Coming My Way - DVDs & Books
DVD - Don't ask me what took me so long, but I finally ordered and will be receiving Colin Firth in "Pride and Prejudice." FIVE HOURS of my fav thing: the wet shirt, Jane Austen and The Best Book in the Whole Wide World (adapted to the screen).
FREE BOOK - I've been chosen as an early reviewer from Library Thing for "Superfoods". Stay tuned for a post on the book, once it come in the mail. I picked this book to review because of the whole health kick/ Mediterranean Diet thing.
NEW to ME BOOK - To round things out, I have also ordered Veil, Rae Armantrout's selected poems. I can't remember who it was that said they love "selected poems" rather than "collected works" because they're more portable and discriminating, but I agree.
This Week in AWESOME - 500 Plus Pounds of Pot at Costco
"Police seized more than 500 pounds of marijuana when officials broke up a large-scale narcotics delivery" at a Costco parking lot in Danvers.
Seriously.
More info:
http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2009/05/five_arrested_5.html
This Week in WTF - Uro Club
This is kind of an older commercial but I just saw it recently. Wrong on so so so many levels.
Get it? "URO", as in urologist and urine and Europe, where people are weird?
Get it? "URO", as in urologist and urine and Europe, where people are weird?
Tori Amos Things
Abnormally Attracted to Sin, Tori's latest album, came out on Tuesday. She got the title from the musical "Guys and Dolls". Ha! I do understand the sentiment, though, and I think the first time I really started to get that sentiment was...hmm...oh, when I was in the play "Guys and Dolls". Weird.
Anyway, she was on Leno last night, for the last time as a Tonight Show guest for Leno. He loves her. She's been on that show a bizillion times.
It made me look her up on IMDB. Now I have some Things To Remember To See:
Snow Cake - starring Sigourney Weaver & Alan Rickman
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0448124/
Tori Amos: The Complete Videos 1991-1998 (how many hours did I wait to catch one airing on MTV and video tape it? And now they're all in one handy little DVD...)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0362249/
This one I'm going to purchase, actually.
Must google Graham Norton appearance.
And her Tavis Smiley one should be free to access, since I paid for it with my tax monies...I hope?
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0718324/
Oh, look. The transcript:
http://www.pbs.org/kcet/tavissmiley/archive/200504/20050426_amos.html
Lots of good quotes in this. Here's one sampling:
Tavis: [Tori just talked about listening to her Cherkee grandfather's stories growing up.] How does that translate, years later, into how you go about constructing your lyrics, because I get the sense that lyrical content is important to you.
Amos: Everything's important to me. What is not music within the song is important. When you breathe, the silence is essential. Every ingredient. That's like saying to a chef, 'Well, the salt, where is that?' Doesn't even matter. It's so simple, like breathing. Every element is part of this structure that you're creating. Music is ether, so I'm trying to translate this ether entity into a sonic...hmm...building, if you will, that you can walk into without leaving your chair.
What's hard is not having a desk to sit at. I don't have a private desk to sit at here in Weymouth, so I've been in a dryish spell. I also haven't been alone much. I wonder how artsy-people-who-are-mums create while being interrupted and such. (Well, I won't be learning any time soon, so I guess it doesn't matter...)
Ish Klein and the Boo Show
Well, this is something special: ish klein and the Boo! show. I found it through a meandering trail of clicking and reading things about this and that (namely CA Conrad) and now I'm watching a bunch of episodes on the YouTube.
Different in a good way & I feel better for having stumbled upon them.
Different in a good way & I feel better for having stumbled upon them.
Funny Blogs
I've been dragoness (dragging ass) for the last few days. One way to combat such doldrums are the funny blogs:
see more Fail Blog
http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/2009/04/apostrophe-is-silent.html
http://www.sexypeople-blog.com/2008/12/ronald.html
http://img.wonkette.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/bankrupt-california.jpg
see more Fail Blog
http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/2009/04/apostrophe-is-silent.html
http://www.sexypeople-blog.com/2008/12/ronald.html
http://img.wonkette.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/bankrupt-california.jpg
Inter-league Play, the Sox (& a revisit to Phantom Husband Nate Silver)
If history is any indication to performance, don't expect much from this upcoming inter-league series. The Red Sox always play weird at this time. They make wins, but it's not in inspiring games (like yesterday - phwoar! Still can't believe I was there for it all, too). They lose in games that it seems that they're going to win. Everything just gets all cocked up. It could be the loss of the DH; it could be that they're less familiar with the teams they're playing. There isn't the scouting history or the playing history. They don't know the nuances of pitching and whatnot. I'll leave it up to the expert to say exactly why, but something about May interleague play has always been "meh, eh, hmph"-ish.
It's times like this when I wish Nate Silver weren't just my Phantom Husband, but my real life one so that he could explain, by his magical number crunching PECOTA machine, in concrete facts what I mean by "meh, eh, hmph."
You know, he still hasn't responded to all those emails I sent back in the fall. I mean, I can't imagine why. They were totally normal and sane and everything.
(Maybe not. At all. But they were fun to write I tell yah, until it turned out he was probably actually reading them. Then it became mortifying.)
Hennywhey - stay tuned for some not-as-electric baseball in the next weeks, is all I'm sayin'.
