The Roelle Kids

Fascination

2012-02-01T13:32:00.000-05:00

Remember back when we were kids and summer vacation lasted forever? For me, I think of tireswings, playing Star Wars (I was always Leia, as much as Susanne hated it, but she LOOKED just like Luke) with the gang, beestings, bubble gum, long drives to camping....

*sigh* Ahhhhh......

Today, you blink and 5 years have passed. WTH? It doesn't seem fair. All of those incredible moments just seem to slip through your fingers in the rush of adult life.

Returning to the New Yorker article on David Eagleman, there's a great little tidbit:

The more familiar the world becomes, the less information your brain writes down, and the more quickly time seems to pass.

Our perception of time can be tied to how much new information the brain is taking in. Those endless summer vacations as a kid (which Mom remembers as a series of "I'm bored" moans, I'm sure) held so many new experiences and encounters. As an adult, it can be easy to get consumed by routine. To fall into a rut of work, eat, TV, sleep (maybe with some chores and bill paying thrown in somewhere). Wa ... hoo.

What's awesome and captivating is simple - open yourself to fascination. Look at the world through new eyes every day. See, do, learn, listen, watch something totally new EVERY DAY and you'll catch more of those bits falling through your fingers. Time will slow, you can savor it more. And because you're endlessly fascinated, you'll never have to groan "I'm bored"......

I am so excited to embrace this.

Those drummers

2012-01-28T11:36:00.000-05:00

Although he doesn't post it HERE, Danny has been crazy active in several bands, drumming away.

Here's one of the more recent posts on The Meta Accord's youtube site. Only thing is, you can't really see Mr, hiding behind a cymbal.

So I was intrigued to read about an experiment to see how drummers perceive time. The experiment was a collaboration of music producer Brian Eno and neuroscientist David Eagleman. It drew drummers across a wide variety of genres, including Daniel Maiden-Wood (Anna Calvi), the drummer from Razorlight, and Will Champion (Coldplay).

“The question is: do drummers have different brains from the rest of us?” Eno said. “Everyone who has ever worked in a band is sure that they do.”

So drummers EEG's were tested vs controls in respect to their perception of time.

When asked to keep a steady beat, for instance, the controls wavered by an average of thirty-five milliseconds; the best drummer was off by less than ten. Eno was right: drummers do have different brains from the rest.

Like perfect pitch, which dooms the possessor to hear every false note and flat car horn, perfect timing may just make a drummer more sensitive to the world’s arrhythmias and repeated patterns, Eagleman said— to the flicker of computer screens and fluorescent lights.

Reality, stripped of an extra beat in which the brain orchestrates its signals, isn’t necessarily a livelier place. It’s just filled with badly dubbed television shows.

I always knew there was something unique about how Dan saw the world...

Hodgepodge - dead, beer, and cassettes

2012-01-22T15:18:00.000-05:00

Book #1 2012 Dead, She Said by Steve Niles and Bernie Wrightson. A dark, gritty, and quite twisted graphic novel.

As I clean my study, I come across tidbits from my Forgotten English calendar from last year. October 24 marked the date of the Dalton-in-Furness Fair, where the Lord would pick a few ale-tasters, assigned to visit all of the pubs in the town and taste the beer. They report back and prizes for the best are awarded.

One technique used by European aleconners was to pour a bit of a brewer's ale onto a pub bench. Wearing a pair of leather breeches, the official would sit in the beer for 30 minutes and then rise. If his trousers stuck to the bench, the brewer would be fined for serving inferior "taplash".

My question - does the dude get to change pants between pubs?

We finally got together to exchange gifties with Jenny & Aaron this weekend and the major craft give of 2011 was finally unveiled...

A lamp made from clear cassette tapes.

I had seen a couple of these online. Turns out the one I was trying to recreate actually used a specially molded plastic framework, but I adapted another version to get this.

I used 6 inch pieces of beading wire to hold it together. Here are some in-process shots.

Outside

Inside

Two

Diversion

2012-01-19T12:18:00.000-05:00

Here's a curious bit of history that I came across this am and thought I'd post as an aside...

December 1 marks the anniversary of the death of the "Lady of the Haystack"

Lady of the Haystack made her appearance in 1776 at Bourton, near Bristol, UK. She was young and beautiful, graceful, and evidently accustomed to good society. She lived for 4 years in a haystack, but was ultimately kept by Mrs Hannah More in an asylum and died in December 1801. Mrs More called her Louisa, but she was probably a Mademoiselle La Frulen, natural daughter of Francis Joseph 1, emperor of Austria.

- source Ebenezer Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, 1887.

Fascinating and I want to know more. I found a little. Maybe there isn't more to know. Maybe it's a story waiting to be crafted and told.....

I still need to close out 2011

2012-01-14T20:03:00.000-05:00

The holidays were a roller coaster. Wonderful and full of love and good times and stressful and chaotic and illness and a cold right on New Years borking things up. I never got cards done, they're sitting in my living room. I just made sugar cookie dough today. Overall, I'd say the holidays were awesome and glorious, but I felt a bit outside just because so many things were out of whack.

Ah, well. I've set my sights on improving 2012.

Finally, the last 3 books of 2011.
Book #23 - Lincoln on Leadership: Executive strategies for tough times by Donald T Phillips. A quick read, but a good one. First of all, I love the detail related to the storytelling that was infused in Lincoln's leadership. As I look at pages that I have flagged, some are for Lincoln's stories. I have to admit that I approach anything about Lincoln with a slightly skewed perspective after reading Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. But it is cool to hear of events that occur in both versions of his presidency. I like connections like that.

Book #24 - Weird US: Your travel guide to America's local legends and best kept secrets by Mark Moran and Mark Sceurman. A fun romp to weird places across the country. We actually do use it as a travel guide when going on road trips - to help us keep an eye out for freaky places that we might otherwise drive right by.

Book #25 - Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami. A romp that gets quite twisted and surreal complete with Colonel Sanders and talking cats, Beethoven's Archduke Trio and a small private library that is a haven for some lost souls. I have a lot of wonderful turns of phrase flagged and there are some bits that made me think about what type of adventure I, myself, might be on. It gets a little convoluted at the end, but overall, I quite enjoyed my first Murakami read.

4 years

2012-01-10T14:26:00.000-05:00

My "episode" happened just about 4 years ago. I don't focus on the date, but it was early January, 2007.

I've been bionic for just about 4 years.

There's still a panic and an ache related to the emotion of that night. There are some images you never forget. Some thoughts still bring a tear to my eye, like at this very moment. But it's more a regular part of me now and just how life is.

I've probably passed the halfway point on my battery.
It IS kinda' fun, it's not every girl who can talk in such superhero/comic book terms.

I'm glad there are experts in the field just steps from my front door. They're good people, too.
I'm glad most of all that it got figured out and it hasn't come close to happening again.

Love you, J. Thanks for being there.
- Your bionic wif

I'm so behind on books

2011-12-04T19:59:00.000-05:00

Here's a huge booklist post. I'm at risk of missing some simply because I'm sooo behind.

Book #8 - Animal Farm by George Orwell - Quite creepy the control the pigs took and how easily they duped the other animals into going along with it. The power of "protest chants" in propaganda. Eerie.

Book #9 - Absolute Sandman Vol II by Neil Gaiman - Love Gaiman! "Seasons of Mist" was quite cool for all of the varied powers gathered for the key to hell. "A Game of You" was also quite good, though I disliked her imaginary world coming to an end.

Book #10 - Bad Girls and Wicked Women: The Most Powerful, Shocking, Amazing, Thrilling, and Dangerous Women of All Time by Jan Stradling - This was a lot of fun and really interesting. I had never heard of Ching Shih, the Chinese pirate queen. Elizabeth of Bathory was mentioned in Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter, and so it was neat to see her story here, crazy as she was. Some of these women were just portrayed as bad by history, by men who resented women with power. Others (like Elizabeth) were quite quite evil.

Book #11 - The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot - I've posted on this here before. Wow. And I keep going back to elements of the story. Quite the book.

Book #12 - House of Mystery - Love Stories for Dead People by Matt Sturges and Luca Rossi - Those stuck in the house explore the basement in an attempt to leave. Good stuff.

Book #13 - In the Beginning:Creation Myths from Around the World by Virginia Hamilton- a compilation of origin myths from cultures all over the globe. What's fascinating are the common threads that wend their way through so many.

Book #14 - Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen - I didn't expect to enjoy this, but really did. I was especially endeared to the older version of Jacob,the narrator in the nursing home. He made me think of my grandfather.

Book #15 - House of Mystery 3 - The Space Between by Matthew Sturges, Bill Willingham, Chris Roberson - This is an awesome graphic novel, continuing the struggle of the small band trapped in the House to escape.

Book #16 - Ghost Story by Peter Straub - Neil Gaiman and others had mentioned this as one of the scariest books they had ever read. And it got quite creepy. It's the type of thing where you start to wonder if reading about it will get you, yourself, in some kind of trouble. A little knowledge can be a dangerous thing...

Book #17 - The Art of Possibility: Transforming Professional and Personal Life by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander - I loved the dual perspective of psychotherapist wife and conductor husband. The stories on how to integrate creative thinking into all aspects of life were great - I particularly liked the illustration of "being the board" and the risks of "downward spiral" talk. I know many who could benefit from this perspective.

Book #18 - Fables 1: Legends in Exile by Bill Willingham - OMG this is good, too! The dynamics of the Fables characters in Manhattan and the lives they have crafted for themselves after quite some time in this world are quite good. I liked the backstory on the Big Bad Wolf and how he was recruited to sheriff, also.

Book #19 - The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson - As everyone I know who has read this agrees, it starts SLOW. But eventually he gets through detailing everything to high heaven, or mostly through, and you get to the mystery and the kickbutt and it sweeps you along. A classic "just one more chapter" book.

Book #20 - Armageddon's Children by Terry Brooks - Oh, man. Love. This is the first in the trilogy to tie the Shannara tales to the Knight of the Word - a way post-apocalyptic future populated by trolls, dwarves, and elves to the present day fight against the Void. In this, the end is already near. War, terrorism, biological weapons, plague, draught, and oh, yeah, demons, have ravaged our society. It pulls you in enough that you start to marvel at the conveniences of our lives and how they could become awful inconvenient if power was lost...

Book #21 - The Girl who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson - Another really slow start. But good once, as Mom put it, the "OMG moment" happens.

Book #22 - The Girl who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Steig Larsson - This one starts in the middle of something! So there isn't a lull, really. Maybe a bit in the middle, but it's got a great overall pace. You'll get a bit ill at bureaucracy in bits.

I won't hit 50, yet again, but better than last year! Probably not even 30. I have 3 or 4 that I'll get finished probably before the end of the year. It's because I hit a spot in my rotation that slows everything down. Henry James, you messed up my count!
More soon.

Been a while! Paris together - Days 4 & 5 - explore at your own pace

2011-11-08T07:01:00.001-05:00

*I have to finish the Paris saga, then we'll get to more timely stuff. So, here's the last post.*

We woke early on Monday and went to Notre Dame, hoping it'd be easy to get in. There was absolutely no line, which was awesome. The cathedral is so beautiful and so awesome in the work that it took to make.

We toured the treasury and saw some of the jewels of bishops and priests past - pretty crazy how much wealth is represented there.

There were a couple of ostensoriums - which are quite ostentatious (and also know as monstrances). On exiting the cathedral, we passed a growing line. Got there just in time.

We returned to the hotel for a brief nap, then headed out for Montmartre. This is my favorite part of the city. Each visit I spend more time exploring the quiet backstreets of the hill, admiring the views, and trying new cafes. One of the delights in Amelie was the familiarity of the area in which it was filmed.

The metro stop we chose had a crazy spiral staircase to the top - and an elevator, but there was a creepy guy there - so I emerged winded and parched. We found a cafe where I had an apple galette and a lemonade. Then we trekked to the stairs up to Sacre Coeur. I would probably take a different set next time. The ones we chose were just as picturesque as the others, but smelled of restrooms and the graffiti was a little too lewd.

The view from the steps in front of Sacre Coeur was a bit obscured by construction, but the musicians and spirit remained. We headed inside. The mosaics in the church are incredible. I could have spent all day just absorbing them. In contrast to Notre Dame, the approach and entry to Sacre Coeur is rather unassuming - you would not guess at the splendor inside.

On to the Place du Tertre, a small square jam packed with artisans doing portraits, scenic paintings, silhouettes -and cafes that have, over the years I have visited, taken more and more of the space. We stopped at one cafe and sat in an open window to the square. J had a tarte tatin and I ordered the chocolate liegeois. We were both in heaven, but especially J, who still crows over the carmelization of the apples in the tatin.

We circled the square, looking at the artwork and stopped at a painter doing some simple yet compelling street scenes in oils. J struck up a conversation and we had a good chat and bought a painting. On J's return from the countryside prior to flying home, he stopped by and chatted with the guy again.

Afterwards, we took a small walking tour to see some of the lesser known sights of the hilltop, then stopped at a patisserie for some incredible fresh bread and at a nearby grocery before returning to the hotel. Dinner was bread and cheese and fruit in our room - packing and strategizing and enjoying our last bit of time together.

The next morning we parted in the metro, me to the Opera and the Roissy bus to the airport, J to the Gare Montparnasse and a train to Limoges. It was sad and tough and we held each others' eyes until the last possible moments, as J's adventures continued for a couple of more weeks on his own.

Paris together - 6 million souls - Day 3

2011-08-25T05:23:00.000-05:00

Day 3 in Paris got off to a slow start. J had his first croque monsieur - liked it - and we headed to the Montparnasse area and the Catacombs.

The line was long, wrapping the entire block. It was a gorgeous day, though, and we decided to wait. And then we had been there long enough and moved far enough that we didn't want to throw that away. And we were entertained by the conversation of 2 Australian globe-hopping couples ahead of us.

