4/19/21: Pot Pie and Lost Cobras
TLDR
Update: Job interview
E/C/B: Pot Pie
Playing: Low Stakes by Nerdburger Games
Reading: A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik
Watching: What We Do in the Shadows
End Notes: You can contact me at jadettman@gmail.com
THE UPDATE
I had a job interview with the city this week for what I initially believed was a clerical job but involved way more than I was expecting (it turns out the job posting was incomplete). I mean, there was important information that was not conveyed. Regardless, despite tech problems, the interview went alright, though I will not be taking the job.
EATING / COOKING / BAKING
I made vegetarian pot pie on Wednesday for our friends who just had a baby. It’s is a delicious go-to meal that, though it takes a bit of work, I have made enough times that the prep time is coming down.
I had the bright idea to spice the pot pie with some curry and aim for sort of an Indian veggie samosa flavor. The notion didn’t occur to me until after I made it this week so that will have to be a project for the next time around.
PLAYING
Saturday we started playing Low Stakes, a roleplaying game inspired by the What We Do in the Shadows tv show. It’s a gm-less game that is mostly character improv. We’re all playing roomates who are also supernatural creatures in the modern world. I’m playing Guy (Gaius Tertius Meridias) a ghost.
In our first episode, Guy’s two pet cobras escaped and we had to try to find them. As expected, it was quite the fiasco. We pissed off one neighbor, got another killed with a snake bite, and called in a professional to track them down who told us not to bother. Good times.
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/343626/Low-Stakes
READING
A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik feels like a book in conversation with the Harry Potter books. It’s like the author looked at the HP books and said, “You know what? Those could be darker.” Which, don’t get me wrong, I’m on board for but it makes for a very scary world.
The premise of the book is that the world is full of Mals, hungry magical creatures that would like nothing better than to eat someone full of magical energy. Most adult mages being too competent to fall prey to most Mals, the creatures tend to prey on children with magical potential. The magical community’s solution to this, of course, is to create a magical school that automagically sucks up magical children just as they’re coming into their power. This creates the a super-tasty target for the Mals who spend a lot of time attacking the school looking for a treat.
Building the magical school has reduced the mortality rate of magic children from 75% to 50%!
Despite these horrifying statistics, A Deadly Education is an entertaining and interesting book. Having read other books by Naomi Novik, I was not surprised. If you are in the market for a magic boarding-school novel with things to say about about wealth inequality and privilege (and want to avoid Rowling) it’s worth checking this book out.
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/609361/a-deadly-education-by-naomi-novik/
WATCHING
We are re-watching What We Do in the Shadow, the tv show, in part because we’re playing a roleplaying game inspired by it and in part just because it’s funny. Like, sure, vampires are terrible monsters who kill people but also the characters are both absurd and ridiculously funny.
I don’t have a lot of insight into what makes a show funny (this may have been obvious to my fellow Low Stakes players) but what I find funny about What We Do in the Shadows is that the characters are fish out of water, trying to get by in a modern world that they don’t understand. Also, Guillermo is the best. I’m just sayin’.
END NOTES
If you’d like to send me some feedback or discuss one of the topics I’ve talked about here (or even a different topic), email me at jadettman@gmail.com
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