Well, I eventually managed to get Steam updated, but there still appears to be some other stuff to download. I've had enough of it for now though, so I'm taking a break.

If anything, the South Island is colder than the North, so tropical conditions are rare down that way. I don't live there though, I'm in the North Island.

I don't know about babies, but their mothers I am more than happy to oblige. :D

Your approach is sensible. A mum can't not take care of her baby, but she might very well short-change taking care of herself.

Nymp, I wish I could cook for you, and then keep an eye on you to see that you enjoy your fair share. I wish Fenton and I could set up a bed & breakfast. I'd do the breakfast

EDIT:

I think the Sim Pounawea was intended to be further north. The human Pounawea is in the southeast corner of the South Island. Would that be sort of more like golf and fjords and stuff? I see a lot of Scottish place names. Well, this Scotswoman would be fine with the North -- I do not golf, and wool is too scratchy for me, but I do like being rained on if it's not too too cold.

As long as you cook me lots of halibut, rice, and salad, we'll get along good

And pie. Like ten of them.

I have to confess that I cannot really cook anything more complex than a frozen pizza. If I ever eat something hot, it's usually that or ramen. I can't actually remember the last time I turned on my bench hot-plates to cook on.

Nymp, you'd have liked dinner at my house last night, and I've still got leftovers! A colleague of my mum's came over (a professor who'd come all the way from UC Irvine), so I got to do a huge king salmon fillet, with some stir-fried nappa cabbage -- and yes, rice, salad, and pie!

As to the salad: bell peppers were on sale and they smelled nice and peppery, so I made it somewhat Greek-style, with peppers and cucumbers and garbanzo beans and a little feta cheese, as well as the lettuce, and a little lemon juice in the oil-and-vinegar dressing.

Only one pie, not ten. But it is a nectarine pie. My recipe is very close to this one from way back when, that my Dad gave me, except with nectarines instead of peaches, leaving out the lemon juice, and stuffing the pie with ripe nectarines until more won't fit. If there are ripe nectarines that won't fit, eat them so that the juice runs down your chin, as in this song. (EDIT: I see variants online that use sweeteners other than honey. Forget those. Honey is right. It brings out the nectariney-ness.)

EDIT: Fenton, I know you are not a hard-core foodie. Perhaps you consider cooking to be one of the Girl Mysteries or, more likely, you are just so easygoing that if it takes care of your hunger than that's all you need. It is fine. I feel so good when we are all taking care of each other as well as of you.

That's all right Fenton, we can all feed you Noubie offered! I can't even be assed to cook anything other than rice tonight. Maybe some egg for protein. But other than that, no desire to do anything. I'm mentally exhausted lately.

Feed the Nymp
 

Dear fine Nymp, and esteemed harem-mates,



I checked the local fish market. The good news is that fresh Alaskan halibut is in! Oh my goodness it looks fine, sitting there in the ice. The bad news is it's $29/pound and I haven't the loons for it. I should think that a fish being so fantastically ugly, with its "is my head sideways or not?" thing going on, would depress the price a little. But the taste and texture of fresh cold-water halibut really is something. You and Eve would surely love it. I will keep an eye out for better opportunities. Maybe I ought to get my degree and make some money if I want to keep even looking at this kind of stuff, let alone eating it.

That's robbery. Don't you live on the coast?! I pay 14$ a pound here, and even still, that's too much. I basically live off of whatever meat or fish is cheapest at the moment, which is haddock and sausage. Lol

Fish at retail in the Pacific Northwest
 

Yes to both. That is the highest price I've ever seen on a fish. Tonight I think I'll make chicken-and-sausage jambalaya.

Oh jeez, being out East makes a ton of difference then, huh? I was raised on everything you said and then some! Pies, stews, soups, bake, broiled, fried.
The thing I could never get into was rabbit and pheasant. Ick. I can't eat it. Rabbits are adorable, and pheasant seem to eat whatever is available, and I won't eat Sole or Dory because they are bottom feeders, so I certainly won't eat an animal that is too, Bio-magnification and such.

