A Nice Day on the South Shore

Record breaking highs today in Mass. Ninety-one degrees! Mom had the day off, and I had to come down to the South Shore for a dr's appt.

When I got to the house, Mom packed up a nice picnic lunch while I chatted with Gramma out in San Fran. She's getting better and the doctor said she's doing well, so that's good.

Then Mom and I went to Hingham Harbor. We shared her radio headphones and listened to WZLX while looking out onto the sea. Lovely. There were a bunch of people there, too, getting sun and enjoying the weather.

Here was our menu:

• lemonade
• cheese & tomato on onion roll (for the vegetarian)
• turkey and swiss on onion roll (for mom)
• olives from the olive bar
• strawberries
• kettle potato chips (way too tasty)

We sat on the granite bench dedicated to a woman who had passed away. Can't remember the name...but it's a lovely bench. We watched a buncha boys playing on the man-on-horse bronze statue as if it were a jungle gym. I told Mom about the pre-21-yr-old summer nights when Adam L and I would buy Swisher Sweets and smoke stogies on the grassy knoll. Good times!

Wardrobe Change!!! - what's up with the Red Sox?

Hmmm... It seems these days that Sox have more uniform changes than Britney, Cher and Streisand combined.

The retro 80s inspired grey with blue lettering. The green accented costume. The red shirts when away with the grey pants. And on and on and on.

It's a bit...well, you know what I'm getting at. Not that there's anything wrong with that...

http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/extras/extra_bases/2008/12/red_sox_unveil.html

On TV right now: Secretary

Hooo, what a messed up movie Secretary. I've watched it 5 times total, counting today, since in came out back in 2002.

My God it is so weird. The strange yet alluring sexual tension that comes about from typos, red markers and spankings...The actors are very perfect for it. When I think weird actors, I think James Spader and I think Maggie Gyllenhal.

But what does it all mean? I think that it's an imaginative screenwriter (adaptation, apparently) extended surreal metaphor for a regular old effed up relationship reimagined with an eyebrow raising WTF spin.

What do you think?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16ISnq5GfPA

1000 Things To Say about Things

Happy 1000th post! Thanks for reading, readers. See you in the next 1000 & on.

Dance Party USA

We had an impromptu dance party at eighteen alhambra. It involved Susan Boyle and Shaheen Jafargholi, Ting Ting, M. I. A. (I even stuffed a pillow under my shrit to be like her at the Grammys) and this:






Lauryn Hill was so freakin' great before she went nutso.

This Was Real Good

Went to a reading featuring Corina Copp and Dana Ward. Both were spectacular:

Corina Copp - http://www.readab.com/ccopp.html

Dana Ward - http://www.durationpress.com/bookstore/ebooks/ward/ward.pdf and http://www.cypresspoetry.com/

My Day

sucked but at least I didn't get arrested. Everyone, all the police and stuff, they were real nice.

That's all I feel like talking about because I've gone through the story so much today.

Just remember boys and girls, pay your traffic tickets on time!

Recipe: Fruit Chocolate and Coconut Granola Mix

Fruit Chocolate & Coconut Granola Mix

New granola mix ingredients:

1 cup granola
2 handfuls chopped almonds
1 handful sunflower seeds
1 handful craisins
1 handful dates
1 handful raisins
smattering coarsely chopped semi-sweet choc chips
sprinkling of coconut

I have Greek Yogurt to mix it with. I also have soymilk juicebox size servings, to take to work on Saturday mornings. That way I don't have to mix with the Starbucks mocha drink, like I did the other week.

This is so good because if covers so many servings: 1 whole grain, 1 fruit, 1 nut/seed and with the milk/yogurt, 1 dairy.

The Stars Align in Boston Sports

An American man and woman came in 3rd place for their first Boston Marathon today. They'll only get better, some say, which would be nice. But I'm happy for Ethiopia and Kenya, the home countries of today's first place male and female races, respectively.

Patriot's Day also featured it's regular Boston Red Sox Game, starting at 11. I used to go to that one every year for years and years. I miss that. Maybe I should start that tradition up again starting next year. It was a Henry VIII style York Uprising type slaughter of the Birds (been watching the Tudors, obv.), 12-1.

Tonight, the Bruins beat the Canadiens, 4-2. I didn't watch much of that game. I took a nap from 5-9 because I've been having silly late nights lately. Also, there was the Celtics game, so I caught that instead.

Whoo-eeee. What a game. Ray Allen was SILLY with the 3s and 3s and 3s in the 4th. It was amazin'.