The Catacombs are an ossuary. From the late 1700's to the mid-1800's, bodies in cemeteries close to the then edges of the city were thought to be causing/ exacerbating plagues. So the effort began to move bodies from those graveyards to an old limestone quarry "far from town". The only inhabitants buried directly in the Catacombs were the casualties of a specific battle during the Revolution.

We walked the paths with careful respect.

6 million bodies, all told. Their thigh bones and skulls stacked in careful formations along the passageways. With all of those bodies, something supernatural is bound to have been shaken loose, roused, stirred. Did I maybe capture something in the pic below? At the top of the lit area are the heads of those in front of me, but what is that on the lower right? Maybe it's just light on the opposite wall. I think it looks awful face-like.

This was the landmark of the day, but still only half of it. Other things:

As we emerged to a main street and were about to cross to find a cafe for a drink and snack, a flash mob of hundreds of roller bladers woooshed past - and kept coming and coming. They gathered in a square in front of a church, talked a bit, then dispersed.

Passed St Germain des Pres and Les Deux Magots (a famous cafe).
Visited the apartment of a dead designer chic -the area still had some cool galleries.
Toured the Pompidou Centre, starting on the upper floors and descending - we didn't finish. What was awesome was J's joy and delight at seeing the works he's been studying the last 4 years in the flesh. There was a painting titled Alice and several paintings by Dado that I found quite creepy.
We returned to the Duchess for dinner. A mistake. We'll stick to the memories of the first night.

Strange August part II

2011-08-19T12:20:00.000-05:00

Last Saturday, Dad called to let us know that Papa Musso (Mom's father) had passed away. He had been in intense pain for quite some time, with the past year being especially rough. A few weeks before, he had moved into a hospice home and it was there that he left us.

I remember Papa as a dabbler. He had several things going most of the time, it seemed. A veteran of the Merchant Marines during the war, he later served as Police Chief in Sodus Point and in a small North Carolina town. When I was growing up, he was Mayor of Sodus Point for some time. His property when I was little had a gas station/ shop that he rented out, and a building full of furniture that he brought up from NC to sell. He also sold used cars. My grandmother said essentially that anything he put his mind to, he could do. He could tinker with and fix many things.

I don't know enough about Papa's childhood. His parents sailed from Palermo, Sicily, after leaving their hometown of Realmonte, around the turn of the century, with their eldest daughter. They had a farm in the Sodus/ Sodus Point area. Papa at one time worked slaughtering turkeys & chickens, although that may have been at another farm. More recently, he was an avid gardener and I think about his garden each time I go out to tend my raised bed.

He had a mischievous spirit. He loved to pick on people and rile them up. This was exceptionally annoying and could seem mean growing up, but I look back on it with fondness for the spirit behind it. He had nicknames for Mom and his brother Robert that they hated. If he said something that made you mad or embarrassed, he'd then say "Ouch" repeatedly.

All in all, though, he loved us. He doted on Mom - he saw how super special she is and talked often about how important she was to him. He took good care of Grammie and watched out for her.

The memorial is tomorrow. His body was donated to science, a wish he had talked about since I was small. His spirit is beyond pain and at rest. Farewell, Papa. Love you - all the time.

Quick break from Paris - strange August part 1

2011-08-15T18:53:00.000-05:00

August has distracted me a bit from the Paris posts. I always try to approach the month with a stuck-on positive attitude, as my birthday month. But sometimes you get curve balls.

First, my parent's cat, Yellow (or Yeller), passed away. He was quite old - around 22? - and was in really rough shape, but he was such a sweetie. He never had a loud meow. He would purr if you spit at him, but he was uber-bashful of strangers. He sometimes ate bees. Most of all, he was a good buddy for Mom. Poor guy.

Then Mo got sick. He was puking a lot and acting quite funny. Murphy even noticed and was following him around, keeping careful watch. So we took him to the animal hospital. Turns out he had a fever so high he was risking organ damage. They kept him 2 nights. After getting his temp down, bloodwork showed high liver enzymes, so they did an ultrasound. He had an infection that was inflaming liver, gall bladder, and bile ducts. He's home now and back to normal. Murphy no longer thinks he smells like some alien-pseudo cat and the vet thinks Mo can go back to normal food and should be OK. Phew.

Paris together - The value of lingering - Day 2

2011-08-03T18:38:00.000-05:00

Oh, man, I thought I had more of a start on this. OK, here goes.

On our second day in Paris, we hit the Louvre. We didn't do the whole thing. The ancient Persian stuff and the sculpture court, over to the Roman, Greek, and Etruscan stuff. Down to the foundations. Up to the 16th/ 17th century European paintings (where Cranach is, whichever century he's in). Finally, the Egyptians.

One word of recommendation - do not do the Egyptian stuff last! We couldn't find our way out and we were tired and at least I was getting very cranky. There was an exit sign at the foot of a staircase pointing up. Get to the top of the stairs and there's an exit sign, pointing down. Gah!

J and I enjoyed capturing a different perspective on things you may have seemed used to seeing. At the Venus de Milo, for example, I focused close up, J focused on the crowd.

In the Roman section, the ceilings are exquisite. I especially liked when the sculpted characters reach out at you. Chubby cherub arms and feet. Put a cozy pillow under there and gaze for hours....

We stopped at one point for a bite and a drink (the air was soooo dry there) at a cafe on a balcony overlooking the central courtyard and Pei's pyramid.

The cafe was run by Angelina - a swank cafe on the Rue de Rivoli. I started with a pamplemousse presse - fresh squeezed grapefruit juice that was soooo yummy. Then I got a dessert called simply "Fraises" or strawberries. It was a strawberry couli over custard with a bit of toasted brioche. Heaven!

After we finally escaped from the Egyptians, we left the Louvre and hit a carnival in the Tuileries gardens just in front of the museum. The Ferris wheel was big and gave us such awesome views of the city - nearly every landmark was in sight (with the exception being the Opera Bastille and it's crepe-y goodness). We had a blast posing & shooting pics, playing with zoom and Swampy and whatnot.

Walking to Place Vendome to see Napolean's column, we noticed something going on at the Westin. Multiple chics in Bo Peep style costumes - usually accompanied by stern looking guys - were about and made their way into the hotel. Hmmmmm.

Our next stop - crepes. I tell everyone who mentions Paris that I know where the best crepes are. And the dude is still there. They have a bit of crispiness but also a bit of thickness - enough to make them a heavenly carrier for your filling of choice - in my case almost always Nutella. J compared them to his earlier crepe from near Notre Dame and agreed. I melt thinking of them!

One thing that struck home that day was the value of lingering. In cafes, at meals, people watching, absorbing. Taking pleasure in the pause and soaking up whatever the city put in front of you during those moments. The small bites of food that accompanied these moments were so well done that they more than satisfied. Rather than hurrying to get to the next to-do or destination, to get out of where we were, we started to linger, to stay to absorb - and it was just as important to our vacation experience as the sights.

After crepes, we took a brief walk through a bit of the Marais to the Place des Vosges. The lawn was covered with people - singles, couples, families - in typical Parisian style and we sat on the fountain for a bit, enjoying where we were, watching some very chocolatey kids play in the dirt and water.

Next, we stopped at the Musee Carnavalet - a small, free museum that shows what the interior of the homes of the wealthy and royalty would have looked like around the time that Place des Vosges was built.

Dinner was at The Duchess restaurant in a passage near our hotel - the Passage des Panoramas. These are roofed alleyways lined with restaurants and small shops - miniature streets of sorts. The restaurants still put tables "outside" their doors in the limited space.

This was our first French meal. J had duck with lots of butter that he called the French equivalent of fried chicken. I had sole meuniere. We started, though, with some Kir for an aperitif - a blend of casis and bubbly hard cider. mmmmm And we ended with a shared glass of almond Cognac. We loved the people, the place, and the food.

We followed dinner with a little bit more people watching at the Cafe Zephyr. I was chilly in the evening air, so I ordered chocolat chaud. It came, melted chocolate at the bottom of a teacup and a small pitcher of steamed milk. J tasted the chocolate and melted - it was soooooo good. Not always, but quite often even the small things were just so lovely.

My notes for the day mention a puppy riding a suitcase. I vaguely remember seeing that, but it's
not that interesting.

Paris together - Prelude, arrival, walkabout - Day 1

2011-07-26T05:35:00.000-05:00

Prelude:
I noticed as we traveled to Paris that my anticipation differed greatly from my last visit. That business trip was straightforward. I had to go and the complications of getting there made the being there a bit "cardboard", average, run-of-the-mill, flat. As J and I waited in Chicago for our flight to Charles De Gaulle, it was quite different - an aura of mystery, fog, and uncertainty shrouded my perspective, my speculation on what we'd encounter. It was an adventure, a bit of renewed innocence...

Arrival:
We arrived and I started kicking myself. The short walk on an afternoon when you're doing nothing else that I envisioned to the hotel turned out to be a supremely annoying haul with luggage after flying all night. We checked in to the hotel and I wavered back and forth, wondering if it would be good enough, wishing I had picked somewhere else simply because it was a little more unknown than expected.
In reality, I did underestimate the walk. The hotel wasn't in a horrible area and the abundance of restaurants nearby was a boon for tired sight-seers who wanted to take the evenings a bit more easy. It was a small but cozy and quiet room and we enjoyed it. Sleep helped to ease the self-doubt.

Walkabout:
We found a nice simple place for lunch just up the street from our hotel. J had a bolognese that was lovely and I had a plate of fresh roasted veggies drizzled in balsamic. Perfect. After a nap, we headed out for one spot on our list that I thought would not require a ton of brain power to process, Notre Dame.
First we stopped at the bouquinistes - the booksellers along the Seine - our favorite stop for used books and funky postcards.
Passing through Ile de la Cite, we were herded off of the street as a film crew got ready to shoot.

We approached the cathedral from the rear, alongside the gardens. The bells were tolling. It was incredible. Every atom in the air vibrated with those great peals. It filled your soul, whatever your affiliation might be. As we photographed the gargoyles, I felt cleansed, engergized, and connected to the stories of the past. Turning the corner at the front of the building we decided against touring the interior that day - the line stretched clear across the massive square at the front.

After J tried his first Parisian crepe (not THE crepes, those came later), we swung by the Hotel de Ville to the fountains near the Centre Pompidou. Lifting our eyes to the cathedral at the back of the fountains, we decided to explore.

St Merri's is a miniature Notre Dame in layout and design. Its bells are the oldest in the city, having survived the fire (but a bit tinny and not as powerful as those of the big sister). What I loved about St Merri was the modern art integrated into the super classical atmosphere.
Dinner was at a brasserie near the hotel. Kinda' like an American bar & grill - a bit more attention to drinks than food. But it was Paris so still we smiled and our first day came to a close.

Spiders, tires, and thank yous

2011-07-11T22:35:00.000-05:00

If you garden, you deal with bugs. I'm okay in most situations - if I don't have to touch the bug or if it's solitary/ non-swarming. Spiders make me jump because they bite me. And our garden gets big frickin' spiders.
They've taken to covering the raspberries with webs. Which means, when enthusiastically picking all the good berries I can find under the leaves and within my reach, I have to touch the spider webs. Today I got really into it and was sticking my head under branches to find new clusters of juicy fruit. I'd emerge with some bit of the gossamer strands stuck somewhere, usually to my glasses. And it brought to mind the giant spiders of LOTR and other fantasy books. How big must the spiders be who lay such webs? Could it be that, while they may get by catching the beetles and bugs trying to get to the berries, their real target is a bespectacled human doing the same?
*shudder*

Yesterday, I tried to pump up my bike tires. I pumped for forever. The tire was pretty flat, it's been a long time since I've been out. I made progress but still had a ways to go. My arms ached today.
But I was determined to at least finish one tire tonight so that I can finally take the ride I've been wanting to.
So I opened the garage, put the pump on the tire, and with 2 pumps it was done.
Maybe I didn't have the pump connected right yesterday?

And so thank yous:
- to the spiders who did not bite my face or crawl into my hair while I came so close to their webs
- to the kind spirit who pumped up my tires in the closed garage during the night/ while I was at work.

A shift of perspective and the backyard is full of stories. ;-)

Nite all.

30 Days of Creativity - Day 30!

2011-06-30T13:59:00.000-05:00

Made it! Not only 30 days of creations but 30 days of posts!

Today I created: I love Garretts....

J then modified & improved it, Cupid style.

30 Days of Creativity - Day 29

2011-06-29T21:32:00.000-05:00

Almost done! Although I hope to keep creating in July.

Today I created: a cucumber portrait

30 Days of Creativity - Day 28

2011-06-28T21:43:00.000-05:00

I'm focused elsewhere. And work was insane.

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Today I created: a relative clear upper portion of my closet (the floor is another story).

Last minute, but not horrible - 30 Days of Creativity - Day 27

2011-06-27T22:26:00.000-05:00

After running a bunch of errands and trying to make a decent dinner with a few monkey wrenches thrown in, I just kinda felt like vegging in front of the TV. But I couldn't miss a day, so here it is.

Today I created: a shipwreck (origami).

OMG, getting v excited for our trip! and 30 Days of Creativity - Day 26

2011-06-26T20:51:00.000-05:00

Bought suitcases, thinking of packing, house getting in order. Writing out itineraries, thinking about travel day activities...

Today WE created: Part 1 assembled of shelves made from old dresser drawers.

I'll do a fuller post - with pre and post pics so long as I can find the pre ones - once it's complete. But I'm very excited to have this up so I can decorate it when I get back. Plus, it frees up floor space so I can set the rowing machine again.

I like building things w J.

Busy and 30 Days of Creativity - Day 25

2011-06-25T21:47:00.000-05:00

Today we spent a lot of time cleaning the living room thoroughly, plus other housework. Tired.

Today I almost didn't create anything - I was tired. Progress is slow on big projects, especially those that require help from other people.

Today I created: 2 balls of plastic yarn from 3 colorful bags.

This will be used in a crochet project after the current one is finally successfully finished.

Book #9: Absolute Sandman - Volume 2 by Neil Gaiman. More goodness. I especially liked the long dream world sequence, although not when the friends died, especially the big furry one in NYC.

