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Don’t Analyze, Act!
I’ve heard a few things about Barbara Ehrenreich’s book, “Bright Sided“, though I haven’t read it. But the idea has intrigued me, because it’s the idea that our world of positive thinking is too much, and it’s somewhat dangerous. She says that when someone gets cancer, and is told that positive thinking can heal them, they’re lying in a very cruel and dangerous way to those people. And really, they’re blaming that person for not being positive enough. If they don’t get better, it’s then their fault, for not keeping up that sunny disposition all of the time. This reminds me of those who say some variation of, “God never…
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Gift from the Sea
“Herein lies one key to the problem. If women were convinced that a day off or an hour of solitude was a reasonable ambition, they would find a way of attaining it. As it is, they feel so unjustified in their demand that they rarely make the attempt. One has only to look at those women who actually have the economic means or the time and energy for solitude yet do not use it, to realize that the problem is not solely economic. It is more a question of inner convictions than of outer pressures, though, of course, the th outer pressures are there and make it more difficult. As…
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The Zombies ~ She’s Not There
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5IRI4oHKNU[/youtube] Z already? The end of the alphabet? That means I’ve been doing this A – Z thing for 26 weeks, 1/2 a year. Crazy, huh? I don’t know a lot of Z bands. There are the Zombies, and ZZ Top. I know there are plenty of others, but these are the only ones I’m familiar with. And I’m not very familiar with either, really. Anyway, enjoy the Zombies, (appropriate for Halloween week, no?), and I hope you enjoyed ‘ABC Music Monday’, which was influenced by Gina’s ‘Music Monday’, and then was picked up by my friend Simon as well. Simon lives in Belgium, and I don’t think we’ve ever…
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Friday Randomness
Friday morning, and instead of exercising like I should, I’ll write a post. Good thinking, right? So, what’s up in the world of J and her family, and the world at large? Genevieve is still blind. Not that that’s going to change. We still don’t know if she has Cushing’s or not, and if she turns out to have it, we’re not sure what we want to do about it. Blech. Last Saturday was Diwali, and after a day in the City that included a trip to the Conservatory of Flowers and some yummy crab melts, we put on our salwar kameez and went out to have a lovely puja…
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Wordless Wednesday ~ San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers
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Spiced Lamb Chops and Smashed Peas
I found this recipe in the new Real Simple magazine, and the idea of seasoning the lamb with curry powder, and then cooking them without a sauce, intrigued me. The verdict? Three thumbs up. One from Ted, one from me, one from Maya. They were lovely, although the success of the dish probably depends on the quality of the lamb, and of the curry powder that you can find. Ted’s mom hooks us up with some amazing curry powder, and I splurged on the lamb for this one. Really good. Also, really easy and quick, with dinner on the table within 30 minutes. Spiced Lamb Chops and Smashed Peas Ingredients…
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Yaz(oo) ~ Only You
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9DOmlfICGw[/youtube] Yaz in the U.S., Yazoo in the U.K.. Either way, I really liked both of their albums, Upstairs at Eric’s and You and Me Both. When they broke up and Vince (who was previously with Depeche Mode) went on to Erasure, I loved that, too. Funny how he found a guy to sing that sounded so much like Alison Moyet. I guess I was just a big fan of the synth pop sound of the 80s, huh? There wasn’t an official video for Only You, just this, which sounds kind of….muddy. If you care about such things and want better sound, listen here. Want more? How about Didn’t I…
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It was 20 years ago today…
That I stopped enjoying earthquakes. Before October 17, 1989, I thought earthquakes were mostly fun. The surprise of it all. The wondering if it might get worse, which it never did, so there’s that danger that’s not really dangerous feeling in your stomach. The feeling that for at least one brief moment, everyone in the area is thinking the same thing at the same time. Turn on the radio, and suddenly instead of baseball or politics or celebrity gossip, everyone is talking about the earthquake, trying to figure out how big it was, etc. It’s kinda cool. (San Francisco Oakland Bay Bridge) But that one was different, obviously. Instead of…
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The Things We Miss…
By not watching TV during the day time. Or being near a computer. Thursday is my day to deliver meals for Meals-on-Wheels, and this week I was training a new person, so I didn’t hear the story of the boy being aloft in his family’s homemade hot air balloon until it was well under way. The last house on my route, the woman asked me in to watch, and there was the balloon, at about 1,300 feet. Colorado had a lot of snow over the last week or so, so I’m guessing that high up would be really, really cold. I don’t know about oxygen. My heart sank for that…
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Turkey and Stuffing for Two
This is the recipe for Turkey and Stuffing that I made for Canadian Thanksgiving yesterday. The picture was found here, because I was too lazy to take a picture. I should have done so, though, because mine looked even better than this does. The recipe is on the same page. I changed the recipe by being totally lazy….I made Stove Top Turkey Stuffing, and used that instead of a corn muffin. So what I did was pound the turkey cutlets out, put some stuffing on them, then roll them up and tie them with some twine. I put this back in the fridge to wait until I was ready. I…
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Happy Thanksgiving!