All and all, quite a nice day to be a Boston sports fan.

A Reading I Went to in 2006

Here's a clip from when Pierre Joris read at the New Writing Series at UMaine when I was living up in Orono in 2006:




This was one of my most fun nights that year, actually. I got my friend Matt to go with me, even though he was an engineering major and like to do his physics homework in pen. Then Jennifer invited those of us in the Symbolism class I was taking to come over for cocktails after the reading, and other alum were there for the reading, too, and came to their house after. I was still quite a regular smoker then and Pierre kept taking my cigarettes. That's when I said to him, "Um, you know, on my way here I got a call from Bill Cosby and he was like, 'Have you seen my ugly sweater, I think Pierre Joris took it to Maine.'" And that's why he remembered me a year and a half later when I saw him read in Boston or Somerville, rather.

THE END

Those Blue Cups in NYC

For as long as I can remember, I've wondered exactly what those coffee cups in New York TV shows and movies are. And I've googled it often throughout the years without getting an answer.

Right now, I'm watching "If Lucy Fell" (Sarah Jessica Parker, Elle MacPherson, Eric Schaeffer, Ben Stiller and a cameo by a very very young Scarlett Johansen) and they busted some of those cups out, so I thought to give it another whirl at the Google and --- SUCCESS!

http://www.newyorkfirst.com/gifts/7073.html

Explains the whole story about the coffee cup designer wanting to appeal to the Greek restaurants and vendors and you can buy them. Insteresting!

Mystery solved.

This Week in WTF - Turks Make Song Time for Obama

Just watch it.

What Will the US Do to Free Roxana Saberi?

Alert alert alert: U.S. journalist Roxana Saberi, who has been imprisoned in Iran for months, has just been charged and convicted of espionage & sentenced to 8 years in prison.

The charges are baseless and the State Dept is calling for her immediate release.

At this point, it is not clear what can and will be done to free her.

Keep following the story at NPR:

http://www.npr.org/search.php?text=roxana+saberi

Iran scares the crap out of me. There's chatter amongst the military that once Iraq is done, Iran is next. O God I hope not.

Grove Press on NPR

Right now, I'm listening to a story on NPR about Grove Press.

So weird, sometimes, how things come up over and over again. I swear I've read something about or heard mention of or realized a favorite book was published by Grove Press every week for the past month.

Isn't that weird? First time around it was Joe LeSeuer mentioning Joan Mitchell in "Digressions on Some Poems by Frank O'Hara", which I have been dabbling with since November. So, I went to Old Reliable (notsomuch) Wikipedia to read up on Mitchell. Her entry mentions that she married Barney Ross, the former owner of Grove Press.

Grove Press published lotsa Henry Miller books. I have inherited a great number of Henry Miller books from my Uncle Dominic's library, which is why, when I read of "Grove Press" on the wikithingy I thought, "Where have I heard that?"

However, it turns out that my Ex-Dead-Gay-Poet-Boyfriend, Robert Duncan (recently dumped for John Wieners; I'm such a regionalist, for someone who's allegedly so unfond of the South Shore!) was also published by Grove Press, including my beloved The Opening of the Field.

And now the story on NPR about Barney Rosset, promoting his new biogrpahy "The Subject is Left-Handed". Funny little thing, that is.

Teabagging Teabagging Teabagging

Phwoar har har har har har! Teabaggin'! The Republicans teabagged each other yesterday! There was some serious teabagging amongst all the Republicans who just love teabagging, especially the guys bringing their teabags with other Republican guys and teabagging for each other as guys with teabags. TEABAG!!!!

Watch Olbermann make, by my count, fifteen innuendos in the first 3 minutes of this segment:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036677/#30217426

Then read coverage at Wonkette.
http://wonkette.com/tag/teabagging

Then read a spin off of Wonkette, by regular commenters (way more regular than me) who made their own website for the Teabagging Event of the Century.
http://teablogging.net/

This Week in WTF - Not the Onion

These are the top three stories on RealClearPolitics's page right now. Not the Onion. Not the Daily Show. These are real news stories. How did the world come to this?

-Pirates
-Texas secession
-Ring-wing Homegrown Turrirests

Why I Became a Librarian*

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=55408523

Once upon a time, I was an English teacher. But now I am not. Watch this video -- starring my former students -- and see why, for now, I prefer to work at a library.

Good Lord - Cougars

Oh yay! There's now a dating reality show, modeled after "The Bachelorette", only the woman is a Cougar with her pick of young guys. Yay yay yay!!!!!!!

http://www.tvland.com/prime/shows/cougar/season1/

Description from homepage: Twenty young men compete for the love of a sexy, sophisticated 40-year-old in this game-changing reality show. Who will make the best first impression -- and who will go home?