A Magical Night at Fenway
WHOO HOOO!!!! My hippie crap worked! I didn't get to get the sodalite & tiger orchid, but I did wear bright, rejuvenating yellow and a giant Buddha Medallion and went "ohmmmmm" with my hand in that "o" shape, touching my middle finger to my thumbs.
As a result, Papi hit a 2-run homer in the 5th, making my prediction two runs and one inning off. This makes me *kinda* and not *fully* psychic.
And it wasn't just Ortiz who had a good 5th. Varitek, Bay and Lowell all hit homers. My throat hurts from screaming for joy so much. Electric Fenway!
All our neighbors -- the people in front, beside and behind us in the obstructed view Grand Stand Section 1 -- were fun folks and we had a good time high fivin' and chatting and all that throughout the game.
Also - WHY DIDN'T ADAM WIN IDOL???!!!! I don't get it. Men in eyeliner are just the bestest.
As a result, Papi hit a 2-run homer in the 5th, making my prediction two runs and one inning off. This makes me *kinda* and not *fully* psychic.
And it wasn't just Ortiz who had a good 5th. Varitek, Bay and Lowell all hit homers. My throat hurts from screaming for joy so much. Electric Fenway!
All our neighbors -- the people in front, beside and behind us in the obstructed view Grand Stand Section 1 -- were fun folks and we had a good time high fivin' and chatting and all that throughout the game.
Also - WHY DIDN'T ADAM WIN IDOL???!!!! I don't get it. Men in eyeliner are just the bestest.
Bicycle Bicycle
I'm thinking of getting a new bike. The foldable one isn't really ideal for the slightly hilly West Roxbury area. The small diameter of the wheels and the bumpy roads don't go well with my little bike. Plus, it's not very easy for me to port, even if it's supposed to be portable.
I found a very nice site with detailed information on bicycles and what type of bicycle is the right one for any given potential rider:
http://bikes.jump-gate.com/
I think that the best choice for me is either a street bicycle or the street/trekking hybrid. I need a bike that is comfortable to ride; speed isn't a factor for me.
http://bikes.jump-gate.com/bicycles_types/trekking.html
Only I'll have to look around for a deal, since I haven't got lots of discretionary fund laying around. Bicycle riding is so much fun, though! I can't wait until I can get back on the road...
I found a very nice site with detailed information on bicycles and what type of bicycle is the right one for any given potential rider:
http://bikes.jump-gate.com/
I think that the best choice for me is either a street bicycle or the street/trekking hybrid. I need a bike that is comfortable to ride; speed isn't a factor for me.
http://bikes.jump-gate.com/bicycles_types/trekking.html
Only I'll have to look around for a deal, since I haven't got lots of discretionary fund laying around. Bicycle riding is so much fun, though! I can't wait until I can get back on the road...
Ay-ight A-eady REPEAL This Sh*t Now
Up late watching Rachel Maddow rebroadcast and she just SLAMMED Obama et al when it comes to that stupidstupidstupid Don't Ask Don't Tell Policy.
It's 8:50 and completely worth watching.
The other annoying thing about this whole deal, besides the stupid bigotry and discrimination, is that Fehrenbach is gay. Phwoar. I wish I were a gay dude just for him. No I don't. But you know what I'm saying. Sizzlin'.
I'm not just going to copy and paste news stories to my blog. When I come up with some concrete action to take, I'll share here.
It's 8:50 and completely worth watching.
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
The other annoying thing about this whole deal, besides the stupid bigotry and discrimination, is that Fehrenbach is gay. Phwoar. I wish I were a gay dude just for him. No I don't. But you know what I'm saying. Sizzlin'.
I'm not just going to copy and paste news stories to my blog. When I come up with some concrete action to take, I'll share here.
Rejuvenating for David - what I'm bringing to the Sox game tomorrow
I'm bringing Tiger Orchids, a Scarab Beetle & Sodalite to the Sox game tomorrow, for David. They have rejuvenating properties, you see, and baseball is a game of "superstitions". I'm also going to wear yellow, since it's a rejuvenating color.
Here's what I'm talking about, for those of you who don't follow baseball: All-Star slugger David Ortiz is in a slump. His usual booming bat has been flat, silent & non productive. We are all pulling for him, from the stands, our couches, etc.
Since I'm going tomorrow, I've decided to concentrate my thoughts on rejuvenation, for our beloved Big Papi. He needs all the support he can get and if it takes some silly hippie bullshisse, than that's what it takes.Here's hoping.
dream man
My dream man has yet to find me, but to get myself ready, I made a mix tape to myself from him. WHA???!!!
I put together a shuffle on my iTunes that a phantom Ideal Man would make for me. I listen to it while I take walks and do errands, to put my in the mindset of being open to his coming along.
I think what will also help is making sure to moisturize and wear make up, even if I'm just going to the grocery store, like it says to do in How to Make Any Twit Fall in Love with You.
I put together a shuffle on my iTunes that a phantom Ideal Man would make for me. I listen to it while I take walks and do errands, to put my in the mindset of being open to his coming along.
I think what will also help is making sure to moisturize and wear make up, even if I'm just going to the grocery store, like it says to do in How to Make Any Twit Fall in Love with You.
