Ok well first things first! I fermented the fruit and sugar water in a bucket for about a week, covered with a towel, punching down the musk daily and praying nothing would ruin it. It was in a strainer bag which kept the pulp and seeds back and just left the liquid to add to the 5 gallons carboy.

Here’s it just in the carboy.

Oh I love mead. Those bubbles in yours look extra fun. Blackberry is what I was interested in making, though I found a recipe for dandelion mead (is that a melomel?) and found that intriguing. Have you tried that?

The alcohol is not overpowering, the flavor is both complex and smooth with a perfect strawberries and sunshine aftertaste. I made 5 gallons with 25lbs of strawberries and 12 pounds of sugar so strawberry essence was really packed in there! I failed at a scuppernong wine before this so was ready for disappointment but I got an acid kit and think that lends a lot to final product. I also was a little OCD every step of the way but I think that’s part of why it actually turned out so well.

I brought some up a friend’s house in the North Carolina Appalachian mountains. His cousins who have been ‘home brewing’ for generations probably paid me the highest compliment when they had some and were like wow, that actually tastes like something you’d but at a store!

This looks fantastic! I’ve never seen a sparkling mead before. Mead is next on my list, or maybe a melomel.

I made 5 gallons of country strawberry wine. Though the alcohol content is on the higher side at 16%, it absolutely delicious.

Bit torrenting is an example of peer to peer. Blockchain theoretically works this way too.

Say it! Say it!

Came here looking for this! I knew I couldn’t be the only fan of the Winchester. I first saw the movie playing at my neighbor dive bar, which was bunker like, and yep, could definitely get with the plan of holing up there until this all blew over.

All the scenes are great and hilarious no matter how many times I see this movie.

Fun fact: Have you seen Spaced? The old friend he comes across leading the group through the back fences is a character from a prior show they were both in together.

Bring back Firefly!

Same, I’m generally not a fan of seeing movies I’ve already seen, but Princess Bride, along with Moonrise Kingdom, are exceptions.

Wow, that’s an eclectic mix of rewatches! I’m with you on Alien.

I read some really old school Gothic Horror for a lit class in college. Here’s a list of what I can recall from that class. Though if you are open to new school recommendations, Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garciais superbly chilling and really captures the old school vibe.

Frankenstein (1818) Which I assume you’ve read but if not is really good!

The Monk (1796) considered to be the OG gothic horror novel. It’s definitely a creepy one.

Carmilla (1872) Predates Dracula, girl power vamp.

The Turn of the Screw (1898) Madness or malignant spirits? Dear reader, this one’s up to you.

The Heart of Darkness (1899) Recently re-read for a book club. While it works being taught as a gothic novel, it’s actually way more powerful in the context which Conrad wrote it, a scathing criticism of European imperialism in the Congo. Recommend the Norton Critical edition to add the important context. Otherwise, it has the classic gothic genre themes of self vs other, familiar vs strange, civilization vs savage, human vs monster, flipping those notions all on their head (in beautifully written prose) like a brilliant gothic novel should.

What a cool little bird! What part of the world is this in?

I would be interested if this existed! I live in a rural area so would be surprised if anyone immediately around me plaed, but you never know. Also, maybe people play online?

I loved the camaraderie of the characters. It reminded me of playing DnD when I was in middle school. It made me wish I knew people who played now, I would love to get into it again. Fun times.

Well the only edible form I’ve heard of is kudzu jelly. There’s some at a small local shop in my town, though it’s dusty and I don’t know and never heard of anyone actually trying it. It’s draped over all the trees and bushes for miles and miles and miles in summer. In the 1800s Victorian era, people thought it looked fancy and planted it in their gardens. But alas. It’s a botanical terrorist and soon took over the world.

That’s pretty fancy! How long does it keep in the fridge?

I loved this book! Such a fun read. Plus living in the South with kudzu EVERYWHERE, I was delighted it finally found a purpose besides choking all other plant life to death.

Yes! This experience has made me question a lot about what I think I ‘know’ and to really have an open mind towards new (to me) information.

All context, or lack of it, aside, the writing in Heart of Darkness is phenomenal. It’s prose poetically dense and I find myself lingering on each sentence to experience it fully.

I need to give Finnegan’s Wake a try! Years ago one of my friends composed a ‘sonic micro opera’ of Finnegan’s Wake. It was experimental theater in the extreme and made me curious to give it a read. Thanks for reminding me of this novel.

Yeah I had to look it up and now recall learning about the theory! Funny what a brain forgets. My brain at least.