or that you are stuck in it, suggests that your feelings are getting the best of you."

o.O Eh, what do they know, anyway?

I do like L's birds and branches. Very lovely.

John H. D. Watson said...

Huh. Interesting.

No, it was some anonymous office building. Never seen it before.

REReader said...

That is quite lovely. Haunting.

And your dream sounds like one of the Enterprise lifts gone crazy. Perhaps it spent some time on the holodeck. :D

Greg Lestrade said...

New Scotland Yard actually does that, when we want it to. It's how you get to the secret lair below.

Anonymous said...

This would be the one where sometimes a person gets into the lift which then carries on past their floor down to the secret lair with the insect-type people who eat them?

REReader said...

If that was to me, Anon, I think the one with the insect-like people wasn't with the lift, it was people being kidnapped off the Enterprise? I'm not quite as well-versed in TNG as TOS, so I could be wrong, though. :) I didn't have a particular episode in mind, anyway.


Did you all figure out where to send the stuff-in-jars-tour letter?

REReader said...

Oh! It's already past sundown in the UK, so Happy Chanukah!

I know you have Christmas, not Chanukah, but ... Have something fried to eat, that's traditional and celebratory! Or chocolate coins, that's traditional too. Because while Chanukah gifts are not traditional, Chanukah "gelt" (money) is, hence chocolate coins. :)

(It doesn't have to be tonight, there's eight days of it.)

Greg Lestrade said...

Thanks RR. Dunno what I'm going to get to eat - something completely unsuitable, no doubt, given the state I'll be in by the time I eat it... high chance of something fried though. Chips, probably.

Sherlock said...

Does that mean we can have chips and chocolate for dinner?

REReader said...

Somehow I don't think chips are entirely in the Chanukah spirit--although they are indeed fried, so I dunno why not. Maybe you can take a shot at latkes (potato pancakes fried in olive oil) in the next few days. (Mmmmmm, latkes.) My family is having sufganiyot--little round deep fried jelly donuts--for desert tonight, I just bought them. :)

Hope the party isn't too dire!

Sherlock, there are 8 days of Chanukah--one thing at a time spreads out the fun more!

Greg Lestrade said...

That's up to your super nanny, kiddo. :)

John H. D. Watson said...

We might manage latkes if Mycroft helps.

REReader said...

Cool! My brother likes them best with sour cream, and my sisters with apple sauce, and I like them plain. :)

Sherlock said...

Apple sauce! Or jam.

Greg Lestrade said...

I'm not sure I'll be fit for anything like that before Christmas. Do they need to be hand-squeezed? Or is there an easy way to do it (apart from buying in a shop).

The party won't be dire once I've had enough to drink to lose what little inhibition I have and stop worrying about it.

I already have a large scotch at my elbow, courtesy of the Super, to finish my paperwork with. Very 1970s.

John H. D. Watson said...

I meant tonight while you're at the party actually. They can't be that hard, can they?

Greg Lestrade said...

No, they look very easy. Go for it. I'd they work out you can make me some later :)

Greg Lestrade said...

If. That wa the phone, not the scotch.

REReader said...

What, latkes? You can shred the potatoes in a food processor. My mom always drained the liquid out of the shredded potatoes rather than squeezed, but even squeezing out the liquid isn't hard, just messy. (And they aren't very good cold or reheated, just like most fried foods.)

I've never even heard of anyone who made their own sufganiyot, although I'm sure it's not impossible. It's just that deep-frying tends to add an element of danger, not to mention a really big pot.

You know, Sherlock, latkes might well be good with jam--but not too much, so it doesn't drown the potato flavor. It would be interesting to see how it goes with the onions, for sure!

Greg Lestrade said...

sufganiyot don't look very hard to make either, but yeah, you'd need a couple on inches of hot oil. But then, this is the country of chip pans... so why not?

REReader said...

