hypatia42

I think tomorrow I am going to regret some of the decisions of today. Perhaps regret is a strong word. Definitely pay for.

Last night I was at a party until after 2:30am. Got up too early because I am still coming off of steroids and can't sleep so good. Spent roughly 5.5 hours building a new business 4.5 of which was hammering out financial details so we can go to the accountant and business lawyer with coherent information. Yes. I said that. Business lawyer. OMG what have I gotten myself into? The Honey says it is a relatively low risk investment... :P

After I got home I was so fried that I wanted to break down and cry. What did I do? I filtered the Leopard Skin(tentative name) so now I have grape skins and seeds in one corner and proto-wine in a carboy in the other. My back is not really thanking me but my mind no longer feels like rocking in one of the aforementioned corners.

One week off of Prednisone and my face is starting to look more like it used to. I'm still about 5lbs over what I was but I need a kick in the pants about losing the weight I gained from the surgery anyway. I can't sleep so well but I'm not good at that on a good day. Its usually better this time of year simply because of the SADs. Not so now. I managed to be tired enough on Saturday that I laid down for 30 minutes to nap. I didn't sleep so much as rest but it helped. Something seriously fucked up about being neurotically tired and chemically incapable of sleep. Not a fan. Thanks.

Be Wellness. EE's designer has our vision of the place and the colors we want to incorporate. omg I'm doing this. I started a business in the worst recession since the Great Depression and I didn't fuck it up so hard that I am joining with someone else to expand said not fuck up into something even bigger which I will proudly say I don't expect to fuck up. *quietly freaking out*

There has been too much caffeine and alcohol this weekend. I just want to sleep. Soon, very soon, I will be heading to Surprise, AZ for spring training. Its gonna be 80 degrees there. Yeah. That will be good.

The Honey has decided that he wants to follow me around and capture pictures of people when I tell them that my uterus is now in my freezer. He thinks it would be a riot. He is probably right. There have been some doozies.

I finally started getting out of the house some on Saturday. 3.5 hrs of errands and lunch. I took a nap after but still didn't need percocet. I was off it completely by Sunday. Monday the Honey went back to work for which he was remarkably grateful. He jokingly said to his boss, "I need a rest from this time off. Can I get back to work?" He has a good boss. Still, not having anyone at home has meant that I am getting up and moving much much more. I figured I would. I get restless and don't like to sit at home alone. Interestingly I can be alone in other places and its no big deal. Home is not easy. At any rate, I have seen a marked increase in pain, enough that I took a percocet when I got home this evening. I need to chill out, slow down, and let my body heal. Thing is, I already feel like I am going at snail's pace. I'm not. I'm healing really well. That will not continue if I push myself.

The gas in my abdomen has started to dissipate. Honestly that has been the most uncomfortable part for me. Other people who have had laproscopic procedures told me this would be the case but they mentioned muscle pain from the gas absorbing to be eliminated. For me it has been all about my body being a shape its not used to. I couldn't zip up my coat! I have no idea how fitting clothing is going to go. I may be in yoga pants to the end of the month which would make TeslaCon sad indeed. It does hurt to be a shape that I am not used to being. My ribcage is trying to accommodate the extra volume but it really doesn't have anywhere to put it.

