Webcomics

Several of my favorite webcomics are just bringing it, right now.

In Freefall, the Gardener in the Dark arc seems to be moving towards a climax; Kornada is on the verge of unleashing the program, and Florence and Sam are racing to stop him. The great thing is that Sam's, um, unique talents seem every bit as necessary as Florence's.

In Questionable Content, the fallout of the hookup between Marten (the eternal shlimazl) and Padma (soon to leave for California) is funnier than it has any right to be. Marten's got himself tied up in ridiculous emotional knots, and I'm loving it.

In Girl Genius, Agatha has openly claimed her birthright; the castle is repaired, the Doom Bell has rung, and the Jaegers are returning to their old allegiance. Meanwhile, Gil's out there having a grand old time blowing stuff up, and the unfortunate Tarvek appears to have been captured by Olaf and his sister.... (Aside: I don't believe for a minute that Klaus is dead. If he were, the whole plotline involving the multiple Lucrezias and the slaver wasp would be rendered pointless.)

But it's Sinfest that's absolutely on fire. You've got Fuchsia's defection (and that event, and Blue's reaction when she realized what had happened, were beautifully handled); you've got Monique's consciousness-raising experience; and you've got the plotline with Clementine and Li'l E, which could go in any direction whatsoever. (After reading today's strip, I have to wonder whether the Big D knows about Fuchsia. I mean, Criminy's right there in front of him.) (Second thought: Fuchsia is presumably looking for Criminy. Right now would be exactly the wrong time to find him.)

Good times, good times.

Miscellany

1. I couldn't find the recipe for pad thai that I used last time, so I scrounged one off the net. Unfortunately, it didn't turn out all that well. I mean, this version is a moderately tasty noodle-and-chicken dish, but it's nothing to write home about. No shrimp. No garlic. No cashews. I really wish I could find the old one....

2. Acting on a suggestion from one of the commenters on the recipe, I bought some carrots and grated one, to add to the bean sprouts and give the dish more texture and color. That, of course, leads me with a bit less than two pounds of un-grated carrot. It is remarkable how good a raw carrot tastes when you haven't had one in a while. It is also remarkable how quickly that wears off.

3. Whenever I take a shower, Buster comes into my bedroom to wait, because he knows that the next thing that happens will be me getting dressed, and more often than not that means WALKIES! When I come out of the shower, he gets all excited. Excitement, in this case, means rolling around on the bed and biting at the sheets. Trust me, it's very cute. (When I actually do start dressing, both dogs get excited, which leads to ferocious mock-attacks on each other and much racing about the house.)

4. The weather, currently, is grey and dismal - not cold enough for snow, too damp to be called crisp; just no fun to be out in. It's supposed to warm up over the next couple of days, before plunging again. Sigh.