Band battle, Father's Day - and books

Last Wednesday, I went out to support Dan's band, Moon Zombies, in a battle of the bands, competing for a spot at the 10 Ugly Men festival this summer. It was my first time hearing them and they are a boatload of fun. A couple of songs have stuck in my head, too. A good potential Derby band, hint, hint. Check them out here.

Awesome show. We won't talk about the contest but just say that Moon Zombies kicked noisy-guitar scratch booty.

So then, on Sunday we went out to Mom & Dad's for Father's Day. Danny cooked steaks on the grill and I brought dessert. We sat and watched a bunch of the last Indiana Jones movie beforehand (Dad really liked the prep vs greaser fight at the coffee shop).

Dad is awesome, btw.


I hadn't made cake in forever and tried a new recipe from Moosewood Desserts - Maple Cake and Maple Buttercream Frosting (I put strawberry jam and fresh strawberries between layers). Here's how it came out. Quite yummy. I messed up measurements a bit, but it came out nice, so it'll prob be even better when I adjust it next time.



Books:
Book #8 - Death: The Time of Your Life by Neil Gaiman. A nice interlude to Absolute Sandman.

Book #9 - Absolute Sandman: Volume 3 by Neil Gaiman. J bought me this one for Christmas, so it was extra special because it was new and mine. :) Felt there was some diversion as people were at the Inn telling tales, but I know everything is more related than you might think, so I happily kept chugging. The Orpheus stuff was a bit rough.

Book #10 - The Perennial Philosophy by Aldous Huxley. It took a while to read because I took it in bits and bites, but I love the premise of highlighting the core beliefs that all faiths have in common and talking about something above them all that does not need the trappings of power or ritual. I don't necessarily agree with all of it, but do have lots of stuff highlighted.

Book #11 - The Beautiful Cigar Girl: Mary Rogers, Edgar Allen Poe, and the Invention of Murder by Daniel Stashower. This was really cool on several levels. The Mary Rogers case and the fact that it was never truly solved is intriguing. The details of Poe's life from a non-judgemental perspective. How he used the Rogers case to build on his new detective style. The abortionist who built a mansion on 5th Ave - the house built on baby's skulls (an American Horror Story relate).

Book #12 - Haroun and the Sea of Stories by Salman Rushdie. Once again Rushdie swept me away with the rhythm of his language. The book uses many techniques common to oral tales and would be perfect to read aloud. But this in a book dedicated to the power of Story in a sad world, when I am starting out in story myself. Loved it. Read it in a day. Want to reread.

Graphic novels

Getting back into the Twitter bookclub has been good for my reading pace, at least (since in my regular rotation I'm still slogging a bit with Henry James' The Golden Bowl). February was graphic novel month - it started with Book #3 - Understanding Comics.

Book #4 - Maus: A survivor's Tale and Book #5 - Maus: And here my troubles began by Art Spiegelman. I had heard about Maus in college, but never read it. While the mice have rather plain faces, they are so expressive. The father and step-mother, in their old age, were portrayed so well. It seemed like my grandparents had walked onto the pages (minus the Holocaust and Jewish faith bits). The story of the Holocaust is matter of fact, yet gut-wrenching. I found myself hoping "maybe this was as bad as it got" and then being proved wrong time and again.

Book #6 - Une Semaine de Bonte by Max Ernst. Wow. Incredible collage work. Although, I have to wonder about some of Ernst's sources for the image pieces, especially the worms and bugs. He must have been tied into some weird publications in order to come up with this. I love the style, except I lament the lack of text. I want a story, a narrative. Combine the surreal images with no text and I can't find one. I struggle to tie one image to the next, except they seem like different perspectives on a scene. Appreciate the art, but can't consider it a novel.

Book #7 - The Sandman: Preludes and Nocturnes by Neil Gaiman. I've read this several times before, but it's still really good. I especially noticed Gaiman's skill at conveying time and fatigue. I also liked the pages where things are a bit akimbo, off-balance, and the panels are all tilted. A really well-built and well-told story.

Winter puttering

We've been puttering a lot lately. Working on projects of our own. Collaborating a bit. J playing Minecraft, me crafting... It's quite cozy, though we need to make sure we don't both sit in our studies all night.

Book #3 - Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art by Scott McCloud. I finally got back into the Twitter book club (1book140) just in time for graphic novel month! Enjoying the conversation. This was the first read of the month. I really liked McCloud's points on characters (photo-realistic vs cartoon and their roles) and time portrayal across cultures.

Cartoon is a vacuum into which our identity and awareness are pulled ... an empty shell that we inhabit which enables us to travel in another realm.

When talking about time and storytelling in Eastern cultures, the recent read of Murakami was a perfect fit.
A really good treatise on a too much maligned form of storytelling.

Hodgepodge - dead, beer, and cassettes

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

I still need to close out 2011

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.

I'm so behind on books

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.

30 Days of Creativity - Day 5

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 1

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.

Winter reads

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.

Quick bits

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

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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Holiday crafts & books, Part II

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

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!

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.

Art, music, and books

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


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



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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.

A couple of books, quickly

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.

Vacation week in review

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! ;-)

I am awesome! *snort* - hodgepodge

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.

Mom & Dad now live in the 'ville

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!

Long, muddy spring - books

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.