Tomato Carrot Salad Recipe

Tomato Carrot Salad

2 vine ripe tomatoes, chopped
2 carrots - peeled, chop the top off, then coin shave from teh top down into thin slices
fresh parmesan - shaved off the block, about 1 oz
1 tsp evoo
1 tsp creamy parmesan dressing (Newman's is best!)
salt & pepper

Mix all ingredients in small mixing bowl and serve. It's sweet, just a little crunchy and pretty good for you.

Health tip: You know you need a little bit of fat to go with your fat-less veggies, right? Other wise you can't get all the nutrients your veggies have to offer because they go through your system too fast. There's this little "fingers" in your intestines called villus. If there isn't a smidge of fat eaten with your veggies, the villi can't pick them because they're moving too rapidly past them. That's why you're supposed to have a -little- bit of dressing with salad. The problem is that we get served two or three tablespoons of dressing, ending up with some dressing with a side of salad.

Tuna and Parsley Salad Melt Recipe

Tuna and Parsley Salad Melt

2 c chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
1 2 oz can drained albacore tuna
2 tbs mustard
1 tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 tbs balsamic vinegar
1/2 small onion, minced -or- 1 heaping tsp dried onion
2-3 clove minced garlic -or- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp pepper
sprinkle of salt
2 oz fresh part-skim mozzarella - shred half, slice the other
1 kalamata olive roll

Set oven to 450. Slice roll in about 8 slices. Place on cookie sheet. Put in oven to toast while preparing tuna salad. In a mixing bowl, add chopped parsley, vinegar and mustard. Mix well until the parsley is well coated and wilted from the liquid. Flake the tuna and add to bowl. Add all other ingredients except sliced mozzarella.

Turn over down to 250. Take the bread out and flip over each piece. Scoop salad onto each piece, about 1 heaping tbs per slice. Place mozzarella on top. Bake about 20 minutes.

Remove, let cool a moment then serve.


How this recipe came about: I only had about $15 on me at Whole Foods, so I did some light grocery shopping. Tuna - 1.49, flat leaf parsley - .99, olive roll - .89, Snack Size Cheese - .80. The mustard, balsam, olive oil and spices I had at home.

Shopping cheap at Whole Food! Amazin!

This Week in WTF - More on the Epidemic of Murder Suicides

WTF?

New Orelans, Milton, upstate New York, Michigan, Washington, Phoenix, North Carlina, Santa Clara, Ohio, Los Angeles, and Florida.

If you Google "murder suicide" today, THREE DIFFERENT STORIES come up at once on the newswire, including a mother who shot her 20 year old while they were at a shooting range. The last thing she said was, "I am the anti christ." Then she shot her son in the back of the head before shooting herself.

This is so wrong and so scary. But the worst is, how do you stop it? I mean what action can be taken to prevent people from going on rampages?

People are attributing this to a number of different reason, the number one being the bad economy. I don't know. It's just--I don't know.

This Week WTF - Oregonian Fetishists Beware

The Oregon legislature dealt with this bill recently:

Modifies crime of sexual abuse in second degree to include intentionally propelling dangerous substance at another person for purpose of arousing or gratifying sexual desire.

(3) As used in this section, “dangerous substance” means blood, urine, semen or feces.

So, no reenacting German shisse video without expressed consent.

Hmmm...WTF prompted such legislation in the first place? And imagine the police blotter:

Smith, Ken L., 23, ARRESTED, Monday, April 20

for dropping a deuce on the chick
he was hooking up with.

LOVELY!!! I read about this on Wonkette.

The Passing of Nick Adenhart of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

I just read a very maudlin article about a real tragedy. Rookie pitcher Nick Adenhart of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. After pitching 6 shut out innings against the Oakland A's in his first ever major league appearance, ehwas struck and killed by a drunk driver, not long after midnight in Fullerton, CA.

This article covering the story, from MLB.com, is rather interesting:

ORANGE, Calif. -- On one of the saddest mornings in Angels history, a groundskeeper on the field in Angel Stadium smoothed the pitching rubber on which Nick Adenhart stood 13 hours before...

...Of all the sad, thoughtful and poignant sentiments that ensued, nothing spoke louder of Adenhart's affect than the eyes of agent Scott Boras, which weren't vacant but wet...

I'm not sure how much I believe Boras's emotions. Since he's Boras.