Oooh, if you try sufganiyot please let me know how they come out! I might just be inspired to try them myself... :)

Greg Lestrade said...

Don't know if we could fit it in any time soon. But if we do, we'll let you know.

Love you, Danger. Miss you, too. Will try not to be horribly disruptive when I get home.

REReader said...

Not a problem! I can't eat too many of any of these things anyway. You may notice that the concept of balanced nutrition has no part of Chanukah treats, however yummy they are. :) But if you do make 'em, I'd love to hear about it.

John H. D. Watson said...

L - love you too, have a nice time at your party. I'll let you know how the latkes go.

REReader said...

I would also love to know how the latkes come out, John! It really makes me feel very good that you're sharing my holiday a bit this way. :)

mazarin221b said...

Latkes (just potato pancakes to all the Polish Catholics in my husband's family) are a piece of cake. They really are. But you'd think, given how traditional and simple the recipe really is, they'd all taste about the same, right? No. My Father in law still gives his wife fits whenever she makes potato pancakes, because "They're good, but they're just not as good as Grandma Busha's." (Grandma Busha, said Polish catholic from the Old Country - still spoke only Polish until the day she died.)

Sally said...

You're now addressing the winner of 'Best Mid-Life Crisis, 2011' everyone.

He accepted very graciously.

Greg Lestrade said...

Bastards

mazarin221b said...

Happy Chanukah, ReReader, a wee tad early here, I believe. But since you're online, I wanted to say it now, instead of later!

mazarin221b said...

Oh, Sally, that's awesome.

John H. D. Watson said...

RR - happy to share fried potatoes anytime, thanks for the suggestion.

Sally - HA. Was it the bike that did it? If he is having a midlife crisis, it's certainly the best I've seen!

Bronwyn said...

Bwa-ha-ha-ha-haaa! That's amazing! Does that make John Best Trophy Boyfriend? Besides, they only wish their SOs were half as cute.
Snickers,
Bronwyn

Bronwyn said...

Psst, John, they meant you, not the bike.
Bronwyn

P.S. captcha says LOTIONS. What?

REReader said...

Thanks, mazarin--it's less than 3 hours early, that's close enough. Thank you!


happy to share fried potatoes anytime,

They are yummy! :)


Sally, that is hysterical! (If that's a midlife crisis, I think I want one too. Ha!)


Bronwyn--do not ask. :D

Anon Without A Name said...

Brilliant Sally :-) What swung it - the hot new boyfriend, the bike, or the potential nipple piercings?

Congratulations, Lestrade ;-p

Sally said...

The boyfriend, the bike, the penchant for leather and the potential nipple piercings all clearly point to a really quite enviable mid-life crisis, we thought.

Greg Lestrade said...

And she's just got the "Biggest Drain on the NHS" award for breaking her arm earlier in the year. She's very rpoud

I could go off the lot of you.

Now we're leaving what's left of the office and moving en mass to the pub. Onwards, comrades!

REReader said...

If you are half as tipsy as you sound, you are ABSOLUTELY NOT, under any circumstances, to ride your bike home. Take a cab!

John H. D. Watson said...

The boyfriend, the bike, the penchant for leather and the potential nipple piercings

I don't think I should count without being half his age and a lot blonder...

Congrats on yours too, Sally. Heh.

REReader said...

I think you make a fine trophy boyfriend just as you are. ;)

Greg Lestrade said...

RR, I'm in my Mid-Life Crisis! I'd lose the awardif I killed myself riding under the influence tongiht. it'd be an end-of-life crisisthen,see? End of job crisis, too. Both.

Anyway, copper, remmember? I'e dealt with my fair share of RTAs from drunks.

Greg Lestrade said...

John, youre perfectly young and blond enough for me

Sal says I drain the NHS more than her. I think she means I drain the Docs thoug, not the whole healthservice ;)

mazarin221b said...

*giggle* Enjoy that one when you get him home tonight, John. :D

REReader said...