It's Blake's birthday!
 

It's Blake's birthday!

Happy birthday Blake.

Happy birthday!!! Eat lots of cake! Or pie.

Oh, thank you, thank you! Yes, yesterday was my birthday. I wasn't able to check MTS yesterday because I had the most wonderful surprise.... A power outage! It lasted almost a full 24 hours, lol.

Aww, poor sweetie! That stinks! I hope you took a "power outage" date and are celebrating your birthday on a more appropriately wonderful day.

Fandoms and Fisheries
 

Today I informed my sibling that mid-sized fish, that have reached sexual maturity but not yet spawned, are referred to as "squee". However, his look indicated that he was having none of it.

Around the end of July, in the Random Bollocks, our Nymp offered to introduce me to the ceremony of cod-kissing. This required a change in my perspective. Usually, the thing is, and considering the many times that Fenton has verbally baited a hook, I'd snap at it, and then I'd get reeled in, flipping and flopping with laughter -- so I've gotten used to the idea that in this picture (behind the spoiler), I'd more likely be the one on top, right?

So I thought, if I'm to get affectionate with a cod of my own, I'll need some psychological preparation. Back East I'm sure this wouldn't be a big deal -- boisterous friends and bootleg rum and Bob's your uncle. But at the moment, what I can get is mostly book-learning. So I Googled things.

Jackpot! There is a site, named so it wouldn't take me long to find it: fishlove.co.uk, full of images that made me feel much more confident. Considering only the photos that depict specifically cod, the thumbnails show (l. to r.) Nicholas Rohl, Greta Scacchi, and Zoe Tapper. Halibut, pollock, octopus, and others are also treated well on that site.

My mind is now more at ease.

HAHA omg Noubie!!!
You're putting wayyy too much thought into this. It's an excuse for us to get drunk, and make tourists kiss fish because it's hilarious. I would be extremely serious and not laugh one bit at you though. The images are .. almost creepy. But, no, seriously. It's an excuse to drink. We drink, a lot. Well. Did. I did drink a lot. Eve came along and made all desire for it go away

But that is my way.


Then I shall do my part to make you laugh. I don't think you'll laugh at me, not if I'm acting all grossed out and intimidated. But perhaps if I make nice with the cod, buy it a drink (which I'll likely consume myself, since cod don't care for rum), look it right in its fishy face and say "Who's a pretty cod, then? Who's a pretty cod? Yes you are, yes you just are, and I think you know it. Come right here, you. MmmmmmwWHa."


Almost? Sounds like you haven't found the octopus yet. :lovestruc The innocent joy of the halibut is a lot easier to appreciate once you have the octopus to compare it to.

Maybe drinking is the excuse and kissing is the purpose now.

Seems better that way.

There is a whole YouTube series devoted to P.E.Iers and their drunken pick up lines. It's actually hilarious. The cod is in there. Multiple times. I guess because a lot of them are transplanted Newfies haha. It's okay, you can laugh. Even Newfs don't take themselves seriously.

And neither, I suppose, do pretty Space Ponies?

Pfft. I still think space Nymph would be way better. They should change it.
And no, I don't take myself very seriously. Some aspects, yes. If I didn't laugh at everything though, I'd probably have a nervous break down.

Space Nymph ftw

Edit: Damnit, I'm an instructor? How can I go from one to the next in a matter of hours. I guess I can't see it on my mobile. Maybe I've been a pony all this time and didn't realize Sigh. Bye bye, Space Nymph.

Space Pony is a very ephemeral thing, the only known exception being Klaartje who was even surprised by the outcome.

I might have missed my own Pony Day, if Fenton hadn't called it to my attention. Not much gets past that boy.

It's very disappointing. Haha I've been pouting about no space Nymph all night. Lee thinks I'm insane. HE just got himself banned from the league of legends forums for 24 hours for being a d bag. No space pony for him now. Haha kid was arguing with him, and he has no tact whatsoever.