...Although Thursday night's game is off, the entire roster will convene in its Angel Stadium locker, with Scioscia holding a meeting to begin the healing process...

and finally

...But ERA is not the most compelling acronym of Nick Adenhart's legacy. It is RIP...

While the tragedy is incredibly sad for the family, the friends, and those associated with the organization, I'm displeased by the Voctorian-era maudlin journalism of this article. It's a bit much for me. I would rather less syrupy language on speculating about the emotions of the players and more professional journalism.

Best Take Out Italian: Comella's (located around Boston, including .5 mi from my house)

Comella's of the Boston area is a local chain famous for their "messes". That is, they have a secret (vegetarian based) sauce they call a "mess" and on top of that they add all different type of ingredients: veggies, shrimp, sausage, chicken, meatball, eggplant or some combination thereof.

You can order just a plain mess (with penne pasta) or eggplant parm or stuffed shelled (my fav). There's also the old standbys like fettucine, chicken parm, etc. They have a great ravolio selection and I think next time around I'm going to try the spinach gnocchi.

And did I mention it's cheap and fast? It is. Plus the portions are generous. Yum! Especially when you don't feel like cooking because you've been cleaning your house and working on writing all day!

Scathing blog post by Robert Reich about Hedge Fun Mngrs

Oh my goodness.

Hedge fun managers made a combined 11.5 BILLION dollars last year. Thanks to, well, you and me, actually. Since we bailed them out. And now, they're going to buy those troubled, oops, I mean "legacy" assets from the banks with the money we gave them. And if it doesn't work out for them, guess who takes on all the risk? You and Me!

Excerpt:

So you and I and other taxpayers have kept these hedge-fund honchos flush enough to be able to reap the bonanza that Geithner now wants to bestow on them for cleaning up the mess they and others on Wall Street made -- a bonanza to be financed by you and me and other taxpayers, who are taking on all the risk.

Full text:

http://robertreich.blogspot.com/2009/04/why-you-should-work-for-hedge-fund.html

Don't forget to read the end where Robert Reich slams in Economics Arch Nemisis Larry "The Blob" Summers.

Recipe: White Beans and Pasta Recipe

White Beans and Pasta Recipe

1 box pasta
1 tbs butter

2 tbs evoo
1 quartered and sliced med onion
1 tsp honey
2 cloves of chopped garlic
2 tbs fresh dried oregano (not the flakes, but the real thing)
1 can of white beans, drained
1 can of diced tomatoes

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 c. veg broth

parmesan cheese to garnish

Cook pasta to just before al dente, drain and set aside in back in stock pot. Keep separated with butter. Season with salt and pepper.

In large skillet, heat evoo over med high heat. Add sliced onion. Stir frequently. Cook about 5 minutes then add honey & garlic. Cook another two minutes, stirring occasionally. Add white beans and oregano, lower heat to med. Stir and simmer until beans are tender. In the pasta pot, add the beans, the cinnamon, the cayenne pepper, the tomato, the broth. Stir all ingredients well. Cover and simmer over med low heat about 15-20 minutes. Taste for incorporation of all flavors and remove from heat when ready to eat. Garnish with parmesan cheese.

This Week in WTF - Someone Stole Pack!!!!

Mrs Mallard, AKA "Momma Duck" giving me a kiss

Some major a-hole stole Pack, sibling to Jack, Kack, Lack, Mack, Nack, Ouack and Quack, and off-spring of the lovely Mr and Mrs Mallard of 1 Boston Common, Boston MA.

WTF???????

That is, someone stole the second to last bronze duckling statue of the "Make Way for Ducklings" tribute in Boston Common.

I feel so violated. It's like someone crushed Oscar's trash can or stole Mr Roger's car. (That actually did happen, but the person returned it and left a note, "Sorry! We didn't know this was yours!" I heard it on "Wait, Wait! Don't tell me!")

If you have any information about the whereabouts of Pack, please,as the Boston Globe says, call the District A-1 detectives at 617-343-4248. People can also leave anonymous information by calling CrimeStoppers at 1 (800) 494-TIPS or texting the word ‘TIP’ to CRIME (27463).

Sesame Street Live

Ha ha. I might be going to Sesame Street Live with my cousins Meg han and Gr ace. Why? Oh because my old boyfriend who I'm still v. g. friends with, and his sister, who is super cool, both really want to go see it, don't know any kids in the area to take as an excuse to go and so he asked me for the "cover story". Ha ha ha ha. Actually, I saw the commercial the other day and I kinda wanted to see it, too. Plus, M & G are lots -o- fun, so I'm happy to have a date with them. Hooray for being single but having young cousins, so I can go to little kid things without feeling like a freak.