I know you know, L--I just like displaying my firm grasp of the obvious.

John H. D. Watson said...

Mazarin - I assume there will be a wheelbarrow or something similar to deliver him to the door...

The latkes went well. Mycroft and I had them with applesauce, and Sherlock had them with applesauce, raspberry jam, and one bite with chocolate sauce. The chocolate sauce was not a hit.

Rider said...

Lestallion might be energetic but I dunno he's got the stamina to drain the entire NHS. Siphoning the Doc's hose is probably as much as he can manage.

Anon Without A Name said...

ReRe: I think (unless television lies to me) that there's a slightly different attitude to drink driving in the UK and the States. Aside from the few people who will drive when actually drunk, most people here won't drive after more than a glass or pint. And many won't drive if they've had anything to drink at all.

Sally - congrats on the award :-)

John - when it comes to a mid-life crisis, I'm sure that 6 years is a big enough age gap :-p

REReader said...

The latkes went well.

*cheers* :) (I really can't imagine them with chocolate sauce--apparently with good reason.)

Nameless--that would definitely be a different attitude to drunk driving than you find in the US. It's illegal, and there are campaigns all the time against it, but nevertheless there is a LOT of drunk driving here, including from people who, when sober, firmly believe they would never drive drunk.

REReader said...

Got it. No question that the majority of US drivers are idiots. I'm not a drinker myself (allergic), but not drive after one drink? That's not at all a given here.

Sensible people will appoint a designated driver who won't have any drinks, usually--but someone who has a drink with dinner, or at a cocktail party? They'll drive. As a grad student I was definitely considered weird when I preferred walking to a lift from someone who only had a drink or two.

Rider said...

I will usually stop at 2 if I'm riding, although there was the time I was stopped for a random breath test after consuming some 6 low alcohol beers in a couple of hours.

It was just after they were introduced so both the cops and I were interested to see the result. The meter barely twitched, which we all agreed proved there had to be something in the idea...

Anonymous said...

I'm beginning to think that tipsy Greg is the same as drugged up Greg. I really shouldn't be so amused.

~ A from NW

Anon Without A Name said...

Absolutely, Lestrade.

How's the party going? Anyone got drunk and snogged someone unsuitable yet?

Greg Lestrade said...

Drunk? Us?

Snogging..Sally's departement, ask her. Only one personi kiss in my l ife and hes being Masterchef

John H. D. Watson said...

Heh. Does that mean Sally's the one who's been snogging someone unsuitable?

Greg Lestrade said...

MY lips are sealed


love you

very hard remembereing i dont smoke now.

John H. D. Watson said...

I love you too, and I'll kiss you unsuitably when you get home. Especially if you don't taste of cigarettes.

Sally said...

I HAVENT SOGGED ANYONE!

Anon Without A Name said...

Never mind, Sally - the night is still young :-p

REReader said...

HA! You beat me to it, Nameless. :D

John H. D. Watson said...

Well what are you waiting for!

Rider said...

I doubt Lestrade will consider any form of kissing unsuitable when he gets home.

With the possible exception of a little peck on the cheek.

Greg Lestrade said...

dependson which pecker an wich cheek, Rider ;)

Rider said...

YOu aren't implying there's a little pecker involved are you?

Greg Lestrade said...

nope, just picky about my peckers. only accep the veryfinest. Danger, being underwera model, obs makes the grade

Danger, pleas line up everyhangver cure known to man for ornign

John H. D. Watson said...

Tell her I'll introduce her to Murray when he gets back, if she can handle seeing someone who used to think fromage involved a lot more than cheese.

John H. D. Watson said...

pleas line up everyhangver cure known to man for ornign

For ornign... Right, will do.

Greg Lestrade said...

Morning. not...that

i trust you, your a doctor.

don't make me go to work hunglover

REReader said...

I'm not even going to start on "hunglover", it's too obvious. :D

John H. D. Watson said...