Recipe: Red & Green Frittata
Red & Green Frittata
6 eggs, scrambled
4 handfuls of baby spinach, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
1 avacado chopped
2 roasted red peppers, chopped
olives, chopped
5 soy sausages, chopped
about 1/2 cup gouda cheese -I used a peeler on the block of cheese I had left
1 tbs olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Preheat over to 425. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over med high. Add all the veggies and saute until the spinach begins to wilt, stirring and mixing ever-so-often. Add the sausage then pour the egg around the skillet. Mix up everything some more and turn heat to med low. Spread everything evenly around the skillet. Shave the cheese over the top of the mixture. If your skillet has a plastic handle, wrap the handle with alum foil to prevent melting. Cover the pan and pop in oven for 15 minutes. Uncover and cook another 5-10 minutes until the top is slightly browned. Remove and serve. I cut it up like a pizza and serve it that way. The bottom my be a bit sticky, so be gentle.
Damn good.
6 eggs, scrambled
4 handfuls of baby spinach, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
1 avacado chopped
2 roasted red peppers, chopped
olives, chopped
5 soy sausages, chopped
about 1/2 cup gouda cheese -I used a peeler on the block of cheese I had left
1 tbs olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Preheat over to 425. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over med high. Add all the veggies and saute until the spinach begins to wilt, stirring and mixing ever-so-often. Add the sausage then pour the egg around the skillet. Mix up everything some more and turn heat to med low. Spread everything evenly around the skillet. Shave the cheese over the top of the mixture. If your skillet has a plastic handle, wrap the handle with alum foil to prevent melting. Cover the pan and pop in oven for 15 minutes. Uncover and cook another 5-10 minutes until the top is slightly browned. Remove and serve. I cut it up like a pizza and serve it that way. The bottom my be a bit sticky, so be gentle.
Damn good.
Slightly Sweet Sauteed Kale
I keep experimenting with greens.
Recipe: Slightly Sweet Sauteed Kale
1 half med onion, quarters and sliced thin
1 tbs honey
1/2 tsp ginger
2 tsp toasted sesame seeds
1 head of kale, finely chopped
1/2 cup water
2 tbs rice vinegar
1 tbs olive oil
In a large pot, heat olive oil over med high. Add onions, honey and ginger. Cook till onions begin to brown. Add kale, vinegar, water and sesame seeds. Stir well. Cover and turn heat to low. Cook until kale is limp and smooshyish. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking to bottom of pot. I think it took about 40 mins.
Recipe: Slightly Sweet Sauteed Kale
1 half med onion, quarters and sliced thin
1 tbs honey
1/2 tsp ginger
2 tsp toasted sesame seeds
1 head of kale, finely chopped
1/2 cup water
2 tbs rice vinegar
1 tbs olive oil
In a large pot, heat olive oil over med high. Add onions, honey and ginger. Cook till onions begin to brown. Add kale, vinegar, water and sesame seeds. Stir well. Cover and turn heat to low. Cook until kale is limp and smooshyish. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking to bottom of pot. I think it took about 40 mins.
This Week in WTF: Rumsfeld Plays with Page Maker & the Bible
In the first days of the Iraq War, Rumsfeld would bring by the daily briefings himself in person. The covers had photos from the war and quotes from the Bible. Not only is this creepy in the way is smacks of the Crusades, but the covers were done rather poorly and look terribly cheesy. The JUXTAPOSITION (SAT word!) is unnerving: here's a war we went to on a sham, executed awfully poorly in its first years and the guy in charge is fiddling around with PageMaker, or maybe just Paint, and jacking up the steps on his pedometer by bringing it by in person, instead of, say, monitoring the infrastructure of the country we've waged war against.
GQ has the story and the photo slide show of the cover:
http://men.style.com/gq/features/topsecret
Oh well! Live and learn*!
*Learn this election cycle, forget it in in 2-3 election cycles and have the political offspring of these cockups back in charge again in a vicious, 1984-like circle of ineptitude.
"Between the Bars" Cover
This is two years old, but I just heard it today. It's great. I love both Elliot Smith's orginal (reminds me of my youth, that whole soundtrack does) and this cover by Madeline Peyroux:
Give a little listen, kay? I think Peyroux may be my next iTunes purchase. Love her voice.
This Week in WTF - THIEVES!!!!!!!
Thievery! Thiefs! Not fair! ARRRGGGHHHH! Olbermann!!!!!!
Keith Olbermann has taken my idea of "This Week in WTF" and tweaked it for his own sinister purposes and calls it the "WTF Moment".
STEALERS!
I demand at minimum a nod of thanks for the idea. This is bullshisse. I mean, they obv. rd. my blog. So, they totally got the idea from me. Cheeky bastids.
Keith Olbermann has taken my idea of "This Week in WTF" and tweaked it for his own sinister purposes and calls it the "WTF Moment".
STEALERS!
I demand at minimum a nod of thanks for the idea. This is bullshisse. I mean, they obv. rd. my blog. So, they totally got the idea from me. Cheeky bastids.
Secrets of the Dead - Michelangelo Revealed
I think because of the upcoming movie, PBS aired a neat-o "Secrets of the Dead" about Michelangelo. Michelangelo was part of a group called "The Spirituali", which also included, and was in fact headed by Reginald Pole. I did not know that Reginald Pole (this is a sorta bullshisse link to the Crazy Catholic entry on Reginald Pole) was actually a progressive Catholic with many more Lutheran ideas than even Henry VIII. In "The Tudors", he just seems like he hates Henry because Henry eschews Catholicism from England. But it looks as if that's artistic license that Tudors writers are taking with history. They don't let the Reginald Pole character have any depth whatsoever, he's just this steadfast against Protestantism.
