Hail Sphinx...

[fajrdrako]

Slept badly last night, because of my back being sore. Woke to a snowstorm, and went to the General Hospital to accompany maaseru to one of her appointments. Got comics at the Silver Snail, did some shopping at Trainyards and St. Laurent, ate lunch at Jim's Cafe. Went home and took pain pills for backs. Learned that such pills put me to sleep. At least I felt pleasantly relaxed. Read a pile of comics, and finished reading The Camino: A Journey of the Spirit by Shirley MacLaine. I got it for a friend for Christmas, and wanted to read it before wrapping it.

Then I made

Beet Soup

3 beets, peeled and chopped in small pieces
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
4 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 potato, diced
1 tbsp minced fresh ginger
1 clove garlic, minced
6 cups chicken stock
1/2 tsp salt
yogurt for garnish

Saute onion in oil on high heat for a few minutes. Add carrots, garlic and ginger and cook, stirring, 5 minutes. Add chopped beets and chicken stock. Simmer for 50 minutes. Puree in batches until it's smooth, then reheat. (Or chill.) Serve with a dollop of plain yoghurt.

commodorified, fairestcat, raynedaze, and auriaephiala came over, and with the soup we had chicken chili stew, rice, salad, squash purée, roast walnuts, and cinnamon-baked pears while watching the 2008 Stratford production of Caesar and Cleopatra with Christopher Plummer and Nikki James. Saw it live at the time; it felt different, seeing it filmed, as it should, but I thoroughly enjoyed it again.