Focus shift and 30 Days of Creativity - Day 24

2011-06-24T21:48:00.000-05:00

I got a bunch done in the garden tonight, including gathering columbine seeds for people *cough*ljc*cough* who may be interested in them.

I did a bunch of puttering cleaning - I see results in all rooms, even though J may not.

Both of these are surprising given how absolutely beat I was most of today. Wow.
But now I need to get ready for our vacation (more on that another time).

Today I created: 10 more rows. I'm at 26, and *fingers and toes crossed* and no signs of sloping yet. 26 out of 54.

Funeral thoughts and 30 Days of Creativity - Day 23

2011-06-23T21:27:00.000-05:00

Funerals are supposed to be a celebration of life, a remembrance. But I think you can't experience the death of someone without it also making you think of your own life - what it means, what's important, what you might be missing when caught up in the day to day. There are connections that have lapsed for no good reason. I hope we can keep up the good intentions. It really shouldn't be just with a loss that we catch up.

Today I created: better bonds with some cousins, I think.

Today I created: another 4 rows of my crochet project.

Calling hours & 30 Days of Creativity - Day 22

2011-06-22T21:29:00.000-05:00

Today we had calling hours for Uncle Ralph. What an emotional ride.
We'll miss you Uncle Ralph. I still owe you pie.

Today I created: 4 medium origami waterbombs

Yesterday's are in the background, for scale.

30 Days of Creativity - Day 21

2011-06-21T22:28:00.000-05:00

Today I created: 4 origami waterbombs with tiny paper.

Oh, I have plans for these! Could be cool!

30 Days of Creativity - Day 20

2011-06-20T20:48:00.001-05:00

Today I created: jalapeno mango bulgar.

I wanted a grain for supper and was tired of the usual combos and it was too late to try to find a recipe.

And then I saw the almost too ripe mango in the fridge and decided to give it a shot.

I toast the bulgar in butter before adding water - and the creaminess of the butter & bulgar went perfect with the mango.

I liked.

Sad news & 30 Days of Creativity - Day 19

2011-06-19T22:02:00.000-05:00

While we were gathered to spend time with Dad today, we got word that his brother, our Uncle Ralph, had passed away - suddenly, unexpectedly. Our gathering quickly shifted to supporting Dad as he made some calls and dealt with the news.

My Dad is the best and one of the strongest men I know, and I ache to see him upset. I hate that he had to have this news.

My cousin Jason, Uncle Ralph's only child, is a great guy and a father himself and my heart goes out to him and his family.

I was all knotted up thinking about it on the ride home. I told a close friend. I talked to J. But I needed to post it, let my twitter and facebook circles know that something had happened. And I wondered why. And as well wishes started to come in, I thought about it more. Was I sensationalizing? Posting simply to get people to feel obliged to send well wishes?

I thought it out and my thoughts came out as a poem.

Today I created: a freestyle poem about dealing with tragedy in the social media age.

30 Days of Creativity - Day 18

2011-06-18T21:55:00.000-05:00

Today was full of summer fun, food, and a nap or two, so big projects were once again put on hold, but

Today I created: sock yarn.

I pulled a selection of socks from the rag pile a while ago, as well as part of a hoodie and some pajama pants, enough to fill a clementine box.

These I'm cutting into long strips, so that each becomes a small ball of yarn. Some leave fuzzies behind, some do not.

When I finish the clementine box full, I'll start work on crocheting a rag rug from them. Projects nested within projects....:-)

30 Days of Creativity - Day 17

2011-06-17T21:02:00.000-05:00

Today I created: a Discrete Choice Model utility and what-if analysis that came out pretty darn cool, imho. But not really something I can share here.

This evening, I created: the layout for another project that I intend to finish this month.

Made from favorite t-shirts from my childhood. Excited for the project overall - stay tuned!

Murphy helped in his own way, lying down on, rolling over, and clawing at the layout. Thanks, Murph.

Jazz in the street on TV and 30 Days of Creativity - Day 16

2011-06-16T21:28:00.000-05:00

First off, check out this vid!

Mega cool. V psyched for Danny, whose band The Meta Accord played tonight at the Rochester jazz fest.

So, today I created: a bracelet sized lucet cord.

The lucet is a small wooden tool from Victorian times (J got me one at Genesee Country Museum), used to make braided cords - for drawstrings, surface embroidery, button loops, etc.

The instructions seem to be backwards - they say to turn the lucet counterclockwise (it only works for me clockwise)- to initially string through the hole in the lucet from back to front (forgetting to mention that the short end should be what's left on the "starting" side of the whole. So my first cord was a bit sketchy. I'm figuring out the tricks and was doing pretty well tonight until I got distracted and pulled both loops off and just couldn't get the right slack again.

Here's tonight's cord.

30 Days of Creativity - Day 15

2011-06-15T21:08:00.000-05:00

Halfway through!

Oh, I almost bailed today. Worked til quite late and rather in a mood to create a hole in the wall more than anything else after.

But I did get something.

Today I created: Murphy likes outside.

Happy tomorrow is a new day!

30 Days of Creativity - Day 14

2011-06-14T21:18:00.000-05:00

Today I created: a silly little quick sketch of all the things distracting my brain from sitting down and getting 1 thing done.

There's always tomorrow.

30 Days of Creativity - Day 13

2011-06-13T21:31:00.000-05:00

Today I created: an origami nodding dog.

We were both feeling a bit gicky, for different reasons, so no working in the basement tonight on what I WANTED to finish. Hopefully tomorrow.

I didn't want to mess up the challenge, though, so here's a very tropical looking nodding dog for you.

Note to self, tiny origami papers aren't so hot when trying folds for the first time - a bunny and a barking dog did not quite make it this evening.

30 Days of Creativity - Day 12

2011-06-12T21:40:00.000-05:00

Today I created.

I got a lot done today! I cleared space in the basement so that we can finish a long-idle project down there. I made progress on the project I hinted at yesterday. I made apple & horseradish glazed salmon for dinner.

I doubled the size of the new (so far rectangular) crochet piece - now at row 12.

And I organized a corner of my study, creating a clean spot on the floor!

30 Days of Creativity - Day 11

2011-06-11T21:45:00.000-05:00

Today I created: round rolled paper beads!

Today was largely a lost day. I had a hangover headache - a leftover from a sinus headache turned migraine twangles yesterday. So time I could have spent crafting was spent staring rather vacantly trying to kick brain into gear.

But I got going later. Progress made on works in progress that I'll share when finished.

And round beads.

Here's the deal. Readers of The Roelle Kids know that I've been making magazine beads.

But I saw round newspaper beads at One World Goods - a local charity that sells crafts from artisans worldwide, and wanted to make them.

I tried to guess at the trick. Longer strips. Wider. Angled on both ends. Not angled at all.

Finally, I did a search. There are a bunch of sites now with instructions for papier-mache style beads, but finally I found rolled ones.

Here's what came out. Not perfect, but round enough to provide a nice point of contrast when I use the magazine beads.

More practice will hone them further.

30 Days of Creativity - Day 10

2011-06-10T21:01:00.000-05:00

Today I created: a photo in a bottle.

Inspired by a pin on Pinterest. I can't wait to see what it looks like with the sun coming through it.

Excited for plans for projects on the weekend!

30 Days of Creativity - Day 9

2011-06-09T21:23:00.000-05:00

Today I created: a stir fry.

I do not often come up with my own stuff in the kitchen. I like to follow recipes - at least when I try new things - so that I can figure out what works or doesn't in the formula and change things from there. J has an entirely different approach - thinking it's always better to just make stuff up than follow a guide.

Tonight I got creative for the first time in a while. I had soba noodles and stir fry veggies and wanted to come up with a tasty, healthy stir fry.

First, I toasted pumpkin seeds, garlic, mustard seeds, sesame seeds, and celery seed. The celery seed may have been a bit much.

Then, I added the frozen stir fry veggies, baby corn, and bamboo shoots. Once the frost was off of the veggies, I added sauce elements - strained tomatoes, sesame oil, Thai sweet chili sauce, and a hint of fish sauce.

Later, I felt it needed "green",so I added a little chervil. It did the trick,though.

Not a spectacular meal, but I'm happy with what I came up with.

Oh, and crochet is now 6 rows done (of 54 on this half of the project). Looks quite nice - although it's usually not until about row 25 that I realize I've messed up.

30 Days of Creativity - Day 8

2011-06-08T22:09:00.000-05:00

I started out the evening thinking I'd spend most of it quietly crocheting in the air conditioning as a break from coming up with a new thing each day.

I spent most of the evening "creating" reservations for our trip to France. Not a bad thing, but where did the time go?

So, when I finally sat down to crochet, I decided it was time to give up on Sisyphus - my nickname for the first crochet project I'd started and that I was perpetually taking out rows in and restarting.

I cut the yarn and created a pot holder or something else, I'm not quite sure yet, from the perpetually not rectangular piece.

And I started the project anew. So the creation that I'll pin today is the initial chain and row of single crochet for this project. A new start. It looks good this far. I will focus on using the right stitch, not skipping stitches, and not stitching too tightly (the issues I think emerged last round). (Though quite a pain to photograph in the attic where the only flat surface is the teal rug.)

30 Days of Creativity - Day 7

2011-06-07T20:26:00.000-05:00

Today I created:
A pen/tool holder from a phone book

I still need to put a coat of sealer on it, and a bottom, but good progress for the night.

30 Days of Creativity - Day 6

2011-06-06T21:21:00.000-05:00

I had another plan for today and started it, but after a long dinner with friends and the start of a headache, I set that aside to finish tomorrow and went instead to a stand-by.

Today I created: a paper tube robot from a kit Sonny & Pam gave me. Isn't he cool?

The package comes with three tubes for 2 robots - you cut the pieces where marked, fold, assemble. V cool.

30 Days of Creativity - Day 5

2011-06-05T19:21:00.000-05:00

Lots of good work done in the sun today. While I STILL have some plants left to get into the ground, I got the main veggies done.

Today I created: our veggie bed and the new cucumber and tomato support schemes - plus some really good homemade raspberry/mint/lemon balm iced tea!

Plus, I may have sprained my ankle stepping out the door of our house. I'm such a clutz!

And another book, still catching up:

Book #8:Animal Farm by George Orwell. Disturbing, as it was intended. You hate to think that people could be so easily manipulated, but then you go home and watch the news or read the headlines online. *sigh*

30 Days of Creativity - Day 4

2011-06-04T21:13:00.000-05:00

Today I created: an origami vampire bat.

It's not quite perfect and looks a bit more griffin or gargoyle-like to me, but I still like it.

30 Days of Creativity - Day 3

2011-06-03T21:21:00.000-05:00

Today I created: a Tagxedo tag cloud analysis of a survey I did at the last Roc City Roller Derby bout.

I had an outline in the tool that made it clearer - the cloud is in the shape of a skate, but for some reason that didn't save. Still pretty cool....

What does it mean? Derby is about: fun awesome girls, fast tough excitement.

30 Days of Creativity - Day 2

2011-06-02T20:49:00.000-05:00

Today I created: a mailing tube filing system.

To cap off the section by color organization of my bookshelf, I added in a rack to help free my desk and floor from the piles that accumulate. I don't have enough space in my study for piles by category. This helps condense & organize.

Here's the full bookshelf. To me, it's a huge difference - not seeing it before, it may be harder to tell.

30 Days of Creativity - Day 1

2011-06-01T19:59:00.000-05:00

I'm trying to create something each day for the month of June. Here we go!

Today I created: a path in the garden

In our garden, we tend to be quite of fond of things that spread - including lemon balm, spearmint, sage, raspberries, and strawberries.

It can, and often does, especially during v wet late springs, go a little nuts. Trying to keep things better to their place, and provide a way to get to the inner part of the garden to get that under control, I've laid a stepping path. I think it's quite cute, actually.

I am way behind on blogging everything else, so I have to throw at least 1 book in here:
Book #7 - House of Mystery: Room and boredom by Matthew Sturges, Bill Willingham, and Luca Rossi. I accidentally bought vol 3 first, and have been waiting to read it until I got 1 & 2. Vol 1 is a great intro. I love Fig and how her brain works. The creepy floating couple. The chic in the bar who was married to a fly and is constantly eating, since all food just falls out her missing back.

Providence part 2 - the other stuff

2011-04-09T14:56:00.000-05:00

While the decision to fly into Boston and take a train to Providence wasn't the most convenient solution (we couldn't take a nice long weekend w/ J in school and a drive that long for only 1 full day would equal a zombie Aprille to be sure), we did get to spend a bit more time downtown with Sonny & Pam than we otherwise would have.

Friday night we arrived while the rest of the gang was at the non-rehearsal rehearsal dinner an hour away. Sonny left a key to their place - so we explored there and in his neighborhood while waiting for him to take us out to where we spent the night.
The apartment is full of awesome stuff. You could amuse yourself for days on end. So many interesting books, CDs, DVDs. And the walls are covered with all sorts of wonderful art. Plus, there's a knit Dalek. That totally wins points. Yertle the Turtle greeeted us - Sonny has had him since forever - junior high I think.

We walked about a half mile from Sonny & Pam's and found all sorts of good looking restaurants. A nice, but very light salad at the airport for lunch and hauling bags from one mode of transport to another meant I craved a filling Italian meal. We stopped at Pizzico and indulged in a wonderfully tasty meal. I had the papardelle bolognese and J had the lobster ravioli. We'll need to go back for the tiramisu and gelatos.