I went to the PBS "Secrets of the Dead: Michelangleo Revealed" website. There's all kinds of poo-poo from Adamant Catholics, hating on the documentary and throwing in some hatred for Dan Brown and Angels and Demons, too. Then there's someone promoting his website that's anti-Catholic, too. Ha ha. I wrote this:
This comment section is almost as interesting as the program itself! This documentary is prescient for its pairing with the release of “Angels and Demons” and also with The Tudors. It shows a very different Reginald Pole than the one currently portrayed, rather one-dimensionally, in the very fun though not always historically accurate “The Tudors”. The figure that grabbed my attention most was Vittoria Colonna. I love finding out about women who shaped history. And finally, forget the religion stuff you all are arguing about! As a poet, I took exception to one of the commentators saying that the reformist Spirituali did not succeed over the conservatives because they were artists and poets and therefore lacked discipline. Ummm…does the Sistine Chapel look like work that comes from someone who lacks discipline? C’mon, man, give us artsy people some credit here! Thanks for a very provocative and topical show!
Because, honestly, if artsy people really lacked discipline, how would anything ever be created? Weirdo prejudiced facty fact man. Lame-o.
Can't wait for Angels and Demons
Hmmm, I think since I am academically writerly and whatnot I'm not supposed to enjoy things like "The DaVinci Code" and "Angels and Demons" but I absolutely and totally love them.It's a blend of some of my favorite things: mysteries, history - especially subversive groups in history, and European Things. How could I not love them? Just because the prose is so purple it belongs on a Drag Queen Float on Gay Pride Parade Sunday, doesn't mean I can't enjoy myself.
I watched Charlie Rose constantly interrupt, er, I mean, interview Tom Hanks, Ron Howard and Ayelet Zurer (the woman who plays the female main character, Vittoria). They look like they had fun making the movie. I'm looking forward to seeing it sometime soon...
This Week in WTF: Still in Weymouth
And here's my WTF Weymouth Story of the Day:
Daisy the Dog and I went to Friendly's and got a gallon of ice cream and a waffle cone for her. We waited in the pick up window line, which was a mile long. Daisy made friends with some nice girls also in line -- probably high school kids. Once I got her waffle cone, I let her show off to her new friends and we did twirls and jumps. Daisy will get on her hind legs for food and also twirl on her hind legs for food. Very cute. Not at all WTFfy. Just normal.
BUT THEN on the way back, as we walked by the gas station I stopped short. All of the sudden, a distinct odor was in the air. Musky, like Spring, only more potent, like...WEED. I looked in the gas attendant little room and there was the gas station kid, smoking a joint. I gave him a chin nod and a smirk and he waved and gave me a chin nod too. Then I shook my head and kept going. Ah, Weymouth, where people smoke js in plain sight as if this is Jamaica or something.
Daisy the Dog and I went to Friendly's and got a gallon of ice cream and a waffle cone for her. We waited in the pick up window line, which was a mile long. Daisy made friends with some nice girls also in line -- probably high school kids. Once I got her waffle cone, I let her show off to her new friends and we did twirls and jumps. Daisy will get on her hind legs for food and also twirl on her hind legs for food. Very cute. Not at all WTFfy. Just normal.
BUT THEN on the way back, as we walked by the gas station I stopped short. All of the sudden, a distinct odor was in the air. Musky, like Spring, only more potent, like...WEED. I looked in the gas attendant little room and there was the gas station kid, smoking a joint. I gave him a chin nod and a smirk and he waved and gave me a chin nod too. Then I shook my head and kept going. Ah, Weymouth, where people smoke js in plain sight as if this is Jamaica or something.
New Awesome Site
Here's one page of an awesome site:
http://awkwardfamilyphotos.com/2009/05/06/the-wonder-years/
This one's the best one I've seen but there's plenty of gems on there.
http://awkwardfamilyphotos.com/2009/05/06/the-wonder-years/
This one's the best one I've seen but there's plenty of gems on there.
Need your help: 80s puberty video w/ Annie - please leave link in comments
It all started with this photo I took of my old elementary school, Alice E. Fulton School.
Then I posted it on Facebook. This got Kara and I to talking about that puberty video we watched in the cozy little library. It was starring "Annie" from the musical. But I can't find it anywhere on the internet: no youtube, no IMDB, no links.
Anyone have any info on this video? Anyway, what I did find was this:
UPDATE: Kara found the IMDB link. The film is called "Growing Up on Broadway." Still no luck on a video link, though. Please help, if you can.
Picture of the Day - Tiger in Water
This was the picture of the day on Wikimedia Commons. It was so striking, I decided to repost it here. Tigers were my dad's favorite animal, too.
Robin Hood & The Nazis
For whatever reason I'm obsessed with the Robin Hood myth. I've blogged about it previously. Today, I watched the 1937 Errol Flynn film.
In that version, Prince John, with the help of Sir Guy & the Sherriff of Nottingham, is trying to take over the throne from Richard the Lionheart, who is away on the Crusades. Prince John is an evil Norman ruler who is taxing both Anglo-Saxons & Normans to death, killing or maiming them if they don't pay their burdensome taxes. Robin Hood leads a rebellion and shelters all the unfortunates along with the merry men in the Locksley Forest.