(picture found here) Happy Thanksgiving to my Canadian friends and family! I say family, because Canada clarified their regulations recently, so that all you have to do to prove your citizenship is to show your birth certificate, that you were born in Canada. Which Ted was. Yay Canada! So tonight, for dinner, I’m thinking Stuffed Turkey Rolls, yams, cranberry sauce, and salad. Fun, huh? Maya has the day off of school today, for Columbus Day. I have the day off of work for the same reason. Poor Ted, the Canadian in the crowd, has to work. Not fair, really. It’s a good thing that Maya has the day off, though,…
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XTC ~ Dear God
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hk41Gbjljfo[/youtube] One of my favorite songs ever, and one that sums up a lot for me. A lot about atheism. A lot about not being able to make the leap of faith to understand how the tragedies that affect so many people: earth quakes, tsunamis, sick asshats who kidnap kids and keep them in the basement, etc.. How can these things be explained in a world with a loving God, who at the same time, is involved in our lives and answers our prayers. I can’t make that leap. I know that many people can, and that a big part of it is being able to say, faith. Faith. …
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Broken For You
Immediately following her diagnoses of a fatal brain tumor, Margaret Hughes stops in at a small pastry shop in Seattle, and orders four desserts. Sort of a ‘what the hell’ approach, because really, if you only have a year to live, who cares what you eat? She strikes up a conversation with the shop girl, a painfully thin girl with black lipstick and a nose-ring. Margaret asks, “If you found out you had only a short while to live, maybe a year or two, how would you spend your time?” The answer surprises her. “I suppose I’d think about whatever it is that scares me the most – relationshipwise, I…
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The Wallflowers ~ One Headlight
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEeqDk7203U[/youtube] I remember being really impressed by Bringing Down the Horse, by The Wallflowers. Loved all of it. My favorite three songs were probably this one, One Headlight, along with Three Marlinas, and 6th Avenue Heartache. The pop hook is great in all of them, but I particularly think that Jakob Dylan got some pretty decent lyric writing chops from his old man. Here are the lyrics to 6th Avenue Heartache, which I think I like even more than One Headlight, but I couldn’t find a copy that would embed on YouTube. Click the link above, to listen to 6th Avenue Heartache. Written for a homeless man in New York…
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It’s not the falling that hurts somuch as the LANDING
(picture found here…wish I had at least been jumping…) So I fell off a horse last Saturday morning. (Stupid horse…) It wasn’t anything dramatic or crazy, like being bucked off or doing dangerous jumps, or riding a crazy horse or anything. Just him zigging and me zagging and me not holding on like I should have, so I lost my balance and fell. Damn, that really hurt. REALLY. HURT. For the record, I didn’t feel like anything was broken, so I got back on the horse, and showed him who was boss. Made him walk backwards and in the direction he didn’t like. Not sure it helped. Helped my pride…