New Tori Coming in May...

Tori Amos's TENTH (God, that makes ME feel old) album is coming out this May 19. This was announced a while ago, but I'm just catching up on my RSS Feeds. And interview about the album is available here:

http://www.spinner.com/2009/03/10/tori-amos-reveals-sinful-cover-art-tracklisting/

Excerpt:

What was the impetus behind this new collection?

I'm drawn to questioning what traditional authorities have defined sin to be. As a minister's daughter, I've been exposed to the traditional belief system. [Sin] has been used to shame and control people. If you're controlled by a religious structure, then you're going to have a very different outlook on life and what you're open to than if you're not controlled by these old, crumbling concepts.

More links and info and whatever else Tori you're hankering for:

http://www.toriamos.com/

Oh My Goodness - Look Who's Back!

If the movie is anything like the trailer, I just couldn't be more excited for July 10.

http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2009/04/02/bruno-trailer-arrives-has-sacha-baron-cohen-delivered-again/

Massachusetts Tourism Ad

Okay, so, there's this commercial and website for vacationing in Massachusetts and while looking at it, I'm like, "I know that place and that one and that and that, too..." Neat-o. It's The Cape, the Islands, Fanueil Hall, USS Constitution or The Mayflower, Boston Harbor, a chickadee (state bird), that gazebo might be the one on the mall in Lexington (white of their eyes, etc.), Salem - I think, and the flying sting ray might be a resident at the Aquarium. Not sure what the brown building is, under the blue butterfly, but there is a Butterfly Emporium at the Franklin Park Zoo.

So, here's their website:

http://www.massvacation.com/

I do a lot of touristy things for a resident. I could be a tour guide!

The Story of Nathaniel Ayers and Steve Lopez

NPR featured an unforgettable story back in 2005

Commentator Steve Lopez has been writing for newspapers for three decades, but one story he wrote about this past year has moved him in a way no other story has. It's the story of Nathaniel Ayers: He was once a student at Juilliard and now lives on the streets of Los Angeles.

There's also an interview with Steve Lopez from Fresh Air.

I remembered both the commentary and the interview immediately when I saw the trailer for this movie last week:

http://www.soloistmovie.com/

If the movie "The Soloist", starring Jamie Foxx and Robert Downey Jr, is remotely as compelling as the reporting from Lopez, then this movie is going to be a heart-tugger, tear-jerker wonderful experience. I say I don't want to see it, simply because I am a wimpy cry-baby and I know I'll go through tissues A LA "The Notebook" or "Cold Mountain" but, yeah, I'm going to see it anyway. It looks really good.

Recipe: Korma Curry Potatoes & Veggies

Korma Curry Potatoes & Veggies Recipe

3 potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1/2 in pieces (for quicker cooking)
3 carrots, peeled and cut in half length-wise then chopped (for quicker cooking)
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 med onion, chopped
2 c. baby spinach, rinsed and well chopped
1/4 c. water
1 cup of Korma Curry sauce (mine was from a jar...)
2 tbs evoo

Cut potatoes and carrots first. Put into microwave safe bowl with 1/4 c. of water and zap for 2 minutes while you chop the onion, celery and spinach. In large skillet, heat evoo over high heat. Add the onion and celery. Stir well and cook until veg are tender. Add the potato, carrot and water. Pour sauce over veggies and stir well. Turn heat to medium. Add spinach in batches, a handful at a time, stirring into skillet and incorporating into the mix before adding the next handful until all the spinach is well blended into the veggie mixture. Put on med high heat until sauce is bubbling, turn heat to low, cover and let simmer for 30 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

I like to garnish with hot sauce.

A Walk Through the Neighborhood

Rene, Maddie and I went for a walk around the neighborhood today. A funny thing happened on Centre St. We found this weird plastic doll, a hipsterish looking chick with one green car and one blue one for her shoes. Isn't that something?

Then Rene found a remote control at the Corey Street intersection. When we walked passed the post office, I saw a little red box that looks like a bag that had a Guess? logo on the front. Worried that someone had left something valuable behind, I went in to check it out. Nothing inside.

We started to think it was on purpose. Perhaps a live installation by a local artist and there were little cameras around filming people's reactions. Like that Lite Brite terrorist scare a few years ago.

There was even a freaking tiny plastic pink baby seal with white hearts all over it on Maple St. That with the silver hoop earring left on our porch and the green canteen in the yard confirmed it for us.