The Norman vs Anglo Saxon theme was very prominent. I think it was trying to address the growing Nazi movement, because they kept talking about how everyone needed to get alonf and work for the good of England.
It was a very young Warner Company's second Technicolor production and was the most expensively produced movie in it's time.
Worth a look on the Turner Classic Movie channel, if it's On Demand or re-aired any time soon.
Sweet & Grilled Collard Greens Recipe
Recipe: Sweet & Grilled Collard Greens
1 head of collards - take out the center and cut off the stems, rinse them, roll them like a cigar & chop
4 cloves of garlic, sliced
1/2 vidalia onion thinly sliced
1 tbs butter
1 tbs olive oil
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp sesame seeds
1 tbs hot sauce
2 tbs honey
2 tbs water
salt & pepper along the way
Heat the paprika and sesames in the bottom of a big pot to toast them. Turn heat down, add the olive oil and butter and stir around. When hot, add the onion & garlic stir well and saute until the onions are limp. Add the collard greens, stir and cover. Let stand for about two minutes when the collards start to wilt. Add the honey, hot sauce and water. Stir well, reduce heat to low and cover for 20. We have this grilling basket here in Weymouth, which I lined with aluminum foil and put the collard on the grill for about 20 minutes while everything else cooked too. If you don't have a fancy grill basket, just make a pouch with alum. foil and grill low for 20 more minutes.
I've never cooked with collards before. I thought it'd be fun to experiment. This recipe is adapted post-cooking in the technique section, as I learned some secrets afterward...
1 head of collards - take out the center and cut off the stems, rinse them, roll them like a cigar & chop
4 cloves of garlic, sliced
1/2 vidalia onion thinly sliced
1 tbs butter
1 tbs olive oil
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp sesame seeds
1 tbs hot sauce
2 tbs honey
2 tbs water
salt & pepper along the way
Heat the paprika and sesames in the bottom of a big pot to toast them. Turn heat down, add the olive oil and butter and stir around. When hot, add the onion & garlic stir well and saute until the onions are limp. Add the collard greens, stir and cover. Let stand for about two minutes when the collards start to wilt. Add the honey, hot sauce and water. Stir well, reduce heat to low and cover for 20. We have this grilling basket here in Weymouth, which I lined with aluminum foil and put the collard on the grill for about 20 minutes while everything else cooked too. If you don't have a fancy grill basket, just make a pouch with alum. foil and grill low for 20 more minutes.
I've never cooked with collards before. I thought it'd be fun to experiment. This recipe is adapted post-cooking in the technique section, as I learned some secrets afterward...
Baked Blacked Eyed Peas (instead of pinto beans)
Recipe: Baked Beans Using Black Eyed Peas
1 15 oz can of black eyed peas, rinsed and drained
3 leaves of collard greens, well chopped
1 half onion, chopped
3 minced garlic cloves
1 tbs butter
1 tbs olive oil
1 tbs mustard
1 tbs ketchup
1 tbs honey
1 tbs maple syrup
1 tbs horseradish sauce
salt & pepper to season as you go
In a small bowl, mix mustard, ketchup, honey, maple syrup and horseradish sauce together. Heat olive oil and butter over med high heat in a large sauce pan. Saute the aromatics for about a minute. Add the collard greens and black beans and stir well. Add the sauce mix. Stir around and let sit until bubbly. Reduce to low and simmer until the black eyed peas are tender.
1 15 oz can of black eyed peas, rinsed and drained
3 leaves of collard greens, well chopped
1 half onion, chopped
3 minced garlic cloves
1 tbs butter
1 tbs olive oil
1 tbs mustard
1 tbs ketchup
1 tbs honey
1 tbs maple syrup
1 tbs horseradish sauce
salt & pepper to season as you go
In a small bowl, mix mustard, ketchup, honey, maple syrup and horseradish sauce together. Heat olive oil and butter over med high heat in a large sauce pan. Saute the aromatics for about a minute. Add the collard greens and black beans and stir well. Add the sauce mix. Stir around and let sit until bubbly. Reduce to low and simmer until the black eyed peas are tender.
Grilled Potato
Recipe: Grilled Potato
1 baking potato, cleaned and sliced thinly
1 tbs finely chopped onion
1 sprinkle of garlic powder
1 sprinkle of paprika
about 1/2 tsp olive oil
On about 4 inches long of aluminum foil, spread the olive oil in the center. Add the paprika, garlic powder and onion. Place the sliced potato on top. Wrap and grill 20-25 minuted. Gingerly feel the outside, maybe poke it with a spatula, to check when its tender.
1 baking potato, cleaned and sliced thinly
1 tbs finely chopped onion
1 sprinkle of garlic powder
1 sprinkle of paprika
about 1/2 tsp olive oil
On about 4 inches long of aluminum foil, spread the olive oil in the center. Add the paprika, garlic powder and onion. Place the sliced potato on top. Wrap and grill 20-25 minuted. Gingerly feel the outside, maybe poke it with a spatula, to check when its tender.
Why We'll All Keep Loving Baseball
In memory of Dom DiMaggio, who passed away today at age 92, WBUR's "Here and Now" re-ran a story they did on "The Teammates" - Dom DiMaggio, Johnny Pesky, Bobby Doerr and Ted Williams.
http://www.hereandnow.org/2009/05/rundown-58/ - scroll to the bottom of the page. It's the last story of the hour.