On Sunday, Pam's sister, Lynda, brought us back into town after packing up the wedding stuff. Sonny & Pam soon followed and we left to do a bit on the town before going to the train station.
Some of the highlights:

First off, we drove through one of the wealthier Providence neighborhoods, then past Brown, and by some awesome historic buildings. (Like the Turk's Head, above)
Next up, Symposium books. J loved all the design books that they carry and everything very reasonably priced.
Followed by Craftland. An awesome shop full of all things crafted. There's a gallery, but the show had just come down. Lots of prints from artists Sonny knows. Cool t-shirts, upcycled goods, and many nifty things. I bought myself a sea serpent print.
A peek at Kim Kazan's show at the AS220 Project Space.
Good iced chai at White Electric Coffee. I may have to get one of the Alec Thibodeau mugs - I like his stuff and kinda' met him at the wedding.
We drove by an office building built from shipping containers - something I've often read about. And then we picked up Design New England at the airport and there was an article about the same building in there!
Plus we got to see Sonny & Pam's studios - cool creative spaces where work gets done, unlike my creative space which just seems to accumulate stuff.

All in all, a great trip. We're already thinking about a longer visit to Providence and the Ocean State. Very cool.

Cranberries, pine trees, vintage, and grins to light the world - Sonny and Pam got married!

2011-04-05T20:40:00.000-05:00

One of the pieces of big news I've alluded to in previous posts came down this weekend. Sonny and Pam got married!!

The wedding was in Rhode Island - a short drive from where Pam grew up and about an hour from Providence proper. The Whispering Pines Conference Center, a part of the University of Rhode Island W Alton Jones campus. After a long, winding drive through pine forests, old fields cut up by huge stone walls, and over creeks and by ponds, you arrive at the compound of grey log lodges, at the side of a small lake.

It was sunny and rather warm for early April (especially considering travel had been held up the previous day by a monster snowstorm through the NorthEast (but that managed to miss RI)). There were small fluffy clouds that met the strategic lighting needs of the photographer (and Pam, on the other side of the camera for once). The bride was stunning in a 50's style cream & gold dress made by a friend and jewelry that caught the light wonderfully. The groom was super sharp in blue sharkskin and a gold tie.

The lodge was gorgeous, sun streaming in many windows, tables and mantles decked with ferns and white lilacs and other green & white combos. The squirrel decor could have been creepy but wasn't bad.

Everything was thought of. Sonny & Pam provided awesome guest baskets made of recycled magazines and full of Rhode Island treats, homemade cookies, and other personalized treats. They filled the soap dispensers in the rooms with coconut soap.

The ceremony was perfect for them. Rev Bill, the officiant, filled it with quotes from great jazz, blues, and rock artists - managing to turn lines from songs into questions for the new couple. They were (are!) sooooo happy.

The food was incredible. Should I list it all? Circulating plates of flatbread pizza, clam chowder, beet & goat cheese phyllo purses, coconut shrimp not over fried so you could actually savor the coconut. A spinach, pear, bleu cheese, candied pecan salad. Pecan-crusted chicken w/ cranberries. Butternut squash ravioli. Yummy pastries and cake from Pastiche.

Fun music from The Moonlighters out of NYC - Hawaiian steel guitar swing. Perfect volume. Gifts that reflected the wonderfully variety of the guests in their wrapping.

Sonny and Pam had a joint speech, where Sonny told of their first "date" - a day spent on a spur of the moment cranberry excursion. He told about how he made sure the friend who made the ring incorporated cranberries and Pam's favorite bird, the woodcock. Pam told of a surprise trip to NYC "for a show", that wound up with a proposal in a photo booth. We gave a standing ovation (led by J).

They are so happy. Everyone there loved them so much. It was totally awesome.

Next - Part 2 - Providence. Our gift to the couple.
I'll be putting more pics on Facebook

A poem

2011-03-27T18:48:00.001-05:00

Inspired in part by the book The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks and in part by Sarah Kay's TED speech, I've written a poem:

HeLa

The 1950s
an era when human experimentation
was a regular occurrence, without
their knowledge or consent.
an era when doctors so focused
on helping humanity that, often,
individual patients didn't matter.
and a woman was lost.

but the story is really that
her children never knew
- such things weren't discussed.

in a family that slept, ate, grew, bathed, learned,
loved, laughed, cried in numbers in spaces
smaller than this,
no one talked about sickness
no one tole the children they had
a sister who had been institutionalized
no one told them a thing about
their mother - she was gone
completely.

Years later, as society realized she mattered,
the family pieced the story
together.

And I think about my own family. My
mother and her generation were raised
much the same.
- you don't talk about this
stuff.

My mother's mother died when Mom
was a young teen.
I was in college when I learned
it was cervical cancer.
When I first heard stories of
the illness.
How she got so sick, young Mom
had to drive her to chemo.

And we still have work to do.
I do not know enough.
I do not know what kind of
person she was.

But Mom sees in our lives the value of
these stories.
And soon we will sit down and share.
And my grandmother - who I've
never know as grandmother -
will become a living, breathing
story in my collection.

That defines me.

Winter reads

2011-03-06T21:38:00.000-05:00

Book #4 -Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall by Bill Willingham. My first read of the Fables story and I love the concept. The artwork was awesome,too. The stories of Snow after marriage, King Cole, and others were awesome.

Book #5 -Heart Shaped Box by Joe Hill. I had heard people say this was one of the scariest things they've ever read. I listened to this on the drive to & from work, but it stuck in my head when I wasn't listening. I looked forward to getting in the car. It was quite creepy in spots and I even gasped and jumped a couple of times. The long "final showdown" was a bit excessively bloody, I think. Overall, I liked it.

Book #6 -The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein. Narrated by a very sharp, TV-educated dog and chock full of endurance auto racing analogies, I didn't expect to like this. I'm not a dog or an auto racing person by any stretch. But in the end, it's about a dog and his master and their journey thru life. I thought the race analogies quite insightful. And I didn't care that the dog wasn't always doggish. There were things that could have been improved, of course, but overall, a pretty good book.

North African Chicken

2011-02-27T18:42:00.000-05:00

We served this over Israeli couscous - which is a bigger grain than "normal" couscous and which we prefer.

North African Chicken
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cayenne
1 tbsp honey
28oz crushed tomatoes (I prefer Pomi)
1 lb chicken breast, cubed

Heat oil in a wide, deep pan over medium heat. Add onion - cook, stirring occasionally, until golden - 5-10minutes.
Add spices, salt, pepper, honey, and tomatoes. Cook, stirring occasionally, about 10 min.
Add chicken & cook 5-10min more, until chicken chunks are cooked through.

- 380 calories per serving. 15g fat, 39g protein, 23g carb, 5 g fiber

For the first time in, well, ever, I am going to "decorate" a room. I'm most likely not going to paint or change the ceiling fixture or do anything major to the layout, but I'm going to do a bunch of the finishing things I too often ignore. I'll post before and after pics here soon!

I have a couple of books, but will blog them together tomorrow night, after a book club discussion.

Otherwise, I'm going back to the 30day shred workout. I'm continuing to try new recipes (also made cheesy, spicy, popcorn corn bread this am). And I'm whittling away at my massive at home to-do and organizing list. Things are good.

Quick bits

2011-02-08T12:55:00.000-05:00

Times are exciting - the new job is ramping up, ROC City Roller Derby volunteering is also ramping up, other projects and mental buckets are filling in nicely. J is deep in thesis work. Danny and Sonny both have stuff brewing that's quite cool, but I don't know if I'm authorized to share yet. Sooner or later, you'll hear about it.

The weeks that I make lots of good food are better. Recent successful experiments include Ginger Spelt cookies, Deep dish greens w/ amaranth/ millet crust, Chicken "sausage" burgers w/ stuffing type flavorings.....

Winter, though, has got to go. I hate being cold. My hair tangling into rats' nests from scarves and high collars and hats. My pants soggy from snow. Getting stuck in the drive, you know, all that winter nonsense.

I've been listening to some audio books on the long commute. I wonder about some of these narrators. They're considered "talent". Man, the fake women's voices the one guy did were just so BAD!

Book #3:The Ghost in Love by Jonathan Carroll. Shortly into this I wondered where it could possibly go? Everything in the description & on the audiobook package was covered in the first two chapters. Not much else to do. And then Carroll took a left turn and led me on a trip into some really interesting spaces related to how much control we truly have over our own destiny and what other aspects of life can be affected when we take the reins. Not bad.

Mushroom Gruyere tarts, flaky style

2011-01-20T18:04:00.001-05:00

Btw, I'm blogging from my phone right now while a couple of tech purchases are pending, so limited pics& links...

Last night I made these Flaky mushroom gruyere tarts from Real Simple.
1 sheet puff pastry, thawed
2 tbsp oil
10 oz mixed mushrooms, sliced
1 shallot (I subbed in onion)
1.5c shredded Gruyere cheese
1/4c white wine (I subbed in cider)

Preheat oven to 400
Unfold pastry and cut into four pieces. Place these on parchment lined baking sheet. Prick surfaces w fork.
Heat oil in large skillet. Saute mushrooms& shallot 4-5min. Add white wine, cook til largely evaporated, 1min or so.
Cover pastry w 1/2 of cheese, leaving some room@ edges. Layer on mushroom mix then remaining cheese.
Cook 20minutes, until pastry is golden.
Recipe included a side salad to serve alongside, good idea.

Book #1: Benny & Shrimp by Katarina Mazetti. *spoiler alert* I usually don't include spoilers, but it's impossible to write about this book without at least partially spelling out the end. So it all begins with 2 lonely, grieving Swedes run into each other in the cemetary. The couple that would never go together actually connects. The impulsiveness and strength of the pull between them makes you think they'll work out their differences and come around. Nah. There is never enough emotion for either to bend from their respective lifestyle/ habits and they part. In the end, their biological clocks are their only tie as they decide to have a kid, and "only that" together.
Is this a dose of reality slap in the face that that strong pull is just lust and not enough? I don't know. I walked away thinking they both needed to grow up and get lives.

Book#2: Absolute Sandman: Volume I by Neil Gaiman. Ahhhh, refreshing. The huge format is fun, but not great for reading in bed. Loved the creativity, storytelling, and mythos of this.

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Moving on

2011-01-03T16:00:00.002-05:00

Yikes! Today was my last day at Kodak. I'm on to a new adventure - well a new job that I will make an adventure - and maybe more time to blog on the side, also...

I'm excited. Scared. Pumped. Worried. All over the board. Relieved - it was time.

Leaving the people I've come to be close friends with over my 8 years at Kodak was hardest. Of course I'm still in town and we are already planning ways to still get together, but...

That's when Loralee's post about saying goodbye caught my eye. This shouldn't be as emotional as her situation - a best friend moving states away - but the Muppet video rang home.

Here ya' go. For the saps out there (me included):-P

Holiday crafts & books, Part II

2011-01-02T22:01:00.000-05:00

To continue:

Small welcome mat for Jenny:
Crocheted from yarn made from plastic bags, including mulch & soil bags. I hear Stewie loves it.

Book #21:
We Are Their Heaven by Allison Dubois. I like what she has to say - that the dead stick around their loved ones because that makes them happy. I find the examples of readings both from her point of view and her clients' interesting. But she needs a better editor. As someone who puts value in how a book is written, it made me wince. No flow. Chapters, paragraphs, and sentences that could not stay on a consistent subject. Still, I will pass it on to others who may value her message.

A "nelly", microwave heating bag for Mom:
I used a sleeve from an old hoodie for this. A fancier fabric would have been nice, but it has to be all cotton to go in the microwave. Filled with rice, oats, sage, lavender, and lemon balm.

Book #22:
Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith. I have another book of his, but need to brush up on the original material a bit to appreciate it (Sense & Sensibility). This was quite fun. Based off of Lincoln's journals, Grahame-Smith tells the tale of an axe-throwing hero. The photos are a bit hokey, but the storyline is good and - as someone who is curious about history but not hardcore - I found out details about Lincoln, the political life in DC in that era, and the Civil War that I had not known prior.

Light-bulb vases w/ origami flowers for Tina, Shruti, Mom, Lorraine:
These were fun and easy (for someone OK w/ cracking some glass), I have more light bulb plans...

Book #23 (that's as far as I got for 2010):
Welcome to Marwencol by Mark E. Hogancamp. Hogancamp was brutally beaten one night - "left brain-damaged & broke". After, as part of his recovery, he created a 1:6 scale (Barbie & GI Joe sized) WWII-era town in his backyard and photographed the dramas that unfurled there. This is the first installment in the saga of that town - artful though the violence makes me a little sad. There's also a documentary that has wowed the festival circuit. Hmmm need to see if I can find that.

And, finally - a beaded basket for Laura:
I rolled almost all of these beads (with the exception of a few spacers in the bottom rows) from strips of old magazine and catalogue pages. There's got to be between 250 & 300 of them. Note to self - if you want to do a big bead project next year - start making beads well ahead. Just a couple of days makes life quite crazy.

Holiday crafting and books, part 1

2011-01-02T17:10:00.000-05:00

Phew! It's been a BUSY December! In addition to crazy work stuff I'll talk about later, I made handmade cards and crafty gifts - some of which were more than I had bargained for. (Some didn't turn out and will be put into the roster for next year - after I hopefully get a better idea of how to make them). I also wrapped up a bunch of books, though of course I did not get to 50.

Cards:
Our cards were pop-ups this year. This is a simple dove pop-up that I modeled after a photo, with some adaptations to make it work inside a card.

Book #19:
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain. A reread that I read aloud to J before bed. Twain does an awesome job with dialects, which I'm pretty sure I didn't notice when I read this in school.

Cranberries:
I made small tins of these for almost everyone last year. This year I shared them more "party style" - gifting some and then bringing large jars to family gatherings and letting people take their fill. They pop in your mouth and they're sweet and tangy together...

Book #20:
Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. My first read on Kindle on my phone. I was skeptical at first. I associate Card with classic sci-fi. His intro started with a lot about his faith and life events related to a certain church and I'm always wary that will leak through into the narrative. But it wasn't and it didn't. A great, fast read about gifted kids and their relationships with their cohorts and elders. I thought the end was a little long and could have been cut off when he crests that final hill and sees....

Zombies:
Danny gave me a Zombie Cross-stitch kit for my birthday and I made 2 projects from it - Jack's messenger bag:

- and a coffee cup holder for Dan that I forgot to get a picture of. Here's a picture from the book:

That's it for now so I finally get this post out. Part 2 should follow closely.