I'll do my best, Mr Midlife Crisis. Having fun?

Anon Without A Name said...

don't make me go to work hunglover

I seeing a missing comma, there...

Sally said...

Boss can't come to the blog right now, Doctor WellHungLover, he's too busysinging 'Don't stop Me Now' with some of the boys.

with airgutair

John H. D. Watson said...

Please tell me someone's recording that.

Small Hobbit said...

So we can conclude he's "having a good time, having a ball"

REReader said...

It's mean for me to be snickering.

Or is it? :D

Sally said...

Does he sing for you? Hes quite good.

or the others are REAL bad.

John H. D. Watson said...

Rarely, and yes he is.

Sally said...

Thin Lizzy now.

mazarin221b said...

I'm well past snickering. I'm cracking up right here in the kitchen, imagining DI GQMF drunk off his head and singing in the pub.

John H. D. Watson said...

Pity he didn't bring his guitar. Or maybe it's just as well...

Greg Lestrade said...

With thes drunks? it'd get trashd.

AM haing fun. wish you were here ecept for seeing me

id make you sing

REReader said...

I would seriously pay hard cash to see/hear some of this! (Please don't let the WHOLE audience be too sloshed to record...)

John H. D. Watson said...

ecept for seeing me

Except for seeing you what? I've seen you drunk before. Is there something more spectacular than air guitar that I'm missing?

Bronwyn said...

I was going to say the pelvic thrusting, but you've seen that before, too.
snickers,
Bronwyn

Anon Without A Name said...

Odds on how long before he's face down in a kebab?

Anonymous said...

I think Sally and the team would step in before it gets to that point? However, it looks like the safest form of transportation home for Lestrade is going to be either the Tube or a cab.

I am beginning to see why photographs are not allowed at these parties, though. 'Tis a pity...

*giggling*
~A from NW

Greg Lestrade said...

Don't know

Calliope said...

I hope everyone had fun and made/makes it home okay...without putting an eye out with a kebab.

Happy Holidays all! (And Happy Hanukkah RR!)

REReader said...

Thanks, Calliope!

All righty, Lestrade--time to head for home maybe?

mazarin221b said...

Could kill *with* a kebab, maybe. Yeah, I wouldn't trust you anywhere with a sharp, pointy stick, Lestrade

dw said...

...i never once saw a kebab with a stick when i was in england different thing i think, fellow americans.

usually meat on pita bread or some other flat bread like a pita but different with garlic or chili sauce (garlic for lestallion who is a wuss with hot stuff ;) ) and other stuff

REReader said...

Just want to say that I think it's very endearing that drunk!Lestrade is much like happy!Lestrade only more so (and a good deal less coherent).

However, isn't it about time for someone to pour you into a cab and send you home, L?

Anonymous said...

Stick or not, Greg, injuring yourself with a kebab would be Not Good, so do be careful.

I hope the silence from your end is because you're currently too tipsy to type and/or because you're home and John has sent you straight off to bed. =)

Also, Sally, I hope you (and the rest of the crew) get home safely!

~ A from NW

mazarin221b said...

Ah, see, kebab at my local Turkish restaurant is on a long metal skewer. If you get it on pita, its usually a gyro or other sort of flatbread sammy. Regardless, I've always been wary of drunk food...mostly because I don't want to see it coming back up!

Anon Without A Name said...

Awww, it's not a proper piss-up without a kebab at the end of it, preferably eaten whilst stumbling home (unless, like me, you happen to be vegetarian, in which case, lucky escape, you get to stumble home eating chips :-p). Pretty sure the only injury from a kebab would be too much chilli sauce :-)

Lestrade, Sally et al - hope the hangovers aren't too brutal tomorrow :-)

Greg Lestrade said...

We are. Sorta

Anon Without A Name said...

Sorta... home? Eating kebabs whilst stumbling home? Injuring yourselves with too much chilli sauce? ;-p

(captcha says "sallyd", no kidding)

REReader said...