In the wake of Manny "Octomom" Ramirez's disappointing positive drug test for steroid use, it was nice but also all the more saddening to hear this news piece. Baseball will never be like that again, but because it once was, we'll all keep loving baseball.
http://www.hereandnow.org/2009/05/rundown-58/ - scroll to the bottom of the page. It's the last story of the hour.
In the wake of Manny "Octomom" Ramirez's disappointing positive drug test for steroid use, it was nice but also all the more saddening to hear this news piece. Baseball will never be like that again, but because it once was, we'll all keep loving baseball.
1855
In 1855 came loafing and long free verse lines (Song of Myself) from Walt Whitman along with dandy-ism and prose poems (Paris Spleen) from Baudelaire. Why do I feel as if now and then have something in common? I'm not sure. I'll have to research it & get back to you. But I happen to be looking at those two books this week, so there you go.
Vegetarian Split Pea Soup Recipe
Recipe: Vegetarian Split Pea Soup
2 tbs olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 heaping tbs minced garlic
1 tsp honey
1 tsp cumin
1 tbs yellow curry powder
1/2 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
4 carrots, peeled and chopped
4 med size potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 package Goya split peas, sifted, rinsed and strained
1 veg bullion cube
3 qts water
salt & pepper to season as you go along
In a large stock pot, heat olive oil over med high heat. Add onion and garlic, stir and heat for about a minute. Add honey, stir. Add spices and season with salt and pepper. Stir well and heat until you can start to smell it get cooked, about a minute. Add carrots and potato, stir well until the potatoes take on the yellowish curry color, about 1-2 minutes. Mush the bullion cube, spread around the pot and stir. Add peas and water. Stir and cover. Bring to a bubbling boil then reduce to simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, esp making sure to stir at the bottom of the pot. Simmer about 30-40 until the peas are the mushy peas of split pea soup, you know what I mean?
I love this recipe. I hadn't made it in a while, but after noticing that I'm not eating enough legumes, I stood in the bean section and grabbed all the things I like, to help inspire me to eat this vital part of the Meditterranean diet.
2 tbs olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 heaping tbs minced garlic
1 tsp honey
1 tsp cumin
1 tbs yellow curry powder
1/2 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
4 carrots, peeled and chopped
4 med size potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 package Goya split peas, sifted, rinsed and strained
1 veg bullion cube
3 qts water
salt & pepper to season as you go along
In a large stock pot, heat olive oil over med high heat. Add onion and garlic, stir and heat for about a minute. Add honey, stir. Add spices and season with salt and pepper. Stir well and heat until you can start to smell it get cooked, about a minute. Add carrots and potato, stir well until the potatoes take on the yellowish curry color, about 1-2 minutes. Mush the bullion cube, spread around the pot and stir. Add peas and water. Stir and cover. Bring to a bubbling boil then reduce to simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, esp making sure to stir at the bottom of the pot. Simmer about 30-40 until the peas are the mushy peas of split pea soup, you know what I mean?
I love this recipe. I hadn't made it in a while, but after noticing that I'm not eating enough legumes, I stood in the bean section and grabbed all the things I like, to help inspire me to eat this vital part of the Meditterranean diet.
To Click - for Vets
I'm about to go to bed but I wanted to post a link to a website I heard about on Colbert Report tonight.
http://supportyourvet.org/
More on this after I've had time to view the site.
http://supportyourvet.org/
More on this after I've had time to view the site.
Escape Routes
The bus runs in South Weymouth now.
http://www.mbta.com/uploadedFiles/Documents/Schedules_and_Maps/Bus/225map.pdf
From Quincy Center to Columbian Square. Now. Now that I'm old and moved out and have a car and don't need a bus to help me escape from the suburbs to some place cool like Cambridge (har har, "cool like Cambridge...ah, I used to do that all the time: somehow get to Braintree, then go to the other end of the line in Harvard Square, just to mill about, like they talk about at the end of Car Talk "known to the hipster wanna-be suburban teens taking the T into Cambridge as Hugh Louis Dewey...").
I saw the 225 in front of me on Route 18. Was surreal.
http://www.mbta.com/uploadedFiles/Documents/Schedules_and_Maps/Bus/225map.pdf
From Quincy Center to Columbian Square. Now. Now that I'm old and moved out and have a car and don't need a bus to help me escape from the suburbs to some place cool like Cambridge (har har, "cool like Cambridge...ah, I used to do that all the time: somehow get to Braintree, then go to the other end of the line in Harvard Square, just to mill about, like they talk about at the end of Car Talk "known to the hipster wanna-be suburban teens taking the T into Cambridge as Hugh Louis Dewey...").
I saw the 225 in front of me on Route 18. Was surreal.
Doom Looms for Boston Globe
Well, um, okay. Here's the thing. If the Globe dies, all we're left with here is the EFFING HERALD owned by wingnut Rupert Poophead. The Herald and it's tabloid 2nd grade reading level spewfest poop all over the 1st amendment by wasting precious trees on their lame crap. If there's only the Herald here, the world will LITERALLY end. Literally.
But also, lots more than just reporters will lose their jobs. The printers, the deliverers, the sales staff, and on and on. That's why the unions are involved with the showdown - those support staff workers' unions have to make major concessions for the papEH to stay afloat. There was already buyouts of reporters & editors, followed by a round of lay-offs. Also.
