I think it's pretty normal to hold yourself to a standard you don't impose on others, and I do think it's somewhat problematic, like perfectionism is. If you get mad at yourself for messing up and not being inhumanly perfect then yeah that's not good. You are a person too, and should give yourself consideration.
If you just mean you try to think before you act and consider how your words and actions affect others, I would hope everyone does that!
I find it (pork chop) difficult to cook, it's like undercooked, undercooked, undercooked, then suddenly overcooked without seeming to pass cooked.
Steak we have to get two because the penultimate child and I like that quite rare but youngest and the husband like it much more cooked. So to please anyone we just buy two, and pull one off when seared, let the other one sit in the pan until hotter inside.
Swiss cheese
Wine
Have always had a pretty broad palate but swiss cheese I couldn't like until I was older, and could taste its flavor relationship to good Parmesan, the nuttiness.
Wine I made a conscious effort this year, that wasn't a maturity thing, it was a project but have found several I actively enjoy rather than just barely tolerate.
Oh, and turnips - I didn't like them, then I enjoyed them raw with dips, now I do like them raw or cooked.
For Halloween, yes. We actually have a contest at work, we get it spooky, and at home I decorate the front porch. Love Halloween.
For Christmas I barely decorate at work, at home we get outside lights and inside a tree, not really anything else.
I don't think it matters (decorating specifically for holidays) but if I lived alone I'd want to decorate for me, so it would probably be sort of Halloween every day. That's kind of how my work cube is, have a toy rat and crows out all the time but at Christmas I give them little Santa hats.
Being at a concert for the soundcheck, when things are getting set up, that feels so good too, or opening at any business, being there before any customers arrive. That calm before the storm moment has a particular feeling I like.
Old white man, old white man, if he can't do it, no one can!
Yeah I wouldn't discount sexism, or racism - I do think it's hard for Democrats to win elections here unless people are in the middle of a conservative administration, they just don't remember how bad it is, it's like people who remember their time in school fondly once it's over.
But in general, it's also true that women have to be near perfect, to be promoted over a man. And same thing with race. Like they can't just be the better choice it has to be a blowout. Now to a sensible person, she met that bar and flew past it, but we aren't all sensible and people are stupidly nostalgic for times that were objectively worse.
Does she have curly hair? Manes by Mel is good.
I don't think you need to interfere in her look though, if she's dissatisfied with her style she will figure it out. You could sit together somewhere and just critique the outfits of people who walk by, out in the real world.
I love the beach, probably because I grew up here. It's the division between land and water. In the daytime it's relaxing and hot. Everyone is nearly naked no matter their shape. Once when I was a teenager we went at night when the phosphorescent algae were in the water and it was so magical, you could wave your hand through the water and a trail of light would follow it.
Love sleeping above a dance club, too, or when a neighbor is having a party. The thumpy muted music coming from below in particular I just find so relaxing and sort of trippy, I love the sleep I get in those conditions.
I think of 31 as pretty young.
I don't, because I'd rather have nothing. But it's what my husband will get for himself and the kids if I'm fasting or can't or won't cook for whatever reason.
It's not anyone's favorite food, but they like hamburgers and I hate hamburgers so it's the way they get to eat those, and it's convenient for them, and, well, fast.
I'm with you, though. I will either cook what I want, or go out someplace local with actual good food made from food.
That sucks. If you want an adoptive mom, I have lots of kids, what's one more?
Also this 53% number is fucking with me. I know so many white women and only one (70 years old) would vote for trump.
I bake exclusively with sourdough starter for any bread but this is the simple one my kids call "the sourdough". For two loaves:
300 grams whole wheat flour
700 grams strong white flour
700 grams water
200 grams refreshed starter at about 100% hydration
20 grams nice sel gris
I don't knead it, just stretch and fold 4 times over 2 hours, bulk rise another 2-3 hours, split and bench rest half an hour, shape and refrigerate it overnight in bannetons covered with plastic bags. In the morning (or whenever you are ready the next day) heat oven to 475 F (about 245 for you civilized folk) with the two big cast iron dutch ovens inside, so that they get really hot. Remove dough from fridge, tip it onto parchment (so the bottom is now the top) and score, cold dough is so easy to score! Carefully move into pans, close them up and bake 25 minutes closed then 20-25 minutes open.
So it doesn't look well risen in the morning but putting cold dough into a hot closed cast iron pot generates steam, which is pretty much a slam dunk for good looking bread.
Absolute magic, I still don't understand how something so delicious is created from literally just flour, water, and a little salt.
Great minds think alike I guess. These are 10% whole hard wheat, 10% white whole wheat, 20% all purpose white unbleached flour, 60% strong bread flour, and 70% hydration, just water, salt, flour, starter.
Roast beef & cheddar with onion, homegrown arugula, and horseradish on homemade rye sourdough with olives. Potato chips are my junk food downfall. Iced water (not shown) to drink with this.
The bread obviously went sideways not up when I baked it but it's lovely, dense and springy, great sandwich bread.
Our wine & cheese course at Thanksgiving. There were also baguettes, out of frame. Wine is 2015 Baron de Brane, it was good! I don't always like wine but this one was delicious. The big wedge of cheese with a line through it is my beloved Humboldt Fog.
This is 30% wholegrain rye, the rest white strong bread flour, 75% hydration (rye is thirsty, the dough was quite easy to handle). Splash of olive oil, sea salt, caraway seeds.
In my news feed today. Apparently Google has a sense of humor after all.
1/3 wholegrain rye
1/3 white whole wheat
1/3 strong bread flour
70% hydration
20% starter (made with all purpose unbleached white flour 50% hydration)
2% salt
Wee bit of olive oil (oiled the rising bowl)
All the spicy olives we had
Overnight ferment
425F, one hour - first half en cloche, second half just loosely tented with foil because my oven heats from the top.
That stuff all sounds nice, I would just say to make sure you don't burn yourself out of keep others from reciprocating your kindness.
I'm not that nice, though we do sometimes let homeless people stay, always have because we know some, I am happier when the workload at home is balanced between us, wouldn't intervene in a fight because that's too dangerous.
So I think if you are doing things to be selfless, like at the expense of yourself, watch out. As I noted in my original reply, you need to take care of yourself too, giving too much doesn't work out better for anyone. You are a person too, just like the people you are trying to help.