Miscellany

Last weekend, ewtikins taught me how to spin using a drop spindle. I've been wanting to learn for years. Drop spindles are one of the oldest human technologies, one regularly covered in history of technology courses. I know the basics of using axes, knifes, and bowls, but spindles were theoretical for me until this weekend. Now I have a motley little ball of very uneven purple, black, and mauve yarn which I mostly spun myself.

In other news...

• I arrived from Toronto a highly-trained recycler. In Toronto, there were separate collections, every other week, for glass/metal/recyclable plastic, for paper, for yard waste, and for all-purpose trash. Every week, organic waste was collected. I arrived to a neighborhood with no comprehensive recycling plan, and nothing at all offered within my building. Old habits died hard, but died they did. Today I carried the trash down to the basement bins, and, lo and behold, there was a brand-new paper recycling container. I am delighted.
  
• The third twice-yearly LJ Pie-Off happened last weekend and, I'm pleased to report, my apple cake muffins won the Best Cake award! In a rather odd development, Colin won "Best Freestyle Baked Goods" with a good which wasn't baked at all, an Apple Pie White Chocolate bar. For once, the rules hadn't disallowed bought goods. Also, there's now a pieoff community, currently featuring several recipes for award-winning pies.
  
• The Medici's chocolate monopoly (via mirabilis_ca)
  
• Jello acquarium recipe! (via fs_appetizers)
  
• US-based Rightstuf has a third-off sale on Tokyopop products this week.
  
• I never finished Zelda: Oracle of Ages, but I'm working my way back through it again now. I am so tempted to put together a Nayru costume. Anyways, I've always liked the idea of having blue hair. (I want to grow it naturally, but for this, I'd use a wig.)
  
• I feel so sorry for Robert Jordan fans.
  
• What having a national ID card in the UK will mean (via purplecthulhu)
  
• A sweet little next-gen firefox (via... actually, I have no idea anymore.).
  
• For Christmas, C. gave me a Britain's Best Places to Stay for Food Lovers. This weekend, I'm trying out one of its recommended hotels!