Me 'n my friends don't read the printed paper so much nowadays - mostly just Sunday. But we go to Boston.com for all our local news: sports, entertainment, politcal, etc. What needs to happen, needed to happen many years ago, is a successful monetization of on-line newspapers. It's the failure of imagination and lack of foresight from company managers that lead to this crap. I hope they hurry up and fix it. I can't live with only the Herald. I can't. I simply can't.
My, my. I had no idea I had such impassioned feelings about The Boston Globe. Look at that. Four paragraphs of drivel, but I still felt compelled to write while this neverending Red Sox Yankees game continues...okay. I'm done now.
But also, lots more than just reporters will lose their jobs. The printers, the deliverers, the sales staff, and on and on. That's why the unions are involved with the showdown - those support staff workers' unions have to make major concessions for the papEH to stay afloat. There was already buyouts of reporters & editors, followed by a round of lay-offs. Also.
Me 'n my friends don't read the printed paper so much nowadays - mostly just Sunday. But we go to Boston.com for all our local news: sports, entertainment, politcal, etc. What needs to happen, needed to happen many years ago, is a successful monetization of on-line newspapers. It's the failure of imagination and lack of foresight from company managers that lead to this crap. I hope they hurry up and fix it. I can't live with only the Herald. I can't. I simply can't.
My, my. I had no idea I had such impassioned feelings about The Boston Globe. Look at that. Four paragraphs of drivel, but I still felt compelled to write while this neverending Red Sox Yankees game continues...okay. I'm done now.
Now I Like Bernie Williams
Now that he's retired from baseball and no longer playing for the Yankees, I can indiscriminately judge Bernie Williams at his new career as a musician and the verdict: fantastico!
Mom and I both heard the same story on "Only Game", an interview with Williams, promoting his new CD. Mom was just as impressed as I was and went straight to Newbury to buy a copy.
Williams is a guitarist and plays very sweet and tender songs. Even Red Sox fan James Taylor blurbed for him on the back of the CD, complimenting Bernie as one in a million (at least): someone with extraordinary talent on the baseball field and on the guitar strings.
Here's the interview. Or go here and click on "Bernie Williams" at the bottom, if that link doesn't work for you (I think you have to have Real Audio installed.)
Here's the CD:
http://www.campuscustoms.com/reformrecords/berniewilliams.html
Hope you enjoyed the video of him playing "Take Me Out to the Ball Game", too.
New Books
Over the last bunch of days, I've purchased or received in the mail the following New Books:
Areas of Fog
my vocabulary did this to me
Roseland and Necco Face both here
Some used book (literary & otherwise) purchases include:
State of Denial: Bush at War III
Women in Love
Black Magic: Poetry 1961-1967
In my next entry, I'm just going to go crazy and list all the books that I don't have on their proper place on their shelves and why. Because right now I'm on vicodin (doctor prescribed, not recreational) and doing that sounds like a good idea. Mostly, because I can't seem to concentrate on anything else.
Areas of Fog
my vocabulary did this to me
Roseland and Necco Face both here
Some used book (literary & otherwise) purchases include:
State of Denial: Bush at War III
Women in Love
Black Magic: Poetry 1961-1967
In my next entry, I'm just going to go crazy and list all the books that I don't have on their proper place on their shelves and why. Because right now I'm on vicodin (doctor prescribed, not recreational) and doing that sounds like a good idea. Mostly, because I can't seem to concentrate on anything else.
Longevity, Icaria, Health and my other blog
I've been reading up on "Blue Zones", placesin the world where people tend to live longer than average lifespans, this weekend after an interesting report on Weekend Edition Saturday about the Greek island of Icaria, where the life expectancy rate in 90+.
Pretty interesting stuff about their lifestyles & diet. There's also been a lot of reporting on other areas of the world where life expectancy rates are high, and I read and blogged about those, too.
If you want to read more, here's the link to my other blog, "My Mediterranean Diet".
Hope you all had a good weekend, my friends.
Pretty interesting stuff about their lifestyles & diet. There's also been a lot of reporting on other areas of the world where life expectancy rates are high, and I read and blogged about those, too.
If you want to read more, here's the link to my other blog, "My Mediterranean Diet".
Hope you all had a good weekend, my friends.
Cheap, quick, & easy - Black Bean and Potato Stew
Black Bean and Potato Stew Recipe
5 small red bliss potatoes chopped up & zapped for a minute and a half in a little water then drained
1 12 oz can of black beans, rinsed and drained
1 8 oz can of organic plain tomato sauce
16 oz of water
2 tbs olive oil
2 tsp cumin powder
2 tsp dill weed
2 tsp real dried oregano (not just the flakes)
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp red pepper
1/2 vegetable boullion cube
salt and pepper to season along the way
Heat 2 tbs of olive oil add potatoes, and sautee for 2 minutes. Add the black beans, tomatoes, and spices. Cover and cook til bubbling. Add the boullion and water, stir well. Cover and bring to a boil then simmer 15-20 minutes until potatoes are tender.
This is quick, tasty, healthy and has legumes, veggies and whole grain all in one very inexpensive recipe.