Vacation!

2010-11-23T10:33:00.001-05:00

Ah, vacation. J is on break between quarters and I've taken the short week off to be able to spend time with him. We spent the first two days running around, starting Christmas shopping (mostly for his family), catching up with friends. Today I hope to make further progress on some of the craft gifts I'm planning. And catch up a bit on to do's around the house.

A couple of books from a bit ago:

Book #17 (sigh, one of these years I'll get to 50. Doesn't look like I'll even hit 30 this year):
Geek Love by Katherine Dunn. I loved this! At first you are struck by the differences in the bred-to-be-freaks that are the Binewski children. By the grotesqueness of the concept. I've had friends squirm as I start to describe the premise. Then you are pulled in. By Arturo's philosophy that "norms" and the beautiful are tormented and cannot fully reach their potential without becoming freaks themselves.

I get glimpses of the horror of normalcy. Each of these innocents on the street is engulfed by a terror of their own ordinariness. They would do anything to be unique. - Arturo Binewski

By the marked isolation of the Binewski's and its impact on their worldview and their ability to even consider functioning outside the Fabulon.

Our contact with norms outside the show was in dashes and flashes. Overheard phrases unconnected to lives. Outsiders weren't very real to me.

Overall, Dunn has a gift for wonderful turns of phrase and descriptions. The story is quite moving and holds your attention. I wasn't as happy with the end because I don't think it had to be that way and still question why.

Book #18: Rhapsody: Child of Blood by Elizabeth Haydon. This gets a big MEH. There are portions that are not very interesting or character forming that drag on and on and on. That said, threads came together enough towards the end that I did change my mind about reading at least the second in the trilogy, but will get it from the library and not pay for it.

The Watchers

2010-10-31T15:11:00.000-05:00

They follow me wherever I go, but are most visible and have the most character at home. The mysterious figures who watch me while I sleep.

In the middle of the night, I groggily shift my eyelids and catch a silhouette. Sometimes, in that first half-glance I can catch details of dress and demeanor. Of personality. A casual lean against the doorjamb. Writing on the door in earnest. Drinking a can of pop. Mocking curiosity.

Apparel varies also. The only female figure wore a drab brown drapey-type dress, reminiscent of movies of Roman times. The pop-guy was in basketball uniform (and quite tall). The curious one wore a green velvet cape with hood pulled up. Most frequent is a sly figure in top hat and trenchcoat.

In hotel rooms, they linger just beyond the crack in the curtains or around the corner in the "hall" leading to the door of the room.

Sometimes they scare me. Sometimes it's intrigue. Often I just want to know what they want. What is definite is that they disturb my sleep because, instead of simply half-opening my eyes when turning over in bed, I try to focus and concentrate on what I'm seeing. By the time I've fully waked and know what I'm seeing, they're gone.

Who or what are they? The play of light certainly draws them out. Here at home, they're most often in the doorway, where the streetlamp shines in through my study window and the bathroom light leaks through a crack in that doorway. I'm pretty sure that were I to permanently resolve that issue, however, I'd find my eyes pulled to another corner and there they'd be.

For now, I try not to wake J to tell him there's someone in the house and I focus on catching more details. Heck, they'll wake me anyway.

Happy Halloween!

Four Years

2010-10-26T21:12:00.000-05:00

Four years ago, J and I chose each other and tied the knot! Our anniversary was earlier this month, but the celebration is being drawn out. In part due to a shipping mishap. In part because J is so swamped with school.

The traditional gifts for the 4th anniversary are fruit and flowers, so I decided to give J miracle fruit. Looking like elongated cranberries, these berries coat your tongue with a substance that changes the way things taste for about half an hour. You get a bunch of berries when you order them, so we organized a quick tasting party with a few friends.

We had a full table of food to taste (and J raided the fridge for other flavors at one point) and berries enough for at least 2 per person. To taste:
Lemons
Limes
Onion
Salt & vinegar potato chips
Tabasco
Balsamic vinegar
Bread & butter pickles
Dill pickles
Sour cream
Goat cheese
Blue cheese
Strawberries
Kiwi
Grapes
Cranberries
Raspberries
Pineapple
Watermelon
Guinness
Tequila
(phew!)

The experience was fascinating! Reactions varied across the group. Some things now had no taste (grapes, unanimous), some had subtler flavors. Lemon & lime burnt our lips and the inside of our mouths, but were sweet on our tongues. Strawberries, pineapple, and raspberries had a wave of flavor that was a subtle sweet with more depth than normal.

We had a really good time experimenting and I'm seriously considering exploring miracle fruit as an alternative sweetener (you can find this in the crunchy section of Wegmans).

Oatmeal breakfast bars

2010-10-19T09:36:00.000-05:00

This recipe came from an issue of Country Living. It's a bit of a PITA, but yummy.

1 3/4c flour
1 1/4c oats
1/2c wheat bran
1tsp baking powder
1/2tsp cinnamon
1/4tsp salt
1/8tsp nutmeg
1c butter, soft (need to blend w/ sugar)
1/2c plus 2tbsp brown sugar
2 eggs
1tsp vanilla
Applesauce (jelly also works,but we like applesauce better)

Dough:
Combine flour, oats, wheat bran, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, & nutmeg in med bowl.
Using mixer, beat butter & sugar until light & fluffy. Add eggs, one @ a time. Add vanilla.
Mix in dry ingredients. Divide dough in half, wrap in Saran *NOTE - dough is VERY sticky, I usually use the plastic to grab half the dough and then try to neaten it up once contained.
Chill at least 1 hr.

Assembly:
Roll out 1 portion of dough between 2 sheets floured parchment paper to an 8x10 rectangle. (Usually works better if it's sat out of fridge for long enough to soften, but not long enough to get sticky again)
Cut out 2X5 strips. Place on parchment on large baking sheet. Put filling down center.
Roll out/ cut other half of dough. Top the bars on the sheet - crimp or press to seal edges.
Cover w/ plastic - chill at least 20 min.

Preheat oven to 375. Bake 20-25. Transfer to rack to cool.

To Owen

2010-10-18T19:48:00.000-05:00

Cantankerous,
Particular, little fellow.
You loved Sonny with a devotion
bigger than your chubby little body.
And for that, I love you.
Ear rubs always.

Sunday food prep

2010-10-18T14:56:00.000-05:00

I took time while J was on a school field trip Sunday to prep some fave foods for the week.

First, soda bread. I use a recipe from Williams Sonoma - it's a simple bread using plain yogurt for the liquid and has no sugar or dried fruit in it. I realized today, when trying to figure out calories for it, how many different kinds of soda bread are out there. Love this.

Next up, fresh spring rolls to encourage us to munch veggies more (with a bit o plum sauce). Yum. Just wish I had more time - could have rolled for a while longer.

Finally, J's favorite breakfast food - oatmeal bars filled with homemade applesauce.

The horrible track lighting in our kitchen not only makes it impossible to work on the counter without throwing your shadow on your creation, but also leaves no spot where you can take pics without throwing a shadow also. Can't wait til we can remodel lights, counter, paint in that room!

Art, music, and books

2010-10-15T08:20:00.000-05:00

Sonny had an opening last night at Craftland Gallery. The show, called Lamp Lit, runs until 11/13 8pm.

*********************

Danny is playing tonight at Boulder Coffee with the Meta Accord. Starts at 8pm.

*************************

Book #15 - Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. A reread from college. I remember writing a paper on this talking about how the monster's desire for affection and companionship was denied at every turn and it's almost reasonable to expect some of his actions. I got that this time, too, and more of a disgust for the over-dramatic Doctor who was so self-absorbed - and mentally frail.

Book #16 - The Red Pony by John Steinbeck. It says on the cover "The moving and beautiful story of a boy, a sorrel colt, and the sun-drenched California earth." I beg to differ. I know Steinbeck tends towards depressing stuff, but really. The novel is split into 4 vignettes that are quite distinct from one another. And it never really ends. I found it to be a big of a drag, overall.

Pumpkin!

2010-10-13T15:51:00.005-05:00

I recently bought a pie pumpkin - it was locally grown, organic, and I thought it'd be fun to see what I could do with it. J isn't a huge fan of pumpkin pie, so I decided to try other things.

Photo by shuttermonkey on Flickr.

First, I cooked it. And probably the hard way, but it worked. I peeled the pumpkin and chopped it into 1 inch square pieces. These I boiled until tender. There was a LOT of pumpkin (5-6 big mason jars)!

Now, I always forget to photograph the food I make, so I'll try to find photos where I can.

#1 - Pumpkin bars, from the Moosewood Restaurant Book of Desserts - think a pumpkin blondie of sorts. YUM.

#2 - Pumpkin Garlic Knot Rolls - from (never home)maker - (Ashley always has awesome pics, too) - The rolls actually are just yummy and not very pumpkin-y. J loved the garlic dressing.

#3 - Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal - from goodLife {eats}. This was the first time I had baked oatmeal in a ramekin - it was tasty and I loved having several made so I could eat it for dinner too, when sick. I didn't do the topping in Katie's recipe, but I don't think it needed it.

#4 - Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls - also from goodLife {eats}. These, too, were awesome! Again, I got lazy and didn't make the cream cheese frosting and I think it would have helped keep them more moist, but they don't suffer too much.

And I still have a jar of puree and half of the pumpkin garlic knot dough in the freezer!

In a month of pink, a simple call for awareness

2010-10-12T21:12:00.003-05:00

Alicia Staley, kick-butt cancer survivor, advocate, and twitter-friend, has pointed out that pink gets a little crazy in October. Yes, it's an important cause - but should it drown out everything else? I get this and pondered what I might do here. In the end, I decided to cover the one issue I really know - Long QT Syndrome.

I have Long QT - those of you who have followed this blog for a while remember the episode that lead to that discovery. My heart dallies a bit between beats. In extreme scenarios, the ventricles can get tired of waiting and decide to go off on their own, funky-style. Lack of blood to the brain. Body shuts down. Etc.

This disorder does not seriously hamper my lifestyle. Now that I have my bionic pieces, it should have no impact on the length of my life, either, as they'll work to correct any rogue activity. Relative to what too many people go through with other issues, this could be nothing.

What gets risky is lack of diagnosis. I found out after a too-close-for-comfort incident that landed me in the hospital for a week. Long QT can be triggered by adrenaline (hence the kaibosh on Derby for me), and there's a possibility that it plays a role in the death of child athletes on the field.

Diagnosis, contrary to the recent episode of House, starts with an EKG. And here's my plea. If you have family members who have died suddenly after passing out. If your child is on medication for ADD - especially if they play sports. Get the test. They say the syndrome is rare, but I'd rather not hear of kids dying at soccer games.

A couple of books, quickly

2010-09-06T18:19:00.002-05:00

One of the problems with school starting is that I'm hitting all of these deadlines - and seeing a growing pile of things that I didn't get done. I'm determined to keep working on them, just hoping the things I need help with from J can get out of the way before he gets too busy.

Book #13 - Slumach's Gold: In search of a legend by Rick Antonson, Mary Trainer, and Brian Antonson. The dedication to the original, 1972 edition opens with "Hidden in every legend is the first person that ever told the story." - Love that line. A compilation of many stories and storytellers and their tales of the Salish man, Slumach, his misdeeds, his gold, and the curse he left behind - this book tries to get to the bottom of the story. One thing that struck me is the wilderness of the region near Pitt Lake in British Columbia - an area that still holds secrets. Sooo cool.

Book #14 - The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka. Odd, as I expected. Gregor just accepts the new development as "it is what it is". The family sees a burden. In a day and age when any such issue would be Twitter-wide in an instant, it's startling to think of the isolated realm of that apartment. Not quite sure what to do with it.

Happy Birthday Sonny!!!

2010-09-05T05:52:00.004-05:00

To my kid brother. Fellow Star Wars adventurer in the 70s. Source of angst in the 80s. Newfound friend in the 90s. Source of pride and good buddy since....

Have a happy day, Clifford William Roelle IV!

Vacation week in review

2010-08-31T20:31:00.005-05:00

I had a wonderful week off - a combo of catching up with the house, some last hoorahs for the summer with J, and birthday celebrations.

Organizing/ cleaning, Homearama, Dollop cupcakes, fights with the phone company over squirrel-chewed lines, 7-hours on a boat, dinner with family at Mom & Dad's, SouthWedge market and Napa pizza with friends, Inception, and a fossil hunt. Cool!

We splurged on a new, tall, wonderfully cushioning bed. It felt so grown up - our first new-to-us bed. Now I want to design the bedroom, paint, carpets, sconces and maybe a padded headboard. Shhhhh - don't tell J, I haven't yet. (I have some other house things I have to get done first this fall, but maybe winter...)

I read a bunch, but was reading 3 books at once, so didn't finish any, but getting close! ;-)

Book #12 Molvania: A land untouched by modern dentistry (Jet Lag travel guide) by Santo Cilauro, Tom Gleisner, and Rob Sitch. Not really meant for the straight read-through I gave it, but fascinating in the level of detail they give to this compound joke.

I was overwhelmed by the birthday greetings I received on Twitter and Facebook. Friends from all phases of my life - virtual and IRL friends, close and not-so. Each wish made me smile on its own. Together, I was full of warm-fuzzies. Thank you all! >*sniff*< I love you so much! ;-)

What I like about my body

2010-08-13T10:23:00.005-05:00

This morning, the scale and I had a falling out. It seems to have forgotten which direction it's supposed to go in. That's why I was glad to take a minute or two to record this bit on what I like about me. My instinct is to apologize for the waist shots, but that is a bit counter to the "happy w/ who I am" message we're trying to send, right?

And I'm progressing toward Supersonic Angel in ways the scale refuses to see.

PS - Here's that pic of me and the boys...

I am awesome! snort - hodgepodge

2010-08-11T14:29:00.005-05:00

Inspired by @researchgoddess, I've made myself a Superhero! ;-)

I needed this kick-butt reminder. Very cool. Oooh, as I get closer to my target weight maybe I'll try a pose like this - minus wings and we'll see what I can do for the outfit.