Oh, L, you are going to be one unhappy camper in the morning. By any chance are you off and so have a chance of a sleep in?

Anon Without A Name said...

ReRe: I suspect you're right. Although, a couple of ibuprofen and a pint or two of water before bed can work miracles on preventing hangovers. Mind you, the sleep deprivation might be the killer...

Speaking of which, it's quarter to two, OMG. And I do have to work tomorrow. Today. Damn.

Desert Wanderer said...

I'm beginning to wish I smoked, too, Lestrade. Power went out and I am matchless. Have a flashlight and my mobile but that's it. Any ideas, guys?

Piplover said...

When I was in Korea it was pigeon on a stick. They called it chicken, but we knew better. There wasn't anything chicken-like in it, but oh my goodness, it tasted so good after a night of drinking. Best way to finish a night!

REReader said...

DW, do you have a gas range with a pilot light? If so, you can light a candle from the stove top.

(You do have candles, right? Some?)

Anonymous said...

DW - Go curl up in bed? I hope your electricity comes back soon!

Anon w/o a Name - Eep. Coffee, so much coffee tomorrow/today?

Greg (or John) - What does sorta mean? Have you/Has he made it home safely? ... I hope if you're all working tomorrow that it's very very quiet.

~ A from NW

Scottish Anon said...

Hangover cure:

If at all possible drink at least a pint of water before bed and take some paracetamol/asprin/painkiller of choice...

In the morning: eggs, bovril,and Irn Bru

I may be talking nonesense (DoctorHotson can correct me) but the water obv stops you dehydrating, eggs have acetylcysteine which helps detoxify the liver, bovril has a lot of salt, which you lose when drinking, and Irn bru has a lot of sugar which helps stop the hangover muchies, caused by low blood sugar.

Always worked for me :-)

Desert Wanderer said...

Electric RR. Keep hearing cops/fire engines though. Had to go buy a lighter. Trying to remember which.box the candles are in...

REReader said...

Oh, blech, electric ranges, they're no help at all. I had one in Ithaca and I ended up having to borrow matches from a neighbor to light my Shabbat candles--and bought myself a 6 pack of boxes of matches that Sunday. :)

I hope they get your power back on soon!

innie said...

Surely the safest mode of transportation is Federicorn, steered by Danger Hotson using only his knees (to keep his hands free for tending to a giggly DI GQMF)?

Ro said...

Sports drink. Go the powerade, or gatorade, or the like. Great for rehydrating after too much of the other stuff. And, of course, some combination of potatoes, fats and salt. Chips, mash, latkes, or whatever! Ah, the morning after the night before ...

Rider said...

tea and toast with Vegemite. Or Marmite if you are that way inclined.

Fluids and vitamin B.

Bronwyn said...

Lots and lots of water with painkillers of choice tonight. Then in the morning, a virgin mat with a raw egg blended in and a dash of tabasco and worcestershire sauce.

What? It works.
Merry Christmas,
Bronwyn

Bronwyn said...

Should read virgin mary. Though if you're a hair of the dog type, you could use a bloody mary instead.
Bronwyn

X said...

Lots of water before bed, smoothie of bananas, milk, and honey in the am (and something fried to eat, too). Lol this is going to be an interesting arrangement of hangover cures for you, L --- let us know what you go with.

Gone 2am here and can't sleep, despite having been climbed all over by an enthusiastic 4 year old all day. On the subject of tasteful/tasteless, I'll have to take/post pics of our...very colourful tree tomorrow that she helped to decorate. So much tinsel....

Sleep well, L, and hope tou have a good rest of your night Danger what with wrangling your drunk DI to bed. ;)

REReader said...

And a (very, very quiet) good morning to whoever is awake! Lestrade, are you up, and if so how are you feeling? (If it's printable, that is.) Or, if not--is he able to get a bit more sleep today?