One of the things I have been doing with my time is starting small batches of test brews. I don't have enough honey for a 5 or 6 gallon. I do have enough for smaller things.
-So I racked the elderflower. It has turned out effervescent. I'm going to try to bottle it carefully and see if some of that will keep. It tastes like an ice wine only floral. It is remarkable.
-Into that one gallon carboy went an experiment. I wanted to see if I could make a pumpkin mead and if I could what it would taste like. I had about 2 lbs of a honey darker than I want to put into the cyser I will start and much too dark for the pyment. I figured it would be a lovely warm flavor for a pumpkin. I baked the pumpkin then cubed it and ran it thru the juicer. Much like the mango, pumpkin is not so much juice as it is puree. Then I took all the pulp and tossed it into a pot with some mulling spices essentially making pumpkin stock out of it. Combine the stock with half of the puree, add dark honey and supplement with 8-10 oz of maple syrup. Voila! And then I forgot the lesson I learned with the mango so I had a small volcano of fruit puree. Little harm done overall. Fermcap added and everything is moving along nicely now.
-One of the honeys I was given as a gift at my birthday honey is a honey I have lusted over for years. gwisteria's mother brought some honey back home with her from Costa Rica from her family's hives there. gwisteria doesn't use honey the way I do. So she gave it to me. Today I put together a straight mead with it. There is only about 3/4 of a gallon. Its spicy and rich with a bright note that I can't put my finger on. It should turn out lovely.

I need bottles to put the rest of Freya's Gold up. Its time. I just need to get the bottles. I think I have been putting that one off because it is pretty labor intensive and I shouldn't be doing things like that right now. I suppose I can continue to get things ready for this year's batch to go in once I have enough honey.

Brewing-wise I feel like I need a label. Or rather I need a designer to help me manifest the label I have in my head. I'm thinking Lazy Cat Meadery

Last night I went to a nutrition class for a couple of CEUs. Food for thought. Thoughts about food. I need to get back to journaling. I've been lax about it for months.

I've been reading the mead forum at Northern Brewer's website. Aside from the fact that there are now three members I want to meet and pick their brains zombie style(as in there will be nothing left of value when I am done!) I am learning things.

-It is possible that the stuff giving people headaches in wines is the type of alcohol that is produced by yeast at the higher abvs. Its called fusel alcohol. If I understand correctly fusel is what is produced at higher temperature fermentations as well. A good reason to maintain the temp within the stated preference of the yeast you are using

-People are fussy about their yeast! Everyone seems to have feelings about which one is best and which ones to avoid. I'm kind of curious about the champagne yeast. When fermented on the less it is supposed to impart an interesting(and desirable) flavor.

-I was right to start with all organic local ingredients. There are a lot of juices and honeys that have additives that kill off yeast. I've read that forum post several times now. In essence it goes, "I did X, Y, and Z and all my numbers are right but nothing is happening." "Do you still have the bottle the juice/cider/whatever came in? Check the label cause it likely has a preservative in in that will prevent growth of yeast." In that case you have a whole lot of syrup that you can cook down and put on pancakes or something.

I'm super excited about how this is coming. I've read a lot of first timer "OMG what am I doing wrong?!?" forum posts. I feel fairly prepared and I have access to people that can help me if something goes pear shaped. Things are doing what they are supposed to. I wonder sometimes if the fermentation isn't going too fast. People on the forum all seem to have the opposite problem.

I have pretty much decided to try adding something to secondary fermentation for the left over that won't fit in the 3 gallon. Then again...there might not be any left over cause I will be decreasing the volume by racking. What will I do with the added stuff then? I'm not really sure. Hmmm......

I just had a conversation with the mead to be. It doesn't want to be spiced.

I have been slowly gathering the tools I need to start a batch of mead. Since my cordial making adventures have turned out better as diety devotions(see Love Potion #9) I believe I will take the same tack with the mead.

Freya's Gold = spiced cyser

I have some juice from some dolgo crabapples and some more chestnut crabapples in the freezer that need to be juiced. Honeycrisp, Regent & Macintosh apples will make up the majority of the juice I'm thinking. Then spice it with mulling spices, cinnamon, allspice, possibly nutmeg and a little orange peel. Should be tart and spicy with a serious kick. I hope She likes it.

I think I have come down on the side of kill off the bacteria with heat and then treat it to remove pectin as opposed to the adding sulfites end of things. Either way I'll be adding something to it so it may be a wash.

*edit* I have been told that the Honey is bringing apple pie mead and peach ice wine mead home with him from his travels. All hail the Noodlecorn!