I just realized I never put a summary of Book #10 - American Gods by Neil Gaiman. I reread this for the Twitter-wide bookclub, #1b1t. I love the book, a story of the struggle for relevance among the gods that have been brought here by immigrants over the centuries. Thanks to the bookclub - I read it more slowly, carefully, and closely than my original reading for tone, flow, & overall impressions. There's a ton of meat to this and it deserves its place in my favorites list.

Book #11 - Haunted by Chuck Palahniuk. My overall reaction to this was "meh". I got tired of the antics of the cast of characters. Their motives were so massively self-centered and greedy and their actions to meet those ends so extreme, I just didn't buy it. And it got very tired once I stopped caring. Maybe I'm jaded, but while I found some of the pieces a bit gross, nothing shocked me.

Finally, today - the latest curried quinoa recipe (via Natural Health)
1c quinoa
2c water
1tbsp curry powder
1tsp cumin
1/2tsp cayenne
pinch of salt
2 med carrots, peeled & shredded (oops, I chopped)
15oz can low/no salt chickpeas (I used black beans) - rinsed/ drained
3 green onions, thinly sliced (I used chives)
2 apples, halved/cored/chopped
1/4c toasted pumpkin seeds (I used sunflower seeds)
3tbsp olive oil
1tbsp apple cider vinegar
juice of 2 limes
salt/ pepper to taste
1 1/2c mixed greens

1 - In a saucepan, combine quinoa, water, spices & salt. Bring to a boil, cover then simmer on low for 15-20 minutes until quinoa turns transparent and liquid is absorbed. Fluff w/ fork, cool & place in large bowl.
2 - Add carrots, chickpeas, onions, apples, pumpkin seeds
3 - To make dressing - whisk olive oil, vinegar, lime juice, salt/ pepper. Pour over quinoa mix and toss.
4 - Divide into individual servings (claims 4, I got more) and server over bed of mixed greens.

Crossing that line in the sand

2010-08-03T19:30:00.002-05:00

When we were little we often drew lines, the ones in sand and snow were most visible, but they stretched across rooms, streets, tables, and plates. Especially with two brothers, there had to be a spot where public space ended and personal space began. So the lines were mostly barriers marked with “DO NOT CROSS”, but sometimes they were taunts – I DARE you to cross this line….

On Sunday we crossed the line from July to August. And yesterday, on 8/2, I decided to make the line real and to DARE to cross.

August is the month of my birth. And I’ve decided that I am going to celebrate in some way, shape, or form all... month... long!

Think about it – my birthday falls late in the month. I’ve had several Augusts of late that have been super high stress up until that very moment. 2 years ago the week prior to my birthday was spent deciding about a cross-country move I’d never thought of before – and the day was spent returning from a 25-hour house-scoping mission. Last year, a massive contest launched in the week before my birthday and I was the key data funnel – it ended the morning of. I kill myself and I think I tend to go high-stress this time of year even if massive deadlines aren’t looming – making problems for myself.

So this year, I’m having none of it. August is MY month, (*&^^%$-it and I’m going to enjoy it. The weather is sublime. The garden is producing. I still have my husband in home mode for a few more weeks before school starts. I have a great community of people of all types of personalities on Twitter and Facebook that are a huge boost to help me distress when I need it. There’s waves to watch rolling in on the lakeshore.

And maybe a margarita ... or ten. (Hey it’s a whole month!)

Happy August!

We don't see people from your nation often, so you're not allowed

2010-07-15T09:09:00.002-05:00

I don't usually rant here, but wanted to do this longer than a tweet, so here you go.
I understand security has been cranked in this terror-ridden age. I understand that a lack of familiarity can make it seem easy for terrorists to sneak in... But this still upsets me.

The Haudenosaunee are a sovereign nation. They signed treaties with the US in 1794 that agreed to treat them as such. They are a country in their own right.

Today, a team of Iroquois lacrosse players are being kept from competing in the world championships of the sport their ancestors created by fear and lack of understanding. These players carry passports from their nation - Haudenosaunee passports.

At first, the US insisted they would not be allowed to return to the country with such documents.
"You want to go? We'll give you US passports, use those." A flatout refusal to understand the national pride and identity so important for Native tribespeople that is so hard won and so often forgotten by the mainstream.
Finally the US conceded and guaranteed that they would be allowed to return to the US - just this once.

Now the UK is refusing admittance. "We're not used to seeing documents like yours so we can't let you in."

It blows me away. How many small nations are out there - Native or otherwise - that may have funny-looking documentation? Do we seal the walls and only let in those who look like ourselves? Obnoxious. Scary. Sad for these players who have every right to compete on the world stage.

Check out the news story.
For more on the Haudenosaunee, visit Ganondagan (just south of Victor, NY)(there's a festival there July 24/25! ;-) ).

Quick garden update

2010-07-08T21:28:00.002-05:00

I'm regularly picking radishes, J is snipping greens, and raspberries are in full force (already 5 sauce jars in freezer). This pic is into the sun, next one I won't do that....

I love summer

2010-06-29T20:44:00.007-05:00

My thoughts are with Jenny now as she deals with a sad loss. Also missing Papa & Grammie Roelle a bit, too. So here's another pic...I'm looking forward to the long holiday weekend, so I can spend time taming my insane garden.

The raised bed is working awesome! Some bug is eating broccoli & Brussels sprouts leaves, but no rabbits or bunnies or groundhogs yet. We've made a cube of netting that will have to adapt if/ when the quinoa gets tall, but for now is perfect.

from clearing the spot to garden - it has been weeded since that last pic...

Ice cream sandwiches

2010-06-07T07:48:00.005-05:00

A couple of years ago, Jenny got me some ice cream sandwich molds from Williams Sonoma. Yesterday, I used them for the first time.

Step 1 - Super fudgy but thin brownies for the outsides, cut into shapes.

Step 2 - Assemble - I started assembling by hand - the results were authentic, but not quite perfect.

Step 3 - Then J pointed out that the molds are supposed to be used to assemble, too. I tried and, voila - the cows ended up quite professional looking.

Note: I inserted a strawberry in the middle of each - a nice surprise I thought. Hmmm. They freeze REALLY hard - caution when eating! Now I know.

Now I have a bunch of small treats in the freezer - awesome way to start the summer.

Iris

2010-05-27T15:53:00.003-05:00

This was one or two wimpy blooms just last year. I love when the yard gets prolific - the pics will be coming!

Stories of grandparents

2010-05-19T18:50:00.005-05:00

Papa & Grammie Musso (left) and Papa & Grammie Roelle (right) at Mom & Dad's wedding

Papa & Grammie Roelle (Cliff & Betty), my Dad's parents,were around quite a bit when we were kids, until they moved to Florida - sometime around Junior High, I think.
Before Grammie passed from lung cancer, both were heavy smokers. I remember leaning against Grammie once while in the kitchen and burning my hand on her cigarette.
Grammie knew I loved applesauce and always made a big deal about that. Made me like it more, perhaps.
I need to gather more stories about her, I realize now that I don't remember many details. Most of what I remember is of her passing and I'd like to instead remember her life.

Papa flew missions over the Pacific in World War II. He enlisted twice, the first time quite young. If I remember correctly, he was a gunner. When he was young, he looked like a movie star. He talked very little about his youth - but in the one story I remember, he looked out the window to see that the wing of his plane was missing. They went down into the water and were almost taken by a Japanese ship, but Americans came over the horizon just in time.
Here at home, he assembled plane models, did a bunch of woodcraft - making nativities and lights that looked like covered wagons. He collected Hess trucks and loved to fish.
When we were little, Papa had a stroke. He recovered, but often found himself reaching for words and it frustrated him. He talked less after that because he was self-conscious.
After Papa passed, I put together a scrapbook from his photos & papers, and Sonny put together a a display of his medals. I learned more about his childhood and his life before the grandkids came along which was very cool & important.

I miss them both and wish I could have had more time as an adult to spend with them, but I'm also grateful for the bits I have.

Sonny, Danny - chime in in the comments if you want with your memories. I'm going to take some time this summer to sit with Dad and learn more.

Mom & Dad now live in the 'ville

2010-05-17T15:23:00.003-05:00

The move was finished last Wednesday, the truck returned to U-Haul Thursday am. Sonny was able to come for a few days to help pack, consolidate, and move garage stuff over. Dan came Tues/ Wed and did a lot of the stuff a young back w/ lots of energy is handy for. I threw things away, burned papers, and packed things before Mom was ready to. ;) - and packed, consolidated, and did some hauling.

Weird to think that pics from now on will be at a different place. I'm conscious of it now, so it might not happen right away, but I'm sure I'll head the wrong direction at least once when going to visit. Dad was worried about steps forward or backward. There isn't forward or backward, Dad, it's just a step. It's different. It's a new adventure.

Talking to Mom last night, she said Dad had mowed the new lawn w/ his old mower - it took 1/2 an hour vs the 1/2 a day minimum on the old. He was psyched.
They'll have fun.

Book #9 -Fragile Things: Short Fictions and Wonders by Neil Gaiman. I loved the variety of the collection - and the notes from Neil on each piece made it that much more interesting. "Monarch of the Glen" was great, but I can't comment on that until #1b1t - the One Book One Twitter book club - is done for spoiler's sake. Another favorite was "Forbidden Brides of the Faceless Slaves in the Secret House of the Night of Dread Desire" ;) quite fun!

And another spring...

2010-05-04T12:41:00.003-05:00

Bad pun day - come on it's Star Wars Day (May the Fourth be with you!) How could I resist?

Seriously, I meant to put these pics on yesterday's post. One is the crazy sweet (Jenny, I think I'm using the word MORE since that conversation! :p ) weeds that covered our backyard before the first mow. The other are the forget-me-nots - one of our favorite flowers....

Long, muddy spring - books

2010-05-03T15:40:00.003-05:00

Actually, just one of the two fits that description...

Book #7 - The Frog & Toad Treasury by Arnold Lobel. These were a favorite of J's as a child and I've been reading a chapter or so before bed to help us get to sleep. TBH, I did not read them as a child. Not bad. Some cute stories. J's fave is "Cookies", mine was "The Story".

Book #8 - Cold Mountainby Charles Frazier. Geh. What a stone. Yay I'm done! First off, good stuff: it picks up in the back quarter of the book - better pace, stuff is happening, you care a bit. But the remainder! Every person is so miserable and in such miserable circumstances that while they may not be mean-spirited, they live mean lives. No joy. For so much of the book nothing happens and I found myself asking often - "why am I reading this again?". I have to check out what's next in my rotation, but even WWII testimonials will be a pick-me-up from this one! I've read darker books, but Frazier's prose, his use of local terms that mean nothing to me and feel gratuitous - it just drags it all down.

The Pheonix poll

2010-04-17T06:52:00.001-05:00

The local free paper The Pheonix is having its annual music poll, I am sending along one of my bands songs called "The Pheonix", it is about the paper, here are the lyrics:

Every Thursday I get excited
Because The Pheonix hits the stands
I pick one up and
Take it home then
Get disappointed
Once again

The City Paper I read in B'more
Would Keep me busy for some time
But if I got paid
To read the The Pheonix
Six bucks an hour
I'd make a dime

here is a link to the page for the best song catagory, we (The Sentimental Favorites) have a write in campaign under way for this song (go to the bottom of the column and write in The Sentimental Favorites, "The Pheonix" if you have the want to!)
http://thephoenix.com/BMP/Providence/Vote/SONG/

here is a link to the song itself: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#!/pages/Sentimental-Favorites/33798799802?ref=ts

Quick book review

2010-04-13T06:53:00.002-05:00

Book #6 - I wrote this up over at Media Creole. Wonderful, quick read that I think everyone can take something away from about life and dealing w/ what it throws at you.

Spring - before the squirrels attack

2010-04-12T22:42:00.002-05:00

Easter pics, early memories

2010-04-11T14:41:00.004-05:00

I'm currently reading Storycatcher by Christina Baldwin and I've come to the first series of "storycatching" exercises - recounting your earliest memory.

I was not yet 2-years old. I had been playing with my friend Kelly in the driveway, but he had to go home, across the street. Dad and I stood and watched him go. In my memory, I turn and see our house and our car - and there is no shed.

I can place the memory in time because I have another memory of looking at the balloons, gift table, and cake set up along the side of the shed for my birthday. Mom was VERY pregnant with Sonny, so that would have been my second birthday. Part of the memory of that party is spurred by home movies and photos of the day - but the angle of my view on the shed wall was not part of that, so that bit is my own, just as the earlier moment with Dad in the driveway was, as I do not know of pictures of the driveway minus the shed.

It's funny - in my memory I am me-sized - not small at all. I'm looking out from inside my head and it's what I observe that's important. I guess one key difference from then to now is the sense of self.

How about you? What is the first thing you remember?

Weird segue, but here are some pics from Easter. Mom, Dad, Dan, Tara and I went to brunch on Saturday (also Dan's birthday) to celebrate. Mom and I colored eggs Friday night - love how bright the colors were!

Joining the Party

2010-04-10T12:14:00.005-05:00

I'm putting The Roelle Kids into the Ultimate Blog Party 2010 (see the badge in the sidebar), with hopes of gaining a few more readers.

For those of you joining from UBP - The Roelle Kids is supposed to be the collaboration of 3 siblings - but my brothers don't show up often.

There's me - Aprille (aka @eileen53) - a marketer who loves to read and cook - wannabe kick-butt chic (Sidney Bristow is my goal), passionate about storytelling (though that's mostly another blog MediaCreole), family chronicler of sorts - married, 2 cats

Sonny is the middle child - wire artist extraordinaire - also member of Sentimental Favorites in Providence, RI - dating, turtle

Danny is the youngest - he's a drummer in multiple bands - currently Hipswitch, The Meta Accord, and Nic & the Nice Guys. He loves to cook and subs in at a restaurant in our hometown from time to time. - married, multiple fish

So, that's us. Here's a brief intro to the blog. Leave comments introducing yourselves - asking questions if you're curious about anything - would love to start some conversations!