5 small red bliss potatoes chopped up & zapped for a minute and a half in a little water then drained
1 12 oz can of black beans, rinsed and drained
1 8 oz can of organic plain tomato sauce
16 oz of water
2 tbs olive oil
2 tsp cumin powder
2 tsp dill weed
2 tsp real dried oregano (not just the flakes)
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp red pepper
1/2 vegetable boullion cube
salt and pepper to season along the way
Heat 2 tbs of olive oil add potatoes, and sautee for 2 minutes. Add the black beans, tomatoes, and spices. Cover and cook til bubbling. Add the boullion and water, stir well. Cover and bring to a boil then simmer 15-20 minutes until potatoes are tender.
This is quick, tasty, healthy and has legumes, veggies and whole grain all in one very inexpensive recipe.
This Week in WTF: My Sucky Luck
One May Day, from the hours of 7 AM to 10 AM, invloved the following things:
1 burst pipe/ hose thing from the toilet
2 inches of water flooding the bathroom
1 pair of pliers to try to turn the water off at the toilet, which did not work
1 major digger in the slippery hallway in which I bumped my head, knee, and elbow
8 soaked towels
1 plastic tarp
3 bags of dirty-laundry-as-sandbag
1 rug as barrier from bathroom to rest of apartment
1 half naked Rene, the roommate, (in towel after shower) in the basement trying to figure out how to shut the water off, unsuccessfully
1 911 call because Rene knew we needed to take action immediately
6 firefighters, four of whom were young and hot as hell - too bad the house was a bit on the messy side - who successfully turned the water off
1 funny comment from a cute firefighter, asking if we were from the mid-west -- because we did such a good job preventing the water in the bathroom from leaking further into the apartment, with the laundry-as-sandbag/tarp/rug/towel barrier
1 landlord, with her lovely, calming Irish brogue, who helped drain the water in the bathroom into the bathtub
2 concerned (for their ceiling, which was leaking) neighbors
1 trip to Starbucks around the corner because I had not taken my morning pee and could not hold it any longer
1 undraining bathtub
1 plumber - who fixed the toilet no problem but had a hard time with the tub
1 broken drain in bathtub that the plumber thought he'd have to cut through Rene's wall to fix
1 miracle in that with some jiggling, he was able to extract the broken drain thingy and he came back to fix it a half hour later & will not have to tear a hole in the wall to do so
3 hours of "seriously, WTF"ing
1 very stressed and tired Madeline the Pin-Pin, who is now resting under the blankets on the couch
1 bathroom, completely back to normal, as if nothing had happened
1 burst pipe/ hose thing from the toilet
2 inches of water flooding the bathroom
1 pair of pliers to try to turn the water off at the toilet, which did not work
1 major digger in the slippery hallway in which I bumped my head, knee, and elbow
8 soaked towels
1 plastic tarp
3 bags of dirty-laundry-as-sandbag
1 rug as barrier from bathroom to rest of apartment
1 half naked Rene, the roommate, (in towel after shower) in the basement trying to figure out how to shut the water off, unsuccessfully
1 911 call because Rene knew we needed to take action immediately
6 firefighters, four of whom were young and hot as hell - too bad the house was a bit on the messy side - who successfully turned the water off
1 funny comment from a cute firefighter, asking if we were from the mid-west -- because we did such a good job preventing the water in the bathroom from leaking further into the apartment, with the laundry-as-sandbag/tarp/rug/towel barrier
1 landlord, with her lovely, calming Irish brogue, who helped drain the water in the bathroom into the bathtub
2 concerned (for their ceiling, which was leaking) neighbors
1 trip to Starbucks around the corner because I had not taken my morning pee and could not hold it any longer
1 undraining bathtub
1 plumber - who fixed the toilet no problem but had a hard time with the tub
1 broken drain in bathtub that the plumber thought he'd have to cut through Rene's wall to fix
1 miracle in that with some jiggling, he was able to extract the broken drain thingy and he came back to fix it a half hour later & will not have to tear a hole in the wall to do so
3 hours of "seriously, WTF"ing
1 very stressed and tired Madeline the Pin-Pin, who is now resting under the blankets on the couch
1 bathroom, completely back to normal, as if nothing had happened
I'm a little teapot
Here's my new Mondrian-esque retro style teapot from Ocean State Job Lot. It was six bucks. I totally love it. Isn't it adorable? All credit to Mom who spotted the whole lot of teapots after I walked right past them.It's my one cute thing that brightens up my really reallllllllllyyyyy crappy week. More on that to follow.
Apartment Gardening
Remember last spring, when I heard Robert Pogue Harrison on On Point and it made me want to start gardening? So, I started small with some house plants. I've got two spiky thingies, a bamboo, a mother-in-laws tongue, a Peace Lily, one pink leafy thing, one mini ficus, some just plain green leafs, some stems and green leaf and the tiger leaves and a rosebush.
Now I'm going to do chives, red pepper and basil. We'll see. I'm going to do them from "scratch". And I'm going to buy a tomato plant and do that Topsy Turvy Planter thingy As Seen on TV.
Indoor gardening is fun! I can't wait to grow up and have an outdoor one someday in 2012 or later.
Now I'm going to do chives, red pepper and basil. We'll see. I'm going to do them from "scratch". And I'm going to buy a tomato plant and do that Topsy Turvy Planter thingy As Seen on TV.
Indoor gardening is fun! I can't wait to grow up and have an outdoor one someday in 2012 or later.
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