Desert Wanderer said...

Hope you find sleep soon, X. And that you're not feeling too poorly, Lestrade.

Greg Lestrade said...

I've no idea what my last few comments were about. Made sense at the time, obviously.

Thanks for all the hangover tips.

RR - leave a piss up at midnight? Were you serious?

Hope you got some sleep, X

Feeling...not as bad as I could. But I still wouldn't callit good.

REReader said...

I was, yes.

( I always left MUCH earlier than that myself, so how would I know? This sort of thing is rather unfun if you can't drink, so I'd always quietly slip away as soon as humanly possible. I got very good at disappearing myself en route to a bar--usually earlier than that.)

Greg Lestrade said...

Depends on the party I suppose, there are always a few of us who can't drink - and I've frequently gone out and had to stay off the booze because I've been on call or something. I don't think anyone should need drink to have a good time.

I left about half two, quarter to three, I suppose.

REReader said...

Mmmm, well, I'm also not so comfortable in large groups of people, even when I know all of them--four or five hours and I need a hole to crawl into. And since I never wanted to spoil anyone else's fun, I'd just quietly go. No one ever noticed.

Now I can usually arrange things better, and so the issue doesn't come up.

X said...

Thanks DW and L -- I did indeed get to sleep not too long thereafter. I'm on holiday anyhow do it's not too much of a bother when I can't sleep, just irritating.

L, hope your day is off to a quiet and peaceful start. ;)

Greg Lestrade said...

Um...quietish, yeah. Could have done without meetings.

REReader said...

Under the circumstances, surely meetings are better than chasing after gang members, yeah?

Greg Lestrade said...

I'd rather be out and about than in the office.

And I've been to a few parties That have been dire and Ive wanted to duck out, but it was never worth the aggro I'd've got when I was missed.

REReader said...

Bet you'd rather not be jostled about just now, though. Pity you don't have any little old ladies to interview... ;)

Yes, well. I went to grad school and office gatherings to avoid annoying anyone--or hurting anyone's feelings--but I'd always been considered a bit of an oddball and not quite one of the group anyway, and I never made a big deal about leaving. I really don't think anyone ever noticed--no one ever said anything, and I think they would have.

Anon Without A Name said...

ReRe - I was inspired yesterday to attempt to cook latkes for the first time ever. They turned out well, all things considered. Thanks for the inspiration!

REReader said...

Nameless-- :)

(I'm trying them myself tonight. Usually my mom makes them, but she has a horrible streaming cold, so...experiment time!)

Calliope said...

That reminds me. I actually attempted to order latkes at the restaurant last night...and they just weren't right. Ah well. :)

REReader said...

No, no. If they are made in restaurant-sized batches, they can't be right!

But I'm sorry you missed out.

REReader said...

Okay! I managed to spatter myself here and there (I've got a teeny little blister on one cheekbone) but the latkes were extremely yummy. :)

Also, I asked my sister for her recipe, and she said she doubled it when she cooked for her family, so I figured the single recipe would be just right. We have leftover latkes enough for three meals. I just hope they taste okay on reheating... :D

Bronwyn said...

So because you asked (don't say I didn't warn you!) here's my tree. It took a bit because it had to wait until I was home at my computer with the actual pictures instead of posting from my phone whilst at my mother's house.

http://bronwynferchdai.dreamwidth.org/37702.html

My tree, tree topper and a picture of my favorite ornament are up. Enjoy!

Merry Christmas,
Bronwyn

Anon Without A Name said...

Wonderfully festive and shiny, Bronwyn :-D

Small Hobbit said...

Ooh, very shiny Bronwyn. Love the ornament!

Maybe we'll put our decorations up today.

Greg Lestrade said...

Very nice, Bronwyn. I think Sherlock is fairly sure he likes real trees, but I reckon yours would come a close second, for the sheer sparkliness, if there wasn't a real one to be had.

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