Mom & Dad are moving

2010-04-06T21:43:00.002-05:00

When we were little, it seemed like we moved a lot. Nowhere near the level of armybrats or pk's (pastor's kids), but 4 years was the biggest hunk of time we spent in one house.

Of course, I'm super sentimental, so even a short amount of time in a spot makes me nostalgic. I want to lock all the memories of what happened there in a special place so nothing fades. I still run through our old houses in my mind, just to keep fresh the details of wallpaper, carpeting, imagined adventures as kids....

I think I was in junior high when my parents built the house they live in now - it was the one that broke the pattern. Our lot was carved from a cornfield - the summer after the house was built we tried weeding & planting grass systematically in square plots. It didn't work well - the barnyard dirt with velvet leaf made it impossible to keep up. Eventually we started mowing weeds and scattered the remaining seed.

This house saw a lot of formative experiences for us kids. It was here that we experienced our first real loss - with the passing of our Grandma Roelle. We lost Papa Roelle while living there, as well, and cousin Jeff.

We had our big high school graduation parties and both Dan & I got married while Mom & Dad were there - plus many other smaller family reunions and celebrations.

Now Mom & Dad are moving into town - downsizing a bit and able to have pizza delivered and walk to places. As I spent some time there over Easter weekend to pack my childhood room (yes, I had not yet done this), I took some video to mark some key spots.

This is several videos combined, so it's a bit long (5:30ish)

Projects

2010-03-10T21:29:00.002-05:00

Well, this is going to be a shorter post than originally planned because I accidentally wiped my before/ after pics of my latest projects off of my memory card. I'm excited, though, because something kicked into gear last weekend and I've started on some projects that had been mulling around in my head for some time.

Project 1 is a transformation of an old dresser into a bookshelf. I should be able to find a pic of the dresser before, so it will just be the in-progress stuff I've lost. This project isn't quite complete yet - I need to finish assembly and then finish it off. At first, I was just thinking of a plain paintjob, but now I have a couple of experimental ideas based on other interests of mine that I'm thinking I may as well try (the shelf itself will be a basement shelf, at least at first, so I can take some more risks than normal). I'm hoping to get back to this a bit on Sunday.

Project 2 was an effort to freshen up the bathroom just a bit. The window was always covered by the vinyl blinds for privacy. These were dusty and the brackets holding them in had yellowed - sad shape and sad enough that I despaired of getting them clean without devoting an entire day. I got rid of them, cleaned up the window and frame, and put a textured glass film over the lower pane to maintain privacy. Not only does it look sooo much cleaner - the bathroom is a ton brighter on sunny days - could help cut back on use of the light as well.

Book #5 -The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. A reread from high school days. It was alright. The forward was excruciating, but the pace of the book itself was much better. So many mixed metaphors in the portrayal of Pearl. And was the minister poisoned? Could he really have been that frail? More time on characters and less on clothes and the inherent evil nature of the wilderness they lived in would have been good. But overall, not torture.

(Currently reading Cold Mountain. A bit of torture there. Just seems to slog.)

The books that kicked off 2010

2010-02-20T12:28:00.003-05:00

I'm moving at a pretty good pace so far in 2010, on my 5th book, the 6th will follow right on top of it, once I get through this. (Though, I have to say, in the second chapter of Cold Mountain and it's a slog so far.) Also, as I work to participate more in the things I enjoy this year - including more frequent blogging on both blogs, I will TODAY post these new reads to Goodreads - which I completely neglected in 2009.

Book #1 - Cooking for Mr Latte by Amanda Hesser. Jenny lent this to me and I took it on the plane to CES - finished just a short while before reaching Vegas. A quick, cute read. Nothing super deep, but chock full of recipes and an interesting pictures of the hyper-foodie existence. (I like to consider myself a foodie, but I'm definitely NOT at that level)

Book #2 - Cat People by Michael Korda and Margaret Korda. Meh. I liked the individual cat portraits. But underlying it all was an inherent snootiness from the authors. It took a while to get any sense that they really loved these animals they took in. And I really don't care about how expensive and designer your furniture is, please stop referring to it as if it's a huge tragedy when it gets scratched.

Book #3 - Blackwood Farm by Anne Rice. I sit here shaking my head. It started out okay, but ended up taking way longer than it should have. The narrator was not someone I cared about a lot - too much a child of privilege, too obsessed with the labels for high end brands of clothing, etc. And one of the main "big twists" was a reach. Trying to do something new & different? You don't have to go that far. I did not find it compelling, a source of conflict or interest or intrigue.

And, on a more positive note:
Book #4 - The Town Below Ground: Edinburgh's legendary underground city by Jan-Andrew Henderson. This was fun. So fascinating to learn the history of this city, the population exploding while the footprint is trapped within walls. Horrifying to think of the conditions that the majority of the citizens lived in in Victorian times. Super cool to hear about the ghosts. I am a fan of books that delve into people who live in "forgotten spaces" and this is a great part of the list.

Ciao for now, more soon.

Moroccan Harira

2010-02-14T18:17:00.003-05:00

This is a winter of soups for me - trying to make one soup a week - all new ones so far.

The back story on harira - Moroccans eat it to break the fast each night during Ramadan (per Nancy Harmon Jenkins in The Mediterranean Diet Cookbook) - so it's hearty, but not heavy.

From: The Healing Foods Cookbook from Vegetarian Times

1/2c green lentils
1Tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1/2c chopped fresh parsley (didn't have - so I used a bunch of dried ground sage, which I have tons of)
1/2c chopped cilantro (sub dried)
1/2tsp dried ginger
1 cinnamon stick
15oz can chopped tomatoes,drained - liquid reserved
2c broth (I use veggie)
15oz can chickpeas, rinsed & drained
1/2c vermicelli

Tadouira (thickener)
2Tbsp flour
1/4c chopped cilantro
2Tbsp lemon juice
1Tbsp tomato paste

Cook lentils in pot of boiling salted water 2 min. Drain
Heat oil in pot over med heat. Saute onion, parsley, cilantro, ginger, & cinnamon 5 minutes - til onion is soft. Add tomatoes, saute 5 min.
Stir in broth, chickpeas, lentils, reserved tomato juice, 3c water, & salt & pepper to taste. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to med-low. Simmer, stirring occ., 45 min. or until lentils are tender.
Whisk flour with 1c waterin bowl. Whisk in cilantro, lemon juice, & tomato paste. Stir into Harira w/ vermicelli. Cook 3 min, or until vermicelli are soft.

Happy Valentines Day to all! I'm focusing on yummy food (fig & fennel bread, sw potato ravioli w/ sage butter sauce, and a Wegmans fruit tart) and making progress on house chores. J has a lot of schoolwork to do with the end of his quarter approaching, so we'll have a makeup night out when he's on break.

Pecan Soup

2010-02-01T17:28:00.002-05:00

*from Healing Foods Cookbook by Vegetarian Times

Native American Toasted Pecan Soup
Recipe says it serves 10, I halved it and got 4 servings

2 1/2 cups pecans
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped (2 cups)
1/4c agave nectar or maple syrup
1 Tbsp chili powder
2 cloves garlic, minced
3c veggie broth
4 sprigs fresh thyme**
1 bay leaf**
1c soymilk (I used real non-fat milk)
1/2c shredded cheese or an imitation of it, for garnish
1/4c chopped green onions, for garnish

**I used dried thyme and I think it overwhelmed other flavors a bit. Next time, I'll try a bouquet garni, instead.

1 - Preheat oven to 350. Spread pecans on baking sheet - toast 7-10 min, until fragrant. Cool 10 min, then coarsely chop

2 - Heat oil in saucepan over med heat. Add onion, saute 5 min, until soft. Stir in pecans, agave/syrup, chili powder, and garlic. Cook 2-3 min, until fragrant. Add broth, thyme/bay leaf, 4c water, and salt/pepper to taste - cover. Boil. Reduce heat to med-low & simmer 2 hours.

3 - Remove thyme sprigs/ bay leaf & puree soup in blender or w/ hand blender. Stir in milk/ soymilk. Reheat a bit & serve w/ cheese & green onion.

Jack

2010-01-24T17:18:00.004-05:00

I didn't think about writing this until I read Neil's post about his cat Zoe. I wanted to share our story, so here's what I sent:

Mom's cat, Jack, recently passed. He was 18 and had been going downhill, so it wasn't totally unexpected, but he was the stronger of the two, the scrapper, so we figured he'd be the last one to go.

Besides the loss of a dear friend that is a common thread, I also wanted to share Jack's story because his coloring was much like Zoe's (I always thought of it as a cross between Siamese & raccoon), but Jack also went blind in the last 6 months of his life.

Jack and his brother Yellow had been found by the woman who sold my parents their land. She was old and ill and only lived in the back two rooms of her house, leaving the rest to whoever chewed their way in. She fed the strays & barncats of the neighborhood and took a liking to the batch of kittens at her door. Unfortunately, her mean Chihuahuas did not. They were so mean to Jack that we loaned a toybox turned rabbit cage for him to stay in.

Spending a bit of his kittenhood (until both he & Yellow came to live with us) in a cage gave Jack a good-sized temper. We've seen him chase deer off the property more than once. When I was a teenager, he liked to launch through the air, landing securely with his claws in my thighs - but only when I was on the phone. Both cats went out as they pleased, less often at night after the coyotes got bad, and hunted and fought quite a bit.

As he aged, Jack mellowed and demanded much lap time and brushing from Mom. It was quite upsetting to see him circle in corners, trying to find his way about, near the end. And though it was not a total surprise, he is quite missed.

Holiday crafts

2010-01-17T20:24:00.003-05:00

I made a ton of crafty gifts for the holidays - several categories, each gift in a category was different. If I try to do that again, I'll get J to shoot me. Here's a sampling of what I did, though.

Books from scrap paper w/ postcard covers

Purses made from woven wrapping paper

Purses made from books

Bracelets of beads made from catalogue pages

Table made from books

So there it is. What do you think?

Before launching into 2010

2010-01-17T17:17:00.004-05:00

I'm approaching 2010 a little late, as is common for me in general. I'm starting my focused "resolution-type" efforts tomorrow - now that CES and a whirlwind visit by J's aunt are past. So, it's appropriate that, on this last day of "2010 denial", I'm writing about my year-end for 2009 (this will be the first of two posts today)

Books - I just got to 24 books last year. Ah, well, some were quite meaty and took a while. I'll shoot for 35 at least in 2010, if not the magic 50.

Book #22 - Haunted Providence: Strange tales from the smallest state by Rory Raven. My brother knows Rory and I've met him - he was a mentalist long before the show existed, and is quite the skeptic. Still he digs up some good tales and I love learning more about the city Sonny lives in. He also makes some great points about storytelling that I will be blogging about on Media Creole in the next week or so.

Book #23 - Black Water by Joyce Carol Oates. A fictionalized retelling of a tragic true story - a Senator leaves a party w/ a young girl, crashes the car in water, and the girl dies. Told from the girl's point of view and for the most part in the moments after the crash, flashback style. Powerful.

Book #24 - On Literature by Umberto Eco. A collection of essays and lectures, this can get quite technical at points and so is not recommended as a whole for the casual reader. Still there are some awesome points in here. Discussion on the search for the perfect language and how it ties to poetic artistry. A powerful essay on the power of falsehood, that, like Foucault's Pendulum, makes you realize how different history would be if one joke hadn't been played. The importance of literature:

...the wretches who roam around aimlessly in gangs and kill people by throwing stones from a highway bridge or setting fire to a child - whoever these people are - turn out this way not because they have been corrupted by computer "new-speak"(they don't even have access to a computer) but rather because they are excluded from the universe of literature and from those places where, through education and discussion, they might be reached by a glimmer from the world of values that stems from and send us back again to books.

Rochester eats

2009-11-05T09:28:00.002-05:00

Organizing some thoughts around food places here in Rochester - focusing on the city proper...partly as a reco for someone passing thru.

Fine dining -
Pane Vino - Water St
Bamba Bistro - Alexander St
Edibles - University Ave
Pier 45 - Charlotte port
Max - Memorial Art Gallery

Cupcakery -
Sugar Mountain - Alexander & Park

Pizza -
Tony D's - Corn Hill
Veneto - East Ave

BBQ -
Dinosaur - Court St

Thai -
Thai Taste (small, family run) - Mt Hope Ave
Siam - Corn Hill
Esan - Park Ave

Diner -
Jines - Park Ave
Charlie's Frog Pond - Park Ave

Greek -
Aladdin's - Monroe Ave

Sandwiches -
Open Face - South Ave
Orange Glory - East Ave

British Pub -
Old Toad - Alexander St

Just a few of my faves in the city, places I want to try. Feel free to add others in comments....

Furlough's over - it's a wrap!

2009-10-19T20:55:00.003-05:00

So, the furlough is up. Went back on the clock today. Had a ton of email to wade through and still need to get re-oriented around what's been done and what's waiting for me to do something.

I had started to picture my furlough as time spent wrapped up in the cocoon of craft ideas, herb harvests, books, and my slightly-OCD to-read pile rotation. I was nestled in home life - talking mostly to the cats, a bit to J. I got out a little bit, but just for fleeting moments.

I loved it. The contemplative side of me did, anyway. And yet I felt isolated, lonely, a bit too, without my friends to hang with or other people to talk to.

I geared up for my re-entrance. I steamed a bunch of clothes to have stuff ready. I was going to barrel in on Monday am, kick butt, and make everyone so happy I was no longer gone.

*snort* yeah, right. J wanted to leave early, I didn't get the chance I wanted to write this post, and the whole morning went off wrong. I was worried about those pants w/ this shirt, so resorted to just jeans and a nice shirt, but the vestiges of my cold decided to play w/ my body temp - I wavered between chilly and sweating most of the day and so remained wrapped in my hoodie. There were several moments when, yes (I have no shame), I actually got tangled up in my own hair. The triumphant nerd who trips on the door mantle on her entrance. MAN. Shall I try again tomorrow?

It's alright. I'll just write it off that I lost coordination on furlough. Everyone knows to milk it for a few days...

Book #21 -A Scanner Darkly: A graphic novel based on the novel by Philip K. Dick. Hmmm. Trippy. And yet, while you assume the plot is somewhat known, it's as roundabout as a drug-addled debate. I did not like the depiction of the scramble-suits, but concept makes stuff interesting.

Oh, PS - So I read the essay on Sylvie and it got somewhat more interesting, but not worth re-reading. Sometimes I think people just read too much into things.

Furlough - the middle

2009-10-16T09:04:00.003-05:00

My DSL has been spotty all week so I'm going to try to crank this out before it goes down again, but no promises.

Wednesday night I went to the Beer & Chocolate Tasting event at Tap and Mallet - a local pub that carries a wide variety of beer - and many dark ones. As a lover of "beer you can chew", the beer/ chocolate combo is quite natural to me - I love several chocolate stouts - hmmm can't think of one gone wrong so I guess I love any chocolate stout you put in front of me. I was surprised by the reaction of some people - lips curled, their body weight shifted away as if I had said something horrid. If it had been lemonade & chocolate - I learned in high school that combo is wretched, then I'd understand.
Anyways, the chocolate was exquisite - the dark beers in the pairings were quite nice (I skipped the paler beers - not my style and why spoil it?)

Thursday, I harvested the sage and most of the chives (one bunch was forgotten). This was such an odd year for the garden. Too much rain and cold to produce a lot berry-wise, flowers died fast in all the wet, too. But now I go out there and see that others took the opportunity to totally take everything over. Lemon balm is popping up where it never had before. Strawberries have infiltrated far further into the heart of the flower bed than I ever expected. Lots of clearing to do this fall/ next spring and then I'll have to keep a tighter reign next year.

Speaking of sage. I have tons. And it lasts - plus it is very rare to use more than 1 tbsp max in any meal. I have two large spice containers full of processed sage, 2 clementine boxes of dried sage to process, and a large shopping bag full of the latest. Have to think of a craft project that uses this stuff or else everyone gets a keg of it for Christmas. Thoughts?

Book #18 - Diary by Chuck Palahniuk. Pretty good. I want Sonny to read it. Some of the commentary on art school was great, though some of it got a bit long. One of those - "I would totally have seen it coming and bailed before they got me" - type books.

Book #19 - Straken by Terry Brooks. You guys know I love these books. They follow a pretty clearcut formula - a kid who doesn't think he/she is so special winds up being the only one who can save the land via the magic they didn't know they had. But it pulls you in deep real fast and you become immersed in it. The character development is great. In almost every book of these series, a character dies or comes close to dying and I cry. You wind up caring that much. Linked to the Word and the Void series in a way I haven't got to yet, the Shannara books tend to be more complex, with more plot lines running, but all well done.

Book #20 - Sylvie by Gerard de Nerval. I'm reading On Literature by Eco right now - a collection of essays & lectures. One is on this book - he opens it by gushing about how it "bowled him over" and talking about the love both he and Proust had for the short piece. He also highly recommended reading it before reading his essay. I'm thinking it's one of those stories (like "The Yellow Wallpaper" or "Turn of the Screw") that you really have to read in a critical setting - like a class or partnered with a critical evaluation to get anything out of. I read it and felt "meh". Do have to say, first book I've read on Google Books via my Touch - pretty cool that.

Furlough starts

2009-10-14T11:27:00.004-05:00

I'm off this week, but it's my furlough, which means I have no ties to whatever company it was that they thought I worked at anyway. I came into the week with plans to get a specific set of tasks done. They may still, but it's been slow going. Mostly because I'm fighting a cold and physically need to slow myself down sometimes. I'm trying to listen to the signals so that it won't take me out entirely, and in hopes that I'll recover faster.

I may have just needed a recharge anyway.

I'm reading a lot. Cooking about the same, though I'd like to do more - may make some bread today. The basil and mint have been harvested - and if this sun persists for at least 1/2 hr more, I'll take in the chives and sage today. (I have a pic of my monster basil but the network hates me today, so that will have to be part of another blog post.) The piles in my study are slowly ... well getting more organized anyway.

Speaking of food - I had promised to post this: Devil's Food Pancakes
1 1/4c flour
1c sugar
1/2c cocoa powder
1/2tsp baking soda
1/8tsp salt
2 eggs
1 yolk
3/4c buttermilk
1/4c vegetable oil (or sub in applesauce for a tasty lo-fat version)
1tsp vanilla

Combine flour, sugar, cocoa, soda, and salt. Whisk in eggs, yolk, buttermilk, oil, & vanilla until well blended.
Drop onto griddle & cook like typical pancakes.

And, as I read, I'm accumulating a (neat) pile of books to post about. Here's a few:

Book #16 - The Secret Books of Venus I and II by Tanith Lee. Meh. I got pulled in enough that they read pretty fast, but I didn't really care. I thought the religious "fervor" elements of primary characters in the Second book quite annoying and almost all of the epilogue to that one could have been done without to save it from cheese-ball classification.

Book #17 - Lord Minimus: The extraordinary life of Britain's smallest man by Nick Page. Fascinating tale of Jeffrey Hudson, at 18 inches tall a sufferer of growth hormone deficiencies. Unfortunately, while there are many remarkable events in Jeffrey's life that are significant enough to provide the records for Page to build his tale, Jeffrey is often just a sidenote and there's not a ton of rich information. You could say that makes even a bit more the everyman-who-fell-into-the grand-life, I guess. Just wish he kept a diary or wrote letters or something. As Jeffrey was a member of Charles I's court (or more specifically Queen Henrietta Maria's), also a good primer on a time in British history that I hadn't read much about.

A quick Method promo

2009-10-12T13:02:00.003-05:00

So, Jenny gave me a sample pack of Method cleaning products a while back. It had:

Hand wash
Dish soap
General purpose cleaner
Wood cleaner

Awesome stuff! We normally use the dish soap to wash hands in the kitchen, which always dries my skin on my palms, fingertips. The Method handwash was quite refreshing because it left a clean feeling - not greasy, but not dried out either.
First, I started using the wood cleaner to clean the shelf above our kitchen stove. The kind of spot that has sticky dust and a lot of it. The wood cleaner worked wonders. As I was up there, I looked at the walls above the shelf, and broke out the General spray. And I went a bit nuts, scrubbing all the walls. It worked great and they hadn't been tackled ... in a long time.

All in all, my kitchen is much cleaner thanks to the sample pack....

Focus, Possibility, and Vacation reads

2009-08-30T21:59:00.003-05:00

First - full disclosure - someone commented on the last post that "there's nothing cool about opening for Creed" and I deleted it because I didn't want to deal w/ snarkiness. TBH, I don't know Creed except to say I don't listen to them (I'm really bad at tying bands to music unless they're a fave), but whatever you think of them, my brother got to open for a band that drew thousands on a rainy night at a big venue for our parts. That's cool.

OK.

I spent my vacation recentering, spending time w/ J, both of us focusing more on diet and fitness - and I finally saw some minor progress towards my goal - down 4lbs... Ways to go, but good to see movement. I like the way my diet thinking has solidified and I'm hoping this extra step, coupled w/ continued workouts, proves the catalyst needed to keep driving to my goal. I want to dig out that bag of clothes I've stashed away for "when A loses the weight" and try them on again - and have some fit!

One of many awesome birthday gifts was a book called The Art of Possibility. I had forgotten it was on my wishlist, but am grateful it was chosen. The book is structured around "practices" that help to open up the realm of possibility. I'm going to try a practice a week - we'll see what happens. At home so far, practice one has had an impact though more subtle than blatant, I think.

Book #14 -Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell. LOVED IT! Structured like exploring a set of Russian nested dolls - the stories are so different in plot and voice and yet meld together into one big saga of where we've been, where we're going and the power one might have to change it. I have many pages flagged for quotes - some for "deep meaning", some for the beauty of the language.

Book #15 - Zombie Haiku by Ryan Mecum. And now for something completely different! Fun romp thru zombieland, though you have to set aside the nagging feeling that zombies who don't remember doorknobs and are dropping pieces of themselves left and right probably can't keep a good haiku journal.

Laughter, tears, and cheetah groundhogs

2009-08-15T17:06:00.003-05:00

Tidbits today.

Sonny had a show recently that got written up in Boston's Phoenix paper. Very very cool.

Danny has been playing more gigs than ever with his various bands. The biggest of late was opening for Creed at Darien Lake. Mega cool.

The other day I was waiting outside by myself for a delivery. Walking around in circles, leaning on a street sign. Feeling generally awkward to just be standing there.
As I'm leaning on the sign, scanning for the delivery guy, a cop car pulls up.
Two thoughts automatically pop up in my head - 1) Is it illegal to lean on street signs? 2) Maybe it's Mark or Jason - the guys I know in the RPD.
He stops a short distance away. I gulp a bit.
His hand comes out of the window and makes a "come here" motion. Uh oh.
I walk up. Not Mark, not Jason. I lean towards the window, hands in pockets. "Hey, how's it going?" (Picture a golly-gee-willikers fist pump here)
Guy looks at me. Points out that he was just letting the person standing behind me cross the street.
Mortified!!!
But the best part was telling this to Jenny & Tina - who double over with laughter and even had me in tears recounting it...

Earlier this summer, J and I were driving by a big lawn on the way to errands one evening. We enjoy spotting the groundhogs that often litter the green expanse, so I was keeping my eyes open. And saw this incredible image. A groundhog RUNNING! He was booking somewhere (and I like to think it was a joyous and not a lifesaving type of thing). He flew over dips, legs extended in each direction. The cheetah-hog. Awesome....

Two catchup books.
Book #12 - Autobiography of a Schizophrenic Girl: The true story of "Renee" w/ forward by Frank Conroy. Fascinating. Renee's story is presented in so matter of fact a manner. Things just get very different from normal. The extent of the loss of reality defies categorization and she's often forced to bucket things in ways that aren't right just to try to convey what's going on. Voices, for example, are more compulsions from "elsewhere". The therapist's interpretation is baffling to me. First, she often uses "psycho-babble" - words that do not need to exist (like utilize in business!!), where syllables are added just to make it sound more official. Then, she's pinned all of Renee's issues to the fact that she was weaned prematurely. Geh? How about the fact that her mother discovered her father cheating, which broke up the marriage and made her mother threaten suicide - right at the time when Renee first started experiencing symptoms???? Never mentioned it. Seemed weird. Good book though.

Book #13 - The Secret of Two-Edge: Book 6 in the ElfQuest reader's collection by Richard & Wendy Pini. To balance #12 - I don't have much to say. Kinda' fun, kinda' ok. Meh.

Two quick food bytes

2009-08-12T08:46:00.002-05:00

I had a couple of recipe requests on Twitter - so I'm posting them here quickly. I owe 2 books - hopefully this weekend...

J's simple pho
(note, J does not cook by recipe and is uncertain of volumes. Use best judgement)
Broth: veggie broth ~1/2 strength. Oyster sauce. onion, garlic, hot pepper. Powdered ginger. Dry lemongrass.

Cook shrimp in the boiling broth. Add chopped sun-dried tomatoes early (if using dry - if using ones packed in oil, add at end w/ peas)

Make rice noodles in another pot (the ones we tried fell apart too easily; need to find sturdier noodles)

Combine stuff in bowls, add pea pods broken into bit-sized bits. Serve with basil, lemon balm leaves, and hot sauce.

Bulgar w/ peas, sun-dried tomatoes, & mint
Melt 1tbsp butter in a saucepan. Add 1c bulgar, a couple of cloves of crushed garlic. Toast briefly.
Add 2c water, frozen peas, and some dry ginger.
Let simmer until most liquid is gone. Meanwhile re-hydrate sun-dried tomatoes (if you have dry (same as above) - place in 1c water and heat in microwave til boiling - let sit 5min.
Add chopped sun-dried tomatoes, chopped fresh mint leaves, and a bit more dry ginger.

Summer refocus

2009-07-05T20:42:00.003-05:00

Trying to refocus a bit on where I want to be healthy eating wise and workout wise. Just a day or so in, but it feels so good, why is it so hard to keep up? Well, part of the workout problem was the ankle. We'll see how this new workout goes.

Also, trying to make faster progress on projects now that a certain big one (which I'll talk about more later this month) is out of the way... Inspired (and egged on) a bit by the maniac redo of a bathroom & some other stuff next door.

But, mostly, I posted to list the latest books - I've had a bit of a burst lately.

Book #9 -The Incredible Hulk: Transfer of Power written by Bruce Jones, pencils by Stuart Immonen, inks by Scott Koblish. I love the Hulk. Even though he doesn't show much in this particular one, when he does, it's awesome. Another treat is a reference to a children's classic in the artwork....

Book #10 - The Elric Saga, Part 1 by Michael Moorcock. I was curious about this because a friend was gung-ho super into the series. While I intend to put the subsequent books on my library list, I won't add them to my "to buy" list. The stories pulled me along at a pretty good clip, but the lack of character development was annoying. At first I thought it was for everyone but Elric. Yes, true - any culture or character outside the central figure is very flat - but then I realized that Elric himself is never fully explored. So much about personality is stated as a straight fact and depth is never given. One more ding - the dialogue had a tendency to the over-fluffy, fake-formal you see sometimes in books of medieval days.

Book #11 - Moomin: The complete Tove Jansson comic strip: Book 2 by Tove Jansson. I loved the first in this collection and liked this one even better. Poor Moomin fares a bit better in this one - never at the point of losing everything.... As a family, the Moomins face their off-the-wall adventures. And their light-hearted, positive spin prevails, over hordes of young Mymble-siblings, over Stinky and his schemes, and so on. Fun.

(Book #12 will be done soon - maybe a day or so)